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Chamillionare Wants to Sock Michael Jordan
Chamillionaire use to be a huge Michael Jordan fan. But now he detests him so much, he wants to punch him, literally.
Apparently, the Houston rapper wasn't too pleased by Jordan's refusal to take a picture with him at a recent party thrown by the basketball legend–even after Chamillionaire explained he paid $7,000 for a Jordan jersey once.
In response to the alleged snub, Chamillionaire did what any sensible burned fan would do: He took to the Internet and trash talked his idol.
"Even as a man I felt like it should steal on him right now," he whined. "I'm just going to steal on him and I don't care what happens. I'm bout to punch him." –Linda Hobbs


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Arsenic fears rise over treated wood disposal
By JULIE HAUSERMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 11, 2001
Because of that, tons of treated wood decks and playgrounds that wear out can be dumped in unlined landfills.
Now, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is concerned that the leaking arsenic poses a threat to drinking water. At the West Pasco landfill, for example, tests in the mid 1990s showed arsenic levels 1 1/2 times the level the state considers safe for drinking water.
The wood-treatment industry's trade association says the state tests don't prove that the arsenic is coming from treated wood.
The DEP predicts the problem only will get worse. The tonnage of pressure-treated lumber going to landfills is expected to increase seven-fold over the next 25 years.
Some counties recycle wood piles by turning them into mulch. But when pressure-treated lumber is chopped into mulch, the contamination can spread more readily to soil and ground water.
"My concern is what happens when (CCA-treated wood) is recycled into mulch and you put it in your garden and start working with it with your hands," said DEP Secretary David Struhs. "People think they are doing something environmentally responsible by recycling the wood, but they are creating a public health hazard."
State Rep. Ron Greenstein, a South Florida Democrat, has filed a bill that would require landfill operators to prove to the state that they shouldn't have liners. If they couldn't prove it, they would have to put in a liner -- an expensive proposition.
The wood-treatment industry has hired one of Florida's most powerful lobbying firms, Hopping, Green, Sams & Smith, to monitor the Legislature this year. Greenstein says that lobbyists from Washington recently flew to Tallahassee and took him and two other lawmakers to lunch to downplay the state's concerns about leaking landfills.
Meanwhile, the EPA is reviewing CCA and has proposed tougher limits for the amount of arsenic allowed in drinking water -- which could create regulatory problems at landfills that leak arsenic.
"We're concerned," said Richard Gentry, lobbyist for the Florida Homebuilders Association. "If we have to start sending that stuff to a lined landfill, it's going to get real expensive.
"I do know there are alternatives to arsenic. I suspect that, very shortly, we're going to be looking at alternatives. We're not out to poison anybody."
© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-893-8111
From the Times state desk
From the state wire

subset: commoncrawl


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Leeds based 8 piece collective who list ten band members and say they have more in common with Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds than Arcade Fire take inspiration from cheese, Kurt Cobain and strawberry milk in varying measures to bring you their new single 'Ingrid Won't Smile'. Former Introducing debutantes at Reading & Leeds 2009 with a Maida Vale session under their considerable belts press on with a quest to "Write the perfect pop song for people who don't like pop music." (Rather like trying to make someone like Marmite then, or feeding those prone to anaphylaxis, or hypersensitivity, a bag of dry roasted!)
With a slightly skewed turn of phrase and an acute ability to create innovative harmony Milk White White Teeth chase the educated types keen on the 'Intel-Pop Genre'. Using "Lyrics chosen for aesthetics and the moods they create, as opposed to direct story telling" Jon Crabbe and Barrie Wilson, the original cofounders of the assemblage, set out the frame on which the rest of the troupe add the fabric. Richly textured, beautifully layered and never unnecessary, their sound combinations, and sometimes quirky instrument choices, add to the quality compositions.
Continue reading: Milk White White Teeth, Ingrid Won't Smile Single Review
'Smalls Change (Meditations Upon Ageing)' arrives in April.
The two awards have made for a great 72nd birthday present for the country music icon.


