US soldiers leave Iraq's cities

US troops have withdrawn from towns and cities in Iraq, six years after the invasion, having formally handed over security duties to new Iraqi forces.

Escape From Sleeve Island

Sorry for the lack of posting lately, but slow knitting progress on two sweater sleeves doesn't make for compelling blog posts. That said, I'm back because Oscar finally has sleeves! I think I may have jacked up the stitch count somewhere along the way, but ask me if I care. Sleeves, people! They are done!You'd think I've just finished knitting some grand project, but no, just two sleeves. That's how pathetic I am. However, they are now done and that's all that matters! What this means is I can now allow myself to (temporarily) put this aside to work on a few small holiday gift knits. I wouldn't let myself start anything else until I finished these sleeves, but now- I'm free!!In totally unrelated - but equally as exciting - news, a longstanding dream of mine has recently come true as we are now the proud and, in my case- very happy, owners of a Prius! In case you don't know, I've been wanting one of these for years, but I couldn't really justify a car payment when Darby (my old car) is still running (for the most part). But thanks to an awesome incentive program at B's work, we were provided with the perfect opportunity to take the leap. This is how I feel about it:Our first day togetherSo, the plan is to sell B's car (if you know of anyone who wants to buy a 2 year old Acura TL, please let me know!) and keep Darby for B to use during the week, if he needs to drive anywhere. Since he walks to work, this won't be very often, but it will still be good to have a second car just in case. And since I drive a hellacious amount every week, this car (named Linus) will now be my primary car. Yay, yay, yay! IloveitIloveitIloveit!One final note: Please join us in congratulating Nasus on passing the California Bar Exam! Nasus, we are so proud of you! Bravo!! :)

How will you remember Michael Jackson?

CNN is reporting he had a heart attack. Some news stations and websites are already reporting he's dead. So sad...

How will you remember him? As the 80's icon who sang "Beat It" and "Billy Jean"? Or as "Jacko" the ghostly figure we've seen in the news recently, in court for alleged child molestation charges?

I was a young child in the 80's and don't remember much of his younger years. I know his songs, and know what he used to look like, but sadly I think I'll remember the 2000 version of Michael best.

Camera Critters~ Say it isn't so.....

.....Earlier this week we noticed that little Toby Kitty seemed to be under the weather. All the recent media had us a bit worried. Toby had a bit of a cough a fever, and major body aches. He even SNORTED once or twice!Sugar Bear isn't one to leave things to chance. In fact.....she was quick to act. Before Toby could complain, Sugar whipped out her doctor kit, and gave him a full exam. She was a bit worried when she saw mud in his ears. We think he might have been rolling in the mud with some friends who are fluent in Pig Latin. THAT is not a good sign.It soon became apparent that Toby cat was indeed very ill, and in need of a shot. We don't care if this particular vaccine isn't likely to help, we are worriers, and just might be in panic mode. Toby is such a trooper. He only yowled once when she gave him the injection, but surprisingly he stuck around to receive the bandage.Poor kitty is so listless these days. While Sugar Bear filled out the proper labels to attach to the lab samples we are sending in for analysis, he waited patiently.However, he got a bit dramatic when we told him it would be SEVERAL days before we'd know the results. He rolled around moaning and groaning, and pleading for some Tamiflu. I'm so proud of Sugar Bear. She held strong, and denied his request. While she may be concerned. She is keeping it real! Toby.....he is writhing with worry.Please, keep him in your thoughts. We'll keep you updated.

Obama condemns 'unjust' violence

US President Barack Obama has strongly condemned the "unjust actions" of Iran in clamping down on election protests.

Hotel, Dinner, Hair cut, 80's party

Well it has been an enjoying time and nice to get away. My Boss Sandy and I got all of our hours for education in 1 weekend! We stayed at this Crowne Plaza Hotel.This was our view...I got my hair cut all completed by clippers! Do not ask me to give this style of cutting however because I do not have these special ones. My clippers are not designed to cut longer hair.She did a model before me with long hair and it ended up as a nice layer cut!Heres the back!We enjoyed dinner at Fat Fish Blues it was great! I think the last time I was there was with Sandy 6 yrs ago! Here is our waiter! I thought he resembled John Lennon, what do you think?The nice part of eating here as you can listen to a live Blues band perform! They were pretty darn good!This place is known for Sweet potato chips! They are good.I decided to try something different! I know they have a lot of crawfish etc dishes. I think the last time I had a burger. This time I was finally going to try a crab cake sandwich and Hush puppies. All were delicious!So we were transported back to our Hotel to get ready for the big 80's party sponsored by the big Hair show we were attending! All it said in the brochure was to wear your best 80's outfit! I loved the music back then rather then the styles but none the less after much thought put into this here is what I came up with! Remember when we tucked our pants into our socks? he he!Here is Sandy and I leaving the Hotel for the party...Well the party was from 8-2:30am! We got there around 9. I got picked right off the bat for the Best 80's look! I think there was 3 winners in all! But I WON!!!You can't see it but I wore my sweater backwards as the V neck in the back was big then! I had all the rubber bracelets, teased my bangs and sprayed them purple. Long earring and my Cyndi Lauper buttons on my shirt. along with the BIG black bow on the side of my head! What a hoot! We stayed just until they finally played my song. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun! Sandy was anxious to go as she was tired! I think we left around 11. Honestly I think I could've stayed and danced all night long! I have always dreamed of going to an 80's party where I could hear all 80's music! It was so cool how they remixed all the songs so they were all dancable! I felt like a celebrity! People were taking my picture all night long and I got so many compliments! Haha!I had to redeem my prize the next day at the show and I got a big purse with KMS products in it! This was a 100.00 value! I was so excited!Well this completes my Hair show FASION FOCUS 2009

Transparent NDSi.

TomTom GPS.

