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Covering the Bases: Game 11
FIRST: I don't mean to continually point out the slump of Blue Jays first baseman Lyle Overbay, but…
… well, it's hard not to do right now.
Overbay has been mired in an ugly stretch at the plate and Friday's 7-5 loss was no exception. For Overbay, things reached a nasty peak in the eighth inning.
Two outs. One on. Toronto trailing by two runs. Overbay works into a 3-2 count. Then… a weak swing for a strikeout. He looked completely fooled.
I have to give Overbay credit, though. I hung around to talk with him after the game and Overbay did not offer up any sort of excuse for his recent performance.
"Nothing's going right. "I feel good in the cage. I feel good in [batting practice]. Then I get in the game and I'm swinging at bad pitches. I'm not seeing them. I'm taking the ones I'm supposed to be hitting. I'm just not getting the job done.
"I'm just not getting the job done," he repeated. "That's all there is. And that's 100 percent my fault."
As things currently stand, Overbay is in an 0-for-15 skid in the batter's box and he is 3-for-42 on the season. Six strikeouts in his last nine at-bats. With a lefty (Joe Saunders) on the hill tomorrow, it might be deemed an opportune time for Overbay to take a seat and "clear his head," as some managers like to phrase it.
Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston does not buy into that.
"People say that," Gaston said. "But I don't find that does anybody any good. I've never believed in that. Some guys use that as an excuse to take a guy out of the lineup, but I don't believe in that. I just think that you've got to keep battling.
"You go in a slump quick, you come out of one quick."
SECOND: Also from the No Excuses Dept., Travis Snider was not about to make one for the line drive that sailed over his head in the eighth inning. Snider, playing right for the first time this season, took a few quick steps in, costing him a chance to catch the hard liner off the bat of Maicer Izturis.
Two runs scored. Jays lost by two runs. Live and learn.
"I misread it," Snider said. "I broke in and the ball went over my head and I wasn't able to make up for the couple steps that I took in and unfortunately it ends up being the one that cost us the game. It's not something that shouldn't have been caught.
"I just have to work harder."
THIRD: One could also point to a turn of events in the seventh inning as a big contributor to the Jays' latest loss. Adam Lind and Vernon Wells each singled, putting runners on first and second base with no outs. At this turn in the game, the Blue Jays were trailing the Angels, 4-1. It looked like a rally was in the making.
Then, a ball skipped away from Halos catcher Jeff Mathis and Lind broke for third base. Unfortunately for the Jays, the ball didn't get far enough away from the catcher. Mathis retrieved it, fired to third and easily threw out Lind. Not sure I can fault Lind for making a break for it, though. It was a tough call.
As it turned out, though, Overbay flew out and John Buck grounded out to end the inning.
HOME: The Blue Jays struck out nine times on Friday night, giving them a Major League-leading 99 strikeouts on offense through 11 games. Asked about that early trend prior to the contest, Gaston said that is simply a product of the type of offense that Toronto has assembled this season — a power-based lineup.
"This is a team that probably has seven guys or so that can really hit home runs," said Gaston, hammering home the message he's given since early spring. "These are the kind of results you're going to have. I'd rather see a guy take a good swing than take a half swing and pop it up or a check-swing strikeout."
Fair enough…
Also, I will be away from the ballpark on Saturday and Sunday, so you're just going to have to survive without Blue Jays blogging or tweeting until Monday. Somehow, I think the world will keep turning. Catch you from the 'yard on Monday…
8 Comments
Overbay got a hit!!!
Overbay got a hit!!!!
There is some really good news tonight….Henderson Alvarez made another outstanding start today in Dunedin, going 7 innings like his first start, gave up 5 hits,0 bb's,3k's and 8go-4fo, 1 earned run. His year totals of 2 games are now 14 innings, 7 hits, 2 bb's, 6k's, 1 earned run so his era is .64 and his whip is an unbelievable .64 as well…He sure looks like he's coming fast. I'd expect a few more starts like this and we could see him bumped up to AA.
Also from Dunedin, this Travis D'Arnaud guy just doesn't cool off, he's on an outstanding gaudy roll. After another 2 for 5 night, his year numbers over 9 games is .425/.442/.775, with 3 doubles, 3 hr.'s and 10 rbi's.
He's hitting .500/.500/.667 with risp…He's also made no errors in 9 games. He virtually leads or is in the top 2-3 of every hitting category in the fsl.
In New Hampshire, both Daniel Farquhar and tiny Tim Collins are off to good start. Farquhar hasn't given up a hit yet in 3 outings and Collins has given up 1. Collins has struck out an amazing 9 guys in 4.2 innings.
Also from New Hampshire, it looks like Brad Emaus is starting differently than he did last year and is hitting .375/.500/.583 with 1 hr, 2 doubles and 8 rbi's over 7 games mostly playing 3rd base…He's also made no errors, so if he keeps this up, we might actually have a 3rd base prospect. It will be interesting to see how long it takes before he's bumped to AAA. With that obp, he might end up being a good 2nd hole hitter.
Thanks GSgays
I love the minor league updates that you make, its nice to see the jays prospects coming around. I will admit I was very skeptical of D'Arnaud, thinking that he was a useless piece of the Doc trade but he is proving me wrong and hopefully he continues to do so.
Itd be nice to see JP and D'arnaud duke it out for the Catcher spot.
Who else was mad that Gaston is once again taking atbats away from snider to give to Ruiz instead of taking them from Overbay/Bautista?
Hows Kyle Drabek and Brett Cecil doing in their starts (if they have made any) as well as some other hitting prospects.
I think Tim COllins could become a really good closer for the jays and if that does happen, then the jays would have an amazing bullpen.
Now we just need the bats to start heating up…we clearly see the difference in the lineup without Hill…we need him and his bat.
Vernon's been a nice surprise so far. If he manages to continue then when Hill comes back the Jays should see a drastic rise in their hitting with Hill, Lind and Wells hitting back to back to back.
Now only if Snider Develops and thats a potent middle of the order able to match the yankees and the Red Sox.
Speaking of Snider, does anyone doubt him yet? I am starting too, it looks like he is making the same mistakes at the plate and yes he is young but its his 3rd time up in the majors now, I am sure its bothering him much more than I though. But is he going to be one of those players who hits amazing at any minor league level but is a bust in the MLB (perhaps because he was so good in the Minor Leagues that he can't transition now)
goodluck-Don't doubt Snider, he has huge potential. Remember, Lind took some time to adjust, Snider simply needs more at bats. His defense in left field has improved immensely and his approach at the plate has also improved. His defense would improve much faster if we stopped switching him from left to right and right to left-that clearly isn't helpful to any young player. He should be the preference, not Lewis or someone else. Put him in left field and leave him there, every single day and don't mess with him.
Snider is working hard on both defense and offense. On defense Buck mentioned he's out there every day fielding fly balls from guys during batting practice which is likely why we're seeing such improvement-he's working his butt off. He's also in much better physical condition and the work he did on improving his lateral movement over the winter is paying dividends-he's much quicker.
As important, He's listening to advice and is starting to figure it out. Snider simply needs another 200 or so more at bats. One day it will all click in and a monster will be borne capable of 35-50 hr's and 100+ rbi's per year in the heart of the lineup. But we can't take at bats away from him or worry about whether he hits against a lefty or righty, we simply have to keep running him out there each day and let him play and keep learning.
Sending him down would only hurt him, he has nothing more to prove in AAA. My only concern on Snider is whether or not we keep running him out there each day, since, imo, he should be the number one player development priority on this team, not Overbay, Ruiz, Lewis or anyone else.
Has anybody heard any news on how Mcgowen and Litche are doing?
We had two outstanding pitching performances today, one by Ricky Romero-our new emerging ace and the other by Luis Perez in New Hampshire, who's had a tremendous start to the season. Romero's day is already well documented, so this post is about Perez.
Five days ago in his last start Luis had a no hitter going just about as long as Romero's and ended up going 7 innings, with 1 hit and no runs given up.
Well, today was almost a duplicate in that he had a no no going into the 6th inning at which point he gave up the only hit he gave up all day in 7 innings. Unfortunately the hit was a home run, so he ended up going 7, 1 hit, 1 run, 4 walks and 3 k's.
The most impressive stat today is his ground out to flyball out ratio which was 13 go's and 0 fo's which really is quite amazing.
Year to date, Luis has had 3 starts, went a total of 17 innings, given up 2 hits in total, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts and 1 earned run for a very impressive era of .53 and whip of .47. His BAA ( batting average against) is an almost unbelievable .039 (even worse than Overbays-lol).
Although, it is true, Luis is repeating AA, and is already 25 years old, its also true this level of performance is staggering and a whole lot different than last year when he gave up almost a hit an inning, walked a guy every 2nd inning and struck out 1 about every 1.33 innings…
Something has changed, either Luis has got a new pitch or he's perfected one or more than one he already had-who knows. One thing for sure, whatever he's doing is working, lets hope he keeps this up.
I think Brad Emaus is out for 6 weeks or so with a knee injury which is a real shame , as gsjays mentioned he has continued where he left of in spring and is swinging a hot bat .
I also don't know why Snider is the one to sit rather than Overbay / Bautista .
Lets play Snider everyday and have a good look at guys who could be with the team for a few years .
Overbay and Bautista should be gone before next year so give the at bats to guys who could help the team in the future , lets see if guys like McCoy and Ruiz are worth holding onto.


