text:
It wasn't that long ago that Mike Grob and his family spent their summers crisscrossing Canada as he competed on the far-flung Canadian PGA Tour.
Their home away from home was a 35-foot fifth-wheeler.
"I kind of miss those days," said Grob, who traveled with his wife Kristi and their daughters, Holly and Dana. "It was great. We had the kids' toys back there. They could sleep in their own beds. We were together every minute."
With Victoria, Edmonton and Toronto now in his rear-view mirror, Grob is looking ahead to more good times beginning this week. He is about to make his debut as a rookie on the 2003 Professional Golfers Association Tour at prestigious Pebble Beach, Calif.
The 38-year-old Billings resident will be among the 180 players competing in the $5 million AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He is the first native Montanan to earn full-time playing status on the PGA Tour.
"I'm looking at it as being a fun thing," said Grob, who has been waiting for this week for nearly 30 years. "I'm going to enjoy it. I'm going to be patient and let things happen."
The 72-hole tournament begins on Thursday on the Monterey Peninsula and play will be televised by USA Network (Thursday and Friday) and CBS (Saturday and Sunday) from 1 to 4 p.m. First place is worth $900,000.
"I'm really excited, especially to play courses like Pebble Beach, Spyglass and Poppy Hill," said Grob. "I have never played there, so it's exciting to be able to go do that.
"Preparing for three different courses is really hard," he added. "But I'm not going to say I can't do well. You never know."
Grob, who spent last week in Phoenix, Ariz., practicing for his debut tournament, is hoping to compete in as many as 26 PGA tournaments this year.
"I feel pretty confident because I know so many guys," Grob said of playing regularly on the Tour. "I feel like I belong. I have people to play practice rounds with and people to go to lunch with.
"But they're still the best players in the world," he observed. "It's going to be extremely difficult, no way around it. You are going to have to play great everyday."
Amazing money Grob, a three-time former Montana State Amateur champion, has been playing professionally since his days on the Canadian Tour in 1988. He has played 11 of the last 14 years in Canada.
He was on the Nike Tour in the United States in 1999 and the Buy.com Tour in 2000 and 2001.
Grob qualified for the 2003 PGA Tour by placing in a tie for 34th at the Q-school finals in La Quinta, Calif., in early December. While several Montanans have competed in PGA events in the past, Grob is the first to be fully-exempt from weekly qualifying.
"I take a lot of pride in putting Billings, Montana, on my starting sheet," he said. "It's really neat. Everywhere I go somebody comes up to me and says they're from Montana or want to talk about Montana. That's pretty special. When I was living in Orlando (Florida), nobody ever asked."
Grob's wife, Kristi, and their oldest daughter, Holly, will be part of the gallery at Pebble Beach.
This year's Tour has a 48-event schedule and a record $236 million in purses. All but seven of the events have purses of at least $4 million.
Last year 61 golfers made more than $1 million on the Tour.
"It's amazing. That's thanks to Tiger (Woods)," Grob said of the lucrative purses. "He has just made the game watchable for so many people. TV is just clamoring to bring more tournaments to the public."
As one of 29 rookies on the 2003 Tour, Grob and 19 others earned their playing privileges through the three-stage qualifying school. The other nine graduated from the Buy.com Tour, which is one step below PGA competition.
"I haven't been able to play very much, so it's pretty rusty," Grob said of the current state of his game. "I will have a week to prepare here (in Phoenix). I want to try to go up there (Pebble Beach) with good fundamentals."
One-year pass Grob, who is usually very accurate off the tee, is expecting to also be in the field for the Buick Invitational Feb. 13-16 in San Diego. Tour events are scheduled to run through early November.
"I'm going to try to be patient," Grob said of his Tour game plan. "See if I can find a course that fits me and see if I can take advantage of it if I get up there close (on the leader board). If you have one weekend where you make every putt you look at, who knows?"
Grob is operating on a one-year pass. He needs to finish among the Top 125 money winners in 2003 to keep his fully-exempt status for the following year.
Last year's 125th-place finisher, Jay Williamson, pocketed $515,445 in winnings.
"It's reasonable for me to think that I can play well enough to place among the top 125 and keep my card," Grob said. "Other than that I really don't know. I don't really know the courses that well."
While this will mark Grob's debut as a full-fledged PGA Tour member, he isn't a complete stranger to PGA competition. While on the Canadian PGA Tour, Grob was able to take part in seven PGA events held in Canada.
His highest finish was a tie for 37th at the 1996 Greater Vancouver Open.
This year's PGA Tour rookies, which number eight more than 2002, come from various backgrounds and a variety of locations.
There's Andy Miller, who is the son of 1973 U.S. Open champion Johnny Miller, and James McLean, the 1998 NCAA individual champion from the University of Minnesota.
There's Aaron Baddeley, who lost to Ernie Els in a playoff for the Sony Open title in Hawaii in mid-January, and Carl Pettersson, who shared the first-round lead at the 2002 British Open.
And then there's Grob, who underwent hip replacement surgery in January 2000 and was back to playing competitive golf six months later.
"These guys are all capable (of winning)," Grob said of the rookie class. "I would say anybody has a chance."


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
The California Retired Teachers Association will hear the sweet harmonies of the Bonita High School Chamber Singers at 11:15 a.m. on Dec, 11 at their luncheon in the Hillcrest Meeting House.
The chorale, under the direction of Todd Helm, has performed at Carnegie Hall, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Disney World and Disneyland. The 70-member choir will perform in the Heritage Festival of Gold in San Francisco next spring.
The meeting will focus on upcoming legislation, health care and education scholarships.
To RSVP: 626-963-6242 by Friday.


