text:
"this is only 22 light years away, making it even more interesting."
It's like a price on an estate: as remarkable as this is, it's only 55.3 million! Still unreachable
Closer planets are much easier to observe than farther ones. We may not be able to go there in the foreseeable future, but being close means we can study it.
If you really want to feel bad, go figure out how many days work it is for Warren Buffett to buy that unreachable estate.
22 light years is not all that far away, with nuclear propulsion you could get there in around 500 years. Not good for a weekend trip, but not really unreachable either.
The universe mocks us.
Here's silver candy,
It doesn't make you fat.
It'll get you girls and all of that.
It only sells for a modest fee.
A quintillion dollars
Or exceeding C.
Hello, it's 22 light years. It may take up to 22 years to get there, but you don't need to exceed c.
The biggest problem I see is that you fly away from Earth going close to c, you will never communicate with anyone back home.
Or to put that in another way: you will never get any new TV shows. You'd launch mid-season of American Idol and 20 years later you still won't know who won it.
Screw that.
You're quite right that you don't need to exceed C. I decided to take the lazy way out [orionsarm.com] to analyze this problem. Please note, that site has a crappy interface. There are probably better relativistic trip calculators out there.
What's interesting is that you can subject both the earth and the ship to a fairly long wait time (we're both in it together) or you can give the ship a reasonably short wait time if you can get to 0.99c. The aforementioned lack of sync with Earth is still a problem of course. Sing
The poetry is great! Your physics sucks. You neglect to address the amount of energy/mass it would take to accelerate someone to 0.99c. Hint: it's a fuckload.
May take up to 22 years?
It will guaranteed never take less than 22 years. Never mind that even getting close to c is a wild dream at this time.
But if you did manage to get close to the speed of light, the trip would take ~22 years from an earth point of view, but for the people on the ship/whatever, the trip will be quite short. If you actually hit c (never mind that it is physically impossible), the trip would be instantaneous from the point of view of the travelers.
A more realistic scenario, if we pour a lot of money into propulsion research, might be to fly away at 10% c. That would lead to a trip take takes 220 years in earth-time, or 198 years in ship-time. Not exactly an easy trip to plan.
Thank you, MrZilla. Mod parent up.
Don't underestimate the might of exponential growth. Accelerating at 1G for two years (ship time) gets you to over 95% of light speed. Five years (ship time) of constant acceleration at 1G gets you to over 99.99% of light speed. The real challenge is that it's a fire and forget mission: children born on earth at the time of the launch will have died of old age before the message that they arrived safely arrives back on earth.
You'd launch mid-season of American Idol and 20 years later you still won't know who won it.
I already do that. Am I an astronaut?
Hello, it's 22 light years. It may take up to 22 years to get there, but you don't need to exceed c.
You'll need to exceed it, or change the "up to" to "more than"
The biggest problem I see is that you fly away from Earth going close to c, you will never communicate with anyone back home.
Or to put that in another way: you will never get any new TV shows. You'd launch mid-season of American Idol and 20 years later you still won't know who won it.
Screw that.
I've never watched American Idol for more than a minute. I'll go, you stay here and stay current with what's important.
It's like flying cars: somebody's always building yet another Great Almost that gets on the cover of some publication to tease us, then runs away and hides in Flawland.
Why does that signature keep getting replies like this (you are not the first I've seen say exactly the same thing about it)? Isn't it obvious it's making a grammatical joke/troll?
What if we go there? 4.5 G?
It woukld take some excersise and quite a few generation in low gravity space before we reach that high gravity Earth2...
Just one of many practical issues.
(No, I don't think we'll ever reach it; 22 light years)
What if we go there? 4.5 G?
Probably less. TFA quote:
The discovery of a planet around GJ 667C came as a surprise to the astronomers, because the entire star system has a different chemical makeup than our sun. The system has much lower abundances of heavy elements (elements heavier than hydrogen and helium), such as iron, carbon and silicon.
Good news: the density/mass of the planet may be less, thus a lower gravitation.
The bad news: the lack of carbon (which, BTW, is not that heavy) would make the planet unable to sustain life as we know it.
Other than that, with around 20-something days/year of leave entitlement, living there should be nice, because:
It takes roughly 28 days to make one orbital lap around its parent star
"The planet is around one star in a triple-star system," Vogt explained. "The other stars are pretty far away, but they would look pretty nice in the sky."
Other than that, with around 20-something days/year of leave entitlement, living there should be nice, because:
I'm sorry to be the one who has to tell you this, but the entire duration of the trip will be counted against your current and future vacation time. Plus, you'll have to pay for your own travel expenses. Welcome to the new world order.
(No, I don't think we'll ever reach it; 22 light years)
We already HAVE reached it... in a sense. We've been broadcasting radio and television signals for all of recorded history (electronically recorded history, that is). Maybe they are mourning the death of The Skipper from Gilligan's Island (Alan Hale Jr.) who passed away 22 years ago. Maybe they're stunned by the loss of the shuttle Challenger, or dismayed by Chernobyl, or the Exxon Valdez. Maybe they're rocking out to Madonna and Michael "Mr Glove" Jackson. Perhaps they have had a Star Wars marathon, and are hoping beyond hope that George Lucas will make those long anticipated prequel movies. Too bad there's no way we can warn them.
You paint a dark picture my friend,
For if what you say is true, the first thing we will do once we make first contact is to sue thier planet from under thier feet!
How dare those pirating alien scum view our IP without a license!
We have a 75 light year radius sphere of expanding radio signals. If anyone is out there listening, we are the kid knocking over bookshelves in the library of the universe.
According to this [vectorsite.net]:
Project Phoenix, under the direction of Dr. Jill Tarter, who had worked on MOP when she was at NASA, was a continuation of the Targeted Search program, studying 710 Sunlike stars within 150 light-years of the Earth. Phoenix used the 64-meter Parkes radio telescope in Australia, the 43-meter telescope at Green Banks, and the Arecibo dish, searching 70 million channels across a bandwidth of 1,800 MHz. The search was said to be capable of picking up any transmitter about as powerful as an airport radar within 200 light-years. Phoenix was completed in March 2004, with negative results.
It gets better if you assume we have a dedicated facility on both ends, two Arecibo radio telescopes (305m each) should be able to communicate halfway to the center of the galaxy. But if you're taking about a low-power radio broadcast, then that would take a huge, huge antenna. Then again, they've done some crazy things with arrays of antennas, so who knows. Certainly we're not so silent that we can't get noticed.
If I'm not mistaken, airport radars are just about the most powerful transmissions we create, so they'd be the easiest to detect.
And setting up an antenna is the easy part. How are you going to decode the transmissions by an alien civilization?
And setting up an antenna is the easy part. How are you going to decode the transmissions by an alien civilization?
2x beep
3x beep
5x beep
7x beep
11x beep
13x beep
17x beep
19x beep
5x beep
7x beep
35x beep/no beep
This should be a fairly straight forward way of encoding a pictogram, though it's unclear if they'll interpret 5 and 7 as the horizontal and vertical or opposite. Replace 5, 7 and 5*7 with arbitrary large primes to make detailed pictures. From there you can start sending maps of the galaxy, periodic table with illustration of the elements, everything we'd have in common. Show math with illustrations like you'd do to a preschooler, here's 2+3 = 5 with boxes of 2, 3 and 5 items. Once they understand our number system, show them distances they too probably know like size of galaxy, size of hydrogen atom etc.
Text and language, yes you'd get to that eventually. Send them them the alphabet then start over again, naming everything like the milky way, the sun, earth, all the elements and so on. For that matter, just teach them like you would a young child, the is s table and chair and book and flower and bird and whatnot. Illustration and text. Somehow I don't see this as a problem, put a US and Japanese kid in the same room and they'll find a way to communicate even though they got no words in common. Hell, we teach sign language to monkeys. How hard can it be to get a conversation going?
ETs "finding" us has never been far-fetched. Assume we're not the first sentient species to evolve, most species evolve technologically in a similar way, we're not by some bad luck in an incredibly underpopulated galaxy, etc. These are all reasonable assumptions.
However, it's the contacting us and/or visiting us that is a lot harder to fetch.
I'm certainly not an expert, but my understanding is that to listen to our own spacecraft at the edge of our solar system (Voyager) requires a giant dish here. Granted, Voyager is a pretty weak transmitter, but it's also a very close one and one we built and understand. A giant transmitter 22LY away...could the signal reach us? Further away? I don't know. So likewise, what about our signals (which are pretty weak at this point, even when we try) to them? My understanding is that it's more about the signal decay over vast distances than about sophistication in listening equipment. Identifying Earth as a high-likelihood life-sustaining planet by some ETs - sure. Listening in on us or contacting us...much tougher.
ETs visiting us requires a jump from physics we speculate about to science fiction. At this point, faster than light travel may, for all we know, be forever impossible.
At 22 lightyears, you don't NEED to go faster than light to reach it. Just somewhere close-ish to light-speed will do. So turning physicis on its head is not a requirement. What you do need is a really big jump in technology.
Before setting off however you would want to make real sure that it's worth it, and the place actually inhabitable. The 4.5 x gravity will likely be the least of your concerns. And it'll take
It better hope it doesn't eat you on the spot. The odds of our biologies not being cross-poisonous are low.
...All the sudden the thought of ET's finding us isn't so far fetched.
I personally wouldn't jump to that conclusion. Considering the sheer volume of stars just in our galaxy even 10000 exoplanets would be an astronomically small figure besides those we're yet to discover.
But just discovering an exoplanet doesn't simply mean "finding life". Who knows one of the planets we've already seen might have some form of life on it. ET's (assuming they're anything like us) may "find" our planet but have no idea whats on it.
All of that also assumes that ET's are behaving something like
The good news is that if they are looking for oil, we've almost used all of it up, so conquering our planet won't do them much good.
we can now identify "earth like" planets
For sufficiently small values of "like"
"It's basically glowing cinders, or a well-lit charcoal," Vogt said. "We know about a lot of these, but they're thousands of degrees and not places where you could live."
Yeah, except for the Zerg. That planet is called Char.
A rocky planet 4.5 times the mass of Earth would probably be quite volcanic because it has yet to "cool down" inside, and because more gravitational pressure would be cooking the core hotter.
Maybe it's thrice as old as ours.
Ha ha 22 lightyears, or 208,131,625,000,000 kilometers
Even if the probe takes 200 years to return, it will be a mjor acomplishment for the human race, and it would provide extremely important scientific data.
Now that I mention it, how come there are no plans to send probes to nearby solar systems? for example, Alpha Centauri is just 4 light years away. If we send a probe now, and the probe could get to up 10% of light speed, in 40 years it will reach that solar system and in 80 years it will be back on Earth.
If we send a probe now, and the probe could get to up 10% of light speed, in 40 years it will reach that solar system and in 80 years it will be back on Earth.
You do realise that the fuel requirements of sending a probe to Mars and back have prevented that from happening so far, let alone sending a probe a bazillion times further? If we do ever send a probe to Alpha Centauri, then I'd strongly suspect that it wouldn't be slowing down when it got there, let alone coming home again. A flyby is probably the best we can hope to expect, and even then, you'll be talking centuries to get there, in all probability. 0.1 C isn't exactly a trivial velocity to achieve.
"Statistics tell us we shouldn't have found something this quickly this soon unless there's a lot of them out there," [Steven Vogt, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz] said. "This tells us there must be an awful lot of these planets out there."
I don't know what's worse, his grasp of statistics, or... no, wait, that's about as bad as it gets.
Please tell me that Vogt is some kind of PR Scientician, not an actual, real, bona fide astronomer.
The system has much lower abu The aliens over there have prolly gone back to sleeping in trees and dragging their knuckles on the ground, as they saw that inventing computers was going to be impossible.
Due to lack of disk space, this fortune database has been discontinued.


