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Art Spiegelman's Picks

  • Benny and Penny In the Big No-No!

    By Toon Books

    Out of Stock
    • Format: Hardcover
    • ISBN-13: 9780979923890
    • Publisher: RAW JUNIOR
    • Published: April 2009
    Two young mice suspect their new neighbor has stolen their garden pail in this Toon Book graphic novel. (Ages: 4+).
  • Captain Easy, Soldier of Fortune: The Complete Sunday Newspaper Strips

    By Roy Crane

    Our Price: $12.95 - $24.00
    • Format: Oversize Hardcover
    • ISBN-13: 9781606991619
    • Publisher: Fantagraphic Books
    • Published: March 2010
    With Wash Tubbs, Roy Crane created the American adventure comic strip. But his greatest creation was the CAPTAIN EASY Sunday page. Commencing with this volume, Fantagraphics is reprinting the complete run of Roy Crane's CAPTAIN EASY in four volumes. In this first installment, Captain Easy visits a lost city, battles pirates, dons a diving suit in search of sunken treasure. And everywhere he goes, he finds beautiful women, or beautiful women find him. All of the pages in this book, with one exception, are from color scans of Sunday pages printed in newspapers. The one exception is the strip for October 6, 1935, where no color newspaper page could be found. That page has been hand colored in-house from a scan of a page in a newspaper that ran the strip in black and white. Color illus. 132p.
  • City of Glass

    By Paul Auster

    Our Price: $7.95 - $8.00
    • Format: Paperback
    • ISBN-13: 9780312423605
    • Publisher: Picador
    • Published: August 2004
    First published in 1985, 'City of Glass' stands as the first installment of Paul Auster's New York Trilogy. Here, it has been brilliantly transformed into a graphic novel that loses none of the nuance of the original. It even gains in effect, due to the collaborative imaginative effort that brings it successfully to this format: 'Machine-like, fitful, alternating between slow and rapid gestures, rigid and yet expressive, as if the operation were out of control, strict, not quite corresponding to the will that lay behind it.' Black-and-white illustration throughout. 144p.
  • Denys Wortman's New York: Portrait of the City in the 1930s and 1940s

    By Denys Wortman

    Our Price: $15.00
    • Format: Oversize Paperback
    • ISBN-13: 9781770460133
    • Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly
    • Published: November 2010
    Presented as a panorama of a single day in New York City, this collection of drawings by Denys Wortman goes a long way in 'rescuing' the cartoonist's work from oblivion. The result of some online sleuthing by James Sturm led to a connection with Wortman's son, who relayed that an archive of more than five thousand illustrations was literally sitting in his shed. For over thirty-five years, they'd been fighting the elements, i.e., rodents, rusty paperclips, and even a blizzard! Here, from coal cellars to roof tops, and opera houses to boarding houses, Wortman recorded the sailors, dishwashers, con artists, entertainers, pushcart peddlers, construction workers, musicians, hobos, society mastrons, young mothoers, secretaries, and students who collectively made the city what it was and is today. Index of Dates of Drawings. B&W illustrations throughout. 288p.
  • Footnotes in Gaza

    By Joe Sacco

    Our Price: $26.95
    • Format: Oversize Paperback
    • ISBN-13: 9780805092776
    • Publisher: Metropolitan Books
    • Published: October 2010
    Rafah, a town at the bottommost tip of the Gaza Strip, has long been a notorious flashpoint in the bitter Middle East conflict. Buried deep in the archives is one bloody incident, in 1956, that left 111 Palestinians shot dead by Israeli soldiers. In a quest to get to the heart of what happened, Joe Sacco immerses himself in the daily life of Rafah and the neighboring town of Khan Younis, uncovering Gaza past and present. As in Palestine and Safe Area Goradze, his unique visual journalism renders a contested landscape in brilliant, meticulous detail. Spanning fifty years, moving fluidly between one war and the next, Sacco's most ambitious work to date transforms a critical conflict into an intimate and immediate experience. Illustrations throughout. 432p.
  • George Grosz: An Autobiography

    By George Grosz

    Our Price: $17.00
    • Format: Paperback
    • ISBN-13: 9780520213272
    • Published: April 1998
    This acclaimed autobiography by one of the twentieth century's greatest satirical artists is as much a graphic portrait of Germany in chaos after the Treaty of Versailles as it is a memoir of a remarkable artist's development. Grosz's account of a world gone mad is as acute and provocative as the art that depicts it, and this translation of a work long out of print restores the spontaneity, humor, and energy of the author's German text. It also includes a chapter on Grosz's experience in the Soviet Union--omitted from the original English-language edition--as well as more writings about his twenty-year self-imposed exile in America, and a fable written in English.
  • Graphic Women: Life Narrative and Contemporary Comics

    By Hillary L. Chute

    Out of Stock
    • Format: Paperback
    • ISBN-13: 9780231150637
    • Publisher: Columbia University Press
    • Published: October 2010
    Gender and Culture Series
  • It Was the War of the Trenches

    By Jacques Tardi

    Our Price: $15.00
    • Format: Hardcover
    • ISBN-13: 9781606993538
    • Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
    • Published: April 2010
    A dark examination of World War I delves into the human cost of the war and the insanity of war by focusing on the doughboys on their day-to-day missions rather than the causes of the war, the politics, the strategies or the battles.
  • Krazy & Ignatz 1916-1918: 'Love In a Kestle or Love In a Hut': Covering the Full-Page Comic Strips, 1916-1918

    By George Herriman

    Out of Stock
    • Format: Oversize Paperback
    • ISBN-13: 9781606993163
    • Published: February 2010
    This volume presents the first three years' Sundays of George Herriman's masterpiece, featuring his immortal triangle of 'kat,' 'mice,' and 'pupp'. In addition to these newly restored stripsthe book includes intriguing biographical material about Herriman by series editor Bill Blackbeard and a portfolio of never-before-reprinted pre-Krazy Kat Herriman strips including some early sightings of Pre-Krazy Kat (felines) - plus some special surprises. Color/b&w illus.
  • Lint #20, The Acme Novelty Library

    By Chris Ware

    Our Price: $21.55
    • Format: Hardcover
    • ISBN-13: 9781770460201
    • Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly
    • Published: October 2010
    In keeping with his goal of issuing a volume of his occasionally lauded ACME series once every new autumn, volume 20 finds cartoonist Chris Ware continuing his "Rusty Brown" graphic novel experiment.
  • Masterpiece Comics

    By R. Sikoryak

    Our Price: $17.95
    • Format: Oversize Hardcover
    • ISBN-13: 9781897299845
    • Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly
    • Published: September 2009
    This slim but densely sly volume collects twenty years of R. Sikoryak's classic lit/classic comics mashups. Blondie and Dagwood act out Genesis in 'Blonde Eve'; Garfield tempts Jon into a deal with the devil in 'Mephistofield'; and Batman turns into Raskol for a reworking of 'Crime and Punishment.' These retellings linger on the philosophical underpinnings of such tales. Color illus. 65p.
  • Passionella: And Other Stories

    By Jules Feiffer

    Our Price: $12.00
    • Format: Hardcover
    • ISBN-13: 9781560970972
    • Published: July 2006
    (The Collected Works, Volume IV). This volume collects Feiffer's finest extended graphic narratives of the late '50s and early '60s. Its centerpiece, 'Passionella,' a retelling of Cinderella set in modern Hollywood, concerns a chimney sweep whose fairy godmother transforms her into the 'mysterious exotic bewitching temptress' - and movie star - Passionella. B&W illustrations throughout. 180p.
  • Popeye Volume 4: 'Plunder Island'

    By E.C. Segar

    Out of Stock
    • Format: Oversize Hardcover
    • ISBN-13: 9781606991695
    • Published: August 2009
    With this fourth volume of the series, Segar's Poeye reaches one of its highest peaks in 'Plunder Island,' the glorious, epic-length Sunday-continuity adventure that ran for eight months and pitted the intrepid sailorman against the malevolent Sea Hag and her terrifyiing, grotesque sidekick the goon - helped, and sometimes hindered by, the easily corruptible J. Wellington Wimpy. Presented here for the first time in its complete, full-color, uncut glory! Meanwhile, the 'dailies' section rocks! Illus., color/b&w. 168p.
  • Saul Steinberg: Illuminations

    By Saul Steinberg

    Our Price: $45.00
    • Format: Oversize Hardcover
    • ISBN-13: 9780300115864
    • Publisher: Yale University Press
    • Published: November 2006
    Published on the occasion of the exhibition @Morgan Library, NYC, Nov.30.2006-Mar.4.20 07. Though best known for his barbed and brilliant art for The New Yorker, Saul Steinberg (1914-1999) did much more. He executed public murals, designed fabrics & stage sets, was an inventive collagist and printmaker, and turned his magic touch to the fields of painting, sculpture, advertising, and even wartime propaganda. This is the first retrospective of his total oeuvre. Previously unseen sketches, documents, & printed matter illustrate the essay, career chronology, & entries for 120 objects featured in this considerable publication. Illus., 170 color/135 b&w. 272p.
  • Seasons

    By Blexbolex

    Our Price: $20.65
    • Format: Hardcover
    • ISBN-13: 9781592700950
    • Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
    • Published: April 2010
    Words & prhases loosely associated with the seasons appear in a blocky pink font on each page above grainy milutivariously colored prints. The grainy matte paper, rich colors , and deceptively simple images combine to create breathtaking effects. 180p. (Ages: 4-8).


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Friday Freebie 8-12

Let’s give away another prize. This time you’re playing for the t-shirt of your choice from T-Shirt Bordello.