text:
Frequent Links
|Systematic (IUPAC) name
|Clinical data
|Trade names
|Licence data
|US FDA:link
|Oral, Intravenous
|Pharmacokinetic data
|2.8-7.4 hours
|Renal: 11%
|52-53-9 7px
|IUPHAR ligand
|DB00661 7px
|2425 7px
|CJ0O37KU29 7px
|D02356 7px
|CHEBI:9948 7px
|CHEMBL6966 7px
|Chemical data
|454.602 g/mol
|14px (what is this?) (verify)
Verapamil (INN) (/vɜrˈæpəmɪl/) (sold under various trade names) is an L-type calcium channel blocker of the phenylalkylamine class. It has been used in the treatment of hypertension, angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, and most recently, cluster headaches. It is also an effective preventive medication for migraine. Verapamil has also been used as a vasodilator during cryopreservation of blood vessels. It is a class-IV antiarrhythmic, more effective than digoxin in controlling ventricular rate[1] and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 1982.[2]
It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most important medications needed in a basic health system.[3]
Side effects
Some possible side effects of the drug are headaches, facial flushing, dizziness, lightheadedness, swelling, increased urination, fatigue, nausea, ecchymosis, galactorrhea, and constipation.[4][5]
Along with other calcium channel blockers, verapamil is known to induce gingival hyperplasia. [6]
Acute overdose is often manifested by nausea, asthenia, bradycardia, dizziness, hypotension, and cardiac arrhythmia. Plasma, serum, or blood concentrations of verapamil and norverapamil, its major active metabolite, may be measured to confirm a diagnosis of poisoning in hospitalized patients or to aid in the medicolegal investigation of fatalities. Blood or plasma verapamil concentrations are usually in a range of 50-500 μg/l in persons on therapy with the drug, but may rise to 1–4 mg/l in acute overdose patients and are often at levels of 5–10 mg/l in fatal poisonings.[7][8]
Uses in cell biology
Verapamil is also used in cell biology as an inhibitor of drug efflux pump proteins such as P-glycoprotein.[9] This is useful, as many tumor cell lines overexpress drug efflux pumps, limiting the effectiveness of cytotoxic drugs or fluorescent tags. It is also used in fluorescent cell sorting for DNA content, as it blocks efflux of a variety of DNA-binding fluorophores such as Hoechst 33342. Radioactively labelled verapamil and positron emission tomography can be used with to measure P-glycoprotein function.[10]
Mechanism and uses
Verapamil's mechanism in all cases is to block voltage-dependent calcium channels. In cardiac pharmacology, calcium channel blockers are considered class-IV antiarrhythmic agents. Since calcium channels are especially concentrated in the sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodes, these agents can be used to decrease impulse conduction through the AV node, thus protecting the ventricles from atrial tachyarrhythmias.
Calcium channels are also present in the smooth muscle lining blood vessels. By relaxing the tone of this smooth muscle, calcium channel blockers dilate the blood vessels. This has led to their use in treating high blood pressure and angina pectoris. The pain of angina is caused by a deficit in oxygen supply to the heart. Calcium channel blockers like verapamil dilate blood vessels, which increases the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart. This controls chest pain, but only when used regularly. It does not stop chest pain once it starts. A more powerful vasodilator such as nitroglycerin may be needed to control pain once it starts.
In animal trials, verapamil also inhibits thioredoxin-interacting protein, the protein that leads to the death of pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin, and thus causes diabetes. This may allow the reversal of types I and II diabetes.[11]
Verapamil is also used intra-arterially to treat cerebral vasospasm.[12] Verapamil has been used to treat cluster headaches,[13] but it can also cause headaches as a side effect.
Pharmacokinetic details
Given orally, 90–100% of verapamil is absorbed, but due to high first-pass metabolism, bioavailability is much lower (10–35%). It is 90% bound to plasma proteins and has a volume of distribution of 3–5 l/kg. It is metabolized in the liver to at least 12 inactive metabolites (though one metabolite, norverapamil, retains 20% of the vasodilating activity of the parent drug). As its metabolites, 70% is excreted in the urine and 16% in feces; 3–4% is excreted unchanged in urine. This is a nonlinear dependence between plasma concentration and dosage. Onset of action is 1–2 hours after oral dosage. Half-life is 5–12 hours (with chronic dosages). It is not cleared by hemodialysis. It is excreted in human milk. Because of the potential for adverse reaction in nursing infants, nursing should be discontinued while verapamil is administered.
Verapamil has been reported to be effective in both short-term[14] and long-term treatment of mania and hypomania.[15] Addition of magnesium oxide to the verapamil treatment protocol enhances the antimanic effect.[16] It has on occasion been used to control mania in pregnant patients, especially in the first three months. It does not appear to be significantly teratogenic. For this reason, when one wants to avoid taking valproic acid (which is high in teratogenicity) or lithium (which has a small but significant incidence of causing cardiac malformation), verapamil is usable as an alternative, albeit presumably a less effective one.
Veterinary use
Intra-abdominal adhesions are common in rabbits following surgery. Verapamil can be given postoperatively in rabbits which have suffered trauma to abdominal organs to prevent formation of these adhesions.[17][18][19] Such effect was not documented in another study with ponies.[20]
Potential use in the treatment of malaria
Recent resistance to the antimalarial drug chloroquine has hindered the treatment of malaria in Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa. Resistance to chloroquine is caused by the parasite cell's ability to expel the drug outside of its digestive vacuole. When used in combination with chloroquine, verapamil enhances the accumulation of chloroquine within a parasitic cell's digestive vacuole, rendering it incapable of detoxifying itself and making it more susceptible to death.[21][22]
Potential use in the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes
Recent research has shown verapamil to be an effective treatment for diabetes in animal models.[23][24] Verapamil helps treat diabetes by limiting TXNIP expression.[25] Human trials are expected to begin in 2015.
Trade names
Trade names for verapamil include Isoptin, Verelan, Verelan PM, Calan, Bosoptin, Calaptin, Verogalid ER and Covera-HS.
- ^ Srinivasan, Viswanathan; Sivaramakrishnan, H; Karthikeyan, B (2011). "Detection, Isolation and Characterization of Principal Synthetic Route Indicative Impurities in Verapamil Hydrochloride". Scientia Pharmaceutica 79 (3): 555–68. PMC 3163365. PMID 21886903. doi:10.3797/scipharm.1101-19.
- ^ "verapamil, Calan, Verelan, Verelan PM, Isoptin, Covera-HS". MedicineNet.com. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "WHO Model List of EssentialMedicines" (PDF). World Health Organization. October 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
- ^ "Verapamil". PubMed Health. Retrieved 10 Jan 2012.
- ^ ""verapamil, Calan, Verelan, Verelan PM, Isoptin, Covera-HS (cont.)". MedicineNet.com. Retrieved 10 Jan 2012.
- ^ Steele, RM; Schuna, AA; Schreiber, RT (1994). "Calcium antagonist-induced gingival hyperplasia". Annals of internal medicine 120 (8): 663–4. PMID 8135450. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-120-8-199404150-00006.
- ^ Wilimowska, Jolanta; Piekoszewski, Wojciech; Krzyanowska-Kierepka, Ewa; Florek, Ewa (2006). "Monitoring of Verapamil Enantiomers Concentration in Overdose". Clinical Toxicology 44 (2): 169–71. PMID 16615674. doi:10.1080/15563650500514541.
- ^ Baselt, R. (2008). Disposition of Toxic Drugs and Chemicals in Man (8th ed.). Foster City, California: Biomedical Publications. pp. 1637–9.
- ^ Bellamy, W T (1996). "P-Glycoproteins and Multidrug Resistance". Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology 36: 161–83. PMID 8725386. doi:10.1146/annurev.pa.36.040196.001113.
- ^ Luurtsema, Gert; Windhorst, Albert D.; Mooijer, Martien P.J.; Herscheid, Jacobus D.M.; Lammertsma, Adriaan A.; Franssen, Eric J.F. (2002). "Fully automated high yield synthesis of (R)- and (S)-[11C]verapamil for measuring P-glycoprotein function with positron emission tomography". Journal of Labelled Compounds and Radiopharmaceuticals 45 (14): 1199–207. doi:10.1002/jlcr.632.
- ^ ""In human clinical trial, UAB to test drug shown to completely reverse diabetes in human islets, mice"". University of Alabama at Birmingham.
- ^ Jun, P.; Ko, N. U.; English, J. D.; Dowd, C. F.; Halbach, V. V.; Higashida, R. T.; Lawton, M. T.; Hetts, S. W. (2010). "Endovascular Treatment of Medically Refractory Cerebral Vasospasm Following Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage". American Journal of Neuroradiology 31 (10): 1911–6. PMID 20616179. doi:10.3174/ajnr.A2183.
- ^ Drislane, Frank; Benatar, Michael; Chang, Bernard S.; Acosta, Juan; Tarulli, Andrew (1 January 2009). Blueprints Neurology. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 71–. ISBN 978-0-7817-9685-9. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
- ^ Giannini, AJ; Houser Jr, WL; Loiselle, RH; Giannini, MC; Price, WA (1984). "Antimanic effects of verapamil". The American Journal of Psychiatry 141 (12): 1602–3. PMID 6439057.
- ^ Giannini, AJ; Taraszewski, R; Loiselle, RH (1987). "Verapamil and lithium in maintenance therapy of manic patients". Journal of clinical pharmacology 27 (12): 980–2. PMID 3325531. doi:10.1002/j.1552-4604.1987.tb05600.x.
- ^ Giannini, A.James; Nakoneczie, Ann M.; Melemis, Stephen M.; Ventresco, James; Condon, Maggie (2000). "Magnesium oxide augmentation of verapamil maintenance therapy in mania". Psychiatry Research 93 (1): 83–7. PMID 10699232. doi:10.1016/S0165-1781(99)00116-X.
- ^ Elferink, Jan G.R.; Deierkauf, Martha (1984). "The effect of verapamil and other calcium antagonists on chemotaxis of polymorphonuclear leukocytes". Biochemical Pharmacology 33 (1): 35–9. PMID 6704142. doi:10.1016/0006-2952(84)90367-8.
- ^ Azzarone, Bruno; Krief, Patricia; Soria, Jeannette; Boucheix, Claude (1985). "Modulation of fibroblast-induced clot retraction by calcium channel blocking drugs and the monoclonal antibody ALB6". Journal of Cellular Physiology 125 (3): 420–6. PMID 3864783. doi:10.1002/jcp.1041250309.
- ^ Steinleitner, Alex; Lambert, Hovey; Kazensky, Carol; Sanchez, Ignacio; Sueldo, Carlos (1990). "Reduction of primary postoperative adhesion formation under calcium channel blockade in the rabbit". Journal of Surgical Research 48 (1): 42–5. PMID 2296179. doi:10.1016/0022-4804(90)90143-P.
- ^ Baxter, Gary M.; Jackman, Bradley R.; Eades, Susan C.; Tyler, David E. (1993). "Failure of Calcium Channel Blockade to Prevent Intra-abdominal Adhesions in Ponies". Veterinary Surgery 22 (6): 496–500. PMID 8116206. doi:10.1111/j.1532-950X.1993.tb00427.x.
- ^ Martin, S.; Oduola, A.; Milhous, W. (1987). "Reversal of chloroquine resistance in Plasmodium falciparum by verapamil". Science 235 (4791): 899–901. PMID 3544220. doi:10.1126/science.3544220.
- ^ Krogstad, D.; Gluzman, I.; Kyle, D.; Oduola, A.; Martin, S.; Milhous, W.; Schlesinger, P. (1987). "Efflux of chloroquine from Plasmodium falciparum: Mechanism of chloroquine resistance". Science 238 (4831): 1283–5. PMID 3317830. doi:10.1126/science.3317830.
- ^ "UAB cures diabetes in lab mice, preparing for human trial".
- ^ "Human clinical trials to begin on drug that reverses diabetes in animal models".
- ^ "Preventing β-cell loss and diabetes with calcium channel blockers.".
External links


