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|Anarcho-Syndicalist Adventurers Guild
|Organizational Structure
|Tek 4 (ish)
|None listed
|Various zombies, mummies, werewolves, vampires, Cyclops, ogres, etc...
|Notable People
|Grunge Smith
Anarcho-Syndicalist Adventurers Guild
The Anarcho-Syndicalist Adventurers Guild is the premier adventurers guild on Pekab. It is nominally headed, or fronted, by Grunge Smith, although he isn't really the leader as such. They're Anarcho-Syndicalist, after all, so they don't really have leaders. The member rolls of ASAG keeps changing as new members join and older ones retire (or get killed), but as of now, this is how it looks:
The core of the group is made up of the Red Brigade, so called because they all drive around in dark red vehicles (and not because they're Dirty Commies, OK?). The SteamPunk Twins, Bob and Rob, drive a pair of souped-up sports cars in cream, and make up the second vehicle unit of ASAG. These two units make up the core of the motor-pool, although there are rumours that four Trike bikers are being sweet talked into joining ASAG, and it is likely that Evie will head up a rapid reaction vehicle squad with them should these plans come to fruition.
ASAG currently has three five-person teams on foot, and their forces are rapidly expanding.
Pekab is a type 1 planet much like Earth, but with most of the shitty bits taken out. It has three main landmasses surrounded by wild oceans and many groups of islands and atolls. The creator of this planet didn't think too much in terms of usual geography, but this is the Brikverse, right? Right. Just so that you know...
The three continents are Nord in the north, Ekk in the east, and Amazonia in the west. To the south is just a polar ice cap. It has not been explored yet, so we have no idea if there is land beneath it, or not. It's bloody cold down there, colder than it is up in Nord. Rumours abound that it is a region of pure Khaos, but the more sane (or boring) think that this is just an old wives' tale.
The Teknology of Pekab is somewhat eclectic, mixing Steam Punk and Diesel Punk elements in with some advanced weaponry (comparable to today). The minifigs of Pekab have not ventured into space yet, but rumour has it that the SteamPunk Twins are working on a SHIP. This is all very hush hush right now, but the end result is bound to be a little unusual and very, very baroque...
Pekab is split between several small nations, principalities, and Anarchist Free States. Most of these are no larger than a few well placed cities and their surrounding countryside. Where there are governments (Anarchist Free States naturally being excluded), they cover the whole gamut of modes of governance, from Constitutional Democracies to militarised police states, and everything in between. Despite all these various methods of governance, or forms of government, no one has found one that actually works yet...
Aegyptus is the land of pyramids and mummies, ancient tombs and military dictatorships. The government appears to be under the thrall of the Technocratic Caliphate of Urk. The Republic of Aegyptus is a thin strip of land surrounding the river Denial, with mountains to its south, from which Denial has its tributaries. Apart from the fertile areas either side of Denial, most of Aegyptus is desert, and it is within these deserts that one will find the great Necropolises of the Dead.
'Ashan Caliphate'
The Ashan Caliphate is found on the western 'tip' of Ekk, and is an ancient kingdom which has not embraced modernity. Modern technology is not so much forbidden as generally distrusted and not used to any great extent. Horseback and camel are the main forms of transport, with only a very few motor vehicles being present – usually owned by foreign visitors and dignitaries to the caliphate. It is ruled by the Caliph Teispes, a young Caliph who has a keen sense of tradition. To call Teispes a Luddite would be grossly unfair, as he was educated in some of the best private schools and universities found in Blighty, and is perfectly familiar with all modern technologies. It is more accurate to say that he considers the disadvantages of modern technology far outweigh the perceived benefits, and certain things, like firearms, one could well do without.
Despite the lack of more modern technology, the Ashan Caliphate are by no means backwards. Their standard of medical care is as high as that found in any Nord nation-state, and their farming methods are the envy of other regions of Ekk. The south of the country is rich and verdant, and the Ashan Caliphate are able to export vast quantities of food to other, more impoverished, regions of Ekk. The north of the country gives way to savannah then to mountainous deserts, which forms a natural defensive border around the caliphate.
'The Technocratic Caliphate of Urk'
The Technocratic Caliphate of Urk, or TCU for short, is a collection of small oil-rich islands off the east coast of Ekk with rather more geopolitical clout than their size should engender. Because of their immense oil wealth (there is no such thing as peak oil in the BrikVerse), they have gained a level of technology comparable to most Nord Nation States. Their oil wealth also pays for the Caliph's pet project, the Al Ekk News channel. All the latest news and views get onto the channel's programming, including news and views other states would rather not have aired on international television.


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Welcome to www.corsaircarrental.com
Please check back soon to see our new website!
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subset: commoncrawl


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Lindsay Lohan Covers Muse Magazine
Lindsay Lohan channels British supermodel Kate Moss in this sexy new spread for fashion art magazine Muse, as photographed by Yu Tsai.
The shoot was inspired by the Johnny Depp/Kate Moss romance of the early 90′s. Model Petey Wright played Depp while Madonna's backup dancer Sofia Boutella completed the ménage à trois.
Yu Tsai told Page Six, "I was always fascinated by Johnny Depp and Kate Moss, and when I asked Lindsay to do a shoot, she jumped at the chance. It was all about her being sexy, channeling Kate from the '90s."
A steamy video is being released tomorrow on YouTube, along with the magazine this week!


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Last week I got to attend Ranger University and got certified as a Ranger U educator. It was an amazing workshop — three 9-hour days where we learned 80 different techniques!
See the tags and bags hanging from my organizer in the photo above? Those are the samples I made, one for each of the 80. So I'm excited to share with Paperclipping Members my understanding of how to use all their MANY different technique-oriented products, but in the way I work best…
I'm going to shares ideas for how to translate those products and techniques into modern scrapbooking. You most often see them used for vintage projects, but I like to use them for every day scrapbooking, which is not vintage.
And as usual, I'll share broad concepts so you can adapt the techniques for a variety of projects, styles, and uses so you don't feel trapped to copy whatever I choose to do.
But I want your help. I'm curious to know which of these different types of products you're most interested in. I admit up front that I will ultimately choose the ones that I end up using for layouts and projects I'm most inspired to start making. But your votes will help me prioritize, so I'd love to hear!
Which of these products are you most interested in learning to use?
- Perfect Pearls
- Perfect Pearl Mists
- Distress Stain – blending and other effects
- Claudine Hellmuth gesso and medium products
- Adirondack Color Wash
- Distress Ink – blending and other effects
- Dylusions Ink Sprays, Stencils, and Stamps
- Melt Art
- Adirondack Alcohol Ink – blending and other effects
- Distress Markers (not shown)
- Other (please specify)
Just for fun, here are my pictures from the event…
Don't forget to vote for your Ranger technique hopes and dreams! :) What do you most want to learn?


