Cupcake Crazy! Dad's 60th Birthday Party - Serving From Home

The end of June brought about the celebration of my dad?s 60th birthday! My mom asked me if I would be willing to do cupcakes for my the party, and since I was already on a roll with my sister?s wedding showers, I figured what was one more cupcake crazy weekend :0)

My sisters and I put our heads together to come up with some ideas of what reminded us of our dad. Here?s a non-exhaustive list of what we came up with ? this just barely begins to scrape the surface!

Baseball ? all 4 of us kids played softball growing up and my dad (and mom) spent countless hours practicing with us in the back yard and sacrificing their week nights during the summer to take us to practices and games.

Bible ? God?s word was always first and foremost in my parent?s home. I remember many a bible study, teaching and discipling, instructing and guiding happening before an open bible.

Bikes ? as a young man my dad biked across Canada from coast to coast! And he continued the passion of bike riding with his family, taking us on annual trips to Toronto?s Centre Island to bike and see the sights.

Books ? when we were young, my dad had a serious recurring back injury. He works as a heating and air conditioning mechanic so he has a LOT of hard, overhead work that is challenging for an injury. He?d often have to come home and just lay out on heat and ice, but that didn?t stop him from engaging with his family. He?d pull out Chronicles of Narnia and read to us as we begged him for more. Oh, AND he did ALL the voices ;0)

Chocolate ? What goes better with a good cup of coffee than a great piece of chocolate? And my dad has GREAT taste (har har har!) in chocolate! He introduced us to some fine Belgian chocolate and each year would give us some from a local shop. Oh, and don?t even get me started on chocolate covered almonds! Yum!

Coffee ? Believe it or not I used to HATE drinking coffee! Now that I enjoy a good cup (or two :D) I can see what I was missing all those years. My dad has inspired many coffee gifts and dates in the house.

Music ? my dad is VERY musical. He used to play guitar, and now plays the vocals! He?s the one who taught me what it means to worship loud and unashamed. His favourite artists include Matt Redman and Hillsong, among many others.

I did my best to incorporate these into the cupcakes as much as possible. There was a chocolate cupcake with mocha swiss meringue frosting, and pina colada cupcakes (pineapple with coconut cream cheese frosting ? I used this recipe from Glorious Treats ? they were so moist and delicious!!).

The decorations were done in fondant with some help from The Man ? he did the Bible and it totally knocked the cover off my piddly little book :D

Stop signs and speed limit signs representing 60 years ? no stopping him now!

The bicycle in the middle of the cupcakes was made with thickened icing for the wheels and spokes, and some of The Boy?s green licorice for the bike seat and frame. I?m so disappointed I can?t seem to find ANY of my close up pictures of the cupcakes, so you?ll just have to use your imagination on the rest.

Tagged as: birthday, celebrate

Source: http://www.servingfromhome.com/2013/08/cupcake-crazy-dads-60th-birthday-party.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cupcake-crazy-dads-60th-birthday-party

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Rockford Labor Day Parade set for Sept. 2

ROCKFORD ? The Rockford Labor Day Parade will begin at 10 a.m. Sept. 2 at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Seventh Street in Rockford.

The parade will turn west on East State Street and south on Wyman Street, ending at Davis Park. A float contest will be held before the parade at 7:30 a.m. in the BMO Harris Bank parking lot at Sixth Street and Fifth Avenue.

For information: 815-986-4822.

Source: http://www.rrstar.com/updates/x1592812219/Rockford-Labor-Day-Parade-set-for-Sept-2?rssfeed=true

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Egypt says clock ticking on sit-in standoff

FILE - In this Friday, July 5, 2013 file photo, The Muslim Brotherhood's General Guide Mohammed Badie speaks onstage as military helicopters fly overhead before tens of thousands of supporters in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt?s official news agency says the Muslim Brotherhood?s leader, Badie and his powerful deputy, Khairat el-Shater will go on trial Aug 25 for their complicity in and incitement of the killing of eight protesters. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this Friday, July 5, 2013 file photo, The Muslim Brotherhood's General Guide Mohammed Badie speaks onstage as military helicopters fly overhead before tens of thousands of supporters in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt?s official news agency says the Muslim Brotherhood?s leader, Badie and his powerful deputy, Khairat el-Shater will go on trial Aug 25 for their complicity in and incitement of the killing of eight protesters. (AP Photo, File)

In this Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 photo, Muslim Brotherhood nominated deputy leader Khairat el-Shater, listens during an interview with the Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt?s official news agency says the Muslim Brotherhood?s leader, Mohammed Badie and his powerful deputy, el-Shater will go on trial Aug 25 for their complicity in and incitement of the killing of eight protesters. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

A supporter of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi prays before "Iftar," the dusk meal when observant Muslims break their day-long fast, during a protest near Cairo University in Giza, Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013. Egypt's Interior Ministry warned supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi on Saturday for a second time to abandon their protest encampments as a senior U.S. diplomat was meeting with officials on both sides of the political divide to try to find a peaceful resolution to the standoff.(AP Photo/Manu Brabo)

Supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi wash their hands before "Iftar," Arabic for breakfast, the dusk meal when observant Muslims break their day-long fast, during a protest near Cairo University in Giza, Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013. Egypt's Interior Ministry warned supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi on Saturday for a second time to abandon their protest encampments as a senior U.S. diplomat was meeting with officials on both sides of the political divide to try to find a peaceful resolution to the standoff. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo)

A supporter of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi holds a banner with Morsi's image, during a march against Egyptian Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in the Nasr City section of Cairo on Friday, Aug. 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo)

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's highest security body warned Sunday that the clock is ticking for a peaceful end to the standoff over sit-ins by supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, suggesting that authorities will break up the vigils unless mediation efforts produce results soon.

More than a month after the military overthrew Morsi, tens of thousands of the Islamist leader's supporters remain camped out in two main crossroads in Cairo demanding his reinstatement. Egypt's military-backed interim leadership has issued a string of warnings for them to disperse or security forces will move in, setting the stage for a potential bloody showdown.

Also Sunday, authorities announced a court case accusing the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and his powerful deputy of inciting murder will start Aug. 25. Morsi hails from the Brotherhood.

The U.S. and EU are trying to find a peaceful resolution to the standoff to avoid a repeat of violence that has killed more than 250 people ? at least 130 of whom pro-Morsi protesters shot dead by security forces in two clashes ? since the July 3 military coup.

While diplomats raced to find a compromise, the Egyptian interim government signaled that its patience with the pro-Morsi sit-ins was running out.

The National Defense Council, which is led by the interim president and includes top Cabinet ministers, said the search for a peaceful resolution is not open-ended. The council said a negotiated resolution also would not shield from legal proceedings what it called "law-breakers" and others who incite against the state.

It said a chance should be given to all "negotiations and mediations" that could end the protests without bloodshed, but that the timeframe should be "defined and limited." It also called on the protesters to abandon the sit-ins and join the political road map announced the day of Morsi's ouster.

With the Islamist-backed constitution adopted last year suspended and the legislature dominated by Morsi's supporters dissolved, the road map provides for a new or an amended constitution to be put to a national referendum later this year and presidential and parliamentary elections early in 2014

In a move that underlined the government's resolve in dealing with the protests ? now in their second month ? Egyptian authorities on Sunday denied Yemen's Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkul Karman entry into Egypt after she landed at Cairo airport on Sunday.

