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This opinion piece arises from my experiences in several support groups and the concerns that survivors bring to them and how those concerns are treated. It is also based on my own experience in healing.
Healing is a mysterious process. We use the word, but what does it mean? Does it mean the scars don't show, that we forget, that all is forgiven? Does it mean we just move on as best we can and try to put things behind us? My experience has pretty well fit the process as outlined by the article:Healing Facts. This means that there is no definable process except that healing seems like a neverending spiral.
Looking for Answers
It would be great if we had answers, if we could chart a course in healing that would give us certainty in our path, but I don't think that life is ever that simple and rarely that certain. Because we are unique, with different sensitivities and needs, how can our healing be anything but unique? And as for certainty? Perhaps that is the crux of the matter. Perhaps that is what is most horrifying about the effects of our encounters with evil.
Out of our disorientation and confusion, more than ever, we want life to be certain. We want the certainty of answers. But what we find, having encountered a character disordered person, is that all of our certainty crumbles. We become disoriented as if the world has gone awry, and all our most precious beliefs are smashed against the granite-faced reality of a psychopath/disordered N. It is a reality so alien to us and so twisted, and the psychopath's/N's being so deformed, that we are sent spinning and wobbling like a satellite loosened from earth's gravity out into deepest, darkest, unfathomable, unexplored space, with no way, it seems, to get back. Or, in my case, as if I had been thrown into a clothes dryer and left on the tumble dry cycle- knocking against the side of my walls of disbelief, erratically, bruising, being knocked and jolted about some more, not knowing where the next blow will come from.
In that dryer, I remember. In retrospect, I gather the evidence and recount the signposts that I missed, the history of my abuse that I did not know was abuse, the slow, insidious, sadistic rape of my mind and heart and soul. As the proof accrues, and unspeakable reality dawns, I am finally knocked senseless by it, the shock is so great.
"Obsession": The Beginning of Healing
Some call this preoccupation "obsession" which I think pathologises the thought processes of the individual. Many years ago I was in a motor accident (I was in a bus) where I saw someone die in their car in a fireball; I felt the need to go over and over that scenario in my head- I was in shock, in disbelief. I wanted to find out the victim's name, who he was, what family he had. I needed to tell my story over and over again, to anyone who would listen. I didn't know why I had this desire to do this. Then I read a study of burn victims who had survived terrible fires who were in intensive care. That same pattern emerged, the need to repeat their stories endlessly. This, to me, is the beginning of healing. Our beings, I realise, have been created in such a manner that mechanisms of infinite wisdom fall into place to start the process.
We can give psychological reasons- that it is the shock and that the mind and emotions have been sent reeling and that this is their way of reworking their worldview in a new way, because that world can never be the same. We can talk about 'cognitive dissonance' as Healing Facts does, or about 'paradigm shift'. All this is true. In layman's terms, we need to rework, recreate what happened until it becomes not alien to us, but a part of our ongoing and renewing selves. We need to integrate the experience bit by bit as part of our healing and that may take a life time. But in an encounter with a psychopath/pathological N, I think that there is more.
Failure of Beliefs
We need to recreate the past because we suddenly realise that all that we thought and knew, all that we believe, has failed us. FAILED us. And so, first of all, we need to retrace the steps of the relationship with our newfound perspective, our knowledge- that they were mentally disordered. It doesn't matter how long that past, or how short, what matters is the intensity, the severity, and the sensitivity of the individual. Like survivors with 3rd degree burns, we need to go over it again and again until it becomes real. We need to reorient ourselves with a new and revised knowledge base, where once the psychopath/N had turned the bedrock of all our cherished beliefs, and all that we knew, into quicksand.
But I also believe that we make a natural, predictable mistake: We believe that by changing ourselves that we can change the past. We believe that by changing ourselves we can find a reason we can live with for what happened to us. We believe that by focussing on ourselves, we can take control over what happened to us and what is happening. I think that none of this is true. None of this is true!
A Soul With No Footprints
It happened and there was nothing there. The relationship was one-sided and we were relating to a 'soul with no footprints', a shade, a ghost, a wisp, that leaves no trail because he never was. Our love was unrequited. The relationship did not exist. That, I believe, is the unvarnished truth.
Why is it easier to blame ourselves? Why do we need to engage in further self-abuse? What we can control, I believe, is in the work- of reremembering by thinking back, reframing, facing, changing, with our newfound knowledge.....that is control- but we cannot get back what we never had- we cannot get it back by blaming ourselves, even in part.......for as long as we blame ourselves, we hang onto a relationship, one that never WAS......as long as we blame ourselves, we cannot let go....we may have issues (and who doesn't) that we may wish to work on and that may have been sparked by the encounter, but we did not CAUSE the encounter- other than the human foibles we all carry, our strengths and weaknesses.......we were not remotely at fault- but to see and acknowledge these things it would mean that we would have to GIVE UP the idea that there was a relationship and that we had ANY control!
Blaming Ourselves
It is intolerable for us to realise that we were relating to this soul with no footprints. We would, then, need to give up the certainty of closure, of healing in a prescribed and predictable manner; we would need to chart our own course and find answers for ourselves that no one else can give us; we would have to give up the belief that we have any control over our lives and that there is certainty in life.
I think that that is why we need to blame ourselves in some way, and to work to change things in ourselves that may need changing but which did not cause the encounter with a psychopath/disordered N. We want to believe that we had some control. Yet, it is known and proven that if a psychopath/disordered N targets you, no one is immune (Robert Hare). And that if it happened to you once, it could happen to you again, even after you know what there is to know, if you remain uneducated about psychopathy/narcissism. This is also the opinion of Robert Hare. It isn't because you are an "N-magnet" but because you don't know any better, like most of the population.
Even if you are used to abusive relationships, from your childhood, you may tolerate the abuse of a psychopath,/N but this has nothing to do with that person being a psychopath/N- it just means you're even more vulnerable to such familiar abuse, but none of your weaknesses caused you to be the target of the disordered. It is NOT your fault. In our need to control events, even in the past, we blame ourselves, look for faults in ourselves which supposedly made us an "easy" target. We ignore anything which suggests that we have strengths that could have been attractive to the psychopath/N, who usually love a challenge. We pathologise ourselves with impunity, for the world is built on pathologising. We will always find someone to tell us what is wrong with us, rather than what is right with us.
Psychology, I find, is particularly adept at shaping our beliefs about ourselves. And it is frightening to be reeling out there in the cosmos, unhinged from the worldview that did not save us when we needed saving. So, we look to psychology to save us. But instead of stopping at the dysfunction of the perpetrator, the psychopath, the character disordered, the morally insane, the type that we should learn about and commit to memory for the rest of our lives, we focus once again upon ourselves and our "faults" as if that will somehow make the memory of our abuse more palatable. We depend on gurus and "experts", those who have never endured such devastation, who can only describe perhaps, but certainly not connect, with the survivors, to tell us who we are and to tell us how we should think about our encounter.
Losing Ourselves, Gaining Ourselves
There is an old adage, "for the want of a nail ........a kingdom was lost". For the want of a soul/relationship, the kingdom that is the person is lost, the nobility, the dignity of loving, of trying to love, of being human and having weaknesses, of being tempted and seduced, of being caring and giving and believing in a just and merciful world. Of hating. All these things, the kingdom of the human being, is slowly lost when we give ourselves up to beating ourselves up further with our 'faults and weaknesses'. It is not weakness to want love and to love, or to care. Even in the extreme. The greatest weakness is to give up ourselves to the worldviews of another. The unrequited love was still, love. And even though we beat ourselves up over it, the love remains and even our own self-contempt cannot erase that spirit, that soul. In truly loving, we are "captains" of our soul. But we would rather forfeit that and let others steer us right back into a worldview that will fail us once again.
Bottomline: we need to self-abuse because the alternative seems unthinkable. How does one wrap their hearts and minds around the idea that there was no relationship? That the months or many years we spent with the psychopath/N simply existed in our own minds, because we assumed the other was normal and they let us fill in the gaps with our own humanity? All those wasted years and energy. For nothing. Who can gaze into that abyss and not flinch? Who can live without certainty? Who can live without certainty of closure? If it was one big fat lie, what will fill the hole? We need to fill the hole, connect the gap, in order to heal. How will we do it? How much disbelief can we bear? We tell ourselves, perhaps it is better to hear that we are defective in some manner. We are echoes. In time they will make a new personality disorder just for us, let's say, for example, "echo personality disorder" and then we can finally understand.
And yet, the world and the survivors will never understand the Holocaust. And targets of true psychopaths/disordered Ns survive an emotional and psychic holocaust. Our greatest and hardest path to healing is to accept that it happened, that some things have no answers. That evil exists. That we don't know why. To accept that we are dealing with someone truly from another world, a soul with no footprints.©2002-2010 InvictaMA


