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The Khawarij are subdivided into fifteen distinct sects:
1. The Najadat, whose name can be traced to Najda ibn 'Amir al-Hanafi, [one-time conqueror of the Arabian province] of al-Yamama. They are the followers of 'Abdu'llah ibn Nasir. They propounded the doctrine that if a person tells a lie or commits a minor sin, and makes a habit of it, he must be considered a polytheist [mushrik], although a person can still be considered a Muslim even if he commits adultery or fornication, steals, and drinks wine, as long as he does not persist in these offenses. They also maintained that there is no need for an Imam, since what is necessary is knowledge of the Book of Allah, and that alone is quite sufficient.
2. The Azariqa, so called because they are the followers of Nafi' ibn al-Azraq. They maintained that every major sin is tantamount to unbelief [kufr], that the residence of the Caliph is the residence of unbelief, and that Abu Musa and 'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be well pleased with them both) were guilty of not believing in Allah, when 'Ali (may Allah be well pleased with him) appointed them to arbitrate between himself and Mu'awiya (may Allah be well pleased with him) for the sake of giving consideration to the best interests of the community at large.
The Azariqa also consider it permissible to kill young children, meaning the offspring of those who attribute partners to Allah [awlad al-mushrikin]. They regard as unlawful [the punishment of a convicted adulterer by] stoning to death [rajm]. They do not impose the legal penalty [of eighty lashes] on a person guilty of slandering a respectable male [qadhif al-muhsan], although they do impose that penalty on one who is guilty of slandering a respectable female [qadhif al-muhsana].
3. The Fudakiyya, historically related to Ibn Fudaik.
4. The 'Atawiyya, who can be traced back to 'Atiyya ibn al-Aswad.
5. The 'Ajarida, historically related to 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Ajrad. They actually represent a composite grouping of many subsects, collectively known as the Maimuniyya. They consider it permissible for a man to marry the daughters of his sons and the daughters of his daughters, as well as the daughters of his brothers and the daughters of his sisters. They also maintain that the chapter entitled "Joseph" [Surat Yusuf] is not really part of the Qur'an.
6. The Jazimiyya. Peculiar to this sect is the doctrine that friendliness [walaya] and hostility ['adawa] are a pair of attributes applicable to His Essence (Exalted is He). The Jazimiyya can otherwise be regarded as a branch of the Ma'lumiyya, since they maintain that anyone who does not know Allah by His Names is an ignorant person. They refuse to accept the doctrine that actions [af 'al] belong to Allah (Exalted is He) in terms of creation, and that the ability to act is brought into being simultaneously with the action itself [al-istita'a ma'a'l-fi'l].
7. The Majhuliyya, who constitute one of the fifteen basic groups [of the Khawarij]. They are proponents of the doctrine that if someone knows Allah by at least some of His Names, he is to be considered as having knowledge ['alim] of Him, not as a totally ignorant person [jahil].
8. The Saltiyya, who are historically related to 'Uthman ibn as-Salt. They maintain that if a person has an infant child at the time when he responds to our call and embraces Islam, that child cannot be regarded as a Muslim until he reaches the age of puberty, at which time he must be invited to enter Islam and must accept the invitation on his own behalf.
9. The Akhnasiyya, who trace the origin of their name to a man called al-Akhnas. They hold the opinion that the slave-owner may take for himself part of the alms [zakat] due to his slave, and pass on to him only part of his alms, if he [the slave-owner] is needy and impoverished.
10. The Zafariyya.
11. The Hafsiyya, a sectarian group [ta'ifa] that branched off from the Zafariyya. They maintain that as long as a person acknowledges Allah, he cannot be considered guilty of polytheism or idolatry [shirk], even if he does not believe in anything else in the religion apart from Him, such as a Messenger [Rasul], a Garden of Paradise and a Fire of Hell, even if he perpetrates all the most heinous crimes, such as homicide, and even if he regards it as lawful to commit adultery and fornication [zina]. According to them, a person can be considered guilty of shirk only if he is ignorant of Allah and refuses to recognize His existence, and on no other grounds at all.
They also maintain that the "one lured to bewilderment [hairan]," who is mentioned by Allah (Exalted is He) in the Qur'an, is none other than 'Ali, along with his party and his companions, "who call him to guidance, [saying]: 'Come to us!'"
These are the people [who fought against 'Ali (may Allah be well pleased with him) in the battle] of Nahrawan.
12. The Ibadiyya [or Abadiyya]. They maintain that every religious duty which Allah (Exalted is He) has made incumbent upon His creatures must be treated as an article of faith [iman], and that every major sin is an instance of ingratitude for divine blessings [kufr ni'ma], not of polytheistic misbelief [kufr shirk].
13. The Bahnasiyya, historically related to Abu Bahnas, have adopted a doctrine peculiar to themselves, since they maintain a man cannot be considered a Muslim until he knows everything that Allah has made lawful to him, and everything that He has made unlawful to him, specifically and personally.
There are some among the Bahnasiyya who say that if a person commits a sinful offense, he should not be treated as an unbeliever until he has been arraigned before the Sultan, so that the latter may impose upon him the penalty [prescribed by the sacred law for his particular offense], and that only then should he be convicted of unbelief [kufr].
14. The Shimrakhiyya trace the origin of their name to 'Abdu'llah ibn ash-Shimrakh, who declared that the killing of one's own parents is a lawful act [halal]. At the time when he made this assertion, however, he was under duress or threat of injury [fi dar at-taqiyya], so the Khawarij were able to wash their hands of him.
15. The Bida'iyya. Their doctrines generally
coincide with those of the Azariqa. Peculiar to them alone, however, is the
assertion that the ritual prayer [salat] should consist of only two cycles
[rak'atan] not only in the morning, but also in the evening, on the strength
of [their interpretation of] the words of Allah (Exalted is He):
And perform the prayer at the two ends of the day and in some watches of the night; surely the good deeds will drive away the evil deeds. (11:114)
They are in agreement with the Azariqa on the permissibility of taking women captives
from among the unbelievers [kuffar], and of killing their infant children
inadvertently, on the strength of [their interpretation of] the words of Allah (Exalted is
[And Noah said: "My Lord,] do not leave upon the earth even one of the unbelievers." (71:26)
All the sects of the Khawarij are in full accord when it comes to holding 'Ali guilty of unbelief [kufr] on account of his decision to resort to the appointment of arbitrators [tahkim]. They are also in unanimous agreement on the imputation of unbelief to the perpetrator of a major sin [kufr murtakib kabira], with the exception of the Najadat, who do not subscribe to this doctrine.
?Baz Publications


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Metro-North M-8 cars to make debut today in Stamford
STAMFORD -- The long-awaited debut of Metro-North's M-8 rail cars will take place this morning at 10:30 a.m.
The first of the six-car trains will leave Stamford at 10:30 and make all local stops on its way to Grand Central Terminal, said Metro-North spokesperson Marjorie Anders.
The train is the only M-8 that will immediately be in service on the New Haven line, though a second six-car train is expected to arrive next month.
Earlier this week, officials had expressed confidence that the trains would arrive soon.
Tim McCarthy, Metro-North Railroad's senior vice president of capital programs, along with Department of Transportation commissioner Jeffrey Parker and other officials, said Monday that the first train of six M-8 cars would make its inaugural run carrying paying customers within weeks and expect the final testing hurdle -- a series of simulated passenger runs in which the cars must run without substantial error for 4,000 miles -- would be smooth.
McCarthy said the 15-month testing process for the M-8s is about half a year shorter than testing to get the similarly designed M-7 cars in service in 2002.
The M-7, considered a forerunner of the M-8, is used on Metro-North's Harlem and Hudson lines and the Long Island Railroad.
"We're oh-so-close to getting the M-8 cars in service," McCarthy said. "If we get them in service soon, it will actually be a quicker testing process than the M-7."
Parker and McCarthy this week declined requests to discuss the testing status of the first set of M-8 cars.
"We are hopeful the first M-8 cars can go into service very shortly -- perhaps within the next few weeks to a month," DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick said Thursday.
Kawasaki's M-8 and the M-7, built by Canada's Bombardier Inc., include several similar features, including centralized computer control and on-board diagnostic systems, alternating current propulsion, automated on-board announcements and single-leaf rather than double-leaf side doors.
Other shared features serve to make the cars less vulnerable to snow-related malfunctions with gaskets, circuit boards and other vital electronic components placed inside the compartment of the train, Anders said.
The New Haven Line's fleet of 320 M-2, M-4 and M-6 cars has been crippled by age and outmoded design features this winter as wind-driven snow has fouled components located in plastic coffin boxes fastened beneath the train, Anders said.
On Feb. 4, the railroad introduced a reduced schedule that cut service by 10 percent on the line.
Last month, the MTA approved $12 million to extend the contract of the Louis T. Klauder & Associates engineering firm to oversee another seven months of testing for the M-8s to resolve software glitches and other problems delaying their debut.
In late December, Metro-North Railroad President Howard Permut and Parker announced engineers were working to fix software problems causing electromagnetic interference from the M-8 propulsion systems that was throwing off trackside signal equipment .
Other problems -- which Parker and McCarthy said are now resolved -- affected auxiliary power systems, which ensure the proper electrical current to run the cars is available, and automatic train control, which lets engineers know when it is safe to leave a station and how fast they can travel.
Other production delays have contributed to the first M-8s being delivered in December 2009, nearly a year behind schedule, including a problem in 2008, when Kawasaki could not buy steel needed to build the cars.
In spring 2010, former DOT Commissioner Joseph Marie acknowledged a delay in installing diagnostic software aboard the first M-8 cars held up testing of mechanical and computer components controlling speed, braking, restrooms, and doors on the cars.
Connecticut Rail Commuter Council Chairman Jim Cameron and some New Haven Line commuters said dissatisfaction with the three-month delay in the cars' debut has been compounded by the breakdown of the New Haven fleet this winter and a lack of concrete detail from Metro-North and DOT officials about hurdles to introducing the new cars.
At the same time, the council has given Metro-North credit for maintaining on-time service during a harsh winter of record snowfalls which has at times sidelined between one-third and one-half of the New Haven Line's electric fleet.
Once the first M-8 cars go into service, Kawasaki has told Metro-North it could finish up to 12 new cars a month on a Lincoln, Neb. assembly line.
Last week, the State Bond Commission approved a $81 million request from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to act on the final 38-car option under an $866 million contract with Kawasaki to purchase 380 cars.
Colleen Flanagan, a Malloy spokeswoman, said the governor is anxious to see the new cars enter service, and is relying on Metro-North and DOT reports that the debut is imminent.
"The governor is confident in the reports he receives from the Department of Transportation," Flanagan said. "Beyond that, he is not an engineer. The DOT has told the governor that the new cars will be online before the end of March and he is looking forward to riding them when they are."

