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Lisa Brown

White House Staff Secretary
Assumed office
January 20, 2009
Appointed by Barack Obama

Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Kevin Cullen
oncologist/director of the
University of Maryland's
cancer center
Alma mater Princeton University
University of Chicago
Occupation Attorney
Activist for the disabled/
civil rights

Lisa Brown (born March 6, 1960) was named by Barack Obama's office of presidential transition to serve in the Obama Administration as Staff Secretary, assuming that post on January 20, 2009[1], where she is responsible for managing the flow of information, advice and decision-making between staff members and the President [2]. During the transition, she served as Co-Chair of Agency Review in the Obama-Biden Transition [3]. Prior to joining the Obama-Biden Transition Team, she served as Executive Director of the American Constitution Society, a progressive legal organization.

Early Life and Education

Lisa Brown attended the prestigious Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut. A 1982 Magna Cum Laude Princeton University graduate with a B.A. in Political Economy, Brown earned a law degree with Honors from the University of Chicago Law School in 1986. She then clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit for Judge John C. Godbold in Montgomery, Alabama, and she held a one-year fellowship as a Staff Attorney at the Center for Law in the Public Interest in Los Angeles, California. [4]

Private Sector and Pro Bono Work

Before entering government service, Brown was a Partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm Shea & Gardner; while litigating and doing transactional work for the firm's paying clients, she also had a substantial pro bono practice focusing on disability issues, civil rights and social justice. She wrote briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and federal circuit courts in disability cases under The Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988. She also reviewed appeals by rejected claimants in Dyson v. Denny's, Inc. (D. Md.), serving as the court-appointed Special Master. She was co-editor for the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless of Cold, Harsh and Unending Resistance: The District of Columbia Government's Hidden War Against Its Poor and Its Homeless (Nov. 22, 1993), a report on social services litigation. [5]

In the Clinton Administration

Brown joined the ACS in 2002, coming from Relman & Associates, a Washington, D.C. civil rights firm. She had previously worked for Vice President Al Gore as Counsel (1999 through January 2001) and Deputy Counsel (April 1997 through August 1999). Her work included not only handling legal matters but also advising the Vice President on civil rights and various domestic policy issues. She also served on the Executive Board of the President's Committee for Employment of People with Disabilities. Before joining the Vice President's office, she was an Attorney Advisor in the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel (June 1996 to April 1997). [6]

Married to Kevin Cullen, an oncologist who directs the University of Maryland's cancer center, Brown is an aficionado of cooking and entertaining. She played college varsity field hockey and lacrosse and enjoys such athletic pursuits as tennis and skiing.[7]

  1. ^ [1] Rhee, Foon. Obama Fills West Wing Offices. Boston Globe. November 19, 2008. Accessed November 20, 2008.
  2. ^ [2] Podesta bio in Clinton Archives
  3. ^ [3]
  4. ^ [4] ACS Brown Bio
  5. ^ [5] ACS Brown Bio
  6. ^ [6] ACS Brown Bio
  7. ^

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[07/13/10 - 07:19 AM]
Adult Swim Hatches Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode Iii
The brand-new "Star Wars"-themed special premieres December 12 at 11:30/10:30.

[via press release from Adult Swim]

Adult Swim Hatches Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III

Follow-up to Emmy(R)-nominated specials premieres December 12

Adult Swim's Robot Chicken returns to that galaxy far, far away for a brand-new Star Wars-themed special premiering December 12 at 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). This third installment in the Robot Chicken: Star Wars trilogy follows the two previous specials, which resulted in multiple Emmy nominations and numerous Annie Awards for both specials and the writers Ahmed Best and Seth Green. Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III, to be directed by Chris McKay, marries the satirical sensibilities of Green and Matthew Senreich's (Stoopid Monkey Productions) Emmy-winning Robot Chicken with characters of the Star Wars universe. The specials and the Robot Chicken series, the highest-rated original program on Adult Swim, are created in conjunction with ShadowMachine Films' Alex Bulkley and Corey Campodonico.

"We're telling more of a linear story this time that covers the series from start to finish," says Green. Senreich says, "We wanted to take the Star Wars universe and see if through the eyes of our Robot Chicken: Star Wars Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, Boba Fett and Gary the Stormtrooper. We'll still flip around the universe but we'll get a unique perspective from the bad guy side, from people who just want to rule the universe."

Robot Chicken: Star wars Episode III will feature Zac Efron as Anakin Skywalker, Anthony Daniels (from the original Star Wars films) as C3PO, Mike Henry (The Cleveland Show) and Donald Glover (Community), all making their first appearance in RCSW. Also returning from the previous specials are Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian and Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks along with returning favorites Green, Senreich, Breckin Meyer, Seth MacFarlane, Dan Milano, Abe Benrubi, Donald Faison, Rachael Leigh Cook, Adrianne Pallicki, Eden Espinosa, Hugh Davidson, Bob Bergen, Keith Ferguson, Tom Kane and Zeb Wells.

In addition, Adult Swim announces that Robot Chicken will begin airing season five in late October.

Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III, is created and executive produced by Green and Senreich under their own Stoopid Monkey Productions. The duo also write and, with McKay, direct the series, and Green provides many of the voices in the special and the series. The special is written by series head writers/executive producers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root, series scribes Mike Fasolo, Wells, Green, Senreich, frequent RC actor/writer Breckin Meyer (TNT's Franklin & Bash), and Hugh Sterbakov with Matthew Beans, RC guest writers Davidson, Geoff Johns, Milano and Kevin Shinick.

Green has starred in films for over two decades�next March he's the lead in Disney's Mars Needs Moms! He's also on Fox's Family Guy. Senreich and Green are creative consultants on Lucasfilm's upcoming animated comedic Star Wars series and with Root, are creators/executive producers/writers of an animated pilot for Fox.

Adult Swim (AdultSwim.com), launched in 2001, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.'s network offering original and acquired animated and live-action series for young adults. Airing nightly from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. (ET, PT), Adult Swim shares channel space with Cartoon Network, home to the best in original, acquired and classic entertainment for youth and families, and is seen in 97 million U.S. homes.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

  [july 2010]

(series past and present)
(series in development)
(tv movies and mini-series)

[02/24/17 - 04:46 PM]
The Second Season of "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders" Will Premiere Wednesday, March 8
The series will replace newcomer "Doubt" in the 10:00/9:00c hour.

[02/24/17 - 03:13 PM]
Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Warren Beatty, Sofia Boutella, Matt Damon and More Announced as Final Slate of 89th Oscars(R) Presenters
Also on tap: Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Fox, Ryan Gosling, Salma Hayek, Taraji P. Henson, Dev Patel, Seth Rogen, Octavia Spencer, Meryl Streep and Vince Vaughn.

[02/24/17 - 01:09 PM]
E! Exclusive Premiere of "Fifty Shades of Grey" to Air Sunday, March 5 at 7:30 PM ET/PT
The telecast will be followed by the debut of the network's second scripted series "The Arrangement."

[02/24/17 - 11:38 AM]
Platinum-Selling Artists Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello to Perform at "Nickelodeon's 2017 Kids' Choice Awards"
Hosted by WWE Superstar John Cena, the show will air live on Saturday, March 11 from USC's Galen Center in Los Angeles.

[02/24/17 - 10:11 AM]
Animated Adult Television Series "Animals.," Created by Phil Matarese & Mike Luciano, from Duplass Brothers Productions, Returns for Its Second Season March 17, Exclusively on HBO
The series is also available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and affiliate portals.

[02/24/17 - 10:04 AM]
Video: The Story of "The Handmaid's Tale"
The 10-episode first season premieres Wednesday, April 26 on Hulu.

[02/24/17 - 09:30 AM]
Tracy Morgan Comes to Netflix with All-New Stand-Up Comedy Special Launching Tuesday, May 16th
Tracy Morgan's "Staying Alive" finds the comedy icon exploring his fresh take on life, career and mortality in the wake of surviving a devastating near-fatal traffic collision in 2014.

[02/24/17 - 09:30 AM]
BBC America's London East End Drama, "Ripper Street," Returns for Its Final Season on March 8
The powerful closing chapter picks up mere days after the grisly death of Detective Inspector Bennet Drake, which reunites his old friends, Detective Inspector Edmund Reid, surgeon Captain Homer Jackson and "Long" Susan Hart, to bring his murderer to justice.

[02/24/17 - 08:42 AM]
Thursday's Broadcast Ratings: ABC Hangs Onto Demo Crown
A new "Grey's Anatomy" sparks another victory for the Alphabet among adults 18-49.

[02/24/17 - 08:30 AM]
Showtime(R) Celebrates "Twin Peaks" Day, Unveiling Dual Key Art
One poster depicts Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), whose mysterious death sparked the "Twin Peaks" saga, while the other showcases series star Kyle MacLachlan as Special Agent Dale Cooper.

[02/24/17 - 07:03 AM]
Bravo Media Partners with Lay's for First-Ever Live "Top Chef" Quickfire Challenge
Fans can watch the delicious drama unfold through a Facebook Live special presentation on the official Top Chef page and on bravotv.com's "The Feast," the network's food-focused digital destination.

[02/24/17 - 07:01 AM]
The Guardians and the Avengers Team Up for an Epic One-Hour "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy" Season Two Premiere on Saturday, March 11, on Disney XD
Disney XD will also release six shorts following the adventures of the five main characters daily, beginning February 27 on the Disney XD app, VOD and Disney XD's YouTube.