Karman, the first Arab woman to win the Nobel Peace prize, has stated her opposition to Egypt's military coup and said she had intended to join the pro-Morsi sit-in protests.

Airport officials said she was sent back on the Sunday flight that brought her to Cairo from the United Arab Emirates. They did not say why she was denied entry, only that her name had been placed by various security agencies on a stop list at the airport. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

The decision to bar Karman suggests authorities wanted to deny the pro-Morsi camp the publicity she would have generated and the idea that prominent figures outside Egypt also oppose Morsi's ouster. Morsi supporters strongly condemned Karman's barring, claiming it was evidence of the "resurrection" of the police state Egypt had under autocrat Hosni Mubarak, toppled in a 2011 popular uprising.

Karman shared the Nobel Peace prize in 2011 with Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and women's rights campaigner Leymah Gbowee. She earned it for her role in the protests that swept Yemen in 2011 to force longtime dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh from office.

Pro-Morsi protesters blocked a major road Sunday that runs through most of the city and leads to its international airport.

Meanwhile, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns extended his visit to Cairo by one day so he can have further talks with Egyptian leaders. He met Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi, who led the coup, on Sunday. A member of the pro-Morsi delegation that met Saturday with Burns said the four delegates also would hold another round of talks with the U.S. diplomat.

Other top diplomats in Cairo are the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, which had been at sharp odds with Morsi's government, and Qatar, which maintains close ties to the Brotherhood. European Union's special envoy, Bernardino Leon, is also in Cairo.

At the core of discussions is the political future of the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies. The Brotherhood says it is looking for concessions before beginning talks with the military-backed administration. These measures could include releasing detained Brotherhood leaders, unfreezing the group's assets, lifting a ban on Islamist television stations loyal to Morsi and reigning in the use of force against its protesters.

Morsi has been held at undisclosed locations since July 3. He faces accusations of comprising with the militant Palestinian Hamas group to escape prison in 2011. Morsi has been visited by Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, and a delegation of African statesmen. Ashton reported that he was well and had access to television and newspapers.

Egypt's state news agency said on Sunday that Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie and his deputy Khairat el-Shater are to stand trial Aug. 25 for complicity and incitement in the killing of eight demonstrators outside the group's Cairo headquarters.

Badie is at still large, while el-Shater is in custody.

The killings took place during the first day of the mass street protests calling for Morsi's ouster. The agency also said that senior Brotherhood figure Rashad Bayoumi will face trial on the same charges. Three others face murder charges in the same case.

Morsi's palace aides Rifaah el-Tahtawi and Asaad el-Sheikha meanwhile faced questions over allegations they illegally held and tortured anti-Morsi protesters last Dec. 5 after supporters of the ousted leader descended upon a group of unarmed demonstrators camped outside the presidential palace. Clashes lasting all day left at least 10 dead and hundreds injured.

Both el-Tahtawi and el-Sheikha are in detention.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-08-04-ML-Egypt/id-0ab64abc4a3c4206b633f5a08b4e6d1f

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Cleburne GOP head Sprayberry to challenge Dial for Senate

Tim Sprayberry, left, and Gerald Dial.

slideshow State Sen. Gerald Dial, 75, will face a Cleburne County challenger for his seat in the 2014 Republican primary election June 3.

Tim Sprayberry, 47, Cleburne County Republican Party chairman, in July began raising money and campaigning against the seven-term senator.

Dial is serving his first term as a Republican. He had previously served two terms in the Alabama House of Representatives and six terms in the State Senate as a Democrat. He lost an election in the Democratic primary for the District 13 Senate seat in 2006. In 2009, he switched to the Republican Party and won back his former seat.

There is some discontent among Republicans with some of the former Democrats who have switched to the Republican Party, said Sprayberry.

?I believe Sen. Dial is still a Democrat,? Sprayberry said. ?I don?t believe he represents the values we believe in as Republicans.?

Dial, who spoke by phone Friday from the Alabama Farmers Federation Commodity Producers Conference in Birmingham, said he welcomes the competition.

?We look forward to the campaign,? Dial said. ?But, right now we?re working to bring jobs to Alabama.?

Dial said he was a little surprised to hear Sprayberry, the head of Cleburne County?s Republicans and someone he?s known for years, was running against him. But Dial noted that Sprayberry has run for office before, including an unsuccessful campaign for the House of Representatives District 39 seat in 2010. District 39 represents Cleburne, Cherokee and Dekalb counties.

Dial said he plans to run in the upcoming election because he has some unfinished business. He would like to see the sales tax on groceries abolished and to pass a bill he filed last year and has pre-filed again this year to move state schools to online textbooks.

?My goal is to serve one more time,? Dial said. ?As majority whip, I?m in a position to have some real influence.?

But he said if he wins in 2014, it would be his last election. He?s ready to retire from political life and work on his book, Dial said.

Sprayberry said if he could turn back the clock, he would have run against Dial in 2010. But he was intimidated by the size of Dial?s campaign fund. This time, Sprayberry thinks he might have a chance to take the seat, he said. Both men filed have filed campaign finance reporting waivers because they have not yet raised $10,000.

Sprayberry works as a private investigator at his own business, Sprayberry Investigations, in Heflin. He?s had the business since 1998 when he left law enforcement, Sprayberry said. He decided two years ago to leave a job at Forte Power Systems, a wire and cable manufacturing company, and work as an investigator full time, Sprayberry said.

If elected, Sprayberry plans to work for smaller government and lower taxes as well as protecting gun owners? rights and state?s rights, he said.

Senate District 13 includes parts of Cleburne, Clay, Chambers, Cherokee, Lee and Randolph counties.

The qualifying deadline for the 2014 primary election is April 4.

Staff writer Laura Camper: 256-235-3545. On Twitter @LCamper_Star.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AnnistonStar/LocalNews/~3/g3IXWkMms_k/23275353

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Dorian regenerates into depression near Florida

Dorian has regenerated into a tropical depression just east of Cape Canaveral

By Ken Kaye Sun Sentinel

10:14 a.m. EDT, August 3, 2013

Tropical Depression Dorian, Saturday, 5 a.m. advisory

OUTLOOK: Dorian, the system that just won't go away, re-strengthened into a depression in the Atlantic off the coast of Cape Canaveral on Saturday morning.

The former tropical storm is projected to remain a depression, aim northeast out to sea and finally die early next week.

WHAT FLORIDA CAN EXPECT: Dorian continues to spread clouds over much of the eastern part of the state, increasing the rain chance to 50 percent in South Florida and to 40 percent in the Orlando area on Saturday.

PARTICULARS: Even if Dorian re-strengthens into a tropical storm, it's unlikely that any watches or warnings will be posted because the strongest winds are in its southeast quadrant, or over the ocean, said senior hurricane specialist Stacy Stewart of the National Hurricane Center.

Dorian initially grew into a tropical storm on July 24 in the eastern Atlantic and fell apart last Saturday, the result of wind shear and dry air.

LOCATION: 85 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral

STRENGTH: 35 mph sustained winds

MOVEMENT: North at 6 mph

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/sun-sentinel/news/weather/hurricane/blog/~3/WsuonoilnTc/story01.htm

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The 1940s Kitchen of Tomorrow Was Difficult to Parody

Pre-dehydrated food processor? Non-functional sinks installed purely for style? A streamlined... baby? When it comes to midcentury visions of tomorrow, sometimes it's hard to tell the spoofs from the earnest predictions. But what's even more interesting is why the parodies popped up in the first place.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/vaBbEAn1VG0/the-1940s-kitchen-of-tomorrow-was-difficult-to-parody-995615948

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Ms. Ying Su presents awards to Boxford Chinese School students

Boxford Chinese School (BCS) recently honored the efforts and achievements of its students in June at its third annual awards ceremony.

