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New York Times Co. is formally exploring a sale of the Boston Globe, its only remaining business outside the core New York Times media brand.
The publisher is working with Evercore Partners Inc. as an adviser for a sale, Times Co. said today in a statement. The company intends to focus its strategy and investment on the Times brand, it said.
Times Co., controlled by the Ochs-Sulzberger family, is coping with a difficult advertising market as spending on national campaigns continues to shrink industrywide. The publisher has sold other assets unrelated to the Times brand, getting rid of regional newspapers and About.com within the past 13 months.
The company held $955 million in cash and short-term investments at the end of last year, largely as a result of its asset sales. In addition to the Boston Globe, the company still owns the International Herald Tribune, considered the European edition of the New York Times.
Chairman Arthur Sulzberger, who appointed former head of British Broadcasting Corp. Mark Thompson as chief executive officer in August, has been relying on new revenue sources to increase profits. National advertising dropped 10 percent across all newspapers in the first nine months of last year, according to the Newspaper Association of America.
The Times newspaper now makes more money from readers than advertisers, helped by its online subscription program, which now has more than 640,000 paying customers. The Times made $781 million in circulation sales last year, leaving out an extra week, an 11 percent increase over the previous year. That compares with a 7.4 percent decline in ad revenue to $700 million for the same period.
The Boston Globe, by contrast, still relies primarily on ad dollars. The Globe, which also owns regional newspaper Worcester Telegram & Gazette, reported a 7.8 percent drop in ad revenue last year minus the extra week to $183 million. That compares with a 1.7 percent decline in circulation sales to $155.1 million in the same period. The newspaper's online subscription program has about 28,000 paying subscribers, 8 percent more than it did at the end of September.
Times Co. tried to sell the Globe as recently as 2009 to bidders including an investor group led by Stephen Taylor, a member of the family that sold the Globe to Times Co. in 1993 for $1.1 billion, according to a person with direct knowledge of the previous sale process.
While at least one bid reached about $33 million in cash, wildly fluctuating estimates on the Boston Globe's pension liability -- ranging from $110 million to $240 million -- scuttled any deal, the person said. Bidders, who would assume the full pension liability, were unclear on the total value of the pension.
Times Co. is now seeking to divorce pension liability from the sales price, according to another person with knowledge of the process. That means a current buyer wouldn't have to assume the costs of the pension and would therefore be expected to offer a higher cash bid. Had those same conditions applied in 2009, prospective buyers could have offered more than $100 million in cash, according to the person with knowledge of the previous deal process.
Eileen Murphy, a spokeswoman for Times Co., declined to comment.
--Bloomberg News


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For a spicier flavor, substitute crushed red pepper for the black pepper.
To quickly thaw the mixed vegetables, place them in a colander and run warm tap water over them just until thawed.
Looking for something that both tastes great and is easy to make? Try this flavorful low-calorie, low-fat dish that contains vitamin C from the vegetables.
* Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.

subset: commoncrawl


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- Bakeware - Premium baking pans, cookie sheets, and more including the original Bundt pan
- Cookware – Everyday essentials plus fun styles and international specialties
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Browse Prime Time Solutions' selection of this quality, Made-in-America brand, and find out why everyone from home cooks to professional bakers and chefs love it!
*Prime Time Solutions, Inc. operates this website and is an online independent retailer of Nordic Ware brand product. We are not affiliated with Nordic Ware or www.nordicware.com


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A note from Nancy Amicangelo
As the Executive Director of Breast Cancer Network of Strength Illinois, formerly Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization, Illinois Affiliate, I would like to thank the Daily Herald for their great work in raising breast cancer awareness year after year during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
We appreciate their partnership in educating the community about this disease that strikes over 180,000 women in the U.S. annually, and more than 7,000 here in Illinois.
The stark reality of breast cancer is that, excluding skin cancers, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among U. S. women, and is the second leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer. Breast cancer does not discriminate! It crosses all cultures, races, religions, and economic status.
Therefore, awareness, information and education are vital!
While Breast Cancer Network of Strength has changed its name, it has not changed its mission, to ensure, through information, empowerment and peer support, that no one faces breast cancer alone. We provide immediate emotional relief to anyone affected by breast cancer. All our services are provided free of charge. Our purpose is to decrease the impact of breast cancer and to create and increase breast cancer awareness in all communities.
For 30 years, Network of Strength has been there for the women who cannot wait for tomorrow's cure. We would not be successful in our mission without the support of our volunteers and the generous financial support provided through individual donations, corporate sponsorship, grants and special events so that we can continue to provide all of our services free of charge.
Please take the time to read the stories in this edition that highlight our wonderful support services such as YourShoes, our award-winning "Just for Teens" education program, our minority outreach, and the expansion of our Wig and Prosthesis Salon as a mobile service, bringing our resources into local communities. There are also wonderful, inspiring stories from survivors, and supporters of survivors that deserve your attention.
I hope that I see the day when Network of Strength can put itself out of business. However, until there is a cure for breast cancer, we will be there for anyone who needs our support; the newly diagnosed, the person who has a metastasis, the one trying to support a loved one - anyone affected by breast cancer.
Early detection saves lives - that is why our education programs are so important. Please be proactive about your health. Every woman 40 years of age or older should have a yearly mammogram. If you are uninsured or under insured, and cannot afford a mammogram, call our office.
We help to provide free mammograms to women through agencies with which we partner. Also, monthly breast self-exams are extremely important. They are free, take only 15-20 minutes and can save your life. No one knows your body better than you!
Early detection is the best defense against this disease.
Lastly, call us - we are there for you, your family, your friends, your co-workers.


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FujiFilm FinePix F11 Zoom digital compact camera
Does it fix the F10's faults?
Review FujiFilm's F11 Zoom steps into the company's line-up alongside the F10, its predecessor. It addresses a few issues with the F10 that were not exactly problems, more just missing features, such as a manual shooting control. So, the camera boasts more or less the same design and control layout of the F10 but with a smorgasbord of options...
There's also a new control switch that surrounds the shutter release on the top plate, and which provides the new camera's manual control options. These include aperture and shutter priority, white balance control, exposure compensation, ISO and the like.
An auto-shooting mode is still there - the control switch must be flipped round to the required setting - as is an option allowing a fast route to a selection of subject program (or scene) modes. These include the usual options of portrait, landscape and a sports mode with the latter, in conjunction with the continuous shooting mode, allowing up to 2.2fps for up to three frames.
You also get a 40-frame burst mode, and top-three and bottom-three modes where after a series of images are shot either the first three or last three images are saved to the camera's xD storage. The rest are deleted.
A high quality 640 x 480 movie mode - also selected via the same, shutter-release surround switch - with mono sound provides video at a resolution (almost) enough to fill a TV screen, squeezing in as much footage as the storage card will allow.
Talking of storage, the camera comes complete with a 64MB xD card (better than many manufacturers' more modest-capacity cards) that gives enough space for around 21 high quality JPEG shots or about two minutes of 640 x 480 video.
Just like other Fujis equipped with the same fifth-generation, 6.3 megapixel SuperCCD HR sensor, image noise is held in check very well indeed, even at the maximum 1600 ISO sensitivity setting. There are some processing artefacts floating about on my test shots, particularly in shadow areas in low light (using the Auto ISO mode), which can be cleared using the lower ISO 80 or ISO 100 settings.
Overall, the image quality is good and with various image settings, such as vivid 'chrome' and monochrome modes on offer, you can tailor your shots to quite a degree. Using the vivid setting on particularly grey days I had to contend with on this shoot, helped boost colours and contrast. But there's still no substitute for sunshine!
Metering and AF work well - the former uses a 256-zone set-up that works well and is complemented by centre-weighted and spot modes, while the latter has single and continuous settings plus a low-light emitter for darker situations. The F11's flash is underpowered for my liking, though what small compact cameras' flash units are not? However, it makes for a good fill-in in daylight or dusk.
Handling is quite accomplished for a small camera. My one niggle is reserved for the menus, which I'll deal with shortly. The back plate is reserved for the large, bright LCD, the zoom, playback, Photo 'F' menu control and a four-way jog button with central "OK/Menu" button, used to confirm menu selections for example.
All fairly standard fare: the F button has a separate shooting menu (common to all Fuji compacts) providing resolution, quality, ISO and control of other image parameters. The OK/Menu button provides access to the main menu's innards. Now to my gripe. Many of the menus just require a selection using the jog button while other require a press of the OK button. But frustratingly, the latter also brings you out of the menu system, even if you're not finished.
For example, try setting aperture or shutter priority, and exposure compensation. You can't adjust them both and then come out of menus - each must be done one at a time. Presumably, the thinking is this lets you get back to shooting as quickly as possible, but in practice you actually waste more time going back into the menu to adjust your second or third parameter.
On the plus side, the superb power management means the battery charge lasts for a claimed 500 shots, a stand-out feature. On my test, even in some sub-zero temperatures, the battery indicator read full even after around 200 images had been shot, saved, reviewed on the 2.5in screen and transferred to a PC.
Menu niggles aside, the F11 is a definite improvement over the F10 thanks to the new manual control, good image quality and solid handling. The battery life is superb, so if it's a compact, stylish, high-resolution digital camera your after, at £300, the F11 is one that should be very high on your hit list indeed.


text: You wanted the best, and our SL Pro Jersey gives you the best. It represents everything that we know how to do with a cycling jersey, so you can expect a surreal, ready-to-race fit, premium fabrics, a thoughtful construction, and all of the performance features you could possibly dream of. This is SL Pro.


