text:
Long Beach GRAND SLAM | 22 - 27 July 2013
Long Beach, Calif., USA, July 22, 2013—It was relatively short and it was very intense and when it finished eight men's and eight women's teams have advanced from Monday's qualifying rounds to Tuesday's start of the 32-team main draw at the $440,000 FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam double-gender tournament as the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour is back in the USA for the first time in a decade. Men's teams advancing were two from Italy and one each from Austria, Brazil, Canada, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. For the women, moving forward to pool play were two women's teams from Canada and one each from Austria, Brazil, Mexico, Norway, Poland and the United States advanced.
A total of 11 men's and 12 women's teams battled in the single-elimination qualification tournament Monday to determine the final eight spots in their respective 32-team main draw fields as the 2013 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour resumed in North America after a one-week layoff. Main Draw round-robin four-team pool play starts Tuesday morning. Pool Play will conclude with a single-elimination bracket for the final 24 teams. With the event being held for the first time in Long Beach the purpose-built site is located on the expansive glistening sands of Marina Green Park on East Lakeshore Drive.
Main Draw pool play matches at the FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam, presented by ASICS, are scheduled to start at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday on four courts with two rounds of action for women and one of three pool play matches for men. General admission is free to the event and VIP tickets are on sale through the event website at www.wsobv.com. The last match is scheduled to start on each of the four courts at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Men's teams advancing to the main draw 'money rounds' were Austria's Peter Eglseer/Felix Koraimann, Brazil's Vitor Felipe/Evandro Goncalves, Canada's Grant O'Gorman/Sam Pedlow, Italy's Gianluca Casadei/Paolo Ficosecco, Italy's Alex Ranghieri/Andrea Tomatis, Spain's Inocencio Lario/Javier Monfort, Switzerland's Andreas Sutter/Roman Sutter and USA's Nick Lucena/John Hyden.
For the women, the eight team's advancing to the main draw on Monday were Austria's Valerie Teufl/Elisabeth Klopf, Brazil's Barbara Seixas/Liliane Maestrini, Canada's Sarah Pavan/Heather Bansley, Canada's Melissa Humana-Paredes/Taylor Pischke, Mexico's Bibiana Candelas/Martha Revuelta, Norway's Janne Kongshavn/Victoria Kjolberg, Poland's Agnieszka Pregowska/Aleksandra Wolak and USA's Emily Day/Summer Ross.
The FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam, presented by ASICS is the showcase part of the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball, a SoCal beach festival that includes 4-person and 6-person recreational events, a youth tournament and nightly music concerts. Also part of the event is the inaugural ASICS World Series Cup featuring two teams in each gender from the USA against two international teams with the finals next Sunday. In addition to the international live FIVB telecasts, the event also includes 23 hours of live or same-day telecasts split between NBC Sports Network, Universal Network and NBC TV Network. The teams selected for the ASICS World Series Cup will be officially announced on Tuesday.
The women's semifinals and medal matches of the FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam will be held on Friday with the men's semifinals also on Friday and medal matches closing the FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam on Saturday. Play Tuesday through Friday is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. and at 11 a.m. on Saturday for the men's medal matches.
With a reduced number of teams in the qualifying tournament for both genders five of the men's teams and four women's teams advanced directly to the main draw without having to play a match on Monday. Those teams were determined based on their qualifying seeds. The three men's teams who won a match on Monday to advance were Austria's Eglseer/Koraimann, Italy's Ranghieri/Tomatis and Switzerland's Sutter brothers. The four women's teams who advanced after winning their qualification match were Canada's Humana-Paredes/Pischke, Mexico's Candelas/Revuelta, Norway's Kongshavn/Kjolberg and Poland's Pregowska/Wolak.
Of the teams that played all won in two sets except Norway's Kongshavn/Kjolberg for the women and Austria's Eglseer/Koraimann for the men. Norway's Kongshavn/Kjolberg defeated Croatia's Dalida Vernier/Jurja Vlasi, 21-19, 14-21, 15-11 in 48 minutes while Austria's Eglseer/Koraimann overcame Canada's Simon Fecteau-Boutin/Ryan DeBruyn, 16-21, 30-28, 15-9 in 65 minutes, the longest match of the day.
As the host nation, the United States has four additional teams in each gender pre-positioned into the main draw. For the men, besides Lucena/Hyden, USA's teams are Sean Rosenthal/Phil Dalhausser, Jake Gibb/Casey Patterson, Todd Rogers/Ryan Doherty and Stafford Slick/Casey Jennings. The USA women's teams besides Day/Ross in Long Beach are 2012 Olympic silver medalists April Ross/Jennifer Kessy, Lauren Fendrick/Brittany Hochevar, Annett Davis/Whitney Pavlik and Jennifer Fopma/Brooke Sweat. Except for Ross/Kessy, the other seven USA teams are new partnerships in 2013.
A total of 78 teams from 24 countries (41 men's teams from 17 countries and 37 women's teams from 19 countries) selected by their national federations officially started the tournament. The event this year in Southern California is the 10th FIVB event ever held in the United States, fifth in Southern California and first since the Tour visited a USA Olympic Training Center in Carson, Calif. in 2003. In addition to two FIVB World Tour stops in Hermosa Beach, Calif. (1995, 1996), and Carson in 2003, the other SoCal FIVB event was the inaugural FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in 1997 held on the UCLA campus in Westwood.
Even though it has been 10 years since a World Tour event has been held in the USA, two of the previous medal winners in USA tournaments are still active, both from Brazil. On the men's side Brazil's Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos are still playing and among the top players in the world.
Emanuel has won four medals with a silver medal in 1995 and a bronze in 1996 playing with Ze Marco de Melo along with two gold medals, one in 2000 with Jose Loiola and again in 2003 with Ricardo. Ricardo also earned a silver medal in 2000 playing with Ze Marco.
The 2013 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour is comprised of 10 Grand Slam events and the 2013 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships. Not part of the World Tour but still counting towards the FIVB World Rankings, the FIVB yearly calendar also includes seven Open events, five double-gender and two women-only. There is a double-gender FIVB Open event being playing this week as well in Anapa, Russia.
The gold medal teams in each gender in the FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam will each split $33,000, the silver $22,000, the bronze $16,500 and fourth place $12,900. The women's medal matches will be held on Friday and the men's medal matches on Saturday. The FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam is the 291st FIVB international men's event since the FIVB began play in 1987 and the 253rd FIVB women's tournament since women started international competition in 1992.
After another week off next week, the 10-Grand Slam 2013 FIVB World Tour will continue in two weeks in Germany at the $440,000 FIVB Berlin Grand Slam. The season finale of the tour will be in Brazil in mid-October at the $440,000 FIVB Sao Paulo Grand Slam.
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the USA and the seventh-largest in California with its population of nearly 475,000. In addition, Long Beach is the second largest city within Greater Los Angeles Area, after Los Angeles, and a principal city of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana metropolitan area.
28.07.2013 03:17:08
USA takes men's gold, Spain silver, Italy bronze at FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam
Long Beach, Calif., USA, July 27, 2013—Enjoying a week on the sunny Southern California beach and the heated competition in the first international pr... More...
27.07.2013 05:38:40
Spain, USA win men's semis at FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam
Long Beach, Calif., USA, July 26, 2013—Surprise, surprise, a funny thing happened on the way to the men's medal matches Friday as beach volleyball duo... More...
27.07.2013 03:10:24
Brazil earns women's gold and silver, Germany bronze at FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam
Long Beach, Calif., USA, July 26, 2013—Proving once again their overall superiority in the blossoming sport of beach volleyball, women's tandems from ... More...
26.07.2013 05:45:33
Men's competition into single elims at FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam
26.07.2013 05:41:05
Brazil with two, Germany, USA, in women's semis at FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam
25.07.2013 05:13:42
16 women's teams remain at FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam after first elimination round
25.07.2013 05:05:06
14 Men's teams 2-0 in Pool Play at FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam
24.07.2013 23:14:12
Women end Pool Play, start eliminations this afternoon at FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam
23.07.2013 08:10:00
Lower seeds win twice Tuesday in Women's Pool Play at FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam
23.07.2013 03:32:22
Men's Pool Play at FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam starts with upset
22.07.2013 19:58:52
Kerri Walsh out of debut US tournament
21.07.2013 18:32:53
USA hosting FIVB World Tour at $440,000 FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam
23.05.2013 14:48:57
Long Beach Grand Slam confirmed for July
08.05.2013 10:08:58
USA to host first FIVB event since 2003 at FIVB Long Beach Grand Slam