Today’s contest, the mystery boxes

We just received two boxes. Both are 11″ x 9″ x 9″ and together weigh 47 pounds. First one to correctly guess what’s in them wins the shirt.

Answers MUST BE posted on the Facebook page to qualify.

If no one guesses the correct answer then we will pick the funniest answer. Deadline is 6pm EST.

After a whopping 3 minutes Crystal correctly guessed that they are boxes of new Beaver Badge stickers

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
  • Crystal Packard

    I ROCK!

    How do I get my shirt???

    thanks 🙂

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2015 IADR/Straumann Award in Regenerative Periodontal Medicine presented to Mariano Sanz

Basel, 1 April 2015 – At the General Session of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) in Boston, MS, USA, the 2015 IADR/Straumann Award in Regenerative Periodontal Medicine was presented to Professor Mariano Sanz in recognition of his remarkable achievements in the field – both in basic and in clinical periodontal research.

The focus of Professor Sanz’ research in the area of regenerative therapies has been on the use of periodontal stem cells and cementoblasts in experimental models and in clinical trials. He has authored over 200 scientific articles in peer reviewed scientific journals in periodontology and implant dentistry.

Worth USD 5000, the IADR/Straumann Award was created to honor significant contributions in basic and/or clinical research in regenerative periodontal or peri-implant medicine. This year’s Award was presented by Prof. Evanthia Lalla, President of the IADR Periodontal Research Group and Professor of Dental Medicine at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine.

At the ceremony, Prof. Lalla commended Mariano Sanz as “an internationally renowned researcher in periodontology, whose work and remarkable achievements over many years are widely recognized”. “He has led cutting-edge clinical trials evaluating various approaches to hard- and soft-tissue regeneration around teeth and dental implants, and assessing different protocols in implant surgery and the treatment of peri-implant infections. This prestigious award is a further testament to his long-standing contributions to periodontal research and his support to the IADR and its mission”, she added.

Mariano Sanz is Professor of Periodontics and Director of the ETEP (Etiology and Therapy of Periodontal Diseases) Research Group at the University Complutense of Madrid, Spain. He is past President of the Pan European Region of the IADR, the European Federation of Periodontology, the Spanish Society of Periodontology, and the Association for Dental Education in Europe. Prof. Sanz is a member of the editorial board of 10 international dental journals and serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Clinical Periodontology and the Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice.

The IADR/Straumann Award and previous winners

Initiated in 2010, the IADR/Straumann Award in Regenerative Periodontal Medicine is sponsored by Straumann and administered by the Periodontal Research Group of the IADR. Previous winners are: Martha Somerman, Ulf Wikesjö, Nikolaos Donos, Anton Sculean, Andreas Stavropoulos, and Mark Bartold. Straumann is a leading contributor to R&D in implant and regenerative dentistry and this award is a further example of the Group’s long tradition in fostering and recognizing excellence in dental research.

About the International Association for Dental Research

The International Association for Dental Research (IADR), headquartered in Alexandria, Va., USA, is a nonprofit organization with nearly 11,000 members worldwide. Its mission is: (1) to advance research and increase knowledge for the improvement of oral health worldwide; (2) to support and represent the oral health research community; and (3) to facilitate the communication and application of research findings. For more information on the IADR, see www.iadr.org . Within the IADR, the Periodontal Research Group is the forum for members who are active in periodontology. Its aim is to improve periodontal health through encouraging research activities.

About Straumann

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Straumann (SIX: STMN) is a global leader in implant, restorative and regenerative dentistry. In collaboration with leading clinics, research institutes and universities, Straumann researches, develops and manufactures dental implants, instruments, prosthetics and tissue regeneration products for use in tooth replacement and restoration solutions or to prevent tooth loss. Straumann currently employs approximately 2400 people worldwide and its products and services are available in more than 70 countries through its broad network of distribution subsidiaries and partners.


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Tilton Engineering, Inc.

Tilton Engineering, Inc. Overview

Tilton Engineering, Inc. Overview

Since 1972, Tilton Engineering has been a major supplier of innovative products to the racing and high-performance communities. Tilton's industry leading products include racing clutches, flywheels, bellhousings, hydraulic release bearings, pedal assemblies, master cylinders and starters. All products are engineered to provide uncompromised performance, reliability and durability.

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Ventura County Personal Injury Lawyer – Conejo Valley Personal Injury Law Firm

Ventura County Personal Injury Attorney

Conejo Valley Personal Injury Lawyer Serving Ventura County CaliforniaThe Law Offices of Stuart Sherman is a personal injury law firm that provides legal representation to individuals located throughout Ventura County, San Fernando Valley, and the Conejo Valley.

For over 20 years our law firm has been helping people obtain financial compensation for their injuries. Our attorneys are extremely well-versed in California personal injury law, and work relentlessly to obtain a favorable outcome for our clients. At the Law Offices of Stuart Sherman, we are dedicated to protecting our clients’ rights and best interest, and making sure legal justice is served.

When an individual suffers an injury or wrongful death as the result of another person’s negligence, he or she is entitled to monetary damages. Personal injury laws were established so accident victims could receive compensation for their pain, suffering, emotional trauma, medical expenses, and lost wages. Read More »

Posted in Featured, Personal Injury | Comments Off

Are Street Lights Required to Make A Street Safe?

First, the city is liable to the public if there exists a dangerous, as opposed to a trivial, defect on its property and either the defect was caused by an employee of the city or the city was aware of the defect or existed for a long enough period of time that it should have discovered the defect.  The general rule in California is that a municipality is under no duty to light its streets even though it is given the power to do so, and hence, that its failure to light them is not actionable negligence, and will not render it liable in damages to a traveler who is injured solely by reason thereof.

However, there is an exception to this general rule.  A duty to light, and the consequent liability for failure to do so, may, however, arise from some peculiar condition rendering lighting necessary in order to make the streets safe for travel.

In essence, there must exist a “peculiar” condition making lighting necessary in order for safe travel on the streets.

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Auto Accident Attorney In Moorpark, CA

Stuart Sherman Personal Injury AttorneyAuto Accident Attorney  in Moorpark, CA

The law office of Stuart Sherman specialize in auto accident injury law in Moorpark for the last 20 years and have settled hundreds of cases. At our office we pride ourselves on having affective strategies and achieve successful results. If you have been injured in an auto accident and would like help , you could be entitled to compensation . The offices of Stuart sherman is passionate about helping other people and figting for the just cause of his clients.We would provide the  assistance you deserve. I would love to meet with you and discuss your personal injury case and financial loss.

How we can help you recover from your injuries

Here at Stuart Sherman we pride ourselves on getting you the maximum settlement for your auto accident injuries.

  • Medical expenses
  • Lost wages or earnings
  • Financial support
  • Household assistance

Schedule free consultation

The law office of Stuart Sherman in Moorpark, CA is available to meet with you for a consultation regarding your injuries from your auto accident,  Lets see how we can get you the compensated and justice you deserve regarding your auto accident .

30961 W. Agoura Rd. Suite 103
Westlake Village, California 91361
Phone: (818) 706-3790
FAX: (877) 706-3795

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Dog Bite Liability vs. Other Animal Liability

Domestic pets are very common in California.  What if one a pet injures a person in a home or out on the street.  Is the owner liable?  The answer depends on the type of animal that bit or attacked the victim.  If the animal is a dog, California has a strict liability statute.  Civil Code Section 3342 holds the owner liable for any bite caused their dog in any private or public place.  The owner is liable even though it may be the first time the dog ever bit anyone or even if the owner was not aware of the dog’s propensity to bite.  Keep in mind that California has this strict liability statute for dogs only.  Other types of domestic animals, such as cats, horses, etc…, strict liability does not apply.  Hence, if a horse bites an individual, the owner would not be liable unless it can be shown that the particular horse has bit someone in the the past or the owner was previously aware of the horse’s propensity to bite.  This will be very difficult to show as the owner usually will never admit that he or she is aware of their horse’s propensity to bite.  Thus, unless there is some record (i.e. animal control report) or a witness who can confirm past vicious conduct, liability would be very difficult to prove.

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Is Medical Payments A Necessary Coverage?

Medical Payments, also known as simply med-pay, is coverage on the automobile policy where the automobile insurance company will pay for all reasonable medical expenses incurred following an accident up to the coverage amount.  For example, if the medical payments on the policy shows $5,000.00, the automobile insurance company will pay up to $5,000.00 for each person injured in the accident.  If one does not have private health insurance, it may be a good idea to have medical payments coverage on the policy to cover these expenses.

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Is Collision Coverage Necessary?

Collision coverage pays for the damages to your vehicle regardless of who was at fault for the accident.  If the other party is at fault and uninsured, then good luck trying to collect against that individual.  In this circumstance, it is good to have collision coverage, especially if you do not have uninsured motorist property damage coverage.  Since there are many people who still drive without insurance and if the vehicle you are operating is relatively expensive to repair, given it’s age, make, and model, it may be a good idea to have collision coverage on your vehicle.

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Top Five Motorcycle Laws You Should Know

1.  Motorcycles can drive in Carpool Lanes pursuant to Calif. Vehicle Code 21655.5(b) and 21712(h).

2.  When parking, one wheel must be touching the curb pursuant to Calif. Vehicle Code 22502(a).

3.  Lane sharing is not addressed in the vehicle code but if one is going in and out of lanes, it is a violation of Calif. Vehicle Code 22107.

