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We thought this holiday colored birthday extravaganza would go well in the holiday spirit. Designer Lisa Feldman does it again! This red and gold 80th Birthday Party was incredibly glamorous and full of sweet and stylish family and friends. The birthday boy came from humble beginnings and is now a very successful business owner in the San Francisco bay area. Who apparently will not retire from working his companies. We learned a few helpful business tactics during all the heartfelt speeches. His grandchildren escorted him to his seat and his wife and daughters sang him a song they wrote about his life. There was memory-filled slideshow, and the entertainment included singing from Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson and Elvis impersonators. And they were great!! But those white chairs… in love.
{planner} Lisa Feldman Event Planning & Design
{caterer} McCalls
{rentals} Bright Rentals
{linens} La Tavola
{floral} Sharla Flock


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Day 1 - San Fransisco
Just left uncle's place. I don't think what I'm about to do has still fully sunk in. I stayed up pretty late last night, getting everything in order. Still, I was up by 6:00 AM today. In general I feel pretty good. My bike is very back-heavy, and that's a little troubling, but everything seems to be packed up nice and compact, so that's nice.
Today is going to be a lot of commute - 1 hour on the Caltrain and 1 on the ferry. After that it's a 4-5 hour ride to Davis where I'll stay with my first Warmshowers host! Should be fun :)
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August 2016

subset: commoncrawl


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No QR is for that situations.flyyboyy wrote:Thanks everybody, it's obvious now. I am new to the sport and would like to shorten it, but not endanger myself, so now I know what I am working with.Peter_Frank wrote:It is a very good question - and you got the answer: It is for handle passes and unhooked useflyyboyy wrote:It is kind of in the way. Is there a reason why it has to be as long as it is?
As I ride hooked most of the time, I can and will not use such a long leash - would be a total mess to have "flying around", and in the way.
So I have a very very short leash instead, it actually only has to be 1 or 1½ foot long - much better and not in the way
Apart from the days where I dont use a leash - as at many wavespots it makes no sense and you can choose to ride without the leash (when hooked, and not having a push release - so you dont accidentally unhook)
So I guess that ditching the kite by releasing the leash would be in the case of an out of control kite. Maybe a broken line etc.
Ditching the kite is the last resort when your life is in danger. (being blown to open see with no way of getting back ,....)


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Tahiti have finished their Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup campaign with a 4-3 defeat to Russia in the playoff for third this morning.
In a repeat of last year's final, Naea Bennet gave the Tiki Toa an early lead but Russia stormed back with four unanswered goals to lead 4-1 heading into the final few minutes.
Goals from Jo and Heiarii Tavanae gave Tahiti a brief flicker of hope but they ultimately eft their run too late.
Brazil claimed the title with a 6-2 win over Iran in the final.


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Paella is one of those dishes, like barbecue, that can spark endless heated debate. Everyone makes it differently, and everyone has found that one particular paella that is the apotheosis of paella. After that pinnacle is reached, no other paella will ever compare.
For example, some people swear that paella that isn't made in Valencia can never be true paella, due to the quality of the water in Valencia. And some people say that paella can not have both seafood and chicken in the same dish. (I happen to like it that way, though.) And then there are the paellas that are made with vermicelli (pasta), or beans, or the original, which is made with rabbits and snails, with no seafood in sight.
My Dad had a perfect paella in New York about 30 years ago, and nothing since has ever come close. For a few years now I've tried recreating that dish, and the response is always the same: "It's good, but it's not it."
This year, it was time to step it up a notch. In the past, I had attempted to make this dish by throwing some stuff into a casserole dish and throwing the whole thing in the oven for a while, but I realized that this inauthentic approach was just not going to cut it. It would never be that paella.
Therefore, it was time to ponder the variables that are generally considered part of an authentic paella. Most importantly, it's made in a paella pan. This is a large, shallow, circular pan that is ideally made of carbon steel. To be super-authentic, this pan is set over a wood fire, but I wasn't feeling that ambitious--obtaining the pan was just about the height of my aspirations. Part of the reason the pan is so important is because it enables the formation of a brown crust on the bottom of the dish. The brown crust is called soccarat, and some people claim that it's the key to a great paella, and in Spain, people apparently fight over the crusty bits.
(The Paella Pan)
Also of importance is the rice--short-grain rice is a necessity, and if you want to be really accurate, Bomba and Calasparra are preferred. However, these rice varieties can be difficult to find, so Arborio or Carnaroli are acceptable in a pinch.
Paprika is a part of all paellas, and smoked Spanish paprika is the ideal choice. This particular type of paprika can also be difficult to find, but it's worth ordering online because it's far more complex than regular paprika, and the smokiness will lend the finished dish that little 'something.' However, if you would like to use normal paprika, just make sure it's the 'sweet' variety, as opposed to the 'hot' variety.
Roasted red peppers are frequently a part of paella, and piquillo peppers are supposedly the best available. They're roasted over wood fires and retain their texture a bit better than normal roasted red peppers. Or so I hear. I had ordered some for this version of paella, but they didn't arrive in time, so experimenting with them will happen on another occasion.
So when it came time to attempt a more authentic version of paella, most of the key components were in place, and overall it was a success. We got a little bit of brown crust, and one tiny bit where the crust was a bit too brown. The paella was flavorful and delicious, and it was fun to eat, partially because the way it's brought to the table in a really big pan is in itself so entertaining.
If you decide to make the recipe as it's printed below, I apologize for the rather vague timing instructions. Ours took a while for the rice to cook (about 50 minutes), but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I was afraid of burning the bottom, so I kept the heat a bit lower than the original recipe instructs. However, I left the directions as far as heat and timing pretty close to the original, as I feel it's probably correct; I just tweaked a few things (like the use of tinfoil), which I discuss in the recipe below. Your cooking times may also vary based on the size of your stove, so basically, just be careful as you cook--watch, listen, and smell, and you'll end up with a delicious dinner. Or, like I say each time we're about to embark on a new culinary adventure--you can always order some pizza.
(Inspired by This Recipe)
- 1 5 lb bag mussels
- 3 large, ripe tomatoes
- 10 blanched almonds, ideally Marcona
- 3 cloves garlic
- Packed 1/4 cup Italian parsley
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 package dried chorizo, cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled
- 2 teaspoons sweet pimentón de la Vera (Spanish smoked paprika)
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ pounds chicken thighs, preferably boneless and skinless
- ¼ teaspoon saffron threads
- 4½ cups chicken stock
- ½ cup dry sherry
- 2 cups Calrose rice
- 2 red peppers, roasted, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch strips, then cut in half lengthwise
- About 1 bottle beer (lager works well)
- 1 cup frozen peas
Place the mussels in a bowl of very cold water and place the bowl in the fridge. Every 30-40 minutes or so, change the water (for a total of at least 2 water changes). Slice tomatoes in half, and grate each on a box grater over a bowl. Discard skins; set pulp aside. In a food processor or mortar, puree parsley, garlic and almonds with a tablespoon or two of water until smooth.
Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Add chorizo pieces to pan and cook until lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Season shrimp with salt and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Sear the shrimp in the hot pan until golden brown and almost cooked through.
With a slotted spoon, remove shrimp. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper, add to same pan, and brown on one side until deep golden. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
Set 18-inch paella pan over two burners at high heat on the stove top, and heat 1/3 cup olive oil. Add tomato pulp and cook until darkened, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika and 1/4 teaspoon saffron, and cook for about 1 minute. Add chicken pieces and sherry and cook until sherry is evaporated (you'll have liquid in the pan, but no longer be able to smell the sherry). Add chicken stock; bring to a boil.
Stir garlic, almond and parsley puree into the pan. Sprinkle rice across the pan and stir until the grains are submerged, then don't stir again. Add red peppers. Cook on high heat for 10 minutes, rotating the pan on the two burners to distribute heat. Using a small spoon, test rice and stock and add salt as needed.
Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Test rice again. If the rice is drying out but still needs some more cooking time in order for it to tenderize, add some beer (or water or chicken stock) to the dry spots. The amount of beer needed will vary greatly depending on your rice, heat, etc., but we used about a bottle of beer.
If the rice is still hard, turn the heat down to low and continue to cook the rice until all parts of the dish are tender. You might need to intermittently cover the pan with a big sheet of tin foil. I wish that I could give you more specific directions, but I think that this is one of those dishes that you have to watch and play with, at least until you're practiced with it. We found that our total cooking time for the rice was about 50 minutes, about 10 of which were covered.
When all of the rice is tender but a little bit of extra liquid remains in the pan, scatter the mussels over the top, scatter the shrimp and peas around. Cover with tin foil and cook for about 5-7 more minutes, until the mussels are open.
In this last little part, listen for a crackling sound to ensure the bottom is toasting but not burning. It might be necessary to increase the heat to medium-high, but again, listen and pay attention to the dish. Remove from heat, leave the foil cover in place, and let sit for 5 minutes.
Use a metal spoon to scrape toasted rice from bottom of pan and serve.


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This week's CAS challenge at Splitcoast stampers is a color challenge- Turquoise with Kraft and White. It is a soft and delicate color combination. Also Heather Nicholes has demonstrated a technique on her blog using craft ink and impression plates. Here is the link-- Click here. I so wanted to try that technique and use CAS color combiantion to make a card. This is what I came up with!
Father's day is around the corner. So I ended up making a father's day card for my son to give my husband!
I like how it turned out. Did you see the alphebet impression the Hawaiian Shores cardstock? Thats the technique Heather showed on her blog. I also tried the technique on black cardstock. It gives a chalk board effect. Absolutely fabulous. I will use the black cardstock and make another father's day card. Will share it with you tomorrow!
Here are the supplies:
|PTI's Kraft, Hawaiian Shores and Stamper's Select White cardstocks
|Stamp Sets:
Father Knows Best, Its Official,
|SU's White Craft Ink and Basic Black
Book Print Impression Plate from PTI, Brayer, Cuttle Bug andMartha Stewart's border punch.
Thanks for stopping by! Until next time...