text:
Bringing country back to cool
Fresh off the heels of their self-titled seventh studio album, Staind singer Aaron Lewis has announced he will soon release his first full-length solo album — country music style.
In March 2011, the 39-year-old Lewis released an EP titled Town Line on Stroudavarious Records featuring five songs including "Country Boy." Produced by legendary Nashville veteran James Stroud, Town Line debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard country chart in March and the single "Country Boy" sold more than 1 million units and the video was viewed more than 11 million times on CMT.com and YouTube. Even fellow country star Jason Aldean loved the video. That song alone earned him two CMT Award nominations, plus the help of legends Charlie Daniels and George Jones couldn't have hurt. Not only did the EP make waves on the country side, but it also charted as high as No. 7 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums.
Lewis grew up in Longmeadow, Mass., and helped found the rock group Staind in 1995. All they've done is sold more than 15 million albums, three of which were No. 1, and have five of their singles hit No. 1 on the rock charts including "It's Been Awhile," "So Far Away," "Right Here," "Believe" and "Not Again."
With Staind so successful and doing everything right, why would Lewis dare to go solo, much less in a different genre? There's no reason to worry, so Lewis says, because Staind isn't going anywhere. But don't let the tattoos and raspy voice fool you — Lewis is country at heart. Somewhat of an outdoorsman, he was introduced to country music by spending time as a kid with his grandfather.
The Examiner spoke with Lewis via telephone as he readies for a brief solo tour. His first full-length album is due out later this spring.
With major success with Staind, did you think this could be a dangerous career move?
There's always a danger trying to jump music genres. There are a lot of people out there who also try to protect their genre, and I ran into some of that. I hear all the, 'He ain't country; he's from Massachusetts.' And 'He's only pandering to a country audience because he means nothing in the rock world anymore.' I've heard and read it all. One of the key differences is that I wrote the songs I'm recording and I hope that will be a key difference — will help me break down the barrier to get into a genre that I think I belong in. Others in the past have attempted to make this jump but pick songs out of a catalog that somebody else wrote and recorded them as their own.
Was your original intention on releasing a full album from the beginning?
The reason why I didn't write a full album before was because of a contract issue. I am bound to Atlantic Records. I brought four of the five songs that are on Town Line to Atlantic New York, which is kind of the rock department. They listened to the songs and they thought they were amazing, but added those weren't rock enough. So I sent them to Atlantic Nashville and they liked them, but they said they weren't country enough. The project died in the water right there, so it took me about six months with lawyers and litigation to have a waiver drawn up that released me from Atlantic Records. A part of that waiver was the fact I could only put out an EP. They originally wanted me to put out two songs. So the reason I didn't put out a full album wasn't because I didn't have the songs and it wasn't because I was putting my toes in the water just to see what the temperature was.
What can you tell us about the new album?
The record is going to be 10 new songs. Nothing will carry over. The original plan was to carry the five songs off the EP then add five or six new ones and re-release it as a full length, but once the creative juices starting flowing, I ended up with another full record worth of material.
With pop-country dominating the industry, this sounds like its going to be another breath of fresh air.
I am making an attempt to bring back what I thought country music was. I think we resurrected the ghosts of all the late and greats. If you are a fan of what was country music, I think you really are going to like my new record. If you like this pop-country stuff, there might be a song or two on the record that ever-so-slightly graces that road. It's very Telecaster-laden and pedal steel. It's just very traditional in its nature. I went even further in the direction of Town Line and it's as country as all get out.
How receptive were the Staind fans?
Lots of Staind fans have come over and supported me. I kept hearing the fans say they had never listened to country music before I put out this record.
Lewis will perform Thursday, Jan. 12, at the Verizon Wireless Theater in Houston. Tickets are $55, $45 and $29.50. Doors open at 8 p.m.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Two Air Force Special Operations Command combat controllers currently stationed in San Antonio were each presented a Silver Star for gallantry in combat during a ceremony July 22 here.
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND � Two Air Force Special Operations Command combat controllers currently stationed in San Antonio were each presented a Silver Star for gallantry in combat during a ceremony July 22 here.
The two combat controllers, Tech. Sgt. Ismael Villegas and Staff Sgt. Dale Young, were decorated by Lt. Gen. Eric E. Fiel, commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field. The Silver Star is the third highest award exclusively for combat valor.
�Gentlemen, your bravery and tenacity epitomize what being a warrior is all about,� Fiel said during the ceremony. �Your brave actions under hostile fire at great risk to your lives not only decimated the enemy but also saved lives of your teammates. Your unwavering gallantry and devotion to duty are an example for all of us to follow.�
It was the second Silver Star awarded to Villegas, currently the only active-duty two-time recipient in the Air Force. Villegas is assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field who presently works as a recruiting liaison for the 369th Air Force Recruiting Group at JBSA-Lackland.
Young is assigned to the 342nd Training Squadron at JBSA-Lackland as an instructor in the initial course of entry for combat control and special operations weather. The 342nd TRS is home to all Air Force Battlefield Airman entry-level training for pararescue, combat control, special operations weather, and tactical air control party.
Both recipients were humbled and honored by the award.
�I was surprised,� Young said. �It was submitted as a Bronze Star with Valor and after statements from some of my team members, different boards recommended an upgrade to Silver Star. It�s an honor.�
Villegas, a 16-year veteran with eight deployments, used �surreal and shock� to describe his reaction.
�It�s surreal,� he said. �The first one (in 2011) you don�t even expect - that in itself is a shock. To receive two - that�s even more incredible. For me to be awarded a second one is even more of a shock.�
Both men received their awards for gallantry in action during separate military operations near Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Villegas� citation said he risked his life from Feb. 6-24, 2011 during nonstop enemy engagements. In an 18-day mission riddled with trench warfare battles, Villegas controlled 40 aircraft that delivered more than 32,500 pounds of precision ordnance. The air strikes resulted in 21 enemy confirmed killed in action, and destroyed eight fighting positions and two communication repeaters.
During the mission, Villegas gathered intelligence from fortified insurgent positions at great risk. He also protected, covered, then pulled to safety, a teammate hit by shrapnel.
Col. Marc Stratton, commandant, Inter-American Air Forces Academy at JBSA-Lackland, was one of Villegas� first commanders when both served in the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, N.C., in 2002. Stratton is a special tactics officer who has spent 25 years in the career field.
He recalled that Villegas, then a senior airman, impressed his teammates in the field while directly engaged with the enemy on numerous missions during his first deployment to Afghanistan.
�Little did any of us know at the time that we would be here many years later at an event recognizing his courage under fire, not merely for one isolated incident, but for consecutive exceptional selfless actions during successive engagements over time,� Stratton said.
�In short, this oak leaf cluster carries a great deal of significance. The award of a second Silver Star is very rare for good reason,� he added.
Young compared the award upgrade to �the kind of stuff you see in movies and TV.�
�You never really see yourself in that position,� he said. �The training we get is so good, so precise and key in building our skills.
�This is a tribute to my supervisors, the first controllers I met and the ones who taught me everything I know,� Young said.
From May 19-23, 2009, near Helmand Province, Young�s citation said he served as the primary combat control joint terminal attack controller assigned to an Army Special Forces team. Young�s element was under continuous enemy fire for 94 hours.
Young controlled up to 11 coalition aircraft, and ensured safe and effective fires on enemy positions despite small arms and rocket fire within 10 meters of his position. The mission also destroyed more than $1 billion in black tar opium.
During his remarks, the AFSOC commander cited the humility and training of special operations Airmen.
�Special operations is a community of quiet professionals,� Fiel said. �If you ask these men or any one who wears our berets their thoughts about decorations, I think they would all say, �I was just doing what I was trained to do.�
�The citations detail your amazing acts of heroism and bravery,� he said. �Your stories are truly inspiring.�


text:
General Tools General Tools LED Lighted Circular Mirror
Now there's no need to be afraid of the dark! General's new, versatile circular mirror is ideal for inspection of hidden, unlit areas in applications ranging from industrial maintenance and automotive repair to general homeowner DIY applications. The Model 80557's strong LED lights provide a powerful illumination for reading serial numbers, checking for broken or missing parts, and locating missing items.
General Tools LED Lighted Circular Mirror
Usually ships in 1-3 business days.


text:
Enjoy a day of discovery and adventure in the wondrous 3,400-acre Veragua Rainforest mountain reserve which National Geographic Traveler called "The Cream of the Cream of the Rainforest". Surrounded by 100% rainforest, our private reserve borders the spectacular La Amistad International Park ("Friendship International Park"), the largest nature reserve in Central America.
A day at the Veragua Rainforest is the perfect way to experience firsthand as many of Costa Rica's wonders as possible.
- Glide through the rainforest treetops on an aerial tram (gondola) looking out for monkeys, sloths and colorful rainforest birds. Visit the world-class Frog and Reptile Habitats-- and mingle with hundreds of butterflies at the Butterfly Garden, including the famous blue morpho!
- Journey into the forest on diverse walking trails, admiring the sights and sounds of wild flora and fauna. Enjoy a walk to the riverbank or hike to a spectacular cascading waterfall, feeling the thunderous spray almost at your fingertips.
- Or experience the most exhilarating canopy zip-line ride in the Caribbean-- the Original Canopy Tour-- as you glide silently through the Costa Rican rainforest on specially-built traverses and platforms, marveling at the commanding views from the treetops.
- And don't forget to visit The Foundation for Rainforest Research,where university researchers unlock nature's mysteries and learn about exciting new species. To date, eleven new rainforest species have been discovered at Veragua by our scientists!
"The Cream of the Cream of the Rainforest"
Christoper Baker
National Geographic Traveler Costa Rica
Located less than one hour from the historic Caribbean town of Puerto Limón and with enchanting views of the endless mountains of the Talamanca Range, the Veragua Rainforest Eco-Adventure allows visitors to explore the natural wonders of Costa Rica's breathtaking tropical rainforest.
With world-class facilities, astonishing natural beauty, and a commitment to conservation and scientific research, the Veragua Rainforest, home to the Foundation for Rainforest Research, offers the most complete, exciting and educational Costa Rican rainforest experience in all of Central America.
Come see why Trip Advisor awarded us the Certificate of Excellence for 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
From April 15th to October 14th WE ARE ATTENDING GROUP RESERVATIONS ONLY / RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. Please contact us prior to your visit.
During high season ( October 16th thru April 14th), we are "Open Tuesday to Sunday (and cruise ship Mondays), 8 am to 3 pm"
Call us at:
Tel. +506 4000-0949


text:
Recent News
July 07, 2014
California Firm Recalls Chicken Products Due to Possible Salmonella Heidelberg Contamination
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services received information regarding a recall for Foster Farms, a Livingston, Calif., based establishment. On Friday, July 4, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Safety Inspection Service announced that an undetermined amount of chicken products that may be contaminated with a particular strain of Salmonella Heidelberg were being recalled.
The recalled product includes fresh chicken products sold by retailers under Foster Farms or private label brand names, with varying "use or freeze by" dates ranging from March 16 through March 31, 2014, and frozen Sunland Chicken products with "best by" dates from March 7 through March 11, 2015. The products subject to recall bear the establishment number "P6137," P6137A" or "P7632" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The chicken products were produced from March 7 through March 13, 2014. These products were shipped to Costco, Foodmaxx, Kroger, Safeway and other retail stores and distribution centers in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The list of products subject to recall can be accessed here.
FSIS and the company want the public to be aware that the products are most likely no longer available for purchase, but may be in consumers' freezers. FSIS was notified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of a Salmonella Heidelberg illness on June 23, 2014, associated with the consumption of a boneless skinless chicken breast product. Working in conjunction with CDC, FSIS determined that there is a link between boneless skinless chicken breast products from Foster Farms and this illness. Based on FSIS' epidemiological and traceback investigations, one case-patient has been identified in California with an illness onset date of May 5, 2014. This illness is part of an ongoing outbreak being monitored and investigated by FSIS and CDC. Until this point, there had been no direct evidence that linked the illnesses associated with this outbreak to a specific product or production lot.
FSIS reminds consumers to properly handle raw poultry in a manner to prevent contamination from spreading to other foods and food contact surfaces. FSIS further reminds consumers of the critical importance of following package cooking instructions for frozen or fresh chicken products and general food safety guidelines when handling and preparing any raw meat or poultry.
FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.


