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Neptune Mountaineering is offering a $300 gift certificate as a reward for information that leads to the arrest of a man accused of stealing a pair of expensive boots designed for high-altitude peaks.
The theft occurred midday Thursday, according to Neptune, which posted a security video on its Facebook page.
The suspected thief, a white man in his 50s who stands about 6 feet tall and weighs about 150 pounds, is seen walking out of the shop with the boots on his feet.
The store says they were size 44.5 La Sportiva Olympus Mons EVO boots. The model was selling for $989.50 on Amazon.com.
The suspect is missing his pinky and ring finger on his left hand.
Call 303-499-8866 with information about the case.Boulder police confirmed they received a report about the case and will be investigating.


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I have been watching the development of this for a while...I was tempted to join in on the club early on...but I'm particular about this stuff, and don't just join cause its cool and get all caught up in it. Then I saw Tom advocating it and took more of an interest.
Thing is, I've been a mag user for a few years now, have 3 mags, and all the people I paintball w/ know what my story is, and know me as kind of the 'tech' guy of our team since owning a mag has taught me to be mechanically inclined...and people asking me to work on their markers, etc. I've also taken a LOT of heat for owning a mag, so I know what thats like. This club is a good idea, since I know the priciples Tom outlined for the club match up w/ my philosophy regarding mags...that I was one of the few from the small slice of the pie (so to speak) that actually did research and had my purchasing decisions based on my own observations and findings (back in the level 7 days)...and what is keeping my from this club is people who think its a joke with going around spouting off of 'chuff chuff' every chance they get, and wanting to make t-shirts and stickers and stuff....??? It's supposed to be an underground club right? 'Chuff Chuff' shouldn't be some loosely tossed around phrase for you to let everyone know that your in some secret club. It should actually be something that is hardly ever heard, but widely understood and acknowledged throughout the group. I mean its cool to have a logo, maybe put it on your hopper, or maybe a secretive red start in a black circle w/ no description on a t-shirt...but come guys! Lets not just be like...we now have a club, lets make a bunch of merch. and announce it to the world.
I think the club is a good idea...but it is a magnet just for those who are looking to jump on some kind of bandwagon so they can say they belong to a secretive club and whatnot.(not talking about all the members here) Again, I believe the club is a good idea, actually an excellent idea, but I'm not going to just 'jump on the bandwagon' just to do it...I'm going to give it a little time...if I can see all the members doing what Tom posted as guidlines, and taking it seriously, you'll see me signing up fairly soon
Just my opinions on the matter.

subset: commoncrawl


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Have questions on who to start or sit in Week 11? Kay Adams (@heykayadams) and I (@mattstroup) break down the key fantasy players in each matchup. 1 p.m. ET Games Is it time to start considering Greg Little again? What about James Starks, can you trust him? Plus, is there a chance Nick Foles can have a productive first week against the Redskins? We take a look at every early game on Sunday.
Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.
4 p.m. ET Games As the Saints face the Raiders, are Chris Ivory or Mark Ingram worth starting. What about San Diego's Danario Alexander, is he worthy of WR3 status against the Broncos? Plus, a look at Brandon Lloyd and the rest of the key players in Sunday's late-afternoon matchups.
SportsTalk: Play the Game, not the Name Kay Adams, Shaun King and Erik Kuselias examine some players without a lot of hype that may be worth getting in your lineup this week.
SportsTalk: Don't be afraid or be very afraid Kay Adams and Erik Kuselias examine Brandon Marshall, Jordy Nelson, Torrey Smith and others and explain why you should or shouldn't be concerned about playing them this week.
Sunday Night How much does Byron Leftwich starting at quarterback hurt the Steelers and Mike Wallace? And what about their running back situation with Rashard Mendenhall returning? And is there any receiver for the Ravens worth starting this week? Check out the latest on them and other key fantasy players from this matchup as we discuss Ravens - Steelers.
Monday NightHow worried should you be about starting Brandon Marshall considering Jay Cutler is out? And should you be worried about Matt Forte or Frank Gore? Kay breaks down Bears - 49ers.


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As one of my all-time favorite science heroes, Steve Spangler, can prove, science can be (not just a little, but a whole huge amount of) fun. If you have never heard of Steve Spangler, I recommend that you hop over to his YouTube page right now, and watch at least one video. Go ahead, Ill wait.
See fun and science. Together. If you liked Steves videos, you should check out his book Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes, which you can, of course, find at the Outpost.
But wait, the fun doesnt stop there!
For our first Friday, we will be looking at building catapults and testing how far we can make a marshmallow fly. For our last Friday in July, we will look at non-Newtonian fluids. Katherine will be on hand to talk about Sir Isaac Newtons lesser known quirks. And what about in between? Well, I guess youll just have to stop by and see for yourself.
TTFN Stephani, Young Adult Services Aficionado, Teen Outpost at the Highlands-Shelby Park Library
[ 199 comments ] ( 4879 views )
Book Dominoes
Check out this video of a 'chain reaction' of books in the Main Lobby:
We hope that you were able to join in on the fun!
[ 152 comments ] ( 3393 views )
Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff and The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington.
Paper Valentine is about a girl named Hannah who is living through one of the hottest Julys on record. And her best friend Lillian died six months before from anorexia. Plus there is a serial killer, a.k.a. the Valentine Killer, on the loose in town. Last, but not least, Lillian is now haunting Hannah and bugging her to investigate the mysterious deaths of the girls who are the serial killer's victims. Creepy in a dead-best-friend-haunting-you-while-a-serial-killer's-on-the-loose kind of way.
The Dead and Buried is about Jade, whose family has just moved into a new house in a new town. Jade is happy about the new house and about the fresh start for her and her family. Unfortunately, the house is haunted by the ghost of a girl who died there and wants to know who killed her--and who doesn't care what she has to do to get the truth and to get her revenge.
-Emily Mauldin, Middletown Branch
[ 167 comments ] ( 4254 views )
Last week in our discussion on energy, we briefly mentioned that plants are able to convert the sun's energy into plant mass, now let's look at that process, called photosynthesis, in better detail.
Photosynthesis: a Chemical Reaction
The illustration above shows a simplification of what is happening in the natural world involving photosynthesis. We see that the energy from the sun's light (photons) creates a chemical reaction that combines (synthesizes) Carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H20) to create some form of carbohydrate sugar (CH2O)n and leftover Oxygen (O2).
We list the equation out below, so that you can see the overall process. In our balanced reaction, we see that glucose (C6H12O6) is our representative of a carbohydrate. The important thing here is that the byproducts of this process are extremely important for life on Earth. We have to ingest carbohydrates and oxygen to have energy to live. When our bodies metabolize carbohydrates like glucose, we oxidize sugars to release energy for physiological movement (putting our bodies in motion). The byproduct of this process is CO2 which can then be stored again during photosynthesis.
For a more in depth look at the various types of chemical reactions, check out the Khan Academy video series.
Bringing It All Back Home
Again, what does this have to do with technology? Last time, we saw that when fossilized carbohydrates (hyrdocarbons--CnH(2n+2)) are burned, stored energy is released in the form of heat. That energy is converted into electricity that powers our electrical devices. The photosynthesis of hydrocarbons is the foundation for our electrical power.
For plants to continue to grow, they need balanced access to the key components of photosynthesis: water, sunlight, and Carbon dioxide (other elements like Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium are crucial as well as you shall see later this summer). That balance is the basis of all gardening and agriculture. There are quite a few resources out there to help people find that balance and make their garden the most productive.
Check out these tech resources to balance light and watering in a garden and experience photosynthesis with a deeper understanding:
[ 525 comments ] ( 9181 views )
Friday, June 14, 6-9 p.m. Main Library, 301 York St.Join us for the 3rd annual Survivor Night at the Library, featuring: Mad Science, Chain Reactions, Catapults & Tower Building, Scary Stories, Kitchen Science, Michael Jacksons Thriller... and a whole lot more!
The event is free - click here to register. Ages 12-19.
[ 192 comments ] ( 4261 views )


