text:
Not so with fellow receiver Hakeem Nicks.
Nicks surprised Coughlin Wednesday when he failed to show up for the team's first voluntary workout.
"I don't know," Coughlin said when asked about Nicks' status. "He should be here."
Nicks' agent, Peter Schaffer, did not immediately return an email by The Associated Press seeking comment.
Nicks had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in the offseason, so it is doubtful he would have been able to participate fully in the workout anyway.
Coughlin said the Nicks' knee was not the issue. He hurt it in the second week of last season and was never 100 percent again.
"He would have some kind of limitations, I'm sure," Coughlin said. "Not right away, but that is not the reason."
With his top two receivers out, Eli Manning got a chance to throw more balls to recently signed free agent Louis Murphy and young receivers Rueben Randle and Jerrel Jernigan.
Murphy, who played with Carolina last season, was the most impressive, beating Corey Webster on a long pass that covered about 50 yards.
"We're getting everybody in there, getting them a lot of reps, getting on time with them. We're always going to get better," Manning said. "Whoever is on the field, we're going to expect them to go out there and play at a high level. So I think the more guys you have who are experienced and ready to play different positions, the better off we're going to be."
While some were surprised, Manning and most of the veterans didn't seem overly concerned about Nicks' absence. Manning insisted all he was worried about was getting better after the team missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record.
Defensive captain Justin Tuck hoped Nicks would be on hand Thursday.
"I realize no matter how much time they miss, if they come out on Sunday and play ball it will be forgotten anyway," Tuck said.
The Giants have nine OTAs scheduled and it's uncertain whether Cruz will attend any. Giants co-owner John Mara said recently that the team was close to reaching a new contract with Cruz, who has led the team in receiving the past two seasons, catching 86 passes for 1,092 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2012.
Nicks, who topped 1,000 yards receiving in 2010 and 2011, had an off year in 2012, catching 53 passes for 692 yards and three scores.
"You want to make sure your guys are healthy at the start of the year and that's always the number one thing, but you've also got to get some work," Manning said. "We need to improve. We've got to rep things. We've got to make sure we're doing everything we can to make sure we're playing at our best.
"That involves being healthy and also involves practice and getting reps."
Murphy showed he could stretch the field in Wednesday's workout, and also showed results from attending Manning's passing camp.
"That helped out a lot with getting the play calls, watching film with Eli, going through the plays, walking through and then doing two-a-days," the fifth-year receiver said. "So that was good to get down there with him and it was just learning how to catch the ball from him. Every quarterback throws the ball different and he throws a really nice ball, a great ball."
Randle, the Giants' second round pick in 2012, had 19 catches for 298 yards and three touchdowns last season.
"I'm looking to take a big step," Randle said. "Last year, I feel I didn't help the team enough."
Jernigan, a third round pick in 2011, needs to pick up his game. He had three catches for 22 yards in limited action last season.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride wants Jernigan to start making some plays.
"I don't think it's pressure," Jernigan said. "I'm going into my third year. I agree with him. It's time for me to go out there and start making plays and start helping my team out besides just special teams. "
The only real concern on Wednesday was a knee injury to fullback Henry Hynoski on the second play of a non-contact 11-on-11 drill. Hynoski, who was carted off the field, was scheduled to have an MRI.
"I handed the ball off and just saw him on the ground after," Manning said.


text:
A lot of people are hung up on the gift-giving part of the Christmas. But another, I think bigger, problem is people being hung up on people being hung up on the gift giving part of the Christmas..
Why not face it? It's part of the appeal. It damn sure is with the kids.
I think that the issue many people take with the presents part is that it detracts from the religious foundations of the day. It does. But without it, the kids would find it about as significant as any other day they're forced to go to church.
Ninety-eight percent of kids are, believe it or not, primarily interested in Christmas because of the presents. And to the parents of the other 2% who know that their child's values are well-honed in and their kid are rejoicing solely in the birth of Jesus Christ – You are SO being played! Oh man.
Kids LOVE presents. It's the greatest thing in the world for them. Don't you remember why? They have zero disposable income. At no other time of the year can they obtain leisure time luxuries by writing them down on a piece of paper, addressing it to Santa Claus and have it show up one morning under a tree in their living room. Is there something cooler?
The immaculate conception of Jesus Christ? Sure! But our kids don't know what a virgin is, so it's really, at face value, not that impressive. Presents though?! Awesome!!!!
Furthermore, the whole presents thing is ingrained in our kids because we hold it over their heads at every turn around the Christmas season if not all year long… "Are you being naughty or nice kids? Santa's making a list and he's checking it twice! …. Ya better watch out! Ya better not cry! Ya better not pout!… Santa Claus is coming to town!! Hellllllooooooo!". It's a way to control their behavior, to keep them from going batty in the winter when it's cold out and there's nothing to do.
I love Christmas and all that it brings. It's a time of great togetherness and warm feelings. It is peace, it is sharing, it is giving. AND it's an opportunity to try and help your kids understand their good fortune by impressing upon them that there are so many kids in this world who have so much less than they do in terms of material things as well as the love and happiness and security to enjoy such a holiday.
In our home, and in many ohters, they're not always things you buy, but things you make. Things that have special meaning one way or another. But there's also the giving and receiving of things.
Presents are a reality. They are the physical manifestation of this spirit of giving we're trying to instill in our kids. So what's wrong with that? Nothing. And despite it, or partially because of it, I think Christmas is wonderful, and I will have precious moments with people I love. And I'm going to buy them or make them presents. So sue me.
(please note, any statistics cited in this post,and most every post of mine, are fabricated)
Eric Ruhalter lives in Morristown with his wife and 3 children. Watch the hysterical video looking inside Eric's amusing and insightful gift book: The KidDictionary: A Book of Words Parents Need to Describe Their Kids. It is available on Amazon through his cool website: www.TheKidDictionary.com. It's a great gift for anyone who has kids, knows kids, knows someone who has kids or ever was a kid. (And that's everyone!)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Potters claim 4A trophy
WHEELING – Regardless if it was the heat, the challenging Jones Course at Oglebay Park's Speidel Golf Club or the balance of the Class 4A field, nothing was going to stand in the way of the East Liverpool Potters Tuesday afternoon.
The talented and deep Potters' golf team cruised to its second consecutive Ohio Valley Athletic Conference title, beating runner-up Meadowbrook by 36 shots and third-place St. Clairsville by 39 strokes.
These guys have played pretty steadily all season long and this kind of score has been about the norm for us, said Potters' head coach Ben Wright. We've got about two or three tournaments before the sectional and, hopefully, we're able to keep playing this way.
For East Liverpool, the title was just the second in school history.
Fueling East Liverpool was a trio of all-OVAC players, who include the top five in each division.
Senior Blake Prince, who is headed to Cleveland State University, notched his third consecutive OVAC medalist finish, posting an impressive 1-over round of 73.
It feels great to win again, Prince said.
I played really consistently. Outside of a couple of bad holes, I thought I played well. The course was in great shape, the ball rolled really well on the greens, but the wind made it so you had to keep your ball down.
Isaac Davidson and Joey Cilone both turned in rounds of 76, while Ryan Burson rounded out the Potters' scoring with an 85.
Meadowbrook finished three shots ahead of St. Clairsville for the runner-up spot. However, Red Devils' senior Seth Vannoy took the runner-up medalist over Meadowbrook's Nate Frencik in a one-hole playoff.
Both Vannoy and Frencik signed for rounds of 3-over 75, but Vannoy edged the Colts' senior in the playoff, which was staged on the 10th hole.
The OVAC Golf Championships resume on Thursday at Oglebay Park when Class 3A plays at Crispin and Class 5A plays on the Jones Course.


text:
this wiki
Warning: This profile contains spoilers for recent events. No pun intended.
Name: Stephanie Brown
Aliases: Spoiler, Robin IV, Batgirl III, "Fay Wray"
Nicknames: Steph, Stephie, Girl Wonder
Status: Active
Marital status: Single
Parents: Arthur Brown (A.K.A. The Cluemaster); Crystal Brown (A.K.A. Agnes Bellinger)
Offspring: One baby girl, name unknown
Other family members: Dave Bellinger (maternal uncle)
Age: Currently around 19.
Place of Birth: Most likely Gotham City, or the suburbs surrounding it.
Occupation: College student; vigilante
Height: 5'5
Weight:110 lbs
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Abilities/Powers: Stephanie is armed only with her martial arts and gymnastic skills. Robin gave her weapons such as smoke bombs to use when he could, and later when she got friendlier with Batman (Starting issue 84) she was able to secure the whole Bat-arsenal, including a Kevlar costume. She received erratic training under Robin III, Batgirl II, Oracle, Black Canary and Batman. She possessed technology that lets her turn invisible, but she abandoned or lost it when she took up the Batgirl identity.
-Tim Drake (Boyfriend; friend/ex- boyfriend; crime-fighting partner )
-Cassandra Cain (Best friend; crime-fighting partner)
-Bruce Wayne (Mentor)
-Barbara Gordon (Mentor)
-Dinah Lance (Mentor)
-Dr. Leslie Thompkins (close friend, caretaker for a year)
-Alfred Pennyworth (Acquaintance)
-Helena Bertinelli (Occasional crime-fighting partner)
-Connor Hawke (Acquaintance, one time crimefighting partner)
-Selina Kyle (friend, fellow vigilante)
-Dean (last name unknown)(Ex boyfriend; father of her daughter)
-Kara Zor-El (Friend, crime-fighting partner)
Previous affiliations:
-Bat Clan
-High school education
-Average intelligence
Skills: Very skilled in gymnastics and martial arts. Trademark move is a roundhouse right cross. Member of school gymnastics team. Has also shown a talent for sewing, both costumes and backpack holsters. Skilled at handling a motorcycle, grappling hook and various gadgets. Has some minor training in various forensics and detective skills. (Former) member of girls softball league, shown to have good aim, throwing skills and handling of clubs as a result. Knows CPR and how to dress a wound (including bullet wounds) and other minor medical techniques. Stephanie now has a complete high school education, and is attending college. Can read lips.
Strengths: Brave and resourceful; high tolerance for pain; optimist who refuses to give up, compassionate, good at thinking on her feet, very quick learner, has a knack for stealth.
Weaknesses: Impulsive (prone to leaping before looking, knee-jerk reactions and questionable decisions); emotional (this encompasses a bad temper along with making things too personal), low self confidence and self image and her fighting skills are not as refined as other members of the Bat Family, leading to some clumsy mistakes.
Personality traits: Optimistic; sarcastic; angry; talkative; stubborn.
Motivations: Making the world safe for young girls like herself; proving she is not like her father; making up for her father's criminal acts; romantic involvement with Robin; want of Batman's approval
Fears: Failure; becoming like her father.
Important events in her history:
-Stopping her fathers first heist as Spoiler (Detective Comics 647--649)
-Stopping her fathers second heist and receiving a kiss from Robin (Robin 3-5)
-Becoming Tim's girlfriend (Robin (56))
-First team up with Batgirl (Batgirl(20))
-Discovering her pregnancy (Robin (57))
-Having her baby and giving it up for adoption (Robin (65))
-Meeting Dinah Lance and becoming her apprentice (Robin 80 Page Giant)
-Training with Batgirl (Batgirl (28))
-Discovering Tim's true identity and becoming apprentice to Batman (Robin (84))
-Becoming Robin in an alternate reality in "World Without Young Justice" (Robin (102))
-Her father's "death" (Robin (109))
-Batman tells her to stop being Spoiler (Gotham Knights (37))
-Becoming Robin IV (Robin (126))
-Teaming up with Batgirl as Robin (Batgirl (53))
-Fired by Batman (Robin (128))
-Her death (War Games-Batman (633))
-Saves Batgirl's life as a ghost (Batgirl (62))
-More near death experiences with Steph for Cass! (Batgirl 72-73)
-Person dressed in a Spoiler costume makes an appearance after Stephanie's death (Gotham Underground (2))
-Tim is reminded of Stephanie when he meets rogue vigilante "Violet" in her purple costume, mentions Stephanie's lack of memorial, and believes he sees Stephanie in the hall at his high school (Robin (170))
-Spoiler unmasks and reveals herself to be Stephanie (Robin (172))
-Spoiler finally talks to Tim to warn him he's been led into a trap. Enraged and believing her to be an impersonator of his dead loved one, he attacks her, only letting up slightly when she says his real name. Before she can reveal who she is though, they are interrupted by Sin Fang. (Robin (173))
-Spoiler reveals herself to both Robin and Batman as Stephanie Brown, and is welcomed back into the Bat Family. She has apparently also finally learned Batman's true identity as Bruce Wayne. She reunites with her mother as well. Robin (174)
-Spoiler teams up with Tim again for the first time since her absence, and a story about her time in Africa is told. (Robin/Spoiler Special)
-Stephanie accompanies Tim to Titans Tower, and gets to interact with several of the Titans. (Teen Titans (third series)(66)
-Stephanie decides to keep being Spoiler, despite the fact Tim wishes her not to. The two of them reach an agreement, and Stephanie reveals she has managed to procure technology that lets her turn invisible when she wants to. (GOTHAM GAZETTE: BATMAN ALIVE?)
-Stephanie becomes Batgirl (Batgirl (third series) (1))
-Stephanie receives Barbara's vow of support and guidance in her new role as Batgirl and gets her own Batgirl costume. (Batgirl (third series) (3))
-Stephanie has her first team up with Supergirl and the two become friends. (World's Finest (3))
-Stephanie saves Batman and is accepted as Batgirl by Batman and Robin. (Batgirl (third series) (7))
-Stephanie teams up and reconciles with Tim. He tells her he's proud of her and they go to save those she loves. (Batgirl (third series) (8) - Red Robin (10))
-Stephanie teams up with Wonder Woman and several other superheroines to rescue a senator! (Wonder Woman (600)
-Stephanie saves the city and rescues her mentor Barbara from the Calculator Batgirl (third series) (12)
-Stephanie passes a test thrust upon her by a recently-returned Bruce. When she finds out, she tells Bruce off for always manipulating her and treating her like a tool, and even slaps him in the face. Bruce gives his approval for Steph being Batgirl, and even say privately that he thinks she's grown into a capable crimefighter. Bruce Wayne: The Road Home: Batgirl (1)
History Edit
Stephanie Brown was an athletic blonde teenage girl who took gymnastics and excelled. Her father was in and out of jail and her mother was overworked and addicted to pharmaceuticals. Due to her father's villainous exploits and her mother's low paying job as a nurse, the family was constantly strapped for cash.
Stephanie Brown first came on the scene as a vigilante to "spoil" the crimes of her villainous father, the Cluemaster. Though Arthur Brown has been cured of his clue dropping psychosis, Stephanie decided to leave clues for him so the authorities could foil his plans.
Tim Drake, Robin III, saw Spoiler in the act and believed her to be working with Brown. He chased her down and unmasked her, only to receive a brick to the face. He figured out Stephanie's identity and recruited her to help his and Batman's own vendetta against Arthur Brown. Stephanie jumped in to save Batman from her father and the Cluemaster threatened her with sulfuric acid. In order to save Stephanie, Batman revealed Steph's secret identity as daughter to Brown, who was shocked to unmask her and confirm she was his daughter. Stephanie then quickly took her father down and was on the verge of choking him to death when Batman talked her out of it.
When her father escaped from jail again, Stephanie returned as the Spoiler and teamed up with Tim Drake to stop him. She succeeded and saved Tim's life and he was so grateful he kissed her. This got Stephanie interested in a romantic relationship with the Boy Wonder, much to Tim's chagrin, and she decided to continue being a vigilante.
After many encounters, Tim was finally forced to admit he was attracted to Stephanie. He asked her to be his girlfriend, but warned her because of his promise to Batman he couldn't tell her his real name. Stephanie agreed.
Soon after, Stephanie discovered she was pregnant, a product of a fling she'd had with a boy named Dean. Tim took her to Lamaze classes in his fake "Alvin Draper" identity and despite having been relocated to Keystone, made it to the hospital in Gotham to help her have it. Though initially hesitant, Stephanie agreed to give up her baby for adoption after having a dream where her father took her baby from her.
Tim moved back closer to Gotham and lived at Brentwood Academy, an all boys boarding school. His and Stephanie's relationship grew strained as she grew more upset she didn't know his secret identity. She began following him around in an attempt to find out where he lived, one of these attempts ending disastorously when she was confronted by Secret, a teammate of Tim's from Young Justice who nursed a crush on the Boy Wonder and was insanely jealous. Spoiler mostly acted in self defense, and though she got some shots in, the powerful Secret gained the upper hand, and Tim and YJ Mentor Red Tornado intervened before things got ugly. The girls were made to apologize to each other. (Spoiler later helped Young Justice out along with other teen heroes, and was abducted once by a crazed Secret much later on. She was released with no memory of what happened along with Greta's other abductees when Tim talked sense into Greta.)
The tension between Tim and Steph did not stop, though. After they saved a girl Tim admitted to knowing, Stephanie suspected Tim of cheating on her and refused to speak to him. But, while Tim was away on a mission with Lagoon Boy and forgot to check in with Batman, the Dark Knight approached Stephanie, told her Tim's real name and asked her to go check on him.
Tim was infuriated with Batman for giving away his secret when Tim had worked so hard to protect it for Bruce's own sake,and had never revealed Batman's secret identity. He went away to clear his head and Batman decided to train Stephanie.
Stephanie also gained a mentor in Dinah Lance, the Black Canary, and worked with the Birds of Prey for a while.
During this time, Stephanie developed a close friendship with the second Batgirl, Cassandra Cain. Cassandra trained Stephanie and enjoyed her company and the two bonded over father issues.
Tim came back, and not blaming Stephanie for what had happened, resumed his relationship with her. Meanwhile, Stephanie found herself shut out of the cave while Bruce Wayne was on the run from the cops for a murder he had been framed for.
Stephanie went to talk to Batman about being shut out and Batman abruptly told her she didn't have the skills or the talent. When Steph protested, Batman sent her on a mission to capture a Kobra Cult leader to test her to see if she could figure out he had already taken care of the mission. She didn't, and he fired her.
Stephanie's world was rocked once more when she learned that her father had not only died, but done so while doing a mission saving people for the Suicide Squad for no reward whatsoever. Stephanie took a short break from crime fighting after this and she was let go from the Birds of Prey, but soon resumed her Spoiler identity.
When Tim's father found out about his dual life, Tim was forced to quit being Robin. Stephanie, angered with Tim when she thought she saw him kissing another girl and determined to prove herself to Batman, made her own Robin costume, broke into the Batcave and declared to Batman she was the new Robin. Batman accepted, though Alfred suspected this might be a ruse to get Tim back on the job.
Stephanie served briefly as Robin, teaming up with her best friend Batgirl and even defeating Zsasz, but after she disobeyed orders from Batman and tried to save him from the assassin Scarab and got captured while doing so, he fired her and forbade her from even being Spoiler.
Hurt and determined to prove herself, Stephanie used files from the Batcave's computer and decided to use one of his plans to wipe out Gotham's gangs. She was not aware that the "Matches Malone" required to be present was one of Batman's alternate identities, as he did not tell her. She accidentally started a gang war, and was captured by Black Mask, who tortured her for information. She eventually escaped, and beat Black Mask down. He grabbed a gun, which she yanked out of his hand. She decided not to use it so as not to betray Batman, and Black Mask shot her.
She managed to get out and up to the rooftops despite her injuries. Batman found her and took her to the hospital. She apparently died there, first asking "Was I really Robin?" to which Batman replied "Of course you were."
Batman discovered in the "War Crimes" series that the Cluemaster was still alive and repentant for his crimes upon learning of his daughter's death. He was also angry at Batman and released information on Stephanie to the public, but pointed Batman towards Dr. Leslie Thompkins as Stephanie's killer.
It was seemingly revealed the the long time good-Samaritan and pacifist Dr. Leslie Thompkins let Stephanie die from lack of medical treatment in an attempt to dissuade Batman from taking on sidekicks.
Stephanie appeared twice to Cassandra Cain in near death experiences, once Stephanie urged her friend to fight for her life and the second time told her of how Bludhaven would be bombed.
Much later, a mysterious figure in a Spoiler costume worked for the the Penguin in order to betray him in his attempts to control the Gotham Underground. She beat up Tim and bombed Barbara's computers while doing this undercover work, but the heroes never discovered her true identity.
Meanwhile, Tim thought he saw Stephanie in the halls of his school, recognizing the way she walked. Before he could catch up to her, however, she disappeared. Then he thought he saw her scaling the rooftops in her Spoiler costume. Once again, he caught up to her, only to find nothing once more. At last Spoiler was seen watching Robin. Though he did not see her, she said "Good night, Tim," wistfully in his direction and unmasked, revealing herself to be Stephanie.
Later, Spoiler actually confronted Tim, trying to warn him that he and the criminal Violet have been led into a trap.Tim believed this to be someone impersonating Stephanie and was enraged. As he screamed at her about desecrating the memory of someone he loved, Spoiler, not fighting back, ducked a kick and then was pinned to the wall by the throat. Tim grabbed at her mask and she finally said "Please, don't do this...Tim..." and as Tim reacted in surprise, they were interrupted by Sin Fang blowing a hole in the wall and announcing it would be his privilege to kill them both.
Spoiler and Tim escaped Sin Fang, but Tim left a tracer on her. He and Batman tracked her down to an apartment. Angrily, Spoiler took off her mask, revealing herself to be Stephanie Brown, indeed. Tim rushed her and kissed her, lifting her into the air. Stephanie told him to slow down, and Batman explained that he always suspected she was alive, and that's why she didn't have a memorial. Batman welcomed Stephanie back into the "Bat family" and they took her to the cave, where after greeting a shocked Alfred, she explained that Leslie Thompkins faked her death, and that the body buried was someone else's, but she felt like she was running away and had to go back to Gotham. In addition, Batman at long last has seemed to reveal his identity as Bruce Wayne to her. Tim took her to see her Mom at the hospital, and understandably seemed a little put out by both Bruce and Steph's deception of him.
The Robin/Spoiler Special had Tim and Steph heal a few wounds by busting open a kidnapping ring together (though the status of their relationship remained uncertain) and introduced the friends Steph has been hanging around with, a rather punk, but nice, crowd that liked to party in abandoned subway stations. It also revealed that Stephanie decided to go back to Gotham and be Spoiler after saving a small African village from the gun wielding fanatic Katavi, and rushing Leslie to the hospital for a gunshot wound.
The strain between Tim and Stephanie got worse when Batman disappeared, apparently insane. Earlier, Batman had asked Stephanie to keep Tim away from the situation, which caused Stephanie to delete a picture of Batman going crazy Tim was looking for from a thug's cell phone. When Tim found out, the dynamic between the two became even more tense.
However, Tim begged Stephanie to come with him to Titans Tower to give him moral support when he quit the Teen Titans due to his responsibilities in Gotham. Stephanie complied, and got to interact with a few team members, including Tim's ex Cassandra Sandsmark, Traci Thirteen and the explosive Amy Allen, before she left in the Bat-Plane with Tim.
After this, Stephanie came up with a plan to protect Tim and rebuild Gotham. It involved hiring Scarab with money Tim had given The Penguin earlier in exchange for information on Batman. Scarab used non-lethal weapons to break up rioting cops, causing trouble under Steph's orders. Steph tried to enlist The General to help her as well, but the villain shot at her instead. Stephanie skillfully dodged the kill shot, but caught the bullet in the shoulder. However, she punched the General and escaped.
She found Scarab had been paid more money by the mysterious Red Robin and was now on a contract to kill Tim, but she tackled Scarab and saved Tim's life. Eventually Tim grabbed the injured Stephanie and used a low grade version of the Scarab's fear gas to disperse the crowd. Stephanie was not sure what to think of these extreme methods, and revealed to the readers her plan to "make Robin better" by hiring villains was under Batman's orders. But she wondered if making Tim a better Robin would make him a worse person.
Red Robin was revealed to be The General and he let Tim know Stephanie has been to see him. Tim then realized the General had to be the one who shot Steph and began to get suspicious about her secrecy. Going back to The General's warehouse to investigate, Tim was seriously injured in an explosion from a bomb the General, now posing as Anarky, left. Stephanie vowed to make things right right.
Stephanie stumbled upon the Gotham Gangs trying to make a truce. However, Lynx II was having none of it. Stephanie came in and handily defeated Lynx with some pizza pallets. The meeting erupted into fighting, and Stephanie wondered if it was partly her fault.
The fight was interrupted by Anarky outside. Everyone ran out, and Anarky, who had planted a bomb three hours ago, detonated it. Spoiler and several others were thrown by the blast. Tim arrived to fight Anarky. While the two boys fought,it was up to Stephanie to calm down the gangs and get them to help with the chaos. With the help of the Gotham cops, she succeeded.
After it all went down, Steph and Tim met. Stephanie tearfully realized Tim knew about her deception, and Tim angrily confirmed he found security tapes of her hiring the Scarab. Steph explained that Batman had ordered her to make him sweat, in order to make him a better Robin. Tim yelled at her, telling her he knows she's been under a lot of pressure, and that he loves her, and that's why he can't have "Spoiler" screwing up anymore. He then said "Don't ever let me catch you in that costume again" and jumped off the roof.
Stephanie tried not being Spoiler, but couldn't help herself when she saw Nocturna committing a burglary, and she surreptitiously stopped her. This made her realize she couldn't stop being Spoiler no matter what Tim said.
Later, as Spoiler, she was watching Tim, Babs, Dick and Leslie attend a high society ball, when she saw Nocturna attempting to rob it. She handily stopped the crook, demonstrating her new ability to turn invisible. Afterwards, she met up with Tim and he asked if she stole the tech to make herself invisible to get around his ultimatum. (The writer of the new Batgirl has confirmed she won't be using this invisibility tech again, leaving it with her Spoiler identity.) She responded that he had too much ego and he didn't own her.
He agreed, and apologized for being too harsh earlier, but told her he still didn't think crime fighting was her path. He also told her he was leaving, and for her not to get hurt while he was gone. She grappled away, telling him she didn't want to get hurt either, but she might, as that was part of the life they chosen to lead.
In the wake of Tim's absence and Batman's death, Stephanie decided to give herself a fresh start and apply for college. However, she has a hard time resisting being Spoiler. She teamed up to fight again with her best friend Cassandra, but is thrown a curveball when Cass, clearly lost after the death of Bruce Wayne, takes off her Batgirl costume and says she doesn't want to fight anymore. She told Stephanie the fight was hers now and vanished, leaving the Batgirl costume and identity in the care of her best friend.
Stephanie still had doubts about her status as a crimefighter, but couldn't resist the Batgirl costume. Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne, the new Batman and Robin, saw Steph out fighting and recognized she was not Cassandra. Dick informed Barbara Gordon, the first Batgirl and current cyberhero Oracle, of this development.
With her Mom under the impression she has stopped being a vigilante and her first day of college over with, Stephanie continued as Batgirl and went to stop a riot. There she met Gotham's newest cop,Nick Gage, and saved him from the men holding him hostage. However, since there was a bad explosion under her watch that could have had serious consequences, Steph considered the night to be a disaster, and once again declared this was her last night crime fighting. But seconds later, she contradicted this by glancing at her damaged Batgirl costume and wondering about a sewing class.
But when she walked into the kitchen that morning, she found the unwelcome sight of a sinister looking Barbara Gordon, saying that the two of them needed to talk. Barbara let Stephanie know she disapproved of her being Batgirl and didn't think she was up to the task. Stephanie didn't take well to it and continued her crusade in the damaged costume.
She made a few enemies and friends at Gotham University, attracting the spite of a girl name Jordanna when she argued with her in philosophy class, and the interest of Jordanna's guy-friend Francisco. Stephanie also found out a gang was spiking the punch with dangerous aggression-fueling drugs at the Gotham Harvest festival, but Oracle contacted Stephanie through Cassandra's mask and told her not to pursue the gang.
Back at the Batcave, Oracle told Stephanie she was to stay out of pursuing the dealers and threatened to call her mother if she continued being Batgirl. Stephanie was not deterred, and continued pursuing the lead.
She found out the Scarecrow was behind the distribution and went to stop him. Because her inoculation was out of date, she succumbed to his fear gas and hallucinated both Tim and herself as Spoiler telling her that she was worthless and that she already failed the save the city once, so she should just lay down and die. About to succumb, Stephanie remembered that she had a choice about who she wanted to be and was especially heartened when Barbara motivated her by finally calling her Batgirl in her worried shouts. She snapped back to life, twisting the Scarecrow's ankle before he could kill her and told the villain that she came back for a second chance and that she wasn't afraid to face herself. She knocked him out and proclaimed herself Batgirl. Finally, Babs agreed she was worthy of the title.
Babs held an oath in the Batcave, swearing to Steph to guide and support her. Steph responded that she also had Barbara's back. Barbara took a position as an assistant in computer science at Steph's university and also supplied her with a new costume.
Stephanie now stalks the streets of Gotham as the official Batgirl with the aid and guidance of Oracle!
On her first "official" night out, Stephanie did a field test in her brand new suit and stopped some robbers, getting the praise and admiration of a young girl as a result. She was bemused at actually getting "positive reinforcement for the hero gig" for once. She also faced Superman baddie Livewire. She dampened Livewire's electrical powers by kicking a fire hydrant jetstream onto her. Livewire tried to shock her, and they both found out that Babs had insulated Stephanie's suit. Unharmed, Steph knocked the villain out and enjoyed a moment of quiet with Babs after the night's work was done. Steph's first night as Batgirl was an overall sucess.
Stephanie even made the superhero The Web take responsibility for his actions and work with the Justice League, with Oracle's help. She helps him install software that helps him track down a murderer...and allows Barbara to keep a cybernetic eye on the reckless new hero.
Her first team up with the new Batman and Robin was less successful. She managed to put out a fire and save Robin from catching fire himself, but in the process she also froze Damian with her ice batarang. After Dick expressed a hearty dissaproval, Stephanie decided to take the night off. She went back to the job she had taken sorting books in the library to pay for her college, and overheard that Francisco was in some trouble thanks to his dad's shady activities. She went up to Francisco to try to get information out of him, and ended up realizing her attraction to him. She was thrilled when he asked her out on a date, and less thrilled when she found Damian had taken to following her around in order to figure out "what use" she was to anyone.
Stephanie was patrolling the skies when she spotted Francisco in distress. She changed into what clothes were available to talk to him, only they were promptly attacked by a truck full of masked men. Stephanie set about to beating up the thugs, but she was grazed on the head by a bullet and the men made away with Francisco.
Stephanie gave a false name to the ambulance drivers, and Oracle crashed the ambulance so that she (Steph) could make her escape. Steph went to eavesdrop on Batman and the Commissioner, but was pounced upon by Damian. The two got into a spat that Batman broke up, and he sent them both into "time out". Stephanie finally let loose at Damian, telling him that Bruce trusted her to work alone, which is more than he ever did for his son. She then declared that they couldn't wait around to screw up, and they went to play "bad cop, worse cop" and interrogate Jordanna about Francisco's whereabouts. It turned out Francisco was bait that Roulette was using to lure Batman to his doom where he would face three villians- and now Steph and Damian had to rescue the caped Crusader!
Damian tried to ditch Stephanie, but she followed in her brand new Bat-pod designed by Oracle. She and the runt agreed to rescue Batman together, and Stephanie did her part by taking out Roxy Rocket and crashing her into Dr. Phosphorus. Batman told her she had done good work before she rushed off to help Damian take down Riot. The three heroes also shut down Roulette. Dick told Barbara that Stephanie reminded him of her before she was shot, and Oracle told Dick that Stephanie needed this and so did she. Dick and Damian finally accepted Stephanie.
Stephanie soon had her first team up with Supergirl. The two struck up an easy friendship, bonding over quips and the fact they had both been trained by Batman and both missed him a lot. They went up against the Toyman and Mr. Freeze to rescue the captive Kryptonite Man. They did a good job dispatching Toyman's robots, and Stephanie dispatched Mr. Freeze herself. However, Toyman overwhelmed them when he unleashed a gigantic composite Superman/Batman robot. Stephanie managed to call in a code black (which meant threat of the highest caliber) to Oracle, and Babs called in Superman and Batman.
The two heroes soon came to the rescue. Dick made the robot drop Stephanie and Damian rescued her before she could splatter all over the ground, but while doing so he made a snide remark about her weight and called her "Fatgirl". She and Damian took out Toyman, destroying his remote control. But it turned out Toyman was only a robot. However, Supergirl was rescued and the day was saved. Supergirl even chastised Damian for insulting her new friend, picking him off the ground by his cape and telling him he "shouldn't call girls fat! You shouldn't call anyone fat!" while Stephanie looked on with her arms crossed.
After this, Tim returned to Gotham, having finally dug himself out of his depression because he'd discovered Bruce Wayne was not dead, but lost in time. However, he got a nasty call from Ra's Al Ghul, who decided to take his revenge on Tim for the Boy Wonder's actions against the League of Assassins. Ra's told Tim that he was going to have everything Bruce ever loved or built destroyed.
Tim sped off to the Batcave, thinking that there's no one's help he wouldn't take. But he ran into someone he didn't take into account in the cave. Stephanie was practicing with her combat droids when she was surprised by Tim.
Tim was initially as dismissive and angry with her as ever, and Stephanie snapped at him not to take such a tone with her. But they were interrupted by a signal that Leslie Thompkins was being targeted by Ra's. Stephanie rushed after Tim, and when he saw just how many assassins Ra's sent to get Leslie, he had to admit reluctantly that he needed Stephanie's help.
Steph hid Leslie and then the two heroes teamed up "just like old times" to take down the assassins. Stephanie got so caught up by Tim's presence that she accidentally punched him in the face at the end of the fight. Tim was impressed by her hook and reminded of their first meeting when Stephanie hit him in the face with a brick. Steph was flattered that he remembered. Up on the roof, Tim told Stephanie he was proud of her. They almost kissed, but Steph cut it off, saying it wasn't good for her now.
They are interrupted by Tim's assassin friend, Prudence, who claims Ra's Al Ghul sent her to kill Stephanie. She pointed a gun at Stephanie and Tim panicked, knowing he couldn't save her in time. Any saving was rendered unnecessary though, as Stephanie kicked the gun out of Prudence's hand and beat her to a pulp. Tim is stunned to see her take down a League of Assassins member like that. However, Prudence didn't load her gun, and was merely trying to scare Stephanie. When Steph found out Tim has led the League, she ripped into him, demanding an explanation for his aggressive actions toward her, his lack of trust toward his family, and his hypocrisy in not trusting her when he was the one working with criminals. Tim said she was right, and they had both made mistakes, and offered his hand, asking her to help save the people they love. Steph accepted.
At Tim's base, a bomb went off. Stephanie, Tim and Prudence were saved thanks to Tim's booby trap, but soon they were confronted with a whole range of assassins! Fortunately, Stephanie had a plan. She handily fought the assassins alongside Tim for seven minutes. Just as everything fell apart, her Richocet arrived and provided escape while knocking thugs out of the way. Steph went to make sure Barbara wasn't being attacked while Tim attended to interrogation of Ra's thugs. When she arrived at Wayne Manor, she found both Tam Fox and Vicki Vale being attacked by ninjas. She saved Vicki from being killed and reported this to Tim. Tim beat Ra's bt was injured in the process and Steph was there to greet him when he got back to the Batcave.
After all this, Stephanie went back to work in Gotham. After easily dispatching someone trying to bomb the Gotham bus, she earned some praise from James Gordon himself. Elated, she went over to see Barbara and met Wendy Harris. Babs informed Steph of Wendy's supervillianous parentage and bitterness as they set up a new base under Babs apartment building. Steph went to handle a robbery and found Nick Gage being attacked by a security guard who had been brainwashed by the Calculator. After she dispatched the brainwashed man, he threw himself out the window. Steph risked her life to save him, but he slipped off the rope (after being remotely killed by Calculator, but Steph is unaware of this) leaving Batgirl wracked with anger and guilt. Oracle informed Steph the Calculator was behind this plot, and he was determined to get revenge on Babs for taking Wendy away from him.
Oracle cut Steph off from communication, saying they should maintain radio silence so Calculator wouldn't get to Batgirl trying to get to her. However, when Calculator sent out a signal brainwashing people to attack Barbara Gordon, Steph came to her rescue. But the crowd overwhelmed the two women and the "techno-zombies" captured Barbara and froze her in some sort of silver shell. Steph tried to rescue her, but a brainwashed Huntress, Catwoman and Man-Bat leaped down from the sky to stop her!
Steph managed to take down Catwoman, but had a little more trouble with Huntress. Mid-fight, she was contacted by Wendy. Steph informed Wendy the Calculator was causing all the problems as she managed to lose Huntress. She then faced Man-Bat, but managed to ride him to the safety of a nearby airport, where Wendy came to aid her. Wendy located where Oracle had been taken and piloted Steph to the location in the T-Jet. Determined to save Babs, Steph sky-dived out the T-Jet to crash into Calculator's base.
Steph managed to infiltrate the base. Steph set off a failsafe though, triggering termination of all the people transformed into drones in Gotham City. With a well timed grappling shot, Steph stopped the termination. Then a giant robot attacked as a second failsafe. Wendy took care of this one by crashing into it with her jet. The two girls freed Oracle, and Wendy shut down Calculator's brain. Steph talked to Wendy later, offering to help her forget her past and have a second chance. So things returned to normal for Gotham, with Steph chasing down goofy villians like the Blimpmaster- only now she had a new computer hacking helper in Wendy, who decided to go by "Proxy".
Steph got to join with the big leagues when a the white house was attacked by Professor Ivo's sinister Cyber-Sirens! Steph and several other heroines were asked by none other than Wonder Woman to save the day. So Steph teamed up with the Amazing Amazon and other heroes and together they successfully rescued a hapless congressman from robots!
In her second semester at Gotham University, Steph was playing ping-pong against another student when she was contacted by Wendy, who alerted Stephanie that a man was being chased downtown- the Financial District- in suspicion of murdering his wife. the man was actually [Clayface] , who shoved Nick Gage off the side of a building, right as Batgirl swooped in to save him.
Clayface tried to rob the bank, taking on the form of the manager, the woman he murdered. Steph locked down the bank so she could stop him. Clayface morphed into an identical version of Batgirl. Nick Gage showed up and had to decide which to shoot. He chose correctly after the real Batgirl's clever prompt ("Shoot me...I'll bleed."), disarming Clayface. After this, Steph used freezing Batarangs to demobilize the villian him for good.Later, Gage told Steph what Clayface's motives were. A man named Basil Karlo, before he was Clayface, had a photograph of his late wife in Mrs. Griswald's safe deposit box, and he needed her clearance to get in and see his wife again, one last time. Steph commented on the absurdity, obviously wounding Gage ("Romantic, but supremely messed up." "Not as messed up as you think, Batgirl.") as he walked off down the street, leaving Steph confused and concerned.
Stephanie had a good time reuniting with her friend Kara. They saw a 3D Dracula movie at Steph's campus. They both sympathized with Dracula's loneliness, and things took a turn for the worse when science student Newton Flitwik's mistake ended up releasing 24 dangerous solid holographic Dracula's from the film. The two of them ended up chasing down and staking all the Draculas, though they felt sorry for the one that cries about it's loneliness. The two friends promised to be there for each other if either of them ever feels alone.
Bruce Wayne returned to Gotham, and went undercover in a supersuit. He "tested" Stephanie, faking a theft and assassination attempt. Steph not only figured out the location of the "assassin" before he could shoot, but figured out that he was up to something by the way he didn't defend himself or his gun and that his assasination attempt was bogus, since someone with superpowers wouldn't even need a special gun, Bruce was highly pleased, and unmasked himself, telling Stephanie she'd done admirably. Absolutely furious to find that Bruce was manipulating her, unneccisarily testing her, and playing with her head once more, just as he had done when she was Robin and Spoiler, Stephanie slapped him across the face. Then she ran away, mortified, yelling back at Bruce that she was glad he was alive.Later, Steph apologized to Bruce about slapping him but said that she needs to get some things off her chest. She told him that this time around, her new life, that it is the first time she's ever done anything like this for herself ("Being Batgirl is the first time in my life I'm doing things because I want to. Because I think they're the right thing to do.") and she told Bruce that she outright refused to give up being Batgirl, no matter what he says. She defended Oracle and told him not to blame her at all. Bruce got close to Steph and asks her if being Batgirl is what she really, truly wants and Steph does.
Later that night, Bruce met with Alfred in an alley. Alfred asked Bruce if he will let Steph continue to "do her thing," to which Bruce said yes but he wantedto keep a watchful eye on both her and Wendy, as they are daughters of criminals. Alfred defended Stephanie and told Bruce blantantly that Steph never really needed to be tested, but Bruce defended his actions, saying that no, he didn't need to test her, but she needed the test. Alfred also confronted Bruce about Cassandra Cain, the previous Batgirl, andasked him why he hadn't searched for or even asked after her? Bruce stated that he knew exactly where she was, and that Tim Drake has been in contact with her. If anything bad happened to Bruce, Cass knew what to do. Alfred wondered if part of that was giving Steph the cowl and Bruce said, "It's like I said, Alfred…because Stephanie needed the test….and everyone deserves a second chance."
Only shortly after, Steph works as an agent for Oracle, successfully defeating the Seven Men of Death. along with Birds of Prey members Dove and Hawk and keeping Vicki Vale alive .
Stephanie got the blues later on because she couldn't figure out her major. However, she snapped out of it in time to rescue Newton Flitwik from a mysterious robed cabal called the Order of the Scythe. But the untimely arrival of the mentally unstable Johnny C now calling himself the Gray Ghost and detemined to "help" his crush, Batgirl, distracted Steph and allows the Scythe members to get away. The cabal found Newton across campus and murdered him. What's more, they leaft a bloody batarang to frame Steph for the murder.
Steph felt responsible for Newton's death, and after convincing her mother she wants to stay in Gotham (realizing she is happy, confident and productive in her new role as Batgirl) Steph went out to answer the Batsignal. Unfortunately, the police awaited, telling her Batgirl is under arrest for Newton's murder!
She escaped from the police, and encountered Officer Gage, who gave her the Batarang found at the crime scene. Eventually, Oracle and Proxy tracked down Newton's killers to an abandoned warehouse, and sent footage of the Order of the Scythe chasing Newton to the GCPD. Stephanie fought the Order of the Scythe and cleared her name.


text:
Day of Information
Online registration is currently closed. Please register the day-of the event.
8001 Knightdale Blvd, Knightdale, NC 27545 (Schneider Electric Facility)
Arrival Time:
Please arrive at least an hour before your scheduled wave time to get checked-in, pick-up your packet, etc. But, if you aren't running until later in the day you can still show up early and hang out!
Check-In Process:
Pre-registered Runners
All runners MUST turn in the $100 fundraising minimum to be eligible to participate in this event. We will NOT transfer funds between participants to cover fundraising minimums. We will have a report of all donations turned in online at check-in. Please bring any checks, cash, and/or matching gift forms you have collected to turn in at check-in. You will receive your timing chip when you check-in. No runners will be allowed on the course without a timing chip.
Walk-On Runners
We will allow runners to register the morning of the event. If you are "walking on," please arrive at 10am to register as you will be running in the 11am wave. All earlier waves are full at this time. The registration fee of $75 and the $100 fundraising minimum (not including the registration fee) must be met before a participant will be allowed to "walk-on". We will NOT transfer funds between participants to cover fundraising minimums. You will receive your timing chip when you register. No runners will be allowed on the course without a timing chip.
Division Clothing Requirements:
If you are in the Crazed Competitor division, please be sure you've read the requirements located on the divisions page of our website – long pants and boots are required! For the Mere Mortals, we suggest workout clothes (t-shirts, tank tops, shorts, running leggings, etc) and moisture wicking socks if possible!
Parking is available ON-SITE very close to the festival area.
Key/Bag Check:
Participants are encouraged to leave all personal belongings locked in their vehicle while running. However, we will have key/bag check available so runners can drop off their car keys and/or any other small belongings before running. The National MS Society is not responsible for lost or stolen property.
What to Bring:
Please bring: a change of clothes and shoes, towels (there will be a shower truck for you to rinse off), trash bags to put your mucky clothes in, sunscreen, tailgating gear, and cash!
Team Tent:
Teams are welcome to bring team tents to tailgate before and after running. If you would like a team space reserved at the festival area please email Ashley Gaines at firstname.lastname@example.com ASAP!
Food & Beverage:
All runners will receive a free lunch from Backyard Bistro and two free beers provided by Carolina Brewing Company. Spectators are welcome to purchase food from the Baguettaboutit Food Truck. They will be on-site selling their delicious European inspired sausage-baguette sandwiches (SO GOOD!). We're also happy to have Safari Ice selling shaved ice as a cool treat!
Kid's Zone:
The Little Muckers kid's zone consisting of kid friendly muddy obstacles will be available for the little ones in the festival area. A parent or legal guardian MUST sign a waiver for each participating child and MUST be present to watch their child(ren) at all times.
Skinny Bag of Sugar will be performing live. They cover everything from the hip and happenin' tunes to the oldies but goodies! They'll be rockin' out all day!
Team Awards:
Don't forget we'll be handing out the following team awards:
- Muckier By the Dozen Award – goes to the largest team!
- MUCK YEAH! Award – goes to the team that has had the most enthusiasm leading up to the event!
- Not Muckin' Around Award – goes to the top 5 highest fundraising teams!
- Rigged for Ruckus Award – goes to the team tent in the Mud Pit with the best décor and flare!
- Dirtiest Digs Award – goes to the team with the funkiest/most creative outfits or team uniforms!


text:
Lack of sleep results in wrinkle-prone skin, says a new study. But how many hours' slumber do you need to look younger?
If you wake in the small hours with a mind full of the accumulated minutiae of life, here's another worry to add to the list. The old-fashioned notion of "getting your beauty sleep" is not a myth. Scientists have now proven what most of us have long suspected: less shut-eye not only creates wrinkles, but makes us look older.
Sleep deprivation has been studied extensively, but the only research on its impact on looks was a Swedish study three years ago and published in the British Medical Journal. Predictably, it found people who were deprived of sleep for long periods


text:
The years we cover in this first West Ham United Vintage post run in parallel with the forward-looking reign as manager of Ted Fenton.
He was in charge between 1950 and 1962 and during these years he was responsible for modernising the club and putting an emphasis on youth development that remains an important part of West Ham's identity today. Some of the club's most distinguished players from the era feature in this gallery.


text:
Robert Christy, a Canadian-born theoretical physicist and astrophysicist, was best known for developing a simple and effective design of nuclear weapons based on plutonium. His design, the solid-core plutonium model, often called the "Christy bomb" or "Christy gadget", was proposed by Christy when he worked on the secret Manhattan Project, the American research and development programme that produced the first atomic bomb during the Second World War.
The Christy design was used in the first nuclear weapon, which was tested at Alamogordo, New Mexico on July 16, 1945, and in the bomb that destroyed Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.


text: I'm looking to buy some Hornady .308 165 GR BTSP bullets. I'd like to get a lot of 500 or 1000 but the only thing I can find online is buying them 100 at a time. I figure it would be a bit cheaper to buy them in bigger lots. Powder Valley has the best price I've found so far for $22.49 per 100. Is it possible to buy more than a lot of 100? ( yes i know i can buy multiple boxes of 100 but that defeats the purpose of a price break for buying bulk)


text:
Derrick Pouliot wins WHL Defenseman of the Year award
Wednesday, April 30, 2014 2:47 PM
PORTLAND, OREGON-FEB. 18, 2014--Portland Winterhawks Derrick Pouliot (51) takes off with the puck against the Prince George Cougars at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland. Pouliot (51) scored a goal to give the Winterhawks a 2-1 lead in the second period. Photo by Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian


text:
GIRL WATCH: Kim Kardashian's See-Thru Nip, Jennifer Hudson's Svelte Body
Celebrific Sighting Pictures – It's summer time, and two of our favorite celebs are heating things up in their bikinis!
Celebrific Sighting Pictures – It's summer time, and two of our favorite celebs are heating things up in their bikinis!
Erin Andrews – Want a sure-fire way to sell your magazine these days? Get a few minutes with Justin Bieber. People is the latest magazine to do a story on the teen sensation, and this time they went all the way by making him their cover boy. For this week's issue, the title "All About Justin Bieber" says […]
Jennifer Hudson – Jennifer Hudson has lost more than her pregnancy weight.
Celebrities – Jennifer Hudson's nightmare has taken a turn for the worse. Police have found the body of her nephew, seven-year-old Julian King inside an SUV. Reports have it that the boy was shot. We extend our deepest sympathies to Jennifer.
Jennifer Hudson – Jennifer Hudson's seven-year-old nephew Julian King is still missing after he was abducted by the man who killer her mother and brother. In efforts to retrieve her nephew, Hudson has offered a $100,000 reward for any information that would lead to his recovery. Our prayers are with Jennifer and her family.
Celebrities – Tragic news. Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother were found in their Chicago home shot to death and Hudson's seven year old nephew is missing, apparently kidnapped by the assailant, William Balfour. Balfour has reportedly been arrested already but the whereabouts of the nephew is still not known.


text:
"Unsung heroes toil in twilight
Unloved chiefs of strange domains
Breakthrough comes and brings the daylight
Don't miss out on outsized gains."
-- "Find the Obscure Opportunities" by Anders Bylund, 2010
So you want to make some money off the Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL ) iPad? Here's one idea for you.
Inveterate semiconductor wrangler Cirrus Logic (Nasdaq: CRUS ) ships the audio chips inside every iPad, according to a recent teardown of parts by research firm iSuppli. Cirrus Logic is known for its high-quality audio processors, which are showing up in a plethora of consumer electronics with high-end sound ambitions -- the company's customers include Sony (NYSE: SNE ) , Samsung, and Harman International Industries' (NYSE: HAR ) Harman Kardon brand.
A year ago, Cirrus Logic reported audio chip sales of a measly $18.8 million, but the haul is up to $40.5 million, according to a preliminary fourth-quarter revenue report. Because Apple was ramping production last quarter, the iPad contributes a chunk of that 115% jump. It's a deliberate strategy of listening to customer demands that is paying off for Cirrus Logic. The company kept designing audio parts to meet and exceed customer specifications, and then some big names like Apple started building products featuring them. "Three or four years later, you've got an overnight success," as Cirrus Logic CEO Jason Rhode puts it.
Sure, some other chip designers gain more per iPad sale than Cirrus Logic does, but that would be giants like Broadcom (Nasdaq: BRCM ) and Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN ) . It takes a lot of iPad sales to move their very large needles, while Cirrus Logic is small enough to feel the effects of a hit product immediately. Besides, Apple likes to pull some parts from multiple, commoditized sources -- early iPad teardowns contain memory from Samsung or Toshiba and screens from LG Display (NYSE: LPL ) or someone else, but the audio solutions from Cirrus Logic are not commodities and are not easy to swap out.
So there's one unsung hero for you inside the iPad. You know that small and obscure companies can jump higher and faster than their heavier brothers, and I believe that Cirrus Logic will follow that track. I'm heading over to Motley Fool CAPS to rate this stock to outperform right now, and it would be great if you could follow my example.
The world needs to know this unsung hero of the audio chip.


text:
Historic East Hall is on its way to being taken "off-line," Western Michigan University officials said Friday, citing temperature-control issues and other problems that make it no longer suitable to house the archives and regional history collections.
WMU took a significant step toward vacating the iconic East Campus structure when its Board of Trustees voted Friday to move faculty art studios, the building's only other major occupant, to a downtown building.
"The facility there is aging and it's not the most conducive environment for archives," WMU President John M. Dunn said.
When and where to move the regional records, historical documents and other materials has not been determined, however.
Officials are studying several possible locations, including McCracken Hall on the main campus. Dunn wants to have a location picked this year.
"I don't want to be sitting here next year at this time talking about where we want to go with the archive material," he said.
What happens to East Hall after it has been emptied out, Dunn said, "is a longer, tougher discussion."
Saving the building, which opened in 1905 as Western's first structure, has been the focus of preservationists and others in town for years.
WMU officials are still interested in alternative uses, but the question continues to be how to secure money to rehabilitate it, said Bob Miller, WMU associate vice president for community outreach.
"It is something that is definitely on our radar screen, but No. 1 is our renovation of Sangren Hall," Miller said of a classroom building on main campus that has long been on a wish list for capital funding from the state.
The faculty members who had art studios in East Hall will be getting new digs in Park Trades Center, at the corner of Park Street and Kalamazoo Avenue. The building offers studio space to many artists in the community.
WMU officials say as many as 15 faculty members from the Frostic School of Art will be taking up studio residence there. It will be smaller than what faculty members had in East Hall, but they will occupy up to 10,000 square feet in the downtown facility.
The agreement trustees approved Friday calls for WMU to lease space in the center for up to five years at an annual cost of $50,000.
Lowell Rinker, vice president for business and finance, said that considering the utility costs for maintaining East Hall, the lease is less expensive.
"We'll get some savings right away, but the maximum savings would be.... when we get (East Hall) completely vacated," Rinker said.


text:
Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers
TDK's NC-200 noise-cancelling headphones are a decent product let down by poor design. The sound, while distorted in parts, will be fine for most, but the uncomfortable cups make wearing them for long periods painful.
TDK's NC-200 is a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. Coming in a similar design to Bose's QuietComfort 3, it's a decent alternative if you're strapped for cash; however, the design is uncomfortable for people with larger ears and the audio quality isn't quite up to the standards set by more expensive models.
We found the noise-cancelling properties of the NC-200 worked fairly well. It operates using two AAA batteries; one in each headphone cup, and do a good job of blocking out external noise. If the sounds of office life or the buzz of public transport bother you, then a pair of noise-cancelling headphones is the right choice. Everything from busy traffic to people talking is almost completely silenced, allowing you to enjoy your music in peace.
The audio produced by the NC-200 is reasonable but not mind blowing. Just seconds into listening we immediately noticed a veiled sound, not uncommon to cheaper noise-cancelling models. It is somewhat like listening through a piece of material, with everything sounding slightly distant. You should note, however, that activating the noise-cancelling mode almost completely fixes this issue, so we'd recommend sticking with that even though it drains the battery.
The mid range is extremely pronounced, dominating the music and vocals are similarly emphasised. There is a good amount of detail and a slightly gritty feel which some will appreciate, although there was some fairly prominent distortion evident in heavy guitar riffs. Bass is slightly bloated but not overpowering and the highs are slightly recessed.
The soundstage was impressive, with great separation and a nice three-dimensional presentation. Overall, we found at mid-range, heavy sound was suited to guitar-oriented music although the distortion definitely detracted from the listening experience.
Our other main issue with the headphones was its design. The cups are quite small and as a result it doesn't completely enshroud your ears. We found it grew uncomfortable after listening for more than about 15 minutes. A little readjusting helped fix this temporarily, but the problem continued to return. This is a big issue as it's really irrelevant how great a pair of headphones sound if you can't wear them for long enough to enjoy it.
With regards to design the NC-200 is a little flimsy, but no more so than most other units on the market. The headband can be extended to suit your needs and the black and silver aesthetic is fine if not worthy of the word 'stylish'.
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers
Visit our shop for the best deals on hot products
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.


text:
Begin Your Search
WineAccess Travel Log
Read stories from the world's greatest wine trails.
More About This Wine
Related Products
Additional Vintages
Other Wines from this Producer and Vintage
2011 Brokenwood Wines Shiraz Graveyard Vineyard Hunter Valley
Producer: Brokenwood Wines
Style: Red Wine
Grape Type: Syrah/Shiraz
Origin: Australia
Region: Hunter Valley
93 Points | Stephen Tanzer's IWC - July/August 2013
Lurid purple. An exotically perfumed bouquet displays scents of candied black and blue fruits, licorice, sandalwood and spicecake. Fleshy and seamless on the palate, offering intense blueberry and bitter cherry flavors and a touch of lavender pastille. Closes with impressive energy and focus, leaving smoke and dark fruit preserves on the palate.


text:
A little update as to how things are going here in Vail. Could use more snow. A 20 inch base with very little snow in the forcast. Reservations are running below last year, even with reduced hotel rates. I would stay away from this stock for now. A better short than a buy. I do not think I would short it, but if forced to buy or short...I would short. Real estate market in Vail is slow, much like the rest of the country. I am told they are selling a few Ritz Carleton units in Lionshead, which is very positive.
The cold weather has been more in the East than the West this year. Asheville NC, back in Dec 20, had 14-20 inches of snow. And watch the price of Orange Juice go up. Florida's crops were hit with freezing temps. Could this be the el Nino?


text:
We are about to enter a flurry of free agent action. On Wednesday morning, we'll know how the restricted/unrestricted free agent pool shakes out and the offers will start rolling. By the time our next call in show comes around (Wednesday, July 8 at 9pm with Jeff Clark of CelticsBlog.com) players will start to sign with their new teams.
So it's gonna get busy. And the Celtics will certainly be in that mix… albeit with a few more limitations than other teams. We're working on a budget for the third straight year. Today, ProBasketballNews.com has a good list of what it calls the best basement bargains of the summer. There are some intriguing names. A few in particular caught my eye:
current players born on September 11, the 25-year-old Diogu made $2.9
million last season, when he barely played for Portland but showed
another of his intermittent flashes with Sacramento, averaging 9.2
points and 3.9 rebounds in 10 games. He has deliberate moves and slow
feet but can score in the post if you throw him the ball. A team
needing an extra big could have him for the five-year veteran minimum
of $959,111.
Considered a throw-in when the Lakers dumped Vladimir Radmanovic for
Adam Morrison, Brown used the postseason to make himself desirable on
the free agent market. He averaged nearly 13 minutes and five points
per game in the playoffs for the champions, manning both guard spots
and sparking the Lakers with his athleticism. Brown is a restricted
free agent, which means the Lakers can match any offer he receives from
another team — which should be more than the $797,000 he made last
season. Given how poorly Sasha Vujacic played in the postseason, the
Lakers may want to keep him. But if another team offers Brown a
multi-year contract — say, $4 million over two years — the Lakers may
not match, based on their desire to keep both Lamar Odom and Trevor
Ariza and the fact they are above the luxury tax.
Desmond Mason. In his first seven seasons, Mason
missed just 34 games. But he has missed 66 over the last two, will turn
32 in training camp and does not appear to part of Oklahoma City's
long-term plan, especially with the selection of shooting guard James
Harden in the draft. Mason still has the ability to defend two
positions and score a little bit, too. He still can be a rotation
player for a good team. He may warrant a multi-year deal but not
anywhere near the $5.3 million he made last season.
If you're willing to bring in McDyess… I think you should be willing to bring in Diogu… especially if he'll come in for less than $1 million.
I think Shannon Brown's name has been tossed around this site more than a few times. And if he signs for $2 mil/year, then you've got a little flexibility to either bring in another guy with the rest of the mid-level… or just pocket that money for when you might need it down the road.
Mason is also interesting. A few years ago, he was a very good side-kick to Michael Redd in Milwaukee. He knows how to score and he's a decent defender. If he can stay healthy, the Celtics might be able to get a decent player with half their mid-level money.


text:
Peek hits the online marketplace shelves
Posted by Matt Burns (@mjburnsy)
Next Story
Nokia's Ovi Improved With PIM Sync, File Sharing
The simple Peek email-only handheld just went on sale for $99.99. The device isn't for everyone, but if you need an extra item to carry in your pocket that does just email, this boy is for you. Keep in mind that there is a $19 unlimited connection fee paid through T-Mobile for monthly access as well. Need more info? NYT's review is here.
- Founded 2007
- Overview Peek's mission is to connect everyone, everywhere. The Peek Genius Cloud puts smart apps on simple devices, such as the huge flow of low cost phones created by the China ecosystem. As low-cost smartphones and featurephones have reached 50% share of the global phone market, major emerging brands such as ZTE, MicroMax, Nexian, and K-Touch pre-install Peek apps to make their phones do more. For …
- Location New York, New York
- Categories Messaging, Electronics, Chat, Email, Apps, Cloud Computing, Mobile
- Website http://peek.ly
- Full profile for Peek


text:
HP Pavilion zv6246EA Notebook PC Driver - Keyboard, Mouse and Input Devices 8.2.23 N for Microsoft Windows XP Publisher's description
Synaptics Touchpad Driver
Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
This package contains the Synaptics Touchpad driver for the listed operating systems. The driver provides advanced features such as PalmCheck, EdgeMotion, tap zones, double-tap, and tap-to-select.
PURPOSE: Routine
- Updates localizations for the Spanish language.
- Fixes issue where a PS/2 mouse attached to a port replicator responds more slowly than normal when the notebook is docked.
- Fixes issue where the left mouse button does not respond when it is held down on the up/down arrows of a scroll bar. (This issue only occurs on notebooks with a pointing stick.)


text:
Jordan, NY - Jordan-Elbridge's full-time school clerical workers have agreed to work less hours during the summer, saving the district about $7,500.
School board members voted unanimously tonight to approve a memorandum of agreement between the Service Employees International Union Local 200 United and the Jordan-Elbridge Central School District. The contract began July 1, 2009 and ends June 30, 2012.
There are 10 clerical staff members in the union, but only six are affected by the change, said Joseph Coleman, J-E's interim school business administrator. The six full-time employees typically work 2,080 hours a year, he said. They will now work 2,000 hours a year, Coleman said.
Members of the service union work in the school buildings year-round, Coleman said. Under the agreement, they will work 6 1/2 hours a day during the summer when "the bombardment is much less," he said.


text:
- News
- Calendar
- Blogs
- Sports
- Entertainment
- Business
- Lifestyles
- Community
- Opinion
- About Us
- Classifieds
- Coupons
- Local Savings
- Green Editions
- Legal Notices
- Weekly Ads
- Connect2Classes
Connect with Us
Mercer Island sprints back onto the course | Cross country preview
Driving around the high school this fall, passersby may see packs of students running the streets. Those students, members of the 140-strong cross country team, take full advantage of Island sidewalks and parks during the fall, hoping the practice will lead to strong season results.
"We have all of our girls returning. The varsity squad is all returning girls. The varsity boys have one returning. We graduated six seniors from the varsity team. So we have really a young team on the boys side," said returning co-head coach Tony Scaringi. He, along with Erica Hill, will help direct the teams this fall.
For the boys team, the younger members are a definite plus.
"The freshman, they are really engaged and involved, more so than I've seen in the past," said senior boys captain Alex Mesher. "We have a great future for the teams."
In the first several weeks, Scaringi said they have been focused on running technique and simply helping kids find their place on the team, because there are so many.
"We've been working a lot on good pack running," said girls captain Lindsay Benster.
"It's going to be a very good season," agreed Mikayla Davis, another of the girls' captains.
With all the girls returning from last year's varsity team, which finished 12th overall at state, the team is also focused on getting back to that level, and beyond.
"Our girls team of course has experience," said the coach. "They went to state last year and they have that under their belts. I think for our girls, both teams want to make it to state, but our girls they are looking for a top finish in state, like in the top seven. "
The captains easily agree with that goal.
"Our goal is to make state and improve our times as individuals and as a team," said Benster.
The boys hope they can do the same, with a younger group, Scaringi said first its seeing how they measure up.
"For our guys they just want to see where they stack up against the competition. The ultimate goal would be to make it to state. Our guys, I think they are hungry. We have a great group of young guys who want to work hard and see what happens," said the coach.
The teams will run the first of two home meets Wednesday, Sept. 14, at Luther Burbank Park against Interlake and Lake Washington.
"We have a revised course this year at Luther Burbank, so hopefully we can get some solid fan support," said Mesher. The meet begins at 4 p.m.
The teams were also excited about the recently completed Tahoma Relay event, which requires racers to run 100 yards in water, and the Tomahawk Twilight Invitational, which runs through a Mill Creek golf course under the lights in the evening. The invitational will take place on Oct. 1, while the Bellevue Invitational will be run on Sept. 24 at Lake Sammamish State Park.
Latest news, top stories, and community events,
delivered to your inbox.
Trending Stories Oct 18 - Oct 25
Read the Oct 26
Green Edition
Browse the print edition page by page, including stories and ads.
Browse the archives.


text:
A 15-year-old boy who went missing in Nain in the early hours of this morning was located safe some hours later by a member of the community.
Nain RCMP said officers were contacted about 4 a.m. and told the teenager had left his residence on foot sometime between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m..
The RCMP called Nain search and rescue and the local Rangers to assist in the search.
A community member subsequently located the teenager on Pauls Island and brought him back to his family. He was cold and wet, but otherwise unharmed.
The name of the teenager, nor the reason he left the residence alone at the early hour, were not disclosed.


text:
THOMAS TWP. — Suniva Inc. has a "planned start-up date" of 2013 for a $250 million solar cell manufacturing facility in Thomas Township, according to a state document.
But a spokeswoman for the company reiterated Thursday the Norcross, Ga.-headquartered firm has maintained that obtaining acceptable financing and favorable market conditions are necessary to build the plant must happen before construction could occur.
The Michigan Economic Development Authority authorized a nearly $8.7 million tax credit this week and extended a 15-year, $15 million photovoltaic Michigan Business Tax credit, first offered two years ago, to attract the firm.
In a Michigan Economic Development Corp. memo, the state projected the facility will hire up to 500 workers who earn an average wage of $923 a week. The high-efficiency solar panel making facility could mean 3,329 jobs throughout the state by 2020, and bring $88.6 million in state revenue by the same time, according to the MEDC analysis.
Suniva had considered locations in Georgia, Tennessee, New Mexico, and Oregon.
"The incentives offered by the local community and MEDC had a direct effect on the location decision to place this facility in Thomas Township," Phil Santer, an MEDC regional project manager, wrote in a Dec. 13 memo to Michigan Economic Development Authority board members.
Local business and government leaders broke ground on the $7.5 million, 240-acre Great Lakes Solar Technology Park on Graham and Gratiot last month where Suniva has a 40-acre site set aside if it builds the facility.


text:
This deal has ended.
Updated! We found more 7pc Embroidered Comforter Set styles at the same price: Greystone (pictured), Rowena, Garrison, Penelope, Ethan and Passion Flower. Get a 7pc Embroidered Comforter Set: the Bergen, Bella Donna Red, Bella Donna Green or Gabrielle, originally $200 each, now dropping from $79.99 to $67.99 when you add code SAVE at Macys.com. Even with $9.95 shipping (or add something like the Kipling Alvar XS Crossbody to get free shipping over $99), this is the lowest price we can find on anything comparable. Sales tax is charged in most states.No longer available


text:
Foreign Affairs Council sets the course for the EU's external action and ensures coherence of the EU's different efforts in the area. The Council deals with issues concerning the common foreign and security policy, the security and defence cooperation, trade and development policy and the Member States are represented by different ministers depending on what is on the agenda. The Council is chaired by the permanent EU high representative Catherine Ashton, and it meets app. once a month.
Justus Lipsius
Rue de la Loi 175, B-1048
Brussels, Belgium
To name
From name
From email


text:
Cortland County authorities arrested four people and seized marijuana, cocaine and cash today during a search of a Virgil home, sheriff's deputies said.
Tia Strauss, 25, and Daniel Strauss, 22, of 2350 Page Green Road, were arrested at their home, as were Michael J. Mahool, 28, and Angelina Reyes-Marquez, 28, both of Miami, Fla., deputies said. All four were charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell.
All are being held on $75,000 cash or $150,000 bond. The investigation is continuing.


text:
Posted by Editor on 04/19/00
Good Friday Road Race - OntarioInformation about the Good Friday road race can be found on the Hamilton Cycling Club website.Easter Sunday Race - Ontario(courtesy Rob Naish)Information for this Sunday's Easter Sunday Loops race in Cobourg, Ontario is available at www.eagle.ca/cobourgcycle. Please be advised that the Information has been updated from the original race flyer to make it a little more clear that The Masters A 30-39 Category will be mixed with the Senior 3's. We look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday! The video finish camera will be warmed up and ready to go, so make sure you look good when you cross the line because you'll probably end up on the website. email: email@example.com Women in EuropeThere is a Canadian development squad in Europe racing; here are some results from last weekend's Fleche Gasconne:Stage 1 - -Pavie 91 km 1. Laurence Restoin (Fra) US Talence 2:36:572. Delphine Guille (Fra) Pays de la Loire3. Cathy Moncassin (Fra) Lavaur VC7. Leah Goldstein (Can) Canada s.t.20. Darnelle Moore (Can) Canada at 8:4226. Julia Bradley (Can) Canada 12:0439. Myriam Desrosier (Can) Canada 35.1440. Melissa Lunstead (Can) Canada s.t.Stage 2 - ITT 6.8 km1. Lisbeth Simper (Den) Team Lolland Falster 11:212. Cathy Moncassin (Fra) Lavaur VC at 0:013. Geraldine Gill (Irl) VS Lannion-Perros-Guirrec 0:0711. Leah Goldstein (Can) Canada at 0:3822. Darnelle Moore (Can) Canada 1:0430. Julia Bradley (Can) Canada 1:3336. Myriam Desrosier (Can) Canada 2:0137. Melissa Lunstead (Can) Canada 2:03Final GC1. Lisbeth Simper (Den) Team Lolland Falster 2:48:182. Cathy Moncassin (Fra) Lavaur VC at 0:013. Geraldine Gill (Irl) VS Lannion-Perros-Guirrec 0:75. Leah Goldstein (Can) Canada 0:3819. Darnelle Moore (Can) Canada 9:4631. Julia Bradley (Can) Canada 13:3739. Myriam Desrosier (Can) Canada 37:1540. Melissa Lunstead (Can) Canada 37:17Tour of Willamette - Final GCMen1 Moninger, Scott Mercury 17:44:382 Lieswyn, John Shaklee at 0:463 Sheehan, Clark 7up 1:204 Gragus, Eddy Jelly Belly 1:285 McCormack, Mark Saturn 1:506  Spinelli, Justin JW Sports 1:527 Schmeer, Ron Nutrafig 2:088  Cruz, Antonio Saturn 2:269 Kluck, Damon CA Spokesman/Ss Cruz 2:5510 Fraser, Gord Mercury 3:1611  Tuft, Svein BC Trek/Volkswagen s.t.14  Wohlberg, Eric Shaklee 4:4822  Wurtele, Trevor BC 3point Motors/Merced 8:0453  Baille, Robin Pacific Sport/Sask 1:09:1754 Keefer, Jesse NutraFig 1:09:28Note: Peter Mazur, Matt Decore, Mike Lamb and Jason Crookham did not finish the last stage.Women1  Holden, Mari Timex 14:50:132  Demet, Dede  Saturn at 2:133  Bessette, Lyne  Saturn  3:424  Mayolo, Tina Auto Trader.com 5:145  Schuster, Pam   Auto Trader.com   5:146  Berger, Katrina CA Harbour Lights/Velom  5:227  Samplonius, Anne   ON Interspors Inc. Raci 5:388  Espeseth, Sandy BC Interspors Inc. Raci  5:519  Gariepy, Annie  Elita   6:0410  Peters, Stacey  OR 800.com   6:1413  DiGuistini, Cybil  Elita   6:2420  Neil, Sara   BC Trek/Volkswagen  8:4624  Timewell, Karen BC Escape Velocity  14:0830  Gingles, Nicole OR 800.com   17:2436  Carter, Erin Elita   27:2439  Cole, Heather   ON P&g/Women's Health  36:5441  Hall-Patch, Clare  BC Norco  40:1642  Hannos, Andrea  TX Interspors Inc. 43:5753  Hannos, Stephanie  BC Campione Cycling  1:15:4357  Farell, Julia   ON Interspors Inc. 1:43:18Note: Sophie St Jacques, Melanie McQuaid and Claire Townsend did not finish the last stage.A Real Mountain Biker's Race...News from Colorado about a new one day race that will cause the hair on your chest to fall out:Boulder, Colorado - EPIC. OUTRAGEOUS. BOLD. CLASSIC. The Zinger will meet and exceed those descriptions when American bicycle racing takes a decidedly new journey on July 15 over a grueling 138-mile route from Boulder to Breckenridge. Celestial Seasonings announces its return to international cycling with what might be the single most arduous one-day event on earth. The race will dish out an outrageous course punctuated by seven major mountain climbs and crosses the Continental Divide.Modeled after European events like Paris-Roubaix and the most difficult mountain stages of the Tour de France, the Zinger will feature a total vertical gain of nearly 14,000 feet over paved and dirt roads. Steep, off-camber descents - some without guard rails - and brutal winds are also characteristics of this challenging route. The estimated race time is seven hours. Celestial Seasonings and its founder Mo Siegel, who ushered in the modern era of American cycling 25 years ago with the Red Zinger Bicycle Classic, are the driving forces behind this exciting new event. "Nothing like this exists anywhere in the world," said Siegel. "We wanted to create something bold and epic - something so Colorado that people would be in awe of the difficulty.""We wanted a race that evokes the characteristics of the European classics - long, extremely difficult, one-day events with elements unique to each race, like the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix, or the numerous short, steep climbs of the Tour of Flanders," said Len Pettyjohn, who designed the course and serves as the race director."None of the European classics have the combination of elements we have put together - the climbing, the altitude, the blend of paved and dirt roads and the potential for dramatic changes in climate and environment," said Pettyjohn. "Only the best racers climb onto the podium in a classic, and that will be definitely be the case on July 15."The Zinger route begins in front of the historic Hotel Boulderado in the heart of the city that has been the home of many world-class cyclists and races. After traveling south to Coal Creek Canyon, the racers will head west and tackle the first climb, a category one ascent to the town of Wondervu.A rolling section along the southern segment of the Peak to Peak highway finishes with the ascent to Golden Gate Road, a category three climb that takes the racers above 9,000 feet, where they will remain for much of the day.Following a fast descent into Black Hawk the peloton climbs again to Central City, and the top of Oh My God road, a category two climb that finishes with a treacherous gravel descent into Idaho Springs.The next section, through Idaho Springs and Georgetown, includes a critical feed zone, where the racers refuel before beginning their most challenging climb of the day to the pinnacle of 11,671-foot Guanella Pass, a wild and unpaved road. This climb has been given an "hors categorie," rating for it's extreme nature."Guanella Pass is going to be a major selection for the strong men of the race," said Pettyjohn. "It's extremely nasty because it's so long, at high altitude and over gravel, which makes your bike feel slow and heavy."The fifth climb (category two) comes at Kenosha Pass, at just over 10,000 feet. The summit of Red Hill Pass (9,933 feet, category four) follows 20 miles later. This section, through South Park, is where riders are likely to encounter intense winds, which could become a critical factor in team tactics as riders attack and chase each other across valley floor.The racers will now have traveled well over 100 miles, yet a significant, final category two ascent still lies ahead - to the summit of Hoosier Pass at 11,547 feet. Ten miles later, after a twisting, tricky descent, the winner will cross the line in Breckenridge. "We want to rewrite the cycling books again," said Pettyjohn. "I don't think there is anything more dramatic and daunting than the backdrop of the Continental Divide and five mountain passes over two miles high. The Zinger will define a new generation of American cycling legends."For more information, visit the website at www.zingerbikerace.com.


text:
- News
- Calendar
- Blogs
- Sports
- Entertainment
- Business
- Lifestyles
- Community
- Opinion
- About Us
- Classifieds
- Coupons
- Local Savings
- Green Editions
- Legal Notices
- Weekly Ads
- Connect2Classes
Connect with Us
If the warning is Mayan, I'm just not buyin' | Wally's World
Well, just in case you haven't heard, the world is coming to an end this year. It's the Mayan calendar, you know. On the 21st of December – which the Mayans surely realized was the first day of winter because they were really into astronomy – their 2000-year-old calendar comes to an end. And various cults, religions and prophets of one type or another attach a great deal of significance to this.
But Mayan scholars and archeologists don't interpret the calendar's end as an apocalyptic event; instead, they think it merely signifies the end of an era and the beginning of another, in which case next year could be the dawning of a new, glorious age. However, I'm inclined to think the Mayans ended their calendar simply because they were tired of fooling around with the damned thing. After charting full moons, equinoxes and eclipses 2,000 years into the future, the astronomer in charge of such calculations finally laid down his "pen" and said to hell with it. Enough is enough.
Many of you probably saw the film "2012" that came out a few years ago. Holy smokes, what a first-class disaster that was; both the events portrayed and the movie in general. There were famines and plagues and wars and earthquakes and ice and heat and floods and God only knows what all. And if you happened to survive all that, you certainly wouldn't survive that gigantic tsunami that made the actual catastrophe in Japan look like child's play.
This is only one of many such films. Hollywood has struck box-office gold with end of the world nonsense.
Unfortunately, most Hollywood sci-fi explores and/or predicts a pretty depressing future, often portraying the earth after some apocalyptic event that is never fully explained.
Since the dawn of civilization, man has been predicting the end of the world---or at least the end of the civilization he's just built. Apparently, the early Egyptian Pharaohs felt our days were numbered and, needless to say, many Christian scriptures predict worldwide calamity. In fact, a literal interpretation of the flood during Noah's day claims all life on the planet has already been destroyed once. Christ had quite a lot to say on the subject; famine, floods, earthquakes, "wars and rumors of war." His disciple, Peter, and convert, Paul, perhaps the most important missionaries in the early days of Christianity, both thought these terminal events would happen within their lifetimes, even though Christ allegedly said no one knew when the end would occur.
Nostradamus predicted one catastrophe after another. In the late 1800s, renowned philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche painted a pretty gloomy picture of things to come.
The apocalypse is currently a popular theme among environmentalists and Christian churches. It's a topic I frequently debate with my Jehovah's Witnesses friends.
Given the apparent rise in the number of severe earthquakes, tsunamis, tornados and hurricanes, one can't deny that the apocalyptic signs seem to be everywhere. Couple these with the earth's growing population, the spreading famine and the lack of clean water and one has to admit that the future doesn't look especially jolly. Then too, there's the threat of nuclear annihilation and Armageddon, the final, cataclysmic war.
Personally, I kinda subscribe to the Buddhist idea: The earth and all life on it compose a living force and, like all vital beings, it wants to survive.
It's not unlike the Western concept of Mother Nature. If you screw around too much with Mother Nature, she'll strike back with truly awesome fury and our defenses against such vengeance will be revealed for the flimsy farce they are.
Be that as it may, I still remain reasonably confident we'll be around to celebrate New Year's Eve 2013.
Latest news, top stories, and community events,
delivered to your inbox.
Trending Stories Oct 18 - Oct 25
Read the Oct 26
Green Edition
Browse the print edition page by page, including stories and ads.
Browse the archives.


text:
The announcement Monday that TV's "Ebert and Roeper at the Movies" would no longer continue - at least, not with Roger Ebert (who has been left speechless by his battles with cancer), nor with Richard Roeper (who is promising to start his own review show) is both anticlimactic and bittersweet.
Anticlimactic because once original co-host Gene Siskel died, and was replaced by the lightweight Roeper, the signature movie-review show slipped. Once Ebert was no longer able to appear, it slid, drastically.
And bittersweet because - as much as I appreciated the show when it began, more than 30 years ago - I lost interest in it over the years. And I'm not really sorry to see it go now, or eager to see it undoubtedly further dumbed down in the "new direction" its producers have promised.
It's important to remember that when the show first showed up as "Sneak Previews" on PBS in 1975 it filled a necessary niche.
Although there were plenty of `zines (for genre buffs), and trades (for people in the industry), there wasn't much movie information available for general-interest fans. The show provided that, and for many in small towns or remote areas, news of films that they might not have heard of otherwise. Both critics championed small, interesting movies; their influence was often enough to turn an otherwise overlooked film into a hit.
And yet the show ended up doing two other things that were less admirable.
The first, I think, was the famous "thumbs up/thumbs down" review system. Ebert and Siskel were proud of that gimmick - in fact, they trademarked it. But those pronouncements - in all their Caesarean live-or-die finality - struck me as an unhappy shortcut to understanding.
The star system is tough enough to enforce (does this movie get a two-and-a-half see-at-your-own-risk rating, or a three-star endorsement?) But limiting things even further to thumbs-up or thumbs-down - loved it or hated it - makes careful critiques of ambitious-but-flawed works far more difficult.
Because as much as Ebert and Siskel would talk about a movie - and these TV chats were never as in-depth as their print reviews - what people invariably took away from the segment was the final position of their thumbs. And that's a reductive approach that no work of art, whatever its value, really deserves.
The second problem with the show, I think, was the occasional heatedness of the discussions. I know that this made "good TV"; I understand that, off-set, Siskel and Ebert were congenial colleagues. Yet it introduced a kind of confrontation into film criticism, a sort of Jane-you-ignorant-slut approach that's only grown with the internet.
It's fine - in fact, it's vital - to disagree. But too often now personal invective takes the place of aesthetic debate - and that's also something that I think began (albeit in a much, much milder form) on "Siskel and Ebert," as people began to think that the sniping was more important, and entertaining, than what was actually being said.
If I do rue the passing of this show, it's chiefly because it confirms what we all already knew, but may have been reluctant to admit: We will not hear Roger Ebert talking about movies again. That's a loss.
And yet he continues to write, and to champion films. His love of cinema remains secure, as does his prodigious work ethic, and his dogged refusal to see his difficulties as anything but challenges. His courage and good humor alone should be inspiring to everyone.
And for that - whatever the fate of the TV show he started -- he deserves his own, emphatic thumbs-up.