text:
By Alina Selyukh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Defense Department has reached an agreement with the broadcasting industry on sharing some radio airwaves, making progress toward President Barack Obama's goal of clearing more valuable spectrum for mobile networks.
Obama directed federal agencies in June to look for ways to give up or share with the private sector more of the airwaves they control, three years after his call to open up 500 megahertz (MHz) of federal spectrum for commercial use to satisfy growing demands from data-hungry devices and services.
The Pentagon, which uses spectrum for programs such as pilot training and drone systems, has been criticized for resisting efforts to share. But in a surprise move in July it offered to share the airwaves it dominates in the slice of frequencies from 1755 MHz to 1780 MHz.
On Monday, the roadmap to this goal emerged, thanks an agreement with the National Association of Broadcasters that would move military systems to another slice of frequencies, which would be shared with remote news gathering operations often used in emergencies.
"In July, we knew that the Department of Defense had a plan to move (from the 1755-1780 MHz band) and now it has a place to go," Rick Kaplan, NAB's executive vice president for strategic planning, said in an interview. "It was sort of a surprise. I'm happy we were able to work together."
The agreement gained the endorsement of the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which oversees federal spectrum. The Federal Communications Commission plans to auction off the airwaves.
"It has been a long and bumpy road," said the Senate Commerce Committee's top Republican, Senator John Thune of South Dakota.
"I am happy that the administration has listened to the bipartisan calls from Congress to grow our economy by freeing up these valuable airwaves, while addressing our military's needs."
The FCC, with NTIA's help, is preparing for several auctions of airwaves in coming years, including one that would sell off chunks of federally controlled spectrum.
The FCC is now gathering public input on various proposals for how it should auction the airwaves to the private sector, including on the Pentagon's new plan, which the agency estimated would carry relocation costs of about $3.5 billion.
Ultimately, the auctions would raise funds that could reimburse the Defense Department, as well as help fund a new $7 billion first-responder network, FirstNet, and contribute to the national coffers at the Treasury.
To increase the value of the auctions, the wireless industry and some lawmakers have urged the FCC to pair up the auction of the cleared 2155-2180 MHz slice of spectrum with the valuable 1755-1780 MHz band occupied by military systems.
Congress has required the FCC to auction off the 2155-2180 MHz band by February 2015.
"We are hopeful that the 1755-1780 MHz band is ready in time to pair with 2155-2180 MHz band, as the industry has long sought," said Scott Bergmann, vice president of regulatory affairs at CTIA-The Wireless Association.
"Pairing these bands will maximize their value to industry and consumers alike, and generate significant revenue for the U.S. Treasury."
(Reporting by Alina Selyukh. Editing by Andre Grenon)


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Thursday, April 30:
Tommy Keene, Wormburner, Ben Wise at Maxwell's. Benjamins at Whiskey Bar. Images of Io at Goldhawk.
Friday, May 1:
Justin Townes Earle, Nell Bryden, Dick Prall, Chris Batten and the Woods, Anthony Fiumano and the Medicine Chest, Chris Cubeta and the Liars at Maxwell's. From Jersey With Love, Lowdown at Whiskey Bar. The B Street Band at Willie McBride's. We're All Broken, A True Story, The Cordova Academy Glee Club, Cicada Radio at I.M. Automata Chino.
Saturday, May 2:
King Khan and the Shrines, Mark Sultan, Golden Triangle at Maxwell's. Go Go Gadget at Whiskey Bar. at The Amish Outlaw Willie McBride's. Copasetic, Wesley Jeremiah, St. Sat B, The Fave at I.M. Automata Chino.
Sunday, May 3:
Andrew Martinez, Vito Lantz, Jim Dodge, Jordan Carlos at Maxwell's. at Whiskey Bar.
Monday, May 4:
Electric Six, Living Things at Maxwell's. Blues Jam with Ed Sullivan at Dubliner. Blues Jam with Joe Taino at Scotland Yard.
Tuesday, May 5:
Schoolboy Humor, Thee Armada, Select Start, Phonecalls From Home, Thrash Unreal at Maxwell's. The People's Open Mic at Goldhawk.