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They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. SB 228 certainly proves that adage in Colorado. When Gov. Bill Ritter signed the bill last week, he characterized the bill as taking a big step toward modernizing Colorado's state budget. At the same time, Josh Penry, the Senate minority leader and a possible challenger to Ritter in next year's governor's race, called the bill "California-style taxing and spending."
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Polyken 338 FSK Insulation Jacketing Tape is a Foil, Scrim, Kraft laminate tape coated with a synthetic rubber adhesive suitable for used to seal and patch FSK duct boards and blankets. Provides extra strength seal to maintain vapor barrier integrity. Used for sealing insulation and repairing in cooler / refrigeration applications. Polkyen 333 is high strength & tear resistant; UV , moisture and mold resistant; and provides for a super high tack, aggressive bond to surfaces. Diamond pattern matches most FSK boards and blankets.
Please note that tape rolls are NOT guaranteed to be splice-free. Tape rolls are typically cut to standard tape industry metric-cut sizes - or approx 5% narrower than the nominal size (i.e. 24mm per 1-inch of nominal width ordered).
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The ordinary two-person composite chart is calculated from the birth charts of two people and gives information on the nature of the relationship between them. In principle, the composite chart can be erected for any kind of relationship, i.e. not only for love relationships but also for friendships, work relationships, for people we have trouble with, or even for enemies, such as Sharon and Arafat etc.
Similar uses are possible for the 'multi-personal composite' or, in short, 'multi-composite' chart. The multi-composite method provides charts for triangular relationships such as love triangles, family charts or group charts for work colleagues or friends. Particularly interesting: It is possible to examine how the dynamics within a group change when a new member joins or an old member leaves the group.
The usual two-person composite chart is calculated as follows: The Sun of the composite chart is located exactly in the middle of both natal Suns of the people involved. We can call this point 'midpoint', 'mean value' or 'balance point'. The other planets in the composite chart are calculated in the same way: They are midpoints or mean values of the birth position of the respective planets.
Venus and Mercury, however, constitute a special situation. In the 'real' sky, these two planets can never be more than 45 degrees away from the Sun. However, the composite position can occasionally more or less oppose the Sun. In such cases, some astrologers prefer moving the respective planet to the opposite side of the chart (a shift of 180 degrees).
There are two methods for calculating the MC, Ascendant and houses in the composite chart. The so-called 'reference place method' takes the mean value of the Midheaven, and from that the Ascendant and houses are calculated for a certain reference place of which only the geographic latitude is taken into account. A suitable reference place would be the place where the relationships of both partners "takes place" or "happens".
The other method, the so-called 'midpoint method', calculates the mean values for MC, Ascendant and house cusps individually. This method does not need a reference place.
Astrodienst offers both methods.
How can we extend the method of the composite chart to more than two people? Unfortunately, the situation in this case is more complicated. Two techniques are at our disposal which result in different charts. With two people only, they result in the same chart: the ordinary two-person composite chart.
So, in the two-person composite chart, the position of the Sun is calculated as the mean value of both natal Suns, the position of composite Mercury is the mean value of both natal Mercuries, etc. In concrete terms, the positions of both natal planets are determined by degrees between 0° and 360°, they are added up, and the result divided by two. The resulting point / position is, however, only one of two possible solutions. The other point is exactly opposite. For the composite chart, we choose the point which is closer to both natal planets.
We could be tempted to use exactly the same method for calculating a composite chart for three or more people: Take the degrees of the three natal Suns, add them up and divide them by three. However, the result makes sense only in some cases while in others it doesn't make sense at all.
|An example:
|Three people with their Suns at
|10° (10° Aries)
|60° (0° Gemini)
|350° (20° Pisces)
|420° : 3 = 140° (20° Leo)
This solution obviously doesn't make sense. The correct point would have to be inside the area of the three natal Suns, i.e. at around 20° (20° Aries).
What's wrong here? Why does it not work? The problem is that the result depends on the reference point from which we calculate. In the example, this is the vernal equinox, i.e. 0° Aries. However, if we calculate it starting from 20° Pisces (=350°), we get the correct result:
|10° - 350°
|= 20°
|60° - 350°
|= 70°
|350° - 350°
|= 0°
|90° / 3 = 30°
|30° + 350° = 20° Aries - correct!
It turns out that our example has three possible solutions, depending on the reference point we choose:
|Reference point
|60° < r <= 350°
|20° Aries
|350° < r <= 10° (370°)
|140° (20° Leo)
|10° < r <= 60°
|260° (20° Sagittarius)
So, no matter from which point we start the calculation, we always end up with one of three points which are 120° apart.
Now, we remember that there are two symmetrical points in the two-person composite chart of which we have to select the more suitable one. The more suitable one is the one closer to the natal planets involved. The multi-composite works in a very similar way. However, with three people, there are three possible symmetrical points at a distance of 120° from each other. Each of these balances, in a way, the three Suns that participate in the composite chart. The point at 140°, for example, is 210° away from the Sun at 350°. If we add both distances, from this point to the other two Suns, we also get 210° (80° + 130°). Similar calculations are possible for each of the three symmetrical points. This leads to the assumption that all three symmetrical points are astrologically relevant in some way or another, and still, it is obvious that the point at 20° is the most important one.
The same phenomenon occurs with a larger number of people. There are always as many symmetry points as there are persons making up the composite chart. So, with n people there are n symmetrical points which are at a mutual distance of 360°/n.
How do we find the correct symmetry point so that we can draw it into the chart as the composite Sun? In order to find out, we can do the following for every symmetrical point: Calculate its distance from each of the natal Suns, take the square of each distance and add up all squares. Do this for all symmetry points. The composite point you're looking for (i.e. the "mean value of the Sun") is the symmetry point of which the sum of all squared distances is smallest.
This is our concrete procedure when we calculate a multi-composite chart. However, the method can also be defined more simply like that:
The composite point is that point in the zodiac for which the sum of the squared distances to the natal planets involved is minimal.
Or, more technically:
The composite point is that point in the zodiac for which the standard deviation of the natal planets involved is minimal.
Applying this technique to two people results in the ordinary two-person composite chart.
To illustrate this method, here's a thought experiment: We have a rod, 360 cm in length, with the 360 cm corresponding to the 360 degrees of the zodiac. This rod is made of ultra light metal and has virtually no weight at all, but at the same time is very strong and inflexible (comparable to the material UFO's are made of). We now attach three identical weights to this rod at the appropriate zodiac degrees, the weights representing the three natal Suns. Now, we try to balance this rod on one finger. The question is: at which zodiac degree would we have to put the finger in order to keep the rod in complete balance? This is the sought-after balance point (or mean value). An Example: Three people have their natal Suns at 0° Aries, 0° Gemini (60°) and 0° Libra (180°). The balance point is at 20° Gemini (80°).
However, this thought experiment doesn't illustrate the multi-composite chart well enough. In actual practice, the rod would only give the correct symmetry point in a third of all cases, in all different cases it would give the wrong one. Let's take the example we used before: For the three Suns at 10°, 60° and 350°, we would get the symmetry point at 140° (the same as further above), which is not correct. In order to get the other symmetry points, the beginning of the rod has to fall on a different zodiac degree. If we choose the scale on the rod so that it reaches from 350° to 350°, we will get the correct result: the composite Sun at 20°.
Of course, a comparable composite machine can also be constructed with terrestrial materials, not only with extra-terrestrial ones. The construction will, however, be more complicated, because we have to make sure that the weight of the rod doesn't carry any weight.
For the other possible procedure, we put ourselves in the centre of the zodiac, we place the three natal Suns in their respective positions and find out into which direction they are pulling us. There is also an easy way of building a mechanical multi-composite calculator: Take a circular metal disc and drill a hole exactly in the centre. Draw up the zodiac around the outer edge. Then hang it up at a nail on the wall. Three (or n) magnets of the same weight represent the Suns of the three (or n) people involved. Place them on the disc at their respective zodiac positions. The disc will now start to turn and level off in a certain position with the centre of gravity taking the lowest position. The point in the zodiac which levels off in the lowest position is the sought-after position of the composite Sun. The same procedure can be applied to all other planets.
In order to calculate the thus found composite planets, it is necessary to convert the zodiac positions of the natal planets into vectors (arrows from the centre of the circle to the respective planetary position) and add them up. The direction of the resulting vector points to the composite planet.
If this procedure is applied to two people, the result is again the usual two-person composite. This method leads to the same two-person composite as the previously described 'mean value' or 'balance point' method. However, if applied to three or more people, the two techniques result in different charts!
This can be illustrated by an example. Let's assume we have two natal Suns at 0° and 180°. According to the gravity method (vector addition), the two opposing Suns cancel each other out. If they were on the circular disc, it could be stopped at any arbitrary point, because the disc's centre of gravity would be exactly in the centre. If we now add a third Sun at 60°, our disc will turn in such a way that the third Sun will level off at the lowest point. In other words: In this case, the composite Sun would be at the same position as the natal Sun of the third person, that is 60°.
What result would we get if we used the mean value method?
We add 0° + 60° + 180° = 240° and then divide
the sum by three: 240° / 3 = 80°.
This happens to be the most convenient of the three symmetry points. (The other two are at 200° (= 80° + 120°) and at 320° (= 80° + 120° + 120°).)
So, the composite Sun is at 80° with this method, whereas it is at 60° with the gravity method.
We can therefore conclude that there is only one type of composite chart for two people, but two different types for three or more people.
Of course, the question is, which procedure will stand the
test of experience; and it is well possible that - as so often
in astrology - both variants will
find their followers. Astrodienst prefers the 'mean value' or 'balance
point' method. However, web users are also given the possibility
to experiment with the 'centre of gravity' method.
(Extended Chart Selection -> Type of chart: Multi-Composite)
There is also a theoretical criterion which would favour the 'mean value' or 'balance point' method. An example: We want to calculate a composite chart for three friends, two of them with a near exact opposition of their natal Suns, e.g. in Aries and Libra. The third friend has a Gemini Sun. According to the gravity method Aries and Libra would cancel each other out, and the composite Sun would therefore be in Gemini. In other words, the composite Sun is determined exclusively by the third person, the Gemini. But would Aries and Libra in real life cancel each other out in a relationship of three? And only the Gemini would dominate?
It is also possible to adjust the calculation even more to the 'physical' realities by taking into account the ecliptic latitude of the planets and the real gravitational forces of the celestial bodies which depend on the distance of the planet from Earth. This method results in yet another composite chart, even for the two-person composite! However, we consider this method rather unastrological, since distance and gravity are usually not factors which are taken into consideration in astrology. Heavy Jupiter, light-weight Mars and ultra-light-weight Pluto all carry the same weight in astrology. The respective distances from Earth are not used in astrology either.
The positions of composite planets can also be "stable" or "unstable" in the sense that they react strongly or only mildly to the joining or leaving of one person. An example: If we have a composite chart of four people whose Suns roughly make a Grand Cross, the resulting distribution won't give a strong tendency towards any particular direction. The position of the composite Sun is then 'shaky'. If now a person joins or leaves the group, the new composite Sun can shift considerably. A counter-example: If we have four people with Gemini Suns, there is a definite common tendency towards a composite Sun in Gemini. A person joining or leaving will now only have a relatively small effect on the composite Sun, i.e. it will not shift considerably.
Accordingly, group horoscopes can be very stable or unstable in themselves. If all planets have a stable position, the addition or removal of one person will change the composite chart very little. However, if several planets are unstable, the chart will change dramatically.
Consequently, the composite chart is a very interesting tool for researching group dynamics and changes caused by a person joining or leaving a group.
© Astrodienst 2007, Dieter Koch, Alois Treindl
Current Planets
19-Jun-2018, 01:17 UT/GMT
|59' 2"
|Explanations of the symbols
|Chart of the moment


