Matt Said Jay Said 3

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFBpaJ9YzSiBqRwgwrbAuDaJYDbM039Ysq0XpxVvU4E-Hv5lB3qjNfPmTxp_ADQcrTkQ4t-DfmtWxytUR7CkMvfELo8T2-x4ysAFtfsaLzOtjRQcC7szcalpbGwOVpF9YDz8IxC56ducj/s1600/Hot+Chick+Drinking+Champagne+Naked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFBpaJ9YzSiBqRwgwrbAuDaJYDbM039Ysq0XpxVvU4E-Hv5lB3qjNfPmTxp_ADQcrTkQ4t-DfmtWxytUR7CkMvfELo8T2-x4ysAFtfsaLzOtjRQcC7szcalpbGwOVpF9YDz8IxC56ducj/s320/Hot+Chick+Drinking+Champagne+Naked.jpg" width="320" /></a>Matt pops a cork…Jay taps a keg…You celebrate with us.<br /><br />Matt:  Hiya Chuckles!!<br />Jay:  What’s up?<br />Matt:  I’m getting excited about our big <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/08/25/season-3-finale" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">3rd Year Anniversary Show</span></a> this Sunday from Noon-2 PM ET.<br />Jay:  IKR?  This show is gonna be bigger and hotter than the flames coming out of your ass after eating a can of Beefaroni!!<br /><br />Matt:  I just had a flashback thank you very much, but you’re right.<br />Jay:  Man, can you believe it?  Three years of non-stop laughs and top notch journalism.<br />Matt:  IKR?  It’s like we’re the FOX News of Blog Talk Radio, only we have top notch journalism.<br /><br />Jay:  True…They could learn a thing or two from us…like being<br />Matt:  Like what?  FOX News being fair and balanced?  That’s crazy talk!!<br />Jay:  A man can dream, can’t he?<br />Matt: I suppose, but let’s try to stay in a relative realm of reality.<br /><br />Jay:  Word.  So,<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/08/25/season-3-finale" target="_blank">this anniversary show</a></span>…the accolades having been pouring into us from many celebs.<br />Matt:  Oh I know…I received one today from San Diego Mayor Bob Filner.<br />Jay:  Wow…I have already received congrats from Rick Perry, Roseanne, and Ted Cruz.<br />Matt:  Freaking awesome.  Dig this Jayman; John McCain sent us THREE statements of kind words!!<br />Jay:  That’s so cute, but guess what?<br />Matt:  What?<br /><br />Jay:  President Obama just now sent us one as well!!<br />Matt:  Get outta here.<br />Jay:  If I’m lyin’, I’m dyin’!!<br />Matt:  This is HUGE!!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MGZrbHw-OS4id_EsZ0Eph5FI9FkxUth_PlAoNfATgClD1v61V4o86_jSHrgIk6meTwwSX_AVlHQzoRWH-xzKVpUMcDAwE3rxiFVOJIBUwcFtMq2ong8VBVSOcFlMV8LCzHcV1pDC4Wbc/s1600/IWS+Nuclear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MGZrbHw-OS4id_EsZ0Eph5FI9FkxUth_PlAoNfATgClD1v61V4o86_jSHrgIk6meTwwSX_AVlHQzoRWH-xzKVpUMcDAwE3rxiFVOJIBUwcFtMq2ong8VBVSOcFlMV8LCzHcV1pDC4Wbc/s320/IWS+Nuclear.jpg" width="320" /></a>Jay:  We need to play these and the warm words from others in power, for our loyal audience.<br />Matt:  We sure as hell will, along with playing our fave files and moments from Season 3.<br />Jay:  Nothing wrong with a Sunday stroll down Memory Lane.<br /><br />Matt:  I’m sure Guy Ahnyurdyck, Slyder Balzcock, and maybe even Kim Fragile will chime in.<br /><br />Jay:  And Joshua, Rev. Moneymaker, Bobby Kraft are probably mixing and mincing up some words.<br /><br />Matt:  And of course Jayman, you know who truly needs to be involved and celebrated…<br /><br />Jay:  Damn Right!!  The listeners…who without fail, make us the Number One Comedy show nearly every week.<br /><br />Matt:  We will have shout out and tributes galore to those fine folks<br />Jay:  As it should be, and we can touch on what is in store for Season Four.<br />Matt:  Poetically said Jayman.<br />Jay:  Rhyming is my Bitch.<br />Matt:  Word.<br /><br />Jay:  So let’s get ready to party tomorrow, Sunday August 25th on Blog Talk Radio…<br />Matt:  As IWS Radio presents its<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/08/25/season-3-finale" target="_blank">Season 3 Finale</a></span> LIVE from Noon-2 PM ET.<br />Jay:  Listen LIVE, hit the Chat Room, and of course Matt-Man…<br /><br />Matt:  Call-In LIVE at 661.244.9852<br /><br />Jay:  How do they get to the party, my good man?<br />Matt:  They can get there by clicking <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/08/25/season-3-finale" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">HERE</span></a>.</span><br /><br />Jay and Matt:  Holaaaaaa and Cheeeeeers!!<br /><br /><div></div></div>

Matt Said Jay Said 3

Matt pops a cork…Jay taps a keg…You celebrate with us.Matt:  Hiya Chuckles!!Jay:  What’s up?Matt:  I’m getting excited about our big 3rd Year Anniversary Show this Sunday from Noon-2 PM ET.Jay:  IKR?  This show is gonna be bigger and hotter than the …

Read more »