Wednesday, May 6:
Cinemasophia, Jean On Jean, Ringfinger at Maxwell's. Uncle Funk, The Relyx, The Vital Might at Whiskey Bar.

subset: commoncrawl


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("Well boys, it's been fun, but I have some partying to do. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it." Pic props: Adam Fogarty)
It looks like Chuck Liddell's retirement didn't last long.
At today's press conference for UFC 125 today, UFC president Dana White announced that Liddell was officially done with fighting and that effective immediately, the mohawked former fighter will be taking on the role of executive vice president of business development for the Vegas-based promotion.
When a fan requested a hug from and a photo with Liddell at the presser, White obliged, quipping that the embrace would be Chuck's first official duty in his new role. Somehow, I don't think that "The Iceman" will be doing a hell of a lot more than handshakes and photo-ops, which wouldn't be a bad thing for the organization as he has arguably become the most recognizable fighter in the world and the face of the Zuffa-owned incarnation of the UFC similar to how Colonel Sanders did with KFC and Ronald McDonald did with McDonald's.
White gave few details about what the role will entail and Liddell made only a brief acceptance/retirement speech in which he thanked the fans for their support and White and UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta for ensuring that he has an active role in the company that he helped cross over to the mainstream.
Let's hope for Ben's sake that he isn't put in charge of ,"F*cking scumbags up worse than they've ever been f*cked up before." If so, we may have to provide him asylum in Canada.


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2:30 pm
Martha Speaks "Wagstaff Races/The Missing Metal Mystery" Wagstaff Races - Wagstaff City's environmental club is having a "Go Green Go-Cart Race," fueled by alternative energy. Using sun, wind, and pond scum, the gang gathers at the starting line. Who will win the trophy - and most importantly, how? Vocabulary: (E) energy, solar, alternative, convert, generate (I) cart, (re)use, green, power, parts. D
3:00 pm
The Electric Company "A Fistful of Confetti" It's Neighborhood Record Day, and everyone in town is trying to break silly records. Francine and Jessica are both trying to break the same record - filming the most broken records on record day. When Francine tries to get in Jessica's way by giving her fake tips, The Electric Company works together to lead Jessica to victory. D
3:30 pm
WordGirl "Who's Your Granny?/Win A Day with Wordgirl" WHO'S YOUR GRANNY? - Granny May decides to become more notorious by committing bigger crimes involving crazy contraptions. Meanwhile, Becky is frustrated that she does not appear in any yearbook photos since she always has to escape to fight crime as WordGirl. Will Becky/WordGirl ever be able to get her photo in the yearbook and find time to interact with the new, hi-tech Granny May? Vocabulary Words: Interact, Contraption. D
4:00 pm
Wild Kratts "Termites Vs. Tongues" When Aviva and Koki accidentally miniaturize themselves and get carried away by termites, Martin and Chris must split up to search for them. D
4:30 pm
Cyberchase "Raising The Bar" The main Cybrary is under attack. Hacker, disguised as an exterminator called the Vermin Vexer, has released a mysterious cyberbug that is systematically destroying certain information - but Ms. Fileshare, the overworked Cybrarian, is too busy to notice. When Hacker uses bar graphs to confuse Ms. Fileshare, the kids create bar graphs of their own to counter his contentions. D
5:00 pm
Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman "Dog of the Rings" Ruff decides to send all the FETCHers, dressed as Elves, Dwarves and Wizards, on a mythic Live Action Role Playing mission!. D
5:30 pm
Nightly Business Report "Evergreen Episode" Tonight on Nightly Business Report - An in-depth look at what is arguably the top story in business - the health of the U.S. economy. NBR looks at everything from housing to energy to the consumer, examining the bright spots and the obstacles. D
5:56 pm
NewsHour Promo NULL
6:00 pm
PBS NewsHour NULL
7:00 pm
Washington Week NULL
7:30 pm
Need to Know JEFF GREENFIELD ANCHORS. On this week's Need to Know, Jeff Greenfield leads a round table discussion on economic inequality, mobility, debt, and the state of the American economy four years after the official end of the recession. Guests include Jared Bernstein, former Chief Economic Adviser to Vice President Biden, Rana Foroohar of Time Magazine and John Makin of the American Enterprise Institute. D
8:00 pm
Idaho Reports 2013 Host Greg Hahn, with a panel of news professionals, plus political analysts, examines the week's events at the Idaho Legislature.G
9:00 pm
