LOLOMG. I can barely see from laughing so hard, omg. Have you watched the latest SPN ep? Do you just like crack? Go check out the Kripke Started It - the Changing Channels Free For All Meme omfghee.

I um. Sort of drabbled all over myself but what was a girl to do? THEY ASKED FOR SAM AND DEAN IN PINKY AND THE BRAIN.

dies. laughing. omg. I gave up writing to go to bed, paused for a short perusal of the flist, and now I have to wrench myself away from some grade A crack just to get to bed anytime soon. OHLIFE. OHLULZ.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/simon-sinek/there-is-difference-betwe_b_350348.html

There is a difference between giving directions and giving direction.

Direction is the far-away destination to which you are heading and directions are the route you will take to get to get there.

As leaders and managers, we often forget the distinction.  When we want to tell someone to do something, we give them directions when we should be giving them direction. Great leaders do not get involved in the details of what route is taken, they focus on ensuring everyone is clear of the destination.

Once established, a leader needn't obsesses about the short-term gains or losses, but rather the long-term trend.  If a submarine commander, for example, says head north, he doesn't focus on the frequent course corrections, he just wants to feel confident that his ship is heading due north.  The same is true for any company or organization.

Any leader who spends too much time worrying about the directions instead of the direction risks destroying any morale, creativity and commitment they may have gained.  Worse, while looking down, they will miss what's far ahead.

Directions are instructions given to explain how. Direction is a vision offered to explain why.

Directions are given by teachers, of which there can be many. It is for you to decide which directions suit you best.

Direction is set by a leader, of which there can be only one. It is for you to decide if you want to go on the journey or not.

Direction must always come before directions otherwise how will people know where they are going?

The next time someone asks you "what do you want me to do?" Don't answer their question.  Don't give them directions.  Point and offer them the direction you want to go in and let them figure out the rest. That's what all the great leaders do.

 

For more from Simon Sinek,read an excerpt from his new book, Start With Why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action. Available in bookstores now.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ragogna/emhuffpost-reviewsem-bon_b_350347.html

Bon Jovi - The Circle

From its single "We Weren't Born To Follow" through its closer "Learn To Love," The Circle doesn't overextend or pretend to be anything more than a good Bon Jovi record. Presented here are twelve non-stop anthems whose only mission is to make you feel good or at least make you feel something. Jon has stated, "I try to do this to a fault: I won't write a downer song because I want to use that moment for the people that are listening to find something to lift them up," and album highlights like "...Follow," "Superman Tonight," and "Work For The Working Man" pound that point home. Even the album's ballads such as "Live Before You Die" supply as much positivity and fist-pounding confidence building as their uptempo cousins, all songs achieving this without sounding preachy.

The eternally youthful Jon Bon Jovi and his disciples have built their ministry upon the same New Jersey rock Bruce Springsteen assembled his flock (with this outing's "Fast Cars" possibly being an unintended nod to the fellow Jersian), and the band used this album as a genuflection to those glory days. But Bon Jovi always has had more in common with John Mellencamp than The Boss, and The Circle doesn't disprove that, although Jon's ever-growing soulful vocals, and this latest batch of stadium-rousing songs elevate them out of Mellencampdom. Snicker if you must about all the rah-rah, but after watching the band survive various Behind The Music melodramas, it can be pretty energizing to the rest of us that Bon Jovi just keeps going, and going, and going... Start Here: "We Weren't Born To Follow," "Bullet," and "Work For The Working Man"

Tracks:

CD
1. We Weren't Born To Follow
2. When We Were Beautiful
3. Work For The Working Man
4. Superman Tonight
5. Bullet
6. Thorn In My Side
7. Live Before You Die
8. Brokenpromiseland
9. Love's The Only Rule
10. Fast Cars
11. Happy Now
12. Learn To Love

DVD (video and 5.1 content)
1. Garden, Pt. 1
2. European Tour
3. Hallelujah
4. London
5. Wanted Dead or Alive
6. Back in NYC
7. Photo Shoot
8. Detroit
9. Central Park
10. Garden Part 2
11. Recording Studio
12. Garden, Pt. 1
13. European Tour
14. Hallelujah
15. London
16. Wanted Dead Or Alive
17. Back in NYC
18. Photo Shoot
19. Detroit
20. Central Park
21. Garden Part, Pt. 2
22. Recording Studio

AC/DC - Backtracks

Appropriately housed in a black box/mock-amplifier, AC/DC's rarities crank out across two CDs, covering Aussie singles ("High Voltage"), movie one-offs ("Big Gun" from Last Action Hero), rare b-sides ("Fling Thing"), 12" mixes ("Who Made Who"), and mucho live material that fills up disc two and then some (we'll get to that). The live tracks were taken mainly from their appearances at the Sydney Festival, Glasgow's Apollo Theater, London's Hammersmith Odeon, and US spots such as Landover's Capital Center, and Detroit's Joe Louis Arena. The standard package also comes with a "Family Jewels Disc Three" DVD (continuing their previous FJ theme) that includes their videos for "Big Gun" and forward, while focusing on classics from Ballbreaker, Stiff Upper Lip, and Black Ice. Additional vids include alternate versions of fan faves and a couple of "Making Of" EPKs.

So is Backtracks any good? Hell yeah! Pretty much everyone's in agreement that this forefather of metal pioneered a lot of loudness in the old days, and the rawness of their live material makes the case for their genuine pre-Pro Tools talents and tenacity. If there isn't enough to blow up your world in the three-disc standard version, the deluxe edition features another fully-loaded CD of live performances from Donnington Park, Moscow, and Madrid, plus an extra DVD with the rockers' 2003 Circu Krone concert in Munich during which AC/DC relied on its peeled-back, core sound for much of its energy. So much rawk, so little time. Start Here: "Dirty Deeds Done Cheap," "You Shook Me All Night Long," and "Jailbreak"

Tracks:

CD 1
1. Stick Around
2. Love Song
3. Fling Thing
4. R.I.P. (Rock In Peace)
5. Carry Me Home
6. Crabsody In Blue
7. Cold Hearted Man
8. Snake Eye
9. Borrowed Time
10. Down On The Borderline
11. Big Gun
12. Cyberspace

CD 2 - Live
1. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
2. Dog Eat Dog
3. Live Wire
4. Shot Down In Flames
5. Back In Black
6. T.N.T.
7. Let There Be Rock
8. Guns For Hire
9. Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
10. This House Is On Fire
11. You Shook Me All Night Long
12. Jailbreak
13. Highway To Hell
14. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
15. Safe In New York City

DVD / Videos
1. Big Gun
2. Hard As A Rock
3. Hail Caesar
4. Cover You In Oil
5. Stiff Upper Love
6. Satellite Blues
7. Safe In New York City
8. Rock N Roll Train
9. Anything Goes
10. Jailbreak
11. It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)
12. Highway To Hell
13. You Shook Me All Night Long
14. Guns For Hire
15. Dirty Deeds Done Cheap - live
16. Highway To Hell - live
17. The Making Of "Hard As A Rock"
18. The Making Of "Rock N Roll Train