Surgeon struggles to save boy's life in L.A.'s shooting season - latimes.com

<base href="data:">From the entry wound — the size of a nickel — Dr. Brant Putnam guesses that the bullet is a .45, but it's what he can't see that worries him most.<br><br>The boy, a teenager most likely, lies naked on Bed 2 in a trauma bay at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. His brown skin, slick with sweat, is ashen.<br><br>"What's your name?" a resident asks as half a dozen doctors and nurses circle him.<br><br>The boy can't answer.<br><br>"Ohhh," he moans.<br><br>"How old are you, sir?"<br><br>"Awww."<br><br>The boy's hipbones delicately protrude from his narrow waist. He has a woman's name tattooed down his right arm from elbow to wrist and the bullet hole is to the right of his navel.<br><br>Putnam, chief of trauma, stands back and watches and listens. He is puzzled that the wound is hardly bleeding.<br><br>"Sit up for me."<br><br>"Ohhh."<br><br>There is no sign of an exit wound.<br><br>"Hey. Wake up."<br><br>A resident slaps the boy. They need him conscious.<br><br>Putnam knows the surge of adrenaline that brought the boy this far is nearly spent. If his blood pressurecrashes, his heart will stop. Putnam wonders if it is too late.<br><br>"Let's go to the OR," he says, loud enough to get everyone's attention.<br><br><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNburRjpBg9hQ8o2wISAhBH7Ri_2NKCsi0kFiUz7cO3mdasOGgsqQwoINGclNLpn-2McyNPxDiVwnVrVoWowE3TvfFE7zY0KNc0AgJCppBftUSaIkEQl49Jqq5fuTuvNeGHMNz4z4MVhE/s1600/prettything-765577.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5915507704896073314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNburRjpBg9hQ8o2wISAhBH7Ri_2NKCsi0kFiUz7cO3mdasOGgsqQwoINGclNLpn-2McyNPxDiVwnVrVoWowE3TvfFE7zY0KNc0AgJCppBftUSaIkEQl49Jqq5fuTuvNeGHMNz4z4MVhE/s320/prettything-765577.png" /></a><br><br>The season of shootings has begun on time. Last year, from July through September, this Torrance hospital treated 107 gunshot victims, the highest number in the county.<br><br>This year, four GSWs — medical shorthand for gunshot wounds — arrived on the first day of summer. One was a suicide and three were assaults. Three died and one would probably be discharged in a few days.<br><br>Now, on June 23, two more have come in, both teenagers, both assaults. They walked through the front door at 2:25 a.m., no EMTs, no police. The hospital staff calls it the homeboy ambulance service: patients brought in with injuries often from gang shootings.<br><br>Putnam can see that one of the boys will be OK. He has a clean wound through the shoulder.<br>The boy with the nickel-sized bullet hole is far worse, and they know nothing about him. No name, no age, no family. For now, they call him Zinc, one of the pseudonyms the hospital uses for its John Does.<br><br>Emergency departments in hospitals throughout America have physicians like Putnam, doctors who specialize in saving the lives of shooting victims.<br><br>Other traumas, like concussions and automobile accidents, can be subtle and require imaging to see what's hidden. Gun injuries don't hide their tracks, but they are just as much a mystery, a puzzle put together by the surgeon as seconds race by.<br><br>No matter the clarity of the injury, the damage can extend like concentric rings beyond the trajectory of the bullet. There is the blast effect, the sometimes fatal bruising that can occur to organs in the vicinity of a wound. There is the so-called triad of death, the interplay between body temperature, blood acidity and coagulation.<br><br>There is ancillary debris — shards of glass, pieces of clothing, even upholstery if the bullet has passed through furniture — and there are always infections from bacteria carried into the wound.<br><br>Putnam, 44, estimates that he has treated about 5,000 GSWs and consulted on nearly 2,000 more over the last 20 years, 10 of them at Harbor-UCLA. The victims he remembers the most are the children and women, the bystanders hit by stray fire, the wounded who spoke to him in the ER but died in the operating room.<br><br>Whenever he loses a patient, he hears his mother asking him what he could have done differently. And whenever he saves a life, he knows that success is often just a matter of luck.<br><br>Medicine and technology have come far in recent years in balancing the odds, but when it comes to gun violence, the numbers are overwhelming.<br><br>"Why guns?" Putnam asks. "Why so many guns? It once was fistfights. It once was stabbings. Now it's a whole new world out there, and with guns, it's just too much."<br><br><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNburRjpBg9hQ8o2wISAhBH7Ri_2NKCsi0kFiUz7cO3mdasOGgsqQwoINGclNLpn-2McyNPxDiVwnVrVoWowE3TvfFE7zY0KNc0AgJCppBftUSaIkEQl49Jqq5fuTuvNeGHMNz4z4MVhE/s1600/prettything-765577.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5915507704896073314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNburRjpBg9hQ8o2wISAhBH7Ri_2NKCsi0kFiUz7cO3mdasOGgsqQwoINGclNLpn-2McyNPxDiVwnVrVoWowE3TvfFE7zY0KNc0AgJCppBftUSaIkEQl49Jqq5fuTuvNeGHMNz4z4MVhE/s320/prettything-765577.png" /></a><br><br>The emergency room team washes the boy with an antiseptic. He has been intubated and anesthetized. Blood transfusions have begun.<br><br>"Sticky blues," Putnam calls out. No time to wait for the antiseptic to dry. Nurses drape blue cloths around the boy until he disappears, with only a torso remaining.<br><br>Putnam, dressed in surgical scrubs, gloves, cap and headlamp, makes the initial incision from sternum to pubic bone, bowing around the navel.<br><br>Chief resident Carrie Luu follows the scalpel with a "Bovie," a pen-shaped tool that cauterizes the open blood vessels with electrical current. The air smells of singed flesh; tendrils of smoke rise into the lights.<br><br>Putnam sets a clock running in his mind. Two hours is optimum. Three is the limit. Anything longer compounds the trauma with a phenomena known as physiologic exhaustion, when the body has worn itself out trying to compensate for the injury.<br><br>Putnam and Luu begin by separating the small intestine and colon from their ligaments. They notice a few holes in the bowel, but those repairs can come later.<br><br>Lifting the intestine out of the torso, they find a pool of blood the size of a football flooding the back of the abdomen. This explains why the entry wound was dry. The boy is losing more blood than they can give him. Putnam wonders again if they are too late.<br><br>He orders more transfusions. A resident begins suctioning the abdomen.<br><br>"Minus 8," a nurse calls out. It's a measure of the blood's acidity, a reminder of the triad of death. A normal reading — zero — means blood clots can form naturally.<br><br>As patients lose blood, lactic acid accumulates in the cells, and the enzyme that helps coagulation doesn't function. The more acid, the more bleeding, and patients' temperatures drop until there's no stopping the loss.<br><br>Trauma teams try to interrupt this cycle. Transfusions and warming blankets help. The OR's thermostat is set as high as it will go: 85 degrees. The boy lies on a pad that's heated to 100 degrees, but still his temperature has fallen to 93.<br><br>Unable to see beyond the blood collecting in the abdomen, Putnam reaches in, and his fingers find the inferior vena cava — a vein nearly an inch in diameter — that channels blood from the lower half of the body back into the heart.<br><br>He pushes down on it, and the bleeding slows. When he eases up, he can hear a whoosh. The vena cava has been punctured.<br><br><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNburRjpBg9hQ8o2wISAhBH7Ri_2NKCsi0kFiUz7cO3mdasOGgsqQwoINGclNLpn-2McyNPxDiVwnVrVoWowE3TvfFE7zY0KNc0AgJCppBftUSaIkEQl49Jqq5fuTuvNeGHMNz4z4MVhE/s1600/prettything-765577.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5915507704896073314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNburRjpBg9hQ8o2wISAhBH7Ri_2NKCsi0kFiUz7cO3mdasOGgsqQwoINGclNLpn-2McyNPxDiVwnVrVoWowE3TvfFE7zY0KNc0AgJCppBftUSaIkEQl49Jqq5fuTuvNeGHMNz4z4MVhE/s320/prettything-765577.png" /></a><br><br>Fired from a handgun, a .45-caliber bullet averages 900 feet per second, and unless it hits a bone, it usually follows a straight line.<br><br>This bullet's journey passed through the skin and the colon, the intestine and then the vena cava. It stopped just behind the pancreas, with its point boring nearly two inches into the spine at an angle, just missing the spinal cord.<br><br>Putnam probes the vertebra. He feels sharp fragments of bone and a hole in the L-3 vertebra no larger than his little finger. If the bullet posed a risk for pain or infection, he would remove it, but experience tells him it is safe to leave behind.<br><br>With the blood drained, he can see the damage to the vena cava: two holes in the vein, most of the tissue shredded. There will be no repairing it. Each end will have to be tied off permanently, and the other veins will have to adjust by carrying blood back to the heart.<br><br>But ligating the vena cava is tricky. Unlike arteries with their thick muscular walls, veins are as fragile as tissue paper.<br><br>Putnam puts a clamp with long pincers on the vein, which swells like a garden hose. Even in the best of circumstances, fewer than half of patients with similar injuries survive.<br><br>The boy jerks, a sudden reflex.<br><br>"Can you paralyze him so he'll stop bucking?" Putnam asks. More paralytics are added to the cocktail of intravenous drugs.<br><br>Putnam guides Luu, the chief resident, as she starts to tie off the vein. The stitch reverses direction with each pass and looks like the threads on a baseball.<br><br>"Minus 11," a nurse calls out. They have been working for almost 90 minutes.<br><br>"Come on," Putnam says, encouraging Luu. "This is where all these things really matter."<br><br>She is having trouble. Sideways torque in the needle tears out the suture. Luu is still learning — and Harbor-UCLA is a teaching hospital — but now Putnam has to take over.<br><br>"Big pledgets," he calls out, asking for the felt-like material, nearly a inch in diameter, that will act like gaskets to support each suture against the tissue. "Hurry, please."<br><br>His hands rise and fall quickly, deftly, with the grace of a pianist. His stitches, though, aren't perfect. He learned long ago that there was no call for elegance in surgeries like this. A perfect stitch could mean a dead patient.<br><br>With a little more than 12 passes, the lower portion of the vein is closed. They are almost two hours in. Putnam is sweating and splattered with blood. The room is stifling.<br><br>"Watch your eyes," Putnam announces as he removes the clamps and tests the sutures. Given the pressure in the vein, blood could spray across the room if the sutures don't hold.<br><br>They hold.<br><br>"Still very oozy," he says. The body's normal coagulants haven't begun to stop the other sources of bleeding.<br><br>He and Luu staple the top portion of the vena cava and turn to the intestine. They draw the long, serpentine tube through their hands inch by inch, stapling and stitching any tear.<br><br>A cloth is tossed on the floor to mop the blood at Putnam's feet. By now, almost 80% of the boy's blood has been replaced.<br><br>Loosely positioning the intestine inside the abdomen, Putnam begins bandaging. He won't close the incision because he plans to open the boy again in two days to reassess the work and to see how the body is healing.<br><br>"OK, we're moving," the scrub tech announces as soon as Putnam steps back and begins to strip out of his surgical gown.<br><br><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNburRjpBg9hQ8o2wISAhBH7Ri_2NKCsi0kFiUz7cO3mdasOGgsqQwoINGclNLpn-2McyNPxDiVwnVrVoWowE3TvfFE7zY0KNc0AgJCppBftUSaIkEQl49Jqq5fuTuvNeGHMNz4z4MVhE/s1600/prettything-765577.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5915507704896073314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNburRjpBg9hQ8o2wISAhBH7Ri_2NKCsi0kFiUz7cO3mdasOGgsqQwoINGclNLpn-2McyNPxDiVwnVrVoWowE3TvfFE7zY0KNc0AgJCppBftUSaIkEQl49Jqq5fuTuvNeGHMNz4z4MVhE/s320/prettything-765577.png" /></a><br><br>Putnam remembers all the bad news he's ever delivered. He won't have to remember this one.<br><br>At 5:25 a.m., three hours after arrival, he pronounces the boy in critical condition, expected to live.<br><br>A little before 6 a.m., Putnam goes looking for the family. He still doesn't have any information about the boy.<br><br>Sleeping families fill the waiting rooms, and in the ER, Putnam speaks with the other victim, who says he doesn't know his friend's name.<br><br>Then a call comes in. A woman is asking if the hospital has seen a young man with the name Connie tattooed on the underside of his right arm.<br><br>Within an hour, Connie Greene and her husband meet Putnam in the ICU. She is the boy's mother, and his name is Leandrus Benton. He is 16.<br><br>"He's OK," Putnam tells the parents. "He lost a lot of blood, and we almost lost him."<br><br>Connie starts to cry. In the last five years, two of her nephews have been killed in street shootings.<br><br>Leandrus — or Lee, as he's known to his family and friends — had been walking home from a party in Wilmington that night. As he would later explain, he and his friend thought it would be safer to take the alley than the street. Lee had heard the gun but didn't see the shooter. The bullet, he said, burned through his gut.<br><br>Putnam walks the couple into the ICU, and as they wash their hands, he pulls out gowns, gloves and masks for them. He then takes them to Lee, waits a minute and draws the curtain around them so they can be alone with their son.<br><br><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gunshot-surgeon-20130818-dto,0,1798386.htmlstory?">http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gunshot-surgeon-20130818-dto,0,1798386.htmlstory?</a><br><br>