4.  Headphones can be used but only in one ear pursuant to Calif. Vehicle Code 27400.

5.  Handle bars cannot be more than 6 inches above the shoulders pursuant to Calif. Vehicle Code 27801(b).

Posted in Featured, Motorcycle Accidents | Comments Off


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Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Blurred by Tara Fuller ~ Tour Stop & Giveaway

Source: Received eBook ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review

Book Description:

Cash is haunted by things. Hungry, hollow things. They only leave him alone when Anaya, Heaven’s beautiful reaper, is around. Cash has always been good with girls, but Anaya isn’t like the others. She’s dead. And with his deteriorating health, Cash might soon be as well.

Anaya never breaks the rules, but the night of the fire she recognized part of Cash’s soul—and doomed him to something worse than death. Cash’s soul now resides in an expired body, making him a shadow walker—a rare, coveted being that can walk between worlds. A being creatures of the underworld would do anything to get their hands on.

The lines between life and death are blurring, and Anaya and Cash find themselves falling helplessly over the edge. Trapped in a world where the living don’t belong, can Cash make it out alive?

My Thoughts:

4 stars - Loved Cash even more & my heart broke for him

Dang it this world isn't tough.  Peeps trying to be good and making mistakes but it's just hard, ya know.  Really what this means is the author makes us wait till the very end to see if there can be any happiness in the mess that it took most of the book to make.  Of course, that's one of the reasons that I love this authors books, hehe.

I loved the characters in this book the first time around.  Seeing Emma and Finn was so great.  Unlike a lot of series where there is a shift in character focus, Emma and Finn are still part of the story.  We get to see that their happily ever after isn't perfect but that they are still madly in love.  I loved that.

Loved Cash before and love him more now.  As a matter of fact, he breaks my heart in this book.  The story has a darker tone and poor Chase takes the brunt of that.  I so wanted things to work for him.  It was hard watching things get harder and harder for him.  Truly, there seems to be no way to make things work out even a little bit.  And through it all, Cash is making the right choices.  Yeah, he's pissed at Emma at first but he gets over it.  He body is falling apart and people are keeping things from him but he doesn't want to be part of the wrong team.  But he will protect Anaya.  His feeling for her are so complex.  Some may use that icky instata love to describe it but I'm thinking no on that.  The boy's been searching for her for a long time.  Love that about his soul.

The romance is yummy and sweet.  These two are drawn to each other and I love that.  They fight it and fight it but it can't be fought.  You know I loved Cash more than Anaya, right.  I did.  My heart was breaking for him all the way through.  He's put in the worst possible position and, frankly, Anaya put him there.  So, it took me a while to forgive her.  But I did in the end.

As far as the story goes, I saw a lot of things coming.  This author is really good at closing all the options as the book goes right down to the end but some of the plot points are easy to pick up on.  I was even hoping I was wrong on one big thing but, alas, I was right.  And guess why I still love this book even though I could see things coming.  It's the characters.  I love these characters.  They are rich and real.  They care about each other and they risk for each other.  I even loved the snarkiness that finally came out between Finn and Cash.

If PNR is your thing, then this series is a must.  Such a great one.  Lots of romance with such an interesting world.  YA or adult readers who love paranormal romance will love it.

 Amazon | B&N | TBD | Kobo | iTunes

About the author:

Tara Fuller writes novels. Some about grim reapers. Some about witches. All of course are delightfully full of teen angst and kissing. Tara grew up in a one stop light town in Oklahoma where once upon a time she stayed up with a flash light reading RL Stine novels and only dreamed of becoming a writer. She has a slight obsession with music and a shameless addiction for zombie fiction, Mystery Science Theater, and black and white mochas. Tara no longer lives in a one stop light town. Now she lives with her family in a slightly larger town in North Carolina where they have at least three stoplights.

US Only
1 Paperback of Blurred and a Snake Armband
1 Paperback of Blurred and a Cash inspired T-Shirt

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  1. I really liked the first book in this series and I can't wait to find some time to read this one too! :) I'm glad you enjoyed Val :)

  2. Enoyed reading the first book. :)

  3. Awesome review hon!! I loved this one too. My heart was hurting so much while reading it. I can't wait for Easton's book!!

  4. The book looks great. I can't wait to read it. Thanks!

  5. I loved this book! I completely agree with you on the chemistry between Cash and Anaya. It wasn't so much as insta-love, rather soul mates finding each other. I'm a big fan of Tara Fuller now. x

  6. Excited to read this series! Thanks for the chance to win!

  7. I loved Cash in InBetween, and am so excited he has his own book! It sounds like he really has a rough go of it. This review is so great, Pal! I love how direct you are!

  8. Can't wait to read it. Thanks for the giveaway!!

  9. Cash is definitely a fave of mine. I felt like this was more gloomy than Inbetween though, but still enjoyed it. Great review!

    Confessions of a Vi3tBabe
    Deity Island


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The cost of piracy to New Zealand

Last updated 09:57 16/11/2013
paul campion

Pirated versions of Paul Campion's The Devil's Rock were up on more than 2000 illegal download sites before it had even hit cinemas in New Zealand.

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Paul Campion bet his house on the success of his debut feature film. It didn't seem an unreasonable gamble - he had two acclaimed short films under his belt and years of industry experience. But what he didn't bet on was pirated versions of his movie turning up on more than 2000 illegal download sites before it had even hit cinemas in New Zealand.

Despite critical plaudits and coverage on horror-genre sites worldwide, The Devil's Rock made a loss, recouping about 85 per cent of its budget.

It was enough to keep the house Campion had re-mortgaged to fund the movie, after he gave up his high-paying job at Weta Digital in 2008, to try his luck as a film-maker. But it wasn't enough to fuel his dream.

Because his film made a loss, the Wellington film-maker has been unable to secure further film funding. Two years after The Devil's Rock's 2011 release, he's jobless, picking up occasional freelance work to make ends meet. And there's no question in his mind as to how he got here.

"If you're making a product that people aren't paying for it's impossible to earn a living from it. As a direct result of this, I'm now unemployed and not working in the film industry any more. I'm trying to find work elsewhere, because right now it is absolutely impossible for me to earn a living as a film-maker."

Campion estimates that if every illegal downloader had paid just $1 to watch the film it would have easily made a profit.

In an already tough film-making market, sources say internet piracy is the single biggest issue facing New Zealand's billion-dollar film industry. A Your Weekend investigation has discovered illegal copies of Kiwi movies on YouTube, cyberlockers and on BitTorrent file- sharing sites.

The most sophisticated include synopses, DVD cover scans, and links to film information and critical reviews. If only legitimate distributors were so efficient, one producer moaned.

In the most blatant case uncovered by Your Weekend, a copy of new release Mt Zion posted on YouTube had been watched 17,988 times in four months, with 8800 views in the last month alone. Not only was it being offered for free, the pirated film was earning money through advertising.

And it's not just recent titles that are affected. Your Weekend also found 21 purported versions of Whale Rider on filesharing site Kickass Torrents, including copies in French and Spanish.

A copy of Sir Peter Jackson's 1992 cult hit Braindead has clocked up 24,648 views on YouTube since it was put up in October last year, and a copy of Kiwi classic Goodbye Pork Pie has been watched by 16,312 people.

Asked for his reaction when he found out (via Your Weekend) that almost 18,000 people had watched his movie for free on YouTube, Mt Zion producer Quinton Hita sighs.

"It's great that it's so popular. But it's obviously disappointing that people still don't realise how difficult it is for film-makers in New Zealand to make money."

There was worse news to come. As soon as Hita had staked a copyright claim with YouTube and had the pirated version removed, a second copy appeared in the rankings, which had been watched 10,684 times.

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That's 28,672 potential sales lost. And that's just from YouTube copies. There are likely to be countless more versions on file-sharing sites and encrypted cyberlockers, which are more difficult to track.

But piracy only makes fat cats thinner, right? Mt Zion was the highest grossing New Zealand film this year and took $1.6 million at the box office in Australia and New Zealand. So they must be rolling in the dosh. Right?

Not yet, Hita says. They've made money on paper. But not a lot of money.

"There are a lot of people in line before you, before you start to see any money. I think nine out of 10 films, the producers don't see any money back for films made in New Zealand. Which is why there are very few film-makers who can make a living solely through making films."

The tight margins also mean piracy can have a disproportionate impact on Kiwi movies.

In 2010, the Screen Association (previously the Federation Against Copyright Theft) estimated piracy cost the New Zealand film industry $70 million. However, that appears to be an extrapolation from a 2005 Motion Picture Association study.

The difficulty is not so much quantifying piracy - Kiwis were illegally watching 50,000 movies a month at the last count, according to Screen Association tracking; what's tricky is putting a value on it. And that's also one of the biggest barriers to stopping it. Illegal downloaders often argue that film-makers or musicians don't lose money from piracy, because they wouldn't otherwise pay to watch their movie or listen to their song.

It's an argument that causes film-makers to visibly bristle.

"I would like an Audi R8, but I can't afford it," Campion says. "I might think they're overpriced, but does that mean I'm going to steal one? You're stealing a product that costs money to make. If people keep stealing them, there will be fewer and fewer films."

New Zealand Film Commission acting CEO Mladen Ivancic says New Zealand films have been less profitable in the past five years. However, it's hard to pin that to an increase in piracy, as it coincided with the global financial crisis and a general downturn in DVD sales.

Nonetheless, he doesn't believe that illegal downloads have had no financial impact. While some freeloaders would not otherwise pay to watch the movie, potential paying customers also take advantage of free copies.