text:
Emirates, one of the world's fastest growing airlines, announced a major sponsorship deal that includes a multi-million pound sponsorship with Glasgow City Council. As part of the agreement Emirates now holds the exclusive naming rights for the city's new world class sports facility, the 'Emirates Arena'.
The ten-year partnership will enable the airline to strengthen its presence in Glasgow with prominent branding on and throughout the Emirates Arena, highlighting a long-term investment in Glasgow and giving the venue an internationally recognised brand name.
"As a truly global airline we are committed to connecting people and cultures and this new sponsorship in Glasgow is a true reflection of this commitment. We sponsor a number of the world's most prominent international sporting and cultural events and this multi-million pound agreement will not only help to inject significant funds into the Glasgow economy, but will also highlight Glasgow's place on the international sporting stage," said Richard Jewsbury, Emirates' Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Europe.
The £113million Emirates Arena will open its doors for the first time on Friday 5th October and in its first four months of operation, will play host to eight Scottish, European and world level sporting events. As well as creating an all-round sport and community facility available to professionals and locals alike, this deal has secured employment for over 500 people during construction.
Emirates has a long history of supporting sport both in the UK and worldwide, including The International Cricket Council, the FIFA World Cup, the 2012 Ryder Cup and the Arsenal Football team at the Emirates Stadium in London.
"This is a fantastic deal for the people of Glasgow," said Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council "Many of the world's top sports venues already enjoy the considerable benefits and prestige secured through a naming rights agreement and this partnership with Emirates puts us firmly in that elite group.
"The Emirates Arena is a truly world-class venue that will host a genuinely world-class sporting events programme. This partnership will bring that venue and global brand together and it will be the people of Glasgow who will reap the benefits. Over the next 10 years this multi-million pound deal will leave a lasting legacy.
"We are one of the world's top 10 sporting cities and the Emirates Arena will play a huge part in ensuring we retain and build on that position in the coming years. We can't wait for the action to get underway at the Emirates Arena."
The indoor arena will have 6,500 spectator seats when set up for sporting competitions, while the velodrome will have a permanent capacity for 2,000 seated and 500 standing spectators viewing the 250-metre cycle track. The facility will be a national training centre for athletics, basketball, netball, track cycling and volleyball, and will include Scotland's first dedicated indoor velodrome, providing elite training and an international competition standard venue.
There are now over 175 people employed in the Emirates Arena, including local residents who secured employment after completing a local training programme with Clyde Gateway, Scotland's largest regeneration partnership.
"The state-of-the-art multi-purpose Emirates Arena is a true representation of our new brand platform, 'Hello Tomorrow', which focuses on the endless possibilities of the future," added Jewsbury.


text:
Discussions focusing on the X-Chromosome and its role in human genetics.
Use this control to limit the display of threads to those newer than the specified time frame.
Allows you to choose the data by which the thread list will be sorted.
Order threads in...
Note: when sorting by date, 'descending order' will show the newest results first.
Forum Rules


text:
What's a little Justice Department spying between friends? Or, more accurately, between a master and his lapdogs?
In May, Obama administration Attorney General Eric Holder admitted to obtaining phone records involving 20 business, residential, and personal lines used by over 100 reporters and editors at the Associated Press during April and May 2012. After some lawyerly whining for appearances' sake, the wire service more appropriately known as the Administration's Press is back to its old tricks, and then some. On Wednesday, as will be seen after the jump, reporter Russ Bynum disgracefully covered up a geographic gaffe by President Obama during his Tuesday appearance on Jay Leno's show.
Here, from a transcript posted at the Politico, is what Obama actually said about the need to deepen certain coastal ports (related YouTube snip is here; bolds are mine throughout this post):
Q. You mentioned infrastructure. Why is that a partisan issue? I live in a town, the bridge is falling apart, it's not safe. How does that become Republican or Democrat? How do you not just fix the bridge? (Laughter and applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: I don't know. As you know, for the last three years, I've said, let's work together. Let's find a financing mechanism and let's go ahead and fix our bridges, fix our roads, sewer systems, our ports. The Panama is being widened so that these big supertankers can come in. Now, that will be finished in 2015. If we don't deepen our ports all along the Gulf — places like Charleston, South Carolina, or Savannah, Georgia, or Jacksonville, Florida — if we don't do that, those ships are going to go someplace else. And we'll lose jobs. Businesses won't locate here.
The only conceivable way to interpret what Obama actually said is that the ports of Charleston, Savannah, and Jacksonville are "along the Gulf" of Mexico. Of course, these ports are really on the Atlantic Ocean.
Bynum's AP story, as carried at the Charlotte Observer and WSAV in Savannah (but oddly not present at the AP's national site), covered up the gaffe by putting words Obama didn't say into his mouth (HTs to Twitchy.com and Twitchy founder Michelle Malkin):
Obama plugs deeper Ga., SC, Fla. harbors on Leno
During a late-night TV interview with Jay Leno, President Barack Obama slipped in a plug for three seaports in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina that are seeking federal funds to make room for larger cargo ships.
Obama used his Tuesday night appearance on NBC's "Tonight Show" to push for bipartisan cooperation in funding infrastructure improvements such as widening roads and repairing bridges. The president told Leno that U.S. ports on the East and Gulf coasts need deeper harbors to stay competitive as the Panama Canal finishes a major expansion in 2015 that will give supersized cargo ships a shortcut between the U.S. and Asia.
"If we don't deepen our ports all along the Gulf — (and in) places like Charleston, S.C., or Savannah, Ga., or Jacksonville, Fla. — if we don't do that, these ships are going to go someplace else and we'll lose jobs," Obama said.
So what was clearly a gaffe no longer appears to be a gaffe.
Malkin's reax: "The parenthetical Obama Gulf gaffe rescue would be akin to putting an "(s)" after "potatoe" to cover for Dan Quayle." Exactly.
Bynum describes himself at his Twitter account as "nobody's fool." I beg to differ.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.


text:
Donut face (side profile).
Still undecided about a style? Don't worry, you can make one up or mix & match styles from other breeds with similar coat to create a style. For example, A Yorkie can wear a Cocker style body & leg, a Westie style head, & a Poodle style foot... the choice is yours!
Basic Bath Price: $24 - 28
with Face, Feet & Tail: $32 - $36
A NaJu Bath Includes:
Shampoo and Conditioning
Brushing & Combing
10 - 15 min. Basic Shed Out
Ear Cleaning
Nail Trimming
Glands Expressed
Finishing Spray
Bow(s) or Bandana
If applicable - ear canal hair removal, & eye area, feet, belly & privates trimmed in.
Full Groom Price: $38 - 42
A NaJu Full Groom Includes:
All of the basic bath items plus clipper & scissor work to create the style of your choice which can be your pet's breed standard or a specialized custom groom.
Optional Specialty Products & Services:
Luxury & Specialty Shampoo
Luxury & Specialty Conditioner
Tooth Brushing
Nail Filing
Nail Polish
Soft Nails Application
Deep Undercoat Shed Out
Anti-Shed Spray
Coat sculpting
Hand Stripping
Topical & pill form flea treatment.
Prices listed are estimates only & may vary for each pet.
De-mat, flea products, & other specialty products & services not included in prices listed.
De-mat, flea products, & other specialty products & services not included in prices listed.


text:
Dennis Oliver
I began my radio career in July of 1976 at WBBA radio in my hometown of Pittsfield, Illinois, while also working on the farm the radio station owner had. Then I moved to Canton, Missouri in the fall of 1980 and helped start KQCA radio, where we spun records for four years. My next stop was in Quincy, Ill. and I helped start up WQCY-FM, in 1984 as Program Director. In 1992 I moved to Bick Broadcasting and started Top 40 Hits KRRY-FM (Y101) and have been here ever since!