text:
Friday, December 02, 2011
The Student Psychological Association is hosting a toy drive to benefit HOPE, Inc., a United Way agency and domestic violence shelter. Toys and clothes for children can be dropped off at Room 308 Jaynes Hall and at the FSU and Pierpont Bookstore on the second floor of the Falcon Center. The collection will take place until 3 p.m. Dec. 6.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Daily Chronicle sports editor Ross Jacobson and sports reporter Steve Nitz spend their days covering the area's sports scene. Occasionally, they give their viewpoints on those local sports. In this installment of their Take 2 column, they discuss if Week 7 features must-win games for some area teams.
Jacobson: Steve, for the first time all season our area teams combined for a losing record, going only 2-3 in Week 6 with Sycamore and Kaneland both remaining undefeated.
But with both of them having already clinched playoff berths, we'll turn our attention first to the other three area teams, all of which are 3-3. A team needs five wins to be playoff eligible. Is Week 7 must-win territory for Hiawatha, DeKalb and Genoa-Kingston if they have hopes of making it to the postseason?
Nitz: The only team I really think faces a "must-win" game this week is Hiawatha. This is due to the fact the Hawks have to deal with 5-1 Rockford Christian Life next week. The Eagles' defeated 4-2 Alden-Hebron, whom the Hawks play Saturday, 56-0. Christian Life also played unbeaten Ottawa Marquette tough, losing by just 12 points. Considering how tough an opponent the Eagles will be I'd say Hiawatha needs a victory this week..
In the case of DeKalb and Genoa-Kingston, I believe both teams have a shot at defeating their last two opponents. The Barbs play at Yorkville and host Rochelle, while G-K does get unbeaten Harvard Week 8 but visits Marengo the final week of the season.
Jacobson: Agreed. Hiawatha has the toughest schedule remaining out of those three teams. Don't forget, they have to play a 4-2 Chicago Hope team in Week 9 as well. It certainly won't be easy for the Hawks, who have been banged up all season, to get to five wins after the loss to Luther North last week.
While it may not be "must-win", I do believe this is a huge game for DeKalb because it's at home. The Barbs are hosting a Morris team that is down compared to previous seasons, plus DeKalb is coming off a home loss to Kaneland. A loss would send them on the road to Yorkville, where the Foxes will likely be seeking a fifth win and a playoff berth. It's never easy facing a desperate and motivated team.
With that being said, the most important area game of the year might be the Week 8 matchup between Sycamore and Kaneland. Any chance either of them aren't undefeated after tonight?
Nitz: Kaneland isn't losing to Yorkville, though I don't think it would be a complete shock to see the Hubs upset the Spartans. Rochelle is a consistently good program that is off to a good start, with its only loss coming against Kaneland. The Hubs' running game is always good, so Sycamore will have its hands full.
However, I still see the Knights and Spartans heading into next week unbeaten.
Jacobson: Agreed. Three years ago in 2010, Sycamore and Kaneland met in Week 8 in a battle of 7-0 squads. I think we're in for an encore. The Knights have overcome an injury to senior RB Jesse Balluff in recent weeks while the Spartans continue to be impressive on both sides of the ball.
That should be a fantastic game next week, but I'm sure some surprising storylines will emerge out of Week 7 first.


text:
Gender Gap Affects IT Shops, Where Women Remain Scarce
Men and women divide most starkly on leadership issues, including fairness and empowerment.
The latest survey of federal worker perceptions, which shows that women report lower levels of empowerment and workplace fairness than their male colleagues, is bad news for CIOs and other technology leaders.
While the report was not specific to the federal IT workforce, it certainly can be applied, as women continue to remain relatively scarce in federal job fields like IT and engineering. Ensuring that men and women feel they are on equal footing in areas like fairness, leadership and empowerment is critical to recruiting and retaining women in federal IT careers.
The latest Best Places to Work in the Federal Government snapshot, released Friday by the Partnership for Public Service and Deloitte, found a four-point gap between male and female federal workers in the ways they view leadership issues like fairness and empowerment.
The largest gaps occurred on the perception of fairness, with women scoring five points lower when asked if they felt comfortable disclosing violations of laws, and four points lower when asked if arbitrary action, personal favoritism and coercion were tolerated. Scores on these issues varied by agency, the analysis found.
In addition, the Partnership and Deloitte found that Asian federal employees register the highest levels of satisfaction among all racial groups. African American, Hispanic or Latino and white employees all registered nearly identical scores that were about four points lower.
Veterans, who comprise nearly 30 percent of the federal workforce, rated their overall satisfaction about the same as their non-veteran counterparts. Veterans rated their agencies higher than non-veterans in the areas of empowerment and fairness, while non-veterans rated senior leaders slightly higher than their veteran peers.
The report offers recommendations for improving diversity and inclusion in the federal workplace, including analyzing agency survey data to drive decision-making, establishing a shared vision on diversity among agency leaders and actively recruiting and developing a diverse workforce.
"Progress will occur when leaders take greater personal responsibility and accountability, when diversity is more fully incorporated in recruiting and hiring, and when employees from diverse backgrounds have increased access to career development opportunities," the report states.
(Image via bikeriderlondon/Shutterstock.com)
NEXT STORY How to Wash Your Hair in Space


text:
There are few things more pleasing on the eye than a stunning volley.
The majority of the most spectacular goals of all time have been volleys, scored by some of the greatest footballers to have ever played the game.
Now you can watch some of the most incredible volley goals in this superb compilation video, which features the likes of Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Ronaldinho, Marco van Basten and Zinedine Zidane amongst many others.
Part I is only six minutes long – and we guarantee it's worth watching from start to finish. You won't be disappointed.
Thanks to 101greatgoals for bringing this video to our attention – and even bigger thanks to HeilRJ03 for taking the time to make and upload it.
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms


text:
Why Shop Midtown Comics• Big Savings with Advance Previews • Free Shipping on Qualified Orders • Testimonials
Manufacturer/Publisher: Valiant Entertainment (Release Date: 11/14/2012*)
Writer: Fred Van Lente • Artist: Clayton Henry
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!
Archer & Armstrong make their last stand against The Sect high in the Himalayas! Every clan of The The full Sect has gathered together s for the first time in millenniaa to harness with the unthinkable, sanity-shattering destruction of the mythical Boonin their grasp. But one piece is still missing - and Obadiah Archer has it! If he turns it over, The Sect will give him back his family. If he refuses, the man called Armstrong dies! PLUS: The true nature of Archer's powers revealed! AND, on top of everything else, witness the debut of ANOTHER Valiant Universe's next superstar hero - only in this issue!
Item #: 1227125 • Diamond code: SEP121228 • UPC: 85899200306200421
Share this
Our Stores
Grand Central
Times Square
Customer Service
In-Store Pick-Up
Live Chat
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Shipping Information


text:
Walkers Crisps in the UK have launched 6 new crisp flavours – these have been inspired by some people who have too much time on their hands and now people have a few months to buy, try and vote for their favourite. The fav becomes a permanent flavour.
They are:
Onion Bhaji
Fish & Chips
Cajun Squirel
Builders Breakfast
Chilli and Chocolate
Crispy Duck and Hoisin
I am really disappointed by the lack of originality here but I guess it has to be saleable, (to me, Squirrel and Chilli and Choc are the only really original ones) and besides, it didn't stop me from imitating a hog and buying all six flavours today (67p a packet! That's expensive for crisps).
I love the racial sterotyping on the website:
So anyway I am reviewing 2 per day…hey, I'm helping you spend 67p wisely.
1) Cajun Squirrel
The cajun flavouring is quite strong with this, then afterwards is the taste of dirt. Yes, it's almost dirty, and then I started thinking about squirrels, grey ones, red ones, and how many were killed in the making of these crisps. Surely they need to kill a few and crush them down to at least know what a squirrel tastes like? Anyway I had one crips and the boyf finished them off.
Verdict: EPIC FAIL – 0/5
2) Fish & Chips
This was really malty but not very fishy. It doesn't actually taste of fish at all, but it reminds me of another kind of crips I ate as a kid – those 10p ones no doubt. It's a twist on Salt & Vinegar in many ways, it has the kind of vinegary-greasy smell of a chip shop. It reminds me of grimy kids at school, the ones who used to eat crisps and not wipe their hands later but would borrow your felt tips or your hair, leaving everything smelly and greasy.
Still, I liked this one.
Verdict: GOOD – 3.5/5
Tomorrow – Chilli & Chocolate and Onion Bhaji!


