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Leemore Dafny, PhD, interviews Bob Galvin, MD, MBA, Chief Executive Officer for Equity Healthcare.
Leemore Dafny: This is Leemore Dafny from NEJM Catalyst, and today I'm speaking with Dr. Bob Galvin. Bob is the CEO for Equity Healthcare and an operating partner at Blackstone, an investment firm. He's a physician who has been on the purchasing side of health care for years, first as Chief Medical Officer with GE and now in his current role. He's responsible for purchasing health care services on behalf of tens of thousands of employees for about 50 midsized companies that Blackstone invests in. So he's pretty familiar with the role of employers in the purchasing space and has published quite a bit in this area. That's the perspective I'm tapping today for this interview on "next-generation" consolidation. Bob, thanks for taking my call today.
Bob Galvin: Terrific, Leemore.
Dafny: I wanted to kick it off by asking about one of the biggest, most exciting next-generation consolidation/entry announcements we've heard about, and that's Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JP Morgan. They say they're going to team up and do something great. What are they going to do?
Galvin: That's the question, isn't it? Of all the press announcements I have seen over the past several years, this was one that took a lot of reading and rereading to try to figure out what they were saying. In the end, I'm not sure they know yet. I have seen a lot of these efforts, Leemore. As I think back over the past 25 years, I have seen, at least 10 times now, distinguished employers understandably get frustrated with the value of the health care dollar they're getting for their employees, talking together and saying, "We have now had it, enough is enough, we're going to take this on." It has been very, very difficult to see much success from any of those efforts, for several reasons. [The current trio] are very impressive leaders. I get their frustration and I like their commitment to change. But I have to tell you, right now it feels a lot like Groundhog Day.
Dafny: I hear you on that; some choice words from Warren Buffet are that he wants to do something about this hungry tapeworm on the American economy. So that's a lot of frustration. But frustration is not a solution. Let me ask you, if you were these three folks, do you have ideas on what you would do?
Galvin: I do have some ideas. The first thing I would do if I were them is look back and see why so many similar efforts have not worked. I can enumerate them all the way back from the Big Four in Cincinnati, when employers were dominant in that specific location, to a couple that I've tried, Massachusetts Healthcare Purchasing Group being one. The most salient and common reason for why they haven't worked is that the leaders of the companies have not had the staying power to see through changes. When these leaders face health care management, as good as they are at their commercial businesses, they are going to be facing a different and more difficult beast than they have seen before. Measures are murky; it's hard to know if you're actually saving money or just avoiding costs. The people who make decisions inside companies, benefit managers, frequently don't have the support of senior management to make decisions that make some employees unhappy. Finally, employees as consumers don't act rationally. They don't seem to pursue quality data. And, on the supplier side, it takes a lot of skill and patience to identify the providers that deliver the most value and then do the hard work of steering employees to them.
What those leaders need to do is to stay in charge of the initiative. They can give it to a lieutenant, but they cannot let it regress to the mean of going back into the benefits department. They have to stay at the helm because in every case before them — all of which have failed — that really hasn't happened, honestly, other than the business I run, Equity Healthcare, where Steve Schwarzman, the CEO of Blackstone, has been a steadfast supporter of the group purchasing that we do and [is] I think responsible for the results we've had. But you have to have that leadership, and they cannot underestimate how long it's going to take or the fact that they're going to see different dynamics than they've ever seen in their business careers before.
Dafny: This is not the business that they're in, but they decided to — in the economists' vernacular — forward integrate into more active purchasing of health care, which most companies outsource. Because you are playing in that same space, if you had to give them some specific guidance beyond commitment of the leadership on top, what should their team look at first?
Galvin: Here's what I would do if I were them: The first step is to realize that as big as they are, they don't have the volume to actually do anything in almost any market that they are in. Health care is still a very local game, and even where they have their biggest collection of employees they're not going to be big enough to really impact either the insurers or the providers given all the consolidation out there. They're going to have to focus on a multiplier effect.
I think the reason that I find this particular effort so interesting is Amazon and Jeff Bezos. If I were them I would basically get in a room and I would look to Jeff Bezos and his strategy team and say, "We have an opportunity for you, Amazon, to disrupt health care in a way that could make a difference, because if we do this volume purchasing play the way employers have always done it, why are we going to have a different outcome than any of them have had before?" The wild card is Amazon's commercial interest and their appetite and willingness to get in there and really try to disrupt health care.
Dafny: That makes sense to me; that's how this effort could potentially be different. We've heard a bit about Amazon entering the pharmacy business — I want to set that aside. On the service side, is there something that you think is ripe for an Amazon-type disruption?
Galvin: I have thought a lot about this. I think everyone is trying to think this through. Try this on — I don't know if it's an idea or a fantasy — what Amazon has that no organization has had before in health care is access to consumers and the trust of consumers. Imagine I am on Amazon looking to buy a book or whatever it is I'm going to buy, and they know that I have looked previously at something related to back pain. I had either looked for back braces or something like that before, and now something pops up on the side of my screen the way that things pop up, and it's an advertisement from a group of providers who specialize in low back pain and they're willing to offer me, oh, I don't know, a free brace, a free massage, but they want to talk to me.
Maybe, behind the scenes, this provider group has worked out a deal with my TPA or insurer to take financial risk for back pain as many provider groups are trying to do, but what you have with Amazon for the first time is getting to the consumer in a trusted way. Today, those provider organizations are trying to reach patients but are crowded out by the very large insurers and the very large other provider organizations.
I'm imagining a way that Amazon, which has gotten very good at knowing what it is I want to buy even when I'm there to buy something else, can tap into the parts of health care where people spend money — I am not talking about the incidental worried well, I'm talking about the people with diabetes, the people who end up getting spine surgery, etc. — and be a conduit to provider organizations that are willing to take risk, which we think has some opportunity to improve quality and decrease cost. Maybe this is a way that you could disrupt the system.
Dafny: Your fantasies are kind of complicated. Let me break it apart and just ask you about a subset of it. Are you imagining a world where one could shop for episodes of care on Amazon? If I've been told I need a knee replacement, I can type that in, and I'm going to see all the ratings of all the people who are verified buyers of knee replacement episodes in my area. Would that be part of your vision?
Galvin: No, actually not. It would be the opposite, because people have demonstrated that they are not interested in seeking out that kind of information. This would be health care in which you get consumers interested in health care incidentally. I'm on Amazon shopping for a book, but Amazon knows that I have a back issue because I bought a back brace. I don't go on to shop for episodes but I get a pop-up about some organization that is in the business of treating back pain, and now I'm induced to do something about it. If it's a diabetic company, maybe they're giving away a free glucometer. They want to get my interest. It isn't going on Amazon to compare prices; that hasn't worked with any site. This is, I'm doing something else, they know I have this other issue, I trust them because I've bought so much stuff through Amazon, and I'm now facing something I wouldn't have otherwise faced before.
Dafny: I know that you're concerned about total health care spending for the health that we actually achieve. Can you explain to me the piece of your fantasy that prevents these organizations from just trying to get people to have their employers and insurers spend money on them, and therefore the providers can make money off this? It's not that we don't want them to make money . . .
Galvin: Absolutely. If I'm Amazon and I am creating this type of access because I want to rationalize my employee health care costs, then I'm going to have a benefit design so that the organizations that are going to make these offers are going to be nested in my payer in a way that they're going to take risk on the cost.
Dafny: And Amazon is going to be smart enough to target me based on who my insurer is.
Galvin: As I said, it's a fantasy, Leemore.
Dafny: I don't know. I mean, they can figure out what brand I like to buy for socks, so I don't know how unrealistic that is, to be honest.
Galvin: What dissuades me about it is that it isn't traditionally what Amazon has done. What Amazon has done is dealt with the existing supplier community and made it easier for consumers to find them, and the market works because it's been done with some form of retail product. It would be a lot of extra work on Amazon's part to get into the health care delivery system. This isn't just better access to the existing bench of suppliers. This idea is access to suppliers that are not dominant. It is a very heavy lift, so in the end, I'm not optimistic. I am weighted against this happening, but I'm trying to find a pony here.
Dafny: Moving away from frustration and potential unicorns, let's move to talking about another kind of consolidation that we've been seeing, which is health insurance companies buying up health care delivery organizations. A big one recently is United proposing to acquire the big medical group that DaVita had bought a few years prior. That's just one example, and you can pick any you want to talk about, but what is your thinking on whether and how that's going to transform the U.S. health care system?
Galvin: There's almost nothing about that that makes me as an employer purchaser feel happy.
Dafny: Are you indifferent, or are you unhappy?
Galvin: I'm worried. I'm trying to see how these moves are going to translate into better value for me as the employer, which you know is ultimately the employee. I'm trying to figure out how company A, an insurer, which is representing my interests and trying to control costs, buys company B, which needs to make more money every year because that's what will make company A's acquisition make financial sense, and making more money means doing more services — how one plus one here doesn't equal 100.
Dafny: Or at least something bigger than two.
Galvin: How about 11?
Dafny: All right.
Galvin: However, there could be a positive spin. What I'm hearing in the market is that Optum has developed a way to help provider groups, whether it be the surgical group they bought, or some of the medical groups they've already bought, be better organized in terms of how much they're spending, and has made them more efficient organizations through better scheduling and better billing. I've spoken with some of the physicians who are now owned by Optum, who say their offices work better and they are able to give the same amount of services for lower cost because of some of the backroom support that they've gotten from Optum. That's a positive. Now, I haven't seen any evidence on that. I haven't seen any pricing going down in any of the markets where these provider groups have been bought, but if there's a positive it could be that.
Dafny: Let me throw a potential positive at you, and I want to hear your reaction as to whether we're likely as employees to see the benefits of this. United bought Surgical Care Affiliates, these ambulatory surgery centers, some 200 of them, and those are lower-cost sites of care for certain treatments and procedures. If United, now that it owns these affiliates, tries to steer its patients toward them in place of more expensive sites of care because they have two reasons to do it — one is to contain cost at least for its fully insured enrollees, and the second is to earn margins on that business — then couldn't total costs go down?
Galvin: Yes. I like that as a onetime impact, but it is a onetime impact. Then you have Surgical Care Affiliates (SCA) continuing to generate double-digit increases in their income every year, and I'm concerned about how that's going to happen. But I think you're absolutely right that moving to a lower-cost source of service does give you a savings, and that part I like.
Dafny: Why couldn't United just do a JV [joint venture] with SCA to achieve that?
Galvin: I'm not sure. Remember, I believe that some of the deals going on between insurance companies and provider groups are defensive. I think that these companies are looking market by market, and if there is a market where they feel like they're going to get disadvantaged because the hospitals and provider systems become too powerful, they'll use their cash to make a purchase like this. Sometimes it's strategic, and other times it's defensive.
Dafny: Does it diminish the bargaining power of a dominant provider system if you buy some ancillary services in that local market?
Galvin: I think what it leads to is more and more consolidation. We're off and running with the biggest arms race, the biggest over-consolidation race, that I've seen in my career, and I think these kinds of acquisitions on one side just create more on the other side.
Dafny: I have many more questions, but I'm going to pick just one more for the couple of minutes that we have left. There is an exotic animal pending, and that is the deal between CVS and Aetna. Now we're talking retail clinics, pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), health insurance — all under one roof. What do you think is going to happen as a result of that deal, assuming it goes through? What are you, as a purchaser of health care services, expecting?
Galvin: I'm trying to find a ray of sunshine to give you in this conversation, but I have to admit this one is a head-scratcher for me. I guess the best case scenario is that CVS is a place that people go [to] and trust, so it's almost like [how] Amazon is on the Internet side, a place where consumers who are sometimes patients go and trust it. People go to their drugstore. If you can imagine that that pharmacy becomes a health hub and takes capitation, and becomes a non-hospital-focused system, you could see a transformation in the delivery system to a much lower cost basis.
However, the difficulty of that transformation, the cost of that transformation, the IT integration cost of that transformation, just seems overwhelming to me. If you don't have that vision, if you don't have Minute Clinics becoming health hubs that take capitation from Aetna, I think what you then have is a whole complicated set of relationships between a retail drugstore, a PBM, and a health insurer. It just becomes a very complicated merger.
Dafny: I absolutely agree that that's a pretty complicated proposition. Your two fantasies, the capitated health hub of CVS versus Amazon as portal for integrated care, if you had to pick one, what seems likelier?
Galvin: I'll put it to you this way: If I had to as an investor go long or go short, I'd short them both, because I don't have a lot of confidence that either one of them will work. Both of these are going to take such commitment. Let me go back to the employer side, because I know it so well. The three CEOs who got together at the Alfalfa Club and decided that they wanted to reform health care — and Warren Buffet's metaphor was great — these are people that could change the health care system, so I am praying that they have the perseverance to stay involved and not send it down to lower parts of their organization. I know that they have the capacity, and I know that they have the resources. The question is, do they have the tenacity? Honestly, I don't know which is more or less of a long shot, but right now I wouldn't go long on either of them.
Dafny: Bob, I will pray alongside you, and I expect our listeners will as well. Thank you very much for your provocative ideas today. Always interesting and engaging. We appreciate it.
Galvin: Thank you, Leemore.
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Too much pressure on MS Dhoni to finish games for India: Virat Kohli
May 25, 2017 19:11 IST
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In his first press conference after landing in London for the ICC Champions Trophy, Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli spoke about his team's strengths and weaknesses. Kohli spoke on the Manchester terror attack and why England will be the team to beat in the Champions Trophy. Video courtesy: ICC
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Istanbul to Gallipoli
Gallipoli holds an important place in every Australian & New Zealander's heart, a site that was the Australia and New Zealand's introduction to the Great War. The Gallipoli campaign took place on the Gallipoli peninsula on 25 April 1915 until 9 January 1916, during the First World War. To this day it shapes and bonds the nations of Australia, New Zealand and Turkey alike. An emotional tour, our guides (who have over 20 years experience touring Gallipoli) will take you to the commemorative sites, all the while painting a picture of this battle.