The Killers - Live From The Royal Albert Hall

For a while, live albums used to serve as stop-gaps between studio releases. Now more than ever, it seems that recording artists, especially rock acts, are serving-up live albums as their essential releases, with CD/DVD combos being the new, standard format. The Killers benefit incredibly from this evolution, with Live From The Royal Albert Hall being a very satisfying audio disc and HD concert film that shows the band at work from every creative camera angle you can think of (including the mandatory "Fan's Eye View"). On the DVD portion, director Dick Carruthers celebrates pyrotechnics and performances equally, though The Killers' theatrics and musicianship only are enhanced by the rollercoaster visuals. The group covers virtually all of its hits and signature songs from its four killer albums, and the DVD's bonus features include even more performances from the Oxegen and V festivals as well as a couple songs from Hyde Park. So you might say (please don't) it's all Killers, no fillers...no, it really is. Start Here: "Smile Like You Mean It," "Human," and "Mr. Brightside"

Tracks:

CD
1. Human
2. This Is Your Life
3. Somebody Told Me
4. The World We Live In
5. I Can't Stay
6. Bling (Confession of A King)
7. Shadowplay
8. Smile Like You Mean It
9. Losing Touch
10. Spaceman
11. A Dustland Fairytale
12. Sam's Town (Acoustic)
13. Read My Mind
14. Mr. Brightside
15. All These Things That I've Done
16. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
17. When You Were Young

DVD
1. Human
2. This Is Your Life
3. Somebody Told Me
4. For Reasons Unknown
5. The World We Live In
6. Joy Ride
7. I Can't Stay
8. Bling (Confession Of A King)
9. Shadowplay
10. Smile Like You Mean It
11. Losing Touch
12. Spaceman
13. A Dustland Fairytale
14. Sam's Town - acoustic
15. Read My Mind
16. Mr. Brightside
17. All These Things That I've Done
18. Sweet Talk
19. This River Is Wild
20. Bones
21. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
22. When You Were Young
23. Behind-the-scenes documentary including interviews with crew and fans.
24. Tranquilize - Oxegen Festival
25. Human - Hyde Park
26. Mr. Brightside - Hyde Park
27. Smile Like You Mean It - V Festival
28. When You Were Young - V Festival

Sting - If On A Winter's Night...

The jig that is Sting's "Soul Cake" reintroduces us to the traditional holiday perennial that Peter, Paul & Mary once immortalized with an insight into melancholy that the trio's brooding version never communicated. That's not surprising since almost all of the the music presented on If On A Winter's Night... is as warm and loving as Bob Cratchitt's Christmas home. Hearing Sting and his intimate entourage embrace mostly English folk traddies should make one wonder why he's never done this before. Filling like mead, its authenticity makes some of Sting's more calculated works seem absurd, with even the drunken revisit of his original "The Hounds Of Winter" and the touching "Lullaby For An Anxious Child"--the latter co-written with the artist's long-term guitarist, Dominic Miller--rising above many of his recent recordings. Sting's occasional regional affectations and thick-throated vocals for the more classical pieces sound very comfortable on tracks such as "Cold Song" and "You Only Cross My Mind In Winter," and, overall, the artist's voice is tempered by an acoustic ensemble that includes Miller, harpist Mary Macmaster, cellist Vincent Ségal, bassist Ira Coleman, guitarist David Mansfield, fiddle-player Katheryn Tickel, and Julian Sutton on melodeon. In many ways, If On A Winter's Night... is a return to Sting's genetic roots, and with the exception of a couple of the more classical attempts, it's his most natural sounding release in years. Start Here: "Christmas At Sea," "Soul Cake," and "The Hurdy-Gurdy Man" (not Donovan's)

Tracks:
1. Gabriel's Message
2. Soul Cake
3. There Is No Rose Of Such Virtue
4. The Snow It Melts The Soonest
5. Christmas At Sea
6. Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming
7. Cold Song
8. The Burning Babe
9. Now Winter Comes Slowly
10. The Hounds Of Winter
11. Balulalow
12. Cherry Tree Carol
13. Lullaby For An Anxious Child
14. The Hurdy Gurdy Man
15. You Only Cross My Mind In Winter

Tori Amos - Midwinter Graces

What comes as a breath of fresh, pine-scented air this holiday season is a flurry of "winter" albums by the likes of Sting and Tori Amos, both artists revealing more about potential future endeavors than perhaps the albums they've just released. With John Philip Shenale arrangements holding the waif's hand as they walk together through musics of older times, Tori Amos' beautiful vocals and recordings range between visions of an orphan looking at delicacies through frosty restaurant windows to dark stories from a worldly soul who's seen too many mirthless seasons pass. In either case, whether she's turning around standard carols such as "What Child Is This?" or "Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming" ("What Child, Nowell," "Holly, Ivy And Rose") or adding her own titles to the secular Christmas catalog ("Our New Year," and the sultry "Pink And Glitter"), Tori Amos is so at home in this wintry environment, she may want to consider permanently keeping Spring at bay. Start Here: "Snow Angel," "Star Of Wonder," "Harps Of Gold," and "Winter's Carol"

Tracklist:
1. What Child, Nowell
2. Star Of Wonder
3. A Silent Night With You
4. Candle: Coventry Carol
5. Holly, Ivy And Rose
6. Harps Of Gold
7. Snow Angel
8. Jeanette, Isabella
9. Pink And Glitter
10. Emmanuel
11. Winter's Carol
12. Our New Year

THE GREATEST NEW GREATEST HITS

Foo Fighters - Greatest Hits

Tracks:

CD
1. All My Life
2. Best Of You
3. Everlong
4. The Pretender
5. My Hero
6. Learn To Fly
7. Times Like These
8. Monkeywrench
9. Big Me
10. Breakout
11. Long Road To Ruin
12. This is a Call
13. Skin and Bones
14. Wheels
15. Word Forward
16. Everlong - acoustic

DVD
1.I'll Stick Around
2.Big Me
3.Monkey Wrench
4.Everlong
5.My Hero
6.Walking After You
7.Learn To Fly
8.Next Year
9.All My Life
10.Times Like These
11.Low
12.Best Of You
13.DOA
14.Resolve
15.The Pretender
16.Long Road To Ruin
17.Wheels
18.Everlong - live
19.Breakout - live
20.Skin And Bones - live
21.All My Life - live

Queen - Absolute Greatest

Tracks:

CD 1
1. We Will Rock You
2. We Are The Champions
3. Radio Ga Ga
4. Another One Bites The Dust
5. I Want It All
6. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
7. A Kind Of Magic
8. Under Pressure
9. One Vision
10. You're My Best Friend
11. Don't Stop Me Now
12. Killer Queen
13. These Are The Days Of Our Lives
14. Who Wants To Live Forever
15. Seven Seas Of Rhye
16. Heaven For Everyone
17. Somebody To Love
18. I Want To Break Free
19. The Show Must Go On
20. Bohemian Rhapsody

CD 2 - all tracks with commentaries

Creedence Clearwater Revival - The Singles Collection

CD 1
1. Porterville
2. Call It Pretending
3. Suzie Q, Pt. 1
4. Suzie Q, Pt. 2
5. I Put a Spell On You
6. Walk On The Water
7. Proud Mary
8. Born On The Bayou
9. Bad Moon Rising
10. Lodi
11. Green River
12. Commotion
13. Fortunate Son
14. Down On The Corner
15. Travelin' Band
16. Who'll Stop The Rain