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The First Screen-Con 2013
This May the 4th weekend for 2013 saw the first of what will be hopefully be the Annual Screen Con event here in Tyne and Wear. You can check out all my photos here.
For the first event they had quite a nice little line up, including the seventh Doctor and Radagast the Brown from the Hobbit Sylvester McCoy. Jeremy Bulloch or Boba Fett from Star Wars, Alan Harris as the bounty hunter Bossk, Michael Henbury the shortest man in Britain an Ewok and a Gringotts Goblin in Harry Potter, and Laurie Goode Stormtrooper.
In addition to the guests there was plenty of Cosplay from Klingon's to Stormtrooper, I was going to wear my Cunning Hat but I was way too hot a day to be wearing a woolly hat.
It was indeed very crowded and despite a miner technical glitch during the Q & A with Jeremy Bulloch it was a good day. We got to meet and briefly chat with the guest while getting our autographs and photos taken we missed one as Michael Henbury had disappeared (or scurried off under a table). As the guest where all staying at the hotel where I was working I was tempted to ask him there but when they all came back at midnight I didn't want to bother them but still managed to have a little chat with Jeremy Bulloch and the very inebriated Sylvester McCoy. I'm looking forward to next year and for next time I will conduct a short course for my Padawan as so that he can operate my Canon 50D.
What follows in very naughty but while I was processing my photos mainly of the random crowed shots that I take with the camera down round my neck I couldn't help but notice a couple of shots like this:
There were some very nice girls there and unfortunately I didn't get many shots of them it seems I had hoped for a shot of the girl in the original series Red uniform but it did not come out. Butt at lease we have this…
Leave your Vote in the Comments Below.


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Saturday, August 22, 2009
Cough, Cough
10 comments:
Looking good, but... take care of yourself!ReplyDelete
Thanks, I'm just glad the kids haven't come down with this stuff.ReplyDelete
Golly, I rode across University bridge southbound this morning. I may have missed seeing that lovely bike by only a few blocks. Get well and let's stop these near misses!ReplyDelete
Ugh, the flu. I've had it probably twice in my life, both times were horrible...ReplyDelete
Hope you feel better soon. The bike is looking great!ReplyDelete
Hang in there. It won't be long now...ReplyDelete
Try a taller stem? As I have aged I have found that even on a drop bar bike, if I can get the bars up to level with the saddle or even a tad above it makes the ride much more comfortable, you can still hit the drops for the uphill, into the wind slogs.ReplyDelete
Sounds like you had the flu pretty bad. Take it easy on the rebound. Hope your wife gets better fast too.ReplyDelete
Your new bike is beautiful!
Steve A-Let me know the next time you plan to head downtown.ReplyDelete
Joey-It's terrible. This stuff just lingers. Your bout with food poisoning while out on the road sounded really bad. I wonder how people touring across countries like Mexico cope with illness.
Apertome-Thanks. I noticed that you had trouble with your aluminum fenders. What are you going to replace them with?
Christopher-Thanks, the last time I had the flu it was almost a month before my cough disappeared.
2whls3spds-I may buy another Nito Technomic stem and a cheap large, possibly used, set of drop bars. I might save money by keeping the non-aero brake levers.
Big Oak-Thanks, I feel bad for my wife, but she just couldn't keep her distance from me.
RTP, Hope you feel better soon! Nice job on the bike!!ReplyDelete


text: Located in the front range West of Denver, Mt. Evans Scenic Byway is the highest paved road in North America begging to be assaulted by Tesla's Model S owners. With the introduction of this awesome vehicle, I am organizing a Model S Road Rally for Saturday June 8, 2013 from Idaho Springs, CO (35 miles west of Denver) to the summit of Mt. Evans and back. The views along the highway are breathtaking, as is the elevation, which summits 14,256 feet above sea level. The spring flowers should be in bloom, as will be an abundance of wildlife, such as Mountain Goats and Bighorn Sheep. We need to meet up around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 8th, at the Clear Creek County Middle School parking lot toward the west end of Idaho Springs. This location is South of I-70 at Exit 240. Take the exit; turn South on Highway 103 toward Mt. Evans, and the Middle School driveway is a few hundred feet ahead on the right-hand side immediately past the Ranger Station and Visitor's Center. Please RSVP to Dennis Driscoll at [email protected] (I just need to give the Park Service an estimate of the number of cars to anticipate) Here is a flyer about the event with some pretty awesome photos, too. http://www.esion.com/Files/Mt_Evans_Road_Rally.pdf See you in June, Dennis (Mod: please pin to top until after June 8, 2013 - thanks)


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Photo taken by: Toyoo Mori
Event Description
It happened to be the very day with record cold temperature. We even considered it may have to be cancelled at some point if it gets too dangerously low. But surprisingly enough, everyone's car started without any problem (Thanks to the automobile industry which technology definitely had improved…), and people seemed to have high energy for the New Year. So, our show had started as planned, for the First Writing of the Year - "Kakizome"! This year, more new faces were seen among the participants than the last year. Some Chinese people came and enjoyed sharing their knowledge of the Kanji characters most of which are similar to Japanese. After all, theirs were the original, and it is indeed quite fascinating to think how the language was carried on across ocean from China to Japan and made its form to be adapted by Japanese more than a thousand years ago. (Then, I just wonder what kind of communication the ancient and true original Japanese used before they had imported Chinese…?) Every year, we learn something new at Kakizome from participants who ask for translation of English vocabulary that they want to write in Japanese – mostly in Kanji form. So today, we have learned Humility is "Kenson" in Japanese while we know another vocabulary, Humbleness, has the same translation. A TV channel newsman came to film our event and asked for explanation about a kind of traditional ritual where people would burn Kakizome-written paper. I knew he was asking about "Tondo-matsuri", the campfire festival a small community where I grew up had held on January 15th when we burned all the New Year's day decorations and Kakizome paper to get rid of evil and bring a good luck. I wanted to make sure the definition of Tondo-matsui was correct so asked 2 other volunteers who usually know a lot about Japanese culture and history. It turned out to be that they had never heard of it. That means, as we were reminded, it doesn't matter how small Japan is, the "Japanese culture" we think as our standard knowledge and believe they are common in everywhere in Japan are not always true. They are all different between regions, and some case may not even be known by the other. Nevertheless, the Kakizome is indeed one of the commonly known Japanese traditions for cerebrating a New Year. Our renewed appreciation to Elinor Levy, Ph.D. the director and Arts Mid-Hudson for their continuous support on our culture programs and having made this Kakizome day our mutual special event. And of course, to our volunteer staff, some of who drove from quite distance in this cold weather to accomplish today's task. Especially to Onuma-san, who had tied our logo flag outside door "without gloves, without crying"! That guts and determination are something to be highly respected. Best wishes to all for the New Year! Midori Shinye Chair and Kakizome project leader
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Bikaner, India. January 2014
January 16, 2014 Pictures from Bikaner Having been told a day prior that Bikaner, a city about 330 kms away from Jaisalmer, was having a yearly Bikaner Camel Festival, Shu and I decided to drive there as soon as possible. Against Sunil's pleas to leave at the later hour, we embarked on the trip at 6.30 am and witnessed another beautiful sunrise in Thar desert. Along the way we stopped at the restaurant/gift-shop road-stop so that I could in n-th time be ripped off. My advice – never stop at the road stop even if it is recommended by your driver. I ended up buying a box of cookies that …
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According to Wikipedia, the Fuji Superia "is a brand of daylight balanced color negative film […]. It is aimed at the point and shoot market but is also quite popular with enthusiasts."
This seems to be quite true, as you have enthusiastically uploaded more than 37,000 photos taken with Fuji Superia 200 alone from which the ones above were sampled. Keep those amazing analog gems coming. We love them!
Photos from Fredrik Lundén, pollywaffle, ℍmoong, soup & sunday, anan., and ıusnɾ@w|©kedf|lm.


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What a performance from the students of Miss Toni's Academy of Music & Performing Arts who collected awards at their annual ceremony.
This week, we continue our look at the winners.
Watch out for even more award-winning dancers in next week's Dance Fever.
l Miss Toni Award For Performing Arts - Evie Hall.
l Miss Toni Award For Singing - Poppy Watt.
l Miss Lydia For Singing - Amelia Nixon.
l Matthews Award For Guitar - Charlie Wainwright.
l Group Singing Award- Outstanding Progress Award - Alessia Fortunato.
l Group Singing Award- Hardest Worker Award - Hayden Smith.
l Group Singing Award- Most Potential - Sofia Lally.
l Highest Exam Mark Of The Year -Lottie Willis/ Sophie Bulmer/Lily Cadwallender.
l Most Promising Rock School Student - Niamh Mcaleavy.
l The Rock School Award - Erin Gallagher-Smith.
l Most Promising Trinity Student - Grace Owens.
l The Trinity Award -Abbie Mcmorris.
l Most Promising Musical Theatre Student - Sophie Bulmer.
l The Lcm Musical Theatre Award - Lottie Willis.