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Price: $13.95
Quantity: 1 available
Book Condition: NEAR FINE
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The Definitive Guide to the Treatment of Minority Youth
This revised edition of the classic book presents much-needed information on culturally sensitive and culturally competent assessment and treatment approaches for young African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and biracial youth. Using a standard framework for each chapter that incorporates epidemiological, historical, sociocultural, and psychological information, the authors?each an expert in working with culturally diverse youth?present interventions for helping minority youth and their families resolve psychological difficulties while promoting healthy ethnic and bicultural identities.
Title: Children of Color: Psychological Interventions with Culturally Diverse Youth
Categories: psychology,
Edition: "(Updated Edition, 1998)"
Publisher: "San Franciwsco, CA", 1997
ISBN Number: 0787908711
ISBN Number 13: 9780787908713
Binding: Oversize Paperback
Book Condition: NEAR FINE
lb: 4.00 lb
Seller ID: 9NH052
Description: "As new. "" the definitive guide to the treatment of minority youth."" 410 indexed pages, 9x6"" (22.9x16cm)."
Keywords: "child psychology, minority" PSYCHOLOGY / General "NOT KEPT AT STORE- if you would like to pick this up, please order the day before you want to pick it up. Use the ""pick up in store"" option for shipping at checkout.",


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Holi at Barsana, Nandgaon, and Vrindavan
Holi (North-India)/ Dol (West Bengal)/ Shigmo (Goa)/ Yaosang (Manipur)/ Manjal Kuli (Kerala)/ Phaguwa (Bihar)/ Phakuwah (Assam)/ Rang Panchami (Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh) – different regions, different names for the same Festival of Colors with the same jauntiness, across India.
While this festival is celebrated with mostly equal exuberance in almost every part of India, Holi in Braj is especially a popular tourist attraction. Braj is a historical region covering Mathura, Vrindavan and some neighboring areas in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Holi here attracts tourists and pilgrims equally from all over the world because of its ability to hold on to the customs and age-old Indian traditions intact for nearly thousands of years.
Mythology: Mathura is the birth-place of the Hindu God, Lord Krishna and Vrindavan is the place where he is said to have spent his childhood. The story goes when Krishna was young, he cried to his mother about Radha (his friend) being light-skinned while Krishna himself had a darker complexion. His mother (Yashoda) suggested him to color Radha with colors in a playful manner. Following this particular ritual, Krishna from his village Nandgaon used to go to Barsana (Radha's village) to color Radha and other Gopis(other women of the village). They also used to playfully beat him with sticks. This tradition descended over the years with almost same customs giving rise to the "Lathmaar Holi" here.
Barsana Holi celebrations begin a week ago from the scheduled date of Holi in the country. Barsana, a village near Mathura and the village of Radha, is famous for its Lathmar Holi in which women beat men (playfully) with sticks.
Another important tourist attraction in Braj is the Gulab-Kund near Govardhan Hill – a lake around which scenes of Holi are enacted as an objective of recreation for the devotees there.
Nandgaon, however, kickstarts its Holi celebrations a day after the celebrations begin at Barsana. A variegated parade of faces with smiles shower the 2 places following the legend that Radha with her friends had come to Nandgaon to apply colors to Lord Krishna.
Another "Holi-Hotspot" is Vrindavan with the Bank-e-Bihari temple taking the center stage for all the festivities. The idol of Lord Krishna is decorated in white clothes and brought near the devotees to play Holi. Even the priests readily participate in the festivities, spreading organic colors through Gulaal and water sprays.
However, it is not the only temple in Vrindavan with Holi proceedings. All temples of Lord Krishna are engrossed into some sort of celebrations during this great festival. The festival in this part of the country is celebrated with a completely different sense of pomp and show with outstanding cooperation with nature.
Photographs used in this post belongs to their respective photographers. Pristine Routes try to give complete credits to the photographers for their work. The photos have been used solely to describe the content in this blog and would not be used by Pristine Routes for any other purpose.
Written by:- Neeladri Bhattacharjee
Edited by:- Pristine Routes


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people think i'm craaaaaaazy
ottawa slipped into summer last week, the pavement reflecting and holding heat long after the sun dropped behind the houses and the just-beginning-to-bud trees that sit to the west of us. girls wore short skirts, snadls were brought out and all of our house smelled like a mixture of when we moveed in sunscreen and the tropical fruit sitting on our table.
rather than studying properly for my exams, i enjoyed the sun to its full extent. i also enjoyed the nightlife a bit. namely, frat boys down at zaphod's. i know alcohol isn't supposed to be an excuse for any kind of behaviour, however, a bottle of red wine, some vodka and a shot of tequila makes me craaaaaazy. throw in some pot [which, for those keeping track, i've indulged in twice this weekend] and the grand result is me on a dance floor busting skanky moves with two boys at once.
who knew i had it in me?
this morning lacked a sunrise as a heavy bank of clouds dumping down rain intermittantly has been sitting over my city for a few days now. despite the sombre looking outside, our house was full of laughter and music and good food as morgen and kate and i [and three friends- dan, trevor and UNSUB] made a sunday morning feast that defies any conventional language for description.
it was good. i mean really, fucking, good.
and now, the afternoon more than half over, i'm crawling back into bed with frankenboring and a pencil entirely content.


