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Girardi at his best in 2013 keeping Yankees together
This season has been Joe Girardi's finest hour as Yankees manager. Through all the injuries and all the disappointment, they're still hanging around, six games behind the Red Sox in the American League East and 1 1/2 games out in the AL Wild Card race.
To have done this with a patchwork lineup dotted with castoffs and a starting rotation that hasn't been nearly as good as advertised is a tribute to many things, including clubhouse leadership, effort, etc.View Full Game Coverage
This season has been Joe Girardi's finest hour as Yankees manager. Through all the injuries and all the disappointment, they're still hanging around, six games behind the Red Sox in the American League East and 1 1/2 games out in the AL Wild Card race.
To have done this with a patchwork lineup dotted with castoffs and a starting rotation that hasn't been nearly as good as advertised is a tribute to many things, including clubhouse leadership, effort, etc.View Full Game Coverage
There really is magic in those pinstripes. The Yankees surely have gotten more from Vernon Wells, Travis Hafner, Lyle Overbay, etc., than they thought possible. Those players are a tribute to general manager Brian Cashman's judgement and to their own smarts and work ethic and professionalism.
But it all begins with the manager. In challenging times, his job is to keep the effort consistent and the environment positive. He does this in a variety of ways, the most important being his demeanor.
If he does not keep his composure, he can't ask his players to keep theirs. If he's the same as always, if he's positive and consistent and unwavering, the players get the message.
If he shows up each day focused only on winning THAT day, that is, not worrying about tomorrow or next week or next month, the players get that message, too. His job then is to put the guys he has available in position to succeed, to gets them to play fundamentally sound baseball and to keep the distractions out in the hallway.
Girardi has passed these tests with flying colors. Now with Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter perhaps a month from returning and with Cashman shopping for help, the Yankees seem to be in a better place than almost anyone could have imagined last Spring Training when they were gutted by injuries and slower-than-expected recoveries from surgery.
There's no way of knowing if they've got enough to make the playoffs for the 18th time in 19 seasons. The Red Sox have spent 81 days leading the AL East and opened up a 4 1/2-game lead, so they might just be the best team.
The Orioles got better this week with the acquisition of Scott Feldman, and David Price's return means the Rays are close to being whole again. A case can be made for any of those three teams being better than the Yankees.
Jeter's return will mean plenty in the clubhouse and the lineup. If he were any other 39-year-old shortstop coming off a gruesome ankle injury, there'd be significant questions about what he was still capable of contributing.
But he's not. He's Derek Jeter. He hasn't been considered normal for a long time, and there's no reason to do so now. He hit .316 last season and seemed to be about the same player he'd always been.
A-Rod's situation is more complicated, because Biogenesis suspensions could be coming, and because he looked overmatched, especially by right-handed pitching, at times last season.
If A-Rod and Jeter both can still play at a high level and if Curtis Granderson and Kevin Youkilis get back in the lineup for the last 10 weeks or so, the Yankees would seem to have a puncher's chance of getting back to the postseason.
No matter how it plays out, Girardi has done a tremendous job. New York can extract its pound of flesh -- not to mention sanity -- from managers. Joe Torre did the job better than any other skipper in the Steinbrenner era.
That's because he was completely unflappable. He was unfailingly honest with his players and rock solid in everything from strategy to dealing with ownership and the media.
He created a clubhouse environment in which the focus was on baseball, and that wasn't always the case with the Yankees. He could be tough, too. Players talk about screwing up and catching a laser-like stare from the manager.
Having watched a lot of good men almost come undone by the job, some of us thought no one would ever handle the position as well as Torre did.
But Girardi is right there. He's the same every day. He's positive every day. He communicates with his players, both the good news and the bad. He's strategically sound.
Some fans criticize him for sticking to "the book" too often, but this is silly criticism. When Girardi does something, he has a reason for doing it. To do anything else would be to play a hunch, which most of baseball's best managers haven't done for years.
In ways large and small, Girardi probably is the prototype for every future Yankee manager. He hasn't been dealt a great hand, but he has made the most of it. No matter what happens, the Yankees have the right guy in charge, both in 2013 and the years ahead.
Richard Justice is a columnist for MLB.com. Read his blog, Justice4U.

subset: commoncrawl


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Product List
Boxer Shorts
Boxes for Tiles
Cactus Mug Wraps
Christmas Stockings
Clock Parts
Coral Frames
Cork Backings
Cremation Urns
Dog Bandanas
Dog Tags
Easel Backs
Hardboard Tiles
Heat Gun mt-4
Heat Strips
Heat Tape
Home Decor items
ID tags
Insulated Totes
Inserts for Clocks
Laser Paper
Mini Tees
Movements for Clocks
Mug Wraps
Pet Tees and Tags
Pet Urns
Resin Tile Frames
Silicone Glue
Super Lube
Temp Gauges
Tile Accessories
Tile Boxes
Tile Frames
Tote Bags
Unisub Tiles
Urns for Pets
Versaprint Paper
Wavy Hangers
Wood Boxes
Wood Products
Zig-Zag Hangers
Shopping FAQ
Pressing Guide
Care and Usage
Welcome to our specials page. These items are featured at reduced prices for a variety of reasons. Some are discontinued items, others are limited availability or over-stocks, but all (unless specified) are new and ready for printing or use with printed substrates. Please note that some of the items may not for sublimation but will work with archival ink-jet transfers and will be designated as such. Take a look and hopefully you will find something that can be of use. Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns about these products.
We also have special clearance prices on Windshirts and Lab Coats while supplies last.
Boxer Shorts for sublimation All sizes $3.00 while they last!
Our PSI boxers are 100% polyester and ready for sublimation. They feature a button fly front and the Jersey-Knit fabric gives a smooth, soft and silky feel. Perfect for the college student, clubs, and as unique personalized presents, these boxers are great as an intimate gift for the love in one's life. They also make excellent sleepwear and are available in sizes small through 4X-Large (medium and large are sold out!). Please note that these sizes run on the small side. Please note the waist sizes to insure a proper fit. For information on the care of these boxers, please see our Care and use guide.
Click photos for larger view.
Boxers - All Sizes Clearance Price $3.00
Small Boxers (size 24-26)
X-Lg Boxers (size 36-38)
2X-Lg Boxers (size 40-42)
3X-Lg Boxers (size 44-46)
4X-Lg Boxers (size 48-50)
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Painted frames for tiles
Single Tile Frames for 6" tiles and 6"X8" come in a variety of colors to enhance your tile images. While quantities last, they are available in Yellow, Blue, Green and Gray for 6X8, and Yellow and Green for 6X6. Each is individually packaged in a white gift box. Please note that all colors shown are no longer available.
Painted Frame 6"-Yellow
Painted Frame 6"-Green
Painted Frame 6X8"-Yellow
Painted Frame 6X8"-Blue
Painted Frame 6X8"-Green
Painted Frame 6X8"-Gray
8"X10" Frame-Black $4.50
Add product to shopping cart below. Quantity discounts will be applied when the order is invoiced.
Tile Plaques Closeout Special
These Tile Plaques are made of red oak and designed to hold a single tile in the center. Two of the sides feature a solid arch that makes a a stylish presentation that stands out due to the unique shape.
While the frame can be hung in either a portrait or landscape position, the arched ends allow space for those with the capabilities to laser engrave or rout names, sayings or other decorative designs. You can also attach brass plates or other metal that has been engraved or sublimated.
These frames make excellent decor for home and business alike. Great for signs, awards or other special recognition when something just a little extra is desired! Tile Plaques are available for 8" and 6X8" tiles. Although the 6X8's can be hung in either direction, they are avaiable in two different styles, vertical and horizontal for the arches. Tiles and/or plates are not included. Click on photos for a larger view. Please note that some styles may vary slightly from picture.
Tile Plaque-6X8
Tile Plaque for 8"
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Oak Signs
Available in two distinct styles, these solid oak signs can be used to mount a printed metal plate or engraved. Add a touch of the days gone by to your signage!
Outside dimensions are 17" X 12", and ¾" thick. Click on the photos for a larger image.
Colonial Style-Solid
Pub Style-Solid
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36mm Hygrometer Inserts (fit-ups) Clearance Price $2.00
This matching hygrometer is designed to show the moisture content or humidity in the air. As one of the most accurate miniature models available, it features a French hygrometer coil and given an extra calibration at the factory. While perfect for desk sets and hanging frames, it can also be used for humidors. (actual size 1 7/16")
36mm Thermometer Inserts (fit-ups) Clearance Price $2.00
These miniature thermometers are an excellent way to keep tabs on the temperature. They feature readings in both Fahrenheit and Centigrade scales and can used in any of our wood products or frames that offer the optional hole for inserts. (actual size 1 7/16")
36mm Hygrometer
36mm Thermometer
Other Specials and Closeouts
Paramount Services Inc.
2205 SW 57th Avenue
Hollywood, FL 33023
(800) 455-7212
(954) 981-9661 Local/International


