text:
Salmon fans needn't fret over this year's record low Fraser and Skeena river sockeye returns. There are still plenty of pink fish in the sea.
Other varieties of salmon are having banner years, with B.C.-caught pinks, coho, chum and spring available — some for a much lower price than the more popular sockeye.
"When there's not a lot of sockeye, then chefs and the public will start eating other fish and it becomes an education," said Steve Johansen of Organic Ocean, who sells his daily catch to local restaurants and the public at Fishermans Wharf on False Creek.
Although Johansen had a handful of Juan de Fuca sockeye for sale Tuesday — stock he got from a friend participating in a test fishery off Vancouver Island — his bins were brimming with other salmon, which he said often get overshadowed by sockeye.
Chum salmon, for instance, has a bad rap in the Lower Mainland, he said, because locally caught chum aren't in their prime. His stock from Bella Coola — marketed as Keta, as it's known in Japan — is a sashimi-grade catch retailing for $4 a pound, compared with $9 a pound or more for sockeye.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS HERE, or if you're using a mobile app, tap the story image and swipe.
Pinks are also overcoming a reputation as a lesser-quality fish.
"Pinks had kind of a bad name because of the way they were caught," said Ryan Johnson, co-owner of The Daily Catch fish market on Commercial Drive. "They were just worth almost nothing to the fishermen."
The smallest salmon species, pinks would tend not to be handled as delicately as bigger, more profitable, sockeye, and often would arrive at market looking beat up.
These days, fishing crews are taking better care of their catch with line-caught, local ocean pinks a quality and economical choice retailing for as little as $3 a pound, or roughly $10 a fish at both the Daily Catch and Organic Ocean. A tsunami of pink salmon should further benefit consumers' wallets this summer.
"We're having an incredibly large pink fishery, probably an all-time record," said Rob Morley, vice-president of the Canadian Fishing Company on Tuesday. "Pinks are abundant and reasonably priced."
So far, about 10 million pinks have been caught in northern B.C., which compares with a catch exceeding 100 million pinks in Alaska, he said. An estimated run of almost nine million pinks is expected to the Fraser River alone this season.
The Daily Catch's Johnson said he does have an Alaskan sockeye supply, retailing for $10.99 a pound, but cautioned many other retailers are carrying Russian sockeye, which is not considered a sustainable fishery.
Local coho and North Coast-caught spring, also known as chinook, are in local markets, with prices ranging from $9.99 a pound for coho to $26.90 for spring.
"Don't have a freak-out because there's no sockeye," Johansen said, noting the stock should rebound next year. "There's many different options, and it's actually more sustainable for the whole ocean to eat what's bountiful."
with files from Larry Pynn
VIEW MORE PHOTOS HERE, or if you're using a mobile app, tap the story image and swipe.


text:
Networks - national and international
Stockholm University makes knowledge accessible to everyone through fostering dialogue and actively participating in debates and the development of society. The university is involved with national and international networks dedicated to research, education and collaboration.
- Council for the Stockholm Mälar Region (Mälardalsrådet)
- European Association of Research Managers and Administrators - EARMA
- European University Association - EUA
- International Association of Universities - IAU
- Magna Charta Observatory
- National Student Disability Support
- Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe - UNICA
- Nordic university administrators (Nordiska universitetsadministratörssamarbetet) - NUAS
- Nordic University Association (NUS)
- OECD Higher Education Programme
- OpenLab
- Scholars at Risk - SAR
- Stockholm Dual Career Network - SDCN
- Stockholm Science City
- Stockholm Academic Forum (Stokholms Akademiska Forum) - Staf
- Swedish Network for Innovation & Technology Transfer Support - SNITTS
- The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation Principals' Council
- The Universities' Reference Group for Research Infrastructures – URFI
- UniLink
- University of the Arctic - UArctic
Last updated:
August 28, 2020
Source: Communications Office

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Magician, Apprentice
Bantam Books, 1986 - Fantasy - 323 pages
To the forest on the shore of the Kingdom of the Isles, the orphan called Pug came to study with the master magician Kulgan. But though his courage won him a place at court and the heart of a lovely Princess, he was ill at ease with the normal ways of wizardry. Yet Pug's strange sort of magic would one day change forever the fates of two worlds. For dark beings from another world had opened a rift in the fabric of spacetime to begin again the age-old battle between the forces of Order and Chaos.
From inside the book
30 pages matching courtyard in this book
Where's the rest of this book?
Results 1-3 of 30
What people are saying - Write a review
User ratings
|5 stars
|4 stars
|3 stars
|2 stars
|1 star
LibraryThing ReviewUser Review - ConalO - LibraryThing
Re-read in December 2014. This was still a really fun read that held up to the 20+ years since the last time I read it. Moving on to others in this series to start 2015. Read full review
LibraryThing ReviewUser Review - jlharmon - LibraryThing
I got this book from a reddit secret santa. I've been kinda staying away from high fantasy, but I gave this a shot. It reminded me why I used to love reading high fantasy. Yes, it takes itself very ... Read full review
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Arutha asked attack Cadal Caldric Carline Carse castle cavern courtyard creatures Crydee Dark Brotherhood Dark Brothers Dolgan door dragon Duke Duke's dwarf dwarven dwarves Elvandar elven elves eyes face Fannon Father Tully feel feet fighting fire forest Gardan Garret Grey Towers guards hand horse Huntmaster keep Kilrane King Kingdom knew Krondor Lady Marna laughed Longbow Lord Borric Lyam magic magician Martin Meecham Megar Midkemia moredhel mountains moved night outworlders passed pipe Prince Princess Pug and Tomas Pug felt Pug looked Pug nodded Pug sat Pug's pulled quickly reached returned ride Rillanon Roland seemed ship shook his head shoulder shouted side slowly smiled soldiers sound spoke stand stone Stone Mountain stood storm strange Suddenly sword Swordmaster tabard thing thought Tomas looked Tomas's took trackers trailbreakers trees trouble Tsurani tunnel turned voice waiting walked wall watched


text:
Chelsea started her career in 2014 training at the esteemed Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary, Alberta, Canada under the tutelage of pro wrestling great, Lance Storm. Growing up, Chelsea was a standout athlete in soccer, volleyball, basketball and track so itâs no surprise that she quickly found herself at home inside a wrestling ring. So much so, in fact, that she made her in-ring debut in 2014 and found herself on the IMPACT roster two short years later. more..
Title: WWE NXT
Airtime: Wednesdays @ 8/7c
Channel: USA Network
Chelsea Green defeated Shotzi Blackheart in a Qualifier for the #1 Contenderâs Ladder Match. Chelsea does a big missile dropkick from the top rope, which sends Shotzi to the apron. Chelsea brings her back in and hits the Unprettier in the middle of the ring, allowing her to pick up the win.
Are you a fan of Chelsea Green and want to show your support? You can do so by purchasing your own Chelsea Green T-shirt which are available at the two links above!
Have you been lucky enough to attend a show that Chelsea has appeared at, or maybe you've been able to see her at a meet & greet? Here at ChelseaGreen.org we would love to read all about it and to see your photos also from your experience! So if you'd like to share your experience with us then feel free too! You can send over your photos to email@example.com you will be fully credited.
ChelseaGreen.org is in NO way affiliated with Chelsea Green, Shimmer, iMPACT Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment, or any other company that Chelsea has worked for. ChelseaGreen.org is strictly a non profit fansite supporting the current NXT Superstar. No copyright infringement is intended. We do not under any circumstances claim ownership over any contents posted on this site and give full credit where it is needed. All photos, video content & media belong to Shimmer, iMPACT Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment, Chelsea Green & the original photographer(s), etc. unless otherwise stated. All photos are being used under the Fair Copyright Law 107.
The following results are from the June 29th house show that took place in Venice, Florida, USA.
Tag Team Match
Kacy Catanzaro & Lacey Lane defeated Chelsea Green & Deonna Purrazzo
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Name *
Email *


