Peter Thuvander was so excited over his new iPhone that he designed an induction powered yo-yo charger for it. It charges its lithium ion battery using an OLPC crank. 30 “yo-yo” cranks is all you need to juice up your iPhone which sounds almost too good to be true.

The hardest thing in life is planting the seed, to dig through the pavements, grabbing opportunities, serving all people, satisfying everyone, not forgetting to smile, be on everywhere but not on the same time, to be always on time, to remember friends-family-religion-hobbies besides all hardships, everyday is a new day, looking at the mirror everyday, praise the people around you, sharing the blessings, listening to signs/symbols, respect, short sleeps. And most of all to study some Alley-oops tricks! besides Topsides~! Yes this is the life of a salesman. Come join in the fun yo! Its a one man team! Go team go!!

Yellowcard – Life of a Salesman

I love my family. I really do. They are wonderful.  I don’t have time to tell you why or to recount why this year’s Thanksgiving was among the best ever, but I will provide you with some brief excerpts from the Happy Holiday with limited context, please feel free to imagine or invent your own set of surrounding circumstances in your mind.

1) “No, no, no! This is not national news… it’s a cranberry package.”

2) “YEAH!!!!” (Followed by furious clapping and excessive celebratory hand slaps) – Spirited exclamation following the observation that Highlands and its respective temperature forecast was included on a regional weather map.

3) “Oh my God!!! It’s the history teacher from The Blind Side!” -Uncle Tim, screamed from across the movie theater lobby. More than once.

4) “Yo-Yos are the greatest toy ever” -Me, seconds before mine breaks into several circular projectiles and nearly concusses a man in the middle of a San Fransisco Rush arcade racing game, leaving me with feelings of emotional abandonment and disappointment, holding only a drooping string in my hand.

5) “The Falcon has flown! The first sign! Christmas approaches!” -You will just have to wait for more information about this one. One hint: it involves the release of an album that will rock your faces off.

6 Satin Lining MIX Yoyo 2 inches BEIGE, LIGHT BROWN, DARK BROWN Sewing, Scrapbooking, Cards, Applique, Embellishment, Garland, RME, dollhouse, quilt top, patch

You are looking for 6 2″ satin lining yoyo(Little bigger from 2″, I use extra large size yoyo maker). They’re really nice. You can use them for a lot of projects like hair accessories,frames, bags, pillows etc. It’s %100 polyester so don’t hold dust like cotton.

Colors:
♥ Black
♥ Gray
♥ Pink
♥ Burgundy
♥ Beige
♥ Cream
♥ White (Regular Satin)
♥ Lilac (Regular Satin)
♥ Gray Tones (Regular Satin)
♥ Green (Regular Satin)

For customize order please send me an e-mail. I have big satin inventory.

Thanks for looking

They’re coming from Pet & Smoke free home

Patent drawing for the new toy

November 20, 1866: James L. Haven and Charles Hittrick of Cincinnati, Ohio receive a patent for improved manufacturing of a toy called “whirlgig” which was an improved bandalore.  This is important for two reasons, the first of which is it led the way for patenting the process and improvements of the manufacturing of items. The second is that it brought the world’s second oldest toy to the United States.

Only dolls predate this toy, which shows a history dating back to at least 500 BC where there are vases of Greek design showing a boy playing with it. In the early nineteenth century, the French called the toy a bandalore while the English called it a quiz. The toy consists of two equally sized and weighted discs held together by an axle to which a string is wound.

There are unsubstantiated rumors that the bandalore was originally a weapon, at least in the ancient past. But the physics of the toy negate this. It is simply a toy that has traveled around the world and stood the test of time. Usually enjoyed by children, those same children can become very adept at its control and execute tricks with the whirlgig.

A Filipino-American named Pedro Flores began with a handful of handmade toys in 1928 in California. He turned his business into a successful operation and a year later had two factories with 600 employees turning out 300,000 units daily. The next year, Donald D. bought the concern for $250,000 – depression era dollars, a truly vast sum of money. Although the toy was never a weapon Mr. Duncan who marketed the toy as Duncan Yo-yos made a killing.