text:
Is JPEG Good Enough for Archival Masters?
On the ImageLib mailing list, Rob Lancefield (Manager of Museum Information Services for Wesleyan University) posted a link to the Universal Photographic Digital Imaging Guidelines (UPDIG) for image creators. The introduction says: "These 12 guidelines — provided as a Quick Guide plus an in-depth Complete Guide — aim to clarify the issues affecting accurate reproduction and management of digital image files. Although they largely reflect a photographer's perspective, anyone working with digital images should find them useful.... This document, prepared by the UPDIG working group, represents the industry consensus as of September 2007." The listed members of UPDIG leads one to believe that this is a professional photography group. One thing in the introduction to the guidelines caught my eye, though:
The chapter on archiving now has a discussion of JPEG as an archival format.
Note that the authors do indeed mean JPEG (circa 1994), not JPEG2000. The chapter on archiving lists the pros and cons of a number of formats, to include JPEG. The following bullet points are excerpted from the text.
- Conversion to TIFF files: By converting images to TIFF format [from camera RAW], the photographer is storing the images in the most accessible file format... There is a downside, however. TIFF files are much larger than RAW files... Another downside to conversion to TIFF is that it precludes the use of better RAW converters that are surely coming in the future.
- Archiving JPEG files: Conventional wisdom holds that the TIFF format holds a quality advantage over the JPEG format. This holds true only if the JPEG file is saved at less than 10 quality using the Photoshop standard. When using JPEG quality 10 or 12, the artifacts are either non-existent or insignificant. Higher bit-depth is really the only advantage of using TIFF over JPEG 10 or 12 (in terms of image quality)... Update 2008-02-11: Please see below.
- Archiving RAW files: If a photographer chooses to archive the RAW file, then he will be preserving the largest number of options for future conversion of the files... This, too, has its downside. RAW files will likely have to be converted to a more universal file format at some time in the future.
- Archiving DNG files: RAW files can be converted to DNG, a documented TIFF-based format created by Adobe that can store the RAW image data, metadata, and a color-corrected JPEG preview of the image. The DNG file format provides a common platform for information about the file and adjustments to the image... DNG is likely to be readable long after the original RAW format becomes obsolete, simply because there will be so many more of them than any particular RAW file format... There's a downside to DNG, of course. Conversion to DNG requires an extra step at the time of RAW file processing; it does not take terribly long, but it is an extra process.
Update 2008-02-11: Ken Fleisher noted in the comments that the excerpt above was truncated before his reasoning was described. In the interest of clarity, the full text of this bullet point on the UPDIG site is:
Archiving JPEG files: Conventional wisdom holds that the TIFF format holds a quality advantage over the JPEG format. This holds true only if the JPEG file is saved at less than 10 quality using the Photoshop standard. When using JPEG quality 10 or 12, the artifacts are either non-existent or insignificant. Higher bit-depth is really the only advantage of using TIFF over JPEG 10 or 12 (in terms of image quality). Some have argued that that JPEG, because of the way it encodes data, compromises color. This is a misconception. When using the highest quality settings, there is no loss of color fidelity. Therefore, if JPEG files are saved at 10-12 quality, and if they do not require much pixel editing before use, archiving JPEG files is not a bad concept, and it can save a lot of space. For many picture archives, the economics of storing large numbers of files dominates all other considerations, and JPEG offers a feasible solution to the problem.
The notes at the end of the chapter say: "The archiving JPEG section is based on research and analysis by Ken Fleisher."
So I wonder what is going on here. Does the cultural heritage community have a different definition of the word archive from the professional photography community? Are there sufficient differences in our goals that warrant the differences in practices?
This topic is of interest because the program of the JPEG2000 in Archives and Libraries Interest Group of the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) will be holding a panel at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim this summer on using the JPEG2000 file format for archival purposes. Part of the discussion will center around the notion of visually lossless versus data lossless compression. This mention of lossy-yet-high-quality JPEG compression seems to fit into the same topic.
The text was modified to remove a link to http://www.ala.org/ala/lita/litamembership/litaigs/jpeg2000/jk2kig.cfm on June 9th, 2011.
The text was modified to remove a link to http://www.ala.org/ala/eventsandconferencesb/annual/2008a/home.htm on November 8th, 2012.


text:
According to Adam Rubin via Twitter, Mike Jacobs has cleared waivers and could report to Buffalo.
Jacobs hit .208 with one homer and two RBIs in 24 at-bats before being designated for assignment Sunday.
Jacobs has indicated he would be willing to go to Triple-A Buffalo if playing time exists.
It's not surprising that 29 other MLB teams passed on Jacobs.
What was surprising, although not really, was that the Mets signed Jacobs in the first place and then even after a horrendous spring, made the team over a clearly more talented Chris Carter.
All that matters though is that a wrong has been righted.


text: 1926 La Cuesta. William J. Long Writers Club organized at NATC in summer of 1925. Dr. Long of Stamford, Connecticut lectured on poetry and other writing and conducted class in practical authorship. Members of summer class continued as a club and it has become state wide. Constitution states NATC will always be headquarters, so it remains a college organization. In November, 1925,"The Lariat" poetry magazine in Oregon recognized club and named it Arizona Lariat Circle Number 1, making a member of a national honorary literary society sponsored by "Lariat". D. Maitland Bushby, President-now member of "Winlsow Mail"staff. J. Morris Richards a member.


text:
I had the walls painted with Designer white by Benjamin Moore. I have a mix of black and white.
It would be fun to punch it up with a bit of color.
I choose a chair by a cool accent chair from Chairish. They have a mix of great furniture and accessories.


text:
You are here
A pillion lap of the Isle of Man
I've never hugged a man so tight in my life. Perched high and riding pillion on the back of John McGuinness' Honda Fireblade, we're doing over 170mph down the Sulby Straight on the Isle of Man TT course. The wind is tearing the helmet off my head, the chinpiece obscuring my vision. All I'm aware of is a vague blur of passing shrubbery, a grey rush of dry-stone wall and - ahh, thank God, a 30mph sign…
Except this is a closed course with no speed limits, so just as I'm about to relax and breathe again, a whole village flashes past at warp speed, the bike doing well north of 100mph, the pistons sounding like they're trying to break free of the cylinders. Every single muscle and fibre is screaming to let go. My arms feel like dead weights. Try sticking your head out of the car window at 70mph to get an idea of a fraction of the wind resistance a TT biker's body has to endure. I don't mind admitting I let out a cry of anguish at this point.
It's not like John is even going that fast, for him. He's the most successful living TT rider, with 21 wins to his name and countless lap records. Such is his familiarity with the course, he knows where each individual drain cover is on a 37-mile lap. Yet despite his obvious mastery of these roads, it's still shocking to discover he's so relaxed on this run he has time to honk the horn at spectators as we go blasting past.
I'd gladly swap places with one of them right now. Halfway round the course and the only grip left between my two hands is the tips of my fingers. The thought of falling off suddenly becomes very real and very urgent. 'If I'm holding on to nothing but the leather at the end of the fingers, will one of the gloves suddenly peel off and send me tumbling backwards?' Amid the maelstrom of speed and noise, I contemplate this with a surreal calmness at odds with the torture my body is being forced to endure.
John had said before we set off that if it was all getting a bit too much, I should give him a light punch to indicate he needed to slow down. I told myself there was no way that was going to happen, that I would not wimp out. But at the end of the Sulby Straight, when he's finally on the brakes, I offer a swift jab to John's stomach. Enough. Really. I can't take any more of this. Enough…
John brings us to a stop back at the race start. When I dismount, my right leg is shaking uncontrollably from cramp, my clothes are drenched in sweat, my neck aches and someone has to help me take my gloves off because I'm so weak.
After I've got over the initial shock, I turn to see John chatting and laughing with his mates. He looks like he's done nothing more than pop to the shops.
Would I do it again? Yes, but the truth is, at the time, I physically couldn't have managed it. A genuinely humbling experience.
Top Gear would like to send its condolences to the friends and family of Karl Harris and Bob Price, who tragically lost their lives on the TT course this week.
What do you think?
This service is provided by Disqus and is subject to their privacy policy and terms of use. Please read Top Gear's code of conduct (link below) before posting.


text:
Palestinians still divided as bid looms for UN recognition
the two sides were once again on the brink of signing a power-sharing agreement before a
new bid for state recognition at the United Nations this month.
The two groups have been at loggerheads since 2007, when Hamas expelled Fatah from
Gaza in a bloody coup, dividing Palestinian territory between the West Bank, ruled by
Fatah, and the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas.
Salah Bardawil, a senior Hamas official, said on Wednesday that Hamas had submitted new
proposals for reconciliation to Egyptian mediators in Cairo. Reports suggested that the
Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, might meet as early as next week with the Hamas
leader Khaled Meshaal in the Egyptian capital to sign the deal. A previous agreement
signed by the two in May 2011 was never implemented.
Rumours of a deal that would replace the government of Salam Fayyad, the Prime Minister,
with a cabinet of technocrats prompted Mr Fayyad to seek a public display of support. Mr
Fayyad has said that he would stand aside if necessary to help the reconciliation process.
Nonetheless, Fatah officials said the Hamas announcement was a bluff. "We are not aware
of any new proposals from Hamas," said Dmitri Diliani, a member of the Fatah Revolutionary
Council. "This is not the time for new ideas. It is time to act on the agreement already
signed and give the people of Gaza the right to vote in elections that has been denied to
them by Hamas."
"We would prefer reconciliation before applying to the UN for recognition as a state but it
is not a requirement and we will not allow the UN process to be a hostage to the internal
politics of Hamas and their alliances with Iran and other parties," he said.
Palestinian leaders say they are determined to upgrade their UN status from "observer" to
"non-member state", setting the stage for a diplomatic showdown that will pit the
Palestinians, Arab states, the developing world and Europe against Israel and the US.
Palestinian envoys were dispatched to Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, Denmark,
Sweden and Finland this week to persuade those countries to vote in favour of the UN
"We are urging them to vote in favour of the Palestinian proposal," said the Palestinian
foreign affairs minister, Riad Malki. "We hope this will clarify the picture for those


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I'd like to start by saying that I didn't waste my tears watching Kim Kardashian's wedding, because somewhere in the back of my evil mind, I knew it wouldn't last all that long...
Anyways... Thanks to my weak Immune System I get the flu at least four times a year. Last year I was prepared and got a flu jab before the cold month of October... this year I didn't bother and now, sitting here, drowning in a pool of my cold sweat (Gruesome, I know) I am regretting that decision. When I get the flu I get it bad.. I mean runny nose, headaches, temperature, the shakes, cough.. the whole sha-bang! I've literally been stuck in my bed the last few days..
So I thought I'd take Julie Andrews advice and list some of my favorite things.. Like in the sound of music.. To cheer myself up a little..
Ben & Jerry's Phish Food
Chocolate Ice-cream, marshmallow, Caramel, Fish shaped chocolate chips.. What more could a girl want?
Ben & Jerry have certainly found a way into every girls Knickers with this invention!
Some of my best childhood memories are those of when my family, along with my best friends families, used to take ski holidays in Italy every winter. I had finally found a sport that I was good at, and then the recession came along and ruined everything! I've promised myself that when I'm older and richer, I'm going to make it my business to take a ski holiday every single winter!
Pathetic as it may sound I sleep with a stitch teddy! I just love the little fellar, a cute alien that was created to destroy everything in it's path.. My new puppy is just like him! I always find myself putting on my best Stitch impersonation in the most awkward of situations..
Brad Pitt in Troy
Acting skills my arse, I didn't pay any attention to his accent in Troy, I was too busy drooling over his hot body
and praying for another graphic sex scene!...
Captain Morgan
It never fails to get me happy drunk, when I used to drink Vodka there were nights that I'd get messy drunk and end up crying in a friends arms, or puking all over the kitchen floor, or puking all over my poor mother who would then have to shower me and put me to bed.. Morgan makes me Happy, Hyper and Hilarious!
Camomille Tea
Being quite the Insomniac, Camomille tea has become my latest obsession! A cup before bed puts me right to sleep, It also gets rid of Lady cramps during that dreadful time of month...
I just love them! Especially on men.. Any guy with his ears stretched or any kind of facial piercing can have me!
Chocolate Macaroons
I watched Blair Waldorf stuffing them down her gob in Gossip Girl for years and never once did they appeal to me.. Until the day my sister brought me home a chocolate one and I fell in love! Why do they have to be so expensive though? It's a friggin biscuit!
So now that I've shared mine, I wanna know some of your favorite things!
Leave a comment :)


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This recipe comes from "A Cook's Guide to Chicago," by Marilyn Pocious. This salsa was served at her booksigning event in the Old Town shop in January 2005.
This salsa is a great complement to spicy summer foods, such as Jamaican Jerk Chicken, or any grilled or roasted meats. It's also good as a dip.
4-6 servings
Mix all the ingredients together, adjust seasoning, and allow the flavor to mingle for at least 30 minutes. Taste again, and adjust seasonings, before serving.


