Minnesota’s Tubby Smith has made a push for a new practice facility since his arrival in 2007.
Former athletic director Joel Maturi promised to build one.
Five years have passed.
And the university has failed to attract the private donors who are capable of funding the project.
It’s a baffling predicament for the Big Ten university.
A school that can construct a $300 million football stadium can’t find the money to build a practice facility at a fraction of the cost? A school that’s located in a major metropolitan area filled with Fortune 500 companies can’t get any corporate sponsor to open its checkbook? No rich alumni seeking hefty tax breaks?
Some of the program’s supporters have pushed for a greater overhaul that would include the renovation of Williams Arena or the construction of a new building. But that project would cost much more than a practice facility.
Great ideas. But without the money to move forward, that’s all they are. That’s all they’ve been in recent years.
A new regime, however, has vowed to make progress.
Minnesota’s new athletic director, Norwood Teague, says he’s focused on making a new practice facility a reality for the program.
“That project will be a top priority,” Teague, former athletic director at VCU, told the Pioneer Press. “I think it's a necessity for your program and your program's future. We can't afford not to have one for both [the men's and women's] programs.”
The Gophers’ administration recognizes the need.
Iowa and Nebraska, however, moved past that point years ago. They’ve raised the money and put shovels into the ground.
And in the end, those moves could shift the league as some of the teams that have struggled in recent years continue to build.
Five Big Ten squads signed top-25 recruiting classes in 2012, according to ESPN.com’s rankings.
Four of the teams have attracted high-level talent with ease in recent years. Michigan State, Michigan and Indiana should be top-10 squads when the preseason polls are released. Purdue is rebuilding without Robbie Hummel but its nationally ranked recruiting class will speed up the process.
Iowa’s standing at No. 25, however, was surprising, given its recent challenges.
It’s justifiable. Adam Woodbury (No. 39) and Mike Gesell (No. 75) are ESPNU100 prospects who could help the Hawkeyes -- a team that hasn’t reached the NCAA tournament since 2006 -- turn the corner in the Big Ten.
Iowa’s brass certainly believes. It just rewarded Fran McCaffery with a seven-year deal that will pay the head coach a minimum of $1.66 million per season.
The Hawkeyes have invested $47 million in their basketball program since 2007, according to Scott Dochterman of the Cedar Rapids Gazette. That number includes the renovation of Carver-Hawkeye Arena -- one of my favorites -- and a new basketball practice facility.
The Hawkeyes’ commitment to the sport should help the program rise in the Big Ten. Again.
And they’re not alone. As my colleague Jason King pointed out last week, Nebraska is banking on big dollars to boost its basketball program, too. That squad will compete in the new Pinnacle Bank Arena next season. A new practice facility for the Huskers was completed last year.
Price tag: $200 million, according to Tim Miles.
The “if you build it, they will come” theory is already paying off for Iowa. And it will help the Huskers in the future, too.
Minnesota, however, continues to hope and wait, while its peers make moves.
Source: ESPN, College Basketball Nation Blog
Monday, July 16, 2012
Call Me Maybe When Your School Loan Is Paid In Full
The increasing debt load of college graduates has affected young people's lives in untold ways, from career choices to living arrangements. Now add another impact on a key part of young adult life: dating and marriage.
Rachel Bingham, an art teacher in Portland, Maine, learned this a few years back, when a guy broke it off after four months of a budding relationship. Among other reasons, he cited her $80,000 in student loan debt.
"He said it scared him," she recalls, "that it really made him anxious. And he just did not want to take on my responsibility."
That made Bingham angry because she had never asked for his help. She says she has been very responsible, diligently making her loan payments.
"I was really floored at the time, because I just didn't consider that as a reason for someone to not be with someone else," she says. "I felt it was very shallow."
Bingham is now engaged to a man who's not scared off by her debt, but it turns out her ex-boyfriend was far from alone. The issue recently came up in a letter to an advice column at Nerve.com, a pop culture dating website. This time it was a woman wary of a serious relationship because her boyfriend has $150,000 in debt, mostly student loans.
"He was explaining his money stress to me," the woman wrote, "and I started crying because I saw the future I want falling away."
She wrote that she felt "embarrassed" about being so "selfish," and signed her letter, "Am I Being Awful?"
Caitlin Caven, who writes the site's Miss Information column, assured the woman that she's right to take a hard look at things. She suggested that a responsible approach to repayment is more important than the boyfriend's actual — admittedly staggering — amount of debt. Caven says readers also weighed in.
"There were a lot of people saying, 'Dump him, get out,' " she says. "And then there was a lot of backlash, saying, 'Hey, that's unfair. You guys are clearly not thinking about how student debt works in this country. So many people are in debt like that, that you can't just get rid of a good relationship because of it.' "
Caven advised the woman to keep her finances separate and consider a prenuptial agreement.
'An Impediment To Moving Forward'
When NPR asked about this issue on its Facebook page, many couples said they've avoided legal marriage so one partner wouldn't be liable for the other one's debt. In fact, responsibility for student loans does not transfer to a spouse. But, practically speaking?
"Well, once you're married, you're basically responsible for it at some level," says Bill Driscoll, a financial planner in Massachusetts. He sees the impact of student loan debt on his 30-something clients.
"It's causing uncertainty and tension," he says, "because it's an impediment to them moving forward on a lot of fronts."
Those include having a child or saving for college, saving for retirement and the biggie: buying a house.
"If they go to buy a home," says Driscoll, "and they've got $65,000 in student debt, that's going to undermine a lot of the possibilities for getting financing."
Driscoll says half of his clients don't see eye to eye when it comes to spending versus saving, so he advises hashing out a compromise plan. Mostly, he counsels couples to talk about financial problems early. But that can be hard to do.
Feeling A Stigma
"I just usually wait until it comes up and kind of clench my teeth," says
Craig Pfeister, a 29-year-old craftsman who makes guitars in Denver. He has north of $100,000 in student loans, and has grown used to the reaction that gets from dates.
"Generally, it starts with an awkward look, like, 'What have I gotten myself into?' " he says. Pfeister has come to realize that he's more comfortable dating women who also have lots of student debt.
"We can kind of laugh about it," he says, "like we're both owned by Sallie Mae. If they already have in their mind they'll have this debt for their entire life, when they hear about mine, it's just, 'Oh, you, too?' "
And if Pfeister ends up marrying more debt? Sure, it would add to his financial stress. But, he says, at least the stigma would not be just on him.
Source: NPR
Rachel Bingham, an art teacher in Portland, Maine, learned this a few years back, when a guy broke it off after four months of a budding relationship. Among other reasons, he cited her $80,000 in student loan debt.
"He said it scared him," she recalls, "that it really made him anxious. And he just did not want to take on my responsibility."
That made Bingham angry because she had never asked for his help. She says she has been very responsible, diligently making her loan payments.
"I was really floored at the time, because I just didn't consider that as a reason for someone to not be with someone else," she says. "I felt it was very shallow."
Bingham is now engaged to a man who's not scared off by her debt, but it turns out her ex-boyfriend was far from alone. The issue recently came up in a letter to an advice column at Nerve.com, a pop culture dating website. This time it was a woman wary of a serious relationship because her boyfriend has $150,000 in debt, mostly student loans.
"He was explaining his money stress to me," the woman wrote, "and I started crying because I saw the future I want falling away."
She wrote that she felt "embarrassed" about being so "selfish," and signed her letter, "Am I Being Awful?"
Caitlin Caven, who writes the site's Miss Information column, assured the woman that she's right to take a hard look at things. She suggested that a responsible approach to repayment is more important than the boyfriend's actual — admittedly staggering — amount of debt. Caven says readers also weighed in.
"There were a lot of people saying, 'Dump him, get out,' " she says. "And then there was a lot of backlash, saying, 'Hey, that's unfair. You guys are clearly not thinking about how student debt works in this country. So many people are in debt like that, that you can't just get rid of a good relationship because of it.' "
Caven advised the woman to keep her finances separate and consider a prenuptial agreement.
'An Impediment To Moving Forward'
When NPR asked about this issue on its Facebook page, many couples said they've avoided legal marriage so one partner wouldn't be liable for the other one's debt. In fact, responsibility for student loans does not transfer to a spouse. But, practically speaking?
"Well, once you're married, you're basically responsible for it at some level," says Bill Driscoll, a financial planner in Massachusetts. He sees the impact of student loan debt on his 30-something clients.
"It's causing uncertainty and tension," he says, "because it's an impediment to them moving forward on a lot of fronts."
Those include having a child or saving for college, saving for retirement and the biggie: buying a house.
"If they go to buy a home," says Driscoll, "and they've got $65,000 in student debt, that's going to undermine a lot of the possibilities for getting financing."
Driscoll says half of his clients don't see eye to eye when it comes to spending versus saving, so he advises hashing out a compromise plan. Mostly, he counsels couples to talk about financial problems early. But that can be hard to do.
Feeling A Stigma
"I just usually wait until it comes up and kind of clench my teeth," says
Craig Pfeister, a 29-year-old craftsman who makes guitars in Denver. He has north of $100,000 in student loans, and has grown used to the reaction that gets from dates.
"Generally, it starts with an awkward look, like, 'What have I gotten myself into?' " he says. Pfeister has come to realize that he's more comfortable dating women who also have lots of student debt.
"We can kind of laugh about it," he says, "like we're both owned by Sallie Mae. If they already have in their mind they'll have this debt for their entire life, when they hear about mine, it's just, 'Oh, you, too?' "
And if Pfeister ends up marrying more debt? Sure, it would add to his financial stress. But, he says, at least the stigma would not be just on him.
Source: NPR
Kentucky lawmakers divert millions from student aid, even as poor students turned away
Jayme Hopewell has been a student at Bluegrass Community and Technical College since 2010, trying to get an arts and science associate degree at the same time she works and raises her son on her own.
In late February, she filled out her annual application for a grant from Kentucky's College Assistance Program, or CAP, which helps low-income Kentuckians pay for college. She was out of luck.
The state began accepting applications for the program Jan. 1. By Feb. 7, the fund's $60 million had been doled out. It's not yet clear how many students were turned down, but 80,724 were denied in 2011.
"It was hard for me because I depend on financial aid," Hopewell said. "I do think people who intend to go to school should be able to get some help."
She later won a scholarship that allowed her to return to school, but thousands of other Kentucky students aren't that fortunate.
The same thing happens every year, for several reasons:
■ The General Assembly routinely raids funds from the Kentucky Lottery that are supposed to be used for student financial aid. Kentuckians approved the lottery in 1989 on the understanding that 100 percent of its proceeds would go to education. Instead, legislators suspend the law that directs lottery money to education and use it for other programs — to the tune of $90 million since 2006.
In addition, funding for financial aid is based on estimates of lottery proceeds rather than actual lottery sales. Since 2006, the lottery has produced $78 million more than was estimated, but the extra money went into the state's General Fund budget instead of paying for financial aid.
■ The merit-based Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship, or KEES, earned by every high school student with a GPA of 2.5 or higher, receives funding priority over need-based grants.
■ With a sickly economy, experts say more and more Kentuckians are realizing they need college degrees. That means more students are competing for the same pot of financial aid, all while tuition rates continue to climb.
The students penalized most by the lack of need-based aid are often those at community colleges. Although institutions tell students to apply early for need-based aid, experts say community college students often lose out because they might not decide to go to school until the last minute based on factors such as employment and family.
"Community college students tend to apply later because things happen in their lives," said Runan Pendergrast, financial aid director for BCTC. "They might lose a job and suddenly need to be retrained in some area."
Without enough aid, many students are forced to get loans. In 2010-11, the average Kentucky student graduated with a student-loan debt of $19,000. In all, 58 percent of students had college debt, which is growing at a rate four times faster than the state's gross domestic product, according to the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority, or KHEAA.
Despite the staggering numbers, there's no one making a strong push to provide more need-based aid to Kentucky students, said Joe McCormick, who stepped down as director of KHEAA in 2006.
"During the time I worked at KHEAA, I wasn't able to identify a champion of need-based aid anywhere in the public or the legislature," McCormick said. "And I don't see that now. I don't see any initiatives being put forth to increase need-based aid, given the fact that state support is continuing to dwindle and colleges have no choice but to increase their tuition.
"The ones who really lose out are the poor kids of Kentucky."
Widening gap
KHEAA operates most of the state's college aid programs, including the merit-based KEES scholarship and the need-based CAP grant and Kentucky Tuition Grant, or KTG, which is given to students who attend private colleges.
In 2011, CAP spent $60 million on 37,836 students, and KTG distributed $32 million to 12,400 students.
The trend of having more applicants than money has increased as federal standards have changed, making more students eligible. According to KHEAA, 80,724 eligible students were turned down for CAP funds in 2011, up from 22,870 in 2006. An additional 9,700 were turned down for KTG funds in 2011.
Meanwhile, about 69,000 students received $95 million in KEES awards in 2011.
KEES money is earned throughout a student's high school career and is commensurate with a student's grades. The most a student may earn — with a GPA of 4.0 every year and an ACT score of 28 or higher — is about $2,500 a year.
The scholarship has become a popular entitlement program, and while awards haven't gone up much since 1989, lawmakers have been reluctant to trim any funding.
"The merit-based scholarship is fully funded and the need-based is not," said Rep. Arnold Simpson, D-Covington, who chairs the budget subcommittee on postsecondary education. "It would be very difficult to cut the (KEES) fund because of the commitment made — it's almost like a contract. But it's very important for Kentuckians to understand the funding priorities for our scholarship programs."
'Middle-class entitlement'
According to state law, need-based aid is supposed to get 55 percent of lottery revenue. But in 2011, only 46 percent of lottery revenue used by the General Assembly for education went to need-based aid programs.
"They've taken it from need-based because it would be such a pain to cut back everybody's (KEES) award," said Rep. Carl Rollins, a Midway Democrat who is chairman of the House Education Committee and works for a partner of KHEAA, the Kentucky Student Loan Corp.
Rollins said KEES is "a middle-class entitlement, and we don't want to face the music if the funds are not there. I try to tell legislators every chance I get that need-based scholarships are not fully funded."
Ted Franzeim, senior vice president at KHEAA, said KEES gets a bad rap in the financial aid debate. It has been an "aspirational" program for students who might never have thought about going to college, he said.
"Kentucky has made very real gains in recent years of increasing its college participation rates, and I believe KEES has been a significant reason for that," he said.
About 44 percent of KEES recipients qualify for federal Pell grants for low-income students.
Still, there is a well-researched correlation between family income and academic achievement.
The Legislative Research Commission recently reported that almost 100 percent of the highest income students received KEES awards in 2009, versus 55 percent of those from families making less than $20,000 a year.
The problem is exacerbated by the fact that Kentucky's universities are in an arms race to get the most academically prestigious students to boost their national rankings. That means they direct most of their own financial aid to attract the smartest students, rather than worrying about students who need the most financial help. For example, at the University of Kentucky, only 8 percent of institutional aid goes to students solely based on financial need.
"Of course, that doesn't take into account that many of the students awarded merit-based scholarships have financial need as well," said UK spokesman Jay Blanton.
'Shame on us'
It probably would take about $119 million a year in additional money to fully fund the state's need-based financial aid programs, KHEAA officials have estimated, but that's not expected to happen any time soon.
In 2009, the Governor's Work Group on Higher Education, a group convened by Gov. Steve Beshear to improve higher education, recommended that lawmakers stop the practice of diverting lottery revenue to help balance the state's General Fund budget.
Lawmakers didn't listen. In 2010 and 2011, they moved $20.7 million of lottery proceeds into the General Fund.
"They've done it for as long as the statutes have been on the books," said former state Sen. Tim Shaughnessy, D-Louisville, who retired this summer. "That money should be going into financial aid. Shame on us."
Franzeim said there's no doubt that policy-makers soon will be facing a crisis on how to educate more students without leaving them with too much debt.
"The good news is that we have many more Kentuckians who want to pursue higher education than in the past, and the bad news is the state's financial challenges," he said. "Given our state's demographics in terms of per-capita income and poverty rates, the challenge for policy-makers is to decide how we ensure our most vulnerable citizens have access to higher education."
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader
In late February, she filled out her annual application for a grant from Kentucky's College Assistance Program, or CAP, which helps low-income Kentuckians pay for college. She was out of luck.
The state began accepting applications for the program Jan. 1. By Feb. 7, the fund's $60 million had been doled out. It's not yet clear how many students were turned down, but 80,724 were denied in 2011.
"It was hard for me because I depend on financial aid," Hopewell said. "I do think people who intend to go to school should be able to get some help."
