text:
Family helps 'seized'restaurant reopen
News editor
Cindy's Family Café in Marion was closed for a couple of days with bold signs in the windows saying it had been "seized" by the state for failure to pay taxes.
The restaurant reopened June 11 after owner Cindy Taylor's family and friends helped pay overdue sales tax.
"I've been real sick the last year and a half, and I didn't have the money," Taylor said.
She said she was seven months away from owning the restaurant free and clear and was determined to reach that milestone.
"I wasn't about to let the IRS take it away from me," she said. Sales taxes actually are collected by the Kansas Department of Revenue.
The past 18 months have been trying for her in more ways than one. In addition to an infection that has required seven surgeries in the past year to deal with, she lost a brother. Loren Goddard, who helped her at the café, died in July 2013.
"I think of him every day," she said.
She has a bench outside the café and a display inside in Goddard's memory. At Chingawassa Days, a friend helped her purchase a rhino statue at the chain saw art auction as another memorial to Goddard. Taylor plans to put a plaque on it when she can.
When Taylor's health issues started, she sought assistance from the city and Marion Economic Development Inc. She said city official Roger Holter tried to help, but she eventually got a letter back saying she couldn't get a loan without more paperwork.
"I was paperworked out," Taylor said.
She has had more luck looking for financial assistance elsewhere.
"It's pretty sad when you have to go out of town to get help," she said.
Taylor said it was very hard dealing with long-term health problems as a small business owner, but she was surviving thanks to the invaluable help of her six employees and her customers.
"If it weren't for the people of Marion, I probably wouldn't even be open," she said.


text:
Look to Go Back-to-Back
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Looking to rebound after a tough Yale Spring Opener, the Yale men's golf team will compete to defend its title at the Princeton Invitational, which takes place Apr. 9-10 at the Springdale Golf Club in Princeton, N.J..
Last year, the Bulldogs won the tournament in a tie-breaker against Ivy League rivals Harvard after both teams finished with cumulative scores of 874. For the tie-breaker, tournament officials compared the final round score of the fifth person on each tying team, giving Yale the win thanks to sophomore Carson Weinand's 74, which beat out the score of Harvard's Louis Amira, who shot 78.
"We really love the Princeton tournament – we won last year and came in second the year before," said head coach Colin Sheehan '97. "It's a course that the players really enjoy, and we'll be looking to repeat our past successes there this weekend."
The standout performer at last year's Princeton Invitational was senior captain Thomas McCarthy, who notched up rounds of 67 (-4), 70 (-1) and 73 (+2) to finish at -3 and claim first-place individually. Coming into this year's tournament, he will look to capitalize on both past success and recent momentum; he was Yale's best performer at the Yale Spring Opener, shooting +8 to tie for fifth.
Another notable performance that helped the Elis to victory last year was a +6 overall by sophomore Bradley Kushner, who tied for 12th and shot the tournament-wide low round of 68 (-3). He will look to build on a consistent performance at the Yale Spring Opener, where he fought tough conditions to finish at +15 and a tie for 26th.
The rest of the team is sure to be in the hunt as well, with ample practice throughout the week including a round at the New Haven Country Club, a course which Sheehan said was similar to the course at the Springdale Golf Club.
The Springdale Golf Club is one of the oldest in New Jersey, designed by Gerard Barnes Lambert in 1915 and nestled among the trees and buildings of Princeton University. It was later revised in 1926 by William S. Flynn, who was best known for his work on the Merion Golf Club in Merion, Pa..
"As the defending champs at Princeton, we are definitely looking forward to getting back there," McCarthy said.
Play will begin Saturday morning.
Report filed by James Lu '14, Yale Sports Publicity.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Cars and pickups weighing less than 10K lbs.
Large trucks, semis, box trucks, road equipment, graders, bulldozers and, construction equipment (over 10K lbs.)
Recovery of a vehicle that is off the road, turned over or otherwise disabled or in dangerous situations.
Transportation of vehicles that do not have wheels, portable buildings, storage containers, industrial toolboxes or other cargo.
Antique or rare vehicles are our specialty. We provide the kind of care you expect for your prized vehicles.
You can expect excellent service from Pro Tow Wrecker Service when you need a tow truck in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. With over 21 years experience, our convenient 24 hour-a-day rapid response tow service is there when you need us. Pro Tow also provides superior service to commercial and law enforcement clients. When you need a tow truck in Plano, Garland, Frisco, Richardson or any other Dallas/Fort Worth suburb, we provide the most responsive towing service in the North Texas area.
Pro Tow has been "Setting the Standard" for towing services since 1991. If you manage a commercial fleet or recovery and towing for a law enforcement or government agency, select Pro Tow. Pro Tow offers you a full range of towing services: light duty vehicles (cars, pick up trucks); heavy duty (18-wheelers); and recovery (vehicles needing to be up righted or extracted from off the road situations).
Pro Tow can be on site with speed and professionalism. No matter your need, Pro Tow can transport anything from large construction equipment to severely damaged vehicles. We are incident management specialists, able to resolve dangerous situations involving overturned or disabled vehicles due to accident or off-road disablement.
What makes Pro Tow the best choice for you? We are proud that we are among the largest and most respected towing companies in North Texas. Our large fleet insures rapid arrival. Our drivers are licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and we are fully insured. Our staff is experienced and efficient and takes pride in being professional towers.
Please bookmark our web site and place our phone number in your phone's contacts. You never know when you will need the assistance from Pro Tow. When you do, we are here for you.
Pro-Tow Wrecker Service
1006 East Main Street
Lewisville, Texas 75067
(972) 219-7090
You can request a tow truck right here on our web site or call us at any time, night or day. We are known for our professional approach and we offer you excellent and timely service. We serve the whole Dallas, Fort Worth area including Addison, Carrollton, Denton, Farmers Branch, Flower Mound, Garland, Irving, Lewisville, Mesquite, Plano and Richardson.
Southwest Auto Tow.
Specializing in private property towing


text:
PayPal, a right solution for everyone.
Find out why over 255 million shoppers use PayPal each year.Learn More
Join 22 million businesses around the world offering PayPal.Learn More
Work with PayPal to offer your customers world class payment solutions.Learn More
PayPal connects buyers and sellers.
Sign up with just an email address and password.
Securely link your bank account or credit card and indicate if your payments should be deducted from your bank account, credit card or PayPal balance.
Use the PayPal button to check out with just an email address and password.
PayPal connects buyers and sellers.
Choose the features you want to start with. You can go back, change or add to them later.
Integrate PayPal via a partner, a developer or by yourself.
Join 277 million PayPal users worldwide.
Safety first
Shop with peace of mind. PayPal can protect your financial information and PayPal Buyer Protection can cover your eligible purchases if they don't show up or match their description.*
*See User Agreement
Simple and convenient
Pay online with your PayPal password and skip entering your financial info. When you activate One TouchTM, you'll stay logged and you can check out faster. Plus, PayPal doesn't require card readers or complicated verification codes.More about One Touch™
Across devices, worldwide
With just one account, you can shop at millions of websites around the world, and pay friends back almost anywhere. Use any of your devices to manage your account on the go with the PayPal app.Get the mobile app
Open an account and get started.Open an account


text:
Thanks a lot for delivering your professional service and unique personal approach during the "Communication and Company Strategy"-Training for LEOPARK in Lviv, September 2011. Our team created a new constructive work spirit and young specialists are now on nice emotional motivation wave facing new challenges. Personally as manager and owner I've got a lot answers and intentions to work with. Excellent job, thanks!
Anelia Neganova,
Chain of Children & Family Entertainment Centers LEOPARK, Ukraine
"Those who stand still, fall back. Those who learn faster and better, makes their way forward. I treat myself to Supervision/Coaching for my professional and personal development. It offers me a secure place in which to learn."
Mag. Dr. Doris Formann AK OÖ
"Thank you for a nice time we could spend together during the course. I learned which steps are necessary to make a change and freeze it! Thanks also for sharing your slides. I wish we could cooperate in the future.
Merry Christmas and all the best for year 2010."
Lubica Kovacikova, MD, PhD
Director Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit National Institute of Cardiovacsular Disease
"In various occasions and contexts I had the chance to experience Sissi's sophisticated coaching skills as well as her deep understanding of systemic processes and relations within complex organizations. I value Sissi's outstanding intellectual qualities as well as her warm and respectful way with people."
Karin Eichhorn-Thanhoffer, Organizational Development, Zurich Financial Services
"The training was successful and I experienced it as useful and "sehr angenehm". It is the start of the different thinking abouth the institutions for me and for my next coaching activities."
PaedDr. Libor Klenovský, PhD.
Comenius University, Faculty of Education
"Sissi is a great person and professional. I had a chance to work with her at a youth training on religious tolerance and she proved to be the one, who managed to bring our multicultural and complex group to the necessary results." Top qualities: Personable, On Time, High Integrity
Lyubov Grunkovskaya, experienced Elisabeth (Sissi) as a our coach and moderator at the training in 2008
"Probing your ideas, reflecting on your decisions, thinking about alternatives - all these in a relaxed atmosphere. I came agonizing over 1000 things and left with a clear head. I don't know how a coach does such things nor whether all of them can do it. But for me Sissi Alder offered very important assistance during difficult times in my career."
Gerda Schaffelhofer Geschäftsführerin Die FURCHE www.furche.at
"Elisabeth (Sissi) is a highly professional Coach, Supervisor and Trainer with very precise and structured way of thinking, deep ability being in a contact with person and auditorium and clear and opened organizational skills. It is greatest value to participate in the processes what she leads - I wish to take this advantage!"
Natalija Dievina, Owner, AMBER Training
"Working together with Sissi makes 1 and 1 go 3: Sissi is very experienced, inspired, loving, thinking well about people and organizations. Her understanding of the diversity between people, her knowledge of the history of several European countries and patience makes her a very worthful and loving partner!"
Annie Hoekstra, Owner, De Swingel
"As a successful businesswoman who often turns creative ideas into reality, I use coaching.
Choosing the right guidance makes all the difference."
Mag. Christine Happala the - human - money - company www.human-money.at
"I very much enjoyed "a fresh air" - for me "an out of the box" thinking and approach towards the same problem.
Interesting models. Thanx!"
Rostislav Benák Managing Partner, Assessment Systems Praha, www.asystems.cz
"During a time of big changes team coaching helped us - the management team of "Zentralbereich Informatik" - to develop a common point of view on sensitive topics"
Robert Zens Leiter Zentrales Rechenzentrum, OEBB


