text:
You are currently browsing the monthly archive for August 2014.
A very good friend of mine is getting married this Fall who posed a wine pairing conundrum: which wine to serve? While there are endless possibilities, her situation had a couple of caveats:
1) The venue for the reception does not allow any red wine to be served, because the space is actually lined with white marble.
2) Oh, lamb is on the menu, so that white wine should pair well with that too…
3) … and there will be around 300 guests, so it has to have an excellent price to quality ratio.
The issue is a common one, I think, and we actually challenged ourselves in an office tasting two years ago that I wrote about on snooth, in which we paired whites wines with barbecue and red wines with fish … with great results. But on a value level (without compromising quality, of course), it poses another level of difficulty.
It is easy enough to find a white wine that behaves like a red wine–but only at a certain price point. Wines with great, red wine-like structure, like a Savennières or a Ramato-style Pinot Grigio from Friuli, are not inexpensive, typically starting at around $30 on the retail shelf. Not exactly ideal for a larger crowd of 300.
The solution came after brainstorming with many of my restaurateurs and retailers. More off than not, the answer that came back was Assyrtiko from Greece (pronounced Ah-sere-tea-koh).
And why not? They do serve lots of lamb in Greece, so why not choose a Greek white? Grown on the poor soils of a volcanic crater-island, Assyrtiko offers richness, minerality, smoky, haunting flavors, making it a wine that really does lend itself well to red meat (and it works, we had it with meatloaf last weekend to test it out). And there are several good ones on the market: Athina, Argyros, Gai'a, Sigalas. Try it for yourself. And if it piques your interest, you can find out more about Assyrtiko and other Greek wines here or in a recent article by Eric Asimov.


text:
Pavia names Fontneau as police chief
Mayor Michael Pavia named police veteran Jon Fontneau as the department's next chief during a news conference in the Stamford Government Center on Friday morning.
Fontneau, 56, has been the interim police chief since Robert Nivakoff announced his retirement in September. Nivakoff had recommended Fontneau be appointed on a permanent basis.
"He is intimately familiar with the Police Department and how it works. His DNA is the city of Stamford. His overall passion is for the city of Stamford. His total commitment is to the city of Stamford," Pavia said, in introducing Fontneau to about 50 well-wishers gathered in the mayor's conference room.
The appointment requires the Board of Representatives' approval. A date for the board's vote has not been announced.
Fontneau thanked Pavia and said he was proud and humbled to be given the opportunity to run what he said was the finest police department in the state and one of the best in the nation.
"It has been my privilege for the past 32 years ... to have worked here in this police department -- throughout my career in the Police Department to work and train with many excellent police officers, and it has helped me become the person I have become," Fontneau said.
He also thanked Nivakoff for helping him prepare to take over the department.
"I love Stamford. Stamford was where I was born, raised, educated, and is home to my family and friends," Fontneau said.
Pavia said he decided to forgo an outside search for a new chief based on Fontneau's depth of experience and understanding of the challenges the department faces.
"I see it as an opportunity. Knowing what I know and how it works and the direction the department has gone under Chief Nivakoff -- with the assistance of Jon -- this is an opportunity to make the Stamford Police Department a world-class, metropolitan police department," Pavia said in an interview Thursday. "I'm convinced it makes the most sense. Jon is somebody who understands the Police Department."
Pavia said Fontneau will be the 15th police chief since the city's founding in 1894; Fontneau has served under eight of those chiefs.
During the news conference, Police Commission Chairman Mark Larobina echoed Pavia's reasons for picking Fontneau.
"There have been questions about how you find a police chief," said Larobina, a former Greenwich police officer. "It is amazing that we didn't have to look anywhere. He was right here with us. His reputation in law enforcement is incredible.
"I come from law enforcement, and I can tell you that the name Jon Fontneau stands for professionalism, that he is one of the best police officers that have ever come from Stamford, and I feel very honored to have you as chief."
Board of Representatives member Annie Summerville did not express much concern about Fontneau's confirmation by city representatives.
"I feel good being a resident of Stamford, Connecticut, today," Summerville said. "I know you are going to do well," she said, addressing Fontneau.
Ted Jankowski, director of public safety, said he wholeheartedly supported Pavia's decision.
He said Fontneau will bring new ideas and a new vision to the Police Department. Jankowski who was appointed to the public safety job earlier this year, said he has been impressed with Fontneau's abilities "every single day" he has worked with him.
Jankowski said he was "entirely confident" in Fontneau's ability to lead the department's 269 officers.
Fontneau is a Stamford High School graduate who joined the department in 1980. He started as a patrol officer and worked on the city's West Side before helping form the city's community policing and school resource officer programs and then leading the Narcotics and Organized Crime Squad.
Nivakoff, who rose through the ranks with Fontneau, said beyond having a strong resume as a patrol officer and police administrator, he is most of all a "nice man."
"I hold him in the highest regard," Nivakoff said, recalling how Fontneau always tried to help children. "He is just a very nice man."
Nivakoff said Fontneau started a summer camp program for youngsters at Westhill High School and was always looking to help troubled youths.
During a question and answer period later, Fontneau said part of the department's success in helping keep crime down was the work the department has done with youth in the city.
As well as going on a "hiring blitz" to put more officers on the street, Fontneau said that he wanted to increase "family-oriented policing."
He said he would like the department to become more involved with after-school and truancy programs that would enable police officers to work more with youngsters.
"I really feel we have to invest in our kids. And that is what we have done for years here, and I think that is one of the reasons why our crime rate is so low," Fontneau said.
The next chief will face several challenges with the department, which has been criticized for overtime spending. Overtime has increased steadily from $4.1 million in 2009 to $5.1 million in the last fiscal year.
The department is also still looking at how to respond to several recommendations contained in a consultant's controversial report that found the city should change its minimum manpower requirements for the department to reduce overtime costs and more efficiently use resources elsewhere by using civilians for some police functions such as dispatch and records.
Fontneau said he has not yet worked out his hiring quota with Pavia. However, he mentioned working on recommendations contained in the so-called Matrix report that will help guide the process.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
via press release:
THE TALK Reunites Iconic TV Couple Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross From "Family Ties," Thurs. Feb. 14
THE PRICE IS RIGHT Celebrates Romance By Inviting Couples to "Come on Down" Together, Thurs. Feb 14
A Romantic Trip To Paris Is Up For Grabs For Traders on LETS MAKE A DEAL, Thurs. Feb. 14
Valentine's Day Is Filled With Unexpected Twists on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS When a Blizzard Hits Genoa City, Thurs. Feb. 14
Who Will Find Love And Who Will Find Heartbreak THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL?
Love isn't just in the air, love is on the air as CBS Daytime celebrates Valentine's Day with themed episodes of THE TALK, THE PRICE IS RIGHT, LET'S MAKE A DEAL, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS and THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, airing Monday, Feb. 11 – Friday, Feb. 15 on the CBS Television Network.
THE TALK, daytime television's fastest growing network talk show, will feature special Valentines' Day segments each day Monday, Feb. 11 – Thursday, Feb. 14. (2:00-3:00 PM, ET; 1:00-2:00 AM, PT/CT). On Monday, Feb. 11, sex therapist Jill Blakeway will discuss how couples can recharge their libido as part of "Talk Takeaway" relationship series. On Tuesday, Feb. 12, lifestyle expert Kristan Cunningham will showcase several Valentine's Day gift ideas the whole audience will go home with and viewers at home will have a chance to win on TheTalk.com. On Wednesday, Feb. 13, relationship expert Paul Carrick Brunson will provide dating advice as part of the "Talk Takeaway" series. Finally, on Thursday, Feb. 14, THE TALK will feature a full show dedicated to Valentine's Day, reuniting iconic TV couple Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross from "Family Ties." In addition, Chef Nigella Lawson will cook a fun romantic meal that viewers can make at home.
THE PRICE IS RIGHT, daytime television's most-watched program, celebrates the romance of Valentine's Day by inviting couples to "Come on Down" together on a special episode, Thursday, Feb. 14 (11:00 AM-12:00 Noon, ET; 10:00-11:00 AM, PT). And to make sure that no one is fighting over prizes, each pair of lovebirds will play for prizes that the couples can enjoy together, such as his and her designer watches, sunglasses and clothing, "date nights" for a year of movie tickets, flowers and dinner, and a romantic trip to Paris. Couples who make it to the Showcase Showdown will have the opportunity to bid on prizes, including a diamond pendant, a pair of iPads and, since Valentine's Day wouldn't be complete without something sweet, a "chocolate" colored car.
LET'S MAKE A DEAL, with host Wayne Brady, celebrates Valentine's Day with an all-expense paid trip to Paris and Valentine's Day themed prizes for singles and couples, including a $15,000 cash prize, on Thursday, Feb. 14 (check local listings). Other themed prizes will range from cars and scooters to a ski trip and a vacation in New Orleans. Zonks are still a vital part of the show, even on Valentine's Day. Notable Zonks that traders will need to avoid are Zonk candy, Zonk gorilla cupid, Zonk corn dog and a Zonk broken heart. The Big Deal of the Day promises to be memorable as the total value for one lucky trader is over $28,000.
On THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, the #1 daytime drama for 24 years, Valentine's Day will be filled with unexpected twists when a blizzard hits Genoa City on Thursday, Feb. 14 (12:30-1:30 PM, ET; 11:00 AM-12:00 Noon, PT). It may be stormy outside, but sizzling with intrigue and romance inside. Nikki reveals a life-changing secret, Neil wants to get more serious with Leslie, Phyllis questions her future with Jack, Cane and Lily's romantic anniversary plans take an unexpected turn, and Chloe pressures Chelsea to come clean with Adam.
On THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, worried that her past actions will negatively affect her future, Dayzee is lovingly comforted by her hunky husband Marcus and her step-baby Rosey, on Thursday, Feb. 14 (1:30-2:00 PM, ET; 12:30-1:00 PM, PT). When Rosey goes to sleep, Marcus breaks out the roses and the romance. New parents Bill and Katie want to put her recent bout with postpartum depression and his steamy kiss with her sister behind them. However, they have different visions of how they'll spend the evening! Eric pays Taylor a surprise visit with romance on his mind, but when he arrives it is he who is surprised.
CBS Daytime has been #1 in the daypart for 26 consecutive years, featuring a lineup that is a balance of dramas, game shows and talk. The network's daytime lineup includes television's #1 daytime program and longest-running game show THE PRICE IS RIGHT, the #1 daytime drama THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, as well as THE TALK, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL and LET'S MAKE A DEAL.