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Twin Falls Accommodation
Searching for hotels in Twin Falls (United States) or Twin Falls accommodation? Twin Falls is a picturesque city located in the county set of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. It is the largest city of Idaho's Magic Valley region and the seventh largest in the whole of Idaho. The city of Idaho was first founded in 1904 as a planned community.
One of the best things to do when visiting Twin Falls is to visit the three waterfalls that can be located in the immediate area. These waterfalls include the Shoshone Falls, The Pillar falls and Twin Falls. For thrill-seeking visitors, they can find their all-time high here at Twin Falls where Base Jumping is considered legal. Golf enthusiasts can also find their home here in Twin Falls when they play at the Twin Falls Municipal Golf Course.
Going around the city is quite easy with the use of a small public transportation system called the Trans IV. Visitors will arrive at Twin Falls via a limited commercial air service provided at the Joslin Field-Magic Valley Regional Airport.
Twin Falls is home to a large community college known as the College of Southern Idaho. Several universities and colleges in Idaho even hold classes in the College of Southern Idaho. There are also several public schools and charter schools to choose from that cater to elementary, middle school, and high school students.
Some of the hotels found in Twin Falls include Hilton Garden Inn, Best Western Hotel, Comfort Inn and Suites, Super 8 and Hampton Inn.
- Browse the Twin Falls Map or compare Twin Falls accommodation from Hotels, Motels, B&Bs, Lodging & Hostels to Holiday & Caravan Parks.
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Organisers of Horncastle Victorian Christmas Market have dismissed claims of a fall-out and insist this year's event is on course to be a success.
The News was told by several sources that leading figures on the Festival Committee had stepped down following a recent committee meeting.
'These events only happen because of a lot of hard work by many people'
However, town and district councillor Fiona Martin, who is chairman of the Festival Committee, insisted there were no issues and plans for the market were 'progressing well'.
Coun Martin stressed there had been no 'stormy meeting' and the event was not in any doubt.
She revealed a number of new and traditional attractions and acts had already been booked.
A new feature will be an appearance by Santa in a specially constructed grotto in the car park of Horncastle Antiques Centre.
Coun Martin said: "Plans are progressing well for the market on Sunday December 4 from 11am until 4pm.
"Local entertainer Darren Yates will be on stage and Horncastle's very own Young Stagers will be in town.
"Victorian stilt walkers will be roaming our streets with the reappearance of 'Exotic Animals' and Punch & Judy."
Coun Martin added: "After the success of last year's 'Minions' window spotting competition, the committee are organising a similar event alongside the market this year.
"Children's rides and some old fashioned garden party type games are already arranged to ensure that this will be a great day out for all the family.
"The event will also coincide with the Christmas Tree Festival taking place in St Mary's Church."
One of the most popular attractions at the Christmas Market are the huge variety of stalls lining the town's streets.
Coun Martin added: "Market stall bookings are progressing well, but it isn't too late to book a stall
"Booking forms are available either from our website horncastlefestivals.co.uk, our Facebook page or ask a committee member.
"Our wonderful array of local shops will be open as usual.
"These events only happen because of a lot of hard work by many people who want to see our town businesses and voluntary organisations prosper.
"Put the date in your diary now."