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A CONTEMPORARY 2 bedroom apartment with an OPEN PLAN kitchen/ living room, master bedroom with ENSUITE SHOWER ROOM, family bathroom and South East facing BALCONY.
Use this tool to compare two floorplans of available properties on this development
Contemporary kitchen with handleless soft close doors and drawers
Techstone worktop and full height splashback (apartment spec only)
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LED lighting to underside of wall units
Under mounted stainless steel sink with Hansgrohe chrome tap with flow restrictor
Siemens electric oven and 600mm* induction hob, integrated extractor, microwave, dishwasher and fridge/freezer
An additional Siemens combi oven, steam oven, warming drawers and hot tap (where space allows) (penthouse spec only)
Plumbed for washer / dryer**
Wine cooler
Pull out recycling bins
*900mm in penthouse spec
**Space usually in hallway cupboard
NHBC 10 year warranty
Crest Nicholson 2 year warranty
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April's New Moon Festival was a hit as it also coincided with the Clambake Party and on a Saturday!
This is the 4th New Moon Party turned into a Festival with all the additional activities like Fire Dance Lessons, Tattoo, Piercing, Dread Locks and Bazaar.
As captured by Alistair with the caption "The sun sets as the new moon party's about to start at Coco Beach"
The party started with the waiters serving cocktails and pica pica at the Carabao Garden. Then the Silab Fire Dancers and Bob Apolinar welcomed everyone with another blazing performance at the beach.
Young and talented band of Green Leafy from Barangay Sabang was the first to perform and entertained everyone with some reggae music. Green Leafy Band are Bon, leader and drummer, Jayson as their vocalist, Wesley and Edrich playing the guitar and Les Paul in the bass guitar. They may be young but they know what they sure can play some reggae music.
The band shares that "Green Leafy" was chosen to be their band name because of the green trees surrounding Puerto Galera. They have started playing together since high school.
After the set of Green Leafy the guest helped the cooks and waiters dig out the seafoods baked under the sand which is the main dish for the Clambake dinner.
Iraya Band and Green Leafy
After making sure to seafood is left under the sands, it was time for the Iraya Band to play some more reggae music. Followed by the JJ Leido Dance Troup from Calapan, the capital of Oriental Mindoro. The dance troupe performed some modified traditional dance to fit the beach theme of the party.
Then, it was time for the main act and much awaited Indio I who rocked the party and wowed everyone with their original and cover songs. Most of the guest couldn't help but sing with them and move their body when they started singing their hit single Diwata.
The main act for April's New Moon Festival - Indio I
Aside from listening to the music, some were getting tattoos with world class Tattoo artist Onat Buenaventura and Chico Sarayba of Needle Juice Tattoo. Bob Apolinar who also showed his fire dancing capabilities was also doing dread locks. Then there was the bazaar put up at the beach early afternoon till past midnight with all sexy dresses, board shorts, bags, sarong, Bikini's to flaunt your sexy bod, tumblers for a very affordable prices.
Bob Apolinar working on some dreads. The Sliba Fire Dancers
New Moon Party-Goers!
It was indeed another exceptional New Moon Festival for all. Thank you for partying with us and see you in the next New Moon Festival on May 20!
Fifty years old Karin Thorup and 52 years old Tommy Christensen visited Coco Beach Island Resort for the first time and stayed two weeks at Hilltop Cottage with an overlooking view of the sea from their balcony. According to them they were outside the church when a recruiter came up and showed them different places in Asia where they could spend summer vacation. They have chosen Philippines among other destinations and searched over the internet for a possible place in the Philippines and found Coco Beach.
Prior to their arrival Karin and Tommy has made an itinerary on what to do once they get to Coco Beach. Their first activity was the tour around the resort with Service Mama Jessica to get familiarized with the Coco Beach's facilities.
On their second day, the couple spent whole day on a Beach Hopping Tour and Fishing Trip. They enjoyed swimming and lazing at the beach under the sun. They also caught some fishes with the help of the boatmen which they had for lunch aside from the hearty food that our cooks prepared for them.
The next day they went on a Biking trip with guide Edwin. The biking gave them a nice feeling of the wind and the sun touches their faces on their way to the famous Tamaraw Falls.
For more adventure the couple went on a Trekking trip to Mount Baclayan with Edwin where the couple stayed for a night. The next day they headed to Bulabod Beach for a relaxing dip in the sea.
Not only that the couple have also rented the glass bottom boat ride to explore the beauty and colorful marine life with out getting wet.
Karin and Tommy shared that they truly enjoyed their stay and would love to come back with the whole family.
The New Moon have transformed into a Festival with tricks up its sleeves.
Move and groove to the beats of Indio I, Green Leafy and Iraya Band.
Indio i is a band that was formed in 1994, to bring reggae music to a different dimension of popularity to those distinctive Filipino ears. They launched their first album, self-titled Indio I, in 1997 under Star Records. Upon penetrating the local music scene, the band was given recognition by award-giving bodies and networks. At the 1997 NUROCK Awards, Indio i garnered 8 nominations, and at the 1998 Katha Awards, the band brought home the Best Reggae Song Trophy for "Di Mo Lang Alam". This song along with "S on My Chest", "Earth to Man" and "Diwata" can still be heard over the radio and at beach bars up to this very day and still continues to be crowd favorites on live gigs. In 2005, Indio I came up with a single, Sister Sinister, as part of the compilation album Doobie NIghts which again proved to be another favorite.
Today, Indio I boasts of it's impressive roster of accomplished musicians from Mike Bewer on lead guitars/backup vocals., Byl Cuenca on rhythm guitar/backup vocals, Alvin Arevalo on bass guitar,Gerald locsin on drums to Paw Bondoc on percussions plus the occasional presence of another original member, guitarist Martin Rey Aviles to accompany it's almost forever main man, Vic Facultad on vocals. Having had numerous changes in line-up since 1998, it continues to hope to bring rock reggae music at it's best the Indio i way!
Aside from the beats of these bands, the Silab Fire Dancers will scorch the night with their fiery performance and free lessons at that.
Then, there's the Needle Juice Tattoo Booth by world-class Onat Buenaventura and Chico Sarayba who can make permanent and temporary tattoos. Let's not forget your hair as we're bringing in Bob Apolinar who makes great dreads (dread locks) and fire dance, too! But not at the same time...that would be crazy.
There's also a bazaar for with souvenirs, clothes and more. Plus, a telescope for the kids to observe the moon and stars!
Just Php 1,050 per person for a Clambake Dinner and New Moon Festival or Php 250 per person with two local drinks for the New Moon Festival only.
Skouboe Family headed by Flemming arrived at Coco Beach Island Resort for 2 weeks vacation. It was one of their friends who once been here who introduced Coco Beach to them. The family stayed in the Classic Bungalow cottages 2 and 3 near the beach with Gloria as their Service Mama.
Flemming and Glenna Skauboe are now together for 43 years. Flemming was a Handball coach before for 12 years while her wife Glenna was a player. They share that they chose their vacation here because it is good for family and they feel safe.
They celebrated Flemming's 70th birthday during their stay. While having breakfast at the Carabao Restaurant Garden he was surprised and so touched when the staff serenaded him with birthday song and gave him a birthday cake. More surprises came Flemming's way throughout the day.
After breakfast the family took a banca on their way to Puerto Galera where they rode a local jeepney heading to Tukuran and Tamaraw Falls Tour. They enjoyed looking on the scenic view along the way passing the famous Tamaraw Falls.
In the evening, the family had a Special Dinner by the Beach in celebration of Flemming's 70th Birthday. This was arranged earlier by his wife Glenna to surprise him. The family enjoyed dinner alfresco at the beach with own personal waiter attending to their needs the whole evening.
To Skauboe Family, thank you for sharing with us this special day.
It was an Easter filled of egg-citing activities at Coco Beach Island Resort which included Egg Hunting, Easter Mass, Dress up your Eggs, Egg relay, Easter Brunch, Sand Castle Contest, Children Parlor Games, Beach Volleyball Tournament, Papagayo Making Contest, Hoppy Hour with the Pirates Floating Bar and the Easter Dinner.
Elbert and the three sisters Rebecca, Nicolina and Cecilia happy with their Egg Hunt
Easter morning began with children looking everywhere hunting for the colorful eggs that were hidden a night before by the Security Personnel who acted as Coco Beach's Easter Bunny. Inside those colorful eggs are corresponding cash prizes.
It was already lunch time and still no one found the Golden Egg yet. Some of the children asked for a hint where it could possibly hidden including eight-year-old Rennay. Rennay and her family come to Coco Beach every year to celebrate Easter with us. And so, Rennay already knew the drill and was very good at finding the Easter Eggs, except for the Golden Egg this year. Before breakfast, she approached Melody and asked for a hint and said she was getting hungry already. Still, she did not stop looking and after lunch, she found the Golden Egg and received a cash prize of Php 1,000.
Rennay and the Golden Egg
After having breakfast by the beach, some of the guest attended the Easter Mass at Puerto Galera. By 9:00 in the morning, children and their parents as well were ready to bring out their talents in making the most colorful design in Dress up your Egg Contest. Kids who joined the contest were 7 ½ years old Noah Erlichman with his sister Cecilia, six years old Yzzer, Elbert and Rennay. Winner in this contest is Noah, followed by Elbert and third place was awarded to six years old Yzzer.
Noah, Cecilia and Elbert with their colorful Easter Eggs
Then by 10:00 am four teams made up of fathers and their child competed in the Egg Relay contest at the pool. The teams were Lars and Oliver, Thomas & Sarah, Bobby & Anabella and the last pair Baste and Leila. The hard task was given to the daddies who have to go under the bridge in the pool and back while balancing a plastic egg on a spoon. The children only had to place the egg on the spoon and cheer on their daddies. And the speediest of them were the team of Lars and Oliver.
Oliver and Lars who won the game and Annabela and Bobby
Then a festive Easter Brunch was prepared by Chef Noel and his cooks to give everyone more energy for all the activities.
At 1 pm, three families showcased their talents and creativity in the Sand Castle Contest. Each family had one hour to make a beautiful sand creation. Brinch Family composed of Julie, children Cecilie, Nicoline and Rebecca took home the first prize.
Lyrn Family - Bobby, Lena and Annabella on second place and Brinch Family with Lars, Julie, Rebecca and Nikolina
In the afternoon, the Children's Playground was filled with children and their parents joining the Parlor Games. The games were Pabitin where the cute small children tried to grab the candies, Hitting the Pot where the parents did their best to hit the pot as the children waited on for the candies. The kids and their parents had so much fun playing crazy funny games and winning even more prizes.
Little children reaching for the candies during the Pabitin, Lars breaks the palayok (pot) and daddies' Egg Race
While the kids were having fun in the playground, the never ending Beach Volley battle between the Coco Mangyan and Danish Dynamite began at 3 in the afternoon. After an hour of exciting and very tight game once again the Coco Mangyan regained their title and won over the Danish Dynamite.
After the Parlor Games, it was another crafty activity with the Papagayo or Kita Making which they flew in the afternoon at the beach.
Then, the most awaited (by the parents) Happy Hour was up. The Pirates Floating Bar invaded yet again the swimming pool while the Coco Band enterntained everyone with their songs. Since everyone was having so much fun, it was such a shame to end the Happy Hour at 5. So, we extended the Happy Hour festivities to 5:30 and the guests took over the band with their singing.
Pirates' Floating Bar
It was another fun festive Easter. Happy Easter to all and hope to see you back in Coco Beach!
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© 1986 - 2018 Coco Beach Island Resort - Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro Philippines - By: gofrancis


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Atem is gone and Yugi is depressed. In order to get him out of it, Joey and the gang get him to join the schools play. What happens when the play is The Phantom of the Opera? YYxY Puzzleshipping!
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - Rating: PG-13 - Genres: Drama,Romance - Characters: Yami Yugi,Yugi Mutou - Warnings: [!] [V] - Published: 2010-09-03 - Updated: 2010-09-04 - 1661 words - Complete
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Sporty Jersey material is employed for athletic stretch & skinny pants. Material, in favor of softness comfort, movement and ease of use. It features a zip button closure, faux pockets at front, with extra small pocket and two pockets at back. Tonal stitching. Belt loops. 26 inch measured from inseam. 10 inch leg opening. 95% Cotton/5% Spandex. Imported.
You're reviewing: PINK LONG PONTI SKINNY PANTS
© 2017 Lollicouture.com. All Rights Reserved.


