Elvis, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Cookers

Source: Centre Daily Times (Original Article)

Some may think Bald Eagle Area’s Megan Shaw was a little brash when she said of Wednesday’s 4-0 District 6 Class AA softball championship win over Penns Valley, “It feels great to win this game today, but we have four more games left. Then, we’ll be happy.”

In case you don’t know, that’s four more games to win a PIAA Championship at Shippensburg University on June 13.

Brash thinking, maybe — but then again, maybe not.

No, Shaw’s statement reflects the growing confidence that area players from each school feel once they get out of the pressure cooker that is the Mountain League and District 6 in Class AA.

Given recent history, how can you blame them for their confidence?

A county team has played in the state title game in three out of the previous four seasons with Bald Eagle Area (2005) and Philipsburg-Osceola (2007) bringing home gold medals.

On both state title teams, the majority of the players said the toughest part of the postseason run was surviving the district tournament after a tough regular season.

“There are so many good teams in our district,” BEA first baseman Meghan Granite said after Wednesday’s triumph. “You have to battle game-to-game and they’re close games. To get through all of this, it’s a wonderful feeling.”

It’s that experience that makes these teams prepared to deal with the pressure of the state playoffs. We’re betting that not many leagues in the state feature the life-and-death struggles that emerge every time BEA (19-3), Philipsburg-Osceola (16-5) and Penns Valley (18-5) square off against each other. Of the 13 total losses the three teams have, eight came against each other. Against other teams, the three schools are a combined 45-5.

The Centre County clashes are rarely short on drama and usually played before several hundred fans. American Express Platinum Card Well more than 1,000 fans attended …continue reading

Source: Irish Independent (Original Article)

The cast starring in the shenanigans featured Ronnie Drew, fellow Dubliners
musicians Barney McKenna and Ciaran Bourke, and a host of colourful
characters from Dublin in the 1960s.

“My mother and father had a flat on Waterloo Road when they were first
married and used to talk about it really fondly,” says Phelim Drew,
recalling the three-day binge. “My mother, ever being the practical lady,
made a huge pot of stew, so that there was a pot on the cooker in the flat
if anyone ran out of petrol and needed to sustain themselves.”

Ciaran Bourke was the first to start feeling the worse for wear during the
extended pub crawl.

“He was a huge fella and had the constitution of an ox,” says Drew. “He
obviously had begun to feel tired and hungry so went back to the flat to
help himself to the stew.” Bourke was discovered hours later splayed out,
asleep on the bed beside the over-sized, empty pot.

“He was like some kind of giant who decided to help himself to the whole pot
of stew and finish it,” laughs Drew. “It’s stories like that which sum up
the devil-may-care attitude of the time.”

Son of living legend and Dublin icon, Ronnie Drew, Phelim grew up steeped in
a heady world of music, celebrity, storytelling and sessions. Constantly
surrounded by a motley crew of performers, he revelled in the opportunities
to entertain and amuse the various audiences that passed through his
parents’ home.

“It was myself and my sister,” recalls Drew. “She played the piano but when
she was younger she was painfully shy. But I always had a show-off streak as
a child.”

It is many years now since Phelim graduated from performing in his parents’
living room to becoming an actor, and he Travel News is currently wowing audiences in
Conor …continue reading

Source: The Ann Arbor News - MLive.com (Original Article)

Grilling season opens as soon as the weather gets decent,
with folks breaking out their trusty equipment faster than
they put away their winter coats. The question is, charcoal
or gas?

It’s an issue that, like certain soft drinks and
political candidates, tends to polarize people - sometimes
even within the same marriage. One year, my in-laws sent us
a lovely gas grill. I was thrilled, but the spouse almost
immediately offered it to my parents in exchange for a
simple charcoal model.

The split does tend - though certainly not entirely - to be
gender-based. One particularly opinionated friend declared
that, “No self-respecting man will go any other way but
charcoal.” While he made a fairly good case for
the taste of carbon and mesquite wood chips adding
irreplaceable flavor to whatever was being grilled, the
ritual of lighting a fire and throwing a slab of meat on it
seemed to be as important, if not more so, than any culinary
advantages.