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Screen Tear - Episode 4: Call of Duty, Minecraft and Golden Eye
Join Carlos Rodela for a fun-filled episode of Screen Tear featuring game glitches, Call of Duty, Minecraft, and Angry Birds in real life!
Join Carlos Rodela for a fun-filled episode of Screen Tear featuring game glitches, Call of Duty, Minecraft, and Angry Birds in real life!
Nolan North, Michael Rooker, Billy Murray, and William Fichtner talk about the experience of lending their talents to the Call of Duty franchise.
Bungie releases a documentary with cryptic references to its first post-Halo project, and Treyarch is named as developer of the new Call of Duty on the Wii.
Q&A: Ex-Infinity Ward leaders and EA Games president explain how they are setting up an independent SoCal shop, discuss importance of owning one's own IP.
[UPDATE] New studio Respawn Entertainment formed by Jason West, Vince Zampella; EA Partners to be exclusive distributor of future titles; Activision says deal is no surprise given the pair's "improper ...
[UPDATE] Activision unveils department focused on expanding franchise, confirms rumors Bay Area studio working on COD "action-adventure" title; mystery COD title due in 2011; massively multiplayer licensing in negotiations; Infinity ...
Modern Warfare 2's $550 million opening helps boost Infinity Ward, Treyarch-developed FPS series' total global sales beyond 55 million units.
Five months after first hints, Activision registers name of its popular shooter series for use with "pre-recorded movies"; new Modern Warfare 2 trailer inside.
Activision looking to translate its rhythm game, war action series into small- and big-screen properties, claims the Hollywood Reporter; concert tour also a possibility.
First-person shooters singled out for potential therapeutic benefits.
President and cofounder of World of Warcraft publisher pulls back curtain on the $18.9 billion dollar deal that changed the face of gaming.
Game industry sees paradigm shift as number two and number three independent game publishers ally to form "Activision Blizzard"; Vivendi to control 52 percent stake.
Joystiq reports that Activision's WWII franchise is headed for modern times, while EA's series will fast-forward to the year 2142.
UK advertising regulatory body bans Activision's TV promos for Call of Duty 2 games because graphics were "misleading."
Despite raking in record revenues, the number-two third-party publisher's Q4 2005 profit was down 30 percent.
Find yourself in the thick of the battle in this clip.
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Message Board
Catherine Dain Message Board
Talk about the novels, new and used books that Dain has written!
Author Dain's Book Reviews
Angel in the Dark
Mariana Morgan is recently widowed and is adjusting the living alone with her cats. She decides to join a meditation group to help her cope with the murder of her husband and the loss of her job. As she learns about the new age culture and gets involved in the group deeper, Mariana learns that she has natural healing abilities and that the meditation group is under attack by a spiritual killer. Mariana must stop the killer with the help of the spirits...
Follow the Murder
Five Star, Oct 2002, 25.95, 24 pp. ISBN: 0786243163 Clinic walk-in client Natalie Thorson informs her psychiatrist Faith Cassidy that she is filled with anger towards her former husband and wants him dead. She goes so far as to say she would love to murder Craig. Faith concludes that Natalie is emotionally too tired to carry out her threat but still consults with a peer who agrees with her assessment. The next day attorney Miriam Stern calls...


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Royal Crown Coalition
Proposed Canon
The Royal Crown Coalition (abbreviated as RCC) was an alliance created and led by Jetstone faction under Prince Ansom, Chief Warlord and heir to King Slately.
Purpose of Coalition
The coalition was supposedly created to defeat Stanley the Worm.
RCC Makeup
At its height during Battle for Gobwin Knob, the coalition consisted of seven Capital Sides:
- Jetstone
- Chief Warlord Prince Ansom
- Warlord Sir Webinar
- Warlord Dora
- Unaroyal
- Warlord Lady Sylvia Lazarus
- Sofa King
- Warlord Duke Nozzle
- Hobbittm
- Warlord Lady Georgia Power
- Transylvito
- Warlord Vinny Doombats
and Natural Allies:
- Elves (Woodsy, Shady, Luckless, Eager, Schlemiel, Altruist, Lofty, Superfluous)
- Barbarians
- Warlord Jillian Zamussels
There is also a possible unnamed FoxMUD warlord Erf-b1-p133.
It is likely the leadership of the Royal Crown Coalition were gathered into a War CouncilErf-b1-p021.
Known Numbers
As of Erf-b1-p086:
- Jetstone: 3949
- Unaroyal: 1714
- Sofa King: 981
- Foxmud: 208
- Hobbittm: 141
- Transylvito: 29
- Charlescomm: 15
- Marbits: 1875
- Elves: 820
- Barbarians: 19
Changes in Coalition
When Stanley the Tool flees from Gobwin Knob, Prince Ansom ordered Transylvito, Charlescomm and Barbarians (Jillian Zamussels) to leave the coalition and form a new alliance to go after Stanley.
Following the disastrous tunnel battleErf-b1-p097Erf-b1-p108Erf-b1-p109Erf-b1-p112, both Jetstone Warlords Sir Webinar and Dora were croaked, along with a large number of Jetstone and Marbit units. At least 2,870 Jetstone units were croaked Erf-b1-p122, as Wanda Firebaugh uncroaked as many soldiersErf-b1-p116.
RCC Breakup
Upon demise of Prince Ansom and sustaining massive losses at Gobwin Knob in volcano eruption the coalition was dissolved.
Royal Crown Coalition II
Some time after the Battle for Gobwin Knob the RCC has been re-established.
Members of RCC 2
- Jetstone
- FoxMUD
- Hobbittm
- Sofa King
- Hyatt
- Faq
- Haggar - (only joined after some military pressure from Jetstone and Charlie)
- Charlescomm - (help was initially refused for propaganda reasons relating to the threat of Toolism. But Charlie did what he could behind the scenes using Faq as a proxy. After Charlie's crucial help in saving Jetstone, Slately agreed to an informal alliance)
Former members of RCC 2
- Unaroyal (self destructed to prevent further decryption by Gobwin Knob) Erf-b1.5-p043
- Transylvito allied with Gobwin Knob following the death of Don King.
Real World References
The Royal Crown Coalition's name is a bit of a pun based on the Royal Crown Cola soft drink.


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ROCKFORD — City Council members and developers met Friday to evaluate a potential deal that would transform the empty shell of the city's first skyscraper into a modern hotel and convention center.
But despite questions about how the deal would affect other major projects in the city, one thing was clear from people on both sides of the table: This is a moment of immense promise for downtown Rockford.
"It's an exciting time. I can't ever remember in Rockford history where we've had $75 million in investment sitting on the table, right within walking distance of each other," city Administrator Jim Ryan said.
"It's really exciting to see this come to fruition. It means jobs for this community and continues to bolster our tourism footprint."
Wisconsin-based Gorman & Co. would spend $52.7 million to renovate the Ziock building, 416 S. Main St., if the city agrees to commit to a multimillion-dollar plan to build more parking and improve roads around the building, among other tax rebates and incentives.
The catalyst for the downtown hotel development is the Reclaiming First downtown sports complex, a $21 million collaborative government project to turn the former Ingersoll building into a multisport complex.
'New urbanism'
Gorman has done projects in four states and 25 communities, specializing in reusing historic buildings. President Gary Gorman expects the conference center to spur growth of restaurants and other businesses downtown.
"Conference-goers don't all just want to stay in the hotel that's connected to the conference center," he said. "They venture out, they want to see different things, they want to see part of downtown."
The more there is to do downtown, the more attractive it will be for people to live there.
"It's the whole concept of new urbanism — where you live, work and recreate within a walking distance," Gorman said. "That's why many downtowns have been successful at stimulating that kind of a critical mass of activity."
Ald. Tom McNamara, whose 3rd Ward includes parts of downtown Rockford, sees the big potential for downtown with the Ziock and Ingersoll projects, along with other work like development plans for residential units in the Rockford Trust Building and other downtown lofts being developed by Urban Equity Properties.
"I think by the end of 2016 you're going to see a vastly different and much-improved downtown," he said.
What has to give?
McNamara is among those who have asked about capital projects the city will have to sacrifice to pay for $16.6 million in parking improvements, including the Ziock deal, and $2 million in road and pedestrian walkway projects.
City staff says the work can be done without affecting the capital plan that spans through 2018. A combination of parking fees, tax credits, motor fuel tax income and reserve cash would pay for the projects.
McNamara's goal is to ensure that neighborhood road improvements are protected. He wants the city to delay plans to revamp the Whitman Street interchange and dedicate that money toward paying down debt for the parking improvements.
"When you take on $16.6 million in debt, something has to give," he said. "I'd prefer to know today what we're going to have to give up in the future."
Downtown parking
The city will build a 500-space parking deck on the surface lot bounded by Green, Church and South Main streets. It will include a pedestrian concourse connecting the deck to the conference center. That must be completed by October 2016, according to the proposed deal.
The city must also acquire property along Cedar Street, including Warshawsky auto shop, to build a surface parking lot.
It will cost about $8 million to make the parking improvements stipulated in the Ziock agreement, but the city has greater parking needs than that. In 2012, it lost about 400 spaces when a portion of the concourse deck adjacent to the BMO Harris Bank Center was closed because of structural problems.
The city plans to use parking fees, federal tax credits and money set aside in the capital improvement plan to cover the improvements.
Financial assistance
The project isn't financially feasible, Gorman told aldermen Friday, without tax rebates and other incentives.
The proposed deal requires the city to reimburse Gorman 100 percent of the annual property taxes generated by improvements made to the property. The developer will receive that rebate through 2030 — the life of the city's tax increment financing district in the area. How much money will be rebated depends on how the value of the building changes after construction is complete.
If the building were to be assessed at $8 million, that would mean $344,000 in property taxes repaid to the developer in the first year, said Todd Cagnoni, director of community and economic development. Over 17 years, that would mean $5.8 million — or $6.8 million if there were a 2 percent increase in property value during that time.
Those estimates are based on 17 years, but the rebate will more likely last 14 to 15 years once the building is complete, Cagnoni said.
The city will assist Gorman in obtaining state grants from the River Edge Redevelopment Program.
The city would also rebate 5 percent of the tax levied against hotel for room stays. The developer would still pay the 2 percent hotel tax that pays for the construction of the Reclaiming First projects to build artificial-turf soccer fields in Loves Park, expand the Indoor Sports Center and rehab Ingersoll into a downtown sports center.
Future of Davis Park
The city may make over Davis Park, which was home to headline musical acts during On the Waterfront's 29-year run, to make it more compatible with the hotel. That could include making the park available for weddings, banquets and other outdoor events.
"It's always kind of been a tweener type of park. It's not big enough for the large concerts and almost too big for the small, quaint concerts," Ryan said. "It's time to really wipe the slate clean and say 'what do we want this to be as an amenity for downtown?' "
The city is not obligated to make any Davis Park improvements as part of the deal, but it is required to form a committee to study uses and potential improvements.
Two-way work
South Main would be converted from a one-way to a two-way street between Cedar and State by March 2016, under the proposed deal. The city would widen pedestrian walkways and build protective rails on the Chestnut Street bridge to make the crossing safer for young athletes and other pedestrians walking from the hotel to the downtown sports complex on the other side of the Rock River.
Those improvements will cost about $2 million. Ryan said they're included in the city's capital improvement plan and will be paid for with motor fuel taxes revenue in the city's reserve fund.
The city also will analyze whether other downtown traffic patterns need to change, although the agreement doesn't bind Rockford to make the changes. That could include converting Chestnut and Jefferson streets from one-ways to two-ways.
Ald. Tim Durkee, who was unable to attend Friday's meeting, said in an interview this week that the one-way downtown streets can be confusing for people unfamiliar with the area.
"Every time I find something downtown, I think I should get a piece of cheese," he said, joking about the maze of one-way streets.
What's next
The city's Planning and Development committee will decide Monday whether to approve the development agreement. A yes vote would move it to the City Council, where it could be approved April 7.
Kevin Haas: 815-987-1410; firstname.lastname@example.com; @KevinMHaas