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Brussels, 22 October 2003
Driving licences: ensuring security, safety and free movement
The European Commission proposed today a revision of European legislation on driving licences to reduce possibilities of fraud, ensure a true freedom of movement to EU drivers and reinforce road safety. "This new proposal should finally abolish one of the last obstacles to the free movement of EU citizens", said Loyola de Palacio, Vice-President in charge of Energy and Transport, "More than 80 different driving licence models with different entitlements and validity periods are currently circulating in the Member States. Hardly any proper enforcement of driving licences is possible. It is time to equip European drivers with anti-fraud driving licences guaranteeing their right to drive vehicles for which they have the required qualifications. This will also facilitate the work of the administrative and enforcement authorities, and should contribute to reinforce safety on European roads".
The Commission proposed today to revamp European rules on driving licences which are held by around 200 million citizens in the Union. The aim is to combine greater freedom of movement, stricter anti-fraud measures and increased road safety to the benefit of all European road users. The new draft Directive thus proposes:
For more information see at:
New proposed categories, minimum ages and tests
AM: mopeds, max. design speed 45km/h, < 50 cm³ or power < 4kW
A1: light motorcycles, < 125cm³ or power < 11 kW with power/weight<0.1kW/kg
A2: motorcycles, power<35kW with power/weight < 0.2 kW/kg and not derived from a vehicle with more than double its power
A: motorcycles
B: motor vehicles <3500kg, not transporting more than 8 passengers in addition to driver + trailer <750 kg
B1: optional category of motor power tricycles and quadricycles
C: motor vehicles used for transport of goods >3500 kg + trailer < 750 kg
C1: motor vehicles used for the transport of goods >3500 kg but < 6000 kg and not transporting more than 8 passengers in addition to the driver + trailer < 750 kg
D: motor vehicles for the transport of more than 8 passengers + trailer < 750kg
D1: motor vehicles for the transport of not more than 16 passengers, max length 7 meters + trailer < 750kg
E: in combination with above categories, trailer >750kg
- Will everybody have to renew his/her driving licence?
No. The proposed administrative renewal will apply only to licences issued from the date of application of the proposed Directive.
Of course driving licences issued by Member States that already imposed a limited validity will expire as foreseen. At the moment of expiry, the new administrative validity period will apply. And driving licences that have been lost or stolen will be replaced by a new driving licence with limited administrative validity.
- So currently valid licences will remain valid and will not have to be exchanged?
That is correct. Even a licence valid for life will remain valid for life. Also when you move to another country of the EU it will remain valid for life.
However, if you lose your licence or if it is stolen, the new rule will apply as a new licence will have to be issued in replacement.
- This means that in case of theft my rights can be reduced?
No, the rights inherent to the driving licence will be guaranteed, but the new licence issued in replacement of the stolen licence will have a limited administrative validity and will have to be renewed at regular intervals.
- Why does the Commission propose to introduce an obligatory renewal of driving licences every 10 years?
Today, more than 80 different driving licence models are circulating in the EU. Therefore, no enforcement is carried out and authorities have difficulties in determining and guaranteeing the rights of licence holders. This leads to road safety and security problems as well as problems in the free circulation of citizens.
Moreover, many licences have no protection against fraud whatsoever. In the light of the events of 11 September 2001, this is no longer acceptable, given the fact that driving licences are widely accepted as identity documents and anyway confer the right to drive vehicles of sometimes important weights and dimensions.
Regular renewal is the only long term solution: it will allow to constantly renew all driving licences that are circulating, integrating the newest state-of-the-art techniques in anti-fraud protection. It will prevent us from reverting to the present situation of so many different models in the future.
- Do other countries in the world have limited validities for their driving licences?
Yes. Licences in the US, Canada, Japan and Australia are all limited in time, in general between two and four years. The discussion of anti-fraud protection is currently on the agenda of international organisations such as the International Standardisation Organisation and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
- Why not replace all paper driving licences by credit card models by the entry into force of the Directive?
The Commission does not propose to replace all paper licences that are still valid and in circulation because:
(a) this would result in a massive exchange procedure that will be impossible to handle: the vast majority of licences are paper licences or plastic cards of a different format than the current EU model. The replacement exercise, even allowing for a large time frame, would need to increase tenfold the production of plastic card licences as well as the authorities issuing the licences.
(b) acquired rights should not be touched. This would result in an intrusion in rights that have been granted to citizens by their competent national authorities. Earlier Commission Decisions have been taken to guarantee such rights.(2)
However, Member States are obliged to take all necessary measures to ensure the best level of anti-fraud protection, including the monitoring of fraud of older driving licence models, leading eventually to their phasing-out. This allows to make a distinction between older models that present a sufficient anti-fraud protection and those that do not present any protection whatsoever. The responsibility is laid with the Member States as, in line with the subsdidiarity principle, they are best placed to determine the pace of the replacement process.
- But this means that there is a contradiction in the proposal: on the one hand the Commission wants to impose a regular renewal of new licences in order to combat fraud and on the other hand it does not propose to renew all existing models. Is this not illogical?
No. The Commission makes a proposal that is practical, feasible and legally correct. Withdrawing all old licences and renewing them would only be possible at very high cost and by massively revoking documents and acquired rights. Therefore this competence is left to the Member States and the Commission will of course monitor this process.
- Does the Commission propose that I need to renew my car driving licence when I get 65 or 75?
Only holders of new driving licences will be subject to administrative renewals. The proposal does not touch holders of driving licences today. Of course driving licences with limited validity will expire and will have to be renewed in time.
- Will the microchip on the driving licence be mandatory?
No. Only Member States that wish to introduce a microchip may do so. They will have to comply with the technical annex that will be fixed by the Commission in order to ensure future compatibility.
- Will Member States be able to use the microchip for penalty point systems or other purposes?
The reason for introducing a microchip is to improve the protection against fraud. All information that can be read on the driving licence will also be stored in the chip. If a Member State decides to introduce additional information in the chip, it will have to respect the EU legislation on protection of personal data. However only information directly related to the function of a driving licence can be stored on the microchip, such as to guarantee its proper functioning.
- Won't the proposed microchip lead to "Big Brother Watching You"?
No. Again, this fear is unfounded as the EU has adopted legislation on the protection of personal data. Moreover, the driving licence function has to be guaranteed and no other information that what already figures on the driving licence may be included in the microchip. This means that also in the future it remains possible to withdraw a driving licence if the holder has committed an infringement.
- Does the Commission want to impose medical checks at the moment of administrative renewal?
No. The Commission does not propose an obligation for medical checks for licence holders of cars or motorcycles. Member States however can choose to impose medical checks or other road safety measures at the time of renewal if they so wish.
For truck and bus drivers the Commission proposes to harmonise the periodicity of these already mandatory medical checks and make them coincide with administrative renewal.
- Does the Commission propose a mandatory eyesight check at the moment of renewal?
No. The Commission does not propose a specific eyesight check for cars or motorcycles. With regard to truck and bus drivers, vision testing is a part of the medical check that is already mandatory today.
- Does the Commission want to forbid 14 year olds from driving mopeds?
No. The Commission proposes that throughout the Union a theory test be imposed as a minimum requirement to drive mopeds. Member States remain free to impose further requirements such as a practical test or a medical examination. As far as age is concerned the minimum age proposed is 16, however Member States will be able to allow 14 year olds to drive mopeds on their national territory.
- Does the Commission propose that 17 year olds be prevented from driving a car?
No. The present directive remains unchanged on this point. Member States will still be allowed to issue driving licences for cars (category B) to 17 years old citizens for driving on their territory. However, the Commission proposes to no longer allow a 17 year old to hold a car plus trailer licence (category B+E). Only 18 year olds should be able to apply for such a licence in the future. In this way, prior experience can be gathered by driving a car.
It has to be noted that the regular minimum age remains 18, which is still the minimum age at which almost all Member States issue category B driving licences.
- Does the Commission propose that 21 year olds be prevented from driving heavy motorcycles?
No. The present directive is refining the system of progressive access to the most powerful motorcycles. Access will still be possible in two ways: either direct access or progressive access. Today, direct access is given at 21 and staged access as from 20 after two years of experience on a limited motorcycle. If a 21 year old has acquired prior experience of 3 years on a limited motorcycle (category A2) then this person will be able to get access at 21 to the most powerful motorcycles by passing a practical test. However, without this prior experience, they will have to wait until the age of 24.
The Commission would like to improve the current system of progressive access. Today, youngsters often wait until 21 and then get direct access to the most powerful motorcycles without any prior experience. But some also obtain a driving licence for the limited motorcycle at 18 and then simply wait two years before buying an unrestricted motorcycle. This is possible as there is no control whatsoever today on the experience gathered on the limited motorcycle. The proposal made by the Commission should stop this and should improve road safety.
- Does the Commission propose that caravans can no longer be driven with a car driving licence (category B)?
The Commission proposes to simplify and reinforce the coherence of the "trailer" driving licences. Car-trailer combinations can today be driven with a simple category B driving licence as long as the combination does not exceed 3500 kilos and as long as the maximum authorised mass of the trailer does not exceed the unladen mass of the car. This current definition is very complex and has created difficulties for citizens changing either their car or their trailer. This definition also discriminates against drivers of trucks and buses which are not given similar rights for their categories of driving licences even if they often have more experience and much in depth training and tests to undergo.
The Commission thus aims at ensuring that car drivers get adequate training and testing for driving vehicle combinations that often can be as long as 8 to 12 metres in length. This means indeed that most caravans in the future can only be driven when holding a category B+E driving licence.
On the other hand, all acquired rights will be guaranteed and thus holders of licences issued before the date of application of the present proposal will continue to be able to make use of this right.
- Why does the Commission propose requirements for examiners?
In some Member States examiners have almost no specific training or do not even hold the driving licence for the category they are examining. This should no longer be possible. The present proposal introduces minimum requirements for the initial qualification and periodic training of examiners. This will lead to better test quality throughout the EU and will enhance the comparability of results, an important factor in a system of mutual recognition of driving licences. It will also contribute to reinforcing road safety.
(1)JO L 226 du 10.09.2003 p 4
(2)Commission Decision 2000/275/EC of 21 March 2000 on equivalences between categories of driving licences, JO L 91 of 12.4.2000, p.1 as amended by Commission Decision 2002/256/EC of 25.3.2002, JO L 87 of 4.4.2002, p.57
Side Bar


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Submission + - Sixty Years On, B-52s Are Still Going Strong 1
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "Those who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s knew the B-52 Stratofortress as a central figure in the anxiety that flowed from the protracted staring match between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Now CNET reports that it was 60 years ago, on April 15, 1952, that a B-52 prototype built by Boeing took off on its maiden flight and although the 1950s-vintage B-52s are no longer in the US Air Force inventory, the 90 or so H models delivered between May 1961 and October 1962 still remain on active duty. "The B-52 has been a wonderful flying box," says retired Brig. Gen. Peyton Cole. "It's persevered all these years because it's been able to adapt and still continues to fly. It started out as a high-level flying platform during the Cold War. Then as air defenses got better it became a low-level penetrator, and more than that was the first aircraft to fly low-level at night through FLIR (forward looking infrared) and night-vision TV." The B-52's feat of longevity reflects both regular maintenance and timely upgrades — in the late 1980s, for instance, GPS capabilities were incorporated into the navigation system but it also speaks to the astronomical costs of the next-generation bombers that have followed the B-52 into service (a total of 744 were built, counting all models) with the Air Force. B-52s cost about $70 million apiece (in today's dollars), while the later, stealth-shaped B-2 Spirit bombers carried an "eye-watering $3-billion-a-pop unit price." The Air Force's 30-year forecast, published in March, envisions an enduring role for the B-52 and engineering studies, the Air Force says, suggest that the life span of the B-52 could extend beyond the year 2040. "At that point, why not aim for the centennial mark?""