text:
- Font:
- +
- -
Guest: Vice President Joe Biden, Todd Harris, Robert Baer, Mark Halperin,
John Heilemann
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Biden to Israel, We're with you.
Let's play HARDBALL.
Good evening. I'm Chris Matthews in Jerusalem, traveling with Vice
President Joe Biden. The vice president met with Israeli leaders today.
The two big subjects, getting the peace talks with the Palestinians going
again, and the threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iran. I sat down with Vice
President Biden for an exclusive interview, and that's coming up in a
Back at home, President Obama looked more line candidate Obama on
Monday in his push to get health care past the finish line. The opponent
this time, the insurance companies. Can the president gain traction at the
11th hour by villainizing the insurance industry? Let's check that one
with the strategists.
The strange story of Congressman Eric Massa got much, much stranger
today, and we'll get to that, too.
And the other story dominating the headlines here in Israel, and
throughout the Middle East, is the role of Israeli intelligence, Mossad, in
the assassination of a senior Hamas operative in a Dubai hotel room. It's
a story filled with intrigue, and best of all, lots of videotape. We're
going to talk to former CIA officer Bob Baer.
Let's start first with my interview with Vice President Joe Biden.
The hot story here is about Iran's attempts to acquire nuclear weapons
and what we, the United States, is ready to do to stop it.
Mr. Vice President, should the United States be worried about Iran and
its nuclear program worried—worried?
JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, when you say
worried—we are concerned about it. We're doing everything in our power
to prevent Iran from being able to acquire a nuclear weapon. We think
we're going about it the right way. That's why we're seeking very strong
sanctions at the U.N. right now.
MATTHEWS: Do you think they would use one if they had one? Would
Ahmadinejad have the whatever, whatever that thing is, to actually launch a
nuclear weapon, knowing what you know about him?
BIDEN: Well, I think that's unknowable. I don't think you can wait
around and wonder whether he'd do it. That's why you cannot take a chance
to let that occur. By the way, beyond whether or not it would ever be
used, the mere fact of the acquisition of a nuclear weapon by the Iranians
would, I think, kick off an arms race in the region that would be
incredibly destabilizing for generations to come. So there's a lot at
stake, whether or not Ahmadinejad would, quote, "use it." The question is,
we're not even sure what he controls.
MATTHEWS: What do you mean?
BIDEN: Well, what I mean by that is, you know, you have—the
question is, how much of the security apparatus does he control day to day?
There's a lot we don't know.
MATTHEWS: Do you think he's the boss?
BIDEN: Well, it's hard to tell, to tell you the truth. I think that
he is the—there is some concern that the—that the Republican—that
the—that this is becoming more of a military dictatorship...
MATTHEWS: The Revolutionary Guard.
BIDEN: The Revolutionary Guard. But the truth is, no one knows for
certain. But the bottom line with regard to Iran and nuclear weapons is
it's in no one's interest—no one's interest—for Iran to have a
nuclear weapon.
MATTHEWS: Do you think the Saudi Arabians—it's not just the
Israelis you're visiting with right now, other Arab countries, particularly
the—do you think they're worried that Ahmadinejad or someone in Iran
could actually use a weapon like that, or use it to taunt them?
BIDEN: Well, look, I think they're worried on multiple levels. And
it's not just the Israelis. You point out it's the Saudis. I think the
entire Middle East, I think from the Egyptians to the Turks, everybody's
worried about what it would mean.
When you have a nuclear weapon, it allows—the thought is that it
allows a lot of pressure to be placed upon neighboring countries to refrain
from objecting to things that are unacceptable, actually unacceptable
conduct. And so whether or not it would be used or not used, the one thing
it would be, would put a great deal of pressure on those very countries
we're talking about to acquire a nuclear capability themselves. And that's
in nobody's interest.
MATTHEWS: Let's talk geography. The United States is a long way from
Iran, and we're lucky for that. We don't have to worry about a regional
threat. We don't have to worry about an intermediate strike perhaps or a
short-range missile. But the Israelis do have to worry about that. That
difference in geography, what does that do to our difference in policy
towards—are they more sensitive to Iran than we are in their nuclear
BIDEN: Well, I—the answer is yes, I think they are, and the
proximity is the reason. But they're also concerned about what kind of—
what kind of neighborhood they'd be living in with Iran with nuclear
weapons. It's a tough neighborhood to begin with.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
BIDEN: But it'd be even a tougher neighborhood to live in if you had
the Egyptians and the Saudis or anyone else feeling compelled to acquire a
nuclear weapon themselves. So there's nothing positive about it. And from
the point of view of the Israelis, it's an existential threat. Their very
existence, they think, is at stake.
MATTHEWS: At what point, when Iran has the capability to build such a
weapon or when they actually had one they could launch, when would they
become an existential threat to Israel?
BIDEN: Well, first of all, that's a decision that I don't think
Israel had made...
MATTHEWS: Yes.
BIDEN: ... and I don't think there's any bright line been drawn. I
don't think that's—and that's a decision that to speculate on I think is
not very helpful. The question...
MATTHEWS: You and the president, when you talked, maybe you can't
tell me now what that trip wire is, but is there one in your head? Is
there one in the president's head, a trip wire?
BIDEN: We are doing everything that is within our power and we will
do everything to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, having the
capability to use a nuclear weapon. And you know, there's a lot at play
here. There's a lot going on, a lot going on internally within Iraq (SIC),
the timeframe in which they could acquire that, what action we could take
to slow that up or prevent that. All of that's in play.
That's why we think the best course of action to take now is to
declare, A, we are not going to allow them to acquire a nuclear weapon, and
B, to continue down the course we're on, which is to get international
sanctions that have teeth in it that cause them to change their mind.
MATTHEWS: Are we building a bigger bunker buster, so that we can
knock out what they have with a larger...
BIDEN: Oh, I'm not—I can't comment on anything like that. Look,
we—the president of the United States is in a position that he can
guarantee America's security as is, so I'm—but I'm not speculating on
anything like that.
MATTHEWS: Why do you think that he is, Ahmadinejad, or whoever's
calling the shots, the mullahs in charge, the clerics—why are they sort
of talking about moving their weapons system, their facilities, and making
them more available to attack, like putting them on the surface? We're
hearing stories like that. Are they teasing the Israelis? What are they
BIDEN: Look, I think that Ahmadinejad would do anything to take the
focus on Iran off of Iran, what's happening internally within Iran.
MATTHEWS: OK. The politics?
BIDEN: The politics.
MATTHEWS: Do you think the people of Iran are turning against this—
this—this leader of theirs?
BIDEN: Well, it's clear a significant number of people do not think
this leader, quote, Ahmadinejad, is a legitimate leader. They don't think
he won the election.
MATTHEWS: Do you think (INAUDIBLE)
BIDEN: And it's clear the action that he's taken, the action that the
Israeli—excuse me—the Iranian government has taken has been brutal
and has caused, I think, even greater disregard on the part of the people
in Iran for their government. So I think they've got a real internal
MATTHEWS: Does the United States take the position that the election
was illegitimate?
BIDEN: Well, the United States takes the position that the action,
the way in which the election was conducted, was not in keeping with
international norms, and that the way in which all those who protested were
treated was outrageous. It was beyond the norms of any nation that calls
itself a democracy.
MATTHEWS: Let's talk about America and American politics. A lot of
our viewers are Jewish Americans. They're very concerned about the state
of Israel and its long-term existence. When you think about it—and
you're a great friend of Israel. Everybody knows that. Let me ask you
about this question. It's not just they have the weapon. Is there a fear
and did you hear it today when you talked to the president and to the
prime minister—is there a fear that if they have a weapon, or they're
close to getting one, even if they never use it, that that will discourage
immigration to Israel, that will encourage people leaving, young people in
the future not to live here? Is there concern it'll ruin the neighborhood?
BIDEN: There was no discussion specifically on that point with the
president or with the prime minister, but there clearly is that concern.
That concern exists. It exists on the part not only of Israelis but a lot
of other people. It will—it will drastically affect the neighborhood.
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about the president, our president, Barack
Obama. Do they have any sort of skepticism about his roots?
BIDEN: I've not heard anything. As a matter of fact...
MATTHEWS: Really?
BIDEN: ... here's what I heard today. When we came out of—I was
at a private meeting with the prime minister for over an hour. We walked
out. We made a joint statement. He started off pointing out that under
Barack Obama, there's been significant cooperation on military matters, the
qualitative edge for the Israeli forces, cooperation on missile defense,
cooperation—I mean, he went through this whole litany.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
BIDEN: And it's true. This president—President Obama has been
aggressive in his support of Israel and the commitment that Israel's
security is closely tied to ours. We, in fact, are committed to Israel's
security. Nothing has changed.
MATTHEWS: Why did you feel that you—I saw what you wrote in the
book at the president's house today. And we all love Shimon Peres, but you
felt the need to write, "We have an unshakable bond with Israel." Did you
feel the need to say that?
BIDEN: No, it's just a reaffirmation. Look, it's always—what I
learned a long time ago is just because you told your wife you loved her
when you got married, if you fail to repeat it—you know, all these
MATTHEWS: What a politician!
BIDEN: All these relationships have to be worked at.
MATTHEWS: I got you. You (ph) have to keep asking.
Tomorrow, we'll bring you part two of my interview with Vice President
Biden. We talked about health care, the economy and why President Obama
hasn't yet made the sale on either to the American public.
oming up: President Obama's back in campaign mode for the
final push on health care reform, and his new strategy seems to be to
demonize the insurance industry. Will this help him get Congress and the
country behind his plan at this intense 11th hour? The strategists join us
HARDBALL returns from Jerusalem right after this.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL. President Obama was back in
campaign hype as he talked about health care yesterday.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know how
passing health care will play politically, but I do know that it's the
right thing to do!
OBAMA: It's right for our families, it's right for our businesses,
it's right for the United States of America. And if you share that belief,
I want you to stand with me and fight with me and I ask you to help us get
over the finish line these next two weeks. The need is great! The
opportunity's here! Let's seize reform! It's within our grasp!
MATTHEWS: Well, that was the president up in Philly yesterday. Will
this shift in tone get health care reform done? That's a question for the
strategists. Steve McMahon is a Democratic strategist and Todd Harris is a
Republican strategist.
Let's go to Steve first of all. Steve—I want you both, by the way,
to look at this amazing picture on the front page of "The New York Times."
And as you appreciate that huge picture, and I want Steve to tell us, is
this hype is smart?
STEVE MCMAHON, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, listen, I think there are
two things going on here, and I think they're both smart. The first is to
get out of the weeds and to talk about health care not as, It's going to do
this and this and this and this and this, but talk about it as a great, big
moral issue and talk about it as something that should be above politics.
The key line, the money line there is, I don't know how this is going to
play politically, but it's the right thing to do.
And the second thing I think is going on is he's trying to set a
deadline. He wants Congress to vote on this before they go home for two
weeks. We don't want to see two more weeks of town meetings that are—
that are—that are contentious and that make it more difficult to pass
this. He wants this thing done before he leaves town and before they leave
town. I think both things are very smart.
TODD HARRIS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, you know, ironically, the
reason why he...
MATTHEWS: Todd for the opposition. Go ahead.
HARRIS: Ironically, the reason why he said, I don't know how this is
going to play politically, is actually because he knows exactly how this is
going to play politically, and it's a dud. I mean, not only in terms of
national numbers, but you look at targeted swing states for Senate races,
for example. Look at Arkansas, where voters by 30 points are opposed to
this bill. Florida, by 20 points they're opposed to it. In Pennsylvania
even, by 15 points, voters are opposed to this bill.
So no one has ever suggested that the president can't give a great
speech. He certainly can. But by and large, the public has made up their
mind. They don't like this massive government takeover of the health care
system, and they want to put a stop to it.
MCMAHON: But Todd, the question here wasn't whether or not the
Republican talking points have been successful. I'll concede that they
have been over the past several months. The question really is, is
President Obama, by taking it to a new and different level here—and I
think we both would agree that he is—doing the right thing
strategically? And I think he absolutely is because there's been enough
talk about the details of the plan. We all know that 70 percent of this
plan are things that 70 percent of Americans agree with and want. We also
know that it's been fairly well demonized, so let's just start there.
But it is a moral issue. It's something that—you know, I came to
this town a long time ago to work for Ted Kennedy, whose life's passion was
this. And you know, we're this close to getting it done. This president
promised Ted Kennedy he would do it. He's stepping it up. He's going to
get it done. And I think he's doing the right thing here.
HARRIS: Well, he—clearly, this is his last—sort of last best
effort at getting this thing passed. But Steve, I think in terms of the
strategy of this, where they really screwed up was, after the Scott Brown
victory in Massachusetts, I think that the White House should have said,
OK, we've heard the message. Let's break this bill up. There are certain
pieces of this bill that have bipartisan support. We're going to pass
those so we can start getting something done.
Instead, they dug their head in the sand. They didn't listen to the
message that independent voters were sending about this bill. And I think
if they jam this through, the Democrats are going to pay a very heavy price
this November.
MCMAHON: Todd, maybe you were—and Chris, I apologize for doing
this. But maybe you weren't paying attention last week when the president
had the Republican leadership up and said, What are you going to do about
health care reform? And do you know what their answer was? Their answer
was, We're going to start over. Their answer was, Let's talk about
process. Their answer wasn't, Here are 15 things we want to do.
And then when the president came back two days later and said, There
were four specific things you mentioned in this meeting that I want to
include in my bill, they still said no. It's the party of no. They want
to do nothing, and they want to—and they don't want to be held
accountable for it. And I think this November, they will be.
MATTHEWS: Todd, I want to ask you about the strategy of the
Republican Party, and you are in a way evincing it right now, which is to
basically say, OK, you're going to get away with this probably, but we're
going to get you later. We're going to repeal the bill. Well, I'm just
going to ask you a technical point. Do you in a million years think that
Barack Obama would sign a bill vetoing—I'm sorry—in a million years,
do you think Barack Obama would sign a bill that repeals health care after
having gotten it passed?
HARRIS: Well, I don't think anyone expects him to do that. I think
that the Republican strategy, when it comes to this bill, is quite simple.
It's continuing to do exactly what we've been doing, which is communicating
the contents of this bill to the American people. Independent voters by
huge margins are opposed to it. Republicans absolutely detest it. And not
enough Democrats, frankly, support it to get it done.
And so whatever—in terms of the process of this, whatever direction
that the White House chooses to go in, ultimately, of course, that's going
to be their decision, but I'm telling you, Chris, if they pass this bill,
we're going to hang it around their necks come November.
MCMAHON: There are two things that I would say in response to that.
The first is that even though there are a lot of details to this bill that
are not popular—and frankly, they're not popular with the right, many of
them, and there are a lot of aspects that aren't very popular with the
left, either, which to my way of thinking means you might have a pretty
good bill.
Most people still believe, in spite of that, that we need to do
something and we need to do it now, and the Republicans don't want to do
anything. And you know, the politics of this are complicated and there are
going to be some Democrats who probably lose because they cast this vote.
But you know what? That's what leadership is all about. These are the
same people who vote to send young people to die for their country, and if
a few of them have to cast a really tough vote and it means they have to go
home for a couple years, you know, the fact of the matter is, it's not very
often that you get to do something historic in this town, and this town is
on the verge of doing it.
MATTHEWS: Well, let me—let me just ask you both now—and I want
to run the tape now—we're going to keep this tape. This is totally
unfair, but I'm going to do it, because this is HARDBALL.
MATTHEWS: I'm going to ask both of you right now for the record
books, not whether the bill is good or bad, does it take a high tone or
not, is it better than what we have. I'm going to ask you a simple
political calculation, first Steve and then Todd.
Will the president's health care bill, will what we're talking about
get through the House, and then get reconciled and then signed? What's the
best bet? Will it happen or not?
First Steve, then Todd.
MCMAHON: Chris, I don't want to bum you out here, but I think Nancy
Pelosi, not Tip O'Neill, is the best speaker in the history of the United
States Congress. I think this is maybe the toughest vote she's ever had to
round up votes for and probably will be. She's going to get this bill
passed, and they're going to fix it in the Senate, and—and we're going
to move on.
TODD HARRIS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I actually—I don't agree
MATTHEWS: It will happen. That's your bet?
MCMAHON: Yes, that's my bet.
HARRIS: I certainly don't agree with him about Speaker Pelosi. But I
do agree that—that I think the bill is going to pass out of Congress.
A lot of conservative swing state Democrats are going to vote against
it, but there won't be enough. I think, ultimately, it will pass. And I
think Democrats will pay a price for it this November.
MATTHEWS: OK. Let me ask you one last question, now that we have
made history now with the prediction of both of you that it will pass.
This national security question, what is going on here now? I know
the Republicans have always benefited marginally on the question of
national security. But here we have a new poll out now that has, on
national security, Democrats 33 percent, we trust them, and 50 percent of
the country trusts Republicans.
What do you make of that—about that advantage, which is growing now
in the last couple days—or weeks, rather—with Republicans?
First you, Steve, then Todd.
MCMAHON: Well, what I make of it is, it is still easier to scare
people than it is to lead people.
And I think, you know, not withstanding the fact that Republican
scholars and Republican members of George Bush's Justice Department have
denounced tactics like Liz Cheney's, calling the al Qaeda seven—lawyers
the al Qaeda seven simply for doing their job, in spite of that, those
kinds of things have traction.
And, so, that's what you're seeing here. Republicans have always had
an advantage on national security issues. This president has actually done
more to break up al Qaeda than was done in the last four or eight years.
But the fact is, the scare tactics work. And you're seeing a lot of that
right now.
HARRIS: Well, Steve can call them scare tactics all day long...
MATTHEWS: Steve.
HARRIS: ... but the fact is, Liz Cheney and—and her organization
tapped into a very real concern that a lot of Americans have.
Voters, especially independent voters, are looking at this
administration that is waffling on some of the commitments that they made
when it comes to national security, whether it's where these trials are
going to be held, whether it's closing Guantanamo, and the administration
just doesn't look strong. And I think that's being reflected in the
Thank you very much, Steve McMahon.
And, thank you, Todd Harris—the strategists.
MCMAHON: Thank you.
MATTHEWS: Up next: strange new revelations from Sarah Palin and that
writing on her hand.
You're watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL from Jerusalem. Time for the
The Florida Senate primary race is getting really hairy. Check out
what governor Charlie Crist said about his Republican opponent, Marco
Rubio, in an interview with Greta Van Susteren.
GOV. CHARLIE CRIST ®, FLORIDA: About two weeks ago, it's come out
in news accounts, that he had a Republican Party of Florida credit card
that he charged a $130 haircut—or maybe it was a back wax—we're not
really sure what all he got at that place.
Initially, we were told it was a haircut. And then he said, well, no,
