text:
You and your family are driving through Kenai, headed back to Anchorage to fly home, when you pass hundreds of people gathered in front of the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.
You step out of your car and walk over. A couple under a popup is selling Alaskan-made belt buckles, and a women under another tent is selling knives set in moose antler.
"What's going on?" you wonder as you reach for your wallet.
It's the Kenai Saturday Farmer's Market and you, like many other visitors, are about to contribute to a rapidly growing trend.
"Event tourism is growing nationally and we have an opportunity to develop that," said Shanon Hamrick, executive director of the Kenai Peninsula Tourism Marketing Council.
Local events — like farmer's markets, fairs and festivals — draw tourists from their cars on their way back to the airport and from around the state, nation and world. And wherever tourist go, so do the dollars, Hamrick said.
Hamrick said the Kenai Birding Festival is a local event that has international draw. "It's a niche group of people, but they come from all over the country and even internationally," she said.
While the Kenai Peninsula is a haven for tourists between May and September, during the off season the business dwindles on the Peninsula, she said.
But through local events, Hamrick said the Peninsula can draw tourism dollars to its communities during the off season. Certain events, like the birding festival, are even marked on tourist's calendars months in advanced.
Ken Tarbox, president of the Keen Eye Birders, said the birding festival not only brings 200 to 500 bird watchers throughout the state, country and world for a single event, it also sets the hook for their return.
"What happens at the festival is they get introduced to areas they can't cover in two or three days," he said.
Because the Peninsula has a diverse range of birds visible from the roads that are available no where else in the world, tourists return throughout the year to see what they missed, Tarbox said.
Tourists also travel to communities outside the mainstream circuit for local events, said Lara McGinnis, Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds coordinator.
"We're a tourism-driven community," she said, about Ninilchik, where the fairgrounds are located. "We live and die by the tourists."
The pig race, held annually at the fair grounds, draws several hundred tourists each year, and about a half of the July 4 rodeo crowd visit from elsewhere, she said.
"They're definitely spending money at the (Kenai Peninsula) fair," she said. "They're paying to get in, they're paying to buy the food, they're looking for that cool Alaskan art-something-piece to take home, and they're spending money with the vendors."
Similar to the birding festival, McGinnis said the Kenai Peninsula Fair brings tourists back year after year.
Some of the events change tourists' schedules, even, said Matt Phyala, organizer of the Kenai Peninsula Beer Festival.
Tourists who travel to the Peninsula to fish for a few days often fill the rest of their weeks with events like the beer festival, he said.
The beer festival drew 1,500 people last year, he said. About a third of them were tourists, he said.
"I think a big part is the love of craft brewing," he said. "There is a following of people that try to attend as many of the craft brewing festivals over the years."
Hamrick said KPTMC is currently brainstorming events to hold that would tap into all the communities on the Peninsula, like a bike race.
Dan Schwartz can be reached at email@example.com.


text:
Down to the wire: Chucks down Dutch
PUNXSUTAWNEY — When the starting lineups were announced Wednesday night at PAHS, it appeared as if the Punxsy Chucks wrestling team would be at a severe disadvantage with three scheduled forfeits and two regulars out of the lineup. But Punxsy shuffled the lineup around and managed to pull off a surprising 39-30 victory over St. Marys in Punxsutawney.
"I'm really proud of the way these guys wrestled tonight," Punxsy head coach Eric Eddy said after the match. "We didn't give up a bunch of pins where we couldn't afford to, and it was just a great team effort."
After a back-and-forth contest the entire night, the whole ordeal came down to the final match of the night at 106 pounds, where Punxsy's Andrew Bullers faced off against St. Marys' Ray Dent.
Punxsy led the contest 33-30 entering the bout but knew that anything aside from a decision could cost them the match.
The first period of the match saw a lot of running around, and Eddy even said he felt Dent controlled the entire period, but Bullers was able to avoid a takedown and a stalling penalty, and the match was still scoreless after one.
In the second period, Dent managed a takedown, but Bullers quickly earned a reversal and forced Dent's shoulders to the mat, securing the six-point pin and Punxsy's team victory.
"This was probably the one match all year where Andrew really had a weight advantage," Eddy said. "One thing we can count on is Andrew's cut roll. He has an excellent one; he hit it tonight, and he secured the win for us with it."
Despite the match coming down to the final bout, Eddy noted that the momentum turned in Punxsy's favor in the very first match of the evening, where Punxsy's Joel Bowers faced off against one of St. Marys' powerhouse wrestlers, Evan Smith.
Bowers fell down 4-1 in the first period with Smith earning a pair of takedowns and Bowers managing just one escape point. But Bowers never quit, and after Smith extended his lead to 5-1 with a quick second-period escape, Bowers earned the next five points on a takedown, an escape and another takedown with just 1:07 left on the clock. Bowers held on for the 6-5 victory and gave Punxsy a quick 3-0 lead.
"Smith is a tough senior, and that match wasn't one we could count on," Eddy said. "But when Joel went out and battled back for the win, I believe that changed the entire complexion of the match."
With Devan Snyder out of the lineup Wednesday, Punxsy's Stephanie Smith answered the call at 120 pounds, and despite a 6-2 loss, she battled hard and avoided giving up more than three points, which is exactly what her coach asked of her.
"Stephanie was losing, 6-0, going into the third period, and I asked her to give me two more tough minutes," he said. "And not only did she do that, she scored a late reversal, and that is a huge difference in these matches."
St. Marys took its first lead of the night at 126 pounds, where Dylan Smith picked up a 6-1 victory over Punxsy's Ty Berringer. But again, Eddy was pleased with his wrestler's performance to avoid a pin or major decision.
"Ty is a tough, tough kid," Eddy said. "But he hasn't been back in wrestling very long. He wrestled as a kid, but this is just his second year back into it. He fought tough off his back tonight and prevented the pin to keep us in it."
Punxsy regained the lead for good at 132 pounds when Josh Schuckers managed to pin St. Marys' Brandon Mackey in the third period of their match.
Schuckers earned two quick points for a takedown and led 6-1 at the end of the first period. After picking up six more back points in the second period, he was in control at 12-1 entering the third, and it took him just 30 seconds in the final period to finish Mackey.
"Schuckers battled and battled and battled," Eddy said. "He did exactly what we've been working on in the room, what (assistant coach) Buddy Young's been hammering home on top and what I've been telling him to do on his feet."
Punxsy extended its lead at 138 pounds, with Neko Cappella picking up a 2-0 decision over Sam Miller.
"Sam Miller is a big 138-pounder, and a tough one," Eddy said. "We knew when we made the move, it was no gimme. Neko earned a takedown in the first, but it's tough to wrestle with a 2-0 lead. In the third period, he battled for two minutes, and he was constantly trying to clear the legs. He prevented anything even close to a turn against a very good wrestler."
At 145 pounds, Punxsy's Caesar Maruca earned another close, three-point victory with a 2-1 decision over Tyler Yetzer. Maruca's two points came on a second period reversal after starting down, and while Yetzer managed a third-period escape, Maruca held of a flurry of late attacks to give Punxsy a 15-6 team lead.
St. Marys pulled back within three at 152 pounds when Alex Feldbauer picked up a pin over Punxsy's Tanner James, but again, Eddy said after the match how pleased he was with James' performance wrestling up a weight class.
"Tanner wrestled really well against Feldbauer, one of their better wrestlers," Eddy said. "Tanner's on his way down to battle for the position at 145. He's moving down and, at the same time, wrestling up, but he did a great job on top until he got pulled over."
Eddy also noted that James' loss may have come after a questionable move on Feldbauer's part.
"I thought the bar Tanner got pinned with was a little high," he said. "The kid's palms were a little high, and while I don't think it was anything intentional, that's hard to defend."
With St. Marys within three points of the Chucks, Punxsy senior Seth Spack entered the circle and made quick work of Bill Gaber to give Punxsy some breathing room again.
"Seth came out and gave us a good, quick first-period pin and put us right back in the match," Eddy said.
Carl Langley followed Spack's pin with one of his own at 170 pounds, forcing Josh Cameroni's shoulders to the mat late in the final period.
Langley had earned a first-period takedown and a second-period reversal to lead 4-0 at that point, which Eddy said was an impressive feat against Langley.
"I thought Cameroni wrestled a great match against Carl," Eddy said. "Carl's tough on top, and he was only up four at the time he turned him. But it was a good win for Carl."
Langley's pin put Punxsy up 21-12, and another Punxsy senior, Josh Neal, made his way to the mat for the 182-pound bout.
But he didn't stay there very long.
It took Neal only 18 seconds to pin his opponent, Kenneth Stage, and Punxsy seemed to be comfortably ahead with a 33-12 lead.
"Josh came in and got the quick fall for us," Eddy said. "When Stage thought of throwing him, he hesitated a bit, and it was lost."
Unfortunately, Punxsy knew it had a pair of forfeits coming, one at 195 pounds, and one at either 220 or 285.
Punxsy's Tyler Titus had to choose a class to wrestle in, and he chose 220 pounds, where he faced off against Gary Fledderman.
The forfeit at 195 pounds cut Punxsy's lead to 15, and a Fledderman pin in the second period narrowed the margin to nine.
"Tyler had a choice of going out at 220 or heavyweight, and I would always wrestle the heavyweight based on speed and agility, but Tyler chose their 220-pounder," Eddy said. "There was a good scramble where he could have secured a reversal and some back points, but he didn't get hip pressure. He hit a sit, and sat in instead of sitting away from his opponent. You just can't do that."
The 285-pound forfeit made the match uncomfortably close at 33-30, but Bullers' reversal and pin sealed the deal for the Chucks.
Coming off the big win, Punxsy will host Bradford and DuBois next week, with the Owls visiting Tuesday, and the Beavers coming to town Thursday.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Maria Elena Fernandez has the lowdown on a Syfy series that premieres July 19 at 10 p.m. Here's an excerpt from her post on Show Tracker, our sister blog:
Syfy is hoping that Stephen King will lead the network to another summer hit when it premieres "Haven" this summer.
Based on King's novella "The Colorado Kid," the series stars Emily Rose ("ER") as an FBI agent who arrives in a small Maine town to solve the murder of a local ex-con.
Her natural curiosity eventually leads her to discover that the town, Haven, is an enclave for people with a remarkable range of supernatural abilities.
Although the agent, Audrey Parker, will solve mysteries every week, her back story will develop over the course of the season.
"Why she's been brought there, what's going on with her, her history, that's a mystery that's unfolding," Rose said. "Every week there's something different she's encountering in this small town."
Stephen King digs up 'American Vampires'
"American Vampires" takes fangs to Jazz Age and Old West
'Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' stakes claim to greatness
Meet the new heroes: Lincoln, DaVinci, Queen Victoria
H.P. Lovecraft and Hollywood, an unholy alliance?
Del Toro aspires to adapt Lovecraft
Jack Bauer with fangs? It's 'Blood Oath'
Ron Howard: 'Lovecraft' comic is 'new territory' for me
Neil Gaiman dreams: 'A Sandman movie is an inevitability'
Photo: Emily Rose at the Langham Huntington Hotel on Monday. Credit: Chris Pizzello / Associated Press