subset: commoncrawl


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Andrew Akhaphong is a registered dietitian, precision nutrition sports coach and an ACTION certified personal trainer for Faribault Hy-Vee. He is a native of Farmington. He can be reached at email@example.com or 507-334-2085.
Now that the holiday season is passed us, many look forward to the new year to start a clean slate. Weight management ranks as one of the most common resolutions for New Year's. This includes goals such as eating healthier, becoming lean or being able to run longer distances.
Follow these tips on how to successfully implement this lifestyle change.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends a goal of 1 to 2 pounds lost per week for the first six months of managing weight. This will allow your body to readjust its metabolism and hormone responses safely; especially if you are on medications like a diuretic, anticoagulant or chemotherapeutic agent.
Review medications. Your pharmacist or doctor can go over your current medications for side effects that may impact your weight or is affected by weight. Consult with a doctor before starting a fitness regimen.
Exercise is not just for the gym. Get your steps in by choosing the stairs instead of the elevator, do sit-ups between TV commercials or park the car farther away from the entrance of a store and brisk walk.
Skip counting calories - it is complicated and time consuming. Focus on portion sizes instead. If you are used to eating four slices of pizza in one sitting, go ahead and do it. Next time you order pizza, wean down to three and again to two slices on another day. Once you successfully reached your goal, focus on another goal such as reducing your soda intake. Remember, baby steps.
Focus on protein and fiber. Our body produces two hunger hormones: Ghrelin stimulates our appetite and is produced by the stomach, while leptin is the appetite suppressor made by our fat cells. Research shows a diet higher in protein and fiber helps suppress ghrelin production more effectively. Focus on lean meats such as skinless chicken breast, salmon, pork loin, sirloin steak, peanut butter, whole wheat, beans and fresh fruit and vegetables.
Watch the salt (sodium). For many of us who swell easily or have congestive heart failure, retaining fluid skews our weight. Look for items that are low salt or salt free. There are even processed foods like can soup and deli meats that are now lower in sodium. Choose salt-free seasonings like Mrs. Dash or McCormick. As for Himalayan and sea salt, there is no difference except for its texture and flavor. Consult with your doctor before choosing a potassium-based salt as it may affect your heart medications.
Remember. Be positive. Make it fun. Invite a family member or friend to join you on your lifestyle journey. Inform your social group how important this journey is for you. Document your progress and feelings about your workout or meal - learn from it and better yourself next time.


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Drama and Desire: "Paolo and Francesca" by Gaetano Previati
June 29th, 2010
Gaetano Previati's Paolo and Francesca is on display for a limited time at the AGO as part of the exhibition Drama and Desire: Artists and the Theatre.
Looks a bit like a soap opera? This painting depicts an episode from a story originally set in medieval Italy. It tells of the brave but deformed aristocrat Giovanni who sends his handsome younger brother Paolo to propose to the maiden Francesca on his behalf. She falls in love with Paolo, but soon marries Giovanni who is in disguise. Francesca only discovers the trick after her wedding night. She and Paolo become lovers. They are surprised by Giovanni who accidentally kills Francesca as she rushes to protect Paolo. Giovanni also murders Paolo.