“Toys were lots of fun before they became capitalist tools.” – Beth Copeland

“The simplest toy, one which even the youngest child can operate, is called a grandparent.” – Sam Levenson

“The intellect is a very nice whirligig toy, but how people take it seriously is more than I can understand.” – Ezra Pound

“Of audiences: they were really tough – they used to tie their tomatoes on the end of a yo-yo, so they could hit you twice.” – Bob Hope

Also on this day, in 1992 part of Windsor Castle burned. Part being about 100 rooms.

I know that they say we all have an inner child – and I have even heard that Christmas is the time that we most often see our inner 9-year old. I guess you could say that this was very true in the studio yesterday when I got a chance to be creative and play with toys (it was a really good day in the studio!).

Let me just start off by saying that I am really not that good with a yo-yo. Even still, they fascinate me. I once saw a youtube video of an amazing yo-yo-ist (what are they called, anyway?) working magic with his yo-yo. I never knew that these things were even possible. And I never knew that there was an international yo-yo competition either.

I will never be on any yo-yo competition circuit – my yo-yo skills are very limited to making sure the yo-yo comes back to me (if it does, I count myself very lucky indeed) and making sure that I don’t break anything (don’t laugh – I can be very clumsy when I want to be, and me with a yo-yo can be a very dangerous proposition). But needless to say, playing with a yo-yo brings back memories of childhood, and testing out my new yo-yo brought some hearty laughter into the studio.

Okay – but how do you make one for your very own this holiday season? Well… the trick is in starting out with the yo-yo kit (coming soon to the Daylilies site). It comes with 4 easy-to-use, no-tool-required pieces (I am sure that you could fashion your own pieces out of wood if you had the carpentry skills to handle such a project – I must once again admit, however, that I am clumsy. Power tools just aren’t my forte, so I am sorry, but I cannot give you a pattern to follow on this one. I just used the kit). Paint it, stain it, decoupage it – whatever you want to do to make your yo-yo personal to you – tie on the string and snap it all together.

It couldn’t be more easy.

The yo-yo in the pictures was inspired by the snowflake. I grabbed a piece of paper and cut out a good, ol-fashioned snowflake, and used that as a template. With a little non-permanent glue, the snowflake stayed in place while I traced it (and coloured it in) with an 18 karat gold marker. Once dry, I stained the whole yo-yo, snapped it together, and tested it out.

It works really well – surprisingly well considering my aforementioned lack of yo-yo skills, and I think that it would be a perfect addition for any stocking this Christmas!

(That, and it is a whole lot of fun to make and test). What are your yo-yo memories made of?

Raggedy Ann, muñequita de trapo

En 1914, el dibujante de tiras cómicas John Gruelle pintó una cara en la muñeca de trapo de su hija Marcella e inventó así las muñecas peponas. De su estantería sacó un libro de poemas de James Whitcomb Riley y combinó los nombres de dos escritos, “The raggedy man” (El hombre harapiento) y “Little Orphan Annie” (Annie, la pequeña huérfana), para crear el nombre de la muñeca, Raddegy Ann. Gruelle escribió algunos libros sobre el personaje de Raggedy Ann, como Rageddy Ann Stories (1918), y varios cortos animados en 1941, 1944 y 1947.

Creyones de Crayola

Los primeros productos que fabricaron en su empresa, Binney & Smith (hoy Crayola LLC), Edwin Binney y C. Harold Smith fueron colorantes para uso industrial. En 1900 la empresa añadió  a su paleta de productos lápices para pizarras, lo que les llevó a experimentar con cemento, pizarra y talco, gracias a lo cual lograron inventar la primera tiza blanca inodora. Ya en 1903, Edwin Binney y C. Harold Smith produjeron la primera caja de creyones de Crayola. Fueron los primeros en elaborar herramientas artísticas no tóxicas, lo que permitió que los niños pudieran jugar con ellas sin correr ningún riesgo.

