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2009 was the year of Lance Armstrong’s long-awaited comeback; the internal strife that ripped through the Astana team during the Tour de France; Mark Cavendish’s Milan-San Remo and six Tour stage wins and of course, Bradley Wiggins’ ride to fourth overall in the same race.
Though British athletes enjoyed unprecedented success on the road, there was also plenty to cheer on the track and at a grass roots level too. Chris Hoy was knighted for his performance in Beijing, Geraint Thomas clocked the third fastest pursuit time ever, an estimated 65,000 people flocked to the Capital for the London SkyRide and British Cycling’s membership figures reached an all-time high.
Though thriving, cycling must also contend with bigoted attitudes and behaviour as seen on too many occasions this year. The Etape Caledonia sportive was sabotaged with carpet tacks and James Martin sparked controversy with his anti-cyclist vitriol.
From Armstrong’s comeback at the Tour Down Under to Cadel Evans emotional world championship win, we take a look back at the year in cycling news.
Lance Armstrong: The Return – January 21
After 1,274 days of retirement, Lance Armstrong arrived in Adelaide for his comeback race, the Tour Down Under. In the colours of the Kazakh-sponsored Astana team, with Johan Bruyneel by his side, it was almost like the old days – except Armstrong never used to start his season in January.
The seven-time Tour de France winner created a huge stir in South Australia. Crowds were enormous and interest in the event reached an unprecedented level. Most of the clamour was for Armstrong. In terms of assessing Armstrong’s ability it didn’t offer many clues. He finished safely in the bunch every day and even went on the attack briefly at the start of stage two. On Twitter he remarked on how fast the racing was and how great it was to be back.
Allan Davis of Quick Step won overall, despite the insertion of Willunga Hill, designed to thwart the sprinters. Armstrong was 29th.
But it was not a comeback without complication. Before the race, it emerged that Armstrong had not given the UCI six months’ notice of his intention to return, a rule put in place so that returning riders could be subject to six months of out-of-competition testing before racing. Armstrong should have been eligible to return on February 1, but the rule was waived to allow him to start the race on January 21.
There was also controversy over the reported $2million appearance fee paid to Armstrong. It had been assumed the money would go to charity, as the main motivation for the comeback was to raise awareness for the cancer charity, but the payment went instead to Armstrong.
‘Lance fever’ never quite reached the same boiling point again as it did in Adelaide, but that was before ‘Showergate’, before he broke off his agreement with anti-doping expert Don Catlin, and before the petty spat with Alberto Contador.
Arise, Sir Chris – January 1
Three Olympic gold medals and the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award were already in the bag when the news came that Chris Hoy was to be knighted.
The Scottish sprinter was awarded the knighthood in the New Year honours list, and was one of a number of Olympic and Paralympic cyclists to be honoured. Bradley Wiggins, already made an MBE after Athens, received the OBE, as did British Cycling’s performance director Dave Brailsford.
Paralympians Ellen Hunter, Darren Kenny, Aileen McGlynn and Sarah Storey were all awarded the OBE, while MBE’s were bestowed upon Ed Clancy, Nicole Cooke, Jody Cundy, Anthony Kappes, Jason Kenny, Paul Manning, Victoria Pendleton, Simon Richardson, Rebecca Romero, Jamie Staff, David Stone, Barney Storey and Geraint Thomas.
Chris Hoy officially became Sir Chris in June, when he was knighted by Prince Charles. Sir Chris’s mother, Carol, a 61-year-old retired nurse received an MBE for her 28-year career as a nurse dealing with sleep-related illnesses.
Sir Chris said: “Being knighted is the furthest thing from your mind when you compete at the Olympics. You train your whole life to be the best at what you do. If you’re fortunate enough to do that, an accolade like this comes along and it is a completely unexpected and amazing honour.”
Rebellin positive for CERA – April 29
A week after Davide Rebellin won Flèche Wallonne for the third time, the bombshell hit in the form of a declaration that he had failed a drug test after claiming a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics.
After Bernhard Kohl and Stefan Schumacher, the veteran Italian became the third member of the German Gerolsteiner squad to test positive for CERA, the third-generation version of the drug EPO.
Rebellin’s long and successful career was suddenly under a dark cloud, and his victory in the Belgian Classic was immediately discredited.
Almost eight months had elapsed between the Olympic Games and the announcement of the positive test, and in that time Rebellin had joined the Serramenti-Diquigiovanni team and won a major race.
Rebellin denied taking the drug, but he was suspended and in November he was told the Olympic silver medal he had won in the road race in Beijing would be taken away.
In the summer, Danilo Di Luca, who pushed Denis Menchov all the way in the Giro d’Italia, tested positive for CERA. There were also positive tests for Katusha’s riders Christian Pfannberger and Antonio Colom.
Cavendish in the pink at the Giro d’Italia – May 10
Months before the opening team time trial stage of the Giro d’Italia, all the talk of Garmin-Slipstream’s likely victory had been getting on Mark Cavendish’s nerves.
In the winter, he had warned Garmin against putting all their eggs in one basket, and said he believed Columbia would be stronger in the opening stage at Lido di Venezia.
Then, on the eve of the race, he told CW: “Jonathan [Vaughters] has said their season starts tomorrow. Their sponsors have paid money for six months of the year and I think that’s highly disrespectful to say their season starts tomorrow. I think their season starts tomorrow and fundamentally their season is going to end tomorrow.”
Cavendish was right. Columbia was the first team to start the stage and set a time that would not be beaten. Garmin got closest, but they were six seconds adrift.
As Columbia headed towards the line, Cavendish went to the front to lead them home and become the first British rider to pull on the pink jersey in the Giro d’Italia.
Although he didn’t win the opening road stage in pink, pipped by Alessandro Petacchi in Trieste, he did win three stages before withdrawing from the race to concentrate on the Tour de France.
Boonen positive for cocaine. Again – May 9
Something of a pattern was forming when Tom Boonen tested positive, out of competition, for cocaine for the second year in a row. Just as in 2008, all the pressure of carrying Quick Step, and Belgium’s, Classics hopes was eased by victory in Paris-Roubaix. But, a month later, it was revealed he had tested positive for cocaine.
Banned from last year’s Tour, this time ASO did not stand in Boonen’s way and Quick Step’s team management was happy to press him into action.
Thomas clocks third-fastest pursuit of all-time – October 30
Just as the UCI was contemplating eliminating the individual pursuit from the Olympic Games track programme, the competition began to hot up and it looked as if the previously untouchable Bradley Wiggins might face a challenge.
At the Manchester World Cup, Welsh rider Geraint Thomas – already a member of Great Britain’s world record-holding team pursuit quartet – rode the third fastest 4,000-metre pursuit of all time.
Thomas’s time of 4-15.015, set in the qualification round, was the fastest time recorded without the advantage of the ultra-aerodynamic ‘Superman’ position.
All the more remarkable was the fact Thomas had done just a couple of weeks of specific pursuit training before winning the National Championship title with a 4-18.
And, in the final against Belgium’s Dominique Cornu, Thomas was up on his qualifying time when he completed the catch, but did not press on to record a time.
Though still some way off Chris Boardman’s world record of 4-11.114, the level of competition between Wiggins, Thomas and the American Taylor Phinney, who did a 4-15.160 at the World Championships in Poland earlier in the year, raised the possibility of the record being challenged. However, with the event removed from the Olympic programme it’s likely the big names will not focus on it to the same extent.
The Manchester World Cup was a successful campaign for the British riders, who won 10 gold medals, setting a new world record in the women’s team pursuit and going within a second of the men’s team pursuit world record.
And the gold medal won by Wendy Houvenaghel, Lizzie Armitstead and Jo Rowsell in the team pursuit was the 100th World Cup gold won by Great Britain in the 17-year history of the event.
Perfect 10 for Cooke – June 27
Nicole Cooke won her 10th National Road Race title to move ever closer to Beryl Burton’s all-time record of 12, claimed between 1959 and 1974.
On home turf in South Wales, Cooke’s strength and experience told in the finishing straight, and the world and Olympic champion crossed the line to net yet another national title. For Cooke, it was a rather anti-climactic year with little to celebrate, and her Vision 1 team folded mid-way through the season.
Controversy dominated the afternoon, however, when chief commissaire Colin Clews ruled that Armitstead, who finished second, should not be awarded the silver medal for the elite race because she was technically in the under-23 category.
Armitstead was presented with her under-23 champion’s jersey and gold medal but third-placed Pooley was given the silver medal for the senior race.
Clews was adamant: “When you combine two championships as we have done, if somebody receives the premier award, such as a jersey in the under-23, then she is no longer eligible to receive the medal in the elite competition.”
The crowd was not happy and booed the decision. A few days later, British Cycling ruled that Armitstead would receive the silver medal for the elite race as well as her under-23 title.
Vino is back – August 9
It started during the Tour de France. The Astana team was already being ripped apart by the Lance Armstrong-Alberto Contador power struggle. Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel had confirmed they would be splitting to set up Team Radio Shack. And then Alexandre Vinokourov called a press conference to say he’d be returning to action with Astana, whether Bruyneel liked it or not.
Although Bruyneel and Armstrong like to think they can get the sport’s authorities to bow to their will, they knew that welcoming the toxic Vinokourov back as if nothing had ever happened would be politically sensitive.
Vinokourov had tested positive for a banned blood transfusion during the 2007 Tour. Astana were asked to leave the race and they were not invited in 2008.
Riding in a hideous ‘Vino 4 Ever’ jersey as part of a Kazakh national team, he won a time trial at the Tour de l’Ain, his first race back, then won the time trial at the Asian Cycling Championships in Indonesia.
The Vuelta a Espana was a different prospect. Seventh in the prologue, he did a reasonable time trial at Valencia, finishing 15th, before struggling in the mountains. Being beaten into fourth place of four from a break on stage 10 was almost the final straw. He pulled out of the race two days later.
Downing seals Sky deal – August 23
Time was running out for Russell Downing. It was already late August and it was beginning to look as if Team Sky was not going to come calling.
The 31-year-old from Yorkshire had dominated the domestic scene and been Great Britain’s only finisher at the 2008 World Championship Road Race, but every time he’d appeared on the verge of a much-deserved breakthrough, something went wrong.
So, the three-day Tour of Ireland offered a golden chance to impress, and Downing did not hang about. He got into a powerful break with the likes of Alexandr Kolobnev, Matti Breschel, Philip Deignan and Haimar Zubeldia, and won the sprint at the finish with ease.
Then it was all about the difficult final day to Cork. Downing was alert, strong and decisive, attacking with Lars Petter Nordhaug, who will be one of his Sky team-mates in 2010, to clinch the overall classification.
It was the sort of ride that demanded attention, and if Downing’s name had been a little way down Team Sky’s list of targets before, he was suddenly in the frame.
TV chef cooks up a storm – September 15
Telly chef James Martin must have wished he’d kept his ‘amusing’ thoughts about cyclists to himself. In the Mail on Sunday he described how he liked to startle cyclists by blasting the horn on the ultra-silent Tesla.
“The look of sheer terror as they tottered into the hedge was the best thing I’ve ever seen in my rear-view mirror,” he wrote.
Except that the cycling community didn’t see it that way. The internet was ablaze and the Press Complaints Commission was inundated. Tesla wasn’t happy either. The Mail had to suspend comments on its website and Martin was forced to issue an apology.
Sky Team announced – February 26
The worst kept secret in cycling finally received confirmation as Team Sky was officially announced as the backer behind a new British-run road squad.
Dave Brailsford’s dream of producing a rider from the UK capable of winning the Tour de France moved one step closer to reality with the four-year deal. Rupert Murdoch’s media empire already backed the Sky+HD track team so were logical partners for Brailsford’s bold plans, but with an estimated budget in the region of £10m per year, this was a big step up.
The timing could not have been better, with British cycling on a roll following the Beijing Olympics and its riders suddenly household names. The ‘marginal gains’ strategy employed by Brailsford and Team GB had produced fantastic results on the track. Could they put the same attention to detail into winning the Tour?
“It’s a mammoth task, we know that, but we’ve always set ourselves high goals,” said Brailsford. “Our ambition is to go in at the ProTour level straight away. We have established good relations with Christian Prudhomme and the rest of the staff at ASO, so we’d hope to be strongly in the running for a Tour de France place. We know our early season performances will need to be good to justify our presence.”
While the backroom boys kicked into action getting the team up and running, we started to speculate which Brits would actually be riding in Sky colours in 2010. Was Mark Cavendish happy to stay at Columbia, racking up the wins, or would he be prepared to risk it all to join a British team? Could Bradley Wiggins be prised away from Garmin? Was David Millar’s past an obstacle to joining the squeaky-clean new outfit? Time would tell…
Wiggins at the Giro – May 31
Pictures of an emaciated and exhausted dust-covered Bradley Wiggins sitting on the edge of the famous track after Paris-Roubaix brought home the transformation the Londoner was attempting.
Wiggins’s sights went from the once-every-four-years glory of Olympic gold to the biggest prize in cycle sport, the Tour de France. The newly trimmed-down rider who took 25th place at Roubaix was testing his legs for the main event. And very effective they were too, despite the alarming lack of fat.
Next stop for Wiggo was the Giro, and his talk of hitting a top-20 spot in Paris started to sound credible. Dropping Lance Armstrong in the Dolomites and strong performances in both time trials showed what the Garmin rider was capable of.
Wiggins drove his team to the line in a bid for the opening pink jersey in Venice but was forced to play second fiddle to Mark Cavendish and Columbia. Then he held his own in the mountains.
“I don’t want to get too carried away, I still got dropped,” he told Cycling Weekly. But it was all part of the build-up for the Tour. Could he pull it off in France?…
Lance at the Giro – May 31
Was this a new, media-friendly Lance Armstrong lining up for the start of the Giro? A cuddly, country-boy Texan complete with Southern hospitality and quotes for hungry journalists?
It may have been lovey-dovey in Venice, but by the time we had reached the Dolomites Lance had slipped back to the usual grouchy grizzly with a very big thorn stuck in his paw we have grown accustomed to.
To be fair to Armstrong, the circus that accompanies his every move on a major tour has to be seen to be believed. But with a reported $2m fee found by race director Angelo Zomegnan to lure the American to the Giro, the Italian was more than a little peeved to hear Armstrong complaining about dangerous stage finishes and the constant media focus on rifts inside his Astana team.
The bunch reached the so-called centrepiece final stage in the centre of Milan, only for a go-slow protest that culminated in a farcical finale. Zomegnan’s costly star attraction bore the brunt of his anger, and with some style: “It seems that as some riders get older, their legs become shorter and their tongues longer,” said the organiser.
Cavendish at the Tour – July 26
Mark Cavendish hit the big time in 2008. Four stages of the Tour de France and two in the Giro showed the Manxman could out-sprint the best. Could he go one better in 2009?
The answer was an emphatic yes. With Milan-San Remo in the bag and stage wins from the moment the new season kicked off in Qatar, Cavendish arrived at the Tour start in Monaco brimming with confidence – no surprises there – and with the legs to back up the big talk.
And he didn’t keep British bike fans waiting for long: stage two to Brignoles and the Manx Missile got the perfect lead-out from his Columbia team-mates to open the 2009 Tour account. Overtaking Chris Boardman to go top in Cycling Weekly‘s all-time list of British winners was an added bonus. Pulling on the green jersey at the same time was a statement of intent: Cavendish wanted that points prize in Paris.
Wily campaigner Thor Hushovd spoiled that particular party, but Cavendish kept on winning stages – six in all, including the Champs Elysées – mostly with several bike lengths to spare. A remarkable ride from a remarkable rider.
Olympic shake-up – October 8
UCI proposals to shake up the Olympic track programme for 2012 were a case of swings and roundabouts for Team GB. Introducing the women’s keirin and team sprint gives Vicki Pendleton the chance for three golds, the same as Chris Hoy, while taking away the pursuit leaves Rebecca Romero with nothing to aim for.
For the men, abolishing the points race, madison and pursuit would all be blows to the Brits – especially the pursuit – with only the omnium coming in. What is an omnium, exactly?
July Astana split at the Tour – July 4
It was always going to be an uneasy alliance once the racing got started. Alberto Contador, the strongest stage racer in the world, the only current rider to have won the Tour, the Giro and the Vuelta, had to accommodate the returning hero, Lance Armstrong.
Things got off to a bad start when Contador forgot to eat during the crucial stage of Paris-Nice, surrendering the overall classification. “Great talent, but still a lot to learn,” said Armstrong on Twitter.
Come the Tour, Armstrong was reluctant to talk about leadership. Armstrong led, briefly, during the opening time trial in Monaco, but ended the day as the fourth-fastest Astana man. Contador had beaten him by 22 seconds. It later emerged that he had had to pay for his aero wheels out of his own pocket.
In the power struggle, supremacy was what counted, rather than the margin, because if Contador led it meant Armstrong would have to attack. Some tricky crosswinds on the third stage turned the race on its head. Columbia set a searing pace, Armstrong and some of his team-mates were in a good position, Astana’s Sergio Paulinho let the gap open and Contador was marooned.
That’s racing, was Armstrong’s verdict.
Come the Pyrenees and Contador took what little opportunity there was to attack and get his nose in front. That, according to Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel, was against team orders. Contador attacked again at Verbier to put the Tour beyond doubt.
Even though the Spaniard was left without a team car to take him to the start of the Annecy time trial in the final week, he wrapped up the race with an imperious effort. By Mont Ventoux, the anticipated battleground deluxe, the race was over.
But it had been a stressful ride for the Spaniard. Opposed and, he would say, hampered within even his own team, he kept his counsel and let his legs do the talking.
Police cancel Bikeline Two-Day – March 14
Police stopped the first road stage of the Bikeline Two-Day in Merseyside after watching the riders repeatedly cross the white line in the middle of the road.
The problems of organising elite-level bike races on the open roads in Britain were exposed again.
After the prologue time trial, won by Russell Downing, the first road stage was in full flow when the police intervened. Organiser Jon Williams had hoped to negotiate to run the final stage the following day but was unsuccessful. “The riders were crossing over onto the other side of the road, and the police said that was putting lives at risk and inconveniencing other road users,” he said.
The cancellation was a blow to the Premier Calendar series, which had seen the ambitious Tour of Wessex, which planned to hold a road race on the same course as the sportive, cancelled because of difficulties with the police and local authorities. The Chas Messenger was cut to one day and the Archer Grand Prix was cancelled, although a race for lower categories was run.
Etape Caledonia sabotaged – May 17
The UK’s only closed-road cyclo-sportive was sabotaged when carpet tacks were strewn across miles of the Etape Caledonia’s 81-mile course.
Hundreds of riders punctured and the ride had to be temporarily halted while the roads were cleared.
There had been protests over the road closure to allow the cycling event to take place in Perthshire, but the deliberate sabotage, which damaged bikes and endangered riders, was a serious escalation in anti-cycling sentiment.
Cycling Weekly‘s deputy editor, Simon Richardson, was among the riders who punctured. “I rode past 50 or so people by the side of the road fixing punctures, then I punctured myself.”
The event, which raises around £250,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, restarted and the majority of the 3,500 participants continued with their ride.
Police investigated and charged a 62-year-old called Alex Grosset, the chairman of Rannoch and Tummel Community Council.
Organisers said they would work with the police and local authority to make sure there was no repeat of the incident in 2010 but it showed just how vociferous the anti-cycling lobby can be.
Frank Vandenbroucke dies – October 13
Frank Vandenbroucke died of a pulmonary embolism while on holiday in Senegal. The 34-year-old had been one of the sport’s brightest stars at the end of the 1990s, with an astonishing victory in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, when he powered his fragile-looking frame over the steep climbs of the Ardennes in the big ring, the peak of his achievements.
But, cycling’s darker side was never too far away for Vandenbroucke. His achievements were tainted by allegations of drug use and a police investigation. As he moved from team to team, each time riding for less money and slipping still further from that remarkable summit, the warning signs were there.
Cycling’s other tortured superstar, Marco Pantani, had died in 2004, and although it sounds unforgivably harsh, when news of Vandenbroucke’s death broke there was little in the way of surprise.
The Belgian’s life had taken some bizarre turns, such as the time he tried to commit suicide using a drug overdose, or the day he fired his shotgun in the garden during an argument with his wife, and each painful twist seemed to drive him further downwards.
Even at the end, he was talking about making a comeback. Cycling was all he knew, and it encompassed his greatest highs and his bleakest tragedies.
Blythe turns pro for Silence-Lotto – September 5
Adam Blythe, a former member of the British Cycling academy, who left the programme to make his own way in Belgium, impressed Silence-Lotto enough during a spell as a stagiaire rider to earn a two-year professional contract.
The Sheffield-born 19-year-old left the academy by mutual consent in early 2008 and rode for Konica-Minolta as a stagiaire at the end of that season. After a season riding as an amateur in Belgium, Silence-Lotto offered him a trial period.
At the end of that, they handed him a pro contract and a route straight into the ProTour. Will Team Sky come to view him as one that got away?
Cyclists take over London – Sept 19
For one weekend in late September, London was overcome by cyclists. Saturday saw a well-supported prostate cancer charity ride before the curtain came down on the Tour of Britain with a spectacular stage on the streets of London.
The largest edition of the race to date finished with a bunch kick on the Embankment, won by Barloworld rider Michele Merlo, in front of thousands of spectators. However, that turnout seemed positively small in light of the next day’s events, which saw 65,000 riders in the heart of the capital for the grand finale of the inaugural Skyride series.
As part of Sky’s goal of getting a million people cycling regularly by 2012, the new initiative had already taken closed-road riding to Manchester, Hounslow, Glasgow and Leicester. However, as hoped, the London Skyride was an unrivalled success.
Roads previously clogged by the city’s motorised traffic were transformed into a fluorescent and fluid mass of cyclists. A carnival atmosphere pervaded as riders young and old took to the nine-mile circuit from the Mall to Tower Hill, happily pedalling past some of the capital’s finest landmarks in the warm September sunshine.
Celebrities such as Sir Chris Hoy and Kelly Brook joined Mayor of London Boris Johnson in saddling up to support cycling. The route itself was often at gridlock due to the sheer volume of cyclists on what was the biggest mass-participation ride the country has ever seen.
It was heartening to see that the country’s myriad recent successes at the Olympics and the Tour de France have had such a positive impact on the masses. With the fusion of Britain’s successful national tour and the general public’s resounding “thumbs up” to cycling at the Skyride, this autumn weekend perfectly encapsulated the recent explosion in the sport’s popularity and profile.
Armstrong’s big break – March 23
On the crest of a post-comeback wave, Lance Armstrong literally came back down to earth with a bang at the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon. More used to smashing Tour de France records than parts of his body during his yellow jersey-winning heyday, the Texan hit the deck on this Spanish warm-up race’s innocuous opening stage and fractured his right collarbone.
Armstrong, whose career is synonymous with overcoming adversity, underwent surgery and was back on the bike quicker than expected. Only six weeks after his crash, the 38-year-old was, as promised, on the start line of the centenary Giro d’Italia. Thus, an injury which could have jeopardised his highly publicised return before it had gathered any speed, became another chapter in the ongoing Armstrong fairy tale.
After riding himself into shape, he went on to the Tour de France where, incidentally, the only fracture present was between him and Alberto Contador within their Astana team.
The Tour Series takes off – May 21
As the Tour Series got underway in Milton Keynes, it represented a bold leap into the unknown. Would fans turn up to lend their support, let alone understand the team-based scoring system? How would teams and riders stand up to the rigours of travelling and racing in ten rounds in such a short space of time?
As the saying goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and five weeks later, after the final round in Southend, there were no such concerns to be had. Sizeable crowds, lucrative sponsorship, abundant press coverage, including a prime-time slot on ITV2, and fast and fierce racing from the ten squads in attendance, ensured that the first edition of the Tour Series was a winner. After the initial rounds, the ‘top-three-per-team’ points system also promoted a more tactical and cohesive style of racing.
Attention in the series was maintained all the way to the wire, with Halfords Bikehut, CandiTV-Marshalls Pasta and Rapha Condor ultimately separated by a mere handful of points. Not since the Kellogg’s series in the 1980s had there been such a keen interest in city-centre criterium racing. After this opening success, plans are already in the works to expand the competition; teams are also bolstering their ranks with the Tour Series in mind.
Evidently, the established Premier Calendar now has a flash, new rival to contend with on the British racing scene.
James roars onto the scene with four-week gold rush – July 15
Becky James announced herself to the cycling world in spectacular fashion, scoring two gold medals apiece at the World and European Junior Track Championships. However, before June, ‘Becky who?’ might have been a more appropriate question to ask. In 2008, glandular fever and a tonsil operation had robbed the 18 year old of a chance of proving her worth.
However, once fit, there was no stopping her. At the European Junior Championships, her first major international competition, she claimed gold in the sprint and 500 metres. Four weeks later, at the Junior World Championships in Moscow, she rode assuredly to two rainbow jerseys, winning the sprint and keirin and breaking a junior world record in the process.
Things have moved very quickly since then. After being blooded in her maiden Track World Cup at Manchester, in October, James has been touted as an unlikely challenger for a berth on the London 2012 team – she herself identifies Jason Kenny, who claimed Olympic sprint gold in Beijing at the tender age of 20, as a role model.