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Daily Business Report-May 19, 2015
Model of MEIS-designed Chargers stadium for the Mission Valley site.
Canopied Chargers Stadium
Would be Unique in the NFL
By Dan Meis
San Diego's sunny and mild climate provided us with the opportunity to design a multipurpose, state-of-the-art stadium that would be both unique in the NFL and a home field to the San Diego Chargers unmatched by any other stadium on the planet in its ability to be completely evocative of the environment of which it is born.
The temperate climate allowed us to design a building that is far more open in nature. Concourses, club areas, lobbies —areas that are traditionally enclosed and electronically heated or cooled — can in this climate often be open air, or significantly less weather protected than in a northern climate.
The ability to forego the facade wrapping that most stadiums of this size require reduces both the capital and operating cost of the venue, while enhancing the fan experience by providing a truly unique-to-San Diego venue.
The natural landscape of San Diego became a critical part of the architecture with the integration of native species of trees and flowers providing a natural tie to the site.
The defining design feature of the proposed stadium is a sun canopy we have dubbed "the Helios."
Helios, the personification of the sun in Greek mythology, here is a fabric canopy employed specifically to shade the seating bowl from the San Diego sun while maintaining an open-to-the-sky, "California convertible" feel.
The form of the canopy is derived from a sophisticated computer simulation of the sun angles throughout the seasons at this specific geographic location. The canopy provides an added benefit in acoustical enhancement, capturing crowd noise, and allowing for sound and lighting distribution, ensuring a raucous home-field advantage and state-of-the-art broadcast conditions.
The steel, fabric and cable structure MEIS designed are instantly evocative of the masts and rigging of the sailboats so identified with the San Diego lifestyle.
The design is at once simple and instantly iconic. The shape of the seating bowl reflects the desired sideline orientation of the majority of seating and the best site lines in the NFL. Regular capacity of 65,000 seats is easily expanded to 72,000 for Super Bowls and other major events through the addition of temporary end zone seating sections.
This design allows for one of the most cost-effective stadiums of its size in the world while providing a uniquely San Diego experience and an instantly recognizable, iconic addition to the region.
Dan Meis is the founder and managing principal at MEIS, a New York-based stadium architecture and design firm. This essay appeared in the Citizens' Stadium Advisory Group report on stadium financing.
Women-Owned Firms in San Diego
Contribute $14.6 Billion to Economy
California leads the nation in the number of women-owned firms with an estimated 1.2 million. These firms employ almost one million and attribute to roughly $218.9 billion.
That's according to the fifth annual State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, commissioned by American Express OPEN, a comprehensive report released Monday analyzing the 1997, 2002, and 2007 data from the U.S. Census Bureau's quinquennial business census, the Survey of Business Owners.
San Diego has an estimated 95,100 women-owned firms, employing 92,400 people and attributing to nearly $14.6 billion.
Similar to previous annual reports released this time last year, the unique analysis, reported by industry, revenue and employment size at the national and state levels, shares a new and nuanced investigation into the growth trends among the 9.4 million women-owned enterprises over the past 18 years.
Nationally, the number of women-owned businesses has increased 74 percent since 1997. California is ranked 14th (74.1percent) in growth of number of firms over the past 18 years and 27th (80.6 percent) in growth of firm revenue between 1997 and 2015. Out of the top 25 metro areas, San Diego is ranked 16th (29.4 percent) in growth of firms since 2002 and 17th (38.3 percent) in growth of firm revenue.
Real Office Centers Opens Second
Downtown Office Space for Startups
Real Office Centers (ROC) is opening today a second Downtown San Diego location for tech start-ups, providing entrepreneurs with private offices and a large communal workspace that fosters a creative and nurturing environment for their businesses to thrive.
The creative space at 101 Broadway is over 21,000 square feet and features 96 private offices (furnished and unfurnished), conference rooms, collaborative workspace, a fully equipped kitchen/lounge, mail receipt and distribution, guest reception, Cafe Bar serving local coffee, beer on tap, bike parking (racks), lockers, monthly events such as Free Lunch Friday, professional administrative and concierge services, free maintenance and utilities, and 24/7 office access.
The new ROC location will open 25 percent leased and house creative and technology forward startups such as Zirx, a valet on demand car service app company.
The initiation of ROC's second Downtown location was prompted by a collaboration between ROC, EvoNexus (a technology incubator) and the Irvine Company to connect entrepreneurs at various stages of development and facilitate growth all under one roof — collectively called TheVineSD.
"Part of ROC's platform is to support and foster the growth of the startup community," said Ron McElroy, founder and CEO of ROC. "As seeded companies from EvoNexus graduate and get funded, ROC is the natural next progression and this new location allows them to stay close to both mentors and continued funding."
A recent Inc. magazine study showed the tech start-up sector growing by more than 150 percent over the past five years, resulting in the demand for affordable and flexible office space and lease options.
ROC said it is working with community partners Microsoft Bizpark, Founders Institute, Conscious Capitalism, and Tech Coast Venture Network.
The Downtown space includes a full wall mural by in-house artist Kaleo.
Kearny Mesa Office Building Sold for $4.63 Million
REAlliance LLC has purchased a 27,239-square-foot medical office building in San Diego's Kearny Mesa submarket from Daley Industrial Venture, No. 5 for $4.63 million. The property is located at 9737 Aero Drive.
Realliance LLC (The Super Dentists) has plans to renovate and retrofit the entire building. According to Dr. Kami Hoss, CEO of The Super Dentists and managing partner at REAlliance, the space will be utilized for their corporate office and will also include the main campus for their dental assisting school and their fifth multi-specialty dental practice.
JLL represented the buyer. Voit Real Estate Services represented the seller.
City Council Vote on One Paseo
Delayed Over Possible Compromise
A City Council vote on whether to proceed with a ballot referendum on the controversial One Paseo project was postponed because of a possible compromise between opposing developers.
Councilman David Alvarez who represents south San Diego, sought the delay because he said a compromise that would reduce traffic in Carmel Valley was at hand.
Representatives of One Paseo developer Kilroy Realty and Donahue Schriber Realty Group, which owns the shopping center across the street and financed signature-gathering for the referendum, told the council they could not specifically discuss a possible compromise. But under questioning, they implied there was progress.
"More time is always helpful," said Jeff Chine, an attorney for Kilroy."We're closer to home than not."
Councilman Scott Sherman argued that it makes sense to take three more days and possibly save taxpayers money on a ballot referendum, which the city clerk estimated would cost nearly $900,000.
Council President Sherri Lightner, who represents Carmel Valley, said she opposed delaying a vote. "It's unfair to the public to do this at the last moment when I know this has been going on for awhile," she said, referring to the ongoing discussions.
The postponement until the next regular council meeting on Thursday was approved 7-2. At that time, the council could either rescind its approval of One Paseo or allow the referendum to proceed.
— Times of San Diego
Chargers Owner Dean Spanos
Stepping Down From Operations
On the day that the possible framework of a financial plan to build a new football stadium in San Diego was released, the Chargers Monday announced that owner Dean Spanos is stepping down from day-to-day operations of the team.
His sons, John and A.G. Spanos, have been promoted as co-presidents after serving as executive vice presidents. John Spanos will continue to be the head of football operations, while A.G. will still oversee the business side, according to the Chargers.
Dean Spanos will remain chairman of the board.
ESPN reported that the elder Spanos felt the time was right to hand off control of the team, and that the main difference is that his sons will now have the final say over their sides of the operation.
Spanos will remain involved in the Chargers' hunt for a new stadium, whether in San Diego or Los Angeles, according to the report.
— City News Service
Storage Company Illegally Sold Navy
Service Members' Stored Belongings
A San Diego-based storage company agreed to pay $170,000 to resolve allegations by the Department of Justice that it unlawfully sold U.S. Navy service members' stored belongings, federal authorities announced.
A lawsuit filed in March claimed Across Town Movers had a practice of selling active-duty service members' storage lots without obtaining necessary court orders.
"Federal law protects our military service members and their dependents from businesses taking certain adverse actions against them," said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy. "These protections permit service members to devote their full attention to defending the United States."
Among the aggrieved service members is Master Chief Petty Officer Thomas E. Ward, now retired, who will receive $150,000 as compensation for his auctioned personal property.
A longtime car enthusiast and 30-year veteran, Ward placed his valuable car parts and many household items into storage when he was deployed overseas.
He entrusted Across Town Movers to keep his property safe until he returned home to San Diego. Just before completing his final tour, Ward learned that Across Town Movers had auctioned off all of his stored personal property, including rare, vintage car parts. without providing any notice or obtaining a court order, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Across Town Movers continued to collect payment of storage fees from the government after it sold Ward's goods, prosecutors said.
— City News Service
Towne Centre Technology Park Sold
Towne Centre Technology Park, a four-building property in University Towne Center, has been sold to BioMed Realty Trust for $83.8 million. The seller was Arden Realty Inc.
The property is located on Towne Centre Court and Towne Centre Drive and totals 183,000 square feet.
Foundry Medical Innovations Merges with Zeis,
Changes Name to Toolbox Medical Innovations
CARSLBAD — Foundry Medical Innovations, a medical and diagnostic device development company, has merged with Zeis Consulting Group, a leader in IVD clinical research, and changed its name to Toolbox Medical Innovations.
Along with the merger comes building improvements to its Carlsbad headquarters that includes a new engineering laboratory, additional office space, numerous upgrades to the current facility, a new top-of-the line injection molding machine, and a usability testing area.
"With the merger, we now have a wider focus and more tools at our disposal that will help us deliver the best in medical and diagnostic technology, such as usability studies, to our target markets," said Meghan Alonso, Toolbox Medical Innovations business development director. "Given these dramatic changes, we believe our re-branding to Toolbox Medical Innovations was definitely warranted."
San Diego County Education and School
Technology Leaders to be Honored Wednesday
The Classroom of the Future Foundation will honor education leaders, schools and programs that utilize the most forward-thinking uses of educational technology in San Diego County at the 12th annual Innovation in Education Awards to be held Wednesday at the University of San Diego.
Among the awardees is local resident Thomas Greaves, recipient of the Visionary & Outstanding Leadership Award. Greaves spearheaded ProjectRED (Revolutionizing Education), the first large-scale national research study to identify and prioritize the factors that make K-12 technology implementations successful.
Recipients of education program awards include the San Diego County Office of Education, Feaster Charter, School ( Chula Vista Elementary School District), Poway Unified School District and Longfellow Elementary School (San Diego Unified School District).
Along with Greaves, individual education leader honorees include Timothy Baird, superintendent of the Encinitas Union School District; Steve Bailey, principal of Emerald STEAM Magnet Middle School; Rick Oser, principal of Lemon Grove Academy for Sciences and Humanities.
Scott Moss, a teacher at Innovation Middle School, will receive the Innovative Technology award for a member of San Diego Computer Using Educators (SDCUE). It includes a $1,000 award in recognition of his nearly 30 years of educational technology experience as an educator, administrator, conference presenter, instructor, and Google Certified Teacher and a CUE Lead Learner.
In addition to the individual awards, $40,000 in scholarships provided by USS Midway Museum and the Jack in the Box Foundation will be distributed among 20 AVID (college prep program) students.
For more information, visit www.classroomofthefuture.org.


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Full Stack Web Developer-VTTI
Bookmark this Posting | Print Preview | Apply for this Job
Position Information
Position Information:
|Working Title:
|Full Stack Web Developer-VTTI
|Faculty Rank:
|Research Associate
|Posting Number:
|About Virginia Tech:
Virginia Tech is a public land-grant university, committed to teaching and learning, research, and outreach to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world. Building on its motto of Ut Prosim (that I may serve), Virginia Tech is dedicated to InclusiveVT—serving in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence. We seek candidates who adopt and practice the Principles of Community, which are fundamental to our on-going efforts to increase access and inclusion, and to create a community that nurtures learning and growth for all of its members. Virginia Tech actively seeks a broad spectrum of candidates to join our community in preparing leaders for the world.
|Position Summary:
Assists in designing and implementing web applications (full stack) for use by industry professionals to control and monitor internal systems. This involves managing the interchange of data amongst servers, users, and other machines. Improve on existing web applications by working with users to design pages that meet their needs. Sites need to be compatible with all browsers and use current design standards. Need to be capable of quick turnaround from requirements to a fully functioning site. Independently evaluates, selects and applies software design principles, procedures, and criteria, using judgment in making adaptations and modifications. Performance at this level requires developmental experience in a professional position or equivalent graduate level educations.
Directions given and received:
|Required Qualifications:
-M.S. degree in Computer Science or engineering comparable with exception for a lesser degree with significant related experience.
|Preferred Qualifications:
|Employment Conditions:
|Must have a conviction check:
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|How to Apply for this Job:
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and a resume or curriculum vitae to the Virginia Tech employment website at www.jobs.vt.edu. Posting # xxxxxxx
|Employee Category:
|Research Faculty
|Appointment Type:
|If restricted or temporary, enter end date:
|One Year from Hire
|FLSA Status:
|Exempt: Not eligible for overtime
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|Non-Tenure Track
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|If part time, enter Percent Time:
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|Commensurate with experience
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Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, or veteran status; or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees, or applicants; or any other basis protected by law.
For inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies, contact the executive director for Equity and Accessibility at 540-231-2010 or Virginia Tech, North End Center, Suite 2300 (0318), 300 Turner St. NW, Blacksburg, VA 24061.
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If you are an individual with a disability and desire accommodation please contact the hiring department.
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Best Active Lifestyle Retirement Facilities Ratings Revealed by bestretirementdestinations.com for June 2014
(PRWEB) June 24, 2014
The independent authority on retirement communities, bestretirementdestinations.com, has announced the thirty top active lifestyle destinations in the June 2014 edition of the rankings published online. Businesses looking for trustworthy active lifestyle destinations access the rankings at bestretirementdestinations.com. Each retirement destination showcased within the rankings has been put through an in-depth analysis to establish how well they perform compared to industry standards and competitors.
The 30 best active lifestyle retirement destinations for June 2014 are:
1- Brays Island Plantation
2- Roaring Fork Club
3- Greenbrier Sporting Club
4- Stone Creek Ranch
5- Dataw Island
6- The Ritz-Carlton Residences - Vail
7- Huntsman Springs
8- Isleworth
9- Dove Mountain
10- Cielo Falls
11- Andalusia at Coral Mountain
12- Mount Washington Resort
13- The Cliffs at Mountain Park
14- Oldfield
15- Trillium
16- The St. Regis Resort & Residences, Deer Crest
17- The Legacy at Jordan Lake
18- The Glacier Club
19- The Ford Plantation
20- The Divide at Bald Rock
21- Rarity Pointe
22- Cordillera Ranch
23- Mountain Falls
24- Blue Marlin Cove Anglers Club
25- Cutter Bay
26- Arrabelle Resort at Vail Square
27- The Benjamin Chase Mill
28- Brown Dog Ranch-McKeough Land Company
29- Achasta
30- Dolce Vita
These destinations are investigated in order to uncover which produce the best overall active lifestyle solution. This is accomplished through the use of a set of evaluation criteria consisting of five verticals of evaluation used to benchmark and compare destinations based on the most integral aspects of these solutions. The five verticals of evaluation used during this process include social networking, proximity*medical svs., safety * security, health and nutrition, and recreational activities.
ABOUT bestretirementdestinations.com
bestretirementdestinations.com is a well-known independent authority on retirement facilities. The key goal of bestretirementdestinations.com is to identify and reveal those individuals or destinations supplying the top retirement destinations solutions all over the world. A specialized team of researchers examine thousands of applicants each month who are seeking to be ranked as a top retirement destinations product or service by the independent authority.
The 30 best active lifestyle retirement destinations for June 2014 can be found at: http://bestretirementdestinations.news-prs.com/us/active-lifestyles-rankings.
Active lifestyle destinations interested in being evaluated can visit: http://bestretirementdestinations.news-prs.com/us/apply-for-rankings.