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Karl Heideck says that there are some regulations that people who own small businesses should familiarize with. These regulations are very important for the corporate future of your business as well as for compliance obligations.
Before you can set up any business, Karl Heideck says that you should familiarize with employment law. Karl Heideck offers an example where if a company employs a minor or people who have not achieved the working age. The business will have breached the Pennsylvania Child Labor Law, and this may be the beginning of trouble for your business.
Karl Heideck says that as a business person, you should familiarize yourself with the fair labor standards act. This is the law that specializes in labor practices and the minimum wage. Under this law, you get to understand the minimum wages that you should pay your workers. This is the law that governs recording and tabulation of work hours. At the same time, this law governs overtime and minimum wages. For instance, the state law in Philadelphia requires employers to pay their workers a minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. However, the federal law requires employers to pay their employees a minimum wage of $10.15 per hour. This is why you need to familiarize yourself with this law so that you can establish where you fall.
Follow Karl Heideck on Twitter
The medical and the family leave act is another law that every employer should familiarize with. According to Karl Heideck on crunchbase.com, this law ensures that employees are allowed to leave in case of a medical emergency or needs. Under this law, Karl Heideck notes that employees can leave the workplace for one of the following reasons. First, an employee may leave if they need to respond to a medical emergency related to their spouses, parents, and children. An employee may also leave if they need to take care of a child who is less than one year old. Also, if an employee is sorting issues related to adopting a foster child, they may leave. Other reasons for leaving include the employee's personal health. If a military spouse sustains an injury, the other spouse is allowed to leave under this law.
Find more about Karl Heideck: http://thereisnoconsensus.com/career-spotlight-litigation-karl-heideck/


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The school had a total heating and hot water failure due to the main heating pipes being heavily corroded in the outside duct work causing a major leak with no possibility of a temporary repair.
Roselands Heating carried out a site survey to ascertain the extent of the corrosion and then working closely with the school and East Sussex County Council provided a competitive quotation.
The works were started almost immediately and completed on time and within budget. A new sump pump system and flood warning alarm were also fitted to ensure the new installation had the maximum possible lifespan.


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Shopping season has finally arrived. As everyone is enjoying their holidays to the fullest, it's time to take out the old, worn-out clothes out of your closet and replace them with modern and funky clothing apparels to give it a completely new and improved look. Though the ongoing economic recession is still affecting shopping lovers from every aspect, still the popularity of shopping over the internet for clothing accessories has not gone down completely even if it's noticeably reduced.
Wearing stylish and chic clothes has become an essential part of our lives rather than just a luxury. People love to be dressed nicely and avidly follow their favorite brands to make a style statement of their own. Buying clothing apparels without related accessories is considered as incomplete shopping these days. Shopping lovers are always experimenting around with new designs and online clothing retailers and brands are busy offering them variety of contemporary clothing ranges to choose from. Gone are the days when buyers were ignorant about the quality and prices of any clothing accessories or brands they are spending their money on. Shopping trends have now changed worldwide and people are now more inclined towards grabbing discount deals and promotional offers especially since the advent of online wholesale clothing retail stores in the online consumer market. These online stores fetch the clothing items and related accessories of world's leading clothing brands and display them on their web portals at discount prices.
So, what's your shopping plan for this holiday season? Are you thinking about giving your wardrobe a whole new look for the winter season? Let's go for discount online shopping by grabbing hold of concessional deals and promo codes on clothing items you love. The ideal outcome of having discount coupons in hand is that you can get instant savings up to 50% and more off the actual price on your desired clothing apparels. Winter seasonal and clearance sales extravaganzas add to the joys of holiday shopping and for those who love shopping crazy, this is the best time of the year.
If you are one of those smart shoppers who have been waiting and saving your money for the whole year to make the most out of your holiday shopping then that time of the year is finally here for you. Get into the mood for discount online shopping for jackets, hoods, footwear, party wear and jewelry items of your choice by grabbing some of the best shopping deals introduced by top class brands and online retail stores. Don't compromise on buying expensive clothing when these discounts can actually take care of your budget in the best possible way.


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Published: October 13, 2017
Below you will find general information governing the use of CA's Offerings. CA Offerings include on-premises software, SaaS, Services and/or Education. Documents applicable to your engagement will vary based on the specific CA Offering you wish to use. Select the specific category below to find out more. If you have existing agreements with CA governing your use of a CA Offering, check with your CA Sales Representative to see if you can leverage those agreements.
Whether using the agreements posted here or your existing agreement, your CA Sales Representative will provide the specific documentation tailored to your CA Offering and engagement with CA.
These documents are for use across all CA's business units, for all products and for all customers, subject to local country legal requirements.*
*This site contains CA's Master Agreement ("MA"), which is CA's base standard licensing vehicle as well as Specific Program Documentation ("SPD") which are program specific terms applying to certain CA software. The MA and the SPD differ depending on the country from which you purchase the license and associated maintenance.


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SPOILERS New TTT Picture - Elves at Helm's Deep
Taniquetil from the Message Board has pointed out this picture of Elven Warriors at Helm's Deep. It gives a very good look to the kind of armour and weaoponry we will be seeing from the Lothlorien Elves. Thanks again, Taniquetil!
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What a week in the airline industry! We all know the airlines are suffering. High fuel costs have decimated profits and now it appears many carriers as well. Just today Frontier went into bankruptcy in attempt to reorganize, and Aloha and a number of others out of business entirely.
Now add to it the FAA and the "inspection crisis" plaguing American Airlines in particular and their MD80 airplane which makes up more than half of their fleet. For the last couple of days, this fleet has been grounded for apparently long overdue wiring inspections in the wheel wells of each plan, causing thousands of flights to be cancelled and over a quarter million customers inconvenienced at best, often stranded in locations they didn't intend for hours and even days.
Passengers by law can be compensated for hotels should they be stranded overnight, and of course American will rebook passengers on any carrier and will even issue vouchers for cancelled flights as long as you initiate your next flight by April 17.
And if you go to their web site at http://www.aa.com/index_us.jhtml, you can see crisis control marketing in action… notably an "ADVISORY: AIRCRAFT INSPECTIONS AFFECT SOME AA TRAVEL" on the home page and special jump page at dedicated just for this at http://www.aa.com/aa/pubcontent/en_US/urls/md80.jsp.
If you look carefully you will see that American is terribly sorry, its not our fault, safety is concern #1 and please e-mail us if you are stranded overnight. It appears to be written by a team of lawyers to mitigate liability, nothing else.
Are you kidding!!!
E-Mail us with your travel info and we will get back to you… it doesn't appear that effected passengers are buying it either. Phone lines are jammed, and customers have been know to try to get through for hours on end with no luck. And ticket lines at airports are no better. Passengers are waiting for 4 and even more hours just to talk to an agent!
What a mess! I will argue, especially in light of the inspections, our trust is shaken, passengers are having vacations ruined, businesses are being disrupted, and all American can do is offer an apology and tell us to e-mail them. The only thing that's even more surprising to me is the apparent lack of outrage by the public and government officials.
Now let's go back to Valentine's Day 2006. A snow storm hits the east coast of the US, shutting down JFK in NY, hub to another airline, in this case a brand that is beloved by its customers. This disrupts Jet Blue to its core. Thousands of passengers are stranded again, some for days. In other cases, they are actually stranded on planes on the tarmac, without electricity, running water and other amenities for hours, in one case up to 14 hours. Not good.
On top of that, their phone systems went down, planes and crews that could have been mobilized to take up some slack, were not utilized and sat idle. There was no apparent recourse and outraged customers went ballistic.
The media also took up the charge. Business Week, which was getting ready to announce their Top 25 Customer Service Champs, had just enough time to publically eliminate Jet Blue, who was ranked #4 overall, from their list entirely. And the talk shows went crazy, with Leno and Letterman all over it.
In this particular case, here was a darling brand in trouble, and Jet Blue rose to the challenge. CEO David Neeleman responded authentically and quickly to the challenge as you can see in this You Tube video produced in response that you can see at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r_PIg7EAUw.
First you can see Mr. Neeleman is tieless and clearly upset. He is not rehearsed or smooth at all. It looks and feels authentic. He apologized, of course, immediately, and then takes responsibility… and potential liability as well. Then he announced 3 steps they were taking to attack the problem immediately and to top it all off, announced their new, groundbreaking Customer Bill of Rights to ensure better performance in the future.
Talk about getting ahead of a crisis!
Contrast that with American. JetBlue messes up and creates outrage, the far bigger American messes up on an even grander scale, they blame the government, seek to minimize liability and we just yawn and thank the powers above that it wasn't us on one of those flights.
The difference from our Marketing 2.0 perspective… is brand. American's brand along with the other once platinum carrier brands is tarnished, almost an anti-brand. When we think of major carriers today, we think delays, inconvenience, lousy service, and with all this FAA stuff going on, minimal trust at BEST.
So a problem like this comes up for American, and from a brand point of view, its business as usual. We expect it. Yikes! No brand conflict here, clearly.
Jet Blue on the other hand was another story. People love flying on it for a number of reasons and have a strong brand connection. That was why when they stumbled back in 2006, the brand was in conflict and we were outraged.
I will argue that in the long term, JetBlue understood that they had to act, and that action, pro-active action would have a cost and a short term negative financial impact on the business. I will argue that these kind of issues can be considered a marketing issue and fixing it marketing spend, which as we now see has strengthened customer loyalty and is likely keeping the business healthier in these times.
American has no brand, nothing to protect. Their quote unquote marketing is all about damage control at best and placing the blame on others. This is not a good indicator of American's marketing prowess, and long term health of that and other similar airlines.


