Beauty Is In The Ear Of The Beholder

Music is in the air in more ways than one. The birds are starting to sing outside because of the warm weather. The kids are still being forced to sit in front of the piano 30 minutes a day to practice. And Number One Son's recorder arrived in the mail. I'm not talking about a tape recorder. I think some antique shops may still have one of those left. Otherwise, the ones that haven't made it to the landfill are at the museum.The recorder I'm talking about is the black flute we all tried playing in grade school music class. Apparently, the school offers recorders for purchase complete with music book and CD. So now we can enjoy all of the squawky, whistley, ear piercery beauty of the recorder in the comfort of our own homes.We get to hear Hot Cross Buns, Merrily We Roll Along, March of the Recorders and many more timeless (outdated) classics. If I can find a recorder book of Green Day songs, I'm buying it at any cost.N1S has a certain advantage in that he has taken piano lessons for a few years and can read music. But even with this talent, his playing has prompted this plea from his little sister.Everyone's a critic. I don't know where 'You are my king' came from.N1S 'rockin' out on the recorder. I told him, "Chicks dig a guy in a band."

Tempeh

Only this past month or so have we been eating more tempeh. We have found that it is a good ingredient for veggie burgers, "meat" patties, pastas, and sandwiches. It's also better in nutrition than tofu, because it is made of fermented soybeans and is not as processed as tofu. (Although tofu is still nutritious and we love it!) Tempeh is a good source of protein, riboflavin, magnesium, and other nutrients.We made tempeh meatlessballs from happyveganface, and they turned out delicious. Kind of like Veganomicon's bean balls. We think this would be a great recipe to make many times and change up the herbs and spices. These balls were delicious with spaghetti - organic tomato sauce, onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini, herbs, and olive oil. Another tasty way to eat the meatlessballs - in a wrap!At the health food store/cafe in Salem, we enjoyed a tempeh-salad sandwich. This would be nice to recreate at home - a little herbs, mustard sauce, bell pepper, shredded carrots, and celery served on rye bread with lettuce and tomatoes!More tempeh delicacies - tempeh "sausage" patties for breakfast! We adapted the recipe from Vegan Chef, and while it was a great idea and tasty, it was EXTREMELY salty (and we even cut down the Bragg's/salt). Next time we will make this with less salt and enjoy it with hashbrowns and biscuits for a real "Southern" breakfast.For future cooking, we have eye-balled these tempeh recipes:Tempeh Sloppy JoesWhite Bean Tempeh Sausage GravyTempeh Miso Breakfast PattiesWhat are all your favorite ways to enjoy tempeh?Enjoy your evening!

Obama full of jabs at reporters' annual dinner

WASHINGTON - President Obama joked about celebrating the "10-day anniversary of my first 100 days in office" at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on Saturday."In the next 100 days, I will be so successful, I will be able to do them in 72," joked the president. "I will learn to go off the prompter, Joe Biden will learn to stay on the prompter."Obama called his first 100 days a "whirlwind of activity. We enacted a major economic recovery package, we passed a budget, we forged a new path in Iraq. And no president in history has ever named three commerce secretaries this quickly."The annual event, which draws a mix of journalists, celebrities and political figures, took over the Washington Hilton, where just months earlier Obama and wife Michelle danced to At Last at the Youth Inaugual Ball."Now that I'm here, I think I'm going to try something different," Obama said. "Tonight I want to speak from the heart," he said, as a teleprompter conspicuously rose to surround him. It wasn't the first time at the event for Jon Bon Jovi, who attended during the Clinton administration. "I think that the president gets to let his hair down for the night," said the rocker, who also performed at Obama's inauguration. "In a weird way, he worked for two and a half years getting elected, getting the transition team, getting change into effect...now, for one night only, let him make fun, be made fun of," said Bon Jovi.That job went to the Wanda Sykes, the evening's entertainment, who made certain the president took some ribbing."It's hard to poke fun at the president. He's so likeable," said Sykes. "Even the media...It's funny to me, they've never caught you smokin' but they somehow always catch you with your shirt off."Sykes hailed the president's efforts to maintain a normal routine. He's "taking the first lady out on dates...I wouldn't be surprised if I walked by the White House and saw you mowing the lawn," she cracked during her roughly 10-minute comedy routine. The commedienne, who drew a standing ovation from the crowd, didn't pull any punches: "The first black president. That's unless you screw up. Then it's going to be 'What's up with the half-white guy?'""I thought that when you got into office you would put a swift end to your pickup basketball games. I mean, the first black president playing basketball. That's one step forward, two steps back!"Even the former president wasn't spared. "President Bush, man, he knows how to leave town. We haven't heard anything from him! He left like that houseguest who breaks something in your house and gets out of there before you find out."For members of the media, the dinner offers a chance to mix and mingle with Hollywood elite. "It's like D.C. prom, for adults," said Elizabeth Banks. But the actress, who recently wrote a column for The Huffington Post, isn't calling herself a reporter anytime soon. "I'm a blogger really, that's all. I'm probably the problem, I'm one of the reasons traditional news media is going to die. It's all going to be my fault."Ashton Kutcher and wife Demi Moore attended as guests of CNN, who Kutcher beat last month in a race to have one million Twitter followers. Was he Twittering the event? "There's no Wi-Fi in here," said a disappointed-looking Kutcher from inside the ballroom. It was a family affair for Kyra Sedgwick, who came with husband Kevin Bacon and daughter Sosie. "It's kind of a mob scene but I'm really enjoying my table. Unfortunately my husband is at the People magazine table but not unfortunately because he says he gets the award for the strangest name table: Ludacris, Sting, (Jon) Hamm and Bacon," said Sedgwick. "But I have a nice table. I'm enjoying talking to everybody. I'm thrilled to be here. It's a lot of fun."For James Franco, who hasn't been to "D.C. for years," a pre-dinner cocktail party provided him with an opportunity to meet the President and a chance to pick up a few pointers. "I guess he's supposed to give the commencement speech at Notre Dame and there's been some protests, and I'm supposed to give the commencement speech at UCLA, my alma mater. There's been some protests from my former fellow students, so he gave me some advice about the speech." As for the presidential tips, Franco isn't sharing. "I'm saving it for my speech!""The craziness is positive," said Tyra Banks amidst the throngs of people. Banks spoke highly of the first lady: "She's my new role model." After the dinner ended, the partying continued. Christian Slater, Eva Longoria Parker, Owen Wilson, Matthew Settle, Forest Whitaker and Ludacris stopped by the Capitol File after party at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Bloomberg and Vanity Fair, who typically hold seperate fetes, combined forces this year and held a reception at the home of French Ambassador Pierre Vimont. The smaller, intimate affair drew A-listers including Bon Jovi, Kate Walsh, Jason Wu, Amy Poehler, Hamm and Rashida Jones.

Howdy Strangers

Oh dear, time seems to have been flying by, I hardly know where to start! The last month has been a roller coaster ride of travels, elections, exhibitions, hardcore political discussions on facebook, and very excitingly, planning a trip to Turkey and Bulgaria!So, in no paticular order, here are some images from the last month..... A trip to the Addo elephant park on Easter Sunday was a delightful outing....strangely enough, for us, although we loved the elephants, the highlight for us was the meerkat family, their synchronised antics had us in stitches!Of course, the big news of the month was the election on 22nd April, and it was preceeded by the usual hoopla and promises. Cope came to the party late, due to lack of funds, so while the election posters of the other parties faded on the lamp poles, Cope was noticeably absent, but went big near the end and wrapped whole buildings!Also on Easter weekend, there was a family day rally to celebrate family values.We had more encounters of the wild kind this weekend, when we took our grandson to meet the big cats at the Seaview Lion Park. I am not crazy about caged wild animals (I will never own a bird in a cage for the same reason) but these are well looked after, and the cages are huge, so it wasn't too bad or depressing to see them there. One interesting aspect of the place is their program for breeding the extremely rare white lions. They are not albinos, but have a recessive gene for the blonde colouring. Some of the tawny lions in the park carry the gene, so that they sometimes produce white cubs in their litters.there were also three Bengal Tigers, which must be the most magnificent of all the cats, although this chap was hardly putting on much of a show for his species, he was totally blissed out after lunch! Meanwhile this lioness was waiting for her lunch with great anticipation. And this guy was having a bad hair day!Another adventure during the month was to go with my friend Julie and her daughter Nana, who had decided to conquer her fear of heights in dramatic fashion, by doing the world's highest bridge bungy jump. It was actually a lot of fun, they had disco music pumping under the bridge which created a great atmosphere in combination with the adrenilin of the jumpers, well done Nana! This guy went twice! Don't look down! The Bloukrantz Bridge, about 2 hours to the West of Port Elizabeth.I also had a trip down to East London (about 3 hours the other side of Port Elizabeth, to the East) In fact to the East in more ways than one... because one of the arty events was the opening of a wonderful exhibition by 4 leading Chinese artists, I just adored their work.I also attended the AGM of our National arts body SANAVA and got to meet the heads of several other galleries and art bodies around the country, and even a delegation from the Portuguese Art School in Mocambique. It was a very inspiring weekend. Another exhibition opening I attended during the month was that of Lizo Pemba (on the right)at the Red Location Museum. He is the grandson of the legendary Eastern Cape artist, George Pemba. I had previously met his father Titus (third from the left) who is a character of note, so it was an entertaining evening!So I'll end this update with one of the lovely sunrises we have seen lately, and the bonus is, since winter is almost here, we don't have to get up obscenely early to enjoy them!Thanks for the visit. Please note that all photos are clickable if you want to see them full size.