text:
Dior F/W15 DuneCategories:Other Brands
Not to be confused with Dune, the fragrance from French luxury house Dior that we are all familiar with, is the new addition to its bag repertoire for F/W15, the Dior Dune. And while one's a scent and the other a bag, there are some similarities, from their softly curved edges to their voluptuous builds. And while the fragrance smells of amber-scented blooms basking by the Granville seashore, all you'll be getting fromDune the bag will be that heady scent of freshly-tanned leather, which is so sexy in itself, but I digress.
Available in at least 2 sizes for now (23 cm by 16 cm and 29 cm by 19.5 cm), the Duneis in essence a very feminine lady-like sling (and it's a really long sling too) bag that's also a tad proper, complete with a leather-bound top handle that's easy to the touch. Flipping the front flap opens the bag, revealing an interior featuring structured, protruding sides that might hinder the fast removal of its contents if need be.
But that might be the whole point of it (I love how I paint these scenarios in my head), one that is in keeping with Raf Simons' vision of Dior in a world where women lounge around without a care and take their time in everything they do, from sitting the Dune on their lap and opening the flap ever so carefully to remove a lipstick whilst having tea with girlfriends at the bistro.
Besides exotics in alligator and python, the Dune also comes in grained calfskin, with prices starting from SGD5200. Because if you can afford to sit around a bistro all day with your girlfriends, you can afford this.
comnum(0) tbcount(0) tbcount(375)
SHOPPING WITH JAMES: DIOR DUNE BAG AND LADY DIOR BLACK FLOWER BAGCategories:Other Brands
The Dior Dune Bag was the latest release for 2015. So we dropped the news as soon as we could with details about the prices.
READ: Dior Dune Bag Collection
This bag is different than anything DiOR has made. Perhaps a little bit inspired by the Be Dior Bag, but the experience is totally different, especially the colors. It has also a more curvy shape.
So our friend James bought this bag as soon as she heard the news. She loved the design and how practical it is. The detachable strap is long enough as a messenger or shoulder bag. It has two back pockets too.
Moreover, James shared that the leather is very similar to the Prada Saffiano Leather, but coated so its like patent leather and it's soft though. (The Saffiano Leather by Prada is the most iconic and famous leather in the world due to its beauty and durability).
The Dior Dune Bag is measured 29 x 19.5 x 10 cm, it's currently priced at $4400 USD.
For those that are interested, James made a comparison between the Dior dune Bag and the Lady Dior Medium Bag. She also made a comparison between the Dior Dune Bag and a Chanel Flap Jumbo Flap Bag.
Tags: bag Dior Lady Black And Flower DUNE
comnum(0) tbcount(0) tbcount(441)
DIOR DUNE BAG COLLECTIONCategories:Other Brands
The Dior Dune Bag is the next one to watch out for, ladies! This line of fresh, unique bags is part of the label's Autumn-Winter 2015 show – a grand display of sights and colors. In the spirit of delivering only the best to their loyal customers, Dior is giving us four gorgeous bags, made with only the best types of leather: gold graded alligator skin, latte alligator skin, hand-painted python skin, and plain gold alligator skin. Whatever variation you choose, keep it in mind that this line (like the others) is made with utmost craftsmanship and strict attention to detail. You know what you're going to get!
All four bags share a distinct structure and design concept – measuring 29cm x 19.5cm x 10cm, the piece is a satchel with double top-handles and an adjustable, removable shoulder strap (which makes it highly versatile). It is also adorned with silver-tone jewellry and leather-wrapped charms – all that shiny stuff in such a classy piece!
For now, there is no information about the bag's availability and price. Just tune in for more updates about this piece (and other bags) soon!
Update: Dior Dune Bag is currently available in Europe, they're priced at $4400 CAD for calf leather and $9100 CAD for python leather. Hope this will give you an indication.


text:
Turbine Stator Blade Cooling and Aircraft Engines
Stephan Savarese August 7, 2013
Technology and mechanics enthusiasts might agree that engines are very cool — and they also know how fussy they get when running into cooling problems. When it comes to aircraft propulsion, overheating is not an option. Most planes can't fly safely without an engine, so why run the risk of overheating? While current engine designs limit that risk using clever cooling systems, another path to solve this problem would be to design more energy-efficient engines, exempt from excessive heat release. […]Read More


text:
Seth Avett re-imagines the stage/studio Dreadnought with the New Martin D-35 Seth Avett Custom Signature Edition
C.F. Martin offered founding member of indie rock darlings The Avett Brothers the opportunity to design his version of "the perfect guitar"
NAZARETH, PA - C.F. Martin & Co. has tapped Seth Avett of The Avett Brothers to design his version of "the perfect guitar". The result - the Martin D-35 Seth Avett Custom Signature Edition - is an updated version of Avett's tried and true stage/studio Dreadnought guitar, a model he has been a fan and user of for nearly a decade.
"The guitar that Seth has used throughout his career has been one of our most popular, the D-35," said Fred Greene, Vice President/General Manager of Guitars, C.F. Martin & Co. "We thought the perfect way to collaborate with him on his first custom model was to let him create his dream version of this guitar, adding in all of the elements he would want in the ultimate Martin Dreadnought, something that would play as easily on stage as in the studio."
"I've always seen a Martin dreadnought as the quintessential acoustic guitar; the blue-collar guitar, understated and solid in the hands of Jim Croce or Doc Watson or Ramblin' Jack Elliott," said Seth Avett. "I've always leaned toward the warmth and strength of the D-35. I got my first one, a 1977 model, about twelve years ago, and I've been wearing them out, re-fretting them and wearing them out again ever since. This instrument is a true collaboration between me and Martin Guitar. I can't wait to find out what songs are waiting in this guitar, for me and anyone who decides to buy one."
For more than a decade, a Martin Dreadnought has been Seth Avett's constant companion on his musical journey. He has played his Martin D-35 at hundreds of concerts and on 10 albums as a member of the Avett Brothers, as well as on three solo albums released under his alias, Timothy Seth Avett as Darling.
The D-35 Seth Avett Custom Signature Edition combines the classic attributes of a Martin D-35 design with some unique modifications and personal custom touches inspired by Seth's specific requests. This model features premium solid tone wood, including FSC® Certified high altitude Swiss spruce top with Adirondack spruce braces, East Indian rosewood back and sides with a beautiful flamed Hawaiian koa center back wedge. In keeping with the theme of his solo album The Mourning, The Silver, The Bell, large stylized snowflake position markers are inlaid in copper at the 3rd, 7th and 12th frets. Lastly, it comes complete with Fishman Gold + Plus Natural 1 electronics for "Plug and play" convenience and natural fidelity.
A native of North Carolina, Seth Avett began playing guitar as a pre-teen and played in local bands throughout high school. The Avett Brothers journey began with the self-distributed The Avett Bros. EP in 2000, followed two years later by Country Was, its first full-length album, the Avett Brothers released several increasingly sophisticated albums - both studio and live - and toured almost non-stop. Between 2001 and 2006, Seth released three solo albums under the moniker Timothy Seth Avett as Darling. In 2009, The Avett Brothers released their I and Love and You album, which reached No.16 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and No. 1 on the Folk chart. In 2011, the band appeared on the Grammy Awards and in 2012 released its sixth full-length studio album, The Carpenter, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200. The Avett Brothers plans for 2013 include concert tours of Europe, Great Britain and Australia.
Every Martin D-35 Seth Avett Custom Signature Edition guitar bears an interior label personally signed by Seth Avett and comes in a heavy-duty Martin Custom Shop hardshell case. A left-handed version of this guitar may be ordered at no additional cost. Authorized C.F. Martin dealers will begin taking orders for the open-ended D-35 Seth Avett Custom Signature Edition immediately. As orders are received, participating dealers will be listed on the Martin website, www.martinguitars.com.
About Martin Guitar & Martin Strings
C.F Martin & Co. (www.martinguitar.com) has been creating the finest instruments in the world for over 180 years. It continues to innovate, introducing techniques and features that have become industry standards including X-bracing, the 14-fret guitar and the "Dreadnought" size.
One of the world's leading acoustic instrument makers, Martin guitars are hand-made by skilled craftsmen and women, who use a combination of new design and techniques along with those introduced by the company founder.
The company is also known for producing high-quality, popular acoustic guitar strings. These include the Martin SP® LIFESPAN™ line - the fastest-growing treated string in the industry, and the Martin SP line - which uses an industry leading core wire to hold tunings better.
Martin guitars and Martin Strings are the instruments and strings of choice for musicians around the world, from the icons of rock, country, folk and bluegrass to those just beginning their careers. They can be seen across all segments of pop culture, from television (Glee, Psych, Raising Hope and American Idol) to the movies; on Broadway and in books, online, and gracing the covers of popular magazines on newsstands everywhere. Connect with Martin and Martin Strings on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube and via www.martinguitar.com and www.martinstrings.com.
Posted on Friday, February 15, 2013 | Comments (0) | Permalink