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Past Reviews
Off Broadway Reviews
Over the last two and a half decades, Hoch has watched New York City transform from an individual, dangerous place into a well-scrubbed and expensive port of call for hipsters, entrepreneurs, and permanent vacationers. But everyone who's trying to horn in on the next big thing might not see what Hoch does: It's too late. His girlfriends come here to find themselves, then move away when they do; he can earn exorbitant sums touring his shows outside New York, but barely pulls down a living wage in the city; the almond croissants he enjoys aren't worth the four dollars he now has to pay for them.
Dressed all in black, he quivers as he rages about the state of his disintegrating hometown, making no attempt to hide his simmering distaste. The more he rails, the more aware you are that you're likely a target as well - he may like you in a "colonial, sexy way," but ultimately if you're not a real part of New York, you're a real part of the problem. Regardless, he always leaves you feeling more informed and empowered than assaulted: His story about a violent drug deal he witnessed 20 years ago, on the site of what is now a Whole Foods, doesn't let you forget that something is invariably gained when something else is taken away.
This is the only time this message leaks into Taking Over. Whether portraying the Latino Robert screaming at "American crackers" from every state to vacate his neighborhood, the old black woman Marion who's watched her home turf turn into a permanent movie set, or the ex-con Kiko striving to become a part of one such film to prove to a Hollywood PA he's worthy of working on it, Hoch sympathizes entirely - and unapologetically - with the little guy being driven to extinction by Big Business, Big Real-Estate, and Big Tourism.
But while Hoch paints colorful caricatures of both sides of the debate, he seldom connects those in the anti- corner with the culture they're trying to preserve. Even in his most successful scene, as an acid-tongued Dominican taxi dispatcher who adheres to very different rules of language at work than he does at home, the sense he imparts is more of an isolated snapshot than of a community as a whole. The individual elements of this side of the equation don't add up to much more than base anger; socialist rap artist Launch Missiles Critical may say it most openly, but it's omnipresent throughout each of the play's nine monologues.
Hoch is most succinct and entertaining when he leaps into those who are either pushing for change or benefiting most directly from it: Stuart, a construction magnate leading the rebuilding charge, holding aloft his overinflated self-worth like a baton; a deep-fried French real estate agent pitching the values of one new dwelling while he's also wheeling and dealing elsewhere; and Kaitlin, the privileged Michigan girl who represents everything wrong with the new New York.
Hoch's dislike for these people has forced him to make them more livelier and more interesting - because, one presumes, he has to work harder to get inside them. More of Hoch's portrayals need the tequila-spiked smoothness of Tony Taccone's direction, which with the help of Annie Smart's street-scene sets and Alexander V. Nichols's lights and projections turns the show into a fast-moving video travelogue of a vanishing Brooklyn. Hoch needs to do as much to draw us into that world, even if our only souvenir of our time there will be a polemic.
He assumes the case against gentrification makes itself, but it doesn't - especially when the people you most remember afterwards are the ones who supported it. Hoch never shows quite vividly enough how everyone is either losing their own home or taking away someone else's, except in his brief moments playing himself. That's when he touches on one aspect of the wider result: the ennui coming from never knowing what you have and what you don't. It hasn't kept Hoch from speaking and acting out, but it's still not quite enough to prove that everything that's already gone is necessarily worth missing.
Taking Over


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Review by donnamr
October, 11 2009
Pros: Strong construction, provides mental stimulation - my dogs really like this treat-dispensing toy.
Cons: Supervise dogs to prevent problems with chewed-off bits.
Provide hours of interactive and fun-filled chewing to your dog with the Everlasting Treat Ball. Made of soft, yet durable puncture resistant materials, it is meant for even the toughest chewers, and the unique design allows it to wobble and roll around erratically, so your dog can enjoy chasing it. It's great to use for preventing destructive boredom and irated behaviors such as chewing furniture, or to simply keep your dog happily occupied. Fill the ball with Everlasting Treats, dog food, or your dog's favorite snack. Everlasting treats can also be inserted upside down into the center cavity of the ball as a bigger challenge for your pooch.


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Stephen Metcalfe's debut novel The Tragic Age is set to release from St. Martin's Griffin on March 3rd, 2015 and I'm happy to have had the opportunity to interview the main character, Billy Kinsey. He's a unique character with a unique story. Enjoy!
Summary (From Goodreads):
This is the story of Billy Kinsey, heir to a lottery fortune, part genius, part philosopher and social critic, full time insomniac and closeted rock drummer. Billy has decided that the best way to deal with an absurd world is to stay away from it. Do not volunteer. Do not join in. Billy will be the first to tell you it doesn't always work— not when your twin sister, Dorie, has died, not when your unhappy parents are at war with one another, not when frazzled soccer moms in two ton SUVs are more dangerous than atom bombs, and not when your guidance counselor keeps asking why you haven't applied to college.
Billy's life changes when two people enter his life. Twom Twomey is a charismatic renegade who believes that truly living means going a little outlaw. Twom and Billy become one another's mutual benefactor and friend. At the same time, Billy is reintroduced to Gretchen Quinn, an old and adored friend of Dorie's. It is Gretchen who suggests to Billy that the world can be transformed by creative acts of the soul.
With Twom, Billy visits the dark side. And with Gretchen, Billy experiences possibilities.Billy knows that one path is leading him toward disaster and the other toward happiness. The problem is—Billy doesn't trust happiness. It's the age he's at. The tragic age.
Stephen Metcalfe's brilliant, debut coming-of-age novel, The Tragic Age, will teach you to learn to love, trust and truly be alive in an absurd world.
You've brought up the absurd and that you've read some works by Albert Camus. Have you read The Stranger as well? If so, what do you think of Meursault's attitude and way of life?
It's been awhile. In retrospect, I'm not so thrilled about old Meursault. He's kind of a dick. I mean, trying to go through life feeling indifferent to the universe because you think it's indifferent to you is pretty stupid and boring actually. Also it's pretty much impossible (I failed at it miserably). I mean, all you do is compartmentalize. Feelings and emotions don't just go away. They're still there, boiling and brewing underneath, waiting to burst out. And for Meursault they finally did. And let's face it, he goes to the guilotine feeling pretty meaningless. Which frankly, would suck. I'd like to be a little more proactive with my life than settling for getting my head chopped off.
There are moments in the story when you think one thing and say or do another, or don't act at all. What's holding you back?
I actually think I'm doing the best I can in the given moment. My problem is I've seen all these stupid movies and lame TV shows and so my brain keeps flashing on all these idiotic things that I could be doing or should be saying in certain situations – "cool" or "dramatic"or "witty" things – but don't. Maybe I just have an over active imagination.
Do you have any advice for other teens who are dealing with loss?
Maybe embrace it so as to understand it? It's sort of part of life, isn't it. To paraphrase, Frank Herbert in his semi-interesting novel, Dune – I will face my loss. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the loss has gone there will be healing" This comes under "the do as I say, not what I do" heading of teenage advice.
You've mentioned that you spend quite a bit of time in the library. What's your favorite book?
Usually the one I'm currently involved with. At the moment I'm totally smitten with Michael Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White.
Interesting facts are prevalent in your story. How have you accumulated so much knowledge about such intriguing trivia?
I wish I knew. I'm just curious about things. Something interests me and I want to know about it. And so I look it up and I read about it. (That's one thing the internet is good for.) And reading about it usually suggest other things that sound interesting and so I read about them. But when it comes to really knowing something, I'm a jack of all trades, master of none. I should probably go into politics but I still have this crazy idea I might do something meaningful with my life. Also I'm not so good at lying with a straight face.


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Even though 40%-50% of subscribers everywhere are opening marketing emails, only 1% – 2% of them are clicking links inside.
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I mean, that is the most important metric isn't it?
If 100% of people opened your email & nobody clicks through to your landing pages, sending an email to a large list does not mean a thing.
So the plan is to make your emails more like your landing pages, right?
We know that there're things you can do to boost your landing page conversion rates.
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The best on the market / Il meglio del mercato
from the factory
A volumizing spray and fast-drying modeling. ULTIMATE CONTROL contains superior technology as well as natural elements like the precious white truffle and pearl powder for a double feature :
respond to every need of hair styling and make bright. Ideal for blow drying.
box: 200 ml spray bottle.