In China's quake zone, pain and anger

ANREN, China - From the famous pig that survived under rubble for 36 days, to a water bottle used by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao as he toured devastated buildings and schools, the Wenchuan Earthquake Museum seems to have it all.There are crushed cars, battered toys and discarded school backpacks legacies of the magnitude-7.9 earthquake that, a year ago today, killed as many as 90,000 people in southwestern China. Yet the museum, which opened Monday, contains no mention of what continues to be the quake's biggest controversy: how schools collapsed in disproportionately high numbers, killing thousands of children and infuriating parents who still blame shoddy government construction practices.The omission is intentional, says Fan Jianchuan, the museum's founder. He backs the Communist Party's version of events: that the quake was a tragedy but the government responded effectively, and a probe into possible abuses would only upset the nation's prized stability."We must leave problems like this for history to resolve," Fan says.Across Sichuan and other hard-hit provinces, entire towns and villages are being rebuilt in one of the most ambitious disaster-relief projects ever undertaken. Many who lost children or loved ones are trying to move on. Yet it is clear that despite initial hopes that the earthquake would lead to greater transparency in government and maybe even justice for the dead China's culture of political secrecy and total social control has emerged from the tragedy as strong as ever.Zhou Siqiang, who lost his 15-year-old daughter at the Juyuan Middle School, says he tried in vain for months to get an explanation from local officials for why the building collapsed when many nearby did not. He says police then began watching his movements, and that they stopped him and other parents from visiting the school site in April for China's traditional "tomb-sweeping" festival, when the dead are honored.Zhou says he fears the police might try to keep parents away from the school again today, when the government plans to commemorate the anniversary of the quake with events that are almost uniformly forward-looking and positive such as breaking ground on construction of a middle school for residents of Beichuan, the city that was hit hardest by the tremor, losing an estimated half of its 20,000 population.In a report released last week, human rights group Amnesty International documented several cases of illegal detention of parents and harassment of the activists and lawyers who have tried to help them. Among them was Wang Xiaodong, 37, a businessman turned activist who says he had to flee the area after police began tracking him in April for investigating construction standards at schools.The authorities "worry the (truth) will be exposed, so they waste money and manpower watching me and my parents," says Wang, who has relocated to Shanghai. He says he wants to avoid the fate of Tan Zuoren, a local writer who called for volunteers to compile a list of dead students and has been detained since March 28.A rapid reconstruction Since the BeijingOlympics last August, the world has become accustomed to China executing mammoth construction projects in almost unthinkably short periods. The post-quake rebuilding effort has been no exception.The government has spent about $52 billion on new buildings, highways and other infrastructure, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. Another $100 billion is planned on projects that include the reconstruction of Beichuan on a site 20 miles away.Ramsey Rayyis, head of the American Red Cross in China, says he is "overwhelmed" by the speed of reconstruction. "I've never seen a response like that in anyplace I've been," says the 20-year Red Cross veteran. He says he was most impressed by the disease prevention teams that were set up on the sides of roads after the quake, and the pride of citizens who were helping their country.Generous help also has flowed in from abroad, including the United States. Cash and relief materials from domestic and foreign donors has totaled $11.2 billion, the Chinese government said Monday."The American public should feel pleased about how their money was used," Rayyis says.The speed of home reconstruction is "amazingly fast," agrees Canadian Steve Ross, deputy director of training and quality services for Canada Wood, an industry group. Ross has worked in the quake zone since January, helping rebuild wooden homes in the village of Gaoba. "It's pretty phenomenal that they have built so many houses in such a short time," Ross says more than 1 million of them, the Chinese government says, to help shelter an estimated 5 million people left homeless by the quake. "In North America, we have all those bureaucratic channels. Here, if they want to build something, then they do it, without jumping through all the hoops we have to," Ross says.Progress on the political front has been much slower. The government initially tried to appease grass-roots anger by promising a thorough investigation of the collapsed schools. In March, though, the deputy governor of Sichuan, Wei Hong, declared that the "most direct" reason for the collapses was the sheer strength of the quake that no building codes, however stringent, could have prevented the tragedy.That view was echoed by Zhang Pengcheng, a civil engineer from Xiamen University in southeastern China, who spent almost a month last May in Sichuan as part of a government team assessing which buildings were safe to inhabit. He says schools are inherently weak structures. "Each classroom requires a large space with few columns and big windows, which reduces their resistance to earthquakes," Zhang says.Liu Zuoming, head of Sichuan's justice department, recently was quoted in the Shanghai-based magazine Oriental Outlook as saying he did not support further investigations into who was responsible for the building collapses. Local and national officials have preferred to focus on the improved safety standards of new schools being built."They will be used as emergency shelters in any future earthquake," Zhang predicted proudly.The psychological damage That look-to-the-future message doesn't always appear to work, even for government workers: Three Sichuan officials who lost relatives in the quake have committed suicide during the past year. Volunteer psychiatrist Liu Meng has spent the past year helping survivors in one of thousands of temporary housing units that still dot the affected region, which is about 1,200 miles west of Beijing. Liu says he tries to avoid the issue of school collapses, focusing instead on expectant and new mothers many of whom lost their only child under China's strict family-planning policies, and are now trying to rebuild their families."Many women miscarry because of mental problems," says Liu, who was so affected by the disaster that he left behind a practice in Beijing, where he was earning $145 per hour for consultations, to help give free help to quake victims while he lives off of his savings."I don't try to make them forget the disaster, but I want my patients to know their role," he says. "They still feel, 'I am a mother who lost a child,' but I tell them, 'You are a pregnant woman who cannot let excessive sadness harm your child's health.' ""Some mothers feel their child has returned, but I tell them each child has their own life and identity. They cannot be replacement babies," Liu says.At night, Liu's cellphone still buzzes with anxious callers, often suicidal.Last October, Jiang Ling called and talked with Liu for hours. "I wanted to end my life; I have no relatives left, it's just me," says Jiang, 23, who lost 13 relatives, including her mother and 2-month-old son. Her mother had taken the infant out for a stroll moments before the quake hit. "I needed to talk to somebody."Jiang, who says her life was spared when her third-floor apartment collapsed on top of the ones below it, says she is still haunted by what might have been. "If I had spoken to my mother and baby for just one more minute, if I had cared for them for one more minute, maybe they would be alive, too," she says.The bodies of Jiang's mother and baby have not been found.'It isn't over yet' Jiang was among those who visited Beichuan on Sunday, as the government opened the sealed ruins for four days of mourning. Amid thousands of grieving people, some of whom set off firecrackers and burned imitation paper money for their dead relatives, Jiang wept as she placed flowers and a cake near her old home.Dai Guohong, 19, who lost his legs when his middle school collapsed and killed half of his classmates, has relied on his sense of humor to get through the pain. Pointing to his prosthetic limbs, he says that in the past he shied away from Beichuan's annual fire-walking festival. "Now I can walk barefoot on the flames," he jokes from his hospital bed. Psychiatric consultant Liu Meng predicts a long road to recovery. "The whole of Chinese society must keep on caring about this disaster. It isn't over yet," he says. "We can clear up the rubbish and the ruins, but the ruins in people's hearts need 20 years to rebuild."Zhou Siqiang, the parent who lost his 15-year-old daughter, says it will be difficult to move on until there is justice for the school victims.He's not hopeful."I never get a reply from the government," he says. "I don't care about the compensation. I just want someone to take responsibility."Contributing: Sunny Yang

The LLVLC Show #230: T.S. Wiley Discusses Her Book 'Lights Out'

T.S. Wiley is an expert on some unorthodox hindrances to weight lossIs it possible that the technological advances we have seen over the past 100 years may be causing us to get fatter, sicker, and more tired than ever before? Think about that concept for just a moment. Over the past century, we have seen the invention of electricity, the light bulb, computers, and modern-day conveniences while obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome have reached astronomical levels like we've never seen before. Are the two indelibly related? My podcast interview guest today certainly thinks so.In Episode 230 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore," we are pleased to welcome T.S. Wiley to the podcast to discuss the concepts in her book Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival and her Wiley Protocol web site which focuses on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. T.S. is a strong supporter of low-carb living, but she takes it a step further. For many people, they are using lights that are much too bright for their living needs and it keeps them awake much longer than they need to be. She encourages turning the lights down low (no overhead lights that would mimic the sun), lighting candles, eating dinner early, going to bed within two hours of sunset, and take melatonin supplements to help them create more ketone bodies and lose weight--just by sleeping when it's dark and waking up when the sun rises in the morning. Plus, hear why you might need hormone replacement therapy whether you are a man or a woman.There are FOUR ways you can listen to Episode 230:1. Listen and comment about the show at iTunes:2. Listen and comment about the show at the official web site:3. Download the MP3 file of Episode 230 [37:10m]:4. Calling (818) 688-2763 to listen via PodlinezSubscribe to the RSS feed or you can click on the "Subscribe" button at iTunes. If you are having trouble, then watch this video tutorial from my producer Kevin Kennedy-Spaien. How about the concepts shared by T.S. Wiley? Are you convinced obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome is connected to light? It's a compelling argument she makes and I'd love to hear what you think in the show notes section of Episode 230. You'll want to get your own copy of her book Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival and bookmark her Wiley Protocol web site to get even more from this dynamic woman who is helping people improve their health naturally.On Thursday, Tanya Attebery will be here to talk about her book entitled Fat-Haters' Club. If you've ever been overweight or obese, especially as a kid, then you'll connect with what Tanya has to say during this interview. I look forward to sharing it with you!PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE MESSAGE OF THIS PODCAST! If you have not already done so, please go to the iTunes page for my podcast, click on "Write a Review" and share what my podcast means to you. THANK YOU for sharing your comments about the show and how much it has enriched your low-carb lifestyle. We'll keep doing what we're doing as long as you keep listening!One last thing: We've added a "Donate" button to my various "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" projects by special request from quite a few readers and listeners who would like to support the work I am doing to spread the positive message of low-carb. If you like what you have seen and heard on my sites, then we'd appreciate any financial support you could give us. Click on the button below to make your donation now:THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Tempur-Pedic Mattress

Seven of the best sites about Tempur-Pedic mattresses. Know of another site that should be listed here? Leave your suggestion at the bottom of this page. (Related searches: Tempur-Pedic BellaSonna, Memory Foam Mattresses, Allura Bed) 1. Tempur-Pedic Sleep Systems - Official Tempur-Pedic site shows you all the mattress styles you can buy online, including the Grand Bed, the BellaSonna, the Allura Bed, the Celebrity Bed, the Rhapsody Bed, the BellaFina Bed, the Prima Bed, the Deluxe Bed, the Classic Bed and of course the Original Bed. Get an overview of each mattress as well as prices and whether the mattress is available in King, Queen, Twin and other sizes. Some mattresses also offer an adjustable base. Elsewhere at this site is information on the Tempur-Pedic mattress overlay / topper that you can use on an existing bed or for travel, and Tempurpedic pillow, cushion and other products. You can try a Tempur-Pedic mattress in your home free for three months. (www.tempurpedic.com) 2. Tempur-Pedic Bliss - April, 2009 blog post from the Fort Worth Weekly says of the Tempur-Pedic mattress: after three nights of sleeping on it, I’m pretty well convinced it’s the best money I’ve ever spent. (www.fwweekly.com) 3. More on the Tempurpedic Mattress and Box Spring - May 9, 2009 blog post discusses a problem with a Tempurpedic mattress split foundation  it squeaks at every movement by the sleeper. And getting a whole new foundation didnt correct the problem for long. (newyorkrenovator.com) 4. Advanced Performance Mattress Protector by Tempur-Pedic - Also known as a mattress pad, made by Tempur-Pedic to fit their mattresses. (www.tempurpedic.com) 5. Tempurpedic Mattress Reviews at Viewpoints - See what others who have bought and slept on the Tempur-Pedic mattress you are considering have to say about their purchase. Write your own review if you own a Tempurpedic mattress. (www.viewpoints.com) 6. Tempur-Pedic Mattresses at Relax the Back - You can order a Tempurpedic mattress online here, including the Solution Bed, the Celebrity Bed, the Rhapsody Bed and more. You can also buy just the Tempurpedic foundation piece if need be, and youll find related products such as a memory foam topper. In addition to online, you can use the store locator to find real-world stores where you can try out the mattresses before you buy. (www.relaxtheback.com) 7. Find Local Tempurpedic Dealers - If you want to try out a Tempurpedic mattress before you buy, go to this page to find a dealer / retailer near you. (www.tempurpedic.com) More related searches: Select Comfort other tags: Temperpedic, matress