Bronze Age Sauna Discovered

A roundhouse and sauna, from the Iron ages has been uncovered near junction A358 and the M5 at Cumbria Farm, in Taunton, Somerset, England, March 2009. Ancient sauna cultures is often associated with Scandinavian countries and are not really associated with England, however, fresh evidence of potential Bronze Age sauna sites suggest sauna culture was not necessarily restricted to tight geographical locations, but rather were broadly spread across many different cultures and a broader geographical base. The roundhouse is said to be approximately 3,000 years old and measures 56 feet (17m) in diameter and is one of the largest roundhouses to be ever found in Britain. A mound of burned stones at the sites suggests a sauna may have stood there, around 700BC, along with the remains of a Roman farm. Archaeologists have also unearthed a number of Roman skeletons, and one other none Roman skeleton. The personnel working on this project have spent more than three months digging and researching the site and have found many artifacts, including one pair of Roman shears, Roman brooches, three Iron Age spearheads, some loom weight and a vast amount of pottery. (more&) ancient sauna, sauna, saunasancient sauna, sauna, saunas

Severe convective weather

Aggie Parking Lot

Hubby emailed me this joke and I thought I would post it in honor of our own Aggie that is about to graduate:An Aggie from Texas walked into a bank in New York City and asked for the loan officer. He told the loan officer that he was going to Bakersfield on business for two weeks and needed to borrow $5,000 and that he was not a depositor of the bank.The bank officer told him that the bank would need some form of security for the loan, so the Aggie handed over the keys to a new Ferrari. The car was parked on the street in front of the bank. The Aggie produced the title and everything checked out.The loan officer agreed to hold the car as collateral for the loan and apologized for having to charge 12% interest. Later, the bank's president and its officers all enjoyed a good laugh atthe dumb ol Aggie from the south for using a $250,000 Ferrari as collateral for a $5,000 loan.An employee of the bank then drove the Ferrari into the bank's underground garage and parked it.Two weeks later, the Aggie returned, repaid the $5,000 and the interest of $23.07. The loan officer said, 'Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow $5,000?'The Aggie replied, 'Where else in New York City, can I park my car for two weeks for only $23.07 and expect it to be there when I return?' GIG 'EM WHOOOOP!

Gilles Marini. Nude in name of health

Motor City Josh

Motor City Josh & The Big 3 - Covered Up Live - 2007 - Cock Records“Seeing Motor City Josh and his band live is like riding on a Mississippi river boat during a storm. The rhythm section churns the waters like a paddle wheel and Josh's guitar brings on the lightning. He extracts sounds from his Fender Telecaster like a mad surgeon who knows exactly what he's doing, but is having a little too much fun doing it.” Phranc D'Lux The Scene ( Atlanta )“Unlike so many younger players, Josh consistently resists the temptation to go blazing over the top, choosing instead to seek and find each and every note for just the right occasion.” The Metro Times ( Detroit )“It’s very rare you come across something genuinely different in the Blues idiom. Step right up Motor City Josh.” Sound Check Magazine ( United Kingdom )“Josh is a masterful guitarist! The picking is just jaw droppingly good...” Blues Bytes Online“Ford is a smooth slider with an angry vibrato...” Blues Review Magazine“It’s serious Blues” The Atlanta Constitution JournalA terrific live album from the great Detroit bluesman, Motor City Josh & his band, The Big 3. This is great "down home" blues. The covers here are amazing. George Harrison would have loved the band's version of "Something". Music like this is what the blues is all about. Albums and artists like this have got to be promoted. MCJ has performed or shared the bill with Buddy Guy, Leon Russell, Buddy Miles, Delbert McClinton, Savoy Brown,The Wooten Brothers, Gatemouth Brown, Cheap Trick, Tinsley Ellis, Robert Jr. Lockwood, and many many more blues greats. Don't neglect artists like this. Buy MCJ's "Made In Detroit", and "Forty Four" albums. Info from http://www.motorcityjosh.com/home.html Really electrifying stuffTRACKS / COMPOSERSBorn Under a Bad Sign - Booker T.Jones/William BellDust My Broom - Robert JohnsonJessica - Dickey BettsSomething - George HarrisonLittle Red Rooster - Willie DixonBoogie Thing - Matt "Guitar" MurphyShes 19 Years Old - McKinley MorganfieldI Cant Be Satisfied - McKinley MorganfieldOn Line - Jim DavidHoney Hush - Lowell Fulson/Ferdinand WashingtonThe Little Drummer Boy - Davis/Onorati/SimeoneStopped by the Poe-Poe - "it just happens"BANDMotor City Josh - Guitar, VocalsJohnny Rhoades - Guitar, VocalsChris Wiley - BassJustin Headley - DrumsSHORT BIOJoshua Ford aka Motor City Josh is a straight up singin', guitar slingin', songwriting, crowd-pleasing Blues man. Son of a preacher man and woman, at 33 Josh has achieved incredible success and proves to be one of the most skillful and animated Blues performers around. An absolute entertainer, Josh manages to keep everyone happy no matter what their age or musical tastes - Everybody loves Motor City Josh & the Big 3! Having played all over the US and in Europe since 1989, his fan base continues to grow and grow, as do his CD sales. Josh has recorded 7 albums and sold over 30,000 copies from the stage and through his website motorcityjosh.com. Josh is popular for both his award winning ( International Blues Finalist 2003) foot stomping downhome Blues solo acoustic act, and his electrifying 'funky blues you can't refuse' 4-piece band. The Detroit native spent 10 years working up an MCJ frenzy in the Motor City area, then moved to Atlanta in 1999 to do the same. In 2003 he moved to Chicago, where he recruited bassist extraordinaire, Chris Douglas. After a year in Chicago, he moved back to Detroit where he then enlisted the services of Joe Neely on keyboards and Matt Kelly on drums. Now, Motor City Josh & the Big 3 at it again, doing what they does best.... making people smile, dance, laugh and get high on life.

Even though Boston has been sluggish and the Yankees have overachieved, New York cannot shake the Sox