?The award recipients are all passionate about learning Chinese and reach high academic standards. This combined with their positive influence on the BCS community distinguish them as role models in studying Chinese,? said Ms. Ying Su, founder and principal of BCS.

The Principal?s Award was given to students for their excellence in learning Chinese. Those who earned this high recognition were Gregory Balek, Camille Devoe, Catey Favreau, Raquel Leslie, and Matthew Welsh.

Achievement Awards were awarded to students for their achievements in learning Chinese. F. Berrian, Mia Ciavola, Nola Ciavola, Ethan Downey, Keira Fowler, and Taylor Mastrogiovanni received this honor.

??I am very happy to share my knowledge in Chinese to help other students as well as my own children,? said Ms. Su. ?My students? enthusiasm for learning the Chinese language and love of challenges bring joy to my teaching.?

Ms. Su recognizes parents? support of their children's education to be essential to their children?s success.

?I am fortunate to have many great parents who value our Chinese lessons and recognize our ability and efforts at BCS,? said Ms. Su.

Likewise, BCS? students and parents greatly appreciate Ms. Su as well. Ever since she founded BCS in 2009, there has been rising interest in the surrounding communities as Ms. Su has a unique teaching style as well as the skills to back it up.

Ms. Su allows for much flexibility in her classes in many different aspects. Each class? pace is set in consideration of the students? own abilities and preferences, facilitated by small classes, to bring out each student?s potential. Since the students can comfortably learn at their own pace, coupled with the encouragement that Ms. Su gives, the students at BCS develop confidence in their Chinese.

Catey Favreau has been learning Chinese at the Boxford Chinese School for three years and is a rising college freshman. ?Chinese is a hard language, much harder than others perceive it to be, but Teacher Su makes learning Chinese easy,? said Favreau. ?I have gone from being embarrassed about speaking in Chinese and going to Chinese events and places, to a confident and proficient speaker in Chinese.?

"Catey will be attending Mount Holyoke College in the fall where she will be majoring in Political Science and Chinese,? said Favreau?s mother, Marilyn. ?She will be taking third year Chinese as a freshman. We credit Ms. Ying Su with helping her learn Chinese and in encouraging her interest. We know that Catey will be able to use what she learned with Ms. Ying Su in the future.?

Aside from reading and writing, pronunciation is a detail that Ms. Su pays special attention to in her classes. The results of her efforts can be seen in the students? interactions with others outside the classroom.

?I have received many compliments about my pronunciation,? said Favreau.

?Over the past couple of years, Ms. Ying Su has greatly increased my ability and my confidence in Chinese through the Boxford Chinese School,? said Gregory Balek, a college student who has been learning Chinese at an accelerated pace at BCS. ?My favorite aspect of Ms. Ying Su's teaching is her ear for pronunciation. Since the Beijing accent, which she possesses, is the gold standard of Chinese, I am very happy that she is the one correcting my pronunciation. Ms. Ying Su can teach her students very effectively at a fast pace, but can also slow it down depending on the student's need.?

Balek added that ?since Ms. Ying Su is a native Chinese, she is able to give interesting cultural background to each lesson?s content.?

?We have been lucky to have found Ms. Su's Chinese school. My daughter's fluency and pronunciation have increased greatly in the short period she has been taking classes at Boxford Chinese School,? said Penny Devoe, mother of Camille Devoe, who has been taking classes at BCS for just over six months.?

Unlike the aforementioned older students, Matthew Welsh is an elementary school student at BCS. Welsh?s grandmother, Cheryl Jolley, expressed her thanks to Ms. Su for her ?outstanding teaching of Matthew this past year.?

?You provide a strong foundation for his learning of Chinese and I have seen his writing of the characters and his confidence speaking Chinese grow as the year progressed. You have an excellent sense of pacing and encouragement which has contributed to his strong performance and continued interest in learning Chinese,? said Jolley.

The learning pace is not the only thing that is flexible as BCS also offers flexible scheduling options. If something important suddenly appears, a lesson can be cancelled and rescheduled without extra charge as long as Ms. Su is given at least a 24-hour notice.

?It has been very easy working with Ms. Su as she is flexible and accommodating with our busy schedules,? said Penny Devoe.

Not all high schools currently offer Chinese, such as the one which Raquel Leslie attends.??The Boxford Chinese School has given our daughter, Raquel, the opportunity to study a language that her school would have never offered,? said Leslie?s father, Mark.

The student body also consists of adults as learning Chinese opens up possibilities of traveling to China for personal and business reasons as well as teaching Chinese-speaking students.

Apart from Chinese classes, BCS also offers English-Chinese oral and document translation services. The school has provided interpreting and translation services for local public schools for parent-teacher conferences, testing in Chinese, and for school documents such as parent-student handbooks, student report cards, district survey forms, and class announcements.

BCS students? proficiency in Chinese is not only recognized by the school itself, but by other organizations as well. After receiving an Excellent award in the 2011 contest, Rita Ding, a BCS student, scored 253 out of 260 in the 2012 Chinese Culture Contest for Overseas Chinese Teenagers.

This placed her in the group of 53 American students who earned Excellent awards of which only 4 were from Massachusetts. The contest was organized by the Chinese School Association in the United States (CSAUS) and sponsored by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council of the People?s Republic of China. Ding was invited to a 15-day sponsor-paid summer camp in Beijing, China.

Also, in November 2012, Ding took the SAT II Chinese with listening test for the first time and received a perfect score of 800.

For more information about Boxford Chinese School, go to boxfordchineseschool.com or call 978-887-3037.

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Source: http://www.wickedlocal.com/boxford/news/x1383326025/Ms-Ying-Su-presents-awards-to-Boxford-Chinese-School-students?rssfeed=true

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Hey, Hey It's The Monkees ? Finally | Triangle Arts and Entertainment

The three surviving Monkees who performed in Raleigh are (from left) Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, and Peter Tork

When the NBC sitcom ?The Monkees? premiered, I was already a freshman at East Carolina College (now University) in Greenville, NC; and I wasn?t watching much television in the dorm. But I did listen to music ? a lot of music ? and I followed America?s answer to The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the other British invaders as The Monkees? songs rocketed to the top of the U.S. charts and even outsold the Beatles and the Stones in the U.K.

Having already seen the Rolling Stones ? with Brian Jones ? and the Dave Clark Five in Reynolds Coliseum on the N.C. State University campus in Raleigh, I would have been glad all over to attend a Beatles concert, but as far as I know they never came closer to Raleigh than Norfolk, VA. The Monkees, too, were at the top of my must-see list, and it only took 47 years for that dream to come true, when AC Entertainment and Broadway Series South presented A Midsummer?s Night with The Monkees on July 23rd in Raleigh Memorial Auditorium in the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

The three surviving members of this made-for-television band ? Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork ? really rocked the house, starting their two-hour set with a rousing rendition of ?Last Train to Clarksville? (written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart) and ending the evening with two invigorating encores: ?Listen to the Band? (penned by Michael Nesmith)? and ?Pleasant Valley Sunday? (written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King)! In-between, The Monkees performed vibrant versions of ?I?m a Believer? (penned for The Monkees by Neil Diamond, but probably best known to younger audience members as the buoyant anthem on the soundtrack the 2001 DreamWorks Pictures production of Shrek) and ?(I?m Not Your) Steppin? Stone? (Boyce and Hart), plus a number of choice selections from the Michael Nesmith songbook ? including ?Papa Gene?s Blues,? ?You Told Me,? ?Sunny Girlfriend,? and ?Mary, Mary? ? and other nifty numbers that the band made famous.