text:
Go figure: FIA reveal the driver numbers for the new 2014 season
Sebastian Vettel to use '1' but has requested '5' for his career; Lewis Hamilton chooses '44'; Lotus and Marussia 2014 entries 'subject to confirmation'; Max Chilton named as second Marussia driver
By Sky Sports Online
Last Updated: 13/01/14 8:18pm
Ferrari pair Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen will use '14' and '7' respectively.
Asked to explain his choice, the deadpan Finn told Reuters: "It's the number I already had last year and I saw no reason to change it."
Jenson Button of McLaren has selected '22' - the number he used during his championship-winning campaign of 2009.
Meanwhile, Lotus new boy Pastor Maldonado, ever the contrarian, has opted for '13'.
In another eye-catching selection, Adrian Sutil of Sauber has chosen '99'.
The governing body's release of the 2014 entry sheet also names Max Chilton at Marussia, although the Englishman has yet to be allocated a car number.
Curiously, the entries of both Lotus drivers, as well as those of Marussia pair Chilton and Jules Bianchi, are marked as 'subject to confirmation'. Lotus announced earlier this week they will not be running at the upcoming Jerez test while Marussia are yet to reveal their plans.
Caterham, meanwhile, are yet to name either of their drivers for 2014.
2014 Driver Numbers:
Red Bull
1: Sebastian Vettel.
3: Daniel Ricciardo.
44: Lewis Hamilton.
6: Nico Rosberg.
14: Fernando Alonso.
7: Kimi Raikkonen.
8: Romain Grosjean. *
13: Pastor Maldonado. *
22: Jenson Button.
20: Kevin Magnussen.
Force India
27: Nico Hulkenberg.
11: Sergio Perez.
99: Adrian Sutil.
21: Esteban Gutierrez.
Toro Rosso
25: Jean Eric Vergne.
26: Daniel Kvyat.
19: Felipe Massa.
77: Valtteri Bottas.
17: Jules Bianchi. *
4: Max Chilton. *
Both drivers still to be confirmed.
* Subject to confirmation
27...... its going to be my Number for the rest of my F1 career😀👍! What do u think, like it??- Nico Hülkenberg (@NicoHulkenberg) January 10, 2014
Yes yes yes I have got my first number choice : 8January 10, 2014
Enough already! That's not me either! I'm happy with #20 but it's interesting that no-one chose #2, #4 or #5. @McLarenF1- Kevin Magnussen (@KevinMagnussen) January 10, 2014
Let's go for #17 ! #F1 #2014- Jules_Bianchi (@Jules_Bianchi) January 10, 2014
Cool. got number 6 for my remaining F1 career! My future wife's and my dad's lucky number. so it has got to work for me too! ;)- Nico Rosberg (@nico_rosberg) January 10, 2014
Reason for #3 is it was my first ever number in karting and I was also a fan of Dale Earnhardt. pic.twitter.com/Z9zBntEewl- Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) January 11, 2014
@JeanEricVergne: Happy about my number :) content de mon numéro #25 pic.twitter.com/k75uxhYhVv- Jean-Eric Vergne (@JeanEricVergne) January 11, 2014
So next year I will be racing with number 4 on my car! #M4X— Max Chilton (@maxchilton) January 13, 2014


text:
Site Search
The 10th IPEd Editors Conference will be in Hobart, Tasmania, from Monday 28 June 2021 – Wednesday 30 June 2021.
IPEd Strategic Plan July 2017 to June 2020.
The branches of IPEd host workshops, seminars, member meetings and other events that are open to all IPEd members. Information and booking details are listed on the Events page of this website.
The following resources are now available to IPEd members through the IPEd member portal:
PerfectIt is a software resource that helps deliver error-free documents. IPEd members receive a 30% discount on a single license of PerfectIt, at the member discounts link above. IPEd's review of the current version, PerfectIT Cloud, offers further information.
Publicly available resources include:
IPEd has established the Editors Directory. Clients can search the directory for freelance editors using specific criteria. These will identify editors that have specific interests, skills or experience in certain areas.
Posted on: 18 June 2020
IPEd is pleased to announce the new date for the 2020 accreditation exam is Saturday 5 December 2020.
read more...
Contact us | Join us | Site map | Privacy & disclaimer | site by Brighter


text:
To begin, behold this exquisite illustration, created by request by artist Jeff Zugale:
Yes, yes, I know. Hold on a minute and I'll explain. But first:
Short Form: For the benefit of the Lupus Alliance of America, John Scalzi, Wil Wheaton and Subterranean Press are running a fan fiction contest, in which contestants write a 400 to 2,000 word story describing the picture above. Any form of fan fiction is acceptable except slash explicit sex. The winner of the contest will be paid for their story (10 cents a word), win a prize pack of books from Subterranean Press, and will have their story published in a special electronic chapbook featuring stories about the painting, written by Scalzi, Wheaton, Catherynne Valente and Patrick Rothfuss, to be published later this year, with profits to benefit the Lupus Foundation of America. E-mail the stories with the text in the e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com by 11:59pm Eastern, June 30, 2010. One entry per person.
Long Form:
To answer your question: Yes. That's me. As an Orc. With an axe. And Wil Wheaton. In the INFAMOUS clown sweater. With a spear. On a unicorn pegasus kitten. With volcanoes. I mean, of course, because how could you have Wil Wheaton and a ScalzOrc together without volcanoes?
And now, to your other question, which is: ZOMFG WHY?
The answer: Oh, come on. You really have to ask why to the man who commissioned The Velvet Wesley? There is no why. There is just: The picture. Of me. As an Orc. And Wil. With a spear. On a unicorn pegasus kitten.
So, there is no why. But there is a what, as in, what is Wil Wheaton doing astride a unicorn unicorn pegasus kitten, in the INFAMOUS clown sweater, aiming a spear at an Orc version of me?
And that's where you come in.
You see, the fact is that neither Wil nor I know how we got to the point where we are in the picture. We are open to theories. Theories in the form of fanfic. That's right: We're looking for fan fiction which explains what the holy hell is going on in that picture. Because if ever a work was made for fan fiction exegesis, it is the image above.
So, here's the plan: You write a 400 to 2,000 word fanfic about the picture above. Come at it from any angle you like to explain, illuminate or otherwise bring to life what's going on in the picture above. Our only request is NO slash fanfic stories with explicit sex (please). But other than that, knock yourself out.
When you're finished with the story, in addition to whatever else you do with it (hey, it's your fanfic, we hold no claim to it), send a copy of the story to email@example.com by 11:59pm Eastern, June 30, 2010 (one entry per person), with the text of the story in the e-mail (no attachments, please). When you do, you'll enter your fan fiction into a contest.
If your fanfic of the picture is chosen by our Jury of Awesomeness, your story will appear in a special electronic chapbook about the picture, with other stories written by me, by Wil, by Norton Award winner and Best Novel Hugo Award nominee Catherynne Valente and by Patrick Rothfuss, best selling author of The Name of the Wind. You will be paid for your story at the rate of ten cents a word (twice the SFWA minimum professional rate), and you'll receive a special prize pack of books from Subterranean Press, which will publish the electronic chapbook later in the year.
We have plans for the chapbook: We're going to sell it online, and the proceeds of the chapbook will go to benefit the Lupus Alliance of America, an organization dedicated to finding the causes of and cure for lupus and providing support, services and hope to all people affected by lupus. As folks who know and love people affected by this disease, this a cause and foundation we believe in and want to help. The donation will go through the Alliance's Michigan/Indiana affiliate.
So look at again at the picture. Of me. As an Orc. And Wil. In his clown sweater. With a spear. On a Unicorn Pegasus Kitten. With volcanoes. You know that's a story you want to tell. So tell it. And please feel free to tell everyone you know about this contest — and this image. Clearly, it's something best shared with as many people as humanly (or Orcishly) possible.
Update, 8:44pm: Artist Jeff Zugale shares the process of creating this time work of art.
Update, 6/1, 9:28am: There's been some discussion in the comments about the "no slash" request, so let me clarify: "slash" in this case is meant to refer to explicit sex depictions, not the general possibilities of m/m-liciousness. Slashy non-explicit stories? Go nuts. Sorry for any confusion. Also, to be super-clear, no explicit sex of any kind, please.
Update, 6/1, 11:18am: Video of the reveal of the work during the Super Happy Fun Time With John and Wil at Phoenix Comicon.
Update, 6/3, 11:55am: Follow up post answering some questions and comments is here.