However, there’s no hurry for the youngster to perform, with long-term goals in the next ten years more viable than the next Olympics. If she continues to progress, ultra-competitive James could take over Victoria Pendleton’s crown as queen of the track sprinting world.
Wiggins on top in clash of time-trial titans – Sept 6
The pre-race buzz was all about the highly anticipated clash between domestic time-trial dominator Michael Hutchinson and Bradley Wiggins: the former unbeaten in time-trial competition for two years; the latter flying on the back of his ground-breaking Tour de France fourth place.
Garmin star Wiggins came out on top with a virtuoso time-trialling display, despite being drafted part of the way by Matt Bottrill, who was later disqualified. On the 31.2-mile course around Botolph Claydon, in just over 62 minutes, Wiggins beat closest challenger Hutchinson by 2-19.
Five weeks later, he capped his finest season to date by taking overall victory in the Sun Tour in Australia. Emma Pooley (Cervélo Test Team) took the women’s title, edging out fellow Olympic silver medallist Wendy Houvenaghel by 30 seconds.
Mark Cavendish’s Milan-San Remo win – March 21
Mark Cavendish’s emphatic win at Milan-San Remo, in March, propelled him from the ranks of the mere mortal sprinters, to a Classics superstar and one of the greats of the sport at just 23 years old.
Cavendish’s win was the more remarkable for the fact that it was so unexpected. At such a tender age, and over the colossal length of San Remo’s 298km, many of his rivals were content to discount the Manxman’s chances. In the lead-up to the race, Cavendish himself played with his rivals in the media, saying initially that he would be going to his debut Classicisimma to learn, and he would be content with simply finishing.
“I knew it would be hard to win,” said Cavendish, “but I also knew that if I could play a little poker in the last few weeks, and play along with what people thought about me, what they thought my weaknesses were, I knew it would play in my favour.”
As it turned out, Cavendish had no weaknesses to exploit, as least none that his rivals were aware of. The Columbia team, with the help of sprint coach Erik Zabel, himself a four-time winner, prepared meticulously for the race, studying every detail, reducing the odds and leaving nothing to chance.
For all the pre-race strategising, nothing could have prepared Cavendish for the ferocity of Heinrich Haussler’s last-minute attack. The Manxman kept his composure and timed his counter-attack to perfection, inching past the German with moments to spare.
Embracing the legendary Mario Cipollini soon after crossing the line, his eyes beginning to swell with tears, the enormity of his achievement began to register. The only other British winner of the ‘Primavera’ was the late, great Tom Simpson in 1964.
Armstrong’s impromptu ride in Glasgow and Ireland – August 19
“Hey Glasgow, Scotland! I’m coming your way tomorrow. Who wants to go for a bike ride?” asked Lance Armstrong to his army of more than two million followers on Twitter.
Once details of the ride in Paisley had been posted, that left just a couple of hours to get there, yet hundreds braved the summer rain in Glasgow to catch a glimpse of their hero.
For a man who is usually so impenetrable, so distant and reluctant to engage with the public, it made a welcome change. Armstrong was beaming and took the time to chat with his fans and sign copious numbers of autographs.
The impromptu ride was not only a testament to the power of social networking sites in the modern age, but also to the American’s truly global appeal. All that remained was a feeling that maybe this is what his ‘comeback’ should have been about all along.
Boasson Hagen takes ToB – September 19
The Tour of Britain – the highlight of the calendar for aspiring domestic-based riders to show what they’re made of and pit themselves against the mighty continental professionals.
That was how it was supposed to be at least, until the Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen decided to make the race his own. The 22-year-old Columbia rider’s dominance of the race was hegemonic, winning four of the eight stages, claiming overall honours in the process and leaving room for just one British stage winner.
The young Norwegian’s performance was a testament to his versatility, not to mention his prodigious talent. Boasson Hagen also won Ghent-Wevelgem in imperious fashion, a stage at the Giro d’Italia and the overall at the Tour of the Benelux.
Boasson Hagen’s Tour of Britain win was the more significant because of an imminent move to the British Sky team. Sky’s team manager Dave Brailsford’s satisfied grin showed the trust in his future young charge had been vindicated.
London bike hire unveiled – October 8
Visitors to the Cycle Show at Earls Court, in October, were afforded a sneak preview of the bikes that are set to flood the streets of London as of May 2010.
Taking their stylistic inspiration from the Parisian Vélib scheme, London Cycle Hire aims to revolutionise transport within one of the world’s most heavily-congested cities.
The scheme will launch with a bang; 6,000 of the robust bicycles will be spread across 400 docking stations around the centre of the city, meaning that you will never be more than 150 metres away from a bike.
The level of cycling is rising exponentially on the streets of the capital, and with plans to expand the scheme in phases, it seems its popularity is already assured.
However, reports emerging from Paris will have given Transport for London some food for thought. Vélib has been beset by theft and vandalism since its inception. One can only hope the same fate does not befall London.
Solo win for Pooley at Montreal GP – May 30
Emma Pooley’s win at the Montreal GP in May was the perfect encapsulation of just how successful the Briton’s season was.
The petite climber escaped early in the race and was not seen again until the finish. 110 kilometres later.
“Physically it was definitely the hardest win of my career,” said Pooley. “I had to work hard for it because people don’t let me get away any more. The more often you try the solo move the harder it becomes!”
Pooley added the GP Plouay and the National Time Trial Championships, amongst other things, to an ever-expanding palmarès. |
The Wolf ‘Em Stick — “So Tasty You’ll Wolf Them Down”
S’mores are a tradition for campers everywhere, and we found a way that you can enhance your S’mores experience with a Wolf ’em stick! When you use Wolf ’em sticks, you are forming biscuit dough on the end of your stick, and you end up with a biscuit cup cooked to perfection over your campfire! Fill your cup with anything you like, whether it’s whipped cream and fruit, hot fudge topped with marshmallows, fill it with lettuce and taco meat and top it with sour cream or even use it as a dip cup for vegetables! Talk about expanding your camp cooking horizons!
Check out more on Wolf ’em sticks at www.wolfem.com. Are you sold yet?
Here’s the inside story of how Wolf ’em sticks were invented: |
Who elects leaders and why?
These two questions would be based on the assertions made by many people across the world about the integrity and the understanding of South African voters as to why they continue to vote for Zuma and the ANC.
The following was quoted from a Czech newspaper; “The danger to South Africa is not Jacob Zuma but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of a Zuma presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Zuma, who is a mere symptom of what ails South Africa. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive a Jacob Zuma, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their President.”
Whether leadership is there or not, it seems like South Africans don't care much. Whether the person is clean, dirty, corrupt, a murderer or a psychopath they are just not bothered and they would vote that person in as their leader. And there are many instances of such including the one of a Black man voting for Eugene Terre'blanche's AWB to lead South Africa saying he loves them and loves their horses. Why would a Black person vote for a party that will enslave him and ensure that he is nothing on earth beats the hell out of me, yet we have these.
So back to those two questions, (1) Who elects leaders and (2) Why do they elect those leaders (capabilities).
1. The first part of who vote for leaders is separated into two. One being the voting in Country's election and the other in a political party. These are different in a way that people behave differently in them. In a country, you vote for a party that you would like to rule the country without much invested responsibilities and returns but hopes of getting good governance.
Then you have party leadership which acts differently on branch level than on regional to national level in a party. I will just touch on the regional to national. Who elects the leaders at regional to national? In every party that exists in SA, it is delegates that elect leaders of their choice (even though they would be saying they represent their constituency). There is no definite proof that, unless the voting is seen by all, the delegate is voting as per the constituency and as such render the entire delegation process a flaw. Many delegates have vested interests in the leadership contest as some maybe lobbied, some bought, and some promised better positions or some other returns for voting in a particular candidate.
The quality and qualifications of a leadership candidate is irrelevant in most cases in most political parties including the ANC. Those standing for positions would lobby people to convince others, whether correctly or not, to get support so as to ascend to power without even giving out his/her potentials, skills and knowledge of the position. This is seen in many councilors and mayors of our towns. Do delegates care? Hell No! they don't as long as their candidate gets that position and everything else would sort itself out.
Why would Malema turn back on Zuma saying he is a bad president after he went around the country to convince people that Zuma was the best and he would die for him?
The system that the political party has invested in to select or elect its leaders is flawed and irrational with many consequences for the party and the nation as the whole. Political parties can no longer afford to rationalize the voting system where anyone tom, dick and harry can be their leaders and give delegates the overall powers to choose their leaders.
2. Every voter and those who refuses to vote will tell you that it is their democratic right to do so But why are they voting? People generally believe in Magical thinking such that they believe things will change for the better if they put so and so in a position.
Generally, the person who speaks/question the most in a meeting would get a nod next to be a leader by that particular cluster of people but take a thinker and a philosopher and the same cluster would reject that person and have him/her labeled a betrayer of the 'noble' cause. Take Pallo Jordan for instance or Joel Netshitenzhe who are some of the country best thinkers but pushed so far back in the line of leadership. One needs to ask, why? Are we blinded by the fundamentalist illusion that the more talkative a person the more intelligent they are? If a person question strategies then that person would actually do better?
While the Magical Thinking might be one of the reasons for voting, with people carrying the hope of things getting better after their candidate won. To some they believe it is their civic duty/obligation to vote.
Both the Magical Thinking and civic duty carry people to the voting stations, it is still a mystery as to why people still vote the way they do, especially in South Africa where voters have not receive returns on the votes.
Why would people still vote for corrupt people, corrupt parties and inefficient leaders? Is it a case of Stockholm syndrome or capture-bonding, in which hostages express empathy, sympathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them?
Are we that gullible or leadership blind to just elect and vote blindly without thinking of the consequences of our actions? |
Jack E. Kimbrell, 86, of Cary, died Friday, March 15, 2013 at Glenaire Retirement Community in Cary, NC.
Jack was born May 27, 1926 in Union County, NC to the late Richard MacK Kimbrell and Maggie Sims Kimbrell. He was a graduate Wingate University and East Carolina University. Jack had a varied career in education, managerial and personnel positions, but he was most proud of his tenure as media training coordinator and senior engineering extension specialist with North Carolina State University, where he served from 1969 until his retirement in 1991. He was active in many professional and community related activities to include: American Society for Training and Development; Cary Greenway Commission; Cary Community Appearance Commission and member of Greenwood Forest Baptist Church.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 42 years, Katherine Williams Kimbrell; and his siblings, Dixie Howard Brodmerkle; Thomas H. Kimbrell; and Charles H. Kimbrell.
Jack is survived by his daughters, Karen J. Kimbrell of Winston-Salem, NC; and Sarah K. Humphries and her husband, Hank of Richmond, VA; grandchildren, Daniel Everhart of Boone, NC; and Chip Davis and his wife, Robbie of Palatka, FL.
The family will receive friends 7-9 pm Monday, March 18, 2013 at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 200 SE Maynard Road, Cary, NC 27511. A memorial service will be held 11 am Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at Greenwood Forest Baptist Church, 110 SE Maynard Road, Cary, NC 27511.
Memorials may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 3101 Industrial Dr., Raleigh, NC 27609. www. nationalmssociety.org
Condolences may be sent to www.BrownWynneCary.com |
Home | Leonardo/ISAST
Leonardo is a 501c3 nonprofit that serves a global network of distinguished scholars, artists, scientists, researchers and thinkers through our programs focused on interdisciplinary innovation in the arts, sciences and technology. From our beginnings in 1968, we have served as THE virtual community for purposes of networking, resource-sharing, best practices, research, documentation and events in art, science and technology.
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Last Update: MEZ/CET 17.08.2017, 01:11:50 Uhr | OnlineShoppingTotal.de |
The Canadiens and Lightning made a blockbuster swap that sent Jonathan Drouin to Montreal and prospect Mikhail Sergachev to Tampa Bay, and it could open the trading floodgates before the expansion roster freeze.
The Montreal Canadiens' acquisition of left winger Jonathan Drouin could be the first of several significant moves around the NHL leading up to the expansion draft roster freeze at 3 p.m. on June 17.
Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin likely isn't done dealing. Having given up promising defense prospect Mikhail Sergachev to the Tampa Bay Lightning to get Drouin, Bergevin could be in the market for a young defenseman.
The move also casts doubt over forward Alex Galchenyuk's future with the Canadiens. Sportsnet's Eric Engels reports multiple sources claim Bergevin is shopping the 23-year-old restricted free agent. TSN's Darren Dreger suggests he could be moved for a defenseman such as the Minnesota Wild's Jonas Brodin or the New York Islanders' Travis Hamonic.
If Galchenyuk is moved for a blueliner, the Canadiens still ned to address their lack of skilled depth at center. They could try moving Drouin into the first-line role but he's spent his short NHL career as a winger. Bergevin could look into this summer's free-agent market, but the options are limited. San Jose's Joe Thornton, Columbus' Sam Gagner, Nashville's Mike Fisher and Minnesota's Martin Hanzal are the best of the bunch.
At this stage in their careers, it's unlikely aging stars Thornton and Fisher will move on to Montreal. Gagner seems best suited as a winger while the oft-injured Hanzal has only one 20-goal season on his resume.
FUTURE FOR PHANEUF AS A SENATOR?
Earlier this week, Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion asked defenseman Dion Phaneuf to waive his no-movement clause for the purpose of exposing him in the expansion draft. Phaneuf's refusal leaves Dorion facing some difficult decisions for his blueline.
Phaneuf's no-movement clause automatically ensures his exemption from the draft. If Dorion opts to protect three defensemen, Marc Methot or Cody Ceci could be left unprotected. TSN's Ian Mendes reports the Sens GM could trade one of them before the expansion draft.
Phaneuf has a modified no-trade list containing 12 preferred trade destinations, while Methot has chosen 10 places where he does not want to be dealt. Ceci lacks no-trade protection and can be shipped anywhere. Dorion said he's had calls about all three but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll trade one of those defensemen. He could also leave Methot or Ceci unprotected, though that would mean losing one of them for nothing to Vegas.
The Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch reports sources say Dorion is trying to trade Phaneuf. He lists the Lightning, Arizona Coyotes, New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Buffalo Sabres and San Jose Sharks among the clubs that need help on defense and could have interest in the veteran rearguard.
Mendes' colleague Pierre LeBrun reports there isn't a big market for the 32-year-old Phaneuf but there is some interest. He believes Dorion will have to pick up part of the blueliner's $7-million annual cap hit or take back a toxic contract to make a deal work.
It's unknown how many (if any) of those teams listed by Garrioch are on Phaneuf's list of preferred trade destinations. If he's targeted playoff contenders that will rule out the Coyotes, Devils, Avalanche and Sabres.
RANGERS LISTENING TO OFFERS ON STEPAN
The New York Rangers' decision to buy out the remainder of defenseman Dan Girardi's contract might not be their only major move this month. TSN's Bob McKenzie reports center Derek Stepan is on the trade market.
No word yet as to the Rangers asking price. They're in need of a top-four defenseman with a right-handed shot.
Stepan, who turns 27 on June 18, has four seasons remaining on his contract with a $6.5-million annual average salary. He also has a full no-trade clause that kicks in on July 1. GM Jeff Gorton will have to move quickly to deal Stepan without the center's consent. Gorton could wait until after the expansion draft roster freeze is lifted to move Stepan. Moving him before the freeze is implemented could complicate the Rangers' protection list plans.
OILERS GETTING ACTION ON EBERLE
Edmonton Oilers right wing Jordan Eberle remains a hot topic in the trade rumor mill. Appearing on Edmonton's TSN 1260, Darren Dreger said there are six or seven teams have interested in the 27-year-old Eberle. He believes the Colorado Avalanche and New York Islanders could be among the front-runners.
While the Oilers hope to move out Eberle's $6-million annual salary, Dreger said they'll want a decent return for the winger. They were reportedly interested last season in Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic so perhaps they'll revisit that option.
The Avalanche hit rock bottom this season and a roster shakeup is expected, prompting speculation blueliner Tyson Barrie could be available. However, they're unlikely to deal Barrie unless they can find another good puck-moving rearguard.
WILD WORTH WATCHING AS EXPANSION APPROACHES
The Minnesota Wild risk losing a good player to the Golden Knights. Most of the focus is upon defensemen Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba. However, if winger Jason Pominville declines to waive his no-movement clause, a forward such as Eric Staal or Erik Haula could be left exposed.
StarTribune.com's Michael Russo reports Wild GM Chuck Fletcher had trade discussions with the Golden Knights. So far, however, there's no deal in the works.
Russo also reports left winger Nino Niederreiter is the subject of recent trade rumors. He's a restricted free agent, but the Wild have postponed contract discussions until after the expansion draft. His agent claims the 24-year-old enjoys playing in Minnesota and hopes to re-sign a long-term deal with the Wild.
That could depend upon how much salary the Wild shed in the draft and Niederreiter's asking price. Fletcher currently has over $61 million invested in 15 players for 2017-18. Like Niederreiter, forwards Mikael Granlund and Erik Haula are RFAs with arbitration rights. All will be seeking significant raises.
Rumor Roundup appears regularly only on thehockeynews.com. Lyle Richardson has been an NHL commentator since 1998 on his website, spectorshockey.net, and is a contributing writer for Eishockey News and The Guardian (P.E.I.).
For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, subscribe to The Hockey News magazine. |
Durham, NC - No. 7 Florida State (44-15) concluded the 2013 ACC Baseball Championship with a heartbreaking 7-4, 12-inning loss to No. 5 Virginia (47-10) Saturday afternoon inside the Durham Bulls Athletic Park as UVa’s Kenny Towns provided the game-winning heroics connecting on a walk-off, three-run home run to seal the victory for the Cavaliers.
“Give Virginia a lot of credit, they did a great job,” said head coach Mike Martin. “In all areas, they did a great job. And on top of that they’re just great people, class people. And everyone in this league is the same way. That was a well-earned win for them.”
The loss was FSU’s seventh straight at the ACC Tournament while it marked the second year in a row the Seminoles finished the championship at 0-3. It also was the fourth consecutive loss for the Garnet & Gold this season – their longest losing streak since dropping four straight in 2010.
“We all understand, our Seminole Nation understands, it is disappointing, but our season begins Friday night,” added Martin. “What we’ve been working on since August begins Friday night. That’s the bottom line. You credit all the teams that beat us; they earned every one of them. We’ll be ready to go on Friday night, whoever it is, wherever we play.”
Jameis Winston (1-2) suffered the loss as the home run by Towns in the 12th was the first allowed by the freshman right hander all season long.
Nick Howard (6-4) picked up the win working a scoreless top of the 12th allowing just one hit while striking out two.
“Last year we definitely struggled toward the end of the year,” said FSU pitcher Brandon Leibrandt. “We came out, first game in the regional, played great from there on out, made it to Omaha, played extremely well and we’re hoping that happens again this year.”
For the third time in as many games this tournament, DJ Stewart collected multiple hits for the Seminoles finishing the game on Saturday 2-for-5 with a run scored. The freshman outfielder concluded his first ACC Baseball Championship hitting .667 (8-for-12) with a double, triple and three runs scored.
Casey Smit also went 2-for-5 in the game as he drove in two runs on a two-out double in the sixth. Making his first start since April 2, Josh Delph drew a walk in three plate appearances finishing with a run scored and one RBI.
It was the second extra-inning game played by the Seminoles this year (1-1) and the sixth all-time in the ACC Tournament (3-3).
Both starting pitchers did not factor into the decision on Saturday as FSU’s Brandon Leibrandt gave the Seminoles 5.0 strong innings allowing just one run on six hits as he walked one and struck out four. Whit Mayberry worked 5.1 innings allowing three runs on four hits as he walked one and struck out one.
Florida State went on top early plating a run in the third to take a 1-0 lead. Seth Miller was hit by a pitch to open the inning and moved to third on a base hit to center by Giovanny Alfonzo, who took second as the throw from centerfield went to third base. The Seminoles tried to squeeze a run in when John Sansone laid down a bunt, but Mayberry threw home on the play to get Miller for the first out of the inning. Delph gave FSU the lead one batter later driving in Alfonzo on a fielder’s choice groundout to second.
The lead was short lived as Joe McCarthy tied the game at one with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the third. The ACC Freshman of the Year took a 3-2 pitch from Leibrandt out of the park to right for his fourth home run of the season.
The Seminoles escaped a jam in the bottom of the fifth when the Cavaliers put runners at second and third with only one out following a single by Nate Irving and double by Jared King. But Leibrandt retired the next two hitters on a strikeout and pop-out to short to end the inning and keep the game tied at 1-1.
FSU retook the lead in the sixth with three runs to give the Seminoles a 4-1 advantage. Delph drew a walk off Mayberry to start the inning, advanced to third on a single up the middle by Stewart and scored on an RBI groundout to short off the bat of Marcus Davis. After a walk to Stephen McGee, Smit then delivered the big hit in the inning taking a 3-2 pitch from Nathan Kirby to the gap in left center with two outs to score both Stewart and McGee to give the Seminoles a three-run advantage.
The Cavaliers came right back with two runs in the bottom of the inning to cut FSU’s lead to 4-3. Derek Fisher opened the inning with a walk of Bryant Holtmann and after falling behind 3-1 to Reed Gragnani, Martin went to the bullpen and brought on Gage Smith. Two pitches later Gragnani laced a base hit back up the middle scoring Fisher as Brett Knief could not field the ball cleanly in center. Gragnani would race into third on the play and score two batters later on a groundout to third by Towns.
Billy Strode entered to get the final out in the sixth and finished his outing working 1.2 innings in relief. The sophomore southpaw was charged with a run on one hit as he walked one and struck out two.
The Cavaliers tied the game at four on a bizarre play in the eighth. With Towns at first after drawing a walk off Strode, the UVa third baseman would score all the way from first on a base hit to right by Mike Papi off Robby Coles. Towns, running on the play, never stopped as he rounded third sliding just ahead of the tag by McGee at the plate.
UVa threatened in the bottom of the ninth but left two stranded as the Seminoles forced extra innings. The first two batters to the plate in the inning reached off Coles as King singled to left and McCarthy followed with a walk. Brandon Downes tried to advance both runners 90 feet, but popped up his bunt attempt to John Nogowski at first. Coles then responded with a strikeout and a fly out to end the inning.
The Seminoles put two on in the top of the 11th with one out but Kyle Crockett escaped the jam recording a strikeout and fielder’s choice groundout at third. Stewart led off the inning with a single up the middle, his second hit of the afternoon, and moved to second on a walk to McGee. Crockett shutout the Seminoles for 4.0 innings giving up just two hits and one walk while striking out six.
“We’ve been playing great baseball all year,” said Smit. “Every game was close. We’re confident. We always have been and we always will be. We keep working hard every day. We’re definitely going to the regionals with this team. We’re going to do something special.”
FSU will now await its fate as the NCAA Tournament Selection Show will be held on Monday, May 27 at 12 noon on ESPNU where the field of 64 will be set. The NCAA will announce the 16 regional sites on Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. As always, Seminole fans can follow the Noles on twitter @FSU_Baseball and remember to like the Seminoles on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FSUBaseball). |
Shipping and return policies for KEYMONO
- Shipping Info
Shipping via Mail.
EU fellows could expect it to be at their door, no longer than a week.
The rest of the world no longer than 2 weeks.
- Return Policy
General Policies for CD package
* Shipping charges are non-refundable.
* Refund must be requested within 30 days of the original purchase date. Thereafter, all sales are final.
* The returned package must be received within 10 business days after the claim was put.
* Please note all returns conditions listed below, as applicable to your return.
* All items must be returned in "as new" condition in the original sealed packaging and include all accessories.
* Only new, factory sealed product is returnable. Opened CD will not be accepted for return.
* Requesting A Product Return
Please write us un email stating all the reasons of return. |
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- Meal can be requested on the spot
65.98 € / person / night, no meal
Description of the accommodation:
Rooms, services Spend some remarkable days in China and enjoy the hospitality of Ramada Plaza Shenzhen! The hotel is offering 180 tasfefully furnished, nice rooms for those looking for a place to stay at in Shenzhen. Parking is availably nearby for those arriving by car. You can secure your valuables in the safe. Wireless Internet connection (WiFi) is available at the hotel, ensuring that you can stay up-to-date during your holiday. An exact and detailed list of equipment in the rooms and of the services provided by Ramada Plaza Shenzhen you will find on the information sheet below, including any applicable additional fees.
Payment Credit card guarantee or advance bank card payment may be required for the reservation, depending on the chosen room, date and price.
Arrival, opening hours The earliest time to check in to your room is 14:00, the latest time to check out of your room is 12:00. Chinese - China and English languages are spoken by the personnel.
Ramada Plaza Shenzhen rooms Rooms
Free WiFi in shared places
Elevator, Safe deposit box
Bathrobe, Hairdryer, Desk in the room, Mini-bar |
Based on the amazing engineering we first saw in the HYT H1, the H0 has a minimal black display with bright green hands which display minutes and seconds, while a tube of fluid around its face shows the current hour. Also available in silver w/orange or blue accents.