From the first note to the last, the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium audience was partying in their seats like it was 1999 ? and they interrupted the multimedia show with several standing ovations! The band?s tribute to Davy Jones, who died of a heart attack on Feb. 29, 2012, touched many a heartstring. It included an excerpt from the band?s psychedelic 1968 feature film Head, in which the diminutive Jones sang ?Daddy?s Song? (penned by Harry Nilsson). Then Micky Dolenz ? who was in remarkably fine voice all night long ? picked a particularly enthusiastic female audience member to sing lead on Jones? signature song, ?Daydream Believer? (written by John Stewart of The Kingston Trio), because ? he said ? that song now belongs to all of us in Monkee Nation.

In addition to Messrs. Dolenz, Nesmith, and Tork, A Midsummer?s Night with The Monkees features a bodacious backup band that includes musical director Wayne Avers (lead guitar), David Alexander (keyboards/acoustic guitar/backing vocals), John Billings (bass), Micky?s sister Coco Dolenz (backup vocals/percussion), Aviva Maloney (keyboards/reeds/wind), Rich Dart (drums), and Mike?s son Christian Nesmith (acoustic guitar). Avers added scorching guitar solos to a number of songs, and Maloney?s saxophone riffs were another highlight of an enchanted evening for Monkees fans in the Triangle.

All of us who remember ?The Monkees? television series firsthand, and not from reruns, are older and grayer; and so are our American idols, who perhaps unwittingly created the ?music video? and provided so much of the soundtrack for our collective youth. Finally seeing The Monkees live ? even without Davy Jones ? on July was a dream-come-true for many of us Baby Boomers and proof aplenty that Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork can still bring audiences to their feet. Monkee-mania will resurface everywhere their 2013 summer tour stops!

SECOND OPINION: July 26th New York, NY Guitar World interview with Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, and Peter Tork, conducted by Damian Fanelli: http://www.guitarworld.com/interview-michael-nesmith-micky-dolenz-and-peter-tork-talk-monkees-summer-tour-headquarters-and-what-they-learned-jimi-hendrix; July 23rd Durham, NC Indy Week interview with Micky Dolenz, conducted by Jim Allen: http://www.indyweek.com/scan/archives/2013/07/23/the-monkees-understand-mickey-dolenz-on-the-bands-reunion; July 19th Raleigh, NC News & Observer preview by Roger Friedensen: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/07/18/3036392/the-monkees-raleigh-concert-will.html, July 16th New York, NY Rolling Stone preview by Rob Sheffield: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-monkees-return-with-michael-nesmith-20130716, April 29th interview with Micky Dolenz, conducted by Andy Greene: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-monkees-reveal-u-s-summer-tour-dates-20130429, April 1st interview with Michael Nesmith, conducted by Steve Appleford: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/q-a-michael-nesmith-on-solo-tour-and-being-the-difficult-monkee-20130401, and Nov. 9th review by Peter Holslin: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/monkees-delight-believers-in-reunion-tour-kickoff-20121109; and July 15th McLean, VA USA TODAY preview by Brian Mansfield: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/07/14/monkees-on-the-road-again/2515371/ and April 29th preview by Brian Mansfield: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/04/29/monkees-set-summer-tour/2121761/.

A MIDSUMMER?S NIGHT WITH THE MONKEES, starring original band members Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, and Peter Tork (AC Entertainment and Broadway Series South, July 23 in Raleigh Memorial Auditorium in the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, NC).

SHOW: http://www.dukeenergycenterraleigh.com/event/the-monkees-4159.

PRESENTERS:

AC Entertainment: http://acentertainment.com/.

Broadway Series South: http://www.dukeenergycenterraleigh.com/broadway-series-south.

VENUE: http://www.dukeenergycenterraleigh.com/venue/memorial-auditorium.

OTHER LINKS:

A Midsummer?s Night with The Monkees (2013 summer tour): http://www.monkees.com/article/back-by-popular-demand-the-monkees-announce-summer-tour-a-midsummer-s-night-with-the-monkees and https://www.facebook.com/monkeestour (Facebook page).

The Monkees (group): http://www.monkees.com/ (official website), https://www.facebook.com/TheMonkees (Facebook page), https://twitter.com/MonkeesOfficial (Twitter page), and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monkees (Wikipedia).

Micky Dolenz (drums/guitar): http://mickydolenz.com/ (official website) and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micky_Dolenz (Wikipedia).

Davy Jones (vocals and tamborine): http://www.davyjones.net/ (official website) and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Jones_%28musician%29 (Wikipedia).

Michael Nesmith (guitar/keyboards): ?http://videoranch.com/ (official website) and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Nesmith (Wikipedia).

Peter Tork (guitar/bass/banjo/keyboards): http://www.petertork.com/ (official website) and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Tork (Wikipedia).

The Monkees (music videos): http://www.youtube.com/user/MisterMusicMan382?feature=watch (MisterMusicMan382?s YouTube Monkees music page).

The Monkees Archive (more music videos): http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMonkeesArchive?feature=watch. ?The Monkees? (1966-68 television series): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monkees_%28TV_series%29 (Wikipedia) and http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060010/ (Internet Movie Database).

[RUN HAS CONCLUDED.]

EDITOR?S NOTE:

Robert W. McDowell is editor and publisher of Triangle Review, a FREE weekly e-mail arts newsletter. This review is reprinted with permission from Triangle Review.

If YOUR productions are not listed, please e-mail the SHOW TITLES, DATES, LOCATIONS, and PRESENTER?S NAME to RobertM748@yahoo.com, and be sure to e-mail all your news releases and publicity PHOTOS to that address. (Our ?snail mail? address is Triangle Review, 1828 Honeysuckle Road #13, Raleigh, NC 27609-6220.)

To start your FREE subscription to Triangle Review, e-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type SUBSCRIBE TR in the Subject: line.

To read all of Robert W. McDowell?s Triangle Review previews and reviews online at Triangle Arts & Entertainment, click http://triangleartsandentertainment.org/author/robert-w-mcdowell/.

Tagged as: A Midsummer's Night with The Monkees, AC Entertainment, Broadway Series South, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, The Monkees

Source: http://triangleartsandentertainment.org/2013/08/hey-hey-its-the-monkees-finally/

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William Hill Adds Quickfire Content, Hires New PR Agency | Online ...

August 1, 2013

UK bookies William Hill have added online and mobile casino content courtesy of Microgaming?s Quickfire open platform. Hills debuted its new Microgaming wares on July 17 and Hills director of gaming James Curwen touted the product?s ?world-class? status as well as Microgaming?s capacity for ?rapid development? of new titles. The deal marks something of a supplier merry-go-round, with Microgaming having previously supplied its product to Hills? rival Ladbrokes, who have since switched over to Playtech, who were bought out of the William Hill Online joint venture earlier this year, although they continue to supply content to the site. Curwen stressed that the addition of Quickfire options was simply a stab at ?diversification? and in no way affected Hills? relationship with Playtech.