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SOURCE: Sonatype
November 27, 2012 08:45 ET
SSL Connectivity to the Central Repository Protects All Repository Manager Users; Sonatype to Donate Proceeds to Open Source Foundations
SSL Connectivity to the Central Repository Protects All Repository Manager Users; Sonatype to Donate Proceeds to Open Source Foundations
SILVER SPRING, MD--(Marketwire - Nov 27, 2012) - Sonatype, the leader in Component Lifecycle Management (CLM), today announced the availability of Secure Socket Layer (SSL) access to the Central Repository, the industry's primary source for open source software (OSS) components. SSL connectivity to the Central Repository is now a standard feature in Nexus Professional, Sonatype's market-leading repository manager. The company has also made SSL access available to users of the open source version of Nexus and any other repository manager that connects to the Central Repository for a nominal donation of $10. Sonatype will donate all proceeds to the Apache Foundation for the first six months, then to other member-supported governing bodies such as the Eclipse Foundation thereafter.
The Central Repository houses more than 400,000 components and serves nearly 8 billion requests per year for more than 70,000 organizations worldwide. As the stewards of the Central Repository, Sonatype is committed to ensuring the repository and its access points are well protected and never compromised. Industry standard SSL support provides a secure connection that protects component downloads from man-in-the-middle attacks that could expose organizational weaknesses or inject malware into software builds and ultimately, critical applications.
"OSS components are the building blocks of modern software applications and the vast majority of these are distributed from the Central Repository," said Jason van Zyl, Founder and CTO of Sonatype. "Sonatype CLM offerings ensure the integrity of the entire software supply chain, which gives our users confidence knowing that their components are secure, trusted and properly licensed. We view SSL connectivity to Central as a natural complement to the overall security profile of OSS components and we are happy to extend these features to all open source developers, not just Nexus Professional users."
Nearly 20,000 software development organizations rely on Nexus and Nexus Professional to reduce build times, improve collaboration and increase control of OSS components. The actionable security, licensing and popularity information introduced in version 2.0 of Nexus has now been extended with the addition of SSL connectivity to Central in version 2.2. Organizations that embrace component-based development continue to benefit from a secure, stable and scalable system to manage its software components, speed builds and simplify the distribution process.
For organizations that use repository managers Artifactory or Archiva, and others interested in additional information on SSL connectivity to the Central Repository, please visit: http://www.sonatype.com/Products/Secure-Access-to-Central
About Sonatype
Sonatype is leading the component revolution. The company's innovative component lifecycle management products enable organizations to realize the promise of agile, component-based software development while avoiding security, quality and licensing risks. Sonatype operates the Central Repository, the industry's primary source for open-source components, housing more than 400,000 components and serving nearly 8 billion requests per year from more than 70,000 organizations. The company has been a pioneer in component-based software development since its founding by Jason van Zyl, the creator of the Apache Maven build management system and the Central Repository. Since that time, Sonatype has been a leader in core open-source software development ecosystem projects used by more than nine million developers including Nexus, m2eclipse, and Hudson. Sonatype is privately held with investments from New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Accel Partners, Bay Partners, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners and Morgenthaler Ventures. Visit: www.sonatype.com or follow Sonatype on Twitter @SonatypeCM
Apache, Apache Maven and Maven are trademarks of the Apache Software Foundation.
Media Contact:April Harned
PR for Sonatype Email Contact646-246-0484
Media Contact:April Harned
PR for Sonatype Email Contact646-246-0484
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text: Had a wonderful trip to Sapa with my wife and 3 friends. our guide was Liem, who was extremely helpful, very organised and informative, with a smiling and happy manner. The timings for our journey and each of the day trips was excellent abd the accommodation quite good. The bus was very comfortable and we had very good, professional drivers along the way. Thank you APT Travel for a memorable and enjoyable experience!


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[Portrait of Two Older Women]
Description: Photograph of two older African American women sitting next to each other. The woman on the left is wearing a light colored blouse with a dark jacket and small glasses. The woman on the right is sitting slightly behind the other women and is wearing a dark dress and pearls.
Date: unknown
Creator: VIS Photo Service


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Todas as atenções do mundo da moda estão neste momento centradas em Nova Iorque, na Fashion Week.
Many were the ones who travelled to this cosmopolitan city in the last few days to attend the shows and see the new collections of young talents and renowned designers and labels.
In the midst of all the collections, the brand Lacoste stands out once again under the direction of the Portuguese designer, Felipe Oliveira Baptista.


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UNC Hospitals UNC Hospitals
Here's a sample of our volunteer opportunities:VIEW AS
Mission Statement
The UNC Hospitals Volunteer Association supports the vision and values of UNC Healthcare's Mission Statement.
The UNC Hospitals Volunter Association is an organized part of the Hospital and exists to advance the objectives and interests of the patients and the Hospital through the Director of Volunteer Services by:
* providing services in a volunteer capacity
* providing resources through approved fund-raising activities
* providing better community understanding of the Hosptial's programs and goals
If you desire to make a difference, to touch a life, to learn while helping others, or just to have fun, UNC Hospitals' Volunteer Services can find the right place for you.
Our many volunteers play an integral role in delivering first-class health care to you, your family, and the entire state of North Carolina.
UNC Hospitals offers three categories of volunteers: Adult, College Student and High School (age 14-18). Please review the volunteer opportunities available throughout the medical center to see which area is of interest to you.
This information
Might be out of date
Do you work for this organization?
Request administrator status and update its information!


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Dr. Jeanette's Books & Articles
Dr. Jeanette has written hundreds of thousands of pages in the last several years and just recently she has been working to put them into books and articles. Some books are published on Amazon and others are gifts that you can download right now. Enjoy! Books Trust: Photo Meditations on Amazon. This book is to help you center your thoughts each day if you have anxiety, grief, experiencing life challenges and just seem to have lost the path to living a … Read More


