text:
Ordo ab chao – out of chaos, comes order. It is one of the oldest freemason mottos, attributed to the 14th century craft masons. In their own pursuit of world domination, it seems to be the motto the Kenyan Olympic team is adopting in 2012.
Kenyan runners have become a familiar sight on Olympic podiums ever since the great Kipchoge Keino first caught the world's attention, winning the 1500m by a huge margin in 1968. Yet good as they have been, in recent years Kenya's runners have got even better.
In Beijing in 2008, they won their biggest haul of medals yet, claiming almost half those available in the middle and long-distance running events. In London, they are set to do even better.
But if anything can stop them, apart from Mo Farah and the Ethiopians, it's their own chaotic preparations. While Britain has had its share of controversy in selecting a team for the Olympics, Kenya has gone from picking and then dropping its newest world record holder, to seeing its most flamboyant star in court on charges of stabbing a woman, and the majority of its team refusing to travel to the pre-Olympic training camp.
It all began when Abel Kirui won the marathon at the world athletics championships in August 2011. A month later Patrick Makau broke the marathon world record in Berlin. In a fit of excitement, Athletics Kenya (AK) announced that both men were pre-selected for the Olympic team. But then Wilson Kipsang almost broke the new world record, falling short by just four seconds. And Geoffrey Mutai followed up his course record in Boston by winning the New York Marathon, also in a record time. And then there was Emmanuel Mutai – no relation – who had beaten Makau to win the London Marathon, also in a course record. The selectors backtracked, reopened the qualifying criteria, and eventually settled, after another series of races, on Kipsang, Kirui and Emmanuel Mutai.
Makau, the world record holder, was not happy."This is something I can't understand. I don't know why I am not in the team since … I was promised by Athletics Kenya a chance to go and compete in the Olympics. Having run a world record, I think I deserved a place in the Olympics team."
The truth was that Kenya had the top 20 fastest marathon runners in the world in 2011 and AK simply couldn't make up its mind who to pick. "In this country, any runner is as good as the other," said AK's chairman, Isaiah Kiplagat, after making the final decision, which did not go down well, but probably summed up the governing body's approach to picking the team.
Amid that melee, AK then decided to run the Olympic trials for 5,000m and 10,000m not in Kenya, but in the US. The rationale was that the athletes needed to be tested in conditions and at an altitude similar to London, but the decision caused an outcry in Kenya that local fans were being denied the chance to witness one of the greatest races on the planet. It also ruled out the possibility of a wildcard coming from nowhere to beat the favourites, as all the runners had to be preselected and flown out to the US.
There was speculation, too, that the country's kit sponsor, Nike, was behind the decision. Kenya's commissioner of sports, Gordon Oluoch, said: "AK should not make excuses to have the trials in the US just because Nike is sponsoring the event." After the furore, AK again backtracked and in the end only the men's 10,000m was run in Eugene – the home town of Nike – while the rest of the trials were held in Nairobi.
A few weeks later, the trials went smoothly, with most of the main protagonists making the team. But just as everyone was predicting great things, a woman turned up late at night at a hospital in the town of Eldoret claiming she had been stabbed by the world steeplechase champion and Team Kenya member Ezekiel Kemboi. In what was a bizarre night at the local police station, Kemboi then turned himself in, saying the woman had actually been stabbed by her own accomplices in a botched attempt to rob him.
The nation was divided on the issue, with the prime minister's wife, Ida Odinga, sending a letter to the national newspapers blaming AK for not protecting the nation's star athletes. "As a mother," she wrote, "I feel there is too little Athletics Kenya, the Kenya National Sports Council and the National Olympics Committee are doing to protect our athletes, especially those selected to represent Kenya in prestigious events like the Olympics." The issue was eventually brushed under the carpet when Kemboi's lawyers convinced the court to hold the trial after the Olympics.
The team could now travel to its pre-Olympic training camp in Bristol. Kenya's national Olympic committee had arranged for the team to be based in Bristol in the weeks leading up to the Games to make use of its "highly specialised facilities". But just days before the team was due to travel, the athletes revolted, this time with the backing of AK, saying it would be madness to leave their high-altitude training camps in the weeks before the Games.
"The whole world is coming to Kenya to train in long and middle distance races. Why would we take our team to Bristol?" asked Kiplagat. Fortunately, some high level discussions took place and it was decided that only the sprinters, swimmers, boxers and the team's lone javelin thrower would travel to Bristol – probably not what the city had in mind when it agreed to host the great Kenyan Olympic team. But as one Kenyan athlete once told me: "In Kenya, nothing is straightforward."
Adharanand Finn is the author of Running with the Kenyans, published by Faber & Faber
Five Kenyans to watch out for at London 2012
David Rudisha
Men's 800m
Rudisha is probably the biggest shoo-in for gold in any track event at the Games. The world record holder and world champion likes to front run, and has been in imperious form this year, winning his last race in Paris by a massive four seconds. He has only been beaten once in three years, by the young Ethiopian Mohammed Aman at the very tailend of last season
Main rival Mohammed Aman
Medal prediction Gold
Mary Keitany
Women's marathon
Keitany has been almost unbeatable over the last few years, winning the London marathon twice and breaking the world record for the half marathon. Her only blip came in the New York marathon last year when she paid for setting a blistering pace at the beginning and ended up finishing third. Her closest challenger is likely to be her training partner Edna Kiplagat, who is the world champion and finished second behind Keitany in London this year
Main rival Edna Kiplagat
Medal prediction Gold
Wilson Kipsang
Men's marathon
The second fastest marathon runner in history and an impressive winner in London in April, Kipsang is heading a Kenyan team looking for a clean sweep of the medals. A late bloomer, Kipsang didn't start running seriously until he was 25. As well as battling with each other, the Kenyan trio face a strong Ethiopian team. No one else is likely to get a look in
Main rival Emmanuel Mutai
Medal prediction Gold
Vivian Cheruiyot
Women's 5,000m and 10,000m
The triple world champion from last year (5,000m, 10,000m and cross country) can handle a fast pace, or is devastating in a sprint finish. She was also world 5,000m champion in 2009. Her biggest challenge is likely to come from the double Olympic champion from Ethiopia, Tirunesh Dibaba. The Ethiopian has been injured for much of the last few years but showed an ominous return to form in two races in the US recently. However, she is only in the Ethiopian team for the 10000m
Main rival Tirunesh Dibaba
Medal prediction Gold and silver
Asbel Kiprop
Men's 1500m
The world and Olympic champion is an erratic performer, often getting boxed in at crucial moments, although he usually gets it right on the big occasion. He only finished third in the Kenyan trials, but that says more about Kenya's strength in this event than Kiprop's chances of winning gold. His two team-mates, Silas Kiplaga and Nixon Chepseba, are sure to run him close, while the 1500m is always an event liable to throw up a surprise result
Main rival Silas Kiplagat
Medal prediction Silver
• This article was amended on Tuesday 17 July 2012. Editing errors in the 'Five Kenyans to watch' panel have been corrected.