In other Hills? news, the bookies have tapped the GolinHarris agency to handle their consumer public relations. Following the severing of ties with former agency Lexis, Hills has been trying out GolinHarris for the past couple months, including work on Hills? royal sprog prop bet campaigns. PR Week quoted GolinHarris deputy MD Bibi Hilton saying the company will focus on raising the profile of Hills? online and mobile businesses. Hills is celebrating its 80th birthday in 2014, and the company is keen to avoid being thought of as your granddad?s bookmaker. Hilton said her outfit was keen to put in place ?a new ?always on? strategy? to remind consumers ?how much they love this iconic brand.?

As if on cue, Hills has rolled out a new ad campaign pimping the company?s mobile offering ahead of the new English and Scottish football seasons. The campaign, which will begin airing on Friday (2), was created by Leeds-based Bark & Bite and London prodco Mainframe. Hills? UK marketing director Alex O?Shaughnessy said the new adverts (viewable at the bottom of this page) ?really show our appetite to continually evolve? by providing viewers with facts and stats surrounding individual matches ?to increase engagement and talkability.?

New ?football? seasons are also revving up stateside, where William Hill US operates 75 retail locations across Nevada. Hills US is running three National Football League and college football contests with a total purse of $400k up for grabs. Deadline for entries for all three contests ? Pro Pick ?em, College Pick ?em and Three ?n Out Pro Football ? is Sept. 7 and further details are available via the Williamhill.us site. Stateside PR director Jimmy Vaccaro said the Three ?n Out contest proved ?wildly popular? during this year?s NCAA March Madness and the company expects it will be ?an even bigger hit on the gridiron.? Now, back to the ?real? football promos?

Source: http://calvinayre.com/2013/08/01/business/william-hill-adds-quickfire-content-and-new-pr-agency-preps-for-football/

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Senate Commerce Scrutinizes Energy Drink Marketing

Committee Questions Whether Product is Marketed to Children

?

Energy drink manufacturers took some tough questions from a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Wednesday on the marketing of energy drinks to children - which the witnesses said they did not do - both online and in other media.

A clip from an ad featuring an animated zebra - shades of Joe Camel - and photos of children with cans of the product and in sports settings (skateboarders, for example) were on display to counter claims that the beverages were not aimed at children.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) did not leave the Joe Camel association unstated, pointing out that cigarette manufacturers target the next generation of smokers - those manufacturers always argued their marketing was about brand switching, not recruitment. He advised the energy drink companies to "focus on safety, not semantics."

Representatives of Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar, to varying degrees, promised to take steps to prevent underage consumption of their beverage, which they suggested would be by children 12 and under, but all insisted they do not market to the younger demographic. Asked whether they thought an ad featuring a teenager would appeal to a child, Monster CEO Rodney Sacks said no.

Academics on the witness panel begged to differ.?

Witness Dr. Jennifer Harris, director of marketing initiatives at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale, said that marketing featuring 16-year-olds "are really appealing to younger kids."

The energy drink execs said they were not targeting teens, though they also said teens would not be harmed by drinking their product, citing numerous studies.

They also said that if the government is going to limit caffeine marketing, it needs to look beyond their product to sodas, teas and coffee.?

"We remain open to discussing changes for the entire beverage industry, and believe that any comprehensive effort regarding child and teen nutrition must include all sugar - and caffeine containing beverages," said Amy Taylor, vice president and general manager of Red Bull North America.

Source: http://www.multichannel.com/policy/senate-commerce-scrutinizes-energy-drink-marketing/144713

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Valeant to cut as much as 15% of jobs after Bausch + Lomb deal

NEW YORK ? Valeant says it will eliminate as much as 15% of its work force and move Bausch + Lomb?s headquarters to New Jersey as part of its US$8.7 billion acquisition.

Valeant, which offered to buy Bausch & Lomb in May, had said it would save at least US$800 million by 2014.

In a letter to workers, Valeant says that after the deal closes, it will eliminate between 10% and 15% of positions companywide. That works out to between 1,850 and 2,775 people.

The company expects to save more than US$500 million this year. The combined company would have less than 100 corporate staff, it said.

Valeant had over 7,000 employees as of Dec. 31, a regulatory filing showed. Rochester, New York-based Bausch and Lomb employs about 11,000 people worldwide, according to its website.

The Canadian drugmaker says it will remain based in Quebec, but it will move Bausch + Lomb?s Rochester, N.Y. headquarters to New Jersey.

Valeant says it will continue to operate all of its current U.S. manufacturing locations, including those in Rochester. It added that it expects to receive regulatory approvals by early next month and hopes to close the deal as soon as possible after that.

Valeant, which expects to get regulatory nod by early August, said severance plans for the United States and Canada have been finalized.

With files from The Associated Press, Reuters

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FP_TopStories/~3/xjiUHSNs--A/

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Matt Hardy/Reby Sky Wedding Date Announced, Website Launched

Matt Hardy/Reby Sky Wedding Date Announced, Website Launched

Posted by: Caylon Knox of WrestlingNewsSource.com on Jul 28 2013

Matt Hardy and Reby Sky have announced that they will be getting married on October 3rd. They have even gone as far as to launch an official website at SkyHardWedding.com where fans can read their story, keep in touch with them through social media, and get the latest update on the wedding ceremony.

??WrestlingNewsSource.com is one of the most socially active wrestling websites in the world. To recieve all the latest backstage gossip, spoilers and photos follow us (@WNSource) on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook by clicking the 'LIKE' button below - Over 20,000+ fans have already done so. Don't miss out!

?

Source: http://www.wrestlingnewssource.com/news/30534/Matt-HardyReby-Sky-Wedding-Date-Announced-Website-Launched/

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Will Alex Rodriguez play for Yankees again?

NEW YORK (AP) ? Alex Rodriguez certainly leads the New York Yankees in headlines this season even though he hasn't played a single major league game.

Injuries have kept him away from the team since last year's playoffs, and now Rodriguez faces discipline from Major League Baseball in its drug investigation, possibly up to a lifetime ban.

"The likelihood of a severe punishment for Rodriguez is very high," former Commissioner Fay Vincent said Wednesday.

The three-time AL MVP who turns 38 Saturday is among more than a dozen players MLB has targeted following allegations they were linked to a Florida clinic accused of distributing performance-enhancing drugs.

After Ryan Braun's agreement to accept a 65-game suspension earlier this week, attention has turned to Rodriguez, who four years ago admitted using PEDs while with Texas from 2001-03. He has repeatedly denied using them since, and MLB has never said he failed a test.

Lawyers for MLB and the players' association were set to resume discussions about the Biogenesis investigation Thursday. Though it was unclear who might be penalized next, all eyes were on A-Rod.

The Yankees expect Rodriguez to be accused of using PEDs over multiple seasons, of recruiting other athletes for the clinic, of attempting to obstruct MLB's investigation, and of not being truthful with MLB in the past when he discussed his relationship with Dr. Anthony Galea, who pleaded guilty two years ago to a federal charge of bringing unapproved drugs into the United States from Canada.

"The mess seems very large indeed," said John Thorn, baseball's official historian. "If a lifetime suspension is being brooded about and a plea bargain would involve something lesser but still very substantial, that's a whole bucket of tar dumped on his legacy."