Surgeon struggles to save boy's life in L.A.'s shooting season - latimes.com

From the entry wound — the size of a nickel — Dr. Brant Putnam guesses that the bullet is a .45, but it's what he can't see that worries him most.The boy, a teenager most likely, lies naked on Bed 2 in a trauma bay at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. His …

Read more »

The Spectacular Now: Dangerous Liaison

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><i>The Spectacular Now</i> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>(2013) • <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/thespectacularnow/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">View trailer</a></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>3.5 stars. Rating: R, for profanity, alcohol abuse and some sensuality, all involving teens</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • </b></span>Originally published in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 8.23.13</b></span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We must be our own best advocates.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s a difficult, often bitter lesson. Sometimes we get lucky, and somebody comes along who believes in us wholeheartedly, unreservedly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTcWXGUEuy7s9xlRXhP_6Fasgh3q7m0XT0rwWXMp4BoGW60ysUCcQmegvQ_a5MXwZTXx2BJhC8m5IktQWf6htJVwSTr_bGn5ZMl4ccgSnQEDGyxdenEGu2BxbLr5PxrjxrioJnUvQsQU/s1600/Spectacular+Now+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTcWXGUEuy7s9xlRXhP_6Fasgh3q7m0XT0rwWXMp4BoGW60ysUCcQmegvQ_a5MXwZTXx2BJhC8m5IktQWf6htJVwSTr_bGn5ZMl4ccgSnQEDGyxdenEGu2BxbLr5PxrjxrioJnUvQsQU/s400/Spectacular+Now+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Aimee (Shailene Woodley), never having enjoyed the thrill of romance, falls heavily in<br />love with Sutter (Miles Teller), despite knowing full well that he's bad news. Indeed,<br />everybody in school knows about Sutter's self-destructive tendencies. The question,<br />then: When he goes down in flames, will he take her with him?</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes that isn’t enough.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At first blush, 18-year-old Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) seems the life of every party: vibrant, good-natured, aggressively spontaneous. He enjoys a relationship with Cassidy (Brie Larson), one of the most popular girls in their high school; they’ve obviously been intimate for awhile.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But Sutter’s glad-handing exterior masks uncharted depths of pain and uncertainty that he has absolutely no desire to confront. He’s a smart kid who doesn’t bother to study, much to the dismay of a concerned math teacher (Andre Royo). Sutter is left on his own too much, because his single mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh, as Sara) often works double-shifts just to keep a roof over their heads.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And Sutter drinks. Far too much, far too often. He is, in fact, a teen alcoholic, rarely seen without the shiny hip flask that he regards as a badge of ultra-coolness. He’s cheerfully on the fast-track to nowhere, a road he has traveled for several years. Doesn’t bother him a bit: If confronted, he smiles broadly and extols the virtues of living solely for the moment, for the “spectacular now.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, who did such a marvelous job with 2009’s <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2009/08/500-days-of-summer-charming-idyll.html">(500) Days of Summer</a></i> — their own original script — have done some equally sensitive work with this adaptation of Tim Tharp’s 2008 novel. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Spectacular Now</i> stars off as a hip, flip teen saga, displaying the raunchy language and earthy behavior we’d expect from something shallow like the <i>American Pie</i> franchise ... but that similarity fades quickly. Sutter Keely is badly damaged goods, and Teller throws himself into the role with a reckless abandon that his character would recognize. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before we know it, director James Ponsoldt has taken us into dangerous waters; we realize that things can’t end well. The only question is how much collateral damage will be involved.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With <i>(500) Days of Summer</i>, Neustadter and Weber demonstrated their skill with unconventional narrative hooks; no surprise, then, that this film opens with Sutter’s feeble attempt to compose an essay for what we assume is a college entrance application. He stalls when asked to discuss a personal hardship or life-changing event: uncharted territory he’d prefer to blow off. And so the subsequent film becomes the answer, as we eventually meet the catalyst who serves as Sutter’s possible life-preserver.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Assuming he’s willing to hold on.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Astute high school seniors recognize the need to plan for the future: to take that next step. Much as Cassidy loves Sutter and tingles in his presence, she recognizes that he’s holding her back. She desperately wants to flee their small Georgia town; Sutter sees no reason to change what he perceives is a winning formula.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And so she dumps him. Sort of. More or less. Can’t quite let go of him completely, despite sliding gracefully into a fresh relationship with the far more serious and stable Marcus (Dayo Okeniyi).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sutter, nonetheless feeling abandoned, responds with a reckless night on the town. He wakes early the next morning, having passed out on somebody’s lawn, with no idea where he left his car. His timid rescuer is Aimee (Shailene Woodley), the sort of mousy, high school outcast who never gets dates, never attends school dances.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She knows who Sutter is, though; <i>everybody</i> at school knows Sutter. She’s therefore flattered when he expresses a desire to hang out with her, even more pleased when he asks if she’ll help tutor him in geometry. After all, “tutoring” invariably turns into an excuse for something much more, ah, recreational.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sutter’s one genuine friend, Ricky (Masam Holden), is appalled. Aimee is a nice girl, Ricky protests, knowing full well that his buddy is a self-centered jerk. She’s the kind of girl who falls unconditionally in love. The kind of girl who can be hurt.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Similarly, Aimee’s best friend — played by Kaitlyn Dever, well remembered from her striking work in TV’s <i>Justified</i> — views Sutter as totally bad news.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, at first, Sutter <i>is</i> a jerk, arrogantly assuming that Aimee is a “project”: an immature flower he can encourage to bloom. Aimee, no slouch when it comes to perception, recognizes this ... but tolerates it. She expects, with time, that the relationship can progress, become more of a sharing thing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How many women have gone down in flames, hoping to change their men?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The resulting story is driven by these two young actors: most particularly Woodley, whose performance is breathtaking. Her Aimee is fragile yet foolishly impulsive: willing to embrace unwise behavior, even when she knows better. Woodley’s first scene sets the high bar for what is to follow, when Aimee finds Sutter passed out on that lawn. She giggles nervously, stumbles through inane chatter, too flustered to think straight: absolutely awed by the fact that Sutter Keely is willing to talk to <i>her</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And if the warning bells go off, well, Aimee ignores them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It must be mentioned that Woodley is far from mousy, withdrawn or unattractive, even though the filmmakers do their best to emphasize a “plain Jane” demeanor. It’s impossible to believe that any girl this adorable would be dateless. But the brilliance of Woodley’s performance includes the ability to carry herself in a manner that conceals her own beauty and charisma; she’s every inch a girl whose many attributes fade into the background, because she herself doesn’t believe they exist.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s an impeccably shaded performance: no surprise, coming from the young actress who held her own with George Clooney, and earned a Golden Globe nomination — not to mention a slew of other acting awards — for her work in 2011’s <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2011/12/descendants-doing-right-thing.html">The Descendants</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Teller’s acting résumé isn’t as flashy, but his work here is equally subtle and sensitive, even though Sutter often behaves like a blunt instrument. His nakedly vulnerable scenes arrive unexpectedly: a brief chat with his older sister; a long-awaited heart-to-heart with his mother; an unexpected moment of candor with the patient proprietor who owns the men’s clothing store where Sutter has an after-school job. The latter scene is particularly heartbreaking.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In his own way — often with a stiffened reaction, as Sutter looks inside himself and winces at what he finds — Teller elicits our concern about this contemptible character. That’s an impressive feat, because Sutter constantly proves himself unworthy of anybody’s sympathy ... and yet we care, despite ourselves. If not because he deserves salvation, then at least because such self-destructive tendencies are so tragic, in one so young.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aimee, on the other hand, clearly deserves the apprehension that Woodley’s performance elicits: Our anxiety mounts by the minute, the tension building almost unbearably.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Such well-deserved praise notwithstanding, though, Neustadter and Weber’s script has some rather glaring problems. We never meet Aimee’s mother, also a single parent who remains an off-camera figure: apparently damaged in some way (mentally unstable?) that never is specified. This character’s absence becomes increasingly irritating, as the story progresses.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The narrative also glosses quite superficially over Aimee’s willing embrace of Sutter’s alcoholic tendencies, leading me to believe, early on, that we were in for a teen echo of 1962’s<i> Days of Wine and Roses</i>. But Neustadter and Weber never confront the implications of this plot point, except for a quick references to Aimee’s father having died from drug abuse, thereby suggesting a dangerous genetic predisposition, on her part.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Somehow, Aimee just doesn’t get as drunk as Sutter; somehow, she seems able to control her consumption, and it never becomes a problem for her ... despite the fact that we watch her getting loaded just as often as he does. That’s rubbish.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Worse still, however, is this film’s failure to honor the conclusion Tharp gives his novel. Longtime film fans who remember George Segal’s crisis of conscience in 1973’s <i>A Touch of Class</i> will recognize where this story is heading (and I’ll not share the pivotal quote here, because it’d be a major spoiler). Tharp’s book <i>demands</i> that conclusion, and so does this film ... but although Ponsoldt, Neustadter and Weber replicate the novel’s key final scene, that’s not quite the end of this movie. Which is a shame.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because it’s dishonest and false, and that comes as a jolt after so much of this story — thanks to its gifted performers — feels so authentic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite these shortcomings, there’s much to admire in this big-screen handling of <i>The Spectacular Now</i>. Ponsoldt draws excellent performances from his young stars, and the supporting players are equally memorable. You’ll not soon forget Kyle Chandler’s brief turn as the estranged father Sutter eventually meets.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This summer has been marked by the failure of gazillion-dollar action franchises, and the much more satisfying success of “little films” with a fixation on coming-of-age storylines. We’ve seen three now — following <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-kings-of-summer-this-film-rules.html">The Kings of Summer</a></i> and <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-way-way-back-droll-little-gem.html">The Way, Way Back</a></i> — and they’re all a treat. And if this one doesn’t quite live up to the adjective in its title, it’s nonetheless quite memorable and well worth viewing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After all, most of us recall the agonies of star-crossed young love ... and Neustadter and Weber definitely nail <i>that</i> vibe.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><!--EndFragment-->