[02/23/17 - 11:52 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, February 23
Updates include: Lauren Graham to lead "Linda from HR" for FOX; Josh Duhamel, Bokeem Woodbine to star in "Unsolved" at USA; and Lea Michele cast in ABC comedy pilot.

[02/23/17 - 03:05 PM]
Disney-ABC Television Group Wins Two Humanitas Prizes
ABC won the 30 Minute award for "black-ish" "Hope" episode, written by Kenya Barris.

[02/23/17 - 02:47 PM]
Video: New Trailer - Burning Sands - on Netflix March 10
The film was selected for the 2017 Sundance Film Festival US Dramatic Competition and will be available to Netflix members worldwide on Friday, March 10.

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text:
Hummingbird House The Garden Helper
No-dash-here, you've found The Real Garden Helper! Gardening on the Web since 1997
vine bar
Wild Willy

How to Grow and Care for Hollyhock Mallow Plants

Malva alcea

This plant grows best with full sun for most of the dayThis plant requires shade during the heat of the dayOnce established this plant requires little or no supplemental wateringThis plant will tolerate some drought, but benefits from periodic wateringHummingbird PlantButterfly FlowerBird Plant or FlowerWhite flowering plantPink flowering plantA photograph of Mallow flowersHow to Use the Plant Care Icons at The Garden Helper
Hollyhock Mallow plants are multi-stemmed, upright perennials that grow 2-4 feet tall, forming 2 foot clumps.
From mid summer until fall, they produce spikes of 2" rose-pink or white flowers that resemble Hollyhocks.
Ernie the Garden Gnome The lower leaves are larger and kidney or heart shaped, with a soft, velvety texture.
Foliage higher on the plant becomes progressively smaller and is more deeply cut and lacy.

Growing Requirements for Hollyhock Mallow Plants

Hollyhock Mallow are reliable, easy to care for plants that are hardy in USDA zones 4-8.
For best results, plant them 12"-24" apart in an area where they will receive full sun,
but they will tolerate partial shade, especially in hotter regions.
They aren't overly fussy about the soil, as long as it is well-drained.
Pinch back the tips of new growth when it reaches 12 inches tall to produce a more compact plant.
Provide protection from strong winds, or provide a stake for taller varieties.
Once they are established, Mallow plants tolerate some drought,
but they are happier when they are watered regularly.
Feed monthly when actively growing, with a good, all-purpose fertilizer.

Remove spent flower spikes promptly to encourage additional blooms,
or wait and cut the entire plant back by a third after the initial flush
of blooms has finished, to allow for some self-seeding.
When your Mallow plants begin to decline in late fall,
cut them all the way back to their basal foliage.

Propagating Mallow Plants and Growing them from Seed

Mallow plants can be propagated by tip cuttings
taken in the spring or early summer.

Mallow seeds can be planted directly in the garden beginning in the spring,
up until two months before the first killing frost.
If you are starting your seeds indoors, maintain a temperature in the
growing medium of 70° until germination, which takes only 5-10 days.

Hollyhock Mallow
Malva alcea 'Fastigiata'
Pink Hollyhock Mallow Flowers Hollyhock Mallow Plant Blooming in the Garden, Malva alcea


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Comedian Marc Maron rose to a new level of fame after the launch of his successful podcast WTF with Marc Maron. (Handout)
Comedian Marc Maron rose to a new level of fame after the launch of his successful podcast WTF with Marc Maron. (Handout)

Marc Maron turns talk into revelation Add to ...

  • Title Attempting Normal
  • Author Marc Maron
  • Genre memoir
  • Publisher Spiegel & Grau
  • Pages 240
  • Price $29.95

In a low moment, reading the epigraph of Marc Maron’s new book, Attempting Normal – “For everyone who is successfully defying their wiring” – I melted into tears. As an almost daily crier (over commercials, dogs with nice faces, whatever), this isn’t especially notable. But the reason for it might be: That present tense – “is defying,” not “has defied” – suggests such possibility and potential, such recognition of an essential human struggle. And “essential human struggle” is what Marc Maron is about.

Maron’s recent career trajectory offers some real basis for that possibility and potential. Following a second divorce, with his career as a stand-up comic and sometimes radio host going cold, no longer young and increasingly bitter, Maron wanted to talk. He learned about podcasting and created WTF with Marc Maron, a twice-weekly, one-on-one interview show, mostly featuring comedians and other creatives, recorded in Maron’s memorabilia-filled Los Angeles garage.

After almost 400 episodes and a steady build of both media coverage and listeners (the show averages 2.5 million downloads per month), Maron, now 49, living with a woman and considering a baby, has leveraged the podcast’s success into a personal and professional revival. Attempting Normal is his second book, and his first book of essays; coinciding with its publication is his new show on IFC, Maron, a fictionalized version of his life (the set’s cat-destroyed couch is his old one). One tag line in the promos for Maron reads, “An overnight success 20 years in the making.”

A few pages in, Maron writes, “People want to share but they usually don’t. People don’t talk to each other about real things because they’re afraid of how they’ll be judged.” It is Maron’s tendency, on his podcast and in his comedy and in Attempting Normal, to talk about “real things” until he’s gotten somewhere funny, or bleak, often both.

His show has become a forum for revelation: On one episode, comedian Todd Glass came out as gay; on another, Maron and star comic Louis C.K. talk about how Maron’s professional jealousy affected their friendship. Maron talks a lot about sobriety (he has been clean for 13 years); his relationship; his issues with food; his issues with rage; his cats; his mom. He told the Los Angeles Times that his audience “is not a demographic, it’s a disposition.” People who think and feel too much and too intensely have found in Maron something of a spirit animal.

Maron is not “a writer,” really, and unlike many comic memoirs, this book is not a succession of joke-packed stories forming a narrative arc. Instead, Attempting Normal deploys Maron’s vulnerability, self-awareness, unforgiving pursuit of honesty, and the detail and colour that only a big-feeling cultural obsessive like Maron can manage, in a loosely cohesive collection of essays.

Of comedians, he writes, “They knew the tricks to get by and get life and get what they needed through charm and device, without feeling the pain of not being whole or the injustice of need. They were, like all artists, masters of the mathematics of relief, which was just the sort of thing I was looking for: a book, a movie, a crazy person, a kiss, a drug, a commitment, a song, a phrase, a joke. I thought that shit was magic.”

Maron describes himself in a hotel room, reading, listening to music, smoking, drinking coffee, eating a doughnut and watching TV as “some sort of many-armed Indian god, the Vishnu of self-avoidance.” Maron’s sense of narrative is where his years onstage and recording in his garage are most apparent: In “Xenophobia and the History of Irish Poetry,” Maron tells a chapter-length story, plainly revealing of his own ignorance, which ends in a pitch-black, perfectly executed and truly hilarious punchline.

Having made a project of the human experience, and by now rightly confident in his own voice and perspective, Maron is able to think and write about the quotidian (buying jeans) and the profound (existential agony) with the same urgency and intelligence. The book slows down only when Maron indulges a theme for its rote, biographical function, which happens in the essays about playing guitar and taking Viagra.

Even then, though, while he recounts names and years and details, he’s trying to add them up to something he can use, something that could, possibly, help with that faulty wiring. Maron’s need to be real and his attempts to be better are maybe best described when he runs into his ex-wife on the street while he’s walking with a model; he writes of his own satisfaction in the moment, “It was all so shallow, so relieving, so petty, so perfect.”

Kate Carraway is a columnist with The Globe and Mail and VICE magazine

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The cover of Archie comics showing Archie proposing to Veronica.
The cover of Archie comics showing Archie proposing to Veronica.

Personal Finance

Do Archie and Veronica need a pre-nup? Add to ...

Now that everyone's favourite comic-book redhead Archie has finally popped the question to the sultry and spoiled Veronica, the question keeping financial planners awake at night is: Will they get a prenuptial agreement?

"In an engagement and the planning of a wedding, there is a whirlwind of emotions that can sometimes cloud what needs to be done," says Sue Neal, a regional director for Investors Group in Toronto. "Love is blind, but the position of a financial adviser is to make sure that your planning is not."

The much-hyped proposal issue of the iconic comic book series hits newsstands on Sept. 1 and while no one is suggesting that Archie is keen to get his hands on Veronica's daddy's stash of cash, the couple's financial situations could not be more different.

Veronica is wealthy, while Archie is not. Veronica lives to shop and spend, while Archie likely had to save - and perhaps even went into debt - to buy her that diamond ring. And with the economy in the dumps, who knows when the freckle-faced Archie will land a decent job?

Victor Gorelick, editor-in-chief and co-president of Archie Comic Publications, says that despite their divergent financial backgrounds, the lovebirds have no plans to sign a pre-nup.

Comic-book storylines aside, Ms. Neal dismisses the notion that it's crass to reach an agreement on how assets are to be divided in the event of a divorce, or to set some ground rules in the financial arena before the 'I dos' are even said. "It is not negative but simply wise to talk about the 'what ifs'."

Couples who tie the knot today are significantly older than was the case 50 years ago, which means they are entering the union with significant assets they might want to protect. The latest Canadian statistics show that about 11 per cent of marriages end in divorce.