text:
Anti Pittsburgh Cleveland Club T-shirt
Sale price
$ 27.99
Regular price
Join the club. Out with The Burgh, in with The Land!
100% Combed Ringspun Cotton
Machine Wash Cold, Hang to Dry
Our goal is to ship your order as soon as possible but processing time is typically 2 to 5 business days since all items are printed to order. Processing time may vary depending on sales and promotions. Delivery time is typically an additional 2-5 days after your order has shipped.


text:
Tornado, a small-diameter column of violently rotating air developed within a convective cloud and in contact with the ground. Tornadoes occur most often in association with thunderstorms during the spring and summer in the mid-latitudes of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. These whirling atmospheric vortices can generate the strongest winds known on Earth: wind speeds in the range of 500 km (300 miles) per hour have been measured in extreme events. When winds of this magnitude strike a populated area, they can cause fantastic destruction and great loss of life, mainly through injuries from flying debris and collapsing structures. Most tornadoes, however, are comparatively weak events that occur in sparsely populated areas and cause minor damage.
This article describes tornado occurrence and formation as products of instability within the Earth's air masses and wind systems. Wind speeds and destructiveness are discussed with special reference to the Enhanced Fujita Scale of tornado intensity. For short, descriptive entries on closely related phenomena not covered in this article, see waterspout, whirlwind, and fire storm.
|wind speed range**
|EF number
|metres per second
|kilometres per hour
|feet per second
|miles per hour
|*This scale was implemented as the standard scale of tornado intensity for the United States on February 1, 2007.
|**Like the Fujita Scale, the Enhanced Fujita Scale is a set of wind estimates (not measurements of wind at the surface). Each level in the Enhanced Fujita Scale is derived from three-second wind gusts estimated at the point of damage to 28 indicators (such as trees, buildings, and various types of infrastructure) and the degree of damage to each indicator. Wind estimates vary with height and exposure. Each value is converted from miles per hour and rounded to the nearest whole number.
|Source: Modified from the Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage web page (http://www.spc.noaa.gov/efscale/ef-scale.html), produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA).
|over 200
Tornado occurrence and distribution
Global occurrence
Tornadoes have been reported on all continents except Antarctica. They are most common on continents in the mid-latitudes (between 20° and 60° N and S), where they are frequently associated with thunderstorms that develop in regions where cold polar air meets warm tropical air.
Calculating which country has the most tornadoes per year depends on how this measurement is defined. The United Kingdom has the most tornadoes per land size, most of them weak. On average, about 33 tornadoes are reported annually there. In absolute numbers, the United States has the most tornadoes by far (more than 1,000 per year have been reported every year since 1990). It also has the most violent tornadoes (about 10 to 20 per year). Tornadoes of this intensity are very infrequent outside of the United States. Canada reports the second largest number of tornadoes (about 80 to 100 annually). Russia may have many tornadoes, but reports are not available to quantify their occurrence. About 20 tornadoes are reported in Australia each year, though the actual number is likely much higher. Many storms occur in uninhabited areas, and so any tornadoes that they produce are undocumented.
Records of tornado occurrences are fragmentary for many areas, making estimates of global tornado frequency difficult. Insurance records show that tornadoes have caused significant losses in Europe, India, Japan, South Africa, and Australia. Rare but deadly tornadoes have occurred in many other countries, including Bangladesh, China, and Argentina. There are few tornado reports from either the Arctic or the equatorial tropics.
In the United Kingdom almost all reported tornadoes are associated with vigorous convection occurring in advance of and along a cold frontal boundary. Large temperature differences are associated with early winter cold fronts that move rapidly across the country from the north and west, at times spawning widespread outbreaks of small tornadoes. For example, the passage of a very strong frontal boundary across the United Kingdom on November 23, 1981, produced 105 documented tornadoes. Similar phenomena occur in other European countries such as France and Belgium.
Most Southern Hemisphere tornadoes occur in Australia. Many reports come from New South Wales, where there were 173 reported tornadoes from 1901 to 1966. In addition, South Africa and Argentina both reported 191 tornadoes from 1930 to 1979. Because tornado formation is closely tied to the speed and directional shear of the wind with height, tornadoes in the Southern Hemisphere almost exclusively rotate clockwise, opposite to the rotation of their Northern Hemisphere counterparts.
Occurrence in the United States
Reported events
Though tornadoes occur in every state, they are most frequent and attain the highest intensities in the central portion of the United States. Texas has the most reported tornadoes each year, about 125 on average for the years 1953–91; Florida, with almost 10 tornadoes per 10,000 square miles per year, has the most per area. However, most Florida tornadoes are very weak and affect extremely small areas.
From 1916 through 1998, about 45,000 tornadoes were documented in the United States. From 1916 to 1953, approximately 158 tornadoes were reported per year. After 1953, the beginning of the "modern period" of tornado documentation, the number of reports rose to more than 800 per year. (The modern period is considered to have begun in 1953 because this was the first full year in which the U.S. Weather Bureau issued tornado watches—that is, bulletins reporting that a tornado might be imminent.) The increased number of tornadoes reported was due to improvements in observing and recording (largely because of the establishment of a network of volunteer tornado "spotters"), which allowed a greater number of weak events to be recognized. During the interval from 1953 to 1998, there was an average of 169 "tornado days" (days on which one or more tornadoes were reported) per year. However, the early years of the modern period, with their relatively fewer reports, bias these averages. If only the 15 years 1984 through 1998 were considered, the average number of tornadoes per year would be 1,025, occurring on 173 tornado days per year. These higher numbers are credited to additional improvements in tornado reporting.
Geographic distribution
When the number of tornado occurrences, their intensity, and the area they affect are considered, the centre of tornado activity is unquestionably seen to exist in the western portions of the southern Great Plains. The region of maximum tornado frequency, rightfully called Tornado Alley, extends from west Texas northeast through the western and central portions of Oklahoma and Kansas and across most of Nebraska.
Another area of frequent tornado occurrence is found across eastern Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, western Ohio, the southern portions of Wisconsin and Michigan, and the northern part of Kentucky. While this area experiences fewer tornadoes than does Tornado Alley, it has been struck by some of the strongest known tornadoes and has been the site of several large tornado outbreaks (that is, the occurrence of multiple tornadoes from the same weather system). The Gulf states (from east Texas to central Florida) have many weak tornadoes and have had outbreaks. The Gulf states also experience many tornadoes associated with hurricanes.
Seasonal patterns
While most tornadoes develop in the spring and summer, tornadoes have occurred every day of the year. Several days have had many occurrences, reflecting large regional and national outbreaks. The distribution of reported tornadoes by month for the period 1916 through 1990 (see the graph) shows that about 74 percent of all tornadoes are reported from March through July. Peak months are April (14 percent), May (22 percent), and June (20 percent). December and January are the months of lowest activity.
The main concentration of tornado activity migrates across the central portion of the United States in a seasonal cycle. Toward the end of winter (late February), the centre of tornado activity lies over the central Gulf states. At this time, southward-moving cold air reaches the southern limit of its expansion and encroaches on the Gulf Coast. As spring progresses, the days grow longer and more solar energy is intercepted. Land temperatures rise, and warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico progressively drives back the cold air. The centre of activity then moves eastward to the southeastern Atlantic states, with tornado frequency peaking there in April.
As spring advances and gives way to summer, the centre of tornado activity gradually shifts westward and then northward. It moves across the southern Plains in May and June and then into the northern Plains and the Great Lakes states by early summer. Late summer through early fall is usually a relatively quiet time because the temperature and moisture contrasts across the boundary between the two air masses are weak. An extension of the Bermuda high (a centre of high atmospheric pressure that develops over the Atlantic Ocean) dominates the southeastern third of the United States, and, while thunderstorms occur frequently in the warm, moist air, they seldom become severe. In late fall the days grow shorter, the temperature and moisture contrast intensifies again, and the centre of tornado activity retreats south toward the Gulf, completing the annual cycle.
Superimposed on this general pattern are large year-to-year variations. These arise because almost all tornado-producing storms are embedded within episodic northward surges of warm, moist air. The distribution of tornadoes in any one year thus reflects the weather patterns—especially the tracks followed by the synoptic-scale low-pressure centres—prevailing in that year.
Regional factors must also be taken into account. Along the Gulf Coast, tornadoes can be produced by thunderstorms that come ashore as a hurricane makes landfall. In a few cases, many tornadoes will be produced. For example, on September 20, 1967, thunderstorms in Hurricane Beulah produced 115 tornadoes in south Texas.
Diurnal patterns