She later won a scholarship that allowed her to return to school, but thousands of other Kentucky students aren't that fortunate.
The same thing happens every year, for several reasons:
■ The General Assembly routinely raids funds from the Kentucky Lottery that are supposed to be used for student financial aid. Kentuckians approved the lottery in 1989 on the understanding that 100 percent of its proceeds would go to education. Instead, legislators suspend the law that directs lottery money to education and use it for other programs — to the tune of $90 million since 2006.
In addition, funding for financial aid is based on estimates of lottery proceeds rather than actual lottery sales. Since 2006, the lottery has produced $78 million more than was estimated, but the extra money went into the state's General Fund budget instead of paying for financial aid.
■ The merit-based Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship, or KEES, earned by every high school student with a GPA of 2.5 or higher, receives funding priority over need-based grants.
■ With a sickly economy, experts say more and more Kentuckians are realizing they need college degrees. That means more students are competing for the same pot of financial aid, all while tuition rates continue to climb.
The students penalized most by the lack of need-based aid are often those at community colleges. Although institutions tell students to apply early for need-based aid, experts say community college students often lose out because they might not decide to go to school until the last minute based on factors such as employment and family.
"Community college students tend to apply later because things happen in their lives," said Runan Pendergrast, financial aid director for BCTC. "They might lose a job and suddenly need to be retrained in some area."
Without enough aid, many students are forced to get loans. In 2010-11, the average Kentucky student graduated with a student-loan debt of $19,000. In all, 58 percent of students had college debt, which is growing at a rate four times faster than the state's gross domestic product, according to the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority, or KHEAA.
Despite the staggering numbers, there's no one making a strong push to provide more need-based aid to Kentucky students, said Joe McCormick, who stepped down as director of KHEAA in 2006.
"During the time I worked at KHEAA, I wasn't able to identify a champion of need-based aid anywhere in the public or the legislature," McCormick said. "And I don't see that now. I don't see any initiatives being put forth to increase need-based aid, given the fact that state support is continuing to dwindle and colleges have no choice but to increase their tuition.
"The ones who really lose out are the poor kids of Kentucky."
Widening gap
KHEAA operates most of the state's college aid programs, including the merit-based KEES scholarship and the need-based CAP grant and Kentucky Tuition Grant, or KTG, which is given to students who attend private colleges.
In 2011, CAP spent $60 million on 37,836 students, and KTG distributed $32 million to 12,400 students.
The trend of having more applicants than money has increased as federal standards have changed, making more students eligible. According to KHEAA, 80,724 eligible students were turned down for CAP funds in 2011, up from 22,870 in 2006. An additional 9,700 were turned down for KTG funds in 2011.
Meanwhile, about 69,000 students received $95 million in KEES awards in 2011.
KEES money is earned throughout a student's high school career and is commensurate with a student's grades. The most a student may earn — with a GPA of 4.0 every year and an ACT score of 28 or higher — is about $2,500 a year.
The scholarship has become a popular entitlement program, and while awards haven't gone up much since 1989, lawmakers have been reluctant to trim any funding.
"The merit-based scholarship is fully funded and the need-based is not," said Rep. Arnold Simpson, D-Covington, who chairs the budget subcommittee on postsecondary education. "It would be very difficult to cut the (KEES) fund because of the commitment made — it's almost like a contract. But it's very important for Kentuckians to understand the funding priorities for our scholarship programs."
'Middle-class entitlement'
According to state law, need-based aid is supposed to get 55 percent of lottery revenue. But in 2011, only 46 percent of lottery revenue used by the General Assembly for education went to need-based aid programs.
"They've taken it from need-based because it would be such a pain to cut back everybody's (KEES) award," said Rep. Carl Rollins, a Midway Democrat who is chairman of the House Education Committee and works for a partner of KHEAA, the Kentucky Student Loan Corp.
Rollins said KEES is "a middle-class entitlement, and we don't want to face the music if the funds are not there. I try to tell legislators every chance I get that need-based scholarships are not fully funded."
Ted Franzeim, senior vice president at KHEAA, said KEES gets a bad rap in the financial aid debate. It has been an "aspirational" program for students who might never have thought about going to college, he said.
"Kentucky has made very real gains in recent years of increasing its college participation rates, and I believe KEES has been a significant reason for that," he said.
About 44 percent of KEES recipients qualify for federal Pell grants for low-income students.
Still, there is a well-researched correlation between family income and academic achievement.
The Legislative Research Commission recently reported that almost 100 percent of the highest income students received KEES awards in 2009, versus 55 percent of those from families making less than $20,000 a year.
The problem is exacerbated by the fact that Kentucky's universities are in an arms race to get the most academically prestigious students to boost their national rankings. That means they direct most of their own financial aid to attract the smartest students, rather than worrying about students who need the most financial help. For example, at the University of Kentucky, only 8 percent of institutional aid goes to students solely based on financial need.
"Of course, that doesn't take into account that many of the students awarded merit-based scholarships have financial need as well," said UK spokesman Jay Blanton.
'Shame on us'
It probably would take about $119 million a year in additional money to fully fund the state's need-based financial aid programs, KHEAA officials have estimated, but that's not expected to happen any time soon.
In 2009, the Governor's Work Group on Higher Education, a group convened by Gov. Steve Beshear to improve higher education, recommended that lawmakers stop the practice of diverting lottery revenue to help balance the state's General Fund budget.
Lawmakers didn't listen. In 2010 and 2011, they moved $20.7 million of lottery proceeds into the General Fund.
"They've done it for as long as the statutes have been on the books," said former state Sen. Tim Shaughnessy, D-Louisville, who retired this summer. "That money should be going into financial aid. Shame on us."
Franzeim said there's no doubt that policy-makers soon will be facing a crisis on how to educate more students without leaving them with too much debt.
"The good news is that we have many more Kentuckians who want to pursue higher education than in the past, and the bad news is the state's financial challenges," he said. "Given our state's demographics in terms of per-capita income and poverty rates, the challenge for policy-makers is to decide how we ensure our most vulnerable citizens have access to higher education."
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Roasted Zucchini and Yellow (Summer) Squash
Ingredients
3 medium Zucchini
3 medium Summer or Yellow Squash
3 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Chop Zucchini and Yellow Squash into large chunks and put into large bowl. Drizzle olive oil over Zucchini and Squash. Mix with a large spoon until evenly coated. Sprinkle garlic powder, salt, and pepper over mixture. Mix with a large spoon until evenly coated. Pour Zucchini and Squash onto roasting pan and spread it out until it evenly covers the pan. Bake 35-45 minutes.
Number of Servings: 6 - 2 cup servings
Verse of the day
I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.
Psalm 120:1 NLT
Psalm 120:1 NLT
"Keep on keepin' on"
The current time is 3:18 a.m. Another miserable day is gone and I am half-way through another long, dark, and lonely night full of pain, misery and emptiness. I have been so sick for so long that every day and night seem the same.
It has become so hard to pick myself up out of this dreary funk that I have allowed myself to sink into. But when I look at my wife and think of all the sacrifices that she has made and continues to make, I know I that I must fight on. When I look into my three and five-year-old's eyes and see all the hope, joy and excitement in their eyes, I know that I must fight on. That I must "keep on keeping on" because the four of us have so much still to experience together.
Angenette, Lauryn, and Ben: I love you with all my heart and I pray that I can continue to summon the energy to fight on. You are the reasons I have done so this long.
XOXO
It has become so hard to pick myself up out of this dreary funk that I have allowed myself to sink into. But when I look at my wife and think of all the sacrifices that she has made and continues to make, I know I that I must fight on. When I look into my three and five-year-old's eyes and see all the hope, joy and excitement in their eyes, I know that I must fight on. That I must "keep on keeping on" because the four of us have so much still to experience together.
Angenette, Lauryn, and Ben: I love you with all my heart and I pray that I can continue to summon the energy to fight on. You are the reasons I have done so this long.
XOXO
Brown Babies Need Sunscreen Too!
Because of my daughter’s small size, my sister nicknamed her Bean. When she pulls the laundry—that took an hour to fold—out of the basket, I call her a Bad Bean. When she hits her cousin’s in the face, I tell her not to be a Mean Bean. And when she eats all of her vegetables, she’s a Green Bean. One name I never want to use is Baked Bean. Now that the temperature is rising, I must ensure she’s protected from the sun’s harmful rays.
When I lived in the Cayman Islands, sunscreen became a part of my morning ritual. People slathered on SPF as soon as their babies came out of the womb. Maybe Bob Marley had something to do with that. The musical icon died at the age of 36 from a melanoma that started under his toenail. I took his memory with me and returned to the United States, where I saw many African Americans skipping sunscreen. I caught up with the leading pediatric dermatologist Patricia Treadwell to find out why brown babies need sunscreen too.
Heather: Although ethnic groups are less likely to get skin cancer, they’re more likely to die from it. Many African Americans don’t diagnose the disease until the advanced stages. Why is that so?
Dr. Treadwell: African Americans tend to think that they don’t get skin cancer, so they don’t do the same surveillance of moles as their White counterparts. You must be aware of what melanoma looks like and learn the ABCDE warning signs.
Heather: According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, melanin in African American skin provides a sun protection factor (SPF) of about 13.4, compared to 3.4 in Caucasian skin. Is that enough?
Dr. Treadwell: The SPF should be at least 15. I recommend choosing a “physical” or “chemical-free” sunscreen made with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These ingredients sit on top of the skin, forming a barrier and protecting as soon as you put them on.
Heather: Some sunscreens cause breakouts. Are there other options?
Dr. Treadwell: Some lotions clog pores and create more oil on an already oily prone skin. In this case, you should select a facial sunscreen, which is much lighter. Also, if you have light or dark spots on your face, sunscreen helps even out your skin tone.
Heather: What sunscreen regimens are other minority moms using?
Monique Johnson of Brooklyn, New York: I follow the EWGs annual rating system. Problem is—most of the best sunscreens make brown folks look purple or white. I’ve tried tons and fell in love with All Terrain Aquasport. Skin color stays the same, and it even offers a nice level of moisture. So far, my daughter’s sunburn-free.
Vee Elliot of Atlanta, Georgia: I use sunscreen on my precious cargo wherever we go, even if it’s the backyard. We must teach our little ones to protect their skin like we remind them to brush their teeth.
Maisia Jackson of Middletown, Delaware: I always check the labels for parabens. I wouldn’t want to apply a cancer-causing agent to my children’s skin when I am trying to prevent them from getting it!
By 2050, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that half of our country’s population will be made up of Hispanics, Asians and African Americans. Now, more than ever, it is crucial to raise awareness about skin cancer in people of color.
Source: BlackAndMarriedWithKids.com
When I lived in the Cayman Islands, sunscreen became a part of my morning ritual. People slathered on SPF as soon as their babies came out of the womb. Maybe Bob Marley had something to do with that. The musical icon died at the age of 36 from a melanoma that started under his toenail. I took his memory with me and returned to the United States, where I saw many African Americans skipping sunscreen. I caught up with the leading pediatric dermatologist Patricia Treadwell to find out why brown babies need sunscreen too.
Heather: Although ethnic groups are less likely to get skin cancer, they’re more likely to die from it. Many African Americans don’t diagnose the disease until the advanced stages. Why is that so?
Dr. Treadwell: African Americans tend to think that they don’t get skin cancer, so they don’t do the same surveillance of moles as their White counterparts. You must be aware of what melanoma looks like and learn the ABCDE warning signs.
Heather: According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, melanin in African American skin provides a sun protection factor (SPF) of about 13.4, compared to 3.4 in Caucasian skin. Is that enough?
Dr. Treadwell: The SPF should be at least 15. I recommend choosing a “physical” or “chemical-free” sunscreen made with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These ingredients sit on top of the skin, forming a barrier and protecting as soon as you put them on.
Heather: Some sunscreens cause breakouts. Are there other options?
Dr. Treadwell: Some lotions clog pores and create more oil on an already oily prone skin. In this case, you should select a facial sunscreen, which is much lighter. Also, if you have light or dark spots on your face, sunscreen helps even out your skin tone.
Heather: What sunscreen regimens are other minority moms using?
Monique Johnson of Brooklyn, New York: I follow the EWGs annual rating system. Problem is—most of the best sunscreens make brown folks look purple or white. I’ve tried tons and fell in love with All Terrain Aquasport. Skin color stays the same, and it even offers a nice level of moisture. So far, my daughter’s sunburn-free.
Vee Elliot of Atlanta, Georgia: I use sunscreen on my precious cargo wherever we go, even if it’s the backyard. We must teach our little ones to protect their skin like we remind them to brush their teeth.
Maisia Jackson of Middletown, Delaware: I always check the labels for parabens. I wouldn’t want to apply a cancer-causing agent to my children’s skin when I am trying to prevent them from getting it!
By 2050, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that half of our country’s population will be made up of Hispanics, Asians and African Americans. Now, more than ever, it is crucial to raise awareness about skin cancer in people of color.
Source: BlackAndMarriedWithKids.com
Sometimes the Best Thing You Can Do Is Shut Up
What’s the first thing most of us wives want to do when our husbands come home from a long day at work? We want to tell him about our stressful day at work, we want him to discipline the kids for some embarrassing antic they pulled in Wal-Mart that afternoon, we ask him to take the trash out or even “nag” him about something he didn’t do- like he promised.
That’s right many of us wives are guilty of always having something to say whenever our husband “steps foot” across the threshold. It doesn’t matter if our mates are tired, frustrated or irritated from their jobs–we make it a point to get whatever glacier is on our chest off.
For the past 5 years of marriage (and 7 years of dating) I did this on a daily basis. It didn’t matter the day, time or hour I was notorious for unloading on my husband as soon as he came in from work. Usually it would be something minor but sometimes it was about major issues that came up in our family. I felt like it was his job to fix whatever problem was going on.
I did this until a year ago I learned an important lesson about communication. I learned to shut up sometimes and that silence is sometimes truly golden in a relationship.
Let me give you the story about what changed my thinking. About a year ago I had a particularly bad day at work. My boss was on me about a project I needed to finish, the kids were awful on the way home and I had just gotten a call from my eldest son’s school.
I was so stressed out that I remember pulling over just to collect my thoughts. The only solace that I had was that this was my husband’s “off day” and that as soon as I got home I’d get some peace. I was wrong. As soon as I walked in the door, I was immediately bombarded with a million problems, questions and issues–all from my husband. I had forgotten to take out some meat to cook for dinner. The washing machine was not working properly. Our neighbor had came over to let us know some strange men had been parked outside our house a couple of days ago. My mom called complaining that she hadn’t heard from me in a couple of days. All of these problems needed my attention–immediately. No one took in consideration that I had had a crappy day–no everyone needed me.
Now keep in mind I had barely gotten into the house, the kids were still in the kitchen taking off their school shoes, I still had my coat on and my phone was ringing. I had literally walked into a firestorm. From that point on I had a horrible evening. Not only was I trying to “put out” all the various fires, but my family was putting on the pressure for me to pay attention to them. Needless to say, I was stressed.
When I went to bed that night I realized something–I had just got a taste of my own medicine. Unknowingly to me, I had did this to my husband for years. Despite him working long days at a high demand job in a stressful environment, I would pile all of our problems on him as soon as he walked in the door. Who wants to come home to a mountain of problems after working in a stressful environment? No one does, especially our husbands.
The next day I decided to do something different. I decided to keep my mouth shut when my husband came home. I promised that specifically for an hour (after work) I’d leave him alone to gather his thoughts before I’d ask him to do anything or bombard him with problems.
The test came when he got home at 6pm and the day was just as hectic as before. As he opened the door, I braced myself to simply give him a hug and KEEP my mouth shut. It was hard but I kept remembering how it felt the previous day and I managed to be quiet. As he rested, I made sure to get his plate ready, I put the kids in their playroom and had shelved my hundred of issues for later that evening.
At first I think he thought I was having a mental breakdown because after an hour he came in and asked if I needed anything. Then, I let him know what had went on that day. He couldn’t solve/handle everything but he seemed much more willing to try instead of escaping to the couch for some peace.
Needless to say we all were less stressed that night and instead of getting into an argument about something petty we went to bed relaxed–and happy. From that point on, we both agreed that one of the biggest communication rules we can have in our relationship is to SHUT OUR MOUTH once in a while and give one another peace.
Source: BlackAndMarriedWithKids.com
That’s right many of us wives are guilty of always having something to say whenever our husband “steps foot” across the threshold. It doesn’t matter if our mates are tired, frustrated or irritated from their jobs–we make it a point to get whatever glacier is on our chest off.