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The Lakers display 12 championship banners (including one to recognize the team's five championships won in Minneapolis), 10 retired jerseys (including one to honor the late Chick Hearn) and one special banner to honor six from the Minneapolis era (including coach John Kundla) in the rafters at Staples Center.
None of that history will be visible when the Clippers play at the arena as the home team.
Making their exhibition debut for the 2013-14 season, seven oversized Clippers banners hide every bit of the Lakers' storied history.
From left to right, banners of Jamal Crawford, Blake Griffin, J.J. Redick, DeAndre Jordan, Jared Dudley, Chris Paul and Matt Barnes overlook the arena.
At last check, the Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West and Hearn statues remain unfettered outside of Staples Center.
On paper, the Clippers should win the Pacific Division this season by finishing well ahead of the Lakers.
The Clippers have a shot to win their first championship this season. Until then, the players' banners will have to do.
Kobe Bryant able to dunk, at least in 'NBA 2K14' preview
Poll: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant over LeBron James for final shot
Kobe Bryant nearly brought to tears by Staples Center Game 4 ovation
Email Eric Pincus at firstname.lastname@example.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.

subset: commoncrawl


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Andrew Sullivan links to the Bipartisan Policy Center's Recent Report on Iran-US relations.
Sullivan is against bombing and for engagement but his interpretation at the end I find wanting:
My core belief is that the Iranian people are on our side. The key is to somehow leverage them against their repulsive regime. It's going to be very hard and very treacherous. But it's the biggest national security challenge facing the next president.
It's certainly true that the Iranian population (even post-Iraq) is the most pro-American population in the Middle East. They are not Arabs, have a separate history and culture, have strong ties to the US via ex-pat families in the US (US pop culture is strong in Iran).
But Sulllivan goes astray when he states that the key is to "leverage" the population against the regime. Granted the regime is repulsive and abhorrent. But people do not exist for them to be used as leverage for our goals. Especially in this case. Nothing would more quickly hurt the chances of indigenous Iranian reformers than being seen as a fifth column for the US.
The issue is to deal with the regime, to see if the 30 years of bad blood (the hostages, the CIA murdering their president/overthrowing their government/backing the brutal Shah) can be buried. The regime is given a clear choice between change of behavior and good to come from it (i.e. regime change off table, entrance into world banking system, recognition of their role as regional power, esp. in Iraq) OR war.
If you want sanctions, then target them at the big wigs, the elites with the military-industrial-clerical complex that is Iran. Don't target the population. Putting the squeeze on them is not likely to start a revolution against the regime. The regime is embedded very deeply. They have to be dealt with and then a policy of containment, connectivity, and watch the system collapse.
And #2 contra Sullivan, the biggest national security threat facing the next president is Pakistan (not Iran) in terms of foreign policy and domestically possible catastrophic cascading failure in the economic sector leading to massive violence in the streets and/or the possibility of security breakdowns around non-linear climate events.


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Here are some opportunities to experience Scouting internationally. Meet other Scouts from around the world and see why Lord Baden-Powell thought Scouting is one of the great peace movements.
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View the International Department Spring Newsletter here. To learn more about the International Department, visit http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/International.aspx.
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Adjust Physical Counts and Inventory Values in QuickBooks 2012
Inventory shrinkage, spoilage, and theft all combine to reduce the inventory that you physically have. In order to record these inventory reductions in QuickBooks 2012, you periodically physically count your inventory and then update your QuickBooks records with the results of your physical counts.
To record your physical count information in QuickBooks, you use a special tool. Specifically, you use the Adjust Quantity/Value on Hand command. This command is available to you in two different places.
If you display the Item list, click the Activities button (which appears at the bottom of the Item List window) and choose the Adjust Quantity/Value on Hand command. You can also choose the Vendors→Inventory Activities→Adjust Quantity/Value on Hand command. Choosing either command displays the Adjust Quantity/Value on Hand window.
To use the Adjust Quantity/Value on Hand window, follow these steps:
Use the Adjustment Type box to indicate what you're adjusting.
You can adjust the quantity or the value of both the quantity and the value of the items you're holding in inventory. Just select the appropriate entry from the Adjustment Type box: Quantity, Total Value, or Quantity and Total Value.
Use the Adjustment Date box to record the date of your physical count.
In other words, you want to adjust your quantities as of the day you took or completed the physical inventory count.
Use the Adjustment Account drop-down list to identify the expense account that you want to use to track your inventory shrinkage expense.
(Optional) Provide a reference number (if you use numbers) to uniquely and meaningful identify or cross-reference the transaction.
(Optional) Identify the customer:job and class.
If it's appropriate, and in many cases it won't be, use the Customer:Job box to identify the customer:job associated with this inventory shrinkage. In a similar fashion, if appropriate, use the Class box to identify the class that you want to use for tracking this inventory shrinkage.
Supply the correct inventory quantities.
The Item, Description, and Current Qty columns of the Adjust Quantity/Value on Hand window identify the inventory items that you are holding and the current quantity counts.
Use the New Qty column to provide the correct physical count quantity of the item. After you've entered the new quantity, QuickBooks calculates the quantity difference and shows this value in the Qty Difference column.
Adjust the value.
If you select the Total Value entry or the Quantity and Total Value entry from the Adjustment Type box, QuickBooks displays an expanded version of the Adjust Quantity/Value on Hand window.
This window lets you enter both the correct physical count quantity and the updated value for the inventory item. You enter the physical count quantity, obviously, in the New Qty column. You enter the new updated value in the New Value column.
You probably use this version of the Adjust Quantity/Value on Hand window only if you're using a lower-of-cost or market inventory valuation method. For example, both financial accounting standards and tax accounting rules allow you to mark down your inventory to the lower of its original cost or its fair market value.
Provide a memo description.
If you want to further describe the quantity or value adjustment, use the Memo box for this purpose. For example, you may want to reference the physical count worksheets, the people performing the physical count, or the documentation that explains the valuation adjustment.
Save the adjustment.
After you've used the Adjust Quantity/Value on Hand window to describe the quantity changes or value changes in your inventory, click either the Save & Close button or the Save & New button to save the adjustment transaction.
As you probably know at this point in your life, Save & Close saves the transaction and closes the window. Save & New saves the transaction but leaves the window open in case you want to make additional changes.


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When Helmut Tucek guides visitors through his "Salzkammer" shop in St. Wolfgang and tells them about salt, one has a great urge to immediately sample from the salt mixtures in the small, ornamented wooden drawers. "Natural salt is more than just sodium and chloride", says Herr Tucek, holding up a gleaming stone that represents the origins of all the salt here. "This Bergkern salt from Aussee contains no fewer than eighty-four minerals. These are all elements that are also present in our bodies, which is why this salt has such a soothing effect on our organism." Unlike its commercially produced counterpart, this transparent, reddish-gold salt does not have a negative impact on our blood pressure or circulation, and because of its many minerals, it also tastes much better.
But one does not want only to taste salt; one wants to see where it comes from. And where it comes from is truly one of the most spectacular areas in all of Europe. From tranquil St. Wolfgang, where Herr Tucek sells his "white gold" not far from the famous Romantik Hotel Im Weissen Rössl, the journey leads over hills and mountain passes into the heart of the salt region to Hallstatt, where millennia ago people were already mining salt and delivering it throughout Europe. On the way, one experiences first-hand the charm of the Salzkammergut, where one romantic lake follows directly on the heels of another. This allure comes from the contrasts. The pastoral meets the untamed, the soft encounters the harsh. This is a region that breathes history, especially around darkly sparkling Lake Hallstatt, nestled in a high valley some 300 metres above sea level. Here, on the famous Salzberg, one finds the world's oldest salt mine. The Salzberg Valley offers the visitor an astounding 7,000 years of cultural history.
Today, salt continues to be mined in Hallstatt. But for modern-day visitors to the Hallstatt salt mine, the focus is on fun and adventure, and a favourite attraction is the descent into the mine via two miners' slides, complete with a speed check and photograph. And then one finally finds out - and understands - how the salt got into the mountain. When the supercontinent Pangaea broke apart some 240 million years ago, the Salzkammergut lay on the coast of a turbulent body of land. Over millions of years, dried-out salt seas were moved around by volcanic eruptions, formation of mountains and shifting rock plates. They were forced upward, pressed together and covered with a layer of limestone. Inside these new mountains, the salt rested until it was discovered by humans several thousand years ago.
Even at that time, salt was shipped from Bad Ischl via the Traun River to the Danube, where it was transported on as far as Hungary, Bohemia and Slovenia. Today Bad Ischl is known as a resort with a particularly healthful climate, and as a Mecca for people nostalgic for the days of the monarchy. This was, after all, something of a second home for the emperor. Francis Joseph I spent eighty-two summers of his eighty-six-year-long life at the Imperial Villa. Bad Ischl is also the site of Austria's oldest brine bath, today an ultramodern wellness spa whose saline water has healthful benefits for the respiratory organs, the musculoskeletal system and the cardiovascular system.
From this small town at the confluence of the Traun and Ischl Rivers, the traveller crosses Pötschen Pass to reach the area known as Ausseerland and continues on to the most remote, quietest corner of the region, Altaussee. The Sandling towers over the village as the region's most salt-rich mountain. A tour of the Altaussee Salt Mine takes visitors even deeper into the world of salt. One travels 700 metres into the mountain, and after 350 metres the salt line is reached, recognizable by the shimmering purple salt crystals in the rock.
That the salt works even still exist can be attributed to several courageous miners from not so long ago. In 1944 the Nazis stored more than 30,000 artworks from all over Europe here – the most valuable art storeroom of all time – and at the end of the war they intended to destroy the art treasures by blowing up the mine. But the miners of Altaussee foiled their plans. In May 1945, in an act of resistance, they secretly removed the four 500-kilo aircraft bombs from the mine and defused them, to protect themselves but also to safeguard the future of the salt works. Only a few days later, American soldiers arrived and secured the billion-dollar art depot.
It's a heroic little story, and it's no wonder that it even came to the attention of Hollywood. George Clooney made a film version of this episode in history under the title "The Monuments Men" - starring himself.