This huge 50x57mm stainless steel and black IP timepiece from Diesel features five individual time dials, letting you track time in multiple time zones at a glance. Each of the four perimeter dials are set with their own crowns, while the center dial is set on back.
Inspired by their new Velar SUV, Land Rover teamed up with Zenith to create a timepiece that any driver would happy to have on their wrist. The 42mm watch has a burnished copper and brushed slate face, three sub-dials, and a rubber strap covered in perforated calfskin.
This limited edition chronograph pays tribute to the Renault Sport Formula One team, with a 42mm black ceramic case, 37-jewel Swiss movement, AR-coated sapphire crystal, a carbon fiber dial with automotive gauge styling, and a woven black rubber and fabric strap.
South Korean company Dot claims that it’s already mass producing its award-winning design for a Braille smartwatch. The eponymous watch not only tells the time – it can also display phone notifications, navigation and more. It also has quick reply and action buttons.
Jaguar teamed up with watchmaker Bremont to create this stellar timepiece which pays tribute to the lightweight E-Type which won its class at the 1963 12 Hours of Sebring. The watch features a red-stitched strap which mimics racing stripes, and other auto-inspired details.
Named after Breitling’s aerobatic racing plane, the Colt Skyracer is made of Breitlight – a material that’s lighter and stronger than titanium. It also has a practical white-on-black display, glare-proof sapphire crystal and a removable rubber strap that doubles as a ruler.
It’s not the first of its kind, but the NIWA (Nixie Watch) will hopefully be a stylish take on the nixie tube wristwatch. It uses IN-16 tubes and uses a gyro sensor to make the tubes light up when you raise your arm to look at the watch. It lasts up to 6 days per charge.
M&Co.’s brass-cased, leather-strapped design is about as classic as you can get, but its partial dial adds just a touch of whimsy and modernism. Despite having numbers only in the upper-left quadrant, your brain will easily fill in the rest. Comes in 40mm and 33mm sizes.
Designed to celebrate the launch of the new Bentley Continental Supersports, this limited-edition digtal/analog timepiece features a titanium case, a carbon fiber dial, and a red-edged rubber strap, and connects with an app to log lap times and other racing data.
It may look like the hands have come loose on this off-kilter wristwatch, but it’s actually an intentional design choice to give its face a dynamic look. The hours are displayed in 24h format on the small dial up top, while the minutes appear on the skinny white hand.
A limited reissue of Nixon’s ultimate Star Wars watch. We already love the design of The Unit digital wrist watch, and it’s just that much better dressed in Mandalorian armor. Offers 12/24h time, dual time, calendar, temperature, countdown, chronograph, alarm and a light.
An outstanding deal on a unique timepiece. We dig the exposed date wheel and central mechanism, along with the fat tapered hands. Has a 42mm steel case with a textured leather calfskin strap. Choose from black/stainless, white/stainless, or brown/rose goldtone.
This minimal smartwatch offers activity and sleep tracking, as well as the ability to display alerts for texts, emails, incoming calls, and social media activity. Connects with iOS and Android smartphones and offers battery life up to 1 week. Save 70% in The Awesomer Shop. |
For prepper Alex, the ultimate weapon is a pack of Slovakian German Shepards. Not only can they guard against intruders, but they each act as an alarm system, companion, and hunter. To Alex, the dog is all these important things in one, something that technology can’t replicate. It’s his choice defense because, as he says, “the batteries aren’t going to go out and the dog is not going to jam or run out of ammunition like a weapon.”
Tune in to Doomsday Preppers: People Become Animals tonight at 9P. |
Cost of living in Datong, China compared to Zvishavane District, Zimbabwe
WARNING! This comparison is based on only a few data points. At this point it is only a guess. It is based on less than 10 prices entered by less than 5 different people.
These prices were last updated on March 15, 2017. Exchange rate: 0.14994 USD / CNY
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Jon Stewart lit into him, with correspondent Wyatt Cenac noting, “he doesn’t want Planned Parenthood to get money and the true facts don’t favor him, but the lie facts stack up very strongly in Kyl’s favor.”
Stephen Colbert launched the Twitter hashtag #Notintendedtobeafactualstatement, producing such gems as “Jon Kyl once ate a badger he hit with his car. #notintendedtobeafactualstatement.” (There are more, and they’re great!)
But I wish Jon Kyl had gone a step farther. If you’re not intending to make a factual statement, why even say something with numbers in it? Go big, or go home, say I! If you don’t even vaguely sort of possibly intend to make a factual statement, the sky is the limit. You could just start reciting the Book of Job. You could say something colorful, like, “Planned Parenthood is responsible for what happened to the unicorns” or just look into the eyes of Congress and murmur, “I love you.”
Still, it’s at least nice that they admitted it. Usually people complain that they don’t know what “is” means or can’t tell the difference between old people and meals. That’s sort of alarming, but, in their defense, they work long hours and there are certain people out there who are completely indistinguishable from gregarious celery.
But America, are we okay with this as an excuse? Because if so, I’m going to start writing a lot more pieces about how Michele Bachmann sneaks around at night tampering with the water supply to succor her Charizard progeny, or that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is actually inside all the airport hand dryers, which explains why they do such a poor job of hand-drying.
Just say the word. |
What are the 3 rules of multiplying and the 3 rules for adding,the 1 rule for dividing and subtracting?
Many rules exist for different types of multiplication and addition. For addition with real numbers a,b, and c:
The associative rule ensures (a+b)+c=a+(b+c)
The commutative rule ensures a+b=b+a
Property of zero ensures 0+a=a
The associative rule ensures (ab)c=a(bc)
The commutative rule ensures ab=ba
The distributive rule ensures a(b+c)=ab+ac
These few rules can be extended to negative numbers and fractions, which means that they will be true under division and subtraction. A common rule of division is to not divide by 0.
Note: These rules are for real numbers. For instance, matrix multiplication is not communitive. |
Police in Plainfield are investigating after a man was struck and killed Monday night in a hit-and-run accident.
They say it was just before 11:30 p.m. when 59-year-old Robert Johnson was crossing the street at Main and School Streets in the town’s Central Village section when he was hit.
The vehicle, described as a dark-colored SUV, possibly an Isuzu Rodeo or Toyota 4-Runner, has extensive headlight damage and possibly some front end damage. It was spotted fleeing the scene westbound on School Street.
Johnson was treated at the scene, then rushed to the Plainfield Backus emergency room where he was later pronounced dead.
Plainfield police are urging anyone who witnessed the accident to contact them at 860-564-0804 or at the anonymous tipline at 860-564-7065. |
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In May, an orchard in full bloom beneath blue skies is surely one of the most beautiful places on earth. Even a single apple tree, full of flowers in the smallest garden, echoes this beauty. Apple blossom season coincides with another special time; the clutch of days when spring becomes summer, but when it seems to be neither.
Chris Braithwaite is head gardener at Acorn Bank garden, a National Trust property that lies close to Temple Sowerby, not far from Penrith. He has been there for 30 years, and during that time he has worked hard to develop the orchard for which the garden is now well known. There are around one hundred varieties of apple tree planted at Acorn Bank. While some are mature and have been there for many decades, others are relatively new to the orchard. He cheerfully states: “People nowadays are much more interested in apples than they were 10 or 20 years ago, and while their consciousness is probably more steered to think of fruit rather than flowers when an apple tree comes to mind, it is amazing to see the effect that the orchard has on visitors to the garden at blossom time, especially if they have never been here before.” He continues thoughtfully: “The transitory nature of the flowers is what interests me; the short flowering period, pollination, the dropping petals, and then the brief spell when the petals lie around the base of the trees.”
Chris is sometimes asked to predict which week will be best for blossom, but it is a difficult question for him to answer. “In a year when weather patterns are normal, the peak flowering period here falls across four days, 9th to 12th May. Having said that, we have a wide range of varieties including some that are naturally in bloom earlier or later than the peak period. This helps to extend the flowering season so that we have a broad spectrum of flowering times. If the season is frosty, we know that our later varieties will miss the frost, while the blossom of earlier varieties might be damaged. Also, flowers are much more susceptible to frost after they have been fertilised. But there are some very special years when most of the orchard is in bloom at once, and the effect is simply amazing.”
For a variety that produces outstanding flowers, Chris recommends ‘Lemon Square’. “Flowers are amongst the most well-coloured of all varieties. They are fairly large, and petals have contrasting shades of dark pink and pale white.” He also mentions that an equally eye-catching, but completely different, snowy effect is produced when the pink buds of ‘Evereste’ begin to open and reveal their almost pure white petals.
‘Evereste’ is also a favourite of Sheila Hunter who lives in Blencow, a small village near Penrith. In May, her cottage garden is awash with colour from densely planted herbaceous perennials, but the eye is soon drawn to clouds of white apple blossom from ‘Evereste’. It was by accident that I visited her garden last spring when I happened to be passing though the village. A little sign at the side of the road was advertising the annual, Blencow coffee morning, and her garden was also open to visitors. She had only just reached for a mug of coffee towards the end of a busy morning, and it was at that point she told me about her 20 year-old ‘Evereste’ apple tree and its flowers which were beginning to drop their petals. “The blossom is always pretty, with flowers that are so large and white, occasionally tinged with the lightest touch of pink. I keep it well-mulched, and even though this variety of crab apple has the potential to grow fairly large, it remains small because I prune it ruthlessly every year. Fortunately, the pruning doesn’t reduce the amount of flowers or little apples it produces.”
Many crab apple varieties do, indeed, give exceptional shows of flowers. Four years ago, I planted Malus floribunda at Rose Castle garden, near Dalston, and such is its outstanding blossom, I have made a note to plant one or two more specimens in the future. This little apple tree, with a weeping habit, becomes clothed in tiny pink flowers in May. Blooms are small, but their density forms a floating pink cloud, all around the tree. Over the years, I have also planted ‘John Downie’, ‘Gorgeous’ and ‘Red Sentinel’ – all crab apples. The latter has now reached its mature height of around 5m tall, and not only has copious blossom in May, but hangs with bright red, marble-sized fruits until January.
Amongst the named varieties of orchard trees that are grown for fruit at Rose Castle, ‘Keswick Codlin’ is often the most floriferous. It is also steeped in Cumbrian apple-growing lore. Said to have been found ‘growing among a quantity of rubbish at Gleaston Castle near Ulverstone’ in Lancashire, it was then introduced to cultivation by a Keswick nurseryman around 1790.
There are many varieties with lively backgrounds, each with a good story waiting to be told. Hilary Wilson, who lives at Appleby, is Cumbria’s well-known apple expert, and is often called upon to identify old apple trees in gardens and orchards throughout the county. As she also takes a keen interest in the history of apple tree varieties, I wondered if she knew of any that would stand alone due to beauty of blossom and intriguing history. The first one she mentions is ‘Gravenstein’, a dessert apple dating back to the 1600s. “It has large white flowers and produces a tasty, crunchy apple – it could easily match a modern apple.
Nobody is quite sure of the origins of ‘Gravenstein’, but it might have come from Germany or Italy. It is thought to have arrived in Denmark in 1669, and was later recorded in London in 1819. The cooking apple ‘Arthur Turner’ is well known for blossom, and the very old ‘Catshead’ has similar, large, pink flowers and is a wonderful sight in full flower. The variety that is immediately identifiable by its blossom is ‘Annie Elizabeth’ – deep pink with shades of maroon.”
So, has Hilary ever been asked to propagate apple trees, purely for their blossom? It turns out she has. When I asked her about the variety, she replied: “It’s grown in Russia, purely for its display of red flowers, but it also grows in Helmsley walled garden in North Yorkshire.” It’s probably no surprise that I had to ask her to write down the variety name; ‘Kuldzhinka Krupnoplod Aya’.
There is, however, a host of varieties, including examples of ‘Oslin’, ‘Forty Shilling’ and ‘Egremont Russet’, that look outstanding in bloom, and they can be seen at Acorn Bank garden. Amongst the collection, the older trees interest Chris, not only for their decorative, historical or fruiting qualities, but because of the wildlife they support. Flowers entice bees and other insects to the garden, which in turn, encourage more songbirds. Blue tits come to the orchard to forage amongst gnarled branches that are clad in mosses and lichens. While Chris is happy that a high songbird population is helpful in the fight against garden pests and diseases, he has added to this general strategy by keeping a small number of free-range bantams in the orchard. They wander freely amongst long grass and wild flowers beneath the apple trees. The orchard supports a range of naturalised and wild flowers that bloom, in turn, from early spring to midsummer: crocus, early narcissus, snakes-head lilies, dandelions, late narcissus and ox-eye daisies. “It comes back to nature and its ephemera,” says Chris. “We have tried to create beautiful strata of flowering at different times of the year. Apple blossom at head-height is complimented by mossy tree trunks that arise from carpets of wild flowers and long grasses. Closely cut paths, where daisies grow, form the lowest layer, and visitors can walk along them and enjoy the different levels of blossom within the orchard.”
When I asked Chris if he could sum up his feelings about the orchard at this time of year, he thought for a while before answering. “You stand in an orchard – just stand and stare. And it is wonderful to be there, amongst the apple blossom and wild flowers. Amongst layers in time.”
Planting pot-grown apple trees
Pot-grown apple trees are available in garden centres and from specialist nurseries for planting in an array of different garden settings. They can be purchased and planted at any time of year, even when they are in flower, unlike bare-root trees which are available in winter and should be planted between November and mid-March. Apple trees require a sunny spot to ensure the most abundant blossom and fruit, but they can survive in semi-shaded areas. Whether your tree has been selected for growing as a free-standing specimen, planting against a wall to be trained as an espalier or fan, or growing in a container for the patio, good drainage is most important. Apple trees have no tolerance of water-logged soil which inevitably kills them when they suffer continuously from ‘wet feet’. At the same time as being freely draining, soil should also remain moist, especially during the summer months. Trees should be planted at the same depth as they were growing in their original pot, and watered well after planting. Depending on the rootstock, most trees will require a stake, but all newly planted apple trees will benefit from a thick mulch. |
Hallo everybody, I hope for some help here...
I have a variax 700 blue trem, with the latest firmware,graphtech piezos, and elixir 10's strings.
Suddenly (after instaling the new strings) I notice that the acoustic models have a strange buzz, like a fret buzz.... am not sure what is going, and at the electric models doesn't appear this buzz.. Please help!
Before line6 was called line6... they used to do r&d for other companies like alesis + others. and when those customers came to visit the offices of line6 (before it was called line6) and the receptionist needed to warn all the guys who were designing products for other companies (and for themselves... ) who were like 'in the back' the receptionist would announce over a tannoy 'tellephone call for 'fred smith' on line 6' the cunning part was that they only had 5 telephone lines, so it was the secret code for "hide your sh1t the feds are comin'" or "someone's coming, let's hide these PODs that we aren't going to release for another few years so they don't see them"
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Well as most of you can guess from the title that this post will feature some cards via a Plain White Envelope and the one that seems to keep bombing me is the gracious Jeff from over at 2 x 3 heroes.
First let me pimp a Nachos Grande break. This break features a box of 2015 Gypsy Queen, Museum, Opening Day, Museum, Bowman Chrome, and Draft Kings. So head on over to here and check out the teams remaining. Still a bunch of good teams left Dodgers, Yankees, White Sox
Now we return to are regularly scheduled post. Jeff from over at 2x3 Heroes sent me 2 PWEs, one fairly recently and the other a few weeks back that I've been meaning to post. Well life got into the way and I've combined the 2 into 1. He sent a bunch of nice stuff an color and below is just a small sample of what he sent.
First up is a first career HR manu relic of David Wright from this years Series 1 and who looks to be coming off the DL in the very near future.
Next up is some shine of Matt Den Dekker with the Nationals and a prospect of Camarena who I don't know much about.
Continuing with the shine is some beautiful purple Heritage of the 2 big arms of Harvey and deGrom which is out of 566 if my memory serves me correctly along with Cesar Puello who has cleared waivers an is still with the Mets.
Thanks for the PWEs Jeff and be on the lookout for a envelope headed your way in the next few days.
LETS GO METS |
NameJet Daily Auction Spotlight 8/10/12
I think there are some really good names on todays list for development in the under the radar section. Bookware.com is a 1993 registration which you don't see everyday.
Full Disclosure: The links are affiliate links, publisher receives 10 % commission on a successful bid.
Our picks from the most active names
Bookware.com Registered 1993. This domain is an oldie and leads the way with most bidders today on NameJet. 94 bidders and a high bid of $102.
Sle.net Registered 1998. 85 bidders and a high bid of $360.
Netbaby.com Registered 1996. 83 bidders and a high bid of $122.
VoiceSoftware.com Registered 1998. 44 bidders and a high bid of $69.
Mobilebanking.net Registered 1999. 47 bidders and a high bid of $99.
Under the radar
BetterYield.com Could be used as a comparison site for bonds and CD's.
BeautySchoolSupplies.com High advertiser competition.
SearchForNames.com A nice domainers name, use as a sales site or newletter.
CarRentalInsurance.org Regged since 2007 and a lot of advertiser competition, worth speculating on. 3600 exact searches monthly on Google.
NorthwesternFlorida.com The panhandle region of Florida, cheap name for a blog about the region. |
So that's how she does it! Supermodel Jourdan Dunn shows off her lean legs and pert derriere as she performs weighted back extensions in workout clip
She has always been keen to share snippets of her workouts with fans.
And Jourdan Dunn once again revealed the hard work she puts in to maintain her lithe physique as she shared a short gym session clip on her Instagram page on Tuesday.
Taking to the social network page, the 25-year-old could be seen performing a weighted back extension as she showcased her impressive form.
Scroll down for video
Strong is sexy: Jourdan Dunn once again revealed the hard work she puts in to maintain her lithe physique as she shared a short gym session clip on her Instagram page
The British model’s lean legs and pert derriere took centre stage in the clip which she captioned: ‘Out here trying to get a Sexy back.....better yet a strong back…'
She then shared her praised her brother for his personal training prowess adding: ‘thanks bro for today's session @pt_dunn @gymboxofficial #ADunnFitness #backextension #TeamDunn.’
The clip came just hours after Jourdan gave her 1.6million Instagram followers an insight into another way she achieves her incredible shape.
The supermodel looked sensational as she showed off her taut abs and lithe figure while expertly practicing ballet against a bar in a perfectly executed stance.
Bend and snap: Taking to the social network page, the 25-year-old could be seen performing a weighted back extension as she showcased her impressive form
Pretty in pink: Jourdan gave her 1.6million Instagram followers another insight into how she achieves her incredible shape as she shared a stunning snap on Monday
Look pretty in pink with Jourdan's sports bra
She's one of the world’s most sought after models, and with a figure like hers it's no surprise that we're all keen to know Jourdan Dunn's fitness secrets. Turns out the model is a barre core fan as she shared a snap on her Instagram profile of her mid stretch in a class.
While we search out our nearest barre core class, we've got time to ogle Jourdan's stylish sports gear as she hit the class in an adorable pale pink bra and leggings set that we're totally in love with. It's no secret that good workout gear is half the battle when it comes to motivating yourself to get fit, and nothing comes prettier than this pink combo.
The bra and leggings are both by new fitness and wellness brand, Live the Process, and available to buy via Net-a-Porter. Click to the right to buy the bra and then complete the look with Jourdan's exact leggings below.
Alternatively to shop around for more sports bras in this cute hue, shop our edit of pink bras below. Styles are available from the likes of Gap, Champion and Falke.
Jourdan showed off her physique in a tiny pink crop top with matching leggings which clung to every inch of her sensational figure.
Standing on one foot on her tip-toe, the London-born beauty slightly bent one knee while arching her leg behind her and resting it on the bar.
Her modest bust was contained in her baby pink sports bra, while also showing off her long, lithe arms as she raised one above her head while clutching a weighted exercise ball.
While the stunning star has clearly been busy working out, she recently spoke out about the lack of diversity in the modelling industry.
Wowing the crowd: Jourdan is undoubtedly in phenomenal shape and clearly works to stay looking catwalk ready
The star, who was one of the most famous faces on the catwalks at the recent Paris Fashion Week shows, insisted that more change needs to happen.
There are definitely a lot more girls of colour being represented,' she affirmed to ELLE magazine in a recent interview.
'But I also feel like we're 100% still not there. I want to see us get to a place where seeing a black girl, anywhere, is not such a big deal.
'Why can't it just be the norm to see black models in campaigns and on covers and runways? It's still too much of a big thing when this happens.'
Hitting out: While the stunning star has clearly been busy working out, she recently spoke out about the lack of diversity in the modelling industry
Burberry model Jourdan is the proud mother to six-year-old son Riley, with whom she teamed up for a brand new childrenswear range for M&S earlier this year.
Speaking in an issue of British Vogue magazine last year, of which she was the cover star, Jourdan said that she became jealous of her own mother who looked after Riley as she worked internationally.
They are so close I was kind of jealous of their relationship in the beginning. But it works for me.
'You can find the balance of being a working mother, but I couldn't do it without my mum. She is the one who allowed me to go and do my thing,' she added.
Striking star: Burberry model Jourdan is the proud mother to six-year-old son Riley, with whom she teamed up for a brand new childrenswear range for M&S earlier this year
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Tim Wright – Wright was traded (along with a draft pick) from Tampa Bay to New England in exchange for pro-bowl guard Logan Mankins. The Patriots paid quite the price for Wright, so they must think pretty highly of him. Wright was a receiver in college and could be an ideal fit for the Aaron Hernandez “move tight end” role, but he’ll need some time to get familiar with the Pats complicated offense. While I wouldn’t run him way up my draft board, Wright was an intriguing player to grab late in drafts and the trade moves up a few notches.
John Brown – Cards head coach Bruce Arians told the media that standout rookie John Brown would be used on at least 60 percent of the team’s plays this season. As NFL.com points out, T.Y. Hilton played in 57 percent of the Colts plays, so 60+ percent would be a very good workload. If Arians is true to his word, Brown has a chance to put up mid tier WR numbers or better. He can be had for a song with an ADP of just 210.6.
Shaun Hill – Rams coach Jeff Fisher told the media that the Rams will be sticking with Shaun Hill as quarterback, replacing the injured Sam Bradford. There was some rumor that the Rams would be trading for a replacement, but that won’t be the case… for now. Hill did put up impressive fantasy numbers in Detroit when given the chance, but until he can prove it again in St. Louis, he’s a bottom tier quarterback option in fantasy leagues.
Juron Criner – For the past few seasons Juron Criner has been tagged with the “fantasy sleeper” label, but that all came to a halt on Tuesday when the Raiders released him. Criner came out of college as a raw player but had some upside with good size and measurables but has never been able to put it all together. He’ll likely catch on with another team, but he can safely be avoided until he shows that he can live up to his potential.
DuJuan Harris – Packers beat writer Bob McGinn is reporting that running back DuJuan Harris is a serious contender for the backup job to starter Eddie Lacy. James Starks had been thought to be the primary backup but at this point the job appears to be unsettled. Harris had an impressive finish to the 2012 season, including the playoffs, but missed the entire 2013 season with a knee injury. |
Wall Street Protest Growing
(by WashingtonsBlog) --
Major Unions Join Wall Street Protest
The Teamsters Union and New York Transit Workers Union have thrown their support behind the Wall Street protests.
Alexander Higgins – reporting live from the protests – notes that United Airlines pilots marched in the protest wearing their full pilot uniforms:
True Conservatives Support Protest
This may seem at first glance like a liberal cause, but as I’ve previously noted, that is a false dichotomy, and true conservatives support it:
"The whole left-versus-right thing is just a distraction trick. It’s really the American people versus the giant bankers, captains of the military-industrial complex, and handful of others who are benefiting by shafting the average American.
"Remember that one of the founders of the Tea Party – Karl Denninger – has slammed the current Tea Party (which was quickly co-opted by the mainstream GOP) for serving the rich and the Republican party instead of fighting against the giant banks, and is calling for non-partisan, Gandhi-style nonviolent resistance to take on the banskters."
And see this.
Protests Spreading World-Wide
The protests are spreading world-wide. There are now purportedly 80+ copycat protests planned world-wide, including London, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Las Vegas and many other locations.
Mainstream Media Now Covering Protest
And the police brutality on innocent Wall Street protesters is finally being covered by the mainstream news.
Here is a must-watch MSNBC segment: |
The Religion Card Is Turned Face Up
(The American Conservative) -- by Patrick J. Buchanan --
Is a religious war breaking out in the Republican Party?
On Friday, Pastor Robert Jeffress of the 10,000-member First Baptist Church of Dallas took the podium at the Values Voter Summit to introduce and endorse Rick Perry.
Gov. Perry, said Pastor Jeffress, is a leader with “a strong commitment to biblical values” who defunded Planned Parenthood, that “slaughterhouse for the unborn.” He contrasted Perry with an unnamed rival.
“Do we want a candidate who is a conservative out of convenience or one who is a conservative out of deep conviction? Do we want a candidate who is a good, moral person or one who is a born-again follower of the Lord Jesus Christ?”
Perry thanked Jeffress for this “very powerful introduction” and congratulated him for having “hit it out of the park.”