That contention is supported by research that found digital movie sales increased 6-10 per cent at two major film studios, after the 2012 shutdown of Kim Dotcom's cyberlocker Megaupload.

But piracy doesn't seem to have slashed New Zealand box office sales, which have remained steady at $162 million over the past two years.

Another Wellington film-maker, Costa Botes, has just been called evil and likened to a Nazi, after demanding that a website owner remove from the site an illegal copy of his documentary The Last Dogs of Winter. That's the level of anger and emotion piracy debates provoke.

While he can't put a number on what piracy costs him, Botes's experience shows that it does do measurable damage.

Having kept a tight rein on all copies of Last Dogs, Botes managed to navigate the film's cinema release without pirated versions turning up online. It wasn't until a shorter version screened on television in Australia that an illegal copy turned up on YouTube.

The only reason Botes found it was because a cinema owner in Winnipeg, Canada - where the film is set - sent him an email backing out of an arranged screening.

"I said 'Why?' and he said 'Because your film is up on YouTube'."

Botes argues that piracy has transformed into a nightmare the promised digital utopia of increased demand and easy access to world markets. The 1980s, when he sold a 30-minute documentary to TVNZ for about $10,000, now seem like a golden age. Today, if he can sell it at all, he might get $2000-$3000 for an entire feature film on a niche channel such as Rialto. So every lost rights sale, or lost opportunity to publicise the movie through an overseas screening, is significant.

Botes successfully applied to YouTube to get the movie taken down, and the Canadian screening went ahead. But what he found more galling than anything was the fact that the pirate was making money out of his work.

"I was upset that there was advertising on there, and I was really upset, because it was New Zealand advertising."

It's bad enough, he reasons, that YouTube allows people to post videos without making any effort to verify their copyright. To then allow them to make money out of other people's work is, he argues, unforgivable.

So he challenged the advertisers, which included Z Energy and New World. One called back within minutes, the others all responded within a day. All were appalled.

Video advertising for major New Zealand brands also appeared on the Mt Zion pirate copy discovered by Your Weekend. Southern Cross Travel Insurance and AMP were both unhappy that their ads appeared on pirated content, and both promised to follow it up with their advertising agency and Google, which owns YouTube. Telecom, whose ad appeared on an illegal copy of What Becomes of the Broken Hearted, failed to respond.

Catherine Fitzgerald, producer of Oscar-nominated 2011 film The Orator, also had a bitter experience with YouTube after the film appeared on the video-sharing site the moment it was released on DVD in New Zealand.

When she applied for the third time to YouTube to have it removed, they demanded she send a writ to the pirate to prove she owned the rights.

"I'm thinking 'Why don't you watch the credits on the film - my name is there'. They don't take responsibility, they put it all back on the maker. They just collect the ad revenue. It was a bit of a shock to me."

When the distributor, which is linked to Paramount Pictures, stepped in, the pirated film disappeared immediately.

Google argues it would be logistically impossible to establish copyright for the 100 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute. Instead, it discharges its responsibility by saying users have to own the copyright of everything they post, and taking down offending videos when they're pointed out.

However, Google fails to explain why YouTube cannot check copyright when someone applies to make money by adding advertising to their videos.

A Google spokesman points out that YouTube proactively checks new videos against a database of content flagged by copyright holders, under a new system called Content ID. That allows the rights holder of a song playing in the background of a video to make money from that video by adding advertising to it. The Content ID service, they say, is free to anyone with a body of work.

Botes asked to join Content ID. His application was declined.

While Fitzgerald was obviously keen to remove the pirated copies of The Orator from YouTube, she understands that part of the reason they were there was because of the mismatch between traditional film distribution models and the "must see it now" mentality of the digital generation.

Because of the film's Oscar nomination, American audiences were itching to see it, but it still wasn't available there because of the traditional territory-by-territory release model. And that gave oxygen to piracy.

That's another common justification for piracy - that more people would watch movies legitimately if studios devised better ways of getting the film out to everyone, everywhere, at the same time and at a cheaper price.

Fitzgerald argues that a lot of the energy devoted in the past decade to trying to stop piracy might have been better spent trying to open up legitimate channels. And there is some truth to the argument that piracy can give content wider exposure. Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan said last month that pirated versions helped grow awareness of the television show.

Filmmakers need to find a different approach, which might mean releasing movies on DVD and digital download at the same time as their cinema release, Fitzgerald says.

Another option is websites that offer movies free to the viewer, but pay film-makers through advertising. She recently put The Orator on United States free movie site Hulu, and its subscription sibling Hulu Plus, but has yet to work out if the return will be worthwhile.

The Film Commission, which has a financial interest in the success of the films it funds, is also looking at different ways to get its movies out there. It has already put a handful of old titles on iTunes, and plans to make the rest of its back catalogue available on video-on- demand sites, and via a VOD player on its own website, for a small fee.

But for some, even a small fee is too much. Andrew Cornwell, general manager of Mt Zion distributor Sony Pictures, calls piracy "the movie industry's single biggest problem".

But it won't necessarily be solved by cheaper movies. Cornwell remembers a Palmerston North cinema's experiment slashing ticket prices - an initial surge in sales quickly tailed off.

Australian horror movie The Tunnel was held up as an example of a creative funding model, after the film-makers pledged to give free access to the movie once each of its 135,000 frames was sold for $1 each. But they only managed to sell 36,000 frames. The film is now on YouTube for free and has been watched 6,472,528 times.

South Pacific Pictures chairman John Barnett was the producer of Sione's Wedding, which was bootlegged when it came out in 2005, costing an estimated $500,000 in lost ticket sales. The problem has increased exponentially since it became easy to share large digital files, he says.

Using Auckland company Parrot Analytics, he tracked television series The Almighty Johnsons, which he also produces. It appeared in Russia and Italy - where the rights had yet to be sold, including an Italian translation appearing within a day of screening here.

He argues that simultaneous worldwide release would kill New Zealand movies and television programmes, because no-one would know they were there. International rights sales feed off a movie's New Zealand success.

Botes also doubts a different selling strategy is the answer. "I'm sick of being lectured by people who say, 'your problem is that you're not willing to look at new business models'. I challenge anyone to come up with a business model that can compete with free. There's begging, I suppose: 'Please pay for my film, because you feel sorry for me'."

The other option is to try to reduce demand. New Zealand's three-strikes Skynet law, passed in 2011, was supposed to reduce piracy by targeting people illegally downloading movies on peer-to-peer filesharing sites.

The Screen Association says the number of times top-200 movies were viewed illegally plummeted from 110,000 to about 50,000 the month the law was introduced, but failed to drop further. The film industry has not issued any infringement notices under the new law, saying the $25 cost to do so is too high.

Monash University research published in September contended that there was little evidence that such "graduated response" laws work. And a Waikato University study found that, after the Skynet law's introduction, traffic seemed to have simply moved from peer-to-peer sites to encrypted sites.

It's clear that piracy does hurt Kiwi film-makers, even if the impact is difficult to measure. And even more clear is the fact there's no silver bullet solution.

Barnett is both blunt and optimistic. If people don't get paid for what they do, they won't do it again. Which will mean fewer movies, and fewer Kiwi movies. But he's optimistic that the industry will adapt and survive, as it has weathered the threats of the talkies, then television then DVDs.

He has just one message for film pirates. "It's selfish, it's illegal, it's theft. That's it."

- The Dominion Post

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'Hard work' Oracle's secret weapon - Ainslie

Last updated 11:50 10/10/2013
Ben Ainslie
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MASTER TACTICIAN: Oracle's Sir Ben Ainslie.

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Oracle foiling any real challenge to cup reign 'Hard work' Oracle's secret weapon - Ainslie Grant Dalton embarks on fundraising swing Team New Zealand sail on with bridging funding Team New Zealand given finance to bridge gap Public's America's Cup enthusiasm sails away Grant Dalton on fundraising drive for Team NZ Trauma, drowning killed Artemis sailor - report Team NZ get heroes' welcome in Auckland Grant Dalton welcomes Australia's Cup return

Oracle tactician Sir Ben Ainslie says there was no magic formula or secret weapon to the America's Cup win over Team New Zealand other than "old-fashioned hard work".

Oracle's late surge in speed and development to mow down the Kiwis who held a commanding 8-1 lead but couldn't convert match point, has led to all sorts of conspiracy theories.

Suggestions of computer-enhanced technology to assist their upwind foiling and the in of flying boatbuilders from New Zealand to radically alter the Oracle catamaran midway through the final, have all surfaced post-regatta, fuelled by the syndicate's limitless funding through billionaire backer Larry Ellison and their conviction for cheating on the eve of the final.

But Oracle have presented a united front denying that since their remarkable comeback with skipper Jimmy Spithill and chief executive Sir Russell Coutts laughing off the speculation.

Ainslie, the British sailing genius brought on to the crew when they were staring down the barrel of defeat, joined that chorus today.

"I read all that stuff about the 'Herbies' [an automatic stabilising mechanism developed for aircraft] and all that sort of nonsense. It's just crap," Ainslie told Britain's Independent newspaper.

"We didn't fly in boat builders from all over the world. We didn't have any secret weapon we pulled out at the last minute. It was just old-fashioned hard work, plus some adjustments to the wing and an improvement in technique.

"There are no rocket scientists in the background with million-dollar computer programmes that come out with something special. In some ways it is surprisingly normal. The difference between Oracle and Team New Zealand wasn't huge. I think Team New Zealand may have had a bigger design team.

"Team New Zealand also ran out of steam in Valencia in 2007. There wasn't much left in the locker.