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has anyone climbed the actual highpoint block ? looks pretty damn tough, but i'm not a climber. i saw some usgs markers on the bump just north, but none said "castle". and that's not the highpoint anyway. feels incomplete w/out standing on the actual high point.
and what a scenic area !


text: The NFL kicks off an exciting weekend of games Saturday when it starts its playoffs. Meanwhile, there's big news in the sport that most of the rest of the world calls football. Fox television is making a major play to air more soccer games in this country, including an English Premier League game before the Super Bowl. Sportswriter Stefan Fatsis talks with Robert Siegel about the news in both kinds of football.


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Claudine Auger Is Hunting Sharks
via WBE
Thinking of a Master Plan: A master trad tells you how to plan a day's outfit. Apparently it helps if you have a manservant. [A Suitable Wardrobe]
Scarf Law: A primer on the proper use of scarves. You'll notice that none of these gentlemen are wearing turtlenecks. [Men of Habit]
Up on the Mountain: An interview with Dennis Signor, co-founder of Diemme. The man knows his hiking boots. [Proper Magazine]
The Low End Theory: A few quotes from the memoir of Duff McKagan, bassist of GNR. A highlight: "Mick [Jagger] was cool, but his spare sneakers, I'm afraid, were not." [The Awl]


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Jan 19, 2012 (CIDRAP News) – A lengthy new analysis of unpublished clinical trial data is renewing questions about the effectiveness of the influenza drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu), saying that although the drug shortens flu symptoms by about a day, there is no evidence that it reduces hospital admissions.
The report by Tom Jefferson and colleagues, members of the Cochrane Collaboration, also says that, despite sifting thousands of pages of documents, the team couldn't gather enough data to determine whether oseltamivir reduces flu complications and transmission. The 200-page report was published yesterday by The Cochrane Library.
The report also raises some questions about the safety of oseltamivir, saying some reports of adverse events possibly related to the drug were not included in published reports of clinical trials.
Roche, manufacturer of Tamiflu, said numerous clinical trials and medical experience have shown that oseltamivir is effective and usually well-tolerated. The company said it supplied 3,200 pages of data to Jefferson's team, though the researchers say in the report that the company withheld some data they requested.
European and US health officials said they had not had time to study the report, but they noted that it ignores a significant body of observational data supporting the effectiveness of oseltamivir against both seasonal flu and the 2009 pandemic virus.
The analysis was sponsored by the UK National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment program. The Cochrane Collaboration is an international network of researchers who study the quality of evidence for healthcare interventions. Jefferson is an independent epidemiologist based in Rome.
Targeting publication bias
The report is the latest of several reviews of the neuraminidase inhibitors (NIs, including oseltamivir and zanamivir [Relenza]) from Cochrane researchers. The authors say their aim was to eliminate publication bias—the fact that studies with positive findings about an intervention are more likely to be published than those with negative or inconclusive findings.
During the 2009 pandemic, the Australian and British governments asked for an update of the previous Cochrane review of NIs, according to the report. That update ended up being inconclusive, because the researchers could not verify the data behind manufacturer and government claims about oseltamivir. The authors point in particular to a meta-analysis of 10 clinical trials, eight of which have never been published.
"We identified that a large number of studies, including data from 60% of the people who have been involved in randomised, placebo-controlled phase III treatment trials of oseltamivir have never been published," Jefferson said in a press release from Wiley-Blackwell, publisher of the Cochrane Library. "We are concerned that these data remain unavailable for scrutiny by the scientific community."
Accordingly, the researchers decided to try "to get to the bottom of the issue of the effects of NIs by appraising evidence from unpublished clinical study reports . . . and regulatory documents containing comments and reviews," the report says. The authors eventually collected 16,000 pages of data from the drug manufacturers and US, European, and Japanese regulatory agencies, according to the press release.
The team identified 67 clinical trials of oseltamivir and zanamivir, most of them in adults, but 42 of these were unusable because of insufficient information or unresolved discrepancies in the data. Of the 25 trials included in the analysis, 15 were of oseltamivir and 10 of zanamivir, and all were sponsored by the drug manufacturers.
The analysis focused mainly on oseltamivir because it is much more widely used and stockpiled and is on the World Health Organization list of essential drugs. In the end, the researchers decided to postpone its analysis of zanamivir, awaiting receipt of individual patient data promised by GlaxoSmithKline, its manufacturer.
After sifting all the oseltamivir data, the researchers concluded that the drug shortens the time to alleviation of symptoms by an average of about 21 hours, from the average of 160 hours of symptoms in placebo-group patients. But from seven studies that examined the question, they found no effect on the rate of hospitalizations.
The report adds, "Due to limitations in the design, conduct and reporting of the trial programme, the data available to us lacked sufficient detail to credibly assess a possible effect of oseltamivir on complications and viral transmission."
The researchers say they found some inconsistencies between published trial reports and the unpublished trial records. The press release says some of these had to do with oseltamivir safety. The unpublished reports mentioned "serious adverse events," some of them possibly related to the drug, but one of the two most cited publications does not mention those events, while the other says there were "no drug-related serious adverse events," according to the release.
Another finding is that subjects randomly assigned to receive oseltamivir were less likely to be diagnosed as having flu than were control subjects (odds ratio based on eight studies, 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.73 to 0.94). The authors assert that oseltamivir probably interfered with the antibody response and that therefore the placebo and treatment arms of the flu-infected subgroup in trials—defined in part by a rise in antibody titers—are not comparable.
They further suggest that this raises doubts about the proposed effects of oseltamivir. One possibility, they say, is that by interfering with antibody production, oseltamivir "has the effect of selecting the strongest antibody responders," who are probably the healthiest people and those least likely to experience flu complications.
Jefferson and colleagues conclude with a prediction that the full clinical study reports from the trials could clarify the outstanding questions about oseltamivir. "These full clinical study reports are at present unavailable to us," they write.
ECDC expert weighs in
Dr Angus Nicoll, head of the influenza program at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and honorary professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said it was difficult to comment definitively on a 200-page document that has only just gone public, but it did not seem to be saying much that the Jefferson group had not said before.
"What is important now is that independent scientists comment on the document and ask questions through the 'Submit Comments'field at the manuscript," he said (see link below). "As I understand it, these comments will be responded to—and that is the Cochrane process for reviews like this so they now undergo open peer review."
However, Nicoll felt that a fundamental design problem of the review is that it excludes all observational data, commenting, "Jefferson has a very pure approach not considering observational data." He said the disadvantage of this approach is that it lacks power to detect uncommon but important effects—either good results like the prevention of severe flu complications or rare adverse effects of drugs.
"Our reading of the observational data, like that published in the BMJ by China CDC recently from the pandemic [see link below], is that early oseltamivir use is associated with less severe complications," he said. "The observational data are weak, but they are mostly pointing towards a protective effect. That particularly came out in the pandemic, but is also the case with seasonal flu. Just relying on trial data can lead to the old trap of thinking that absence of evidence of effectiveness (protection against complications) equals evidence of no effect."
Nicoll also said that there are two or three evidence-based reviews of observational data coming and they should be awaited so that the trial and observational data can both be considered.
He also took issue with the Cochrane team's conclusion that there is no clinical trial evidence that NIs reduce severe outcomes in flu patients. He said they discounted analyses by Miguel Hernan and Marc Lipsitch of Harvard University.
In an earlier report, according to Nicoll, the Jefferson group examined a meta-analysis of clinical trials of oseltamivir by Kaiser and others. (The new report says the meta-analysis included 10 manufacturer-funded trials, eight of which have never been published.) When Jefferson and colleagues tried to reanalyze the data in the Kaiser paper they couldn't reproduce the findings, Nicoll said.
But subsequently Hernan and Lipsitch asked for more primary data from the 10 trials and reanalyzed them along with additional data, producing results consistent with oseltamivir reducing flu complications. Their report was published in Clinical Infectious Diseases last year (see link below).
"Lipsitch and Hernan are a very well respected independent group, so when we saw their findings we realized there was evidence of reduced complications from trials in seasonal flu," Nicoll said.
Finally, Nicoll commented that the bottom line of the Jefferson reviews is always that there should be more large, randomized trials, independent of industry and now, even independent of governments. Clearly those could not include people at higher risk from flu, such as older people, young children, and those with other conditions, he said, noting that the sample sizes needed for such trials would be impossibly large.
"There are some questions that you have to answer without relying on trials alone," he concluded.
CDC official notes observational data
Tim Uyeki, MD, MPH, a flu expert at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said he had not read the report, but, like Nicoll, he commented that the Cochrane review did not consider the observational data supporting oseltamivir. Uyeki is deputy chief for science in the Epidemiology and Prevention Branch of the CDC's Influenza Division.
"There is a substantial amount of data from observational studies of oseltamivir treatment of seasonal flu and pandemic flu to suggest clinical benefit when treatment is initiated early," and even some benefit when treatment is begun more than 2 days (but less than 5 day) after illness onset," Uyeki said. "There are some limited studies that have also suggested a reduction in risk of admission to ICU or death."
He added that the observational studies all point in the direction of clinical benefits. "When the ACIP [Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices] and CDC and other groups are making clinical recommendations and recommendations for public health, it's important to look at all of the evidence that's available, including evidence from randomized placebo-controlled trials as well as observational data," he added.
Roche's response
In a statement released yesterday, Roche officials defended oseltamivir's track record and the company's openness in supplying data to Jefferson's team.
"Numerous clinical trials and real-life medical experience show Tamiflu is effective in reducing the severity and duration of influenza symptoms as well as specified secondary complications," the company said. "Analyses by health authorities and independent research groups show that, during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, Tamiflu saved lives and reduced hospitalization. Similar benefits have also been reported for seasonal influenza."
The company said the drug has been used to treat and prevent influenza in 90 million people, including nearly 20 million children, in 80 countries. In addition, "clinical studies show that Tamiflu is well tolerated in the overwhelming majority of cases. Like all medicines, Tamiflu can have side effects and these are listed in the Summary of Product Characteristics."
Roche also said it provided the Cochrane group "3,200 pages of very detailed information, enabling their questions to be answered."
"All completed Roche sponsored clinical studies on the safety and efficacy of Tamiflu are available as peer-reviewed publications or in summary form on www.roche-trials.com," the statement said. "More detailed clinical trial reports are available for use by investigators on a password-protected site, enabling researchers to verify the findings of these studies and publications relating to them."
Jefferson T, Jones MA, Doshi P, et al. Neuraminidase inhibitors for preventing and treating influenza in healthy adults and children. Cochrane Library 2012 January [Abstract]
See also:
Accompanying Cochrane Library editorial
Wiley-Blackwell press release via EurekAlert
BMJ report on effectiveness of oseltamivir in China
Clinical Infectious Diseases abstract of meta-analysis by Hernan and Lipsitch