text:
Page 1
|Save page Remove page
|1 of 235
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
Large (1000x1000 max)
Extra Large
large ( > 500x500)
Full Resolution
All (PDF)
This page
AIRWAY INFLAMMATION AND RESPIRATORY HEALTH IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHILDREN'S HEALTH STUDY by Theresa Meredith Bastain _____________________________________________________________ A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (EPIDEMIOLOGY) May 2012 Copyright 2012 Theresa Meredith Bastain
Object Description
|Airway inflammation and respiratory health in the Southern California children's health study
|Bastain, Theresa Meredith
|Author email
|Doctor of Philosophy
|Document type
|Degree program
|Keck School of Medicine
|Date defended/completed
|Date submitted
|Date approved
|Restricted until
|Date published
|Advisor (committee chair)
|Gilliland, Frank D.
|Advisor (committee member)
Berhane, Kiros
Dubeau, Louis
Gauderman, W. James
McConnell, Robert
|The burden of childhood respiratory diseases is an important public health problem. Asthma is the most common childhood chronic disease and numerous studies have documented its rise in worldwide prevalence over the past several decades. Moreover, normal pulmonary function development during childhood is important for reaching maximum attainable adult lung function. While the etiology of childhood asthma and development of normal pulmonary function development are complex, a growing body of evidence shows that a variety of environmental exposures are important determinants of childhood airway diseases and normal development. A greater understanding of the biological mechanisms influencing childhood asthma and the natural course of pulmonary function development is critical to minimizing the adverse effects of environmental exposures. We investigated pathophysiologic mechanisms using advances in non-invasive technologies including exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scanning to assess airway inflammation and airway structural changes in the Southern California Children's Health Study. We demonstrated that higher measured inflammation could predict the onset of asthma and was associated with lower pulmonary function levels. Moreover, we found that adults who had been exposed to higher levels of air pollution during childhood had anatomically smaller airways than adults exposed to lower levels during childhood. These findings have the potential to identify early markers of disease and aid in preventive strategies to lessen the substantial burden that exists with childhood asthma and airway diseases. Further research is greatly needed to examine the effects of environmental exposures on key pathophysiologic mechanisms that lead to or mitigate the development of childhood and adult respiratory diseases.
|children's health; exhaled nitric oxide; respiratory disease
|Part of collection
|University of Southern California dissertations and theses
|Publisher (of the original version)
|University of Southern California
|Place of publication (of the original version)
|Los Angeles, California
|Publisher (of the digital version)
|University of Southern California. Libraries
|Electronically uploaded by the author
|Legacy record ID
|Contributing entity
|University of Southern California
|Bastain, Theresa Meredith
|Physical access
|The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given.
|Repository name
|University of Southern California Digital Library
|Repository address
|USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 7002, 106 University Village, Los Angeles, California 90089-7002, USA
|Repository email
|Archival file
|Page 1
|Contributing entity
|University of Southern California
|Repository email
|Full text
|AIRWAY INFLAMMATION AND RESPIRATORY HEALTH IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHILDREN'S HEALTH STUDY by Theresa Meredith Bastain _____________________________________________________________ A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (EPIDEMIOLOGY) May 2012 Copyright 2012 Theresa Meredith Bastain


text:
|Exercise Help & Tips: Back Extension with Ball
|Starting Position
Begin very close to a wall, facing away from it. Pull the ball into your legs as close to your body as possible. Keep your toes firmly on the ground and the soles of your feet flat on the wall behind you. Straighten legs so that weight is evenly distributed between your feet (at the wall) and the ball. Adjust the ball if necessary so that it is under your hips. Place your hands behind your ears or across your chest.
EXHALE: Extend from your hips- Bringing your torso upward toward the wall as high as possible. Hold for 1-3 counts.
INHALE: Slowly return to starting position to complete one rep.
Special Instructions
Make sure your feet are flat on the wall and that your weight is pressed into them for stability.
Muscles Worked: Lower back


text:
- Inside Athletics
- Tickets
- Fan Zone
- Media Zone
- Social
- Shop
- Donate Now
ETSU awaits Presbyterian for Saturday's season opener
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (August 26, 2011) – The last time the ETSU men's soccer team competed in Summers-Taylor Stadium the match ended with the Bucs hoisting their first Atlantic Sun championship trophy in program history, and for the first time on Saturday, the Buccaneers will reenter their home turf for the 2011 season opener against Presbyterian at 6 p.m. as the reigning Atlantic Sun champions.
"[Presbyterian] is a hard working team," said head coach Scott Calabrese. "They are physical and they're going to give us a very difficult game. I think the keys for us are to play our style of football and to make sure that we possess the ball … and keep our balance. Despite the fact that we have some very good attacking players, we have some players that like to go forward, so we have to make sure we're not giving away too much at the back."
The Blue Hose are coming off a 2-13-1 (0-8-0 Big South) season, but are led by an experienced head coach in Bret Boulware. Entering his 12th season as the head of PC's men's soccer program, Boulware led his 2010 team to achievements despite the undermining record. Presbyterian's defeat of Furman last year marked the first time the Blue Hose defeated the Paladins since 1983, and PC also carried a representative of the Big South All-Freshmen Team.
Saturday's contest will mark the first time PC and ETSU have met during regular season play.
Coming off a 2010 campaign laden with first-time achievements, Calabrese looks to refocus his team for a difficult 2011 season that will see the Bucs encounter three NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago and three squads currently ranked in either the Soccer America or NSCAA top 25 preseason polls.
In what was a record breaking 15-win 2010 season for ETSU, not only did the Bucs capture their first conference championship in program history, but current sophomore Itode Fubara (Ogbema, Nigeria) was the first Buccaneer to be named A-Sun Tournament MVP and A-Sun Freshman of the Year. Fubara also joined Aaron Schoenfeld (Knoxville, Tenn.) and former teammate Guilherme Reis (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) as three of the 13 honorees of the A-Sun First Team All-Conference. Calabrese was also recognized, being named Coach of the Year from both the Atlantic Sun Conference and the NSCAA/Mondo South Region – the first time in program history each of those awards were earned.
ETSU enters 2011 returning 19 letterwinners and nine starters, with a fairly balanced roster of six seniors, seven juniors, seven sophomores, and 10 freshmen to defend the A-Sun crown. Averaging 1.43 goals per game in 2010, the Bucs return a remarkable 87 percent of their goal scoring (26 of 30 goals) including their leader in goals, points, shots and shots on goal in Schoenfeld. This year's senior captain netted seven goals in 2010 including the game-winners against Marshall and UNC-Asheville. Joined by his fellow seniors James Holt (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Blake Pelton (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Colin Pugh (Dublin, Ireland), Matt Reed (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Jaron Westbrook (Round Rock, Texas), Schoenfeld's goal scoring ability will be a pivotal role in the success ETSU can muster through 2011.
"We're returning a number of kids that have been here for four years and leading that list is Aaron Schoenfeld who is our senior captain," said Calabrese. "He's really developed as a player from year one when he came in. Last year he really had a breakthrough year and started scoring goals on a more consistent basis. It's never been a question of his work rate or determination to get in front of goal, get involved or do the dirty work. He's a guy that's not afraid to get into tackles and we've got big aspirations as a team and Aaron is going to be a big part of that."
The Bucs boast quite the offensive threat on the attack with players other than Schoenfeld. Redshirt junior David Haba (Germantown, Tenn.) has been highly touted by Calabrese as a player who has improved significantly from a year ago, and who will be relied upon if the Bucs want to make it back-to-back conference championships. Some new talent that has come to Johnson City will not be taking a back seat in 2011, and freshman Frank Doumbe (Silver Spring, Md.) will be at the head of the newcomers who will look to make an immediate impact.
"Last year we proved that we could score goals and create quite a few chances. This year we've improved upon that even more so. David Haba, now going in as a redshirt junior, really worked hard last year to improve. He's a handful [for opponents] going forward, really creates chances and his movement is very intelligent. Frank Doumbe is going to be joining the team this year. He's got pace, he can take players out wide, he's technical and he can come inside."
At the midfield, a pair of sophomore standouts look to pick up right where they left off from their explosive freshmen seasons. David Geno (Kingsport, Tenn.) returns as the team-leader in assists from last year, racking up five in 2010, and will be looking to manufacture more chances for the talented Buccaneer forwards. Fubara, with his abovementioned accolades from a year ago, was one of the integral parts of ETSU's record-breaking championship season, and will be called upon to be just as vital in 2011. He scored four goals and tallied three assists in 2010 including, as no Buccaneer soccer fan could forget, the game-winning goal in the A-Sun Tournament finals to send the Bucs to their first NCAA Tournament in program history.
"Itode Fubara and Alesi Osorio (Austin, Texas) can get the ball down and control the tempo of the game," said Calabrese. "On top of that, we've got Theo Yang (Lilburn, Ga.) and David Geno who are both very clever and sharp players around the goal. I think if we start hitting on all cylinders, especially going forward, we can be an exciting team."
The Buccaneers back line was also very impressive last year, ranking 49th in the country in team goals against average (0.96), and will be headed by the senior Westbrook. A member of the team since its inaugural 2008 season, Westbrook will lead a defense which held its opponents goalless throughout the entire 2010 A-Sun Tournament, as ETSU won each of those games, 1-0. Sophomores Blaike Woodruff (Georgetown, Texas) and Nate Hodges (Baileytown, Miss.) also return from the stellar defense ETSU possessed in 2010, and will be a difficult force for opponents to break through with their experience and relentless ball pressure they impose.
"At the back we now have Blaike Woodruff who played as a right back last year," said Calabrese. "Going forward he's very good but also really tenacious; he's not afraid to get into a tackle. On the other side [we've got] Nate Hodges [who is] very good passer with the ball, good left foot, not afraid to get into a tackle and is very good in the air. In the middle so far it's been Ronnie Westbrook who is a tremendous athlete, very good in the air and has great pace in the back. He's been coupled so far with Simon Schroettle (Rain, Germany). Simon's a freshman this year from Germany and is a very good passer with the ball out of the back. That's something that we haven't had up to this point so he's really been able to help us play balls forward into the midfield and brings that new dimension. We're excited about the back force … it's starting to come together."
With the start of the 2011 season on the horizon, Calabrese and his assistant coaches Ian Luya and David Lilly have their team prepared for the quest towards another Atlantic Sun championship.
Live video, courtesy of ASun.TV, as well as live stats will be available for Saturday's season opener.
For more information on ETSU men's soccer please visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men's soccer links.