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Terry Lee Loewen charged in planned suicide bombing at Wichita airport
For months, authorities allege, a 58-year-old avionics technician named Terry Lee Loewen – driven by radical ideas and prepared to die in a suicide attack – moved forward with a plot to detonate explosives at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport.
The planned attack was designed to inflict the maximum number of deaths at an airport in the nation's midsection before Christmas, says a detailed criminal complaint filed Friday.
The plot got as far as a gate to the airport shortly before 6 a.m. Friday, when authorities arrested Loewen without incident. What he didn't know until his arrest is that the people he had been conspiring with all along were FBI agents, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom announced Friday, stressing that the public and passengers were never in danger.
Loewen now faces three federal charges filed in Wichita: One count of trying to use a weapon of mass destruction, one count of attempting to damage property and one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization that Loewen thought was al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, based in Yemen.
On the afternoon of the day he had allegedly arranged for himself to die, he appeared instead in U.S. District Court in Wichita to hear himself accused of terrorism charges.
When Magistrate Karen Humphreys asked Loewen, "Do you understand your rights?" he replied "yes, ma'am" in a steady voice.
Loewen is being held in the Sedgwick County Jail.
Loewen worked as an avionics technician at the Hawker Beechcraft Services facility at the airport. The company said it suspended his employment after learning of the arrest.
He is alleged to have spent months developing a plan to use his access card to airport grounds to drive a van loaded with explosives to the terminal.
Authorities said he planned to pull the trigger on the explosives himself and to die in the explosion.
Grissom and FBI Special Agent in Charge Mike Kaste stressed that there was no indication that Loewen was involved with or working with any religious community in Wichita and that his alleged actions in no way should reflect on any religious group.
Hussam Madi, spokesman for the Islamic Society of Wichita, said Friday: "We don't even know who he is at all. We haven't seen him here. This is the first time that we've heard of him."
Madi said the society checked with mosques around the city and none of them knew of Loewen.
"We haven't had any backlash," as a result of Loewen's alleged attempt at terrorism. "Hopefully, we don't."
No flights were delayed or canceled because of the incident, said Victor White, director of airports with the Wichita Airport Authority.
General aviation business also took place as usual, White said. Loewen was arrested at one of the gates and never got onto the airfield, White said.
Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office spokesman Dan Dillon said his office could find no evidence of a criminal history for Loewen in Sedgwick County.
Officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation announced Loewen's arrest at a news conference Friday afternoon in downtown Wichita that was attended by Gov. Sam Brownback and area law enforcement officials.
Agents arrested Loewen about 5:40 a.m. Friday after they say he attempted to enter the airport tarmac and deliver a vehicle loaded with what he believed to be high explosives. Loewen was taken into custody when he tried to open a security access gate.
Members of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force took Loewen into custody without incident.
"There was no breach of Mid-Continent Airport's security," said Grissom. "At no time was the safety of travelers or members of the public placed in jeopardy."
Loewen has been under investigation by the Wichita Joint Terrorism Task Force since early summer 2013, Grissom said. Loewen didn't realize he was having an online conversation with an FBI employee in which Loewen expressed "desire to engage in violent jihad on behalf of al Qaeda," the criminal complaint said.
Over a period of months, Grissom said, Loewen took a series of steps to act on the plot, as part of the jihad, or "holy war."
According to an affidavit, Loewen:
• Studied the layout of the airport and took photographs of access points.
• Researched flight schedules.
• Assisted in acquiring components for the car bomb.
• Talked about his commitment to trigger the device and martyr himself.
The 21-page criminal complaint details the development of the alleged plot and extensively quotes Loewen's communication with the FBI employees.
There is an Aug. 5 communication in which he told an FBI employee, "As time goes on I care less and less about what other people think of me, or my views on Islam. I have been studying subjects like jihad, martyrdom operations, and Sharia Law." He was also quoted as saying "I believe the Muslim who is labeled 'a radical fundamentalist' is closer to Allah than the ones labeled 'moderates'. Just my opinion; if I'm off base, please set me straight."
Three days later, on Aug. 8, after the FBI employee offered to introduce him to someone who could help him wage violence, the complaint says, Loewen wrote: "Brothers like Osama bin Laden are a great inspiration to me, but I must be willing to give up everything (like they did) to truly feel like a obedient slave of Allah."
Around Aug. 21, he sent a message saying "I have numerous ideas of ways I could perform jihad," and he said he had been sending money to the "Revolution Muslim website," the complaint said.
Around Aug. 26, he talked to the FBI employee about giving a "tour" of Mid-Continent Airport, according to the complaint. About a day later, Loewen allegedly said: "I guess I look at myself as the 'access' guy at this point – just need more details at this point are we talking explosives, because I know nothing about that? It's all very surreal at this point, exciting, yet scary."
He said he could escort someone onto the tarmac that leads to airliners and the control tower, and that he could gain access to bring a vehicle onto the tarmac, the complaint said.
Around Sept. 17, Loewen relayed photos of what looked like fighter jet trainers outside his hangar, the complaint said. The planes had apparently stopped for fuel. He talked of many "Apatche's" staying overnight. And this, the complaint said:
"It would have been possible today for me to have walked over there, shot both pilots (I don't know if they are armed or not), slapped some C4 on both fuel trucks and set them off before anyone even called TSA. Talks REAL cheap, however, so what I think I can do and what I actually can do are probably two different things."
The complaint also gave this account: By early October, the FBI employee was telling Loewen that he had just come back from overseas and that "brothers" were excited about his airport access. When Loewen was asked if he could scout out targets and security and be willing to plant a device, he allegedly said, "I still need time to think about it, but I can't imagine anything short of arrest stopping me." He also expressed some concern to the person he was dealing with, saying, "I'm sorry I can't say I trust you 100%; my greatest fear is not being able to complete an operation because I was set up. I hate this government so much for they have done to our brothers and sisters, that to spent (sic) the rest of my life in prison without having taken a good slice out of the serpents head is unacceptable to me."
Loewen also allegedly told the person posing as a conspirator that he wouldn't have vehicle access to a ramp until after the first of the year, "so driving on to airport property with a van full of C4 is out of the question – after the first of the year, we could drive a city bus out there."
Loewen was told he could "back out at any time," the complaint said. Loewen responded in part by saying, "I can't see myself doing anything that involves killing children, unless I know everything is being done to minimize that."
On Oct. 7, Loewen sent a number of photographs, showing his airport access badge, tarmac gates and gate devices.
By Oct. 11, Loewen told the FBI employee "he was prepared to go forward," the complaint said. "Count me in for the duration," he said. He talked of using a vehicle with a company logo.
By Oct. 18, he was talking of bringing a weapon, "if advisable," to begin shooting if law enforcement arrived. In 2009, Loewen had a concealed-carry violation at the airport, according to Wichita police.
Things moved forward, according to the timeline: On Oct. 25, Loewen met with a second FBI employee, posing as a "brother" with al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. During the meeting with the second FBI employee, Loewen repeated "his desire to help FBI Employee 2 with a mission to blow up a plane with numerous people on board," the complaint said.
During a second meeting on Nov. 8, Loewen allegedly indicated he was willing to die, and become a martyr, in the attack.
The planning involved talk of moving an explosives-laden vehicle "to the terminal near a number of passenger planes," and "Loewen suggested that another individual could come in to the terminal with a suicide vest and detonate that to coincide" with the explosives outside, according to the complaint.
The second FBI employee and Loewen "discussed executing this plan just prior to Christmas which would cause the greatest impact physically and economically," the complaint said.
They had code words: "rental property."
Loewen said he used Google maps to check out some areas of the airport.
In a Nov. 13 communication, Loewen brought up the need to stay below the radar. "Did you notice the brother who got busted trying to fly to Syria to aid Al Qaeda in fighting the taghoot government – guess he posted a large amount of radical information on Facebook and the FBI set him up. I keep a pretty low profile on Facebook anymore – I have more important things to attend to."
In a meeting about a week later, on Nov. 19, Loewen again sounded committed to dying in the operation, the complaint said. The second FBI employee suggested that Loewen could be the "navigator" by giving directions on where the device could be exploded.
Loewen provided "research that he had conducted on the best time to execute the attack based upon the number of people who would be boarding aircraft and the number of people who would be in the terminal," the complaint said. "Loewen further expressed his desire to kill as many people as possible, and he explained where to park a vehicle full of explosive to accomplish that goal." He included a diagram of the terminal and tarmac.
He agreed to buy a device to set off the explosive, the document said. Loewen allegedly volunteered to wire the explosive device, "since he does wiring as part of his employment."
The final plan: When Loewen got access, they would drive to the terminal early in the morning, exploding the device "between the terminals for maximum casualties," the complaint said. Both Loewen and the second FBI employee would die in the blast.
According to the narrative, on Nov. 21, Loewen met with his supposed co-conspirator and brought components he got from his workplace. Around Dec. 3, Loewen provided containers for the explosives. Loewen marked an "X" on a diagram for the place to park the vehicle that would cause the most damage. Based on departure schedules Loewen offered, early morning was the ideal time.
On Dec. 6, Loewen renewed his badge and now supposedly had access to a gate to the tarmac.
On Dec. 9, this past Monday, he verified that the badge would work. In a meeting Wednesday, Loewen wired the detonator and helped the FBI employee build the rest of the bomb, the complaint said.
They decided to mount the operation on Friday, Dec. 13, and "Loewen stated that he was happy that this was going to happen soon." He didn't go to work Wednesday and wrote letters to his family.
At 4:45 a.m. Friday, the supposed co-conspirator picked up Loewen at a local hotel. They drove to a spot where the bomb was stored, and Loewen completed the wiring, the complaint said. Then, according to the authorities' account:
At 5:19, they headed to the airport. At 5:40, Loewen tried to use his badge at the gate, where he had tested it two days earlier. But now it had been disabled.
After two tries at opening the gate, authorities arrested Loewen.
Grissom said FBI Evidence Response Teams are processing multiple locations but that no other arrests are expected.
At his court appearance Friday afternoon, Humphreys, the federal magistrate, told Loewen she was scheduling him for a preliminary hearing and a detention hearing for 11 a.m. on Dec. 20. Federal prosecutors told her in the courtroom that a grand jury would meet on Wednesday to consider an indictment.
Humphreys told prosecutors from the bench to make sure Loewen gets the several medications she had heard he needed.
When he was escorted into the courtroom, he walked with short steps, his legs, hands and waist all linked with chains and handcuffs. He appeared calm and swiveled gently in his chair in the minutes he and assistant public defender John Henderson waited for the judge to enter the courtroom.
Just before Humphreys arrived, men from the U.S. Marshals Service unhooked all of the restraints. They dropped the chains with a heavy, clunking sound a few feet from the table where Loewen then sat down beside his public defender.
In the courtroom seats behind Loewen sat his wife, identified in mortgage records with the Sedgwick County Register of Deeds' office as Deborah Loewen.
Humphreys read him his rights and then the charges. "Do you understand counts one, two and three filed against you?" Humphreys asked. "Yes, ma'am, I do," he replied.
She asked about his finances and noted that in the hours he'd spent under arrest he'd already filled out a financial affidavit. She asked him if he wanted a public defender. "Yes, ma'am," he replied. She noted that he had told officials already that he didn't know a lot about his own finances because his wife handles the family finances.
Loewen said that is true.
Humphreys nodded. "Well, I don't think that's all that unusual," she said.
Henderson said federal authorities had assured him they'd acquired several medications that he said Loewen needs. Loewen has several stents in blood vessels in his chest and needs at least one of the medications – a blood thinner – every day. "If he goes without that medication for 24 hours, there could be severe consequences to him," Henderson said.
Humphreys then addressed Loewen's wife. "I know all of this must be upsetting," the judge said. She asked whether she'd helped federal marshals make sure they understood all his medication needs. Deborah Loewen rose from her seat. "Yes," she said. "I wrote it out on my car for them this morning."
After that, Terry Lee Loewen was led from the courtroom.
News reporters tried to talk to Deborah Loewen, but she walked away.
"No comment," she said. "He has an attorney."
Contributing: Amy Renee Leiker, Stan Finger, Deb Gruver, Molly McMillin, Bill Wilson, Joshua Wood, Tom Shine, John Boogert and Dan Voorhis of The Eagle


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The Sentiment Cycle: Studying the behaviour of market participants
Sentiment moves in long-term cycles; emotion, investor positioning and press coverage all change as an asset progresses through its life cycle. The graphic below takes you through the eight stages of the sentiment cycle.
Out of fashion
- Asset movements: Asset prices have fallen rapidly but the pace of the decline starts to moderate.
- Characteristics: News coverage is broadly negative, but at the end of this stage prices begin to rebound from very depressed levels.
Early adoption
- Asset movement: Asset prices move higher.
- Characteristics: There is very little media coverage. Some investors start buying, but the fundamental reason for the new trend is not recognised by most.
- Asset movement: Asset prices start to trend strongly.
- Characteristics: Significantly more investors buy the asset, in particular retail investors, and the fundamental reasons for buying appear obvious.
New paradigm
- Asset movements: Asset price appreciation continues and can accelerate.
- Characteristics: The bull market is well established, investment returns are good, and investors begin selling other assets to fund the purchase of this new asset. This stage can last a considerable period.
Blind faith
- Asset movements: Asset prices grind to new highs but with limited momentum and then start to decline.
- Characteristics: Asset prices start to fall moderately but investors don't acknowledge the decline. They have total faith in the asset class. Press coverage is minimal because the price movements can't be explained.
- Asset movements: Falling asset prices force investors to take note
- Characteristics: The change in the asset is noted but the "good reasons" to hold the asset are still in place. New investment stops and some selling may occur.
- Asset movements: Asset prices continue to fall.
- Characteristics: The rational behind the fall becomes evident and accepted. Withdrawals begin and long term viability of the asset class is questioned.
- Asset movements: Asset prices fall further and rapidly.
- Characteristics: Substantial losses occur, everyone 'understands' what is happening, and the long term outlook for the asset are perceived to have changed for good.
After capitulation the sentiment cycle is complete and an asset enters "out of fashion".