Barbie

La muñeca más famosa y vendida del mundo fue presentada por Elliot Handler, fundador de la compañía Mattel, y su esposa Ruth Handler en la Feria Americana del juguete (American International Toy Fair) en 1959. Ruth Handler decidió poner el nombre de Barbara Millicent Roberts (Barbie ) a la muñeca en honor a su hija Bárbara, que nació en Willows y fue al Willows High School, donde conoció a novio Ken Carson.

Yo- yo

El yo- yo tuvo su origen como un artilugio de caza que usaban ciertas civilizaciones en los comienzos  de la Edad Moderna para conseguir sus presas. Sin embargo, como juguete, el yo- yo se remonta al año 1000 a.c en China; la versión oriental consistía en dos discos de marfil con un cordón de seda; después se extendió a Europa, donde fue adornado suntuosamente con joyas y pintado con dibujos geométricos a fin de que su rotación creara efectos hipnóticos. Los más hábiles han logrado realizar diversas pruebas.

El señor Cara de Patata (Mr Potato Head)

Es un juguete tradicional para niños que consiste en un figura con forma de patata la cual puede ser adornada con numerosas piezas plásticas insertables para hacer una cara, incluyendo un bigote, un sombrero, la nariz y otros rasgos y complementos. Sr. Potato Head fue una invención de George Lerner a finales de los años 1940. La idea fue vendida originalmente a un fabricante de cereales, de modo que las piezas separadas se pudieran distribuir como premios en los paquetes de cereales. Pero no tuvo éxito. Lerner compró los derechos y vendió el producto a los fabricantes de textil Henry Y Merrill Hassenfeld. El señor cara de patata se convirtió en el primer juguete que se vendió por medio de publicidad en la televisión nacional y apareció en las dos películas de Toy Story. En 1953, crearon a la Señora Cara de Patata y, poco después, se completó la familia con los hijos Spud y Yam.

Play Doh

En 1956, Joe McVicker introduce en el mercado la plastilina “Play Doh”. En sus inicios, fue manufacturada en Cincinnati (Ohio) como un limpiador de papel tapiz; cuando en un salón de clases los niños comenzaron a usar este material, hecho de harina, agua, sal y otros ingredientes, como un compuesto para moldear, el producto fue re- manufacturado y se vendió a las escuelas de Cincinnati, convirtiéndose así en un juguete. Desde su lanzamiento en el mercado de juguetes, Play Doh ha generado una considerable cantidad de mercancía secundaria como “The fun Factory” o “Play Doh creativity table”.

YART SALE 6 Yoyo 2 inches ORANGE BURGUNDY EGGPLANT Sewing, Scrapbooking, Cards, Applique, Embellishment, Garland, RME, fam team, dollhouse, quilt top, patch, yart sale fall harvest autumn

Notes from the Artist:

You are looking for 6 MIX yoyo(Little bigger from 2″, I use extra large size yoyo maker).

You will get 2 of the each color

They’re really nice. You can use them for a lot of projects like hair accessories,frames, bags, pillows etc. It’s %100 polyester so don’t hold dust like cotton.

Colors:
♥ Black
♥ Gray
♥ Pink
♥ Burgundy
♥ Beige
♥ Cream
♥ White (Regular Satin)
♥ Lilac (Regular Satin)
♥ Gray Tones (Regular Satin)
♥ Green (Regular Satin)

For customize order please send me an e-mail. I have big satin inventory.

Thanks for looking

They’re coming from Pet & Smoke free home

link provided by SHAWBOOGIE

10 Răspunsuri la “Gătesc păstrăvi”

1. matilda spune:
   octombrie 29, 2009 la 11:34 am modificăÎţi ofer reţeta mea, dar, desigur, depinde de gustul fiecăruia… Deci : se spală peştele, se “murdăreşte” din abundenţă cu mirodenii,inclusiv un căţel de usturoi tăiat feliuţe subţiri, apoi se impachetează, unul cîte unul, în folie de staniol. Se ţin pe grătarul din grădină sau cel de pe aragaz circa o jumătate de oră, dacă nu sunt prea mari. Dacă sunt “grăsuţi” cam 40 de minute.După primul sfert de oră se întorc cu grijă. Se scot din folie direct pe farfurie, în momentul “festinului” . Un vin sec, alb, întregeşte bucuria papilelor gustative…
2. Marilena spune:
   octombrie 29, 2009 la 12:32 pm modificăMi imi place pastravul tinut cu sare si felii de usturoi o jumatate de ora apoi zvantat bine intr-un servet si pus pe gratar. Se mananca cu mujdei si mamaliguta.
3. Shari spune:
   octombrie 29, 2009 la 12:38 pm modificăIntr-o tava termorezistenta, pui putin ulei de floarea soarelui(sau unt).