"It's a funny thing about Oracle. Because it was backed by Larry Ellison and his unimaginable wealth gave rise to a misconception. It really isn't the team everyone thinks it is. It's actually really down-to-earth people."

Ainslie is pushing on with plans to have a British challenge in place for the next America's Cup, pencilled in for 2017.

He believes he will need get that up and running as soon as possible to be competitive.

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"Definitely by the end of this month, realistically," Ainslie said of announcing any official challenge.

"Because if you leave it much longer than that you definitely won't get there. You can never guarantee to win anything, but it's got to be a team which is strong enough. Otherwise you are just wasting everybody's time and that would be negative for British sailing.

"There's a lot of people that want to help and that is fantastic but you can't rely on people just wanting to help. It's too complex a project for that."

He will have to lay the foundations for his team without knowing the relevant details of the next America's Cup. That formula is yet to be thrashed out by Oracle and recently announced challenger of record, Australia's Hamilton Island Yacht Club.

He says at the moment he will have to base his budget projections around San Francisco hosting the event again in slightly smaller catamarans.

- Fairfax Media

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The DMP-BDT220 occupies a potentially awkward position in Panasonic’s 2012 Blu-ray player range. Is it merely a plain-Jane, utility-spec version of the brilliant DMP-BDT320? Or is it actually a nailed-on bargain that can deliver almost everything the pricier player offers for quite a bit less money?

Run-of-the-mill styling

Panasonic’s three premium Blu-ray players – DMP-BDT320, DMP-BDT500 and DMP-BBT01 – are distinctively styled, each offering a slant upon the established norms in Blu-ray player design. By contrast, the more affordable DMP-BDT220 appears both conventional and a little old-fashioned. Its only design frippery is a fold-down flap covering the entire front panel, concealing both the disc tray and the player’s SD and USB inputs.

Basic but effective specs

The DMP-BDT220 has been built to a price, so it omits the multichannel (7.1ch) analogue outputs fitted to the pricier DMP-BDT500. There’s no coaxial digital output either: only optical is provided, so make sure your AV amp plays ball. Of course, more likely is that you’ll use the Panasonic’s 3D-capable HDMI socket to send both video and sound. Wi-Fi is built-in, plus twin USB sockets to replay media or link up an optional Skype camera.

Capable controller

The DMP-BDT220 does without the flashy touchpanel remote handset sported by its pricier siblings, but that’s a good thing.

Although small and plain, the button-heavy handset you get here is much easier to use than Panasonic’s touchpanel models, and does a perfectly good job of navigating you through the player’s on-screen menus. There’s a free control app available too, and that’s what we’d use the most.

Plenty of streaming options

For such an affordable Blu-ray player – and for a product whose primary job is to play discs – the Panasonic packs in plenty of network flexibility. Its Viera Connect portal includes iPlayer, Acetrax, Aupeo! and Netflix streaming, while it’ll accept a broad range of audio and video formats via DLNA, including high-quality file types such as FLAC and MKV. You can play an equally extensive selection of files via USB and SD, too.

Picture and sound quality

The DMP-BDT220’s picture quality is fabulous given its modest price. Whether you’re playing 3D or 2D Blu-rays, colours and contrasts are exceptional, while details and textures are effortlessly uncovered. DVDs are upscaled to 1080p with aplomb, too. Sonically, the player does without the fancy ‘Digital Tube Sound’ option fitted to its pricier siblings, but all the same, the clarity and dynamics exhibited here are perfectly acceptable.

The DMP-BDT220’s picture quality is simply brilliant at the price, and so long as you use its control app it’s every bit as slick to live with as any of Panasonic’s pricier players. True, its more expensive DMP-BDT320 and DMP-BDT500 siblings sound better, but if all you plan to use with your new player is your TV or perhaps a soundbar, that won’t matter a jot. Consider this a bargain, then.

Stuff says...

Panasonic DMP-BDT220 review

Nothing fancy, but still a bit special – this is a brilliant budget Blu-ray buy
Good Stuff
Basic but effective specs
Superb picture and decent sound
Variety of streaming services
Bad Stuff
Joyless styling
Doesn't match its pricier brothers


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Actress Lisa Ling attends the EXPERIENCE: East Meets West event hosted by the Beverly Hills chamber of commerce at Crustacean on February 5, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California.
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The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 15, 2012. Pictured here on the red carpet is Sarah Michelle Gellar
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Sarah Michelle Gellar Ponytail

Sarah Michelle Gellar wore her hair in a sleek ponytail at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
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Styleforum › Forums › Men's Style › Streetwear and Denim › The best jean ever
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The best jean ever - Page 2

post #16 of 24
Dior Homme 19cm raw denim

The absolute best cut in denim IMHO, looks phenomenal and good quality fabrics as well.
post #17 of 24
You gotta hope the brains trust a Levi are monitoring this thread.

What better feeling than to start the weekend by flinging back the curtains, welcoming the morning sun, pulling on your favourite 501s and t shirt and just getting out and doing stuff.

For men who enjoy their grub and their beer, the 501 cut, in whatever variety, can be brutally unforgiving. If I can fit into my favourite 501s, its means I'm reasonable fit, I doing my regular exercise, the heart is on good shape, the double chins are in decline. If I can't fit into the buggers, the world is slightly, subconsciously, out of kilter.

This intermittent scarcity of LVC 1947 deadstock is not on. Australia is sold out, Mauro's only got a few pairs left, Aero Leather expect supplies in August. Levi 501 1947 is a great fit. Maintaining profit margins by reducing quality and costs only takes us to where we are today. If the Japanese repro boom tells us anything, it's that people will pay for quality.

Do the decent thing Levi, improve the quality of the denim, improve the distribution. Otherwise, I'm going to have to lay down stocks of Sugar Cane 1947s for my old age. I bought my first pair a month ago. I'm forty, a father, a mortgage holder, a responsible business owner, I wear a suite everyday, people pay for my advice and yet...I can't wait to get home of an evening and pull on a pair of jeans.
post #18 of 24
my faves are:
1. capital e 501's
2. nudie RRDS
3. d' artisan 103
4. 45rpm sorahiko
post #19 of 24
I don't think that there is an objective "best" pair of jeans, but I find myself wearing my Nudie Regular Ralphs (both my worn in pair and my newer, not so worn in pair, most often). The cut looks good tight (er) or looser. The rise is neither too high nor too low. I really like the low slung front pockets and the long, low back pockets, which give the jeans a relaxed, easy look.

The denim, I know, is not as deeply colored as say, the denim that 5EP or some of the better Japanese repros use, but it is durable, wash out to a very vibrant color that goes with pretty much everything. The denim is also extremely comfortable after just a few wearings, which is more than can be said for lots of Japanese repros (imo) or the ubiquitous APCs, which wear like iron, but also feel like iron for a long while. The denim is also more elastic than a lot of the Japanese repros or 5EPs, ime, which, in addition to making them more durable, let them maintain their shape over a long period of time. And although the stateside price is ridiculous, these are a relative bargain at 130 something Euros in their domestic market.

They are not as well constructed as, say, 5EP, and the hardware is not in the same league, but I say that fit and denim color trumps these considerations.
post #20 of 24
Is it a question of fabric, fit, history, durability, repute, authenticity, price, origin, character, etc? Is the virtue in taking a raw jeans and wearing it until you molded it to you unique body?
post #21 of 24
My two favorites are the Nudie RRDS and Rag and Bone RB6. Completely different styles, but both fit me well, are dark, and can be dressed up or down.
post #22 of 24
I can totally understand the vintage 501 being the single most important jean ever. but for me, not the best.

My 'best' due to fit, details, fabric:
-Levis Capital E
-Glory '1955' redline selvage
-Nudie slimjim and thinfinn
-Julian Red dry california
post #23 of 24
Originally Posted by macuser3of5
Helmut Lang Classic 5 Pocket, especially in the raw denim varieties. Like all of Helmut's denim workwear/etc, it's a classic done better and with subtle modernity: Ultra-slight taper, great streamlined, rigid cut & fabric selections. No back-pocket nonsense, either. Jeans for jeans' sake. They'll never go out of style, IMO.
Seconded in its entirety. Many things come and go out of my wardrobe, but my raw HL Classic Cuts will never, ever leave it. (Classic Cut = taper; Classic Bootcut = boot.)
post #24 of 24
I guess it depends on your body type but for me it's Levis 501.
Having said that I have not bought a pair of Levis' jeans in years.
I wish they would produce a dry, Japanese denim 501 but in the mean time I live with Samurai, Sugar Cane, and Flathead.
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Home | Comment & Analysis    Friday 16 April 2010

Will South Sudan be a failed state?

By Zechariah Manyok Biar

April 15, 2010 — The elections taking place in Sudan today and the upcoming referendum are exposing the real interest of some members in the international community in Sudan. Some people in the international community are trying to brand South Sudan as a failed state to scare South Sudanese away from voting for secession in 2011. There are disturbing articles that are published these days by great newspapers like New York Times that appear to play nothing more than planting fear in the people of South Sudan.

Alex Perry, in his article published by the New York Times on April 12, 2010, quoted David Gressly, the U.N.’s regional coordinator for southern Sudan; former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, whose Carter Center promotes health and democracy in Sudan; and Major General Scott Gration, U.S. special envoy to Sudan as doubting the standing-alone of South Sudan if its people chose to secede from the North in 2011. Mr. Perry says in his article that many aid workers and development experts in Juba have now coined the term “pre-failed state” to refer to a potential state of South Sudan. Can South Sudanese agree with these views?