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!! History Commons Alert, Exciting News
At Camp David, White House press secretary Ron Ziegler tells White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman that President Nixon is considering resigning. Haldeman replies: "That's not going to happen. He's just steeling himself to meet with us (see April 24, 1973). He's creating a big crisis he can't meet, so that he can meet the lesser crisis of dealing with us." When the two meet with Nixon, Haldeman is shocked at how bad Nixon looks. Standing on the porch of the Aspen Lodge, Nixon, looking at the spring foliage, says, "I have to enjoy this because I may not be alive much longer." Nixon says he prayed last night not to wake up this morning. A horrified Haldeman tries to reassure Nixon that he accepts Nixon's decision to ask for his resignation. "What you have to remember," he says, "is that nothing that has happened in the Watergate mess has changed your mandate in the non-Watergate areas. That is what matters. That is what you do best." Nixon then meets with White House aide John Ehrlichman and tells Ehrlichman the same thing he told Haldeman—that he prayed not to wake up in the morning. "Don't think like that," Ehrlichman says. Nixon begins to cry. "This is like cutting off my arms," he says. "You and Bob, you'll need money. I have some—Bebe [Rebozo, Nixon's millionaire friend] has it—and you can have it." Ehrlichman replies: "That would just make things worse. You can do one thing for me, though, sometime. Just explain all of this to my kids, will you?" When Ehrlichman leaves, Ziegler joins Nixon in the lodge and Nixon says, "It's all over, Ron, do you know that?" Ziegler knows Nixon means his presidency. Later, Nixon tells his speech writer, Ray Price, who is working on Nixon's announcement of the resignations of Haldeman and Ehrlichman (see April 30, 1973): "Maybe I should resign, Ray. If you think so just put it in" the speech. Nixon walks towards the swimming pool, and Price stays close behind him, fearing that Nixon might attempt to drown himself. [Reeves, 2001, pp. 600-602]
Entity Tags: H.R. Haldeman, Charles 'Bebe' Rebozo, Richard M. Nixon, Ron Ziegler, Ray Price, John Ehrlichman
Timeline Tags: Nixon and Watergate
Washington Post headline from August 7, 1974: 'Nixon Says He Won't Resign.' [Source: Washington Post]President Nixon's speechwriter, Ray Price, writes a speech for Nixon to use in case the president chooses to stay and fight the Watergate allegations rather than resign. According to Price, who will allow the New York Times to publish the speech in 1996, Nixon is never shown this particular speech. Price's speech acknowledges that the House Judiciary Committee has prepared articles of impeachment against Nixon (see July 27, 1974, July 29, 1974, and July 30, 1974), and that the matter will almost certainly go to the Senate for a trial. The speech has Nixon acknowledging the "smoking gun" tape of June 23, 1972 and released on August 5, 1974 (see June 23, 1972) as a conversation that could "be widely interpreted as evidence that I was involved from the outset in efforts at cover-up." He should have made the tape available much sooner, the speech acknowledges, and excuses the lapse by saying he "did not focus on it thoroughly…" His failure to release the tape was "a serious mistake." According to the speech, Nixon would say that he "seriously considered resigning," but to do so "would leave unresolved the questions that have already cost the country so much in anguish, division and uncertainty. More important, it would leave a permanent crack in our Constitutional structure: it would establish the principle that under pressure, a president could be removed from office by means short of those provided by the Constitution. By establishing that principle, it would invite such pressures on every future president who might, for whatever reason, fall into a period of unpopularity.… I firmly believe that I have not committed any act of commission or omission that justifies removing a duly elected president from office. If I did believe that I had committed such an act, I would have resigned long ago…" In the long run, the benefits of Nixon staying and fighting "will be a more stable government," avoiding "the descent toward chaos if presidents could be removed short of impeachment and trial." America must not become like so many other countries, where "governmental instability has reached almost epidemic proportions…" For Nixon to resign could result in the destruction of the US government as it now stands, or almost as bad, would allow the government to "fall such easy prey to those who would exult in the breaking of the president that the game becomes a national habit." [Cannon, 1994, pp. 309; New York Times, 12/22/1996; PBS, 1/2/1997; National Archives and Records Administration, 3/24/1999]
Entity Tags: Ray Price, House Judiciary Committee, Richard M. Nixon, New York Times
Publicity photo for the Frost/Nixon interviews. [Source: London Times]British interviewer and entertainer David Frost makes a deal with former President Richard Nixon to undertake 24 hours of interviews on a wide range of topics, with six hours each on foreign policy, domestic affairs, Watergate, and a loosely defined "Nixon the Man" interview. Frost intends that the centerpiece of the interviews to be the Watergate session. Nixon agrees to a free, unfettered set of interviews in return for over a million dollars in appearance fees. [Reston, 2007, pp. 13-17] (Other sources say that Nixon will be paid $600,000 plus 20% of the profits from the broadcast, which are expected to top $2 million.) Frost Seen as Unlikely Interviewer - There is also considerable skepticism about the choice of Frost as an interviewer; he is better known as a high-living entertainer who likes to hobnob with celebrities rather than as a tough interrogator. His primary experience with politics is his hosting of the BBC's celebrated 1960s satirical show That Was the Week That Was. Frost outbid NBC for the rights to interview Nixon, and after all three American television networks refuse to air the shows, Frost has to cobble together an ad hoc group of about 140 television stations to broadcast the interviews. Frost will recall in 2007, "We were told, 'Half the companies you're approaching would never have anything to do with Nixon when he was president, and the other half are trying to make people forget that they did.'" [Time, 5/9/1977; Washington Post, 4/30/2007] Interestingly, when the Nixon team began negotiating for the interviews in July 1975, they made a point of not wanting any "real" investigative journalists to conduct the interviews—in fact, they considered offering the interviews to American television talk show host Merv Griffin. [Time, 5/9/1977] The interviews are to be done in segments, three sessions a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, for two weeks in the spring of 1977. [National Public Radio, 6/17/2002] Nixon Team Wants Focus Away from Watergate - While Nixon agrees that six hours of interviews will be on the topic of Watergate, his team wants to define "Watergate" as almost anything and everything negative about the Nixon presidency—not just the burglary and the cover-up, but abuses of power at the IRS, CIA, and FBI, Nixon's tax problems, the Ellsberg break-in (see September 9, 1971), disputed real estate sales, the sale of ambassadorships (see March-April 1972), the enemies list (see June 27, 1973), and the Huston Plan (see July 14, 1970). The hope is that Frost's focus will become diluted and fail to focus on the Watergate conspiracy itself. The hope will not be fulfilled (see April 13-15, 1977). Frost's Investigative Team - Frost begins hiring a team of investigators and experts to prepare him for the interviews, including author and journalist James Reston Jr. [Time, 5/9/1977] , a self-described "radical" who had worked to win amnesty for US citizens who had avoided the draft, and views Nixon as a contemptible figure who, despite his resignation (see August 8, 1974), remains "uncontrite and unconvicted." [Chicago Sun-Times, 7/22/2007] Other members of Frost's research team are Washington journalist and lawyer Robert Zelnick, freelance writer Phil Stanford, and London TV news executive John Birt, who will produce the interviews. Zelnick will play Nixon in the briefing sessions, going so far as mimicking Nixon's mannerisms and hand gestures. For his part, Nixon had almost completed his own meticulous research of his presidency for his upcoming memoirs, and is quite conversant with his facts and defense strategies. Nixon's team of aides includes his former White House military aide Colonel Jack Brennan, chief researcher Ken Khachigian, former speechwriter Ray Price, former press assistant (and future television reporter) Diane Sawyer, and former aide Richard Moore. [Time, 5/9/1977] Nixon's Perceived 'Sweetheart Deal' - In his 2007 book on the interviews, The Conviction of Richard Nixon (written largely in 1977 but unpublished for thirty years), Reston will write that Nixon surely "saw the enterprise as a sweetheart deal. He stood to make a lot of money and to rehabilitate his reputation." Nixon harbors hopes that he can make a political comeback of one sort or another, and apparently intends to use Frost—best known for conducting "softball" interviews with celebrities and world leaders alike—as his "springboard" to re-enter public service. But, as Reston later observes, Nixon will underestimate the researchers' efforts, and Frost's own skill as a television interviewer. [Reston, 2007, pp. 13-17, 84] Time will describe Nixon in the interviews as "painful and poignant, sometimes illuminating, usually self-serving." [Time, 5/9/1977]
Entity Tags: NBC, Phil Stanford, Merv Griffin, Richard Moore, Ray Price, Ken Khachigian, James Reston, Jr, Richard M. Nixon, John Birt, David Frost, Jack Brennan, Robert Zelnick, Diane Sawyer
Former President Richard Nixon is nearly 20 minutes late for his second Watergate interview with David Frost (see April 13-15, 1977 and April 13, 1977). Neither Frost nor his team of researchers realize how rattled Nixon is from the last session. Frost begins the interview by asking about the so-called "Dean report" (see March 20, 1973), the results of John Dean's "internal investigation" of the Watergate conspiracy. Dean's report would have served two purposes: it would hopefully have removed suspicion from any White House officials as to their involvement in the conspiracy, and, if it was ever pulled apart and shown to be a compendium of lies and evasion, would have pointed to Dean as the central figure in the conspiracy. Dean never wrote the report, but instead became a witness for the prosecution (see April 6-20, 1973. June 3, 1973, and June 25-29, 1973). Since Dean never wrote the report, Frost asks Nixon why he told the deputy attorney general, Henry Peterson, that there was indeed such a report (Nixon had called it "accurate but not full"). Astonishingly, Nixon asserts that Dean did write the report, and that it indeed showed no "vulnerability or criminality on the part of the president… so let's not get away from that fact." Frost sees Nixon's vulnerability. Frost asks when he read the report. Caught, Nixon backs off of his assertion, saying that he "just heard that ah… that he had written a report… ah… the… that… ah… he… ah… ah, considered it to be inadequate." Frost researcher James Reston, Jr. later writes, "[Nixon] was firmly skewered. His face showed it. His gibberish confirmed it." Ehrlichman's Report - Frost moves on to another report on Watergate by former aide John Ehrlichman, the so-called "modified, limited hangout," and the offer of $200,000 in cash to Ehrlichman and fellow aide H. R. Haldeman for their legal fees. Nixon had told the nation that Ehrlichman would produce an informative and factual report on Watergate, even though he knew by then that Ehrlichman was himself heavily involved in the conspiracy (see August 15, 1973). "That's like asking Al Capone for an independent investigation of organized crime in Chicago," Frost observes. "How could one of the prime suspects, even if he was the Pope, conduct an independent inquiry?" Instead of answering the question, Nixon ducks into obfuscation about what exactly constitutes a "prime suspect." Nixon Begins to Crack - Reston later writes that, looking back on the interview, it is at this point that Nixon begins to "crack" in earnest. Frost has cast serious doubts on Nixon's veracity and used Nixon's own words and actions to demonstrate his culpability. Now Frost asks a broader question: "I still don't know why you didn't pick up the phone and tell the cops. When you found out the things that Haldeman and Ehrlichman had done, there is no evidence anywhere of a rebuke, but only of scenarios and excuses." Nixon responds with what Reston calls a long, "disjointed peroration… about Richard the Isolated and Richard the Victimized… Nixon was desperate to move from fact to sentiment." But Nixon is not merely rambling. Woven throughout are mentions of the guilt of the various White House officials (but always others, never Nixon's own guilt), apology, mistakes and misjudgments. Clearly he is hoping that he can paint himself as a sympathetic figure, victimized by fate, bad fortune, and the ill will of his enemies. (Haldeman is so outraged by this stretch that he will soon announce his intention to tell everything in a book—see February 1978; Ehrlichman will call it a "smarmy, maudlin rationalization that will be tested and found false.") Nixon says he merely "screwed up terribly in what was a little thing [that] became a big thing." Crossroads - Frost tries to ease an admission of complicity from Nixon—perhaps if hammering him with facts won't work, appealing to Nixon's sentimentality will. "Why not go a little farther?" Frost asks. "That word mistake is a trigger word with people. Would you say to clear the air that, for whatever motives, however waylaid by emotion or whatever you were waylaid by, you were part of a cover-up?" Nixon refuses. Behind the cameras, Nixon staffer Jack Brennan holds up a legal pad with the message "LET'S TALK" (or perhaps "LET HIM TALK"—Reston's memory is unclear on this point). Either way, Frost decides to take a short break. Brennan hustles Reston into a room, closes the door, and says, "You've brought him to the toughest moment of his life. He wants to be forthcoming, but you've got to give him a chance." He wouldn't confess to being part of a criminal conspiracy, and he wouldn't admit to committing an impeachable offense. Nixon's staff has been arguing for days that Nixon should admit to something, but Brennan and Reston cannot agree as to what. Reston later writes that Nixon is at a personal crossroads: "Could he admit his demonstrated guilt, express contrition, and apologize? Two years of national agony were reduced to the human moment. Could he conquer his pride and his conceit? Now we were into Greek theater." When the interview resumes, Nixon briefly reminisces about his brother Arthur, who died from meningitis at age seven. Was Frost using the story of his brother to open Nixon up? "We're at an extraordinary moment," Frost says, and dramatically tosses his clipboard onto the coffee table separating the two men. "Would you do what the American people yearn to hear—not because they yearn to hear it, but just to tell all—to level? You've explained how you got caught up in this thing. You've explained your motives. I don't want to quibble about any of that. Coming down to sheer substance, would you go further?" Nixon responds, "Well, what would you express?" Reston will later write, "Every American journalist I have ever known would shrivel at this plea for help, hiding with terror behind the pose of the uninvolved, 'objective' interviewer. The question was worthy of Socrates: Frost must lead Nixon to truth and enlightenment." Frost gropes about a bit, then lists the categories of wrongdoing. First, there were more than mere mistakes. "There was wrongdoing, whether it was a crime or not. Yes, it may have been a crime, too. Two, the power of the presidency was abused. The oath of office was not fulfilled. And three, the American people were put through two years of agony, and… I think the American people need to hear it. I think that unless you say it, you're going to be haunted for the rest of your life…" Apology and Admission - Nixon's response is typically long, prefaced with a rambling discussion of his instructions to speechwriter Ray Price to include his own name with those of Haldeman's and Ehrlichman's in the speech announcing their resignations "if you think I ought to" (see April 29, 1973), a litany of all the good things he did while president, and a short, bitter diatribe against those who had sought to bring him down. He never committed a crime, he insists, because he lacked the motive for the commission of a crime. Terrible Mistakes - But all this is prelude. Nixon shifts to the core of the issue: he had made terrible mistakes not worthy of the presidency. He had violated his own standards of excellence. He deliberately misled the American people about Watergate, he admits, and now he regrets his actions. His statements were not true because they did not go as far as they should have, and "for all of those things I have a deep regret… I don't go with the idea that what brought me down was a coup, a conspiracy. I gave 'em the sword. They stuck it in and twisted it with relish. I guess if I'd been in their position, I'd'a done the same thing." Nixon will not, or perhaps cannot, plainly admit that he broke the law in working to conceal the facts surrounding Watergate, but he does admit that after March 21, 1973, he failed to carry out his duties as president and went to "the edge of the law.