For the past 5 years of marriage (and 7 years of dating) I did this on a daily basis. It didn’t matter the day, time or hour I was notorious for unloading on my husband as soon as he came in from work. Usually it would be something minor but sometimes it was about major issues that came up in our family. I felt like it was his job to fix whatever problem was going on.
I did this until a year ago I learned an important lesson about communication. I learned to shut up sometimes and that silence is sometimes truly golden in a relationship.
Let me give you the story about what changed my thinking. About a year ago I had a particularly bad day at work. My boss was on me about a project I needed to finish, the kids were awful on the way home and I had just gotten a call from my eldest son’s school.
I was so stressed out that I remember pulling over just to collect my thoughts. The only solace that I had was that this was my husband’s “off day” and that as soon as I got home I’d get some peace. I was wrong. As soon as I walked in the door, I was immediately bombarded with a million problems, questions and issues–all from my husband. I had forgotten to take out some meat to cook for dinner. The washing machine was not working properly. Our neighbor had came over to let us know some strange men had been parked outside our house a couple of days ago. My mom called complaining that she hadn’t heard from me in a couple of days. All of these problems needed my attention–immediately. No one took in consideration that I had had a crappy day–no everyone needed me.
Now keep in mind I had barely gotten into the house, the kids were still in the kitchen taking off their school shoes, I still had my coat on and my phone was ringing. I had literally walked into a firestorm. From that point on I had a horrible evening. Not only was I trying to “put out” all the various fires, but my family was putting on the pressure for me to pay attention to them. Needless to say, I was stressed.
When I went to bed that night I realized something–I had just got a taste of my own medicine. Unknowingly to me, I had did this to my husband for years. Despite him working long days at a high demand job in a stressful environment, I would pile all of our problems on him as soon as he walked in the door. Who wants to come home to a mountain of problems after working in a stressful environment? No one does, especially our husbands.
The next day I decided to do something different. I decided to keep my mouth shut when my husband came home. I promised that specifically for an hour (after work) I’d leave him alone to gather his thoughts before I’d ask him to do anything or bombard him with problems.
The test came when he got home at 6pm and the day was just as hectic as before. As he opened the door, I braced myself to simply give him a hug and KEEP my mouth shut. It was hard but I kept remembering how it felt the previous day and I managed to be quiet. As he rested, I made sure to get his plate ready, I put the kids in their playroom and had shelved my hundred of issues for later that evening.
At first I think he thought I was having a mental breakdown because after an hour he came in and asked if I needed anything. Then, I let him know what had went on that day. He couldn’t solve/handle everything but he seemed much more willing to try instead of escaping to the couch for some peace.
Needless to say we all were less stressed that night and instead of getting into an argument about something petty we went to bed relaxed–and happy. From that point on, we both agreed that one of the biggest communication rules we can have in our relationship is to SHUT OUR MOUTH once in a while and give one another peace.
Source: BlackAndMarriedWithKids.com
Aretha Franklin wants to be on 'Idol'
"American Idol" lost two stars this week when judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez announced they would not be returning next season, but the hit Fox show could gain itself The Queen.
Aretha Franklin, an 18-time Grammy Award winner who Rolling Stone proclaimed the greatest female singer of all time, told CNN in an e-mail Saturday that she is interested in joining the show as a judge.
Franklin, 70, who wowed the Essence Music Festival crowd last week in New Orleans and is now performing in Las Vegas, says she has long been a fan of the show. Now instead of watching it with the rest of America, she's ready to play a vital role in choosing the next "American Idol."
And as the Queen of Soul would do, she's already thinking about bringing along a sidekick: songstress Patti LaBelle.
Fox declined to comment on Franklin on Saturday night.
The addition of Franklin could help Fox stop the ratings slide of "Idol," which saw it lose its spot as the top show of the year to NBC's "Sunday Night Football."
The addition of similar singing contests to primetime television has increased the competition for viewers.
Fox's "The X Factor" recently added pop star Britney Spears after booting former "Idol" judge Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. NBC's "The Voice" -- "Idol's" closest competitor -- has gained ground with judges Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton.
Source: CNN
Aretha Franklin, an 18-time Grammy Award winner who Rolling Stone proclaimed the greatest female singer of all time, told CNN in an e-mail Saturday that she is interested in joining the show as a judge.
Franklin, 70, who wowed the Essence Music Festival crowd last week in New Orleans and is now performing in Las Vegas, says she has long been a fan of the show. Now instead of watching it with the rest of America, she's ready to play a vital role in choosing the next "American Idol."
And as the Queen of Soul would do, she's already thinking about bringing along a sidekick: songstress Patti LaBelle.
Fox declined to comment on Franklin on Saturday night.
The addition of Franklin could help Fox stop the ratings slide of "Idol," which saw it lose its spot as the top show of the year to NBC's "Sunday Night Football."
The addition of similar singing contests to primetime television has increased the competition for viewers.
Fox's "The X Factor" recently added pop star Britney Spears after booting former "Idol" judge Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. NBC's "The Voice" -- "Idol's" closest competitor -- has gained ground with judges Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton.
Source: CNN
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Ingredients:
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple
2 cups boiling water
2 10-ounce packages frozen strawberries
2 3-ounce packages strawberry gelatin dessert mix
1 8-ounce container Cool Whip
3/4 cup sugar
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
3 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
2 cups crushed pretzels
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
For the crust, mix the pretzels, butter, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Press this mixture into a 9x13-inch pan and bake for 7 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and 3/4 cup of sugar. Fold in the Cool Whip, and spread over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until well chilled.
In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, and allow to cool slightly. Add the strawberries and pineapple, and pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until serving time.
To serve, cut slices and serve with a dollop of Cool Whip.
Source: Paula Deen
Verse of the day
"I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!"
Isaiah 65:24 NLT
Isaiah 65:24 NLT
Friday, July 13, 2012
Family honors loved one's last request with $500 tip to restaurant server
Even after death, Aaron Collins gives on.
The technician at Computers Plus Repair died of undetermined causes July 7. He was 30.
His family wanted to honor his last request, which was to go to a restaurant for pizza and give the server a $500 tip. They raised money to go to Puccini's in Lexington on July 10 where they surprised server Sarah Ward with $500.
Brother Seth Collins and his family made a video to show donors how their money was spent. It went viral.
Aaron's brother Seth started a Web site, aaroncollins.org, to take money to "pay forward" big tips to other deserving servers. At last count, $18,000 had been donated.
"I had absolutely no idea this would happen," Seth Collins said. "At some point, the Internet just grabbed hold."
Seth Collins said his brother had worked making pizzas and had also been a handyman.
Michael Johnson, owner of Computers Plus Repair, who is married to Seth and Aaron's sister Rachel, said that Aaron Collins was such a diligent worker "he would stay after hours to mop the floor."
Aaron Collins also loved his dog Lexi, a part huskie, devoting a whole photo album to the canine on his Facebook page.
"He had a respect for the working person," Johnson said. "He always wanted to help people."
The family plans to give more large tips at other Lexington restaurants, but they realize that at some point they may become too easy to recognize, and other friends may have to accept the assignment of giving.
The family pays for the restaurant food; the Web site raises money for the tips, Johnson said.
But with the donations rolling in, there will be plenty of opportunities for more surprises.
Servers are "a group of people who he felt were underappreciated," Seth Collins said.
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader
Jennifer Lopez departs ‘Idol’: ‘The time has come’
After weeks of speculation — and some heavy hinting on “Today” Thursday — Jennifer Lopez confirmed on Friday that she’s leaving “American Idol.”
The 42-year-old actress/singer and mom to 4-year-old twins Max and Emme told “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest on his radio show that she had to take something off her plate, and it looks like that thing is “American Idol.”
“I honestly feel like the time has come, that I have to get back to doing the other things that I do that I’ve put kind of on hold because I love ‘Idol’ so much,” she explained. “I could just keep doing ‘Idol’ for the rest of my life, but that would be giving up a bunch of other things. I feel like we had an amazing run.”
Lopez, who has served as an “Idol” judge for two seasons, reiterated how difficult a choice this was for her. “It’s been a long thought process … I really have been torn,” she told Seacrest, adding later, “It’s really going to be hard for me to go.”
“I have my movies and music and my this and that … and it just gets more complicated, as the kids get a little bigger. It started feeling like it was a lot, and something had to give. And that’s, I think, where I am right now.”
Just yesterday, Lopez’s fellow “Idol” judge Steven Tyler announced that he was leaving the show to focus on his music.
“After some long…hard…thoughts…I’ve decided it’s time for me to let go of my mistress ‘American Idol’ before she boils my rabbit,” Tyler said in a statement from Fox. “I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I’m back – but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I’ve got two fists in the air and I’m kicking the door open with my band.”
The one judge left standing — Randy Jackson — is rumored to be on his way out as well, while Mariah Carey and Adam Lambert are among those rumored to be in the running to step in as new judges on the Fox show.
Source: CNN, The Marquee Blog
The 42-year-old actress/singer and mom to 4-year-old twins Max and Emme told “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest on his radio show that she had to take something off her plate, and it looks like that thing is “American Idol.”
“I honestly feel like the time has come, that I have to get back to doing the other things that I do that I’ve put kind of on hold because I love ‘Idol’ so much,” she explained. “I could just keep doing ‘Idol’ for the rest of my life, but that would be giving up a bunch of other things. I feel like we had an amazing run.”
Lopez, who has served as an “Idol” judge for two seasons, reiterated how difficult a choice this was for her. “It’s been a long thought process … I really have been torn,” she told Seacrest, adding later, “It’s really going to be hard for me to go.”
“I have my movies and music and my this and that … and it just gets more complicated, as the kids get a little bigger. It started feeling like it was a lot, and something had to give. And that’s, I think, where I am right now.”
Just yesterday, Lopez’s fellow “Idol” judge Steven Tyler announced that he was leaving the show to focus on his music.
“After some long…hard…thoughts…I’ve decided it’s time for me to let go of my mistress ‘American Idol’ before she boils my rabbit,” Tyler said in a statement from Fox. “I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I’m back – but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I’ve got two fists in the air and I’m kicking the door open with my band.”
The one judge left standing — Randy Jackson — is rumored to be on his way out as well, while Mariah Carey and Adam Lambert are among those rumored to be in the running to step in as new judges on the Fox show.
Source: CNN, The Marquee Blog
Chicken Burgers with Garlic-Rosemary Mayonnaise
Ingredients
Mayonnaise:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
Burgers:
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 sandwich rolls or burger buns
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup arugula, divided
Directions
For the mayonnaise:
In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, garlic, and rosemary; set aside.
For the burgers:
Preheat a gas or charcoal grill or place a grill pan over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 of the mayonnaise mixture. Using clean hands, gently combine the ingredients and form the chicken mixture into 4 patties. Place the burgers on the grill and cook for about 7 minutes on each side. Transfer to paper towels and let rest for a few minutes.
Brush the cut side of each roll with the olive oil and 1 teaspoon of the mayonnaise mixture. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly golden.
To assemble the burgers:
Spread a dollop of the remaining mayonnaise mixture on the tops and bottoms of the toasted buns. Place the chicken burgers on the bottom halves of the buns. Top each with 1/4 cup of arugula and finish with the top half of the bun.
Source: Giada De Laurentiis
'Andy Griffith Show' embodied grace, love
I never met Andy Griffith, but for 50 years, through every stage of my life, he has been a frequent guest in my succession of living rooms.
He wasn't just another celebrity.
When he died July 3, I felt as if I'd lost kin. A lifelong friend. A mentor.
He didn't know it, but he taught me how to be a patient dad and how to tell a good yarn and how to be gracious to neighbors who got on my nerves.
He helped me see the small towns I lived in through kinder eyes.
He kept me smiling through some of my worst setbacks.
Evidently, many others felt the same way. I've been reading online commentaries, tributes and obituaries about him from every corner of the nation. Few entertainers have been so beloved.
He brilliantly played a wide range of characters in an unusually long career, from a rube drafted into the Air Force to an egomaniacal rabble-rouser to a murderous county boss to an eccentric lawyer. He was successful as a stand-up comedian, a Broadway actor and a gospel singer.
But we who admired him most knew him best as Andy Taylor, sheriff of Mayberry, N.C., in The Andy Griffith Show.
I've watched I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show and All in the Family and Taxi and Cheers and Seinfeld and Friends and Curb Your Enthusiasm and 30 Rock and The Simpsons.
For my money, The Andy Griffith Show is the greatest sitcom of them all.
A day or two after Griffith passed away, I was making a deposit at a drive-through branch bank when the teller, a woman about my age, and I struck up a conversation about his death.
For several minutes we wistfully recited patches of dialogue from our favorite episodes, as frustrated, impatient drivers lined up behind me.
One of mine: the episode in which Barney (Don Knotts) buys a lemon of a used car. Before learning he's been sold a piece of junk, he takes his friends for a celebratory drive. It turns out Gomer (Jim Nabors) tends to get carsick and has to sit next to a window.
During the drive, Andy asks Gomer how he's feeling.
"Sick as a dog but having the time of my life!" Gomer reports.
Across the years, I've used that line a thousand times in a hundred contexts.
I've been such a devotee of the show — I probably know every line of every episode from the first five seasons, when Knotts was still in the cast — that I've long pondered why the series had this mighty effect on me.
It was wonderfully acted and written, of course. But you could say that about all the sitcoms I mentioned above.
For me, Griffith's show had qualities those other comedies didn't.
It embodied grace, for one thing. Griffith reportedly said Andy Taylor was a lot like him, except way nicer.
I think I read somewhere — I've read so much I can't locate all my references — that Griffith said he based Andy Taylor on himself when he was at his best, or on the man he would have liked to be. Words to that effect.
Whatever his exact statement, you could say the same about why so many of us, especially small-town folks, continue to love the show a half-century after we first watched it: It represents us at our best, or at least it reminds us of who we wish we were. It makes us try to be a bit nicer, purer, more generous.
It's uplifting, in the truest and least smarmy sense of that word.
In Mayberry, people are flawed but rarely mean- spirited. If they are mean, within a 30-minute episode they see their errors and make amends. In the end, everybody does right. Mayberry's residents never damage one another permanently.
Of course, a skeptic could argue, and some have, that this is fantasy.
Real people in real towns aren't like that.
Town drunks aren't usually benign, funny oafs like Otis (Hal Smith). Flinty merchants and big-city playboys don't neatly reform themselves in a half-hour.
A sheriff who, like Andy Taylor, hires his incompetent cousin as his deputy and keeps him on the force despite his constant blunders, who arbitrarily releases prisoners whenever he pleases, ought to be voted out of office, if not indicted.
So yes, to an extent the show is fantasy. But it's not just fantasy.
There's plenty enough reality there to make it legitimate — and lasting.
We continue to respond to Mayberry and its citizens partly because they remind us of who we want to be, and who, occasionally, we are: gentle people whose hearts are in the right place, who forgive and make peace.
There's another, related key to The Andy Griffith Show's power.
According to several articles, Griffith once was asked to share the secret to his show's never-ebbing popularity.
"It was all about love," he said.
And so it was. And so it is today.
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader
He wasn't just another celebrity.
When he died July 3, I felt as if I'd lost kin. A lifelong friend. A mentor.
He didn't know it, but he taught me how to be a patient dad and how to tell a good yarn and how to be gracious to neighbors who got on my nerves.
He helped me see the small towns I lived in through kinder eyes.
He kept me smiling through some of my worst setbacks.
Evidently, many others felt the same way. I've been reading online commentaries, tributes and obituaries about him from every corner of the nation. Few entertainers have been so beloved.
He brilliantly played a wide range of characters in an unusually long career, from a rube drafted into the Air Force to an egomaniacal rabble-rouser to a murderous county boss to an eccentric lawyer. He was successful as a stand-up comedian, a Broadway actor and a gospel singer.
But we who admired him most knew him best as Andy Taylor, sheriff of Mayberry, N.C., in The Andy Griffith Show.
I've watched I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show and All in the Family and Taxi and Cheers and Seinfeld and Friends and Curb Your Enthusiasm and 30 Rock and The Simpsons.
For my money, The Andy Griffith Show is the greatest sitcom of them all.
A day or two after Griffith passed away, I was making a deposit at a drive-through branch bank when the teller, a woman about my age, and I struck up a conversation about his death.
For several minutes we wistfully recited patches of dialogue from our favorite episodes, as frustrated, impatient drivers lined up behind me.
One of mine: the episode in which Barney (Don Knotts) buys a lemon of a used car. Before learning he's been sold a piece of junk, he takes his friends for a celebratory drive. It turns out Gomer (Jim Nabors) tends to get carsick and has to sit next to a window.