By then, however, the pastor, having rounded the bases, was expatiating to an attentive press corps.
“Mormonism is not Christianity,” Pastor Jeffress asserted. Rather, Mormonism is a “cult.” The Mormons “embraced another gospel, the Book of Mormon, and that is why they have never been considered by evangelical Christians to be part of the Christian family.” In essence, Romney may be a good man, but he is not a Christian.
Saturday, Bill Bennett appeared. “Do not give voice to bigotry,” said Bennett. “I would say to Pastor Jeffress: You stepped on and obscured the words of Perry. … You did Perry no good.”
Romney took the podium to speak of America’s “heritage of religious faith and tolerance” and denounced those who would inject “poisonous language” into the political debate.
“Speaking of hitting it out of the park,” Romney began, “how about that Bill Bennett?”
The Perry campaign separated itself from the pastor’s comment about a cult. Yet Jeffress had expressed that view four years ago when Romney was running. In August, he partnered with Perry at “The Response.” His introducing of the governor had been cleared by the Perry campaign.
Hence, this episode was no accident.
As Bennett’s blast was being reported, this writer was in a green room with Pastor Jeffress, who was not backing off an inch...
Chris Moore comments:
This is a perfect happenstance for Ron Paul. The Mormons now won’t vote for Perry, the evangelicals now won’t vote for Romney, and each side will do whatever it can to tear the other to pieces. Additionally, Catholics also won’t like evangelical conceit, even as they perhaps agree with Jeffress’ assessment of Mormonism.
Increasingly, the libertarians are above the fray, both of the worst elements of the Christian sects, and the worst elements of the socialists sects.
This is the adult place to be in a divided America. |
We hope you'll all enjoy a beautiful and relaxing day with the people you love most. If you're apart from loved-ones, we pray peace and comfort over that separation. May we all take a moment to be grateful for the many blessings in our lives.
We're incredibly thankful to the families that have chosen to partner with us and support our work in Haiti - both with finances and prayers ... we cannot possibly convey how much that means to us.
So today, as we count our blessings, we count you!
Happy Thanksgiving from Haiti, |
A GROWING number of organizations help people donate or buy previously installed kitchens. In New York City, the nonprofit organization Build It Green! offers kitchen items as well as other recycled materials. Justin Green, its program director, said a Valcucine kitchen, a Dada kitchen and a Sub-Zero refrigerator are currently available. The organization will not dismantle kitchens for donors but hopes to do so by midsummer. Profits go to the Solar One Education Center in Manhattan. Build It Green! is at 3-17 26th Avenue at 4th Street in Astoria, Queens, www.bignyc.org.
In New Jersey, kitchen renovators can check out Recycling the Past in Barnegat, www.recyclingthepast.com/Kitchen-Bath.asp.
In the Chicago area, Island Girl Salvage in Elk Grove Village offers pre-1950s sinks and cabinetry: www.islanddgirlsalvage.com. Murco Recycling Enterprises Inc., also in the Chicago area, allows buyers to bid on and remove fixtures before demolition; www.murco.net.
In Palo Alto, Calif., kitchen equipment is available at Driftwood Salvage, www.driftwoodsalvage.com.Continue reading the main story |
Catarrh is a common symptom which you may have suffered some time in your life. It is nothing but excess of mucus buildup in your nasal passages and in the throat as a result of inflammation of mucus membrane in nose and throat. You often experience flow of thick mucus when you suffer from common cold, flu, sinusitis, inflammation in throat and tonsillitis. Catarrh is not a medical condition but a symptom of viral or bacterial infection in the upper respiratory tract. Most of the time it clears within few days; however natural remedies can help speedy recovery.
Causes Of Catarrh
When your immune system reacts to infective agents such as virus or the bacteria or irritants in the atmosphere which are inhaled, it releases white blood cells to fight the infection and the irritants. As a result white blood cells cause inflammation of the inner lining of the nose and the throat and produce mucus, a thick viscid fluid to trap the germs and its entry into the body. Due to inflammation, the nasal passage becomes narrow and you get a feeling of congested nose. Some of the triggers which cause catarrh are;
- Viral infection such as influenza and common cold virus.
- Bacteria infecting the tonsils and throat.
- Allergy to pollen and dust mites or food.
- Nasal polyps.
- Air pollution.
- Changes in weather.
- Eating Spicy food.
Natural Home Remedies For Catarrh
There are many catarrh natural remedies with proven efficacy to reduce your suffering, without causing any harm to your body.
To start with avoid food preparations which you are sensitive to. Sugar, dairy products, bread prepared from white flour and processed foods for initial few days have to be avoided.
Drink enough of water and eat fruits and vegetables, fruit juice and soups and herbal teas for one day. The next day eat rice and vegetables with little quantity of chicken or other protein food preparations. Add garlic, onion, while preparing food as they are natural decongestants.
Take vitamin C and zinc supplements. Lemon juice or orange juice once or twice in a day is very useful natural catarrh remedy.
To clear the nasal passage, inhale steam. You can add few drops of eucalyptus oil in water before inhaling the steam.
The herb goldenseal has natural properties to relive catarrh symptoms. You can take capsules of powdered goldenseal once in a day when suffering from nasal catarrh.
Gargle warm salt water when your throat and tonsils are inflamed. Salt has anti bacterial properties.
To get relief from nasal block, use nasal saline spray or nasal saline drops.
Source: Family Parliament Forum, Simple Remedies |
‘I just love Azerbaijan’ — The new Minister of Israel
The new Minister of Israel: ‘I just love Azerbaijan’- Interview (EXCLUSIVE)
As we informed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leader of the Conservative Party «Israel is Our Home» Avigdor Lieberman signed an agreement on joining the coalition of the IOH.
It has been noted in the document that Avigdor Lieberman was appointed Minister of Defense, Sofa Landwehr — Minister of Immigrant Absorption.
As a friend of Azerbaijan, Sofa Landwehr has repeatedly participated in the events dedicated to significant events in the history and culture of Azerbaijan, which were organized by the association «AzIs». She was a delegate to the congress of the International Association Israel-Azerbaijan «AzIs». And also, in the last elections to the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan, Landwehr was the observer from Israeli delegation and confirmed the transparency and democratic elections without any violations.
Admiral.Az in turn congratulated the friend of Azerbaijan and gathered some answers.
— What innovations can be expected in Israel’s immigration policy?
— Firstly, we are not immigrants, we are repatriates. We are coming back home, returning to our homeland. We have one of the basic laws of Israel — the Law of Return (Hebrew חוק השבות -. «Hoc ha Shvut»), proclaiming the right of every Jew to immigrate to Israel. The law defines who is eligible for repatriation. That is why any changes should not be expected in this regard.
— Is it expected to cooperate in this field with Azerbaijan? After all, many Jews live in our country for decades.
— We have always been open to share knowledge, skills. And I, as the Minister will continue to share experiences and receive new knowledge from other countries in this field. In any case, our country today consist of 8.5 million people. Of these, 3.5 million were not born here, they came from all corners of the world, because they were Jews who had returned to their houses. We will continue to work to expand the scope of repatriation, so that people would be able to come. And to those projects which are in the Ministry of Absorption, and based on the success of immigrants will be in the process. We are ready to share experiences, to learn. Our ministry has enormous experience in this area. We will be happy to share it with others.
— You have repeatedly visited Azerbaijan. Do you have any plans in the sphere of development of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Israel?
— Yes, I love your country. I and leader of «Israel is Our Home» has repeatedly been to Azerbaijan with members of our party. We talked about our relationship, they will not change. First of all, it is a purely human relations, human bridges. I will not deal specifically with relations concerning Azerbaijan, but i will welcome and support your country.
— What are your memories about Azerbaijan?
— Firstly, you have a very beautiful and developed country. You have excellent leadership, great human potential. There are warm, smart, nice people in Azerbaijan. I wish you prosperity. I just love Azerbaijan. Your country is warm, clean and bright.
-Can we expect the introduction of a visa-free regime between our countries?
— It’s not a simple question. Our Party held visa-free regime with Russia, Ukraine, Belarus,Moldova. We believe that our borders must be opened. Our party will do everything in order to open the borders and to allow those who are going to come to our country. To the citizens of Azerbaijan and Israel could visit each other freely, and it would be easier for both parties. |
Another big release today but expect more and more from me, I have just been granted leave until the end of the year so I will be filling my time in photoshop and making sculpties!
First up, the jewel in my crown, Bijou. Based upon my previous skins, Bijou has again had a lot of changes to the body. She has new knees, new navel and new nipples. There is more shading and highlighting on the body and the face has changed quite a lot. Bijou has a more mature facial structure, like a woman in her 30’s, who has come into the prime of her life when she is sexiest, and most confidant. I am extremely proud of this skin, no part has gone unnoticed and even if you never take your clothes off in SL, I hope you will appreciate what I have done with this skin. Again, 100% handpainted and 100 % perfect. 5 skintones from very pale to dark and 8 makeups to choose from for now. Demos are available at SLink
And now for those boots!! They caused a bit of a stir when I gave away 5 pre-release preview pairs yesterday, and now I am releasing them in 4 colours! The inimitable Victoria Beckham loves these boots, I love them and I hope you will too! Demos are not available, but they are on the system shoe layer, so they will fit everyone!!
And for the traditionalists and those worried about breaking their virtual ankles in these, I have included a heeled version in each set 😀 |
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ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART DEFENDANT'S PARTIAL MOTION TO DISMISS AND GRANTING ITS MOTION TO BIFURCATE
S. THOMAS ANDERSON, Chief District Judge.
Before the Court is Defendant Southern Trust Insurance Company's Motion to Dismiss Punitive Damages and All Costs Claims, filed on September 26, 2016. (ECF No. 24.) Plaintiff Northend Investors, LLC ("Northend") has responded in opposition (ECF No. 29), and Defendant has filed a reply brief (ECF No. 37), making the matter ripe for adjudication. Defendant has also moved, in the alternative, to bifurcate punitive damages issues at trial. (ECF No. 34.) Plaintiff has not responded to this motion. For the reasons discussed below, Defendant's partial motion to dismiss is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART and its alternative motion to bifurcate is GRANTED.
The following facts are gleaned from Plaintiff's amended complaint, which the Court accepts as true for the purposes of the instant motion. (See ECF No. 11; see also Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416 U.S. 232, 236 (1974).) Plaintiff owned a commercial building in Lexington, Tennessee, containing warehouse and office space, and leased the premises to a third party. Plaintiff purchased a three-year policy from Defendant, a Georgia corporation, insuring the premises against direct physical loss or damage. On February 4, 2015, an accidental fire occurred on the premises, causing physical damage. Plaintiff timely reported the loss, which had occurred during the policy term, to Defendant, which then sent an adjuster to inspect the property. The adjuster observed extensive smoke damage, specifically to the vinyl-backed ceiling and wall insulation, and suggested that Defendant consider hiring an electrical contractor and an "environmentalist/hygienist" to further investigate the extent of the damage. (ECF No. 11 at 4.) Another inspector who surveyed the damage determined that the insulation needed to be replaced and other significant restoration work was required.
Defendant concluded that a professional cleaning of the warehouse would be sufficient to remedy the damage caused by the fire. Plaintiff disagreed, insisting that significant repairs were needed. The parties, through representatives, communicated extensively regarding this dispute and the cost of cleaning the premises. Plaintiff eventually hired its own experts to survey the damage; they determined that significant restorative work was necessary, as soot had accumulated in the wall cavities and conduits inside the building. On December 3, 2015, Plaintiff submitted to Defendant a sworn proof of loss statement formalizing its claim, with an estimate of $2,570,070.39. To date, Defendant has made no payments to Plaintiff.
On April 29, 2016, Plaintiff filed suit in the Circuit Court of Henderson County, Tennessee at Lexington, alleging breach of contract and statutory bad faith, and requesting compensatory damages, punitive damages, and costs. (ECF No. 1-1.) Defendant removed the case to this Court on diversity grounds on June 6, 2016 (ECF No. 1), and Plaintiff filed an amended complaint soon after (ECF No. 11). Defendant now moves to dismiss the claims for punitive damages, attorney's fees, and costs, averring that Tennessee law limits Plaintiff's potential recovery.
II. LEGAL STANDARD
A defendant may move to dismiss a claim "for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted" under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). When considering a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, the Court must treat all of the well-pleaded allegations of the pleadings as true and construe all of the allegations in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416 U.S. 232, 236 (1974); Saylor v. Parker Seal Co., 975 F.2d 252, 254 (6th Cir. 1992). However, legal conclusions or unwarranted factual inferences need not be accepted as true. Morgan v. Church's Fried Chicken, 829 F.2d 10, 12 (6th Cir. 1987). "To avoid dismissal under Rule 12(b)(6), a complaint must contain either direct or inferential allegations with respect to all the material elements of the claim." Wittstock v. Mark a Van Sile, Inc., 330 F.3d 899, 902 (6th Cir. 2003). Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8, a complaint need only contain "a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief." Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Although this standard does not require "detailed factual allegations," it does require more than "labels and conclusions" or "a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action." Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009); see Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544 (2007); see also Reilly v. Vadlamudi, 680 F.3d 617, 622 (6th Cir. 2012) (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555). In order to survive a motion to dismiss, the plaintiff must allege facts that, if accepted as true, are sufficient "to raise a right to relief above the speculative level" and to "state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 570. "A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged." Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678.
"In a diversity action involving an insurance contract, a federal court applies the substantive law of the forum state." Talley v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 223 F.3d 323, 326 (6th Cir. 2000) (citing Erie R.R. Co. v. Tompkins, 304 U.S. 64 (1938)). This Court must apply state law in accordance with the decisions of the state's highest court, in this case, the Tennessee Supreme Court. Talley, 223 F.3d at 326. If the court has not spoken on a particular issue, this Court must attempt to anticipate how it would rule. In re Dow Corning Corp., 419 F.3d 543, 549 (6th Cir. 2005). "Decisions of the Tennessee Court of Appeals are viewed as persuasive authority unless it is shown that the Tennessee Supreme Court would decide the issue differently." Roberts v. Allstate Ins. Co., No. 2:09-0016, 2009 WL 2851017, at *2 (M.D. Tenn. Aug. 29, 2009) (citing Dow Corning Corp., 419 F.3d at 549). Also, the Court obviously "must follow . . . Sixth Circuit precedent." Smith v. Hoffner, No. 14-cv-14067, 2014 WL 6986436, at *1 (E.D. Mich. Dec. 10, 2014).
A. The Bad-Faith Statute and Punitive Damages
1. Tennessee statutory development
The Tennessee Supreme Court has held that "[a]lthough as a general matter, punitive damages are not available in a breach of contract case, [they] may be awarded . . . under certain circumstances."
Tenn. Code Ann. § 56-7-105(a).
In Myint v. Allstate Insurance Co., the Tennessee Supreme Court held that this bad-faith penalty did not preclude plaintiffs in insurance cases from also pursuing claims for treble damages under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act ("TCPA"). 970 S.W.2d 920 (Tenn. 1998); see Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-18-101 et seq. In other words, the TCPA was "complementary legislation" to the insurance bad-faith statute—plaintiffs could seek both remedies. Myint, 970 S.W.2d at 926 (emphasis omitted). In 2011, however, the Tennessee General Assembly passed Tennessee Code Annotated section 56-8-113 in response to Myint. This section provides that
Tenn. Code Ann. § 56-8-113.
Defendant argues that these two statutes preclude Plaintiff from recovering any punitive damages beyond the twenty-five percent penalty explicitly provided by the bad-faith statute. Tennessee state courts and federal courts alike have grappled with this argument several times, bearing inconsistent results. The Court first looks to the decisions of the Tennessee Supreme Court for guidance on this state law issue. In a recent order, in which it declined to answer two related questions of law certified to it by this Court, the Tennessee Supreme Court noted that "[t]he issue of the availability of the common law remedy of punitive damages in addition to the statutory remedy of the bad faith penalty is one which has not before been addressed by this Court." Lindenberg v. Jackson Nat'l Life Ins. Co., No. M2015-02349-SC-R2-CV (Tenn. June 23, 2016) (per curiam);
2. Conflicting federal and state court precedent
Defendant cites Heil Co. v. Evanston Insurance Co. in support of its argument. 690 F.3d 722 (6th Cir. 2012). In that case, the Sixth Circuit held that the Tennessee bad-faith statute "precludes punitive damages . . . because it provides the exclusive extracontractual remedy for an insurer's bad faith refusal to pay on a policy." Id. at 728. This Court has already reexamined this holding in light of subsequent developments in Tennessee state court precedent. See Carroll v. Nationwide Prop. & Cas. Co., No. 2:14-cv-02902-STA, 2015 WL 3607654, at *4 (W.D. Tenn. June 8, 2015). Specifically, in Riad v. Erie Insurance Exchange, 436 S.W.3d 256 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2013), the Tennessee Court of Appeals declined to follow Heil:
Carroll, 2015 WL 3607654, at *4 (footnotes omitted) (quoting Riad, 436 S.W.3d at 276).
This decision created a clear split of authority between the Tennessee Court of Appeals and the Sixth Circuit, with no guidance from the Tennessee Supreme Court. See Am. Nat. Prop. & Cas. Co. v. Stutte, No. 3:11-cv-219, 2015 WL 1650933, at *3 (E.D. Tenn. Apr. 14, 2015). In Carroll, this Court found "`no other persuasive data that the Tennessee Supreme Court' would disagree with the Riad court's" holding and "allowed the plaintiffs to seek common-law punitive damages alongside the statutory bad-faith penalty." Carroll, 2015 WL 3607654, at *4 (quoting Stutte, 2015 WL 1650933, at *4) (internal quotation marks omitted). This is consistent with other holdings of this Court since Riad. See Lindenberg v. Jackson Nat'l Life Ins. Co., No. 2:13-cv-02657-JPM-cgc, 2014 WL 11332306, at *6 (W.D. Tenn. Dec. 9, 2014) (McCalla, J.) ("Although Riad is not binding precedent under Erie and its progeny, the Court finds the reasoning in Riad persuasive evidence that the Tennessee Supreme Court would hold that punitive damages were available in breach of insurance contract cases at the time Riad was decided."); Pankey v. S. Pioneer Prop., No. 1:14-cv-01008-JDB-egb, 2014 WL 11514533, at *3 (W.D. Tenn. Aug. 12, 2014) (Breen, J.).
3. The effect of section 56-8-113
Defendant attempts to distinguish Riad by noting that the court in that case dealt with a claim that arose before 2011, when the Tennessee General Assembly passed section 56-8-113. (ECF No. 37 at 4; see Riad, 436 S.W.3d at 274 n.3.) Its argument proceeds thus: Riad's primary focus in its rejection of Heil was the Sixth Circuit overlooking the Tennessee Supreme Court's decision in Myint and its progeny—cases that dealt with the TCPA and its interplay with the bad-faith statute. When the Tennessee General Assembly abrogated Myint with section 56-8-113, the argument goes, this severed the connection between the TCPA and the bad-faith statute, eliminating the availability of punitive damages along with it. For claims arising after April 29, 2011, Defendant insists that Riad does not apply and urges that the Court follow Heil or the Tennessee Court of Appeals' pre-Myint "holding that the bad faith statute . . . provides the exclusive remedy for an insurer's failure to pay a claim in bad faith." Leverette v. Tenn. Farmers Mut. Ins. Co., No. M2011-00264-COA-R3CV, 2013 WL 817230, at *18 (Tenn. Ct. App. Mar. 4, 2013) (citing Chandler, 715 S.W.2d at 619).
The Eastern District of Tennessee appears to have followed this route. See Stutte, 2015 WL 1650933, at *3-5; Spring Place Church of God of Prophecy v. Bhd. Mut. Ins. Co., No. 1:13-CV-405, 2015 WL 12531988, at *4 n.4 (E.D. Tenn. Mar. 16, 2015). This Court, however, has not. In Lindenberg v. Jackson National Life Insurance Co., the Court engaged in a detailed discussion of precedent and statutory interpretation before holding that punitive damages are available in addition to the bad-faith statute's penalty. 2014 WL 11332306, at *9. The Court first established that punitive damages were available in breach of contract cases at the time the Tennessee Supreme Court decided Myint. Id. at *5. This point appears to be uncontroversial. See Myint, 970 S.W.2d at 925 ("We find nothing in . . . the bad faith statute which limits an insured's remedies to those provided therein."); see also Rogers, 367 S.W.3d at 211 n.14 (confirming the availability of punitive damages in "the most egregious [breach of contract] cases").
"[T]he question left to the Lindenberg court was whether the 2011 amendments precluded punitive damages in breach-of-insurance-contract claims." Carroll, 2015 WL 3607654, at *4.
Id. (quoting Tenn. Code Ann. § 56-8-113) (emphasis added). The key word here is "statutory." The Court in Lindenberg reasoned that, because the terms "remedies" and "sanctions" are not separated by a comma, the word "statutory" modifies them both. 2014 WL 11332306, at *7. This begets the natural inference that common law remedies and sanctions, including common law punitive damages, remained unaffected. Id. Beyond that, the statute makes clear that "[n]othing in this section shall be construed to eliminate or otherwise affect any . . . [r]emedy, cause of action, right to relief or sanction available under common law." Tenn. Code Ann. § 56-8-113. The legislative history of section 56-8-113 also supports this interpretation. "Because the bad faith cause of action under the Consumer Protection Act was statutory, the legislative intent to reverse Myint is consistent with the explicit language of § 113, which indicates that the Tennessee General Assembly intended only to preclude remedies and sanctions that were statutory in nature." Lindenberg, 2014 WL 11332306, at *8.
In light of the prior decisions of this Court and the examinations of state court precedent, statutory interpretation, and legislative history therein, the Court concludes that the Tennessee Supreme Court would rule that neither the bad-faith statute nor section 56-8-113 vitiates a properly pleaded common law claim for punitive damages in a breach of contract action under Tennessee law. Defendant's motion to dismiss Plaintiff's punitive damages claim is DENIED.
Defendant has filed a separate motion to bifurcate the trial, in the event that Plaintiff's punitive damages claim survives the motion to dismiss. (ECF No. 34.) Plaintiff has not responded. "Although a federal court sitting in diversity applies the law of the forum state . . . the conduct of discovery and bifurcation are matters of federal procedural law." Riddle v. Royal Indem. Co., No. 3:05CV-540-S, 2007 WL 542389, at *1 (W.D. Ky. Feb. 16, 2007) (citing Hanna v. Plumer, 380 U.S. 460 (1965); Erie Railroad v. Tompkins, 304 U.S. 64 (1938)). Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 42 provides that a district court "may order a separate trial of one or more separate issues, claims, crossclaims, counterclaims, or third-party claims" for any of the following reasons: "convenience, to avoid prejudice, or to expedite and economize." Fed. R. Civ. P. 42(b). "The decision of whether to isolate the punitive damages phase of the trial is within the sound discretion of the trial court." Thorne v. Welk Inv., Inc., 197 F.3d 1205, 1213-14 (8th Cir. 1999); see Bridgeport Music, Inc. v. Justin Combs Pub., 507 F.3d 470, 482 (6th Cir. 2007).
Federal district courts sitting in diversity in Tennessee have exercised their discretion under Rule 42 to bifurcate punitive damages issues in a manner consistent with state law. See Harris v. Ford Motor Co., No. 3:04-0144, 2006 WL 5164774, at *3 (M.D. Tenn. July 11, 2006); Rotello v. Clayton Homes of Del., Inc., No. 303CV-573, 2006 WL 842931, at *1 (E.D. Tenn. Mar. 28, 2006) ("Although the question of bifurcation is a matter of federal law . . . the substantive law of the punitive damages at issue in this case is a matter of [Tennessee] state law." (citing Cappello v. Duncan Aircraft Sales of Fla., Inc., 79 F.3d 1465, 1474 (6th Cir. 1996))); see also VJ, LLC v. State Auto Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co., No. 2:14-cv-02919-SHM-dkv, at *39-40 (W.D. Tenn. Aug. 3, 2016) (holding similarly and collecting authority).
C. Election of Remedies and Limitation on Punitive Damages
Defendant advances another argument in the alternative: that Plaintiff cannot recover both common law punitive damages and the statutory penalty under the bad-faith statute, and must choose which remedy to collect if the jury awards both. (See ECF No. 37 at 6-7.) The Tennessee Supreme Court has held that "[o]nly after the amount of punitive damages and multiple damages have been assessed is the plaintiff required to make an election between the two types of remedies."
Defendant also avers that any punitive damages award would be limited by Tennessee's statutory cap. Tennessee Code Annotated section 29-39-104 provides that "[p]unitive or exemplary damages" must not exceed either two times the total award of compensatory damages or $500,000, whichever is greater. Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-39-104(a)(5). The Court also declines to rule on this issue, for now. "If the cap applies, it will have no relevance to the case unless a jury finds that [Plaintiff is] entitled to punitive damages. Moreover, Tennessee law prohibits disclosure of the limitation to the jury; therefore, the Court need not address the cap's applicability at this juncture."