It must be frustrating being the New York Yankees this season. They have overachieved - playing as well as they can possibly play - while the Red Sox have yet to demonstrate their full capabilities, and yet the rivals are tied for first place in the American League East at 34-24.
Make no mistake, this Red Sox team is good. Very good. This is illustrated by the fact that they are 10 games over .500 despite all of the obstacles they have faced, including the shockingly subpar numbers produced by the starting rotation, David Ortiz's season-long slump and the dismal shortstop situation. These setbacks would have devastated most teams, but not the Red Sox. Not a ballclub with tremendous depth, one of the best bullpens in recent major league history and a lineup that is usually productive, even with Ortiz's sub-.200 average.
Last night's one-hit shutout by Josh Beckett over six innings is one of the ace's best regular season starts since he joined Boston in 2006. Unlike earlier in the season, when he was burned by mistake pitches in every start, Beckett baffled Yankees' hitters with a diet of ideally located fast balls and knee-buckling curves. Robinson Cano mustered the only hit off Beckett, and his sharply hit grounder was snagged by a diving Dustin Pedroia, who was unable to transfer the ball from the glove to his throwing hand.
Beckett's mound foe, A.J. Burnett, was pummeled by the Red Sox for the second time this season. So much for the Yankees overpaying for Burnett because of his successful track record against the Sox. Burnett was erratic, walking five batters and throwing 84 pitches in 2.2 innings. Boston reached him for five runs (three earned) and five hits, including a solo home run to center field by Ortiz and a clutch two-run double from J.D. Drew.
Beckett departed after six innings, in which he allowed no runs and one hit while striking out eight and walking two. Though no-hitters are exciting to watch - Beckett carried a no-no into the seventh inning in his start last week at Detroit - it is good that Cano singled with two outs in the fourth. I'm sure Terry Francona was relieved because Beckett's pitch count was rising. He threw 94 pitches in six innings, so it is unlikely he would have been able to last nine innings even if he was tossing a no-hitter.
Of course, with Boston's bullpen, shared no-hitters are always a possibility. The Sox pen led the majors with a 2.76 ERA entering last night's game. Manny Delcarmen pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, though he did surrender the Yankees other hit. Ramon Ramirez was summoned with two on and one out in the eighth and induced an inning-ending double play. Daniel Bard was the most impressive reliever on Tuesday. He retired the Yankees in order, and his fast ball ranged from 98-100. Bard now has a 0.82 ERA in 10 appearances.
It is becoming increasingly evident that Bard is for real, and the Red Sox should resist the temptation to deal him, even if a deal would net them someone like J.J. Hardy. Bard is insurance in case Jonathan Papelbon gets injured, and for the long term he is a go-to guy if Papelbon makes outlandish salary demands when he becomes a free agent (which is sure to happen).
Though they have yet to show it in 2009, the Red Sox have the best team in baseball. Beckett and Jon Lester are pitching like aces again, and even though Daisuke Matsuzaka looks shaky, Boston's starting pitching depth will help. John Smoltz is set to make one more rehab start at Triple-A Pawtucket and then make his Red Sox debut on June 16 against the Florida Marlins at Fenway Park. Clay Buchholz is dominating Triple-A hitters and itching for a return to the majors. The depth - which also includes Justin Masterson, Michael Bowden and Junichi Tazawa - allows the Sox to sell high on Brad Penny, who could yield shortstop prospect Jason Donald if Philadelphia wants the right-handed starter's services.
Though the Sox have looked sluggish in recent weeks, there is reason for optimism. Ortiz has a seven-game hitting streak and looks much better at the plate. The team is keeping up with the Yankees, even though the Yankees have been on fire and guys like Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jason Bay and J.D. Drew have not been hitting well lately. Jed Lowrie's rehab is progressing nicely, and he could return later this month, allowing Nick Green to move to a utility role for which he is better suited and spelling the end of Julio Lugo's Red Sox tenure. The return to prominence of Beckett and Lester will help the Sox avoid prolonged losing streaks.
Who knows what will happen in tonight's game. Will the Tim Wakefield who causes hitters to aimlessly swat at fluttering knuckleballs be on the mound, or will it be the Wakefield who serves up batting practice? Of course, the Yankees are even more uncertain about their starter. The once formidable Chien-Ming Wang has a 14.47 ERA and has not fooled hitters this season. The Yankees had to reach into their already thin bullpen early last night. They need Wang to deliver a deep start.
I do think it is important that the Sox take two out of three in this series. This will not only ensure that they head to Philadelphia tied for first place in the AL East, but it will also show the Yankees that even though they have yet to see the best Boston has to offer, they still cannot shake the Sox, even with all the winning they have done.

Sacred Cows

As we enter the Year of the Ox, it is instructive to see whose ox is being gored.Amidst all of her considerable posting goodness today, Yves Smith offered up this excellent piece, "Treasury Soliciting Bankruptcy Funding for GM, Chrysler" in which she says (my emphasis):Let's see. Citigroup has gotten $45 billion of TARP funds, and backstops on a net of roughly $250 billion of crappy loans after Ciit's first loss and allowing for the split between Uncle Sam and Citi on the balance. And it is pretty unlikely that we have seen the end of Citi's funding needs.GM and Chrysler, by contrast, have borrowed (un, loans are higher in priority than TARP-y equity) $17.4 billion and are seeking an additional $21.6 billion. So the total they want is less than that already handed to Citi, well less than what AIG received.The Treasury is threatening to put the two car manufacturers into bankruptcy, and is moving forward in exploring feasibility. This may merely be high stakes poker, but the bluff looks pretty serious. Do we see anywhere near as rough treatment for companies that not only drove themselves off the cliff, but are taking the economy with them? Ah, but of course. Who has given more to pols in DC, Wall Street or Detroit? Case solved.I think it's a little more complicated than that, though Yves has put her finger squarely on the problem. Let's jump over to Barry Ritholtz who asked much the same question today from the opposite direction, "Why Bankruptcy For Autos But Not Banks?". He wants to find some silver lining in the cloud, mostly because he prefers cleaning out the stables to moving piles of horseshit around, but his honesty brings him up in the end (my emphasis): The Obama administration is undergoing a battle between its own good instincts with those of its Treasury Secretary. Away from Treasury, on the side of intelligence, new policies, a clean break from the Paulson/Bush plans — I believe during the campaign, it was called CHANGE — and inevitability, are prepackaged bankruptcies, clean balance sheets, and a fresh start. This is reflected in the Fed exploration of $40 billion in bankruptcy funding for GM. On the side of more of the same, bad decision making, regulatory capture, worshiping sacred cows, and a hard-to-understand goal of saving the banks rather than the financial system, is the utterly absurd proposal to somehow spend 10X the market cap of Citigroup for a 40% stake in the apparently insolvent firm. This is an accounting maneuver, a convertible preferred that greatly dilutes the common shares, and adds no new capital. Put on paper, it allows the leverage to look less egregious. One can imagine an incredulous junior Treasury staffer — one who hasn’t been captured by the big banks, and is capable of basic arithmetic — saying the following:"Explain this to me again: We put in many times the value of this company — we have already given them $45 billion dollars, and guaranteed almost $300 billion dollars worth of bad paper — and we get less than 50%? WTF? How the hell does THAT work?"Its apparent that this sleight of hand doesn’t work to just about everyone except Tim Geithner (and a few others). At the same time, an industry that had nothing to do with the current crisis is on the fast track to a healthy pre-packaged bankruptcy. Moral Hazard aside, the different approaches reflect the relative importance of different sectors. Banks must be saved at all costs, but GM and Chrysler must go the bankruptcy route. The only explanation in treating the two industries so radically differently is an overt hostility to Unions on the part of many.Moving a step away from Yves' blunt (and not innacurate) assessment that there is a financial quid pro quo at work here, what Barry gets to almost by accident is the class bias that has been present in the current administration since the primary campaigns began, the one I wrote about month after month last year. I think the situation is more nuanced than just hating unions, though that is certainly a major contributing factor, and has a great deal to do with Whole Foods Nation's disdain for the laboring class and its entirely too good opinion of the value of its own work in the cubicle cities and cool development spaces that symbolic analysts occupy. Motor City vs. Wall Street.There are two ways to look at the contest, neither of which are more right but each of which captures aspects of the contesting constituencies. One is of core political interest groups. Obama explicitly campaigned on a platform of throwing away "the old" base Democratic interst groups and of bringing new voters (i.e., constituents) into the mix. His economic policies, the attention to the financial industry, directly rewards the people who were most likely to compose that group, which is more than just the bankers and brokers. Any industry that, like the finance sector, delievers intangibles and/or goods inseparable from the professional services that support them is an industry where Obama supporters are over-represented. The constituencies that rejected him in the primaries and again in the general are more likely to be found in industries where the goods to be delivered can be divorced from the service and support provided. This is in accord with the argument Yves puts forward, where the people who bought you are the people who you serve.The other way to view this is as a cultural argument, whereby the cultural losers, the people who have been falling further and further behind since the Movement Conservatives came to power with Reagan, are not seeing any change in the attitude that they are losers and need to be dismissed, pushed away, wiped out (get rid of the old junker car and get a Prius, why don't you?), while the cultural winners, the Masters of the Universe and the other hip and cool guys who know an Apple a day keeps the dull PC work away, are being treated as due the spoils of their electronic wars - trading shares and doing deals as though it is just another RPG, like World of Warcraft. The executives of the auto industry are not dumb and no doubt gave generously to open doors and bend ears with the new administration (and who will personally be just fine, no matter the economic fallout), yet they find themselves lumped together with their own lumpenproletariat manning the assembly lines in Detroit, determined to be unworthy of the care lavished on the people who created the crisis in the first place. This is more in keeping with Barry's claims about hatred of unions.Clean creative class types get the benefit of the doubt, not just to preserve their stock values (and, btw, as a holder of some substantial retirement accounts, I really don't want to see their value trashed. Just sayin...) but to preserve their way of being in the world. They are presumed to be doing a good job, as befits members of the winner class.The Bunkers and Bubbas who (it is imagined) live in the burned out cities and trashed trailers of sweaty America are told they will feel pain, their greedy unions having killed the goose and brought to a permanent end the golden eggs they never deserved in the first place. No health care for you, no seriously expanded public works projects which might employ you, penurous loans and enforced bankruptcies instead of bags of money and lavish bonuses for having screwed things up beyond hope of repair.The sacred cows watch, chewing their cuds, while the oxen are turned into stew meat.Anglachel

