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The Green Lantern roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain looks tame enough from the ground, but the new ride packs a wallop once you climb onboard.
With an official opening set for Friday at Magic Mountain, my advance test ride on Green Lantern: First Flight left me feeling like a villain on the receiving end of a superhero's right hook: Wham! Boom! Kapow!
The new-concept, fourth-dimension vertical coaster is a completely different experience depending on whether you're facing forward or backward.
The forward-facing seats deliver a multiple G-force karate kick, usually accompanied by a guttural "Ughhh!"
I preferred the backward-facing seats, which offered a better perspective of the upcoming flips, freefall drops and head-chopper near misses.
Built vertically on a tight footprint, the towering serpentine track shuddered as each of the eight-person cars cycled through the head-over-heels spinning ride.
I expected Green Lantern to be a kinder and gentler version of its older, fourth-dimension cousin, X2. But there was nothing kind and gentle about Green Lantern. While X2 remains more extreme, Green Lantern definitely delivers on the thrills.
Eventually, the rocking and spinning Green Lantern cars will be allowed to rotate more freely after the initial test-and-adjust phase, adding an extra layer of intimidation to an already exciting ride in the coming weeks.
Magic Mountain has done a beautiful job of adding a graphic-intensive, comic book theme to the redubbed DC Universe with oversized superhero marquees, including a 25-foot-tall Green Lantern cutout character.
The thematic overhaul of the land also changes the names of the undulating Himalaya-style ride to Flash: Speed Force and the tilting roundup ride to Wonder Woman: Lasso of Truth.
Green Lantern, a first-of-its-kind ride in the U.S. that I called the "most anticipated roller coaster of the summer," is the perfect addition to Magic Mountain's record-setting arsenal of now 18 coasters, the most of any amusement park.
I'd put Green Lantern in my top 5 Magic Mountain roller coasters, somewhere between the flying Tatsu and the wooden twister Apocalypse.
Review: Green Lantern coaster delivers a kick at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Green Lantern: First Flight roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain (Six Flags Magic Mountain)
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- Dekota Toot '15
- Hometown: Alliance, Ohio
- Major: Philosophy and Psychology
I chose to major in philosophy because it tackles the big questions in life. In philosophy, you are never expected to accept anything as true just because somebody says so. It is up to the individual to judge what is true by reason rather than deferring to an authority figure for the answer.
Pre-Ministry Requirements
The requirements listed below reflect Mount Union's new curriculum for the 2012-2013 Academic Year. For information regarding major or minor requirements for current students, please refer to the University Catalogue of your entering year.
The Pre-Ministry Concentration prepares students for seminary or other ministry opportunities. (Students must major or minor in Religious Studies.)
Required Courses
- Development of the Christian Tradition
- Christian Social Ethics or Philosophy of Religion
- One Bible course (REL 200, 300, 310, or 315)
- Internship
One course chosen from the following:
- Peace Communication
- Interpersonal Communication
- Organizational Communication
- Introduction to Sociology
- Contemporary Social Issues
- The Many Faces of Poverty
- American Society

subset: commoncrawl


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The gold-painted Nissan GT-R Usain Bolt Edition is headed to auction, but this time, Nissan's not going for the usual setup. Instead, it's bringing the car to eBay where interested folks can have a chance to make a bid for the car.
The auction will run from November 22nd to December 2nd, 2012 and, according to Nissan , the winning bidder will have the car built specifically to conform to regulations in the bidder's area. Delivery date has been scheduled for March 2013.
In addition to the "Bolt Gold" GT-R, which predictably is the crown jewel of the auction, Nissan will also auction off a number of other Bolt-signed items, including clothes and racing helmets. All of the proceeds from the auction will be given to the Usain Bolt Foundation, a charity that the record-setting sprinter established to lend support, and give educational and cultural opportunities to young kids in Jamaica.
It certainly goes without saying that the event holds special meaning to the Olympic champion's heart, particularly because the people that it will benefit are young children from his home country. "This project excites me because it brings together my passion for speed and excellence, and my desire to help kids and young people," Bolt said.
So if you're interested in owning a one-of-a-kind GT-R and knowing that the money you paid for it will go to a worthy cause, this is the auction for you.
Gallery Nissan GT-R Gold Usain Bolt
Gallery Nissan GT-R
Press Release
YOKOHAMA, Japan – Usain Bolt, the world's fastest man, is taking his passion for speed and performance, and his desire to help others, and applying them to charity. A unique 2013 model year "Bolt Gold" GT-R will go to the highest bidder in a global online charity auction to be held on eBay from November 22 to December 2, 2012.
The highest bidder in the charity auction will become the owner of the one-of-a-kind 'Bolt Gold' GT-R, a 2013 model year Nissan GT-R painted the same gold color that left a lasting impression on Olympic champion Usain Bolt at a fan appreciation event hosted by Nissan in Yokohama on October 11. All proceeds from the charity auction will benefit the Usain Bolt Foundation, which was established to support educational and cultural opportunities for children and young people in Bolt's home country of Jamaica.
Usain Bolt teamed up with Nissan in June 2012 as a brand ambassador, and he recently became the company's honorary "Director of Excitement" for the new Nissan "What IF_" global brand campaign. As part of this expanded partnership with Bolt, Nissan is preparing a special 2013 model year Premium Edition GT-R, painted 'Bolt Gold', for the charity auction. The car will feature a gold plate embossed with Bolt's signature and his autograph.
It will be built to the performance specifications conforming to regulations in the winning bidder's country of residence. Nissan plans to deliver the car to the winner in March 2013.
The car will be auctioned on eBay Motors please see the eBay Storefront page at www.NissanGoldGTRAuction.com. The online listing can be accessed by people in regions around the world, and bidding will be open to residents in countries where the Nissan GT-R is currently sold. Bidding is set to begin at 12:00 GMT on Thursday, November 22, and ends at 11:59 GMT on Sunday, December 2. Bids will be limited to residents of countries where the GT-R is currently sold. Please refer to the corresponding Nissan Global Facebook page at: www.nissan-global.com/EN/GoldGTR/ for more information, including FAQs and applicable regions.
All proceeds from the online charity auction will go directly to the Usain Bolt Foundation (http://usainbolt.com/foundation/), established by Bolt to give back to his community and help children in Jamaica.
"This project excites me because it brings together my passion for speed and excellence, and my desire to help kids and young people," said Usain Bolt. "Thanks to Nissan, all the revenue from the GT-R charity auction will be donated to the Usain Bolt Foundation, which will go directly to children to help develop their education and allow them to participate in sports. It warms my heart to help kids and young people who are in the starting blocks of life, and it would be wonderful if someday this activity leads to a 'Second Bolt.'"


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The Mine Safety and Health Administration issued an imminent danger order at a McDowell County mine following an impact inspection Aug. 1. The mine was allowed to re-open Aug. 13.
The JJ&E Coal Corp.'s Horse Creek Mine No. 2 was one of nine coal mines and five metal/nonmetal mines to undergo impact inspections in August. Impact inspections began following the Upper Big Branch disaster in 2010. They are targeted at mines that in MSHA's judgment merit increased attention and enforcement because of their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns.
According to a statement issued by MSHA Sept. 26, the inspection at Horse Creek resulted in eight unwarrantable failure orders, one task training order, one imminent danger order and 36 104(a) citations.
Inspectors found accumulations of loose coal and coal fines up to 30 inches deep the entire length of the two conveyer belts, which were 350 feet and 750 feet long, respectively, according to the MSHA statement. Bottom belt rollers on both conveyors turned in accumulations up to six inches deep, a potential fire hazard. These conditions had been documented by the mine superintendent and mine manager during the preshift/on-shift examinations every day for almost a week, noting in daily inspection records since July 27 that each belt "needs additional cleaning, work in progress." There was no evidence work had been done to clean these belts, MSHA said.
MSHA also cited the mine operator for violating roof support, ventilation, electrical and surface regulations. Inspectors observed roof bolting machine operators installing roof bolts with no ventilation curtain installed. When tested with chemical smoke, there was no air movement detected. Operating mining machinery without adequate ventilation exposes miners to respirable dust that can lead to black lung, and it can result in accumulations of gas and coal dust that increase the chance of a fire or explosion, MSHA said.
MSHA said it issued an imminent danger order to JJ&E based on its practice of conducting inadequate mine examinations, failure to provide adequate compliance oversight, failure to comply with approved ventilation and roof control plans, recurring hazardous conditions and the number of citations and orders that were issued in the past year and remained outstanding at the time of the Aug. 1 impact inspection.
Production was allowed to resume Aug. 13, when all citations and orders associated with the impact inspection were terminated and cited conditions corrected. The operator developed and implemented a compliance plan and improvements were made to the roof control and ventilation plans.
Overall in August, MSHA issued 213 citations, 23 orders and one safeguard during special impact inspections. JJ&E was the only one to receive an imminent danger order.
Two other mines in West Virginia received impact inspections in August: the Eastern Associated Coal Federal No. 2 mine in Monongalia County and the Elk Run Coal Co. Black Castle mine in Boone County. Federal No. 2 received 19 citations and four orders. Black Castle received 16 citations.


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Prison file containing all information on a prisoner or also can mean their reputation. Prisoners can put false jackets on other prisoners to discredit them.
"He's a child molester, it's in his jacket"
by x July 23, 2003
A child raised by a man in the belief that he/she is his own child but is actually not his biologically.
Tom spent so much money on that dress for the father/daughter ball he's taking Susie to. If only he knew that her real dad was actually Jack. It's always sad to see a guy raising a jacket.
by lostjoker0 February 24, 2009


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by Randy Chandler
My out-of-print and hard-to-find 2005 novel HELLz BELLz will be published this summer as an eBook. Like BAD JUJU before it, BELLz died when HellBound Books suffered a series of fatal misfortunes.
Of all my books, HELLz BELLz has the best rating at GoodReads. Soon it will have a new format and brand new cover.
I'll make details available in coming weeks. For now all I can say is that HELL BELLz is coming back from the dead to ring in fast and furious horrors all over again.
BELLz is the perfect beach book–if you can find a beach in hell.
Publication date: June 20, 2012
From the editor
It suddenly got very hot in here…summer is sizzling with the long awaited re-release of Randy Chandler's brilliant second published horror novel HELLz BELLz, in ebook format on June 20, 2012.
Comet Press is very excited at the opportunity to bring back HELLz BELLz and it will be available for a very low price on Kindle and Nook, with a beautiful new cover by Daniele Serra. First published in 2005 by Hellbound Books, HELLz BELLz has been unavailable until now, unless you were willing to shell out 80 bucks for a coveted copy (but worth every cent).
About HELLz BELLz: When an ancient bell begins to toll in an abandoned church, the town of Druid Hills descends into a night of unholy hell. To survive, the less crazed citizens must fight for their lives as they battle their own primitive urges to commit unspeakable acts. Before the night ends, some will discover that there are fates worse than death.
During it's short time in print, HELLz BELLz received a great review from SFReader in 2005:
"Chandler is a writer to watch. His characters have an easy appeal and likeability that is rare in the horror field. The story is actually fun. The violence and gore don't detract from the story, but instead they are used properly and add-as they should-to the story. The tension is built with the skill of a professional, and it is added to by the reader's knowledge that every character is expendable. Hellz Bellz is good fun. There is sex, violence and a hell of a story. This novel reminds me just a little of early-Stephen King mixed with everything Richard Laymon ever wrote. This one, you should read."
And Horror-Web gave it 4 out of 4 stars:
"Oh intellectual horror, how I've missed you!! After one too many mind-numbing books, Hellz Bellz is a treat to be both desired and consumed."
Along with HELLz BELLz, his creepy and disturbing novelette Hellbent House, which appeared in the original paperback, will also be published at the end of June on Kindle, and will be priced at a very low .99 cents and free on special promotional days. Check back soon to find out what dates the story will be available to download for free.
In the meantime, get your bells ringing by reading chapters 1 – 3 of HELLz BELLz here.
—Cheryl Mullenax, Comet Press
Randy Chandler is the author of the new novels Dime Detective and Daemon of the Dark Wood, and of two previously published novels Bad Juju and HELLz BELLz. He also co-authored Duet for the Devil with t. Winter-Damon (God rest his soul) and has contributed short stories to numerous anthologies. Randy has been a magazine editor/publisher, a freelance book reviewer, a mental health worker, a gas-pump jockey, an ambulance attendant, a soldier in Vietnam, and a funeral home flunky. He often haunts fields of carnage where angels and devils do battle.


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Software Map
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|0. PgWorksheet - PgWorksheet is a simple GUI frontend to PostgreSQL for executing SQL queries and psql commands without using the psql command line tool.
Please see the project Home Page for installation instructions.
|Activity Percentile: 80.16
Activity Ranking: 26.00
Registered: 2004-10-26 20:13
|1. Ora2Pg - Ora2Pg since v8.4 has moved to sf.net, see http://ora2pg.darold.net/
|Activity Percentile: 69.05
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|2. Slony-I - Slony-I is a "master to multiple slaves" replication system supporting cascading and failover.
It uses a group communications system to manage its configuration, allowing dynamic reconfiguration of the cluster.
Registered: 2005-06-24 20:18
|3. Veil - Veil is a database security add-on for Postgres. It allows databases to be created with efficient row-level access controls: different users can access different subsets of data.
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Registered: 2005-09-13 18:45


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In the mad skirmish over fashion in last season's NBA, Miami Heat players Dwyane Wade, Lebron James and Chris Bosh appeared after a game in Los Angeles in matching pairs of dark, chunky eye glasses custom-crafted by Miami optician Edward Beiner.
A night after winning the finals last June, Wade greeted fans at the Vizcayne condo wearing fuschia Del Toro shoes he helped design, three championship rings, and another of Beiner's concoctions. It had clear lenses, not to improve sight, but to deflect the cameras— an approach Beiner took when designing dark frames for high-profile model and television host Heidi Klum.
The championship rings might be hard to get, but Beiner hopes his company will score points with well-heeled customers by offering them the chance to not only copy the style of NBA stars and models, but to fashion their own specs.
"I see myself as a pure retailer," Beiner says during a recent visit to his recently revamped, ground-floor 1,280-square-foot store at 900 S. Miami Ave. in Mary Brickell Village, where white chaise-longue chairs nestle near custom-built glass cabinets displaying his hand-picked collections. They feature both his own designs as well as other high-end brands.
Prices for a pair of frames run from $150 for a pair of Super nonprescription shades to $30,000 for Cartier diamond-studded frames. But what all the frames have is a style or look not readily found in larger stores.
"It doesn't have to be expensive, it just has to be unique," Beiner said of the items he offers.
Publicly traded Italian optical conglomerate Luxottica, headquartered in Port Washington, N.Y., controls the eyewear market through its brands Ray-Ban and Oliver Peoples, exclusive licensing agreements with Italy's top fashion houses to manufacture frames, and global retail chains including Sunglass Hut — which it acquired for $686 million in 2000 — and LensCrafters and Pearle Vision. Because of Luxottica's heft and reach, designer eyewear is widely available to consumers.
Each year, Beiner scrutinizes trade shows in Las Vegas and Japan as well as the ski lodges of Aspen and the streets of Paris — locales of the world's most fashion-forward, adventurous eyewear, he says — for frame ideas and colors that will "set the bar in fashion." Beiner says his eye for the avant-garde gives him two years, if he's lucky, of exclusivity before the designs in his stories are copied and sold online or by bigger optical chains at lower prices.
"Ed's style is so great, sometimes I'll try on 100 pairs of glasses just for fun," says 30-year customer Cynthia Leesfield, 68, the Democratic fundraiser and wife of prominent trial attorney Ira Leesfield who is known for the oversize frames she wears.
The $6.3 billion designer eyewear market is highly competitive, optical companies and observers say, with Luxottica controlling distribution channels and prices. Luxottica, which does not break down sales by category, reported sales of $4.3 billion in the United States and Canada in 2012, suggesting a clear majority market share.
But Beiner believes his bespoke frames will help him carve a niche that Luxottica, because of its size, won't easily be able to occupy.
"The upper echelon is sick and tired of all these brands printed on their clothes, their shoes. They don't represent luxury anymore," said Guido Balocco, co-owner and chief financial officer of the Beiner company.
Balocco sold the boutique Italian eyewear line PerSOL, his ex-wife's family business, to Luxottica for an undisclosed sum in 1994 before he joined Beiner as partner and co-owner two years later.
On a recent trip to his native Turin, Balocco discovered a tiny lab able to build glasses made-to-measure, offering thousands of combinations of shape and color, with the customer's optional logo or signature imprinted on the sides. Although Edward Beiner has already offered such services to a handful of celebrity clients, the company plans to launch the concept to all customers with a trunk show at the Palm Beach Store, 150 Worth Ave., in January.
For $700 (including prescription or non-prescription lenses), customers can purchase frames of their own design. The lab in Turin will receive the custom orders digitally, build the frames, and mail them back within 30 days.
"You will be presented with a range of samples in frames all in black. You can say, 'I want a temple that gives you the sensation of sea waves,' and then you start picking the colors," Balocco says. "This is so niche, the big manufacturer will never do it."
Rival companies could also find ways of customizing frames and producing them inexpensively. But Beiner dismisses the competition, saying lower prices generally reflect lower quality and the lack of original design.
One of Beiner's chief rivals is Richard Golden, the founder and chief executive of the funky-frames chain SEE Eyewear, based in Southfield, Mich. Formerly chief executive of his father's company, Detroit Optical Co., which he and his brother Randal sold to Luxottica in 2006, Golden was quick to reject Beiner's critiques that SEE sells cheap knockoffs made in China.
"The kiss of death to us would be to look at frames that are already on the market and to make ourselves vulnerable to allegations of copying. We would be busted," Golden said, adding that only about 10 percent of SEE frames at the company's 32 stores nationwide are manufactured in China.
"The reason I started SEE is that it got so insane and continued to be. We knew how much frames cost to be produced, but the people who have the licenses for the designer names charge us a huge mark-up to buy those frames," Golden said.
Beiner, 58, is also going head-to-head with hipster purveyors Warby Parker, based in New York City, which went from online-only to brick-and-mortar on the popularity of their buy-one, donate-one $95 frames, and Miami Beach start-up Collins Bridge, which has a similar policy.
Beiner shrugs. "The war keeps me young," he says with a grin.
Beiner first came to Miami in 1980 by way of Brazil, Canada and Puerto Rico. In 1969, five years after a coup d'état in Brazil, Beiner's father, a jewelry merchant, moved the family from Santos, in São Paulo state, to California and then Puerto Rico. After studying optometry in Toronto, Beiner returned to Puerto Rico to become Philadelphia optical start-up For Eyes' regional manager. He transferred to Miami, quit his job, raised $40,000 from family and friends and, at age 26, opened his first shop in South Miami at 5817 Sunset Dr.
Beiner says he had learned from his father's repartee with customers, offering them food and drinks while they perused his gems. He makes a point of memorizing customers' names and tastes in eyewear. "We Latin Americans have a different approach to retail — it's all about the customer experience," he says.
He has long tailored the merchandise and atmosphere of his stores to his intended customers. Last year the company hosted a lavish cocktail party at the Palm Beach store around the release of a new collection of Prada eyewear, complete with $35,000 diamond-studded frames. At a recent promotion party in the Brickell location for the yuppie eyewear brand Super, a DJ spun dance music while customers drank Peroni beer and perused the new collection.
The Foundation, a New York City-based showroom that represents a handful of private-label accessories and clothes, gave the Beiner company the Super account because Beiner and Super seem to share similar outlooks on fashion.
The Foundation was "looking for something a little more forward, a brand whose sole intention was to keep things clean and not put our logo everywhere," said Daniel Yadgard, the showroom's "brand architect." "The brand DNA of Super was having no brand, and the team at Edward Beiner seemed to really like that about us."
Edward Beiner's brand — or the lack of one — was what Daniela Zanzuri wanted to cultivate when she began as head of marketing in 2008, a year in which the company's sales dropped 30 percent. A New York native in her early 50s, she worked as a producer for Italian filmmakers and commercial makers in Miami. She is married to Beiner; they met in San Juan when both were teens.
"I know how to work out the details for somebody else's vision," says Zanzuri. Her last campaign — which equated technology with beauty to sell the company's razor-thin, "high-index" lenses — won her accolades from the respected trade publication, Vision Monday, which named her among the top 50 women in the optical field. "Advertising and public relations can sometimes be a big illusion. How do we give a certain reality to this illusion? That's what I'm good at — breaking down the big picture into details," she said.
Since Zanzuri came aboard, sales have nearly doubled, from $6.4 million to a projected $11.3 million this year. Gross profit margins have also improved — from 7 percent, or $448,000, in 2009 to 13.9 percent, or $1.57 million, last year.
Beiner projects the company can grow to $20 million in annual revenues and 20 stores in five years by further penetration of the Florida market. After that, he says, he'll arrive at a crossroads: Go public? Sell? Retire?
"Some people perceive Edward Beiner as a recognizable up-and-comer, some see it as a brand with a real following, but it's not big time on the radar yet. Is it ready for prime time? "I don't know. It's still very niche," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at The NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based company that tracks sales in many industries.
If Beiner does hand over the reins, it won't be to his sons David, 24, and Steven, 20.
"Family business doesn't work. I refused to go into my dad's jewelry business. This was my dream," Beiner said as he surveyed the Brickell store.


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Much like a good stretch, thinking about your Raiders makes you feel great! Show off your Oakland spirits with these Oakland Raiders Memoir Pants. Featuring a team name and logo printed on the left hip and Raiders lettering on the back side. These pants also feature a drawstring waistband to adjust to your fitting; these comfy pants are great for an empowering yoga session or a relaxing afternoon on the couch! 60% cotton, 40% polyester.


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RBS Securities, the Royal Bank of Scotland's US trading business, was mentioned only four times in the UK bank's 543-page annual report for 2012 – and briefly at that.
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The Federal Reserve doesn't plan on getting back to normal anytime soon
From The Wall Street Journal


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LGBTQ* Basics: 'Femmes' You Should Know
(please note that while they may possess characteristically feminine features, it is not for us or for anyone else to define their identity).
(Following from Femme on a Mission)
1. Cynthia Nixon
Famous for her starring role on Sex and the City, Cynthia surprised even herself when she fell in love with a woman in 2004.
2. Sarah Paulson
Actress Sarah Paulson was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. She came out publicly when she kissed then-girlfriend Cherry Jones when Jones won a Tony Award in 2005.
3. Amber Heard
Actress Amber Heard (Pineapple Express, The Stepfather, Drive Angry) came out in 2010 at GLAAD's 25th Anniversary event.
4. Beth Ditto
Lead singer for indie rock band Gossip, Beth Ditto is an outspoken activist for LGBT and women's rights.
5. Jill Bennett
Out actress Jill Bennett is famous in lesbian circles for her role in Along Came Lola. She is now producing a webseries entitled "We Have to Stop Now" with partner Cathy DeBuono.
6. Jennifer Knapp
Musician Jennifer Knapp began her career as a Contemporary Christian folk singer; two of her early albums were nominated for Grammy Awards. In 2010, Knapp announced that she is gay, and has since faced the predictable fall-out among her Christian fan base.
7. Tracy Ryerson
One of the stars of Season 1 of The Real L Word, Tracy is a producer and model turned reality-TV star.
8. Portia DeGeneres
Actress Portia DeGeneres, née de Rossi, was known (before coming out and marrying the most famous lesbian in the world) for her role on Ally McBeal. She has since starred on Better Off Ted and Arrested Development. In 2010 she wrote a book titled Unbearable Lightness, which discusses her struggle with anorexia as well as her sexuality.
9. Bridget McManus
Out comedian Bridget McManus is known for her hilarious stand-up act as well as for her role as a leader in the lesbian community. She writes for AfterEllen as well as hosting two shows on Logo (Brunch with Bridget and That Time of the Month).
10. Chely Wright
Country music singer-songwriter Chely Wright made headlines last year when she announced that she is gay. Her touching memoir, Like Me, details the struggles she faced in the closet that led to her near-suicide attempt, as well as her subsequent acceptance of herself and public coming out.
For their coming out videos, check out Femme on a Mission's article here.)
Related Posts: 10 Famous Lesbian and Bisexual Women of Color.


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NSF funds launch of a new LSAY 7th grade cohort in 2015
Proposals for continued funding for current cohorts pending
In September, 2013, the National Science Foundation awarded new funding to the University of Michigan for the launch of a new 7th grade cohort in the Longitudinal Study of American Youth. The new award (NSF award 1348619) provides approximately $1.5 million to design and launch a new 7th grade cohort (a cohort is a sample of students from a specific age group that is followed over a long period of time) of public school students selected to be comparable to the original cohorts selected in 1987. The new 7th grade cohort (referred to as Cohort 3) is one generation younger than the original cohorts and will allow a comparison of changes in family and school life over the last generation.
According to Jon Miller, the Director of the LSAY and the Principal Investigator of the new NSF grant, the new sample of 7th grade students will – when followed over several years – provide a needed empirical description of the many changes occurring in American society and in American schools. As in the original 1987 samples of 7th and 10th grade students, the new study will examine the development of student interest and skill acquisition in science and mathematics and the formation of career plans during the middle-school and high school years. Analyses of these patterns of interest development, skill acquisition, and career choices for the students in the 1987 cohorts have provided important insights into the origins and composition of the scientific workforce in the United States, which is an important component of national competitiveness in the 21st century.
The new 2015 cohort will also allow a careful examination of changes in family life and communication patterns over recent decades. Other national studies have indicated that an increasing proportion of children will grow up in families with one parent or in families with two working parents, placing new pressures on families for child care and supervision. For many families, geographic mobility has led to fewer other family members available to provide child care or to assist when a child is sick or for other emergency situations. The new study will provide a systemic examination of the distribution of social capital and the emerging patterns of family support networks.
Over the last two decades, society has experienced a revolution in information and communication technologies. The original LSAY students were selected in 1987 before the introduction of Internet services for home use and many of the LSAY students in Generation X first experienced the Internet in college or in an early job setting. We expect that most of the 7th grade students in the new cohort will have experience on the Internet and may own wireless devices that will support telephonic, text, and video communications. The network of personal and online friendships and information acquisition are likely to have changed markedly over the last generation and it is important to understand both the magnitude of the change and its impact on student learning and attitudes.
"The initiation of a new longitudinal cohort is an exciting event," according to Miller. "It marks the beginning of a study that will follow the same individuals for several decades of their life and it is only by following the same individuals over a number of years that we can understand the patterns and causes of human change." The first six years of the new study will focus on the in-school studies and activities of the students with some supplemental information from parents and teachers. After the students in the new cohort leave secondary school (hopefully through graduation), the LSAY will continue to follow them through the use of online questionnaires or printed questionnaires for individuals without online access.
The continuation of the original 1987 cohorts
Funding for the original LSAY cohorts ended in 2011 and Professor Miller and his staff have been vigorously pursuing continuation funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and various non-governmental foundations. Currently, the LSAY has one continuation proposal under review at the NIH and one at the NSF. Conversations with selected private foundations are ongoing.
Miller notes that "the data from the original LSAY students have been useful in understanding national policy choices and this data base has become a national asset." Although there have been numerous longitudinal studies of more than two decades in Europe, the LSAY is one of the longest U.S. longitudinal studies that focus on all of the factors that contribute to child and human development – parents, families, teachers, schools, peers, community, and media. Miller believes that an accurate model of human development can be found only through the study of all of these factors in the same individuals over an extended period of time. "Longitudinal studies are more expensive," Miller concedes, "but when it comes to research on human change over the life course, you get what you pay for." He is optimistic that a long-term stable funding source will be found in late 2014 or early 2015.


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Northwest Fire responded Saturday evening to a multi-vehicle accident on Ruthrauff Road and Davis Avenue, according to Capt. Adam Goldberg.
Ground ambulances transported four patients to a local hospital. One of them is with serious injuries, the other three have minor injuries. Four other people involved were not injured. The Pima County Sheriff's Department is on scene investigating the cause of the crash that involved four vehicles.Copyright 2013 Tucson News Now. All rights reserved.
Footage of the train derailment near Picacho Peak.


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GreatSchools Rating
Teacher quality
Principal leadership
Parent involvement
We went to the Classical open house and orientation. We were very disappointed in what was presented by the Principal and Guidance Counselors. It came across as all about them. The worst presenter was the guidance counselor who made it sound like the students received $10 million dollars in scholarships when in reality a few students received numerous scholarships to various schools. If this is the best public school in Rhode Island, the people of Providence and Rhode Island have a very low regard for their kids education. The only department that impressed me was the science department, yet the students at Classical do very poorly in science. It appears more emphasis is placed on the humanities than on subjects such as math and science.
Excellent academic program with amazingly caring teachers foe an urban high school. A real tradition of excellence.
It's a great school, the best public school in the state. But all of students wish that it were renovated. We don't even have air conditioners in many of the classrooms and the lockers are getting old. If we are the best, don't we deserve the best? If Central, that does poorer than us, have a beautiful school, can't we have one in return for our hard work?
This school is great. It offers many APs, as well as honor courses. Most teachers are pretty understanding, and look for different ways to make sure each student understands what he/she is doing. This school also has nothing against gay people. It has a Gay Straight Alliance. It's a great example for all of the other public schools in Rhode Island. During the school year,(2012-2013), our sports teams got many recognition. This just shows that we, as students from CHS, aren't only smart but are also very athletic.
Great all around school. Teachers and faculty challenge students both academically and also in the community. Great extracurricular activities. The most diverse school that I have attended.
My son loves Classical. It has been a wondeful place for him. The students, staff, and teachers are great. Everyone seems happy to be there.
This is the best school ever. The person behind me has to let their child expand and grow themselves; they cannot always be under someone's guidance. I love the freedom. Great academics too, they let me take AP calculus BC in freshman :)
I regret ever listening to the middle school Principal and teachers that said Classical is the only place my child would continue to excel. My child was a wonderful student until setting foot in there. I went to orientations, asked about parent involvement, left my name number and email and never a single call or communication. I was told " we have too many students and can't keep up with all their issues". I do agree there are many students but when you have a parent in your face expressing concern and frustration it's a sign that there is a problem. I believe parents and teachers should have the same goal in mind. That goal should be to provide the best education to prepare them to be successful. Academics have gone out the door it seems and the teachers do not seem to be truly invested in our children.
excellent learning environment, diverse and culturally rich!
This public school stands for academic integrity and excellence. It prepares students for a venture to enter the realms of aspiring Universities. It is the best public high-school in Rhode Island, bar none.
I graduated Classical in 1971. Our older son in 2006. My father and uncle back in the 1940's. I support the belief that Classical remains the best college preparatory public high school in Providence, perharps, Rhode Island. However, when our older son attended, I was unimpressed with the lack of academic excellence, basic skills in writing, and critical thinking. This could be attributed to his need for resource intervention. However, our younger son will be a senior this year. I like the research and portfolio concept and the re-inclusion of Latin. He doesn't take this language. However, I am still a believer that it ought to be a 2 year requirement for every student!!!! I wasn't a great student in Latin, but it continued to serve me well in English. Lastly, the cut back of funds makes me very unhappy. The inclusion of sports and more arts limits the foundation of all students.
Classical is what it is, a college prep school. I do agreed with many of the comments regarding teaching quality. My biggest concern is Classical needs to re-establish itself a tradition of excellence whether in academic or sports. As a LaSalle alum and I know how proud I am being associated with that great institution everytime a student/team does well in an academis setting or on the fields. I can't say that about Classical. Winning breeds winners. God knows Providence does not have a lot to be proud of these days.
Yes, this school is a great college prep school and the counselors are amazing. The faculty is great but I have to agree with the whole seniority thing. I had a chance to go to LaSalle Academy, almost my whole family went there, but I thought Classical would be more challenging, and I was right. I stand by my decision in going to this school and in doing that, I met great people and I am doing much better in my studies. I have bad subjects and good subjects, but getting a B- in this school is like getting an A+ in some other school. Thank you Classical.
Those 10-20% make the biggest difference in getting more hardworking kids to come to classical, but the other 80% is less motivated than would seem normal in a 'college prep' school. In addition, the 80% of teachers that are operating 'on cruise control' do little for the school and often print out test from online, forcing many students to teach the material to themselves. However, if your child is sufficiently hard working and a little bit brilliant, classical may in fact be the right place for them, because although the teachers may not be the best, when an Ivy League school sees amazing SAT and AP scores, they will know the student from classical did it without as much help as students from many other private schools. In addition, students will excel, utilizing their independence gotten from going to classical high school.(Go Classical 2010!)
There are far too many teachers at Classical who are only there because of their seniority. When there are issues or concerns, administration does not address them. Union rules for the teachers are by far the ruling factor. Administration needs to step up and to have the integrity to do the right thing as far as teachers are concerned. However, all too often the student is left in classes where the teachers deliberately 'lose' assignments, ridicule and make fun of students and do not perform up to the same standards that the students themselves are held to. Taking my child out of a private school and going to Classical was the biggest mistake I ever made.
I'm a recent Classical graduate attending an Ivy League university. While Classicalites tend to think that they're getting an intense academic college preparation, I can tell you that Classical could have done a lot more to prepare me for college. There are certain teachers that work hard to earn the school's reputation but they're limited. Although Classical boasts of its AP Program, its strengths truly lie in the liberal arts and humanities. However, if you plan on pursuing engineering or a science intensive major in college, look elsewhere. The counselors are pretty great though and work hard to secure the best college seats for students. During my four years, I felt that the students aren't motivated enough and the poor funding from the school department really doesn't help improve things. In my opinion, what the school needs is a new system of review to assess the quality and effectiveness of teachers.
the school is not as great as i thought it would be, the teachers dont care for there students.
I went to Classical. I learned so much from the diverse community. I actually learned life lesssons and how to survive when the chips are down. Gotta love Mr. K. I just want everyone to know that the High School you send your child to is secondary to the School they come home to after the bell. Expose your kids to outside experiences early and provide them with REAL facts of life. Teach them to be leaders where the can make change within there communities.
I graduated from Classical in June 2006 and I am genuinely grateful for the time I spent there. There is plenty of room for improvement, however. I had a handful of wonderful, engaging and intelligent teachers there, but I also had many teachers who were only at Classical because they had enough seniority to get out of the rougher public high schools in Providence. What I most enjoyed about Classical was the diversity. There were so many different kids in my classes and I feel that this experience was more important than having a beautiful building. Classical's greatest asset is its students because they are open to all kinds of new things and they are driven towards success. They can't maintain Classical's high standard of education by themselves, though. Much improvement is needed from the administration and superintendent if Classical is going to keep attracting these great kids.
I am the parent of a freshman at Classical and I can honestly say that I expected a more challenging curriculum for my child and more support on behalf of the guidance dept. As far as family friendliness is concerned all I can say is that I tried calling one of my child's teachers a few weeks ago(via the couselor no one on one)-and I was told that the teacher, as a response to my petition that he call me, said that he does not call parents....I think that says it all....
Community ratings and reviews do not represent the views of GreatSchools nor does GreatSchools check their accuracy or verify the reviewers' identities. Use your discretion when evaluating these reviews.
The Community Rating is the school's average rating from its community members (e.g., parents, students, and school staff). The highest possible rating is five stars; the lowest is one star.
770 Westminster St
Providence, RI 02903
Phone: (401) 456-9145
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Catch the sweet smell of fertilizer stocks
Mosaic's earnings miss shouldn't deter sector bulls.
By Jim Woods
The sweet smell of success is somewhat of a paradox in the fertilizer business. In fact, the more olfactory offense wafting through the air, the greater the sales of fertilizer and potash by leading companies in the industry.
This week, we received third-quarter earnings from industry behemoth Mosaic (MOS) that stunk -- but not in a good way.
The agriculture giant said it saw a loss of $229 million, or 42 cents a share, during the quarter ended Aug. 31. That's more than double the loss it had in the same quarter a year ago.
The adjusted loss was 44 cents a share, which missed Wall Street expectations for a loss of only 42 cents. Sales suffered during the quarter, too, down 6.1% from a year ago to $2.11 billion, also falling short of expectations.
Perhaps the stinkiest aspect of the Mosaic earnings came with the company's disappointing guidance for fiscal 2013. The company now expects full-year earnings per share (EPS) of $4.18 to $4.32, which doesn't approach the current consensus estimate of $4.38.
As you might expect, traders punished Mosaic shares with a sharp sell-off on the news. The stock now has fallen about 6% since the earnings release. The chart here shows that the stock is in danger of falling below key technical support at the 200-day moving average.
The Mosaic shortfall also has put pressure on other stocks in the space. Fellow fertilizer maker Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (POT) shares sank in sympathy with MOS, and the stock now has broken below support at its 200-day moving average.
Given the selling in the space -- and the general distaste for the "fert" stocks, as they are often called -- you might think that it's time to turn away from this malodorous sector. You'd be wrong.
Despite facing headwinds such as weak demand for potash in China and India, the fertilizer, seed and agriculture space also has some compelling fundamentals in its favor.
The latest quarterly grain stocks report issued by the USDA showed that stocks for corn and wheat are much lower than analysts were expecting. Corn stocks from what are called the "old crop corn" (corn that was grown this summer) were down 17% over last year. There was an even bigger slide in soybeans, which showed old crop stocks have fallen 21% from a year ago. Wheat stocks also suffered declines, falling 9% since last year.
Lower crop stocks likely will translate into higher crop prices, and higher crop prices mean increased costs for all types of food products, including cattle and hogs. To replenish low crop stocks, farmers will have to do whatever it takes to grow more feed to keep up with growing global food demand. The only way to do this is to make sure you have enough fertilizer, potash and seed on hand to accomplish the task.
This sentiment was echoed by Mosaic CEO Jim Prokopanko in a statement accompanying the earnings release, "The incentive is strong for farmers to plant maximum-yielding crops, and that is going to take strong fertilizer application rates."
This is the fundamental condition in place that I think will be bullish for fertilizer stocks going forward. It's also bullish for stocks in the ag space, such as seed provider Monsanto (MON) -- which recently displayed its own issues -- and to a lesser extent, agricultural equipment companies such as Caterpillar (CAT) and Deere (DE).
One way to ensure you get exposure to a variety of stocks in the ag space is via the Market Vectors Agribusiness ETF (MOO).
This fund holds all of the large ag firms, including the aforementioned MOS, POT, MON, CAT and DE. The fund surged in early September right after breaking above its 50- and 200-day moving average. And though the fund is down from its September high, shares remain above both short- and long-term trend lines.
The pullback in fertilizer and ag stocks is, in my view, a great opportunity to pick up a fundamentally strong sector at an attractive entry price.
If you want to stink up your portfolio with some strong gains, try donning the sweet smell of fertilizer stocks.
As of this writing, Jim Woods did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
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Google Violators and The New York Times: No One Cares
It's happened again, the New York Times (no link as I refuse to support this sort of grade-school tattling) has blown the lid off another big, monstrous paid link scandal. This time, it was the Mother's Day Flowers cabal. Yes, those virginal flower companies have been naughty, stacking up paid links to stack up SERP position for one of their biggest runs of the season. So, as long as they've been called out, here's the line up per the NYT: Teleflora, FTD, 1800Flowers.com, and ProFlowers.
But here's the news flash: no one cares. Not Joe, not Jane, and definitely not anyone interested in flowers for their loved ones. Sorry. Them's the facts. When you piece together Aaron Wall's latest rendition on SEO Book, The Google Brand Bias, in conjunction with how JCP and Overstock have "recovered" from their "slap".
The New York Times is Not Your Mother
First, I'm going to come out an say it. Stop "tattling" to the NYT. Seriously. It's school-yard crap that needs to stop. The only thing that accomplishes is to give the whole industry a black eye. It's paints us as unscrupulous, unethical turds. Once is forgiven, twice is a pattern.
If you have issues with something, just take it to Google or Bing. You know they'll read it, and if they do nothing, then move on. What you don't do is go crying to Big Media in attempt to force somebody's hand. Keep doing that, and the GOOG will be likely to crush you all the next time for showing their ass in public (again).
The Brand Bias is Real
In combination with the Vince Update and the Domain Update [a.k.a. implicit site search], where big brands are getting multiple results at the top of the SERPs, (effectively doing ORM for big brands) it's impossible for big brands not to get a better than fair shake. It's always about brands, suggesting otherwise is naive.
That's Why Joe and Jane Person Could Care Less
Brands are brands for a reason; they have consumer clout, they offer price break deals (in relative terms), and they advertise their asses off in other mediums: television, radio, print, web, etc. They achieve a saturation level at astronomical speeds. And so stuffing a single channel isn't that much damage to a big brand. Sure they may take a revenue hit in the short-term, but other efforts even this out. That's the "dirty little secret" no one wants to talk about.
So while a handful of Joe's and Jane's likely care as Danny Sullivan pointed out, it's hard to imagine that these revelations startle anyone but marketplace we aim to provide our skill set and services to.
Showing Google's Ass in Public: How's That Working Out for You?
That's all the tattles, the New York Times, and the Wall St. Journal served to do, drop Google's pants in a very public way. And, all it made Google do is break out a temporary pimp-hand to show justice has been served. And, if you ask JCP or Overstock how they're feeling today, they'll probably say, "just fine thanks". The numbers don't lie:
Here's how the numbers breakdown for each of them:
- Year over Year Gains (March 2010 – March 2011): +17% gain in unique visitors
- 1 Month Post NYT Scandal Article (Feb 2011 – March 2011): +6% gain in unique visitors
- Year over Year Gains (March 2010 – March 2011): -7% gain in unique visitors
- 1 Month Post WSJ Scandal Article (Feb 2011 – March 2011): -7% gain in unique visitors
So, clearly, Overstock got the worst of it, but a 7% decrease is small price to pay. The more interesting of the two is JCP. Not only did they get 17% lift over the year, but EVEN AFTER the "supposed" penalization, they still got a 6% lift. It's quite clear that the "scandal" did absolutely nothing to effect JCP site traffic, in fact, one could argue for the old adage, "there's no such thing as bad press". And with the help of AdWords and distributors, there was hardly a tremor felt. Furthermore, it speaks to the power of brand in the eyes of Google and consumers.
What Can We Learn From This?
A couple of things to be certain. First, exploit as many media channels as you can. My gut says that if Overstock were engaging in some other media channels, they could have lessened the meager 7% decrease and probably broke even or had even a slight increase in traffic. Second, Google provides these penalizations as nothing more than dog and pony shows of justice. Even after a public Google ass-showing from the New York Times, JcPenney was doing better. It tells us these "penalties" are nothing more than facades masquerading as "fair and balanced" play. It also tells us, the more renown your brand is, the bigger the facade.
So by all means, keep feeding Big Media these tales of sordidness. Just know that your efforts, as Aaron rightly points out, feed "sleazy pageview journalism", and serve to puncture holes in industry.


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Implementing measures to ensure that your workplace treats all employees equally and fairly is no small task. In tomorrow's webinar at 2 pm EST, we'll be discussing how to make sure you're a truly inclusive leader.
You can also earn one general re-certification hour credit towards PHR, SPHR and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute.
Topics we'll cover include:
Read more »


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Volume is very light for this time of day. Breadth is bullish across the board. Advancing Issues: 1661 / Declining Issues: 1222 -- for a ratio of 1.4 to 1. Advancing Volume: 111,984,000 / Declining Volume: 89,701,000 -- for a ratio of 1.2 to 1. New 52-Week Highs: 108 / New 52-Week Lows: 21.
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How Do You Walk the Line Between Work and Home? Share Your Best Practices With ALA
by ALA Staff
13 Reader CommentsBack to the Article
I started working from my home 3 years ago.
Working from home you get WAY TO MUCH freedom….
So you have to learn to limit yourself.
This post at ZenHabits was of great help to me:
Sorry about my little english. Im from Argentina.
I'd looked into Grand Central previously but it seems like it's still in a private (or invitation-only) beta?
Jeffrey, here.
We're not actually accepting comments in this forum. Instead, please email your best practices on working from home to homebased at alistapart dot com (subject: "Working From Home"?).
Best answers will be published in a future issue. Thanks!


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With just 45.6 seconds left against Guerin Catholic (2-1), Broad Ripple Senior Ron Patterson knocked down a pair from the charity stripe to put the Rockets (2-1) on top 51-50. On the following possession the Golden Eagles caught a break, as Senior Riley Rapp (nine points) was fouled with 14.6 seconds on the clock. However Rapp missed his first shot, the Rockets retrieved the ball, and two more free throws from Senior Muhammed Cross clinched a 53-50 victory for the Rockets.
- Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
"We have a tough one this past weekend (a loss to Cathedral), but I think our guys did a really good job overcoming some adversity. I think Coach Smith did a great job with his team executing, but our guys were resilient. They came together and made some plays down the stretch. I thought Muhammed Cross had a heck of a game, and knocking down the free throws, and those guys getting on the floor for the loose balls. We did the little things, and that's what we wanted to concentrate on was the little things down the stretch, and we were able to pull it out."
Cross led all scorers with 22 points in a hard-fought battle that neither team really took full control of, and his contributions early and often were much needed. It wasn't until the fourth quarter until the Rockets Senior Patterson (16 points) found a rhythm, and both Cross and Junior Muta Irving kept Broad Ripple afloat throughout the contest.
"Ron is a great talent as the catalyst of our team," said Hicks. "But we have guys who just come in and play their role. Guys like Muhammed Cross, Muta Irving, Randy, and we got some strong bench play. We just ask guys to come in and play their role, and if they can do that then we have a good shot."
Patterson, seemingly energized by a steal and a dunk to tie the game at 44-44 with 4:54 left in the game, followed up the next possession with a three-pointer to take the lead at 47-44. The senior scored seven points in the fourth quarter, and the Rockets were able to escape with their second victory of the season.


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A consumer citizen is an individual who makes choices based on ethical, social, economic and ecological considerations. The consumer citizen actively contributes to the maintenance of just and sustainable development by caring and acting responsibly on family, national and global levels.
"This project has been carried out with the support of the European Community in the framework of the Socrates programme. The content of this project does not necessarily reflect the position of the European Community, nor does it involve any responsibility on the part of the European Community."
Latest CCN news
CCN Final Report has been accepted by the European Commission and the final payment of the grant approved. Read more ....
With the EC approval of a new grant, all the work in the CCN has evolved into the PERL project.
CCN focuses on the balance between material and non-material well being, and examines how ethical values can be implemented in conscientious participation in the market.


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The Interior Department has awarded Google the company's biggest-ever federal cloud computing contract, Politico's Morning Tech reports
Google Apps reseller Onix Networking Corp snagged the deal, worth around $35 million. Under the seven-year contract, Onix will provide Interior with Software-as-a-Service e-mail and collaboration services. The migration entails moving more than 90,000 email accounts to Gmail.
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National Gay and Lesbian Task Force slams deceptive television ad from the National Organization for Marriage
Inga Sarda-Sorensen
Director of Communications
(Office) 646.358.1463
(Cell) 202.641.5592
WASHINGTON, April 8 — The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force responded today to the launch of a deceptive and false television ad ("A Gathering Storm") produced by the National Organization for Marriage that intends to spread lies about marriage equality for same-sex couples.
Statement by Rea Carey, Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
"Everything about this television ad is phony — from the actors portraying 'real people' to the malicious, deceitful lies coming out of their mouths to the ridiculous claim they represent a 'rainbow coalition.' This commercial clearly is a sign of desperation. The right wing is scrambling to gain its footing in the face of a shifting landscape and a flurry of victories for equality; new landscape, but same old scare tactics. We believe that fair-minded people are fed up with this divisiveness and will not fall prey to these fear-mongering tactics."
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Due to their AWD system, Christini's models are pretty unique among motorcycles. Needless to say that, the AWD 450 Super Moto makes no exception and like its other siblings is packed with the company's AWD system which helps it deal effortless with any type of terrain.
Power comes from a 450cc, liquid-cooled, single cylinder four stroke engine which is paired with a 5 speed wide ratio transmission with hydraulic clutch.
The motorcycle rides on 17 inch wheels wrapped in 110/70-17 front and 40/70-17 rear Kings tires. The stopping power is assured by a front 290mm (9.4″) single disc brake with CHRISTINI Quad-piston caliper and a rear 240mm (9.4″) disc brake.
The motorcycle's backbone is represented by a twin spar aluminum frame which is paired with a Marzocchi 48mm sealed cartridge fork and a rear adjustable single shock with linkage.
As far as prices are concerned the Christini AWD 450 Super Moto can be yours for $9,595*.
Hit the jump for more information on the Christini AWD 450 Super Moto.
The AWD SM from CHRISTINI just may be the ultimate commuter bike. Not just for off road riders, the AWD 450 in Supermoto trim brings All Wheel Drive to the street with 17″ wheels front and rear. Discover the benefits of traction on the pavement as you head to work, run through town, or hit a country road. The added safety of All Wheel Drive means less worrying about wet roads, oil spots and loose gravel.
Enjoy the freedom of the road on the AWD Supermoto form CHRISTINI.
* MSRP excluding tax, license, registration, $350 shipping or destination charge.
|MSRP excluding tax
|Engine Type
|450cc Liquid-cooled single cylinder four stroke
|Bore and Stroke
|96 x 62.1 mm
|Fuel Delivery
|CHRISTINI EFI System
|DC/AC Capacitor Discharge Ignition (CDI), Electric and Kick Start
|Compression Ratio
|Hydraulic Clutch
|Exhaust System
|Stainless Steel Exhaust and Rear End Cap
|5 Speed Wide Ratio Transmission
|Final Drive Ratio
|13:50 tooth
|AWD Drive Ratio
|0.64:1 (9:16 tooth)
|Twin Spar Aluminum Frame
|Front Suspension
|Marzocchi 48mm sealed cartridge forks with Progressive Floating Piston (PFP) adjustment, spring preload/sag, high and low speed compression, rebound and damping adjustability
|Rear Suspension
|Adjustable Single Shock with Linkage
|Front Brake
|Single Disc 290mm (9.4″) with CHRISTINI Quad-piston caliper
|Rear Brake
|Single Disc 240mm (9.4″)
|Front Tire
|110/70-17, Kings Tire
|Rear Tire
|40/70-17, Kings Tire
|59 inches (1500mm)
|Seat Height
|36 inches (915mm)
|288 pounds (130kg)
|Fuel Capacity
|2.6 gallons (9.8 Liters) – 1.5 Gallon Auxiliary Tank Available
|Ground Clearance
|12 inches (305mm)
|DOT Approval
|DOT Approved Street Legal in 49 states, includes Street Legal Kit (lights, horn, turn indicators, mirrors)
|Black Anodized Rims and Billet Hubs


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Marvelous Valentine's Recipe: Strawberry Milk Cake
Here's a cake that's bound to make your Valentine, pal or kiddos squeal with glee. I just couldn't resist the combination of old–timey strawberry milk and ridiculously pink frosting.
This cake is full of wonder. While in California for winter break, I spent an afternoon cooking with my fairy godmother. She spoke to me in hushed tones of desserts her aunties used to make, one of which stuck out to me — it was the 'scalded milk cake.' Full of batter stains and pencil notes, the recipe seemed to have gotten a workout, perhaps it was a go–to birthday cake?
I was right! By almost boiling the milk used for this elemental vanilla cake, a malty, milky flavor would permeate the confection. And when I tested the recipe with strawberry milk, it was even better than the plain original version. This is why I love recipe inheritance and chatting with different cooks — everyone has their own take and variation according to their tastes and available ingredients.
And strawberry milk is heavenly! Usually I eschew items that are so obviously artificially flavored, but this sweet pink stuff, it's a revelation. It tastes just like the pink-stained milk after eating a bowl of Lucky Charms. I'm not sure if it's my Saturday–morning–cartoon–watching cereal nostalgia or the fact that I've never bought strawberry milk before (novelty power!), but I couldn't get enough of my new preferred pink beverage. It was very silly. If you find yourself indulging, just be sure you save about a cup of the sweet stuff, because it is a great base flavor for this recipe.
Happy Valentines, sweeties!
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup scalded strawberry milk
1/4 cup butter
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and grease two cake pans, set aside. Beat the eggs, vanilla and sugar until fully combined (I used a whisk). In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour to egg mixture, mixing until just combined. In a small sauce pan, heat milk until almost boiling (there will be a little steam and a few small bubbles on the side of the pan), add butter and turn off heat, stirring until butter is fully melted. Pour scalded milk/butter into the batter, stir until combined. Bake for about 35 minutes, until done.
Whipped Cream Frosting
1 package cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups heavy cream
food coloring (optional)
Necco wafers (optional decoration)
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and almond extract until smooth. With the mixer on medium speed, slowly pour in the heavy cream. Whip until the cream holds a stiff peak, about 3 minutes. Lastly, add the food coloring if using. Decorate the cake after it's fully cooled.
More Hot Pink at The Kitchn!
Pictured above
• Look! A Hot Pink Kitchen
• Recipe: Hot Pink Raspberry Cake
• The Zuni Pink Pickled Onions
And more...
• A Hot Pink Gratin with Turnips and Potatoes
• Recipe: Spring Radishes Braised with Shallots and Vinegar
• Kitchen Spotlight: Holly and Sean's Hot Pink
• Pink In the Kitchen: Color Inspiration for Cooks
(Images: Leela Cyd Ross, special thanks to Erin and the girls for allowing me to photograph the cake at Lodekka)
Per serving, based on 12 servings. (% daily value)
24 Comments
adorable cake, and i wish i knew where the blonde girl got her hair done, i love that cut!
I love this! The red nails are also a perfect accompaniment.
This is so cute! I hope I get the chance to try it out. The frosting sounds really tasty.
I actually gasped when I saw this. I always make a fantastic chocolate cake for my February birthday, but this recipe might be the winner this year!
Sounds tasty! For those curious about the original recipe, sweet milk is just whole milk.
What size cake pans should you use?
i used two different sizes, b/c that's what I had on hand -- a 10 inch and an 8 inch. Any circular 8-10 inch cake pan will work.
i think this would make anyone happy, i really really want a slice of this cake with a sip of strawberry milk. wow, super fun!
Think it would work just as well with chocolate milk? A malty, chocolate cake sounds yummy!
malty chocolate cake, that sounds superb!
Sounds good - but I'd use milk flavored with real strawberries, not that artificial stuff.
Oh my! I was in the mood to bake a cake. I think this one will fit the bill. I love the super pink frosting, the recipe looks good too, cream cheese and heavy cream. Yum.
I cannot wait to make this for Valentines! We're having dinner with a bunch of friends on the 14th, and I'm going to decorate this with those conversation hearts instead of Necco wafers. So excited!!
How do you get the frosting to be sooooo hot pink??? Is there a certain type of coloring that works best??? Thx!
i used 'rose' gel food coloring i picked up from sur la table -- i went a little over board with the amount, hence the shocking neon color!
Looks so delicious and too cute for words!
I was excited to make this cake. I turned it into cupcakes however and baked at 350 for 25 mins. They turned out nice and fluffy, but no strawberry taste at all! They just taste vanilla...disappointed.
I made this cake today and despite having slightly dulled taste buds I think I had the same experience as ArinDay. Neither my husband nor I can taste any strawberry in the cake, which is really disappointing as this was supposed to be a Valentine's Day present for my strawberry-loving husband. To think I was so excited when I spotted this recipe as I thought it would be just perfect for him.
it mentions butter twice in the recipe but says nothing about how much of each? I'm confused -__- so do i cream the same amount of butter as i do when i put it into the pan of milk'?
wow, clearly I have minor dyslexia I get it know ::runs away::
@ArinDay, I had the exact same problem. In addition, my gas oven baked the cake in about half the recommended time, so my cakes were a little toasty and tough on the edges. =(
I've got this in the oven, as we speak. Baking it for my husband and son for Valentines Day today. Thanks SO much for this recipe! I haven't tasted the cake yet, since it's still baking. But the frosting is absolutely INCREDIBLE!
I substituted the sugar with Nestle Nesquick powder strawberry milk mix; it's very strong on the strawberry flavor and beautiful deep pink inside. :D
I am not sure what happened but this cake turned out heavy and bland. It needed more milk, like the original recipe, maybe? The icing recipe, however, is so good that I had to email my best friend and my mom about it. So easy, not too sweet.


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asked by Anonymous
I love you Ellie, so much! Thank you for those kind words! lol I can't believe I came up with the sperm rain thing lol you always make me smile! :)
asked by Anonymous


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Beats by Dr. Dre are headphones designed by famed rapper and hip-hop producer Dr. Dre. Since 2008, the designer headphones have been a popular status symbol. But while fans are seeing shiny, trendy technology, crooks are seeing dollars signs.
A brutal incident on the 800-block of North State Street left "Charles" hospitalized after his Beats by Dre headphones were snatched from his head Saturday afternoon.
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AUBURN HILLS, Mich., July 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Dodge is giving its Challenger owners full on bragging rights at the drag strip and racing to the front line of the horsepower wars with its new 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat.
The 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is the fastest muscle car ever with a National Hot Rod Association-certified 1/4-mile elapsed time of 11.2 seconds at 125 miles per hour (mph) with stock Pirelli P275/40ZR20 P Zero tires. With drag radials, the run dropped to just 10.8 seconds at 126 mph!
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text: DRUM Community: Accounting & Information Assurance http://hdl.handle.net/1903/2205 2014-10-02T08:24:16Z 2014-10-02T08:24:16Z Financial Reporting: A Look At Different Settings Felix, Robert http://hdl.handle.net/1903/14611 2013-11-19T13:00:54Z 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z Title: Financial Reporting: A Look At Different Settings Authors: Felix, Robert Abstract: The first of two essays examines whether financial reporting is influenced when a firm shares a director with a "central" firm. Central firms are those which are well-connected within the network of firms formed by shared board of directors. Centrality is a driver of influence and since social networks are a channel to spread information, central firms could transmit reporting practices. However, because financial reporting style is presumably firm specific, the central firm's reporting may not be effective for a focal firm. I examine the effect of central firm conservatism and discretionary accruals on the same focal firm attributes. The results show that focal firm conservatism is influenced by that of the central firm after the two firms become interlocked and that influence is concentrated in the first year. However, a firm adopted central firm discretionary accruals over a longer time horizon. The finding was robust to a variety of alternate explanations. Overall, the findings shed light on how financial reporting spreads through a network and adds to our understanding of how influence occurs between two interlocked firms. The second essay examines municipal reporting manipulation. Municipalities use fund accounting to separately track each activity in self-balancing set of accounts. I focus on the general fund, the largest fund, which uses governmental accounting, and the enterprise fund, which accounts for business-like operations and uses corporate-like accounting. Municipalities have a different organizational objective than corporations and could desire to report a small increase in the general fund bottom line to avoid taxpayer's backlash or they could wish to build up their fund balance to for future use. The enterprise fund incentives are also unclear. I find that operating transfers between funds (discretionary accruals) are used in the general (enterprise), but not the enterprise (general), fund to systematically manipulate its bottom line downward. Accordingly, each fund is manipulated downwards using a method that is in line with its accounting system. Further analysis shows that the general fund results are more pronounced in municipalities with heavy citizen involvement. The findings also highlight that institutional factors do not impact both funds in the same manner. 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z International Financial Reporting Standards and Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions Zhu, Wenjie http://hdl.handle.net/1903/12754 2014-01-23T03:30:11Z 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Title: International Financial Reporting Standards and Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions Authors: Zhu, Wenjie Abstract: This dissertation investigates the economic impact of global accounting harmonization. Particularly I focus on its influence on macro level cross-border M&A investments. I posit that mandatory IFRS adoption lowers the systemic information noise embedded in countries' accounting standards. This reduces the associated information processing costs and enhances the economic role accounting standards play on cross-border M&A flows. After mandatory IFRS adoption, a 1% increase in accounting standards disparity suppresses bilateral M&A flows by around 2%; decrease in accounting standards disparity helps promote bilateral M&A flows when paired countries' governance infrastructure gap is relatively wider. I do not find these associations significant prior to mandatory IFRS adoption. Overall, this dissertation documents an evolving economic role accounting standards play on bilateral cross-border M&A flows, and supports International Accounting Standards Board's advocacy in adopting a uniform set of accounting standards globally. Moreover, it further analyses the current adoption demand for IFRS from the U.S. firms. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Determining the Impact of Multiple Consecutive Years of Financial Reporting Quality Issues on Investment Efficiency Wilford, Amanda Lyn http://hdl.handle.net/1903/12622 2013-11-19T12:57:04Z 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Title: Determining the Impact of Multiple Consecutive Years of Financial Reporting Quality Issues on Investment Efficiency Authors: Wilford, Amanda Lyn Abstract: Prior research recognizes that there is a positive relation between financial reporting quality and investment efficiency. The primary object of this dissertation is to examine how financial reporting quality in multiple consecutive years impacts investment efficiency. I use material weaknesses in internal control (MW) as a proxy for poor financial reporting quality and I examine the impact of poor financial reporting quality in multiple consecutive years using an OLS regression model. The results indicate there is a progressively negative impact on investment efficiency tied to the number of consecutive years in which firms report MW. Additionally, I examine whether investment specific financial reporting quality issues have a greater impact on investment efficiency than all other types of financial reporting quality issues. My results suggest that investment specific financial reporting quality issues are driving the negative impact on investment efficiency. These results imply that managers can reduce investment inefficiency by focusing their resources on remediating (correcting) financial reporting quality issues (MW) associated with investment. Current internal control research identifies firms as having either strong or weak internal control dependent upon (1) the presence or absence of MW or (2) the number of MW. This research essentially treats each MW as being of equal importance, Thus, as a secondary objective of this dissertation, in Appendix B, I develop a metric for internal control using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to provide a weighting scheme for the different types of MW. Based on Audit Analytics (which separates MW into 21 different categories), I engage 18 participants in an AHP exercise to determine which types of MW have the greatest impact on the financial statements. The results indicate that auditors and managers find MW related to Personnel Weaknesses have the greatest impact on the financial statements. AHP results in weights that are then applied to the 21 different categories of MW. These weights are applied to firms based upon the types of MW reported and the sum of the weights is the measure used for the internal control metric. I then perform a simple OLS regression to test the relation between the internal control metric and stock market returns (Appendix C). I find that a positive relation exists between strong internal controls (as measured by the newly constructed metric) and stock market returns. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z THE INFLUENCE OF PUBLIC EQUITY OWNERSHIP ON EARNINGS MANAGEMENT THROUGH THE MANIPULATION OF OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES Kim, Yura http://hdl.handle.net/1903/12297 2013-11-19T12:56:31Z 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Title: THE INFLUENCE OF PUBLIC EQUITY OWNERSHIP ON EARNINGS MANAGEMENT THROUGH THE MANIPULATION OF OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES Authors: Kim, Yura Abstract: This paper examines whether public equity firms and private equity firms with public debt exhibit different degrees of real earnings management, defined as the manipulation of operational activities in order to influence reported earnings. Public equity firms face intense capital market scrutiny that their private equity counterparts do not. Therefore, this study's comparison of the two types of firms provides insight on the impact of capital market pressure on real earnings management behaviors. The impact of capital market pressure is not clear ex ante. On the one hand, the scrutiny associated with the public equity markets may play a disciplining role that leads firms to refrain from activities that distort reported earnings. On the other hand, the penalties faced by public equity firms that fail to meet earnings benchmarks may put additional pressure on top managers to report positive and improved earnings and hence, may lead to greater distortion of reported earnings through the manipulation of operational activities. Consistent with the latter possibility, I find that public equity firms are more likely than private equity firms to opportunistically alter normal operations to improve earnings by cutting R&D spending, by pushing sales through discounts and promotions, and by lowering costs of sales through overproduction. I find no difference in abnormal discretionary expenses between public equity and private equity firms. Although private equity firms with public debt do not face the same capital market pressure that public equity firms face, they are not immune from incentives to engage in real earnings management. Specifically, I find that private equity firms with public debt engage in a greater degree of real earnings management as their debt moves closer to default. Given that debt claims become more like equity claims as a firm's debt moves closer to default, this finding suggests that public debtholders exert similar pressure to public equity holders when their claims become more equity-like. Moreover, private equity firms with public debt that do engage in real earnings management appear to emphasize the zero earnings benchmark, consistent with prior research, suggesting that this benchmark is of primary importance to creditors. In addition, I assess the performance implications of capital market-induced real earnings management, by examining its association with one-year ahead industry-adjusted return on assets (ROA). I find that public equity firms that just meet earnings benchmarks while altering real operating activities suffer from lower future industry-adjusted ROA than private equity firms that just meet earnings benchmarks while altering real operating activities. The finding for the public equity firms validates concerns that operating decisions made in response to capital market pressure may negatively impact future firm performance. On the other hand, the results for private equity firms indicate that alterations of operating activities made in the absence of capital market pressure are more likely to be strategically sound. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z


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Members of our region's various law enforcement agencies are banding together Monday
Their mission: to help the families of officers injured in the line of duty.
The D.C. Cops Classic golf tournament is underway at Westfields Golf Club in Clifton, Virginia.
FOX 5's Holly Morris joined us with more.
Officer Peter Laboy, who was shot in the head during a traffic stop in Alexandria, was at the event and spoke with Holly in his first interview since the incident.
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