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I have been using SOLO Taxonomy since Sept 2012 and I have to say that generally it has been absolute key element to my classroom teaching. As a PE teacher, I decided to use SOLO in my theory classes, GCSE and A Level and my first inspiration was David Fawcett (@davidfawcett27). It was after discovering his blog that I then started chasing people on twitter and people's blogs making sure that understood the language. After reading the brilliant Tait Coles (@Totallywired77), I was certain that I was not going to visibly associate a level descriptor or grade against the learning taxonomy. I know some people do and thats fine, but I feel that with my particular students, they get too hung up on what grade or level they are currently working on and ignore the importance of utilising feedback and working towards developing that growth mindset. The students do know however that relational learning is the threshold they should at least be aiming for and to be honest without the public grades, the students use the appropriate language when using SOLO as an exit ticket.
So for those reading this, and wondering what on earth is SOLO all about, I will talk about the presentation I did at a Teachmeet that I participated in and which I ran out of bloody time!
SOLO ( Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes) Biggs & Collins
SOLO is a taxonomy for teaching and learning. It has similarities to Blooms (taxonomy for thinking) which I still use to help frame differentiated questions.
To get people to understand the SOLO taxonomy, I used the example of a sandwich. The AW Sandwich! Here goes:
Prestructural – I have no ideas about the AW sandwich, I need help to describe it.
At this level of learning, students will have no idea what it is that is being learned and therefore will need help to build the language, terminology and basic factual blocks of information in order to progress. Unless you are the chef who designed this culinary delight I am probably guessing that most people reading this will be at this level.
Uni-Structural – I have 1 idea about the AW Sandwich. I know 1 ingredient/characteristic of the AW Sandwich.
For those of you wanting to learn all about this sandwich, you now know that the main ingredient is a slice of wagyu beef tenderloin.
Multi-structural – I have several ideas about the AW Sandwich. You know the main ingredients.
As previously stated, this sandwich contains a slice of wagyu beef tenderloin, a poached quails egg, rocket lettuce, seared foie gras, black truffle mayonnaise, crispy strip of turkey bacon and finally heirloom tomatoes.
When planning the learning objectives and the success criteria, there are key verbs to help (this is where it is similar to Blooms)
For example: define, list, name, state, describe, and identify.
PE exam question: State 2 factors that will cause optimum weight to vary between between individuals in the same event (2 marks)
LG example: Describe how hungry you after after knowing the ingredients of the AW Sandwich.
The next two levels are the most important ones. For my subject, this is where the big marks are allocated and usually found in the differentiated questions. However if a student can identify a relational or extended abstract question and understand how to approach answering them correctly and recall and link the correct knowledge then they are well on their way to achieving and demonstrating their learning.
Relational: I can connect and relate relevant ideas and learning. I can explain why these ingredients are used and how they compliment each other.
In classical French cooking, the beef and foie gras form part of the Tournedos Rossini dish and are used together for texture and balance of flavour. Using wagyu beef takes this to the next level. The rocket lettuce adds a crisp texture and the peppery flavour balances out flavours of other ingredients.
The verbs to help the learning at the Relational stage include, compare and contrast, sequence, classify, explain, analyse.
PE exam: Explain the requirements of a balanced diet (4marks)
Extended Abstract: I can look at the ideas in a new way and make links to other concepts.
The AW Sandwich as described was on the menu in a hotel in the UAE, hence the turkey bacon. BUT what if we were in the Caribbean? How might the sandwich change? Would we swap the wagyu beef for Canadian lobster? The black truffle mayo for Beluga caviar? How would the sandwich fit within a dinner party? What colour wine would you use if eating at 1pm as opposed to 7pm?
As you can see this is a lot more about making generalisations, predicting , evaluating, hypothesise, create.
A2 PE Exam: Outline the possible causes of spectator violence at sporting events and explain how the law aims to protect them (14marks)
One well documented tool for using SOLO is the use of hexagons. Here each hexagon is used as an idea (uni/multi-structural). On each hexagon an idea is written down and to advance the learning connections are made (relational) by placing the hexagons side by side.
To further enhance the learning, students need to make connections to new concepts. Using different coloured hexagons which represents different concepts and making connections, students are on their way to developing learning at an Extended Abstract level.
The Web
I have been devising other ways to engage the students into making connections and facilitating students to become more deeper learners and deeper thinkers. One way myself and colleagues have explored is the spiders web. As a revision lesson the aim was to answer this question which was generated by @revisePE on Twitter:
David is a swimmer who competes around the country. Suggest some of the influences of participation that has helped him get to this level
In groups, students worked on an individual concept. For example one group worked on factors influencing participation, others worked on Sport England, Youth Sport Trust, National Governing Bodies, and the performance pyramid, five groups in total.
Starting with a multi-structural task, groups had to write as many ideas (1 idea per piece of paper) and make Relational connections/links within that topic by drawing the connections on the table. Each group then moved around the classroom (carousel style) and contributed where appropriate to each topic.
Then armed with a load of string, new connections across the room were made to link ideas from different topics. As an extension task, students had to answer the question which was on the whiteboard throughout the lesson.
As time was running out from the lesson, each person had to think of 2 E.A connections and discuss this with a partner and then to the whole group. What came out of the whole group discussion was that even more connections and deeper thinking emerged as fresh ideas came to light. All ideas were photographed and made into a PDF as a resource on Edmodo.
The progression from multi-structural to E.A is not an easy one and should take time to reach. I admit that I do not always get to E.A in my lessons and sometimes don't even plan to get to the deepest level of learning (mainly due to time issues). But what I have found is that where appropriate, the E.A level creates new opportunities for learning to occur, engages the students as they are being stretched out of their comfort zone which as research has shown increases rate of learning and allows students to grow in confidence as they can connect information easily and accurately from a wider perspective.
The Power of Feedback
One of the strongest applications SOLO has is its use as a feedback tool. I have particularly found this useful in A2 PE theory lessons where students are explicitly shown via the whiteboard where they are now, where do they need to get to and how will they get there. This can be shown to the students quite easily with a rubic success criteria or simply stated on the board.
Certainly with my A-level group, we have moved up and down the taxonomy several times before reaching our final destination of learning and this is the beauty of the taxonomy. There is a saying which I really find true to its word;
feedback to feedforward
And SOLO helps you to facilitate effective feedback in order for you and the students to move forward towards deeper learning. This notion of feeding back to feedforward had really helped my understanding and use of SOLO.
And finally planning. I have already mentioned that uni and multi-structural is more quantitative and relational and extended abstract more qualitative. David Fawcett (@davidfawcett27) wrote a great piece on his blog about planning to get to extended abstract and it is something which I fully agree with. He notioned the fact that you dont have to keep to the linear path of working systematically from unistructure to E.A. Why not start from the bigger picture first? This makes perfect sense to me. I used to plan from bottom up; uni – multi – rel, and then admittedly struggled to see how this fitted in with the bigger picture. Now I much prefer to work using the top – down approach. With the adapted 5 min lesson plan by @teachertoolkit, its far easier to plan the bigger picture first (what do you really want the students to understand) and then plan the foundation of ideas. Darren Mead wrote on his Sharing Pedagogical Purposes blog "who would buy the best high revolution precision cutter, and then decide what to make". And this is the point I am trying to make. What is the main deep learning foci that is your target? What key ideas, learning tasks do you need to learn to understand the goal objective? As Darren calls it backfill the building blocks.
I am certainly still a novice playing with this teaching and learning concept and there is much more I could write about but my final thought on this is that the more risk you take in being creative, engaging and ambitious in leading students to the path of deeper learning, the higher the quality of teaching and learning and the more satisfying your job becomes. Anyone for a sandwich??

subset: commoncrawl


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Revelation, Tradition and Succession...
Revelation is the unequivocal sign that the divine Being that dwells in you, the one we humanly and imperfectly represent in this world, urges us to cooperate in achieving the inner self-realization of each and every one of his different autonomous and self-conscious parts.
The long and hidden tradition testifies to the fact that the way in which revelation is shown to each soul is always different and according to the soul's own psychological condition.
And it must be said of Tradition that it is expressed externally when "man," in his conceit, imposes it to preserve selfish interests, and it is internal when it is given by the persuasion of the spirit itself.
While external tradition is like a noisy river that sweeps away everything and destroys it, inner tradition is instead an undercurrent that, galvanizing and gathering, quietly builds.
Exoteric tradition collects its treasures here, in the world of three-dimensional forms, with the subsequent consequence of the loss of the soul. Esoteric tradition crystallizes all its efforts in the precious jewel called the Philosophical Stone, which allows the soul to exist in both worlds: the absolute and the relative.
Having no interest whatsoever with respect to the ambitions and fears of this world—other than to follow here an enduringly probatory path to be assayed against the gold of the spirit—real tradition does not have a physical Succession. It is not transmitted through race, creed or religion, much less through political or social issues. Since in the whole Universe there is an order already established by the divine, the human simply submits to this order, and thus achieves living in harmony. One day the real tradition will once again govern over the face our world, then the Golden Age will have come again.
Rafael Vargas, Javier Casañ, Encounter with Samael
Gnostic Revelation
"Indubitably, legitimate revelation has its irrefutable, undisputable basis in Self-Gnosis.
"Gnostic revelation is always immediate, direct and intuitive. It radically excludes intellectual operations of a subjective kind and it has nothing to do with the experience and assemblage of primarily sensorial data.
Intelligence or Nous in its gnoseological sense, although it can indeed serve as a basis for enlightened intellection, roundly rejects falling into vain intellectualism.
The ontological, pneumatic and spiritual characteristics of Nous (Intelligence) are clear and evident.
In the name of truth, I solemnly declare that the Being is the only real existence, before whose ineffable and terribly divine transparency, that which we call "I", ego, "me," "myself", is merely outer darkness, wailing and the gnashing of teeth.
Self-gnosis or self-gnostic recognition of the Being, given the anthropological aspect of the Pneuma or Spirit, is something decidedly savioristic.
To know oneself is to have achieved identification with one's own divine Being.
Knowing oneself to be identical with one's own Pneuma or Spirit, directly experiencing the identification between the known and the knower, is what we can and must define as Self-Gnosis.
Ostensibly, this extraordinary unveiling invites us to die in ourselves in order for the Being to manifest in us."
Samael Aun Weor


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Durham County
Gov. Roy Cooper to 2017 Triple-A champion Durham Bulls: Win it again next season
Gov. Roy Cooper celebrates the Durham Bulls' championship season
Who better to celebrate winning the International League's Governors' Cup than with a governor.
That's what the Durham Bulls did on Wednesday as North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper traveled to Durham to celebrate their championship season.
"When you think of the Durham Bulls, you think of this great city," Cooper said. "The Durham Bulls are iconic. They're known across the country. I thought it was appropriate that we come together to celebrate this national championship. We do it for our schools. Unfortunately, because of the nature of minor league baseball with players dispersed all over the place after the season that we couldn't have them all here. But I think it was important to come together and say 'Thank you,' to the players and to the organization."
Cooper ended his remarks by exhorting the Bulls to go out and win it again next season.
"As governor of this state, I want to say congratulations on the success of the Durham Bulls and congratulations on winning this second national championship and let's go get'em again next year," Cooper said. "Go, Bulls."
Bulls general manager Mike Birling announced that the team has extended its player development contract with the Tampa Bay Rays until 2020. The team has been affiliated with the Rays since jumping to Triple-A in 1998 after a long span as the Atlanta Braves' Class A affiliate.
"This was the 20th season we've partnered with the Rays," Birling said. "In those 20 years, we've won 13 [International League] South Division championships. We made the Governors' Cup finals 11 times, including winning five times with two national championships. Our player development contract was set to expire in 2018 but it's being extended two more years and we're very excited.
"Over the last two decades the Rays have provided us with great players, managers and coaches who have led us to unparalleled success on the field, and who also represent us with class in the community. We look forward to continuing this special affiliation."
Durham Mayor Bill Bell also spoke during the celebration.
"Everybody has something to be proud about in their city and one of the things we're proud about is that the Durham Bulls call Durham their home," Bell said. "But it so much more than baseball when you come to the Durham Bulls' park. We've had the occasion to celebrate many championships around the area, baseball, basketball, high schools."
Bell said he wished there could have been a ticker-tape parade for the Bulls.
"We've got to figure out how we can do that," Bell said.
Other members of the Durham City Council and the Board of County Commissioners were present at the reception that was held in the PNC Club at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
It's been about two months since the Bulls won the IL championship and then topped it off with a Triple-A national title. The Bulls claimed their fifth Governors' Cup and second Triple-A national title.
The Bulls defeated the Pacific Coast League champion Memphis Redbirds, 5-3, on Sept. 19 at PNC Field in Moosic, Pennsylvania, outside nearby Scranton. They defeated Memphis in the 2009 Triple-A title game.
"The Bulls provided such great entertainment during the great season they had," Cooper said.
Cooper went on to say that the Bulls were an important part of the economic recruiting toolkit both Durham and the state use when trying to attract businesses to the Triangle.
"When we're out recruiting businesses to come to North Carolina, one of the things they look at is quality of life," Cooper said. "And Durham Bulls baseball is a family experience. It's a great atmosphere with food and fun and fellowship. It's the kind of experience that goes beyond the game of baseball and this organization has been able to provide that for this city. It is a special recruiting tool we have."


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Specialist jobs require specialist equipment and specialist knowledge. You won't find a company anywhere in Europe better equipped to manage your steel transportation safely, efficiently and cost-effectively than P&O Ferrymasters.
We have the largest fleet of multipurpose coil-carrying trailers in Europe, equipped as standard with:
- 9 metre rubber lined coil wells for carriage of loose coil in the well
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Apart from this we can also add value to your supply chain through our:
- Dedicated team devoted specifically to all steel product related health and safety issues
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- Large network of staff, with specialist knowledge of and expertise and experience in the European steel industry
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- Accompanied and unaccompanied time definite transport services within and across Western Europe
- Transparent, innovative and flexible approach which focuses on creating efficient end-to-end supply chains in partnership with you.
If you would like our specialist team to drive your business forward, contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.
Sign up for price alert
Availability: In stock
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NOTICE: E-Liquid in bottles sizes of 125ml or larger are designed for wholesale purchase and not consumer use. Therefore, these larger sizes DO NOT come with Child Safety Caps


text:
Last Updated: 28-Mar-2005
I've been a fan of Rick Farmer's bootloader almost since the day I first got my hands on the PIC16F876. It's still superior to most of the others out there, in my opinion, because it can be operated from anything that has a terminal client - no special software needed, just dump the HEX file at it as ASCII. When Microchip updated the PIC16F87x line to the A revision (PIC16F873A, 16F874A, 16F876A, and 16F877A), they changed the program flash writing scheme to require pages of 4-opcode blocks to be written. This breaks Rick's latest (1.5 - 2002) code. So, I decided to update it so that I could continue to use it with these parts, as the non-A versions are no longer in production. So, for those interested, here's the zip file with the modified assembly source (what I'm calling 1.5a) and a binary that does 19200-8-N-1 at 20MHz. As Rick's code was under the GPL, this modification is also free software and licensed under the GPL.
Last Updated: 13-Jan-2006
No Longer Available There's no real need to use my Win32 port any longer. A current Win32 port is being maintained by Jeff Post on his site, which is much more up-to-date at version 0.6.8.
Update (5-May-2008): Jeff no longer seems to be posting the Win32 binary, so here's a compiled version of his 0.6.8, as well as source code: Win32 bin - src
Version 0.7 - Last Updated: 18-Nov-2007
Why another Google Maps plugin for PmWiki? Ben Wilson did a very nice one that I've been using for over a year now, but nothing has really happened on progress towards 2.2.0 in almost a year. I understand that people get busy with other projects (Lord knows I'm guilty as charged), but the license specifically forbids modification or redistribution of his code. I needed to make changes, and it seemed that if I was already going to do that, I might as well just create a new one that could be considered Free Software, so that others can help me work on it and add new features.
In an effort to ease the transition of dozens of pages I already have coded, I kept as much of his wiki directive syntax as possible. It's an entirely new codebase, however. See my MapsAPI page for install / usage instructions, as well as the zip file.
Last Updated: 21-Mar-2003
For those that don't know, Coranto is a news management program for websites. It's compact, fairly powerful, and does almost everything I want. I've been using its previous version, Newspro, for several years now. However, Coranto has had one critical piece missing since I started looking at it - a way to send email notifications when news is submitted. After becoming frustrated with this last night, I decided to bite the bullet, force myself to remember what little I know about Perl, and write a plugin that would do what I needed. The result of that is Email Notify, a very, very simple addon for sending email.
The zip file containing cra_email.pl and a readme file is available from here. I'm making this code public domain rather than GPL, just so it doesn't risk interfering with Coranto's bizarre licensing state.


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Welcome to Spartans Badminton Club
What is Spartans Badminton?
We are a small but growing club who welcome players new to the game as well as those more experienced who may wish to play competitive league badminton. Also our main club nights are held on a Friday Night at Leeds Becketts Off Churchwood Avenue LS6 3QS in the Blue hall 8-10. It operates on a pay as you go basis and is usually £5 per session, so you are not committed to annual subscrition charges.
So come and give us a try!
We are currently running 9 teams in the Leeds & District League; two playing in the 1st Division mens, one playing in men's 2nd division, one playing in the 3rd Div and one in the 4th. We also have 3 Mixed Team this year, the A mixed won division 1 last year. The B team mixed play in division 2nd division and C team now play in Div3
We also have a Ladies entered in the League this year.
The home venues for most of the teams are at Leeds Beckett University, Headingley campus, with a match fee of £6 per player. There is a fee of £60 from October to March £30 for students.
Spartans won 4 trophies in the 2016-2017 with 3 league titles and 1 handicap trophy.
It is our aim to encourage the playing of badminton for senior players of both sexes and for all abilities in an enjoyable and fun environment with the opportunity to play at a competitive level if they wish.
There is a junior class Held on a Tuesday evening in the Blue Hall 5-6. Please contact Chris Beliss on 07429 573411 for details.
Instructions for Captains and Players.do[...]
Microsoft Word document [14.2 KB]
Beckett Badminton Open Application Form.[...]
Adobe Acrobat document [450.1 KB]


text:
The 35-year-old striker, who last played for the American squad in 2014, would be a potential challenger to incumbent Sunil Gulati, who last week refused to resign in the wake of the US men failing to qualify for next year's World Cup in Russia.
Gulati, an India-born American, said he had not decided about running again but would come to a decision in the coming weeks if he felt he should be the one to lead the US program into the next World Cup cycle.
Gulati has had the job for 12 years and been unopposed in three prior elections for the presidency.
Donovan shares the all-time US team scoring lead with Clint Dempsey, each having netted 57 goals. Donovan retired after the 2015 season but made a comeback in 2016 only to retire for good earlier this year.
Two candidates have said they will seek the presidency of the US governing body, Boston attorney Steve Gans and Massachusetts businessman Paul Lapointe.
Candidates must submit application paperwork to the federation by December 12 for the election to be conducted February 10 at the federation's annual meeting in Orlando, Florida.
Candidates must also have nominations and Gulati said last week he had started seeking such support from voting members.
Donovan played for the red, white and blue in three World Cups but was left off the 2014 squad by then-coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who was fired last November after the Americans opened the final round of regional World Cup qualifying with losses to Mexico and Costa Rica.
Bruce Arena returned to guide the squad but a 2-1 loss last week at Trinidad and Tobago saw them fail to qualify for the first time since 1986. Arena resigned as coach last week.
Donovan told the New York Times after the US loss that it was a "dark day" and said the US needed to improve the talent pool of American youth turning to the sport.
"We are missing a lot of the best kids and that should not be the situation in a country of this size, with the resources we have, where kids are getting passed over for any reason," Donovan told the newspaper. "There's no easy answer to that but it's something that needs to be fixed."
Donovan said it's time "to re-evaluate and reassess what's going on and make sure we are doing the right things and implementing the right things to make sure this doesn't happen again. Sometimes when these things happen, that's when you have the real impetus and chance for change."
Would you like to place a soccer bet? Click here to get started in 3 easy steps.


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1958 – Born on August 29th in Gary, Indiana. American singer, songwriter, and dancer who was the most popular entertainer in the world in the early and mid-1980s.
1962 – A musical prodigy, Michael's singing and dancing talents were amazingly mature and he soon became the dominant voice and focus of "The Jackson 5".
1976 – Originally intended to begin his solo career when he turned eighteen, but financial problems forced him to remain with the Jackson Five, renaming themselves The Jacksons for legals reasons.
1978 – Ventured rather uneasily into films, such as playing the Scarecrow in "The Wiz", but had better luck with elaborate music videos.
1979 – Solo success for Michael was inevitable, he had become infinitely more popular than his brotherly group. Record sales consistently orbited, culminating in the biggest-selling album of all time, "Thriller".
1982 – His album "Thriller" is the biggest selling album of all time, with confirmed sales of over 47 million copies worldwide.
1984 – Shares with Carlos Santana record for most Grammys won in one year, with eight.
– Winner of the British Phonographic Industry Award for International Solo Artist.
– Received a Presidential Humanitarian Award from President Reagan at the White House in May, in recognition of Jackson's contribution to the government's campaign against drunk driving. "Beat It" was used in television advertisements.
1987 – His album "BAD" is third to "Thriller" as the biggest selling album of all time, with 20 million copies sold worldwide.
1988 – Winner of the British Phonographic Industry Award for International Solo Artist.
– Jackson wrote in his autobiography "Moon Walk" that he only had two rhinoplastic surgeries and the surgical creation of a cleft in his chin, while attributing puberty and diet to the noticeable change in the structure of his face.
1989 – Winner of the Brit Award for International Male.
1991 – His album "Dangerous" is second to "Thriller" as the biggest selling album of all time, with over 20 million copies sold worldwide.
1994 – Married to Lisa Marie Presley on May 18th.
1996 – Married to Debbie Rowe on November 15th.
1997 – Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of the Jackson 5).
2000 – Jackson announced he was considering retiring from the music industry, citing his weariness at publicity as a reason.
2001 – Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a solo artist).
2002 – Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
2003 – He was arrested and initially charged with seven counts pertaining to child molestation.
2004 – Inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame for his outstanding contribution to British music and integral part of British music culture.
2005 – Was found not guilty on ten counts of child molestation on June 13th due to lack of evidence.
2006 – Jackson accepted a Legend Award at MTV Japan's VMA Awards in Tokyo.
– California state authorities ordered Jackson to close the Neverland Ranch and fined him more than $100,000 for failing to pay the staff there or maintain proper insurance.
2007 – Jackson greeted thousands of US troops in a US army base south of Tokyo on March 10th.
2008 – Released his latest album, "Thriller 25", on February 11th.


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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Opinion
On December 13, Peter Jackson takes us back to Middle Earth. That's the date when MGM/New Line Cinema releases the second film of The Hobbit Trilogy, 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'.
I've already decided that I'll be passing on seeing this in theaters on the big screen. While I do want to revisit Middle Earth, I don't want to revist this version of Middle Earth portrayed by Jackson in The Hobbit films.
Now before you go all Saruman on me, I'm not a hater of The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit mythology – far from it. I grew up reading J.R.R. Tolkien and until a few years ago, I used to read The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings once a year. I'd say that puts me in the fan category.
In terms of Tolkien's writing and storytelling, The Hobbit was as straightforward and uncomplicated a book as he ever authored. The plot line was linear, the major characters were introduced and fleshed out to some extent and everything was wrapped up by the end of the story. Simple. To quote Bilbo, "There and back again."
My original, tattered paperback copy of The Hobbit was somewhere around 250 dog-eared pages, which made for about a nine to ten hour read through. I still can't wrap my head around how you create a trilogy from roughly 83 pages of material per movie. I can read the book faster than I'd be able to watch the three movies (after they are all released of course).
I did not see the first installment – 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' – in theaters. I bought the DVD and watched Jackson's retelling of the tale unfold for 2 1/2 hours from the comfort of my couch. I was spellbound by the CGI wizardry and yet I was left thoroughly underwhelmed by just about everything else. I'm still trying to remember in what chapter in the novel Radagast the Brown led the Orcs on a merry chase while Gandalf and the thirteen dwarves and one hobbit watched in dismay.
I mean no disrespect to Peter Jackson. Technically, these films (the LoTR trilogy included) are brilliant. The CGI just keeps getting better and better and it takes us to places as fans of these books that we could only imagine while eagerly flipping to read the next page.
I also understand some creative license is needed when translating a book into a movie. I think Jackson did a good thing replacing Glorfindel with Arwen which helped propel the Aragorn/Arwen love story in Fellowship. I think he did a lousy job the way he handled the death of Saruman, which in turn cut out the entire Scouring of the Shire chapter out of Return.
Creative license should not allow you to introduce characters that were never part of the original plot or invent new characters to use as a story telling device. Did we really need to see Frodo and future Bilbo at the start of Unexpected Journey? Do we need to see Legolas and Tauriel (a invented character) Desolation? I don't think so.
When Desolation is released on DVD, I'll pick it up and once again, I'll watch from the comfort of my couch. I'll marvel at the CGI version of Smaug and all of the special effects. But when all is said and done, it really won't be The Hobbit I've watched.
For those of you who completely disagree, enjoy the HD trailer of 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'.


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The MSI Wind 12 U230 offers the performance of an ultraportable laptop in the chassis of a netbook. But poor battery life turns a strong contender into a lame duck.
Weighing 1.3kg and equipped with a 12.1in screen, MSI's Wind12 U230 is large for a netbook. It runs on a 1.6GHz Athlon Neo X2 dual core processor, carries 2GB of RAM, has a spacious 320GB hard drive and uses Windows 7 Home Premium. It recorded 56 points in our WorldBench 6 test suite, which is much superior to the spate of scores in the mid-30s we're used to seeing netbooks earn. Still, it isn't in the same league with ultraportables in performance.
The MSI Wind 12 U230 delivers aesthetically, too. Its simple, glossy black shell gives an understated elegance - but also serves as a fingerprint magnet. The netbook has a glossy 12.1in screen with an HD-friendly resolution of 1366x768, although its display quality is a mixed bag.
Viewing angles are fine and the MSI Wind 12 U230's display is glare-free under typical fluorescent lighting, but outdoor viewing is not an option. Although colours sometimes looked muted, reproduction on the whole was good. We noticed a fair amount of motion blurring during video playback, and streaming performance was lackluster - but par for the course for a netbook.
Audio performance was middling, too, with tinny media playback. The MSI Wind 12 U230 netbook does get suitably loud, but its sound quality dips from satisfactory to jarring at higher decibels. The performance of the 1.3Mp webcam is also less than stellar. Test video footage we shot looked rather grainy.
One benefit of being at the larger end of the netbook spectrum is having room for a comfortable keyboard. The MSI Wind12 U230's keys are wide and spacious, with very little travel time on button presses, which makes for mistake-free typing. Though it lacks specific media keys, the netbook provides generic volume control and accessory toggling via Fn-key combinations.
The touchpad, however, although smooth and suitably responsive, was disappointing. Its small, stiff buttons are set flush with the chassis, and we often mashed a finger against the netbook's frame while trying to mouse about. The MSI Wind 12 U230 netbook's touchpad also lacks scrollbar functionality - and relying on a web page's scrollbar or the arrow keys for navigation can be maddening at lower resolutions.
The MSI Wind 12 U230 netbook's connectivity options are solid but unspectacular: an HDMI port, three USB ports, a four-in-one card reader, a gigabit ethernet port and a legacy VGA port. You also get Bluetooth, and 802.11b/g/n wireless.
The headphone and microphone jacks appear on the right side of the MSI Wind 12 U230 netbook, out of the way of peripherals and cables that might be dangling in the area. An integrated 3G modem is an option, and the (modemless) model we reviewed included a vestigial Fn key.
The MSI Wind 12 U230 netbook's documentation consists of the standard complement of driver and OS discs, along with a comprehensive quickstart guide. The software bundle consists primarily of webcam companion apps, whose utility will undoubtedly vary from user to user. Of interest to parents is Kido'z, a walled-garden browser that offers heavy parental controls and monitoring, plus access to kid friendly sites. Some of the more comprehensive tools are locked in a subscription package.
The MSI Wind 12 U230 netbook has a lot to like, but its battery life - 3hrs, 48 mins in our tests - is a dealbreaker. The average battery life for netbooks is about 7hrs. It's unfortunate, considering the Wind12 U230's strong general performance and portable design. But being mobile means not being tethered to a power outlet; and in the configuration we tested, the Wind12 U230 lacked staying power.


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WGBH Openvault
NOVA; Mystery of the Animal Pathfinders, The
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- Series
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- Mystery of the Animal Pathfinders, The
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Premiered March 1974 NOVA is a general-interest documentary series that addresses a single science issue each week. Billed as "science adventures for curious grown-ups" when it first aired in March, 1974, NOVA continues to offer an informative and entertaining approach to a challenging subject. 1996 marked NOVA's 23rd season, which makes it the longest-running science program on national television. It is also one of television's most acclaimed series, having won every major television award, most of them many times over. Series release date: 3/3/1974
- Program Description
Birds do it; bees do it, butterflies, bats and eels do it--all leave one habitat to migrate to another, often thousands of miles away. NOVA penetrates the mystery of where animals migrate, why and how they get there.
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- Chicago: "NOVA; Mystery of the Animal Pathfinders, The," 09/12/1986, WGBH Media Library & Archives, accessed May 20, 2019, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_F2FC353463F84F909B535B9F30E24DE3.
- MLA: "NOVA; Mystery of the Animal Pathfinders, The." 09/12/1986. WGBH Media Library & Archives. Web. May 20, 2019. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_F2FC353463F84F909B535B9F30E24DE3>.
- APA: NOVA; Mystery of the Animal Pathfinders, The. Boston, MA: WGBH Media Library & Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_F2FC353463F84F909B535B9F30E24DE3


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Once upon a time, there was a family named Jones who decided to adopt a greyhound. His name was Jimmy, and he was a beautiful light-coloured brindle. He was kind to the other, very old, family pet, a whippet cross named Jasmine whose sister had recently died.
The youngest Jones, Pip, remembered being picked up from primary school, in 2000, by her mother and new greyhound. He was patient and long-suffering, laying down for hours so Pip could sketch him for her GCSE art coursework in 2006.
When Jimmy was diagnosed with cancer and had to be put down, the Jones' were bereft. It was an unprecedented shock. But Jimmy had started something beautiful, and had introduced the family to the most superior of all pets, the greyhound (or long-snout as they are sometimes known in that most strange family).
By this time, Jasmine too had passed and Pip had accrued a girlhound named Lassie (ridiculous name for a greyhound, but one must not judge). Lassie, or SeaBassie as they nicknamed her, was lonely. The family were lost, staring at the empty space on the carpet where Jimmy liked to rest.
Mother Jones researched greyhound centres and came across Hersham Hounds (aka Wimbledon Greyhound Welfare). Looking out at her, with perfect Malteser eyes which shone like the midsummer sun, was Rio, Hound of the Month.
Romeo and Juliet's love story could not compare to the love felt between Mother Jones and Rio. Of course he came home with them. The bond between Mother and hound was stronger than Ironman – Rio walked so close behind Mother Jones that his paws often went inside her slippers. He slept on her bed with his chin on her shoulder. He once gazed at her for a full hour while she ironed – as did her children, but that was more with shock than love. Rio helped to heal the gaping emptiness of Jimmy's passing. He also helped to start Pip's GCSE's off with a bang when, on the morning of her first exam (Spanish listening), he tripped over his food bowl, smashed it, fell on it, and opened his perfectly-formed thigh muscle. Mother Jones nursed him on his dramatic return from surgery.
Lassie was diagnosed with cancer and passed away on 31st January 2008. She was Pip's hound – they snuggled together, listened to music together, pretended to do homework together. She had been there through Pip's hardest, loneliest moments at school, and now she was gone. Loss is hard to describe because there is a nothingness which swallows everything – her spot on the sofa, her place at Pip's side, her lead, her special walking boot which Brother Jones had decorated with the Nike symbol.
The only thing harder than grieving is watching your deceased pet's partner in crime grieving. Rio looked for her and wouldn't settle. He slept in the family's bedrooms but it wasn't right.
Off the family went to Hersham.
Princess (aka Princess Pickle Baggins) bounded into the Jones's life with more force than a Carl Froch knockout punch. When she stopped, dropped and rolled every five minutes on their trial walk, the family knew she was the one – she was odd, just like them. But the strangest thing was yet to happen – and that's not referring to the jar of pickles she stole and safeguarded on her first night at home. Princess captured Father Jones's affections by stealth – never before had the family seen him gently caress the ears of a dog, claiming what a lovely hound she was. Never before had he laughed when a hound joined him in his study and proceeded to chew his chair leg. Never before had he had a greyhound sign his Father's Day card – until Princess.
When Rio passed in early 2011, the Jones children saw their mother cry for the first time in their entire lives. Pip called her brother at work to tell him, then went home and cried, hugging Princess. She had promised her they would bring Rio home, but they couldn't. This time, they had not said goodbye properly as he was already under anaesthetic. To this day, there is a Boofle toy which hangs in Mother Jones's car - it is acknowledged as Rio in spirit.
Mother Jones called Hersham in secret. She told them she had lost her soulhound but she hated not having a boyhound in the house. Mother and Father Jones had had two dogs their entire relationship, and while she desperately wished Rio was still here, we sadly cannot bring back those we love when they become SkyHounds.
Getting a new hound after losing a beloved one is ridden with sadness, happiness, and guilt. Is it too soon? Would they think we're replacing them? Why are we here again? Why my hound? Pip waited on the bench outside with Princess, crying quietly. So many hounds which need homes, she thought.
Out came a handsome black greyhound, with fur silkier than the Queen's own bed sheets. When he turned his head to look at Pip, she almost fell into a swoon he was so heavenly. Mother Jones knew he was the right one, as 'he licked my hand when I walked past'. It was apparent on bringing him home that he did not suit his name, Chief – they agreed he couldn't be called 'Big Wuss', so Pip decided on Claus (his nickname is Mr Silks).
That was in 2011. The family have had Princess for 5 years, Claus for 3 ½ years. The Jones family have adopted hounds from Wimbledon Greyhound Welfare since 2006, and will always advocate the hard work and passion Denise and her team put in to re-homing and caring for these loving, affectionate, gentle (and surprisingly lazy) dogs.
Please sponsor Maxx and I. This really is a worthy cause.
Once you go grey, you never turn away!
Once you go grey, you never turn away!


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Protecting your child from lead poisoning begins when you're pregnant.
Last August, Nicky Marble van Dam received an alarming phone call from a state health worker: The Los Angeles-area mother's 13-month-old daughter, Erin, had a blood lead level of 26 micrograms per deciliter—17 points higher than the level that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers safe. Erin's 3-year-old sister, Addy, had a level of 11 micrograms. The van Dam children do not fit the classic profile of a lead-poisoning victim: an inner-city child living in substandard housing. In fact, the girls had no obvious symptoms, and only because their HMO routinely screens children in urban areas at the age of 1 were they tested for lead—two months after their parents began renovating their 1920s bungalow home. The CDC reports that 1 in 46 American children ages 1 to 5 has an unsafe blood lead level, but many scientists and pediatricians think this figure is deceptively low. Several studies show that levels even as low as 2.5 mcg/dl can contribute to growth retardation, learning disabilities, hearing loss, hyperactivity and attention-deficit disorders, and aggression. They also show that very high levels can cause permanent brain damage or death. No one is certain how long a child must be exposed for damage to occur, but the younger she is, the greater the risk. Avoiding exposure during pregnancy (and, later, when breastfeeding) is critical, since even very low lead levels can alter fetal brain development, says Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D., the author of Having Faith: An Ecologist's Journey to Motherhood (Perseus Publishing, 2001) and an expert on the prenatal effects of toxins.
Why doctors don't test: While lead poisoning is largely preventable, many cases may be missed by doctors who believe it is only a problem among the urban poor. "I had to insist that my pediatrician test my son," says Meredith Soelberg, a Los Angeles mother of a 2-year-old. "He said I shouldn't bother since I didn't fit the demographic. Meanwhile, I live in a house built in the late '30s." (Fortunately, her son was fine.) Since paints contained lead through the mid-1970s and lead is also found in many ceramic tiles, it's assumed that many older homes harbor it. In areas where friction occurs, such as windowpanes, cabinets and doorways, microscopic lead dust is released into the air, where it can then fall on toys that young children put into their mouths. Contractors who renovate old homes often do not inform clients of the hazards of lead dust, even though they are legally obligated to do so, says David Rheault, a San Pedro, Calif., contractor who specializes in lead abatement. Interestingly, the highest lead level in the van Dam home was on painted wooden toys from Germany that bore a "safe colors" logo. "It was a fluke that we tested the toys," van Dam says. "We handed them to the inspectors at the last minute."
How diet can help: Diet can play a protective role even before a child is born, Steingraber says. In the sixth month of pregnancy, when the fetal brain is rapidly developing, the skeleton is also hardening. Calcium is released from the mother's bones to help build the baby's; any lead stored in her bones is released with the calcium and can cross the placenta. The more calcium a pregnant woman consumes, the less calcium—and, consequently, the less lead—will likely be transferred from her bones to the fetus. And a recent Mexican study found that taking calcium supplements reduced breastfeeding mothers' blood lead levels by up to 16 percent. Calcium and other nutrients can help protect your child later, too. "Make sure your child gets plenty of iron, calcium, zinc and protein," says Herbert Needleman, M.D., a child-psychiatry and pediatrics professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine whose research helped convince the federal government to ban leaded gasoline. Close diet monitoring helped bring down the van Dam girls' lead levels. In addition, they and their mother lived elsewhere while the lead was removed from their home, and the imported wooden toys were thrown away. At press time, the girls' lead levels had dropped to 18 mcg/dl and 8 mcg/dl, and they show no ill effects from their exposure. Clearly, instead of having to monitor your child's lead level later, you want to start protecting her during your pregnancy. "All pregnant women need to get the lead out of their environment," says Pam Meyer, an epidemiologist with the CDC's Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch in Atlanta (www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/lead.htm). "Many people still think lead poisoning is only a problem for the urban poor, but that's not true. It cuts across all socioeconomic levels."


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Dante Alighieri
I may only be 5 pounds and 12 inches tall but I observe everything going on in HER life...and I'm not afraid to comment on it or give my advice!
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Tag Archives: Bo-Bo
I'm Dreaming of a Bo-Bo Christmas!
SHE'S packing HER bags and mine early this morning….that can only mean one thing: We're going to Grandma's! I pulled out all my favorite Christmas Bo-Bos to make sure they didn't get left behind. I'm keeping my paws crossed that … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Bo-Bo, Dante, dogs, Grandma, Maltipoo, pets, Santa 2 Comments
You can never be TOO cute!
I love this time of year…I love the holidays…I love Christmas. I especially love making HER smile and laugh…and that seems to be so easy at Christmastime. There's something about this picture of me in my pajamas with my puppy … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Bo-Bo, Christmas, Dante, dogs, happiness, love, Maltipoo, pets 3 Comments
Quiet Time
Sometimes a Little Guy just needs some quiet time… It's nice to have a Bo-Bo friend to keep me company. Where do you go for "quiet time"? BAYL…softly…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged Bo-Bo, Dante, dogs, love, Maltipoo, pets, quiet time 3 Comments
I am one very lucky little guy!
Oh my…I thought Christmas was over when I left my Grandma's house…but look…a present arrived from my friends Big T and Cute Guy…WOW…is it really for me? Now come on out of the bag you cute little Bo-Bo…let's get acquainted… … Continue reading
Flashback Friday
We love Throwback Thursday so much we decided (SHE decided!) that we would have a Falshback Friday today….and I have to agree, this was a really good Friday. This was the Friday that my Dubai Camel Bo-Bo came to … Continue reading
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What day is it?
Please meet the newest member of my Bo-Bo family: Long-Legged Camel…So here's the question: Long-Legged Camel…Do you know what day it is? BOL Here's to a Happy Happy Hump Day my friends…BAYL
Meet Buc-ee!
Hey everyone…meet the newest member of my Bo-Bo crew – all the way from Texas: Buc-ee Bo-Bo. I wasn't so sure about this new little Bo-Bo …but I gave him a few tosses and flipped him … Continue reading


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Tottenham Hotspur - Nov 13 at 08:41
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The manipulation of legislative districts for political advantage in the United States is older than the United States itself. In 1788, the year before the Constitution was ratified, Patrick Henry convinced the Virginia legislature to alter James Madison's congressional district to favor James Monroe.(1) Madison won anyway. More than 20 years later, Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry infamously approved state senate districts drawn to ensure Democratic-Republican control of the Bay State and, as a result, gave us the term gerrymandering.(2)
These historical giants left the political stage long ago, but gerrymandering lives.
Gerrymandering skews democracy in many different ways. This report focuses on one particular effect: diminished voter choice. The most effective gerrymanders slice and dice communities with surgical precision to make the outcomes of district-wide elections as predictable and favorable as possible to the party in power.
In many cases, outcomes are so effectively preordained that competition disappears and voters only see one major party on the ballot in November. In the most egregious cases, incumbent protection gerrymanders result in districts in which even major party primaries are uncontested. As a result, the election is over when the filing deadline passes and before a single vote is cast.
This report examines the 2016 primary and general elections for Congress and state legislatures. It concludes that voters in a shocking number of campaigns have been left without choices at the polls this year. In states where legislators drew maps, voters have fewer choices than in states where maps were drawn by individuals with no personal stake in the outcome. And when voters have real choices on Election Day, our democracy is strengthened because citizens can hold elected officials accountable.
Executive Summary
Voter choice is essential to a healthy democracy. When only one person is on the ballot, there are no "choices." And when there are no choices, democracy enters a death spiral. Turnout drops as citizens give up on voting and ultimately on self-government.
This report examines how the ways states draw congressional and state legislative districts influences voter choice. We find that when state legislators draw the lines, the majority party often engages in gerrymandering, manipulating the boundaries to benefit its candidates and stifle opposition. In hundreds of districts across America, that means voters will find only one name on the ballot next month when they choose who will represent them in Congress or in their state legislature.
When nonpartisan citizen redistricting commissions draw state and congressional districts, there is a much greater chance that at least two candidates – one from each major party – will be on the general election ballot. Our analysis also shows that commissions give voters more choices in primary elections by producing fewer districts in which only one person from a major party files to run. The competition pushes candidates to work harder to connect with voters, boosting turnout and strengthening democracy.
Major Findings
Measuring Gerrymandering's Impact
Gerrymandering's effects on our democracy are varied and far-reaching. Some gerrymanders pack communities of color into a few districts to limit their influence over other districts and deny them an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. Other gerrymanders divide these communities among districts to limit their influence in any one district. Communities of interest - bonded by geography, culture, language, occupation, transportation, or other attributes - may be arbitrarily divided for political advantage and without regard to their need for fair representation.
In states such as Maryland, where Democrats drew the district lines, and North Carolina, where Republicans drew the lines, voters of one party have been targeted to limit their political influence in a constitutionally questionable manipulation of boundaries. Partisan outcomes may be distorted when one party wins more seats statewide than its vote totals justify. Gridlock may result because legislators representing districts drawn to be safe for them and their party have little incentive to compromise across party lines.
This report focuses on a different consequence of gerrymandering: fewer voter choices. The research examines whether citizens have more choices at the ballot box when citizen redistricting commissions rather than legislators draw state legislative and congressional maps. We did this by computing the percentage of districts in each state that were so skewed toward one candidate or one party that other major party candidates did not bother to run. We examined the general election choices voters will have in November by determining the percentage of congressional and state legislative districts in which one or more candidates of only one major party filed to run.
There is an ongoing debate about the extent to which one-party dominance of legislative districts is a function of gerrymandering or of the migration of Americans to communities of politically like-minded people. For example, Democratic voters are often concentrated in large cities or college towns while a larger proportion of Republican voters live in suburban, exurban, and rural communities.
We can't let our legislators draw their own districts
To ensure that a lack of political competition does not simply reflect self-sorting by voters or a statewide partisan imbalance, we also examined whether voters had choices in this year's primaries; we did that by determining the percentage of districts in which only one person sought a major party nomination and then was unopposed in the general election. In addition, our research spotlights states with an unusually high percentage of uncontested elections.
Several factors unrelated to redistricting may also figure in voter choice. A full-time legislature in which members are well-paid may encourage more incumbents to run for reelection, making it more difficult for newcomers to break through. Term limits and campaign finance rules may also affect turnover and incumbency. Nonetheless, the relationship we found in this year's elections between the power of legislators to draw districts and the number of challengers in those districts suggests that who controls district lines remains an important factor in determining how many candidates voters will see on the ballot.
Voter choice is essential to a healthy democracy. When only one person is on the ballot, citizens essentially have no way to hold that individual accountable. And with no choices available, turnout drops as citizens see little point in voting. In 2014, the first midterm election after the 2010 redistricting cycle and thus the first without a presidential campaign to drive up turnout, voter participation was the lowest for any congressional election since 1942 -- when hundreds of thousands of Americans were at war overseas.(4) When election outcomes are predetermined, winning candidates have little incentive to court or even stay in touch with voters. This is unsustainable if we hope to maintain a vibrant democracy.
Measuring Voter Choice
To determine the extent of voter choices in different states, Common Cause compiled lists of all individuals who filed to run in congressional and state legislative races in the 2016 elections.
For primaries and other nominating contests, we calculated the percentage of districts in which only one person from one major party filed to run. This effectively hands a victory to the lone filer before a single vote is cast; the one major party candidate faces no competition in the primary and in most cases either no opponent or only a minor party or independent candidate in the general election. This lack of choice is the consequence of gerrymanders designed to protect one individual, often the incumbent legislator.
Lack of Voter Choices
Lack of Voter Choices
Measuring a lack of voter choices in a district's:
We examined voter choice in the general election by computing the percentage of districts in which one or more candidates from only one major party filed to run. In this scenario, voters in one of the major party primaries may have had choices on that ballot, but the larger, general election electorate will not. In most such cases, general election voters will see only one major party candidate on the Nov. 8 ballot; occasionally, in top-two primary states, there will be two candidates of the same party on the ballot.(5) In either case, the party which will control that district after Election Day already has been determined. This lack of choice results from partisan gerrymanders in which the party in control of redistricting maximizes the number of districts in which its candidate is certain to win.
This is not what a ballot should look like.
Our decision to measure voter choice only in terms of major party options is not a value judgment about third parties or their candidates. It merely reflects the fact that our electoral system has made serious third-party competition for seats in Congress or the state legislature very unusual. As a result, gerrymandering is specifically designed to advantage or disadvantage candidates who are either Democrats or Republicans. Measuring the extent to which those efforts succeed provides important insight into voter choice.
Who Draws the Districts?
Our research also sought to determine what impact -- if any -- the way districts are drawn has on the number of voter choices at the polls. In most of the country, state legislators have the sole authority to draw congressional and state legislative maps.(6) They are guided by few rules, aside from a requirement that the population be equally divided among districts, and they generally draw maps in private using sophisticated technology, with little input from the public or scrutiny by the media. The system makes it easy for legislators to ignore the inherent conflict between their personal interest in holding seats and/or maintaining and strengthening a partisan advantage and the public's interest in political competition and responsive government.
State Redistricting Models
Interactive: Who Draws Districts in Each State?
Click each state to learn more about how that state draws districts.
Several states have implemented alternative rules for drawing districts to reduce the ability of mapmakers to put political concerns ahead of fair representation.
Some states have created citizen commissions to recommend district lines while giving legislators ultimate authority to draw maps. In Florida, voters amended the state constitution by ballot initiative to explicitly bar legislators from drawing districts designed to help or hurt a party or candidate.(7)
In several other states, politician commissions draw districts. Some of those commissions include a subgroup of legislators with equal partisan balance or other protections against one-party dominance; others are composed of statewide elected officials working on their own or in conjunction with legislators.
This report focuses mostly on a different reform, one that effectively prevents political interests from dominating the redistricting process: citizen redistricting commissions.
Citizen redistricting commissions give the power to the people.
In citizen commission states, elected offices are stripped of the power to draw districts and replaced by an impartial group of citizens.
Citizen redistricting commissions give the power to the people. Citizen commissions operate with conflict of interest protections that bar legislators and candidates and their families, party officials, and others with a direct stake in the outcome, from the mapmaking process. Commissions also typically protect against one-party dominance by requiring that membership be divided equally between Republicans and Democrats.(8) State laws provide neutral guidelines for drawing districts while increasing transparency by requiring commission members to hear testimony and deliberate in public.
In the most independent of the citizen commission models, such as those in California and Arizona, legislators play a minimal role in selecting commission members.
In California, legislators may strike a limited number of individuals from a pool of prospective commissioners that have been screened for conflicts of interest by the state auditor's office. The first group of commissioners is then selected randomly and that group selects the remaining members to ensure diversity.(9) In Arizona, legislators appoint commissioners but must choose from a pool screened for conflicts by the nonpartisan Commission on Appellate Court Appointments.(10)
In other citizen commission states, legislators appoint commissioners without being limited to a prescreened pool, but are prohibited from appointing certain categories of individuals with a stake in the outcome. Although our research shows there are far too many states in which voters' choices are limited at the ballot box, it also demonstrates that removing politicians' power to draw districts is an important step to effect change.
Citizen Redistricting Commissions Give Voters More Choices
When citizen redistricting commissions draw districts, voters have more options on their primary and general election ballots than when legislators hold the pen.
In 28 congressional districts -- 11 percent of the 250 drawn by legislators -- the 2016 campaign essentially ended before the primary because only one person sought the nomination of one major party and no opposition emerged in the other major party. There was a similar absence of intraparty competition in just two of the 74 districts -- 3 percent -- drawn by independent commissions.
A similar pattern will prevail in this year's congressional general elections. In 47 of the 250 congressional districts legislators drew -- 19 percent -- there were one or more candidates for one major party nomination but the other party had no candidate. That scenario occurred in just six of the 74 districts -- 8 percent -- drawn by commissions.
When Legislators Redistrict
Legislators are almost four times more likely than citizen redistricting commissions to produce
congressional districts that deny voters choices in a primary and more than twice as likely to produce districts that deny voters choices in the general election.
Legislators are almost four times more likely than citizen redistricting commissions to produce congressional districts that deny voters choices in a primary and more than twice as likely to produce districts that deny voters choices in the general election.
At the state level, the districts state legislators draw for their own elections also limit voters' primary election choices relative to commission-drawn districts. In 1,114 legislative districts, nearly one-third of the 3,506 drawn by legislators nationwide, only one person from a major party filed to run. Except in the rare situation in which state law allows parties to appoint general election candidates and they choose to do so, those individuals will be unopposed by the other party next month. Only 112 of 554 districts drawn by citizen commissions were similarly uncompetitive; that's 21 percent of all citizen commission-drawn districts.
States where legislators draw maps will also have a higher percentage of districts with limited general election choices compared to independent commission states because candidates from only one major party filed to run: 43 percent to 29 percent.
The Candidate Problem
Candidates from only one major party filed to run in 43% of state legislative districts drawn by state legislators.
There appears to be little difference in voter choice between states in which legislators draw districts and those which give the job to a commission of politicians from both parties. In all cases, voters living in states in which districts are drawn by citizen redistricting commissions have more choices at the ballot box.
In 35 percent of the districts drawn by politician commissions, primary competition was nonexistent because only one person from a major party filed to run. And in 44 percent of politician commission-drawn districts, there will be no general election competition.
Which States Provide the Fewest Choices?
Some states in which elected officials draw state legislative districts provide voters with an extraordinary lack of choice at the ballot box.
In eight states, the composition of the next legislature already has largely been decided because candidates from only one major party filed to run in 60 percent or more of state legislative districts. These include Georgia (81 percent), Massachusetts (79 percent), South Carolina (76 percent), Arkansas (75 percent), Rhode Island (70 percent), Illinois (67 percent), Texas (66 percent), and New Mexico (62 percent). Citizen redistricting commissions did not draw maps in any of these states. The highest percentage of uncontested seats in the five independent commission states is 44 percent in Idaho.
The People's No Choice Awards go to: Arkansas, Georgia and Massachusetts
In seven states, campaigns were effectively over even before the primary because only one major party candidate filed to run in a majority of state legislative districts. These include Massachusetts (68 percent), Arkansas (65 percent), Georgia (56 percent), Illinois (55 percent), South Carolina (55 percent), Rhode Island (54 percent), and Delaware (50 percent). Again, the worst-performing citizen redistricting commission, in Washington State, fared significantly better on this measure at 32 percent.
Although the lure of a seat in Congress creates fewer uncontested races, some states stand out. In Arkansas, only one Republican and no Democrats filed in three of the state's four districts (75 percent), leaving only one district with a contested primary and one with a contested general election. In Massachusetts, five of nine general election races will feature one Democrat and no Republicans (56 percent). Citizen redistricting commissions did not draw the congressional maps in either state. The worst-performing of the citizen commission states in this category, Arizona, will have two-party contests in seven of its nine congressional districts.
There are many ways to measure the health of our democracy. The number of choices at the ballot box in primary and general elections is one important gauge because it demonstrates the extent to which candidates must reach out to voters and whether voters can hold them accountable. Our research demonstrates that citizens in many states see only one major party candidate on the ballot. While many factors may play a role in this lack of choice, the record of citizen redistricting commissions in producing more choices is a significant argument in their favor.
End Notes
Barasch, Emily. "The Twisted History of Gerrymandering in American Politics." The Atlantic 19 Sep. 2012.
Klein, Christopher. "A New Species of Monster." Boston Globe 11 Sep. 2011.
This estimate represents 47 districts times 710,767, the average population of a congressional district. See Burnett, Kristen B., Congressional Apportionment: 2010 Census Briefs at 1, United States Census Bureau, Nov. 2011.
DelReal, Jose A. "Voter Turnout in 2014 Was the Lowest Since WWII." The Washington Post 10 Nov. 2014.
It is worth noting that some states allow political parties to appoint candidates if none le to run. This may provide voters with an alternative choice in a handful of instances and is not captured in our statistics because we count only candidates who led to run prior to the ling deadline. However, we choose not to credit states for the rare situation in which state law allows an appointment and the party exercises that option because the appointed candidate does not re ect the choice of any primary voters and because candidate lings more accurately portray the extent to which a district is considered su ciently competitive to contest.
Common Cause, "Who draws your congressional and state legislative districts," available at www.commoncause.org/ redistricting.
Fla. Const. art. III, §§ 20-21.
Alaska has a citizen redistricting commission that excludes public o cials and employees from its membership. We do not classify Alaska's redistricting body as a citizen redistricting commission for the purposes of this report because it allows leaders of only one party to appoint all of the members, which took place during the 2010 redistricting cycle. See Levitt, Justin, All About Redistricting: Alaska, available at http://redistricting.lls.edu/states-AK.php.
Cal. Gov. Code § 8252.
Ariz. Const. art. IV, pt. 2, § 1.
The Common Cause Education Fund is the research and public education affiliate of Common Cause, founded by John Gardner in 1970, and one of the country's most effective advocates working to reduce the influence of special-interest money in politics, empower voters to make their voices heard, ensure transparency in government, and protect the free flow of information. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.
Dan Vicuna is Common Cause's national redistricting manager.
Keshia Morris is a program associate at Common Cause.
Dale Eisman is Common Cause's senior writer/editor.
This report was prepared with the generous support of the Democracy Fund, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Wallace Global Fund.
Research assistance was provided by Common Cause interns Nisha Behrman, Noah Grolnick, Allison Gordon, Hannah Schwartz, Shiran Zecharya, Dana Sutton, Seung Won Lee, and Dana Patterson.
The authors also extend our appreciation to the staff at Ballotpedia, whose research was invaluable for confirming our data and obtaining information when state records were incomplete.


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Stress Taking Toll on Foreign Service
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
At least 40 percent of State Department diplomats who have served in danger zones suffer some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, Steven Kashkett, vice president of the American Foreign Service Association, said in congressional testimony yesterday.
Troubling medical and psychiatric symptoms have become a growing problem for Foreign Service personnel in recent years, particularly among those exposed to deadly violence in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, where diplomats often work and live among U.S. troops, Kashkett told a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee.
Unlike members of the military, however, diplomats are not well equipped for war environments. Most get only a two-week anti-terrorism course as preparation.
"Foreign Service officers, while accustomed to serving their country overseas under extremely difficult conditions, are not soldiers and are not trained for combat," Kashkett told the subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. "Yet in Iraq, they are often directly exposed to conditions of war [with] which they may not always be well adapted to cope." Some 2,000 diplomats have volunteered to serve in Iraq since 2003, he said.
The State Department has provided limited help for diplomats under duress. After the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad requested mental health services in 2003, the department sent two psychiatrists to assess the environment. In 2004, one psychiatrist joined the U.S. medical team in Baghdad but was moved the next year to Amman, Jordan, and replaced by a social-work counselor, State's medical director, Laurence G. Brown, told the panel.
Numbers are still hard to determine. Based on anecdotal information, the State Department's Office of Medical Services finds that diplomats commonly suffer from stress-related problems but "very few" have full-blown symptoms of PTSD, Brown said. Fewer than 20 have had their medical clearance changed due to PTSD, he said.
This month, however, the State Department launched the first survey of all State personnel who have served since 2002 in "unaccompanied posts," or areas deemed so dangerous that family members are not allowed. The one-month survey is being carried on the department's internal Web site, and responses are anonymous. So far, half of the respondents said they experienced irritability and unusual hostility, and 35 to 52 percent said they suffered from one or more symptoms common to PTSD -- including social withdrawal, isolation, apathy, insomnia and anxiety -- during or after their assignments.
"Preliminary results from the State Department survey suggest that it may affect some 40 percent or more, similar to what has been reported for the U.S. military," Kashkett told lawmakers.
"The stresses at unaccompanied posts like Saudi Arabia, Haiti, Lebanon and places in Africa are not as great as those in the two war zones," Kashkett said later in an interview. "If you selected only those people whose unaccompanied tours were in war zones, these results would very likely be higher. Our perception is that this is a much more pervasive problem among Foreign Service employees returning from service in Iraq than most people realize."
In Iraq, many Foreign Service personnel have been exposed to frequent incoming fire in the Green Zone and sleep in vulnerable aluminum trailers, he told the subcommittee. Others live on forward operating bases in the midst of combat areas, while members of the provisional reconstruction teams are embedded with mobile combat units and are as susceptible to roadside explosives and attacks as U.S. troops, Kashkett said.
In 2004, the State Department instituted outbriefings for diplomats on their return from Iraq. But the sessions do not offer counseling or psychotherapy for PTSD symptoms, Brown told the committee.


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LIVING CITY will create JOBS!!! Jobs for our youth, jobs for our unemployed and opportunities for those looking to improve their careers.
Change is needed. The next generation are leaving Devonport due to a lack of jobs, opportunities and vibrancy.
LIVING CITY will open the city centre up to the Mersey River and enable us to better showcase our world-class regional produce, leading to an increased share of the tourist dollar and significantly boosting the local economy.
Devonport City Council | Speak Up Devonport


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Well, the new site logo (by request) is up. Alias is making another and I think thats cool. But for rite now, it will stay like this. If you made a logo and wanna show it, post link.
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Dr. Vadim Surikov provides a medical weight loss program for his patients that want to lose weight without surgery. In this interview Brenda talks about losing 60 pounds and how her life has changed.
Why did you decide that you needed help losing weight?
My name is Brenda and I am 74 years old. I came to see the doctor when I was not quite 70 years old because I weighted 215 pounds. I was very unhappy. I could not tie my shoes. I could not bend over and get up without being out of breath. I was just not happy.
A friend of mine told me about the doctor so I came top see him and he has been helping me ever since. I have lost 60 pounds. I am very happy. I can dance all night now. I could not get my socks and shoes on without being very uncomfortable. Pantyhose? Good gracious. Don't even talk to me about that. So now if I want to wear them, I wear them and if I don't, I don't. But none the less. I can get them on with no problem and that was very important because I have to get dressed up everyone once in a while.
That is the main thing. You are sitting on the couch watching TV and you want to do something. You have to help yourself up. You can't just stand up because you have too much weight on you. That is all there is to it.
How are things now that you have lost more than 60 pounds?
You can go to ball games and sit in those seats. You can get on an airplane and not feel all crunched up. All kinds of things that not being so much over weight helps.
What was your first appointment like?
The doctor is so nice and so sympathetic to your problems. He tells you he can help you, and all you have to do is follow the instructions. If you have any problems let him know and he will do what he can to adjust the program just to fit you, and he does. I have lost a lot of weight in my time but I have always gained it back. This time it has been fours years and I have not gained it back. That is worth everything.
I would rather come see to the weight loss clinic each month instead of going to Weight Watchers or some program that you have to go to every week, because the doctor is so helpful. If you start to fall, he will talk to you a little bit and get you back on track.
How has losing weight changed your life?
I have had a closet full of all sizes of dresses from twenty-twos, which is what I was wearing when I first came back to see him. I never weighed that much before, and now I wear a size ten or twelve. I have even got some size eight jeans, which is amazing to me. I remember going by this one store one time and I had to get a size 18 and I was not even that big but I had to get an eighteens for them to even fit over my hips. Now I can wear a size 8. Tens fit me just fine. I am just happy to be able to shop in a regular size store.
Schedule a Weight Loss Consultation Today
Medical weight loss programs can help patients lose weight without requiring surgery. For more information about medical weight loss in New York City with Dr. Surikov call 347-599-9118.


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Dharmavaram is a city and municipality in Anantapur district. Dharmavaram got its name after 'Dharmamba', the mother of 'Sri Kriyasakthi Odeyar', the one who dug the sacred Dharmavaram tank. Dharmavaram is famous for its cotton and silk weaving industries. Generally termed as "silk city", the silk manufactured in Dharmavaram is famous all over the world. It is also known for its expertise in making leather puppets. This place is famous as a pilgrimage centre with pretty small but prominent temples.
The renowned God-man, Sri Satya Sai Baba's birth place, Puttaparthi, is a well-known tourist destination, just 30kms from Dharmavaram.
When you are in Dharmavaram, make sure to buy the saris made here, as they are famous all over the world. The texture and designs on them, makes it a must-buy for every woman.
These silk saris, silk fabrics are popular all over the world and are exported to as far away as Germany, France. You can find a Silk Exchange only in Dharmavaram. Dharmavaram contributed a number of freedom-fighters for the Mother India


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1. population - noun
· the people who inhabit a territory or state; "the population seemed to be well fed and clothed"
Hypernym(s): people
2. population - noun
· a group of organisms of the same species inhabiting a given area; "they hired hunters to keep down the deer population"
3. population - noun
· (statistics) the entire aggregation of items from which samples can be drawn; "it is an estimate of the mean of the population"
Synonym(s): universe
Hypernym(s): collection, aggregation, accumulation, assemblage
4. population - noun
· the number of inhabitants (either the total number or the number of a particular race or class) in a given place (country or city etc.); "people come and go, but the population of this town has remained approximately constant for the past decade"; "the African-American population of Salt Lake City has been increasing"
Hypernym(s): integer, whole_number
5. population - noun
· the act of populating (causing to live in a place); "he deplored the population of colonies with convicted criminals"
Hypernym(s): colonization, colonisation, settlement
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Championship Tractor Pull Roars Into the 2014 Western Farm Show in Kansas City
Kansas City, MO (PRWEB) January 08, 2014
As one of the nation's top indoor tractor pulls, the Championship Tractor Pull at the 2014 Western Farm Show will present truck and tractor drivers with many unique challenges compared to outdoor events, adding to fan fun and excitement at this highly popular competition.
Scheduled for Friday and Saturday nights, Feb. 21-22, at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo., the event will feature 125 drivers and vehicles from throughout the Midwest, with $ 56,000 in prize money at stake. Each night features a different show with a total of 10 competing truck and tractor classes, including Light Super Stock Tractors, Super Farm Tractors, Modified Tractors, Pro Stock Trucks and Tractors, and the powerful Super Stock Tractors.
"The Championship Tractor Pull offers well-rounded entertainment for the whole family, not just the gear heads who enjoy the mechanics of the sport," says Dave Bennett, the voice of the Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pulling Association of Carthage, Mo., which stages the event in partnership with the Western Farm Show.
Bennett says indoor tractor pulls offer a whole different experience than outdoor pulls, putting driver skills to the test and revving up fan enthusiasm.
Short track – The track at the Western Farm Show will be about 220 feet long, compared to 300 to 325 feet at outdoor pulls. "The longer tracks are what the machines are really built for," Bennett says. "On a shorter track, the entire driving style has to change in terms of motor RPM and gear selection."
Brick wall versus open end – At most outdoor events, vehicles come to a stop in an open safety zone at the end of the track. The Kemper Arena track ends with a brick wall, with sand added as a cushion. "It takes a lot of nerve to stay on the throttle and rely on the sled to slow you down so you don't hit the wall," says Bennett. "Some of the rookie drivers don't have the nerve to do that and stop too soon."
Knowing the dirt – Bennett notes that the dirt used to build indoor tracks is typically less consistent, or "tight" in pulling vernacular, compared to outdoor tracks, further testing driver skill. "Outdoor tracks can be more forgiving, but these guys are professionals and know they will have to match their speed and gear selection to the dirt composition and consistency at Kemper," he explains.
Noise – Within the confines of Kemper Arena, the noise level is much louder than outdoor events, which Bennett says is "music to the ears of a gear head." With engines ranging in the 10 classes from 1,000 to 6,000 horsepower, it is recommended that attendees wear ear plugs. Fans can bring their own or purchase a set for just one dollar at the event.
Exhaust – Indoors or outdoors, tractor pulls generate a lot of exhaust fumes. At Kemper, an elaborate exhaust system – termed a "smoke eater" by Bennett – draws diesel fumes from the machines through rubber tubes and vents them to the outside, maintaining a comfortable atmosphere inside.
Fans can meet many of the drivers and see their machines on display from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22, at Kemper Arena. Access to this midday display is open only to attendees of the Western Farm Show. Tickets to the Western Farm Show and to the tractor pull are sold separately.
The 2014 Western Farm Show is scheduled Friday through Sunday, Feb. 21-23, at the American Royal Complex adjacent to Kemper Arena. It will once again feature over 500 exhibitors and more
than 400,000 square feet of floor space filled with the latest farm equipment and other agricultural products. Other attractions include the Stockmanship and Stewardship Low-Stress Livestock Handling Demonstration, FFA Day, the Health & Safety Roundup, Family Living Center and much more.
Show hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Adult admission is $ 8 and free for children 12 and under. For more information, visit http://www.WesternFarmShow.com, like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WesternFarmShow and follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/WesternFarmShow or Instagram at http://instagram.com/WesternFarmShow.
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