It is not negative but simply wise to talk about the 'what ifs'. Sue Neal

The most common motive for a pre-nup is if one person already owns a house that later becomes the matrimonial home, says Jeff Rechtshaffen, a family law lawyer with Rechtshaffen, Breitman in Toronto.

To prevent their spouse from getting half of that home in the event of a split, they get a prenup, more formally known as a marriage contract or a co-habitation agreement.

People who are marrying for the second time, especially those who have children from a previous marriage, often opt for marriage contracts to make sure their first family is protected amid competing interests. If the person being remarried is already paying spousal support from the first marriage, he or she may not want to risk having to do so again.

In addition to the matrimonial home, marriage contracts can address the division of personal as well as business assets, anything from a heirloom such as grandpa's watch to a family-owned business to an investment portfolio.

Asking your husband- or wife-to-be to sign a pre-nup can be tricky, Mr. Rechtshaffen says. "So many trust issues are raised and emotions tend to get run roughshod."

If there is a good reason for the couple to have a pre-nup and the topic is broached well in advance, the emotional damage is minimal.

"But if the parents or someone else is poking their nose in and insisting that their child get one, in those cases the emotional damage can be very bad," Mr. Rechtshaffen says. "The one child is getting pushed into it by his or her parents, the fiancé feels like he or she is a gold-digger, and it is usually addressed late in the process."

For a list of financial tips for newlyweds, click here.

Regardless of whether a couple chooses to enter into a contract to protect the assets they entered the relationship with, all newlyweds should draw up a plan for how to proceed as a financial family unit, Ms. Neal says. That could include tactics for sharing mortgage expenses or combining real estate assets, which can be done without either partner losing their financial independence.

Basic financial things like whether the couple plans to combine their bank accounts and how they will work out a savings plan need to be addressed. Newlyweds can also benefit from certain tax advantages and income-splitting opportunities.

Lastly, anyone getting married or remarried needs to update their will, addressing both how they want their assets distributed and who they want to appoint as their power of attorney.

Roma Luciw is a writer and web editor of the Globeinvestor.com personal finance site. Please send any comments and story ideas to rluciw@globeandmail.ca.

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Abousfian Abdelrazik speaks about his experiences in Sudan for the first time during a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on July 23, 2009. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Abousfian Abdelrazik speaks about his experiences in Sudan for the first time during a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on July 23, 2009. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Paul Koring

The never-ending ordeal of Abousfian Abdelrazik Add to ...

Paul Koring, a Washington-based foreign correspondent for The Globe and Mail, was recently awarded Amnesty International's top prize for human-rights reporting in Canada in 2009. The following is adapted from his acceptance speech.

It is nearly seven years since Abousfian Abdelrazik was picked up - apparently at the behest of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service - and tossed into a Sudanese prison.

It is two years since The Globe and Mail published, across the top of its front page, what would be the first of more than 60 stories about the Canadian citizen's Kafkaesque ordeal.

It is nearly a year since the Harper government bowed to a federal judge's ruling that it had trampled on Mr. Abdelrazik's constitutional rights by keeping him in forced exile and denying him a passport, despite the fact that he has never been charged with any crime.

Mr. Abdelrazik is a Canadian citizen just like most of us. He also happens to be black and Muslim.

But Mr. Abdelrazik didn't just flee to Canada. Once here, instead of refuge, he was denied the very rights that Canada champions. And despite finally being back in Montreal with his children and family, his ordeal isn't over.

Mr. Abdelrazik's bank account - with more than $10,000 in it, an amount he says was left to him by his wife, who died of cancer - has now been frozen at the behest of the Canadian government.

Mr. Abdelrazik remains on the United Nations blacklist of suspected terrorists. That, according to our government, gives it the right to seize his assets and make it a crime to employ him. But he isn't entitled to know why he's on the blacklist or who put him there. And he doesn't have any right to challenge those unknown accusations.

Irrespective of Mr. Abdelrazik's political views and whether or not Canadian are suspicious about him, his rights shouldn't depend on his popularity or the whims of the state. And they shouldn't depend on whether an unidentified country made unspecified accusations without any need to substantiate them to a secret UN committee.

We had no idea where this story would lead when we started covering it. Frankly, it seemed like an odd situation about a Canadian who couldn't return home but hardly the stuff of constitutional precedent or the inalienable rights of all citizens.

But as the layers of government deceit and obstruction slowly were peeled away, it became shockingly evident that agents of the state, acting on orders of cabinet ministers, had willfully treated a citizen in - at best - a bizarre, arbitrary and inexplicable fashion.

For the first few months, the Abdelrazik story attracted almost no attention. It didn't have the "America-bashing" buzz of the Mahar Arar case, and there was no partisan card to play. And there was no immediate protest from ordinary Canadians, although that would eventually come.

If this is an proud example of journalism in the public interest, it's because of the power of The Globe to force an issue onto the national agenda, to compel even the most recalcitrant of ministers and an apathetic public to confront a grievous wrong.

Quite frankly, this story would have fizzled out for lack of interest had not The Globe devoted enormous amounts of space, money and prominence to it.

It's been nearly a year since Mr. Abdelrazik came home, yet his ordeal is still unfolding. What we don't know is how many other Canadians have been tossed into foreign prisons after Canadian agents fingered them abroad.

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Bay CEO Bonnie Brooks (Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail)
Bay CEO Bonnie Brooks (Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail)

Bay chief working fast to revamp retailer Add to ...

Bonnie Brooks is acting like time is going out of style.

In just three days last week, the CEO of the Bay toured eight remodelled department stores in British Columbia and launched The Room at the downtown Vancouver flagship, her chain’s second upscale shop with $7,000 cocktail dresses and other designer chic.

It’s part of her fast-paced refashioning of the fatigued Bay, even as she faces the hurdle of her parent, Hudson’s Bay Co., putting on hold its initial public offering this fall until tentatively next spring amid choppy stock markets. The delay puts added pressure on her to get her work done quickly, even without additional funds.

So far, she’s enjoying early signs of a turnaround, one Burberry handbag at a time. But as competition tightens, she’s racing to complete her three-phase plan, still only in its first stage after her three years at the helm.

“There are some programs that would probably accelerate a little faster” if more money were available, the Bay’s chief executive officer said, pointing to a third The Room in Montreal, which might be put off until 2013 from 2012.

“But my program is on a roll. We’re in good shape ... If we’re just concentrating on the things that [generate]immediate payback, we still have a lot of them to do, there’s no question.”

It’s the multimillion-dollar question in retail circles: Can the talented and energetic Ms. Brooks get enough done before burgeoning competition overtakes her efforts? Savvy U.S. chains, including the upscale Nordstrom, are hunting for store sites in Canada to set up shop. U.S. discounter Target Corp. with its cool quotient of affordable fashions and home-decor products, will open its first 135 or so stores here starting in March of 2013.

Her big challenge is to rev up the Bay stores’ productivity, which stood at roughly $165 sales per square foot of selling space before she arrived. She’s now striving to raise them to $200 and beyond, closer to top U.S. department-store levels.

To do that she has to fill the space in her massive stores with compelling offerings; one of her current ideas is to launch a specialty dry cleaner and spa services to draw more shoppers, along with food offerings. Another recent addition to the Toronto flagship: A members-only men’s grooming shop, including manicures and pedicures, with more than 1,000 customers signed up.

“It’s a daunting task to take over a very large company with a tremendous amount of capital involved every time she wants to make a change – she has to do it right,” said Jeffrey Berkowitz, president of retail specialist Aurora Realty Consultants, which helps bring foreign retailers to Canada. “She’s made great strides at trying to make sure the Bay doesn’t get lost in the shuffle ... Bit by bit they’re trying to woo in a new customer. Time will tell how that works.”

For now, the Bay’s cost-cutting and replacing 900 tired lines with 400 fresh ones (including Burberry and Coach) are doing their part in improving results, she said. With about $7-billion in annual sales, HBC, which also includes the U.S. Lord & Taylor, rang up a profit of about $450-million in 2010, before taxes, up from $330-million the year before, according to published reports.

Phase one of her plan entailed rolling out new brands and upgrading 80 of the 91 Bay stores, primarily in women’s fashion, footwear and men’s clothing. She launched the hot British fashion chain Topshop at the Bay this fall to attract a young, hip customer, with plans for a few large flagships and 40 to 50 in-store boutiques within five years. Last fall, the chain brought back e-commerce, with 20 per cent of inventory online today and all of it within a year.

The next two phases include even more brands and store facelifts, especially in cosmetics, accessories and jewellery.

She’s noticing a shift in attitude as businesses (including a specialty dry-cleaning firm) begin to approach her to launch in the Bay, rather than vice-versa. “I’m not saying that we’ve reached the tipping point but I think we’re getting close to it – the tipping point of brands wanting to be at the Bay,” she said.

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> Downloads » GTA3 » Mods » Mega Speed Mod*
Mega Speed Mod*
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text:
Spain boss Vicente del Bosque has confirmed that Alberto Moreno, Jesus Navas and Bilbao youngster Iturraspe will not be part of his squad in Brazil for World Cup 2014. Meanwhile, Diego Costa has got a chance to prove his fitness.

Spain registered an impressive 2-0 victory over Bolivia yesterday and Coach Del Bosque confirmed this news in a press conference after the game.

Navas has spent majority of this year on dressing table to and Spain coach do not want to take any chances with him. “Navas has recovered well over the last few days, but he has gone six weeks without playing, so we have told him it’s difficult for him to come,” said Del Bosque.

