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Student Gifts
Parent GiftsLast week I showed you the adorable watercolor Christmas trees my students painted as gifts for their parents. Their lovely framed masterpieces also needed to be wrapped and I didn't have time to wrap those gifts either. Out came the dollar store gift boxes (larger boxes are also sold in 3-packs). With the addition of a personalized label (Merry Christmas Dad! Love _____), these were also quickly wrapped and ready to go. I let my students select the box for their parents and they loved being a part of the wrapping process.
Here is one of the paintings (in case you missed it the first time). I know many of you are VERY curious to see what my students' second gift is- I promise to share that gift with you later this week.
Christmas BingoIf you're behind in your holiday party planning, don't fret... I have a fun way to engage your students in a festive way and review information. Play Christmas BINGO! Turn any Bingo game into instant holiday fun by getting creative with your Bingo markers. I always use holiday M&Ms to play Bingo at my classroom party.
Holiday-themed foam shapes make great Bingo markers as well!
Need a BINGO game in a big hurry? I offer several different varieties in my TpT store at a great prices (prices range from $3.50 to $5.00). Click the image below to shop.
The tragic events at Sandy Hook have left an impression on the hearts and minds of every teacher and parent. This will be a difficult week to put on a happy face each day at school, but all children are deserving of Christmas magic. Let's make this Christmas one they will never forget (for all of the right reasons.)


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Capsules for the top 20 drivers in the Sprint Cup standings, plus five additional drivers of note.
By Jerry Bonkowski and Bob Moore
24 JEFF GORDON, Chevrolet
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
WHERE HE STANDS: Jeff Gordon remained in first place for the second consecutive week after Michigan and for eight of the last nine weeks. Gordon leads second-ranked Jimmie Johnson by 15 points and third-ranked Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 23 points.
SONOMA RECORD: 21 career starts, 5 wins, 13 top-5s, 17 top-10s, 5 poles. Best career finish: First in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004 and 2006. Finished second in this race last year and was sixth in the 2012 race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Gordon has become the most successful road course driver overall of all current NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers. He's finished outside the top 10 just four times in 21 starts. Here's his thoughts on Sunday's race: "I grew up in Vallejo - which is a few miles from the track in Sonoma - but I was always racing on ovals or dirt tracks as a kid. It was much later before I turned my first lap at Sonoma while in a driving school preparing for my first Cup start there. I immediately saw the challenges and the fun of racing at Sonoma and on road courses. We've worked hard as a team to be competitive on road courses and we've had a lot of success at Sonoma. But it's not an easy track to conquer."
LOOKING BACK: Gordon led 36 laps and for a while looked like he might have a chance of winning at Michigan, but fell back to an eventual sixth-place finish, part of four Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the top seven.
ETC.: Gordon has completed an outstanding 99.0 percent (2,123) of the 2,145 total laps contested in 21 career starts at Sonoma. His average start there is an outstanding 7.5 and his average finish is an equally outstanding 8.2. He has one DNF there.
48 JIMMIE JOHNSON, Chevrolet
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
WHERE HE STANDS: Jimmie Johnson moved into second place in the standings after his win at Michigan, his third win of the season and third in his last four starts. He trails points leader and teammate Jeff Gordon by 15 points and leads third-ranked Dale Earnhardt Jr. by eight points.
SONOMA RECORD: 12 career starts, 1 win, 4 top-5s, 7 top-10s, 0 poles. Best career finish: First in 2010. Finished ninth in this race last year and was fifth in the 2012 race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Johnson is not the greatest road course driver, and he'll usually be the first to admit it. But given the incredible momentum he has with wins in three of the last four races, Johnson is a favorite to win this Sunday in Sonoma. Here's his thoughts on going back to California: "We have a busy week leading up to the race at Sonoma this weekend. It's always nice to be able to head home to (El Cajon / San Diego area). It's going to be a lot of laughs with family and close friends - and great to see everyone who comes out to the golf tournament and helps (wife) Chani and I raise money for kids' education. This is a special week for me and heading home with a win is even more special."
LOOKING BACK: Johnson not only won his third race in his last four starts, he finally got a big monkey off his back by winning his first career Sprint Cup race at Michigan this past Sunday.
ETC.: Johnson has completed an outstanding 99.5 percent (1,320) of the 1,327 total laps contested in 12 career starts at Sonoma. His average start there is 16.2 and average finish is 13.4. He has one DNF there.
88 DALE EARNHARDT JR., Chevrolet
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
WHERE HE STANDS: Former points leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. remained in third place for the second straight week after Sunday's race at Michigan. He trails points leader and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon by 23 points, is eight points behind second-ranked Jimmie Johnson and leads fourth-ranked Matt Kenseth by one point.
SONOMA RECORD: 14 career starts, 0 wins, 0 top-5s, 0 top-10s, 0 poles. Best career finish: 11th in 2003, 2004 and 2010. Finished 12th in this race last year and was 23rd in the 2012 race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Earnhardt is still in pursuit of his first career top-10 finish at Sonoma, which heretofore has been one of his worst-performing tracks. Here's his thoughts on Sunday's race: "Every year we would test at those road courses, Road Atlanta and here and there and work ourselves to death trying to figure out how to go faster at a road course, knowing good and well I wasn't going to run well because I don't know how to drive them. But I can run okay at the Glen every once in a while, but Sonoma, it's embarrassing, man, I haven't finished in the top 10 there ever. ... Driving around the track and running that particular race, it is fun, but at the end when you get run over or you don't finish well, you're so pissed off, and it's such a long way home. It's a terrible trip home when you don't run good at Sonoma."
LOOKING BACK: Earnhardt had a decent run at Michigan, a place he had won at twice before. Not so this past Sunday: he led one lap and finished seventh.
ETC.: Earnhardt has completed 94.3 percent (1,463) of the 1,551 total laps contested in 14 career starts at Sonoma. His average start there is 21.3 and average finish is 21.5. He has one DNF there.
20 MATT KENSETH, Toyota
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: After falling from first to second after Pocono, Matt Kenseth continued his downward slide Sunday at Michigan, dropping two more positions to fourth. He trails Jeff Gordon by 24 points, is one point behind third-ranked Dale Earnhardt Jr. and leads fifth-ranked Brad Keselowski by 23 points.
SONOMA RECORD: 14 career starts, 0 wins, 0 top-5s, 1 top-10s, 0 poles. Best career finish: Eighth in 2008. Finished 19th in this race last year and was 13th in the 2012 race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Kenseth is far from a road course ace. While he finishes most of the races he starts, he still has struggled when it comes to top 10 finishes.
LOOKING BACK: After finishing 25th at Pocono the week before, Kenseth rebounded somewhat to finish 14th at Michigan, including leading two laps. Here's his thoughts on that race: "Really it was about where I thought we would be -- it's about how we ran most of the weekend unfortunately. Just don't have it -- I don't know how else to explain it. We just can't fix it on pit road. We were pretty close now and then on balance, but just can't get within close enough speed of the leaders to be able to hang on to the track position even when the team gives it to me. It's disappointing."
ETC.: Even though his overall finishing performance is fair, Kenseth has completed a decent 98.5 percent (1,528) of the 1,551 total laps contested in 14 career starts at Sonoma. His average start there is 18.4 and his average finish is 20.4. He has zero DNFs there.
2 BRAD KESELOWSKI, Ford
Team: Penske Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: After climbing from 11th to fifth over the three previous races, Brad Keselowski remained in fifth-place after Sunday's race at Michigan. He trails points leader Jeff Gordon by 47 points, is 23 points behind fourth-ranked Matt Kenseth and leads sixth-ranked Carl Edwards by 28 points.
SONOMA RECORD: 4 career starts, 0 wins, 0 top-5s, 1 top-10s, 0 poles. Best career finish: 10th in 2011. Finished 21st in this race last year and was 12th in the 2012 race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Keselowski is still trying to hone his road course racing skills, and gets another opportunity to do so Sunday at Sonoma. Here's his thoughts on Sunday's race: "Sonoma is probably the biggest challenge on the schedule for me each year. I am not sure exactly what it is about this track. I am pretty good at the other road course (Watkins Glen), but Sonoma has been tough. It is a technical track that requires a lot of finesse and my driving style is probably too aggressive here. We have done some testing here and I do feel as though we are capable of performing well here. This team has been very consistent lately and our whole organization is executing well, which has us feeling confident in our ability to contend for a victory this weekend."
LOOKING BACK: Keselowski came up with his second straight top-three finish, backing up his runner-up finish at Pocono two weeks ago with a third-place finish Sunday at his home track of Michigan International Speedway.
ETC.: Keselowski has completed 98.2 percent (434) of the 442 total laps contested in four career starts at Sonoma. His average start is 20.5 and average finish is 19.5. He has one DNF there.
99 CARL EDWARDS, Ford
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: After falling four spots to seventh following Pocono, Carl Edwards regained one of those spots after Michigan's race on Sunday, leaving him in sixth place. Edwards trails points leader Jeff Gordon by 75 points, is 28 points behind fifth-ranked Brad Keselowski and leads seventh-ranked Kyle Larson and Joey Logano (tied) by eight points.
SONOMA RECORD: 9 career starts, 0 win, two top-5s, four top-10s, 0 poles. Best career finish: Third in 2011 and 2013. Finished third in this race last year and was 21st in the 2012 race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Edwards is starting to come into his own as a proficient road course racer, having finished third twice in the last three races at Sonoma. He still has a great deal of ground to make up in the standings after losing four positions following Pocono.
LOOKING BACK: Edwards typically runs well at Michigan, team majority owner Jack Roush's home track, but did not do very well Sunday, finishing 23rd. In fact, the entire Roush contingent fared not so well: teammate Greg Biffle finished 20th, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was 27th. Edwards' thoughts: "That was a big struggle. It was pretty tough, but we worked hard and didn't quit. Fortunately, we have a win to get us in the Chase, but we've just got to get better as a group. That's the way it is."