That ritual tends to be less attractive to those who love
cooking out every single night and who want dinner to be
ready as quickly as it could be on the stovetop. While
charcoal doesn’t take all that long - a good 20 minutes
from start to finish - the speed and efficiency of gas has a
distinct advantage.

In fact, another friend admitted a charcoal prejudice that
gave way after a summer of nearly nightly gas grilling.
“If you want that wood flavor, you can easily get it
with one of those smoked wood planks,” she said.

The cleanliness and environmental edge of gas won out for
quite a few users, but one made this interesting point,
albeit with a slight “ick” factor. He cited
an episode of the Discovery channel show “Dirty
Jobs,” in which the owner of a famous barbecue
restaurant indicated that you never really want to
completely clean a cooker because the ultimate barbecue
taste comes from cooking in an environment that has built up
grease and flavors over time. bankwest credit card (I’ve known a couple of
people …continue reading

Source: International Herald Tribune (Original Article)

PARIS: It's not easy to stand in the shadow of Roger Federer.

Ask any tennis fan to name a Swiss player ranked in the top 10, and almost everyone will give a quick answer: “Federer.” But Stanislas Wawrinka has also cracked the list, and he joined Federer in the second round of the French Open on Tuesday.

“Today I served really well, especially on the important points, on the difficult ones,” said Wawrinka, who beat Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. “It also helped me feel more confident, more reassured.”

In the third set, Wawrinka hit three aces in a row to even the score at 2-2.

“They can be a very strong weapon, especially if your serves allow you to win points easily,” said Wawrinka, whose best showing at the clay-court major was reaching the third round in 2005.

He did win the junior title at the 2003 French Open, however, and also reached the final at this year's Rome Masters.

“It makes me much more self-confident,” Wawrinka said. “If I am ranked now at that level, it's because I've won some matches. I've beaten some opponents.”

Federer, who advanced to the second round on Monday, has high hopes for his Davis Cup teammate.

“For him, it was just a matter of time, and now at Roland Garros this year he will be able to play well,” Federer said. “I can tell you that in the past he had a difficult draw here at Roland Garros, so I hope that he will produce a good performance.”

___

PRESSURE COOKER: Olivia Sanchez, like most tennis players from France, really starts to feel the pressure when the French Open comes around.

After losing in the first round last year, the 25-year-old Parisian nearly decided to never again play at Roland Garros.

“I'm a very emotional girl, and when I play at home with my family, my friends, I put so much pressure on myself that Citibank Platinum Credit Card I never really play well,” Sanchez …continue reading

Source: The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com (Original Article)

Pressure cooker: Catcher Victor Martinez thought he had his
first home run of the season in the seventh inning Sunday.
But his long drive with two on and two out turned out to be
just a long out when Texas right fielder David Murphy made
a tough catch on the warning track.

Martinez was asked if pressure was bearing down on the
Tribe.

“If I say no, I’d be lying to you,” said
Martinez, hitting .297 with 16 RBI. “Everywhere you
go, teams struggle. Someone is also pressing, trying to do
too much. The only thing we can control is to play the game
hard.”

No hitter: C.C. Sabathia did not receive a decision for the
second time this season in 11 starts. With the hitting woes
continuing, Sabathia was asked if he would like to take a
few swings.

“No, not at all,” Sabathia said. “Not
after the start I got off to.”

Sabathia (3-6) opened the season 1-5.

Stat of the day: The Indians are 1-3 in extra-inning games
and The King of Queens dvd 4-5 in one- run decisions.

- Joe Maxse

Source: Easier (press release) (Original Article)

Perfect plots at Leacroft

22 May 2008

Property-seekers searching for a new house or apartment in time for summer should hurry along to Leacroft, George Wimpey North Midlands’ exclusive development near Birmingham.

The leading housebuilder has a range of spring deals available for investors and first-time buyers, as well as those with a property to sell.

Four fantastic ‘hot plot’ homes are ready and waiting for buyers at the development - three family-sized three-bedroom ‘Winston’ townhouses priced from £214,995 and the fabulous three-bedroom ‘Oakley’ priced at £189,950.