text: Hey there I just wanted to say I found the problem with the water in the furnace. It was leaking down the side of the furnace from the outlet of the trap pipe and onto the power wire going into the side of the furnace that is how it was getting into the furnace. I understand where you were coming from because of the liability involved and people tend to hurt them selves. I do the heating and ac work at our plant besides working on three 825 MW coal fired furnaces. Thanks anyway


text: Ivory Holy Family Statue, 15 in. Item #: 119132 $19.99 $4.97 Qty: Sorry, this item is currently unavailable online. Ship to Home Ship to Store (FREE) Our Ivory Holy Family Statue is an angelic accent for your home. Finished in distressed ivory, each figure is accented with flecks of shimmering silver paint. Statue measures 7.5L x 3.25W x 15H in. Crafted of resin Distressed ivory finish Metallic silver accents Perfect for shelf or table top display Care: Dust with a soft, dry cloth. Contact your local Kirkland's store for availability. Quantities and selection may vary by location. Sorry, this item is currently unavailable online.


text:
Air France KLM Group reported a first-quarter loss of €368 million ($481.3 million), widened from a €367 million loss in the year-ago period.
Air France KLM Group reported a first-quarter loss of €368 million ($481.3 million), widened from a €367 million loss in the year-ago period.
The Group said the results were largely in line with expectations, with the rise in fuel costs outstripping a 5.6% increase in passenger unit revenue. Ongoing weakness in the cargo sector, driven by the persistent weakness of international trade, also contributed to what the carrier described as "a tough quarter."
Revenue for the quarter was up 6% to €5.6 billion from €5.3 billion in the year-ago period, while operating costs rose 9% (6% ex-fuel). Fuel costs increased €255 million, up 17.9%, to €1.68 billion for the quarter. Operating loss was €597 million, widened from €403 million in the year-ago quarter.
There was a 5.5% rise in passenger traffic for a 1.6% increase in capacity. Load factor was up 3.1 points to 81.6% and RASK improved 5.6%.
Passenger revenues rose 8.8% to €4.43 billion. However, first-quarter operating losses in the passenger business climbed to €504 million from €367 million year-over-year, largely due to a €224 million increase in the fuel bill.
Cargo traffic fell 6.1% despite a 2% drop in capacity, leading to a 2.9 point decline in load factor to 64.9%. Cargo revenue was down 3.3% to €744 million, resulting in an operating loss of €68 million, compared to €9 million in the year-ago quarter.
"The results of the first quarter led the Group to maintain its expectations for full year 2012 … and a maximum level of net debt of €6.5 billion at year end," the Group said in a statement. It cautioned, however, that "the economic environment continues to be uncertain" and "the annual fuel bill is expected to increase by €1.1 billion."
First-half operating loss is expected to be worse than the €548 million loss in the year-ago period. However, in the second half the Group expects to start seeing benefits of the first phase of the Transform 2015 initiative, which aims to cut controllable costs by 20% and shave €2 billion off Group debt by the end of 2014 (ATW Daily News, March 12).


text:
Just thinking about trying out xfce and i wander what you guys favorites are?
I use KDE most, because it is installed by default on most systems i use and because it works easy and good
Moderator: Moderators
XFCE is quite a surprise I think. It's definitely making a big step with 4.4 and it looks like Gnome is becoming redundant as XFCE does just about everything Gnome does, using the same toolkit yet is lighter weight.
KDE for use on a desktop system all of the way. Gnomes who talk about their desktop being lighter weight and less Windows like than KDE don't know what they're talking about.
random guy wrote:now lets give credit where it is due, gnome is lighter weight than kde
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests


text:
can someone post some spoilers for those of us on the west coast please! thanks!
can someone post some spoilers for those of us on the west coast please! thanks!
Austin is gone after losing only 1 lb this week. He had a 1 lb advantage that couldn't help him, he needed to lose more than 6 lbs. He was in the bottom 2 with Hannah. Jay was the biggest loser for the week losing 9 lbs. Olivia won $ 10K in a challenge.
Thank you! Much appreciated!
All I can say is that I was so excited that it looked like both Hannah and Olivia would be below the yellow line and at least one of the Purple Witches would go home. Jay had me pumped with his huge weight loss that I thought for sure Austin would be in the final four and Rats Biggest Loser again disappoints. Well I just hope that either Irene or Jay win and place second for some reason I am just sick and tired of listening to both Olivia and Hannah.
One good thing this season is that the majority of the contestants will actually be a normal weight for the finale and not a bunch of overweight folks who still have a way to go.
No goat killers on my island.
Shocked Austin went home! I am glad these 3 women made it so far! I hate it when they load the show with ridiculously obese men just so they can say that they have huge people on the show. And most of the women are not so big because they have to look attractive by the end of it! I don't like to feel like the final four made it there because they were bigger to begin with. I don't feel like that this year.
I am still really mad that they didn't eliminate anyone last week. Do they really need to draw it out this long?
I'll be watching later today as I was in bed sick last night. I am shocked Austin went home. I do get tired of the sisters but out of the two I like Olivia better. The F4 is B&J Team which makes me happy but I did like Austin. He has a big loss last week so I did wonder how he'd do this week. BUT only 1lb!!! He is still big enough to loose more than that each week. I am blown away that the women are still loosing enough to stay in this. How much did Irene loose?
"Where you are today is where your mind put you. Where you'll be tomorrow is where your mind puts you." Billy Banks
Irene is 5'4" average wt for this ht is 120, currently she wts in at 147 so can lose another 27lbs.
Olivia is 5'9" avearage wt for this ht is 145, currently she wts in at 153 so she can lose another 8lbs.
Hannah is 5'7" average wt for this ht is 135, currently she wts in at 150 so she can lose another 15lbs.
I have more problems with mens weights so bear with me.
Jay is 5'11" average wt for this ht is probably around 170 to 180, currently he wts 246 so he can stand to lose at least 66lbs.
The Question is how long is the time between the semi finale and the finale?
At this point in the game Irene is in the lead with 42.4% body wt lost.
Olivia has lost 41.4% body wt.
Hannah has lost 39.5% body wt.
Jay has lost 38.5% body wt.
No goat killers on my island.
If I have time today I'll figure out the F4 weights with 50% and 55% loss...just to see who could possibly win this thing. Off top my head Irene and Jay but not sure if Jay has it in him to win it.
"Where you are today is where your mind put you. Where you'll be tomorrow is where your mind puts you." Billy Banks
So, if I remember correctly from past seaons to win you have to loose 50-55% body weight. The only female I can see doing this is Irene. This is what I came up with....had to round some.
Key: starting weight/possible finale weight/total % lost
Jay 400/180/55%; 400/200/50%
Irene 255/11/55.3%; 255/127/50.2%
Olivia 261/117/55.2%; 261/130/50.2%
Hannah 248/111/55.3%; 248/122/50.8%
If Jay doesn't loose more than 50% than I can see Irene winning and being at a good weight. But not Olivia and Hannah. If they were to loose 50% they'd be under normal weight for their height. Their weight loss percentage based off normal weight would be:
Olivia 261/145/44.5%
Hannah 248/135/45.6%
Now....the females in the past that have won have gotten to skinny and ended up putting weight back on after the finale. So, there is still a chance. Also, not sure how many weeks at home they f3 will have so that makes a difference too. I also think that if Jay looses like he has done on the ranch there is a possibility he won't win. But if he kicks it in high gear he could pull off a big win.
"Where you are today is where your mind put you. Where you'll be tomorrow is where your mind puts you." Billy Banks
I would love to see Hannah win this. I like all the women but we hardly know Irene. I like Olivia too, very much. It sure does look like Irene has this in the bag unless Jay is able to lose a lot in a very short time. We dont know what that time is but he has been going down pretty slowly.


text:
Emerald Brass Quintet in Two-Day Residency at USU
Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013
Caine College of the Arts welcomes the Emerald Brass Quintet (EBQ) for a two-day residency this month featuring a concert at the Performance Hall Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 7:30 p.m.
"The EBQ performance at Utah State University will include audience interaction and improvisation," said Max Matzen, EBQ member and USU faculty member. "We like to use improvisation as a vehicle for creativity as well as interaction."
Matzen says to teach the audience the concept of improvisation, the quintet will pick a common folk song with simple singing and a primary focus on voice leading, style and rhythm, to keep the audience engaged.
The performance is the culmination of a two-day residency where the group will work with USU students along with Logan High School and Sky View High School students. The quintet will play for the bands and work with the brass sections in a more concentrated effort.
Emerald Brass Quintet formed in 2006 and has since gained recognition as a dynamic and virtuosic collection of performers and educators. EBQ has performed with Canadian Brass and has been a featured ensemble at the 2009 Brass in Frankenwald festival in Hof, Germany.
Individually, EBQ members have performed in concert halls from Thailand to Carnegie Hall. They have also performed with orchestras from the Honolulu and Cincinnati symphonies to the Rochester, New York, and Springfield, Ohio, philharmonics.
"We like to perform with each other as much as we can as we are all colleagues from graduate school," said Matzen. "It's a very fun group of friends who play great and it's always a treat."
The quintet will perform Quintet no. 2 by Victor Ewald, Meditango by Astor Piazzola, Suite from the Monterigian Hills by Morley Calvert and The Circus March by Jan Koetsier. Jason Nicholson, USU percussion faculty member, will also accompany on the djembe.
Tickets for Emerald Brass Quintet are $10 adults, $8 seniors and youth, $5 USU faculty and staff and free for USU students with ID. For more information or tickets, contact the CCA Box Office in room 139-B of the Chase Fine Arts Center on USU's campus, call 435-797-8022, or see the college's Production Services website.
Related links:
USU Music Department
Writer: Whitney Schulte, 435-797-9203, email@example.com
Contact: Denise Albiston, 435-797-1500, firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
The Teacher Experience Index (TEI) reports are available for FY13 at http://www.ade.az.gov/sder/ReportGenerationPublic.asp. The source of these district reports is the employee roster submitted through School District Employee Report (SDER) earlier in the school year. The TEI value will be used as a part of the equalization assistance formula for FY14 and will be found in FY14's APOR55-1, page 4.
If it is felt that your district's TEI is not accurate due to incomplete/inaccurate certified employee data in SDER, please contact your account analyst and request that a window be opened for you to revise your SDER data. Prior to emailing your request, please identify data to be modified and be prepared to make revisions.
All requests must be made prior to April 5 @ 5pm. All revisions must be completed by April 8 @ 12pm.
For those districts who modify their data between now and April 8, new TEI reports will be generated no later than April 15.