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UPDATE: Orb wins!
Orb wins the 139th running of the #KentuckyDerby on a wet, muddy track
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 4, 2013
Original story below
It's that time of year again folks, the 2013 Kentucky Derby, the most exciting two minutes in sports, is just hours away and there's one horse that everyone is talking about. Kentucky native Orb is on quite a roll this year and has rightfully been installed as the favorite for this year's race.
Here's what you need to know…
1. He's Coming Fresh Off a Victory at the Florida Derby
It what was billed as a three-way-dance between Orb, Shanghai Bobby, and Itsmyluckyday, it was the Kentucky native who shone through in the $1 million race. This win secured Orb's place in the Kentucky Derby.
2. Reports Are That He's Been Training Brilliantly
In a practice run through the Kentucky course, Daily Racing Forum reports:
Orb passed by the finish line twice in a nice, easy, controlled gallop and seemed none the worse for wear after being spooked and kicking the back wall of his stall repeatedly while being schooled in the paddock the previous afternoon.
3. Its Bloodline is the Stuff of Legend
Orb's father, Malibu Moon, has produced nine other champion colts. Going back even further, the Clarion-Ledger reports:
Orb directly traces to a mare, Claiborne-bred Bold Irish, who in the middle of the last century Mrs. Henry Carnegie Phipps gave to her daughter and son-in-law — Janney's parents — to get them interested in flat racing, instead of just the steeplechase horses that Stuart Janney Jr. owned, trained and rode.
The gambit worked, and that direct line produced one of American racing's most legendary horses – the brilliant and unbeaten filly Ruffian, who suffered fatal injuries in the 1975 match race with Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure.
It also produced Private Terms, who went into the 1988 Kentucky Derby unbeaten, but finished ninth in a race won by the filly Winning Colors.
4. He's Being Ridden by Joel Rosario
A native of the Dominican Republic, Rosario is coming fresh-off a win at the Dubai World Cup, a $10 million race, in which he rode the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom.
5.Goldenscents Should Provide Stiff Competition
The derby is rarely a cut and dry affair, and some a speculating that this could be the year for Goldenscents, and not Orb. The last two derbies have been won by sprinters like Goldenscents but Orb is the more in-form horse.


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We are so excited to chat with designer, artist, and long-time BurdaStyle member Esther Boller (aka: Melonhead), who has recently won a National Gold Medal in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for her Masking Tape Dress – an amazing creation made entirely out of masking tape!
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards identifies teenagers with exceptional artistic and literary talent. It has an impressive legacy dating back to 1923 and a noteworthy roster of past winners including Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Robert Redford, and Joyce Carol Oates.
First of all, congratulations on winning the award.
Thank you!
What gave you the idea for the dress?
About a month before I started working on the dress my mom and I took a train into downtown Chicago for a visit. I was blown away by all the beautiful architecture everywhere I looked. When I got home, I went online and researched different architectural buildings. I loved the way some architects played with circular movement in the creation of their buildings. I wanted to transfer that same style of circular motion into my dress. Another source of inspiration for the dress came from the chrysalis of a butterfly. I thought that all of the overlapping layers created a really beautiful effect, and I wanted to carry that idea into my design along with the idea of playing with circular motion.
How did you decide to use masking tape?
Every year for Scholastics I try to come up with a new medium of material to work with, and right from the start I knew that I wanted to work with masking tape. I thought about using toilet paper, but it didn't really work for what I wanted to do with volume. I figured masking tape would work the best for creating the layers in the dress.
Tell us about the process. Did you start by making a sketch?
After I had the main idea, I drew a very rough sketch just to get my idea out on paper. Then I started thinking about the construction and how I was going to get the masking tape to work. For the skirt, I knew that I would need something strong enough to hold the shape and weight of all the masking tape, so I found this really stiff interfacing to use for it. After that, I drafted a pattern using my mannequin's measurements. I wanted the skirt to be very full. The bottom is just a very basic circle skirt made from interfacing. The actual fabric portion of the skirt is only about a foot and half long, and the rest is made from masking tape. One by one I added layers of making tape until I got to the length that I wanted. I had to do that twice in order to get the right stiffness. Now, because the inside of the dress was sticky, I had to go back through with 1-inch pieces of tissue paper and cover up the stickiness. After that, I added 2 more layers of masking tape, running vertically down the skirt, to add even more stiffness.
All throughout this process I would add pieces of wire to the inside of the dress, pushing the skirt outwards to get the correct shape that I wanted, and adding more volume. In order to get the texture that I wanted with the final top layer, I had to make sure that each band was exactly 2 pieces of masking tape. I found that 1 layer was too weak and three was too heavy. Once I had my two-layer bands cut out I started adding them to the dress one by one starting at the bottom and moving up.
Esther's room filled with tape
Altogether the dress from start to finish took around 80 hours to make and I used over 17 rolls of masking tape. I had long strips of masking tape stuck to every part of my room imaginable! I think that I just now got every little piece of masking tape out of my carpet!
Beyond being a work of art, the dress looks wearable?
Yes, the dress is completely wearable. It has a zipper sewn into the back so you can take it on and off. I finished the dress literally the night before the regional deadline, so I didn't have time to try it on. I was thinking of wearing it to prom, but those plans have changed. Hopefully one day I'll be able to try it on though.
You must be thrilled at winning the Gold Medal and that the dress will be on display. But how on earth is it going to get to New York City?
Haha! The first words that came out of my mouth when I found out that it won were, "How in the world am I going to ship it there?!" The Fort Wayne Museum of Art has been really helpful. They came up with an idea of replacing the mannequin with a foam bodice and then running a pole through that bodice. The pole is then screwed to a wooden shipping crate. That way the dress would be suspended in the crate and it wouldn't bounce around as much. Then they figured that as long as we stuffed the skirt full of newspaper or something it would help with keeping its shape during the transportation. But the dress was still sticky in-between each layer of masking tape running up the skirt and bodice. So last week I was at the museum brushing each individual layer of masking tape down with baby powder, hoping to lessen the stickiness. It got everywhere, but it worked really well! As far as I know, all has worked out and it should arrive in New York in one piece… And smelling like baby powder. Haha.
You joined BurdaStyle in 2008, and since that time we have seen many amazing projects from you. What has BurdaStyle and the community here meant in your development as a designer and artist?
Burdastyle has really meant a lot to me. Everyone in the community is so helpful and encouraging. I'm constantly inspired by all the amazing works of art that everyone makes and posts on the project pages! Burdastyle has been such a huge learning resource for me as well. From being inspired by the designer interviews on the blog, to checking out the learning section on sewing techniques! Burdastyle has helped give me the knowledge to grow and learn as a designer/seamstress.
left: The Plastic Bag Dress, center: The Foil Dress, right: The Pennies Dress
Some of the creations you have made include the "Newspaper Prom Dress", the "Plastic Bag Dress", the "Foil Dress" and now the "Masking Tape Dress". What are the pros and cons in working with these non-textile materials?
What I love about working with non-textiles is that it's almost more like working with a sculpture than a regular textile dress. It's a lot of fun, but there are a lot more things to worry about. For instance, one normally doesn't have to worry about their dress melting (that was the end of the plastic bag dress) and/or crumpling together (the foil dress).
I tried making a dress out of pennies last year… As you can probably figure out, it was a complete disaster! I wanted to create an ombre effect with the difference in shades between old and new pennies. Although, when I got about half way through gluing the pennies to the dress, I realized that it was way too heavy (I couldn't even move it an inch off the ground).
Which material has been your favorite so far?
My favorite so far has actually been the masking tape dress. I went a different route than I normally do: I played with volume, which I had a lot of fun experimenting with. I'd like to start playing a lot more with volume and incorporating more of that into my designs. Right now I'm starting early on my Scholastic project. I'm working on an installation piece of a series of gowns made from nature. This past weekend I spent over 20 hours collecting flowers from a tree, taking the petals off, and placing them in the pages of dictionaries to dry. I dried over 5 trash bags full of flowers and I'm hoping to get a couple more trash bags full before the flowers die.
You are only 17 and already so talented. When did you start sewing?
I started sewing in the 7th grade. My mom learned to sew when she was younger, so she taught me how to sew from a pattern. The first project that I ever made was the most hideous pair of yellow, plaid pants that one would ever see (I still wore them everywhere though). But after I made them, there was something about sewing that I just clicked and I started sewing more and more. I would go to the library and basically check out their entire section on sewing. I read every book that I could on the subject. I watched a ton of YouTube tutorials on sewing (that's where I found a link to BurdaStyle). Pretty soon I was sewing something new every day. After a while I was absolutely in love with it and I knew that I wanted to pursue it as a career.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I'm inspired by anything and everything, but some of my biggest sources for inspirations are movies and books. I'll fall in love with a certain character and I'll think about what they would wear next. Sometimes I'll think about what they would wear if they were living in a different place or era in time. Some of my favorite characters to think up designs for at the moment are Chuck from Pushing Daises and Violet from A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (which were my favorite books when I was younger).
What is next for you? Do you see yourself pursuing a career in fashion design?
Well, I have one more year of high school left, but after that I hope to be accepted into a design school. There's so much more that I want to learn when it comes to sewing. I want to earn my degree in fashion design and also get a minor in business. I hope to one day start up my own line of women's clothing and keep doing what I love for the rest of my life, which is designing and making clothes.
Check out Esther's Masking Tape Dress here. You can also view a slideshow of more designs by Esther.