Nlld briefing: part 1

Ann Hutton, Executive DirectorALA President, Jim Rettig, welcomed the 400+ attendees to NLLD and expounded on one of the themes from his presidential year --- advocacy within the library ecosystems. As an academic librarian, he sees first hand the difficulties students experience who have not had research training in their K-12 learning environment. Warming the hearts of many of his listeners, he likened the local public library to other community first responders since it is the library that is on the first line of defense for many in this strange and unprecedented economic environment. He believes that libraries of all types are interdependent and need to advocate for each other. “If a school system gets rid of its library it is leaving its children behind and while the first responders, the public library, will do a lot it cannot do it all.” Rettig stressed that all of the NLLD issues are library issues not just by type of library but within an integrated library ecosystem. And as to why we come to Washington to lobby, Rettig said, “We don’t do it for libraries we do it for the people they serve.”With Rettig’s vision, ALA’s Office for Library Advocacy will create a new website identifying best practices from around the country and detailing how effective libraries coalition build with other libraries, within cities, communities, and states. Library Stategies, a consulting group of the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library will perform the research. (Source: SELCO Librarian)

Azalea

Andrea Costa Photography posted a photo: Rhododendron L. - (Rododendro e Azalea), genere della famiglia delle Ericaceae, originario dell'Eurasia e America il nome del genere deriva dalle parole greche rhodon (= rosa) e dendron (= albero), comprende oltre 500 specie, infiniti ibridi e varietà, di piante arbustive, che vanno da 50 cm fino ad alcuni metri di altezza, con chiome a portamento aperto, foglie persistenti, grandi, ovali o lanceolate, di colore verde-lucido superiormente, più chiare o di colore rugginoso sulla pagina inferiore, con il margine glabro e revoluto, fiori semplici o doppi, dai colori vistosi, campanulati, con lobi a volte ondulati, riuniti in grandi mazzi, alle estremità dei rami. Il genere Rhododendron è stato suddiviso in 8 sottogeneri. Le Azalee, appartengono ai sottogeneri, Pentanthera rappresentato dal Rhododendron nudiflorum e Tsutsusi rappresentato dal Rhododendron tsutsusi, presentano chiome compatte e raccolte, foglie lanceolate di colore verde lucente, con grappoli di fiori dai colori vivaci, con tutte le sfumature del bianco, rosa, rosso, magenta, con alcune varietà a fiori bicolori. In Italia si possono ammirare notevoli coltivazioni di rododendri e azalee ornamentali, nella zona dei laghi prealpini, negli splendidi giardini di Villa Taranto, Villa Carlotta e Villa Serbelloni. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rhododendron (from the Greek: rhodos, "rose", and dendron, "tree") is a genus of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. It is a large genus with over 1000 species and most have showy flower displays. It includes the plants known to gardeners as azaleas. It is the national flower of Nepal. The Rhododendron is a genus characterized by shrubs and small to (rarely) large trees, the smallest species growing to 10-100 cm tall, and the largest, R. giganteum, reported to over 30 m tall[1]. The leaves are spirally arranged; leaf size can range from 1-2 cm to over 50 cm, exceptionally 100 cm in R. sinogrande. They may be either evergreen or deciduous. In some species the underside of the leaves is covered with scales (lepidote) or hairs (indumentum). Some of the best known species are noted for their many clusters of large flowers. There are alpine species with small flowers and small leaves, and tropical species such as section Vireya that often grow as epiphytes. Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved My favourite Shoot by ac_theart on Flickriver

Spoiled Bastard

My little nephew is so damned spoiled. I'm not talking about the bad spoiled, but spoiled nonetheless. Let's see, in addition to adopting his whole freaking Head Start class for Christmas, his uncle One Man has bought him a digital camera, a portable DVD player, and I still want to get him the train set he wants. Hell, his ass would have gotten the bike he wanted, but he want peddle and his uncle don't buy shit his ass want actually ride. His mom has already bought him a read drum set (the boy is three years old). I sometimes wonder if I should feel guilty about the part I have played in his spoiled-ness. But, he really is not the ass he can be when we are one on one, but around his mommy and his Aunt Dot, he is a whinny little annoyance, that drives his Uncle One Man insane. I honestly can not be around him, sometimes, when these two women are in his presence. And I don't understand why he sometimes acts the fool around his mom, because he has a spanking mom, who will tear that ass up. I, however, can get away with say, "Manny, you know we don't do that" to get him to straighten up. I don't understand that at all. I love my nephew, you all know that. He owns my heart and only has to share it with his Granny. These are the only two people in the world that I would give the world and lay down my life for. What he really wants is a puppy and I really want to be the one to get him one, but I tell him mom that it is not practical. There is no one at that house that can care for a puppy the way it needs to be cared for. This is one of the reasons I am seriously looking into finding a nice big house that I can move my family into, with me. That way I can be there for both my mom and my nephew and I can buy that new puppy that I need and that Manny can love. Stay tune, because I really plan on blogging more about my grand scheme for me and my family to live under one roof. I'm going to share the plan and I'm gonna need some serious input from on blog family on this one. -One Man's Opinion. Peace.