With 647 home runs, fifth on the career list and 115 shy of matching Barry Bonds' career record, Rodriguez is among the most prodigious sluggers in baseball history. And his record contracts have put him in the spotlight, first a $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas that started in 2001 and later a $275 million, 10-year agreement with the Yankees that began in 2008.

But his body has been breaking down and he's been on the disabled list six times in six years. Right hip surgery in March 2009 was followed by left hip surgery this January, three months after the Yankees repeatedly pinch hit for A-Rod and benched him during the playoffs.

Just when it appeared he was ready to rejoin the Yankees this week, the team said he strained his left quadriceps.

Rodriguez has acknowledged taking PEDs before baseball started penalizing their use. In 2009, he attributed his decision to being "young and stupid" and agreed to work for the Taylor Hooton Foundation to combat steroids.

If it turns out he was violating drug rules all along, his reputation may be beyond repair.

"There's no question it's been diminished, and more than many of his contemporaries that also were involved, because in his case the perception now is that the use has been ongoing," NBC and MLB Network broadcaster Bob Costas said. "Now that could change if he somehow successfully defends himself, but if that doesn't happen, then the perception would be that it was not confined to a certain period of time, so it would be impossible to parse how much of his performance was unaided and how much was aided. The shame of all of it is that he clearly would have been an all-time great player without ever using performance-enhancing drugs."

Fox broadcaster and former major league catcher Tim McCarver said he regards Rodriguez "unfortunately, the way I view Ryan Braun, and that's not good. And I viewed A-Rod as a really good guy. Tarnished is understated in these times."

While positive tests lead to a set series of punishments ? 50 games for a first offense, 100 games for a second and a lifetime ban for a third ? MLB is not bound by that for players in the Biogenesis probe because the fixed penalties are only for failed urine and blood tests.

"In theory, they could be suspended for five games or 500 games," union head Michael Weiner said.

Braun negotiated the length of his penalty rather than contest it before an arbitrator. If Rodriguez were to file a grievance, a suspension probably would be pushed back until after a decision and would be delayed until next year.

Vincent learned in the Steve Howe case that lifetime bans are difficult to enforce. He suspended the pitcher for life in June 1992 for Howe's seventh incident related to drugs or alcohol, but Howe was reinstated that November by arbitrator George Nicolau.

Despite that, Vincent feels current Commissioner Bud Selig should not be reticent about pursuing a stiff penalty against Rodriguez.

"I think he ought to come down very hard. I don't think he has much to lose, and everything to gain," Vincent said.

Rodriguez has been a non-factor in the Yankees' season, and much of his $28 million salary this year is being covered by insurance. He is owed an additional $86 million in salary over the next four seasons.

Costas sees a rules change regarding the salary in long-term contracts as the most effective deterrent to drug use. He says management and players should reopen the labor contract and add a new provision.

"If you are found to have used PEDs and you exhaust your appeals ... and you're in the midst of a long-term contract, the team has the right at its discretion to void the contract," he said. "That's an enormous disincentive."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/alex-rodriguez-play-yankees-again-232834123.html

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Some of the most expensive Northeast Florida homes for sale (Slideshow)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Source: www.bizjournals.com --- Thursday, July 25, 2013
If there were any doubt that the high end housing market is trending upward, look no further than this week?s headlines. Standard Pacific Corp. (NYSE: SPF) paid $13.4 million for 109 acres near the Intracoastal area, slated for the development of 270 luxury home sites. A local development group is preparing completely redevelop and rebrand Selva Marina Country Club into Atlantic Beach Country Club ? a $30 million project that will completely redevelop the existing golf course, add 174 home? ...

Source: http://feeds.bizjournals.com/~r/bizj_jacksonville/~3/Csv9ngN-0DM/some-of-the-most-expensive-northeast.html

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24 Hours of Spa 2013: Spectacular Parade on the Streets of Spa Ahead of the 24 Hours

Ahead of the 24 Hours of Spa 2013 this weekend, a stunning parade of thw competing cars took place in the small town center of Spa.

Throughout the parade, officials, organisers, teams and drivers all came together and on public roads as part of a parade. The spectacular gathering of Blancpain Endurance Series racing cars gave their devoted fans a chance to get up close and personal with these high-performance machines while the drivers were busy signing literally thousands of autographs.

While the 24 Hours of Spa 2013 will once again be highlighted by the GT category of racing cars, with at least 70 cars entering the race from 9 different manufacturers like Porsche, Ferrari, Audi, Lamborghini, Mercedes, Aston Martin and McLaren, a number of other races take place during the weekend. Some of these include two races from the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo series, the Cooper Tires British F3 International Series, Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup as well as the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of Great-Britain.

Ultimately however, the actual 24 Hours of Spa endurance race will overshadow the various other series? competing during the weekend. Last year?s winners Rene Rast and Frank Stippler will both return with Rast set to compete in the #1 Audi R8 LMS Ultra yet again. While Stippler will also pilot an Audi R8 LMS Ultra alongside Christopher Miles and Andre Lotterer but in the #2 car. Both are a part of the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT. A notable absentee however is Andrea Piccini.

The Total 24 Hours of Spa 2013 Blancpain Endurance Series will start with pre-qualifying from 18:15 to 19:15 on Thursday followed by the Pit Walk, Qualifying and then Night Qualifying later that day. The Super Pole session will then take place at 18:15 and run for 20 minutes on Friday before the official 20-minute warm up on Saturday morning. The main event will start at 16:30 Saturday afternoon and run for 24 hours (obviously!) until Sunday afternoon.

More about the races and participants this weekend in our Spa 24 Hours 2013 Preview!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GTspirit/~3/ZWgxLfd5VJM/

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Huma Abedin: I Love and Forgive Anthony Weiner

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/07/huma-abedin-i-love-and-forgive-anthony-weiner/

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How The U.S. National Debt Has Taken on a Life of Its Own

Politicians and the mainstream will certainly love this?

Last week, Moody?s Investors Service changed its outlook on the?U.S. national debt?from negative to stable. (Source: Reuters, July 18, 2013.)

Despite the credit reporting agency?s ?upgrade? on U.S. national debt, my opinion remains the same: the U.S. national debt has taken on a life of its own, growing like a bad cancer with no cure in sight.

Consider this:

In June of this year, the U.S. government registered a surplus of $117 billion after a budget deficit of $139 billion in May. On the surface that sounds great. But look a little closer, and we see that interest paid on the U.S. national debt for the month of June was $93.03 billion.

In the fiscal year so far (October 2012 to June 2013), the U.S. government has paid $345.26 billion as interest. For the full fiscal year (ending October 31, 2013), interest rate expense on the U.S. national debt is expected to reach $420.61 billion. (Source: Department of the Treasury, Financial Management Service, July 11, 2013.)

That?s almost half a trillion per year on interest payments only! And we must remember the Federal Reserve is keeping interest rates artificially low. If interest rates doubled (which is not a long-shot concept, considering that even if rates did double from here, they would still be below the 30-year average), the government interest rate payments could read $1.0 trillion a year!

Looking at the U.S. national debt as a percentage of our gross domestic product (GDP), it stood at 105.07% at the end of the first quarter of this year. (Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis web site, last accessed July 19, 2013.)