    

   Faci un patut de legume(ce ai tu prin casa, dar neaparat sa fie si felii de ceapa si rosii).

   Mirodenii – bobite de piper, foi de dafin, o crenguta de cimbru uscat (doar cat sa imprumute aroma pestisorilor, ca la sfarsit o scoti).

   Lasi la cuptor cam 30-40 minute fara sa intorci pestele(se rupe).Nu se lipeste pentru ca e cocotat pe legume.

   Il servesti cu ardei bulgaresti ( ), vin rosu si lamaie.

4. SuKăRiT spune:
   octombrie 29, 2009 la 1:00 pm modificăDragă, mai bun decât făcut pe grătar nu-i, ascultă ce-ţi zic io, da?

    

   P.S. O ţârucă am lipsit şi s-o dus în fras frumuseţe de grădină. Ţţţ!

5. carmen spune:
   octombrie 29, 2009 la 1:33 pm modificăDraga Elisa,
   noi pregatim Pastravul asa – pentru o portie de 4 Pastravi:
   Dupa ce e curatat si spalat, pestele se preseaza cu servetel de hatrie spre a- l usca.
   O lamâie, jumatate stoarcem sucul si facem o marinada in care punem o lingura de coniac, ungem pastravul (înauntru si afara) si lasam 20 minute sa absoarba.
   Separat se curata un morcov, un fir ptaz si le taiem in rondele. Se calesc putin in unt. Se curata frunze de patrunjel si (separat) marar si se taie fin; cozile nu se arunca!
   1 kilogram cartofi curatati de coaja si intregi, se fierb in apa cu sare.
   Umplem Pastravii cu morcovul + prazul , feliile de lamaie si partunjelul; Ii ungem in afara cu putin unt. Se pregateste folie de aluminiu cat pt. fiecare peste si langa fiecare punem cateva cozi de patrunjel si marar, stopim cu ceva picaturi vin, inchidem folia de aluminiu si dam la cuptorul preincalzit la 200°C. Atentie, trebuie asa impachetat sa nu poata sa curga sosul ce se formeaza in interior.
   Dupa 20 minute se stinge cuptorul si se pun farfuriile inauntru spre a le incalzii.
   Cartofii taiati felii groase, se infierbanta putin in tigaie cu unt si mararul taiat fin.
   Pestele se poate oferii spre servire direct in folie pe farfuriile incinse. Se pune la dispozitie pentru doritori piper si felii lamaie. In castronel separat se servesc cartofii.

    

   Nu e de loc complicat si toate aromele raman puternic impregnate! Pofta buna Elisa si musafirii!

6. carmen spune:
   octombrie 29, 2009 la 1:38 pm modificăAh- am uitat sa spun: pastravul ramane intreg cu cap si coada.
   Si la masa se serveste vin alb sec.
   Te pup
7. starsgates spune:
   octombrie 29, 2009 la 3:01 pm modificăMie îmi place la nebunie păstrăvul prăjit cu mujdei de uturoi si smantana sau prajit cu sos de lămâie.:)
   Pofta buna!
8. Ninu spune:
   octombrie 29, 2009 la 3:24 pm modificăExact la fel ca si stargates , asa il gatesc si eu, prajit si cu mujdei de usturoi, si tot cu cap si coada ca daca e slutit si ciung nu-mi mai place, eu fac si impachetat in folie de aluminiu, curat pastravul, il imbrac in felii de lamiie apoi in folie de aluminiu si il dau la cuptor, pentru cei care au voie pastravul se si sareaza… nu stiu insa dece arata asa pastravii astia..trebuia sa fie mai colorati, cred ca sint de crescatorie, si de fapt sint curcubei..pastravul curcubeu e de fapt un soi de somon, nu e pastrav…
9. yo yo spune:
   octombrie 29, 2009 la 4:07 pm modificăcred ca am ajuns exact la masa..miroase a pastrav..
   mmmmmmmmmm
   pastrav la gratar( il fac pe grill, dupa ce l-am condimentat prealabil)..cu mamaligutza shi mujdei de usturoi… o nebunie..