Thomas journal: Let's ride momentum of big Game 5 win

Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas will be sending USA TODAY regular journal entries throughout the playoffs.Day 11: Sunday, May 10 (Bruins beat Hurricanes 4-0)That was a huge win. I've talked about this before, and it's much "funner" is that a word? "more fun," I guess, to talk after we win a game. Coming home tonight, being down three to one in the series, we obviously needed to win this game. Being at home was a huge boost and the energy of the home crowd really helped us a lot, I think. Our goal going into the game was to not look at the big picture, but to look at the small picture: just win this game and take it from there. Up and down the line, to a man, everybody brought the effort tonight. It was actually "pretty" to watch from a goaltender's perspective. This is the type of game that we've been looking to play all along. Hopefully we can repeat it in Carolina two days from now. I think this was the most emotional game of the series, and I think we feed off of that emotion. We're a team that doesn't mind mixing it up, but it takes two to tango, and we hadn't really put Carolina's back up against the wall where they felt like they needed to really engage us. We got enough of a lead tonight where they felt like they needed to go head to head with us. Zdeno Chara, the big man, went down at the end of the second period and made my heart skip a beat. He's obviously such an important part of our team. You know he's not going to be down and stay down unless he's really hurt. He's never faked anything, and he's one of the toughest men I've ever met in my life, so it was great to see the crowd's reaction when he returned to the ice at the beginning of the third period. I think that gave everyone on the bench energy. In the locker room, we knew that he was going to be coming back in the third, but I think when the crowd cheered like that, it gave us another boost. Our backs were against the wall and we showed a lot of character. We did what we needed to do for tonight. Now we have to repeat it. I think every game we won earlier this year in the playoffs, I've kind of said, "Now we need to clear the plate and start over again." Now in this case we need to ride the wave of momentum up until the puck drops on Tuesday so that we can carry it over. I'm very happy to be headed to Carolina tomorrow, and having just been there and just having experienced their crowd, we know what it's going to be and we know that it's a tough place to play. But, we're going to have to find a way to do it. Granted, it's only 15 minutes after our game, but I feel good about our chances right now. One way or another, I'll talk to you after Tuesday's game and hopefully it'll be with the same happy face :-)-TTDay 10: Saturday, May 9 (Bruins lose to Hurricanes 4-1)I think I said last time that our backs were against the wall. Well now we've moved beyond that point and we are really behind the eight ball. As a team we envisioned Game 4 as the turnaround game of the series. We felt good going in to the game about our team confidence and team attitude, but sports fate had a different story for us.You have to give Carolina credit. They are doing all the right things.They have a jump in their legs that we don't have right now and that we have to find. Anybody who plays sports knows those times when everything comes easy and you are working hard without actually having to work hard. You feel great about yourselves, have a lot confidence and I think that's where Carolina is right now I think it's our job to find some way to knock them out of that zone. We need to break it down into little steps. What is absolutely critical and obviously necessary to keep our season alive is to win the next game at home. If we do, then they have pressure to close it out at home in Game 6. And if we can beat them on their home ice, then it goes to Game 7 and all of a sudden the focus changes to them and whether or not they are going to blow the series after being up 3-1.But that all starts with a W in Game 5.I'm at the practice rink right now regrouping. I think at this point down 3-1 in the series we can draw on the experience we had last year in the playoffs where we were down 3-1 and came back and ended up taking Montreal to seven games. And maybe this time the outcome in that seventh game can be different. I think we need to channel a little bit of that Boston energy. When I think of great postseason comebacks, I think of the Red Sox being down to the Yankees three games to nothing in 2004. And they weren't just losing to the Yankees, they were getting humiliated by them. But everyone knows the history there and what happened they were able to come back and win the series.But the comeback started with that first win. And that's exactly where it has to start for us.-TTDay 9: Thursday, May 7 (Bruins lose to Hurricanes 3-2)Sorry for not checking in immediately after last night's game. Thought it would be best for me to collect my thoughts and take some extra time to reflect on the game before writing another blog. This blogging thing is a lot easier to do after a win than a loss, that's for sure.It was obviously a tough loss last night. Carolina now has the 2-1 lead in the series and they looked like the hungrier team last night. For most of the year, we were always the hungrier team and that was a big reason why we got a lot of our victories. I think for us to get back on track, every player to a man needs to step up. This is something we need to do as a team, not something one or two individuals can do on their own. We need to collectively start pulling the rope in the same direction. Coach decided to give us the full day off today with no practice. Time off to kind of regroup, rest physically and get mentally ready for Friday. Heading over to the mall now, plan on walking around outside a bit, enjoy the nice weather down here in Raleigh. Talk to you again after Game 4,-TTDay 8: Sunday, May 3 (Bruins lose to Hurricanes 3-0)Just finished with Game 2 against Carolina. Obviously, it didn't have the result that we hoped for going into the game. As a team, we thought we could play better than we did in Game 1 of the series, and that was a goal going in tonight. But that isn't the way that it worked out. It's our first playoff loss this postseason, so it's a different feeling in the locker room than every game that we've had so far. I've been saying all along "not too high, not too low." We've been practicing the 'not too high' part, but now we get to practice the 'not too low' part. Everything's not going to go your way on every night. I think as long as you learn your lessons and you take that into the next game, you can turn a negative into a positive. It's a lot quieter atmosphere after this game than all of our previous games, but we'll go home tonight and I'm sure some of us will be thinking about the game. But we have to forget it. By tomorrow morning we have to wipe the slate clean and go back to practice and get ready for Game 3 on Wednesday. We'll be leaving for Carolina on Tuesday, so we'll be going on the road. We'll be in their home building, so we'll have to rise to the challenge. It's a little bit different playing on the road. They get the last change, and I've heard that Carolina's crowd in the playoffs is pretty wild. It should be a pretty exciting atmosphere. I think the key is to not let it intimidate you, but to actually use the same energy that the home team is using, just like we had to do in Montreal. I wonder what the weather's going to be like in Carolina. I'm going to have to look it up on the internet. It's probably a little bit warmer than here in Boston, but we've had a little bit of a heat wave compared to the harsh winter that we had, so it's been pretty warm here already. I've never been to Carolina in May, so it'll be interesting to see that state in a green stage as opposed to the brown that it usually is when we go to visit. Sometimes it's a good thing to get on the road with your team because you spend a little more time with your teammates. And you get to hang out with guys that you don't really get to see outside of the rink at home go to dinner with them and maybe a movie the night before a game. In a certain way, I'm kind of looking forward to the road trip. Basically, it's time to regroup a little bit. We only have two days off in between games, which actually gives Carolina a little time to rest because they came off a seven-game series, but we'll use the time to rest and re-focus ourselves. Talk to you next time from Carolina,-TTDay 7: Friday, May 1 (Bruins defeat Hurricanes 4-1)Hello everyone:I'm here inside our locker room, just wrapped up the first game of the second round of the playoffs. Again we won the first game of the series, which I think is a very good sign. We had a little bit of rust after the nine days off, but we were doing our best to make sure we didn't use that as an excuse. I think we did a good job. Having said that, there might have been some rust. There's nothing you can do to avoid it, but we shook it off and came on strong in the second and third periods. We tried to simulate game situations all week in practice so that we would be ready and I think for the most part we did as good of job as can be done under the circumstances. We had one day where we even scrimmaged five on five for the majority of the practice. Even when you scrimmage in practice, it doesn't seem to have the same structure as a game ends up having. Even if guys are trying as hard as they can at practice, it doesn't have the same feel. From a goaltender's perspective, I think it's probably a little easier to simulate game-type situations in practice than it is for the forwards and the defensemen. I didn't personally feel like I had that much rust. Having said that, I did feel a little bit. You have to get used to game situations.But, I think we battled through that as a team, and it ultimately showed up on the scoreboard. Carolina's obviously a team that never gives up, so even in the third period, going into the period it was 3-1, we wanted to get the next goal and not give them a chance to come back, because they've shown time and again that they will. Not only do they come back during games, but they were down 3-2 in Jersey in the series and they came back and won the series. One win is just a feather in the cap, and same as in the first round, you enjoy it for half an hour, maybe a little longer than that a couple of hours tonight but, by tomorrow morning, we've got to push the reset button and be ready to play the next game. As a team I think we know that we have to play even better than we did tonight, because they're going to play even better. We still have quite a challenge ahead of us, but we know that. And we're going to prepare ourselves as best we can.-TTDay 6: Tuesday, April 28Hello from beautiful, sunny Boston. Haven't been able to say that for most of winter! It's been six days since we clinched the series against Montreal and it looks like it will be at least a few more days until we start a new series. It's unusual to get this kind of a break anytime during the season, let alone during the playoffs. If you finish your series early, you are usually rewarded with some type of break but this one is unusually long. But having said that, it comes at a good time for me. I have been battling some sort of spring cold and it's one of the toughest bugs I have ever run across. I'm currently on the 10th day since I got it, but I'm still feeling some symptoms.The break also couldn't have been better timed for a very important part of our team, Zdeno Chara. We were greeted with the news yesterday evening that a new addition to the Chara family arrived Elliz Victoria Chara. Congratulations to the big man and his wife.I have been watching a lot of hockey during this break but tonight (Tuesday) is a very important night for us. I will be watching intently and at approximately 10 p.m. we will know who our next opponents will be. Even when I'm not playing, I'm a hockey fan so I've always loved watching playoff hockey. But it's been a unique experience this year between this break and still being involved in the playoffs. Watching the games now has a little bit of a different meaning. Usually when you are in the playoffs and even during the regular season you are so busy yourself that you do get to see a little bit of hockey but you don't get too focused on it, because you are either too focused on your own games or too tired from the night before to watch. With the good weather we've had in Boston even with the cold bug I've had I've had more time at home to get some things accomplished that get put on the back burner during the season. I've enjoyed a cookout with my parents and just in general it has been a pretty relaxing time. But I think that will all change after tonight. I think we will start going back in game mode once we know our opponent. I'm sure our coaches have video ready on each of our three possible opponents (note: the Bruins will be playing the Carolina Hurricanes) and they are ready to break it out whenever we know for sure who that opponent is. As a team we have tried to stay focused over this break, but I think that will be a little bit easier when we know who our opponent is actually going to be and who we will be focusing on.Day 5: Wednesday, April 22 (Bruins defeat Canadiens, 4-1. Win series 4-0)Just clinched the series. We swept Montreal. And I guess I can say "swept" now that's one of those words like "shutout" that you just don't say until after it happens.What a difference a year makes. It was a huge victory for this team for many different reasons one of them being it came against our most heated rival in Montreal. I think the experience of winning two huge playoff games on the road will pay off down the line. We also showed that we can have the killer instinct and finish off a team when we have them down. It was a huge milestone for me, with it being my first playoff series victory. I've had playoff series victories in other leagues but this is my first one in the NHL.Now we have a week off to rest up mentally and physically. Even though we swept the series, I think everyone on the team is probably a little bit mentally fatigued because of the mental energy we put forth and how focused and determined we were. We didn't want to let up.I'm gong to take time to enjoy clinching the series a little longer than I celebrated any of the other victories individually.I've said "not too high, not too low" but for the next 24 hours or so, we deserve as a team to revel in the fact that we accomplished something of the magnitude that we did.Hopefully this playoff series means a lot to the Boston fans. It's really amazing to look back where we were even 3 years ago as a team and where we are today. Having said that, we have a lot more that we can accomplish, but I'm not going to worry about that until tomorrow evening or the next morning. Taking off from Montreal, heading home to Boston, can't wait to get home.Ciao,TTDay 4: Monday, April 20 (Bruins defeat Canadiens, 4-2)Hello from Montreal.Game 3 is now in the books. The team pulled out a huge victory on the road and withstood a very tough push from Montreal in a very tough place to play. For a player, Montreal's building is probably the loudest rink that I know of in the NHL that I have experienced on the road. And it's even louder in the playoffs. But you have to put that aside and stay focused on your game, but at times that is very tough to do. When we came out at the start of the game, the first 10 minutes were just like what we expected it to be we knew Montreal was going to come at us hard. But even knowing what it is going to be like, it is still hard to handle. We survived their first push, got down 1-0, but a goal by Phil Kessel changed our attitude from just trying to withstand their push, to trying to take the lead. I think it was important for us to keep the momentum the whole way through and not give them a chance to get the momentum back.We won the game 4-2 but it was a tight game the whole way through. The team had a fantastic third period, one of the best third periods I can recall during my time in the NHL. That definitely made my job easier. Our depth showed again tonight too. We lost Matt Hunwick for Games 2 and 3 and Shane Hnidy stepped in and did a great job in both games. We lost Milan Lucic for tonight's game and in comes Byron Bitz who played a great game and made a great play to set up a go-ahead goal.I think the experience of playing in the playoffs here last year was a huge help for not only knowing what it is going to be like playing here, but actually experiencing what it is going to be like. The majority of our team went through it last year and I think it helped us get the job done tonight.Heading back to the hotel now for some dinner and to celebrate this win for an hour, hour-and-a-half. Then we'll get our rest and wake up tomorrow and forget about this because we have to get ready to come up big again in the next one.You'll hear from me again after Game 4.Day 3: Saturday, April 18 (Bruins defeat Canadiens, 5-1)Just finished up Game 2, a huge win for us: five to one. Montreal came out with a big push, we withstood it and pushed right back, and we were able to capitalize on our chances. This game was better than the first game, we kept the momentum the whole way through. We didn't really allow them much of a push back.Overall, it was a great team effort, the team played very well in front of me. Just in general, we played the kind of team defense that we practice playing all the time, but it doesn't always come to fruition in the game. We had effort, consistent effort every time. We had composure with the puck, got the puck out, made the smart plays both in our defensive zone, but also in their offensive zone. Really, it was a phenomenal effort from my point of view.Remind me not to get on Patrice Bergeron's bad side. I've known Bergy for a long time, since his first year here actually. Probably me and P.J. Axelsson are the only ones who have been around that long. Knowing what he's gone through with some injuries, when I saw him getting into a fight, I was a little bit worried, but I thought it was a great step forward for him."I'm not just going to sit there and take it" was his mindset. It shows that he's not afraid and that he's getting past some of the issues that he's had, and not just getting past them, but I think people in Boston are going to be talking about that fight for a long time. It isn't something that he does very often. It's not really part of his game, but now we know that he's not a guy to be messed around with. I try not to get excited when my team fights because it takes away from my game, but I couldn't help but get excited after that one.It was a huge for us to get both wins at home. We're on the road tomorrow. I want to enjoy this tonight, but tomorrow it's back to getting ready for the next game. That's the way the playoffs are.You have to get ready one game at a time, not too high, not too low. You can't get too high on your victories or too low on your losses. It's tempting to get over-excited right now, but we have to keep our feet on the ground. Day 2: Thursday, April 16 (Bruins defeat Canadiens, 4-2)Just got finished with the game, finished up with the media. It was a big win for us. It's always important to get the first win of the series. It was much better this year being at home as opposed to last year when we opened up the playoffs on the road and I felt a lot more comfortable. Plus, with the experience with last year's playoffs I knew what to expect a little bit better. It was another emotional, tight game out there. We were prepared for the physical game that we had to play tonight but I thought we handled the momentum swings real well. We had the momentum early, they kind of took back some momentum in the second period and we were able to bear down and get the momentum back in the third and ultimately get the win.The first and eighth seed doesn't seem to matter that much in the playoffs, it's about what team comes out and performs the best that night. The talent level in the NHL from top to bottom is actually so close that there's very little that separates one team from another. The playoff atmospheres are incredible in Boston and Montreal, but to play my best I have to kind of ignore the crowd whether we are at home or on the road. I didn't really get to celebrate with the crowd tonight until we scored the fourth goal with 13 seconds left.I'm going to enjoy the fact that we won the game for a little bit tonight, but not too long because we have to get started to get ready for the next one. If we don't win the next game then the first one doesn't mean nowhere near as much. When I go home later tonight I will think about the game, revel in the fact that we won the first game of the series, but by tomorrow morning it will be back to business and we will be focused on Game 2 and what we accomplished tonight isn't as important. What will be important in the morning will be getting ready for the next game.Talk to you again after Game 2.Day 1: Tuesday, April 14It's only Tuesday afternoon and Game 1 isn't until Thursday so I'm trying not to get too excited about the playoffs starting, too early. I don't want to look too far ahead and I know I will get more excited starting Wednesday as the game draws closer.Practice today went well. Not too long, but not too short, not too hard, but not too easy. The coaches are finding a delicate balance at practice to get us ready for Thursday and I think the team responded well today. I did some individual drills with our goaltending coach Bob Essensa to clean some things up and overall I thought it was a pretty good practice for myself and the team.There's no denying the fact that because we are playing Montreal it is definitely an important series. There's obviously a long history between the two teams and it is one of the best rivalries in hockey, and in my opinion is the best rivalry in hockey. I think there's a lot of interest from the general public as well and you can tell that from the increased attention from the media that were out at practice today. But from my point of view as a goalie, I do my best when I'm just playing my game and not really thinking about who we are playing. My focus throughout the playoffs will be focusing on one game at a time, not looking too far ahead and maintaining an even keel. As one of assistant coaches Doug Houda reminds me quite often, "not too high, not too low."I understand that the regular season records are thrown out the window once the playoffs start, but how you played hopefully isn't. My teammates and I would like to carry over the positive momentum from the regular season in to the postseason and continue to do the things that made us successful during the regular season. Today was more or less the calm before the storm. Wednesday I will treat pretty much the same way as today practice in the morning and then hang out at home with my family during the afternoon and evening. I try to spend as much free time with my family as possible before the games get going, because once they do, I'm pretty much useless around the house.Thanks for reading and I will check in after Game 1 with another entry.