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Full Episode
In this episode, BMW delivers its smallest sport activity vehicle yet, the X; then it's Chevrolet's mini car, the Spark. Plus first impressions of the Toyota RAV4 and the Buick Encore. Also, solutions to a pair of brake problems, and a place where civilians can drive military tanks for fun.
Visit the Website: http://www.motorweek.org


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Mrs. Lonelyheart by Fiona Daniel
ah stunning!ReplyDelete
beautiful music..
great blog..LOVE IT <3
love! something different from you ^^Love it!ReplyDelete
I love the sun shining through tree branches in the summer....bit like the photo I just posted on my blog, albeit much better quality!
Love the song and the photo.ReplyDelete
adore your music!!!ReplyDelete
Nice Lens Flare effect Pascal!!! and your Music!
Beny Ricardo Sadewo
wonderful shot... some of the random things, that inspire most
sometimes its some sun between the branches that makes you decide what to wear
in love with the picture.
can't listen to the song cause I'm already at work... naaah
O so serene!
Yours Truly
WE SPY WITH MY LITTLE i


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NEW YORK (AP) — You wouldn't have known it was the Saturday before the election on "Saturday Night Live."
Sure, Mitt Romney, played by Jason Sudeikis, made a quick appearance on "Weekend Update," but otherwise much of the focus was on Superstorm Sandy — and Mayor Michael Bloomberg's sign-language interpreter, Lydia Callis.
The real Callis has gained some pop-culture popularity with her enthusiastic interpreting of Bloomberg's words. She was back at the mayor's side at Saturday's briefing in New York and was played on "SNL" by Cecily Strong. The mayor — played by Fred Armisen — thanked Callis for bringing "pizazz" to her job.
Hosting Saturday's show was comedian and TV star Louis C.K. He said in the monologue of New York City: "We're still standing."
President Barack Obama didn't appear on the show.


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1.03. The Pit and the Pendulum & Other Macabre Tales
Released August 2010
'Edgar Allan Poe is that most classical of American writers – a writer more peculiarly attuned to our new century's heartbeat than he ever was to his own' – Lou Reed
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) was an American poet, writer, editor and literary critic. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe's full-blooded Gothic style influenced generations of writers, filmmakers and musicians, from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Baudelaire to Roger Corman and Lou Reed.
The five tales collected here range from the famous to the obscure, but each displays Poe's unique sense of the macabre and his love for the baroque. A victim of the Inquisition finds himself in a nightmarish torture chamber, a castle is besieged by plague, a man becomes obsessed by the evil eye of his fellow lodger, a mesmerist suspends a man's life at the point of death and a jester takes his revenge on his cruel employers.
The Pit And The Pendulum
The Masque Of The Red Death
The Tell-Tale Heart
The Facts In The Case Of M. Valdemar
'Sick Unto Death', 'Prospero's Masque' and 'My Last Jest' (three incidental music suites by Howard Carter)
Written By: Edgar Allan Poe
Directed By: Barnaby Edwards
Read by David Soul


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Different people have different passions and hobbies in life, and when it's summertime on the Kenai Peninsula, those activities often include a fishing line, baseball bat, tennis racket or golf club.
But the average outdoor enthusiast doesn't often find themselves grappling with the steering wheel of a high-horsepower machine on the dirt at Twin City Raceway in Kenai.
In the Devaney household, that sounds like just another Saturday night. Sporting cars 33 and 34 in the A-Stock division at Twin City Raceway, the Devaneys have become a staple at the dirt track in Kenai, making the trip up from their hometown of Homer.
"It's awesome to see them go out there and have fun," Darren Devaney said of his children. "There's always going to be someone better than you, and to go out there and see them have fun and compete is great. It's an important sport to me, and to see them go out and do as well as they do, it's just really cool."
Darren Devaney builds the cars with his three sons and father, Mike, who raised Darren on racing cars on dirt, and ice.
"I actually started ice racing when I was 10 years old," Darren said. "They ran kids races, and when I was 14 I was racing with adults."
Competitors still race on the ice on Beluga Lake, right in the middle of downtown Homer, and while the Devaney family hasn't competed there for some time now, it is the ice that started the craze.
"My father-in-law has been into racing since he was a teenager or younger, both ice racing and dirt tracking," Laura Devaney, Darren's wife, said. "Darren and I had a car about 20 years ago that we raced at the track there in Kenai. We got back into it again because we've been missing it, and the kids were older and they were able to race, and we decided to build a couple more cars."
The family races cars numbered 33 and 34 at Twins City, both stock versions of the late 1970s line of Chevy Camaros, and knock off the parts necessary to race at the banked dirt track.
Darren often shares the rides with his buddy, Bob Reinhart, driver of the 98 car in the A-Stock category, and even swapped rides with Joey Essex recently.
Darren's oldest son, Kyle, 24, built the first car with his dad and grandfather.
"We built it in like a week and raced it, made some changes, painted it, and we've had to rebuild the engine a couple times," Kyle said. "We take these Camaros and strip them down completely until they're pretty much bare metal, and we throw in some safety equipment like a roll cage, we rebuilt the engine ourselves, it's a 350 Chevy from a similar year, and it's just pretty much stock parts as far as everything that goes into it, and we put in some seats, fuel cells, and that's pretty much what it takes to rebuild the car."
Kyle said the joy he gets from working on and building race-ready cars with his father and grandfather isn't taken for granted, and the ultimate joy is putting the machines to the test.
"It's a big adrenaline rush, it's fun to go out there and push your own limits when you're racing with everybody else, and you're sliding around on the dirt," Kyle said. "My dad's a mechanic, my grandpa's a welder and we all kind of pick up everything, so it's just fun to build cars and race them. A lot of our friends have helped in donating parts and pieces for the car as well."
Kyle is a civil engineering major at Brigham-Young University in Idaho, and so building machines comes naturally for him.
"It's a family thing, it's not often you get a son, father and grandfather all together working on those kinds of projects," Darren said. "I grew up racing on the dirt tracks and ice-racing in Homer. They've been doing it since 1954 or something like that."
Even 18-year-old Brooke, Darren's daughter, is getting in on the action. She debuted at Twin City July 21 and managed a second-place finish in the feature race, all while sliding across the line sideways.
"It was nerve-racking, but fun," Brooke said. "It had more horsepower than I thought there would be, but it was fun."
Brooke just graduated from Homer High School, and competed on the volleyball and softball teams as well, and was there when Homer finished second in the small-schools state championship softball match with Sitka in late May.
"I'm going to try to race more, if they need me to drive and if I can get off work," she said.
Cody Devaney, 16, races when his brothers are not, and has found success as well, along with older brother Dean, 21. Cody swept all three races — both heats and the feature — at the most recent night of racing at Twin City in the A-Stock class.
"I've been out here probably four or five times," Cody said. "Hopefully I'll race more. My brother's coming back (from the North Slope), and he's the one that helped my dad put it together."
Dean has found significant success in the car as well, which goes to show it doesn't matter which Devaney is driving, because one of them will win.
Darren said the reason the family doesn't ice race anymore is essentially due to their religion. Back in the day, Darren would race on Sundays, but has since decided that Sundays would be a traditional day of rest.
"I joined the church, and I stopped doing things on Sundays," Darren said. "Then we moved and came back, and got bit by the bug again, and they race on Saturdays at Twin City, so we go up there and as long as they keep racing on Saturdays, we'll be there."
And the car numbers? Why 33 and 34?
"33 was Mike's number that he used years ago," Laura said. "We kept using it in honor of him, and we used 34 on the second car simply because it was the next number up."
Kyle will be racing the 33 this weekend at Twin City Raceway, and Cody will be piloting the 34, with stock car qualifying beginning at 6 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m. this Saturday night.
Aug. 18th is Fan Appreciation Night, with grandstand seating going for $5 per person.
Different people have different passions and hobbies in life, and when it's summertime on the Kenai Peninsula, those activities often include a fishing line, baseball bat, tennis racket or golf club.