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In Ezekiel, Chapter 31, there is a passage that tells us all about Pre-Adamic Man. He is called the Assyrian. He is very tall like a cedar tree. Suffice it to say, this passage gives us other information concerning how this giant grew in stature, and that he lived outside the Garden of Eden.
Ezekiel tells us the Assyrian was a victim of other demonic spirited people, and a threat to other human beings smaller than him.
Ezekiel also explains that the human beings inside the Garden of Eden were envious of his height and beauty, but were in danger of being killed by this beast that God created. The information concludes with these human beings rejecting God's commandments and going against God's original purposes of creation.
It concludes that death, war, and hell, would be the punishments resulting from their rebellion.
The results and information in this passage, concerning the decision of these human giants, differ from the results of Adam and Eve's sin. The description of these human beings is also very different than Adam and Eve.
The Prophet Ezekiel also informs us that this human race of beasts, stemming from this mighty Assyrian, were dangerous heathens. Since Luke names Adam the "Son of God", and Adam was forgiven for his sin, then the word heathen is not describing Adam, but someone else before Adam.
The idea that these giant human beings were heathens tells us that these creatures could have worshipped God their creator, but decided not to worship God, which means not killing living creatures.
Pre-Adamic Man was the only threat to Adam and his generations. Therefore, God protected Adam and his tribes by planting a Garden Eastward in Eden and putting Adam into it. This dense jungle created a physical barrier between the two lines of human beings on earth: the giant human beasts, which were over ten feet tall, and Mankind who were only three feet tall.
The Garden of Eden kept the earlier human cannibals from knowing there were human beings inside the Garden. This security system was necessary to give the new human race of Adam and Eve time to multiply and replenish the earth.
Adam's generations multiplied while Pre-Adamic Man diminished in numbers due to cannibalism: until the number of Adam's children was greater than the human beasts outside the Garden. The two separate lines of the human race would remain separated for thousands of years, before Eve disobeyed God by eating the Forbidden Fruit.
God's plan for Adam's generations of people included helping the earlier human race to believe in God. Thus God the Father gave the earlier human beings, generated from the spirits of the fallen angels, a second chance to reconcile with their Creator.
Noah lived during the age when Pre-Adamic human giants were on earth. Noah was born into this race of people. Therefore, Noah and his sons were giants.
Noah shows us that it was possible for this race of brute beasts to believe in God, because Noah became a Prophet of God. Thus showing us that Mankind could have done things God's way, but the destruction of all Mankind brought about by the flood shows us that Pre-Adamic Man had made their decision to continue being evil.
God's plan included inserting Adam, with a living spirit, into the human race at a time when human beings only had dead spirits. This would be accomplished by God performing a miracle, and by-passing natural birth for two reasons:
- Only evil human parents existed on earth prior to Adam's creation.
- Directly creating Adam from the soil, and then creating Eve from Adam, would insure their existence in the Garden remained a secret from the beasts outside.
Pre-Adamic human beings were identical to Adam and Eve except for three differences:
- They were created with dead spirits.
- They rejected God's instincts and became cannibals, eating the flesh and blood of human beings and animals.
- Pre-Adamic Man grew larger and taller, becoming giants through the consumption of blood.
The cannibalistic nature of this early human race was directly responsible for God destroying the Human Race with the flood, in Noah's time.
"Replenish the earth" is the command God gave Adam and Eve. Replenishing the earth means to replace what once existed. God gave Noah the identical commandment immediately after the flood, which destroyed the whole human race except for Noah's family. Yet, Noah and his family survived the flood, which proves "Replenish the earth" does not mean all the people on earth were totally destroyed.
The same circumstances existed when God commanded Adam to "Replenish the earth". Therefore, the whole human race wasn't destroyed in Noah's time, and neither was the whole Pre-Adamic human race destroyed when Adam was created. Pre-Adamic Man still existed outside the Garden of Eden, but they would have become extinct due to cannibalism like the dinosaurs, if God didn't intervene.
The Garden of Eden was designed by God to insure Adam accomplished his mission to replenish the earth. The Garden of Eden was the best security system ever devised.
The remnants of Adam's generations are still hidden undiscovered, deep in the world's rain forests today. They are non-aggressive, childlike, loving human beings, who do not know hatred or war.
A tribe of these cavemen were discovered in the dense Philippine rain forest in 1973. They only possessed tools of stone. They are truly stone age Men living similar to animals. The story was published by National Geographic Magazine, after a scientific documentary was shown on television by the National Broadcasting Company.
God's original plan included all spirits being born into a human body, whether they were good spirits, evil spirits, or undecided spirits. The reason God is called 'God the Father' is, He is the only One who gives life and takes life.
God alone decides which spirit will be born into what body, and at what point in time. This means God alone decides which spirit will become the baby born to every set of parents on earth, without exception!
Whether a baby is born to believing parents, unbelieving parents, good parents, evil parents, unmarried parents, divorced parents, single parents, wayward girls, raped women, drugged women, drunken women, or artificially inseminated women—God alone makes the choice.
This is why God is called 'God the Father', and the Bible promises that when one parent believes in God, their children will be born Holy, which simply means God selected living spirits to become their children, and they are born directly into the kingdom of God.
Spiritual Limitations
The Archangel Lucifer, known as satan and the devil, was created with tremendous powers and great knowledge. He was a spirit imprisoned on the earth prior to Adam's creation, and wasn't born into a human body until thousands of years after Adam died.
The physical barrier created by the Garden of Eden did not limit the spirit named satan, although his contact with human beings was limited by God's laws, which only allow contact under very specific conditions, which have to be generated by the human beings themselves.
Spirits can listen to a person's thoughts. Evil spirits are not allowed to physically or mentally hurt human beings who have a living spirit, because their belief in God's Word creates an invisible protective barrier against demons.
Only God can take the life of a person with a living spirit. Whereas, the lives of people with dead spirits can be terminated anytime by satan.
God's laws limit spirits' interaction with human beings. Since satan was a spirit, he was limited. He could not tell the human cannibals outside the Garden that there were people hidden inside the Garden. Therefore, satan had to devise a strategy to get Adam or Eve to break God's commandment. There was only one commandment, and it concerned the Tree of Knowledge.
The devil could send thoughts into a human brain, but only by suggesting doubt about things already being considered by the person. He used this device after Eve decided to doubt her husband's rule about the Forbidden Fruit.
Once Eve began to doubt her husband, she created the conditions necessary to open her brain, allowing satan to generate thoughts beyond simple doubt. Evil thoughts directly suggested by satan induced Eve to break God's commandment.
People believe the thoughts suggested by satan are their own thoughts. This makes such thoughts extremely difficult for a person to reject. The devil's strategy included getting Eve to begin the destruction of God's physical creation.
Once Eve doubted, satan could suggest an idea, over and over, until she decided to accept the idea and do it. She had the right to reject satan's idea, but she didn't reject it. She harbored the idea, meditated on it until she desired it, until she acted upon it.
Therefore, Eve is totally responsible for breaking God's commandment not to eat the forbidden fruit. Then Eve compounded her sin by assisting satan in tempting Adam to join her in sin.


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Small Business Backup Lesson: DO IT NOW!
What disaster recovery steps did I take to make sure this disaster doesn't happen again?
I recently had a business client of mine call me and tell me that their hard drive on their server crashed and their business was currently losing money. Fortunately, it was just the operating system that went South, so a reinstall of Windows Small Business Server 2003 was in order.
After recovering their OS, all of their data was retrieved and everything was back to normal. They felt relieved that their critical data was backed up, but they asked me two questions:
- What are our backup options in regards to the server and our critical data?
- How can we recover quickly from a server meltdown?
Based on the experiences of when a company loses their data because of a faulty hard drive or server meltdown, users go into a panic mode and become reactive instead of proactive. Immediately, they start to implement disaster recovery plans, purchase the necessary hardware and software, and start to document their server settings.
It's amazing that all it takes is one time to become a creature of habit. Since they didn't like their existing backup plan, they asked if I could recommend a solid alternative plan for backing up their server and critical data.
A while ago before the hard drive crash, I recommended the setup of two physically separate drives: one being an OS drive and the other for their important data. This was definitely a smart move, because as I look back, they were properly backing up their critical data to an external drive on a daily basis, which was awesome. The operating system wasn't backed up at all. You can always reload an OS, but you can't re-key all of your data.
With that said, an OS drive that dies off still slows down, if not completely shuts down, a business for a day or two. So where to start?
First, the data...
No one likes losing their vital data whether its home photos and videos, accounting records, or even source code (gasp!).
My first recommendation in the backup plan was to order a USB External Enclosure and a hard drive for their critical data. The USB External Enclosures are around $20-$40 and the hard drive would be an appropriate size that would be able to hold all of their data.
The backup software I recommended was Cobian Backup. I've been using Cobian Backup 8 for a long time and I'm very impressed with it's reliability.
There are five reasons I love this software:
- Cobian Backup doesn't have any malware, adware, or spyware.
- It installs itself as a windows service, so if the power goes out and your server reboots, you don't have to login to the server for the service to start the backup process.
- It allows you to set a schedule of when to backup the files (you pick the directory and files to backup).
- There is an awesome feature of downloading files from an FTP site, archive them, and then send them somewhere else, possibly offsite.
- This quality piece of software is FREE.
After installing the software and the USB external hard drive, their data was on a backup schedule of every day for six days, create an incremental backup of their critical data.
...then, the OS
I recommended two options for the OS backup:
- With the hardware available today, you can easily create a RAID setup with an additional hard drive.
- After the server is completely finalized and running for business to start up again, create an image of that server and archive it for later.
Instead of going with one solution, they decided to run with both.
If you aren't familiar with RAID, a RAID system has one primary drive that holds your data and one or more hard drives are connected to a RAID controller that creates a mirror of that primary hard drive. When a primary hard drive fails, the other hard drive picks up the slack and notifies the user that a hard drive was corrupted and needs replaced. The secondary (or additional drive) continues with daily operations until the primary hard drive is replaced.
After purchasing the hardware for the RAID system and installing the two hard drives and RAID controller, it was time to install the imaging software.
Lifehacker reported on a software package called DriveImage XML and I definitely recommend this software for home office/small businesses.
This excellent imaging software accomplishes the following tasks (feature excerpt taken from their website):
- Backup logical drives and partitions to image files
- Browse these images, view and extract files
- Restore these images to the same or a different drive
- Copy directly from drive to drive
- Schedule automatic backups with your Task Scheduler
Oh, and the software is FREE as well.
Another option which wasn't used here, but I may be using at home is CloneZilla. According to the SourceForge site,
Clonezilla, based on DRBL, Partition Image, ntfsclone, and udpcast, allows you can massively clone many (40 plus!) computers simultaneously. Clonezilla saves and restores only used blocks in the harddisk. This increases the clone effiency. At the NCHC's Classroom C, Clonezilla was used to clone 41 computers simultaneously. It took about 50 minutes to clone a 5.6 GBytes system image to all 41 computers via unicasting and only about 10 minutes via multicasting!
After reading this description, I will definitely be looking into this for later. Having experience with this, I feel that I have a feeling a training class or company may have a desperate need for this type of utility.
These methods in backing up the server and critical data may seem excessive, but determining your disaster recovery plan should be in place now when your server crashes. Be proactive, not reactive.
It's your business and your data should be protected. Determine how to recover from a disaster so your business can continue without falter.
Do you think this is the best plan for a home office/small business? No? Write a comment below.