ETC.: Edwards has completed an outstanding 99.7 percent (994) of 997 total laps contested in nine career starts at Sonoma. His average start there is 17.8 and his average finish is 15.6. He has zero DNFs there.
42 KYLE LARSON, Chevrolet
Team: Chip Ganassi Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: Kyle Larson was one of two drivers to make the biggest gains in the top 10 after Michigan, jumping three positions from 10th and into a tie for seventh with Joey Logano. The duo trails points leader Jeff Gordon by 83 points, are eight points behind sixth-ranked Carl Edwards and lead ninth-ranked Kevin Harvick (the other driver who jumped up three places in the standings after Michigan) by seven points.
SONOMA RECORD: 0 career starts, 0 wins, 0 top-5s, 0 top-10s, 0 poles. This will be Larson's first career start in the Sprint Cup Series at Sonoma, which ironically is the closest NASCAR track to his Elk Grove, California home.
LOOKING AHEAD: Larson continues to wow and impress in his rookie season in the Sprint Cup Series. He has the edge over Austin Dillon for Rookie of the Year honors at this point and, even though this will be his first career start at Sonoma, could be a surprise finish for the 21-year-old. Here's his thoughts: "I'm really excited I like road racing a lot. I haven't done a whole lot of it so I don't know it 100 percent yet. I got to go do Bondurant (School of High Performance Driving in suburban Phoenix) last week and I feel like I learned a little bit that will help me a lot. I'm excited to get to Sonoma just because of the stuff that I learned at Bondurant I hadn't known really until now. I think I will be even better when I get to Sonoma. I did three Nationwide races (on road courses) last year and felt like I was pretty competitive at all three of those races. Really looking forward to going to Sonoma for my home town race. I get to see a lot of friends, go to a sprint car race nearby to go watch on Saturday night. It's going to be a lot of fun going home."
LOOKING BACK: After finishing fifth the week before at Pocono, Larson had another strong run in his first-ever Cup race at Michigan on Sunday, leading two laps and finishing eighth.
ETC.: Larson will be making his first career Sprint Cup start at Sonoma this Sunday.
22 JOEY LOGANO, Ford
Team: Penske Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: After falling three positions and dropping to ninth following Pocono, Joey Logano regained two of those spots following Michigan and is now tied for seventh-place with Kyle Larson. The pair trails points leader Jeff Gordon by 83 points, are eight points behind sixth-ranked Carl Edwards and leads ninth-ranked Kevin Harvick by seven points.
SONOMA RECORD: 5 career starts, 0 wins, 0 top-5s, 1 top-10, 1 pole. Best career finish: Sixth in 2011. Finished 11th in this race last year and was 10th in the 2012 race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Like a well-tuned motor, Logano keeps humming along. Secure in the fact that with two wins he's locked into the Chase for the Sprint Cup, pressure is off Logano for the most part. But that doesn't mean he has stopped seeking wins. On the contrary, such as this weekend: he's still looking for his first road course win at Sonoma, and he's been practicing at doing so: "Honestly, one of the biggest things we do is the amount of testing. We test three or four different times on road courses like Road Atlanta and VIR (Virginia International Raceway). Mostly, it's for me to get back in the swing of things with lefts and rights, shifting and braking. But there are a few things the guys will do different to the cars and we test some of that stuff as well, like different brake packages and such. And we do a lot of that just testing and testing and testing. But I wouldn't say there is a whole lot different that goes into these races. More, it's the strategy during the race and how you play it, especially going backwards."
LOOKING BACK: Logano saw his track speed record broken in qualifying by Kevin Harvick. During Sunday's race, Logano led 29 laps and finished with a respectable ninth-place finish.
ETC.: Logano has completed an outstanding 99.6 percent (553) of 555 laps contested in five career starts at Sonoma. His average start there is 11.0 and average finish is 15.8. He has zero DNFs there.
4 KEVIN HARVICK, Chevrolet
Team: Stewart-Haas Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: Kevin Harvick climbed three places in the standings, from 12th to ninth, following Michigan. He trails points leader Jeff Gordon by 90 points, is seven points behind the seventh-place tie of Kyle Larson and Joey Logano and is one spot ahead of 10th-ranked Kyle Busch.
SONOMA RECORD: 13 career starts, 0 win, 3 top-5s, 5 top-10s, 0 poles. Best career finish: Second in 2007. Finished 10th in this race last season and was 16th in the 2012 race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Road courses, especially Sonoma, seem to bring out the most aggressiveness in Harvick. But at the same time, he's become a very good road course driver, as well. He is coming off a strong runner-up finish at Michigan and looks to continue that momentum Sunday at Sonoma. Here's his thoughts: "I think the biggest difference between Sonoma and Watkins Glen is that the speeds are drastically different. Sonoma is a much tighter course with sharper corners and a lot less speed where you don't really even use fourth gear, unless you're saving gas. It's a much slower track than Watkins Glen and the tires fall off a lot more than they do at The Glen. So, you've got to get your car to technically be very good as it turns the corner, but also keep track of the forward grip as you go through a run."
LOOKING BACK: Harvick had an outstanding weekend at Michigan. First he broke the track speed and elapsed time record during qualifying - in fact, he set and then reset his own mark in the three rounds of qualifying. Then he finished second in Sunday's race, disappointed that he came up short of overtaking race winner Jimmie Johnson.
ETC.: Harvick has completed a near-perfect 99.9 percent (1,438) of the 1,439 total laps contested in 13 career starts at Sonoma. His average start there is 16.3 and average finish is 15.6. He has zero DNFs there.
18 KYLE BUSCH, Toyota
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: For the second time in three races, Kyle Busch dropped four positions in a race, this time after Sunday's event at Michigan, falling from sixth to 10th position. He trails points leader Jeff Gordon by 91 points (he had been only 55 points behind heading into Michigan), is one point behind ninth-ranked Kevin Harvick and leads 11th-ranked Ryan Newman Carl Edwards by six points.
SONOMA RECORD: 9 career starts, 1 win, 1 top-5, 2 top-10s, 0 poles. Best career finish: First in 2008. Finished 35th in this race last year and was 17th in the 2012 race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Even though he has one win at Sonoma, Busch has had difficulty in many of his starts there, including finishes of 20th or worse in three of his last five starts there. Plus, he's coming off a terrible 41st-place finish at Michigan. He needs to regain momentum. Here's his thoughts on Sunday's race at Sonoma: "The road courses are fun. For me, I enjoy it. It's pretty cool to go out there and race the road courses. You get to turn right, turn left and everything, so it's fun. Sonoma is more technical just because there are more turns and it's a little bit slower. You have to concentrate on getting off the corner a little bit and have good forward bite. Sonoma is going to be fun, going out there and seeing what these cars have this year. It will be a fun race, though. I always look forward to going up there and challenging the road course."
LOOKING BACK: Busch had a terrible day at Michigan, ultimately finishing 41st.
ETC.: Busch has completed 95.2 percent (949) of the 997 total laps contested in nine career starts at Sonoma. His average start there is 16.7 and average finish is one of his overall worst at all Cup tracks at 20.4. He has zero DNFs there.
31 RYAN NEWMAN, Chevrolet
Team: Richard Childress Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 11th, only six points out of the top 10.
SONOMA RECORD: Five top-10 finishes in 12 starts including a second in 2006.
LOOKING AHEAD: Newman feels "Sonoma presents a different kind of challenge for us because track position is so very important. You get a very limited number of opportunities to make your car better, as well as make up track position. If you have one bad pit stop, it pretty much takes you out of the hunt. Sonoma presents a different kind of racing not just because it's road-course racing, but the number of pit stops we make."
LOOKING BACK: Newman finished 15th at Michigan. "We ran fairly neutral all day, but in turn three we were really loose, especially behind another car," said Newman. "Our biggest problem was we could never really go anywhere with it. I wish we could have earned a better finish, but we're still in the hunt (for a spot in the Chase for the 2014 Sprint Cup championship)."
ETC.: Newman feels the key to running well at Sonoma is "pretty simple. You have to keep it on the race track. You have to have a fast car. You have to do everything right like you do at every track, but you have about 13 different opportunities through the course of one lap to get off the track. There is no guidance or wall so-to-speak to keep you on the track, so hanging a tire in the gravel can really ruin your day."
11 DENNY HAMLIN, Toyota
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 12th, 11 points out of the top 10. Lost four spots last week to fall out of the top 10.
SONOMA RECORD: Two top-10 finishes in eight starts.
LOOKING AHEAD: Finishing a road course race has become a difficulty for Hamlin in recent years. He hopes to change that trend this weekend at Sonoma. "It is not that we've run bad," said Hamlin. "We've just got caught up in wrecks. I really like the road courses because they are a lot like short tracks, and I grew up on short tracks. If we can stay out of trouble, we'll be all right."
LOOKING BACK: Hamlin got loose on lap 122 and got into the side of Aric Almirola with both cars bouncing off the wall. Hamlin lost two laps while the crew repaired the damage and was never able to recover as he finished 29th at Michigan. "It was a tough day for us out there," said Hamlin. "We did the best we could with what we had but just couldn't seem to get the car right. This place is fast and the slightest handling problem is magnified because of the speeds we're running."
ETC.: With his win at Talladega, Hamlin is all but assured a spot in this year's Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. But Hamlin knows he will need to run a lot better on the intermediate tracks if he is to be a serious title contender. "We are just not where we want to be on the intermediate tracks," said Hamlin. "We have to get better if we want to have any shot at it (the title)."
27 PAUL MENARD, Chevrolet
Team: Richard Childress Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 13th, 26 points out of the top 10. Gained four spots last week.
SONOMA RECORD: Finished 14th last year for his best finish in six starts.