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Edmonton and goaltending
Well, it's off-season. With off-season comes all the crazy talk. One recent bit of crazy talk comes courtesy of Jim Matheson at the Edmonton Journal. I typically agree with a lot Matty has to say. But this one is just way off to me. The suggestion is that we should bring back Nikolai Khabibulin for a year. This is just lunacy to me.
I want to start by saying I like both Khabibulin and Devan Dubnyk. I think when each are on their game, they can be really quite good. I do think too though that Dubnyk hasn't shown that he can be a top end goalie for much more than 45-ish games. So that's my margin for him.. about 45 games. That leaves 37 games left to play which, if you're doing the math, is 45% of the season.. nearly half ("thank you, professor!"). That means I see Dubnyk in a 1A / 1B situation, meaning that I think he should share the starting duties with another goaltender. The most games that Dubnyk has ever played in his career was 47. Now, this year, they really pushed the envelope and gave him more games.. so it's possible he can eat more games. This post isn't so much about Dubnyk though as it is about Khabibulin.
Now, let's talk Khabi. Matheson thinks this is a good idea because Khabibulin had hip surgery last April and says he feels the best he has in a while. He missed the start of the season from recovering from the injury. That I wouldn't say is a black mark. Each game that he played this year, he did look fairly solid. However, was it clear that the fatigue/injury issues were behind him? I don't think so. February 9, khabi debuts on the season and plays a rather stellar game vs. the Wings in which they lose (but he deserved the win). One week later, he bails out Dubnyk in relief and steals a win.. things are looking good so far. February 19th (3 days later), Khabi allows a mere two goals in another reliable performance. The Oilers rest Khabi for a game, and then he plays against Phoenix on the 23rd of February. This again is another reliable game from Khabi, as he gets the win. The Oilers press their luck and push him another game, on February 25th. Boom.. groin injury… so 5 games into the season, he's out with a groin injury that keeps him out of the lineup for about a month. Is this reliable??
During the month that Khabibulin was out, the Oilers Continue reading 'Edmonton and goaltending'»


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Halloween is coming soon! and if you have noticed the Kids and Dirtbikes are out in full force recently.
Last year we had a bigger issue Superstorm Sandy. But the community had an impromptu parade.
In 2011 the community took back the streets. Starting very early on, the police had a strong presence on Gerritsen Avenue. They were patrolling the Avenue and the courts frequently. They also had foot posts with a patrol car at every intersection of a one mile stretch of road. During the prime trick or treating hours (4-8pm) there may have been up to 20 police vehicles and at least that many officers. The officers were from not just the 61 precinct, officers were brought in from the 63, Patrol Boro Brooklyn South, and Brooklyn South Task Force.
For the first time in years, the B31 bus was not shut down. This is a major accomplishment for us as a community. People were free to walk up and down Gerritsen Avenue without fear. Even yours truly was able to walk around and talk with people. One person said "If this is what it takes then so be it", another told me "Thank You", others were just surprised to see me walking around and had a lot to say about last year. The property owners patrols were a success as well. They were able to get the word out and kept watch over the area.
There were a handful of arrests and at some point a dirtbiker thought it would a good idea to ride up and down the weeds with all of this police presence. Needless to say, it did not end well for the biker.
Although the 2010 events were full of drama it seems that we have seen a drastic improvement and was a complete success thanks to the Police, Property Owners, Councilman Fidler's Office for standing up for us and State Senator Golden's office for arranging essential meetings.
How do you feel?


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Elbit Systems Announces the Results of Its Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders Held on January 7, 2014
Jan 08, 2014, 03:24 ET
HAIFA, Israel, January 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ and TASE: ESLT) (the "Company") announced today that at its Extraordinary Shareholders' General Meeting (the "Meeting") held on January 7, 2014 at the Company's offices in Haifa, the proposed resolution, described in the Proxy Statement to the Shareholders dated November 27, 2013, (the "Proxy Statement") to approve the Company's compensation policy for its executive officers and directors substantially in the form of Attachment "A" to the Proxy Statement, was approved by the required majority.
About Elbit Systems
Elbit Systems Ltd. is an international defense electronics company engaged in a wide range of programs throughout the world. The Company, which includes Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries, operates in the areas of aerospace, land and naval systems, command, control, communications, computers, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance ("C4ISR"), unmanned aircraft systems ("UAS"), advanced electro-optics, electro-optic space systems, EW suites, airborne warning systems, ELINT systems, data links and military communications systems and radios. The Company also focuses on the upgrading of existing military platforms, developing new technologies for defense, homeland security and commercial aviation applications and providing a range of support services.
For additional information, visit: http://www.elbitsystems.com.
This press release contains forward looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) regarding Elbit Systems Ltd. and/or its subsidiaries (collectively the Company), to the extent such statements do not relate to historical or current fact. Forward Looking Statements are based on management's expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions. Forward looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual future results, performance and trends may differ materially from these forward looking statements due to a variety of factors, including, without limitation: scope and length of customer contracts; governmental regulations and approvals; changes in governmental budgeting priorities; general market, political and economic conditions in the countries in which the Company operates or sells, including Israel and the United States among others; differences in anticipated and actual program performance, including the ability to perform under long-term fixed-price contracts; and the outcome of legal and/or regulatory proceedings. The factors listed above are not all-inclusive, and further information is contained in Elbit Systems Ltd.'s latest annual report on Form 20-F, which is on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. The Company does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements.
Company Contact:
Joseph Gaspar, Executive VP & CFO
Tel: +972-4-8316663
Dalia Rosen, VP, Head of Corporate Communications
Tel: +972-4-8316784
Elbit Systems Ltd.
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Keeping this short and sweet today. Strictly menu plan. Sorry if you'll miss my weekend recaps :)
Monday 1/16/12: eat out, maybe Chick Fila
Tuesday 1/17/12: 4-Minute Spicy Garlic Shrimp
Wednesday 1/18/12: school night, eat out
Thursday 1/19/12: Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Mushrooms
Friday 1/20/12: date night, movie and Dewey's Pizza
(or Mitchell's Fish Market if I can talk him into it!)
(or Mitchell's Fish Market if I can talk him into it!)
Saturday 1/21/12: Mashed Potato Bowl
Sunday 1/22/12: Crock Pot Chicken with Black Beans and Cream Cheese
Happy Martin Luther King day to you all. How come I didn't get off work today?
Peace, and bacon grease!


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Thai Curry Pastes•Dipping Sauces•Thai Meal Kits•Spices•Wok SaucesFree shipping from 500฿
Well, here we are.
8 years have passed since we started making our very first jars of curry paste.
Since, we have expanded to over 60 sauces and pastes which are available at top gourmet markets in 37 countries worldwide.
Spice up your menu, enjoy Thai cooking!
Luscious with peanut sauceGet Recipe
Fragrant & spicy!Get Recipe
The iconic dish of Thailand!Get Recipe
A mouthwatering appetizer!Get Recipe
I'm a big curry fan, and these are very handy to have. These sachets of sauce from deSIAM are full of flavour, a little goes a long way!
I've tried just about every bottled peanut sauce on the market and could not stand a single one, that is, until I happened upon deSIAM!
This kit produces the best Thai red curry I have managed to make at home. Really tasty and a nice but not overpowering heat, delicious!
A pack of Tom Yam served HIM and I for lunch in what I would call 2 healthy soup bowls… and there was enough for my lunch the following day!
We would love to speak to you.
Feel free to call, send us an email or simply complete the enquiry form.


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Alert 2007-50
Subject: Unauthorized Banking
Date: August 7, 2007
Description: The IFT Bank, N.A. aka IFT N.A. Internet Bank
The IFT Bank, N.A. aka IFT N.A. http://www.iftiprivatebanking.com Phone and Fax: 877-833-3735 firstname.lastname@example.com
To: Chief Executive Officers of All National Banks; All State Banking Authorities; Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Conference of State Bank Supervisors; Deputy Comptrollers (districts); Assistant Deputy Comptrollers; District Counsel and All Examining Personnel
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has been informed that the above-mentioned entity is representing itself as a national bank on the Internet and is offering banking products and services to the general public. Please be advised that the OCC has not authorized the referenced entity to operate as a bank or conduct banking business anywhere in the United States. Also, no record of such a company being authorized or licensed by any regulatory agency to conduct the business of banking can be located.
No public information is available as to the location of the listed entity. Contact information is limited to the above-listed telephone, fax, and e-mail address. The listed e-mail address takes you to an anonymous e-mail service address at [ouraddress.com].
Information concerning this matter that you believe should be brought to the attention of the OCC may be forwarded to:
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
For additional information regarding other types of financial fraud, please visit the OCC's anti-fraud resource at: https://www.occ.gov/topics/consumer-protection/fraud-resources/index-fraud-resources.html.