text:
Can Your Waterscape Business Survive the Drought?
| There's something about flowing water that we humans crave. It's hard to look at a fountain, a babbling brook or peaceful pond and not feel more relaxed. Having a calm, scenic oasis in one's very own backyard can provide a much-needed reprieve from the stress of everyday urban life.
Landscape contractors who build waterscapes bring a touch of magic —and added value—to people's homes.
But what happens when the water supply dries up—as it has during this summer's historic drought? Some 66 percent of the lower 48 states—including most of the Midwest and some of the West—is experiencing record high temperatures combined with a severe lack of rainfall. More than half of the South is in a state of 'exceptional' drought. As if that weren't bad enough, add the recession to it for a staggering one-two punch that can knock a business right out.
"Business started to slow down a few years ago, with the onset of the drought and the slowdown of the economy," confirms Rocke Huntington, owner of The Pond Dragon, Lincoln, Nebraska. "It's down dramatically compared to 2005 or 2006."
So, how can a landscape company in a parched state, one that normally does a considerable amount of waterscape business, cope with all this?
Let's consider Arizona. The desert is in a constant state of drought. People living in such a hot, arid environment crave the sight and feel of water even more.
Paul Holdeman, owner of The Pond Gnome, Phoenix, Arizona, agrees. He's been in the landscape industry for twenty years, concentrating exclusively on waterscape construction for the past thirteen. "Ponds, swimming pools, and swimming pools with water features attached are extremely popular around here," says Holdeman.
One would think that water would be an extremely scarce—and expensive—commodity there, especially with the drought. "Whether or not we have a water shortage in Arizona is a subject of great debate here," says Holdeman. And water, at least in the Phoenix area, is cheap, according to Holdeman.
Even so, customers' perception affects their openness to new waterscape projects. Says Holdeman:
"Customers want water in their yard but are afraid of using it." But what if those people—now surrounded by dead, brown lawns—were to discover that a water feature is not out of the question? That, in fact, it may be far less thirsty than a lawn?
To change customer perception, a contractor may have to do some myth-busting. To do that, you have to know exactly what the rationing situation is in your area.
"Check your local ordinances," suggests Dave Jones, owner of The Pond Professional in Woodstock, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. That's just what he did. He called the state capitol to find out what water restrictions actually applied to his business. "When we were under a 'Level Four' drought here in Atlanta—which is almost the most extreme level we could have—you could still build a living water feature as long as you didn't use 100,000 gallons in the first 30 days," says Jones. "Most residential water features use only 1,000 to 3,000 gallons."
Kevin James owns KJ's Green Thumb and Landscape in Cedar Rapids, Iowa—smack in the middle of drought country. He finds that some customers are still open to building waterscapes, but you have to pitch it just right. "You don't want to push 'em. Once you start pushing, they can turn off completely," he says. He's had some success by offering incentives such as free maintenance for a year—but it's still a tough sell.
As a one-man operation, James is generally busy, but the drought has definitely affected business. "When we had that real long hot spell, my phone just stopped ringing," says James. "People didn't want anything to do with water, because they thought there might be a water ban."
Drought-discouraged customers may find a pondless waterfall more appealing. Michael Harding, who owns Complete Landscaping Systems in Wichita, Kansas, has found that to be true. "Ponds mean maintenance, and people are scared away by that," added Harding. "With the drought, they evaporate faster and require more water," he said, and his customers don't like that, either. But the advantages of going pondless does appeal to his clients. "People want the noise of water, but not the hard work of keeping fish alive," says Harding.
Huntington has also found pondless more popular in the last few years. "I have a lot of clients who travel, and they like being able to turn the water feature on and off," said Huntington.
Zak Grothe works at The Good Earth Garden Center, a full-service landscape service that includes a retail store. The Little Rock, Arkansas company has found good money in big rocks. "We've tried to be innovative," says Grothe. "We created an economical pondless water feature by taking six-foot boulders and coring out a four-inch hole in the center," he says. "The water bubbles up out of the rock. You still get the sound and beauty of the water, but at lower cost," he explains. "The boulders really make a statement, but in a simpler package."
Jones says that public perception is perhaps the biggest obstacle a professional contractor may face during a drought condition. "People think they can't do anything with a pond right now, so they don't bother to ask," says Jones.
If they had asked, Jones could have told them some very interesting facts. For instance: "There's a big difference between a sterile fountain or waterfall and a pond," says Jones. "When you get into ponds, you're dealing with something that supports life," Jones said. "The (water authorities) can't just tell you to shut it off."
Your customers may also believe that water features waste water. "Water features don't waste water, they re-circulate water," says Jones. But doesn't that water evaporate? "Of course," says Jones. "But in ponds, the evaporation is one-seventh to one-tenth that of an irrigated lawn." Jones adds, "Irrigating an acre and a half of lawn, you're using 10,000 gallons a day, even with efficient misters." Replacing a lawn area with a water feature actually saves water.
Huntington did a study in 2007 that confirmed this. He put water meters on roughly the same square footage of irrigated turf and a pond and measured their water usage for a week. Both were in baking sun with no shade. At weeks' end, the pond had used 50 gallons less water than the turf.
If your business is going to survive the drought, educating your customer is crucial. Jones agrees: "I missed a big opportunity during the drought of 2007-'08, but I've learned from my mistakes," he said. "I should have sent out press releases and gone on local talk radio to talk about what people could and could not do during the drought," he said.
One thing he did do during that time, and continues to do, is keep in touch with all his customers through an electronic newsletter. This was how he informed his customers that they could still build a water feature during a Level Four drought.
You also need to educate yourself—about your customers and their concerns. "I tell my "greenies" (eco-conscious customers) that if they want to be friendly to local birds and wildlife and have them be part of their habitat, they need to have a permanent and sustainable water source available," says Holdeman. A water feature can be just that.
Ponds are eco-friendly in other ways, too. A 2008 Iowa State University study found that constructed ponds and lakes around the world could absorb as much carbon as the world's oceans. Pitch that fact to your "greenies."
Don't forget about the other parts of your business when there is a slowdown in waterscape construction. "Thank goodness we had a strong service and maintenance business, because that's all that kept us alive during the last drought," said Jones.
Paul Holdeman has another suggestion: "I use stormwater harvesting as a selling feature," he says. "In the last two or three years it's become very popular to harvest rainwater off the roof and use that water to replenish a living stream or pond," says Holdeman. "That's much better than allowing it to run off into storm drains."
He advises fellow contractors in other states to follow suit. "I'd definitely talk about rainwater recirculation as part of an overall project," said Holdeman. "I would make it my business to learn all I could about stormwater harvesting and how to incorporate it into water features."
Something else you can do is go back to your old waterscape customers and show them how some slight alteration in the existing water feature may reduce the amount of water needed to keep it flowing.
Repair and maintenance business may come to you because of the drought. Huntington discovered that water features he'd built ten years ago that had never leaked, suddenly did. "Here in Nebraska, we have clay soil. When that dries out, it shrinks. You get drops in the ground, and now your lining is below water level," he said.
Drought brings with it heightened fire danger. And that could be a selling point: "In areas where they have wildfires, you may get permission to build a water feature if the water in it can be accessed by firefighters," Jones said. He added: "What better way to protect a customer's valuable home than with a living moat?" The heartland drought may drag on, but it doesn't have to dry up your waterscape business. Educate your customers. Employ some of the techniques that these landscape company owners have used successfully. Do these things, and you may find yourself in your own green oasis of dollars.


text:
Longtime top NFL performer has played in all but two Bengals games since joining Cincinnati as a free agent for 2011 ... Played in 15 games with nine starts in 2012, adding work at safety to his former CB duties ... Started 15 games at LCB in '11, and started his first career playoff game ... Led '11 team in passes defensed (14) and also had a key blocked FG ... One of the NFL's most productive corners over the bulk of his career, posting 36 INTs and 23 forced fumbles ... Has scored nine TDs ... A first-round draft choice of Buffalo in 2001, he played six seasons for the Bills before moving to the 49ers for 2007-10.
CAREER TRANSACTIONS: Selected by Buffalo in first round of 2001 NFL Draft (21st overall) ... Signed 3-2-07 with San Francisco as unrestricted free agent ... Released by San Francisco on 7-28-11 ... Signed with Bengals as free agent on 8-1-11.
PRO BOWL PARTICIPATION: Has played in one Pro Bowl ... Played for AFC in 2004 season (game at Honolulu) and had a four-yard INT return of Michael Vick pass, an additional pass defensed, three tackles and two special teams tackles.
2012 GENERAL: Played in 15 games (Games 1-3 and 4-16) ... Credited with nine starts — three at LCB (Games 1-2 and 16), five at SS (Games 3, 5-7 and 10) and one as a nickel back (Game 8) ... Started at SS in Wild Card playoff game as replacement for injured Chris Crocker ... Inactive for Game 4 due to calf injury ... Totaled 48 tackles, an INT, five passes defensed and a forced fumble ... Two special teams tackles ... Also had a QB pressure and a tackle-for-loss.
2012 GAME-BY-GAME: Eight tackles (tied for lead in secondary) Sept. 16. vs. Cleveland ... Third on team in tackles (nine) Sept. 23 at Washington, in his first Bengals start at SS ... Eight tackles and a pass defensed Oct. 7 vs. Miami, and thwarted a Dolphins threat with forced fumble against Jovorskie Lane at Cincinnati 11 (Bengals recovered) ... Two tackles and a pass defensed Nov. 4 vs. Denver ... On Nov. 11 vs. N.Y. Giants, intercepted an Eli Manning pass in third quarter and returned it 21 yards to Bengals 16, setting up a TD ... Four tackles Nov. 18 at Kansas City ... One pass defensed Dec. 9 vs. Dallas, along with one special teams tackle ... One special teams tackle Dec. 13 at Philadelphia ... One tackle Dec. 23 at Pittsburgh ... Four tackles Dec. 30 vs. Baltimore ... Nine tackles in Wild Card playoff 1-5-13 at Houston.
TOP 10 PLAYMAKER: Since 2004, Clements ranks third among all NFL defensive backs in forced fumbles (22) ... Since 2001, he ranks tied for sixth among all defensive players in TDs (nine) ... Since 2002, he ranks eighth among all players in INTs (33).
A MEMORABLE FIRST: Clements logged the first of his 35 career INTs in just his second pro game, and it was anything but routine. The quarterback in the 9-23-01 was game was Peyton Manning of Indianapolis, and Clements returned the pick 48 yards for a TD.
NINE TIMES SIX: Clements's nine career TDs have come on five INT returns, two punt returns and two blocked FG returns:
● INTERCEPTION RETURNS—48-yard INT return Sept. 23, 2001 at Indianapolis (QB Peyton Manning); 29-yard INT return Oct. 20, 2002 at Miami (QB Ray Lucas); 54-yard INT return Sept. 21, 2003 at Miami (QB Jay Fiedler); 30-yard INT return Jan. 2, 2005 vs. Pittsburgh (QB Tommy Maddox); 58-yard INT return Dec. 10, 2006 at N.Y. Jets (QB Chad Pennington).
● PUNT RETURNS—66-yard punt return Nov. 4, 2001 vs. Indianapolis; 86-yard punt return Nov. 21, 2004 vs. St. Louis.
● BLOCKED FG RETURNS—74-yard blocked FG return Oct. 19, 2008 at N.Y. Giants; 59-yard blocked FG return Sept. 27, 2009 at Minnesota.
MORE FROM PREVIOUS SEASONS: 2001—Played every game as a rookie, with 11 starts, making first start Oct. 18 at Jacksonville ... Led team with three INTs, most by a Bills rookie since 1979 ... Selected by Sports Illustrated's Peter King as NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year ... Took a punt return 66 yards for a TD Nov. 4 vs. Indianapolis.
2002—Led Bills in INTs for the second straight year, getting six (tied for his full career high) to tie for second in AFC ... Earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance Oct. 20 at Miami, when he tied a Bills record with three INTs and returned one 29 yards for a TD ... Had a 42-yard INT and four total passes defensed in win Dec. 29 vs. Bengals.
2003—Led Bills for third straight year in INTs (three) ... In season-opening win Sept. 7 vs. New England, he stopped a scoring threat by intercepting a Tom Brady pass in the end zone ... Had two INTs against Jay Fiedler on Sept. 21 at Miami, including a 54-yarder for a TD.
2004—Led Bills for fourth straight year in INTs (tied career high with six), and he earned Pro Bowl honors ... Had career-best five forced fumbles ... Had 86-yard punt return for TD, the longest of his nine career scores, Nov. 21 vs. St. Louis ... Had 30-yard INT return for a TD in season finale vs. Pittsburgh.
2005—Posted career-high 127 tackles while starting every Bills game ... Five games of 10 or more tackles ... Contributed an INT and a forced fumble to 20-14 win Oct. 9 vs. Miami.
2006—Logged a career-high 26 passes defensed for Bills, including three INTs ... Keyed Nov. 19 win at Houston with an INT, three passes defensed and a fumble recovery ... Had 58-yard INT for a TD in win Nov. 10 at N.Y. Jets.
2007—In first year with San Francisco, started 16 games for the sixth consecutive season ... Tied for team lead with four INTs ... Led team in passes defensed (18) and forced fumbles (three) ... Co-winner with LB Patrick Willis of Bill Walsh Award, given to team MVP ... In first career Monday Night Football appearance, Sept. 10 vs. Arizona, he helped limit WRs Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald to combined 42 yards.
2008—Started 15 games for 49ers ... His one missed game, Dec. 7 vs. N.Y. Jets due to thumb injury, snapped his string of 119 consecutive starts ... Seven tackles and a crucial forced fumble in overtime win Sept. 14 at Seattle ... Scored on a 74-yard blocked FG return Oct. 19 at N.Y. Giants.
2009—Played less than 15 games for the only time in his career, limited to seven 49ers contests due to a fractured scapula suffered Nov. 1 at Indianapolis ... Career-high five passes defensed Sept. 20 vs. Seattle ... On Sept. 28 at Minnesota, returned a blocked FG attempt 59 yards for a TD.
2010—Started every game for San Francisco, tying for team lead with three INTs and leading team in forced fumbles (three) and passes defensed (15) ... Opened his 10th NFL season with a bang, intercepting a Matt Hasselbeck pass on first scrimmage play Sept. 12 at Seattle ... Had seven tackles and a 39-yard INT return Oct. 3 at Atlanta ... Intercepted Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck for the second time on the season in Dec. 12 home game.
2011—Started for Bengals at LCB in Games 1-11 and 13-16, and in Wild Card playoff ... Inactive Dec. 4 at Pittsburgh due to hamstring injury ... Logged 75 tackles (sixth on team) and had two INTs ... Led team in passes defensed (14), tied for team lead in fumble recoveries (two), and tied for second in forced fumbles (two) ... Also had a key blocked FG ... Tied for team lead in combined fumbles forced/recovered (four) ... One of two Bengals on the season to log an entry in every column of official defensive stat sheet (tackles, sacks, passes defensed, INTs, forced fumbles and recovered fumbles) ... On Oct. 9 at Jacksonville, his fumble recovery of a botched snap late in fourth quarter helped thwart Jaguars comeback effort ... On Oct. 16 vs. Indianapolis, blocked a 52-yard Adam Vinatieri FG attempt in fourth quarter, preserving 20-17 Bengals lead ... Also vs. Indianapolis, forced fumble by Colts TE Dallas Clark in first quarter, and Bengals recovered to set up a TD drive ... On Nov. 6 at Tennessee, caused and recovered a fumble by TE Jared Cook in fourth quarter, ending Tennessee's last good chance at a comeback ... On Nov. 27 vs. Cleveland, assisted on three-yard tackle-for-loss of RB Peyton Hillis in the fourth quarter, and on next play had a third-down pass defensed, both helping to set up field position for Bengals game-winning FG drive ... Helped key win Dec. 18 at St. Louis with four third-down stops — one on a tackle-for-loss, one on a sack and two on passes defensed ... On Dec. 24 vs. Arizona, intercepted John Skelton pass in second quarter, setting up TD drive for 17-0 lead ... In Wild Card playoff 1-7-12 at Houston, tied for secondary lead in tackles (six) and had a pass defensed.COLLEGE: Played three seasons (1998-2000) at Ohio State, entering NFL Draft after his junior season ... Saw action in 36 games with 24 starts ... Finished career with 177 tackles, seven INTs and 22 passes defensed ... Also averaged 12.0 yards on 58 punt returns ... First-team All-Big Ten choice in 2000.
PERSONAL: Hometown is Shaker Heights, Ohio ... Attended Shaker Heights High School, where he was a USA Today prep All-America selection ... Married (wife Melissa), with four children (BrookLynn, Ace, Major and Phoenix) ... General studies major at Ohio State ... Active in community service; has been among the most frequent attendees in 49ers and Bengals Tuesday community programs ... Hobbies include golf, basketball and card-collecting.


text:
Redistricting: Free-for-All in Florida
Here's what to expect during the 2012 Legislative redistricting process.
Florida's Constitution says the Legislature must redraw the state's congressional and legislative district boundaries every 10 years, based on the most recent Census. The 2012 redistricting officially begins now, with new mapping tools for the public and an always-political spin. Here's what to expect this time around.
As always, the line-drawing will be ultra-politicized.
[Illustration: Roger Chouinard]
Predictably, the GOP, now dominant in both the state House and Senate, will attempt to structure the congressional and legislative districts to preserve as many safe seats for Republicans as it can. This year, because so much of Florida's population growth over the decade was Hispanic, leaders from the Hispanic community will try to land better representation in Washington and Tallahassee, particularly along the Interstate 4 corridor. Meanwhile, counties in southwest Florida already are speculating that they'll snag additional representation because of higher-than-average population growth over the past decade. "The interest groups will be out en masse, political interest groups and local groups that don't want to see their cities and counties divided," says Marian Johnson, senior vice president of political strategy at the Florida Chamber of Commerce. "And then you'll still have one little county drawn 70 different ways for 70 different reasons."
On top of the usual party politics, redrawing will be further complicated by the fair districts constitutional amendments that voters passed last fall.
Gov. Rick Scott withdrew his predecessor's request for federal review of the amendments, which could delay redistricting. The amendments require districts to be compact and to use existing political and geographic boundaries — while prohibiting boundaries that favor any incumbent or political party and also preserving minority representation.
Reconciling the fair districts amendments' geographic goals with their social and political goals presents a challenge that some view as impossible. "You have the confounding intersect of race and party," says Susan MacManus, distinguished professor of political science at the University of South Florida. "It's practically a formula for lawsuits."
The process will produce strange political bedfellows.
During the last redistricting in 2002, African-American state legislators eager to preserve majority-minority districts horse-traded with Republicans angling to create as many safe districts for the GOP as possible. The day after voters passed the fair districts amendments last year, U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, a Jacksonville Democrat whose district is 50% black, and Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican newly elected to a 70% Hispanic district in Miami, made common cause and filed a lawsuit challenging the amendments' constitutionality.
Technology will be more important than ever before.
Florida's elections supervisors have been working for several years on a precinct project focused on goals such as keeping subdivisions together and keeping neighbors on the same street voting together. That and other new, highly local data such as Bing maps enable the line drawers to create district maps accurate literally to the household level. The technology should "dramatically reduce the number of times that a community is split," says J. Alex Kelly, staff director of Florida's House Redistricting Committee.
In addition, everybody can play: For the first time, Floridians will be able to use web-based software to propose their own boundaries and submit them for consideration. Citizens could use the state's redistricting technology in 2002, but it was clunky, and they had to redraw the entire peninsula for their plan to be considered. This time around, local groups will be able to propose changes for their own region, counties or neighborhoods. (To try it, click on http://floridaredistricting.cloudapp.net.)


text:
Tons of snow and tons of policy: Catholic Social Ministry Gathering Day 2
Despite the federal government shutting down for business under the threat of another snowstorm, the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering was busy with heavy day of policy.
Some attendees were able to keep their Capitol Hill appointments as many senators and their staffs continued to work. One group reported that they not only visited their senators and had an unexpected hour-long conversation with their representative, but also handed out materials to a number of other offices.
At each gathering, participants share the Catholic perspective on four issues, two domestic, two international. (See the Hill Notes [1]. Organizers suggested that those who couldn't get meetings because of the storm take their materials home and meet with their Congress people later.)
This year the domestic focuses were, not surprisingly, health care and comprehensive immigration reform, with an added push for the jobs bill, which was to be up for debate this week (if anything can get through the snow).
Participants also lobbied on international assistance,focusing on the two very different and very difficult situations of Haiti andAfghanistan.
Polling a few participants on their most important issues, immigration seemed to be the most popular response, followed by health care reform. (See video [2]--first attempt at editing on an iPhone.) As one person said off camera, the international issues are just so difficult that it's hard to understand how you can really make a difference.
In addition to Hill visits, the morning provided an opportunity to learn more about other social issues. For a glimpse into these, check out the U.S.Catholic's twitter feed (or just search the hashtag #catholicsmg2010), as I was rotating between them.
International sessions on Israel/Palestine and Sudan gave updates into these seemingly impossible conflicts. I found hope, however, in a session on extracting natural resources, which connected environmental degradation to human rights concerns, especially sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. New legislation might allow civil society to get to the root of violence.
A domestic session on climate change also connected environmental concerns to poverty. At other sessions, participants learned about social safety net legislation that supports families and a new National Academy of Sciences measure for poverty that takes into account cost of living and not just income. A final domestic session provided the latest update in the health care debate, but we all still have to wait to see what comes from reconciliation between the House and Senate bills.
I will go more in depth into some of these issues as I wait out the snow to get out of Washington. (Three canceled flights in one week!) Feel free to ask policy questions in the comments and I'll try to find answers for you.


text:
- Oral Stories : A Night To Remember (mmf)
A night to remember (MMF)
We had agreed to meet him at a local Irish Pub type restaurant. Whenever we are setting up a first meeting with a single guy, it is always somewhere public until we know that we all click and he is not an incredible jerk.
For some reason, I love the thought of my wife with another man or two….hell, if I could get guys to actually show up all at the same time I would love to watch her with as many guys as possible. On this night, it would just be one.
Marianne is an incredible beauty and one of the sexiest women I have ever seen. At 36, she has eyes that are to die for and her 5'5" body has an incredible "you know you want to fuck me" look to it! She has the most amazing 34D breasts with nipples that stick out quite far, far enough that normal bras do not hide them well at all…and well; I won't even get into what an incredible ass she has.
Marianne had worn a pair of tight fitting jeans and a nice, tight, form fitting sweater that shows off her incredible breasts. I knew that she did not want to get too sexy because her expectations of first meetings are quite low. We have had out share of duds or guys that come up with an excuse to not show up.
We were finishing our dinner when my cell phone rang…I thought to myself, here we go again – another excuse. To my surprise, he was letting me know that he was in the area, just searching for a parking spot. It did not take long for him to find us and we all introduced ourselves. Marianne stood up and gave him a hug...Nothing special, just an "it's nice to see you" hug. I could tell that she would be ok with this one. Simon was a little shorter than me but you could tell that he worked out and was fit. He appeared to be about my wife's age maybe a few years younger. We all made small talk and it appeared like the evening would not be a let down. Simon was a very confident guy but not cocky. Marianne likes guys that are not afraid to take what they want or let it be known what they need. He excused himself to go to the restroom and I asked Marianne if she would be ok with him…she nodded yes and I could tell that visions were already dancing in her head. When he came back I was paying the bill and asked if everyone was ready to go. Simon had no idea whether he had passed the test or not and we waited until we were outside to let him know. Marianne asked him if he would like to join us back at out place. He very quickly said YES. Marianne then told him that we were about 5 minutes away and that, if it was ok, she would ride with him and I would follow in our car. He did not hesitate. As I went my way to reach our car and they walked the other way, my head started to race with what was probably in store for tonight. I had all kinds of visions of what we would do.
We arrived at our house and walked inside. This has always been the hardest part for us. Here we are – we all know why we are here – but it is not easy going from 0-60 – As I retrieved some drinks from the fridge, Marianne jokingly mentioned taking a dip in the hot tub to "warm up". Simon immediately jumped in and said how cold he was – we all got a good laugh out of that and continued with a little small talk. Once again Simon said, "it is really cold…the hot tub might be a great idea" and with that Marianne said she would be good with that and looked at me. I glanced at Simon and then I glanced at Marianne and I told them both to go and have fun. I was going to turn on one of the games and just relax until they were all warmed up. I think that startled my wife a little. She hadn't expected to be left alone with him to start off – but she went back to put her robe on. She returned from our room with just her bathrobe on and a couple of towels and it was clear that Simon had no idea what to do…should he go with her with all his clothes on? Should he take them all off? She took him by the hand and led him out the back door to our deck and the tub. As I sat on the couch I could hear their voices in the darkness. There wasn't much that I could make out as it was all kind of muffled but I could tell that they were talking and laughing and it seemed like they were hitting it off well. Every once in a while there would be a lull in the conversation and I would have to sit there and wonder what they were doing…were they kissing? Touching? More?? The more I thought about it the more I wanted to get up and take a peek out of the window but I stayed where I was – feeling my cock react to my thoughts.
After what seemed like a long time, but in reality had only been about 20 minutes, the door opened and they came inside. He was wearing a towel around his waste and Marianne had on her robe. He excused himself to the restroom and I asked her if she had fun…she walked up behind me, leaned over, put her arms around my neck and said, "Oh my god yes, he came all over your girls!" I was rather surprised by that – we generally like the night to last longer than 20 minutes and well, I like to watch at least some of it – especially when she gets the guy off – that is quite erotic to me. I think she sensed my disappointment when she said, "Don't worry baby, we're not done." I have to admit, the thought of what happened out there without my knowledge was incredible. My cock was aching to be touched – and my head raced with visions of how it happened. I would have to wait for later to hear that story. Marianne had other things in mind for now.
Simon made his way out of the restroom and Marianne walked back into our bedroom with him in tow. I stayed on the couch for just a bit longer. I saw him follow her into our bathroom and I could, once again, hear them giggling and talking. From my vantage point on the couch, I could see into our room and I saw them emerge from the bathroom and fall onto the bed. Marianne fell down on her back and Simon fell down on top of her – they were locked in a long, hot kiss. I could see her hands making their way down his muscular arms, over to his back and down to feel his ass. Simon started to slowly kiss down her body. Stopping at her tits – taking her nipples into his mouth. She really loves having her nipples sucked and he must have sensed this as he spent some time there. He made his way down her flat belly to her incredible pussy. I watched as she spread her legs open for him to enjoy. It is always such a turn on for me to watch her give herself to another man, there is just something about watching my wife get and give pleasure and watching her with another cock…knowing exactly how it feels when she does those things. I could tell that she was totally enjoying the sensations that his tongue was causing as I made my way into the room. I saw her head turn slightly to watch me as he licked her pussy and sucked gently on her clit. I walked around to where her head was and planted a long, hot kiss on her lips. She moaned and I could tell that he was about to taste one of her incredible orgasms. I moved down to take her nipple into my mouth and sucked and licked and teased it. I could smell his scent all over her as she let out a moan, caught her breath and let out a scream of passion. I could tell that she was soaking him with her juices and he was loving every minute of it. I was rock hard and dying to get in on some of this action.
I think she could tell that I was ready as her hand made its way to feel the outline of my cock through my jeans. Once again she let out a little moan and I could tell she wanted more. She unzipped my jeans and helped me let them fall to the floor. She rolled over on her belly and took my cock in her mouth as Simon knelt on the floor on the other side of the bed. I could watch him staring at her ass. So I started to rub it as she sucked my cock. I crawled up on the bed and had her roll over onto her back again. Now, Simon was staring straight at her pussy. I spread her legs and let my hand wander to her wet pussy. My fingers were getting soaked and I could see that Simon was enjoying the show. I spread her lips apart for him to see as she sucked and stroked my cock. It was amazingly HOT knowing that I was showing another man my wife's pussy. He stood up and began to stroke his cock – he was not very hard as he had just cum not too long ago. I know that I require quite some time to be able to go there again so I just figured he was trying to feel as good as possible. He rubbed his cock on her pussy as I spread it open for him. The next thing I knew, his cock was sliding inside of her. It must have caught Marianne off guard as well as she stopped sucking my cock and looked up at my face, as if to say, "Are you watching this"? "Do you like what you see"? I looked down to see his cock growing inside of her and her moving her hips to meet his strokes. Watching his cock slide in and out of her pussy…watching her pussy adjust to his cock as it got bigger and harder was amazing. It made my cock stand at full attention, just begging to be touched, sucked or fucked. Every time he pulled back out of her I could see his cock get more and more wet – she was soaked and getting wetter by the stroke – I could tell that she was enjoying getting fucked by this guy we just met. I could also tell that he was enjoying the hell out of fucking my wife as he kept moaning and moving and rearranging her. He would pull her legs up so they were over his shoulders, then he would roll her halfway over…all the while he was getting harder and harder with each stroke inside of her. I lost track, but I am certain that she came all over his cock at least 4 times. It was taking everything I had to not cum – I wanted to but I also wanted to enjoy this for as long as possible.
I pulled back away from her face and just watched the 2 of them go at it. Marianne loves to be fucked slow and easy…and he seemed to get that. Not too many guys do. Most of them think they have to be meat pounding porn stars to give women what they want. Simon seemed to understand this although, at times, he would start to fuck her like an animal. She is ok with this too, but overall she likes it slow and easy – she wants to be able to feel a cock slide in and out of her and she wants to be able for the guy to feel her pussy grab his cock, stroke his cock and hopefully, make him cum. He turned her over, pulled her ass in the air and positioned himself behind her. She leaned her ass up as if she couldn't wait for his cock to be inside of her again. He slowly entered her this way as she motioned for me to come back over to her. One of her favorite things is to suck a cock while she is being fucked. She said that it is a huge turn on for her. Well, who am I to not give her what she wants? I presented my hard cock to her mouth as he fucked her from behind. His hands were running all over her incredible ass. What a site that was. Her moans were muffled by my cock sliding in and out of her mouth. At one point, I was fucking her mouth and he was fucking her pussy and all she could do was moan and moan and cum and cum. I wanted to be inside of her pussy so badly.
Simon slid out of her again and she rolled onto her back. I crawled up to her face again and rubbed my cock on her lips. I was running my hands all over her gorgeous tits and nipples as he positioned her where he wanted her again. This time, he grabbed her legs, spread her wide and slid his cock inside of her. I was positioned perfectly to watch her get fucked. I could see her lips grab his cock as he slid out of her and suck it in as he slid into her. I could feel her breathing increase as he fucked her and I stroked my cock inches from her face. He had both of her legs in the air as he kept fucking her. I could see his cock get harder and harder with every stroke and my cock was doing the same. She let out a moan and closed her eyes as wave after wave of orgasm shuttered through her body. He was breathing harder and harder and I could tell that he was close as I stroked my cock for her. Simon gasped and said "I'm gonna cum" and slid into her as far as he could go – as we watched his body shake and his cock twitch. Watching him cum inside of her was too much for me and as I stroked, my cock erupted all over her beautiful tits, neck and chin. We all lay there exhausted but well satisfied. We lay there for a while and then Simon got dressed, kissed Marianne goodbye and left.
As I lay there on the bed, she proceeded to tell me what had transpired in the hot tub. She told me that he watched her take off her robe and could hardly believe his eyes as she had nothing on under it. She had told him if he wanted to get warm, he might want to get his clothes off. He did so and joined her in the hot water. She said they made small talk for a while as she moved over next to him in the tub. They were still talking when he slipped his arm around her and kissed her deeply. She said that he could actually kiss. So many of the others were like lizards but he got it right away and kissing him was making her hot. She said that he moved to be in front of her and his hands started rubbing her arms and legs. As she spoke, my cock was awakening again – she smiled and started to stroke me with her hand as she told me the rest of the story. As his hands moved, they found her breasts and he made a comment about how incredible they were. He seemed to really enjoy them as he stayed there for quite a while – caressing, kissing and sucking them – then his hands made their way to her pussy. She stopped him and told him that he couldn't play with her in that way in the hot tub. The hot water and the chemicals have never been compatible with her body. But she reached out for him and her hands found his cock standing rock hard at attention. She stroked him for a little while to let him know that he would be taken care of. She told me how he took his hands and slid them under her ass and lifted her up off of the seat – he was just holding her in the water, suspended. As they kissed, she would bob up and down in the water and she could feel his hard cock slide up and down on her pussy. She was getting hotter and hotter and really wanted him to fuck her. The tub shut off after its time limit was reached and she sat back down on the bench ledge in the tub. Simon stood to get out and when he did, his rock hard cock was inches away from her mouth. Instinctively, she reached for it and put her lips around it. It was then that he asked her if he could cum on her tits before they went in the house and she said yes – she continued to suck and stroke his cock as he got harder and harder – her hand would play with his balls as he slid in and out of her mouth. She was still stroking me while she recounted this and she could tell that this was turning me on incredibly. She told me how she continued to suck him and stroke him and how she really wanted to make him cum. He watched his cock slide in and out of her mouth and told her that he was ready to cum – he pulled out of her mouth, rubbed his cock on her lips and stroked himself as he began to cum all over her chest and tits – his cum covered her tits, nipples and chest as he stood there shaking….as she told me this, my body tensed up and I erupted all over her hand and my belly. Wave after wave of cum. She loves the fact that watching her or thinking about her with other men makes me crazy and she is looking forward to our next encounter…so am I.


text:
University of Missouri
Home | People | Locations | Program index | Calendar | News | Publications
Continuing education Seminars Courses
MU Extension > calendar
Professional development events
Missouri 4-H events
Missouri Business
Development Program calendar
Telecenter Network calendar
Nursing Outreach Conferences
CAFNR events calendar
University of Missouri calendar
2014 Missouri Blueberry School Conference (Session 2 of 2)
When: Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The Missouri Blueberry School Conference includes two days of informational presentations and tours. Nationally and regionally recognized blueberry experts will discuss a wide range of topics, including pest management, soil management, disease control, postharvest handling, flash freezing, blueberries and food safety, and cultural practices. The first day includes informational presentations, followed by the blueberry farm tour on the second day. more...
Session topic:
The second day of the 2014 Missouri Blueberry School Conference will include tours of two area blueberry farms.
$50.00 registration for one person per family or farm, and includes the educational sessions, the tour of blueberry farms, refreshments, and educational resources; $35.00 registration is for additional people from the same family or farm, and includes the educational sessions, the tour of blueberry farms, refreshments, and educational resources more...
$50.00$35 per person for additional members of a family or farm
Patrick Byers, firstname.lastname@example.com Extension in Webster Countyphone: 417-859-2044
About | Jobs | Extension councils |
For faculty and staff | For researchers | Giving | Ask an expert | Contact
© 1993
to 2015 Curators of the University
of Missouri, all rights reserved, DMCA
and other copyright information
University of Missouri Extension is an equal opportunity/ADA institution.
University of Missouri Extension
© 1993
to 2015 Curators of the University of Missouri, all rights reserved


text:
Macon Facility Received Contaminated Steroids | Health
NEWEST DETAILS: Up to 189 Exposed in Macon
A Macon-area medical facility received contaminated steroids that have been linked elsewhere to cases of fungal meningitis, the North Central Health District confirmed today.
Georgia's Department of Public Health says "at least" 150 patients of the Macon facility are being notified, according to a statement released today. The department said no infections or adverse reactions have been reported in Georgia.
Jennifer Jones, spokeswoman for the North Central Health District, said patients who received the medication would be notified before the name of the facility is released, probably later on Friday.
Health providers are scrambling to notify patients in nearly two dozen states that the routine steroid injections they received for back pain in recent months may have been contaminated with a deadly fungal meningitis.
Georgia Public Heath Commissioner Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald wrote in a letter to our sister Atlanta station, WXIA: "Affected medication was delivered to a healthcare facility in the Macon area and clinicians in that area should be extra vigilant. To date, DPH is aware of no other affected shipments arriving in Georgia."
Thursday, it became apparent that hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of people who got the affected shots between July and September could be at risk.
The Food and Drug Administration is urging physicians not to use any products from the Massachusetts pharmacy that supplied the steroid, New England Compounding Center.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that so far 35 people in six states have contracted fungal meningitis and five of them have died.
"Some of these patients' symptoms were very mild in nature," Dr. Fitzgerald said. "The difficulty in diagnosing fungal meningitis is its subtlety - a slow and undulating illness that may take 1 to 4 weeks following an injection to lead to a variety of symptoms, including fever, new or worsening headache, nausea, and new neurological deficit (consistent with deep brain stroke)."
For more on the meningitis outbreak, visit the CDC's website.


text:
I Get To Ride With A Rock Star!!!
How cool is this? Sunday, I got to ride in a clinic with Evie Tumlin after the Tri State Dressage Society Show and tomorrow I get to ride with David Jay at Great! Great is a cool program provided through the Arc that you should check out if you get the time but I