it wasn't a haircut. And then he had the gall to go on Neil Cavuto's show
and say it was his money. It was a credit card from the Republican Party.
It was party donors' money.
I don't know what you do at a salon when you're a guy. I get my hair
cut for $11 from a guy named Carl (ph) the barber in Saint Petersburg,
Florida, where I grew up. And, you know, to me, that's real fiscal
MATTHEWS: It's really turning into a strange mess down there in
Up next: We all know Sarah Palin has come under a lot of criticism
for putting those crib notes on her hand down in Nashville. But now she's
saying God made her do it—or something. Listen to what she said on an -
at an Ohio right-to-life fund-raiser.
SARAH PALIN ®, FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: I didn't have a good answer
to that criticism, because I thought it was ridiculous.
But then somebody sent me the other day Isaiah 49:16. And you need to
go home tonight and look it up. Before you look it up, I will tell you
what it says, though.
PALIN: It says, hey, if it was good enough for God scribbling on the
palm of his hand, it's good enough for—for me, for us.
PALIN: He says...
PALIN: In that passage, he says, I wrote your name on the palm of my
hand to remember you.
And I thought, OK, I'm in good company.
MATTHEWS: Well, if she isn't bothered about being caught cribbing,
why does she keep going back to it?
Now it's time for the "Big Number."
New York Congressman Eric Massa's resignation brings the number to
pass health care for Democrats down to 216 -- so, tonight's "Big Number,"
Up next: All the intrigue here in Israel is about the Mossad's role
in the assassination of a top Hamas leader in a Dubai hotel room. That's
the charge from the Dubai police, who say closed-circuit cameras captured
the assassination teams before and after the hit. We will get into that
HARDBALL returns from Jerusalem after this.
MARY THOMPSON, CNBC CORRESPONDENT: I'm Mary Thompson with your CNBC
"Market Wrap."
Stocks clawing out a modest gain on the one-year anniversary of those
March 2009 lows, the Dow industrials adding almost 12 points. It's up
nearly 60 percent from the year-ago low, the S&P 500 up two points today,
up about 67 percent from last March. And the Nasdaq up eight points today,
gaining more than 80 percent since March of 2009.
So, if you're keeping score, the biggest overall winners on the Dow
since the March lows were financials, Bank of America up nearly 350
percent, American Express and J.P. Morgan also seeing triple-digit gains.
On the S&P, Office Depot is sitting pretty, up more than 1000 percent
since last March, shares climbing more than 3 percent today. And on the
Nasdaq, Apple shares have added more than 260 percent over the past year.
They're up about 2 percent today, as hype is building around the upcoming
release of the company's new iPad.
That's it from CNBC, first in business worldwide—now back to
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL from Jerusalem.
A story that's loaded with intrigue over here in—is Israel's role
in the assassination of a senior Hamas leader in a Dubai hotel room.
Israel has been taking a lot of heat in the world press for the killing.
And Dubai police released videotapes from closed-circuit cameras that
allegedly show the hit squad staking out the hotel and preparing to take
out their target.
Does this hit bear the hallmarks of a Mossad hit? And was it a
botched operation?
Former CIA field officer Bob Baer wrote about the assassination as an
intelligence columnist for TIME.com.
Take your time, Robert. You're the expert. I have read your column.
But start off by telling me, are we sure that Mossad did this?
ROBERT BAER, INTELLIGENCE ANALYST, TIME.COM: Oh, I think almost
certainly they did it. Everybody suspects they did.
One is, Israel has not denied it formally. Two is, you know, just the
whole modus operandi is Mossad, numerous assassins, Western European
passports, the fact that identities were stolen inside Israel. It was a
fairly professional operation. A pistol wasn't used. The man was
They got away cleanly. They traced credit cards to the United States,
to an Israeli-connected company. I just don't think anybody seriously
doubts that it's Israel. But I think the interesting thing about this is
that the Israelis apparently intended to make this look like a heart
The man's clothes were—were put over a chair neatly. He was put in
bed undressed. The room was locked from the inside. They didn't want to
get caught at all. They wanted the Dubai police to show up and think he
died of a heart attack.
But the autopsy clearly shows that he had been drugged, paralyzed, and
then smothered. And there was heart medicine by the side of his bed. So,
I think that they are very much surprised now that these pictures of 26
Mossad operatives are out everywhere.
I mean, these people can never work again. You know, with biometrics,
you can see features, even when they're in disguise. I would never risk
sending these people overseas ever again.
And then you have to look at the fallout of this. It's not only
Britain and France and Ireland and every other country that had its
identities stolen, but remember that—that—that the Israelis are
desperately trying to start a coalition against Iran, including the United
Arab Emirates, which includes Dubai.
Seventy-five percent of refined gasoline going through Iran comes
through Dubai and the Emirates. I mean, this not the way to start a
diplomatic offensive. This operation was botched. It was a failure. And
the head of Mossad should lose its job.
MATTHEWS: Well, you know, we're all used to the fact of assuming that
Israel is a really smart country and it does things incredibly efficiently.
You can argue about whether they do the right thing or not in any
situation. But they're usually very smart about it.
The two questions you raised, first question, why didn't they—well,
did they assume that the Dubai police would not do an autopsy and find out
there were the chemicals in there that would—suggested foul play? And,
number two, didn't they coordinate within Mossad and the Israeli government
about the political consequences of the UAE not wanting to play ball on
really tough energy sanctions?
Because, you know, as you have suggested here, the only way Israel can
really strangle, if you want to use that term here, the Ahmadinejad nuclear
plant is to cut off their gasoline and cut off their market for selling
crude oil. And, if you're not going to do that, you're not really going to
get serious about nailing Ahmadinejad and putting him down, basically,
So, why didn't they look at, one, was there going to be an autopsy,
and, two, the political consequences?
BAER: I think that they're behind on the science, forensic science.
I don't think that they ever thought the Dubai authorities would link
all the cell phones, that there's this technology called walk-back, that
you can look at the CCT cameras, closed-circuit ones, you can connect the
dots in an operation, I think, and—and the fact that there's—there's
a—there's a—what's called isotopic analysis.
You can pretty much see the toxins inside the blood and the rest of
it. And I just didn't think they—they understood that the Dubai
authority are using the best consultants in the world to investigate this.
So, you add up all those things, and the political, you know, blowback
on this, and I think that the prime minister, who undoubtedly approved this
operation, is starting to regret it. Fine, the man, Hamas militant, he
killed two Israeli soldiers. He was an arms dealer. He—he needed to be
eliminated, but not at this price.
MATTHEWS: Well, the difference between tactics and strategy is how
big a picture do you look at when you plan something. I think you've got a
hell of a critique going here, Bob. You're a great resource.
Thanks for joining us, Bob Baer.
Up next: Democratic Congressman Eric Massa resigns and admits bad
behavior, but then goes out and blames the House leadership for his fall
from grace. How big a problem is Massa? I have never seen anything quite
like this character.
This is HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: I'm back from Jerusalem. Let's listen now to former New York
Congressman Eric Massa on the radio Sunday, describing an incident that may
have played some part in his resignation.
ERIC MASSA, FORMER CONGRESSMAN: I danced with the bride and I
danced with the bridesmaid. Absolutely nothing occurred. I said good
night to the bridesmaid. I sat down at the table where my whole staff was,
all of them, by the way, bachelors.
One of them looked at me as they would do after—I don't know—
15 gin and tonics and goodness knows how many bottles of champaign—a
staff member made an intonation to me that maybe I should be chasing after
the bridesmaid. His points were clear and his words were far more colorful
than that.
And I grabbed the staff member sitting next to me and said, well,
what I really ought to be doing is fracking you, and then tossed—tossled
the guy's hair and left.
Now, was that inappropriate of me? Absolutely. Am I guilty? Yes.
MATTHEWS: Massa's on a media blitz, bashing his former colleagues
and the White House. He says they squeezed him out because he wouldn't
vote with them—or with them on health care. And he has some choice
words for White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Is this just the kind
of circus the Democrats don't need, as they try to get health care across
the goal line.
"Time Magazine's" Mark Halperin and "New York Magazine's" John
Heilemann are the co-authors of the smashing new book, the best-seller,
"Game Change."
Mark, you first. I don't know what to make of this. Let me start
something more interesting. Here's Massa talking about an exchange he had
with the chief of staff. It's on the radio show. Let's listen.
MASSA: Rahm Emanuel is son of the devil's spawn. He is an
individual who would sell his mother to get a vote. He would strap his
children to the front end of a steam locomotive. If he doesn't like that,
he can come after me personally.
I was a congressman in my first eight weeks. And I was in the
congressional gym. I went down and worked out. I went into the showers,
which—by the way, I, for the life of me, can't figure out why they took
the shower curtains off the shower stalls in the Congressional shower. The
last thing I want to look at is my fellow colleagues naked.
But they don't have any shower curtains down there in the gym. I'm
sitting there showering, naked as a jay bird, and here comes Rahm Emanuel,
not even with a towel wrapped around his tush, poking his finger in my
chest, yelling at me because I wasn't going to vote for the president's
budget. Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a
naked man?
MATTHEWS: Get the picture? Mark?
MARK HALPERIN, "TIME MAGAZINE": Chris, I—
MATTHEWS: I don't know what to make of this story. Let's start
with the scene in the shower of the House gym, where he's taking a shower -
by the way, complaining the shower curtains aren't there—and Rahm
Emanuel comes along, he says, and points a finger on him, and said
something about the health care bill in a rough way. What do you make of
this guy bringing all this out in the public? It's a lot to handle here.
HALPERIN: There is a lot. I think there's no reason to necessarily
believe it's true. This guy has changed his story regarding a lot of the
stuff he's talked about. He's getting a lot of attention.
But Chris, today, he denounced by both Robert Gibbs and Rush
Limbaugh. There aren't too many things those two guys agree on, except
they both like to eat. So I think Mr. Massa's 15 minutes of fame is maybe
down to seven and a half, and he's probably out of the picture.
Look, the substance here is, he's right about one thing. The White
House does need one fewer vote in the House now to pass health care. And
so they'll wave good-bye to him pretty happily.
MATTHEWS: What do you make of this, John? This is an equal
opportunity commentary here. Here is a guy who has just left—is leaving
the House. He's not going to vote on health care. He says he was jammed
out of his position. He said he was accosted nakedly by a naked White
House chief of staff. Lots of description about his own admitted
misbehavior with a male staffer. I mean, it's all on the record. I don't
know what he gains from all this—maybe he sometimes should just leave
quietly, but he's not leaving quietly.
JOHN HEILEMANN, "NEW YORK MAGAZINE": Chris, he mentioned something
in one of those quotes about a locomotive. I think he may be bidding for
the job of the conductor of the crazy train.
He is gone, as Mark said. He's changed his story quite a few times.
He's gone from saying that he was retiring because of a recurrence of his
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, to admitting the ethics charges against him. He's
basically said he is guilty of those charges.
He then starts talking about Rahm Emanuel in the nude. Now he's on
Glenn Beck's show for the full hour today in the United States. You know,
I think that the 15 minutes of fame may be what he's after. And he's not a
guy who I think defines the notion of reliable narrator, at least on the
basis of his behavior over the course of last week.
MATTHEWS: Let's look at Robert Gibbs, because the White House press
secretary felt the need to respond to this development. And so this is now
a national story, as strange as it is. Here's Robert Gibbs, a normally
dignified fellow, getting into the weeds, if you will, of this story.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think this whole story
is ridiculous. I think the latest excuse is silly and ridiculous.
George, let's go through what we've heard from Congressman Massa.
Last week, he, on Wednesday, was having a recurrence of cancer. On
Thursday, he was guilty of using salty language. On Friday, we learned
he's before the Ethics Committee to be investigated on charges of sexual
So, look, I think clearly his actions appear to be in the
appropriate venue in the Ethics Committee to look at. But we're focused
not on crazy allegations, but instead on making this system work for the
American people, rather than work for insurance companies.
MATTHEWS: Let's get back to the story here. We started off during
the night talking about this 216 votes. You guys are the superstar
political authors of our generation right now. I'm going to test you guys.
What are we learning about politics in America, the next two weeks, as this
health care fight goes down to the very finish? And whether it's going to
be 216 or 217 or 214, this is going to be a nail-biter. What do you guys
make of it?
You first, mark. It looks to me like this is going to be the real
test of Nancy Pelosi and the president.
HALPERIN: Well, it's going to be a test of both of them, Chris. As
you know—you've seen votes like this—this is going to be one of those
votes where they have to take it to the floor without the votes in hand,
something you never like to do. It's like being a lawyer and asking a
question you don't know the answer to.
That's just the nature of these votes. They have got the votes
probably in their back pocket. I think they're closer to getting there
than most people do because I think they know where the votes are. And
they are going to have to make some tough calls. They're going to have to
say to a few people, we know this could hurt you; we know this could cost
you your seat in November, but we need you to vote for this. I think all
signs are that, while it will be tough, that they are going to get it.
MATTHEWS: You think so too? By the way, Steve McMahon, earlier,
and Todd Harris both thought so as well, on the record. Your thoughts
about its probability and what it is going to tell us about politics? It's
almost like a short-term political campaign, John.
HEILEMANN: It is. I think the one unpredictable element, of
course, Chris, as you know—you've been harping on this for—correctly,
for the better part of six months—is that abortion is at the center of a
lot of those votes.
MATTHEWS: Is that an anti-Irish comment, "harping"? Is that a
comment about my heritage, this "harping" word? I'm just kidding. I'm
kidding completely. I'm sorry.
HEILEMANN: You know how I love the Irish. Look, whenever abortion
is in the mix, things become unpredictable. Bart Stupak and some his—
some of the people in the coalition that he supports are still upset about
that abortion language. It makes it a little bit more unpredictable.
I think I agree with Mark that it's likely to pass. But I think the
ultimate test here is not just of Nancy Pelosi and not just of Barack
Obama. It's the same test that the Democratic party has been faced with
ever since this health care bill came up, which is are they a plausible
governing party? Can they pull it together when they have large majority
in the House and a large majority in the Senate, even though they have one
less than before, after Scott Brown, and actually legislate one of the most
Democratic priorities of the past half-century.
They're on the line right now. This is up to them. As much as the
Republicans have succeed in demagoging this issue and painting—
caricaturing this bill in ways that have hurt the president's health care
plan, this is ultimately in the hands of Democrats. And if they can pull
it together, they'll pass the bill. I think they probably will. But
that's what it's a test of, in the end, is this party capable of
MATTHEWS: Well, people really do disagree on the moral question and
the political question of whether the government should fund abortion
rights—or they do—most people support abortion rights, period. But
the question of whether the government should fund it is still an issue.
By the way, in my interview tomorrow—we're going to show it tomorrow—
with Vice President Biden, he promises basically the voters out their that
this bill will not pay for abortion, that it will honor the Hyde Amendment.
Mark, do they have to make further efforts to convince people that is the
HALPERIN: Chris, I think one of the things that's going on behind
the scenes is if they can't get the votes with the existing legislation,
the way it is, they'll promise they'll try to do another piece of
legislation, not in the reconciliation bill that's going to be required to
make some of the fixes between the House and the Senate bill, but a third
piece of legislation. I predict that if that's what it takes, if those are
the only votes they can use to get to that majority, they'll do it. They
can't make a guarantee that it can pass, but I think they'll at least say
we'll try a third piece of legislation to set a slightly different course.
Look, we're going to learn, as we've all said now, a lot about Nancy
Pelosi, but also the people working with her to whip this vote. There is a
lot of cross-cutting tensions here and pressures, but it is really going to
be up to the president and Nancy Pelosi and Pelosi's deputies to make this
work. And the aforementioned Rahm Emanuel, of course, was a leader in the
House and knows how to count votes pretty darn well.
MATTHEWS: Speaking of Rahm Emanuel, we have to show you, before
leaving that topic of Eric Massa and Rahm Emanuel. Here's a olden goldie -
a golden oldie, rather, a couple years ago, of four years ago, a clip of
Massa and Rahm Emanuel in sweeter times. They're talking about veterans
running for Congress. Of course, Eric Massa is a long-time Navy veteran,
an Annapolis guy, actually. Let's listen.
RAHM EMANUEL, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Can I grab Eric for one
second? Do you mind? You got to raise 200,000 per month for the next four
MASSA: I know.
EMANUEL: OK? There's no—otherwise it ain't going to happen.
MASSA: I agree.
EMANUEL: Don't let your family down. Second, you've got to smile.
Have fun. If all people see is anger, they'll see anger. You ever
remember a person not likable winning? OK. Be likable.
MASSA: All right. Got it.
MATTHEWS: Rahm Emanuel told me I was too uptight. (EXPLETIVE
DELETED) him. Of course now, for him to say I'm too uptight—he's a
pretty serious guy. I've never seen him smile once in all the times I've
watched him on TV. But I took his advice. We—like you said, I try to
put it in there when I came.
MATTHEWS: I love that from Rahm Emanuel, be more likable. I love
it! Anyway, thank you, guys. Mark Halperin, thank you. John Heilemann,
continued luck—rather greatness with your great book, "Game Change."
When we return from Jerusalem, I'm going to have some final thoughts
about this amazing city. You're watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: Let me finish tonight with something unusually spiritual
for this program. This trip to Jerusalem, like so many you take later in
life, is for me a return to long ago, perhaps too long ago to truly recall.
We spent so much of our lives, let's face it, acting as if we remember what
we experienced years, decades ago, when what we're really doing is re-
savoring a memory we've been keeping pretty much in tact, treasuring,
I've long treasured my first time in Jerusalem, mostly because of
when I came here and where I came from. It was in December, 1970, 30 years
ago. I'd come in the night from Africa. For a month in this wildly
religious city of Jerusalem, I lived in a dollar a night Arab hotel above
Damascus Gate. I'd walk each evening to visit the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre on the site it's supposed where Christ died.
Then I'd have dinner with the other young travelers and Uncle
Mustaches in the Old City, chicken or shish kabob. Then I'd be off to the
western part of the city, the Jewish part, to see the latest movie just in
from Hollywood.
What I kept in my heart and heard all these years—or head all
these years was the combination, the Arab, the Christian, the Jewish, the
deeply spiritual experience of coming to this holy city, of living and
working—after living and working among the third world people of black
Africa in the Peace Corps for those two years.
I think it was deeply spiritual to come to this city, the holy city,
by that route, from being among the poor and humble of this Earth.
Tomorrow, I'll wander through this wondrous city again, trying to relive
that great feeling of being in this holy city and having this great
privilege to bask in this city, where Jesus walked, that God knows
Before we leave, we have this late breaking development; the White
House has sharply criticized Israel's approval of 1,600 new housing units
in Jerusalem.
That's HARDBALL for now. Thanks for being with us from Jerusalem.
Catch us again tomorrow night at 5:00 and 7:00 Eastern for the second part
of my interview with Vice President Joe Biden. Right now, it is time for
"THE ED SHOW" with Ed Schultz.
Copyright 2010 Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.>
Watch Hardball each weeknight
at 5 & 7 p.m. ET
Copyright 2010 Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by
United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed,
transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written
permission of Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark,
copyright or other notice from copies of the content.>
Watch Hardball each weeknight at 5 & 7 p.m. ET