text:
Surf report: Vinyl makes a comeback
Vinyl makes a comeback
These days, even a CD can seem so passé. Does anyone own physical media anymore?
Turntable maker Crosley says yes. The company, which dates back to 1920, sells an adorable model for $100 — a starter record player, if you will. By no means will the Cruiser please audiophiles, but it'll do for those on a budget and curious about vinyl.
When closed, the player looks like a diminutive, but otherwise ordinary, briefcase. When opened, it reveals a record player, a dial and a few switches — nothing fancy, all plastic parts. The sheer novelty of the Cruiser outsizes its price tag, but it doesn't hurt that it's compact, portable and quite a looker in black, blue, green, orange, pink and turquoise.
On the front are decent built-in speakers, while the back has ports for power, audio output and an auxiliary jack. Add to the fact that Record Store Day is around the corner (April 20), the Cruiser is the perfect excuse to collect some LPs.
Roku's new look
The little box that revolutionized how we watch TV is sporting a chubbier frame. Along with its bulgier physique, the new top-of-the-line Roku 3 ($99.99) features a beefed up processor and completely redone interface.
For the most part, the specs of the new Roku are the same as those found in its predecessor, the XS 2: vast content libraries, built-in WiFi, ethernet port, 1080p HD and motion control for games (Angry Birds on your TV!). Designed to be more user friendly, the screen surfaces more channels and content as you search for shows and movies. In addition to larger type (always helpful on a TV screen), the navigation follows a linear left-to-right progression that makes finding your way a piece of cake. The new interface comes out of the box with Roku 3, which launched last month, and will roll out automatically to older Roku devices sometime this month.
Though software is the highlight of Roku 3, my favorite update is the remote. Head on, it looks exactly the same, but one side sports volume controls, and the other a headphone jack. This means you can watch SNL as loud as you want without disturbing your early-to-bed partner.
Say goodbye to rabbit ears
Not all cord cutters are content with just a set-top box. Some events, such as sports, are better watched live.
If your set is capable of receiving digital channels, all you have to do is pick up an antenna for over-the-air programming. But I don't want rabbit ears, you whine. Don't worry, you don't have to get them.
Taking shape after its name, Mohu's Leaf Indoor HDTV Antenna is remarkably thin, modeled after a military mud flap antenna design. The multidirectional antenna can be secured to the wall with thumb tacks or even tape, and comes with a 20-foot cable for flexibility in placement (higher up, away from metal structures and closer to windows are ideal). The Leaf, which has a 35-mile range, is also reversible — black on one side and white on the other — to easily match a home's décor.
A higher end-model, Leaf Ultimate ($89.99), has even further range at 50 miles and uses a digital TV amplifier to filter radio frequencies. More isn't always better though. In my case, because I live within 3 miles of the broadcasting towers, I found clearer results with the Leaf, likely because the tower signals were overpowering the Ultimate's amplifier.
RELATED:Has streaming killed physical media yet?
RELATED:Scientifically tested headphone reviews from Reviewed.com
Headphones made for long haul
Last fall, Jabra entered the personal audio market with Solemate, its shoe-inspired Bluetooth speaker. Now, the company has fleshed out its music lineup with the introduction of three headphones: the in-ear Vox ($99), on-ear Revo ($199) and its cord-free counterpart Revo Wireless ($249).
The accompanying Jabra Sound app (iOS/Android, free) is specifically designed to enhance the audio quality for these three models. Using Dolby's Digital Plus technology, the app adds a level of richness not found in compressed music files. Though it adds detail back to songs, using a separate app to listen to music is non-ideal.
Of the group, two have won red dot design awards: Vox and Revo Wireless. The strange ergonomic shape of Vox is optimized to both enhance bass and keep the earbuds in place. Like the Revo models with their shatterproof headbands, this was built for the long haul. The cable, which integrates magnets to keep the wires organized when not in use, has been tested to withstand 15 kilograms of pull force. As a result of its elasticity, though, the cord never stay wound, immediately springing into a pile when not in its protective pouch. While the Revo Wireless' band is notable for its strength and durability, the cups have some hidden talents as well. The left one houses an NFC chip for easy pairing and the right one controls the audio with touch gestures. A tap on the center plays and pauses, double taps skip music tracks, and a circular swipe along the edge changes the volume (hence the Turntable Touch Controls moniker).
Adjusting the Aura
An easy way to spruce up a room is to add a splash of color. Leave that to Aura.
The mood lighting from Philips' LivingColor lineup can beam 16 million colors in a 120-degree angle. The cone-shaped LED lamp, which outputs 120 lumens and lasts 20,000 hours, can also dim and change colors automatically. The remote is the brains of the operation, letting you select colors with a click wheel reminiscent of the (truly) classic iPods. Pressing the top and bottom of the wheel changes the brightness, and clicking the left and right adjusts the saturation. With a few gesture-based controls, you can also enter an automatic color changing mode, which along with your favorite colors can be saved to two favorite buttons. (Note to Philips: a few more favorite buttons wouldn't hurt.) You can control up to 50 LivingColor products with one remote, but given its $90 price tag, I'll assume most homes won't have so many.
E-mail Alice Truong at email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter: @alicetruong.


text:
The Islamic Development Bank believes that improving human dignity is at the heart of any development.
The Young Professionals Program (YPP) is the strategic talent pipeline for the professional career in the IDB Group.
IDB provides an excellent platform to candidates, who wish to develop their career in Islamic financing and development banking.
At the IDB, we seek to provide an excellent working environment with the best cultural model in terms of our work.
In order to enable our vision to be the leader in fostering socio-economic development in member countries and Muslim communities in non-member countries, we are looking to hire smart, intelligent professionals who seek to make their mark within the development industry.
By joining us, you will work to achieve our mission to promote comprehensive human development, with a Focus on the priority areas of alleviating poverty, improving health, promoting education, improving governance and prospering the people.
The Mission of IDB is to promote comprehensive human development... Know more >
IDB adopts a 1440 Hijrah Vision implementation agenda that is driven by the following nine Key Strategic Thrusts:


text:
thats how i feel...lololol...and am loving it so if no man wants it then he can go burn the sea
What you need to know
* Biological indicators tell us that skinny women are less fertile than curvy ones.
* To most men, a normal BMI and waist-to-hip ratio is preferable to one that is very low.
* Skinny women usually lack qualities that men notice most - the breastt and bum.
It's been confirmed: Skinny women are more successful in their careers.
Women who are "very thin" earn nearly $22,000 more than their "average weight counterparts," according to a study in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
But if this obsession with slimming down is an outcome of women's potential financial rewards, does the same apply to their relationships with men?
As this article will reveal, most men don't feel the same way as employers. Find out why men are biologically programmed to get turned on by healthy, fit and voluptuous women.
1- Waist to hip ratio counts
Dividing the circumference of a woman's waist by the circumference of her hips will give you her waist-hip ratio, a number that's very important when it comes to determining a woman's level of attractiveness.
In Western cultures, a waist-hip ratio of 0.7 appears to be the one that men find most appealing on a woman, and research has found that it is linked to optimal levels of female reproductive hormones and a lower likelihood of a variety of diseases.
Other research has suggested that in Asia, a ratio closer to 0.6 is perceived as most attractive, while in some African and Latin-American cultures, ratios near 0.8 are preferred.
Surprisingly, a wide variety of measurements result in a low waist-hip ratio. For example, Marilyn Monroe had a lower waist-hip ratio than Gisele Bundchen. The point here is that a curvaceous body, like the classic hourglass figure, makes men salivate -- and very skinny women are less likely to have that body shape.
2- Fat equals fertility
Given that women's bodies were designed to carry a developing child over a relatively long gestational period compared to other species, women are natural fat storers.
Back when our ancestors lived in caves and food was scarce, a woman with some meat on her bones was more likely to be able to carry a child to term.
It appears, however, that it matters where the majority of a woman's fat is located on her body. More specifically, the weight a woman carries around her hips may serve as an indication as to how much fat is available to be converted into energy for fetal nourishment.
In fact, some researchers have postulated that the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids contained in hip fat are actually critical for the developing fetal brain. A certain level of healthy fat therefore sends a signal to men that a woman is a good choice as a mate.
3- A normal BMI is hot
While a woman's waist-to-hip ratio has long been touted as a measure of her physical appeal to men, recent research suggests that body mass index (BMI) may be a stronger predictor of a woman's level of attractiveness. This magic number is obtained by dividing a woman's weight by her height squared.
Obviously, a BMI that falls into a normal range is most desirable, and those values are strongly linked to a woman's overall health, as well as her reproductive potential. A woman with a BMI above 25 is considered overweight, while a BMI under 18 is indicative of being underweight.
Within the normal range, women with BMIs close to 19 have a lower mortality rate and are more fertile than very thin women, as a low BMI is associated with poorer health, eating disorders and reduced fertility due to amenorrhea.
4- Men like breastt (and bums)
In one of the least shocking discoveries of the 21st century, it turns out there's a biological reason why men love breastt. In 2004, a study published in Biological Sciences found that large breastt, particularly when combined with a small waist, were associated with higher levels of mid-cycle estradiol and progesterone in women.
Essentially, having higher levels of these hormones around ovulation means that a woman with large breastt may have an easier time conceiving. A woman with some fat on her body is therefore more appealing from a mating perspective to men. Unless they're implants, it's rare for skinny women to have large breastt. And, unfortunately, when women lose weight, one of the first places they slim down is in their chest.
Healthy not skinny
While it's clear that men want healthy-looking women, which includes pleasingly plump bums, the reality is that a lot of women are overweight, and the World Health Organization recognizes obesity as a global epidemic.
Men find women most attractive when they take care of themselves and maintain a healthy balance of muscle and fat, so if you're a woman, the take-home message is stop dieting to be rail thin and adopt sound eating habits and an active lifestyle. Then you'll be irresistible.
thats how i feel...lololol...and am loving it so if no man wants it then he can go burn the sea
I swear being thicke in this generation is recipe for heartache, ask Oprah. But then again i get it this article is not meant to be promoting nutritional health.
My view on men wanting thicke women is puerely biological as the article says even caveman wanted bodies on women. But we are way past the nature only considerations in lifestyles, we as a human race tend to set aside natyre instinct for carnal instinct(socially acceptable norms ie. The Trophy Wife).
But im not gonna be able to convince anyone cuz im a woman not a man. All we gotta do is see the reaction of the men in this village, they are afraid to say the truth n r dabbling in jokes.
all go to the same place ;all come from dust and to the dust all return. who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?
ecclesiastes 3:20-21 :-x
ehi na Yaa, asem ben no wooka yi?
Men dont pick women based on size
Its we women who want men to pick us based on appearance
We need to be honest about this thing, Q no guy wants to admit the real truth...its a health issue plain n simple. We must look at the health angle first.
Like that song says, Everyone got their taste- translate to twi
Some like obese or emaciated women.In fact there are some men who belong to the former and so actually feed these obese women what ever there is to beef them up the more so as to spike their libido. It's all about the perception of the male or the interchange of diction. If you replace the word fat/obese with eg..robust,heavy,big boned etc it surely will appeal differently to what ever audience. There was a finding published in The Journal of Sexxx Research about this a while back where some men known as "fat admirers" or FA's gave some profound reasons which protrays them as having rejected the social norms... enough of the academics.
The Pope likes 'em 36-24-36 nothing more nothing less. Equal opportunity Employer. ps: i don't care that much about the last 36 so long as you can compensate with the first 36, we're in business.
Last edited by Pope Bitterz D'Alomo; 12th January 2012 at 06:55 PM.
Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow. ~Aesop
Ignorance can be educated,drunkenness sobered,craziness medicated but there is no cure for STUPIDITY
Being thick does not necessarily mean you are fat and you will have health issues, unless we are trying to say every thick woman is prone to having health issues. Even the slim ones have more health issues than the heavy ones.
Stop Judging me by YOUR standards and way of life....MINE is different
ok the body will naturally attain its normal and suitable weight if all these negativity and brainwashing concepts are not impose on it from the mind ....
anyways being thick does not necessarily mean u are obese or have an unhealthy weight ....... if u are 6.8 and weigh 240-300 pounds u are probably at a healthy weight as compared to someone who is 5.8 at the same weight ......
u can have healthy issues at any weight ...... there are skinny people who have serious cholesterol issues like fat people ...... the important thing is that all these are general case ...... ur own body will let u kno whether it is healthy or not and u have to take care of ur body not just with actions but especially at the mental level ..... do u see ur body and just see so called imperfections or u see it in appreciation and love ...... etc ......
anyways with that said yes men are programed by media to see skinny women pleasing and attractive as compared to the shapes and sizes the female can occupy ...... some men have also transcended these shallow things ..... people are not seen as just a body and so attraction encompasses all the aspects of the woman .... mind body and soul and a union with a woman commences on a path of deep unity of all the aspects of the woman ..... etc .....
Im happy the men have shared their views on the issue. Very Proud also of the ladies for understanding matters of health.
all go to the same place ;all come from dust and to the dust all return. who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?
ecclesiastes 3:20-21 :-x
all go to the same place ;all come from dust and to the dust all return. who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?
ecclesiastes 3:20-21 :-x
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)