D. Attorney's Fees and Costs
Finally, Defendant moves to dismiss Plaintiff's claims for attorney's fees and "all costs incurred by Northend as a result of this action." (ECF No. 11 at 16.) "Tennessee, like most jurisdictions, follows the `American Rule' concerning attorney's fees and `will not allow such fees to be shifted unless there is an express provision in a contract, statute, or some other equitable ground' for doing so." Pankey, 2014 WL 11514533, at *4 (quoting Holcomb v. Cagle, 277 S.W.3d 393, 397-98 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2008) (citations omitted)). In response, Plaintiff cites the text of the bad-faith statute itself, pointing to the conditions precedent to an award of the twenty-five percent penalty:
Tenn. Code Ann. § 56-7-105(a) (emphases added). Because they are explicitly mentioned in the statute, Plaintiff asserts that attorney's fees are available in this case.
The Tennessee Court of Appeals has noted that section 56-7-105's statutory penalty "is not simply a punitive award but allows for the recovery of the additional damages caused by a breach of the insurance policy." McColgan v. Auto-Owners Ins. Co., No. W2002-00114-COA-R3-CV, 2002 WL 31322538, at *5 (Tenn. Ct. App. Oct. 11, 2002). "The burden is upon the plaintiff to show [the] additional expense, loss, or injury." Ray v. Shelter Ins. Companies, No. 01A01-9208-CV-00324, 1993 WL 15151, at *2 (Tenn. Ct. App. Jan. 27, 1993). Because Plaintiff cites no additional authority in support of its request for attorney's fees, its claim is proper only to the extent that it contemplates recovery within the limits of the bad-faith statute's twenty-five percent penalty. Compare Burge v. Farmers Mut. of Tenn., No. M2016-01604-COA-R3-CV, 2017 WL 1372864, at *10 (Tenn. Ct. App. Apr. 13, 2017) (upholding the trial court's award of the bad-faith statutory penalty that roughly equaled the plaintiffs' requested attorney's fees and fell within the twenty-five percent limit), with id. (denying the plaintiffs' request for attorney's fees on appeal where they "cited no basis for [such] an award").
As for the costs claim, Plaintiff focuses its response on the availability of "consequential damages" beyond the limits of the insurance policy. (ECF No. 29 at 12-13.) Plaintiff appears to conflate this term with the word "costs" and thus misses the mark. Black's Law Dictionary defines "consequential damages" as "[l]osses that do not flow directly and immediately from an injurious act but that result indirectly from the act," and "legal costs" as "[a]ttorney's fees and other expenditures related to a lawsuit." Black's Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014). As far as the Court can discern, Defendant's motion does not challenge the amount or types of compensatory damages requested, but rather the sort of ancillary expenses normally associated with attorney's fees. Indeed, Plaintiff derives its requests for costs and attorney's fees from the same language in the complaint that it drafted. (ECF No. 11 at 16 (requesting "all costs incurred by Northend as a result of this action").) The bad-faith statute seems to have contemplated costs to the same extent as attorney's fees. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 56-7-105(a) (referencing "additional expense[s]"). Therefore, the Court rules identically with respect to both the attorney's fees and the costs claims: Defendant's motion to dismiss Plaintiff's claims for attorney's fees and costs is GRANTED IN PART to the extent that they request any amount beyond the bad-faith statute's penalty, and DENIED IN PART otherwise.
For the reasons stated above, Defendant's Motion to Dismiss Punitive Damages and All Costs Claims is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART and its Motion to Bifurcate is GRANTED.
IT IS SO ORDERED. |
Water is good for you, but is the water in your home good to you? Kube is an advanced water filtration system that provides clean, clear, thirst-quenching water right from your own faucet. That's right. Your faucet will dispense the water you crave for watering plants, filling your pet's bowl, brewing coffee, cooking without chemicals or drinking that tall glass of water. No kidding! Kube can keep up with your family's demanding, active, thirsty life.
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Not only is it safe to visit a chiropractor during your pregnancy, it’s also highly beneficial.
All chiropractors are specially trained to treat pregnant women, but you may want to do a little research and find one who specializes in prenatal or perinatal care. Getting regularly adjusted while pregnant is a great way to relieve the added stress on your spine that comes along with the weight gain. It can also prevent sciatica, the inflammation of the sciatic nerve that runs from your lower back down through your legs and to your feet. It’s also important to maintain pelvic balance, which is oftentimes thrown off as your belly grows and your posture changes.
Besides making you feel better during pregnancy, getting regular chiropractic adjustments can also help control nausea, prevent a potential C-section and has even been linked to reducing the amount of time some women spend in labor. |
Lowe Lintas inherited the GMC account late last year when Lowe & Partners/SMS was merged with Ammirati Puris Lintas; Ammirati won GMC in fall 1997 without a review. It wasn't long, however, before insiders were reporting the account was in trouble, which both sides have continually denied.
Neither Lee Garfinkle, chairman-CEO and chief creative officer, nor Susan Cantor, management director on GMC, would comment on the purported rift. Going forward, Ms. Cantor said the blitz is "really a credible product story converging with advertising."
With the new campaign that starts Sept. 22, GM will run commercials through the fourth quarter. The tag utilizes the "professional grade" theme GMC has used in past product ads, but the tag since fall 1998 was "Do one thing. Do it well." That theme reflected the brand's nearly 100-year truck heritage.
COMMUNICATING THE DIFFERENCE
"There are two major truck divisions at GM and we need to have a distinguishing positioning that's different from Chevrolet as well as other non-GM brands and we need to communicate that better," said Mark-Hans Richer, ad director at GMC since April. Mr. Richer certainly understands the difference between GMC and Chevrolet: his prior job was truck ad manager at Chevy.
Each of the four new TV commercials uses a single GMC engineer to highlight an advanced technology developed for a certain truck. The new ad theme will carry into all ads. Between now and March, GM will launch the Sierra Heavy Duty pickup, the Yukon XL Denali SUV, the Sierra C3 High Performance pickup and the Envoy SUV. In all cases, the ads will do double duty -- for both product and the GMC brand. Print mirrors the spots.
Mr. Garfinkle said the problem with earlier GMC ads was "you couldn't just imply professional grade because people didn't get it." The goal of the new uniform-look campaign, he said, is "to put teeth into what we mean about professional grade."
Other carmakers have tapped staffers for their ads, including Ford Motor Co.'s Ford Division, GM's Saturn Corp. and DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler brand.
Mr. Garfinkle conceded ads with auto staffers aren't new. "The way we're doing it is different," he said. "Each engineer symbolizes a significant innovation of the vehicle."
Like other GM brands, GMC shifted ad strategies after the marketer introduced a brand management system in 1995. Under that system, GMC tried to create brand personalities for each of its trucks and there were no ads for the umbrella GMC brand. GMC was designated as GM's premium truck marque, according to then-brand czar Ron Zarrella, now president of GM North America.
BRAND PROBLEMS COMPOUNDED
Wes Brown, an analyst at consultancy Nextrend, said GMC's identity problems as a premium truck brand were compounded when GM gave its luxury Cadillac Division the Escalade sport-utility last year.
GMC's pickups and SUVs compete for the same affluent buyers as GM's high-end Chevrolet trucks and SUVs, the Oldsmobile Bravada SUV and the Cadillac Escalade, he said. "Now GMC is struggling to find an identity that's different from Chevrolet, Cadillac and Oldsmobile."
But at least GMC has started model differentiation. Early this year, the GMC Suburban SUV became the Yukon XL to distinguish it from Chevrolet's Suburban. Other GMC-unique models are in the wings, he said.
GMC spent $246.6 million in measured media last year, up 108% from $118.2 million in 1998, according to Competitive Media Reporting. The brand sold 353,036 trucks in the first eight months of 2000, up 1.9% from 346,436 during the same time period a year ago, according to Automotive News. In 1999, the brand sold 521,294 trucks, up 15.6% from 450,783 units in '98, when GM was shuttered for seven weeks during a strike.
Susan Jacobs, president of auto consultancy Jacobs & Associates, predicted GMC will have a hard time competing with the SUVs of more-established, upscale brands, including BMW of North America and Mercedes-Benz USA. "A lot of GMC's competitors will be able to pull buyers familiar with their badge from their existing buyer base," she said. Although GMC has a reasonable strategy, "it's hard to have a unique positioning in GM's lineup without bumping into Chevrolet or Cadillac," she said. |
BBC Blogs - BBC Media Action - Open Jirga: national identity in Afghanistan:
The Khirqa-e Sharif (shrine of the cloak) is home to Prophet Mohammad’s cloak – which has only been taken out twice since it was put there for safekeeping in the 18th century. Next to the Khirqa lies the tomb of Ahmad Shah Abdali (later known as Ahmad Shah Durrani), founder of modern Afghanistan. Ahmad Shah was a young general in the army of the Persian Emperor, Nader Afshar. After the emperor was assassinated, he separated a large part of the empire and declared it an independent country, Afghanistan, in mid-18 century. |
Sangin 'on verge of falling back into Afghan Taliban hands' - BBC News:
Almost a quarter of British military personnel killed during the UK's combat mission in Afghanistan died defending Sangin.
There were reports in December last year that the district was almost entirely in Taliban hands but since then the Afghan government has sent in reinforcements.
Government officials have repeatedly asserted that, despite the continuing Taliban assault, Sangin is secure. The commander, however, paints a very different picture. |
This is funny... NOT the inspiration I need to write a love scene, but I stumbled across this tidbit while searching for info on how wolves mate. Don't ask how I Google.
"While mating, female Physocylus globosus spiders emit high-frequency squeaks to let males know what they should be doing, a new study finds.
Called stridulations, the shrill cries sound like squeaky leather and are made in response to the rhythmic squeezing actions of the male's genitalia from inside the female during sex....
A male spider's genitalia are located at the end of its pedipalp. During sex, he inserts this tip into the female. Muscles near the base of the pedipalp flex during sex, creating the rhythmic squeezing motions that cause a female to cry out... The researchers mated 68 virgin P. globosus females with two males. They found that the number of squeezes the males made were associated with the number of times the females cried out during sex. " From "Spider Cries Out While Mating by Ker Than, LIveScience Staff Writer."
68 virgins with two males??? Sounds like a Regency era romance novel. The rakish spiders of London. Hmmm. I could write a love scene based on spider sex... maybe Regency spiders...
Herman: "Oh my dear Constance your eight legs are so slender and hairy, you make me go wild. I will make you mine. You are one of the mothers of my children."
Constance: "Be gentle with me, Herman, you rake, I have heard of your prowess among the females, for was it not last night in London when you mated with over 2,000 females in the dusty corner of Lord Maplethorpe's ballroom?"
Herman: "They matter not to me, only you, Constance, you with your glistening fangs and your rounded abdomen. I will plant my seed into you now. I am hot for you, you little arachnoid. I am squeezing my huge manly pedipalp, cry out for me, my virgin lover, do it do it!"
Constance: "Oh, OHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"
Herman: "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" Collapses atop his crawly lady love.
Constance: "Get off me before I eat you." |
Today, I was browsing a blog that is new to me. It can be found here . It's called Lanas de Ana. I saw this lovely scarf she knitted on there and it inspired me to crochet one of my own.
This is the finished scarf.
I really like it.
I like the way it lays around my neck.
It has to be the shape of the scarf. Honestly.
Here's the scarf laid out on the floor.
See the shape?
This is the center section.
You can get a better idea of the shape in this photo.
If anyone wants to do one for themselves, the other blog gives you a basic idea. But, this is what I did. I chained 5, sc in the 2nd st from the hook and in each ch across. This gives you 4 sc in the first row. I worked each row in sc and increased one st on every 4th row. When I got it as long as I wanted, I started to decrease every 4th row until I had 4 stitches left. Then I worked 4 rows of 4 stitches before ending off. Then I made tassels for the ends. That's it.
I used the school colors of red, gray and white. All of my yarn was Red Heart Super Saver. I also used an I crochet hook.
The scarf on the other blog was knitted. And it is a stash buster project. Which is what I love. I have some stash that I'm still using up and I used that yarn to make my scarf. |
Homemade Household Cleaners – How to Make Your Own … – 9 Cleaners You Can Make Yourself The key ingredients you need just might be hiding in your pantry.
Jan 26, 2011 · Installing a quality water filtration system in your house is the quickest way to detoxify your body because it will provide you with better drinking water.
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How to Make Your Dog Drink Water. Healthy dogs are usually good at managing their own water intake, although this is less true of young puppies and elderly dogs.
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Comments 258 Responses to “How to Make Your Own Tonic Water” 28 May 2008 at 6:33 AM 1. JD. How long does the syrup stay fresh in the fridge? Looks delicious – I … |
From Youtube About File History Metadata Description 02:31 Ice Age 3 Teaser Trailer 2 Scrat meets Scratte for the first time. Appears on these pages of File:Ice Age 3 Teaser Trailer 2 Description 02:31 Ice Age 3 Teaser Trailer 2 Scrat meets Scratte for the first time. File history Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. Date/TimeThumbnailDimensionsUserComment current08:36, April 6, 201202:31480 × 269 (16 KB)Karlamon9 (wall | contribs) Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. If the file has been modified from its original state, some details may not fully reflect the modified file. title ICE AGE 3D Trailer "Scrat, Scratte & the Acorn" published March 25, 2009 category Entertainment canembed 1 hd 1 Keywords Ice, Age, 3D, Dawn, of, the, Dinosaurs, Trailer, 20th, Century, Fox, Movies, Scrat, Scratte, Sid, Crash, Ellie, Eddie, Diego, Manny, Ray, Romano, Queen, Latifah, Jon, Leguizamo, Seann, William, Scott, Dennis, Leary duration 02:31 aspectratio 1.7777778 description In Theaters July 1, 2,009 trailerrating industryrating agegate language Retrieved from "http://iceage.wikia.com/wiki/File:Ice_Age_3_Teaser_Trailer_2?oldid=36016" Ad blocker interference detected! Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected. |
A Review Of Vijay Eswaran’s Professional Career
The success of a company is anchored on its leadership. QI Group has succeeded in operating as a going concern because of the transformative nature of its co-founders, Joseph Bismark and Vijay Eswaran. The two entrepreneurs have continued to expand the company’s operations by working with different subsidiaries.
QI Group has continued to enhance its investment portfolio. Today, the conglomerate has invested in education and training, luxury, development of properties, lifestyle and leisure, as well as logistics and telecommunication. In addition, Vijay has endeavored to come closer to their clients by opening regional offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand. Learn more about Vijay Eswaran: https://www.facebook.com/DatoSriVijayEswaran/
Vijay Eswaran is a well renowned entrepreneur. He is an alumnus of the Southern Illinois University and the London School of Economics. He earned an MBA and graduated with an undergraduate degree in socio-economics from these institutions respectively. In addition, the executive has a Chartered Institute of Management Accountant (CIMA) certification.
After studying and working abroad for many years, he eventually returned home in the 90’s. During the time, Asia was experiencing the effects of a major economic crisis. Vijay says that during that period, he had limited resources. Read more: Vijay Eswaran | Professional Profile – LinkedIn and 3 More Years: NYCFC Owners Man City and Vijay Eswaran’s QNET Extend their Partnership
The shrewd entrepreneur posited that he could not waste his time working for anyone. He credits his success to his wife and the like-minded partners who inspired him to establish the business. With operations in more than 30 countries, QI Group continues to address the various needs of their consumers. Over the years, Vijay has been providing his insights that range from spirituality to business to his audiences in various leadership conferences and institutions of learning.
To ensure that he shares his story with a large audience, the motivational speaker has written many inspirational books. They include “18 Stepping Stones,” “On the Wings of Thought” and “In the Thinking Zone.” The author continues to write for different newspaper columns in Sri Lanka and Malaysia.
Because of his vast experience and outstanding business knowledge, Vijay has been appointed by different corporations and councils to serve on their boards. Presently, he sits on the boards of the Business Council for Sustainability and Responsibility, the Global Business Council and Corporate Malaysia Roundtable. Previously, he served on the Council of the Quest International University of Malaysia. |
It was an achievement Castro won't soon forget.
"For me, it's an honor, especially a guy like him," Castro said of Buehrle. "He's an All-Star, he's thrown a no-hitter before."
Castro was filling in for A.J. Pierzynski as he usually does in a day game following a night game. Castro said Pierzynski had some words of advice for him before the game to help him catch the fast-paced left-hander.
"He explained to me a couple things that helped me a lot," Castro said. "He said to work a lot with his slider when he is behind the count and we did that. Oh my God, and his curveball. Every pitch was working, sinkers -- it was his day today."
Pierzynski couldn't help but feel just a little jealous that he wasn't in to catch the southpaw. He caught Buehrle's first no-hitter back on April 18, 2007, against the Rangers at U.S. Cellular Field.
Pierzynski was warming up with Buehrle before the start of the ninth inning and accidentally tossed the ball over Buehrle's head. It didn't break Buehrle's focus, but nothing really could on this day.
In fact, before the game, Buehrle and Pierzynski joked about throwing a perfect game.
"He was running his mouth before the game because he always says he doesn't finish games anymore," Pierzynski said of Buehrle. "I said, 'Well, go out and finish one.' He's like, 'Nah.' I said, 'Go out and throw a no-hitter,' and he said, 'I already got one of those.' I was like, 'Go out and throw a perfect game.'
"We were kind of joking back and forth, and [Buehrle] said, 'OK, I just might.' Every inning, he and I were sitting up here [in the dugout] joking back and forth. Then, in the ninth, I came up and said, 'Hey, you got three more outs, let's do this.' He was just laughing. There's superstitions, but with Mark, he just has fun with it.''
Castro said he had never been a part of a no-hitter before and that his nerves started getting to him. By the seventh inning, though, he thought Buehrle was going to pull it off.
"Oh my God, I was shaking a little bit," Castro said.
Of course, that didn't seem to matter. He followed Buehrle's pregame plan to perfection. Literally.
"You put it down, and I'll throw it," Buehrle told Castro. "Hopefully, I'll get it where you want it." |
Manifest Motorsports has a vision to create the most honest and ethical automotive experience. It can be tough to find a good, trustworthy and friendly automotive expert in this day and age. Manifest Motorsports has a goal to be your one stop automotive shop. Founded in 2016 with a vision of bringing together clients with the top experts in the automotive field, Manifest Motorsports is changing the way you look at your vehicle. Whether it be protecting your asset, getting an education or making sure your vehicle stays running longer there is no other experience quite like Manifest Motorsports.
If you need any automotive related work done, get it done by Manifest Motorsports and Contact Us today! |
Article by: Melanie Allen
Mickey Melchiondo of the famous ’90s-’00s duo Ween released The Deaner Album late last year, which serves as a sufficient Ween fix for any fan who’s missed the pair’s music since their La Cucaracha album was released in 2007.
The Dean Ween Group esteems many genres, as does the duo he co-founded along with Aaron Freeman. The absurdist, explicit, and heavily guitar focused tracks on The Deaner Album separate the band from other current acts. Many of the tracks showcase each member’s refined musical talent, specifically the opening track “Dickie Beckett,” which is exclusively instrumental. Other songs such as, “Charlie Brown” and “Burn” exhibit Melchiondo’s harder, grungier side of writing. Throughout the album are (possibly unintentional) insinuations of specific Ween songs, e.g., one layer of “Gum” seems to mirror Ween’s “Spinal Meningitis.” Both halves of Ween are astonishingly talented, and The Dean Ween Group is Melchiondo’s independent corroborating project.
The Dean Ween Group will be playing Emo’s in Austin this Friday, February 3rd. |
Saturday March 5 brings a free class on Seed Starting to Skillin's at 10 AM and 2 PM. We have some great March and April classes coming up; check them out at http://www.skillins.com/information.html! You may sign up for any classes including Seed Starting at firstname.lastname@example.org!
In honor of our Seed Starting class, I am bringing to the Garden Log the ABC's of Seed Starting which is a handout we developed several years ago!
All you need for seed starting: seeds, some type of container, seed starting mix and some water. There are many different types of seeds: some very fine, some as big as the tip of your finger. And as there are many different types of seeds, there are also different ways to handle them. If you have purchased seeds, you will find the package gives a great deal of information on how long it takes to germinate (important as to how far in advance to start your seeds), how deep to plant the seed, how far apart to plant when transplanted outside (gives you an idea how many plants you want to grow) and their height at maturity (so you don’t end up planting something very tall in front of something low growing). You may also want to note the date of the packaging as the freshest seed has the highest rate of germination. If you harvested your own seed you may find the plants to be inferior since the cross-pollination has not been controlled. Seeds that are now offered as F1 hybrids produce the best as they are the first generation of pure plants that have been hand pollinated.
Before you begin, gather the materials you will need. Seedling trays can be either open trays or row trays with humidity domes to hold in moisture. You will need a soil medium such as Jiffy-Mix to be used in peat pots or row trays or you may opt to use Jiffy-7 peat pellets that serve as individual peat pots when water is added. Moisture and warmth is necessary for good seed germination. Moisten the soil medium making sure it is not too wet before you sow your seeds. Heating cables can be purchased to aid in warming the soil. Use milled sphagnum moss sprinkled over your seeds after sowing. A mist type spray bottle helps in watering without washing your seeds away. White plastic markers remind us of what we have planted.
Container, seed, soil mix—you are all ready to go! Be sure to read your seed packets. Tender annuals and warm loving vegetables benefit from the head start they get indoors especially here in the north where the season is short. Scatter the seed evenly over the surface taking care not to sow too thickly as crowded plants are prone to “damping off”.
Milled sphagnum moss can be sprinkled over the seed. Generally the covering should be the same thickness as the seed. Most seed germinates in the dark. Newspaper can be used over the tray but be sure to check often and remove as soon as seedlings appear. Some very fine seed such as begonias need light to germinate and would benefit from being 3 inches below fluorescent lights. When seedlings emerge place them in a southeastern window and take care that the sun is not too hot. Be sure to rotate the trays a ¼ turn daily as the seedlings will grow toward the light and you do not want them to stretch. Plants grown under fluorescent lights grow more evenly but make sure you have placed the trays close to the lights to be beneficial. When using artificial light, cool white and warm white work the best in a two light system. Special grow lights such as the Vita-lite fluorescent tubes are a bit more expensive but provide the closest light to sunlight. At first the seedlings should be within 4” of the lights; move them further away as they get bigger. Plant lights should be on 12 to 16 hours per day (timers are very useful here).
Dome covers will aid in humidity and may help to keep the soil moist but dome covers should be removed during the day as it is just as important that the seedlings have good air circulation. You will still need to water your seedlings when the soil surface is dry to the touch. Do not let them dry out but do not saturate them either. Keep your seedlings evenly moist. Water them lightly until the water drips out of the bottom of the container.
In the coming weeks look for Transplanting Seedlings, where we talk about how to handle successfully started plants. As always let us know if you have any questions!
February 22, 2011 |
Globo TV, the largest media group of Latin America, recently exhibited a documentary featuring the study developed by The Center Laboratory of Physical Fitness of Sao Caetano do Sul (CELAFISCS) in Sao Paulo. The study concentrates on physical activity and sedentary behavior in children. In this study, Actigraph devices were used and the documentary highlighted their importance in Physical Activity studies. We would like to thank the CELAFISCS Researchers Gerson Luis de Moraes Smithy, Timothy Leandro Araújo, Luis Carlos Oliveira, Victor Matsudo, and Mauro Fisberg who used our Actigraph devices and software in the course of this study. See the complete documentary below. |
Just to get a bit of a Brass Band view of how the election would go if it was just the Brass Band world voting. Which way do you lean? Debate if you like, feel free to post who if you ticked "other". Sorry if your party isn't named, I just put the more obvious ones that sprung to mind in the 3 minutes I had! Edit Just realised I forgot the obvious "I won't be voting for anyone" tick box. Feel free to put that in "Other". |
The terms have come into even more interest lately as hackers have hit world news once again. It turns out the government paid a “grey hat” hacker for a security hole that he had found (a “zero day” hole) in the iOS 9 software that allowed the government to break into the phone of the San Bernardino shooter. So what are these hats and what do they mean?
A black hat hacker is a hacker that most people think of when they hear the term. These hackers search for exploits for profit and destructive “fun”. They will find security holes and then create viruses or malware programs that will cause destruction or havoc on the victims computers. Sometimes the hackers stop there, merely causing problems for the sake of it or to prove some sort of point. Other times hackers will attempt to make a profit, either by stealing credit card or other personal data, or locking up files behind an encryption code and demanding a ransom in exchange for the “key” to get the files back as was the case with several hospitals earlier this year.
A white hat hacker is a hacker that will work to find bugs and holes in code and software but will give this information directly to the vendor or software manufacturer. They used to only get some free swag or a pat on the back, but these days companies often pay these white hat hackers for their finds. Some companies even have bug bounty programs or contests. These hackers ply their trades and use their knowledge for the greater good of the tech community.
Grey hat hackers are fast becoming more recognized. These hackers will find security holes and flaws but rather than sell the info to the companies or to criminals, they sell them to governments, intelligence agencies, and militaries. These are the hackers that helped the government crack into the phone of the San Bernardino shooter. They paid the still-anonymous hacker a hefty one time fee in exchange for the hole. It was considered a zero-day vulnerability because apparently the hacker was the first to find it and nobody knows now except him and the FBI. Apple still does not know what the hole is. These hackers are called “grey” because although they sell them to governments with the presumed intent that they will be used for the public good, the information is sometimes used to spy on dissidents or other governments, take down key areas of public utilties, or simply keep tabs on informants. It’s a complicated transaction.