text:
About the Pomona Office: We are one of eighteen regional offices that are part of the LA County Department of Children and Family Services. The Pomona office is located at 801 Corporate Center Drive Pomona, CA 91768,
in the city of Pomona.
Pomona's Administration Team - Regional Administrator Jonathan Byers (center)
At the core of the various strategies to achieve these goals is a philosophy of inclusion and transparency. With the full adoption of the Annie E. Caseys Family to Family initiative the Pomona office involves birth parents, resource families, and our community partners to ensure collaboration in the critical decisions that affect the lives of the children and families we serve. We invite you to learn about us, and join us in our efforts to preserve families and keep children safe.
For several years, under the leadership of Maryam Fatemi, Deputy Director, and with the assistance of the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), the Pomona Office has been addressing racial disproportionality and disparity. Through the review and analysis of data, it became evident that the issue of racial disproportionality & disparity needed to be addressed in this area as it relates to African American families. As a result of Pomonas collaboration with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, our staff and community partners received the support and technical assistance needed to pursue the goals of increased safety, improved timelines to permanence and reduced reliance on out-of-home care along with an in-depth examination and training of its racial disproportionality and disparity rates. A DCFS staff and community partners formed an ERDD Action Team made up of interested staff, community partners and youth that meet monthly to address race-related matters and to examine and implement ways to support African American families. The Pomona Action Group on ERDD meets at 2:00 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month at the Pomona DCFS office. The co-chairs of the Action Group are Diquitha Aubrey Supervising Children's Social Worker(909) 868-4451, email@example.com and ARA, Iola Fountain 909-868-4411.
What is Racial Disproportionality & Disparity?
In this context, the term disproportionality refers to the over representation of a
particular race or cultural group within a system, meaning that this group populates that system at a higher rate than their percentage in the general population.
Disparity refers to the comparison of one group (e.g., regarding disproportionality, services, and outcomes) to another group.
Pomona Action Group on ERDD
This group is tasked with developing action items and small tests of change to impact practice related to ERDD. The following is a list of their most promising action items and small tests of change:
As a whole, DCFS contracts with approximately 41 contractors to provide a multitude of services such as parenting classes /instruction, in-home demonstrative services, counseling, auxiliary funds, and any services geared toward maintaining child(ren) in their own homes or in assisting the family toward a safe reunification. In Pomona there are five lead contracted agencies that provide family preservation services including: Pomona Valley Youth Employment Services, Assistance League of Southern California, Pomona Unified School District, Santa Anita Family Services and Pacific Clinics. The Contact person for the Family Preservation Services in the DCFS Pomona Office is SCSW Gail Irvis 909-868-4538.
Family to Family is a Child Welfare Reform movement sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and adopted by the Pomona office in 2004. The Family to Family initiative focuses on gaining the support and collaboration of community partners to become involved at key points in the decision-making processes. The Family to Family Initiative including the strategy workgroups, of Team-Decision Making (TDM), Recruitment, Development and Support of Resource Families (RDS), Building Community Partnerships (BCP) and Self Evaluation (SE) were introduced and integrated into day-to-day practice in the Pomona office between 2004 and 2005. As a result, the Pomona office formed a community council that meets monthly to address general child welfare issues in Pomona. The Pomona office has since become a Family to Family Anchor site committed to incorporating the Family to Family four core strategies in every day social work practice. It is through the sharing of data in the self evaluation group that the community has become interested and remained focused on the issue of racial disproportionality and disparity.
Pomona staff and interested community members meet at 9:30am every fourth Wednesday of each month at Unity Church of Pomona located at 524 E. Pasadena St. Pomona CA 91767. The Family to Family liaison for the Pomona office is Nancy Urquilla, 909-868-4528.
A clerical staff is assigned to help front end units in conducting extensive searches to locate missing parents, relatives (as potential caregivers) with an emphasis on locating fathers.
Kinship support groups are held at the Pomona and El Monte offices, these are support groups formed by local caregivers with the assistance of DCFS. They are designed to provide relative caregivers with extra support, education and connection to community resources. Relative caregivers come together once per month to connect with one another, discuss issues related to the care they are providing and receive guidance and support from DCFS and their local community. A one hour instruction is provided by an instruction from the local community college. Topics include: "How to handle conflicts", "How to take care of yourself, the caretaker", "Family Time" etc. Regional Center, and other community services providers visit these groups to explain their services.
For more information regarding Kinship Support Groups in Pomona, please contact Axa Cazzaly, ARA 909-868-4558. In the El Monte office, 626-258-1815.
A process that ensures an immediate and comprehensive assessment of children entering Out-of Home-Placement. This process also ensures that appropriate services are immediately provided to the child to ensure his/her progress, and stability while in out-of-home care.
MAT Coordinator in Pomona :
Rosa D. Agredano, CSAI
Bureau of the Medical Director
Pomona MAT/SLS Coordinator
100 West 2nd Street
Pomona, CA. 91766
Phone: 909-868-4408
Fax: 909-868-1342
An effort to assist social workers in finding legally permanent homes and/or adult connections for youth ages 12-18 who are placed in long-term foster care. Retired social workers have been hired and trained to become permanency specialists and assists in this effort. The P-3 staff focus is on ensuring that children do not leave foster care without a life-long connection to a committed adult. P3 staff interview children, and conduct detailed searches of DCFS case files to find relatives and/or other significant people in the childs life. They also facilitate engagement with the child to create permanency or make life-long connections.
The Point of Engagement service delivery model was implemented in 2005 to ensure rapid service delivery and objectivity at critical points in a case. It includes:
A lead contracted local community agency, Prototypes provides direct child abuse prevention services to families in Service Planning Area (SPA) III with a focus on families in the zip code of 91766, a Pomona service area of high child abuse referrals. In Service Bureau III this initiative has expanded to include Cultural Brokers and Parent Advocates who provide extra support for families during the Team Decision Making process.
A co-located Department of Mental Health staff assists in coordinating, and connecting children, youth and families to appropriate levels of mental health services. This program works in partnership with DCFS and local Mental Health Service Providers.
The Children System of Care (SOC) is a collaborative effort between the Departments of Mental Health, Children and Family Services, Department of Probation, school districts, parents and communities to reduce the higher levels of care for high risk children and youth. SOC is strength based and family focused.
This is a Family to Family strategy to prevent important decisions related to the potential placement of children to be made by the DCFS agency alone. This meeting is a sharing of information about the family as it relates to the protection of their children and the functionality of the family unit. The meetings may involve birth parents, relatives, foster care providers, community advocates, service providers, and family-identified supports who convene to participate in placement-related decisions. TDMs are mandated for all potential detentions of children from the home. These meetings are arranged at the convenience of the family and DCFS staff.
The Title IV-E Waiver Capped Allocation Demonstration Project (CADP) provides DCFS and the Probation Department with flexibility in the way it utilizes Title IV-E funding. The implementation of the CADP has been a driving force in L.A.s efforts on ERDD by supporting prevention programs, reducing the reliance on out-of-home care and promoting permanence with a focus on youth in group home care.
Wraparound is a multi-agency initiative, between DMH and DCFS staff. The Wraparound approach is a family-centered, strength-based, needs-driven planning and service delivery process. It calls for a partnership between the family and the agency professionals to wrap needed services around the family, and ensure family voice, choice and ownership. Wraparound children and family teams benefit children by working therapeutically with the family to ensure permanency and stability.
The engagement of youth is of much importance to the Pomona offices continued efforts to improve services. A youth representative has been hired to conduct youth engagement efforts focusing primarily on youth placed in group homes. The youth representative reaches out to youth and coordinates a monthly meeting providing them with a forum to voice their concerns about the care they are provided, and about the resources and services that they need while in care. This is also a an enjoyable opportunity for youth to learn about available community resources such as employment, college and vocational resources, college financial aid, independent living skills (ILP), transitional housing and possible permanency options. The group meets at GoodWill Industries in Pomona, for further information contact youth representative Miranda Sheffield at the message number 909-868-4528.
The Pomona Office partnered with two other LA County offices to establish Youth Permanency Units. In 2007, almost half of Pomonas youth placed in group homes were African-American. The Pomona Office welcomed this specialized service as a means to achieve better outcomes for African-American youth residing in group homes and for any youth without a significant adult figure in their lives. The Permanency unit consists of one Supervising Childrens Social Worker and six Childrens Social Workers who focus on serving high-need youth that reside in group home care without a permanent plan. The Children Social Workers (CSW) in these units have a maximum caseload of 15 high-need youth. They also serve the siblings of said youth, allowing for a maximum of 24 children per caseload.
The Youth Permanency Unit focuses on the permanency needs of older youth who have had psychiatric hospitalizations, chronic or heavy drug abuse, have none or limited family connections and a history of running away and multiple replacements. This unit assists youth to create life-long connections with adults who can become a permanent and future resource for them. For more information on this program please contact ARA David White or SCSW Veronica Norwood 909-868-4351.
Breakthrough Series on Safety & Risk April 2008 (H)
In April 2008, the Pomona Office began its involvement in a Breakthrough Series on Risk and Safety. Increased learning in this topic allowed Pomona staff and community partners to identify misinterpretations of these in every-day practice and child abuse assessments. The team has come up with ways to assist DCFS staff to clearly understand these definitions and the implications of their misuse. The definitions of safety and risk are posted throughout the office as follows:
Safety: Deciding if a child is in danger of being hurt or neglected right now.
Risk: Looking at the possibility that a child may be hurt or neglected in the future.
Breakthrough Series on Eliminating Racial Disproportionality & Disparity (ERDD) - July 2008
The Pomona and Metro North Offices submitted an application to participate in the California Disproportionality Project, a statewide collaboration of Casey Family Programs, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the California Department of Social Services to support the work of California counties and the state in eliminating racial disproportionality and disparity in the child welfare system. Both offices were formally accepted to this Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC) and have begun their work since September 5, 2008. The team involves the two Regional Administrators, Assistant Regional Administrators, and day-to-day managers from the Pomona and Metro North Offices respectively. A Childrens Social Worker, a Supervising Childrens Social Worker, a birth-parent partner, a youth representative, a community partner and a Hearing Officer from Dependency Court also comprise this team. They are all assisting each office in developing and carrying out action items and small tests of change to reduce the racial disproportionality and disparity within the areas served by each of those offices.
For more information on becoming one of DCFS/Pomona community Partners, to receive our newsletter on ERDD, participate in one of our meetings, or to have a link to your organization or group placed on our website, please contact Nancy Urquilla, 626-258-1815.