One cannot rule out the difficulties that South Sudanese will face when they voted for independence in 2011. There might be violence or even economic collapse. However, nobody in South Sudan will regret his or her choice for secession as some people in the international community would like South Sudanese to believe.

What standard of functional state in Sudan is the international community using to call South Sudan a potential failed state? Had there been a functional government in South Sudan under both the British and the Arab rules in Sudan? If functional economy and stability are among the criteria used to judge a functioning state or a failed state, then when did South Sudan have the functioning economy and the stability since the independence of Sudan in 1956?

I lost six siblings from late 1950s to early 1970s in their young ages to malaria that would have been treated if there were clinics in the area. I am the first to graduate with the college degree in my family since the creation of the world. I am now thirty-five years old and I have never voted in any election. Some people who are voting at the age of 90 today in South Sudan are voting for the first and the last time in their lives, but the voting process is still not free and fair. Many people in South Sudan tasted sugar for the first time in the history of their families in the 1980s from the rations provided by the United Nations.

Do we have any criterion of a functional state in the above examples to compare the potential South Sudan nation with? If staying under Khartoum rule is what makes South Sudan functional, then why did we face all the above conditions and more under the Khartoum rule from 1956 to the time we rebelled against the government in 1983? What evidence shows that Southerners cannot rule themselves?

The fact that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/A (SPLM/A) managed to control Southerners during the war would have been a good indicator on how South Sudanese can rule themselves. SPLM/A was undoubtedly one of the most organized rebel groups over the last two decades. SPLM/A even had better human rights records, compared to the government in Khartoum. SPLM/A was able to educate its soldiers during the liberation war not to kill the prisoners of war (POWs). After the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, SPLM/A set free thousands of the POWs of Sudanese army. Those freed POWs are still alive today. How many POWs from SPLA did the government in Khartoum release? None.

So, who between SPLM and the National Congress Party (NCP) can lead a functional state? If SPLM/A could control the people under its command during the war without paying them any salary, then why would one think that South Sudan under SPLM or any other Southern party would be a failed state after 2011 when it will be paying at least some kind of salary to its workers?

The international community does not seem to care about the freedom of choice of South Sudanese. Some groups in the media are hunting these days for people who are willing to say whatever the media would like them to say in order to give the impression that Southerners love to live in the united Sudan, even when opinion polls of Southerners indicate otherwise both internationally and locally.

The Voice of America (VOA), the Radio that I admire, published on April 12, 2010 an article that has so many errors that the well-known Radio like the VOA would have first crosschecked before publishing the article. The interviewee Mac Deng made false claims during the interview with the VOA for the reason known to him only.

First, Deng said, “I was driven out by war but the cause of war was not a meaningful thing that can divide us from being one people.” Is such a statement worth publishing? If the cause of war was not a meaningful thing that could divide Sudan, then why in the world was the section about the referendum put into the CPA with the sweat of negotiations?

Second, Mac distorted simple facts when he said: “Sudan is a rich country; it depends on oil. When that oil is cut in half it will become little for two nations. But not only that, there is a central part of Sudan called Abyei, which is geographically in the northern part. That part of the country is (inhabited by) Dinka people who are actually southern African people. If the country is divided they are going to be cut in the north and that’s where the oil lies. So the big percentage of the oil will be cut to the north and the smaller side will come to the south. And that would bring the economy down.”

Here, the logic of Mac’s argument is too naïve. A baby will even figure out that a food that will satisfy him or her when sharing in the same plate with another baby will still satisfy him or her when divided into two plates. If the oil satisfies Sudan when it is one, then why would it not satisfy it when it is divided into two? Mac may argue that the government-paid workers like ministers will increase when there are two governments, making oil revenues inadequate. That sounds great, but is it good to have a nation with many jobless people and call its economy a great economy?

The other obvious wrong information is Mac’s claim that a “big percentage of the oil will be cut to the north and the smaller side will come to the south” if Abyei became part of the North. Where did Mac get his data of oil’s locations from? Even if the Heglig oil fields in Unity States were given to North Sudan with Abyei, the oil in the South would still never be smaller than the oil in the North.

The laughing point that Mac made was this: “That part of the country [North Sudan] is (inhabited by) Dinka people who are actually southern African people.” Which book or article did Mac read to conclude that Dinka Ngok are from Southern Africa that even the renown scholar from Ngok area, Dr. Francis Mading Deng of Massachusetts Institutes of Technology (MIT), who is quoted by many researchers on Dinka history, has not read?

It does not take a second to find articles online that say that “The origin and history of the Nilotics, the group to which the Dinka belong, is widely contested.” No historian actually has ever mentioned that any Dinka group came from Southern Africa. The only indicator that historians are looking into about the origin of Dinka is cattle. Cattle similarities between the current Dinka cattle and ancient Egyptian cattle associate Dinka people with ancient Egyptians. Historians say that “pictographs in temples of ancient Egypt depict cattle with striking resemblances to cattle today.”

Mac may say that what he means by Dinka Ngok as southern African people is that they are African Southern Sudanese. That is a possibility. But it would still be wrong to make such an argument because Southern Sudan is not claiming Abyei because it is inhabited by Africans. Southern Sudan is claiming Abyei because it was annexed to Northern Sudan in 1905.

This distorted news is what some people in the international community base their decisions on, when it comes to what they believe to be the “best interest” of South Sudanese.

The message that the international community should get is that South Sudanese have the rights to determine their own political future without interference from those who think that it is more blessing to have a united Sudan than the divided one. A forced unity of Sudan would be more blessing to those who have their special interest in the united Sudan. But the same people must remember that what counts is the interest of Southerners not the interest of outsiders who enjoy freedom in their countries.

Zechariah Manyok Biar is a graduate student at Abilene Christian University, Texas, USA. He just graduated with a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry and he is still pursuing a Master of Science in Social Work, specializing in Administration and Planning. He can be contacted at manyok34@gmail.com

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  • 16 April 2010 04:10, by maumau

    Zechariah Manyok

    These speculation by international community on South Sudan being a failed state is based on the recent insecurity, hunger, illiteracy, corruption and lack of service delivery to citizens. People especially the whites who make this speculation do not understand the reason behind a community lounching an attack on a neighbouring community killing them and taking their herds of cattle with children and the government does not make any arrest. This is rediculous. Why attack a neighbour, steal their cattle and children?, ok i hear even the whites steal children but not in an awkward way like what is happening here in South Sudan.

    From my point of view, South Sudan is not going to be a failed state because the government which is going to be formed will comprised of people who understand governance and politics. Kiir who has already won this election should be open to all competent leaders from different communities in order to get South Sudan out of the so-called failed state.

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    • 16 April 2010 04:25, by Time1

      I agree with you there have been failres on the part of GOSS but it does not amount to failure, its administrative weakness and mistakes which is now being corrected, also due to the lack of capacity and skilled manpower after GOSS was formed, so the goverment was still at an infant stage where it could not coup with everything at ones even though some events have been blown out of proportion sometimes, if those things happened after the GOSS capacity and capabilty was already upgade then it could be blames most, but it happened when GOSS was being formed, but am sure GOSS president, officials and its leadership have also learn alot from the mistakes of the past.

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      • 16 April 2010 04:40, by maumau

        We are not going to be a failed state as they speculate. I think the point is let us get children to schools so that they develop a hope in themslves because they are the ones who are easily manipulated by scrupulous people to cause chaos in the country. The government should set in place a system of monitoring its financial inlets and outlets so that corruption is burried once-and-for-all.

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  • 16 April 2010 05:43, by yazB

    Dear Zechariah,

    Congratulations on a fabioulous article! Very enriching indeed! You are absoultely right! A right is earned and not given. The referundum is a right and people in Southern Sudan will sure express their unreserved opinion on how they see the future of the Sudan be it united or split into mini states.

    However, you and me both live outside Sudan and tend to base alot of our accertion on eventualities that tend to have little to do with the actual state of affairs in that beloved country of ours.

    I would like us to consider some basic facts that would probably lead us to more pragmatic outlook as a nation responsible for th ewell being of generations to come and not gone!

    1- The modern Sudanese state was appearntly shaped by a common struggle of the Sudanese people [all Sudanese peopel] against the concquors from Turkey, Britain and France and not by the conquorors themselves. In another word the struggle to maintain freedom was a common goal by all the Sudanese since the early 1800s. HIstory tells that! Sudanese faught the braveist battle on earth (they were men from all over Sudan), lost some and won some but most importantly they won their indpendance! This is a massive achievement by todays’ standards an di am sure it makes you stand tall in that respect.

    2- In the Sudan there are no Arabs. Only a small part of the north-east has reminassance of Arabs from the 1600s, the majority fo the North Sudan inhabitants are Nilotic or Saharan. Hence, the advocacy by the American mainstream that there is a struggle between ’Muslim Arabs’ and ’Christian African’ is a media compartmentlisation if not inadequate simplification of the political struggle in Sudan. 90% of the poeple of Sudan have nothing to do with Arabs albiet the Arabic culture was forced by conquors on them during the Isalmic rule of Egypt similar to that in North Africa (Who also have nothing to do with Arabs, they are Berbers with origins from Ethiopia). So that doesn’t make any of us Arabs!