Although tornadoes can occur at all times of the day, they are most frequent from mid-afternoon to early evening. In the central United States, where most tornadoes occur, tornado frequency is highest between 5:00 and 6:00 pm. Weak and strong tornadoes occur most frequently in this same hour. Violent tornado occurrences peak an hour later, between 6:00 and 7:00 pm. Tornado occurrences peak in the late afternoon to early evening because there must be sufficient time for the Sun strongly to heat the ground and the surface layer of the atmosphere, thus inducing and sustaining severe thunderstorms. Few reports (roughly 1 percent) are from between 5:00 and 6:00 am, the period just around sunrise when the atmosphere is often very stable.
Tornado outbreaks
A tornado outbreak is the occurrence of several tornadoes over a region, usually due to thunderstorms embedded in the same synoptic-scale weather system. Outbreaks are classified according to the number of tornadoes reported: small (6 to 9 tornadoes), medium (10 to 19), and large (more than 20 tornadoes). Outbreaks are also classified according to the area affected: in local outbreaks, one or only a portion of one state is affected; in regional outbreaks, two or three states contain all or almost all the tornadoes; in national outbreaks, tornadoes are reported in many states.
On most tornado days, only a relatively small region has the essential conditions juxtaposed in just the right way to foster tornado development. This alignment usually lasts for only a small portion of an afternoon. As a consequence, only the two or three storms that form in this region are likely to produce tornadoes. Most of these vortices are weak, but one or more may be strong. Most occur in the space of one to two hours in the middle to late afternoon. Situations like this give rise to small local outbreaks several times per year.
Most dangerous are national outbreaks. Perhaps once every 10 to 15 years, the synoptic-scale weather pattern produces conditions favourable to the production of strong storms over a large portion of the central United States. The number of conditions required to align over this large an area usually limits the occurrence of such widespread outbreaks to March and April. Many of the tornadoes are likely to be strong or violent. The largest national tornado outbreak was the Super Outbreak of April 26–28, 2011, which spawned more than 300 tornadoes across the eastern United States. The second largest was the Super Outbreak of April 3–4, 1974, which was credited with producing 148 tornadoes in the central and southern United States (though 4 of these were later reclassified as downbursts by the meteorologist T. Theodore Fujita). The third largest was the April 11–12, 1965, Palm Sunday Outbreak.
Prediction and detection of tornadoes
The first step in predicting the likely occurrence of tornadoes involves identifying regions where conditions are favourable to the development of strong thunderstorms. Essential ingredients for the occurrence of such storms are cool, dry air at middle levels in the troposphere superimposed over a layer of moist, conditionally unstable air near the surface.
Conditions commonly leading to thunderstorm development occur along the warm side of the boundary line, or front, that separates cold, dry air from warm, moist air. The degree of instability present in the atmosphere is approximated by the contrasts in temperature and moisture across the frontal boundary that divides the two air masses. For a storm to generate tornadoes, other factors must be present. The most important of these is a veering wind profile (that is, a progressive shifting of the wind, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, with increasing height) at low and middle levels, along with strong winds at high levels. Both of these wind actions are necessary to provide the required spin in the air that may eventually culminate in a tornado. A veering wind profile can be provided by the same strong temperature contrasts powering the thunderstorm, and high-altitude winds can be provided by the jet stream, the thin ribbon of high-speed air found in the upper half of the troposphere.
For the generation of a tornado, the diffuse spin must be concentrated into a small area as an evolving storm goes through several distinct stages of development. The first appearance of rotation in a storm is caused by the interaction of a strong, persistent updraft with the winds that blow through and around the storm. Rotation intensifies as the speed of the wind increases and as its direction veers from southeast to south and then around to west (in the Northern Hemisphere) with increasing height through the lower half of the troposphere.
Forecasters in the United States have learned to carefully monitor the wind profile in regions of instability and to estimate how temperatures and winds will evolve through the course of a day, while at the same time tracking the movement and intensity of the jet stream. With the aid of modern observing systems, such as vertically pointing radars (called wind profilers) and imaging systems on satellites that can measure the flow of water vapour through the Earth's atmosphere, forecasters can usually identify where conditions will be favourable for tornado formation one to seven hours in advance. This information is transmitted to the public as a tornado watch. A tornado warning is issued when a tornado has been spotted either visually or on a weather radar.
Once strong thunderstorms begin to form, local offices of the National Weather Service monitor their development using imagery from satellite sensors and, most important, from radars. These allow forecasters to follow the evolution of the storms and to estimate their intensity. In the past, weather surveillance radars provided information only on the intensity of rainfall within the storms. Weather forecasters then had to infer the onset of rotation within a storm's updraft from circumstantial evidence, such as when the precipitation began to curve around the updraft to produce a "hook echo," a hook-shaped region of precipitation that flows out of the main storm and wraps around the updraft. Such inferences were highly subjective and prone to false alarms or very short-notice warnings. Today, modern weather surveillance radars not only provide information on the intensity of a storm's rainfall but also utilize the Doppler principle to sense winds within thunderstorms. Wind speeds are determined from radio waves reflected by raindrops and other particles carried along by the wind.
Doppler radars can measure rotation in the updraft and allow forecasters to watch the formation of a mesocyclone (that is, a region of rotating air within a thunderstorm). On Doppler radar, the presence of a well-organized mesocyclone is indicated by a small region of concentrated shear in the wind. On one side of the mesocyclone the rotating winds flow toward the radar; and on the other, they move away. In some cases, the formation of the tornado core can be detected. The tornado core is a roughly cylindrical region of lower atmospheric pressure that is bounded by the maximum tangential winds (the fastest winds circulating around the centre of the tornado). The radar indication of intense concentrated rotation is called the tornado vortex signature, although this area does not always evolve into a tornado core. These improvements have allowed forecasters to increase warning times while reducing false alarms.
Death and damage
In the period 1916 through 1998, tornadoes claimed 12,282 lives in the United States, an average of 150 deaths per year. For the period 1953 through 1998, tornadoes claimed 4,032 lives, an average of 88 deaths per year. The decrease in fatalities is due to improvements in safety awareness and severe-weather warnings. There have been wide variations in the number of deaths from one year to the next, the minimum being 15 deaths in 1986 and the maximum being 805 in 1925 (due largely to the Great Tri-State Tornado of March 18, 1925). Since the advent of improved warning systems, three years contributed disproportionately to the total number of deaths: 1953, 1965, and 1974. Of the 519 deaths in 1953, 323 were due to strong tornadoes striking three urban areas (Waco, Texas; Flint, Michigan; and Worcester, Massachusetts). The high death counts in 1965 and 1974 (301 and 366, respectively) were the result of large national tornado outbreaks—the April 11–12, 1965, Palm Sunday Outbreak and the April 3–4, 1974, Super Outbreak.
Most deaths and injuries in tornadoes result from individuals being struck by flying debris. People are sometimes injured or killed by being rolled across the ground by the high winds. Also, a few people appear to have been killed by being carried aloft and then dropped from a great height.
Almost all of the damage caused by tornadoes can be attributed to wind-induced forces tearing structures apart. High-speed air flowing over a building's roof and around its corners produces forces that pull upward and outward, respectively. Once windows or doors on the windward side of a building break, air rushes in; this pushes outward on the remaining walls and upward on the roof from the inside, adding to the forces induced by the outside airflow. Often a building is torn apart so quickly and dramatically by these forces that it appears to explode.
It used to be thought that many buildings "exploded" owing to the development of an extreme difference in pressure between their interiors and the outside air. The rate at which pressure changes at a point on the surface as a tornado approaches may be as great as 100 hectopascals per second (100 hectopascals are equivalent to about 10 percent of atmospheric pressure at sea level). While this is a significant drop, studies have shown that most structures are sufficiently open that, even with the high rate of pressure change associated with a rapidly moving tornado, interior pressure can adjust quickly enough to prevent an explosion. Indeed, since the area of greatly reduced pressure beneath a tornado is small compared with the area of damaging winds, it is likely that a building already will have suffered damage from the winds by the time it experiences a rapid drop in outside pressure.


text:
Actor Armie Hammer rejected his agent's plans to put him forward for a role in the upcoming "Fifty Shades of Grey" movie because he considers the erotic novel to be little more than "mommy porn."
"The Social Network" star has been among the names touted for the lead role of Christian Grey in a film adaptation of E. L. James' book, which is the first installment of a trilogy.
Hammer admits he hasn't been officially approached about the job, but he told his agent not to pursue the project.
He tells Playboy magazine, "No one actually offered me the movie, but while I was working on 'Lone Ranger' my agent brought it up, and I said 'Nope.' I mean, come on – it's just mommy porn.
"I'm not going to sit on top of the laundry machine in spin cycle reading about putting a ball gag in someone's mouth. That doesn't do it for me."


