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Vernon Friesen
Vernon W. Friesen, 85, died Sunday at Parkside Homes in Hillsboro. He was born Aug. 9, 1928, to Jesse and Lydia (Wiens) Friesen at Ingalls.
He is survived by his wife, Rachel Friesen of Hillsboro; two sons, Terryl of Arlington, Texas, and Donnel of Lenexa; two daughters, Sarita Blosser of Goessel and Jody Heizelman of Lindsborg; three brothers, Orval of Freemont, Calif., Norman of Shafter, Calif, and Andy of Wichita; a sister, Arlene Dahl of Maple Grove, Minn.; and 10 grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by one brother, Alfred; and one sister, Rosalie Klassen.
A celebration of life service is scheduled for 11 a.m. today at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church.
Memorial funds have been established with Mexican Mission Ministries and Holt Adoption Agency.


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Data:Cards/Darkness Candle(76988)
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subset: commoncrawl


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Collaborating on MeritBadgeDotOrg
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A Denton, TX, hazardous materials unit was at a fracking site for nearly five hours after a gas well pipe separated from the well Friday morning, officials said.
The separation caused fracking water and small traces of natural gas to leak from the pipe, said Lindsey Baker, spokeswoman for the city of Denton.
Blaze at WY Natural Gas Storage Site
Two Workers Die in Gas Blast
Chevron Utah Spill Violation Notice
Pressure Gauge Cause of Pipeline Leak
The first call came in at 11 a.m., she said, and authorities evacuated four homes as a precaution.
Eagle Ridge Operating LLC owns the well.
Air traffic redirected until any safety hazards ended up corrected, Baker said. Denton Enterprise Airport is less than five miles from the leak.
Denton police closed the intersections of roads close by for more than four hours to detour traffic from the area, said Ryan Grelle, spokesman for the Denton Police Department.
Crews from the gas company appeared at the site to cap the well at 1 p.m., Baker said.
Brad Lahart, spokesman for the Denton Fire Department, said the gas company needed to make sure there was enough water before actively getting started.
The leak ended up capped at 3:40 p.m. Friday, he said.
What appeared to some as smoke at the scene was actually water vapor mixed in with some hydrocarbons, Lahart said.
People from the Texas Railroad Commission were at the site monitoring the capping and will perform an investigation to make sure the site had proper maintenance, city officials said.
"Right now, we don't know what caused the separation but the separation is what caused the leak," Baker said.
Denton firefighters and paramedics remained at the scene to monitor the situation.
People from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality arrived at the scene later in the day and took air samples for testing, officials said.
Lahart said there has been no danger to anyone because of the leak and there were no injuries.
"The city will have continuous involvement with the ongoing investigation every step of the way," Lahart said.


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Supreme Court Says Anti-Violent Video Game Law Violates The First Amendment
from the okay,-is-this-settled-now? deptFinally. For years now, various states have tried to put in place anti-violent video game laws. Every time they do so, the laws are challenged in court and every single time they're found to be First Amendment violations. None of these cases went to the Supreme Court, however, until last year, when (then) Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (star of tons of violent movies) decided to waste a lot of money that California doesn't have, in order to appeal lower court rulings, at both the district and appeals court levels, that found California's anti-violent video game law unconstitutional.
So, finally, the Supreme Court has weighed in... and it has agreed with every other court on this matter and found such laws to be unconstitutional restrictions on expression and free speech (pdf). The ruling, written by Justice Scalia, is long, but notes that while the Court has allowed blocking of obscene speech, that's a limited category, and violence is not the same thing as obscenity. It also notes that children, contrary to the opinion of some, do enjoy First Amendment protections as well, and there aren't special rules for them. Quoting an earlier case (Erznoznik), Scalia notes: "Speech that is neither obscene as to youths nor subject to some other legitimate proscription cannot be suppressed solely to protect the young from ideas or images that a legislative body thinks unsuitable for them."
The majority clearly paid attention to the briefs in the case, concerning the long history of children being exposed to violence:
California's argument would fare better if there were a longstanding tradition in this country of specially restricting children's access to depictions of violence, but there is none. Certainly the books we give children to read--or read to them when they are younger--contain no shortage of gore. Grimm's Fairy Tales, for example, are grim indeed. As her just deserts for trying to poison Snow White, the wicked queen is made to dance in red hot slippers "till she fell dead on the floor, a sad example of envy and jealousy." The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales 198 (2006 ed.). Cinderella's evil stepsisters have their eyes pecked out by doves. Id., at 95. And Hansel and Gretel (children!) kill their captor by baking her in an oven. Id., at 54.The court goes on to note violence in all sorts of other media that children experience. It then dismisses the claim that video games are somehow "different" because they're interactive, pointing to things like "choose-your-own-adventure" stories. Scalia also takes direct aim at Justice Alito (who concurs, but disagrees with the reasoning) for highlighting how "disgusting" some violent video games are, noting:
High-school reading lists are full of similar fare. Homer's Odysseus blinds Polyphemus the Cyclops by grinding out his eye with a heated stake. The Odyssey of Homer, Book IX, p. 125 (S. Butcher & A. Lang transls.1909) ("Even so did we seize the fiery-pointed brand and whirled it round in his eye, and the blood flowed about the heated bar. And the breath of the flame singed his eyelids and brows all about, as the ball of the eye burnt away, and the roots thereof crackled in the flame"). In the Inferno, Dante and Virgil watch corrupt politicians struggle to stay submerged beneath a lake of boiling pitch, lest they be skewered by devils above the surface. Canto XXI, pp.187–189 (A. Mandelbaum transl. Bantam Classic ed.1982). And Golding's Lord of the Flies recounts how a schoolboy called Piggy is savagely murdered by other children while marooned on an island.
JUSTICE ALITO recounts all these disgusting video games in order to disgust us -- but disgust is not a valid basis for restricting expression.Of course, all of this makes me wonder why obscenity gets a special exception to the First Amendment. Reading through the ruling, it seems to keep saying that obscenity is a special classification of speech, but refuses to explain why it's different. If anything, this ruling suggests that this court can't really answer that question if it came up today. Obscenity is just different because it is.
The court also rejects the (widely disputed) evidence by anti-violent video game professor Craig Anderson, by noting (as many of us have) that the research does not show what many of Anderson's supporters insist it does show. That is, nowhere in the research is it proven that violent video games cause kids to act more aggressively. At best, the research shows a correlation, and other evidence suggests that other factors may be leading to the aggression, rather than the video games. Thankfully, it looks like Anderson's totally ridiculous claim that because the researchers who signed his brief in this case had more papers published, it meant their research was more credible, gets completely ignored by the court.
The other opinions are interesting, if not particularly compelling. Justice Alito, as noted, agrees with the final ruling, but does seem really worried that violent video games just might be evil. Justice Thomas dissented, and his basic argument is that parents can restrict the free speech rights of minors. That's true, to some extent... but that power is not universal, and that has nothing to do with the government restricting such rights, whether or not parents wish it to be restricted. Also, the opinion reads rather... old-fashioned, with him calling back to Puritanical days when fathers had "absolute powers" and children were considered "innately sinful." He admits that we've gotten past that, but that doesn't mean laws that view the world in that manner shouldn't be allowed. Justice Breyer also dissents, and seems to also be persuaded that violent video games are evil, and thus says that the law is permissible in an effort to "protect the children."
All in all, though, another strong First Amendment ruling from the Supreme Court. It still strikes me that this court struggles with the idea that obscenity has a special exception to the First Amendment, which also makes me wonder how it will deal with the next round of copyright/First Amendment cases that it will be facing, starting with Golan. I fear, given the court's past discussions on copyright, that while it seems to have a strong First Amendment view towards most things, that it will ignore the First Amendment when it comes to copyright issues. Hopefully not, but it does feel like there's significant cognitive dissonance going on when it comes to the intersection of copyright law and the First Amendment.
Filed Under: california, first amendment, free speech, supreme court, violent video games