Flu Pandemic?

The WHO has raised the alert regarding the H1N1 flu to the highest level -6,

and I think that most of us probably saw this coming. What this means, they

say, is that the flu is spreading rapidly and has reached pandemic

proportions. It is expected to affect one third of the population in the

early stages, with recurring outbreaks over the next several months. I find

this whole thing to be scary(especially since I am just getting over probably

the worst cold I've ever had in my life). Some people in my area have

resorted to wearing surgical-type face masks. On the news a couple of days

ago there was a concerned mother who had rushed to her daughter's school

after learning that a student there had been diagnosed with this flu. She

took her daughter a face mask, which I'm pretty sure might have embarrassed

the girl if she was to be the only student wearing one. Do you think that

measures like this should be taken to prevent the spread of the flu? I think

that I might have had some kind of flu because it seemed to be much more than

an ordinary cold.

Not laziness, but rather mindfulness

I had plans for the weekend. Productive plans. Things to accomplish. Good intentions to get all this extra stuff done. Lists to cross things off of.My plans were initially waylaid by a snuggly dog and cat that made for lazy mornings. It's amazingly difficult to get up when the dog has crawled up onto the bed next to you and snuggled up close, snoring gently near your shoulder. Especially when the cat curls up on the other side of you and you can feel the gentle vibration of her purr by your knees. And there was that Saturday afternoon nap with the cat in the sun.So my productive weekend became a lazy weekend. And I'm OK with that. I think we all need lazy weekends every now and then. Where we don't worry about the dishes in the sink, or the dust on the side table. Get the necessary stuff done, and not worry about the rest. We just pause and enjoy the moment, being mindful of where we are and what we're doing.That mindfulness is something I'm working on. Being in the moment, and not thinking about what's coming next. Just being aware of what I'm doing at that very moment. And it's not just for when you're doing nothing, but also when you're doing anything and everything. It's kind of an active meditation. Focusing on the activity at hand and not thinking about other things. Focus on doing the dishes. Focus on cooking your dinner. Focus on walking, or the act of breathing. Don't think about what you have to do next, and after that, and after that.It's harder than you think.I was calling this weekend a lazy weekend, when I realized that rather than being lazy, I was mindful of each thing I did. I didn't get as much done (the to-do list is still there), but nothing I had planned to do was critical, so why was I so intent on getting all this stuff done? Instead, by being mindful of each thing I was doing, I had a wonderfully relaxing weekend. I don't feel guilty. A good chunk of my stress has melted away. So I'm no longer calling this a lazy weekend. Rather, it was a weekend of mindfulness. I got done what needed to get done, and was able to enjoy each activity. Including doing the dishes, which is my least favorite chore, AND snuggling with the pets, which is one of my favorite things ever. Mindfulness is a beautiful thing, when I can do it successfully. And this weekend is an example of success. I hope I have more days like this weekend.

