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UPDATE 1-US considers less prison time for ex-Enron CEO Skilling
* Justice Department alerts victims to possible resentencing
* Ex-CEO serving 24-year prison term over fraud, conspiracy
* Appeals court previously ruled sentence too harsh (Adds official's comments, details on Enron collapse and trial, expected restitution, case citation, second dateline, bylines)
By Aruna Viswanatha and Jonathan Stempel
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, April 4 (Reuters) - Jeffrey Skilling, the former Enron Corp chief executive serving a 24-year prison term over the energy company's spectacular collapse, may get a chance to leave prison early.
The U.S. Department of Justice has notified victims of Enron's fraud and 2001 bankruptcy that prosecutors may enter an agreement with Skilling that could result in a resentencing.
Skilling, 59, has served about 6-1/4 years in prison following his May 2006 conviction by a Houston federal jury on 19 counts of securities fraud, conspiracy, insider trading and lying to auditors.
It is unclear how much Skilling's sentence could be reduced, and a Justice Department official said no agreement has been reached. CNBC, the television business channel, said prosecutors and Skilling's lawyers have been negotiating a shorter term.
Skilling has maintained his innocence, and according to court filings has been pursuing a new trial.
He is scheduled to leave prison around February 2028, assuming good behavior, according to federal prison records.
Daniel Petrocelli, a lawyer for Skilling, could not be reached immediately on Thursday for comment.
A new sentence would require the approval of U.S. District Judge Sim Lake in Houston, who had imposed the original sentence.
Once ranked seventh on the Fortune 500 list of large U.S. companies, Enron went bankrupt on Dec. 2, 2001. Its demise led to reforms including the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
In a Wednesday notice, the Justice Department advised former Enron employees, stockholders and other victims that it is "considering entering into a sentencing agreement" with Skilling.
It gives former them until April 17 to voice objections.
In 2009, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Skilling's conviction, but called his sentence too harsh.
The next year, the U.S. Supreme Court also upheld the conviction, but rejected one legal theory behind it. In 2011, the 5th Circuit reaffirmed the conviction.
Skilling had previously agreed to forfeit $45 million to be used as restitution for victims of Enron's fraud. That money has been held up because of the negotiations on a new sentence.
At the 2006 trial, the Houston jury also found Kenneth Lay, who was Enron's chief executive before and after Skilling's six-month term, guilty of fraud and conspiracy.
Lay died in July 2006, and his death led to his conviction being thrown out.
Among those who testified against Skilling and Lay was Andrew Fastow, who was Enron's chief financial officer and considered the mastermind behind the company's fraud.
Fastow was sentenced to six years in prison and released in December 2011.
The case is U.S. v. Skilling, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas, No. 04-cr-00025. (Reporting by Aruna Viswanatha in Washington, D.C. and Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Jeffrey Benkoe)
Story Copyright © 1999-2014 Reuters HedgeWorld All rights reserved.


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Now £15.00
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Dark blue side zip jegging
Item No.36194_311237053
These dark blue side zip jeggings are a perfect addition to your wardrobe as they are both comfortable and versatile. The blue jeggings feature silver side zip and rivets and back pockets and are crafted in a stretch denim that will flatter your figure. Wear with a spring jumper and flat shoes for the perfect casual outfit.
- This product is not available for Channel Islands deliveries
- 76% Cotton, 23% Polyester, 1% Elastane
- Machine Washable
Debenhams is happy to exchange or refund your purchase within 28 days providing the goods are in a fully resaleable condition (including tags) and not within the exclusion policy*. This policy does not affect your statutory rights. You can return unwanted items either by visiting your local store (the fastest way to get a refund), by arranging a courier collection or returning by post. Exclusions apply to selected products. For instructions on how to return products and information on Debenhams refund policy visit the returns and refunds section of the website.

subset: commoncrawl


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Posted 10/27/2010 1:15 PM
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Posted By CarlJ1 on 10/27/2010 2:17 PM
Darkhorse: Dwight Howard (I think he will play with a chip on his shoulder this year)
Posted 10/27/2010 6:41 PM
mvp: Either Kobe or Durant. depends on how the thunder play this year 6th man: Evan Turner (assuming he comes off the bench) rookie: Blake Griffin Most Improved: tough one. I would go with Shannon Brown but i dont think he will get enough minutes to win the award so I'm gonna go with Batum for now. really to hard to say this early in the season though Defense: Dwight ( I dont think he will deserve it, just like he didnt deserve it last year, but I think he will get it again since the only thing people care about when making that decision is blocks) coach: Phil Jackson or avery johnson if he can get the nets into the playoffs.
Posted 10/27/2010 7:01 PM
Posted 10/28/2010 4:10 AM
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Posted By CarlJ1 on 10/27/2010 2:17 PM
MVP: Kevin Durant (Because everyione loves the Thunder and they want someone different to win it)
Started by
Ricky on 05/19/14 at 12:19 PM
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Andrew Linares on 05/15/14 at 7:30 PM
San Antonio game 2
Started by
buffielea on 05/05/14 at 2:02 PM
Started by
Nate Caraway on 04/20/14 at 6:17 AM
First Game starts tonight. Houston is a tough first round opponent and they play exceptionally well at home. If we can steal a game or two at their place, I feel like we have extremely good chances.
P.S. Would anybody happen to have a...
Started by
cm_flippin on 04/02/14 at 10:49 PM
There are many questions and you don''t have to register, you can continue as a guest. Didn''t know about Sporcle though, thanks.
Started by
NickPitherUK on 02/18/14 at 6:57 AM
Started by
benh7777 on 02/12/14 at 10:22 PM
The Blazers were winning!  That is the key word, were.  Blazers are living proof that you can live and die by the jumper.  Lately it has been dying.
Thank God they are 19 games over 500.  Mayb...
Started by
jamsmashers on 02/13/14 at 1:03 PM
Hawes will be a hot commodity by the trade deadline, I would think the sixers could find a better offer.
However, I do believe Mo Williams could have somewhat of  a high trade value. Olshey needs to make a deal to get a big man while we...
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Healing hands save lives
Freeman offers a comprehensive range of surgery services with operating rooms at Freeman Hospital West and Freeman Neosho Hospital. You no longer have to travel out of your community for life-saving surgical care. Physicians on staff at Freeman include specialists in cardiothoracic surgery; ear, nose, and throat surgery; emergency surgery; general surgery; gynecologic surgery; neurosurgery; orthopaedic surgery; plastic surgery; and vascular surgery.
Freeman West, equipped with emergency/trauma surgery suites, general surgery suites, and cardiovascular surgery suites, offers patients the most advanced treatments available with facilities rivaling those found at the some of the leading hospitals in the country. Freeman Neosho provides surgery services close to home for patients in the Neosho area.
Outpatient Surgery
Freeman Women's Center offers gynecologic surgeons who specialize in minimally-invasive procedures for all kinds of women's conditions.
Freeman Surgical Center features:
Operation Education
Operation Education, our presurgical education program, helps make your surgery as smooth as possible and answers your questions along the way. Through the program, you'll learn what to expect during your hospital stay, how you can assist in your recovery, and what to anticipate after you go home.