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Brochure with registration information.
The goal of the academy is to provide personalized instruction for girls on the fundamentals of basketball with an emphasis on developing shooting techniques, ball handling, passing and defensive skills. Positional sills such as post and guard offense and defense will be emphasized throughout the week. In addition, players will participate in 1 on 1, 2 on 2, 3 on 3, and 5 on 5 games throughout the week.
Students are to bring their lunch.
Go to www.sccommed.org, click on courses, then click on Sports Camps.
For more information call the Community Education office at (916) 781-6280.
Brandi Murrish
Under Murrish's guidance, the Wolverine's have continued to dominate the Sacramento region and have finished in the Top 20 in the State for the past 11 seasons. Her success on the court has translated into dozens of student-athletes going on to excel at the 4 year level academically and athletically. She believes success is built on confidence and confidence comes from knowing you are well prepared. Coach Murrish stresses hands-on learning with one camp coach for every six campers, guaranteeing quality individual instruction.
Scott Pisik
…enters his tenth year as assistant for Sierra's Women's Basketball Team and his 28th season overall. Coach Pisik has directed NBC camps nationally and brings an intensity that motivates players to improve in the off-season.
These are the official Sierra College Athletics web pages providing information about our programs, coaches and student-athletes. Any other web pages or sites on the internet or linked to from our pages containing information about Sierra College Athletics are not sanctioned by Sierra College and therefore may contain inaccurate information. We also have an official Sierra College Sports presence on Facebook and Twitter. Some sports or coaches may have their own unofficial social media presence.


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Here at bazaar, we tend to obsess over experiences that resonate with us. Last month, we heard news about a new Korean fried chicken joint that goes by the name of Bonchon, and after our very first visit—this obsession ran a little too wild, but in the best of ways! By the end of April, we had consumed copious amounts of delectable fried chicken drumsticks, wings, strips, Korean tacos, and marinated Bulgogi. It all began when we bit into the fried chicken at Bonchon, and we instantly fell in love at that first crunch. The rest is history, or rather, a beautiful haze of delicious visits that kept taking us back to Bonchon Kuwait.
Located in Al Bida'a's new sleek Dhai Complex, Bonchon is actually quite the renowned Korean Fried Chicken concept that has been spreading joy to the hearts, minds of stomachs of foodies all over the world with their specialized Korean-style fried chicken. Born in South Korea, and expanding to reach world-wide fame in New York and Asia, Bonchon's key message is to spread happiness. Through their key motto #EatHappiness, Bonchon maintains an incredible standard by freshly preparing every piece of chicken to order.
For one Abdulmihsen Al-Asfour, pursuing a career in the food industry came as a natural decision. With a love for the culinary world since a very young age, Mihsen took culinary courses while studying at the American University in Paris, and he was ready to follow his passions—specifically his love for amazing, incredible fried chicken and Asia. After he discovered Bonchon when visiting New York, he knew he had to bring this concept to Kuwait. He contacted the brand and began training with Bonchon in New York. "We used to prep an average of 4000 pieces of wings every morning; I basically absorbed the Bonchon concept from every aspect. I have nothing but respect for the brand and it's a thrilling experience to bring this concept to Kuwait to share with avid foodies who will notice the difference."
We look around the cozy space, only to notice one wall that is quickly becoming covered with post-it notes, while another wall is elegantly decorated with testimonials from renowned reporters and international publications. Upon closer examination, we realized that the post-it notes were actually local customer testimonials! The message of #EatHappiness is quickly spreading across town, and we haven't even sampled the chicken yet at that point. Mihsen laughed at our hungry exclamations, and put together a mouth-watering selection of dishes for us to try.
The key to remember with Bonchon is that the Korean style fried chicken is freshly hand-crafted, and orders typically take about 30 minutes to prepare, with good reason.
We started off our Bonchon experience with fish cake dumplings drizzled in an expertly balanced soy-garlic sauce, and our first experience of the chicken—little, juicy chicken bites that were breaded to perfection and also drizzled in a beautiful honey and molasses sauce to accompany the spicy mayo served on the side. We also tried the Bonchon take on the classic of salmon avocado salad. Presented in the form of a ball, you have to unravel the seared salmon to reveal a mix of avocado, crab meat, crunchy cucumber and fish roe. This ball of salmon goodness is also topped off with spicy mayo and crunchier bits of tempura. Yum!
Now, for the main event. At Bonchon, you can have their signature Korean fried chicken in several ways. Choose from drumsticks, wings, boneless strips, or sliders, served with either a slightly sweet soy-garlic, or experience the fire of Korean chilies and go spicy, or get the best of both worlds and go with half garlic, and half spicy. Guess what? That's precisely what we did. Our taste-buds first enjoyed that famous, golden, crispy crunch when we sunk our teeth in (the sound that's so addictive!), to reveal the juicy chicken within. Then, the sauce kicked in, and our taste buds were on fire when we tried the spicy option! From the drumsticks, to the wings, to the strips, we couldn't get enough of the chicken and only wanted more, and that's all thanks to its awesome preparation that Bonchon ensures with every order. Also served with a cool coleslaw salad, this is essential to cool down after that amazing spice.
If you're wanting to experience more Korean delicacies and modern takes on classics, then you should surely let your culinary palate explore their other menu offerings. Thinly sliced, tenderized, aged, marinated rib-eye beef served in a homemade sauce, or Bulgogi, can be enjoyed in their special Korean tacos, or also as a slider option. If you're missing the crisp of the chicken, rest assured you can also enjoy it as a slider option, steamed wheat bun, or also in their amazing Korean tacos format that we dutifully devoured with happiness. We also sampled the Bulgogi Bonchon style, where it is served with mushrooms and onions, white rice and steamed vegetables. Then came the Bulgogi Fried Rice dish, which can also be served with their famous chicken.
For the bold at heart, we think that you should try the 14th century Korean royal court favorite of Tteokbokki [read as: duk-bok-ki]. Prepared with a fiery red sauce (we promise you, that spice is amazing!) enjoy a hearty plateful of fish, rice, and crunchy seaweed dumplings. We literally jumped out of our seats when we tried it, and fellow Korean diners at the restaurant couldn't help but smile at our reaction.
We left Bonchon filled with happiness, and found ourselves quickly back there the following weekend, then weekday, then the weekend again. Clearly, we're obsessed, and we can't wait to try out new menu additions that are constantly being worked on at this little place that serves up chicken goodness in Al Bida'a.
Bonchon Kuwait is located in Al Bida'a at Dhai Complex, and the doors to happiness open at 3 p.m. For more information, follow @Bonchonkwt on Instagram.
Photography by Yousef Al Nasser @YousefCam and Abdullah Al Saleh.


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We have a true passion for candy.
As a family, food has always been on the forefront of our lives, with all 7 of us having a sweet tooth! So, The Last Bite was born. Born out of the satisfaction and love for Chocolate, Candy, and Ice Cream.
The Last Bite is located in the Kalahari Resorts Pocono Mountains. It was built in 2015 with lots of love and sugar!


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book review, Dark Hunter, Fantasy Lover, Julian of Macedon, mythology, paranormal romance, Sherrilyn Kenyon, sherrilyn kenyon dark hunters
Title: Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark Hunters #0)
Format: paperback
Published: January 31st, 2002
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Mythology,
Synopsis (from Goodreads): Dear Reader,
Being trapped in a bedroom with a woman is a grand thing. Being trapped in hundreds of bedrooms over two thousand years isn't. And being cursed into a book as a love-slave for eternity can ruin even a Spartan warrior's day.
As a love-slave, I know everything about women. How to touch them, how to savor them, and most of all, how to pleasure them. But when I was summoned to fulfill Grace Alexander's sexual fantasies, I found the first woman in history who saw me as a man with a tormented past. She alone bothered to take me out of the bedroom and onto the world. She taught me to love again.
But I was not born to love. I was cursed to walk eternity alone. As a general, I had long ago accepted my sentence. Yet now I have found Grace–the one thing my wounded heart cannot survive without. Sure, love can heal all wounds, but can it break a two-thousand-year-old curse?
Julian of Macedon
It's a fairly simple story. A lonely drunk woman accidentally summons a sex slave who has been trapped in a book for the past two thousand years – in many ways it's a similar concept to the TigerMan in a box from Tiger Eye (Dirk and Steele #1). But I really enjoyed how Kenyon approached it. Grace had a naivety about her which was maybe a little confusing considering her profession as a sex therapist. Whilst her own background and lack of knowledge in all things sexual did add to the story and made her relationship with Julian all the more romance – I don't think she'd be the sort of sex therapist that would have a thriving practice and I'd be checking her credentials to make sure they weren't forgeries.
There were times when my heart bled a little for Julian. He managed to not be the hardened and jaded hero that immortals often tend to be. He's feeling and is a perfectly sweet and sexy lover. I'm a fan.
This book was a quick and fun one for me to read but it's very light – there's not much to the story except for the romance. Grace's back story was a little flimsy and Julian, if anything, was a little too perfect but sometimes you need a light-hearted book.
I thought this was the perfect introduction to the Dark Hunters series. It's very romance centric and doesn't get at all confusing with all the world building but does have some connection with the books that follow. It's not necessary to read this book in order to understand the Dark Hunter series but it's very sweet.
3.5 out of 5
Purchase book at:


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I love the idea that the peeps over at Fuse* came up with for their message. Brad sets it up like this on the student blog:
I need to give you a little context before you watch this video…
the majority of this sermon was preached via complete silence—
If you watch the piece you'll be seeing exactly what students were experiencing–
Here's how we did it…. I typed up a sermon that Ben placed into multiple motion pieces… I literally ran the CG from a laptop on stage-
This gave me the ability to discern the heaviness and awkwardness present in the room… and allow the Holy Spirit to prompt responses in the souls of everyone in attendance…
I'd encourage you to have a journal handy if you are going to watch the service— I believe God may have something specific for you as you participate-