text:
Our highly skilled experts have broad architectural knowledge and deep technical skills to help you.
IBM Software Services for Rational are based on years of experience helping software and systems developers.
Our worldwide staff of consultants brings deep skills and experience and can draw from their software and systems solution consulting knowledge to help you improve your team's software and systems development capability and maximize the return on your investment in Rational tools and best practice.
Our skilled consultants will work with you to:
- Identify the highest value development practices for your project
- Educate your team on their practical application
- Accelerate their adoption while minimizing disruption to ongoing projects
To learn more about how professional services for Rational can help you with custom consulting and mentoring, private (on-site) classroom training, short-term assistance, and service offerings, contact your local Rational account team through the directory of worldwide IBM Software Services for Rational contacts
What we offerCustom consulting and mentoring You can engage professional services for Rational on large-scale, customized consulting projects that are tailored to meet the unique needs of your organization.
Custom service consulting leverages industry best practices and methodologies and includes a project management component to ensure that activities are carefully planned and that team milestones are met.
Packaged services
Rational has a number of best practice-based service offerings to support the delivery of consultancy and enablement to enhance your capability in a particular area of process or technology.
Packaged services accelerate your return on investments on a Rational solution by setting your expectations from the start.
Private (on-site) classroom training
Professional services for Rational can deliver private classroom training at your facility. This saves you money by eliminating travel and hotel expenses.
We can tailor courses to meet the unique needs and challenges of your organization. Private, on-site training allows you greater flexibility and control and thus, stronger results.
Short-term assistance
You can also engage your local Rational account team for short-term assistance with a single problem to keep your project on track.
Contact IBM
Considering a purchase?
- Email IBM
Or call us at: 1-844-95-CLOUD1-844-95-CLOUD
Priority code: Cloud


text:
Psychological Distress in Long-term Survivors of Adult-onset Cancer: Results from a National Survey
Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Last Modified: September 25, 2008
Presenter: K. E. Hoffman
Presenter's Affiliation: Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Type of Session: Scientific
- The number of cancer survivors has increased steadily over the past four decades, and an estimated 12 million cancer survivors are living in the United States currently (MMWR, 2004).
- About two-thirds of these patients are expected to survive for at least 5 years following their cancer treatment, and many of them will live significantly longer.
- Cancer survivors have been demonstrated to be at increased risk for receiving inadequate healthcare (Earle CC, Cancer, 2004), in addition to remaining at risk for cancer recurrence and late effects associated with cancer treatment.
- Cancer survivors may be at risk for psychosocial stressors, including difficulty having and maintaining insurance and employment (Short PF, JCO, 2006; Chen A, ASTRO, 2008), and a decreased sense of well-being (Stanton AL, JCO, 2006).
- Survivors have also been demonstrated to be at risk for developing persistent fatigue (Savarrd, 2001). Cancer-related fatigue has been demonstrated to persist in some cases for years after treatment has been completed (Lindley, 1998). Although fatigue after cancer is in all likelihood multifactorial, depression and psychological distress may contribute to its presence and severity.
- Although many aspects of quality of life after cancer have been studied in the past, the presence of psychological distress and depression in the general population of adult cancer survivors has not been specifically documented. The study described here was undertaken in order to evaluate the prevalence of severe psychological distress (SPD) among long-term survivors of adult-onset cancer, as well as to identify socioeconomic, demographic, and clinical factors that may impact the development of SPD.
- The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) served as the data source for this study.
- The NHIS is a continuous, nationwide survey that is conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- The survey addresses approximately 40,000 households (100,000 persons) in the non-institutionalized, civilian population.
- The NHIS has been active since 1957, and is one of the most prominent population-based general health surveys conducted within the United States. In 1987, a Cancer Control Supplement addressing questions specifically having to do with cancer was added to the NHIS, and is co-sponsored by the CDC and the National Cancer Institute.
- The study presented here utilized data gathered via the NHIS from 2002 – 2006. During this period, 87 – 89% of selected households responded to NHIS survey questions.
- The study population was identified by being asked the following: "Have you ever been told by a health professional that you had cancer or any type of malignant disease?"
- Respondents answering "yes" to the above question were considered in this study, providing that they were adults (over 18 years), and five or more years had passed since their cancer diagnosis.
- The primary outcome measure of this study was the presence of severe psychological distress (SPD) as measured by a K6 scale, which has been previously validated as an assessment for mental illness.
- The K6 scale poses the following questions:
- During the past 30 days, how often did you feel:
- So sad that nothing could cheer you up?
- Nervous?
- Restless or fidgety?
- Hopeless?
- That everything was an effort?
- Worthless?
- During the past 30 days, how often did you feel:
- Each question is scored on a scale of 0 – 4, with 0 indicating "none of the time," and 4 indicating "all of the time." Answers are summed, and a score of 13 or greater indicates SPD.
- The K6 scale poses the following questions:
- Multivariate logistic regression was utilized to examine the independent association of being a cancer survivor and presence of SPD, as well as to identify factors associated with SPD.
- Age, sex, race/ ethnicity, relationship status, education attainment, insurance status, co morbidities, smoking history, and ability to perform independent activities of daily living were all considered in this analysis.
- Because the sampling design was quite complex, all analyses were conducted using SUDAAN, and were weighted to reflect national estimates.
- Through the NHIS, 4,712 five-year survivors of adult-onset cancer were identified. They were compared to 126,841 adults with no previous history of cancer.
- The mean age at cancer diagnosis was 47 years, and mean age at the time of interview was 62 years.
- The most common primary cancer diagnoses were breast cancer (20%), gynecologic cancer (19%), male genitourinary cancer (12%), and colorectal cancer (8%).
- Severe psychological distress as measured by the K6 was present in 5.6% of cancer survivors as opposed to 3% of responders with no cancer history (p < 0.0001).
- After adjustment for demographic factors, survivors remained more likely to experience SPD, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 1.4.
- Several factors were identified on multivariate analysis to contribute to development of SPD among survivors:
- Younger survivors were more likely to experience SPD than older survivors (aOR 2.7 for survivors age 45 – 65 years and 5.6 for survivors < 45 years, as compared to those over 65 years).
- Compared to survivors without co morbidities, those with one and two or more comorbidities were more likely to experience SPD (aOR 1.7 and 3.5, respectively).
- Survivors not married or living with a partner were more likely to develop SPD (aOR1.7).
- Survivors with less than a high school education were more likely to develop SPD than those with more education (aOR 2.1).
- Lack of insurance coverage was associated with increased presence of SPD (aOR 2.4).
- Survivors currently or formerly using tobacco were more likely to experience SPD (aOR 2.7).
- Those survivors with difficulty completing independent activities of daily living were also more likely to experience SPD (aOR 3.6).
- The authors conclude that SPD is present in 1/18 long-term survivors of adult cancer living in the United States, and that this risk is increased above that of the general population.
- They note that certain factors, including young age, comorbidities, lack of long-term relationships, less education, lack of insurance, tobacco use, and disability limiting function were associated with the development of SPD. They recommend that screening and education regarding SPD be focused on these higher-risk groups, as well as cancer survivors in general.
- They describe limitations of this study, including the fact that data is self-reported, and that details of cancer diagnosis and treatment are not available through the NHIS. They also note that homeless and institutionalized persons are not included in this study, which limits its generalizability to these specific populations.
- As the number of cancer survivors living in the United States increases, issues regarding the care of this population are continually increasing in importance.
- Cancer survivors may face unique stressors, including fear of recurrent disease, complications from cancer and its treatments, and difficulty obtaining insurance and employment. Additionally, survivors have been demonstrated to have increased risk of persistent fatigue, anxiety, and depression.
- The study presented here demonstrates that cancer survivors are at increased risk for severe psychological distress when compared to the general adult population.
- This study focuses on long-term survivors, diagnosed with cancer at least 5 years prior to being surveyed. This is of interest in that it demonstrates that SPD may persist for many years after a cancer diagnosis, and is not associated only with the acute stress of diagnosis and treatment.
- The authors have identified certain groups within the survivor population who may be at increased risk for SPD.
- Based on the results of this and other studies, practitioners within the oncology community should be aware that all survivors may be at increased risk for SPD, and that certain survivors, namely those who are young or have other health issues, less education, and/ or difficulty obtaining insurance and completing activities of daily living, may be at particular risk. Cognizance of increased evidence of SPD within these groups will help practitioners to focus screening and patient education.
- As the authors point out, the study conducted here is somewhat limited in that details of cancer diagnosis are not available. Certainly, further studies identifying factors associated with diagnosis and treatment that may contribute to SPD would be of interest.
- The authors also note that their study is not generalizable to the homeless or institutionalized populations, and this point is important; however, this study does represent a population similar to many patients cared for in cancer centers in the United States.
- The results presented here are important, and clinicians and survivors alike should be aware of the increased risk of SPD demonstrated within this study.