2013 Brie Larson drama Indie Drama Jennifer Jason Leigh Kyle Chandler Miles Teller Shailene Woodley The Spectacular Now: Dangerous Liaison

The Spectacular Now (2013) • View trailer 3.5 stars. Rating: R, for profanity, alcohol abuse and some sensuality, all involving teensBy Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 8.23.13 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0…

Read more »

Real Estate: Stick to the Long-Term Plan!

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggT0wd5LuZzzmdhyphenhyphenwv-RyIOHEK8M8tS64EoJWOquOWNyELxJuiYSgTEx0P20J3BF9aTZVw_vgywznYMa96vrn2Xf1oZsIHbnTfUdghJQbpKFIoj6ZxFhFkaMXEfy7OoZblf3SwrzLneN4/s1600/Home+Equity+vs.+Real+Estate+Assets.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggT0wd5LuZzzmdhyphenhyphenwv-RyIOHEK8M8tS64EoJWOquOWNyELxJuiYSgTEx0P20J3BF9aTZVw_vgywznYMa96vrn2Xf1oZsIHbnTfUdghJQbpKFIoj6ZxFhFkaMXEfy7OoZblf3SwrzLneN4/s320/Home+Equity+vs.+Real+Estate+Assets.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge.</span><br /><br />Reverse mortgages! Don't fail me now!<br /><br /><b>March 9, 2008</b><br /><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87994065">Some Seniors Victimized in Reverse Mortgage Boom</a><br /><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><i>The growth in these mortgages has skyrocketed in recent years. According to a 2007 report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the number of reverse mortgages grew from nearly 8,000 in 2001 to more than 107,000 last year. The average loan amount grew 80 percent to $138,700 during the same time period, a 2007 report from the AARP Public Policy Institute found.</i></div><br /><b>December 12, 2012</b><br /><a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/print-edition/2012/12/21/full-speed-ahead-reverse-mortgage.html?page=all">It’s full-speed ahead for reverse-mortgage industry</a><br /><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><i>Borrowers also are increasingly likely to use reverse mortgages for other purposes than daily living expenses. Many are paying off a traditional mortgage in order to retire early.</i></div><br />Fantastic!<br /><br /><b>Source Data:</b><br /><a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=lK6">St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart</a>

Real Estate: Stick to the Long-Term Plan!

Click to enlarge.Reverse mortgages! Don't fail me now!March 9, 2008Some Seniors Victimized in Reverse Mortgage BoomThe growth in these mortgages has skyrocketed in recent years. According to a 2007 report from the Department of Housing and Urban Deve…

Read more »

Georgia sanitation workers set to join Local 728

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wO9mI2-uNeUKwXm2_Ei2V-KX7bFHPbVpFP7e99rhx35HMhxRvU1uSqALUOkkdwO6N9aYDZBexW3uDXSDFveJdMrCe1nvAS-eirFwVwMHbrohsHBMZKBb59LijAWL7P5f9UrZUPUf8vZj/s1600/8-23GAsanitationworkers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Their effort to join the Teamsters is on the cusp of being approved." border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wO9mI2-uNeUKwXm2_Ei2V-KX7bFHPbVpFP7e99rhx35HMhxRvU1uSqALUOkkdwO6N9aYDZBexW3uDXSDFveJdMrCe1nvAS-eirFwVwMHbrohsHBMZKBb59LijAWL7P5f9UrZUPUf8vZj/s400/8-23GAsanitationworkers.jpg" title="DeKalb County, Ga. santiation workers rally before a recent county commission meeting." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Months of rallies look to have paid off for DeKalb County sanitation workers.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some 450 Atlanta-area sanitation workers are on the brink of joining the Teamsters. The DeKalb County Commission is </span><a href="http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/union-likely-in-dekalb/nZM9Z/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">slated to take a final vote next month</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to officially recognize the workers as members of Local 728 after years of attempting to organize.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The looming decision to change local law so the union can be recognized comes after workers attended many county commission meetings in recent months to urge DeKalb officials to allow them to join the Teamsters. Ben Speight, an organizer with Local 728, said the move has already paid benefits as the country recently approved a three percent raise for the workers.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Dejuan McDaniel, a 13-year department employee who drives a front-end loader and is a member of the organizing committee, said 80 percent of employees backed the move to organize. He said the strong support for the union comes from the desire to have a say in the workplace:</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have been without a serious voice for so long. We had safety issues that have been unheard. We had pay issues, mistreatment of employees. It was long overdue.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Fellow front-end loader driver and organizing committee member Charleen Anthony, who’s been with the department for five years, said the union will improve the workplace:</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We really need the representation for when the guys go in to talk to their supervisors. If we had representation of the union, it would be a much better organization.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> McDaniel said he was proud that he and his fellow workers are part of a long movement of sanitation workers fighting for better wages and conditions going back to when Memphis workers marched with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the eve of his assassination in April 1968:</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is a continuing saga. I look at it like we are picking up [the] torch.</span></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We look forward to officially welcoming our new brothers and sisters to the Teamster family!</span></div>

DeKalb County georgia Local 728 sanitation workers Georgia sanitation workers set to join Local 728

Months of rallies look to have paid off for DeKalb County sanitation workers.Some 450 Atlanta-area sanitation workers are on the brink of joining the Teamsters. The DeKalb County Commission is slated to take a final vote next month to officially reco…

Read more »