text:
Welcome to Naylors Sign In or Register
Recently added item(s)
You have no items in your shopping basket.
Click for full details
Find out more
Sign up to our newsletter
In stock
Item Code: 117817PNK
* Required Fields
Joules Ladies Nessa Printed Jersey T-Shirt Pink White Stripe.
The Joules Ladies Nessa Printed Jersey T-Shirt Pink White Stripe is a lightweight top ideal for warmer days or layering.
With a straight hem and a round neck, the T-Shirt will look both flattering and stylish. The relaxed fit of the Nessa T-Shirt is a great option that you will be able to wear time and time again.
Everything in stock - everything available to order on our site is held in stock.
Call our stores to check local availability - we may have more stock in store!
See our delivery information page for full details.
You can choose to collect your order from one of our stores for free. Collect from store orders will be available within 7 working days. We will contact you once your order is available for collection.
Please see our delivery page for full details. Surcharges may apply to orders which are heavier or larger than normal. You are responsible for paying any taxes, fees and levies due at the destination country. You can email us for a quote if you think your parcel will be lightweight. We can't ship to all countries but you can email us for a quote if your country is not listed below. Include details of all the items you wish to order as we cannot provide a quote without this information.
Shop with the peace of mind that you can return items to us if they are unsuitable. Whether the size is wrong or you just don't like the colour, you can make a request to return any of your items within 28 days of receiving them. See our full returns policy for details.
To find the perfect fit for you, please select the appropriate link below.
» How To Measure?
» Ladies
Bust: Put your hands on your hips and measure the fullest part of the bust, keeping the tape measure parallel to the floor.
Waist: Without breathing in, pass the tape measure around your natural waistline.
Hip: Measure the fullest part of your hips, keeping the tape measure parallel to the floor.
Inside Leg: Joules ladies trousers are designed to fit a regular (31") unless stated otherwise.
» Mens
Chest: Put your hands on your hips and measure the fullest part of your chest, keeping the tape measure parallel to the floor.
Collar: Measure around your neck where your collar usually sits - not central to the neck.
Inside Leg: Trouser inside legs are typically regular (32") and long (34") unless stated otherwise.
» General Guide
» Jackets & Tops
» Legwear
» Activewear
» Girls
» Boys
» Babies
» Childrens
Pick the relevant option according to the ages listed below:
» Baby
» Junior
» Slippersock & Slippers
» Welly Socks


text:
Rice reprieve: Feds to drop Park murder charges
Federal prosecutors are seeking to withdraw charges against a man accused in the 1996 torture slayings of two hikers in Shenandoah National Park.
Darrell David Rice, 36, was to stand trial next month in Charlottesville on four counts of capital murder in the killings of Julianne Williams and Laura "Lollie'' Winans during a Memorial Day weekend nearly eight years ago.
Rice was indicted in April 2002 in the slayings of Williams, of St. Cloud, Minnesota, and Winans, of Unity, Maine, who were lovers. They knew each other from a Minneapolis women's organization, and later moved in together in Burlington, Vermont. Prosecutors had said Rice killed because of his hatred of gays.
U.S. Attorney John L. Brownlee said in a statement on Friday, February 6, that new forensic evidence "requires the government'' to seek a dismissal.
"The investigation has revealed the presence of evidence at the crime scene that currently could cast doubt on the government's case against Rice,'' Brownlee said.
Brownlee sought the dismissal of the charges "without prejudice,'' leaving the door open that Rice could be charged anew.
But Fred Heblich, one of Rice's attorneys, said new charges are unlikely.
"They've made this decision based on the evidence they have. In order for them to seek a new indictment, they'd have to have evidence they don't have now, I suppose,'' he said.
Rice is serving a 135-month federal term for the attempted abduction of a woman in 1997, also in Shenandoah National Park. About 2-1/2 years are left in his sentence.
The case against Rice in the slayings was based primarily on jailhouse informants.
"As the forensic evidence has piled up, it has always been inconsistent with Mr. Rice,'' said Gerald Zirken, one of Rice's attorneys. "It suggested to us for some time that he shouldn't be prosecuted, and the government was reading the same reports.''
Heblich said he expected U.S. District Judge Norman K. Moon to enter an order dismissing the case this week.
Williams' parents, Tom and Patsy Williams, issued a statement saying they were "extremely disappointed'' with the development.
"While the preponderance of evidence points to the accused as the murderer, we support the U.S. Attorney in dismissing the charges, at this time, to provide an opportunity to reevaluate the existing evidence and to pursue additional evidence that will prove guilt, without doubt.
"Until that time, we wait. We are both hopeful and confident that, one day, justice will be served,'' the statement said.
Forensic experts initially said hair and fingerprints found at the campsite were inconclusive– neither proving nor disproving that Rice was the killer. But when prosecutors ordered additional tests in preparation for the trial last year, lab technicians found that a strand of hair previously linked to Williams or Winans actually belonged to someone other than the victims or Rice.
The hair, found on a glove at the crime scene, was determined to be similar to another hair at the camp that also did not match Rice or the victims.
In court documents, prosecutors also said a government expert changed her opinion about DNA evidence found on straps used to tie the victims. The expert said the DNA did not belong to Rice, but to another man who could possibly be the killer.
Witnesses and surveillance cameras place Rice in the national park at the time of the slayings, according to court documents. Former co-workers and neighbors also told investigators that Rice had a history of hating women and homosexuals.
Heblich said prosecutors "acted with courage'' in filing the motion.
"I think that people looking at this, if nothing else, should take heart in the operation of the system,'' he said.
Lollie Winans
Julie Williams
Darryl Rice


text:
Elhae (Feat. Gunplay) - Work (I Got Em) [Unsigned Hype]
Up & comer @Elhae new video featuring MMG's Gunplay. Make sure you follow this kid, something tells me we'll be seeing a lot more of him.
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
UPDATE: Rocker Scott Weiland is calling in his lawyers following his dismissal from the Stone Temple Pilots, insisting his bandmates have no right to fire him from the group he founded.
Dean and Rob DeLeo issued a brief statement on Wednesday, confirming that the singer had been "officially terminated", but offered no explanation for his exit.
Now Weiland has hit back at the press release, admitting the news came as a surprise because the DeLeo siblings can't legally fire him from the group.
In his own statement, he writes, "I learned of my supposed 'termination' from Stone Temple Pilots this morning by reading about it in the press.
"Not sure how I can be 'terminated' from a band that I founded, fronted, and co-wrote many of its biggest hits, but that's something for the lawyers to figure out."
Weiland claims he and his high school friend, guitarist Corey Hicock, recruited bassist Rob DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz to start a band in the late 1980s. Hicock subsequently left the group before it became Stone Temple Pilots and the bandmates hired DeLeo's brother, Dean, to replace him.
The singer and the DeLeos have had a tumultuous history which has included numerous bust-ups and break-ups. The trio reunited in 2007 just before Weiland was kicked out of Slash's supergroup Velvet Revolver.
ORIGINAL STORY: Rockers Stone Temple Pilots have kicked frontman Scott Weiland out of the band five years after the enigmatic singer was dumped as the leader of Slash's supergroup Velvet Revolver.
The band issued a short statement on Wednesday, confirming that Weiland had been asked to leave, but offered no explanation.
The press release read: "Stone Temple Pilots have announced they have officially terminated Scott Weiland."
The singer and his now ex-bandmates Dean and Rob DeLeo have had a tumultuous history which has included bust-ups and break-ups. The trio reunited in 2007 just before Weiland was kicked out of Velvet Revolver.
His former bandmate Slash preempted the split story late last year when he told a Minneapolis radio station that Weiland had been "fired from STP."
Weiland recently announced plans for a solo tour.
Representatives for Weiland and the DeLeo brothers insist more information about the split will be released soon.