All these different breeds of hackers certainly makes the world of tech a bit more interesting. It’s a little bit like good witches and bad witches in the Wizard of Oz. We can only hope that with the advent of bug bounty programs as well as security contracting companies that hire hackers in order to package up exploits and sell them to governments that more hackers will lean towards the white or grey end of the spectrum rather than the black. |
Disclaimer: Not being entirely honest with your child’s pediatrician is not recommended. But it (or not being entirely honest) was something I did because, as a new mom, I liked my doctors but didn’t like some of their attitudes towards my “alternative” ways of parenting.
So, new moms out there, rather than not telling your doctor things about your parenting practices, like I did, just be honest. Or consider looking for a doctor who will accept all of your parenting practices. Okay, I take the “all” part back. Finding a doctor who will support your decision to feed your kids dog biscuits is unlikely. Very unlikely.
- I co-slept with my daughter from seven weeks to 15 months. And we took all the safety precautions when doing it. We still do co-sleep, but not with the same consistency as when she was little.
- I breastfed my first daughter when I was pregnant with my second daughter. My pediatrician told me I couldn’t breastfeed while pregnant, but I did it anyway because a lactation consultant and other midwives told me I could. I stopped only when it got too uncomfortable at 4 months pregnant.
- I didn’t regularly give my first daughter the recommended Vitamin D drops for breastfeeding babies.
- I didn’t start my first daughter on solids until she was eight months old. I started then because I wanted to exclusively breastfeed for as long as possible.
- Even then, when starting my first daughter on solids, I started with veggies rather than cereals.
Is there anything that you’ve been a little less than honest with your pediatrician about? Confess below. |
31 December, 2010
Kyle Neath, a designer at GitHub, talks about how they designed GitHub's URL schema.
I personal didn't find Inception all that thought provoking (or...
A cool mammoth cavern in Vietnam that has a jungle...
Made by Myles Braithwaite with |
Matthew 24Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
Destruction of the Temple Predicted
24 As Jesus left and was going out of the temple, his disciples came up and called his attention to its buildings. 2 He replied to them, “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down.”
Signs of the End of the Age
3 While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4 Jesus replied to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. 6 You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines[a] and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these events are the beginning of labor pains.
9 “Then they will hand you over to be persecuted, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. 10 Then many will fall away, betray one another, and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world[b] as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
The Great Tribulation
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation,[c] spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place” (let the reader understand), 16 “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 A man on the housetop[d] must not come down to get things out of his house, 18 and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat. 19 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 20 Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great distress,[e] the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again. 22 Unless those days were cut short, no one would[f] be saved. But those days will be cut short because of the elect.
23 “If anyone tells you then, ‘See, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 Take note: I have told you in advance. 26 So if they tell you, ‘See, he’s in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; or, ‘See, he’s in the storerooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures[g] will gather.
The Coming of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth[h] will mourn;[i] and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
32 “Learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize[j] that he[k] is near—at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
No One Knows the Day or Hour
36 “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels of heaven nor the Son[l]—except the Father alone. 37 As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. 39 They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. This is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding grain with a hand mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day[m] your Lord is coming. 43 But know this: If the homeowner had known what time[n] the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. 44 This is why you are also to be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Faithful Service to Christ
45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and starts to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. |
The Interlock Wine Rack is a fun and innovative product that allows you to configure the shape of the rack to suit your needs. You can add additional sets to grow with your wine collection. Comes as a 9 bottle set.
Finished with wood oil and made from FSC certified furniture grade film faced Birch plywood.
Designed and made in Melbourne |
* Client-Side Metrics Include
* Wiki: https://tiny.amazon.com/cpso0wg6
* Needs to be included at the top of pages because it tracks latency--
* ue_t0 needs to be as close to body load as possible.
* - ue.tag maps to URLType dimension of OnlineQueryLog in PMET. Because we cannot add
* custome data to other dimensions in PMET through CSM, we are replicating it thrice to
* cover each store, page type, and the intersections of the two.
* - Whitelists are listed in the usage guide:
Mars Attacks Classics brings back your favorite comics from the past. This volume collects the first five-issue miniseries from Topps Comics, and features stories by beloved creators like Keith Giffen, Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead), and more! |
Twice a week, our writers will tell you more about themselves, and let you get to know them and the characters they play a little better. Click here to read more About the Bloggers.
What do you do for WoW Insider?
I'm a regular blogger. Right now, I'm the chronically late co-writer for Know Your Lore, the paladin column The Light and How to Swing It, and the rogue column Encrypted Text. I swear to Thrall there will finally be a new KYL this week. I also contributed to Arcane Brilliance for a short time until I realized that I don't really like playing a mage. I used to do a lot of short pieces on the forums and social aspects of WoW, but due to a new work schedule, those have decreased in recent months.
What's your main right now?
Right now, I have no main. Kelstar, the troll rogue pictured above, was my first character and the only one I've seriously raided on. I recently leveled a blood elf protadin, Sandinista, and am in the process of building up an undead affliction warlock, Sabra. All these characters are on Magtheridon-US. Yes, I am fully aware that my gear, rep, spec, appearance and entire being suck, so don't bother to look up my characters and tell me that. Most recently, I've been working on a new class, faction and server -- Mehitabel is my lowbie night elf druid on Warsong. WTS Blood Elf Bandit Mask plz. |
Pato and Ganso named in Copa America squad
"We checked (with the doctors) and we're absolutely certain they will be at the Copa America," Menezes told a news conference after Brazil's 1-0 win over Romania in their final warm-up friendly.
The tournament starts on July 1 in Argentina, with Brazil looking to defend the title they won in 2007.
Pato (shoulder) and Ganso (thigh) also missed Saturday's 0-0 draw with Netherlands in Goiania.
Fans booed the team after both friendlies but Menezes said he saw some good build-up play and was confident the finishing would come.
"I always made it clear (Ganso) is the player with the most qualities in his favour (to be the playmaker)," Menezes said of the talented Santos midfielder.
Santos were planning to bring Ganso back from his injury layoff in the second leg of the Libertadores Cup Final against Penarol of Uruguay in Sao Paulo on June 22, he added. The first leg is in Montevideo next week.
"For him to play that match he will have had 10 days of hard work," Menezes said.
Menezes, whose team face Paraguay, Ecuador and Venezuela in Group B at the Copa America, has until June 27 to make changes if necessary.
Goalkeepers: Victor (Gremio), Julio Cesar (Inter Milan).
Defenders: Lucio, Maicon (both Inter Milan), Thiago Silva (AC Milan), David Luiz (Chelsea), Luisao (Benfica), Andre Santos (Fenerbahce), Daniel Alves, Adriano (both Barcelona).
Midfielders: Lucas (Sao Paulo), Lucas Leiva (Liverpool), Elano (Santos), Elias (Atletico Madrid), Jadson (Shakhtar Donetsk), Ramires (Chelsea), Sandro (Tottenham Hotspur), Paulo Henrique Ganso (Santos).
Forwards: Alexandre Pato, Robinho (both AC Milan), Neymar (Santos), Fred (Fluminense). |
FLUID POWER ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
- Class Time: Day and Evening
- Semester: Fall or Spring Semester
- Campus: Brooklyn Park and Eden Prairie
Are you interested in the way things move? Fluid Power Engineering Technology takes that curiosity and puts it to work. The fluid power industry is one of the fastest growing technologies today. Fluid Power technicians are responsible for researching and designing, fabricating, operating, testing, servicing, and selling fluid power systems. You will work with hand and machine tools, evaluating and adjusting systems for maximum efficiency. At HTC, you will get the hands-on training that prepares you for success, so you are ready for opportunities in industries such as automation, material handling and processing, heavy equipment, plant automation, and fluid power distribution.
ALUMNI IN ACTION
Labs and Classrooms
Our labs are equipped with over a million dollars of equipment to train students on both the state-of-the-art equipment using computers, PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers), servos and proportional control valves, instrumentation, as well as the simpler manual and solenoid control systems. The program provides many hydraulic systems and components to work with as well as pneumatic, electrical, and electronics hardware for hands-on learning.
Supplies / Tools
Tools and equipment that are used in the lab are provided by the college. Students need to have their own pair of safety glasses and a TI-30XA calculator, along with notebooks and necessary supplies. If you have a different scientific calculator that you are comfortable with, you may use it.
We will be using both a classroom and a working lab. You will receive hands-on training in the fluid power engineering lab and the manufacturing engineering technology lab. It will be your responsibility to help keep the labs clean and safe as you work on various projects that will enhance your learning. Education should be fun, enjoyable, and very informative. The instructors will make your experience at HTC a great one that you will remember for a lifetime.
Due to the diversity of fluid power careers there is no typical work environment. If can be with companies that manufacture, service and repair huge industrial equipment to those who manufacture microscopic lifesaving medical components. Fluid power companies range from small to fortune 500 worldwide manufacturers. It is your personal option to choose your own path to success.
Job Outlook / Gainful Employment
The fluid power industry is one of the fastest growing industries today. Technicians will find employment with industries in automation, material handling and processing, heavy equipment, plant automation, and fluid power distribution. These opportunities will exist in large and small local companies as well as international markets. Jobs will include supervision, engineering, inside and outside sales consultant, and product development.
The job market for a hydraulic or pneumatic technicians is strong, as there are not enough graduates to fill the needs of our industry partners. Students from all over the world move here to complete this comprehensive fluid power program.
Possible Job Titles include: Fluid Power Engineering Technician and/or Fluid Power Certified SpecialistGainful Employment Disclosure:
Potential Job Titles
Hennepin Technical College has articulation agreements or transfer agreements with several universities if you choose to continue your education. Please visit the Minnesota Transfer website for a complete list of options.
- Fluid Power Engineering Technician (A.A.S.)
- Fluid Power Engineering Technician (Diploma)
- Fluid Power Mechanic (Diploma)
- Hydraulic Engineering Technician (A.A.S.)
- Hydraulic Engineering Technician (Diploma)
- Industrial Maintenance Mechanic (Occupational Cert.)
- National Certified Fluid Power Specialist (Advanced Technical Cert.)
- Pneumatic Engineering Technician (A.A.S.)
- Pneumatic Engineering Technician (Diploma) |
Hiring for the position of Agency Manager for Birla Sun Life Insurance Company Ltd.
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First there was the shock and outrage. How dare the Yanks remake the beloved British crime show Life on Mars? How could it ever be as good?
Then there was the trailer for the US pilot, which provided the answer: “It couldn’t.”
Then there was the pilot, which provided another answer: “It really, really couldn’t.”
Anywat, after jessying it about in the schedules, doing minimal marketing and forgetting to let newcomers know what had been going on in previous episodes, ABC cancelled it, but gave the new producers the chance to wrap it all up.
Given they didn’t want to use the BBC version’s ending, so fans wouldn’t be able to look it up in advance on the Internet, they decided to give us a brand new one instead. So during the final episode, which aired on Wednesday, we found out just why US Sam Tyler had travelled back in time – and this time, it wasn’t because he was in a coma.
I’ll give them something – I wasn’t expecting what they came up with. Big spoilers ahoy.
The US version of Life on Mars has trodden a slightly different path for itself from the British version. The cartoon-like antagonism of Ray was replaced by something more plausible, even if Ray became slightly sillier; Annie became a far feistier woman with an Angie Dickinson haircut; Sam was a less cerebral everyman who began to enjoy his stay in 1973 and tolerated his partners’ behaviour; and Gene Hunt became a more jovial, fatherly figure – albeit one who seemed to have trouble remembering his lines – instead of the sparring partner of the original.
While it did a poor job after the first episode or so of showing the differences between US policing 1973-style and 2008-style, other than the occasional reference and a beating, it did a very good job of depicting 1973 New York. Sepia-tinted and with a soundtrack culled from any 1973 cop show you care to mention, Life on Mars‘ New York was not a desperately nice place to live in, but a fun one all the same.
Still, blown out to a number of episodes it couldn’t quite sustain, the show did meander somewhat. It had a number of sub-plots that didn’t go anywhere (Gene Hunt’s daughter), a number of mis-directs that ultimately proved silly (the ‘Angels’ that weren’t; the phone calls from Hyde), and was a bit empty, but it had more than a few clever touches and weird fake-outs to compensate.
It wasn’t staggering but it was fun.
But the ending. What to make of that?
Talk about literal. A show called Life on Mars and the finale is all about finding life on Mars, even though it was a cop show. You could, in fact, have taken any number of people with Asperger’s Syndrome and they’d have all come up with an ending that was less literal than that one. In fact, it reminds me of the Natalie Imbruglia/Johan Lippowitz video for ‘Torn‘, with basically every line of David Bowie’s ‘Life on Mars’ converted into a plot point.
Is there life on Mars? Let’s find out, because Sam Tyler’s in a spaceship and he’s been given a dream by the ship’s computer to keep him going until he gets there. Oh look, here’s Ground Control. Where’s Major Tom? Oh, that’s Gene Hunt, because we’re going on a gene hunt. And he’s in capsule 2B and the computer’s called Windy like his neighbour.
And so on.
All the same, despite the fact if the existentialist British version had ever done that, there’d have been rioting in the streets, I kind of enjoyed it. It was so off the wall, that even though it didn’t make the slightest bit of sense – if Sam’s program really did glitch and the year is actually 2035, where did all the 1973 New York info come from for the glitch? – it was still fun and a decent conclusion to the show. Gene Hunt is really Sam’s dad; Annie is really commanding the mission – it explains everything and yet nothing. I’d have hoped for a little more, to show that Sam’s dreamworld had had some bearing on the real world, maybe through a shared dream with the others.
Maybe, given more time, they could have built up the plots, with Sam and Annie’s romance and her promotion to detective producing a slight different reveal carrying more import as a result. All the same, it wasn’t bad and it was well executed with a decent budget.
By no means a classic, Life on Mars did at least demonstrate you can do a remake, make it its own beast and still have a relatively decent show.
One question: where was Lisa Bonet? She was credited as a guest star but never showed up. Did I miss her? |
Fulfilling the Greatest Need
Every day is different. Every child is unique. At Valley Children’s, kids are our world. We care for thousands of children 24 hours a day, seven days a week while the pediatric healthcare needs of our area consistently grow and change.
As the only dedicated pediatric facility in this part of the state, it is our responsibility to serve as the leader in children’s healthcare and to be at the forefront advocating for our kids and the issues that affect them.
Our task is significant. Over 1.3 million children live in the 11-county region Valley Children’s serves from Los Angeles to the Bay Area. Currently, we treat about 125,000 patients a year – meaning about one in every 10 children in our service area comes through our doors seeking hope and healing. Whether a newborn suffers a significant congenital defect, or a teenager becomes newly diagnosed with leukemia, our priority is to deliver safe, high-quality care for ill and injured children around the clock.
Various people, services and technologies make this possible. Valley Children’s boasts more than 550 physicians and provides highly specialized medical and surgical services to treat conditions ranging from common to the most unusual and complex. From state-of-the-art imaging and the latest protocols for pediatric cancer treatment, to pediatric subspecialists, pediatric nurses, dietitians, respiratory care therapists, and more who are trained in treating children and their specific healthcare needs, we ensure our kids receive only the best.
Over the years, Valley Children’s has been able to respond quickly to emerging challenges and take advantage of exciting opportunities to advance the quality of pediatric care because of the generosity of many caring donors who provide unrestricted philanthropic support year after year. The Children’s Fund provides a special opportunity for donors to give to the area of greatest need and ensure their support is helping children today!
An Increasing Need for Philanthropic Support
In recent years, Valley Children's has experienced a significant increase in the demand for services. With the busiest emergency department in California for patients under age 21, the number of patients we see in our ED has grown dramatically – from about 67,000 patient visits in 2010 to nearly 100,000 patient visits in 2014. Valley Children’s now performs more than 12,000 surgeries each year and our Maternal Fetal Center has treated more than 14,000 moms since opening in 2010.
To keep pace with this demand, Valley Children’s has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in securing the newest technology and equipment, and developing the most highly-skilled and compassionate team of professionals – all with a singular vision to provide the nation’s best healthcare for kids. As we all embrace this vision, gifts to The Children’s Fund will help Valley Children’s bridge the gap between possibilities and achievement, transforming us from “great” to “the best!”
How You Can Help
Children are our sole purpose and focus. To provide the exceptional care they deserve, Valley Children’s requires the means and flexibility to apply donated funds to the greatest need. Through the unrestricted gifts of generous donors, The Children’s Fund makes possible the commitment to diverse services and programs such as:
- Providing the most advanced technology
- Recruiting the best pediatric specialists
- Improving care and services for our most complex patients
- Developing the best pediatric specialty programs in the nation
Your gift to The Children's Fund will give Valley Children's leaders the flexibility to allocate vital resources when and where they are needed most, enabling us to provide first-rate, lifesaving care for our children when nothing but the best will do.
Our mission – to provide high-quality, comprehensive healthcare services to children, regardless of their ability to pay, and to continuously improve the health and wellbeing of children – only succeeds because of philanthropic support from people like you. Our vision to become the best will only be achieved through the extra margin of excellence philanthropy provides.
Click here to invest today in the lives of ill and injured kids in the Central Valley. |
I have been thinking about missions lately. We have a nephew serving in Florida. He hasn't been out that long. We have written him as a family. Then we recently had a Young Women's Sunday lesson on supporting missionaries through letter writing. I wrote several missionaries back in the day. All but one of them were purely platonic. I enjoyed writing them then and have enjoyed supporting our nephew now.
The first weekend on this month we had lots of family events as Jon's youngest brother Stephen got married. At the rehearsal dinner each family was introduced by one of the parents. Jon's family went in order of age with his oldest two sisters introducing their families. Jon is the fourth kid of nine. He was in the house trying to put Noble down as this was happening.
My heart began racing as I realized he would likely not be back in time to introduce our family. I have no fear of public speaking but introducing my family... at a wedding... in front of a lot of people who don't all KNOW me... well that presents new challenges for me these days. And my mind was racing and my heart thumping and my fingers shaking. How do I introduce my family? It is still one of the hardest parts of this for me. Do I include Camille? How can I not? She is so much a part of our family? She is one of my children. How can I include her without bringing the whole party down or putting pity focus on me and without opening myself up for questions later about where that 5th kid is? Man, where is Jon when I need him?
Jon's first sister finished pointing out each of her kids by name and his second sister - the one with the son on a mission started. I thought I would see whether she included her absent son. She did. She said she had a son on a mission. Before I knew it she was done and Jon's older brother had introduced his wife and two kids. Our turn. Jon is no where to be found and the family looks to me to do the introductions.
I stand and mumble something about not having had to introduce my family in a few years. It is true. At least in front of a large gathering this is the first time I have had to do this. I introduce myself and Jon and then search for Sabrina. I find her and point her out and introduce her following the pattern others have set. Ann Marie is off playing so I just say her name and age. I introduce Lauren as well. Here is the moment of truth. In a blur the words fall out of my mouth. "I have a daughter named Camille who is on a mission in Heaven and my youngest is Noble who is a year and is being put down to bed by his father I hope." I pass the mike and let my nerves settle. Ten minutes later my heart beat finally is back to normal. I feel good about how I introduced her. I told the truth and I was upbeat and positive and quick so as not to dwell on it.
Then this weekend we went to visit my friend Britt in Arizona. Her youngest brother is leaving on a mission and all her family was in town for his farewell. On Sunday we went to a ward in Mesa where an older couple talked about their recent mission to Uruguay. Missionaries typically serve 2 year missions.
So on this two year mark of my separation from my daughter I have thought about earthly missions vs. heavenly missions. If Camille were on an earthly mission she would be home or coming home by now. She would have stories of unfamiliar people she helped and new customs she learned in strange lands. Her life for the past two years would be full of experiences and people I had never known. She would be a different girl from the one who left. I would have to get to know her again. I would listen to her stories but never really feel what she did for those she served because I was not with her. I would not know them.
But she isn't on an earthly mission. There is no coming back from her current assignment. But when I am reunited with her again I do not think there will be the unfamiliar getting to know you again stage there is with newly returned missionaries here. I believe there will be an immediate sense of reunited love and I will get to listen to her tell me of all the ways she served and helped all of us in her family through our trials and difficulties. It will be wonderful and fascinating and at the end of it I believe I will see one thing -- she was closer to her family on her heavenly mission than she ever could have been on any earthly mission.
What do I do in honor of her 2 year mark? Burn my funeral dress or something? If it weren't so cute I would. Thanks to all of you have been thinking of me and praying for me and who have sent me texts, cards or emails. I am holding in there and I feel of your moral support. Love you all! Stephanie |
DUII Diversion Program Overview
Eligibility for Diversion Program
You are eligible to participate in the DUII Diversion Program if:
- You meet all of the requirements described in the Petitioner Sworn Statement of Eligibility; and
- You have not already pled guilty or no contest to the present DUII charge, or if you already pled not guilty to the charge, no trial on the DUII charge has yet begun; and
- You appeared in court on the date scheduled for your first appearance on the charge or the Court finds good reason for your failure to do so;
- You file this petition with the Court within 30 days from the citation issued date, unless the Court finds you have a good reason for the delay.
Legal Rights Waived
To enter the DUII Diversion Program, you must waive the following rights:
- You have a right to have the DUII charge decided without unnecessary delay. You must agree to give up this right in order to enter into a diversion agreement with the Court. If you are allowed to enter the diversion program, the Court will stop the prosecution of the charge against you. If you fail to complete the program the prosecution will continue.
- This paragraph applies to you only if you are charged with other offenses in addition to DUII and the additional charges are from the same alleged episode. All offenses alleged to have been committed at the same time must be prosecuted at the same time. The diversion agreement between you and the Court applies only to the DUII charge. Prosecution of this charge only will be delayed during the diversion program period. Other charges will be prosecuted separately from the DUII charge and will not be delayed by the diversion agreement. By requesting to enter into a diversion agreement, you are giving up the right to have the DUII charge decided at the same time as your other charges (former jeopardy).
Agreement with the Court
In order to have the DUII charge dismissed by completing the diversion program, you agree to do the following:
- Pay the Court a filing fee in the amount of $261, a unitary assessment fee of $97, and a program administration fee of $100. If you cannot afford to pay these fees, tell the judge. Some of all of these fees may be waived, depending on your financial situation. Also, the Court may allow you to make payments over time.
- The Court will give you the name and address of a diagnostic agency. You agree to contact this agency and undergo an evaluation to determine the extent of any alcohol or drug abuse problem you may have. You will be referred to a treatment program if the agency finds treatment to be necessary. The cost of the evaluation is $150. You must pay this amount directly to the agency that performs the diagnostic assessment.
- The diagnosis of any alcohol or drug abuse problem you may have will be followed by a treatment program. You agree to complete this treatment. This treatment program must be completed at your own expense. If you cannot pay the cost of treatment, be sure to tell the counselor at your first meeting. The treatment facility may find that you are qualified to have some portion or all of the cost of treatment waived and often may allow payments over time.
- If required by the Court, you agree to attend a victim impact panel. The cost of the victim impact panel varies.
- You agree to not use intoxicants to comply fully with the laws.
- You agree to keep the Court advised at all times of your current mailing and residential addresses. This is extremely important, since notices will be mailed to you by the Court and by the treatment program to the address you provide.
- If the Court allows you to enter into the diversion program and if you keep these agreements, the Court will dismiss the DUII charge at the end of one year.
- The Court will terminate this diversion agreement if the Court finds that you have violated the terms of the diversion agreement or that you were not eligible for diversion to begin with. The Court will make this determination at a hearing where you can "show cause" why you should not be removed from the diversion program. To show cause means that if you can show the judge why you should not be removed from the program, the judge will allow you to continue to participate in the program. Notice of such hearing will be sent to you by regular mail. If you fail to appear in court as directed by the mailed notice, the Court can terminate the diversion agreement and prosecution of the offense will be resumed.
Notice to Defendant
If the Court grants a diversion agreement, the agreement will be considered violated if the Court receives notice, at any time during the diversion period, that you committed the offense of DUII or of the open container laws under ORS 811.170. |
Sorry, bit slow posting due to being busy and stuff last few days. Link for the healer changes here.
Or in summary...
1) The big single target heals get reduced by 0.5 seconds to a 2 second cast.
2) Cleanse gets its cooldown removed and gets changed to a 0.5 second cast.
3) Runepriest's morale 3 gets a nerf, Zealot's morale 3 is changed to mirror it.
1) Not enough and I don't see this meaning much at all, particularly if the easily set back thing still applies. It's only 20% quicker than group heals which heal EACH person for almost the same amount, do not suffer the same pushback problem and obviously heal the entire group. The extra AP cost of group heals are totally outweighed by their power. Should be 1 or 1.5 seconds for single target heals.
As it stands this change has little benefit for PvP and though it is obviously a slight improvement, I will still not use the single target big heals except when bored or dicking about. It will be better for PvE, shame there's none worth doing anymore :P
It is on the right track, but it needs to be taken further to have any real impact on what button people will press.