text:
Tennis superstar Serena Williams was said to be recovering at home Wednesday, having sought treatment last week for a blood clot in her lungs that took a turn for the worse.
"I know I will be OK, but am praying and hoping this will all be behind me soon," Williams said in a statement to The Associated Press.
She described the pair of health scares as "extremely hard, scary, and disappointing," but said she hoped to be back on the tennis courts by early summer, the AP reported.
U.S. & World
Williams, 29, had gamely attended Elton John's Academy Awards party Sunday after having earlier been treated at a Los Angeles hospital for a pulmonary embolism, also known as a blood clot in her lung.
But the treatment led to serious complications, her rep told People, and the day after John's AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party, she suffered a hematoma.
"Doctors are continuing to monitor her situation closely to avoid additional complications," Williams' rep told People.


text:
Coach is going out of fashion among investorsApril 29, 2014: 3:11 PM ET
Marilyn Monroe famously said, "Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world."
Coach could sure use better shoes to impress Wall Street. The company is going out of fashion quickly with investors.
Shares of Coach (COH) tanked nearly 10% Tuesday after the purse, shoe and accessory company reported worse than expected sales for its most recent quarter, especially in North America.
But Coach's woes aren't new. The stock is down more than 20% over the past 12 months.
The problem?
Coach's rivals are simply better dressed this season. Consider that shares of both Michael Kors (KORS) and Kate Spade (KATE) gained ground Tuesday and are up for the year.
These fashion firms compete heavily for middle and upper middle class buyers. They occupy the space just below the premier fashion houses like Prada and Chanel.
Coach handbags sell for several hundred dollars compared to the multi-thousand dollar price tags of the couture brands.
As spending began to pick up again after the recession, Coach soared in 2011 and 2012, but it has since struggled. People aren't buying the brand, and it has even had to close stores.
On a conference call with analysts, Coach CEO Victor Lewis stressed the multi-year turnaround that's underway.
"As our journey progresses, we have confidence our in vision of becoming a global lifestyle brand," Lewis said.
The company is banking on designer Stuart Vevers to revive the 70-year-old brand. He's a Brit with a track record of stirring things up at other brands, including Mulberry.
Vevers' designs are supposed to hit stores later this year. In February, Coach held its first ever New York Fashion Week presentation to showcase over a dozen "ready-to-wear" outfits by Vevers.
The clothes received good reviews, but what sells on the runway and to the fashion world elite doesn't always translate to stores. Moving into clothing would also be a big departure for a company that's carved out a niche in accessories.
At the moment, investors seem skeptical -- much like consumers.
"We think investors should and will wait for greater clarity on the company's long-term strategy, brand vision, and financial outlook to be provided at the upcoming June 4 investor day, and also to see how the new product lines developed under Vevers' direction perform initially at retail this fall," wrote Omar Saad, a partner at stock research firm ISI Group, in a note to clients.