… That I came to the edge, I would have to say that a reasonable person could call that a cover-up." Reston notes that Nixon has just admitted to a standard of guilt high enough for a civil court if not a criminal court. But Nixon isn't done. [Reston, 2007, pp. 137-155] Calls Resigning a 'Voluntary Impeachment' - "I did not commit, in my view, an impeachable offense," he says. "Now, the House has ruled overwhelmingly that I did. Of course, that was only an indictment, and it would have to be tried in the Senate. I might have won, I might have lost. But even if I had won in the Senate by a vote or two, I would have been crippled. And in any event, for six months the country couldn't afford having the president in the dock in the United States Senate. And there can never be an impeachment in the future in this country without a president voluntarily impeaching himself. I have impeached myself. That speaks for itself." Resigning the presidency (see August 8, 1974), he says, was a "voluntary impeachment." [Guardian, 9/7/2007] Reactions - Frost and his researchers are stunned at Nixon's statements, as will the millions be who watch the interview when it is broadcast. [Reston, 2007, pp. 137-155] In 2002, Frost will recall, "I sensed at that moment he was most the vulnerable he'd ever be, ever again. It seemed like an almost constitutional moment with his vulnerability at that point.… I hadn't expected him to go as far as that, frankly. I thought he would have stonewalled more at the last stage. I think that was probably one of the reasons why it was something of a catharsis for the American people at that time that he had finally faced up to these issues, not in a court of law, which a lot of people would have loved to have seen him in a court of law, but that wasn't going to happen. So—he'd been pardoned. But faced up in a forum where he was clearly not in control and I think that's why it had the impact it did, probably." [National Public Radio, 6/17/2002] Not everyone is impressed with Nixon's mea culpa; the Washington Post, for one, writes, "He went no further than he did in his resignation speech two and a half years ago," in a story co-written by Watergate investigative reporter Bob Woodward. [Washington Post, 4/30/2007] This interview will air on US television on May 26, 1977. [Guardian, 5/27/1977]
Entity Tags: David Frost, Bob Woodward, James Reston, Jr, Arthur Nixon, Ray Price, Richard M. Nixon, John Dean, Jack Brennan, John Ehrlichman
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So you saw 3 Idiots. So what? You thought Rancho was too good to be true? Well, almost. None of the people you see here are 45 years old and going to college. But they all are special in their own way which compelled us to say, 'Oye Rancho'.
Here's presenting the real Ranchos on campuses across the country.
The Mohawk Engineer
Name: Piran Engineer
Branch: Mechanical Engineering
College: Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur
Piran is a happy – go – lucky person, and can be spotted from kilometres away (since he's taller than your average VNITian and also much bigger). He also has a very loud voice; one which people swear can be heard from one department to the other.
One of the smartest guys around, he knows his engineering like the back of his gigantic hand. Witty and smart, he's never really seen around a book, but still somehow manages to ace his exams. Always busy with a project, or a model, Piran is born to be an engineer. Having the very name of his degree does help identify him, doesn't it?
Piran is a great friend to have, one who is loved as well as hated, but never forgotten. He's a royal pain for the profs because of his carefree attitude and is often shouted at or sent out of the class. He studies a night before the exam, yet scores well in all the subjects. He was the first guy from his department to get placed, that too in the first company he sat for.
Rebelling is in his blood it seems, since he's always the one to come up with a smart argument to make you go 'Umm…..wait'. In his first year at college, a certain 'Guruji' had arrived to educate the students about morals, sex and how premarital sex was wrong and immoral. That was enough to incite Piran enough to interrupt the lecture and ask in front of everyone, "I don't see anything wrong with it. Why are you against pre-marital sex? I don't get it. Can you explain why?" The 'Guruji' and professors were left aghast and the lecture ended sooner than intended.
Piran also has his share of fun, and has a unique way of doing it too. He once called up a prof at 1:30 am in the night. The conversation went something like this. (The names of the professor and the subjects have been changed for security reasons.)
Piran: Hello, sir.
Mr Shetty: Hello
Piran: Sir, I'm Deepak speaking. Sir, what are my marks in Fluid Dynamics?
Mr. Shetty: Is this a time to call?
Piran: Sir, you only asked me to call you after an hour.
Mr. Shetty: I think I asked you to call at 6 tomorrow.
Piran: No Sir, when I called up at 12:30 you told me to call you up after an hour. So, anyway, what are my marks?
Mr. Shetty: I told you to call up at 6.
Piran: Sir, aap Gupta Sir hi ho naa?
Mr. Shetty (in half-sleep): Yes!
Piran (controlling his laughter): Sir, is this 9857267154? (He changed the last couple of digits)
Mr. Shetty: No, there's a mistake at the end.
Piran: Oops, sorry to disturb you so late. (hangs up)
Piran also randomly turned up in class with a Mohawk cut in class, due to which he was featured in Sakaal. Institute Gathering is when VNIT goes crazy; with inter department rivalries reaching Indo – Pak levels. That was the time when some people went crazy and got themselves a 'Ghajini' haircut. And Piran got himself a 'Ghajini complement' cut ,with hair wherever Aamir had no hair and none where Aamir had it.
Piran is always the one to help anyone in need of it. His computer is readily available to anyone who needs it, be it any festival, even though it's never returned to him in the original condition/state of working. Birthdays are known to be the day when you turn into a man, (after getting kicked consecutively in the behind like a football by your 'friends') and Piran 'helps' their too. He being built like a bull certainly helps the cause, since after his turn the (death?) birthday boy's doubts over thethe absence of a 'backside' actually becomes fact.
Ok, (Mr) Computer
Name: Manhar Ajit Garegrat
Course: BMM
College: L.S. Raheja College
Here's introducing Mr Manhar Ajit Garegrat. After having gone to KC College, Science, Manhar's life was happily headed towards engineering until it came to a screeching halt when Manhar realised that engineering wasn't quite where his heart was. That is when the 'media ka keeda' came into the picture.
Curly hair (which was always messed up), shabbily dressed and a cute looking face, one could spot him from miles away. 'The mad scientist' is what we used to call him. If any one had a problem regarding machines, he was the person to catch hold of be it printers, computers, laptops, projectors, speakers or anything with metal that works on electricity/batteries. Sitting quietly in lectures was never top priority for Manhar, and putting teachers in a hotspot was what he is adept at. He had always has better things to do than 'study for exams' but his kaali kutti coffee is perhaps what enabled him to top consistently.
'I want to have my cake and eat it too' is what he believed in and this spirit of his always is evident in his ventures into a variety of areas, be it designing the in – house magazine, editing videos for college presentations, making documentaries, being the vice president for the Rotract Club or making chocolates! The chocolates that this guy made were really delicious and most of the class would break into a fight to get its hands on them. Making cakes on his friends' birthdays was his way of making them feel special and some really close ones had the luck of receiving a crazy video made on them. It has been a year now since we graduated and this guy today owns his own bike, the R15, mind you he saved over one lakh rupees to buy it. One of the most famous incidents involves Manhar's presentations. This guy firmly believed in making completely original projects, as a result his presentations were so 'alien' to the college computers that they would just refuse to work. What would then happen was that he and another friend would go speeding on a bike to fetch his CPU which would then be attached to the college projector and voila! Only then would our teachers would then have the honour to judge it.
Prof Abhijit Padte recounts, "Perceptive and sensitive that he was, his approach was always very humane and he was never competing with his friends where academics was concerned. He always focused on understanding, rather than memorising."
Truth or dare? She'd pick both
Name: Wyanet Vaz
Course: BMM
College: St. Xavier's
Wyanet is a famous student of St. Xavier's College, currently studying in first year BMM. This pretty, petite girl with a short haircut isn't afraid to speak her mind at all. Be it her teachers, seniors, friends or even parents, none are spared when it comes to wrongdoing and Wyanet notices it. She did run the risk of coming off as disrespectful, but almost everyone has a soft corner for this charismatic girl now.
Having a penchant for doing something different, she never went by the book, leading most students and even some teachers to think her to be stupid. But the results revealed the true story with Wyanet emerging the topper. She's one of those students who always asks doubts in class, and interrupts the professors, demanding rational reasons. One fine day, the whole class got so fed up with her doubts (relevant as they were) that they taped her mouth shut!
BMM is a course where practical applications are given much more importance, and Wyanet excels in them. In fact, when one of her professors was teaching sociology through PowerPoint, Wyanet thought it was too boring. So she went ahead and stole the copy of the CD from which the professor was teaching. When she was caught, the professor ordered her to teach the whole class. And she happily proceeded, giving witty and funny examples for each topic. The whole class burst out into laughter.
Her sense of right and wrong is very much in place and was evident when she embarrassed a person in the college foyer (a place adjacent to the canteen in Xavier's) by exposing his deeds in public and making him repent for the same. This girl also has a very kind heart, and loves animals. She once brought an injured kitten to class, and took it to the vet and got it treated. But one of the most famous incidents was when she sneaked in a couple of rats in her bag. Everything was going fine until one of the fellow students, experienced something, um, touching him, and all hell broke loose in the language class. She was immediately marched off to the department head where she confessed that her parents hadn't allowed her to take care of the rats, and she didn't want them to be killed. Though she was appreciated for her kindness, the language teacher never really liked her, per se. Wyanet has many friends, and also enemies (for obvious reasons). Commonly known as the 'selfless soul' of the group, her venturesome spirit and forthright honesty is what makes her stand out amongst the crowd.
IT and the Crowd
Name: Sachit Muckaden
Course: IT Engineering
College: Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute
Sachit Muckaden, fondly called IT, fits the character of Ranchoddas Shyamakdas Chanchad, although IT hates the Gujju community. The irony is that his girlfriend happens to be Gujju. Strange are the ways of fate, no?
Sachit survives in VJTI chiefly on basketball, which almost cost him almost all of his attendance in the first year of engineering and some marks in the final exam. Sachit never really gives two hoots about examinations and is never seen with books. Yet, he somehow manages to ace them, something which has surprised everyone.
Nevertheless, he's actively involved in college activities. He's the joint General Secretary of Technovanza 2010 and consequently a member of the Students' Council of VJTI. He definitely doesn't fear voicing his opinion on the system and the loopholes therein. Some teachers have had a hard time with him, since he never really follows the rules. In a so called 'intense' lecture on mathematics, Sachit was asked to leave the class, and he nonchalantly walked off with his books without the slightest word or an utterance of an apology. He was also once threatened by a professor for concentrating too much on sports and not on academics, warning him that no leeway would be given to him. But when the results were announced, the professor was to be shocked.
You'll find him enjoying a siesta in the library, a day before the exam. Something that marks him out of the herd is the blend of sensibility, humanity and fun in the guy. He's quite a thinker and loses track of himself, sometimes, when in thought. You'll either find him scratching his head, looking up and saying something in an attempt to make himself get what he's saying or arguing with someone over something, with typical IT- gestures, mostly his hands moving up and down, finally resting on his head.
His ethics are in place and his witty, tongue-in-cheek remarks are such that they are rightly directed at the deserving person without actually hurting him. This basketball captain of VJTI surprisingly turns macho and aggressive on court. But off it, he is a true gentleman, which is what makes him one of the most popular faces on the VJTI campus.
What is this Rancho, Rancho, huh? Is it the monkey?
No, Rancho is not the name of the monkey from the famed series. Ranchoddas Shyamaldas Chanchad aka 'Rancho' is the character played by Aamir Khan in 3 Idiots. Rancho is the ultimate rebel, who wants to change everything that is wrong with the education system. He doesn't really care what people think about him, and believes in only one thing.
"Chase excellence. Success will follow automatically."
– Saurabh Datar (with inputs from Priyanka Talreja, Pooja Dhuri,Atulya Ojha and Jayajanani P)