During the drive, Andy asks Gomer how he's feeling.
"Sick as a dog but having the time of my life!" Gomer reports.
Across the years, I've used that line a thousand times in a hundred contexts.
I've been such a devotee of the show — I probably know every line of every episode from the first five seasons, when Knotts was still in the cast — that I've long pondered why the series had this mighty effect on me.
It was wonderfully acted and written, of course. But you could say that about all the sitcoms I mentioned above.
For me, Griffith's show had qualities those other comedies didn't.
It embodied grace, for one thing. Griffith reportedly said Andy Taylor was a lot like him, except way nicer.
I think I read somewhere — I've read so much I can't locate all my references — that Griffith said he based Andy Taylor on himself when he was at his best, or on the man he would have liked to be. Words to that effect.
Whatever his exact statement, you could say the same about why so many of us, especially small-town folks, continue to love the show a half-century after we first watched it: It represents us at our best, or at least it reminds us of who we wish we were. It makes us try to be a bit nicer, purer, more generous.
It's uplifting, in the truest and least smarmy sense of that word.
In Mayberry, people are flawed but rarely mean- spirited. If they are mean, within a 30-minute episode they see their errors and make amends. In the end, everybody does right. Mayberry's residents never damage one another permanently.
Of course, a skeptic could argue, and some have, that this is fantasy.
Real people in real towns aren't like that.
Town drunks aren't usually benign, funny oafs like Otis (Hal Smith). Flinty merchants and big-city playboys don't neatly reform themselves in a half-hour.
A sheriff who, like Andy Taylor, hires his incompetent cousin as his deputy and keeps him on the force despite his constant blunders, who arbitrarily releases prisoners whenever he pleases, ought to be voted out of office, if not indicted.
So yes, to an extent the show is fantasy. But it's not just fantasy.
There's plenty enough reality there to make it legitimate — and lasting.
We continue to respond to Mayberry and its citizens partly because they remind us of who we want to be, and who, occasionally, we are: gentle people whose hearts are in the right place, who forgive and make peace.
There's another, related key to The Andy Griffith Show's power.
According to several articles, Griffith once was asked to share the secret to his show's never-ebbing popularity.
"It was all about love," he said.
And so it was. And so it is today.
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader
Bullied bus monitor: one cog in a broken machine
s her story begins to fade from the news cycle, bullied bus monitor Karen Klein will ride off into the sunset a whole lot richer, while the “bad guys” – her seventh-grade tormentors – exit the stage a lot less cocky than they entered, suspended from school for a year and their actions thoroughly condemned.
Don’t cue the happy ending music just yet.
Although the story and the donations it inspired may have turned out well for Ms. Klein, anyone who’s watched the cringe-inducing video of her harassment can see that bullying continues to pervade school environments.
On comment boards, some cynically groused, “I was bullied like that every day all through high school. Where’s my half million?” One blogger posted the news of Klein’s incident under the sarcastic title, “Someone Is Bullied On A School Bus For The First Time Ever.” In short, the feel-good campaign to send Klein on “the vacation of a lifetime” did nothing to solve the problem. But a good hard look at everything this video shows us could.
Though it lacks horrific violence and disturbing racial implications, the bus-monitor video is in some ways reminiscent of the 1991 video of the police beating motorist Rodney King. That earlier video provided a document of a rarely recorded but frequently occurring behavior, grabbing the nation’s attention – at least for a few days – and exposed us to an oft-ignored injustice. And like the King video, the bus-monitor video shows us something with a far greater significance than the event itself.
The video of King’s beating laid bare an entire culture of institutional failings within the Los Angeles Police Department; the video of the abused yet passive bus monitor lays bare an entire culture of institutional failings within our schools.
The first failure we see is Klein’s. The job description for a bus monitor in the Greece Central School District in New York where she was working specifies requirements to “maintain order on buses,” to “enforce district policy governing student behavior,” and to “report orally and in writing instances of continuing disruptive student behavior.”
Klein had a responsibility to step up and assert her authority – if not for her own benefit, then for the benefit of the other kids on that bus. Instead, she sat and tolerated the abuse, performing none of her duties and leading by the worst kind of example. The takeaway for a child, witnessing this scene as it unfolded, would be: “If a grown-up can’t do anything to stop them, then I sure can’t.”
That simply isn’t true. When they stay silent, bystanders condone bullying, but when they speak up, they can kill it. Speaking up is scary and difficult. But if children, and certainly their adult guardians, are part of a school culture that consistently encourages and empowers them to do just that, a dramatic change can take place.
A victim might be outnumbered by bullies, but bullies are frequently outnumbered by witnesses. With instruction, encouragement, and support, these witnesses can shift the balance of power by virtue of their numbers.
But they first must be taught that they have that power, and assured that their reports will be taken seriously. Peer intervention is a powerful force. This entire incident went public because a fellow student, under the moniker CapitalTrigga, uploaded the video to YouTube in order to draw attention to the problem, becoming unsung hero in this drama. Once that happened, the bullies were steamrollered into submission by the crushing weight of public opinion.
Apologists for Klein’s total lack of action might insist that she wasn’t trained to handle bullies, or that she simply felt powerless. If either is true, it points to a wider, more systemic problem: that Klein’s school district fails to provide its personnel with adequate training to manage abusive students, thereby putting all students at risk, or that they fail to listen to or act on staff reports of abusive student behavior. Either scenario would allow bullying to flourish.
Had Klein’s employers done more to emphasize an intolerant attitude toward bullying, we might have seen her display a little more backbone, knowing that school officials had her back. But in interviews, Klein said that she didn’t even do so much as write the boys up for their hateful behavior, because, in her words, “What good would it do?”
Eventually, the boys did receive a full year of suspension from school – but only after the video had made the rounds. If this sort of punishment was standard, with or without a viral video, school officials sure didn’t let Klein in on it. Her assumption was that nothing would happen to those kids.
The saddest thing is how familiar the experience of bullying is for children, in all walks of life. Rare is the person who’s been through twelve years of schooling and not witnessed bullying. But since bullying is such an ancient tradition, too many of us have become complacent about it, assuming there’s nothing that can be done instead of doing everything possible to stop it.
It’s a shame what Karen Klein went through, but the bigger shame is that, after all these centuries – despite media attention and efforts in schools – effective bullying prevention measures are still not implemented in all schools – as well as on school buses. And the most successful anti-bullying programs don’t only deal with bullies and victims, but engage everyone on campus.
This incident can help to create an entire culture that is intolerant of bullying – one that obligates, involves, and empowers everyone – administrators, teachers, parents, students, and yes, even bus monitors. Now that would be a happy ending.
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Don’t cue the happy ending music just yet.
Although the story and the donations it inspired may have turned out well for Ms. Klein, anyone who’s watched the cringe-inducing video of her harassment can see that bullying continues to pervade school environments.
On comment boards, some cynically groused, “I was bullied like that every day all through high school. Where’s my half million?” One blogger posted the news of Klein’s incident under the sarcastic title, “Someone Is Bullied On A School Bus For The First Time Ever.” In short, the feel-good campaign to send Klein on “the vacation of a lifetime” did nothing to solve the problem. But a good hard look at everything this video shows us could.
Though it lacks horrific violence and disturbing racial implications, the bus-monitor video is in some ways reminiscent of the 1991 video of the police beating motorist Rodney King. That earlier video provided a document of a rarely recorded but frequently occurring behavior, grabbing the nation’s attention – at least for a few days – and exposed us to an oft-ignored injustice. And like the King video, the bus-monitor video shows us something with a far greater significance than the event itself.
The video of King’s beating laid bare an entire culture of institutional failings within the Los Angeles Police Department; the video of the abused yet passive bus monitor lays bare an entire culture of institutional failings within our schools.
The first failure we see is Klein’s. The job description for a bus monitor in the Greece Central School District in New York where she was working specifies requirements to “maintain order on buses,” to “enforce district policy governing student behavior,” and to “report orally and in writing instances of continuing disruptive student behavior.”
Klein had a responsibility to step up and assert her authority – if not for her own benefit, then for the benefit of the other kids on that bus. Instead, she sat and tolerated the abuse, performing none of her duties and leading by the worst kind of example. The takeaway for a child, witnessing this scene as it unfolded, would be: “If a grown-up can’t do anything to stop them, then I sure can’t.”
That simply isn’t true. When they stay silent, bystanders condone bullying, but when they speak up, they can kill it. Speaking up is scary and difficult. But if children, and certainly their adult guardians, are part of a school culture that consistently encourages and empowers them to do just that, a dramatic change can take place.
A victim might be outnumbered by bullies, but bullies are frequently outnumbered by witnesses. With instruction, encouragement, and support, these witnesses can shift the balance of power by virtue of their numbers.
But they first must be taught that they have that power, and assured that their reports will be taken seriously. Peer intervention is a powerful force. This entire incident went public because a fellow student, under the moniker CapitalTrigga, uploaded the video to YouTube in order to draw attention to the problem, becoming unsung hero in this drama. Once that happened, the bullies were steamrollered into submission by the crushing weight of public opinion.
Apologists for Klein’s total lack of action might insist that she wasn’t trained to handle bullies, or that she simply felt powerless. If either is true, it points to a wider, more systemic problem: that Klein’s school district fails to provide its personnel with adequate training to manage abusive students, thereby putting all students at risk, or that they fail to listen to or act on staff reports of abusive student behavior. Either scenario would allow bullying to flourish.
Had Klein’s employers done more to emphasize an intolerant attitude toward bullying, we might have seen her display a little more backbone, knowing that school officials had her back. But in interviews, Klein said that she didn’t even do so much as write the boys up for their hateful behavior, because, in her words, “What good would it do?”
Eventually, the boys did receive a full year of suspension from school – but only after the video had made the rounds. If this sort of punishment was standard, with or without a viral video, school officials sure didn’t let Klein in on it. Her assumption was that nothing would happen to those kids.
The saddest thing is how familiar the experience of bullying is for children, in all walks of life. Rare is the person who’s been through twelve years of schooling and not witnessed bullying. But since bullying is such an ancient tradition, too many of us have become complacent about it, assuming there’s nothing that can be done instead of doing everything possible to stop it.
It’s a shame what Karen Klein went through, but the bigger shame is that, after all these centuries – despite media attention and efforts in schools – effective bullying prevention measures are still not implemented in all schools – as well as on school buses. And the most successful anti-bullying programs don’t only deal with bullies and victims, but engage everyone on campus.
This incident can help to create an entire culture that is intolerant of bullying – one that obligates, involves, and empowers everyone – administrators, teachers, parents, students, and yes, even bus monitors. Now that would be a happy ending.
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Verse of the day
"So why do you keep calling me 'Lord, Lord!' when you don't do what I say?"
Luke 6:46 NLT
Luke 6:46 NLT
The way life is
“Welcome to Maine: The Way Life Should Be” reads the sign as you cross the border from New Hampshire into Maine on I-95. As someone who loves the pristine waters of Maine’s lakes, its glorious rocky coast, the simplicity of waking up to pull on a pair of well-worn jeans, and the smell of pine needles as I walk through an evergreen forest, it might seem logical that I would agree with that sign. But I always correct that sentiment when I read it. I’ve learned through my study of Christian Science that any good that I see in Maine or anywhere in the world is just a hint of the way Life, God, really is. Life is not conditional on anything but God since God is Life. God is where we truly “live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
So no matter where we are, and no matter what our circumstances, we are free to discern the way Life really is. We are free to look out into the infinite and to discern that divine Life is perpetually and universally good. It is beautiful, harmonious, simple, pure, invigorating, joyous, loving, and inspiring, because it is infinite Mind infinitely manifesting itself within its own self-completeness. And when we discern even a little of divine Life shining into our human situation, it enlightens and transforms our circumstances, pulling back any limited sense of supply, health, or well-being.
It is our thoughts, then, about our environment and situation that either see life through God’s lens of infinite goodness or filter it through the lens of the personal mind’s finite limitation. The key, I’m finding, is to keep thought in constant relation with the Divine and to perpetually ask God to reveal His presence in every detail of our day. New England spiritual reformer Mary Baker Eddy stated, “To live so as to keep human consciousness in constant relation with the divine, the spiritual, and the eternal, is to individualize infinite power; and this is Christian Science” (“The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Miscellany,” p. 160).
I remind myself often of this beatitude from Christ Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). In other words, the purity of seeing as God sees reveals that the kingdom of heaven is always at hand. It is never far off, but always within consciousness. And if a challenge of inharmony comes up, the need is not to fix the phenomenon that thought is projecting, but to be sure that our lens of thought is the divine Mind.
Recently, I had a simple but meaningful illustration of the power of seeing more clearly the way Life is right here in Maine. A handyman was helping me do some repair work on my little cottage. Suddenly some ground gave way, just enough to reveal that the cover on the septic system had rusted out. The handyman informed me that this was a serious problem, as the local authorities would require me to redo my septic system in order to bring it up to present-day standards.
In his concern for the expense that this might be for me, he suggested we put a temporary cover over it and wait a while before telling the authorities. At first this seemed like it might buy me some time to figure out the best solution; but upon taking some time to pray, I knew this was a limited and fearful approach to life, and not the way I know Life to be. It seemed clear that honesty and forthrightness would express my trust in Life as whole, complete, and harmonious, so I decided to go on the offensive with the situation.
I asked the handyman if he would contact the authorities and see what my options were. After all, Mind is infinite; and there just had to be an honest, joyous, and abundant solution to this need. He was happy to do that, even relieved, as he said, “This is the right way to handle things.” On the way to his appointment with the man in charge of code enforcement, he and his wife dropped by with a basket of canned pickles and relishes for me. As I looked at this beautiful basket of home-canned garden produce, I couldn’t help feeling God’s love and assurance. How loved and supported I felt by these Mainers. No matter what the authorities said, I felt sure there would be a gracious way to see my need met.
Within a couple of hours, they came back with bashful Maine-smiles on their faces. (Folks in Maine tend to be subtle in their joy, but I’ve gotten to the place where I can spot it easily and enjoy it all the more for its quiet twinkling behind the eyes.) They reported that all I needed was to have a soil engineer draw up a plan, get a permit, and then I had as many years as I needed to complete the project. I just had to show that I was making progress. And this is the way Life is, I thought. Life is full of the possible, full of tender care, full of adventure, full of solutions, full of harmony, and baskets full of blessings.
Source: Christian Science Monitor
So no matter where we are, and no matter what our circumstances, we are free to discern the way Life really is. We are free to look out into the infinite and to discern that divine Life is perpetually and universally good. It is beautiful, harmonious, simple, pure, invigorating, joyous, loving, and inspiring, because it is infinite Mind infinitely manifesting itself within its own self-completeness. And when we discern even a little of divine Life shining into our human situation, it enlightens and transforms our circumstances, pulling back any limited sense of supply, health, or well-being.
It is our thoughts, then, about our environment and situation that either see life through God’s lens of infinite goodness or filter it through the lens of the personal mind’s finite limitation. The key, I’m finding, is to keep thought in constant relation with the Divine and to perpetually ask God to reveal His presence in every detail of our day. New England spiritual reformer Mary Baker Eddy stated, “To live so as to keep human consciousness in constant relation with the divine, the spiritual, and the eternal, is to individualize infinite power; and this is Christian Science” (“The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Miscellany,” p. 160).
I remind myself often of this beatitude from Christ Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). In other words, the purity of seeing as God sees reveals that the kingdom of heaven is always at hand. It is never far off, but always within consciousness. And if a challenge of inharmony comes up, the need is not to fix the phenomenon that thought is projecting, but to be sure that our lens of thought is the divine Mind.
Recently, I had a simple but meaningful illustration of the power of seeing more clearly the way Life is right here in Maine. A handyman was helping me do some repair work on my little cottage. Suddenly some ground gave way, just enough to reveal that the cover on the septic system had rusted out. The handyman informed me that this was a serious problem, as the local authorities would require me to redo my septic system in order to bring it up to present-day standards.
In his concern for the expense that this might be for me, he suggested we put a temporary cover over it and wait a while before telling the authorities. At first this seemed like it might buy me some time to figure out the best solution; but upon taking some time to pray, I knew this was a limited and fearful approach to life, and not the way I know Life to be. It seemed clear that honesty and forthrightness would express my trust in Life as whole, complete, and harmonious, so I decided to go on the offensive with the situation.