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- Parent Category: News
American Legion Posts welcome Vice-Commander Robert E. Newman
Membership Drive Focuses On Bringing Veterans Together With A United Voice
CISSNA PARK --- American Legion Posts across, including Cissna Park, have been welcoming Robert E. Newman, the American Legion National Vice Commander.
Commander Newman is recognizing the service provided by veterans and legion homes. The
The Illinois State Police Legion Post at Litchfield (IL) also hosted Vice-Commander Newman.
"The American Legion is the voice of millions of American service members, past and present, to maintain veteran services earned in combat. Vice Commander Newman's presence serves as a reminder to honor our fellow veterans."
"We are honored in joining Vice Commander Newman in the national effort to encourage veterans to come forward and be recognized for their service and to support one another through a unified voice," said ISP Legion Post Commander Limey Nargelenas. he added.
National Vice Commander Newman's visit is part of a continual recruitment drive to bring veterans together with the American Legion throughout the central and southern regions of Illinois.
Robert E. Newman was elected as a national vice commander of the 2.4-million member American Legion at the organization's 95th national convention in Houston on Aug. 29, 2013.
A member of American Legion Post 178 in Garrett, Ind., he served in the U.S. Navy from 1965-1969. He had held offices at every level of The American Legion, including department (state) commander of Indiana, northern vice commander of Indiana, Americanism Commission chairman of Indiana, department Children and Youth Commission chairman, Internal Affairs Commission chairman and Rehabilitation Commission chairman. Nationally, he has served on the Veterans Preference and National Insurance committees.
He retired from the U.S. Postal Service and served as the postmaster in Butler, Ind., from 1997-2001. Newman, who was commander at Post 178, lives in Garrett with his wife of 43 years, Rosey. They have two sons, Charles R. Newman and Robert Newman, Jr.


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New Liverpool signing Raul Meireles is set to disappoint die-hard Reds fans with the stunning claim that he only joined Liverpool "ironically". Speaking just days after making his debut versus Birmingham City on Sunday, Meireles is however understandably aware of the history of the club, admitting that he is "really into that late 80s early 90s stuff right now".
When offered the chance of a move following Javier Mascherano's departure to Barcelona, the Portuguese could not refuse the opportunity for what he called "LULZ" – presumably some kind of Lower East Side Porto slang – adding that "Liverpool right now are sort of like so bad they're good?"


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New apartment 4+kitchen corner, 123,5m², terass 26,8 , Prague 2 - Vysehrad
Residence Hermitage is an impressive historic property originally built in 1907 as a printing and publishing house. The distinctive exterior boasts a fabulous Art Deco facade, and combined with high ceilings and large windows, creates an airy ambience throughout. This riverside property, with a combination of newly built and refurbished features and a high-standard of interior design, exudes quality and a unique attention to detail. The building is situated in Prague 2 near the Vysehrad UNESCO world heritage site and residents can enjoy easy access to the city centre and stunning views over Prague. Residence Hermitage offers an intriguing and distinctive locality, setting it apart from other residential projects.A limited number of only 22 carefully created apartments, including 2 superb luxury penthouses, are arranged over five floors of the property. In all areas high-quality construction and a lasting appeal are apparent in every detail, from the high ceilings to the large original windows providing superb natural daylight. Upper floor flats offer stunning views of Prague Castle and the city skyline. First fl oor fl ats have direct access to private gardens, and most units include either a balcony or terrace. Residents can further customize their homes with an array of options ranging from particular door designs to various luxurious appointments for the kitchen and bathrooms. Flats will be finished and prepared to move in March 2009.
16 483 000 CZKtotal price
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|6th floor
|Usable area
|150,30 m²
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Win Tickets to See Stone Sour and Papa Roach at Concrete Street
The first concert of the season at Concrete Street in Corpus Christi is a good one-Stone Sour & Papa Roach with special guests Otherwise. Thursday, February 7th at 7pm on the Cricket Wireless Pavillion Stage, with tickets $30 plus service charge, and available at Ticketmaster, at concretestreet.net, and at the box office. Free tickets are always better, right? Enter to win below!
Enter to win a pair of tickets to the show here. If you're not an All-Access Pass member, you can sign up on the link too. It pays to be a KLUB Rock VIP!
Check out some band video.
You Tube


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Story highlights
- U.S. Open starts Thursday at the Olympic Club in San Francisco
- Tiger Woods comes to this tournament after a win
- Some feel the Memorial victory may get Woods back on track
There will be many star golfers swinging irons at the Olympic Club starting Thursday, but for the next few days all eyes will be on Tiger Woods.
The burning question for many fans watching the action in San Francisco is which Tiger Woods will show up for the U.S. Open.
Will it be the resurgent Woods that stormed to a recent victory at the Memorial? Or will it be the injury-plagued, mediocre-putting Woods that has struggled to compete in recent years?
Some say Woods' triumphant win at Memorial on June 3, featuring a dazzling shot and his reminiscent fist pump, may foreshadow what will be seen in San Francisco.
"Tiger's performance at Memorial bodes well for him at the U.S. Open," said Peter Dixon, a golf correspondent for British newspaper The Times. "He seems to have got his swing under control and is now able to move the ball in both directions -- which will be needed at the Olympic Club."
The Tiger Woods' fall-from-grace story has been told and retold so many times that some have been looking for the once-dominant golfer to write a new chapter.
Woods looks like he is ready, according to some golf journalists.
"He has lost a lot of his aura, but some of it is coming back," Dixon said. "He is strutting around again and looks as if he believes he is the man to beat."
At one point in his career, Woods seemed a lock to smash Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major titles.
Although his last major win was at the 2008 U.S. Open, Woods says he considers this tournament a real challenge.
"This is the hardest test that we play every year. What makes it difficult is that we play different venues every year," the 14-time major champion told reporters.
Along with Woods, oddsmakers say that Luke Donald, Steve Stricker or Phil Mickelson, who holds the record for most second-place finishes at the Open, could take the championship.
Rory McIlroy, won the U.S. Open last year, but the young golfer has been plagued with his own slump recently, missing three straight cuts.
Woods will get a look at some of the tough competition starting Thursday as he is paired with Mickelson and fan favorite and Masters champion Bubba Watson.


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Family serves international cuisine at Sunrise Café
Sunrise Café has been serving area customers for almost 30 years. The first 10, it had two locations in Venice; and the last 18, it's been right here in Englewood.
Jimmy and Joanne Karamitsos, like their name implies, came here from Greece, originally settling in the Montreal area, and then moved to Chicago, where he and his four brothers each opened a restaurant. After the thrill of being in America wore off and the weather was a lot colder than they expected, he and Joanne moved to Englewood.


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Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Reigning National League Rookie of the Year Jose Fernandez was strong in his season debut as the Miami Marlins routed the Colorado Rockies, 10-1, on Opening Day for both clubs.
Fernandez (1-0) surrendered only one run off five hits with no walks across six solid innings. His nine strikeouts tied the franchise's Opening Day record that was set by Josh Beckett in 2004.
"I didn't know how I was going to react to opening day," Fernandez said. "But it came out great."
Casey McGehee's two doubles brought home four runners, while Marcell Ozuna stroked a solo home run scored three times in the win. Adeiny Hechavarria and Ozuna both went 3-for-4 for the Marlins, who are 5-1 in their last six season openers at home.
Carlos Gonzalez's homer accounted for Colorado's lone run. Jorge De La Rosa (0-1) gave up five runs on four hits while fanning six batters across 4 1/3 innings of work in his first career Opening Day start.
"When a guy like that is pitching, you expect that kind of game," Gonzalez said of Fernandez.
After Ozuna opened the scoring with a solo shot to left in the third, the Marlins tacked on five runs in the fifth.
Ozuna led off the inning with a line drive double to left. Hechavarria's single bounced off the mound and up the middle to bring Ozuna home. Fernandez laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Hechavarria over to second. Christian Yelich's single put runners on the corners and De La Rosa hit Jeff Baker with a pitch to load the bases.
Wilton Lopez came in to replace De La Rosa with the bases loaded and one out. His first batter, Stanton, hit a short infield single that brought Hechavarria home. McGehee's line drive double to left emptied the bases to make it a 6-0 ball game.
The Rockies' lone run came in the sixth when Gonzalez smacked Fernandez's fastball to center for a solo home.
The Marlins added another run in the sixth to make it 7-1. Ozuna, Hechavarria, and pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs all singled to load the bases with no outs. After Yelich struck out and Baker lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to plate Ozuna.
Yelich, Stanton, and McGehee all supplied RBI doubles in the eighth off Chad Bettis to make it a 10-1 game. Brad Hand pitched the final two innings for the Marlins, giving up one hit while retiring the Rockies in order in the ninth to end the game.
Game Notes
The Marlins and Rockies have both have 11-11 records all-time on Opening Day ... This was the first time that the two 1993 expansion teams met in a season-opening series ... Fernandez is the youngest Opening Day starter in team history ... Rockies Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki tied Larry Walker for the 2nd-most Opening Day starts in Rockies history with eight. Both players trail Todd Helton, who started 16 straight at first base.


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thank you all for responding,
thaught I MUST use POE with 134a, 404a?
Other refrig I understand can utilize multiples
Reminds me of the nightmares we had faced when 134A had been introduced in the Frigidaire upright modeled freezers sold under various brand names.
Doing away with the exterior condenser coils and enclosing them in the cabinet. High ambient temps being in the garage or any other unconditioned space. Or encased against a wall on one side boxes on the other and oh yeah that 3 feet on top would be great to store plastic containers full of stuff.
Frigidaire introduced an after market condensr fan to be mounted in the compressor alcove. This sometimes worked ok if we got the call because was noted the compressor shutting down on high heat and before the oil was cooked and 'gelled' inofrming the H/O of the need to allow air flow around that cabinet.
Introduced an after market condenser coil, with an electric cabinet heater to be vacuum sucked thru the hot gas loop and tied into the compressor run circuit.
The whole concept was bad from the beginning when a H/O had hundreds of dollars of frozen meats in those boxes and their smells. Never got rid of those smells
I would willingly derect the H/O to a new freezer type if Frigidaie hadn't captured the residential market
Originally posted by ahc&r
thank you all for responding,
thaught I MUST use POE with 134a, 404a?
Other refrig I understand can utilize multiples
If you think it, then stick with it. I just know from my own experiences of the past 13 years or so of dealing with the "NEW" ( ) gases and oils, what has worked well for me.......
I see the problems, due to people not maintaining stuff. There's nothing wrong with either the gasses or the oils..
And, being 14 years later, you can quit referring to 134a as "new". Trust me.
It is all about the oil. We found out years ago that the manufacturers of POE added to much corrosion inhibitor in their oils in order to pass Copeland testing. The inhibitor is a solid material dissolved in the POE. It eventually turns into a plaque. We have not had reaccurances since switching to Emkarate, especially with low temp equip.
Forum Rules


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So...is Emma Frost coming back?
Remember when January Jones got pregnant and wouldn't tell anyone who the father was and everyone thought it was Matthew Vaughn, the director of X-Men: First Class and husband of Claudia Schiffer even though he denied it?
January Jones is the beigest gossip protagonist ever.
Anyway, it's been confirmed that Vaughn will be back to direct an X-Men sequel, bringing back James McAvoy as Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Magneto. Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult are also expected to return but...what about Jones?
Magneto let her out at the end of the film, right?
I'm just wondering how many people have script approval, and if one of those, unofficially, is Claudia Schiffer.


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WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) -- A Wisconsin woman has pleaded not guilty to charges she tortured and killed her boyfriend's dog.
Twenty-year-old Sean Janas of Wausau entered her plea Monday in Marathon County court.
Reports say a group of protesters, some with their dogs, gathered outside the courthouse during Janas' appearance. The protesters have called on prosecutors to seek the maximum penalties against Janas, if she is convicted.
Prosecutors say Janas poisoned her boyfriend's dog, a German shepherd-Labrador mix named Mary, and tortured the animal before the 4-year-old dog died in June.
Janas remains in jail with bond set at $2,500.


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ME3 • Page 2
Mass Effect 3 Wii U in the works at Melbourne studio
Mass Effect 3's upcoming Wii U port is the product of one Straight Right, the Melbourne-based developer confirmed on its Facebook page today. Straight Right is also behind the iOS version of Need for Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed. The Wii U version of Mass Effect 3 is undated, even as the console itself, for which […]
Mass Effect 3: Leviathan trailer takes you deep into the ocean
Leviathan, the latest DLC for Mass Effect 3, has a new trailer. It's below, and shows the intrepid Commander Shepherd jumping into the ocean, hitting bottom, and seeing something he probably shouldn't have – and we're not talking about talking sponges sporting slacks. The Leviathan DLC will release on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 August […]
Mass Effect 3: Operation Alloy multiplayer event is this weekend
Mass Effect 3's next multiplayer event, Operation Alloy, has been detailed by BioWare.
Mass Effect 3 Leviathan DLC releasing later this month
Leviathan, the latest DLC for Mass Effect 3, will release on August 28, according to an announcement from BioWare. The Leviathan DLC will add additional dialogue to the controversial ending of the action-RPG, according to a Eurogamer report posted earlier this month. Leviathan will release on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
Quick shots - Mass Effect 3: Leviathan DLC, one shot of Firefight Weapons Pack
Bioware has release a set of screenshots for the Mass Effect 3: Leviathan DLC. More information on it can be found here, although there isn't a date yet. However, August 7 is when the Firefight Weapons Pack releases, so at least it's something to look forward to.
Mass Effect 3: Leviathan DLC reveals the origins of the reapers, Firefight Weapons Pack hits Aug 7
Word out of the EA Summer Showcase event has pegged Mass Effect 3: Leviathan, the upcoming single-player DLC, will expand upon the events with "powerful weapons and unique upgrades," along with story.
Even BioWare struggles with Mass Effect 3's new multiplayer difficulty
This week's free Mass Effect 3 multiplayer expansion, Earth, adds in a new tier of difficulty so hardcore even its creators have a tough time beating it.
Mass Effect 3 - Operation Broadside has commenced
Another N7 Bounty Weekend is underway in Mass Effect 3, this time, the multiplayer event is called Operation Broadside and it runs until 4am, Monday July 16.
BioWare announces contents of Mass Effect 3: Earth multiplayer DLC
BioWare has announced the contents of the Earth multiplayer DLC for Mass Effect 3 after rumored contents of the pack have leaked overnight.
Actor confirms Leviathan DLC for Mass Effect 3
The rumored Leviathan DLC which popped up in the Extended Cut files for Mass Effect 3 has been confirmed by actor Anthony Skordi who said he will lend his voice to the Reaper named Leviathan. BioWare is set to announce new Mass Effect DLC at Comic-Con panel on Saturday. Head over to Eurogamer for the […]
ASA - EA did not engage in false advertisement with Mass Effect 3
The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled EA did not practice in false advertisement when promoting the fact players' choices would influence the ending of Mass Effect 3. The firm found the endings in the game to be "thematically quite different," and while it was aware players felt they didn't influence the ending as much as […]
Rumor - Mass Effect 3: Earth MP extension info leaks
Reddit tipster derptemp6698 has posted another Mass Effect 3 leak, this time detailing the upcoming multiplayer extension Earth.
Rebellion multiplayer expansion for Mass Effect 3 releases May 29
Bioware has announced its Mass Effect 3 Rebellion DLC Pack will release for Xbox Live, PSN and PC on May 29 in the US and the following day in Europe on PSN.
Mass Effect 3 - Resurgence video highlights strategy
The Mass Effect 3 Resurgence multiplayer event is going on as we speak, and you can get an idea of what it contains in the video below, in case you've yet to join the fray. Over the weekend, the two new maps, Firebase: Condor and Firebase: Hydra, will hand out 10% more XP than usual […]
Better Business Bureau says it's possible Mass Effect 3's ending was "false advertising"
The Better Business Bureau's Marjorie Stephens has said it's possible Mass Effect 3 was falsely advertised due to the lack of "radically different ending scenarios" the public was promised.
Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut "clarifies ending," out summer
BioWare has announced Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut, a free DLC pack expanding the events at the end of the game.
A standalone Mass Effect FPS almost happened
The Final Hours of Mass Effect 3 just went live but already there are some very interesting stories coming to light about the development of the series' third installment.
Mass Effect 3 goodies up for grabs in fan competitions
BioWare is hosting a couple of Mass Effect 3 competitions, with some sweet loot on the line.
Rumour - Mass Effect 3 multiplayer DLC inbound
An image has turned up suggesting some new classes for Mass Effect 3's multiplayer may be on the way.
Mass Effect 3: Special Forces Trailer shows the multiplayer in action
BioWare has released a new video for Mass Effect 3, showing the game's multiplayer in action. Posted below, the trailer includes details about the races and classes you'll be able to play once it releases on March 6 in the US and March 9 in Europe for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. Enjoy.
ME3 latest
ASA – EA did not engage in false advertisement with Mass Effect 3
Rebellion multiplayer expansion for Mass Effect 3 releases May 29
Better Business Bureau says it's possible Mass Effect 3's ending was "false advertising"
Mass Effect 3: Special Forces Trailer shows the multiplayer in action
Physical and digital forms of Mass Effect 3 PC to require Origin
Mass Effect 3 videos show off pre-order bonuses, new screens
Watch a Thresher save Shepard's skin in latest Mass Effect 3 video
Internal beta for Mass Effect 3 accidentally leaked through XBL fall preview
PC Digital Deluxe version of Mass Effect 3 is exclusive to Origin


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Barnet have reported Notts County to the Football League and Football Association following Martin Allen's managerial defection from Underhill to Meadow Lane.
Allen walked out on the Bees after just 19 days to take charge of League One strugglers Notts County on a one-year deal.
Barnet, who are fighting desperately to stay in League Two, claim the Magpies only contacted them after they had struck a deal with Allen and are now seeking compensation for his services.
Bees chairman Tony Kleanthous said: "We agreed a deal with him (Allen) until the end of the season and we helped and supported him throughout.
"I told him that we were prepared to offer a new long-term deal that would certainly have provided him with a comfortable six-figure living but he made it clear that he wanted a chance to manage a team in League One next season.
"He said he wanted to take this opportunity despite the perfect happy working environment which we provided for him at Barnet FC."
Source: PA


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IRBIL, Iraq — The U.S. unleashed its first airstrikes in northern Iraq against militants of the Islamic State group Friday amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. The extremists took captive hundreds of women from a religious minority, according to an Iraqi official, while thousands of other civilians fled in fear.
IRBIL, Iraq — The U.S. unleashed its first airstrikes in northern Iraq against militants of the Islamic State group Friday amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. The extremists took captive hundreds of women from a religious minority, according to an Iraqi official, while thousands of other civilians fled in fear.
Many of America's allies backed the U.S. intervention, pledging urgent steps to assist the legions of refugees and displaced people. Those in jeopardy included thousands of members of the Yazidi religious minority whose plight — trapped on a mountaintop by the militants — prompted the U.S. to airdrop crates of food and water to them.
The extremists' "campaign of terror against the innocent, including the Yazidi and Christian minorities, and its grotesque and targeted acts of violence bear all the warning signs and hallmarks of genocide," said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. "For anyone who needed a wake-up call, this is it."
Underscoring the sense of alarm, a spokesman for Iraq's human rights ministry said hundreds of Yazidi women had been seized by the militants. Kamil Amin, citing reports from the victims' families, said some of the women were being held in schools in Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul.
"We think that the terrorists by now consider them slaves and they have vicious plans for them," Amin told The Associated Press. "We think that these women are going to be used in demeaning ways by those terrorists to satisfy their animalistic urges in a way that contradicts all the human and Islamic values."
For the U.S. military, which withdrew its forces from Iraq in late 2011 after more than eight years of war, the re-engagement began when two F/A-18 jets dropped 500-pound bombs on a piece of artillery and the truck towing it. The Pentagon said the militants were using the artillery to shell Kurdish forces defending Irbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, and home to a U.S. consulate and about three dozen U.S. military trainers.
Later Friday, the U.S. launched a second round of airstrikes near Irbil, U.S. officials said. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the strikes publicly, said unmanned aircraft hit a mortar and four Navy F/A-18 fighter jets destroyed a seven-vehicle convoy.
The U.S. State Department warned U.S. citizens against all but essential travel to Iraq and said those in the country were at high risk for kidnapping and terrorist violence.
Expanding from their stronghold of Mosul, the militants have captured a string of towns and Iraq's largest hydroelectric dam and reservoir in recent weeks. Ethnic and religious minorities, fearing persecution and slaughter, have fled as their towns fell.
Many had taken refuge in the Khazer Camp, set up near Irbil, but it was empty Friday as nearby fighting prompted families to flee once again.
Some made their way by car or on foot to Irbil; others were unaccounted for amid the sea of fleeing people. According to the U.N., more than 500,000 people have been displaced by the violence in Iraq since June, bringing the total this year to well over 1 million.
In Irbil, hundreds of uprooted men crowded the streets of a Christian-dominated neighborhood, expressing relief at the news of U.S. airstrikes.
Nazar, one man lingering outside a bare-bones building-turned-shelter, fled his mainly Christian town of Hamdaniya on Wednesday, when their home began to shudder from the blast of nearby mortar fire.
"We want a solution," said Nazar, who spoke on condition he be identified only by his first name, fearing his family's safety. "We don't to flee our homes and jobs like this. What is our future?"
In contrast to Washington's decision to invade Iraq more than a decade ago, both the airdrop and the authorization of military action against the Islamic State group were widely welcomed by Iraqi and Kurdish officials fearful of the militants' advance.
"We thank Barack Obama," said Khalid Jamal Alber, from the Religious Affairs Ministry in the Kurdish government.
In his announcement Thursday night, Obama had identified protecting the Yazidis and defending Americans as the two objectives for the airstrikes.
But on Friday, his spokesman, Josh Earnest, said the U.S. was also prepared to use military force to assist Iraqi forces and the Kurds' peshmerga militia.
While Iraq's military has proven unable in many cases to thwart the Islamic State force's capture of key cities, Earnest called the peshmerga a "capable fighting force" that had shown an ability to regroup effectively.
At a checkpoint about 23 miles (38 kilometers) from Irbil, Kurdish militiamen vowed fierce resistance to any further Islamic State advances, but they also remarked on the ferocity of their foe.
Capt. Ziyran Mahmoud, 28, said Islamic State fighters wore suicide belts as they advanced in armored vehicles and would detonate them — killing soldiers from both sides — if Kurdish fighters came too close.
"They are ready to blow themselves up and die," Mahmoud said. "But the peshmerga aren't afraid. We are also ready to die for our homeland."
The Islamic State group captured Mosul in June, and then launched a blitz toward the south, sweeping over Sunni-majority towns almost to the capital, Baghdad. It already holds large parts of western Iraq, as well as swaths of neighboring Syria.
Iraqi government forces crumbled in the face of the assault but have since been able to prevent the militants from advancing into Shiite-majority areas. In the north, the Kurds have been the main line of defense against the radicals, but their fighters are stretched over a long front trying to fend them off.


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Frank Thorp, NBC News
Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA)
As Congressional leaders meet today at the White House for the third time in the past week to discuss a deal to decrease the deficit, the gap between Democrats and Republicans appears wider than ever.
With President Obama telling reporters that there is no path to a deal if the GOP won't budge on revenue increases, the question looms if a deal will be made at all by the Aug. 2nd deadline that the Obama administration has imposed for when the nation's debt limit must be raised.
During a pen-and-pad news conference with reporters today, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) reiterated his stance that the tax increases Obama is calling for will not pass the House.
"The votes aren't in the House to raise taxes," he explained emphatically. "If they want to vote on the debt ceiling, they're going to have to come meet us, and we're going to have a package that does not have any net new revenues, period."
Cantor, who is one of eight members of Congress who are regularly meeting with the president in an effort to strike a deal, said that Monday's meeting at the White House will focus on the details that came out of the Biden group meetings, which were disbanded after Cantor left over continued talks of increasing revenue.
Obama has called out Republicans, who he believes are not playing fair, saying his proposed concessions involving entitlements such as Medicare and Social Security are not matching their unwillingness to budge on increasing revenues. Cantor doesn't see it that way.
"The fact that we're even discussing voting for a debt-ceiling increase [is a concession]," he contended. "Again, what I don't think the White House understands is how difficult it is for fiscal conservatives to say that they're going to vote for a debt-ceiling increase."
The big question is whether a deal, if one ever comes forth, could garner the 218 votes it would need to pass in the House. Many Republicans have already expressed their intention to vote down a deal that includes tax hikes, and then there is the Tea Party members, who will refuse to vote to increase the debt limit no matter what the deal includes.
House Democrats have also made it clear that a deal which includes changes to Medicare or Social Security would be almost impossible to support as well.
"There is a fundamental preset to being a Democrat that involves a commitment to Medicare, and to that safety net, and we ain't going to give that up," said Rep. Jerry Connolly (D-VA) late last week.
He anticipates that Speaker John Boehner will need between 68 and 90 Democratic votes to pass any deal that is brought forth.
The vote will, no doubt, have implications in the 2012 election, as any concessions either party decides to make could be campaign fodder for opponents to use in attack ads.
"This will be, I think, the biggest issue that we'll face that comes from Congress in the reelection," Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) said.
Cantor reiterated that concern today: "The election battle in 2012 is going to be much about the future of how this country runs it's entitlements programs and constructs a safety net for those who need it, and frankly not for those who don't."
But, according to Cantor, there's no question that the increasing the debt limit by the Aug. 2nd deadline is necessary, explaining that interests rates could "quickly wipe out any savings potential that we're working on here."
He also admitted that a "clean vote" to raise the debt ceiling (which would simply be done to avert the crisis and wouldn't include any deficit reduction plans), would be fruitless. "The markets are smarter than to just accept a, as you call it, clean vote on the debt ceiling," he said. "Just checking the box and making the payment, if you will, is not going to satisfy savvy investors out there, who know the fiscal situation of this country."
Today's meeting will be the start of daily meetings the president has called for to bridge the gap between the two sides, and while Cantor has expressed his intentions to negotiate, he also didn't rule out the idea of leaving the talks if President Obama continued to press for an increase in revenues.
"We certainly don't want to walk out of these talks," he said, "but I think the message has been heard at the White House from what I stated yesterday that we're not going to raise taxes."


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Why Shop Midtown Comics• Big Savings with Advance Previews • Free Shipping on Qualified Orders • Testimonials
Manufacturer/Publisher: Dark Horse (Release Date: 11/7/2012*)
Writer: Mike Richardson • Artist: Stan Sakai
Orders of back issues (comics older than 31 days) are eligible for pick-up at any of our three Manhattan locations. Just put the items in your cart and proceed to checkout. Under "shipping method" you'll be able to select the store where you'd like to pick up your back issues. After you complete checkout, you'll receive an email, usually in a couple of days, letting you know when the items are ready for pick up. Please make sure to bring a photo ID and the credit card you used for purchase!
Among the best-known tales in Japanese history, the legend of the 47 Ronin and their epic mission to avenge their disgraced master epitomizes the samurai code of honor. It has been said, 'To know the story of the 47 Ronin is to know Japan.' Retold through the ages, the legend at last comes to comics in a meticulously researched and beautifully illustrated miniseries from Mike Richardson, Stan Sakai, and editorial consultant Kazuo Koike! Recounting this sweeping tale of honor and violence in all its grandeur, chapter one details the tragic incident that would seal the fate of Lord Asano and set forty-seven of his vassals on a years-long path of vengeance!
Item #: 1227085 • Diamond code: SEP120018 • UPC: 76156815949300111
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The Estherville City Council will meet in regular session at 5 p.m., Monday, July 15.
Under old business, council will consider a recommendation by the Estherville Streets and Alleys Committee to widen Fifth Avenue North between Sixth and Ninth streets to 22 feet and maintain two-way traffic.
At an earlier council meeting, some residents had asked council to consider making the section a one-way street. The Streets and Alleys Committee met July 2.
Under new business, council will consider modifying the Excel budget to allow a grant to the Emmet County Animal Shelter as recommended by the Excel! Estherville Oversight Committee.
Also council will review the final proposed revitalization design concept for the Central Avenue Bridge. Council also will review a cost estimate for the project.
The final agenda item is considering the appointment of a city attorney. Dave Forsyth submitted his resignation earlier this month as he will take over as Emmet County Magistrate in August.


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Photo #48236
Last Name: Olds
First Name : Lester
Middle Name: James
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Date: 1941-1960
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Type** : B&W
Comments: Lester James Olds (Nee: ) | | 1941-1960 | Comments: Lester James Olds 1922-1959 born in North Dakota, died in Spokane Washington joined the Marines at Thermopolis WY in January 1942--right after Pearl Harbor. This picture was probably taken within a year of that. Les married Betha McCombs in 1944 in Spokane. The other person in the picture is his sister Jane (Lenora Genevive Olds) who was a married to Bud (Lloyd)Gifford. Jane was born in Creston, Washington in 1915 and died in 1997 in Mesa,AZ
keywords: ww2 war service military
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