Earth Day 2009

A look back on seasonal trends, email activity and standout B2C marketing:Start to finish: The first reference to Earth Day/Week/Month was on Apr. 12 by Kohl’s. The final reference was on Apr. 23 by Office Depot.The distribution curve: The biggest day for Earth Day emails was Earth Day itself, Apr. 22. Retailers sent the majority of their Earth Day -themed emails after Apr. 20.Just like last year, there were many references to eco-friendly products and initiatives without a definitive reference to Earth Day. I’ve included those references in the chart below to give you a better impression of overall Earth Day messaging trends.It’s also worth noting that this year Earth Day references began about two weeks later than last year and ended a few days earlier as well. Overall there were considerably fewer references to Earth Day this year. It’s not immediately clear why that is.Most interesting emails: Retailers took a variety of approaches to Earth Day messaging. For example, Kohl’s had one of the best emails that was dedicated to branding themselves green. In an Apr. 12 email, they list out some of the things they’re doing to reduce waste and energy consumption and the call-to-action sends subscribers to their Kohl’s Green Scene website where they can learn more about what Kohl’s is doing.Bed Bath & Beyond had the best email dedicated to a single product. In an Apr. 15 email with the subject line “A pure earth begins with PUR water,” they make a strong case for using Pur water filtering products instead of buying bottled water.‏In an Apr. 16 email, REI focuses on their eco-conscious products, featuring a sleeping bag that’s made from 100% recycled material, but also linking to three other product categories. Like several other retailers, REI promotes a reusable tote; however, they’re unique spin is that they’re offering it as an incentive for co-op members to redeem their dividends. That messaging goes perfectly with a secondary call-to-action to join the co-op.Just as they did in their Earth Day email last year (see Apr. 22, 2008 AM Inbox), Home Depot attacks Earth Day from several different fronts. The primary message is a 10% discount on Energy Star appliances, but it also includes a teaser for 25 ways to go green, information about a workshop‏ on Eco Options, and a giveaway of CFL light bulbs and water aerators. While this email covers a lot of ground, it’s more streamlined than last year’s.Standout subject lines:Home Depot, 4/16 — 25 Ways To Go Green + 10% Off Energy Star Appliances‏REI, 4/16 — Eco-Conscious Gear and Clothing from REI, The North Face and more‏Bed Bath & Beyond, 4/15 — A pure earth begins with PUR water.Wal-Mart, 4/18 — Save on Earth-Friendly Products and Go Green‏Office Depot, 4/21 — Save The Earth - Go Green‏Petco, 4/22 — PETCO Celebrate Earth Day with 10% Off and Eco-Friendly Products!‏Read previous Earth Day Season Finales: 2008Explore Earth Day tag._____________________SEARCH...

Creative Cooking With Herbs

Creative Cooking With HerbsCooking with herbs is a smart move for anyone looking to change things up in the kitchen. Herbs contain natural antioxidants, oils, subtle flavors, and wonderful aromas. You can use fresh or dried herbs to cook. Even simple foods can be enhanced with the right combination of herbs. Most people are already familiar with some of the more common herbs used in the kitchen. Garlic, oregano, basil, rosemary, mint, bay leaf, coriander, parsley, thyme, and sage are the most popular in general. There are a ton of other herbs out there to choose from, and you can improve almost any dish with the right application.One thing to note when cooking with herbs is that dry herbs are more intense in terms of flavor than fresh herbs. Typically, you will cook with dry herbs for the flavor, and then you can garnish the food with the fresh herbs when you are ready to serve the meal. This way you engage the sense of smell, the sense of taste, and the sense of sight when that delicious dish comes out with fresh herbs on top. Think of some of the best Italian food you have ever had to eat. Chances are it was served with a nice herbal garnish. It really is the perfect way to step up your cooking to another level.Dry herbs should be kept in a cool dry place. Use them before too much time has passed. They will lose their aroma and flavor over the course of time. Add dry herbs to the food when it is in the early stages of the cooking process. Fresh herbs should be added towards the end when the food is almost done cooking. Make sure not to turn up the heat too high. Excessive heat will diminish the essential oils and the flavor in the food. Once you have got your collection ready, it is time to put them to use. Cooking with herbs is great for pastas, sauces, dips, soups, meats, and stews.There are lots of other dishes to create when you are cooking with herbs. The key is to be creative. You can invent all sorts of new smells, textures, and flavors. On top of this, it should be mentioned that herbs have a number of medicinal benefits. That is why people have been using herbs for thousands of years. Stay healthy and enjoy delicious food. Cooking with herbs brings you the best of both worlds.Cooking with herbs is only limited by your imagination the author can help you improve your cooking to a higher level, for more information on the use of herbs in cooking and medicinal applications go to http://HerbsForHealthAndTaste.com.

filly's spot in race now likely

Making room for a star filly?On Sunday afternoon it appeared there would be enough colts and geldings with modest credentials to keep Rachel Alexandra from strutting her stuff against the boys in Saturday's Preakness Stakes.But by late Sunday night, the co-owner of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird said that he decided not to enter a second horse in the race. And Marylou Whitney, owner of Luv Gov, said that she would not stand in the way of the filly, whose strong workout Sunday prompted her new owner to say she would run if space permitted. The record-setting winner of the Kentucky Oaks zipped 4 furlongs in 48 2/5 seconds Sunday at Churchill Downs in her first work since Jess Jackson became majority owner last week and assigned her to trainer Steve Asmussen.The workout 13th fastest of 81 drills at that distance was enough to persuade Jackson to release a statement in which he said he wants her to compete in the Preakness. But he noted, "Triple Crown rules may prevent us from supplementing her."Since Rachel Alexandra was not nominated to Triple Crown races by her previous connections, Jackson would need to pay $100,000 to supplement her. He could only do so if there is room in a field limited to 14 horses.With many owners and trainers believing 50-1 Kentucky Derby champ Mine That Bird is vulnerable and with top contenders recognizing their chances for success are better if the 1 3/16-mile contest represents an all-boys club, the starting gate at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course was filling rapidly. Spokesman Mike Gathagan reported 16 possible entrants as of Sunday evening.Rachel Alexandra, without any urging from jockey Calvin Borel, roared to a record 20-length rout May 1 in the Kentucky Oaks, a fillies-only companion race to the Derby."I want the fans to know we are prepared to enter her and I'm hopeful her entry will be accepted," Jackson said in a statement. "I know we all want the thrill of seeing her race next weekend."Not Bennie Woolley, the trainer who vanned Mine That Bird from New Mexico to Louisville to achieve the second-biggest upset in Derby history at 50-1. If she runs, he will lose his jockey, Borel, who is committed to riding Rachel Alexandra. "Any man would be a fool to welcome that filly. She's tough," Woolley said.However, Mark Allen, Mine That Bird's co-owner, said late Sunday night he would not enter a second horse, Indy Express."When it comes to Rachel Alexandra, I personally don't think any filly should be in a race against colts at this stage of their careers," Allen said. "But Rachel Alexandra is a superior filly and could be the exception. Mr. Jackson has a great trainer in Steve Asmussen and I'm sure they will make the right decision and Lord help us all if she does get in."Allen also talked about losing Borel. "Calvin Borel is great and did a great job for us," he said. "I also respect him and I completely understand his love for Rachel Alexandra. If the filly gets in we have a commitment from Mike Smith. We have a lot of confidence in Mike."Gary Stute, who conditions fourth-place Derby finisher Papa Clem, agreed on the filly's ability. "She is in a different world from the rest," he said. "She is something spectacular."Trainer D. Wayne Lukas was so unconvinced by Mine That Bird's Derby win on a sloppy track that he is taking another shot with last-place finisher Flying Private. "The universal thinking is he may not be that good," Lukas said. "We've got to see more, or maybe he'll convince us one more time."Lukas, a Hall of Fame trainer who has five Preakness wins, said he wouldn't be surprised if the hopefuls work to try to keep out Rachel Alexandra by entering additional horses. "If they think they can win it without her, I don't think it's completely out of the question that somebody would enter two or three," he said.***Preakness field taking shapePossible entries into Saturday's $1 million Preakness Stakes. ***** Harness update: Annieswesterncard gained a major victory and positioned himself for a much bigger accomplishment when he took the $230,000 Berry's Creek by three-quarters of a length against Drop Red on Saturday night at the Meadowlands.Annieswesterncard is eligible to compete in the $1 million Meadowlands Pace on July 18.