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Craftmade International
Craftmade offers a wide range of products that can transform the look of your home both inside and out. Whether it's modern or casual, traditional or youthful, there's a style to fit any décor. In addition to ceiling fans, we have an extensive lighting collection, including: bath vanities, chandeliers, light bulbs, and outdoor sconces, pendants, and posts. We also carry door chimes, pushbuttons, and an ever-expanding array of home and garden accessories.
Established in 1985, Craftmade is renowned for its extensive lines of ceiling fans that are among the most reliable, durable, energy-efficient and cost-effective in the industry. Our channels of distribution provide diversity as well. Catering to both the new construction and remodeling markets, Craftmade products are marketed through a nationwide network of nearly 2,000 specialized premium lighting showrooms, patio dealers and electric wholesalers.
In 2008, Craftmade purchased Woodard, LLC, a leading manufacturer of outdoor furniture. The Woodard acquisition provides strategic diversification into a market not directly related to new home construction, and offers other important synergies as well.
Representing time-proven dependability and enduring value, Craftmade continues to break ground in both quality of construction and design innovation.
Stop by Lighting By Erik to see our full line of Craftmade Lighting.


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A Radical race car powered by a Toyota all-electric powertrain just broke the Nürburgring electric-car lap record of 59 hours (kidding, 9 minutes 1.338 secs), lapping the Nordschleife in 7 minutes 47.794 seconds. That's about the same as the BMW M3 GTS.
The electric kit — dubbed TMG EV P001 — is the product of Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG). The powertrain comprises two electric motors, providing 590 lb-ft of torque, which propel the car to a top speed of nearly 162 mph. Driver Jochen Krumbach set the time, breaking the previous EV record set earlier this year by the Peugeot EX1 concept.
It also sounds curiously like a roller coaster.


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I think I have found a new daily read blog. As many of you know, I take my comics seriously. A bit too seriously. In medical school, we used to all get together after anatomy class and have the ritual "Reading of Fred Bassett," the least-funny comic strip ever. It was a solemn event, followed by an explication of the text and an meta-analysis of why it might have been thought to be funny, or any deeper philosophic themes in the subtext.
Well, this guy has taken the reading of Fred Bassett to the next level, and I love him for it. Here is an example of his work:
It has come to my attention that some of my readers do not find Get Fuzzy amusing. These people are, for lack of a more subtle word, wrong. Let us count the things that made me laugh about today's installment:
If you are not convinced, there is no hope for you. Now if you'll excuse me, my cat is demanding to be let in from the back porch. Hopefully she doesn't have another rat to add to the shoebox.
- The phrase "he would reject it as being unrealistically squalid."
- Rob's spindly legs.
- Bucky's palms-up outspread paws.
- Bucky's pot belly.
- Bucky's sly look. Imagine if Sally Forth used the phrase "shoebox full of dead rats" when she deployed her sly look. That feature would be improved thereby.
- The phrase "a shoebox full dead rats."
He also, god bless him, reads Family Circus for us, so we don't have to.


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During NBC's "Football Night In America" telecast Sunday, SI.com's Peter King reported that Steve Mariucci has interest in coaching the San Diego Chargers next season.
Mariucci has been out of coaching since being fired by the Detroit Lions in 2005. Since that time, he has served as an analyst for NFL Network.
Mariucci addressed the report Sunday night, calling King a friend, but stressing he has never spoken to him about the Chargers job.
"I would never comment on a coaching job where there's a coach in place, and the coach down there in San Diego happened to be a very good friend of mine, Norv Turner," Mariucci said on NFL Network. "There's no way I would ever discuss this right now, I don't know where it comes from. Let's just stop the nonsense, OK? Please."
Relive every game this season online and on-demand with enhanced viewing features, including the "All-22" coaches film. Get NFL Game Rewind.
Turner has coached the Chargers since 2007, but he almost certainly will be let go at the end of the season. Mariucci didn't deny having an interest in returning to the sideline, only saying he wouldn't comment on a job that already was filled by someone else.
We'll find out soon enough if there's any fire to this smoke.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.


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(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 25 March 2009 CPJ press release:
Report says Saberi may be held for prolonged period
New York, March 25, 2009 - The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by a news report indicating that Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi might remain in prison for a prolonged period. In a telephone conversation with her father, Saberi said a prosecutor told her she would remain in detention for "months or even years," The New York Times reported today.
"We are very deeply concerned by the circumstances of Roxana Saberi's detention," said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Mohamed Abdel Dayem. "She continues to be held without charge, while officials have offered shifting reasons for her detention."
Saberi was detained in January. Since then, Iranian officials have issued conflicting explanations for the detention. Initially, Saberi told her family that she was apparently being held for buying wine. A few days later, a spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry stated that Saberi was detained for reporting without proper accreditation. The next day, a spokesman for the Iranian judiciary confirmed that she was being held in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, where political prisoners are frequently jailed. He added that she was being held in accordance with a writ issued by the Revolutionary Court, but he would not reveal the reasons for the detention.
"We are particularly concerned about Saberi's physical and mental health, especially in light of where she is being held," CPJ's Abdel Dayem said.
At least two journalists have died at the prison in last six years in situations that have not been fully explained. Omidreza Mirsayafi, an Iranian blogger serving a 30-month sentence on a charge of insulting religious figures, died at Evin Prison last week under mysterious circumstances. In 2003, Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi died from a brain hemorrhage that resulted from a beating at Evin Prison. An intelligence agent charged in the killing was acquitted after a flawed trial. Kazemi had been jailed because she took photographs outside the prison.
More than 10,000 people worldwide signed a CPJ petition expressing deep concern about the detention. CPJ presented the petition to the Islamic Republic of Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
The Committee to Protect Journalists is a New York-based, non profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to defending press freedom around the world.
Updates the Saberi case: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/101365
For further information on the Omidreza MirSayafi (Mir-Sayafi) case, see: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/101823
For further information on the Zahra Kazemi case, see: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/95352
Journalist Roxana Saberi may remain in prison for prolonged period
(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 25 March 2009 CPJ press release:


text: Michael and Danielle Haxton have made the move to New Hampshire, and Mike who ran Haxton's Liquor at Meadowbrook and coached the Hendricken tennis team, says he loves Sunapee where they now have a home. In particular, he cites New Hampshire taxes that he notes are a fraction of those here. The Haxtons still own a house on Warwick Neck that they are seeking to sell. (Warwick Beacon photo)


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Can the Postal Service Afford Alaska Bypass?
Have you ever heard of Alaska Bypass? It's a service the U.S. Postal Service offers only in Alaska, allowing shippers to send shrink-wrapped pallets of goods at Parcel Post rates using private airlines. The Postal Service pays airlines to carry the goods to rural Alaskan communities by delivering these goods directly to the stores located in rural areas. The shippers effectively and entirely "bypass" the Postal Service's delivery network.


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Stephenson shines in Class A debut
Reds prospect strikes out six, pitches five one-hit innings
By Jonathan Raymond / Special to MLB.com | July 27, 2012 8:24 PM
His girlfriend was set to arrive the next day in Billings and his parents already had arranged their own trip to Montana. But Stephenson had to tell them to change their plans because his time in the Pioneer League was over -- he'd been promoted.
The Reds' No. 3 prospect gave up an unearned run on one hit and struck out six over five innings in his Midwest League debut Friday night as Dayton beat Great Lakes, 7-5.
"The last game was in Grand Junction and they called me into the office, told me they were sending me up. I didn't really know it was coming," Stephenson said. "It also kind of [stunk] a little bit because my girlfriend was coming the next day and my parents had their flight out booked. But, yeah, it was mostly awesome."
Selected 27th overall in last year's Draft, Stephenson (1-0) began his pro career when he debuted for the Mustangs on June 19. He did not allow more than two earned runs in any of his seven Pioneer League starts, posting a 2.05 ERA and 37 strikeouts against eight walks over 30 2/3 innings.
The 19-year-old out of Alhambra High School in Martinez, Calif., has found early success thanks to a fastball that hits triple digits. He managed another first Friday night, touching 101 mph on the radar gun at the Dow Diamond.
"I was told I touched 101. I've touched 100 but not 101 before," he said. "I didn't really know the hitters [at this level], so I just went after them with that fastball and tried to get ahead."
Against the Loons, Stephenson said it was his curveball, however, that worked most effectively as an out pitch. He struck out the side in the opening inning, finishing off two of the three batters with the curve.
"I thought the curveball was pretty much the out pitch for me [tonight]," he said. "Fastball was probably my best pitch [overall] and the changeup was all right."
The right-hander was working on a 70-pitch limit as the Reds try to manage his workload during his first pro season. But he was efficient enough to get through five innings and put himself in line for the win.
Stephenson said he was satisfied with the start but found details to critique. He issues a pair of walks after allowing one or fewer in five of his season starts for Billings.
"I was a little bit nervous, mostly excited though," he said. "It definitely felt good. Just a little bit upset with the two walks, but other than that, I was pretty happy with [the outing]."
Offensively, Reds' No. 12 prospect Sean Buckley went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Leadoff man Juan Perez also had three hits, including a triple, and drove in a run.
Jonathan Raymond is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.View More


