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It was in the 17th century when the first fashion magazine came out. Finally fashion-conscious women were now able to read in the “Almanch Royal” and the “Mercure Galant” about the current fashion trends among the royal household. Approximately one hundred years later the German press published its “Journal des Luxus und der Moden” along the lines of its French prototypes. By that time only political themes had played a role in the newspapers. But from the 19th century on fashion magazines spread all over the world, also including special ones for the male gender.

Nowadays even at first glance one notices the huge amount of all kinds of magazines when entering a bookshops: There is something for almost every interest, from the “Wild und Hund” to the “Deutsche Waffen-Journal”. But it is not only the adults who make up an important target audience to the magazine industry, it is also the youth with its passion for comics or horses which flushes money into the publisher’s coffers. Therefore it is no wonder that new kinds of special-interest magazines spring up like mushrooms.
Due to an Emnid-survey approximately 44 % of the persons interviewed stated to consume special-interest articles. 17 % read these magazines on a regular basis. And even if a certain journal might be driven out of the market sooner or later a new one will fill that niche. Therefore business is going well these days. While in 1975 round about 150 periodicals were registered at the “Informationsgemeinschaft zur Feststellung der Verbreitung von Werbeträgern e. V.” the so-called IVW, the numbers of reported journals had risen to a total amount of 552 by 2010. It might seem more than strange enough that even journals referring to a relatively unknown interest achieve a certain success, but publishers have developed clever marketing strategies to assure their success. By printing only specific and suitable advertisements for example the publishing company makes sure that everything is to its readers liking. Golfing fans are no longer bothered with football advertisement while corpulent fashionistas can flip through their favourite magazine without looking at perfectly shaped models. It seems as if the industry has found the perfect mixture of non- and issue-specific reading material. In the end everybody is happy: both the reader and the journal market.

Interview Special Interest “Fellows” to use technology to improve our society. SEPTA example: budgets, schedule access, etc. Code For America makes using SEPTA easier and more useful for citizens.

They collect a lot of data for these projects. They built a 311 app…Fir example the pothole reporting (or graphiti reporter). You can take a pic of either and submit it to the city to fix.

Well how does this benefit me? What languages do you use to code? How long are your internships? Are there any apps that are fun yet helpful (instead of just bettering Philly)? How many app projects are you working on at the same time?

What is your feedback?

                That one sentence and 27 words included within it have been perverted by the NRA. The NRA which is a lobbyist group representing the gun manufacturers has threatened to withdraw support from any Congressmen voting for Universal Background Checks. 90% of Americans supported background checks, yet we could not get past a filibuster vote.

               When speaking with NRA supporters they seem to only know the second part of the 2nd Amendment. The right to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed upon. They conveniently leave the word REGULATE out. Regulate means to control or supervise by means of rules and regulations. Why would the NRA leave that out? It doesn’t work in their favor, if course.

                If we are to regulate something, in most cases it is a government agency that would do so. So in thus case I believe the ATF would qualify. We already have a Militia, our National Guard. So we don’t need a militia. I don’t believe there have been any armed conflicts between states. Federal law is Constitutionally the law of the land. Either way according to the Second Amendment should be someone overlooking the weapons people have.

            Senator Kelly Ayote, who voted against background checks, said she did so because it might create a Gun Registery. Which the Manchin/Toomey bill expressly said if anyone, including government agents, did so they would be convicted and spend up to 15 years in prison. Here is what confuses me. We have to register our car, have insurance on our car and home, but we don’t have to register or have insurance on a gun. Guns were made to kill things.

               After Sandy Hook, where 20 kids were brutally massacred, I like most Americans believe something needs to be done. Special interests and lobbyist should not have more power than the people. I did not see anywhere in the Constitution where it said we couldn’t have a gun registery. Lets make one, legal gun owners have no worries, just criminals. No one is going to take your gun, they haven’t taken gas guzzling cars from people. People need to use their heads and not believe all the bolahna the NRA pushes. President Obama is on the right side, most Democrats are on the side of the people, while of course Republicans side with corporate cash. 90% of the people can’t be wrong.

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So, remember Be Autistic: Be Amazing!

Here is Jake’s story.

His special interest: math.

Enjoy.

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More videos of Jake can be found on Youtube, including an interview with Glenn Beck, not a personal favorite however anyone who uses media to expose the amazing autistic brain gets a high five, despite their other unpleasant beliefs.

For more about Jake, visit YouTube and search for Math and Jake or visit his article on PositiveMed.

If you know an an amazing autistic, please share your story in the comment section. I’ve been really depressed and weighted down by the hardships of living, and the way I combat this is researching amazing achievements birthed from the very specialized autistic brain.

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote in A study in Scarlet:

“I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best jumbled up with a lot of other things so that he has difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skilled workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain attic. He will have nothing but the tools, which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knoledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones. “

I believe Det. Holmes might be autistic. Indeed he is on the BBC show Sherlock.

For more about Sherlock visit the BBC Website.

Staff Writer

Lying out at the beach, sun on the skin, the feeling of the cool breeze: these are all things we look forward to during the summer. While working on the perfect tan, why not read a book to pass the time? Renowned author Nicholas Sparks has done it again; he has successfully constructed a love story that will have readers at the edge of their seats with anticipation. His newest book, Best of Me, should definitely be on the list to read this summer.

The story Best of Me centers on Dawson Cole and Amanda Collier. They were from different sides of the tracks, but that did not stop their love for each other throughout high school. When they got torn apart during the summer of their senior year, neither one knew what their future would bring or whether or not they would even see each other ever again. Fast forward 25 years, and the two old lovers are brought back into each other’s lives due to a death of a mutual friend. After so much time apart, they will revisit their past emotions, and past memories will resurface. That one weekend will change both of their lives and their love for each other forever.

This reemerging love is not the only conflict in this love story. Currently, Dawson works on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. One night, there was an unexpected explosion, killing 24 people and landing Dawson in the hospital. Starting that night while floating in the water, he begins seeing a strange man everywhere he goes. No matter how hard he tries to follow or get a closer to look at the figure, he can never find out the identity; it even haunts him when he arrives at Oriental, North Carolina, for the funeral of his friend.

On top of the strange sightings, Dawson has other problems as he returns to his home town: his family. The Coles are referred to as white trash with dark, belligerent personalities. Dawson’s mother left when he was younger, and upon his return to Oriental for the funeral, his father has been dead for many years. His two older cousins, Abee and Ted, are out to get him as soon as they realize he is back in Oriental. Fueled by revenge, Ted is the ringleader in the manhunt to find their cousin. He will stop at nothing until he has sought out Dawson.

On the other hand, there are conflicts on Amanda’s side as well. She is married to Frank and has three children. Her marriage, however, is not what she thought it would be. She had met Frank in college, and it set the gears in motion. Right after she got her degree, they were married. Amanda loved Frank in the early years of their marriage, but after a tragic event in their lives, he became an alcoholic. Amanda found herself in the position where she felt like she was the only responsible parent. Many times she felt like divorcing him, but she could not do that to her children, and she still heartily believed Frank could change back into the guy he once was. As she is reunited with Dawson, Amanda realizes that she truly loves him, even more than Frank. However, she has a family that she cannot just run away from. She has to look deep within herself to come up with what she should do.

This alluring romance is typical of Spark’s novels; they always present a surprising plot-twist.  Just like his other engaging stories, this rocky love story has been critically proclaimed. It has been called “unforgettable…Makes you settle in for another romantic date with this well-respected and talented storyteller,” by HubPages.com. Another website, BookReporter.com writes, “I could not put it down…a classic Nicholas Sparks tragedy but with a twist of hope…If I can pick my favorites from him, THE BEST OF ME will rank with Message in a Bottle and The Notebook- it was that good.”  Even students at Woodstock are familiar with this renowned author. Sophomore Sophie Stignani states, “I love Nicholas Sparks! I love the movies and all his books. I can’t wait to read The Best of Me.”  The Best of Me has already gained some popularity among the student body as well. Sophomore Brooke Burris said, “I absolutely enjoyed The Best of Me! Nicholas Sparks hasn’t disappointed. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a good book.” This book will move readers, sending them on an emotional roller coaster ride. If readers want to look for other Nicholas Sparks’ books, some are The Guardian, The Choice, The Rescue, Nights in Rodanthe, and Safe Haven.

Whether it is lying out at the beach, tanning at the poolside, or just for one of the quiet, relaxing moments at home, The Best of Me should definitely be the book to pick up and read. This world’s bestselling author of love stories has completely outdone himself when writing his newest book. He has stated on his official website that Warner Bros. has bought the rights of this story to make a movie. Without a doubt, the movie will be just as sensational as this critically proclaimed novel.

We’ve discussed how your votes are basically being bought by these special interest groups and unfortunately, most of us don’t even know when it happens. It happens behind closed doors of the legislators offices. We know how the campaign contributions provide the guarantee of a favorable vote from the incumbent legislators. We know that this undermines the principal of an election by constituents. We know the incumbent politician cares very little, if at all, that it is a form of corruption and that it is a complete sell out of the constituents that elected him or her into the office.

We know that in the past there have been attempted controls on the lobbyists and their special interests, however, as we can easily recognize all these efforts have fallen far short of their goal, mostly due to the very legislators whom we are trying to deter from corruption, are preventing the meaningful reform from happening. In other words the money really pours in from the lobbyists when there is legislation concerning controls on lobbyists and lobbying.

The Institute has established a prioritized list of government reform objectives beginning with 1) term limits, 2) campaign finance reform, 3) controls on earmarks, 4) elimination of congressional pension, 5) elimination of congressional exemption from laws, 6) elimination of voting their own raises, 7) fixing the U.S. voting system.

It may be appropriate to add a new objective – Lobbyist Control Legislation. A law that would require legislators to divulge all contacts, meetings, and contributions from special interest. Making this public would require notifying their constituents directly in a specific mailing with all campaign contributions made public and if there was a vote taken on the legislation of interest to the special group.

Well, you get the idea. I’ll have to make a note to bring a suggestion to the Institute Board and let the real think-tankers take over to get the details worked out. We live in a great country that can be even greater provided we root out the corruption. Let’s get started…!

As my previous visits to California have been to Los Angeles / Hollywood, I was pleasantly surprised to find the “laid back” California lifestyle that is portrayed so often in film and television.  From the Farmers Market (more on this later) to the various beaches, we were so enchanted, we wanted to stay there and send for the the rest of the family.  The shear volume of walkers, joggers, and bike riders on an early Saturday morning was astounding.  Nearly every cafe and coffee shop had people sitting and standing and taking in the fresh air and views.

The wedding site was on the South Ponto Beach, an area with powdery sand and tall cliffs.  My daughters loved climbing the sandy trails to explore the areas carved out by the wind.  The plants and animal life were abundant, and varied.

The ocean was fairly calm the time we spent there, at both high and low tides, with waves barely breaking the 4 foot high mark.  The water was too cool to venture very far out without a wet suit.  The surfers did not seem to mind and we often saw surf lessons being administered by some of the local surf shops.

And now for my favorite part – the food.  The availability of fresh produce virtually every day helped us to make good use of the full kitchen we had at our condo at the Grand Pacific Palisades Resort and Spa.  We ate all but the wedding reception meal in our room, using fruits and vegetables from the local Farmer’s Market.

One morning, I made a variety of the skillet eggs recipewe blogged about several months ago with fresh asparagus, spinach, mushrooms, potatoes, sausage and eggs.

Another day for lunch, we blackened some fresh tilapia on wheat toast with spinach and smoked provolone.

The highlight of one of our dinners was the carrots I had purchased earlier that day from the Farmer’s Market in the Carlsbad Village Shopping Center.  My daughter asked if I had put butter on the carrots, and I had the joy of explaining that when carrots are pulled from the ground when they are at their peak of ripeness, they naturally have a buttery flavor and that I had not even seasoned them.

The favorite part for me was the sweet fresh strawberries we picked up from the Carlsbad Strawberry company.  While we could have picked our own berries, we opted for the already picked.  After we devoured all three quarts in an afternoon, we ended up driving back to pick up another sleeve of 3 quarts for the evening and the next day.  Nothing in the world compares to a massive strawberry, picked in the early morning, bursting with sweetness.  I can only imagine hitting the Powerball as being sweeter than that.

Now about our condo…..amazing.  Two showers, one bedroom, and a fold out king were more than ample for my two daughters and me.  Flat screen TV, two sinks, and a lanai made for plenty of entertainment options for me while my daughters were getting ready for the day.

The resort had two pool areas, one exclusively for adults, and another geared towards the kids.  The hot tub was a welcome relief after long days of shopping and playing on the beach.  In fact, it was also good after a 3 mile run to the beach and back.  And after breakfast.  And after lunch.  We liked the hot tub, can you tell?

All in all, from the Outlet Mall to the Forum (think “Bradley Fair” with palm trees), we had a great time at the shopping venues.  In fact, the order taker at the Starbucks at the Outlet Mall knew our order by heart by the third day.  Great service.  I wish he lived in Wichita so I could hire him for a secret project at the new Mercedes-Benz building.  Or an Airport Shuttle Driver.

I am looking forward to going back to Carlsbad soon and taking the rest of the family.  definitely worth the time and money to go back.

RX 350 lease pricing is enhanced to bring lease pricing down $15-$20 per month depending on mileage allowances and other factors.

GS 350 lease pricing has been reduced an average of $30 per month, depending on mileage allowances and other factors.

CT 200h lease pricing now has a $0 due at signing option for lease guests and a 0.9% APR option for purchase guests.

As there are many options and factors, exact pricing can only be determined at the Dealership.  Stop in before April 30th for all the details.

And if for some reason you do not SEE this offer until May, stop by anyway to see what we can do to help you drive off in a brand new Lexus!

One of the library’s many study rooms

Need a peaceful, quiet study space?  Want to work on a group project?  The library’s study rooms are the answer!

Study rooms:

• Are checked out on your library account at the library’s Circulation Desk on the first floor;
• Cannot be reserved: they are first come, first served, for two hour increments (you and the key must stay in the library during your 2 hour check-out period);
• May contain flat screens that can be hooked up to a laptop;
• On the first floor contain large whiteboards.  Other rooms may have small whiteboards;
• Come in various sizes, so rooms can accommodate as few as 1-2 people, and up to 10 people.

The library’s study rooms have proven to be very popular since the library opened last year.  Contact the Circulation Desk for more information or come to the library to check one out!

Let me know what you think about the new look…

Part documentary and part narrative, Nights with Theodore is an exploration of Buttes-Chaumont Park in Paris, France. To be more specific, the film delves into the mystical history of the park and then quite effectively builds a fantasy narrative around it. We follow a couple, who, after spending the night in the park, are drawn back to it every night by an almost supernatural force, and while they enjoy their time in the park it is not without consequences.

Personally, Nights with Theodore filled me with nostalgia. It reminded me of those dreamlike nights where you connect with someone new and time seems to distort. You wander the streets talking and exploring without any real goal or destination, just wanting the moment to last as long as it can. It’s not everyday that a film strikes such a connection with me, and while it might not be one of my top films come the end of the year it will be a film that I’m forever glad I saw.

Showtimes for Nights with Theodore: Sun, Apr 28th – 6:45pm (Kabuki)

Mon, Apr 29th – 3:30pm (Kabuki)

Sun, May 5th – 9:30pm (Kabuki)

Il Futuro

Rutger Hauer is truly all over the place. After appearing in Hobo With A Shotgun (2011) and Dario Argento’s Dracula 3D (2012) I figured it was pretty much going to be trash from here on out. I was wrong.

As far as plot goes, there is nothing unique about Il Futuro. The story of a young attractive woman conning an old man has been done a million times, but the films surreal atmosphere and characters bring something special to an otherwise overdone story. I  loved Rutger Hauer in this film and the scenes between him and Manuela Martelli’s character are truly captivating. If you’re going to make a film based on an overdone story you better make it unique, and Alicia Scherson (director) has done just that.

Showtimes for Il Futuro: Tue, May 7th – 6:45pm (Kabuki)

Wed, May 8th – 9:30pm (Kabuki)

Thu, May 9th – 8:50pm (PFA – Berkeley)

Helsinki, Forever

If I had any knowledge or interest in Helsinki, or perhaps lived in Helsinki, I might have found this film fascinating. However, knowing nothing of the place, I found Helsinki, Forever very dull. Some of the footage was beautiful and it’s put together in a rather poetic manner, but this couldn’t save the film from the fact that it’s a historical found footage love letter to a city I know, and care, very little about. I’m sure Helsinki is a lovely place, in fact I would love to visit it, but I would label this film as a “special interest” film, as I can’t see anyone enjoying it unless they love Helsinki, or archival footage.

I wont give the film a star rating as I feel it would be unjust to rate a special interest film whose subject matter doesn’t interest me.

Showtimes for Helsinki, Forever: Sat, May 4th – 3:00 (Kabuki)

***Director, Peter von Bagh is this year’s recipient of the Mel Novikoff Award. Peter von Bagh will be attending the screening take part in an on-stage discussion following the film.***

Less work, more play.

1. Remove a top layer of existing soil from the plot, containing any rooted plants that took up occupancy over the winter.
2. Remove a second layer of clean soil devoid of rooted plants.
3. Add back in the soil with the rooted plants interspersed (will decompose and will be a good source of nitrate).
4. Place in a layer of decomposing leaves (from a leaf litter pile), mixed with a layer of fertilizer of manure.
5. Add back the second layer of clean soil removed at the beginning.
6. Final layer of composed soil or rich soil as your top layer.

This took me about an hour, which included some chit chatting with the garden coordinator and some neighboring gardeners.

UP NEXT: spring vegetables.

When I saw this in the shop window I was immediately fascinated by its geometrical Art Deco design and wanted to have it instantly even though I did not really know what it was. After some minutes of discussing with the shop owner, I found out that he had no idea what this thing was made for. Just like me. He only bought it because it looked interesting to him and he thought it was something very rare (He was absolutely right at that point).

Later I found out that there should be two exterior flash-lights on both sides of the top which are missing and so is the spring-driven 24 x 24 mm ROBOT II camera which did its service inside. If you want to see the entire unit in a better and complete condition I refer this link to Kurt Tauber’s outstanding camera collection. Finding more information on the web seems to be nearly impossible, proving my assumption about its rareness. Even its age seems to be undefined. Some sources date it back to the 1930s or 1940s, some say it’s a post-war product of the early 1950s. One established fact is that it was made by RoBoT Berning & Co. KG in Düsseldorf, a company well-known for spring-motor operated cameras as well as cameras designed for special tasks. Confusingly enough the plate on the back displays TECHNIKO GMBH DÜSSELDORF as manufacturer.

Did I hear somebody asking how it worked? Well, I can only guess you would find it mainly in big stores back in the days. The customer would take a seat in front of the PRIMAFOT and correct his positioning in the mirrored frontglas, then use the electric cable release. The camera itself was seated exactly in the middle of the round full metal housing and shot directly through the one-way glass. Two big exterior flashlights provided balanced lighting.

Even though the overall condition is far away from perfection I’m absolutely happy about the purchase. Still I’m not sure about what to do with it.  Maybe I’ll leave it as it is so it will just serve as a decorative piece of art. The other idea is to get it working again by installing a digital point-and-shoot inside and force everybody entering my flat to shoot some self-portraits with it. Should be fun.

Other ideas anybody?