text:
Suspected thieves broke into a Pacifica community theater and ransacked the building Wednesday night — then nodded off and were found snoozing the next morning when employees arrived for work, police said.
One went unnoticed for two hours, perched atop a high wardrobe, while theater employees started cleaning up around him, employees said.
Keira Robalino, the office manager for the children's theater school at 1050 Crespi Road, arrived early Thursday at the theater to prep for a class that was planning to visit, she said.
Instead, she found the doors to the building damage and stepped inside to discover it had been ransacked.
"Every cabinet door was open, refrigerators were open, everything was on the floor," Robalino said Friday. "They stole a bunch of props from our show, they stole a lot of sound equipment. They even stole a 10-year-old Mac computer. It looks like they had already made one trip and could have really cleaned us out but they got distracted."
The thieves also took cash, a guitar, an electric piano, other instruments and electronic equipment, employees said. They even hit the closet where alcohol and candy, sold during the shows, was stored.
Police were called and officers checked out a car parked nearby. Inside, they found a sleeping woman and items taken from the theater. Police said they arrested Jasmine Vardigans, 20, of Pacifica on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property and conspiracy.
Police left, and later that morning employees discovered another suspected burglar sleeping in the loft.
The shocked employee ran down to alert colleagues, who began barricading the doors to keep the suspect inside, Robalino said.
They heard the man moving around inside, trying to get out, even asking them through the door to let him out and trying to break a window to escape. Police returned and arrested Joshua Shargel, 21, of Pacifica, on suspicion of burglary and conspiracy.
Later that day, police also arrested Sara Courtney, 19, and Russel Basques, 20, both of Pacifica, on suspicion of burglary and conspiracy in connection with the incident.


text:
Select An Industry:
May 17, 2007 Lehigh Valley, Pa.
The Board of Directors of Air Products (NYSE:APD) today declared a quarterly dividend of 38 cents per share of common stock. The dividend is payable on August 13, 2007 to shareholders of record at the close of business on July 2, 2007.
NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements. Actual results could vary materially, due to changes in current expectations.
If you would prefer to contact us by phone, you can call any of our Air Products locations worldwide by visiting Worldwide Locations & Phone Numbers.
This site uses cookies to store information on your computer. Some are essential to make our site work; others help us to better understand our users. By using the site, you consent to the placement of these cookies. Read our Legal Notice to learn more.


text:
Jacobs joins Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons today announced that INF MIKE JACOBS has been added to the team's active roster.
Jacobs, 29, began the season with the Mets but was designated for assignment on April 18. With New York, Jacobs hit .208 (5-24) with a home run, two RBI and three walks in seven games. He reached base safely in all but one of his games with the Mets.
Jacobs signed a minor league deal with the Mets on February 10 and made the big league club out of spring training. Last season, Jacobs hit 19 home runs and drove in 61 runs in 128 games with the Kansas City Royals. In 2008, he set career highs with 32 home runs and 93RBI while playing 141 games with the Florida Marlins.
Jacobs was originally drafted by the Mets in the 38th round of the 1999 draft and made his major league debut playing 30 games with New York in 2005. In that first stint with the Mets, Jacobs hit .310 (31-100) with 11 home runs and 23RBI.


text:
Thank you so so much to those who made it out to my last two shows! I was able to hit up the East Village and the West Village in one weekend.
The City Light Church blizzock partaaaay (block party) on Saturday (East 7th ST, btwn 1st Ave and Ave A) was a lot of fun, the weather was PERFECT! We had a few technical issues as the keyboard was overheated and we had to switch it out mid song, but it's amazing that there was even another available to us. The band held it together, tried and true. It still played out very nicely and it was a lot of fun. I also enjoyed watching a crazy man point in random directions and dance in odd motions around the stage during our set. That might have been my favorite part. I've included a photo of him here, in which he looks pretty calm and euphoric.
The other performers all sounded really great. I enjoyed walking to the different tables and was very tempted to buy something from just about every one. I only ate two hot dogs but I definitely killed a cupcake from Butter Lane afterwards and then I went along to play with the kiddies while monitoring the sack race game. They were excited to be able to win free prizes. Good times.
I was blessed to get a last minute gig this past Sunday night (8/15) at Caffe Vivaldi (32 Jones st, in the West Village). It was such a neat place to play. When I arrived I was graced to hear the beautiful voice of Denitia Odigie (www.denitiaodigie.com/), her music is that of an edgy alternative soul feel. I liked her so much I bought a c.d. My set went really smoothly and it felt great! It was a nice little acoustic show: David Glickstein (guitar) and Jason Arce (keys and sax) killed it in such a beautiful way. It was good to play in such an intimate place to such a new crowd. I stayed after to hear Blessing Offor (www.myspace.com/blessingoffor) perform, which is always an a fun, soulful, jazzy treat. He played a lot of love songs, I admit I cried during one. I know…sap.


text:
SAP Procurement Senior Manager Financial Services
- Recruiter
- Location
- London (Greater)
- Salary
- Competitive
- Posted
- 15 Aug 2019
- Closing date
- 15 Sep 2019
- Ref
- Industry
- Finance & accounting, Accountancy
- Job function
- Consultant
- Job level
- Management
- Hours
- Full time
- Contract
- Permanent
- Listing type
- Job vacancy
Proactively assist in the management of a portfolio of clients, while reporting to Directors and above
Be involved in the financial management of clients
Be actively involved in business development activities to help identify and research opportunities on new/existing clients
Develop project strategies to solve complex technical challenges for our clients
Manage and deliver large projects by developing the project team, assessing engagement risks throughout, driving conclusions, and reviewing / challenging the output produced by the team
Shape and deliver projects to meet and exceed the expectations of our clients and our own quality criteria
Train, coach, and supervise team members
Continue to develop internal relationships and developing your PwC brand
RequirementsPrevious recent exposure to SAP aligned projects within these areas -
SAP S/4HANA Finance
SAP Central Finance
SAP Programme Management roles
SAP Data governance
SAP Data Migration consultants
SAP S/4HANA Order to Cash consultants
In Consulting we deliver practical, far-sighted advice that gets straight to the heart of clients' business issues and delivers amazing results by helping our clients improve the way they operate, reduce costs, manage risks, leverage talent or fundamentally change the way they do business, the work you do will be all about helping organisations of all shapes and sizes work smarter and grow faster. You could find yourself working with household names in a diverse range of industries – everyone from big-name broadcasters and high-street banks to multinational telecoms operators and energy companies.
Not the role for you?
Did you know PwC offer flexible contract arrangements as well as contingent work ( ie temporary or day rate contracting)?
The skills we look for in future employees
All our people need to demonstrate the skills and behaviours that support us in delivering our business strategy. This is important to the work we do for our business, and our clients. These skills and behaviours make up our global leadership framework, 'The PwC Professional' and are made up of five core attributes; whole leadership, technical capabilities, business acumen, global acumen and relationships.
Learn more here www.pwc.com/uk/careers/experienced/apply
We work in a changing world which offers great opportunities for people with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We seek to attract and employ the best people from the widest talent pool, as well as those who reflect the diverse nature of our society. And we aim to encourage a culture where people can be themselves and be valued for their strengths. Creating value through diversity is what makes us strong as a business and as an organisation with an increasingly agile workforce, we're open to flexible working arrangements where appropriate.
Learn more here www.pwc.com/uk/diversity


text:
January 9, 2009
TO: All CSU Employees
FROM: Charles B. Reed, CSU Chancellor
RE: Cost Saving Measures and Budget Update
Today I want to update you on several things that pertain to the state's fiscal challenges and the ways in which the CSU is responding.
The governor released a summary of his 2009-10 budget proposal on December 31, 2008. This early notification, made in advance of the formal budget that is being released today, underscores the urgent nature of the state's economic downturn and the necessity of immediate action by the governor and the legislature to shore up the state's finances to maintain statewide operations. The state faces a staggering budget shortfall between now and the end of 2009-10 of almost $42 billion unless the governor and the legislature take rapid corrective action.
For the past several months, the CSU has been taking actions to reduce costs while doing everything we can to protect our students, faculty and staff and to preserve the quality of our universities. These actions have included steps to limit the number of new students admitted in fall 2009 based on the state's inability to fully fund enrollment growth and CSU's operational needs. Today I am announcing additional mandatory measures for the Chancellor's Office and all campuses including: travel restrictions for employees; the cancellation of all non-critical equipment and supply purchases; and a hiring freeze on all positions except those essential to the operation of the university.
In addition, we are implementing a salary freeze for all vice president level positions and above including presidents' and vice chancellors' salaries and my salary, effective immediately through the 2009-10 budget year.
We have also been forced to suspend and shut down state-funded design and construction projects on all of our campuses in response to the state's freezing of $600 million in general-obligation and lease revenue bonds used to finance these projects. Unfortunately, hundreds of projects will be affected including libraries, performing arts centers, classrooms, administration buildings, seismic upgrades, laboratories and more.
Across all state programs, the proposed 2009-10 budget identifies a $14.8 billion revenue shortfall in 2008-09 that will grow to $41.6 billion by the end of 2009-10 if proposed solutions are not adopted by the legislature. The budget proposal reflects $14.3 billion in revenue adjustments, $17.4 billion in spending cuts, and $10 billion in warrants and borrowing to achieve a balanced budget over the next 18 months that leaves a $2 billion reserve.
For the CSU, the governor's budget would make permanent $66.3 million in budget reductions proposed for 2008-09. It restores the $31.3 million budget reduction CSU received in 2008-09 (treating it as a one-time budget action). Compact funding of $217.3 million for operating costs and 2.5 percent enrollment growth were not funded. The budget provides $3.6 million in new state funds for 340 full-time equivalent nursing students. These proposals are subject to approval by the legislature. Finally, the budget assumes that the CSU Board of Trustees will increase student fee rates by 10 percent, which is projected to achieve $130 million in revenues, with one-third set aside for student financial aid. However, mandatory costs, enrollment funding and financial aid costs required for 2009-10 total $84.4 million, $15.8 million more than available revenue.
Our focus in the coming months will continue to be maintaining jobs and preserving access and quality for students. I encourage our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and labor unions to work together to tell our elected officials as well as our local business, community and civic leaders, that the CSU is the economic powerhouse that provides the highly skilled professionals to the industries that make California successful, and that higher education is a long-term investment that benefits everyone.
I want to thank all of you who work hard every day to bring excellence to our university system through outstanding teaching, research and the management of our campuses. I wish you the best for a productive year.
last updated January 09, 2009


text:
The Society for Mathematical Psychology promotes the advancement and communication of research in mathematical psychology and related disciplines. Mathematical psychology is broadly defined to include work of a theoretical character that uses mathematical methods, formal logic, or computer simulation. The official journals of the society are Journal of Mathematical Psychology and Computational Brain & Behavior.
The body of the email should explicitly state the amount of the payment and the purpose of the payment. Example statements might be: "2 years of membership dues for Dr. XYZ" or "$20 donation to SMP".
Payments not accompanied by an email may not be properly processed.
If you have recently changed your address, it is important that you download the Change of Address Form and attach it to your email so we can properly process your payment and update our membership record.
If you are a new member, please attach Membership Application Form (and your CV, if appropriate) so that we can evaluate your standing for membership.
1 Year Regular Membership
Next, click button below to pay your 1 year membership fee of $40.
2 Year Regular Membership
Next, click button below to pay your 2 year membership fee of $80.
3 Year Regular Membership
Next, click button below to pay your 3 year membership fee of $120.
Student Membership:


text:
Chris Hardwick, Jonah Ray, and Matt Mira of the Nerdist Podcast appear on Friday February 7, 2014 at 10pm at Marines' Memorial Theatre!
Press Release:
Back for another highly-anticipated live podcasting experience, popular comic/actor/author/television personality/raconteur Chris Hardwick, celebrated funnyman Jonah Ray, and Matt Mira– noted wit and the most humorous former funeral home employee in the known universe– will return to San Francisco to be live on stage performing their special brand of stand-up comedy followed by a live exhibition of podcasting excellence, joined by a special guest to be announced.
Presented as part of SF Sketchfest
Marines Memorial Theatre
609 Sutter Street 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 447-0188


text:
What is poetry?
Poetry is like a multi-colored crystal ball that is forever spinning and can be clarified as sensations, the emotions that you feel and communicate through a formulation of principle.Poems are like colorful images painted on an empty canvas that is being brought to life. Poetry helps some people to improve their emotional intelligence, because it is like a gateway of collective expression, the art of spontaneous potent feelings, which can be simplified as a fruit bowl with all kinds of produce, that are jumbled.
The different variations that are written are known as sonnet, lyric, ode, epic, rhythmic rhymes, concentrated,limerick,ballad; and also Elegy a common form of mostly short poetry that honors a person's life after passing while epic poems can be designated as moving through phases, advancing from one point to the next.
There are a number of ways that poets apply to express their artistry ;it can be old fashioned and classical or parlance a kind of illustration that is sometimes used by poet Phillip Larkin. Parlance are synonyms related words that is common to a group of people or a particular thing.
Another form of poetry is The expressions used in Shih Ching that is classified as odes spanning thousands of years in ancient China, The analects known as the (Analects of Confucius),an edited collection of the Hanyu Pinyin system of the philosopher Confucius. There is also the linguistic expressions in short English(patois) like the intriguing dialect of what Jamaican poet Louise Simone Bennet known also as Miss Lou uses in the 19970s when she communicated her art.
Haiku which are mood poems is a form of unrhymed lines from Japanese poets written in five and seven syllables; and was brought in the twenty first century by a Japanese writer named Masaoka Shiki.
Poems that are written in Scottish is known as Gaelic a Celtic language native to Scotland and Ireland, or Scottish English such as the poem (love and liberty) that is also known as the jolly beggars are written in scots and English by famous scot poet Robert Burns.
In case you might be wondering about the word itself? Poetry came from an ancient Greek word poieo,is known to be an art form for language imagery,word effect and significance of a presentation.
The everyday configuration of existence and everything that might be happening around you at one time or another are formulated by poets; It could be a variety of things, The way you feel, sentiments, your reaction towards something or someone, maybe passion ,excitement, or sensation, whether it be virtuous immoral or ecstatic! Like what you will find in the poetry book (Poems Spring To Life).Poetry at times sound confusing to a reader because it articulates the composer's feelings and baffles the reader's mind, so the readers find it hard to decrypt; while some poetry are straight forward and can indicate senses of peace and harmony, like this one.
Water enigma
Water ripples through a stream,
At midnight its brook peacefully gleam,
A hearkening sound of
Vibrating frequencies,
Energize the eternal passion of its
Ruling insurgencies,
An enigmatic force of sagacity,
Fine-tuned with the humility,
of a tranquil universe.


text:
a season waning
yet not bidding a farewell
gaming of nature
"August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time." ―
Sharing this week's BrewNSpew Cafe Review for the July 22 through July 26, 2019 posts contributed by our fellow bloggers addressing the quote by Hose Ballou and corresponding prompt image.
BrewNSpew Cafe Weekly Challenge Participants – July 22 through July 26, 2019
Keep it Alive
BrewNSpew Café July 22- 2019- Oh joy!
Reena Saxena
Jen Goldie – A little this, a little that, some real and some imaginings.
"It Already Has" for BrewNSpew Photo Challenge July 22 2019
Sarika, Pure Reflections
The Broken Inside of Me
Here are the details of the weekly challenge. Create your post with your interpretation of the prompt.
Link your blog to mine with a Pingback. To do a Pingback: Copy the URL (the HTTPS:// address of my post) for the current week's prompt and paste it into your post. You may also place a copy of the URL of your post in the comments of my current week's post.
This gives you the opportunity to challenge yourselves by creating your own piece using the weekly featured prompt. I hope to see you soon at the cafe!
See you at my other blog, ThusNSuch
featured image – lovethispic.com
Categories: BrewNSpew Cafe Review


text:
How to Make Mayahuel's Rosa Amargo
Get the Recipe
"This one's a good introductory bitter cocktail and a good introductory boozy cocktail," says Philip Ward, co-owner and bartender of East Village tequila and mezcal palace Mayahuel. "It's bitter and boozy, yet gentle in both ways."
The Rosa Amargo, a creation of Mayahuel bartender Jeremy Oertel, is a smoky, grapefruit-tinged Negroni variation, served up. The Negroni's protagonist, Campari, is a natural match for grapefruit, Ward explains: "It implies grapefruit where there is none."
He draws out this flavor with a half ounce of Combier Pamplemousse liqueur and a half ounce of Dolin Blanc vermouth. "Dolin Blanc is extremely soft," notes Ward. "It plays well with just about anything and has a great affinity with grapefruit. It has some nice floral notes; it adds a little fat."
Rosa's real curveball comes in the form of one and half ounces of mezcal, an ideal foil for the citrusy undertones. Ward expresses grapefruit on top, spraying its oils on the drink and rubbing it against the glasses rim before discarding. "It's hard to infer or incorporate citrus into boozy drinks, but its nice when you can," says Ward. There's no fresh grapefruit present, but it's a major player in the drink.
The sum of these parts is one of the most fun drinks you'll find in the "stirred and strong" cocktail arena. It smells far sweeter than the vermouth allows it to be, and tastes like so much more: stiff and smoky, with subtle hints of bittersweet, and tart.
Get the Recipe
Rosa Amargo from Mayahuel, NYC »
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


text:
A collection of scholarly works about individual liberty and free markets. A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.
1823 - 1875
Historical Period:
The 19th Century
John Elliot Cairnes (1823-1875), Irish economist, Professor of Political Economy at the University of Oxford, was a follower of Ricardo and Mill. His work clarified the principles, logical, and scientific methods behind their thought.


text:
British exhibit devoted to human fascination with our brains
LONDON -- Like zombies, human beings can't get enough of brains.
A new London exhibition explores that fascination, displaying everything from mummified Egyptian cerebral matter to slices of Albert Einstein's brain in the story of our quest to understand what's inside our skulls.
The show at London's Wellcome Collection asks not what brains have done for us but what, in the name of science, we have done to brains.
"Brains have been prepared and weighed and sliced and generally (messed) about with," Ken Arnold, the museum's head of public programs, said Tuesday.
"This exhibition is, almost contrarily, about the brain, rather than the mind," he said. "An exhibition about what the brain is, rather than what the brain does."
The gray mass inside our skulls is our exceptional organ, the one that can't be transplanted, the seat of intellect and personality. It is part of us, but it's also the essence of us. Which is why brains fascinate -- and why seeing one in a jar delivers a special shudder.
There are plenty of such shocks in "Brains: The Mind as Matter," a show that puts the brain under a microscope -- sometimes literally.
The brain has fascinated and baffled scientists for centuries, ever since medieval Christian and Islamic scholars recognized it as the repository of thought and memory. The exhibition, which opens Thursday and runs to June 17, features mummified, desiccated, galvanized and pickled brains -- testament to our sometimes misguided attempts at scientific understanding.
Generations of scientists have extracted and measured brains, to see if they could find the secret of genius -- or evil -- in the organ's size and texture.
The exhibition includes a range of celebrity brains, including those of 19th-century murderer William Burke and women's suffrage pioneer Helen Gardiner. There's also the left lobe of mathematician Charles Babbage, and two slides carrying pieces of Einstein's brain, kept by a pathologist and studied by scientists ever since for clues to his genius.
That secret remains elusive. Scientists no longer believe, as they did in the 19th century, that character can be read in the contours of the skull, or that smarter people have bigger brains. (Einstein's is not particularly large.)
The discovery of neurons -- the cells that transmit information from the brain to the body -- has led to huge advances in understanding how the brain works.
Yet the brain remains "a complex and inscrutable substance," said the show's curator, Marius Kwint.
And despite huge medical advances, brain surgery remains a brutal business, in some ways little changed since our ancestors bored holes in skulls with flint tools thousands of years ago. One such neatly drilled Bronze Age skull is on display in the London show.
"It's basically down to drilling and cutting and sawing," said Kwint.
The exhibition drives that point home, viscerally, with an assortment of skull saws, drills and other items from the brain surgeon's toolbox, as well as a graphic 1930s instructional film on how to perform a craniotomy.
The Wellcome Collection is a cross between medical museum and art gallery, and the exhibits on display range from the clinical to the artistic.
The medical specimens are interspersed with artworks that deal with the brain, including Annie Cattrell's silvered bronze casts of the inside of a skull and Katharine Dowson's delicate, feathery images based on cerebral angiograms.
There are constant reminders that brains have long been collectible, for interests of science or curiosity. Kwint said the show is, in part, an exploration "of the ethics and politics and even the economy of the giving and taking of brains."
From 19th-century scientists taking the brains of criminals to the Nazis experimenting on those they considered their racial inferiors, brains have often been taken without their owners' consent.
Today's scientists are once again on a quest to archive brains -- this time with the permission of their donors -- in the hope of unlocking the secrets of degenerative neurological conditions like Alzheimer's.
The exhibition ends on a hopeful note, with testimonies from people who have agreed to leave their brains to science.
One, Albert Webb, says in a recording that he made the decision so "I won't be burnt to death when I get into a coffin."
"And I should be doing a bit of good, perhaps, to somebody."


