text:
Each Party to the Convention and its Kyoto Protocol is represented at sessions of the Convention bodies by a national delegation consisting of one or more officials empowered to represent and negotiate on behalf of their government.
Based on the tradition of the United Nations, Parties are organized into five regional groups, mainly for the purposes of electing the Bureau, namely: African States, Asian States, Eastern European States, Latin American and the Caribbean States, and the Western European and Other States (the "Other States" include Australia, Canada, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the United States of America, but not Japan, which is in the Asian Group).
The five regional groups, however, are not usually used to present the substantive interests of Parties and several other groupings are more important for climate negotiations.
Developing countries generally work through the Group of 77 to establish common negotiating positions. The G-77 was founded in 1964 in the context of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and now functions throughout the UN system. As at May 2014, there are 133 members in the Group. The country holding the Chair of the G-77 in New York (which rotates every year) often speaks for the G-77 and China as a whole. However, because the G-77 and China is a diverse group with differing interests on climate change issues, individual developing countries also intervenes in debates, as do groups within the G-77, such as the African States, the Small Island Developing States and the group of Least Developed Countries.
The Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is a coalition of some 40 low-lying islands, most of which are members of the G-77 that are particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise. SIDS countries are united by the threat that climate change poses to their survival and frequently adopt a common stance in negotiations. They were the first to propose a draft text during the Kyoto Protocol negotiations calling for cuts in carbon dioxide emissions of 20% from 1990 levels by 2005.
The 48 countries defined as Least Developed Countries by the UN regularly work together in the wider UN system. They have become increasingly active in the climate change process, often working together to defend their particular interests, for example with regard to vulnerability and adaptation to climate change. Previously there were 49 countries in the LDCs Group. However, in 2014 Samoa graduated from the LDCs.
The 28 members of the European Union meet in private to agree on common negotiating positions. The country that holds the EU Presidency - a position that rotates every six months - then speaks for the European Union and its 28 member states. As a regional economic integration organization, the European Union itself can be, and is, a Party to the Convention. However, it does not have a separate vote from its members. Croatia is the latest country to join the European Union in 2013.
The Umbrella Group is a loose coalition of non-EU developed countries which formed following the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol. Although there is no formal list, the Group is usually made up of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, Norway, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the US.
The Environmental Integrity Group (EIG), formed in 2000, comprises Mexico, Liechtenstein, Monaco, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland and Georgia.
The Arab Group is comprised of 22 member states namely Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.
Several other groups also work together in the climate change process, including countries from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), a group of countries of Central Asia, Caucasus, Albania and Moldova (CACAM), the Cartagena Dialogue, the Independent Alliance of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC), the BASIC Group (Brazil, South Africa, China India), the Like Minded Group, the Coalition for Rainforest Nations and the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of our America (ALBA in Spanish).


text:
GHC Study Abroad Goes to Costa Rica May 2013
Pura Vida! This motto, simply translated pure life, is often heard multiple times daily in Costa Rica, the green destination of the 2013 GHC Study Abroad trip led by Lecturer in Communciation Alexandra MacMurdo. Costa Rica has the distinction of being the happiest country on the planet according to the Happy Planet Index, which ranked Costa Rica No. 1 out of 151. MacMurdo was also joined by Jasmine Olander, lecturer in biology, and Allen Easton, professor of chemistry. Maymester courses in conjunction with this trip were Intercultural Communication (taught by MacMurdo) and zoology (taught by Olander). It was a natural fit with MacMurdo being a faculty advisor for Green Highlands and Olander being a specialist in science.
The group traversed a large portion of the country, starting in the capital city of San Jose, moving northwest to the Arenal region, continuing to Monteverde, up to the north country in Los Chiles, down to the Central Pacific Coast and back up through Sarchi.
Sites visited included the InBioparque, a natural park and research station created by the National Institute of Biodiversity. Students walked ecosystem trails and saw thousands of mariposas (butterflies) in the butterfly garden.
Next we traveled to the Poas Volcano, which is one of the largest active volcanoes in Costa Rica. Students loved seeing the La Fortuna Waterfall, with a 200-foot cascade to an aqua pool.
The Monteverde green mountain region is situated near the Continental Divide and contains a spectacular range of flora and fauna.
We traveled up to Los Chiles, which is in the northern section of Costa Rica, only 15 minutes from the Nicaraguan border. Here the students went on a boat tour of the Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge. An expert guide showed us many interesting animals, including sloths, ocelots, crocodiles, and huge lizards that looked to be the size of cats!
The Santa Elena Cloud Forest gave the students an opportunity to walk among the clouds and experience an ecological nature walk like no other. It was interesting to learn about all of the environmentally-conscious development practices in place there.
Highlights of the trip also included a horseback riding tour through breathtaking landscape and a zip lining canopy tour.
Down on the Central Pacific Coast, Manuel Antonio National Park boasted beautiful white sand beaches that can only be reached by a nature walk through a lush jungle. Beware of the monkeys: they will swoop down and steal your food when you arent looking.
We finished up the trip with a visit to Sarchi, a major crafts center known for its brightly painted ox carts, or carretas, covered in elaborate designs. Sarchi is also home to the Britt Coffee Plantation, where we learned all about how coffee beans are grown and harvested as a major export of Costa Rica.
MacMurdo said, I am thrilled with the experience of seeing the beauty and ecology of Costa Rica, and all that is being done to protect this amazing landscape. All of us students and teachers alike - learned so much and made wonderful memories in the happiest country in the world.
Abigail Futch, a GHC student who went on the trip said, I can assuredly say that spending nine days in Costa Rica changed my life forever. I not only did things I never thought in a million years I would do, but I met the most amazing friends, saw unbelievable things and made unforgettable lifetime memories.
The jungle and waterways of Costa Rica provide habitat for a wide variety of mammals, reptiles and birds.
The 2013 Costa Rica class.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
December 21 brought a lot of good news, including the fact that the world somehow didn't end after all, but the real revelation to celebrate was that the classic Grim Fandango is now playable on modern PCs. The first stable release of ResidualVM hit on that fateful day, doing a similar sort of thing for LucasArts' later adventure games what ScummVM does for the earlier classics.
Grim Fandango was made in the days of Windows 98, so it's been wonky on everything since Windows XP. ResidualVM uses the game's data files and replaces the executable with one friendlier to modern computers. You won't need to mess with custom installers or use tools to slow your CPU, no no, simply remove your copy of Grim Fandango from its shrine, copy the data files over, and fire up ResidualVM.
"We would like to note that, while we have tested ResidualVM quite thoroughly, there MIGHT be cases where you end up in a situation where the game is incompletable, some of these were actually also existent in the original game (while the game itself is designed to be dead-end-free, the bugs in it weren't, nor were our own)," the team said in the launch announcement. "So, please follow the old adventure-game mantra of 'save early, save often'."
While you're staying in a parental home for Christmas, have a good root around in the attic to dig up your copy of Grim Fandango and get playing.
One plucky fan is already working on a mod to improve Grim Fandango's interface, including that hideous inventory system.


text:
New Jersey and Texas eighth graders outscored more than 65 teams to win the 12th annual National School Scrabble Championship, which took place this past weekend at One Hasbro Place in downtown Providence, R.I.
The team of Jacob Sass, of Magnolia, Texas, and Thomas Draper of Skillman, N.J., won six of seven preliminary games during the two-day tournament, and went on to win Sunday's final match by a score of 378 to 320. Their highest-scoring word during the game was delaine, a type of fabric, for 76 points.
Sass and Draper received the Champion's Trophy, and will split the grand prize of $10,000. The National School Scrabble Championship is a competitive event for school-aged Scrabble players in the United States and Canada, hosted by Hasbro Inc.


text:
CHAMPAIGN – Wrestlers from across the state descended on the State Farm Center for the individual state finals, with medal matches taking place Saturday. Here's how wrestlers from local schools fared.
Class 3A
Glenbard North's Jon Marmolejo (126 pounds) and Jered Cortez (132) wrestled for state titles, as did Hinsdale Central's Brian Allen (285).
Cortez grinded out a 3-1 overtime win, sealing his win with a reversal in the second overtime. In the process, he became a four-time state champion.
Marmolejo suffered 1 5-1 defeat to Marmion's Johnny Jimenez, who became a four-time champ with his win.
In his quest to defend the state title he won last year, Allen fell 3-2 to Moline's Adarios Jones on the ultimate tiebreaker in overtime. With the score knotted at 2-2 after three overtimes, Allen chose down position in the fourth extra period. He had to escape to earn the win, but Jones was able to ride him out for the title.
Addison Trail's Niko Rocha (170) and Bobby Carson (285) represented the Blazers at state.
Downers Grove North saw Pat Walker (106) and Nick Bonomo make it to state.
Mike Hobbs capped his career with a win, as Downers Grove South's 285-pound senior took fifth with a 3-1 win over Lincoln-Way Central's Bryan Ditchman. Joe Nugent (132) and Shawn Jager (160) also represented the Mustangs at state.
Glenbard East's Carlos Fuentez placed third at 106, capping his state run with a 4-1 victory. Dayton Olson took sixth at 126. Anfarnee Rodgers (120), Josh Martin (145) and D'Andre Johnson (285) also represented the Rams at state.
Aside from Cortez and Marmolejo, Glenbard North saw Austin Gomez place third at 113 and Kirk Johansen take fourth at 106. Patrick Augustyn (120), Colton Wegner (170) and Luke Greenberg (195) were also state wrestlers for the Panthers.
Glenbard West's Pernevlon Sheppard was sixth at 138. Alex Morreale (160) also wrestled at state.
In addition to Allen, Hinsdale Central had Juwan Edmond take third at 145. Matt Allen (220) was also a state qualifier for the Red Devils.
Hinsdale South was represented at state by Josh King (220) and Justin Maslow (145).
Lake Park's Niko Daniello placed sixth at 220. Kameron Hardwick (285) was also a state qualifier for the Lancers.
Freshman Johnny Mologousis (145) was Lyons Township's only state representative.
Sophomore Matt Rowland (152) placed fifth for Willowbrook. Senior teammate Jake Kroeger also wrestled at state.
Dylan Thurston placed fourth at 126 for Wheaton North, and teammates Jacob Bretz (120) and Anthony Yanan (220) were also state qualifiers.
Qarin Johnnic placed fourth at 138 for Wheaton Warrenville South, while teammate Ben Flores (126) also wrestled at state.
Noah Fleckenstein (195) represented York at the state meet.
Class 2A
Freshman Egan Berta (126) and junior Jim Brennan (145) each won matches in the main draw for Lemont but did not medal. Brennan also won a match in the back draw. Jake Kirkman (138) was also a state qualifier for the Indians.
Dylan Duncan (120), Keegan Calkins (126), Vince Turk (138), Chris Garcia (145), Luke Fortuna (152), Xavier Montalvo (170), Anthony Ferraro (195), Edgar Ruano (220) and Michael Johnson (285) wrestled for titles for Montini, with Duncan (7-0 decision), Calkins (5-1 win), Turk (5-3 overtime win), Garcia (6-4 victory), and Montalvo (8-1 win) winning state championships.
Jimmy Pawelski (106) was fourth and Derrick Curry (182) placed fifth. Caleb Fortuna (132) also wrestled at state for the Broncos.
Michael Kozyra went 2-2 at 170 for Fenwick, but did not earn a state medal.
Class 1A
Drew Sonnefeldt (106), Jeff Chan (113), Danny Grant (126), Ben Buchelt (145) and Jared Arellano (285) represented Lisle at the state tournament.
Adam Ferrell (170) and Anthony Griffiths (285) wrestled for Westmont at state.
Glenbard North's Cortez becomes four-time state wrestling champ
Montini's Duncan, Calkins, Turk, Garcia and Montalvo win state titles in Class 2A
CHAMPAIGN – Wrestlers from across the state descended on the State Farm Center for the individual state finals, with medal matches taking place Saturday. Here's how wrestlers from local schools fared.


text:
Bettie Lou Hammond, 84
Bettie Lou Hammond, 84, of Columbus, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013, at her home.
Bettie was born on Oct. 7, 1929, in Waynesfield, to the late Nevin R. & Q. Lucille Graham Basil.
She was also preceded in death by a sister, Barbara Lenhart.
She is survived by four children, Keith Hammond of Fort Myers, Fla., Denise (Kim) Parcher of Etna Green, Ind., Bruce (Vicki) Hammond of Grove City, Ohio, and Greg Hammond of Sarasota, Fla.; nine grandchildren, Ben Hammond, David Hammond, Mark Gibson, Josh Parcher, Lydia Parcher, Micah Parcher, Hannah Parcher, Adam Hammond, and Matthew Hammond; four great-grandchildren, Brianna, Logan, Hadley, and Max Hammond, and her brother, Nevin Ray (Linda) Basil of Lakeview.
Bettie was a 1947 graduate of Wapakoneta High School and earned her business degree from Bliss College in Columbus. She worked at Lazarus for over 25 years. She enjoyed hot air balloon rides, but her greatest joy was being with her family.
Kim Parcher will conduct funeral services at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Shoffstall Funeral Home, Lakeview. Visitation will be Saturday from 5-7:30 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial is in Walnut Hill Cemetery, New Hampshire, Ohio.
Contributions may be given in her name to Mount Carmel Hospice, 1144 Dublin Rd, Columbus.
Arrangements are in the care of Shoffstall Funeral Home, Lakeview. Condolences may be expressed at shoffstallfuneralhome.com.


text:
I've just created a basic page showing all the kits that are available here on the site so you can browse easier. Links are provided to the preview image as well as to the assets and layouts that belong to the kit. If you want your layout to show up too, just tag it with the tag used for the kit.
Not all the assets that you see in the previews are currently available. Once things settle down, I plan to go through and make sure everything is up, but that's going to take a bit of an effort. Next year I'll probably promote each kit again as I go through and add things. So you have that to look forward to
My earliest kits don't even have previews and they are also somewhat monstrously sized. I needed them to cover a very large amount of photos (we were in each country about a month) and so there's a lot of stuff. In the future I might try and break them up into more manageable pieces.
Hope you enjoy!


text:
Submission + - Community-sourced news site, soylentnews.org, goes live 18
umafuckit writes: soylentnews.org is the new way of taking the pulse of the nerd community. Soylentnews is a grassroots-based platform with the content feeds are powered by readers like you. The objective is to highlight news stories of general importance to everyone, but especially nerds. News about technology, art, science and politics: it's all there. Soylentnews is the new kid on the block and will adapt quickly to satisfy our community's needs and and push boundaries like never before. This is a real community site: no changes in format without a general consensus from the community. Stop by and see what you think of the freshly-launched site.


text:
Maldonado determined not to be a one-hit
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Pastor Maldonado has put his faith in Williams to provide him with a winning car and silence those who fear he could be destined to join the ranks of one-hit wonders.
A year on from his Spanish Grand Prix victory, the Venezuelan returned to the Circuit de Catalunya on Thursday with fighting talk despite his team's failure to score a point in four races so far this season.
The possibility that last year's stunning success could ultimately prove to be a Formula One flash in the pan was not something he wanted to contemplate.
Even if Sunday looked a step too far, Maldonado refused to rule out returning to the top of the podium before the end of the season.
"If we won last year, why not this year again?" he asked reporters. "We have all the tools to win again. That's my opinion. The team is very strong."
Maldonado's win last year, from pole position, was Williams's first in nearly eight years and made him the first Venezuelan to win a grand prix.
The trophy, rescued from a fire that swept the team's garage as they celebrated the victory, now has pride of place in the driver's home in Venezuela but it could be a long wait before more silverware joins it.
Williams scored 76 points in 2012, finishing eighth, and talked of challenging for at least fifth this year before the car's aerodynamic weaknesses became apparent in pre-season testing at the same Circuit de Catalunya.
So far this season the winners of nine constructors' titles and seven drivers' crowns have been mixing it with the backmarkers.
Maldonado hoped that a corner had been turned, with a recent straight-line aerodynamics test indicating possible solutions.
"It's going to be difficult this time (in Spain) but we've been working hard these couple of weeks," he said.
"We've done a new aero kit for this race and hopefully it should work. And we have an extensive development program for the car over the next couple of races as well.
"We have done a real comparison between track and wind tunnel and its clear where the problems are at the moment. We are not that far away," added the Venezuelan.
The challenge was putting it all together.
"The potential of the car is there. The base is last year's car," he said. "I think we got lost for whatever reason but we have good data, we have good drivers, a good team. There is no reason to be where we have been in the previous four races."
Maldonado's win in Spain last year was a deserved one, albeit helped by Lewis Hamilton's demotion from pole for a fuel irregularity in his McLaren, with the Venezuelan lining up on the front row alongside Fernando Alonso's Ferrari.
Beating the Spaniard in front of a home crowd took determination but the Williams hit a sweet spot in ideal conditions and at a time when racing was particularly unpredictable.
There were seven different winners of the first seven races, whereas this year Red Bull's triple world champion Sebastian Vettel has already won two of the four.
"We have a new goal this year. The car is what we have," said Maldonado.
"We are not expecting any miracle. We need to work very hard, even more than the other teams just to try to shorten the distance.
"This is a different history. We need to accept where we are, too accept the situation and try to do our best to come out of these problems."
(Editing by John Mehaffey)


text:
What about a trip to the zoo this week?
The last time I was near any kind of 'wild' animals was at a petting zoo in CA.
I fell madly in love with a llama there.:)
Attachment 56862
The DOTD?
Flaming Giraffe
2 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueur
1 oz butterscotch schnapps
1 oz 151 proof rum
Pour kahlua first into a double shot glass. Add one ounce of butterscotch schnapps. Float 151 proof rum on top and set on fire. Blow out before drinking.
And I'll finish with a joke.....
What do you do with an elephant that has three balls on him?
Walk him and pitch to the giraffe?!?


text:
Yesterday saw 70 Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa employees participate in Oman Cancer Association's (OCA) walkathon in support of October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Taking place at Qurum National Park, this year's 10th annual event was titled "Each Step Can Change a Life" and covered a total of two kilometers. The staff, many of whom have been taking part since the walkathon was first initiated, were delighted to again be part of the cause.
October is the internationally-recognised Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it is during this time that OCA heightens their efforts on educating the local community about the importance of regular examinations and the benefits of early detection.
Additional to the walkathon, the kitchen team at Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa have created two specially-designed drinks – a Pink Ribbon cocktail of Cachaca, Bacardi White, cranberry juice and fresh lemon and a Power Packed Pink smoothie of strawberries, banana and yoghurt - in the event's honour. Available from yesterday until the end of the month, OMR 1 of each drink ordered will be donated back to OCA's Breast Cancer Awareness fund.
Commenting on the day, Mark Kirk, General Manager at Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa said, "Events like these have a remarkable impact on raising local awareness of not only how to avoid or combat breast cancer but also ensure we celebrate Oman Cancer Association's continuous efforts to keep our community informed. We are thankful to the association for their energy and honoured to support once more."
Кейтриона Гэффни
Директор по связям с общественностью
(968) 2477 6250
Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa
P.O. Box 644, Muscat Postal Code 100 Sultanate of Oman
PO Box 644, Muscat 100, Оман
Написать эл. письмо в этот отель
Карта местности
Enjoy easy booking, Mobile Check-In and Check-Out, redeeming rewards and more!
Download our new Mobile App and sign in now.


text:
About Membership
The membership setting for this group appears on the group's Home tab under Information Settings. Groups set to "Open" accept all interested Curriki members; groups set to "Closed" accept members based on screening by the group leader. For open groups, visitors can view current group members below.
Membership Information
If you would like to become a member of this group, click "Join This Group" below to submit your information.
Members in this group are listed below, 10 per page.
Members 1 - 1 of about 1


text: A crash in Keokuk County yesterday claimed the life of a What Cheer Woman. 77 year old Joan Grimm was pronounced dead at the University of Iowa Hospital. The Iowa State Patrol says Grimm was traveling west on Highway 22 just after noon when she made a partial stop, then continued through the intersection of Highway 21. Police say her vehicle was struck on the driver's side by a pickup northbound on 21 driven by 52 year old David Barner of University Park. A passenger in his vehicle 54 year old Donna L. Barner, also of University Park, was taken to Mahaska County Hospital for treatment of injuries. The State Patrol says the accident remains under investigation.


text:
World football superstars Neymar and Ronaldinho have been named in the Brazil squad to take on England on February 6 at Wembley.
The two-time world footballer of the year has not played for A Seleçao for nearly a year and his impressive form for Atletico Mineiro in Brazil has seen him catch the eye of his international boss once more.
However, the biggest draw is most likely to be the Santos superstar Neymar, whom has been setting South America alight and being compared with the likes of Lionel Messi at Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid.
Ronaldinho is not the only veteran to get a recall – goalkeeper Julio Cesar of Premier League strugglers QPR is back after exactly the same time out as the former Barcelona and AC Milan attacker.
Cesar is one of four Premier League players called up for Luis Felipe Scolari's first squad since he took over the Brazil side for the second time at the end of last year, Chelsea trio Ramires, David Luiz and Oscar have been named.
Scolari was the man in charge when Brazil last lifted the World Cup at Japan and South Korea 2002.
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: https://www.givemesport.com/writeforgms


text:
There may be a line even the National Rifle Assn. won't cross.
The lobbying group that has defended the availability of weapons in the face of mass murders such as the one that shattered an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., apparently has decided that some things go just a touch too far. The NRA wants irate gun-loving Texans to rethink demonstrations in restaurants like Chili's and Chipotle, in which protesters bring tactical long guns to make a point that guns should be allowed everywhere -- even in popular fast-food emporiums that have banned them.
After the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School left 20 children and six educators dead, NRA leaders reminded the world of the group's long-standing creed: "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." The NRA has fought all forms of gun control, from background checks to limiting the availability of weapons.
It turns out there are some things that don't go better with Coke. In a post on its Institute for Legislative Action website, the NRA notes that some types of constitutionally protected protest can appear to be "weird" to some.
"Now we love AR-15s and AKs as much as anybody, and we know that these sorts of semiautomatic carbines are among the most popular, fastest selling firearms in America today," the gun-rights group says, praising Texas as an "independent-minded and liberty-loving place."
"Recently, demonstrators have been showing up in various public places, including coffee shops and fast food restaurants, openly toting a variety of tactical long guns," the group says, adding that such tactics can put off some people, even in Texas, "which is second to none for its robust gun culture. We applaud Texans for that, but a small number have recently crossed the line from enthusiasm to downright foolishness."
The NRA's post continues: "Let's not mince words, not only is it rare, it's downright weird and certainly not a practical way to go normally about your business while being prepared to defend yourself. To those who are not acquainted with the dubious practice of using public displays of firearms as a means to draw attention to oneself or one's cause, it can be downright scary. It makes folks who might normally be perfectly open-minded about firearms feel uncomfortable and question the motives of pro-gun advocates."
"Using guns merely to draw attention to yourself in public not only defies common sense, it shows a lack of consideration and manners," the group notes. "That's not the Texas way. And that's certainly not the NRA way."
In a Twitter post, Open Carry Texas, a group fighting for gun rights, slammed the NRA: "The NRA has lost its relevance and sided with #guncontrolextremists and their lapdog media."
The dispute between the groups was reported by the Dallas Morning News and Mother Jones magazine.


text:
Skip to Main Navigation | Skip to Content
University of Central Missouri
Administration 302
Warrensburg, MO 64093
Phone: 660-543-4640
Fax: 660-543-4943
Contact Mike Greife
WARRENSBURG, MO (June 22, 2012) – The University of Central Missouri welcomes the annual session of the American Legion Auxiliary Missouri Girls State to campus June 24-30.
High school juniors from across the state will arrive Sunday, joining staff members for the week-long, hands-on experience in the operation and fundamentals of government. Missouri Girls State draws together the best and brightest high school juniors to experience leadership through doing, not just learning.
Girls State citizens will be offered to opportunity to hear from elected officials, along with speakers whose individual successes reinforce the message of Girls State.
Using the democratic system as a basis, Missouri Girls State equips the participants, or citizens, each year to construct their own state. Citizens are taught the need for competition, the value of public service and the strength of the individual voice and vote.


text:
Zeepaard is a line of introductory-level wines from West Cape Howe out of Western Australia. The wine is named after Het Gulden Zeepaard (the Golden Seahorse), a Dutch ship that first sighted West Cape Howe in 1627. According to the Scheepvaartmuseum of Amsterdam, a really cool museum dedicated to maritime exploration and shipping that I visited in 1999, "Vertrek van Pieter Nuyts met het schip 'Het Gulden Zeepaard' voor een ontdekkingsreis naar de zuidwestkust van Australië." That's a note on an anniversary calendar of important events, and means, roughly, correct me if I'm wrong, "departure of Pieter Nuyts with the ship Golden Seahorse on an exploration near the southwest coast of Australia". If you know some English and German, reading Dutch is pretty easy. Pronouncing it is a whole different matter that requires a lifetime of eating pickled herring and salty licorice to properly train the vocal cords.
The wines are all affixed with convenient screwcaps (four cheers!) and retail for around $10.
2009 Zeepaard Sauvignon Blanc
12.7% abv, 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Crisp, lemony, with pink grapefruit pith aromas and flavors. A classic example of the Down Under Sauvignon Blanc style. Knowing that the crisp acidity goes well with vegetarian dishes and dairy, I served it with a goat cheese and spinach pizza.
2009 Zeepaard Chardonnay
12.5% abv, 100% Chardonnay
Pineapple and mango, very ripe, very tart and fruity. The ripe fruit explosion here is incredible, and while I tasted this on its own I'd recommend something spicy and full of flavor, like a curry or vindaloo. Even Thai or Mexican food would be interesting. It's too strong for something like baked salmon, roast chicken, or a salad, further proof that not all Chardonnays are identical.
2009 Zeepaard Rosé
12.7% abv, 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Pinot Noir, 4% Shiraz. Somewhere a Frenchman is crying over that mix of grapes, but I applaud the creativity. Bright strawberry/raspberry aroma, with matching flavors and a tart acidity. There is a slightly tannic, reddish finish to the wine. It's sort of dark for a rosé--not complaining, but it's a little more fuller bodied than you might think. I decided to try a fun pairing with a big bowl of aromatic phở tái. The red grapes went nicely with the beef, but the rosé style was a great compliment for the basil, sprouts, and savory broth. Certainly my favorite of the group.
2008 Zeepaard Shiraz
14.2% abv, 100% Shiraz
Black cherry, hint of licorice, a little leather. Very firm tannins, long tart finish. It's a good standard Aussie Shiraz, and I served it with my recent big batch of Sunday Gravy. It would also be great for barbecues this summer, with things like burgers and Polish sausage.
These wines were received as samples from The Country Vintner.
10 May 2010
Zeepaard Wines
Labels: australia, chardonnay, rose, sample, sauvignon blanc, shiraz
2 comments:
- fredric koeppel said...
the rose indeed sounds particularly good. i would never attempt, of course, to correct your Dutch translation.
actually, this is getting to be rose season and I haven't tasted a single one!
- 10 May, 2010 04:25
- Benito said...
Dutch is weird. You can teach someone how to pronounce German in a single afternoon, but Dutch vowels are complicated and it requires some speech pathology knowledge like precise tongue position.
Rumor has it that this distributor is looking to move into Tennessee. When and if it happens, I'll let you know. The rosé is indeed great, one of those powerful dark pinks you sometimes get from Southern France after a hot summer.
- 10 May, 2010 12:46
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Get your Memorial Day Savings Early!
Save up to 20%
Use Code: 20USA
*Some exclusions apply.
Monday - Friday 9:30 a - 8:00 p EST
Saturday 10:00 a - 6:00 p EST
Sunday 1:00 p - 6:00 p EST
This kind of dedication, integrity and quality not only goes into the design of our products, but it's in the way we do business as well. It's why we've grown from a small company to become one of the nation's leading manufacturers of fine decorative lighting and home accessories.
Your Recently Viewed Items
Join our FREE Trade Program! Designers, Contractors, Property Managers, and buyers of large volume lighting are eligible for our trade program, which includes special trade pricing, invoice your lighting projects and special design assistance.


text:
Text Size Large SizeMedium SizeSmall Size Color Scheme Black SchemeWhite SchemeGrey SchemePaper Scheme
Answer to my question
Bella Swan and Edward Cullen have been best friends since kindergarten. On her 21st birthday Bella falls pregnant, and can't remember who the father is. Her best friend left the day after her birthday. Ninew months later he comes back and gets a invitation for a welcome home party, turns out the party is for his best friends new baby.
1. 1
Rating 0/5 Word Count 691 Review this Chapter
( Edward's POV) AGE 5
Today is my first day of kindergarten. My big brother and sister, Rosalie and Jasper, are in third grade. My name is Edward Anthony Masen Cullen. My mommy is Esme Cullen, she's a house maker kind of person. Daddy is Carlisle Cullen, he's a doctor! I want to be like him when I grow up. My teacher is Mrs. Swan. She told us to call her Ms. Renee though. There's a little girl in my class that looks like her, they have the same hair but the girl's is prettier and longer. I think I'm gonna go talk to her!
" Hi My name is Edward Cullen, what's your's?", I smiled at her.
" Bella Swan.", Bella said shyly and hid behind her hair.
" Do you want to play legos with me? We can build cars, and houses and people.", I suggested. Bella nodded and we walked over to the legos.
" What do you like to do?", She asked quietly.
" Well, I like to play the pinano mommy got for me. What about you?"
" I like to read my books.", Bella smiled at me.
From that moment on, Bella was my bestest friend.
" Edward! Why can't I play? Tell Jasper can!", Bella yelled. My older brother Jasper said she wasn't aloud to play baseball with us cause she's a girl.
" Bella, your a little girl, little girls can't play baseball.", Jasper sighed.
" Fine! I'll just tell my sister Alice you like her!", Bella stuck out her tounge. Jasper did have a crush on Bella's older sister Alice.
" OK, you can play.", and that's how bella always got her way, but it was still very cute.
Bella's got a boyfriend. His name is Jacob Black, and he's an ass. I always got so angry whenever I see them kiss or hold hands or be affectionate. I don't know why though.
" Edward, where are you?", Rosalie asked. She was home for the weekend away from college. She was refering to where my mind was.
" Trying to understand why I am always angry when Bella is with Jacob the asshole black.", I told her. Rose was dating Bella's older brother Emmett, who is Alice's twin who is dating Rosalie's twin brother and my older brother Jasper.
" Does yout heart beat faster around her? Whenever you touch a part of her skin does it feel like that static electrisity zap?", rose raised a brow. I nodded. Rose sighed happily and smiled.
" You my baby brother are in love.", she smiled. I shook my head.
" Not possible rose, first, she's my best friend, second, She's always made me feel that way.", I admitted.
Two days later, I finally admitted Rosalie was right. I was in love with my best friend.
I was now holding a crying Bella on my lap. She had walked in on Jacob and a girl from the reservation... doin it. I wanted to tell her to trust me and love me. That I'd always take care of her, but I couldn't ruin our friendship.
" It'll be ok Bells, he was an ass anyway. You deserved better.", I conforted.
So today is Bella's 21st birthday. We're all going out to get drunk since she can finally leagally drink. Emmett and Rose got married the previous year as well as Alice and Jasper who were expecting their first child. So Alice was the designated driver.
Bella did the 21 birthday shots and had like five beers after that, I was equally as drunk as her. Before I knew it we were stumbling into her apartment ripping eachother's clothes off.
I woke up in the morning and was laying in Bella's bed, we were both naked. I had to get out of there. If she woke up and thought what we did was a mistake, my heart would die. So I just left, the worst part, is I didn't just leave, I ran away. I only told my parents and my parents told my siblings and bella.
- Author
- vamp_cheer2015
- Rating
1 2 3 4 5
- Reviews
- 0
- Words
- 1087
- Views
- 1
- Published
- 18 Jun 12
- Updated
- 18 Jun 12
- Status
- In Progress


text:
Travis pleads guilty in drunken driving case
Randy Travis pleaded guilty in Sherman, Texas, to driving while intoxicated Thursday in a case that began last summer when the country music star was found naked after crashing his Pontiac Trans Am.
Travis, 53, received two years of probation, a $2,000 fine and a 180-day suspended jail sentence. If he doesn't successfully complete the probation, he will face the jail time.
He was ordered to spend at least 30 days at an alcohol treatment facility, complete 100 hours of community service and have an ignition interlock device on any vehicle he operates while on probation.
Travis, 53, entered the plea in a court in the North Texas city of Sherman. The misdemeanor was punishable by up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine.
Authorities have said a Trans Am registered to Travis veered off a road Aug. 7 near Tioga, a town about 60 miles north of Dallas where the entertainer lives. The car struck several barricades in a construction zone.
Prosecutors said Travis was found lying in the roadway naked and was belligerent at the scene and while being transported to a hospital. He had a blood alcohol level of 0.21. The legal limit for driving is 0.08.
Grayson County District Attorney Joe Brown said Travis' punishment is appropriate and "considerably more than is typically received on a DWI case.
"First time DWI defendants are rarely forced into in-patient treatment," Brown said in a news release, adding that his fine and community service requirements are more than double what is usually received, and his probation term is the maximum available.
Cumming bringing solo 'Macbeth' to Broadway
Alan Cumming is taking his Macbeth to Broadway -- and his Macduff and Duncan and the three witches.
The Tony Award winning Scottish actor's one-man Macbeth will run at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre from April 7 through June 30. The production comes from the National Theatre of Scotland via the Lincoln Center Festival.
Cumming is perhaps best known for his role as political operative Eli Gold in the CBS drama The Good Wife. In the play, he appears as a patient in a white-tiled mental hospital for whom the plot of Macbeth is sort of a schizophrenic nightmare. Two other actors play medical staff, but speak few lines.
NBC News president resigns
NBC News President Steve Capus, who presided over years of strong ratings at the news division but was hurt by the downfall of the Today show, said Friday that he was resigning.
He was a longtime producer for Brian Williams before being appointed by Jeff Zucker, at the time chief of NBC Universal, to run the news division on the week that Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005.
Capus did not announce future plans. His influence at the news division was curtailed last year when Comcast Corp., NBC's new corporate parents, appointed Pat Fili-Krushel to oversee news operations.
Williams' nightly newscast has spent much of Capus' tenure at the top of the ratings, the traditional yardstick for network news success. But the Today show has taken a hard fall in the ratings over the past year and now runs a consistent second to Good Morning America. NBC was widely criticized for mismanagement of Ann Curry's dismissal as a Today anchor, which sent the ratings into a deep tumble.
Compiled from reports by the Associated Press.


text:
comment are very welcome
comment are very welcome
Very nice and cute and quite strong for a 96 year old.
Look'n great for 96...or 46 for that matter.
Btw, Ive got a nice hot/tight parking space for yer cock.
very nice cock. I wouldn't mind getting my lips around it and swallow it and whatever came out of it.
Sir Ron likes your pictures!
The Three Musketeers... Bashful, Chrisglass, and Ronboy!
Very nice... thanks!!
Stone cold sober as a matter of fact.
nice.. keep um cumming
hummm, I would like to play with it !
love the hair around your dick - and the dick too
mmmmmmmmm - more body shots? bubble butt? what? greedy - moi?
Thai & asian guys heaven! GAY THAILAND - ASIAN FORUM
eww...ever heard of a razor? or common courtsey?
You have ashy skin. Try some lotion.
mmmmmmmmmmm nice cock, would love to taste the contents yum yum
wouldn't mind seeing more either!
☆ out of teh blue, i Rawr at yu ☆


text:
Chris Greenhalgh is a British poet and screenwriter whose first novel, Coco and Igor (2002), was made into a movie. His second, like the first, is a lush romantic fiction spun from a historical footnote, and it, too, feels destined for the big screen, if only because it's halfway there already.
This novelisation of the affair between Bergman and legendary war photographer Robert Capa is ripe with the atmospherics, arch dialogue and tremulous melodrama of an old silver-screen weepie.
This improbable true story begins in 1945, when the star of Casablanca visits Europe to entertain US troops. In Paris she meets Capa, a man with nothing but his combat helmet, cameras and a boyish charm.
They begin their reckless fling (Bergman is grimly married) and, for a while, it's hard to resist the nostalgic glamour of it all: giddy summer evenings in liberated Paris, a screen goddess falling all too humanly for a battle-weary chancer who's ''not used to having anything so luminous in the viewfinder'' - or in his bed.
In Capa's improvised darkroom, among ''long thin strips of film like flypaper'', there she is, ''her image haunting several of the negatives, transparent, vivid in her lipstick, sticky''.
If Capa is beguiled by Bergman's beauty (''it simply glows from her, blinding us, an inner incandescence spilled''), Greenhalgh is besotted. His perfervid prose moons over Bergman from the get-go.
Sadly, though, neither celebrity ever feels fully real, even when we're inside their heads.
Greenhalgh wants to convey the intensity of their passion - and the reader wants to feel it - but his showy style keeps getting in the way. Metaphors meant to evoke a visceral depth of feeling, for instance, sound distractingly like thoracic surgery. At one point, Capa feels love ''take a deep scoop out of my chest''; when Bergman thinks of Capa, ''it's as if a rib of hers cries out''; and then poor Capa's ''heart cracks open with the pressure''.
Greenhalgh's use of similes is so incontinent, you start to scan nervously ahead for ''like'' and ''as if''. ''Silence,'' one reads with puzzlement, ''spreads like a carpet between them.''
Some images even turn up twice: wine's perfume is ''a delicate ribbon of scent''; later, Bergman's perfume also trails ''like a ribbon''.
Still, there are some witty and vivid hits among the misses. When he follows Bergman to Hollywood (she's filming Hitchcock's Notorious), Capa attends a party and spies on a sofa ''a trio of expensively dressed young women, their legs crossed the same way as if someone has been practising knots''.
Capa is a nobody in LA, though. While this places him below the suspicious notice of Bergman's cuckolded hubby, it means he relies on her to pull strings to find him work. He retreats ''into numbness'', gambling lucklessly, cadging loans, boozing, brooding on nightmarish memories, and channelling Notorious-style dialogue. ''I'd drink before breakfast if I could get up early enough,'' he tells Bergman.
He knows the affair could destroy her career, but Bergman spells it out for him anyway: ''The studios sell dreams,'' she says, ''they don't deal in damaged goods.''
There's pathos here because, as history records, Bergman does eventually risk scandal and leave her husband - but for Roberto Rossellini, not Capa. So this affair was always doomed, but the stakes are never high enough to make us mind much.
In the final pages, Greenhalgh imagines Capa's death in a Vietnamese paddy field with feeling and restraint, but it's too late. Bergman's long gone by then, and so, I fear, will be plenty of readers who have decided to wait for the DVD.
Seducing Ingrid Bergman is published by Penguin Press, $19.99.