Dangerous Edge: A Life of Graham Greene Actor Derek Jacobi narrates this portrait of Greene, an author, British spy, doubting Catholic and manic-depressive, who wrote critically acclaimed best-sellers, including The Quiet American, Brighton Rock, The End of the Affair and The Third Man. Actor Bill Nighy provides Greene's voice as the documentary weaves the author's novels and movies into the story of his life and reveals the man who traveled the globe to escape the boredom of ordinary existence.G
10:00 pm
American Masters "Philip Roth: Unmasked" Explore the life of the Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning novelist, often referred to as the greatest living American writer. In candid interviews, Philip Roth discusses intimate aspects of his life and art as he has never done before: his unliterary upbringing in Newark, New Jersey, his writing process, the inspiration behind his most famous novels, and the many controversies he stirred throughout his career. With 31 books to his credit, including Goodbye, Columbus; Portnoy's Complaint; Sabbath's Theater; American Pastoral; and The Human Stain, Roth practically invented the genre of factual-fictional autobiography and commands ownership of the Jewish-American novel. D
11:30 pm
Charlie Rose NULL


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From American Institute for Cancer Research's summer newsletter- a great story about a fine chef who found the wellspring of her recovery from colon cancer in eating high-quality plant foods and enjoying a variety of physical activities.
Sarah Lanzman says she feels better now than before she was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer six years ago.
An award-winning chef for 30 years, Sarah started out as a community organizer in Southern California. "I'd make pots of bean stew and different breads to go with them to feed 150 people," she recalls.
Sarah travelled the world as a student, living in Kenya for a year and learning about African and Indian cuisines. Then she moved to Europe, studying Italian and French cooking and living in Germany for 10 years.
Settling in Charlottesville, Virginia, she and her husband raised three daughters and started Lorelei Caterers. Sarah won awards for best desserts two years running against other area chefs in a city known for its fine restaurants. Sarah and her husband grew 90 percent of the vegetables and herbs they used in catering on their 10-acre farm. [Click here to read the rest of Sarah's story]


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On staff since July 2007
Academic Title: Associate Professor
Research Center: Center for Clinical and Translational Research
"My goal is not just to improve cure rates for childhood cancer, but to improve the quality of life for children and families dealing with and successfully overcoming cancer."
"My goal is not just to improve cure rates for childhood cancer, but to improve the quality of life for children and families dealing with and successfully overcoming cancer."
Eric Chow, MD, MPH, is an attending physician at Seattle Childrens Hospital, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and a member of the Clinical Research and Public Health Sciences Divisions at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. His clinical and research interests focus on cancer survivorship, and he is the medical director of the Cancer Survivor Program at Seattle Children's (http://seattlechildrens.org/cancersurvivorprogram).
Together with other members of the Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, the goal of the cancer survivor program is to enhance patient and family awareness of potential cancer therapy-related late effects, and to maximize quality of life by early detection and treatment of these late effects. Dr. Chow's current research attempts to better understand risk factors that contribute to increased metabolic and cardiovascular complications following cancer therapy, with studies examining glucocorticoid pharmacogenetics in relation to obesity following leukemia therapy, treatment and genetic factors that contribute to cardiovascular toxicity following hematopoietic cell transplantation, and application of population-based databases to study cancer late effects. Related to these interests, Dr. Chow holds leadership positions within the Childrens Oncology Group's Outcomes and Survivorship Committee and the National Cancer Institute-sponsored Childhood Cancer Survivor Study.
Dr. Chow is terrific at communicating honestly & medically in a way that is easy to understand during a very difficult time. I found Dr. Chow passionate & earnest in caring for the children on the hem/onc floor. And as a mother of a child who underwent cancer treatment at Seattle Children's, I always felt a greater sense of comfort knowing we were in the care of Dr. Chow.
Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
University of California, Berkeley
Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle
Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle
I am a pediatric oncologist whose research focuses on cancer survivorship. My group is interested in better understanding the burden and risk factors for various endocrine/metabolic (e.g. obesity, insulin resistance) and cardiovascular outcomes following childhood cancer therapy. To this end, we utilize data from medical records as well as prospectively bring patients back to clinic for various physiologic measurements. Our survivorship research also includes work examining various gene polymorphisms of interest and data linkage strategies utilizing state administrative databases.
Chronic Conditions / Special Health Care Needs, Epidemiology, Cancer
Primary Office
Seattle Children's
MB.8.501 - Hematology-Oncology
4800 Sand Point Way NE
Additional Offices
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
FHCRC Box 358080 - MS M4-C308
PO Box 19024
Type the first or last name you are searching for or select a specialty.


text:
|2013-03-17, 00:39
|Link #12881
Join Date: Sep 2012
My argument was that there is actual love within Medakas feelings for Zen, and though I could simply wait for the rest of this arc to thoroughly prove my point, I felt compelled to offer a contention to your assumption that she has no connection to him beyond a need for his presence. Hes easily the most important person in her life, due to a plethora of reasons that far extend beyond mere dependency, or, otherwise, she could have simply decided to fall for Kumagawa, since he too could have saved her from her loneliness, and yet she never has.
Regardless, its not as though I think their relationship has incredible depth, which is why Ive repeatedly mentioned that Zenkichi and Medaka need to mature as individuals before it progresses even further. Though occasionally complex, Zenkichi and Medakas feelings for one another are typically simplistic. However, this simplicity, IMO, at least when concerning Medaka, no longer exists solely due to emotional dependence, and, though she occasionally references Zenkichis inability to stray by her side, I dont feel that it heavily motivates her anymore.
Really though, what would exactly be a satisfying and cohesive alternative for you, to the point where youd actually agree with what Im suggesting? Ive always perceived a slight dependency in both Medaka and Zenkichis love for one another, and though Medakas was more prevalent throughout the early portions of the story, theyve both matured into legitimately loving one another, though they still, of course, have a long way to go before their relationship is entirely healthy.
Basically, its natural for her to be disappointed and upset that the man she loves isn't accompanying her, which is why I find the supposed implications that this arc will partially focus on Medakas realization that shes fallen out of love with Zenkichi to be unrealistic and nearly impossible. My argument, at its core, was pertaining to this, prior to the distraction of divergent tangents.
|2013-03-17, 01:01
|Link #12882
minority spirit(?)
Is it something that needs ANN's coverage?
|2013-03-17, 01:52
|Link #12883
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Age: 29
Calling Medaka's romantic attraction to Zenkichi 'surprising' is a complete stretch, by the way, given her proposal to him at the age of two. When Naze and other characters said during the True Flask Plan arc that Medaka and Zenkichi's relationship hadn't changed for 13 years, they really weren't kidding. Latent romantic attraction to Zenkichi has always existed in Medaka on account of what he means to her (namely, the person who would save her from her loneliness); she even had a prior confession scene in ch. 35 or 36. The reason Medaka herself never pushed for a romantic relationship was only because she retained the memory of his rejection--she thought he wasn't interested.
Can you justify calling Zenkichi's "kindness" different from Zenkichi's devotion to her?
The fact is that Medaka has always had a romantic interest in Zenkichi, borne from her immature emotional dependency on him; it was on the basis of this immature dependency that she accepted Zenkichi's proposal, and it is on the basis of this immature dependency that she's disappointed by Zenkichi's rejection now. Having degraded Medaka's character sufficiently by allowing Medaka to retain that immaturity to this point, it is time for Nishio to finally let her grow up.
Anyway, as far as Kumagawa, I of course do believe that he would be a fully suitable candidate for helping Medaka overcome her loneliness. However, the immediate issue to be had in this arc is only Medaka's weakness/flaw/character development, not the potential resolution to it. The reason Medaka has never considered Kumagawa seriously to date in the manga is because she (thought she) already had Zenkichi. Now she does not. While the recent development is certainly a step on the path towards Medaka x Kumagawa, there's no need to jump ahead of ourselves just yet.