Condem pillow

Obama's Convenient Churchill

Historian Arthur Herman, in a superb column, eviscerates President 44's dubious citation of Churchill as having opposed torture, noting that 44 apparently relied upon a blogger, rather than the history book UK PM Gordon Brown gave him.p AH deals with the torture issue:"There is no place for compromise in war," Churchill wrote. In choosing between civilized restraint and the British people's survival, he never hesitated. He contemplated using mustard gas if the Nazis invaded England. He authorized the fire bombing of German cities, the so-called terror bombings, in order to cripple the German war effort and morale. He was prepared to let Mahatma Gandhi die during his hunger strike in 1943 rather than be blackmailed into abandoning India, the last bastion against Japanese domination of Asia.As for German POWs and spies, Churchill left matters in the hands of his interrogation master, Col. Robin Stephens, nicknamed "Tin Eye" because of his monocle and martinet manner. It's true that Stephens told his interrogators that "violence is taboo" -- the source of Sullivan's claim that Churchill didn't allow torture. Stephens, however, felt perfectly free to use every degree of psychological pressure on his detainees, including sleep deprivation and hooding prisoners in solitary confinement for long stretches. He'd have tried women's bras and caterpillars, like our own interrogators, if he'd thought of it.But there's another, more powerful reason why the British didn't torture their captured German spies. They didn't have to. Thanks to the Ultra code-breaking program, British MI5 had access to nearly every major German High Command decision. Had Ultra not existed, the attitude toward captured German spies would've been a lot less casual. (Sixteen were in fact executed for espionage before war's end.)Likewise, if America hadn't had the Clinton-era intelligence "wall of separation" that prevented the CIA and FBI from sharing information before 9/11, a place like Gitmo might never have been necessary.Yet those who today denounce Gitmo as an American gulag -- including our president -- are the ones who complained most bitterly about warrantless wiretaps. They refuse to see that the need for the one resulted from the lack of the other."Moral force," Churchill once said, "is no substitute for armed force, but it is a very great reinforcement."Bottom Line.p President Obama would profit greatly by learning more about what Winston Churchill really thought about fighting atavistic enemies in a war of survival.p Better he learn it the easy way, by reading Churchill, than the hard way, by what Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in 1978 (referring to the Soviet Union) called "the pitiless crowbar of events."p The event came 18 months later, when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan and Jimmy Carter--shocked that Soviet boss Leonid Brezhnev had lied to him--said that he had learned more from the invasion about the Soviets than anything else before had taught him.p Watching presidents go to foreign policy school in public can make us witnesses to a painful spectacle.

Baby Steps

Cryptome recently linked to a DHS publication on domestic extremism that kind of made me lol when I first saw it. Its not that domestic extremism is a laughing matter or anything, and objectively Im pleased that domestic extremists are once again getting the attention they deserve in law-enforcement circles. No, the problem is that this publication - the Domestic Extremist Lexicon - is just kind of staggeringly stupid, because it doesnt cover anything thats really useful to the intended audience. A book I recently read defined research as a three-pronged method: Something that is purposeful, conducted with a specific objective in mind; something that is performed systematically; and something that contributed either new knowledge, or new interpretations of old knowledge. Presumably, this lexicon was created with a purpose - to serve as a reference to law enforcement, according to the introduction. (Or more likely to get DHS and the rest of the intelligence community on the same page, and using certain terms with codified, unified meanings.) Was it performed systematically? Hard to say, but my gut feeling is probably not. Does it contribute anything new? Not a bit. The biggest problem I have with this document are as follows: 1, Much of it is staggeringly obvious. 2, Even for what it is, its glaringly incomplete. 3, Its not a lexicon, but actually a taxonomy. 4, It lacks the detail required to actually be useful. Ill run through these in order: Most of the contents of this paper are staggeringly obvious. (U) black power: (U//FOUO) A term used by black separatists to describe their pride in and the perceived superiority of the black race. Yeah, you think? (U) hate groups: (U//FOUO) A term most often used to describe white supremacist groups. It is occasionally used to describe other racist extremist groups. Thank you, Captain Obvious. Even supposing that this paper really serves merely to codify language to be used by government boffins, there are some annoyingly glaring omissions. Theres a fairly obvious definition of single-issue extremist group, which is good to know& but no mention of what the companion term for all the other extremist groups would be. Poly-issue? Multi-issue? Broad-issue? Multi-interest? Im glad DHS singled out (no pun intended) single-issue extremists for attention, but as someone who writes about domestic extremism a lot, itd be nice to know what the approved term for everyone else is, and Im sure Im not the only one who feels that way. Likewise, theres a pretty decent definition of green anarchism, but no mention of red anarchism, and definitions of animal-rights and environmental extremism, but no mention of their less-extreme fellows. (In other words, if youre going to define who and what environmental extremists are, itd be helpful, I think, to define who and what the far-less-troublesome environmental activists are. Compare-and-contrast, and all that.) Quite aside from all that, though, there are other huge omissions. If youre creating a lexicon, why not throw in extremist vocabulary as well? (Obviously, because that would be useful&) You know& What RAHOWA means. What the fourteen words are. What one percenter, or consulta, or sleeping dragon mean. What red, yellow, and green actions are. Stuff like that. Stuff that isnt immediately obvious. Next, the lexicon& isnt. A lexicon is a vocabulary, and this document isnt one. Rather, its a taxonomy, which you can learn the definition of here. I dont want to be all grammar-nazi or anything, but if youre going to call something a lexicon, its painfully and woefully ironic when it isnt. (lol, lexicon FAIL, lol&) Please, DHS, spend some of the taxpayers money on a couple of dictionaries& Additionally, this document lacks the detail I think it needs to really be useful. Put more bluntly, give examples, damnit. Mention that the Christian Identity movement includes the Aryan Nations, among other groups, or that Black Nationalism includes the Nation of Islam. Mention that some of these groups - like white supremacists, to give one example - maintain strong ties with like-minded groups and individuals overseas. Lastly, as a closing note, while Im glad that DHS are paying attention to domestic extremism, this taxonomy is six years too late. If youre going to codify language, as this document supposedly does, the time to do so is very, very early on, so that everyone is on the same page right from the start. What DHS have done, by waiting until 2009 to arbitrarily declare the official meaning of all these words and phrases, is to potentially screw over and confuse anyone who might want or need to refer to a DHS product produced in 2008 or earlier, and to very explicitly cast doubt on the interpretation of all such documents and products. Heres what DHS wants these terms to mean, now; who knows what individual authors wanted them to mean in 2007, or 2005, or 2003? I mean, the introduction notes Definitions were derived from a variety of open source materials and unclassified information, then further developed during facilitated workshops with DHS intelligence analysts knowledgeable about domestic, non-Islamic extremism in the United States. (Emphasis mine.) This isnt DHS saying here are commonly-accepted definitions of some key terms, this is DHS saying heres what we want these terms to be understood to mean, and damn what Wiktionary says! (Also, who the hell proofreads these things? domestic, non-Islamic extremism in the United States didnt seem a little bit redundant to anyone but me?) Well, DHS, you get a B for effort, but overall Id have to give this one a C. You can do better, I know you can. (Hell, your average college student can do better& at 0800 on a Saturday morning.)