text:
Industries › Economic Development
Virginia's unemployment rate remains unchanged in September
- October 19, 2012
- |
Virginia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.9 percent in September, according to the Virginia Employment Commission.
This marks the third consecutive month that the jobless rate has not budged. Nonetheless, the VEC noted that the September 2012 rate is down four tenths of a percentage point from September 2011.
The number of unemployed workers decreased by 1,480 during September, while the labor force increased by 10,463.
Virginia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is nearly two percentage points below the September national rate of 7.8 percent.
The seasonally adjusted number takes seasonal factors in the work force into account in arriving at the jobless rate.
Another measure of unemployment in Virginia', the unadjusted unemployment rate, dropped two tenths of a percentage point in September to 5.6 percent.
That rate was seven tenths of a percentage point below the September 2011 rate.
The unadjusted unemployment rate usually declines in September because of increase in hiring tied to the start of the school year. Most Virginia public school systems don't start school until after Labor Day.
The number of Virginians receiving a regular unemployment benefit payment was 49,583 in September, down from 50,604 in August and also down from 52,137 in September 2011.
Cumulative initial claims for September 2012 totaled 23,398, compared to 27,127 in August 2012 and 30,145
in September 2011.


text:
It's too bad it took three months diagnose that. I could have been resting. The good news is, it doesn't require surgery. I've had this in the past and gotten through it, and obviously I've pitched a lot since then. But as far as I'm concerned, this whole season has been a failure on many levels, for myself, for the team. It's just kind of lousy that it took this long.
And a nice shot at the Twins Medical Staff on the way out the door.


text:
DENVER (AP) -- The Colorado health department is ordering bankrupt Abound Solar to clean up hazardous waste and thousands of solar panels that it says are unsellable at four Front Range facilities.
The Denver Post reports (http://bit.ly/15f8SUa) that the Loveland-based solar panel maker's bankruptcy trustee, Adam Singer, is challenging the description of the panels as hazardous waste. Singer says a buyer for them is still being sought, and a bid to clean up remaining waste is being reviewed.
Health officials say the panels wouldn't be considered hazardous waste if someone buys them.
Abound Solar made solar panels by applying a thin film of cadmium telluride to a sheet of glass. Federal agencies consider cadmium a probable carcinogen.
The company filed for bankruptcy protection last year after prices of solar panels collapsed.


text:
Weekly Release Spotlight: Colleen Green
Colleen Green
Sock it to Me
[Sub Pop]
With roots in the DIY scene in Boston and currently based in California, Colleen Green is catchy, lo-fi pop punk dynamo. Her second release on Hardly Art Records, and first full-length LP, Sock it To Me, follows in the footsteps of her previous tapes, including Milo Goes to Compton and Cujo, mixing the sweet simplicity of the lyrical content with minimal drum machine beats and gritty power chords.
This album is fun – a lot of fun. It's as simple as that. The first track "Only One" is a catchy ode to the perfect boyfriend. Lyrical themes reminiscent of high school love continue in track two, the upbeat and synth heavy "Time in the World", and throughout the album. Her characteristic girl-group meets grunge style, especially evident in the track "Every Boy Wants a Normal Girl", is charming and irreverently cool: "...sometimes I wish I was a normal girl / like the ones at my school / popular and so cool". Think Little Peggy March meets The Ramones.
Sock it To Me is an immensely listenable album. Colleen Green is a one-woman show that doesn't disappoint.
Written by Emily Ewen, Radio K volunteer.
Colleen Green - "Time in the World"


text:
AFTER rising 25 per cent last year, shares in Commonwealth Bank sit well ahead of market expectations. The speed of the rerating has taken even market bulls by surprise.
Analysts' share price targets for CBA are now lagging the actual share price by the biggest differential in more than a decade.
According to data provider Capital IQ, the average analyst share price target for CBA is $54.91, more than 11 per cent below the current $62.20 share price.
According to the bank only one analyst maintains a buy recommendation on the stock. This compares to three analysts who have neutral recommendations and seven that have underperform or sell recommendations on the stock.
Not that CBA is particularly concerned. The bank seems to take the view that if all analysts had buy recommendations on the stock it would probably be because the share price had underperformed due to some calamity and that wouldn't be a good thing for shareholders.
On back-of-envelope valuation measures, such as price to book or price to tangible assets, CBA has always looked expensive.
But one of the changes on CBA's share register is the increased presence of offshore institutions. While there has not been much of a change in retail ownership of the stock, foreign institutions' representation on the register has risen from about 15 per cent two or three years ago to about 19 per cent. A part of the increase can be attributed to global index funds such as Vanguard and State Street Global Advisors increasing their holdings in the stock as CBA's market capitalisation rose above $100 billion, making it the seventh-largest bank in the world.
Among this list CBA is the only one to trade at more than twice the book value of its assets and the only one that trades at greater than 14 times forward expected earnings. In other words, of the big boys, CBA's banking franchise is the most highly rated in the world given the size of its home market.
It reflects the fact that federal Treasurer Wayne Swan and his predecessor Peter Costello have achieved nothing in their aim of levelling competition in the Australian banking market.
The fact remains that CBA has an iron-clad grip on Australian retail depositors and its franchise is only getting stronger despite the best efforts of the likes of NAB.
The active investors who have driven the share price gains in CBA have been attracted to a prospective yield that still sits about 5.5 per cent. For a highly liquid, significant business franchise operating in a global market where bond rates are not far off zero this remains a significant one-year return.
The less-than-compelling results of the three other major banks in November also triggered some subsequent switching into CBA stock.
CBA can be seen as a bellwether stock for the rest of the Australian financial services sector. Banking stocks like few others offer a (leveraged) window into the health of the economy. Unlike peers, CBA has sizeable wealth management operations, which means more than 10 per cent of its profits are typically generated by life insurance sales flows into managed funds.
CBA reports its first-half results on February 13. The market is expecting it to post low single-digit earnings per share growth for the next few years. So while the share price has been rocketing, the operational backdrop remains subdued.
The market expects CBA to post a first-half profit of about $3.65 billion, implying growth of 2.3 per cent on last year. But the first-half dividend is expected to be up more than 16 per cent to about $1.60.
Reasons for caution are growing. Chief executive Ian Narev is still just a year into the role and there is talk of offshore acquisitions. To be clear, CBA has the best retail banking franchise in Australia but everything has its price.
Reasons for caution, but CBA stays with strengths
AFTER rising 25 per cent last year, shares in Commonwealth Bank sit well ahead of market expectations. The speed of the rerating has taken even market bulls by surprise.
Want access to our latest research and new buy ideas?
Start a free 15 day trial and gain access to our research, recommendations and market-beating model portfolios.Sign up for free


text:
Anne Page played by Ellie Piercy
The Merry Wives Of Windsor (2008)
Written by: William Shakespeare
Ellie Piercey played Anne Page in the 2008 production of The Merry Wives of Windsor.
latest updates
In her second and final blog post Ellie discusses how rehearsals have progressed, working on music and text, and preparing for her next role while still rehearsing Anne.
This is Ellie's first blog post. This week she discusses how she became an actor, her thoughts about her character and the first week of rehearsals.


text:
NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Freshman forward Brian Clarke (Miramar, Fla.) earned his first collegiate honor on Monday, as the Florida native was named the Little East Conference Rookie of the Week for his standout play last week.
Clarke became the third Beacons player this season to receive the weekly honor, and joins previous honorees Vinny DeLucia (Miami, Fla.) and Cody Edmond (Plaquemine, La.). Senior Isaac Jenkins (Pordenone, Italy) is currently the lone Little East Conference Player of the Week recipient for UMass Boston.
Last week, Clarke was instrumental in leading the Beacons to a 1-2 record which included a huge non-conference win over Lesley University. The 6'6" forward averaged 8.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game as the Beacons also faced nationally ranked MIT and conference rival Keene State College.
Against Lesley, Clarke recorded his first collegiate double-double as he scored 13 points while also pulling down 17 rebounds, both were career-highs for the freshman. In Saturday's conference match-up with Keene, Clarke dropped in eight points to go along with his eight rebounds.
Men's Basketball will be off until December 29 when they face Eastern University (Pa.) as part of the 2011 Big Easy Challenge in New Orleans, Louisiana.


text:
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Ah, but don't jump to conclusions either; he still has a point.
A large part of the problem with ActiveX was because it is alien to the browser. Flash is an ActiveX plugin too.
NaCl might take away some of the pains associated with the Windows-only nature of ActiveX, but it doesn't remove the issue of technology like this usurping the natural web.
Mozilla have come out against NaCl and will not be including it: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/06/24/jay_sullivan_on_firefox/
Google are just looking to move more stuff to the web in order to grease their palms, they are not interested in the long term openness and freedom of the web. NaCl makes some things possible on one hand (high-end games), but at the same time provides new ways of companies creating closed experiences that do not compliment the web. Flash all over again, basically.
The Web is about View->Source, that's what keeps it open.
I would argue that the flaw with Flash has less to do with the fact that you can't go 'view source' and more to do with the fact that it is a closed source implementation where there is no ability for a consortium of companies working on a single open source code base to fix up long standing issues with said technology.
Compare NaCL to Flash - NaCL is completely open sourced, the NAPI Pepper extensions are full open source as well. What does that mean as an end user? it means that if there are issues I'm not dependent on one single company to actually fix the problem in the case of Flash. If the Flash plugin was open source do you really think that the long standing issues would have existed if it meant that RedHat/Novell/Apple/etc were able to fix their platform specific issues?
You may talk about openness but for the majority of people they really don't care - what they care about is the end result and whether the end result is desirable. The issues with Flash had less do with 'open ness' as so far as being able to peak into raw source code and everything to do with the plugin being closed source and everyone dependent on one single company to fix issues.
Thanks Kroc,
that is what I meant.
NaCl is not different (with minor details) from:
Flash (with or without Alchemy)
Just because it is being proposed by Google we have to welcome it with open arms?
The Web is to be made of open standards.
As for things like NaCl, there is already a solution. It is called desktop applications.
Maybe I am too old, but I still don't get the browser as an OS.
View source might help you learn JS and all, but once an application reaches a certain complexity it doesn't help you anymore.
Do you read the complete code of gmail, foursquare, wave? I think any JS that is generated and/or compressed is not consumable by humans.
Same will be true for PNacl.
There is only a slight difference between Eclipse compiling your code down to JS or to LLVM bitcode.
Edited 2011-02-21 08:24 UTC
It is fully dynamic with mixed content from Twitter, Flickr and embedded video. It also analyzed the audio in Javascript to show the 'bars' in on the buildings.
It was build in a few weeks by people who didn't know HTML or OpenGL.
Even though a lot of improvements have been made with hardware acceleration there is still a lot that can be improved. Because not everyone will have anywhere near the same performance yet.
I guess it is now at the point what can be done with directx through activex in the browser (something which not many people utilize for in-browser games obvious reasons).
There's no reason why a browser vendor couldn't implement View->Source functionality for Flash. Adobe have released the information that would allow one to examine the contents of a SWF:


text:
Moments in Our Early History
- April 13, 1920 – Portia Law School's chapter of Phi Delta Delta hosted a lecture by Arctic explorer Donald B. MacMillian.
- June 3, 1926 – A portrait of Arthur W. MacLean, painted by Boston artist Howard E. Smith, was presented to the school during the 15th Annual Commencement Exercises as a gift from students and alumnae.
- January 1927 – Helen Thompson ('28) is unanimously elected to become the editor-in-chief of the "Legalite," the first Portia Law School yearbook.
- April 20, 1929 – Dean Arthur W. MacLean announced that beginning in 1931, all students applying to Portia must be high school graduates or have an equivalent education.
- October 1931 – Judge Emma Fall Schofield, the first woman judge in Massachusetts, began teaching a moot court course at Portia Law School. The school's first moot court trial was held on February 26, 1932, under Judge Schofield's supervision, with students trying two women accused of murdering a female friend. Judge Schofield joined the Portia faculty in August 1932 and taught classes in deeds, mortgages and easements, and examination of land titles, as well as supervising the moot court class.
- March 12, 1932 – The first issue of "The Portia Prattler" is published.
Fun Facts in Portia History
- Tuition at Portia Law School in 1919 was $75.00 per year. The estimated cost for books and other expenses was less than $10.00 per year.
- Harriet Weiler ('14) passed the bar the year she graduated and became president of the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers in 1922.
- Stella D. Rothwell ('22) and her twin sister, Marjorie, were two of 17 women to pass the Massachusetts Bar Exam in 1922.
- The first issue of the Portia Punster was published in February 1926, by members of the Class of 1927.
- Salley E. Fay graduated from Portia Law School magna cum laude at age 19 but couldn't take the Massachusetts Bar Exam until she turned 21 in 1928.
- After successfully arguing a court case involving the government's right to seize a boat used for rum smuggling, assistant district attorney Ellen L. Buckley ('23) was presented with a rose by the presiding judge.
- Representing a client charged with drunken driving, Margaret M. McChesney ('21) became the first women lawyer to appear before the full bench of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in 1926.
- Bella Liberman('26) won her first jury trial on October 30, 1929, successfully defending her brother against charges he struck a woman while driving his car.
- Husband and wife Frank and Isabelle Cheney studied at Portia Law School together and received their master's of laws degrees on June 8, 1932.
- The law school celebrated "Portia Law School Night" at the Boston Pops on several occasions, including Friday, May 19, 1922, when the program proclaimed "Portia Law School Night" on Friday, May 16, 1924, when the program noted that "The Portia Law School has taken a section of the floor for this concert."


text:
Blue-eyed blond bad girl Rachel (gorgeous new lesbian heart-throb Ruth Reynolds) is mature for her eighteen years. An aspiring songwriter, she's given up on her music after the recent death of her mother — and her neglectful father isn't around very much. The arrival of Dad's new employee Amy (the lovely Madeline Merritt)— staying in their swanky Los Angeles guest house for the weekend — brings Rachel the inspiration she needs.
A wholesome college graduate fresh to California from the cornfields of Iowa, Amy happily confesses her dreams and desires to Rachel over the course of the weekend — and the two women gradually fall in love!
"It seems like anything's possible here." Amy proclaims as they ramble across the city in Rachel's Dad's Hummer. Out and about in Los Angeles the two girls can't keep their hands off each other. At home in the guest house their activities are even hotter.
"A lesbian film is unlike any other. But a lesbian film about bittersweet first discoveries sends women flocking to see it, making it onto their list of must-see movies—many of which have become cult classics that warrant viewing parties and repeatable one-liners. The Guest House is that new film, a tale of two young girls who find themselves falling for each other in the most unsuspecting of circumstances." — Curve Magazine
"A stirring lesbian romance and an engaging representation of two women who, against all their own expectations, fall deeply in love." — When Sally Met Sally
"A complicated love story… ripe with humor, sex and love." —SheWired.com
"There's fantastic chemistry between Reynolds and Merritt, and the love scenes are decidedly hot." — AfterEllen.com


text:
For someone who seems to revel in being silent during the Supreme Court's traditionally lively oral arguments – when a public display of his professional competence would be appropriate – Clarence Thomas's out-of-court comments are extraordinarily revealing. They show a man whose exalted position has brought him no inner peace, a man who continues to see himself as being victimized by this or that person or cabal.
In an early-April interview with C-SPAN, Thomas tried to diminish President Obama's achievements. Asked about Obama, the nation's first Black president, Thomas said, "I always knew that it would have to be a Black president who was approved by the elites and the media because anybody that they didn't agree with, they would take apart."
He went on to say "that will happen with virtually, you pick your person, any Black person who says something that is not the prescribed things that they expect from a Black person will be picked apart. You can pick anybody, don't pick me, pick anyone who has decided not to go along with it. There's a price to pay. So I always assumed it would be somebody the media had to agree with."
Thomas didn't identify which "elites" and which "media" he was referring to.
But presumably the latter doesn't include Fox News or the Wall Street Journal and other conservative-leaning newspapers and publications nor the innumerable conservative pundits and talk-show jockeys that have been hammering Obama since he won the Democratic nomination in 2008.
And presumably the elites don't include the long list of wealthy conservatives who've spent millions upon millions opposing the president's initiatives and his re-election. But then, Clarence Thomas has never been one to let facts undermine his raging self-pity.
In fact, Thomas's attempt to diminish the president just underscores what they have – and don't have – in common.
Both men are products of elite colleges and law schools. But while Thomas hid behind a self-perceived "defect," Barack Obama took an active role in the life of the institutions he attended. At Harvard, he sought and won membership on the law review, and then, the approval of the review's members to be their president.
Clarence Thomas drew no job offers from law firms when he graduated in 1974. He's claimed this was the result of the "taint" of affirmative action. But numerous articles over the years have shown that Thomas's Black Yale Law peers have a decidedly different view of their experience.
"Did Affirmative Action Really Hinder Clarence Thomas?," available on the web site Law.com, should be required reading. It found "in interviews with a dozen African-American lawyers who attended Yale in the same years" that they described their Yale experience "in largely positive – even glowing – terms."
The most striking contrast between Clarence Thomas and Barack Obama, of course, is what they've done after law school.
Thomas, taken up by then-Senator John Danforth, a Missouri Republican, shortly after graduation, has been a government appointee his entire adult career – while declaring that Blacks as a group are too dependent on the government. With, at best, minimal qualifications he was appointed to the two most prestigious positions in the federal judiciary, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and less than two years later, the Supreme Court.
Barack Obama, on the other hand, spurned lucrative offers from law firms and potential federal court clerkships, to become a community organizer in Chicago.
There, he began his career of standing for elective office at the local, statewide, and national level. His galvanic speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention instantly made him a future presidential contender. He won the presidency twice in the toughest kind of combat outside of actual warfare by out-thinking and out-organizing his Republican opposition to garner the approval of millions of voters.
Personal and professional jealousy is always unseemly – the more so in a Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Lee A. Daniels is a longtime journalist based in New York City. His most recent book is Last Chance: The Political Threat to Black America.


text:
Baca Selengkapnya ...
Clink! We just caught the third season premiere of The Walking Dead, and already we've seen a ton of drama inside the group's new prison home: Marital tension, hordes of zombies and exactly one lost leg.
But the tension is only going to get thicker from here on out. Here's a taste of what's coming up in the next few weeks:
They are not alone: We've already met a fresh batch of real live people holed up in the prison, but they won't be the only new warm bloods we encounter this season. Loyalists to the Walking Dead comic will likely have a strong reaction to a new character called Milton, if for no other reason than he's been created just for the series. He plays a right-hand man to the sadistic Governor, one of the most feared and reviled characters in the comic.
"Chelsea Lately" Is Moving Tonight
Bonus Jonas: Pop the Question, Part 3
Did Russell Crowe and His Wife Split?
Girl power! The last two seasons have largely been a field day for male viewers with zombie-killin' fantasies, with the occasional butt-kicking female moment to keep things truly interesting. But in this season, that balance shifts big time, thanks to machete-wielding Michonne, and Carol, of all people, who will decide to use a zombie for a very interesting science project.
Carl grows up: You can expect some fresh tension between Rick and Lori and their son as the boy struggles to find his place in the, um, prison system, all while becoming a man, and killing undead at the same time.
Well, howdy, Merle! Remember Daryl's charming redneck brother? Well, he's back, y'all, and whenever he's in the vicinity, trouble is bound to foller. When we last saw Merle, he was being abandoned on a rooftop. We later learned that he survived, minus one hand. Let's just say he's replaced it with a very...interesting prosthetic.
So tell us! What did you think of the premiere? Will you be spending your Sundays with a zillion zombies?


text:
Visit us on ...
Dr. Sam Naficy has been awarded the "Patients' Choice Award" by Vitals.com - a website dedicated to rating the quality of physicians across the country. Out of 720,000 physicians, only 5% received this honor.
Seattle rhinoplasty surgeon Sam Naficy, MD performed this rhinoplasty procedure to help refine the tip and reduce the hump on the bridge of the nose. The patient also had a deviated septum which was corrected at the same time as the rhinoplasty.
Seattle rhinoplasty surgeon Dr. Sam Naficy can perform computer simulations to help you visualize the potential outcome of rhinoplasty. Check out this link for more details about rhinoplasty simulations. Also, if you are wondering whether you would be a good candidate for rhinoplasty, you may submit your photographs to us for a virtual consultation.
Voted by his medical peers for his expertise in rhinoplasty and facial cosmetic surgerySeattle Magazine
view full size images
This young woman of Jewish descent had a rhinoplasty to improve the hump on her nose profile as well as the roundness of the nasal tip and the asymmetry of her bridge. After rhinoplasty, one can appreciate the improved balance of her profile and the more elegantly sculpted tip and bridge.
Summary: primary rhinoplasty, open rhinoplasty, tip rhinoplasty, nasal hump, droopy nose, Middle Eastern rhinoplasty, Jewish rhinoplasty, hooked nose, nasal hook, septoplasty, cartilage grafting, spreader grafts, columellar strut, osteotomy, osteotomies, tip graft.