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Cocoa butter is an edible vegetable fat, extracted from cocoa bean and has distinct texture and flavour. Owing to its unique taste and flavour, this product is mainly used in chocolates and other confectioneries. More often than not, it is included in cosmetics, ointments and pharmaceutical products as well. Manufacturers of candies and chocolates are now in search of some healthier alternatives, which are cheaper in price and can be moulded and melted easily. Some of the confectionery industries have already started using different vegetable oils as the substitute for cocoa butter. Cocoa butter substitutes are partially hydrogenated fat products and are definitely healthier than the real ones. Like the original product, the substitutes are also able to impart similar colour and taste to chocolates and candies, if used properly.
The cocoa butter substitute manufacturers supply three types of alternatives: cocoa butter substitute (CBS), cocoa butter replacement (CBR) and cocoa butter equivalents (CBE). Cocoa butter substitute producers use coconut oil or palm kernel for making sweet dishes. Unlike the cocoa butter, the substitutes are easier to handle for they melt at higher temperature and do not crystallise even after overcooking. Cocoa butter replacers include the organic oils for chocolate manufacturing. The consistency of the organic oils is adequate for mixing with chocolate liquor to increase the flavour and richness of chocolate. This variety also includes palm oils, cotton seed oils and soy bean oils as alternatives of the cocoa butter. Each of these products can mix up with 20% of other fats. Cocoa butter equivalent is most beneficial among all the alternatives in terms of nutrition and fat content. These are comparatively cheaper in price and have no upper limit of fat content to be mixed with. The equivalents are widely used in making candies, chocolates and other sweet dishes. Palm oil and shea butter are the two most common examples of cocoa butter equivalents.
Many of the cocoa butter substitute exporters supply standard range of products, along with the customised speciality fats to fulfil specific requirements of the clients. These speciality fats are able to replace the use of cocoa butter in chocolate manufacturing industry either completely or partially, and are used for moulding, filling or coating the confectionery products. Sometimes the cocoa butter substitutes are also used for making ice creams. The cocoa butter substitute traders supply the list of solid fat content profiles and melting points for different types of substitute products. This allows the manufacturer to decide the type of moulding, coating or filling to be done. The ultimate goal for the manufacturers is to determine the right balance of the substituted products by trial and error method, without compromising with the taste and quality of the confectionery items.
The popularity of cocoa butter substitute products is gradually increasing all over the world, because of their lesser expense and greater health benefits. Many of the cocoa butter substitute suppliers export the products to both national and international clients. Other than chocolates and candies, these substitutes are used in making chocolate caramels, chewing gums, as replacement for dairy butter in butter scotch and many other chocolate flavoured products. Cocoa butter substitute manufacturers make the products of different grades, from which confectionery owners can select as per their specific requirements.


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Friday November 15, 2019; 07:17 pm EST
Dear Bay Weekly:
What a beautiful story "Hearing Hope in the Melody" [July 15]. The musicians Carolyn Surrick, Sue Richards and Ginger Hildebrand deserve special recognition for their devotion to the wounded GI's. Reading their story brought a tear to my tired old GI eyes (Vietnam).


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Keith Brantley from Oviedo, FL is a unique player in this game. We often see enthusiasts who bleed brand loyalty, but Kevin doesn't quite fit that pattern. You see, he grew up first racing karts and then cars, and his automotive lineage is anything but European, so how is it that he's now gracing these pages?
"I had a Camaro, Firebird, Impala, then a Viper; first a '96 and then an '08," Keith explained. "I picked up a brand-new C63 when I was drag racing the '08 Viper. We were at the track and I figured I'd see what the Benz could do - it ran a 12.1!"
And that was it. His bone-stock four-door Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG was very strong from the factory.
After that run "it all went downhill," he laughed. "Positively downhill," he clarified, "but if you ask my wife, it's another story!"
Starting with the simple stuff, Keith threw a set of drag radials out back and replaced the air filters for better parts, netting him an 11.9sec run on a cool evening at his local track, Speed World Dragway in Orlando, FL.
Two tenths of a second might not sound significant, but it's a huge leap in drag racing. So at this point it was decided the C63 would be heavily modified. That meant the Viper had to go.
Now, before you get your briefs in a bunch, Keith isn't all about straight-line performance. Sure, he loves it, but he's also a road-racer and builds his cars to perform well in both disciplines. That said, let's see how far he's gone to build the Benz into the quickest in the world, as far as C63s are concerned.
After performing almost every naturally aspirated bolt-on modification, Keith's C63 was making around 475whp. But with a goal of 500, he was frustrated and decided he'd kick the build into another gear. He teamed up with MHP (Modern Horsepower) in Lewis Center, OH - not exactly Keith's backyard but MHP sent all the parts to Jerry's MB Service in Oviedo, FL for installation.
When you're trying to squeeze every last ounce of power from any application, maximizing intake and exhaust flow is crucial. With this in mind, MHP supplied its race-ported heads, custom cams, intake manifold gaskets, thermostat, long-tube headers and 3" stainless race exhaust. These parts together are sold by MHP as its stage 5 CDT (Complete Drivetrain Tuning) conversion.
The car came alive. Before forcing nitrous down its throat, the C63 made 530whp and 505 lb-ft on pump gas. A 55whp gain is nothing to sneeze at, and while it's a substantial increase, it's still not enough to break world records. But instead of going with forced induction, Keith stuck to what he learned in his muscle car days: nitrous makes a ton of power when applied properly.
With a 200-shot installed, the crimson sedan put down a solid 700whp and a massive 730 lb-ft.
The numbers don't mean much on paper, but in action they're enough to launch the Benz to 60mph in 2.8sec, with an absurd sprint from 60-130mph in 5.98sec. Retarded and awesome? Hell yes!
That's not all. Keith's quarter-mile world record was set at 10.13sec at 139mph. And even without the nitrous, it'll do the standing mile at 181mph, compared to a Carrera GT at 178mph and Corvette ZR1 at 179mph on the same day. Oh, and this was when the car had stock cams.
Surprisingly, the bottom end is stock yet hasn't shown signs of wear or stress. AMG builds a damn fine motor, if you ever doubted it.
The transmission has held up as well, but as a precaution it was upgraded by Weistec Engineering and a high-speed stall converter fitted.
On the exterior, Keith kept the factory paint color but added a custom carbon fiber ram-air hood for performance reasons, although the evil look didn't hurt either. "The car was starving for air so the hood made a huge difference."
Cutting weight was a big effort as well. So a Vorsteiner carbon fiber roof and trunk were fitted, shaving about 50 lb. To round out the exterior and create space for meaty drag tires, Keith grafted a C63 Black Series body kit into place, including the wider front and rear fenders.
The external transformation took about six months and came out flawlessly thanks to Dave Martin's Sanford Paint & Body. And you're correct in thinking no expense was spared during the build.
The car serves three purposes: Drag racer, road-racer and daily driver. So it has three sets of wheels and tires. On the street, Keith chose 18x9" front, 19x12" rear Forgestar F14 wheels with 345-width Michelin Cup tires out back and 275 Toyo R888s up front. For road-racing, he runs the same wheels but 18x11" on the rear with narrower Hoosier R6 slicks. And finally, for drag racing, Keith managed to fit skinny 17x4" wheels up front with 15x10" on the tail, again with Hoosier slicks.
For racing, Keith uses a Tecnocraft carbon fiber driver's seat and custom Vortex Motorsports five-point roll-bar, but otherwise the interior is stock.
Keith doesn't compromise. He set out to build a unique car that would shatter world records, take his wife to dinner and is continually evolving. His C63 is simultaneously bat-shit crazy, stunningly beautiful and fast as hell.
2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
Engine 6.3-liter V8 32v with Modern Horsepower stage 5 Complete Drivetrain Tuning kit including race-ported heads, custom cams, intake manifold gaskets, thermostat, long-tube headers and 3" stainless race exhaust, Weistec oil/air separator
Drivetrain seven-speed AMG Speedshift MCT transmission with Weistec 722.9 trans and stall converter
Brakes stock
Suspension KW Club Sport coilovers
Wheels & Tires 18x9" f, 19x12" r Forgestar F14 wheels (street), 275/35 R18 f Toyo R888, 345/30 R19 r Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires
Exterior Mercedes-Benz Black Series widebody kit, Vorsteiner carbon fiber roof and trunk, Dad's Performance ram-air hood
Contact Modern Horsepower (modernhorsepower.com)
Thanks Andy at MHP, Jerry at Jerry's MB Service, Dave at Sanford Paint & Body