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Also called White Meranti, Lauan or Philippine Mahogany and is widely used in plywood, veneer, boat building, interior furniture, mouldings and general construction lumber.
|Yellowish orange to golden yellow-brown
|Coarse texture with medium to large pores. Sometimes interlocked.
|Sizes surfaced 4 sides
|1" x 2", 1" x 3",1" x 4", 1" x 5", 1" x 6", 1" x 8", 1" x 10", 1" x 12"
|Easy with carbide-tipped blades due to high silica content. Glues well. Finer sanding required to smooth.
|Specifications may change, please check with your local Windsor Plywood location to verify availability. Some products may be special order.
Submit the form below and we'll get back to you within 48 hours.
Availability of product varies by region.


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The automotive semiconductor IC market is the most exciting and challenging market today because the recent advances in the areas of ADAS and infotainment need high performance Embedded Processors at low cost and with high reliability. In order to design a high performance, high reliability and low cost ICs it is important to incorporate system level electrical, thermal and mechanical constraints from the beginning of the design cycle. This means chip, package and board designers must therefore work in concert in order to optimize the design for the targeted application environment. In this talk I will give an overview of the Co-design process that allows us to optimize the chip, package and board designs to meet the design objectives of high performance, high reliability and low cost.
Snehamay Sinha is the Manager of the System Co-design team in the Processors Group at TI. He has a Ph.D. in Physics from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. He joined TI in 1996 and has worked in the areas of ESD/EM/GOI, substrate noise coupling and more recently on signal and power integrity analysis. He has four patents and has published multiple journal and conference papers.


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Culture, Curry and Crafts families day
Date: 23rd October 2018
Venue: The Gurkha Museum
Try a taste of Nepal with a free curry tasting and Indian inspired crafts!
Between 11am and 3pm pop into the Gurkha Museum to try your hand at activities such as braided bracelet making, designing your own henna tattoos and making your own cardboard Kukri knife! There will be authentic Nepalese curry on offer for the parents (and kids!) to try for free.
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Radio-Host Attacker Confesses
Tribune's WPIX will air a report in its newscasts Monday that the government has a confession in the 1992 assault on WABC Radio host Curtis Sliwa, founder and president of Guardian Angels, a weapons-free citizen's crime patrol that began in a tough Bronx neighborhood (or is that redundant?).
WPIX's Mary Murphy reports that the feds are looking to arrest "Junior" Gotti (son of mob boss John Gotti)--after his release from federal prison in a few months--in connection with the assault. That's after Michael "Mikey Scars" Di Leonardo admitted to the assault and implicated Gotti.
Sliwa said he always suspected Gotti was retaliating for Sliwa's on-air criticisms of the Gotti's.
Gotti's attorney disputes Mikey Scars' claims.


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Honoring This Veteran's Sacrifice
I am republishing this article on this Memorial Day in appreciation for those who have given their lives for our freedom. My heart goes out to the gold star families who also sacrificed for us all.
My friend, Betty King showed me her Gold Star pin which belonged to her mother, Daisy. Betty's brother, Technical Sgt. William Frank Campbell was killed in combat in 1944 during World War II. He was 22 years old. His mother received the pin after his death.
His superior officer said in a letter: We who have had the honor of serving with William from the early training days at Ft. Bragg, down to and through this and past campaigns, share your loss, Just as we feel the pride you must feel in him. William's rise from the ranks tells its own story of his loyalty, efficiency and courage. His devotion to duty was a source of gratification to his superiors, and his example was at all times inspiring to his fellow enlisted men. He possessed that very rare quality which demands affection while it commands respect.
History of Gold Star Mothers and Pin
In 1928, after years of planning, twenty-five mothers met in Washington, D.C.to establish the national organization, American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. The name and design of the pin came from the custom of families of servicemen hanging a banner called a service flag in the windows of their homes. The service flag has a star for each family member in the Armed Forces. Living servicemen were represented by a blue star, and those who had lost their lives in combat were represented by a gold star
According to Wikipedia, a Gold Star Pin is an official decoration authorized by an Act of Congress that is issued to the next of kin of service members who died in World War I , World War II, and subsequent armed hostilities in which the Armed Forces of the United States has been engaged. The Gold Star Lapel Pin was established by Act of Congress in August of 1947.
I was asked to convert this beautiful and meaningful Gold Star pin into a necklace, so that it could be worn more easily. It was intended to be worn as a lapel pin. Not wanting to change the pin in any way, I came up with a design that can be worn either as a pin or pendant. The pin can be removed without damage. The Necklace is made of patterned brass to match the pin. I treated the brass to retard tarnish. My design suggests the American flag or a military dog tag. I hope that this necklace will be a fitting tribute to honor the late Mr. Campbell and all the other veterans who sacrificed for our freedom.


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2 Ply 10" Black Paper Beverage Party Napkins - 100 Pack
Item Number: NAP_BEV_100_BLK
|10"x10" size, unfolded.
|2ply PAPER napkins
|Also, these unprinted napkins are NOT the same manufacture as the personalized / printed napkins; therefore colors will vary with personalized napkins.
|NOTE: This is a CLOSEOUT sale - NO RETURN OR EXCHANGE will be accepted.


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Earlier today I twittered that I think I'm voting to split our convention. Here is why. Actually, I think I'll start with a bit of background for those of my readers who have no idea what I'm talking about.
The Southern Baptist Convention underwent a theological shift during the 1970s through mid-1990s. Before this period, the convention was headed in the same direction as the mainline protestant denominations. This theological shift took place over the inerrancy of scripture, although it manifest itself in many different ways. Let me say that differently. On the 1970's the SBC leadership was strongly leaning away from a view of scripture as inerrant. During this period, conservatives, those who would say that the Bible is true in all that it declares, began an effort to return the convention to its roots. They were ultimately successful, and today the Southern Baptist Convention is a thoroughly conservative denomination. And I, for one, am grateful to those who were involved in that process. At the end of this process, many theological moderates left the SBC and formed their own convention, known as the CBF.
This same battle took place in the vast majority of state conventions as well. However, for a variety of reasons, it had differing success in different places. In Virginia, Texas, and Missouri, the conventions actually split and the conservatives left to form their own state conventions. North Carolina has been able to remain united partially because of giving plans.
What are giving plans? In 1925, Southern Baptists developed the Cooperative Program. (CP) The CP is simply a method of sharing in mission work by pooling money from the 42,000 SBC churches. Each church sends a portion of its gifts to its respective state convention, the conventions in turn, use a portion for missions and ministry and send a portion to the SBC for missions and ministry. This combined amount makes the SBC able to send some 12,000 missionaries around the world, operate 6 seminaries, and do more than I can list in this paragraph.
Within North Carolina there were churches along the theological spectrum that wanted to contribute to state missions but not to SBC missions. Some want to send part of their money to the SBC and part to the CBF. Giving plans were created in order to facilitate the desires of everyone, and they essentially created confusion.
So today, the last item of business was to get rid of all of the giving plans and replace them with a single plan which had options. A church could still designate funds to the CBF, or it could exclude the SBC, but it was all done under one plan. It was essentially the same thing, but done in a much less convoluted way.
Sorry about that lengthy background passage, here is the news of the day:
When the motion was presented, messenger Matt Williamson, pastor of Oak Forest Baptist in Fletcher (ht - Biblical Recorder for that info) immediately asked it be amended to exclude the CBF. (Actually there was some confusion, but that was the point of his ammendment) That means that if the amendment passed, there is no way for a church to give to the CBF through the BSCNC. In other words, CBF churches would be effectively shut out of the state convention. If they still wish to give to both CBF and BSCNC they would have to write two checks. No big deal it sounds like, but they would now have to go out of their way to support the state convention and the CBF. It would be a formal severing. Needless to say, there was quite a bit of discussion both for and against the amendment.
What did I do? My heart was definitely with the amendment, but I had a fear that it the amendment passed, the unified giving plan would fail and we would be exactly in the same place as we began; a largely divided convention with a horrible system of giving.
Someone finally called the question and it came time to vote. We took two sight-votes (raise your ballots and see if any side clearly wins), but it was obviously very close. So we cast ballots. The amendment passed four-hundred sixty-something to three-hundred-something. Less than 1,000 total. If anyone had suspected that would occur there would have been many more messengers.
Oh yeah; What did I do? I voted for the amendment.
After the amendment passed, the motion to move to one, CBF-less giving plan passed overwhelmingly.
I don't want to get into prophecy, but this seems to have been the death-knell of the CBF in the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Here is the Baptist Press story about the convention


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Holiday decorating can be simple!! See how I decorated a Vestavia Hills, Alabama home for the holidays!
Spruce up your lighting by adding seasonal greenery and a complementary ribbon such as this one by Frou Frou Chic.
Use what you have in a new way. Cherished pieces such as the stone Nativity pictured has been a favorite of the homeowner for many years. I simply placed it on a mirrored tray in a new location.
3. Use garland in unexpected places such as down the center of the Kitchen Island.
4. Use colors of the season as with this Susan Gordon Pottery bowl full of limes.
5. Elevate small spaces. The back hall leading guests to the Powder Room was not left untouched. I used a Mitchell Fine Art painting of the Mother and Child along with a Widow's Mite framed piece by Lacey Russell.