text:
Robert and Linda Mathis Memorial Run to be held on Saturday, Jan 26, 2013, at the Auburn Dam Overlook in Auburn, CA. If you're in town, be sure to join Jennifer Lee Dicus and her crew for what is surely to be a fabulous run and celebration of the lives of two great people snatched from our lives a lithe more than a year ago.
But if you can't make it, get a raffle ticket! Check out some of the prizes you can get for your $5 (or $20 for 5 tickets):
[list updated on 1/22/13, 9am PST]
1). Two Free Weeks of Fitness Coaching with Kristen Koski at Double Diamond Athletic Club in Reno. (Expires 3/19/2013)
2). Copy of "Unbreakable: The Western States 100" on DVD from JB Benna/Journeyfilm.
3). Copy of Yolanda Holder's book "My Journey to Guiness", from Yolanda Holder.
4). Copy of Christopher McDougall's book "Born to Run" and a $5 gift certificate to Sundance Books and Music.
5). Men's Large INKnBURN Under the Tree Tech Shirt from INKnBURN.
6). Women's Large INKnBURN Love Mushroom Tech Shirt from INKnBURN.
7). Three (3) drink cozies and stickers from Ultrarunnerpodcast.com.
8). Complimentary 2013 Session of Training with Reno Running and Fitness from Reno Running and Fitness.
9). Two (2) Complimentary Rounds of Golf for Two at Somersett Golf and Country Club in Reno, Nevada from Somersett. (Each certificate is ONE raffle prize.)
10). Four (4) $50 Gift Certificates to Zombie Runner…good online or in the Palo Alto store from Zombie Runner. (Each certificate is ONE raffle prize.)
11). Two (2) Complimentary Entries into Nanny Goat 12hr/24hr/100m at the Sexton Horse Ranch in Riverside, CA on May 25, 2013 from Steve Harvey, Race Director. (Each comp is ONE raffle prize.)
12). Two (2) Complimentary Entries into any race atwww.allwedoisrun.com (Born to Run Ultras, Los Olivos, CA on May 18, 2013; Santa Barbara Red Rock Trail Runs, Santa Barbara, CA on November 24, 2013; Penny Lane Trail Run, Los Alamos, CA on February 2, 2013; and Nine Trails 35 Mile Endurance Run, Santa Barbara, CA in August of 2013) from Luis Escobar, Race Director. (Each comp is ONE raffle prize.)
13). Two (2) Complimentary Entries into any distance of The Razorback Endurance Runs at the Harvey Bear Ranch Park in San Martin, CA on March 9th & 10th, 2013 from Tracy Crane, Race Director. (Each comp is ONE raffle prize.)
14). Free One-Year Subscription to UltraRunning Magazine from John Medinger.
15). Complimentary Entry into American River 50 Mile Endurance Run, from Sacramento, CA to Auburn, CA on April 6, 2013 from Julie Fingar, Race Director.
16). Complimentary Entry into Dick Collins Fire Trails 50 Mile Endurance Run (or Golden Hills Trail Marathon) at Lake Chabot, CA on October 12th, 2013 from Julie Fingar, Race Director.
17). Complimentary Entry into Team Sunsweet's Tehama Wildflowers 50k in Red Bluff, CA on April 20th, 2013 from Beverly Anderson-Abbs, Race Director.
18). Complimentary Entry into the Tahoe Rim Trail 50k Endurance Run beginning at Spooner Lake State Park in Nevada on July 20th & 21st, 2013 from George Ruiz and David Cotter, Race Directors.
19). Complimentary Entry into any distance of the San Bruno Mountain Ultramarathons at San Bruno Mountain in Daly City, CA on February 24th, 2013 from Alan Geraldi, Race Director.
20). Complimentary Entry into the Leona Divide 50k in Lake Hughes, CA on April 27th, 2013 from Keira Henninger, Race Director.
21). Complimentary Entry into the Leona Divide 50m (part of the Montrail Ultra Cup Series) in Lake Hughes, CA on April 27th, 2013 from Keira Henninger, Race Director.
22). Complimentary Entry into any distance of the Ruth Anderson Ultras in San Francisco, CA on April 20th, 2013 from Rajeev Patel, Race Director.
23). Complimentary Entry into the Run-de-Vous 50k in San Martin, CA on August 17th, 2013 from Rajeev Patel, Race Director.
24). Complimentary Entry into the Bishop High Sierra 100k in Bishop, CA on May 18th, 2013 from Marie Boyd, Race Director.
25). Complimentary Entry into the Bulldog 50k at Malibu Creek State Park in Calabasas, CA on August 24th, 2013 from Nancy Shura-Dervin, Race Director.
26). Complimentary Entry into the American Canyon 50k in Auburn, CA on February 9th, 2013 from Harlan Reymont, Race Director.
27). Complimentary Entry into any distance of the Harding Hustle at the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary in Modjeska Canyon, CA on July 6th, 2013 from Jessica DeLine, Race Director.
28). Complimentary Entry into the Twin Peaks 50 Mile Ultra in Corona, CA on October 19th, 2013 from Jessica DeLine, Race Director.
29). Complimentary Entry into the Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile (or 50 mile) Endurance Run (part of the Montrail Ultra Cup Series) in Steamboat Springs, CO on September 13th, 2013 (for the 100 mile; September 14th, 2013 for the 50 mile) from Fred Abramowitz and Paul Sachs, Race Directors.
30). Complimentary Entry into the River City Marathon in Folsom, CA on March 10th, 2013 from Elemental Running and Training, Jimmy Gabany and Carmella House, Race Directors.
31). Complimentary Entry into the Rucky Chucky 50k in Foresthill, CA on May 5th, 2013 from Elemental Running and Training, Jimmy Gabany and Carmella House, Race Directors.
32). Complimentary Entry into the Rock'n River 50m in Auburn, CA on October 19th, 2013 from Elemental Running and Training, Jimmy Gabany and Carmella House, Race Directors.
33). Free pair of Inov-8 shoes (winner's choice of model and size) and Injinji socks from Scott Dunlap and A Trail Runner's Blog.
34). Complimentary Unlimited Laps Entry into The 4MPH Challenge in Whiskeytown, CA on March 30th, 2013 from Shasta Trail Runs, Mark Swanson, Race Director.
35). Complete VO2 Max Testing Package from Dr. Andrew Pasternak of Silver Sage Center For Family Medicine in Reno, NV.
36). Complimentary Entry into the Lithia Loop Trail Marathon in Ashland, OR on November 3rd, 2013 from Hal Koerner, Race Director (Rogue Valley Runners).
That's a lot of prizes! There are even more expected on site for the run too. You can get tickets by sending an e-mail to jendicus.mathisfoundation [at] gmail.com and getting her address to send the money (or sending a PayPal payment to jendicus [at] msn.com). Be sure to do it quick, since the drawing is Saturday!
Scott Dunlap's blog of trail running, ultrarunning, triathlon, and other life adventures. I enjoy the physical, emotional, and spiritual journey of outdoor events and the chance to meet cool people. This blog contains interviews, research, original fiction, new product ideas, and all things trail running.
Monday, January 21, 2013
The 2013 Robert and Linda Mathis Memorial Run and Raffle
2 comments:
I forgot about the 3 race comps that ERT donated also...River City Marathon, Rucky Chucky 50k, and Rock'n River 50m.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous1/23/2013 03:22:00 PM
What is most important when you are selecting your Trail Running Shoes?ReplyDelete
I LIVE for comments! Please add your thoughts, let me know you stopped by, etc., and be thoughtful of others. Always best if you sign your name, of course.
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
The more I think about it, the more I think that maybe not doing much cooking recently is only partly to do with anxiety and more to do with the fact that I've run out of things to cook. It's just good old-fashioned lack of inspiration.
Among duty cooks, (i.e. the person in the household who does dinner on dreary weeknights - as opposed to performance cooks, who do nothing for months and then roast beef for 18 for Sunday lunch), this is known as "cooking fatigue". If left unchecked it can go on indefinitely and result in you alternating roast chicken with spaghetti bolognese for 16 years. At which point your children leave home and you eat soup and cheese every night for the next twenty years. Then you go into an old people's home. And I'll leave it there.
My husband has been away filming for the last few days and I traditionally like to welcome him home from these trips away with something nice for dinner. I say I LIKE to welcome him home with something nice for dinner but usually what happens is he comes home to find Kitty with a cold and the kitchen full of fruit flies.
So this time round I want to nail it. But what, what, what to cook? I can't do fish, because there isn't a fishmonger within my reach who has the correct green cred for my husband. Roast chicken is just a massive cop-out, we're always eating bloody curry, ditto my two vegetarian recipes. My latest "special" (yet easy/impressive) thing is slow-roast pork belly, but we've had that about three times in the last month.
While I mull it over, I may help myself to a sherry and tonic, which is my new favourite drink. It's closely related to the Seventies cocktail-hour favourite, white port and tonic, but sherry works just as well.
Next-eldest sister introduced me to this and we've been drinking it ever since. It's milder and sort of fruitier than a gin and tonic, it's a thirst-quencher, it's festive and doesn't get you instantly hammered [insert weary thing about how marvellous getting very hammered very quickly is here].
As documented, I can't drink these days - I just can't do it. And when I say "drink" I mean drink a lot - (and by a lot I mean so that you say slightly ill-advised things at the time, wake up to pee and take nurofen in the night and then feel a bit green the next day). It's a thing I've decided that I used to do when I didn't have anything else to do. Next-eldest said to me once "You can do it all - you can work and have children and go out. But you have to sacrifice getting pissed."
But once Kitty's a-bed and whatever scrabbled-together dinner we're having is on the go it does seem a shame not to have a weeny drinky. And this is the answer.
It's also a terrific, unusual and very practical thing to offer as a cocktail for a party because it looks nice - fizzy tumblers of pale drinky with clattering ice. If you want to be really fucking classy, add a strip of lemon peel.
You can use any sherry you like, fino or manzanilla. (I'm pretty sure they sell all sorts in Waitrose. Only Schwepps Indian tonic water will do.) If you once had fino sherry and found it to taste like pencil shavings, give this a go anyway because the tonic takes the edge off. And if you don't like tonic, well - I give up.
This post was brought to you by the letters S and C and dedicated to my friend Emelie Frid (@emfrid), who loves sherry and who has been having a shit time because her baby isn't well.
By the way, I wish I had post-natal depression, as some of you have thoughtfully pointed out. But alas, I've always been a jumble of nerves for as long as I can remember. I'm feeling much better now, as it happens, and think back to the dark days of the last fortnight with amusement, wondering if maybe I imagined the whole thing.
But I won't think about it too hard. It will only make me anxious.