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Radix℠ LMS
The Radix℠ Learning Management System provides K-12 teachers with a personalized, blended course management experience. It also gives school administrators the ability to easily manage information such as attendance, behavior, lesson plans, report cards, and more. Radix℠ eliminates the need for a third-party school management software by streamlining several tasks into one platform.
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Organize and display courses the way you want and view at a glance current tasks and messages. Built-in media support enables you to easily search for and insert video and audio files in your courses. Upload, drag and drop, and embed any kind of media, including audio files, video files, and documents, from your computer or storage services such as Google Docs, OneDrive, and Dropbox.
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SYS-CON.TV Webcasts
Did you read today's front page stories & breaking news?
Top Links You Must Click On
From the Blogosphere
SaaS Performance | @CloudExpo @Catchpoint #DevOps #WebPerf #AI #SaaS
SaaS providers need better tools to manage performance, enabling them to get ahead of problems
By: Mehdi Daoudi
Jun. 22, 2017 06:15 PM
Managing Performance for SaaS-Based Applications
Software as a service (SaaS), one of the earliest and most successful cloud services, has reached mainstream status. According to Cisco, by 2019 more than four-fifths (83 percent) of all data center traffic will be based in the cloud, up from 65 percent today. The majority of this traffic will be applications.
Businesses of all sizes are adopting a variety of SaaS-based services - everything from collaboration tools to mission-critical commerce-oriented applications. The rise in SaaS usage has many positive benefits, but one drawback is that as demand grows, SaaS providers are having a harder time ensuring a high-performing (fast, reliable) end-user experience - at the same time performance expectations are growing higher than ever.
SaaS Providers Struggle to Meet Modern Day User Performance Expectations
Meeting these performance demands is proving to be a significant challenge. One recent survey of SaaS providers found more than half reported difficulties in delivering sufficient performance levels, while more than a quarter said their organizations had incurred financial penalties as a result of unmet service-level agreements. Twenty-one percent of respondents whose organizations had an unplanned service interruption said it resulted in the loss of a customer relationship. Among those SaaS providers suffering financial penalties, the average cost incurred was $359,000 - not including the time and effort spent finding and fixing the source of performance declines.
Why Is Ensuring Superior Performance So Difficult?
Infrastructure Build-Outs - As many SaaS providers expand into new geographies and support more businesses, they are adding infrastructure as well as partitioning more existing systems. According to the SaaS provider survey mentioned above, almost half of respondents noted they have at least doubled the number of systems supporting their workloads and applications over the past two years. While this helps them support more customers, there is a nasty side effect - greater complexity, which makes it harder to find and fix the source of performance problems when they do occur.
Users' Geographic Expansion - Heightening these performance challenges is the growth of end users in new geographies. Application performance tends to deteriorate based on distance from the SaaS provider's data center. This means as end users move further away, there are more variables standing between them and the data center which can degrade performance - networks, ISPs, even browsers. This makes it impossible for SaaS providers to gauge worldwide performance levels for a specific SaaS user, based solely on the experiences of end users in just one or two geographies.
To expand and improve geographic reach, many SaaS providers build out their infrastructure, which in turn adds more complexity. The net result is a vicious cycle that ultimately results in decreased visibility into infrastructure health and end-user application performance.
The Capricious Nature of the Internet - Full SaaS provider outages are rare, but when they do happen, they can be disastrous. The Amazon S3 outage on February 28 served as the latest example, causing widespread availability issues for thousands of websites, apps, and IoT devices.
There have been other instances recently - in February 2016, Office 365 went dark for wide swaths of Europe. In August 2015, a Google data center in Belgium was struck by successive lightning strikes, causing problems for numerous Google cloud infrastructure service users. Not even tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, or Google are immune to acts of God or nature. Inevitable outages are not the fault of these providers - rather, the "ripple effect" is the result of the tendency for business users to concentrate too much work in the hands of a single provider.
More common than full-blown outages are instances of SaaS applications just not performing well. Even though many SaaS providers have monitoring systems in place, 54 percent report the primary way they find out about performance problems is through customer complaints.
Managing Performance Must Be a Shared Endeavor
As the number of performance-impacting variables increases, SaaS providers may find themselves drowning in data, but searching for insights. They need advanced analytics to make data more actionable by identifying the cause of performance issues, swiftly and accurately. Sometimes performance issues are within the SaaS provider's control (such as when a particular region or data center requires more capacity). Other times, the issue may not be directly within the IT team's control - for example, a slow ISP or CDN. Even with these external factors, the information is still useful because time spent unnecessarily "war-rooming" can be avoided.
Business users of SaaS services should also be contributing to the performance management effort. They should consistently measure their SaaS providers' response levels, as well as monitor and measure real end- user performance at the closest points of geographic proximity. This is the key to gaining the most realistic view of end-user performance levels around the world. Having this information can help SaaS users uphold provider SLAs, but perhaps, more important, identify performance problems in advance and quickly determine if the problem is with the cloud service provider, or another component or internal infrastructure element.
Finally, as the recent Amazon S3 example demonstrated, SaaS users should always have a redundancy plan in place for their critical applications. In essence, they need to architect for failure. This may require an investment of time and effort, but can make all the difference in keeping SaaS-based businesses running smoothly when faced with a completely unpredictable event.
SaaS providers will continue to struggle with rapid growth and increasing complexity as business users port more mission-critical applications to the cloud and end users demand increasingly higher levels of performance and productivity.
This situation has the potential to escalate unless SaaS providers address the issue head-on with new approaches that evolve APM to DEM. Business users must also do their part. Ultimately, this can translate to more proactive, productive performance management, with less finger pointing and war rooming and more accurate, decisive issue resolution.
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"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity," George Orwell reminds us in his classic essay "Politics and the English Language." (By the way, I typically assign students to read this essay in every course I teach, regardless of the subject. Not only is it a good aid to writing, but it also indirectly undermines a lot of political correctness.)
This is preface to noting Jay Leno's observation last night about the news that the Associated Press is going to discontinue using the term "illegal immigrants." Leno has the ideal substitute for AP:
Rather puts me in the frame of mind to recall an old George Carlin routine about how "shell shock" had slowly yielded to "post-traumatic stress disorder":


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The following crimes are from the week of Aug. 21 to Aug. 27, 2011.
Aug. 21. Valley Green Inn and Valley Green Road. Complainant states that between 1 and 2:30 p.m., an unknown person broke the passenger side window of a 2006 black Ford Explorer and stole a leather handbag containing various credit cards and an iPhone.
Aug. 21. 8200 bock Shawnee Street. Complainant states that an unknown person went into a garage and entered a 2011 Subaru Forester and stole a global positioning system, an iPod Nano and a Verizon cell phone.
Aug. 21. 1 Valley Green Road. Complainant states that between 1 and 2:18 p.m., an unknown person broke the passenger side window of a green 2007 Subaru Outback Impreza and stole a brown backpack containing money, keys and registration information for vehicle.
Aug. 22. 7700 block Stenton Avenue. Complainant states that he left his camera on table and when he came back it was gone. No one had access to location except his roommate. Reported at 9:24 p.m.
Aug. 23. Valley Green Inn and Valley Green Road. Complainant states that she parked her 2008 Chrysler Sebring at this location and when she returned she found someone had entered the trunk and stole her purse containing credit cards, identification, money, One Touch Cannon Fun Pictures. Reported at 5:50 p.m.
Aug. 23. 200 block E. Mermaid Lane. Complainant states that items were taken from rear yard protected by fence. Three black males jumped over the fence and stole a green mountain bike and a black and purple mountain bike. First offender, no description. The second, 15 to 17 years old, thin, 5'8" tall, wearing a white t-shirt and red shorts. The third male was 15 to 17 years old with dark skin.
Aug. 24. Unit block E. Moreland Avenue. Complainant states that one of her students notified her about a website featuring her art work. Complainant states that she does not have a website and never authorized anyone to sell her paintings. Complainant checked and found that in fact paintings were missing. Reported at 12 a.m.
Aug. 24. 8700 block Prospect Avenue. Complainant states that an unknown person stole a Citibank Visa card from her purse and used it to make purchases. Reported at 12 p.m.
Aug 24. 8400 block Germantown Avenue. Complainant states that on Aug. 23 an unknown person stole a camel-and-orange-colored wallet containing a debit card, two credit cards, money and various checks. Offender, black female, 5'8" tall, thin build, medium complexion and shoulder length straight hair.
Aug. 25. 8400 block Germantown Avenue. Complainant states that offender entered store and went into an unauthorized area and stole a black leather wallet containing a PNC Visa card, ATM card, checks and other medical and identification cards. Offender, black male, medium complexion, wearing a long-sleeve shirt, a white t-shirt and had long straight hair.
Aug. 27. 200 block E. Willow Grove Avenue. Complainant states that between 8:49 and 9:31 a.m., an unknown person went into his mail box and stole his pension check.
Aug. 27. 7700 block Germantown Ave. Complainant states that an unknown person broke the passenger side window to a Toyota Camry and stole one black and gray bag with "ENON" printed on it, one green fatigue bag and one cell phone.


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Address: Unit3.Building1, No.3 Courtyard, Pailou Alley Dongguan South Street, Beilin Distrct, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
Tel: +86-15829050512
Fax: +86-029-82490435
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I can't help but become sentimental when it comes to uncovering the secrets that lead to who I am.
Where did that strawberry blonde hair come? Why do I rub my two fingers together? Who was left-handed in the family that I take after? Why does my sister have thick hair and I have thin hair? What about those idiosyncrasies? Where in heaven's name did those come from?
It's fun to locate pictures of our ancestors, but those pictures are black and white and leave much to the imagination or yet to be discovered. Certainly no home movies were left behind to validate information. We can only rely on what an elder in the family remembers or what we find in more current cousins that we meet along the way.
Only through meticulously researching the past are we able to uncover those long hidden secrets.
Let's start at the beginning. I have two children, a son and a daughter that have strawberry blonde hair. In the winter it is quite auburn but in the summer it lightens up to the strawberry blonde. My mother's side of the family had red hair and I always assumed that was where it came from. My husband's mother was adopted. Her birth mother died of TB at a very young age. After researching his maternal birth grandmother's side of the family we actually met some of his cousins, who much to our surprise had strawberry blonde hair. We also discovered from the adoption papers that his maternal grandmother was a southpaw. My husband was born left-handed but was trained to use his right hand. Today he is ambidextrous. Our daughter with the strawberry blonde hair is also left-handed.
Strange how I rub my first and second fingers together, especially when riding in a car. Never really paid much attention to it until others pointed it out. Come to find out my dad performed this habit on a daily basis, and his father before him. Recently I discovered I have a daughter who also inherited this feat.
These are just a few of the miracles of DNA that I have uncovered. What can you find?
These are just a few of the miracles of DNA that I have uncovered. What can you find?
Names, dates, and places are the first things we discover. Then we find pictures and cousins, sometimes simultaneously. Then the personal side of what makes us who we are. Who we look like, the talents, personality, traits and habits we inherit that make us who we are, are some of the most fascinating discoveries of all.


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1. Re: How To Work Smarter With Preset Adjustment Layers ?Takashi Morifusa Jun 14, 2012 11:02 AM (in response to Simon J.A. Simpson)
This is Adobe Ideas forum. Please post this onto Photoshop forum.
2. Re: How To Work Smarter With Preset Adjustment Layers ?Simon J.A. Simpson Jun 14, 2012 1:07 PM (in response to Takashi Morifusa)
My profound apologies.
I was given this forum, to post my suggestion, as a link by your colleague Janell Flores. It has already been posted in the Photoshop forum.
I just suggested using actions because it would take care of the curves adjustments you would have to make (you would just copy the same settings as the preset), as well as it would take care of the renaming process you were mentioning all in one click for you. It would be a solution for now. I definitely agree that the name should carry over, this seems very odd that it doesn't. You should request it in the ideas forum here:
http://forums.adobe.com/community/creative_cloud_touch_apps/adobe_idea s
Hope that helps somewhat,
Is there somewhare I can post this suggestion as feedback to the Photoshop development team ?
Many thanks and my warm wishes.
3. Re: How To Work Smarter With Preset Adjustment Layers ?Kim Isola Jun 14, 2012 2:57 PM (in response to Simon J.A. Simpson)
Hi Simon,
You can suggest Photoshop features here:
The Photoshop development team regular monitors suggestions there and loves to hear from the community!
Thanks for posting.


text:
FY04 Arts on Radio and Television
From the Top, $65,000
To support the production of new programs for the public radio series From the Top. The weekly, hour-long radio program features performances by exceptional young classical musicians (ages nine to 18), interviews, guest artists, and a 16-year-old roving reporter who profiles the young musicians.
Minnesota Public Radio, $150,000
To support the production and national broadcast of classical music programming. In 2004-05, St. Paul Sunday, Pipedreams, and broadcasts of the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra series will reach millions of listeners each week.
National Public Radio, $150,000
To support the Classical Music Initiative. The project will include the recording, acquisition, and national radio broadcast of selected American orchestral performances on Performance Today, SymphonyCast, and Creators @ Carnegie; the presentation of American operatic productions for the World of Opera radio series; and the coverage of classical music throughout NPR's news programs.
San Francisco Symphony, $250,000
To support a public television and radio series featuring conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony. Keeping Score: MTT on Music is designed to help a national audience appreciate the relevance of classical music in contemporary life.


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Events for Jun 16, 2017
Events Search and Views Navigation
All Day
Community Yoga Class Series
Centerpeace Yoga & Wellness will be holding a Community Yoga Class every Monday beginning Monday, June 12th and running through Monday, August 7th. A suggested donation of $5.00 per class per person. Proceeds from these classes to benefit Rose's Rescue & the Center of Hope. For more information, visit us online at Centerpeace Yoga & Wellness or ... Read moreFind out more »


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Sudbury Curling Club Inc.: Welcome
This site was designed and is maintained regularily in order to provide the curler, our members and fans, information, dates, news and announcements pertaining to the Sudbury Curling Club. Please take a look around and check in often for updates.
It is our wish that you and your family stop in and experience first hand our friendly and courteous staff, great food, fabulous ice conditions and our newly remodeled facility.
Sudbury Curling Club Inc. Leagues
|Friday Mixed League
Thursday, May 3
Early Bird Registration Forms Now Available Until End of June. The Club Will be Open June 12-13, and again the 26-27 from 5:30pm-8:00pm to accept any early registration in person.
To Save on Your 2013/14 SCC Membership, Click on "SCC Forms" Below, Download/Print then Mail it to:
Sudbury Curling Club, P.O. Box 903, Sudbury, ON, P3E-4S4
Handout: SCC Forms
Tuesday, March 19
|view full size
If you are looking for a gift for that special person, click here and shop online for "SCC" sportswear. There are over 400 products to choose from and better yet, everytime you purchase something, 15% of the purchase goes directly to the "SCC Capital Fund" , a fund set up to help improve and maintain the building and property. Happy Shopping...click here now !
Tuesday, November 9
If you don't want to miss out on exciting weekly news and updates regarding the SCC and want to stay in the loop or you're just curious, simply send an email response to the email address you see below and we'll add you to our email list. If at any time you prefer NOT to get this fun and informative E-Newsletter, simply tells us and we'll remove you from the list....so go ahead and click below now!
Thursday, April 30


text:
Mandelbrot needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 436 designs submitted by 142 freelance designers.
LinkSmart for Publishers & LinkSmart for Advertisers (same base logo, different colors)
We are building a platform that may just save the publishing industry. We provide a service for owners and operators of large content based web site with derangement tools. This is the LinkSmart for Publishers system. We then bring high quality advertisers (Target, REI, P&G, Amazon, etc.) who like performance based advertising to these publishers.
We are a young start-up, very data driven, but we need to appeal to the largest most sophisticated publishers of content and advertising community. We need to be strong, reliable, with a young web flair. We want the LinkSmart (http://www.link-smart.com) brand to as memorable as Google (or any other iconic web company (eBay, Priceline, Amazon).
We like the site mozy.com for a feel, and how google analytics marry's ease of use, ui, and sophistication of their platform.
if you have any more questions, please email me at pete (at) themandelbrotproject.com
The target is two fold. 'LinkSmart for Publishers' targets owners and operators of content based web sites. The likes of Conde Nast, New York Times, Hearst, Meredith as well as smaller online publishers. (think the AdSense user).
'LinkSmart for Advertisers' targets any advertiser that is looking to reach the audience of the publishers in our network. Think any user of AdWords including Agencies.
So we are targeting the "Trade" not the "consumer". Corporate buyers of services (but coming from the editorial and advertising community)
We are looking for a logo, favicon, and a placement for a three word tag line. Simple is good, possibly playing with the L and the S from LinkSmart. There should be two versions of the logo (same log, different colors). So when someone logs into the LinkSmart for Publishers system, the palate will be different that the LinkSmart for Advertisers system (just like AdSense and AdWords are different).
This logo will be used as part of the corporate identity, as well as each version for the two products. I will go on letter head, business cards, as well as be prominent on the web site (both the public corporate site and the private platform sites where the customers log into).
You can be creative about how you might integrate the "L" and the "S" with full "LinkSmart for Publishers" tag line. We were also playing with tag lines that include. "LinkSmart: Just Link Smarter" "LinkSmart: Make Every Click Count"
Feel free to ask any questions to pete (at) themandelbrotproject.com.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text:
From ZineWiki
Revision as of 00:37, 9 June 2011 by InvisibleFriend (Talk | contribs)
Calaban was a science fiction fanzine by Eunice Pearson.
Calaban was produced by Cartismandua Press and printed in Kingshurst, Birmingham, UK, in the 1980s. It featured speculative fiction and poetry.
The first issue appeared in late 1982. Issue one included three poems by Steve Green; Dawn, Still, and Elegy Written In A Plastic Graveyard. Issue two, released in June 1983, featured four poems by Steve Sneyd (Data Dump). Issue three, from April 1984, featured the poems Twilight Times: For The Women Of Greenham Common by Carlton C. Allen; Moralities by Steve Green; and Waiting Room by Steve Urbanski.
Letters came from Ian Byers, among others.
Eunice Pearson also published one issue of the fanzine Gloria Mundi.


text:
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Authorities say a 19-year-old aspiring model from Colorado Springs has been missing for more than a month and might be the victim of a subculture that exploits would-be models.
El Paso County sheriff's deputies identified her Tuesday as Kara Nichols. They wouldn't elaborate on what kind of exploitation she might have fallen victim to.
The Colorado Springs Gazette reports ( http://tinyurl.com/bzxrl5r) Nichols was last seen Oct. 9. Investigators say she told her roommate she might go to Denver but left her purse and money.
Investigators say Nichols spent most of Oct. 9 with another woman. They want to talk to the woman but don't know who she is.
Investigators say Nichols was active on social media and on her cellphone user but hasn't used either since she disappeared.
Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazette.com


text: Job Discussion Forums :: View topic - visa sponsorship Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today! Job Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in visa sponsorship Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Chile View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message xenophon0044Joined: 27 Oct 2011Posts: 3Location: Santiago, Chile Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 10:18 pm Post subject: visa sponsorship Hi everyone, I'm in Valparaiso/Vina del Mar looking for teaching work, I'm handing out resumes to local language schools but I have yet to talk with anyone about the possibility of being sponsored for a visa, are schools here likely to do this or are they more likely to expect me to work under the table without a visa? Thanks for any info on this. Back to top xenophon0044Joined: 27 Oct 2011Posts: 3Location: Santiago, Chile Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 1:17 pm Post subject: I mean, before I came I understood that once you have a contract you can take it to extranjeria and get a work visa...but I have seen now that some companies want you to have a visa before you start working for them. I was told this when I applied at Berlitz, and I have heard from other people similar things about other institutions. Back to top DiaJoined: 09 Apr 2008Posts: 92 Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 12:21 am Post subject: Xenophon... in vina and valparaiso most institutes are somewhat reluctant to help you get a visa, though many will do so in the end. Berlitz actually has a policy. Most of them are just a little lazy. Yes, in theory you get the job, and go to extranjeria with the contract which must have a clause in it stating that you will NOT start working unitl the appropriate work visa/permit is granted. most institutes will probably not actually follow that clause and you will work under the table til you get your visa, but they have to be willing to do this and write you up the contract with this clause. it is HARDLY any extra work for them and i think many of them just arent really quite sure about the requirements and dont want to get stuck up on any paperwork. they do have a little reason to be confused though because the paper chain makes things slow and you probably end up in a position where they want to pay you (and dont konw what to do in terms of withholding your taxes) however you havent been approved the visa, and therefore arent yet registered in SII the tax system, thus they cannot legally pay your taxes. the way around this is for somebody else to submit your boleta as a tercero, or pay you under someone elses name and therefore you will either lose or track down that percentage of the tax refund the next year (given itll be a month or two, probably not super significant) keep looking, try to convince them that the visa issue is not a big deal. Back to top osaeed09Joined: 01 Nov 2011Posts: 5Location: United Kingdom Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 4:39 pm Post subject: work visa It's good to see that this is an option. Having booked a flight to Chile without a work contract because I couldn't find a job I thought that it would be ok because surely not everyone has a work contract/visa before they land? Spoke to the Chilean embassy and they said there's no way I will be able to get a work visa out there which totally threw me. However I did think that perhaps this is what the embassy has to say to stop loads of people pouring in trying to obtain work visas. If anyone is to the wiser on this subject then please post a reply-would be grateful for any more information. Back to top lohansonJoined: 31 Aug 2011Posts: 6 Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 12:57 am Post subject: This was very helpful! Thanks! Back to top LunkeyJoined: 20 Jan 2008Posts: 66Location: Santiago Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 8:27 pm Post subject: I've never heard of any institute having a problem with helping you get a visa. It's really no trouble for the institute, they only issue that might come up would be in how much your visa costs, if anything. Americans for example don't have to pay anything, Canadians have to pay like $150, and for British it's like $1000!! so check with the institute to see if they'll pay for that part, most should. also you can work while your visa is in process, all you have to do is check this box on the application form that requests for permission to work while your visa is in process. so technically I guess you can't work legally until you receive back that piece of paper saying that you're in process and approved to work during that time, but I'm sure 9 out of every 10 schools have their own way of working around that. 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05:38 pm
Class War
Ronald Reagan
Snoop Dogg
Ghostface Killah
Quincy Jones
Dick Gregory
50 Cent
Ronald Reagan, that evil fuck President who willfully destroyed working class communities to give tax breaks to the rich. Reagan was happy to do it so long as it was African-Americans that bore the brunt.
Reaganomics left half the Black population on welfare. Reagan had no conscience about it. He had a money lust which hit hardest on those who were weakest and least able to fend for themselves.
Stopping poverty wasn't on Reagan's tick list. Rather it was cut corners and take, take, take from the poor - which stooped as low as having the tomato base on pizzas reclassified as fruit to ensure he could slash the cost of school dinners. He even tried to do the same with tomato ketchup but failed.
Reagan's policy was simple - if you were poor: fuck you. If you were sick: fuck you. If you were dying of cancer: fuck you and get a goddamn job.
For young African-Americans in the 1980s, it seemed the hard-earned achievements of the sixties' Civil Rights movement had been too easily betrayed and forgotten. And when crack cocaine hit the inner cities, it seemed any hope of a future was gone.
Against this background arose a culture of music that was to redefine Black America. Hip-Hop and Rap reflected the poverty, despair and violence of life in the ghettoes. It also railed angrily against the indifference and cynical exploitation by successive Presidents, whose only interest was to help themselves and help the rich.
Letter to the President is a fascinating over-view of the rise of Hip-Hop and Rap, and their importance in bringing a community together against a common enemy. Narrated by Snoop Dogg, and with contributions form Quincy Jones, KRS-One, David Banner, 50 Cent, Chuck D, Ghostface Killah, Nelson George, Sonia Sanchez, and Dick Gregory.