Back road vistas in Nelson County

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8zwhQT3ynD-e2HzlBnLhNUnTZF_2zYG8d9CEUY8lgrPxXSP0meT9WehDhbENjUhADAbGCVEAjYJwZU2KKcVfl1THu1TLArZE-LALWWgZD2xT328FOnocwDeDuAWqMEobljR3Hjc7QhFOX/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8zwhQT3ynD-e2HzlBnLhNUnTZF_2zYG8d9CEUY8lgrPxXSP0meT9WehDhbENjUhADAbGCVEAjYJwZU2KKcVfl1THu1TLArZE-LALWWgZD2xT328FOnocwDeDuAWqMEobljR3Hjc7QhFOX/s400/6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> We looked across the field and my sister noted that the fog-topped mountain looked like a volcano.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4db2Bcj69JdTH2pbwEda-vvgtCllIkUSbBpdTTFkWO-SN6yFxHQkkoYS9dgTWbfflZeHP6O96BejKtVpX8Hlp87gGnUgvy1JXlmAWcSj8wKeqX-LkB3EA726fU8CU32cisH2ug_hKJ_G/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4db2Bcj69JdTH2pbwEda-vvgtCllIkUSbBpdTTFkWO-SN6yFxHQkkoYS9dgTWbfflZeHP6O96BejKtVpX8Hlp87gGnUgvy1JXlmAWcSj8wKeqX-LkB3EA726fU8CU32cisH2ug_hKJ_G/s400/7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Apple trees from Seaman orchards were loaded with a variety of apples ready to pick.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdrhQ4jYQ2sIj_VUrCXdxAf-0i133mXSghmdYJgm4pwPTcTNDWfbfcGNYQfrgdso-453aO8567bW6rBuW0BjG0vwrSVqXm4d-0aSvt8G8RzK3uH9wl5jNql8Jpyv89doYKsQlf0cgcC5l/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdrhQ4jYQ2sIj_VUrCXdxAf-0i133mXSghmdYJgm4pwPTcTNDWfbfcGNYQfrgdso-453aO8567bW6rBuW0BjG0vwrSVqXm4d-0aSvt8G8RzK3uH9wl5jNql8Jpyv89doYKsQlf0cgcC5l/s400/8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwAhkG13LT8JWWCMREpIau8MOr4IFjEEBMEdjOb9xQ1sGPZXGRO1CC4acb_iqvq_wieMNHslPzxrucE6hBxpGFrwf4ckZkM0OxCKRVkXegfOMV45RVM3pEFYhw-kyko3OaqVmqvuTSyQh/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwAhkG13LT8JWWCMREpIau8MOr4IFjEEBMEdjOb9xQ1sGPZXGRO1CC4acb_iqvq_wieMNHslPzxrucE6hBxpGFrwf4ckZkM0OxCKRVkXegfOMV45RVM3pEFYhw-kyko3OaqVmqvuTSyQh/s400/9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9fa4LbgaZKRPY-iVD34jUtf53RwwTctG9FzUH1eCGeh5bQUpC8SzC8DRJ6f-qOOLkRtUXcSCchvhvWLU0k_6q05Rv3qsN2P757XKNeNy7cGbO1D0kwBXFW0odAJxY1OzjYvS5RX8mFEV/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9fa4LbgaZKRPY-iVD34jUtf53RwwTctG9FzUH1eCGeh5bQUpC8SzC8DRJ6f-qOOLkRtUXcSCchvhvWLU0k_6q05Rv3qsN2P757XKNeNy7cGbO1D0kwBXFW0odAJxY1OzjYvS5RX8mFEV/s400/10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4L2QftoEnp1RzrBM3Cn709F1fwyGQIpvKmy1rDUWbo03iVR-5Qav1KMEbKwQclU9PNBZVcyiw75_OJBUF3Gsx5i2SveyHxFI_SW9MkdpKGLCHN2lQfewYtd9nojKvlEw0pAEYmY_Dfpc/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4L2QftoEnp1RzrBM3Cn709F1fwyGQIpvKmy1rDUWbo03iVR-5Qav1KMEbKwQclU9PNBZVcyiw75_OJBUF3Gsx5i2SveyHxFI_SW9MkdpKGLCHN2lQfewYtd9nojKvlEw0pAEYmY_Dfpc/s400/11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZhJ0dSg3cYnye3VjddVyRB8EIs-6_zni9CIb6QBvGVvxXuH4Q7IslwWpfuwFMYRsvShOLwpvRKkzForacXmC_Mi7DlltUBp8fkBqHV-b4OVyepZipdXjoMrp2DNuCJz5UZXdOX8UNpcWt/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZhJ0dSg3cYnye3VjddVyRB8EIs-6_zni9CIb6QBvGVvxXuH4Q7IslwWpfuwFMYRsvShOLwpvRKkzForacXmC_Mi7DlltUBp8fkBqHV-b4OVyepZipdXjoMrp2DNuCJz5UZXdOX8UNpcWt/s400/13.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2fk3JVjCMcLWntmYCcNTBpQKXx0Jq1wMok6hi_nylOFdTcWy7PQ7CvRc2gL2eHiMd1je28xAS-Amq1GuyIRY8-O3aWDBG2bx8Uns1XmKxL3hCIxMiBoAe3I17vcU275pFif8W08tdpCbs/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2fk3JVjCMcLWntmYCcNTBpQKXx0Jq1wMok6hi_nylOFdTcWy7PQ7CvRc2gL2eHiMd1je28xAS-Amq1GuyIRY8-O3aWDBG2bx8Uns1XmKxL3hCIxMiBoAe3I17vcU275pFif8W08tdpCbs/s400/14.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1d8r9XyR_O3YXbJZ_TcKT7KloG-E6dP-sNy1uWczHOePLCXQ1LIUrqZaCd8CRN5GiHFMDkD2zjF16X8IpzKVTEi8LRiQqsiyzDuyLl2z7of7G-4RyOa3QB5byFSV0Ip2O_R5K9ZiBaCp/s1600/Saunders+Brothers,+Thai+place+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1d8r9XyR_O3YXbJZ_TcKT7KloG-E6dP-sNy1uWczHOePLCXQ1LIUrqZaCd8CRN5GiHFMDkD2zjF16X8IpzKVTEi8LRiQqsiyzDuyLl2z7of7G-4RyOa3QB5byFSV0Ip2O_R5K9ZiBaCp/s400/Saunders+Brothers,+Thai+place+026.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell<br />August 21, 2013

back roads Blue Ridge Mountains Nelson County rural Virginia tourism Virginia Is For Lovers Back road vistas in Nelson County

 We looked across the field and my sister noted that the fog-topped mountain looked like a volcano. Apple trees from Seaman orchards were loaded with a variety of apples ready to pick.Photos by Lynn R. MitchellAugust 21, 2013…

Read more »

WTF?!!

Jeeze Louise, this is FUBAR. I am waiting for this to be turned into a SitCom.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7cJAw5ADKnmppCvUZaUCU95aQPvXqbRIRyGHbTXRsmFJDrbWQs6bXTeNRGkyWM3uwvwGhfnDb69olLFBdwJ53pLXFo816rXSg69rm4uAstr-WNzZKiyXh9YCPnlGZU7yDJ2V2_nVHZxz/s1600/22.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7cJAw5ADKnmppCvUZaUCU95aQPvXqbRIRyGHbTXRsmFJDrbWQs6bXTeNRGkyWM3uwvwGhfnDb69olLFBdwJ53pLXFo816rXSg69rm4uAstr-WNzZKiyXh9YCPnlGZU7yDJ2V2_nVHZxz/s640/22.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Are you fucking<i> KIDDING ME?!</i><br /><a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2013/08/bradley_manning_sentenced_to_35_years_the_private_s_prosecution_has_nothing.html"><br />From the article</a>;<br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote>Of course, applying for clemency or parole doesn’t ensure getting it. But there is another card up Manning’s sleeve. According to Section 3-2.a(4), the Army Clemency and Parole Board may consider, among other criteria, the prisoner’s “psychological profile” and “medical condition,” including “the prisoner’s need for specialized treatment.” (Italics added.)<br /><br />In a statement released Thursday, Manning—who has a long and well-documented history of confused gender identity—came out as female, asked to be addressed as Chelsea instead of Bradley, and requested hormone treatments while in the Army prison at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan. Army spokesmen have said they are under no obligation to supply such treatments.<br /><br />If the wardens at Ft. Leavenworth take the same position, a case could be made that incarceration would violate “the prisoner’s need for specialized treatment” and that, therefore, Manning should immediately be granted clemency. (Recall: Under Army regulations, Manning is eligible to apply for clemency now.)</blockquote><br />All I can say to Brad or Chelsea or whatever the fuck it wants to be called is to get ready for a long wait.<br /><br />Truth is indeed stranger than fiction in this instance, no one could have come up with this story line except maybe that freak Quenton Tarantino.<br />

WTF?!!

Jeeze Louise, this is FUBAR. I am waiting for this to be turned into a SitCom.Are you fucking KIDDING ME?!From the article;Of course, applying for clemency or parole doesn’t ensure getting it. But there is another card up Manning’s sleeve. According …

Read more »

Annual New One Family Home Sales per 25 to 34 Year Old Employed

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdUMPR6hIWt3wfu78w8AJO_bwv5v9Ji39-mz7dFh9d_9mhDo-OAl7E-3FwvsGRUth3sMxJFo2HG9Ius36VrtBEzXh_tcuTxw0QaH8Ss4KQNwByLkxhrsUR1BTCT1PAGFc-ZK90anoRLA/s1600/Annual+New+One+Family+Home+Sales.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdUMPR6hIWt3wfu78w8AJO_bwv5v9Ji39-mz7dFh9d_9mhDo-OAl7E-3FwvsGRUth3sMxJFo2HG9Ius36VrtBEzXh_tcuTxw0QaH8Ss4KQNwByLkxhrsUR1BTCT1PAGFc-ZK90anoRLA/s320/Annual+New+One+Family+Home+Sales.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge.</span><br /><br /><b>August 23, 2013</b><br /><a href="http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2013/08/comments-on-new-home-sales.html">Calculated Risk: Comments on New Home Sales</a><br /><br /><div style="color: #666666;"><i>And even though there has been a large increase in the sales rate, sales are just above the lows for previous recessions. This suggests significant upside over the next few years. Based on estimates of household formation and demographics, <span style="color: red;">I expect sales to increase to 750 to 800 thousand over the next several years - substantially higher than the current sales rate.</span></i></div><br />For what it is worth, I shall take the under.<br /><br /><b>Source Data:</b><br /><a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=lJB">St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart</a>

Annual New One Family Home Sales per 25 to 34 Year Old Employed

Click to enlarge.August 23, 2013Calculated Risk: Comments on New Home SalesAnd even though there has been a large increase in the sales rate, sales are just above the lows for previous recessions. This suggests significant upside over the next few ye…

Read more »

BELVIQ ROCKS!