LOOKING AHEAD: Menard said, "I enjoy racing at Sonoma. This year we are bring a brand new chassis, so I'm interested to see what happens. I wouldn't mind if we had a couple more road course races on the schedule to break up the oval racing a bit. Racing in Sonoma and Watkins Glen is a lot different from what we do week-to-week. I would say the key here (Sonoma) is keep the car on course."
LOOKING BACK: Menard finished fourth at Michigan for his second top-five finish of the season. "We had a really solid Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevy all weekend, from the time we unloaded," said Menard. "We needed some clean air at the end and the guys got me out front with some pit strategy and good pit stops and we came home with a top-five. So it was a good day. The clear air at the end made a difference."
ETC.: Menard ended a long Nationwide Series drought Saturday when he took advantage of Joey Logano's last-race problems to win the Michigan event. With four laps to go, Logano cut a right-rear tire and was forced to pit while leading. "I hate for anything bad to happen to Joey," said Menard. "We were better than him all day. I felt I gave it away on the last restart. It took us about three runs yesterday (Friday) to get it dialed him and after that I felt like we had the best car. My family is here with me this weekend for the first time since my daughter was born, so that makes it (the win) even more special." The victory was Menard's first in the series since 2006.
15 CLINT BOWYER, Toyota
Team: Michael Waltrip Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 14th, 29 points out of the top 10. Gained two spots last week.
SONOMA RECORD: Will be shooting for his fourth consecutive top-five finish and seventh top-eight finish in the last seven races. Won the 2012 event.
LOOKING AHEAD: Bowyer can't wait to get to Sonoma. "Michael Waltrip Racing has been really good at the road courses, especially Sonoma, the last couple of years," said Bowyer. "We need a win and Sonoma is certainly one of the places where we can get one. I know we are going to have a good car - we used it twice last year and finished fifth at Sonoma and sixth at Watkins Glen."
LOOKING BACK: Bowyer finished 10th at Michigan for his seventh straight top-10 finish at the high-speed two-mile oval. "Our car was really good all weekend long," said Bowyer. "It's just tough right now to compete with that horsepower they've (Hendrick Motorsports) got right now. That's a pretty distinct advantage when you look at the results on that. (Six cars powered by Hendrick engines finished in the top eight). Just incredible. That deal cycles, but it sure seems like it's pretty unfair right now."
ETC.: Bowyer has climbed from 20th to 14th in the standings in the last four weeks and if the Chase began this weekend, he would be among the 16 drivers in the Chase. "The good news is that here lately we've really kind of got our feet back underneath us and got some consistency back," said Bowyer. "Just like the direction that we're headed. We finally got our feet underneath us and hit our stride. That's good because we're out of mulligans."
16 GREG BIFFLE, Ford
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 15th, 37 points out of the top 10. Lost one spot last week.
SONOMA RECORD: Will be seeking his third straight top-eight finish and fourth in the last five races.
LOOKING AHEAD: Biffle hopes the return to road racing means a return to finishing in the top 10. "Road courses have been good to us the last couple of years," said Biffle. "We need to continue that trend. We need to stay out of trouble and stay on the course. If we can do that, we'll have a shot at another top-10. We need one."
LOOKING BACK: After four straight top-nine finishes including two wins, Biffle was expecting to run up front at Michigan. But it never occurred as he battled major handling problems all afternoon and finished a disappointing 20th. "We tried a lot of different things, but nothing seemed to work," said Biffle. "We battled lack of grip all day. It was a long, long day."
ETC.: Biffle, who has failed to finish in the top 15 in the last five races, admits "it's been a little bit of a struggle for us this season. The cars seem to be so sensitive to changes and to having the combination right. And when you start to put in combinations - almost like a phone number - you start mixing those numbers around and trying to figure out the right combination. It becomes very difficult. We've had a hard time chasing that down and getting it exactly how it needs to be - and on top of that, we don't know how it needs to be. I like challenges and we have a challenge facing us right now."
14 TONY STEWART, Chevrolet
Team: Stewart-Haas Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 16th, 44 points out of the top 10. Gained two spots last week.
SONOMA RECORD: Two wins and nine top-10 finishes including five top-five's finishes in 15 starts.
LOOKING AHEAD: Stewart said, "I just like the road courses. I've always liked Sonoma. It's really a driver's track. It's tough to make your car drive perfect all day. You can have a really good car, but it's going to slide around and you're going to struggle for grip, and that's what makes it so fun. You have to do the work behind the steering wheel."
LOOKING BACK: Stewart seemed headed for a top-five finish when he suffered nose damage on a restart with 53 laps to go. Stewart was not as strong after that and ended the day in 11th place. "We had a way better race car today than we had all weekend here," said Stewart. "I'm really proud of our guys on this number 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet team. We got nose damage when the 42 (Kyle Larson) got impatient there and blocked us, but we're gaining on it every week. I'm just very proud of the way things have been going the last few weeks."
ETC.: When asked why he seems to run so much better during the summer months, Stewart replied, "I honestly think it's my dirt background. It just seems like when the tracks get hotter and slicker, that it just plays into my driving style. I like the tracks to be slick and hot and how it forces you to search around. I think that's been the key to our success from day one."
3 AUSTIN DILLON, Chevrolet
Team: Richard Childress Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 17th, 46 points out of the top 10. Lost two spots last week.
SONOMA RECORD: Will be making his Sprint Cup debut.
LOOKING AHEAD: To try and get ready for his first start at Sonoma, Dillon said he does as much research as possible. He also has talked with Max Papis. "He has run there before," said Dillon. "I'll use notes from him. I'm going to go out a little early to run the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race. I'll be out there a few extra days just to kind of get a hold of the track."
LOOKING BACK: Dillon seemed headed for a top-10 or at worse a top-15 finish when he ran into tire problems late in the race. Just one lap after making what was scheduled to be his final pit stop, Dillon returned to the pits to change left-side tires after feeling "something was wrong." Dillon felt the same thing upon returning to the track and headed back down pit road for a third straight lap to change right-side tires. As a result, Dillon ended up 30th. "I try to convince myself that luck isn't a factor, but today's luck sure didn't seem to be on our side," said a disappointed Dillon. "We were in contention for a top-10 finish, but that's just not how the cards fell today."
ETC.: Dillon knows he needs a good run this weekend to get back the two spots he lost in the standings at Michigan. But he also realizes "I definitely will be a rookie going there (Sonoma Raceway). I've never been to Sonoma. I'll spend as much time on the track as possible to try and get better as a (road course) driver. We'll work hard the entire (practice) time."
55 BRIAN VICKERS, Toyota
Team: Michael Waltrip Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 18th, 52 points out of the top 10. Lost five spots last week.
SONOMA RECORD: Finished fourth in 2012 for his only top-10 finish in eight starts.
LOOKING AHEAD: Vickers said, "Road racing is something I'm excited about. I think the time I spent overseas road racing really helped me a lot. I'm really looking forward to Sonoma - that is sort of one I have circled so to speak. There are certain tracks that you look forward to. I like to race there and the team has good cars there."
LOOKING BACK: On the second lap of the race, Vickers got real loose heading into turn three and spun and slammed into the wall. The car was severely damaged and Vickers was forced to spend considerable time in the garage area while the crew fixed the car. He returned to the race and finished 42nd, 90 laps down. "The car just came around going into three," said Vickers. "I wish I knew (what happened). I was just trying to back the corner up and was taking it easy and just got loose and it just came around from me. The car just came out from me. It's frustrating. We had a really fast car (in practice)."
ETC.: Vickers surprised a lot of people last week when he said "I don't have a car right now. Just a bicycle. I don't find that I need one in Miami or New York. It's just easier that way. If I need a car, I just rent one. I also don't particularly enjoy driving in traffic, so my lovely wife does that and she seems to like driving. I let her handle that. I just try to avoid the topic at all costs. Race car drivers are used to going as fast as he wants in the lane he wants, than sitting in traffic jam and being cut off by people and having someone in the left lane riding at 45 miles per hour in a 70 mph zone next to a tractor trailer. There is just nothing more frustrating than that. As far as street driving, I'm not a fan of it - especially traffic - and I try to avoid it all together."
5 KASEY KAHNE, Chevrolet
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
WHERE HE STANDS: 19th, 55 points out of the top 10. Gained two spots last week.
SONOMA RECORD: One win and three top-10 finishes in 10 starts. Finished sixth last year.
LOOKING AHEAD: Kahne feels "The Sonoma road course is so much different than say The Glen (Watkins Glen). It's definitely slower in the corners, and the pace falls off so much at Sonoma. I feel like at times you are at somewhat of a Martinsville type short track. Really everybody gets close together, and you are getting beat by wheel spin or not. I enjoy Sonoma. I think it's a great place to race and great country out there. I look forward to that."
LOOKING BACK: Kahne's day began very badly when he was involved in an early-race accident. But he rallied in the final half of the race to finish fifth at Michigan for only his second top-five finish of the season. "We really needed this top-five finish," said Kahne. "We made a lot of adjustments. It took about an hour and a half to get our car right. It was a battle, and it wasn't easy, but the guys did a great job with the Farmers Insurance Chevy. I was struggling for a while and then we got it. We were pretty competitive with the guys in front of us (at the end.)."
ETC.: Kahne, who visited the Minneapolis Children's Hospital last Thursday, said he has no desire to talk to Kyle Busch about their repeated run-ins in the last 18 months. "He sent me an email (last week) and then a text to see if I got it, and I told him I did and that's how it went," said Kahne. "I talked through every situation and scenario with him last year and to this day, I still race him the same way. For him to do that (at Pocono).... As far as talking, we haven't. But I really don't care anymore. I don't care to talk to him."
1 JAMIE MCMURRAY, Chevrolet
Team: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
WHERE HE STANDS: 20th, 62 points out of the top 10. Gained three spots last week.
SONOMA RECORD: Won the pole a year ago for his second pole position in 11 starts. He also has started second twice. But his lone top-10 finish at the road course was a second back in 2004.