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Taken locally in ABQ - 70-200 2.8 canon lens
Uploaded on 8/29/2007 9:54:20 AM
Camera: Canon EOS 30D Digital SLR Camera
Copyright for this gallery photo belongs solely to Elliot Madriss. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
Log in to follow or message this photographer or report this photo.


text: I am using centos 6.4 64 bit, with ISPCONFIG 18.104.22.168 Using Digital Ocean server. I have moved couple of domains to digitalocean hosting. and they were working fine. later I tried to bypass DNS management in digitalocean hosting and directly add DNS record in ISPConfig, but for some reason pages started to stall. I have removed the DNS records from ISPConfig Now the problem is I can access website from http://aala.pk but can not from http://www.aala.pk Any sugeestion


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Parent Directory | Revision Log
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add support for pkg_pretend and split apart the testing/message logic from the actual mount logic so we can provide better details up front #532264 by Ulrich Müller
add a helper function to track all the ways we disable the logic so output/behavior is consistent
do not attempt to mount /boot when installing packages into a different root #532264 by Michał Górny
improve the output a bit: do a bit of word smithing, try to make it less spammy with empty lines, and make the mount cases consistent (output message before mounting)
add eclass docs
try to automatically remount/unmount /boot back to its pre-emerge state #348946 by Jaco Kroon
fix from Lars Wendler (Polynomial-C) to make sure /boot has a .keep file so portage doesnt go deleting the "empty" /boot mount point #274130 by Jochums Johannes
make matching ro in the options field a bit more robust #260214 by Joe User
dont send output to /dev/null ... if it worked, we would get no output and if it failed, we want to see the output
use elog for DONT_MOUNT_BOOT user message #223311
tweak from Robin Johnson to not mount /boot if DONT_MOUNT_BOOT is set #179693
document maintainers
*** empty log message ***
Remove ECLASS= and INHERITED= which haven't been necessary for a long time now
Remove ECLASS= and INHERITED= which haven't been necessary for a long time now
update the copyright info
header fixes
move mount /boot to pkg_preinst, remove the bells ;)
fix for #10471
Header updates/cleanups
fix for #9051
fixes from #7903
#7903 in progress...
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On This Date in History: I had always assumed that Mother's Day was invented by some card company like Hallmark. I was wrong. It was just hijacked by the entreprenuerial spirit of America! There's all sorts of stuff about it going back to the early church and then going on through the 17th century in Europe when it was still associated with the church. It had been to celebrate Mother Mary, then the Mother Church with Mothering Sunday. But when the folks came across the pond to America, the colonists were too busy working to do such things and it died out.
Then along came the Civil War and a woman named Anne Marie Reeves Jarvis. She started "Mother's Friendship Day" as a way to improve sanitation in 1858. During the Civil War she continued the practice by organizing women on both sides to try and improve the nasty situation. Afterward, she organized Mother's Friendship Clubs to teach women the basics of nursing and sanitation. She also took the opportunity to bring reconciliation to the nation following the war. Anne died in 1905 and her daughter Anna missed her greatly. Anna felt that children didn't appreciate their mother's enough while they were alive. So, in 1907, she decided to start a day to honor mothers. She began a letter writing campaign to ministers and such and in 1908, the first Mother's Day service was held in honor of Anne Marie Jarvis in Grafton, West Virginia, where she went to church for 20 years and also at her church in Philadelphia, the city where Anne died.
It caught on and in 1912 The International Mother's Day Association had come into being and on this date in 1914, a Presidential Proclamation by Woodrow Wilson designated the second Sunday of May as Mother's Day. But Anna Jarvis' happiness didn't last long. In just a few short years, people started giving cards and flowers and presents and all sorts of things. It became more secular than what Miss Jarivs had envisioned. Commericialization had taken over and it continues today as Mother's Day is one of the most financially successful days on the calendar. Anna Jarvis died as a cranky old woman who fought to oppose Mother's Day. I guess she created a monster like Frankenstein. But not as much as the Postal Service.
Yes indeed…in 1934 the US Postal Service decided to get into the act and make a stamp to commemorate Mother's Day. And what did they pick to commemorate the day to honor the wholesome beauty of Motherhood? The portrait of James Abbott McNeill Whistler's mother! You look at it and try to figure out what they were thinking. It sure wasn't "Happy Mother's Day." As it turns out, the inspiration came from none other than President Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR had been presented the idea by Mrs. H. H. McCluer of Kansas City who was the past president of a group called the American War Mothers. President Roosevelt had been devoted to his own mother so he heartily accepted the proposal and sent a sketch of the stamp that he envisioned to Postmaster General James A. Farley. Farley made a few modifications and the stamp was issued on May 2, 1934.
As for Hallmark, it is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. Joyce C. Hall was given the name "Joyce" because he had the misfortune of being born in David, Nebraska on the day that a Methodist bishop named Isaac W. Joyce was in town and his parents must have been inspired. As a teenager, J.C. Hall went into business with his two older brothers selling picture postcards. In 1910 at the age of 18, he dropped out of school and went to Kansas City and started selling postcards to drugstores, gift shops and bookstores before opening a specialty shop.
But, in a case of misfortune turning to a catalyst for success, a fire swept through the store. The brothers then got a loan and decided to purchase an engraving firm that they had done business with in the past. While Mother's Day was just getting started around that time and no doubt did Hallmark participate in the commercialization of the "Holy Day" invented by Anna Jarvis, the company was not built on the hallowed day's back. Instead, the Hallmark company history says that the Hall brothers originally gained success with Christmas and Valentine's cards. But, let's think about this for a moment. All about the same time: Anna Jarvis comes up with Mother's Day; President Wilson recognizes it nationally; a fire destroys the Hall brother's store and they start making specialty cards; Mother's Day becomes so commercialized that Anna Jarvis works to oppose the very thing she created. I think that perhaps Miss Jarvis did not buy any Hallmark cards.