“I have told Iturraspe and Alberto Moreno that, for now, they will not travel with us unless something else happens.”

Atletico Madrid duo of Diego Costa and Juanfran are also struggling with their respective injuries and the coach confirmed that he will take a final call today. He said: “We still have Juanfran and Diego Costa who have small problems. On Saturday at 1pm we will make our decision,”

“With Diego Costa it is still up in the air. We will wait for the response from our medical team.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea star Fernando Torres is almost certain to go to Brazil now as the coach has shown a faith in him. “I have a lot of confidence in Torres, that is why he is here,” said Del Bosque. “I am very happy with his work.”

Spain coach Del Bosque is expected to announce his complete 23 man squad for the World Cup on Sunday. The most difficult task for the coach is going to be that of selection of strikers. The likes of David Villa, Diego Costa, Torres, Negredo and Pedro; all are fighting for a spot in World Cup squad.

Spain will be more stronger in Brazil: Iniesta

Spain registered an impressive 2-0 win over Bolivia in Sevilla and star midfielder Iniesta believes that his side will emerge more stronger in the World Cup. Iniesta scored the winning goal in Spain’s victory.

Iniesta feels that the selection of squad is not going to be a big issue for the coach. “Whether the coach decides to go with those who played tonight or bring in others, the group will be even stronger,” Iniesta was speaking to AS.

“We trained well during the week, in every session, and played well today.We only have two shirts each and they were already assigned. They don’t usually ask me, but today one did,” Iniesta said.

Spain will be playing their first game of the World Cup against Holland on 13th of June.


text:
Heads roll in Slovakia over sale of Bernini bust

The bust of Pope Paul V by Gian Lorenzo Bernini that was acquired by the Getty Museum in Los Angeles earlier this year has left a trail of criminal investigations and fired civil servants in its wake. When the museum announced the rediscovery and acquisition of the long-lost sculpture this June, the only details released about the purchase where that it belonged to an unnamed private collector who arranged a private sale via Sotheby’s London. The last time before then that it appeared on the historical record was when it was sold to a Viennese collector at an 1893 Borghese family estate sale.

Last month, details started to leak about the acquisition. The Getty was reported to have paid a jaw-dropping $33 million to buy the bust from a still-unnamed Slovakian art dealer who had bought it unattributed and then found out it was the real thing, not a copy after Bernini’s original. Somehow, the work had migrated from Vienna at the end of the 19th century to modern-day Bratislava, Slovakia. where it was in the collection of Slovakian painter Ernest Zmeták. In 2013, Zmeták’s heirs put some of this collection, including the bust of Pope Paul V, up for auction.

The bust, then attributed solely to an “unknown Italian sculptor,” was put up for auction twice, once in December of 2013 for 47,000 euro, and when it failed to sell, again almost a year later for 24,000 euro. Shortly after the bust couldn’t find a buyer even at the 50% off fire sale, the auction house sold the bust privately for the reserve price of 24,000 euro to one Clément Guenebeaud, a French collector living in Bratislava.

It was Guenebeaud who realized the bust was made by Bernini himself. He tried to sell it on his own but the large hole in its ownership history made potential buyers wary. A famous work of art that mysteriously traveled from Vienna to Slovakia over the course of the 20th century runs the risk of being Nazi loot which could mire the current owner in a messy and expensive restitution battle. Sotheby’s was game, though, and through them Guenebeaud was able to sell the bust to the Getty. The Baroque masterpiece left Slovakia without incident.

After the Getty announced their new treasure with a splash, the fact that a small country with limited resources that could really use a tourism boost had somehow let a 17th century bust by one of the greatest sculptors in the world slip through its fingers did not go unnoticed back in Bratislava. Culture Minister Marek Maďarič ordered an investigation into the bust debacle and filed a criminal complaint against an unknown offender involved in the sale on suspicion that someone involved in the appraisal and sale knew its true value but deliberately and fraudulently obscured it.

As of now, there is no evidence of deliberate deception. The auction house in Bratislava is a local outfit without the depth of expertise necessary to confidently attribute a sculpture to Bernini. Ernest Zmeták apparently had no idea the bust was original, nor did his heirs. The only person who had any idea, Guenebeaud, didn’t hide the fact that he thought it was a genuine Bernini in his application for an export license. He wrote that it was probably by Bernini and estimated its value at around €7 million, but the ministry employee in charge or arranging the permits changed the description from “bust by Gian Lorenzo Bernini” to “bust after Bernini.” Apparently she decided to go with the auction house’s assessment rather than Guenebeaud’s, and the commission that reviews permanent export applications accepted it without ordering an expert examination to confirm or deny the disputed authorship. Minister Maďarič fired her and the director of the department in charge of issuing export permits.

The timeline of all these events is foggy. It’s not clear who determined the bust was original. It could be Alexander Kader, head of the department of European sculpture at Sotheby’s London, but usually the top experts in the field are consulted for works of this importance. Presumably the Getty wouldn’t have shelled out $33 million without being satisfied the bust was by Bernini.

If the special commission tasked with investigating irregularities in the export license find it to have been granted improperly, it’s possible the license will be revoked and the Slovakian government will request that the Getty return the bust. The museum does not seem concerned.

In an email to artnet News Ron Hartwig, the Getty Museum’s vice-president of communications assured that the bust “will remain on view to the public at the J. Paul Getty Museum.”

He explained “The Bust of Pope Paul V (1621) by Gian Lorenzo Bernini was legally exported from Slovakia, legally sold in the United Kingdom and legally imported into the United States. Whatever the nature of the Slovakian government’s inquiry, it has no impact whatsoever on the Getty’s ownership of the bust.”

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Comment by Cordate
2015-08-26 15:22:05

13650% markup!

Mr. Guenebeaud’s not likely to make a deal that good again any time soon.

Comment by Specular
2015-08-27 04:36:22

It’s fascinating reading a background to such a sale. Always enjoy reading articles here that create an interesting narrative from what would otherwise not reach mainstream attention.

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Horse Racing Medication Reform Takes Major Step

Horse Racing Medication Reform Takes Major Step

With regulators and leading industry groups leading the charge, many believe sweeping medication reform could become a reality in early 2013.

Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse

With regulators and leading industry groups leading the charge, many leaders believe sweeping medication reform could become a reality in early 2013.

In what could prove to be a landmark meeting of the Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI) Model Rules Committee earlier this month, medication reforms aiming for simplicity and uniformity were adopted. The new model rules are similar to the Jockey Club's Reformed Racing Medication Rules first introduced in August 2011. They promise simple standards, harsh punishment for repeat violators and first-time abusers of non-therapeutic drugs, and uniform regulations and testing procedures from state to state.

The model rules were developed through input from The Jockey Club, the industry's Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, the New York Task Force on Racehorse Health and Safety, and the RCI Scientific Task Force, which was organized by Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (THA) Chairman Alan Foreman. The task force included veterinarians and experts on drug labs and testing.

"What we did was actually kind of huge," said RCI President Ed Martin. "We're moving toward this structure where we'll have a list of regulated therapeutic medications with threshold levels, and ask all the racing commissions to adopt it by reference, which would give us uniformity."

Under the plan, there will be a list of about 25 medications allowed for therapeutic use in race horses. Each of these medications will have a withdrawal time to ensure the drug is out of the horse's system on race day, or at a level low enough to not affect performance. Any other drug not on the list will not be allowed in the horse's system, at any level, and will be subject to harsh penalty.

Racing is regulated from state to state and the RCI is an organization of state racing regulators. It adopts model rules that it encourages its members to adopt. The system has had its successes; states quickly acted to rid the sport of anabolic steroids in about a six-month period ending in early 2009. But at other times states have tweaked their rules to address local concerns, which has lead to inconsistencies from state to state.

The current medication reforms have the backing of The Jockey Club, which plans to campaign for their adoption from state to state, and at least one major horsemen's group, the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. It represents trainers in Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The other major horsemen's group, the national Horsemen's Benevolence and Protective Association (HBPA), is on board with much of the reform.

With such industry backing, uniform medication reform seems possible.

"At least in terms of our objectives in the immediate future, we want to build a coalition of like-minded supporters. We're well down the road on that now. In terms of actually taking this to the streets--the doorsteps of the regulatory authorities on a state by state basis--that's a 2013 initiative for us," said Jockey Club executive director Matt Iuliano. "That's something we're going to be looking at in the first and second quarters. We'll continue to push that."

Jockey Club President Jim Gagliano is looking forward to rallying the states behind the new model rules. Earlier this year, federal oversight of the industry was suggested at U.S. Congressional hearings as speakers noted the sport's inability to effectively police itself. Gagliano pointed to The Jockey Club's Reformed Medication Rules and said they would support any regulatory framework that would help the reforms become a reality, whether that be the current state system or federal oversight.

"We need to go state to state and take these rules that have been approved by large, broad-based parties and get them implemented in these states," said Gagliano, who will have an audience well aware of the possibility of the federal government stepping in if reform is halted.

"The reforms certainly can become a reality, the question is, 'Will they?' And, 'How quickly will they become a reality?' Given the constituents that we brought these rules to, I'm encouraged because we're broad-based. We spent a lot of time with horsemen, vet groups, racetracks, and regulators. And in synthesizing all of that feedback, we have these groups on the same page."

