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Warriors First Foundation holding motorcycle run
CROWN POINT | The Warriors First Foundation will hold its annual Charity Motorcycle Run and Benefit Concert Saturday. Registration for the event starts at 8 a.m. at the American Legion Post 20 in Crown Point, 1401 S. Main St. At 9 a.m. riders will begin to hit the road making stops at the St. John VFW, the Porter VFW, the Valparaiso VFW and then back to Post 20 for the benefit starting at noon.
There will be two live bands, a DJ, a corn hole tournament, a silent auction and 50/50 raffle. Cost is $25 per rider, $20 per passenger and $10 for extra card. At each stop, participants will be given one dart to throw at a board that will have numbers 1-25 randomly in squares. The person will the highest sum at the end of the run wins.
For details, call (219) 879-5100 or go to www.vanair.com.
Lady Playmakers to hold 12U softball tryouts
HAMMOND | The Lady Playmakers 12U travel softball team is holding tryouts 5 p.m. today and Thursday, and noon Sunday at the Caldwell Sports Complex, located at 173rd and Parrish Avenues. For details, or to schedule a personal tryout, call Billy Pierce at (219) 381-7007.
High School Fall Baseball League taking registration
The High School Fall Baseball League has expanded to 14 locations across the Midwest. Each location plays a six-week regular season beginning Aug. 25 and running through Oct. 13. Cost is $225 per player. The deadline to register is Sunday. To register, go to www.HSFBL.com.
Lake Central Girls Travel Basketball holding tryouts
ST. JOHN | Tryouts for Lake Central Girls Travel Basketball for girls who live in the LC School Corporation geographic area will be held Aug. 20 and 21 at Clark Middle School from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for grades 4-5, and from 7 to 9 p.m. for grades 6-9.
For details, call Jerome Kusbel (219) 746-9884.
Silverhawk Fastpitch holding 14U softball tryouts
CEDAR LAKE | Silverhawks Fastpitch is holding 14U travel tryouts from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Cedar Lake Softball Complex -- take U.S. 41 south to 133rd Street and turn left, make right at Osburn and turn left at second stop sign. Players should arrive 15 early to complete paper work. To email for paper work forms to compete beforehand, go to email@example.com.
Fleet Feet Beginner Runner Program starting
Fleet Feet Sports in Schererville is offering its No Boundaries Beginner Runner Program starting Aug. 24 in Schererville and Aug. 27 in Chesterton. The 10-week training will culminate with the participation in the Fall Frolic 4-mile race at Purdue University Calumet. "Gear Up" information meeting at 1 p.m. Saturday at both Fleet Feet Sports in Schererville, and Omni Health and Fitness in Chesterton.
Registration is open at www.fleetfeetschererville.com. For details, call (219) 864-1000 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Dyer Fire holding 12U and 14U softball tryouts
DYER | The Dyer Fire 12U and 14U travel softball teams are holding tryouts at 6 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Sunday at Northgate Park, Field 1. For a personal tryout, contact Jeff at (219) 805-3185 or email@example.com.
Indiana Elite holding 10U, 14U and 16U softball tryouts
ST. JOHN | Indiana Elite is holding 10U, 14U and 16U softball tryouts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday outdoors at Lake Central High School. For details, call (219) 545-2241 or visit www.train-elite.com.
Fall coed volleyball league at OTSSA
CROWN POINT | Fall coed volleyball on Monday nights will be starting Sept. 9 at On the Square Sports Academy in Crown Point. To hold a spot, call (219) 808-5290 or go to www.otssa.com.
Storm Travel Baseball holding 8U-11U tryouts
The Hobart Storm travel baseball program is holding tryouts for its 8U, 9U and 11U teams on Sunday and Aug. 25. For sites and times, call Luke Donsbach at (219) 313-2920.
Crown Point Cal Ripken holding fall registration
Crown Point Cal Ripken is holding registration for ages 7-8 (machine pitch) and 9-11 (player pitch). Ages are determined as of April 30, 2013. Registration is being taken online through Thursday at cpcalripkenbaseball.com.
Cost is $100 plus $4 online fee, $3.50 registration fee and $40 fee for non-Crown Point Cal Ripken League players.
Friends of Michal Williams Golf Tournament
GLENWOOD | Friends of Michael Williams will hold its 12th annual golf tournament Sept. 21 at Glenwoodie Golf Club, 19301 State St. Registration begins at 11 a.m., doves fly at 1 p.m., dinner is at 6 p.m. Proceeds to benefit the Neuroblastoma Children's Cancer Society. For details, call (630) 832-1847 or go to www.neuroblastomacancer.org.
WJOB to broadcast Cal Ripken World Series games
HAMMOND | WJOB AM 1230 will be broadcasting the Cal Ripken Major/60 World Series on its radio airwaves. Audio will also be streamed on www.WJOB1230.com, and on the WJOB app for iPhones and iPads.
Girls Chicago Elite Exposure Camp Sept. 28-29
MATTESON | Baylor Youth Basketball will host a Girls Chicago Elite Exposure Camp, Sept. 28-29 at Matteson Community Center, 20642 Matteson Ave. For details. visit www.baylorbasketball.org.
Lost Marsh Golf Course to hold club championships
HAMMOND | Lost Marsh Golf Course, 1001 129th St., will hold its second annual club championships Aug. 24 and 25. Men and women's divisions include Pro (0 hdcp., Black Tees), Championship (0-7 hdcp., Black Tees), A (8-14 hdcp., Silver Tees), B (15-21 hdcp., Green Tees) and C (22-36 hdcp., Yellow Tees). Entry fee is $40. For details, go to www.lostmarshgolf.com.
Stateline Hitmen holding 13U baseball tryouts
CRETE | The Stateline Hitmen 13U travel baseball tem is holding tryouts at 1 p.m. Sunday at Heritage Park. For details, contact Paul at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Chicago Attitude women's softball team seeks players
The Chicago Attitude women's fastpitch softball team is seeking serious and experiences current or former college palyers to play in four weekend tournaments and round-robin play June through August of 2014. There will be no games during the week. For details, contact Robert Madrigal at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Indiana Warriors holding 12U baseball tryouts
CROWN POINT | The Indiana Warriors 12U baseball team is holding tryouts at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Lakes of Four Seasons baseball fields. For details, call (219) 613-7675.
Adult indoor softball league forming at The Dome
CROWN POINT | Adult indoor softball leagues are forming at the Crown Point Family Fun Center Dome. Co-ed league starts Sept. 3; men's league starts Sept. 5. Cost is $500 per team. For details, call Dave at (219) 765-4966.
Catcher camp at Dave Griffin's Baseball School
GRIFFITH | Dave Griffin's Baseball School will hold a catcher camp for ages 11-18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Professional player Chris Ciatti will be the instructor. For details, call (219) 922-1107 or email email@example.com.
Illiana Blackbirds holding junior hockey tryouts
ST. JOHN | The Illiana Blackbirds junior hockey team is holding tryouts for ages 16-20 from 12:50 to 5:40 p.m. Aug. 24 and Aug. 25 at Midwest Training and Ice Center. The tryout fee is $60. To reserve a spot, contact Jacqueline Owerko at (312) 301-8200 or email@example.com.
Merrillville football team holding golf outing
CROWN POINT | The Merrillville High School football team will hold its inaugural outing Saturday at Summertree Golf Course. The outing is open to anyone. The event will begin at 8 a.m. Lunch will be a 1 p.m. Cost is $60. To register, contact Zach Sliwa at (219) 510-5830 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Lake Central Hockey Club holding on-ice conditioning
ST. JOHN | The Lake Central Hockey Club is beginning on-ice conditioning at Midwest Training and Ice Center for players in grades 9-12 interested in playing for Lake Central this fall. There are eight on-ice conditioning sessions scheduled beginning Tuesday. Three tryout dates will be determined at a later time.
The conditioning times and dates are from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 15; from 9:10 to 10:10 p.m. Aug. 20; from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 22; from 9:10 to 10:10 p.m. Aug. 27; and from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 29.
Players do not have to attend Lake Central to be eligible to play, through some eligibility requirements apply. Cost for the sessions and tryouts are $250. For details, contact Dan Clark at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Dyer Fire holding 12U and 14U travel softball tryouts
DYER | The Dyer Fire are holding 12U and 14U travel softball tryouts at Northgate Park Field One -- the park is located one block south of Main Street on Calumet Avenue. The times are at 6 p.m. Friday, and 11 a.m. Sunday. For at personal tryouts, contact Jeff Elbaor at (219) 805-3185 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Region Storm holding tryouts for 17U baseball team
The Region Storm is holding invitational-only tryouts for its 17U baseball team which went 26-8 this season with two college tournament championships. For consideration, contact Ken Haluska at (219) 313-4726 or email@example.com. Only serious and experienced travel players should inquire.
St. John 18U travel baseball seeks players
ST. JOHN | St. John 18U travel baseball is accepting applicants for its team, which will play locally and out of town weekly for the 2014 season. Players will have full access to baseball facilities for practice and games. For details, contact manager Bob Kelley at email@example.com.
Midwest Training holding Kids Night Out
ST. JOHN | Midwest Train and Ice Center, 10600 White Oak Ave., will be hosting Kids Night Out from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Cost is $30, and $25 for each additional child. Supervised open gym, bounce house, games, craft and dinner are included. For details, call (219) 558-8811 or go to www.midwesttrainingandice.com.
Hobart Baseball Club holding tryouts
HOBART | The Hobart Baseball Club is holding tryouts Sunday and Aug. 25 at Hobart High School. Times are 10 a.m. for ages 8, 9 and 10, and 11 a.m. for ages 11 and 12. For details, call (219) 840-8918.
Catholic Charities to hold annual golf outing
SCHERERVILLE | The Catholic Charities annual golf outing will be held Aug. 26 at Briar Ridge Country Club. Registration will begin at 8 a.m.; shotgun start is at 9 a.m. Cost per golfer is $150, which includes green fees, range balls, club handling, a golf cart, breakfast, lunch and prizes. Sponsorships are available, ranging from $150 to $10,000. Sponsorships for prize donations or monetary contributions are also available.
For details, contact Jackie at (219) 886-3549 or email@example.com.
South Shore Steelheads holding baseball tryouts
HOBART | The South Shore Steelheads 14U travel baseball team will holding tryouts from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Hobart's City Ball Park. Players must be 14 or younger by April 1, 2014. For details, call Dave at (219) 545-1422.
Crown Point Quarterback Club holding golf outing
CROWN POINT | The Crown Point Quarterback Club will hold its annual golf outing Saturday at Summertree Golf Course, 2323 E. 101st Ave. Registration is at noon; start is at 1 p.m. Cost is $400 per foursome, which includes golf, two carts, food, beverages and prizes. RSVP by Wednesday by contacting Tom Gulbrandsen at (219) 663-3996 or email@example.com.
High School Fall Baseball League taking registration
The High School Fall Baseball League has expanded to 14 locations across the Midwest. Each location plays a six-week regular season beginning Aug. 25 and running through Oct. 13. Cost is $225 per player. The deadline to register is Aug. 4. To register, go to www.HSFBL.com.
Crown Point Swim Club to hold kids triathlon
CROWN POINT | The Crown Point Swim Club will hold a sprint kids triathlon for ages 6 and over Sept. 28 at Crown Point High School. For details, email firstname.lastname@example.com or visit www.crownpointswimclub.org.
Illiana Blackbirds looking for host families
The Illiana Blackbirds junior hockey team is looking for host families for the 2013-2014 season. Those interested should call Jacqueline Owerko at (312) 301-8200 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Hunting education safety courses at Cedar Creek
CEDAR LAKE | The Department of Natural Resources will hold hunter's education safety courses Aug. 16 and 17, and Sept. 13 and 14 at Cedar Creek Family Golf Center, W. 109th Ave. Times are from 6 to 9 p.m. on the Fridays, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Saturdays.
For details, contact the DNR at (219) 879-5710 or go to www.in.gov/dnr/.
Jim East giving basketball shooting lessons
MERRILLVILLE | Former Merrillville boys basketball coach and Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame member Jim East is giving basketball shooting lessons through July and August. For cost and registration, call (219) 662-8157 or (219) 308-5504.
Ron Kittle to hold Retro Jersey Motorcycle Ride
COUNTRYSIDE | Ron Kittle's Retro Jersey Motorcycle Ride will take place Aug. 17 starting and ending at the Illinois Harley Davidson, 9950 Joliet Road. Registration is at 9 a.m.; first bike out is at 11 a.m.; last bike in is at 4 p.m. Registration is $55 per person on site and $50 before Aug. 10; VIP registration is $155 per person and $135 before Aug. 10. All registrants receive continental breakfast, ride T-shirt, sponsor giveaways, after ride party access, food and drink ticket, 100-mile ride map and free entry for one-week vacation. VIP registrants will receive '83 replica Kittle jersey, VIP group photo, a special gift and will ride with Kittle's group.
Proceeds will benefit Indiana Sports Charities, which Kittle founded in 1989. To pre-register for the ride, go to www.indianasportscharities.org.
Schererville Fall Ball softball registration
Schererville Fall Ball softball registration are being taken. The league will run from Aug. 17 through Sept. 14 with a year-end tournament on Sept. 20-22. Registration fees for 9U-16U divisions are $85 for one player, $160 for two players, $235 for three players and $310 for four players. Registration fee for co-ed T-ball is $25 per player.
To register, email email@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Diamond Elite holding volleyball leagues and camps
The Diamond Elite Volleyball Academy is offering summer leagues and instruction for girls entering grades 3-8 and with all levels of experience. For details, call (219) 613-3301 or go to www.diamondelitevba.com.
Darrel Chaney to appear at InnerMission dinner
Morton graduate and former major league baseball player Darrel Chaney will appear at the InnerMission Inc. benefit dinner 6 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Area Career Center, 5727 Sohl Ave., Hammond.
Earlier that day, InnerMission will hold its third-annual golf classic at 8 a.m. at Wicker Park Memorial Park Golf Course in Highland.
Cost for the dinner is $30; cost for golf is $65; cost for both is $75.
For details, call Scott Wells at (219) 712-5736 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Song: Give It Up (Acoustic) Band: Soundstatues (the band lets me use their music for my Twilight videos) I know, this isn't Breaking Dawn footage. But all th...
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Images are a huge part of your website. They are one of the best ways to draw your audience in, keep their visual interest and make an emotional connection. While not all churches and other organizations may have the budget to hire a photographer and designer to help them put together great images for their website and other materials, there are many ways that you can make the most of what you have.
How to obtain images:
- Understand that Google Images is not your free image library. There are a ton of great images available on the internet, but you must obtain your images legally. Most images that you see on Google Images are copy-righted and are not free for use. You can go to the website where the image is located and see if it lists usage information for the image. If not, contact the website administrator before using.
- Instead of grabbing off of Google images, use stock images. Stock images are images which are available for use, although you typically need to pay for them. Here are some sources that we recommend for finding images for your website:
- Church Visuals has a ton of awesome free downloadable images. Take a few minutes to check out the other awesome resources on their website, too!
- Creationswap, where we used to advertise, offers both free and for sale graphics. You can find the free ones here.
- Stockvault and Stock.xchng are both free sources, although their images are not specifically for churches or Christian schools
- Fotolia is another favorite of ours and one of the most inexpensive stock photo websites.
- Lastly, check out this great list that Church Relevance has put together of images and other resources.
- Look for the talent. Do you have a mom at your school who always seems to be toting her camera around? Is there a guy at the church picnic who always seems to be behind the lens? Ask for their help! Most people are happy to help and this can be a great way to collect the photos that you need on a limited budget.
- And don't forget to take advantage of our free image gallery! We have many images which are ready to be added to your website. Find the image gallery here.
How to work with what you have:
- Crop well. Avoid chopping at the joints, leave negative space for movement or crop tight. Look for an upcoming blog post from us with more tips on cropping!
- Straighten your horizons. This applies not just for horizons, but for any line, such as a door or wall corner which should be straight.
- Use a free photo editor to edit, add text and interesting texture to the photos. This is a great way to build some graphics for your website to make an announcement or promote an event. You can take an ordinary photo– some grass, a brick wall, or even the donuts on Sunday morning, and turn it into something interesting by adding textures and text. We have a blog post on our favorite free photo editors here.
We think this is a great time to give away 6 more free images! You'll find them them all in our Image Gallery, in the General album.


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Location: Portugal
Website: http://www.pirikos.pt
We are a couple Catarina Taborda and Luís Gaspar, a teacher and an architect, from Portugal.
In October 2011, during the 1st anniversary of our youngest son, we decided to organize and decorate all the birthday party, including the cake, an ex-libris of any party!
Our connections to the arts, decorating, theater, dance, sculpture and architecture were the foundation for embarking on this adventure.
The creations are fully prepared together. Each project is worked to detail, from idea to conception. The shape, color and structure are well thought out and planned before moving to implementation.
Designing the draft combine and produce their own colors is one of the aspects that we love.
Fans of a "clean" style, we review ourselves with greater magnitude in works were the all set is harmonious and "logic": sculpted cakes, accented in its verticality or the glamour of a cake that appeals to feminine elegance. "The height gives them elegance."
We try to strive for harmony of the senses, from the sublime to the startling visual palate. In a single sentence: Flavor with Imagination!


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Anchor Hocking 95936 1.5 Gallon Glass Unger Jar with Aluminum Lid
- Quantity Discounts!
|Buy 1 - 2
- 1.5 gallon capacity
- Ideal for dry storage applications
- Flat sides for easy placement on shelves
- Airtight plastic seal
- Includes aluminum lid
- Made in America
Perfect for storing nuts, flour, sugar, dried pasta, cookies and more, the Anchor Hocking Oneida 95936 Unger jar is ideal for keeping your kitchen counters, pantry shelves, or front-of-the-house displays neat and organized. This six-sided, glass jar has a round mouth and a six-sided lid with an airtight plastic seal inside to help keep your products fresh.
Note: Hand washing recommended for lid.
Overall Dimensions:
Inside Opening Diameter: 5 1/2"
Outside Opening Diameter: 6 3/8"
Bottom Diameter: 7 5/8"
Height: 8 1/2" Capacity: 1.5 gallons
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You are a revolutionary. You have proven that aging is nothing to fear. Being a teenager, I have wondered what I will look like when I am older and if it would be the end of the world if I didn't look 20 my whole life. Your portfolio exemplifies that it is not our youthful bodies that make us beautiful, it is the spirit from within, and with that spirit women can still model for inspiring art when they are older without worrying about looking "hot" or "sexy". Thank you for doing realistic art and showing young women that looking thin, young, and airbrushed is not what truly matters. You are beautiful, but not because of makeup and photoshop, you are beautiful because of your kind and wise heart that shows through in your pictures.
Thank you so much for the kind remarks
I think that everyone is beautiful and there is also nothing wrong with reality. No one will look 20 forever and it isn't the end of the world, I know women who are considerably older than I am who still regularly model in the nude for artists and classes.
Thank you! I'm very flattered and really appreciate the fact that you seem to "get it" about my work. I'd much rather celebrate the female form than objectify it. I've worked with women who posed nude for the very first time and who, after the shoot, used words like liberated, empowered, and healed to describe the experience.
I've read some of your other comments and I have to compliment you on the amazing insight and maturity that you show for one so young. You're an old soul.
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64 posts tagged with ConspiracyTheory. (View popular tags)
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But trying to explain away anyone's specific conspiracy belief, or conspiratorial thinking in general, misses the point—the point being that there's no longer anything especially irrational about believing that shadowy actors are subverting American democracy. Think of that CIA dispatch, advocating a propaganda campaign against the suspicious. Picture the president, slumped forward in the back seat of his limousine, a bullet through his neck. As he lays dying something new is being born, a creeping miasma of suspicion that will spread across Dallas, across Texas, across America.[more inside]
With its emphasis on the empirical, conspiracism is uncomfortably similar to the technocratic mindset of mainstream political discourse. Technocratic pundits — typified by the likes of Ezra Klein, a journalist and blogger who runs the Washington Post's Wonkblog — are likewise driven almost exclusively by data sets and empirical studies. As Bhaskar Sunkara suggested in this piece for In These Times, such pundits operate under the assumption that the facts are so powerful that they might lead people of all ideologies to embrace a particular array of ideology-free policies.[more inside]
But back in 1996, users of the proto-Web community Usenet got spammed with messages that reached an almost transcendent level of bizarre—a weirdness so precise it implied the influence of a very human intelligence. "Markovian Parallax Denigrate," read the title of each post, followed by a mountain of seemingly meaningless word spew:Unraveling the Internet's oldest and weirdest mystery


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Lucky Player Hits Big in Iroquois Surprise
Lucky Player outfought stablemate Bold Conquest through the Churchill Downs stretch to win the $115,500 Iroquois Stakes (gr. III) and give trainer Steve Asmussen the winning exacta Sept. 6.
|Breeder / Owner
|Brady Blue Eyes
|Ernesto Alcoverde
|Lookin At Lucky
|Bob Baffert
|Make Music for Me
|Alexis Barba
|Martin D. Wolfson
|Noble's Promise
|Kenneth G. McPeek
|Seattle Ruler
|Mike Harrington
|The Program
|Ronny W. Werner
|Wildlee Special
|Richard E. Dutrow, Jr.
Lucky Player outfought stablemate Bold Conquest through the Churchill Downs stretch to win the $115,500 Iroquois Stakes (gr. III) and give trainer Steve Asmussen the winning exacta Sept. 6.
The Fasig-Tipton preferred sale of New York-bred yearlings concluded Aug. 10 on a positive note, with the overall two-day average increasing 11% and the median up 18% over the same sale at Saratoga Springs, N.Y., a year ago.
A European racing experience, an exotic tropical vacation, and field-level box seats to the World Series are among the auction items included in this year's Belmont Stakes Charity Celebration.
With a front-running victory in a maiden special weight race May 16 at Gulfstream Park, filly Lucky'stormwarning became the first winner for her sire, Lookin At Lucky.
The fastest time for a quarter mile in three days of under tack previews was posted by a bay colt by Harlan's Holiday who breezed in :20 3/5 April 17 for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s spring sale at Ocala Training Center.
The Poll is Closed and the 2014 Stallions are: Blame, Eskendereya, Lookin At Lucky, Quality Road, and Summer Bird. Plus, catching up on some wins, and entries for Thursday. read blog
Shared Belief ran away with the CashCall Futurity and put in his bid to become the first juvenile champion to skip the Breeders' Cup since Declan's Moon.
Evan Hammonds recaps the efforts of several 2-year-olds. Watch Shared Belief and Midnight Hawk perform big. watch video
Undefeated Shared Belief, runaway winner of the CashCall Futurity (gr. I) Dec. 14, is likely to make two starts this spring prior to an anticipated start in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
Odds-on favorite Shared Belief, ridden patiently by Corey Nakatani, swept past outsider Candy Boy coming into the stretch and easily rolled to his third consecutive victory in the $750,000 CashCall Futurity (gr. I) Dec. 14.
TimeformUS: Saturday Plays from Betfair Hollywood Park and Gulfstream Read Blog
Claire Novak and Frank Angst look at the CashCall Futurity this weekend. Are there any Kentucky Derby contenders in the field? watch video
The $750,000 CashCall Futurity (gr. I) will be the final graded stakes ever run at Betfair Hollywood Park, and the Dec. 14 event should be one of the best 2-year-old races of the year.
As many as a dozen 2-year-olds could start in the $750,000 CashCall Futurity (gr. I), to be run Dec. 14 at Betfair Hollywood Park for the 33rd and final time.
Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky., has announced its 2014 stud fees, led by Giant's Causeway (Storm Cat--Maria's Storm, by Rahy), who will stand for $85,000, the same fee as last year.
The final meet in the 75-year history of Betfair Hollywood Park will begin Thursday, Nov. 7.
Brazeau Thoroughbred Farms near Hemet, Calif., announced Oct. 3 the acquisition of two recently retired runners who will stand their first seasons at Brazeau in 2014.
The $750,000 CashCall Futurity (gr. I), an annual stop for future Triple Crown contenders, will once again be the most lucrative event on the stakes calendar for the final meet at Betfair Hollywood Park.
The appeal of first-year sires for buyers at the Keeneland September yearling sale, which waned during the Great Recession, seems to be making a comeback in 2013.
The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2013 August Yearling Sale, with 841 youngsters cataloged, begins its three-day run Tuesday, Aug. 20.
Churchill Downs released its 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' Series slate for 2013-14. This year there will be two fewer races to earn points toward a starting slot in the Run for the Roses.
When the Fasig-Tipton selected yearling sale kicks off in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., breeding industry professionals will be looking closely to see how offspring of first-crop sires fare.
After a strong 2-year-old sales season, Fasig-Tipton Kentucky hopes to build on last year's July sale that saw a 16.3% increase in average price to $81,291 and a 15.1% spike in gross to $15,364,000.
The connections of five horses who finished behind Orb in Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) hope their starter can become 20th horse since 1973 to win the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) after coming up short in Derby.
Bob Baffert's reputation at Oaklawn Park is that of a phenomenon, one you cannot afford to bet against. Selectively shipping in from his West Coast base with a remarkable 59% win rate, he has captured 17 of 29.
|Hillsdale S.
|Indiana Stallion S.
|Crown Ambassador S.
|City of Anderson S.


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Major Field Tests
Start Date: 3/23/2013
End Date: 3/23/2013
Start Time: 10:00 AM
End Time: 10:00 AM
Location Info:
Clark Atlanta University
Event Information:The Major Field Test / Senior Exit Examinations scheduled on Saturday, March 23, 2013 with the exception of the English and Business examinations are postponed. If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact Dr. Susan Wright regarding the English examination or Dr. Lynn Patten regarding the Business examination or Cynthia Clem at firstname.lastname@example.com.
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Minutes from downtown Port St. Joe, kayakers ply the clear waters along Cape San Blas.
Continue reading Photo: Kayaking off St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Cape San Blas »
Minutes from downtown Port St. Joe, kayakers ply the clear waters along Cape San Blas.
Continue reading Photo: Kayaking off St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Cape San Blas »
Palm Coast – When Flagler County purchased an old waterfront fish camp 20-plus years ago, it had big plans for the site. The eyesore property, with its dilapidated trailers, primitive plumbing and electrical wiring, would be cleared out to make way for a picturesque county park with a boat ramp and nature trails.
But while county workers were removing trash, they discovered an unexpected archaeological treasure: the remnants of Mala Compra Plantation, once owned by Florida's first voice in the U.S. Congress and its first Hispanic member.
"The crews, of course, went in with the express purpose of demolishing and removing all the stuff that was there," recalls Al Hadeed, the Flagler County attorney. "One day the road and bridge superintendent called me and said, 'There is something here that you've got to see.' It was an old coquina well. And as we began to clear out stuff, we began to see other outcroppings of cut coquina."
In the early 19th century, the plantation was home to Joseph Hernandez, who served as everything from a brigadier general in the U.S. Army to a committee member who helped select Tallahassee as the state capital. The site is part of Bing's Landing, an eight-acre county park that also includes a boat launch, fishing pier, and picnic and playground facilities.
Flagler County pursued archaeological grants to study the physical evidence of Hernandez' plantation, and then more grants to create a permanent display at the site.
"Normally when archaeologists dig, they take the artifacts and then cover the site back up," says Sisco Deen, the archive curator for the Flagler County Historical Society. "With this one, we got the artifacts, but they left the dig."
Today, visitors can walk on an elevated boardwalk around the perimeter of the plantation remains and read interpretive displays that explain the site's historical and cultural value.
"Typically, with these kind of sites, they bury them to preserve them because it's very expensive to preserve them in the open," Hadeed says.
In 2010, Mala Compra Plantation received two notable awards: One, an international recognition from the Society for Historic Archaeology, singled out the county for promoting historical archaeology. Another, from the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, rewarded the county's "Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Historic Landscape/Archaeology."
Additionally, artifacts from the dig – and others donated by descendants of Hernandez – are on display at sites around Flagler County, such as the Flagler Beach Museum and the county government services building, which houses more-valuable items that require a higher level of security.
Flagler County, of course, didn't know what it was getting when it purchased this small portion of Hernandez' old spread. But officials were surprised and delighted as they pieced together the history.
The son of Spanish immigrants who came to Florida from Minorca, an island off the coast of Spain, Hernandez was born in St. Augustine in 1788, when Florida was controlled by the Spanish. Much of his family moved to Cuba when Florida became part of the United States in 1821, but Hernandez stayed behind and launched a political career in his home state.
In 1822, he was selected to represent the new Florida Territory in Congress, where he served until 1823.
His plantation, which produced cotton and oranges and once consisted of nearly 800 acres, is also notable because Hernandez hosted John James Audubon there during Christmas of 1831, and one of the naturalist's paintings in Birds of America depicts a water bird at Mala Compra.
Seminole Indians burned the plantation in 1836 during the Second Seminole Indian War.
The plantation's name, Mala Compra, translates to "bad bargain," but who gave it that name and who got the short end of whatever bargain is not clear. Today, for those who treasure history, Mala Compra is a great deal.
What: Mala Compra Plantation ruins
Where: Bing's Landing County Park, 5862 N. Oceanshore Blvd., Palm Coast
Phone: 386-313-4020
Web: flaglercounty.org
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Cost: Free
To round out a visit to the remains of Hernandez' plantation, consider these other Palm Coast destinations:
The Hammock Beach Resort (200 Ocean Crest Dr., Palm Coast, 386-246-5500, hammockbeach.com), located just off Florida's scenic Highway A1A, is an oceanfront resort that offers myriad activities for golfers, anglers, families and relaxation seekers. The family-friendly resort includes a 91,000-square-foot water pavilion, complete with water park and lazy river. An onsite spa, two golf courses, nine-hole putting course, bicycle and kayak rentals and beachside bonfires complete the Hammock Beach experience.
Just north of Palm Coast, Marineland (9600 Oceanshore Blvd., St. Augustine, 904-471-1111, marineland.net) started the Florida tradition of bringing marine life to landlubbers. Opened in 1938 as Marine Studios, this Old Florida attraction was originally intended to satiate film and television studios' appetites for underwater footage, and Johnny Weismuller filmed here for his Tarzan movies. Most of the facility's original structures were retired after 2004, and today, dolphin encounters are offered at a modern 1.3 million-gallon facility.
Continue reading Mala Compra Plantation: History From the Ground Up »
Manatee season is nearly upon us, and here's a great way to ring it in this weekend: Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge's annual Refuge Day celebration.
Refuge Day takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, at Three Sisters Springs. Visitors can expect to see raptor exhibits, and you can even talk to a mermaid! Fun activities will be available for children, including games and crafts. Plus, there will be live music and refreshments available.
There's no charge for admission, and free shuttles will take visitors from the parking lot at Kings Bay Plaza on U.S. 19 in Crystal River to the nearby Three Sisters Springs property. Shuttles run from 9:45 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
If you want to bring the family to an entertaining and educational event, don't miss this. Special events like this are a great opportunity to see the gorgeous Three Sisters Springs by land, which
has not yet been developed to accommodate visitors on a daily basis, and therefore is usually not open to the public.
For more information, call the refuge office at 352-563-2088.
Continue reading Don't Miss Refuge Day at Three Sisters Springs This Saturday, Oct. 20 »
I know, I know – the weather's great, and you're looking for something cool to do outside. Look no further, my friends, I've got something to share that will have you grabbing your camping gear, gassing up your car and heading to the woods.
It's time again for one of Florida's signature geocaching events, so juice up those GPS devices and head to the Ocala National Forest. Florida Finders Fest happens Oct. 25-28, with FWC's Ocala Conservation Center and Youth Camp on Lake Eaton serving as the event hub.
This isn't an event where it's just a couple of people standing around a geocache. Last year, the Florida Finders Fest was a mega event, which means over 500 people in attendance. This year it's expected to draw an even larger crowd.
There will several outings and contests throughout Florida Finders Fest (check out the Night Gauntlet), with the main event happening Oct. 27 at 8 a.m. For a complete guide, directions and registration information, visit www.floridafindersfest.com. Last year, I happened to be passing through the area and hung out at the event for a few minutes. For a glimpse into what goes on at Florida Finder's Fest, make sure to check out the video above.
Have fun!
Continue reading Florida Finders Fest Geocaching Event Oct. 25-28 »
I know, I know – the weather's great, and you're looking for something cool to do outside. Look no further, my friends, I've got something to share that will have you grabbing your camping gear, gassing up your car and heading to the woods.
It's time again for one of Florida's signature geocaching events, so juice up those GPS devices and head to the Ocala National Forest. Florida Finders Fest happens Oct. 25-28, with FWC's Ocala Conservation Center and Youth Camp on Lake Eaton serving as the event hub.
This isn't an event where it's just a couple of people standing around a geocache. Last year, the Florida Finders Fest was a mega event, which means over 500 people in attendance. This year it's expected to draw an even larger crowd.
There will several outings and contests throughout Florida Finders Fest (check out the Night Gauntlet), with the main event happening Oct. 27 at 8 a.m. For a complete guide, directions and registration information, visit www.floridafindersfest.com. Last year, I happened to be passing through the area and hung out at the event for a few minutes. For a glimpse into what goes on at Florida Finder's Fest, make sure to check out the video above.
Have fun!
Continue reading Florida Finders Fest Geocaching Event Takes Place Oct. 25-28 »
Florida's first in-ground swimming pool was served by a rustic bathhouse at Princess Place Preserve in Palm Coast.
Continue reading Photo: Swimming pool at Princess Place Preserve, Palm Coast »
Visitors tour the house where the princess lived. The trails where she rode her horses are now favorites for equestrians, amblers, primitive campers and extreme mountain bikers.
At Princess Place Preserve in Palm Coast, it's easy to focus on the scenic locale at the confluence of Pellicer Creek and the Matanzas River, the activities available and the natural and manmade beauty.
But the Preserve's history was rich, even before its purchase in 1886 as a hunting lodge by 24-year-old Henry Cutting, wealthy descendent of the Dutch who bought Manhattan for beads.
Before then, in 1788, a 1,105-acre plot was given as a Spanish land grant to Minorca-born Francisco Pellicer, part of a group that arrived as indentured servants in 1768 and thrived in the New World. Pellicer and his family lived here for 38 years, growing corn, cane and cotton until they were burned out during the Indian Wars, 1814-1819 and 1835-1842.
The plot became known as Cherokee Grove when H. C. Sloggett established one of Florida's first orange groves here in the early 1800s, according to Ranger George O'Dell.
After Cutting bought Cherokee Grove and several adjacent parcels to grow his holdings to 1,500 acres, he enlisted artisans already brought to St. Augustine by his friend, railroad magnate Henry Flagler, to construct his Adirondacks-style lodge between 1886 and 1888.
The artisans' use of indigenous materials – cabbage palm and cedar trunks to support the wraparound porch and tabby (a mixture coquina shells and cement) and pink coquina mined from the nearby beach for its exterior – produced an excellent feat of adaptation.
The line of paired palm trees planted to welcome guests in 1888 now blends seamlessly with mammoth, centuries old and vine-draped live oaks.
Florida's first in-ground pool, where the rich and royal frolicked in spring-fed 72-degree water, is a shadow of its former innovative glory, but O'Dell hopes that someday funds will be available to restore it.
Cutting brought his bride Angela here – they married in 1888, the year the lodge was finished – and along with a home in St. Augustine, this place became their winter escape. She loved it and relished hosting their New York friends. After Cutting's sudden death four years later and her remarriage to New York stockbroker J. Lorimer Worden in 1901, she continued coming to Cherokee Grove.
After a rancorous divorce from Worden in 1922, Angela met and married an exiled Russian prince, Boris Sherbatow, in 1924, gaining the title of Princess. Cherokee Grove was their home for 25 years, and as Angela became more royal than the prince, it soon became known as Princess Place.
"Boris didn't like it," O'Dell said. "He spent his time in St. Augustine."
No one seems to know what difference he thought such a minor change would make, but Prince Boris, feeling endangered by his claims to the Russian throne, transformed his name to Sherbatov. Meanwhile, he and Angela entertained other royals and the international society set in St. Augustine and at Princess Place.
He died in 1949 of natural causes, but the princess didn't sell her beloved Princess Place until 1954. She died in St Augustine two years later at the age of 87.
Two subsequent Princess Place owners – first Angela and Lewis Wadsworth, a pair of the state's first and most ardent environmentalists, then another pair of environmentalists, Conway and Polly Kittredge – preserved the property, making it the only Spanish land grant in the state with its original acreage still together.
Both owners offered Princess Place to the state for acquisition, but it wasn't until 1993 that Flagler County was able to purchase 435 acres. Princess Place Preserve was formally dedicated in 1994, and a year later, an additional 1,100 acres were added. It now consists of more than 2,200 acres.
Ironically, after so many years of overnight visitors from high society, the only overnighters here now are primitive tents-only campers. Each of the seven family campsites comes with a view of the water.
Equestrian groups take advantage of the equestrian and group campsite by night, and access to miles of trails, including the land bridge over I-95, by day.
Each year Pangea Adventure Racing attracts 130 teams for a month of three-event competition – kayaking, mountain biking and orienteering.
Overnighter or day tripper, take the time to wander the trails and you're likely to encounter the real residents of Princess Place – herds of white-tailed deer, red fox, bobcats, opossums, raccoons, barred owls, armadillos and Florida panthers among them.
"It's pristine land; you never know what you're going to see," said Katrina Austin, Flagler County administrative assistant. "In the spring we have a pair of nesting eagles."
A large piece of old Florida, fit for a princess.
What: Princess Place Preserve
Where: 2500 Princess Place Rd., Palm Coast
Phone: 386-313-4020
Web: flaglercounty.org
Hours: 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas days. Tours of the lodge are avaiable at 2 p.m., weather permitting, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Cost: Free
Continue reading Old Florida Still Lives at Princess Place Preserve »
Photographs of the Princess and her Russian Prince set off the tabby fireplace in the great room at Princess Place Preserve in Palm Coast.
Continue reading Photo: The prince and princess of Princess Place Preserve, Palm Coast »
Leaving Princess Place Preserve in Palm Coast is like leaving the past behind, but its beauty will remain with you.
Continue reading Photo: Scenic driveway at Princess Place Preserve, Palm Coast »
Its Adirondacks style and use of local materials help the homestead blend well with the environment at Princess Place Preserve.
Continue reading Photo: Homestead at Princess Place Preserve, Palm Coast »


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- Cast: Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith, Betsy Rue, Edi Gathegi, Tom Atkins, Kevin Tighe, Megan Boone, Karen Baum, Joy de la Paz, Marc Macaulay, Todd Farmer, Jeff Hochendoner, Bingo O'Malley, Liam Rhodes, Michael McKee, Andrew Larson, Jarrod DiGiorgi, Selene Luna, Cherie McClain, Richard John Walters, David Whalen, Denise Dal Vera
- Director: Patrick Lussier
- Writers: Todd Farmer, Zane Smith
- Producer: Jack L. Murray
- Executive Producers: John Dunning, André Link, Michael Paseornek, John Sacchi
- Casting: Nancy Nayor
- Costume Design: Leeann Radeka
- D.O.P.: Brian Pearson
- Editors: Cynthia Ludwig, Patrick Lussier
- Music: Michael Wandmacher
- Production Design: Zack Grobler
- Set Decoration: Maurin L. Scarlata
Ten years ago, a tragedy changed the town of Harmony forever. Tom Hanniger, an inexperienced coal miner, caused an accident in the tunnels that trapped and killed five men and sent the only survivor, Harry Warden, into a permanent coma. But Harry Warden wanted revenge. Exactly one year later, on Valentine's Day, he woke up...and brutally murdered twenty-two people with a pickaxe before being killed.
Ten years later, Tom Hanniger returns to Harmony on Valentine's Day, still haunted by the deaths he caused. Struggling to make amends with his past, he grapples with unresolved feelings for his ex-girlfriend, Sarah, who is now married to his best friend, Axel, the town sheriff. But tonight, after years of peace, something from Harmony's dark past has returned. Wearing a miner's mask and armed with a pickaxe, an unstoppable killer is on the loose. And as his footsteps come ever closer, Tom, Sarah and Axel realize in terror that it just might be Harry Warden who's come back to claim them...
Presented in stunningly real, cutting edge 3D projection, "My Bloody Valentine 3D" stars Jensen Ackles (TV's "Smallville" and "Supernatural"), Jaime King ("The Spirit," "Sin City") and Kerr Smith ("Final Destination," "Dawson's Creek"). A remake of the 1981 horror classic, "My Bloody Valentine 3D" is directed by Patrick Lussier and produced by Jack Murray.
Basic Information
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Filming Locations: Pittsburgh, USA
- MPAA Warning: Graphic brutal horror violence and grisly images throughout, some strong sexuality, graphic nudity and language
- Production Companies: Lionsgate
- Production Schedule: 12 May 2008 - July 2008
Featured Articles
The filming of the mine scenes took place at the Tour-Ed Mines in Tarentum.
The film will have a 3-D theatrical release and is the first film released in Real D to be rated R for graphic brutal horror violence and grisly images throughout and language.
My Bloody Valentine is a completely 3D film, using new Real D technology, as seen in films such as Journey to the Center of the Earth. The film will also be available in 2D for theaters that are not equipped to process new digital 3D technology.


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Another Step Closer to the Holodeck
The Robotic Bat Wing
How a Physicist Splits an Oreo
In the film Spider-Man 2, everyone's favorite web-slinging superhero manages to stop a runaway New York City subway train traveling at full speed using only his webs. Now, scientists have discovered that this could be possible in real life, under the right circumstances.
Spider webs are considered more durable than any known synthetic or natural fiber relative to their weight, and physicists from the University of Leicester in the U.K. recently calculated that spider silk is, in fact, strong enough to stop a speeding train.
"First, the team calculated how much four R160 New York City subway cars – packed with a total of 984 people – would weigh (about 200,000 kilograms, or roughly 10 Atlas V rockets). Then, they calculated how fast the train was going (24 meters per second, or about 53 miles per hour) and how much resistance the track would have offered as it charged forward (negligible)," Wired.com explains. "From there, they could work out how much force the webbing would have needed to exert upon the train to stop it: about 300,000 Newtons, or about 12 times the amount of force exerted by a large American alligator as its jaws snap shut."
Based on data about the train, webbing, and buildings used to anchor the silk, the team determined that Spider-Man's web would need to absorb 500 million joules of energy to keep from snapping. Darwin's bark spider from Madagascar is a real-world arachnid that weaves silk strong enough for the job.
"It is often quoted that spider-webs are stronger than steel, so we thought it would be interesting to see whether this held true for Spider-Man's scaled up version," team member Alex Stone noted. "Considering the subject matter we were surprised to find out that the webbing was portrayed accurately."
Another Step Closer to the Holodeck
Who wouldn't want to spend time in the holodeck, the virtual playground where Star Trek's fictional crew spends time adventuring through fantasy worlds? Luckily, engineers are getting closer to making this science-fiction concept a reality.
Developed by the Electronic Visualization Laboratory at the University of Illinois, the CAVE2 is a "hybrid reality" system featuring a 24-foot wide, eight-foot tall screen with 72 stereoscopic liquid crystal display panels that surround a user with a 320-degree panoramic view. The array enables an observer to realistically engage in virtual scenarios, such as soaring over a distant planet's surface or traveling through the blood vessels in a human brain.
"If you're running in 3-D mode, the room needs to be able to project its stereoscopic imagery to your headwear properly, which is where a 10-camera optical tracking system comes into play, allowing the system to render images on the screens from the point of view of one observer," TIME Magazine notes. "Sound-wise, you're listening to a 20-speaker ambisonic system – 'ambisonic' meaning multichannel sound mixing, i.e. extremely high-end surround sound – to project sounds in 3-D space. And all of that's crunched by a 36-node 'high performance' computer cluster – one computer powering each screen – with a 100 GB/sec network pipe to the outside world."
Although numerous obstacles remain in making the CAVE2 a viable commercial technology, mainly the large scale and high expense of the components, it already has a vast range of potential applications.
"The CAVE2 virtual world could change the way doctors are trained and improve patient care…Pharmaceutical researchers could use it to model the way new drugs bind to proteins in the human body. Car designers could virtually 'drive' their new vehicle designs," the Associated Press explains. "Imagine turning massive amounts of data – the forces behind a hurricane, for example – into a simulation that a weather researcher could enlarge and explore from the inside. Architects could walk through their skyscrapers before they are built. Surgeons could rehearse a procedure using data from an individual patient."
The Robotic Bat Wing
In yet another example of nature-inspired engineering, scientists have created a 3-D printed robotic bat wing that accurately simulates the winged mammal's flight motions and could help aerodynamics experts find improvements for aircraft.
Researchers from Brown University designed the robot to mimic the wing shape and motion of the lesser dog-faced fruit bat. The device can flap while attached to a force transducer in a wind tunnel, enabling experimenters to record the aerodynamic forces generated by the moving wing.
"Bat wings are incredibly complex mechanisms, producing lift and thrust to help the flying mammals quickly chase their insect prey, fly long distances, and nimbly move through dense clouds of their compatriots," Popular Science reports. "A bat's wings span almost its entire body, supported by two arm bones and five finger-like digits covered in an elastic skin that can stretch up to 400 percent of its original size. Small aircraft based on bat designs could be efficient little flapping drones, but researchers would need to understand how bats work."
Here's a video showing the robot bat wing in action:
How a Physicist Splits an Oreo
Everyone has their own way of eating Oreos—whether it's twisting, dunking, or combining them into super-Oreos. But in today's hectic world, who has the time to manually separate two halves of a cookie?
Luckily, a little technical know-how can provide a mechanical solution to the problem. Physicist, artist, and copywriter David Neevel (who happens to hate the Oreo's creamy middle) recently unveiled his Oreo Separator Machine, a device that splits the cookie apart and scraps away the white filling using a calibrated CNC machine.
The tongue-in-cheek project is part of Nabisco's "Cookie vs. Creme" campaign, and even the machine's inventor doesn't take his accomplishment too seriously. "I've been working on my machine now for about 0.04 years," Neevel explained. "I used tools, wires, and wood, and a lot of aluminum…and motors."
Have a great weekend, folks.
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"I'd been interviewing for this position for three months — off LinkedIn, Craigslist, and a variety of places," said Ms. Shaw. But she found her hire more serendipitously.
YogaFit owner Beth Shaw recently hired an employee her COO met at a dog park. Do you have trouble finding stellar job candidates?
Pinterest, Dropbox, Pinwheel … there are a lot of good candidates out there under the category of 'next success of Facebook-esque proportions.' What's your pick?
Fall in love, certainly. But a wonderful product or service won't make up for bad decisions and deficiencies in marketing, management or finance. Being a successful entrepreneur means being a competent entrepreneur, in addition to being the best baker, computer programmer, picture framer, hairstylist or whatever it is you are.
Here is the real secret: passion is critical, but it can't make up for deficiencies in the other categories. I have seen many people fail in business, and they were all passionate. It is not enough.
We often post quotes of notable entrepreneurs toting that passion is the lifeblood of business. Here, Jay Goltz begs to differ, and argues why a combination of factors—not just one—will help your company grow and flourish.
Not firing people does not make you nicer than I am. It just makes you irresponsible, and your customers and your other employees pay the price.
Jay Goltz hiring, firing and being the boss.
Choosing entrepreneurship might be one of the most simple and pure adventures you can take. No permission needed, no essays to write, no tests to take, no interviews to get through, no one to tell you what to do or what not to do — and of course no one else to take the credit or blame.
You need only the possibly crazy notion that someone wants to pay you money for your goods or services — and the guts to quit your job, sign the lease, borrow some money, spend the money and tell your spouse, parents, and/or parole officer. For some, this is invigorating. For others it is intimidating. It can be both. Certainly, it is very different from the more predictable paths of going to graduate school or getting a job.


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The Litany Against Lou Piniella
April 23rd, 2009
To: Lou Piniella
From: the Cub Fan Nation (in gen.) and The Goat Riders of the Apocalypse (in part.)
Mr. Piniella, it has come to our attention at this, the 11th hour of April the 23rd in the Year of Our Lord 2009 that you are failing in your duties to guide the Chicago Cubs toward the World Series. The litany of crimes follows.
- You insist on batting a man capable of hitting 30-40 homeruns leadoff. This same individual, while displaying prodigious amounts of speed, is not known for his plate discipline.
- You have placed yourself in an indefensible position with Neal Cotts in the bullpen. By now he presents no surprises, yet you chose to turn your only other Major League-capable lefty into a starter despite having at least one other qualified option to pitch in the rotation (Aaron Heilman). Since the start of the season Cotts has displayed no ability to pitch well in any given situation. But rather than force him to work his way through the situations he causes, you elect to immediately pull him and turn to some other schmuck (usually Carlos Marmol) to save the day.
- In order to compensate for the Cotts abortion, you have chosen to release a relief pitcher with a 0.00 ERA and a sub-1 WHIP in order to replace him with another reliever who got beaten like a pinata by major league hitters in Spring Training.
- You insist on using Derrek Lee as your 3-hitter despite the fact that even when productive his numbers are better suited for somebody batting 5th or 6th.
Understand, Mr. Piniella, that none of us wish to contest your superiority to the team's former manager Dusty Baker. You're like cake to his turpentine. But while you have given the Cubs what they needed back in 2007 - structure, discipline, a fairly-constructed starting lineup - you have failed to take the next step: manage the team in a strategic way which improves their chances of winning.
We understand that there are reasons - dare we call them excuses? - for your decisions. They're just really, really bad ones. And while I would never claim to know how to manage a baseball team better than you, the issues I presently am voicing are written from common sense.
Therefore, Mr. Piniella, the Goat Riders of the Apocalypse can no longer endorse you as the manager of the Chicago Cubs. We will question your every move, scrutinize your every mistake, and shout loudly to the heavens your every idiotic blunder.
But I most say, sir, that it is not yet too late. We do not hate you, nor do we wish to see you fired. We believe that - like Saddam in the South Park movie - you can change. We may still choose to support you at a later date. Or we may take the next step and demand that you be let out to pasture before your senior moments cost the Cubs a pennant.
The Goat Riders of the Apocalypse
Yeah. Who knows on some of
Yeah. Who knows on some of this stuff.
With Soriano, there appears to be some difference in his approach at the plate with runners on. Over the course of his career, Soriano bats .291 with the bases empty, and .267 with runners on. In contrast, Aramis Ramirez hits .277 with the bases empty, and .293 with runners on (including a .367 average with the bases loaded--nice!). Actually, I've checked a few other Cubs starters as well, and it doesn't seem like anyone else has this sort of drop-off with runners on. Who knows what that's worth.
The Cotts/Vizcaino thing, yeah. I've read things about attitude? Not sure it's worth $4mil to have the moral high ground. I'm scouring the data here and not really coming up with a reason why Vizcaino can't pitch. He looks like a decent reliever. Maybe the problem is, he's only really been good at getting out righties in his career, which is redundant given our current 'pen make up?
The Lee thing... yeah. From his numbers, it looks like he's having a swing issue. It's not the ground balls that are killing "DP Lee," but the pop flies. In fact, 23% of Lee's batted balls have been infield flies. So it's not that he's just lofting it out powerlessly to outfielders, but he's just not getting solid contact, and flipping them up to the infield.
I really don't hate Soriano hitting leadoff, because I don't trust him in clutch situations. I feel like his strike zone gets so much larger when he feels pressure to knock in some RBIs; my theory is supported by his lower batting average with runners on. The bullpen needs to find a way to gain an advantage over clutch lefties, and despite shitty control (which has always afflicted NC), Cotts has the stuff to do it, if he can just find the strike zone before July. And Lee will in fact come around to hit .290 with 20hr. It's a bad month, that's all.
I'm not sure why
...you people give Kurt 5 stars when HE bitches, but you put ME on blast whenever I do.
You all know how I feel about Lee batting third.
I'm not sure I can fault Lou though for Soriano. Who else is going to hit leadoff? Soriano does have 9 walks already this year. That ain't bad.
Cotts throws with his left hand, and I have a feeling the whole Vizcaino deal went down about things OFF the field, not on the field. Sure, Vizcaino has not given up a run. Lou hasn't trusted him in a single game situation...there's more to it that just Cotts vs. Vizcaino.
What I am upset with Lou about is his gradual decline into sluggishness. There's been several times this year we could have used a little fire out of the dugout, and perhaps for him to protect his players - the Bradley ejection for one. Mr. "I'll play the guys who are doing well". You know the names of the guys hitting under .200 this year. He keeps running them out there.
Just a matter of degrees...
My guess is that if the Cubs were 10-4 instead of 8-6, all would be gravy in Cub-Land.
They scored 1 run in two losses to the Reds. Not Lou's fault.
batting order
Something that has yet to be pointed out about players picking out where they hit in the line up. I believe we had a second baseman who preferred to hit second in the line up and no matter how much the press and fans complained that he should be hitting lower in the lineup that is where he stayed. This player is one of our hall of fame god's aka as Ryno.


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It's strange times these days around an NHL team. Nobody's sure whether the guy next to him in the locker room will be there a week from now. The trade deadline is Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Niclas Havelid's five years (four seasons) with the Thrashers are almost certainly about to end. He told me he hasn't had any input on where he will go and that experience has taught him not to get too worked up about things he can't control. He's not the No. 1 defenseman on the market, but he'd be a great addition for a team needing a veteran stay-at-home guy.
Marty Reasoner and Eric Perrin also are unrestricted free agents this summer unless they re-sign before July 1. Reasoner could be useful enough for a playoff-contending team to be willing to give up a draft pick to rent him for the rest of the season. It probably would be tougher to find a taker for Perrin.
Erik Christensen remains in the lineup tonight with Jim Slater out again. They're both restricted free agents this summer. Maybe Christensen, like Jason Williams did, would benefit from a fresh start with a new team.
There are two games before the deadline, tonight and Tuesday. By the time the Thrashers play Montreal on Friday, the uncertainty will be over.
February 28th, 2009
1:02 pm
Yes, it surely will come to an end. The General Manager earns his pay by March 4th. Let's see what DWad does.
February 28th, 2009
1:53 pm
Christensen had a fresh start with a new team last year, what happened? He might fetch a 3th round pick…maybe.
The Thrashers should be sellers this time of year, but sadly, they don't have much to sell. How is this team ever to improve?? Free agents don't want to come here, DW can't draft, they have no worthwhile assets to trade, and the bright light of the team is probably gone after (during) next season.
February 28th, 2009
3:25 pm
I don't understand why Don Waddell hasn't signed any UFAs or RFAs on our team yet.
Of course you are going to have plenty of UFA to deal at the deadline every year…when you fail to re-sign any of them during the season…and this is something he does every year.
There is no way that Colby Armstrong or Marty Reasoner should be without contracts right now. Both are solid, and useful NHL players who we should consider part of this teams future. They shouldn't be sitting in their lockers wondering where the heck they are going to be next season, or wondering if the Thrashers are interested in keeping them around.
February 28th, 2009
4:17 pm
Let's say that the Thrashers get unlucky and finish 28th in the league (not out of reach) and do not move up in the NHL draft after the lottery…
Who do you pick?
Do you address defense, offense, or merely the "best player available" with that number 3 choice?
Do you trade down a few spots to get more assets, or trade the pick altogether to fetch a top line forward (think Cammalleri last year)?
February 28th, 2009
5:26 pm
If the Thrashers are three, I think you look at Svensson-Paajarvii, Duchene, Schenn, or Kane.
You might be able to trade down a few places, and still get one of these guys and maybe a 2nd or 3rd rounder.
February 28th, 2009
5:28 pm
Sorry, I forgot to add. Those guys are all forwards. After Hedman I think there is perhaps 1 or 2 defenseman that might go in the Top 10. This year at the top of the draft is going to be very forward heavy.
February 28th, 2009
5:51 pm
I want the younger Schenn. Provided we don't get Tavares…. Although Svenson-Pajaarvii is a lot more skilled than central scouting has rated him IMHO
February 28th, 2009
6:48 pm
As we are a rudderless, drifting "aimlessly" team, I'd say … you draft the best available player at whereever you land in the draft.
February 28th, 2009
7:01 pm
Mike-After taking note of the teams that have been scouting our games over the past month, have you noticed if any are showing up multiple times? That may give a clue as to who is taking a look at our players specifically.
February 28th, 2009
7:48 pm
I am overweight with a heart problem but even I could have stopped the two goals that sorry son of a betch Finn Kari Letemin whiffed in during the first 20 minutes! John Petrino will leave him in because both are brainless idiots who do not know a damn thing about hockey. Good old Ilya "Another Misfire" Kovalchuk is in a zone again. A damn no-score zone. Oh yeah, on the power play, shoot the mother (X) puck! Pretty passes do not count for a damn thing. Another nauseating night in Loseland. To Hell with Kari Letemin. To Hell with all the ball-less quitters! Will gladly shell out a few bucks to purchase their tickets to Hamilton. Hell, ANY city outside of Georgia will suffice!
February 28th, 2009
8:40 pm
Ilya Kovalchuk scored with less than a minute to play in second period. No one can misfire forever! How long before worthless oxygen waste Kari Letemin gives that one back? Oh well. It is 2-1 after two periods. Is another of those close losses apologists savor so much only a few minutes away? Only time will tell.
February 28th, 2009
9:09 pm
WOW! That piece of shet in the Toiletlid goal is even more worthless than I thought he was! The Finn bestard sure gave the goal back in record time! Damn son of a betch. Secured another home loss! Thanks for nothing Finland! Mother (X) fourth rate backwater country not worth a flying (X). Do not export any more of your smelly trash! Can we deport the bestard?
February 28th, 2009
9:20 pm
Another goal for Kari Letemin to return! Hope it takes just a tad longer THIS time. Another close defeat looms. Break out that champagne apologists! Just think if the home team had a REAL damn goaltender instead of an untalented fraud between the pipes. Sigh. But sign him for life right braindead poll voters? Damn unintelligent jerks!
February 28th, 2009
9:33 pm
Home team netted enough. Congratulations! Nice rally. Been waiting all season to see some toughness. Witnessed it tonight!
February 28th, 2009
9:47 pm
Heck of a game tonight.
The Ilya Kovalchuk Show
February 28th, 2009
10:25 pm
Ilya Kovalchuk hasn't been misfiring too much lately. He's fifth or sixth in the league in goals. He's also in the top ten in points. Kovalchuk has been awesome the last month or so.
February 28th, 2009
10:46 pm
The last 21-minutes of this game were some of the best of the season for the Thrashers. Good job.
February 28th, 2009
11:18 pm
Great come from behind win for the Thrashers at Phillips tonight. I was impressed by how they battled and attacked, and skated with energy and desire to compete even when they got down 3-1 in the 3rd period.
Always nice to beat a division rival like Carolina at home!
I sure hope Marty Reasoner and Eric Perrin both remain Thrashers, saw effort and plays made from both tonight.
One of these days young Boris Valabik will stop taking stupid penalties…impressed with Bogosian's skating and puck handling ability. He'll be a good one (just needs experience and time at the NHL level)
Ilya is playing very hard of late too, still takes too many bad shots (at times) but the effort is there. I liked what he said after the game when interviewed…they played hard for the fans, that they owed the fans the effort and energy and to deliver a victory.
Good crowd at Phillips tonight as well.
Overall, I'm very impressed that such a young team with a 1st year coach isn't showing signs of quitting with 20 some games left in the season and are doing the best they can (esp. putting out the effort).
Oh, and Stendec…STFU man. Negative, negative, negative that's all I've ever seen from you on this blog (I mostly just lurk) but someone has to tell you to calm the frak down and enjoy the victory!
March 1st, 2009
9:58 am
Maybe not Mike, but after the beatdown Nashville gave them last night, 8-0, I bet they would love to have Pavelec or Lehtonen over how they're two goalies have been playing lately.
March 1st, 2009
10:41 am
Conklin and Osgood have been playing stellar hockey as of late, but last night was a bad game. I believe Conklin had two straight shutouts prior to the Nashville game.
March 1st, 2009
1:18 pm
Conklin, Osgood, Brodeur, etal would all look as bad, if not worse, than Kari if they faced 35+ shots night in and night out. Brodeur stopped 14 shots last night. That's a good period for our goalies! Anyone who writes that Kari is the problem is an idiot who doesn't understand hockey.
This team will never improve to the level we (the fans) want it to until the overall defense of the team is improved and the SOG are limited significantly.
March 1st, 2009
2:33 pm
How 'bout this beautiful, snowy day! A perfect day to bask in the glow of a Thrashers victory over a division rival, in a "must win" game for the 'Canes.
March 1st, 2009
3:43 pm
It was reconfirmed on Satellite Hotstove last night that Philly is looking at Lehtonen in exchange for Van Riemsdyk.
They also said that Philly would have to move Biron or Nitty to accomodate Lehts.
March 1st, 2009
5:52 pm
I saw that, also, Hokie … on the 'Hot Stove' segment. And ya know what? I can't, for the love of Pete, figure out why either side would do this deal. The Flyers have two quality goalies in Nittymaaki and Biron. What has Lehtonen done, aside from a 34-win season in 2006, to make any team go, "Gah-gah" over him? Now, vanRiemsdyk is a fine young prospect. He was selected 2nd overall in 2007. In this regard, Waddell 'might' get a "pass." In other words, one 2nd overall pick (2002) for another 2nd overall pick (2007), and Atlanta would control vanRiemsdyk's contract for many more years. Officially, vanRiemsdyk is listed as a left wing. We've got Kozlov and Kovalchuk holding down the top two scoring lines at that position. And Brett Sterling is still in the system, with his ability to be an NHL-calibre player still up for grabs.
If Philly is seriously looking at Kari, then they think the problem with Kari's numbers and "focus issues" are Atlanta defense-related. Hmmn, interesting theory. I guess the Flyers felt they got such a good deal with Coburn, that they might try shopping with Atlanta again.
Okay, but they're not exactly moving an old, out of shape, 35-year old this time around. If Atlanta actually did this deal, don't the T-birds pretty much have to rush young Pavelec into the starters role next season? He's 21, I might remind everyone. Now, nothing says DWad can't go shopping for a proven commodity netminder either at this trade deadline or in the offseason. He's still got Hedberg to be the backup, if he wants to keep Pavelec in the AHL.
Personally, I don't think Waddell has any thoughts of trading Kari. That was "his prized pick" of the 2002 draft. If the Wadster could just fix Atlanta's Defense, they might be fine. Kari really isn't some "flop" of a netminder. He shouldn't have to face 41 shots a game.
Kari is only going to cost $3-$4 million to re-sign this summer. And I'm fine with him being the backup, if Pavelec legitimately wins the starting position next year, or down the road. Having Kari as insurance is a pretty good deal, in my opinion. Now, I hear ya. "But Brendan, is being a 'backup goalie' really an acceptable return for a 2nd overall pick?" Well, quite frankly, "No, it isn't. But it IS what it IS." Just because Kari hasn't set the league on fire and stolen playoff series for Atlanta doesn't mean they should spew him out like some bad fish at a Chinese restaurant.
March 1st, 2009
6:35 pm
Eklund had Havelid to Buffalo/Minnesota. No details.
**ranallo** What's the Lightning got left to play for? The Thrash easily pass them if they keep playing like they have lately.
March 1st, 2009
6:36 pm
March 1st, 2009
6:38 pm
What html controls do we have now? Any? None?
March 1st, 2009
7:10 pm
Ray, I have been saying all year that Kari is the problem. How many other #1 goalies CONTINUALLY let in soft goal after soft goal?!? Stendec is RIGHT ON that AGAIN last night's Carolina goals should have been stopped. If Lehtonen is not injured, he's letting in a soft goal or two EVERY game! That's the only consistancy in his game! Every goalie will be off maybe 1 game in 5 or the better goalies 1 game in 10, but EVERY NIGHT you can point to another goal that "Kari would love to have that one back" or "Kari is not on his game". Why do you think we got behind early in SO MANY games this year?!? According to your illogical reasoning its the D! Sigh! Wasn't Bogo, SCHNEIDER, Havelid, Hainsey playing those games?!? Now you look like the idiot! LEHTONEN NEEDS TO GO! This is the time we can get the most for him.
March 1st, 2009
7:30 pm
How ever you feel about Kari, I see very little in the form of who his replacement is? If you think Pavelic is ready then fine but I think there would have to be a major pitch to get a veteran goalie to the team. Maybe Minnesota or Chicago would be where to look? Do you feel that the ASG is willing to spend 6 to 7 mil on a goalie?
March 1st, 2009
7:52 pm
Who says they need to spend that kind of number? Do you realize that Tim Thomas (all-star goalie) is a UFA and only makes 1.1M and Fernandez makes around 4M? And Conklin another UFA makes only 750K. Backstrom is also a UFA and makes around 3M. I said in a previous blog that there are 25 UFAs out there where at least 15 you could show statistically are MUCH, MUCH better than Lehtonen. And another thing for the "idiot" calling Ray, the Thrashers play a completely different style of hockey than the mentioned Red Wings and NJ. Minn and Columbus also play a defense oriented "style" whereas the Anderson led Thrashers are a completely OFFENSIVE minded defense that takes alot of chances while pinching up which is going to obviously give up a lot of shots. So Ray, I don't think you have much hockey intelligence!
March 2nd, 2009
7:41 am
"Draft choices probably isn't my first choice at this point. I'd like to get live bodies," Waddell said. ""Saying that, if somebody offers an unbelievable pick for a guy, we'll look at that. I'd like to get players who have already been drafted or are already playing pro hockey."
I love that quote…basically he's saying that he prefers a player already drafted by someone else (and their scouting dept.). I understand he means players ready to jump to the NHL in the next year or two (as opposed to 4 or 5 with lower round picks, if they ever make it to the NHL)…but it's definitely a quote that can be misunderstood or read into.
kracker: I believe the Lightning and the Thrashers have exactly the same thing to play for right now…pride and chemistry. The Lightning are in better position to get the number 2 spot and the Thrashers will be picking from the 3 spot, AGAIN. This isn't an ideal place for drafting, in my opinion, which is why I posed the question.
I don't believe for a second that any team plays for draft position, but the Islanders are better suited (due to injury and trade bait) to remain the worst team in the league, and the Lightning and Thrashers seem to be playing for 28th. The Lightning have injuries (Ranger is now out for the season) and overall bad chemistry compared to the Thrashers, which means the Thrashers will likely win more than the Lightning in the remaining 20ish games.
Again, the state of our team is why I posed the question. As fans, what would you want to see done with that #3 pick? I feel that it's a greater chance it's the pick this team will be "stuck with".
March 2nd, 2009
9:54 am
ExSTH, I understand completely the different styles of hockey the teams you mentioned play. You make my point whether you realize it or not. If any of those goalies played for Atlanta, their save percentages wouldn't be as good as they are for their current team. Likewise, Kari's save percentage would improve dramatically if he moved to Det, NJ, MN, etc. That's the point, with our style of play the goalie will be left holding the bag often and facing many more shots/game compared to other goalies. Good, or bad, that's the way it is. Because of this, you (fans) really can't expect Kari, or any goalie to face that barrage of shots and statistically be a top 10 goalie.
March 2nd, 2009
10:02 am
Eklund @ hockeybuzz.com is saying that the Red Wings are looking at Lehtonen. That's probably why their scouts have been to almost every game in the past month. I hope DWad doesn't screw this one up!
March 2nd, 2009
10:14 am
Eklund also said Kovalchuk was going to Minnesota…and Montreal…and Toronto.
Eklund's "sources" are as reliable as much as your or my opinion on any trade that could be made by Atlanta…
March 2nd, 2009
10:23 am
Clearly I failed English.
March 2nd, 2009
11:08 am
If DWad is in fact crazy enough to entertain offers from DET for Kari Lehtonen, he darn well better get back Conklin, a player like Jiri Hudler for our 3rd line C (insurance against losing Reasoner), and a prospect who might be ready in a couple of years to replace Slava at LW.
March 2nd, 2009
11:24 am
Ranallo, while I would prefer we get Hedman to bolster our defense, I don't think Schenn or Duchene would be bad consolation prizes at the # 3 slot to augment our forward prospects. Obviously, only Hedman and Tavares seem to be locks for jumping right in and playing (love Hedman's size at 6′6″) so we probably need to take the most talented player in the draft after those two go to NY and Tampa. After the their boneheaded move to trade Dan Boyle, I don't think they'll pass up the opportunity to draft Hedman.
Hopefully, this next month of playing time will help cement Valabik's confidence that he can play 3rd pairing minutes full-time next year. Perhaps we can pick up a stay at home D-man to play 2nd pair minutes with Hainsey. I would really like to see Toby and Z-Bo as our top pairing guys next year. And I'm not ready to give up on Oystrick as a potential 3rd pairing partner for Valabik.
Bogey & Toby
Ronsey & FA or XLB
Oyster & Boris or Kulda / Lewis
The youth just might serve us well if we can a) sign a big-name FA center to play with Kovy, b) Peverley can stick as a top-6 guy, c) drop Whitey to 3rd line C if we lose Marty and d)find the right kind of 2-way forwards to bolster our 3rd and 4th lines and make us a better puck possession team in general. Of course, that's probably a lot of wishful thinking with this ownership's poor committment to success.
March 2nd, 2009
1:59 pm
Smoothie: I've responded to this on the newest blog.
March 3rd, 2009
1:24 pm
In Detroit, they're ALL going to still be there on Thursday. Only teams like Atlanta have entire locker rooms up for sale. Why not, you're not going to the playoffs….again.


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Nov 1, 2006
Argentina is awaiting the first infrastructure securitization to come to market later this month, due to be launched by gas companies Transportadora de Gas del Sur (TGS)...
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Are populist governments like Venezuela & Argentina turning pragmatic?
In some ways
At a fundamental level, the issue is how to generate healthy returns in the medium to long term. Policy holders can see their fund go down over the course of a week or a month, but what we really should be looking at is returns over 20 or 30 years.
Daniel Schydlowsky, Peru's banking, insurance and private pension fund regulator
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Although Samsung officially backs the new Blu-Ray DVD format, they are producing a player that will support both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. Production of the dual format player will only occur if the industry can't decided on one format.
Blu-Ray is backed by: Sony, Panasonic, Philips, and others. While HD-DVD is backed by Toshiba, NEC, and Sanyo Electronics.


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It gets worse. Because tech markets crave standardization, they tend to create monopolies, which in turn lock consumers into a product or a company. Disgruntled customers find it harder and harder to walk away. Per Davidow:
Lock-in creates dominant players -- witness Google, Facebook, Microsoft. And in this monopoly-driven environment, customers get exploited. Microsoft forces them to upgrade to expensive, overly complex, and bug-ridden software.
Apple controls our virtual landscape, bounded by iTunes to the north, the iPhone to the south, the iPad to the east, and the iPod to the west, giving it increasing power to deprive customers of choice. It exercises that power aggressively. Google appears to have a culture that condones shamelessly violating consumer privacy.
I know this firsthand; I recently decided to try using Bing as my browser home page instead of Google, but quickly abandoned that idea. Why? Because nearly everything else I use every day in my work life -- email, calendar, blogs -- are all Google products. I wasn't willing to switch wholesale, and it was too much hassle to get from Bing to all those services starting with the letter "G".
But mostly, it's a failure of attitude in the minds of Valley CEOs. It's the notion that customers are simply natural resources to be mined and then discarded, an approach that borders on contempt. Davidow writes:
It is hard to believe that Dave Packard or Andy Grove would ever tell a group of entrepreneurs that he did "every horrible thing in the book to just get revenues right away," or brag to trade publications that his company used behavioral psychologists to design "compulsion loops" into products to keep customers engaged. But Mark Pincus, the founder of Internet gaming giant Zynga, has done just that.
Solutions? Davidow has none. As long as the market rewards this kind of behavior, it will continue. But I think companies can learn. We've seen it with Microsoft. Humbled by its continued failures in the mobile arena, it's no longer the haughty our-way-or-the-highway company it used to be back in the late '90s. We've seen it with Facebook, which has gotten backhanded by its customers (and the FTC) on several occasions where it took a few too many liberties with our data. Apple isn't quite the closed-wall company it used to be, though that transition is slow in coming. Google, on the other hand, seems to be getting worse.
As for Zynga, personally I hope it and its CEO go down hard and don't get back up. It's hateful in every way. But I digress.
Overall, I think Davidow nails it. The question now is, what can we as consumers do about it?
What do you think, Cringesters -- is there hope for the Valley yet? Post your thoughts below or ping me: firstname.lastname@example.com.
This article, "Occupy Silicon Valley! It's time to take back user rights," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the crazy twists and turns of the tech industry with Robert X. Cringely's Notes from the Field blog, and subscribe to Cringely's Notes from the Underground newsletter.


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Yoga Directories:
LETSGLO "is a virtual chai tent for the yoga, meditation, dance, pilates, healthy cooking and wellness communities – connecting practitioners with venues, teachers and training worldwide." This is a new and very pretty site.
General Yoga:
Yoga Therapy Resources Great resource site for the healing benefits of yoga therapy. We offer webinars and online courses with leading yoga teachers, plus articles and resources about yoga for back pain, yoga for depression, yoga for stress management, yoga for diabetes, and more.
Yoga Journal Magazine- the premiere yoga magazine in the U.S. Lots of helpful articles-a Basics area, Practice and even Poses in detail. Healthy recipes etc.
Alternative Health Sites:
Mercola.com- The link actually takes you to the articles page. I go there for detailed info on any health issue-this is not just about money for Dr. Mercola, it's his lifestyle and what he believes, numerous health issues are covered exhaustively with explanation of both conventional and alternative therapy. He, like many- believes the current health system is deeply flawed, and so the site is about how to care for ourselves with a more holistic and comprehensive view than simply taking a few drugs and calling it a day. He examines the pro's and con's in a way that few do as authoritatively. Also each article gives you a short overview if you are short on time.
Music/Yoga Stuff etc…
Spirit Voyage- Primarily based on Kundalini Yoga, this site has much more in terms of yoga clothing (kundalini yoga style & others,) jewelry, and music-for all types of practitioners and yoga teachers. There is a whole section of yoga stuff in Spanish.
Some Western Chant Masters:
Krishna Das- Chanting (Kirtan) is a part of the path of Devotional Yoga, says his website. A warm, wonderful person to chant with-it's done in a call and response fashion, and is incredibly fun. A student of mine who used drugs said after attending one of KD's "concerts" (as it's participatory I put in quotes)- that he felt as good as he does when he got high! The NY Times on him here.
Marylee Fairbanks: a certified yoga teacher and former actress, makes beautiful gem stone, chakra jewelry from the heart. Check out her site.


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Hormones and Your Body: 6 Surprising Effects
Pages in this Story:
Estrogen, progester-what? Use this quick definition guide.
Estrogen: An umbrella term for a class of hormones crucial to sexual development and a healthy reproductive system; it can also affect brain function, bone health, and cancer risk.
Oxytocin: This hormone causes contractions during labor, stimulates milk production during breastfeeding, and promotes the mother/child bond. Its feel-good power could even strengthen your relationship with your partner and other close contacts.
Progesterone: Produced in the ovaries, especially during the second half of your menstrual cycle, it stimulates the thickening of the uterine lining in anticipation of a possible pregnancy.
Testosterone: Typically thought of as a male hormone, testosterone is also produced in women's bodies to promote sexual desire, and it plays a role in hair growth and energy levels.
What do you think of this story? Leave a Comment.


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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
There's nothing "epic" about being a nameless cog in a 40 person raid. Thats why your typical 40 man was 10 great players, 15 good players, and 15 players you'd never take on a 5 man because they're too incompetitant to take when individual contributions actually matter.
The only people 40 person raids worked for were the top tier guilds, who could recruit from everybody else. For lower tier guilds, actually keeping 40 people togethre was a logistics nightmare. Keeping 40 GOOD players together in a more casual guild was next to impossible, becuase uber raid guild X always needed someone and would give them free epix.
Shrinking raid sizes is the best thing Blizzard ever did for PvE.


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Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Living the Sharpest Life
First Impressions1 Reviews
Something wicked comes this way
Living the Sharpest Life
(#) xxBL00D-INKxx 2011-06-30 02:58:36 PMThis is fuken amazing! I freaken love the story and dude yu r an amazing writer! Keep on the good work! :]
Author's responseAwwww blushes thankyou so much!
Im so glad that you're enjoying the story and I will deffs keep writing.
Thanks so much for the review, it is greatly appreciated :D


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ACParadise Network: American Cosplay Paradise American Cosplay Experience American Cosplay Snapshots
Cosplayer Luluko > Costume of Pikachu from Pokemon
- Most Recent Photo
- 08-04-2012
- Series
- Pokemon
- Character
- Pikachu
- Special Variation:
- Gijinka
- Year Completed:
- 2009
- Construction Difficulty:
- Easy
- Costume worn at:
- Anime Detour 2009
- Anime Iowa 2009
This Costume has been retired
About this Costume
- Construction Details:
The dress was a sundress bought from Target and hemmed at the knee. [With a zigzag stitch - how little I knew back then!] The tail and stripes were cut from a fur fabric and attached with a zigzag stitch. The tights were bought from WeLoveColors. The shoes are from Target, which I first painted, but later covered in a yellow polka dot broadcloth [rather terribly, I might add]. The ears were made from the same fuzzy fabric I used for the tail and attached to a headband. I had to hot glue them together because my old machine couldn't handle sewing through two layers of that fabric. I used cut out pieces from a plastic milk jug to give the ears shape and help them stand up - I had no idea interfacing existed back then. XD
Add a Comment


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CHI Auto Digital Ceramic Waver
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What is going to happen tomorrow at My High School Graduation…
A Wild Amber Appeared.
Earth sent out Sun.
The Sun's Light filled the room with intense heat
Amber used Sun block lotion.
Sun used sun burn rays.
Amber was unaffected
Sun used Sunny Hot Day.
Amber lost 150 of 150 hp
Amber Fainted
A Diploma dropped to the ground.
Earth was rewarded a diploma and 150 poke.
Sun gained 3 exp points.
If I don't respond in a while, I am probably laying down on the ground at the school field, with a diploma in my hand, dead from the heat, XD.
I mean, come on. Girls have to wear a black dress with a black robe. It is suppose to be sweltering hot tomorrow XD.


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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
On the topic of bags...there is a bag vendor in SW (and probably Org) that sells the 20 slot specialty bags for 2-4 times more than they used to be bought in outlands. I think in Hyjal (and other new zones) you can buy the same/similar bags for the normal prices (12-14g) so what gives? Why is Blizzard being shady with their pricing? Just curious. Although it seems they want to fleece newer players.


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I have made this recipe at least 50 times. It is my favorite brownie recipe! Almost everyone I have shared these brownies with comments "These are the best brownies I've ever eaten!" I often sprinkle the top of the brownie batter with white chocolate & milk chocolate chips in addition to the semi-sweet called for in the recipe.
Double Chocolate Brownies
lchargra Posted: 12/27/09
Daily Specials


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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Can't stablemaster NPCs restore lost companion pets/mounts?
Also, if I recall correctly the heirloom pants had been in the game since Wrath. They added another pair when they added the tank heirlooms, which means they haven't completely discarded it yet, but it's still a floating idea waiting too see if/when it gets implemented.
I kind of think they can, but Im not sure if it's still of the 'I accidentally deleted the item' kind rather than 'I just let the mail get deleted', which doesn't make sense to me if the guy never got them...they sit there in the mailbox for an entire month, that's way longer than the week he says he lets them sit for rested.
That particular function of stable masters was put in back when the achievement system was patched into the game and -all freakin hell- broke loose, servers reset randomly and on purpose and if you had tried to learn your mounts/minipets so they weren't items in your bags anymore before one of those resets, you lost them. Blizz eventually shook that out and the stable masters were able to return mounts and minipets by giving you copies of everything you had.
I seriously almost quit the game when all of that was happening. I was a collector even back then, despite the hell it wreaked on my bank and inventory (And I was a hunter, I lost a bag slot to a stupid quiver!) and to lose the mounts I had worked so damn hard for, because it was still hard back then to get exalted with other races, was devastating. My girlfriend talked me into waiting, sure Blizzard would figure out a way to fix it, and thankfully they did.
Stablemasters can help you retrieve some pets you once had, but no longer have. Specifically, they are supposed to be able to help you reacquire pets that were originally soulbound items that you possessed but lost when pets were converted to the spell book. If you never removed the pets from the mail, then your character never had them bound, and the stablemaster won't be able to help.
Not that they can anyway. Several of my toons are missing their corehound pups and stablemasters offer no assistance, and I cba to fill out a ticket for them.


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It has indeed been a long time since anything has been written on here.
A small update is all I feel inclined to do. Which by no means signifies that more continuous updates will follow, but neither does it mean that updates will stop.
Maybe someday I will again feel the call to write on here.
But for now, things have changed; I am no longer on a bike, neither am I solo.
Life has given me someone to travel with and also life has given me the opportunity to do something new.
On wednesday we head out from Sevilla to walk to Greece (as a starting destination)
Anyway, before I get sidetracked.
Stay safe
Take care
And may the road God's be with you.