Alice Faye In the 30's

EY's Day Off.gdh1/2/1928 LAX Louella O. Parsons Clara Bow, the college boy's favorite flapper, is about to cease her flapperish ways and emerge as a demon of the underworld. Can you see the frizzle-haired Bow youngster playing a lady crook? Well, lots of times we need to put on glasses to properly visualize certain drastic changes and when Clara appears in Ladies of the Mob, we shall need an extra pair of spectacles. Now with your kind attention, I shall endeavor to tell you something about Ladies of the Mob. It deals with the feminine angle of crookology. In other words, the woman crooks of the underworld are featured, with the man playing second fiddle. William Wellman, who directed Wings, will manage the megaphone and the story is by Ernest William Booth. At the beginning of this new year, Paramount makes no bones of saying that Clara is one of their greatest drawing cards. She is what the public wants–that's why there is a strong effort being made to get her the right stories. .... Every now and then we see a familiar face at the studios–some headliner of yesterday. Virginia Pearson, than whom there was no greater vamp on the silver sheet a few years ago, is now at MGM, called hither by Irving Thalberg to play an important role in Norma Shearer's next picture, The Actress, or, if you prefer, Trelawny of the Wells, the real name. Only a few weeks ago I saw Edwin August, who used to play opposite Mary Pickford and was one of the most famous leading men in the movies. Most of these players can come back if they please. The memory of the public is long and stars who have achieved any sort of distinction are popular. .... Vera Reynolds isn't going to walk back. She didn't even take the buggy ride. Probably the fault is her own since Walking Back has developed into a man's play, and Miss Reynolds didn't want to be starred and then let someone else have all the honors. She will be starred in something else and another actress substituted for her. There were rumors that Sonia Karloff, the girl who fooled all Hollywood by pretending to be a Danish actress when she was really an American-born Jean Williams, was to be put in Miss Reynolds' place. This is vociferously denied at the DeMille Studios. So we will have to say it is gossip, and if they are right, print the name of the real girl. The Hungarian writers are doing well for themselves in Hollywood. I might say there is a vogue for their type of screen play. Take Lajos Biro who wrote The Way of All Flesh and The Yellow Lily, Billie Dove's next picture for First National. He is in great demand at all the studios but First National, thinking to keep him right in the family, has signed him on a long term contract. Hereafter he will write exclusively for this company. .... The studios are deserted today. New Year's is being celebrated by everyone from property boy to president of the company. Reginald Denny and Richard Dix are spending the holidays at Denny's mountain cabin in the San Bernadino Mountains where there is four feet of snow. Denny is apparently enjoying the skiing for he didn't show up last Tuesday, he was supposed to start work on Be Yourself. Now, he says he'll be on hand next Tuesday. Fortunate thing for Carl Laemmle all his stars do not delay their productions. What would happen at Universal City? .... I believe I told you a few weeks ago that Lew Cody's troubles with MGM were about to be ironed out. I promised to let you know if I deserved a good word for being a prophet or whether as a guesser I'm a pretty good pastry cook. In this case, I can say I was right. Lew Cody has signed a long-term contract with MGM through the courtesy of this company. He will finish a two weeks' vaudeville engagement–one in San Francisco and one here, after which he will begin work on a new picture. I wish I could tell you the name of the story, but neither Mr. Cody, who left for San Francisco last night, or Irving Thalberg were sure of its title yet. .... Not only do "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," but the preference of the Leland Stanford boys run that way also. They voted Laura LaPlante their choice for hostess during the coming game at the Rose Bowl. Miss LaPlante went right out and bought herself a new dress and hat and went t o the train to meet the boys. Although they had never seen her in person before, most of them felt they had made a good choice. .... The holidays didn't interfere with Harry Cohn's signing proclivity. While everyone else was discussing the Yuletide season, the energetic Mr. Cohn went out and signed Anthony Coldwey as special writer. He was associated with Warners and responsible for most of the Warner operas.Alice Faye In the 30'sABBREVIATIONSEE – Los Angeles Evening ExpressEH -- Los Angeles Evening HeraldEHE -- Los Angeles Evening Herald ExpressFD -- Film DailyIDN -- Los Angeles Illustrated NewsHCN -- Hollywood Citizen NewsHDC -- Hollywood Daily CitizenLAR -- Los Angeles RecordLAPR -- Los Angeles Post-RecordLAX -- Los Angeles ExaminerMPH -- Motion Picture HeraldSFC – San Francisco Chronicle8/21/1933 EHE RUDY VALLEE IN AUTO CRASH AP, Bridgeville, Del, 8/21 Rudy Vallee, singer and orchestra leader, escaped injury and Miss Alice Faye, a dancer with his orchestra, suffered a cut over the right eye and body bruises early today after their automobile skidded during a heavy rainstorm and upset near Greenwood. Miss Faye was taken to the office of a physician at Bridgeville by Vallee and other members of the orchestra. After she was treated the party continued on its way from Atlantic City to Virginia Beach, VA, Miss Faye and Valley riding with other musicians in their cars.11/29/1933 HCN Elizabeth Yeaman Alice Faye has been signed by Fox for a featured role in the George White Scandals. Now Miss Faye is the current heart throb of Rudy Vallee, radio crooner who will be a star of the picture. In fact Rudy's interest in Miss Faye is so intense that he has talked about going to Mexico to obtain a quick divorce from his estranged wife, Fay Webb of Santa Monica. It looks as if Rudy is simply fated to love girls who have Faye or Fay in their name somewhere. Fay Webb has not liked the idea of the Mexican divorce, and even has talked about seeking an injunction to prevent Rudy from going to Mexico. However all that marital tangle works out, Rudy is going to have Alice Faye with him in the film version of the Scandals. She may or may not be his wife when they work on the picture. Their romance started when she became an entertainer with the Vallee band. Lilian Harvey will be one of the principal stars in the picture. Others assigned roles from the New York stage are Marie Ormiston, the Loomis Sisters, Cliff Edwards, and Dixie Dunbar. George White also will appear, and he is bringing his own chorines out from New York.12/7/1933 LAX Louella O. Parsons Were we right? Alice Faye, Rudy Vallee's sweetie, reaches here Saturday to go into the George White "Scandals." We said, didn't we, that Rudy, the crooner lad, would eat his Christmas dinner with sweet Alice, and it's come true. The report continues that Mr. Vallee will hop off to Mexico, get his divorce from Fay Webb (same old divorce that has been hanging fire for nearly a year) and marry his girl friend.12/9/1933 EHE VALLEE'S FRIEND HERE Big photo of Alice Faye Alice Faye, above, blues singer whose name has been linked with that of Rudy Vallee since the break between the crooner and his wife, Fay Webb Vallee, arrived in LA today to start work in a film. Vallee will arrive here Tuesday to play in the same picture at the Fox studios. Mrs. Vallee claims Vallee wants to divorce her so he can marry 'a radio singer.12/10/1933 LAX ALICE DENIES RUDY ROMANCE When interviewers in New York questioned Rudy Vallee, crooner and estranged husband of Fay Webb, about his reported new dream girl, Alice Faye, blonde dancer, he replied that she was "just a pal." And yesterday upon her arrival in Los Angeles, Miss Faye was equally emphatic in denying any romance between herself and the singer. Miss Faye will remain here until the completion of the film version of George White's Scandals in which she is to appear at Fox Studios.12/12/1933 LAX VALLEE HERE DENIES ALICE FAYE ROMANCE Rudy Vallee arrived in Los Angeles from the East yesterday, denying there was a new romance in his life and declaring he had no immediate intention of seeking a divorce from Fay Webb Vallee. Vallee, here to fill a film engagement with the Fox Studio, said he had the highest praise, "both personally and professionally," for Alice Faye, blues singer, with whom his name has been linked during the past several weeks. "But as for a romance with Miss Faye, I'll have to admit that such a thing is untrue," said Vallee, accompanied from the East by his Alaskan dog, "Windy." "I have the highest regard for Miss Faye and consider her a most charming and talented person. She is under personal contract to me, and I believe she is a marvelous theatrical find." NO DIVORCE NOW Vallee, who arrived on the Santa Fe Chief, declared he had no intention at the present time of seeking a divorce from Fay Webb Vallee, daughter of Santa Monica's chief of police, Clarence Webb. "I haven't seen Mrs. Vallee since we parted on April 3, last year," said Vallee. "I can't say whether I shall see her while I'm here." To queries of a possible reconciliation with his estranged wife, the crooner and orchestra leader was silent. Vallee will remain in Hollywood five weeks and then return to his radio broadcasting in New York.12/22/1933 LAX Louella O. Parsons While Lilian Harvey is pouting and continuing her grouch at the Fox Company, Alice Faye is being put in the spotlight and encouraged to believe she has a movie future. Miss Faye, whose hair is as blonde and as platinum as Jean Harlow's much publicized locks, has been given a four-year contract with Fox. Winfield Sheehan and Robert Kane, who saw tests of the young lady after she was rushed into the "George White Scandals" as a substitute for Lilian Harvey, aren't taking any chances. They signed her people. As for Rudy Vallee, he isn't saying much, but I am told he is as pleased as if someone had handed him a million over his girl friend's test.1/3/1934 LAX Ray De O'Fan Among others who partook of Colonel Arnheim's hospitality was....Alice Faye, who has given up radio work definitely, according to Rudy Vallee, for a career in pictures.1/4/1934 EHE Harrison Carroll Alice Faye is so heartbroken over the death of the chow pup Rudy Vallee gave her that she is moving away from her apartment. A motorist ran over the dog.1/4/1934 HCN Radio By Zuma Palmer The U.S.C. glee club and orchestra, Carmel Myers, Charles Irwin, Barbara "Snoony" Blair, Alice Faye and Leslie Howard will be Rudy Vallee's guests at 5 over KFI. Mr. Vallee should have no difficulty in finding personalities here for his weekly broadcasts, but the East does have more outstanding radio artists. One of the musical numbers scheduled for this evening is "The Man on the Flying Trapeze," popularized by Walter O'Keefe.1/9/1934 EHE RUDY VALLEE TO ANSWER WIFE'S CHARGES AND MAY ASK DIVORCE Rudy Vallee, the crooner who made the Maine Stein son famous, and whose dulcet radio voice is familiar to most of the women in the civilized world and even in darkest Africa, was reported today preparing an answer to the sensational separate maintenance suit filed yesterday by his wife, Fay Webb Vallee, actress, and daughter of the chief of police of Santa Monica. The complaint, which charged that Vallee openly associated with three other women, Alice Faye, film actress and two Jane Does, is now on file in superior court. In addition to an answer to Mrs. Vallee's charges, the crooner may file a cross-complaint for divorce---that is if the law permits--it was learned today. Though the California law says that one must be a resident of the state at least a year before seeking divorce, it also provides that the defendant in a divorce action can file a cross-complaint, whether or not he is a resident. "I'm amazed at her audacity," he said, standing in his dressing room at the Fox studios. "I'd be happy to answer every charge she has made. I hope I never have to do it--but if everything eventually has to be brought out, then we will let Mrs. Vallee's voice speak for herself. In regard to the settlement, I say she is getting 10,000 cents too much right now." Miss Faye, who is a featured singer of Rudy's orchestra, The Connecticut Yankees, also made verbal reply to the charges that she had associated with Vallee in other than a business capacity at the Roney Plaza Hotel at Miami Beach, Fl, during January and February, 1933. 'Mr. Vallee is my friend and employer since he engaged me as a part of his orchestra organization,' Miss Faye said. 