Foreman said the THA is organizing a meeting of state regulators from all of the Mid-Atlantic states in January. He believes those states could have the new rules adopted by March. Foreman said withdrawal times for the listed therapeutic drugs and the chance to have the same rules and testing from state to state are very attractive ideas for horsemen.

"We hope to do this regionally and hopefully the whole country will follow. But we're not going to wait. This needs to be done and will benefit the horsemen racing in this region," Foreman said. "Horsemen just want to know what the rules are and see that everyone abides by them. They'll follow them.

"It's big that all the states will use all of the same testing levels for therapeutic drugs. A horseman can be comfortable that the testing will be the same throughout the entire region, and hopefully soon nationally. You can't have jurisdictions calling positives at different levels. It's confusing when you're going from one jurisdiction to another. It's a big, big step forward."

Foreman said thanks to endless hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars in scientific study, solid thresholds and withdrawal times have been developed for therapeutic medications, including corticosteroids and the bronchodilator clenbuterol. He said accreditation of labs and more consolidation of those labs has put racing in position to put standardized testing rules in place from state to state.

Foreman said much of the impetus came from the International Summit on Race Day Medication in September 2011. He said the RCI Scientific Task Force then met in January and again in October. Many of its ideas were incorporated in the RCI model rules.

"If we can get the Mid-Atlantic states to adopt these changes, it's going to be the launch pad," Foreman said. "THA has committed to these reforms and is working to get them done."

National HBPA CEO Phil Hanrahan said his group is largely on board.

"It's a good start. Some of the items that we requested were taken under advisement, but I think it's a good start," Hanrahan said. "Our view has been, and remains, that the model rules process is the best process to build consensus and get the best results for the industry."

Martin said the rules include some innovative ideas.

"Instead of recommending withdrawal times for therapeutic medications, we voted to have restricted administration times. That sends a very clear signal that even though we consider this drug normal for equine care, and we've published the threshold level at which we will call positives; you do not give this medication within this particular period of time or you will be in violation of the rules," Martin said.

"It creates another avenue to prosecute drug cases but it also gives a very clear line to the horsemen, rather than trying to figure out what the thresholds mean."

Some drugs will be allowed for treatment of specific diseases or injuries. But Martin said administration of those drugs, which will be categorized as "special instance medications," will need to be reported ahead of time to a regulatory veterinarian. The report would have to include the dosage and the reason the horse was being administered the drug.

A 2011 McKinsey Report for The Jockey Club indicated medication issues and lax punishment of violators is a major concern of fans and a roadblock to attracting new fans. Iuliano said the simplified system should help the sport address those problems.

"The model rules included the two-category drug classification system we proposed," Iuliano said. "Medications can be characterized as either controlled therapeutics subject to regulatory thresholds--and also subject to withdrawal guidelines and administration times. Or, the other category is prohibited substances."

Violations involving those prohibited substances will carry harsh penalties. Repeat violations in either category will also result in harsh penalties. A point system will be developed to track repeat violators. An RCI subcommittee is working on the details of the point system.

Martin said RCI plans to have its model rules published and then take those reforms to the individual states by the end of January.

Iuliano said the HBPA raised some valid concerns on issues like supplements but he's optimistic that agreement can be reached.

Foreman said the new system will better define the various levels of violations. He said some drugs like required vaccinations and antimicrobials, which have zero impact on performance, will not be tested for. He said instances have occurred when such medications have shown up as positives on drug tests.

Foreman sees potential for meaningful change that addresses integrity while providing horsemen consistency and fairness.

"We're really moving forward with significant changes on medication policy in this country. I'm very pleased about it," Foreman said.

"There are a lot of things happening here, a lot of moving parts that the public doesn't see, but these are a lot of changes," he added. "You hear about the hiccups and there are some, but there's really a sea change going on. This is a complicated area, a difficult area, but we're working through it and we're finally seeing the results of the hard work and the money spent. I think 2013 is going to be a year when a lot of these advances are rolled out and people see the changes."<

Originally published on

About the Author

Frank Angst

Frank Angst is a staff writer for The Blood-Horse magazine. An American Horse Publications three-time winner in best news story category, Angst has covered horse racing for more than a decade. Angst spent ten years at Thoroughbred Times, where he earned awards as that magazine’s senior writer and helped launch Thoroughbred Times TODAY. Besides covering horse racing, Angst enjoys handicapping. Angst has written about sports for more than 20 years, including several seasons covering a nationally ranked Marshall Thundering Herd football team.

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text:
COA travels to Lafayette, IU campuses

IL Staff
January 1, 2008
Back to TopCommentsE-mailPrintBookmark and Share
The Indiana Court of Appeals will visit three Indiana colleges April 8 and 9 to hear arguments in cases regarding child molestation, defamatory statements, and ineffective counsel.

Judges will visit Ivy Tech Community College in Lafayette Tuesday to hear arguments regarding a case on appeal from Lake Superior Court. Arguments for Victor Vega Torres v. State of Indiana, 45A03-0708-CR-385, begin at 10 a.m. in Ivy Hall. Judges Ezra Friedlander, Margret Robb, and Cale Bradford will have to decide whether Torres' maximum sentence of eight years following a guilty plea to child molesting is inappropriate in light of the nature of the offense and the fact he has a history of mental illness.

Also on Tuesday, Judges James Kirsch, Melissa May, and Patricia Riley will hear arguments in Thomas Williams and Sanford Kelsey v. Kelly E. Tharp and Papa John's USA, Inc., 29A02-0707-CV-625, at 5 p.m. at Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis in the Wynne Courtroom in Inlow Hall. At issue in the case on appeal from Hamilton Circuit Court is whether the trial court erred in finding Tharp did not make defamatory statements by telling police that Williams and Kelsey pulled a gun when they picked up a pizza from a Papa John's restaurant. The court will also have to decide if the trial court erred in ruling Tharp didn't act intentionally or in an extreme or outrageous manner.

On Wednesday, the three-judge panel of Bradford, May, and L. Mark Bailey travel to Indiana University Southeast in New Albany to hear arguments in Charles Sweeney v. State of Indiana, 10A01-0707-PC-303, at 12:30 p.m. in the Hoosier Room West in the University Center North building. The appellate court is asked to decide whether Sweeney deserves post-conviction relief because of ineffective counsel following his conviction of murder and sentence of 60 years. The case is on appeal from Clark Circuit Court.

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  1. Historically speaking pagans devalue children and worship animals. How close are we? Consider the ruling above plus today's tidbit from the politically correct high Court:

  2. The father is a convicted of spousal abuse. 2 restaining orders been put on him, never made any difference the whole time she was there. The time he choked the mother she dropped the baby the police were called. That was the only time he was taken away. The mother was suppose to have been notified when he was released no call was ever made. He made his way back, kicked the door open and terrified the mother. She ran down the hallway and locked herself and the baby in the bathroom called 911. The police came and said there was nothing they could do (the policeman was a old friend from highschool, good ole boy thing).They told her he could burn the place down as long as she wasn't in it.The mother got another resataining order, the judge told her if you were my daughter I would tell you to leave. So she did. He told her "If you ever leave me I will make your life hell, you don't know who your f!@#$%^ with". The fathers other 2 grown children from his 1st exwife havent spoke 1 word to him in almost 15yrs not 1 word.This is what will be a forsure nightmare for this little girl who is in the hands of pillar of the community. Totally corrupt system. Where I come from I would be in jail not only for that but non payment of child support. Unbelievably pitiful...

  3. dsm 5 indicates that a lot of kids with gender dysphoria grow out of it. so is it really a good idea to encourage gender reassignment? Perhaps that should wait for the age of majority. I don't question the compassionate motives of many of the trans-advocates, but I do question their wisdom. Likewise, they should not question the compassion of those whose potty policies differ. too often, any opposition to the official GLBT agenda is instantly denounced as "homophobia" etc.

  4. @ President Snow, like they really read these comments or have the GUTS to show what is the right thing to do. They are just worrying about planning the next retirement party, the others JUST DO NOT CARE about what is right. Its the Good Ol'Boys - they do not care about the rights of the mother or child, they just care about their next vote, which, from what I gather, the mother left the state of Indiana because of the domestic violence that was going on through out the marriage, the father had three restraining orders on him from three different women, but yet, the COA judges sent a strong message, go ahead men put your women in place, do what you have to do, you have our backs... I just wish the REAL truth could be told about this situation... Please pray for this child and mother that God will some how make things right and send a miracle from above.

  5. I hear you.... Us Christians are the minority. The LGBTs groups have more rights than the Christians..... How come when we express our faith openly in public we are prosecuted? This justice system do not want to seem "bias" but yet forgets who have voted them into office.


text:
James O. Young v. State of Indiana - 10/22/12

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Monday  October 22, 2012
10:30 AM  EST

10:30 a.m. 20A04-1112-CR-699. Allen Superior Court Courtroom 1. James Young appeals his conviction for Class D felony domestic battery and Class D felony strangulation following a jury trial.  Young’s wife, the victim, did not testify at trial, but two firefighters and a police officer who had spoken with her at or near the time of the incidents involved were allowed to testify concerning the substance of the statements she made to them.
Young presents the following issues for review on appeal: (1) whether the firefighters’ and police officer’s testimony regarding the victim’s statement to them was a violation of the Confrontation Clause within the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States or permissible questioning during an ongoing emergency; (2) whether the trial court abused its discretion in concluding that the victim’s statement to the police officer, more than 45 minutes after the incidents, was an excited utterance; and (3) whether there was sufficient evidence to prove that Young committed the offenses in a child’s physical presence so as to elevate the domestic battery offense to a Class D felony.