Comparatively, in the first quarter of 2012, the U.S. national debt-to-GDP ratio was 100.8%. But I thought the Obama Administration said it would cut back on our debt?

Looking back further, in the early 1980s, the ratio of U.S. national debt to GDP stood just above 30%. With the national debt close to reaching $17.0 trillion, looking at the nominal value, the U.S. is the most indebted nation in the global economy.

But this is just one piece of the puzzle. Failing cities, due to staggering budget deficits and troubled states, can cause U.S. national debt to increase even more. We heard Friday morning that Detroit filed for bankruptcy, leaving more than 100,000 creditors astray. (Source:?Detroit Free Press, July 18, 2013.) The federal government bailed out General Motors Company (NYSE/GM); will it bail out ?Motor City??

Dear reader, U.S. national debt has skyrocketed?that?s not a hidden fact anymore. And this is a major concern for the sovereignty of this nation. Our credit rating is still top-notch, but I beg to ask the question: how long can it last?

When the government incurs a budget deficit, it must come up with money to pay for its expenses. The government can pay its bills by either increasing the national debt (selling bonds bought by a Federal Reserve that just prints money and gives it to the government) or by raising taxes. But raising taxes is not popular with politicians because such an action would threaten their chances of getting re-elected.

Higher interest rates are on their way. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury has risen from 1.50% one year ago to 2.47% today. Getting away from annual trillion-dollar deficits will be difficult for the government, as what it saves on budget cuts will be compromised by higher interest payments and possible bailouts for cities and states.

Michael?s Personal Notes:

Wherever we turn to in the media today, we hear or read the?U.S. economy?is witnessing a period of economic growth. The media and politicians cite an improving luxury car market, rising real estate prices, and jobs growth.

On the contrary, and as I have been writing in these pages for months (if not years), economic growth in the U.S. economy can only occur when consumers are optimistic and feel better about spending; the opposite of that is happening right now.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, sales at restaurants and bars in the U.S. economy plummeted the most in June since February of 2008. Sales at restaurants and bars also witnessed a decline in May. (Source:?Wall Street Journal, July 15, 2013.)

In times of economic growth, consumers go out and spend money. As purchases at restaurants and bars are discretionary, this tells me consumers in the U.S. either don?t really want to spend or don?t have much to spend.

U.S. companies are also painting a picture of slowing consumer spending. Consider General Electric Company (NYSE/GE), one of the pioneer companies in the U.S. economy. General Electric (GE) reported second-quarter earnings that beat estimates, but the company?s revenues declined two percent from the same period a year ago. (Source: General Electric Company web site, July 19, 2013.) In times of economic growth, you want to see earnings increasing with revenues.

Why aren?t the consumers in the U.S. economy spending?

Wages of employees in the U.S. economy in real terms, adjusted for inflation, are declining. In June, real average weekly earnings for all employees in the U.S. declined 0.1% from May. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 16, 2013.)

The jobs market in the U.S. economy is still weak. The ?official? figures do not include people who have given up looking for work and those who want full-time work but can only get part-time work. And the majority of job creation since the credit crisis hit has been in the low-wage-paying sectors.

Troubles for the average joe just don?t end here. Right now, we are seeing rising oil prices?and this will put more pressure on consumer spending in the U.S.

So what?s the truth of the matter? There is no real economic growth in the U.S. economy.

About the Author?-?Michael Lombardi, MBA?at?Profit Confidential, a daily publication?for Lombardi Financial customers. ?(EconMatters author archive?Here)?

The views and opinions expressed herein are?the author's own, and do not necessarily reflect those of?EconMatters.

? EconMatters All Rights Reserved | Facebook | Twitter | Post Alert | Kindle

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EconMatters/~3/euK6Ho6sqCI/how-us-national-debt-has-taken-on-life.html

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Detroit bankruptcy tests state pension protections

As the once-proud city of Detroit humbles itself in bankruptcy court, its financial future may hinge on this key question: Is the city obliged to its past? Or can Detroit renege on its promises to thousands of retirees for the sake of its present city services?

The legal question at the heart of Detroit's bankruptcy filing has never definitively been answered by the nation's highest courts. But it could become increasingly important as cities from coast to coast are grappling with shortfalls in pension funds that left unchecked could force cutbacks to police, firefighters and other essential city services.

On Wednesday, the federal judge overseeing Detroit's bankruptcy ruled that city employees could not go to state courts to keep their pensions out of the bankruptcy case. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes said he would hear the pensioners' arguments in his court.

Some cities, like Detroit, are located in states where pension benefits are guaranteed in full according to state constitutions, statutes or court precedent. Yet Detroit's emergency manager is asserting that those guarantees go away in federal bankruptcy court, leaving retirees in the same pool as numerous other creditors who may get mere cents for each dollar they are owed.

"There's not a lot of previous case law that tells us what's going to happen here," said Paul Secunda, a Marquette University law professor who specializes in labor and benefits issues.

"It's not just an issue of bankruptcy law and pension law, it's also an issue of federalism," Secunda said. "Can a federal bankruptcy court basically ignore a state constitutional provision and allow a city like Detroit to ignore its previous promises concerning public employee pensions?"

The question matters because pensions pose a major liability for states, counties, cities, schools and other local governmental entities. A report released earlier this year by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that the nation's largest cities had a combined pension shortfall of almost $100 billion and an even larger shortfall in retiree health-care benefits as the nation's financial crisis peaked in the 2009 fiscal year.

Although municipal finances generally have improved since then, many local retirement plans remain on an unsustainable path, the Pew organization said.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr contend that retiree benefits should be able to be trimmed along with other debts to restore the city's finances. Detroit has about 21,000 retired workers who are owed benefits, with underfunded obligations of about $3.5 billion for pensions and $5.7 billion for retiree health coverage.

"There have to be concessions," Orr said earlier this week.

A similar situation is unfolding in Stockton, Calif., which entered bankruptcy in April after its property tax revenues were hit hard by the housing crisis. Stockton owes the California Public Employees' Retirement System about $900 million to cover pension promises, by far the city's largest financial obligation. The city already has tried to save costs elsewhere by slashing employment, cutting health benefits for current workers and limiting its police force to responding only to emergencies in progress.

Bond insurers contend that pension cuts should be part of Stockton's debt reduction plan to be submitted to a bankruptcy judge in September. Attorneys for the creditors argue that employees who benefited when economic times were good should have to share the pain now that times are bad.

But union representatives contend retiree benefits already have been earned and shouldn't be part of the discussion in bankruptcy court.

"It's essentially similar to salary ? you just don't reach inside somebody's savings account and take their pay back, nor should you reach inside their pension and deny them their pension benefits," said Steve Kreisberg, director of collective bargaining and pensions for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

The legal arguments could center on two provisions of the U.S. Constitution ? Article 6, which declares U.S. laws to be supreme; and the 10th Amendment, which reserves for states all powers not constitutionally delegated to the federal government.

Laws governing local public employee pensions are one of those areas left to state control.

Federal bankruptcy laws also require states to grant permission before their local governments can file Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy cases. Only about half the states have authorized municipal bankruptcy filings, and many of those have done so only in limited circumstances.

The question for courts is whether a state's pension laws take greater precedence because of their 10th Amendment powers, or whether states have essentially waived that right by agreeing to let cities to participate in federal bankruptcy proceedings.