text:
City of Lincoln
Mayor's Office
2004 Media Releases
Mayor Coleen J. Seng today presented the Mayor's Award of Excellence for December to James Anderson, a Systems Software Integrator in the Information Services Division of the Finance Department. The monthly award recognizes City employees who consistently provide exemplary service and work that demonstrates personal commitment to the City. The award was presented at the beginning of today's City Council meeting.
Anderson was nominated in the categories of productivity, loss prevention and customer relations by Kent Morgan, Assistant Director of the City-County Planning Department; Mike Merwick, Director of the City Building and Safety Department; and Erik Hubl, Computer and Geographical Information System (GIS) Records Supervisor for the County Assessor/Register of Deeds office. Since joining the City in 1997, Anderson has primarily worked on the growth and development of the City and County GIS.
Anderson was praised for:
"While the temptation is to stress the technical accomplishments and broad-based information technology expertise of Jim, what really makes him special is how he is able to work with other staff to effectively apply his skills," wrote Morgan. Merwick wrote Anderson is able "to communicate with other people in layman terms instead of overly technical computer lingo." Hubl wrote that Anderson "has tackled every issue and challenge with calm demeanor, consistency and just the right amount of humor."
The other categories in which employees can be nominated are safety and valor. All City employees are eligible for the Mayor's Award of Excellence except for elected officials and some managers. Individuals or teams can be nominated by supervisors, peers, subordinates and the general public.
Nomination forms are available from department heads, employee bulletin boards or the Personnel Department, which oversees the awards program. All nominations are reviewed by the Mayor's Award of Excellence Committee, which includes a representative with each union and a non-union representative appointed by the Mayor. Award winners receive a $100 U.S. savings bond, a day off with pay and a plaque. Monthly winners are eligible to receive the annual award, which comes with a $500 U.S. savings bond, two days off with pay and a plaque.


text:
Get DVD Talk Feeds
Within its first few minutes, the film's story and its characters are established in the broadest of strokes. Ohyaku (Junko Miyazono) is an entertainer specializing in a high-wire act where horny men, watching from below, try to glimpse her pubic region through the open bottom of her kimono. (She most definitely is not, as the IMDb claims, a "female samurai.") She's also a grifter conning lustful men out of their money, but quick to give away her stolen loot to the poor.
She falls in with Shinkuro (Kunio Murai), a thief plotting to steal raw gold, not so much for personal gain but rather to punish bureaucrats exploiting the poor (!). Shin-san is betrayed, however, by an ambitious minor accountant and soon the evil Sengoku (Koji Nanbara) has the pair locked away in his torture chamber, where he hangs Ohyaku by the hair, nearly pealing off her scalp while dangling her precariously above a kind of hot plate. Shin-san reveals the location of the hidden gold to spare her, but is immediately beheaded as Ohyaku looks on in horror.
Sengoku exiles her to the poisonous gold mines of Sado Island, and there she encounters a bisexual tattoo artist, Omon (Yuriko Mishima), obsessed with inking Ohyaku's "perfect" skin while the condemned woman plots her escape.
Films like Female Demon Ohyaku walk their own, tightrope-thin line between empowering women protagonists who make men pay dearly for the injustices done to them and blatant misogynistic exploitation. This critic would argue that a tiny handful of these pictures, notably Female Convict Scorpion - Jailhouse 41 (1972), could genuinely be regarded as feminist (and artful) films; most, however, try to have it both ways. Here, as is often the case, while we're sympathetic to Ohyaku's plight we're also supposed to be titillated by her sexual allure even as she's being assaulted. Then again, the film is so elementary in its scripting and naively desirous to provide visceral entertainment that it's almost innocently charming.
"Pinky violence" began to emerge in the late-1960s for several reasons: a slackening of censorship restrictions, the popularity of underground "pink" films and the decline at the box office of mainstream domestic studio pictures. This being one of the earliest examples it's more restrained than most. Except for a brief glimpse at Ohyaku's behind there's only the hint of nudity here and there, though the violence is fairly graphic compared to western world films being made at the same time. The torture scenes are pretty disturbing, particularly when Ohayku's scalp begins bleeding down her forehead as she hangs helplessly above the hot plate-like torture device threatening to grill her alive.
The film was directed by Yoshihiro Ishikawa, a former assistant to Nobuo Nakagawa (who'd direct the second and third films in the series). Ishikawa had the disadvantage of being promoted to director at Shintoho just as that studio was on the verge of collapse. After disappearing from films for several years, he worked at Toei briefly in 1968 but then stopped making films again. It would seem a safe assumption that Ishikawa worked in television during the interim, then returned to that medium for the rest of his career.
Nonetheless, the picture is well-directed in spite of what was obviously a smaller-than-usual budget. The film has no major stars to speak of save for a brief, largely irrelevant guest appearance by Tomisaburo Wakayama, restrained as a sympathetic gang-leader. Toshiaki Tsushima's score is quite good; at one point it gets very avant-garde with a cue largely composed of music played in reverse, creating an odd but not inappropriate cue.
Video & Audio
Legends of the Poisonous Seductress: Female Demon Ohyaku is presented in a basically flawless 16:9 enhanced transfer. The black and white image is razor sharp and the contrast and bit-rate of this dual-layered, region free disc are superb. The optional English subtitles are very good if overly contemporary at times in their translation. The 2.0 Dolby Digital mono is likewise strong.
Extra Features
Supplements include three pages of liner notes and an audio commentary from genre expert Chris D., who puts the film into historical and cultural perspective while not saying all that much about the film itself; he writes and talks about it with a certain affection, but doesn't seem overly enthused about it, either.
Synapse cover art sleeve for the DVD is great: it's reversible with the original Japanese poster on the other side.
Finally, good looking trailers, also 16:9 enhanced, for all three films in the series are included, and are appropriately subtitled.
Parting Thoughts
Ungainly title aside, Legends of the Poisonous Seductress: Female Demon Ohyaku is an unassuming little period thriller, part chanbara, part "pinky violence" programmer. It's no masterpiece of Japanese cinema, but on its own terms is audaciously entertaining, and the top-tier transfer makes it a pleasure to watch. Recommended.
Film historian Stuart Galbraith IV's most recent essays appear in Criterion's three-disc Seven Samurai DVD and BCI Eclipse's The Quiet Duel. His audio commentary for Invasion of Astro Monster is now available.