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  1. Historically speaking pagans devalue children and worship animals. How close are we? Consider the ruling above plus today's tidbit from the politically correct high Court: http://indianacourts.us/times/2016/12/are-you-asking-the-right-questions-intimate-partner-violence-and-pet-abuse/

  2. The father is a convicted of spousal abuse. 2 restaining orders been put on him, never made any difference the whole time she was there. The time he choked the mother she dropped the baby the police were called. That was the only time he was taken away. The mother was suppose to have been notified when he was released no call was ever made. He made his way back, kicked the door open and terrified the mother. She ran down the hallway and locked herself and the baby in the bathroom called 911. The police came and said there was nothing they could do (the policeman was a old friend from highschool, good ole boy thing).They told her he could burn the place down as long as she wasn't in it.The mother got another resataining order, the judge told her if you were my daughter I would tell you to leave. So she did. He told her "If you ever leave me I will make your life hell, you don't know who your f!@#$%^ with". The fathers other 2 grown children from his 1st exwife havent spoke 1 word to him in almost 15yrs not 1 word.This is what will be a forsure nightmare for this little girl who is in the hands of pillar of the community. Totally corrupt system. Where I come from I would be in jail not only for that but non payment of child support. Unbelievably pitiful...

  3. dsm 5 indicates that a lot of kids with gender dysphoria grow out of it. so is it really a good idea to encourage gender reassignment? Perhaps that should wait for the age of majority. I don't question the compassionate motives of many of the trans-advocates, but I do question their wisdom. Likewise, they should not question the compassion of those whose potty policies differ. too often, any opposition to the official GLBT agenda is instantly denounced as "homophobia" etc.

  4. @ President Snow, like they really read these comments or have the GUTS to show what is the right thing to do. They are just worrying about planning the next retirement party, the others JUST DO NOT CARE about what is right. Its the Good Ol'Boys - they do not care about the rights of the mother or child, they just care about their next vote, which, from what I gather, the mother left the state of Indiana because of the domestic violence that was going on through out the marriage, the father had three restraining orders on him from three different women, but yet, the COA judges sent a strong message, go ahead men put your women in place, do what you have to do, you have our backs... I just wish the REAL truth could be told about this situation... Please pray for this child and mother that God will some how make things right and send a miracle from above.

  5. I hear you.... Us Christians are the minority. The LGBTs groups have more rights than the Christians..... How come when we express our faith openly in public we are prosecuted? This justice system do not want to seem "bias" but yet forgets who have voted them into office.


text:
The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

Stephenie Meyer is at it again, with a new book. This one is an adult crime thriller type thing, I think...

The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Adult Mystery
ISBN: 978-1-4789-0657-5
Pub date: 11/8/16
Rating: 2

 Thanks for visiting! Just so you know, The Life and Lies is an affiliate of several websites, and may collect a fee for your clicks, purchases, and subscriptions. Any item featured or reviewed may have been received free or discounted, but in no way affects my review. Thanks, and enjoy!

I wanted to give her a chance. I wanted to hope that someone this clever and with such backing would have hired a better editor or have had people peer review her work or something. But no, it's the same old same old.

I have 3 major problems with Meyer's book(s). the same problems apply to all of them, not just this one.

1. The concept of the plot is very good, but it's basic and underdeveloped. There could have been so much more mystery behind everything, and it could have surprised and shocked me, but it didn't. I figured it all out very quickly and then rolled my eyes when the main character was shocked by the "plot twist."

2. The writing is atrocious... we're talking bad grammar, bad sentience structure, run-ons, and repeated words constantly. And who the hell writes an adult novel and cuts the sentence off before the expletives? I want the expletives! Don't just tell me that he swore creatively. That's okay if you're writing a teen novel, I get it. But this is sooooo not a YA novel. This is about a scientist who tortures people for the government.

3. The characters were not unique or special. This felt exactly like The Host. Which felt exactly like the Twilight series. So basically, she can only write 3 characters: under-developed female with no personality, super-sweet pushover guy, and super-asshole guy. Awesome. Remind me why you're a best seller?

I'm giving it two stars instead of one because even though it was horrible, I still got about a third of the way through it (which is more than I can say for some other horrible books I've read in the past).

Copyright 2016 Haley Mathiot. All reviews are 100% honest and unbiased. One or more items featured in the blog post may have been free or discounted. Receiving free or discounted product does not affect review. For more please see my disclaimer page.
The Life and Lies is an affiliate of multiple websites. Your clicks and purchases through my links help me stay online!


text:
Sunday, June 14, 2009

Week 19 - Thoughts

Couldn't take it any more. Bit all my nails off. Now I can type even faster! I'm sure they'll grow back with the pregnancy hormones.

I'm a little nostalgic thinking about how nice it would have been to be expecting a little girl so I could keep fantasizing about doing cute little girly things like painting our toenails together and teaching her how to put on makeup. I don't like that I feel that way, but I'm just being honest. I have mixed emotions I suppose. I also suppose it's all completely normal so while I feel a tad bit guity for having these feelings, I don't necessarily feel it's wrong.

I'm still very happy we're having another little boy and I still see more benefits to having a boy over a girl right now. I'm already in love with him and now I just can't wait to meet him and kiss his little toes. I just can't wait to bond with him.

I'm mostly just nervous about how it will all affect my relationship with Lucian and how he will deal with another little boy to share his room, toys, clothes, and especially, HIS parents. I was thinking a relationship with a little girl would be so different that Lucian wouldn't feel like he was being traded for another little boy. I really worry about how Lucian is going to deal with all of this. I expect he'll be like any other normal little kid and be insanely jealous and feel like he's being replaced. I'm really glad we waited until he was a little older to have another. I think I'd be even more worried if he were not almost 3.

I'm the oldest of 4 and I'm very sensative to what Lucian is about to experience and I'm going to try my best to do whatever I can to make him feel special and not like he's being replaced. I've always told him that he is the little boy of my dreams and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

I can't help feeling how that statement might change now that I'm having another little dream come true – another child that's also a little boy of my dreams. Lucian already made my dreams of having a son come true and to be honest, I've always just pictured myself with one of each – a boy and a girl, that's it. I suppose those are like princess fairy tales when you think of it because it's impossible to know what you'll really end up with when you try for the second to complete your little perfect snapshot of how you imagine your life to be.

I guess that's part of growing up and being an adult — realizing the difference between dreams, goals, aspirations and unrealistic fantasies.

Yesterday I got into a nesting frenzy and it's still continuing today. I've been chipping away at this blog post in between trips to what I'm now calling "The Boys' Room" to put things away or reorganize little things here and there. It's like a bird who flies around picking up little pieces of straw and bits little by little each time to build the perfect nest. I love tweaking everything. It just makes me happy.

We just got done inventorying all of the children's books we have and I can not believe just how many we've accumulated for Lucian over the past three years! We have a really nice book case built into the wall in our living area so we just reorganized it so that all books for children 17 and under are out there and all "adult" books like how-to, reference and novels are now in our bedroom along with photo albums. I really like the way it looks now and how easily accessible it is to Lucian and someday, his baby brother. We put all of the little board books on the very bottom and then they go up in age appropriateness towards the top.

Before that, I just had Nate pull down 2 storage totes containing all the baby and maternity clothing and supplies. I've been in denial about whether I'm showing now or not and if it's time to start wearing maternity clothing. I'm really confused because I have not yet gained any weight but at 19 weeks now, regular clothing is really starting to become uncomfortable. I keep pushing my elastic band below my belly and my shirts are not covering everything right now, so I suppose it's time. I guess I'll start taking belly pictures soon too but I feel odd about that because I don't feel like I LOOK pregnant. I feel like I just look fat. When I was pregnant with Lucian, I don't think I started showing till around 20 weeks. Even at full term, my belly was never completely round. It was a very odd shape. I'm not complaining because I only gained 27 pounds that time while other friends and family members had gained 50 or more.

I just got finished cleaning and reorganizing The Boys' Room and I'm really happy with the way it looks now. I'd still like to see some shelving on the one wall for some knickknacks. I'm not very fond of knickknacks personally, but we do have several pieces that people have given us over the years that hold sentimental value. There are also some photos I need to frame and hang. It's one of those things that will never be finished, but for now I really enjoy just sitting in the rocking chair while hanging out with Lucian to watch him play his little computer games or read books and dream about the time when there will be two little boys sharing that space together. I look over at the crib and try to picture what life will be like with another little one in there. It will be a while before we actually use the crib because I prefer to have baby sleep in the bassinet in our room for the first six months or so. Lucian slept in a crib in our bedroom for over a year, but partly because my father in law lived with us temporarily while he and mom were looking a new house to move here to Tucson.

Anyhow, those are my thoughts right now - what I'm feeling, what projects I'm working on at the moment.

Funny story I wanted to remember
Last night when I tucked Lucian into bed, I was still moving little things around. Nate had printed out a family photo of us and made a copy for Lucian so I put it up on the shelf with his stuffed animals where he could always look at it. After I put it on the shelf and bent down to give him a kiss and a hug, he said, "That's our family." I said, "Yes! That's right! That's our family." Then I kissed him and hugged him and he whispered, "the Happy Home People."