I asked the handyman if he would contact the authorities and see what my options were. After all, Mind is infinite; and there just had to be an honest, joyous, and abundant solution to this need. He was happy to do that, even relieved, as he said, “This is the right way to handle things.” On the way to his appointment with the man in charge of code enforcement, he and his wife dropped by with a basket of canned pickles and relishes for me. As I looked at this beautiful basket of home-canned garden produce, I couldn’t help feeling God’s love and assurance. How loved and supported I felt by these Mainers. No matter what the authorities said, I felt sure there would be a gracious way to see my need met.
Within a couple of hours, they came back with bashful Maine-smiles on their faces. (Folks in Maine tend to be subtle in their joy, but I’ve gotten to the place where I can spot it easily and enjoy it all the more for its quiet twinkling behind the eyes.) They reported that all I needed was to have a soil engineer draw up a plan, get a permit, and then I had as many years as I needed to complete the project. I just had to show that I was making progress. And this is the way Life is, I thought. Life is full of the possible, full of tender care, full of adventure, full of solutions, full of harmony, and baskets full of blessings.
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Corbin couple is accused of trading a woman a pickup truck for her infant
A Corbin couple is accused of trading a woman a 1999 Dodge Dakota pickup truck for her infant child, Laurel County Sheriff John Root said.
Officers with the department arrested Jeremy and Jamiee Brown on Thursday on charges of human trafficking, according to a release from Root's office. The couple had the baby, now 6 months old. The baby was placed in the care of state child-welfare workers, the release said.
The Browns allegedly made the trade soon after the baby was born. Root's office started investigating based on information from a confidential source, and officers were able to find the pickup truck.
The current owner told police he had bought the truck from a woman named Heather Kaminskey for $800, according to Root's office, but a further check showed the Browns had owned it at one point.
Through questioning the couple, police located Kaminskey's mother, who told them Kaminskey had left Florida in January, when she was nine months pregnant, because she was wanted on meth charges. Kaminskey came to Kentucky to have the child in order to evade child-protective workers in Florida, who had taken away her two other children, according to Root's office.
The human-trafficking charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The Browns have three biological children. Relatives took them, according to the news release.
Kaminskey has not been seen in Laurel County for several days. Police plan to charge her and seek an order for her to be brought back to Kentucky, according to Root's office.
Detectives Jason Back and Brad Mitchell and Lt. Rodney Van Zant conducted the investigation.
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader
Officers with the department arrested Jeremy and Jamiee Brown on Thursday on charges of human trafficking, according to a release from Root's office. The couple had the baby, now 6 months old. The baby was placed in the care of state child-welfare workers, the release said.
The Browns allegedly made the trade soon after the baby was born. Root's office started investigating based on information from a confidential source, and officers were able to find the pickup truck.
The current owner told police he had bought the truck from a woman named Heather Kaminskey for $800, according to Root's office, but a further check showed the Browns had owned it at one point.
Through questioning the couple, police located Kaminskey's mother, who told them Kaminskey had left Florida in January, when she was nine months pregnant, because she was wanted on meth charges. Kaminskey came to Kentucky to have the child in order to evade child-protective workers in Florida, who had taken away her two other children, according to Root's office.
The human-trafficking charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The Browns have three biological children. Relatives took them, according to the news release.
Kaminskey has not been seen in Laurel County for several days. Police plan to charge her and seek an order for her to be brought back to Kentucky, according to Root's office.
Detectives Jason Back and Brad Mitchell and Lt. Rodney Van Zant conducted the investigation.
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader
ESPN Tip-Off Marathon schedule is here
For the college basketball fan, there aren't many glorious July days, but this one definitely counts: the release of the 2012 ESPN Tip-Off Marathon schedule, set to take place for all 24 hours (and then some) on Tuesday, Nov. 13. I think you're going to like what's being offered.
First things first. The games are as follows (all times ET):
Midnight: West Virginia at Gonzaga
2 a.m.: Davidson at New Mexico
4 a.m.: Houston Baptist at Hawaii
6 a.m.: Stony Brook at Rider
8 a.m.: Northern Illinois at Valparaiso
10 a.m.: Harvard at Massachusetts
12 p.m.: Temple at Kent State
2 p.m.: Detroit at St. John’s
4 p.m.: Butler at Xavier
7 p.m.: Michigan State vs. Kansas (Champions Classic, Georgia Dome, Atlanta)
30 minutes following MSU/KU: Duke vs. Kentucky (Champions Classic)
Here's the thing: If you're a casual college basketball fan, someone who doesn't spend all summer reading College Basketball Nation in heated anticipation of posts like these, you might be somewhat nonplussed.
Davidson at New Mexico might not do anything for you. Harvard at UMass might not tickle your fancy. I get that. But for the college hoops fan -- the kind who knows how cool it will be to see a midnight game at New Mexico's Pit, the kind who recognizes UMass as a sleeper A-10 contender in 2012-13, the kind who knows how good Detroit guard Ray McCallum Jr. is, the kind who realizes what a tough early road test Kent State will be for Temple -- that schedule has a little bit of everything.
Although the Mountaineers-Zags NCAA tourney rematch is a tantalizing opener, the real showstoppers come late in the day. Butler-Xavier is a strange game, considering Butler's early realignment move to the Atlantic 10 this season. The two will actually be playing a nonconference game in the first week of the season before meeting again during league play. You don't see that often. If the basketball gods shine upon us, this will be the game that truly kicks off a heated Midwestern rivalry between two marquee March programs. They've had some good battles in the recent past -- no reason for that to stop now.
And of course, the Champions Classic, now in its second year, is just going to be flat-out awesome: Michigan State will play Kansas just four days (four days!) after opening its season against Connecticut at a U.S. military base in Germany. Last season, the Spartans flew from the Carrier Classic in San Diego to Madison Square Garden four days later. This year, they'll be making a trip from Germany to Georgia in roughly the same time. If Tom Izzo could schedule a game at the International Space Station, he would. The dude will literally play anybody anywhere.
Then there's Duke versus Kentucky. Two bluebloods. Two powerhouses. Two larger-than-life coaches. One unlikely but very deeply felt rivalry. It exists for one reason: March 28, 1992. It's something you notice as a college hoops writer: Both teams' fan bases go out of their way to tweak each other. They are in many ways cultural and basketball antitheses. There is real hate here.
With all this sturm und drang on both sides -- the trolling of opposition message boards is my personal favorite -- it's easy to forget that these two teams don't play, like, ever. The last time they met was Dec. 18, 2001, over a decade ago, at the Jimmy V Classic in New Jersey. Kentucky had Tayshaun Prince and Keith Bogans; Duke had Jason Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Carlos Boozer, Chris Duhon, Dahntay Jones and future Barack Obama body man Reggie Love. The Blue Devils won 95-92 in an overtime classic.
Despite the huge gap in actual basketball competition, Duke and UK fans have only increased their mutual distaste in the Internet age. The run-up to the game -- not to mention the split Georgia Dome -- is going to be certifiably insane.
And there you have it: The early portions of the marathon may not do much for neophytes, but the hard-core fans will have plenty to chew on ... just before the final three games of the evening (hopefully) blow us away. I can't wait to live blog this thing for too many hours. More than anything, I can't wait for basketball. Only a few more months now. Consider that your new mantra.
Source: ESPN, College Basketball Nation Blog
First things first. The games are as follows (all times ET):
Midnight: West Virginia at Gonzaga
2 a.m.: Davidson at New Mexico
4 a.m.: Houston Baptist at Hawaii
6 a.m.: Stony Brook at Rider
8 a.m.: Northern Illinois at Valparaiso
10 a.m.: Harvard at Massachusetts
12 p.m.: Temple at Kent State
2 p.m.: Detroit at St. John’s
4 p.m.: Butler at Xavier
7 p.m.: Michigan State vs. Kansas (Champions Classic, Georgia Dome, Atlanta)
30 minutes following MSU/KU: Duke vs. Kentucky (Champions Classic)
Here's the thing: If you're a casual college basketball fan, someone who doesn't spend all summer reading College Basketball Nation in heated anticipation of posts like these, you might be somewhat nonplussed.
Davidson at New Mexico might not do anything for you. Harvard at UMass might not tickle your fancy. I get that. But for the college hoops fan -- the kind who knows how cool it will be to see a midnight game at New Mexico's Pit, the kind who recognizes UMass as a sleeper A-10 contender in 2012-13, the kind who knows how good Detroit guard Ray McCallum Jr. is, the kind who realizes what a tough early road test Kent State will be for Temple -- that schedule has a little bit of everything.
Although the Mountaineers-Zags NCAA tourney rematch is a tantalizing opener, the real showstoppers come late in the day. Butler-Xavier is a strange game, considering Butler's early realignment move to the Atlantic 10 this season. The two will actually be playing a nonconference game in the first week of the season before meeting again during league play. You don't see that often. If the basketball gods shine upon us, this will be the game that truly kicks off a heated Midwestern rivalry between two marquee March programs. They've had some good battles in the recent past -- no reason for that to stop now.
And of course, the Champions Classic, now in its second year, is just going to be flat-out awesome: Michigan State will play Kansas just four days (four days!) after opening its season against Connecticut at a U.S. military base in Germany. Last season, the Spartans flew from the Carrier Classic in San Diego to Madison Square Garden four days later. This year, they'll be making a trip from Germany to Georgia in roughly the same time. If Tom Izzo could schedule a game at the International Space Station, he would. The dude will literally play anybody anywhere.
Then there's Duke versus Kentucky. Two bluebloods. Two powerhouses. Two larger-than-life coaches. One unlikely but very deeply felt rivalry. It exists for one reason: March 28, 1992. It's something you notice as a college hoops writer: Both teams' fan bases go out of their way to tweak each other. They are in many ways cultural and basketball antitheses. There is real hate here.
With all this sturm und drang on both sides -- the trolling of opposition message boards is my personal favorite -- it's easy to forget that these two teams don't play, like, ever. The last time they met was Dec. 18, 2001, over a decade ago, at the Jimmy V Classic in New Jersey. Kentucky had Tayshaun Prince and Keith Bogans; Duke had Jason Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Carlos Boozer, Chris Duhon, Dahntay Jones and future Barack Obama body man Reggie Love. The Blue Devils won 95-92 in an overtime classic.
Despite the huge gap in actual basketball competition, Duke and UK fans have only increased their mutual distaste in the Internet age. The run-up to the game -- not to mention the split Georgia Dome -- is going to be certifiably insane.
And there you have it: The early portions of the marathon may not do much for neophytes, but the hard-core fans will have plenty to chew on ... just before the final three games of the evening (hopefully) blow us away. I can't wait to live blog this thing for too many hours. More than anything, I can't wait for basketball. Only a few more months now. Consider that your new mantra.
Source: ESPN, College Basketball Nation Blog
Amazon smart phone rumors: we could see a 'Kindle Phone' in 2012
An Amazon smart phone -- call it the Kindle Phone -- might be more than a rumor.
The Wall Street Journal reported today that Amazon's component suppliers are testing a phone with a screen somewhere between 4 and 5 inches, citing those ubiquitous "people familiar with the situation." Add this to last November's rumor that Amazon would release a handset in the fourth quarter of 2012, and a separate Bloomberg report last week that Amazon was working on a phone with Foxconn (Apple's supplier for iPhones and iPads), and it's hard not to wonder if we might see a Kindle Phone within the next year.
It wouldn't be entirely out of character for Amazon to make a move for the smart phone market. The company dominated e-reader sales for years with the original Kindle before moving into tablets last year with the Kindle Fire. Amazon might see a handset as a logical hardware step. Research firms estimatethat Amazon sells both the Kindle and the Kindle Fire at a loss; the company makes up the difference because the devices make it easy for users to buy digital media from Amazon's store. The customer base it's built while following that model could give it an edge if it decides to release a phone.
Chris DeVore, a Seattle-based analyst, even suggested that Amazon could attract customers with a free handset, including unlimited voice and data. (DeVore isn't claiming any special insight, so take his prediction with more grains of salt than usual.) The catch, he cautions, would be that the "free" phone would serve ads and otherwise push owners to make more Amazon purchases -- for example, maybe they'd have to sign up for two years of Amazon Prime -- but it would be affordable for customers and profitable for Amazon, at least over the long term. Plus, such a move would put pressure on Apple and Google, the two biggest players in the mobile phone arena.
The trick for Amazon, of course, would be navigating tricky negotiations with carrier companies, not to mention working out the details of making a handset compatible with global technical standards. Complicating things further is the fact that the iPhone and current Android smart phones have a pretty commanding slice of the market; a Kindle Phone would have to conquer territory that's already fairly well-established.
One thing's almost certain: we'll be seeing some new hardware from Amazon, of one kind or another, before too long. Its popular 7-inch Kindle Fire tablet is now 7 months old, and the China Times reported last week that a new version is already in production. Amazon needs to stay ahead of Google, whose Nexus 7 tablet, released last month, offers a higher-resolution screen and significantly improved specs for the same price as the Kindle Fire.
Source: Christian Science Monitor
The Wall Street Journal reported today that Amazon's component suppliers are testing a phone with a screen somewhere between 4 and 5 inches, citing those ubiquitous "people familiar with the situation." Add this to last November's rumor that Amazon would release a handset in the fourth quarter of 2012, and a separate Bloomberg report last week that Amazon was working on a phone with Foxconn (Apple's supplier for iPhones and iPads), and it's hard not to wonder if we might see a Kindle Phone within the next year.
It wouldn't be entirely out of character for Amazon to make a move for the smart phone market. The company dominated e-reader sales for years with the original Kindle before moving into tablets last year with the Kindle Fire. Amazon might see a handset as a logical hardware step. Research firms estimatethat Amazon sells both the Kindle and the Kindle Fire at a loss; the company makes up the difference because the devices make it easy for users to buy digital media from Amazon's store. The customer base it's built while following that model could give it an edge if it decides to release a phone.
Chris DeVore, a Seattle-based analyst, even suggested that Amazon could attract customers with a free handset, including unlimited voice and data. (DeVore isn't claiming any special insight, so take his prediction with more grains of salt than usual.) The catch, he cautions, would be that the "free" phone would serve ads and otherwise push owners to make more Amazon purchases -- for example, maybe they'd have to sign up for two years of Amazon Prime -- but it would be affordable for customers and profitable for Amazon, at least over the long term. Plus, such a move would put pressure on Apple and Google, the two biggest players in the mobile phone arena.
The trick for Amazon, of course, would be navigating tricky negotiations with carrier companies, not to mention working out the details of making a handset compatible with global technical standards. Complicating things further is the fact that the iPhone and current Android smart phones have a pretty commanding slice of the market; a Kindle Phone would have to conquer territory that's already fairly well-established.
One thing's almost certain: we'll be seeing some new hardware from Amazon, of one kind or another, before too long. Its popular 7-inch Kindle Fire tablet is now 7 months old, and the China Times reported last week that a new version is already in production. Amazon needs to stay ahead of Google, whose Nexus 7 tablet, released last month, offers a higher-resolution screen and significantly improved specs for the same price as the Kindle Fire.
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Steven Tyler leaving ‘American Idol’
Steven Tyler has announced he’s leaving “American Idol.”
Tyler, who joined the show in its 10th season, sat at the judges table alongside Randy Jackson and Jennifer Lopez for two seasons. (And rumors are swirling that Jackson and Lopez may be looking to leave “Idol,” as well.)
“After some long…hard…thoughts…I’ve decided it’s time for me to let go of my mistress ‘American Idol’ before she boils my rabbit,” Tyler said in a statement from Fox. “I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I’m back — but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I’ve got two fists in the air and I’m kicking the door open with my band.
Aerosmith’s 15th studio album, “Music From Another Dimension,” is due out on November 6.
“‘Idol’ was over-the-top fun,” Tyler said, and I loved every minute of it…Now it’s time to bring Rock Back. ERMAHGERD.”
Source: CNN, "The Marquee Blog"
Tyler, who joined the show in its 10th season, sat at the judges table alongside Randy Jackson and Jennifer Lopez for two seasons. (And rumors are swirling that Jackson and Lopez may be looking to leave “Idol,” as well.)
“After some long…hard…thoughts…I’ve decided it’s time for me to let go of my mistress ‘American Idol’ before she boils my rabbit,” Tyler said in a statement from Fox. “I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I’m back — but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I’ve got two fists in the air and I’m kicking the door open with my band.
Aerosmith’s 15th studio album, “Music From Another Dimension,” is due out on November 6.
“‘Idol’ was over-the-top fun,” Tyler said, and I loved every minute of it…Now it’s time to bring Rock Back. ERMAHGERD.”
Source: CNN, "The Marquee Blog"
Material world: Tips to help children grow up free of entitlement
Our three kids are really blessed. They have involved parents that are in a solid enough financial state to provide for them without worry. They have two sets of grandparents and a great-grandparent that dote on them, and they are the first grandchildren of two of the grandparents, so they get a special helping of attention. They have a small army of doting aunts and uncles, great aunts and uncles, cousins, and family friends that care deeply for them.