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Feldkirch Hostel Feldkirch
Facilities Map Streetview Reviews
Reichsstrasse 111
Note: It is the responsibility of the hotel chain and/or the individual property to ensure the accuracy of the photos displayed. Travellerspoint is not responsible for any inaccuracies in the photos.
Where else could you be ten minutes from the principality of Liechtenstein, twenty minutes from Heidi land, forty minutes from Lake Constance, and thirty to fifty minutes from some of Europes best ski resorts (St. Anton am Arlberg, Lech, Montafon, Brand, Laterns, Malbun...), where Ernest Hemingway used to hike and ski? Even James Bond came to town (well, parts of the new film were being filmed here)!
Where else but Feldkirch?
Itself a beautiful town steeped in history, complete with its castle saved by a dog, traditional street-market selling traditional foods such as sausages (for the dog), and a hostel in a recently renovated medieval building (in documents from 1362 the building was described 'as having been in existence for a long time').
Located within walking distance from the railway station and local hills, and just a short bus ride or pleasant walk to the town centre, our 700-year-old hostel is steeped in its own history and well go out of our way to make you feel at home.
Services and facilities:
Lounge room
Internet access
Fully equipped kitchen for self catering
Game room
Cable TV (international channels)
Tourist information
Key card for free
Ski room
BBQ facilities
Free parking for cars, busses and bikes
No curfew, no lock out and no crazy rules!
We spend our time in the garden!
Events and Festivals:
Carnival procession
Vinoble - wine exhibition
Feldkirch Festival
Montfortspektakel (medival market)
Nacht der Blasmusik
Wine festival
Poolbar Festival: July + August
Art Design
Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market)
This is a Trusted Review. Why?
What a fabulous building! A former leper house that has been restored with no expence spared by the Austrian government. Graet oak beams and beds that would not disgrace a 4star hotel, but the best part is the manager who could not be more helpful or informative.
Have you stayed here? Write a review
Note: It is the responsibility of the hotel chain and/or the individual property to ensure the accuracy of the photos displayed. Travellerspoint is not responsible for any inaccuracies in the photos.
Create your own travel plan and bookmark this hotel on your plan. You can even bookmark hotels found on other websites!
Do you have questions about Feldkirch? You might try asking in our active travel forums and see if anyone else has been there.
Read up on what to see and do in Feldkirch in the Travellerspoint guide, written by travellers for travellers.


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Rotary presents plans for disc golf course
Published 7:00 pm, Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Herald Staff Writer
By TOMMY YOUNG
Herald Staff Writer
Plans for a proposed disc golf course in Running Water Draw Regional Park were presented to the Plainview City Council at a work session Thursday.
Dr. Charles Starnes, president of Plainview's Rotary Club, spoke on behalf of his club.
The project would use club funds, but parks and recreation labor to install the 18-hole course.
Thirty experienced disc golfers participated in a trial tournament March 28 and gave positive feedback on the course layout. Council member Wendell Dunlap asked Starnes what kind of maintenance the course would require.
"All the maintenance is already being done by the parks department because they mow. That's all we need after the course is installed," said Starnes. The new Rotaract Club will serve as the liaison between the club, the city and Wayland Baptist University and will handle organizing future tournaments.
The city's Park Advisory Board suggested the course be built in Regional Park rather than along the new Hike and Bike Trail.
"We don't do all the maintenance along the trail so we couldn't guarantee the shape of the area, but we can in Regional Park," said City Manager Greg Ingham.
The council should take action on the agenda item at Tuesday's regular meeting, set to start at 7 p.m. in City Hall.
Director of Public Works Mike Gilliland also made a presentation regarding the purchase of gravel and asphalt for the city's street seal coating program.
Gilliland said the Street Department received a bid from Vega Sand and Gravel, of Vega, for 3,200 tons of gravel at a price of $31.50 per ton, including delivery to the job site.
"I don't think we are going to be able to find a better deal than that," Gilliland told the council members. He will recommend the council approve that bid at the upcoming meeting.
Gilliland noted there weren't any bids that met city specifications for asphalt.
He said the city will choose to pay "shelf price" for the petroleum-based product due to the volatility of the oil market.
"Last year in April we were paying $1.66 per gallon and by August it had jumped to $2.45 a gallon. If a supplier locks into a bid price, it is going to be at a higher price just to protect themselves," Gilliland explained.
"This way we don't get stuck with the higher price when the price is potentially lower," he added.
Council members also heard of a situation where they will be asked to authorize the mayor to sign a tax resale deed for property in the Depot Addition. By signing the deed the council will free the property's new owner to participate in a grant program that allows low-income home owners to rebuild homes that no longer meet building codes.
"These homes are deteriorated to the point where no amount of money can rehabilitate them. They need to start over from scratch," said Ingham.
City Attorney Leslie Pearce said Hale County and the Plainview ISD also will have to sign off on the deed before the owner can proceed with the new project.
(Contact Tommy Young at firstname.lastname@example.com or 806-296-1356.)


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Continued from page 1
New York
New York's luxury housing market has remained largely insulated from the rest of the country's housing woes, but real estate agents say you can get slightly more for $1 million than you could a year ago in rapidly changing neighborhoods like Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen. This one-bedroom apartment in Chelsea is only 670 square feet, but it has dramatic city views and amenities such as a doorman to its credit. The listing is at Brown Harris Stevens.


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Is your idea worth a million dollars?The "You're in Business!" program is intended to educate participants and help them refine their ideas. A person can start the program with a simple idea and finish it with a professional business plan ready for banks and investors. We are applying a dragnet approach by taking on prospects that would not normally make it past the first hurdle. Because of the structure of this program we are able to take on the added work of looking at a broader pool of prospects. This competition is not merely a search for a few outstanding ideas. It is a platform for many new businesses to get their jumpstart. It could be just the start that you need! And, that is before we talk about prize money.
NLS Venture Capital is looking for a million dollar idea and we are willing to pay a million dollars for it! This contest may just be your big chance. In addition to a million dollars in equity funding, we will give away cash awards of $5,000, $25,000, and $50,000 to many other contestants.All great ventures begin with an idea. Is your idea viable enough to start a business around it? How much would you pay to have your idea evaluated by seasoned, credentialed business experts? What would you think about the opportunity to receive money based on the evaluation of your idea? Learn more about how this program can help you turn your great ideas into a viable business with the seed money you need to grow your very own money tree. Register today!
With NLS Business Network membership you get:
- Comprehensive workbook on starting a business
- CD loaded with legal forms and financial spreadsheets
- Access to post questions with our CPAs, attorneys, and business analysts
- Professional feedback on your business plan and strategy
- Opportunity to receive cash grants and equity funding


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Eleni P.
Nanny in Columbus, NJ 08022.
Looking for full or part-time work as a nanny.
Enhanced Background Check not run.
Enhanced Background Check(Not Run)
Basic Background Check not run.
Basic Background Check(Not Run)
Motor Vehicle Records Check not run.
Motor Vehicle Records Check(Not Run)
First Aid Training
First Aid Training
CPR Training
CPR Training
Columbus, NJ
- Age 28
- 11 years paid experience
- Female
Last signed in: More than 6 months
Preferred Rate $10-$20 per hour
Eleni's Bio
Hello! My name is Eleni. I am 24 years old and a recent graduate with a degree in English. I am very familiar with the Burlington County and Mercer County areas. I have taken child development and early childhood education courses. I have babysat/nannied for children of various ages for over 10 years. I babysat for several families in my area, mainly being recommendations from previous families. I was a nanny for two children for over 9 years. I taught Sunday school for 3 years for preschool ages. I taught voice lessons and cared for children at an arts studio, focusing on voice and theatre performance. I have also worked with children in schools in Italy. I have my own car and am comfortable driving children to extracurricular activities. I am able to sufficiently help children with school assignments and am willing to do light housework. I am an excellent chef (in my opinion) and am very capable to prepare meals. I am also willing to travel with families if necessary. I previously work for a YWCA as a teaching assistant for after-school care at an elementary school. I promote reading, music, arts and crafts, and hands-on activities. My personal hobbies including drawing and singing opera in a New Jersey opera company for over five years.
Age Specific Experience
11 years of paid child care experience with:
- Toddlers (1 to 3 years)
- Preschooler (3 to 5 years)
- Grade School (6 to 11 years)
- Pre-teen/Teenagers (12 years and over)
Special Needs Experience
Special Needs Conditional Experience
- Alzheimer's
- Asperger's Syndrome
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
- Autism
- Autism Spectrum Disorder/Pervasive Developmental Disorder/Asperger Syndrome
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Down Syndrome
- Dyslexia
- Juvenile Diabetes
- Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Learning Disabilities
- Mobility Challenges
Availability & Job Preferences
Availability Duration
- Temporary (4 to 12 months)
Job Duration
- Will consider either a part time or full time position
- Available to start on 4/1/2014
My availability is valid through 6/1/14
- Open (all day, everyday)
Skills & Abilities
Languages Spoken:
- Greek
- Italian
Homework Help:
- Finishing homework
- Checking answers
- Studying for a test
- Proofreading
- Basic Math
- English
- Essay Writing
- Social Studies
- Greek
- Italian
Additional Services:
- Meal Preparation
- Laundry
- Light Housekeeping
- Swimming Supervision
- Crafts
- Potty Training
- Travel with Family
- Willing to run errands as needed
- Willing to drive children to events, school, appointments, or carpooling