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Considering that there are many women in India who wish to explore so many things in life but by stopped by many societal and family pressures, Megha (my travel buddy) and I founded Happy Travelling Girl an active community of fearless women solo travellers sharing their experiences and inspiring others not only to travel, but to take a stand for themselves.
Its a Through this community, we aim to enroll government of India (esp. NaMo) so that they stand for this cause, and support them to create a social media platform where all the verified solo women travellers worldwide can be registered and they can support each other to travel in India or probably event travel together.
We also aim in creating economical home stays / women hostels at key locations across India.
Do join the community and also spread the word among fellow women travellers.


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Dermatology Research and Practice
Volume 2012, Article ID 259170, 9 pages
Targeting the Cellular Signaling: BRAF Inhibition and Beyond for the Treatment of Metastatic Malignant Melanoma
1Department of Dermatology, Institut Gustave Roussy, 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 948005 Villejuif, France
2Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Jules Bordet, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Boulevard de Waterloo, 121, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Received 15 July 2011; Accepted 14 September 2011
Academic Editor: Gérald E. Piérard
Copyright © 2012 Felipe Ades and Otto Metzger-Filho. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Although advances in cytotoxic treatments have been obtained in several neoplasias, in metastatic melanoma there was no drug able to significantly change the natural history of the disease in the last 30 years. In the last decade, translational research identified important mechanisms in malignant transformation, invasion, and progression. Signaling pathways can be abnormally activated by oncogenes. The identification of oncogenic mutated kinases implicated in this process provides an opportunity for new target therapies. The melanoma dependence on BRAF-mutated kinase allowed the development of inhibitors that produced major responses in clinical trials. This is the beginning of a novel class of drugs in metastatic melanoma; the identification of the transduction signaling networking and other "druggable" kinases is in active research. In this paper, we discuss the ongoing research on cellular signaling inhibition, resistance mechanisms, and strategies to overcome treatment failure.


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Making a Statement with a Single Lamp
I promised myself that I would not buy a single lamp again, PERIOD. You see them everywhere if you're a thrift shopper. The lonely lamp teasing you and enticing you to buy, but you know better if you are a vendor like me. Why is it so hard to sell a single lamp?
I've decided that it shouldn't be hard and ditched the notion that a single lamp is unworthy. To illustrate this point, I've created a Pinterest board dedicated to the single lamp. Here are some of my absolute favorites:


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Fabric of the Universe
We are each a code in the matrix of this world.
We are seven digit numbers with area codes, masking our emotions with emojis. Collected like friends in a contact book or media platform. As we branch out into the realms of virtual space, we add layers of mathematical code to our being. We add extra language to our DNA. After all, math is the auto-biography of the universe. We are in the first act of a play called continuum.
Though the image of us as numbers is a bit unfamiliar, it is what we have become. We communicate in a digital sphere on a daily basis. We must trust time, as we trust nature, and know that our destiny is a part of something grand. We, Earth-grown human beings, are a string of numbers written into the fabric of the universe. Together, we make a story only told by Gods.


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Place all sort of shore land such as sand, coconut tree, glitter, rock, shell, and bubble in your cleaning components. You may fill the glass vase together with sand, put an artificial coconut tree in the cleaning corner, apply the stone floor solely for that cleaning sink wall, put wallpaper with shell decoration to a wall, and a lot more. To generate the shore themes for your cleaning, I believe we have therefore many approach to do. Only make an effort to make your cleaning much more delightful together with all the top 10 best inexpensive vacuum cleaners 2016 2017 on flipboard.
The first action to do if installing the wall cupboard is measuring your distance as well as place. Where would you like to place the wall cupboard? How many wall cupboard you want on the cleaning? The size of the wall mounted cabinet necessary? Before installing and choosing the wall mount, it is wise to answer that question in order to find the optimal/optimally wall cabinet and will meet the expectation when working with it.
Even the 3D cleaning style and design application makes you're capable of seeing the visual understanding from the own design. Howeveryou also able to planning your own cleaning style and design from 2D instrument. With design application, you are able to practice your cleaning design in free without having a specialist. Pay a visit to top 10 best inexpensive vacuum cleaners 2016 2017 on flipboard online site to your cleaning remodel.
Additionally, it can be nearly impossible for putting in suitable cabinet in the event the cleaning just has very modest space. Inside this scenario, folks will need to consider in regards to the top 10 best inexpensive vacuum cleaners 2016 2017 on flipboard. Usually folks will build the cleaning cabinet on special area from the floor surface. But it has to be much easier to rescuing a ground surface should they've little cleaning and it is potential for putting in the cleaning cupboard above the toilet. They are able to use space over the toilet which is unworthy commonly.
This Top 10 Best Inexpensive Vacuum Cleaners 2016 2017 On Flipboard the gallery form Ravishing Top Vacuums. Hopefully you can find the best inspiration from our gallery here.


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The community spirit of the PNA was present in an inspiring and humbling way on Sunday, February 26, when more than 55 people gathered in the PNC Community Hall to learn about how to participate as a volunteer with the PNA Village.
The PNA Village, PNA's newest program, aims to help people to remain in their homes and neighborhoods while staying active and engaged as they age. Volunteers are the heart and soul of this program. A network of volunteers will provide services to Village members, including transportation, handy work around the house and yard, social activities, and more. The vision, developed over the last three years by a dedicated Village Advisory Board and the Volunteer Committee, is to foster a culture of interdependence between members and volunteers. The abundant excitement about the Village volunteer program indicates that this vision of a mutually supportive, caring community is one that resonates strongly with people; it is this resonance upon which the Village will grow and thrive.
If you missed the Volunteer Kick-Off but are still interested in getting involved, no worries! You can email email@example.com or call 206.789.1217 to get more information and begin the application process. Many Village members are also volunteers, but you do not need to be a member in order to volunteer.
Thanks to all those who made this event possible…
Marie Adan, Kristin Diestelhorst, Janice Dilworth, Kayla Down, Alex Eckardt, Carol Flannigan, Beth de la Fuente, Trudy James, Cecily Kaplan, Lea Ann Miyagawa, Jacqueline Sorgen, Cristal Weber, Joanna Wright, and all those on the Village Advisory Board and Committees, as well as the PNA Staff, who have supported the Village and brought us to this point!


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August 2018, Toronto, Canada
More than a thousand Rolls-Royce Owners' Club members, guests and VIPs gathered for the club's Annual Meet at The Resort at Squaw Creek in Lake Tahoe. A highlight of the week- long event was the launch of the club's new publication, Strive for Perfection.
Douglas Design Studio was proud to present the RROC with a custom designed commemorative box to hold this special edition of the book. The box will be kept on display at the headquarters of the Rolls Royce Owners Club headquarters in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
Douglas Design Studio is also proud to be featured in the "Strive for Perfection" publication. The annual publication also serves as a carefully curated guide to some of the most must-have products and experiences in the world, ranging from jewelry to travel, gastronomy to interior design.
Richard Freed, the CEO and owner of St James's House, said, "The annual Rolls-Royce Owners' Club meet is one of the highlights of the year, and this year's was one of the most luxurious events yet. We are extremely proud of the publication and honoured to be working alongside such exceptional companies and organizations."