I all but fell over laughing because that is a line from an Express Flooring commercial that's always on TV.

Leave it to my kid to use an advertising tag line to make me smile.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Pink or Blue?

Well, the results are in! We're having another little BOY! :)

The sonogram went extremely well and he was not shy at all! I was able to see the "turtle" before she even said so! I guess after enough sonograms you sorta kinda get used to recognizing some body parts. I love to see the little hands and feet moving around. I have a thing for baby toes.

I have to say, this was one of the best sonograms I've ever had. Lucian's sonograms were great too, but I don't remember him moving around as much as this little guy does! It was amazing to watch him move. Lucian was always a very mellow baby for which I was extremely grateful! This little guy scares me because I just get the feeling that he's going to be a fearless little firecracker! I don't know how I'll keep up! I suppose I will have to acquire a taste for coffee and be like everyone else on the planet who drinks coffee. I'm hoping perhaps he was hopped up on sugar because I had a piece of banana bread with icing before the appointment. (temporary weakness for sweets)

Our sonogram tech was just awesome. She was so patient, fun and seemed extremely experienced and really enjoys what she does. She took lots of time to explain everything and answer questions. I didn't feel rushed like I normally do during sonograms. I was just so relaxed and pleased with the way she looked at everything and even went back to areas where I had questions.
Nate and Lucian were there and at one point, Lucian had to go potty so Nate had to take him out of the room and missed some of the sonogram. When he got back, she was almost finished but I asked and she let us just watch our baby boy swim around for a little while since Nate had to miss a little of it. It was so great. Lucian was almost interested, but of course he was even more focused on seeing what buttons and switches he could press. There was a lot of "Jeffrey, Jeffrey, stop it Jeffrey, get down Jeffrey, don't touch that Jeffrey." Sigh.

Baby was VERY active and squirming all over the place. He was putting his little hands up to his face and tilting his little head back and side to side. It almost made it hard for the tech to get clear pictures at times. He was really making her work for it!
She said we're on target for the due date and he's within normal size. Only one thing they are going to watch is that I have what is called a "low lying placenta" so they just want to make sure it doesn't turn into placenta previa. We'll have another sonogram around 26 - 28 weeks to make sure the placenta has moved up to it's normal position like 99 percent of all cases do.

I haven't yet gained any weight, in fact I lost a pound. I asked my OB about this and she said it's nothing to worry about. She told me I could actually get away with only gaining five pounds towards the end. So, I'm not going to stress about the weight gain unless it makes my leg hurt. At this point, I'm extremely grateful for the slow weight gain and the extra reassurance that baby is healthy and getting all the nutrients he needs right now.

We were hoping for a little girl, but of course we're happy with another boy that's healthy. I'm slightly relieved because we're already prepared for a boy. It kind of takes the stress out of having to reconfigure things for a girl. We may try again after this, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. The joke is that the Davis family comes in sets of three and it's usually two boys and a girl. So, if we feel up to it after this baby, we might try and tempt fate to see if that pattern holds true. I'll be 35 in December so I'm not exactly looking forward to being of "advanced maternal age." I know plenty of people are totally fine with that and I respect that — it's just not what I wanted for myself. I also believe things happen for a reason and that God has an ultimate plan for us so, if I'm meant to have a daughter, it will happen. If I'm meant to be the mother of a little soccer team, than so be it. Boys are cool!

It's kind of funny, I was getting all these girl vibes so I was a little surprised it turned out to be a boy. I won't lie, I was slightly disappointed but more so because my gut feeling was wrong, not because we're having a boy. I don't like being wrong! He just looks so healthy and that's what makes me really happy now. It's just a relief knowing. I suck at surprises because I'm way too nosey.

The other reason that the sonogram was great is because, even though this is the third one, for some reason, THIS is the one that made it real for me. When I was pregnant with Lucian, I think it was the 1st sonogram that made it real for me. I was around 12 weeks along and he was starting to move and I could see him wiggle around on the screen and I was truly delighted.

With this pregnancy, I've been a bit more depressed for various reasons and I was really craving some reassurance that the baby was still alive and surviving and most of all - real. It's not like I was experiencing anything that should make me worry like spotting or cramping, it just didn't seem real or accepted for some reason. (Partly because of the issues I'm still having with my mom.)

It still seems like a dream, but it's so much more realistic to me now. I'm starting to get in the mood for digging out baby stuff and getting certain things set up. Nate of course just says we have time and he's not feeling the kind of pressure I feel to nest. I always worry that if I don't start doing things now while I have the energy, I won't get them done later when I'm distracted and too irritated from being super pregnant.

Already I'm having a hard time getting around and chasing after Lucian because I have a lot of aching in my pelvic joints. (I don't know how else to put it.) The OB says it's perfectly normal because this is my second pregnancy and ligaments aren't as tight as they used to be so baby is resting lowing in my pelvis and causes the aching feeling. I can still get up out of a chair rather quick when I need to, but walking around and standing a lot is not comfortable at all.

I've been getting more tired earlier in the evenings and waking earlier in the mornings so that's a good thing. I just wish I wasn't waking at 3 or 4 in the morning because I feel like I have to pee and then can't get back to sleep. The OB says Tylenol PM is safe to take (as is Benadryl) when I really need it so I'm glad for that. I try my best not to use it if I can help it because I hate putting chemicals in my body that might affect the baby no matter how safe they say it is. Sometimes though, I have to consider the alternatives. Going several days on only 4 hours of sleep each day isn't good for me either. I basically can't sleep much longer than 3 to 4 hours at a time. If I do, it's rare and I take it when I can get it.

I need to be tested for Gestational Diabetes again at around 26 - 28 weeks and I'm nervous that I may have it again. I'm really trying to watch my sugar intake. I can't remember the last time I really craved and ate much chocolate, so that is good. It's the carbs that are my biggest weakness. Being part Italian doesn't help! I have such a penchant for pastas, breads and cereals. I don't keep junk food in the house but I do unfortunately keep too many carbs in the house and that is my comfort food. A bowl of cereal or a bagel or a big plate of pasta is what makes me happy.

So, anyhow, I'm waning but I wanted to get this post out and also take some time to thank all of those who were "Thinking Pink" for us yesterday. I know several people who even wore pink underwear for me!! Even dudes!! So, thank you for your valiant efforts and perhaps next time.

I was feeling so feminine for a while there thinking that I might be having a girl and now I'm tempted to cut these long nails off! It was a nice thought for a while, and I do enjoy embracing my femininity once in a while, but I'm really comfortable hangin with tha boys in my sneakers much of the time so another little boy dude in the house suits me fine :)

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Week 18 - Sonogram Today

Today, later this afternoon, we'll get a sonogram that will hopefully reveal the health and sex of our baby. When I was pregnant with Lucian during this part of the pregnancy, he was not willing to let us know he was a little boy for the 18 week sonogram. So, although I'm extremely excited to try to find out what the baby is, I won't be shocked if it decides to be shy. I'll just be agitated and hope we get another sonogram so we can find out later. I have little patience when it comes to this. I'm just too curious. It's not that I hate surprises — I like surprises if anyone can manage to pull them off — but I'm very, very nosey by nature so it usually doesn't work out.

One of the things I know they are going to be watching for is the baby's size. Lucian was a very large baby. If this baby is growing large quickly, it's going to lessen my chances for attempting a VBAC because my OB doesn't think my pelvic size can pass a large baby. Lucian got stuck and she thinks that may have been the cause. Part of the problem was complicated with Gestational Diabetes. I'm not sure when I have to take another glucose test, but I bet it's coming up soon. I'm not looking forward to it. I'm skeptical that I might have it because some of the symptoms include constant thirst and frequent urination — which I have been experiencing more lately.

It's hard to tell what is pregnancy-related and what is medicine related. I started taking Zoloft about 5 weeks ago to get a jump start on the postpartum depression I experienced last time. My OB suggested I start taking the meds now rather than wait until after delivery. I've always had issues with anxiety and depression so I figured I mind as well try to do something about it now so my kids don't suffer like I did with my own mom. It seems to be helping, but it's so hard to tell.

I went through a rough week a couple of weeks ago when one of my best friends lost her baby pre-term at 20 weeks. It really affected me negatively. I get very emotionally connected to my good friends and when they suffer a loss, I internalize it also. I just really, really hurt for her. It scares me because I just never knew anyone personally who had lost a baby that late in gestation. I know how common miscarriages are in the first trimester, and I kind of accept that, but the second, that really shocked me. It just makes me worry about my own pregnancy a little more than I might have, but I'm trying to relax a little more, especially now that my friend seems to be healing with her loss.

My mom is still not talking to me and that's still very upsetting. I did send her a Mother's day e-card and she acknowledged it to my sister, but she said nothing to me. Basically, I only ever get family updates from my sister now and she tries to be forthcoming and honest even if she knows it will upset me, which I appreciate. I've tried talking to my grandmother about it and she tries to sympathize, but she doesn't really want to get involved because she has her own set of problems with my mom, her daughter.