    3- In 1983, the Sudanese nation faced a common enemy [Ultra Extermist] who loobied the Numeiri regieme to split the Southin to 3 regions (whihc started t he SPLA/M revolt and later hijacked power in 1989 under the pretence that they [as Islamists] did not agree to giving in to the empowered mutiny [SPLA] by the [Christian Church].
    An avalanche of a religious (extermist ideological) divide was well into it’s course and was soon capitalised by (Jallaba / War lords). Since the demise fo the Ethiopian war all they needed was another, they didn’t really care where it took place! A weak, inexperienced and bewildered regime in Khartoum was an advantage to them. They fueled the ideological divide and brought in (Chruches in the US, Europe, Saudi Arabia [Sunni], Iran [Shiite]) i.e. funds for the war. Making the South a ripe battle ground for this ideological divide. They insured that the struggle was under tight blackout from the media so they can go on making huge profits from the war trading. The religous devide didn’t care they needed a battle ground and they were given one in South Sudan. Arms were pouring in and our youth was there to test it on each other. They even toyed with Chemical weapons had Alshifaa manager felt he was conspiring against his own people and blew the whistle to the US adminstration to perform a pre emptive strike!

    The CPA was actually brought about by the pragmatics in both sides which led to Alturabi splitting into the PCP from the mother body of the current NCP. He leads the main interests of the war lords.

    The distruction of the last 20 years war has now made the then conservatives ’ideologically’ (Umma Party) into a moderate party by today’s standard. When i say moderate because it was Sadiq Almahadi who refused to sign the Koka dam agreement because he thought that gave GArang (SPLM too much control over governance in the country) but now the SPLM has grown into a formidable school of thought, he will not have the same mentality he had when he was a sitting PM in 1989. A major achievement by Sudanese standards that now all the political parties has enough trust in the SPLM ability to establish good governance in the country’s largest region (4 million pple).

    The conclusion that is the secceation really is the easy route out? In my opinion NO! Becasue it would basically mean we are back to square one after 27 years of struggle to oust the Extremists from power. For they will have a stronger hold of the Norther parts of the country (which they still rule by brute force and not by choice of the peeple of the land), they will accumalate more wealth by enforcing unfair trade deals with the ’not so-indepednant’ Souther state to deny the Southern indpendant state access to prosperity and the internationa law will give them more ligitmacy and room to do so by the virtues of the free trade agreements. This would mean more debts on the shoulders of the peole of southern sudan and more reliance on the Jallabah! They get richer, have a stronger hold of the rule of the people and we [the peopel of the Sudan] all end up more poorer! This how the Afrikaanas conquored!

    The harder route but the more sustainable for our children to come is to continue to lead the struggle against them and uproot their fist grip on the army and bring about a geniune demogratic rule of the Sudanese state in which enough room and resources are there to bring about better proserity to us all!
    The SPLM has lead the way as the main [Armed]opposition and now partner in power. It’s only the SPLM that will be able to continue to lead this drive to uproot the [extremeists] in both sides of the country to bring about a secular law of the land in the entire Sudan. All the political and polular inertia is rallying behind the SPLM. The SPLM will grow stronger and along with the other political and popoular forces they will continue to push them out of absoulte power and grip over the army. This will give enough confidence to the army that their role in any internal poiltical struggle will only fuel more crisis. The Army will have more confidence in the political institutional system and will receede to hand over power to the House of Parliament. This will end the Islamist grip and bring about a genuine political reform and the thrive to have Darfur [which is by the way an ulter Islamist revolt against the army] crisis contained, hence less expenditure on security appartus and more funds for development and we would have better governance and sustained peace.

    However, if we split the country into two now all we create is a further recipe for disaster because then the SPLM drive will become an interference in another soverign state affairs and the security council will even shiled the Extermists juunta from the radiance of the SPLM ideology. They will ensure that the SPLM will have no time for governance by creating a continous state of tribal unrest and the struggle will change course and directions, international communit will take more control and will eventually the struggle and gains will dissipate! They 9ultra extremists will be looked at differently by the same US policy that categorised them as sponsors of terorism!

    As for a sustainability of an indpendant state in Southern Sudan, you only need look no further than the split of Ethiopia into the Federal republic of Ethiopia (a landlocked state) and Eriteria. The two new states went into war with each other soon after they were formed and the rulers were cousins!
    Tell me 25 yrs on is Eriteria a state with sustained resources? No! It lives on handouts and is a liability on the international community, the people of Eriteria continue to realise that their struggle for indpendace was a mere desire to set themselves loose for the grip of the Marxist regime of Haile Mungistu, they managed along with the Ethiopian Liberation front to liberate the Ethiopians from the rule of the Marxists, but, did they really [LIBERATE] tehir people. It was a mere cold war polarisation between the USA and USSR that led to the split of a very formidble and powerful Ethiopia. Powerful becasue it was sustained and independant. The country was split into two ’inpdendant states’ [again based on Religious divide]. The old Ethiopian Republic was a reminant of the Ethiopian Empire! the PEOPLE, remain the same but the NATION is gone! Who are the winners and loosers? Winners are the capaitalists and loosers are the PEOPLE! Because when you speak to the people in both Ethiopia nd Eriteria they woud tell you that during the Mungistu rule there were no ethnic or class divide and now it’s a different strory!

    What we need is to continue the struggle in the centre [KHARTOUM] and not split [polarise] the country because PEOPLE in the North, South, East, West all suffer from the grip of the EXTREMISTS, there ar eno ethnic or race issues in Sudan. People of the Sudna have been living in it fo rthe last 8000 years and built the foundations of the entire human civilization from there and it will remain a peaceful nation after once we rid ourselves from the cancer of the greed of the extremists and belive me our people will the ngaurd their democracy with their teeth because they have seen what loose convictions bring about the army into power and the yknow what that lead the country into!
    It’s our FAMILIES we are talking about we need to protect our CHILDREN form future wars and ensure that NO paid solider will come at night and scavege the power of the people!
    Long Live SUDAN the WORLD’s oldest COUNTRY! and will remain a COUNTRY only by our will, and not small liablity states! We should all sya it! STAY in Khartoum and CONQUOR until VICTORY. SPLM - NO BACK TRACKING-VICTORY IS AHEAD

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  • 19 April 2010 20:50, by Peter Puoch Ruot

    I think South Sudan will be the most prosperous nation in Africa.Look what we have achieved in five years which no other nationa or countries in Africa did in 40 or 50 plus years.We just had an election and our hope for the high quality of life in south sudan is very optimistic both locally and in the central government also.

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  • 24 April 2010 13:25, by American Missile.

    South sudan will not and can not be a failed State because Southerners has accepted to be a mature,that is why they have shown to the world that democracy is possilbe without North Sudan.
    South Sudan will be a wonderful country if it get independent,we are powerful people,unique according to our creature.we will be stable state the World ever had in the continent.
    After Referendum,people will settle down for development and constitutional rules.

    Thanks for the Debate.

    Majok Akotdit from Juba.

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Would You Try This Controversial New SEX Position Called 'Cowpoke'? • Lots of Young Folks Are Doing It

There is a new sex position that’s gaining attention - especially among young people. It's called the Cowpoke (sort of like the reverse cowgirl position).

The position, which is intended to give maximum comfort and pleasure for the woman, has the woman on top – and the man on the bottom – with his legsup.

Because the man is in a legs-up/submissive position, some men are not comfortable getting in this position.

What do you think ladies, would you try this with your man??

The 'Reverse Cowgirl' position


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We All Saw This Coming, Didn't We? • Wendy Williams Says of Kanye Mental Breakdown & Hospitalization

Wendy Williams thinks everyone saw Kanye West's hospitalisation "coming". Speaking on her show today, the TV host also claims the rapper was admitted to hospital for something "way more than sleep exhaustion".

Wendy told her audience: "So it’s been eight days since he has been hospitalised. In the hospital where he is, they’re saying this is a long time to be there - eight days. He was supposed to be released yesterday but they’re saying he’s still not stable. And we all saw this coming, so there is nothing we can do apart from say we wish him the best."

Of course, after wishing him the best, she couldn't resist throwing a little shade at momager extraordinnaire Kris Jenner and the rest of the famous family.

"Kim reportedly is at his side non-stop - I do believe that. I do. Based on her robbery. If she hadn’t been robbed then maybe I would think something differently. You know, like the family is 'Lamar-ing' him.

"But because queen of the family Kim has gone through what she’s gone through and Kanye is going through what he’s going through, I do believe she is by his side all the time."

Throwing some more shade, Wendy told her audience filming on Keeping Up With the Kardashians has been temporarily halted. The audience then clapped as Wendy pull her best poker face before letting out a little laugh.

She continued: “This year only has 30 more days. So that’s not a stretch, but they’re saying the future of the show seems uncertain. I’m sure the mum is certain of where the future of the show will go and I’m sure it will probably play out someway in this plotline. The mum is definitely planning something.”

While speaking about the reasons behind the rapper's admission to hospital - they were reported to be exhaustion and sleep deprivation - she added:

"Well last week when we talked about it people were saying it was sleep exhaustion. This is way more than sleep exhaustion because we have all been sleep exhausted. I don’t even know what that that or sex addiction is. Sleep exhaustion? Are you serious? Aren’t we all? Sex addiction? Is that a hashtag for cheating?"


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<< Kessler Kevin Kianu >>

Star: Chikei

Origin: Iluya

Events: Island Liberation War

Position: Chef

Born: IS 272

Death: N/A

Kevin lived along with his wife Pam on their home island of lluya, where they operated a cafe, specializing in their famous Steamed Buns. When Iluya was destroyed, they managed to survive, and washed up all the way on the shores of Nay Island, where they were taken in by the village chief. Lazlo soon offered them a home and a job onboard his ship, and they agreed.