text:
Search our site:
Store Home |
Advanced Search
Cocktail Making Kits
The Cocktail Store has a collection of the cocktail making kits and cocktail making sets which consist of cocktail shakers, cocktail mixing glasses, cocktail bar spoons and much more. We pride ourselves on providing excellent quality professional cocktail equipment.
Cocktail Glasses
A cocktail glass makes your cocktail. Choosing the right cocktail glass for the right cocktail is pretty simple yet very important. Here at The Cocktail Store we have a wide range of classic cocktail glasses from Hurricanes to Highballs to the classic Margarita and much more.
Cocktail Gift Sets under £25
We have a great range of cocktail gift sets for less than £25. Our gifts have been put together so you have everything you need to make your favourite cocktails at such great prices. You can customise your gift sets too.
Cocktail Gifts over £25
We have some fantastic cocktail gifts for great prices over £25. These gifts contain the highest quality equipment and of course everything you need to make your favourite cocktails. These gifts contain professional standard equipment and are a great gift for any cocktail enthusiast.
Cosmopolitan Cocktail Gift Sets
Throughout May and June we have some fantastic special Cosmopolitan cocktail gifts exclusive to The Cocktail Store. Running along side the release of Sex and the City, we're celebrating this much loved drink and these gifts will have you making the famous Cosmopolitan in no time.
Boston, Cobbler and French Cocktail Shakers
The Cocktail Store has a fantastic range of cocktail shakers. The Cocktail Shaker is the most fundamental tool when making your cocktails and we understand that only the best quality cocktail shakers will surpass.
We have a great range of professional Boston Cocktail Shakers, Cobbler Cocktail Shakers, French Cocktail Shakers. We pride ourselves on offering the highest quality cocktail shakers for cocktail enthusiasts and professional bartenders.
If there is a shaker you do need and we don't have it, we can easily source exactly what it is you require so simply drop us a message here.
Cocktail Accessories
The Cocktail Store has a fantastic range of cocktail accessories that are needed to create your favourite cocktails. We have a great range of professional cocktail equipment including strainers, muddlers, bar spoons and much more.
We pride ourselves on offering the highest quality cocktail equipment that is especially made for the professional bartender. Take a look below at what The Cocktail Store has to offer.
Home Cocktail Set with Cocktail Book
The Home Cocktail Set with Cocktail Book gives you the opportunity to get your cocktail mixing career started with a large variety of cocktail accessories, including the Professional Boston Cocktail Shaker and a Cocktail Book filled with recipes.
On Sale:
Cocktail Starter Pack
Perfect for beginners, the Cocktail Starter Pack lets you learn a wealth of recipes from The Ultimate Bar Book, and lets you get to grips with some basic cocktail mixing equipment. You'll be running your own cocktail bar in no time!
Luxury Home Cocktail Set with Cocktail Book
Complete in a black gift tube, the Luxury Home Cocktail Set with Cocktail Book presents any keen cocktail mixer with plenty of pieces of cocktail equipment to mix up a storm behind the bar.
Barman's Barware Kit
To give you the best available options, the Barman's Barware Kit contains a variety of cocktail equipment to get the best possible outcome when mixing and serving drinks.
Home Cocktail Set
Our most popular cocktail equipment kit, the Home Cocktail Set is the best place for beginners to start in the world of mixology. Complete with all the classic cocktail mixing tools you'll need to make some tasty creations, this set is great for mixology students of all experiences.
Basic Cocktail Set
You can't beat the low price of the Basic Cocktail Set! Making sure not to swamp you with too many cocktail accessories, this cocktail kit includes the basics of cocktail making so you can either top up on your existing cocktail equipment, or get practising with some basic drink mixing.
Luxury Drinkstuff Cocktail Kit
To help get you started in the world of cocktail mixing, the Luxury Drinkstuff Cocktail Set contains all the bits and pieces you will need to get going. Packaged in a luxury black gift tube, this set is ideal for a beginner at cocktail making.
Drinkstuff Cocktail Set
If you're a bit unsure at where to start with cocktail mixology, then let the Drinkstuff Cocktail Set ease you in with a helpful cocktail recipe book, a classic 3-piece cobbler shaker and some useful cocktail accessories and decorations for a nice finishing touch.
Cocktail Book Cocktail Set
To help you get a bit of inspiration, the Cocktail Book Cocktail Set gives you the chance to browse the 150 Party Drinks Book for some ideas for your next cocktail soiree. Complete with the basics of home cocktail making, this drink mixing set lets you get creative with ease.
Introductory Cocktail Set with Cocktail Book
Giving you a helping hand into the world of cocktail mixology, the The Introductory Cocktail Set with Cocktail Book lets you learn some exciting cocktail recipes, and helps you get to grips with using a cobbler cocktail shaker and cocktail muddler.
Manhattan Cocktail Shaker Set
Containing mixology's most prolific 3-piece cocktail shaker, the Manhattan Cocktail Shaker Set provides you with the basic equipment needed to mix up some tasty cocktail creations in the comfort of your own home.
Boston Cocktail Shaker Set
A favourite of most professional cocktail bartenders, the Boston Cocktail Shaker is the main feature of the Boston Cocktail Shaker Set. Also including a cocktail muddler, hawthorne cocktail strainer, mixing spoon and cocktail recipe book, this cocktail kit lets you hone your mixing skills.
Ultimate Cocktail Kit
As the name suggest, the Ultimate Cocktail Kit is packed full of cocktail equipment and cocktail accessories to give your home bar a fully professional finish. Including 2 cocktail books, this set will surely help you mix up some tasty drinks to share at your next party.
Professional Cocktail Book Cocktail Set
To help spark some inspiration for your next cocktail party, the Professional Cocktail Book Cocktail Set includes the 150 Party Drinks Book, packed full of recipes to use in conjunction with the Professional Boston Cocktail Shaker and the other cocktail equipment contained in this handy set.
Cobbler Cocktail Shaker Set
Get to grips with the classic 3-piece cocktail shaker with the Cobbler Cocktail Shaker Set. Ideal as an introduction into the world of cocktail mixology, this cocktail making kit includes a set of beginners cocktail equipment for the budding mixologist.
Cocktail Recipe Set
With a helpful Boston Cocktail Shaker that includes recipes and measurement marks printed on the mixing glass, there's no excuse not to get creative and mix up some exciting drinks!
Tom Collins Cocktail Set
Helping you create the classic Tom Collins cocktail, this set also includes a cocktail recipe book packed with various recipes so you can try your hand at mixing some tasty drinks!
Barmans Cocktail Set
Great for playing bartender at parties, the Barmans Cocktail Set includes basic cocktail making equipment and a large ice bucket to help turn you into the perfect host!
Martini Shaken Not Stirred Cocktail Set
Give your cocktails a bit of James Bond panache with the Martini Shaken Not Stirred Cocktail Set. As well as some essential cocktail mixing equipment, this kit also includes a set of stainless steel martini glasses for the perfect finishing touch to your drinks.
Stainless Steel Cocktail Set
As the name suggests, the Stainless Steel Cocktail Set features a selection of all steel cocktail equipment to give your mixology process a sleek finish. Ideal for creating cocktails when you've got an audience!
A total of 39 items are available. You are currently viewing page 1 of 2.
1 | 2
© The Cocktail Store 2018. All rights reserved worldwide.
Follow us on...
Sign up for the latest offers...
Receive monthly offers, reviews & recipes.
Our latest tweet...
Pay securely online with...


text:
"Expect a miracle every day; expect a miracle when you pray. If you expect it God will find a way, To perform a miracle for you each day." — Oral Roberts.
Awhile ago, a friend of mine told me a fictional story about a wise king who conducted a test. The king placed a large rock in the middle of the road, and then he hid behind a tree in the wooded area nearby watching intently. Curious, the king wanted to observe if anyone would make an effort to remove the huge stumbling block from the road.
Time passed, and some of the king's shopkeepers came by and simply walked around the rock. A few more minutes elapsed, and in the distance, the king heard people complaining. As they approached the rock, some merchants blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear. But none of them tried to remove it.
Another group drew closer. They saw the barrier and turned around and went in another direction.
Next, a farmer boy walked along the road carrying a basket of vegetables. The boy approached the rock and with immediacy, he put down his basket and tried to remove it from the road. The king watched in awe, as the farm boy tried again and again to push the large rock out of the way.
The boy didn't think to himself, "This obstacle is too big. I'll never succeed," or "I'm not qualified or strong enough" to complete the task. He stumbled. And he fell. Yet, he got back up on his feet and kept attempting to roll the stone away.
Finally, the boy succeeded. As he bent down to pick up his basket of vegetables, the farm boy noticed a wallet lying in the road where the rock had been placed.
Suddenly, the king appeared from behind the tree and said, "This wallet is for you." Wide-eyed, the boy was startled.
Continuing, the king declared, "The wallet contains gold coins, and I put it there for the person who removed the large rock from the road. Take this gold, and you and your family will live comfortably for the rest of your lives."
The king had a better, bigger and brighter plan for the person who would persist with the right attitude. For as this story demonstrates; obstacles can present opportunities to improve your condition.
Likewise, your stumbling blocks can turn into stepping stones. So you must persist for God has a better, bigger and brighter plan for you.
On the way to fulfilling your heart's desires, there could be times of testing. That's why a positive mindset and perseverance are so important. Last week, my daughter had a math test, and during the exam, she told me, she had a question on one of her math problems. "Did you ask the teacher for help?" I inquired.
"Oh no, mom…" my daughter blurted out. We both went silent for a moment.
"Why not, honey?" I asked.
After a brief pause, my daughter announced, "The teacher is always quiet during the test."
In the same way, it may seem as though God has been silent. Maybe nothing appears to be happening. Someone might have hurt you. Or else, you just don't know how situations are going to work out for you. But do not get distracted, discouraged, or start to talk yourself out of continuing to pursue your God-given dreams. It may be only a test, for Scripture says, "These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold — and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold" (1 Peter 1:7).
Therefore, do not despair or be shaken by temporary setbacks, challenges or delays. Trust God in every circumstance. Similar to a Rubik cube that has many different sides, God has countless ways to bless you. You haven't been brought this far for God to give up on you now. So don't give up on yourself and the amazing future that's in store. There are infinite possibilities ahead for you.
Thus, beginning today:
• Speak as though your God-given goals are going to soon occur. When David was encountering a giant, he declared victory before the battle was won. Then, with just a sling shot and a stone, David defeated Goliath. And so, "Declare what is to be, present it …" (Isaiah 45:21).
• Act as though your heart's desire will happen. When Moses faced the Red Sea, God told Moses to tell the people of Israel to go forward. Moses lifted up his staff and stretched out his hand over the sea and divided it. God dramatically caused a strong wind to blow. The waters parted. And the people walked on the sea floor, on dry ground, safely to the other side. Accordingly, "Press on toward the goal …" (Philippians 3:14).
• Pray as though your hopes and dreams are bound to come to fruition. When Jesus took two fish and five loaves of bread to feed the people, first, He looked up to the heavens, prayed and blessed the food. Miraculously, the food was multiplied, and over five thousand people were fed. "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matthew 21:22).
Remember, at any moment, God can do something incredible for you.
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably exceedingly abundantly more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20).
So, dream bigger, be happier, go further, and make a greater impact for others.
Trust God's timing and, "throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And with perseverance run the race marked out for you" (Hebrews 12:1). And the outcome will be far better than you could ever have imagined.