LOOKING AHEAD: McMurray is another driver who really likes Sonoma. "I like the environment out there, other than the time change; there is nothing that I don't like about Sonoma. Historically, I have qualified really well, including winning the pole last year. I like road racing mostly just because it's different. I think the key to racing at Sonoma is staying out of trouble on the restarts. The rest is just about having a good car."
LOOKING BACK: McMurray ran in the top 10 for most of the race but was "on the wrong side of the strategy deal at the end" and finished 12th at Michigan. "We had a really strong McDonald's Chevy today," said McMurray. "We battled to the end, but we just didn't cycle out on fuel strategy to make a run to the front in the closing laps."
ETC.: McMurray wore a different kind of helmet last week - a NFL helmet - as he participated in some drills with the Jacksonville Jaguars. McMurray fielded kickoffs, took part in some typical football drills and ran routes and caught passes from several quarterbacks including rookie Blake Bortles, the Jaguars' No. 1 draft choice. "That was really a lot of fun," said McMurray.
47 A J ALLMENDINGER, Chevrolet
Team: JTG Daugherty Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 21st, 64 points out of the top 10. Lost one spot last week.
SONOMA RECORD: Finished ninth a year ago for his second top-10 finish in five starts.
LOOKING AHEAD: Co-owner Brad Daugherty feels Sonoma is one of the races his single-car team can win. "AJ is really good at Sonoma," said Daugherty. "We feel like it's one of the race tracks - and there's several, not just the road courses - that AJ and our team can win. We're going to go out there and be as prepared as we can possibly be. We will need to qualify well, run up front all day and have great pit stops."
LOOKING BACK: Allmendinger finished 22nd at Michigan. "We got everything we could out of the race Sunday," said Allmendinger. "I'm really proud of my pit crew. They are really working hard and had some great pit stops. We were just slow in the race. We had a decent balance with the Charter Chevrolet SS to start with and then we were just not great and lacking speed down the straightaway. We were hurting the balance trying to help the straightaway speed. We have some work to do on these bigger tracks."
ETC.: Crew chief Brian Burns is glad the team tested at Sonoma earlier this month. "Obviously, this is one of the races that you put on your list or your refrigerator that we feel like you can go run and potentially win the race. We showed up there and were very grateful that we got to test at Sonoma because when we did unload, we were pretty far off. We felt like last year's stuff that made us good definitely was not the answer for this year. After two days of testing, we walked away really happy and excited about going back."
43 ARIC ALMIROLA, Ford
Team: Richard Petty Motorsports
WHERE HE STANDS: 21st, 67 points out of the top 10. Lost three spots last week.
SONOMA RECORD: Finished 20th in 2013 for his best finish in three starts.
LOOKING AHEAD: Almirola admits, "I'm not an expert road course racer by any means, but I do like going out to Sonoma. You almost feel like you are on a vacation a little bit, other than showing up to the race track and having to drive around one of the toughest road courses there is. Sonoma is very slow and technical."
LOOKING BACK: After starting fourth, Almirola had high hopes for the weekend. And he ran in the top 10 for much of the first half of the race before getting caught up in an accident on lap 122 of the 200-lap event. "Unfortunately, the 11 (Denny Hamlin) got loose and came up into me," said Almirola. "We had nowhere to go and went spinning and ended up in the grass. Had we not hit the grass (and got stuck) I don't think I would have lost a lap and we may have been able to get a top-15. But we had to wait to get pushed out and lost two laps." As a result, Almirola finished 31st.
ETC.: Almirola is quick to point out "Having Marcos (Ambrose) as a teammate the last two years has helped me a lot at becoming a better road racer. My goal this weekend is to continue to improve our finishing position as we did last year."
9 MARCOS AMBROSE, Ford
Team: Richard Petty Motorsports
WHERE HE STANDS: 23rd, 76 points out of the top 10. Lost one spot last week.
SONOMA RECORD: Will be seeking his sixth straight top-eight finish.
LOOKING AHEAD: Ambrose knows he is going to have to win a race if he wants to make the Chase this season. And he also realizes that his best shot at winning a race is at the two road course races. That is why he is looking forward to this weekend. "We've been competitive every year at Sonoma, and we've come close to winning," said Ambrose. "We know this is one of our best shots, but we need to be careful not to put too much pressure on ourselves."
LOOKING BACK: Ambrose battled a loose-handling race car all afternoon as he finished 25th at Michigan. "We got our car a lot better at the end, but we just got too far behind early on," said Ambrose. "We just need to get our downforce program better. But we are already looking forward to Sonoma and what we are capable of there."
ETC.: Lynda Petty, Richard's wife, has been named the first quarter recipient of the National Motorsports Press Association's Spirit Award. Lynda, 72, died in late March. She was one of the founding members of the Racing Wives Auxiliary, a charitable organization that provided assistance to those in need within the racing community. The NMPA Spirit Award is designed to recognize character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports. Each year, quarterly winners are chosen, and an overall winner is selected by a vote of the NMPA membership.
78 MARTIN TRUEX JR., Chevrolet
Team: Furniture Row Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 25th, 115 points out of the top 10. Lost one spot last week.
SONOMA RECORD: Won the race last year after leading 51 laps.
LOOKING AHEAD: Truex said he is really looking forward to this weekend. "When it comes to winning, this is one race that has been circled on the schedule," said the defending race champion. "We had a successful test session at VIR (Virginia International Raceway). So you can't help feeling optimistic."
LOOKING BACK: Truex's bad luck continued Sunday at Michigan when he got squeezed into the wall on lap eight. His car was badly damaged and he lost three laps while the crew made repairs to the car. As a result, Truex finished 37th. "I don't know what to say right now," said a frustrated Truex. "We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's disheartening because we felt that we had a potential top-10 car but didn't get a chance to show it. When you have an accident that early it sure makes for a long day. I mean a very long day."
ETC.: Truex admits "returning to Sonoma this year will be pretty special to me. Winning on the Sonoma road course last year was a major highlight of my career. It will be nice to get to an event with the label as the defending champion."
41 KURT BUSCH, Chevrolet
Team: Stewart-Haas Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 26th, 131 points out of the top 10. Gained one spot last week.
SONOMA RECORD: Has finished first, third and fourth respectively in the last three races.
LOOKING AHEAD: Busch said, "Sonoma has always been a sentimental favorite to me - I think that track helped put me on the map when I won there in a Southwest Tour race in 1999. The garage area sometimes grumbles when we go to road courses. I think that mentality has changed. Everybody has to accept that road courses are part of the NASCAR culture. There are the few that still think Sonoma is a tough track and they don't find it quite as appealing as Watkins Glen (the other road course on the schedule). For me, I grew up racing there, so it's easy for me to see it as part of the NASCAR culture."
LOOKING BACK: Busch finished 13th at Michigan. "We had a fast Haas Automation Chevrolet all day, but we let a potentially great finish slip away there at the end," said Busch. "We took advantage of restarts to gain a lot of track position, and everything looked to be on track (for a top-five finish) until the very end. We ended up a little short on fuel to make it to the end and got loose on our final 20 laps. It's a tough pill to swallow, but we had good speed today and made some good adjustments. Unfortunately, the strategy didn't play out the way we'd hoped."
ETC.: Busch said he likes "this portion of the schedule because it's a good time to capitalize on the things that you did wrong during the first portion of the year. This is when a team starts to come together and show its strength."

subset: commoncrawl


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Slash Your Food Bill with Cheap Recipes & Budget Cooking
Do you need to slash your food bill? I've been there, more than once. I've had to track every penny and experiment with cheap cuts of meat I didn't know how to cook and new vegetables I hadn't eaten before. I started keeping notes on our favorites recipes and writing articles on budget cooking and shopping tips and techniques.
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CheapCooking is on Facebook and Pinterest.


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Shroud of the Avatar progress video shows off 11 minutes of gameplay
Shroud of the Avatar is three months into a planned 18 month development schedule, and creator Richard Garriott recently put together a prototype demo to show off what it's like so far.
The video lasts a full 11 minutes, narrated by Garriott himself. Though he cautions that this is in an early state, it's easy to see the seeds of elements for the final game like exploration, quest markers, and puzzle-solving. Check it out below.
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Fundamental Index(TM) is an innovative, alternate approach to cap-
weighting indexing. Unlike traditional market capitalization weighted
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42 U.S. Code § 2384 - Transfer to governmental entity or private nonprofit organization; determination of transferee
(a) Transfers may be made to one or more of the following, if the entity has the legal authority to receive the installation:
(4) a private nonprofit organization in the case of the hospital installation or cemetery at the community.
(b) In determining the entity to which school, hospital, and other municipal installations, respectively, shall be transferred, the Commission shall be governed, in order, by
(1) the results of a vote in which the eligible voters in the community expressed themselves directly on the transfer in the vote on the incorporation of the city;
(2) the results of a vote in which the eligible voters have directly expressed themselves on the proposed transfer in a referendum or other officially recognized procedure;
(3) there being only one entity which is legally authorized to receive the municipal installation; or
Source(Aug. 4, 1955, ch. 543, ch. 8, § 84,69 Stat. 481.)
Transfer of Functions
The table below lists the classification updates, since Jan. 3, 2012, for this section. Updates to a broader range of sections may be found at the update page for containing chapter, title, etc.
The most recent Classification Table update that we have noticed was Tuesday, August 13, 2013
An empty table indicates that we see no relevant changes listed in the classification tables. If you suspect that our system may be missing something, please double-check with the Office of the Law Revision Counsel.
|Description of Change
|Session Year
|Public Law
|Statutes at Large
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


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Temporary Staffing is Entering the "Bermuda Triangle" of Margin Pressures (Part 2 of 2)
Adem is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.
In part one of this series, we discussed a "Triangle" of likely economic concerns that are due to contract the margins of temporary staffing providers.