On the ship, he cooked food for the people on the ship and was able to meet other chefs like Funghi, whose own delicious food spurred Kevin on to even further perfect their specialty recipe.

After the war, Kevin returned with his wife to Iluya, where they reopened their shop, to great success. The international merchant Chiepoo (whom they met earlier on the ship) liked them so much he decided to help them market the buns to his customers from around the world. They are constantly trying to research new variations of the recipe, even contracting out mercenaries from Middleport to find new ingredients for them. - KoRnholio

Gameplay Information for Suikoden IV

How to Recruit: Joins automatically after making an alliance with Nay Island.


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recent hotness

Go ahead; click and scroll yourself silly through a gallery of the most recently completed Sullys.

Yes. Yes, I did it. I killed Yvette. I hated her SO the f - it -flam - flames. Flames, on the side of my face, breathing-breathl- heaving breaths. Heaving breaths... Heathing...
— Mrs. White
First of all Rat, you never let on how much you like a girl. “Oh, Debbie. Hi.” Two, you always call the shots. “Kiss me. You won’t regret it.” Now three, act like wherever you are, that’s the place to be. “Isn’t this great?” Four, when ordering food, you find out what she wants, then order for the both of you. It’s a classy move. “The lady will have the linguini in white clam sauce, and a Coke with no ice.” And five; now this is the most important, Rat. When it comes down to making out, whenever possible, put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV.
— M. Damone


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micro sd

I can’t believe it I took a lot of photos during my vacation in Florida. Well, all I can say is thank you very much for my micro sd because it holds a lot of photographs. So every stops I took pictures to the mountains and my family. I was very confident because I have extra storage for my photos.

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A bundle for baby in Summit County | SummitDaily.com

Back to: News

A bundle for baby in Summit County

Summit Daily/Jessica Smith

Marilynn Burger carefully unwraps the pink bundle on her couch, folding the blanket outward and placing the pink teddy bear off to the side. Then she unfolds the stack of baby clothes piece by piece, holding them up to the light.

“Aren’t they darling?” she asks.

The bundle is one of three that Burger delivers to the Public Health department every month to be donated to Public Health and the Nurse-Family Partnership program. She makes one bundle for a boy, one for a girl and one unisex bundle. She estimates she’s been doing this for at least 20 years.

“I like to knit. That’s kind of how it started,” Burger said.

Burger doesn’t work directly with any organization or fundraiser to put together her bundles. Most of the items come from her, thanks to her thrift store shopping skills, with occasional donations of knitted or crocheted blankets from friends and children’s books from the Summit County Rotary club.

Each bundle contains a large blanket, within which is wrapped up to 20 outfits, including onesies, undershirts, sweaters, two-piece outfits, pajamas, a jacket and a snow suit, plus more blankets, crib sheets, wipes, diapers, stuffed animals and books in either English or Spanish. Most of the clothing Burger chooses will fit a baby from newborn stage up to 6 months of age.

“Because that’s when, you know, you’re pretty overwhelmed and you don’t have stuff,” she said. “The other thing is, zero to 6 months, they don’t wear this stuff very long. They grow out of it so fast that, unless you save it and have four more babies, things are in such good shape.”

Burger is an expert thrift store shopper and can easily list a number of thrift stores in Denver, their location and what days they have their special deals. With children and grandchildren to visit in Denver, Burger drives to the city often, though she’s always conscious about what days she’ll be there.

“Even my dentist and the receptionist know. If I’m making an appointment, she says, ‘I know, you want to come in on Tuesday,’ ” Burger said with a laugh.

Burger is always on the hunt for a bargain. She has a keen eye for used clothes and makes sure to pick the choicest items for her bundles.

“Even though these are almost 100 percent used clothes, trust me, I raised three boys and I know if there’s a stain on something, what will come out and what won’t, so I only buy the best,” she said.

Once home, she makes sure to check that there are no threadbare spots and that the snaps all work and are accounted for. In earlier years, she would replace drawstrings with much safer elastic waistbands, though now says the clothing has changed and she doesn’t need to do it so much. She also removes the tags and throws the clothes in the wash.

“I figure that’s a good test, if it can get washed,” she said, explaining that only rarely does a piece of clothing not make it through the washing machine. “I figure, if it can’t handle washing then I shouldn’t be giving it to somebody.”

Making sure of the quality is an important part of Burger’s process.

“I have my standards. They have to be nice and they have to be cheap,” she said. Because of the quick growth of young babies, most used baby clothes are hardly worn before they’re too small.

“I mean, this stuff’s like brand new,” she said, holding up a pink jumper. “What are you going to do? Just throw it out? No. Everything that I get is just in tip-top shape. I just wouldn’t feel good about giving it away if it wasn’t.”

The Nurse-Family Partnership program is designed to help first-time, low-income mothers deal with their pregnancy and learn about becoming a parent. The program pairs each mother with a nurse, who visits her at home several times a month until the baby is 2 years old. Summit County’s program started in 2001, following guidelines from the national parent organization by providing a curriculum for new mothers to follow.

Previously, Burger worked in the Denver area Public Health department, including the Woman, Infants and Children (WIC) program. Her years in the hospitals dealing with young parents and infants have garnered a large amount of expertise when it comes to what families with newborns need.

“You just sometimes don’t realize that not everybody starts at point A,” she said. “That’s why I think that program (Nurse-Family Partnership) is so wonderful.”

It was in Denver that she started helping give away free blankets with the Church World Services organization. When she moved to Summit County in 1988, that idea stuck with her and eventually morphed into the baby bundles that she creates today.

“You know, my thought was that, at least in my generation, you always got hand-me-downs, from your cousins, from your sisters, when you had a baby. Well, I think a lot of times up here people don’t have that support system; they’re here by themselves,” she said.

Another benefit to the bundles is that they can be used to get expecting parents more prepared for what’s coming.

“Sometimes there’s a disconnect. You know it’s coming and you know it’s there, but it’s almost still unreal,” Burger said. The bundle is then given to the new parents “when it can be an educational tool, not just a gift.”

Over all, Burger said she enjoys making the bundles, from hunting the aisles of the thrift store to the moment she drops them off at the Public Health department.

“Oh yeah, I really do,” she said.


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Gearing ("Beering?") up for the Breckenridge Beer Festival |

Back to: News

Gearing ("Beering?") up for the Breckenridge Beer Festival

Special to the Daily\Ian Leirfallom

Beer fans, if you haven’t already, start marking your calendars now for the seventh-annual Breckenridge Beer Fest. If you’ve enjoyed it in the past, then you’re in for a treat because this year it’s moved to a bigger location, which means more breweries, more beer and more fun.

Last year’s spring event drew in somewhere around 3,000 people – 2,000 for the tastings and between 1,000 and 1,500 just for the fun of it. While in previous years the event was held at Main Street Station, this year it will go down along the 100 block of Ridge Street, allowing for more tents and better crowd flow.

While that event had 23 different breweries, this year features 32 in total. Of these, 23 are from Colorado, including Summit County’s own Breckenridge Brewery and Pug Ryan’s Steak House and Brewery. Other states represented include Alaska, Missouri, Illinois and Hawaii. The farthest-traveled award will most likely go to Sapporo, which hails from Japan.

What’s more exciting is that’s not all the breweries that wanted to come. According to event director Jen Radeug, the festival has a waiting list, meaning breweries are recognizing that Breck’s a great place for beer.

“It’s really cool; I have a wait list going because our festivals are becoming so popular and all the breweries really like them,” Radeug said, adding that they know “people in Breck like to have a good time.”

Jimmy Walker, head brewer at the Breckenridge Brewery, is eagerly looking forward to the festival.

“I’m ecstatic about the new location,” he said, hoping that the new layout will make it easier for him to get around and taste all the other beers. He’s also working on planning out what brews his tent will be offering. There will be a sampling of the usual lineup, of course, but that won’t be all of it.

He said he wanted to have “maybe something secret, to be announced,” he said, as well as “something that was made at our brewery that you can’t get anywhere else.”

This is for the locals, he said, who are familiar with the usual and are looking for something extra and fun for the festival. Two of these could be a keg of bourbon barrel-aged bock (Pandora’s Bock) or his latest roasted habanero IPA.

“We put one keg aside for the beer fest for the people that didn’t have a chance to get up and get it,” Walker said of the IPA. The spiciness of the chili balances the flavor of the hops, he said. “It’s a big beer to begin with, it’s 7 percent (alcohol by volume), and it balances with the habaneros.”

In addition to beer, there will be plenty to snack on at the festival, with food from nearby Ridge Street businesses such as Fatty’s Pizzeria, Hearthstone Restaurant, Twist, Moe’s Original BBQ, Cuppa Joe, Angel’s Hollow and South Ridge Seafood Grill. There will be plenty more vendors, including the obligatory pretzel necklaces, provided by the Breckenridge Rotary Club.

Once thirst and hunger are taken care of, there’s food for the ears and the soul, as well. The music venue includes headliner 7Horse, with Max Gomez as the opener.

“We usually try to bring in up-and-coming indie bands – the ones that you may have heard of if you really love music, but if you haven’t, you’ll be hearing them a lot in the next few years,” Radeug said.

Though the event is bigger, with more breweries and vendors this year, ticket prices remain the same. Unlimited beer tasting is $30, or $25 in advance. VIP tasting includes a large commemorative stein, private beer tasting in the VIP room and a catered lunch for $75, or $65 in advance. Tickets can be purchased at The event runs from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s a great day, super good value and just fun,” Radeug said. “Great views, great live music and lots of beers.”