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- Manufacturer: Dynojet
Dynojet Jet Kit Stage 1 and 2
- Average horsepower increases of 15%-25%
- Each DynoJet kit is precisely engineered to provide a simple and cost effective solution for all your riding needs
- Kit includes jets, needle, spring, shim and instructions
- Stage 1: stock engine/filters, stock/modified pipes; about a 5% power increase
- Stage 2: stock/mild modified engine, stock/ modified pipes, stock/modified filters; about an 8% power increase
Note: Image is for reference only. Actual product may vary.
Manufacturer Part Number: 2152


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Finish them! The Reds have the opportunity to start the 2nd half of the season off with the best possible scenario. A win today would complete a 3-game sweep of the Pirates and allow this club to continue to climb closer to the division lead while planting even more doubts into the Pirates that 2013 is going to play out just like 2011 and 2012. But the Reds need to finish it off today. A 1st inning like yesterday's would go a long way in setting the tone for the sweep, wouldn't it!?
As you wait for the Reds game, tune your TVs over to The Open Championship where things are all clustered at the top. If I am not watching a Reds game, I can't think of many sporting events better to watch than a golf major. In all honesty, my remote will probably be getting a workout around 1:00 as The Open draws closer to an end and the Reds game begins.
But this site isn't dedicated to golf. It is dedicated to the Reds. With that said, let's break out the BROOOOOOOMS and cheer for the Reds to GOOOOOOOOOOO!


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Look – Beige Nudes with Deep Blues
This look is from yesterday 🙂 It's pretty simple, and I had originally intended to wear one of Colour Ready's bright lipsticks with it, but it definitely did *not* look good with a super bright lip. I can't figure out why the cheeks stand out so much in pictures, because they SO didn't in real life. I liked the way the eyes turned out, but I definitely could have paired it with different cheeks/lips to really bring it all together. Maybe next time 🙂
You will need the following…
- Eyes: Soft Ochre paint pot (neutral beige base), Ricepaper eyeshadow (soft beige-neutral), Deep Truth eyeshadow (dark navy blue), Freshwater eyeshadow (medium bright blue), Eve Pearl Liquid Liner Pen (black), Givenchy Navy kohl (navy blue), Plushlash mascara (black)
- Cheeks: Dior Coral Riviera blush (soft coral)
- Lips: Sweetie lipstick (pink), Cult Fave lipglass (pastel pink)
- Brushes: 266 (firm, angled brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 214 (smudge brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 129 (dense blush brush)
- Substitutes: Cult Fave = Cultured
Directions: Define brows using a coordinating powder shadow applied with the 266 brush. Apply Soft Ochre paint pot all over the lid as the base. On the lid, apply Ricepaper eyeshadow using the 239. Darken crease with Deep Truth eyeshadow using the 226, then overlay with Freshwater eyeshadow. Sweep Ricepaper eyeshadow underneath the brow bone to highlight. Finish with Givenchy Navy kohl on lower lash line, Eve Pearl Liquid Liner Pen on upper lash line, and Plushlash mascara on lashes. Sweep apples of cheeks with Dior Coral Riviera blush with the 188. Apply Sweetie lipstick to lips, and then top with Cult Fave lipglass for color and shine.
Check out more photos!
A few readers asked for a recent picture of Magellan, so here's one… I'm not sure if posted it already, but it's fairly recent and my favorite I've taken of him.


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Summer Pet Pitfalls: Keep Your Pets Safe
Protect your furry friend from these common hot-weather hazards.
Pets that love splashing around in water require vigilant supervision. Some dogs will overexert themselves and then not have the strength to get out of the water. Also, consider your dog's health and age: An overweight or older animal may have more trouble swimming than he had in his fitter, younger days.
Cause for concern: If you see your pet struggling to stay afloat, hook his collar with a pole or provide a raft he can crawl onto and pull him to safety. If he's not breathing, administer CPR.
To keep your pet safe: Animals should never be left alone in or near water. If you take your pet swimming or on a boat ride, suit him with a life jacket and let him play in the water for just a few minutes at a time.
Poisonous Plants
Summer foliage and flowers, such as daffodils and tulips, often look good enough to eat but can be toxic when consumed by dogs and cats.
Cause for concern: Eating bulbs can lead to cardiovascular problems and endanger the central nervous system; ingesting lilies can cause kidney failure in cats. Certain fertilizers and lawn chemicals can be toxic to your pet. If you notice signs of poisoning — vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, or tremors — take your animal to the vet.
To keep your pet safe: Plant nontoxic blooms, like violets, orchids, or daisies, in the yard. And if your pet tries to nibble from a community garden, tug at his leash and firmly tell him "no." As for fertilizer, choose one that doesn't contain insecticides or herbicides. How to tell? If the package says, "kills weeds" or "kills insects," the fertilizer may also be a danger to your pet.
Bugs like mosquitoes, ticks, and even flies can cause severe illness or worse.
Cause for concern: Mosquito bites can lead to heartworm in cats and dogs. While symptoms can be hard to detect, they include sudden respiratory problems like difficulty breathing and a persistent cough that requires immediate medical attention. Ticks are a common external parasite that can transmit fatal illnesses, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever (watch for depression, weakness, tremors, or seizures) and Lyme Disease (symptoms usually occur two to five months after the tick bite and include a fever of between 103 and 105 degrees, shifting leg lameness, and swelling in the joints). Flies are unlikely to spread disease, but they will, on rare occasion, lay eggs on a cut or fecal-stained fur, which can lead to an under-the-skin maggot infestation that could be fatal. If you smell a strong, foul odor coming from a wound, head to the vet.
To keep your pet safe: Do daily checks for bites, ticks, and sores. If you notice a tick, remove it with tweezers by the head or mouth parts, right where it entered the skin. Do not grasp the tick by the body, as you do not want to crush it and force harmful bacteria into your pet's bloodstream. Then apply an antiseptic to the bitten area. Ask your vet for preventive heartworm medicine and, while you're at it, get a recommendation for an anti-tick spray and a pet-safe fly repellent.
Sound familiar? Your dog or cat smells something cooking on the grill, and in an effort to grab it, he scorches his paws. Sun-baked asphalt and sand can also hurt his pads.
Cause for concern: A wounded animal may hide or withdraw to tend to his injury, but he needs your help. In addition to keeping track of his whereabouts, watch for signs of pain when he's walking, incessant licking of the paws and cracking or blistering on his pads. If he suffers a minor burn, apply a cool, wet compress to the wound, cover it with a burn ointment and wrap it with gauze.
To keep your pet safe: It's best to not let him loose while you're barbecuing. But if you must have him in the yard while you're grilling, keep tennis balls or dog bones nearby to distract him when he starts hovering. Also, steer clear of hot black concrete when walking him, and avoid the beach on blazing hot days. If you can, save your strolls for twilight or early morning.
Temperatures pushing 100 degrees put pets at risk for heatstroke, which can lead to brain damage — or even death — within 15 minutes. Limit extended sun exposure on moderate days too.
Cause for concern: If you notice uncontrollable panting, a rapid heartbeat, excessive drooling or lethargy, bring your pet into an air-conditioned room, give him a bowl of cool water, and wet his belly and inside his front and hind legs. Immediately call your vet.
To keep your pet safe: Make sure your dog's or cat's water bowl is continually refilled with cool water. Also check the water level periodically to make sure he is drinking. In addition, try to limit outdoor activities to early morning or evening hours. If he's itching to play outside at high noon, fine — just be sure to hose him down every few minutes, or keep a kiddie pool out in the yard so he can take a dip when he's hot. (Empty out the pool every evening to avoid attracting mosquitoes.) Finally, when running errands with Rover, never leave him in the car unattended. Instead, have someone stay with him and keep the air-conditioning on. And, no, a cracked window won't keep him cool.
Copyright © 2008. Used with permission from the May 2008 issue of Family Circle magazine.


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Dwyane Wade has never gone the distance in three previous NBA Finals trips.
His first two appearances, a win and a loss, both went six games. The Miami Heat needed only five to finish off Oklahoma City last year, when LeBron James won his first title.
Wade talks now as if he expects this series with the San Antonio Spurs to reach a Game 7.
"It's going to be hard, the hardest thing we're going to do as a group is to try to repeat," Wade said. "And this team over here is not going to quit, no matter what. So we have to prepare for their best effort."
With the series tied at 2-2, the Heat are in the same position as two years ago. They lost that Game 5 to the Dallas Mavericks, who eliminated them in Game 6 in Miami.
It's often the most pivotal game of the finals, with the Game 5 winner taking 20 of the previous 27 series that were tied at 2-2. The Heat blew out the Spurs on Thursday, but their best hasn't been carrying over from game to game, not just in this series but for a while now. So it's anybody's guess what happens Sunday in a finals that's dead even, though the games haven't been.
"I think Game 5 should be the best game of the series," Wade said. "Both teams should come out knowing each other, knowing what each other want to do, and it should be a very good game."
Not the way this series has been going.
Game 1 was a thriller, neither team able to build a double-digit lead over four back-and-fourth quarters before Tony Parker's clinching basket helped the Spurs pull out a 92-88 victory.
The teams haven't delivered a classic since. The Heat won by 19, lost by 36 and cruised by 16. The last few minutes of each have looked more like an October exhibition than a mid-June championship clash.
"You lose a game like we did in Game 2 and we come back and beat them in Game 3 and look like they looked last night, that's what drives me crazy, because as coaches you try to prevent that," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Friday during a conference call. Neither team practiced.
"You like to be on a little bit more of an even keel and perform the same way each night, and the only thing I can tell myself after all these years is, you're dealing with people, with emotions and not robots," Popovich said. "They come out and they all play hard, but there's that little intangible, that little spark of intensity or back against the wall, or a little bit of fear that just seems to kick in when you've lost the previous game. And when you find teams that can get over that, those are the championship teams."
It's the most uneven stretch of the NBA Finals since 2005, according to STATS, when San Antonio and the Detroit Pistons swapped four straight games decided by 15 or more points to open the series.
Back then, the Spurs could depend on Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to get them righted. But now Parker has a shaky hamstring, Ginobili's shot and confidence are even shakier, and San Antonio might need a throwback performance from Duncan in what could be his last home game in a storied finals career.
"If they don't get more from Tim Duncan, Sunday is the Spurs' last stand," Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said on NBA TV's postgame show.
Duncan knows that what the Spurs really need is to take better care of the basketball. Their 17 turnovers led to 19 Miami points in Game 2, and they gave the Heat 23 points with their 19 turnovers Thursday.
"That's a big problem," Duncan said. "When we lose, that's the big deal right there."
A healthy Parker would help. He started strong in Game 4 while playing with a strained right hamstring but couldn't maintain it in the second half. He's hoping the two-day break between games will boost his stamina.
"It's going to be huge for me," Parker said after the game. "Obviously, definitely got fatigued in the second half. Those two days I'm going to make sure I do a lot of treatment and to get 100 percent. Tonight, I was not 100 percent. By Sunday, that's my goal, to be good to go."
The Spurs can only hope their Big Three look as good as Miami's was on Thursday.
With 33 points and 11 rebounds from James, 32 points from Wade, and 20 points and 13 rebounds from Chris Bosh, the Heat rode the top-heavy balance that's supposed to deliver multiple titles to Miami.
But the team that sustained its excellence for 27 straight victories during the regular season hasn't even been able to do it for consecutive games lately. Double-digit victories in Games 3 and 5 of the Eastern Conference finals were followed by losses, as was their first victory in this series.
"Well, Game 5 is going to be a big game," Bosh said. "I think we just have to stay in the place that we're in."
As usual, that may depend on James. After taking unusually long to get going in Games 2 and 3, he was out quick Thursday, making it clear the game was not going to be played on the Spurs' terms.
"I gave it everything I had," James said. "I was just playing as hard as I could until the tank was empty and that's how it's going to have to be for the rest of this series."
Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney


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Cubs hit 3 HRs, break loose to beat Reds 8-4
CHICAGO (AP) Darwin Barney and Welington Castillo hit two-run homers and Mike Olt added a solo shot as the Chicago Cubs broke out of a weeklong offensive funk and beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 Saturday.
Since scoring four times last Sunday in St. Louis, the Cubs had managed just one run before beating the Reds. Cincinnati had won 16 of the last 17 at Wrigley Field.
Emilio Bonifacio had three hits and scored a pair of runs for the Cubs. Junior Lake, Starlin Castro and Justin Ruggiano each drove in a run.
Edwin Jackson (1-1) allowed two runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings.
Tony Cingrani (1-2) gave up three runs in five innings.
Jay Bruce went 3 for 3 with a walk for the Reds.
Bonifacio led off the bottom of the first with a single, went to second on a walk to Lake and came home on a single by Ruggiano.
Olt stretched the lead to 2-0 when he led off the second with his third homer of the season.
Bonifacio hit a leadoff single in the third, stole second and eventually scored on a grounder by Castro.
Jackson cruised along until the sixth, when Devin Mesoraco doubled home Bruce. Zack Cozart made it 3-2 with an RBI grounder.
Barney homered in the bottom of the sixth, the first shot of the season for the light-hitting second baseman. Lake added an RBI single later in the inning.
An error by Olt at first base on a routine grounder helped the Reds score twice in the seventh. Castillo homered in the bottom half.
NOTES: Reds 2B Brandon Phillips was back in the lineup after leaving Friday's game in the third inning because of back spasms. "As far as I know he didn't have any lower back issues until he took that swing off (Jeff) Samardzija, so my feeling is once he gets past that he won't have to do anything to maintain it," manager Bryan Price said. … Cubs RHP Jake Arrieta (shoulder soreness) is hoping that Monday's rehab start in Class A Daytona will be last before he rejoins the rotation. He's had three previous rehab starts. The (velocity) was good in the last start, low to mid-90s. I'm right where I need to be." … Reds OF Ryan Ludwick sat out Saturday after fouling a ball off his left foot during Friday's game and sustaining a bruised toe. X-rays were negative, but Price is not certain when Ludwick will be able to play. … Reds RHP Homer Bailey (0-1) faces RHP Carlos Villanueva (1-3) in the series finale.


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Ask a Bartender: 'I Shouldn't Have Given Them That Last Drink'
You ask, they answer.
Stabbing someone with a salad fork, falling onto a candle, throwing a shot back right into your eye... all probably signs you've had a drink too many. We asked 16 bartenders about a time they realized that they really shouldn't have given someone one last drink. Here's what they had to say.
More Bartenders, More Answers
What Booze Is The Best Value?
What Are Your 3 Desert Island Bottles?
What's the Best (or Worst) Pickup Line You've Ever Heard in the Bar?
What's Your Hangover Cure?
What's Your Biggest Pet Peeve?
What's The Worst Bartending Job You've Ever Had?
Let's be friends! Gab with SE: Drinks on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook. Keep in the loop with our weekly newsletter.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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msbachman wrote:Well if we can't grasp the concept of infinity, we can't claim god as being infinite; you can't have it both ways, claiming that we don't understand infinity and that god is infinite, because even if he was you've already said we wouldn't know.
As there's no evidence--none--for the existence of god whatsoever, people have to draw inspiration from some shit book written x number of years ago.
All the while, I might add, rejecting all the same books written by differing sects that try to substantiate their own frauds. Christians don't spend five seconds rejecting the faiths of 1.5 (approx.) billion Muslims, nor vice versa. Nor do they concern themselves with Zeus, or any of the other gods of antiquity. Only when it comes to their religion do they suddenly become credulous.
The last time when I frequented the forums, there was a Mormon on here. If you want to talk about credulity, consider a religion that teaches that the resurrected transported himself to America. Substantiated by the same method of personal testimony as were the Gospels, Jesus can now appear willy-nilly whereever someone is literate enough to narrate him doing some new feat.
Of course God can be infinite while we don't understand infinity. I just means we don't fully understand God or how he is. We can think of a concept and it can exist without us understanding it. I can though the idea out in the air of an animal that has no physical characteristics similar at all to any animal on earth, and I can think about that concept, but I still can't understand what that would look like.
Christians are very different from Mormons.
-- Wed Jun 09, 2010 8:41 pm --
There's at least just as much evidence for God as there is for evolution. There is no proof for God. But there is evidence - If you are considering evidence as anything that points toward an idea being true.
And what makes you call the Bible "some shit book"? (I assume you were referring to the Bible.)


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Related Resource
Learning to Think Spatially: GIS as a Support System in the K-12 Curriculum (January 2006)Report in Brief
Spatial thinking is a cognitive skill that can be used in everyday life, the workplace, and science to structure problems, find answers, and express solutions using the properties of space. It can be learned and taught formally to students using appropriately designed tools, technologies, and curricula. This report explains the nature and functions of spatial thinking and shows how spatial thinking can be supported across the K-12 curriculum through the development of appropriate support systems. A geographic information system (GIS) is an example of a support system that, with recommended redesigns, can foster spatial thinking across the curriculum. The report calls for a national initiative to integrate spatial thinking into existing standards-based instruction across the school curriculum such as in mathematics, history, and science classes; it does not require the development of a new, separate course focusing solely on spatial thinking. The goal of this initiative is to create a generation of students who learn to think spatially in an informed way.


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Star Trek costume designer for Star Wars
- Bang Showbiz
- 23 May 2013
J.J. Abrams has asked 'Star Trek' costume designer Michael Kaplan to recreate yet another space saga wardrobe, this time for 'Star Wars: Episode VII'
J.J. Abrams is bringing his 'Star Trek' costume designer to 'Star Wars'.
The filmmaker has decided to hire Michael Kaplan to create the 'Star Wars: Episode VII' costumes after successfully teaming with the wardrobe expert on the past two chapters of his 'Star Trek' sci-fi franchise.
Kaplan told Clothes on Film: "I am very excited to be working on 'Star Wars'. I'm so looking forward to collaborating, once again, with J.J."
The costume designer - who also worked with producer Abrams on 'Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol' - has high expectations to meet and will need to recreate some of the most iconic looks in film history, including Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia.
Kaplan is known for his versatility and ability to design for any genre of movie, with credits including box office hits ranging from 'Flashdance', 'Pearl Harbour' and 'Fight Club' to 'Seven'. One of his first jobs was working alongside Charles Knode on 1982's 'Blade Runner'.
He has direct experience designing costumes for a renowned franchise since he was tasked with updating Captain Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise crew's looks for the 'Star Trek' reboot in 2009.
'Star Wars: Episode VII' is eyeing a 2015 release date, with Michael Arndt currently working on the script.
The original characters from George Lucas' franchise - which he sold to Disney for $4 billion in 2012 - will make an appearance as actors Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill are set to return in some capacity.


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Inspired by It's a Cinch from designer Laura Jaquinto
Project Tester: Judy Sams Sohn
3/8 yard teal-and-orange floral (bag)
1/4 yard orange-and-teal plaid (bag)
1/4 yard each of orange polka dot and orange print (bag)
1/4 yard orange-and-yellow floral (bag)
3/8 yard muslin (bag casing)
1/4 yard orange-and-brown floral (handles, binding)
1 yard orange floral (bag lining, pocket)
2 yards 7/8"-wide grosgrain ribbon: brown (handles)
4—1"-diameter grommets
22x41-1/2" thin batting
Finished bag: 17-1/2x18-3/4x4"
Quantities are for 44/45"-wide, 100% cotton fabrics. Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.