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Fish Oil And Contamination With PCBs Is Now The Subject Of A Lawsuit.
Chemical contamination is everywhere. Even in our oceans, and the results are that those of us who recognize the health benefits of taking the essential fatty acids found in oil from fish known as DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) may be getting an unexpected dose of PCBs with our morning Omega3 supplements. There is now an established link between taking capsules of fish oil and contamination with chemicals like PCBs, and more.
A Californian laboratory tested 10 well known brands of what are generally known as quality fish oil supplements, including some big names such as Nature Made odorless fish oil and Twinlab Norwegian cod liver oil, and found levels of PCB contamination at worrying levels.
PCBs are a particularly pernicious chemical banned in the US since 1979. There are hundreds of different variations, most of which are considered to cause cancer.
In California under proposition 65 it is a legal requirement that consumers be warned of any levels of chemical contamination in excess of certain levels. This is a health measure to warn the general community of worrying levels of contamination with various nasty chemicals, including PCBs.
Proposition 65 sets "safe harbor" limits for upper levels of contamination of PCBs, and the levels found in many of the supposedly high quality fish oil supplements exceeded these levels in some cases, and this was not disclosed to consumers of the products.
As a result a lawsuit has now been launched against various manufacturers of fish oil supplements alleging that their "highest quality fish oil" supplements don't meet the standards required by Proposition 65, and that consumers are not warned of this.
Omega 3 supplements go by a range of descriptions, including "ultra-refined fish oil", "pharmaceutical-grade fish oil" and more, but none of these is a guarantee of contamination free Omega 3 supplements. None have any legal definition. There is even a set of standards called the International Fish Oil Standards which set maximum levels of chemical contamination, but these are not binding and many people consider the levels for these toxins to be too lax.
Fish oil contamination with PCBs is a serious health concern. There is no doubt now that Omega 3 supplements offer a wide range of recognized health benefits such as a reduction in the risk of heart related health problems such as heart attack and stroke, a reduction in the risks of Alzheimers disease, and much more.
But you don't want to be getting a dose of PCBs with your Omega 3 essential fatty acids, or you may be doing more harm than good.
Unfortunately this is an ongoing issue. The contamination of our oceans will only get worse, and many of the toxic contaminants dumped in our oceans last for many many years. It isn't a problem that is going away.
Of course fish don't know this, fish eat whatever fish eat, and if what they eat is contaminated then fish become contaminated as well. And if we eat that fish then the contaminants pass to us.
And of course it's not just PCBs, there is a very wide range of industrial toxins which are accumulating in our oceans all the time. One of the more worrying ones is Corexit which was used to help clean up the Gulf oil spill, and which did so.
However although it may have helped clean up the Gulf oil spill there are now questions about how much Corexit is left in the ocean and for how long it will remain there. (And of course there is also the issue of contamination from the oil itself, and no one is 100 percent sure how long oil residue will last and how much of it will find its way into fish).
There's some vexing issues here for humanity to address. Of course we don't seek to try and address the issue of industrial contaminants in our waterways on this website, all we seek to do is to try to highlight the problem as it relates to fish oil supplements and give you some guidance.
It is quite possible to test for contaminants in fish oil, as you seen from what we've written above tests have shown some capsules to be contaminated.
In our view any consumer of Omega 3 capsules should make the cleanliness, or in other words the absence of toxins, their principal consideration. There is no point in taking supplements for your health if they contain ingredients which are bad for your health.
Part of the solution lies in where the fish are caught that supply the oil. Oceans around areas of heavy population are much more contaminated than oceans in much more remote parts of the globe. We would always prefer to use fish oil supplements that are manufactured from fish oil that comes from fish caught in the most remote location.
And in our view that's still not sufficient. You should see on the website of the manufacturer a Certificate of Analysis which demonstrates that the capsules you're considering buying have been independently tested and found to be completely clean.
Otherwise you may be getting a little dose of PCBs in your capsules.
To find out more about Peter Click Here


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Wealth Management
|Actively Managed Mutual Fund/
Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF)
|The objective of our managed mutual fund strategy is to combine actively managed funds in each asset class into a portfolio that meets the objectives of the individual client. This process combines both strategic and tactical asset allocation tools. We perform ongoing quantitative and qualitative due diligence to help ensure that the funds we own continue to meet our stringent criteria.
|Passively Managed Mutual Fund/
Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF)
|Our passive strategies are designed to deliver asset class returns through mutual funds managed by Dimensional Funds (DFA), Vanguard, and Fidelity. We also manage portfolios of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). Asset allocations are based upon client objectives with rebalancing driven by market conditions and client needs.
|Domestic Individual
Equity Portfolios
|Our Multi Cap Growth strategy invests in companies with above average growth expectations at reasonable valuations. Portfolios are diversified across multiple economic sectors.
|Tax-free Bond Portfolios
|Our tax-exempt fixed income strategy focuses on debt issued by municipalities whose interest qualifies for exemption from federal and state income tax. Portfolios are designed to meet the income needs and risk objectives of our clients. We emphasize high quality securities and primarily invest in investment grade bonds with short to intermediate maturities.
|Taxable Bond Portfolios
|Our taxable fixed income strategies are designed to meet the income and capital preservation objectives of our clients. Our primary holdings consist of investment-grade debt including U.S. Government bonds, U.S. Agency bonds and corporate bonds. Portfolios typically consist of bonds with short to intermediate maturities.
|Public Alternatives
|The WST Alternative Strategy is a multi-manager investment program designed to produce absolute returns with a fraction of the market's volatility by utilizing a carefully selected group of mutual funds investing in a variety of different hedge fund strategies. These hedge fund strategies include, but are not limited to, Fixed Income Relative Value, Trend Following, Long/Short, Global Macro, and Global Asset Allocation. We believe that by combining a diverse, yet limited number of idiosyncratic strategies will provide lower volatility and lower sensitivity to traditional market risk and will improve diversification. In addition, investing in alternative investments though liquid open-end mutual funds eliminates many of the problems typically associated with hedge funds such as high minimums, high fees, and lock-ups/illiquidity.


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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
The critics have spoken.
Reviews for the highly anticipated sequel Star Trek Into Darkness—starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch and Zoe Saldana, and directed by J.J. Abrams—have boldly made their way online just ahead of tonight's midnight screenings.
And for anyone who's still questioning whether or not to see the cloaked-in-secrecy film...it looks like critics like it. For the most part!
Many reports touch upon the intrigue and fascination inspired by the effects and futuristic element of the film, which at times, they say, goes a bit overboard in the action department.
But that's just the tip of the iceberg...
• "There are times when it feels as if the director has pulled a page out of the Michael Bay playbook, taking some of the action to exhaustive extremes. At other moments, all that bravado collapses into safer-than-necessary choices. But before that whither-Star Trek sigh has time to build, the film does something bold, surprisingly pointed in its treatment of terrorism, for one," Betsy Sharkey from The Los Angeles Times writes. "So many things are done right that even with the bombast, "Into Darkness" is the best of this summer's biggies thus far. It's a great deal of brash fun, and it should satisfy all those basic Trekkie cravings."
• Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune states, "Yes, the film culminates in a vicious fistfight that goes on slightly longer than forever. Yes, it's brazenly dependent on our collective (and justified) fond memories of the best of the first-round "Star Trek" movies, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." We won't say how, exactly, but it is. But the new film works. It's rousing. The human element, and the Vulcan element, to say nothing of various other species, are present, accounted for and taken seriously enough to matter."
Paramount Pictures
• "The good people at Paramount have asked me not to say too much about the plot, so I won't, except to note that it is pretty dumb and sometimes needlessly muddled...Star Trek Into Darkness does not quite stand by itself as a satisfying movie, but then again it doesn't need to. It is the leg of a journey that has, remarkably, lasted for nearly half a century. I hope we never tire of Kirk, Spock and the others. I also hope that they stick around long enough to find a new civilization, since the one we have now does not fully appreciate their gifts," The New York Times' A.O. Scott explains.
• "Is the movie good? It's hard to be objective," David Edelstein from Vulture writes. "The plotting is clunky and nonsensical, but Abrams and crew bombarded me into happiness. More than that, they made me feel so special for getting the in-jokes. Star Trek Into Darkness is a feature-length dialogue with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: Abrams and screenwriters Alex Kurtzman, Robert Orci, and Damon Lindelof set the 1982 film's best-known lines (and best-known scream) in peculiar new contexts. Alliances are muddled—fascinatingly. The narrative never stops twisting."
• "Director J.J. Abrams, who has owned up to not having an emotional attachment to the TV show or the movies it spawned, commissioned his screenwriters to do a riff on Wrath of Khan, an alternate history of the Khan myth. So knowing the classic Trek version—dating from a TV episode in the '60s, updated with the '80s movie—doesn't help in appreciating the new one, or spoil its surprises," says Zap2It's Roger Moore. "That's both good and bad—good in its novelty, bad in the sense that it still relies on the original series' back story to draw on. 'Remaking' The Wrath of Khan while not actually actually remaking it muddies the message and robs the villain and the story of its mythic staying power."


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Ambition is more than just a word.
'An earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honour, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment' is how you would define the actual meaning of the word AMBITION but that and Newcastle United, dont go together it would seem.
Buying a calf in it's young stages and fattening it up for market is where we are at, which is fine if you are a club that needs to do this to survive but we aren't. We are the third best supported club in the country based on ticket sales and we should on reflection, be striving to act like this on the playing field.
We could just never be a feeder club but that's where we find ourselves constantly.
When Mike Ashley first came in and didn't read the script properly, he can be excused to a certain degree that we needed to balance the books but 4 years have passed and the original 5 year plan should really be in full swing now which includes a solid first season back in the big league, not to mention the trimmed wage bill and expensive sales.
Keeping the players we have and adding to these numbers should be the ambition for the January window before recycling some others come the summer. It's okay selling someone for £35 million if you're gonna use the money to reinvest but we don't and this can't go on.
We need a plan of assault and not just to make a profit each season in the transfer windows as it may be okay for certain people's pockets but it's not okay for the paying supporter. We've already questioned the real reason why a sports retailer would buy a football club and this was to advertise their business but surely speculation to accumulation is the best way forward for everyone??.
Over to you Ashley.