I hope everyone is doing great.  NO WEIGH IN today - sorry - I woke up late and had to run to the office.  I PROMISE NEXT Week.  I do think I lost at least 1 pound judging from my scale at home (which is about 3 pounds off from the scale at my doctors off).  If that is the case, I AM ESTATIC because of all I had to endure over the last 2 weeks.  It was awful!  I am honestly shocked that I did not GAIN any weight.  BELVIQ ROCKS!!!!!<br /><br />I got a lot of responses on natural alternatives to water retention issues I am having due to Liver issues.  One of the suggestions was Dandelion Root Tea.  I bought some and had my first glass today.  I have to say, I actually really liked it better than standard tea.  I am sold!!!  I also got an herbal supplement that should help in that area as well.  I am now taking 7 differnt supplements and vitamins.  I am hoping this will kick my issues and I cam move on with my life.  <br /><br />I want to thank you all for being patient with me over these last 2 weeks. I have missed some posting days.  I will try to do better this week.  I won't be posting over the weekend.  I need to get my but to the gym again! HA!<br /><br />I did some grocery shopping yesterday.  I can finally get back to eating my roughage (ha) and get away from the blands.  That alone makes me really really happy.  I feel like this next week, I am going to have some results so lets keep on the look out.<br /><br />Right now as it stands, I am 25 pounds, possibly 26 pounds down.  Next week will tell the tale!!  Fingers crossed and prayers appreciated.<br /><br />UPDATE on adsense.  I was denied appeal.  So I am looking at other options (That one of the things I am doing this weekend).  GOOGLE SUCKS.  They supposedly have this high tech stuff in place to reject those repetitive clicks.  So, why not just do that vs. penalizing me because I can't control what they do.  At the end of the day, they were SUPPOSED to pay me $185.00 for July FINALIZED earnings (which it would have been more but they supposedly found those clicks) but because they suspended the account BEFORE payment, it's forfieted.  THAT HURT.  I was counting on that for October Belviq.  Thanks to donations, I have September coverd.  Stupid GOOGLE.  It's ok, I will FIND a way - trust me.  My weight loss is far more important to me especially with this recent health scare!!!<br /><br />Thanks so much for all of your words of encouragement.  I read all of them and try to respond to all!!!<br /><br />XOXOX<br />Ellie

BELVIQ ROCKS!

I hope everyone is doing great.  NO WEIGH IN today - sorry - I woke up late and had to run to the office.  I PROMISE NEXT Week.  I do think I lost at least 1 pound judging from my scale at home (which is about 3 pounds off from the scale at my doctor…

Read more »

Nelson County: A trip to Saunders Brothers for Virginia apples and peaches and garden veggies

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivl9CPGv43NMhRf15FznHxxXJUxMmY2WDrLgp-iuJ2WJL2W6Kf7F11WLKewc2Ga9gIArYFD48enyoxlGv520i0t0oHqd6RcqSl5WzBE7wQcnQOZ4Oy1mAYIyUpxIyP5l4z1IADC5XrzjZi/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivl9CPGv43NMhRf15FznHxxXJUxMmY2WDrLgp-iuJ2WJL2W6Kf7F11WLKewc2Ga9gIArYFD48enyoxlGv520i0t0oHqd6RcqSl5WzBE7wQcnQOZ4Oy1mAYIyUpxIyP5l4z1IADC5XrzjZi/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> One of the best things about summer in Virginia is the fresh produce available from local growers. My Richmond sister and I met up in Charlottesville Wednesday and headed down Rt. 29 to <a href="http://www.saundersbrothers.com/">Saunders Brothers Produce</a> in southern Nelson County. The ride was gorgeous through the rolling countryside with vistas of the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains. We passed through Lovingston and on to Rt. 56 where we turned toward the mountains. Just a couple of miles up the road on the right was Saunders Brothers.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00LJTXqfktnSJpzh7QX0ILTeI0c3gexghv5yjHcG8UlkHg18QOz5WmnucJozTHpaq6GC0Pw40z2wxdY1-gSAdOkA3SaT7OAQLbFen3lcxmJGZtfYFoCn-ESj1-wkVVTMAD4VtNZbjt50o/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00LJTXqfktnSJpzh7QX0ILTeI0c3gexghv5yjHcG8UlkHg18QOz5WmnucJozTHpaq6GC0Pw40z2wxdY1-gSAdOkA3SaT7OAQLbFen3lcxmJGZtfYFoCn-ESj1-wkVVTMAD4VtNZbjt50o/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> What a treat to find Gala apples available as well as late summer peaches -- white and yellow -- and a variety of other fruits and vegetables. We loaded up on Galas, peaches, watermelon, cantaloupe, corn on the cob, and yellow squash. Who needs meat for dinner with all those veggies?</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcyw4XJdh3axdPG3BTq7KK4oUnSnLKI-NixcwSUitBnDAJc1Tzt06QbTezmfWWWUAuNoJVDcbNWG1zcY3qSIttEImYNWZjiUPRmDJc8VvKkiy9qhuEA0d0bSzvwKB1oeCNDFz_o_9n3a83/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcyw4XJdh3axdPG3BTq7KK4oUnSnLKI-NixcwSUitBnDAJc1Tzt06QbTezmfWWWUAuNoJVDcbNWG1zcY3qSIttEImYNWZjiUPRmDJc8VvKkiy9qhuEA0d0bSzvwKB1oeCNDFz_o_9n3a83/s400/3.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> So for lunch and dinner I've been cooking squash and onions and corn on the cob, and adding them to the tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers out of our garden. Oh man ... that's good stuff. I'm trying to enjoy as much of this as possible because it's getting late in the summer growing season which means the fresh goodies will begin to play out. My kitchen smells like ripe peaches as I wait for them to get to <i>just the right ripeness</i> to peel and cut up for the freezer. That will extend summer for a little longer.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIEAbhdwDrCl8epLCpfSJr5s0BXecdrKScEwUWKkOUVe-7H7JJNR_N7oK87Mgsmki7GVESRs59M57nYEjwz4y7SfOiXvg8leS18eepbcomzb5vB0-QMptxf8hDiK_IYxORrMASXzPpfs2/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIEAbhdwDrCl8epLCpfSJr5s0BXecdrKScEwUWKkOUVe-7H7JJNR_N7oK87Mgsmki7GVESRs59M57nYEjwz4y7SfOiXvg8leS18eepbcomzb5vB0-QMptxf8hDiK_IYxORrMASXzPpfs2/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Saunders has lots of fall apples that will be coming in through October plus whatever other produce will be available. This was our third trip this summer ... we'll be back before too long.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFS-7tBhD_ZN3Fz9lkWz84yiZ5hDuOoz0vZ8IM_noyMNyTo3MpuuYojZxjLUXYnqNauZOuT0_k55FBLxogjuiyVKsgrQ_JGolhZKLzYFQktEI-NozM9gaWu_fp0zUsHhK9WQW7-gJbYO-h/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFS-7tBhD_ZN3Fz9lkWz84yiZ5hDuOoz0vZ8IM_noyMNyTo3MpuuYojZxjLUXYnqNauZOuT0_k55FBLxogjuiyVKsgrQ_JGolhZKLzYFQktEI-NozM9gaWu_fp0zUsHhK9WQW7-gJbYO-h/s400/5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Saunders Brothers is a family business that started in 1915. Through trials and tribulations, they have made it to the point where they are today. Virginians supporting Virginia businesses....<br /><br />Cross-posted at <a href="http://vapolitics.us/2013/08/nelson-county-a-trip-to-saunders-brothers-for-virginia-apples-peaches-and-garden-veggies/">Bearing Drift</a><br /><br />Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell<br />August 21, 2013

apples Blue Ridge Mountains Charlottesville family businesses fresh produce Nelson County peaches Saunders Brothers Virginia business Nelson County: A trip to Saunders Brothers for Virginia apples and peaches and garden veggies

 One of the best things about summer in Virginia is the fresh produce available from local growers. My Richmond sister and I met up in Charlottesville Wednesday and headed down Rt. 29 to Saunders Brothers Produce in southern Nelson County. The ride w…

Read more »

The World's End: What a way to go!