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silver lady wrote:soothing breeze
Harsh winds
ThunderThighs wrote:Harsh winds
tropical storm
pooflady wrote:tropical storm
heavy rain
AZGman wrote:heavy rain
thunder claps
pooflady wrote:thunder claps
lightning strikes
AZGman wrote:lightning strikes
metal rod
lplady wrote:metal rod
grounding pole
AZGman wrote:grounding pole
May pole
pooflady wrote:May pole
ribbon dance
AZGman wrote:ribbon dance
sexy treat
lplady wrote:sexy treat
cherry bendover
AZGman wrote:cherry bendover
*gasp* Where are the PWA pro smackers when you need one?
high heels
lplady wrote:*gasp* Where are the PWA pro smackers when you need one?
high heels
cruel shoes
AZGman wrote:cruel shoes
alligator shoes
lplady wrote:alligator shoes
Croc's cousins
pooflady wrote:Croc's cousins
alligator alley
lplady wrote:alligator alley
gator bite
AZGman wrote:gator bite
lizard tails
ThunderThighs wrote:lizard tails
scaly skin
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sun burned
AZGman wrote:sun burned
aloe plant
lplady wrote:aloe plant
soothing lotion
AZGman wrote:soothing lotion
K-Y jelly
pooflady wrote:K-Y jelly
happy ending
AZGman wrote:happy ending
Disney Movie
SkekTek wrote:Disney Movie
Star Trek
pooflady wrote:Star Trek
big ears
lplady wrote:big ears
seven dwarfs
pooflady wrote:seven dwarfs
oompa loompas
AZGman wrote:oompa loompas
green hair
lplady wrote:green hair
pool clorine
AZGman wrote:pool clorine
kids piss
badlass wrote:kids piss
warm spot
AZGman wrote:warm spot
tucked in
lplady wrote:tucked in
sweet dreams
pooflady wrote:sweet dreams
good night
lplady wrote:good night
snores loud
ThunderThighs wrote:snores loud
elbow jabs
AZGman wrote:elbow jabs
Broken rib
jasono1231 wrote:Broken rib
Can't breathe
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Sony plans slimmer PlayStation 3 before year end
Sony is introducing a smaller, slimmer and lighter version of its PlayStation 3 home console ahead of the year-end holidays as it gears up for growing competition in games from smartphones.
The announcement Wednesday from the Japanese electronics and entertainment company comes a day ahead of the annualTokyo Game Show, where game makers show their wares.
The new PlayStation 3, closer to the size of a laptop, is half the size of the original model, introduced in 2006. It also offers more hard-drive memory at 500 gigabytes and 250 gigabytes, up from the current 320 and 160 options.
The global rollout starts Sept. 25 in North America, where the 250 gigabyte version will sell for $269.


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U.S. export sales of corn in the week ended Nov. 22 tumbled 69% to 263,140 metric tons from a week earlier, the Department of Agriculture said today. Thus, the corn market is down slightly today, 7¢ for December contract. The rest of the grain complex has stronger losses with front month soybeans down 17¢ and soybean meal down 11¢. Wheat futures are down 21¢.
The biggest losers today in the commodities markets are coffee and silver. Coffee is down 3.87% and silver is down 2%. It is starting to be clear that consumer demand based, "risk-on" markets are being sold due to concern that the fiscal cliff might not be resolved. The U.S. bond market has seen fairly quiet trading as it is unclear what a breakdown in the fiscal cliff negotiations would mean for bonds.
The 30 year bond futures are still below their highs of November 2012. We hear talk of a Bond bubble among investors, but it's tough to pick a top, especially with the Fed so heavily involved in U.S. interest rate pricing.
Despite today's price action, we think corn futures have a legitimate case for another run higher, but there certainly are obstacles. The main obstacles to another run higher are: Fiscal cliff not being resolved and further Euro deterioration. There are major global demand issues that will be negatively affected by either one of the two obstacles turning out negatively. For now, corn has been consolidating between $7.20 and $7.70 since September. It is still above a multi-month uptrend line, and above a key pivot point of $6.80.


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The Supreme Court on Tuesday accorded voters more leeway to challenge affirmative action, as justices upheld a Michigan measure that bans preferential treatment in college admissions based on race or ethnicity.
In a highly anticipated but deeply fractured decision, the court said it lacked the authority to interfere with the political decision made by Michigan voters in 2006 when they amended their state's constitution.
"Courts may not dis-empower the voters from choosing which path to follow," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote. "The Michigan voters exercised their privilege to enact laws as a basic exercise of their democratic power."
The court's ruling effectively gives the green light to voters in other states who may want to ban affirmative action. It does not force such a ban, though, and leaves intact past rulings that race may be considered in college admissions. In essence, the ruling lets the affirmative action war proceed on individual state battlefronts.
"This case didn't involve the fraught question of whether states can pursue race-conscious measures," said Ilya Shapiro, senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute. "Instead, this case was about the democratic process and whether voters can rein in the powers of their state government."
Six justices agreed with the court's conclusion that sustains the Michigan measure.
Only Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel Alito, though, fully agreed with Kennedy's reasoning, restricting the potential reach of the plurality decision. Kennedy himself, moreover, emphasized the limits of the ruling.
"It is important to note what this case is not about," Kennedy stressed. "It is not about the constitutionality, or the merits, of race-conscious admissions policies in higher education."
Instead, Kennedy said, the decision is about letting states proceed with "innovation and experimentation" that encourages "greater citizen involvement in democratic processes."
Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia joined in a separate concurring opinion that argued against affirmative action itself. Liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, an affirmative action supporter, wrote his own concurring opinion offering other reasons to support Michigan voters.
Liberal Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented.
"We are fortunate to live in a democratic society," Sotomayor wrote. "But without checks, democratically approved legislation can oppress minority groups."
Affirmative action advocates likewise decried the ruling, with Kary L. Moss, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, saying it "will result in Michigan continuing to lose students and faculty of color to states that have the flexibility to consider the whole person before them."
Total enrollment of African-American students at the flagship University of Michigan campus fell from 7 percent to 4.7 percent between 2006 and 2012, university records show. Latino student enrollment at the school fell from 4.9 percent to 4.3 percent of the total during the same period.
During the 2005-2006 school year, the University of Michigan enrolled 1,833 African-American students and 1,214 students identified as Hispanic. This school year, undergraduate enrollment includes 1,226 African-American students and 1,164 Latino students.
The falloff in minority student enrollment occurred after Michigan voters in 2006 handily approved an amendment to the state's constitution that prohibits the granting of preferential treatment in public education, government contracting and public employment based on race, sex, ethnicity or national origin. White voters largely supported the measure, while African-American voters overwhelmingly opposed it, election surveys showed.
"The people of Michigan concluded that not having affirmative action in higher education was the best policy for the state," Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette argued in a legal brief. "Nothing in the Constitution bars the people of Michigan from making that choice."
The Michigan language resembles that of California's Proposition 209, adopted in 1996. Key supporters of the California measure, including former University of California Regent Ward Connerly, championed the Michigan measure as well.
While Georgia and four other states joined a brief supporting the Michigan ballot measure, California Attorney General Kamala Harris rallied five other states and the District of Columbia to a brief supporting the benefits of diversity. Separately, University of California officials argued that the state's Prop. 209 banning race-based admissions had slashed minority student enrollment.
At the flagship University of California, Berkeley, campus, 1,065 African-American undergraduates were enrolled in the 1999-2000 school year. These included some students admitted prior to Prop. 209 taking effect. During the 2012-2013 school year, only 628 African-American students were enrolled.
The court's plurality decision Monday, though, largely sidestepped the costs and benefits of affirmative action, focusing instead on the political process.
"Michigan voters used the initiative system to bypass public officials who were deemed not responsive to the concerns of a majority of the voters with respect to a policy of granting race-based preferences that raises difficult and delicate issues," Kennedy wrote.
Sotomayor countered that the state's constitutional amendment put affirmative action supporters at a unique disadvantage. While those proposing other changes in Michigan college admissions policies, such as more preference to athletes or children of alumni, can lobby the university trustees, affirmative action advocates must re-amend the state's constitution.
Justice Elena Kagan recused herself from the Michigan case because of her past work as the Obama administration's solicitor general.
The decision returned the court to a perennial conflict that justices effectively ducked last term. The court in June avoided a sweeping decision in a case challenging University of Texas admissions procedures, as the justices opted to send the matter back to a lower appellate court for further review.
The Michigan case further underscored significant changes in the court itself.
In 2003, then-Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote a 5-4 decision upholding the consideration of race in University of Michigan Law School admissions. O'Connor has since retired, replaced by Alito. The conservative chief justice who dissented from the 2003 decision, William Rehnquist, has since been replaced by Roberts.