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December 19, 2011
New Partnership Reinforces Sanford-Brown's Continued Focus on Service Learning Opportunities and Commitment to Local Communities
Schaumburg, Ill., December 5, 2011 — Beginning this fall, Sanford-Brown, which provides education in allied health care and related fields at more than 35 campuses nationwide, is teaming up with the National Association of Free Clinics (NAFC) to create service-learning and externship opportunities for its students in the communities where they live and study. This new partnership also expands the school's commitment to giving back to those in need as NAFC works to advocate and provide resources for its more than 1,200 free clinics across the United States.
Sanford-Brown's career-focused training programs are designed to encourage students to take their classroom skills into the community to address critical health needs. Students who perform service learning or externships in NAFC clinics will be able to apply their new skills from program studies such as Medical Assisting, Emergency Medical Services and Respiratory Therapy.
"As an increasing number of Americans rely on free clinics for their healthcare needs, the demand for trained healthcare staff at free clinics is also growing," said from Nicole Lamoureux Busby, Executive Director of the National Association of Free Clinics. "We're looking forward to having Sanford-Brown students work alongside our teams as we bring health services to even more people in need."
Sanford-Brown currently has relationships with thousands of clinical affiliates that provide students with practical, on-the-job experiences through externship opportunities or specialized service learning programs. Some Sanford-Brown campuses also offer free dental-clinics right on campus. The schools place an emphasis on students working within the community, in part by writing service learning directly into the curriculum and encouraging students to give back. The service learning program is intended to engage students in the educational process by requiring them to apply their classroom learning to provide important healthcare support in their community.
"It's so valuable for our students to gain experience using their hard-earned skills in real life situations, especially when those situations benefit their families, friends and local communities," said Todd Prehm, vice president of business development for Sanford-Brown. "NAFC shares our common interests in training compassionate healthcare professionals to serve the community, and this is an incredible opportunity for our students gain experience with a number of different types of clinics and services."
Through this partnership with NAFC, Sanford-Brown students will volunteer their time and skills at free NAFC health clinics in their area – providing services based on the need of the clinic and the community. Students will also provide specific healthcare services for clinics such as Adult Primary Care Clinics, Dental Clinics, Teen Clinics, and Women's Clinics.
About National Association of Free Clinics
The National Association of Free Clinics is the only nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization whose mission is solely focused on the issues and needs of more than 1,200 free clinics and the people they serve in the United States.
Founded in 2001 and headquartered near Washington, D.C., the NAFC is an effective advocate for the issues and concerns of free clinics, their volunteer workforce of doctors, dentists, nurses, therapists, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, technicians and other health care professionals, as well as the patients served by free clinics in communities throughout the nation.
About Sanford-Brown
The Sanford-Brown name dates back to 1866 when Rufus C. Crampton, a professor at Illinois College, established a school to meet the growing educational demands of post-Civil War America. Today, there are 23 campuses bearing the name Sanford-Brown College (SBC) and there are 15 other affiliated campuses operating under the names of Sanford-Brown Institute (SBI) and SBI Campus-an affiliate of Sanford-Brown. Programs vary by location.
Sanford-Brown Colleges and Institutes are part of the Career Education Corporation (NASDAQ:CECO) network of universities, colleges and schools. All Sanford-Brown Colleges and Institutes are accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). SBI - Monroeville and Pittsburgh are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) and also by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). Sanford-Brown cannot guarantee employment or salary. Find disclosures on graduation rates, student financial obligations and more at www.sanfordbrown.edu/disclosure. For more information about the Sanford-Brown schools please visit https://www.sanfordbrown.edu/.
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Juneau Campus: Hendrickson Bldg
Environmental Sciences
- Information: 796-6485
- Environmental Sciences: firstname.lastname@example.com
- Fax: 796-6406
AddressHendrickson Bldg
Room 107
11066 Auke Lake Way (SOB1)
Juneau, AK 99801
Professor of Environmental Science
Phone: 796-6244, Fax: 796-6406
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Arts and Sciences - Natural Sciences
Whitehead Bldg, Rm. 224, Juneau Campus
Juneau Campus
Ph.D. Geography 2002, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
Courses Taught
Lower Division:
Upper Division:
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Phone: 796-6538, Fax: 796-6447
Email: email@example.com
Arts and Sciences - Natural Sciences
Anderson Bldg, Rm. 313, Juneau Campus
Juneau Campus
National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow, National Exposure Research Laboratory - USEPA, Athens, GA
Study of the natural environment from a chemical viewpoint offers fascinating research topics ranging from basic research on poorly understood natural processes to applied research investigating the effects of human activities on various ecosystems and remediation efforts. The pristine system of forests and waterways proximate to the University of Alaska Southeast are ideal natural laboratories for these types of studies.
My research centers on the transport, deposition and attenuation of heavy metal and organic pollutants in high latitude environments. Heavy metal studies in my lab include characterization of the iron, lead and copper species associated with high organic carbon soils under anaerobic conditions. An increasing presence of ocean-going vessels at Alaskan ports has also raised concern about environmental levels of tin. The chemical interactions of tin with environmental matrices (e.g. microbial communities) profoundly influence its mobility and toxicity. These metals have become common features of the southeastern Alaska topography and identifying the specific form of these metals under various environmental conditions provides valuable insight into their transport properties. Organic pollutants, on the other hand, are typically associated with industrialized areas and as such have limited local sources at higher latitudes. Atmospheric transport and to some extent urbanization however, have provided for detectable levels of numerous synthetic organic chemicals in the arctic hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. Studies aimed at quantifying levels of organic pollutants and their attenuation products in high latitude regions are also pursued in my laboratory. Of particular interest to me are halogenated organic contaminants and their redox chemistry in the environment. Once these pollutants reach higher latitudes, I study their transformations as they interact with the abiotic and biotic environment of southeastern Alaska and how the contaminant's environmental impact is controlled by those interactions. Both heavy metal and organic pollutant studies involve the use of state of the art analytical instrumentation including atomic absorption spectrometry and mass spectrometry. Collaborations with the University of Alaska Anchorage, the University of Alaska Fairbanks and University of Alaska Southeast biologists continue to support and strengthen my contaminant studies. In addition to contaminant studies, I conduct ongoing research into the habitat remediation and restoration potential of created wetlands. Collaborative efforts with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife have led to the development and continued study of two created wetlands in the Mendenhall valley. Results from this project have shown these landscape features serve as moderators of groundwater intrusion and stormwater runoff, provide for carbon sequestration and contaminant retention and allow for significantly improved habitat. All of my research projects at the University of Alaska Southeast have benefited from the contributions of my undergraduate research assistants.
Courses Taught
The chemistry courses that I teach at the University of Alaska Southeast include general, organic and environmental chemistry.
The UAS Natural Science department is well equipped for gas and liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, atomic absorption spectrometry and ultraviolet, visible and infrared spectroscopy. I have taught Special Topics courses on contaminant attenuation in the natural environment and wetland chemistry. All of these courses provide valuable insight into natural processes and provide a foundation for understanding natural systems and the impacts of contemporary societies on those systems.
Lower Division:
Upper Division:
Associate Professor of Environmental Science, Geography BS Program Coordinator
Phone: 796-6007, Fax: 796-6406
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Arts and Sciences - Natural Sciences
Whitehead Bldg, Rm 223, Juneau Campus
Juneau Campus
Ph.D. Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology 1999, University of Nevada, Reno, NV
B.A. Biology (Studio Art Minor), Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY
Courses Taught
Lower Division:
Upper Division:
Associate Professor of Geophysics
Phone: 796-6247
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Arts and Sciences - Natural Sciences
Whitehead Bldg, Rm 225, Juneau Campus
Juneau Campus
Ph.D. Geophysics, 2010, University of Alaska Fairbanks
M.S. Geophysics, 2006, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Curriculum Vitae (see Jason's personal site)
Selected Publications (see Jason's personal site)
Courses Taught
Lower Division:
Upper Division:
Research Assistant Professor of Environmental Science
Phone: 796-6370
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Arts and Sciences - Natural Sciences
Whitehead Bldg, Rm 220, Juneau Campus
Juneau Campus
Assistant Professor of Geology
Phone: 796-6580, Fax: 796-6406
Email: email@example.com
Arts and Sciences - Natural Sciences
Whitehead Bldg, Rm 227, Juneau Campus
Juneau Campus
Ph.D. Geology, 2001, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
M.S. Geology, 1997, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
B.A. Geology and History, 1994, Amherst College, Amherst, MA
Environmental geochemistry, including:
Courses Taught
Research Faculty - Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center
Phone: 796-6046
Email: email@example.com
Arts and Sciences - Natural Sciences - Environmental Sciences
Whitehead Bldg, 2nd Floor, Juneau Campus
Juneau Campus
Research Professor Emeritus, Geophysical Institute, UAF
Phone: 796-6307
Email: email@example.com
Arts and Sciences - Natural Sciences
Juneau Campus
Ph.D. Geology and Geophysics, 1983, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK
M.S. Physics, 1966, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
B.A. Physics, 1964, St. Mary's University, Winona, MN
Curriculum vitae (PDF|48Kb)Complete list of publications (PDF|114Kb)
Professor of Geology, Emerita
Phone: 796-6485, Fax: 796-6406
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Arts and Sciences - Natural Sciences
Juneau Campus
Ph.D. Geology 1984, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
M.S. Geology 1975, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
B.S. Geology 1974, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Curriculum vitae (PDF | 149Kb)
Quaternary Geology and Paleoecology, Regional Alaskan Geology, Glaciology, Neotectonic Processes, Geoscience Education
Courses Taught
Lower Division:
Upper Division:


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Figs are warming, sweet and alkaline in nature. In oriental medicine, figs are considered a neutralizer of toxins and are suggested during times of cleansing and during healing crisis. Figs have a special affinity for the stomach, spleen, pancreas and large intestines. Figs are antibacterial, antiparasitic, and restorative. They have a high content of mucin, which is a soothing laxative. They help to moisten the lungs and large intestines. Figs contain the compound, benzaldehyde, which according to Japanese studies, shrink tumors. Figs also contain a sulphur compound called ficin, which helps reduce joint and tissue inflammation and is used to treat injuries.
Figs are sometimes called "bright vision fruit," due to their ability to improve eyesight, via helping liver function. Figs are used to treat anemia, arthritis, asthma, low blood pressure, cancer, catarrh, colitis, coughs, dysentery, emaciation, exhaustion, gout, hemorrhoids, pleurisy, rheumatism, sore throat, tuberculosis, and ulcers. Figs are used to deter cravings for sugar, alcohol and drugs. Figs are rich in B6, folic acid, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and potassium.
If buying dried figs, be sure to avoid those treated with the preservative potassium sorbate. Of all the dried fruits, figs are considered the healthiest.
Enjoy figs as a snack or for dessert. Try them stuffed with raw almond butter. Soak figs overnight in water for a breakfast compote. Figs can be used as a natural sweetener, added to cookies, pies and puddings. Excess consumption of figs may cause diarrhea. Figs are very sweet and should be used sparingly by those desiring to lose weight. However they are excellent for body builders and those wanting to gain weight.
Brush your teeth after eating dried figs as they are sticky and cling to the teeth, and can contribute to tooth decay.
Latex from unripe figs is applied twice daily to remove warts. Fresh fig poultice has been applied to toothaches to reduce inflammation until dental help can be sought, as well as boils.