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Sponsored by Tennis (women)
Semifinals - The Luther women's tennis team earned a spot in the IIAC Automatic Qualifier Tournament title match after battling past a pesky Wartburg squad at Vets Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Norse won a pair of doubles matches and then added a trio of singles victories to pick up the 5-1 win.
Elise Allen and Maggie Helms led 4-3 at No. 1 doubles before winning the final four games to defeat Claire Evans and Melissa Davis. Lola White-Baer and Hailey Johnson trailed early in the match at No. 3, but regained their form and won by an (8-4) margin against Michelle McKenzie and Brita Jensen. The Knights grabbed a point at No. 2 where Jenny Dallenbach and Katherine Ross rallied for a (9-7) victory over Luther's Katy Lindstrom and Annie Whiteley.
Whiteley rebounded by tallying the first singles point for the Norse, beating McKenzie (6-3, 6-3) at No. 5. Allen was also a winner in straight sets, knocking off Dallenbach by a (6-1, 7-5) margin at No. 1. All four other courts were competitive, but Helms garnered her second point of the day, outlasting Ross (7-5, 6-4) at No. 3 to clinch the match for Luther.
Jenna Myers picked up the third point of the day for the Norse with a (6-2, 6-2) win over Hoffmann at No. 6 singles, but Coe tallied wins at No. 2, 3, 4, and 5 to clinch the team victory. Luther's Elise Allen was still out on the court battling Coe's Tai Lucero at No. 1 singles when the match was stopped.
The Norse finish the season with a 16-7 record.
Questions? Contact David Blanchard, post_to_results, 563-387-1586


text: Save This Event For Later The Omnium p/b NWCC at Alkek Velodrome Houston, TX, Sat Sep 14 - Sun Sep 15, 2013 Who's Registered? | Contact Event | Event Website | Google Calendar Start line address: 19008 Saums Road, Houston, TX 77084 Presented by Northwest Cycling Club USA Cycling Permit # 2013-1359 This is a past event. If you wish to see the details for this event click, "Continue" below. If you are looking for a current event, please search the event calendar .


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One of America's greatest illustrators finds 26 kinds of drama in letters
The Z Was Zapped: The Alphabet Theatre Proudly Presents … A Play in Twenty-Six Acts. By Chris Van Allsburg. Houghton Mifflin, 56 pp., $18.95. Ages 2 and up.
By Janice Harayda
Great chefs often test their would-be assistants by asking them to make an omelet. Why? It's harder to hide your mistakes when you're working with just a few ingredients. And the good cooks don't need more than a few to show what they can do.
In that sense Chris Van Allsburg is the Nobu Matsuhisa of picture books. If you want to understand why critics regard him as one of the greatest living author-illustrators, compare The Z Was Zapped with any other alphabet book at your library or bookstore.
Alphabet books typically illustrate letters with nouns, an approach that has drawbacks. One is that it can lead to clichés such as, "A is for apple." Another is that because nouns are not "action" words as verbs are, they can result in inert — or just dull — books.
Van Allsburg avoids both problems by casting his letters as actors in a stage play in which they face mishaps illustrated by strong verbs and black-and-white drawings that have an air of mystery about them. He doesn't tell us why "The K was quietly Kidnapped" or two gloved hands are lifting the K off the stage. This encourages children to create their own explanations for the strange goings-on. And the black-and-white drawings have the subtle but great advantage of drawing attention to the shape of letters (which is essential to learning the alphabet) instead of the color (which is irrelevant). Some alphabet books blaze with so much color that you wonder: How can children focus on the letters when there are so many distractions?
The Z Was Zapped has a structure that is no less original. Most alphabet books introduce a letter through words and pictures on a single page or spread. Van Allsburg shows a letter on one page, then makes you turn the page to learn its name and fate. This prompts children to try to guess the letter and what's happening to it. It also fosters vocabulary-building and creativity, because at times more than one description might apply. Van Allsburg tells us that "The S was simply Soaked," but "Splashed" would fit, too. If the F is "firmly Flattened," children are more likely to be "fully Fascinated."
Best line/picture: The picture for the letter B ("The B Was badly Bitten") shows the snout of the bull terrier that is Van Allsburg's signature and appears in each of his books.
Worst line/picture: You could argue that in "The H was partly Hidden," the "partly" is imprecise. You can hardly see the H, so "mostly" or "largely" might have been more accurate.
Recommendation? A great gift for ages 2–4, likely also to appeal to many older children.
Published: October 1987 (hardcover), October 1998 (paperback) www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com. A review of Van Allsburg's latest book, Probuditi! (Houghton Mifflin, $18.95) appeared on this site on Jan. 21, 2007 www.oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2007/01/21/.
Furthermore: Chris Van Allsburg www.chrisvanallsburg.com won Caldecott Medals from the American Library Association www.ala.org for Jumanji and The Polar Express and a Caldecott Honor for The Garden of Abdul Gasazi.
Janice Harayda is an award-winning critic who has been the book columnist for Glamour, book editor of The Plain Dealer and a vice-president of the National Book Critics Circle www.bookcritics.org. She also wrote The Accidental Bride (St. Martins, 1999), a comedy of Midwestern manners, and Manhattan on the Rocks (Sourcebooks, 2004), a comedy of New York manners www.janiceharayda.com.
© 2007 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.


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NORFOLK, Va. – The fifth-ranked and fourth-seeded Duke field hockey team concluded a historic season with a 2-0 loss to fourth-ranked Connecticut in the NCAA championship game Sunday afternoon at Old Dominion's L.R. Hill Sports Complex.
Head coach Pam Bustin's squad finishes the 2013 campaign with a final record of 17-7 after advancing to the title match for the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2005. The 17 victories are also the most by a Duke team since the 2005 season.
"Congratulations to the University of Connecticut, not only on a great season but obviously a fantastic final four," Bustin said. "Well done for Coach Stevens and the fantastic year they had."
After more than 10 minutes of back-and-forth play occurring mostly in the midfield to start the contest, senior defender Paula Heimbach set up junior forward Jessica Buttinger on the far side of the field for the first penalty corner of the day. The shot on the play was waived off but the Duke defense held up on the other end against a penalty corner opportunity for the Huskies. Led by the stick of senior Brenna Rescigno, the Blue Devils put four shots on goal on corner plays in the first half but were stopped each time by UConn goalkeeper Sarah Mansfield.
The Huskies broke through first in the 24th minute when leading scorer Chloe Hunnable put back a rebound off of a penalty corner shot. UConn converted again on a penalty corner less than five minutes later as Hunnable provided the assist on a tip-in goal by Mckenzie Townsend for a 2-0 advantage heading into the intermission.
Shots and penalty corners were even at the break with both teams totaling four in each category in the first 35 minutes.
Duke opened the second half with a pair of penalty corner opportunities but all three shots were blocked by the Huskies' defense. Redshirt goalkeeper Lauren Blazing came up with several diving saves at the other end to preserve the two-goal game.
With time running off the clock, the Blue Devils worked to push the ball forward into the scoring circle, but had another set piece on a corner broken up by the UConn defense. Duke's defensive corner personnel remained stalwart against two shots by the Huskies around the 10-minute mark, and the squad generated two more penalty corner opportunities of its own inside the final four minutes but was unable to get past Mansfield in goal.
"We have to execute in our corner situations against a team like Connecticut," Bustin said. "It was very difficult to generate a lot of attack when they have a goalkeeper in Sarah Mansfield who is fantastic. They also put a lot of numbers in front of the ball when we're trying to attack and it makes it difficult. We didn't execute on our opportunities."
Shots were even at the conclusion of the contest with both teams tallying 10 each, while the Blue Devils led in penalty corners, 10-6.
Blazing finished with three saves against five shots on goal and UConn's Mansfield made five stops.
The Huskies captured their third NCAA title and first since 1985.
Senior forward Emmie Le Marchand, who accounted for five goals and 14 points during Duke's NCAA Tournament run, was joined on the 2013 NCAA Division I All-Tournament team by Heimbach and sophomore defender Hannah Barreca.
Sunday's championship match represented the final contest for Duke's eight-member senior class, including Ashley Camano, Grace Christus, Devon Gagliardi, Heimbach, Le Marchand, Rescigno, McKay Ross and graduate student Cherry Seaborn. The group guided the Blue Devils to an NCAA quarterfinals appearance in 2011 and the 2013 title match.
- Le Marchand concludes her career fifth all-time in program history with 139 points and seventh in career goals with 55. She topped the 100-point mark for her career this fall.
- Bustin earned the 200th victory of her coaching career in Friday's NCAA semifinals.


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who? you ask....a FA QB from TB and dallas, mostly 3rd string and practice squad
Rudy Carpenter (QB)
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 218
College:Arizona State
Hometown: Westlake, CA
High School: Westlake
Choose QuarterbacksBomar, RhettFreeman, JoshSanchez, MarkStafford, MatthewWhite, Pat
After leading the Sun Devils to a share of the Pac-10 championship in 2007 and emerging as one of the nation's most consistent passers, Carpenter and the rest of his teammates struggled through a disappointing 2008 campaign. His own statistics weren't as impressive as expected (2,493 yards, 16 TDs, nine INTs), nor was his team, a preseason top 15 pick that stumbled to a 5-7 record.
Carpenter lacks the monster arm every NFL team is looking for, but his toughness, mobility and accuracy in the short to medium range should make him an interesting second-day option for teams using the West Coast offense. Had an arm span of 31 3/4 inches and a hand span of 8 5/8 inches at the combine.
High SchoolA 2004 graduate of Westlake (Calif.) High School...the Los Angeles Daily News Offensive Player of the Year...a pre- and postseason All-America selection by Prepstar Magazine...listed as the No. 67 player in California by SuperPrep Magazine...listed as the No. 36 player in California and a preseason All-American by SuperPrep Magazine...rated as the No. 20 quarterback in the nation by rivals.com...played in the Cali-Florida High School All-Star game...statistics as a senior included 2,705 passing yards (163 completions on 262 attempts) and 36 touchdowns and only six interceptions...also rushed for 626 yards and seven scores...Led Westlake to a Division IV Championship and a 14-0 season...lists that season as his most exciting sports experience...as a junior, was all-state, all-league, all-county, All-C.I.F. and league Most Valuable Player...completed 295 passes on 408 pass attempts for 3,200 yards and 32 touchdowns as a junior...also had 800 yards rushing and six rushing touchdowns...also was the Most Valuable Player for Newbury Park's baseball and basketball teams as well...played at Newbury Park High School before his senior season...coached by Jim Benkert (same as current Sun Devil Josh Golden).
Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.
AnalysisPositives: Tough quarterback. Has played behind a leaky offensive line throughout his career and has absorbed a lot of punishment. Not a traditional running threat, but is a creative, alert scrambler who can buy some time escaping the rush to complete the pass. Keeps his eyes downfield despite heavy pressure. Acclimated quickly to new offense and has experience as a drop-back and shotgun passer. Scans the field efficiently. Gets good depth on his drop back and has a very quick set up and delivery. Good short- to medium-range accuracy -- especially for the quick slants, outs and square-ins necessary for the West Coast Offense. Flashes the touch to place the ball between defenders. Throws a very catchable ball. Consistently places passes where only his receivers can get them. Extremely competitive. Added 15 pounds of muscle during the 2008 spring.
Negatives: Relies more on his accuracy and understanding of the offense, rather than a monster arm to complete passes. Lacks the arm for a traditional deep pass offense. Will telegraph his passes by locking onto a receiver, and lacks the arm strength to zip passes through tight windows. Won the respect of his teammates with his toughness, but has a ****y, gunslinger mentality that has drawn criticism from some.
Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.