With all of these relatives and friends that care for these kids, holidays and birthdays sometimes turn into an overwhelming cavalcade of gifts. Even outside of those events, people will sometimes pop in with gifts for the kids.
The challenge that we often face as parents through all of this is entitlement.
How do we keep all of this from rounding a corner into a sense of material entitlement, one that will cause them to spend their lives, on some level, feeling that material abundance is normal and worth spending a great deal of money for? It’s a challenging issue.
What I do know is that a large portion of my sense of right and wrong came from my childhood experiences. I was influenced greatly by what my parents told me and what actions they took themselves. I think that’s a typical result of a childhood with involved parents who showed love, kindness, and attention.
Because of that, Sarah and I are really mindful of how we can use our day-to-day actions and the things we discuss with our children to constantly nudge them away from a sense of material entitlement. Here are some of the things we’re actively doing.
Remind them to be thankful. When someone gives them a gift, we not only remind them to be thankful in the moment (encouraging them to say “thank you” and telling them that they’ve done well later if they remember to say thanks on their own), we also remind them to be thankful later. We encourage the writing of “thank you” notes for gifts or pleasant occasions.
Expose them to others in need. Right now, our children really don’t have a skill set where they can do much effective volunteer work with the disadvantaged, so our goal right now is to simply make them aware that they have more than most of the people in the world. The constant accumulation of “more” can seem less important when compared to the plight of others, and being aware of such situations makes an enormous difference.
Encourage them to give some of what they have to others. We give them an allowance, but a portion of that allowance must be given to a charity of their choice. Every so often, we do a “toy purge,” and out of the purged toys, we give many of them away at Goodwill, and during this purge we involve them in the choice of what to eliminate and also remind them of where these items are going.
Do enjoyable things without material items. Most of our evenings are spent out in the yard. They do a lot of things I did when I was a child – play in the sandbox, help in the garden, play tag, run through the lawn sprinkler, and so on. We go to free parks all the time. You don’t have to have a bunch of stuff to have fun.
Talk about the issues involved. What is a gift? A gift is not something that you should ever expect. A gift is something given to you by someone as a way of showing they care. What are possessions? They can be nice to have, but the fun comes from within you. You can have fun with anything. These are the types of discussions we have regularly.
These are the tactics we’re using to reduce a sense of material entitlement in our children. Will it work? Only time will tell, but I feel pretty good about things when I see our kids choosing to play in a state park instead of hoarding their toys or getting excited about giving some of their allowance to a good cause.
Source: Christian Science Monitor
With all of these relatives and friends that care for these kids, holidays and birthdays sometimes turn into an overwhelming cavalcade of gifts. Even outside of those events, people will sometimes pop in with gifts for the kids.
The challenge that we often face as parents through all of this is entitlement.
How do we keep all of this from rounding a corner into a sense of material entitlement, one that will cause them to spend their lives, on some level, feeling that material abundance is normal and worth spending a great deal of money for? It’s a challenging issue.
What I do know is that a large portion of my sense of right and wrong came from my childhood experiences. I was influenced greatly by what my parents told me and what actions they took themselves. I think that’s a typical result of a childhood with involved parents who showed love, kindness, and attention.
Because of that, Sarah and I are really mindful of how we can use our day-to-day actions and the things we discuss with our children to constantly nudge them away from a sense of material entitlement. Here are some of the things we’re actively doing.
Remind them to be thankful. When someone gives them a gift, we not only remind them to be thankful in the moment (encouraging them to say “thank you” and telling them that they’ve done well later if they remember to say thanks on their own), we also remind them to be thankful later. We encourage the writing of “thank you” notes for gifts or pleasant occasions.
Expose them to others in need. Right now, our children really don’t have a skill set where they can do much effective volunteer work with the disadvantaged, so our goal right now is to simply make them aware that they have more than most of the people in the world. The constant accumulation of “more” can seem less important when compared to the plight of others, and being aware of such situations makes an enormous difference.
Encourage them to give some of what they have to others. We give them an allowance, but a portion of that allowance must be given to a charity of their choice. Every so often, we do a “toy purge,” and out of the purged toys, we give many of them away at Goodwill, and during this purge we involve them in the choice of what to eliminate and also remind them of where these items are going.
Do enjoyable things without material items. Most of our evenings are spent out in the yard. They do a lot of things I did when I was a child – play in the sandbox, help in the garden, play tag, run through the lawn sprinkler, and so on. We go to free parks all the time. You don’t have to have a bunch of stuff to have fun.
Talk about the issues involved. What is a gift? A gift is not something that you should ever expect. A gift is something given to you by someone as a way of showing they care. What are possessions? They can be nice to have, but the fun comes from within you. You can have fun with anything. These are the types of discussions we have regularly.
These are the tactics we’re using to reduce a sense of material entitlement in our children. Will it work? Only time will tell, but I feel pretty good about things when I see our kids choosing to play in a state park instead of hoarding their toys or getting excited about giving some of their allowance to a good cause.
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Study: Sept. 11 most memorable TV moment
The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack is by far the most memorable moment shared by television viewers during the past 50 years, a study released on Wednesday concluded.
The only thing that came close was President John F. Kennedy's assassination and its aftermath in 1963, but that was only for the people aged 55 and over who experienced those events as they happened instead of replayed as an historical artifact.
Sony Electronics and the Nielsen television research company collaborated on the survey. They ranked TV moments for their impact not just by asking people if they remembered watching them, but if they recalled where they watched it, who they were with and whether they talked to other people about what they had seen.
By that measure, the Sept. 11 tragedy was nearly twice as impactful as the second-ranked moment, which was the coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Minutes after the first airplane struck New York's World Trade Center on a late summer morning, television networks began covering the events continuously and stayed with them for days.
The other biggest TV events, in order, were the 1995 verdict in O.J. Simpson's murder trial, the Challenger space shuttle explosion in 1986 and the death of Osama bin Laden last year, the survey found.
Sony was interested in the study for clues on consumer interests and behaviors and found "that television is really the grandmother of all the social devices," said Brian Siegel, vice president of television business for the company.
Going into the study, Siegel said he had anticipated that entertainment events like the final episode of "M-A-S-H" (ranked No. 42), the Beatles' appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" (No. 43) and the "Who shot J.R.?" episode of "Dallas" (No. 44) would rank higher. Instead, television coverage of news events made the biggest difference in viewers' lives.
The Super Bowl is annually the most-watched TV event, with this year's game between the N.Y. Giants and New England Patriots setting an all-time record with 111 million viewers. The memories don't seem to linger, however: the top-ranked Super Bowl Sunday event in Sony's study came in 2004 and had nothing to do with football. It was Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction (No. 26).
Men and women agreed on the three most impactful television events - Sept. 11, Katrina and Simpson. After that, some of the interests diverged.
For example, women ranked the 1997 funeral of Princess Diana as the fourth most memorable event, while men put that at No. 23. Women ranked last year's death of Whitney Houston at No. 5, with men judging it No. 21.
Similarly, the 2003 bombing of Baghdad at the start of the Iraq War was seen as the No. 14 most impactful moment by men, and No. 37 among women. Men were also far more struck by boxer Mike Tyson biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear.
The passage of time has also diluted some moments once thought as unforgettable, simply because succeeding generations have no personal memory of them. Man's first moon landing in 1969 ranked No. 21.
Age also made a big difference in the survey. JFK's assassination was the second-most impactful TV event among people 55 and over, while for those between 18 and 34, it was the death of Osama bin Laden.
Young people also ranked Barack Obama's Election Night speech in 2008 at No. 3, while that didn't move older viewers quite as much (No. 24).
Simply because of their age, events like the JFK assassination, President Nixon's resignation and the moon landing didn't register at all among viewers 18 to 34. The oldest event to appear in their rankings was the 1980 shooting of John Lennon.
The study was based on an online questionnaire of 1,077 adults selected as a scientific sample from among Nielsen's panel of people measured for television ratings. It was conducted between Feb. 15-17 this year.
The study could be a good baseline for future looks at how television impacts viewers, said Paul Lindstrom, senior vice president for custom research at Nielsen.
"I'd like to see these done on a periodic basis going forward," he said.
Source: Associated Press
The only thing that came close was President John F. Kennedy's assassination and its aftermath in 1963, but that was only for the people aged 55 and over who experienced those events as they happened instead of replayed as an historical artifact.
Sony Electronics and the Nielsen television research company collaborated on the survey. They ranked TV moments for their impact not just by asking people if they remembered watching them, but if they recalled where they watched it, who they were with and whether they talked to other people about what they had seen.
By that measure, the Sept. 11 tragedy was nearly twice as impactful as the second-ranked moment, which was the coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Minutes after the first airplane struck New York's World Trade Center on a late summer morning, television networks began covering the events continuously and stayed with them for days.
The other biggest TV events, in order, were the 1995 verdict in O.J. Simpson's murder trial, the Challenger space shuttle explosion in 1986 and the death of Osama bin Laden last year, the survey found.
Sony was interested in the study for clues on consumer interests and behaviors and found "that television is really the grandmother of all the social devices," said Brian Siegel, vice president of television business for the company.
Going into the study, Siegel said he had anticipated that entertainment events like the final episode of "M-A-S-H" (ranked No. 42), the Beatles' appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" (No. 43) and the "Who shot J.R.?" episode of "Dallas" (No. 44) would rank higher. Instead, television coverage of news events made the biggest difference in viewers' lives.
The Super Bowl is annually the most-watched TV event, with this year's game between the N.Y. Giants and New England Patriots setting an all-time record with 111 million viewers. The memories don't seem to linger, however: the top-ranked Super Bowl Sunday event in Sony's study came in 2004 and had nothing to do with football. It was Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction (No. 26).
Men and women agreed on the three most impactful television events - Sept. 11, Katrina and Simpson. After that, some of the interests diverged.
For example, women ranked the 1997 funeral of Princess Diana as the fourth most memorable event, while men put that at No. 23. Women ranked last year's death of Whitney Houston at No. 5, with men judging it No. 21.
Similarly, the 2003 bombing of Baghdad at the start of the Iraq War was seen as the No. 14 most impactful moment by men, and No. 37 among women. Men were also far more struck by boxer Mike Tyson biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear.
The passage of time has also diluted some moments once thought as unforgettable, simply because succeeding generations have no personal memory of them. Man's first moon landing in 1969 ranked No. 21.
Age also made a big difference in the survey. JFK's assassination was the second-most impactful TV event among people 55 and over, while for those between 18 and 34, it was the death of Osama bin Laden.
Young people also ranked Barack Obama's Election Night speech in 2008 at No. 3, while that didn't move older viewers quite as much (No. 24).
Simply because of their age, events like the JFK assassination, President Nixon's resignation and the moon landing didn't register at all among viewers 18 to 34. The oldest event to appear in their rankings was the 1980 shooting of John Lennon.
The study was based on an online questionnaire of 1,077 adults selected as a scientific sample from among Nielsen's panel of people measured for television ratings. It was conducted between Feb. 15-17 this year.
The study could be a good baseline for future looks at how television impacts viewers, said Paul Lindstrom, senior vice president for custom research at Nielsen.
"I'd like to see these done on a periodic basis going forward," he said.
Source: Associated Press
Beyond belief
Some 20 years ago, I watched a Tibetan lama puzzle over why so many of his audience members were asking questions about Christian theology when they’d come to learn about Tibetan Buddhism – “What about hell?” “How can I be saved?” they asked.
It occurred to me that not only do people unwittingly carry around the narrow conceptions of religion that they may have been raised with, but the human mind in general is susceptible to small-minded conceptions of the biggest thing in the room. People mistake words and mental images for the thing itself – like the Zen saying about mistaking the finger pointing at the moon for the moon.
Midway through the last century, Bible translator J.B. Phillips published a little book called “Your God is Too Small.” It cataloged the various ways people imagine deity. His descriptions were apt for those of all faiths as well as unbelievers. Whatever people think of as most basic, powerful, and authoritative – whether it comes from religious education or is founded on scientific materialism – is “God” to them.
They use reason to justify their belief and they defend it out of habit. Often what individuals believe intellectually has little to do with what drives their thoughts and actions in real time. Superstition haunts those considered faithful as well as those who are part of the growing ranks of the unchurched. No one could claim to be absolutely consistent in his or her faith; things happen, paradigms are broken, and people are forced to start again.
Beyond the human faith that is mere belief without understanding, there is a world that many of us have encountered and recognize as spiritual reality. Spiritual because it can’t be seen or measured by the senses. Reality because it is what is consistently found to be there when everything else is cleared away.
I don’t suggest that the words and teachings of all religions (including atheism) can be reconciled with each other. But there is a world of Spirit behind all those words and human attempts at explanation, which we always have access to. Sometimes we find it in our extremity, like those who walk away from near-death experiences with the revelation that life has always been about divine Love. Or it may come to us more gently as an epiphany of real and present unconditional goodness. It is not really a separate world but an understanding of the primitive and original source of all we hold dear in life. Christian Science calls that ever-presence “God,” and defines God as “incorporeal, divine, supreme, infinite Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love” (Mary Baker Eddy, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 465). We see these expressed in daily life: Mind signifies intelligence; Love, affection and kindness; Truth, honesty; and so forth.
Apply the four words at the beginning of the definition – incorporeal, divine, supreme, infinite – to those terms for God, and it is clear that this is not a small God. Principle, which is never trapped in form, is wholly good, ultimately authoritative, and everywhere all the time, could never be confused with a bearded old man deity in the clouds or some kind of cosmic manager or sectarian judge. The definition is liberating and reconciling in that it is simply a description of the spiritual sense of existence we can all experience and recognize.
Though that sentence was written over 125 years ago, its radical implications for us are far from fully appreciated, and grasping those implications is long overdue. The papers are increasingly filled with stories of abused authority and confused morality. In the words of James Davison Hunter, a professor and author of “The Death of Character”: “We know more, and as a consequence, we no longer trust the authority of traditional institutions who used to be the carriers of moral ideals.... We used to experience morality as imperatives. The consequences of not doing the right thing were not only social, but deeply emotional and psychological. We couldn’t bear to live with ourselves. Now we experience morality more as a choice that we can always change as circumstances call for it” (Maureen Dowd, “Moral Dystopia,” The New York Times, June 16).
The Bible warns us against being deceived by words and the vanity of human knowledge (see Deuteronomy 11:16, Job 15:31, I Corinthians 2:12-14, Psalms 94:11). Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science, adds this: “The looms of crime, hidden in the dark recesses of mortal thought, are every hour weaving webs more complicated and subtle” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 102).
With traditional social structures of morality breaking down even as a world of people earnestly searches for answers to the perennial questions about life, there is now a human and divine imperative to get beyond sectarian doubts and beliefs that divide us. Tribal, sectarian belief systems never will be capable of meeting humanity’s crucial need for unity. But that need can be met in a spiritually scientific approach to faith and understanding, which begins with acknowledging our connection to God as divine Spirit. Then we may find what Eddy saw when she wrote: “Science so reverses the evidence before the corporeal human senses, as to make this Scriptural testimony true in our hearts, ‘The last shall be first, and the first last,’ so that God and His idea may be to us what divinity really is and must of necessity be, – all-inclusive”
Source: Christian Science Monitor
It occurred to me that not only do people unwittingly carry around the narrow conceptions of religion that they may have been raised with, but the human mind in general is susceptible to small-minded conceptions of the biggest thing in the room. People mistake words and mental images for the thing itself – like the Zen saying about mistaking the finger pointing at the moon for the moon.
Midway through the last century, Bible translator J.B. Phillips published a little book called “Your God is Too Small.” It cataloged the various ways people imagine deity. His descriptions were apt for those of all faiths as well as unbelievers. Whatever people think of as most basic, powerful, and authoritative – whether it comes from religious education or is founded on scientific materialism – is “God” to them.
They use reason to justify their belief and they defend it out of habit. Often what individuals believe intellectually has little to do with what drives their thoughts and actions in real time. Superstition haunts those considered faithful as well as those who are part of the growing ranks of the unchurched. No one could claim to be absolutely consistent in his or her faith; things happen, paradigms are broken, and people are forced to start again.
Beyond the human faith that is mere belief without understanding, there is a world that many of us have encountered and recognize as spiritual reality. Spiritual because it can’t be seen or measured by the senses. Reality because it is what is consistently found to be there when everything else is cleared away.
I don’t suggest that the words and teachings of all religions (including atheism) can be reconciled with each other. But there is a world of Spirit behind all those words and human attempts at explanation, which we always have access to. Sometimes we find it in our extremity, like those who walk away from near-death experiences with the revelation that life has always been about divine Love. Or it may come to us more gently as an epiphany of real and present unconditional goodness. It is not really a separate world but an understanding of the primitive and original source of all we hold dear in life. Christian Science calls that ever-presence “God,” and defines God as “incorporeal, divine, supreme, infinite Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love” (Mary Baker Eddy, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 465). We see these expressed in daily life: Mind signifies intelligence; Love, affection and kindness; Truth, honesty; and so forth.
Apply the four words at the beginning of the definition – incorporeal, divine, supreme, infinite – to those terms for God, and it is clear that this is not a small God. Principle, which is never trapped in form, is wholly good, ultimately authoritative, and everywhere all the time, could never be confused with a bearded old man deity in the clouds or some kind of cosmic manager or sectarian judge. The definition is liberating and reconciling in that it is simply a description of the spiritual sense of existence we can all experience and recognize.
Though that sentence was written over 125 years ago, its radical implications for us are far from fully appreciated, and grasping those implications is long overdue. The papers are increasingly filled with stories of abused authority and confused morality. In the words of James Davison Hunter, a professor and author of “The Death of Character”: “We know more, and as a consequence, we no longer trust the authority of traditional institutions who used to be the carriers of moral ideals.... We used to experience morality as imperatives. The consequences of not doing the right thing were not only social, but deeply emotional and psychological. We couldn’t bear to live with ourselves. Now we experience morality more as a choice that we can always change as circumstances call for it” (Maureen Dowd, “Moral Dystopia,” The New York Times, June 16).
The Bible warns us against being deceived by words and the vanity of human knowledge (see Deuteronomy 11:16, Job 15:31, I Corinthians 2:12-14, Psalms 94:11). Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science, adds this: “The looms of crime, hidden in the dark recesses of mortal thought, are every hour weaving webs more complicated and subtle” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 102).
With traditional social structures of morality breaking down even as a world of people earnestly searches for answers to the perennial questions about life, there is now a human and divine imperative to get beyond sectarian doubts and beliefs that divide us. Tribal, sectarian belief systems never will be capable of meeting humanity’s crucial need for unity. But that need can be met in a spiritually scientific approach to faith and understanding, which begins with acknowledging our connection to God as divine Spirit. Then we may find what Eddy saw when she wrote: “Science so reverses the evidence before the corporeal human senses, as to make this Scriptural testimony true in our hearts, ‘The last shall be first, and the first last,’ so that God and His idea may be to us what divinity really is and must of necessity be, – all-inclusive”
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Baseball cards in Ohio attic might fetch millions
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- Karl Kissner picked up a soot-covered cardboard box that had been under a wooden dollhouse in his grandfather's attic. Taking a look inside, he saw baseball cards bundled with twine. They were smaller than the ones he was used to seeing.
But some of the names were familiar: Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Cy Young and Honus Wagner.
Then he put the box on a dresser and went back to digging through the attic.
It wasn't until two weeks later that he learned that his family had come across what experts say is one of the biggest, most exciting finds in the history of sports card collecting, a discovery probably worth millions.
The cards are from an extremely rare series issued around 1910. The few known to exist are in so-so condition at best, with faded images and worn edges. But the ones from the attic in the Ohio town of Defiance are nearly pristine, untouched for more than a century. The colors are vibrant, the borders crisp and white.
"It's like finding the Mona Lisa in the attic" Kissner said.
Sports card experts who authenticated the find say they may never see something this impressive again.
"Every future find will ultimately be compared to this," said Joe Orlando, president of Professional Sports Authenticator.
The best of the bunch - 37 cards - are expected to bring a total of $500,000 when they are sold at auction in August during the National Sports Collectors Convention in Baltimore. There are about 700 cards in all that could be worth up to $3 million, experts say. They include such legends as Christy Mathewson and Connie Mack.
Kissner and his family say the cards belonged to their grandfather, Carl Hench, who died in the 1940s. Hench ran a meat market in Defiance, and the family suspects he got them as a promotional item from a candy company that distributed them with caramels. They think he gave some away and kept others.
"We guess he stuck them in the attic and forgot about them," Kissner said. "They remained there frozen in time."
After Hench and his wife died, two of his daughters lived in the house. Jean Hench kept the house until she died last October, leaving everything inside to her 20 nieces and nephews. Kissner, 51, is the youngest and was put in charge of the estate. His aunt was a pack rat, and the house was filled with three generations of stuff.
They found calendars from the meat market, turn-of-the-century dresses, a steamer trunk from Germany and a dresser with Grandma's clothes neatly folded in the drawers.
Months went by before they even got to the attic. On Feb. 29, Kissner's cousin Karla Hench pulled out the dirty green box with metal clips at the corners and lifted the lid.
Not knowing whether the cards were valuable, the two cousins put the box aside. But Kissner decided to do a little research. The cards were at his office in the restaurant he owns when he realized they might have something. He immediately took them across the street and put them in a bank vault.
Still not knowing whether the cards were real, they sent eight to expert Peter Calderon at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, which recently sold the baseball that rolled through the legs of Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner in the 1986 World Series for $418,000.
Calderon said his first words were "Oh, my God."
"I was in complete awe," he said. "You just don't see them this nice."
The cards are from what is known as the E98 series. It is not clear who manufactured them or how many were produced, but the series consists of 30 players, half of them Hall of Famers.
The experts at Heritage Auctions checked out the family's background, the age of the home and the history of the meat market. They looked at the cards and how they were printed.
"Everything lines up," said Chris Ivy, the company's director of sports auctions.
They then sent all the cards to Professional Sports Authenticator, which had previously authenticated fewer than 700 E98s. The Ohio cards were the finest examples from the E98 series the company had ever seen.
The company grades cards on a 1-to-10 scale based of their condition. Up to now, the highest grade it had ever given a Ty Cobb card from the E98 series was a 7. Sixteen Cobbs found in the Ohio attic were graded a 9 - almost perfect. A Honus Wagner was judged a 10, a first for the series.
Retired vintage sports card auctioneer Barry Sloate of New York City said: "This is probably the most interesting find I've heard of."
In a measure of what baseball cards can be worth, the owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks paid a record $2.8 million for a rare 1909 Honus Wagner. Another version of the card brought $1.2 million in April.
Heritage Auctions plans to sell most of the cards over the next two of three years through auctions and private sales so that it doesn't flood the market. In all, they could bring $2 or $3 million, Ivy said.
The Hench family is evenly dividing the cards and the money among the 20 cousins named in their aunt's will. All but a few have decided to sell their lot.
"These cards need to be with those people who appreciate and enjoy them," Kissner said.
Source: Associated Press
But some of the names were familiar: Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Cy Young and Honus Wagner.
Then he put the box on a dresser and went back to digging through the attic.
It wasn't until two weeks later that he learned that his family had come across what experts say is one of the biggest, most exciting finds in the history of sports card collecting, a discovery probably worth millions.
The cards are from an extremely rare series issued around 1910. The few known to exist are in so-so condition at best, with faded images and worn edges. But the ones from the attic in the Ohio town of Defiance are nearly pristine, untouched for more than a century. The colors are vibrant, the borders crisp and white.
"It's like finding the Mona Lisa in the attic" Kissner said.
Sports card experts who authenticated the find say they may never see something this impressive again.
"Every future find will ultimately be compared to this," said Joe Orlando, president of Professional Sports Authenticator.
The best of the bunch - 37 cards - are expected to bring a total of $500,000 when they are sold at auction in August during the National Sports Collectors Convention in Baltimore. There are about 700 cards in all that could be worth up to $3 million, experts say. They include such legends as Christy Mathewson and Connie Mack.
Kissner and his family say the cards belonged to their grandfather, Carl Hench, who died in the 1940s. Hench ran a meat market in Defiance, and the family suspects he got them as a promotional item from a candy company that distributed them with caramels. They think he gave some away and kept others.
"We guess he stuck them in the attic and forgot about them," Kissner said. "They remained there frozen in time."
After Hench and his wife died, two of his daughters lived in the house. Jean Hench kept the house until she died last October, leaving everything inside to her 20 nieces and nephews. Kissner, 51, is the youngest and was put in charge of the estate. His aunt was a pack rat, and the house was filled with three generations of stuff.
They found calendars from the meat market, turn-of-the-century dresses, a steamer trunk from Germany and a dresser with Grandma's clothes neatly folded in the drawers.
Months went by before they even got to the attic. On Feb. 29, Kissner's cousin Karla Hench pulled out the dirty green box with metal clips at the corners and lifted the lid.
Not knowing whether the cards were valuable, the two cousins put the box aside. But Kissner decided to do a little research. The cards were at his office in the restaurant he owns when he realized they might have something. He immediately took them across the street and put them in a bank vault.
Still not knowing whether the cards were real, they sent eight to expert Peter Calderon at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, which recently sold the baseball that rolled through the legs of Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner in the 1986 World Series for $418,000.
Calderon said his first words were "Oh, my God."
"I was in complete awe," he said. "You just don't see them this nice."
The cards are from what is known as the E98 series. It is not clear who manufactured them or how many were produced, but the series consists of 30 players, half of them Hall of Famers.
The experts at Heritage Auctions checked out the family's background, the age of the home and the history of the meat market. They looked at the cards and how they were printed.
"Everything lines up," said Chris Ivy, the company's director of sports auctions.
They then sent all the cards to Professional Sports Authenticator, which had previously authenticated fewer than 700 E98s. The Ohio cards were the finest examples from the E98 series the company had ever seen.
The company grades cards on a 1-to-10 scale based of their condition. Up to now, the highest grade it had ever given a Ty Cobb card from the E98 series was a 7. Sixteen Cobbs found in the Ohio attic were graded a 9 - almost perfect. A Honus Wagner was judged a 10, a first for the series.
Retired vintage sports card auctioneer Barry Sloate of New York City said: "This is probably the most interesting find I've heard of."
In a measure of what baseball cards can be worth, the owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks paid a record $2.8 million for a rare 1909 Honus Wagner. Another version of the card brought $1.2 million in April.
Heritage Auctions plans to sell most of the cards over the next two of three years through auctions and private sales so that it doesn't flood the market. In all, they could bring $2 or $3 million, Ivy said.
The Hench family is evenly dividing the cards and the money among the 20 cousins named in their aunt's will. All but a few have decided to sell their lot.
"These cards need to be with those people who appreciate and enjoy them," Kissner said.
Source: Associated Press
Monday, July 9, 2012
Kentucky sees payback from successful 'Hatfields & McCoys' miniseries
You can't run away from a good feud. The recent Hatfields & McCoys television miniseries, based on the legendary 19th-century feud between families in Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia, has spawned a wave of prosperity in some of the most unlikely corners of the economy, both nationally and in Kentucky. Let's take a look:
What started Hatfield-McCoy mania?
The History channel's relentlessly promoted miniseries, which initially aired May 28 to 30 on the cable network.
What happened to tourism in Pike County, where the McCoys were based, after Hatfields & McCoys aired?
Pike County continues to be jubilant over the miniseries' success, which has translated into the kind of boost that a county tourist bureau can't buy.
According to county tourism director Tony Tackett, there have been 250 brochure requests a day on the Pike County tourism Web site, Tourpikecounty.com; there are an average 125 visitors a day to the county's tourism office, seven days a week; and the Web site had 319,000 hits in the month that ended June 27, up from an average of 5,000 a month,
Escorted tours of the Hatfield-McCoy feud sites, at $15 a pop, have sold out during the past six weeks, with the proceeds going toward building a statue of Randolph McCoy, patriarch of the Kentucky side of the feuders.
Also available and selling briskly is a $20 CD for a self-guided, do-it-yourself tour of the sites.
Why is the History channel so happy with the series' success?
Hatfields & McCoys, which starred Kevin Costner as William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield and Bill Paxton as Randolph "Ole Ran'l" McCoy, was a cultural phenomenon that set ablaze social networking sites and set a viewing record as the top-rated entertainment telecast ever for ad-supported basic cable. It notched audiences of 13.9 million, 13.1 million and 14.3 million viewers over the three days it first aired, respectively. The previous record was held by TNT's Crossfire Trail, starring Tom Selleck and Virginia Madsen, in 2001. Hatfields & McCoys is being touted for Emmy consideration.
And the books, how did they sell?
The University Press of Kentucky is over the moon with sales of its The Hatfields & the McCoys by Otis K. Rice, first published in 1982. Initially after the miniseries, the book's sales were in e-book format, said John P. Hussey, the press's director of marketing and sales, followed by a rush of orders for the hardback original.
The press has moved 15,000 copies of the book, making it, on the 30th anniversary of its printing, the most popular book the press has sold since Hussey started there in 2004. It beats a book on the use of bourbon in cocktails, with about 13,000 sold.
When can I buy the DVD?
The DVD and Blu-ray of the miniseries will be available July 31. They retail for $45.99 for the DVD and $55.99 for Blu-ray but are discounted considerably at several online outlets.
Did the miniseries 'Hatfields & McCoys' change TV?
TV Guide speculated that it would revive interest in miniseries and made-for-TV movies.
But it depends on the subject and the timing. HBO's Hemingway and Gellhorn starring Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen cost $19.5 million to produce but "was a ratings bust" in late May, TV Guide reported.
The History channel is owned by A&E Television Networks, the same corporate family that includes Lifetime and A&E. That gives it the advantage over, say, HBO, of ample venues for the rebroadcast and continued promotion of its miniseries.
Next up: A&E will broadcast the miniseries Coma from Ridley and Tony Scott on Labor Day weekend. Based on the Robin Cook novel and 1978 Michael Crichton film starring Michael Douglas, it will be a four-hour, two-night event about a hospital where healthy patients fall into comas. Coma stars Geena Davis, James Woods, Ellen Burstyn, Richard Dreyfuss and Lauren Ambrose.
Credit: Lexington Herald-Leader
What started Hatfield-McCoy mania?
The History channel's relentlessly promoted miniseries, which initially aired May 28 to 30 on the cable network.
What happened to tourism in Pike County, where the McCoys were based, after Hatfields & McCoys aired?
Pike County continues to be jubilant over the miniseries' success, which has translated into the kind of boost that a county tourist bureau can't buy.
According to county tourism director Tony Tackett, there have been 250 brochure requests a day on the Pike County tourism Web site, Tourpikecounty.com; there are an average 125 visitors a day to the county's tourism office, seven days a week; and the Web site had 319,000 hits in the month that ended June 27, up from an average of 5,000 a month,
Escorted tours of the Hatfield-McCoy feud sites, at $15 a pop, have sold out during the past six weeks, with the proceeds going toward building a statue of Randolph McCoy, patriarch of the Kentucky side of the feuders.
Also available and selling briskly is a $20 CD for a self-guided, do-it-yourself tour of the sites.
Why is the History channel so happy with the series' success?
Hatfields & McCoys, which starred Kevin Costner as William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield and Bill Paxton as Randolph "Ole Ran'l" McCoy, was a cultural phenomenon that set ablaze social networking sites and set a viewing record as the top-rated entertainment telecast ever for ad-supported basic cable. It notched audiences of 13.9 million, 13.1 million and 14.3 million viewers over the three days it first aired, respectively. The previous record was held by TNT's Crossfire Trail, starring Tom Selleck and Virginia Madsen, in 2001. Hatfields & McCoys is being touted for Emmy consideration.
And the books, how did they sell?
The University Press of Kentucky is over the moon with sales of its The Hatfields & the McCoys by Otis K. Rice, first published in 1982. Initially after the miniseries, the book's sales were in e-book format, said John P. Hussey, the press's director of marketing and sales, followed by a rush of orders for the hardback original.
The press has moved 15,000 copies of the book, making it, on the 30th anniversary of its printing, the most popular book the press has sold since Hussey started there in 2004. It beats a book on the use of bourbon in cocktails, with about 13,000 sold.
When can I buy the DVD?
The DVD and Blu-ray of the miniseries will be available July 31. They retail for $45.99 for the DVD and $55.99 for Blu-ray but are discounted considerably at several online outlets.
Did the miniseries 'Hatfields & McCoys' change TV?
TV Guide speculated that it would revive interest in miniseries and made-for-TV movies.
But it depends on the subject and the timing. HBO's Hemingway and Gellhorn starring Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen cost $19.5 million to produce but "was a ratings bust" in late May, TV Guide reported.
The History channel is owned by A&E Television Networks, the same corporate family that includes Lifetime and A&E. That gives it the advantage over, say, HBO, of ample venues for the rebroadcast and continued promotion of its miniseries.
Next up: A&E will broadcast the miniseries Coma from Ridley and Tony Scott on Labor Day weekend. Based on the Robin Cook novel and 1978 Michael Crichton film starring Michael Douglas, it will be a four-hour, two-night event about a hospital where healthy patients fall into comas. Coma stars Geena Davis, James Woods, Ellen Burstyn, Richard Dreyfuss and Lauren Ambrose.
Credit: Lexington Herald-Leader
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Record Heat!
Lexington's high temperature of 105 degrees today was the 2nd hottest ever recorded behind 108 degrees dating back to July 10 & July 15, 1936. Louisville's 106 degree reading was also 2nd to 107 degrees.
Credit: Lex18 News
Credit: Lex18 News
Big upset for cherry-pit spitting title
Ronn Matt's wife encouraged him to enter the annual International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship in southwestern Michigan on Saturday.
It's a good thing she did.
The 46-year-old Chicagoan pulled off a big upset, winning the contest in his initial try and becoming the first champion not named Krause or Lessard in 20 years.
Matt spit a pit 69 feet at Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm near Eau Claire, just north of the Indiana border.
Owner Herb Teichman launched the tournament on a lark nearly four decades ago. It now attracts competitors from the U.S. and beyond, and has six divisions, including dignitaries.
Since 1992, members of the Krause and Lessard families have dominated the event.
Brian "Young Gun" Krause of Dimondale holds the world-record spit -- more than 93 feet -- and had won the past two years. But the 34-year-old finished fifth Saturday with a spit of 52 feet, 10 inches.
Krause's father, Rick "Pellet Gun" Krause, came in second with a spit of 61 feet, 2 inches. And Brian Krause's brother, Matt, earned a third-place finish with his 60-foot, 11-inch spit.
The tournament typically is timed to the start of the cherry harvest, but competition spokeswoman Lynne Sage said that because of an unusually warm spring, it's already complete. Saturday's installment was held in sweltering temperatures.
Credit: ESPN
It's a good thing she did.
The 46-year-old Chicagoan pulled off a big upset, winning the contest in his initial try and becoming the first champion not named Krause or Lessard in 20 years.
Matt spit a pit 69 feet at Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm near Eau Claire, just north of the Indiana border.
Owner Herb Teichman launched the tournament on a lark nearly four decades ago. It now attracts competitors from the U.S. and beyond, and has six divisions, including dignitaries.
Since 1992, members of the Krause and Lessard families have dominated the event.
Brian "Young Gun" Krause of Dimondale holds the world-record spit -- more than 93 feet -- and had won the past two years. But the 34-year-old finished fifth Saturday with a spit of 52 feet, 10 inches.
Krause's father, Rick "Pellet Gun" Krause, came in second with a spit of 61 feet, 2 inches. And Brian Krause's brother, Matt, earned a third-place finish with his 60-foot, 11-inch spit.
The tournament typically is timed to the start of the cherry harvest, but competition spokeswoman Lynne Sage said that because of an unusually warm spring, it's already complete. Saturday's installment was held in sweltering temperatures.
Credit: ESPN
Friday, July 6, 2012
Morgan Freeman: Obama's not our first black president
My dad is black. My mom is white. That does not make me black. President Obama's dad was African and his mom was white. That does not make him black. I have share Morgan Freeman's sentiments since folks started calling President Obama the United State's first black president back when it looked as though he might win the 2008 election. I am so glad that this statement was finally made by someone who the media would notice.
Credit: The Marquee Blog, CNN
President Barack Obama is considered by some to be the nation's first black president - but Morgan Freeman isn't one such individual.
The actor told NPR's "Tell Me More" host Michel Martin in an interview posted Thursday that "the first thing" that he thinks of when he thinks of Obama is "all of the people who are setting up this barrier for him," Morgan said.
"They just conveniently forget that Barack had a mama, and she was white - very white American, Kansas, middle America," the Oscar winner continued. "There was no argument about who he is or what he is. America's first black president hasn't arisen yet. He's not America's first black president - he's America's first mixed-race president."
Race aside, however, Freeman also mentioned that he believes the president has been treated unfairly by members of the opposing party.
"He is being purposely, purposely thwarted by the Republican Party, who started out at the beginning of his tenure by saying, 'We are going to do whatever is necessary to make sure that he only has one term,'" Freeman said. "That means they will not cooperate with him on anything. So to say he's ineffective is a misappropriation of the facts."
Credit: The Marquee Blog, CNN
How to beat the heat? Five tips from Arizona
Phoenicians have learned a thing or two about surviving scorching summer days. And folks in the nation's middle section could use the advice.
St. Louis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Chicago and several other Midwest cities already have broken heat records this week or are on the verge of doing so.
The National Weather Service said the record-breaking heat that has baked the nation's midsection for several days was slowly moving into the mid-Atlantic states and Northeast. Excessive-heat warnings remained in place Friday for all of Iowa, Indiana and Illinois as well as much of Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Kentucky.
St. Louis hit a record high of 105 on Wednesday and a record low of 83. In Wisconsin, the coolest Milwaukee and Madison got was 81 in the early morning, beating previous low records by 2 and 4 degrees respectively. Temperatures didn't fall below 79 in Chicago, 78 in Grand Rapids, Mich., and 75 in Indianapolis.
"When a day starts out that warm, it doesn't take as much time to reach high temperatures in the low 100s," said Marcia Cronce, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "You know it'll be a warm day when you start out at 80 degrees."
For people in other parts of the country who aren't used to hearing the weather man say, "It'll be cooling down to 105 tomorrow," here are a few unique tips from the Valley of the Sun:
1. Keep your ride cool. Those cumbersome windshield reflectors are your new best friend. And if you have young children, buy an extra one to strap over a car seat to keep metal clasps from heating up in the sun as your car sits in the parking lot. You might even throw an ice pack or frozen water bottle in the seat to keep it cool for little ones while you shop.
2. Get creative about sleeping arrangements. Set up beds on a porch or back yard. Or just sleep in the shade, during the heat of the day.
3. Avoid the sun. Sure, sunscreen helps. But you can avoid it altogether by waking up and doing yard work before sunrise or going for your daily run at midnight.
4. Think before you touch. Any surface that sits in the sun could be hot enough to burn. There's no shame in using pot holders to open doors. Also, carry a towel to put on hot seats, and keep curtains pulled tight to block out the rays.
5. Water is your friend. Drink it. Swim in it. Spray it on your face. In Phoenix, shopping centers and cafes greet visitors by showering them with a fine, cool mist. You can get the same effect by filling a spray bottle with water.
And if all this talk about smoldering temperatures is getting you down, look on the bright side. You can always bake cookies on the dashboard of your car. We really do that.
Credit: Christian Science Monitor
St. Louis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Chicago and several other Midwest cities already have broken heat records this week or are on the verge of doing so.
The National Weather Service said the record-breaking heat that has baked the nation's midsection for several days was slowly moving into the mid-Atlantic states and Northeast. Excessive-heat warnings remained in place Friday for all of Iowa, Indiana and Illinois as well as much of Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Kentucky.
St. Louis hit a record high of 105 on Wednesday and a record low of 83. In Wisconsin, the coolest Milwaukee and Madison got was 81 in the early morning, beating previous low records by 2 and 4 degrees respectively. Temperatures didn't fall below 79 in Chicago, 78 in Grand Rapids, Mich., and 75 in Indianapolis.
"When a day starts out that warm, it doesn't take as much time to reach high temperatures in the low 100s," said Marcia Cronce, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "You know it'll be a warm day when you start out at 80 degrees."
For people in other parts of the country who aren't used to hearing the weather man say, "It'll be cooling down to 105 tomorrow," here are a few unique tips from the Valley of the Sun:
1. Keep your ride cool. Those cumbersome windshield reflectors are your new best friend. And if you have young children, buy an extra one to strap over a car seat to keep metal clasps from heating up in the sun as your car sits in the parking lot. You might even throw an ice pack or frozen water bottle in the seat to keep it cool for little ones while you shop.
2. Get creative about sleeping arrangements. Set up beds on a porch or back yard. Or just sleep in the shade, during the heat of the day.
3. Avoid the sun. Sure, sunscreen helps. But you can avoid it altogether by waking up and doing yard work before sunrise or going for your daily run at midnight.
4. Think before you touch. Any surface that sits in the sun could be hot enough to burn. There's no shame in using pot holders to open doors. Also, carry a towel to put on hot seats, and keep curtains pulled tight to block out the rays.
5. Water is your friend. Drink it. Swim in it. Spray it on your face. In Phoenix, shopping centers and cafes greet visitors by showering them with a fine, cool mist. You can get the same effect by filling a spray bottle with water.
And if all this talk about smoldering temperatures is getting you down, look on the bright side. You can always bake cookies on the dashboard of your car. We really do that.
Credit: Christian Science Monitor
Happy Birthday, Spam! America's favorite canned meat turns 75
Spam, the legendary canned meat whose very name invokes delight in some and queasiness in many more, turns 75 this month. The product’s parent company, Hormel Foods Corp., is celebrating with what it calls a “Spamtastic” birthday bash at the Spam manufacturing plant in Austin, Minn., complete with a headlining performance by the Temptations.
On the advertising front, Spam is marking the occasion by introducing its first-ever mascot – a stubby, mustachioed cartoon knight named Sir Can-A-Lot. Visit Spam’s surprisingly lush product website, and you can follow the little fellow on an animated journey through the Glorious Spam Tower and up into outer space, where you will be greeted by the knight in constellation form.
Sir Can-A-Lot is just the latest in long tradition of shrewd marketing moves for Spam, which seems to have thrived in the US more by poking gentle fun at itself than by actual taste (though enthusiasts in Hawaii and Asia might disagree). Hormel first introduced the canned, processed lunch meat in 1937; the name “Spam” came from combining the words “spiced” and “ham.” Shortly thereafter, it became a staple of army diets during World War II, when an estimated 100 million pounds of Spam were shipped overseas to feed Allied troops. Many returned home without much enthusiasm for the stuff – real meat was hard to come by during the war, and low-cost Spam found its way into nearly every meal for the troops, who called it “ham that didn’t pass its physical.” Today, an estimated 3.8 cans of Spam are eaten every second in the United States – even if we don't always like to admit it.
The same can’t be said for parts of Asia and Hawaii, where Spam is hugely – and, unironically – popular. Residents of Hawaii, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands eat the most Spam per capita in the US and its territories. Burger King and McDonald’s locations in Hawaii both feature Spam on their menus, and Spam musubi – a sort of spam in sushi form, paired with white rice and wrapped in seaweed – is a signature dish of the islands. You can also get certain varieties of Spam in these regions that you won’t find in the mainland US, including Honey Spam, Spam with bacon, and Hot and Spicy Spam (with Tabasco sauce).
Seven billion cans of Spam have been manufactured worldwide as of 2007, but its image in the States is still that of an unappetizing, indestructible mystery meat – a throwback to the Twinkie-dominated era of midcentury non-perishables that have gone largely out of fashion today. Spam even had its own Rockettes-style dance troupe for a time after World War II, the Hormel Girls. Made up of former G.I. women, the group toured around the country promoting Spam and even had a short-lived radio show.
But the canned meat may have gone the way of the Twinkie (parent company Hostess filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year) if not for the British sketch comedy troupe Monty Python. Their classic “Spam” sketch features a woman unsuccessfully trying to avoid Spam on a diner’s breakfast menu (the word “Spam” even badgers its way into the ending credits). The sketch is credited with popularizing the term “spam” for unwanted emails. (Hormel tried to fight this as trademark infringement initially, but eventually just requested that email “spam” remained lowercase.) Hormel has embraced the Monty Python connection, lending Spam’s name and corporate sponsorship to the hit 2004 musical, “Spamalot.” The new knight mascot, too, seems inspired by that show, a remake of the 1975 classic “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”
Spam’s tradition of loving self-deprecation continues, if sometimes reluctantly. In 2001, Hormel opened an expansive Spam musem at the Austin, Minn, manufacturing plant location, where, in addition to canning Spam in a mock assembly line and eating at an all-Spam restaurant, you can screen Monty Python sketches. Another big facet of Spam’s popularity is state fairs, many of which hold Spam recipe contests. The annual “Spamarama” held every April Fool’s Day in Austin, Texas, has a contest with the objective of coming up with a way to make Spam edible, and one suspects that’s the unspoken goal of many other such contests.
And Hormel doesn't always take the Spam bashing in stride. In 2006, the company threatened to sue a local Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands newspaper for articles decrying Spam, which has a very high salt content, as having adverse effects on the local population.
Still, if it continues selling at its current rate (122 million can per year, according to Hormel), Spam will roll out its 8 billionth can in two years or so. So while many of us may love Spam solely for its joke potential, many more love it honestly, and have for three quarters of a century.
Credit:Christian Science Monitor
On the advertising front, Spam is marking the occasion by introducing its first-ever mascot – a stubby, mustachioed cartoon knight named Sir Can-A-Lot. Visit Spam’s surprisingly lush product website, and you can follow the little fellow on an animated journey through the Glorious Spam Tower and up into outer space, where you will be greeted by the knight in constellation form.
Sir Can-A-Lot is just the latest in long tradition of shrewd marketing moves for Spam, which seems to have thrived in the US more by poking gentle fun at itself than by actual taste (though enthusiasts in Hawaii and Asia might disagree). Hormel first introduced the canned, processed lunch meat in 1937; the name “Spam” came from combining the words “spiced” and “ham.” Shortly thereafter, it became a staple of army diets during World War II, when an estimated 100 million pounds of Spam were shipped overseas to feed Allied troops. Many returned home without much enthusiasm for the stuff – real meat was hard to come by during the war, and low-cost Spam found its way into nearly every meal for the troops, who called it “ham that didn’t pass its physical.” Today, an estimated 3.8 cans of Spam are eaten every second in the United States – even if we don't always like to admit it.
The same can’t be said for parts of Asia and Hawaii, where Spam is hugely – and, unironically – popular. Residents of Hawaii, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands eat the most Spam per capita in the US and its territories. Burger King and McDonald’s locations in Hawaii both feature Spam on their menus, and Spam musubi – a sort of spam in sushi form, paired with white rice and wrapped in seaweed – is a signature dish of the islands. You can also get certain varieties of Spam in these regions that you won’t find in the mainland US, including Honey Spam, Spam with bacon, and Hot and Spicy Spam (with Tabasco sauce).
Seven billion cans of Spam have been manufactured worldwide as of 2007, but its image in the States is still that of an unappetizing, indestructible mystery meat – a throwback to the Twinkie-dominated era of midcentury non-perishables that have gone largely out of fashion today. Spam even had its own Rockettes-style dance troupe for a time after World War II, the Hormel Girls. Made up of former G.I. women, the group toured around the country promoting Spam and even had a short-lived radio show.
But the canned meat may have gone the way of the Twinkie (parent company Hostess filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year) if not for the British sketch comedy troupe Monty Python. Their classic “Spam” sketch features a woman unsuccessfully trying to avoid Spam on a diner’s breakfast menu (the word “Spam” even badgers its way into the ending credits). The sketch is credited with popularizing the term “spam” for unwanted emails. (Hormel tried to fight this as trademark infringement initially, but eventually just requested that email “spam” remained lowercase.) Hormel has embraced the Monty Python connection, lending Spam’s name and corporate sponsorship to the hit 2004 musical, “Spamalot.” The new knight mascot, too, seems inspired by that show, a remake of the 1975 classic “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”
Spam’s tradition of loving self-deprecation continues, if sometimes reluctantly. In 2001, Hormel opened an expansive Spam musem at the Austin, Minn, manufacturing plant location, where, in addition to canning Spam in a mock assembly line and eating at an all-Spam restaurant, you can screen Monty Python sketches. Another big facet of Spam’s popularity is state fairs, many of which hold Spam recipe contests. The annual “Spamarama” held every April Fool’s Day in Austin, Texas, has a contest with the objective of coming up with a way to make Spam edible, and one suspects that’s the unspoken goal of many other such contests.
And Hormel doesn't always take the Spam bashing in stride. In 2006, the company threatened to sue a local Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands newspaper for articles decrying Spam, which has a very high salt content, as having adverse effects on the local population.
Still, if it continues selling at its current rate (122 million can per year, according to Hormel), Spam will roll out its 8 billionth can in two years or so. So while many of us may love Spam solely for its joke potential, many more love it honestly, and have for three quarters of a century.
Credit:Christian Science Monitor
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Happy Birthday, America
I hope everyone has a fantastic fourth of July. Have fun, be safe and be proud to be an American!!
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