CD 2
1. Run Through The Jungle
2. Up Around The Bend
3. Long As I Can See The Light
4. Lookin' Out My Back Door
5. Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
6. Hey Tonight
7. Sweet Hitch-Hiker
8. Door To Door
9. Someday Never Comes
10. Tearin' Up The Country
11. Heard It Through The Grapevine
12. Good Golly, Miss Molly
13. 45 Revolutions Per Minute, Pt. 1
14. 45 Revolutions Per Minute, Pt. 2

DVD
1. I Heard It Through The Grapevine
2. Bootleg
3. I Put a Spell On You
4. Lookin' Out My Back Door

ONE LINERS:

Wyclef Jean aka Toussaint St. Jean - From The Hut, To The Projects, To The Mansion

Wyclef Jean's From The Hut, To The Projects, To The Mansion (with DJ Drama) fuses many genres--especially world and hip-hop--to create a satisfying urban amalgam as presented by the artist's persona T.I. Toussaint, a character loosely based on the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint L'Ouverture who, basically, brought the country out of obscurity in the 18th Century. Start Here: "Warrior's Anthem," "Suicide Love" with Eve, and "Gangsta Girl" with L'il Kim

Tracks:
1. Interlude - From the Hut, to the Projects, to the Mansion
2. Warrior's Anthem
3. The Streets Pronounce Me Dead
4. Slumdog Millionaire - with Cyndi Lauper
5. Interlude - Every Now & Then
6. Walk Away
7. More Bottles
8. You Don't Wanna Go Outside
9. Toussaint vs. Bishop
10. Interlude - The Struggle
11. We Made It
12. Suicide Love - with Eve
13. Letter From The Penn
14. Robotic Love
15. Gangsta Girl - with L'il Kim
16. Interlude - Tell The Kids The Truth
17. The Shottas

Jeff Larson - Heart Of The Valley

Borrowing some of what was best of the L.A. singer-songwriter scene, Jeff Larson's new album Heart Of The Valley--produced by America's Gerry Beckley--doesn't try to change what made popster Jeff Larson popular, but emphasizes his artistic side with catchy songs and Valley-meets-Laurel Canyon sensibilities. Start Here: "Minus Marci," "Heart Of The Valley" and "One Lit Window"

Tracks:
1. Heart Of The Valley
2. Sudden Soldier
3. Airport Smiles
4. Minus Marci
5. Calling
6. One Way Ticket
7. Five Mile Road
8. Southern Girl
9. Two People At Once
10. Wishing Well
11. One Lit Window

Pete Seeger - Live In '65

Live In '65 documents one of the folk legend's greatest performances, commanding a crowd with merely all of the genre's important staples, plus his banjo and miles of wit. Start Here: "Malaika"

Start Here:

Tracks:

CD 1
1. Oh Susanna
2. He Lies in an American Land
3. Oleanna
4. Uh, Uh, Uh
5. Never Wed an Old Man
6. When I First Came to This Land
7. All Mixed Up
8. I Come and Stand at Every Door
9. Malaika
10. May There Always Be Sunshine
11. Manyura Manya
12. The Freedom Come-All-Ye
13. Peat Bog Soldiers
14. Los Cuatro Generales
15. Turn! Turn! Turn!
16. Healing River

CD 2
1. This Little Light of Mine
2. Old Joe Clark
3. Going Across The Mountain
4. Praties Grow Small
5. Step By Step
6. Greensleeves
7. I Once Loved A Lass
8. Queen Anne Front
9. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
10. The Bells Of Rhymney
11. If I Had A Hammer
12. Guantanamera
13. This Land Is Your Land
14. Where Have All The Flowers Gone
15. Abiyoyo

THIS WEEK'S NEW RELEASES:

AC/DC - Backtracks (double disc, DVD)
Jan Akkerman - Profile
Woody Allen - Songs That Made Woody Allen Movies Great (double disc)
Tori Amos - Midwinter Graces (CD/DVD)
Anthrax - Among The Living: Deluxe Edition (CD/DVD) (double disc)
Bon Jovi - The Circle (CD/DVD)
David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name (vinyl)
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash (vinyl)
Dashboard Confessional - Alter the Ending
Ray Davies & The Crouch End Festival Chorus - The Kinks Choral Collection
Paul Davis - A Little Bit Of Paul Davis
Paul Davis - Ride 'Em Cowboy
Paul Davis - Southern Tracks And Fantasies
Paul Davis - Singer of Songs -- Teller Of Tales
Paul Davis - Paul Davis
Paul Davis - Cool Night
DBA (Rick Derringer, Tim Bogert & Carmen Appice) - The Sky Is Falling
Echo & The Bunnymen - The Fountain
Eddie & The Tide - Go Out And Get It
Eddie & The Tide - Looking For An Adventure
Ella Fitzgerald - Twelve Nights In Hollywood (4 CD box set)
Flyleaf - Memento Mori
Samantha Fox - Samantha Fox
Samantha Fox - Touch Me
Samantha Fox - Wanna Have Some Fun
Jerry Garcia Band - The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 2: Jerry Garcia Band (double disc)
John Hall - John Hall
Robyn Hitchcock - I Often Dream Of Trains in New York (CD/DVD)
Billie Holiday - The Complete Commodore & Decca Masters
The Jackson 5 - I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters
Wyclef Jean - DJ Drama Presents Wyclef
Jean -- Toussaint St. Jean: From The Hut, To The Projects, To The Mansion
Katherine Jenkins - The Ultimate Collection
Michael Johnson - There Is A Breeze
Katatonia - Night Is The New Day
Kidz Bop Kids - Kidz Bop Sings The Beatles
The Killers - Live From the Royal Albert Hall (CD/DVD)
The King Family - The King Family Show!/The King Family Album
The King Family - Christmas With the King Family
The King Family - The King Family Live! In the Round/The New Sounds Of The Fabulous King Sisters
Ladytron - Light & Magic
Laurie & The Sighs - Laurie & The Sighs
LeBlanc & Carr - Midnight Light
Ramsey Lewis - Love Notes
Ramsey Lewis - Blues For The Night Owl
Ramsey Lewis - Chance Encounter
Ramsey Lewis - Live At The Savoy
Ramsey Lewis - Les Fleurs
Little Feat - Representing The Mambo
Looking Glass - Looking Glass/Subway Serenade
Taj Mahal - Recycling the Blues & Other Related Stuff/Oooh So Good 'n Blues
Buddy Miles - Chapter VII
Buddy Miles - All the Faces Of Buddy Miles
Jason Mraz - Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess: Live on Earth (CD/DVD)
Gary Myrick - Gary Myrick & The Figures
Gary Myrick - Living In A Movie
Gary Myrick - Language
Dolly Parton - Dolly Live From London (CD/DVD)
Queen - Absolute Greatest
The Rolling Stones - Love You Live (double disc)
The Rolling Stones - Still Life
The Rolling Stones - Flashpoint
The Rolling Stones - Stripped
The Rolling Stones - Live Licks (double disc)
Stan Ridgway & Pietra Wexstun - Silly Songs For Kids, Volume One
Saint Eitienne - Saint Etienne Present Songs For The Dog And Duck
Alejandro Sanz - Paraíso Express
Earl Scruggs - Nashville's Rock
Earl Scruggs - Rockin' Cross the Country
Earl Scruggs - Family Portrait
Earl Scruggs - Strike Anywhere
Earl Scruggs - Live! From Austin City Limits
Earl Scruggs - Bold & New
Earl Scruggs - The Storyteller & The Banjo Man
Doc Severinsen - Brass Roots
Doc Severinsen - Doc
Doc Severinsen - Brass On Ivory
Doc Severinsen - Rhapsody For Now!
Doc Severinsen - Night Journey
Doc Severinsen - Brand New Thing
Snow Patrol - Up to Now (double disc)
Britney Spears - The Singles Collection
The Starting Line - Somebody's Gonna Miss Us (CD/DVD)
The Statler Brothers - Flowers on the Wall/Big Country Hits
Spandau Ballet - Once More
Switchfoot - Hello Hurricane
Koko Taylor - What It Takes: The Chess Years
B.J. Thomas - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry/Tomorrow Never Comes
B.J. Thomas - On My Way/Young And In Love
B.J. Thomas - Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head/Everybody's Out Of Town
Throwdown - Deathless
The Tubes - Mondo Birthmark
2012 - soundtrack
Wale - Attention: Deficit
Steve Wariner - My Tribute To Chet Atkins