"The cases in Stockton and Detroit are similar in that they will answer the question on how far the U.S. Bankruptcy Code goes and whether that trumps state law," said Karol Denniston, a San Francisco attorney who specializes in municipal restructuring and monitors bankruptcies across the nation. "There are a lot of cities watching how this plays out."

Other recent municipal bankruptcies provide only limited guidance.

Rhode Island lacked a pension-guarantee law similar to Michigan's when the city of Central Falls filed for bankruptcy in 2011. Under a settlement approved last year by a federal bankruptcy judge, some retired Central Falls workers took pension cuts of more than 50 percent. But the state created a fund to help offset some of those lost benefits.

The city of Vallejo, Calif., which filed for bankruptcy in 2008, had threatened to stop paying pension benefits, but an out-of-court settlement was reached that set no precedent on the issue.

If a federal bankruptcy judge in Detroit or Stockton overrules state laws against pension reductions, "we would have a constitutional crisis at that point," said Hank Kim, the executive director of the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems, a trade association for public pension plans.

But it also could provide a path to financial stability for other troubled cities.

"It could potentially have a large impact in how these pension obligations get treated," Secunda said.

___

Associated Press writer Tracie Cone contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/detroit-bankruptcy-tests-state-pension-protections-065517091.html

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Lennox considering moving jobs out of Marshalltown

Lennox confirmed to KCCI on Tuesday that it is considering moving jobs from its Marshalltown plant to Mexico.

KCCI has been working since Monday afternoon to confirm reports with the company of coming job changes. ?On Tuesday, the company answered requests for information.

"It is too early to say how many jobs would be moving to Mexico. This is based on future capacity issues that make expanding its Mexico plant the best option,"?John Hurst told KCCI on Tuesday. He is the vice president of government affairs and communications for Lennox.

Some of the heating system production jobs would go to the facility in Saltillo, Mexico, by 2015, which is undergoing an expansion.

Jeffrey Vajgrt and Mark Mitchell have worked at the Lennox plant in Marshalltown for more than 20 years each.

"I think it is a real bad thing," said Mitchell.

"What's going on is wrong," said Vajgrt.

A fact sheet was handed out to Lennox workers on Monday. It addresses questions like, Why is Lennox proposing to move the jobs, why employees should work hard in the face of these types of decisions and is there a chance the jobs will stay put.

"We put hard work into this company. We work as hard as we possibly can and we product as much as they allow us to product," said Mitchell.

Ron McInroy is the Region 4 director of the United Auto Workers. He oversees Marshalltown local 883, which represents Lennox employees. ?He released a statement about the potential job losses on Tuesday:

Source: http://www.kcci.com/news/central-iowa/lennox-considering-moving-jobs-out-of-marshalltown/-/9357080/21130724/-/m2i2b6/-/index.html?absolute=true

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Gingrich: Why hasn't America progressed on race? (CNN)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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IAAF plans 'comprehensive blood testing' at worlds

MONACO (AP) ? Track and field's governing body will use a "comprehensive blood testing program" at the world championships in Moscow.

The sport has been rocked by several doping scandals, with sprinters Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson among a number of athletes to fail recent tests.

On Wednesday, the IAAF said it will have a "sophisticated anti-doping program" in place for worlds next month.

The IAAF will incorporate the findings into its biological passport program and use it to help detect "steroid or growth hormone doping more relevant to the power disciplines."

The passport program monitors an athlete's blood profile over time to look for any signs of doping.

The IAAF will test approximately 500 urine samples, which will be kept for long-term storage for possible re-analysis.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iaaf-plans-comprehensive-blood-testing-worlds-170254291.html

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Manfrotto Pixi Mini Tripod Actually Supports Heavier DSLR Cameras

Manfrotto, known for their higher-quality camera stabilization gear, made a mini tripod actually worth using. Unlike the cheap options you'll find, it adjusts easily, won't break after moderate use, and still fits in your pocket.

The downside? It does add a little bulk. To make a mini tripod solid, it seems they needed to add a little extra heft. That said, the negligible size difference won't impact whether or not you can port this tiny guy around or not. The rotating head makes for easy adjustments, and a little push button can lock it in place once you have your camera right where you want it. Although designed for point-and-shoot cameras, this thing can handle DSLRs, too?just don't put a giant lens on it. You can get a crappy alternative for $8, but for $25 the Pixi is a mini tripod you can actually rely on.

Manfrotto PIXI Mini Tripod ($25) | Amazon via Gear Hungry

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/Pir-0v4ARSI/manfrotto-pixi-mini-tripod-actually-supports-heavier-ds-868171807

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The Mystery of Death Valley's "Sailing Stones" Solved (...again)

?I love to sail forbidden seas, ??
Herman Melville in ?Moby Dick? (1851)

Strange tracks cover a muddy plain, located in a remote part of Death Valley National Park, named appropriately Racetrack-Playa. Most of these tracks end behind large boulders of dolostone or syenite, some however start and end without an apparent object nearby. In the first case, it seems reasonable to assume that the rocks moving along the ground formed the furrows ? however nobody ever observed the actual process of formation.

The sailing rocks of Death Valley were studied since 1948, when geologists Jim McAllister and Allen Agnew mapped the area and noted the tracks. In March 1952 geologist Thomas Clement tried to observe the rocks moving, but a heavy thunderstorm forced him into his tent. Only the next morning he noted fresh formed tracks on the ground and a thin layer of water covering the ground.? As most of the tracks coincide with the overall wind direction (southwest to northeast), it was assumed that the wind pushed the rocks over the wet and slippery mud. However this hypothesis could explain only a part of the moving rocks, especially the smaller ones. Curiously there is no correlation between the size of the rock and length of the track, even if it seems that larger boulders seem to travel less than smaller ones.

In the following years the strangest ideas tried to explain the mystery of Racetrack-Playa: extraterrestrials, geologists or animals pushing the stones, a hoax to fool tourists, earthquakes, magnetic or gravitational anomalies and unknown wind and water currents.

Geographer George Stanley Druhot (1914-1983) assumed a dominant role of ice, not only as slippery surface, but also as a sort of sail, when ice forms plates around the boulders and increases the surface on which the wind can act.

In 2010 a research team from various institutions (NASA, Slippery Rock University (!)- Pennsylvania, University of Wyoming) reanalyzed the geological and meteorological conditions at Racetrack-Playa, finding evidence to support Stanley?s idea. Geologist Paula Messina showed that the ground is covered by argillaceous sediments and bacterial mats, forming under wet conditions a very slippery surface. The climatic data showed also that ice can in fact form during wintertime in Death Valley, when also most tracks on Racetrack-Playa are formed.? The ice hypothesis (and similar models) explains also the tracks without apparent object nearby, as the chunk of ice melted after the formation of the track, and the deepening of some furrows behind the respective boulder, as the plate of ice surrounding the boulder melts, the rock tends to sink deeper into the mud.

Most researchers agree that a simplistic ? one factor assuming ? model fails to explain all the sailing rocks. It?s probably the odd combination of mud and bacteria, forming a slippery ground, the topography, forcing the wind into one prevalent direction, the sizes of the boulders, the particular temperature changes experienced in Death Valley and the occasional formation of ice, that like a ghostly hand moves the rocks around the desert.

Bibliography:

MILLER, M.B. (2005): Geological landscapes of the Death Valley region. Earth-Science Review 73:17-30

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/~r/sciam/basic-science/~3/_-zUpd6IBbI/post.cfm

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