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Twisted Rope Ring
Twisted Rope Ring
For the ties that bind.
Using a classic nautical rope theme our Twisted Rope ring is a timeless design. Stack it or wear it alone for a pared down look. A perfect choice for female sailors or Navy wives.
Product Details
- Solid 14K gold ring
- Classic rope twist which pretty much works with everything
- Available in ring sizes 4 through 9 US
For custom inquiries or additional details, please email us at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Vincent Caillé is a 5th generation winemaker and he currently carves out a living in the heart of Muscadet Sevre et Maine in Monnières. Both of his parents hail from winemaking families and Vincent is one of the few winegrowers from Nantes who produce wines organically, a true priesthood due to the oceanic climate and the propensity of grapes here to welcome mildew. He began working with his father in 1986 and took over his dad's 4 Ha parcel when he retired in 1992. He continued to expand the domaine by purchasing great parcels that came up for sale. At one point the estate grew up to 38 Ha and then Vincent reduced it back down to 26 Ha by selling the least interesting parcels. Now, the estate is owned by both Vincent, his wife Sylvie and his two younger brothers.
Vincent's goal is to produce exceptional grapes that yield the best expressions from his vineyards without intervention. "The harder and better you work in the vineyard, the less you have to do in the cellar, he says." He is not lazy, however he tends to learn year after year that you just need "to do nothing", meaning do not interfere in the making of the wine. In the cellar, he vinifies his wines in the traditional way with indigenous yeast and long aging on the lees. His wines, with ridiculously low prices, are of remarkable density and sensitivity that restore the image of a resurgent appellation. His work leads to a very expressive Gros Plant, straight, pure laser beam Muscadet expressing those identities leached from the terroirs (orthogneiss, gabbro and granite) and extremely aromatic reds (Cot, Abouriou and Gamay).
As we enter a cooler time of year and we all look for some good tangy reds, try to snag a bottle of 2012 Gamay from Vincent. It is slightly different from what you could expect. The big difference here from other Gamay is the expression of the terroir. Only 3% of the Pays Nantais soil is made out of Gabbro, the same rock which gives the great minerality to the Muscadet from the area of Gorges. Gabbro is close to Basalt, and the result of cooling and solidification of lava. It is made up of an unusual black and green rock mixed with sand. The rocks give the wine grown on it minerality and the sand gives those characteristics of fleshier fruit. What makes this wine so delicious is its freshness, acidity 'pointue' as they say in French, or pointed, sharp, crisp & defined. Vincent's Gamay was planted 40 years ago and vinified in the same way as his other reds; 7 days of maceration, 5 month in stainless steel and bottled without any filtration. He only makes 2800 bottles of Gamay. Yes, 230 cases of this perfect food pairing wine that will seduce you with aromas of chalk, crushed red fruits and dried flowers. The wine delivers an earthy elegance with a light vein of sour acidity, pencil lead shavings, cranberry, rhubarb and is extremely food friendly. Ideal with roasted birds, ripe double or triple crème cheeses and charcuterie.
You can see a nice quote on Le Fay D'Homme wine boxes : " To make good wine, you need a certain philosophy...you need to be a dreamer ".
La Part du Colibri translated means the Part of the Hummingbird. The reference is to an ancient Amerindian story:
During a forest fire, a small bird in flight and friend of the flowers, was the only one to busy itself in front of the towering inferno. All the animals were terrified and appalled, on their heels watching the disaster helplessly. Only the small hummingbird was busy, fetching a few drops of water in its beak to throw onto the fire. After a while, the armadillo, annoyed by his trivial actions, told the hummingbird - "Are you crazy?! "Do you think you are going to put out the fire with these tiny drops of water?" "I know", said the hummingbird, "but I'm playing my part".


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PhD defence: People, Pigs, Pork and Preferences - Exploring the Role of Consumer Perception in Market-Driven Animal Welfare
PhD defence
Cecilie A. H. Thorslund
This thesis presents results from a qualitative research project on public perception of animal welfare and meat quality related to the pig industry in Denmark, Sweden and England. The aim is to deepen our understanding of people's role in pig welfare management in order to shed some light on the barriers and potential for a market-driven pig welfare strategy. Firstly, overall, it was found that animal welfare is perceived both as a quality in itself and as an attribute with links to other important meat quality attributes. Secondly, it was found that public concerns about pig welfare vary, depending on whether they relate to an everyday or production context. Furthermore, some interesting national differences emerged, pointing at the need for more than one marketing strategy if pig welfare is to be supported through consumer demand.
Overall, this thesis contributes with important findings relevant to the well-known gap between the attitudes of the citizen and actions of the consumer.
Jesper Lassen, Professor, Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Peter Sandøe, Professor, Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen
Margit Dall Aaslyng, Senior Project Manager, Meat Technology, Danish Technological Institute, Denmark
Assesment Committee
Annemette Ljungdalh Nielsen, Associate Professor, Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Mara Miele, Professor, School of Geopgraphy and Planning, Cardiff University, Wales, United Kingdom
Egon Noe, Associate Professor, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Denmark
If you are interested in a full copy of the thesis, you can contact the PhD
student or one of the supervisors.


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Established in 2016, Abbey Mill Run Club has quickly became the friendliest and best attended in Renfrewshire. We cater for all levels from couch to marathon runners. So if running is your thing or you fancy giving it a go, there is no better place to be. Running is possibly the best way to get fit and lose weight and in this club you are also guaranteed to meet new friends in the process. Runs are free to all gym members.
£6 per run or £22 p/m unlimited runs (includes gym membership, direct debit, no contract)


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4th of July Wedding
This day. One of the BEST days of my entire summer!!! I am so blessed to have all these chances to witness love throughout the year, and Sarah & Derrick's day was no exception! Family and friends gathered for the ceremony at the sweet, uniquely A-framed family cabin tucked away in Shawano County. Surrounded by all the love and the scent of pines and pending rainfall, Sarah and Derrick promised to love one another for a lifetime after nearly ten years together. To make this 4th of July themed wedding even more special, they celebrated with their one-year-old daughter, Liberty! Mix in several apple pie shots, a pontoon ride across the lake, a pig roast for dinner and a nightcap of fireworks and Sarah & Derrick had the most perfect day!
-Cheers to a lifetime of happiness you two!


text: Remember that time you went to visit your daughter in California and she took you to her favorite farmer's market where you had the BEST granola you've ever had? Or when you were in San Francisco, taking a stroll on a Saturday morning, and stumbled upon that cute little farmer's market where they sold those delicious dried apricots. Agghh, how wonderful would it be to have some of that right now? That's where we can help!


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All-Comers Track and Field Series
2018 High-Performance Results
Updated information and performances July 5, 2018
1 -- 969 points for Luke George (un/M18) in meet 3 with a 4:08.79 Mile Run
2 -- 956 points for Albert MacArthur (Thriller/M20) in meet 2 with a 7.19m Long Jump
2 -- 956 points for Cass Elliott (High Volt/M18) in meet 2 with a 53.66 400-hurdles
4 -- 943 points for Claire Manley (un/F20) in meet three for a 17:10.0h 5000-meters
5 -- 923 points for Melanie Vertrees (EvTC/F27) in meet 5 with a 1.75m High Jump
6 -- 902 points for Anya Hirschfeld (un/F17) in meet 4 with a 2:15.01 800-meters
For the 2018 season, prizes will be awarded to the five athletes with the top performances of the series based on the IAAF Scoring Tables. At least one woman will be included, and one age-graded masters performance will be honored (masters must submit performances, as we will not do the math for everyone.) Due to NCAA and NFSHSA rules, no one with scholastic eligibility can be awarded cash. Prizes: 1st $500, 2nd $400, 3rd $300, 4th $200, 5th $100.
Thank you to Super Jock & Jill for donating gift certificates valid at their stores for the 2017 High Performance Prizes. The complete 2017 high performance list is below:
In 2016, it took more than 1,000 point performances for all awards.
The table below shows how events compare in order to earn prize money. We track all 1,000-point-plus performances each season.


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Morro Bay police officers on paid leave after shooting suspected burglar
Two Morro Bay police officers are on paid administrative leave while authorities investigate the shooting of a burglary suspect early Friday after the suspect allegedly hit one of the officers on the head with what police called a "blunt object" near Morro Rock.
Morro Bay officials said Friday afternoon they are confident the two officers followed procedure in the incident, in which the burglary suspect suffered a nonlife-threatening gunshot wound to the leg. Both he and the officer were treated at local hospitals.
Charges against the suspected burglar are pending, and the District Attorney's Office is investigating the shooting.
At a news conference Friday afternoon, Morro Bay police Chief Amy Christie identified the man who was shot as Alec Bryan Stephenson, 20, a homeless man who Christie said was arrested weeks ago on suspicion of vehicle burglary. Stephenson was hospitalized Friday evening.
Several hours before the alleged burglary, officers talked to Stephenson around midnight while responding to a report of suspicious activity around vehicles near the Harbor Department building on the Embarcadero, Christie said.
According to the Police Department's timeline of events, the following occurred:
At 6:43 a.m., police received a call from someone who reported seeing a man breaking into the Good Flea 2nd Hand Store on the 300 block of Quintana Road. The caller followed the suspected burglar, who was on a bicycle, from the store toward the Embarcadero.
Two Morro Bay police officers, Dale Cullum and Maria Lomeli, located the caller, who told them the suspect had ridden his bike toward Morro Rock.
The officers confronted Stephenson, who they believed was the suspect, near Coleman Park. Stephenson hit Cullum in the head with a "blunt object." Cullum pulled his gun and fired a single round, hitting Stephenson in the leg.
Neither officer deployed a Taser, Christie said. Christie said she did not have more information regarding Stephenson's weapon, how far away he was when he was shot, or Cullum's injury.
Medical personnel arrived and treated Stephenson at the scene before taking him to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, where he remained in fair condition as of Friday afternoon, according to hospital officials. Cullum was also treated at the scene and taken to French Hospital Medical Center; he was later released.
Officials did not say whether Stephenson stole anything from the store. Charges against him were pending, and bail information was not immediately available Friday afternoon.
The owner of the Good Flea told The Tribune on Friday that her front window was broken but she hadn't yet conducted an inventory to see whether anything was taken.
As a matter of protocol, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office will assist in the investigation into the alleged burglary and assault on an officer. The District Attorney's Office is conducting a separate investigation into the shooting, which is also standard procedure, according to Assistant District Attorney Lee Cunningham.
Both Cullum and Lomeli will remain on paid administrative leave until the investigation is complete.
According to police records, Cullum has been with the Police Department since January 2010, and Lomeli was hired last year.
Court records show Stephenson entered a plea of no contest to a misdemeanor charge of petty theft in a separate case Thursday. He was convicted in August 2014 of resisting an officer, a misdemeanor.
On Friday afternoon, Christie said she was proud of the officers' conduct and confident the investigation will reveal they followed procedure.
"We are thankful for their professionalism and that they're safe," Christie said.
She added that the last officer-involved shooting in Morro Bay was in 2001 and the city's officers only assisted officers from another department in that incident.
As of Friday afternoon, an arraignment hearing had yet to be scheduled for Stephenson in San Luis Obispo Court.
Staff Writer Nick Wilson contributed to this story.