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HAVELOCK � It would be fair to say that Doug Franks has influenced thousands of lives.
HAVELOCK � It would be fair to say that Doug Franks has influenced thousands of lives.
Franks, who runs City Upholstery, Havelock�s oldest upholstery business, spent much of his life on local baseball fields where he coached generations of young players.
�I have coached the grandkids of the kids I coached,� Franks said. �I have managed or coached in over 500 baseball games and I have probably been to over 1,500 baseball practices.�
Two years ago, Franks stepped back from his active role in local Babe Ruth and Little League baseball, but he still gets approached all the time by former players.
�The biggest pleasure I get is being in Bojangles and having somebody come up and say �Hey coach, do you remember me?�� he said.
It might take a minute, but Franks eventually gets around to knowing exactly who�s asking.
�I�ve had some real difficult kids to coach and those are the ones I�ve had the most pleasure with,� Franks said.
Franks, 71, doesn�t name names.
�I just hope I�ve been a positive influence on everybody I�ve been associated with,� he said. �You can�t please everybody. I hope I have pleased the majority of them and been a positive influence.�
Franks is not a native of Havelock, but has been here almost all of his life. He remembers when all the roads heading out of Havelock were dirt.
�I moved here in 1949 at seven years of age and I�ve been here ever since,� Franks said. �My father was a tenant farmer up in west Craven and we were starving to death, and he got a job at Cherry Point.�
He remembers when the community shopping center at the corner of Jaycee Street and Cunningham Boulevard was the center of all activity in Havelock.
�That was the life of the town,� he said.
Franks was in the first class to attend the first Havelock High School in 1956, which was held where Havelock Middle School is today.
�It was a real wild bunch we had,� Franks said. �It was a lot of real wild things going like you�d see on TV, generally just tearing up things that we shouldn�t have been. We took all the bolts out of the stalls in the bathrooms. The principal took them out. We never had any stalls in the boy�s bathroom after that. The kids were lighting the trash cans on fire. We�d turn all of the Bunsen burners on in the lab and all of them would be blazing the gas out when the teacher come in.�
The students would take unofficial, unapproved field trips in the woods adjacent to the school on some days, he said.
�It was just a wild time. David Miller, who is one of my best friends, and his friend, David Seaton, caught a big copperhead and they snuck him into our class and until they got caught they milked that snake every day,� Franks said. �They had a jar and a piece of linen cloth and they would take this snake out every day and, just like you see the professionals do it, they would take that snake�s head and milk the venom out of it every day. We were freshmen in high school.�
After high school, Franks had a decision to make about what he wanted to do with his life.
�I was given a choice to get a job, go in the Army, go the school or get out, so I hit the street walking and the first place I stopped was an upholstery shop, and I took a job there for $15 a week. I was 18,� Franks recalled.
In 1964, Franks did a brief stint in the Army and when he got back, he got married. He tried a job at the post office, but didn�t like it, so he took a chance and started his own upholstery business.
That was 1967. He has been at his present location at 611 East Main St. since 1970.
Franks still works every day with five employees.
�I�m friends with them. I don�t lord over them,� he said. �I�ve had several good employees, some kept as long as 25 years.�
He still takes time to work on the old PFAFF commercial sewing machine, piecing together jobs for cars, boats and airplanes.
�It is second nature for me to sit down and sew,� Franks said. �I take what they don�t want to do.�
Franks was an avid water skier until a back injury kept him off the skis five years ago. He still hunts and is a rabid Havelock Rams football supporter, more than a half-century after attending the first-ever Havelock High football game in 1957.
�I�ve actually had an active life and an enjoyable one,� Franks said. �It�s just like the commercial says. A body in motion stays in motion. I�ve never been a couch potato.�


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This module is being phased out and to be replaced by the TM-350 - Video Matrix 7x5. Designed specifically for in-vehicle video applications where multiple video sources must be switched among multiple monitors. Perfect for splitting and switching rear and side-view camera signals to two or more monitors. It also makes it easy to set up security camera systems for RVs. You can even set up a passenger video station with GPS and camera video completely under the passenger's control.
Four Video Inputs, Four Video Outputs Share video signals from side and rear cameras, GPS systems, security cameras, or video entertainment devices. Any standard NSTC signal is allowed. (Note: The switch handles video only, not audio.)
Display the video on up to four monitors. At any time, any input can be routed to any output, and inputs can be duplicated. Thus, the VDX 404 eliminates the need for signal splitters and amplifiers.
Digital Switching Technology The VDX 404 uses state-of-the-art digital switching technology. All outputs are fully buffered, eliminating the need for signal amplifiers or conditioners. Switching time is under one millisecond - far less than the video frame rate, or what the human eye can perceive. The unit requires only 200 milliamps at 12 Vdc.
Programmable Digital Outputs Two digital outputs are provided to allow the unit to signal other devices or drive relays. Each can be programmed to activate independently of the video outputs. Primarily designed to provide a "reverse" signal for certain monitors, they can also be used to activate items when the blinkers are turned on or other events occur.
12 Configurable Digital Inputs This is the key to the VDX 404's flexibility. It has twelve digital inputs (six 12Vdc active high, six grounded active low), each of which can be configured to connect with either a standard switch, a blinker, or a momentary switch. Each input is also configured to control any or all of the video and digital outputs. Each switch can operate either independently or interactively with the other switches, allowing incredible flexibility. Inputs can even be configured to cycle through multiple states - allowing a momentary action to switch an output through multiple inputs.
Designed for Automotive Environment The VDX 404 is designed to operate in the automotive environment. It operates on 12 Vdc nominal, but tolerates voltages of up to 36 Vdc or as little as 9 Vdc. It uses just 200 mA of power, and is small enough (3.75"x5.5"x1.25") to be easily hidden away. And the VDX 404 is unique in being the only video switch that has a SAE J1939 vehicle interface, allowing it to be hooked up to the vehicle data bus in most RVs and cars. VDX404 Serial Tool (for changing the Configuration).


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User talk:DocWatson42
Return to the user page of "DocWatson42".
Hello, and welcome to Wiktionary. Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers:
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I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wiktionarian! By the way, you can sign your name on Talk (discussion) and vote pages using four tildes, like this: ~~~~, which automatically produces your name and the current date. If you have any questions, see the help pages, add a question to the beer parlour or ask me on my Talk page. Again, welcome!
Julien1311 06:35, 3 May 2007 (UTC)


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Chapter XV
"Why, Bert!--you're squiffed!" Mary cried reproachfully.
The four were at the table in the private room at Barnum's. The wedding supper, simple enough, but seemingly too expensive to Saxon, had been eaten. Bert, in his hand a glass of California red wine, which the management supplied for fifty cents a bottle, was on his feet endeavoring a speech. His face was flushed; his black eyes wers feverishly bright.
"You've ben drinkin' before you met me," Mary continued. "I can see it stickin' out all over you."
"Consult an oculist, my dear," he replied. "Bertram is himself to-night. An' he is here, arisin' to his feet to give the glad hand to his old pal. Bill, old man, here's to you. It's how-de-do an' good-bye, I guess. You're a married man now, Bill, an' you got to keep regular hours. No more runnin' around with the boys. You gotta take care of yourself, an' get your life insured, an' take out an accident policy, an' join a buildin' an' loan society, an' a buryin' association--"
"Now you shut up, Bert," Mary broke in. "You don't talk about buryin's at weddings. You oughta be ashamed of yourself."
"Whoa, Mary! Back up! I said what I said because I meant it. I ain't thinkin' what Mary thinks. What I was thinkin' ... Let me tell you what I was thinkin'. I said buryin' association, didn't I? Well, it was not with the idea of castin' gloom over this merry gatherin'. Far be it..."
He was so evidently seeking a way out of his predicament, that Mary tossed her head triumphantly. This acted as a spur to his reeling wits.
"Let me tell you why," he went on. "Because, Bill, you got such an all-fired pretty wife, that's why. All the fellows is crazy over her, an' when they get to runnin' after her, what'll you be doin'? You'll be gettin' busy. And then won't you need a buryin' association to bury 'em? I just guess yes. That was the compliment to your good taste in skirts I was tryin' to come across with when Mary butted in."
His glittering eyes rested for a moment in bantering triumph on Mary.
"Who says I'm squiffed? Me? Not on your life. I'm seein' all things in a clear white light. An' I see Bill there, my old friend Bill. An' I don't see two Bills. I see only one. Bill was never two-faced in his life. Bill, old man, when I look at you there in the married harness, I'm sorry--" He ceased abruptly and turned on Mary. "Now don't go up in the air, old girl. I'm onto my job. My grandfather was a state senator, and he could spiel graceful an' pleasin' till the cows come home. So can I.--Bill, when I look at you, I'm sorry. I repeat, I'm sorry. He glared challengingly at Mary. "For myself when I look at you an' know all the happiness you got a hammerlock on. Take it from me, you're a wise guy, bless the women. You've started well. Keep it up. Marry 'em all, bless 'em. Bill, here's to you. You're a Mohegan with a scalplock. An' you got a squaw that is some squaw, take it from me. Minnehaha, here's to you--to the two of you--an' to the papooses, too, gosh-dang them!"
He drained the glass suddenly and collapsed in his chair, blinking his eyes across at the wedded couple while tears trickled unheeded down his cheeks. Mary's hand went out soothingly to his, completing his break-down.
"By God, I got a right to cry," he sobbed. "I'm losin' my best friend, ain't I? It'll never be the same again never. When I think of the fun, an' scrapes, an' good times Bill an' me has had together, I could darn near hate you, Saxon, sittin' there with your hand in his."
"Cheer up, Bert," she laughed gently. "Look at whose hand you are holding."
"Aw, it's only one of his cryin' jags," Mary said, with a harshness that her free hand belied as it caressed his hair with soothing strokes. "Buck up, Bert. Everything's all right. And now it's up to Bill to say something after your dandy spiel."
Bert recovered himself quickly with another glass of wine.
"Kick in, Bill," he cried. "It's your turn now."
"I'm no hotair artist," Billy grumbled. "What'll I say, Saxon? They ain't no use tellin' 'em how happy we are. They know that."
"Tell them we're always going to he happy," she said. "And thank them for all their good wishes, and we both wish them the same. And we're always going to be together, like old times, the four of us. And tell them they're invited down to 507 Pine Street next Sunday for Sunday dinner.--And, Mary, if you want to come Saturday night you can sleep in the spare bedroom."
"You've told'm yourself, better'n I could." Billy clapped his hands. "You did yourself proud, an' I guess they ain't much to add to it, but just the same I'm goin' to pass them a hot one."
He stood up, his hand on his glass. His clear blue eyes under the dark brows and framed by the dark lashes, seemed a deeper blue, and accentuated the blondness of hair and skin. The smooth cheeks were rosy--not with wine, for it was only his second glass--but with health and joy. Saxon, looking up at him, thrilled with pride in him, he was so well-dressed, so strong, so handsome, so clean-looking--her man-boy. And she was aware of pride in herself, in her woman's desirableness that had won for her so wonderful a lover.
"Well, Bert an' Mary, here you are at Saxon's and my wedding supper. We're just goin' to take all your good wishes to heart, we wish you the same back, and when we say it we mean more than you think we mean. Saxon an' I believe in tit for tat. So we're wishin' for the day when the table is turned clear around an' we're sittin' as guests at your weddin' supper. And then, when you come to Sunday dinner, you can both stop Saturday night in the spare bedroom. I guess I was wised up when I furnished it, eh?"
"I never thought it of you, Billy!" Mary exclaimed. "You're every hit as raw as Bert. But just the same ... "
There was a rush of moisture to her eyes. Her voice faltered and broke. She smiled through her tears at them, then turned to look at Bert, who put his arm around her and gathered her on to his knees.
When they left the restaurant, the four walked to Eighth and Broadway, where they stopped beside the electric car. Bert and Billy were awkward and silent, oppressed by a strange aloofness. But Mary embraced Saxon with fond anxiousness.
"It's all right, dear," Mary whispered. "Don't be scared. It's all right. Think of all the other women in the world."
The conductor clanged the gong, and the two couples separated in a sudden hubbub of farewell.
"Oh, you Mohegan!" Bert called after, as the car got under way. "Oh, you Minnehaha!"
"Remember what I said," was Mary's parting to Saxon.
The car stopped at Seventh and Pine, the terminus of the line. It was only a little over two blocks to the cottage. On the front steps Billy took the key from his pocket.
"Funny, isn't it?" he said, as the key turned in tlie lock. "You an' me. Just you an' me."
While he lighted the lamp in the parlor, Saxon was taking off her hat. He went into the bedroom and lighted the lamp there, then turned back and stood in the doorway. Saxon, still unaccountably fumbling with her hatpins, stole a glance at him. He held out his arms.
"Now," he said.
She came to him, and in his arms he could feel her trembling.Next