text:
Shale play turns Karnes County around, but not without trouble
KARNES CITY - After more than three decades of running City Pharmacy on slowly decaying Main Street, Paul Bordovsky retired in 1995 to raise his Charolais cattle on 640 acres of rolling grassland a few miles east of town.
One day in early 2008, after hauling a couple of young bulls to a sale in Cuero, he called his wife, Emily.
"I said, 'I've got some real good news. I got $3,000 or $4,000 for those bulls,' " he recalled.
"And she said, 'I've got better news for you. Conoco has called twice already. They're coming out here to stake a well.' "
Little could the Bordovskys or anyone else in Karnes County have grasped the implications of Conoco-Phillips' secretive decision to drill a deep, expensive well into the mysterious formation known as the Eagle Ford Shale.
Over the decades, other energy leases on their land on FM 81 had come up dry. The thought of someone tapping a mother lode under that pasture was exciting, even if expectations were low.
"I had no reason to think this would be any different. I'm not that big a dreamer," Bordovsky said.
But this was very different. The boom that followed Conoco-Phillips' strike upended sleepy Karnes County. Thousands of workers have poured in, an untold number of ranchers became multimillionaires, main streets boast new businesses and hard work routinely begets six-figure salaries.
The boom also has brought dangerous roads, economic inequity, social disruption and overtaxed infrastructure in a once-poor region.
All of this was unimaginable in 2008, when Karnes County was a very marginal energy player, producing about 20,000 barrels of crude a month. Few here had even heard of the Eagle Ford Shale, a formation that had always clung tightly to its treasures.
As they had for decades, most people in Karnes County were still scraping by on ranching, prison jobs or dry-land farming of corn and grain sorghum. The fortunate had steady jobs with the county or school districts.
And like a banker or doctor, a small-town druggist comes to know his people well.
"For a long time, we saw everyone in town twice a day. We had a busy fountain. Lots of coffee drinking," said Bordovsky of the early years. "Back then, there was lots of welfare. Lots of Medicaid. I saw it at the store. And we had lots of tuberculosis and stomach worms because of the poverty."
Keeping even the landowners in the dark, Conoco-Phillips took about a year and a half to drill and frack the first deep horizontal well in Karnes County.
"They told us it would be a very tight hole. Don't ask any questions," Bordovsky recalled.
But the so-called discovery well for the Eagle Ford Shale in Karnes County proved to be a good producer, generating both gas and more than 130,000 barrels of condensate, with the Bordovskys soon cashing big checks.
It also brought rapid change to the rural landscape, as Bordovsky's roadside pasture on FM 81 is now jammed with construction workers, heavy equipment, huge storage tanks and complex piping.
A constant stream of tank trucks now delivers freshly pumped crude to new transfer stations operated here by Koch Pipeline and Conoco-Phillips on land bought from Bordovsky.
New pipelines cross his ranch, leaving lanes of bright green grass. Two more wells will soon be drilled on the backside, near the creek, and Bordovsky is also selling more roadside acreage to energy companies.
And, like most others here, he considers the trade-off well worth it.
"It's been good to me. I miss that pasture, but I could have ranched here for 300 years and not have the income we do now," he said. "Anyone who owns property should be benefiting."
Fueling new wealth
Talk to any mover and shaker in Karnes County, and two assertions are likely to be heard. The first: Karnes was long the poorest non-border county in Texas. The second, often delivered with pride, is that it is now ground zero for the shale play that is rapidly transforming much of South Texas. While proof of the first is elusive, there is little argument with the second claim.
In the last four years, more than 1,200 drilling permits have been approved for Karnes County and about 2,000 miles of new pipeline have been laid. Karnes is now one of the top crude producers in Texas. In November, it was first again, with almost 3 million barrels pumped.
Simple math shows the staggering wealth pouring into the county.
With oil in November bringing about $97 a barrel and with typical royalties of 25 percent, roughly $70 million was paid to landowners for just that month's production, not to mention the many millions more spent here monthly by energy companies and their employees.
The boom has increased the county's population by about 70 percent as camps for workers and RV parks are popping up in every nook and cranny.
Traffic counts on some highways have increased by 300 percent with predictable, tragic results. In the past two years, at least 18 people died in accidents in the county. In the three years prior, only five died.
Deposits at the Karnes County National bank have doubled in three years. The county's tax base has increased from $562 million to $3.1 billion in two years. The value of some prime commercial real estate has jumped tenfold.
"This is the sixth oil boom I've seen and this one is gigantic compared to any of the others. It will end, but not like the others. With all this pipeline infrastructure they're putting in, we know it's here for a long time," said County Commissioner Peter Jauer, 72, a Karnes County native. "But it's changed the county. It's not the simple country atmosphere it was."
Huge headaches, too
County Judge Barbara Shaw said the boom has bailed the county out of its chronic financial woes, but has also brought two huge headaches: The ongoing destruction of roads by heavy equipment and dangerous highways.
"My problem is I have $18 million sitting in the bank but I have at least $100 million in road damage," said the judge.
Karnes has joined forces with other Eagle Ford counties and hired an Austin lobbyist to press for legislation that would provide financial relief. Presently, the state keeps the tens of millions collected from energy companies in oil and gas taxes.
But, Shaw said, even with the many problems it brings, the boom is a godsend.
"It's just going to get better and better. In five years, Karnes County will be extremely prosperous," the judge predicted.
Settled by successive waves of Poles, Germans, Czechs, Mexicans and Bohemians in the late 1800s, Karnes County then had a reputation as a lawless outpost.
Before agriculture took root a little over a century ago, it was open-range cattle country. The longhorns driven north over the famed Chisholm Trail to Kansas brought the first big surge of wealth.
After the railroads came through in the 1880s, commerce shifted to farming, and settlers began pouring in. In the first part of the 20th century, when cotton was king, Karnes County enjoyed several decades of prosperity.
After the Great Depression, however, the county entered a long-term economic decline, broken only by occasional oil booms and several decades of uranium mining near Falls City.
The county reached its peak population of 23,316 residents in 1930. In the 2010 census, Karnes County had 14,824 people, but that included 3,195 inmates at two correctional facilities.
'Everything changed'
Historian Robert Thonoff, 83, who came to the area in 1953 to teach school, was recently forced to move away after his daughter Margaret and two others died in an accident involving an 18-wheeler.
"We were very happy living in Karnes City. We had a nice home and a nice community," he said. "Our daughter was our caretaker. When she was killed, everything changed for us."
And, he said, this madcap boom will likely play out like the others before.
"When the drilling stops, the population will decline," Thonoff declared. "Life has changed dramatically for everyone, and it's been a mixed blessing."
Cashing in
So far, the old money in Karnes City has been slow to embrace new development and the town still wears a listless, beaten-down look. Six miles away in Kenedy, a rival in everything from high school sports to commerce, things are hopping.
Five new motels have already been built on U.S. 181, two 100-acre mixed-use development projects are coming, as is a large new H-E-B.
Unfamiliar new commerce has also come to town, including a Merrill Lynch office, a pawn shop, personal injury lawyers from San Antonio, plus 24-hour drug-testing outfits and a check-cashing van that appears periodically beside U.S. 181.
Even the long-dead Rialto Theater, which opened on Main Street in 1935, is being reclaimed from the pigeons and the rot.
"A local lady told me the last movie that played there was the second 'Star Wars' film, which was around 1980," said Houston developer Walter Chance, who is gutting the Rialto for offices and apartments.
Chance has already turned an adjacent long-vacant furniture store into a well-appointed office complex with upstairs lofts.
"This is going to go on for decades. It's time for people to realize this is not a flash in the pan," said Chance, 54, who is also developing a retail site on U.S. 181.
Just down the block is proof that even entrepreneurs who are light on capital are cashing in.
"I follow the money. I started coming down in May," said Martín Herrera, 45, who brings tacos in from San Antonio five mornings a week for sale outside a welding supply shop. At 5 a.m., the line of hungry oil field workers stretches across the parking lot. "On a good Friday, I sell up to 500 tacos," said Herrera.
For the first time in decades, there are well-paying jobs for almost anyone who wants to work and can pass a drug test. Hiring signs are everywhere. A remark often heard is that there are no unemployed people left in Karnes County, only the unemployable.
"A $20-an-hour job was once unheard-of in this county. The part that is most exciting is that if a person wants a job, they can get one and you can work as many hours as you want. This is the American Dream personified," said Herb Hancock, 71, the newly elected county attorney.
"A kid can leave a $40,000 overtime job at the prison and make over $100,000 in the oil field. You've got kids coming home to work here who haven't lived here in a long time," he said.
The price of growth
While few people here pine for the hard old days, when teenagers left after graduation and it took two outside jobs to hold onto the old family spread, there are obvious downsides to the boom.
For those who do not own a home or property, are unable to work, are retired or simply value the quiet and intimacy of a small town, the shale play can be a curse.
"You have a lot of people making a lot of money, but basically, it's the people who had money to begin with - people with land, cattle, crops and government subsidies," said Ken Riley, a Kenedy City Council member.
Just about every morning, Homer Lott, the former mayor of Runge, makes the 15-mile drive to eat tacos with the coffee crowd at Becky's Café in Karnes City. He passes the Bordovsky place on each trip down FM 81.
"There used to be cattle in that pasture. Now it looks like refinery city. It won't be long before FM 81 becomes the refinery corridor," said Lott.
And while Lott, 65, is also cashing nice royalty checks, he worries about what the future might bring, from water contamination to destruction of the countryside.
"What we know as farm-and-ranch country will be totally transformed. It will not look like this in 10 to 20 years," he suggested.
The important question, said Lott, is whether anyone is looking down that road.
"You can't stop change. But is there a plan in place for the transformation? Do people even realize it is happening? I don't know if anyone has anything in place to handle it. Somebody needs to start thinking about it," he said.