Nanocount - 10771. I am STILL behind, but I've cracked 10K, thus I am crawling to bed. TOMORROW WE SHALL CONQUER, PRECIOUS.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/saraellen-amster-phd/the-chronicle-of-darth-ve_b_350310.html

Most troubled newspapers have tried to stay afloat by squeezing out every cent they can from newsrooms with staff layoffs and buyouts and by reducing newshole so that local papers are stuffed with wire stories.

But The San Francisco Chronicle is taking the opposite approach beginning Monday to attract more readers to a daily newspaper that resembles a magazine, although not every page will be glossy. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/11/04/financial/f120113S09.DTL
113S09.
Why not try it?

When all else has not worked, there appears to be nothing left to lose. By putting more resources into the look of the paper, at least the management is improving the product, rather than further stripping it down.

The publication has already implemented the same cost-cutting measures as peers nationally, which have suffered circulation declines averaging more than 10 percent. http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/10/26/newspaper-circulation-losses-accelerate-except-at-the-wall-st/

Despite efforts thus far, the largest newspaper in northern California still has experienced a nearly 26 percent weekday circulation decline between April and September from the same period one year ago -- the largest downward spiral in the nation. Last year, The Chronicle lost $50 million, causing owner Hearst Corp. to threaten its closure. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ioa3uSyYR8QVFUjT0CHrmwpM8KwgD9BOUQB80

The Chronicle's novel approach today by turning glossy is gutsy and goes against expectations, but risks making all involved look like anachronistic fools. After all, this location is on the very peninsula where Craigslist.com and google.com continue to siphon the oxygen out of advertising revenue that had it still existed, could have fueled The Chronicle plan. The Internet is a far superior delivery system that can reach people on their cell phones and portable laptops without threatening a single tree. And the Internet is not going away. The Chronicle's online readership is actually growing. Combined, the print and online paper reaches 1.9 million people in the Bay Area during a typical week and is starting to turn a profit - some weeks. Putting more energy and money into a print product is probably doomed to failure.

Magazine-quality publications are very costly to produce, print and transport to allegedly more sophisticated and wealthy clientele. No matter how bright and literary they are, readers of print publications - newspapers and magazines both -are dying off. Their replacement millenials are less dedicated to any media form that isn't on a wireless network. Just ask Gourmet magazine, which recently closed its doors after publishing since 1941.

Publisher Frank Vega, who was nicknamed Darth Vega during tough battles with union workers in Detroit, has been tapped as fixer for The Chronicle.http://www.sfweekly.com/2005-05-04/news/darth-vega-to-the-rescue/

As if ignoring other societal media trends, Vega told SFGate.com and San Francisco Business Times that the decline was an expected result of a shifting strategy that will rely less on advertising revenue and more on income generated from readers. "We feel the readers have to make a conscious decision about the paper," Vega said. "And we're pleased that we still have the healthiest audience for any media outlet in the Bay Area." http://links.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/27/BUDV1AAV94.DTL#ixzz0WIqtthL1
Say again? If there were enough readers to generate income there would not be a problem.

The newspaper has hiked its weekly subscription rate from $4.75 18 months ago to $7.75 today. That's quite a lot of money to pay in an era where the public is used to getting its news for nothing. In a recession, high prices usually do not translate to more customers.

With that kind of charge - almost $400 a year - readers will expect something for the money, a less disposable product, one that can't double as fish wrap or cat liner, sure, if they are inclined to buy such a product at all.

Vega was groomed as a local publisher by USA Today founder Al Neuharth who was king of short news stories and colorful sections in the early days of McPaper. As vice president for circulation, Vega presided over the bolting down of more than 100,000 newsracks in 1982 in cities across America on the launch of USA Today. The ubiquitous boxes mimic TV screens. Instead of USA Today's blue mast, Florida Today's flag is orange. At the time I worked there in the late '80s, Florida Today in Melbourne, Fla., where Vega served as publisher, restricted its story length with the idea that no one read anything more than headlines and captions. Stories often were not allowed to jump inside the paper.

In The Chronicle case, the emphasis must be on the quality of reporting and writing to produce a worthwhile product for the community. For Democracy's sake, I hope that happens in the tradition of longer magazine material, the muckraking style that was popular in San Francisco in 1936, when John Steinbeck wrote about the Dust Bowl experience of poor migrant farmers, but as the goal is fiscal survival this probably is a pipe dream. Darth Vega or not, it pretty much doesn't matter what Vega tries. Up against the Internet, how can he win?

The Chronicle's leaders must focus on the quality of what's printed on its pages as readers will expect to get more specialized information for their expenditure if anyone will even fork up that kind of cash - (maybe if the paper paid for lunch also or got Starbucks to throw in free lattes?)

As the best stories still come from print journalism, the magazine idea is laudable. Yet Vega, so lucky to ride the upward path of USA Today all those years ago has found himself on the wrong side of history this time. The time for print is passing rapidly. Steinbeck got his start in San Francisco in newspapers with the muckraking series in a publication few have heard of now. The vehicle of print made him a literary giant, a voice for the suffering of poor migrant farmers in the then San Francisco News. After first merging with The Call-Bulletin, The News was eventually swallowed by The San Francisco Examiner in 1965. The complication now is that society is fragmented and The Chronicle must establish its niche among the tech-savvy, youthful generation that really does not have much time, money or affection for old media. The Examiner is now a free paper, not exactly its former glorious self.

The real place that Vega and others must concentrate on is the Internet. If he wrote his series today, Steinbeck would have been called upon too add multimedia elements to his package on the migrants so as to allow it to run in both print and online editions.

Times have changed. The readers/viewers would probably rather peruse The Chronicle on an iPhone application than purchase it or subscribe in print, no matter how pretty the pages look or feel. In Silicon Valley, a gadget will always trump a newspaper as a status symbol. The chance of The Chronicle's success is so small that the first papers indeed may be snapped up as keepsakes of a bygone era but not as part of a regular habit.

More on Newspapers

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannyn-moore/palins-pavlovian-response_b_350308.html

I spent a lot of time in a small Alaskan church. I'm glad I did. It helps me interpret Palin's evangelical dog whistles.

The title: "The Pelosi Bill Was Rammed Through on Saturday, But Sunday's Coming."

Seems harmless to a casual reader, but to the evangelicals? Instant salivation. During sermons about the crucifixion, a typical preacher line goes, "Friday was a dark, dark day, but Sunday's coming." Answered with many "Amens." So, Nancy Pelosi just killed Jesus, and Sarah is going to resurrect him?