text:
Popularity:#1 of 3 Courts in Fairplay#1 of 3 Courts in Park County#180 of 296 Courts in Colorado#9,863 in Courts
Address, Phone Number, and Fax Number for Fairplay Municipal Court, a Court, at Front Street, Fairplay CO.
View map of Fairplay Municipal Court, and get driving directions from your location.
Find Court Records related to Fairplay Municipal Court.
Find 6 Courts within 27.8 miles of Fairplay Municipal Court.
Find 7 external resources related to Fairplay Municipal Court.
The Fairplay Municipal Court, located in Fairplay, Colorado is a government institution where legal disputes are resolved in accordance with the law. In Fairplay Criminal Courts, the government brings a case against a defendant who is accused of breaking the law. In Fairplay Civil Courts, the Court settles disputes between citizens that they are unable to resolve on their own.You may contact the Court for questions about:
The Fairplay Municipal Court maintains records on a wide variety of public court records that are available upon request at the Park County Courthouse. Interested parties may contact the Park County Court and request copies of records which may include case documents, court decisions, court records, court dockets and calendars, criminal records and background checks.About the United States Court System
The Court system in the United States is made up of a Federal Court system and fifty state Court systems. In each system, there are two general types of Courts: Trial Courts and Appellate Courts.Fairplay Trial Court
Trial Courts in Fairplay, CO hear cases for the first time. In a Trial Court, both sides of the dispute present evidence to support their version of events, and a jury is usually called on to decide the case. One judge presides over the case in a Trial Court.Limited Jurisdiction Court
Park County Courts of limited jurisdiction may be limited to hearing only cases involving misdemeanors, small claims, or traffic and other minor violations in Colorado. Courts of limited jurisdiction may also only hear cases on specific subject matter, such as Park County Probate Courts and Park County Family Courts.Fairplay Appellate Court
Fairplay Appellate Courts hear appeals of decisions reached at Trial Courts in Park County. No new evidence is presented in Appellate Court. A judge or panel of judges decides the appeal rather than a jury.Federal Courts in Colorado
In the Federal Court system, District Courts serve as the Trial Courts. In the state Court systems, Trial Courts are further grouped into Courts of general jurisdiction and Courts of limited jurisdiction. Courts of general jurisdiction are Courts that can hear cases of any kind, including felonies. The names for Courts of general jurisdiction vary but are referred to as Superior Courts or District Courts and may be organized to hear cases within certain geographic areas, such as Park County.
The Appellate Courts in the Federal Court system consist of twelve Circuit Courts that are organized regionally and the U.S. Supreme Court, which is the highest Court in the country. Appellate Courts at the Colorado state level mirror the Federal structure, with one or more Appellate Courts and a Colorado Supreme Court.Contact the Fairplay Municipal Court
You may contact the Fairplay Courthouse by calling the Fairplay Municipal Court non-emergency number 719-836-2622, or by addressing inquiries to the office mailing address: Fairplay Municipal Court, 400 Front Street, Fairplay, Colorado, 80440.


text:
We were asked to spread the work about tonight's Knik Canoers and Kayakers meeting/event. The event starts at 7:00pm, October 26th at the BP Energy Center.
The following was forwarded to me:
The Knik Canoers and Kayakers have scheduled the following presentations for the October 26 general program:
TIM LYDON OF THE FOREST SERVICE will briefly present thank gifts to those volunteers that helped in 2017's program clearing dandelions from View Beach in Blackstone. He will then discuss the potential Prince William Sound volunteer programs being considered by the Forest Service for 2018 and get your comments.
COMMODORE DAVE BRUBAKER FROM ALASKA'S AUXILIARY COAST GUARD is responsible for the Coast Guard Auxillary missions throughout the 3.78 million square miles and 33,904 miles of coast line in Alaska. Auxillary missions include improving recreational boating safety through safety patrols, vessel safety checks, public education as well as numerous other missions.. He will discuss the advances being worked on to make boating safer such as testing to see if the Cube SAT project can improve EPIRB, PLB (personal locator beacons) and other communications in remote areas.. He requests your input on how the Coast Guard can make your outings safer. So bring your ideas to share.
JACK MOSBY will then show photos and discuss his Freezeree trip.
We end with light refreshments.
This program is free and open to the


text:
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text:
U.S. Sharpens Tone on Cyber Attacks From China
Mar. 18, 2013 - 05:38PM |
By ZACHARY FRYER-BIGGS
WASHINGTON — Staying silent about cyber attacks isn't working, so senior U.S. officials are trying a new tack: public posturing.
The U.S. national security apparatus, long hush-hush on its offensive cyber capabilities and resistant to naming China as the source of numerous cyber attacks and intrusions, is starting to become more open about what it can do in cyberspace, and who it might do it to.
The shift in policy comes as an increasing number of attacks emanating from China are targeting critical infrastructure, and as experts question whether the U.S. might need to make public use of its cyber weapons to prove its resolve against cyber threats.
Thomas Donilon, President Barack Obama's national security adviser, named China as the source of significant cyber intrusions during March 11 remarks to the Asia Society. Donilon was also clear about the administration's commitment to taking action.
"From the president on down, this has become a key point of concern and discussion with China at all levels of our governments," Donilon said. "The United States will do all it must to protect our national networks, critical infrastructure and our valuable public and private sector property.
"As the president said in the State of the Union, we will take action to protect our economy against cyber threats," he said.
Who might take action became clearer the following day, when U.S. Cyber Command chief Gen. Keith Alexander outlined his plans in congressional testimony to put together 40 cyber teams, 13 of which would be built for "offensive" actions. "This is an offensive team that the Defense Department would use to defend the nation if it were attacked in cyberspace," Alexander said. "Thirteen of the teams that we're creating are for that mission set alone."
Neither the U.S. intent to grow its cyber offensive teams nor its recognition that many cyber attacks originate from China are new. But the public recognition of these facts marks a new chapter in the escalating cyber conflict with China, a conflict that has changed from espionage to actual attacks on critical infrastructure in the past year, experts said.
Infrastructure Now Targeted
Verizon, the telecommunications company that handles a large percentage of the country's Internet traffic, has noticed a shift in the types of attacks hitting the U.S. In its 2013 Data Breach Investigation Report, due to be released later this spring, the company will report that infrastructure is now suffering the brunt of the attacks on the network, said Bryan Sartin, director of investigative response for Verizon.
"These aren't about stealing data and fraud, they're about deny, disrupt and destroy," Sartin said. "I'd go so far as to say that it's [coming from a] nation state, but almost every victim is critical infrastructure."
Sartin did not name China, but said five out of six notifications to clients are now focused on attacks to critical infrastructure. Other experts said the nation that leads the way on these types of attacks is China.
This transition from what might more appropriately be named cyber espionage to critical infrastructure attack creates a new environment and may be the cause of the escalated rhetoric from U.S. national security officials.
When the Chinese gained access to some data from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program in 2009, the U.S. didn't respond by bombing Beijing. It was part of a wave of data thefts that became the norm, with U.S. companies and defense contractors losing proprietary and in some cases classified information. At the time the administration did little, and companies, fearing retribution from shareholders, were hesitant to disclose the data loss.
The administration recently introduced a new trade-secret policy and has continued diplomatic pressure, but thus far the tactics have had little effect. The policy requires diplomats to raise the issue of cyber attacks with Chinese officials regularly, a stance that several U.S. State Department sources said might damage relations with a country now closely tied to the U.S.
But as long as intruders are functioning in the model of spies — seeking data rather than destruction — immediate military action is unlikely.
"I go back to the Cold War," Michael Chertoff, former Homeland Security secretary and founder of The Chertoff Group consultancy, told Defense News. "The Russians spied on us. We spied on them. Guys were arrested, they were imprisoned, and then they swapped them out afterward. If we caught a guy, even if a spy stole vital secrets, we didn't attack Russia, or blow up the KGB building, because that was viewed as not the right category."
But once critical infrastructure comes into play, the equation changes, Chertoff said.
"There's no doubt that one threshold, which would be an unfortunate one, would be a major attack on infrastructure that would cause major economic damage and loss of life. Unquestionably that would only take 10 hours, and then we'd all of a sudden go to war," he said.
The actual risk to critical infrastructure is the subject of fierce debate in the security community. One side argues that because the systems are so varied, creating any individual bug to wipe out the entirety of, say, the power grid would be exceedingly difficult. Others argue that because the individual components in the system are so poorly protected, the entirety is at risk.
The threat, however, is of deep concern to the intelligence community. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper began his 2013 Worldwide Threat Assessment report to Congress by mentioning the risk of cyber attack against critical infrastructure.
The line between probing networks for information and the beginning of what might be called an attack are becoming worryingly unclear. Probing a network and destroying it aren't the same, but by breaking in and exfiltrating data, attackers can do damage. And reports indicate that while the past modus operandi focused on corporate espionage, the shift to low-level attacks on critical infrastructure is in full swing.
The Chinese seem intent on pushing the boundary, which won't likely stop until the U.S. responds with public offensive action, several retired senior military officials said.
"Certain powers in the world, nation-states for example, all they know is power," said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Harry Raduege, former commander of the Defense Information Systems Agency. "They only respond to somebody that's going to be able to launch a mutually assured disruption of them."
Getting those world powers to rein in attacks, to deter intrusions, requires that U.S. offensive operations are credible. And in order to make them credible, the U.S. might have to use a weapon publicly, retired Marine Gen. James Cartwright, former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a 2012 interview.
"At some point, they're going to have to do something that's illustrative, and then communicate," he said. "I don't believe we in the United States are taking advantage of what we could be communicating."
Whether a strong response should come in the form of a cyber attack is the subject of debate in the administration. Several former officials said confidence in the ability of a cyber weapon to have a precise and desired effect is low, and as a result a conventional kinetic weapon might be used instead. If the goal is to destroy a facility to make a point, why not bomb it and make sure the target is eliminated?
Alexander wrote in a statement to Congress that he believed the increased capability of the military has been effective in deterring large cyber attacks, although it may not work indefinitely.
"We feel confident that foreign leaders believe that a devastating attack on the critical infrastructure and population of the United States by cyber means would be correctly traced back to its source and elicit a prompt and proportionate response," he wrote. "Nonetheless, it is possible that some future regime or cyber actor could misjudge the impact and the certainty of our resolve."
But Alexander acknowledged that lower level attacks continue, undeterred.
"We have some confidence in our ability to deter major state-on-state attacks in cyberspace, but we are not deterring the seemingly low-level harassment of private and public sites, property and data," he said.
http://www.defensenews.com/article/2...t|FRONTPAGEU.S. Sharpens Tone on Cyber Attacks From China