The ‘Winston’ townhouse, for example, is a classic design featuring ski-lodge style wood panelling on the front, and a private balcony to the living room.

The ground floor comprises a light and airy dining room with study, a modern kitchen, cloakroom and spacious entrance hallway.

Upstairs, the landing leads to the living room, and to the master bedroom with en-suite shower room and built-in storage. Two further bedrooms - one with Juliet-style balcony - and a family bathroom can be found on the top floor.

Like all new homes at Leacroft, the ‘Winston’ enjoys a high standard specification including gas central heating, double glazing and fitted kitchen with built-in oven, hob and cooker hood.

George Wimpey has a range of deals tailor-made for all types of buyers, and for those with a property to sell, the leading housebuilder’s easymover programme offers a range of attractive incentives on selected properties.

Ideally situated between Alvechurch and King’s Norton and just five miles Birmingham city centre, Leacroft comprises a selection of beautifully designed Swiss chalet style properties.

The small development enjoys a tranquil, community setting that’s ideal for couples and families of all ages, with homes conveniently located within easy walking distance of bankwest mastercard West Heath’s wide range of shops …continue reading

Source: Easier (press release) (Original Article)

Festivals and children – It doesn’t have to be torture

21 May 2008

A specialist Volkswagen camper van rental company is benefitting from a shift in the UK’s music festival culture. With over 150 music and performing arts festivals planned for the UK this summer, a record number of festivals are going out of their way to be family-friendly; and with the great British summer weather notoriously unreliable, a camper van is an increasingly popular way to survive a festival with children.

In the past three years Southampton-based Kamper Hire has seen a huge increase in the number of their Volkswagen camper vans being hired to take to a festival. Many organisers have been quick to react to this new trend by selling tickets for camper van-only sites.

“The generation who spent their teenage summers at Glastonbury and Reading have grown up and had kids, but that doesn’t mean they want to change their lifestyle completely,” said Kamper Hire’s Mark Daysh.

“Every year more and more people are taking our vans to festivals because they’re a really civilised way of coping where facilities are often pretty basic. Festival rentals have trebled since 2004 and Glastonbury weekend was fully booked six months ago, so it really has been a huge growth area for us.”

One of the first festivals to embrace the new multi-generational trend was The Big Chill (Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire, August 1-3). Described as “where dance music went when it grew up”, the event was one of the first festival to feature a children’s area with special facilities and services laid on.

Latitude (Henham Park, Suffolk, July 17-20) has followed suit with a children’s area as diverse as the rest of the festival, with books, art, music and theatre activities. Camp Bestival (East Lulworth, Dorset, July 18-20) even has a Kids’ Garden complete with dressing up tent, maypole and the Breastival St George Vertigo Credit Card Mother and Baby Temple. All three …continue reading

Source: Post-Bulletin (Original Article)

By Laura Gossman
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN 

If you think nothing beats the backyard aroma of a few burgers on the grill, imagine more than 50 cookers barbecuing at the same time.

Fifty-two teams pulled in their trailers, set up their tents and started their grills Friday night for the Minnesota in May BBQ Championship held Saturday at the Mower County Fair Grounds in Austin.

The event is organized by Mark Born, of Red Wing, a member of the Kansas City BBQ Society.

Forty-eight judges, all certified by the society, judged six categories on presentation, taste and tenderness. The winners of the contest receive $5,000.

“We’ve got strict rules on how the competition is run,” Born said.

The six categories include chicken, pork ribs, pork shoulder, beef brisket, dessert as well as a category called “anything butt,” which could include shrimp, elk, sushi or lobster.

While the judging area was silent, the area where the meat was being barbecued was a lot more chaotic.

Steve Bryant, of Ames, Iowa, and his two grown children, Josh and Emma Bryant, along with their friend Liz Ferguson worked feverishly to perfectly present their beef brisket.

The team won first place in the category at last year’s event.

“It’ll be an important one for us this year,” Ferguson said.

Steve said the team traveled to 14 competitions last year.

“The only secret is practice,” Steve said. “You have to know how your cookers work.”

“Just remember low and slow,” Liz chimed in.

Team members started cooking their brisket at 9 p.m. Friday. They attach monitors and alarms, so they wake up if the cooker gets too cold or too hot.

“Most of the time, I sleep with my head half out of the trailer so I can hear the alarm,” Steve said.

After taking the brisket out of the smoker, Steve cut it into thin slices.

“This one’s got a good smoke ring,” Josh LAZYTOWN dvd said. “We like to see that.”

Emma …continue reading

Source: RedOrbit (Original Article)

Light-Reactive Synths at the Ready!
Posted on: Sunday, 18 May 2008, 09:00 CDT
THE WORD ON THE WEB LA-based experimental garage-punkers The Mae Shi were brought together in 2002 by a love of music DIY. Since then they have tirelessly experimented with guitars, drums, self-constructed light- reactive synths and, most importantly, their voices. Their influences range from Brian Eno and Captain Beefheart to Abba and Missy Elliott, and their music, which may sound effortlessly thrown together, is highly polished, highly strung rock. Their new single “Lion and Lamb” (Moshi Moshi) is out on Monday: a joyous, fast and furious roller-coaster ride of electric guitars, a capella harmonies and bleeps. See for yourselves - they’re on tour now. Sonia Zhuravlyova

pitchforkmedia.com “The band has quit cramming as many breakneck riffs as possible into each convulsive track, chilled out, and begun to focus on linear songs. More than that, the LA six-piece has finally made an album that matches their grand ambitions.” indieworkshop.com “The Mae Shi play rock’n'roll for the ADHD masses. They play tightly packed songs that sound as though they have been conceived in a pressure cooker. Everything sounds as though the wheels are on the very edge of falling off.” 30music.com “‘Can’t’ is not a word in their recording vocabulary, but neither is ‘melody’. Don’t expect to be humming any of these tunes on Main Street, but it is possible that you will have as much fun listening to their music as the Mae Shi did making it.” splendidezine. com “Their album isn’t a collection of songs so much as one really long piece of nutty, spazzed-out punk-garage-electronic music. At 15 minutes, it’s actually short enough to be one song, but dense enough to be any other band’s entire catalogue.” popmatters. com “The Mae Shi are more than capable of writing three-minute hits, but let’s hope they never take Ritalin. As the human attention span dwindles, the Mae Shi’s Visa Credit Card one-minute anthems may well become the …continue reading

Source: Starpulse.com (Original Article)

Fueled By Ramen recording group Cute Is What We Aim For have revealed details of their eagerly anticipated sophomore outing. Entitled “Rotation,” the album will arrive in stores and at all digital retailers on June 24th. “Rotation” is currently available for pre-order via the Fueled By Ramen web store, along with a special Limited Edition CD/DVD package that includes an “In The Studio” documentary, bonus tracks, acoustic performances, photo gallery, and more .

Cute Is What We Aim For will introduce fans to their new songs on a coast-to-coast summer headline jaunt. The tour will hit the ground running on June 15th at Pittsburgh’s Diesel Club Lounge, with dates continuing through late-August (see attached itinerary). Support acts include Ace Enders, Danger Radio, and labelmates Powerspace. Pre-order tickets for the tour will be available tomorrow at noon local time to fan club members at www.thesocialscene.org, while the general on-sale will begin May 9th and 10th. Prior to their North American tour, the band will play a series of UK co-headline dates alongside Boys Like Girls. Among the trek’s sure-to-be-highlights is a top-billed main stage set at Leeds’ upcoming Slam Dunk Festival, set for Sunday, May 25th.

Produced by John Feldmann (The Used, Story of the Year), “Rotation” finds Cute Is What We Aim For exceeding expectations with a collection of effervescent new songs, marked by palpable urgency and an expanded knack for exploration and invention. Now available via the band’s myspace page and for purchase on iTunes, tracks such as the first single, “Practice Makes Perfect” – with its singing synths and delightfully new-wave sensibility, prove the Buffalo, New York-based combo’s caustic lyrical wit and penchant for soaring choruses remain in full effect. Elsewhere, “Loser” is a punk-pop classic in waiting, while the electronic flourishes on “Navigate Me” show CIWWAF unafraid to add bold new colors Business Credit Card to their already bright palette.

“We’re …continue reading