To re-cap, they are:
1). Increased volatility (good or bad) in the unemployment rate
2). Increase workers compensation rates, particularly if unemployment drops
3). Increased gas prices
To be clear, while I feel that the temporary staffing market is due for a hiccup, I don't believe it should be avoided altogether. This "Triangle" provides the largest risk to Manpower (NYSE: MAN) and TrueBlue, but competitors that operate in better geographic markets or skilled labor staffing should continue to thrive.
Stick with "skilled," stay out of Europe
Check out these numbers for the most in-demand jobs with the highest number of jobs produced, since the recession.
Source: Rasmussen
Nearly all of these markets are staffed by either Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) or Kelly Services (NASDAQ: KELYA); particularly Accounting for the former and Engineering for the latter. Both firms are equipped to navigate through a difficult temporary market--Robert Half because of its high margins, and Kelly because of its diversified client services. Better yet, they don't have the exposure to Europe that Manpower has, and Kelly is expanding in the highest growth markets—Latin America and Asia.
Robert Half's brand recognition in the temporary staffing industry is so strong that some of its brands are synonymous with the markets they serve (i.e., Accountemps). This creates credibility amongst clients in fields that need experts and drives Robert Half's ridiculously high billing rates. Robert Half has a respectable operating margin of 9%, but it'd be much higher if you subtracted the cash they spend to have some of the best recruiters in the industry--most of whom are former accountants, lawyers, etc. These are expenses that firms like Manpower and TrueBlue largely don't have, but it's also what drives gross margins higher.
The typical bill rate for Accountemps, for instance, is a 60% mark-up. That means, if Robert Half pays an employee $10 per hour, they bill their client $16; a remarkable feat. So remarkable, that it leads Robert Half to have gross margins nearly three times as fat (41%) as the aforementioned Manpower. This fact, coupled with the fact that Robert Half's white collar staffing model comes with essentially no workers compensation risk, makes up for the fact that they're primarily a temporary staffing provider.
In other words: high margins + brand moat + lower risk=a good place to start!
PEO providers offer flexibility in down markets
While Robert Half has been on an absolute tear, I believe misinformation has lead Kelly to still be a bargain. Sure, the stock has risen to a 52 week high, but it's within a much tighter range, and still far off its pre-recession price (around $35) despite being more profitable today.
Kelly's earnings are projected to rise 14% this year, and considering that it has met or exceeded earnings for 12 straight quarters, I feel comfortable building a position based on those projections. Kelly has a strong long-term temp business in growing skilled labor areas like Engineering, but also offers much more. The company is successfully transitioning its business to have more exposure to permanent placement and especially HR outsourcing, PEO and Vendor Managed Services (VMS,) all of which have low overhead and risks. Those services also thrive in all "economies," good or bad, because they save companies money.
Kelly's transition, and the market's impression of it as a solely "temp" business, resembles Barrett Business Services (NASDAQ: BBSI) two years ago. The difference, of course, is that Kelly offers its services (aside from VMS) solely coupled with its staffing services, like Manpower, but Kelly is in stronger disciplines and markets.
But if you want the strongest PEO/HR outsourcing play, it's Barrett that has cornered the market on offering all-in-one HR business services to clients: workers compensation, staff management, staffing/recruiting, and much more. For years, this stock has been a favorite of mine as the market misunderstood it as a "temp stock," which is so, so wrong. Alas, Mr. Market has come to his senses and the stock has soared over the past 12 months, from about $17 per share to $46!
There's still plenty of room to run--even today Barrett has a PEG of just .56. I think the market has Barrett right this time, and the company should keep growing because it offers its clients a truly unique service. In one fell swoop, Barrett can come in and essentially outsource an organization's entire HR, hiring, and (largely) payroll functions. This provides incredible cost savings, flexibility and risk aversion. Simply put, Barrett becomes more valuable as the market becomes less stable.
Kelly, Barrett or Robert Half could all make outstanding plays for different reasons. Barrett offers staffing and outsourced management services, Robert Half specializes in finding very skilled labor, and Kelly gives you a little bit of both. Which is the right pick for you depends solely on your investment objectives and personal preferences.
The brighter side of the "triangle"
The market for temporary staffing is about to enter a transition; that's just the cyclical nature of this business. But the long-term prospects for top providers is still very bright. The easy money, largely, has been made. It's unlikely that all of the industry will continue at the torrid pace of recent years. It's become a stock pickers game, and picking these company will help you navigate through the Bermuda Triangle.
mrrightside has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Robert Half International. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is this post wrong? Click here. Think you can do better? Join us and write your own!


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Portugal names its 13th Azores Ramsar Site
The government of Portugal, with assistance from the city of Praia da Vitória on Terceira island, has named as the country's 31st Wetland of International Importance the Paúl da Praia da Vitória (Praia da Vitória Marsh) (16 hectares, 38°44'N 027°04'W), its 13th Ramsar Site located in the Azores Archipelago. As described by Ramsar's Laura Máiz-Tomé based on the RIS data, the small marsh is found in the urban centre of Praia da Vitória, the strategic location of which allows the observation of a considerable number of migratory birds from both European and American continents. The wide diversity of bird species, especially considering its geographical origin and the importance of the site as a refuge for the mid-Atlantic migratory routes, provides the site with a special conservation value.
Locally, the importance of the site can be measured by the presence of a considerable number of endemic species (e.g., Columba palumbus azorica, Fringilla coelebs moreletti, and Motacilla cinerea patriciae). Within it, some fish and mammals can also be found, notably the Anguilla anguilla and a bat Nyctalus azoreum, both considered as Endangered under the IUCN Red List.
The marsh plays an important role in the local hydrological cycle, regulating floods of the surrounding hydrologic basin. Considered to be an excellent strategic point for bird watching, recreation and educational and environmental awareness purposes, the marsh has an added value for tourism and local development. Eutrophication, largely due to agricultural run-off, is seen as the principal threat, and there is a response plan in place that involves annual removal of algae.


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A Parent's Guide to Sun Safety
Start Smart
Beautiful sunny days are wonderful times for families to get outside and enjoy the beach, park, or their own backyards. But the sun's warming rays can be hazardous to your children's health. Learning about sun safety and developing safe sun habits can help you protect your family's health now and in the future.
Though long equated with health and vitality, a tan is actually the skin's defense to radiation damage. What looks like a "healthy tan" for you and your children could eventually lead to wrinkles, freckles, skin texture changes and, worst of all, devastating skin cancer.
Sun damage, whether a tan or burn, occurs when harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays penetrate the skin. There are two types of UV light: UVB and UVA. UVB is the light that damages the outer layers of skin and can lead to the most common types of skin cancer. UVA rays, which penetrate deeper into the skin and contribute to aging, also contribute to skin cancer formation.
"The damage to the cells of the skin accumulates over time, which explains the increased numbers of skin cancer that occur as we get older," explains Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, MD, of the American Cancer Society (ACS). "However, that doesn't mean that you have to be old to get skin cancer. Young people can get skin cancers, including the most serious form of skin cancer called melanoma."
An April 2003 study released by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) showed that in a survey of 10,000 American kids ages 12 to 18, only 34.4 percent used sunscreen on sunny days. Additionally, 83 percent of teens admitted to having at least one sunburn within the year. These are grim statistics considering people get about 80 percent of their total lifetime sun exposure in the first 18 years of life—good reason children need adequate sun protection beginning in infancy.
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Students are admitted three times per year: May, September and January. Students can choose to attend classes on weekdays or weekends, allowing them to maintain their life back in Ontario. The elementary program is designed to be completed in 12-15 months depending on the scheduling format the student chooses. The adolescent/secondary program is designed to be completed in 8-12 months, depending on the scheduling format chosen by the student. Each format - weekday or weekend - requires attendance in class 2 days per week.
Buffalo: 18 Agassiz Circle, Buffalo, NY 14214 • (716) 880-2000 (800) 292-1582
Rochester: 1880 S Winton Rd, Rochester, NY 14618 • (585) 272-0030 (866) 212-2235


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9,951pages on
this wiki
this wiki
Category page
This category lists all the cities in the GTA series.
Pages in category "Cities"
" New Rotterdam was an old Dutch colonial town that later became Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto...
New Rotterdam
" Quebec is a province in the country of Canada. It is the only province that predominantly speaks...


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May 18 - 21, 2012, Kelowna, BC
Join swimmers from across the country for a fabulous long weekend in Kelowna! Take time out to enjoy the Okanagan, our fine wines, golfing and watersports. Remember to register for our social events - a great way to meet swimmers from all across Canada and further afield!
First-timers are welcome!
If you've never attended Nationals before, find out what all the excitement is about by making this your first.
Swim your best times in a FAST pool.
H2O Adventure & Fitness Centre
4075 Gordon Drive, Kelowna, BC V1W 5J2
tel 250.764.4040
fax 250.764.4085
eml firstname.lastname@example.com
The 50-metre pool will be divided into two 25-metre pools, 8 anti-wave lanes:
25-metre, 8 lane competition tank
25-metre, 8 lane warm-up/cool-down tank
Room for swimmers on deck, in the stands and alongside the pool area.
Sports massage will be available on-site.
You can help.
Volunteers and officials at all levels are needed.
Contact the committee head for volunteer officials
Contact the committee head for other volunteers
Useful info
Plentiful open-air parking is available on site, at no charge.
Plan your trips using BC Transit's public transit tool:
BC Transit Planner - Kelowna or directly to Google Maps


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Usually not a good sign.
Usually not a good sign.
2015 Draft
1) P.J. Williams-CB-Florida St.
2) Jordan Phillips-DT-Oklahoma
3) Geneo Grissom-OLB-Oklahoma
4) Clint Trickett-QB-WVU
5) Jonathan Mincy-CB-Auburn
6) Justin Coleman-CB-Tenn
7) Spencer Roth-P-Baylor
Did we really need another thread for this ? When we have one already ?