Last edited by Sol Falling; 2013-03-17 at 02:18.
|2013-03-17, 02:20
|Link #12885
Romance Expert
Join Date: Feb 2012
|2013-03-17, 02:24
|Link #12886
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
|2013-03-17, 12:40
|Link #12887
Join Date: Sep 2012
This entire argument is largely based on interpretations, and your statements addressing this all-encompassing dependency that's only been occasionally mentioned are just as "substanceless" as you percieve mine to be.
|2013-03-17, 13:34
|Link #12889
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
This new volume better have Tsurubami Fukurou and the girls on the cover. Iihiko should appear on the cover of the 21th volume, because is the last of the arc.
Coincidence or not, as if Nisio carefully collects the chapters, volume 20 ends in chapter 176, so volume 21 will probably end in chapter 185.
|2013-03-17, 13:40
|Link #12890
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
I mean, don't get me wrong, but I feel as though people attribute alot of Kumagawa's character and actions and motives to her, when I think that's disservice to what I think he was doing.
For instance, Kumagawa didn't advice Zenkichi to confess to Medaka because he knew Zen would reflect and do the exact opposite, free Medaka, so he himself would have a better shot.
I don't think so.
Kumagawa was merely helping someone who he considers family. He knew that Zen would need his advice when the time was right, not because Kuma himself still wanted a shot at Medaka, but because all he had left, with the failure of the Naked Apron Alliance, was to watch over Zen - as he himself said.
While some people see that as a manipulation, so he can have "the love of his life" at all costs, I just see that as him backing up his friend in a time of need and reflection, he purposefuly gave Zen the wrong advice so that when the time came, Zen could make the right choice with all his options in mind.
Sorry, I just don't view Kumagawa as this Medaka nut whose actively trying to get in her pants anymore.
|2013-03-17, 14:12
|Link #12891
Join Date: Sep 2012
|2013-03-17, 15:03
|Link #12892
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Age: 29
Anyway, let me spell it out to you: a coherent explanation for Medaka's emotions in that scene involves: 1) a positive example of something Zenkichi displayed, and 2) an explanation of why Medaka's character should've cared. Physical attraction, as irrelevant as it was to the scene or meaningful character development in general, cannot hope to be applied as a notable factor in the long-term establishment of Medaka's feelings for Zenkichi.
I'll also spell out the causal link for you explicitly. Medaka's principle character weakness, her driving motivation, is her desire not to be alone. When Zenkichi took away her purpose, he stripped away the mechanism Medaka had built up to deal with that. However, at the same time Zenkichi demonstrated his unfailing concern/dedication to Medaka's own well-being, i.e. his devotion to her. Out of gratitude/relief for that devotion, which would protect Medaka from her fundamental fear (loneliness) despite having just lost her all-important independent mechanism for fighting against it, all of Medaka's other emotions in that scene arose.
This is the complete causal link. This is the direct cohesive explanation. All necessary factors are considered, as relevant and portrayed in that scene to Medaka's characterization. Explain to me how any alternative aspect of Medaka's core character (i.e. her loneliness? her ability? her love of battle? her perfect understanding? The overflowing love or rigid discipline she inherited from her parents? etc. Any established characteristic of Medaka at all.) might lead to an alternative interpretation. Please, attempt any non-subjective ("IMO"), non-superficial ("she was physically attracted to him!") explanation at all.
For the record, victory is something which you take. Kumagawa's victory would be fundamentally different from Medaka x Zenkichi in terms of emotional dependency.
Last edited by Sol Falling; 2013-03-17 at 15:26.
|2013-03-17, 15:20
|Link #12893
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Age: 29
As far as Kumagawa considering Zen a 'bro' or 'family', however, I really have to wonder how delusional people can be. When is there any evidence of Kumagawa holding any particularly friendly feelings for Zenkichi? And where would such feelings come from, in terms of Kumagawa's motivations as a character? The characters in Medaka Box are not such a blank slate or so mysterious that you can simply project any feelings that you want onto them.
|2013-03-17, 19:25
|Link #12895
Join Date: Sep 2012
You initially asked me this:
|2013-03-17, 19:45
|Link #12896
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
It's the fact that we find you to perceive that both of those loves are the de-facto forwarding reason for the two characters(well, Zenkichi's just abandoned that), which is why Zigs said what he said. When you say that Kumagawa's ultimate victory is and always will be Medaka's heart - that's what you are telling us.