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><i>The World's End</i> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>(2013) • <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/focus_features/theworldsend/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">View trailer</a></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Four stars. Rating: R, for violence, pervasive profanity and sexual candor</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is, without question, the funniest pub crawl ever brought to the big screen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6cmTEzQAqTtQtdWjdcyfiY_YGTyBSsl_sr6sv-v4dJVjh9QK6dbYBHnzYIl2xxf0pzhXFpQVTQTSp7fIaHSTZaRTLy1J2fjFj9vWkxDhgXmsDidAo-BXemI8dfxQ8_Fo204uYuS8t6A/s1600/Worlds+End+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6cmTEzQAqTtQtdWjdcyfiY_YGTyBSsl_sr6sv-v4dJVjh9QK6dbYBHnzYIl2xxf0pzhXFpQVTQTSp7fIaHSTZaRTLy1J2fjFj9vWkxDhgXmsDidAo-BXemI8dfxQ8_Fo204uYuS8t6A/s400/Worlds+End+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Another pub, and still only the same single flavor of beer. By now, our heroes — from<br />left, Andy (Nick Frost), Peter (Eddie Marsan), Gary (Simon Pegg), Steven (Paddy<br />Considine) and Oliver (Martin Freeman) — are startng to wonder if something <i>other</i><br />than franchise blandness might be to blame...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s also a cheeky delight that gets much of its fizz from the slow, tantalizing unveiling of What’s Really Going On: a reveal that deserves to remain a surprise for every viewer, much in the manner of 1998’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Truman Show</i>. That’s unlikely — which is a true shame — in an era when media outlets scramble over each other in an effort to unleash mega-spoilers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The World’s End</i> is best viewed the way my companions and I did last night: with an advance preview audience that hadn’t the faintest idea what would come next.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So if this review remains elliptical and vague in spots, blame my desire <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> to spoil any of the fun.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Life hasn’t been kind to Gary King (Simon Pegg). Twenty years ago, his compulsory secondary education at an end, he was on top of his world: young, free-spirited and popular with the lads and lasses. By way of celebrating their impending release from school, Gary and his four mates vowed to drink their way through the 12 pubs dotting the “golden mile” of their bucolic UK community of Newton Haven.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They didn’t quite make it, but that’s immaterial; the camaraderie was key.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This introductory flashback unfolds, like a series of video snapshots, to Pegg’s sassy off-camera narration. But his enthusiasm fades as we’re brought to the present day, to discover that Gary is sharing this saga during a group therapy session.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time has moved on; Gary hasn’t. He’s still a self-absorbed layabout: a poster child for arrested adolescents who failed to launch. A 40-year-old man (to quote this film’s equally droll press notes) “trapped at the cigarette end of his teens.” And it eats at him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His former best buds, long estranged, have done better. More or less. Andy (Nick Frost) is a corporate attorney; Oliver (Martin Freeman) is a buttoned-down real-estate agent who shifts seven-figure properties. Steven (Paddy Considine) founded a successful start-up, sold out when the time was right, and now enjoys the companionship of a personal trainer half his age.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peter (Eddie Marsan), the meekest member of the one-time gang, got stuck with the family business — selling cars — and seems little more than an afterthought to his wife and two children.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No surprise, then, that Gary first broaches his “inspired” plan with Peter: to re-visit that tempestuous night two decades back, but this time to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">succeed</i>... starting with The First Post and concluding with The World’s End. (Just in passing, all 12 of these Newton Haven ale houses are named for actual English pubs.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Through enthusiasm, persuasion, guile and outright deception, Gary gathers everybody in the old gang: even Andy, his one-time best friend, who still has serious issues due to some long-ago betrayal. (Details to follow.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From the get-go, this film is propelled by its rat-a-tat dialogue: a barrage of verbal sparring, witty repartee and one-line zingers. Conversation hasn’t been this rich since the breathless pacing of Hollywood’s classic screwball comedies — okay, Aaron Sorkin gets close — and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">goodness</i>, but those days, and this style of wit, have been missed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Director Edgar Wright and Pegg collaborated on the tart-tongued script, which must be three times the length of what’s needed for an average 109-minute movie, due to sheer verbiage. It’s all razor-sharp, frequently hilarious — random quips prompting enough laughter to drown out the next two or three equally funny comments — and directed with snap throughout.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Indeed, one can get exhausted while trying to follow the non-sequiturs, as our five not-quite-friends-anymore gets increasingly squiffed and argue about everything from pronouns to long-simmering grudges. One of the latter erupts into full view with the arrival of Oliver’s sister, Sam (Rosamund Pike), who once had a meaningless shag with Gary, while being secretly adored by Steven.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everybody displays superb comic timing, their verbal sniping enhanced further by Wright’s deft direction and Paul Machliss’ slick editing. You can’t help wanting to applaud.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speaking of which, our audience <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did</i> spontaneously applaud one key scene, taking place in the loo at The Cross Hands. That doesn’t happen very often, and rest assured; it was well-deserved.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But things aren’t all kicks and grins. Wright and Pegg score some early social commentary with a mordant running gag, as our gang discovers — despite sporting wonderful names such as The Two-Headed Dog, The Trusty Servant and The Famous Cock — that all their beloved pubs of memory have been homogenized, and now share the same plastic ambiance, the same franchise menu, and (horrors!) the same single flavor of beer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wish I could remember the caustic line that defines this tragic loss of British tradition, because it’s a corker ... and a reminder that Wright and Pegg have more on their minds than mere verbal slapstick.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite the increasing haze of too much ale, though, Gary and his mates begin to wonder if there’s more to Newton Haven’s bland monotony than meets the eye. Longtime genre fans will appreciate this oddly quiet community’s resemblance to Little Storping in the Swuff, the equally sleepy — and creepy — township setting of a classic 1960s episode from Brit-TV’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Avengers</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gary, stubbornly determined to chase the blues away, even as things get progressively weirder, is the first to discover ... ah, but no: That would be telling.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The World’s End</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> comes from the same manic team — director Wright, writers Pegg and Wright, and stars Pegg and Frost — that brought us 2004’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shaun of the Dead</i>and 2007’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hot Fuzz</i>. The similarities actually go much deeper; the boys also brought along their sizable repertory company, and you’ll recognize many familiar faces. Freeman and Julia Deakin (here as a B&B landlady) have appeared in all three films, as has the marvelous Bill Nighy (although it’ll take you awhile to spot him here).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Former James Bonds also have a habit of popping up. Timothy Dalton played a pivotal role in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hot Fuzz</i>, and Pierce Brosnan appears here as one of younger Gary’s disapproving teachers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also should mention, for the uninitiated, that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The World’s End</i> is the third entry in what has come to be known as the “Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy,” due to each film’s cheeky placement of a different flavor of Cornetto ice cream. Strawberry was the option of choice for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shaun of the Dead</i>, signifying that horror comedy’s gorier elements; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hot Fuzz</i> name-checked the original blue Cornetto, as befit its send-up of police dramas.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don’t blink, and you’ll spot this new film’s reference to green mint chocolate chip. Draw your own conclusions about which genre is being spoofed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m not sure “acting” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">per se</i> can be discussed or debated in a project of this nature; Pegg, Frost and their colleagues play archetypes more than credible characters, their interplay more akin to the zany, tongue-twisting efforts of Abbott and Costello or the Marx Brothers. And yet personalities do emerge, particularly as panic sets in.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marsan is appropriate woeful as poor, pitiful, put-upon Peter, while the dashing Considine makes Steven the one guy most willing to embrace Gary’s damn-the-consequences eagerness. Freeman’s Oliver is stiffly, starchly formal; Frost’s teddy bear-esque Andy, stubbornly on the wagon at first, erupts with hidden fury as the situation spirals out of control. Pike, in turn, makes Sam a gal worth remembering.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Their impressive talents notwithstanding, the film belongs to Pegg, whose Gary is a force of nature: a self-absorbed loser, to be sure, but a truly hilarious one. His bemused expressions, exasperated double-takes and mangled efforts at human speech are beyond priceless. It’s a true shame that actors never get awards for this sort of performance, because it’s one for the record books.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Equally funny, as well, is Gary’s single-minded determination — no matter what else happens — to down a brew at every one of his beloved 12 pubs. That gag also picks up steam, as this film roars into its flat-out-exciting third act.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me mention, as well, that Wright gets impressive production results for this film’s modest $20 million budget: far, far more than bloated failures such as this summer’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-lone-ranger-mild-mild-west.html">The Lone Ranger</a></i> delivered for close to 10 times that amount. Hollywood could take lessons from our thrifty British cousins.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I truly hate to think that Wright, Pegg, Frost & Co. are done with their Cornetto efforts. Each collaboration has been fresh and completely different from what came before, and plenty of genres remain to be lampooned. More to the point, Cornetto has several as-yet unreferenced flavors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Douglas Adams turned his <i>Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy</i>“trilogy” into a five-book series, and probably would have written more, had he not died too young. Surely these cheeky British lads can do the same.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><!--EndFragment-->

2013 British Comedy Eddie Marsan Edgar Wright Four Star Films Martin Freeman Nick Frost Paddy Considine Pierce Brosnan Rosamund Pike Simon Pegg The World's End: What a way to go!