text:
Every year, thousands of Americans will break out their grills for the Fourth of July. The Stepp family will be no different. Undoubtedly, the most popular meal will be hamburgers, and for good reason: They are delicious. There are many ideas of what comprises the perfect burger.
The first step to a great burger is the meat. The most popular is, of course, beef, but other choices include bison, turkey, chicken, lamb and what I grew up on: moose! I suggest trying out a few ground meats and even blend them to create what fits your taste.
When buying beef, I suggest you opt for grassfed or pasture-raised beef. Even if you aren't overly concerned with things such as antibiotics, hormones or the environmental impact of factoryfarmed beef, consider the culinary benefits: Most chefs agree that grass-fed beef just tastes better.
Grass-fed and pastureraised beef won't always taste exactly the same, but I believe it tastes like beef is supposed to taste.
It will have less marbling, which are the bits of fat in the muscles of beef that distinguish between USDA grades such as Select, Choice and Prime.
(Select has the least amount of intramuscular fat whereas Prime has the most.) Because it is more lean, you might want to do what we in the culinary world refer to as larding, adding fat into the meat, or barding, wrapping additional fat around the meat. In addition to being low in visible fat, many studies are finding fully grass-fed or pasture-raised beef contain less saturated fat (the bad stuff) and more Omega-3 fatty acids (the good stuff) as well.
Of course, go local if you can. There are several farms in the Upstate and Ashville area that raise grass-fed or pastureraised beef. Even the Hub City Farmers' Market's 4N Family Farm can supply your local beef needs.
For this year's Fourth burgers, how about giving your guests some options?
We've all seen salad bars, and many of us have seen omelet or crepe stations with plenty of fillings or toppings options. Get a bang out of your cookout with your own little burger bar.
If you are having a large gathering, offer your guests different patty options: combinations of beef, bison, turkey or, if you're really feeling crazy, ask your butcher to grind up some raw bacon into your ground beef. Not only will this add bacon flavor but it will also keep a leaner beef much juicier. For a little healthier burger, try blending black beans or chick peas into the ground beef or turkey.
Toppings are an even more endless list, although I'll narrow it down to save a little room:
◆ Various cheeses such as extra sharp white cheddar, havarti, Gruyere, blue cheese, pimento cheese, etc.
◆ Guacamole
◆ Hummus
◆ Pico de gallo or salsa verde
◆ Caramelized onions
and mushrooms
◆ Philly-style sauteed peppers and onions
◆ Barbecue sauces such as Kansas City red, Alabama white, Midlands Carolina mustard, etc.
◆ Fried eggs
◆ Homemade pickles
◆ Greens such as spinach, arugula or alfalfa
◆ Herbed or citrus aioli (fancy term for homemade mayonnaise)
◆ Grilled summer vegetables such as onions cut into thick rings, thick slices of tomatoes, or thin slices or zucchini, yellow squash, or eggplant
A few tips
◆ Season your hamburger mixture to taste before grilling the whole batch. There is nothing worse than cooking a stack of burgers and then realize they needed salt!
Season to taste by creating a quarter-sized patty and browning it in a saute pan.
Taste for seasonings and add more as needed.
◆ Preheat the grill.
◆ Oil the grill by dipping a tightly rolled cloth into canola or vegetable oil and brushing it on the already hot grill.
◆ Set the burgers (or any meat) on the grill,
allow to cook 2/3-� of the way through, and flip only once. Do not press down with a spatula, and do notkeep checking to see if you have grill marks.
◆Leave the lid of the grill open. This way you can see far it has cooked, ensuring more evenly and accurately cooking.
Close the lid for longer/ slower cooked items such as bone-in chicken or slowcookedpork.You might be expecting a recipe for burgers this week, but I want you to experiment and design your own perfect burger.
In the meantime, here's a recipe for a side dish that is incredible and sure to draw in second helpings.
Maple Bacon Baked Beans
2 cups dry beans (such as navy, pinto, or Great Northern), rinsed 1 pound bacon, divided 1 onion, peeled and diced 2 teaspoons dry mustard 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 cups chicken stock � cup molasses 1 cup maple syrup, divided 2 tablespoons brown sugar Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Place beans in a Dutch oven or large pot and cover with about 8 to 10 cups water, or until the beans are covered by atleast 2 inches. Bring water to a simmer and remove from the heat. Set aside for at least 1 hour. (Alternatively, cover the beans with several inches of water and soak overnight.) Drain and rinse the beans, and discard all soaking liquid.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place 5 slices of bacon on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake until lightly browned on one side. Remove from oven and set aside.
Dice remaining bacon.
Spread on the bottom of the Dutch oven used for the beans. Place over medium heat and cook undisturbed until the edges of the bacon have browned. Stir to cook the remaining side.
Add the onion and stir to coat with the bacon and cook until golden brown.
Add dry mustard and stir.
Add chicken stock, 2 cups of water, beans, molasses, and � cup of the maple syrup. Bring to a simmer and cover. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 4 hours or until the liquid is absorbed and the beans are tender. Add more liquid if needed.
Remove from oven and place the baked strips of bacon on top of the beans with the browned side facing down. Drizzle with brown sugar and remaining maple syrup. Return to the oven until the bacon is crisp, about 10-15 minutes. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Mix up your Fourth of July burgers this year
Every year, thousands of Americans will break out their grills for the Fourth of July. The Stepp family will be no different. Undoubtedly, the most popular meal will be hamburgers, and for good reason: They are delicious. There are many ideas of what comprises the perfect burger.


text:
Rare Coin Collectors Stopping In Borger
The International Coin Collectors Association will be in Borger from May 9-14 from 9am till 6pm and 9am till 4pm on Saturday at the AmericInn Lodge & Suites of Borger, 900 E. 3rd. They will be coming to Borger in the search of the "most rare coins in world". The collectors are hoping to see items such as coins and paper currency issued prior to 1965 and gold items including class rings, mismatched earrings, broken necklaces, gold coins and bullion. "Coin collectors are very serious about their hobby, so serious that they will pay a lot of money for the items that they are looking for. The ICCA is a place where anyone in your community can connect with collectors from around the globe," Matthew Enright of the ICCA said.The ICCA make offers based on what collectors are willing to pay. Then, when one decides to sell, they get paid on the spot and the ICCA sends the item to the collector at their expense. for morn information you can contact 217-726-7590 or go to their web site at www.internationalcoincollectors.com


text:
Darius' Treasure Hunters
On the southern bank of the river, Darius' archers recover from their cowering. Notching arrow to string, they let loose a deadly salvo that slays one of the Barbarian Raiders! Fearing retribution, they skirt further west...
The Dragon Mage recovers from his tumble out of the sky...and gets an idea. Launching himself he gathers momentum...
And sets a course straight for Ravenbane! BLAMMO!
The collision leaves the Dragon Mage landing lightly on the Smith Workshop and Ravenbane in a heap 2" away. Yet, a classy armor roll (double crit) saves the Drakhirri Hero from any damage.
Behind the Smithy, the treasure-bearers gang up on the Drakhirri Lancer. They succeed in slaying his horse while Lancer fails to deal any damage (whiffed the attack).
The death of a steed is too much for any noble knight to bear. "May others know the turmoil in my heart!" he screams as he lines up a toss of his lance...
...and impales one of the nearby Scarabs! The force of the blow topple one chariot and cause the other to be sent into the River where Scarab #2 begins to sink under the current!
These exploits finished, Darius teams up with his remaining Slayer to decimate the standing Drakhirri Lancer (Dreska was removed from the photo so I could take the shot )
Ravenbane's Highwaymen
"Ach, Vat Hurt!" Ravenbane is none-too-please at having been twacked out of his roof-top perch. Reclaiming his feet, he tip-toes up behind the nearby Slayer...
Headshot sneak attack! The Slayer has no chance.
Combat ensues behind the Smithy where a Lancer has lanced one of the treasure-bearers. His comrade attempts to make attacks back, but the Lancer's armor is too much.
In front of the Smithy, the remaining Longswordsman recognizes the sheer effort it would take to climb up after the Dragonmage. As a result, he picks up a short sword and chucks it at the mage's direction...Alas that the shot is deflected.
The Smiths
On the Smith's home front, Old Grandpa still tinkers in a corner by himself. Rather than continue his golem production, he decides to create yet another magick hammer! He is successful at crafting the hammer part, but magick hammers just don't appear out of thin air...
Sensing enemies, the defense golem approaches and engages with the Barbarian raider who is still standing.
But a crit fail not only causes the golem to miss; in addition, the magick hammer it had be wielding shatters!!! The Paladin Maiden will not be pleased...
And in retaliation, the Barbarian Hoplomachus completely obliterates his opponent
Meanwhile, Junior and Mr. Smith continue up their arms production...again...
Dreska of Leoncor
On the wings of the Gryphon, Dreska arrives at the other side of the river. Wading through the blood and gore to approach the Smith's, she notices a piece of broken armament lying on the battlefield
Not too overcome with passions, she coolly approaches Mr. Smith.
"Excuse me, artisan. But I have come to collect what's mine. Have you my...magick hammer?" Smith looks kinda nervous.
"Hey grandpa! What did you do with the nice lady's hammer she paid for a month or two ago?" After a jumbled conference, Smith turns again to Dreska. "A, you see, there appears to have been some sort of smelting accident; your hammer is right over there." Smith points to the heap of trash Dreska had just inspected.
"You can't expect met to leave here with that rubbish? I commissioned a magnificent hammer! I expect you will provide a second with all Haste!"
"Ah, yeah, you see, smithing costs have gone up. You can either take what you bought, or for a nominal fee, we can have another one made next month" Dreska gives him a cold stare.
"A nominal fee?"
"Yeah, probably about double."
"This is outrageous! I'm a paying customer! Here's a NEW deal! I'll be repossessing your ENTIRE SMITHY and indenturing your family in servitude until such time as you finish my HAMMER!"
...The Smith is silent for a moment...
..."Junior, Gramps! Arm yaselfs...the homestead is unner attack!"
At the call, the Smith family congeals into a battle formation, Mr. Smith taking time to throw on a suit of armor (will be out of combat this turn).
A series of poor attacks leave Grandpa, Dreska, and Junior without inflicting any damage. The Gryphon, however, makes a meal out of Grandpa!
Across the river, the halberdiers attempt to rush the downed Scarab, but are just out of reach (even with an angry inch)
Hiimboredagain Raiders
Conrad and a Bestiarius take a moment to unhitch the Scarab from his harness. Bestiarius #2 is quickly sinking into the river...he leaps to the other side of the river.
Bestiarius #1 mounts his Scarab and charges into the Halberds. The soldiers of Leoncor (since their pikes are longer) get to attack first, but both crit fail! The Scarab snacks on one while the javelins of the Bestiarius are ineffective.
Conrad Barber rushes on the scene and takes a little off the top. Second Halberdier eliminated.
Bestiarius #2 rejoins his friend; nevertheless, the javelins he throws fall short of their mark.
AAANNDD, a Scarab has clawed his way onto the bank at the mouth of the river. Of course, without his "trainer", he will be quite frenzied
Kill Chart
Darius - 6
RavenBane - 4
The Smiths - 0 (+2 gold)
Barbarians - 3
Dreska - 1


text:
Jenifer Langosch @LangoschMLB
#STLCards to hold 1:30 pm CT press conference to make a "baseball-related" announcement. You can watch presser live on http://MLB.com .Speculation in Cards Country that Carp is going to be retiring.Bernie Miklasz @miklasz
My informed speculation: Cardinals press conference will concern future of pitcher Chris Carpenter.
Cue the "son" jokes.