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A-W baseball team thumps Knoxville at O'Brien Field in Peoria
Cold, wind and a few snow flakes couldn't slow the Annawan-Wethersfield baseball team Friday at O'Brien Field in Peoria.
Trey Hannam led a 12-hit A-W attack with three hits as the Titans rolled to a 15-3 win over Knoxville on the home field of the Peoria Chiefs.
A-W tallied in each of its first three at-bats, including five runs in the third inning, to build an 8-0 lead.
The Titans sealed the 6-inning win with three runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth.
Hannam's day included two doubles, four runs and two RBI.
Other offensive leaders for A-W were Tyler Litton with two hits and three RBI, Kegan Jacobson with two hits, Grant Baele with three runs and Matt Jenkins with two runs.
Cody Phillips earned the win for A-W, working five innings and allowing four hits with five strikeouts. Tony Gripp worked a scoreless sixth for the Titans.
The win lifts A-W to 10-3 on the season.
The Titans are back in action today, hosting West Central in a Lincoln Trail Conference doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. on the F-S diamond at Howes Park in Annawan.


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A number of appointment processes and discussions await the Ridgecrest city council at Wednesday's meeting, as it moves forward on filling a vacancy following the resignation of Mayor Pro Tem Jason Patin on Aug. 9.
A number of appointment processes and discussions await the Ridgecrest city council at Wednesday's meeting, as it moves forward on filling a vacancy following the resignation of Mayor Pro Tem Jason Patin on Aug. 9.
California law requires the council to fill the vacancy within 60 days. According to the staff report attached to the council item, the deadline is Oct. 2, 2013. The appointee will serve out the last of Patin's term, which ends Dec. 3.
City council has a list of options in filling the vacancy: Special election, appointment, an application process, and appointment of the person with the third-highest vote from the 2012 election.
According to the agenda item, a special election will cost the city a minimum of $98,000, depending on the level of service.
City Clerk Rachel Ford confirmed that price Monday, citing that it was the last cost estimate received from the county.
"We are just not set up to hold the ballots, codify or count the results," Ford said. She added that going through the county for a stand alone election was much less expensive.
"A stand alone election can cost a lot more than $98,000," Ford said. "In Riverside when they had to fill a vacant position, it cost at least $1 million for a stand alone election."
Mayor Dan Clark said Monday during a press meeting that he preferred the appointment of the third-highest vote getter from the 2012 election. Former Mayor Ron Carter received the third-highest votes following Councilmembers Jim Sanders and Lori Acton.
While Ridgecrest implemented term limits for its elected officials in 2012, Clark said that confirmation from the city attorney's office would allow Carter to serve. Carter would be grandfathered in due to his status as a councilmember prior to the start of term limits.
"If the council doesn't feel comfortable with that and wants to go to an appointment process, then that is the way we can go," Clark said.
He said while the entire process of appointment is up to the council, he will lean toward looking at the list of possible candidates suggested by councilmembers.
An application process, Clark said, would be too cumbersome given that all interviews would need to be conducted in a public forum.
Clark said he has received two names from Sanders, and could consider an appointment from the Planning Commission.
"Generally we tend to appoint from the planning commission, as they have some idea of what the council does, so a number of them would be candidates," Clark said.
Appointments to outside committees
Council will need to fill two appointments to outside boards after following Patin's resignation.
Council members will need to be appointed to serve on a spot on the Ridgecrest Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and act as a liaison to the League of California Cities.
"We will ask our city council members to step up to the plate to fill those vacancies," Clark said.
Petroglyph event
Council will also consider taking action on officially endorsing a proposed Petroglyph Festival as a signature event in November 2014, and potentially set aside funding for the event.
The planned event is one way for the city to generate revenue for its coffers and help jump start an economy hard hit by federal furloughs and sequestration. The idea is to heavily market the presence of the Coso Range Petroglyphs — the largest concentration of petroglyph art in North America — and make it a selling theme to bring tourism to Ridgecrest.
"This is an opportunity to have a huge economic driver for our community, similar to Mule Days in Bishop," Clark said. "I want council to take ownership of this event and help fund it if is necessary."
Clark said the benefit of the city running the event would include portions of the revenue, along with the residual income through sales and transient occupancy taxes that trickle down from the general economy.
"While there is no silver bullet to our economic troubles, if this is marketed correctly, this could be a real help," Clark said.
Clark said the planning for the event is still in the fledging stages, with a committee only just starting to discuss possible plans of attack.
Council will also receive an update on the city's finances as the city finance director presents the 2013 year-end results.
As of press time on Monday, the information was not available for the finances.
The council meeting is scheduled at 6 p.m. at City Hall at 100 W. California Ave. on Wednesday.


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On Sunday, March 25, 2007, a routine call came into the Moncks Corner, S.C. Police Department on a domestic violence situation. But there is never anything routine about domestic violence and that day was no different. Before the afternoon was over two officers lay dead including Quincy native Michael Wells.
Wells and Officer Marcus Stiles were the only officers ever killed while on active duty in Moncks Corner. Lt. Michael Roach was the men's immediate supervisor and was devastated by the deaths.
There were memorials and the department has done things but I always wanted to do something. When it happened we'd never loss an officer but in that year (nationwide) 186 officers were killed in the line of duty that year," Roach said.
A motorcycle enthusiast, Roach did what, he said, worked for him at the time. He took a 2006 Yamaha Roadstar and transformed it. Taking the bike down to the frame was only the beginning.
"I designed it and Custom Chopper out of Summerville, S.C. did all of the art work. There are several murals on the bike, including two on both saddle bags, each contains 98 names, equaling the 186 officers. Another mural contains an officers' badge with the black ribbon across it, while another is a flag draped coffin. On the fender are replicas of the badges of Wells and Stiles, their officers' numbers K-11 and K-15 respectively, are painted on. He said that five different shades of blue were used to paint the bike.
Roach said he took the motto, "In Valor There is Honor" that appears on the motorcycle and the back of his T-shirt from the Law Enforcement Wall in Washington, D.C. Once the motorcycle was completed, Roach took it first to the Memorial Wall.
"I brought it here because I wanted the families to see it first.
Each year, since the death of Officer Wells, representatives from the police department make the trip to Quincy to visit the grave site and memoralize their fallen comrade.
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Major Corporations, More Republicans Endorse Gay Marriage
More than 200 businesses filed a brief on Wednesday that urges the Supreme Court to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, the federal law that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman, Reuters reports.
A number of high profile companies, including Microsoft, Google, Starbucks, Pfizer, Amazon.com and Citigroup, have signed the document. Some of the businesses, as well a number of different corporations, are filing a separate document on Thursday that urges the Supreme Court to nix Proposition 8, the California law that bans same-sex marriage. CNN Money points out Apple, Facebook, eBay, Intel and Morgan Stanley signed the brief related to Prop. 8.
In the brief regarding DOMA, attorney Sabin Willett wrote that the measure "requires that employers treat one employee differently from another, when each is married, and each marriage is equally lawful." He added that DOMA makes business difficult to conduct because the law is not enforced nationwide as 12 states have legalized gay marriage or recognize same-sex marriages that have been performed in other states. He also wrote that DOMA forces businesses to discriminate and sometimes go against its own policies and local law, like when dealing with healthcare plans.
"We must do all of this in states, counties and cities that prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and demand equal treatment of all married individuals," the lawyer wrote.
When it comes to the brief dealing with Prop. 8, the document reads, "By singling out a group for less favorable treatment, Proposition 8 impedes businesses from achieving the market's ideal of efficient operations -- particularly in recruiting, hiring, and retaining talented people who are in the best position to operate at their highest capacity. Amici are competing domestically and internationally with companies inside and outside the United States in places where all couples, regardless of whether they are of the same sex, are afforded equal access to marriage."
On Tuesday, it was reported 75 notable Republicans signed a similar brief to the Supreme Court and urged that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right. But as the New York Times points out, more than 100 GOPers have now signed the document, including Beth Myers, a top adviser to Mitt Romney, and Marilyn Musgrave, a retired Colorado congresswoman who strongly opposed marriage equality during her political career.
David Frum, a conservative journalist and former George W. Bush speechwriter, wrote for the Daily Beast and explained why he decided to sign the brief opposing Prop. 8.
"I signed it as a long-time opponent of same-sex marriage, worried by exactly the arguments advanced by the Californians who passed Proposition 8 to stop it: that the spread of same-sex marriage would change the way men and women thought about marriage in ways that would discourage them from forming married families," he said. "Since 2009, we have seen a sharp decline in this country in both marriage and childbearing. But that decline obviously has little or nothing to do with same-sex marriage. It has obviously everything to do with the economic crisis-and the long previous years of persistent decline in the wages and opportunities of Americans, especially young Americans."
Frum added, "As a conservative concerned with stabilizing families to rely less on government aid, I have been convinced: I've been worrying about the wrong thing. Stopping same-sex marriages does nothing to support families battered by economic adversity. Instead, it excludes and punishes people who seek only to live as conservatives would urge them to live. Treating same-sex partnerships differently from husband-wife marriages only serves to divide and antagonize those who ought to be working together."
Ken Mehlman, a former chairman of the Republican National Convention, who is openly gay, organized the brief, which will be submitted on Thursday to overturn Prop. 8.
According to the Scoutusblog, a blog that analyzes Supreme Court cases, the brief "has the potential to break through and make a real difference.
"The person who is going to decide this case, if it's going to be close, is going to be a conservative justice who respects traditional marriage but nonetheless is sympathetic to the claims that this is just another form of hatred," Tom Goldstein, the blog's writer, said. "If you're trying to persuade someone like that, you can't persuade them from the perspective of gay rights advocacy."
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on DOMA and Prop. 8 on Mar. 26 and 27. President Barack Obama, strongly supports the repeal of the DOMA and has told his administration not to defend it in court.


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Ray "el rey de la noche!"....merely a Jersey Guy with a microphone, a transmitter, and an internet connection. I'm proud to host New Jersey's only all live/all local/all night show...every weeknight from 11 to 3...spreading the gospel of the Garden State to every corner of the globe via RadioPup on your smartphone...on your computer at nj1015.com...at home and in your car from the big and imposing frequency modulated stick at 101.5! I've been a resident of Manalapan since 1987, and have watched the town grow. And I don't plan to move out of here any time soon...unless the taxes become unbearable, in which case maybe I'll go back to my grandmother's little village in Nola, Italy and speak in non-incoherent Neapolitan much to the amusement of the locals.
Everything that Rocks the River City


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Team Tournament predictions
Canon-McMillan High School's wrestling team is four victories away from establishing an unprecedented standard for Class AAA team wrestling in the WPIAL.
The Big Macs have won the past three WPIAL Team Tournament titles and begin a quest for a fourth tonight in Canonsburg with a first-round dual meet against Ringgold.
No other Class AAA wrestling program has won more than three consecutive titles. North Allegheny, under the late Gus DeAugustino, won championships from 1986 through 1988. The Tigers' program was so dominant in the 1980s that it also won titles in 1984 and 1990. Only the Tom Dolde Sr.-coached Connellsville team stopped North Allegheny from making that streak five straight titles with a 31-29 win in the 1989 semifinals.
Interestingly, Canon-McMillan will have to get past second-seeded Connellsville in the semifinals of this year's bracket.
With the bulk of last year's team that won the state team and individual team titles in Hershey back, Canon-McMillan seems a lock to win a fourth straight title.
The big threat should come from Franklin Regional, which has bolstered its lineup with the return of heavyweight Luke Fleck and 120-pounder Conner Medlang. Franklin Regional handed Kiski its first loss of the season in the Section 1 finals last week.
Canon-McMillan has been battling injuries with Malachi Krenzelak, a 145-pound junior, and William Pihiou, a 152-pound senior, missing time. If they are healthy and Solomon Chishko, a bronze medalist in last year's PIAA Championships, returns from a fractured elbow suffered in the preseason Super 32 Tournament in November, the Big Macs should prevail.
Final Four prediction: Canon-McMillan, Kiski, North Allegheny, Franklin Regional
Finals prediction: Canon-McMillan 31, Franklin Regional 21
The Class AA title also could be influenced by injuries. Burrell has won a WPIAL-record six championships in a row and has the No. 1 seed. But South Fayette has been surging at the end of the season, winning a thrilling rematch against Chartiers-Houston to capture the Section 1 team title.
Burrell has gone through most of the season without two of its top middleweights. Corey Falleroni, a 152-pound junior, missed five weeks and Phil Marra, a 145-pound senior, missed a month because of injuries, Both returned last week but rust and conditioning could be a problem.
The Bucs have rolled through their Class AA opponents and the 11-4 record is misleading because the four losses came against the top Class AAA teams in the WPIAL this season: Kiski, Franklin Regional, Belle Vernon and North Allegheny.
South Fayette, the No. 2 seed, was not given much hope on most prognosticators' rankings at the start of the season. The Lions got a late start because the football team advanced to the WPIAL semifinals. A slow, steady climb and the rounding into shape of wrestlers who played football have the Lions confident they are peaking at the right time of the season.
The flip which decided who sends their wrestlers to the mat first will be critical in deciding the outcome of the final.
Final Four prediction: Burrell, Chartiers-Houston, Jefferson-Morgan, South Fayette
Finals prediction: Burrell 32, South Fayette 29.


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Genea-Blogger, Randy Seaver, each and every week, posts a blog about Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.
His challenge for today is:
It's Saturday Night again — time for some Genealogy Fun (what else is there to do on Saturday Night?)!!
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:
1) Decide which of your (many?) genealogy research adventures in 2011 was your "very best" (your definition).
2) Tell us about it in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, in a Status report or comment on Facebook, or in a Stream note on Google Plus.
Well, I can do this one.
My very best was the study I did on Inferential Genealogy, a method of study by Dr. Thomas Jones.
Using this link, you can follow that journey (backwards)
This was the outcome of studying Inferential Genealogy in Second Life, with that awesome group of people.
Besides the trip to the Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, several trips to Gettysburg, several other trips to Baltimore, I was able take a Name, mentioned in a PBS TV show, and find out how I was related to that Civil War Hero (David Ridgely Howard).
Along the way, found another connection to DearMYRTLE, a couple of days spending time with she and her husband, only to find that he and I had Revolutionary War gentlemen in the same unit at Valley Forge.
There is a PS: to this story. Over Christmas, the Gettysburg show on PBS was reshown. The kicker is, that at the very end of the discussion of Ridgely Howard (as they called him and where I started), was mention that his house was haunted.


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When country violinist Amanda Shires goes on tour, she meets a lot of interesting people. Once after a show in Tampa, Florida, a fellow calling himself Tiger Bill handed her a mysterious bag — whose contents, he said, would make her "bulletproof."
"And I opened it and looked inside of it," Shires recalls. "And it was whiskers and claws and teeth and fur."
Shires could have used a little protection during the run-up to her latest album, Down Fell The Doves. In the months before starting work on the record, she had broken a finger, ended a long-term relationship and watched as a cherished instrument — her 150-year-old fiddle, with which she had toured for 15 years — was destroyed in an onstage accident.
Shires discusses her challenging year and the dark, frank music that came out of it with NPR's Jacki Lyden. Click the audio link to hear their conversation.
It's WEEKENDS on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, from NPR News. I'm Jacki Lyden. And it's time now for some music.
AMANDA SHIRES: (Singing) I wanna look like a bird, scissor wings and split the sky...
LYDEN: Country violinist Amanda Shires had a tough 2011.
SHIRES: I had broken my fiddle on stage, in an accident. That's the one that I toured with for 15 years, and it was over 150 years old. And I ended a relationship - that was a long-term relationship, and then broke my left ring finger in three places. And I have three pins still in it; spiral fracture.
LYDEN: Even as a child, she was a hardscrabble sort of Lubbock girl. The art on her new album shows a tattooed and smiling woman tumbling upside down. Amanda Shires is fragile and tough at the same time, and she's in a better place now. Her finger's healed, and she got married this spring. But that hard year laid the foundation for a new album called "Down Fell the Doves."
I spoke with Amanda Shires from her tour stop in Buffalo. And we started at the beginning, and the story of what led her to the violin as a 10-year-old.
SHIRES: I went with my dad to a pawnshop in Mineral Wells, Texas, called AD Garretts. And he was in there shopping for a new hunting knife because he wanted one with a compass on it. And I just saw this fiddle hanging on the wall, and I just asked if we could look at it, and he said yeah. Pretty much just begged him to get it for me. It was $65 - which was, for us, a lot of money. He said if I - if he got that for me, I'd have to learn how to play it. And I said I would do that.
And then it just started from there. After that, I went home from my dad's, in the summer, to my mom's, in Lubbock, Texas. And she started me in orchestra and private violin lessons.
LYDEN: There's another song here that pays homage to someone I also just grew up on and love, and this is "A Song for Leonard Cohen." Let's hear a little bit of it.
SHIRES: Oh, man. I'm excited about me and you.
SHIRES: (Singing) I wish that I could buy you a drink, and then more, and then five. I'd get you drunk, and it'd get me out going all week or just this one night...
LYDEN: So what is Leonard Cohen's influence on your work?
SHIRES: Well, I started appreciating Leonard Cohen when I started reading his poetry. I think I just love words so much that I just - I don't know; I fell in love with his. And then I started reading more about him and listening to his music.
I like the place that he came from. I like that he is studied in poetry, and then switched over to music and had a little problem with stage fright. And I like that he played for mental hospitals and things like that. There's a lot of cool things about him. And he's very handsome; I don't know if you've seen him.
LYDEN: Yeah, I have. And I would agree.
SHIRES: He can dance like a madman.
LYDEN: Uh-huh. In that weathered kind of way - I think I can say that, yeah. I also read that you have a Leonard Cohen verse tattooed on your arm.
SHIRES: Yes, I do. Now, this is something I want to talk to him about because I've read in some biographies about him that he doesn't think that "Hallelujah" should be covered anymore. So...
LYDEN: And that's the verse you've got.
SHIRES: ...I decided that - yeah, I don't have to get - I don't have to learn that song or cover that song because I'd hate for him to hate that, if I ever did get to meet him. So I just got the tattoo.
LYDEN: Can you read me the verse?
SHIRES: Sure. It says, "Love is not a victory march. It's a cold, and it's a broken, hallelujah."
SHIRES: (Singing) We'd compare mythologies, and toast those friends that never believed that our voices ever had much to offer. And then maybe we would go for a walk, and I'll just listen while you talk.
LYDEN: You know, you mentioned a minute ago that one of the things you liked about Cohen - you said he had bouts of stage fright. Does that happen to you?
SHIRES: Yeah. I don't really know why I get it. I just do. I think if somebody could figure out how to cure that, I think a lot of people would be happy. Kris Kristofferson, I heard - we should start a support group.
LYDEN: Yeah, deep breathing - the deep-breathing group.
SHIRES: Yeah. I haven't tried that. I've tried alcohol, and that doesn't really do anything except make you fall over.
LYDEN: That doesn't work.
LYDEN: It does something else, but yeah - deep, deep breathing.
SHIRES: Yeah. Yes.
LYDEN: I just want to ask you about the song "Bulletproof," where you wonder what it would be like to be invincible. Let's listen to a little bit of it.
SHIRES: (Singing) Tiger Bill gave me a tiger claw from a real Siberian tiger's paw. He said, this'll make you bulletproof. So I got this tiger claw from a real Siberian tiger paw, in my pocket. It's got me thinking now, what if I really could be bulletproof...
LYDEN: What is the story there?
SHIRES: Truly, it's a true story. Traveling around, playing songs for people, you make a lot of friends. And that's a good thing because starting out as a touring musician, you often need a place to sleep. Then folks start bringing you things. I prefer bottles of wine, at least $10 or greater, in value; hardback books.
LYDEN: Got to make the time go by.
SHIRES: I wasn't making any hints. But I was playing this show in Tampa, Fla., and I went to sell some CDs afterwards and was talking to some folks. And this guy in a Hawaiian shirt - you know - reeking of pot, approached me. And he had this bag, like a brown lunch bag; and he said, "I brought this for you. My name's Tiger Bill." And I said oh, thank you. I appreciate this.
And he said - and I opened it up, and I looked inside of it, and it was whiskers and claws and teeth and fur and animal parts - very obviously, animal parts.
LYDEN: Oh, my.
SHIRES: And I said, thank you so much, Tiger Bill. This is just great. I just love this.
LYDEN: You are a welcoming soul.
SHIRES: (Laughing) And he - yeah. And he...
LYDEN: But did you say, "Hey, it's not a" - is it a real tiger?
SHIRES: Well, I was being polite. I wasn't sure what to make of it, you know? And so I said, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. And he said, "OK, trust me here. If anything, you have to keep the whiskers and the claws because they'll make you bulletproof." And I said, all right. And he said, "But it's not what you think." And I said, how do you know what I'm thinking? And he said, "I take care of tigers and big cats and things. We have like, this sanctuary and stuff, and they shed these things. So you don't have to worry that I'm just this crazy person out there, killing tigers and bringing them to girl musicians in Florida." So I said, thank you so much.
And then the next morning, I was just laughing about how odd that was. And then I just started writing that song because that would be awesome if I could be bulletproof. It'd be like winning the lottery. But I don't want to encourage anybody to try switchblades out from any performance. And don't bring out any tasers or anything.
LYDEN: Well, Amanda Shires, it has been a real pleasure talking to you. You clearly are getting enough experiences to fill lots of albums. We really like this one, and look forward to the next one.
That's Amanda Shires. Her new album is called "Down Fell the Doves." It's out this week. Thank you so much for speaking with us from Buffalo, New York.
SHIRES: Thank you.
SHIRES: (Singing) Through whatever the weather the rest of our days ... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Expendables 2, The (US - BD RA)
Gabe hopes they dig up Bronson and Marvin's carcases for the next one...
The team signs on for a mission that looks like an easy paycheck for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries. But things go wrong fast and one of their own is killed by a psychotic terrorist for hire. Hell-bent on payback, they cut a swath of destruction through enemy territory and wreak havoc upon their opponents. In the midst of the mayhem, they must also shut down an unexpected threat in the nick of time – prevent five tons of weapons-grade plutonium from falling into the wrong hands. (From Lionsgate's official synopsis)
I admit that I was excited by the prospect of Sylvester Stallone getting 'the gang' together for a big action sweepstakes back when the original Expendables was announced. I didn't have much faith in the 'talents' of folks like Randy Couture and Steve Austin, but a good, old-fashioned 'tough guys on a mission' movie with a full-bodied, call-back cast seemed like a win/win proposition. Then I saw the movie. Stallone and company managed to squelch almost every ounce of cool out of their concept by barely using the more exciting members of the cast for more than a few minutes, tempering the impact of their violence by hedging their bets on a PG-13 rating, and wasting hours of the audience's time on the dull adventures of Stallone and Jason Statham – as if there hadn't been a heavily advertised promise of further action movie royalty. Despite the mismanaged cast and only a handful of tepid action sequences, The Expendables has its fans. These fans that assure me up and down that I just 'don't understand' this film and claim it's the natural extension of the boorish, gory action films of the '80s and early '90s. I have no idea what the these people are talking about, because I've seen literally hundreds, maybe thousands of the A and B-action flicks of the '80s and '90s and outside of some familiar faces, I see very little I recognize as the specific product of a bygone era. The original Expendables (a bit of a misnomer, considering at least three other films share the title) was, in my plenty educated opinion, a nearly categorical failure. This was especially disappointing, because at the time of its release Stallone had just revisited his two most popular franchises and made both a successful retrospective character piece with Rocky Balboa and a successfully bombastic and hyper-gory retrospective action flick with Rambo.
But the idea of The Expendables lived beyond the crushing disappointment of the actual film, leaving even me to look forward to the possibility of a sequel – this time with even more has-been action heroes, including the biggest comeback king of the bunch – Jean-Claude Van Damme. Besides, Stallone himself still has some talent left in him as a director and I had faith that, given the right circumstance, he could make the concept work. Then he went and hired Simon freakin' West to take over as the director of Expendables 2. If Simon West isn't the worst working director of his specific Jerry Bruckheimerian generation, he's certainly in the running. Everything old film critics complain about when they refer to 'music video filmmaking' is an integral part of West's pastiche of empty, detached, and often downright ugly images. His most watchable films – Con Air, The General's Daughter, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – only work as well as their casts, while When a Stranger Calls and The Mechanic sit easily among the worst post-millennial remakes I've ever seen. Much to my surprise, West doesn't completely botch this particular assignment, despite ripping off Saving Private Ryan at every available turn. He threatens to overcut the action into pieces too small to appreciate, but captures some nice, expensive scale without wasting the audience's time with obtuse shaky-cam. The bulk of the action is also clearly captured in camera, which is a respectful ode to the films he's apparently aping (I still don't see anything particularly '80s-ish in these images). I can state this with certainty, because anytime digital effects are a part of the equation they are so terribly executed there's no question of their artificiality. West's hack colours show when he's not shooting action, where he continues to overcut, coat most scenes in unexplainable smoke, and constantly messes up eye-lines (some of which can apparently be blamed on actors' schedules not adding up).
Expendables 2 does a much better job delivering on its promised giant cast, even if characters constantly disappear and reappear with little to no explanation. It also appears that the carryover cast members recognized their lack of charisma in the first film. The ensemble chemistry is a little more believable this time, too, though I still find defining character elements difficult to find, expect maybe Stallone (regretful), Statham (pussy-whipped), and Lundgren (the wacky born loser). This 'upgrade' is minimal, but enough for my basement-level expectations. Not surprisingly, it's newcomer Jean-Claude Van Damme that sits ahead of everyone else to the point that it sometimes appears that he's the only actor in on the joke. The storytelling requirements here are similar to the requirements made of Joss Whedon on The Avengers – both projects are about gathering the team, making them interact, and supplying them with action set-pieces. Stallone and co-writer Richard Wenk have very little required of them in terms of narrative and are also permitted huge holes in plot and logic. A little more originality or surprise would be welcome, but is, again, not a requirement. All the screenplay (which I'm sure was barely a suggested outline to begin with) really needs to do is keep things moving in a nominally logical matter. I could do without all the stupid soliloquies on war and violence, but words are mostly a side effect of the movement to further cameos and action. The comedy is closer to funny this time too, though the excess of self-referential, overly modest dialogue is both annoying and a bit insulting. This should really be expected, I suppose, since old men tend to repeat jokes until someone acknowledges them. Every disc should've come with a 'we get it, Grandpa' button that makes the 'I'll be back' gags stop.
The action (you know, the other of the two requirements) is more potent this time around and closer to the wall-to-wall stuff we expected from the lacklustre original film. Considering the sheer quantity of martial arts experience in the cast it shouldn't have been too difficult to hash out a little more decent hand-to-hand combat. Apparently, West and Stallone were willing to listen to the voices of experience surrounding them, which leads to some extended stand-out fisticuffs, especially Statham's knife fight with the mini-boss and Stallone & Van Damme's climatic burly brawl. There were horrible rumours that West and Stallone were hedging their bets on a PG-13 rating, which, as stated, was one of the biggest problems with the first film – it felt truncated and safe. Worse was the further rumour that the PG-13 was requested by old fogy Chuck Norris, who was supposedly offended by the script's naughty language. The idea of a supposedly 'no holds barred' action extravaganza being held hostage by a 72-year-old who happened to be the least interesting member of the ensemble was kind of mortifying. Thankfully, the final film is plenty gory. Not Rambo gory, but plenty gory. I do notice an awful lot digital augmentation to the gore, which might lend credence to the original rumours.
There's not a lot about The Expendables 2 that recalls the '80s, outside of the cast and basic concept, but Simon West and cinematographer Shelly Johnson do shoot on good, old-fashioned 35mm film. Well, 35mm film plus a whole lot of digital grading to alter the colour timing (more on that in a second). This 1080p, 2.35:1 transfer is a strong representation of the format through and through, featuring sharp contrast levels, rich colour quality, and plenty of fine grain for added texture. Some viewers might find this image too grainy and object to the way the grain tends to snow-up some of the blacks, but, aside from some weird telecine-looking effects on some of the harsher edges, I mostly like the 'shorthand to gritty' look, even at the risk of some fine detail. The high contrast levels help keep details crisp despite the pervasive grain and darkness, but there is definitely an overall inconsistency to textures (this may be the result of West and Johnson mixing different takes without any regard for continuity). Extreme close-ups and expansive wide-shots fare the best, especially those rare occasions when everything isn't overwhelmed by fog and smoke. The basic colour palette is divided into more or less two categories – Jan u s z Kaminski's trademarked desaturated look and, unfortunately, orange and bloody teal. The desaturated and cooled daylight sequences tend to feature something in the way of natural skin tones, but the majority of the darker sequence's hues fall into that O&T uncanny valley, specifically any sequence shot on the airplane set. In keeping with most O&T-heavy movies, the most common highlight colours are rich reds and deep blues. These are generally solid and consistent without bleeding or blooming issues. I'd just prefer a bit more variety. There's a bit of edge enhancement here and there, but no major blocking effects in the grain.
The Expendables 2 comes fitted with a 11.1 channel DTS Neo:X optimized, DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 soundtrack. It's kind of ironic that a movie so steeped in antiquity would feature an industry first sound format on its initial Blu-ray release. You'd think something more 'new-school,' like The Avengers, would break this particular ground, but there you go. Note that I personally don't even have a 7.1 set up in my rather compact apartment, so I'm not really getting the benefit of the extra channels for this review. I'm pretty sure no one is getting the benefit just yet, actually, and, as I understand, the extra four channels aren't discreet, either. Regardless, this bombastic mix sounds just fine in old-fashioned 5.1. The film's opening action sequence alone is enough to fulfill the duties of this newfangled technology. This sequence features about a dozen different calibres of firearms, each with their own specific sonic firing and impact tones, about a dozen different notarized vehicles (most of which eventually slam into each other), more large-scale explosions than most movies feature over a two-hour runtime, and even some clanging pots and pans via Jet Li's brief hand to hand kitchen massacre. Besides some really bad ADR work, dialogue remains clear and relatively natural, at least as natural as any dialogue spoken by these actors can be (though the volume levels tend to be a bit inconsistent depending on the surrounding noise). Brian Tyler continues moving up the ranks as Lionsgate's go-to composer for hire with this boisterous and nostalgic score. The music is a little too wrapped-up in recalling other scores (I hear quite a bit of Alan Silvestri here, myself, though that might just be the additional use of oldies, ala Predator) to stand alone, but features plenty of modern percussive and electronic elements that don't sound hackneyed, which was definitely an issue for his music when he was first getting started. The music pumps pretty consistently throughout the film without overwhelming key effects, but I'm most impressed by its tendency to slide into the surround channels for little instrumental highlights.
Extras begin with an audio commentary featuring Simon West solo. In a perfect world, West would be surrounded by the cast, but, even in an imperfect world, one would hope Stallone would've joined or replaced him. Stallone's commentaries tend to have downtime, but are rarely boring. West is fine, though. He tends to focus on production design, crediting his crew, and the technical aspects of shooting the film's action scenes, which was apparently his main duty as director. He accepts a lot of credit for the gags in the more complex set-pieces, leading me to think I may have been too harsh on my assessment of his work in the Feature section of this review. There are plenty of interesting little factoids peppered throughout the track that are not available elsewhere on the extras, many pertaining to the logistics of making it appear that these actors were sharing the screen when they were not (apparently, the production was moved to Jet Li for his scenes, not the other way around). At worst, West narrates the on-screen action, but he does tend to do it in an amusingly dismissive fashion. My only real complaint is that West really doesn't discuss Stallone's role on set, because the other extras seem to verify he worked as a secondary director for the non-action scenes. I don't necessarily suspect West is stealing credit, I was just curious.
Next up is Gods of War: Assembling Earth's Mightiest Anti-Heroes (21:20, HD), a behind the scenes featurette covering the writing process, improving on the first film's tone, recasting/gathering further cast members, why Stallone didn't officially direct this time around, and putting together the final fight sequence. It includes interviews with Stallone, West, producers Avi Lerner, Les Weldon and Kevin King-Templeton, and cast members Lundgren, Van Damme, Randy Couture, and Terry Crews. Big Guns, Bigger Heroes: The 1980s and the Rise of the Action Film (25:00, HD) covers the social aspects of that very specific brand of action-hero-headed movie that came out of the Reagan era, including interviews with writer/critics John Meroney, Leo Braudy, Susan Jeffords, Chris Carle, First Blood director Ted Kotcheff, Stallone, 48 Hours and Die Hard writer Steven E. De Souza, Commando writer Jeph Loeb, and Ron Reagan (son of the former President). This featurette is a little too short to really cover all the bases and filtered through too rosy of Reagan-loving glasses for my taste, but is a solid primer on the subject. On the Assault: The Real Life Weaponry of Expendables 2 (13:40, HD) covers guns and gun safety, hosted by Randy Couture and the owner of 'The Gun Store' in Las Vegas, Tony Dee. Guns For Hire: The Real Expendables (24:20, HD) briefly covers the ins and outs of real-life mercenaries, including interviews with Trojan Securities International CEO Stephen Mastalerz, Ronin Worldwide Executive Protection owner/operator Wayne S. Cole, Ag Advisors president and CEO Greg Suhajda, and various professional mercs. Not surprisingly, this thinly-veiled recruitment video doesn't make mention of the slippery moral slopes traversed by the industry.
The extras are completed with five deleted/extended scenes (4:40, HD), a gag reel (5:10, HD), trailers for other Lionsgate releases, and Expendables-themed DTS-HD system tests.
The future looks bright for the stars of The Expendables 2. Stallone is joining Jason Momoa for Walter Hill's first R-rated action film in over a decade, Bullet in the Head. Jason Statham is going to reboot Donald E. Westlake's 'Flashfire' again (following Point Blank and Payback) under the title Parker. Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme have an apparently fantastic Universal Soldier sequel on its way to theaters entitled Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. Arnold Schwarzenegger teamed with one of Korea's most exciting filmmakers, Kim Ji-woon, for The Last Stand. Bruce Willis continues to impress with his acting choices, more than making up for his lacklustre part here by appearing in two of 2012's best – Moonrise Kingdom and Looper. We'll just hope Jet Li has something better than The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate up his sleeve in the future, and, with any luck, Chuck Norris, the absolute most unappealing action hero of all time, will just disappear into the obscure place he belongs. Until then, the fans of this particular mediocrity, which is certainly better than the first Expendables, should be plenty satisfied with this solid Blu-ray release.
* Note: The images on this page are not representative of the Blu-ray image quality.
Review by Gabriel Powers
Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian
Disc Details
Release Date: 20th November 2012
Discs: 2
Disc Type: Blu-ray Disc
RCE: No
Video: 1080p
Aspect: 2.35:1
Anamorphic: No
Colour: Yes
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 English (Optimized for DTS Neo:X 11.1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: Director Commentary, Gods of War: Assembling Earth's Mightiest Anti-Heroes, Big Guns, Bigger Heroes: The 1980s and the Rise of the Action Film, On the Assault: The Real Life Weaponry of Expendables 2, Guns For Hire: The Real Expendables, Deleted/Extended Scenes, Gag Reel, Trailers, Digital Copy, UltraViolet Copy
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Simon West
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy and War
Length: 103 minutes
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text:
There will be a third "Sharknado."
And the naysayers said the series couldn't survive after killing off Cousin Oliver.
That was a Brady Bunch joke ... come on ... really?
Anyway, the Hollywood Reporter is reporting that the Syfy network is so confident in the upcoming "Sharknado: The Second One," which airs this summer, that its already planning a third one.
Maybe, like all classic trilogies, they'll split up the last episode into two parts.
The joyous news was first reported by AdWeek, which said the third installment has yet to be titled or to line up a cast -- though actors Tara Reid and Ian Ziering have appeared in the first two movies and probably don't have anything better to do. The second one also will star Vivica A. Fox, Judd Hirsch, Andy Dick and Mark McGrath, among others.
Syfy president Dave Howe told The Hollywood Reporter in March that, while he planned to scale back on B movies, he envisioned Sharknado as something of an annual event.
Lucky us.
Directed by Antioch native Anthony C. Ferrante, "Sharknado" became a cult hit in 2013. And how could it not, with a plot featuring a wild storm dumping man-eating sharks all over Los Angeles. The sequel will pretty much be the same thing, only the sharks will kill people in New York City.
Contact Tony Hicks at Facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.TonyHicks or Twitter.com/insertfoot.


text:
Circa 1920
An amber crystal beaded chandelier with aged brass and iron framing.
Current height: 48"
Minimum height: 28"
Overall: 11-1/2" diameter
Can be UL listed for use in dry environments
3 Candelabra sockets, maximum 60 watts per socket
1 fixture total available.
On display at our 28th Street showroom.


text:
Reality TV stars Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton go way back, but they haven't seen much of each other in recent years and have been reported to be feuding.
Kardashian put those rumors to rest this weekend in Ibiza, Spain. A host of celebrities were there to celebrate Givenchy Artistic Director Riccardo Tisci 's birthday including Hilton and Kardashian.
Kim posted a photo in Instagram with the two looking like they were both having a great time with each other and the caption: "Reminiscing about the 1st time we went to Ibiza in 2006! @parishilton it was so good to see you & catch up!! Loves it lol."


text:
Hirsch #11 Bent Gouge, 25mm
Hirsch carving tools are regarded by many as Europe's finest woodcarving tools. Hand-forged of Germany's finest high carbon tool steel and tempered to a Rockwell hardness of 61, these tools will remain sharp during long periods of demanding professional use. They are finely polished inside and the bevel is carefully ground. Some honing may be necessary before use.
Each tool is fitted with a large octagonal handle providing an exceptionally powerful and sturdy grip. Overall length averages 11".
Notice to residents of California: Please read our Proposition 65 warning.


text:
Home improvements, made possible through the DREAM initiative, changes a Waynesville resident's life
Karen Foster had hit a low point in 2012 — she had broken her leg, endured a very painful knee surgery and was very ill. She felt immobile and cooped up in her 60-year-old home off Elm Street, and didn't know how much longer she could live like this.
But things started to change for Karen when she visited City Hall one day with simple intentions of paying her utility bill. Sandy Willis, executive assistant to the city administrator, approached Foster and suggested for her to apply for a grant through the Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri (DREAM) initiative.
Last year, the City of Waynesville received money as a part of the DREAM initiative to improve the homes of 10 area residents who could receive up to $20,000 in improvements each.
The City of Waynesville has been a designated DREAM city since 2010. As a DREAM city, Waynesville has been given technical and financial assistance to revitalize the downtown area and also improve the city as a whole.
Residents applying for the grants had to live within Waynesville city limits, fall within the income guidelines, and occupy their homes.
"I told her I never win anything," Foster said. "But then she explained to me that you have to qualify and that I would have a good chance."
And two days after applying, Foster received a phone call informing her that she qualified for the grant money.
Over the next few months, Foster's 60-year-old house that she had lived in since 1988 received a major facelift with brand new windows, doors, two porches, and a brand new bathroom.
"I could hardly even get in my bathroom before all this," she said. "I couldn't even go up and down my stairs. I was really just home-bound before and now I'm not."
Her house was also rewired entirely with a new heating and cooling system as a part of the grant.
While touring Foster's home after improvements were complete, Mayor Luge Hardman and State Representative Steve Lynch discussed the importance of the DREAM initiative and how great it is to see visible change because of it.
"We have been very thrilled with what's happened with the DREAM initiative and this is just a perfect example of that," she said. "I want to thank the City Staff, specifically Sandy Willis and Carol Welch, as we worked on the DREAM application and then on the paperwork for our ten homes."
Lynch thanked Hardman and others as well for working so hard for this "dream" to become a reality.
"This is why you do these kind of things," he said. "Today, with Karen Foster and the other nine families are the direct result of that — where you really get to effect a life and really make a life better. As a part of government, this is the best part. "
Foster said that she "just feels really blessed" for being selected.
" I just wish I could do more for the community because I've gotten so much help," she said. "Everybody was just wonderful to me, there is just so many people to thank."


text:
This Newport Brass 233-407/07 English Bronze 4" Square Shower Strainer is a genuine Newport Brass manufactured accessory, which is perfect for residential and commercial applications. This strainer is constructed out of a solid brass material to ensure that this product will last. This Newport Brass 233-407/07 English Bronze 4" Square Shower Strainer comes with an illustrious english bronze finish. This fixture has a beautiful lasting hue that helps to coordinate with nearly any bathroom decor; this stunning finish not only looks fantastic, but also protects this fixture's exposed metal parts from corrosion and any other water damage that may occur during use. This 4x 4 square strainer comes with hexagon shaped holes big enough to drain water but not big enough to allow clog causing debris. This strainer has been tested by the ASME and IAPMO, and they have found it to be compliant with their standards and regulations. This Newport Brass 233-407/07 English Bronze 4" Square Shower Strainer comes with a Limited ten year Newport Brass Warranty against tarnish and manufacturer defects.
|NewPort Brass
|English Bronze
|Mpn #
|Shipping Dimensions
|5.0" x 5.0" x 1.5"
|0.80 lbs.
4.5 out of 5 rating is our rating for PlumbersStock, we got that rating because we have lots of experience and great people with expertise in plumbing. BUT WE WANT YOUR HELP. This product doesn't have any reviews yet, and we don't want to write our own reviews. It is more valuable to us that the customers get to share their experience with our products. Please, if you have any experience with this product, take a moment to share and help someone else who is trying to make a decision. Thank you!


text:
Sarasota has Cay Clubs connections: 2 Local businessmen made loan to one and a Miami businessman bought a Holiday Inn and marketed it as one
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has charged five executives of a defunct resort timeshare company with defrauding investors, a scheme that involved a Manatee County hotel and millions of dollars from at least two prominent Sarasota businessmen.
Federal regulators said the founders of Cay Clubs Resorts and Marinas convinced investors they were financing development of five-star, destination resorts in Florida, Las Vegas and elsewhere. In reality, Cay Clubs was nothing more than a $300 million Ponzi scheme, the SEC contends.
The agency's complaint charges Cay Clubs president and chief executive Fred Davis Clark Jr.; chief accounting officer David W. Schwarz; manager and sales agent Cristal R. Coleman; and sales directors Barry J. Graham and Ricky Lynn Stokes.
"These Cay Clubs executives lined their pockets with millions of dollars that they told investors would be used to develop five-star resort properties," said Eric Bustillo, director of the SEC's Miami office. "They continued to defraud investors as Cay Clubs collapsed."
Neither the Cay Club principals not company attorneys could be reached for comment.
Sarasota real estate mogul David S. Band, meanwhile, continues to battle litigation in Nevada that accuses him of fraud, money laundering and breaking federal securities laws in conjunction with a proposed Cay Club development in Las Vegas.
Band in an interview Tuesday denied any knowledge of, or involvement in, the alleged Cay Club Ponzi scheme. He said he hardly knew the men with whom an investment group he led invested $25 million in 2004. The money was solicited by a mutual acquaintance at IMG's Sports Academies in Bradenton, he said.
"I don't want to get into that at this time," Band said. "I just made a loan. We all lost a lot of money."
1,400 investors across U.S.
The SEC alleges that Cay Clubs raised more than $300 million from nearly 1,400 investors nationwide through sales agents, marketing seminars and promotional videos.
Investors were asked to front the cost of redeveloping dozens of aging resorts, hotels and apartment complexes, with promises of big returns through a rental program.
But instead of using investor funds to build vacation properties, Cay Clubs executives used the money to pay returns to earlier investors, while keeping salaries and commissions totaling more than $30 million, according to the SEC.
The venture ultimately collapsed, and many of the properties that were never refurbished slipped into foreclosure. In Las Vegas, Band's group seized a proposed Cay Club and opened it as the Desert Tides Inn.
Cay Club was little known in Southwest Florida until 2009, when Band, known for the redevelopment of Main Plaza/Hollywood 20 complex in downtown Sarasota and other successful real estate ventures, was named among 77 plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit in Nevada.
The lawsuit claims Band failed to return roughly $120 million in investments made for a proposed Las Vegas Cay Club -- containing a water park, restaurant, spa, fitness center and sports academy -- that never materialized.
Sarasota philanthropist Stanley Kane also was named as a defendant in the original case, but he has since been dropped as a defendant, records show.
Kane said Tuesday he was just following advice from Band, who was his attorney and friend. Although he said he met the men behind Cay Club several times, he never suspected them of anything criminal.
"This is the biggest mistake I ever made," said Kane, who has supported several area charities, including Sarasota Family YMCA Foundation, Forty Carrots Family Center and the Asolo Repertory Theatre.
"If I would have known this, I would not have touched them with a 20-foot pole," Kane said. "I lost a lot of money in that hijacking."
As with other Cay Club deals, Las Vegas buyers were promised a "guaranteed income from renting their units," according to that lawsuit.
But the amenities never were built, and most of the resort's 342 units have since lost value and fallen into foreclosure, records show.
Nearly $75 million of the money raised remains unaccounted for, the suit claims.
Band said he, too, was a victim in the operation.
He acknowledged looking into the backgrounds of the Cay Club executives, but he would not elaborate on whether he knew them personally, citing pending litigation.
Band and Kane were introduced to the Cay Club executives by Greg Breunich, a former senior vice president at IMG, they said.
"This all came from IMG, and the guys who were running it at the time referred them to me," Band said Tuesday. "I just invested personal money and made a loan -- that's all."
Sarasota Cay Club
Drawn by sandy beaches, a thriving real estate market and a plethora of potential investors, the Cay Club concept came to Sarasota in 2005.
Miami businessman Harvey Birdman was listed as the developer of the proposed resort, at 7150 N. Tamiami Trail, near Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.
Birdman and a group bought the hotel, which once was a 178-room Holiday Inn, with a $22.6 million loan from Colonial Bank, only to default on the unfinished project three years later. Today, it is a Ramada Inn.
Birdman, who could not be reached for comment, heads a firm that also backed more than 2,000 Cay Club units in the Florida Keys that were never renovated as promised.
Birdman's Sunvest also controlled a Cay Club in Clearwater -- one of the few that opened.
A four-minute video -- with images of patrons enjoying sunset views of Bowlees Creek, lavish rooms and multimillion dollar yachts docked in the resort's 78-slip marina -- depicts the Sarasota Cay Club as a no-lose opportunity for investors.
Buyers, who also would gain access to Cay Clubs nationwide, were asked to invest $249,000 to $449,900 for the resort's initial 160-unit phase.
A second phase of 200 townhomes also was planned. It is unclear how much money Birdman collected in Sarasota before the Cay Club plan cratered.
"Purchasing your condo at Sarasota Cay Club is a smart investment," the promotional video says. "With its luxurious amenities and ideal location, Sarasota Cay Club offers you everything you need to live the good life."


text:
Linked by Amjith Ramanujam on Sun 21st Sep 2008 06:46 UTC, submitted by Rahul
Greg KH, Linux kernel developer delivered a keynote in the Linux plumbing conference about the health of the ecosystem. His message was essentially that distributions that don't contribute to the ecosystem have to rely on the whims of others which is unhealthy for them. Here is an introduction the development model and some interesting statistics about the Linux kernel code. Update by TH: Rebuttals are appearing all over the web, like this one by Canonical's Matt Zimmerman ("He's refuting a claim which has, quite simply, never been made. [...] When this sort of thing happens on mailing lists, it's called trolling."), or this one by another Canonical employee, Dustin Kirkland.
Permalink for comment 331079
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RE[3]: Rebuttals
by cdude on Mon 22nd Sep 2008 20:47 UTC in reply to "RE[2]: Rebuttals"