The World's End (2013) • View trailer Four stars. Rating: R, for violence, pervasive profanity and sexual candorBy Derrick Bang 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.Mso…

Read more »

How Personal Wellness Coaching Can Change Your Life

<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>By Tara Daniels</div><br /><br /> <div class='uawarticle'>When a person is serious about achieving their personal goals, they often times will get help to do so. They will do this by getting personal wellness coaching from an experienced wellness coach who has a proven track record. Often times, it takes a person a while to realize that they cannot do it alone. When that time comes, that help will be there waiting for them.<br /> <br /> Losing weight and maintaining it is a very popular reason people hire a personal wellness coach. Some people may only need help in helping them stick to an exercise program they are trying to complete. Others may want to get that body builder look and want to increase their strength. It really does not matter what a person's goal is. Their coach will do everything that they can to help them reach that goal.<br /> <br /> Sticking to a diet and working out will not only help a person look good, they will also feel good. By eating healthy and participating in a regular exercise program a person will have life long health benefits. A coach will make sure that their client achieves these goals.<br /> <br /> If a person is close by, a coach will work with them in person. If they are too far away, the personal coaching will be done by other means such as the telephone and Internet. Much of the discussion will be about a clients personal feelings and what needs to be done to reach their goals. The coach will motivate their client through motivation and other strategies they use in their line of work.<br /> <br /> Most questions will be asked during the very beginning of the program. This is because the coach will want to know exactly what their client's mind set is. Everyone is different and a coach must know how a person is to see what the best strategy is to work with them. They'll want to know why a person waited as long as they have to get serious about reaching their goals and will want to know how committed a person is in reaching those goals.<br /> <br /> Whenever a week goes by, the coach will point out the great things that a person did the previous week. Motivation and praising is very important to help someone achieve their goals. They will also bring up any difficulties that a person had during the week and will work out a strategy to help overcome those difficulties.<br /> <br /> These coaches are experts and will sometimes have to use scientific methods to help a person out. Even if a person is taking baby steps toward their goal, the coach will make sure that the goals are reached. They are going to see to it that their client lives the healthiest life possible.<br /> <br /> <A href="http://www.impacthealthyedge.com">Personal wellness coaching</A> will put anyone on the right track to a healthy lifestyle. They will learn what to, and how to, prioritize things in their life. This will lead to the living a life that is beneficial to their well being.<br /> <br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawresource'><br /> <div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawabout'><br /> About the Author:<br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawlinks'>When you are looking for effective <a href="http://www.impacthealthyedge.com/weight-loss-colorado-springs.html">personal wellness coaching</a>, visit the web pages online today. You can see details at http://www.impacthealthyedge.com/weight-loss-colorado-springs.html now.</div><br /> </div><br />

How Personal Wellness Coaching Can Change Your Life

By Tara Daniels When a person is serious about achieving their personal goals, they often times will get help to do so. They will do this by getting personal wellness coaching from an experienced wellness coach who has a proven track record. Often…

Read more »

TPP needs a full debate, not a rubber stamp

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s1600/tpp.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5GNPh4L9dyFEjafZgdiLgok9fpP5_M0vgNOuTOWAXZejHvGXGnGsP1spLECr7NtKsbzE1Y7RlXgK3QNdhzmGV_vRO4iWp0vuqjkx_b7TV33eLlje3d5hnhidRw71jJ4kMMouyRMMkqih/s320/tpp.jpeg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Congress returns to Washington next month and it will have the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on its agenda. Top-level trade officials from </span><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/kyodo-news-international/130822/japan-11-countries-start-19th-tpp-free-trade-talks-bru" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the U.S. and 11 other countries began their last full-fledged negotiations in Brunei yesterday</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and the effects could be disastrous for American workers.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before lawmakers vote on the trade pact, however, they will consider whether to rubber stamp the TPP and give it a quick up-or-down vote with little debate and no chance to amend it. Fast-track authority, as it is called, </span><a href="http://www.citizenstrade.org/ctc/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/FastTrackFactsheet.pdf" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">is a violation of Congress’ constitutional responsibility</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to fully vet any trade deal. It would keep the anti-worker TPP a secret until it is too late. Fast track must be stopped.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Not all countries negotiating the TPP are rushing ahead with approval.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://stream.wsj.com/story/latest-headlines/SS-2-63399/SS-2-304872/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just this week, Malaysia announced that it was putting the brakes on the agreement</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">so it could study it further. The Ministry of International Trade and Industry said:</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Cabinet is of the view that Malaysia should not be bound by any fixed time line with regard to the TPPA.<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> A novel idea! Shouldn’t our lawmakers be doing the same, especially when American jobs, food safety, our environment and Internet freedom are at stake? Given the potential impact of the TPP, more review is needed, not less.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No one is against trade; we’re just against unfair trade. We’ve seen enough lost jobs, shuttered plants and hollowed-out communities. It’s time to rebuild the middle class, not tear it down, and that means trade deals that benefit working Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> U.S. families deserve better. That’s why it’s so important <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that we let our elected officials know they must stick up for their constituents above corporations. Fast track has to be derailed. The TPP needs to be fully hashed out by lawmakers, not just by multinational corporations.<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tell your lawmakers to put the brakes on fast tracking the TPP. To contact your members of Congress, go to </span><a href="http://salsa4.salsalabs.com/o/50740/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8906"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://salsa4.salsalabs.com/o/50740/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8906</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Let them know regular people demand to be part of the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>

fast track Malaysia TPP TPP needs a full debate, not a rubber stamp

Congress returns to Washington next month and it will have the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on its agenda. Top-level trade officials from the U.S. and 11 other countries began their last full-fledged negotiations in Brunei yesterday and the effect…

Read more »

Why Opt For The Personal Trainer Lafayette

<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>By Patricia Neill</div><br /><br /> <div class='uawarticle'>A professional fitness trainer is a benefit to have no matter what your present level of workout is. They will be able to guide you on the most appropriate routes that is going to lead you to your chosen fitness goal, while at the same time ensuring that you never put yourself in harm's way.<br /> <br /> Many people have chosen to have a personal trainer Lafayette for many various reasons, one of which includes the fact that Lafayette is a city that is teeming with workout opportunities like state of the art fitness centers and workout clubs. Here are some of the other more common reasons:<br /> <br /> Top Reasons To Have Your Very Own Personal Trainer Lafayette<br /> <br /> 1. You Will Never Be Put In Deliberate Danger.<br /> <br /> A professional personal trainer Lafayette is well-trained in the art of helping people become physically fit. As this also includes being aware of the dangers involved when it comes to exercising, any personal trainer worth his salt would also be careful in the limits of the human body. While he or she may encourage you to do better and reach higher levels, he or she will never force you to do activities that are inherently dangerous.<br /> <br /> 2. You Will Find It Harder To Get Bored.<br /> <br /> Boredom is one of the main killers of the passion for exercise. While it is all too easy to start off your newly planned exercise regimen, eventually the monotony and lack of change will wear you down. A personal trainer Lafayette aids to combat this dreadful experience by using his or her vast knowledge and experience. A varied routine not only keeps you interested but also makes sure that your body is working out properly.<br /> <br /> 3. You Will Reach Your Goals Quicker.<br /> <br /> The combination of useful information, advice and constant help are undoubtedly factors that help increase your speed towards becoming physically fit. A person alone may still achieve the same results. However, it has been found more often than not that it takes much longer, particularly if said person is untrained in the world of exercise. While it is generally cheaper, most people prefer to take advantage of having their own fitness trainer to guide them and make sure that they stay safe.<br /> <br /> 4. You Will Have Access To A Variety Of Tips And Useful Information.<br /> <br /> Another perk in having your own personal trainer Lafayette is that you will be able to have someone who is knowledgeable about exercising to help you decide in what you want to achieve and how you want to achieve it. Some people find themselves more inclined to research on their own. However, it takes a lot of time and effort to find the information being searched for, and as each fact tends to have many different opinions, it is all too easy to become confused on what to do. Your personal trainer will be able to help you sort through the mess of information and give you straight pieces of advice that are easy to follow.<br /> <br /> So these are the leading reasons why you should hire a personal trainer Lafayette. If ever you're in need of workout advice, be sure to get in touch with one.<br /> <br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawresource'><br /> <div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawabout'><br /> About the Author:<br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawlinks'>Becoming in good shape with the aid of <a href="http://www.theperfectworkout.com/personal-trainer-lafayette/">Personal Trainer Cupertino</a> not just boosts your own physique but furthermore your health as well. The advantages that you can get from <a href="http://www.theperfectworkout.com/personal-trainer-cupertino/">Personal Trainer Lafayette</a> are limitless.</div><br /> </div><br />

Why Opt For The Personal Trainer Lafayette

By Patricia Neill A professional fitness trainer is a benefit to have no matter what your present level of workout is. They will be able to guide you on the most appropriate routes that is going to lead you to your chosen fitness goal, while at th…

Read more »