'I have traveled with the orchestra in many different states and in many different places. The charges are ridiculous, as will be proved when the matter is brought into court. The complaint is a long one, 21 pages to be exact, each page bristling with such phrases as 'brazen effrontery' and 'deliberate conspiracy.' The filing of it climaxed a series of legal battles in the east, including an action filed by Mrs. Vallee to restrain the crooner from seeking a Mexican divorce. This action is pending. THREE WOMEN NAMED The most sensational charges in the complaint were that Vallee openly associated with three other women. These, the complaint charged, were Miss Faye, Jane Doe No. 1 and Jane Doe No. 2. Mrs. Vallee didn't reveal who the two Jane Does were, though the complaint intimated she knew all about them. A note written by Vallee in September, 1933, was listed in the complaint. "With brazen effrontery," it was charged, Vallee wrote to his wife: "Leonie, my first wife, was a fine woman and really loved me. I think I am going to have perfect happiness in my third marriage. They do say all good things run in threes." TRAP SET, SHE SAYS Mrs. Vallee charged that in the spring of 1933, when she returned to New York, Vallee, with "sinister motive," tried to divorce her so that he might marry Miss Faye. With this in view, she charged, he placed a device in her apartment by which all telephone conversations were recorded, but failed to obtain any evidence against her. After that, Mrs. Vallee charged, the crooner began a "deliberate campaign" to "lull her into a false sense of security of security" by plying her with liquor, giving her gifts and writing her affectionate notes, while all the time, she asserted, he continued going around with Miss Faye. And not only that, she charged, but Vallee tried to force her to agree to a "shockingly and grossly inadequate" property settlement. This she eventually signed, she said, "Through complete ignorance" of business. This settlement gave her but $100 a week and the deed to the home at 10100 Beverly Boulevard, valued at $60,000. Vallee, his wife, charged, concealed assets, placed money and securities in safe deposit boxes unknown to her, created insurance trusts with himself as beneficiary, and employed other "subterfuges" designed to make her believed that his income was much less than it was. She claimed that at this time Vallee's income was in excess of $350,000 a year and that he was worth $3,000,000. About this time, she charged, Vallee told her he was financially embarrassed, unable to pay his income tax. He even asked her to pawn her jewels to help him, she asserted. Vallee told his wife, she charged, that he planned to get a Mexican divorce and that she would know nothing about it until it was all over. This she laid to his "haste and impatience." Mrs. Vallee didn't paint such a pretty picture of the crooner, whose golden voice has been the cause of much undone housework in these United States. She charged that he possesses a "violent, vicious and ungovernable temper; indulges in blasphemy and uses intemperate, vile and vituperative language." This was especially applied to her, frequently in public gatherings much to her great humiliation, she charged. CHARGES INTIMIDATION Mrs. Vallee charged that she agreed to the property settlement when she was ill and when Vallee "threatened and frightened her into believing that unless she signed it she would be cut off without support or maintenance." She was intimated, she asserted, so that she could not exercise her own free will. Vallee's New York attorney, Hyman Bushel, aided the crooner in this move, she charged. Bushel told her that it "would do no good to consult an attorney," she asserted. In the complaint, Mrs. Vallee said that Rudy had encouraged her in the expensive mode of living during the first months of their marriage. The complaint was not without its modicum of praise. Rudy, she said "is one of the highest paid radio performers in the country, if not the world." She admitted that his manner of singing was unique. "His intonations, inflexions, voice intonations and unique skill and ability as a performer" have won him a fortune in radio, stage, café and nigh club performances, the complaint stated. This part had to do, however, with Mrs. Vallee's claims that her husband made more money than he would have her believe. The property settlement came in for its share of complaints. Mrs. Vallee charged that the document limits her earning capacity, restricts her mode of living by forbidding her to engage in stage, radio, vaudeville, musical comedy and other similar activity. It was obtained "through fraud, strategy, misrepresentation, duress and threats," she charged. ASKS COURT CONTROL In the complaint, Mrs. Vallee demanded that all of her husband's property and earnings be place under court order so that he cannot dispose of any of it. She demanded that the Fox Film Corp., by which Vallee is now employed, Fleischmann's Yeast Co. And the National Broadcasting Co. Be instructed to make no secret payment to Vallee. Mrs. Vallee said she...[Rest Cut Off]1/10/1934 EHE Harrison Carroll Poor Rudy Vallee! Fay Webb's sensational suit was filed on the day the crooner's fraternity was giving a dinner in his honor. The trial, scheduled for the 19th, also may conflict with the time he is supposed to return east for this restaurant and broadcasting engagements. Another echo of the suit was heard when the studio sought to take gallery pictures of the star and of Alice Faye. The two have many scenes together in the film, and, following the ordinary course of promotion, Fox wanted to take closeup still pictures of them. But Rudy balked at being photographed even with his arm around Alice.1/17/1934 EHE WIFE NAMES THIRD VALLEE CASE 'JANE DOE' (headline across top of front page) New York, 1/17 A mysterious Los Angeles woman--Jane Doe 3-today entered the marital dispute between Fay Web Vallee and her crooning husband, Rudy Vallee. In an amendment to her separate maintenance suit, in which Mrs. Vallee already has accused Rudy of misconduct with Alice Faye, blues singer, Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, she charged that on Jan. 4, last in LA, Rudy associated with Jane Doe 3. The amendment also listed 12 asserted acts of misconduct between Vallee and Miss Faye in cities along the Atlantic seaboard in 1932 and 1933.1/18/1934 LAX TRIANGLE GROWS Into the Rudy Vallee-Fay Webb marital battle came yesterday the stinging answer of Alice Faye, film actress, to the charges against her in Mrs. Vallee's separate maintenance complaint. With Rudy in the East, well removed from the scene of warfare, it was a woman arrayed against woman, with words for their weapons! CHARGES MISCONDUCT Mrs. Vallee, incidentally including a third Jane Doe in the list of Rudy's asserted intimate friends, set forth in an amendment to her complaint, twelve cities and dates where and when she charges Vallee and Miss Faye were guilty of misconduct. Back came Miss Faye with the emphatic declaration that, so far from seeking to take Miss Vallee's place, she was never more than "a shoulder on which Mr. Vallee might cry when he was grieving over his wife's attitude toward him and her failure to return his love." "I am informed that Mrs. Vallee has made certain further charges of misconduct between Mr. Vallee and myself in a document entitled ‘Amendment to the Complaint,'" she said. "These are, of course, positively false." "As I have previously stated, Mr. Vallee and I were never more than friends and co-workers. During the time specified in the amendment to the complaint I was employed as a singer with the Connecticut Yankees. At the times mentioned were on tour of a number of cities in the South and East. "During practically all that time we were accompanied by a number of wives of the men in the orchestra. I was rarely alone with Mr. Vallee. "I know that constantly during that time he was very much in love with his wife. Time and again I noticed him sending wires to Mrs. Vallee, writing her letters and making long distance telephone calls. I know that he begged and pleaded with her to join him. His heart and mind were on his wife and at no time on any other girl. "I have never been anything to Mr. Vallee other than a friend, and the most friendly of all acts I have ever done for him was, figuratively speaking, to give him a shoulder on which to cry when his wife's conduct and attitude toward him caused him so much grief and mental suffering. "That is, he had to have someone to talk to about his troubles, and I was that someone. "At those times I did all in my power to cheer him and talk him out of the despondency caused by Mrs. Vallee's refusal to join him or to reciprocate the great love I know he had for her." To Miss Faye's denial of the charges affecting her, attorney Samuel S. Zagon of the firm of Zagon and Aaron, representing Vallee, last night added the assurance that the new charges in the amendment to the complaint would be denied by his client. "Jane Doe Three," said to be a film player, is "all news to us," Zagon said. Attorney Ben Cohen, representing Mrs. Vallee, said the identity of "Jane Doe Three," now included in the list of Vallee's asserted intimate friends, would be guarded unless it became necessary to reveal it. The complaint merely accuses Vallee of intimacy with the unnamed woman in Los Angeles on Last January 4. ANSWER SOON Vallee's answer to the original suit will be filed this week, Zagon said, as soon as papers bearing his signature reach Los Angeles. His sudden departure for the East made it necessary to send the papers racing after him, to catch up with him in Chicago. On January 24, when the hearing is scheduled on Mrs. Vallee's petition for $7400 a month temporary alimony—a hearing continued from yesterday—Vallee's attorneys expect to make a second effort to quash the separate maintenance suit on the ground that Mrs. Vallee has not resided in California long enough to bring suit. A previous motion, seeking to set aside the local proceedings and transfer the entire matter to New York, was denied without prejudice by Superior Judge Thomas C. Gould. Before Superior Judge Dudley Valentine yesterday, when the continuance on the alimony hearing was granted, counsel for both sides agreed that $500 in salary due Alice Faye from Fox Film Company, tied up under a temporary restraining order, may be released. Other restraining orders affecting Vallee's own salary continue in effect. Mrs. Vallee's amendment to her complaint, in addition to including another woman in the list of Vallee's alleged intimate friends, specifically lists twelve cities and dates where and when she charges that Vallee and Miss Faye were guilty of misconduct. HER LIST The list reads: January 26, 1933, Jacksonville, Fla.; between January 28 and February 10, 1933, Tampa, Fla; February 9, 1933, Winston-Salem, N.C.; during February, 1933, Columbia, S.C.; February 11, 1933, Atlanta, Ga.; February 14, 1933, Memphis, Tenn.; February 18, 1933, Charlotte, N.C.; February 19, 1933, Greensburg, N.C.; August 2, 1932, Asbury Park, N.J.; April 2, 1933, Newcastle, Pa., and November 21, 1932, Boston, Mass. Vallee and Miss Faye were on tour with his orchestra during these months. Mrs. Vallee is now in seclusion at the home of her father, police chief of Santa Monica. A questionnaire on file with the complaint itemizes the $7400 monthly allowance Mrs. Vallee asks as follows: For servants, including cook, butler, chef, chauffeur and personal maid, $100 a month each; for maintenance of her home, $1000 a month; for a private secretary, $200 a month; for a masseuse, $150 a month; for cosmetics, jewelry, insurance, flowers, launder, automobile upkeep, etc., $3960 a month.1/20/1934 EHE Strolling Along Hollywood's Gossipy Corners With Jimmy Starr It may sound FUNNY to you, but it wasn't to Alice Faye. Somebody STOLE her costume while she was working in George White's Fox movie of Scandals.1/27/1934 HCN Behold Them Minus Hokum By Peter Pry Alice Faye, who has her mother and brother here with her, is pining away with loneliness. Her pet chow, killed by an automobile some time ago, has been replaced by another chow puppy. She does not reveal the identity of the donor, but her eyes shine when she dodges the subject. Since Rudy Vallee fled from town, Alice has refused to go about with any other man.2/6/1934 EHE WHITE OFFERS FAY WEBB ROLE IN SCANDALS By Harrison Carroll New clashes in the Rudy Vallee-George White feud appeared imminent today when the New York producer admitted he is seeking Fay Webb Vallee to appear in his Scandals, scheduled to open on Broadway around Decoration Day. 'It's true that I have made Fay an offer,' said White today. ' I know her very well and she's a nice girl.' If Fay consents to appear in the Scandals, the producer said, he will use her in a series of sketches or blackouts, as they are known in revue parlance. 'She also can sing a little,' added White. 