2) Why change cleanse? Of all the things to be wasting time thinking about... Christ on a bike guys!
Impact on warband play could be significant if people organise dedicated cleansers, but I'm guessing we won't really know until it goes live. Perhaps, but I don't know and don't care. This was so far away from being anything I give two turds about right now, that I'm totally perplexed by it.
It's a horrible nerf to a healer trying to surivive on their own for any reason, since melee range being quite, uhm, far... that any pause in movement can have a huge cost. Particularly since so many MDPS can kill things so quickly now. From a selfish perspective I really don't like this change. It hurts my Shaman for no reason that I understand right now.
If someone could explain why curse needs any time and thought put into changing it, please do explain.
3) Well I tend to use the damage morale 3 on my Zealot, so to be honest I don't care. It might be a buff, I don't really know.
It may sound like I'm suffering from a bit of apathy here, but don't think that's apathy towards WAR itself, it's just these changes aren't doing much for me and the curse one is annoying. The single target heal one would be good if it was made worthwhile. |
Two young men with big dreams looked out to a quiet beach, barely peppered with potbellied tourists. The sleepy fishing town needed tourist dollars, that’s what Mbwana and his best friend Juma thought.
By a complete fluke, they photographed a gigantic fish leaping over Mbwana. The news spread, and the town was transformed overnight. They had inadvertently created a tourist attraction.
Mbwana was celebrated as The Fish Man, the tourists poured in, and the town flourished.
But the fish never resurfaced, and over the years, the hype died down. The big fish was forgotten, and so was Mbwana.
When he saw the fish again, resentment bubbled over, and he reaches for his fishing spear.
Jonah premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Kibwe says that his aesthetic came from looking at the bustling commercial landscapes of places like Khaosan Road in Bangkok, Times Square, Piccadilly Circus, and Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo. Along with taking inspiration from film and TV, like the meticulous scenery of anime Tekkonkinkreet and the realistic, award-winning CGI in Boardwalk Empire. |
we had to run the air con last night. completely ridiculous. it is january for pete's sake! why is it over 80 degrees? while i am not a huge fan of cold weather i dont mind wearing my hoodies and jeans comfortably a few months out of the year. now i have to dig out all my tank tops. sheesh.
i had my first meeting for the academy awards on sunday. i am SO excited for this february. the show is the day after my birthday (last year it was on jeremy's birthday so we didnt have any great celebration until march). i guess if i could get this heat wave to come back show week when i am standing outside from 10pm until 7am that would be great! there is a limit to how many layers a girl can put on and still move comfortably. :)
there is a distinct possibility that i will work out every night this week (if you count ice skating on friday night as a workout) which is pretty amazing. tonight is a swimming night so i have to make the trek over to the universal city gym. it isnt that much farther away but it always seems like so much more of a hassle to go there. it is bigger nicer and newer than our little gym in sherman oaks but it also attracts a lot more of the industry see and be seen types. if you only come to the gym to wear a crop top and prance around get off the damn treadmill and let me have a turn and actually sweat! not that its a big deal or anything... at least it is cooler so all the people who were in the pool all summer to show off their new bikinis and chiseled abs are too wimpy to take up one of the three lanes so that those of us who are actually swimming laps have a place to be.
another interesting feature of the universal gym is the sauna. i read an article in a health magazine that said going in the sauna after cardio workouts can help you increase lung capacity faster. so after i bike and swim tonight i plan on hitting the sauan. since i swim first, i just wear my swim suit in there. some people go in there with all their workout clothes on including socks. i dont know how they dont pass out from the heat! i cant og in there without thinking of the seinfeld episode (i think it featured teri hatcher) where they are all wondering if she is all-natural or surgically enhanced and jerry makes elaine go in the sauna with her to try to figure it out and she trips and winds up groping teri. needless to say i watch my step very carefully while in there!
"by the way, they are real and they are fabulous" one of the best seinfeld quotes ever, after "these pretzels are making me thirsty" love it! jeremy bought us the seinfeld scene it game. party mode on that thing can keep us entertained for hours! |
Farid Ali Trio @ Alexis Bistro.
One word...Amazing! The 2 sets that Farid Ali & gang played was just amazing. It was so experimental, it was so much better than watching him at the Sunrise Jazz & Rhythm Fest last week. Smaller place, cozy, easier to interact with the crowd. :) Can't ask for more. :D This photo was taken before Julian Chan made it there, got held back at a recording session at Astro for Reshmonu. |
As a follow-up to this very-early morning’s post, I’ve completed work on the War of the Soulhers Page and Banner (see below).
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Creative Common Licensing
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- If you're fluent in Chinese, you'll have no trouble recognizing the symbol tattooed on the back on Andruw Jones' neck.
If, however, you've forgotten most of the Chinese you ever learned, then Jones is ready with an explanation.
''It's Torres the bull,'' he says helpfully. ''It's my sign.''
Why did he decide to place his astrological sign on his neck, of all places, and in Chinese, of all languages?
''I think it's cool,'' Jones said.
No one will ever accuse Jones of running with the crowd. In a room full of players all wearing the same uniform, he is an original. In little more than two seasons with the Atlanta Braves, he has already carved a niche for himself in World Series history, been yanked in the middle of an inning for loafing after a fly ball, become the youngest 20-20 player in baseball history and won his first Gold Glove for defensive excellence.
Here's a scary thought for National League opponents: He won't celebrate his 22nd birthday until next month.
What it all means is that Jones, who's just beginning to tap his enormous potential, should have a roomful of Gold Gloves and MVP trophies by the time he retires.
Already he is drawing comparisons with the best center fielders in the game today and being linked to Hall of Famer Willie Mays, who may be the greatest center fielder ever.
''Marquis Grissom, Otis Nixon, Kenny Lofton, no disrespect to those guys, but he's better than all of them,'' four-time Cy Young winner Greg Maddux said. ''You compare him to the best and he's still a lot better, that's the thing. He catches everything. He covers more ground, he doesn't have a weakness. He comes in on balls just as good as he goes back on balls. He's not afraid of the wall. He really wants to make a play. It seems like he wants to make a play just as bad as he wants to get a hit. That's rare, really rare.''
The thing about Jones is he makes playing center appear so easy you feel like leaving your couch to give it a try. Yet, there wasn't a better outfielder with more range in either league last season. Jones made only two errors in 435 chances, a major league-high for outfielders, and led all outfielders with 413 putouts, the most by a Braves outfielder since Sam Jethroe also had 413 in 1952.
''It would be hard for me to separate Willie Mays and Andruw,'' manager Bobby Cox said. ''I just think he is one of the top center fielders I've ever seen.''
Scary thought, Part II: Jones hit 31 homers and drove in 90 runs last season, but his offense is significantly behind his defense.
Give him another year or two of developing more patience at the plate and learning the pitchers and he could become a 40-homer, 120-RBI hitter.
''I'm capable of doing better than I did last year,'' Jones said. ''It depends on where I hit. If I hit eighth, it's going to be hard to hit 30 home runs again. I'm not going to be that happy batting eighth again.''
The No. 8 spot taught Jones some patience last year, but he still struck out 129 times, second to Andres Galarraga's club-leading total of 146. Cox has indicated he'll probably move him up in the lineup, but with the additions of Bret Boone and Brian Jordan it will be difficult moving him any higher than No. 7.
Scary thought, Part III: After becoming the first National League player to homer in his first two World Series at-bats in 1996, Jones became the third-youngest player in N.L. history to hit 30 homers last season. Yet, he hit only .204 in April and had four homers in each of the first four months.
Jones needs to develop more discipline at the plate and understand how pitchers are working him. That comes with experience and with only 343 games under his belt, he still has plenty of things to learn. That's why all observers feel there's no ceiling to what he can accomplish.
''You know he can be better,'' Cox said.
Now there's a scary thought.
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The whole remake thing is kind of confusing.
On one hand -- WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO MY MOVIE?!?!?! On the other, maybe the remake will bring attention to the (almost certainly better) original.
Here's hoping the latter happens this June, when Tony Scott (ugh) offers his version (numbers in the title instead of words, of course) of the 1974 subway hijacker flick The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, one whose name* probably isn't known by many young people today (except maybe Beastie Boys fans).
*It must be mentioned that this is based on a book. So *technically* this year's version could be viewed as an "adaptation" instead of a "remake." However, I'm guessing the new film wasn't inspired by a trip to Borders.
Now for more guessing, based solely on the trailer and Scott's history: Something tells me the new version won't be quite like the old one.
What makes the original so memorable is not just its grabber of a plot, in which Walter Matthau (who morphs into Denzel Washington for 2009) is a transit cop negotiating with/tracking a group of subway train hijackers led by Robert Shaw (who is as composed in the '74 verson as John Travolta appears to be over-the-top maniacal in '09).
No, what makes T.O.P. 1 2 3 is that it's so damn funny*.
*It even has Frank Costanza!
Yeah, it's definitely not PC. It's edgy. There's racism and sexism here, but it's not like it's condoning that sort of thing. Just acknowledging that it, like so many other '70s-era NYC quirks, exists. Really, the T.O.P. 1 2 3's gritty realism and crackling dialogue embodies everything that's great about the better examples of 1970s filmmaking*.
*No doubt Quentin Tarantino noticed; the hijackers give each other names like Mr. Blue and Mr. Green, just as they do in Reservoir Dogs.
And that music ...
"Sunset Boulevard" Rumors... Again.
2 hours ago |
Revolution, flashmobs, and brain chips.
A grim vision of the future
- By:Richard Norton-Taylor
- Published:The Guardian, Monday April 9 2007;
1. What might be used to carry out ethnic cleansing in the future?
2. Developments in information communication technology will make the following possible:
a) implantable information chips
b) flashmobs (the mobilization of……)
3. Why might people turn to religion and doctrinaire political ideologies in the future?
because there will be an increased trend towards moral relativism and pragmatic values
4. What are the three consequences of the rapid urbanization predicted to take place?
a) social deprivation
b) new instability risks
c) the growth of shanty towns
5. Whereas inter communal conflict is expected to increase in the future, interstate conflict is expected to end thanks to globalization.
6. Various demographic trends are described in the text. What will their consequences be?
a) Economic and social tensions will be exacerbated.
b) There will be serious implications for the environment.
c) There will be serious implications for international relations
7. Why is tension between
and the Islamic world
expected to increase in the future? China
found economic vibrancy and institutionalized atheism China
could transform into a vibrant democracy in the
future because Iran
proportion of younger people will want to benefit from increased access to
globalisation and diversity Iran
9. What groups are expected to be the main perpetrators of violence in the future?
extreme environmentalists / ultra nationalists/ religious groupings
10. What could the ultimate result of a reduction in the level of Atlantic salinity be?
A drop in temperature that might exceed …
OPTIONAL WRITING TASK
After discussing the predictions made in the text with your friends and teacher, select a couple and write about why you agree or disagree with them. Remember to support your opinions so that there is no room for doubt. If this text has led you to think of predictions of your own, write about them instead. Enjoy yourself!
This futuristic text will provide the opportunity to have lots of discussion as well as practice reading. Remember that stopping to talk and engaging the students will help them concentrate, motivate them and help them to think as they read. Such feelings will carry on into future reading tasks, which is our ultimate aim. Writing tasks that complement a reading activity are invaluable for the same reasons and as the ultimate test of comprehension. |
Netflix’s first original comedy series Grace And Frankie will now be a partial The Newsroom reunion as well as a partial 9 To 5 reunion. The Hollywood Reporter says that Sam Waterston has joined a cast that already includes Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and Martin Sheen; Tomlin and Fonda star as former enemies who are forced together after their husbands announce they’re in love and want to get married. Waterston will play Tomlin’s ex-husband and Sheen’s law partner-turned-life-partner—a relationship that is totally understandable, considering how good Waterston looks in a bow tie. Waterston and Fonda previously co-starred on The Newsroom, where Fonda has a recurring role as Waterston’s boss.
Submit your Newswire tips here. |
By Mark Vester
Bernard Hopkins is at it again. During a recent interview with Lem Satterfield of FanHouse/BoxingScene.com, the 45-year-old veteran made some interesting comments reagrding the issue of race, and how it relates to boxing and the big fight between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley, which happens on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Hopkins made huge headlines in November when he spoke to Satterfield about Pacquiao possibly avoiding African American fighters.
In November, Hopkins was critical of Pacquiao and questioned why the Filipino boxer had not fought an African American fighter with a "slick style" of boxing. Many insiders believe the comments by Hopkins were a ploy to help his good friend, Mosley, land the Pacquiao fight. This time around, Hopkins examined the difference between African American fighters, and those who hail from other backgrounds.
"The athleticism that we possess and that we are born with, most of us, not all of us, but most of us -- because I've seen some awkward black guys that can't even tie their shoes. But the blessing of most of us is that we've run the races," said Hopkins.
"Jesse Owens ran against the Germans. We're known in history. It's in our DNA, most of us. There's no secret that we are built differently. There's no secret that we have things that other cultures don't have and that they have to work to get. It's nothing that I made up or anything that was printed on a book two days ago. It's called genetics." |
Amir Khan has indicated that his potential fight with Floyd Mayweather will not go ahead.
Khan claims that he signed a contract in December that put him in line for a possible fight with Mayweather this year, with Mayweather asking fans to vote on Twitter whether his next fight should be against the Bolton-born fighter or Marcos Maidana.
However, in a series of tweets on Friday, Khan revealed that he would not be fighting the Mayweather, who he implied would be taking on Maidana, who lost on points to Khan in 2011.
"No response from Mayweather or his team," wrote Khan. "Fight is not happening. I should of taken the title fight last December against Alexander...
"Very disrespected by his team. Wasted my time. Good luck to Maidana, against Mayweather.
"Can I apologize to the thousands of people who are let down. You, me and everyone wanted the Mayweather fight. He's running scared."
Khan, 27, has been holding out for a lucrative clash with Mayweather since suffering a scare in his dramatic points victory over Julio Diaz in Sheffield last April.
The Bolton man has a 28-3 record as a professional, while Mayweather has won all 45 of his bouts. |
Texas businessman Jeffrey Scott Hawn, who engineered the slaughter of 32 bison belonging to South Park rancher Monte Downare, today pleaded guilty to one count of criminal mischief and one count of cruelty to animals in Park County District Court.
Under the terms of a plea agreement, the 44-year-old Hawn will pay restitution of $83,362 to Downare, $70,000 to seven charities and $4,007 to the Park County Sheriff’s Department.
He received a deferred sentence and will be placed on probation for two years. If he stays out of trouble during that time, the case will go away as though it never happened.
Also under the terms of the agreement, District Judge Stephen Groome can impose up to 10 days in jail as a condition of probation when Hawn is sentenced Jan. 28.
Groome said he reluctantly agreed to accept the plea agreement struck between Assistant District Attorney Katie O’Brien, who works in Fairplay for 11th Judicial District District Attorney Molly Chilson, and defense lawyer Pamela Mackey, who represents Hawn.
“It has been a tough case to follow and a tough case to ignore,” said the judge.
He said the people of South Park have historically been ranchers who have a deep respect for the land and animals.
“It is pretty common knowledge this is one of the most controversial cases this county has faced for some time,” said Groome. “Plea bargains are rarely occasions where everyone is happy. (But) it is probably as close to justice as we can achieve.”
Monte Downare and his wife, Tracy, were in the courtroom, as well as their eldest son, Monte Jr., and daughter Magie.
The Downares will speak at the Jan. 28 sentencing.
Monte Downare said that he felt fine with the plea deal. “It’s all right,” he said. “It’s about getting over with it.”
Both Downare and prosecutor O’Brien related how the slaughter was first discovered when Downare’s younger son, Myles, and Downare’s son-in-law, Travis Nevius, were checking fences and came upon three hunters who had just killed three of the Downare family’s cow bison.
When they asked the men what they were doing, the hunters said they had permission to kill the bison, much to the shock of the Downare family members, said O’Brien.
Tracy Downare said the men in her family had been out in extremely harsh conditions throughout the winter of 2007, often in minus-50-degree temperatures, checking fences and trying to keep the bison on their land.
O’Brien told the judge that because of the severe winter — with high winds and abundant snow — the bison had simply walked over the fences that were covered by snow drifts.
Hawn originally was charged with 32 counts of aggravated cruelty to animals in connection with the bison slaughter.
The animal-cruelty charges allege that between Feb. 26 and March 14, Hawn unlawfully and knowingly “tortured, needlessly mutilated, or needlessly killed” the animals.
Hawn also was charged with one count of theft of more than $20,000, alleging that Hawn intended to permanently deprive Downare of the bison, and a single count of criminal mischief.
The shootings of the bison came after Hawn and his Denver civil attorney, Stephen Csajaghy, repeatedly complained about Downare’s bison damaging Hawn’s property.
In a letter dated Jan. 28, Csajaghy told Downare that during the previous six weeks, there had been more than 1,000 head of Downare’s bison on Hawn’s property. Csajaghy said he had photographic proof that “your buffalo” have broken through gates and trespassed on Hawn’s property on more than 20 occasions in November and December of 2007.
“There has been extensive damage to Mr. Hawn’s fences, to his trees and to the grass on his property,” said Csajaghy.
And in the letter, Csajaghy threatened to kill the bison.
” As this problem has continued for the last six weeks and you indicated that you are unsure if you will be able to resolve the issue yourself, we are considering alternate remedies, such as allowing a hunt of any buffalo that come onto Mr. Hawn’s property,” wrote Csajaghy. “However, we would certainly prefer to resolve this problem amicably without having to resort to such action.”
Csajaghy was not charged by authorities. But he was listed as one of the almost 40 witnesses in the case.
Investigators allege that in a letter dated Feb. 25, Hawn authorized the bison slaughter by members of the Aztlan Native Community of Gardner, Colo.
He told the group he wanted them “to get started as quickly as possible.
“You may hunt them and remove them or you may remove them live and take them to the location of your choice,” said Hawn in the letter.
According to an arrest-warrant affidavit, the first report of the shootings came at 11:54 a.m. on March 19, when Tracy Downare reported to the Sheriff’s Department that someone was shooting their bison.
By 1 p.m., a total of 14 people had been stopped by responding law-enforcement officers. A total of 12 weapons were seized. Members of the hunting party were listed as prosecution witnesses and were not charged.
The affidavit notes that “the massacre of the bison occurred six days after Monte Downare received the paperwork from the civil suit” filed by Hawn.
In the arrest warrant, investigators say the bulk of the bison — 14 — were killed on the property of Catherine Pimm. Eight were killed on Bureau of Land Management property; four on U.S. Forest Service land; three on the property of Robert Lemm; and three on Hawn’s ranch.
A necropsy of the bison carcasses confirmed that seven cow bison were pregnant, according to the affidavit.
The loss in dollars to Downare caused by the slaughter was placed by investigators at $77,000.
According to the arrest warrant, several witnesses said they saw Hawn on his property during the last week of February and the first week of March and that he was carrying a 30.06 rifle.
During a search of Hawn’s house in South Park, officers said they recovered a 30.06 rifle, seized empty 30.06 ammunition boxes, full boxes of 30.06 ammunition and a full box with four cartridges missing.
A spent cartridge found near the four dead bison on U.S. Forest Service land had “conclusively” been matched by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to the 30.06 rifle taken from Hawn’s house, the affidavit said. In addition, the affidavit said that a spent bullet from one of the carcasses shot weeks prior to the arrival of the Aztlan group most “closely matched the rifle from Hawn’s house.”
Downare had said the slaughter of six bulls and 26 cows left him and his family with “a lot of fear.”
“Anyone that crazy to shoot that many buffalo — you don’t know what he’ll do next. ”
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or email@example.com |
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This phone is rubbish for a main phone, it runs like a snail which doesn't help when it's been bloated with bloatware from Verizon. This phone is better and more forgiven by me when it's a secondary phone *NOT* a primary. I'm happy it can take the information from my main phone and hold onto that very well.
Blondie, 16 Sep 2013I love this phone. It's a lot heavier than any phone I've owned. I'm slowly adapting to that, ... morethis phone is really slow. and talks by itsel in other languages scary,and its not the robot voice
I love this phone. It's a lot heavier than any phone I've owned. I'm slowly adapting to that, though. The only other thing I'm going to have to get used to is the way it saves you opened web pages. I'm used to the way normal browsers save webpages...with tabs.
I would highly recommend this phone to anyone. I even found a really kool protective carrying case on Amazon for under $15. It's rotating, ratcheted belt clip also turn into a stand for the phone.
I must say, I'm truly impressed with the phone. |
Disney, NBC in Battle to Stream Sports (and More)
Disney plans to introduce an ESPN streaming service, while NBC is packaging its Rio Olympics coverage through Playmaker.
As athletes compete in Rio for Olympic glory, an equally cutthroat contest is taking shape in the sports world — one for streaming dominance.
On Aug. 9, Disney revealed it will pay $1 billion for a 33 percent stake in Major League Baseball's streaming video business, BAMTech, the latest in a string of deals that underscore the value in owning emerging distribution channels.
It's a move that, during a call with investors, CEO Bob Iger said will help ensure that Disney brands, especially ESPN, "remain strong, vital and relevant in a totally changed media landscape." To that end, Disney, which has the option to acquire a majority stake during the next few years, will work with BAMTech to develop an ESPN streaming service to offer such sports as college athletics and cricket that aren't available via its cable channels. It's not exactly the ESPN over-the-top service sports fans have been clamoring for, but analysts say it's a step toward acknowledging cable isn't the only way to reach audiences.
"When you start to see the content guys like Disney invest that much money into the space, you realize just how important these services are for the future of the digital business," says Frost & Sullivan online video analyst Dan Rayburn.
Iger has been careful to note that cable subscriptions are still the best way to monetize ESPN, but during the investor call he acknowledged that in the future Disney could look to hold back content to put on its own platforms instead of a third-party distributor — though he said it was "really premature" to have those discussions now.
The company that would help Disney do that is BAMTech. It's an outgrowth of MLB Advanced Media, which is owned by the league's 30 teams and offers the popular At Bat app and MLB.tv for streaming out-of-market games. During the 16 years since launching, MLBAM has become a dominant force in streaming video, powering everything from HBO Now to the WWE Network online service. MLBAM is projected to earn as much as $1.3 billion in revenue in 2016, BAMTech more than $250 million. (An undisclosed piece of Disney's investment will get paid back to MLB owners.)
With Disney's investment, BAMTech becomes a $3 billion business and has what MLBAM CEO Bob Bowman calls a partner that "sees the need and understands the vision" that content will be distributed over-the-top. He's long had the vision to spin BAMTech into its own business, the seeds of which were first planted, he says, when it began working with ESPN to power WatchESPN, the network's cable-authenticated streaming service. "That they trusted both our technology and the fact that we were agnostic, that we would give them the best that we give baseball — that was quite a gutsy move on ESPN's part," he says "Then and there we started realizing that we could start to grow the business."
With BAMTech's business booming, it's no surprise other companies are jockeying for a piece. Turner in 2015 acquired a majority stake in video tech provider iStreamPlanet, and NBC Sports has packaged its streaming technology into a new service, Playmaker, that it has begun licensing to partners including the International Olympic Committee. Playmaker was among the services the NHL considered to power its TV broadcasting and streaming operations, but the deal ultimately went to BAMTech, in exchange for $100 million a year for six years and small stake in the business. While BAM may have snagged that deal, NBC Sports digital GM Rick Cordella says Playmaker can compete by focusing on powering the live sports experience.
He notes Playmaker is being put to the test in Rio, where NBC is live-streaming 4,500 hours of coverage over two-plus weeks. The broadcaster says viewers already had logged 1.86 billion live-streaming minutes after day 10 of the Games. "This isn't a business we're starting from scratch," says Cordella. "We already do this, and we are a client of ourselves. When you go through a big event like the Olympics, which really stretches you, I think the clients benefit from that."
Now, flush with Disney's investment, BAMTech plans to continue to bid for sports rights of its own. Bowman acknowledges that the move will create a complex dynamic, potentially putting BAMTech up against new owner Disney. But he also points to the opportunity to work together with ESPN to bid for rights, noting that the leagues are increasingly divvying up digital and linear rights to multiple platforms. "They see these big dollar signs and, equally important, they see a big footprint and huge traffic," he says, adding, "we're all fighting over the fans and trying to develop the fans of the future."
A version of this story first appeared in the Aug. 26 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. |
The Coatesville Area School District has turned to an experienced outsider to help it move past a scandal created by the actions of two former administrators.
Leonard Fitts, of Moorestown, N.J., was hired as interim superintendent Tuesday, beating out five other candidates who submitted resumés to fill the temporary position until a permanent replacement is found, according to school board members.
School board members said the decision to hire an interim superintendent from outside of the district was made in an effort to help move the community forward.
“This is an important day for our students and the entire community,” school board President Neil Campbell said during a press conference Tuesday. “Dr. Fitts is ideally suited to help us move the district forward. His hands-on experience, his leadership and his vision will prove invaluable in the coming weeks and months.”