text:
I am a free lance Visual Basic 6 programmer.
I am not going after .net as there also I have to change my entire design with only 50% of my code going in .net.
I want to begin with java SE which is free.
My clients are normally small businesses with 1 to 5 PCs in a LAN.
Normally my clients will not pay for Licences for java .
Can I go smoothly with JAVA SE or be forced to buy EE licence.
Seniors please guide.


text:
Confident Reformers
"This text describes the terms of a marriage in which the husband fulfils his responsibilities toward his wife and respects her. Under the marriage agreement, the man agrees to his wife's right to seek further education. He helps her with the housekeeping. [...] And in the case of a divorce, their property will be divided proportionately between them. [...] In this book, the conditions for a successful marriage will be listed."
This is an extract from a small publication shelved in the library at the Ketab Institute in Kabul, a Shiite-dominated private university. Almost everything contained in the pamphlet clearly contradicts the negative press attracted in recent weeks by Afghanistan's Shiites and the controversial marriage bill.
Sociology and philosophy instead of Sharia
The West has an all too simplistic view of things, assuming that a group of radical clerics stands for a whole country and what are, in all probability, the most advanced sections of the population.
The situation is, in fact, very different. Afghanistan's Shiites, of whom the majority belong to the Hazara ethnic group, hold relatively open views on issues of social morality. The Ketab Institute, founded a year ago, could be seen as the spearhead of secular-orientated Shiites in Afghanistan.
In its library, books on civil law stand next to works by Nietzsche. Its 700 students attend lectures in sociology, political science and philosophy as well as Islamic studies and law. Sharia law and its interpretation are notably absent from the curriculum.
The Shiite fight for interpretative authority
"Afghan Shiites are a dynamic group, and we cannot allow our image to be distorted by this new marriage law", Mohammad Ahmadi politely asserts. As president of the Ketab Institute, he describes the university as one of the most important players in the current disagreement surrounding the marriage law. He and his colleagues attempted to get the controversial passages moderated several months ago. The parliament, ministry of justice and the presidential palace were all included in the discussions.
A slightly more moderate version of the bill, explicitly allowing the wife the right to leave the house independently, has not to date been published in the official journal.
"Karsai is afraid of a conflict with the conservatives," Ahmadi explains. "He also has poor advisors. And he has clearly underestimated the scale of this issue." He says that Karsai's compromise approach towards conservative mullahs, both Sunni and Shiite, is also the reason the Taliban have become stronger again.
Tehran's influence
The foil to the secular Kateb Institute is the Khatam Al Nabi'in Institute, a few hundred metres away. The imposing building with its blue, tiled dome, rising high above the entire parliamentary district is allegedly financed entirely with Iranian money. Ayatollah Mosheni, who calls himself the leader of Afghanistan's Shiites, calls the shots here. He doesn't enjoy the widespread support of the public, according to knowledgeable sources in Kabul at any rate.
"The majority of Afghan Shiites reject Mosheni's leadership claim," says, for instance, Ali Karimi, lecturer at Kabul University. "He is known to have been a Mujahed fighter and he is a Pashtun. Like president Karsai, he is from Kandahar. Most Shiites are Hazara and do not trust him."
Ali Amiri from the Kateb Institute shares this view: "Mosheni stands for a political and ideological interpretation of Islam similar to that practiced in Iran. He spent twenty years in exile there."
"Reforms will be made"
Amiri and his colleagues are confident that the bill will be moderated by next month. "The way things are looking, reforms will be made. We are sure of it." Initial talks with influential politicians, the arbitration commission and the justice minister back this up; ten articles are to be dropped from the bill, including the controversial passages, and a further twenty articles are to be reworked.
Alongside the points that have caused international outrage, the Ketab Institute is also campaigning hard for the wife's right to choose her husband freely without having to ask her father's permission.
Toward a new form of Shia Islam
The lecturers at the Kateb Institute all favour a modern, rational interpretation of Islam. "Young people have many questions surrounding Islam and their personal beliefs," says Amri. "We have to convince them with arguments, not with traditions and rituals."
"The Koran says, be good to your wife," notes institute leader Mohammad Ahmadi, quoting the holy book on which his rivals also base their arguments. It seems that the debate about a new form of Shia Islam in Afghanistan is only just beginning.
Martin Gerner
© Qantara.de 2009
Martin Gerner is a freelance journalist who specializes in Afghanistan. He reports for a number of German media including Deutschlandfunk, WDR and the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
First Female Governor in an Afghanistan Province
Enthusiastic Support, Heavy Criticism for Heavy Criticism for Habiba Sorabi
President Hamid Karzai named Habiba Sorabi Governor of the Province of Bamian. The appointment has been welcomed in the West, but in traditional Afghan society her appointment is highly controversial. Said Musa Samimy provides the details
Khaled Hosseini's "Kite Runner"
Hollywood in Dari
With "Kite Runner" Khaled Hosseini has landed an international success. The film adaptation of his novel strove for authenticity. The film itself, however, has created quite a stir and elicited tension between various ethnic groups. Amin Farzanefar reports
The Rule of Law in Afghanistan
Many Women Are Unaware of Their Rights
Three distinct judicial systems are in force in Afghanistan: the official courts, the traditional jirgas and Islamic scholarship. The country's constitution stresses the importance of international standards such as the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, while jirgas and religious leaders largely ignore them. Michael Nienhaus reports
Comments for this article: Confident Reformers
Strange how it talks about the fact that other countries ("the West") have a distorted view of Afghanistan, specifically about Shiites appearing to be 'radical Muslims'... In my experience, the Sunnis have the reputation of being radical (especially on being 'conservative' in religion)... Either way, I do not understand what you would expect someone to believe when all they see is President Karzai signing off on this document as Law.
(Many non-Muslims do not even know the difference between Sunni and Shia sects, if they even know those words in the first place, so you would have to start there, to be honest.)
Even the 200 women that protested was not enough to effect any change, was it?
What else can be done to stop the people in power in Afghanistan from making laws that do not reflect the ideas of the people, if this is the case?
Many of the people that leave Afghanistan due to lack of local education opportunities and disagreement with the government could also help if they stayed, but don't they also have a right to live somewhere where they can live as they choose? It is a difficult question I think... having to choose between your love of your homeland and the option to emigrate to a country that may offer things that you can't do or have in the current Afghanistan. The Afghans that I talk to want to bring their children back one day to Afghanistan, for many reasons, but not until they are older. They do not see themselves moving back to live in Afghanistan permanently at this time.


text:
I'm looking to find a free program that allows me to edit my images.
The ones I have used so far are very limited, so if you have any ideas please let me know.
Stack Exchange network consists of 175 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.Visit Stack Exchange
I'm looking to find a free program that allows me to edit my images.
The ones I have used so far are very limited, so if you have any ideas please let me know.
GIMP and Paint.net are two very good ones, as John has pointed out.
While somewhat limited, Picasa and iPhoto are two other alternatives (the latter being Mac only), which are pretty good.
There are a few, but two of the best are:
The Gnu Image Manipulation Program (quite powerful)
Paint.NET (not as powerful as the GIMP, but very good)
XnView. It is good because it is also a photo organizer, has batch editing, scripts etc. Regularly updated.
I want to put in a a plug for picasa. I know it's simple, and doesn't adequately "respect the RAW," but it gives me good results for web-based viewing or smallish snapshots (I'm not sure I would want to blow up the prints, but I haven't tried it).
What I really like about Picasa is the ease of use: the controls help you see the changes as you go, and give you a good sense of what they do. Just for making your pictures look better on screen, it does a great job.
I haven't tried it myself, but Adobe offers a free online editor at photoshop.com I assume it's not as cool as their for-pay software, but maybe worth checking out.
Darktable is a very powerful photo processing tool. You cannot "paint" as with Gimp/Photoshop, but you can apply many kinds of filters in a non-destructive way to your photos. The description from their website expresses the features best:
darktable is an open source photography workflow application and RAW developer. A virtual lighttable and darkroom for photographers. It manages your digital negatives in a database, lets you view them through a zoomable lighttable and enables you to develop raw images and enhance them.
If you need to edit raw files consider also RawTherapee or Photivo (wich works also with some not raw file type)
GIMP is free, and available on pretty much any platform, but in the case that you're on a Mac, and willing to fork over 15 USD, Pixelmator is one of the cheapest programs that can handle just about any image you throw at it, anc you don't have to convert your RAW files before editing them.
I have to agree with everything that's been said so far. I've been using Picasa considerably and find it to be great for working with simple edits and jpeg images. Lately I've been using a demo version of Lightroom 3 to see if it might fit my needs better (but it's expensive-ish). Generally new Nikon and Canon cameras come with their own software, like View NX http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Imaging-Software/NVNX/ViewNX.html for Nikon. Canon also seems to have lots of free tools for viewing and tweaking their RAW format.
I really like Microsoft Office Picture Manager...Simple, fast, and just some basic tools for those who don't need a full blown program.
I started from Picasa, later moved to GIMP. I love working in GIMP and there is plenty of GIMP tutorials on the web which is very helpful.
I use GIMP and ImageJ. ImageJ is a free program that allows you to more easily do lower level manipulations on the individual grey values of the pixels than "higher level tools" such as GIMP.
Gimp is a great tool to use for photo editing, Adobes editing tools that are free are not the latest, and do not always work when you download them
Thank you for your interest in this question.
Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count).
Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?