Is she equating the health care bill to the crucifixion, and the conservative comeback as the resurrection? Really? Go on, Sister Sarah, tell us how how the GOP is going to forgive us for all our sins and give us eternal life. The same GOP whose logo has inverted satanic stars. Anyone with half a wit of faith would call you on your blasphemy.

"We've got to hold on to hope, and we've got to fight hard because Congressional action tonight just put America on a path toward an unrecognizable country. "

UNRECOGNIZABLE? From what? A country that lies its way into wars? A country that tortures? A country that transports prisoners to other countries for torture? A country that wiretaps its own citizens? A country that neglects its veterans; poor and sick? A country that sides with corporations over its people? A country that looks away from evidence of environmental decay?

Well, I'm fine with becoming something other than the country you recognize.

"The same government leaders that got us into the mortgage business and the car business are now getting us into the health care business."

The reason for the bailouts in the first place, Sarah, is because decades of Republican deregulation left no one minding the store. Former President Bush, by the way, pushed through the first bailout, and it was Bush whose 2004 campaign sought to lower barriers for home ownership! What about the same government that employs Blackwater XE over our military? What about our justice system being for sale to the highest bidding private prisons? All your honking about privatizing goods and services is a little late.

"Despite Americans' decisive message last Tuesday that they reject the troubling path this country has been taking, Speaker Pelosi has broken her own promises of transparency to ram a health "care" bill through the House of Representatives just before midnight. Why did she push the 2,000 page bill this weekend? Was she perhaps afraid to give her peers and the constituents for whom she works the chance to actually read this monstrous bill carefully, if at all? Was she concerned that Americans might really digest the details of a bill that the Wall Street Journal has called "the worst piece of post-New Deal legislation ever introduced"? "

Oh, yes, last Tuesday's decisive message that said, "Hey, Bill Owens, you're in! First Democrat elected to NY House District#23 since the Civil War! Now go vote an "Aye" on the health care bill?" Right, that one. Betcha wish you had that $25,000 back about now. And the WSJ? Wow, you mean Rupert Murdoch's paper? Oh...it's...getting...clearer. On another note, the WSJ, last year, said you were a terrible candidate in a piece called, "Palin Failin'"...so I guess they are right some of the time.

"This out-of-control bureaucratic mess will be disastrous for our economy, our small businesses, and our personal liberty. It will slam businesses at a time when we are at double-digit unemployment rates - the highest we've seen in a quarter of a century. This massive new bureaucracy will cost us and our children money we don't have. It will rob Americans of more of our freedom and further hamper the free market."

Lady, you think the free market is eBay. Your party deregulated that free market into such a predicament there isn't a coupon to save it. Check out the Gramm Leach Bliley Act, also known as the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act. Gramm, Leach and Bliley were the trio of Republicans back in 1999 that were just swamped with constituent phone calls demanding they do something about those pesky bank regulations that prohibited the merger of investment banks with commercial banks and insurance companies. You can use the "googles". Thank your lucky stars Charlie Gibson didn't ask you about that!

"Make no mistake: we're on course to have government commandeer one-sixth of our economy. The people who gave us Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now want to run our health care. Think about that."

Yes indeed. The people that gave us Fannie and Freddie; hmmm...that would be your former running mate, John McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis. Davis headed the Homeownership Alliance, a mortgage industry lobbying group formed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Under Davis, the Alliance's primary goal was to step-up the number of mortgages granted-setting the table for the the mortgage crisis. And yes, health care is kind of a big deal. We get that.

"All of us who value the sanctity of life are grateful for the success of the pro-life majority in the House this evening in its battle against federal funding of abortion in this bill, but it's ironic because we were promised that abortion wasn't covered in the bill to begin with. Our healthy distrust of these government leaders made us look deeper into the bill because unfortunately we knew better than to trust what they were saying. The victory tonight to amend the bill and eliminate that federal funding for abortion was great - because abortion is not health care. Now we can only hope that Rep. Stupak's amendment will hold in the final bill, though the Democratic leadership has already refused to promise that it won't be scrapped later."

"...us who value the sanctity of life..." Are you out of your mind? You don't even value a wolf running from a plane. You don't value a young girl who has been raped. You want the death penalty and cry for more war. You wouldn't know the sanctity of life if it dropped dead in your lap.

"We had been told there were no "death panels" in the bill either. But look closely at the provision mandating bureaucratic panels that will be calling the shots regarding who will receive government health care."

Alaskans are still waiting for your explanation of the death panels under your aborted watch as governor. There are still over two-hundred dead who weren't granted health care they were qualified for because of your negligence. Your legacy is "death panels" to some Alaskan families, and not because you spouted the phrase a few minutes before Charles Grassley.

"Look closely at provisions addressing illegal aliens' health care coverage too."

I wonder where Lazarus lived...

"Those of us who love freedom and believe in open and transparent government can only be dismayed by midnight action on a Saturday. Speaker Pelosi's promise that Americans would have 72 hours to read the final bill before the vote was just another one of the D.C. establishment's too-common political ploys. It's broken promises like this that turn people off to politics and leave them disillusioned about the future of their country."

Hey, WE ALL LOVE FREEDOM. Freedom from crazy is what I'd like right now. Transparent? You couldn't be transparent in a Saran Wrap bikini. Open? Well, you're open for business and that's about it. You are rich to call Pelosi on a broken promise...you said you'd be governor and you quit. Again, I thank you for breaking a promise.

"But despite this late-night maneuvering, many of us were paying close attention tonight. We'll keep paying close attention. We need to let our legislators in Washington know that they still represent us, and that the majority of Americans are not in favor of the "reform" they are pushing. After all, this is still a country "of the people, by the people, and for the people." We will make our voices heard. It's on to the Senate now. Our legislators can listen now, or they can hear us in 2010. It's their choice."

The majority of Americans did not vote for you. The majority of Americans want reform. Our voices are being heard. In 2010, 2012, or any other 20...you will not be our choice.

More on Sarah Palin

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-mendelson/huff-post-weekend-box-off_b_350161.html

As expected, Disney's A Christmas Carol opened at number one over the weekend. If the opening weekend number of $31 million feels disappointing, it's only because of the film's excessive cost (about $200 million to make, probably another $100 million to market) and somewhat unreasonable expectations. Christmas movies have never been the whopper-openers that some might think. This was actually the fourth-biggest Christmas-themed opening of all time, behind Jim Carrey's The Grinch ($55 million), Elf ($31.1 million) and last Thanksgiving's Four Christmases ($31 million). This is actually director Robert Zemeckis's biggest opening weekend of all time. The only person who might get tagged as a theoretical slacker is star Jim Carrey, as this is 'merely' his eighth-biggest opening weekend and his ninth $30 million+ opener since 1995.

So on one hand, Zemeckis and Disney have to be praying that this plays more like The Polar Express ($23 million opening, $162 million finish) than Beowulf ($27 million opening, $82 million finish). The Polar Express opened against the second weekend of The Incredibles in November 2004, but played the rest of the year, helped by buzz regarding its truly astonishing and utterly groundbreaking 3D IMAX presentation. Since Christmas-themed movies seem to have decent legs (holiday releases have generally better legs than summer releases), there is hope that this should get to at least $120 million in the US, with $180 million being the best case scenario. Still, Disney surely hopes that this will become a sort of perennial title and I'd imagine much of its animation budget went into the kind of new technology that will be put to use in future projects. Whatever it's going to do, it only has six weeks to get it done, as James Cameron's Avatar will be stealing each and every 3D and IMAX screen come December 18th at 12:01am.