text:
Keep your drinks cold with this colorful Red Inflatable Tub Cooler! Cooler is made of plastic and measures 22" wide x 13" high x 18" deep. Cans and ice are not included. Read More
You Save %0 OFF
Would you like to personalize your item or add it to your cart as-is?
Discontinued Item


text:
Want to remind yourself or a friend about this program? Fill out this simple form and klru will email you a reminder on the day that it will air.
Episode #115
series: Chef John Besh's New Orleans
air date: 5/21/13 8:00 PM
Fried Tomatoes and Aioli and Crab and Shrimp Stuffed Flounder.
WARNING: Email reminders for this program have already been sent out. Your reminder may not reach the intended address in time for this program's airing.
Back to TV Schedule


text:
AMHERST — The University of Massachusetts Geosciences Department, home to the state's official geologist, hopes that its new Rausch Mineral Gallery will give it more visibility while showcasing a beautiful display of more than 200 minerals collected over a lifetime by the late Marvin Rausch, a professor of chemistry.
The gallery is located at 243 Morrill Science Center on campus. It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and by appointment on weekends.
627 North Pleasant St., Amherst, 413-545-2286, www.geo.umass.edu


text:
I know, this topic was already addressed in The Queue, but let's ignore that for the moment. Someone at WoW Insider gets sick/has a baby/is trapped in Azeroth due to a bad writing plot, and the site visitors are needed to save the day. What column do you think you could handle?
Personally, I think I could step in for Officers' Quarters or Drama Mamas (Drama Daddy for me, I suppose). I always end up dealing with the social aspects of WoW, especially the ones that require hard choices and hurt feelings. Gold Capped might be something I could handle, depending on the timing. I've helped a good amount of folks learn how to stop losing money on the AH (and no, I'm not just telling them to ignore their alts). I normally sit in my chair nodding when I read these articles, and I often point my fellow players to them if we've had a similar situation come up in which one of the articles comes to a similar conclusion we discussed.
What column do you think you could fill in for at WoW Insider? Can you take the reins from Alex Ziebert and be the WoW Archivist for day? Fill in for Michael Grey and post a winner for WoW Moviewatch? Or maybe you, like Michael Sacco, have some connections and can conduct the interviews for Ask a Faction Leader?


text:
Watch The ::God Is Imaginary Videos On YouTube ::
I hope what I say here will contribute to a better image of my GOD.
Children are blameless before The LORD YHWH.
All the little kids that have died since the foundation of the world went directly to Heaven.
Babies & children(until a certain age) are "without sin".
They thus do not have the penalty of death attached to them.
They have not broken(were unable to) any of the commandments, therefore do not have to taste death.


text:
Crescent News
Crescent has got the Original!
The best is just good enough for your challenging aesthetic and conservation needs. Optium Museum (...)
more >>
Coloured ALTERA
Altera Foam Color is the latest addition to our wide range of versatile foam boards. 9 (...)
more >>
>> News archive
select language >
News / Archive
Crescent News archive
A picture framing glass helping you see things more clearly
Crescent's new
ImageClar AR™
water-white glass provides what you and your customers have always been looking for:
Anti-reflective glass
0.5% light reflection 99% light transmission (...)
more >>
Kool Tack™ – changing drymounting forever!
Crescent has ironed out the problems of traditional drymount board.
The facts:
Kool Tack is the only drymount board that
works at 65°C to 70°C
Kool Tack
works in just 15 to 20
more >>
Big is beautiful
Product additions Conservation Duo Boards
Get more with our new oversize Conservation Duo matboards from the BETTER collection:
Size: 102x152 cm 2 thicknesses: 1.5 and 2.5 mm 2 colours: Antique / Ivory and White / Natural
The XL sized boards are ideal for (...)
more >>
ALTERA Foam Boards
The Crescent Altera family offers a wide range of versatile products:
3 thicknesses: 3 / 5 / 10 mm 10sizes: A4 to140x300 cm White / black /grey-black Acid-free or self-adhesive Usable on one or both sides
Framers, designers, architects, artists, display creators, (...)
more >>
Bevel Tapes to create the perfect mount
The new coloured Bevel Tapes will help ensure you can create the perfect deep bevel in the most popular colours of the deacade, whilst beautifully matching your Crescent top mount.
Self adhesive for simplicity and speed
Creative design options with the 15 most popular colours
more >>
Create It - Mount It - Present It
For over 100 years Crescent has served the art and framing communities and we are now proud to present our official presentation boards range for designers, advertising agencies or everybody working on presentations.
The Crescent Europe range of presentation boards is suited for backing, mounting (...)
more >>
Regular.120 offers more
Our new cream core matboard collection offers 20% more as the boards are now available in 81x120 cm. The new size optimises the sheet utilisation and reduces waste for the most popular sizes in 24x30 cm / 30x40 cm / 60x80 cm.
Surfaces: 63 colours Thickness: 1.4 mm Size: 81x120 cm (...)
more >>
BETTER Suedes
The new Conservation Suedes matboard range completes our BETTER collection offering elegant framing solutions due to the boards' special look.
Surfaces: 12 colours Thickness: 1.6 mm Size: 81x102 cm (30x40") 100% alpha cellulose conservation quality
more >>
Moulding the future
First there were matboards, backing boards and foam boards
...then there was glass and tapes
...and now Crescent has completed the 'one-stop-shop' concept, with the addition of a comprehensive and all embracing collection of mouldings.
The Crescent brand ensures (...)
more >>
More impact with Black Core Thick
Simply beautiful...
We have selected the most popular colours to create a new product line with a deep impact!
After having successfully launched the matboard line Whitecore Extra Thick, we will now launch three thick matboard additions with our new line Black Core Thick. Amongst (...)
more >>
Colour Line extends BETTER collection
A touch of colour...
Create unobtrusive colour schemes with our new conservation quality matboards!
As the name says, Colour Line boards feature a coloured line in the middle of the core. Used with a bevel cut or V-groove, they give the necessary but unobtrusive touch of colour (...)
more >>
Crescent Europe launches GOOD, BETTER, BEST standards
With a myriad of technical jargon and confusing terminology, Crescent Europe's customers asked the company to come up with an easy to understand message, which is just as easy to explain to your customers. So Crescent Europe is delighted to cut through the confusion and announce the new benchmarks for (...)
more >>
Corri-Cor® goes live
Crescent Europe is delighted to unveil the latest revolutionary concept in backing boards - Corri-Cor®. With its unique and gently bowed construction to hold customers' artwork in place, it is lightweight and yet dependably rigid, it is easy to cut and is almost dust-free, it offers GOOD and BETTER (...)
more >>
Tapping into tapes
After close consultation with our customers, Crescent Europe concluded that providing a 'one-stop-shop' is clearly a high priority for busy framers. So Crescent Europe is delighted to announce the launch of a complete range of tapes.
Meeting every framing challenge, no matter how sticky, the (...)
more >>
Crescent Home
About Us
>> Archive
Sample Shop
Contact Us
Frequently asked questions
Legal Notice
design by
Ikoon Design
- made by
© 2018 by Crescent Europe GmbH


text:
A Kane County judge Tuesday set bail at $100,000 for the third man charged in last week's murder of Abigail Villalpando, a 18-year-old West Aurora High School student.
Jose M. Becerra, 20, of Oswego, is charged with concealment of a homicide. Police say he helped move Villalpando's body to a wooded area in Montgomery after another person killed her with a hammer and burned her remains in a barrel.
"Based on the facts of the case, the serious nature of the charge, the fact that (Becerra) was born in Mexico, he could pose a flight risk," Assistant State's Attorney Anne Stanfa told Judge Christine Downs.
Becerra told Downs he immigrated from Mexico as a child and spent most of his life living on the east side of Aurora before moving to Oswego a few years ago. Becerra, who has had arrests for marijuana possession and disorderly conduct, said he was fired from his job as a cook at a local pancake restaurant.
"This is the longest I've been in (jail). Usually I bond out a couple hours later," Becerra said.
If convicted, Becerra could face up to five years in prison, and 10 years if prosecutors push for an extended term.
Becerra, of the 0-99 block of Setton Creek Drive, must post $10,000 in order to be free while his case is pending; he is next due in court Feb. 21.
According to police, Villalpando, a server at Denny's near the Westfield Fox Valley Mall, was last seen at about 1 p.m. Thursday before she went to visit Juan Garnica Jr., 18, and Enrique Prado, 19, both of Aurora, at Prado's house. She knew both of them.
She never showed up for her 5 p.m. shift and her family reported her missing in the early morning hours on Friday.
Police say Garnica beat and killed the 4-foot-10, 105-pound teen Thursday with a hammer -- while Prado was in another room -- and stuffed her body in a container that was hidden in Prado's garage.
Police said Garnica later burned her body in a barrel, set her 2003 Nissan Altima on fire under a bridge in Aurora Friday morning and had Prado and Becerra move her remains to a wooded area in Montgomery where sheriff's deputies and a K-9 unit found Villalpando's body Saturday morning.
Some of Villalpando's relatives have suggested in other media outlets that Garnica may have been jealous that she was dating someone else.
Police have not specified a motive in the case; Tuesday, during his monthly meeting with reporters, Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon declined to comment on a possible motive.
"The police continue to investigate this crime. I know that they are working on all that information," McMahon said. "We're aware of that and we'll track down that lead or any other information as it comes in."
He noted that the facts discussed in open court "certainly paint a picture of a vicious attack on a young woman."
Garnica was being held on $5 million bail and faces charges of first-degree murder and arson. He is due in court Feb. 14.
Prado is charged with arson and concealment of a homicide and is due in court Feb. 15.


text:
Story highlights
- About 1%, or 31 flights per day, will be canceled, American Airlines says
- American extends capacity cuts through mid-November
- The airline is struggling with chronic delays and labor issues
American Airlines will cancel more flights from its daily schedule through mid-November.
"American Airlines is extending its previously announced schedule reductions through the first half of November by approximately 1%," said American spokesman Matt Miller in a statement. "Although we are beginning to see improvements in our operations, we are taking this proactive step to allow us to get our performance back to the levels our customers deserve and expect."
The new cuts of about 31 flights per day out of the airline's total network of 3,500 daily flights will not affect holiday travel, Miller said. Previously, the airline announced an up to 2% reduction in the number of seat sales through the end of October.
The airline declared bankruptcy last year and has been mired in contract negotiations with unions. Airline executives convinced a bankruptcy judge to throw out the pilots' contract last month.
In the past month, more than 1,000 American flights have been canceled and 12,000 delayed.
Some travel agents and business travelers have told CNN they can't count on American flights to take off or -- when they do take off, to land on time. Some American customers are starting to book flights on other airlines.
Airline management blamed the situation on pilots filing what it claims are frivolous reports about aircraft problems as part of a slowdown. The pilots' union denied management's assertion, arguing that company mismanagement has led to increased maintenance problems.
"These mechanical items are all of American management's making," American Airlines Capt. Carl Jackson, a representative of the Allied Pilots Association, told CNN on Thursday as several dozen American pilots conducted an informational picket at Washington's Reagan National Airport.
"They have old planes," Jackson said. "They have a shortage of mechanics, here in the near term it's going to be a severe shortage of mechanics, and we're just trying to do the best we can to get the public safely to where they need to be."
The airline also faced questions about its maintenance after seats on three American Airlines flights have come loose in flight, requiring the airline to fix floor mounts in 48 of its 757s to prevent seats from coming loose again.
Although American management and pilots resumed negotiations last week, the three major American employee unions have already reached conditional agreement with US Airways, should a merger of the two airlines take place.


text:
Submission + - Panopticon Society and the Moral Power of an Image
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "James Fallows writes that you don't have to idealize everything about the Occupy movement to recognize the stoic resolve of the protesters at UC Davis being pepper sprayed as a moral drama that the protesters clearly won. "The self-control they show, while being assaulted, reminds me of grainy TV footage I saw as a kid, of black civil rights protestors being fire-hosed by Bull Connor's policemen in Alabama. Or of course the Tank Man in Tiananmen Square," writes Fallows. "Such images can have tremendous, lasting power." We can't imagine all the effects of the panopticon society but one benefit to the modern protest movement is the omnipresence of cameras as police officials, protestors, and nearly all onlookers are recording whatever goes on bringing greater accountability and a reality-test for police claims that they "had" to use excessive force. "What's new is that now the perception war occurs simultaneously with the physical struggle. There's almost parity," writes Andrew Sprung. "You have a truncheon or gun, I have a camera. You inflict pain, I inflict infamy.""


text: In 2007 my cat Cheeky was an outdoor cat. He got into a fight and had a nasty bite and also developed a bald patch at the base of his spine right next to his tail. He was diagnosed with flea bite allergy and had a course of steroids. We moved home at the end of 2007 and since then, much to his annoyance, he is an indoor cat but I do take him outdoors on a lead. A couple of times a year he starts licking and gnawing at the base of his spine and he is almost bald. Since he has been an indoor cat he has also had a lot of problems with his anal glands blocking and needing expelled at least 4 times a year or more. I do not know if the anal glands and the licking are related. Has anyone else had any problem like this?


text:
Senate to vote on moving ahead with Hagel nod
Republicans signal they will halt delaying tactics, allowing up-or-down vote for defense secretary nominee
WASHINGTON (AP) — A deeply divided Senate is moving toward a vote on President Barack Obama's contentious choice of Chuck Hagel to head the Defense Department, with the former Republican senator on track to win confirmation after a protracted political fight.
Twelve days after Republicans stalled the nomination, the Senate was slated to vote Tuesday on proceeding with the Hagel selection after GOP lawmakers signaled late Monday they would end their delaying tactics. If Hagel gets the necessary votes, it would just be a matter of time for a simple up-or-down vote, although Republicans could insist on the maximum 30 hours of debate before a final vote.
If confirmed, Hagel would succeed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and join Obama's retooled national security team just days before automatic, across-the-board budget cuts hit the Pentagon.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., said he was optimistic about the vote's outcome and said it was critical for the Senate to act quickly.
"Given sequestration, it's really important that we have a secretary of defense who is in place when that hits, if it hits," Levin told reporters Monday. "I want to still say 'if' because I'm a perennial optimist."
Hagel's nomination bitterly split the Senate, with Republicans turning on their former GOP colleague and Democrats standing by Obama's nominee.
The president got no points with the GOP for tapping the former two-term senator and twice-wounded Vietnam combat veteran. Republican lawmakers excoriated Hagel over his past statements and votes. They argued that he was too critical of Israel and too compromising with Iran. They cast the Nebraskan as a radical far out of the mainstream.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., clashed with his onetime friend over his opposition to President George W. Bush's decision to send an extra 30,000 troops to Iraq in 2007 at a point when the war seemed in danger of being lost. Hagel, who voted to authorize military force in Iraq, later opposed the conflict, comparing it to Vietnam and arguing that it shifted the focus from Afghanistan.
McCain called Hagel unqualified for the Pentagon job even though he once described him as fit for a Cabinet post.
Republicans also challenged Hagel about a May 2012 study that he co-authored for the advocacy group Global Zero, which called for an 80 percent reduction of US nuclear weapons and the eventual elimination of all the world's nuclear arms.
The group argued that with the Cold War over, the United States can reduce its total nuclear arsenal to 900 without sacrificing security. Currently, the US and Russia have about 5,000 warheads each, either deployed or in reserve. Both countries are on track to reduce their deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 by 2018, the number set in the New START treaty that the Senate ratified in December 2010.
In an echo of the 2012 presidential campaign, Hagel faced an onslaught of criticism by well-funded, Republican-leaning outside groups that labeled the former senator "anti-Israel" and pressured senators to oppose the nomination. The groups ran television and print ads criticizing Hagel.
Opponents were particularly incensed by Hagel's use of the term "Jewish lobby" to refer to pro-Israel groups. He apologized, saying he should have used another term and should not have said those groups have intimidated members of the Senate into favoring actions contrary to US interests.
The nominee spent weeks reaching out to members of the Senate, meeting individually with lawmakers to address their concerns and seeking to reassure them about his policies.
Hagel's halting and inconsistent performance during some eight hours of testimony at this confirmation hearing last month undercut his cause, but it wasn't a fatal blow.
There was no erosion in Democratic support for the president's choice and Hagel had the backing of three Republicans — Sens. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Mike Johanns of Nebraska and Richard Shelby of Alabama. Other Republicans were reluctant to block a president's Cabinet choice from getting an up-or-down vote, fearing the precedent.
Democrats hold a 55-45 edge in the Senate, more than enough to confirm Hagel on a majority vote.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.


text:
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Kentucky Oaks 137 Barn Notes for Monday, May 2
BOUQUET BOOTH/STREET STORM – Right Time Racing's Bouquet Booth galloped a mile and half under Alex Castanon over a sloppy track after the renovation break, as did stablemate Street Storm under Williams Cano.
Watching the activity were Dan Glick and Steve Gowers, two of the partners in Right Time Racing, who are considering a Kentucky Oaks (GI) run with Street Storm, who is also under consideration for the $100,000 Edgewood Presented by Kentucky National Insurance at 1 1/6 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course on Friday.
Street Storm has no graded stakes earnings and the Oaks is limited to 14 starters with the highest amount of graded earnings. Not counting Street Storm, 13 fillies were considered as probable for the races with two others possible, all with graded earnings.
"This partnership has three horses and one of them is a 2-year-old we just bought," Glick said of the group that has eight partners, all Louisvillians or with Louisville ties. "It might be a once in a lifetime chance."
"They've got two bullets," trainer Steve Margolis said, "and both are doing good."
DAISY DEVINE – James M. Miller's Daisy Devine, winner of the richest Kentucky Oaks prep race in the $500,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (GII), breezed three-eighths in :35.80, more than a full second faster than the four other three-furlong works of the morning.
With Larry Melancon breaking her off at the quarter-pole, Daisy Devine cruised down the stretch through an opening eighth of :12.20 and hit the finish line in :23.60. She galloped out a half-mile on the clubhouse turn in :49.20.
"Perfect," trainer Andrew McKeever said. "I told Larry to let her do what she wants to do. I wanted a little decent work because she's going to have to run hard and she looked good. She really quickened up at the eighth pole when he asked her to, so it was perfect. And she came back happy."
Daisy Devine was outfitted in blinkers, as she has been for her past four starts, in which she is 4-3-1-0.
"We were just looking to keep her focused and try to keep her sweet and happy until she runs," McKeever said.
A surface saturated with water from several days and nights of rain did not seem to affect the Kafwain filly, who has only raced on fast tracks but now has two bullet moves over Churchill slop.
"It doesn't seem to matter to her," McKeever said. "As long as it's a dirt track she seems to like it, similar to the Fair Grounds, and we know she liked that."
Daisy Devine, who will be ridden by James Graham in the Oaks, likely will make an appearance Wednesday during the Oaks-Derby training session.
"She trains herself and whatever she wants to do she can do," McKeever said. "If she wants to go gallop, she can gallop; if she wants to jog, she can jog. Normally she prefers to get out there, even if it's just to walk and stretch her legs."
HER SMILE/R HEAT LIGHTNING – Both of the Todd Pletcher-trained fillies jogged a mile Monday morning shortly after 7 a.m.
While things initially appeared well with the pair, R Heat Lightning soon gave her stable cause for concern.
"We noticed back at the barn that she seemed to be just a little off in her right front," Pletcher said Monday afternoon of the likely morning-line Oaks favorite. "We checked her and could feel some heat in her right knee. We consulted with her owner's people and the decision was made to withdraw her from the race.
"Later this week we'll take her over to Rood & Riddle Clinic (in Lexington, Ky.) and have her checked from top to bottom. Hopefully this won't be anything big and she'll be back by the end of the summer. But it's a shame. A filly like this at the top of her game and with a chance to run in a race like this (Kentucky Oaks), that's what you hope for. It's too bad."
Her Smile, a daughter of Include who is owned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay, had worked a half-mile in :50.40 Sunday under Garrett Gomez. The question of her participation in Friday's Oaks is still up for discussion.
"I'm going to talk to Bobby (Flay) today and we'll come to a decision," Pletcher said. "I think Bobby wants to run; he seems to be leaning that way. And I've seen nothing from her (Her Smile) to say that we couldn't.
"Of course, the Black-Eyed Susan (at Pimlico in Maryland) is two weeks later and one would think it would be an easier spot. So we'll see."
Should Her Smile run in the Kentucky Oaks, which appears to be assured of a maximum field of 14 with or without her, Gomez would have the call.
HOLY HEAVENS – Drs. K.K. & Vilasini Jayaraman's Holy Heavens did not go to the track a day after she "two-minute licked" a mile.
"She kind of worked yesterday, so just relaxed today," trainer Benard Chatters said. "Everything's good. We're just trying to get ready for this big dance."
Instead of visiting the track, the Holy Bull filly walked the shedrow and enjoyed time in her stall draped with a Thermotex blanket.
"It promotes blood flow to the muscles," Chatters said. "I want her to feel fresh and ready to go out there and do something. We're just relaxing and getting ready to go out there and run down Joyful Victory."
JOYFUL VICTORY – Fox Hill Farms' Joyful Victory came out of her bullet work on Sunday nicely and had a quiet morning on Monday.
The Honeybee (GIII) and Fantasy (GII) winner turned in a five-furlong work in :59.20 over the wet track Sunday under jockey Gabriel Saez.
"Everything is good," trainer Larry Jones said. "She cleaned up good last night. We're happy with the way everything has turned out. Twenty-four hours after the work, we're in great shape. We're happy."
KATHMANBLU – Following Saturday's final Kentucky Oaks major workout, Kathmanblu returned to the racetrack this morning for trainer Ken McPeek and galloped a mile and a half.
"Nothing important, just some basic stuff," McPeek said afterward. "She came back out of her work great and there's nothing dramatic to report. She's doing well and we're looking forward to running her in the Oaks."
Owned by Five D Thoroughbreds and Wind River Stables, Kathmanblu will be reunited with jockey Julien Leparoux in the Oaks. Leparoux has ridden Kathmanblu to all four of her career stakes victories.
Stablemate Niji's Grand Girl, who had been considered for the Oaks and the Edgewood Stakes on Friday's card, will be pointed to the Edgewood, McPeek said.
LILACS AND LACE – James Covello and partners' Lilacs and Lace returned to the race track at Churchill Downs Monday morning after walking the shedrow on Sunday. The Central Bank Ashland Stakes (GI) winner breezed five furlongs in 1:02.60 on Saturday.
"The filly jogged seven-eighths of a mile and galloped seven-eighths of a mile," said Reynaldo Abreu, assistant to trainer John Terranova. "She skipped over the track very nice, very nice. I'm pretty happy the way she's handling everything."
Exercise rider Eliel DeJesus was aboard the daughter of Flower Alley, who'll be ridden by Javier Castellano in the Oaks.
PLUM PRETTY – Peachtree Stable's Plum Pretty breezed a half-mile in :48.80 over a sloppy track in her final breeze before the running of the Oaks on Friday.
Working during the Oaks/Derby training period following the renovation break, the same time that stablemates Midnight Interlude and Mythical Power were on the track, she turned in fractions of :12.40, :24.80 and :36.80. She galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.60.
"I was really with the way they went today," trainer Bob Baffert said. "She likes the slop. She loves that stuff."
Plum Pretty worked over a wet surface on April 27, but Baffert said the conditions were better Monday.
"The track was in pretty good shape today. We got enough rain," Baffert said. "The last time I worked these horses it didn't rain enough and the track was sort of drying out heavy and mucky. I was really happy with the way they worked today because they went over it well."
Martin Garcia will ride the filly in the Kentucky Oaks.
ST. JOHN'S RIVER – Dede McGehee's St. John's River galloped 1 ¾ miles with exercise rider Robert Wright aboard during the Oaks-Derby training session.
"When we were galloping through the stretch a Derby horse worked inside of her and another Derby horse galloped past outside of her and she tugged me pretty hard that last eighth down the lane," Wright said.
Wright – who favorably compared St. John's River's current condition to a colt he galloped up to a second-place finish in the 1995 Derby, Tejano Run – said the filly has been showing signs of improvement since arriving at Churchill from Keeneland, where she stabled in April. Prior to that St. John's River spent the winter at trainer Andy Leggio's Fair Grounds base, where she started four times, topped by a second in the $500,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (GII).
"She's been better here," Wright said. "She likes the track, likes the mud. She's gotten feisty, she's playing a little more this week. She's a lot more lively since the last work.
"I think she's the most ready of any of the ones I've galloped up here, and I've been on some pretty nice ones at Churchill Downs over the years. If the leaders start to tire turning for home they're in trouble."
St. John's River is a full sister to Panty Raid, multiple Grade I winner in 2007 of the American Oaks and the Spinster Stakes.
SUAVE VOIR FAIRE – Fleur de Lis Racing LLC's Suave Voir Faire galloped up the Polytrack hill at the HighPointe Training Center with regular exercise rider Frederick Carmouche aboard, trainer Speedy Smithwick reported.
"From top to bottom the hill is about three-quarters of a mile," Smithwick said.
Plans still call for Suave Voir Fare to van to Churchill Downs late Tuesday morning. The Suave filly will be housed in Barn 43, the Oaks barn.
"I'll probably jog her around a little bit before we come over but I'll have to watch the weather and see what we can do," Smithwick said.
Suave Voir Fare has not won a race since breaking her maiden at Turfway Park in October but has enough graded earnings to make the field with third-place finishes in November's Golden Rod (GII) at Churchill and last month's Bourbonette Oaks (GIII) at Turfway.
SUMMER SOIREE – Team Valor International's Summer Soiree returned to the track Monday morning for some exercise during the training period reserved for Oaks/Derby horses.
"She went to the gate and stood and then galloped a mile," said Dan Rock, assistant to trainer Graham Motion.
Summer Soiree worked a half-mile Saturday.
ZAZU – Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss' gray filly Zazu stretched her legs at Hollywood Park Monday morning as her final bit of exercise prior to catching a flight from California to Kentucky early on Tuesday.
"We jogged her about a mile and a quarter," trainer John Sadler said from his Hollywood Park barn not long after the jog. "She's got a plane at 4 a.m. tomorrow morning."
Sadler will be flying tomorrow also, though he'll be on entertainment mogul Jerry Moss' private jet. "I think we're leaving at some point in the early afternoon," Sadler said.
Zazu, who has been first or second in six of her seven lifetime outings, will be handled by Southern California riding star Joel Rosario when she goes postward in Friday's $1 million Kentucky Oaks.
Read more articles in the Kentucky Derby category.


text:
This initiative establishes solar centers across Ethiopia to spread the technology to remote regions of the country. "Solar Lighting in Rural Ethiopia," which also includes a central solar school and competence center, trains people in the solar trade and provides financing for families who can't afford to pay for the solar devices up front. The project improves the lives of people who live in the countryside, while preventing pollution from dirtier power sources.
Fast facts:
11 solar centers established in Ethiopian villages
22,000 solar home systems installed
The program aims to reduce 160,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent over 10 years
The problem
Among the many rural households in Ethiopia that have no access to the electrical grid, the prevalent form of lighting is kerosene lamps. These are mostly low-efficiency wick lamps. These lamps emit black carbon that contributes to global warming and causes indoor pollution. Since women do most of the housework in many rural parts of Ethiopia, they suffer disproportionately from dirty indoor air. Kerosene costs can also comprise a significant portion of household expenses.
The solution
This project makes solar lighting systems accessible to rural Ethiopian households through setting up solar centers in villages across the country. The solar centers manage the sale, distribution, installation, and maintenance of the solar systems, as well as offering training and revolving fund microloans to households that cannot afford to pay for the solar home systems on their own. Kerosene lamps are replaced with solar photovoltaic lighting systems that employ efficient LEDs.
The program has also established an international solar energy school in Ethiopia's capital city of Addis Ababa, where solar engineers are being trained, particularly for rural electrification. Solar technicians who graduate are able to start up their own small solar businesses in villages. An accompanying solar competence center in Addis Ababa offers training, product development, testing, and assembly to ensure that know-how will be developed and used in Ethiopia.
Helping the planet
Replacing kerosene lamps with solar lighting reduces black carbon emissions, preventing further climate change. Cleaner air also contributes to healthier ecosystems, benefiting plants and animals as well.
Helping people
Cleaner indoor air prevents respiratory disease, particularly among women. Those who use the systems detailed less coughing, reduction of soot in the nose, and cleaner walls. Villagers can also see easier at night, reducing stress on the eyes. Families with the solar systems have reported that children are more motivated to read and learn.
Women have said that they are able do more and different kinds of work – with solar light, their working hours are more flexible and allow for breaks during the hottest parts of the day. Women who are mainly occupied with housework in the daytime are now able to do productive work in the evening, thereby creating income for the family. The project also provides employment in the form of small solar businesses.
Spillover effect
The project's goal is to cover the entire country with a network of solar centers. Training solar technicians allows the technology to spread beyond its initial scope, particularly in remote rural areas.
Images owned by the activity partners, all rights reserved.