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Johnny Foreigner set about promoting their debut album Waited Up 'Til It Was Light with tour dates alongside the rather ace Dananananaykroyd, play festivals in Germany with Foo Fighters, and threaten to slice up baggage handlers at Luton airport. You, there, in the high-visibility vest top: you've had your warning. All words, as always, from frontman Alexei Berrow.
Previous diary installments:
Hello h8rs.
So, this starts halfway thru our Fly-sponsored, album-promoting headline tour. Gin on the rider as standard.
June 1
The Faversham, Leeds. They cook us roast dinners and give us a selection of things that go with gin in cocktail jugs. Winner. Tubelord are joining us for a few dates. We're bare tight with these guises – Joe put on a couple of shows for us last year and we fell in love with them at an early demo stage. They have new songs since we saw them last, and each one had at least two jaw-drop moments as well as melodic bits that we'll spend the next month singing at each other in the van. We spend ten minutes standing on stage like dummies while the soundman blames us for our keyboard not working. Prove otherwise, then wait a further ten minutes while the soundman plugs things in and out. Still, roast dinner…
June 2
Drive to Glasgow for an Xfm session. Buy an awful sausage in a bun off sausage in a bun man. Unload van and walk gear across big concrete expanse to studio reception. Our engineer for the session sees our mess of amps and stuff._ "Come, look at the studio,"_ says he. Studio is slightly smaller than our van. "Someone should really have told you, there's no room for drums and amps… maybe we should leave it?" No! We borrow the studio acoustic and relearn some songs superfast. While we're there, the engineer shows us the Xfm song database – it has like every session every band has ever done for them for the last few years. We make him search for Owls, but no joy. We than have to head to Edinburgh to play Cabaret Voltaire. Make it to soundcheck on time – yay us and errant Sat Nav. Dressing room has amazing maroon and gold wallpaper, cue much group photoage. We've started swapping posters for cool stuff – tonight we get a drawing of a monster and some cheap jewelry. After the gig, we get scared by a ghost tour then go off in search of curry. End up eating best Chinese of my life. The restaurant is so elegant and Shenmue-esque, I get determined to last the meal out on chopsticks. Failed tho.
June 3
Newcastle Cluny – beautiful setting but ruined by rain. Proper cooked food tho, bonus. Dananananaykroyd have joined us for a few days. As much as we've been internet lovers and shared beds, we've never watched them before now. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhloud and fun and danceable, everything you could want from a gig they are. We go on feeling outgunned but hyper. We get an encore and I puke in the wings of the stage.
Video: Johnny Foreigner @ T In The Park, July 13
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June 4
At the Sumo in Leicester, on a five-band band bill. Soundcheck is a nightmare. Inept promoter stereotype no.2. Support bands use our stuff without asking. (Driver/tour manager) Lea goes and moan about it. Support bands use Danas stuff instead. Harsh. Lea goes moans some more and we get a big bowl of chili and three big baguettes, one for each band on tour. I get a £3 bottle of cheapy gin. Still better than no gin. Hang out next to our vans and BOND with Dana. (Bassist) Kelly flies my plane into a wall. Still works tho. Dana slay again. Stay in a Travelodge and I can't sleep so I sit downstairs eating ice cream at 4am, feeling slightly emo.
June 5
Proud Galleries, London. First we go to our label office and get more fun merchy stuffs. We get a few copies of the Fabtone (our Japanese label) pressing of our album. There's a little booklet inside a little booklet with all our lyrics translated into Japanese and a little biography, it's pretty amazing. We get to the venue to find our labels hired us a soundman for the night, yayyyyyy. Ten minutes to kill, he says when we arrive, might as well smoke a spliff. Clearly he's been specially selected. From then on the night goes really really wrong. Without wanting to go into too many details (I rant in The Fly magazine this month, useless jag) all our bands get treated like an inconvenience. It's, like, the coked-up soulless fashion-club night from Camden hell. It's the last time we'll see Dana for a while but our goodbyes are fractured pats on the back whilst running round trying to find how to get paid.
June 6
Southampton Joiners, and every bad experience from the last two shows is forgotten. Get to soundcheck, soundman has marked our names on the channels, we sound huge like we do in our heads after half a song. Takes us ages to set the merch up 'cause everyone wants autographs and pictures, like we're a real band. We get people shouting for encores but I'm fucked. Still feel bad about this; resolve to always at least attempt encores...
June 7
Bedford Esquires: last show of tour,_ sob sob_. The promoters are lovely; they take us to a cafe and cook for us. We go back and help Lea fit spotlights on top of the van. Because, y'know, we really need spotlights. There's another group of people singing along to Tubelord, it feels pretty righteous that word's spreading. We play a bit sloppy-drunk but in good spirits. All three of Tubelord come play with us for the encore – I had this moment right at the end where I'm surrounded by this absolute maelstrom of noise and realise I'm not making any of it. We drag Tubelord to Redditch where Dom from Sunset Cinema Club is having a party in a studio. I see loads of old friends and quickly get too drunk to talk to any of them. Wake up at (drummer) Jun's house and walk the three miles home to reality.
June 9
I can't afford to get a taxi to anywhere with a field so I try and fly my plane outside my house in the road. Fly into elderly neighbour's car. Leaving comedy propeller shaped dent. Grab plane, hide…
June 10
Beach Break, Cornwall... our first proper outdoor festival! "It'll get rammed about seven," a security man enthuses to us. We're off at 6.30. We play to about 12 people on the barrier and a few groups of sunbathers. And it's beautiful, playing songs and looking out over the campsite and the fields. We have to wait for aaaaaages to get paid, but it's not so bad; I stand on the back of the stage and watch the sunset while Kelly and Lea play badminton in the loading area. By the time we're done all the food places in a 50 mile radius (yay, Sat-Nav) are shut. We find a Spar, buy shit chicken wings, and go to my friend's flat in Exmouth. We interrupt their Michael Jackson concert marathon and spend the rest of the night humbled by jetpacks and dancing shoes.
June 11
Portsmouth University: the most surreal show (and best paid) ever. We're playing some super-massive hall for a fresher's ball, supporting a Modern Chart Covers Band. Luckily we have our own soundman, a wonderful calm and experienced type called Martin. Everyone's ponced up in rent-a-suits and ill-fitting dresses. There's a dance troupe rehearsing as we soundcheck. All their routines are in strict 4/4 and we throw them off horribly. When we get on stage a crowd of about 40 has congregated at the front; about a minute later they've all retreated back to the tables at the back. We play as fast as possible and disappear.
June 12
We've a The Guardian interview before playing New Slang, at The Works in Kingston. The interview is for their New and Relevant Podcast. We sort of shied from The Guardian a little, on principle of them stitching up LC! and us being a lot ruder and stitch-up-able. But it goes nice and smooth, the girl interviewing us talks about Meneguar and drone rock and is nowhere near as yoof presenter as we dreaded. (The resulting interview, we later hear, is cut up and co-hosted with some zany guy and generally a bit embarrassing for all.) We get lost in Kingston looking for the venue, walk into a record shop to ask for directions, and the record shop is playing our album. Leave feeling joyous but a bit stupid. Gig is pretty fun, DJ seems to play set comprised of bands we've toured with which is strangely thoughtful. Mega-huge rider, I hide gin on the merch stand. I quite like The Works, it looks like the set for The City of Lost Children and there's big special lights that flash in time with the music. Dave Tubelord comes along, convinces me that there used to be a ball that rolled along the track that runs round the ceiling. Is this true?
June 13
I speak to Tim, a nice man we may have met before at some point who's doing the video for our next single. My video idea: take loads of two-second clips and piece them together so quick they look like still pictures. Somehow, in the time between me losing my phone and getting a new one, this has morphed into: take loads of still pictures and piece them together so quick they look like video. It takes my ego-brain a whole day to admit this is a miles better idea.
Video: an interview we found on YouTube that's not by DiS
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June 15
All-dayer at the Thelka, Bristol. A gig! On a boat! Awesome day, lovely people. There's even gin. Munch Munch are amazing and Hot Club de Paris are as fun as ever. Excluding bands we've toured with, I've seen Hot Club more than any other band (even Idlewild), and Matt's guitar playing still amazes me. We spend most of the day sitting outside the van in the carpark, defeating the boat novelty slightly.
June 18
We've a video shoot for 'Salt, Pepa and Spinderella', before an appearance on Huw Stephens' show. As said above, the video's not a video. Aha! No need to repeatedly listen to the song and pretend to rock out. Day of sitting round then exercising waaaaaaaaay too much. I don't want to give anything away about it, but we're dead proud of how it's turned out. Me and Kelly have sore lips for days after, you'll see. Before Huw I have my first Nando's! It was alright. Then we went to Radio 1. There's a little monitor in the studio that shows all the texts sent in to the show. Although sweary messages are filtered out, there's still some bizarre stuff: "I'M goinG tO find and RUN YOU OVER tonight!" "Don't worry,"_ says Huw off mic, "that's not meant for you." It goes pretty quick, we explain the correct pronunciation of "Haho" and tell people why Fight Like Apes > other bands and Huw lets us eat a record made of chocolate. Tastes like cheap advent calendar stuffs. We talk too much to play William but otherwise get all our songs played, yayer.
June 20
We fly to Germany. In Luton my bag gets taken apart and searched, a metal bone in my leg from a car crash ten years ago sets off the metal detector so I have to be led to a booth, and when we're on the plane we watch the baggage handlers hurl our stuff into the plane like they get destruction bonuses. The novelty of travelling by air is really wearing off. Arrive in Germany, retrieve cracked and holed guitar case, make useless complaint, then spend a good hour wishing one of us knew German for "Excuse me, I know we've hired a six-seater people-carrier from you, but with us and all our stuff there's no room for one of the removable seats, so can we leave it here, please?" Finally negotiate efficient road systems, and arrive at lovely Playmobil hotel. We can hear the Hurricane Festival festival from our hotel porch, it's dead exciting.
June 21
Hurricane Festival, with Foo Fighters, Chemical Brothers and loads more. OMG, how ace is eurofestivals? Arrive, get free drinks, get free Converse, get free dinner, play show. From the stage you could see the whole festival, it was a bit special... no-one really knows who we are but there's a crowd and people dancing and clapping, s'all good. I try and get right to the crowd at the end but the mic lead's too short. Meet Morgan from DIOYY? and he's, like, the nicest man in the world. Do some TV interview about what The Beatles mean to us (Hamburg, yeah). The interviewee before us is some faux Suicide Girl, and she spends most of her time making sure her cigarette smoke flows away from her face. "I don't think she likes The Beatles," I whisper to the camera man. Honestly, we don't exactly like The Beatles much either, so we big up Liverpool and make our escape. Driving 1,000mph between Playmobil towns to Tuttlingham and duelling with 911s and Mercedes coupes, we get pulled over by the police, who look like extras from The Detectives. Lucky for us, they speak a few of our words: "ENGLISH?" "BAND?" DRUGS!" Even luckier for us we've been too distracted so far to score weedage, so we let them sift thru our stuff and murmur relieved and rude English to each other. I get searched, natch, and we get let off with a stuttering lecture that translated as: "Only go fast when you can't see speed limit signs". Ooops. Tuttlingham is absolutely beautiful, our hotel rooms have balconies overlooking a quiet canal; it's the polar opposite of festivalland. We go for dinner, go for drinks, go for more drinks in an Irish novelty theme bar, get a connection and retire to get stoned on our luxury balcony. I should give some honourable mention to Keith who donated some scuff to us. Scuff is a weirdy cross between resin and skunk, its sort of legendary in smoking circles (We Would Imagine). Keith is the sole stoner and Irishman in a village of 1,000 Germans. I could write about Keith all day but that would be well off topic. Just these: a) Keith's opening gambit is, "Would you like to come back to mine and listen to a bit of U2?"; b) Keith has a special pack of Rizla that contains papers thinner and longer in length, as if purposely created for spliff purposes, and he calls them 'double-longs'; and c) when Keith poisons our label boss we decide it's time to go to bed.
June 22
Southside Festival, with Foo Fighters again, Chemical Brothers again, and loads more. We're on first today so there's way less of a crowd. Kelly falls into the drum kit, ooops, I get to the barrier with mic lead, yay. We go watch Operator Please and it makes us feel all nostalgic (we did our first yookay tour together). Amanda says loads of stuff in-between songs in fluent German. That's so cheating. We spend the rest of the day backstage in the sun with an ever changing selection of fresh foods. We meet Dave Grohl (pictured). He's like the nicest man in the world, ahhhhhhhhhhh.
June 23
Fly home from Zurich. Zurich is like Amsterdam, only more serious and expensive. We spend about four hours traversing the airport checking in and stuffs, the lifts were designed by witches and zip from one floor to another other with no sense, order, or respect for the laws of physics. Put eight (!) fragile stickers on my battered guitar case. There's a viewing gallery, me and Lea pay two euros and go sit in an ancient helicopter welded to the roof. Back in Luton we watch merciless Easyjet baggage cunts throw my guitar case onto wagon; I catch their attention and draw my finger across my throat gangster style, which gets a mini ovation from fellow passengers, but it's too late. I get it back completely buckled and cracked. I don't think I've ever hated anyone whose name I didn't know more than that baggage guy.
Next month: we film Paul Kaye on the toilet, fly to Ibiza to support our heroes The Enemy, and play every field with a stage in it that we can get to. Apart from ZOO8, that'll go wrong…
Johnny Foreigner's debut album, Waited Up 'Til It Was Light, is out now via Best Before and reviewed here. Stalk them online via MySpace here and see them play live in July as follows:
18 Suffolk Latitude Festival (sold out)
19 London Lovebox Festival
20 Oxfordshire Truck Festival (sold out)
24 Dublin Button Factory