text: Many cat owners overlook the importance of caring for their cats ears. Whilst it is not a case of not wanting to care for the cat, many owners are worried that they will hurt them and so are actually afraid to carry out the cleaning process. As a result of their owners being scared to carry out a regular cleaning process, cats are often bought into veterinary surgeries with severe infections or mites in the ears. These problems are ones that could have been treated early had they been caught earlier.Here at Vet Medic we recommend to our customers that a good routine ear care process is put in place. It can be very safe and consists of a simple weekly inspection as well as a clean if required. Cats that do not have their ears checked have been found to suffer from a range of problems and infections, such as: ear mites; bacterial infections; yeast infections; allergies; and fungal infections on the ear tips.There are right ways and wrong ways to inspect your cat's ears and whilst it may not be the most comfortable of processes, most cats will tolerate routine ear cleanings well. At Vet Medic, we offer our customers a wide and varied range of cat ear cleaners which will help make the process easier for both you and your cat. These cleaners will help to maintain a healthy ear canal whilst protecting your cat from nasty infections. Any cat owner who requires additional information on cat ear cleaners or would like some advice can find a bounty of information on the website. Alternatively, contact a member of our team who will be happy to help.


text:
Docetaxel and Lapatinib in Metastatic Transitional Cell Carcinoma in Bladder
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01382706
Recruitment Status : Terminated (Trial not progressing toward scientific goals)
First Posted : June 27, 2011
Last Update Posted : May 16, 2018
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease
|Recurrent Bladder Cancer Stage III Bladder Cancer Stage IV Bladder Cancer Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder
|Drug: docetaxel Drug: lapatinib ditosylate Other: immunohistochemistry staining method Genetic: fluorescence in situ hybridization Other: laboratory biomarker analysis
|Phase 2
I. To assess the efficacy of 1250 mg of lapatinib (lapatinib ditosylate) given in combination with docetaxel in prolonging progression-free survival of subjects with metastatic, previously treated transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) relative to historical controls.
I. To assess the efficacy of 1250 mg of Lapatinib given in combination with docetaxel in the objective response rates and overall survival.
II. To study the tolerability and safety of 1250 mg of lapatinib given in combination with docetaxel by assessing the incidence and nature of Grade 3, 4 and serious adverse events (AEs).
I. To assess the expression status of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) in tumor tissue and/or circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as potential predictors of response to therapy.
II. To evaluate the number of CTC's present in 7.5mLs of peripheral blood as a predictor for disease progression and response of treatment in bladder cancer in the setting of combination therapy of lapatinib and docetaxel.
III. To evaluate the effect of lapatinib in human at molecular level by targeting the phosphorylation activity of the AKT/extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK) on pathway prior and during the treatment with lapatinib.
OUTLINE: Patients receive docetaxel intravenously (IV) over 1 hour on day 1 and lapatinib ditosylate orally (PO) once daily (QD) on days 1-21. Courses repeat every 21 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every 6 months for up to 2 years.
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|15 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Single Group Assignment
|None (Open Label)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|Single Arm Phase II Study of Docetaxel and Lapatinib in Metastatic Transitional Cell Carcinoma in Bladder as Second Line Treatment
|Actual Study Start Date :
|June 13, 2011
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|July 15, 2013
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|December 15, 2017
Experimental: Treatment
Patients receive docetaxel IV over 1 hour on day 1 and lapatinib ditosylate PO QD on days 1-21. Courses repeat every 21 days until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Drug: docetaxel
Given IV
Other Names:
Drug: lapatinib ditosylate
Given PO
Other Names:
Other: immunohistochemistry staining method
Correlative studies
Other Name: immunohistochemistry
Genetic: fluorescence in situ hybridization
Correlative studies
Other Name: fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)
Other: laboratory biomarker analysis
Correlative studies
- Progression-free survival rate [ Time Frame: At 12 weeks ]Defined as the time period from the start of treatment and documented progression or death without documentation of progression. Summarized with Kaplan-Meier curves. The median will be estimated using a non-parametric method.
- Incidence Grade 3 or Higher Serious Adverse Events (SAE) [ Time Frame: Weeks 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22 and then every 6 months for up to 2 years ]Serious Adverse Events will be assessed according to CTCAE version 4.0
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Histologically or cytologically confirmed transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelium (also called urothelial cancer); mixed histologies are allowed as long as the predominant histology is TCC; in addition, tumor tissue must be available for evaluation for EGFR and HER2/neu status
- Locally recurrent or advanced, non-resectable or stage IV transitional cell carcinoma
- Must have had prior platinum salt-based chemotherapy for TCC; other prior systemic chemotherapeutic or investigational treatment regimens for TCC are allowed; patient may have had up to three lines of chemotherapy for advanced disease; may have had paclitaxel provided their cancer did not progress while on it, and it was part of an adjuvant or neoadjuvant regimen; prior targeted or biological therapy is permitted except for drugs targeting EGFR and/or HER2; specifically, subjects must meet one or more of the following criteria: (a). Progression after treatment with a regimen that includes a platinum salt (e.g. carboplatin or cisplatin) for Stage IV or recurrent disease OR (b). Disease recurrence within two years (from the date of last dose of chemotherapy or surgery until day the informed consent is signed) of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with a regimen that includes a platinum salt
- Measurable or evaluable disease, as defined by Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1; if all sites of measurable or evaluable disease have been irradiated, one site must have demonstrated growth after irradiation
- A left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) within normal range as measured by echocardiogram or multi-gated acquisition (MUGA) scan
- Adequate contraceptive method for subjects with reproductive potential (females with reproductive potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test within 7 days of study entry)
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0 or 1
- A signed written informed consent
- Due to the experimental nature of lapatinib, female subjects must be one year postmenopausal, surgically sterile, or using an acceptable method of contraception (oral contraceptives, barrier methods, approved contraceptive implant, long-term injectable contraception, intrauterine device or tubal ligation); male subjects must be surgically sterile or using an acceptable method of contraception during their participation in this study
Exclusion Criteria:
- History of treatment of TCC (in any setting - neoadjuvant, adjuvant or for metastatic disease) with docetaxel
- History of treatment with an EGFR or HER2 targeted agent
- Serum bilirubin more than 1.5 x the upper limit of normal (ULN) except in patients with diagnosis of Gilbert's disease
- Creatinine clearance less than 20 mL/minute (calculated by the Cockcroft-Gault formula)
- Potassium, less than institutional normal level despite supplementation; serum calcium (ionized or adjusted for albumin,) or magnesium below lower limits of normal despite supplementation
- Baseline liver function test including AST or ALT greater than 2.5 x institutional upper limits of normal.
- Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) less than 1500/uL
- Platelets less than 100/uL
- Evidence of severe or uncontrolled systemic disease or any concurrent condition which in the Investigator's opinion makes it undesirable for the subject to participate in the trial or which would jeopardize compliance with the protocol
- An abnormal left ventricular ejection fraction LVEF as measured by echocardiogram or MUGA scan or other suitable technique
- Clinically significant cardiac event such as myocardial infarction; New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification of heart disease more than class 2 within 3 months before entry; or presence of cardiac disease that, in the opinion of the Investigator, increases the risk of ventricular arrhythmia
- History of arrhythmia (multifocal premature ventricular contractions [PVCs], bigeminy, trigeminy, ventricular tachycardia, or uncontrolled atrial fibrillation) which is symptomatic or requires treatment (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events [CTCAE] grade 3) or asymptomatic sustained ventricular tachycardia; atrial fibrillation controlled on medication is not exclusion nor are infrequent or unifocal ectopic beats
- Current QTc prolongation as a result of medication will require discontinuation of that medication; the patient can be reassessed after discontinuation, provided this is medically appropriate, after 2 weeks or five half-lives of the drug have passed whichever is longer
- Congenital long QT syndrome or 1st degree relative with unexplained sudden death under 40 years of age
- Presence of left bundle branch blocks (LBBB)
- QTc with Bazett's correction that is unmeasurable, or exceeds 480 msec on screening electrocardiogram (ECG); if a subject has QTc > 480 msec on screening ECG, the screen ECG may be repeated twice (at least 24 hours apart); the average QTc from the three screening ECGs must be < 480 msec in order for the subject to be eligible for the study
- Any concomitant medication that may cause QTc prolongation, induce Torsades de Pointes or induce cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) function
- Hypertension not controlled by medical therapy
- Currently active diarrhea
- Women who are currently pregnant or breast feeding
- Receipt of any investigational agent, chemotherapy or radiation therapy within 21 days prior to Study Day 1
- Any unresolved non-hematologic toxicity greater than CTCAE grade 1 from previous anti-cancer therapy (other than alopecia)
- Major surgery within 4 weeks or incompletely healed surgical incision before starting study therapy
- Grade 2 or greater peripheral neuropathy
- Previous or current malignancies within the last 3 years, with the exception of in situ carcinoma of the cervix, adequately treated carcinoma of the skin, small renal masses, and adequately treated localized prostate cancer; other cancers that are highly likely to be cured (cure rate of 75% or greater) may be included at the discretion of the Principal Investigator
- History of severe hypersensitivity reaction to drugs formulated with polysorbate 80
- Patients with brain metastasis can only be included if they were treated more than 4 weeks prior to enrollment; subjects with treated brain metastases must have a post treatment brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showing no further progression of prior lesions AND no new metastatic lesions; subjects will be ineligible if they have any ongoing symptoms from brain metastases or if there continues to be radiographic evidence of cerebral edema
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01382706
|United States, California
|USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
|Los Angeles, California, United States, 90033
|Principal Investigator:
|David Quinn, M.D.
|University of Southern California
|Responsible Party:
|University of Southern California
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01382706 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
NCI-2011-01108 ( Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program) )
|First Posted:
|June 27, 2011 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|May 16, 2018
|Last Verified:
|May 2018
|Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product:
|Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product:
|Product Manufactured in and Exported from the U.S.:
Urinary Bladder Neoplasms
Carcinoma, Transitional Cell
Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial
Neoplasms by Histologic Type
Urologic Neoplasms
Urogenital Neoplasms
Neoplasms by Site
Urinary Bladder Diseases
Urologic Diseases
Antineoplastic Agents
Tubulin Modulators
Antimitotic Agents
Mitosis Modulators
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
Protein Kinase Inhibitors
Enzyme Inhibitors


text:
Juzzycode needed a new coded website design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 6 designs submitted by 3 freelance designers.
I have a template (psd) and an existing logo (eps). I created this template, but it's a bit bland, I'm looking for someone to add a nice crisp edge to make it look a bit more appealing.
Desired Color Scheme:
Open to suggestions
Accepted File Formats:
I created a template for just the overall basic layout: the menu locations/logo placements/phones/etc.
The colors, fonts, etc are open to improvments.
Minor adjustments to the format are acceptible. Like moving the menu some inward or outward, changing the sizes of things, etc.
Major adjustments may be frowned upon, but not always rejected. The only REAL request is the logos stay at the bottom.
For the most part all of the layout can stay the same, I'm not happy with the red dots on the map, so improving those would be nice. Also the bottom left logo has been updated with the one also in the zip.
The files are at: http://stockfun.com/files/americancell.zip
This is going into a joomla site, it is prefered, but not necessarily a requirement to be a "joomla template". As long as things like the menu can easily be added to by li and let the css do the rest, we'll be fine.
I will want the final psd along with the xhtml/css coded template.


text:
Big Spender: Babymobile Worthy of James Bond
Why settle for any stroller when you can give your child a $3,000 Aston Martin babymobile? MarketWatch's Charles Passy on the latest hot wheels for children, and whether it's worth the cost. Photo: Silver Cross.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
I ... why the ... roller when you began your child ride worth of James Bond ... luxury car maker Aston Martin as an option for on the big spenders out there in three thousand dollar baby stroller ... MarketWatch's Charles Passy writes a weekly Big Spender column any joins me now ... with this that I mean it's good to be tempted to chop three thousand Australia really setting off a run on five year bad and ... good and exactly what is behind Aston Martin's that go here ... I mean it's basically it's got sort of four thousand people will get to the SEC from the show has all the stalls in with both ... the parents you want introduce ... these days my children are too will like I'm I'm well I might add and seven ... in the headline over that begin with some very basic things opted to seek to reverse backwards and forward you can book your child choppy look away from new ... adjustable handlebars on that day you know ... the ability to swap it out with that that's a nap and so they're all these sort of ... basic core features that people like ... them to add to that on a chassis made a ... special alloy so that you have a perfect suspension with your ride ... then add to that of the fabric covering which has some very rear strange type of fabric covering ... that you know is always unique to certain types of luxury cars they believe ... so see you keep adding these layers and layers and layers ... of it to the pink and then finally begin with the main asset the Parliament that the main Aston Martin that James Bond you can't do much better than that brand I understand the role in producing a certain amount of their for its explicit Atlanta based data gave the actually say the stroll Wu will hold its value much like a fun and luxury car so you know I don't know what we want to resell it ten years from now but ... we need to be made there only being sold at this point ... evidence was of functionality there ... is there anything in this stroller that I the family could find a aam another Stella the market for a significant discount that's the key every every basically be the product expert I spoke to said it sounds like a great stroller ... accept it sounds like a lot of grief strollers for about five hundred dollars um really went on to people they said it sounded like you are basically find the brand name ... often ... called the strollers can be had in the form to six hundred range ... on the high end which would be about a thousand ... are still some very good options ... and most of them have the same features that the stroller as ... so often are our experts were were skeptical ... why why I mean not by a little they were skeptical why a lot ... even more amusing in this is that say you want the stroller with the brand name of a luxury car maker ... Ferrari makes this trial ... for in the stroller for five hundred dollars now it's not numbered and limited edition like the Aston Martin's but if you want a Ferrari strongly retail outlets to enter the Aston Martin get the store for example um I mean I think what was interesting is a lot of the luxury car makers and not one tree car makers on that it's all about branding it's all about getting the team out there I was shocked to find ... how many products you can find better not all the related ... that there and all will be no automaker signature on it ... so you know ... I guess I'm Aston Martin trawler sounds more


text:
Simplex Sterntube seals
The spectrum of applications SKF Marine Simplex seals is practically unlimited and many different versions are available to meet every need.
Thanks to their utmost reliability, they protect the environment at the same time. For instance, the Simplex "Airspace" seal enables absolute separation of seawater and sterntube oil. The comprehensive range of Simplex seals is rounded off by intermediate shaft bearings, sterntube bushes as well as the Simplex FlexiTube and SternTube, complete sterntube packages which includes bearings, seals and bushes as complete turnkey solutions.


text:
The man who believes he was snatched from his real parents half a century ago said he thought his dying mother was trying to tell him that she wasn't his real mother.
"She was trying to tell me that, but she was dying of lung cancer," John Barnes told the "TODAY" show in an exclusive interview Thursday. "She was on a bunch of different drugs -- morphine -- but that's what she was trying to do, I believe."
Barnes claims he was a 2-year-old boy named Steven Damman who was taken while standing in front of a Long Island bakery more than 50 years ago. His mother had rushed inside, leaving him and his older sister alone.
Barnes' story has made national headlines this week, as he insists he is far different from the family that raised him.
"I didn't fit in with my family," he told the "TODAY" show. "I didn't look like them. They were all dark-complected -- brown eyes, dark hair -- they were shorter than I was, they have different personalities. I've always known that, and that's what got (my curiosity) started a long time ago."
But the Michigan man who raised him, Richard Barnes, insists that he's the biological father, and dismissed any other speculation as "a bunch of foolishness."
"I'm his dad," Richard Barnes said on Wednesday. He replied, "No, no," when asked whether he had kidnapped John Barnes.
Cheryl Barnes, Richard's daughter, said she was "flabbergasted" by her brother's claims and is willing to undergo DNA testing to prove she and John are biological siblings.
"I can't begin to know why he would think this," said Cheryl, 50. "Everybody in my family thinks John looks just like my dad."
John Barnes said he's not looking to stir up trouble. He just wants to know who his real family is, if it's not the Barnes family. And he's confident that DNA testing will prove he's Steven Damman.
"I don't want to see anybody go to jail," he said. "I just want to find out where I came from. Right now I'm pretty confident that those tests will come back positive."
Police in Nassau County, N.Y., have said a Michigan man contacted their office in the past few months saying he believed he was the missing toddler. Barnes said the FBI took a sample of his DNA via a cheek swab in March.
Barnes, a laborer now in his 50s, said he tried to talk about it with his father in the 1990s, but was dismissed.
"I talked to my dad about 15 years ago and he wasn't interested in anything I had to say about it, so I kind of dropped it," he said. "There's an investigation going on right now, and when that's over with, I'll know who I am and he won't be able to dispute anything."
"I never asked them if they kidnapped me. I asked them why I was so different from them," he said of his parents.
Barnes, his wife and their dog live on a dirt road in Kalkaska, almost 200 miles northwest of Detroit. It's not known when his DNA test results will come back.
Watch the full "TODAY" show interview below:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy


text:
Send a Solemn Novena Petition to the Altar of St. Jude
Dear Novena Devotee,
Thank you for sending your prayer or petition. Your special intentions will be delivered to the altar of St. Jude at the National Shrine of St. Jude during this Solemn Novena.
Multitudes of devotees are praying together right now! We are confident that our invocation of our patron, St. Jude, lifts our petitions to the God who loves us.
May St. Jude free you of all that weighs on your heart during your Novena prayer.
Yours in hope,
Please consider an offering to support devotion to St. Jude and the work of the Claretians:


text:
Nossie and Wolfums
Franko and Spookster
Just some Halloween doodles I slapped some colors on. I've been extremely busy since I work in a Halloween store, plus I have midterms at school, so I haven't had alot of time for art. Sad Zach...mmmm :C
I'm so pissed, I really wanted to do alot of awesome Halloween pics this year, but I guess October is when I get swamped to my ass with busy-ness. Guh.
Well also, My Purple People Eater piece is going to be up for sale in the Autumn Society's Trick Art Treat Show!
The show is going to be at Brave New Worlds in Philadelphia
Friday, October 30th (6-8pm) and Saturday October 31st (5pm-8pm)
If you're in Philly by then, I'd suggest you go check it out. And if anyone has a craving to purchase my piece feel free to email me.
So I'll jump on the bandwagon of ending my post with a photo of one of my pets, Chloe (she's the fat cat in the picture). I thought it was appropriate for this time of year.
Say Goodnight, Chloe!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Halloween Frenzy and Gallery Show!
Posted by Zach Bellissimo at 7:16 PM 3 comments
Labels: art show, autumn society, doodles, fat cat, gallery, halloween
Saturday, October 10, 2009
It had'a One Long Horn and'aOne Big Eye...
I commenced'a shaking and I said "ooh eee!"
It looked like a Purple People Eater to me!
Based off the classic song by Sheb Wooley, the One Eyed, One Horned, Flying Purple People Eater is a Halloween legend! It was kind of a challenge to design this guy since there's not really any art of him anywhere (or any GOOD art), so I had to take that in my own hands. I'm pretty pleased with the end result. I even gave him short shorts! And I wanted it to look like a beaten up old Halloween postcard.
Hand inked on brown paper and pimped out in Photoshop.
And here's something extra. A compositional assignment for one of my classes. My characters Jillyan and Voodoo Croc who I'm currently writing a story for.
The composition part needs some work, haha.
So I've been kinda bombarded with school work, and commissions and my job takes up alot of unartistical effort so I haven't really been doing alot of art for myself. I'll try my best to update more.
Posted by Zach Bellissimo at 11:32 AM 4 comments
Labels: composition, halloween, purple people eater


text:
Too much of a French press, French Bicycles and French kisses arent enough for this little dog. Oui oui
Photo/art bear and bird online »
by gemma correll
*Thanks Kimberly for sharing this!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Trés cool dog.
Posted by MELI. at 12/02/2009
Labels: qué cute
2 comments:
He's so cute! Hmm... what if his little rug were a beret I was wearing? Oh, hilarity.ReplyDelete
PS As an admittedly anal-retentive French translator, I'll very kindly point out: très. I'm a fan of ALT+138, as detailed here: http://www.ccsf.edu/Departments/Language_Center/accentspc.htm
Merci for the bikey doggy awesomeness!
isnt it great?ReplyDelete
&no biggie, this blog speaks LOLcat, spanish and french blended and served straight from a steaming french press. love your attn. to detail though ;-)
<3 thx for stopping by!!
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
A hernia is a condition in which tissue from inside the abdomen
bulges out through a weak spot in the muscles of the abdominal wall. A
strangulated hernia occurs when the tissue gets trapped very tightly in the
hernia and its blood supply is cut off.
A strangulated hernia is rare but can cause bulging, swelling, and severe pain. In more serious cases, it can cause severe bleeding, death
of the tissue (gangrene), and serious bacterial infection of the blood
Immediate surgery is always needed for a strangulated
Last Revised:
November 15, 2012
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & Kenneth Bark, MD - Surgery, Colon and Rectal
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
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text:
Friday, February 25, 2011
Sepia Saturday: A Family Gathering and a Well Identified Photo, 1920
Heavenly to have a well identified photo of so many family members!
Back row: Florence Byram Travis and Joe Travis, Namond "Ray" Proctor, Thomas Riley "Ned" Travis, Millie Travis Proctor and Dan Proctor, Sicily Island Page Travis (Ned's wife).
Middle Row: Everett Proctor, Bess Travis Hayes, Grace Travis (Ned's daughter), Laura Fleming Travis (Thomas Perry's wife), Cleo Proctor, Thomas Perry Travis (Ned's son).
Bottom Row: Velma Settle, Charles Proctor, Roy Proctor.
The unidentified little boys are probably Thomas Perry's sons Everett Earl (with Thomas Perry) and Francis (in front of Ned). I don't see their older brother Thomas.
I wonder who the photographer was...?
This photo was taken at a Travis family reunion in Sidney, Iowa in 1920. My great grandparents, Dan and Millie Proctor had driven from their home in Renton, Washington to Sidney with their children Ray, Roy, Cleo, Charles and Everett (my grandfather). They had slept in tents off the side of the road on the drive out, sometimes having to clear the roads by hand as they progressed. A long, hard trip, but by all accounts, it was a grand time!
Please visit my friends over at Sepia Saturday for more posts like this.
10 comments:
I wonder what the two boys at the front have been up to - neither is wearing shoes. Like the braces (suspenders) on the boy and the man on the right.ReplyDelete
How did they manage to get such a group together?
Everyone identified? What a treasure! And what a great family photo. I wonder why the young man in the back row is so dressed up compared to the rest of the family? A drive from Washington to Iowa in 1920. Any idea how long it took them? Great post!ReplyDelete
Great photo. What a long drive, especially for that era. I wonder how long it took.ReplyDelete
Three cheers for the person who so carefully wrote all of the names on the back of this photo. I wish everyone did.
If only all photos were so carefully noted...ReplyDelete
It is so nice when they are named and even notes about the day or whatever. The two boys in front (barefoot)remind me of Huck ready to white wash a fence...very cool photo!ReplyDelete
Thanks for all of the comments.ReplyDelete
@Bob- The Travises mostly stayed in Sidney, so there was a ton of relatives available at any time there. This is, actually, quite a small group for them!
@Patty and Christine -I have been transcribing a letter written by Cleo Proctor (probably the person who wrote the names)and she mentions the trip, but never says how long it took. She did say that the roads were so undefined, they once ended up out in a field. :-)
She also says that Ray and Everett did all the driving. I think they were more dressed up because they were the visitors and Ray (in back) was known as the leader of the family. The others lived there and were probably working on the farm. Sad, I am told it was lost in the depression about 10 years later.
I love the way everybody is sitting close and leaning on each other. looks like they knew each other and liked each other. must have to make the trip you describe! So sad they lost the farm!ReplyDelete
Oh the boys look like Huck and Tom ready to set out on adventures!ReplyDelete
Heavenly indeed. I have dreams at night of finding such a well documented family photograph. But if they were all recorded so well, where would the challenge be?ReplyDelete
What a fine family photo! And people are identified!!! A treasure for any family historian. Thanks for sharing.ReplyDelete


text:
FOXBORO, Mass. � Jimmy Garoppolo�s transition to the NFL has already caused a major adjustment for his family.
Take Mother�s Day, for instance.
�Probably leaving my Mom (Denise) on Mother�s Day,� Garoppolo answered when asked his biggest surprise since the Patriots selected him in Friday night�s second round of the NFL draft. �She was a little upset about it, but it�s business now. It�s my job and I�m excited to be out here.�
Another major adjustment awaits.
Waiting game
After starring at Eastern Illinois University and Rolling Meadows (Ill.) High School before that, if all goes as planned, Garoppolo will start his pro career as a backup and spend the foreseeable future in New England filling that role.
�Oh, man,� Garoppolo said, struggling to recall the last time he sat. �I don�t know. I don�t think I ever have.�
Garoppolo may be the �air apparent� in New England, but with Tom Brady showing little sign of decline and under contract through 2017, there is no reason to think the newcomer will be taking meaningful snaps at any time soon.
Not that that�s on the mind of a 21-year-old who was just enrolled in NFL 101.
�Picking up the playbook is hard enough,� Garoppolo said Tuesday. �That�s my main worry right now.�
That playbook, Garoppolo said, has been difficult to pry out of his hands since his arrival in Foxboro with the rest of the Patriots draft class and undrafted free agents on Sunday.
�(I�ve spent an) unbelievable amount (of time in the playbook),� he said. �I�m getting a little bit sleep deprived, but that�s a good thing in this business.�
The 6-foot-2, 226-pound quarterback caused many EIU�s opponents many a sleepless night over the years, this past season in particular when he threw for 5,050 yards and 53 touchdowns with just nine interceptions. On Tuesday, he was named the Ohio Valley Conference male athlete of the year.
Stellar career
Garoppolo�s 13,151 career yards passing obliterated the previous Ohio Valley Conference record of 9,990 Casey Brockman set from 2009-2012 at
Murray State, his 118 TD passes broke both the school and conference records set by Tony Romo from 1999-2002.
Doing that in the OVC is one thing, however; doing it in the NFL will be another.
But Garoppolo, who earned Offensive MVP honors at the East-West Shrine Game and also played in the Senior Bowl, downplayed the difference in the level of play he faced and the competition others may have gone up against in playing against traditional college football powerhouses.
�Playing in those all-star games I think helped verify that there�s not that big of a difference between 1-AA and the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) anymore,� he said. �That gap�s becoming closer and closer and the all-star games just helped verify that.�
Garoppolo said to this point his interaction with Brady and veteran backup Ryan Mallett have been minimal.
�We haven�t talked to the veterans much,� he said. �Just a quick introduction � but I think next week is when we�ll interact with them more.�
By then, Garoppolo hopes to be speaking their language.
�It�s a completely different offense (from college), to be honest,� said Garoppolo. �It�s like learning Spanish compared to English. It�s just a different language, really.