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This is a longer version of an article also published in the Financial Times.
See dozens of tasting notes of madeiras of all but the lowest quality in The Great Island Tasting and More madeiras.
Bert Jeuris, a 34-year-old importer of burgundy and fine Portuguese table wines into Belgium, had never tasted madeira until two years ago. The result of a seminal glass of D'Oliveiras Boal 1968 is that he, with a few co-investors, now owns 10,000 bottles of fine old madeira, and another 4,000 bottles of the more commercial sort. With input from his television director partner Ludovic Beun, he is now aggressively marketing this as The Madeira Collection, complete with distinctly 21st-century graphics, video footage, website (www.themadeiracollection.be), and an extraordinary celebratory tasting of historic treasures on the Atlantic island itself last week.
Just over a dozen of us were lucky enough to taste 43 of the finest madeiras produced by three of the island's best producers - Barbeito, Blandy's and D'Oliveiras - including no fewer than seven wines made in the 19th century and one bottle of wine made from grapes harvested in 1795. All of these wines were fighting fit, and had been opened a full week before the tasting just to ensure this was the case. Madeira, as you will gather, is virtually indestructible. An opened bottle can be eked out over months.
Although it is a wine fortified by the addition of grape spirit and so is usually around 19% alcohol, it never tastes heavy - thanks to the high acidity of everything, even the bananas, grown on this volcanic island between the Canaries and the Azores. It can vary from bone dry and pale to richly spicy and dark brown, but is always super-tangy, food-friendly and refreshing. We got up from our historic tasting feeling perky enough to assay a three-course dinner on the moonlit terrace of Reid's Palace hotel's Villa Cipriani with (yet more) wine.
All of these 43 wines were based on one of the light-skinned grapes Sercial, Verdelho, Boal (to make Bual), Malvasia (to make Malmsey), Terrantez or Moscatel traditionally grown on the island until mildews and the phylloxera louse arrived there in the late nineteenth century and decimated vine plantings. Most growers replanted with the much more robust Tinta Negra Mole vine whose grapes have dark skins and produce rather less refined fox-red wines. This vine variety, thought to be identical to the Molar of the minuscule Colares wine region on the Portuguese coast, is responsible for a good 85% of all wine produced on the island, although there is now official financial encouragement for the 1,500 growers to switch back to the classic white grapes. The island's top winemakers are learning to love Tinta Negra Mole, however, and have been producing increasingly ambitious versions such as Barbeito's Colheita 2001.
That the total area planted with vinifera (European) vines on this fertile island is just 400 hectares (much less than the total planted in England, for example) shows that vineyards here are typically no more than a small terrace or garden plot on the island's steep slopes. The Madeira Wine Company, whose (virtually interchangeable) brands include Blandy's, Cossart Gordon and Leacock, buys from 800 of them, for example, their purchases varying from 30 tonnes of grapes down to just 50 kg.
Arguably more than in any other wine, it is the ageing rather than the grapes that determines madeira's quality – perhaps not so surprising for a wine that can easily last a century or two. Before Prohibition and the Russian revolution robbed the madeira shippers of two of their best markets, there were dozens of producers on the island, each with several warehouses, or lodges, designed to expose the wines deliberately to the heat and oxidation that can preserve them for so miraculously long. Today there are just six producers of sufficient size to export in any quantity, and the single biggest export market is France, which is really only interested in young madeira for cooking rather than drinking. (This lowly sort, 'modified' with added pepper and salt, is the only type of madeira that may be exported in bulk rather than bottle nowadays.)
The dominant premium producer, Madeira Wine Co, run by the powerful Blandy family, who have been on the island for nearly 200 years, had to join forces with the Symington port group in 1989. Barbeito, whose delicately vivid wine style suggests this producer could be regarded as the Lafite of Madeira, sold a 50% stake to their Japanese importers Kinoshita International in 1991. Two years later the French rum distributor group La Martiniquaise was sold a majority stake in Justino's, which produces some fine wine, wine for the Broadbent madeira label, and substantial quantities of young madeira and the 'cooking madeira' of which the French are so fond. Pereira d'Oliveira, whose labels carry the name D'Oliveiras, is still family owned and has good stocks of rich, old wines, and H M Borges is another, even smaller, family company worthy of attention. Henriques & Henriques is owned and run by two of the directors who worked with the late John Cossart when he owned this well-respected company.
One of the many quirks of madeira is that how long it is kept in cask matters every bit as much as the year of its birth. Francisco Albuquerque, award-winning winemaker at the Madeira Wine Co (pictured above), says firmly of his firm's various releases of 1958 Bual that the lot bottled in 1996 is the best, even though there have been three more bottlings, under various names, since then, 'each of them is quite a different wine. The bottling date is crucial. A wine can change enormously with, say, seven more years in cask'. He showed us two different samples of their 1920 Bual. The one bottled as recently as 2006 was delicious - well rounded, spicy, gentle and complex - whereas the one drawn straight from cask seemed almost painfully concentrated, more treacle than fruit.
So how do they decide how much of these ancient stocks of wine to bottle at a time? Apparently Albuquerque tastes every cask once a year and writes a report on each with a recommendation as to whether to bottle, blend, transfer to a demi-john to stop the ageing process, or keep for even longer. But the final decision is always a commercial one - and demand for madeira over the last few decades has been far lower than I for one think it deserves to be. The shippers all agree that they have had only a handful of customers for their finest wines: The Rare Wine Company of California, Patrick Grubb Selections of the UK and Madas NV of Belgium, run as a hobby by the stock exchange accountant who recently decided to sell his collection to Bert Jeuris.
Currently, as you can see from the background to all the wines we tasted in The Great Island Tasting, these bottlings are usually of only a few hundred or at most just over a thousand bottles each, to conserve stocks of the really old wines. I always wonder what would happen if there were to be a sudden wave of international enthusiasm for this intensely rewarding, versatile wine? A day or two after our historic tasting, I asked Ricardo Diogo Freitas (pictured here), who now runs his grandfather's firm Barbeito – with such enthusiasm that he has managed to persuade his brothers to finance a brand new, ultra-modern lodge high above Câmara de Lobos, famous for being the birthplace of Cristiano Ronaldo and, possibly, for being the principal source of madeira grapes. He explained, 'Old wines are much more from a sharing point of view than pure business. The tasting was a good example of that. Many, many times, I have to refuse sales of old wines. I sell them in limited quantities (based in allocations every year) and only to the customers/importers that, I am sure, take good care of them. It may seem a utopia but it's my way of living with the material treasures I still have from my grandfather and my mother.'
This makes me feel all the guiltier about some of the heart-rending notes in our tasting booklet such as 'From a small demi john of my mother's collection' and 'only one bottle known'.
At the end of this historic exercise, Michael Blandy observed firmly to Jeuris, 'so, now you've got to sell a great deal of madeira'. The good news is that even some of the five year old wines can be delicious.
See dozens of tasting notes of madeiras of all but the lowest quality in The Great Island Tasting and More madeiras.


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FORT CARSON, Colo. (AP) — Fort Carson is holding a memorial service for two of its soldiers who died in Kuwait.
Spc. Trinidad Santiago Jr., of San Diego, and Spc. Charles P. McClure, of Stratford, Okla., died May 2 in Camp Buehring, Kuwait, of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident. They were assigned to the 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division based at Fort Carson in Colorado.
The Army Post plans a memorial service for them Thursday at its Soldiers' Memorial Chapel.
Fort Carson officials say Santiago joined the Army in 2009 while McClure joined the Army in 2011. Both men deployed to Kuwait in February.
Santiago had previously deployed to Afghanistan.
(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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#TuesdayShoesday: Shop Our Favorite White Loafers
Crisp and clean loafers, coming your way! Today, we're providing you with a selection of the best preppy staple in summer-ready white, so shop our picks below and get ready to love this look all season long.
Tibi Denni Loafers ($385) in White
WeWoreWhat x Modern Vice Croco Emboss Slides ($275) in White
River Island Patent Leather Loafers ($80) in White
Munro Kimi Loafers ($130) in White Leather
Nine West Sabeena Penny Loafers ($79) in White Leather
Swear Charlotte 9 Loafer Flat Shoes ($248) in White
Image via Danielle Bernstein of We Wore What
On Bernstein: Pixie Market Eyelet Top ($109) in White; Zara Oversize Denim Jacket ($70) in Blue; Rag & Bone/JEAN The Repair Capri Jeans ($187) in Bright White; WeWoreWhat x Modern Vice Croco Emboss Slides ($275) in White


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For the Zacco office in Gävle, we are looking for candidates to take on the position as Patent Attorney.
We are looking for candidates to take on the position as Patent Attorney and be part of Zacco's large Patent team, where we provide services for a large and diverse group of clients.
The job:
As a Patent Attorney you will work closely with our other Patent Attorneys and Patent Paralegals to solve assignments for our clients within the IPR business area.
The main tasks for this position include:
- Handle patent issues of varying character, with clients ranging from small enterprises to multinational companies.
- Patent work of all aspects of the patenting process both in Sweden and internationally.
- Infringement assessments.
- Freedom to operate.
- Litigation.
- Strategic analysis.
Your personal and professional qualifications:
- Three years' experience from a similar position.
- Educational background on minimum M.Sc. level in any technical field.
- Structured, organised, self-driven and proactive.
- Fluent in Swedish and English, written and spoken.
- Good at working independently, and in teams, taking initiative and being detail oriented.
- Interest in creating and developing client relations and extending your business network.
We offer:
You will be a member of a small-scale patent attorney team at one of our offices, and a member of one of the largest teams of patent attorneys in eastern and northern Sweden. You will also be part of a leading Scandinavian IP consulting firm with the strongest client portfolio in Scandinavia, having an extensive global network of clients and preferred partners.
- Attractive salary package.
- Personal and professional development incl. the possibility to become a partner.
- Great challenges and independent responsibility.
- A work place with some of the most competent and experienced colleagues within patent and IP.
Zacco in brief:
Zacco is a modern, consultancy driven company with a 360° perspective on Intellectual Property.
Our vision is to secure and protect our clients' entire innovation process and intangible assets. With our technical and legal expertise as well as experience we want to guard our clients' innovations and make them reach their full potential and development.
Our aim is to be our clients' preferred partner within IP consultancy besides being their innovative partner in the development of new technology to meet the digitalization which the IP business is facing and the world is undergoing.
We are almost 400 experts within all aspects of Intellectual Property including a large number of experienced Patent, Trademark and Design Attorneys as well as highly skilled Attorneys at Laws, Paralegals and IT Specialists.
Zacco is Scandinavia's leading full-service intellectual property consultancy with 26 offices in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Germany.
Are you interested?
If you have any questions regarding this position, you are welcome to contact Niclas Uggla.
Please send your application, CV and relevant exam papers through this link as soon as possible.


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Melly - Dat Work Freestyle [Unsigned Artist]
This is Baltimore's own Melly with his new freestyle "Dat Work"
Follow me on instagram: melly_bitch_chill
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"Cows and bulls never fail to be struck by lightning when it strikes the trees under which they sought shelter during the storm. If the goats, on the contrary, retreat to the foot of a tree which the lightning strikes, a few moments before it strikes, the herd flees; The shepherds, informed of the cause, follow them in haste. Immediately you see falling on the abandoned tree the thunderbolt which the instinct of the goats has foreseen. "
From a Book on superstitions, prejudices and popular errors by 'Jaque the Hunchback" :
[Le petit libraire forain ou la morale de Jacques le bossu: ouvrage dirigé contre les royances superstitieuses, les préjugés et les erreurs populaires par Frédéric Rouveroy, Jean-Marie Chopin 1834]
This 'old goat's tale' jacques claims to be 'a fact well known to all the Swiss' - [[A cette occasion je vais vous citer un fait connu de toute la Suisse ]


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College Football 2012 — Week 11 Preview
We're getting down to crunch time in the college football season. Several top teams are trying to wrap up their respective divisions or keep their title hopes alive while others are just struggling to hold on to bowl eligibility. There are several interesting games this week: only three matchups between ranked teams, but 11 ranked teams have tough road trips.
Here is what to watch for this week in college football:
[Saturday, 3:30 p.m. on CBS]
Texas A&M lit up one of the SEC's best defenses last week, rolling up 38 points and almost 700 yards at Mississippi State. Things will get much tougher this week, however, against an Alabama defense that is second nationally in total defense and first in scoring. The Aggies are averaging almost 45 points and 560 yards this season, both tops in the SEC. Quarterback Johnny Manziel leads the conference in passing, scoring and total offense. A&M will match up against an Alabama offense that has been efficient this season but needed a last-minute score after struggling much of the game against LSU. In that game, the defense also showed a few cracks, giving up 475 yards, the most by an Alabama defense in five years. This is probably the last real obstacle standing between the Crimson Tide and the SEC title game, as Alabama's final two opponents (Western Carolina and Auburn) are a combined 3-16 this season.
[Saturday, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN]
Kenjon Barner moved himself squarely into the Heisman mix with his 321-yard, five-touchdown effort against USC. Now, Barner and the Ducks will go against a struggling Cal squad that has lost three in a row and is already guaranteed its second losing season in three years. The Ducks lead the nation in scoring offense and are fourth in total offense, thanks in large part to Barner, who is averaging over 164 total yards and 13.3 points per game. While Oregon's defense was torched for 51 points by USC's aerial attack, they should have better luck against a Bears offense that ranks 88th nationally in scoring. Oregon has won three in a row in this series, and 11 of the last 15.
[Saturday, 7 p.m. on FOX]
All eyes in this one will be on the health of Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein. The Heisman frontrunner was knocked out of last week's win over Oklahoma State with an apparent head injury. However, Wildcat coach Bill Snyder is notoriously secretive with injury information and refuses to disclose the specific injury or whether or not Klein will be ready this weekend, saying only, "Would I expect him to play? I certainly hope that's the case, and I would expect that to take place." Klein is the leader of the nation's fifth-leading scoring offense and has guided the Wildcats to their first 9-0 start since 1999. If Klein can't go, it will fall on athletic backup quarterback Daniel Sams and running back John Hubert to move the ball against a Horned Frogs defense that is giving up less than 97 rushing yards per game (eighth nationally).
[Saturday, 8 p.m. on ABC]
Notre Dame needed some serious luck of the Irish to survive an overtime scare from Pitt last week. But they should have no similar problems this week from a Boston College squad that has lost six of its last seven and brings in an offense that ranks 98th nationally in scoring. They'll face Manti Te'o and the stifling Notre Dame defense, which is tenth in total defense and second in scoring, giving up less than 12 points per game. The Eagles have been held to 17 or fewer points six times this season. Notre Dame has won three in a row in this series and is trying to reach 10-0 for the first time since 1993.
[Saturday, 7 p.m. on ESPN2]
Although Auburn may not resemble a big challenge, Georgia knows that there is still a lot at stake in this game as the Bulldogs can clinch a spot in the SEC title game with a win this weekend. On paper, Georgia should have little trouble with an anemic Tigers offense that ranks 116th nationally in total offense and 115th in scoring. Even when they are able to move the ball, Auburn isn't much of a threat to score: inside the red zone, Auburn quarterbacks are just 3/11 for 14 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions this season. Georgia's offense, meanwhile, has been rolling with quarterback Aaron Murray throwing for 961 yards and nine touchdowns in his last three games and freshman running back Todd Gurley rushing for 100+ yards six times this season.
After becoming the first FBS team to ten wins this season, the Buckeyes finally get a bye week to prepare for the last two obstacles standing between them and an undefeated season. Ohio State returns to action next week at Wisconsin before closing out the season at home against archrival Michigan.
[Saturday, 12:21 p.m. on SEC Network]
Thanks to an odd front-loaded schedule, the Gators are already finished with SEC play and begin the first of three games against non-conference opponents. Florida's defense has carried the team, ranking fourth nationally in scoring defense and holding its last six opponents to 17 or fewer points. However, the offense, which has struggled all season, has gone in reverse lately, averaging just 241.7 yards and giving up seven total turnovers in their last three games. The defense will be called to slow down a Ragin' Cajuns offense that averages 35 points and 435 yards per game, but has never faced a defense of the Gators' caliber. Florida has clinched a share of the SEC East, but would need Georgia to slip up to get in to the SEC title game.
[Thursday, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN]
After playing in the ACC championship game in four of the last five years, Virginia Tech finds itself in the unfamiliar position of a needing to win two of their last three just to avoid a losing record for the first time in two decades. However, that task won't be made any easier this week with the Seminoles' high-powered offense coming to town. Florida State ranks seventh nationally in total offense and third in scoring. They'll be going against a Hokies defense that has given up an average of almost 33 points per game in their last five contests, of which they've lost four. However, Blacksburg is always a tough place to play, and the Hokies are 4-1 at home this year.
[Saturday, 7 p.m. on ESPN]
After starting the season 7-0, the Bulldogs find themselves in the unenviable position of trying to snap a two-game losing streak with a night game at Baton Rouge. They'll be facing an LSU squad that is still stinging from the last-minute loss to Alabama. Mississippi State's defense had been the team's bright spot before being torched for 38 points and almost 700 yards last week by Texas A&M. This week, they'll face a Tigers offense that has struggled throughout the season, but is coming off its best performance of the season against Alabama's top-ranked defense. Zach Mettenberger threw for a career-high 298 yards and a score last week and will look to build on that against a Bulldogs defense that gave up 332 yards through the air last week. This is Mississippi State's third straight game against a ranked opponent. LSU has not lost back-to-back home games since 2001.
[Saturday, 3:30 p.m. on ESPNU]
Maryland has lost its top four quarterbacks to injury and is now using freshman Shawn Petty, a converted linebacker, under center. So the Terrapins can be forgiven a little bit for having an offense ranked 121st in total yards and 111th in scoring. But that may be small consolation as they try to match up with a Clemson offense that ranks seventh in scoring and is averaging over 522 yards per game. The Tigers have put up at least 37 points in each of their last eight games and are coming off their biggest day of the season (56 points and 718 yards vs. Duke). Quarterback Tajh Boyd has scored 25 touchdowns in his last six games and has thrown for 340+ yards four times in that stretch. Clemson has won the past two meetings with Maryland.
[Saturday, 12 p.m. on ABC]
Louisville is an undefeated team from a BCS automatic qualifier conference, but can't seem to get any love from the BCS computers or pollsters as a title contender. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been spectacular for the Cardinals this year, completing over 70 percent of his passes for 2,434 yards, 18 touchdowns and just four interceptions. This week, however, the Louisville offense will face a scoring challenge against a Syracuse squad that leads the Big East in total offense (463.8 yards per game). A win this week would give the Cardinals their first ten-win season in six years. Louisville has won six straight road games and three in a row over the Orange.
[Saturday, 12 p.m. on CBS]
After a bye week, South Carolina returns to action for the first time since a gruesome knee injury ended the season for star running back Marcus Lattimore. He'll be replaced in the backfield by senior Kenny Miles, who was actually the Gamecocks' leading rusher in 2009 before being replaced by Lattimore the next year. On the other side, Arkansas looked dreadful in their 1-5 start but has seemed to right the ship, winning three of their last four. Quarterback Tyler Wilson leads the SEC in passing yards per game. The Gamecocks have lost three in a row to Arkansas and five of the past six, but have won 10 straight at home.
[Saturday, 3 p.m. on FOX]
After leading last week's 48-0 win over Colorado, Stanford's Kevin Hogan will get his first start at quarterback for the Cardinal. Likewise, Oregon State's Cody Vaz will be under center again for the second time after replacing starter Sean Mannion. In a game featuring two inexperienced quarterback against two very solid defenses, this game could well come down to which team makes the fewest mistakes. Stanford safety Ed Reynolds has already returned an FBS-best three interceptions for touchdowns this season, so Vaz must account for his presence. On the other side, while Hogan didn't have to do much to beat Colorado, he'll have to carry a much bigger load this week with his arm. Cardinal running back Stepfan Taylor is fourth in the conference in rushing, but has managed just 101 total yards in the last two games and is going against a Beavers defense that ranks fifth nationally in rushing defense.
[Saturday, 3:30 p.m. on Fox Sports Net]
Baylor represents an interesting dilemma/opportunity for the Sooners—the Bears rank first nationally in total offense (581.5 yards per game), but rank dead last in total defense (giving up 527 per game). So OU quarterback Landry Jones (1,382 yards and nine touchdowns in his last four games) and the Oklahoma offense, which ranks 15th nationally in scoring should be able to put up some big numbers. But they may have to in order to outscore a Bears offense that has put up 41 or more points in all but two games this season. The key matchup could be Baylor quarterback Nick Florence (leads the nation in passing and scoring) against a Sooners secondary that has given up just three passing touchdowns this year. Led by Robert Griffin III's Heisman-defining moment, Baylor beat the Sooners last year for the first time ever. However, the Bears are 0-26 all-time in road games against ranked Big 12 opponents.
[Saturday, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN2]
UCLA controls its own destiny in the Pac-12 South and now faces a Washington State squad in turmoil. The Cougars have lost six straight and, after last week's 49-6 loss to Utah, coach Mike Leach suspended star receiver Marquess Wilson and accused the effort of his team of "bordering on cowardice." Despite the absence of its top receiving threat, don't expect the Wazzu offense to try to pound the ball on the ground—the Cougars are last in the nation in rushing yards and have been held to negative rushing yards in their last two games. UCLA is coming in off its highest scoring performance in 15 years and now goes against a Cougars defense that is giving up almost 32 points per game (94th in the nation). Weather could be a factor in this one, however, as the Bruins must leave sunny southern California for a late game in Pullman, where the temperature at game time is expected to be in the low 20s.
[Saturday, 3:30 p.m. on ABC/ESPN2]
Nebraska controls its own destiny in the Big Ten Legends division and faces what should be its toughest remaining test of the season. Nebraska boasts the Big Ten's top offense (487 yards and 38 points per game) and could have star running back Rex Burkhead (8.6 yards per carry) back from a lingering knee injury. Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin could be key in this contest: the Nittany Lions are 6-0 this season when they complete 59 percent of their passes, but 0-3 when under that. Meanwhile, Nebraska is eighth nationally in pass efficiency defense, holding opposing quarterbacks to just 46 percent completions. Nebraska has already won three games this year with fourth-quarter comebacks and there's a good chance they could need another one this week. Penn State has outscored its opponents 76-3 in the first quarter and 137-33 in the first half of games this year, while the Cornhuskers have been outscored 89-65 in the first half of their conference games this season.
[Saturday, 7 p.m. on Longhorn Network]
Louisiana Tech is second only to Oregon in scoring offense and should be able to roll up more big numbers against a Texas State defense that is giving up almost 32 points per game this season. The Bulldogs have won 15 of their last 16 regular-season games and are ranked for the first time since 1999. They have put up 500+ yards in each of their last five games, ranking third in total offense. Quarterback Colby Cameron has already thrown for 24 touchdowns and almost 3,000 yards without an interception this season. Louisiana Tech still has slim BCS hopes alive—they would need to move up four spots in the rankings and finish ahead of a BCS conference champion to have a shot at a BCS at-large bid. In other words, the Bulldogs are big fans of whoever is playing Nebraska.
[Saturday, 12 p.m. on Longhorn Network]
With a three-game winning streak and quarterback David Ash coming off his best game of the, the Longhorns are riding into this game on a high. Texas is putting up over 40 points per game, good for 12th nationally. They'll face an Iowa State squad that has been decent on defense, holding their last four opponents under their season averages, but has struggled to find any consistency on offense. The Cyclones rank 93rd in total offense and 90th in scoring, but have had some success on the ground, something they'll try to exploit against a Texas defense giving up 206 rushing yards per game (107th nationally). Mack Brown announced Wednesday that the Longhorns will line up in the wishbone for their first offensive play in memory of former coach Darrell Royal, who passed away this week.
[Saturday, 3 p.m. on Pac-12 Network]
USC's defense gave up a school-record 730 yards and 62 points last week to Oregon. This week, they'll look to rebound against a Sun Devils offense that, while not as explosive as the Ducks (who is?), is still averaging almost 460 yards and 37 points per game. They also feature the Pac-12's second-best defense, but will be tested this week by Matt Barkley, Marqise Lee and a Trojans aerial attack that has put up 1,275 yards and 14 touchdowns the last three weeks. USC is hoping to avoid its first three-game losing streak since 2001 while the Sun Devils are trying to break out of a three-game skid of their own. Arizona State has not won at The Coliseum since 1999.
In a rare Tuesday night game, Ball State scored the final 14 points of the game to put an end to Toledo's eight-game winning streak. The Cardinals were outgained 526-446 and turned the ball over three times, but were still able to pull off the upset thanks to 280 yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Keith Wenning. Toledo running back David Fluellen rushed for 200 yards and a touchdown in the loss, the third time this season he has topped the 200 yard mark.
[Saturday, 12 p.m. on ESPNU]
Rutgers has had a bye week to recover from their first loss of the season and now will look to take its ninth straight from Army before returning to Big East play next week. The key to this game could be how well the Scarlet Knight's defense rebounds. Rutgers ranks fourth nationally in rush defense, but gave up 224 on the ground in their loss to Kent State. This week, they'll face Army's triple-option attack, which leads the nation at 375.4 yards per game. Rutgers will also need a better game from quarterback Gary Nova, who threw six interceptions his last time out. Army has lost nine straight road games, but snapped a 13-game losing streak in service academy games with an upset win over Air Force last week.
[Saturday, 12 p.m. on Fox Sports Net]
Texas Tech is riding a two-game losing streak, but should be able to break out of it home against a hapless Jayhawks squad that has lost 18 straight conference games and 16 straight on the road. Kansas is giving up 446 yards (97th nationally) and 31.3 points (88th) per game. So stopping quarterback Seth Doege and the Red Raider offense (fourth nationally in passing) could be a tall order. Kansas' only real shot is to get another strong ground game going. Running back James Sims is seeking his sixth-consecutive 100-yard game against a Red Raider defense that ranks 28th in the nation against the run, but has stumbled in recent weeks, giving up 540 yards and six touchdowns in its last three games.


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Trees and plants not only beautify our communities; they also play a vital role in keeping our environment healthy. However, there are many times when trees or forested areas need to be removed to provide space for roadway improvement projects. That is why the State Highway Administration (SHA) has established reforestation and planting programs and considers the protection of these natural resources a key part of SHA's mission.
Initially, we identify where trees and forests are located and how they might be affected by our work. This first step also includes determining if any trees or plants within a project area are rare, threatened, or endangered species. Special consideration is given to preserving these types of species. The next step involves reviewing a project's design with the community and other stakeholders to discuss ways to avoid or reduce impacts. Sometimes trees need to be removed depending on the type of project. When this is the case, we follow applicable laws and regulations and make sure new trees are planted to replace those that are removed.
Beyond meeting legal obligations, SHA's reforestation and planting programs focus on successfully restoring the quality of forested areas, ensuring a viable home for Maryland's vast array of wildlife. These programs were also established to "green" the roads and highways in Maryland.
The Million Tree Initiative was a great example of SHA's commitment to reforestation. In 2009, SHA started working with other state agencies on the Million Tree Initiative with the goal of planting one million trees in Maryland by the end of 2011. SHA provided $800,000 funding through a Transportation Enhancement Program grant as well as planting-site reviews to ensure environmental requirements were met. By May 2011, the Initiative partners had exceeded the goal. A benefit analysis calculated that the million trees planted can absorb about 10 million gallons of polluted stormwater every year, preventing that water from entering the Chesapeake Bay watershed. As the trees grow, so do their environmental benefit: fifteen years from now, the mature trees have the potential to 'scrub' up to eight times more stormwater.
Various communities throughout the state participate in our Partnership Planting program to restore flowers, trees, and other types of plants right in their own neighborhoods. If you're interested in learning more or getting involved in a partnership program, please see the resources listed at the right side of this page or contact us at: email@example.com.
707 North Calvert Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202-3601
Main Business Line – 410-545-0300
Safety Campaigns – 1-800-323-6742
For emergencies, call MDOT SHA's Statewide Operations Center at 410-582-5650.
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He's throwing away my bread!
After an anxious month during which I failed to rent out my spare bedroom, I rented it to a young Saudi male, a graduate student at a local university. I had initially turned him down, but a friend convinced me to give it a try.
She was wrong, I was right; I gave him notice three days later. He was treating me like one of the maids in his family's Riyadh house.
He's leaving in a couple of weeks (I gave him a month's notice). In the meantime, he's eating most of his meals out ... he didn't want to pay me to cook for him. However, he is happily eating my homemade bread. What HURTS is that he'll cut several huge chunks out of the loaf, carry them off to his room to eat -- and then throw half the bread away, uneaten.
I've asked him not to do this; he persists. He's just too used to lavish meals prepared by hired cooks.
Perhaps you-all can share my horror at working hard to make good bread and then seeing it in the garbage. Have any of you had experiences like this?


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Van Halen 'A Different Kind of Truth' Track Listing Leaks
The track listing for Van Halen's much anticipated 'A Different Kind of Truth,' the first album fronted by David Lee Roth in three decades, has leaked to the web. It was only a matter of time before song titles were revealed, given all the hoopla surrounding the album, due out Feb. 7. In the past few days, VH have shared details about their upcoming tour and album. It's starting to feel like we live on Planet Van Halen and that's never a bad thing.
MelodicRock.com shared the news of the track listing, which includes 13 songs. Additionally, the deluxe version of 'A Different Kind of Truth' will include a bonus DVD, called 'The Downtown Sesions,' which will feature four new acoustic performance videos of 'Panama,' You and Your Blues,' 'You Really Got Me' and 'Beautiful Girls.' So you will get more VH if you decide to upgrade and shell out a few extra bucks for the special edition.
The band performed the "new" tune 'She's the Woman' (an update of an old demo), which is track two on 'A Different Kind of Truth,' at an uber intimate gig in NYC on Thursday night. We were there and we heard it, and it rocks in the same vein as the first three VH albums. Don't hate!
Van Halen, 'A Different Kind of Truth' — Track Listing:
'She's the Woman'
'You and Your Blues'
'China Town'
'Blood and Fire'
'As Is'
'The Trouble With Never'
'Outta Space'
'Stay Frosty'
'Big River'
'Beats Workin"