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Rock Springs 4-H Center
Junction City, Kansas 1 course · 9 holes Driving directions
Course reviews
Most votes | Newest first | Oldest first
+0 votes Taki Kawakami › May 27, 2011
+0 votes Dakota Beals › January 29, 2014
Nice course it is well kepted up. The holes are all kind of short but overall its a nice course.
+0 votes Tom Lowman › January 29, 2012
Overall I enjoyed playing this course. Although the course is not very well marked and there are no pads/markers at any of the holes; there are still some shots that require at least basic accurate drive placements. I am new to disc golf, but the baskets seem a little smaller than average (or maybe I just sucked?!). There are also almost no elevation changes, but water does minimally come into play on hole one. This course has a lot of potential with some minor improvements. I will definitely play it again.
+0 votes Josh Prasek "Pricecheck" › January 7, 2012
Let me start with saying the area of which this course lays, nice. Finding hole one was a little difficult but we managed. There are posts labeling the tees and the distance but no pins or pads. The baskets could use a lock to keep them stationary to prevent improper distance or theft.
The area was well groomed and has a good mixture of complex shots.
This was a fun course and look forward to coming back again.
The area was well groomed and has a good mixture of complex shots.
This was a fun course and look forward to coming back again.


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Final Shootout is a Tower Defense with FPS elements, in which you control a soldier squad, that must defend survivors from waves of zombies. You can use variety of defense turrets and fortifications, and also you can any time switch to first person mode and control any soldier in squad by yourself.
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.
First trailer of game


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NEW DELHI, Oct 3 (Reuters) - An Indian court granted a stay on execution of a government order asking telecoms carriers to stop third-generation (3G) services outside their licensed areas through roaming pacts, after top carrier Bharti Airtel Ltd
challenged the decision.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the telecoms ministry to not take any "coercive action" until the next hearing of the case. It did not immediately set the next date of hearing.
The government sold 3G airwaves in a 2010 auction that attracted much higher bids than initially expected and no single company managed to get spectrum in all of the country's 22 zones.
Leading mobile operators Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Group Plc's
India unit and Idea Cellular Ltd currently provide 3G services beyond their licensed zones through pacts between themselves.
The Department of Telecommunications has said such arrangements are "illegal" and asked companies last Friday to immediately stop 3G services offered through the roaming pacts.
(Reporting by Suchitra Mohanty)
s Messaging: email@example.com))
Keywords: TELECOMS INDIA/3G ROAMING


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HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — They ranged from a 20-year-old student to a mother of college-aged children. And they were anxious about jobs, gas prices and fixing the nation's broken immigration system.
These were the chosen ones, undecided voters picked to ask questions of President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney in their second debate. Most in the 82-person crowd live near the debate site at Hofstra University, in reliably Democratic New York. Each summited a question to moderator Candy Crowley, who got the final say on which inquiries made the final cut.
"What can you say to reassure me, but more importantly my parents, that I will be able to sufficiently support myself after I graduate?" asked Jeremy Epstein, a college student and the first questioner.
The 90-minute televised event was the only one of the three presidential and one vice presidential debates where voters, not just a moderator, posed questions.
Obama's dismal performance in the first debate gave Romney's campaign new life with just three weeks from Election Day and voters in key battleground states already casting ballots.
Susan Katz, an undecided voter worried about voting for another Republican, asked Romney, "What's the biggest difference between you and George W. Bush?"
Michael Jones, who voted for Obama in 2008, said he wasn't optimistic about the current state of the country.
"What have you done or accomplished to earn my vote in 2012?" Jones asked the president.
Crowley said her goal was to fit in 15 questions from the audience. She fell short, with just 11 voters getting to questions — five women and six men.
That happened in part because Crowley asked follow-up questions of her own. Plus, Obama and Romney focused much of their attention on each other, engaging in heated exchanges on issue after issue. At some points, the candidates were facing each other, but had their backs to the voters sitting in a semi-circle around the candidates.
"Do you see all these people? They're waiting for you," the moderator said just after the hour-mark.
Coming face to face with the questions of undecided voters has been a rarity for both candidates. Romney has held dozens of town hall meetings, but most featured friendly Republican crowds. Obama has rarely held town hall meetings at president, preferring carefully selected television and radio interviews.