Duce Staley II?
Just kidding. People get hurt. Just find out what is wrong and let Bell get better. I think Dwyer can keep the seat warm or better yet take control. The problem isn't our RBs, it is our OL. Until the OL is fixed it wouldn't matter if we had Franco or Bettis there.
Playing Fantasy Football does not qualify you to be the in the front office or on the coaching staff of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are professionals and you are not!
Not good...
Round 1, Pick 15 (15)- Ryan Shazier, ILB; Ohio State
Round 2, Pick 14 (46)- Stephon Tuitt, DE; Notre Dame
Round 3b, Pick 33 (97)- Dri Archer, RB; Kent State
Round 4, Pick 18 (118 )- Martavis Bryant, WR; Clemson
Round 5, Pick 17 (157)- Shaquille Richardson, CB; Arizona
Round 5b, Pick 33 (173)- Wesley Johnson, OT; Vanderbilt
Round 6, Pick 16 (192)- Jordan Zumwalt, OLB; UCLA
Round 6b, Pick 39 (215)- Daniel McCullers, DT; Tennessee
Round 7, Pick 15 (230)- Rob Branchflower, TE; Massachusetts


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Narrow your search
Though far from perfect, the Linksys E2500's ease of use, nice design, and reasonable price make it a very good router for a small home or apartment.
More than one person can now use Chrome and keep personal data separate from other users on the same computer, thanks to today's update to Google's browser.
The Finnish handset giant says it dropped its patent application for multiuser account functionality, and Google hasn't contacted it to license technology for Android.
Google's new Nexus devices will come loaded with Android 4.2, a new flavor of Jelly Bean. Here's a rundown of the new features you can expect with the updated OS.
The Web giant's social network often associates users with more than one account; now it has created a magic wand to merge those accounts.
Learn how to get the new beta of Chrome and create user accounts so everyone gets a personalized experience.
Unlike a MacBook Pro, the iPad is curiously missing a must-have piece of functionality. Why doesn't the iPad support multiple users?
Odd sleep phenomenon for multiple-user Macs (#2)
Odd sleep phenomenon for multiple-user Power Mac G5s
Troubleshooting Canvas 9: Build discrepancies; Installing on multiple-user systems; ScanGear problems; more


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After the Vancouver Canucks watched the San Jose Sharks implode and lose their cool in Game Two, the Canucks showed a serious lack of discipline in Game Three, giving San Jose nine power plays.
This penalty parade, while not typical of the Canucks' play, wasn't exactly unprecedented either. The Canucks did give up seven or more power plays five times during the regular season (four times in the last month) as well as twice more in the first round against Chicago.
Kevin Bieksa took three minor penalties for the Canucks, yet was only 16 seconds behind Dan Hamhuis (25:39) for the team lead in ice time.
The Sharks only converted two of nine power plays, but the conversions came early, giving the Sharks a 2-0 lead before the midway point of the first period, building momentum and keeping the crowd in the game.
Early power plays certainly helped, but the Sharks dominated territorial play, holding a 3-0 lead after one period and owning a 26-10 lead in shots on goal with 12 minutes left in the second period.
While Vancouver showed more life after the midway point of the second, the game didn't really get interesting (ie. competitive) until Sharks winger Jamie McGinn took a five-minute boarding penalty for drilling Canucks defenceman Aaron Rome with 8:38 remaining.
McGinn, in the lineup for healthy scratch Ben Eager, did wreak a certain amount of havoc in his 5:32 of ice time, knocking Canucks defencemen Rome and Christian Ehrhoff (who only played 3:35 before getting hurt) out of the game.
Remember, McGinn, who isn't known as a notorious bruiser, also took a major penalty and game misconduct in the deciding game of the first round, Game Six against Los Angeles, when he was called for charging Kings forward Brad Richardson.
The Canucks trailed 4-1, but started to mount some pressure once McGinn's major penalty was on the board, getting goals from defencemen Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Bieksa to cut the San Jose lead to one, but Vancouver couldn't get the equalizer.
Vancouver's power play, which ended up two-for-five in the game, came away empty late in the second period when they had a pair of lengthy five-on-three advantages and, at that point, it didn't look like the Canucks would get back into the game.
In a game that was practically must-win for the Sharks, their big guns came out firing. Patrick Marleau led the way with two goals and an assist (along with a team-high seven shots on goal), Joe Thornton had three assists (and played more than 25 minutes) and defenceman Dan Boyle had a goal and an assist as well.
Marleau now has five goals in the last four games, while Thornton takes over the playoff scoring lead with 17 points.
On home ice, the Sharks tried to get Thornton, Marleau and Devin Setoguchi out aginst the Sedins and Alex Burrows as much as possible. Burrows had a strong game for Vancouver, registering seven shots on goal and playing 22:12, his most in a regulation playoff game this season.
Sharks centre Logan Couture missed some time in the middle of the game when he had to get checked out after he was inadvertently hit by forechecking teammate Ryane Clowe, but Couture did return to action.
Ehrhoff's absence could prove to be very significant for Vancouver as, going into Game Three, he was one of four Canucks defencemen to average more than 23 minutes per game in the playoffs and his seven power play points in the playoffs led all Canucks blueliners by five. If Ehrhoff is going to miss any additional game action, Sami Salo would figure to take the bulk of the minutes.
Salo played 24:30 in Game Three, a little more than five minutes above his previous high for ice time in a game this postseason.
It may have looked like Vancouver was on easy street after their blowout win in Game Two of the series, but after losing Game Three they now have a critical Game Four coming up Sunday afternoon.
A disciplined Canucks team could leave San Jose with a split and a commanding 3-1 series lead, but another scrambly effort like the one that Vancouver delivered in Game Three could very well have the series even going back to Vancouver.
Scott Cullen can be reached at email@example.com and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook.


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1-888-762-8736(M-F 8:00am-5:00pm CST)
1-877-218-7353(M-F 8:00am-5:00pm CST)
Online Store
Enterprise Overview
SMB Overview
href="http://www.trendmicro.com/us/enterprise/index.html" id="ENT-overview-test2" title="SEE ALL ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS">Enterprise Overview
This malware sends spammed messages on Facebook that promote a bogus music player feature. The official Facebook music player does not need any installation, as is tied to the page itself and is hooked to a legitimate online music service. Should the URL in the spammed message be clicked, the user's information may be stolen.
To get a one-glance comprehensive view of the behavior of this Trojan, refer to the Threat Diagram shown below.
This malware runs by tricking users into follow instructions from specific URLs.
Once the steps are done by the user, the malicious script posts messages on their contacts' walls or into chat messages.
Clicking the links leads the user to the page showing the instructions mentioned above. Clicking OK leads to a malicious site where the user is tricked into entering personal information.
This Trojan may be unknowingly downloaded by a user while visiting malicious websites.
Arrival Details
It may be downloaded from the following remote site(s):
This malware runs by tricking a user to follow instructions from the said URLs.
Once the steps are done by the user, the malicious script posts the following message on their contacts' walls.
It also sends a chat message to all contacts using the same format.
Clicking any of these leads the user to the page showing the instructions mentioned above.
It also shows the following message:
Clicking OK leads to the following site where the user is tricked into entering personal information:
If the user inputs the required information, he/she is then be registered to www.{BLOCKED}too.com, an online lottery site.
Step 1
For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 users, before doing any scans, please make sure you disable System Restore to allow full scanning of your computer.
Step 2
Close all opened browser windows
Step 3
Scan your computer with your Trend Micro product to delete files detected as JS_FBJACK.B. If the detected files have already been cleaned, deleted, or quarantined by your Trend Micro product, no further step is required. You may opt to simply delete the quarantined files. Please check this Knowledge Base page for more information.
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text: Top Court Vacancy Tuesday, January 22, 2013 6:26 a.m. EST by Dan Cash There is now a vacancy on the Michigan Supreme Court following yesterday's retirement of Justice Diane Hathaway, who is being investigated on bank fraud charges. Governor Snyder will pick the replacement for the state's top court. Comments


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Signpost (Weber, Utah), 2008-02-081
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Coach Ron McHriflf; announc es Wi I deal's 1 7 recruits See page 4 WiiBKit State University A; U MM I s HE ICNPQSTj, ) Mao n n n r? No-trespass order issued By Molly Bennett editor-in-chief I The Signpost A 24-year-old electrical worker was arrested Monday, Feb. 4, according to Weber State University Police Sergeant Jim Wagner, for forcible sexual abuse of a female Union Building employee. Troy Cahoon, from Clearfield, was escorted from the WSU campus where he was working on the construction site. According to WSU Police, he groped the female employee, whose name has not been released. Cahoon was employed by the electrical sub-contractor and was working in the Shepherd Union Building. He had previously met the victim, according to John Kowalewski, director of WSU Media Relations. Kowalewski said the incident happened on Friday, Feb. 2, but the female did not contact police until the next day. When she spoke to police on Saturday, she did not want to press charges. WSU Police will not say why the victim decided to press charges. On Monday, Cahoon was taken to Weber County Jail where he was charged with unlawful sexual activity and given a $5000 bail. Although Cahoon was not employed by Jacobsen Construction, Dirk Zenger, project manager for Jacobsen Construction, said nothing like this has happened before while working with WSU. Paula, who refused to give her last name, is the Human Resource Director for Arco Flectric, the former employer of Cahoon. She said Cahoon was working with the company for about four months before he was terminated on Monday because of the arrest. "We have a zero tolerance for anything like that," she said. WSU issued a no-trespass order on Cahoon. 1 Ie is being held at Weber County Jail until a pre-trial on Feb. 13. Comment on this story at wsusignpost.com i. 1 uA i S( HJKCfc: WEBE R CO. SHERIFF DEPT. Troy Cahoon JU V': r V vm-- .-m$ -u tenia an kW s i ait- ') ' W to (-il: -'ffi n! :' iVspM mo fa wiw kdJ5ir4JiaiW Vitesfiftv PHOIO BY MATT CLASS IHt SICNPOSr cCsiSmi Obama, Clinton on same track repyColocao wo By jestina Clayton sr. news writer I The Signpost The results of Super Tuesday's election primaries have ended Mitt Romney's bid for the White House, but they did not solve the tug-of-war between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama for the democratic nomination. In a speech on Thursday February 8, Romney said he simply could not continue his candidacy if it meant that the Democrats would win the general election and risk surrendering the country to terrorists. "In this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror," Romney said in a statement yesterday at the Annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. "This is not an easy decision. I hate to lose." Caid Evans, A Weber State University I. i sophomore studying athletic training, said he was disappointed when he heard Romney had given up his Campaign. However, Evans said he could understand if the reasons Romney gave for dropping his candidacy are accurate. Elizabeth Brummett, a WSU junior majoring in Social Work, agreed with Evans. Although she did not vote for Romney, Brummett said she was a little sad when she heard that Romney dropped his candidacy. "He would have been an interesting president and I hope he runs for public office someday," Brummett said. Ashley Remkes, chair of the WSU Honors Program Student Advisory Board, said she is glad that Romney is no longer running for office. "I want a Democrat in the White House," Remkes said. "The more Republicans to quit the race the better." On Wednesday February 6, Romney said he would not abandon the presidential race even though Senator John McCain had called on his rivals to drop their candidacies and rally around him in order to maintain party unity. Senator McCain declared himself the front-runner after he won 11 states, including California and New York, during the election primaries of Super Tuesday. Romnev won seven states, including Utah, v T I , I- ,i I - - : and Mike Huckabee won 5 states. However, people from the Romney camp said in news reports on Wednesday that McCain undermined their campaign, especially in West Virginia where McCain reportedly distributed flyers at the election primary that read: "Flip-Flops: Mitt Romney has Flip-Flopped on Virtually Every Issue at Stake in this Election." Mike Huckabee won the West Virginia election primary. "There is a misperception that Huckabee is in the race to undermine Romney's campaign," said Dr. Leah Murray of the WSU Political Science department. Murray is also the faculty adviser for the WSU chapter of College Democrats. Murray was responding to allegations that Huckabee stayed in the race to assist McCain in his bid for the White House. "I think that Huckabee is in the race because he wants to win the election," Murray said. "It's nothing personal." In the Democratic race, there is no clear front-runner. Political analysts had predicted that Super Tuesday would decide which of the candidates would continue on to the national convention but that did not prove true. "I don't knowyct what the primary results mean," Murray said, "because there was not a clear victory." Murray said that if the toe-to-toe battle between Clinton and Obama continues until the National Convention diis summer, the National Credentials Committee of the Democratic Party would decide who would wan the party nomination. "The Droblem is that the Democratic ' i I'HOIOS SOI 'K fc: ASSOCIATED PRESS. Party excluded Florida and Michigan from the election primaries," Murray said. Murray said although democrats from the states of Florida and Michigan voted overwhelmingly for Clinton after Obama withdrew his name from the ballot, the National Credentials Committee may decide to allow their votes if there is no clear front-runner before the convention. "It'd be interesting if the Credentials Committee decides to seat delegates from these states," Murray said. The remaining presidential candidates have now turned their attentions to Washington, Nebraska and Louisiana, where voters will go to the polls this Saturday. Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. will hold their election primaries on February 12. Voters in Texas and Ohio will vote on March 4. Comment on this story at wsusignpost.com. Romney quits race Candidate didn't want to split party By Shirrel Cooper sr. news writer I Tlie Signpost It came as a shock to not only the country, but to Weber State University students, when Mitt Romney resigned from the presidential race yesterday. The presidential hopeful had a large support base in Utah, because of the shared religious beliefs between many residents of the state and himself. His withdrawal nearly assures John McCain the republican nomination. "Why the heck is he dropping out?" said Madison Burningham, a WSU sophomore who is majoring in vocal performance. "I think it is stupid." She said she was hopeful that Romney would become the next president and is now at a loss for whom to vote for. "I don't even want to vote now," Burningham said. "When I think of Flillary, Obama, or ' Huckabee. Huckabee freaks me out, but I think they all have strange beliefs and values." Burningham said she believed Romney is an honest man who cares about the people he would be representing, and it that is a shame that is decided not to continue his campaign. "When he's talking you can tell he is an honest, good guy who wants to do what is best for the country," Burningham said. "The other people are just working on their agendas." Adam Hood, a WSU senior majoring in history, said he wasn't disappointed Romney dropped out, but worried what this will do to the presidential race. "I didn't support Romney," Hood said, "but I hope this doesn't give McCain another push because I don't want him to win either." Hood said he believed that without Romney to vote for, Utah voters are going to turn their attentions to McCain. "Utah is not going to go to Huckabee," Hood said. "It's not going to happen. They'll go to McCain. With Huckabee's statements about Mormons, Utah doesn't like him anymore." Despite worrying about the potential Romney's vithdrawal has in giving McCain a needed push, Hood said he believed withdrawing was a smart choice for Romney. "I think dropping more money into the campaign would have been a waste," I lood said. Ray Fischer, a WSU junior, said he is going to vote democratic now that he can't vote for Romney. See Mitt page 5 i pji ' ) t, ,.. -... PHOJOS SIA'M L ASSOCIAItlJ I'KtSS.
Object Description
|Signpost (Weber, Utah), 2008-02-08, Vol. 78, No. 62
|Weber State University
|Associated Students of Weber State University; A generous grant from the Utah State Library and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
|Weber's current student newspaper, the Signpost, first appeared on September 29, 1937. For two years prior to that time, campus news was disseminated via announcements posted on a bulletin board known as the "Signpost". As a result, the masthead of the first issue of the paper itself featured a rudimentary wooden sign with the title spelled out in rustic-looking letters. Over the years the paper has been published continuously, though the look, size and style has changed several times.
|Date Original
|College student newspapers and periodicals; Weber State University
|Digital Format
|Publisher Digital
|Stewart Library, Weber State University
|Date Digital
|University Archives LD5893.W55 S5, Stewart Library, Weber State University
|Digital Identifier
|Rights Management
|Public Domain. Courtesy of University Archives, Stewart Library, Weber State University.
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Scrooged coverCopyright by respective production studio and/or distributor. Intended for editorial use only.
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7 U.S. Code § 7211 - Authorization for use of production flexibility contracts
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(a) Offer and terms
The Secretary shall offer to enter into a production flexibility contract with an eligible owner or producer described in subsection (b) of this section on a farm containing eligible cropland. Under the terms of a contract, the owner or producer shall agree, in exchange for annual contract payments, to—
(1) comply with applicable conservation requirements under subtitle B of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3811 et seq.);
(2) comply with applicable wetland protection requirements under subtitle C of title XII of the Act (16 U.S.C. 3821 et seq.);
(3) comply with the planting flexibility requirements of section 7218 of this title; and
(b) Eligible owners and producers described
The following producers and owners shall be eligible to enter into a contract:
(2) A producer (other than an owner) on eligible cropland with a share-rent lease of the eligible cropland, regardless of the length of the lease, if the owner enters into the same contract.
(3) A producer (other than an owner) on eligible cropland who cash rents the eligible cropland under a lease expiring on or after September 30, 2002, in which case the owner is not required to enter into the contract.
(4) A producer (other than an owner) on eligible cropland who cash rents the eligible cropland under a lease expiring before September 30, 2002. The owner of the eligible cropland may also enter into the same contract. If the producer elects to enroll less than 100 percent of the eligible cropland in the contract, the consent of the owner is required.
(5) An owner of eligible cropland who cash rents the eligible cropland and the lease term expires before September 30, 2002, if the tenant declines to enter into a contract. In the case of an owner covered by this paragraph, contract payments shall not begin under a contract until the lease held by the tenant ends.
(c) Tenants and sharecroppers
In carrying out this subchapter, the Secretary shall provide adequate safeguards to protect the interests of tenants and sharecroppers.
(d) Eligible cropland described
Land shall be considered to be cropland eligible for coverage under a contract only if the land has contract acreage attributable to the land and—
(1) for at least 1 of the 1991 through 1995 crops, at least a portion of the land was enrolled in the acreage reduction program authorized for a crop of a contract commodity under section 101B, 103B, 105B, or 107B of the Agricultural Act of 1949 or was considered planted;
(2) was subject to a conservation reserve contract under section 1231 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831) whose term expired, or was voluntarily terminated, on or after January 1, 1995; or
(e) Quantity of eligible cropland covered by contract
Subject to subsection (b)(4) of this section, an owner or producer may enroll as contract acreage all or a portion of the eligible cropland on the farm.
Source(Pub. L. 104–127, title I, § 111,Apr. 4, 1996, 110 Stat. 898.)
References in Text
The Food Security Act of 1985, referred to in subsec. (a)(1), (2), is Pub. L. 99–198, Dec. 23, 1985, 99 Stat. 1354, as amended. Subtitles B and C of title XII of the Act are classified generally to subchapters II (§ 3811 et seq.) and III (§ 3821 et seq.), respectively, of chapter 58 of Title 16, Conservation. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title of 1985 Amendment note set out under section 1281 of this title and Tables.
This subchapter, referred to in subsec. (c), was in the original "this subtitle", meaning subtitle B (§§ 111–118) of title I of Pub. L. 104–127, Apr. 4, 1996, 110 Stat. 898, which enacted this subchapter and amended sections 1308, 1308–1, and 1308–3 of this title. For complete classification of subtitle B to the Code, see Tables.
Sections 101B, 103B, 105B, and 107B of the Agricultural Act of 1949, referred to in subsec. (d)(1), were classified to sections 1441–2, 1444–2, 1444f, and 1445b–3a, respectively, of this title prior to repeal by section 7301 (b)(2)(A)–(D) of this title.
Violation of Contract; Denial of Funds for Salaries
Pub. L. 104–180, title VII, § 726,Aug. 6, 1996, 110 Stat. 1600, provided that: "None of the funds made available in this Act [see Tables for classification] may be used to pay the salaries of employees of the Department of Agriculture who make payments pursuant to a production flexibility contract entered into under section 111 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–127; 7 U.S.C. 7211) when it is made known to the Federal official having authority to obligate or expend such funds that the land covered by that production flexibility contract is not being used for the production of an agricultural commodity or is not devoted to a conserving use, unless it is also made known to that Federal official that the lack of agricultural production or the lack of a conserving use is a consequence of drought, flood, or other natural disaster."
The table below lists the classification updates, since Jan. 3, 2012, for this section. Updates to a broader range of sections may be found at the update page for containing chapter, title, etc.
The most recent Classification Table update that we have noticed was Tuesday, August 13, 2013
An empty table indicates that we see no relevant changes listed in the classification tables. If you suspect that our system may be missing something, please double-check with the Office of the Law Revision Counsel.
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Fiscal Year 2011 Agreed-Upon Procedures for Excise Tax Distributions to the Highway Trust Fund
GAO-12-139R: Published: Nov 3, 2011. Publicly Released: Nov 3, 2011.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
- Accessible Text:
(202) 512-9521
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
As requested, this correspondence discusses our findings on whether the net excise tax revenue distributed to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011, is supported by the underlying records. The Department of Transportation's Inspector General is responsible for the adequacy of these agreed-upon procedures to meet your objectives, and we make no representation in that respect. The procedures we agreed to perform were related to (1) transactions that represent the underlying basis of amounts distributed from the general fund to the HTF during fiscal year 2011, (2) the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) quarterly HTF excise tax receipt certifications prepared during fiscal year 2011, (3) the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Management Service adjustments to HTF excise tax distributions during fiscal year 2011, (4) the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Tax Analysis's (OTA) estimates of excise tax amounts to be distributed to the HTF for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, (5) adjustments to the HTF for tax on kerosene used in aviation during fiscal year 2011, and (6) the amount of net excise taxes distributed to the HTF during fiscal year 2011.
We were not engaged to perform, and did not perform, an examination, the objective of which would have been to express an opinion on the amount of net excise taxes distributed to the HTF during fiscal year 2011. Accordingly, we do not express such an opinion. Had we performed additional procedures, other matters might have come to our attention that we would have reported to you. We completed the agreed-upon procedures on October 26, 2011.
Sep 12, 2014
Air Traffic Control System:Selected Stakeholders' Perspectives on Operations, Modernization, and StructureGAO-14-770: Published: Sep 12, 2014. Publicly Released: Sep 12, 2014.
Jul 31, 2014
Aviation Manufacturing:Status of FAA's Efforts to Improve Certification and Regulatory ConsistencyGAO-14-829T: Published: Jul 31, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 31, 2014.
Jul 23, 2014
Aviation Safety:FAA's Efforts to Implement Recommendations to Improve Certification and Regulatory Consistency Face Some ChallengesGAO-14-728T: Published: Jul 23, 2014. Publicly Released: Jul 23, 2014.
Jun 25, 2014
Aviation Safety:Additional Oversight Planning by FAA Could Enhance Safety Risk ManagementGAO-14-516: Published: Jun 25, 2014. Publicly Released: Jun 25, 2014.
Traffic Safety:Alcohol Ignition Interlocks Are Effective While Installed; Less Is Known about How to Increase Installation RatesGAO-14-559: Published: Jun 20, 2014. Publicly Released: Jun 25, 2014.
Jun 24, 2014
Public Transportation:Federal Role Key to Rural and Tribal TransitGAO-14-589: Published: Jun 24, 2014. Publicly Released: Jun 24, 2014.
Transportation Security Information Sharing:Results of GAO's Survey of Stakeholder Satisfaction with TSA Products and Mechanisms (GAO-14-488SP, June 2014), an E-supplement to GAO-14-506GAO-14-488SP: Published: Jun 24, 2014. Publicly Released: Jun 24, 2014.
Transportation Security Information Sharing:Stakeholder Satisfaction Varies; TSA Could Take Additional Actions to Strengthen EffortsGAO-14-506: Published: Jun 24, 2014. Publicly Released: Jun 24, 2014.
Jun 18, 2014
Airport Funding:Aviation Industry Changes Affect Airport Development Costs and FinancingGAO-14-658T: Published: Jun 18, 2014. Publicly Released: Jun 18, 2014.
Jun 11, 2014
Airline Competition:The Average Number of Competitors in Markets Serving the Majority of Passengers Has Changed Little in Recent Years, but Stakeholders Voice Concerns about CompetitionGAO-14-515: Published: Jun 11, 2014. Publicly Released: Jun 11, 2014.
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Surreal Film Short 'The Crooked Eye' Has Los Angeles Premiere in Dances With Films Independent Film Festival
xml:lang="en" lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
Surreal Film Short 'The Crooked Eye' Has Los Angeles Premiere in Dances With Films Independent Film Festival
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 6, 2009
"The Crooked Eye," the latest film short from film and television character actor, D.C. Douglas, will have its Los Angeles premiere on June 9, 2009 at 5 p.m. at Laemmle's Sunset 5 as a part of the Dances With Films Independent Film Festival. Chosen by the festival to be a part of an exclusive block of CGI shorts, the film will be discussed by a panel from the Visual Effects Society prior to the screening. Tickets are $ 12 and can be purchased via the Dances With Films website.
Dances With Films supports and celebrates the true independent film spirit by mandating that only films without celebrity actors, writers, directors or producers will be selected for festival competition. Though the film is narrated by Academy Award Winner Linda Hunt, "The Crooked Eye" was accepted due to the independent nature of the production, which was adapted for the screen, directed, produced, edited and financed by D.C. Douglas. In addition to Mr. Douglas, only three talented visual effects technicians, led by Pency Kinnard, created the CGI environment of the 19-minute film.
Starring Fay Masterson ("Eyes Wide Shut" with Tom Cruise) and Katherine Boecher (NBC's "Heroes"), "The Crooked Eye" spends a day in the life of Sharon (Ms. Masterson) as she struggles with a recent divorce and a current perception problem.
Part live action, part animation, the film dreamily weaves between past and present, delicately painting a psychological portrait of a troubled woman. "The Crooked Eye" is a visually stunning adaptation of Betty Malicoat's short story of the same name.
Having already played the 26th Miami International Film Festival and the 40th Nashville Film Festival, "The Crooked Eye" is now playing up and down the West Coast this month, most notably at the prestigious Palm Springs International ShortFest at the end of June. Only five months into its festival run, the film has already become an official selection of eleven festivals.
Aside from personal film endeavors, D.C. Douglas is primarily known for his on-camera and voice over work. His high profile projects include NBC's "Boston Common" and the celebrity GEICO campaigns with the likes of Little Richard, Joan Rivers and the late Don Lafontaine.
For more information on "The Crooked Eye," visit the official website. For information about D.C. Douglas, visit D.C. Douglas' Film and TV website and voice over website.
"The Crooked Eye" will soon be available for rent via IndiePix Films and iTunes. You can purchase a DVD from the Amazon movies section for only $ 10.99.
©Copyright 1997-, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Copied from SQLJ » Short Film Press Releases
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) October 14, 2004
The APEX Museum lives up to its mission of celebrating Black History every day. On any given day visitors can stop by the museum and see a treasure trove of African American history artifacts. In celebration of the Underground Railroad, the secret network upon which thousands of slaves escaped, The APEX Museum presents an event billed as a "reality" film experience. On Friday, November 12 from 6-8pm, it will premiere the short film, ÂÂMattie, Johnny and Smooth White StonesÂÂ directed by and starring Cassandra Hollis.
Produced by Holy Hill Productions, the film had a successful West Coast premiere at the CFMi Festival in Los Angeles in May. Festival Chairperson, Valiant Robinson, said of the film, "It is a must see film. Cassandra is phenomenal as Mattie." It was selected from the festival to be screened among the "Best of CFMi" at the recent Black Expo in Los Angeles held in September. "Mattie" is also among a select group of short films chosen out of dozens of submissions to screen at the upcoming Gloria Film Festival in Utah.
APEX Museum Executive Director, Dan Moore, Sr., saw the film and thought it was important to showcase the film in their famous Trolley Theatre, "A moving and powerful drama about love, faith and empowerment. Set during the days of slavery, this captivating short film is a compelling story with a superb portrayal by Cassandra Hollis."
ÂÂMattie, Johnny and Smooth White StonesÂÂ is a story a film that provides a rare look into the personal lives of slaves. Mattie and Johnny are two slaves who are in love and decide to runaway to get married when they secretly learn that Johnny is going to be sold. A surprising twist occurs and audiences see the role that Faith played in leading runaways on their journey to freedom. Filmmaker/Actress, Cassandra Hollis, explains why this story needs to be told.
ÂÂAfter studying real slave narratives of slaves who braved the elements and consequences to run away to freedom, I realized that I personally had not seen many film portrayals outside of the great Harriet Tubman about runaway slaves. And few films about slavery address the love relationships that slaves experienced. This was an opportunity to bridge those two narratives all within the context of Faith. It was only God who led them through rugged woods, snow, slave catchers, you name it, to their freedom.ÂÂ
The public is invited to the event which begins with a reception including refreshments and music and from 6:00 – 7:00pm, the program begins at 7:00pm which will include Spoken Word, followed by the Film Screening and Q & A with Filmmaker/Actress Cassandra Hollis. The APEX Museum is located at 135 Auburn Ave. in Atlanta. The event is Free.
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