    

   imi mai place shi prajit in ulei, cu cartofi nature shi lamaie…
   sa nu lipseasca vinul de pe masa, la pastrav…

   PS: vreau si eu o bucatica mica, mica, mica
   pofta mare!

by Kristie

I do not blog when I am in a bad space.  I want to share my successes, not my struggles.  I do not want to admit that I am not perfect.

I am depressed.

I have hit another low point.  I hit a low point last Thursday, almost a week ago.  Hit a low point last night.  Related to eating sugar.  I know that I am powerless over sugar.  I know this.  I understand this.  And I manage to take the first bite when I am abstinent, over and over.

I was so nourished when I was in Portland.  I am in love with the idea of having a raw restaurant similar to the place I frequented in Portland.

When I returned home, I stop nourishing myself. I stopped flossing my teeth!!

I got up this morning and first thing, brushed and flossed my teeth.  I have said it before, and will say it again – not flossing my teeth is a BIG RED FLAG that my disease, that my compulsions, are running wild.

One evening in Portland, I witnessed that I snacked when I was alone in the hotel room.  I eat in isolation.  It felt compulsive.

I felt balanced when I initially returned Houston from Portland.  Then had sugar last Thursday and felt like crap.  Since then my sleep has been off, waking at 1, 3 and 4 pm, which then creates a vicious cycle of more poor sleeping.

I am really disappointed to see the photos from our training in Portland.  Georgia, Laura, Cambrey and I went together.  I was 30 pounds lighter when I went two years ago.  I am playing a game with my weight, and it is winning.  I have been over the 200 mark again for at least a year.  That sucks.  I have been as much as ten pounds heavier than where I am today in the past year, up I go and down a little, up more and down less.  I am yo-yoing, upward….

What can I do?

• I have been asking my HP for help.  I cannot do this alone.
• I do not want to diet.  I lost the weight before without dieting.  I want to learn to maintain my weight without dieting.
• I know abstinence from sugar is my life path.
• Drink more water.
• Journal.
• Plan my meals.  Something raw at every meal.
• Eat 3 meals a day, no snacks.
• Consider returning to eating eggs and cultured veggies for breakfast.  I ate that breakfast when I maintained my weight loss.  I rarely eat cultured veggies any longer.  I think they are important for my body.
• Make calls.  Reach out to friends.
• Start working the OA 12 steps again.  I am an emotional eater.  I want relief in this area.  Working the steps will help keep me identify areas that cause me to eat and develop tools other than eating to cope with them.
• Meditate daily for 3 minutes
• Be UNPLUGGED from the phone and computer at least an hour during the day – ideally an hour at lunch and an hour after getting my kids from school and DO NOT touch the phone in the car

What’s special about this film version is the casting of four Japanese female pop singers from Hello! Project in the main roles, all of whom do extraordinary jobs. Yo-Yo Girl Cop follows a trouble-making girl with a complex past. We find her racing against the clock to discover a timebomb and who exactly these terrorists are and put a stop to their evil plan. She constantly finds herself in situations where the only option is to fight her way out.

When one sees that a movie is about yo-yo combat, one expects, well, yo-yo combat, not 90 minutes of people strapping bombs to themselves, then regretting it after someone sets a timer remotely. The whole story made no sense whatsoever. The acting is a little bumpy at the very start of the movie but by the end everyone has hit their stride. There a lot of funny parts too, like the scene in the mall where Saki uses her yo-yo for the first time.