text:
Gamitan (2002), produced by Viva, was clearly bankrolled to maximize the very popular sex appeal of Maui Taylor, who pumped fresh blood and class to the waning genre of titillating films that dominated Philippine cinema in the last few years of the last century and the first few years of the new millennium. Keka (2003), also produced by Viva in an effort to launch the career of Katya Santos, another one of its up and coming sexy actresses, is a revenge film, in the same vein as Toshiya Fujita's Lady Snowblood (1973) and Lino Brocka's Angela Markado (Angela the Marked One, 1980). Wag Kang Lilingon (Don't Look Back, 2006), a horror film which Henares co-directed with Jerry Lopez Sineneng, is co-produced by Viva with Star Cinema. Super Noypi (2006), produced by Regal Films for the Metro Manila Film Festival, is a mash-up of sci-fi and superhero elements to unwieldy results.
Rakenrol evidently has all the heart a filmmaker can ever give his film, with storylines that are partly or wholly based on actual events and cameos of Henares' friends and heroes. Henares has clearly taken independence seriously, showering his film with the little things that made his previous films work beyond their respective genres. It overflows with so much heart, its humor and unsubtle odes to whoever and whatever may tend to be alienating. Absent of any real genre, of an actual framework to work with, of self-control, the film doesn't really have a story to stand on, just a flimsy tale of idealistic youngsters wanting to form a rock band called Hapipaks and in the process of doing so, form life-long friendships and romantic links with each other
It could have worked better if the flimsy tale were driven by real characters instead of just stereotypes and mockeries. It also does not help that the entire film rests upon the shoulders of Jason Abalos, who is unable to turn the character of Odie, the soft-spoken lead guitarist of Hapipaks, into anything more than the typical boy-next-door who happens to have a guitar on his hands. That Glaiza de Castro, who manages to inject Irene, the swoony Hapipaks lead singer with palpable sincerity amidst the film's unabashed caricature of everything.
Ketchup Eusebio and Alwyn Uytingco, who play the other Hapipaks bandmembers, valiantly make most of their underdeveloped and over-typecasted characters. Ramon Bautista, who plays the self-absorbed director of the Hapipaks music video, Jun Sabayton, who plays misunderstood avant-garde artist, and Diether Ocampo, who plays Odie's cocky rival to Irene's heart, are more comedic acts than actual characters you care to love or hate. The film is unfortunately filled to the brim with characters, including the famous Ely Buendia who is reduced to play an inspirational deus ex machina, who serve no real purpose other than as arguably unsuccessful attempts at irreverence or just clutter.
Logic and the advertised promises of working with full independence dictate that outside the fences forced by his collaborations with commercial film studios, Henares would be able to create a masterpiece, or at the very least, a very good very personal film. Unfortunately, Rakenrol is hardly a masterpiece. Although it is indeed a very personal work, it feels more than a little bit scattered, with the story never evolving to be either the quintessential movie about the Philippine rock scene or to be one truly charming romance. With the way it seems to slide out of more interesting conflicts with humor and satire, the film seems to delight in its manufactured weightlessness, never really achieving anything except perhaps for personal nostalgia, and needless tons of it.


text: SwiftKey is responsible for as many saved typing hours, as it is crushing affirmations of just how predictable we really are. A fact that can now be drilled home by infinitely more devices, thanks to a new SDK for OEMs. Developers for a variety of platforms and programming languages (including C++, iOS and JVM) can access SwiftKey's core language-engine technology for their own UI or on screen keyboard, and with support for over 40 languages, we can expect many more tablets, phones and even white goods to worryingly know what we were going to say.


text:
Mornings are spent in camper's chosen specialty. Campers come together for lunch, then choose 3 of their own favorite activities for their afternoon electives. Evenings are for fun, camp-wide night games and shows!
Meals- The meals at Pali are prepared in a healthy yet kid-friendly and delicious way with campers and parents in mind! This food is no ordinary camp food. The kids will tell you just how much they love it! The food is prepared daily by Pali's award-winning, experienced executive chef and the wonderful kitchen staff, creating unique meals three times a day! A salad bar with fresh veggies is available daily.
|Map Legend
|Pali Adventures Summer Camp
|Lake Arrowhead
|8 miles


text:
49ers could use a distraction for media
New Orleans -- The 49ers forgot to bring a Designated Nutjob.
It's Media Day, the world is zooming in for a close look at the 49ers and Ravens, and you really need a loose cannon or quasi-lunatic on your team to feed the starving media masses.
I remember a Super Bowl week in New Orleans when Chicago's Jim McMahon mooned a news helicopter. The Raiders used to send a planeload of nutjobs to the Super Bowl.
"What about Jim Harbaugh?" you ask. Good point, but Harbaugh's goofiness is in his button-down-ness, not a let-it-fly-ness.
So with no real target, let's just flit around the Superdome. It's like station-surfing on the radio - you come upon random, disconnected nuggets.
Colin Kaepernick, let's see if he's ready to burst into flames under the scrutiny of the media. The starting quarterback at a Super Bowl has a duty; he's kind of the unofficial host of the team party. Men like Joe Theismann and Steve Young were masters of the art.
Kaepernick is smiling, seems at ease. I get the feeling that this is a fellow who sizes up every situation and does what he needs to do, and he's handling himself well, smiling, chatting.
Kaepernick is asked about the attention. He says that three months ago, he could go anywhere. Now, it's "a little bit harder."
So you're a rock star?
"I don't know about rock star," he says.
Wild times are always a discussion topic in this city. Kaepernick is asked, "What's your drink of choice?"
Kaepernick: "Drink of choice? Water."
Unasked follow-up question: "On the rocks or straight up?"
Somewhere, McMahon is slapping his forehead.
I drift past Harbaugh's podium and he's quoting the Bible, relating a Scripture to team unity.
The podium setups remind me of old county fairs, where a slick pitchman would work from a rickety podium, using a megaphone. Harbaugh isn't selling a gizmo to clamp on your carburetor, he's selling the 49ers.
"Our team is a very focused team," he says, "more so than any other team I've been around or have observed."
Harbaugh isn't the only man to wax biblical. Several players go there, too. Patrick Willis says that after three straight losing seasons in college, he was drafted to a team that had been a loser for four seasons.
"I even questioned God," Willis says, and I'm sure he means he questioned God in an inquiring way, not a reproachful way.
Donte Whitner says, "This year, I'm blessed," but the way Media Day works, no player is allowed to dwell on any subject for more than a few seconds. Whitner is quickly asked, "What scares you?"
A good sport, he ponders it.
"Uh, put me in a fast car with a blind person driving."
The subject turns to Whitner's jewelry. He has nine watches. The most expensive is $30,000.
Then he's explaining how he got his extensive arm tattoos.
"I was at Ohio State."
I'm looking for a team vibe, a mood, and the one I'm getting is that the players are loose and enjoying the attention and the goofy, slightly surreal scene in which they find themselves.
Justin (Cowboy) Smith normally is not the most talkative 49er. When Sports Illustrated did a cover story on him, he declined to be interviewed. Now he's lettin' 'er fly. He is asked about the creative mind of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and says, "Some of the stuff he gives us, to get a key, a lot of the stuff I ain't heard before."
Immediate following question: "Have you ever been catfished?"
"I don't do Facebook or anything," Smith says, amiably. "Maybe they'd have to write me a letter."
I imagine the headline: "Pigeon Cowboy catfished by snail mail."
Smith is asked (and I'm not making up this stuff), "When's the last time you asked a girl out, face-to-face?"
Smith: "I've been with the same woman for a while."
Unasked follow-up: Yes, but have you ever met this woman?
The 49ers, I learn, have a curfew, but nobody seems sure what it is. Whitner says it's midnight, then a half-hour earlier every night. Smith says he thinks the curfew doesn't kick in until Wednesday night. The players probably will play it safe and tuck themselves in by 9 every night.
Each "star" player has his own podium, while most players simply wander around in the crowd, in uniform. Alex Smith saunters past. There's no useful question to ask him at this point. Smith has been a brick, why twist the knife? Still, why snub him? Maybe ask him if he's read any good books lately. But wouldn't that be just as annoying? Too late, he's drifted away.
There's Vernon Davis, who, along with Alex Smith, has been the superstar non-complainer on the 49ers. Until the last game, Kaepernick couldn't find Davis with GPS, but is the great tight end tweaked off?
"I could care less about catching balls!" Davis says emphatically.
I'm pretty sure Davis is not referring to balls actually thrown his way. Those he wants to catch.
Earlier in his career, Davis was a Designated Nutjob. Now that he has a Super Bowl nutjob pulpit, he's simply another boring 49er. Somewhere, Jim McMahon is shaking his head.
Scott Ostler is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. E-mail: email@example.com Twitter: @scottostler


text:
Ted Knight
Ted Knight has been passionate about music for as long as he can remember.
Growing up with five older siblings, he was able to name all four members of Led Zeppelin by the age of 3. He started out on drums as a small boy, but later picked up guitar and played in a couple of bands with friends in high school. After arriving at Washington College, he played in three different bands with fellow alumni: Who-Hash, Ghostbox, and Astralyte. All three of the bands focused on writing original music together, celebrating the creative process encouraged by Washington College's liberal arts education. Ghostbox reformed for the Washington College 2009 Reunion Weekend, and is enjoying playing out together again. Learn more about their upcoming performances at www.ghostboxmusic.com.
When he is not playing music, Ted serves as Director of External Relations at the University of Maryland's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the second largest department on the College Park campus, and one of the top 20 programs in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report's Best Colleges and Best Graduate Schools. He has worked for ten years in higher education communications, including as Web Editor for Washington College. He has served as a public relations consultant for a variety of different clients, including educational and non-profit organizations, government, small businesses, and corporate clients. Much of his current work revolves around development, partnership building, and fund raising, in addition to public relations. He earned his B.A. in Philosophy from Washington College in 1997 and an M.A. in Public Communication from American University in 2004.
Undergrad Highlights
- Major: Philosophy


text:
Topic: Halloween picture competion
I got this idea today, what do you like? Here are the rules:
1. The competion starts right now and ends on 31st of October.
2. Copying is not accepted!
3. You can make the picture with any way you like.
4. Photos are not accepted.
Send pictures in here or send a link to where we can find your picture. When the drawing time ends on 31st of October, we vote the winner. Understood?