'I might be able to use her in a number.' All of which, believes Hollywood, will only add to the bad blood that existed between the crooning star and the producer during the recent filming of the Scandals at the Fox studio. In this picture Rudy and Alice Faye, who is mentioned with him in Mrs. Vallee's suit for separate maintenance, played leading parts, while White acted as a cross between a director and a supervisor. Time and time again the two men had words. Once Rudy sought to walk out on a late session on the set, but was marooned on a 20' band platform when White refused to let anyone bring a ladder. At another time the pair were ready to exchange blows when associates parted them. With a smile White denied that the trouble had anything to do with his offer to Mrs. Vallee. He said he has not yet received her answer. ARMISTICE ENDS IN LEGAL BATTLES OF FAY AND RUDY That the armistice in the legal battles of Fay Webb Vallee and her radio crooner husband, Rudy Vallee, is at an end was indicated today when attorneys said they were prepared to argue Rudy's demurrer to his wife's complaint for separate maintenance before Superior Judge Thomas C. Gould. Mrs. Vallee in her suit named two Jane Does with whom she asserted her husband had been intimate. Vallee in his demurrer declared the complaint to be insufficient because it did not give the real names of the women. Hearing on the demurrer has been twice postponed because it was stated the parties had agreed to leave the matter in abeyance pending hearing on the other legal proceeding in New York City. Should the demurrer be sustained, Mrs. Vallee may be given permission to amend her complaint. If it is over-ruled, Vallee will be required to file an answer to the complaint. Tomorrow Mrs. Vallee is due to appear before Superior Judge Dudley S. Valentine to testify in her claim for $7450 a month temporary alimony pending hearing of her separate maintenance suit. She claims that this amount is necessary for her support, also asks for allowance of $50,000 for counsel fees.2/13/1934 EHE Jimmy Starr ...Alice Faye was a-cutting up at the Cotton Club with Lyle Talbot, the ever-changing-romantic chapie...2/15/1934 IDN Radio By Kenneth Frogley Tallulah Bankhead and comic Tom Howard are Rudy Vallee's leading guests at 5pm on KFI, along with Doris Roache, the crooner's latest discovery, who is slated to take Alice Faye's place with his band.2/21/1934 HCN Elizabeth Yeaman Spencer Tracy is one of the most hard-worked actors in Hollywood today. Spencer is just back from the MGM lot where he was loaned by Fox for the lead in Show Off. Fox has the starring role in Now I'll Tell, ready for him immediately. This is the story written by the widow of Arnold Rothstein, in which Helen Twelvetrees and Alice Faye will have the feminine leads. And the moment that picture is finished, Spencer will help to launch Ketti Gallian on her Hollywood film debut in Marie Gallante. 3/3/1934 LAX Louella O. Parsons The Alice Fay-Rudy Vallee romance is no more. At the time Rudy hurriedly left Hollywood bound for New York on a sudden decision to have his divorce case tried in Manhattan, he and the platinum Faye were very good friends. But distance seems to have put a quietus on their mutual interest. Rudy, busy with his broadcast in New York, and Alice, thoroughly sold on the idea of a Fox movie career, are no longer keeping the long distance telephones and telegraph wires humming.3/6/1934 LAX Louella O. Parsons Alice Faye saw herself for the first time on the screen at a preview of The George White Scandals at Winfield Sheehan's house. She photographs well and her song number, "Nasty Man," is sure to become a hit. Alice rushed from the projection room to telephone Lyle Talbot to let him know just how happy she was over the many nice things said to her. The George White's Scandals has three sequences that are corking and many original numbers. Does George White give himself a break? He is in nearly every scene.3/13/1934 LAX ‘TWO-BIT' RECORD OF VOICE GETS ALICE FAYE CONTRACT A two-bit phonograph recording of her voice brought Alice Faye to the attention of Rudy Vallee. Alice was singing in a New York musical show chorus. She had little confidence in her ability as a singer or actor, but a friend played the record for Vallee, and Alice was at once engaged for his musical organization. When Rudy brought his company to Hollywood for George White's Scandals, Miss Faye came along expecting to play a small part and perhaps sing a song or two. Tests at the studio promised better for her, and within three days she was playing the leading role, and Winfield Sheehan had signed her to a contract. All this rapid rise has been a bit confusing to the young actress, whose first picture will be seen on the screen at Loew's State tomorrow. In the new Fox film, George White's Scandals, she has songs to sing and opportunities to look her loveliest. Her acting, according to preview critics, indicates that here is a new figure in the Hollywood scene, and one well worth consideration. Miss Faye is working in Now I'll Tell with Helen Twelvetrees and Spencer Tracy, and Edwin Burke directing.3/15/1934 LAX George White's Scandals By Louella O. Parsons The film version of George White's Scandals, playing this week at Loew's State Theater, has the flavor of a genuine New York revue. It resembles those famous Broadway musicals invented to make the tired business man less tired. In addition to lavish settings, the gorgeous girls and dance routines, there are some very catchy song numbers and an amusing threesome, including Rudy Vallee, Jimmy Durante and Cliff Edwards. Particularly good are Rudy and Jimmy, who carry the burden of comedy on their shoulders. Impossible to enumerate each big moment, but the dog-sequence and the baby buggy number are excellent musical comedy episodes. Platinum blonde Alice Faye is a distinct addition to the screen. Easy to look at and with a personality and voice, she puts over her numbers in great style. "Nasty Man" and "Every Time You Hold My Hand" are sure-fire hits. Rudy Vallee has the same screen personality that won him international radio fame, and Jimmy Durante has never been better. My only criticism is a too obvious bally-hoo for George White. He bobs up for no good reason in the box office scene and again throughout the picture. But even White's self-exploitation hasn't spoiled the picture or producer Robert Kane's efforts to give us good entertainment. The story of George White's Scandals is weak, perhaps, but the gorgeous settings and catchy song hits compensate for any shortcomings in plot. All the best talent which Monsieur White uses in his New York revues was commandeered for the screen version. You will laugh at Gregory Ratoff as the super-salesman. Warren Hymer as the wrestler, and Adrienne Ames as the heavy complete the cast. Ray Henderson, Irving Caesar and Jack Yellen, who are the big timers on Broadway, have written the perfectly grand musical numbers. William Conselman is credited with the screen play, and the million dollar beauties in their million dollar trappings are made arty by William Darling as art director. Lee Garmes and George Schneider furnish some extra good photography, with Thornton Freeland directing the stars and Harry Lachman the musical numbers. In addition to the George White Scandals this week, there are Melodies of Love, an organlogue; adventures of a newsreel cameraman, Outdoing the Daredevils, and a scenic novelty, Mediterranean Blues.3/17/1934 MPH SHOWMEN'S REVIEWS George White's Scandals(Fox)Musical As a backstage musical, this picture differs from all the other sin that it devotes itself exclusively to the preservation of the peculiar color, glamor and entertainment values associated with the George White stage extravaganzas. Like a legitimate revue, it's a parade of a dozen or fifteen sketches, all of which are held together by a thin and practically meaningless story. Done in the spirit of a Broadway show, it's racy, vivid in song, gag, dialogue and action expression, and save in one or two instances, full of the atmosphere that the title tone commonly suggests. It sings and dances almost continuously, interspersing specialty sequences, and, flashing back every now and then to accepted picture-making formula, quickly picks up and drops the story premise. There's definite charm and beauty to much of the show, particularly the Alice Faye-Vallee duets, "Hold My Hand" and "Sweet and Simple," and the tuneful, eye-pleasing chorus dancing accompanying them. The same is true of Durante's blackface "Cabin in the Cotton." There's punch in Cliff Edwards' "Six Women" and the Edwards-Dixie Dunbar "So Nice." There's comedy in the blackout gags. And though it is hardly possible that the submerged story will interest any one, it has certain theatre values. But there's much that comes dangerously close to being objectionable in the suggested sense of the Alice Faye "Nasty Man" song, especially when the infants pick up the chorus. Similarly the dog action accompanying the Vallee, Faye, Durante, Dunbar rendered "Your Dog Loves My Dog," as well as in the Vallee, Edwards, Durante "Every Day is Father's Day," whose action satirized the geometric dance arrangement of other pictures and in which the win-the carriage infants give their fathers a realistic raspberry. For general understanding Scandals is an ultra modern combination of Broadway high-class revue entertainment and old-fashioned Fourteenth Street burlesque show technique. It does what it claims to do; put the George White "Scandals" on film.—McCarthy, Hollywood. Fox release. Entire production, conceived, created and directed by George White. Directed by George White and Harry Lachman. Music by Ray Henderson. Lyrics by Jack Yellen and Irving Caesar. Executive producer, Robert T. Kane. Running time, 68 minutes. Release date, March 26, 1934. CASTRudy Vallee, Jimmy Durante, Alice Faye, Adrienne Ames, Cliff Edwards, Gregory Ratoff, Dixie Dunbar, Gertrude Michael, Warren Hymer, Armand Kaliz, Roger Grey, William Bailey, George Irving, Richard Carle, Ed Le Fainte, Eunice Coleman, Martha Merrill, Lois Eckhart, Hilda Knight, Peggy Moseley, Lucille Walker, Edna May Jones, Marie Ormiston, George White.3/17/1934 EHE STROLLING ALONG HOLLYWOOD'S GOSSIPY CORNERS WITH JIMMY STARR Lyle Talbot and Alice Faye, in an effort to ESCAPE columnists, have taken to eating at Carpenter's sandwich stands. And I've been nibbling there to ESCAPE actor!3/18/1934 LAX ALICE TELLS OF RUDY'S FRIENDSHIP By Jerry Hoffman "Nothing of the sort." Alice Faye wasn't indignant. She was being very calm and very gracious in view of what might have been considered an impertinent question. "Is the romance between yourself and Rudy Vallee over?" I had asked. "Nothing of the sort," she replied. "The romance isn't ended, simply because it never started. We've been excellent friends and I hope we always will continue as such. "You must realize," and Alice turned those wide blue eyes on me with all their warmth, "that I owe a great deal to Rudy Vallee. I think the world of him and rumor mongers and gossip hounds are not gong to succeed is breaking up my friendship with him. "After all," she continued, "it was Rudy who gave me the first big opportunity I ever had. I had been playing small-time vaudeville when Rudy permitted me one of those auditions he occasionally gives newcomers. It was from the audition that I got a contract, and eventually went into George White's "Scandals." "I would have to be pretty much of an ingrate and a vicious persons if I didn't appreciate what he has done for me. I've had the benefit of his advice—and you must know that Rudy Vallee is an unusually smart business man. His continued success is the best proof of that." I felt very flattered when Alice Faye had held back statements regarding the Vallee situation since she arrived in Hollywood to sing just one number in the Fox production of George White's Scandals. When Lilian Harvey's difficulties with Fox resulted in the Harvey leaving the prima donna role of Scandals, the little Faye was assigned to the feminine lead. The results may be seen at Loew's State Theater this week. "Did Rudy mind your remaining behind in Hollywood?" I inquired. Alice had been given a long-term contract after the executives saw her work in Scandals. "No. On the contrary," when he saw there was an opportunity for me to remain in pictures and go further than I could on the air, he advised me to take advantage of it." "Even," I interrupted, (not quite maliciously), "if it meant separating the two of your for more than a year?" She never batted an eyelash. "Or longer than that," she threw right back at me. "That's one of the differences between romance and friendship. One can survive distance and time." She's actually still a child, is this ash-blonde little Faye. Still in her ‘teens, right now the prospect of really getting somewhere in pictures occupies almost all her thoughts. "Almost," I say, with two exceptions. From 5 to 6 on Thursdays she's locked in with a radio. And the only man in Hollywood she'll go places with is Lyle Talbot. "Lyle is a swell boy, isn't he?" she said. It seemed to me her tone was just a bit dreamy. Or was it?3/22/1934 LAX Louella O. Parsons ...Alice Faye, who is going places with Lyle Talbot to the exclusion of all her other boy friends, in a ringside seat at the Olympic fights....