Second place went to the flash-in-the-pan that wasn't; as This Is It dropped just 39% in its second weekend. Disregarding proclamations of doom after its mere $100 million+ worldwide opening weekend, I am frankly shocked that this is holding up as well as it is. The word is truly getting out that it's both respectful to the late singer and a relatively entertaining look at the man at work. With $57 million in just twelve days, it will soon surpass Hanna Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds 3D as the domestic box office champion concert film. Sony's decision to extend this $60 million acquisition past its limited run and into Thanksgiving has turned out to be a smart one, as the film is now playing to the merely curious as well as the die-hard fans. Third place went to The Men Who Stare at Goats, which opened to $13.3 million. I went into this yesterday, but George Clooney vehicles should not be expected to do anymore than $10-13 million over opening weekend. He may be one of the world's-biggest stars, but he often picks inexpensive, not terribly commercial films over the more populist genres. I hated the film, but it's always good when something outside the mainstream opens well enough to justify its creation. Overture paid just $5 million to acquire this, so congratulations on the upstart studio's second solid hit in the last month (Law Abiding Citizen is currently at $60 million, with just a 16% drop in weekend four).

The Fourth Kind played out a bizarre little trailer and the lack of any UFO-abduction films in nearly seventeen years (Fire in the Sky came out in March of 1993) into a solid $12 million opening. If it needs to be said, this was in development long before Paranormal Activity (now at $97 million) hit pay-dirt last month. For the record, I wrote about the trailer way back in mid-August, so any catcalls of the former being a rip-off of the latter should stop right now. Anyway, this Universal acquisition fell short of the opening of the similarly-marketed White Noise ($24 million), which had the advantage of being the first major release of 2005 and the curiosity factor stemming from the casting of the relatively scarce Michael Keaton. Still, this is a cheap film that will be very profitable for all involved. Speaking of cheap films that opened just OK, Richard Kelly's incomprehensible The Box rode a solid trailer and a simple and compelling premise to a $7.8 million opening weekend. The film apparently received an 'F' from CinemaScore, and I can understand why (the first half is great, but the second half goes completely off the rails). Still, Warner was stingy with the marketing, and this is a decent start for the mainstream debut of the Donnie Darko director. The film's hopelessly confusing narrative will be problematic for both this film's long-term success as well as Kelly's next project.

Couples Retreat did something that is downright miraculous, dropping just 0.5% in its fifth weekend despite losing 169 screens. Frankly, I don't think I've ever seen that kind of weekend drop outside of inflated holiday fifth weekends (Titanic, The Sixth Sense) for as long as I've been following this stuff. Its $6.4 million weekend brings its total to $95 million. Also of note is the continuing decline of Saw VI, which has ended its third weekend with just $26 million. Ironically, one of the very best films in the series will still end its US run with less overall than the opening weekends of every prior Saw sequel. There is one more major story, and it's the astonishing white-hot debut of Precious. The festival-circuit darling and Tyler Perry/Oprah Winfrey acquisition has debuted with $1.8 million on just 18 screens. Yes, that's $100,000 per screen for three days. That's the twelfth-biggest per-screen average of all time, and it's by far the highest for any film playing on more than a handful of screens. Most of the similarly-huge per-screen debuts were limited-engagements of Disney animated films or Oscar-bait contenders in two or three high-priced theaters. For example, Disney's The Princess and the Frog opens on November 25th in two theaters, which are charging between $30 and $50 per ticket (at least the LA venue is). Obviously your chances of a huge per-screen debut are increased the fewer theaters you open in. But this was not a two-screens in New York and Los Angeles hype-getter. This was a full-on national debut in major markets. For the record, on the list of all-time top averages, it had the nineteenth widest-release. The critically-acclaimed drama expands this Friday and the film just became the front-runner for the Oscars, if only for the next week or so.

We'll end on that note of good news for now. Join us next weekend when Roland Emmerich rolls out the ultimate disaster movie, the 2.5 hour 2012 (review to be hopefully written by my wife, who worships the disaster genre). The only other wide-release is the 900-screen debut of Pirate Radio. Limited openings include The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Women In Trouble, and Uncertainty. For more box office, movie reviews, trailer reviews, news commentary, and original essays, go to Mendelson's Memos.

More on Oprah

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-moeller/media-literacy-101-the-do_b_350293.html

Today's your last chance to win a million bucks. The clock is ticking.

Don't throw your money away on a lottery ticket. Instead just write, shoot and submit a Super Bowl XLIV commercial for Doritos by midnight central time today (Monday, November 9th.)

If you make it as one of the six finalists, you'll win $25,000. If you are voted into the top 3, your ad will air during the Super Bowl. And if your ad makes it to first place on the USA Today Ad Meter, you'll win the cool million.

Oh, but you're not a Madison Avenue wannabe?

The Faces of Hunger in America film contest: Voting is going on now. Full disclosure: my 15-year-old son has entered an animated film. Check out his and the other entries here.

Well, perhaps you want to become a WashPo pundit?

Around 4,800 people wrote a short opinion piece to enter that contest--it closed for entries on October 21. Two days before Thanksgiving, the final ten will have been whittled down to the winner. The prize? The glory of having a weekly Washington Post column for 13 weeks (at $200 per column for a grand total of $2600).

What's with all the contests? We think of the Web 2.0 world as enabling multi-directional conversations and collaborative interactivity. (Think of your wall on Facebook.) But as media scholar Henry Jenkins has noted, global 2.0 culture increasingly values not just dynamic social networking, but innovation and collaborative knowledge-building. In other words, the Web 2.0 is an environment just right to host contests that are more than beauty pageants. "Industry leaders," Jenkins has written, acknowledge "the importance of the role that ordinary consumers can play not just in accepting convergence, but actually in driving the process."

That's what the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has banked on with its News Challenge. There's still time to submit your entrepreneurial web idea to that one. If you want to change your community for the better, consider entering your idea for how to give people access to the news and information they need. The Knight Foundation will be giving as much as $5 million dollars to underwrite the best ideas that are submitted. "Since good new ideas can come from anyone, the Knight News Challenge just makes sense," said Eric Newton, vice president of Knight's journalism program. And "that's why there are at least two dozen other media innovation contests."

"It's so easy now to have a contest," agrees Leslie Walker, the Knight Visiting Professor in Digital Innovation at the University of Maryland. "In the old days, a contest was limited by the single bandwidth of the contest creator"--which usually meant print notices and lots of posters. "Now that bandwidth is augmented by websites and blogs that link and virally pass on word of an online contest."

Today's digital-media-enabled contests, perhaps even the most familiar reality-TV, American Idol-type kind, are popular because they promise a rags-to-riches success for at least one contestant--and a riveting drama for those watching. "Contests have become an important part of participatory media culture," admits Walker. But the value of Web 2.0 contests is "not only for the 10 percent of an audience that actually enters them" hoping for some monetary or other kind of reward, she notes. All of the rest of us are beneficiaries of the ideas and innovations that the contests encourage. Different voices are heard than otherwise would be, blue-sky ideas are floated, business models are invented.

Contests are the pop-culture equivalent of crowdsourcing. Contests are cheap and quick, yet they manage labor-intensive challenges: they do our talent searching and our R&D. They mash-up new technologies and broadcast ideals of social justice. They provide feedback and build ownership.

Take one last example: hunger in America. There's no shortcut way to manage the grassroots food pantries and other on-the-ground projects that actually get food into people's hands. But there are more efficient ways of getting the word out that hunger is a problem in the United States. Create a film contest. Publicize it. Get contestants. Then, once all the entries are in, convince someone like me to help publicize the videos. And then as people come to your site, watch your message repeat in places that you couldn't buy your way into--at least without more resources than you have. That's the beauty of a contest. A contest not only encourages entries, it provides entrée to engagement.

---

ps 1: Okay, so you didn't enter the Washington Post contest and you don't have time to get your Doritos ad together? But you want to be a player in at least one Web 2.0 contest? Well, you could always enter the weekly write-a-caption-to-a-New Yorker cartoon contest. The winning caption writer gets a signed print of the cartoon.

ps. 2: You want to learn a bit more about crowdsourcing? Take a look here at an article written (and widely reprinted) by Daren C. Brabham.

More on Caption Contest

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-van-gelder/people-power-brought-down_b_350253.html

What brought about the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago?

Some argue that it was the Cold War and the escalation of military spending that was just too costly for the Soviet empire to maintain.

If that was the case, that should be a cautionary tale for the United States as we struggle to maintain a nuclear arsenal, support over 700 military bases around the world, develop expensive new weapons systems, and, of course, fight two wars - including one in a country where the USSR, also, met its match.

But military over-spending was only part of the reason the people of East Germany were able to bring down the wall, according to an article in Forbes by Konrad H. Jarausch, professor of European Civilization at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. "Ultimately it was the spread of detente, helped by his personal rapport with the U.S. president that allowed [Soviet President Mikhail] Gorbachev to ... set the satellites free," he says.

Another factor was just as important. The wall couldn't have come down without a nonviolent people power uprising.

A recent account from the Geneva-based Ecumenical News International (ENI) tells of the church-based protests exactly a month before the Berlin Wall's opening, that followed earlier days of protests:

"After the 9 October services in Leipzig, an estimated 70,000 people poured into the city centre, connecting in a full circle on a ring road around the downtown area. 'There were too many of us that night to arrest, the prisons were already full,' Jochen Lassig, one Leipzig reporter told ENI."

According to the article, there had been warnings in the communist-run media that force would be used to suppress demonstrations. "Local doctors and nurses reported that hospitals were building up blood reserves and being put on alert to deal with bullet wounds."

"Pastor Christian Fuhrer of Leipzig's St Nicholas' Church gave this account: "More than 2,000 people leaving the church were welcomed by tens of thousands waiting outside with candles in their hands - an unforgettable moment. Two hands are necessary to carry a candle and to protect it from extinguishing so that you can not carry stones or clubs at the same time.

"In front of the Leipzig headquarters of the Stasi - the East German secret police - demonstrators gathered, laid candles on the steps, and sang songs. What few knew at the time was that inside the darkened building, most Stasi members were present and armed with live ammunition. They had orders to defend a strategic building. They had sandbags under the windows, still displayed today as it is now a museum.

"Irmtraut Hollitzer, once curator of the museum, said: 'One stone through the window would have been enough to set off a bloodbath.'"

Professor Jarausch concurs that it was people power that made the difference:

"It took a transnational grass roots movement of courageous Polish workers, Hungarian activists, German refugees and Czech dissidents braving considerable risks in order to revive civil society and regain space for public protest. ... The fall of the Wall was magical because it signaled the peaceful triumph of people's power over a regime that commanded enormous repressive force."

The combination of a leader who understood the need for change - President Gorbachev - with a popular uprising allowed change to proceed without violence, and much more quickly than anyone could have imagined.

So the question this anniversary raises for me: Can we build such a people power movement today, strong enough to overcome the power of global corporations and wise enough to collaborate across our many differences? Because that's what it will take to get on with the urgent business of stopping climate catastrophe, building sustainable economies, reorienting our societies away from violence and militarism and towards a world that works for all.

We have a forward-thinking president, but he - and we - can't get much done without powerful people's movements creating real change.

Sarah van Gelder is executive editor of YES! Magazine and YES! Online, which report on powerful ideas and practical actions for a better world.

More on Germany

I was wondering what people's experience was with Rehab & Daddy-O shampoo. I have been using the Godiva solid shampoo, and although I like it, I don't think solid shampoo is really my thing. I use American Cream conditioner which I love.

Just for reference I have relatively dry hair from being processed (highlighted blond), and living in an extremely dry climate (Alberta, Canada). I wash my hair after I work, but if I am not working for a couple of days, I will wash it every other day.

I ordered both 100mL bottles off the UK site just to try and compare, so I will let people know how it goes.

If anyone else any other suggestions for the next time I order, let me know

I restarted my WiiFit today. I have discovered that my board's scale is completely off - by like, 35 pounds! Ah, well. I actually did the strength training. Ouch! I was only able to do about 25 minutes after that S.T. Yeesh! Plus, my "trainer" kept telling me to visualize my ideal body while doing it, so I'm thinking of hanging up a few pics of Mariska Hargitay on the wall as inspiration. Y/N?

Let's see.

Halloween was fun. Eva and Dallas turned their house into a haunted house, and T.C. and I were set for duty of getting people in. I got to scream. A lot. And I was dressed like Flapjack, which rocked all.

Work's been fine, too. Our relief pharmacist, Laura, has left us, though. :o( She got an offer as a staff pharmacist at a store closer to her place, so she left. She didn't want to, though. Ah well. Jess and I plan to meet up with her every month or so for dinner. She's awesome. We already miss her. Our new guy's cool, though.

Oh! Saw The Men Who Stare At Goats and laughed my ass off. Want to see it again, because I swear I missed parts from laughing so hard.

Also got to see the inside of a radio station while it was going on. A friend of Mom's from high school leant her a computer since hers died and he's the control guy for an online show every week. Was pretty cool to see.

Exciting news! pennyrella had her baby on the 30th! Tobias Joel. He's so cute! I wish I were in England so that I can be the crazy American auntie. *babytalks Tobias*


And, to end, I want this drink:

Crystal Clear Cosmo
Gray Goose Vodka
Cointreau
White Cranberry Juice


You feel it after two sips, too. HA!

my bff just got a job at the state street LUSH and bought me lovely lovely presents! and for my birthday my boyfriend got me the celebration gift set. god love 'em. i am a night showerer and i don't take many baths, so keep that in mind! also, i'm a shampoo girl at a salon and am generally spoiled when it comes to hair products.


( reviews! )

I had the chance to do a small photoshoot today, and decided that instead of choosing between Pansy and Romilda, I'd split the time and do both!

(facebook resized the picture quality, so it's not the clearest. sorry. o.O)
( Slytherin's Princess )


( Gryffindor's crazy stalker fangirl!! )

I love playing both of them! it's very different, but so much fun.

Sweaters and robes from Whimsic alley
Ties from wizardties.com
Skirt is from old navy
wigs are from amphigory.com
wands I made myself.

shirt, tights, and shoes I already had.

Before you comment to the newsletter, please make sure you have read the comm userinfo carefully [here].

News
Daily spoiler-free news at spnfencentral
Episode titles for 5x09-5x14 posted by electricmonk333 [spoilers!]

Challenges
Challenge #164 at super_stillness
SPN Women Ficathon is open at spn_women
Challenge #177 Winners at jared_stillness

Fanfic: Sam/Dean
Baby, Come On Home by cherie_morte (PG-13)
Forever Bound 4/? by feather_touch (NC-17)
Your Guardian Angel by kiraynn (PG-13)
You're the Last to Ask (For Help) by stangerine88 (R)
Desert Heat by wickedlilwitch (NC-17)
Famous Ghosts of Texas by candle_beck (PG-13)
Chasing Away the Nightmares by dante_s_hell (PG)
Formalities 7/? by the_curlyone (NC-17)
Forced Entry 11/11 by cha and virtualpersonal (NC-17)
Another Day in the Life of Dean Winchester by darkestangelspn (NC-17, also Dean/John and Sam/Ruby)
A Year Without Music 29/? by sam_dean_fetish (NC-17)
Baby, Come on Home by cherie_morte (PG-13)
Sinking Into Your Skin Beneath the Blood Red Sky 1/5 by leonidaslion (NC-17)

Fanfic: Other Slash
Alas, FML by laulan (PG-13, Sam/Castiel)
A Matter of Trust by rockstarpeach (Adult, Dean/Castiel, Dean/Sam)
to confound Heaven’s purest light by tigriswolf (PG, Dean/Castiel, Uriel/Castiel)
For the Night Has Been Unkind by edenbound (R, Dean/Castiel)
Without Which Not by tracy_loo_who (NC-17, Dean/Castiel)
Control Issues by liadan14 (NC-17, Dean/Castiel)
Morningstar by kuhekabir (NC-17, Dean/Castiel)
A Roman Story by olympia_m (R, Dean/Castiel)
Fire of Heaven by trinityofone (R, Dean/Castiel)
Everyone Leaves by reality0junkie (PG-13, Dean/Castiel)
Touch by kijikun (NC-17, Dean/Castiel)

Fanfic: Gen
I will let you down by tigriswolf (PG)
death, taxes, and pain by tigriswolf (PG)
John 2/? by justforspite (R)
Because of Houdini 5/? by wave_obscura (PG-13)
that he may wear my silence 3/6 by smilla02 (PG-13)
Falling by sg2009fic (PG-13)
Big Girl by autumn_lilacs (G)
Til Kingdom Come by _tehrin (PG-13)
I'll find you in the morning sun by tigriswolf (PG)
Everything We've Yet to Break 7/30 by zuben_eschamali (R)
your love is a song (your love is strong) by electrumqueen (PG)
Treading Water by keerawa (G)
The Calling by phantisma (PG)

Fanfic: Other
Dream in Color, Live in Black and White by skidmo_fic (PG, Dean/Jamie, Dean/Anna, Dean/Castiel)
When Tara Met Jason 3/4 by shadowglove88 (Smallville and Friday the 13th crossover, PG-13)
How Castiel Got Lost in Lost by janie_tangerine (Lost crossover, PG-13)
Final Fantasy: The Winchester Chronicles, 2/? by kitty_alex (Final Fantasy crossover, PG-13, Dean/Castiel)
Mary Poppins Rocks! by morning_sunlite (Leverage crossover, PG, Gen)
The Humans Cried War 2/? by lust_4sorrow (Smallville crossover, R, Chloe/Dean)

Fanfic: RPF
Incompatibility 6/6 by saklani2 and myficjournal (NC-17, Jared/Jensen)
Touching Makes You Understand 3/? by ilikecrystals (R, Jared/Jensen)
Mr. Padalecki and the Sheriff 4/? by krebsbach (NC-17, Jared/Jensen)
I think I love you... hypothetically speaking by freakn_out (PG-13, Jared/Jensen)
A Million Miles 3/? and 4/? by bbmarcello (R, Jared/Jensen)
Chasing Rainbows 2/? by blynnk (NC-17, Jared/Jensen)
Pass It On 1/9 by hay1ock (R, Jared/Jensen)
The Art of Medicine by mickeym (PG-13, Jared/Jensen)
Force of Nature 6/? by garvaldmains (NC-17, Jared/Jensen)
Time to Go by bloody_adorable and eviltwin (Adult, Jared/Jensen)
Baby Steps by letsgetstarted (PG-13, Jared/Jensen)
Gives You Wings by vamphile (NC-17, Jared/Jensen)
Living Out Loud 1/10 by envious_ema (R, Jared/Jensen)
the lights and buzz by _mournthewicked (NC-17, Jared/Jensen)
Animal Crackers 3/? by annie46 (NC-17, Jared/Jensen)
One Good Deed 1/? by athenaswirls (NC-17, Jared/Jensen)
Love on the Rocks 6a & b/? by melodious329 (NC-17, Jared/Jensen)
Trinity Summer 6/? by amtamburo (NC-17, Jared/Jensen)
You May Be Naked But I'm The One Undone by bridgetmc (NC-17, Jared/Jensen)
A Most Awesome Coach by dugindeep (NC-17, Jared/Jensen)

Recs
Sunday Reccing Free-For-All at rec_hymenated
Fic recs by missyjack
Fic recs at sickdean
Fic recs by wendy
Fic rec by ou_peachus
Fic recs at j2_rec
FIc recs at spngenlove
Fic rec at crack_impala
Fic recs by ou_peachus
Fic recs by keerawa
Vid rec at spnvidrecs
Icon recs at spnroundtable

Icons
33 SPN icons by isis2015
55 Ruby and 36 Katie Cassidy icons by lostashleigh
30 5x08 icons by leire_pj
25 5x05 and 5x08 icons by dev_earl
72 5x08 icons by theseliars
33 SPN and cast icons and 11 Jensen/Sophia Bush icons by ensanglante
46 5x08 icons by highdreams
20 5x08 icons by misty_writes
20 SPN icons by deadwillwalk
8 5x04/5x08 icons by dekolette
5x08 icons by light_ofmy_life

Fanart
"Changing Channels" icons and animations by crystalpumpkin
My Human by tarakitty [NSFW]
5x08 Fanarts by fennegie
19 5x08 sidebar animations by electricmonk333
42 icons, 22 animations, and 3 headers by deny1984
3 AM by o_tsuki_o
The Garrison by acerbus_instar
Dean/tentacles illustration by theoret [NSFW]
Falling Into Silence by ninahdevi

Screencaps/Pictures
A "Just Because" picspam by moondropz
5x08 picspam by bbetelgeuse
A Jared/Jensen picspam by ina_ami
1x04 "Phantom Traveler" picspam by zippogirl
5x08 picspam by caffeinekitty

Multimedia
3 Supernatural Monster!Winchester Fanmixes by ldyghstwhisprer

Vids
This is the End by ash48
Faith by starry_sky247
Russian Roulette by kjcharmed
I made it by sammyknuddel
Mad Season by fatedcinderella

Meta
Supernatural: Paving the Way for The New World/Testament by cugami

Miscellaneous
Pictures and video of Jensen and Daneel at the Breeders' Cup posted by deanforester
Sam-centric hurt/comfort recs submission post at spngenlove

emily_reich @ icon_reich

Post #1 and Post #2

emily_reich's icons are sparse but bold. The colours are soft and gorgeous. She can take an ordinary cap and make it stand out. Same with an image that's been iconed to death--they stand out.

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