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On Arrival…
Arrived at your (Thanksgiving) destination yet? I hope all went well. Now, here's some exciting news… This year's Thanksgiving episode of Screen Junkies is another Movie Science special! This means, as usual, that I sat down with presenter Hal Rudnick to talk about some science ideas and portrayal of scientists in the movies.
This time, the film is Arrival. We actually had a great in-depth conversation, and a lot (not all) of it made it to the episode, so have a look. (Most of the episode assumes that you have seen the film since there are a lot of serious spoilers that will take away from the movies intended unfolding as you view… There are mild spoilers in the form of general discussion about the film to start, and then Hal stops and warns you that we're going deeper into the details.)
The embed is below, and then after that I say a few spoiler-y things to end this post:
Click to continue reading this post


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For many years I have done my dad-ly duties by documenting the various family events such as birthdays, vacations, and sports games. Â I have more digital pictures than I care to count, and I will admit that I am quite fond of making music videos of the family events and posting them on Youtube (www.youtube.com/user/stevengholt). …Continue reading Transforming My Son Into Steven Spielberg
April 2011
You are browsing the site archives for April 2011.
Last week 3/5ths of the Cast of Dads had the chance to get together for a road trip from Boston to NY thanks to the the teams at Ford and Sony who tried to be the first brands to get all of us together.  Unfortunately, crazy dad schedules (that is – crazy schedules, not crazy dads… well…) prevented …Continue reading On The Road… Again
I don't know how many of you work from home but the challenges that come with it are monumental, especially when you have a 3-year old running around. Shortly after my son was born, I decided to return to college to pursue a long uncompleted bachelor's degree and my wife and I made a decision …Continue reading Tips For Working From Home With Kids
Some of my favorite childhood memories surround the fantasy of being a super hero. Spinning webs from your wrist as Spiderman, flying and x-ray vision of Superman. So I jumped at the chance to get my hands on a few toys from Mattel connected to June's release Green Lantern. My daughter, the Harry Potter-loving, dress-up …Continue reading Green Lantern Colassal Cannon Review
Cross posted from Dad the Single Guy: There are lots of signs out there-some that are really obvious, like the ones on the road when you are driving. Some that are designed to make you take an action, like a sale sign in a store, and some that are societal-a parent non-verbally communicating with their …Continue reading Signs, Signs Everywhere is Signs
I love CostCo. I love getting a deal and I love that their deals cover everything from electronics to apparel, from books to food to a pack of batteries so large I never think we'll go through them all (we always do). I love their return policy as well…in short, it's satisfaction guaranteed. Always (ok, …Continue reading My CostCo Love Affair…and My New Traeger Smoker
Here's something new from Charity Water, a charity Dad-O-Matic endorses and supports. It's called "Water Changes Everything" and it clearly shows the tremendous impact that clean water has on families all over the world. We all know the importance of clean water but too many of us don't fully realize how tough it is for …Continue reading Water Changes Everything
I took the family to Disney World for spring break 2011 and it was even better than expected. Maybe it was because the kids were a little older this time (ages 12, 8 & 5) or maybe it was merely experience paying off, but all I know is that we had the times of our …Continue reading Free Apps for Your Next Trip to Disney World
This week the Cast of Dads are feeling inspired by the spring in the air and the spring in their steps, but even better weather cannot keep us focused on just one topic.  Where else can you find five clueless dads debating everything from Justin Bieber vs. Rebecca Black to MacGuyver vs. MacGruber in a single …Continue reading How Old Is Justin Bieber? The Cast of Dads Want To Know
Cross posted from my social media blog-its a relevant discussion for this audience too. As the parent of one tween (10.5 who will be 11 in two months) and an 8.5 who wants to do what her big sister does – social networks like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc., are sources of big concern for me …Continue reading (My) Tween(s) and Social Networking
This is cross-posted from Dad The Single Guy because I think the audience here will have a different take on this one: While it sounds simple, for the last 18 months or so I've tried to focus on getting day-to-day for me and the girls, and along the way doing the best I can to …Continue reading Making Today A Better Day Than Yesterday
It looked really cool. My 11 year old son had taken a piece of paper on the counter and folded it into a boat, although I didn't know at that moment that he was the one who did it. At first I thought that he might have found it somewhere, but I asked him where …Continue reading Is YouTube raising my kids?
In this age of digital images, how many of you still have boxes of family photos hiding in the darkest corners of your least visited closets? Â With the near ubiquity of digital photography, for many of us, our family memories have come out of the closet and have moved onto hard drives and online services …Continue reading A Boy And His Dog… And A Pet Peeve About Digital Photography
It's Masters Thursday and that means it's the day I miss my father more than any other day of the year. More than his birthday (and more than mine). More than the day he died 10 years ago (how can it be 10 years?!?) You see…my dad loved golf. Loved to play it. Loved to …Continue reading Masters Thursday is When I Miss My Dad the Most
I am cross posting this verbatim from my Dad the Single Guy blog because I think it will work as is for this audience as well: A friend of mine who studies and embraces work-life balance shared a link on her Facebook recently to a US News blog about managing the work environment when things at home …Continue reading Work, Life and What's In Between
One of the interesting things about being a 40+ tech nerd is that I have what I think is a unique and different view of devices and apps than the usual 20-something. Â So when I go to a Tweetup (a meeting of Twitter users), I am usually the oldest or among the oldest. Â When I …Continue reading Follow Me On the Yellow Brick (Road)
So we sat down at the computer like we always do (my wife and I that is) to figure out which week we needed to block out for the family summer vacation. We did this about a month ago, at the beginning of March. Â We are still trying to figure it out. I remember back …Continue reading The Modern-Day Family Summer Vacation
Kids: You can't live with them and you can't live without them! Â Granted, that expression may have originally been coined for someone (er, some gender) other than kids, but these days I'd like to think it has ample applications to our offspring, for, as challenging and frustrating as being a parent can seem at times, …Continue reading Visiting Day At The Kids' House (and Dinner for Dad)
… and I'm sound asleep. "Joey? The dog." I hate this. But I don't fight it. My wife needs her sleep. And I can usually fall right back to sleep. The dog bolts out the front door. I wait. Nothing. "Brooklyn!" "Brook!" Five minutes. Ten. Finally the dog resurfaces. By now, I've complained about him …Continue reading 2:58 a.m.


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Friday updates: Argenziano's vs. Renee's Organic Oven is a close race. This matchup could go down to the wire on Sunday.
This weekend is the last batch of restaurants in the first round. Make sure your favorites are represented in the next round. Vote though Sunday at 10 p.m. Go to facebook.com/arizonadailystar to vote.
Last week:
Most of the winners in the Region III bracket won their pizza matchup easily. One food fight, though, got ugly.
Fresco Pizzeria & Pastaria faced Bazil's in a showdown that was as intense as it was popular.
Bazil's emerged the winner late Sunday night: 697-632. It was the most total votes of any matchup so far.
Accusations of vote-buying and racy testimonial videos flew as Fresco and Bazil's tried to rally their friends, family and anyone who would vote on Facebook.
Bazil's faces Grimaldi's in the next round. Grimaldi's Pizzeria took out Falora 106-56.
In a win-win situation, the owner of Arizona Pizza Company Nick Heddings recently bought Upper Crust and the two restaurants were matched up in this round. Arizona Pizza Company prevailed 157-60.
Heavyweight Rocco's Little Chicago Pizzeria took down Patagonia's Velvet Elvis but not without some witty pizza-related Elvis jokes.
Posted Lyle Ford: "'Rocco's sittin' on a block of provolone, weepin' in the corner all alone,' Velvet Elvis said. 'Don't you be no square. If you want the best pizza, come to Patagonia and pull up a chair.'"
Rocco's will face Arizona Pizza Company in the next round, where - presumably - people will be just as excited about their favorite pie.
As owner Rocco DiGrazia posted, "This is the best thing the Star has done in ages. Arizona is really SERIOUS about pizza! Who knew?"
Irene McKisson


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Thalassemia is a disorder of hemoglobin that causes a hemolytic anemia. Hemolysis is a term to describe the destruction of red blood cells. In adults, hemoglobin is made of four chains—two alpha chains and two beta chains.

In thalassemia you are unable to make either alpha or beta chains in adequate amounts making your bone marrow unable to make red blood cells properly. The red blood cells are also destroyed.

Is There More Than 1 Type of Thalassemia?

Yes, there are multiple types of thalassemia, including:

Beta thalassemia intermedia

Beta thalassemia major (transfusion dependent)

Hemoglobin H disease (form of alpha thalassemia)

Hemoglobin H-Constant Spring (a form of alpha thalassemia, generally more severe than hemoglobin H )

Hemoglobin E-beta thalassemia

What Are the Symptoms of Thalassemia?

The symptoms of thalassemia are predominantly related to the anemia. Other symptoms are related to hemolysis and bone marrow changes.