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Zero Percent Financing
Zero Percent Financing
Zero percent financing sounds great. And it has worked greatfor the lenders, that is.
Get a Free Price Quote
Low Rate Financing
Find a Local Dealer
Save on Car Insurance
Zero Percent Financing
Related New Car Buying Tips
Zero Percent Financing
Visiting the Car Dealer
Understanding Car Advertisements
The Best Time to Buy a Car
Save Money at the End of a Lease
Negotiating with Car Dealers
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Gap Insurance and What It Is
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Locate Your Nearest Dealer
Lock-in a Car Insurance Rate
Zero percent financing can be considered nothing more than a very clever marketing scheme that is so misleading it borders on an outright lie.
Here are some hard facts about zero percent financing that they don't mention in the advertisements:
Less than a ten percent of all consumers qualify for zero percent financing. Your credit rating has to be gold-plated750 or aboveand you need a certain amount of income to qualify. Out of those who do attempt to pay back a zero percent financing loan, only about 10 percent close the deal successfully.
Substantially shorter loan periods and zero percent financing come hand in hand, usually no more than 24 to 36 months, sometimes even less. Even with no interest, this means high monthly payments that are simply not feasible for most consumers.
Should you fail to make a payment, there will be a clause in the contract that states you must pay an additional amount as if an interest rate had existed in the beginning. Missing a single payment changes the terms of the contract, and the zero percent financing deal is off. You are now stuck with a very high interest rate, and a number of penalty fees will probably be tacked on as well.
Zero percent financing is offered on a slimmer selection.
Zero percent financing or a rebate? The customer will have to choose one; they don't get both. Rebates are often the better deal. Don't be lured away just because it sounds good. Do the math first.
Qualifying for zero percent financing does not mean you get a better deal, even if you manage to make all your payments. The dealers make up for the lost financing charges by raising the price on the car. This happens pretty frequently because customers often lose their heads to giddiness. The financing component of a car transaction is only one of three. If you do happen to be one of those who qualify for zero percent financing, remember to negotiate hard on the price of the car.
All in all, zero percent financing are scams that can be beaten. It is even clearly spelled out how to beat it. The only hitch being that the dealers de-emphasize how unlikely it is that a consumer will be able to pay it off.
Next Article:
Auto Dealer Sales Tactics
Find a Car
Select Make
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MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 7/2/15
If you've never played daily fantasy baseball before, it's time to start. Unlike traditional leagues, you're able to select the players you want on that specific day only, giving you a different squad to root for each and every day.
And while there are many platforms to play daily fantasy baseball on, one of our favorites is from our partners over at DraftKings.com, a place where over $300,000,000 will be won this baseball season. Never played over there before? It's time for that to change. Sign up now and use our optimal lineups here at numberFire.com to crush the competition. You won't regret it.
As for today's lineups -- those can be found here. The information below is to help you understand why particular players are being picked, because we don't want you going into the things completely blind. We want to help you. Keep in mind, however, that things often change up until the games start, so make sure you're refreshing the optimal lineups as close to the start of games as possible.
Top Pitchers
High-Cost Pitcher
Scott Kazmir – I'm not recommending that you fade Max Scherzer, but the dude does cost $14,500 on DraftKings tonight, and there are only seven games to pick from, so value bats may not be plentiful. That makes Kazmir a viable option, but his numbers and the matchup back it up.
Seattle owns a wRC+ of 98 against lefties this year (which ranks 14th in the league), and their wOBA (.307) ranks 16th. Their strikeout rate of 19.2% is actually good against lefties, ranking 24th-lowest in the Majors. But Kazmir can make the most of the matchup, considering his 23.60% hard hit rate, which ranks ninth among 98 qualified pitchers this year and is lowest among qualified starters tonight. He also owns a swinging strike rate of 10.90%, 22nd among qualified pitchers and third on the slate tonight (behind Scherzer at 14.20% and Tyson Ross at 13.20%).
Alternative Options: Max Scherzer, Tyson Ross
Cost-Effective Pitcher
Matt Boyd – Boyd is the top point-per-dollar pitching option on the slate this evening, according to our projections. Why? Well, Boston strikes out just 18.9% of the time against lefties, which is 25th-lowest in the bigs. However, their wOBA (.286) ranks 27th.
Boyd has a knack for strikeouts, though, which is what you want from a low-dollar pitcher (he costs $4,400 on DraftKings). His strikeout rate has hovered above 22% in every level of the minors since his debut in 2013, so he's got a chance for some upside at a price that will allow you to roster either Scherzer or some of the big bats in hitter-friendly parks tonight.
Alternative Options: Tim Cooney, Chris Young
High-Cost Hitters
Edwin Encarnacion – With the big decision of the night coming down to paying up for Scherzer or not, odds are that a guy such as Encarnacion could go underowned if people either spend up for Scherzer and save at first or roll with value pitchers and plug in Paul Goldschmidt. Encarnacion hasn't been as dynamite against lefties as some of his teammates this year but still owns a .349 wOBA and a .167 ISO against them. With a team total of about five runs (per Vegas odds), Encarnacion just makes sense.
Bryce Harper – Harper has a glorious matchup but might also be overlooked by those who pay up for Scherzer and avoid Nationals bats because of the stacking limitations. Harper owns a gnarly .292 ISO against lefties this year and a .467 wOBA, too. Harper is projected to be the second-highest scoring batter tonight and might not be a very popular play. Even if he is popular, his upside is worth it if you can fit him into your lineup.
Alternative Options: Charlie Blackmon, Hanley Ramirez
Cost-Effective Hitters
Stephen Vogt – Vogt is projected as our fourth-best hitter today, regardless of price, so it helps that he costs just $3,800 on DraftKings. Vogt owns a .357 wOBA against lefties and has been hitting second recently. Marcus Semien and Billy Burns both own an OBP against lefties around .350 this year (Semien is at .351 and Burns is at .348). Batting ninth and first, respectively, they could provide Vogt with a few RBI opportunities in the lefty-versus-lefty matchup. You can also consider fellow A's catcher Josh Phegley, who has the handedness advantage.
Chris Parmelee – Parmelee owns a .432 wOBA and a .395 ISO against righties this year in 43 at-bats. He's posted double-digit fantasy points on DraftKings just once in his last six games, though, so not many people might be eying him up. He projects as one of our top value plays at just $2,900 in a matchup against Yovani Gallardo, whose swinging strike rate of 6.80% ranks just 86th among the 98 qualified pitchers this year and is the lowest among qualified pitchers throwing tonight. His strikeout rate of 17.80% ranks just 66th. Parmelee could get the ball in play, and at that price and with his power marks, he makes for a solid play.
Alternative Options: Ben Paulsen, Tyler Moore


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I am 51 years old, with a correction of -6.0 and am considering Intralasik. I would be interested in feedback from anyone of a similar age regarding the longevity of the improvement brought about by Intralasik.
I think that I am too old, but am not sure that I would want to trust the opinion of someone whose job is to sell Intralasik.


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Using IT Transformation to Leverage Cloud Agility
Brent Allen, HP Group Product Manager for HP VirtualSystem joined this interview session to summarize the new VirtualSystem VS3 2.2 that was introduced at HP Discover. HP VirtualSystem VS3 2.2 offers customers standardized building blocks of server, storage, and networking, rack and power, and HP IP for easier deployment, reduced risk, and investment protection. It is designed to be adaptable, since customer challenges continue to evolve requiring new capabilities for customers to more easily and cost-effectively transform their IT environments, and on their terms leverage the agility of cloud computing.
As part of the HP Converged Infrastructure strategy and supported by HP's leadership position with our partners in our respective markets, HP is providing technology innovations and turnkey solutions that increase both productivity and profitability for customers. From desktop to the datacenter and to the cloud, these solutions are based on a new wave of HP Converged Infrastructure, along with software and a complete lifecycle of services from both HP and partners.
HP VirtualSystem is delivered through HP Technology Services and Factory Express.
This episode is also available on the SDRNews Roku channel, in the Roku Channel Store (Science and Technology Category), or by channel code SDR12.
Brent Allen
Group Product Manager
HP VirtualSystem
Brent Allen has held a variety of management roles over his 8 year tenure with Hewlett Packard, in the areas of product marketing, strategy, and business development. Brent began his time at HP focused on the Workstation business in North America, he has since held senior worldwide management positions within HP's Industry Standard Server division, the HP Alliance organization, and most recently Converged Application Systems. Currently, he is a group manager within Converged Applications Systems responsible for the cloud solutions portfolio dedicated to HP and partner focused cloud platforms and Infrastructure Cloud Maps.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed


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Gift Him a Mouse Pad to call his own. He will think of you every time he surfs the web using this handsome Block by Block © Personalised Mouse Pad.
It's a lovely design, and his NAME placed in towards the bottom of the design. The pad measures 8.25" x 6.75" (inches), and will look great on his table to use with his desktop or laptop.
Gift Designed for: Husband, Boyfriend, Brother, Dad, Boys & Teens
Occasion: Birthday


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Belarus has to boost cargo rail transport
While discussing the problem of necessary measures for meeting the needs of rail transport economic units, the Council of Ministers in Belarus agreed that national production needs to rely on a growth of rail freight transport.
In 2011, the Belarus railways (BDZ) 85.6 million tonnes of goods were carried and transported to the year 2012 to 90.6 million tonnes in 2012, it is planned to procure 3296 freight cars and an additional rent of at least 2000 cars.
Source : www.bakutoday.net
We, Net Translation Services Limited, are in your disposal with our experienced translator team of 35 persons specialized in Rail Systems Terminology in English, German, Russian, French languages Please visit website: Nettercume.com.tr for our references.


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jeudi 21 décembre 2006
21-10 Pujaudran Algeciras 1500 Km
Wake up at 2 AM, quick breakfast, loading the bikes on the trailer, and we leave at 3 AM for 1500km and 15 hours through Spain.
Not many things to say, we arrive at 6 PM to Algeciras, camp site La Casita. We negotiate the price to leave the car and the trailer during our Moroccan trip. In fact we don't negotiate a lot, 22€ for this night and around 7€ per day for the car and the trailer in a closed park.


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Quick Service.San Antonio Carpet Cleaner
The greatest San Antonio Carpet Cleaner. Great prices and quality.
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We live in an era where quality counts. Unless your business projects a quality image, it is pretty difficult to attract and maintain top clients. Maintaining a clean office, and home for that matter, is often harder than it sounds. The pride you take in your home or business is often reflected in the way you take care of your carpets. Even with advancements in do-it-yourself technology, carpet cleaning is still one thing that business owners and homeowners can not do very well.
How easy a carpet is going to be to maintain is an important question to ask when purchasing carpeting. Clean rugs are always great, regardless of type, size or color. Carpets are meant to be walked on. But if a rug or carpet gets soiled, it can be a tough job to clean it. Carpet cleaning may be a rough job, but a qualified San Antonio carpet cleaning service can handle everything for you.
A knowledgeable San Antonio carpet cleaning service is unmatched in terms of quality and affordable pricing. Regardless of what type of carpet or rug you have, a San Antonio carpet cleaning service can restore your floor's brilliance.
Why do you need a San Antonio carpet cleaning service? A search of the internet will provide you with lots of home remedies for cleaning up messes and stains on your carpet. The problem with all of these helpful hints is that over time, they canleave your carpet with shadow stains, or little spots that dont quite match the rest of the carpet. Why invest so much money in carpeting if that is the look youre going to show to your visitors? To protect your carpets during the cleaning process, a San Antonio carpet cleaning service uses top-of-the-line equipment and cleaning products. Once your carpets are cleaned, theyll look like new again.
Something else that youll love about the San Antonio carpet cleaning service is that they have a true passion for quality service. The company goes out of its way to ensure that all of the customer's needs are met. The carpet cleaning service will do everything possible to make your carpets look their best. The San Antonio carpet cleaning service has some of the most dedicated professionals in the industry, and it shows in the excellent job they do everyday.
When choosing a carpeting cleaning service, there are many things that people tend to forget. For starters, many people may feel they do not need to hire a professional carpet cleaning service. Its a misconception that its easy to rent a carpet cleaning machine and end up with a professional job. The problem is that amateur carpet cleaning can actually cause further wear and even discolor the carpet. Some things are best left to the professionals, and carpet cleaning is one of them. San Antonio carpet cleaning can safely clean your carpeting and keep it looking great for many years.
A common mistake people make is choosing the wrong company to clean their carpets. Whether the carpet is large or small, old or new, you dont want to trust just anyone with the care of your living room. You need to choose a company that recognizes that not all carpets are the same and will tailor their cleaning process to suit your needs. For carpets that have embedded soil or difficult stains, it may be necessary to use various cleaning methods. Choosing a skilled company like San Antonio carpet cleaning service will lead to a perfect job.
One thing that most home owners mistakenly do is to attempt to clean the carpet themselves. Many professional carpet cleaning services have seen the damage caused by home carpet cleaning methods. Its not completely impossible for a homeowner to clean a carpet, but for an initial cleaning, bad stains or heavily soiled carpeting, it is best to have a knowledgeable San Antonio carpet cleaning service handle the job. Once they have cleaned your carpets, our experts can give you some advice about maintaining your carpet.
How frequently you clean your carpets can have a lot to do with how many years it will last. Dirt and stains left in a carpet can mean a shorter life span. Not only will you be ruining an expensive investment in your home, but you will also be spoiling the look of the entire room. You can avoid having to replace your carpets too soon by listening to some expert advice from your San Antonio carpet cleaning service.
Attempting to save money, many people will try to clean their own carpets. But, the truth is a San Antonio carpet cleaning service is not only economical, but will actually save you a lot of money by properly maintaining your carpets. Plus, carpeting that is kept clean is going to last a long time. Do the smart thing and call a a San Antonio carpet cleaning service if your carpets are in need of a good cleaning.


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Been working on another website for a joint creative effort of comics and things with two others... More on that in the next week or so. The idea behind it - 3x people = 3x content, more regular updates, etc etc. And in the spirit of making sense, it's named Loadbearing Looking Glass. Mm hmmmm.. Considering uploading my sketches there instead and dissolving this. We'll see!
Here's some sneak peek artwork for an 11-page short story I'm working on for Cloudscape Comics, a local comic publishing collective. It'll be included in an anthology called Exploded View that'll be out this spring. As it gets closer to completion, I'll be uploading a page per week either here or on the upcoming new site. It's about virtual reality.. Oooooooooh.
Cloudscape, Comics, and Loadbearing Looking Glasses.
Posted by Cat Tang
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


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Get Skin Care Products From A Mary Kay Consultant In Busby
Every woman knows that a beautiful look starts with beautiful skin. That's why we offer so many different skin care products from Busby Independent Beauty Consultants—we have a solution for every concern. Our skin care solutions are made to treat specific skin concerns, keep your complexion blemish-free and healthy, and protect your skin from the sun. Whether you worry about blemishes or dry skin; want to reduce sun damage and aging; or simply want to maintain a radiant complexion, you can achieve the look you've always wanted with Mary Kay's skin care products. Learn which products are best for your skin by working with your personal Mary Kay consultant. Contact your Mary Kay Beauty Consultant in Busby for a skin care consultation today.


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Convertible Infinity Scarf with Pocket™ | Sky Glow
I think you'll agree with me when I say "I HATE CARRYING A PURSE!" The good news is...
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• Color coordinated reversible zipper
• Fabric loop wristlet attachment on clutch *wristlet not included
• Machine wash cold, lay flat to dry
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MPSC annual report released today cites progress on energy laws, consumer protections, telecom oversight
March 5, 2018
Contact: Nick Assendelft 517-284-8300
Customer Assistance: 800-292-9555
MPSC annual report released today cites progress
on energy laws, consumer protections, telecom oversight
LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) today issued its annual report for 2017, highlighting its work to implement the state's new energy laws, help customers in disputes with utilities, promote energy waste reduction, work to expand broadband, and develop a regulatory framework for electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the state.
The annual report is due to Governor Snyder and the Michigan Legislature by the first Monday of March, in accordance with Act 3 of 1939.
The Commission made significant strides in enacting Public Acts 341 and 342, the state's new energy laws, which went into effect April 20. Among the areas where decisions were issued or cases are in progress were rate case processing, integrated resource planning, electric choice, code of conduct, renewable energy, energy waste reduction, distributed generation, and on-bill financing. In 2017, the MPSC decided more than 60 cases related to the new energy laws.
The Commission also hosted, in collaboration with the Michigan Agency for Energy (MAE), a conference to examine issues related to plug-in electric vehicle charging facilities and compressed natural gas as a motor vehicle fuel. Actions following the conference dealt with rate design, electrical grid impacts, and regulatory guidance on the role of the regulated utility in the electrification of the transportation sector. A second technical conference was held in February and the Commission is expected to issue a ruling in late spring of this year.
Commission members are Chairman Sally Talberg, Commissioner Norman Saari and Commissioner Rachael Eubanks. The MPSC has 130 full-time employees, seven divisions -- Regulatory Affairs, Electric Reliability, Financial Analysis and Audit, Operations and Wholesale Markets, Regulated Energy, Telecommunications, and Strategic Operations – and a staff of administrative law judges who are part of the Michigan Administrative Hearing System.
The report noted the Commission:
Issued 659 orders: 497 electric, 110 telecommunications, and 52 natural gas. Also issued 31 Minute Actions. The Executive Secretary received and processed 9,855 official documents. The number of cases opened was 281 with 138 closed.
Assisted 11,578 customers who contacted the Customer Assistance Division at MAE. Of those, 6,612 were energy-related, 1,173 telecommunications, and 3,793 other issues.
Issued orders in five electric and natural gas rate cases, granting in aggregate about 50 percent of the utilities' total requested annual increase. Six rate cases are pending.
Adopted in November major updates to the Consumer Standards and Billing Practices for Electric and Natural Gas Service. The "billing rules" now offer new protections for critical care customers and strengthens data privacy for utility customers.
Launched a formal investigation of DTE Energy billing practices following customer complaints of incorrect bills, late bills and shut offs without proper notification.
Approved 13 energy waste reduction reconciliation filings. Programs implemented since 2009 are anticipated to return to Michiganders $6 billion in lifetime savings.
Approved two new natural-gas fired electric generation plants in the U.P., which when built will increase reliability of service for residents and businesses.
In collaboration with MAE, won the removal of extra charges imposed by the federal government related to electric reliability for ratepayers in the U.P.
Participated in the Governor's 21st Century Infrastructure Commission and addressed data needs and mapping capabilities for an ongoing asset management pilot.
Reengineered internal processes to streamline workflows. Among the changes was launching an updated electronic dockets system, the first overhaul in 20 years.
Issued six orders related to the continued implementation of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 for rate-regulated electric providers.
Worked with MAE to evaluate Michigan's resource adequacy if key power plants were offline and possible increased interconnection between the state's peninsulas.
Granted licenses, or approved amendments to existing licenses, for five telephone companies.There were also five license surrenders. A total of 428 companies were registered in 2017 as intrastate telecommunications service providers in the state.
Worked to align Michigan's Lifeline eligibility criteria with the FCC's rules and update its eligibility database. The state has until June 30 to complete the work.
In collaboration with Connect Michigan, published the 14th telecommunications infrastructure map, which includes information for 543 voice and broadband providers.
For more information about the MPSC, please visit www.michigan.gov/mpsc or sign up for one of its listservs to keep up to date on MPSC matters.
# # #


text: Thanks Karanbir! That should work - Asit > I am in the process of rehashing the entire AMI set for CentOS. Look for > an announcement this Friday with AMI details. > > Also, it should be possible to copy instance backed images across > regions ( or so I was told ) - and therefore the plan is to only release > to us-east and let everyone copy them over to whatever region they need, > when they need them. Does that sound reasonable ? - KB -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.centos.org/pipermail/centos-virt/attachments/20130605/3bc4f101/attachment.html


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