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Today's technology empowers workers to make big jobs small with power equipment. When your company is selected to build a landscape or maintain it, you have a big job to do. But what can transform a large job into a series of smaller, more manageable tasks that makes the hard work seem easy? Horsepower, of course.
High-performance equipment has revolutionized the landscape industry and cut down the hours that back-bending and backbreaking labor once occupied. What used to take hours for crews to accomplish with axes, rakes and other handheld tools can take only minutes with the latest in high-performance power equipment. Landscape contractors and other professional crews rely on power equipment to get the job done on time and within budget.
"You can do just about everything—trimming, cutting, edging, vacuuming, blowing," said Marv Mathwig, product manager of power tools with Stihl, Inc., based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. "It is really wide open for the application of outdoor power tools."
"They clearly drive the efficiency, when you consider the size of the properties that we work with," says Brett Lemcke, vice president of RM Landscape Inc., in Rochester, New York. "They help us stay within our time-frame for getting the work done."
Trimming trees and bushes is easier with trimmers, but selecting the best model for your needs depends on how often you're using this equipment.
"You really need to match up the most powerful tools with what is best for you. If you're trimming six to seven hours a day, there can be a big difference between using a 13-pound trimmer and a 10-pound trimmer, because fatigue can be a big factor," Mathwig noted.
"As Americans, we sometimes want the biggest, baddest, most powerful tools that we can get. But you really want to ask yourself about the ergonomics and how comfortable you're going to be using that equipment," Mathwig said, noting that users should pick equipment that they can comfortably handle and that conforms to their own physical height. The most deluxe model may not be the best for your specific needs, so use caution when assembling your arsenal of equipment.
Edgers Are you searching for that perfectly clean, angular look on borders, walkways and other uniform areas? You need look no further than a power edger to get the job done with relative ease every time.
"Edgers really give you that nice, clean, consistently crisp edge that people are looking for. They give that manicured professional look," said Mathwig. "It's much easier to use an edger than a trimmer, or doing it by hand."
Depending on the soil makeup, a curved shaft model is ideal for softer turf, while a straight shaft will produce that perfect, manicured look on tougher soils, Mathwig explained.
Chainsaws Sheer power is often associated with a chainsaw. Chainsaws make the dangerous and onerous work of felling trees and cutting wood into a task that is manageable and efficient. And it can even be fun at times.
"There's something about working with a chainsaw. When its running and you're cutting wood, it's a real pleasure to work with," said Ron Jensen, senior manager of product training and consumer support at Echo Outdoor Equipment in Lake Zurich, Illinois.
"I always look for something that's durable and has good balance. Electric isn't an option for me since I'm using it outdoors," said Eric Whipp, owner of Landscape Technologies of San Dimas, California.
Pole Pruners
Unless a landscape contracting company has an arborist on staff, they should never allow crew members to climb trees to trim them.
First and foremost, it's unsafe; secondly, they don't have the expertise.
Their crew should only be trimming trees from the ground.
Giraffes developed long necks to eat the high-hanging leaves off trees. But you don't need to be a long-necked animal to take care of your trees.
Hard-to-reach branches several feet off the ground are now cut easily by the professional equipped with a pole pruner. Time spent setting up and climbing a ladder for tree work can be cut in two with expandable pruners. Fiberglass poles are recommended, as they do not conduct electricity. Never use a metal pole pruner, as contact with a live electric wire can be disastrous, even fatal.
Once you're done cutting, clipping and mowing, it's cleanup time. And there is a power tool that can take a cleanup task from hours to minutes, with power. A field littered with freshly fallen leaves could take hours for manual laborers to clean up. But motorized backpack blowers can do in minutes what would normally take a lot more time to accomplish raking by hand. However, despite saving time, wearing the heavy backpack carries inherent hazards. Backpack blowers weigh more, and hearing protection should be worn at all times to guard against the noise of the blower.
Some models are available with noise reduction features that are handy for keeping neighbors and bystanders happy, as many people find the noise offensive, especially on weekends.
Combination Machines
For smaller companies and start-ups with just a few employees and limited resources, acquiring a combination machine that can do several tasks makes perfect sense. Rather than spending start-up costs on a trimmer, edger, blower and other devices, one machine equipped with multiple attachments can help get all of these jobs done. The combination machines can also save money and storage space in your truck and tool shed to boot.
Carlos Chavarria of Total Properties, a landscape contractor in Stamford, Connecticut, depends on these combination machines. Rather than paying for the same stick more than once by purchasing multiple tools, a single engine with multiple attachments is better for some.
"I try to consolidate the equipment and get as much as I can from the right machine with different attachments. It's very convenient. It saves time and money, since time is money," Chavarria said. "I also look for equipment that is lighter and has less weight, and is more efficient."
However, companies with more crews and greater work volume depend on heavier, specialized equipment. Durability and longevity of equipment are the main factors that dictate a purchase for many contractors.
"Those combos aren't really an option for us," said Whipp. "We're looking for heavier-duty equipment. It's got to have durability, as it's going to be used in the dirt and get thrown around. It's got to take a lot of abuse."
Safety First
Despite the elementary aspect of safety, many professionals deliberately skimp on their own protection.
Although debris can kick up into an operator's eyes and face and loud machine noises can damage hearing, vital safety precautions are frequently ignored. Shortcuts on safety are happening despite OSHA standards and many companies' policies on safety.
"It happens all the time—corners get cut, people get careless," said Cary Shepherd, noting the high frequency of power tool accidents. Shepherd is a senior product specialist with Husqvarna, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Safety must be stressed, including a complete personal protection equipment (PPE) kit. Your PPE should include head, hearing, vision, hand and foot protection, as well as a pair of safety chaps. Multi-layered and tough, these chaps are resistant to the chiseling action of a chainsaw, in case the tool is accidentally dropped.
"You see it quite often. People don't wear their safety glasses or their hearing protection because they think that they're not going to look cool wearing it," said Jensen. "All of this equipment is very loud and it can damage hearing over time," said Dan Therson, product manager at Stihl Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Loose-fitting clothing that could become entangled in machinery should be avoided. Even an employee's long hair can be a danger if it is not tied back in a ponytail. Other experts agree and reported that neglect of just one piece of safety equipment can be dangerous.
Regardless of how it happens, injured employees can mean major medical expenses for employers and higher insurance premiums for your company. Additional premiums hurt your bottom line, and negative publicity surrounding accidents can even unfairly tarnish your company's image and reputation.
The user's manual should be read carefully before any piece of equipment is used. But many people, even some working professionals, only give the manual a casual look through, or totally ignore the instructions after they remove the new tool from its box. All users should read the entire product manual thoroughly from cover to cover.
If new equipment is acquired without a paper manual, consult with the manufacturer's website to ensure that all of its parts are in place and that proper operation guidelines are followed.
"The big guys in the industry— they all get it with safety. They understand that PPE costs are a lot cheaper than any injuries," Shepherd said, noting that professionals are always safety conscious and that safety is a part of larger companies' corporate culture.
But a strong safety record is also good for company morale, and keeps insurance premiums manageable. Regardless of how careful your employees are, all it takes is one accident for multiple effects to ripple through your company.
Once you have assembled the right tools for your business, here are a few tips to keep in mind. Check the tools for cracks, tears or other damage. Chain brakes on chainsaws should be checked and tested regularly. Air filters need routine changing, and cooling systems should be running smoothly. Great care should always be used when fueling machinery, to avoid spills that could easily catch fire.
Maintaining your equipment year-round becomes paramount to avoid making unneeded additions due to damage or improper storage. If you take care of your tools, your tools will take care of your needs. "I've had tools that have broken down in two years—that's terrible. There's no reason that a tool shouldn't last longer," Whipp said.
Going Green and the Bottom Line
Despite a push by some manufacturers to "go green" with their tools by using environmentally-friendly fuel conversions and battery-powered equipment, the average landscape contractor also needs to keep his costs in mind. Electric tools that depend on a power supply are not an option for some outdoor workers. Battery-operated equipment still needs longer-lasting batteries.
"We want to be environmentally sensitive, but the power tool manufacturers sometimes forget that we work with a volume of clients. Conversion is so expensive. If I spend $2,000 on converting equipment, I have to make up the costs by doing a lot more work," Chavarria said.
"We engage our suppliers and we want to stay at the forefront of it (environmentally-friendly tools)," Lemcke said. His company is in the research and development phase of employing 'greener tools,' and while electric-powered packs are ideal for small jobs, fuel-powered is still preferred when tackling larger properties.
As fuel costs continue to rise, more companies will be analyzing their options carefully when considering going greener and incorporating tools that use power packs instead of fuel. But until technology can match Thor's magic hammer, the professionals are still empowered with other choices to keep up.


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A jury began its deliberations Thursday after prosecutors and a defense attorney argued their cases in the murder trial of 34-year-old Phillip Scott Baker.
A jury began its deliberations Thursday after prosecutors and a defense attorney argued their cases in the murder trial of 34-year-old Phillip Scott Baker.
Baker, who is facing life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder, appeared in the courtroom Thursday wearing a pink dress-shirt and tie. He continued to show little emotion as a prosecutor in closing arguments declared Baker gunned down and killed 26-year-old Chadric "Chad" Lee Newsome on July 31, 2010. The jury is set to continue deliberations at 9:30 a.m. Friday
As Judge David Lee dismissed the jury early Thursday evening, he ordered jurors not to discuss the case with anyone.
The fifth day of testimonies concluded Wednesday and Davidson County assistant district attorneys Greg Brown and Alan Martin, as well as defense attorney Mike Klinkosum, presented their closing arguments Thursday.
Members of the jury began their deliberations about 2 p.m. But prior to entering the jury room listened to more than two hours of closing arguments from the three attorneys.
Brown, as he spoke to the jury, explained, "there were not a lot of angels in the case." He said Newsome was no angel but did not deserve to be gunned down by Baker for $600 in a drug transaction at an abandoned house on Dacotah Street. Brown made the remarks as he pointed at Baker with a stern voice, declaring Baker shot Newsome twice in the chest with a handgun.
Brown insisted to the jury Baker committed first-degree murder under the felony murder rule and his act was the approximate cause of death.
He recalled 22-year-old Lecourtney Quandarrius Murphy's testimony of not wanting initially to set up the robbery against his friend Newsome. Brown said while Murphy was hesitant, he eventually agreed to help stage the transaction for $600 in exchange for a pound of marijuana.
Daquon Littles testified this past week that two days after the shooting he told police he was 100 percent sure Baker and Murphy were near the crime scene and pulled up in front of his house on Hickory Street.
Brown, during closing arguments, referenced the defense attorney's questioning of Littles on why he waited two days to talk with police. The prosecutor recalled Littles testifying the move to talk to a detective was something he felt like he should do.
"Daquon Littles had nothing to gain and positively identified the men," Brown said.
Brown said the motive of the incident was money. He further stated the set-up was a "drug rip-off."
Klinkosum argued prosecutors and the Lexington Police Department want members of the jury to trust the testimony without verifying the information.
"There is plenty of doubt in (the) case," he said, adding the only choice in the case is to find Baker not guilty.
Klinkosum said some of the stories from witnesses, including Murphy, changed from when they were initially interviewed by authorities to when they testified. He explained Murphy didn't initially name Baker as being involved in the case, but later changed his story.
"He is co-defendant and got one sweetheart of a deal," Klinkosum said, referring to Murphy's plea agreement.
Klinkosum said it was "amazing" that Murphy was arrested two years after the fatal shooting as he was initially interviewed by police shortly after Newsome's death. Baker, meanwhile, was arrested in September 2010 by U.S. marshals in Tampa, Fla. Murphy was indicted and arrested in August 2012 under the charges of first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon. His charges have been reduced to accessory after the fact of murder and accessory after the fact of robbery.
Klinkosum said Murphy previously told police he set up the transaction with someone named "D Money" from Winston-Salem. The lead investigating LPD detective, Luke Davis, testified this week he didn't check into the name because there are a lot of people named "D Money." Klinkosum has questioned why Davis did not do further research in police databases and present a photo lineup to witnesses of people who have the nickname. Klinkosum further alleged in his closing arguments that Baker has been targeted from the outset of the case.
The defense attorney hinted at a conspiracy in the case. Klinkosum also questioned whether someone else booked a room in Baker's name at the Economy Inn in Salisbury the day of the shooting. Officials from the Days Inn and Economy Inn, both in Salisbury, testified Murphy's mother, Tonya Broadway, and Baker's names were on paperwork at the motels for booking rooms.
Additionally, Klinkosum encouraged the jury to consider the testimony of Renoa Burns, who formerly lived at a residence beside of the abandoned home on Dacotah Street. She testified she saw an unidentified person duck behind a City of Lexington trash can near the crime scene shortly after shots were fired. Burns said she never saw the person again. Klinkosum asked the jury to question who this third person may be.
"There is no physical evidence pointing to Phillip Baker," Klinkosum contended in his closing arguments.
Martin followed Klinkosum in the closing arguments.
Martin argued it's true that state witnesses Murphy, Littles and Gary Sweetwater Wilson were reluctant to testify. As he himself sat on the stand as a demonstration of the witnesses reluctance, the prosecutor explained each of the men have previously had encounters with the LPD and the State of North Carolina. Those facts, according to the assistant district attorney, make their testimony more powerful.
"What they have in common is (Baker) killed their friend," Martin said.
Members of the jury deliberated for just five minutes before they handed a bailiff a note. They wanted a question answered regarding the weapon claimed to have taken Newsome's life. The paper presented to Lee was concerning whether there was any investigation conducted into the serial number and the last owner of the firearm. Lee called the jury out and ordered them to recall the evidence presented in the courtroom. There was no mention during the five days of testimonies regarding the serial number and last owner.
Jurors returned to deliberation and once again inquired about further evidence. They asked to watch a 10-minute video of Littles going over photo lineups with LPD Cpl. Tracy Mahan, the motel records of Broadway and Baker, Newsome's Verizon Wireless phone records and Burns' written statement to police. Klinkosum and prosecutors had no objections to them reviewing the evidence.
Darrick Ignasiak can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 217, or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Gothenburg included in 'Eden' list of best small cities
Nice downtown, friendliness are some attributes
Gothenburg fits one researcher's idea of an unspoiled paradise.
With its clean and tidy downtown, plus people who care about each other, a retired geography and civics teacher ranks the town 48th in his list "In Search of Eden: America's Best Small Cities."Charles Anderson, of Winter Park, FL, compiled a list of 50 cities with populations up to 45,000.
Seward is ranked No. 8 and is the only other Nebraska town listed on a revised 2013 list of great small cities.
Over the past 50 years, Anderson has visited the cities he ranked and issued his first list in 2012.
He has visited Gothenburg twice, most recently during the summer of 2011 and said he liked the Scandinavian atmosphere, friendliness and strong community spirit.
Fitting in Anderson's 12 criteria for selection is the town's location in what he describes as "Nebraska's banana belt."
"The climate is milder than what you'd expect for a city this far north," he explained. "You have more sunshine than the eastern part of the state."
In addition to weather, other criteria includes that:
the ideal city is generally prosperous and progressive with no significant slum sections.
it has attractive outdoor recreation areas within easy reach and an aesthetically pleasing town setting.
the city should have an identity of its own and is not a bedroom community for a larger community.
it has a connecting interstate highway that permits frequent visits and can closely link larger-city jobs and entertainment and special attractions such as zoos and museums.
the community has access to an adequately equipped and staffed hospital.
the city has good primary and secondary schools. Anderson says this is inherent to progressive and prosperous towns.
the cost of living, especially housing, is affordable.
employment opportunities exist.
the political "state" surrounding the area is considered since regressive laws, passed by a less affluent state, can have a crippling effect upon more progressive towns.
security of property and personal safety are key. Crime rates tend to be lower in small cities but crime rate reporting can be different and selective from region to region.
Anderson, who is 73, started traveling and researching the nation's best cities a half century ago after reading a book about the 50 best cities in America.
At the time, he intended to create an updated book until a 1989 gas explosion killed his mother and his aspirations.
Twelve years ago, he picked up where he left off and finished his top 50 list about four months ago.
While compiling the list, his goals changed.
"In the beginning, I was interested in helping people find a nice place to live and thought a book would bring me attention and money," Anderson said.
However, as the Owosso, MI, native sends the list to newspapers in his selected communities, Anderson has discovered satisfaction from making people in those towns feel good about themselves.
And rather than wanting to know the criteria for being chosen, he said newspaper writers and communities want to know more about their own towns.
"It's not what I expected," Anderson said.
Anderson said he wants people in the selected towns to feel good about where they live, especially during these times when it's not so easy to feel that way.
He added that the order of the top 50 towns doesn't mean the highest-ranking ones are his favorites.
"Some on the list appeal to me personally, like Gothenburg," Anderson said. "A college would have propelled it up on the list."
Anderson said he liked visiting Gothenburg.
"It's a neat place to raise a family with a strong feeling of community and pride."
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JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's governing African National Congress political party will return to where it was first formed to fight apartheid a century ago to pick its next leader, at a time some believe the movement is struggling to regain its moral high ground.
Some 4,000 delegates will gather at its Mangaung conference, being held in the city also known as Bloemfontein, to choose whether President Jacob Zuma or his quiet, unionist deputy should helm the party. Whoever is picked will likely be in line to be the next president of this nation of 50 million people, leading Africa's top economy into an uncertain future where all now have a right to vote, but don't have access to the country's wealth.
The run-up to the conference has seen disrupted provincial meetings, threats and shootings of local ANC officials, as corruption allegations trail from the smallest local government to Zuma at the top. That has many wondering whether the ANC still remains the party of reconciliation and racial fellowship that icon Nelson Mandela and others envisioned.
"The ANC ... has become an unfamiliar, predatory beast that appears intent on devouring its leaders in an orgy of greed, corruption and cronyism," a front-page editorial published Friday by South Africa's The Times newspaper warned. "It does not have to be like this."
Becoming leader of the ANC means a nearly automatic ticket to becoming the president in post-apartheid South Africa. Opposition parties don't garner the widespread support given to the ANC. By tradition, the party's president will become the nation's president, if the ANC wins national elections in 2014, and its deputy president will serve in the same national office.
Zuma, 70, remains the favorite heading into the conference after winning the nominations in most provincial ANC polls. He has wide support among Zulus, South Africa's largest ethnic group, as well as from a loyal cadre of government and party officials.
But many in the public have grown disenchanted with Zuma, who former President Thabo Mbeki fired as deputy president in 2005 after he was implicated in the corruption trial of close friend and financial adviser Schabir Shaik over a 1999 arms deal. Newspapers have written numerous articles recently about the millions of dollars of government-paid improvements made to Zuma's private homestead. Zuma has also faced accusations, by the media, of being unable to manage his personal finances and relying on friends and colleagues to bail him out, including, allegedly, Mandela himself.
Zuma has faced criticism over his sexual activity. He was put on trial for raping a family friend, and acquitted, in 2006. He also outraged AIDS activists by testifying that he had unprotected, consensual sex with the HIV-positive woman and then took a shower in the belief that it would protect him from AIDS. In the time since, however, Zuma has publicized his own HIV test results and urged the nation to practice safe sex.
Zuma has been married six times — he currently has four wives, as his Zulu culture allows. He has 21 children, and acknowledged in 2010 that he fathered a child that year with a woman who was not among his wives.
He and the ANC have also been criticized for strikes that overtook the nation, particularly in the mining sector, and the handling of violence at the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana that saw more than 46 people killed and sparked violence and labor unrest at other mines.
His main competition in the ANC now is a man who largely acted for weeks as though he didn't want to accept the challenge: Kgalema Motlanthe, 63, the nation's vice president and a former union leader. Several provinces and the ANC's youth arm nominated Motlanthe, who only Thursday confirmed through his spokesman he had accepted his candidacy.
Motlanthe served as a caretaker president for South Africa from September 2008 to May 2009, after Zuma ousted Mbeki as leader of the ANC in tight party election. Motlanthe also offers what appears to be the opposite of Zuma's leadership — a quiet, pensive and technocratic approach that differs from Zuma's crowd-pleasing comments and dancing.
While the ANC largely doesn't have a history of candidates publicly campaigning, some analysts say Motlanthe held back on accepting the nomination because he was not sure of adequate support from rank-and-file party members to unseat Zuma.
No matter the outcome, some have warned the party already has slipped away from the magnanimous style of leadership displayed by leaders like Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison before being released and guiding the ANC to victory in the nation's first democratic elections. As 94-year-old Mandela has been hospitalized for over a week and fighting a lung infection, his name likely will be repeatedly mentioned at the party's conference as its standard bearer.
But one critic warns that the mention of Mandela is more a ploy for the ruling party than a call back to its values.
"The tragedy for Mandela is that his legacy will be hijacked by every possible political faction in the country," said Frans Cronje, the deputy chief executive of the South African Institute of Race Relations. "
For now, the Mangaung conference is scheduled to begin Sunday, with an address by Zuma about the country's political landscape today in South Africa. Delegates will vote for leaders by a secret ballot, without their mobile phones after concerns arose over people being told to photograph their ballots to prove who they vote for, ANC organizers have said. If it becomes a race with multiple candidates and no one gets more than 50 percent of the ballots cast, there will be a run-off with the top two candidates, they said.
Jon Gambrell can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP .


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Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
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Friday September 10, 2010 1:00 pm
Deal of the Day: Xbox 360 S deals
Posted by Andru Edwards - Categories: Hot Deals, Video Games
If there's one thing we know, it's that some of the most popular Deal of the Day posts involve video game console sales, so today we bring you a trio of those as it relates to the newly redesigned Xbox 360 S console. For those who just wanna dip their toe in the water, or want a second console, we've got a promo code that saves you 15% off on a new 4GB Xbox 360 slim. If you want something more substantial, we've got another coupon code that saves you $40 on the 250GB model bundled with Madden NFL 11. Finally, for all you Halo fans out there, we have yet another coupon that saves you $50 on the limited edition Xbox 360 console that ships with Halo: Reach, two wireless controllers, and includes a year of Xbox Live. Here are the deals:
- Save 15% on Xbox 360 S 4GB
- Save $40 on Xbox 360 250GB with Madden NFL 11
- Save $50 on Xbox 360 Halo: Reach Limited Edition console with 1-year Xbox Live
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Around Town
Get started with Cappex to compare the King University weather with your hometown!Create an account now!
In the tri-city area there is a lot to do. Just about 2 miles from school is State Street. State street has cute boutique shops, restaurants, and bakeries. During the spring, summer, and fall State Street will close the road to have concerts and festivals. In September, Rhythm & Roots is a folk music festival. One year Mumford & Sons were an act in the festival. At Exit 7, there are many restaurants, shops, and a theater. Viking Hall sometimes has musical acts this year American Idol star Scotty McCreey came. Also coming to Bristol in the next two years are a Bass Pro Shop and Cabela's along with many other shop in two new shopping centers. About 40 minutes away is Johnson City. Johnson City has many malls and restaurants. Freedom Hall Civic Center has some shows throughout the year such as Jason Aldean. Every year a local radio station has Acoustic Christmas at Freedom Hall. This years acts included: Fall Out Boy, Jason Derulo, Emblem3, Fifth Harmony, MKTO, and Midnight Red. Also, there is Kingsport which is made up of restaurants and malls too.Read More
there is a pool table for those you can play but the school also has a lounge center for students with a TV and a place to get food. they also have a student center with other types of games.Read More
praise GodRead More
King has a committee of students dedicated to planning events to help everyone have fun, and organize events ranging from ski trips, special meals, concerts, and much more. Along with that, intramural sports are a big part of King life and include Kickball, Dodge Ball, and several other sports that anyone can play.Read More
Many students play frisbee, soccor, or simply just like to sit out in the sun under the big oak trees and read! Since King is a smaller campus, I feel that everyone knows everyone. I met some of my best friends in the world at King, and we still keep in touch.Read More
King offers many extracurricular activities such as intramural sports, theater events, student lead events, worship events, and concerts. There is always something going on at this school.Read More
The Oval is the heart of campus. During the warmer months, the Oval is always full of students sunbathing, reading, playing Frisbee, and having picnics. There is a Student Activities Committee that makes sure there are fun activities available for students almost every week. Downtown Bristol has tons of excellent restaurants, boutiques, art galleries, and parks. The area is also great for outdoor sports.Read More
Spend time with other students around campus and at other activities.Read More
The library has many movies and cd's if you would like to plan a movie night with friends in the dorm lobby's. There are also a lot of opportunities to attend sport activities throughout the week. The town in Bristol, TN has many different shops and places to dine.Read More
We have a ton of fun all getting ready and going to all athletic events, our major ones are Basketball and Baseball. We all enjoy doing events provided by our schools S.L.A.C.K program, which provides us students with fun activities and trips absolutely free.Read More


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Puritans' passion: Band riffs off Prince Charles' wedding
What does a local band have to do to get a little international attention? For hard-charging rock trio the Naked Puritans, the answer is simple: record a song about Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles's nuptials and send it to British public radio station BBC One the day before the wedding.
As the media coverage of the royal wedding reached fever pitch in the last few weeks, Lance Brenner, lead singer of the Puritans, revived "She's Gone," a song he wrote after Charles' first wife, Diana, the Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in 1997. The inspiration, he says, came to him while he was shoveling mulch the day after her death. In just hours, he'd dumped the shovel and written the song; eight years later, he says, "Most of it came true."
Brenner says it was Prince Charles' "blasé" attitude on television around the time of Di's death that made him think, "Isn't it convenient for him that she's gone?"
The lyrics are a harsh indictment of the prince, who for years was eclipsed by the photogenic, globe-trotting, charity-backing princess.
"I'm looking better and better," sings Brenner, impersonating Charles. "I lost all my troubles in gay Paree/ and now I'm the one who's chased by the paparazzi."
When Brenner contacted several DJs at BBC and described the content of the song, he received a positive response: BBC DJs Huw Stephens and "Fergie" told him they'd air the song during the days around the Saturday, April 9 wedding.
Brenner and bandmates Chris Ruotolo (Brenner's fiancée) and Tristan Puckett spent all night Thursday, April 7, recording "She's Gone," and as soon as the disc was off the mixer, had it winging overseas Friday morning.
Though neither DJ responded to the Hook's emails by press time to report the number of "spins" the song received, David Cowling, lead writer at British alt-rock website Americana UK, says the song was a welcome diversion.
"With the whole of the country (apart from 300 misguided souls) completely unmoved by the whole event," says Cowling, "the Naked Puritans' song brought some humor and fun that was sorely missing from the occasion."
The song, which sounds a little like the Pogues and the Clash, got some local airtime as well, though surprisingly not from local-friendly station WNRN.
"We haven't heard that yet," says Jeff Reynolds, 'NRN's local music director.
However, Rick Daniels of 3WV's "Big Greasy Breakfast" morning show spun the "way catchy" tune a few times to "pretty good listener response."
Not only is "She's Gone" catchy, it's also another example of the guerilla marketing technique that won fame for the band.
"I don't like the idea that bands or record companies spend obscene amounts of money to get noticed," says Brenner. In one memorable 1997 publicity stunt, the Puritans ran for governor of Virginia, he laughs, recalling the campaign slogan: "A new record Virginia can be proud of." For that they earned several local news stories, including page-one treatment in the Daily Progress.
The unusual publicity methods seem to be working, with fans from countries as far away as Sweden and Japan buying the Puritans' CDs off their website, nakedpuritans.com. In fact, Brenner is leaving his job with the city government at the end of April to pursue music full time, and while he doesn't see a sudden rise to fame in the immediate future, he sees some momentum building with both the BBC success and a recent chance meeting with the publisher of Spin magazine after a Puritans show in NYC.
"He liked us," says Brenner, "so who knows?"
The Naked Puritans celebrate the royal wedding with a song.


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VENICE, Italy (AP) — William Shakespeare is not usually considered the godfather of pulp fiction.
But the Bard's richly textured characters and high-octane plots become the ingredients of a gangland thriller in "Cymbeline," which sets the action of the play in an anonymous American city where outlaw bikers battle police.
Michael Almereyda's movie adaptation takes a troupe of rising stars and familiar faces — including Ed Harris, Ethan Hawke, Milla Yovovich, John Leguizamo and "Fifty Shades of Grey" star Dakota Johnson — and puts them in black leather for a saga of full of love, violence and revenge.
But the American director says any resemblance to a certain biker TV show is pure coincidence.
"I've had people wagging their finger and saying, 'It's from "Sons of Anarchy'" because that's based on 'Hamlet,'" Almereyda said with a touch of weariness that might just have been jet lag from flying in to the Venice Film Festival.
"And it may be, but that's a natural conceit," he added — Shakespeare is inexhaustible source material for movies and TV.
"He's got over 1,000 credits on IMDB, so he must be doing something that people find is rewarding," Almereyda said.
The director said the biker genre seemed a natural fit for the tribal relationships and "mythic, almost comic-book archetypes" in Shakespeare's play about an ancient British king clashing with Roman occupiers.
The film — competing in the festival's Horizons sidebar — stars Harris as the head of the Britons motorcycle gang, fighting with police while juggling a complex family life. Cymbeline's virtuous daughter (Johnson) is in love with a penniless gentleman ("Gossip Girl'''s Penn Badgley), while his scheming second wife (Yovovich) and her rapacious son (Anton Yelchin) are embroiled in evil conspiracies.
The script trims but stays faithful to the twists and turns of the play, a mash-up of romance, humor and tragedy that is one of Shakespeare's less-performed works.
Almereyda concedes that the play is wild, messy and complicated.
"The core of it to me is about men and women relating to each other and mistrusting each other," he said. "The strands of jealousy and misdirected love and lust and the resulting confusion — that feels modern."
This is hardly the first time Shakespeare has been given an American accent. After all, "West Side Story" is just "Romeo and Juliet" with singing street gangs. Almereyda set "Hamlet" in modern-day New York in a 2000 movie starring Ethan Hawke.
With "Cymbeline," the director returns to what he calls "American Shakespeare," an approach he contrasts to the more formal rhythms of traditional English performance.
"It's about being unapologetic about, if not our ignorance, our rawness," he said. "It has to do with a more natural approach, not being bombastic, not being declamatory."
For the actors, that meant intense work to absorb Shakespeare's verse.
"I'd be showering and saying my lines, brushing my teeth, going to the toilet — just constantly, constantly saying it and putting it in my mouth so it becomes really conversational," said Leguizamo, who plays the put-upon biker foot-soldier Pisanio.
The result — coming in at a little over 90 minutes — is vivid and pacy. Trade magazine Variety said the film "dazzles with its colors and textures," though the Hollywood Reporter felt nothing could disguise the play's status "as a second-rate 'Romeo and Juliet.'"
Leguizamo — who played Tybalt in Baz Lurhmann's teen-friendly 1996 "Romeo and Juliet" — said he knew from experience how a film can hook young viewers and "sucker them to like Shakespeare."
He said that as a teenager he thought Shakespeare "wasn't for me," until he saw Franco Zeffirelli's sensuous 1968 movie of "Romeo and Juliet."
"All of a sudden I was like, 'This stuff is so beautiful,'" he said.
For Almereyda, comic books were the key.
"Marvel comics referenced Shakespeare, funnily enough," he said. "I was a preteen reading Shakespearean dialogue in 'Thor.'
"It was a sort of midway drug to Shakespeare."
Follow Jill Lawless at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless


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« Back to All the Events
Polling Day Training - Lewisham - Deptford
On 5 May, Londoners will have the chance to choose their next Mayor. We need your help your help to make sure it's Sadiq Khan.
We'll be holding a special 'Election Day Training Session' in your area to tell you more about how you can get involved. Whether you're a first time volunteer or a seasoned campaigner – we'll be explaining the ways you can make a real difference.
Please take a moment to sign up below.
April 18, 2016 at 7pm - 8pm
New Cross Learning, 283-285 New Cross Road, London, England SE14 6AS, United Kingdom, Google map and directions
Richard Green ·


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Kerry Washington: Bellycupping at the Globes
I know I don't have to tell you how much this hurts me. A lot. Kerry Washington is one the great loves of this blog. Kerry Washington keeps her sh-t super tight. Her wedding was undercover. Her pregnancy has been low key. She didn't explode it on us with an announcement and a Facebook page and a Tumblr tracking every ultrasound. How did our Kerry go from that…
To bellycupping at the Golden Globes!?
It's not the most egregious case of bellycupping we've ever seen, no. But it's unmistakeable bellycupping all the same. It's not a pose she would have made without the baby. It's a pose that wants you to know that there's something in there. And, frankly, she's better than that.
Consider: Olivia Wilde wasn't bellycupping. So whyyyyyy is Olivia Pope doing it?!
Also the dress (Balenciaga) is super boring and I hate the chest darts.
FameFlynet, WENN, FREDERIC J. BROWN/ Jason Merritt/ Getty Images


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UH Benefactor John Q'Quinn Dies
Oct. 29, 2009
My friends in the UH community:
It is with deep regret and sadness that I inform you that the University of Houston has lost one of its most dedicated and passionate supporters. John O'Quinn died this morning, reportedly in a one-car accident on Allen Parkway, near downtown Houston.
O'Quinn, a noted attorney and UH Law School alumnus, served on our UH System Board of Regents from 1993 to 1999, holding the office of vice chairman from 1994-96.
He worked tirelessly in behalf of this university and was one of its most generous financial contributors. The O'Quinn Law Library and O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium are the most prominent examples of his philanthropy at UH but are by no means the extent of it. Over the years, he made numerous gifts, including significant donations to the UH Library and to the Cougar Marching Band. A good deal of this school's success can be credited to John's unflagging commitment to making UH a better institution.
On a personal note, I saw John recently, visiting with him at our homecoming football game against SMU. He was filled with his usual Cougar spirit and enthusiasm. The team's triumph, plus our national ranking, only added to his excitement. I am glad to have that wonderful memory of an exuberant John, reveling in the victory. But, win or lose, John was always unwavering in his support of the team and this university.
Our campus mourns the loss of one of its most devoted friends and benefactors.Renu Khator


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Why play Colina Park?
- Play 18 holes for $15 or less
- Well-manicured and in great shape
- Fun for golfers of all ages and skill levels
- Play in two hours or less
- 100% of your greens fees support Pro Kids | The First Tee of San Diego
- Complete practice facility
- Special rates for seniors, juniors and military
- Easy to walk and fun way to exercise
- Food and beverages available in pro shop
- Alcohol-free and smoke-free facility
Play golf and support the kids!
For nearly two decades Colina Park Golf Course has served as the headquarters for Pro Kids | The First Tee of San Diego, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping underserved youth excel in life by promoting character development, life skills, and values through education and the game of golf. Colina Park Golf Course serves more than 1,500 children per year through its partnership with Pro Kids | The First Tee of San Diego.
100% of all your greens fees, rental fees and driving range revenue goes toward supporting youth programs.


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"I am a Conservative to preserve all that is good in our constitution, a Radical to remove all that is bad. I seek to preserve property and to respect order, and I equally decry the appeal to the passions of the many or the prejudices of the few."
Benjamin Disraeli.
"Power To The People!" Wolfie Smith
"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution"
Abraham Lincoln
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Minutes 2/21/12
From FamiLAB Wiki
Monthly Meeting Present: Dave Woods, Zayd, Dan L., Scott B., Shane, Tim, Graham, Matt A., John S., Mack H., Alex, George Demany, Bob Danforth, John Bent Cope, Tom Long, Dave P., Zane, Aaron, Brooks, Jamie, Anthony, Chris Late: Ted 8:30P, Bill R. 845P, 8:15P - Meeting called to order - State of the Treasury - See Google Doc - New members (14!) - Shane, business owner, TA Labs, consulting, comms evaluation, Confirmed - Scott, back in the fold, interested in everything, science, biology photography, Confirmed - Tim Fallon, upgraded to Maker, Confirmed - Alex Wales, via TEDx, teacher, video production, Confirmed - Zayd, Student at UCF in EE, good with math, Confirmed - Bob Danforth, friend of Les, 3D CAD, glasswork/ceramics, jewelry, Confirmed - Gyorgy Demeny, EE, CS, via Dave/TED, working in webdev (CF), Confirmed - Graham, manages help desk, translator, also mobile hacking, carpentry, Confirmed - Jamie, via the Geek meetup group, CS, programming languages, Confirmed - Upcoming Events in March (Dan L) - Intro to Electronics with Matt/John S. - Urethane Casting, Dave W. - Bus Pirate, Mack - Another soft hacking event, Dan, Brooks, Chris - Soldering/Arduino - Recurring: Open House, Young Makers, Micro Monday, Biohacking, Sunday Code - Maker Faire - Power Racing - This Saturday, before Contact Mic workshop - Call for Makers has been announced - Idea: Open hardware download site? - Ian: Makerships are open and noone has applied - Well, two people - Any objection to building a power wheels racer? no, passes - Benches, approx. $275 fronted by Dave woods - Can we reimburse Dave? No objections, passes. - Aaron, Google Docs repository, owned by familab.org, watch the mailing list - New board members - Nominations - We'll accept board member nominations for two weeks (until open house) - Vote at next meeting (March) - Ian: Should consider someone outside the group - Logo contest - John: Dot-ocracy - Post them on the wall for the next month - March Meeting: Vote - Proposed: The laser cutter is an essential tool, ergo, if we need to order a tube we won't take a vote on that. - Opposed? Noone. Agreed. 930P - Meeting adjourned


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Tis the season to be cuffing.
Now that summer has faded into warm memories, yestermonth's singletons are today's relationship advocates. And while the music business doesn't offer the ideal canvas for fidelity, there are a few gentlemen who don't mind monogamy.
Peep 11 Hip Hop/R&B stars who raise their hands to commitment.


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A native of McAllen, Siders earned a bachelor's degree in crop and soil science from Texas A&M University at Kingsville in 1987 and a master's degree in crops-weed science from Texas Tech University in 1989. He began his Extension career in 1990 as an IPM agent serving Castro and Lamb counties. From 1993 to 1996, he served as an Extension agent for agriculture, first in Floyd County and then in Terry County. He has been in his current position since October 1996.
The goal of the two-county IPM program Siders coordinates is scouting cotton for destructive insect pests and helping establish a good base of crop consultants to serve producers.
The growers group bestows this plaque each year at its annual spring meeting to recognize exemplary service to South Plains cotton producers. The award is alternately given to an Extension agriculture agent or IPM agent, based on the results of a peer ballot.
"Kerry Siders consistently earns the respect of his colleagues and South Plains producers. His expertise and dedication to agriculture are apparent in his excellent work," said Jett Major, Extension district director based in Lubbock. "This award is a fitting tribute to his expertise and his dedication in delivering high quality educational programs and relevant applied research that benefits sustainable agriculture in Hockley and Cochran counties."
Siders is a past recipient of the Texas Pest Management Association's excellence in IPM award and its outstanding specialist award. Both accolades recognize outstanding service and dedication to the Texas IPM Program.
The Texas IPM Program is a cooperative effort between Texas A&M University and the grower-managed TPMA. It is designed to help crop producers across the state adopt cultural pest control methods that are safe, efficient, technically sound and environmentally friendly.


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Rain Gutter Glove Installation by Sunshine Gutters in Marin CountyCities, CA
Your Gutter Cleaning Solution
With Gutterglove you won't have to worry about gutters overflowing, or having leaves clog your gutter system. Gutterglove's design is top notch, they use marine grade stainless steel the kind used in ocean applications. A lot of people hear the term stainless, and they assume it will be rust, and corrosion proof. This is a big marketing misconception, there's a big difference in grade quality's. In a nutshell Gutterglove's mesh is high grade stainless, that won't leave you disappointed. The frame is hardened anodized extruded aluminum, making it corrosion resistant, and extremely ridged. The system works by filtering anything larger than 50 micron "1/3 the size of a human hair" this ensures you don't have the smaller debris getting in. The screen sits on top of thin aluminum channels. The channels serve two purposes, they help give the screen support, and they break the surface tension of the water as it passes over the mesh. This allows Gutterglove to handle large amounts of water without overshooting or clogging. Gutterglove Pro is so good at absorbing water, it can handle up to 150 inches of rain per hour, which is next to impossible, outside of spraying a fire hose on your roof.
Gutter leaf guards, rain gutter covers, screens, and filters can reduce problems with clogged, overflowing gutters. This expert buying guide will help you choose the right gutter guards.
Rain Gutter covers should be kept free of leaves and other debris; otherwise, water will back up at the downspouts, filling them up. When this happens, the weight can dislodge or bend the gutters and—worse—the water will spill down the house, potentially damaging windows, doors, siding, and the foundation.
You should inspect and clean gutters and downspouts at least twice a year to make sure they're not clogged with leaves and debris. If you have your gutters cleaned out professionally, expect to pay about $210 to $355 for a single-story, 2,500¬ square¬foot house and more for a two-story or larger house. A popular remedy for periodic gutter cleaning is to install some type of gutter guard or leaf catching system. Many different products are available, ranging from very inexpensive wire screening to extremely pricey enclosed gutter control systems.
If a particular Gutter guard company is pitching you on its product, the best way to check it out is to request the names and phone numbers of satisfied customers and give them a call.
Types of Gutter Guards
Most gutter guard products can be grouped into these basic categories:
• Various types of screens that filter the debris from the water, from expensive micro-mesh screen systems to super cheap screen panels.
• Solid gutter covers that deflect leaves and debris while capturing rain runoff.
• Gutter inserts made of foam or brushes that prevent leaves and debris from clogging the gutters but allow water to drain through the channels.
Within each of these categories, there are many different manufacturers, each touting the benefits of their products. In making a selection, you will be faced with some major decisions, beginning with budget. You can spend as little as $.30 per lineal foot for simple screening that you install yourself and as much as $30 per foot for professionally installed, solid rain gutter covers. As a rule, fine mesh screening and solid covers requiring professional installation will run from $20 to $30 per foot.Depending upon the product, gutter guards will have varying degrees of effectiveness. Some are foolproof at blocking debris but may allow considerable rainwater to spill over the eaves, for example.
Some reject most but not all leaves and debris, so they need to be cleaned occasionally. Depending upon their design, this can become a bigger hassle than cleaning gutters with no covers if the guards can't be removed easily.
For Example: Some gutter guards work great beneath broad leaf trees but marginally at rejecting needles or seeds. Others are good for low sloped roofs but allow too much spillover on a steeply pitched or metal roof. Still others encourage massive icicles in snowy, freezing weather.
Unless you're going to opt for the least expensive, easiest-to-install options such as simple screens available at home improvement centers, it's wise to check with neighbors who are happy with their gutter control systems, especially if their homes have a similar architecture and roof pitch to yours.
Fine-Mesh Gutter Guards & Screens
Fine mesh gutter guards (also called "micro-mesh" gutter filters or screens) are placed across the tops of gutters to keep gutters clear. They employ sieve-like mesh panels or screens to separate leaves and roof debris from rainwater.
These Gutter guards are much more effective than the common gutter screening available at home improvement centers. Their mesh is super fine typically 50 microns, which is small enough to capture sand. Because of this, these systems are popular for both conventional gutter guards and rainwater recovery systems that collect rainwater for landscape watering.
Compared to other gutter guard technologies, fine mesh gutter screens perform very high. They reject nearly all roof debris while also capturing most of the water. Although fine mesh gutter guards are much more expensive than standard gutter screens, gutter brush inserts, and gutter foam inserts, they are comparably or lower priced than solid top gutter guards and have long if not lifetime guarantees. If you have a micro-mesh gutter screen installed on either a very old asphalt roof or a brand-new asphalt roof, be advised that the super fine mesh can be clogged by roof tar that leaches out of these materials. Mossy or moldy roofs can also clog the mesh. Ask your fine mesh gutter screen provider about what cleaning might be necessary if this happens.
Gutterglove MicroMesh Gutter Screen
Gutterglove, another micro-mesh gutter screen system, has an anodized aluminum frame. The frame is made of U-shaped channels that won't collapse or allow the mesh to droop. The Gutterglove system is designed to tuck up under existing shingles and lip over the edge of existing gutters.
The company makes three models: Gutterglove Pro, Gutterglove Ultra, and Gutterglove Icebreaker, which has a channel that receives an integrated heating cable to minimize ice dams and icicles. A fourth product, Leaf Blaster, is a simpler and less expensive product that doesn't have the same aluminum support frame.
Though Gutterglove can be installed by a handy do-it-yourself, it is typically installed by a professional.
For materials only, expect to pay about $12 per lineal foot; with Gutterglove installation, it will run closer to $20 per foot. Gutterglove comes with a lifetime guarantee.
Gutterglove Pro consists of two components; a perforated aluminum channel and type 316 stainless steel mesh. The stainless steel mesh is glued into grooves along both sides of each 5 foot aluminum channel section. It installs on any existing gutter. Gutterglove's specifications were designed so that it simply slips under the roof shingles and fits snugly to the front lip of your gutter. Gutterglove should be installed at the same pitch as the roof (up to 5/12) to get the best performance of debris shedding off.
Aluminum Channel Frame:
Our extruded aluminum support frame is anodized to further protect it from the environment and to make it more adaptable to be installed on a copper gutter. The anodizing process converts the aluminum surface into an extremely durable, corrosion resistant, and long-lasting finish.
Anodizing is also favorably to current governmental regulations because it is one of the most environmentally friendly industrial processes. Since this process is a reinforcement of a naturally occurring oxide process, it is nonhazardous and produces no harmful or dangerous by products.
Anodized aluminum is used around the world as highly durable exteriors in commercial buildings such as one of the world's tallest buildings, the Sears Tower in Chicago, Illinois. Other revolutionized uses are in scientific instruments, home appliances, and satellites in space for harsh environmental protection, staircases in skyscrapers and a host of other uses.
Stainless Steel Mesh
The super strong type 316 stainless steel mesh allows more than 150 inches of hourly rainfall to filter through to your gutter. Type 316 is molybdenum bearing austenitic stainless steel which is more resistant to general corrosion and pitting / crevice corrosion than the conventional chromium nickel austenitic lower quality stainless steels such at types 302 and 304 or any other standard stainless steel alloys.
The 316 alloy offers higher creep, stress-to-rupture and tensile strength at elevated temperatures. It also resists attack of marine and corrosive industrial atmospheres which makes it an ideal component for Gutterglove. Type 316 stainless steel alloy is widely used in the food, marine and medical industries.


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New York City Department of Design and Construction
David J. Burney, FAIA
was appointed Commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction
("DDC") in January 2004, by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. DDC manages capital projects for a
variety of City agencies including the Departments of Transportation and Environmental
Protection; and for the many cultural institutions such as libraries and museums that
receive City capital funds. With Mayor Bloomberg's support, David Burney launched a
City-wide "Design and Construction Excellence Initiative" with the goal of raising the
quality of design and construction of public works throughout New York City.
Prior to joining DDC, Mr. Burney was Director of Design and Capital Improvement at
the New York City Housing Authority where, in 2002, the agency was awarded a National Design
Award Special Commendation by the Smithsonian Institute. From 1982 to 1990 Mr. Burney
practiced architecture with the New York Firm of Davis Brody & Associates where he was
involved in a variety of projects including the Zeckendorf Towers on Union Square and the
Rose Building at Lincoln Center.
Mr. Burney was educated at the Heriot-Watt
University in Edinburgh and at the University of London. He was the recipient of the AIA
NYC Chapter Public Architect Award in 1996, the Center for Architecture Award in 2006, and
the Thomas Jefferson Award in 2011. He received a Sloane Public Service Award in 2003.


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If Thursday morning's drop expended so much selling pressure… then didn't the afternoon expend a lot of buying pressure, too? Left pent-up at lower levels, the buying pressure could have launched a significant rally into and out of the weekend. Now hesitating to resume the rally Friday would suggest that buying pressure was fully expended.
Pattern points… (Setups and technicals)
Thursday's test of 1401.00 included a test of the two-week old 1406.00 prior low. Its break would have next targeted 1391.00-1392.00, and also signaled the trend reversing down. A second consecutive lower close Friday might have confirmed. Now, that's not an issue.
Closing above 1401.00 after probing under it set-up the potential for a significant low, likely to test 1431.00. Already rallying back to relevant resistance (1416.50) the same day expends a lot of buying pressure. Closing back under Wednesday's 1410.75 prior low indicates that buyers gained no traction for their efforts.
Sellers gained no traction for their efforts, either. And they left no unfinished business below to require resuming the decline. Resuming the week-old decline must break under 1402.50 or 1401.00. Resuming Thursday afternoon's rally must essentially gap up above 1419.00, and extend above 1422.50 — any shallower strength would be vulnerable to failing and resuming the decline.
What's Next… (Outlook and opportunities)
Thursday afternoon's rally chipped away at "higher prior lows." There is no requirement to probe any higher, but probing higher would be required to extend. Not exploiting a higher probe by extending higher would not necessarily default to being very bearish, not if the open isn't already breaking back under 1401.00-1402.50.
Look for at least one update overnight or ahead of the Morning Market Tour… My thoughts on the day's econ calendar are linked here.


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Franklin Pierce ousted from NCAA Div. II baseball championshipStaff Report
May 29. 2013 10:48PM
Franklin Pierce's 2013 baseball season came to an end with Wednesday's 10-3 loss to Grand Valley State (Allendale, Mich.)in the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship in Cary, N.C.
Franklin Pierce took a 3-1 lead by scoring three times in the top of the third, but Grand Valley State scored five times in the bottom half of the inning before adding two runs in the sixth and two more in the eighth.
Shortstop Dan Kemp and second baseman Justin Brock each had two hits for the Ravens, who had nine hits in the game. Derry's Zach Mathieu added a hit and two RBIs.
Grand Valley State freshman Patrick Kelly allowed three runs on seven hits in seven innings to collect the win. Kelly improved his record to 8-3 and has a 2.34 ERA.
Kevin McGowan started for Franklin Pierce, but was pulled from the mound after he allowed four runs on five hits in 2 1/3 innings. The Ravens used six pitchers in the loss.
Franklin Pierce collected three hits in its three-run third. Two of those runs scored on Mathieu's two-out double into the right-field corner.
Franklin Pierce, the East Regional champion, completed its season with a 37-19 record.
Infielder Kevin Zak had three of Grand Valley State's 15 hits. The Lakers (37-18), who have three players hitting .328 or better in their lineup, are now 30-1 when leading after six innings this season.
Grand Valley State will face Tampa in today's semifinals (3 p.m.).