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You may recognize Brian Posehn from his role as the perpetually stoned, gay friend on The Sarah Silverman Program. Possibly you know him as the mail guy on the occasionally hilarious Just Shoot Me. If you are old like me, then you first noticed his comedic genius on the greatest sketch comedy show ever, Mr. Show. Posehn has had his huge fingers in lots of comedy pies over the years, and the pies keep getting tastier. He's a giant of a man at 6 feet 6 inches and an unabashed nerd about the things he likes. The first thing that will probably come up is Posehn's all-consuming love for heavy metal. He takes this shit seriously, keeping the "Death to False Metal" banner, once hoisted by the likes of Manowar, held proud and high. In his wicked music video, "Metal by Numbers," Brian lays out the formula for metal while lampooning and embracing the genre simultaneously. That, my friends, is the sign of a real fan. Basically he is a tall, nerdy, awesome metal-head who is really, really funny. That's a recipe for kick-ass! Check him out Friday through Sunday at the Addison Improv, 4980 Belt Line Road. Contact the box office at 972-404-8501 or visit improv.com.
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This report describes the typical weather at the Mehrabad International Airport (Tehran, Iran) weather station over the course of an average November. It is based on the historical records from 1996 to 2012. Earlier records are either unavailable or unreliable.
Tehran has a cold semi-arid steppe climate. The area within 25 mi of this station is covered by shrublands (56%), grasslands (20%), croplands (16%), and built-up areas (8%).
The month of November is characterized by rapidly falling daily high temperatures, with daily highs decreasing from 68°F to 55°F over the course of the month, exceeding 75°F or dropping below 47°F only one day in ten.
Over the course of November, the length of the day is gradually decreasing. From the start to the end of the month, the length of the day decreases by 46 minutes, implying an average day-over-day decrease of 1.5 minutes.
The shortest day of the month is November 30 with 9:56 hours of daylight; the longest day is November 1 with 10:42 hours of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 6:27am on November 1; the latest sunset is at 5:09pm on November 1; the latest sunrise is at 6:55am on November 30; the earliest sunset is at 4:51pm on November 29.
Daylight savings time is observed in 2012 but it neither starts nor ends in November, so the entire month is in standard time.
The median cloud cover ranges from 39% (mostly clear) to 53% (partly cloudy). The trend is for the sky to be becoming cloudier with the median cloud cover increasing by 13% from the start to the end of the month.
On November 1, the clearest day of the month, the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 61% of the time, and overcast or mostly cloudy 24% of the time.
On November 26, the cloudiest day of the month, the sky is overcast, mostly cloudy, or partly cloudy 51% of the time, and clear or mostly clear 38% of the time.
The probability that precipitation will be observed at this location varies throughout the month. Precipitation is most likely around November 24, occurring in 33% of days. Precipitation is least likely around November 1, occurring in 25% of days.
Throughout November, the most common forms of precipitation are moderate rain and light rain.
Moderate rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 58% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around November 25, when it is observed during 19% of all days.
Light rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 18% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around November 24, when it is observed during 6% of all days.
The likelihood of snow falling is highest around November 28, occurring in 3% of days.
Either snow rarely accumulates at this location in November or snow depth measurements are unavailable or unreliable.
The relative humidity typically ranges from 31% (comfortable) to 74% (humid) over the course of a typical November, rarely dropping below 16% (dry), or exceeding 94% (very humid).
The air is driest around November 1, at which time the relative humidity drops below 38% (comfortable) three days out of four; it is most humid around November 30, rising above 61% (mildly humid) three days out of four.
Dew point is often a better measure of how comfortable a person will find the weather than relative humidity because it more directly relates to whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid.
Over the course of a typical November, the dew point typically varies from 26°F (dry) to 43°F (dry) and is rarely below 15°F (dry) or above 51°F (very comfortable).
Over the course of November typical wind speeds vary from 0 mph to 11 mph (calm to gentle breeze), rarely exceeding 24 mph (fresh breeze).
The highest average wind speed of 5 mph (light breeze) occurs around November 1, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 11 mph (gentle breeze).
The lowest average wind speed of 4 mph (light breeze) occurs around November 30, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 10 mph (gentle breeze).

subset: commoncrawl


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HOUSTON — Texas' oil and gas regulator has instituted a blanket policy barring staff from doing media interviews, raising questions about transparency just as the state grapples with the intricacies of one of the largest energy booms in decades.
The three-member Texas Railroad Commission, which is one of the largest state agencies of its kind in the country, approved the policy in August, about a year after Milton Rister took over as the commission's executive director. Since then, all media inquiries have been funneled through a spokeswoman who responds via email and bars any direct access to staff.
The commission, which also regulates pipelines and mining, devotes much of its time to permitting oil and gas drilling and production, ensuring wells are safe and investigating complaints or problems at those sites.
For a Texas agency to ban all media interviews is unusual. Typically, the media relations department is not the source of information, but rather acts as a liaison to connect journalists with the staff they need to speak with for a particular story.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, a state agency whose responsibilities often overlap with the Railroad Commission, routinely grants interviews with staff members who are scientists and experts. The General Land Office, which is responsible for offshore oil spill cleanup, also allows staff to speak with the media.
Speaking to agency petroleum experts, engineers and other qualified staff is crucial to understanding the work being done at the agency, its oversight, the status of its investigations and the quality of that work. Having information funneled through a spokeswoman makes the origin and credibility of the responses unclear.
"There needs to be some rationale behind the Railroad Commission or any agency to outweigh the public's right to be informed," said state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, a San Antonio Democrat who is on the Texas Legislature's Transparency in State Agency Operations Committee.
Prior to Rister's appointment, the Railroad Commission routinely made staff and the agency's executive director — at the time John Tintera — available for interviews. However, that changed under Rister just as oil and gas production boomed. Since his appointment in September 2012, Texas has seen crude oil production rise from 53.2 million barrels a month to 62.4 million barrels, an increase of more than 17 percent.
The new policy states that Rister or the director of public relations can approve interview requests. But Ramona Nye, the spokeswoman, said in an email that all such decisions are made by Rister and "he says there will be no staff interviews."
In keeping with the policy, Rister declined repeated requests to be interviewed for this story. He also refused to explain the reasoning behind the policy.
Two of the elected commissioners also declined to comment for the story, and a third was on vacation. A spokeswoman for Commissioner Christie Craddick offered to have an off-the-record conversation to discuss the topic, which The Associated Press did not accept.
The policy also states that if permission is granted for an interview, "the employee shall be responsible for any misinformation, misquotes, misinterpretations or misrepresentations conveyed by the employee. Failure to comply with this policy could result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal."
"That would appear to have a deterrent effect. Those are some significant consequences and any employee would be mindful of the consequences," Martinez Fischer said. "I don't know if that fosters openness and deliberation."
Meanwhile, the drilling boom has brought increased scrutiny because it is largely attributed to new hydraulic fracturing techniques that allow drillers to extract oil and gas reserves that were once out-of-reach. Critics say the method can contaminate groundwater. The industry says the technology is safe.
When allegations arise of groundwater contamination resulting from fracking, the Railroad Commission has refused to put its engineers and petroleum experts on the phone to respond to questions.
Instead, as in all issues, questions must be emailed to Nye, who talks to staff and provides their answers. It is unclear who is answering the questions, where they rank in the agency and how close they are to the case.
Linne Bradley, the government relations director for the American Library Association, which is a nonprofit that fights for public access to information, said the Railroad Commission's policy is problematic.
"When we have seen agencies that prohibit the flow of information, we worry that there will be inadequate public attention and public scrutiny of what that agency is doing," Bradley said, adding that responding to questions via a spokeswoman is also unacceptable.
"You can't really know where that information is coming from. One has to make assumptions that it's authentic information," she said.


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PressReader iPad Update Boasts New Look and A Ton Of Content
PressReader attempts to give users an excellent way to ingest their Newspaper subscriptions from around the world. Its first iteration was bold, if not a bit wonky in delivery and style. Customers dug the idea, but were a bit split when it came to the execution of the app itself.
PressReader 2.2 has been released. This update features a fresh new look and a slew of changes poised to make users old and new extremely excited. Champion among them, in this news reader's opinion, is the much smoother navigation. Reading news quickly, effortlessly and effectively is what makes the iOS and tablet era a thrilling one. In fact, one probably wouldn't be too hard pressed to argue that stuttering scrolling is a major detriment to news and reading apps that could otherwise be incredible.
According to the release that accompanied the update to PressReader, users can expect smoother operation, faster navigation, simplified downloading and delivery of newspapers.
Faster zooming in graphics mode
Ability to wirelessly print full pages and individual articles to AirPrint-enabled printers
Improved message format when sharing an article via Facebook
New Library Shelf view that mimics a traditional newsstand
Improved navigation using section and page slider
Ability to automatically remove publications after 60 days (users can still choose to automatically remove issues after 3, 7, 14, and 30 days, or choose not to automatically remove old publications).
Simplified automatic delivery of newspapers
Ability to exclude downloaded publications when backing up via iTunes
Numerous performance and stability improvements to enhance the browsing experience
As an aside, while the app may be free, the newspaper subscriptions are not. PressReader was designed to complement the PressDisplay service previously available. PressDisplay is the service you subscribe to in order to actively read and download newspapers in PressReader for your iOS device.
See the app in motion below.


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The Immunohistochemistry Antibody Company |
Ordering |
100% Guaranteed |
Human GP9 / CD42a | |
Mouse | |
Human (tested or 100% immunogen sequence identity) | |
IgG1 Monoclonal [ESS] | |
Biotin | |
Protein A/G purified | |
Unmodified |
Flow Cytometry |
Human GP9 / CD42a | |
Collect blood aseptically by venipuncture into an ACD or EDTA blood collection tube. Important: Within 5 minutes of blood collection, fix blood sample by placing 100 ul of blood in test tube containing 1 ml of cold (4C) 1X PBS with 1% paraformaldehyde. Mix by vortexing. Centrifuge the fixed blood at 1200 x g for 5 minutes at room temperature (RT) 20°C. Aspirate the supernatant, leave pellet. Prior to staining, wash the fixed blood pellet 2X with 1 ml 1X PBS + 0.1% Azide at RT. Centrifuge the fixed blood at 1200 x g for 5 minutes at room temperature (RT) 20°C. Aspirate the supernatant, leave pellet. Resuspend the pellet in 1 ml of 1X PBS at RT. To a clean labeled test tube add 10 ul of Exalpha monoclonal antibody. Carefully add 50 ul of the fixed blood suspension to the bottom of the test tube. Vortex and incubate at room temperature for at least 15 minutes and analyzed within 3 hours. Please note: Using this procedure will yield twenty samples for platelet analysis. Select logarithmic (Log) amplification for both Forward (FSC) and Side (SSC) scatters, while collecting data for platelets. See instrument manufacturers instructions for Immunofluorescence analysis with a flow cytometer or microscope. The applications listed have been tested for the unconjugated form of this product. Other forms have not been tested. |
PBS, 0.08% sodium azide, 0.2% carrier protein, sterile-filtered | |
Store at 4°C. Do not freeze. | |
For research use only. |
GP9 Antibody, CD42a Antibody, GPIX Antibody, Glycoprotein 9 Antibody, Glycoprotein IX (platelet) Antibody, GP-IX Antibody, CD42a antigen Antibody, gp9 Antibody, Platelet glycoprotein IX Antibody
GP9 / CD42a is a small membrane glycoprotein found on the surface of human platelets. It forms a 1-to-1 noncovalent complex with glycoprotein Ib, a platelet surface membrane glycoprotein complex that functions as a receptor for von Willebrand factor. The complete receptor complex includes noncovalent association of the alpha and beta subunits with the protein encoded by this gene and platelet glycoprotein V.


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Deal of the week: Game bundles and uber-cheap SSDs It's been a while since we kicked off one of our deal posts with a gaming bonanza. Let's rectify that, starting with a couple of... Type: News story Tags: Storage Gaming |
27 |
Release roundup: Gaming headphones and workstation goodies We've got a mix of workstation hardware and enthusiast gear in this week's release roundup. Announcements from Cooler Master, Kingston, and Sapphire have all made... Type: News story Tags: Motherboards Multimedia Storage |
16 |
Dual VelociRaptors take root in external Thunderbolt drive Western Digital's terabyte VelociRaptor hard drive has popped up in a rather unexpected place. The 10k-RPM mechanical monster is part of WD's latest... Type: News story Tags: Storage |
42 |
Bang on the new site code for us, if you would We have been hard at work on some improvements to the site behind the scenes, and we're about ready to roll out the first wave... Type: News story Tags: The Tech Report |
43 |
Deal of the week: Discounted Radeons, SSDs, and a mechanical keyboard Earlier this week, AMD trimmed mid-range Radeon prices, providing plenty of fooder for this week's deals post. For the most part, the discounts... Type: News story Tags: Graphics Storage Input devices |
43 |
Terabyte Toshiba hybrid drive has 8GB of NAND cache Seagate has been selling hybrid hard drives that combine flash memory with traditional mechanical platters for several years. We've reviewed a couple of... Type: News story Tags: Storage |
24 |
Intel brings TRIM support to SSD RAID arrays TRIM is the best thing to happen to SSDs since the price of flash memory started falling. Now part of the Serial ATA specification,... Type: News story Tags: Storage |
39 |
Report: Hard drive makers slimming notebook models down to 5 mm Most notebook hard drives conform to the 2.5" form factor. The standard, which calls for platters 2.5" in diameter, comes in multiple thicknesses. ... Type: News story Tags: Storage Mobile computing |
27 |
TR BBQ IX: probably the best yet The ninth annual edition of the TR BBQ is in the books, and it may just go down as the best one yet. We converged... Type: News story Tags: The Tech Report |
73 |
Deal of the week: Storage and memory coupons This week's deal post is all about getting the most gigs for your buck, whether you're looking at memory, solid-state drives, or good old-fashioned mechanical... Type: News story Tags: Storage Memory |
10 |
Next-gen Samsung SoC has USB 3.0, WQXGA display support Looks like next-generation Samsung smartphones and tablets will boast PC-class storage interfaces. Samsung's... Type: News story Tags: CPUs Graphics Storage Mobile computing |
55 |
TR BBQ IX's unprecedented prize haul unveiled We've already told you about the fact that the ninth annual TR BBQ event will be taking place this year on August 11,... Type: News story Tags: The Tech Report |
32 |
Seagate posts 2012 financials, possibly eyeing OCZ acquisition Seagate's 2012 fiscal year has ended, and the company made a tidy profit. Over the last 12 months, the hard drive maker raked in... Type: News story Tags: Storage |
20 |
SSDs with next-gen NAND approach At the Computex trade show in Taipei, Taiwan earlier this year, the folks at SandForce told us to expect drives based on next-generation NAND in... Type: News story Tags: Storage |
49 |
Budget Crucial v4 SSD targets 3Gbps SATA upgrades Adding a solid-state drive is often the best way to boost the performance of an aging system, especially if it's a laptop. Now, Crucial has... Type: News story Tags: Storage |
23 |
Deal of the week: a 7850 for $200, a 128GB SSD for $85, and more We've got a trifecta of hardware deals for you all this week, starting with a nice discount on OCZ's new 128GB Agility 4 solid-state drive. Newegg... Type: News story Tags: Graphics Storage Memory Gaming |
19 |
Western Digital doubles last year's profits Western Digital has released the financial results for its fourth fiscal quarter of 2012, and it seems the hard drive maker has rebounded quite nicely... Type: News story Tags: Storage |
37 |
USB Power Delivery spec offers up to 100W A little less than a year ago, we learned that the USB Implementers Forum, the governing body behind the interface standard, was working to... Type: News story Tags: Power Storage Mobile computing |
50 |
Aorus gives its GTX 1070 the triple-fan treatment | 1 |


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Joe Nichols Leaves Blake Shelton An Early Gift!
So I bet you are wondering what kind of a gift Joe Nichols gave to Blake Shelton……Was it a new truck, a gun or how about a….#1 song. Yep, believe that. Joe Nichols recorded the song "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking" back in 2007 for his CD "Real Things". What Joe did not do was RELEASE the song as a single. In steps Blake Shelton…re-records the song… and WHAMO….a #1 hit. Personally, I thought Joe Nichols version is just a bit better than Blake's. I have that CD too…and totally passed over the song when I got it…..What a dingbat…… Hey, If we are lucky….Maybe Joe will play it at the WYRK Winter Acoustic Show.


text:
About this font family
The Fleurons of Paris were inspired by an iron gate, an iron railing, a Metro tile, a Metro stop, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, a rainy afternoon, a glass of wine, an outdoor cafe and the list goes on and on.
Absorbing all things visual was immensely satisfying second only to coming home and reliving the trip tiny graphic by tiny graphic.
Also look at the Ornaments of Paris.
See a typo? Edit the description!
Available formats
available in all of the styles:
'Fleurons of Paris' is a trademark of Outside the Line.


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Yeah, as soon as Shadow Tag is released, I have a feeling that Chandelure will be the easiest ban from OU that we've had all throughout 5th Gen.
As for now, Chandy is actually pretty good in UU right now, and his OU performance isn't too bad. With Flash Fire, it has 3 immunities (4 with an Air Balloon, lol), which gives it a lot of opportunities to come in on something and get to work. I'd say that the Specs and Scarf sets (which have already been posted, I believe) are easily the best sets right now. The SubCM set might be much more effective when Shadow Tag is released, but for now I've just not had too much success with it.


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Art Boards are made of different materials designed for all kinds of art and craft uses. Drawing, illustration, mounting, presentation, framing and craft projects are all made possible on the rigid support of various types of boards.
Bristol Board is a high quality paper available in different thicknesses and surface textures. Smooth plate or slightly toothy vellum surfaces are perfect for fine drawings and artwork made with a variety of media including pencil, charcoal, ink and more.
Foam Board is a lightweight rigid board made with an airy foam center and smooth surface. Useful for mounting, model making, project presentation and as a backing for framed artwork.
Illustration Board is a paper board with either a smooth hot-press or slightly toothy cold-press surface. Illustration board will accept a variety of drawing and other media such as pencil, charcoal, technical pen, airbrush and more.
Mat Board is a rigid paper board with a paper surface available in a variety of colors designed for framing artwork.
Mounting & Presentation Boards are rigid boards designed for mounting, paste-up and artwork presentation.
Boards are also available for painting and other multimedia artwork - see also: Multimedia Boards and Canvas Panels
Foam Board Black 3/16in 24x36 Box of 25 Sheets
Price:Regular Price: $133.75
Plaza Price: $107.00
Foam Board White 3/16in 24x36 Box of 25 Sheets
Price:Regular Price: $117.50
Plaza Price: $94.00


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Gazo, thanks for your reply, obviously i opened the .iso with CDburnerXP and next i've started to burn the disc.
next question is: why burn the ISO file on a disk?
You must open the ISO file in Imgburn and let the program write the image for you
Which files are on the disc you burned?
All questions should be directed through the forum
Private messages will be disregarded
Gazo, thanks for your reply, obviously i opened the .iso with CDburnerXP and next i've started to burn the disc.
Tried it in an 2007 Sclass, system asks do you want to carry out Version 10 update, press yes and does the quick firmware update................... then ejects the disc and says "please nsert MAP DVD update"?
Last edited by paulos; 6th December 2011 at 22:25.
This is not the last version, as there is a new one from Oct 2011 and it is two DVD.
Anybody know's wich contries are include in this NTG3..??
Hello guys, I share my custom made covers for NTG3, I hope you enjoy it!
NTG3 Covers.rar
Hi guys, I have a Mercedes S350 2006. I HAVE COMAND APS ntg 3., V10, how to install it in a DVD or through the service connector. THANKS IN ADVANCE.....
Anybody have small-part links for download ???
I keep being told its an encrypted archive and I need to pay for the password.
Despite better judgement decided to send the 2 sms messages as asked, but never received the password in reply.
Am I doing something wrong?


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Please read description carefully.
Do not base your order on the picture presented.
Description of the ADC Medicut 7.25\" Shears Black
Medicut Shears Feature:
• Razor sharp, super-hardened surgical stainless steel blades with one serrated edge to cut through the toughest materials
• Blades tempered to a Rockwell hardness of C56 for unsurpassed durability
• Contoured polypropylene handles with large ring provide maximum control and comfort
• Extra large rivet with a rated strength of 88kg assures rugged durability
• Fully auto-clavable to 143°C (290°F)
• Traditional 7 1/4" length for maximum leverage and strength
• Stainless steel safety bandage tip
• Inspected and packaged in the U.S.A.
• Two Year Quality Performance Guarantee
ADC medical instruments and accessories have been carefully designed to meet the rigorous demands of the most discriminating healthcare professionals throughout the world.
ADC products are manufactured from the finest materials with an uncompromising concern for quality.
Exhaustive inspection of every item by ADC factory trained quality control staff ensures strict compliance with ADC standards for performance and durability.
And the commitment to manufacturing excellence is backed by the industry's most extensive warranties.
ADC's Medicut Shears are the world's best selling brand of medical grade utility shears.
Medex SKU: ADC320BK


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Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley
(1792-1822 / Horsham / England)
Fragment: Milton's Spirit
I dreamed that Milton's spirit rose, and took
From life's green tree his Uranian lute;
And from his touch sweet thunder flowed, and shook
read more >>
- Hits: Number of visitors who read the poem on the given date.
- Posts: Number of visitors who posted the poem to a friend (via e-mail) on the given date.
- Dates that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list.
- Dates, poems and poets that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list. Statistics are generated daily.


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We are currently searching "Store" for your search term. If you'd like to search another section of our website, please select another section from the drop down list.
$10 Credit is Applied on You Account When Your friend place his first order. Plus you will receive additional $5 For every 20 items that friend will purchase.
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To:sweetwiseinc I got your mat and I am in love with it. I also watched your YouTube video on making swags and drapes from fondant ( I am just starting to work with fondant). Today I made my first ever fondant drape on a wedding cake using your tips and technique ( the frosting was buttercream )....If I could hug you I would!! It worked out perfectly. It worked and looked just like you said it would. Want to send you a picture, but I guess you can only post videos in emails on YouTube...Anyways Thank you Thank you!!!
When you get your online classes up and running, I am so in!!
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This modelling tool has a small cutting wheel at either end, one 3/8"Dia and the other 5/8"Dia. The wheels are wonderful for cutting fondant, gumpaste, and marzipan to shape and are ideal for creating small detailed cut out shapes.
Out of stock
This tool combines a wheel with sharp tines on one end and a modeling tool on the other end. Easily Makes Perfect Quilted Marks on Fondant.


text:
- lists
- blocks
Common words appear frequently in written and spoken language across many genres from radio to academic journals.
Informal words should be reserved for casual, colloquial communication.
fullest extent
More words related to whole hog
adv. exhaustively
adj. total, not lacking
adj. all-inclusive, complete
adj. wide-ranging
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source


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Munters ML Plus system for year-round total climate control
When closing down the Hälsinge F15 airbase at Söderhamn in Sweden in 1998, the 188 hectares area was transformed into Flygstaden, a First Class Industrial Park (FCIP).
Today, approx. 40 different companies are operating from the former military buildings and among those we find the central archive for the Swedish Employment Service.
The archive keeps files and documents from Employment Service offices all over Sweden and is constantly expanding. 23 people are employed here to keep track of the more than 43,000 meters of shelves, to find and forward files to offices when needed.
Cooperation with Munters for years
Since its early beginning in Flygstaden, the archive has been using Munters desiccant dehumidifiers to control the climate in the archive. Subject to the regulations from the National Archives of Sweden, the archive has to maintain constant climate conditions around the year at 18°C (±2°C) and 30-40% RH (±5% RH).
Two Munters desiccant dehumidifiers, type MXT2100 and ML1350, have been operating next to the archive's AHU and humidification system to enable full climate control for preserving the documents.
Expansion required new equipment
When the archive expanded by 500 m² during 2012, the contractor Stefan Kring, Plåtteknik Söderhamn, contacted Munters to design the next dehumidification system.
As a result of the ongoing product development within Munters, a complete system for controlling both temperature and humidity, the ML Plus system, had been developed since the latest deliveries for the archive in Flygstaden 9 years ago. This system fitted perfectly for the archive as the outdoor climate conditions require both a dehumidifier and a humidifier to fullfil the above climate requirement.
ML Plus – a modern concept with numerous options
The ML Plus system is a modular system, designed and configurated exactly according to the specific customer need, with nominal airflows from 180-3,000 m³/h (operating airflow up to 5,500m³/h). The ML Plus system can combine dehumidification with humidification, pre- and post cooling and heating and offers a variety of filter options as well as different sources for regeneration (electricity, steam and gas).
The central part of the system is the ML dehumidifier that is known as a reliable and robust work horse, produced by Munters for more than 20 years.
As soluções neste caso


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The birthday boy who turns 43 today is not only known for his edgy action sequences, but also for mouthing some punchy dialogues with such élan, his fans can't get enough
People say that Bollywood has changed over the years, as many small budget script-driven films are being accepted but the fact is that the power equation hasn't changed much. Every time a film starring any of the Khans hits the screens, speculations about the BO collections crossing the Rs 200 crore mark begin. But Ajay Devgn, with his recent films like Singham, Golmaal 3 and Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, proved that he is just as bankable as the Khans, if not more. On his birthday, we look at some of his memorable dialogues which have won him a permanent place in the hearts of his fans all over the world.
Pyar Toh Hona Hi Tha (1998)
Aaisa he hoo main…
Like this only I am
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)
Jhooth nahi pasand mujhe. Kaha tha tumse.
Lies I do not like. Told you, I had.
Company (2002)
Khaas aadmi ko bhi ye maloom hona chahiye ke woh kabhi bhi aam ho sakta hai.
Special person should know that they can become general person.
Omkara (2006)
Sarat ghodo par lagaate hain, kathor, shero par nahi
Bet is placed on horses, tough, not tigers.
Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010)
Jo apne maa ki izzat nahin karte, main unka baap ban kar aata hoon. Naam yaad rakhna, Sultan Mirza.
Who respect their mother not, I become their father and come. Remember my name, Sultan Mirza.
ALSO READ: Six trailers to be attached to 'Housefull 2'
Can action hero Ajay Devgn do justice to Jeetendra's dancing style in 'Himmatwala' remake?


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I'm talking dirty briefs, boxers, boxer briefs, panties, bras, etc.
You know you want to. And together we can organize something special. Maybe even get on the next DVD
Let's fucking do it!
I'm talking dirty briefs, boxers, boxer briefs, panties, bras, etc.
You know you want to. And together we can organize something special. Maybe even get on the next DVD
I have Franz Ferdinand boy shorts.
Bonus points for skidmarks or the infamous coachella 'swamp ass'!!
one year, at irvine meadows in the nineties (I think it was for Lollapalooza)...the men's bathroom was not adequately stocked with toilet paper. so, by the end of the day, there was this huge mountain pile of underwear by the trash can, all of it covered in poo. nasty. It appeared as though people who had to #2 just wiped with their underwear, and then discarded the dirties into this pile.
My point is, steal all the coachella toilet paper. let's gET fRANZ DIRTY.
ok, i'm joking. don't do that. i might want to wipe my ass at some point in the weekend.
Really, this again? . . . . You made the same thread for both Beck and Jack White, yet never followed through. Why should we think it will be any different this time?
Do bands ever get undies with skid marks?
12/16-18 Day for Night
I made myself laugh thinking about the exchange that occurred when someone said, "You idiot! Why'd you wear an almost identical shirt as the singer? Now you have to wear this stupid overshirt that doesn't go with the rest of your outfit...no, you have to fucking wear it!!!"
then I thought about how much funnier the picture would be if they were all wearing Cherita Chen's underwear on their heads.
okay, I'm stoned
You really are a fucking moron.
Franz Ferdinand is amazing
I have a black/red striped FF shirt, so maybe those shirts were the prototypes for the merch shirt?
Maybe that's why he has that pissy look on his face
Looking more closely, Alex's shirt appears to be long-sleeved and pushed up while mine is short-sleeved. Still similar though.
This is a silly thread.
Last edited by amyzzz; 03-11-2009 at 09:44 AM.
This thread is Serious Business, Amy.
I want to be reincarnated as that spoon
franz ferdinand=the killers
He is pretty hot, isn't he?
the busy bee has no time for sorrow.
Ok, I totally would do it, if I had an ATOMIC UNDIE FLINGER that would be able to launch the item the distance it would require. But I'm definitely tossing spiritual undies at them, haha. So hard. Especially at the singer because holy god that man is DESIRABLE
He's so skinny that I could only admire him from afar because he wouldn't be all that cuddly up close.
the busy bee has no time for sorrow.
What a fucking waste. One of the best damn songs on the album and this is the video for it?? Such a shame
Originally Posted by Wayne Coyne


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Latest Headlines
BCS Snubs Winning Teams, for $$$
Posted on 4 Dec 2011 by Jayce Chandler.
Once again the BCS has show the old saying is true, "It's all about the Benjamin Baby!" With an odd pick for the Sugar Bowl, the VT Hokies will be playing the Michigan State Wolverines. #7 Boise State, # 8 Kansas state and a # 12 Baylor (with top Heisman candidate RGIII) were all passed over for the Hokies 11-2, the same team that twice was killed by Clemson, and could not beat them...
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Broncos Roll after Slow Start
Posted on 26 Nov 2011 by Jayce Chandler.
It was a slow start for the #7 Boise State Broncos against the (7-3, 4-1 MWC) Wyoming Cowboys. Wyoming freshman Brett Smith lead the cowboys to an early 7-0 lead against the Broncos, shutting Boise State out for the 1st quarter and most of the second, but with about 4 minutes left in the 2nd Qtr. the Broncos came alive and scored back to back touchdowns to make it 13-7 after a Michael Frisina ...
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#7 Boise State Marches On Vs. SDSU
Posted on 25 Nov 2011 by Jayce Chandler.
Boise State Handles SDSU as it Works its way though the MWC and into #7 in the BCS Polls on last Saturday. Kellen Moore, college footballs most winning-est QB notched another win to his record as the #7 Broncos dispatched conference opponent SDSU in usual fashion. Boise state with players hurt on both Offense and Defense was able to keep their slim BCS hopes alive after falling to TCU earlier t...
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Friday Night BYU vs TCU College Football Special
Posted on 28 Oct 2011 by Andrew Burgess.
10/28/11 BYU vs TCU. A Mountain West Conference battle tonight…..who gets the win? TCU is favored by 13 points tonight on the spread, with the over/under being set at 56 total points. I like TCU to cover the 13 points tonight and a slight lean to over the total points. Pick/Play: TCU -13 (3* play) (* plays are based on a scale of 1-10) All picks/plays are an opinion, and not so whatsoev...
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A Tale of Two Half's
Posted on 27 Jan 2011 by Jeff Burke.
The Aztecs have relied on coming out strong in the second half of their games many times this year, to either come from behind and win or put teams away down the stretch with a huge second half run. This was not the case for the number four ranked Aztecs yesterday. In the biggest game of the year, when they needed it the most and after a strong performance in the first half the boys fai...
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The Best in the West?
Posted on 7 Nov 2010 by Nick Vance.
No question. As soon as TCU took the field last night they made it clear, no one in the Mountain West is in the same class as them. They demolished the Utes from kickoff till the final seconds winning 47-7. They also made it pretty clear that Utah was not the team the BCS computers thought they were. While the Horned Frogs showed just how much better than the Mountain West they are the be...
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The Big Stage
Posted on 5 Nov 2010 by Nick Vance.
Its time for TCU to prove themselves. This week is TCU's biggest game of the year. On Saturday the 3rd ranked Horned Frogs face off against 5th ranked Utah. This game will likely send one team to the national championship and another home with nothing. That's the price you pay for being in a non automatic qualifying conference like the Mountain West. This game might make the case for th...
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Flawless Frogs take on the Undefeated Utes in week 10
Posted on 4 Nov 2010 by James Harrison Jr..
As sports fans looked at the schedules for the 2010 NCAA Football schedule, one Mountain West Conference game stood out beyond the rest. Utah, division rivals of Texas Christian University, is arguably the only team other than Oregon State in week 1, standing between the Horned Frogs and an otherwise easily reached undefeated season, and a shot at a National Championship. This weekend, two o...
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TCU Dominates Two More
Posted on 31 Oct 2010 by Nick Vance.
Well I've been absent the last couple weeks but I'm glad to be back. Not much has changed since you last heard from me at TCU. I'll give you a wrap on the last two weeks. This week TCU faced off against the 1-7 Running Rebels from UNLV. It wasn't much of a game as TCU got ahead quickly and stayed ahead winning 48-6. TCU forced two turnovers running one interception back for a score. T...
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Oklahoma… REALLY???
Posted on 17 Oct 2010 by Nick Vance.
The BCS rankings came out today and I am a little confused as to what the heck kind of numbers they are feeding into the computers. Oklahoma took the top spot on the rankings which I disagree with but the computers close to unanimously ranked them first so I'll let that slide. What I really think is ridiculous is the rankings both TCU and Oregon got from the computers. Since I am the TCU bl...
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TCU Says Goodbye
Posted on 15 Oct 2010 by Nick Vance.
This week will be the final time TCU faces BYU in conference play. After this season the BYU Cougars will be leaving the Mountain West Conference to become a Division I Independent team. TCU would love to give them a memorable goodbye and show them how competitive the Mountain West really is. The Cougars have not looked much like their teams of the last few years so far this season but the ...
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You want stye points?
Posted on 10 Oct 2010 by Nick Vance.
TCU's got style points. Also Wyoming is awful. TCU rolled to their sixth win of the season against a Cowboys team that looked over-matched to say the least. They racked up 45 pts and completely smothered Wyoming for their second shutout in a row. Though unlike their game last week the win wasn't in doubt for long after the opening kick off. TCU scored on every one of their possessions i...


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Caribbean St. Thomas United States Virgin Islands
St. Pucchi
Beach Destination
Coral Green Teal
If ever there was a place primed for a perfect destination wedding…I'm pretty sure St. Thomas would be it. Because you need next to nothing to make your celebration spectacular. And while this bride layered on the turquoise and coral touches – inspired from the beaches themselves – the backdrop alone was enough for us to fall in love. Even more photos from Crown Images right here!
From the bride…We were going for a vintagey-beachy, relaxed elegance kind of vibe. We went with a lot of turquoise blue (bridesmaid dresses, mason jars for the ceremony aisle & the centerpieces, mother of the bride dress & turquoise gingham cocktail umbrellas I got from France) and coral (my shoes, troy's socks & tie, the flowers, the ringbearers ties, the flower girls flower crowns, cocktail straws, matchbooks, the lace & burlap table runners and really pale peachy flowers on my dress). Basically, I went crazy on etsy. I actually didn't realize how vintage-y my dress and hair looked until I saw your pictures. I loved how it all came together! It was a last minute to decision to have the flower girls & ringbearers barefoot for the wedding. I loved the kids playing in the water during & right after the wedding.
Music is also really important to me so that's why we had the guitar player for the wedding (I walked down the aisle to "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers). We also had a steal drum player for the cocktail hour & dj for the reception. Our wedding song was "I Got You" by Jack Johnson.
Since my guests were coming a long way & using up vacation time to come to my wedding, I wanted them to have as great a time as possible. So that's why we also had a welcome party the night before and a beach party the day after the wedding. Lots of great food & great drinks by Passion Fruit caterers for all 3 events.
Photography: Crown Images | Wedding Dress: St. Pucchi | Catering: Passion Fruit Chefs | Hair and Makeup: Sugar and Spice Artistry | Wedding Venue: Sand Dollar Estate | Groom\'s Attire: Hugo Boss | Music: Chris Robbert | Planning: Island Bliss Weddings | Villa: Sand Dollar Estate


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Japan's Real Crisis
If only Japan would listen. That sentiment, in one form or another, has been a favorite among foreign governments, executives, and commentators for years. In the 1970s, as the Japanese created the world's most dynamic automobile industry, Americans urged them to curb their exports. When Japan rode a wave of prosperity in the 1980s, Western governments demanded that the country open up its restricted markets. And today, as Japan staggers into recession, finance ministries around the world are begging the government of Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto to spend, spend, spend. Cut taxes, Mr. Hashimoto. Prime the pump by tapping Japan's $10 trillion in savings. Just act, and you can kick off a recovery in Asia that will prevent a global slowdown and end the region's crisis.
In recent weeks, the chorus from the world's moneymen and heads of state has grown louder. Michel Camdessus of the International Monetary Fund, Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, and Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia, among others, have called on Japan to act. President Clinton plans to have a stern talk with Hashimoto at the upcoming G-7 conference in Britain. Japan has responded in its grudging fashion, offering tax cuts of $34 billion over two years and making pledges to boost a public-spending program that already dwarfs the U.S. defense budget. The market, which had wanted $120 billion in tax cuts over three years, drove the Nikkei down. The gloom deepened. If Japan would only listen.
Yet the world's leaders may want to consider that their calls for a tax cut represent dangerous wishful thinking. A tax cut to put some life into the economy would certainly give a temporary lift to Japan. Yet fiscal stimulus, however deep, may not do much to resolve the Japanese crisis at this point. The challenges facing Tokyo are far more multifaceted than simply putting more money in the pockets of Japanese consumers. Japan faces a debt trap of its own making that involves the banks, households, and corporations of the whole nation. Japan must dismantle this trap. Otherwise, its struggles could weaken the yen further and destabilize the world economy, forcing other Asian nations to devalue and eventually hurting U.S. exports. A dysfunctional Japan could slow global growth for years.
NEW LIGHT. The problem is not just the reported $600 billion in bad loans that plague the nation's banks. It involves hundreds of billions of dollars of debt that lurk off the balance sheets of government bodies and corporations. It includes millions of families struggling to pay off mortgages on houses that have lost 70% of their value. It encompasses billions of dollars in pension liabilities that no one wishes to acknowledge and $700 billion in offshore liabilities of Japan's banks and corporations. The opacity of Japan's accounting compounds the problem, since not even the most skilled financiers can measure the depth of Japan's obligations. And a steady flow of capital to the equity and bond markets of America and Europe could aggravate the crisis.
Taken together, the liabilities cast a new light on the Japanese problem. Despite the country's $800 billion in overseas assets and $200 billion in foreign exchange reserves, Japan's troubles may run a lot deeper than even the pessimists may realize. Perhaps the size of the debt would not matter if the country were growing briskly. Canada, for example, has sizable public debt, but its economy is sound, so concern about these liabilities is minimal. In the U.S., once regulators resolved the savings and loan crisis, the economy rebounded, and many of the problem debts were eventually paid off.
Yet Japan is not growing. Instead, a crisis of confidence has gripped the nation. In the midst of the financial fog, no one in Japan knows the full extent of the problem, no one can predict where the bottom is, no one knows which bank will fold next, and no one can guess whether the market will ever clear. France and Germany have high debt levels and pension crises, too. But no Western nation needs to grapple with the problem of hidden, unmeasured debt in the way Japan does. "The debt is a time bomb," says Clyde Prestowitz, a veteran Japan watcher and president of the Economic Strategy Institute. "The crazy thing is that the Japanese could take care of it, but they aren't doing anything."
Now, analysts and executives are openly talking about what could go wrong. According to Kunji Okue, an analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, the government is earmarking 46% of its effective tax revenue for servicing the debt. If interest rates rise again, the government's borrowing costs will jump, and its ability to cover expenses would deteriorate. Okue figures that if long-term rates were at 1990 levels of 7% or so, the cost of debt servicing would make it impossible for the government to cover its payroll. The government may also have to handle more debt than it bargains on, since it has made implicit guarantees to cover much of the bad debt in the bank system.
"DEMORALIZING." This scenario has compelled Moody's Investors Service to put Japan's sovereign debt on Credit Watch. "Japan could become like the Latin American governments of the 1980s, when debt service ate up expenditures," says Moody's senior analyst Thomas Byrne. Although Japan is far richer than the Latins, it has little room left for further tax hikes, which would lead to slower growth and even more deflationary pressure on assets. And to keep capital at home, Japan may have to raise rates, since deregulation makes it easier for Japanese to put their money in investments overseas.
The situation is unstable. Banks dare not lend any more, and corporations are desperate for credit. Yes, Japan is immensely rich, and it can still resolve its crisis, given its deep pool of talented workers, its tradition of sacrifice, and a history of remaking itself. But at this point, its liabilities would strain a country far better governed than it is. "When the economic history of this century is written, one of the great stories will be Japan's mishandling of its own economy," says Jay W. Chai, chief of Itochu International Inc., a subsidiary of the big Japanese trading house. "It's a sad, demoralizing tale."
A MONSTER. To get a sense of how bad things are, look at institutions that get little mention in the papers. In Japan, there's a sprawling shadow budget that few outside the country ever hear about. It's called the Fiscal Investment & Loan Program, or Zaito. But it's a monster, with spending that approaches two-thirds of government outlays. Over the years, it has been a stealthy source of financing for favored enterprises of bureaucrats and the Liberal Democratic Party. Funding for the projects has come from Japanese savers, through public pension assets and the vast state-owned Postal Savings system. All told, Zaito's loans come to some $2.8 trillion, all backed by the government. The suspicion is that perhaps 9% of these loans, some $250 billion, are invested in useless projects that aren't generating enough return to pay back the debt.
The shadow Zaito budget, controlled by the Ministry of Finance, steers lending into nearly 50 government-linked entities. These include the National Forest Service, the Japan Development Bank, public companies such as Japan Highway Development Corp. and Japan National Railways, and local governments and special firms such as Kansai International Airport Co., which is underwriting the Osaka airport. Environmental Hygiene Financial Corp. has extended $7.6 billion in loans, mostly to restaurants and bars, for cockroach control and other public-health matters. At least 5% of these loans are in trouble, since many restaurants have folded during the stagnant 1990s.
Zaito also supplies low-interest loans to the Housing Loan Corp. (HLC), which holds 40% of all mortgages. The HLC claims to have only $1.4 billion in questionable loans. Yet that may be understated, given the blowout in the property market and the fate of the jusen, the seven private housing-loan corporations that needed a $6 billion bailout three years ago. Zaito loans are also indirectly propping up many local governments. Kleinwort Benson's Okue thinks a dozen municipalities are effectively bankrupt and rely on Zaito funds to cover debts and payroll.
It's only a matter of time before the problem loans of the localities and the government corporations end up on the central government's books. One big hit will come in October, when the government assumes $213 billion in loans from the now-defunct Japan National Railways Settlement Corp. That was a special outfit set up to manage assets and debts left over from the privatization of Japan Rail in 1987. The plan was to pay off the debts by selling off some of Japan Rail's real estate. Yet when the bubble burst, there weren't many takers, and the debt has lingered. "We already have a debt crisis in the private sector," says Schroders Securities Japan economist Andrew Shipley. "The next bomb that will hit will be a debt crisis in the public sector." Eventually, the central government will have to write this debt off, at a huge cost to taxpayers.
The math gets scary pretty fast. Official statistics already place the gross debt of Japan's central and local governments at about 100% of gross domestic product, or $4.5 trillion. That's one of the highest in the industrialized world. Yet the real debt may equal 250% of Japan's output, or $11 trillion, figures Oxford University's David L. Asher, who co-wrote a study on Japan's debt mess. Asher reaches that number by figuring in liabilities buried in Zaito and other government-controlled corporations, and adding unfunded public-pension obligations, which come to 100% of GDP.
Clearly, the Japanese are masters at running up deficits, and Asher takes a dim view of foreign policymakers who prod Japan to keep spending. "That's like telling a heroin addict to take another fix," he says. Ordinary Japanese and the corporate sector love their debt, too. Corporate balance sheets are burdened with debt levels that run at four times equity, compared with 1.5 times in the U.S. Mitsubishi Motors has $15 billion in debt, four times its equity. It can service that debt only because it has forgiving banks that are tight with the Mitsubishi keiretsu. Meanwhile, Daiwa Research Institute has scanned the data of 24 big companies that list their unfunded pension liabilities. Extrapolating from the data, Daiwa figures 40% of pension plans are underfunded.
Among ordinary consumers, thanks to a 70% meltdown in property prices since 1992, households are probably sitting on $250 billion in paper losses. And amazing as it seems, land prices and the already depressed Nikkei index may have to fall much further before they accurately reflect the true value of property and corporate assets. Such drops could wipe out an additional $3 trillion in wealth, on top of the $10 trillion that already has been vaporized in the past decade. No wonder consumers refuse to spend. "These days, if you have 100,000 yen [$760], you contemplate carefully what to spend the money on," says Yoko Ishikawa, a homemaker and mother of three in the Tokyo suburb of Chiba. "In the past, we would jump on things without giving a careful thought."
PIGGY BANKS. These hidden liabilities help explain why Hashimoto and his LDP are wary of tax cuts. Cuts are a sop to the foreign crowd, because few in Japan think tax breaks will boost consumer spending. "Tax breaks aren't as effective as most people think," says LDP Secretary General Koichi Kato. Ordinary Japanese are so anxious about job security, living standards, and retirement that they probably would just save the money from a tax cut. Consumers are already shifting their savings out of banks and into the Postal Savings system, aggravating the problems of private institutions. Judging from the brisk sales of home safes, they also may be lugging suitcases of yen back home. With bank deposits yielding less than 1% in interest, why park your savings in a bank that could go under?
Cash is also disappearing into foreign bonds and equities. Last year, Japanese purchases of overseas equities surged by 77%, to $13 billion, and, save for a collapse of the bull market overseas, the Japanese should keep up that pace in 1998. But if the outflows grow large enough, the yen could weaken to 150 to the dollar, from 130 now.
The impulse to hoard or invest abroad could slowly bring the consumer economy to a stop. Retail sales at department stores are falling by 15% or so a month. "Japanese citizens have the money, but they don't use it because they can't see a future," says outgoing Honda President Nobuhiko Kawamoto. Like other auto makers, Honda is coping with double-digit declines in domestic sales. Meanwhile, personal bankruptcies shot up 21% in 1997, to about 71,299 households. Because of the social stigma of filing, one bankruptcy lawyer, Kenji Utsunomiya, thinks the figure is closer to 500,000.
While consumers stay scared, the banks are unwilling or unable to lend further. Fear is growing that the banks, which have acknowledged $600 billion in sour loans, are sitting on an additional pile of nonperforming assets. Analysts think many small and midsize companies are just not servicing their loans. Companies sometimes cannot collect debts, either. After Shimizu Corp., a big construction outfit, announced a write-off of $360 million in doubtful debt, analysts concluded that other construction companies faced a similar crisis.
HARD SLOG. The destructive cycle is reinforcing itself. Many banks are cutting off credit to companies they were once willing to keep afloat. The aggregate debt of bankrupt companies, at 3% of GDP, is higher than the U.S. had during the Great Depression. "This is the worst credit crunch Japan has ever experienced," says Richard Koo, an economist at Nomura Research Institute Ltd. It will get worse. According to some estimates, about $250 billion in loans is technically sound--but only because banks have lowered interest rates to practically zero to keep customers paying. A chunk of these loans could slip into default at any moment, boosting nonperforming loans to an estimated $770 billion.
The tax code is contributing to the crisis. High marginal rates encourage companies to report as little profit as possible. Companies borrow heavily to invest more than they should, so they can get rapid depreciation on the equipment they buy and earn big interest deductions on the loans they take out. This system works fine in a rising economy. But when a crunch comes, the near-total absence of profits turns these companies into debt disasters.
Meanwhile, staggering amounts continue to flow into public works of questionable value. How else to describe a state-funded German-theme park in tropical Okinawa? Or the special roads and airstrips built just for farmers to transport vegetables around Japan? In Fukui Prefecture, the government has spent $346 million to build a harbor to accommodate 5.9 million tons of cargo a year. Today, it's largely empty, and wags call it "the 10 billion-yen fishing pond."
A WAY OUT? In the months to come, Japan's recession will show how much damage the dysfunctional economy can inflict on the world. A recent Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co. report figures that a recession in Japan will clip 2.5% off the region's GDP. It's time, then, for foreign businesses and policymakers to imagine a global economy in which Japan--the world's biggest creditor and Asia's most important player--spends perhaps a further five years in the wilderness searching for a solution to its problems. That means living with a much weaker yen and securing the global banking system against the shocks of Japanese financial failures.
The Japanese can still work their way out of this trap. But it will take a sustained effort at overhauling the banking sector, letting equity and land markets finally hit bottom, and shaking out a largely unproductive domestic economy that will cause plenty of short-term pain (table). Japan's bureaucrats also need to adjust their world view. For years, the Ministry of Finance has been plotting a strategy to ease Japan into a new era as a pension state. The idea was to supply a graying population with income and security by investing Japan's savings in dynamic economies such as the U.S. and Asia, to make up for slower growth at home.
That strategy is now in tatters with Asia's slump and the domestic debt debacle. Indeed, one big reason policymakers are afraid to write down Japanese assets and debt is that it would wipe away a big chunk of the principal on Japan's retirement savings. Paralysis results.
As Japan seeks a way out, a current TV hit offers insight on the public mood. Every week, millions tune in to watch a historical drama on the downfall of the Tokugawa shogunate in the 19th century. It's the saga of a military dictatorship done in by indecision, rebellious barons, and the threat of U.S. warships off the coast. The costumed actors act out the unraveling of the old feudal order and the rise of modern Japan.
Some commentators suggest the show's popularity is a clue to a public yearning for some sort of event that will do away with the old ways. A few politicians even talk of the need for a great upheaval on the order of the Meiji Restoration of the 1860s, or the arrival of U.S. occupation troops in 1945. Japan certainly has been able to reinvent itself through crisis. But no one seems ready to inflict the kind of shock the country needs now.


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By Kathryn Watson | Watchdog.org Virginia Bureau
ALEXANDRIA — Gov. Bob McDonnell has yet another Christmas gift for taxpayers: He plans to spend more of your hard-earned money and issue more debt to saddle your children's generation.
McDonnell's budget amendments for 2014 and a new report on state spending from 2003 to 2012 have a running theme. The former is a blueprint for spending more taxpayer dollars, the latter is proof that the commonwealth is already spending said dollars at a rate faster than inflation and population growth.
"In these difficult times for Virginia and our country, state governments are called upon to lead the nation in fiscally responsible decisions that address the core concerns of our citizens without rhetoric, unsustainable spending practices and gridlock as displayed by our leaders in Washington," said McDonnell, who touted his budget-managing skills before the Legislature's joint money committees Monday.
While McDonnell proposed $524 million in agency savings and cuts in his budget amendments this week, he still managed to add $735 million in new spending, and $200 million net, to the budget. Never mind that he requested $200 million in new bonds for improving water quality, adding to the state's roughly $64 billion debt.
Audrey Jackson, state director for the right-of-center Americans for Prosperity, said her group was, "a little surprised to see the budget increase again," on top of what was already the state's largest biennial budget in history. And while $200 million may seem like a drop in the bucket for state government, it all adds up, she said.
"There's not a revenue problem; there's a spending problem," said Jackson. "It always has been, and it seems that at about every level of government, we continue to see that."
"… Overall, we think the governor does a fine job," Jackson said. "And I think we see eye to eye on about 90 percent of everything that the governor has produced. But when we see an increase in the budget, it does make us a little concerned for the bottom line of taxpayers here in Virginia."
But spending hikes are nothing new in the commonwealth, where, even accounting for population growth and inflation, annual spending has soared 18 percent over the past decade, according to the General Assembly's watchdog branch. In 2003, the budget was roughly $25 billion, according to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission's 2012 update of its Review of State Spending report. In 2012, it was roughly $40 billion.
Where is the bloat? Well, ever-expanding expenditures in Medicaid andDepartment of Education staffing are the biggest culprits, judging from the list of fasting-growing departments in state government. And other departments are making cuts to accommodate them.
"Medicaid is second only to K-12 education as the largest driver in the state budget and comprises approximately 20 percent of the general fund budget; mandatory growth in the program will demand significant, additional resources," explained McDonnell's chief of staff, Martin Kent, in a November email request to state agency heads requesting their proposals for 4 percent agency budget cuts.
The Department of Medical Assistance Services, which handles Medicaid, has mushroomed by 1,600 percent over the past 30 years, according to McDonnell's remarks to the joint money committees.
But as McDonnell pointed out, the Department of Education is right behind Medicaid. Never mind the 2 percent pay raise for teachers McDonnell included in his recent proposal — Virginia's public schools lead the nation in non-instructional spending.
As Watchdog.org originally reported, Virginia's public schools boosted non-instructional positions by 100 percent from 1992 to 2009. That's nearly five times more than the growth in student enrollment and almost 10 times the increase in teacher hiring, according to the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, which published the report, "The School Staffing Surge."
"These numbers are jaw-dropping when they stand alone. Attach them to salary and benefits costs and they become jarring," Amber Winkler, vice president for research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, an education-reform think tank, told Watchdog.org.
McDonnell said he aims to boost the proportion of "classroom and instructional spending" — from the currently almost-64 percent to 65 percent. It used to be 61 percent.
Once the chaos of the so-called fiscal cliff blows over, state leaders need to hunker down to further eliminate waste, said Mike Thompson, president of theThomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy.
"I think once we get through this next few weeks, there really should be a focus on more efficiency in government," Thompson told Watchdog.org. "We can always find it. It's always there."
Now, the opportunity to find those efficiencies rests with groups like AFP and the General Assembly, said Jackson.
"I think that's the beauty of the legislative process," she said
View the original article here
Tags: Americans for Prosperity, Department of Medical Assistance Services, Gov. Bob McDonnell, virginia
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Morgan Wagner
"Malone helped me find my path. What's your next step? "
Contact Morgan today!
Thanks for considering Malone University in your college search.
I know it can be an overwhelming process, but I'm here to help you through it! It wasn't too long ago that I found myself in your shoes, and for me, Malone fit what I was looking for: it challenged me spiritually and academically; it helped me discover a bigger world than the one I knew existed; it helped me figure out that God had a calling on my life even though I wasn't sure what my exact next step was.
I graduated from Malone in 2006 with degrees in Communication Arts and History, and in 2011, I received a Master of Arts in Communication Studies from Kent State University.
Blessings to you as you continue on your journey!
Students from Stark County (minus Canton), and South Central Ohio are assigned to Morgan.


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Ska Studios has a pretty well-documented allegiance to publishing its games through the Xbox Live Arcade platform. The company's 2011 hit The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile has been an exclusive to the Microsoft service until just recently when a PC port was made available. The only problem? It's not official and was done entirely without the consent of Ska.
Rather, it took a Russian hacker by the moniker of "Barabus" to make Vampire Smile a reality on PC. Barabus appears thrilled by his altruistic endeavor of gracing PC players with the excitement of the frantic hack-n-slasher, although the ethics behind it are highly suspect.
"I have to argue that the part of the authors are not very nice to publish the game exclusively for the Xbox 360, making it impossible for PC gamers to play in such a great game" Barabus wrote on the GameDev.ru forums. "We do not steal the game for the Xbox 360, we release it for the PC port. Given that developers ignore the PC platform, about any loss of profit for them is not out of the question. After all, if they wanted to earn money, then the game would be issued on all available platforms. This is not piracy. This is restoration of justice" Barabus continued.
... read more


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Fri, 22 October 2010
A point of personal privilege...Mickelson responds to a newspaper hit-piece. (and that's all I have to say about that...forever, I hope). Then Matt Schultz wants to be Iowa's Secretary of State. Then, Judge Roy Moore and Pastor Cary Gordon defend their Iowa tour challenging judicial retention. |


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Workers making Converse sneakers in Indonesia say supervisors throw shoes at them, slap them in the face and call them dogs and pigs. Nike, the brand's owner, admits that such abuse has occurred among the contractors that make its hip high-tops, but says there was little it could do to stop it.
Dozens of workers interviewed by The Associated Press (AP) and a document released by Nike show that the footwear and athletic apparel giant has far to go to meet the standards it set for itself a decade ago to end its reliance on sweatshop labor.
Nike says nearly two-thirds of the factories that make Converse products fail to meet its standards for contract manufacturers, but insists it cannot address many of those problems because many factories operate under contracts that were set before Nike bought Converse in 2003.
That does not appear to explain abuses that workers allege at the Taiwan-based Pou Chen Group (寶成國際集團) factory in Sukabumi, about 100km from Jakarta: It didn't start making Converse products until four years after Nike bought Converse. One worker said she was kicked by a supervisor last year after making a mistake while cutting rubber for soles.
"We're powerless," said the woman, who like several others interviewed spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals. "Our only choice is to stay and suffer, or speak out and be fired."
The 10,000 mostly female workers at the Taiwanese-operated Pou Chen plant make about US$0.50 an hour. That's enough for food and bunkhouse-type lodging, but little else. Some workers interviewed by the AP in March and April described being hit or scratched in the arm — one man until he bled. Others said they were fired after filing complaints.
"They throw shoes and other things at us" a 23-year-old woman in the embroidery division said. "They growl and slap us when they get angry. "It's part of our daily bread."
Mira Agustina, 30, said she was fired in 2009 for taking sick leave, even though she produced a doctor's note.
"It was a horrible job," she said. "Our bosses pointed their feet at us, calling us names like dog, pig or monkey."
All are major insults to Muslims. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation.
At the PT Amara Footwear factory located just outside Jakarta, where another Taiwanese contractor makes Converse shoes, a supervisor ordered six female workers to stand in the blazing sun after they failed to meet their target of completing 60 dozen pairs of shoes on time.
"They were crying and allowed to continue their job only after two hours under the sun," said Ujang Suhendi, 47, a worker at a warehouse in the factory.
The women's supervisor received a warning letter for the May incident after complaints from unionized workers.
The company's own inquiries also found workers at the two factories were subjected to "serious and egregious" physical and verbal abuse, including the punishment of forcing workers to stand in the sun, said Hannah Jones, a Nike executive who oversees the company's efforts to improve working conditions.
"We do see other issues of that similar nature coming up across the supply chain, but not on a frequent level," she said. "We see issues of working conditions on a less egregious nature across the board."
Nike, which came under heavy criticism a decade ago for its use of foreign sweatshops and child labor, has taken steps since then to improve conditions at its 1,000 overseas factories. However, the progress it has made at factories producing gear with its premier "swoosh" logo is not fully reflected in those making Converse products.


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The Best Fish 'n' Chips in Seattle
Seattle's signature summer dish has come a long way since its humble beginnings. Creative kitchens around town keep dreaming up clever ways to go for maximum crispiness and flavor. Here are our eight favorite takes on the British pub staple we've adopted as our own: fish 'n' chips.


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Nite Ize® # 4 Stainless Steel Carabiner with 2017 Jamboree® Logo
$3.49Made of high-quality, weather-resistant stainless steel, this ultra-handy accessory with its dual spring gates will hold, secure, and connect everything from house keys and cell phones to technical camping gear. Size: #4 Dimensions: 3.52" x 1.57" x 0.31" | 89.41mm x 39.92mm x 7.94mm Weight: 1.06oz | 30.00g Weight Rating: 75 lbs. Color: Black Learn More -
GSI® 3-Piece Ring Cutlery Set
$3.49Reusable outdoor cutlery is made of a lightweight, extra-durable, BPA-free Acetal plastic. Pieces will never rust or corrode, and they're virtually unbreakable! Set includes knife, fork, and spoon, and cleans up easily with soap and water. Weight: 1.3 oz. Learn More -
AfterBite® Plus
$3.99Fast-acting formula contains antihistamine to quickly stop the itching and discomfort of bites and stings. This histamine-blocking cream is ideal for anyone who suffers more pronounced reactions to bug bites and bee stings. Easy to apply — just dab it on and feel the relief! Learn More -
AfterBite® Outdoor
$3.99Don't let insect bites and stings ruin your outdoor fun! This extra-strength gel provides immediate and lasting relief from a wide variety of insect bites and stings. Powerful, proprietary formula combines baking soda and tea tree oil to soothe the skin and provide maximum relief from itching and pain. Applicator tube is sized right for packs, pockets, or purses… and great to keep on hand at home, in your car, or in your tackle box or camper. Learn More


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Staybridge Suites Liverpool
A smart all-suite hotel close to Liverpool's waterfront and Liverpool John Lennon Airport, and a short walk from the city centre
Staybridge Suites® Liverpool hotel provides a home from home, apartment-style accommodation just eight miles from Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LPL) and less than a 15-minute drive from Liverpool Lime Street railway station. There's on-site parking for guests and it's an easy walk to the city centre.
The hotel is less than a five-minute walk from Albert Dock, where you can take in contemporary exhibitions at the Tate Liverpool art gallery. Both Goodison Park and Anfield stadiums, home to Everton and Liverpool football clubs, are four miles away.
Delegates are a five-minute walk from the BT Convention Centre, part of ACC Liverpool, and a 15-minute drive from the Gateway Conference Centre. The hotel's meeting space, The Den, can host up to 16 people and free WIFI is available throughout. Stock up on groceries from
Stock up on groceries from The Pantry, open 24 hours, and prepare dinner in your suite's fully equipped kitchen. Start your day with a complimentary breakfast featuring hot items and coffee to go. Unwind with drinks and snacks and meet other guests at social receptions three evenings a week. Take advantage of the free laundry service, and enjoy a workout in the fitness centre.
Quick Info
- Check In: 3:00 PM
- Check Out: 12:00 PM
- Minimum Check-In Age: 18
- Self Parking Fee: 12 GBP
- Print Fact sheet
- Chat Online
- Important Update
Hotel Highlights
- On-site Guest Self-Laundry Facilities
- Standard Wireless Internet service is free for all members
- On-Site Fitness Center Available
Guest Reviews
Overall Experience
Great Stay
29 March 2017
Hotel is in a good location right next to Albert Dock, the suites was clean, well maintained and had a really comfy bed. The breakfeast was alright, although the hot choice could be expanded, the cold choice was fantastic. Would recommend and would definitely stay again.
Great stay
27 March 2017
The hotel made my business trip a pleasure. Nothing too much trouble. Great location and brilliant spacious rooms too
24 March 2017
Excellent stay. Well priced and excellent facilities. Puts many more expensive hotels to shame. Welcoming staff and great ambience.
Comfy bed, staff and service fab
22 March 2017
Staff very welcoming. Room was lovely with the view of the wheel. A place that makes you feel like home.


text: Vacuum BoyleanumSuch a vacuum as can be produced by Boyle's improved air-pump, the nearest approach to a vacuum practicable with human instruments. The Guerickian vacuum is that produced by ordinary air-pumps, so called from Otto von Guericke, who devised the air-pump. The Torricellian vacuum is the vacuum produced by a mercury-pump. Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894


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Ozzie and Harriet star David Nelson remembered for sense of humor
Ozzie and Harriet Nelson starred for many years on television with sons David and Ricky. David, Ozzie and Harriet's oldest son, passed away on Tuesday.
Los Angeles — David Nelson, who starred on his parents' popular television show "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," has died, a family spokesman said.
Nelson died Tuesday at his Los Angeles home, said family spokesman and longtime Hollywood publicist Dale Olson.
Nelson was the last remaining member of the Nelsons TV family, which included actor/bandleader Ozzie, his singer wife, Harriet Hilliard and his teen idol brother Rick. The show originated on radio in 1952 as "Here Come the Nelsons," then ran for 320 episodes on TV from 1952 to 1966 as "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" with some of the story lines taken from the stars' own lives. David Nelson also directed and produced numerous episodes of the show throughout its run.
Singer Gunnar Nelson, a son of Rick Nelson, issued a statement Wednesday, saying his uncle's death was "a great loss to the Nelson family."
"We will all miss Uncle Dave's laughter and evolved sense of humor," Gunnar Nelson said.
"The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" was shot in the Nelson family home in the Hollywood foothills, which remains a popular attraction for visitors on Hollywood celebrity bus tours.
Born in New York City, David attended Hollywood High School and the University of Southern California.
His film credits included "Peyton Place," ''The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker," ''The Big Circus," ''Day of the Outlaw," ''30,''''The Big Show," 'Love and Kisses and "Swing Out, Sweet Land." In 1976, he costarred with his mother in "Smash-Up on Interstate 5."
His television credits included "Up In Smoke," ''The Love Boat," ''High School USA," and "A Family For Joe." Directing credits included "O.K. Crackerby," ''Childish Things," ''Easy To Be Free," ''Ozzie's Girls," ''Death Screams," ''Last Plane Out," ''Goodnight Beantown" and "A Rare Breed."
Nelson also was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He is survived by his wife, Yvonne; four sons and a daughter; and seven grandchildren. A service will be held Thursday at Pierce Brothers Westwood Mortuary.


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Moon supervisors recently recognized five Eagle Scouts from Troop 310:
• Tyler Henry Farr built an outdoor garden for the Mooncrest Knowledge Connection in the same building as the Felician Sisters. His project involved landscaping the area behind a recent expansion of the building and building a raised garden bed, which will be used to teach connection center students about gardening. Tyler is in eighth grade.
• Ryan P. Couse designed, planned, built and installed warm-up stretching posts and benches on the Montour Trail. Ryan is a senior.
• Matthew Tessm designed, planned and built a ramp for handicapped accessibility at the Boggs School House historic building on Boggs School House Road next to Baker Field. Matt, a senior, is a member of the National Honor Society and a drum major for the high school marching band.
• Brett S. Frank organized a collection of surplus and donated soccer gear for children in the community whose families can't afford the equipment. Brett is a sophomore.
• Brent C. Matey organized a youth program for the youth ministry of St. Phillip's Church in Moon. He led a group of Scouts, Scout leaders, friends and adults in planning and constructing seven prayer stations at the church. Brent is a senior.
■ The board of directors of Beaver County Cancer & Heart Association recently re-elected Jack Simon as president, Ron Schollaert as vice president, David Cutich as treasurer, and Thomas Matvey as secretary. Also serving on the board of directors are Deborah Cutich, Mark DiNuzzo, William Ferri, Donald Flick, Jacqueline Fullen, Tracy Horvath, Julia Swink and James Tatum.
■ Cathy Benscoter of Beaver, marketing and web specialist and lecturer in communications at Penn State Beaver, was honored by CUPRAP, Pennsylvania's Association of Communicators in Education, in the featured articles category for her article, "Little Engine, Big Impact," which appeared in the summer 2013 edition of the Penn State Beaver Nittany News. Her article was one of more than 300 entries received by the CUPRAP awards committee.


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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – A record number of eighteen drivers will be eligible for the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series Rookie-of-the-Year title in 2013, the most ever in the series 13-year history.
"We've been blown away by the number of new drivers, both young and old, who plan to compete with us this year," said SRL's Larry Collins. "There's no better compliment to a race series than to see new teams coming on board to compete."
To be eligible for Rookie-of-the-Year honors, a driver may not have competed in more than five SPEARS Southwest Tour Series event in one season, additionally, each driver must submit in writing their request to compete for the rookie title.
"Last year we had a number of teams come to our events just to watch and get a feel for the series. Now we are seeing many of those teams committed to the SPEARS Southwest Tour in 2013," Collins added.
The following drivers will be eligible for the SPEARS Southwest Tour Series rookie title in 2013; No. 1 – Donny St. Ours (Upland, Calif.), No. 02 – Stanislav Osterlund (Los Gatos, Calif.) for 2013, No. 8 – Mariah McGriff (Vail, Ariz.), No. 12 – Colby Potts (Stockton, Calif.), No. 19 – Brandon White (Eureka, Calif.), No. 25 – Brandon Loverock (Norwalk, Calif.), No. 29 – NTS Motorsports to announce rookie driver, No. 35 – Bobby Smith (Scottsdale, Ariz.), No. 42 – Rick Cameron (Scotts Valley, Calif.), No. 61 – Austin Barnes (Escondido, Calif.), No. 64 – Matthew Meech (San Diego, Calif.), No. 66 – Jeff Bischofberger (Long Beach, Calif.), No. 75 – Jeremy Doss (Upper Lake, Calif.), No. 79 – Forrest Kuecker (Lakeport, Calif.), No. 80 – Andre Prescott (La Quinta, Calif.), No. 89 – Bobby Hodges (Carson City, Nev.), No. 94 – Tom Haffer (Crane, Ore.) and No. TBA – Jonathan Mawhinney (Las Vegas, Nev.).


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This marks the sixth consecutive year TCM has featured a hand and footprint ceremony at the Chinese. In 2011, Peter O'Toole was the honoree, followed by Kim Novak in 2012, Jane Fonda in 2013, Jerry Lewis in 2014 and Christopher Plummer in 2015.
The festival will pay tribute this year to Carl Reiner ("Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid") and Elliott Gould ("M.A.S.H." and "The Long Goodbye"); other appearances with screenings include actors Stacey Keach ("Fat City"), Anna Karina ("Band of Outsiders") and Eva Marie Saint ("The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming") and director John Singleton ("Boyz 'n the Hood").


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Red Cross: Blood needed as donations fall short
The American Red Cross issued Tuesday morning an emergency request for platelet and blood donors of all blood types after blood donations dropped in June and the first week of July.
We are counting on generous volunteer blood and platelet donors to step up and give now, said Steve Stegeman, chief executive officer for the Red Cross Pacific Northwest Blood Services Blood Services Region. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Each day donations come up short, less blood is available for these patients in need.
Nationwide, donations through the Red Cross were down about 10 percent in June, resulting in about 50,000 fewer donations than expected. The shortfall is similar to what the Red Cross experienced in June 2012.
June can be among the most challenging months of the year for blood and platelet donations as regular donors delay giving while they adjust to summer schedules. High school and college blood drives account for about 20 percent of Red Cross donations during the school year. Donations from those who usually give at these drives drop by more than 80 percent when school is out for the summer.
A mid-week Independence Day holiday reduced the number of blood drives scheduled in early July. Many sponsors, especially businesses, were unable to host drives because employees took extended vacations.
Each day, the American Red Cross Pacific Northwest Blood Region needs about 1,000 donors to give blood. Eligible donors with types O negative, B negative and A negative blood are especially encouraged to give. Type O negative is the universal blood type and can be transfused to anyone who needs blood. Types A negative and B negative can be transfused to Rh positive or negative patients.
To donate, call 1-800-733-2767, or go to the website http://www.redcrossblood.org to make an appointment or for more information.
A blood donor card or drivers license, or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. People who are 17 (16 with parental permission in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.


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Last week, at SpottedRichard's behest, we ran amok in the 'Spill Library of rules: shouting, giggling, repeating ourselves, grabbing double portions, blowing ink pellets through biro peashooters *, and so on. So this week, I thought I ought to bring back a little order, by returning the Challenge to its original 10pm Tues slot. [Er, nothing to do with the fact you were too tired last night, and have only just got in from work today, then, DsD? – Deadline-nervous Ed.]
++ahem++ Er, moving swiftly on …
But don't think I'm being all goody-goody for Teacher: oh no! Let's own up, we all enjoyed trashing the place just a little last week, didn't we? And that got me thinking. So here's this week's homework:
Find me a song about a wicked, Wicked Person (that's a Rank Bajin for those north of the border) whom actually, you just can't bring yourself to condemn.
Despite the obvious criminality, possibly evil intentions, and definitely unreconstructed BADness of their behaviour, you secretly just want to be their friend, to get a little vicarious tingle. Or maybe they've got enough cheek to get away with it, or such charisma that you can't help but forgive them.
Whatever it is, I wanna hear about them. In fact, let's put together the baddest gang of mean muthaf……. ever to walk through the valley of the shadow of death unafraid.
You won't be surprised to hear mine, but I'll reveal that later – bonus 'Spill points to anyone who guesses it up front.
* OK, maybe not that one.


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WHAT HE DID: Magrum finished 12-1 at AAU Disney Duals in late June wrestling for Team Samsons out of the Cleveland area. His only loss was in overtime to two-time state champion John Weakley of Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy. Ironically, Magrum and Weakley will be college teammates at Ohio State. Magrum went 5-2 at 189 pounds in freestyle at Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D. in mid-July. After winning five matches to begin the tournament, he dropped two straight to fall one match shy of becoming an All-American. He won the ning all 13 of his matches wrestling for Lake Erie Wrestling Club at AAU Junior Olympics in Knoxville, Tenn., in late July and early August. Magrum lifted weights three days a week and practiced at Lake Erie in Fremont or Oregon four days a week; attended wrestling camp at Ohio State as well as training camps for Disney Duals and Junior Nationals.
HOW IT HELPED: Anytime you can get that many matches in it s a win because it gives me a lot more mat time and experience. Wrestlingdifferent styles helps me out with folkstyle [high school style]. Magrum was disappointed with his showing at Junior Nationals, regarded as the nation s toughest amateur wrestling tournament. His losses were to the third-place finisher, Zac Nielsen of Minnesota, and the runner-up, Iowa s Brodie Ambrose. Magrum twice defeated Ambrose in the summer of 2006. Two or three kids on the podium I had already beaten either at Junior Nationals or different tournaments, so it was pretty disappointing to see them up there and not me.
OUTLOOK: Magrum verbally committed to Ohio State in June and hopes to wrestle at 174 pounds as a freshman before moving up to 184 for the remainder of his career. He will probably wrestle at 189 this season, but 215 is a slight possibility. Regardless, he should be a strong favorite to win his third straight state championship. Magrum would be Oak Harbor s first three-time state champion. An undefeated season would be awesome, but in all honesty, stuff happens. You have bad matches, or you get hurt. That third title s pretty much what s on my mind.


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read reviews [4]
Serves six to eight.
A great destination for leftover roast chicken. If you want to dress it up, add some mushrooms, potatoes, or any other vegetable you like.
Combine the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse once to blend. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until the mixture has a coarse texture about the size of peas. Pulse in 1/4 cup of the water—the mixture should form coarse clumps—if it still needs more water, pulse in 1 or 2 more Tbs. Flip the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form it into a disk, wrap it, and refrigerate for at least half an hour and up to 2 days.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots, sprinkle generously with salt (about 1 tsp.) and cook, stirring, until the vegetables soften and brown in places, about 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the flour and cook, stirring, until it coats the vegetables and they color a light brown, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, vinegar, and thyme and bring to a boil (the mixture should thicken). Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the chicken and peas, and cook until just heated through, about 5 minutes. Let cool for a couple of minutes.
Roll the pie crust dough out into a rectangular shape slightly larger than the baking dish, about 10 by 14 inches (it should be between 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch thick). Pour the chicken mixture into the dish, then cover it with the crust. Using your thumb and forefinger, crimp the dough around the edges so it forms a pretty pattern. With the tip of a paring knife, make a couple of slits in the top of the crust so steam can escape during baking. Brush with the cream. Bake until the top of the pastry is golden all over and the filling is bubbling hot, about 35 minutes. Let cool for a couple of minutes, then serve.
Photo: Scott Phillips


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The client above has asked for each portfolio page to have three images with three smaller images beneath them. The larger three images link to their respective pages. To achieve what I have got so far I have used multiple featured images however I am starting to think this isn't the best approach as if I carry on the back-end will have 12 featured image sections.
Any ideas? I'm not particularly confident with PHP
So are we talking about 12 different images? Three blocks, each with 4 images (one large one and three small ones)? And each image just links to another page?
If that's the case, I would give each of the 12 pages their own featured image first. Then one the Make-up page, you just pull the featured image from each page you're linking to, and display that one. That way, each page just has one featured image section.
So it would be something like this (you'll just have to put this in a loop for all 12 pages):
<a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>"><img src="<?php the_post_thumbnail(); ?>">
Hope that makes sense.
This reply has been reported for inappropriate content.
A bit more context would help.
Do the three small images have any other purpose other than being displayed on the page?
Do they link to a new picture / attachment?
Sorry – The three smaller images just relate to the bigger picture, they would not be links so would not have their own pages.
Maybe having 4 featured images per page?
If they serve no other purpose than being displayed on the page, wouldn't it make sense to "collage" each group together into one image and use that as the featured image for the post/page?
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Full disclosure: I'm an old fart (62). I've never watched much — no, make that any — of the last two decades' gross-out comedy, not because I'm a prude, or particularly weak-stomached (the sexual stuff makes me laugh, the barfing makes me and everybody else over 25 shrug), but because I have a low cruelty threshold. Just hearing about a dog thrown out the window or "They've killed Kenny!" is enough. I'm outta here.
More full disclosure: I would never have watched or even heard of Star-Ving, the new Internet TV comedy on Sony's edgy Crackle network, starring David Faustino (Bud Bundy in Married … With Children) and Corin Nemec (formerly of Parker Lewis Can't Lose), if the director, Seinfeld veteran ("The Switch") Sam Henry Kass, weren't the son of my husband's late best friend, Peter Kass, who taught acting to Val Kilmer and many others.
That said, I couldn't stop laughing. I developed a bothersome jones for the next episode. And I came away convinced that if Laurel and Hardy had lived in the 21st century, they'd be doing exactly this.
Each episode is a gem of compressed cultural trash (like those diamonds you can get made from a loved one's ashes) five to seven minutes long, featuring drug and alcohol abuse, sex orgies, casual accidental death, and equally offhand chainsaw-massacre cover-up, and other forms of depravity. Every possible disadvantaged group is made fun of — the senile, the retarded, cancer survivors, blacks, Latinos, Jews, Nazis — and all who are able participate with enthusiastic self-mockery. There is barfing, masturbation (albeit depicted graphically from the waist up), and copro-whatever. There is cynical Hollywood sleaze and showbiz hope-and-despair springing eternal like a diseased weed on an abandoned back lot. The attitude of all concerned seems to be that a disgusting culture and species deserves disgusting treatment — and rewards it with outrageous fun.
The faux-reality show premise is that Faustino, his glory days as a child star far behind him, now can't get arrested (his ex-wife really does live with Coolio, according to Wikipedia!), and his roommate and fellow overgrown child star, Nemec, is his cheerful enabler in failure. Every episode opens with a manic, inept suicide attempt by David (which reminds me of the joke, "Wait a minute. You said you throw up every morning?" "Doesn't everybody?"), interrupted by the dawning of a great hope — the tantalizing prospect of a job, a break, a comeback. As you can imagine, it comes to no good in a variety of ways.
There are a few limits. There's no full frontal nudity, which is made up for by lots and lots of full rearal nudity (it's almost the show's trademark). The director has promised me he'll never harm an animal, even in jest. ("People, no problem.") All signs are that neither will he allow his vilest characters (producers, agents) to get their paws on a child. The show features a startlingly stellar roster of guest stars, among them Gilbert Gottfried, Ed Asner, Katey Sagal, Christina Applegate, Ed O'Neill, Seth Green, and Coolio.
If you can stomach the content, which is not easy — but probably easier the younger you are — the form is absolutely classic slapstick. Now excuse me, I need to go watch the new episode.
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He probably was a star on defense the moment he came to the majors nine years ago. But in the time since, Yadier Molina also has developed into one of the most dangerous hitters, certainly among catchers, in Major League Baseball.
After hitting an unlikely looking go-ahead home run to help power the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-1 victory against the Cubs on Wednesday, Molina's batting average sits at .365 — the best in either league. He doesn't draw many walks, and Molina's swing-happy approach at the plate isn't something just anyone can get away with, much less dominate with. But he has a freakish way of making connections. And teammates like Matt Carpenter have noticed.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes:
"We use the term 'joke' around here," Carpenter said. "He's a joke. He is that good. It's like you just know that he's going to do something great every night. That's the kind of player he is — just irreplaceable. He's a joke."
And the joke is on people like the Chicago Cubs, who can only laugh to keep from crying. Molina's homer against Edwin Jackson came on a fastball that was down and in, one that Jackson said was "the pitch I wanted to throw." Molina not only managed to hit it, but drive it over the left-field fence.
Molina wasn't sounding impressed with himself.
"That pitch was good — good location," Molina said. "I was looking inside so it made it easy for me to get to that pitch. Sometimes you get lucky."
OK, so it's better to be lucky, and Molina has been steadily getting luckier at the plate as he's gained experience. He managed but one "major league average" season at bat (based on adjusted on-base plus slugging percentage) in his first seven seasons. But the man with five Gold Gloves is now in the conversation with Buster Posey and others for the Silver Bat, for the best hitter at his position.
The past two-plus seasons, Molina has averaged .321/.371/.490 — really good stats for an outfielder or first baseman, much less someone who plays behind the plate. He was fourth in the NL in wins above replacement in 2012, and he finished fourth in MVP voting. He's fourth in adjusted OPS this season and, with the Cardinals contending again, Molina will be an MVP candidate again if he keeps it up.
His line-drive rate is up, his extra-base hit rate is up and his batting average on balls in play is way up — to .388. He probably won't sustain that, and his overall stats would ease as a result. But judging Molina conventionally also would be a mistake. He's just ... special. And the joke is going to stay funny for a while.
Looking for more baseball chatter? Follow @bigleaguestew, @Townie813, @AnswerDave and @MikeOz on Twitter. Also, check out the BLS Facebook Page
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