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The Christian metalcore quintet, I THE BREATHER, recently completed a very successful run on the "In 3D Tour" alongside Shai Hulud, Close Your Eyes and Monsters. This further proved that this band are one of the most enthusiastic, hard working and promising new bands to come onto the scene as of late and their highly acclaimed debut full-length album, These Are My Sins, is available everywhere now and it debuted at #39 on Billboard's New Artist Chart.
I THE BREATHER was formed by Justin Huffman and Morgan Wright in late 2009. They started off as a little project in my basement and evolved very quickly landing a deal with a prominent booking agency, label and management. The name stems from God allowing of us to breathe; breathing is meaning.
When I THE BREATHER started writing their debut record, they knew that they wanted to make it a very aggressive record. The sound of These Are My Sins is very heavy and in your face, but has a melodic and catchy side that keeps your attention throughout every song.
Lyrical topics mainly come from Shawn (vocals) and Morgan's personal problems with being lost at times and then found again by the Lord. Also, some of the lyrical content is edgy. They call out the people who claim to be the holy ones but are the first to cast judgment and spit in your face. Just capturing the negativity of close-minded people
Morgan (drums) states: "After this tour we will be out on the road in support of Upon A Burning Body for their headlining run alonside The Color Morale and Like Moths to Flames. This will be a great tour! We've had the pleasure to tour with Upon A Burning Body and The Color Morale before and we love those guys; can't wait for the awesome times we're going to have with both of them. Please come hang out with on both tours. We look forward to seeing all of ya soon.
Their stellar and highly energetic new video for the track, "Forgiven," shot by up-and-coming director Chris Rodriguez, can be seen now at www.facebook.com/


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The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize to three women for promoting women's rights through peacebuilding work in Liberia and Yemen, and passed over contenders from the launching pads of the Arab uprisings – Tunisia and Egypt.
The award, which had only been bestowed on a dozen women before today, was shared between Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first democratically elected female president; Leymah Gbowee, who mobilized women across ethnic and religious lines to bring an end to war in Liberia; and Tawakkul Karman, head of Women Journalists Without Chains, who played a leading part in the struggle for women's rights and democracy and peace in Yemen.
Committee chairman Thorbjørn Jagland acknowledged the widespread expectation that the award would be given to at least one Arab Spring activist, but said that the committee's larger goal was to highlight that the freedom and rights of women was an important prerequisite to a society becoming truly democratic.
"We have included the Arab Spring in this prize, but we have put it into a particular context and I think the most important context maybe," said Mr. Jagland. "If we fail to include the women in the revolutions of democracy, there will be no real democracy. This is the most important issue in all of the Arab world, namely the oppression of women."
He also pointed out the disproportionate violence against women in conflict and wartime, citing the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 of October 2000, which defined such violence as an international security issue. By giving the award to these three women, he said, the committee had focused on women's rights and those who "were courageous enough long before the whole media was there."
[ Video is no longer available. ]
Yemeni activist: "I dedicate it to all the martyrs of the Arab Spring"
The wave of protests and demonstrations across the Middle East and North Africa, sometimes referred to also as the Arab Awakening, was sparked by protests in Tunisia in December 2010, and quickly spread to Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, and Yemen, among others.
"[Ms. Karman] has become a symbol of the upheavals that are now taking place in large parts of the Arab world," said Jens Stoltenberg, Norway's prime minister.
Indeed, Karman accepted her prize on behalf of all the uprisings.
"I'm so happy with the news of this prize," she told BBC Arabic. "I dedicate it to all the martyrs and wounded of the Arab Spring… in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Syria and to all the free people who are fighting for their rights and freedoms."
Only 15 percent of Nobel peace laureates have been women
The award sets a historic precedent by going to three women for the first time. In the history of the prize, only 12 out of the 97 individuals who have received the prize were women.
But Geir Lundestad, Norwegian Nobel Institute director, says the committee did not feel pressured to find a female candidate this year, despite the dearth of winners in past years and the recent death of the last female winner of the prize, Wangari Maathai.
"The committee has had a long-term interest in finding more women," says Mr. Lundestad. "But this cannot be artificial. You have to come up with the right candidates. But there was obviously a desire to increase the number of women. And we have taken a big step this year, so now there are 15 women."
Committee chairman Jagland dismissed suggestions that the prize could have a direct effect on the Liberian general elections next week by promoting Mrs. Sirleaf, who is running for reelection on Oct. 11 as the Unity Party's presidential candidate.
"The committee has time and again represented that it does not look at domestic politics," he says. "We only do look at those persons who have done most for the peace in the world according to Alfred Nobel's will."


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This blog discusses current weather, weather prediction, climate issues, and other topics
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The Windiest Place along the West Coast
It is the coastal zone stretching from southern Oregon into northern California, and out a hundred miles or so into the ocean.
Here is the sustained wind forecast of the UW WRF model for 5 PM this afternoon. Notice the greenish area along the West Coast, with sustained winds of 30 kts or more?
But as the infomercials always say, WAIT, THERE'S MORE! The area of large pressure difference produces northerly winds over the coastal ocean, which in turns leads to upwelling...water coming up from below in the coastal ocean. Those upwelling waters are COLD. So we have very cold water offshore, and the land gets warm during the day. The result is a large temperature gradient (peaking during the warmest time of the day), which enhances the pressure gradient even more, producing a super sea breeze. So the morning is windy, but the afternoons are savage.
Lets take a look at the coastal winds for the past few days. Here are the peak gusts at Buoy 46027...just offshore of the CA/OR border. Wow...winds right now are gusting to NEARLY 45 knots (52 mph).
Or how about Cape Arago, Oregon (not far from North Bend)? Almost 35 knots over land. Can you imagine what that would be like on beach? Similar winds are also found at Crescent City, CA (see below).
The northerly summer winds are so strong along the southern Oregon coast that a lot of trees are bent southward. Want proof? Check out this picture taken at Brookings:
I better stop before I get into trouble with the Brookings, Oregon Chamber of Commerce. You might think this would be a good area for wind turbines, but the lack of transmission facilities and excessive strength of the winds might make it a poor choice. But the cold water does help produce lots of coastal fog and that gives us the magnificent redwoods, which depend on fog drip for summertime water.
A reminder for those near Portland, Oregon...I will be giving a free public lecture on the Future of Weather Forecasting at the OMSI science center (more info to the right or here), at 10 AM on Saturday.
11 comments:
Wow, great tree picture! The wind power folks call that "flagging" and they search for it. The power which wind contains is proportional to the CUBE of the wind speed. I would suspect that the lack of transmission lines explains the lack of windmills. If I lived there, I'd already have my backyard windmill. Since high winds correlate with storms, the harder it blows, the warmer you stay!ReplyDelete
Great post. I didn't realize winds got quite so powerful down there.ReplyDelete
And I am definitely planning on being at OMSI (for those not in the know it is the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry). I look forward to your talk and possibly getting to talk to you in person.
Cliff - I am not sure that tree picture is proof of anything. Look at the shadow of the trunk of the tree - it sure looks like it is in the same direction as the bend in the tree – to the south.ReplyDelete
Tough to tell for sure, but it sure doesn't look right to me.
I don't think the sun would ever be in the northern sky and causing a shadow to be cast southward anywhere north of the tropics, much less in Oregon.
Love your blog; Loved your book.
Unknown....I took the picture early in the morning...it was leaning to the south..cliffReplyDelete
To change the subject: I'm in Olympia, and the NWS 7-day point forecast is showing a low of 33F for tomorrow (Thursday) night, and a high of 82 (!) on Monday. That's (almost) a 50-degree spread in temps forecast over a 5-day period. I don't think that happens very often here.ReplyDelete
And if you slide the period back by 24 hours, you get almost the same wide spread (32 tonight, 80 Sunday). We have a frost advisory posted for tonight. Harden off all those little veggie seedlings early in the season!
Cliff, I'm wondering when the probcast site will be working again.ReplyDelete
Pardon me please but may I respectfully submit that your tree, although definite proof of the winds being so strong, only looks like that because they actually get wise over the years and only grow branches off in the direction where they have half a chance! But you knew that. Quite apart from them being blown sideways on a windy day of course.ReplyDelete
I am awed by the detail and clarity of your available weather charts – the coloured ones up top. Had a good look at the NOAA stuff some days ago for the big storm west of B.C. Sorry to say it puts our UK Met Office to shame – even their new–look site is worse than the old.
And while I'm here can you please explain your isobar numbers? In the UK it's a max range of 950–1050 generally, and obv down to 924 once in a while. I've tried doubling the numbers but that doesn't work. (I do know my wind feathers, so much better than the big arrow small arrow stuff we see here.)
And that fog photo's just gone into my picture diary, thank you very much!
Right. Now I've got my brains together with that third coffee, the isobar numbers I'm talking about are on the Bitter End blog under 'Monster' post, so I ought to be asking him! They seem to be in the 500s. Squinting at yours, they're definitely in the range I understand.ReplyDelete
Oops. Sure you can help with this anyway.
This national wind map is pretty cool: http://hint.fm/wind/index.htmlReplyDelete
Puffin, that map is really something- beautiful.ReplyDelete
That map is from the MM5 model. Windlovers like us, windsurfers and kiters, LOVE those wind gradients. The southern oregon coast is the most consistent windy place on the west coast.ReplyDelete
Cliff - you might get a kick out of this: since running a GFS model is so complex, we built a website that *reads* those MM5 map at http://www.windsurforegon.com/oregon-coast-mm5 with a decent degree of accuracy. Twice daily. Once in a while the logic has a hard time parsing the barbs (it analyses the 80 maps produced by the model), especially when the isobars are tight, but overall works great. You can follow the wind very easily and plan windsurf sessions accordingly.
We have the same model for the columbia gorge.


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What's Obscene in Podunk
Nitke knows about obscenity prosecutions from close personal observation. Her ex-husband Herb produced porn in the 70s, including, she says, an uncredited role in financing The Devil in Miss Jones. During the movie's several obscenity trials, "He was always the guy on trial," she recalls. "So my free-speech thing goes way back."


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Although Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best isn't expected to play football again, he said on Sunday that he's "never giving up hope" of resuming his NFL career.
"It's tough. I don't know what the future is going to hold for me," Best said via the Baltimore Sun. "It's been about a year and a half now, but I'm still working out like I'm playing next week."
Best has been symptom-free for more than a year now, but he can't find a neurologist willing to clear him for full-contact practices. He's been in the same holding pattern since last offseason.
Best is in Baltimore as the Lions' representative for the Ed Block Courage Awards that recognize players overcoming adversity. Though Best is under contract through the 2014 season, he's facing long odds to put on a Lions uniform again.
After admitting that counting on Best to play was his biggest mistake in 2012, general manager Martin Mayhew recently signed Reggie Bush to take over Best's role in the offense.
Still just 24 years old, Best will get another chance in the NFL if he can gain medical clearance in the next few years.
"I'm staying ready," Best said, "so if the opportunity does present itself, I'll be ready."
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling