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Would you pay $750 for a Wii U? With launch day consoles selling out at most retailers, it may be the price you'll have to pay to snag Nintendo's next home console. As supply, demand, and eBay have taught us: the inevitable price gouging has begun.
According to Ars Technica, some who have snagged pre-orders for the system are already selling them at ludicrous prices. Some already-resold pre-orders of the Deluxe system have reached more than $500, while the basic is averaging around $350. These actually sell for $349.99 and $299.99, respectively. Amazon resellers, by comparison, are offering the Deluxe models anywhere between $600 and $1,500, and Basic from $440 to $1,000--but it's impossible to tell if people have been purchasing these marked-up systems.
Others are getting even bolder. One reseller got $750, the highest price that we know has sold. The free market is showing a cap on just how much people will pay, though, since one attempting a $1,550 payday failed to get any takers on his "Buy It Now" price.
If you aren't willing to shell out quite that much money for the system, you can hope retail gets another wave of fresh pre-order stock committed to their locations. You might try your luck camping out to secure a place in line too. Or you could teach your kids a valuable lesson in patience.

subset: commoncrawl


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sick dog
I have a 2 year old yorkio-poo, a small dog of about 10-12 pounds. For two 1/2 days now he has not been able to keep food in his stomach. I feed him and in a matter of minutes he vomits. My Vet is stumped after taking several x-rays and blood samples. What is surprising is how active he is without nurshment. He acts as if nothing is wrong but this can not last much longer. The food I'm now using was recommended by the vet and upon his advice given to the dog in small amounts about every half hour but this isn't working. I'm distressed to say the least. This is saturday pm. and I'll be back in touch with my vet early Monday morning but I'm hoping I might be able to get some suggestions on the Internet. If anyone has experienced this problem I would appreciate any suggestions you might have. Many thanks. David
David Coffey
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The Data Mapper design pattern is a powerful and elegant solution that permits developers to isolate domain objects from the underlying persistence storage mechanism of an application. Its implementation, at least at a basic level, is a pretty straightforward process that can be tackled with minor hassles.
In the case of PHP, building data mapper classes can be a challenging task, especially for developers who are taking their first steps into the huge area of design patterns. Once the logic that drives data mappers has been properly digested, however, their implementation is indeed fairly simple.
Naturally, explaining how to create one or more data mapper classes requires the performance of some initialization tasks, such as defining a few domain objects that make up the domain layer and implementing a data access layer (DAL).
In keeping with this requirement, these two layers were developed in the preceding parts of this series. For demonstration purposes, the domain objects were created as simple data containers, capable of adding and removing properties dynamically, while the data access layer was comprised only of a single MySQL abstraction class.
The fact that these layers currently live isolated from each other sets a propitious scenario for taking advantage of the data mapper pattern's functionality. The question that comes up here is: why should the pattern be implemented, anyway? Well, if the structure of the domain objects matches the structure of the database tables in a one-to-one relationship, the problem is far easier to solve, quite possibly by using an Active Record implementation.
Unfortunately, in most cases this match doesn't occur. Consider, for instance, a basic domain layer comprised of blog post objects that also have an associated author object. In a case like this, storing blog posts will require working with two different tables, instead of only one. However, the good news is that this incompatibility can be resolved by means of a data mapper, without making the domain objects aware of the persistence layer.
Having said that, in this third part of the series I'll be discussing how to create some basic data mapper classes, which will bridge the pair of layers defined in the previous chapters. Now, to find out how this will be achieved, go ahead and start reading!
{mospagebreak title=Review: a quick look at some previous sample classes}
Just in case you haven't read the two previous articles, where I explained in detail how to create two sample domain and data access layers, below I listed the definitions of the classes that compose the layers. This will allow you to take a close look at them and quickly understand how they work.
First, here is the source code of the classes that comprise the domain layer, along with an example that shows how to use it for modeling some simple user objects. Here are the corresponding sample files:
abstract class DomainObjectAbstract
protected $_data = array();
public function __construct(array $data = NULL)
if ($data !== NULL)
// populate domain object with an array of data
foreach ($data as $property => $value)
if (!empty($property))
$this->$property = $value;
// set domain object property
public function __set($property, $value)
if (!array_key_exists($property, $this->_data))
throw new ModelObjectException('The specified property is not valid for this domain object.');
if (strtolower($property) === 'id' AND $this->_data['id'] !== NULL)
throw new DomainObjectException('ID for this domain object is immutable.');
$this->_data[$property] = $value;
// get domain object property
public function __get($property)
if (!array_key_exists($property, $this->_data))
throw new DomainObjectException('The property requested is not valid for this domain object.');
return $this->_data[$property];
// check if given domain object property has been set
public function __isset($property)
return isset($this->_data[$property]);
// unset domain object property
public function __unset($property)
if (isset($this->_data[$property]))
class DomainObjectException extends Exception{}
As its name implies, the above "DomainObjectAbstract" class defines the behavior and structure of generic domain objects, whose properties can be added and removed on the fly, thanks to the implementation of the "__set()", __get()" and "__unset()" PHP magic functions. With this class seated on top of the hierarchy, creating a sub class that spawns concrete user objects is reduced to doing something as simple as this:
class User extends DomainObjectAbstract
protected $_data = array('id' => NULL, 'fname' => ", 'lname' => ", 'email' => ");
That was easy to code and read, wasn't it? Now, if you ever want to employ the previous "User" class to create a concrete user object, it could be done in a snap, in the following way:
$user = new User();
$user->fname = 'Julie';
$user->lname = 'Smith';
$user->email = 'firstname.lastname@example.com';
If you analyze the two earlier classes, you'll realize that they're the building blocks of a domain layer composed of objects that are nothing but basic data containers with a predictable behavior. This approach is very useful and efficient, as the objects are easy to test, and completely ignorant of the persistent storage mechanism.
With the domain layer already set, it's time to show the structure of the data access layer. Disappointingly, it is made up of only a trivial MySQL abstraction class called "MySQLAdapter," whose definition is as follows:
class MySQLAdapter
private $_config = array();
private static $_instance = NULL;
private static $_connected = FALSE;
private $_link = NULL;
private $_result = NULL;
// return Singleton instance of MySQLAdapter class
public static function getInstance(array $config = array())
if (self::$_instance === NULL)
self::$_instance = new self($config);
return self::$_instance;
// private constructor
private function __construct(array $config)
if (count($config) < 4)
throw new MySQLAdapterException('Invalid number of connection parameters');
$this->_config = $config;
// prevent cloning class instance
private function __clone(){}
// connect to MySQL
private function connect()
// connect only once
if (self::$_connected === FALSE)
list($host, $user, $password, $database) = $this->_config;
if ((!$this->_link = mysqli_connect($host, $user, $password, $database)))
throw new MySQLAdapterException('Error connecting to MySQL : ' . mysqli_connect_error());
self::$_connected = TRUE;
unset($host, $user, $password, $database);
// perform query
public function query($query)
if (is_string($query) and !empty($query))
// lazy connect to MySQL
if ((!$this->_result = mysqli_query($this->_link, $query)))
throw new MySQLAdapterException('Error performing query ' . $query . ' Error : ' . mysqli_error($this->_link));
// fetch row from result set
public function fetch()
if ((!$row = mysqli_fetch_object($this->_result)))
return FALSE;
return $row;
// get insertion ID
public function getInsertID()
if ($this->_link !== NUlL)
return mysqli_insert_id($this->_link);
return NULL;
// count rows in result set
public function countRows()
if ($this->_result !== NULL)
return mysqli_num_rows($this->_result);
return 0;
// close the database connection
function __destruct()
is_resource($this->_link) AND mysqli_close($this->_link);
class MySQLAdapterException extends Exception{}
Since all that the "MySQLAdapter" class does is perform some common database operations, such as connecting to the server, running hard-coded queries and fetching rows in result sets, I'm not going to spend more time explaining its driving logic. It's valid to notice, though, that this class is the only element that comprises the data access layer.
Naturally, if you're like me, at this point you want an answer to the following question: if an application needs to save a user object (or any other kind of domain object) to the database via the previous "MySQLAdapter" class, how can this be done without breaking the rules of the persistence ignorance paradigm?
Well, here's where data mappers come in. Their mission is to keep those domain objects isolated from the data access layer. But this is theory that needs to be backed up with some functional code. Therefore, in the following segment I'm going to start coding a data mapper class, so you'll be able to understand its underlying logic.
Now, click on the link below and read the section to come.
{mospagebreak title=Building an abstract data mapper class}
In the section that you just read, I promised that you'd learn how to build a data mapper class from scratch. Well, in keeping with that, please look at the following code fragment. It defines the generic structure of an abstract mapper:
abstract class DataMapperAbstract
protected $_db = NULL;
protected $_table = ";
protected $_identityMap = array();
public function __construct(MySQLAdapter $db)
$this->_db = $db;
// get domain object by ID (implemented by concrete domain object subclasses)
abstract public function find($id);
// insert/update domain object (implemented by concrete domain object subclasses)
abstract public function save(DomainObjectAbstract $domainObject);
// delete domain object (implemented by concrete domain object subclasses)
abstract public function delete(DomainObjectAbstract $domainObject);
Definitely, the definition of the above "DataMapperAbstract" class brings some interesting things to the table that deserve a deeper analysis. As you can see, this class defines a clean, abstract interface, which via concrete implementations, will perform CRUD operations on domain objects by using an instance of the MySQL adapter.
The class not only uses a $_table property to map those operations to a specified database table, but defines another property called $_identityMap. As you'll see in a moment, this latter will be used for building an identity map to keep track of what objects were fetched from the database.
If you're interested in a fuller explanation of the Identity Map and other design patterns, I suggest to you grab a copy of Martin Fowler's book, Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture, or visit Fowler's Identity Map page.
So far, so good. Having defined an abstract mapper class, the next logical step is to create a concrete one that permits you to work directly with user domain objects. That will be the topic that I'm going to discuss in the next section.
{mospagebreak title=Mapping concrete user domain objects with a user mapper class}
Without a doubt, the best way to understand the logic that stands behind a data mapper is by subclassing the previous "DataMapperAbstract" class. In this case, the goal is to map user domain objects to a single MySQL table, so it's necessary to define a concrete user mapper class that implements the methods defined by the abstract parent. This is basically Inheritance 101, so take a look at the following file, which partially defines the user mapper class:
class UserMapper extends DataMapperAbstract
protected $_table = 'users';
// fetch domain object by ID
public function find($id)
// if the requested domain object exists in the identity map, get it from the there
if (array_key_exists($id, $this->_identityMap))
return $this->_identityMap[$id];
// if not, get domain object from the database
$this->_db->query("SELECT * FROM $this->_table WHERE id = $id");
if ($row = $this->_db->fetch())
$user = new User;
$user->id = $row->id;
$user->fname = $row->fname;
$user->lname = $row->lname;
$user->email = $row->email;
// save domain object to the identity map
$this->_identityMap[$id] = $user;
return $user;
// save domain object
public function save(DomainObjectAbstract $user)
// update domain object
if ($user->id !== NULL)
$this->_db->query("UPDATE $this->_table SET fname = '$user->fname', lname = '$user->lname', email = '$user->email' WHERE id = $user->id");
// insert domain object
$this->_db->query("INSERT INTO $this->_table (id, fname, lname, email) VALUES (NULL, '$user->fname', '$user->lname', '$user->email')");
As the above file shows, building a user mapper class that retrieves, inserts and updates user domain objects is by no means rocket science. In the previous example, the mapper uses the MySQL adapter to perform the required database operations via its "query()" method, but naturally it's possible to get the same results by using methods with a higher level of abstraction.
Also, you should pay attention to the implementation of the mapper's "find()" method, which uses an identity map to keep track of which objects were retrieved from the database. In simple terms, if the requested object exists in the map, it's retrieved from there. Otherwise, the mapper first fetches the required data from the corresponding MySQL table, then populates a fresh user object with the data, and finally saves the object to the map. Here, it's clear to see that an identity map not only allows you to track objects easily, but behaves like a memory-based cache that saves unnecessary trips to the database.
Hopefully, at this point you've learned how to build a basic data mapper class that decouples user objects from their storage mechanism. In its current state, the mapper is somewhat immature, as it is only able to fetch, insert, and update objects. However, the capability for deleting objects will be added in the next tutorial, so in the meantime feel free to play with all the examples shown before. Such practice will help you to gain a better understanding of how to build data mappers in PHP.
Final thoughts
In this third episode of the series, I started developing a basic user mapper class, which allows you to map user domain objects to their associated database table in a fairly easy way. In its current state, this sample mapper is only capable of retrieving and saving the corresponding domain objects to the storage mechanism, which is fine for now.
Nevertheless, it'd be highly desirable to provide the mapper with the ability to delete domain objects via a simple method. That's exactly what I'm going to discuss in the next part of the series, so you won't want to miss it!


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Three Australian special forces soldiers have been wounded in a shoot-out with Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, with two needing to be flown to Australia for treatment.
The soldiers from the Special Operations Task Group, which includes the SAS regiment and the 2nd Commando regiment, were on an operation to ''disrupt insurgent networks'' in Uruzgan province on Saturday.
They were fired upon by insurgents, a Defence statement said. One soldier suffered a bullet wound to the lower leg.
During a later firefight, another soldier was shot in the hand. They were treated at the site, then evacuated by helicopter to the main base at Tarin Kowt. Both are in a satisfactory condition, the statement said.
Plans are being made to fly them to Australia for specialised treatment. A third soldier was wounded ''as a consequence of the conduct of the operation'' the statement said, without elaborating. He was treated at the scene and made a full recovery.
Thirty-nine Australian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan and 246 seriously wounded. The troops have largely withdrawn from the patrol to the base at Tarin Kowt.
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(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – Inspired by a common spiritual conviction that God has called on all Americans to protect the vulnerable and promote the dignity of all individuals living in society, the interfaith coalition is aiming to protect those struggling to overcome poverty in the U.S. and abroad and to exclude programs that protect people in poverty from the budget deficit debates.
More than 25 heads of communion and national religious organizations are spearheading an 18-month faith-based public policy campaign to urge Congress and the Administration to exempt programs that assist at-risk families and children in the U.S. and abroad from budget cuts. The campaign will consist of high-level meetings with policymakers, a Washington fly-in of religious leaders and daily prayer vigils among other actions.
The daily prayer vigils are being held in Washington DC on the front lawn of the United Methodist Building (100 Maryland Avenue, NE, Washington, DC).
Led by a different religious organization each day at 12:30 p.m. EDT, the prayer vigils will continue throughout the White House led budget negotiations. The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) led a prayer vigil on 12 July.
The campaign was announced via a teleconference featuring a number of the country's leading religious officials.


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I have bought two ... read more
When the temperature drops, it's not necessary to store your bike for the winter and give up on riding. As long as you have the proper winter cycling apparel, cold weather riding can be very enjoyable! Protective winter cycling clothing is typically customized for men and women and is designed specifically to keep you dry, warm, and comfortable in any conditions. Below are the most important items to consider to ensure you stay protected throughout the cold winter months.Read Full Article


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"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood," Robert Frost tells us in his poem "The Road Not Taken." He took "the one less traveled by," and that "made all the difference."
But choosing a road only because it is less traveled seems to be a risky basis for navigation through life. How can we be sure that we are on the road to blessing?
When we read Galatians 3:10-14 we are struck by the antithesis of two words: curse and blessing. In this section Paul describes two alternative roads: the first leads to a curse (v. 10), the second to blessing (v. 14).
Faced by this fork in the road on their journey, the Galatian Christians had difficulty knowing which way to take. Some Jewish Christians were pointing to the well-traveled road that had been taken by the Jewish people for centuries. "Join us in the Jewish way of life," they said. "Only if you identify yourselves with us and come with us will you find blessing." They emphasized the noble, distinctive traditions of the Jewish nation.
But Paul argues in this passage that identification with the Jewish nation by observing the Mosaic law is not the way that leads to blessing. In fact, the claim that blessing depends exclusively on national identity leads to a terrible curse. Identification with Christ is the only way that leads to true blessing.
Four quotations from Scripture are used as signposts at this fork in the road to indicate which way leads to a curse and which way leads to blessing. We may label these four signposts with four words: curse (v. 10), faith (v. 11), law (v. 12) and cross (vv. 13-14).
Of course today we do not face pressure to turn to the Jewish way of life. But there are people similar to the intruders in Galatia who want to map out for us the way that leads to blessing. The road they point to is defined in terms of cultural customs.
The signposts that Paul placed in the fork of the road for the Galatian believers can direct us today.
The first signpost issues a harsh warning to all who rely on observing the law. They are under a curse. The warning is based on a quotation from the law itself: Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law (see Deut 27:26). In Deuteronomy a long list of terrible curses concludes with severe warnings of complete destruction (Deut 30:11-20). Since the curse is the result of failure to do the law, it must be assumed by Paul that all who rely on observing the law fail to do the law. In fact, Paul explicitly asserts at the end of his letter that "not even those who are circumcised obey the law" (6:13).
In the context of the Galatian dispute, when Paul refers to all who rely on observing the law he is speaking about those who are persuading the Galatian believers to enter their circle by keeping the law. Paul seems especially concerned to prove to the Galatians that the very ones who are inviting them to join the group of lawkeepers are under a curse, since they actually are lawbreakers. If the lawkeepers themselves are under a curse for having failed to keep all the law, then the risk of incurring a curse is even greater for Gentile believers who accept only certain items of the law in order to identify with the Jewish nation. An acceptance of requirements such as circumcision and sabbath keeping obligates them to keep the whole law (5:3). And if all who rely on observing the law cannot keep the whole law (see 2:14 and 6:13), then surely the Galatian believers will not be able to do so either. Hence they will surely come under a terrible curse for failure to keep the whole law. Paul points to this curse to dissuade Galatian believers from seeking membership among those who rely on observing the law and so placing themselves under the curse of the law.
If you join a group known for untainted fundamentalism and uncompromising separatism in order to be sure of God's blessing, beware! Since no one, not even the most saintly, ever kept the whole law, even the members of this group are under a curse for failure to keep the whole law.
On the second signpost at the fork in the road we find an inscription from the prophet Habakkuk, The righteous will live by faith (v. 11, from Hab 2:4). Since faith is the way to righteousness, law cannot be the way. So, Paul says, clearly no one is justified before God by the law. This signpost tells us that faith and law are not the same way, but two different ways.
The Galatian believers were turning to the way of law because they thought by keeping the requirements of the law they could gain entrance into the Jewish nation and thus be assured of acceptance as God's people. But clearly acceptance by God, justification before God, cannot possibly be found through the law: according to the Scriptures, righteousness comes by faith.
Paul must have realized that his readers would find it difficult to understand why faith and law are two different ways and why only faith, not law, leads to righteousness (acceptance by God). So he sets up a third signpost that repeats the antithesis between faith and law and supports that antithesis by a quotation from Leviticus 18:5 regarding the nature of the law: The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them."
The fundamental nature of law is that it requires doing. When Paul refers to law here, he cannot mean the whole of the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses). The whole of the Pentateuch (law in the broad sense) is primarily concerned with faith in God. Paul has already quoted from Genesis 15:6, which describes the way of faith exemplified by Abraham. In Galatians 3:12 law must be taken in the narrow sense as a reference to the specific divine requirements given to the Jewish people through Moses. In the context of Leviticus 18 the things to be done are the "decrees and laws" God gave Israel at Mount Sinai so that the Israelites would be distinguished from the Egyptians and Canaanites (Lev 18:1-4). In the Galatian dispute, the law refers to a set of requirements (specifically circumcision, food laws and sabbath laws) imposed on Gentile believers which would identify them with the Jewish nation and set them apart from Greeks and Romans.
Paul is not making an abstract, absolute contrast between believing and doing. His rebuke is aimed at the folly of doing the works of the law as a means of participating in the life and blessing of the covenant people of God. The law is not of faith, because it demands doing the works of the law as the way to life, whereas it has just been demonstrated (v. 11) that righteousness by faith is the way to life. The law demands perfect obedience (v. 10) and offers life on the basis of this perfect obedience (v. 12), but in itself the law is incapable of imparting life or righteousness before God (v. 21). So Paul puts up a stop sign in front of those who want to follow the law as the way to life. You can't get to life that way. Life is found only through faith in Christ.
On the fourth signpost we see the cross of Christ. The only way to be delivered from the curse of the law is to turn in faith to the cross of Christ. In large letters this signpost announces the fact that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. How Christ became a curse for us is explained in the citation from Deuteronomy 21:23: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.
Cursed is everyone . . . the first signpost reads in its proclamation of condemnation on all for failure to keep all the law. Cursed is everyone . . . the fourth signpost reads in its proclamation of redemption by the One who hung on a tree. By hanging on a cross, Jesus came under the burden of the curse that all deserve for failure to keep all the law. By bearing the total burden of the curse himself, Jesus set us free from the terrible weight of the curse.
The Jewish Christians who were pestering the Galatian believers had drawn two circles: the circle of blessing for Jews and the circle of the curse for Gentiles. The Galatian believers were moving from the circle of Gentiles to the circle of Jews so that they could be free from the curse and obtain the blessing. But Paul has demonstrated from the law itself the surprising fact that the circle of Jews is also under a curse for failure to keep all the law. Transferring from the Gentile circle to the Jewish circle is no way to escape the curse of the law. The only way for Jews and Gentiles to escape the curse of the law is to turn to Christ.
The fourth signpost points toward the blessing of Abraham and the promise of the Spirit. Verse 14 tells us that the reason Christ set us free from the curse of the law was to open the way for us to participate in the promised blessings to Abraham. The parallelism of the two phrases in verse 14 indicates that the blessing given to Abraham is equivalent to the promise of the Spirit. When the Galatian believers received the Spirit by faith in Christ crucified (vv. 1-2), they were recipients of the blessing promised to Abraham. The reference to the Spirit brings the argument back full circle to the beginning of the chapter. Since the Galatian believers are already recipients of the promised blessings to Abraham but are now trying to keep the law in order to obtain the blessings they already have, they deserve to be called foolish (v. 1).
Why would you be so foolish as to take the road toward a curse when you were already on the road to blessing?
Previous commentary:
Identifying the Children of Abraham
Next commentary:
Understanding the Promise
About this commentary:
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I don't think you did anything wrong though I do think your words were a bit PA. "we concentrate on lunch and not on videos." I realize you were talking to your son but the other parent could've taken that as a jab about her parenting. (even though I would agree that the iPad is SO NOT NEEDED when it comes to young children/toddlers, esp at the table)It might be better just to focus on your own son. "Son, you need to turn around or we will need to switch places" and leave it at that.
I'm 30 and I had electronics in my childhood - I grew up just fine. My parents used to let my sister play on a gameboy if we were out for dinner with a large group because social situations overwhelmed her. He was sympathic because as small child he was the same, and his mum used to bring a book for him to sit somewhere quiet and read. Maybe this child is the same. I find it ironic that people are decrying wasting time on electronics while posting from computers on message boards I am sure you could find plenty of people who would find spending time on ehell sad, and inform us we'd be better off going for a walk.That being said, my children do not play with anything, electronic or not, when food shows up. I do believe that my kids should learn to be social and eat their meals without distraction. However, the child in the OP isn't mine and I don't know his temperment, so I won't judge what his parents do to make it through a quiet meal once in a while.
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The home nestled in the trees also offer seasonal lake views. This home offers three bedrooms and three full bath. This home is great as a full time residence or seasonal getaway. Features included are upper level deck with views of the lake, spacious kitchen with center island and plenty of counter space. Enjoy the living room with fireplace and built-ins and bonus room perfect for entertaining. Don't let this one slip by.
From Forestridge Ln, take left
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Nadya Suleman, best known to the world as the Octomom, has made nice with T's Lounge, and will make her aborted appearance at the West Palm Beach strip club beginning on Valentine's Day.
Suleman was scheduled to make her strip-club debut at T's Lounge (312 S. Congress Ave.) last July with four nights of performances to promote the release of an adult video. Suleman canceled the dates in a huff, citing disparaging comments made by T's staffers in video on CBS affiliate WPEC.
Suleman, 38, is the mother of 14 children, the oldest age 10, including the famous octuplets born through invitro fertilization in 2009.
She made her first South Florida splash in August, 2011, in a lightly attended Celebrity Boxing match at the Ocean Manor Resort on Fort Lauderdale beach. Michael Lohan, celebrity boxer and father of actress Lindsay, was among those at ringside. Last July, Suleman did two topless performances at The Gentleman's Club in Hollywood, for which she reportedly received $5,000.
Legal wrangling with T's Lounge over the canceled dates ended recently, when the club proposed new dates to Suleman, who has a new video to promote, according to her spokeswoman, Gina Rodriguez.
"T's Lounge had reached out to Nadya and they came to this agreement. T's and Nadya are fine now," Rodriguez said in an email on Monday.
Suleman will perform four shows Feb. 14-16 at the club, which promotes "fully nude" dancers. Suleman will be topless only, Rodriguez said, and will also do four hours of "celebrity bartending."
You'll also find copies of the video "Octomom Home Alone," which just won "Best Celebrity Sex Tape" at the AVN Awards in Las Vegas over the weekend.
Rodriguez said Suleman has been busy preparing a Jan. 26 4th birthday celebration for the octuplets -- Noah, Maliyah, Isaiah, Nariyah, Jonah, Makai, Josiah and Jeremiah -- in their new Palmdale, Calif., home.
"Nadya is the healthiest she has ever been and is ready to take on 2013 and make it a successful one," Rodriguez said.
Cenk Uygur of "The Young Turks," once of MSNBC, has his opinion on the new award-winning video, below, which may help you form yours, or not.
Photo: Getty Images
Get daily updates on South Florida entertainment and things to do at SouthFlorida.com and on Twitter at @BenCrandell.


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Bridgestone R 164
We sell new cars tyres which are not older than 2 years.
Test Message
Tyres with the same item number, whether or not they are labeled, can be fitted on the same axle as they have the same efficiency class. Proof is available from the involved manufacturers.
The tyre efficiency class values are sent to us by the manufacturer along with the item number and the IP code. We forward the item number and these values to our customers regardless the manufacture date of the tyres excepting articles that are older than 2 years.
Please note that this tyre may not be labelled as it was manufactured before 01.07.2012.
In this case, the following efficiency classes are valid: Roll resistance: C, Wet grip: D, Noise emissions: 70 dB.
If the tyre was produced after 01.07.2012, the label from the chart on the left is valid.
• Wear life
• Ride comfort
• Cut chip performance
• Popular fitment in on-road, line haul operations


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Story highlights
- Penn Jillette: As a kid, I thought the Beatles recorded their songs without a hitch
- He says bootleg recordings showed him the mistakes and rigors of creative process
- Genius doesn't mean doing everything right the first time, he says
- Jillette: My friend Tim Jenison showed process in detail as he tried to paint a Vermeer
When I first heard The Beatles, as a child, I thought they walked into the recording studio with a genius idea and they executed that idea perfectly.
Every note, every word, every la da da dadada was planned and just had to be laid down on wax. The recordings were perfect. The Beatles were geniuses and that's how geniuses created works of art.
I had never met anyone who created real music and I figured musicians had ideas for sounds in their heads and then performed them. That was the job and to do it you had to be a genius.
Then I bought my first bootleg record. Stamped on the plain jacket were the words "Kum Back" and the record store had it filed under Beatles. I kind of knew what I was buying. I knew these were recordings of The Beatles that The Beatles hadn't wanted released.
There wasn't even shrink-wrap to unseal with my thumbnail before I put it on the turntable. The song titles weren't listed on the label, there was just a picture of a pig and a hole in the record that wasn't even centered. This was dirty and wrong.
It turns out the bootleg of "Kum Back" I had was not even the real bootleg of the Glyn Johns acetate. It was another collection of Beatles stuff misnamed to cash in on the first Beatle bootleg. In my town we got counterfeit bootlegs.
As I turned up my mom's record player loud what I heard changed my life. I heard The Beatles making mistakes. I heard them fumbling around to find their genius.
It was mostly outtakes from "Let it Be."
"Let it Be" was supposed to be funkier, dirtier, and more live sounding than "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," but my inexperienced ears didn't understand that.
The released album, even with "Dig it" and "One After 909" and Phil Spector's inappropriate production was perfect to me. Even the giggles on "Let it Be" had seemed planned to me. But this bootleg had Paul singing out of tune!
It had versions of the songs that were different. It had The Beatles trying different tempos, different lyrics and different ideas. It had The Beatles fighting. I heard The Beatles failing. I heard The Beatles working.
I still believe The Beatles started with ideas. They had feelings in their hearts and thoughts in their minds they wanted to express. But learning that they didn't have perfect blueprints from their genius was a revelation. It inspired me to start to practice and rehearse the stupid ideas that I had.
Armed with nothing more than the knowledge that The Beatles had to work on the records, I started learning to juggle and do magic. It's been way more than 20 years ago today and I still haven't finished my juggling/magic Sgt. Pepper's, but I'm still working.
I've met a lot of musicians, and they bang around a lot before they come up with the finished track, or the finished composition. I've learned that writing books, essays, and magic patter is mostly editing. No matter how clear the idea is, you have to monkey with it. You have to work.
Even Bob Dylan crosses things out and starts again. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has his notes on display to prove that. (Although I still believe it's possible that Dylan fabricated those mistakes after the fact just to test our faith, like some creationists believe god created confusing fossils.)
In comedy Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton are often held up as two ends of the discovery/vision continuum. Lore is that Chaplin would monkey around on the set trying all sorts of things until something seemed right and Keaton supposedly showed up just to shoot the scene he already had in his head. I've always respected Keaton so much more than Chaplin -- I like the idea of having an idea -- but I'm sure there are Keaton outtakes. Keaton didn't just risk his life and break his bones -- he also had to work. He must have run down some dead ends.
I understood the idea of work in music, comedy, movies, writing, performance, and certainly juggling and magic, but the fine arts still had that wall of genius separating pure inspiration from work. I would see studies and sketches in museums, but even those seemed perfect. I thought the fine arts were something else, something different, a pure kind of genius.
Then about five years ago my buddy, entrepreneur and inventor Tim Jenison, told me he was going to paint his version of Vermeer's "The Music Lesson" in his warehouse in San Antonio. Tim reckoned that Vermeer didn't just get a perfect photorealistic image in his head and move it to the canvas with a steady handful of talent. Tim figured that Vermeer had used a machine and a lot of hard work.
Tim was going to recreate a machine like that and with no experience or talent for oil painting, Tim was going to try to do his own Vermeer.
This wouldn't be just four Liverpudlians sitting around in a room with guitars, drum and a piano serving the muse. Tim would first have to tear down the wall of his warehouse in Texas to put in windows for the proper light, build all the furniture himself to recreate Vermeer's room from the 17th Century, grind his own lenses, grind his own 17th century style pigments (many of which are illegal today because they're so poisonous), mix his own paint and after all that and more, then he could start the backbreaking and mind-numbing work of painting with his machine. It would cost him more money and man-hours than all the Beatle albums put together.
I told Tim we had to document his trying to paint a Vermeer, and I convinced Teller to direct a movie that would be Tim's bootleg "Kum Back" to Vermeer's perfect "Let it Be." I love Tim and didn't think I could respect him more than I did before he started this project. I was wrong. Tim is The Beatles. Tim is Vermeer. Tim is a genius.
"Tim's Vermeer" didn't diminish my love, respect, enjoyment or awe of Vermeer's paintings. I still believe in genius. But, for better or worse, all geniuses have to work their asses off.
There will be an answer, but you can't just let it be.
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Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion.


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Release Notes: A new major feature, duplicate detection, allows you to fuzzy find duplicate records in your data. A new analyzer for checking referential integrity between tables of multiple sources. Progress Indication has been improved and is more responsive.
Release Notes: You can now compose jobs so that a DataCleaner job actually calls/invokes another "child" job as a single transformation. Source column handling was improved, and the user can now choose which columns to include in a source query. Repository file locking was implemented to prevent concurrent reads and writes.
Release Notes: The 'Synonym lookup' transformation now has an option to look up every token of the input. This is useful if you're doing replacement of synonyms within the values of a long text field. A potential failure was fixed when blocking execution of DataCleaner jobs through the monitor's Web service. An improvement was made in the way jobs and the sequence of components are closed / cleaned up after execution. The Java WebStart version of DataCleaner was exposed by a bug in the Java runtime causing certain JAR files not to be recognized by the WebStart launcher under certain circumstances.
Release Notes: It is now possible to hide output columns of transformations. Hiding will not affect the processing flow, but simply hide them from the user interface, potentially making the experience cleaner when interacting with other components. A new Web service has been added to the monitoring Web application which provides a way to poll the status of the execution of a particular job. A bug has been fixed which caused the HTML report to fail for certain analysis types when no records had been processed. Six other minor bugs have been addressed.
Release Notes: This release adds a new filter for performing Change Data Capture, makes execution of jobs queued to avoid concurrent execution issues, and adds several minor bugfixes and improvements.
Release Notes: A major milestone for the data quality monitoring Web application: the addition of connectivity to Salesforce and SugarCRM. Addition of wizards and other user experience improvements. Enables clustered execution of jobs. New data visualization extension and a national identifier validation extension. Adds Pentaho Data Integration job scheduling and execution.
Release Notes: A Web service was added to the monitoring application for getting a (list of) metric values. The 'Table lookup' component has been improved by adding join semantics as a configurable property. The EasyDQ components have been upgraded, adding further configuration options and a richer deduplication result interface. Performance improvements have been a specific focus of this release. Improvements have been made in the engine of DataCleaner to further utilize a streaming processing approach in certain corner cases which was not covered previously.
Release Notes: The date and time related analysis options have been expanded, adding distribution analyzers for week numbers, months, and years. An optional "descriptive statistics" option has been added to the Number analyzer and the Date/time analyzer The lines in the timeline charts of the monitoring Web application now have small dots in them. Two new transformers have been added for generating UUIDs and for generating timestamps. Now ad hoc queries can contain DISTINCT clauses, *-wildcards, and subqueries, and are fault-tolerant towards text-case issues.
Release Notes: Data Quality KPIs can now be defined as formulas (mathematical expressions), not just raw metrics. It is now possible to fire ad-hoc SQL queries towards all datastores (DB, CSV, Excel, and more). A new analysis option, the Value matcher, was added. With this analysis, it's easy to identify unexpected values in a field. Management of jobs, including copying and deleting jobs, has been made a lot easier by exposing the functionality directly in the UI. It has been made possible to change historic data quality metrics in order to reposition results into the timeline.
Release Notes: Adds a service for renaming jobs in the monitoring repository. You can access this as a RESTful Web service or interactively in the UI. A Web service was added for changing the historic date of an analysis result in the monitoring repository. The Web application has been made compatible with legacy JSF containers. Caching of configuration in the Web application was greatly improved, leading to faster page load and job initialization times.


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240 Comments
Nickelodeon's 'iCarly' Will End In November — So Sad
Oh no! iCarly will finish filming for good this June! We'll be sad to see this show end!
Carly Shay's (Miranda Cosgrove) days are coming to an end.
The popular Nickelodeon show iCarly will air its final episode in November, according to TVGuide.com.
"Everyone at iCarly has been like family to me for five years," executive producer Dan Schneider told TVGuide.com. "When we film our very last scene, there will be a lot of crying, I know. But I also know that in television, you don't want to over-stay your welcome. I want to go out the way we are — on a creative high-note. "
While it will be sad to everyone go, we are excited to see what projects Miranda takes on!
What do you think, HollywoodLifers? Will you be sad to see iCarly end? Weigh in below.
[TV Guide]
— Nicole Karlis
More Miranda Cosgrove:


text: The Longines presents a 180th anniversary Heritage 1940 timepiece. The case comes in stainless steal with a sapphire display back that is water resistant up to 30 meters. Movement details include a automatic Longines caliber L615.3 with 27 jewels, 28,800 vph and a power reserve up to 42 hours. The face includes arabic numerals, blued steel hands and a black alligator strap.


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Cinnamon buns in the form of a cookie complete with the telltale swirly middles and powdered sugar icing.
So cute and charming. Like mini cinnamon rolls. Minus all the work.
These are what you call "refrigerator" cookies. Just like cinnamon buns the vanilla cookie dough is rolled out into a rectangle and brushed with egg white then sprinkled all over with cinnamon sugar.
The dough is rolled up, chilled well then sliced into cookies, baked and iced with a sweet and sticky glaze.
Kind of crispy around the edges with soft middles, they taste exactly like cinnamon buns.
My family was crazy for them. As was I. They disappeared faster than I would have liked.
Best make a double batch!
This recipe is currently being tested! Some readers have great results while others say it failed for them!
- Dough:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 + ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 + ½ cups all-purpose flour
- Filling:
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 + ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Icing:
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl beat together the sugar, butter, salt and vanilla on medium speed about 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the flour and stir until the dough comes together. Flatten into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 1 hour or until well chilled.
- Lightly flour a piece of parchment or waxed paper and roll the dough into a 9x12-inch rectangle.
- In a small bowl whisk the egg white and water together until foamy. In a separate small bowl whisk the sugar and cinnamon together. Brush the egg white all over the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over top.
- Starting with a long edge roll the dough carefully into a log sealing the edge with the egg white. Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment and freeze until firm.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or line 2 cookies sheets with parchment or silpats. Use a sharp knife to gently cut the log into ½-inch slices. Transfer them to the baking sheets and bake 12 to 15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove to wire racks to cool.
- Sift the confectioners' sugar into a medium-sized bowl and whisk in the cream and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cookies or use a piping bag or baggie with the corner cut off to decorate.


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byKristin Bent on
Ravi Ratan WiFi Hotspot Cufflinks
Keep your techie productive -- and fashionable -- in 2014 with Ravi Ratan's WiFi Hotspot Cufflinks.
On the outside, they look like high-end silver cufflinks. But, on the inside, there's a 2-GB flash drive that, when plugged into a laptop, generates high-speed wireless Internet. The flash drive, of course, also can be used to store important documents on-the-fly.
The cufflinks sell for $250, and also can be engraved.


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Maybe a strange title but I was wondering how I can create a dynamic link set up.
For starters it's best to use an include page and just add a list of links in there.
However, I for one want to get it dynamic so that I can edit the links easier but at the moment I don't have a solution on that part.
I was thinking about of using the mysql database however unless using the full url I will get problems with higher directory maps.
So what's the best way to go.
Put it in some ajax file, xml file and get the certain tag or something like that?
Just trying to rising up a few idea's/
bumping up the message because I really want to know how companies and cms like(drupal) are making those dynamic links.
You are making thisw muth more harder for you.
But u can look here: http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex1/index.html


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As Doug and Mary Miller pulled up to the finish area of the 22nd Tour de Pig, Doug couldn't have been happier. "We won the 35K," he exclaimed. But then, the caveat. "But we started with the 50!"
As Doug and Mary Miller pulled up to the finish area of the 22nd Tour de Pig, Doug couldn't have been happier. "We won the 35K," he exclaimed. But then, the caveat. "But we started with the 50!"
It was that kind of morning at Davidson County Community College, as over 500 riders participated in the annual noncompetitive event. Participation has soared in recent years, and the Tour de Pig has become a fall fixture for riders from all over the area.
Some – like 86-year-old Richard Lawrence – have been doing it basically since its inception. Barbecue Festival director Stephanie K. Saintsing Naset said this was Lawrence's 20th trip through the ride that covers the area around DCCC. It's not so old hat for Mary Miller. "This was my first ride," she said. "And to finish first in my first ride. Thank you," she said with a laugh.
While the Millers were in the vast minority riding tandem, they said they've thoroughly enjoyed the new experience. Doug said he put a heart monitor on Mary that he can see, so he knows if she's doing her part in the rear seat. "It's good for our marriage," Mary laughed. "Maybe, or bad, I don't know."
Doug explained. "They say a tandem only increases the speed of the direction you're relationship's already going," he said. "If you're going up, you'll be OK. If you're going down, you aren't gonna do well."
While the Millers, from Thomasville, ride to spend time together in their marriage and have fun together, James McKee finds an incredible amount of solace on his bike. A 27-year U.S. Army veteran from Fort Bragg, McKee was riding as part of the Warrior Transition Batallion. He was injured in combat in Afghanistan in 2009, and cycling has been the most therapeutic part of his recovery.
"I would probably say, that this program, just in short, probably saved my life," McKee said. "The physical injuries, you can see a couple of them. "I lost part of my finger, three knee operations, shoulder.
"But the other wounds, the PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), I was on medication for a year-and-a-half. Really rough. And then they said, 'Hey, you need to try this. We're told cycling helps you with PTSD.'"
He tried it, and he was hooked. He can also vouch for the positive effects riding has on a person's mental state. He said he has gone from 17 medications to two over the course of a year, and now he is completely off medication and 80 percent recovered. He also returned to duty, rather than receiving a medical discharge.
So, a ride through Thomasville on a beautiful fall morning, with a helping of Lexington Barbecue waiting at the finish line, was a perfect way to spend the day for McKee.
Naset said the ride has really become a staple of the Festival and its surrounding events. She thanked DCCC for hosting, Carolina Regional Heart Center, Pepsi and Walmart for sponsoring, Davidson County EMS, more than 40 volunteers that helped in every phase of preparation and execution, the Davidson County Sheriff's Office, TRIP, Childress Angels, members of the Radio Club, and all of the rest stop volunteers.
Riders could participate in one of four distances – 25k, 35k, 50k or 100k.
Every rider mentioned how well-organized the event truly was. "I enjoy it very much, the effort that they put forth, the signing on the roads, it's very pinpoint," Brian Callicutt said. This is the seventh year riding in the event for Callicutt, from Asheboro. "The commitment that they have to the ride, and afterwards, everything they do for us; the food. It's very good. I like everything about it."
Callicutt and Doug Miller both noted the fairly level terrain of the ride. Mary Miller wasn't so sure about that. "If this is your first ride, I don't think it was fairly flat," she said with a laugh. "It was flat," Doug assured her.
Jason Queen can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 220, or email@example.com.


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Oakland University's Brass Band won first place in the first section at the North American Brass Band Association Championship in Grand Rapids as well as several other awards.
"In a contest that revealed the increasing strength in-depth of North American banding, (OU's performance) proved enough to beat off the high class challengers of five-time champion Central Ohio with former top section winners Illinois in third," according to a review of OU's performance. Professor Kenneth Kroesche, director of OU's traditional British brass band said as a result of this victory, the band received an invitation to compete at the 2015 Buttins Mineworker's Open Brass Band Festival in Skegness, England.
OU also won awards in the solo and ensemble competition. Emily Maas came in third in Slow Melody-High Brass Solo Competition for the second year in a row and the Krescendo Trombone Quartet came in third in the Brass Ensemble Competition.
— Staff writer Diana Dillaber


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They battle international villains. And "when it comes to giving away their hearts, they'll risk everything." That's according to "SEAL of my Dreams, a short story collection by 18 romance novelists, celebrating Navy SEALS. Story titles include "SEALed with A Kiss," "SEALed by Fate" — you get the idea. Proceeds from the book will fund medical research for wounded veterans.
Signed, SEALed And Delivered — With Love
By editor • Nov 24, 2011


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(MCT) — It was one of those Chicago days that bites the toes.
Carolina Rivera stood shivering at a bus stop with her kids, escorting them to school. The bus didn't come. Still didn't come. The snow blew and the kids' feet froze, and in that moment she realized what she had to do:
Learn to drive.
"I was not thinking about the license," Rivera said Thursday, a decade after that icy day. "I was just thinking of taking care of my children. I didn't want my children to be suffering in the cold."
Back then, Rivera couldn't have gotten a driver's license even if she had tried. Now she's among the 250,000 or so undocumented immigrants in Illinois poised for the chance to get one. All the legislation needs is the governor's signature.
We sat down in the cramped offices of the Southwest Organizing Project, in an old brick two-flat on West 63rd Street, to talk about what the chance meant to her.
A driver's license was the least of Rivera's worries when she arrived in Chicago.
"April 29, 1992," she said. "I will never forget."
Born in a small town in the Mexican state of Nayarit, not far from Puerto Vallarta, she was 11 when her parents sent her to live with relatives in a slightly bigger town because it had a school that went past sixth grade.
At 18, she and her husband decided to come to the United States, just for a while. Five months pregnant, Rivera walked all night to the California border, then squeezed into a van with 20 strangers. After two days in a San Diego apartment, she landed on the hallowed ground called Midway Airport.
She had seen the photos of Chicago, heard the stories. The skyscrapers, the wide streets, the grandeur and opportunity.
She and her husband moved into a Little Village basement with one of her husband's uncles. She tugged at the sofa bed.
"It was not what I pictured," she said.
Even so, it was better than Mexico.
She gave birth to a daughter and eventually to another daughter and a son. She navigated through her new life on the bus, hitched rides with unlicensed relatives. She lugged a rolling cart to the laundromat and the grocery.
It was OK, until that freezing day at the bus stop.
Her husband's aunts and uncles taught her to drive in a battered little red car, noisy and so low-slung that it sometimes scraped the alleys where she slowly maneuvered up and down until she was brave enough to drive around the block. Her husband bought her an 11-year-old white Maxima. For a while, she drove only one-way streets to avoid traffic.
The more she drove, the more she worried, but she shrugged off the fear, assuring herself that the lack of a license made her a better driver.
No speeding. No running red lights. No rolling through stop signs. Nothing to alarm police. Whenever a police car pulled up behind her, she would turn on to a different street, very carefully, to lose it.
In 2008, she said, her husband was detained after a minor car-related incident that revealed a previous DUI. He was deported. Driving became more stressful.
"I am the only support of my children here," she said. She pieces jobs together to get by. "They are always worried about me because they know I don't have a driver's license."
Once someone broke into her car and stole the radio. Another time, a car hit hers.
"I didn't call the police," she said. "What if they ask for my driver's license?"
And — a small concern, she knows — but without a state ID, she couldn't get a Blockbuster card.
Driving is a freedom that for most of us borders on necessity. Rivera looks forward to that freedom stripped of fear.
She drives a 1998 Concorde these days, bought off the street for $1,200. She ferries her fifth-grade son to and from school. She drives her 15-year-old daughter, who attends a magnet high school, to and from the "L" line. She drives to her jobs.
When immigrants like her don't have to fear police on the roads, she said, they're likelier to trust them in other ways.
"Now if something happens to my car, now if something happens in my neighborhood, I will have more trust in the police," she said. "I can picture myself driving with the police behind me and not having to turn."
I guaranteed her that even with a license, you squirm.
Mary Schmich is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune. She can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Good Morning,
As I continue to read and learn I have come across several interesting questions, this is the first. Let me know your opinions.
Should churches/religious organizations pay taxes?
Easy question and (I think) an easy answer, yes.
Why should a "minister/priest" be paid six figure salaries for service to a god, when I work hard and struggle to pay each bill? If taxes are supposed to be for the public benefit, should churches not be expected to do their part? Are churches not supposed to help the community? I understand some churches are not financially strong but some are, I.e. the Catholic Church.
I understand it is a lot more complicated but everyone's thought are appreciated!


text:
The Institute communicates its scientific and educational information in a number of ways. One major outlet is peer-reviewed publications and reports. Cary Institute staff regularly publish in the best-rated journals in their respective fields.
Export 1 results:Sort by: Author [ Title] Type Year
Filters: Author is Tank, J.L. and First Letter Of Title is D [Clear All Filters]
Dissolved organic carbon in streams from artificially drained and intensively farmed watersheds in Indiana, USA", Biogeochemistry, vol. 95, p. 295-307, 2009., "


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Texas Instruments has announced that the company is cutting 1,700 jobs as part of a business restructuring move. The company says it's shifting away from mobile chips because it has become too resource and investment intensive to be competitive in this market. Cost reductions include the elimination of about 1,700 jobs worldwide. As a result of these actions, the company expects annualized savings of about $450 million by the end of 2013. Texas Instruments has been under pressure in wireless, where it has lost ground to their archrival Qualcomm and the smartphone makers Apple and Samsung Electronics who have been developing their own chips instead of buying them from a supplier like TI. It looks like TI OMAP processors in smartphones and tablets will soon come to an end once existing products clear the channel.
"We have a great opportunity to reshape our OMAP processor and wireless connectivity product lines to concentrate on embedded markets. Momentum is already building with new embedded applications and a broad set of customers, and we are accelerating our efforts in these areas," said Greg Delagi, senior vice president of Embedded Processing. "These job reductions are something we do with a heavy heart because they impact people we care deeply about. We will work closely with all employees affected by these changes to provide a range of assistance related to compensation, benefits and job search."
Comments are closed.


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DETROIT — After several weeks of slow-moving talks, only one deal has been reached between the state-appointed emergency manager hired to fix Detroit's finances and the more than 50 creditors, two public pension funds and unions jockeying for a piece of the billions of dollars the city owes them.
The slow process is frustrating some creditors who complain the city isn't doing much to bargain with them beyond offering 10 cents on a dollar. They say bankruptcy attorney Kevyn Orr's message to them has been a blunt — take it or leave it.
Though Orr has said he's attempting to avoid the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, experts say the stalemates at the bargaining tables could push the city in that direction.
"I think Orr is going to get to the point where he has enough ammunition to justify a Chapter 9 if there are enough people not willing to get on the bus," said James McTevia, a turnaround expert based north of Detroit in Bingham Farms. Bankruptcy may be the only option for a city that for years has crashed toward insolvency, he said.
Orr, who oversaw Chrysler LLC's bankruptcy and restructuring, briefed the city's debt holders on June 14 on his plan to erase the city's $17 billion in debt, warning that time was short and the chance of filing for bankruptcy was about 50-50. He vowed to reassess things from the meeting in 30 days. Since then, he and his team held several meetings with debt holders but few details of those talks have come from Orr's office.
Bankruptcy comes with risks, experts say. Fees for things like parking and traffic tickets could increase as Orr looks for ways to raise money to pay creditors. Trash collection, grass cutting, snow plowing and other already limited essential services could be scaled back even more. More city workers could lose their jobs. And Detroit's already poor image will take more hits.
"As bad as things get, sometimes they can get worse," said Anthony Sabino, business law professor at St. John's University's Peter J. Tobin College of Business. "The additional layers of putting the fate of the city in the hands of a bankruptcy judge, the layers of legal expenses — there would be such a shattering of confidence it could be the point of no return for the city."
Detroit is paying millions of dollars in legal bills and for consultants involved in Orr's restructuring. Sabino said that would easily double in bankruptcy and legal costs for creditors would soar. Residents and Detroit business owners, like Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert could become disenchanted.
"The city of Detroit has had decades of financial problems, and it is time to face those problems and move forward," said Matt Cullen, the president and chief executive for Rock Ventures, which is the umbrella entity for Gilbert's portfolio. "Just as the auto companies had to reinvent how they do business, so does the city of Detroit."
Several creditors didn't return phone messages or declined to talk with The Associated Press about the negotiations. One creditor, Peter Hayes, managing director and head of BlackRock's Municipal Bonds Group, criticized Orr's plan and said the emergency manager is breaking promises the city previously made on bond payments.
"Those who own Detroit (general obligation) bonds, either on their own or in pooled vehicles such as those we manage at BlackRock, will suffer the financial consequences of the emergency manager's misguided plan," Hayes wrote in a letter published this week in the Detroit Free Press.
It's not clear if the settlement reached in principle late last week with Bank of America-Merrill Lynch will be enough to prod other creditors. Orr spokesman Bill Nowling wouldn't reveal details because the deal had not been signed. Bank of America-Merrill Lynch spokesman Bill Halldin declined to comment.
"The clock's still ticking. We're getting to the point where we need to see movement from our creditors," Nowling said.
McTevia said one game plan could be to cut a deal with some of the larger players out of court and use those as leverage with other creditors.
"Or at the worst, file a Chapter 9 plan with some creditor support that can be used as a cram down on others," he said.
Of the 53 creditors negotiating with Orr's restructuring team, 48 are unsecured, meaning the money they're owed is not backed by city revenue streams like water service fees or casino taxes.
New York-based Syncora Guarantee Inc., a trustee on city swap deals involving casino tax revenue, has butted heads with Orr by trying to limit the city's access to some of the money after creditors are paid. Syncora also accused Orr of having no intention to negotiate in good faith. A county judge issued a temporary restraining order to keep $11 million per month being held up by Syncora flowing back into city coffers after Orr took the issue to court.
Another creditor, National Public Finance Guarantee Corp., the indirect subsidiary of MBIA Inc., which has about $100.7 million of insured exposure to Detroit's general obligation debt and $2.4 billion of the city's revenue secured debt, is continuing to meet with the city but is also "considering potential alternatives to the plan the city has provided," said spokesman Kevin Brown.
A Chapter 9 filing should be seen as a last resort, said Michael Sweet, a bankruptcy attorney with the Los Angeles-based Fox Rothschild law firm.
"It certainly will be a heavy lift to make it happen, but the movement of a major creditor or two could dramatically change the landscape in a way that would indicate a bankruptcy filing may not have to be the outcome," he said.
But union and pension officials complain they've been offered little new data on Detroit's cash-flow problems.
"I don't think they really want to sit down and talk about the real issues in Detroit," said Ed McNeil, a spokesman for the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees Council 25. "I think (bankruptcy) may be his ultimate goal, but even if he goes that way he has some hurdles to cross. You've got to be able to show you're insolvent anyway."
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Dijon Ham Salad Recipe
This special recipe was handed down to me from my dear mother. So whenever I make this, it not only brings wonderful flavor to my table, it brings back tasty memories as well.
Recommended: 22 Leftover Ham Recipes
VERIFIED BY Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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- 1/3 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- 3 cups cubed fully cooked ham
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 1-1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
- 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped pimientos
- 1 can (15 to 16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the first seven ingredients to a boil; boil for 1 minute or until sugar is dissolved. Cool; chill. In a large bowl, combine ham, rice, celery, green pepper, onion, pimientos and beans. Add dressing; toss to coat. Chill for at least 1 hour. Yield: 8-10 servings.
Originally published as Dijon Ham Salad in Home-Style Soups, Salad and Sandwiches Cookbook 1996, p44
Reviews forDijon Ham Salad
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Any changes to your rating or review will appear where you originally posted your review


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|View Poll Results: Myself; Yourself - Episode 12 Rating
|Perfect 10
|9 out of 10 : Excellent
|8 out of 10 : Very Good
|7 out of 10 : Good
|6 out of 10 : Average
|5 out of 10 : Below Average
|4 out of 10 : Poor
|3 out of 10 : Bad
|2 out of 10 : Very Bad
|1 out of 10 : Painful
|Voters: 66. You may not vote on this poll
|Thread Tools
|2007-12-20, 05:25
|Link #61
Inattentive Dreamer
Join Date: Oct 2007
Age: 29
I don't think Nanaka started the fire. If you remember correctly, She and her uncle were the 2 prime suspects, so I submit that for the sake of surprise, neither of them could have started the fire. I'm hoping the arsonist's identity will shock me, but not become completely ridiculous like Aoi being the one.
|2007-12-20, 08:27
|Link #62
ショ ン (^^)
IT Support
Well what to say this was a pretty boring episode. Aoi's fake sick voice while she was talking to Sana was so irritating i actually fast forwarded it was the most horrfying sound i have ever heard i didnt know my ears could bleed that much. I did enjoy SanaxNanaka time at the river the two just look so good together and at this point they definetly need some alone time. Plus hearing Nanaka tell Sana she loves him was something i was waiting for right after the girlfriend and watch question which we still have not got any answers to.
Its nice to see Shuu and Shuri are doing fine as evident by him sending the rod. I really wanted more follow up with their dad and stepmom after they ran away. But they didnt even touch on a search or anything it was so disappointing.
I did enjoy the end with Nanaka freaking because of the color of the sky and it looks that jolt was enough to bring her memories back. Well its almost over i must say i enjoyed the series up to this point but it could have been so so much better. This episode really advanced nothing for the plot nor did it fill in any plot holes
My guess is Nanaka started the fire accidently and of course the trauma made her forget about it now it will be brought to light and in order to calm Nanaka down sana will share his own traumatic experience.
|2007-12-20, 09:45
|Link #63
~ You're dead ^__^* ~
Graphic Designer
"sensei! sensei!"...
And if you look, nanaka's dad also has long hair...
I say its either one or the other
|2007-12-20, 13:09
|Link #64
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
My guess is that Nanaka found out sensei was with her mother (or the worse, her father), and she freaked out, accidentally caused the fire, which killed her parents and sensei........
|2007-12-20, 13:54
|Link #65
likes cute things
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Searching for more imoutos
Age: 37
I felt there were to many things not necessary in this ep. The walk up that path to the cave could've been cut out and simply switch to a scene of them running to that cave then Nanaka asking where they are then Sana explaining (like he already did btw), could've saved 2 minutes (?) for something "more important", or simply made shorter, just one example.
Like it has been said (in different words), the sunset triggering Nanaka's past is pretty much the only important thing in this ep which lasted less than 5 mins. Oh and Nanaka confessing (?) to Sana was so neutral, what gives?
|2007-12-20, 14:04
|Link #66
Make Your Move
Join Date: Dec 2007
Age: 28
But as previously said it was quite disappointing as the only memorable bits was the confessing which was poor as he didn't reply back or anything she wouldn't just fall asleep but saying she loves sana.
Looking at the preview i see the next episode will continue from the " i i i" showing that her uncle set fire and she saw him do it but some how blocked the memory out of her mind, so you will see that memory then sana's bad memory and then maybe to end it with a kiss between them both, to me that sounds do-able to be in the last episode, but i really hope there will be a second series but i don't think this will happen which is quite sad as i feel this series was very well done with the voice acting to the great art and even storyline.
|2007-12-20, 15:26
|Link #67
ショ ン (^^)
IT Support
|2007-12-20, 16:09
|Link #68
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Classic example of missing the forest for the trees. The whole deal with Nanaka and her issues is a minor point compared to the crisis that's going on. The twins run away from home, and "I feel bad about it" is all you can say?! How about helping the police and the twins' parents find the two? Sana knew when they left and where they were heading - yet he'd just let them run away?!
Spoiler for Parallel situation in Asatte no Houkou:
While Sana/Nanaka story was meant to be the main plotline, sometimes you have to go with the flow. The twins hijacked the show in episodes 9-11, and you can't just arbitrarily give it back. To suggest that their story was given "closure" is absolutely ludicrous - it's just getting to the good part!
Power rankings:
1. Hinako - At this rate, she might be ready for a relationship before Sana is. Full props to her character, and hope she can find someone better than the "nice guy" loser or the guy into twincest.
2. Aoi - Minus points for lying to Sana and Nanaka. Not only is lying wrong, it is also to her disadvantage. And she, not Sana, is the one best equipped to cheer Nanaka up, from what I've seen. Maybe she decided to dump Sana and look for someone better? Can't blame her for that.
3. Yuzuki - Is it just me, or does she look a lot like Aoi's mom? Clearly a finished product but the age gap seems insurmountable. A spunky, caring personality that will go a long way.
4. Nanaka - watching her with Sana is like pulling teeth. Dull, awkward, and forced. And the show has done a lousy job of promoting her strength - the "cool" side that causes people to admire her from afar. Would've loved to see her at the shrine more often.
5. Asami - disappeared off the face of the earth. One of the worst victims of character assassination I've ever seen.
6. Shuri - looks like Asami's letter was a self-fulfilling prophecy.
|2007-12-20, 16:13
|Link #69
ISML Technical Staff
Graphic Designer
I misrated this episode. It was cute in some parts but yes, the drama that built up during the last two episodes was for naught. I can only hope that the next one will be better.
Last edited by KholdStare; 2007-12-20 at 19:48.
|2007-12-20, 17:59
|Link #70
Chicken or Beef?
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Seattle
Age: 35
Well, its gonna be a rushed ending obviously. Sana's story is gonna get shafted, otherwise we'll have two people holding their heads screaming in mental pain, cause both are so screwed up from past experience that they will be unable to help one another. Good times.
|2007-12-20, 18:58
|Link #71
Tachibana Isana
Join Date: Sep 2007
I really hope the last episode is good, because I don't want this episode to be my final memories of the series.
This episode was so disappointing as others have said. I really feel like a lot of time was wasted in this episode. I felt that Sana's entire talk with Yuzuki-sensei was a waste of time really. I didn't see the importance of that scene at all. I also did not like that they wasted time over the "Sana couldn't catch a fish." scene at the river.
"Watch a man closely, because after three days...
he'll improve tremendously."
I have never heard such a stupid saying before in my life.
The best part of the episode had to be inside the cave. It's nice to see them actually open up to one another, even if it was just them asking questions to each other. The ending left me speechless, though. A sunset triggers her memories about the fire? Are you kidding me?
I really can't think of an ending that would satisfy me. I really can't think how the fire and Sana's past would relate or have anything to do with each other other than to show how miserable their past 5 years have been. I hope I'm wrong and the last episode blows me away. But as of right now, I'm cautiously pessimistic about the series' last episode.
|2007-12-20, 19:10
|Link #72
神聖カルル帝国の 皇帝
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Korea
Age: 31
Or at least, it was said by a genera from that time.
|2007-12-20, 19:47
|Link #73
~ You're dead ^__^* ~
Graphic Designer
Hinako is a flawless character ^^
2) Aoi pretty much failed in terms of getting any spot light...might as well have her kept at home like a statue.
3) Best sensei ever?
4) Well I for one love that side to her. As crazy as she can be I just can help but want to care for her. One of my major weakness for such characters ^^
6) She isn't into twincest either (though I do think that they make the perfect couple).
|2007-12-20, 19:52
|Link #74
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Sana saw them at the train station, knows when the train left, and which direction it was heading. If he tipped off the police, they would at least have a good lead to follow.
Letting them run away like that is downright irresponsible. I'd prefer to have a friend who looks out for my best interest, even if it goes against my wishes at the time.
|2007-12-20, 20:17
|Link #75
Inattentive Dreamer
Join Date: Oct 2007
Age: 29
Shuu: *Sees Sana running up to the train*.
Sana: *Starts shouting at the train*
Shuri: The train is too loud. I can't hear what Sana is saying.
Shuu: No, I know what he is saying. "We will always be friends". *Breaks out into tears*
Shuri:*Starts crying also*
Meanwhile, outside the train.
Sana: Shuu! I called the cops! They're coming for your ass!
|2007-12-20, 20:22
|Link #76
~ You're dead ^__^* ~
Graphic Designer
There is really nothing Sana could do in this situation. Calling the police would be like backstabbing a friend. It is like saying that he is standing on their parent's side. Knowing better I'm sure Sana's judgement is that they are able to take care of themselves for doing such a thing in the first place.
@ Grimkill7 - LOL ^^
|2007-12-20, 20:30
|Link #77
Tachibana Isana
Join Date: Sep 2007
Sana really couldn't do anything. Telling the cops that they were on a train headed in one direction would have been like telling cops they left on a car headed east of California. I really don't think it would have helped the search much, even if it doesn't seem like the father is extensively searching for them.
|2007-12-20, 21:59
|Link #78
likes cute things
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Searching for more imoutos
Age: 37
Bah! Is it even possible to understand why the story went this way and what everything means without playing the game? I think no.
|2007-12-20, 23:18
|Link #80
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
I would rather trust my own friends' judgment than thinking myself to be smarter than them...
|Thread Tools


text:
Ask Slashdot: Is Going To a Technical College Worth It? 309
First time accepted submitter blandcramration writes "I have recently decided to further my education with a technical school associates degree. I am a first quarter student in my third week as an IT student. I have taught myself Python and have been working with computers for over 10 years. We've been learning C++ and though my instructor appears to know how to program, he doesn't really understand the procedure behind the veil, so to speak. In a traditional learning environment, I would rather learn everything about the computer process rather than fiddle around with something until I figure out how it works. I can do that on my own. I think the real issue is I'm not feeling challenged enough and I'm paying through the nose to go to school here. Am I even going to be able to land a decent job, or should I just take a few classes here and move on to a traditional college and get a computer science degree? I'm much more interested in an approach to computer science like From NAND to Tetris but I feel as if I should get a degree in something. What are your thoughts?"


text:
— This picture simply makes me smile. Have you ever had the opportunity to run around on your favorite team's field or court, or just to be in the spot where something great, athletic or not, has taken or will take place? It can be a pretty heady feeling, don't you think?
Discuss as:


text:
(MCT) — MINNEAPOLIS — At the end of an intense and frustrating Thursday night at Mall of America Field, the Vikings didn't try to sugarcoat their 36-17 loss to Tampa Bay.
It was a home stumble with so many flaws that the first step to recovery will require an honest self-diagnosis.
"You can't lay an egg like that at home the way we did," linebacker Chad Greenway said from a glum Vikings locker room. "It's unfathomable that it would happen like that."
Added coach Leslie Frazier: "We didn't play up to our standards."
Maybe these Vikings weren't quite ready for prime time. Perhaps they don't deserve status as a serious contender in the NFC playoff picture.
It sure seemed that way Thursday, particularly through a first half in which the run defense was gashed, the second-year quarterback was booed and even the star running back had trouble taking care of the ball.
Just like that, the Vikings found themselves in a 30-10 third-quarter hole, unable to match Tampa Bay on either side of the ball.
For one night anyway, the Buccaneers were the much better team and their highlights were many.
First and foremost, there was the dazzling running of Doug Martin, an emerging rookie out of Boise State, who shredded the Vikings' defense with his power, quickness and assertiveness on his way to 214 total yards and two touchdowns.
Martin broke the game open early in the second half with a 64-yard touchdown catch on a screen pass, a huge play in which he burst past Greenway and left at least three defensive backs in his wake.
All night long, Martin gave the Vikings headaches, the third player in three weeks to top 100 yards on the ground against the Vikings.
"He just runs hard," safety Harrison Smith said. "He's a complete back. He runs it, he can catch it. He's a power back. But he has some moves too. He has some speed. He's an impressive player."
Yet there was also the veteran hustle of 16th-year veteran Ronde Barber, who stripped Adrian Peterson late in the first half, creating a turnover that Tampa Bay quickly turned into a touchdown.
And that score was a thing of beauty itself, a 3-yard catch by Mike Williams on a fade in which he leapt above rookie cornerback Josh Robinson to grab the ball, then tapped both feet down inbounds in the back of the end zone.
If Tampa Bay came to the Twin Cities to prove they were much better than their 2-4 record, they succeeded.
The Bucs arrived on a hot streak offensively. They totaled 976 yards of offense in their previous two games. Against the Vikings, they amassed 416 yards with Martin's big night complemented nicely by quarterback Josh Freeman (19-for-36, 262 yards, three touchdowns) and Williams (six catches, 68 yards).
Tampa Bay's final touchdown drive was a 16-play, 87-yard submission hold that ate up more than 9 minutes of clock.
"We had to get off the field if we were going to do anything," Green way said. "We knew that."
So now the Vikings hit the season's midpoint at 5-3 and get nine days to sort through their shortcomings.
Offensively, it's hard to find fault in the efforts of playmakers Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin.
Peterson rushed for 123 yards Thursday to shoot into the NFL lead. He also delivered his longest run of the season, a 64-yard TD sprint that pulled the Vikings within 30-17 in the third quarter.
Meanwhile Harvin (seven catches, 90 yards) had provided earlier fireworks, most notably with his diving 18-yard touchdown catch on a perfectly run corner route in the second quarter.
So naturally the conversation shifts to Christian Ponder's struggles and an unsatisfactory October that included eight turnovers and far too many discouraging drives.
Ponder misfired on his first five pass attempts against Tampa Bay as the Vikings went three-and-out on their first three possessions.
Ponder wound up throwing for 251 yards against a sputtering Tampa Bay defense that came in ranked 31st against the pass.
But without question, there's been an offensive confidence dip that will have to be addressed.
"Our passing game has to improve," Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said. "I mean it's hard to just continue to try to pound it. There are going to be games where you've got to throw it."
Somehow, Thursday's loss had an ominous feel to it, as if the Vikings' early-season surge was exposed as somewhat hollow.
They now enter the teeth of their schedule with a difficult challenge to prove otherwise.


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Like millions of other Americans, I believe breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The government's nutrition people claim it gets you off to a good start. They also say what you eat for breakfast can help you live longer. I prefer wheat and oats, you know, like Raisin Bran or, God forbid, Cheerios. I think my breakfast choices might be quite similar to many others and reflect a large segment of America, so I do not understand what all the fuss is about regarding a cereal commercial that sought to do the same thing, but with a twist. On the other hand, maybe I do.
General Mills recently attempted to reflect a segment of America when it aired a commercial that featured a mixed-race little girl asking her white mother whether Cheerios could help her dad with health issues. Turns out her dad was black. The response to that commercial resulted in a torrent of hateful comments, so much so that General Mills eliminated all the posts under the commercial's YouTube video. That saddened me; not so much for what was said; I wish they had left the comments there for the entire world to see there are still a lot of bigots left out there. Don't think so? Read the blogs under the online version of this column.
For some leaving anonymous putrid comments under the YouTube video, the real problem with the commercial centered on the depiction of a black man who has a white woman as his wife. That is the plain, not politically correct way to state it. The commercial seems to imply the couple is married; the black male playing the father does have what appears to be a wedding ring on his left hand.
In contrast and throughout the history of television, movies and other media, there have been many visual depictions of the white male/black female-combination hookup. From slavery times to today, it seemed normal or somewhat socially-acceptable to see black females with white males. Have you seen ABC's "Scandal" series? Same, same.
Remember back in 1968 when Captain Kirk was forced to kiss Communications Officer Lt. Uhura in the episode titled "Plato's Stepchildren"? The original script called for Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) to kiss Spock (Leonard Nimoy), but Bill Shatner insisted that, as captain of the crew, the kiss scene should be his, and that was that. Without a doubt, it was the first broadcast interracial lip-lock; while it set off a similar firestorm for its time, no one got beamed up and the series continued to go where no program had ever been before. But, then again, there was no Internet at the time.
Yes, I do recall hearing about public outrage when Sheriff Bill Gillespie (Carroll O'Connor) got together with Sparta City Councilwoman Harriet DeLong (Denise Nicholson) in the series called "In the Heat of the Night." Their getting married on the series took many episodes to lay down the foundation that their love was far stronger than their "cultured" Mississippi surroundings. Had blogs existed then, the comments would have given General Mills a run for their money.
Love is a such an antagonist. It takes you where you least expect. Love is undeniably stronger than hate. Why should you not be able to love someone unlike yourself? Whose business is it who you love? No one's business but yours.
I have mad love for my granddaughter, Brittany, and my grandson, Elisha. Brittany is straight-up white and Elisha is the beloved production of my stepson, an African-American, and his mate, a white female. I remember taking Brittany to Macomb Mall. She was around 6 or 6. If looks could kill, I would be underground right about now. The hateful stares, the snickering, the avoidance, all of which are indicative of where we were in Michigan in 2001, spoke volumes about how far we had not come in a state considered to be more enlightened than Southern states.
Fast-forward to 2013, and the reaction the Cheerios Ad confirms that we are not where we claim or want to be when it comes to racial tolerance. It should be clear that we are absolutely not living in a post–racial America. History will probably reflect that the two-time election of President Barack Obama is attributable more to superior campaign organization rather than the falsehood that blacks elected Obama. History will also confirm that the Cheerios commercial reflects more of America than most people want to think. Cheerio to Cheerios.


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The New York Mets signed pitcher LaTroy Hawkins to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training on Thursday.
The 40-year-old right-hander went 2-3 with a 3.64 ERA over 42 innings pitched with the Angels last season.
Over the course of his 18-year career with the Twins, Cubs, Giants, Orioles, Rockies, Yankees, Astros, Brewers and Angels, Hawkins has gone 65-88 with a 4.45 ERA.


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WOODSTOCK – Hearthstone Communities and Centegra Health System have formed a partnership to provide patient care services.
Hearthstone Communities in Woodstock has begun managing the 30-bed sub-acute rehabilitation unit at Centegra Specialty Hospital-Woodstock, 527 W. South St. The facility has been renamed Hearthstone at Centegra.
Hearthstone has been a Woodstock senior living provider for more than 120 years. Don Babbitt will be the leader of the unit for Hearthstone. He has nearly 20 years of clinical management experience and earned degrees in administrative medicine and health care administration from the University of Wisconsin.
"Health-care reform and technological advancements are changing the delivery of health care," said Michael S. Eesley, chief executive officer of Centegra Health System. "We are always looking at the needs of the communities we serve, analyzing the best ways to provide area residents with the access to care they need, all the while being mindful of the future of health care. Centegra and Hearthstone share the values of genuine respect, passionate care and integrity and have both served the needs of the community for many years."
Terry Egan, president and chief executive officer of Hearthstone Communities, said, "Hearthstone has served the older adults and children of McHenry County for more than 120 years. Centegra has been an outstanding supporter of our services for many of those years so this is a natural partnership that we are excited to announce."
Hearthstone at Centegra will provide sub-acute care, a level of nursing care often required for patients who need a more intense level of skilled nursing care after a medical or surgical hospital visit. These patients are frequently medically fragile and may require special services including physical rehabilitation after joint replacement surgery, intravenous medications and tube feedings, improved management of chronic diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure, and complex wound management.
Hearthstone Communities includes not-for-profit, faith-based charitable organizations devoted to serving children and seniors. The Hearthstone Senior Living Community and the Hearthstone Early Learning Center are located on a 15-acre campus near routes 47 and 120 in Woodstock.
For more information on Hearthstone Communities, visit www.hearthstonewoodstock.org or call 815-338-2110.


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Outside Magazine Ranks UVM #9 for its Readers
- 06-09-2012
- By Megan Morley Thomas
Citing UVM's 100-year-old Outing Club; the Wilderness TREK program for new students; campus proximity to Lake Champlain, the Green Mountains and Adirondacks; and engaging, fieldwork-based courses, among other assets, Outside magazine ranks the University of Vermont #9 in its list of the top 25 colleges for its readers.
"We know what our readers look for in any kind of experience," Outside writes, "adventure, grit, sweat, a worthy struggle, tested endurance, goosebump-inducing views, wide-open skies, maybe some roiling water. So why should college be any different? The correct answer is: It shouldn't."
When creating the list, the magazine considered the affordability of experiencing the natural beauty surrounding each campus. "College kids are notoriously cash-strapped," Outside writes, "but that should be the last thing to stop someone from getting out there—and even from getting out there well-equipped. Gear, lessons, certifications—these things all cost money in the 'real world.' So if administrators can roll those expenses into the cost of tuition instead of charging adventure-seekers extra, so much the better."