Baby Steps

Cryptome recently linked to a DHS publication on domestic extremism that kind of made me lol when I first saw it. Its not that domestic extremism is a laughing matter or anything, and objectively Im pleased that domestic extremists are once again getting the attention they deserve in law-enforcement circles. No, the problem is that this publication - the Domestic Extremist Lexicon - is just kind of staggeringly stupid, because it doesnt cover anything thats really useful to the intended audience. A book I recently read defined research as a three-pronged method: Something that is purposeful, conducted with a specific objective in mind; something that is performed systematically; and something that contributed either new knowledge, or new interpretations of old knowledge. Presumably, this lexicon was created with a purpose - to serve as a reference to law enforcement, according to the introduction. (Or more likely to get DHS and the rest of the intelligence community on the same page, and using certain terms with codified, unified meanings.) Was it performed systematically? Hard to say, but my gut feeling is probably not. Does it contribute anything new? Not a bit. The biggest problem I have with this document are as follows: 1, Much of it is staggeringly obvious. 2, Even for what it is, its glaringly incomplete. 3, Its not a lexicon, but actually a taxonomy. 4, It lacks the detail required to actually be useful. Ill run through these in order: Most of the contents of this paper are staggeringly obvious. (U) black power: (U//FOUO) A term used by black separatists to describe their pride in and the perceived superiority of the black race. Yeah, you think? (U) hate groups: (U//FOUO) A term most often used to describe white supremacist groups. It is occasionally used to describe other racist extremist groups. Thank you, Captain Obvious. Even supposing that this paper really serves merely to codify language to be used by government boffins, there are some annoyingly glaring omissions. Theres a fairly obvious definition of single-issue extremist group, which is good to know& but no mention of what the companion term for all the other extremist groups would be. Poly-issue? Multi-issue? Broad-issue? Multi-interest? Im glad DHS singled out (no pun intended) single-issue extremists for attention, but as someone who writes about domestic extremism a lot, itd be nice to know what the approved term for everyone else is, and Im sure Im not the only one who feels that way. Likewise, theres a pretty decent definition of green anarchism, but no mention of red anarchism, and definitions of animal-rights and environmental extremism, but no mention of their less-extreme fellows. (In other words, if youre going to define who and what environmental extremists are, itd be helpful, I think, to define who and what the far-less-troublesome environmental activists are. Compare-and-contrast, and all that.) Quite aside from all that, though, there are other huge omissions. If youre creating a lexicon, why not throw in extremist vocabulary as well? (Obviously, because that would be useful&) You know& What RAHOWA means. What the fourteen words are. What one percenter, or consulta, or sleeping dragon mean. What red, yellow, and green actions are. Stuff like that. Stuff that isnt immediately obvious. Next, the lexicon& isnt. A lexicon is a vocabulary, and this document isnt one. Rather, its a taxonomy, which you can learn the definition of here. I dont want to be all grammar-nazi or anything, but if youre going to call something a lexicon, its painfully and woefully ironic when it isnt. (lol, lexicon FAIL, lol&) Please, DHS, spend some of the taxpayers money on a couple of dictionaries& Additionally, this document lacks the detail I think it needs to really be useful. Put more bluntly, give examples, damnit. Mention that the Christian Identity movement includes the Aryan Nations, among other groups, or that Black Nationalism includes the Nation of Islam. Mention that some of these groups - like white supremacists, to give one example - maintain strong ties with like-minded groups and individuals overseas. Lastly, as a closing note, while Im glad that DHS are paying attention to domestic extremism, this taxonomy is six years too late. If youre going to codify language, as this document supposedly does, the time to do so is very, very early on, so that everyone is on the same page right from the start. What DHS have done, by waiting until 2009 to arbitrarily declare the official meaning of all these words and phrases, is to potentially screw over and confuse anyone who might want or need to refer to a DHS product produced in 2008 or earlier, and to very explicitly cast doubt on the interpretation of all such documents and products. Heres what DHS wants these terms to mean, now; who knows what individual authors wanted them to mean in 2007, or 2005, or 2003? I mean, the introduction notes Definitions were derived from a variety of open source materials and unclassified information, then further developed during facilitated workshops with DHS intelligence analysts knowledgeable about domestic, non-Islamic extremism in the United States. (Emphasis mine.) This isnt DHS saying here are commonly-accepted definitions of some key terms, this is DHS saying heres what we want these terms to be understood to mean, and damn what Wiktionary says! (Also, who the hell proofreads these things? domestic, non-Islamic extremism in the United States didnt seem a little bit redundant to anyone but me?) Well, DHS, you get a B for effort, but overall Id have to give this one a C. You can do better, I know you can. (Hell, your average college student can do better& at 0800 on a Saturday morning.)

Best places to live! Mountain or seaside?

I like my small house who is near to mountain, so much fresh air, forests
around, simple people, all is green around.All my life i live in a big city,
now i see my dream come true, to live in a small comunity, with all comfort,
but with a simple life in same time. I will say that i like sea too, but i
choice mountain, because here is very nice in summer as is in winter too.

If you can a choice where you like to live where you like more? Mountain or seaside?

We don't value housewives?

My spouse is a housewife. So does no job in the outside.But she does all
household works.She cleans floors,dishes and washes cloths.She also cleans
our bathrooms.She goes to markets and buys all necessaries. She cooks and
makes our meals.In a sentence she does all works of the houses. I only go to
office and sometimes go to market.She is not earning money. But the hard
works she is doing or other house wives do usually we don't value their works
and love for their families.The housewives always try to make the family
happy .In return they want nothing.Really they are great.

NBC Expands Channel Offerings in Greece

NBC Universal Global Networks launches one of its most successful channel brands for the first time in Greece with Universal Channel debuting exclusively on Conn-x TV, the IPTV platform of OTE, one of the leading telecom groups in South-eastern Europe. The move is part of NBCU Global Network’s ongoing global channels expansion and central to the company’s objective, led by Roma Khanna, President, Global Networks & Digital Initiatives, to grow to almost 100 channels internationally in 2010. Focused on exciting, engaging, character-centric entertainment, Universal Channel’s programme selection consists of award-winning series and blockbuster movies appealing across age groups, from distributors such as Universal Studios, 20th Century Fox Film Corporation and CBS Paramount. The launch programming line-up shares a record-breaking 200 award nominations in total. The launch night premieres the blockbuster The Day after Tomorrow (starring Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal), Sanctuary - premiering for the first time in Greece, Law & Order - one of the most successful prime time TV brands, and the US smash hit series Eureka. Universal Channel will show a range of world famous TV series which will be seen for the first time on Greek TV. This includes the fast paced real life entertainment series Flipping Out, the adrenaline charged Flashpoint, and the wickedly funny Nurse Jackie. Also showing are the critically acclaimed NBC series 30 Rock, the cult series The Office, the hit comedy series My Name is Earl, and Emmy award winning Malcolm in the Middle. Sunday nights feature compelling content from NBC Universal’s popular SCI FI channel, showcasing the best of science fiction, fantasy and paranormal programming. The launch night will kick off with the all time cult favourite Stargate (starring Kurt Russell). Sunday night’s will feature a blockbuster line up including Academy Award nominated fantasy epic Dragonheart (starring Dennis Quaid and Sean Connery), 4 Academy Awards winner Terminator 2 as well as 2 Academy Awards winner Total Recall (both starring Arnold Schwarzenegger). Universal Channel also features a host of star-studded Hollywood movies such as the ©Academy Award winner Master and Commander (starring Russell Crowe), acclaimed romantic comedy Notting Hill (starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant) and the all time favourite Garfield The Movie (starring Jennifer Love Hewitt). Commenting on this launch, Francois Roux, Managing Director, EMEA, NBCU Global Networks said: “We’re thrilled to be establishing our world class brands in a market as significant as Greece. Universal Channel promises to usher in a new era of entertainment for our viewers, who we know will enjoy the wide programming genre offered by the channel. This is an important step in our growth plan for Europe, a priority region where we are committed to building a significant presence with our world-class brands.” This launch represents a significant milestone in NBCU’s strategic commitment to expand international operations into priority markets, as unveiled in April 2007 by Jeff Zucker, President and CEO, NBC Universal, and Peter Smith, President, NBC Universal International. In the past 18 months, NBC Universal Global Networks has launched channels in countries including the UK, France, Portugal, Russia, Romania, Poland, Japan, and Hong Kong, with more channel launches to be announced in the coming months.

NBC Announces New Fall Shows

NBC must be squeezing out some of its current programming. After all, they have a lot of new shows in the pipeline for this fall. Let's take a quick peek...
Parenthood
Yeah -- this is actually a takeoff on the 1989 movie. While it may seem about 15-20 years too late, I need to give this one a chance because it stars Peter Krause, Maura Tierney, Craig T. Nelson, Dax Shepard, Bonnie Bedelia, Monica Potter, Erika Christensen and Sarah Ramos. Unfortunately, it's NOT a comedy, which makes the movie comparison quite lame. However, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer will executive produce; they seem to know what they are doing. Check out the clip below.
Trauma
Peter Berg scored some cult fans with "Friday Night Lights." Hopefully, he will land better ratings with this medical drama, which follows first-responder paramedics in the San Francisco Bay area. It stars Derek Luke ("Notorious"), Cliff Curtis ("10,000 B.C"), Anastasia Griffith ("Damages"), Aimee Garcia ("George Lopez"), Kevin Rankin ("Friday Night Lights") and Jamey Sheridan ("Law & Order: Criminal Intent").
Mercy
Here's another new hospital drama to fill the "ER" void. This one sounds painfully similar to Jada Pinkett Smith's "Hawthorne," since it is the medical world through the eyes of nurses. There's no star power like Smith, but it does have Taylor Schilling ("Dark Matter"), Jamie Lee Kirchner ("Rescue Me") and Michelle Trachtenberg ("Gossip Girl").
Day One
Executive producer/writer Jesse Alexander ("Heroes," "Lost," "Alias") combines the elements of "Jericho" and "Lost" into one hour-long drama. The show focuses on a band of survivors after a global catastrophe ravages the world's infrastructures. That not-so-merry band includes Adam Campbell ("Date Movie"), Catherine Dent ("The Shield"), Julie Gonzalo ("Eli Stone"), David Lyons ("ER"), Derek Mio ("Greek"), Carly Pope ("24"), Thekla Reuten ("Sleeper Cell") and Addison Timlin ("Cashmere Mafia").
100 Questions
On a lighter note, this comedy stars Sophie Winkleman ("Peep Show") as a girl that's looking for love in all the wrong places, including a dating site. After she signs up, she is required to take a 100-question compatibility test -- hence, the title of the show. Hmm...
Community
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo ("Arrested Development") developed this comedy about Greendale Community College, whose student body is made up of high-school losers, newly divorced housewives, and old people who want to keep their minds active. We absolutely love that it stars Joel McHale ("The Soup") and Chevy Chase. NBC previously had a deal with McHale for "The IT Crowd." Hopefully, this one actually makes it to broadcast. -- Rachel Cericola

Bed ,save the space

Two-direction door