Epidemic - Indonesian archipelago - Malaysia

GLIDE Number: AP-20090510-21604-MYS Date / time: 10/05/2009 14:19:37 [UTC] Event: Epidemic Area: Indonesian archipelago Country: Malaysia State/County: Capital City City: Kuala Lumpur Number of Deads: None or unknow Number of Injured: None or unknow Damage level: Minor Description: Nearly 450 people have been quarantined at a training academy in Malaysia after meningitis killed one student and sent 19 others to the hospital, an official said Sunday. asan Abdul Rahman, a senior Health Ministry official, said all 334 trainees and 115 staff were quarantined at a traffic officer training academy in southern Malacca state over the weekend. A trainee in his 20s died from the highly contagious disease Monday, Hasan said. He said the other 19 hospitalized trainees are responding well to the treatment for bacterial meningitis. He said the situation was under control but that everyone would remain under quarantine for at least five more days. Health officials are also checking on others who have come in contact with the trainees, he said. Meningitis, which can be caused by a virus or bacteria, is an infection of the fluid that surrounds the spinal cord and brain. Symptoms include fever, headache and joint aches. Event updates:Situation Update No. 2 on 12.05.2009 at 03:16:19. Situation Update No. 1 on 2009-05-11 at 03:19:41.

Departure plans contingent on support

Hi. As many of you know we are planning to leave for Mali in June. We really need to rejoin Hilary at the end of her school year, and we are eager to get back to work in Mali again.We've been quoted a good price on air tickets. They're about $1800 round trip per person. Other agencies quoted as high as $2200 per person. We've been told by WorldVenture, though that we need to make strides towards being at 100% support before leaving. We are so grateful for the many of you who've partnered with us this far, and so many of you have increased support in the last 4-5 years. All of that is an answer to prayer, and we thank you. So if you are already committed in this way, don't feel like your arm is being twisted for more. We are partnering already. Please pray that God would continue to bring support in so that we could leave.If you follow our blog, and pray for us, and are not yet a partner, would you consider partnering with us financially? You do not have to commit to partner for eternity. 1 year or a two year commitment would be great. A $25 per month commitment does make a difference. Would you consider prayerfully if God would have you join us in this way? If you would like to donate easily online click this link to our missionary page, and then click make a commitment, or give a gift.http://www.worldventure.com/Missionaries/Missionary-Directory/Missionary/Seward_Tom_Lisa.htmlWe have a shortfall of $1400 per month to raise. These funds are more than salary, they are work funds, shelter funds, overseas medical insurance, retirement funds, etc...Our support percentage changed a bit not because we've lost supporters, but because added expense of a 2nd child going to boarding school. Ben will be joining Hilary this fall at Dakar Academy for his 8th grade year. He is so looking forward to it.We do not want to make our blog a constant appeal for support, but maybe this kind of frank information will be helpful to some who are unaware of the issue in detail.Thanks for stopping by, and for praying for us...Please continue to pray that the support needed would come in.Tom & Lisa Seward

Los Angeles Versus Houston Preview

Western Conference Second Round#1 L.A. Lakers (65-17) vs. #5 Houston (53-29)Season series: L.A. Lakers, 4-0Houston can win if…the defensive duo of Shane Battier/Ron Artest harass Kobe Bryant into sub.-.450 field goal shooting and Yao Ming and Luis Scola dominate Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum.L.A. will win because…Bryant will accept the challenge of contending with Battier and Artest but he will do so within the context of his team's needs, scoring when he has the opportunity to do so but also creating plays for his teammates with his passing. Gasol will present a matchup problem for whoever guards him but it will be difficult for Houston to effectively double team Gasol when Bryant is on the court with him. Bynum was very ineffective in the first round but it is reasonable to expect that he will perform better versus Houston; it may sound strange to say this, but Bynum will probably be more comfortable playing against Yao than he was playing against the smaller, more mobile Utah frontcourt players, even though Yao is a better player than any of Utah's bigs.Other things to consider: This series will be an interesting litmus test for the theory that Houston can use "advanced basketball statistics" to come up with an effective game plan to slow down Bryant; the evidence from this season emphatically suggests that this is not the case: the Lakers won all four games as Bryant averaged 28.3 ppg while shooting .530 from the field and .533 from three point range. Bryant scored 31 of his 37 points in the second half in a Lakers 102-96 win on March 11, completely abusing Ron Artest and openly laughing at Artest's attempts to trash talk him, at one point saying derisively, "You're a comedian" after Artest bragged that he could shut Bryant down. Winning in the postseason requires mental toughness and concentration; while Artest has the necessary physical tools to try to challenge Bryant, Artest's mental game is sporadic at best: he loses focus at both ends of the court, which is the main reason that his career playoff field goal percentage is a paltry .389 despite his obvious athletic gifts. This is just the second time in Artest's 10 year career that he has made it past the first round of the playoffs.Odom played consistently well in the first round but that most likely means that he is due to have a five point, two rebound disappearing act soon. You will probably hear a lot about the Lakers' supposedly superior depth. Even if Bynum plays well--which I expect him to do but this is far from certain--the Lakers' current rotation is hardly deep: based on minutes played versus the Jazz, their sixth man is Shannon Brown. While Brown played well in that series, the Lakers got very little production out of players seven through 11--and Luke Walton may be out for the rest of the postseason. The Rockets used a solid eight man rotation in their first round series versus Portland, though Kyle Lowery did not shoot very well. The Lakers' advantage in this series is not depth but rather that they have Kobe Bryant (and home court advantage).The Lakers should win this series in five games but because of their concentration lapses, lack of depth and sporadic attention to detail on defense it would not surprise me if the Rockets steal a game--perhaps coming back from a double digit deficit--and extend the series to six games.