text:
Discuss and show the building of your diy electronic projects, inventions and/or gadgets here.
Use this control to limit the display of threads to those newer than the specified time frame.
Allows you to choose the data by which the thread list will be sorted.
Order threads in...
Note: when sorting by date, 'descending order' will show the newest results first.
Forum Rules


text:
Accessibility tools
Service tools
Language selector
Navigation path
Left navigation
Additional tools
Other available languages: none
Brussels, 30 April 2010
Questions and Answers on removing tax obstacles to cross-border venture capital
What is venture capital?
Venture capital means investment in unquoted companies for the launch, early development or expansion of a business. Venture capital typically involves high risk and, in compensation for this risk, carries the expectation of high returns. Venture capital is crucial for companies that are potentially high growth, and is particularly important during the early growth stages of such companies (start-up and development).
How are venture capital investments managed?
Venture capital investments are typically made via an investment fund managed by a venture capital management company. The venture capital fund is usually an unincorporated arrangement such as a limited partnership. A venture capital management company, that usually has several funds under its control, may be a partnership or a company and may be quoted on a stock exchange.
Why is venture capital important?
Venture capital financing is a vital source of growth capital for SMEs. The European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EVCA) states that on average more than 90% of the companies financed with venture capital every year in Europe are SMEs. It is essential at the early and expansion stages of innovative SMEs, when the income flow of the SME may be low or inexistent. Traditional bank lending may be unsuitable in the early days, if the SME is not yet ready to assume interest payments. Moreover, the repayment of principal and interest on bank loans can limit the cash flow flexibility of the business at a crucial time. Innovative, growth-oriented firms often require large amounts of financing to invest in R&D, marketing and training.
While innovative companies are a relatively small proportion of the total number of SMEs, they have the potential to yield high benefits in terms of creating new jobs and developing new technologies. A 2005 study by EVCA reported that companies in the EU receiving private equity and venture capital created one million new jobs between 2000 and 2004; over 60% of these jobs were created by venture capital-backed companies and employment in these companies grew by 30% per annum. In addition, innovative and growth-oriented firms backed by venture capital spend on average 45% of their total expenses on R&D.
What is the context of the report published by the Commission today?
The Commission has been looking at ways of improving the environment for cross-border venture investment and has been considering action that could be taken at EU level to this end.
As part of this work, the Commission established the Expert Group on Removing Tax Obstacles to Cross-border Venture Capital investments. This consisted of 33 experts from business, national administrations and tax firms. They were appointed in their personal capacity and were asked to perform their duties independent of outside influence. The mandate of the group was to identify cases of double taxation and other direct tax obstacles to cross-border venture capital investment and to consider possible ways of overcoming such obstacles.
The report summarizes the group's main findings and conclusions on how to remove tax obstacles to venture capital investment in the EU. The annexes of the report contain important background information, such as a glossary, descriptions of the tax treatment of venture capital vehicles in the different EU Member States and a review of the case law of the Court of Justice of the EU relevant to cross-border venture capital investments.
What are the main tax problems for venture capital identified in the report and the main solutions proposed?
The report finds that the European venture capital market is not meeting its potential, and that venture capital tends to be restricted to domestic markets rather than extending across the Internal Market. While there are some natural obstacles to cross-border venture capital investment (language differences, legal requirements etc), there are also a number of tax problems, due to a lack of cohesion between the 27 Member States´ tax systems, which are holding investment back.
There are two main tax problems identified in the report, and possible solutions are recommended:
Firstly, a local presence of a venture capital fund manager in the Member State into which an investment is made may be crucial for the purposes of locating and managing the investment. However, such a local presence may be treated as a taxable branch ("permanent establishment") of the fund (or of the investors if the fund is transparent) in that State. This could lead to double taxation, if the return on the investment is taxed both in the country where the investment is made and in the country or countries where the fund and the investors are located. Such double taxation can make investing in private markets uneconomic for investors, and may therefore deter them from making cross-border venture capital investments. The expert group would, therefore, like EU Member States' tax authorities to issue clear statements confirming that they would always treat the local activities of a venture capital fund manager as those of an "independent agent" and not a "permanent establishment". This would reduce the double tax problems for venture capital investment.
Secondly, it was found that a venture capital fund may currently be treated in very different ways for tax purposes in different Member States. Double taxation can arise if, for example, one State treats a venture capital fund as taxable in its own right while another State looks through the fund and taxes the individual investors instead. To avoid this risk the VC fund manager would have to interpose into the VC fund structure a legally certain entity, such as a holding company, which, in turn, would involve a significant and un-commercial additional cost. The group therefore suggests that EU Member States should agree on guidelines or conclude a legally binding agreement ensuring mutual recognition of the tax classification of venture capital funds or else publish a list clarifying the classification of the common forms of such funds.
How will the Commission follow up on this report on tax obstacles to cross-border venture capital investment?
The Commission will present the report to Member States´ tax authorities and invite them to comment on the findings. On the basis of the feedback, the Commission will consider the best ways to proceed in tackling tax obstacles to venture capital in the EU. The Commission will also take this issue into consideration in its ongoing work to deal with the issue of double taxation (see IP/10/469).
What else is the European Commission doing to encourage venture capital?
With the High Growth and Innovative SME Facility (GIF) (MEMO/06/259), the European Investment Fund, on behalf of the European Commission, invests in venture capital funds which focus on small high-growth firms. A condition for an investment is that all investment decisions are made on the basis of commercial market principles. The EIF stake in such funds enables them to invest more in early-stage SMEs and to attract additional investors more easily. Funds which specialise in eco-innovation will have the possibility of proportionately higher EU participation. The GIF builds on the achievements of previous EU schemes, through which some €309 million were invested in 39 funds in the last decade, leading to investments in a total of 357 small firms. The catalytic effect of these schemes is substantial, as the EU investment amounted to just 17% of their combined total capital.
In 2007, the Commission proposed that Member States should work towards mutual recognition of national frameworks for venture capital funds (IP/08/15). The Council, European Parliament and Economic and Social committee adopted conclusions supporting this goal. However, the process has not yet led to results; most Member States have not yet taken any significant measures that would make fundraising and investing across borders easier for venture capital funds.
The Commission proposal for a Directive on Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFMs) (IP/09/669) aims to create a comprehensive and effective regulatory and supervisory framework for AIFMs, including venture capital, in the EU. Subject to compliance with high and stringent regulatory standards, the proposed Directive would give AIFMs Single Market rights in return, permitting AIFMs established in Europe to provide their services in the Community and market European Alternative Investment Funds across the EU. The Directive would also allow the marketing of Alternative Investment Funds from non-EU countries into the Community, but on the condition that these countries comply with stringent requirements on regulation, supervision and cooperation, including on tax matters. With respect to proportionality and the impact of the proposed AIFM Directive on VC business, the proposed Directive acknowledges the need to ensure that smaller managers are not subject to disproportionate requirements and that venture capital companies are not put under additional pressure, because their continuing ability to provide risk capital is of particular importance in the current economic climate.
The Small Business Act (IP/08/1003) commits the Commission and calls on Member States to take measures to facilitate SMEs' access to finance, including to venture capital.
The EU 2020 Strategy (IP/10/225) highlighted the importance of SMEs for Europe's economic re-growth and proposed actions to support them including the development of innovative financing solutions to make an efficient European venture capital market a reality.
Side Bar


text:
Andrey Breslav and Dmitry Jemerov
JVM Language Summit 2011
Kotlin is a new JVM language under development by JetBrains. That's the company that makes IntelliJ IDEA, the well-regarded Java IDE. According to JetBrains, the main design goals behind this project are: to make Kotlin compile as fast as Java, make it safer than Java, i.e. statically check for common pitfalls such as null pointer dereference, make it more concise than Java by supporting local type-inference, first-class functions (closures), extension functions, mixins and first-class delegation, etc; and, keeping the useful level of expressiveness; and make it way simpler than the most mature competitor—Scala.
The compiler is being developed alongside with an IntelliJ IDEA integration, so the users will get IDE support as soon as they get the compiler (first public version is planned for the end of 2011).