text:
On May 30–31, the Center for Consumer Law at the University of Houston Law Center, in cooperation with the University of New Mexico and the National Association of Consumer Advocates, will present the only international conference dedicated to the teaching of consumer law. More than 25 presenters will discuss issues related to teaching consumer law, establishing a consumer law program, as well as substantive issues regarding U.S. and international consumer law. Registration is now open. A Conference brochure and Registration form is available here. Please note that hotel information is at the bottom of the Registration form.
The Conference will be held at the Hilton Santa Fe Plaza Hotel, in historic Santa Fe, New Mexico. Santa Fe is truly "the city different," the #2 travel destination in the U.S. Here is a guide to Santa Fe we have prepared.
4604 Calhoun Road
Houston, TX 77204-6060
713-743-2100 General
713-743-2094 Legal Clinics


text:
I'm new to the site and figured I'd give this a try.
It seems like most of the names coming up are from the east, and nothing against the athletes listed but I figured I would throw out a couple names from the part of the state I'm a little more familiar with.
Brian Dokken - Crosby could fit the list at OL
How about a Kittleson (Wade, Jade) from Velva at LB. They have had some good teams in Velva and no one on the list yet, not too mention were pretty good ball players at SU also.
My 2 cents


text: Gracie reportedly attended 14 different schools in and around Georgia while growing up. It's hard to imagine her not fitting in though. Gracie has a natural figure and just the kind of ass that men crave. Gracie got involved in the adult industry after posing for Score magazine. After this enjoyable taste of the limelight, Gracie gave up fashion school and moved to LA to pursue adult films at just 18 years old. Gracie claims her porn name is a manifestation of her lifelong desire to have a sexy alter ego. Thankfully she ended up passing on "glamorous Gracie". Gracie won the coveted AVN Award for New Starlet of the Year in 2011, and has nowhere to go but up.


text:
Suddenly, there was a request for a new shul under the name of Yad Haritzim. Such shuls existed in large cities prior to WWI. These shuls grouped religious artisans that conducted their services. There were even shuls of tailors, shoemakers and even porters, if their numbers were significant. The Korczyner artisans demanded a place to conduct their services where they could feel at home. They even had service leaders and readers of the torah. The kehilla leadership was not enthused about the idea but did not want to create antagonisms and decided to grant the group the room that Simha used as an utility room. The group obtained the necessary permit, painted the interior and the entrance and began to conduct services. For the High holidays, they hired an out of town cantor. This was a novelty since Korczyn always had ample service leaders but they concentrated in the study center. Thus, the township had a bit of competition between the study center and the new shul.
The two shuls functioned simultaneously until someone complained to the authorities and they closed the Yad Haritzim shul. Supposedly, the books of the shul were not in order. Negotiations and examinations started until matters were corrected. The fight lasted due to the third meal expenses of herring. Finally, the examiners were satisfied with the explanations and the shul reopened for services. Here was placed the seat of Eliyahu that Haim Wolf designed and a wood artist carved. The worshippers took great pride in the artistic seat. The shul was kept clean and orderly. Once Haim Wolf Koreff decided to write in beautiful letters above the entrance to the shul, the following quotation: This is the gate to the heavens and the righteous will enter it. The quotation irritated some of the leaders of the community but they decided not to make an issue. This was the first time that an inscription was placed above an entrance to a synagogue and not the main shul.
Ber Fischel and Matityahu Katz frequently lectured to the members of the Zionist society and developed a variety of cultural activities for the Jewish youth. The Russia-Polish war of 1920 brought an end to all Zionist activities since many young Jews fled to Germany, Holland and other places. The activities resumed in 1926 when room was rented from Mindel Rothenberg; the room was below the mayor's office. The entrance was through a hall that led to a small room where Yankel Roizner, nicknamed Smont, once lived. The room was long and dark; there was but one window and hardly any light. The members brought pieces of furniture and the room took on the appearance of a meeting place. Ber Fishel brought a replica statue of Dr. Herzl and others brought pictures to decorate the walls. Meetings and lectures were held each night and the participation grew. The lectures dealt with various topics on Zionism, especially Herzl's writings. The youth was encouraged to attend the meetings. Saturday afternoon, lectures and discussions took place. Matityahu Katz with his bekeshe and shtreimel never missed an event nor did Pinhas Wertheim. Wolf Gleicher lectured on a variety of topics. Women participated in the discussions. The attendance grew and new quarters were rented from Fishel Schroit. The first floor became the center of activities as well as the school. The school attracted many girls in spite of the opposition of the rabbi. He preached on Saturdays to the worshippers against sending children to the Zionist school.
Ber organized various youth entertainment programs that attracted many local as well as Krosner youth. The program was very successful and attracted a great deal of attention. Ber even wrote a play entitled "Home" that received a glowing report from Nahum Sokolw's [word famous Zionist leader] daughter. The play was staged in the new hall of Fishel Schroit. All the preparations and materials were assembled and created locally. We built a stage, I created the decorations, Ber was the choreographer and director. The play was a big hit. We decided to create a theater circle in Korczyn with the following actors: Ephraim Weinstein, Mendel Halpern, Naphtali Erreich, Wolf Fessel and Moshe Boim. Girls also joined the circle, including Chaya Weinstein, my two sisters, Fradel and Tzipra Yente Horowitz, Bashe Halpern and others whose names I no longer remember. I later directed the theater group that staged many plays. The benefits went to the Keren Hayesod for Palestine.
The same evening that the play entitled "Home" was staged, religious fanatics broke into the Zionist clubhouse, removed the bookcases and set them on fire. Over 150 Yiddish and Polish books were torched. The vandalism was discovered on Sunday and passions ran high. Everybody knew who participated in the act. Dr. Moshe Rubenfeld, the local medical doctor and a native of nearby Kros, called the police. Examinations and investigations began as to the torchers. There were arrests and mothers pleaded with the police to release their sons that were innocent. None of the culprits confessed and all arrested were released. The event reached the major Yiddish newspapers in Warsaw, Haint and Moment, and the Polish newspapers, Nowi Dzienik and Chwila. Books came from all the major Polish cities such as Warsaw, Reishe, Tarnow. Private libraries sent many books, notably the library of Zamir. It sent several hundred books including the works of Peretz, Shalom Aleichem, Shulem Ash and others. The library greatly expanded. The religious element however pressured the owner of the club house, Mendel Schroit to cancel the lease. We moved to the Polish mayor's office and rented a hall there for a year. We then met in Wolf Kirschner's flat but this was no solution. Finally, my mother built a permanent clubhouse that served us many years.
The membership of the Zionist movement steadily grew and the Hebrew school grew in numbers and stature. Korczyn assumed an important place in all regional Zionist conferences. Thanks to Ber Fischel and the Zionist youth movement, our hamlet achieved acclaim. Suddenly in 1928 Ber Fischel died after a long illness. This was a real blow to the movement. We enlarged his picture and placed in the club house as an inspiration to the members. With his death, Matityahu Katz and Pinhas Wirtheim assumed the leadership of the Zionist movement, and from 1932 until 1939 I was the local leader of the Karen Kayemt l'Israel . In 1938, there were elections for the community leadership. Two factions were contesting the elections, the Zionists and the others. We the Zionists had no money for the campaign so Haim Wolf Koreff suggested that we stage a Purim a play entitled "Yossef Shpiel". Tickets would be sold and the money would cover the election campaign. The local Zionist clubhouse adopted his suggestion and preparations began for the play.
Mendale Katz, Avraham Mordechai Katz's son, owned the script. He leased the text for 5 zlotys. The costumes and the renting of the municipal hall were an expensive proposition but we undertook the project. Haim Wolf provided the melodies. The roles were assigned according to the abilities. Mendel Halpern was Yaacov, Mendel Weinstein was Yossef, Yossef's brothers were Wolf Fessel, Leibush Kuflick, Naphtali and Hersh Erreich, Moshe Gutwein, Shlomo Horowitz, Ephraim Weinstein and Moshe Boim. Yossef Diller and Yehoshu Ringelheim were the leading statesmen. All the tickets were sold and the hall was packed. The walls were decorated and the police maintained order. Guests from Kros arrived as well as some Christian guests. Mendel Weinstein as Yossef was a great success and used his soprano voice very effectively. His separation from his father was well staged. An accordion provided the musical background. The sight of religious Jews with beards who came to see the play was very impressive. The show was very successful and it played in Szedlitz and in Stryzow, nearby towns. The income covered the election campaign and the rest went to the Keren Kayemet L'Israel fund. The memory of the energetic youth that worked so feverishly to stage the production and to be involved in the life of the Jewish community was very painful. Gone were the youth and all the dreams of Korczyn.
The basic education of a child began at home where he absorbed the basic approach to life from his parents. Here the child saw some order and learned the problem solving approaches of life. He saw the broom placed in a particular place and the table set in a particular fashion.. Every child learned that a certain order must be followed, whether they liked it or not. The same applied to the outside world. The child that acquired decision-making abilities at home applied the same techniques on the outside. Of course, adjustments had to be made depending on the individual and the environment. The basic pattern of behavior that we acquired as children remained with us for the rest of our lives. The individual child would of course bend slightly to absorb different pressures in order to survive. The child acquired the ability to handle problems and would resort to them whenever they confronted him in later life. Many psychological theories have been written on ways to change the individual patterns of behavior, but they all admitted that the task was very difficult if not impossible. Behavior patterns that were acquired in youth were impossible to erase; perhaps they could be modified. We adhere to these patterns even if we have to pay a price for them.
When I was a young child barely reaching the table, my father took me and my younger brother Wolf to shul. It was a weekday, no prayers or celebrations, but a serious event was about to take place. I do not remember the names of the parties and perhaps it is better this way. But the story was very interesting. One party claimed that he loaned the other party money. The latter denied the claim and added that even if he borrowed money he repaid it along time ago. It was decided that the accused party would swear before the torah in public that he was innocent. An announcement was posted at the shul to the effect that so and so would swear before the torah that he was innocent. The event would take place on such day and hour. Many people decided to witness the event. For a Jew to swear before the torah was something unheard off. A black covered bed was brought to the shul, candles were lit throughout, the menorah before the lectern was lit. The impression was that of Yom Kippur eve or a funeral Everybody feared the unknown. Someone read the lines of the torah that stated the consequences that the Jews would face if they disregarded the commandments.
I do not remember whether the oath was given before an opened torah or before the opened holy arc or perhaps the party regretted the whole incident and canceled the oath. Sixty years have passed since the event and many items I have forgotten. I remember to this day my father's words on the way home. Do not swear even if it is true. His moral advice remained with me to this day and I have avoid swearing even in non-religious matters. How lightly people swear about themselves, their wife or children, is always very puzzling.
I have always tried to avoid swearing and so far have been successful with my father's advice except in one instance when I arrived to Palestine. The English officials insisted that I swear allegiance upon entering the country. I swore in order to gain admittance but it bothered my conscience. I was brought up in a very religious environment that I do not necessarily follow all the precepts but my father's moral teachings I tried to follow to the best of my ability. The home and the environment shape the individual and give him the tools to face the future.
The snacks and dishes varied with each holiday and to this day the taste of the Simhat Torah refreshments remained in my mouth. Our neighbors used to come to our house for the reading of the Torah on Simhat Torah and following the service we all wished ourselves that we should celebrate the holiday next year in the same manner. The reading and the service were conducted in the kitchen that was large and accommodated the crowd. Following the service, my elder sister Reizel, brought a silver tray with goodies and placed it on the table. She made several trips until the table was set. I decided to help my sister and pulled the tray from her hands. I lost control and the tray fell on the table. All the drinks and snacks spilled. I was then merely eight years old. The participants and my father did not loose their cool. Another tablecloth was brought and spread. More snacks and drinks were brought and amidst the celebration and the joy my misdeed was forgotten. But the misdeed remained inscribed in my memory and always floated to the surface with the approach of the holiday. The incident also served as a tableau of painting of the entire Simhat Torah scene in our house.
I am reminded of an event that happened in our house. Women spent a great deal of time with laundry. There were tablecloths, towels, bed sheets, pillowcases and shirts that had to be cleaned for Shabbath. I still remember the large basin with hot water to which detergents were added and then the dirty laundry. Individual items were then pulled and soaped on a board by hand. The item was then squeezed and twisted to remove the water content and placed on the side. When the laundry was soaped, it was returned to the basin. Hot water was poured over the laundry and individual items started to be pulled and twisted until the water content was removed. Then the item was hung to dry. The process took quite some time and sometimes the process had to be repeated if the laundry was not clean. In the summer, the last step in the laundry process was done at the river where the clean running water did the job. Still the laundry had to be hung to dry.
A still better method that appeared at the time consisted of using copper basins. They were filled with water, detergent, laundry and allowed to boil. The heat dissolved all grease spots and then the regular process was followed as described above. The basin was suspended under a tripod, a fire was started under the basin and the laundry boiled for some time. These basins were rather expensive and only the well to do could afford them. People borrowed our basin from my mother. Once a neighbor came to borrow the basin but my mother needed it for her own laundry and told her so. The neighbor stated that Freide Ita Weissman should buy another basin in order to be able to loan it to the people that needed it. My mother ordered another one in Krosno. The new one was made in the same manner as the old one so that there would be no difference between one and the other. The neighbor did not force her to do it but she had a legitimate complaint according to my mother.
Freida Ita continued to study and observe strictly the laws With age her piety intensified. She prayed three times a day, recited the psalms, read commentaries, glanced at the local news and prepared food for her household. Her schedule was full. She was sorry to see changes in her own family and in other people but allowed for compromises. She adhered rigidly to all commandments but always excused others if they did not comply entirely with the commandments. She refused to accept total rejection but accepted partial compliance. I visited the family in Budapest during WWI. I frequently visited them Saturday afternoon after lunch. I lived a distance from them. The distance exceeded the one permitted to walk on Shabbath. During one of these visits, I arrived at their house while they still ate. I pulled out a kerchief to blow my nose when Mrs. Weissman was aghast and said Moshe you are carrying. She of course implied that I carried a kerchief on Shabbath. This act seemed to have devastated her and I invented a silly excuse to the effect that the kerchief was tied around my neck. It was a lie but it calmed her. I felt terrible about lying and having to watch myself over things that I no longer observed. I felt ill at ease.
The next Saturday, I walked along the Tabac Street where the Weissmans lived. Jewish refugees from Galicia that fled the war torn areas inhabited this area. I observed our landsmen in their Saturday best. They did not forget to take with them their praying shawls and phylacteries. The area was full of small shuls where Jews prayed the way they did at home. The Jews wore shtreimels and overcoats and from the windows we heard the traditional Jewish songs of the Shabbath mealtime. The war or the fact that everything was left behind at home in the war area did not sadden the festivity of the day. It was one thing to see a Jew with a nice shtreimel and clean silk bekeshe or coat. The Christian neighbors could tolerate this exotic costume. It was however different when someone wore a shtreimel that had holes in it, the kippa could be seen from under the shtreimel and the well-worn bekeshe that had seen better times. Such scene did not bring respect to the Jew. With age the silk bekeshes shredded and holes emerged that exposed other clothing items. A particular problem was the sleeves that were frequently used as kerchiefs and through wear and tear showed the effects. Even when one had a kerchief tied around the neck, it took effort to loosen and used it. It was simpler to wipe with the sleeves or the ends of the bekeshe True, I did not personally see these instances but I saw some of the shtreimels and bekeshes and they were a disgrace. Total disrespect for the religion.
I thus entered the Weissmans' house and told them a story that happened. Whereupon Freida Ita turned to me and said: Moshe you are allowed to carry. Today, forty-three years later, the customs of old Korczyn seem to be so morally high as opposed to our neighbors who resorted to violence to today.
Dedicated to
An Eternal Tombstone
For an Eternal Memorial
For the saints of Korczyn
Killed by the Germans
On the 29th day of the month of Av in the year Tashab [1942] in Korczyn,
Transported and murdered in other places
Murdered in German concentration camps
The saints of nearby villages
Kombornia, Ikrzenia, Krosczenko, Adzikson, Toraszowka
The saints of
Lodz, Kielce, Radom, Krakow and other cities that were in Korczyn during these tragic days
Moshe Zucker
Itzhak Englard-Wasserschtrum
Oh! God Remember
Our Saints from Everywhere
And the Jews from Korczyn,
Murdered by the Germans and Ukrainians
Together with the Jews from the nearby town of Kros,
They were hanged, burned and shot at
They are scattered over fields, woods, mountains and valleys
They were never buried properly.
We cleanse them with our warm tears,
The spiritual heroes
Our pure saints
Remember them God!
The Jewish daughters
And the Jewish sons,
The holy martyrs
Of Kros and Korczyn
Toronto, October 1967
[William Leibner freely translated the poem]
Table of Contents
JewishGen, Inc. makes no representations regarding the accuracy of
the translation. The reader may wish to refer to the original material
for verification.
JewishGen is not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions in the original work and cannot rewrite or edit the text to correct inaccuracies and/or omissions.
Our mission is to produce a translation of the original work and we cannot verify the accuracy of statements or alter facts cited.
Korczyna, Poland Yizkor Book Project JewishGen Home Page
Copyright © 1999-2019 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 17 Dec 2001 by MGH


text:
CP24 - Toronto News | Breaking News Headlines | Weather, Traffic, Sports
Latvian hockey player caught for doping in Sochi
In this Tuesday, May 14, 2013, file photo, Finland's Juhamatti Aaltonen, left, vies for the puck with Latvia's Ralfs Freibergs during a 2013 IIHF World Championships Group B preliminary round match in Helsinki. (AP Photo/Lehtikuva, Jussi Nukari, File)
Stephen Wilson, The Associated Press
Published Friday, April 25, 2014 10:41AM EDT
LONDON -- Two months after the closing ceremony, the Sochi Olympics broke a Winter Games record Friday when a Latvian hockey player became the eighth athlete disqualified for a positive doping test.
Ralfs Freibergs was retroactively kicked out of the games by the IOC after being found guilty of a steroid offence, the third hockey player and second from Latvia caught for doping in Sochi.
The International Olympic Committee said the 22-year-old defenceman tested positive for a testosterone-related steroid in a sample provided after Latvia's 2-1 loss to Canada in the quarterfinals on Feb. 19.
Another Latvian, Vitalijs Pavlovs, was disqualified in Sochi after testing positive for the stimulant methylhexaneamine following the loss to Canada.
Swedish star Nicklas Backstrom was suspended from the Olympic final against Canada after a positive test for pseudoephdrine, which was contained in an allergy medication. He was allowed to keep his silver medal.
Freiberg's expulsion represents the eighth doping case overall from Sochi, surpassing the previous record of seven recorded at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. While there was only one positive test during the 2006 Games, the IOC also lists seven cases in Turin because of the police raids on the Austrian cross-country and biathlon team lodgings that led to subsequent doping sanctions.
"The number of the cases for me is not really relevant," IOC President Thomas Bach said on the final day of the Sochi Games on Feb. 23. "What is important is that we see the system works."
The IOC carried out a Winter Games record 2,812 tests in Sochi, including pre-competition and out-of-competition blood and urine controls. The samples are stored for 10 years so they can be retested when new methods become available.
Freibergs, who also plays for Bowling Green State University in Ohio, is the second Sochi athlete sanctioned over a serious doping substance. Austrian skier Johannes Duerr was expelled after testing positive for the blood booster EPO.
The IOC said it was up to the International Ice Hockey Federation to consider any further sanctions against Freibergs. Steroid cases usually carry a minimum two-year suspension.
Latvia finished eighth in the Olympic tournament, which was won by Canada.
The IOC ruled out disqualifying the entire Latvian team, citing IIHF rules specifying that a full team is punished only when more than two players are found guilty of doping violations.
"Therefore, no consequences have to be considered in respect of the team results at this stage," the IOC said.
Freibergs told Bowling Green State that he had tested positive for turinabol, a steroid widely used in the former East Germany, the IOC said. The university appointed a lab to conduct a screening of a sample from Freibergs and reported that it found no traces of the drug.
A three-person IOC disciplinary panel held a hearing on the case in Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 4. Freibergs did not attend but was represented by a lawyer who contested the validity of the Sochi doping lab and the procedures of the "B" sample testing.
The panel rejected the defence claims and found Freibergs guilty of a doping violation, disqualified him from the Canada game and ejected him from the entire Sochi Olympics.
Other athletes sanctioned by the IOC for doping in Sochi were Ukrainian cross-country skier Marina Lisogor, Italian bobsledder William Frullani, German biathlete Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle and Polish bobsledder Daniel Zalewski.
More Sochi 2014 News
Top Sports News
- NHL, NHLPA ratify RTP, CBA extension; Toronto, Edmonton unveiled as hub cities
- Current and former Blue Jays sound off on Twitter about stadium bubble setup
- Toronto Blue Jays schedule pair of exhibition games in Boston versus Red Sox
- Toronto Blue Jays hold intrasquad game as summer training camp continues
- With training camps on the horizon, NHL teams hope to keep COVID-19 at bay


text:
Roswell, GAMenu
Recreation and Parks News & Events
All Hands Productions Presents The Pied Picker
- Date: 07/03/2019 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
- Location: Cultural Arts Center
950 Forrest Street
Roswell, Georgia 30075
All Hands Productions Presents The Pied Picker
Roswell Premiere! All Hands Productions' brand new show is a rollicking production loosely inspired by the traditional Pied Piper story. In this version, Peter Picker sets off on a journey to become a rich and famous banjo picker and meets a host of familiar fairy tale characters along the way. He also saves a town from a horde of pesky pests—all while learning the value of making music with others. Funded in part by a 2017 Jim Henson Foundation Family Grant.
- July 1-6, 2019
- Monday - Wednesday, Friday - Saturday: 10 AM (No Shows Thursday, July 4)
- Wednesday & Friday:
- Individual Tickets: $5 (Ticket required for ages 2 & up)
Purchase Tickets Online!
- Summer Pass: $30 (7 shows for the price of 6)
Purchase Summer Passes Online!
For more information, call 770-594-6232 or visit


text:
Like football, pop music, and democracy itself, pizza follows in the long American tradition of things that began overseas before the United States imported, violently altered, and eventually defined the institution. Although the first pizza shops didn't open in the U.S. until the early 20th century, hundreds of years after the original Neapolitan pies, we now spend $37 billion a year on pizza, accounting for a third of the global market.
The obsession deepens. On any given day, about 13 percent of Americans eat pizza, according to a new report from the Department of Agriculture. One in six guys between the ages of two and 39 ate it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner today. In part due to this obsession, per capita consumption of cheese is up 41 percent since 1995.
Drawn from the report, here are seven facts about Americans and pizza, presented free of moralizing comments about whether or not it is healthy or sensible for the American diet to consist so overwhelming of bread adorned with tomato-cheesey gloop.
- About 1 in 8 Americans eats pizza any given day. Pre-teeners eat about 2x the national average, while Americans over 60 eat about half the national average.
- More than one-quarter of boys between 6 and 19 eat pizza every day. Women eat less pizza than guys at just about every age level, but girls between 6 and 19 still eat more pizza than any other category of guys.
- Pizza-eaters get between a quarter and a third of their daily energy from pizza. Although 40- and 50-somethings aren't the most avid pizza eaters, they get the highest share of calories from them on the days when they do order or make a pie.
- In a typical pizza-eating session, an adult consumes 744 calories. A Double Quarter-Pounder with Cheese at McDonald's has 750 calories.
- On a typical pizza-pie-eating day, pizza accounts for 39 percent of our saturated fat. As well as 37 percent of our calcium, 35 percent of our protein, and a majority of our delicious lycopene.
- A typical daily pizza serving accounts for more than half of our lycopene diet. Lycopene, the natural chemical that gives fruit like tomatoes its red color, has been found to have antioxidant and anti-cancer effects in animals, but it's not clear it has the same effect in humans, according to the Mayo Clinic.
- Four percent of pizza eaten by children is for breakfast. "Bagel Bites" taught us that when pizza is on a bagel, you may eat pizza anytime, and kids have taken the lesson. Although pizza is predominantly a dinner food for adults, 58 percent of pizza consumption for kids (teens and under) is for snacking, breakfasts, and lunches.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Great Lease Rates Also Available. Contact us at (231) 465-5387 for a quote. Price includes all trade ins.
Ideal for business-minded photographers and artists who need to maximize their earning opportunities without compromising their creative potential, the 24-inch imagePROGRAF iPF6300 offers the optimum balance of ultra-high-quality printing and performance. Equipped with LUCIA EX 12 color inks, high-precision printing modes and an Accounting Manager feature, the iPF6300 is the ideal solution for the graphic, fine art, photography and proofing markets.
With the LUCIA EX ink set, expect exquisite photographic output, even more expressive, crisp blacks, smooth color gradations and the capability to reproduce the finest details in the shadow areas of photographs. And with the Print Plug-in for Photoshop, now with support for Adobe CMM, users can process images in 16-bit. Developed to expand Canon's array of media options, the Media Configuration Tool allows users to input profiles for third party media. By combining Canon's technological achievements, the imagePROGRAF iPF6300 achieves consistently breathtaking, durable and long lasting prints. Designed for efficiency, reliability, and above all quality, the iPF6300 is the professional's answer to superior quality large format prints.


text:
WASHINGTON -- Aboard a Navy warship, U.S. investigators are likely playing good cop/bad cop, shouting and banging their hands on a table to get suspected al-Qaida operative Abu Anas al-Libi to give up key intelligence. That's what they're allowed to do, anyway. What interrogators shouldn't be doing is putting a hood over al-Libi's head, waterboarding him or depriving him of food.
The Obama administration would only say that al-Libi was being treated "humanely" as he is held on the USS San Antonio after he was captured in a raid in Libya over the weekend. A team of U.S. investigators from the military and intelligence agencies and the Justice Department has been sent to question him, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the ongoing operation.
"We know that al-Libi planned and helped execute plots that killed hundreds of people," Obama told a news conference Tuesday. "We have strong evidence of that, and he will be brought to justice."
While the U.S. once held people in secret prisons, questioned them over long periods of time, put duct tape over their eyes or forced them to strip naked, the Obama administration has swapped the secret "black sites" for warships, acknowledged the capture and detention of a wanted terrorist and promised to stick to approved interrogation tactics like making sure the detainee has four hours of continuous sleep in a 24-hour period.
Al-Libi is being detained in military custody under the law of war, which means he can be captured and held indefinitely as an enemy combatant. He has long been sought for his role in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa and has been under indictment since 2000.
"For the most part, the Obama administration has made positive steps, banned the most abusive techniques and prohibited torture," said Laura Pitter, counterterrorism adviser at Human Rights Watch. But some of the 19 allowed techniques defined in the Army Field Manual can still be problematic, she said. And, Pitter said, al-Libi should be brought to federal court to face his charges.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said al-Libi is being treated humanely.
"The president made it clear when he came into office that some of the tactics that had been used in previous years weren't going to be used anymore," Harf said. Those tactics include hooding prisoners, stripping them naked and forcing them to perform or mimic sexual acts, beating or electrocuting them or subjecting them to mock executions.
But the approved techniques are only good if there is good supervision, said Steve Kleinman, a former U.S. military senior interrogator.
"The more we keep it hidden and the more we make it look like a dark art, that's the impression we're going to give the world," Kleinman said.
Some Republicans in Congress, however, say the allowed techniques don't go far enough, and al-Libi should be sent to Guantanamo Bay for indefinite questioning.
It was unclear if or when al-Libi would be brought to the U.S. to face charges.
The Obama administration publicly debuted the naval ship interrogation tactic in 2011 when it captured Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame, a Somali citizen who the U.S. government said helped support and train al-Qaida-linked militants. Warsame was questioned aboard a U.S. warship for two months before he went to New York to face terrorism charges. He pleaded guilty earlier this year and agreed to tell the FBI what he knew about terror threats and, if necessary, testify for the government.
The interrogators sent to question al-Libi are part the same group that questioned Warsame - the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group. The Obama administration created the group of interrogators in 2009 to juggle the need to extract intelligence from captured suspected terrorists and preserve evidence for a criminal trial.
Under interrogation, Warsame gave up what officials called important intelligence about al-Qaida in Yemen and its relationship with al-Shabab militants in Somalia. Because those sessions were conducted before Warsame was read his legal rights, the intelligence could be used to underpin military strikes or CIA actions but were not admissible in court. After that interrogation was complete, the FBI stepped in and started the questioning over in a way that could be used in court.
After the FBI read Warsame his rights, he opted to keep talking for days, helping the government build its case.
The Obama administration's detention strategy - defined in actions only - has raised some questions about using "law of war" powers to circumvent the safeguards of the U.S. criminal justice system.
"It appears to be an attempt to use assertion of law of war powers to avoid constraint and safeguards in the criminal justice system," said Hina Shamsi, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union and the director of the civil rights organization's national security project. "I am very troubled if this is the pattern that the administration is setting for itself."
Al-Libi's case is different from Warsame's in that he already has been indicted for allegedly conducting "visual and photographic surveillance" of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi that was attacked in 1998. Warsame was indicted after he was questioned aboard the naval ship.
The ACLU's Shamsi said it's a good thing that al-Libi was not being held secretly, as was the policy during the Bush administration. But, she said, al-Libi should be entitled to counsel and a speedy trial.
Prisoners do have a right to a speedy trial, but there's no reason the U.S. needs to rush al-Libi to court. That's because in 2010 U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that the government could prosecute al-Qaeda suspect Ahmed Ghailani in New York, despite holding him for five years in CIA and military custody. Kaplan said the delay didn't violate Ghailani's speedy-trial rights because the government has the authority to detain suspects during wartime. Kaplan is also the judge in al-Libi's case.
The Obama administration has said it can hold high-value detainees on a ship for as long as it needs to. During his confirmation hearing in June 2011 to be the head of U.S. Special Operations Command, Adm. William McRaven said the U.S. could keep a detainee on a ship for as long as it takes to determine whether the U.S. could prosecute the suspect in civilian court or whether the U.S. could return the suspect to another country.
-- Associated Press writer Bradley Klapper contributed to this report.


text:
The Angel Who Drew Pictures ©
Angel Gamaliel once flew in the direction of Cairo and saw the great throng that weaved through the busy market place. 'There must be some matter of great import and requires my careful attention,' thought the angel. So he zoomed straight into the north-west minaret of the Mosque of Blessed virtues and saw a mule driver tagging behind the crowd. Becoming curious he flew towards him and whispered into his ears, 'What, are you also with the crowd?'
The fellow shrugged his shoulder and without looking up said, 'My mule just would not go any where that I had a mind to but follow the crowd. So I just followed.' Poor Angel! He thought he never heard more sorry excuse from the mouth of a man.
That night the angel visited the mule driver while he was asleep. Angel knew he slept like a log too tired to think even a sweet dream. The angel drew a series of pictures and knew the mule driver would be well for it.
Next morning the fellow was all astir with excitement. He told his wife excitedly what befell him during the night. She had brought him tea and she was excited and asked what was it all about.
'Is it some buried treasure, oh light of my eyes?' He shook his head and said his dream was much more than that. He said the dream showed him what was wrong with the city. He said as clear as a bell and in clear stream of words a utopian state . It was modeled as Cairo. He exhorted his neighbors who had heard something curious and come to check. He said, 'Heed the warning: The city must be saved from damnation and people should work for their livelihood. Blessed state is when each citizen has enough to fill his belly with food.'
Naturally those who heard were excited. One fellow who knew how to read and write told him thus, 'O prophet recite what you have seen. I shall write it down so the city of Cairo shall be the most blessed city in the whole world.' Thus the prophet of Perfect Understanding gave the inhabitants of Cairo their Word and they were so taken up with it. Naturally since from that day on not a day's work was done. They spent reciting the words and learning by heart the Word. At last the Khedive sent reports to the Sultan of the change taking place under his suzerainty. Naturally one morning the prophet was called to answer the charges that he had incited people not to work any more. Angel Gamaliel came to hear of this and instantly he came down and sat on a parapet in the Palace courtyard where the Khedive was hearing the case. The Mule- Driver deposed before the governor the dream that he had. 'It was a revelation, O master. I could not have gone against it.' He narrated the series of images that had impressed into his mind's eye as he was asleep.
The angel snorted to hear the images and exclaimed, 'Poppycock! And as the mule driver ended his speech he said, 'Nothing of the sort. I painted the blessed state of a man to have his own opinions and freedom of action. '
When the prophet was reciting what the mule driver had told him the Angel stood up wearily, 'I draw pictures in vain in the minds of man. He cannot obviously see the difference between images and words.' Angel Gamaliel flew off feeling put out by his waste of effort.
Prophets are merely putting certain images in words and they shall never hit it off correctly. Think of great books when adapted for films need to be treated differently. Several descriptive passages need to be said in a montage of images. Why the difference? The film is a different medium where images have to serve in place of words. The Prophets speak truth and those who cannot understand the difference between their vision and their words read between the lines, neither true nor 100% false. Only way one can prove his meaning is in his actions.


text:
Financial Aid for Graduate Students
Scholarship opportunities are available for graduate students at Merrimack College.
Graduate students enrolled at least half-time (a minimum of four credits per semester) may qualify for financial aid in the form of Unsubsidized Federal Direct loans.
For the 2019-20 academic year, Graduate Direct Unsubsidized loans carry a fixed interest rate of 6.08 percent and an origination fee of 1.066 percent, prior to Oct. 1, 2018 and 1.062 percent after Oct 1, 2018.
Repayment does not begin until after a student falls below half-time or graduates. Graduate students are eligible to borrow a maximum of $20,500 per academic year, or up to their yearly financial aid cost of attendance.
Students may apply for financial aid by completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.gov.
To ensure efficient processing, please complete your FAFSA prior to the start of the fall semester. Please be sure to add Merrimack's school code, 002120, to ensure your FAFSA is received.
If you have any questions on the application process or your eligibility, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at 978-837-5186.
Graduate Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards
Federal regulations require that Merrimack College measure a student's progress towards the completion of their degree program, which is called Satisfactory Academic Progress. The standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress apply to all Title IV, state, and some institutional funding. You must meet both the qualitative and quantitative standards below.
Qualitative Standards: Satisfactory academic progress requires a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better by the end of each semester.
Quantitative Standards: Students must successfully earn 50% of their cumulative attempted credits. In addition, you will not be eligible to receive federal financial aid once you have attempted more than 150% of the normal credits required for your degree. For full-time students this means the student must complete their degree within 1.5 years. For instance, if your degree requires 30 credit hours, you may not attempt more than 45 credits to achieve this degree.
- All transfer, summer, and winter credits are calculated toward the satisfactory academic progress standard whether taken at Merrimack College or any other institution.
- Grades of F, W (including medical), unofficial withdrawal or N are considered attempted, but not earned credits.
- Students can repeat courses as many times as required to pass the course. However, if a student wishes to repeat a course to improve their grade, they can only receive aid for courses repeated one time.
Review of Satisfactory Academic Progress
Satisfactory Academic Progress for federal and state financial aid will be reviewed for graduate students at the end of each semester. If the cumulative grade point average falls below the minimum standard and/or the student falls behind in earned credits, the student will be notified by the Office of Financial Aid, and may appeal in writing by completing the required process below. Once the appeal is received, the Office of Financial Aid will notify student of future eligibility.
Note: The review of Satisfactory Academic Progress for financial aid purposes is based on a student's entire graduate record, even if the student did not receive financial aid during previous semesters of enrollment. This includes all prior coursework (including remedial courses) taken at Merrimack as a non-matriculated student.
These courses will be calculated as part of the qualitative and quantitative calculations. If a student is placed on suspension, and wishes to appeal, they may provide documentation of coursework that is not applicable to their degree program, or is a result of changing their major, and these courses may be excluded from the SAP calculation.
Graduate students who do not meet the minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements for financial aid will be placed in a Warning status for one semester. Students are eligible to receive financial aid during their Warning term. Students who do not meet minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress standards at the end of their Warning term will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension.
After a term on Financial Aid Warning, students who fail to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress, as described above, will lose all eligibility for federal financial aid. Students will be notified in writing by the Office of Financial Aid if they have lost eligibility.
Students who do not meet the minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements for financial aid have the opportunity to appeal when special circumstances exist. Conditions when a student may appeal include death of a relative, injury or illness of the student or other extenuating circumstances.
In order to appeal, a student must submit a completed Satisfactory Academic Progress appeal form, including personal statement and supporting documentation. In addition, the student must meet with The Center for Academic Enrichment or their Dean's Office to develop an academic plan, outlining the steps required to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.
If a student's appeal is approved, they will be placed on financial aid probation, and will continue to receive financial aid while on probation. At the end of this probation period, the student's academic record will be reviewed to evaluate progress and determine continued eligibility.
Denied appeals will result in the student being ineligible for financial aid until minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress standards are met.
Appeals will be granted only one time during your enrollment at Merrimack.
After an appeal is granted, if the student fails to meet the terms outlined in their academic plan, they will become ineligible for financial aid until the minimum standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress are met. All courses, including summer and transfer courses, are calculated toward Satisfactory Academic Progress whether they are taken at Merrimack College or any other institution.
Re-establishing Financial Aid Eligibility
A student may regain financial aid eligibility by successfully meeting the college's SAP policy requirements or successfully meeting the requirements of an established academic plan.
Opportunities for International Graduate Students
International applicants may be eligible for scholarships, depending on the strength of their application and the graduate program for which they are applying. In addition, some graduate programs offer graduate fellowship options, which help to absorb the cost of tuition. International students are not eligible for federal financial aid, but have the option of obtaining private loans and/or enrolling in an institutional payment plan.


text:
DiS Club @ the Barfly. Take 2.
Intro: My word. Last months pirate-themed DiS 5th Birthday Party was something else. This time, we're going to blow the roof off. Live music from the awesome rock-reinvigorators thisgirl and the lethally catchy spazzy-disco kids tera:tora and some of the most indie-disco fun you can have. The DiS Club is now the 4th Friday of every month at the Camden Barfly.
The best live band in the UK, nay, quite possibly the world return to London having just played a massive festival in Warsaw, with new songs from new album due in 2006.. Expect handstands on drums, vocals penetrating the ceiling and guitars played in a hurricane. They make uncompromising Faith No More-esque, Kyuss-via-Stevie-and-Wacko-inspired space-rock with a sniff of jazz, all wrapped in the energy of a thousand extreme sport videos. Debut album 'Uno' out now on Drowned in Sound Recordings.
"...killer tunes and stadium-sized, Foo Fighter-shaped choruses, without ever betraying their hardcore roots" - NME
"...a barrage of highly intelligent rock that has seen the band erroneously bagged as Emo or nu-metal when it's actually on its own fierce tip, reinventing rock to suit themselves." - John Robb, Playlouder
Spazzy-disco is coming to get you. Featuring Shaun from The Murder of Rosa Luxemburg (RIP) and some of the catchiest riffs in existence, grazing against time changes and otherwordly lyricism. A very special new band.
We're still to audition our SPECIAL GUEST DJs, but for now, we have...
Fisher Price Soundsystem
Their Max Carlish remix is legendary. Their DJing makes people laugh so much their sick and dance so awkardly they'll break their spines. The only DJs you'll probably ever hear mixing Sinatra with Tupac and Squarepusher into Antony & The Jonsons. SERIOUSLY!
Drowned in Sound DJs
Don't worry, we will probably play some Interpol and Shins.
Young & Lost DJs
We had the Sara half of the Y&L troublesomely pretty twosome last month, now they tag team some hits from their label into indie party anthems and Adam Green cover versions.
On screen: Robert Rodriguez's amazing El Mariachi/Desparado trilogy, made most famous for Once Upon a Time in Mexico starring Johnny Depp. In tribute there's cheap Tequila, consumption of Corona is encouraged and we're all going for Mexican beforehand!
Doors open at 10:30.
Tickets are £5 in advance available here
Or £8 on the door.
Dec 23rd: DiS Xmas Party
Jan 27th: Six Tips for 2006. Special 8pm-3am.
The DiS Club is now the 4th Friday of every month at the Camden Barfly.


text:
St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster is Eager to Chat with the Rays
If you have viewed the any of the three attached Youtube videos, then you might be with me that the City of St. Petersburg and its new Mayor Bill Foster are totally on board with speaking and discussing the Tampa Bay Rays future in the St. Petersburg surrounding community. We all know that sometimes the local media (Tampa Tribune) can show their own one-side response and closed-end stories relating to this pressing Tampa Bay issue. So it was refreshing to see on a St. Pete TV video taken during the April 15th session of the St. Petersburg City Council meeting that Mayor Foster was more than eager on video that he is "willing to work with the Rays as a partner" on the stadium issue.
And Mayor Foster and his City Council are well within their collective rights and civic responsibilities to take a bit of a breather and wait for the Rays to finish their current goals, then approach the Rays to get the ball rolling in the right direction. Mayor Foster showed great vision by saying the support for this team needs to be "regional" and not just localized within his city limits. And I loved Mayor Foster's comment that " no one here is the bad guy", because in most of the media reports floating out there in Internet land from the Tampa-based side of the bay seems to place blame upon the City of St. Petersburg as being mute and deaf towards the Rays. We now know that notion to be a fable.
These videos show that Mayor Foster is more than receptive to having any type of discussions with the Rays on finding a suitable stadium resolution, but Mayor Foster also understands the Rays current code of silence as the team's main focus is their pursuit of another American League East title, and hopefully more this season. And Mayor Fosters statement of supporting the Rays projects shows a distinctive positive open line of communications between the Rays, the St. Petersburg City Council, and Mayor Foster.
On the videos, you see that the City of St. Petersburg does respect the Rays organization fully and wants to keep a open level of dialogue with the Rays, plus are totally open to the notion of waiting until the end of the 2010 season before beginning serious Rays discussions. The City of St. Petersburg has somehow been viewed as the "bad guy" in this situation by not initially showing positive support for the non-binding findings of the ABC (A Baseball Community) Coalition because of their insistence in providing stadium options outside the city limits of St. Petersburg for a potential Rays future stadium.
The Coalition's original mission statement was to seek inner St. Petersburg city location options to propose to the Rays organization, not venture out into other Tampa Bay locales. ABC Coalition took it upon itself to deviate from the original mission statement. The ABC Coalition final report is a volatile political firestorm that is mired in procedural potholes and fiscal limitation traps that could have condemned any talks between the Rays and St. Petersburg in an early effort to discuss the options based on the ABC Coalitions deviation from their original mission.
Because of the ABC groups refusal to follow the city's set parameters, it instantly isolated the City of St. Petersburg to show plausible and viable local options within the city, and has been played out by opposing media segments as a convoluted and inaccurate portrayal of the city's real intentions to ever consult with the Rays. Even though the ABC Coalition was first devised ,and originated in cooperation with former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, the ABC Coalition quickly took on a life of its own and veered way off course from the initial protocol to explore local St. Petersburg Rays stadium locations.
And by the City of St. Petersburg staying silent for so long on the final ABC's findings, the City of St. Petersburg became the instant political scapegoat for organizations wanting to point a finger at a governmental agency in regards to the Rays stadium situation. By Mayor Foster's own words, he spoke candidly that he " can not make the Rays come to the table right now because they are busy trying to win a Pennant". The past media reports illustrating the city of St. Petersburg collectively sitting on their hands or with their hands across their mouths has been greatly exaggerated, but that might just be the political climate right now to remain calm, cool and collected until the Rays make their next move..
By Mayor Foster saying he wants to " assure their (the Rays) success not only on the field, but off the field." It might be the first time we have heard an "official" voicing by a member of the City of St. Petersburg's administration on the whole Rays stadium situation since the ABC debacle. But I really like the last segment of the third video where Mayor Foster stated that the "focus ( of the Rays) right now was to win a Pennant, and the focus of the day for us (City of St. Petersburg) is to demonstrate our commitment by getting fans in the seats." You can bet there are a few Rays Front Office grins from ear-to-ear after hearing that wisdom coming from City Council chamber within the St. Petersburg City Hall.
I have to be honest that I really felt the City of St. Petersburg might have been stonewalling the Rays in regards to the whole Rays stadium endeavor. But the videos show that the City of St. Petersburg, and their Mayor are actually letting the Rays conduct their business currently at hand, before diluting and separating the stadium situation possibly as soon as after the 2010 season. That is the first real solid vocal evidence we have seen that the City of St. Petersburg is not tone deaf to the idea of a possible stadium, but also the first real vocal acknowledgment of open dialogue towards talking with the Rays.
Kudos to Mayor Foster for saying these thoughts during a City Council meeting. It is about time that the Rays Republic hears something besides the other side of Tampa Bay arguing and posturing for a potential Rays stadium. It shows there is an open invitation by the city for the Rays to sit down again with Mayor Foster and begin to hash out segments of the stadium situation in a positive vein. One of the reason I voted for Foster as our next St. Petersburg Mayor was his stark talk about keeping this team in our community. Another reason I voted for him was that he had a plan of having this entire Tampa Bay community co-exist with the Rays still situated within the city limits of St. Petersburg.
Most people forget that the land situated just off of I-275 and Ulmerton Road at the Southern mouth of the Howard Franklin bridge towards Tampa is within the city limits of St. Petersburg. It is one of the three ABC Coalition Rays stadium proposed sites. With the positive response by the St. Petersburg Mayor in these videos by showing his earnest desire to meet with the Rays, and hopefully secure a bright and productive future with the Rays remaining still within his fair city limits.
Some people within the St. Petersburg community had thought that Mayor Foster was tiptoeing this issue recently, or trying to hide it until later in the Rays season. These videos clearly show that St. Petersburg is granting the Rays space so that they can accomplish their seasonal goals, then both the City of St. Petersburg and the Rays can get down to business of securing the future of this team for the entire Tampa Bay regional community. I love it when I back the right (political) horse.
8 Comments
This all sounds very positive for the Rays and the fans – a step in the right direction anyway. I'm glad you backed the right politician too, so the team can have the stadium they deserve.
Very encouraging news Double R!! And kudos to Mayor Foster indeed. Are the old designs for the park still a consideration? ..or is it back to the drawing board for a new design?
I am sure it just takes time for some politicians to realize, butts in seats means more money for the City too…. I love the pennant race comment though, at least as a politician he has been following the team to know what they are doing…
Phillies Outside
We are either going to get a stadium on this side of the bay, or die trying.
I am one of those guys who might just sit there and watch on MLB.com from Seattle.
The city is waiting in good faith….let's see if the Rays have the same kind of integrity.
Rays Renegade
I hope the old designs are just that…old.
Considering if they built the stadium in 1990 they would have used the tri-roof design for Safeco Field as the blueprint for the Rays stadium…..
Maybe a variation of the Seattle roof and a cross section of the new one to be put on the Marlins stadium…..Best of both worlds (of design).
Rays Renegade
The City of St. Petersburg actually get a dollar off of every ticket sold the for the Rays 81 games played within the confines of Tropicana Field.
So a 3-game series that brings in 100,000 basically about pays for either two police or fire personnel for the entire year.
They do not rely on that budget surplus, but it is a nice piece of cake to have in a time when fiscal famine is a reality.
So it is to the city's advantage to not only want to keep the team here,mbut also keep them healthy, wealthy and happy.
Guess we will find uot in October if all three have been met…..hopefully.
Rays Renegade
Now, if you could just get those "butts in the seat" … it saddens me, cuz the Rays are SO GOOD and no one is there to see it.
There are people watching the games, but not in the blue seats within Tropicana Field.
The Rays Radio and Television broadcasts have shown huge numbers in the first month of the season, which means that the support might actually be there, but the desposable income is still lacking a bit for people to come out and support this team in person.
I know personally I have been unemployed for over two years, and if not for my 401K money set aside for Season Tickets, I would also be at home 70-some games a year watching or listening to Rays broadcasts.
So to me, the people listening and watching might be "out of sight", but to me they are not "out of mind" and I know it shows there is still Rays support in this community.
Rays Renegade