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Hennepin County Library Board Meeting Minutes May 19, 2004
Dawn Harris, Vice President called the meeting of Hennepin County Library Board Meeting of May 19, 2004 to order at 4:34 p.m. All board members were present except Cynthia Steinke and John Gibbs. Staff attending: J. Leick, N. Perron, J. Morgan, D. Cramer, Dawn Currier, Helen Malby, Senior Librarian, St. Louis Park Library and Julie Ham, guest from University of Minnesota Library.
Helen Malby welcomed Library Board to St. Louis Park Library. The library was renovated a year ago and all is holding up quite well. Just recently they added two new computers in the adult area (a total of 19-Adult area; 6-Children area; 3-Teen area). Helen also addressed the Bridges Over Poverty Workshop with high praise. It was insightful and she recommends others attend. This workshop helped in relating positively to people coming out of poverty. Helen highlighted the program with Project for Pride in Living (PPL), working with at risk youth between the ages 6-12 as one-on-one mentors in a structured program in the St. Louis Park Library.
David Pratt moved approval of the minutes, seconded by Gerda Haas and approved unanimously - 5 YEAS, 2 ABSENT (Steinke & Gibbs) APPROVED
- 200 persons in Personal Services area to receive increases
- Merit or Step increases just under $537,000
- Health insurance up 8.5% over 2004
- We have to absorb health insurance increase
- Full year building funding for Brookdale and Eden Prairie
- We have to factor in utility costs increases at the following percentages:
2. Electrical - 5%
3. Water & Sewer - 3%
- Looking at all possible options for reductions
- Keep as many vacancies vacant in 2004. This would help better position us in 2005
- No levy limits 2005 for local government
- County Board has taken a fiscally conservation approach to Property Tax
In keeping with looking at ways of generating revenue, Janet has challenged the Senior Management staff to consider the rental of computer labs. The hours of rental would be between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. to public partners as well as County Departments.
- With expansion of Community, puts greater demands on the library
- Create meeting room out of the garage
- Increase the staff workroom area
- Adding a small corner to the building
- Falling interest rate and refinancing
- Debt retirement
- Library Debt Services
Peter Miller inquired/suggested research as revenue generator for the library. Offer research services to firms and companies who need research completed but don't know where to look for a provider.
Director's Report - Janet Leick
- 84% of items checked out was done on the self-checkout machines
- 210 new Library Card Applications were processed
- Overall comments: Fantastic! Awesome! Jam Packed! Simply Great! Totally Amazing!
There being no further business the meeting of Hennepin County Library Board for May 19, 2004 was declared adjourned at 5:31 p.m.


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Deftones will be playing an intimate show this Saturday, JUL 28 at the Troubadour in West Hollywood before they hit the road with System of a Down next month. Tickets go on sale this Friday, JUL 27 at 1pm, and can be purchased here.
Deftones will be joining Scars on Broadway and others at this year's Epicenter Festival in Southern California. The festival will take place on September 22 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, California. Tickets go on sale at 10 AM PDT on Saturday, July 14.
Deftones will perform at this year's Aftershock concert at Discovery Park in Sacramento, CA on Sunday, September 23. Keep an eye out for information on the 98 Rock Presale, which begins this Thursday, June 20 at 10AM Pacific. General on sale begins June 22 at 10AM Pacific time.
Tickets for the final round of System Of A Down / Deftones tour dates are now on sale:
August 4, 2012: PNC Center – Holmdel Township, NJ
August 5, 2012: Nikon at Jones Beach – Wantagh, NY
August 15, 2012: Allstate Arena – Chicago, IL


text:
Kalamazoo's Morning News 6:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Kalamazoo's Morning news
Kalamazoo's Morning news
The funniest stuff on the web!
Guys, if you have a daughter who has or will be getting her license soon, it's a good idea to take a minute to show her how to do ba...Read More »
The page wont let me post a gif. file so follow this link and check it out. It's brilliant...Read More »
Well- it's your bachelor party. Your friends talk you into bungee jumping off an old bridge....blindfolded. You finally get the ne...Read More »
Read More »
Home Improvement was a funny show, here's 14 minutes worth of grunts from the series...uugh.Read More »
This guy thinks it is the coolest thing to have a connection with this bumble bee. It's not a high five when you only use your inde...Read More »
Apparently... you are lame, as this is the latest thing to throw a bouquet at a wedding. Or a garter even. Lame? or just smarter ...Read More »
Good advice from the dog boss ~ DanRead More »


text:
JCP Program Awards
Nominations for the 2010 JCP Program Awards Are Now Open!
Nominations for the eighth annual JCP Program Awards are now open!
There are six categories for nominations:
- JCP member of the year
- JCP participant of the year
- Outstanding Java SE/EE Spec Lead
- Outstanding Java ME Spec Lead
- Most Innovative Java SE/EE JSR
- Most Innovative Java ME JSR
There is an open board for nominations, and community members have until 31st July, 2010 to submit nominations either online or via email. The EC will then vote on the nominations in early August, and the JCP program office will present the award during the JavaOne conference.


text:
616 Serra Street
Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
As industrial agriculture spreads around the world, many small-scale farmers are losing their land. Nowhere is the situation more desperate than in India, where every 30 minutes one farmer, deep in debt and unable to provide for his family, commits suicide. It's an epidemic, which has claimed over a quarter million lives. BITTER SEEDS raises critical questions about the human cost of genetically modified agriculture and the future of how we grow things.
Micha X. Peled, India/USA, 88 min
Micha Peled was born and raised in Israel and is one of the few people ever to immigrate to the US by hitchhiking. His checkered career includes stints as an importer of hammocks and sheepskin jackets, a prison guard, a freelance journalist, a director of the Nuclear Freeze Campaign and the Executive Director of Media Alliance. Peled's first documentary, Will My Mother Go Back to Berlin? examined the relations between Jews and Germans 50 years after the Holocaust through his personal family story. His next film, Inside God's Bunker, followed a group of extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank. You, Me, Jerusalem was the first Israeli-Palestinian co-directed film, which Peled also produced. It followed an ambulance team comprised of both Israelis and Arabs, which responded to emergencies in both sides of the capital. An ITVS-funded film Store Wars: When Wal-Mart comes to Town, follows one southern town's struggle to decide whether to allow Wal-Mart to build a megastore there. The film won a number of awards, including Best Documentary at the San Francisco International Film Festival and the CINE Golden Eagle.
About UNAFF:
The 16th UNAFF (United Nations Association Film Festival) from October 17-27, 2013 Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, San Francisco and Stanford University celebrates the power of documentary films dealing with human rights issues, the environment, racism, women's issues, universal education, war and peace. The theme for this year is INDIVIDUAL TO UNIVERSAL.
INFORMATION & TICKETS: www.unaff.org


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So far, so good as TARP turns one
As TARP nears its one-year anniversary, the promise that taxpayer investments would be profitable has been fulfilled in some cases, and appears close in others.
By Lauren Tara LaCapra, TheStreet.com
As the one-year anniversary of the government's capital injection program approaches, the promise that taxpayer investments would be profitable has been fulfilled in some cases, and appears close in others.
But other bailout programs apart from TARP look as though they will keep taxpayers in the red for many years to come. And a large part of why the TARP investments have been profitable is because of onerous dividends and favorable terms, not because the actual investments have seen a meaningful increase in value.
For instance, the terms of the TARP program provided the government with warrants to purchase common stock. The strike price for these warrants declines by 15% every six months for the first 18 months of the investment. The cheaper the strike price, the less the government would have to "pay" to enter the position, and the more theoretically profitable the investment will be when the common shares are then sold into the market.
Starting on Wednesday, the government will have benefitted from a 30% cumulative decline in the strike price of its TARP warrants. As a result, its entry price for Bank of America is $21.55 for the initial TARP investment, and $9.31 for the additional capital to cover Merrill Lynch losses, rather than the strike prices of $30.79 and $13.30 at the time of investment.
Bing: More on the Troubled Asset Relief Program
The difference is significant. If the government exercised the warrants and sold the new BofA shares into the market at yesterday's closing price of $15.40, it would have earned a total of $512 million.
Of course the government isn't ready to exit its position in BofA, and the companies would have to prove that they are adequately capitalized to pay back the initial investment, plus accrued dividends, before the discussion of warrants even comes into play. But if BofA's stock recovers further, the warrants will be even more profitable. The bank has also paid $1.8 billion in dividends so far on the government's preferred stake.
The investment in Wells Fargo is less complicated but tells a similar story. The government injected $25 billion in capital in exchange for preferred stock and common warrants with an initial strike price of $34.01.
That price will have come down to $23.81 by Wednesday, offering a 19.5% premium based on Wells' closing price of $28.45 on Monday. If the Treasury Department exercised its warrants and sold them back at that price, it would have netted $512 million on paper, not including the nearly $1 billion in dividend payments received to date.
Citigroup is sometimes held up as the touchstone of troubled banks, but given the Treasury's strike price of $3.25 when the preferred-for-common stock swap took place in September, its 34% stake may prove quite profitable.
Based on Monday's closing price of $4.27, the government would have netted $15.3 billion by selling the stock into the market. (That is, if Citi had already paid back the $50 billion investment.)
It's conceivable that, as Citi becomes healthy enough to repay its massive debt, its share price will improve, benefitting taxpayer shareholders even more. In addition, the bank has also paid $1.9 billion in preferred dividends to date.
It's worth pointing out, however, that if the TARP terms hadn't included the strike-price decline stipulation, and had the government not altered terms to provide Citi with a cache of tangible equity, the three investments would be far, far out of the money.
The BofA warrants would be $1.6 billion in the red, while Wells would be $613 million away from break-even. Had the government kept the initial strike prices of $17.85 and $10.61 for its Citi warrants (and not extinguished them via the conversion) those paper investments would be $5.7 billion in the red.
The TARP investments are eligible to last for up to 10 years, giving taxpayers ample time to earn more through dividends and stock improvements. The fate of the federal investments in healthier institutions may be accelerated examples of what will occur later with BofA, Citi or Wells. For instance, Goldman Sachs repaid the TARP investment and repurchased its warrants over the summer, for a 23% annualized return. While JPMorgan Chase is still haggling over what it ought to pay for its warrants, U.S. Bancorp, Bank of New York Mellon, State Street and others have thrown off the TARP shackles as well.
But the government's much larger bailouts of American International Group, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are a lot less certain.
The government has been a hospitable lender to AIG, extending $90 billion in credit, investing $40 billion in preferred stock and buying $50 billion worth of toxic securities that no one would else would touch. While the securities have recovered some value in the market, AIG hasn't paid any interest or dividends to taxpayers to date. Former CEO Edward Liddy said the insurer expects to repay part of its loans instead by offering the government stakes in its healthy, restructured businesses.
While Fannie and Freddie have paid dividends, those payments have been like throwing sand against the wind. The two mortgage finance giants posted $2.1 billion in dividend payments through the first half of this year, while the government has had to funnel another $66.6 billion in additional capital into the firms to cover escalating losses.
Former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson promised TARP would prove "an investment, not an expenditure" and said "there is no reason to expect this program will cost taxpayers anything." That may be true, but TARP is just one piece of a complex bailout puzzle that includes not just the AIG, Fannie and Freddie investments, but trillions of dollars worth of liquidity pumped into the system by the Federal Reserve.
The Fed's balance sheet now holds $1.7 trillion in securities -- including Treasury bonds, mortgage-backed securities and Fannie and Freddie debt -- as well as tens of billions of dollars in asset-backed loans and commercial paper, and $61 billion in toxic assets collected from Bear Stearns and AIG.
A good chunk of the bad assets that taxpayers now own will simply go sour. Transforming these holdings from bailouts -- if not expenditures -- to investments may depend on an investor's time horizon. One hopes that taxpayers are patient.
Copyright © 2014 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
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New study finds members of this global elite are stashing an average $600 million each in cash -- 10 times more than a year ago.
Top Stocks provides analysis about the most noteworthy stocks in the market each day, combining some of the best content from around the MSN Money site and the rest of the Web.
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KANSAS CITY, MO.—Travelers are returning to KCI to find their cars buried in snow. KCI has re-opened after being shut down on Tuesday afternoon because of the snow. Now the airport is partnering with Standard Parking to help people dig out.
Man parking lots and cars are covered with several inches of snow after Tuesday's storm. It only takes one phone call if you need help.
"Go to a shelter near your car and they will help dig you out," said Joe McBride with KCI Airport. "You can call (816) 243-5870."
Rescue crews are also driving around looking for people who are stranded and may need help getting out of the snow.
Also, if drivers find their car won't start, you can request a jump start and they will do that for free.


text:
The Rural School Educator Effectiveness Collaborative has developed a model to provide integrative professional development for rural schools in New Hampshire.
The model includes:
- Preparation for PRAXIS examinations
- Content area consultants/coaches to provide insight into research-based instructional strategies
- Professional development seminars
- Professional learning communities focused on content areas
- Technology integration specialists to promote the use of tools to improve classroom instruction.
Spring 2012 Professional Development Seminars include:
Science (Inquiry Science for Elementary Educators)
Math (Making Friends with Fractions)
Seminar in Mathematics Education at PSU (MG 5810). Contact email@example.com.
Teaching Math Together Seminar which includes NCTM Conference in Philadelphia. Contact email@example.com.


text:
November 29, 2012, 12:29 PM — Facebook's fake-a-palooza has entered a new realm of absurdity.
It starts like this: Yesterday Jennifer X. opened up her email and found a Facebook friend request from her husband Andrew. This was puzzling to her because Andrew already had a Facebook account, and they were of course already friends. She thought maybe he'd forgotten his password and created a new account or was testing something out. She clicked the link.
Sure enough, there was a Timeline with Andrew's name and a profile photo of her husband and his sister as children – the same picture Andrew was using on his real account. Otherwise, though, the faux account was blank.
She told her husband about it. But when he tried to check it out for himself, Facebook told him that page could not be found. Why? Because the imposter had blocked him, making Fake Andrew's page invisible to Real Andrew.
When Jennifer went to report the fake, she discovered Facebook's Catch-22. The only way to report an imposter on Facebook is for the real owner of the account to go to the imposter's Timeline, click the downward arrow in the settings box, and select Report/Block. But because Real Andrew couldn't see Fake Andrew's page, he was unable to do that.
So Jennifer tried using the Report/Block process to tell Facebook that Fake Andrew was impersonating her husband. But all that does is send a message to the person whose account has been duplicated, telling them to report the fake using the process I just described. Which, of course, Real Andrew could no longer do.
Maddening, right? It gets worse. You can tell Facebook another account is using a fake name, but your only options are to ask the person to use their real name (not likely in this case) or unfriend/block that person. You could simply submit a report to Facebook telling them it's a fake, which automatically – and permanently -- blocks you from ever seeing that account. All the other reporting options (the account is annoying, spammy, inappropriate, etc,) have the same result. But then you have no way of knowing what happens after that.


text:
Business Ideas in the News / March 19, 2014
Ultimate Tak Ball is an indoor sport where the two teams of 4 players each attempt to deposit a giant inflatable soccer ball into a goal while the other team tries to stop them with tasers. The tasers are the kind that you might use to defend yourself from a mugger in a dark alley!
The taser devices emit a charge of three to five milliamps, sufficient to cause a localized muscle spasm but no permanent damage to any of the body's vital organs.
Video below.
Originally posted by Dane Carlson on March 19, 2014 in Featured.
Share on Facebook Twitter StumbleUpon


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T. DeLene Beeland - 'The Secret World of Red Wolves'
07/17/2013 7:30 pm
Here's a conservation battle that hits close to home. T. DeLene Beeland shares The Secret World of Red Wolves: The Fight to Save North America's Other Wolf on Wednesday, July 17, at 7:30 p.m. She weaves together the voices of scientists, conservationists, and local landowners on the larger question of co-existence with the wolves.
- Street:
- 3522 Wade Ave
- City:
- Raleigh ,
- Province:
- North Carolina
- Postal Code:
- 27607-4048
- Country:
- United States


text:
Good At Home Workouts Learn
December 18, 2011 by Bob
Filed under Easy at Home Workouts
Article by Angela Rubicsa Since beginning my journey into yoga, I even have thankfully realized that almost all practitioners of yoga aren't the lithe, flawless ballerinas that I imagined, however as an alternative are daily persons identical to me — missing balance, perhaps, tight within the hamstrings, or not altogether graceful. Still, ping right into a yoga studio felt terrifying. Beginning an easy practice at home may help those brand new to yoga build the confidence, flexibility, and power that might allow them, just one day, to take that leap and immerse themselves in the daunting but joyful history of [...]
Getting A Good Home Workout
November 28, 2011 by Bob
Filed under Home Workout Routines
Article by Raymond Burton Have you ever dug into a muscle or fitness magazine trying to find an awesome home workout routine? Sometimes it can be hard because a lot of the exercises they list are done on the latest and greatest machines that have rolled out of the factory in the last month or two. With a little imagination, you can take any of those workout routines and get a good sweat on at home by making a few little adjustments. What I frequently hear is that people don't want to skip over any exercise or anything that may [...]
Exercises to Lose Weight Don't Have to Be Hard — Here are some good suggestions
November 28, 2011 by Bob
Filed under Office Workouts
Article by Stephen Choy Exercises to lose weight are every bit as important as following a healthy, reduced calorie diet. Many times however, our schedules are so hectic that it is hard to fit in the recommended full hour every day for exercise. So are there easy exercises to lose weight that do not take an hour to do every day, yet provide real results? Yes, there are exercises out there that are easy to do, and do not take a lot of time and really work! There are basically two types of exercises, strength training and aerobic exercise. All [...]


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I had the Deep FX done 5 days ago for Acne scarring and wrinkles and it's too soon to see the results. I had the Active FX done in November and it did nothing at all to improve my skin. Five days of downtime and and it was a painful procedure for my skin to look exactly the same. We'll see how it goes with the Deep FX.
Still in the Healing Phase - Sarasota, FL
I had the Deep FX done 5 days ago for Acne...
Was this review helpful?
Comments (4)
I am thinking about deep FX for the wrinkles above my lips. Do you see any improvement in this area?
- Reply
I had deep FX two weeks agos and it still very red and I'm very nervous this Doctor told me a couple of days.I believe he does not know what he's talking about. I really wish I could sue. It looks like it improve very little and it seem it's going to be red for a while, It better not be permenant. I have two one inch by three inch mark down each side of my cheeks. Avoid the PS Doctor on cottage grove road in Bloomfield CT.
- Reply
I hope that you are better by now! I had active and deep fx done 3 weeks ago. My face is still very red under my eyes and around my mouth. I would not ever do this again. It was very painful and it seems like it is taking forever to heal. I am so afraid that it will stay this way!
- Reply
I am considering cosmetic surgery. I have been researching the Active FX and Deep Fx lasers. After reading your comments, I am quite concerned that these laser treatments may lead to permanent scarring and redness - especialy since I have been scarred from a previous laser treatment. Would you let me know if your condition has improved and just how painful it really was? I have moderate wrinkling and laxity under my eyes and really want to tighten the skin under my eyes. However I do not want to risk permanent scarring more than what I already have. Your response is greatly appreciated.
- Reply


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Started by
Ricky on 05/19/14 at 12:19 PM
Started by
Andrew Linares on 05/15/14 at 7:30 PM
San Antonio game 2
Started by
buffielea on 05/05/14 at 2:02 PM
Started by
Nate Caraway on 04/20/14 at 6:17 AM
First Game starts tonight. Houston is a tough first round opponent and they play exceptionally well at home. If we can steal a game or two at their place, I feel like we have extremely good chances.
P.S. Would anybody happen to have a...
Started by
cm_flippin on 04/02/14 at 10:49 PM
There are many questions and you don''t have to register, you can continue as a guest. Didn''t know about Sporcle though, thanks.
Started by
NickPitherUK on 02/18/14 at 6:57 AM
Started by
benh7777 on 02/12/14 at 10:22 PM
The Blazers were winning!  That is the key word, were.  Blazers are living proof that you can live and die by the jumper.  Lately it has been dying.
Thank God they are 19 games over 500.  Mayb...
Started by
jamsmashers on 02/13/14 at 1:03 PM
Hawes will be a hot commodity by the trade deadline, I would think the sixers could find a better offer.
However, I do believe Mo Williams could have somewhat of  a high trade value. Olshey needs to make a deal to get a big man while we...
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text:
A Pakistani passenger jet with 127 people on board crashed Friday as it was landing in bad weather at an airport near the capital, Islamabad, officials said.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stood together in New Delhi on Sunday, adding weight to peace efforts by the nuclear-armed foes with the first visit by a Pakistani head of state to India in seven years.
Rescue workers used bulldozers Sunday to dig through huge banks of snow following a massive avalanche a day earlier that engulfed a military complex and buried at least 135 people, most of them soldiers, in a mountain battleground close to the Indian border.
An Islamist leader who had a US$10 million American bounty placed on his head this week has been helping Pakistan de-radicalize militants under efforts to stabilize the strategic U.S. ally, a top Pakistani counter-terrorism official said on Friday.
Officially, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari is just having a quick lunch with India's leader on his way to visit a Muslim shrine. But Zardari's trip to New Delhi on Sunday marks a milestone in the warming relations between the two neighbors.
A day after the U.S. slapped a US$10 million bounty on one of Pakistan's most notorious militant leaders, he responded by scheduling a press conference near army headquarters Wednesday in a sign of defiance that could anger Washington.
The United States has offered a US$10 million bounty for the founder of the Pakistani militant group blamed for the 2008 attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 166 people, a move that could complicate U.S.-Pakistan relations at a tense time.
A Pakistani court on Monday convicted Osama bin Laden's three widows and two of his daughters of illegally entering and living in the country and sentenced them to 45 days in prison, with credit for time served, their lawyer said.
It's an ornate but not lavish two-story house tucked away at the end of a mud clogged street. This is where Pakistan's intelligence agency believes Osama bin Laden lived for nearly a year until he moved into the villa in which he was eventually killed.
At least 943 Pakistani women and girls were murdered last year for allegedly defaming their family's honor, the country's leading human rights group said Thursday.


text:
Our Residency Program
Dr. Goodgame, M.D.
UTMB offers sound and flexible clinical training for physicians planning any desired pathway - whether it is an academically-oriented career, a medical subspecialty fellowship, a hospitalist career, or general primary care.
We are also home to several combined specialty training programs, in General Preventive Medicine offering a concentration in Global Health, and Aerospace Medicine in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - the only such program in the United States.
Our house staff get the best of both worlds - the opportunity to train at a prominent academic institution as well as the chance to enjoy 32 miles of relaxing beaches, superb restaurants, top resort hotels, marvelous downtown shopping, incredible art galleries, and fabulous entertainment and activities in the city of Galveston. Ultimately, it is UTMB's diverse patient population, engaging faculty, unique combined programs, and a family-friendly atmosphere that make this program an ideal location to train. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions!
What's Happening Now?
- The 2012-2013 academic year was truly outstanding, with our residents presenting over 24 scholarly works at both national and international venues.
- We are currently in the midst of the largest building program in the history of the entire "University of Texas system" with a multi-billion dollar program touching on all aspects of education, clinical and research innovation and infrastructure.
- New 500 million dollar hospital construction currently underway in addition to the existing John Sealy hospital renovations. This will compliment the outstanding physical facilities that have long made UTMB a leader in Texas medical care. Would you like to know more?
- iPad initiative launched in 2012-2013 with every internal medicine resident receiving an iPad at no cost. Would you like to know more?
- $50,000 Internal Medicine Resident lounge renovation, incorporating ubiquitous iPad usage to streamline order entry, paperwork and imaging.
- Newly renovated, state of the art primary care clinics in both Victory Lakes and Galveston locations. Would you like to know more?
- High yield 30 minute clinic conference based on Yale Curriculum
- 97% fellowship placement rate in the last 2 years!
- In coordination with our critical care fellowship, all residents are now trained in our procedure simulation lab, improving competency in central line placement, lumbar punctures, thoracentesis, paracentesis, and diagnostic ultrasound. Would you like to know more?
- Now: The 2013 launch of our bedside ultrasound initiative - all inpatient team rounds include extensive training in bedside ultrasound techniques. Would you like to know more?
- UTMB provides the perfect opportunity for "one stop, one shop, training paradise." This is evident in clinical opportunities available at John Sealy Hospital, Texas Department of Criminal Justice hospital, and the Primary Care Pavilion.
- Since Hurricane Ike fostered the establishment of over 30 new state of the art, outpatient clinics on the mainland, and with the TDCJ as robust as ever, IM residents can experience the complete package of internal medicine training without having to move from site to site.
- Indigent care, private insurance patients, prisoner health, telemedicine, level 1 trauma emergency care is all available at the main UTMB campus.
- With the dramatic increase in patient draw from the mainland, UTMB has transformed itself into a comprehensive training institute and a leader in clinical excellence.


text:
Knights of Columbus fish fry
- When: Friday, March 19, 2010, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Where: Sacred Heart Parish Center, Tonganoxie
- Cost: Not available
- Age limit: Not available
- Categories: Chuches Clubs and Organizations, Community
With the Lenten season comes the Knights of Columbus fish fries at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Tonganoxie.
The weekly fish fries begin at 4 p.m. this Friday. Cost is $7.50 for adults and $3 for children ages 5-12. On March 26, shrimp will be added to the menu, as cost will be $12.50 for adults and $6 for children ages 5-12. The fish fries are from 4-7 p.m. each Friday during Lent, except for Good Friday, at the church.
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.


text:
I don't have the 4GS, nor Siri (which I assume is the best part based on all the fuss), but I do have a 4G. I just upgraded to the new operating system.
Upgrading an iOS is basically different steps of waiting for f***ing ever while your phone swaps out a nearly 1G file, online, along side the other millions and millions of people doing the exact same thing. At the exact same time. So they were unable to handle the requests, giving a lot of people the middle finger of a 3200 error. For a better part of the day. Which sucks, because you don't know the upgrade isn't going to work until the FOURTH or FIFTH step of waiting forever while your phone backs up/restores. And you wouldn't know that it was THEIR problem and not yours unless you did a TON of digging online. You'd think a company that makes more than Exxon Mobil could shoot a dude an email saying "Hey, wait awhile before you try this. We have detected a capacity problem. We don't want to ruin your experience, because the user's experience is why we make more than Exxon Mobil." Or, you know, something similar. Or maybe they should hire Netflix to do their upgrades. They have no problem sending enourmous amounts of data, simultaneously, to a bazillion people. But, again, there really wasn't much mention of it online. On the INTERNET: the place that scours over the magnitude of Apple's every tiny movement. But whatever. I finally got it onto my phone.
Notification Center The future is going to be riddled with people being notified for everything through their phones. Which is scary to me. There's like 52743957283 layers of notifications in this OS. It's a little intense. You can shut it off, but still. It's intense.
Newstand Huh. I will probably almost never use this. The NY Times app sucks anway. Newstand is the Game Center of iOS 5. I could see it playing on the iPad, but it's silly on the iPhone.
Twitter Integration Pretty cool - but a good deal of the more popular apps have already had this going. Where's Facebook integration? Oh yeah, that was a purposeful jab. Steve Jobs is still w/ us in spirit. There should be Tumblr integration, too, btw.
Camera From Lock Screen Yes.
In-Photo Editing Maybe helpful, but I'm still going to mess with it in other apps (Instagram, PS).
My favorite feature, though, is that you can delete songs on your phone from your phone now. Yay.
So, not bad, Apple. It's not the iPhone 5 / OS game shifter everyone had talked about, but it's a bunch of ok tweaks. A decent first post-jobs move. But I get the feeling that Android and Windows phones are going to have most of these features soon enough, if not some of them already.
Having said that stuff, people in Chinese Foxconn plants sometimes commit suicide rather than going back to work to make these phones. So anytime I give any praise or any facetime (no pun intended) to Apple, I'm going to at least mention the reality of their business model.


text:
Steam Systems
Many manufacturing facilities can recapture energy by installing more efficient steam equipment and processes and applying energy management practices. Use the software tools, training, and publications listed below to optimize performance and save energy.
The whole system must be considered to optimize energy and cost savings. Learn more by reading about:
- Improving Steam System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry, Second Edition, October 2012
- Steam Generation, Distribution, Energy Use, and Recovery
Related System Areas
Consider improving the performance of the pumps or process heating equipment installed on steam systems.
Also review a range of projects, analyses, protocols, and strategies to reduce industrial energy intensity and carbon emissions in specific industries and technology areas.
Technical Publications
- Achieve Steam System Excellence: Industrial Technologies Program BestPractices Steam Overview
- Steam System Opportunity Assessment for the Pulp and Paper, Chemical Manufacturing, and Petroleum Refining Industries, October 2002
- Guide to Combined Heat and Power Systems for Boiler Owners and Operators, July 2004
- Guide to Low-Emission Boiler and Combustion Equipment Selection, April 2002
- Steam System Survey Guide, May 2002
- Review of Orifice Plate Steam Traps, January 2001
- BestPractices Steam Technical Brief: Steam Pressure Reduction-Opportunities and Issues, November 2005
- BestPractices Steam Technical Brief: How to Calculate the True Cost of Steam, September 2003
- BestPractices Steam Technical Brief: Industrial Heat Pumps for Steam and Fuel Savings, June 2003
- BestPractices Steam Technical Brief: Industrial Steam System Heat-Transfer Solutions, June 2003
- BestPractices Steam Technical Brief: Industrial Steam System Process-Control Schemes, July 2003
- Save Energy Now in Your Steam Systems, January 2006
- Steam Systems Energy Efficiency Handbook, November 1997
Tip Sheets
- Benchmark the Fuel Cost of Steam Generation, January 2012
- Clean Boiler Water-side Heat Transfer Surfaces, January 2012
- Consider Installing a Condensing Economizer, January 2012
- Consider Installing High-Pressure Boilers with Backpressure Turbine-Generators, January 2012
- Consider Installing Turbulators on Two- and Three-Pass Firetube Boilers, January 2012
- Consider Steam Turbine Drives for Rotating Equipment, January 2012
- Considerations When Selecting a Condensing Economizer, January 2012
- Cover Heated, Open Vessels, January 2012
- Deaerators in Industrial Steam Systems, January 2012
- Flash High-Pressure Condensate to Regenerate Low-Pressure Steam, January 2012
- Inspect and Repair Steam Traps, January 2012
- Install an Automatic Blowdown Control System, January 2012
- Install Removable Insulation on Valves and Fittings, January 2012
- Insulate Steam Distribution and Condensate Return Lines, January 2012
- Improve Your Boiler's Combustion Efficiency, January 2012
- Minimize Boiler Blowdown, January 2012
- Minimize Boiler Short Cycling Losses, January 2012
- Recover Heat from Boiler Blowdown, January 2012
- Replace Pressure-Reducing Valves with Backpressure Turbogenerators, January 2012
- Return Condensate to the Boiler, January 2012
- Upgrade Boilers with Energy-Efficient Burners, January 2012
- Use Feedwater Economizers for Waste Heat Recovery, January 2012
- Use Low Grade Waste Steam to Power Absorption Chillers, January 2012
- Use Steam Jet Ejectors or Thermocompressors to Reduce Venting of Low-Pressure Steam, January 2012
- Use Vapor Recompression to Recover Low-Pressure Waste Steam, January 2012
- Use a Vent Condenser to Recover Flash Steam Energy, January 2012
Case Studies
- Boise Inc. St. Helens Paper Mill Achieves Significant Fuel Savings, May 2008
- Chrysler: Energy Assessment Enables a Vehicle Assembly Complex to Achieve Significant Natural Gas Savings, February 2008
- Dow Chemical Company: Assessment Leads to Steam System Energy Savings, November 2007 – Repairing leaks and failed steam traps and making those activities permanent can yield substantial energy savings.
- Goodyear Tire Plant Gains Traction on Energy Savings After Completing Energy Assessment, May 2008 – By optimizing boiler operation and improving insulation, Goodyear significantly reduced fossil fuel consumption.
- J.R. Simplot: Burner Upgrade Project Improves Performance and Saves Energy at a Large Food Processing Plant, September 2005
- Longest-Serving Active Paper Mill in the Western United States Uncovers New Ways to Save Energy, Mar. 2008
- Save Energy Now Assessment Helps Expand Energy Management Program at Shaw Industries, July 2008
- Steam System Efficiency Optimized After J.R. Simplot Fertilizer Plant Receives Energy Assessment, July 2008
- Terra Nitrogen Company, L.P.: Ammonia Plant Greatly Reduces Natural Gas Consumption After Energy Assessment, Oct. 2007
- DOE's Boiler MACT Technical Assistance Program
- Steam Systems Training
- Steam Tool Suite Training – 2-hour workshop (online)
- Steam End User – 1-day workshop (onsite and online)
- Qualified Steam Tool Specialist – 2½ day workshop (onsite)
- Training Calendar
- Events Calendar
Tools to Assess Your Energy System
- Steam System Modeler Tool (SSMT) - NEW!
- Steam System Scoping Tool (SSST)
- Steam System Assessment Tool (SSAT)
- 3E Plus© Insulation Program


text: Be ready for whatever the day prrrr-ovides with this campus Hello Kitty string bag at your side! Lightweight and strong, this nylon multi-purpose bag features a drawstring top with sturdy corded handles, and a large front zippered compartment. Top it off with Hello Kitty and the school name screen-printed on the front and off you go! Bag measures 15' x 18'.


text:
The dominant bride
L'immagine di una vita…..
(via ballbustinggame)
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(via TumbleOn)
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Starting the marriage off on the right foot.
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From now on, I'll hear only two words from you. These are Yes and Mistress
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I married you for your money only. I'm going to bring in the niggas now to consummate our marriage.
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Hoping to be uncaged for their wedding night
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text:
Boeing X-37
|The OTV-1 X-37B in April 2010, inside its payload fairing prior to launch
|National origin
|United States
|First flight
|7 April 2006 (first drop test)
22 April – 3 December 2010 (first spaceflight)
|Testing; two long-duration spaceflights completed, a third underway[1][2]
|Primary users
United States Air Force (X-37B)
|Number built
|Developed from
|Boeing X-40
The Boeing X-37, also known as the X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), is an American reusable unmanned spacecraft. It is boosted into space by a rocket, then re-enters Earth's atmosphere and lands as a spaceplane. The X-37 is operated by the United States Air Force for orbital spaceflight missions intended to demonstrate reusable space technologies.[3] It is a 120%-scaled derivative of the earlier Boeing X-40.[4] As of 2013[update] it holds the world record for being the smallest robotic, unmanned space plane.[5]
The X-37 began as a NASA project in 1999, before being transferred to the U.S. Department of Defense in 2004. It conducted its first flight as a drop test on 7 April 2006, at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The spaceplane's first orbital mission, USA-212, was launched on 22 April 2010 using an Atlas V rocket. Its successful return to Earth on 3 December 2010 was the first test of the vehicle's heat shield and hypersonic aerodynamic handling. A second X-37 was launched on 5 March 2011, with the mission designation USA-226; it returned to Earth on 16 June 2012.[1] A third X-37 mission, USA-240, launched successfully on 11 December 2012.[6]
- 1 Development
- 2 Design
- 3 Operational history
- 4 Variants
- 5 Specifications
- 6 See also
- 7 References
- 8 External links
In 1999, NASA selected Boeing Integrated Defense Systems to design and develop an orbital vehicle, built by the California branch of Boeing's Phantom Works. Over a four-year period, a total of $192 million was contributed to the project, with NASA contributing $109 million, the U.S. Air Force $16 million, and Boeing $67 million. In late 2002, a new $301-million contract was awarded to Boeing as part of NASA's Space Launch Initiative framework.[7]
The X-37 was transferred from NASA to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on 13 September 2004.[8] Thereafter, the program became a classified project, although it is not known whether DARPA will maintain this status indefinitely. DARPA promoted the X-37 as part of the independent space policy that the United States Department of Defense has pursued since the 1986 Challenger disaster.
The X-37 was originally designed to be carried into orbit in the Space Shuttle's cargo bay, but underwent redesign for launch on a Delta IV or comparable rocket after it was determined that a shuttle flight would be uneconomical.[9] The X-37's aerodynamic design was derived from the Space Shuttle, hence the X-37 has a similar lift-to-drag ratio, and a lower cross range at higher altitudes and Mach numbers compared to DARPA's Hypersonic Technology Vehicle.[10]
As part of its mission goals, the X-37 was designed to rendezvous with satellites to refuel them, or to replace failed solar arrays using a robotic arm. Its payload could also support Space Control (Defensive Counter-Space, Offensive Counter-Space), Force Enhancement and Force Application systems.[11] An early requirement for the spacecraft called for a delta-v of 7,000 mph (3.1 km/s) to change its orbit.[12]
Glide testing[edit]
The vehicle that was used as an atmospheric drop test glider had no propulsion system. Instead of an operational vehicle's payload bay doors, it had an enclosed and reinforced upper fuselage structure to allow it to be mated with a mothership. In September 2004, DARPA announced that for its initial atmospheric drop tests the X-37 would be launched from the Scaled Composites White Knight, a high-altitude research aircraft.[13]
On 21 June 2005, the X-37A completed a captive-carry flight underneath the White Knight from Mojave Spaceport in Mojave, California.[14][15] Through the second half of 2005, the X-37A underwent structural upgrades, including the reinforcement of its nose wheel supports. Further captive-carry flight tests and the first drop test were initially expected to occur in mid-February 2006. The X-37's public debut was scheduled for its first free flight on 10 March 2006, but was canceled due to an Arctic storm.[16] The next flight attempt, on 15 March 2006, was canceled due to high winds.[16]
On 24 March 2006, the X-37 flew again, but a datalink failure prevented a free flight, and the vehicle returned to the ground still attached to its White Knight carrier aircraft. On 7 April 2006, the X-37 made its first free glide flight. During landing, the vehicle overran the runway and sustained minor damage.[17] Following the vehicle's extended downtime for repairs, the program moved from Mojave to Air Force Plant 42 (KPMD) in Palmdale, California for the remainder of the flight test program. White Knight continued to be based at Mojave, though it was ferried to Plant 42 when test flights were scheduled. Five additional flights were performed,[N 1] two of which resulted in X-37 releases with successful landings. These two free flights occurred on 18 August 2006 and 26 September 2006.[18]
X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle[edit]
On 17 November 2006, the U.S. Air Force announced that it would develop its own variant from NASA's X-37A. The Air Force version was designated the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV). The OTV program was built on earlier industry and government efforts by DARPA, NASA and the Air Force, and was led by the U.S. Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, in partnership with NASA and the Air Force Research Laboratory. Boeing was the prime contractor for the OTV program.[19][20][21] The X-37B was designed to remain in orbit for up to 270 days at a time.[22] The Secretary of the Air Force stated that the OTV program would focus on "risk reduction, experimentation, and operational concept development for reusable space vehicle technologies, in support of long-term developmental space objectives."[19]
The X-37B was originally scheduled for launch in the payload bay of the Space Shuttle, but following the 2003 Columbia disaster, it was transferred to a Delta II 7920. The X-37B was subsequently transferred to a shrouded configuration on the Atlas V rocket, following concerns over the unshrouded spacecraft's aerodynamic properties during launch.[23] Following their missions, X-37B spacecraft land on a runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, with Edwards Air Force Base as an alternate site.[24] In 2010, manufacturing work began on the second X-37B, OTV-2,[25] which conducted its maiden launch in March 2011.[26]
The X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle is a reusable robotic spaceplane. It is a 120%-scale derivative of the Boeing X-40,[7] measuring over 29 feet (8.8 m) in length, and features two angled tail fins.[3][27] The X-37 launches atop an Atlas V version 501 rocket with a Centaur second stage.[3][20] The X-37 is designed to operate in a speed range of up to Mach 25 on its reentry.[28][29]
Among the technologies demonstrated in the X-37 include an improved thermal protection system, enhanced avionics, an autonomous guidance system and an advanced airframe.[9] The spaceplane's thermal protection system is built upon previous generations of atmospheric reentry spacecraft,[11] incorporating silica ceramic tiles.[30] The X-37's avionics suite was used by Boeing to develop its CST-100 manned spacecraft.[31] According to NASA, the development of the X-37 will "aid in the design and development of NASA's Orbital Space Plane, designed to provide a crew rescue and crew transport capability to and from the International Space Station".[32]
The X-37 is independently powered by one Aerojet AR2-3 engine using storable propellants, providing thrust of 6,600 pounds-force (29.341 kN).[33] The human-rated AR2-3 engine had been used on the dual-power NF-104A astronaut training vehicle, and was given a new flight certification for use on the X-37 with hydrogen peroxide/JP-8 propellants.[34]
The X-37 lands automatically upon returning from orbit, and is the second reusable spacecraft to have such a capability, after the Soviet Buran shuttle.[35] The X-37 is the smallest and lightest orbital spaceplane flown to date; with a launch mass of around 11,000 pounds (5,000 kg), it is approximately a quarter the size of the Space Shuttle orbiter.[36]
Operational history[edit]
OTV-1, the first X-37B, launched on its first mission – USA-212 – on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 22 April 2010 at 23:58 GMT. The spacecraft was placed into low Earth orbit for testing.[20] While the U.S. Air Force revealed few orbital details of the mission, amateur astronomers claimed to have identified the spacecraft in orbit and shared their findings. A worldwide network of amateur astronomers reported that, on 22 May 2010, the spacecraft was in an inclination of 39.99 degrees, circling the Earth once every 90 minutes on an orbit 249 by 262 miles (401 by 422 km).[37][38] OTV-1 reputedly passed over the same given spot on Earth every four days, and operated at an altitude of 255 miles (410 km), which is typical for military surveillance satellites.[39] Such an orbit is also common among civilian LEO satellites, and the spaceplane's altitude was the same as that of the ISS and most other manned spacecraft.
The U.S. Air Force announced on 30 November 2010 that OTV-1 would return for a landing during the 3–6 December timeframe.[40][41] As scheduled, OTV-1 de-orbited, reentered Earth's atmosphere, and landed successfully at Vandenberg AFB on 3 December 2010, at 1:16 PST (09:16 UTC),[42][43][44] conducting America's first autonomous orbital landing onto a runway; the first spacecraft to perform such a feat was the Soviet Buran shuttle in 1988. In all, OTV-1 spent 224 days in space.[45] OTV-1 suffered a tire blowout during landing and sustained minor damage to its underside.[25]
OTV-2, the second X-37B, launched on its inaugural mission, designated USA-226,[46] aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral on 5 March 2011.[47] The mission was classified and described by the U.S. military as an effort to test new space technologies.[48] On 29 November 2011, the U.S. Air Force announced that it would extend the mission of USA-226 beyond the 270-day baseline design duration.[45] In April 2012, General William L. Shelton of the Air Force Space Command declared the ongoing mission a "spectacular success".[49]
On 30 May 2012, the Air Force stated that OTV-2 would complete its mission and land at Vandenberg AFB in June 2012.[50][51] The spacecraft landed autonomously on 16 June 2012, having spent 469 days in space.[1][52]
OTV-3, the second mission for the first X-37B and the third X-37B mission overall, was originally scheduled to launch on 25 October 2012,[53] but was postponed because of an engine issue with the Atlas V launch vehicle.[54] The X-37B was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral on 11 December 2012.[6][36][55] The launch was designated USA-240.[56][57] OTV-3 had spent 600 days in orbit by 8 August 2014.[58]
In 2010, Tom Burghardt wrote for Space Daily that the X-37B could be used as a spy satellite or to deliver weapons from space.[59] The Pentagon has denied claims that the X-37B's mission supports the development of space-based weapons.[59] In January 2012, allegations were made that the X-37B was being used to spy on China's Tiangong-1 space station module.[60] Former U.S. Air Force orbital analyst Brian Weeden later refuted this claim, emphasizing that the different orbits of the two spacecraft precluded any practical surveillance fly-bys.[61]
The X-37A was the initial NASA version of the spacecraft; the X-37A Approach and Landing Test Vehicle (ALTV) was used in drop glide tests in 2005 and 2006.[15][62]
The X-37B is a modified version of the NASA X-37A, intended for the U.S. Air Force.[3] It conducted orbital test missions in 2010, 2011 and 2012.[63]
In 2011, Boeing announced plans for a scaled-up variant of the X-37B, referring to the spacecraft as the X-37C. The X-37C would be between 165% and 180% of the size of the X-37B, allowing it to transport up to six astronauts inside a pressurized compartment housed in the cargo bay. Its proposed launch vehicle is the Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle.[64] The X-37C may compete with Boeing's CST-100 commercial space capsule.[65]
Data from USAF,[3][11]Boeing,[66] Air & Space Magazine,[62] and PhysOrg.[67]
General characteristics
- Crew: None
- Length: 29 ft 3 in (8.9 m)
- Wingspan: 14 ft 11 in (4.5 m)
- Height: 9 ft 6 in (2.9 m)
- Loaded weight: 11,000 lb (4,990 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Aerojet AR2-3 rocket engine (hydrazine), 6,600 lbf (29.3 kN[33])
- Power: Gallium arsenide solar cells with lithium-ion batteries[3]
- Payload bay: 7 ft × 4 ft (2.1 m × 1.2 m)[43][not in citation given]
- Orbital speed: 28,044 km/h (17,426 mph)[68]
- Orbit: Low Earth orbit
- Orbital time: 270 days (design)[69][N 2]
See also[edit]
- Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar, the U.S. Air Force's previous spaceplane, which was canceled in the 1960s
- DARPA Falcon Project
- Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV), an ESA design for an experimental reentry vehicle
- Orbital Sciences X-34, a proposed unmanned suborbital reusable-rocket technology testbed
- Saturn-Shuttle, a proposed Space Shuttle launch configuration
- Related development
- Boeing X-40, a subsonic test glider, direct predecessor to the X-37B
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Avatar, an Indian design intended for horizontal takeoff
- Dream Chaser, a crewed spaceplane being developed by Sierra Nevada Corporation
- Shenlong spaceplane, a Chinese design dating from around 2007
- Skylon, a British reusable unmanned spaceplane in development
- ^ Source of flights: mission markings posted on side of White Knight aircraft.
- ^ This figure is based on pre-launch design estimates; it does not reflect the spacecraft's actual performance capacity. During its 2011–2012 test mission, the OTV-2 X-37B spent over 460 days in space.
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- ^ Berger, Brian. "NASA Transfers X-37 Project to DARPA". Space.com, 15 September 2004.
- ^ a b Yenne 2005, p. 277.
- ^ "Air Force Bloggers Roundtable: Air Force set to launch first X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle". Department of Defense, 20 April 2010. Retrieved: 23 April 2010.
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- ^ David, Leonard. "White Knight carries X-37 aloft". CNN, 23 June 2005. Retrieved: 15 October 2012.
- ^ a b Parsch, Andreas. "Boeing X-37 / X-40." Designation-Systems.net, updated November 2009. Retrieved: 2 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Mojave web log entries". MojaveWeblog via Internet Archive. Retrieved: 15 October 2012.
- ^ David, Leonard. "X-37 Flies At Mojave But Encounters Landing Problems". Space.com, 7 April 2006.
- ^ "X-37 Test Flight B-Roll (No Audio)". U.S. Air Force via YouTube.com, 22 April 2010.
- ^ a b David, Leonard. "U.S. Air Force Pushes For Orbital Test Vehicle." Space.com, 17 November 2006. Retrieved: 17 November 2006.
- ^ a b c Clark, Stephen. "Atlas rocket delivers Air Force spaceplane to orbit". Spaceflight Now, 22 April 2010.
- ^ Clark, Stephen. "Air Force spaceplane is an odd bird with a twisted past". Spaceflight Now, 2 April 2010. Retrieved: 3 April 2010.
- ^ Clark, Stephen. "Air Force X-37B spaceplane arrives in Florida for launch". Spaceflight Now, 25 February 2010. Retrieved: 3 March 2010.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "X-37B". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved: 5 August 2008.
- ^ Covault, Craig. "USAF To Launch First Spaceplane Demonstrator". Aviation Week and Space Technology, 3 August 2008.
- ^ a b Norris, Guy. "Second X-37B Prepared For Launch". Aviation Week, 7 December 2010.
- ^ "Second secret space shuttle blasts into orbit ... but what does it actually do up there?" Daily Mail Online, 7 March 2011. Retrieved: 15 January 2012.
- ^ Miller 2001, p. 377.
- ^ David, Leonard. "Mothership adopts a new space plane". NBC News. 27 May 2005. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
- ^ "X-37 Demonstrator to Test Future Launch Technologies in Orbit and Reentry Environments". NASA MSFC. May 2003. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
- ^ "Mr. Gary Payton, Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space Programs, Media Teleconference (Pentagon), X-37B Launch". Defense.gov, 20 April 2010. Retrieved: 3 December 2010.
- ^ David, Leonard. "Boeing's New Crew-Carrying Spaceship Taking Shape." Space.com, 5 April 2012. Retrieved: 17 April 2012.
- ^ "Pilotless US space plane lands after 469 days in orbit". SpaceDaily.com, 17 June 2012. Retrieved: 18 June 2012.
- ^ a b "Boeing X-37 Technology Demonstrator, USA". airforce-technology.com. Retrieved: 12 December 2012.
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- ^ David, Leonard. "Secret X-37B Space Plane Spotted by Amateur Skywatchers". Space.com, 22 May 2010.
- ^ "Amateur astronomers unravel X37-B orbit, say likely use for deploying spy satellites." news.com.au, 24 May 2010.
- ^ Broad, William J. "Surveillance is Suspected as Spacecraft's Main Role". The New York Times, 21 May 2010. Retrieved: 22 May 2010.
- ^ "Preparations underway for first landing of X-37B". Vandenberg Air Force Base, 30th Space Wing Public Affairs, U.S. Air Force, 30 November 2010. Retrieved: 21 May 2012.
- ^ "USAF X-37B Landing Slated for Dec. 3–6". Aviation Week, 30 November 2010. Retrieved: 1 December 2010.
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- Yenne, Bill (2005). The Story of the Boeing Company. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Zenith Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-2333-5.
External links[edit]
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boeing X-37.
- X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle fact sheet from the U.S. Air Force
- X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle page at Boeing.com
- X-37 fact sheet at NASA.gov
- X-37, X-37A and X-37B pages at GlobalSecurity.org


text:
Above: Anybody want to see a movie called "How to Register a Domestic Partnership with a Millionaire"? Didn't think so.
Two gay guys walk into a newspaper editor's office. (Stop me if you've heard this one.)
Their names are Skip and Steve [not this Skip and Steve], and they want to know if I will publish their engagement and wedding announcements.
When I say, "Sure," they almost look disappointed. It was as if they had sat up all last night rehearsing their arguments as to why they shouldn't be treated differently from anybody else and now won't be able to use any of that.
I go back to what I thought was a lot more important work, like figuring out what Sunday comic strips I can afford to keep in my next round of budget cuts.
It was 1993, at a newspaper a long way from here, and some things never change. People are still getting used to gay marriage. And newspaper editors still have to spend a lot of time cutting their spending.
In the end, we didn't really treat Skip and Steve's wedding just like anybody else's. We did a big story about the guys. A lot of readers were royally ticked off. A few canceled their subscriptions and one launched a campaign to get the state's major grocery chain to cancel its advertising. (It didn't. Sitting in judgment of the news content of all the papers it advertised in was a job it, wisely, didn't want.)
I wrote an op-ed piece about all of it for The New York Times. [Sorry, can't find a link. Too old.] The lifestyles reporter who wrote it all up for my newspaper got to appear on "The Maury Povich Show," along with Skip and Steve and a couple of boring old straight couples whose wedding announcements had been published on the same day and were upset enough about it to accept a free trip to New York City so they could say so. (No chairs were thrown.)
A few days ago, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals looked at basically the same question and said basically what I said 19 years ago. Except it took them 80 pages to say "Sure."
And those judges said yes to the plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed against California's Proposition 8, the one where voters barely repealed a state court ruling allowing same-sex marriage in the Golden State, for the same reason I said yes to Skip and Steve.
They wanted to call what they had a marriage, and neither the judges nor that much younger newspaper editor could think of a good reason to tell them they couldn't.
If the guys had come in and said they wanted to place a "civil union" announcement or a "domestic partnership" notice, I might have turned them down. We didn't have a standing headline for those things. And I'm way too busy to create a whole new category of anything just for you guys.
What we call things matters. As the appeals court pointed out, it is unlikely that Marilyn Monroe would have had much success with a movie called "How To Register a Domestic Partnership With a Millionaire." (Most people too young to get that reference are already for gay marriage.)
What we call things matters very much to people who are against same-sex marriage, of course, or they wouldn't be against it. They fear that broadening the definition will cheapen what they have.
I've yet to hear one good argument supporting that position, but that doesn't mean a lot of good people don't fervently feel it.
Telling people who are in the same kind of committed relationship that opposite-sex married couples have that they can't call it that serves no purpose, as the court said, except to be mean to someone you don't like.
So that's settled. See you in the funny papers. (And what's up with Prince Valiant and Sir Gawain, anyway?)
George Pyle, a Tribune editorial writer, likes straight marriages so much that he's had two of them, though not at the same time. Email: email@example.com. Twitter: @debatestate.