The female relationships in my family's history are horrible. It goes back as far as my great-great-grandmother. My grandmother's mother died when she was just nine so she was raised by her grandmother and they did not get along at all. My aunt, my grandmother's oldest daughter, left home when she was 16 and they didn't speak for many years. It wasn't until later in life that my aunt and grandmother finally became close again – best friends even. Then she sadly passed away at the young age of 62. My mom and my grandmom barely get along now. They tolerate each other at best. My mom says nasty things about my grandmom and it really makes me mad. I'm really close with my grandmom and I was also close to my aunt. It's mostly my mom that seems to stir the pot, but she'll never admit to that. It's ALWAYS someone else's fault.

Anyhow, had to get that off my chest because it kind of explains why I'm very nervous about finding out if we're having a little girl. I would love to have a daughter, but I'll always be apprehensive about my ability to have a good relationship with her because of my family history. I want to break the negative cycle and I think it's possible because I live out west now, away from the constant negative examples. My mother-in-law and my sister-in-law have a great relationship and I'm hoping it's one I can emulate. I have hope and several friends now have made some encouraging comments and that just helps me even more.

I don't know, I think maybe the Zoloft is helping. I'm hoping it will help with my confidence in helping to raise a little girl if that's the case. I'm not constantly being reduced to a puddle of tears at the oddest of times. I also feel a little more motivated now in the morning to get out of bed and get on with the day. For the past 3 nights, I've actually managed to fall asleep before midnight! Of course, then I wake up at 4 am to pee and then I'm up and can't fall back to sleep. But, things seem to be improving sleep-wise and I surely hope it continues!! I also feel a little less anxiety about leaving the house to do activities with Lucian at public places. I've taken him out on my own a little more and I've been feeling more motivated and confident to take him out in general and get out of the house. Now that he's approaching three, his whole world seems to be opening up to more opportunities and I'm feeling I want to embrace it more and more.

So far, I don't think I've gained any weight. It's hard to tell on my scale at home. According to my scale, I've lost a pound or two. I usually weigh myself in the mornings and my OB appointments are usually in the afternoon once I've eaten AND have a full bladder, so we'll see what happens later today. I'm trying not to be overly concerned about it because I'm really only supposed to gain 15 pounds anyhow. So, if I've made it almost half way in the pregnancy and not gained any weight, that's good I guess.

Truth be told, I am terrified of gaining weight. Reason being, the nerve compression in my leg. The more weight that sits on that nerve, the more painful it gets to the point of excruciating. The only solution for the pain is to lose weight. (I've also read about possible surgery and I may consider that later.) That's not really an option for me right now. I've been disappointed in myself for a long time now because I did not keep the weight off from Lucian's pregnancy. I had lost all the baby weight and then some by the time he was six months old, but it was mostly due to stress and being sick all the time because my immune system was compromised by the C-section. In hindsight, I should never have attempted to go back to work in an elementary school of all places. (Huge petri dish for a work environment, despite how much I loved my job.) When I decided to quit my job and work from home, and he started weaning, it all poured back on plus ten more pounds.

I was trying really hard to lose weight before we got pregnant but my problems with insomnia really made that difficult. Also, the joint and muscle pain with fatigue I experience has limited my ability to exercise. Since almost all my immediate family members have arthritis, I assume I must have some form of it. I've had repetitive stress injury symptoms from the time I was in my early twenties. I should have seen a doctor for all of this before getting pregnant, but I had lots of reservations about seeing a doctor. First being, my insurance plan sucked big time. I'm now getting medical assistance so that is no longer an issue, thank God!

It's no secret that the health care system sucks in this country. It's a never ending cycle. I was paying for insurance – the amount we could barely afford — but the policy really only would have helped me in the case of something really drastic, so I've never even picked out a primary care physician since I've lived here. My OBGYN was really the only provider I've ever needed since living here. I even purchased a maternity rider - thinking I was being the responsible American by paying extra for my insurance so that in the event I'd need another C-section, which I know my chances are high, that I would be covered. Well, turns out I got swindled by an insurance salesman who just told me what I wanted to hear when I thought I was asking all the right questions and doing all the proper research before signing on the dotted line. The maternity rider – that I had paid out several thousand dollars for over the course of almost 2 years – was only worth two thousand dollars and would ONLY cover a NORMAL VAGINAL delivery with NO COMPLICATIONS. Yeah, um, that's not me - I'm complicated. So, I had to scramble for a solution to get medical coverage over fear that the mounting medical bills would send us into bankruptcy.

What complicated things with our prior insurance was the fact that Lucian needs eye surgery. So we're potentially facing TWO surgeries before the end of this year. My C-section with Lucian cost around $40,000 dollars. Yes, that's forty THOUSAND dollars and that was when I had good insurance through my employer. We only paid $350.00 out of pocket to have Lucian at the hospital. So, you can imagine the stress I was under thinking how much it was going to cost us between a C-section and eye surgery with the private insurance that carried a hefty deductible plus 20 percent co-insurance!!

Luckily I was able to get Lucian onto KidsCare for a really low premium each month that doesn't carry a deductible and no co-insurance. It's been a major relief that are health insurance is more manageable and now I don't think I'll be so resistant to see a doctor for reasons other than prenatal care.

I did express my concerns about arthritis to my OB and she said the only thing they can test for and possible try to manage is rheumatoid arthritis. So, I may be getting a blood test for that today. Everything else will pretty much have to wait till after the baby is born and possibly after it weans from breast feeding.

One of my fears about seeing a doctor for my problems was that they might try and put me on a treatment plan with drugs that might compromise my fertility. Approaching "advanced maternal age" is not the time you want to be messing with drugs that could cause infertility when you want to have another baby before it's too late. So, I basically put my health on hold until after we're done having babies which, if this baby is a girl, will likely be soon. If it's a boy, we MIGHT try again for a girl. I just don't know how I'll feel. I love being the mom to a boy. It's great and I'm comfortable with the idea of a house full of boys. I'll just have to wait and see how I feel and if I can get over the feeling of wondering what life would have been like having a daughter.

Nate always teases me that they (the Davis family) come in packages of three. His family history is such that there have consistently been families with children in sets of three and most of them two boys and a girl. So, even if this is a boy we're having now, I wouldn't rule out having another just to see if we continue that trend. We'll just have to wait and see how I recover from the delivery and cross that bridge when we get to it.

More and more, I'm trying to learn to live day by day and not get so wrapped up in planning and worrying so much about the future and things I can not control. It's not easy and I'm not good at it, but I'm trying.

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text:
23/06/2014 - This hillfort had been high on my to visit list for a while now. Finally got a chance to visit and it really is as good as I had hoped it would be. We took the same route as broch the badger and after a lovely walk up the hill on a sunny day we got to the fort. Fantastic walls and a great rugged interior. We sat and had our sandwiches on the wall, just gazing at the landscape below. If you like duns this is a must visit. thelonious Posted by thelonious
28th June 2014ce
Edited 28th June 2014ce

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Stella Awards

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Chat' started by SuperHorn, Jan 31, 2005.

  1. SuperHorn

    SuperHorn Member

    Once again, it's time to review the winners of the Annual Stella Awards. The Stella's are named after 81-year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled coffee on herself & successfully sued McDonalds. That case inspired the Stella Awards for the most frivolous successful lawsuits in the United States.

    5th place Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Pennsylvania, was leaving a house he had just finished robbing by way of the garage. He was not able to get the garage door to go up since the automatic door opener was malfunctioning. He could not reenter the house because the door connecting the house & garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family were on vacation & Mr. Dickson found himself locked in the garage for 8 days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found & a large bag of dry dog food. He sued the house owners insurance claiming the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed to the tune of $500,000.

    4th place Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded $14,500 & medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his next door neighbor's Beagle dog. The Beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. The award was less than sought because the jury felt the dog might have been a little provoked at the time, as Mr. Williams who had climbed over the fence into the yard, was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.

    3rd place A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, $113,500, after she slipped on a soft drink & broke her coccyx (tailbone). The beverage was on the floor because Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier during an argument.

    2nd place Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware, sued the owner of a night club in a neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom window to the floor & knocked out two of her front teeth. This occurred whilst Ms. Walton was trying to crawl through the window in the ladies room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 & dental expenses.

    1st place This year's winner was Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand new Winnebago Motor Home. On his trip home from an OU football game, having driven onto the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph & calmly left the drivers seat to go into the back & make himself a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly, the Motor Home left the freeway, crashed & then overturned. Mr. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising him, by reading the owner's manual, that he actually could not do this. The jury awarded him $1,750,000 plus a new Winnebago Motor Home. The company actually changed their manuals on the basis of this suit just in case there were any other complete morons buying their recreation vehicles.

    While it is true that technology waits for no man; stupidity will always stop to take on new passengers.

  2. theMouthPiece Related Searches

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  3. DublinBass

    DublinBass Supporting Member

    Sorry to burst your bubble, but according to the Stella Awards website, the examples you gave are not true. (We have enough frivolous lawsuit in the US without having to make more up ;) )
  4. Cornishwomble

    Cornishwomble Active Member

    Just goes to show the power of Urban Legends! It seems that although we find these stories riduculous we will still take them onboard as "fact" and will pass them on to others.
  5. SuperHorn

    SuperHorn Member

  6. Brassb3ll3nd

    Brassb3ll3nd Member

    OOOOOOOoooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.............. that Stella!!
  7. Dave Payn

    Dave Payn Active Member

    Whether these individual stories are true or not, I reckon there are plenty like them that are fact, and leads, no doubt, to manufacturers including the 'wacky warnings' posted elsewhere on 'Random Chat', to cover themselves! :)

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