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December 31, 2010
"But now the days grow short
I'm in the autumn of the year
And now I think of my life as vintage wine
from fine old kegs
from the brim to the dregs
And it poured sweet and clear
It was a very good year"
Frank Sinatra could have sung those lyrics about the 2010 calendar year for the Wabash College athletics program. From a trio of track and field All-Americans to a 12-0 start for the basketball to close out the season, Little Giant athletes have provided their fans with one of the best years in history.
The track and field team set the bar for the rest of programs with three of its athletes qualifying for the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championship meet. Two days after Head Coach Clyde Morgan and Jake Waterman were honored by the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association as the top coach and runner in their region, Waterman, Kevin McCarthy, and Emmanuel Aouad. Aouad finish third in the final 55-meter indoor hurdles race of his career. Waterman and McCarthy both competed in the 800-meter run. Waterman took sixth place as a freshman in the finals, while McCarthy, a sophomore, added a seventh-place finish.
The Wabash wrestling and swimming teams joined the national championship parade for the Little Giants. Four Wabash swimmers — juniors David Birrer, Evan Rhinesmith, Adam Current, and Eric Vaughn — posted provisional qualifying times for the national championship meet. Birrer and Rhinesmith would eventually earn berths at the nationals in Minneapolis. Both swimmers just missed earning All-America honors with fantastic preliminary times, including a 17th-place finish by Rhinesmith in the 100 breaststroke that came within 12/100ths of a second of sending him to the finals.
Jake Strausbaugh had already enjoyed one of the best freshman seasons of any Wabash wrestler, including a 37-9 record to go with the Most Outstanding Wrestler award at the Indiana Little State Wrestling Invitational. His best moment was saved for the NCAA Midwest Regional with a dominating performance in the 141-pound weight class. Strausbaugh posted huge wins in his first two matches, then defeated top-seeded Vince Tucker from Olivet — who had only lost two matches all year heading into the bout. Strausbaugh's 9-4 victory to give Tucker his first loss at the hands of a Division III opponent for the season, earning the Wabash rookie the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award for the Regional and a berth at nationals. Joining Strausbaugh was senior Michael Burke, who overcame injuries to receive a wild card berth at nationals after finishing second at 197 pounds. Strausbaugh finished the year with a 41-11, including a close loss to eventual two-time national-champion Myanganbayar Batsukh from St. John's at the NCAA Championship meet.
While the Wabash basketball team did not earn a place in the NCAA Men's Division III Tournament after suffering a one-point loss to Wittenberg in the semifinal round of the North Coast Athletic Conference basketball tourney, the Little Giants showed a sense what was to come at the start of the 2010-11 season. Mac Petty's squad finished the 2010 portion of its 2009-10 year with a record of 12-3, including the first victory by a Wabash team at Wittenberg in a 72-69 contest in Springfield. Wabash would end the season with a record of 18-8 overall and a 12-4 conference mark to finish second in the final regular season standings. Seniors Aaron Brock and Chase Haltom would be recognized for their efforts with all-conference honors, while junior Wes Smith earned D3hoops.com All-Region honors along with a place on the All-NCAC First Team for the second straight season. He finished the season as the conference leader in scoring, averaging 18.2 points per contest. and was among the leaders in the league in steals, blocked shots, rebounding, and field goal shooting percentage. Smith also set the Wabash all-time steals record, finishing his third season with a total of 174. Smith also scored his 1,000th career point, moving to 11th place on the Wabash all-time scoring list with 1,233 points.
Petty's efforts were also recognized by his peers in the conference as well as national. He received his first-ever Conference Coach of the Year despite being among the all-time leaders among active Division III coaches in total victories to go with two conference titles in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference in the 1990s. His 37-year coaching career had been devoted to excellence in teaching the game to his players, earning him one of the National Association of Basketball Coaches' highest honors — the NABC Guardians of the Game Award for Advocacy.
The spring sports teams showed no signs of decreasing the level of excellence achieved by the winter teams. Wabash senior golfer Sam Russell overcame life-threatening injuries suffered while mountain climbing in Wyoming to earn All-NCAC honors over the course of four conference championship events — his second All-NCAC team honor in as many years. The Wabash tennis team set a new school record for victories, finishing with a mark of 17-11 in 2010 while taking third place at the NCAC Tournament for the second straight year. Head Coach Jason Hutchison was named the conference's Men's Tennis Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, which has seen Wabash post an overall record of 68-89 in six seasons.
The Wabash baseball team earned its second straight berth in the NCAC Tournament thanks to a tie for second in the western division standings with a 9-7 league record. The Little Giants won the tiebreaker with Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg by winning three of the four series games against both schools. Wabash closed out 50 years of baseball at historic Mud Hollow Field with a split against Wittenberg in April, including a 3-0 shutout victory by starter Andrew Swart. The Little Giants will open the 2011 season in a brand-new ballpark. Sophomore slugger John Holm re-wrote the Wabash baseball record book, setting a new single-season mark for home runs with 15. His 51 RBI and 112 total bases also set new Little Giant single-season records, earning Holm Second Team All-Region honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association.
The Little Giant outdoor track and field team was back in the hunt for All-America honors at the NCAA National Championship meet. Six Wabash athletes qualified for nationals, with Aouad and McCarthy adding outdoor All-America honors to their resumes. Aouad grabbed seventh place in the 110-meter hurdles, while McCarthy ran to seventh place in the 1500-meter run. McCarthy nearly missed a chance to run at the outdoor nationals after suffering an injury early in the year, but battled through the pain to earn his second All-America award of the year.
The Wabash cross country team got the fall portion of the 2010 season started with two huge victories at the Wabash Hokum Karem and the Indiana Little State meet. Senior Seth Einterz took the individual Little State title, while the Red Pack's team victory was the first for Wabash since 1995. The team title was a precursor to one of the best cross country seasons in recent history for Wabash. Serving as hosts for the annual NCAC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championship meet, the Little Giants finished second behind Allegheny College — the seventh consecutive league title for the Gators. Two weeks later Wabash would finish second at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, advancing to the NCAA Nationals for the first time as a team since 1998.
Cross Country Coach Roger Busch — named the USTFCCCA Regional Cross Country Coach of the Year — prepared his team all season long to reach for success at nationals. The Red Pack's hard work was rewarded when Wabash finished 13th in the nation, with Einterz claiming All-America honors. The Little Giants finished ahead of Allegheny in the final team standings thanks to a great team effort that saw four Wabash runners finish in the top-115 places among the 279-man field. Einterz became the first Little Giant All-American cross country runner since his coach earned honors along with teammates Scott Gall and Jeremy Wright in 1995. McCarthy just missed a place in the top-35 places, taking 38th place.
The season did not progress the way the Wabash soccer team hoped it might. After opening with three straight wins and five victories in their first eight matches, the Little Giants ran into a string of five one-goal losses in their final eight matches, including two overtime losses. Wabash rallied for a 2-0 win at Wittenberg — the first by a Wabash soccer team in Springfield since 2004 — and a dominating 4-1 victory in the season finale over Wooster. Senior defender Mark Babcock scored one of the four goals in his final game as a member of the Little Giant squad on the way to earning All-NCAC honors for the fourth straight season.
The Wabash football team was dealt a horrible blow to start the 2010 year. Little Giant player Josh Linthicum died during a surgical procedure. The sophomore offensive lineman had planned to attend law school after graduating from Wabash before his life was tragically cut short.
The Little Giants were looking for their sixth NCAC title and fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA football playoffs, opening play in a newly renovated Hollett Little Giant Stadium with new FieldTurf at Sewell Field along with a brand new scoreboard thanks to a gift by the Hawksworth family. However, early season-ending injuries to All-American seniors Kody LeMond and Wes Chamblee had Little Giant fans scratching their heads as to what lay ahead for sixth-winningest programming in NCAA Division III history. Two new players — sophomore Chase Belton and junior Tyler Burke — would replace two-time NCAC Offensive Player of the Year Matt Hudson at quarterback, and junior Jonathan Horn would be joined by freshman James Kraus and juniors Brady Young, Geoff Wright, Devin Kelley, and Holm to take over as receivers. Wabash tallied over 2,400 yards and 22 touchdowns in the passing game. Seniors Derrick Yoder and Tommy Mambourg, along with sophomores Vann Hunt and Derek Rowe, helped Wabash rush for more than 1,500 yards and 16 TDs.
Senior linebacker CJ Gum earned NCAC Defensive Player of the Year honors after leading a Little Giant defense that finished 24th in the nation in rush defense and 26th in scoring defense. The biggest numbers came from the Wabash special teams units. The Little Giants tied an NCAA Division III record with 11 blocked kicks, while sophomore Jonathon Koop earned First Team All-America honors by returning four blocked punts for touchdowns. Joining Koop on the D3football.com All-America team were Gum and offensive lineman Weston Kitley.
Wabash finished 8-2 overall for the season, suffering losses on the road at Washington-St. Louis and Wittenberg. The Little Giants battled for the NCAC title at Wittenberg before falling 34-17 to finish 5-1 in league play.
The Little Giants saved their best game for last. Wabash destroyed DePauw 47-0 in the 117th Monon Bell Classic, ending the Tigers' hopes for a perfect regular season. The victory tied for the biggest winning margin in the series history to take a 55-53-9 all-time lead over DePauw. The Little Giant rushing offense had its biggest game of the season, out-gaining the Tigers 292-11. Yoder had a career day with 164 yards on 24 carries. The Little Giants dominated the final overall statistics, outgaining DePauw in total yards 498-95. The Tigers managed just 84 passing yards against the Wabash defense, helping the Little Giants keep the 300-pound Bell in Crawfordsville for another year.
The winter season is now reaching its halfway point, with both the swimming and wrestling teams posting early success. The Little Giant basketball team put a cap on the 2010 season Wednesday night, improving to 12-0 with a win at Franklin. Wabash earned its first top-10 ranking by D3hoops.com thanks in part to a 60-45 victory by the Little Giants over then second-ranked Randolph-Macon College in the title game of the Pete Thorn Tournament. The 12-0 start for the basketball team is the best since the 1907-08 team finished with a perfect 24-0 record.
As the hours count down to the end of 2010, we can only wonder what 2011 holds for all of us. There are plenty of awards and wins ahead for all of the Wabash sports teams, but it will be hard to be any more memorable than the 2010 season was for Little Giant fans around the world.
Have a happy and safe end to the year, and may 2011 be your best ever. Happy New Year from everyone at Wabash College.


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Lost the TV Series – ABC Promotes the Show and Reading
Fans of the TV series Lost are eagerly anticipating tonight's 2-hour season premiere. I, on the other hand, am disgracefully behind (although frantically trying to catch up) so am avoiding anything to do with the premiere including closing my eyes, plugging my ears and chanting "La-la-la-la-la-la" any time advertisements come on. With the popularity of […]Read more


text: Add a delicate touch of refined elegance with a pearl bridal hair comb. With a variety of size, style and shade of pearls, we have a fabulous collection of pearl wedding hair combs to choose from. Our experts at Aye Do Weddings have carefully selected these hair pieces, to make your wedding day extra special.


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Click Image for Gallery
10 sheets of Summer Colours Transfer Foils.
Emerald Green, Burnt Orange, Blue, Purple, Fuscia
Each sheet approx 90 x 100mm
For beginners and advanced crafters alike. Can be used to decorate all kinds of adhesive including PVA, double sided tape, ultra clear double sided polyester sheets and tape, double sided A4 sheets, punch sheets, micro dots, hot melt glue gun and craft dots.
Always apply the dull side to the adhesive surface. Apply to clean, dry surfaces, free from dust, oil, grease, polish and moisture. Press firmly to transfer the foil and create a perfect bond.


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Have you ever visited a faith community for the wrong reasons?
I have, more than once. I made my most memorable trip during my opening sophomore week at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
I'd spent my freshman year floating between churches, so I decided to get serious about church attendance. Besides, church membership fit my career goal of becoming a pastor. Funny how that works.
The choice required little effort because Waco churches catered to Baylor students by scheduling Sunday buses to pick up students in front of the dormitories. All I needed to do was board the Southern Baptist bus of my choice. So, on the first Sunday in September 1976, I put on my best three-piece, double-knit suit and went to Collins Hall to catch the bus to Immanuel Baptist Church.
I had mixed motives. First, I chose Immanuel because I wanted to intern with its young, soon-to-be-famous preacher, Joel Gregory.
Second, the red-bricked Collins Hall is, even today, Baylor's primary dormitory for freshman girls. I was hoping to merge my pick-up point with picking up a new girlfriend. (Corrective footnote inserted here by Mrs. Chaplain: Not 'a new girlfriend,' his first girlfriend.)
I arrived at Collins to find Susan Boyd standing on the steps waiting for her bus. I thought Susan's bobbed hair gave her the cute factor necessary for the perfect pastor's wife, so I fired my usual questions for potential clergy spouses.
"Do you play the piano? Do you sing?" No, but she played the violin, and she taught Sunday school. I must have thought her answers gave her potential because I followed her into the first air-conditioned bus.
We took our seats and Susan posed a question. "Have you ever been to First United Methodist before?"
Uh-oh. I wasn't sure whether it was the diesel fumes in my lungs or the lust in my heart, but somehow I'd boarded the wrong bus.
Nevertheless, I tried to keep my cool. "No, not until today."
"I didn't know you were Methodist," she said. "I thought you were Southern Baptist."
Honesty demanded that I tell her I was "Baptist born, Baptist bred, and when I die, I'll be Baptist dead." But instead, I laced my façade with nonchalance. "Well, you know, I am trying to be open to considering all denominations."
With that comeback, I settled into my seat, folded my arms and just hoped they served doughnut.
I didn't get to partake in any confections, but First United gave me a pleasant taste of liturgical worship and colorful altars. And the pastor's sermon must have given me a healthy dose of guilt because on the return trip, I confessed my mistake to Susan.
While my detour with Susan wasn't, as we said in the '70s, "the start of something beautiful," it did teach me something.
Lots of people board the faith bus for the wrong reasons. Possibly, they follow the boarding crowd or it's the same bus Daddy always took. Perhaps they like the scenic route or convenient schedule. Maybe they are attracted by onboard amenities like coffee or even good-looking girls with bob cuts.
I pray that you aren't making my mistake.
NORRIS BURKES is a syndicated columnist, national speaker and the author of "No Small Miracles." He also serves as an Air National Guard chaplain and is board certified in the Assn. of Professional Chaplains. You can call him at (321) 549-2500 or email him at email@example.com or visit http://www.thechaplain.net. Write him at P.O. Box 247, Elk Grove, Calif., 95759.


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Farmingdale State, 86
Old Westbury, 64
Farmingdale, NY - Farmingdale State senior Kenny McMillan (Bronx, NY/All Hallows) led the Rams over Old Westbury tonight with 27 points and 11 boards. Farmingdale trailed 36-33 at the half before shooting 70-percent from the field in the second (7-of-9 from behind the arc) to score 53 points and take the 86-64 Skyline conference victory.
Senior MD Mazique (Bronx, NY/Taft) and freshman Daimien Santana (Brooklyn, NY/Grady) both scored 15 points, while senior Dashawn Warren (Astoria, NY/W.C. Bryant) tallied 11 points, eight assists, seven boards and six assists.
The Panthers had three players in double figures. Senior Michael Garrett (Brooklyn, NY/Grady) led Old Westbury with 16 points, senior Ramel Phillips (Central Islip, NY/Central Islip) finished with 14 points and senior Russell Brereton (Amityville, NY/Copiague) totaled 11 points.
Farmingdale State returns to action in another home game on Wednesday, February 1st against King's Point at 7:00pm. Live audio will be available courtesy of King's Point athletics at www.sportsjuice.com, coverage starts at 6:45pm.


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I love Tool. I listen to them constantly, at top volume. During particularly awesome parts of certain songs, I pump my fist in the air. In the solitude of my workplace, I sing along (when I can figure out what the guy is saying).
Man, they are a great band.
Yet when I tell otherwise intelligent, music-loving folk how much I love Tool, I'm invariably faced with a sickened, disbelieving sneer, which is closely followed by, "You're not serious, right? Tool suck."
I am serious. They do not suck; they are awesome. Maybe I can't convince you to like Tool. The music is generally spooky, pummeling, angry, and intense. If that's not the kind of stuff you have a tolerance for, it probably won't interest you. So let's set aside questions of taste. I assert that culturally, Tool are interesting as hell: They have done everything that a band should not do if it wants to become huge, but they've become huge anyway.
Tool's first record came out in those heady days of the early '90s. (By the way, all dates and figures in this article are both [1] made up and [2] totally accurate.) At the time, they seemed like nothing more than another flavor of the month, a major-label-backed conglomeration of metal/grunge/hard rock/Ministry-style industrial badassity, tailor-made for the burgeoning tattoo, goatee, and piercing set. In retrospect, this was the foundation of the loathsome "nu-metal" genre, which currently provides us all with a brand of excrement that—ah, it's too depressing to get into it. I can see why people would blame Tool for that. I can see why their name would conjure a sneer. But look, it's over a decade later. They have become one of the biggest rock acts on the planet. Every album they put out still goes platinum. And their music has become more complicated, difficult, and downright weirder with each record. It seems like the bigger they get, the more they use that power to do exactly what they want, regardless of any commercial factors.
Take their first "hit" song, 1993's "Sober": mumbled, nearly inaudible lyrics. Empty, creepy music that explodes every once in a while. Pretty good, actually. But what flawless marketing strategy was deployed to promote the thing? The band's guitarist made a Brothers Quay–inspired stop-motion video. It looked about as much like a proper rock video as a sock looks like a duck. It had no footage of the band. In fact, Tool have generally stayed away from images of themselves, maintaining a steely and purposeful distance from the personality cult. Everyone who pays attention pretty much knows what the White Stripes or OutKast look like. But I'm a fan, and I doubt that I could pick any one of the members of Tool out of a crowd. Isn't cultivating anonymity a rotten idea if you want to get famous? Here's another idea: Write a song that features the words fuck and shit no less than 20 times over the course of six and a half minutes. Now release the profanity-filled track as a single ("Aenima," from the 1996 record of the same name). Yet that song became ubiquitous on commercial radio. How? I have no earthly idea.
Oh yeah—why not make the packaging on each record increasingly expensive and elaborate, to the degree that the cost per unit must surely be 10 times higher than normal? That's a sure way to increase your profit margin. (For those of you who have not seen the new Tool CD, 10,000 Days, well, you're probably not going to: It's so goofy and unwieldy that many record stores can't even put it out on the floor. I will lay good money that this is the single most expensive, elaborate CD package ever released by a major band.) I mean, why do this? The "kids" would buy the damn thing if it came wrapped in a peed-on Kinko's file folder.
Finally, to ensure your success, you'll only want to release an album every four years or so.
I list all this to illustrate the fact that 90 percent of what these guys do flies directly in the face of common music industry practices of how to sell tons of product. Why would they do this? The fact that a band this persnickety, contrary, and uncompromising has weaseled its way into the mainstream, making virtually zero concessions to "the biz" while managing to sell millions of records in a market filled with much "easier" and more palatable music is amazing, any way you cut it.
Take another band lauded as uncompromising, expansive artists who fearlessly follow their particular muse wherever it might take them, economics and sales be damned: Radiohead. Don't get me wrong, I pretty much agree with that assessment; what's interesting to me is that to the intelligent, adult music lover–nerd, Radiohead are viewed as torchbearers, while Tool (who behave in the exact same way) are viewed as subliterate kid metal for morons. Huh?
Like Radiohead, Tool have carved out their own language, and with each new recording they seem to expand upon that language, just like any talented band does. Also, like Radiohead, they have transcended whatever genre label they are tagged with—they aren't quite "metal," "prog" doesn't cut the mustard, "hard rock" is too vague, and "pop" is just plain wrong, although all those elements are in the mix. The basic Tool sound consists of complicated, semi-metallic guitar; an über-complex rhythm section; and a million parts and time signatures—but within that framework, each song moves forward, pushing against the one before it. ( 10,000 Days contains a song for singer Maynard James Keenan's mother that is—actually, it's very sweet and touching. I'm not kidding.) If pressed into a corner, I wouldn't even call these things "songs" anymore. I hate this word, but they seem more like "compositions"—pieces of music where (over the course of eight or so minutes) phrases, themes, melodies, riffs, and structures all look for some kind of resolution. They are meticulously crafted; every note, gulp (how Maynard wrestles melodies and hooks out of such a crazy-assed structure is absolutely beyond me), and double-kick drum seems carved out of stone, with no individual personality straying from the job of making it work. And I'll be damned if they don't make it work more often than not.
They rock like hell. And if you cannot enjoy the simple, joyous act of rocking like hell, you will not like them. But this is a band that moves by its own lights, and whether or not you care to rock with them probably won't make a damn bit of difference. It hasn't so far. A lot of bands sound like Tool these days, but nobody sounds more like Tool than they do.
It's funny, though. I wonder if that's the same sneer that was on faces when another hugely successful band was making astounding records with ridiculous packaging and 10-minute songs that got played all over the FM dial—a band that the rock intelligentsia thought was utter shit but all the kids loved. Now, I ain't saying that Tool are the Led Zeppelin of the aughties. Nobody is Led Zeppelin; that's for sure. They were a great band.
But nobody elseis Tool, right now, and in my humble opinion, that's for sure as well.
Zak Sally is formerly of the band Low, which, to put it mildly, sound nothing whatsoever like Tool. Tool play Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey, on October 6 and Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, October 7.