text:
- Font:
- +
- -
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA completed its part in the construction of the International Space Station on Friday, with the final spacewalkers in the 30-year shuttle program attaching an extension boom.
"Twelve years of building and 15 countries and now it's the Parthenon in the sky and hopefully the doorstep to our future," spacewalker Gregory Chamitoff said before heading back inside. "So congratulations, everybody, on assembly complete."
Chamitoff said it was fitting for the space shuttle Endeavour to be at the space station for the end of construction, because it was there for the first assembly mission in December 1998.
Space news from NBCNews.com
Teen's space mission fueled by social media
Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: "Astronaut Abby" is at the controls of a social-media machine that is launching the 15-year-old from Minnesota to Kazakhstan this month for the liftoff of the International Space Station's next crew.
- Buzz Aldrin's vision for journey to Mars
- Giant black hole may be cooking up meals
- Watch a 'ring of fire' solar eclipse online
- Teen's space mission fueled by social media
It was the fourth spacewalk in a week for the Endeavour astronauts, who are headed back to Earth in just a few days to end NASA's next-to-last shuttle flight. One last flight in July will bring up supplies.
NASA managers on Friday afternoon gave Endeavour the all-clear for an early Wednesday landing. A final review of 3-D images showed the shuttle's delicate heat shield wasn't damaged.
No other significant U.S. components are due to fly to the space station, which still has a decade of life ahead. That was the job of the space shuttles — to haul up the big building blocks as well as loads of smaller items — and now they're retiring. The last room — a storage closet — was attached earlier this year.
While NASA's role in space station construction is over, the Russian Space Agency plans to add at least one more chamber in another year or two, a job that will require multiple spacewalks. The Russians also will continue to provide rides to and from the orbiting lab for U.S. astronauts until private companies in America are able to take over the job.
Chamitoff and his spacewalking partner, Mike Fincke, teamed up with robot arm operator Gregory Johnson to add one last finishing touch.
"Assembly complete. Amazing," Chamitoff said once the 50-foot (15-meter) boom was latched securely in place. "Boy, this is a big space station," he marveled several minutes later.
With its solar panels, the station spans a football field.
Later, flight director Derek Hassmann noted there's still a lot of work ahead to operate the outpost and keep it staffed. The station can accommodate six full-time residents; their main task is to conduct scientific experiments and help researchers understand what is needed for longer expeditions, such as going to Mars.
This was the 164th spacewalk by shuttle astronauts; the first was performed back in 1983. The bulk — 110 — were for the space station, and 23 involved the Hubble Space Telescope.
All future spacewalks will be performed by station residents.
Another milestone was achieved Friday: 1,000 hours of spacewalking at the orbiting outpost.
Before Friday morning, astronauts had logged 995 hours outside for assembly and maintenance. Fincke and Chamitoff hit the 1,000-hour mark five hours into their 7 1/2-hour spacewalk, the 159th by all countries to build the station and keep it humming.
The boom, which Endeavour's crew had used to survey their ship for damage, will remain permanently at the space station and assist with future repairs, especially in hard-to-reach areas. The station's 58-foot (18-meter) robot arm would stretch 108 feet (323 meters) with the boom.
Endeavour also delivered a $2 billion particle physics detector that was placed on the station last week.
Endeavour, docked at the space station through this weekend, is making its last flight before being retired to a museum in California. Atlantis will close out the shuttle program in July.
"Beautiful Endeavour," Fincke called out as the spacewalk got under way. "She's a great ship."
"Looks like she belongs right there," Chamitoff agreed.
The spacewalkers also savored the views 220 miles (354 kilometers) below.
"Most beautiful planet in the solar system — wow," Fincke said.
Late Friday night, Fincke surpassed the U.S. record of 377 days in space. He spent six months at the space station — twice. This is his first shuttle trip; he previously rode Russian Soyuz rockets into orbit.
Endeavour and its crew of six will leave the space station late Sunday night. Landing is set for the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday during a rare touchdown in darkness.
© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Opening/Closing Sessions
Opening Session
Saturday, June 28
5:30 - 7:00 pm
Anaheim Convention Center Arena
Armed with perspective from over two decades of reporting the news and interviewing newsmakers, Ron Reagan provides audiences with insight into political, social and health care questions of the day. Engaging and charming with a disarming style, yet unafraid of asking the tough questions and debating the conclusions, Ron Reagan is an impassioned, informed and gifted speaker on today's much-debated topics. An eyewitness to the corridors of power, Reagan has the experience to know how and why the political game is played, and brings his sharp analysis to reviewing the 2008 presidential election. Ron Reagan is an insider on the outside, and an outsider who is on the inside.
He has successfully taken his unique perspective to television and radio audiences and made people think out of the boxMost recently he brought the Seattle KIRO AM radio audience to attention. He had his own midday show and it was a mix of local, national and international issues covering everything under the sun.
This political season he has been busy as a frequent guest on Larry King Live on CNN and for Air America Radio.For MSNBC Ron co-hosted a daily show called Connected: Coast to Coast where they debated the issues of the day along with nationally known guests.
Since his father's death from Alzheimer's in 2004, Reagan has been speaking out on the subject of stem cell research, and advocates increased research and federal funding. He spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention on the issue. He has made a number of appearances on the lecture circuit.
The new millennium brought Ron Reagan, a complete skeptic about the Internet, to host a new webcast called Publishers Weekly Minutes. It was a joint venture between AENTV and Publishers Weekly Magazine. The daily five-minute online streaming video program brought a worldwide Internet audience up-to-the-minute information about new book releases, reviews and interviews with best selling authors.
Reagan is an active member of the Creative Coalition a first rights amendment group. He wrote the forward and edited a book for them entitled, If You Had Five Minutes With The President. He has moderated panels and participated in a campaign finance reform symposium.
Closing Session featuring Diahann Carroll
Tuesday, July 1
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Anaheim Convention Center
Diahann Carroll is the consummate entertainer. So varied and dynamic are her gifts that she continually astounds fans and critics alike with her versatility and magnetism. She is one of America's major performing talents appearing in nightclubs, the Broadway stage, a Las Vegas headliner, in motion pictures and television. Diahann Carroll is a Tony Award winner, an Emmy and Grammy nominee, a Golden Globe winner and a Best Actress Oscar nominee.
In April 2006, she debuted her new cabaret show at Feinstein's, New York's prime venue, to sellout audiences receiving overwhelming reviews. Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote, "Diahann Carroll is historic. Experience it while you can. Her opening number, "Come Rain or Come Shine" erupts out of her like an emotional volcano. From here on, the lava never stops flowing. The forceful dramatic immediacy of her performance of "As if We Never Said Goodbye", is second to none. Throughout the show Ms. Carroll demonstrates her A-to-Z range as a singing actress. A rip-roaring version of the Sophie Tucker showstopper "Some of These Days" is matched in commitment by its quiet opposite, the break-up song "Where Do I Start?". The New York Post said "Looking impossibly beautiful for her 70 years, and dressed and coiffed in a manner that would make Norma Desmond (whom she played "Sunset Boulevard") proud, she delivers in a strong voice remarkably unaffected by age, a well-chosen mixture of standards, pop ballads and songs associated with her stage career".
Her television nominations go back to 1963, and in 1968 Diahann Carroll become the first black actress in television history to star in her own series, "Julia" for NBC, which soared to the top of the Nielsen ratings and received an Emmy nomination in its first year on the air. In 1989 she was nominated for an Emmy Award for the successful NBC-TV series, "A Different World", as outstanding actress in a comedy series. In 1984 Diahann Carroll become the first black actress to star in the award-winning night-time series "Dynasty", which is still in syndication around the world. She had a recurring role in Showtime's hit series "Soul Food", playing the outspoken 'Aunt Ruthie', for which she was nominated twice for a NAACP Image Award. She guest starred in Lifetime TV's "Strong Medicine" and in NBC-TV's "WHOOPI", playing Whoopi Goldberg's mother. In 2004 she starred on stage in the musical "Bubbling Brown Sugar" receiving critical acclaim.
Most recently, she has appeared on ABC-TV's "Grey's Anatomy" as the outspoken Jane Burke. In October of 1995 she starred on stage as 'Norma Desmond' in the Toronto premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical "Sunset Boulevard", staged by director Trevor Nunn and the show's entire original creative team. Hailed by the press as "the ultimate Norma Desmond", Diahann Carroll played to sellout crowds and her Canadian cast recording outsold all other recordings of the show. Diahann made her Broadway stage debut starring in Harold Arlen and Truman Capote's "House of Flowers" and after seeing her in this production, Richard Rodgers created the Broadway production "No Strings" as a starring vehicle for Miss Carroll, for which she won the Tony Award. She also starred on Broadway in the award-winning play "Agnes of God". Her film work includes "Claudine", for which she received a 1974 Best Actress Academy Award nomination, "Carmen Jones", "Paris Blues", "Porgy & Bess", "Hurry Sundown", "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" and "Eve's Bayou". She is an award-winning actress, a successful entrepreneur, a devoted humanitarian ... indeed Diahann Carroll is a legend.
Her new book is The Legs Are the Last to Go: Aging, Acting, Marrying, Mothering, and Other Things I Learned Along the Way. In the tradition of recent memoirs from Lauren Bacall, Alan Alda, Bob Newhart, and Sidney Poitier-an Entertainment Legend comes clean on what it's like to be a path breaker, a diva, "television's first black bitch," and an aging star in Tinseltown.
Sponsored by HarperCollins Publishers.


text:
A public memorial (#BFDmemorial) service for fallen Bryan Fire Department members Lt. Greg Pickard and Lt. Eric Wallace will be held Wednesday, February 20, at 10:00 a.m. at Central Baptist Church, 1991 Farm to Market Road 158, College Station, Texas.
Representatives and honor guards of fire departments from across the state are expected to participate in the proceedings.
The general public is asked to park at Veterans Park, 3101 Harvey Road, College Station, Texas 77845. From there, buses will transport the public to and from the church. Shuttle buses will run from 8:00 a.m. until 9:45 a.m. and will return to the parking area after the memorial service is concluded.
Boonville Road/FM 158 will be closed from Pendleton Drive to Elmo Weedon Road from 5:00 a.m. until after the memorial service is completed. The intersection of FM 60 (University Drive) and Boonville Road/FM 158 will be closed during the same time frame.
To view the program for the memorial service, click here.


text:
Trusler is a Melbourne freelance artist and a zoological science graduate from Monash University, Clayton. He holds a special interest in natural history and was a foundation member of the Wildlife Art Society of Australasia . From the publication of his paintings in Kloot and McCulloch's " Birds of Australian Gardens " in 1980; Trusler's work has been highly regarded internationally. His illustrations have featured in numerous popular and scientific publications in fields as diverse as geology, palaeontology, anatomy, ornithology, ecology, psychology and related educational subjects. Trusler was awarded the Lanzendorf Scientific Illustration prize in 2001 and enjoys the challenge of working directly with the scientific community to illustrate and promote new research. His passion for various forms of realism has enabled him to explore such a diversity of subjects and regardless of whether a work is a landscape, portrait or paleo subject, his paintings communicate with an intense personal resonance.
Three-Dimensional Art — Gary Staab
Gary Staab produces natural history and prehistoric life models for museums, publishing and film. Staab's work demonstrates a passion for natural forms both past and present. His sculptures and models can be seen are displayed in the halls of the Smithsonian, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the American Museum of Natural History, and many others.
He began his first museum exhibit experience for the Hastings Museum of Natural History in Nebraska back in 1986. Since then he has made hundreds of models, ranging in size from an enlarged flea model to life-size dinosaurs. Staab has been a member of SVP since 1995. He is actively engaged in anatomical dissection and dialog with scientists to aid in the restoration of prehistoric life forms.
Thanks goes to John J. Lanzendorf for sponsoring the paleoart award and my wife Lissi who supports my obsessive interest in all things prehistoric.
As a youngster Pat Ortega often visited zoos and museums, where she enjoyed drawing what she saw. One of her favorites was Hancock Park , with its bubbling tar and old observation pit. But it was at the Natural History Museum that Pat had the opportunity to view dioramas of modern wildlife and the bones of ancient beasts, as well as their reconstructions through the art of Charles R. Knight and others. It was Pat's discovery of the Knight book 'Life through the ages," which provided a template for her future work.
Already an accomplished young artist, Pat developed a real sense for anatomy and a knack for putting flesh on the bone. For many years Ms. Ortega was known as the "Monster Girl," for her many Fantasy and Science Fiction inspired illustrations. Pat's creations were so unique and seemed to be alive, because her creatures were "born", built up, from the bones up. As her techniques became more refined, Pat worked her way back to Wildlife, Dinosaurs, and Prehistoric Mammals.
Pat Ortega's attention to detail and quiet nature have developed her into an award winning illustrator, who's artworks grace the pages of more than sixty books and publications. In recent years, Pat's reputation has earned the opportunity to be a research associate at the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries, where she has contributed her designs to many of their projects.
Ortega lives in Los Angeles , and can often be found drawing at the museum.
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology is a non-profit organization dedicated to professional vertebrate paleontology. Please view our policy page here. Please view the sitemap here.


text:
With some universities now charging £9000 per year tuition fees – and plenty of other costs to consider – students should look for good value as well as academic excellence. We count down 10 of the best.
10. University
of Birmingham
Birmingham may charge the full £9000 per annum, but its high league table
placement and relatively low average rent per week mean it makes the top 10
best-value universities.
Academic league table ranking 2013: 23rd
Average rent per week: £59.37
Tuition fees: £9,000
Read more about Britain's best value universities
The Student Value for Money Report 2012 considered the academic league table standings of 117 universities as well as the tuition fees they charge and the local average rental prices to calculate an overall score indicating the value for money studying at each institution provides.Picture: Alamy


text:
Since 1955, this 1911 structure has been home to Brad Best Realty. Before the real estate office occupied the space, this building served as Redmond's first bank. A 1928 addition on the west side housed Redmond's first automatic telephone company.
The Redmond State Bank, was the first bank on the Eastside of Lake Washington, (it predated Kirkland and is actually the parent bank of Kirkland State Bank in my interview with C.A. Shinstrom's son) was constructed in 1911 and made of red brick; and remains as it did when it was constructed. It is also the only building to existing on the lot – a unique character in a thriving city.
Founded by Charles A. Shinstrom, the bank is said to have had very hard working bankers, and loyal and honest customers. Ole Skjarstad, owner of the first boot and shoe repair in Redmond was the first depositor. When the bank opened, the concept of depositing money was not very popular with the older farmers in the area. Charles Shinstrom went by foot, bicycle, and row boat throughout the area to encourage people to deposit their money in the bank. (Again from my interview with C.A. Shinstrom's son who told me all about the founding of the bank by his father) Customers were also considered loyal because after having lost or damaged loan notes, honest customers paid what they knew they owed, and the bank did not lose money. After operating as a bank for nearly 50 years there had only been one robbery.
The bank was in business until 1955, when the building was bought by its current owner Brad Best Reality.


text:
The Belgian Federal Government Debt amounted to EUR 400.017 billion as of 30 June 2019.
Debt issued or taken over by the federal government amounted to EUR 399.80 billion, and the institutions for which the federal government supports the debt service, registered a debt of EUR 0.22 billion.
In net terms (i.e. deducting financial deposits and investments, as well as securities owned by the Treasury), the Federal Government Debt amounted to EUR 385.73 billion.
Belgian Debt Agency
Avenue des Arts 30
1040 Brussels
+32 257 47082


text:
Game 107: New York at Toronto
His image still graces a large panel of windows on the south side of Rogers Centre. And, why not? The Blue Jays are still on the hook to pay the rest of the roughly $15 million that B.J. Ryan is owed through next season.
Since the spring, Ryan struggled with his pitch velocity and his pitch command. He dropped out of the World Baseball Classic over concerns with his mechanics. He lost his closer's role due to his persistent problems.
At the beginning of July, Ryan was issuing walks at an increasingly alarming rate and he told the media he felt his sporadic use played a role in his inconsistent results. A few days later, the Blue Jays released Ryan.
All this after the man saved 38 games and had a 1.37 ERA just three years earlier.
Ryan quickly found a job with the Cubs, who took him on with a Minor League contract hoping to revive his career and have a veteran left-handed option in the process. In five games with Triple-A Iowa, Ryan walked five batters in 5 2/3 innings.
On Wednesday, Chicago released Ryan. The reason?
FLAT-LINING? After the Blue Jays' 5-3 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday, Roy Halladay was asked what the team's goal should be over the final two months. His response: "Win. That's the reason you're here. I don't think at any point you can pack it in and work on things. You have to come out every day to try and win. That's what it comes down to."
On Wednesday, Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston was subsequently asked if he feels his team may be going a little flat, considering its place in the standings. Gaston didn't believe that to be the case.
"I dont think so," Gaston said. "I think last night, I think the guys put up a pretty good battle in the end, trying to come back and tie the ballgame or win the ballgame for Doc. So, I don't feel that. If I do, I think I'd have to have a couple meetings…"
Gaston then smiled and turned to radio man Jerry Howarth, who was seated next to him on the bench in the dugout.
"…and invite Jerry in and throw him around the room a little bit," Gaston joked. "Show them what I'd do to them."
Gaston did say that the very end of the season can be tough for players who are not on contending teams.
"I think the toughest time is the last week of the season for guys, if you're not in the running. Even if you're trying to stay out of last place, a lot of guys are starting to think about going home — no matter what you do or try to say."
ON MITRE: I'm not to the stage of my baseball writing career where I can say, "Way back when…" too often. Today, though, seeing Sergio Mitre starting for the Yankees brings back some memories of my days with the Lansing State Journal. I covered the Class A Lansing Lugnuts in '04 (Cubs) and '05 (Jays). In the spring of 2004, I convinced the paper to get me credentials to the Cubs spring training in order to write some features on a few former Lugnut players. Mitre was one player I wrote about — one of the first baseball stories of my career. Click here to read the article (or, to see the web site I designed and created while at Michigan State to serve as my active resume. Man, I should probably update that site!).
Today's lineups:
First place AL East, — GB
1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Johnny Damon, LF
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B
4. Alex Rodriguez, DH
5. Nick Swisher, RF
6. Robinson Cano, 2B
7. Melky Cabrera, CF
8. Jerry Hairston Jr., 3B
9. Jose Molina, C
Starter: RHP Sergio Mitre (1-0, 7.90)
Fourth place AL East, 13.0 GB
1. Marco Scutaro, SS
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Adam Lind, DH
4. Lyle Overbay, 1B
5. Vernon Wells, CF
6. Alex Rios, RF
7. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B
8. Rod Barajas, C
9. Joe Inglett, LF
Starter: LHP Marc Rzepczynski (1-2, 3.25)
Don't forget, you can follow me on Twitter: @MLBastian
23 Comments
A decent outing from Rzepczynski, but one that also should give Cito/Arnsberg a huge warning sign, and I'm sure it did..
Although, he was only at 93 pitches, it was his 121st inning if the year and imo, he's starting to run out of steam. Cito knew it too, after the game, you can tell from watching his press conference.
We can't expect these young arms to go as far as Halladay or a veteran pitcher, particularly when they go against a power packed lineup line the Yanks.
It's going to be a stretch to get all these kids to September when others can be called up. I just hope none of them get injured in the meantime.
The other one who worries me is Tallet, who's now thrown more innings than he has in any two years combined in his career. It might be, we should put him on the shelf for the rest of the year and call up someone to replace him.
Well, there's good news and bad news on Purcey's start tonight in Vegas. Good news is he only gave up 4 hits, while walking 4.
The bad news, is it all happened in the first inning and he gave up 5 runs, and was yanked after the first.
Snider went 1 for 4 with a double, Dopirak went 1 for 4 with a single and Arencibia hit his 12 home run of the year.
You had me excited on Purcey for a second there … good flip. I'm liking what I see from Rzepcynski too, but he definately couldn't go 7 in that game. Looked like Roenicke got a little bit rattled after that bloop hit by Matsui that Inglett played terribly.
The good news for the young pitchers is that they get a lot of days off in August, so they should be able to stretch it out until September callup time. Cito has said that he is aware of the problem and might have to go to a six man rotation. And you don't get to pitch 200+ innings a year by not pitching. You have to go as far as you can for as long as you can in order to strengthen your arm. In the Japanese leagues, it is not uncommon for young pitchers to throw 160+ pitches per game, and they don't have any more or less injuries than North American pitchers do. What it comes down to is mechanics, and developing a repeatable delivery that doesn't hurt your arm, and then repeating it enough times that you can repeat it even when you are at the end of your rope.
Does anybody know what happened to Michael Barrett? The last I heard, he was optioned to Las Vegas to continue his rehab, but I can't find him on the roster of any of our minor league clubs.
Looking at the 40-man… Mills will probably make a couple starts in September (provided he is healthy) because the clock has already been started. Also possible Perez might make a couple starts because it wouldn't start the clock on him but I would say that isn't really a lock; probably a long shot. Marcum might be back to fill in for a couple starts. Wouldn't mind seeing Marcum make a couple starts if he is healthy so he can go to spring training next year not worrying about the injury.
Barrett is still on a rehab assignment. The fact he is not playing or on the AAA roster probably means he had a set back and got shut down.
I'm interested why Zach Stewart is being used as a reliever especially if that is not the long-term plan.
Barret has definitely been shut down, he's on the Jays 15 day DL. Pretty sure the reason Stewart is being used as a reliever versus a starter is innings limitations. I seem to remember reading that on one of the Cinnci sites.
I think the hold up is that Barrett hurt his shoulder and ribs but they didn't know how bad the ribs were at first. They thought it was just bruising but I think it ended up being microfractures. I seem to remember something like that…
Sounds like Barrett's done for the year. Interesting tidbit on Arrencibia. He now leads AAA in home runs (12) by a catcher and there's only 2 catchers ahead of him in ops, both of which are from much cooler places to play.
It might be Arrencibia is doing much better than his BA/OBP shows. He's catching virtually every game and most of the time, game time temperature is over 105. That has to have impact, I'm not sure I could even walk in that temperature, never mind catch a ball game every day wearing that equipment.
I hope he gets called up in September and gets time here with Cito/Tennace. My take is they could get him over any rough edges he still has faster than anyone else and possibly get him ready for 2010.
It would be great to see Arencibia here in 2010, but it would also be great if they could re-sign Barahas and Chavez, or at least one of them.
Hopefully Arencibia can step up next year. As GS has said he is hitting the ball better lately, I doubt he can be much worse next year than Rod has been this year (numbers wise). I'm all out of excitement for this team, i'm looking forward to September callups most notably, Snider, Marcum, Arencibia and Dropirak (should he come up)
Marcum might be back sooner from what I hear though =D, Also forgot to include any Romero/Halladay start.
Actually, I'm a bit concerned about Marcum. His last rehab start was on July 26th and he only went two innings and hasn't pitched since, in what is now 11 days. There's something wrong with that timing. I just hope he's ok and they didn't try to rush him back too soon and injure him again.
And as usual, Jays club office is mum-not a dickie boo about what's going on with him.
The last I heard of Marcum, he had joined the club on their West coast swing to get some treatment for some back spasms. It didn't sound major, but they likely backed him off onto a throwing program again. I doubt they are rushing him back, gs. It's not like they are in a playoff race or anything.
It looks as if BJ is really finished. At least he seems to think so. I look at it 2 ways: First, when he came back from Tommy John, he was a LOT slimmer than the Man Mountain of 2006 dominance. Maybe without chemical enhancement, there is not a lot left to give. The flip side is that the Jays still owe him $10 mil for next year. Why not see if he would spend some time in Dunedin, get him the best medical testing, physiotherapy, and coaching there is, start from square one, and see if there really is nothing left in the pot. After all, a few thousand more won't make much difference compared to $10 mil.
Well, I don't feel so bad about how the Yanks treated us after they hammered Boston tonight 13-6, including 8 runs in the 4th inning. Looks like that John Smoltz experiment isn't working out all that well for the Bosox.
I listened to the Vegas/Omaha game last night. So everyone knows all their games are broadcast over internet radio which can be located under the multimedia button on the Vegas web site. The announcers are very knowledgeable and provide good insight on some of our guys. Jamie Campbell should listen and pick up some good broadcast points from these guys.
A few interesting things from the announcers. First, Fabio Castro's fastball appears to range from 88 to 90 mph (on the Omaha gun anyway) and he has a wicked breaking ball, but he survives on good control and changing speeds.
Second, Arrencibia hit 2 balls last night that could have been double and home run but got robbed on both. One was a dead center-"line drive smash" that was caught but the cf who leaped and took away a home run at the wall at 405 feet. The second was another "line drive smash" that was hit so hard, the center fielder tripped, fell down while running backwards and caught the ball lying on his back at 395 feet. The "line drive smash" was the announcers description, by the way.
The announcers went on to say Arrencibia has hammered the ball hard all series, (and every time, it could have been over the fence with more elevation,) but right at someone each time and has nothing to show for it.
In one of the late innings, a Omaha runner on first got a huge lead off of Fabio and went for 2nd base. Arrencibia made the throw to 2nd base "on his knees" and although the runner got a huge jump, made the play close because of how he threw the ball.
Again, sometimes stats can be misleading. I can not remember if we've ever had a catcher here throw to 2nd base while still on his knees. Gotta like that.
'Many teams are believed to have struck deals with their top picks. So why haven't we heard about them? Teams will announce over-slot deals at the last minute so it seems like they're respecting the commissioner's recommended bonuses.'
So the commissioner is essentially screwing young players from getting started this year? He should be focused on fixing the entry level system not band-aid solutions.
Hopeful, we've struck deals as well. The nonsense of this, though is these kids will all lose one year of development. Smart commissioner.
Talking about draftees, we have two kids in Auburn SS that are off to a great start. Ryan M Goins, a short stop, drafted in the 4th round (7th player picked) and Sean P Ochinko, a catcher, drafted in the 11th round.
Goins: .373/.417/.478 for an ops of .894
Ochinko: .330/.385/.553 for an ops of .938
Ochniko has 12 doubles and 3 home runs and no errors in 28 games, not too shabby.
Rios has been claimed on waivers…
Personally, it wouldn't take THAT much for me to trade him with the claiming team. Probably wouldn't give him away for free though.
Too bad it isn't Wells. Any idea who claimed him.
Speculation is that it is one of Boston, Chicago, or the Giants. I have no doubt that Rios will turn things around on whatever team he goes to. However, I am also convinced that he will not do it with Toronto. His attitude alone should be enough of a cause for JP to try and work something out with whoever claimed him. A couple of decent arms at AA should do the trick.


text:
Who are we?
Meeting Place Communications (MPC) is a communications agency working with clients across a range of sectors, including residential, retail and energy, as well as landowners and universities. We work with clients to actively engage with local communities, stakeholders, politicians and the media.
We are collecting your data on behalf of Standard Life Investments, reviewing and storing it. We want to tell you what information we will be keeping about you, why we keep this information, how long we will keep it and what we will use it for – with your consent.
We are working with Standard Life Investments on Suttons Business Park.
Your information
The information we collect is what you choose to provide to us. This can include:
- Your name
- Your address
- Your telephone number
- Your email address
- Social media handles
- Your feedback and comments
- Any additional information you choose to provide
How information about you will be used
MPC complies with its obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by keeping your personal data up to date, by storing and destroying it securely, by not collecting or retaining excessive amounts of data; by protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorized access and disclosure and by ensuring appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data.
We do this by:
- Storing your data on a secure database which can only be accessed by appropriately trained staff.
- Only sharing your data with Standard Life Investments
- Keeping your personal data for no longer than reasonably necessary and only retaining your data for the period of the planning and post consent process.
- Removing your personal data from our database and erasing it from our records once the planning process has been completed.
Will anyone else get to see your information?
If you have provided feedback at a public consultation, this response may be reproduced, either in summary or verbatim, in a document for Wokingham Borough Council, which will set out details of the community consultation that has been undertaken. However, these responses will be anonymized, so that personal details will never be provided in conjunction with feedback responses.
MPC will not pass on your personal data to third parties without first obtaining your consent.
When will we contact you?
- The personal details you provide us may be used to keep you updated about the proposals discussed at our consultation event. We may do this by letter, telephone or email.
- We may contact you regarding any feedback that you have provided about the proposals at the consultation event.
What rights do you have over the information we hold on you?
At any point while we are in possession of your information you have the right to:
- Request a copy of the information we hold on you.
- Rectify any information which we may hold which is incorrect or inaccurate.
- Ask for the information we hold about you to be erased from our records.
- Where certain conditions apply, you have the right to limit the type of information we are processing about you.
- You have the right to object to certain types of processing such as direct marketing.
- In the event that MPC refuses your request to access the information we hold on you, we will provide you with a reason as to why.
If your data is to be used for something other than what we have already covered here.
If we wish to use your personal data for a new purpose, not covered by this Privacy Notice, then we will provide you with a new notice explaining this and how to opt in. This could include marketing information about the new homes, or contact post planning, during construction.
What is the legal basis for processing your personal information?
For the processing of your information to be lawful under GDPR, MPC will be seeking your consent to use your data via a tick box opt in consent form.
What if you change your mind about the consent you have given?
You have the right to change your mind at any time about the consent you have given MPC.


text:
In many ways our name says it all. In a business environment which is constantly changing, Diversified Communications provides opportunities for companies to stay connected to their existing customers and establish contact with new ones through exciting brand experiences.
Diversified Communications has the power to create strong connections between consumers and brands and business, educating and strengthening business communities.
As a market leader, we are uniquely positioned to operate at the forefront of the industries we serve enabling us to create world class events. We believe in the innate power of the face to face business connection, where initial eye contact and a handshake can form the basis of a lasting relationship.


text:
Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum
Teacher professional development and classroom resources across the curriculum
Explore a Classroom
In this section, you will explore a literacy-rich environment and related classroom routines.
Decisions teachers make regarding their classroom environment and daily routines have consequences on children's motivation to read and their time to read. A well-organized classroom supported by purposeful reading routines, help children develop their literacy skills.
The interactive activity: Explore a Classroom, illustrates effective use of classroom space and related routines. A non-interactive version of this activity is available as a PDF document.
Think about Dr. Paratore's statement and the passage from Extend Your Knowledge. Draw upon the interactive activity and consider the following questions:
© 2003 WGBH Educational Foundation. All rights reserved.
© Annenberg Foundation 2017. All rights reserved. Legal Policy


text:
R&C Attends The Premiere Of A Hot Rod Movie
The list of hot rod movies is quite a short one, especially those that are watchable, if you know what we mean. American Graffiti, Two-Lane Blacktop, and the made-for-TV Hot Rod all spring to mind. And while there are other cool, car-oriented films, such as Vanishing Point and Mad Max, they're not really hot rod movies, per se. Well, now there's another to add to the former list.
Deuce of Spades is exceptional in that not only is it a full-length movie with the plot based around a '32 roadster and the love story that is unearthed by its new owner after half a century, but because it was written and produced by a woman with a total lack of experience in the movie world. Faith Granger overcame all obstacles and brought her dream project to fruition, then organized a world premiere showing of the finished movie in the vintage Towne Theater in Fillmore, California, just north of Los Angeles. Built in 1916 and said to be one of the oldest, continuously running cinemas in the country, the location was fitting, as much of the movie was shot in the surrounding area.
As the theater only seats 300, Granger organized two screenings, with lunch on board the old train that features in the movie before each showing, located at the Fillmore & Western Railway Company station a few hundred yards from the theater. The center of Fillmore was closed off to traffic for the day, bands played in the town square, renowned hot rod artist Tom Fritz-who was responsible for the movie promotion artwork-was on hand with a display of his oil paintings in a town center gallery, and in addition to all the cars that appear in the movie being present, two streets were filled with rods and customs, providing a fitting backdrop to the movie premiere.
Bill Hines and Gene Winfield both had cameo roles and were present on that day, and though the remainder of the cast were unknown actors and actresses, we have a feeling some won't be for long! The locations, costumes, and cars (ignoring a couple of minor period-correctness issues, such as disc brakes on the '34 roadster) in the movie were fantastic, and while the plot revolves around the '32 today and its owner's racing exploits in the past, thanks to flashback sequences (or more precisely, flash-forward sequences as some 65 percent of the movie is set in the past), it's more than just a car movie, the '32 being merely a vehicle, if you'll excuse the pun, to carry the main human interest story line along. Check it out at www.deuceofspadesmovie.com, or rent it through Netflix.