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Dedicated to providing quality progressive law enforcement and community building services
Welcome to the
Vernonia Police Department
The Department vision will be accomplished by providing efficient and effective Law Enforcement services while observing the rights of all now and into the future.
The City of Vernonia is located in the beautiful north west coast mountain range of Oregon. It is centrally located between the Oregon Coast and Portland Oregon and approximately 35 miles south of the Columbia River.
As the Chief of Police, my goal is to make the City of Vernonia a safe and enjoyable place to live, work, and play. If you have questions about the Vernonia Police Department, our webpage/s, or would just like to learn more, please contact me and I will assist you in any way I can.
On behalf of the Vernonia Police Department, I am pleased to welcome you to our website. It is our hope that our site will provide you with information about the Vernonia Police Department and services that we provide to our community.
The Vernonia Police Department is comprised of three sworn officers and one civilian full time administrative assistant, code enforcement. The members of the Vernonia Police Department are committed to provide quality progressive law enforcement and community building services to the Citizens of Vernonia, its visitors, and everyone in the surrounding area.
- Michael Conner Vernonia Oregon Chief of Police
1001 Bridge Street
Vernonia, Oregon 97064
Voice: 503-429-7335
Fax: 503-429-5141


text:
(It's Easy -- Any Guy Can Do It)
& Learned That Hot Babes LOVE Big Cocks!
Hello. My name is James. When I was in college I wrote a research paper on how to get a larger penis. Because of my scientific background I was able to discover a simple method for penis growth that really works. (In a separate but related study I learned that hot chicks LOVE big cocks...)
I'm writing this because I'm sick and tired of all the bullshit I see on the Internet about penis growth. Most of the crap people tell you is complete BULLSHIT. They're just trying to make a buck off you. I can tell you what REALLY works based on science and experimentation, not garbage. Some of you won't believe me but that's okay. Read my story and make up your own mind.
How I Became Interested In Penis Growth
I majored in pre-med because I wanted to be a doctor. But in my 3rd year of college my girlfriend broke up with me. I was crushed because she was smart and funny and SMOKING HOT and when she split with me, she said, "Sex just isn't that great. I've had guys who were bigger and better."
This just blew me away. I always naively believed that size didn't matter and here was this gorgeous babe telling me I was wrong.
I couldn't get over it. I became obsessed with my penis size. I used the university library and read up on all the scientific studies related to penis size I could find. Turns out that the average penis size is about 6 1/2 inches in length. I was embarrassed to learn I was below average. So what could I do? I read up on human growth and development, and the plasticity of the human body. I just couldn't stop thinking about penis size.
In my Human Anatomy & Physiology class, I wanted to write my paper on penis enlargement.
... My Professor Thought I Was Crazy!
"James, you can't do that," Dr. Williams told me. "That's nuts. This class is about science, not magic."
I told him that I had a theory. That I wanted to try all the methods and techniques I'd read about in the literature, experiment on myself, and discover what really works. At first I thought he was just going to blow me off, but he listened. After I told him about all the research I'd done and showed him some copies of articles I'd saved, I think he was impressed.
He said, "Okay, James, go for it!"
I thought that would be the end of the subject. But it turned out that one of my classmates, a busty brunette named Claudia, overheard our conversation. She walked up to me outside the classroom and said, "Let me know how your research turns out," and winked at me!
That got me even more fired up -- I HAD TO FIGURE IT OUT.
Here's What I Learned
I spent weeks on this project. I spent so much time in the library I was on a first-name basis with the librarians. I read every scientific paper that had ever been written about the penis, and even more articles about growth.
Whenever I left the library, people wouldn't leave me alone. Somebody, either Claudia or maybe Dr. Williams, had leaked my research project. Guys kept begging me to tell them the secret. Even better, the girls kept flirting with me! I was even more determined to figure out the secret.
Finally, just a few weeks before the paper was due, I was pretty sure I'd learned what to do.
Here are the two tricks to penis growth:
1. Increase Blood Flow To The Penis: The erection is based on blood flow. Blood is the backbone of a rock-hard erection. The blood resides in a pair of cylindrical chambers -- the corpora cavernosa -- which lie side by side like diver's tanks in the penis. Getting more blood to the penis means not only a harder erection, but it also means that the corpora cavernosa will stretch and expand, leading to a bigger penis when hard or soft.
2. Increase The Growth Of Penile Tissue: During childhood and puberty, the pituitary gland releases a substance called Human Growth Hormone (HGH -- a 191-amino acid, single-chain polypeptide) which stimulates growth, cell reproduction and tissue regeneration. Unfortunately, as we age the levels of HGH in the body slowly decline. Studies done in China proved that enhancing the body's levels of HGH would lead to increased penis size.
I felt like I was very close to a big discovery.
How I Used Science To Work "Magic"
Now that I knew what to do to create penis growth, all I needed to do was to figure out how to make it work. I began researching supplements. Let me tell you right now there's a whole lot of misdirection, confusion and outright lies out there. It took all of my knowledge of organic chemistry and physiology to separate the truth from the bullshit. After pulling several all-nighters, I knew exactly what I needed.
Here are the products I selected:
Step 1 - Xanogen
- Massive length and girth gains
- Boosts testosterone levels
- Harder, longer-lasting erections
- Free Bottle Offer - only S&H
Step 2 - Ultra Edge XL
- Bigger, Longer, and Harder
- Build Lean Muscle Mass
- Enhanced Stamina and Endurance
- Free Trial Now Available
That's right -- I chose free products (actually, you have to pay S&H, but it comes to less than $10). Hey, I was a college student! I didn't have much cash.
I ordered the products and got them in about three days. I used my own research to determine the proper dosage:
2 Xanogen capsules in the morning with breakfast.
2 Ultra Edge XL tablets in the evening, before bed (the body only releases HGH when you sleep).
... My Final Grade
I turned in my research paper along with laboratory analysis of the ingredients in the Xanogen and Ultra Edge XL products, charts showing my progress, and, finally, before and after pictures showing my penis growth of 4 inches in just 4 weeks.
Dr. Williams couldn't believe it! I still have the copy of my paper he graded. Here's what he wrote on the first page:
James, this is truly outstanding work. You used the scientific method and experimentation to prove that what I thought was impossible really was possible. A+
Not long after, I showed Claudia my A+ paper. She said, "Now show me how you earned that grade!" So I did. ;)
Bigger Really Is Better
Claudia's roommate heard her screaming. Pretty soon word got around campus that I was a BIG MAN. Girls were lining up at my door!
For a while I ran a hot business on the side charging guys $300 for a copy of my research paper and the supplements I used. Believe it or not, that's how I financed my last year of college and most of my medical school career!
Now you can do the same thing I did for yourself. It's pretty easy -- you don't even have to get out of your chair to order the products you need:
1. Xanogen (botanical male enhancement and testosterone booster)
2. Ultra Edge XL (human growth hormone stimulator and releaser)
Both products are available for a free trial so you can check out your results even before paying. IMPORTANT: if you want the same results me and all the other guys got, you have to use both products for at least 2-4 weeks.
Why Am I Giving This Away For Free???
Back when I was in med school I really needed cash bad. But now I'm pretty well set. Life has been good to me. And frankly, I feel kind of bad about taking money from those guys in college. I mean, most of them were just as bad off as I was. (And I screwed a few of their girlfriends too...)
So this is my way of giving back.
Now, let me warn you: this isn't for everyone. If you already have hot babes lining up to bang you, more power to you. Rock on, my friend. This system is for guys like me who have had a little trouble with the ladies. So guys, if you're looking for an edge, here it is:
1. Xanogen (Botanical Male Enhancement and Testosterone Booster)
2. Ultra Edge XL (Human Growth Hormone Stimulator and Releaser)
After you try this please take a minute and leave a note in the comments below. (If you're one of the guys who paid for this secret, sorry dude...) I'd love to hear how many honeys you pleasure with your new super-size equipment.
Enjoy, guys!


text:
Staff writer
When St. Luke Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Jeremy Ensey slipped into the chair behind his desk on the first day of his job Oct. 10, it's understandable if the sense of coming full-circle hit him not once, but twice.
"He was born here at St. Luke," said retired Marion doctor T.C. Ensey, Jeremy's grandfather. "His mother, I delivered her and her two sisters, and I delivered three of my grandsons she produced."
The doctor smiled.
"She had four sons and I delivered three of them. The fourth is still mad at me because I retired," T.C. laughed.
Jeremy said he knows he has some big shoes to fill left empty by the doctor who served the community for 34 years, five of those as the town's only physician.
"I feel it," Jeremy said. "For example, we were down at the pharmacy today having coffee, and (St. Luke CEO) Jeremy Armstrong was introducing me. There were several people there who knew I was Doc Ensey's grandson, and that's how I get referred to a few times."
The doctor
There wasn't a history of Enseys in health care when an older brother pitched the idea of becoming a doctor to school boy T.C.
"My father was a minister, and his father was a farmer. My oldest brother had ambition, but never did make it," T.C. said. "When I was in the fourth grade he talked to me about being a doctor, and he was a good salesman. I bought it."
T.C. tackled his new vocational aspirations with surprising zeal.
"Every animal I could find was in danger," T.C. said, "because I killed a whole bunch of them, dissected and identified their organs. I got a BB gun and I shot birds and dissected them. I'd take them into my mother, on a shingle, and she'd chase me out of the house."
T.C.'s interest didn't wane when he went to high school.
"In high school you had to write book reports, and I wouldn't write a report on any book other than one that was about a doctor," he said.
T.C. pursued medical education in earnest when he entered the military during World War II.
"I went to medical school in Houston. The war was over in 1945, and I had a year to go, so I got on the GI bill and completed that. I interned at Wesley hospital in Wichita, and then I came here to practice," he said.
The lab tech
T.C. and his wife, Lila, have three sons — Lowell, Larry, and Dean. T.C. said Lowell and Dean never had an interest in a health care career.
"They saw how many times I had to get up at night and they said they didn't want to do that," T.C. said.
But Larry, Jeremy's father, did have an inclination toward working in the medical field. His commitment was tested when he was a student at Emporia State University, known then as Kansas State Teachers College.
"He had to take chemistry," T.C. said. "He came home every night from college and I tutored him through chemistry."
Instead of providing patient care, Larry became a medical laboratory technician, but he shared one thing in common with his father.
"He went to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita," T.C. said. "He was there 43 years, and he became in charge of the whole department. He was always good at managing people."
The nurse
His father and grandfather weren't the only health care influences Jeremy had while growing up. His mother, Melanie Hett Ensey, was a registered nurse.
"I grew up around health care," Jeremy said. "I'd go up to see Dad at the hospital. I'd come up here to Marion and we'd stay on Elm Street with Grandpa. I went up to St. Luke at the time and remember seeing him there."
Jeremy didn't have a career path in mind his first two years in college.
"I really didn't know I was going into nursing until my junior year of college," Jeremy said.
"I spent two years at Tabor College. I played soccer two years at Tabor. I was looking at biology, looking at chemistry, and kind of decided on nursing," he said. "There was a lot of opportunity for guys in nursing. I took the management route."
Jeremy transferred to Wichita State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in nursing, and later pursued the management angle at Friends University.
"Three years ago I completed my master's in business, my MBA, at Friends," he said.
Jeremy has 18 years of clinical experience, with eight of those being in nurse leadership positions. He worked at Galichia Heart Hospital in Wichita before coming to St. Luke.
T.C. and Jeremy share the belief that nurses are important partners in providing quality health care.
"They kept me out of trouble — it's the truth," T.C. said. "I appreciated what they were doing for me. I'd have coffee with them every day. I had a real nice relationship with them," he said.
Jeremy said he is impressed with the professional relationships he has seen at St. Luke.
"What I've seen so far is a good relationship between the nurses, the physicians, and the practitioners. They're able to talk with each other openly, freely, and that's what you want to see," Jeremy said.
Nurses in smaller hospitals like St. Luke need expertise in many areas.
"The nurses at these smaller hospitals have to have more education," Jeremy said. "They have to go to a lot more classes because they have to be prepared for the emergency room patient, they have to be prepared for trauma, they have to be prepared for kids coming in. The nurses really have to be on top of their game."
Jeremy said he and his wife, Tammy, and their children — Peyton, 10, Paige, 6, and Abree, 3 — are looking forward to moving to Marion soon.
"They're all excited to get up here. It was a family decision," Jeremy said. "It's nice to already know several of the people in the community, I have family here, and I have people who support me already on the move."


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Sunday, May 27, 2012
21 day photo challenge - day 18 - pretty patterns
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text:
Exploring churches
W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1982 - Architecture - 91 pages
Traces the history of church architecture, describes typical church accessories and architectural details, and explains how their designs reflect the beliefs of their builders
From inside the book
1 page matching Strasbourg cathedral in this book
Where's the rest of this book?
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What people are saying - Write a review
We haven't found any reviews in the usual places.
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aisles altar apse arcade architect artist baptism Baroque Baroque churches basilica became belief builders carpenter carved centre chancel chapels Chartres choir screen Christ church building CHURCH BUILDING TODAY churches were built clerestory clergy columns communion table congregation construction cross crusades decorated designed dome east end Eastern Church eleventh century Emperor emphasized England Eucharist Europe faith flying buttress France gallery God's Gothic architecture Gothic cathedral Groin vault half shafts inside interior Jerusalem Jesus liturgy meeting-place Middle Ages monasteries monks nave Neo-classicism nineteenth century ornament painted period piers Pieter Saenredam pilgrim routes pilgrimage popular preaching pulpit Reformation relics religious Renaissance revival ribs Roman Romanesque architecture Romanesque churches Rome roof saints sculpture seating secular shaft shape sometimes Spain spire stained glass stave churches stone Strasbourg cathedral stress structural symbol temple timber tion tower transept triforium twelfth century usually vault vertical west front wooden worship
References to this book
A Place of Encounter: Renewing Worship Spaces
D. Foy Christopherson
Limited preview - 2001
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Designing Commercial Interiors
Christine M. Piotrowski,Elizabeth A. Rogers, IIDA
Limited preview - 2010


text:
A couple weeks ago, we asked you to introduce yourselves to us in the comments. Then, we followed-up by asking you to spill your very best trade secrets to the community at large. But today, we want to know about the things that inspired you to become who you are.
Did memorizing your first constellation send you on your way to a lifetime of studying the stars? Or perhaps there was a book that sparked off a lifetime interest in reading sci-fi?
Tell us in the comments below what the first few lines of your very own origin story, from a galaxy not so far away at all (i.e. this one), would be.
Image: Sunny studio-Igor Yaruta / Shutterstock


text:
Via Adam at ALOTT5MA, who says "in truth the whole list is pretty neat" and:
The United States doesn't participate in the process of adding "intangible heritage practices and expressions" to the list, but it's not hard to think about what we might suggest — the blues and square dancing, perhaps?Oh, let's not re-embed ourselves in American things so quickly. Check out that whole list and click through to some videos. I'm experiencing temporary immersion in the Pansori Epic Chant... just a happy consequence of a random click.


text:
- Introduction
- Buyers Clubs and the Law
- Safety Concerns
- Immune Function
- Lung Complications
- Impact on Hormones
- Impact on Mental Status
- Impact on Appetite
- Oral THC vs. Marijuana
- Other Possible Uses for Medical Marijuana
- The Future of Medical Marijuana
- Buying and Access
- The Bottom Line
Smoking marijuana has become a popular treatment for weight loss associated with HIV. Claims about its effectiveness are based largely on individual experience rather than data from studies. A synthetic form of the most active ingredient in marijuana, called dronabinol (Marinol), is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It is available by prescription for treating HIV-related weight loss (anorexia), as well as treating nausea for people undergoing chemotherapy.
This paper describes the different forms of marijuana that are currently available. Although many report that marijuana improves their appetite and weight, it's important to consider possible health risks before using it. Also, the only studies that have been conducted to assess the impact of medical marijuana in people with HIV have been very small and very brief. Much of the following information comes from research on people who do not have HIV disease.
Buyers Clubs and the Law
Marijuana is an illegal substance, yet 'buyers clubs' have been established in some areas to provide the drug for people using marijuana for medical purposes. These clubs provide a safe, place to buy marijuana. Even though they are illegal under federal law, some cities like San Francisco have local laws permitting them to operate. Some even have programs that provide medical marijuana free or at reduced cost to people with limited incomes.
Legislation was approved on a public vote in California that allows physicians to prescribe marijuana for some medical conditions. HIV-associated wasting is one of four conditions in the legislation. While some healthcare providers have voiced concern over the safety of marijuana smoking, many providers have also been impressed with positive results in weight gain, mood and quality of life in their HIV-positive patients who use medical marijuana.
Safety Concerns
There are many possibly harmful effects from smoking marijuana, just as there would be from inhaling almost any other form of smoke. Most of the studies citing these effects were conducted many years ago, and conflicting reports can often be found among all of them. Many people question whether political motives may have influenced early studies of marijuana. For people living with HIV, the largest safety concerns when using marijuana are the affects on:
- immune function,
- lung complications (particularly with smoked marijuana),
- hormones, and
- mental state.
Immune Function
Marijuana and/or its psychoactive ingredient THC have been reported to suppress many immune functions. These include the function of cells important in controlling infections commonly seen among people living with HIV. Marijuana may also increase your risk for certain infections, including herpes and a variety of other bacterial, viral and fungal infections. Some of these infections may result in increased HIV levels. None of this, however, has been clearly documented in HIV-positive people.
Some research suggests that marijuana has no significant effect -- good or bad -- on the immune system of people living with HIV. Studies from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study evaluating outcomes in 1,662 HIV-positive users of psychoactive drugs (marijuana, cocaine, LSD, etc.) found that none of the drugs were linked to a higher rate of HIV disease progression or loss of CD4+ cell counts. Of the men who took part in the study, 89% reported using marijuana in the preceding two years. A recent study, presented in 2000, examined the short-term impact of marijuana, dronabinol or placebo on HIV levels, CD4+ cell count and HIV levels. After twenty-one days, the use of marijuana did not appear to have harmful affects. Much longer-term studies are needed before concluding that marijuana use is either safe or unsafe for people living with HIV, however.
Impact on Hormones
Many men with HIV experience low testosterone levels during the course of HIV infection. Women may also experience lowered testosterone levels and changes in other hormones, both of which may be contributing factors in many menstrual irregularities seen in women living with HIV. Studies in animals and humans show that marijuana may further lower the levels of hormones, including testosterone. This information is important to people with HIV as lowered testosterone levels are associated with AIDS-related wasting. Marijuana could cause or worsen this condition, possibly leading to the necessity of testosterone replacement therapy.
Impact on Mental Status
The question of the neurological (change in mental status) effects of marijuana has been addressed by several studies in recent years. Marijuana use has been shown to have short-term impact on a person's ability to think, learn, judge and perform tasks. Moreover, marijuana use has short-term effects on memory. It's less clear if marijuana has any long-term effects on mental status or mood. It is also less clear whether the effects noted are perceived as "good" or "bad" by those who experience them. Some people feel smoking marijuana offers relief from depression, while others say it increases their anxiety levels.
Impact on Appetite
Extensive research on how smoked marijuana affects appetite has been conducted, although much of it was published 20 to 50 years ago. Anecdotal accounts of increased food intake have always been reported by marijuana smokers -- the so-called "munchies." The quality of the food (candy bars and chips vs. vegetables, fruits and protein) and quality of the weight gain (fat vs. muscle) needs to be considered.
Overall, studies suggest that people using marijuana eat more but the food they eat is generally snack food, like cookies and junk food. They also exercise less and sleep more, all of which contributes to weight gain.
It's not at all clear that this kind of weight gain, that consists more of body fat than of lean muscle, will benefit the overall health and longevity of a person with HIV-related wasting. However, if medical marijuana is combined with a comprehensive nutritional and weight maintenance program, as well as exercise, it may prove useful. Because of these concerns, it is important that evaluating the medical effects of marijuana not be limited to measuring weight gain, as this may lead to false conclusions about its value.
When considering all the safety factors associated with marijuana use, it's important to weigh these factors against the harm being done by wasting. What may sound harmful to a healthy person may seem irrelevant to another when compared to the alternatives they face.
Oral THC vs. Marijuana
The oral drug, dronabinol (Marinol), was approved in 1992 for use in treating anorexia in people with HIV-related wasting. The active ingredient in dronabinol is THC, which is one of the main psychoactive agents in marijuana and the chemical that makes someone feel "stoned." For treating HIV-related weight loss, THC probably helps as an appetite stimulant, in the same way people who are "stoned" get the munchies.
People who use dronabinol have mixed experiences. Some report a minimal drug effect while others experience far too much euphoria or feeling "stoned." This is because of the variability in how the oral drug gets into the bloodstream, or perhaps to an individuals' point of view and how they feel about such sensations. Smoking marijuana, or using edible forms of it, may be a more efficient way to get THC throughout the body. People who have tried both forms say that they are better able to control how "stoned" they get by smoking or eating marijuana and thus prefer it over the pill formulation.
The Future of Medical Marijuana
A recent report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences stated that certain chemicals found in marijuana may help manage certain conditions in some people, but that marijuana smoke, like tobacco smoke, is harmful. Though there is an oral medication (dronabinol) that is supposed to mimic the desired effects of smoking marijuana, many people prefer to smoke or eat marijuana in its natural form.
In an attempt to copy the effects of inhaling marijuana while eliminating the risks involved with smoking, some researchers are looking at the use of a vaporizer (or inhaler) for smokeless inhalation. Though not included in this IOM report, other sources indicate that a vaporizer is now readily available. This device heats marijuana to a certain temperature to release active chemicals without setting the dried plant on fire. Since this has only been around for a short time, it is not known how effective it is in delivering the drug. However, early results seem promising.
Overall, medical marijuana research will likely shift from study of the crude plant material to research and eventually drug development of chemicals derived from marijuana. This has already occurred with isolating THC and the development of dronabinol.
What currently holds back more studies of marijuana (or chemicals associated with marijuana) and its effects on the body is a complex matter. Aside from the obvious political concerns, research scientists are not given much incentive to work on marijuana and its derived chemicals. Namely, funding is scarce from government and private sources, and there is concern that the fruits of research will not be made public because of the controversial nature of the drug. Additionally, many researchers feel their reputations may be affected by working with marijuana because of its status as a street drug and controlled substance.
Nevertheless, more research related to marijuana could benefit many people, especially those living with HIV. There are indications that substances present in marijuana can stimulate appetite, relieve pain and stop nausea. So, research that leads to uncovering the chemicals responsible for these effects and uncovering the best way to deliver them to the body could prove helpful. And though research may not eliminate all the safety concerns associated with medical marijuana, it may make this therapy a more realistic alternative for many people.
Buying and Access
Dronabinol is available by prescription through hospitals and pharmacies.
Medical marijuana buying, selling and use is illegal in most of the United States.
There are a limited number of buyer's clubs, providing a safe environment for people to buy medical marijuana. Some have programs that offer medical marijuana free or at reduced cost for people in need. The best buyer's clubs operate with the community oversight and accountability of a well-run non-profit agency.
Not all buyer's clubs are ethical or conduct business in the best interest of people living with HIV. Buyer beware, and be aware of your options in your local area.


text:
Welcome to the world of Magicbox, where we strive to create products that are anything but ordinary. Today's consumer has
a bewildering variety of product from which to choose – some are gorgeous, but prohibitively expensive; the majority are dull,
pedestrian affairs that do little to fuel the imagination, and quicken the pulse.
At Magicbox we endeavour to create products that we would be proud to own, products that stand out from the crowd,
products for a life less ordinary. However you engage with us, whether it's purely for design services, for management of
complex OEM projects from concept to factory door, or for distributing our finished branded products, our philosophy remains
the same. Be better.


text:
March 06, 2002
Los Angeles — According to economists with the UCLA Anderson Forecast, the most distressing blows to the Southern California economy last year did not spur from the watershed September 11 attacks, but hit after 12 percent of jobs in the film and television industry were lost, accounting for 18,000 Southland employees without work. This 12 percent decline is 60 percent of all payroll jobs lost in Los Angeles County for 2001.
Addressing the importance of the entertainment industry to Southern California's economy, the next quarterly UCLA Anderson Forecast Conference will be held on March 27, 2002 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Leading experts will provide up-to-date information on the state of the industry, the forces that are altering how the business is organized and conducted, and what these changes mean for greater Los Angeles.
The Honorable Jim Hahn, mayor of Los Angeles, will offer a luncheon keynote address, "There's No Business Like Show Business," in which he will discuss the role that the entertainment industry plays in the L.A. economy, the relationship between the industry and city government and the critical issues facing the city in the economic downturn.
The day-long conference will also feature two panel sessions and another keynote address by Jeffrey Berg, chairman & CEO of International Creative Management, who will provide perspective on the historical forces that created Hollywood, the strength of those forces and where the industry is heading. Panel sessions will focus on key issues surrounding the entertainment industry and will feature distinguished leaders from the entertainment world, including Jean Prewitt, president of the American Film Marketing Association, and Cody Cluff, president of the Entertainment Industry Development Corporation.
The afternoon will end with a presentation by UCLA Anderson economists, Edward Leamer and Tom Lieser, on the national and state outlook for the coming quarter. In addition, for the first time in several years, the UCLA Anderson Forecast will release a special report on the Los Angeles regional outlook that will include a detailed breakdown of Southern California counties. In years past, this report has only been made available to subscribers of the Forecast. Authored by Senior Economist Christopher Thornberg, the special report will offer proprietary data on the unemployment rate, employment growth, personal income and taxable sales in the Southland.
The UCLA Anderson Forecast Conference will be held at UCLA Anderson. For further information, including a detailed agenda and list of speakers, or to register for the conference, please call the UCLA Anderson Forecast office at (310) 825-1623 or visit the web site at http://forecast.anderson.ucla.edu. Members of the media who wish to attend the conference should contact The Anderson School's media relations department at (310) 206-7707 or via e-mail at email@example.com.
The UCLA Anderson Forecast is one of the most widely watched and often-cited economic outlooks for California and the nation, and was unique in predicting both the seriousness of the early-1990s downturn in California, and the strength of the state's rebound since 1993. Most recently, the Forecast is credited as the first major U.S. group to declare the recession that began in the second quarter of 2001.


text:
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Dodge Ram Pickup Lease Questions
Greetings nuhuskers97. The best way to negotiate a good deal on a leased vehicle is to shop around for the lowest possible selling price and then have the dealer that gives it to you calculate your monthly payment using Chrysler Financial's buy rate lease money factor. You should be able to negotiate an outstanding deal on the Ram Pickup that you are interested in. The light vehicle market in the U.S. is very slow right now in general and there is intense competition within the full-size pickup segment from General Motors' and Toyota's newer models, not to mention the segment's traditional volume leader the Ford F-Series. If I was in the market for a Ram right now, I personally would shoot for a selling price of right around dealer invoice or even below (there is some dealer cash out there) minus the $500 bonus cash that is available on Regular Cab or $1,000 on Mega / Quad Cab models, minus the $5,000 lease cash that is available on it.
As far as this truck's lease program goes, Chrysler Financial's money factors and residual values for the Ram Pickup vary by cab type. Are you interested in a Regular Cab, Quad Cab, or Mega Cab?
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
Hi. Thanks for the reply.
I was in the market for a quad cab. I ended up turning my lease in 7 payments early and leased into another Ram 1500 SXT Quad Cab 4x4. The dealership paid off my lease and I got a new 27 month, 12k mile, no money down, they paid my first payment and transferred my bed cover and nerf bars for $339 a month.
I'm hoping that was a good deal??? Other dealerships I went to had higher monthly payments with less miles. This dealership jumped at this so I'm guessing I may have been able to get it for a little less per month......
I got a total of $7000 off MSRP ($5000 cash, $1000 bonus and $1000 lease loyalty). I hope March doesn't have a better deal!0
mexd781 Posts: 1I saw the lease special of $249 for a Ram 1500 SLT for 10,500 Miles for 27 months and contacted an internet salesman about a particular truck. He told me, for the particular truck with an MSRP of $36,500, the lease would be around $265 after taxes with $4000 due at signing. He said the residual would be $18,257.
I initially didn't want to lease a truck, because I wanted to mod it but this sounds like a decent deal. I planned on buying a used truck to keep my monthly at under $300. Is there something I am missing to this? I should be able to lease it for the 27 months than get a loan and buy it at $18,257 or walk away. It seems like a pretty good deal, just wanted opinions0
My MSRP was $34,500. I got $7000 off in rebates, bonus cash and lease loyality. I didn't put anything down and they made my first payment which is $339 for 27 months and 12,000 miles a year. I want to say my residual is around $18k.
The difference between $339 and $265 is $74 a month. If you take that times 27 months it only comes out to about $2000. I would think putting $4000 down to keep your payments lower seems like a little too much to me. I've never liked putting money down on a lease because I feel like I'm throwing it away then unless you plan to purchase the vehicle after the lease is up. That's just my opinion though.
I would definately shop around if you haven't already. One dealership (which I almost went with) was offering $360 a month with only 10,500 a year. I walked away and by Monday their offer was down to $330 a month. I ended up going to 3 different dealerships and actually worked a deal with the 3rd dealership over the Internet and by phone before actually seeing the vehicle.
Good luck.0
You're welcome, nuhuskers97. Congratulations on getting your new truck. Enjoy .
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
I am looking for the current DCFS lease terms for a 10,500 mile 36 month lease both for a SLT Quad Cab 4x4 and a Laramie Quad Cab 4x4 (if they are different).
I am now being told that there are no lease deals exist for 36 months. Only 27 months. Hmmm...
But I am getting 12K off the MSRP. So that part is good. Now working the leasing terms.0
helpgetgoodbuy Posts: 1So glad to have found this forum!
Need some help. I see nuhuskers got a great deal on his dodge and am trying to do the same.
We are also in Nebraska...zip 68788,
We are beginning negotiations on a Dodge Ram and just looking for any advice we can get. We are interested in a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab SXT. The msrp is 34825. We know there is currently 5500 available. How do you find out what the dealer's invoice price is? Would also like to get the residual and money factor.
Nuhusker...might need to find out what dealer you went through to get as good of a deal as you did...
cynar10 Posts: 10Guys can someone help me please. I'm emailing a bunch of dealers and I'm going with information from here and other sites. Is there any good lease's out there at all???? I got a dealer who is taking almost 10k off MSRP of a Ram 1500 Laramie but the leases seem to be way out of whack. The truck is 43490, and they would sell it for 35100. I haven't asked for their lease numbers yet because they are the best price, but all the other dealers lease's were way high in payments. Mostly over $500 should I expect the same from this dealer, are there just no more good leases. If you could answer quickly that would be great because I'm working on this deal as we speak.
Hi cynar10. As you may already be aware, Chrysler Financial no longer leases vehicles. That means if you really want to lease a Dodge Ram Pickup you would have to do so through an independent bank. I know that Chrysler has been running a lot of deals through Chase and U.S. Bank, but I suspect that their residual values and money factors for the Ram Pickup are probably pretty bad.
If I was in the market for this truck right now, I would forget about leasing it. Instead, I would finance it through Chrysler Financial at 0% for up to 3 years or 2.9% for 5 years plus $1,000 bonus cash.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
Dodge has leasing offers apparently according to the website. It seems the leases are through GMAC?
So are the numbers good? I am thinking with the high MSRP and highly discounted actual cost this truck may lease pretty well if the money factor is good. So whats the MF and residual for a 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Crew Cab, 4x4, 15k per year?
Hi steevo. Yes, Chrysler Financial was shut down during the credit crisis and Chrysler began doing deals through GMAC after the government essentially took them over.
If I recall correctly, Chrysler is providing lease support on one Dodge Ram Pickup trim level, but I don't believe that it is the Laramie Crew Cab. I'll have to look into it and get back to you.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
Thanks for looking into it...0
I was looking into leasing a 3/4 ton pickup (dodge, chevy, or ford) for my construction company, but all the salesmen are saying leasing is dead. They quoted me prices around $900/mnth to lease. Is this true? thanks (eastern Montana).0
Car_man ..
This is what I found for lease incentives...
# Offer 1: Get $3,000 Customer Cash Allowance plus $1,000 GMAC Bonus Cash[6] plus $1,000 Bonus Lease Cash Allowance
So looks like 2 grand extra available to lease.
Do you know the MF and residual for 3 year 15,000 miles .?0
The ford dealership that gave me the $900 quote wouldn't give me any details, they only said, "leasing is not good right now". The Chevy dealer didn't run numbers and they said the same thing as did the Dodge dealership.
It's like they don't want to lease and so are doing minimal work to investigate(??).
In this rural area, i haven't met too many people that DO lease but it seems like it would be a safe choice for me and my construction co.
Your advice???
Thanks Car_man!!! I appreciate your knowledge!!!0
Do you have the Feb MF and Residual for Dodge Ram 1500 Sport 4x4 Crew Cab. 15000 miles. I know the residuals are poor on these trucks, but it seems there can be a huge swing between msrp and selling price making for an attractive number...0
Hi steevo. I'm not sure if Chrysler is currently providing lease support on the Ram Pickup. I don't believe that it is. If you really want one, you probably would be better off taking advantage of the special financing program that is currently available on it, 0.0 for 3 years, 1.9% for 4 years, 2.9% for 5 years, or 4.9% for 6 years.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
I ended up in a Maxima.0
No problem steevo. Excellent choice. The Maxima is a lot of vehicle for the money.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
rman850r Posts: 14Carman,
Any word on if there is lease support this month on the Ram 1500?
If so, could you tell me the rates for the Laramie 4WD for 24 and 36 month program with 15k miles per year?
Also, could you tell me if there is any lease cash.
Thanks again0
I've been quoted a residual of 45% (12K miles) for 36 mo lease, and 47% (12k miles) for 39 mo lease - Laramie crew-cab 4WD. There is a $2000 rebate that applies0
Hello rman850r. Yes, Chrysler is providing support on certain Ram Pickup 1500 trim levels this month.
Its current base lease rate and residual value for a 24 month lease of a 2011 Ram Pickup 1500 Quad Cab Laramie 4WD with 15,000 miles per year are 0.54% and 49%, respectively.
The numbers for an otherwise identical 36 month lease are 0.54% and 45%.
There's a $2,000 cash incentive available on leases of this truck nationally and additional cash on top of that in select regions.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
Hi Car_Man - in your last response, you mention the base lease rate is 0.54%. Is that the APR - equivalent to a money factor of .000225?
Also, I've heard that the residual increase by 2% if the mileage drops to 12K/year, and by 3% for 10K/year. That would mean a 36 month lease with 12,000 miles would have a residual of 47% - can you confirm?
thanks -0
Yes, brujan14. Your conversion was correct and assumption about the low mileage adders are correct.
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum0
gone01 Posts: 3lease a 2011 ram 1500 big horn quad cab4x4 for
$299 a month
for 39 months with 2499 due at signing
can anybody give me any detail or lease deal they are running on ram 1500
thank you0
thebigenglish Posts: 1Car_Man
Is there any way you could let me know the current lease rates and residual for a 2011 Dodge Ram 2500 CC 6.7L Diesel? I'm having a hard time finding this info anywhere and the initial quotes we got are outrageous!
Thank you in advance for your time0
stever Posts: 52,462If you bought a new Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep or Fiat "special edition" model in the past year or so - or if you are a dealer who sold one - a reporter would love to hear about it. Please email [email protected] no later than Wednesday, October 10, 2012 with your daytime phone number and a brief description of the car and your experience with it.0
roscoe65 Posts: 1I'm looking to trade my 2007 dodge ram in on a 2006 cadillac cts, my pickup has 93,00 miles on it, the cadillac has 98,000, just wanting to know if this would be good trade, trading even out the door0
asd302 Posts: 65Hey Car_Man
You have always been a tremendous help with my vehicle purchases, I need your help again.
Can you help with the Res and MF for 24mo and 36mo, 12k and 15k, for a Crew Cab 2013 RAM Sport, Laramie, and Bighorn if they differ? I also haven't seen any updated rebate info for May yet. Also Chrysler Financial has apparently been reborn as of May 1st. So I guess I need their numbers and Ally if they are still involved. I am also considering a Jeep GC so I will be posting the same question over in that forum as well.
Thank you so much!0


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The man who leads the State Department's Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, Ambassador Alberto Fernandez, visited his alma mater April 17, and gave Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center students some good advice regarding their language studies. "Love it," and "have patience."
"Cultivate that love for language…It's like any other relationship. And you have to have patience. Language is something that takes years. It takes decades. It is easy to get frustrated so you have to put in the time year after year and go deep into the language," he told service members studying Arabic-Levantine.
And Fernandez knows this from experience. He is a DLIFLC 1978 graduate of the Arabic Basic Course and a heritage speaker of Spanish. His perseverance and dedication to mastering Arabic led him to getting two degrees in Middle Eastern studies and pursuing a career in public diplomacy. He served at 10 embassies and consulates while with the State Department's Near East Bureau and his fluency in Arabic allowed him to become the bureau's spokesman on Arabic language and was a frequent guest in regional Arabic media.
"Studying Arabic at DLI certainly influenced my career and launched me into what has been a life-long career in the Foreign Service and essentially working in the Middle East. The Arabic learned here was the beginning of studying Arabic for 30 years and working in Arabic. So for me, it was the most significant educational experience in my career," Fernandez said.
But language is not the only skill Fernandez gained at DLIFLC.
"When you speak a language you learn respect and compassion for others. People are people and their aspirations, fears, and concerns, are pretty similar to those of your own," he said. "Having (compassion) will always help you do your job better, to be a more effective solider, to be a more effective diplomat, a more effective representative of the government and people of the United States. In that sense, we are all ambassadors, whether we are diplomats or corporals or soldiers in the field." Today, Fernandez heads the CSCC that was established in 2010 at the direction of the President and the Secretary of State to target violent extremists and terrorist organizations with online information products in various languages. Much of his work is made possible by the analytic support of the intelligence community, capable linguists, members of academia, and organizations that can help counter the actions and ideologies of those who threaten the security of the United States.
Story and Photo Credits
Story and photos by Natela Cutter, PAO
Photo 1: Ambassador Alberto Fernandez observes a class of Arabic Levantine students discuss current affairs and debate issues in the target language on April 17, 2013. Fernandez graduated from the DLIFLC Arabic Levantine course in 1978.
Photo 2: Ambassador Alberto Fernandez walks with Hiam Kanbar, Middle East School I dean, toward Khalil Hall, where he observed an Arabic Levantine class April 17, 2013. A DLIFLC graduate, Fernandez is fluent in Arabic and has worked abroad in the language during his distinguished career at the State Department.
Posted Date: 17 April 2013


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NES creator was 'pessimistic' about console chances
Whatever you might say about Nintendo, it has been a defining part of video game history. 30 years ago, however, the company was much less sure about entering the home console market. The creator of the Famicom (the Japanese name for the Nintendo Entertainment System), Masayuki Uemura, says he was pessimistic about the console's chances when it was in the conceptual phase.
Uemura saw dozens of people working on the Game and Watch systems, and said he thought the three-man team that Nintendo assigned to make the Famicom was too small. "I felt like an already beaten war general who had another mission sent from the top," Umera told Shunpure News (via The Escapist. "I still have a notepad I used at the beginning of development. There was no hint of a future at that time, so all I wrote was pessimistic bitching."
Uemura also noted that two defining aspects of the console, the color and its name, came from unexpected sources. The red and beige color scheme came from the company president, who regularly wore a red scarf because it was his favorite color. The president also called it the "Family Computer," but the shortened name "Famicom" came from his prescient wife.
"When I told my wife about the name Family Computer she said 'Why not just call it Famicom? Everyone's just going to shorten it to Famicom anyway,'" he said. "I thought she had a good idea so I took it to my boss. He rejected it saying 'Famicom? That makes no sense.'"
He says that the machine has "clumsy graphics" compared to modern systems, but ends on an optimistic note. "This gave room for the player's imagination to roam. With the Famicom, each player has their own view of the game's world, creating a deeper universe."


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Clubs will vote on making changes to the current loan system in place at their summer AGM, a Football League spokesman has confirmed.
The rules which currently dictate loan signings in the Football League have come under scrutiny since Watford brought in 11 players on temporary deals to help their promotion push.
The Hornets are third in the npower Championship after fully utilising owner Gino Pozzo's stakes in Udinese and Granada to flood their squad with loan signings.
The current rules do not place a limit on the number of loan signings a club can make but restrict a matchday squad to containing only five on-loan players.
But the restriction does not encompass internationally-capped players so Watford are free to select the likes of Joel Ekstrand, Almen Abdi, Matej Vydra and Daniel Pudil, amongst others, who have all been capped by their respective nations.
The AGM in the summer will address other issues but the most high-profile vote will relate to the loan system, with the hope of international players falling under the same restrictions and being included in the five on-loan individuals permitted in a matchday squad.
What do you think? Have your say.


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CHANHASSEN, MN -- The stock of Life Time Fitness, which took a hit last week after a negative report from a stock market research company, received a boost this week after the purchase of the company's stock by Green Equity Investors, an affiliate of the $9 billion private equity firm Leonard Green and Partners.
A filing showed that from mid-October through November, Green Equity Investors had purchased $53.5 million worth of Life Time stock, or about $14.74 per share. Life Time's stock, which recently set a 52-week low of $8.03, went up to around $11 per share Tuesday after news of the Green Equity Investor purchases became public.
Last week, Citron Research, a research shop that focuses on overvalued situations or scams in the stock market, published a negative report about Life Time, saying the Chanhassen, MN-based company has a business model that no company has ever proven successful. Citron cited Life Time's monthly membership contracts as its biggest strength but also its biggest weakness.
The Citron report said that Life Time's equity would eventually be wiped away as the company carried a debt load that it would no longer be able to service. Citron cited Life Time's 40 percent attrition rate, high membership rates and a struggling economy as factors affecting the company.
"These huge debt-heavy and capex-heavy club operations are the antithesis of the agile, nimble and cash-flow positive companies that will survive a severe downturn in consumer discretionary spending," Citron says. "Bally couldn't do it, and Citron believes Life Time won't be able to, either."
Citron plans to publish a report comparing the financials of Bally Total Fitness before it went bankrupt last year with those of Life Time to show what the future holds for Life Time.
Leonard Green and Partners, Los Angeles, focuses on companies that are market leaders with strong management and have the ability to grow 50 percent over a five-year period, according to the company's Web site. The company also recently bought up shares of Whole Foods.
In the filing, Leonard Green and Partners noted that informal and general discussions with Life Time executives had occurred and that more detailed talks about possible changes at Life Time might take place in the future.
Asked about the possible talks with Leonard Green and Partners, a Life Time Fitness spokesperson would only say that as a matter of course, the company does not comment on shareholder transactions.


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Steven Pressfield's new book " The Lion's Gate: On the Front Lines of the Six Day War" contains a remarkable account of the Israeli Air Force's first-ever mission in 1948, in which four planes succeeded against overwhelming odds to stop a massive Egyptian army in its tracks.
When Israel became an independent nation on May 14, 1948, the armies of four Arab neighbors — Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq — immediately invaded the new country to prevent its creation.
The Israelis were desperate to defend themselves, but they lacked many modern weapons and had no aircraft to protect troops, Pressfield wrote. Meanwhile, western nations including the U.S. and Britain were enforcing a ban on arms shipments to Israel.
Basing his book on dozens of interviews with various individuals who experienced Israel's early wars, Pressfield wrote the chapters from the perspectives of veterans who survived combat, telling the story in their voices.
Knowing a massive Arab invasion was imminent, American Lou Lenart helped recruit foreign war veterans like himself to fly for Israel. Czechoslovakia was one of the only countries willing to sell aircraft to Israel, because it was a Soviet bloc nation desperate for American dollars.
Just two days before the Arab nations invaded, Lenart and a handful of recruits rushed to Czechoslovakia to train on that country's version of a German Messerschmitt 109 fighter plane — ironically, the type flown by the Nazis during World War II. Lenart, who had served as a U.S. Marine fighter pilot against the Japanese, was not impressed with the Czech aircraft:
This plane was the worst piece of crap I have ever flown. It was not even an airplane. It was put together by the Czechs from mismatched parts left behind by the Nazis. The airframe was that of an Me-109 but the propeller and engine came out of a Heinkel bomber. You can't make a plane that way. But it was all we could get, so we took it.
The first time Lenart took off in the aircraft, he almost crashed into the sea. He compared the plane's engine to a farm tractor motor inside a Lamborghini. He even feared that poor synchronization of the machine guns would cause him to shoot his own propeller off.
As the pilots hurriedly trained in Czechoslovakia, the Arab countries began their invasion with tanks and aircraft, gaining ground rapidly. Pressfield wrote this in Lenart's voice:
Every night we got bulletins from Israel. The Arab Legion with tanks and artillery was attacking near Jerusalem. Syrian forces had crossed the Jordan [River]. The Egyptian Army, with Spitfires, tanks, and artillery, was advancing up the coast road toward Tel Aviv. There's a kibbutz [communal settlement] on the frontier called Yad Mordechai. Three Egyptian battalions were attacking a force of 140. Even the kibbutz women fought in the trenches, firing World War I Enfields. They held out for five days before the Egyptians stormed the place and captured it.
To make matters worse, two of the six planes Israel purchased were destroyed in an accident on the way to the Middle East. By the time the remaining four planes were ready for their first mission, Arabs forces were on the verge of capturing Israel's two biggest cities, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Pressfield wrote.
Outnumbered Israeli troops managed to destroy a section of a bridge 17 miles from Tel Aviv, momentarily halting a massive Egyptian army from capturing the city. On the new Israeli Air Force's first-ever mission May 29 1948, Lenart and three other pilots — Modi Alon, Ezer Weizman, and Eddie Cohen — took off in a desperate effort to bomb and strafe the Egyptians before they could repair the bridge.
"There is no making light of this moment," wrote Pressfield in Lenart's voice. "Behind us is Israel, the Jewish people hanging on by a thread. Ahead of us is the enemy, advancing to destroy everything we love."
The four pilots alone faced 6,000 Egyptian troops — consisting of seven infantry battalions, six hundred vehicles, and formidable antiaircraft weapons, according to Pressfield. Lenart, the only pilot with combat experience in a fighter plane, led the mission.
Here is Pressfield's incredible account of what Lenart experienced next, written in Lenart's perspective:
We attack. The guns malfunction; the bomb releases balk. I look right and left and see nobody. Antiaircraft fire is ferocious. Six thousand Egyptians are putting up everything they've got. Eddie Cohen, a wonderful, brave pilot from South Africa, must have run into too much of it. His plane doesn't come back. I manage to put one 70-kilogram bomb onto a concentration of trucks and troops in the town square of Ishdud. Modi and Ezer do what they can. It's a mess. We straggle back, having inflicted minimal damage.
But the shock to the Egyptians is overwhelming. To be attacked from the air by four Messerschmitt 109s with the Star of David on the side!
The bold strike left the Egyptian forces dumbfounded and vulnerable. That night, Jewish ground troops took advantage of the situation by attacking the Egyptians' flank. Pressfield continues the account from Lenart's perspective:
The Egyptians are thrown into disorder. Israeli intelligence intercepts this dispatch from the brigade commander to Cairo: "We were heavily attacked by enemy aircraft and we are scattering."
The Egyptian Army deflected to the east, to link with other Arab forces besieging Jerusalem.
Tel Aviv was saved, and so was the nation.
Sometime later I got a chance to speak with several Egyptian officers who were there that day. They said that the soldiers in the column were certain that these four planes, our piece-of-crap Messerschmitts, were just the tip of the spear, that the Jews had hundreds more, poised to attack and destroy them all.
Today Israelis call the bridge where the attack took place "Ad Halom," meaning "Until Here" in Hebrew, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Click here to purchase and learn more about Pressfield's new book.


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|Jepson Flora Project: Jepson Interchange
previous taxon |
next taxon
Jepson Interchange (more information)
©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
Annual to tree
Leaves generally compound, alternate, stipuled; leaflets generally entire
Inflorescence: generally raceme, spike, umbel or head; flowers sometime 12 in axils
Flowers generally bisexual, generally bilateral; hypanthium generally flat or cup-like; sepals generally 5, fused; petals generally 5, free, or the 2 lower ± fused; stamens 1many, often 10 with 9 filaments at least partly fused, 1 (uppermost) free; pistil 1, ovary superior, generally 1-chambered, ovules 1many, style, stigma 1
Fruit: legume, sometimes including a stalk-like base above receptacle, dehiscent, or indehiscent and breaking into 1-seeded segments, or indehiscent, 1-seeded, and achene-like
Seeds 1several, often ± reniform, generally hard, smooth
Genera in family: ± 650 genera, 18,000 species: worldwide; with grasses, requisite in agriculture and most natural ecosystems. Many cultivated, most importantly Arachis , peanut; Glycine , soybean; Phaseolus , beans; Medicago ; Trifolium ; and many orns
Reference: [Polhill & Raven (eds) 1981 Advances in legume systematics; Allen & Allen 1981 Leguminosae]
Family description and key to genera by Duane Isely.
Perennial, unarmed, generally hairy, rhizomed
Stem erect; lower nodes leafless
Leaves palmately compound; lower stipules clasping stem, scarious, others not clasping, green; leaflets 3
Inflorescence: raceme, terminal; bracts like stipules, ± persistent
Flower: calyx lobes 5, but upper 2 variously fused; corolla yellow; stamens 10, free
Fruit slowly dehiscent, short or oblong, flat; base stalk-like; margin often wavy
Species in genus: ± 10 species: North America, Asia
Etymology: (Greek: like a lupine)
Reference: [Isely 1951 Mem New York Bot Garden 25(3):104122]
Plant green, gray, or silvery
Stem 0.32 m
Leaf: leaflets 2.56 cm, oblanceolate to ovate
Inflorescence 15 dm, 6many-flowered; bracts conspicuous
Flower: calyx 710 mm, lobes ± = or < tube; corolla 1525 mm; ovary generally hairy
Fruit spreading to erect, oblong, often curved, often narrowed in places by poor seed set
Seeds fewseveral
Chromosomes: 2n=18,36
Ecology: Grassland, chaparral, sandy scrub, woodlands, open ridges, disturbed areas
Elevation: < 2100 m.
Bioregional distribution: Northwestern California, Cascade Range, Central Western California, Southwestern California, Modoc Plateau
Distribution outside California: Oregon
Regionally diverse complex that has been classified variously.
Plant green or gray-hairy
Stem 520 dm
Leaf sometimes tomentose; hairs wavy or incurved
Fruit generally ascending, sometimes out-curved or erect
Chromosomes: 2n=18
Ecology: Grasslands, chaparral, open woodlands, disturbed areas
Elevation: < 2100 m.
Bioregional distribution: Northwestern California, Central Western California, n Southwestern California.Variable in habit, size, hairiness; robust plants (12 m) of Santa Ynez Mtns (Santa Barbara Co.) have been called var. agnina J.T. Howell, Santa Ynez false-lupine
Horticultural information: DRN, IRR: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24 &SHD: 14, 18, 19, 20, 21; STBL.


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Iphone 4S
Last weekend I got a long awaited surprise in the mail. An Iphone 4S. I ordered one for myself and one for Amy. I had previously been with AT&T and had been using a now obsolete Iphone 3G. Yes, I had watched the Iphone 3GS come and go along with the Iphone 4, but I couldn't wait any longer. I needed a better phone.
For those of you who may not know, the Iphone 4S comes with Siri. You basically tell your phone what to do, and it does it. You can ask it questions, (which it will either answer or look it up for you on google if it doesn't know) have it set reminders, ask for the weather, have it play a song, have it text someone, have it call someone, etc. It's pretty awesome.
Additionally, it will be extra useful for ballhawking during 2012, because rather than scribbling down notes on a wrinkled up roster that occasionally gets lost, I can just tell my phone, "Note. Ball #1 Clean catch section 136." and it will make that note. Also, the camera is way, way better than my old phone, and this phone also has a video camera.
So, I was pretty pumped to get it.
Here it is:
I told you above that the Iphone 4S has a far superior camera. Check out the difference.
A pic of two baseballs from my collection with the old Iphone 3G, followed by a pic from
the new Iphone 4S!


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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- "Bolt" is Disney's first animated feature since Pixar guru John Lasseter took over the company's animation division, so it's no surprise the voice cast is loaded with top talent. John Travolta makes his voice actor debut in the title role, "Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus plays Bolt's owner and friend, and then there's 13-year Disney veteran Mark Walton.
Mark Walton poses with his furry alter ego, Rhino, at the "Bolt" premiere.
Walton provides the voice of Rhino, an irrepressibly gonzo hamster who's Bolt's biggest fan. But he's an animator, not an actor. A story visual development guy, not the star of the show.
Portly and balding, Walton is hardly a glamorous Hollywood figure, and yet he's doing press with stars Travolta and Cyrus, walking the red carpet with them and drawing the film's biggest laughs.
Walton's journey from schlub to star surprised him as much as anybody, he told CNN. Watch how Walton brought Rhino to life »
Before the big-name voice actors go into the recording studio, he explained, animators do a kind of rough draft of the film, with temporary voice tracks provided by volunteers within the animation division.
"Some people who had known me here ... [and] knew my personality and my voice decided that I might be a funny match for this crazy, enthusiastic hamster," he said, seemingly at ease with a half-dozen camera techs and studio publicists surrounding him at the movie's press junket. "But, of course, the assumption was always that some professional, big-name actor would be brought in to do the real voice."
Not this time. One by one, name actors were brought in and matched to their characters: Travolta for the earnest, lovable dog star; teen icon and devoted pet owner Cyrus as a dog-loving young actress; wisecracking Susie Essman from "Curb Your Enthusiasm" as a streetwise cat; and Malcolm McDowell as TV show villain Dr. Calico. But as the film continued to progress from the drawing boards to finished product, Walton stayed in the picture.
"We got to the point where it's like, we can't find an actor to come even close to how good this is," recalled Lasseter. "So of course we're going to give it to him, because ... it's not important how big of a name an actor is, it's about how great the character that's being created, how it jumps off the screen and becomes memorable. That's what it's about."
And Walton's take on Rhino, the creation of his pal and character designer Joe Moshier, was certainly memorable.
"He's seen how I go to the buffets," Walton joked about Moshier. "And he knows how hamsters can stuff a lot of food into their cheeks. ... And I think that knowing how I like food kind of informed the round, kind of chubby, inflated shape of the character, as well as the uneven, kind of crazy, slightly psychotic and googly eyes. I say, you like something about Rhino, I'll take credit for it."
He's getting lots of credit.
"When I heard Rhino, I was like, this guy's hilarious. Who is it?" said Essman. "I wanted to know who the actor was, if it was somebody I knew. And they told me it wasn't. I thought that was so cool, that he's just, he's one of the story artists."
Audiences think it's cool too, judging from the reaction at a preview screening filled with kids and adults. Walton's Rhino steals every scene he's in.
Walton, who has worked on Disney animated features since 1999's "Tarzan" and provided minor voices for "Home on the Range" and "Chicken Little," said he'd gladly have stepped aside if a big-name actor had come in and done a better job.
"That's the best thing for the movie," he said. "But there was something very satisfying about knowing that yes, one of us, the little people behind the scenes, who don't always get a lot of attention or notoriety or visibility, could do the part, and that people recognized that."