Fitts, who will earn $850 a day working on an as-needed basis, has more than 40 years of experience as an educator. He last was the interim superintendent of the Berlin Township School District. He also has been interim superintendent in the Camden and Glassboro school districts and has worked in several other New Jersey districts.
He also served as a special education consultant for Camden School District’s Board of Education, was dean of faculty for the school of education at Cheyney University, and was an adjunct professor and an interim dean at a community college, according to a statement released by the CASD.
Fitts graduated from the Tuskegee University with a bachelor’s degree in science and mathematics. He received his master’s degree in administration and counseling from Tuskegee, his doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree in business administration and finance from Drexel University.
He also served as a communications officer in the U.S. Air Force from 1961 to 1963.
At the press conference, Fitts said he wants to help move the district forward from the abrupt departure of former Superintendent Richard Como and former high school Director of Athletics and Activities Jim Donato, who exchanged racial and sexually offensive text messages using district-issued cell phones.
He said he wants to begin “working with staff in a collaborative matter to continue to move the district forward.”
“We must remember that education through our school is the gateway for opportunity for our children,” Fitts said.
According to a release sent by school board member Tonya Thames Taylor on Tuesday night, Fitts will receive $850 per diem with contributions made to his retirement fund. He will not receive mileage reimbursement, and he must reside in Chester County.
Campbell announced the new hire Tuesday, and said Angelo Romaniello will return to his role as assistant superintendent and Teresa Powell will return as director of middle school education.
Romaniello, who came under fire when he was appointed acting superintendent after Como’s departure, said he looked forward to working with Fitts and the rest of the administrative staff as the district moves past recent controversy.
“I’m going to work as well as I can, the best I can, with not only Dr. Fitts but obviously the whole board,” Romaniello told the Daily Local News, sister paper to The Mercury. “My intentions, as they’ve always been, is about the kids and the district moving forward. I’ll be working with Dr. Fitts directly as well Dr. Powell and the rest of the administrators, but most importantly it’s about moving forward.”
The hiring of Fitts came as the district continues to operate under the cloud of a criminal investigation conducted by the Chester County District Attorney’s Office.
Last week District Attorney Tom Hogan released a scathing statement that publicly criticized school board members and the district’s legal representation for failing to cooperate with an investigation. Hogan also identified district solicitor James Ellison, and his Harrisburg law firm Rhoads & Sinon, as the subjects of a criminal investigation.
Hogan has acknowledged the existence of a criminal investigation that predated the discovery of text messages, but sources have indicated authorities are also examining the district’s handling of Como and Donato’s departures and the resulting aftermath.
Information from the Daily Local News, www.dailylocal.com |
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup warm water
1 packet active dry yeast
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp oregano
2tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
6 -7 oz Pizza sauce
Pepperoni – 20 – 30 slices
In a bowl, add warm water and yeast. Wait about 5 minutes to allow the yeast to “proof”. Stir after the 5 minutes to make sure yeast is completely dissolved.
In another bowl, add flour, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, oregano and Parmesan cheese. Mix well, then add olive oil and mix again.
Combine both bowls into one and start kneading the mixture to create a dough consistency. Add more flour if necessary. Keep kneading until the dough is no longer sticky and feels soft to the touch. Roll the dough into a ball form.
In a bowl, coat with oil and place ball of dough into bowl, rolling it around for a light coat. Put bowl aside for 2 to 3 hours to allow dough to rise.
Once dough has risen (should be about double it’s size), place on a lightly floured surface and use rolling pin to roll into a round shape for your pizza.
Create a lip around the edge of your dough, about 1 1/2 inches in from the edge. Fill in lip with Mozzarella cheese, fold dough over and create a seal.
Evenly spread desired amount of pizza sauce, remaining Mozzarella cheese and top with pepperonis.
Bake at 475 for 11-12 minutes. Pizza will be done with dough is golden and cheese on top is completely melted. |
The collarbone and ankle injuring trio of Fujiya & Miyagi have already established their preference for animated takes on their own videos; apparently they prefer ‘em on videos for their cameos, too. Unfortunately, after twenty seconds of watching the cute little studio knobs and levers sing along, the clip just repeats itself and is nothing much to look at. The tune, though, is worth sticking around for: UK DJ Tim Simenon (better known as Bomb The Bass) recruits F&M to deliver their trademark, hushed staccato over some laptop beats and wampy bass. And OK, the smile on the joystick’s face is pretty cute for the full 3:45.
Future Chaos is out via Electric Tones. |
Niuman Romero extended his hit streak to a team-high 16 games and Jared Goedert had four hits as the Kinston Indians got a series win, beating the Lynchburg Hillcats 8-4, in Virginia. The K-Tribe banged out 12 hits, reaching double-digit knocks for the second straight game after 14 hits in last night’s nightcap. The Indians plated a run on a two-out double by Jared Goedert in the first inning, and then Alex Castillo plated Romero on the sacrifice fly in the second. Beau Mills added a two-out double in the fifth to put the K-Tribe up 3-0.
After Lynchburg responded with a run in the bottom of the fifth, Kinston busted out with a big sixth. Goedert led off with a hit, Romero had an RBI double to drive in Goedert, and Cirilo Cumberbatch drove in two on his 22nd birthday as Kinston plated four in the frame to put the game out of reach. Beau Mills added his team-leading 14th home run to add some insurance in the ninth inning. Goedert went 4-for-5, his second four hit game of the season. Romero was 2-for-5 extending his hit streak to 16, the fourth longest in the Carolina League this season. In addition, Romero is now hitting .300 on the seasaon.
Josh Tomlin (7-4) pitched six innings, giving up two runs and striking out a season-high eight. Tony Sipp threw two scoreless innings, having not allowed a run in six innings of Carolina League action since coming back from Tommy John Surgery.
The K-Tribe returns home to Grainger Stadium on Saturday to kick off a seven game in eight day homestand. Kinston starts the day one game behind Winston-Salem for first place in the Carolina League Southern Division and takes on the Warthogs in a four game series. Game one is 7pm Saturday night with Kinston’s Carlton Smith on the mound. |
Aim to make films
- Guide teenage int’l students on how to get along with homestay families and the new schoolmates.
- Help int’l students and new migrants understand NZ lifestyle and inspire them to build the connection with NZ by discovery.
- Record the situation and challenges for the int’l students in New Zealand, particularly for Chinese students, which helps the EDUCATION NZ know how to improve education services for the int’l students in NZ.
- Assist promotion of the New Zealand education system and individual student opportunities offered at NZ schools.
We are skilled at directing, interviewing, shooting, editing & uploading short films for news media in China, including the most popular ones, such as YOUKU.COM,TUDOU.COM, AIQIYI.COM etc.
Haiying has experience, passion and determination to work for international education. Her mission is to find an lively way to assist int’l education.
The film made by our team members:
Links for Dress for Success films:
Trips in NZ
People see the kiwi lifestyle through my trip, with hopes to inspire them to discover this country by going out and discovering new things.
Interviews for guidance
Interviews of homestay parents, local students and teachers, and international students, whose suggestions can guide new students on how to adapt to the new life and get along with the local families and people.
Interviews to identify problems
Watch them,please click SEC.
We collect suggestions from Chinese students on how to improve the services of NZ education. We keep some interviews confidential to protect the students’ privacy, especially for collecting the problems from the int’l students and the situations they are confronted with.
Interviews to promote NZ education
Watch them,please click here.
We promote the New Zealand education system and individual student opportunities offered at NZ schools. |
0:36 – Is LeBron to blame for Cleveland’s latest drama
7:51 – Who are the top five QBs heading into the 2017 season?
15:27 – Is Jerry Jones trying to send a message?
21:14 – LET’S KEEP IT 100: The Knicks would be the perfect fit for Kyrie Irving
Still to come today: Video
Tomorrow: Podcast, video, and article
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/sportswithnick/
Twitter – @sportswithnickn
Email – firstname.lastname@example.org |
Tomorrow begins our 3rd Annual celebration of April Poetry Month!!!! Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1999, National Poetry Month is the largest literary celebration in the world with schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets celebrating poetry’s vital place in our culture.
Once again, we thought it would be fun to celebrate by posting poems by local Wisconsin writers every day! So bookmark this page and check back often! Continue reading |
The Fall 2015 semester is in full swing at EC Oswego. EC students have the ability to fully participate in all campus activities. There are countless FREE clubs and activities for students that meet every interest and every major! EC students are also learning skills in the classroom that will help them be successful in the university environment. Check out the testimonial below from a former EC student:
“As a new student in America, I learned a lot in EC during these days. Not only did I improve my English skills, but I also learned plenty of American rules and culture. What’s more, I also made some new friends here. All of them helped me to adjust to life here. I really appreciate that I came to Oswego earlier than my friends and spent a month learning in EC. If my friends want to go to Oswego, I will definitely recommend them to take some courses in EC first.
I love everyone here very much, they are so friendly and helped me a lot. The courses are useful to prepare for studying in Oswego. When I came here, I couldn’t speak to people who speak English. I was even afraid that someone would say hello to me since I don’t know how to continue the talk. But now, I can communicate to the western people by myself. The staff here are pretty responsible and patient. They inspired me a lot when I was frustrated. The accommodation is also nice. I enjoyed the days in EC very much.”
Find out more about Learning English in USA with EC Oswego |
I’m not sure this is really how you get lucky, but in Take-Harsh in tribal-dominated Nashik district of Diwali, India, 65-year old Budhabai Dore was murdered by her two sons so that they would get good luck. The sons, Kashinath and Govind Dore, were unhappy with the condition of their lives and consulted Bachchi-bai Narayan Khadke, a 42-year old occultist. She told them that if they wanted their luck to change, they had to sacrifice both their mother and sister. They took their mother and sister to Take-Harsh where they beat their mother to death but their sister Rahibai Pingle managed to escape.
According to authorities, Kashinath and Govind then took their dead mother’s body to Khadke who removed her eyes, presumably to use in some magic ritual and buried the body nearby. The murder came to light when a local social worker, Bhagwan Madhe, found the body and alerted police. Police arrested the occultist who admitted to the crime, plus another similar ritualistic murder and this led authorities to the two brothers, who were likewise arrested and charged with murder. This falls under the Indian Penal Code and Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practises and Black Magic Act. If your country really needs an act specifically to stop human sacrifice and inhuman evil practises and black magic, something is seriously wrong.
Sanjay Mohite, the district superintendent of police, told the Times Of India, “Govind Pona Dore and his brother Kashinath had contacted with Khadke, who was suspected of practising black magic, and her assistant Bugabai Mahadu Veer of Takay Harsh village. The suspected tantric had told the two brothers they needed to exorcise the ghosts.”
I want to make it clear, this isn’t the fault of Hinduism, even though it took place in a Hindu area of India. The practice of human sacrifice has been taboo in Hindu culture for hundreds of years. It is, however, still commonplace in many religious cults that practice witchcraft and black magic.
So one more murder and one attempted murder because people believe in absurd and primitive religious garbage. That’s what Horror Show Sunday is stuffed full of and one more reason to rid the world of religion. |
After handling his business inside the ring against Timothy Bradley last Saturday in Las Vegas, WBO welterweight boxing champion Manny Pacquiao is set to handle his tax obligations in court, according to his lawyer, Tranquil Salvador, via PhilStar.com's Christina Mendez:
"Cong. Pacquiao has been consistent in saying that he will comply and abide with all the tax requirements of the taxing authorities."
In November, the Associated Press (via ESPN.com) reported that Pacquiao's bank accounts had been frozen by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in the Philippines as a result of owed income tax. At that time, it was assessed that Pacquiao owed 2.2 billion pesos in back taxes, the equivalent of $50 million.
According to Mendez, the amount is now closer to 2.65 billion pesos ($60 million) because of interest charges.
Elpidio Barzaga Jr., a representative of Dasmarinas City in Cavite, Philippines, and an accountant-lawyer, believes Pacquiao's tax issues can be resolved with ease, via Mendez:
All that [BIR] Commissioner [Kim] Henares is asking him to do is to submit documents on his earnings and tax payments in the United States. I do not know why his accounting and finance people are finding that hard to do...You cannot earn $20 million there and not pay income tax. The US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will go after you. Unless Manny’s camp is saying that they did not pay income taxes there.
Dan Rafael of ESPN.com reports that Pacquiao, 35, earned roughly $20 million from his most recent fight with Bradley in Las Vegas. But that money was earned in the United States, which means that Pacquiao should owe income tax in America, as Barzaga points out.
According to Mendez, the IRS has assessed Pacquiao's tax shortfall at $18 million.
Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KO), who has been surrounded by talk of retirement since being knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez in December 2012, is trending up after reeling off two straight unanimous-decision victories in a span of less than six months.
After avenging his 2012 loss to Bradley and reclaiming his WBO welterweight crown, Pacquiao finds himself back among boxing's elite and in the mix for a potential superfight with undefeated five-division champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (45-0, 26 KO).
It remains to be seen if the two sides will ever agree on a deal. However, there's no question that a Pacquiao-Mayweather matchup would at least temporarily revive boxing and make both fighters vastly richer than they already are.
But before Pacquiao can set his sights on another bout, he'll need to put his tax drama behind him.
Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter. |
A wonderful and very desirable Seattle neighborhood, Magnolia is the second largest Seattle neighborhood by area, and according to “Wikipedia” has been part of the city since 1891. It is near all the excitement and resources of downtown yet enjoys the status of being a quiet village, set apart from the urban bustle. With the […]
About Edy KizakiEdy's perfectionism and dedication result in attention to detail during every stage of your search and purchase experience.
Edy and her family came to the area seven years ago and fell in love with it. The size, natural beauty, people, culture and educational resources all make it an exceptional place to live, work, and play. Edy brings her experience in business, management and negotiation to her work in real estate. But it is her love of people and her joy in being involved with your important moments of change and decision in the process of life that make her dedicated and unfailing in the pursuit of your goals.
As a realtor and most recently the team leader at SeattlePowerSearch.com, the Seattle branch of eXp Realty, Edy has been involved in over 150 real estate transactions in the past five years, involving homes from Vashon Island to Duvall, Snoqualmie Ridge to Bellingham! What a great and inspiring way to learn about this amazing place. Of course, her GPS has been invaluable to the process...now Edy feels like she's "from" Seattle, but with the added ability to understand what it means to relocate here and which knowledge is first tier, which is better to follow after. She works extensively with relocation clients in Seattle and on the Eastside, including from Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, University of Washington, and their subsidiaries. She lives in Richmond Beach, part of Shoreline five minutes north of the Seattle 'border', and loves Queen Anne, Magnolia, Fremont, Ballard, Wallingford, Green Lake, Ravenna, and the areas along the west side of Lake Washington, as well as Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, and Edmonds. On the Eastside she has spent most time in Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond, Woodinville, Sammamish and Issaquah. She has also worked extensively on luxury condos in Belltown and Downtown, and enjoys comparing views with the best of them!
Edy's involvement in real estate began in the 1980's when she was part of a Project Development Team for a real estate company in San Francisco for two years. After having worked on several major San Francisco and Lake Tahoe projects, she became most interested in buying and leasing of properties, including sales of business opportunities. She was also the official company photographer. There followed a period of work in finance, but an interest in travel led her to Japan, where she lived and worked teaching in university for 12 years. In addition she founded and ran her own large private school and formed Currents, a group that produced art exhibitions in Japan, America, and Australia, and arranged tours of New York and on the West Coast.
Eventually Edy returned to Monterey, California, where she taught Japanese, designed instruction, was a project manager for multimedia products, a product developer for early childhood educational products, and helped manage a five-star resort hotel, all while completing a masters in Multimedia and Instructional Design. Upon relocating to the Pacific Northwest with her family, she pursued her real estate license and is now deeply involved in helping her clients search for the perfect property in the local real estate market. When not at work, Edy practices Aikido and takes advantage of the local boating, picnicking and hiking riches with her family and friends. Oh, yes, and the great restaurants!
Author Archive | Edy Kizaki
All over the Seattle area salmon viewing is still taking place. The time to see them returning to spawn starts in June and is best in September, but you can still see them in October, and early November. If you are in Seattle there are many places to go see them, perhaps one of the […]
There is rarely a bad time to walk around Green Lake, but I must admit a partiality to the fall season. With the trees turning colors and the dogs prancing in delight at the crisp air and numerous pooch friendly opportunities, the joggers, bikes, baby strollers, walk and talkers, and even some rollerbladers, the Lake […]
Ballard. Thinking about Seattle as a whole it seems like Ballard is a neighborhood. But when you really start considering Ballard, there are actually lots of little neighborhoods, and what I think of as 4 main sections. Also, it really depends if you are looking at condos or single family homes (and there are some […]
A couple of hours to fill on a quiet evening right after Memorial Day. It’s a serious holiday with a lot of remembrance and giving thanks for those who have gone before, sacrificed, left us so much. Now in the aftermath of that day of contemplation and an almost dreamy looking back quality, what could […]
Early evening, still light, quiet tree-lined streets in Old Town Ballard hold a still promise of the dinner hour. Lights from the restaurants, pubs, and wine cafes glow over wooden tables set artfully on old wooden floors, windows gleam with un-looked for bits and pieces of the past, and reflect trees, leaves, branches, telephone poles, […]
PCC is a natural, organic Seattle food co-op. I think of it as a lot like Whole Foods and a lot different. Being local, it is, you could say, “very Seattle.” By that I mean community values, green values, a laid back humorous vibe and delicious ripe fresh flavor. There are nine locations around the […]
One of Seattle’s favorite parks, it is hard to imagine a day any time of year when Green Lake wouldn’t have a steady stream of dog walkers, joggers, skaters (ok, more of them in the summer, but…) and even bicyclists making use of the variety of paths and the road that circle the three mile […]
Green Lake has a special place called Tangletown that’s full of great places to eat, drink, and enjoy with your friends. Eva Restaurant may not be as famous as some Seattle spots but have dinner here and you’ll see a lot of dedicated neighborhood residents that return again and again for a very special experience […]
Real Estate Search
- eXp Who? eXp What? April 27, 2010
- Is Now a Good Time to Buy? March 16, 2010
- My Favorite Books About Seattle March 19, 2010
- WA Cell Phone Law 2010 May 30, 2010
- A Tip To A Lower Mortgage Rate February 12, 2010
- Outstanding Remodeled Home near Downtown Issaquah November 22, 2013
- Shopping and Services in Magnolia November 17, 2013
- Poulsbo Fish Park Salmon Viewing Day is November 2 October 24, 2013
- Beautiful Green Lake in October October 14, 2013
- The Seattle Street Food Festival is near! July 22, 2013
- Don Keinholz: I was searching for a bit of beer info about Seatt...
- EdyKizaki: @dragonnewt It's an opportunity, really, a season...
- dragonnewt: It is cool all the way down the coast. Even here i...
- ElizaWinters: These homes all look fantastic. I have been lookin...
- evalewis: OMG!!! This is very beautiful house, I wish I coul... |
Tsuzuki and Hisoka go to Kobe to interigate Sharon Kimoto.
Category: Yami no Matsuei - Rating: R - Genres: Drama,Horror - Characters: Hisoka,Tsuzuki - Published: 2011-08-02 - Updated: 2011-08-03 - 638 words - Complete
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Anyone good at dolphin identification? Or, more precisely, dead dolphins on their side off Goldcliff Pools identification? The photos below show a smallish cetacean which bobbed downstream with the tide at lunchtime, notable features included: a reasonably long, crescent shaped pectoral fin; all dark grey upperparts; an obvious pale area in front of the pectoral fin; a seemingly rounded tail fluke; and, though difficult to judge, a reasonably large size, probably 3-4m covered the length of the visible bits. Answers on a 'comment' please (click below). Also 14 Fieldfare, 30 Swallow and 1 Wheatear amongst the migrants, and 41 Avocet flushed by the farmer on his quad (again). |
Obama meeting hangs ally's flag upside down; No big deal though, it's only the Philippines
Yes, yes, the Philippines is a close American ally. A practicing democracy in Asia with nearly 100 million people. And a whole bunch more living -- and voting -- abroad in places like the United States.
And, yes, the island nation's president, Benigno Aquino III, was sitting at President Obama's left elbow at their ASEAN meeting in New York City last week. And directly behind Aquino the American staff placed the Philippines' flag, well, kind of upside down. (That's it second from the right in the photo above, the one with all the blue at the bottom, which should be at the top.)
In the Philippines displaying the flag like that means the nation is at war. Which, of course, it isn't. Not yet anyway. And the country's laws provide for a fine and up to one year in prison for disrespecting the flag.
President Aquino kindly didn't make a big deal out of such modern-day diplomatic ignorance by its World War II liberator.
When you think about such an international gaffe by American hosts, it's really pretty much the Filipinos' fault for choosing a national flag with no clear top or bottom to American eyes.
Look at the savvier Canadian allies next door, for Pierre's sake. They were smart enough to pick a lone leaf that has an obvious stem so even Americans would know which side goes down.
A couple of days after the embarrassment, a U.S. spokeswoman followed the Obama administration's Geithner Apology Protocol, admitting it was "unfortunate" but quickly adding that it was something called "an honest mistake." As opposed to a dishonest mistake like, say, not paying taxes.
With so many larger guns, a nuclear arsenal and a Harvard-educated president who knows they speak Austrian in Austria, the U.S. really shouldn't need to apologize anyway. Such a superpower can't be expected to keep track of the globe's gazillion funny-looking flags that don't have a big blue box of stars to show top vs. bottom.
Obama's meeting with the ASEAN nations was designed to bolster both economic and cultural ties with the region's increasingly powerful nations. Maybe starting with a staff class on flag recognition.
-- Andrew Malcolm
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Photos: Tim Sloan / AFP / Getty Images; EPA. |
These games and apps are no joke! This isn’t the first person I’ve heard of who accrued a debt from addicting games. It’s pretty easy to do.
We don’t have a lot of details on this story, and it took place in China, so there aren’t many LEGITIMATE news sources to confirm it.
But thought I’d share it anyway:
There’s an 18-year-old named Zhang in the Chinese province of Gansu, who racked up a HUGE bill buying video games online. Somehow he ended up charging $3,255 worth of games.
And when he couldn’t pay off the debt, he came up with a solution . . . Zhang decided to sell one of his KIDNEYS.
He found a buyer on the Chinese black market, but whoever bought Zhang’s kidney got a bargain.
Zhang sold his kidney for $6,510, but the going rate for a black-market kidney in China is about $47,000.
That seems pretty weird, so some people think this desperate idiot’s online gaming debt was a little more like an online GAMBLING debt. But no one’s sure. |
MILL HALL -- The 4-H organization is celebrating 100 years in Pennsylvania.
These days, there are fewer kids participating than in past years, according to 4-H officials.
The Walbridge sisters are busy getting their sheep ready for show at the Clinton County fairgrounds. Their mom said her girls have dedicated day after day to the animals, all for the final day of judging.
"Most of these kids are juggling their time between sports activities and I think it's important to them enough they make it work," said Ellen Walbridge of Mill Hall.
"I run track, gymnastics, take care of the animals. You just gotta do it all," added daughter Katelyn.
For some, other activities get in the way.
Rebecca Sellers, with Clinton County 4-H, said there are about 20 fewer kids involved county-wide and the 4-H clubs across the state are not faring any better.
"We're a little bit low this year on participation. And that's been a trend across the state with 4-H and that's due to a lot of things they're pulled into," said Sellers.
Still, the organization is trying to attract more kids and is not just about agriculture, according to Sellers. There are opportunities for kids interested in science, engineering and more.
"The face of agriculture is changing, not necessarily your family farms all the time, have to evolve with agriculture, and it's not all about agriculture, you have to evolve with the world." |
2012 Honda Crosstour EX L Price - $27 655
The new four-cylinder two-wheel-drive by Honda, named Crosstour is making its debut at U.S. dealers nationwide with manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) ranging from $27 655 for the well-equipped Crosstour EX to $32,805 for the luxurious Crosstour EX-L Navi. Destination and handling charge consists of $810 per vehicle.
The four-cylinder Crosstour models have 3.5-liter i-VTEC V6-Crosstour engine. Moreover the new four-cylinder model delivers is more fuel efficient and has 3 mpg increase in the city and 2 mpg on the highway. All this is compared to V-6-equipped models. The new model offers sleek design, unmatched passenger comfort and functionality. In addition to this it adds four-cylinder pricing and fuel economy. Furthermore the Crosstour is available in two trim levels, including the Crosstour EX and leather-upholstered Crosstour EX-L. They are equipped with 2.4-liter i-VTEC inline four-cylinder engine. Moreover, for the luxury edition, there is available a Satellite-linked Navigation System. More importantly the EPA-estimated fuel economy on the four-cylinder Crosstour is 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway. |
We all know that Gopichand is currently acting under the direction of Sampath Nandi. This action entertainer is shooting at Thailand fromSeptember 22nd. They shot a huge action sequence and some key scenes there. They also picturised a song.
Makers are saying that they are satisfied with the first schedule output. Very soon they are going to start second schedule. Hansika and Catherine are playing female leads in this movie which is being produced by Bhagawan and Pulla Rao. Gopichand penned all hopes in this huge budget movie. |
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