This is a film that is supposed to grab hold of your attention with its action and excellent cinematography rather than make sense at every point of the story.  The Japanese cinema has become explosively action oriented in the post Kurosawa era. The best part of the new film is the ending. The fight is almost as good as anything from the old movies with a new twist added. Now, there’s nothing particularly groundbreaking in terms of the general storyline or dramatic elements, but they do provide a series of effective anti-climaxes that taunt the viewer into doubting the existence of a grand finale.

The opening hour may seem weak at first, but is much better following a repeated watch because the viewer – now aware of the grand finale – can appreciate the build-up even more so. Make no mistake about it Yo-Yo Girl Cop requires a suspension of belief, but that’s one of the reasons it’s such a fun experience. No doubt, this is one of the dopest movie concepts ever. Throw into account the the outrageous, over-the-top, and frequently cheesy premise, and you have a fun time at the movies.

In this blog article–more of a blast from the past–we see a song dedicated to Will.  At 41 seconds, you can see my brother–one of the YoYo Boys employed by the Mad Hatters–without his beard.  I still dance to the Hatter’s music, even 14 years later.

Wordstudio: The Gist.

Duncan Yo-Yo experts will be demonstrating their world class tricks at the Puzzle Zoo Saturday from 5-7 p.m.

Duncan Yo-Yo experts will be doing a demo and trick show to honor 80 years of Duncan Yo-yos the Puzzle Zoo at the Westfield Valencia Town Center Saturday October 10 from 5 – 7 p.m.

The Crew Van was decorated with original graffiti artwork, applied by world-renowned Brazilian artist, Rodrigo Yokota.

Duncan Toys is celebrating its 80th anniversary with a world tour and the launch of its crew van from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. This tour launched on Saturday, August 22, 2009 and Santa Clarita will be one of 51 cities in 20 states.

By Don Heckman

Los Angeles

- Oct. 7 & 8. (Wed. & Thurs.)  The Stanley Clarke Trio with Hiromi and Lenny White.  They initially seemed an unlikely musical combination – the Return to Forever team of Clarke and White, with the adventurous jazz fusion pianist Hiromi.  But the blend has turned out to be remarkably compatible, especially in the pieces that display Hiromi’s unexpected mainstream skills.   Catalina Bar & Grill. (323) 466-2210.

- Oct. 8. (Thurs.) Paco Pena.  The great flamenco guitarist performs in his show (and album) A Compas, fronting a stellar group of guitarists and dancers, along with singer Miguel Ortega and percussionist Nacho Lopez.  UCLA Live at Royce Hall.   (310) 825-4401

- Oct. 8. (Thurs.)  The Mike Melvoin Trio. Melvoin and his steady regulars, bassist Tony Dumas and drummer Ralph Penland are always great to hear.  But Mike’s been bugged by the recent noise in some of the media about jazz being “in trouble.”  “I think,” he says, “that it’s time to disprove that dark vision.”  He’ll no doubt have a few special guests show up to give him a hand in that admirable task.  Crown Plaza Brasserie Jazz Lounge.  (310) 642-7500.

- Oct. 8 – 11. (Thurs. – Sun.)  The Inaugural Concert: Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  Thursday night’s Inaugural concert introducing the L.A. Phil’s remarkable new Music Director in a performance of Mahler’s celebratory Symphony No. 1 and John Adams’ commissioned composition, City Noir, may well be sold out by now.  But it’s worth a try.  And if you can’t get into the opening night, Dudamel and the Phil will perform the Mahler Symphony No. 1 with the U.S. premiere of Korean composer Unsuk Chin’s Concerto for Sheng and Orchestra on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon.   Dudamel and the Phil will also revisit Adams’ City Noir the weekend of Nov. 27.   The Inaugural Concert: Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. (323) 650-2000.

- Oct. 9. (Fri.)  Azar Lawrence.  The strong, vigorous tenor saxophone playing of Lawrence takes center stage, backed by bassist Henry Franklin, pianist Theo Saunders and drummer Ramon Banda.  Spazio. (818) 728-8400.

- Oct. 9. (Fri.)  Carol Chaikin.  She’s been around a while, playing alto saxophone and flute with an ever-adventurous style; but she’s still not heard as much as she should be.  So don’t miss this chance.  Chaikin performs  with pianist John Campbell, bassist Tom Warrington and drummer Ryan Doyle.  Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc. (310) 474-9400.

- Oct. 9 & 10. (Fri. & Sat.)  Roberta Gambarini.  The Italian songbird may be from Torino, but Gambarini’s singing is rooted in the history and the essence of jazz, and she is one of the rare contemporary vocalists whose scatting simmers with rhythmic swing and harmonic authenticity.  The Culver Club in the Radisson Hotel Los Angeles Westside. (310) 649-1776.

- Oct. 9 & 10.  (Fri. & Sat.)  Ron King and Bobby Shew.  It’s trumpet weekend at Charlie O’s with a pair of versatile veterans taking the stage.  King performs on Fri., Shew on Sat. with the rhythm section of pianist Andy Langham, drummer Roy McCurdy and bassists Chris Connor (on Fri.) and Darek Oles (on Sat.)  Charlie O’s. (818) 994-3058.

- Oct. 9 – 11.  (Fri. – Sun.)  Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.  Forty years as a married couple, hit-makers McCoo and Davis can probably do a complete set of songs – from the Fifth Dimension as well as their own duo recordings – that cruised the tops of the charts.  Catalina Bar & Grill. (323) 466-2210.

- Oct. 10 (Sat.) Divas Simply Singing. Sheryl Lee Ralph’s 19^th annual celebration of divadom once again features a sterling line-up of high profile talent.  The line up includes, in addition to Ralph, Yolanda Adams, Brenda Russell, Loretta Devine, Jennifer Lewis, Yo Yo, Barbara Morrison, Frenchie Davis, N’dambi and Sam Harris.  The Saban Theatre.   (323) 655-0111

- Oct. 10. (Sat.)  Sambajah and Kleber Jorge.  Venice Beach is not Ipanema, by any stretch of the imagination, but there’s something special, nonetheless about hearing Jorge’s guitar and songs and the stirring Brazilian rhythms of Sambajah with the Pacific Ocean in the background.  The Terrace on the sand walk to the beach.  10 p.m. No cover charge.  (310) 578-1530.

- Oct. 10. (Sat.)  Kathleen Wilhoite.  Actress/singer/songwriter Wilhoite’s resume embraces starring roles in films (The Edge, Pay It Forward) and television (L.A. Law, The Gilmore Girls) as well as the placement of her songs in, among others, Murphy’s Law and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Here’s a chance to hear her do her own thing, up close and personal, Vitellos Restaurant.  (818) 769-0905.

- Oct. 10 (Sat.)  Babbie Green and John Boswell.  Green is show biz second generation, the daughter of composer Johnny Green (“I Cover the Waterfront,” “Body and Soul”) and TV personality Betty Furness.  But her catalog of songs stands on its own, surely one of the best – if, sadly, too little known – examples of contemporary songwriting.  She performs rarely, so don’t miss this chance to hear her – and her songs – performed  with long-time partner, accompanist and singer Boswell. The Gardenia.  (323) 467-7444.

San Francisco

- Oct. 8 – 11. (Thurs. – Sun.)  Regina Carter.  The jazz world’s most versatile violinist – ready, able and eager to expand her already impressive improvisational perspectives.  Yoshi’s Oakland.  (510) 238-9200.

- Oct. 9 – 11.  (Fri. – Sun.)  Stanley Clarke Trio with Hiromi and Lenny White.  If you missed them at Catalina’s on Wed. and Thurs. (see above), a quick run up to San Francisco will give you a chance to hear this engaging trio.    Yoshi’s San Francisco.  (415) 655-5600.

New York

Ann Hampton Callaway

- Oct. 5.  (Mon.) Girls Like Us. It’s a great title, and a potentially great show, given the material and the cast.  The songs of Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carla Simon will be sung by Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway, Jessica Molasky, Barbara Walsh and Capathia Jenkins.  The Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center.  (212) 501-3330.

- Oct. 6. (Tues.)  Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Raiders.  Martin returns to his banjo-picking roots – he really is pretty good – at the start of a 23 city tour tour bringing bluegrass to the masses.  Carnegie Hall.  Also at the Wang Center in Boston on Wed., Oct. 7.   They’ll also be on the Letterman Show tonight – Monday Oct. 5.

- Oct. 6 – 11. (Tues. – Sun.)  Diane Schuur. She’s been returning to her jazz roots in the last few years, and the results – especially when Schuur emphasizes her story telling skills – have been impressive.   Blue Note. (212) 475-8592.

- Oct. 6 – 11. (Tues. – Sun.) and Oct. 13 – 19. (Tues. – Sun.)  The Bill Charlap Trio.  Pianist Charlap celebrates his 43^rd birthday (on Oct. 15) with a two week run, displaying the versatility that has made him a superb accompanist as well as an important jazz artist in his own right. The Village Vanguard.  (212) 255-4037.

Washington, D.C.

- Oct. 11. (Sun.)  The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Bass Competition and Gala Concert.  Fifteen outstanding young bassist compete before an impressive panel of judges: Ron Carter, Dave Holland, Bob Hurst, Christian McBride, John Patitucci, Charlie Haden and David Baker.  The Gala Concert will salute the 70^th anniversary of Blue Note Records with appearances by Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Bobby McFerrin, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Heath, Joe Lovano, Dee Dee Bridgewater and numerous others.  The Kennedy Center.  http://www.kennedy-center.org (800) 444-1324.

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Alessandro Vitti (art), Sunny Gho (colors), and Dave Lanphear (letters)

The Story: The kids get stuck in front of Norman, Hawkeye, and Ares.

What’s Good: This month’s issue in the always solid Secret Warriors was a bit of a jump in quality from last month’s book, and that’s largely due to two big surprises.

First off is Norman Osborn/Dark Reign’s presence.  Often cringe-worthy whenever he shows up to disrupt a book, Hickman writes him amazingly well and manages to load Osborn’s scenes with such a malevolent intensity, that it seeps off the page.  Norman’s monologue to Nick Fury about his rise and Nick’s respective fall pinpointed what Dark Reign should be about and this scene really showed the potential that this status quo can have, if used properly.  Osborn was fantastic, written perfectly, and his presence actually enhanced a book for once.

The second surprise is Alessandro Vitti’s art.  Vitti still isn’t Casselli, but he felt a lot more comfortable this month, feeling more consistent in style and detail.  Sunny Gho’s change of heart aids this significantly.  Last month, it felt like Gho had worked the colors to make Vitti’s art as similar to Casselli’s as possible, which invited unflattering comparisons and ultimately exposed Vitti’s weaknesses.  This month, Gho actually adds colors more appropriate to Vitti’s style, and the book is the better for it.  Gone is the gloss and sheen, and in its place is a lot of darkness and shadow, making this feel like more of a cloak-and-dagger spy comic than the all-out action of Casselli’s arc.  As such, Vitti’s work finally manages to shine on its own, working with the more subdued, less action-intensive story, while evoking a different sort of Japanese/anime influence.

The other big hit this month is Phobos.  It’s always great to see a character, especially a kid character, act like a badass and show his superpowered muscle.  His interplay with his father, Ares, was also well-done.  Hickman avoids any possible overwriting and goes minimalist, making the interaction between the two speak volumes as a result.

Outside of Phobos, we also get some solid character moments and promising new issues for the Caterpillars and a mandatory “Nick Fury is a badass” scene.

What’s Not So Good: It’s better and he’s standing on his own, but Vitti’s art still isn’t perfect.  While he hits far more than he misses, this is particularly noticeable in some of his facial expressions, which can feel a bit off, strange even.

There’s also the Nick Fury scene.  While funny, this was so detached from the rest of the book, that I wondered how necessary it really was, aside from its fulfilling the need to have Fury in every issue of Secret Warriors.  Worse still, it felt a little too stretched out and decompressed.

Conclusion: This book is at its best when the kids are at the forefront, as they are this month.  Though still not perfect, Vitti is also coming into his own.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans