text: Pubdate: Thu, 08 Dec 2005 Source: Phoenix New Times (AZ) Copyright: 2005 New Times, Inc. Contact: http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/640 Author: Sarah Fenske Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) BAD MEDICINE Locking Up Cold Medicine Makes The Politicians Feel Good -- But It Won't Put A Dent In Arizona's Meth Habit If you're super bored, or really desperate, you can make crystal meth from Tylenol Cold/Severe Congestion cool-burst caplets. You need denatured ethanol, or acetone, or anhydrous ammonia. You need iodine crystals and red phosphorous. And then you need 16,560 Tylenol caplets -- a purchase that alone will set you back $3,857, plus tax. But if you get enough of those ingredients, and buy those 690 boxes of Tylenol, and spend hours boiling and filtering and then filtering all over again, you could, conceivably, end up with crystal meth. One ounce of crystal meth. An ounce that would cost you $400, tops, on the street. And that is precisely why crystal meth users, no matter how badly addicted, aren't known to spend their time boiling and filtering Tylenol Cold/Severe Congestion cool-burst caplets. There are better ways to get the drug. Cheaper ways. Even the addicts in Arizona who "cook" their own crystal meth -- and the Drug Enforcement Agency is convinced there aren't too many left, now that cheap, potent Mexican meth has flooded the market -- don't use Tylenol Cold/Severe Congestion. They know they can get nine times the yield from Sudafed. And that's why it's so bizarre that the city councils in Phoenix and Scottsdale have enacted tough new ordinances that restrict stuff like, well, Tylenol cold medicine. And that businesses like Walgreens are putting it behind the counter even in places without such laws. Here's how it works: As of this week, customers in Phoenix who want to buy decongestants containing any amount of pseudoephedrine must go to the pharmacy or another area where the product is kept under lock and key. They're limited to three boxes, per month. They'll have to show ID and sign a logbook. And every month, the pages of the logbook will be faxed to the Phoenix Police Department, so the police can keep track of who's buying Tylenol Cold/Severe Congestion, and Aleve Cold and Sinus, and Robitussin. If any store sells one of those products, and doesn't follow the rules, the cops can seize the stuff, legally. That's the new law. Welcome to the politics of Arizona's crystal meth crisis. These days, politicians are so eager to look like they're doing something to stop the demon drug that they're locking up decongestants that are rarely, if ever, used in meth production. And, yeah, they look tough. Hey, they're fighting big pharmaceutical companies and taking on child-killing meth cooks! But it's mostly smoke and mirrors. "This idea of regulating pseudoephedrine is 10 years late," says Jim Molesa, a DEA agent based in Flagstaff. Molesa is considered the leading authority on Mexican meth in Arizona. "It's laughable," he says. "Are you that out of touch that you can't grasp the issue? Every community needs a comprehensive treatment program." Indeed, with meth pouring in from Mexico and the local lab problem mostly under control, the idea of devoting so many resources to fight meth cooks is showy distraction, not effective public policy. And what it's distracting us from is a complete mess. The two key state officials who should be leading the charge on the state's meth crisis have dropped the ball in wildly different ways. Governor Janet Napolitano, a Democrat who's been so successful at running this red state that Republicans can't even come up with a serious gubernatorial challenger for 2006, has basically ignored the problem. Meanwhile, Attorney General Terry Goddard, also a Democrat, has made crystal meth his crusade. But by focusing on labs -- the one meth-related problem in Arizona that's actually been declining for years -- his actions reek of political opportunism. For Goddard, targeting meth labs has become a one-dimensional Western. The politicians and lawmen are in one corner, with their white hats and good intentions. In the other, the evil drug companies and their lackeys, who care nothing about the abuse of children. Those who oppose his plan for taking on meth labs, he claimed in one press release, have capitulated to the "pharmaceutical industry." But the truth is much more complicated. There are pharmaceutical companies on both sides of the issue. The new Phoenix ordinances, in fact, follow the game book of one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies: Pfizer, the company that makes Sudafed. The medicine that's actually used in meth labs. Meanwhile, the real truth of Arizona's meth problem is being ignored. Despite good indication that a significant number of Arizona residents have struggled with meth addiction for at least eight years, officials have yet to run an effective, statewide public health campaign about the dangers of the drug. Our leaders haven't even figured out who's using meth, much less how to target potential addicts before they start. Meanwhile, meth addicts are stuck with an inadequate treatment system that's seeing more and more users every year -- a system that no one is willing to fund enough to do the job properly. Not insurance companies, and not the government. (See "Meth Treatment." (http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/Issues/2005-12-08/news/feature2.html). These are large, complicated problems, problems that defy easy sound bites. Problems that can't be solved by the next election cycle. Which is why no one should be surprised that our politicians have chosen to focus on Tylenol Cold/Severe Congestion cool-burst caplets instead. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just because Arizona's crystal meth has been around for years doesn't mean it's stagnant. In fact, in the past five years, two big things have happened. First, meth-lab busts in the state have dropped 68 percent since 2000 - -- meaning, police believe, that far fewer addicts are cooking their own stuff. Second, in that same period, Arizona has seen a 62 percent increase in people seeking treatment for meth addiction -- meaning more Arizonans than ever are using, and are desperately seeking ways to stop. Fewer people are cooking meth; more people are abusing meth. But Arizona lawmakers aren't talking about that. Instead, they're talking about Oklahoma, and pseudoephedrine. A common ingredient in over-the-counter cold and flu medicine, pseudoephedrine was designed as a decongestant -- specifically, a decongestant that, unlike its predecessor, ephedrine, couldn't be easily made into crystal meth. But meth addicts are nothing if not dogged, and many became skilled at extracting pseudoephedrine from Sudafed tablets, combining it with stuff like red phosphorous and iodine, and making meth right in their kitchens. Such "tabletop" labs became all the rage in heartland states four years ago. Oklahoma, while heavily hit, was far from alone. Places like Missouri and Oregon were also decimated. The effect was devastating. Labs can be hazardous to firefighters, toxic to kids, and destructive to neighborhoods. And then there are meth addicts themselves: Many become paranoid, amoral and violent. Oklahoma law enforcement busted 399 labs in 2000, according to Drug Enforcement Administration records. By 2003, that number was up to a staggering 1,068. Desperate, state lawmakers seized on a bold plan to stop meth cooks. In April 2004, Oklahoma began restricting sales of any tablet containing pseudoephedrine, which basically meant Sudafed and Claritin-D. Customers had to go to a pharmacy and sign a logbook, and they were strictly limited to nine grams of the stuff per month. There was no precedent for a law like that. But it worked. In just two months, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics announced that the number of meth-lab busts per month had dropped 71 percent. They've continued to drop since. Newspapers around the country reported the stunning development, and in no time, six states passed similar legislation. Congress, too, is considering a bill. (Oregon went even further in August, by limiting pseudoephedrine purchases to customers with a valid prescription.) Naturally, Arizona was interested. After all, the state has a serious meth problem. In 2003, for example, 40 percent of inmates at the Maricopa County Jail tested positive for meth -- a number that's more than doubled since 1999. Recent studies from Quest Diagnostics, which administers workplace drug tests, show that Arizona has one of the country's highest rates of workers testing positive for meth. And meth-related deaths are up sharply this year from 2004. (See "Meth Fatalities," Paul Rubin, November 3, 2005 (http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/Issues/2005-11-03/news/feature2.html).) Last winter, Representative Tom O'Halleran, a Republican from Sedona, introduced legislation modeled on the Oklahoma plan in the state House of Representatives. But there was one good reason to resist the plan, made clear in law enforcement statistics. Arizona didn't have a meth lab problem. It had a meth use problem. In 2000, according to DEA records, Arizona discovered almost as many tabletop labs as Oklahoma: 384. Respectively, the states had the fifth and sixth highest number of busts in the country. But while Oklahoma's numbers shot up in 2001, finally peaking in 2003 thanks to its pseudoephedrine laws, Arizona busts started declining in 2001, for entirely different reasons. They've steadily decreased every year since. Last year, according to DEA statistics, Arizona reported just 122 meth-lab busts statewide. That's a drop of 68 percent from 2000 -- virtually the same as Oklahoma's more recent success, only without any tough new laws. Even though Oklahoma's law has been in effect for more than a year, in fact, Arizona continues to see fewer meth-lab busts. And that's despite having some two million more residents than Oklahoma. There are a few possible explanations for the decrease. One may be that Arizona has had a pseudoephedrine law for years. It's not as tough as Oklahoma's, and it hasn't earned any headlines, but since 1999, it's been a felony in Arizona to buy or sell more than 24 grams of the stuff in a single purchase. Clerks can also face jail time if they sell pseudoephedrine to anyone they know plans to make meth out of it. Police, too, worked hard to get the word out about tabletop labs. Phoenix Police Sergeant Don Sherrard, who supervises meth-lab busts, says that a federal grant allowed the department to get the message out: Information about the dangers of meth labs was printed on grocery bags and presented to community groups. The public responded. Neighbors of meth cooks, Sherrard says, "started calling us more. And we did put quite a few people in jail." Perhaps the biggest reason, though, is one that few people outside the drug trade would see as a plus: Addicts aren't cooking meth anymore because they don't have to. Instead, they can just buy the stuff ready-made, from dealers with a Mexican connection. Of the half-dozen current and former meth addicts who discussed their use with New Times, only one had ever attempted to manufacture meth, and that was years ago. "Are you kidding?" asked one, a 20-year-old kid named Joe who's been using since his freshman year in high school. "Nobody even knows how to make it." The survey, while admittedly unscientific, is backed up by the DEA. "These Mexican gangs are providing hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds of meth," says Tom Marble, clandestine lab coordinator for the DEA's Phoenix division. "A large number of labs have closed. But more people than ever are addicted to meth. "In reality, the Mexican meth outnumbers the local stuff 100 to 1 -- and it's introduced people to using who'd never dream of making their own." And it's not just in border states like Arizona. It's even happening now in Oklahoma. As part of a series on crystal meth, the Portland Oregonian reported earlier this year that Oklahoma's pseudoephedrine laws had brought about an unexpected consequence. Drug investigators told the newspaper that immediately after the laws went into effect, the Mexican cartels moved in. And why not? The laws may have decimated the drug supply, but the demand was still huge. Indeed, despite all the ink that's been spilled on the success of Oklahoma's legislation, it's worth remembering that the oft-cited "71 percent reduction" measures one thing only: the number of meth-lab busts. There's been no correlation, in Oklahoma, to a drop in meth use. Property crime hasn't dropped, nor have arrests for use. Tucson Police Captain David Neri attended a recent conference where he heard from fellow officers in states where Oklahoma-style legislation has been approved. "They all demonstrated drastic reduction in the tabletop labs," Neri says. "But the sad truth is that the usage stats don't change." In every case, Mexican gangs moved in to sate the demand. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ By earlier this year, it should have been clear to anyone studying the meth issue that Arizona had a problem that Oklahoma-style legislation wasn't going to fix. Drugs coming from Mexico. People using. People needing treatment. But no one in Arizona government seemed particularly interested in studying the problem. No one was discussing the issues of use and abuse. What they were talking about was additional restrictions for pseudoephedrine. Just like Oklahoma. The chief proponent of adopting the Oklahoma laws here has been Attorney General Terry Goddard. He got the plan endorsed by no fewer than 50 law enforcement agencies, including every county attorney in the state except one. (The holdout? Maricopa County's own Andy Thomas, who did not return calls for comment.) Goddard even teamed up with a Republican, state Representative O'Halleran, to sell the plan in the House. It helped that O'Halleran is a former narcotics detective. But though O'Halleran introduced the legislation, Republican leadership assigned it to three different committees, none of whose leaders would give it a hearing, much less a vote. Meanwhile, the state Senate passed a weaker version. The Senate plan, proposed by Barbara Leff (R-Paradise Valley), was notable for its harsh punishment of meth cooks who worked with children present: They would face sentences as lengthy as child molesters, with a presumption of 20 years in prison and no chance of parole. But while Leff's bill limited purchases to nine grams of tablet pseudoephedrine, it junked the idea of the logbook. And that nine-gram limit was per purchase, not per month. To Goddard, who was intent on nothing less than the full Oklahoma plan, that was a total cop-out. "It's not even halfway there," he says. When Leff's version was sent to the House for its approval, O'Halleran made his last stand. He tacked on amendments, adding the logbook and the "per month" requirement. The House easily approved the plan. But Leff had the last word. The amended version was sent back to her to see if she'd agree to the changes. She wouldn't. The new state law would have no logbook and no new per-month limit. In interviews with New Times, both Goddard and O'Halleran blamed lobbyists for the retailers associations and pharmaceutical companies. And both groups, admittedly, fought O'Halleran's bill. But Leff says they had nothing to do with her personal feelings about it. "I think what the attorney general wanted was stupid," she says. "I have done my homework. We shouldn't make laws that sound good when we know they aren't going to work." But though Leff thought she'd settled the issue, she had a rude awakening ahead, as did the retailer and food marketing associations. Goddard was so intent on getting tougher pseudoephedrine laws that he couldn't even wait for the next legislative session. He didn't wait until Leff's plan became law, on October 31. In an interview with New Times, he notes that 60 percent of cases handled by Child Protective Services involve parents using meth. (That's different from making meth, but he doesn't mention that.) "It is horrifying," Goddard says. "It is every day. And it has to stop. I don't believe we have the luxury of waiting another year." Beginning in late summer, Goddard made a series of visits to cities around the state and asked them to pass ordinances of their own -- just like the Oklahoma law. In his presentation to Phoenix leaders this past August, Goddard didn't mention the falling numbers of meth labs. He didn't talk about people who need treatment. He talked about children found in meth labs, dirty and desperate. (In the past six years, investigators have found 263 children in Maricopa County labs, according to records provided by the Phoenix Police Department.) "We don't solve the problem by cutting back on pseudoephedrine," Goddard acknowledged. "But we do make a tremendous impact." In September, the Phoenix City Council approved the legislation. Sedona, Pinetop, Tucson and Scottsdale have since followed suit. Glendale is also considering it. "If you know you have a solution to the problem," asks Phoenix City Councilman Dave Siebert, "how can you not do it?" - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The legislation Goddard pushed for the state would have only restricted tablet-form pseudoephedrine, leaving out the majority of products that use the ingredient, which are liquids and gel caps. That's what Oklahoma did, after all. But after he pushed the Phoenix City Council to act, the council decided to do more. Much more. The idea came from the cops. Sherrard, the Phoenix police sergeant, advised the city council on its pseudoephedrine ordinance. And, like any good cop, he thought it might be better to be ahead of the curve. He'd seen meth cooks evolve to get around new laws before -- the blister packs that Sudafed is sold in, in fact, were created because no one thought tweakers would have the patience to pop out thousands of tablets before cooking them. But the clever cooks actually devised a machine to do the popping. "They're ingenious," Sherrard says. So he suggested the Phoenix City Council go a little further. With tablets banned, meth cooks, he reasoned, were sure to turn to gel caps and liquid cold medicines with pseudoephedrine. He asked the council to restrict those, too. "For the first time in law enforcement history, I thought we could be a little proactive instead of playing catch-up," he says. (Iowa, too, was ahead of the curve, passing laws to restrict all pseudoephedrine earlier this year.) But a study published in the DEA-funded Microgram Journal in January 2005 suggests that Sherrard's idea of "proactive" may be closer to "over-the-top." Funded by McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, which makes Tylenol, the study reported that, yes, virtually any form of pseudoephedrine -- liquid cold medicines, gel caps, even combo products like Tylenol Cold that are packed with other active ingredients -- could eventually be turned into crystal meth. But it wouldn't be cheap: By the time Sudafed is converted to meth, about half of the pseudoephedrine is left. For medicine like Tylenol Cold/Severe Congestion, it's more like 5 percent, according to the Microgram study. And that's in a controlled lab, using the best practices available. Some law enforcement tests have only been able to get a 25 percent yield from Sudafed; their results from products like Tylenol Cold would likely be even lower. Police officers in both Tucson and Phoenix admit they're not actually seeing such products in meth labs. Neither does the DEA. "The source really hasn't changed," Marble says. "They're using blister packs of Sudafed." But the Phoenix City Council wasn't talking about any of that. At the committee meeting to discuss the proposed ordinance, the idea of applying the restrictions to all pseudoephedrine was taken as a given. The ordinances passed unanimously. Beginning this week, as they go into effect, hundreds of products untouched by Oklahoma's law will be affected. Bashas' grocery stores, for example, sell 156 different products with pseudoephedrine, from Dimetapp to Motrin, says Karen Giroux, director of regulatory agency relations for the Chandler-based chain. They'll all have to move behind the counter. In every case, customers will have to sign the log. Giroux says Bashas' has decided to stop carrying a large percentage of the products. "We just don't have space for all of them," she says. To politicians who haven't read the studies, who assume all cold medicine is one easy step away from crystal meth, a decision like that counts as good news. "If we can get it down to just six products with pseudoephedrine, I think that's great," says Phoenix Councilman Siebert. "Instead of a dozen, let's only have a few." Even if it wasn't just the inconvenience to consumers, though, there may be another unintended consequence of including so many products. It involves the logbook. Unlike in Oklahoma, where customers only had to sign when they were buying Sudafed or Claritin-D, customers in Phoenix will have to sign when they purchase things like Tylenol Cold. Or Robitussin. Or 150 other products. It's going to be a fat book. The ordinance requires the stores to fax the contents of the logbook to the police department each month. But the city council didn't earmark any funds for a database to record them, or even an officer to punch the data into a computer. At this point, it's unclear how the reams of paper will be processed - -- or if they will be processed, at all. "Hey, the ordinance says they have to send it to the chief of the police," says Sherrard. "That means it's not my problem." He's joking, of course, but he admits the city doesn't have a plan in place, yet. "We'd like to come up with a database," he says. "But it's not going to be easy." - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Even while Arizona lawmakers work feverishly to stop the state's few remaining meth labs, the state's meth use problem festers. Unlike the lab issue, it's not easy to get sound bites about the direness of this situation. In some cases, it's impossible even to get a returned phone call. Instead, on the questions of prevention, key state agencies seem to have dropped the ball. The one part of O'Halleran's bill that might have had a big impact -- funding a major meth prevention initiative, targeted at kids ages 6 to 16 -- is the one piece that's been virtually forgotten today. Leff's bill asked the state to identify successful meth prevention programs in other states and try to implement them here. It also called for the state to solicit donations to take on the issue of meth prevention and distribute them to worthy nonprofit companies. But even though Governor Napolitano signed the bill into law, she doesn't appear to have put anyone on the case. Her spokeswoman knew nothing about any effort to identify such programs or fund them. The state health department's Office of Tobacco Education and Prevention Program ran a highly successful anti-tobacco campaign in the mid-to late '90s. It achieved a 24 percent drop in the number of kids smoking. But the health department hasn't attempted a similar campaign on meth use. "That's a law enforcement issue," says spokesman Mike Murphy. The governor's substance abuse division, too, has hardly been active: It hasn't updated its "events calendar" in more than a year. Despite repeated requests over a three-week period, Napolitano's substance abuse division director, Rob Evans, declined an interview to discuss what his staff is doing about meth. It may be because they're just not doing all that much. Indeed, even though arrest statistics show that meth has been a serious problem in Arizona for at least eight years, the state has yet to even accurately assess the problem. Lawmakers have been content to trot out the same sound bites instead of taking the time to figure out what's really going on. Take, for example, the oft-repeated claim that Arizona leads the nation in meth use for kids ages 12 to 17. That's a number that Attorney General Goddard consistently uses in presentations and promotional material, attributing it to U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona. The Arizona Republic has repeated it no less than five times. The problem? It's totally bogus. Goddard's spokeswoman, Andrea Esquer, says the source of the claim is a speech that Carmona made in Tucson last March. But Carmona's planned remarks for the event show what he actually said: Arizona youth are tops when it comes to all stimulant use -- which includes meth, yes, but also cocaine. The Tucson Citizen, which covered the event, quotes Carmona stating just that. As it turns out, the study Carmona was citing measures stimulant use as a whole, says Leah Young, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. It doesn't have a breakdown for meth. It's a small example, but indicative of the bigger issue: No one in Arizona has bothered to quantify what the state's problem is. That makes it hard to tell which plans are working, much less find a big-picture solution. Take, for instance, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America's pilot project for meth and Ecstasy health education. Phoenix was one of two cities chosen for the project, which uses pediatricians to get information about the dangers of meth to teenagers. (The other city was St. Louis.) The Partnership found amazing results for Ecstasy, says Arizona program director Shelly Mowrey. "From 2002 to 2004, Ecstasy use went down 56 percent among high school students," she says. "We were just jumping up and down." The meth initiative didn't cause a similar reaction. The Arizona Criminal Justice Commission Youth Use Survey, an exhaustive study of eighth, 10th, and 12th graders, doesn't ask about crystal meth directly -- only the more generic "stimulants." The 2004 survey shows that stimulant use is actually up from 2002, from 2.2 percent to 3 percent of high school seniors. But because "stimulant" is the category in question, it's not clear what that means. Are more kids trying meth? Do kids even know that meth is, technically, a stimulant? "The numbers on meth are kind of sketchy," Mowrey admits. The Partnership talked to the survey leaders and asked them to break out meth as a topic for questioning in the future, Mowrey says. They've agreed. But even with that change, 2006 will be the earliest data available. It won't be until 2008 that researchers will be able to tell if use is rising or falling. By then, Arizona's meth crisis will be in its 10th year. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ As of this week, the result of Arizona's fight against meth should be on display at drugstores and grocers across Phoenix. The shelves that once held hundreds of name-brand decongestants, with endless varieties of day or night, cold and/or flu, children's versus extra strength, are basically down to one option: Sudafed PE. Sudafed PE is Pfizer's tweaker-proof decongestant. It's pseudoephedrine-free -- the first product to hit the market that proudly proclaims it doesn't contain the key ingredient in crystal meth. (Instead, it uses an ingredient called phenylephrine, which is where the "PE" comes from.) The new medication has earned Pfizer plenty of good ink. In press interviews, Terry Goddard and other politicians have praised Sudafed PE as an alternative to regular Sudafed. In their telling, the new option is the perfect example of why ordinances like Phoenix's won't hit consumers too hard. "It's a new product that has no meth-producing ingredients," Goddard told KAET-TV's Michael Grant on air in April. "Those will be available if this bill passes, no problems for consumers. They have exactly the same diagnostic or medicine effect." But Sudafed PE is actually the perfect example of why ordinances like Phoenix's will hit consumers. Because, despite what Goddard says, there's good indication the new stuff doesn't work. Pfizer tried for years to develop a form of pseudoephedrine that couldn't be made into meth, spokeswoman Erica Johnson says, spending millions of dollars in the process. But that effort proved impossible, and the company abandoned it, as Johnson confirms. Only then did Pfizer roll out Sudafed PE. Not because the development process worked. But because it didn't. To make PE, Pfizer simply replaced pseudoephedrine with an agent called phenylephrine. Like pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine has been approved for use since 1972, when the Food and Drug Administration first set the rules for over-the-counter medications. It's been rarely used in oral decongestants since. And there's good reason why. Leslie Hendeles, a doctor of pharmacy at the University of Florida, says the existing research indicates clearly that it doesn't work. Hendeles, who compared phenylephrine and pseudoephedrine for Pharmacology in 1993, says the studies are clear: Phenylephrine is absorbed rapidly into the liver. Only 38 percent of the medicine makes it into the bloodstream -- which is key for it to work. Plus, the FDA only allows a dose of 10 milligrams of phenylephrine in any over-the-counter product. That's one-sixth of what's allowed for pseudoephedrine. At that level, Hendeles says, phenylephrine is no better than a placebo. "In my scientific opinion, at the allowable dose, not enough gets into the bloodstream to be effective as a decongestant," he says. "As a topical nasal solution, it's very effective. But as an oral product, it's not going to work." Pfizer spokeswoman Erica Johnson acknowledges that the company has no scientific studies showing that the new Sudafed PE works. (Anecdotally, she says consumers claim "comparable relief.") Because the new product is sold over the counter, the FDA confirms, the company won't have to do any studies. But most customers don't know that. And that gives Sudafed PE an enviable place on the shelves: In Phoenix, it will be one of the only decongestants that customers don't have to request from clerks or sign a logbook to purchase. Its development may be one reason Pfizer -- far from trying to block pseudoephedrine restrictions, as some politicians have suggested -- actually supported ordinances like Phoenix's. Pfizer says the company's position on laws like Phoenix's is a matter of fairness. "Our position has always been, 'If you're going to put pseudoephedrine products behind the counter, you've got to put all pseudoephedrine products behind the counter,'" says spokeswoman Johnson. "All forms. Tablets, gels, and liquids." It's a strategy that seems to be working. In April, Target became the first company to voluntarily put all products behind the counter. Walgreens followed suit later this spring, spokeswoman Carol Hively says. Johnson says the company will continue to offer regular Sudafed behind the counter. "Some customers may not find enough relief with Sudafed PE," she says. "They can choose to return to the stuff with pseudoephedrine." But in some cases, they may not have the choice. A number of drug companies, including Tylenol's maker, quickly realized the benefits of making a pseudoephedrine-free product. They plan to reformulate their products to take out pseudoephedrine in time for next year's cold season, says McNeil spokeswoman Kathy Fallon. "They realize customers are not always going to think to ask for this stuff if it's behind the counter," says Jenny Van Amburgh, a doctor of pharmacy at Northeastern University. "It's definitely an access issue." - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The inaugural meeting of the Phoenix City Council meth task force attracted serious media attention. No fewer than eight television cameras were packed into the small conference room. At least a half-dozen print journalists scribbled into their notebooks. The membership included all the right players: representatives from the police department, treatment community, and politicians. Attorney General Goddard spoke about the "crisis in our midst." He repeated that statistic about how Arizona is number one in meth use for kids ages 12 to 17. "I don't think we've even got an idea of how prevalent it is in our communities," he said. The task force members were seated around a table, and each one got a chance to speak. Each talked about the ravages of meth. Each expressed hope that the new legislation would help. And then Jeffrey Taylor spoke. Outreach coordinator for the Phoenix Rescue Mission, he sees the poorest and most desperate meth users every day. He talked about needing more treatment options in jail. He talked about how Arizona needs more inpatient rehab centers. And everyone nodded, and smiled, and then went back to pseudoephedrine. Some members have bounced around ideas since. One of Mayor Phil Gordon's aides found a video online called "Meth Is Death." It was put together by the Knox County Attorney General's Office, in Tennessee; some Phoenix officials have discussed doing a local version here. The task force meeting, though, was in August. And the only thing they've done since is hold a press conference, a TV-ready affair in front of a home busted in April as the site of a meth lab. The sole topic: Phoenix's new pseudoephedrine ordinance, and their next goal -- making it state law. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin


text:
Guiding Light
This story appears in the August 2003 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
It is a Thursday morning, and normally, Cynthia Malcom would be tending to her business. But today, she's sitting in a classroom, listening to a lecture with a handful of other adults.
Actually, she is tending to her business. It just doesn't look like it at first glance. Malcom is attending BYOB, and no, it's not what you think. This is Build Your Own Business, a 10-week program for anybody who wants to run a company. Situated in a spacious but almost barren room on the second floor of the Cincinnati Business Incubator, BYOB targets residents in underserved, urban neighborhoods. Malcom and her classmates are paying $50 for 20 hours of instruction from a seasoned entrepreneur; after the class is over, they can receive ongoing free services, like financial counseling and tax preparation from BYOB's nonprofit organization, Smart Money Community Services in Cincinnati.
But Malcom has already mastered one important lesson in starting a business, one that entrepreneurs new to the scene would do well to learn: You are not alone. No matter how bleak things might seem, there are always people willing to aid and comfort a struggling entrepreneur.
Malcom, who's in her 30s, runs the Hand Candy Mind and Body Escape in Cheviot, an urban neighborhood in Cincinnati. She has one part-time employee and more than 100 regular customers. Hers isn't exactly a multimillion-dollar business, but she wants it to be. She's come a long way since launching her salon with little more than $5,000 after working several years at a casino. Having dreamed of being an entrepreneur since she was 12 years old, Malcom opened her business in 2000, and she hopes to open her second store within a couple of years. But to do that, a little advice and inspiration wouldn't hurt. "I'm the owner, manager, secretary and janitor. You get so busy, you forget the basics," explains Malcom, who hopes the education will help fill some gaps in her knowledge.
Coming to BYOB was a smart decision. As any entrepreneur knows, if you have a problem, you fix it. You might be flying solo, but there are always air traffic controllers in the tower, ready to talk to you, ready to help. Going it completely alone is unnecessary-maybe even foolish. And Malcom would rather soar than crash.
Help for
Across the Ohio River from Malcom is Nicole Christian, the vice president of development for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. "What we do is point people in the right direction," says Christian, espousing a philosophy of chambers of commerce nationwide.
Even if you have only the foggiest notion of what your business is going to be, Christian-or somebody like her-can help. She directs people with a business idea to the nearest Small Business Development Center, which helps novice entrepreneurs formulate blueprints for their businesses. And SBDCs are everywhere. Even if you live in American Samoa, you're in luck.
If you have at least a vague idea of what your business plan is, chamber executives like Christian can make finding financing and deciding on a business location less overwhelming. As you're writing that business plan, "we have a business panel review," Christian says. "It's a revolving panel of about 10 people, and they can ask questions that will help you realize if there are holes in your plan."
And, of course, a chamber of commerce or an SBDC can steer you to other organizations such as SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives). Located nationwide, these retired executives want to help budding young entrepreneurs; the SCORE Web site even offers free e-mail counseling. You can seek these groups on your own, of course, but the chamber of commerce and SBDCs are often already working with groups like SCORE and may introduce you to their local contacts a little faster.
Help From Your Peers
But what you really want is somebody in the trenches with you, right? There are plenty of peers who are willing to share their wisdom and introduce you to important players in your industry.
Not to beat a dead horse, but the chamber or an SBDC could tell you what's out there locally. Or just search the Web, where groups abound, like TechExecs, a Houston-based peer network group for entrepreneurs, execs and investors in early-stage tech companies; and the Community Development Corporation of Long Island, which offers numerous programs to low-income entrepreneurs, including seminars on finding capital. Also, see if your industry has a trade organization that might help you.
|Start-Up Help
Just starting out? Read Cool Aid for 10 places to find free start-up help.
No matter how niche-oriented your business is, you might be surprised by what's out there. For instance, the Fabless Semiconductor Association in Dallas provides a networking group for fabless semiconductor companies and their suppliers-with an emphasis on helping start-ups. Its venture capital advisory board offers details on practices and trends; its "Know Network" answers members' questions about the industry.
"If I'd known how helpful networking groups are, I would have started my business earlier," says Ron Dresner, 40-year-old CEO and president of Your PR Department LLC in Farmington, Connecticut. After a lengthy career in mostly radio, Dresner began his business in 2000 with $25,000. Today, his company is doing well enough to support three employees. The first place Dresner turned to for advice was his chamber of commerce. After that, he approached almost every group he could find-which is how he found NEXT Business, a nonprofit in Glastonburg, Connecticut, that helps its members get to the next level. Only entrepreneurs are allowed in. And you do have to apply or be invited, but membership is free. Dresner was invited into the group through a contact he made at another networking function. He says he leaves each meeting with about 15 new business cards-and often, that leads to a new client.
Help From the
You could go back to school for free help. There are 140 active Small Business Institutes located at universities nationwide, says Bruce Kemelgor, director of the Small Business Institute at the University of Louisville in Kentucky.
Every year, the Small Business Institutes help entrepreneurs for weeks at a time, often daily-and for free. "These are [entrepreneurs] who are struggling to get going beyond that first year," says Kemelgor. "We go out and work alongside [the entrepreneurs], like conducting market and research studies. We'll do accounting, financial and collection problems, cash-flow problems-and we don't just do one thing. We usually try to address two to three needs the client has."
But there is one caveat-and this is the guiding principle at every Small Business Institute, says Kemelgor. The entrepreneur must "have genuine problems that could be resolved with the expertise of the students and myself. I get requests from entrepreneurs who are lazy or don't have enough time," he says. "They'll ask 'Would you write a business plan for me? I can't get around to it.'" Well, neither can Kemelgor. He wants to help start-ups, but he wants his students to benefit, too. So if you have a genuine need for some added brainpower that can fix a thorny problem, then a Small Business Institute is the place to go.
|Group Effort
"Isolation is probably the most common problem of every entrepreneur," says Larry Kesslin, president of Let's Talk Business Networks, a New York City peer group. Membership costs between $3,000 and $5,000 per year--but their services are extensive. If all you can afford is pizza every Friday night with like-minded entrepreneurs, here are tips for forming a peer group:
Do-It-Yourself Help
If nobody seems to offer the support you need, then you might have to create your own support group. That's what John Friess and some like-minded entrepreneurs did. Similar to NEXT Business, but in Portland, Oregon, Starve Ups is what it sounds like: a shelter in the storm for start-ups.
Starve Ups came about because Friess, 27, is the vice president and co-founder of Wired.MD, a company that produces interactive educational videos for hospitals and health-care organizations to show to their patients. Wired.MD opened in 2000, though its product has been in the market for only about a year. Friess' company has 15 employees; clients consist of 88 health-care organizations in 29 states.
|Open Your Mind . . .
And let a business mentor fill it with their knowledge. Read Learn From the Best for more info.
During the start-up stage, he and his brother and co-founder, Mark Friess, 30, attended every entrepreneurial meeting they could find-with disappointing results. "What we found," recalls John, "was that at the end of [the meetings], we'd meet other [attendees] in the parking lot. We were finding that the most valuable component of the meeting was that 20 minutes afterward, talking in the parking lot."
And so John, Mark and 25-year-old Paul Anthony, CEO of Rumblefish, a Portland, Oregon, record label and publisher, formed Starve Ups, a peer group that simulates those parking-lot conversations. "We have an extremely strong peer network-we can call each other anytime and ask any question," says John. "We've got the ability to utilize other companies' resources, and we've gotten some great leads."
It's a tight group with 18 companies-and 92 businesses are on a waiting list to get in. Entrepreneurs in the Portland, Oregon, area may not be able to join the group anytime soon, but who knows? As John says, "Those who are passionate and aggressive usually get what they want."
If you live elsewhere, you could start your own Starve Ups chapter, which John wants to see happen. Just call him-if you're serious, he'll help you get started. Or begin a peer entrepreneurial organization of your own. In any case, Starve Ups' peer counseling seems to have benefited its members. "At our first meeting, seven young companies showed up," says John. "Two years later, they're still in the group."
This sounds great, but doesn't starting a nonprofit entrepreneurial peer group take time away from running your soon-to-be thriving enterprise? And at a time when every ounce of your energy should be focused on building your business?
Definitely, agrees John, "But at the same time, it brings so much back. You get organizational skills, leadership [skills] and opportunities like this interview. And we're building relationships with like-minded peers, relationships I believe we will have for many, many years."
It's Still Up to
But don't overindulge, advises John. "A lot of times, networking is not working. You just sit around and talk. Once you meet [someone who can connect you to an opportunity], try to keep it to one to three networking groups."
"Time is valuable, so I choose the event," agrees Dresner.
Being puzzled, worried, frazzled and even frantic is part of being in business. So is asking for advice. Keep that in mind, and things will be decidedly different in the future. The next generation of entrepreneurs will have somebody else to turn to for help: you.
|Need More Help?
Geoff Williams is a freelance journalist in Loveland, Ohio. He says people are always telling him he should seek help.

subset: commoncrawl


text: I was totally pleased with Gunpoint Supremacy. After watching the DVD a number of times and practicing the simple techniques, I was amazed at how easy it is to shoot on the move. I was a stationary two handed pistol shooter. This presentation really opened my eyes to what can be done with a handgun..read more >>


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April 30 was our 2nd annual March for Babies walk. Team Remarkable Robbie raised $1925 to help save babies. The day was lovely. Once again, seeing everyone's shirts, seeing everyone united for such a worthy cause was very moving. The bigger kids with their shirts that announced they, too, had been a preemie was very inspiring. It was a special day. Thank you so much to everyone who donated and supported us.
Becky was a preemie 20+ years ago in the same NICU Robbie was in.
Our unofficial team photographer, Leanne
Olivia & Aaron
Josh, Gabe & Carrie
Team Remarkable Robbie, minus a few runners.
Three generations.
Grandpa and Robbie made it to mile 2. (We somehow missed the 1 mile marker!)
Mile 3, the end is in sight!
Most of the gang rolling into the end.
We made it!


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Difference between revisions of "Main Page"
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| West Volusia Hospital Authority Group A, Seat 1
| West Volusia Hospital Authority Group A, Seat 1
| West Volusia Hospital Authority Group B, Seat 1
| West Volusia Hospital Authority Group B, Seat 1
| West Volusia Hospital Authority Group B, Seat 2
| West Volusia Hospital Authority Group B, Seat 2
Revision as of 01:50, 14 October 2018
Welcome to the new Kevin Patrick Inscoe Public Wiki
My main portfolio page is https://kevininscoe.com.
I am a teacher, an author, an operating system and software engineer, a cloud engineer (AWS and Linode), an electronics and radio frequency engineer and hobbyist, licensed ham (Amateur) radio operator (call sign KE3VIN), amateur historian and a weather and atmosphere aficionado. I also am interested in many other things that will likely show up on here. I use wikis because I find them fast and easy to use as opposed to other CMS systems. This wiki is not publicly editable.
This wiki represents all of my personal notes and articles accumulated or created over several decades. It encompasses technical, engineering, teaching, articles I have written, The Bible, prayer and Christian Living my experiences with the world around me.
You can use the search bar above to the right or I have a list of major topics below.
My original public wiki is still at http://ke3vin.org where a bulk of the material is still located. I am consolidating content under my primary domain: kevininscoe.com.
Although I cannot answer every email or message I receive I can be contacted by email ator on Twittter at https://twitter.com/kevininscoe. A DM will probably get my attention faster.
Major subdivisions of this wiki
2018 election endorsements
My endorsements for 2018 Deltona, Florida General Election
Incumbent Judges Lee Smith, Patti Ann Christensen, Chris France, Terence R. Perkins, Mary G. Jolley, Leah Case, Elizabeth A. Blackburn and Clyde E. Wolfe all qualified with no opponents, and were therefore re-elected.
November 6, 2018
|Candidate Name
|Rick Scott
|U.S. Senator
|Matt Caldwell
|Florida Commissioner of Agriculture
|Melody Johnson
|Volusia County School Board Member District 5
|Michael Waltz
|U.S. Representative of Congress District 6 (CD6)
|Ryan Will
|Florida Circuit Judge 7th Judicial Circuit Group 15
|Justice of the Supreme Court
|Fifth District Court of Appeals
|Derrick Orberg
|Volusia Soil and Water Conservation District Seat 1
|Beth James
|Volusia Soil and Water Conservation District Seat 3
|Andy Kelly
|Volusia Soil and Water Conservation District Seat 5
|John Hill
|West Volusia Hospital Authority Group A, Seat 1
|Webster Barnaby
|West Volusia Hospital Authority Group B, Seat 1
|Brian Soukup
|West Volusia Hospital Authority Group B, Seat 2
|Rick DeSantis
|Florida Governor
|Santiago Avila, Jr.
|City of Deltona Mayor
|Ashley Moody
|Florida Attorney General
|Fred Lowry
|Volusia County Council Member District 5
|Loren King
|Deltona City Commission District 1
|Jimmy Patronis
|Chief Financial Officer
|Tom Wright [On the ballot as Dorothy Hukill (Deceased)]
|Florida State Senator, District 14
|David Santiago
|Florida State Representative, District 27
2018 Florida Proposed Constitutional Amendments
Florida is heavy this year with proposed Constitutional amendments. This due to the meeting this past legislative session of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission. The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) convenes once every 20 years to examine the Florida Constitution and propose changes for voter consideration. More at http://www.flcrc.gov/About.html. Note: By order of the Florida Supreme Court, Number 8 Constitution revision (Ballot title: School Board Term Limits and Duties; Public Schools) is removed from the 2018 General Election Ballot. See SC18-1368. The numbering for the remaining proposed amendments will not change and will appear on the ballot as currently numbered. So consequently Number 8 below is missing.
More on the amendments in full at https://dos.myflorida.com/elections/laws-rules/constitutional-amendments/
|Proposed Florida Amendment Ballot Number
|Ballot Title
|Vote Yes or No?
|Increased Homestead Property Tax Exemption
|This amendment would lower taxes and give approximately $250 back to homeowners by increasing the homestead exemption for homes valued greater than $125,000
|Limitations on Property Tax Assessments
|This amendment would protect Floridians from a major tax increase by permanently limiting non-residential property tax increases to 10%.
|Voter Control of Gambling
|This amendment would freeze casino gambling at current levels and remove the ability of the Florida Legislature to expand casino gambling, giving Florida voters the exclusive right to control any future expansion of casinos.
|Voting Restoration Amendment
|This amendment would restore the right to vote for convicted felons in Florida with the exception of murder or felony sexual offenders. I support restored rights for certain felony offenders but based on merit. This amendment would blanket restore the rights for repeat or career felony offenders or other violent non-sexual crimes.
|Super-Majority Vote Required to Impose, Authorize, or Raise State Taxes or Fees
|Will require a two-thirds vote in both Florida's House and Senate in order to enact and impose new taxes or to raise state fees.
|Rights of Crime Victims; Retirement Age for Judges
|The CRC by law can put multiple questions in to a single amendment. This amendment would: 1) Create a constitutional bill of rights for crime victims; 2) Require that authority over legal questions rests with appointed judges rather than administrative agencies; & 3) Raise the mandatory retirement age for state judges from 70 to 75 years of age
|First Responder and Military Member Survivor Benefits; Public Colleges and Universities
|Another CRC multi-question amendment. I strongly support the first question not so strongly the rest. This amendment would: 1) Provide college
tuition for the family members of first responders and military members killed in the line of duty; 2) Require a super-majority vote of the Legislature to raise university fees; & 3) Establish the state college system in the Florida Constitution
|Prohibits Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling; Prohibits Vaping in Enclosed Indoor Workplaces
|Again another CRC proposal. So here I want to vote No for the drilling and Yes for the vaping. I don't understand how this got to be an amendment in this form but because of this I am voting No to remain status quo. This amendment would: ban offshore drilling for oil and natural gas on lands beneath all state waters and ban the use of vapor-generating electronic devices, such as electronic cigarettes, in enclosed indoor workplaces.
|Florida State and Local Government Structure
|This is the "Sheriff Amendment". This makes your county sheriff, tax collector, property appraiser, supervisor of elections, and clerk of the circuit court constitutionally elected officials with their own power base. They no longer answer to the county council or county executive depending on the counties form of government. This is a modification of the Home Rule or Municipal Home Rule Powers Act (MHRPA) amendment passed in Florida in 1968 and adopted in 1973 and now codified in Ch. 166 of the Florida Statutes. For more history on the Home Rule see http://www.floridaleagueofcities.com/docs/default-source/Civic-Education/historyofhomerule.pdf
|Property Rights; Removal of Obsolete Provision; Criminal Statutes
|This amendment would: 1) Repeal a never used constitutional provision allowing for laws to ban those ineligible for citizenship from owning real property; 2) Remove an obsolete constitutional provision repealed by voters; & 3) Clarify language regarding the repeal of a criminal statute and its prosecution.
|Lobbying and Abuse of Office by Public Officers
|This one I am conflicted. The current office for personal gain yes I agree but in some cases there may be positive uses of lobbying and where I am conflicted I vote No. This amendment would extend the waiting period prohibiting public officials from lobbying following their term(s), from two years to six years and restrict current public officials from using their office for personal gain.
|Ban or end Dog Racing
|Now on the surface one could say why would you not ban dog racing and pari-mutuel betting and yes I would rather do that frankly. But again this amendment put forth by the CRC is ambivalent " This amendment would specifically end commercial dog racing involving wagering in Florida by 2020 but it also creates a new "fundamental value" that all animals should have "humane treatment" with no definitions provided leaving them open to interpretation by courts." So for that reason again I have go status quo.
My endorsements for 2018 Deltona, Florida Primary
Most 7th Judicial Circuit judges are unopposed and therefore will automatically be re-elected.
The Florida judicial system explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=fe0Al8Xr-og
All voters in the 7th Circuit covering Volusia, Flagler, Putnam and St. Johns counties can vote.
Circuit judges make $146,000 a year and serve six-year terms.
|Candidate Name
|Rick Scott
|U.S. Senator
|Matt Caldwell
|Florida Commissioner of Agriculture
|Melody Johnson
|Volusia County School Board Member District 5
|Fred Costello
|U.S. Representative of Congress District 6 (CD6)
|Ryan Will
|Florida Circuit Judge 7th Judicial Circuit Group 15
|Volusia Soil and Water Conservation District Seat 1
|Rick DeSantis
|Florida Govenor
|Dawn "Pam" Fields
|County Judge 7th Judicial Circuit, Group 5
|Brian Soukup
|West Volusia County Hospital Authority Group B, Seat 2
|Ben Johnson
|Volusia County Council At Large
|Santiago Avila, Jr.
|City of Deltona Mayor
|Frank White
|Florida Attorney General
|Fred Lowry
|Volusia County Council Member District 5
|Loren King
|Deltona City Commission District 1
|Jimmy Patronis (unopposed and wont be on ballot in primary)
|Chief Financial Officer
|Dorothy Hukill (unopposed and wont be on ballot in primary)
|Florida State Senator, District 14
|David Santiago (unopposed and wont be on ballot in primary)
|Florida State Representative, District 27


text:
Cape Hillsborough National Park, approximately 50 kilometres north of Mackay, is a natural paradise where rainforest meets the ocean. The rugged scenery, picturesque walking tracks and native wildlife make it a perfect destination to explore.
Watch the sunrise on the beach and meet friendly wallabies and kangaroos as they bound along the sand and feast on the water's edge. This is the perfect opportunity to get beautiful photos of the sunrise over the national park and get up close to these iconic Australian animals.
Explore nearby walking tracks to view a plethora of colourful birds and butterflies, including the vivid Ulysses butterfly. Meander through a mangrove community, eucalypt open forest and vine thicket along the Diversity Boardwalk, or discover the 1.6 kilometre Juipera Plants Trail for a fascinating insight into local Aboriginal history.
A nearby nature resort offers a variety of accommodation options from caravan and camping to beachfront huts and motel units; the ideal location to prepare for the morning beach sunrise. There's also camping available at Smalleys Beach nearby.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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✔92 gorgeous a line wedding dresses 1
Where to Find Gorgeous Wedding Dresses Since you may see, dresses don't need to be elaborate to be gorgeous. To begin with, wedding dresses have to get made, if you don't purchase one off the rack. There are several cheap plus size wedding dresses for you to pick. Take account of your physical features and try on various styles of dresses before you select the dress you need to wear and don't forget that in case you look best in a very simple dress, it is possible to always dress this up to create unique looks at other occasions. You are able to wash the dress firstly, and after that choose to handle with your gown. Usually you have to customize your plus sized wedding dresses, which might be a small expensive. The wedding dresses made from chiffon are found in various gorgeous designs. Wedding dress made from chiffon fabric is most preferred by men and women, as chiffon is a rather eye pleasing material. Wedding dresses made from great high quality chiffon fabric emphasizes the feminine pieces of a woman's body, making the bride a lot more attractive during the wedding. If you're searching for the ideal dress but… Continue Reading Read More


text:
This is my first time posting here so sorry if I done something wrong, and also my first time encountering a problem like this.
Besides trivial $0$, the only solution I found by simply writing down the powers of $2$ and $5$ parallely, is $5$ ($5^5=3125$, $2^5=32$). I couldn't find any kind of period. I've done problems which are about last digit, but not about the first one.
Hopefully I could get a hint. Thanks.


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be dragged kicking and screaming(redirected from am dragged into something kicking and screaming)
be dragged kicking and screaming
To be forced (to go somewhere or do something) with extreme reluctance, especially despite lengthy or vehement protests. I really thought Mike would be perfect for the job, but he had to be dragged kicking and screaming into an interview for it. When we were kids, we were dragged to our grandparents' boring old house kicking and screaming every summer for two weeks.


text:
Posts Tagged 'ICSE'
Shame on this indian government
February 2, 2008 in Politics
Tags: Bhagat singh, government, ICSE, india, indian, indian politics, message, Mumbai, Rajguru, social science, Sukhdev, terrorists, text book
"Shame on this government!!! Bhagat singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev have been referred as terrorists in an ICSE 6th standard class in social science subject text book at page number 64 & 65 in Mumbai…. Get up friends… pass this message like fire…. Protest against this… Jai Hind… Instead of forwarding stupid messages please forward this message to every1 who is an INDIAN by heart!!!!!"
i recieved this message from Uma Maheshwar
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Halloween pumpkin cake
Like carrot cake? Then try using up your leftover pumpkin in this clever traybake for Halloween
Nutrition and extra info
- un-iced
Nutrition: per serving (15 slices)
- kcal408
- fat21g
- saturates13g
- carbs52g
- sugars37g
- fibre1g
- protein5g
- salt1.33g
For the cake
- 300g self-raising flour
- 300g light muscovado sugar
- 3 tsp mixed spice
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Bicarbonate of soda
Bicarbonate of soda, or baking soda, is an alkali which is used to raise soda breads and full-…
- 175g sultanas
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 eggs, beaten
The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition packed with protein and a…
- 200g butter, melted
Butter is a dairy product made from separating whole milk or cream into fat and…
- zest 1 orange
One of the best-known citrus fruits, oranges aren't necessarily orange - some varieties are…
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- 500g (peeled weight) pumpkin or butternut squash flesh, grated
For drenching and frosting
Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line a 30 x 20cm baking or small roasting tin with baking parchment. Put the flour, sugar, spice, bicarbonate of soda, sultanas and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine. Beat the eggs into the melted butter, stir in the orange zest and juice, then mix with the dry ingredients till combined. Stir in the pumpkin. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 30 mins, or until golden and springy to the touch.
To make the frosting, beat together the cheese, butter, icing sugar, orange zest and 1 tsp of the juice till smooth and creamy, then set aside in the fridge. When the cake is done, cool for 5 mins then turn it onto a cooling rack. Prick it all over with a skewer and drizzle with the rest of the orange juice while still warm. Leave to cool completely.
If you like, trim the edges of the cake. Give the frosting a quick beat to loosen, then, using a palette knife, spread over the top of the cake in peaks and swirls. If you're making the cake ahead, keep it in the fridge then take out as many pieces as you want 30 mins or so before serving. Will keep, covered, for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Recipe Tip
Try thisPumpkins can vary dramatically in water content, so keep an eye on the cake towards the end of cooking – yours may take less or more time to cook through. If you're not carving out a pumpkin this year butternut squash works brilliantly, too.


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In my client practice, where I work with parents to help them fit healthy cooking and family eating into their busy lives, I get tons of questions about which foods are the best to start solids. Hands down, moms are most surprised by my suggestion to consider yogurt. Unlike drinking cow's milk, which should wait until baby is at least 12-months-old, yogurt is a wonderful food to share from baby's first bites.
A significant source of calcium, vitamins B2, B12 and B5, zinc, potassium and protein, yogurt also contains live cultures thought to provide a wide range of health benefits. No wonder we've been making cultured milk products for nearly 5,000 years. (Really! There's evidence that yogurt was produced by medieval Turks in the 11th century.)
Yogurt has become seriously big business with options ranging from squeezable smoothies to crunchy toppings, from Greek-style to Swedish-style, not to mention every flavor under the sun. And with big business comes serious marketing. Yogurt is sold to us using everything from novelty packaging to over-the-top (and sometimes unsubstantiated) health claims. But, as it turns out, many of the products you'll find in the yogurt aisle are packed with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and/or artificial dyes.
So, are all yogurts created equally? Most definitely not.
It may not be the most exciting option in the yogurt aisle, but plain yogurt—made with whole milk for children under 2—is, hands down, the best yogurt for your family. It's also the most reliable way to get the most of yogurt's health benefits. And this isn't just about skipping the neon green yogurt snacks. Ounce per ounce, plain yogurt is also more nutritious than the simplest fruit- and veggie-added options. It has fewer calories, no fillers, no added sugar, and often more calcium or protein.
My family's favorite way to enjoy yogurt is straight out of the container with added fresh fruit, but it's also a great ingredient for cooking. You can use yogurt (particularly Greek-style) to make dips, sauces, marinades, and salad dressing. You can even bake with yogurt! (Just keep in mind that cooking yogurt kills the live cultures, so be sure to include plenty of un-cooked yogurt in your diet, too.) Even when heated through, yogurt is nutritious and often a great substitute for fattier ingredients like sour cream or mayo.
Here are some of my favorite ways to use yogurt:
On top of all of this, yogurt also makes an amazing edible finger paint for little ones!!
So many uses and so much time: yogurt is a healthy ingredient for life!
Looking for more ideas and recipes? Join the "Starting Solids 101" program for expectant moms and moms to babies up to 12-months-old. Participants get exclusive 6-month access to my private Starting Solids 101 group where they have me "on call" to answer questions, share the latest research on infant feeding, and cut through the heaps of information and opinions on how to feed baby safely. We also have one hour-long Q&A call a month so that you can get in-depth answers. It's like having a family feeding expert on speed dial, plus a new community of moms who care as much about starting baby on a healthy eating adventure as you.
Email email@example.com for more info. Mention Dr. Greene's site for an exclusive discount!


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Item #3050
50-60 days. Introduced in 1934, Fordhook Giant is now an old favorite with its broad, meaty stems and large leaves packed with vitamins and minerals. A vigorous grower with a long growing season, it will provide fresh greens from early summer into fall, and year-round in mild climates. Young leaves are great for salads. Good container variety.
This packet sows two 10-foot rows.
Seedling Image
Days to Emerge:
Seed Depth:
Seed Spacing:
Row Spacing:
When to sow outside: RECOMMENDED. 2 to 4 weeks before average last frost and when soil temperature is at least 50°F. Sow as late as 2 months before first fall frost. In USDA zones 6 or warmer, also sow in late summer for fall/winter crop.
When to start inside: Not recommended.
Harvesting: Pick the outer leaves as needed when plant is at least 10" tall, and let more leaves grow from the middle of the plant; or, if desired, harvest the whole plant 2" above ground, and it will regrow. Pick very young leaves, 2" - 3" to use fresh in salads.
Artist: Carolyn Crawford
Item #3050
2.00 grams
In early fall, it pays to keep an eye on nighttime temperatures so that you get your frost-sensitive crops harvested before the first frost.
One of the greatest benefits of having a garden is controlling how your food is grown. Growing organically ensures your food is free of commercial…More…
Most vegetables and herbs do best in areas with full sun (6 or more hours/day). These include tomatoes, peppers, melons, and squash. However, you can…More…


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Even though her talk show is no longer on the air, Tyra Banks is still being sued for being less than a model citizen.
The "America's Next Top Model" host is being sued for $3 million by a Georgia woman who claims that her 15-year-old daughter appeared on the now defunct talk show in an episode about teen sex addicts without her permission, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Beverly McClendon, a social worker, said that her daughter answered an open call through the show's website last October. She was then contacted by the show's producers and asked to film an episode. She flew unaccompanied to New York and put up in a hotel in advance of her paid appearance on the talk show. McClendon said she was unaware of her daughter's participation until it was too late.
U.S. & World
"The show was undoubtedly watched by sexual deviants, perverts, and pedophiles alike," she contested in the legal filings, which argue that her daughter's right to privacy was violated.
In addition to the cash settlement, she's also seeking an injunction to keep the episode from airing again.
Selected Reading: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Popeater


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Event box
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Bilingual Family Storytime
Hola. Hello. A 30 mintue Spanish and English storytime for children of all ages and their parents. Children can learn different words and concepts in English and Spanish through books, music and finger plays.
Related LibGuide: Kids' Stuff by April Lammers
- Date:
- Friday, October 5, 2018 Show more dates
- Time:
- 10:00am - 10:30am
- Location:
- Tabby Theater
- Audience:
- Children
- Categories:
- Library Event Storytime > Preschool


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Moviestorm 1.6.0 beta available
Posted 12 September 2013 - 04:02 PM
Moviestorm Ltd
Posted 12 September 2013 - 10:41 PM
It shows up the black patch problem on models which sometimes occurs under tri-lighting without the need to publish and use the addon in MS before you spot it.
"If we only use 1/3 of our brain, what's the other 1/3 for?"
Posted 12 September 2013 - 10:44 PM
"If we only use 1/3 of our brain, what's the other 1/3 for?"
Posted 13 September 2013 - 08:33 PM
- The 'Nod' & 'shake' head gestures so far are Great while looking at 'something' or someone'.
- The eliminating of 'Improvisation' in the 1st 'Change Mood' of the 1st character/Puppet (& flow on of other Characters) is also great..
I'm liking specifically the same.
The "look at, while nod/shake" is something Ive been whining about for years. Nice addition.
I have to admit, I as hoping for more with 1.6.0.
Posted 15 September 2013 - 10:15 AM
Is there anyway i can get 1.5.4 back other than having to totally re-download/Install it?
Scrub that, managed to get it back to 1.5.4 using Windows 7 restore for individual folders, seems to be back to 1.5.4 and working again.
Posted 22 September 2013 - 04:37 AM
"If we only use 1/3 of our brain, what's the other 1/3 for?"
Posted 22 September 2013 - 03:28 PM
Would it be possible to add the option to arrange the available sets according to the alphabet? I have quite a few MS sets and my custom sets, and it's driving me insane to find the one that I'm looking for
Posted 23 September 2013 - 03:44 PM
so far the new update looks pretty good. I like the new "Mood" dialogue very much. Adding lighting in the modder's workshop finally explains why so many mods have soooooo bright colors...
I noticed one glitch in the Director's View. When characters interact the action appears only on the timeline of the character which was selected when applying the interaction. But it's completely missing on the timeline of the other character.
I totally agree. The gestures are organized alphabetically, and it would be a great help if everything was: the scene sets, the characters, all the other presets, just everything .
The translucent gizmo is definitely a great help, but it is still way too tiny for small props. I'd like to see a gizmo with thinner but longer arrows that also has a minimum size. To position some props you need a larger view of your scene, but then the gizmo is so small that it is impossible to move it. Very often I want to move a prop but miss the arrow and turn it instead. That's annoying. Longer arrows would make that easier.
Another huge benefit would be the possibility to adjust the position of accessories. Very often they get in the way with the hair or the costume which makes them impossible to use!
The splash screen after launching Moviestorm has enough space to add an "Empty Movie" button. This way I wouldn't have to wait for the movie templates to load which I hardly use anyway. Most of the time you need an empty movie.
The export allows image sequences which I use a lot -- JPEG still is the best compression . But then I need the audio also and I have to render the whole video again. Very time consuming -- so adding a "WAV audio export" would be a magnificent option.
Thanks for your great work, love and success,
Posted 24 September 2013 - 04:33 AM
"If we only use 1/3 of our brain, what's the other 1/3 for?"
Posted 24 September 2013 - 04:45 AM
"Partial head look at lets one look and nod or shake the head at the same time."
"If we only use 1/3 of our brain, what's the other 1/3 for?"
Posted 24 September 2013 - 06:11 AM
"Partial head look at lets one look and nod or shake the head at the same time."
After using "look at", right click the eye icon on the timeline and choose from the different options (look with eyes, head or both; small, normal or strong (override current gestures) effect, etc.
Posted 24 September 2013 - 07:26 AM
I looked at that but didn't make the connection. I'll try it out
"If we only use 1/3 of our brain, what's the other 1/3 for?"
Posted 24 September 2013 - 05:12 PM
Posted 25 September 2013 - 12:14 PM
This is not a change - the filename of a stock character does not have to match the characters name.
If your character is called 'Bob' and you save as 'Bob in overalls' and later as 'Bob in suit', then you will do fine. If you save 'Bob' with the filename 'Fred' then you are likely to become confused later when you load 'Fred' and end up with 'Bob' again.
Moviestorm Ltd
Posted 25 September 2013 - 07:48 PM
"If we only use 1/3 of our brain, what's the other 1/3 for?"
Posted 26 September 2013 - 02:48 PM
Yup, got a fix for this (thanks for finding it), and for the Ambient sound menu being empty, and let people change the stock set order. I should be able to make you a build next week.
Moviestorm Ltd
Posted 26 September 2013 - 06:12 PM
Great work you are doing.
But i have a question concerning ambient sound as to whether it will be possible to import one's own sounds into the menu?
Thanks and best wishes
Posted 26 September 2013 - 06:23 PM
But i have a question concerning ambient sound as to whether it will be possible to import one's own sounds into the menu?
Thanks and best wishes
It should just be a matter of making an addon that contains audio in '[addon name]/Data/Sound/Ambient'.
The menu should be scanning the addons for any audio files in those folders (although it was having issues with paths that started with ./[addon name] being the same as those starting with [addon name] - you might want to try it in 1.5.4 for the moment till I get a new version out next week).
Or you can just add your sound in the cutting room, rather than associating it with a set. Sometimes that is preferable.
Moviestorm Ltd
Posted 27 September 2013 - 12:52 PM
dear Ben thank you for enlightening me, but i meant the ambient sounds that can be used in set builder mode, even if there is no prop chosen. This seems to be closed for external content.
And yes i use ambient sounds in editing room.
Thanks again, and very best wishes for the progress and precise work you are doing.
Posted 28 September 2013 - 09:28 AM
I have noticed when I re-installed MS recently that some gestures and a walk gait which are included in the Photostorm addons are not included in the equivalent main addon, for example
Gait Sexy Walk (In Photostorm Valentines but not in the main Valetine addon)
Gesture Preen (In Phtostorm Valentines but not in the main Valentine addon)
Big Look Around Frightened (In Photostorm Holidays, not in Happy Holidays or any other main addon)
Only noticed this as I didn't bother to install the photostorm stuff as I own all the main addon packs, but now have to have all the photosotrm packs installed too just on case there are any others.
Is this an oversight are did you leave this out of the main packs for a reason, and if not is it something you can sort, doesn't really affect me as I have access photostorm but aren't those packs only available to older users?
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|Jepson Flora Project: Jepson Interchange
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Jepson Interchange (more information)
©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
Annual to tree
Leaves basal or cauline, alternate, opposite, or whorled, generally simple and toothed (to pinnately compound); stipules 0 or generally deciduous
Inflorescence: spike, raceme, panicle, or flowers solitary in axils; bracted
Flower generally bisexual, generally radial, opening at dawn or dusk; hypanthium sometimes prolonged beyond ovary (measured from ovary tip to sepal base); sepals generally 4(27); petals generally 4 (or as many as sepals, rarely 0), often "fading" darker; stamens generally 4 or 8(2), anthers 2-chambered, opening lengthwise, pollen generally interconnected by threads; ovary inferior, chambers generally 4 (sometimes becoming 1), placentas axile or parietal, ovules 1many per chamber, style 1, stigma 4-lobed (or lobes as many as sepals), club-shaped, or hemispheric
Fruit: capsule, loculicidal (sometimes berry or indehiscent and nut-like)
Seeds sometimes winged or hair-tufted
Genera in family: 15 genera, ± 650 species: worldwide, especially w North America; many cultivated (Clarkia, Epilobium, Fuchsia, Gaura, Oenothera )
Reference: [Munz 1965 North America Fl II 5:1278]
Annual to subshrub
Leaves generally opposite below (or clustered in axils), generally ± fine-toothed; veins generally obscure
Inflorescence: generally raceme, bracted
Flower radial or ± bilateral; sepals 4, erect; petals 4, generally notched; stamens 8, anthers attached at middle, pollen grains generally shed in 4's, generally cream-yellow; ovary chambers 4, stigma generally club-like
Fruit straight, cylindric to club-like
Seeds generally in 1 row per chamber, generally with white, deciduous hair-tuft
Species in genus: 171 species: worldwide except tropical
Recent taxonomic note: Epilobium angustifolium, Epilobium latifolium now treated in Chamerion. See Hoch 1999 Flora of Japan IIc: 241; Baum et al. 1994 Syst Bot 19:363388.
Etymology: (Greek: upon pod, from inferior ovary)
Reference: [Raven 1976 Ann Missouri Bot Gard 63:326340]
Incl Boisduvalia , Zauschneria. Most taxa polyploid; many with anthers ± = stigma self-pollinated; many hybrids.
Annual 16 dm, peeling below, strigose or spreading-hairy
Leaves opposite only near base, subsessile, 1050 cm, narrowly elliptic, glabrous (upper hairy)
Inflorescence crowded, sometimes glandular; bracts = leaves
Flower: hypanthium 12.5 mm; sepals 26 mm; petals 411 mm, rose-purple; stamens < or = pistil; stigma 4-lobed
Fruit 1419 mm, subcylindric, beaked, pliable, sessile, dehiscent to base; septa and axis disintegrating
Seeds in 1 staggered row, 1.82 mm, netted, glabrous
Chromosomes: 2n=20
Ecology: Streambanks, moist slopes
Elevation: 601800 m.
Bioregional distribution: Cascade Range, n Sierra Nevada Foothills, Sacramento Valley, Modoc Plateau
Distribution outside California: to sw Oregon, Idaho
Synonyms: Boisduvalia p. Eastw.; B. macrantha A. Heller


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No EZ Answers
This story appears in the July 2007 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
When entrepreneur Chuck Morris heard that Knoxville, Tennessee, was selected as a federal Empowerment Zone in 1999, he was understandably excited. His marketing communications firm, Morris Creative Group, seemed to be in a prime position to benefit: It was located in a historic building in the heart of the zone. Morris hoped he could use the program to get a low-interest loan to expand his business.
He didn't qualify, however, because neither he nor his employees lived in the zone. It was a big disappointment. "One of the promises of the Empowerment Zone was access to more capital," says Morris, 40, whose annual revenue is about $1 million. "That would have been an extraordinary opportunity for us, but there was no flexibility in the basic rules."
His friend Stanley Johnson, also of Knoxville, had an even more frustrating experience with the Empowerment Zone program, which was enacted in 1993 to revitalize poor urban and rural areas and is scheduled to continue through 2009. A zone resident, Johnson sought financing to open a business servicing and selling pre-owned vehicles. He seemed like the perfect candidate: He was an inner-city resident with a comprehensive business plan, 10 years of experience as a finance director and a solid credit record. However, the local board denied his loan application.
"It was a slap in the face," says Johnson, 36, who later got a conventional bank loan for Stan Johnson Super Auto Center, which reached $800,000 in sales before he sold the business in 2006. "If they turned me down, I can imagine all the other people who had great ideas for businesses but couldn't get in the door."
Morris and Johnson's experiences aren't surprising, given the tepid assessment the program received in the Government Accountability Office's most recent study of the Empowerment Zone program. In its first of three rounds, the program directed $1 billion in flexible funding toward blighted areas in 11 communities. There, local authorities decided how the money should be spent over 10 years to combat endemic poverty and unemployment and boost economic growth. In 1999, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development directed another $1 billion to 11 more Empowerment Zones, including Knoxville. In the third round in 2001, HUD chose another eight Empowerment Zones and 40 urban and rural Renewal Communities, but this time it offered only tax incentives.
The GAO looked at the results of round one and found improvements in some zones. However, monitoring of how communities spent their money was so inadequate, it was hard to determine whether Empowerment Zone initiatives contributed to that progress. What's more, the study found that in some zones, there was actually a drop in key indicators of prosperity. In the Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles Empowerment Zones, for instance, the number of businesses and jobs declined.
No EZ Answers
How can this be, when so much money was spent to improve these areas? And why is it that the program did not help entrepreneurs like Morris and Johnson? It's complicated--really complicated--say the experts.
First, $1 billion sounds like a lot of money, but it's like a cup of water dumped in a desert--hardly enough to make a difference in areas dominated by shuttered factories, run-down housing and desperately poor people.
Second, there aren't strong federal guidelines dictating how the flexible-funding grants should be spent. Empowerment Zone communities have developed plans using various approaches, usually a combination of investments in neighborhood development, economic development and human services. But in some areas, prolonged squabbling between political entities and community groups over how to use the money bogs down implementation of the plans.
"In Atlanta, [a round-one community], they didn't have the capacity to translate their strategic plan into tangible projects and initiatives," says Michael Rich, associate professor of political science at Emory University and part of a national team of researchers that has studied Empowerment Zones.
"Whoever stayed at the table long enough got their ideas included in the final strategic plan," says Harrison Blackmond, chair of the Blackmond Givens Group, which provided management services to the Empowerment Zone in Detroit, another round-one city. "The focus in Detroit was on 'fixing' people--providing job training, counseling, medical services. But if we were able to fix people, they moved out of the zone as quickly as possible."
Overall, Blackmond believes the program did not accomplish much for the people it was supposed to help. "The social service agencies were paid," he observes, "but very little of the money made a difference in the lives of individuals in the community."
Most of the round-one Empowerment Zones have wound down, although a few, such as Atlanta, have permission to continue using their unexpended grant funds. In other cities, like Knoxville, community groups and city officials continue to fight over how to spend their remaining dollars.
Even positive stories sometimes highlight the program's problems. In Chicago, the CC Investment Group, which owns and manages $25 million worth of affordable and moderate-income apartments, benefited from the Empowerment Zone by saving $160,000 in transfer and sales tax exemptions. However, the company had to hire one consultant to track down these opportunities and another to actually take advantage of them."The program is well-meaning, but you have to hire consultants to figure it out," says Peter Cunningham, 37, managing partner of CC Investment Group, which he co-founded with Scott Cimino, also 37. "There doesn't seem to be one source of information about these benefits, and that makes things very difficult."


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I like to try new games, I generally don't write about them though. I often shuffle through free gamer and game tome on the weekends to see what budding developers are doing. Some of them are pretty cool but few are worth talking about as they are all usually early in development. I was pulled in my OpenLieroX though.
I wasn't a Windows user for many years so I never heard of it. Liero is an real time, excessive carnaged, Worms-clone. Though I have tried Worms before (and really liked it) I didn't know what to expect. So a good clone would be something I'd like to see in Linux. Clones in general are something that I've learned to avoid. Good games are alot more than ideas and usually only pretentious developers feel they replicate the time and detail of a commercial success.
I've been real fortunately lately with games. I'm still playing OpenTyrian which rocks, and Wesnoth is alot of fun so I really didn't need anything else, but I got the bug, or should I say… worm.
To be technical, OpenLieroX is a clone of Liero Extreme the most popular of Liero clones. So OpenLieroX is a clone of the of a clone of a clone, ok, I got it… :) This sounded discouraging but OpenLieroX is actually a polished game with some nice features.
The plot of Liero is simple: destruction. Moving the worm about and firing various weapons is all Liero is basically about, but it's Fun! Gameplay is smooth, there's lots and lots of weapons, sound effects are all good too. Also there are a good number of mods to keep it interesting. Network play looks like it be a kick in the pants, and the CPU AI is about average. Maybe the screenshots will show it best.
The menu:
Local Play:
On a 747:
Now they're trapped, think I'll nuke 'em.
The developer has been working on this steady for quite a bit now and I like his efforts. Good too see good games come into Linux. OpenLieroX is an unexpected surprise and well worth the try.


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Chardonnay is a wine grape that grows all across the globe and is the most popular white grape varietal. Depending on the style, Chardonnay can exhibit buttery aromas, with hints of toasty, creamy vanilla or be drier with hints of apples and tropical richness, and the wine tends to be lean and crisp, with high acidity. Great Chardonnays come from all over the world, including France, Australia, New Zealand, the US, and Canada.
Chardonnay and Terroir
Chardonnay is strongly influenced by terroir, to the point that making it is considered a "right of passage" in the international wine market. Chardonnay wine is very neutral, but white wines from cooler climates such as Chablis or Carneros, California tend to be light- or medium-bodied, notably acidic, and contain flavors of plum, pear, and apple. Chardonnays from warmer climates like Australia and New Zealand exhibit citrusy flavors and notes of tropical fruits such as mango, or even banana. The flexibility of Chardonnay also makes it an essential component to the production of sparkling wines, including champagne.
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Okay I am starting a marathon ladder.
Here's how it works:
If you want to move up, challenge someone who is 3 or less spots above you in the ladder. Then you play them in a one on one battle. If you win, you switch places in the ladder. If you lose, you stay in the same place. If they don't play you in 2 weeks, you win by default. When you join, you will go to the bottom. Post challenges, times for games and results of games in here; i will edit this post to contain an up-to-date ladder.
3. Tranquility
Current Permitted Maps:
Quick Six
Stair Fortress
Victory Dance (1.0)
Goran's Netpack
Red Spectrum
Coriolis Loop


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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) The Dallas Cowboys will wear a helmet decal Sunday against Pittsburgh to honor practice squad linebacker Jerry Brown a week after he died in a one-car accident that led to manslaughter charges against teammate Josh Brent for allegedly driving drunk.
The decal will feature Brown's No. 53.
Last week, the Cowboys honored Brown by draping his jersey over the bench in Cincinnati, where they beat the Bengals 20-19 on a field goal on the final play a day after Brown died.
The Cowboys held a private memorial for Brown on Tuesday, and his funeral was Saturday in St. Louis.
Police in the Dallas suburb of Irving say Brent was speeding when his car hit a curb and flipped Dec. 8. Brown was pronounced dead at a hospital.


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You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'Sashimi' tag.
With daily downpour just before we call it a day at work, there is no better place to have your dinner than Nagomi Shabu-Shabu while waiting for the traffic to clear.
Nagomi offers traditional, authentic Japanese hotpot in a fine-dining ambience. The prices may be on the high side for an everyday, ordinary meal, the portion for its Shabu-Shabu Sets is big. The sets come with:-
1) a plate of sliced razor thin meat – beef, chicken (yes, razor thin chicken slices) or duck – or chunky sashimi – salmon or tuna;
2) a plate of vegetables;
3) a pot of broth – Nagomi, chicken or spicy;
4) a bowl of rice; and
3) 3 types of sauces – goma, chili & ponzu
The hot steam from the hotpot creats the perfect warm & cozy feeling amidst the cold & wet weather outside the restaurant. With the traffic jam, there is no hurry to finish the dinner – one can swish-swish slowly.
Nagomi also offers a wide selection of sushi, sashimi, hand-rolls, snacks, alcoholic drinks and desserts. We particularly like the salmon sashimi for its freshness, apparently fresh deliveries arrive on Tuesday & Friday.
You can find Nagomi Shabu-Shabu in
1. Jaya 33, Section 13, PJ;
2. Hartamas Shopping Centre, Sri Hartamas; and
3. Menara Hap Seng, KL (near Shangri-la Hotel)
It also has a pretty cool website – www.nagomishabushabu.com.


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If you work in an office, chances are at some point in your career, gift giving will be a topic of discussion. After all, giving helps you bond with your coworkers and have fun in the process.
Giving gifts is an important part of our human interaction and has been the subject of numerous studies for years. Ellen J. Langer, a Harvard psychology professor describes gift giving as an important part of relationships indicating, "The biggest effect of gift giving may be on ourselves." That's why gift exchanges at work might be more important than you realize.
Finding the right gift can be stressful in the midst of a busy schedule. But keep in mind that gifts can be thoughtful without being overly expensive. Gifts with a purpose or meaning will go a long way in forming positive relationships at work.
Even with the best intentions of giving, most faux pas occur when coworkers try to outspend one another or buy gifts that are too personal in nature such as perfumes or clothing. Sticking to the rules of good etiquette helps you avoid awkward situations and adds to the enjoyment of gift giving.
Here are some suggestions for buying gifts at work:
- Be sure to check out the company's culture on what type of gifts are appropriate. Gift giving varies depending on the company.
- If you work in a small office with about five colleagues or less you need to consider buying gifts for everyone. Leaving someone out of the group could be a recipe for hurt feelings.
- A white elephant exchange is a fun way to celebrate the holiday season and sets the tone for humor. Let your imagination run wild on gifts that no one really wants; the goal is to entertain. But make it fair by staying within the price range chosen.
- Focus on the thought not the cost; expensive gifts can make your coworkers feel uncomfortable.
- If you want to buy your boss a gift, consider a group gift where everyone participates. Stay away from personal gifts that could create discomfort with your boss and instead focus on items that are simple and genuine.
- Giving a coworker a gift that has been especially helpful to you is appropriate; however, give it in a discreet way.
- Do your best to choose a gift that matches your coworker instead of handing out the same gift to everyone. Make it meaningful.
- Giving is a blessing for both the giver and the receiver and if a gift is not in your budget this year, it's perfectly fine to write a handwritten note of appreciation as an alternative.
- Remember the people whom you might not see every day but help make your job easier throughout the year, such as the mailroom deliverer, assistants and recruiters.
What is your favorite gift you received at work and what made it special?


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SAN JOSE, Calif. – With 28 matches still remaining, the San Jose Earthquakes are already down to just three iron men who've played all 540 regulation minutes this season.
Two of the names should come as no surprise to Quakes fans: goalkeeper Jon Busch and forward Chris Wondolowski.
The trio's third member is someone whose absence of flash should not be mistaken for a lack of importance. Sam Cronin is at the center of the pitch for San Jose, a tireless worker who covers – and re-covers – practically every inch of space between Busch and Wondolowski at opposite ends of the Quakes' formation.
San Jose have played 93 regular-season MLS matches since acquiring Cronin in June 2010. He has started 74 of those games, and the Quakes have gone 32-23-19 for an average of 1.55 points per contest. In the other 19 games, that number drops to 1.37. Over the course of a 34-match season, that's a variance of 6.3 points in the standings – potentially the difference between making the playoffs or going home in October.
ANATOMY OF A GOAL: Sam Cronin's goal vs. LA
That's why it was so disconcerting for the Quakes to see Cronin go head over heels in the 88th minute of San Jose's 1-1 tie against Vancouver on Saturday. Cronin and Whitecaps midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker both went in at full speed for a loose ball in the Vancouver end.
Reo-Coker got to the ball first by a fraction of a second, but his follow-through took the studs of his right boot into the right ankle of Cronin. That sent the Quakes' 26-year-old – listed at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds – pinwheeling through the air before crashing to earth on his right shoulder.
"I thought it was terrible," said Quakes center back Jason Hernandez, who was watching the game due to injury. "Any time you have two teams that are fighting for a result, there's going to be hard tackles. There's going to be plays that either side might not look well upon, but that one in particular stood out in my mind as a really reckless challenge. I don't know what else to say about it."
At the time, Cronin quickly sprang back up and seemed to have some choice words for referee Fotis Bazakos. But Tuesday, Cronin absolved Reo-Coker of blame.
SHOEGATE: Why Quakes were shorthanded for Whitecaps equalizer
Highlights: San Jose 1, Vancouver 1
"Me flying in the air you don't see often, but ... nine times out of 10, that doesn't happen," Cronin said. "[Typically,] we both just go in, the ball goes elsewhere and we just bump into each other a little bit. His intent wasn't to clean me out or anything. He was going for the ball. I was going for the ball. He came through me a little bit extra, but it's fine by me."
What wasn't fine by Cronin was the Quakes performance two weeks ago, a 2-0 loss to Houston in which San Jose never felt like they were in the match. The tie against Vancouver kept intact the Quakes' streak of bouncing back from losses.
San Jose are now 5-0-5 after their last 10 regular-season defeats and haven't lost consecutive regular-season matches since August 2011. That run dates back almost precisely to the installation of Rafael Baca alongside Cronin in the center of San Jose's midfield.
"I don't know if that's the reason [for not suffering consecutive losses]," Cronin said of the pairing. "I think it's just the character we have on the team. The players, we took ownership to having a good week of training. I think a loss sometimes can refocus you. A loss, we never want it, but it allows us to refocus, and as long as you learn lessons from it, it's not the worst thing."
Geoff Lepper covers the San Jose Earthquakes for MLSsoccer.com


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Anonymous says:-
"Very good, been using them for many many hours and they still look new and shiny. Much better grip than silver points so you don't need to use sandpaper on these."
john stewart wilson says:-
"these points do give u extra grip and the gold coating is pretty"
Tel: 01744 750407
Mob: 077910 37948
Email: email@example.com