text:
A 40,000-year-old freeze-preserved baby mammoth is on display in Siberia. Sure is a good thing the Earth is only 6,000 years old, otherwise this might not be possible.
Oh, wait…
A 40,000-year-old freeze-preserved baby mammoth is on display in Siberia. Sure is a good thing the Earth is only 6,000 years old, otherwise this might not be possible.
Oh, wait…
Only 7 swine flu deaths, not 152, says WHO | smh.com.au
I'm sure glad the world is so freaked out by this.
Seven? Seriously? That's one death for every billion people on the planet. Not exactly a reason to shut down civilization, which is pretty much what we're moving toward here.
Warhammer 40k Leman-Russ tank modified into a bridgelayer; pretty awesome.
Three of the concept artists for G.I. Joe: Resolute posted some of their work at DeviantArt; theterrordrome.com has links to all three galleries. Highlights: really nice shots of the Resolute HISS Tank and the GI Joe Tomahawk. Awesome vehicles.
G.I. Joe Resolute Concept Art by Dave Johnson, Dan Norton & Dusty Abell
Just… No. Stop it. Come up with your own idea for a movie, or stay home. Leave the classics alone. No movie with Predators in it other than "Predator" has been worth watching anyway. So just stop it.
The universe gets smaller all the time.
Nearly Earth-sized Planet, Possible Watery World Spotted Near Another Star
American Apparel is getting sued by Woody Allen for using his image in an ad without permission. American Apparel's defense? "So? You're a child molester."
Has there ever been a cooler television show than Mythbusters? No, there has not.
The Los Angeles Times ran a great piece on April 5 on Area 51, interviewing three men who took part in the testing for the A-12 OXCART, the precursor to the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane. A fascinating read.


text:
Secure your building or your compound with EL-GO Team Security Arm Barriers
EL-GO Team is a recognized provider of security systems around the world. Not only does the company design innovative new security systems, but mass produces them as well. Security is a mandatory part of various government related structures as well as commercial ones. The need for a reliable security provider is therefore, crucial at all times.
The level of flexibility and connectivity that EL-GO team offers with their existing security systems and products enables versatility and broadens the scope of uses and practical applications. The range of rising arm barriers provided by the company, also offer these qualities.
Types of Security Arm Barriers Provided by EL-GO Team
There are three main categories of arm barriers offered by EL-GO Team:
- High Security Arm Barriers
- Electric Arm Barriers
- Pneumatic Arm Barriers
In each of these categories, EL-GO Team offers various models according to the needs of the client.
High Security Arm Barriers Types
This is the first category of automatic rising arm barriers.
The models offered are:
- EL-09-1 Portable arm barrier K8 certified
- EL-09 Portable arm barrier K4 Certified
- EL-08-01 K4 Certified
The K-8 Certified EL-09-1 Portable Security Arm Barrier
This sturdy K rated security road barrier gives an impact resistance of K-8. The EL-09-1 is a portable, rapid installation model that doesn't require excavation. The minimal installation and set up time is between 2 and 3 hours and needs no more than two people to set it up. This model is a heavy duty barrier; it sports an inner steel cable and uses concrete barrier weights on both sides.
- Used Concrete weights, 4 tons on each side
- Excavation isn't required
- Impact Resistance of K-8
- Suitable for heavy duty operation
- Minimum maintenance
Effective applications:
- Temporary compounds
- Army bases
- Border check points
Electric Arm Barriers Types
This is the second category of electric barriers.
The models offered are:
- El-06 Electric Arm Barrier
- El-05 Electric Arm Barrier
- El-04 Electric Arm Barrier
El-06 Electric Arm Barrier
The El-06 is a heavy duty electric security road barrier with an arm length of 8 meters. It is best for use on wide roads to prevent entry of unauthorized vehicles. Being an electric barrier, it has the operation time of 8 seconds. It can be operated all day without any complications and requires little to no maintenance.
- Operates on electricity
- Operates in all weather conditions
- Can be operated with loop detectors, infra-red sensors, as well as traffic lights
- Operates on Push-button, via cell phone, or camera
Effective applications:
- Commercial parking areas
- Public entrance
- Wide lanes
- Army Bases
- Gated Communities


text:
Killing Carrots
Written by
Ethan CT Burwell
The following information was just recently released from a classified file that is only accessible through the Commander in Chief of the United States of America's army. Whether or not the following is true is irrelevant, what is relevant is that someone died. Not from natural causes, but from unnatural causes. The names have been changed to protect the innocent, but as for the non-innocent they're names have not been changed. They have not been changed for one reason and one along, they are dead. They are dead because they died. They did not die from natural causes but from unnatural causes.
"Okay class, before the bell rings I want you to know that your research reports are all due in one month." Mr. Orr, the biology teacher, was informing his class.
"What are you going to do your project on?" Margaret was leaning across her desk to talk to her friend Sarah.
"I don't have a clue." Sarah answered her. "You?"
"I don't know."
"Well, we have a month to figure it out."
"See everyone tomorrow." Mr. Orr called out as the class flowed in to the hall.
"Hello, Margaret." Ethan called out as he passed her in the hall.
"Hey, Ethan. How are you?"
"I'm good, how's that bio project coming?"
"Bio project? Oh…yeah…"
Their biology class was studying development and growth of living organisms and earlier that week their teacher had assigned them a research project. The project was to research and observe the development of an organism. Ethan had known what he was going to do ever since the project had been assigned. He had his heart set on studying the development of bread mold. In fact at that very moment there was a soggy sandwich inside of a shoe box sitting under his bed. He was going to use the mold to make an anti-asthma syrup. Then, when it was perfect he would sell it to the world on EBay and become rich and famous while saving the lives of millions at the same time.
"…the project." Margaret continued "Well I was having a hard time deciding. I was watching the Loony Tunes last night and Buggs Bunny, well he made this carrot cannon and he shot all of these carrots on to every planet in the universe. And these carrots, well they kept growing on the planets and they became the dominate life form. Then, he used the carrots to convert all of the carbon dioxide in the universe in to oxygen. So, anyway, I thought I would do it on the growth and development of a carrot."
"Cool! So are you going to plant 'em and watch 'em grow then, pick 'em and then use them to catch a cute baby wabbit and name it Hortense and watch it grow and have babies then do your report on wrabbits?"
"No, I'm just going to do it on carrots."
"No wabbits?"
"No wabbits."
"Ok. How's Sarah's project"
"I don't know why don't you go ask her?" Sarah had just come around the corner and was joining them.
"Hey guys." Sarah hollered.
"Hi, Sarah." the both answered.
"How's your project coming?" Margaret asked.
"My project? Yeah….uh….its not. Well, at least not until I think of an idea."
"No project then, huh?"
"No, Ethan I don't have a project yet. Do you?"
"I'm making an anti-asthma syrup from bread mold, you can use it too if you don't have a project."
"No!" Sarah shrieked.
"No, no, it's ok I'm using wheat and rye bread, you can use pumpernickel or something. It's only cheating if you use the same type of bread. You know that pumpernickel is Barney's favorite type of bread."
Sarah just looked at him.
"So what's your project on?" she asked Margaret.
"I guess that I'm doing it on the development of carrots."
"Oooo, carrots are my favorite vegetable."
"Question." Ethan was raising his hand. "How are you going to watch the development of a carrot when it's in like three inches of dirt?"
"Well" Margaret answered "I'm not going to put it in dirt; I'm going to put it in a mineral rich water solution."
"So, you're going to put it in a container of weird water?"
"That's the plan."
"Like Wolverine?"
"You know, the one guy created wolverine in a water container at Alkali Lake. X men?"
"Ok….what ever you say, Ethan."
"Anyway…I wish that I had have thought of carrots. That's soo cool." Sarah was impressed. "I have no clue what I'm going to do."
"Why don't you go talk to Jamie?" Margaret advised. Jamie had already taken biology with Mr. Orr.
"You know what; I'm going to go do that. Do you know where he is?"
"He's in his locker. Here, wait a minute we'll come with you."
So the three set off to find Jamie. Jamie was a senior who had done the same bio project three years ago. Jamie and Margaret were sweet hearts. Their love for each other flowed like the Amazon. They were like two peas in a pod, two wheels on a bicycle, two wings on a bird, two eyes on a face, two ears on a head, two 2's on a non-digital clock, two E's in "ice age". They completed each other, completed each other like hot and dog, like yin and yang, like Bert and Ernie, like snow and cone, like happy and days. They were inseparable, except when they weren't together. Jamie was in his locker at all times, even when he was in class taking a test or at home. He ran a store there where he sold anything that a schoolgoer could need.
"Question." Ethan was raising his hand again as they walked to Jamie's locker.
"Yes?" Sarah asked.
"Would this count as a noble quest? I know that we already know where he is but can we call it a quest anyway?"
"Sure, Ethan, you go ahead and call it a quest."
So, onward they went on their quest to find Jamie, even though they already knew where he was. Upstairs, downstairs, through the thick, bustling, jungle of people yearning to be free of the prison of their youth in which they had slaved for so long a time that none could remember the call of the great out doors in which there were no walls. When at last they came to Jamie's locker. When they found it they all poked it once with their pointer finger then three times with their pinky and thumb. Then, they kicked it once and spun in 3.1416 circles and stuck out their tongues and hopped 2.5 times. (Note: for any spies trying to steel Jamie's secrets this is not the actual code. But, now you know that this isn't the code so you wont try to use it and you know that it's some thing else. Unless you know that I'm trying to trick you and trying to get you to use a different code so that I'll unveil the real code in the story, even though I didn't.) When they finished the code, that isn't the real code but does work for the moment, the locker opened. Inside Jamie was sitting at a desk doing homework. His locker was dimly lit and there were rows and rows of shelves.
"Hi, Jamie"
"Hey guys" he called out in his booming voice. "What brings you to my locker?"
"Well" Margaret answered "we're doing a project for Mr. Orr. We have to observe the development of an organism."
"Hey, I did that project three years ago."
"I know, that's why we're here. We need your help."
"Ok then, shoot." Jamie instructed.
"Well, Sarah needs an idea for her project." Ethan informed him.
"When is it due?" Jamie asked.
"Three weeks." Jamie walked to a shelf a few feet away, picked up a jar with a small cotton looking ball inside and handed it to Sarah.
"What is it?" she asked.
"A spider sack"
"Ewe. Do you have anything else?"
He disappeared and came back with a jar of green water.
"And this is…?" She asked questioningly.
"Frog eggs."
"Fine Sarah said surrendering."
"And what about your project?" he asked Margaret.
"I'm doing it on the development of carrots, but I need something to make them grow fast, under three weeks." Jamie handed her a bottle of blue liquid that he had found while she was talking.
"This will make them grow in three weeks but they will be slightly smaller than normal."
"Perfect.'' Margaret was happy now.
"And you?" he asked looking at Ethan.
"No, I'm fine. My project's under my bed."
"Your bed?"
"Yeah, I'm growing mold."
"How much do we owe you?" Sarah asked.
"It's on me." Jamie told them. Back in the hallway they found out that it was now 3:01 so they all ran to catch their busses.
"How's the mold coming?" Sarah asked Ethan.
"It's pretty good. I was surprised though. I expected it to be black and green but it was bright purple. Sort of like a…..a bright purple piece of bread."
"That's really nice, Ethan."
"Well how are your frog eggs?"
"They hatched. Eleven of them."
"Did you name them?"
"Yes I did. Frederick, Stanley, Beatrice, Rachael, Dude, Zipper, Kino, Pilkington, Jones, Roger, and Frootloop."
"Yeah, he only swims in circles."
"Hello" Margaret called as she walked up to them.
"Hi, Margaret" they called out.
"How's the carrot?" Sarah asked.
"Yes, the carrot well it actually kind of blue."
"Yeah. It looks like a normal carrot except its blue. I'm going to go talk to Jamie right now."
"Did you name it?" Ethan asked.
"Name it? No."
"Then name it Wolverine."
"Ok, I'll do that."
Once again the three set off to find Jamie. Onward they marched. Upstairs, downstairs, through the thick, bustling, jungle of people yearning to be free of the prison of their youth in which they had slaved for so long a time that none could remember the call of the great out doors in which there were no walls and the green grass grew all around. When at last they came to Jamie's locker. When they found it they all poked it once with their pointer finger then three times with their pinky and thumb. Then, they kicked it once and spun in 3.1416 circles and stuck out their tongues and hopped 2.5 times. This was Jamie's secret code that is once again no longer a secret, unless I'm trying to trick you, which you don't know if I'm trying to do. Anyway, the locker door opened as it had before. They walked in. Once again the locker was dimly lit and Jamie was at his desk doing his homework.
"Hey guys, haven't seen you in a while."
"Hi Jamie" Margaret spoke "I've got a problem."
"A problem?"
"Yes, you know that carrot solution that you gave me 2.9999 weeks ago?"
"Carrot solution? Umm, yeah, the carrot solution" he was a bit confused.
"Well, my carrot is blue and that has to change very fast."
"When is it due?" he asked.
"Well then, I know exactly what you need." He pulled a long syringe from a top shelf and handed it to Margaret. It was filled with an unusual watery orange liquid.
"What is it?" Margaret asked.
"Orange juice" Jamie answered jokingly. The three exited back into the hallway.
Back at home Margaret pulled out her blue carrot and the syringe. She injected all 8mm of the solution into Wolverine and watched him for a moment. She then went to her computer to finish up her report.
Ethan was just shutting his locker when Margaret ran up to him.
"Where's Jamie?!" she yelled half mad half panicking.
"In his locker just like he always is. Why?" Margaret pulled a brown paper bag from her backpack and flipped it upside down. A black soggy fell in to her hand.
"What is that?" Ethan asked.
"That is my bio project, that is my bio grade, that is my bio average." She was really mad.
"It looks…sort of…uh…."
"Dead!" Margaret finished his sentence.
"Gee, what happened to it?"
"Jamie! That's what happened to it. Jamie and that no good orange juice. I'm going to kill him!"
"Well, right now you have to go to voice so, you're going to have to wait until 2:15 to kill him." Margaret was disgusted at the thought but she knew he was right. She couldn't afford to fail bio and voice.
"Ok, are we going to go kill Jamie now?" Ethan asked.
"Yes" Margaret answered, however she had calmed down since earlier. Sarah was with them now.
"How's Frootloop?" Ethan asked her.
"Better than Wolverine." she replied.
Once again (again) the three set off on another quest to find and conquer Jamie. Onward they marched. Upstairs, downstairs, through the thick, bustling, jungle of people yearning to be free of the prison of their youth in which they had slaved for so long a time that none could remember the call of the great out doors in which there were no walls and the green grass grew all around and the bluebirds fly. When at last they came to Jamie's locker. When they found it they all poked it once with their pointer finger then three times with their pinky and thumb. Then, they kicked it once and spun in 3.1416 circles and stuck out their tongues and hopped 2.5 times. This was Jamie's secret code that is once again (again) no longer a secret. But, I know that you know that this really isn't the code so the real code is still a secret, unless I'm trying to trick you, which I know that you don't know if I'm trying to do because I haven't told you. Anyway, the locker door opened and in stepped the trio, and once again Jamie was at his desk doing his homework in the dimly lit locker.
"Hey guys" he hollered in his booming voice "I haven't seen you in what three weeks?"
"Oh, don't give that!" Margaret was mad again "you murderer, you killed my carrot and you know it!"
"What?!" Jamie asked surprised and confusedly "No I most definitely did not!"
"Yes, you did! That orange solution that you gave me yesterday?" she pulled out the carrot and showed it to him.
"I didn't give you anything yesterday because I wasn't here yesterday." as Jamie told her this he pulled up the attendance for the entire school on his laptop and showed her that he wasn't in school yesterday.
"Well if you weren't her then who killed my carrot?" Jamie walked over to a camera that he kept on the wall of his locker. He spent a minute rewinding, and then he stopped.
"Russell" he said to himself.
"Who?" Margaret asked. Ethan and Sarah watched.
"Russ, he killed you carrot." Jamie showed her the video. Russ was Jamie's twin brother. They looked a lot a like, especially in a dimly lit locker filled with rows and rows of shelves.
"Russ has this crush on you" Jamie explained "he tries to hide it and he denies it, but it's really killing him. It's eating him from the inside; from the deepest darkest depths of his heart, sort of like heart worms; except they don't eat you they just clog your heart. He's jealous of us and must have tried to frame me with the death of your carrot so that you'd hate me."
"Where is he?!" Margaret demanded. At first she was shocked, but quickly became unsympathetic.
"He's in the library." Margaret turned to walk out of the locker.
"Wait!" Jamie called "I thought that your project was due today."
"It was. I told Mr. Orr that I forgot it and that my mom was bringing it during ninth." Jamie opened his refrigerator and tossed her a carrot and the video. Margaret left. Ethan and Sarah followed her.
"What did you do?" Margaret yelled as she walked up behind him and pushed him in to the wall.
"What is your problem?!" Russ was surprised and upset.
"You killed my carrot!"
"What are you talking about? What carrot?!" Russ was very confused. After a bit of yelling Margaret showed him the video.
"Oh no. No, it's not possible." Russ suddenly felt lifeless.
"What?" Sarah asked.
"Come on!" Russ ran out of the library to his locker. The three followed. Russ put in his combination and the door opened, no jumping involved. "No!" he cried. Sarah poked her head in.
"Looks empty to me."
"I know" Russ answered. He just stood there staring at the empty locker.
"What is going on Russ?" Margaret demanded. Russ explained. Three years ago he did the same project. However he did his topic on cell division and regrowth. Russ ended buying a starfish off of EBay and used it for his project, but before he brought the fish he experimented with some of his own cells. Some how he had managed to clone himself. Unable to keep the clone at home he hid it from the world in his locker.
"Somewhere there's another me running around." the three looked at him like he was crazy but couldn't tell if he was lying.
"What time is it?" Margaret finally broke the silence.
"2:55, why?" Ethan asked.
"Ugg, I have to go give my report and this carrot to Mr. Orr. I'll meet you guys in the band room." Margaret ran off to Mr. Orr's room while the others went downstairs.
"Well, what did Mr. Orr say?" Sarah told them.
"I gave it to him and he said ok. Now what about this clone thing?" she asked Russ.
"I have no clue where he could be."
"Then we should search the whole school" Ethan told them. "How about this? Would this count as one?"
"One what?" Russ asked.
"Yes, Ethan" Sarah cut in to the conversation "this is a quest, a quest to find a Russ clone." Margaret wasn't amused. Onward they marched. Upstairs, downstairs, through the thick, bustling, jungle of people yearning to be free of the prison of their youth in which they had slaved for so long a time that none could remember the call of the great out doors in which there were no walls and the green grass grew all around and the bluebird flies high above the rainbow. The four searched the whole entire school. There was no Russ clone. "Well, I guess there's nothing we can do." Sarah said as she sat down on the front steps of the school. The four just sat there.
"Hey!" cried Margaret.
"What?" asked Ethan
"I got a 97 on that project.
"Sweet. Apparently my frogs got loose in Mr. Orr's house and ruined all of his papers and ate his flu collection. I got an 80.
"That's not that bad" Margaret replied. "How about you, Ethan?"
"Mr. Orr threw out my mold. He said that he had a hard time breathing when he opened it. I failed."
"What about your life saving asthma syrup?" Sarah asked.
"Well, I tried to sell it on EBay and I got an email and a phone call from the W.H.O."
"It's ok, Ethan." Margaret reassured him.
"So, no one ever found the Russ clone, huh?"
"Nope. He probably just made it up." Sarah told them.
"Probably, but is doesn't matter. I got a 97, so everything's good." Later that day the three went to Margaret's house. Each laid a flower on the carrot's grave that they had dug four weeks ago. On it stood a head stone that Ethan had carved out of a piece of wood. It read "In Loving Memory of Wolverine. Forever Orange Like the Sun."
The End


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10 strange stories from Ron Miscavige's Scientology tell-all 'Ruthless'
Much of what you've read about Scientology is true — at least according to Ron Miscavige, a longtime acolyte and father of David Miscavige, the head of the Church of Scientology. Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me, published yesterday, is simply the latest book to emerge detailing the practices of the highly secretive organization (most recently King of Queens star Leah Remini published her book, Troublemaker). In the 244-page memoir, the elder Miscavige tells bizarre and distressing stories about his 42-year relationship with the organization, beginning with his initial foray to his son's meteoric rise to power. Amid the stories of abuse, perhaps more eerie is the medical calm cast over the book — maybe a result of Miscavige's own refusal to let go of the philosophies of the church that gave him life.
He admits to hitting his ex-wife, Loretta.
One of the charges levied against Ron Miscavige is that he regularly beat Loretta, his ex-wife and the mother of his four children, and he doesn't deny them. Early on in the book, Miscavige writes, "There were times when I punched Loretta. I never slapped or hit her in the face, but, still, sometimes I did strike her. I might punch her in the arm or push her away when she was getting on me. She threw things at me — pots, pans, a pot of boiling coffee once." He claims that most of their fights were verbal, though, and they fought constantly in front of their children.
He moved his family to England to study Scientology.
Unsurprisingly, Miscavige had his own passionate zeal in Scientology. After making a successful living as a cookware salesman, Miscavige convinced his wife and the rest of his family to move to East Grinstead, England, for 15 months to study Scientology at the institute there. (David was 12 years old.) This meant quitting his job and pulling his kids out of school. In a quickly told story, Ron Miscavige said he first learned of Scientology from someone he did a pyramid scheme with called Holiday Magic; this person told him the method to getting rid of a headache was to conjure an image of yourself looking at a mirror and then "give" the headache to the person in the mirror. Miscavige tried it and it worked, thus leading him to become a convert. David's own eureka moment would come when his father took him to see a Scientologist to rid him of his asthma, which was successful. (Indeed, this is an origin story David Miscavige has told as "proof" of Scientology's powers.) At 16, David would ask his parents if he could leave high school to join Sea Org, the sect of the most hard-core devotees where he would begin his relationship with L. Ron Hubbard.
David helped his father out with a rape charge.
When Ron was living in King of Prussia, his son David was 25 and by this time already one of the most powerful people in the church aside from L. Ron Hubbard himself. At the time, a woman had successfully sued the Church of Scientology for fraud and was awarded a $39 million settlement. Around that time, Ron Miscavige was also a suspect in an attempted-rape case. He called his son, and the next day the church's attorney Michael Hertzberg showed up with a suitcase filled with cash for bail. Eventually, at the first hearing, the woman looked at Miscavige and said she wasn't sure if he was the man who attempted to rape her, so the case was dismissed.
The conditions at the Gold Base sound disgusting.
Following in his son's footsteps, Ron also joined Sea Org in 1985. He quickly moved to the Gold Base (home base for the inner circle of staff) to work on the music production team. He describes living there as constant work with no sleep and "substandard food" because at times the allocation for staff dipped to $3 per person per day. All of his mail was read and his phone calls monitored, and an escort followed him to the doctor. He says he arrived to this place of constant surveillance "by tiny increments." He once got scabies from living there, remembering that his son had "no concern for [him] at all" and was merely worried about getting the parasites himself. Ron also had stress-related eczema that once got so severe he was bleeding on his sheets.
David Miscavige once told his department to spit on a staff member.
Before he rose to the head of the organization, David was the head of ASI (Author Services, Inc.), which would promote L. Ron Hubbard's literary endeavors as well as handle his income and finances. Ron writes of an instance where a staff member had "fallen out of favor" with David, who commanded everyone in his department to spit on the man. Miscavige writes, "To their credit, everyone but David and one other person refused to spit on the man; David and his accomplice chewed tobacco before their despicable display."
Their work relationship superseded the familial one.
That Ron was David's father did not put him above being verbally abused by his son at public events. At a musical event in St. Hill in the early 2000s, David went on a "tirade" in front of a "well-known Italian pop-star" about something that is unclear. "I was totally and utterly mortified by the entire experience," writes Miscavige. At the end of it, Ron says, "Okay I got it." And his son replied, "Good. I was waiting to hear that from you. That is why I was going on for the last 55 minutes." Ron suggests that his son may be a sociopath, writing, "Not all people who have these traits are sociopaths, of course, but because of their ability to seduce others with their charm, they can be tricky to identify. I will leave to you to draw your own conclusions about why I mention Stout's book [The Sociopath Next Door] in this chapter."
But David still bought him a house!
After he escaped from the Gold Base, Ron tried to write a letter to his son explaining what happened and why he decided to leave. Instead, the letter was sent back from an associate saying that David hadn't read it because it was "antagonistic." Then Ron wrote another letter saying that he was broke because he had joined Sea Org (the workers get paid criminally low amounts). His son answered and gave him $100,000 so he could buy a house.
David Miscavige told private investigators not to intervene if his father was dying.
After Ron Miscavige successfully escaped the Gold camp with his wife Becky, his son had hired private investigators to follow him and dig up dirt on him for more than a year. Eventually, one of them was arrested by local law enforcement and discovered to have a GPS tracking device, a number of license plates, fake driver's licenses, handguns, rifles, and ammunition in the trunk. Apparently one of David's orders to them was "If he dies, he dies. Don't intervene." It was hearing this news relayed that Ron felt prompted to write this book.
Lisa Marie Presley tried to intervene in their family dispute.
After Ron left the church, his daughters Denise (David's twin sister) and Lori "disconnected" from him — a process that requires Scientologists to cut off communication with people labeled as "suppressive persons." Ron Miscavige first met Lisa Marie Presley while they worked on a Scientology cruise. When they reconnected, he told Presley about what was going on, and she apparently tried to intervene. He writes that a few days later church officials then brought Denise out to chew out Lisa Marie. Miscavige writes, "Lisa Marie's husband told me afterward that watching Denise do her thing was like seeing Dave with a wig on blowing a gasket."
Ron Miscavige still clings to his belief in Scientology.
Considering Miscavige devoted the majority of his life to reading and practicing Scientology, it's not hard to believe that he has a problem with letting go of its tenets. Indeed, much of the book analyzes his own son according to the principles of Scientology, demonstrating ways in which his son is a "toxic personality type," according to an essay by Hubbard. Even when he was plotting to escape the Gold camp, he made sure to take all of his books by L. Ron Hubbard with him. To him, it's clear that he sees the organization and the church — not Scientology itself — as the problem.


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I have a simple philosophy when it comes to this - and anything - in life.
"Don't look at what is being pointed at...look at who is doing the pointing."
By following this mantra, I can basically tell you why anything in this world is happening and who is behind it.
Las Vegas is favoring Philadelphia over the Giants by three points tonight with an O/U of 47 1/2. That tells me that they aren't buying into the invincibility of the Eagles and Michael Vick. They see this as almost a pick'em game.
Which, it is. The Eagles can score. We know that. We also know they can give it up, too....
The Giants, if they avoid turnovers, can beat any team in the league fairly easily. They actually could be favored in this game. Vegas doesn't trust them. They have been sloppy. If they play their regular game - meaning committing 3-4 turnovers - they will lose by 3.
Consider this...
The Giants are much better team on the road than they are at home. No one can quite figure this out, but it gets truer every week. Tonight, they are on the road. In a close match up, Vegas usually gives the home team a small advantage. That means very little when it comes to the Giants.
On offense, if they can hang on to the football and pound the Eagles' average defense with a balanced attack, they will knock the starch, and perhaps some of the will, out of Philadelphia. Brandon Jacobs - this is your night to earn your check.
The Eagles also fear Eli Manning. He's scorched them more often then they've vexed him. Everyone is fixated on that 2008 playoff game where Eli came up small. Throw that out. He's in for big game tonight....
On defense, they must keep Michael Vick in the pocket. Do not let him beat you with his legs. Make him throw short passes. He is a great deep passer, but he has only one speed on his ball. He has difficulty with touch passes. His accuracy is not good and his receivers can't find the handle on those rockets from ten yards and in.
The Eagles' top rusher and receiver is RB LeSean McCoy. The Giants need to rock his world. Be physical and make him earn every yard. The Giants need to remind the Eagles they are in a football game tonight.
NBC will be playing the Vick card all night, but it could be the Giants that steal the show...just like they did to the Cowboys and Jerry Jones in last year's opener.


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There's never a shortage of important stories in Laguna Beach, but here are the most compelling ones in chronological order.
South Laguna tunnel
When the South Coast Water District said it needed to access property below several South Laguna properties for its tunnel stabilization project — and possibly use eminent domain if needed — some residents refused.
About 10 South Laguna property owners had not penned agreements to sell the easements, according to a July 12 Coastline Pilot story.
District officials view the stabilization of the tunnel, originally dug in 1954 to house a sewer pipeline along the coast, and pipeline replacement as a necessity to avoid a catastrophic sewer spill and injuries to workers.
Another contentious issue: the demolition of a derelict cottage, which the council OKd at its May 1 meeting.
The next step for the water district was to file Eminent Domain Complaints in Orange County Superior Court for those property owners who continue to refuse an agreement, which it had expected to do earlier this year, with the court handling it from there. The process could take up to a year.
Lifeguard headquarters
The City Council symbolically broke ground Sept. 19 for the construction of the new lifeguard headquarters on Main Beach.
A backhoe actually did the work — tearing off a piece of the roof of the old and unlamented headquarters, as council members, city staff and residents watched.
The project is due to be completed in December 2013 and to come in under budget.
A $6.6 million budget was approved in July for the construction of the headquarters and public restrooms on Main Beach, originally estimated to cost $8.1 million.
"That leaves a reserve of $1.5 million, which hopefully will be available for another project," Wade Brown, project director, said.
City lifeguards moved their offices and service areas into mobile units during the weekend after the groundbreaking. Temporary public restrooms were located north of the basketball courts.
The new 6,722-square-foot headquarters will house marine safety operations on two levels, one of them underground — believed to be essential to the California Coastal Commission's approval of the project.
No helmet, no skateboard
All skateboarders caught bombing down Laguna Beach hills or maneuvering city streets without wearing a helmet will have their boards temporarily confiscated under the terms of the amended ordinance the council passed in October. And it will cost the parents of juveniles both time and money to get the skateboard released.
Confiscated skateboards will be held for one week for the first violation, one month for subsequent violations, and parents must accompany their children to the police station to reclaim the boards, pay the fines and be counseled.
Longtime supporter of local skateboarders Chad Gibson said the confiscation policy is discriminatory.
"If you see two 13-year-olds coming down a hill, one on a skateboard and one on a bike and neither wearing helmets, you're going to take the skateboard, but not the bike?" he asked. "How do you justify that? I can't."
Councilwoman Toni Iseman, who co-sponsored the confiscation amendment with then-Councilwoman Elizabeth Pearson, opined that most parents probably think their children are wearing helmets and would want to know if they are not.
"They'll know because they will pay the fine," said then-Councilman Kelly Boyd, the lone vote against confiscation.
Tree removal
In October, the City Council decided several eucalyptus trees in Bluebird Canyon will be chopped down, settling a passionate debate that lasted about a year.
The council voted 4 to 1 to follow the city arborist's recommendation to remove 11 eucalyptus trees.
"I don't think anyone here is wrong," Councilwoman Elizabeth Pearson said at the meeting. "We all celebrate beauty in Laguna, but we [the city] are liable, especially now with the report."
"Fear is forcing your hand when a more reasoned approach is warranted," Mace Morse said at the meeting.
City policy is to trim its trees every two years, but some species need trimming every year, some every three years, Public Works Director Steve May said.
All 11 trees slated for removal are city-owned and in the city's right-of-way.
Residents of Arch Beach Heights were shocked to discover their neighbors were shot to death inside their home.
Laguna Beach police suspected that Mike Brown shot and killed his wife, their dog Rudy and then himself in their home at 835 La Mirada St.
After Brown didn't show up for work Monday, a friend checked on the home Oct. 31, police and neighbors said.
Edgar Alvarez said he was told the friend found the couple, who moved to the neighborhood in July, and their dog Rudy dead in their bedroom. Mendy Brown's body was found on its side in bed. Her husband's corpse was face-up, under the sheets.
Alvarez said he heard shrieking the night of Oct. 31. His neighbor June Trudson, who called 911, ran to his door, overwhelmed after discovering the news.
Laguna Beach Police Capt. Jason Kravetz said police were looking at financial issues as a possible motive.
Election 2012
Two new photographs have been hung in City Hall right by the entrance: Robert Whalen and Steven Dicterow, who unseated incumbents Verna Rollinger and Jane Egly in the November City Council election.
The election caused a brouhaha in the Democratic Club, which endorsed only Rollinger of the three Democrats in the race, irking some members.
Whalen, who did not seek the club's endorsement, came in first, Rollinger fourth. Egly, who asked for but was denied endorsement, came in third.
Dicterow made his party affiliation a major part of his election campaign. A Republican, Dicterow was supported by State Assemblyman Allan Mansoor and endorsed by Congressman Dana Rohrabacher.
Whalen emphasized his background in financing for public agencies and the local school board on which he sat for 10 years.
Laguna voters also were asked to decide the fate of Proposition CC, a parcel tax to raise money to buy pockets of open space in the city.
Whalen and Dicterow opposed the tax and the voters turned it down, 7,185 votes to 5,836.
South Laguna garden
South Laguna Civic Assn. didn't get the seed money it wanted from the city to buy community garden plots that local gardeners have been tilling for almost three years.
The City Council voted 3 to 2 at the Nov. 11 meeting to deny the request by the association for $251,000 to jump-start fundraising for almost $1 million to meet the asking price for the land. However South Laguna Civic Assn. officials said the request might be brought back in 2013.
"The garden was one of the questions we asked the candidates when the association interviewed them, but I can't remember their positions," said association President Bill Rihn.
Robert Whalen and Steven Dicterow, have not made their positions known.
Then-council member Verna Rollinger voted in favor of the request; Jane Egly was against it.
Financial uncertainty and competing requests were cited as the reasons for denial.
Mayor Pro Tem Elizabeth Pearson also voted against the request.
Business changes
The Royal Hawaiian, a watering hole for locals hankering for a good tropical drink and a kitschy, tiki vibe, closed in April after 65 years.
The latest owner, Lyndon Douglas Cole, said the largest contributor to its closure was the restaurant's conditional use permit, which only allowed amplified music and entertainment until 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. He also cited lease negotiations and the slow economy.
Meanwhile, The Cottage closed its doors Dec. 26 after nearly 50 years in business. The building was sold earlier in the year, and the new owners, who will keep its facade and historical elements, plan to open a new restaurant there.
The Cottage has been around since 1964. Jennifer McCulley was owned the restaurant for the past 12 years and ran it with her sister, Julie McCulley.
And for just the third time in its 78-year history in Laguna, the Marine Room Tavern changed hands.
Chris Keller, who owns three Laguna restaurants, took over the Marine Room Nov. 28. Mayor Kelly Boyd, with his late brother Bo, was the leaseholder of the tavern, affectionately known as the "Mar Bar," for the past 25 years.
Boyd was instrumental in bringing Keller to the table. Keller owns K'ya Bistro and the Rooftop Lounge in the HIP District's La Casa del Camino and the House of Big Fish and Ice Cold Beer downtown.
Social host ordinance
Laguna Beach is now the fourth city in Orange County to enact a social host law, which penalizes adults who knowingly supply minors with booze.
The City Council approved the hotly debated ordinance this month. First-time offenders will receive a civil citation and be required to attend counseling sessions. Those who refuse will be fined $1,000. Subsequent violations will be misdemeanors, which could lead to jail time, as well as a $1,000 fine set by state law.
The law, which split the community, also split the council, with newly named Mayor Kelly Boyd and newly installed Councilman Steve Dicterow opposed.
A six-month review will be held to review the efficacy of the ordinance.
The law is set to go into effect in January.


text:
What I did last weekend Part 3
My parcels came today with my mom home. Escaped from a lecture by throwing a question at her. Hehehe. Check out Syiok Sendiri Sisters in the next couple of days to see what we got.
Sam was so sweet as to be our cook for the night
so all we had to do was wait for our food. =P
Boy, did we have a LOT of food.
Leftovers from lunch.
Forgot to bring my camera down earlier, so didn't take earlier stuff. Last dish of the night: Lamb.
That's when we've already cleaned up a little.
Decided to finish dinner at about midnight. There was still Salmon to go, but it was getting late, and everyone was kinda stuffed already.
After cleaning everything up, including ourselves, everyone went to bed...except for a few of us Big2 addicts.
I woke everyone up early the next day to go to the pool, since the lights there got turned off the previous night.
Played our own version of water polo...
...tried to camwhore...
and got called Auntie and Uncle. Hehe.
Uncle Sam was already cooking when we went up, so we showered and ate.
Group pic.


text:
For bachelor students we offer German lectures on database systems in addition with paper- or project-oriented seminars. Within a one-year bachelor project students finalize their studies in cooperation with external partners. For master students we offer courses on information integration, data profiling, search engines and information retrieval enhanced by specialized seminars, master projects and advised master theses.
The Web Science group focuses on various topics related to the Web, such as Information Retrieval, Natural Language Processing, Data Mining, Knowledge Discovery, Social Network Analysis, Entity Linking, and Recommender Systems. The group is particularly interested in Text Mining to deal with the vast amount of unstructured and semi-structured information available on the Web.
Most of our research is conducted in the context of larger research projects, in collaboration across students, across groups, and across universities. We strive to make available most of our data sets and source code.
We publish our research mostly at DB and IR-related journals and conferences. Many of our publications are available as downloads. If you cannot find one, please contact one of the authors.
Our group includes PostDocs, PhD students, and student assistants, and is headed by Prof. Felix Naumann. If you are interested in joining our team, please contact Felix Naumann.
Former Senior Researcher in Information Systems
Hasso-Plattner-Institut für Softwaresystemtechnik
Further publications on DBLP
Prof. Dr. Felix Naumann
Information Systems
E-Mail: felix.naumann(at)hpi.de
Assistant: Diana Stephan
Office: Campus II, House F, F-2.01 Tel.: +49 (0)331 5509-280 Fax: +49 (0)331 5509-287 E-Mail: office-naumann(at)hpi.de
To visit us, please see these directions.
Julian Risch and Ralf Krestel
Our article "Measuring and Facilitating Data Repeatability in Web …
We are happy to announce Felix Naumann won the ICDE 2019 outstanding reviewer award. Special thanks …
Julian Risch and Ralf Krestel
Our article "Domain-Specific Word Embeddings for Patent …
Congratulations to Thorsten Papenbrock who received the Dissertation Award during the symposium …
We are happy to announce that Felix Naumann has contributed Chapter 13 'The Relational Database …
Metanome: Big Data Profiling
Metacrate: Database for Data Profiles
Janus: Change exploration
Stratosphere: Big Data Analytics


text:
Over 25 years ago, Harrogate Council proposed a Northern Bypass to relieve traffic on Skipton Road.
The reasons it was rejected are the same now as they were then:
Over 85 per cent of traffic on Skipton Road is internally generated: a relief road would only have a marginal impact on relieving this.
Twenty-five years ago, the council's 'hidden agenda' was to open up the Bilton Triangle for development by linking it with a new road to a northern bypass.
Housing growth would continue to be concentrated in the north of Harrogate rather than a balanced development around the town.
This would lead to a funnelling of traffic from Skipton Road along Bilton Lane and Woodfield Road to reach the new bypass: congestion on the scale of Wetherby Road in Bilton and Woodfield.
It was Labour councillors who alerted residents at that time to these threats and the opposition was so strong that the council had to abandon their plans.
Labour councillors then succeeded in safeguarding the Bilton Triangle as a 'Green Wedge' - an area of countryside projecting into the urban areas of Woodfield and Bilton.
It seems that the battle has now to be fought again but, this time, instead of local councillors alerting residents to the dangers of a Northern Bypass, we have our UKIP councillor, David Simister, actually proposing the route.
Geoff Foxall
Former Labour councillor for Bilton