Fatigue or tiredness

Pallor or pale skin

Yellowing of the skin (jaundice) or eyes (scleral icterus) – bilirubin (a pigment) is released from red blood cells when they are destroyed

Enlarged spleen (splenomegaly) – when the bone marrow cannot make enough red blood cells, it uses the spleen to make more red blood cells

Thalassemic facies – because of the hemolysis in thalassemia, the bone marrow (place where the blood cells are formed) goes into overdrive. This causes enlargement in the bones of the face (predominantly forehead and cheek bones). This problem can be prevented by proper treatment.

How Is Thalassemia Diagnosed?

In the United States usually the more severely affected patients are commonly diagnosed via the newborn screening program. Milder affected patients may presented at a later age when anemia is identified on a complete blood count (CBC). Thalassemia causes anemia (low hemoglobin) and microcytosis (low mean corpuscular volume).

Confirmatory testing is called a hemoglobinopathy work-up or hemoglobin electrophoresis. This testing reports the types of hemoglobin you have. In an adult without thalassemia, you should only see hemoglobin A and A2 (adult). In beta thalassemia intermedia and major, you have significant elevation in hemoglobin F (fetal), elevation of hemoglobin A2 with significant reduction in the amount of hemoglobin A formed. Alpha thalassemia disease is identified by the presence of hemoglobin H (a combination of 4 beta chains instead of 2 alpha and 2 beta). If the testing is confusing, genetic testing might be sent to confirm diagnosis.

Who Is at Risk for Thalassemia?

Thalassemia is an inherited condition. If both parents have alpha thalassemia trait or beta thalassemia trait, they have a one in four chance of having a child with thalassemia disease. A person is either born with thalassemia trait or thalassemia disease—this cannot change. If you have thalassemia trait, you should consider having your partner tested prior to having children to assess your risk of having a child with thalassemia.

How Is Thalassemia Treated?

Treatment options are based on the severity of the anemia:

Close observation: If the anemia is mild—moderate and well tolerated—your physician may see you on a regular basis to monitor your complete blood count.

Medications: Medications like hydroxyurea, which increases your production of fetal hemoglobin, have been used in thalassemia with varying results.

Blood transfusions: If your anemia is severe and is causing complications (e.g., significant splenomegaly, thalassemic facies), you may be placed on a chronic transfusion program. You will receive blood transfusions every three to four weeks in an effort to have your bone marrow make as few red blood cells as possible.

Bone marrow (or stem cell) transplantation: Transplantation can be curative. The best results are with closely matched sibling donors. A full sibling has a one in four chance of matching another sibling.

Iron chelation: Patients who receive chronic blood transfusions acquire too much iron from the blood (iron is found inside red blood cells). Additionally, people with thalassemia absorb greater amounts of blood from their diet. This condition called iron overload or hemochromatosis causes iron to be deposited in other tissues in the liver, heart, and pancreas, causing damage to these organs. This can be treated with medications called iron chelators that help your body get rid of excess iron.


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Diego Simeone claims Catania are close to ensuring their top-flight survival but insists that they need help from the fans.
The Sicilian outfit came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Juventus on Saturday night.
"Catania are alive and we have shown it," Simeone said. "Our team has spirit, courage and the desire to never give up. We just need greater balance and more consistency.
"We must only have one objective until the end of the season. There are four games left and we are playing for our future starting from next Sunday at home against Cagliari.
"Sunday's game is one that the entire city has to play because there are three points up for grabs, which we need.
"We need a full Massimino," he concluded.
See the latest Serie A predictions and betting tips with Eurotips.co.uk [11]


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Click to Shop All Ryan Drese Autographs
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About Ryan Drese: Ryan Drese (full name: Ryan Thomas Drese; no nicknames) played pitcher from 2001 until 2006 for the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals. He played for the Indians from 2001 - 2002, Rangers from 2003 - 2005 and Nationals from 2005 - 2006. Over 6 seasons, he started 96 games, won 34 games, struck out 301 batters, and had a 5.31 ERA. Born on April 5, 1976 in San Francisco, CA, Drese stands 6' 3 and weighs 220 lb. He attended Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, CA) high school and was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 5th round of the 1998 amateur draft. His debut was on July 29, 2001 and he played his final game on April 14, 2006. Over his career, Drese made $2,656,500. Common misspellings of his name include Ryan Ryan ryna Thomas Drese. Common misspellings: Collectable, Memorabelia, Memorabila, Memorbilia, Memrobilia, Memorabillia, memoribilia, Collectables Our wide assortment of authentic autographed Ryan Drese memorabilia includes: display cases, game used collectibles, photomints, coins, frames, balls, Ryan Drese autographs, inscriptions, collages with frame, and other Ryan Drese signed memorabilia. You can also browse Ryan Drese autographed memorabilia such as a hand signed collage, coin with autograph, Ryan Drese autograph, Olympic collectible, trading card, signature photomint, pic, inscribed ball and inscription, among other signed Ryan Drese memorabilia. Info on Ryan Drese Jerseys, Gear & Collectibles: Our online store carries pictures, jackets, MVP 16X20 photos, hats, replica banners, t-shirts, official clothing, caps, licensed apparel, sale gifts, and sweatshirts, whether it's unsigned, signed or game-used. Also find an authentic sweatshirt, ball, jacket, hat, blanket, 8X10 photo, display case, picture, jersey, t-shirt, gift or cap. Browse Ryan Drese memorabilia values, pics, stats, signings, jerseys & prices from 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008. Searching for the perfect Ryan Drese gifts for that special sports fan? Whether you are trying to choose an item for a holiday such as Christmas or you need a birthday present, our gift certificates make the perfect gift idea. Our gift cards take all the pressure out of finding the perfect present for friends or loved ones. Let your loved ones choose their favorite Ryan Drese memorabilia and sports collectibles so you don't have to.


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The Woodlands sets grand opening for Liberty Branch neighborhood
Published 11:13 am, Friday, January 31, 2014
The Woodlands Development Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Howard Hughes Corp., will celebrate the grand opening of the new 120-acre traditional neighborhood of Liberty Branch in the Village of Creekside Park with a free home tour, old-fashioned entertainment and refreshments. When guests visit all nine model homes, they will be eligible to win one of three $500 American Express gift cards. No purchase is necessary. Entry forms are readily available, and each entry has an equal chance of winning.
The event, open to the public, is set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 8-9.
"Liberty Branch is a unique neighborhood in The Woodlands' Village of Creekside Park," said Tim Welbes, co-president of TWDC. "The design is based on traditional-town planning principles, which makes it feel like a classic American small town within the forests of The Woodlands. Residents will have direct pedestrian access to the new Creekside Village Green and Creekside Park Village Center, set to open later this year with an H-E-B grocery store and many other shops, restaurants and services."
There will be approximately 400 new homes, ranging from townhomes and patio homes to single-family homes, within Liberty Branch. Four home builders - Coventry Homes, David Weekley Homes, J. Kyle Homes and Palmetto Homes - will feature model homes in a collection of classic American architectural styles ranging in price from the high-$200,000s to more than $900,000.
Two parks, Liberty Square Park and Rockwell Square Park, add to the nostalgic, close-knit feel of the neighborhood. Liberty Square Park is a 1.6-acre greenspace that features a gazebo, picnicking and seating areas.
The design of 1.5-acre Rockwell Square Park harkens to Norman Rockwell's time, with a pavilion resembling a one-room schoolhouse as its centerpiece, and a playground and open field where neighborhood children can gather to play.
Liberty Square Park will be the setting for the grand opening entertainment including a barbershop quartet, street entertainers in vintage dress and a display of classic cars.
Samples of old-fashioned fare will be shared with all guests, featuring cotton candy, kettle corn, funnel cakes, mini-hot dogs, fried chicken, roasted corn and lemonade. Free shuttles will be provided to take guests to the model homes.
In addition to the parks within Liberty Branch, the neighborhood is nearby major recreation in the Village of Creekside Park, including the 1,700-acre George Mitchell Nature Preserve, 33-acre Rob Fleming Park and Aquatic Center, and the Creekside YMCA.
Timber Creek K-6 Elementary School, part of the recognized Tomball Independent School District, is nearby.
Take I-45 to Woodlands Parkway (Exit 76B). Travel west on Woodlands Parkway to Kuykendahl Road and turn left.
Travel south on Kuykendahl Road to Creekside Forest Drive and turn left. Travel east on Creekside Forest and park in designated areas opposite the Liberty Branch entrance.
Free shuttles will be provided to take guests to Liberty Square Park and the model homes.
For more information about Liberty Branch and other new homes in The Woodlands, visit The Woodlands Information Center at 2000 Woodlands Parkway and www.thewoodlands.com.


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Grayson College early action
Think about what career is best suited for you, and where you want to study. Request more information now.
Think about what career is best suited for you, and where you want to study. Request more information now.
Think about what career is best suited for you, and where you want to study. Request more information now.
Get info about Grayson College early action, and registering for discussion sections and department seminars. Which college degrees give you the best chances of entering a successful career path after graduation? Concentrating on Grayson College early action, for example, may give you additional focus in the admissions selection process. Check with the admissions office for assistance with prerequisites, course registration deadlines, and college degree program requirements. Please use the form above to request admissions info for Grayson College.
Early decision is a legally binding commitment, meaning students must withdraw their applications to all other schools if accepted. There are penalties for withdrawing, so Early Decision is only for students who are certain about wanting to attend a specific school. Admitting early decision applicants benefits schools because there is a high probability that the admitted applicants will attend.
In addition, early decision helps the college admissions offices distribute the job of sifting applications throughout more of the school year. Thus, applying via Early Decision carries a greater chance of receiving an acceptance letter, almost 15% higher than regular decision applicants. One drawback is that early decision is essentially applying blind, as regards the amount of financial aid that you might receive. Beyond major requirements within the admissions department, you may consider Portobello Institute required SAT scores for complementary electives to your primary course of study.
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Tarleton State University
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Rasmussen College
The Advisor will build and nurture collaborative, interdepartmental relationships within the college including admissions, faculty, career services, and central..
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Understanding/knowledge of selective health program records and admission requirements preferred. Provide administrative assistance to the Nursing Department.
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Participates in institutional service roles such as but not limited to, college committees, club sponsorship, and advisory committees.
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Jack Rowand/The CW.
Jack Rowand/The CW.
Spoiler Alert! The following article contains spoilers on a lot of Monday night's shows, so click away if you've yet to watch and don't want to know what went down! Seriously, if you complain about spoilers in the comments you are the reader equivalent of Smash's Ellis.
Um, did we accidentally enter a time machine and jump to May? Because Arrow delivered a finale-worthy cliffhanger tonight that left our jaws on the floor. (Hope it didn't leave a mark!) Ditto goes for Nashville, which made major moves with one of the ABC hit's main love triangles.
Plus, Supernatural delivered a memorable episode and more...
Family Matters: Holy insane ending scene, Arrow! The CW breakout hit ended tonight's episode in truly epic fashion as Ollie (Stephen Amell) paid his mother a shady visit as Green Arrow, holding up his arrow and delivering his signature line, "Moira Queen, you have failed this city." Fade to black. Say whaaaa?!
It's About Time, Y'all!: So Rayna (Connie Britton) and Deacon (Charles Esten) finally kissed on Nashville. And what a kiss it was! Borrowing a page from every couple on a Shonda Rhimes show, the duo steamed things up in an elevator. Seriously, it's about time Nashville went there, because the chemistry between Rayna and husband Teddy (Eric Close) wazzz….sorry, we fell asleep just thinking about their "chemistry." Oh, and what do you know? Teddy asked for a divorce by episode's end.
Top Chef's Top Three: We're seriously worried about our favorite Sheldon's chances of winning after two less than stellar performances in a row on Top Chef. It was Lizzie's time to go on tonight's episode, and we're actually pretty shocked Josh, who may even more addicted to bacon than Parks and Recreation's Ron Swanson, has made it this far. Perhaps the judges are hypnotized by his moustache? (Oh, and we're still rooting for Kristen to come back in Last Chance Kitchen. Woman has skills.)
Badass Moment of the Night: Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) warming himself by the flames of a the burning dead Nazi necromancer on Supernatural. Oh yeah, Sam and Dean (Jensen Ackles) killed some Nazis tonight. You know the saying: Season eight, time for nazis!
.GIF of the Night: Dean playing with his sword on Supernatural. Duh. (Not a euphemism!)


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Legal chaos reigns in same-sex unions
Published 5:30 am, Sunday, August 22, 2010
Many Texans are so afraid of gay, lesbian, bisexual and especially transgender persons that what would be simple probate matters to others turn into media fodder for us.
The Nikki Araguz case going on in Wharton County is another example of how the systematic disenfranchisement of members of my community has turned one woman's private pain into a very public indignity. Firefighter Thomas Araguz died, and his wife and children would normally receive his death benefits. Perhaps like many in-laws who do not approve of their children's choice of spouse, Araguz's parents do not want their daughter-in-law to receive anything. They have hired a lawyer who is using a 1999 San Antonio appeals court case, Littleton v. Prange, to argue that Nikki Araguz was not Thomas Araguz's wife because there was no marriage. Littleton held that even if one's gender has been surgically corrected, one nonetheless remains the gender identified on his/her birth certificate. In other words, Littleton says that gendercannotbe legally changed for the purposes of marriage.
Many transwomen and transmen in Texas are married to their partners, many of whose birth certificates reflect the same gender as their spouses. In El Paso, a same-sex couple recently requested a marriage license. These two women have presented appropriate documents with birth certificates showing that one of them was identified as male at birth.
The request has been forwarded to Attorney General Greg Abbott for a ruling. Not surprisingly, Abbott has avoided controversy by delaying his ruling pending an outcome in the Wharton County case. This is a no-win case for Abbott, whose supporters overwhelmingly oppose both same sex and transgender marriage.
If he issues an opinion consistent with Littleton, these two women could marry. However, if he rules they cannot marry because they are of the same sex, he would be acknowledging the rights of transgender persons to be recognized as they view themselves. This brings us to some of the chaos caused because we do not allow same-sex marriage in the state of Texas. If same-sex marriage were allowed, the couple in El Paso would not be left hanging waiting for a court decision in Wharton County.
The Texas Legislature may have already overruled Littleton. As of 2009, the Texas Family Code expressly lists a "court-order relating to the applicant's … sex change" as an identifying document that may be presented to obtain a marriage license. It is unlikely that our Legislature would recognize the authority of courts to grant sex-changes but want our county clerks to ignore the actual sex change in deciding the gender of an applicant for a marriage license. The only reasonable interpretation of this law is that gender can be legally changed for purposes of marriage.
The press has been filled for weeks with tabloid-style details of Nikki Araguz's past, no doubt in an attempt to discredit her. True or not, none of these issues would be relevant to her right to receive her share of her husband's benefits but for the fact that she was born in the wrong body.
One day, Texas, like five other states, the District of Columbia, and many countries around the world, will grant its gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens equal protection under the law, including the right to marry. When that happens, the dramas of dysfunctional families, even our families, will unfold around the dinner table, and perhaps in the quotidian business of the probate court, instead of in the media spotlight.
Gonzalez is an associate professor of English at the University of Houston and an out lesbian. She specializes in Mexican-American literature and sexuality. She is one of the founders of the GLBT studies minor and the LGBT Resource Center at the University of Houston.


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It's time for June's Monthly Crafting Book Club installment. My daughter got this book as a present from one of my BFF's (thanks Jess!) and we love it! It is funny, has girl power, and is quite unpredictable. A favourite of mine to give to visitors to read because they have no idea what they are getting into.
This is the book for this month's crafting book club, each month we get together with a group of bloggers and make a craft or activity related to a book to help encourage literacy.
We decided to make a shield to go along with the battle scene. My kids love to run around and I knew having shields would make their rough play even more fun for them.
Materials Needed:
- Paper plates
- Duct tape
- Scissors
- Marker
- The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton
- Take some duct tape and fold it over half way so it is covered on two sides. Using the sticky part that's on the end attach it to the paper plate then tape down the other end, leaving some room for your loveys to put their hands in.
- You can colour the front of the paper plate, or even glue down paper shapes.
Enjoy playing with your kids or hopefully watching them play together for awhile and give you some time for a coffee!
#theprincessandthepony is this months #monthlycraftingbookclub theme. Come see the awesome crafts! Click To Tweet
Don't forget to check out the other awesome bloggers below and see what crafts they came up with themed for The Princess and the Pony! Tell me which one you want you cannot wait to try in the comments below.
I participated in the #monthlycraftngbookclub with a #princessandthepony craft. Click To Tweet
Please join us next month for a camping themed book club. It is an open month, you can pick any camping book just let me know so I can add it to our list. Join or Facebook group for more updates and to sign up for any camping book you want for July. Posts go live at the end of July.
Follow Raising Fairies and Knights's board Monthly Crafting Book Club on Pinterest.


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Digimon World Re:Digitize Teaser Trailer
A few precious seconds of gameplay.
Finally, some footage of Digimon World Re:Digitize, the new PSP Digimon game. There's only a bit of in-game footage in this trailer, but Digimon fans should definitely check it out.
We should be hearing more about Digimon World in the coming weeks, as the next issue of V Jump will be introducing some gameplay concepts.


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I've been looking forward to this week for about six months. The four of us, Julie Eakes, Meisha Barbee, and Laurie Prophater planned to meet at my home studio and just sit and clay for a week. Then Studio 215 happened and the timing was right for one of this talented group of artists to teach a class at my new studio. Polyform Products provided Premo clay and we were set. Thank you Iris Weiss and Polyform Products
Meisha said yes and taught a full house this past week-end and Julie and Laurie have agreed to teach in the future. Happily that means another trip to Florida.
In the photo above you see us in my studio at home claying away. We didn't leave the house that day.
But it was on to Studio 215 the next day to get ready for Meisha's workshop.
These were just some of the beautiful samples Meisha had on display, forgive the photography, I'm responsible.
Below are the finished piece created by a very talented group of students.
Everyone had a great time, learned a lot and went home ready to explore these skills a bit more. Just take a look at these happy faces. Meisha is an excellent teacher, everyone agreed.
Can you tell that we laughed quite a bit? I just loved having everyone here.
I'm happy to say that I now have work for purchase at Studio 215 from Meisha, Julie, and Laurie. Here are just a few samples. I don't think they'll last long.
The next day found Julie, Meisha and me at the Ringling Museum of Art. We toured Ca'd'Zan the mansion and the museum and then jumped over to St. Armands Key to put our feet in the sand. Laurie had left us by then and we missed her smiling face.
We had a great time but we weren't very popular on Facebook when Julie posted this picture. (notice the people in bathing suits in the back ground) Cold times up north…sorry guys.
Thanks to everyone for making this a happy week at Studio 215 and beyond.