And we think it's hilariously wrong.
Mostly because Chapter 185 already proved this wrong, by finally having Kumagawa win.
Is this guy serious, or is he just trolling?
|2013-03-17, 21:22
|Link #12898
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Age: 29
|2013-03-17, 22:15
|Link #12899
Join Date: Sep 2012
In regards to the new question you've raised, despite it's obvious divergence from your initial point, I've mentioned the clear lack of depth in their relationship numerous times, and the necessity for maturity. I understand that she's emotionally dependent on him, but I don't view it as an overwhelmingly detrimental force to be reckoned with that has clouded all of their interactions, nor has it appeared that she only admires him due to his presence in her life since before the 140th chapter. She doesn't really use that as the crutch she once did. Regardless, you only every asked for a singular element of her emotions that played a part in her outwardly physical affection towards Zen that was disconnected from her dependency. That, of course, is what I gave you.
Last edited by zigantz22; 2013-03-17 at 22:25.
|2013-03-18, 00:27
|Link #12900
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Age: 29
Do you now not see what an ass you have been making of yourself? "Boohoo, I can't handle the suggestion that Medaka and Zenkichi won't end up together. I'm going to throw up an argument based on my instinctual disagreement with such a theory, despite having zero logical backing for my objection. All I have to offer are subjective 'observations' and a groundless confidence that Nishio won't upset my expectations." What a joke, try actually thinking next time before getting on your self-righteous soapbox.
Kumagawa's character will not change until he actually achieves his ultimate victory. Until his character finishes changing, Kumagawa will not have finished his story. Your (again) naive and superficial interpretations of what Nishio's supposed intentions are is the only basis you have for calling Kumagawa's story over. When in fact, any cursory analytical overview of Kumagawa's character development would clearly tell you that his story is not finished. This is something even you have already understood instinctively. What I am telling you is that Nishio's adherence to proper literary writing is what is going to win out, not your preconceptions of what Nishio supposedly 'meant' in the story.
|action, comedy, harem, nishio, romance, shounen, student council
|Thread Tools


text:
The strongest relationships are built on a foundation of trust. At Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties, we know how important it is to have a trusting relationship with your real estate agent. Our desire to provide the best possible experience inspired our mission: to customize and deliver a refined home buying and selling experience distinguished by the highest standards of integrity, expertise, and sophistication.
It is this mission that drives everything we do, and one of the reasons we retain only the top real estate sales professionals. We invite you to learn more about Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties and our commitment to excellent service.
© 2018 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® Equal Housing Opportunity. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained from various sources and will not be verified by broker or MLS.Lic#: 01317331


text:
This score is perfect for any type of product, game, trailer, movie or presentation opener. The score builds with cinematic drones with an underlying rhythmic pulse to 0:34 where the orchestra erupts with huge booms and soaring spiccato strings. The ending features our most epic track to date, with the whole orchestra hitting percussion shots. The ending is suited with a perfect space to show your product/logo with some SFX before the end of the track fades away. Enjoy!
"Coming Soon Cinematic Trailer" is featured in Epic Late Autumn Forest on Videohive!
"Coming Soon Cinematic Trailer" is featured in Fallen Tree on Videohive!


text:
Fender Road Worn 50s Telecaster, Blonde
Fender Road Worn 50s Telecaster, BlondeDetails
Fender's new Maple fretboard Road Worn '50s Tele delivers that aged style and feel, built to look, sound and feel like it has survived half a century, designed with 1950s specs, including a nitrocellulose-lacquer finish, and supercharged with Tex-Mex pickups and 6105 frets.
Product Ref: 12967View Full Description
Buy on finance from £25.49 per month Finance from £25.49 per month
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Please note: This is only available on orders placed via the website consisting of a single delivery, and is not available in store or via phone currently.
Full DescriptionView Full Description
Comments from customers who bought this item:
The first Fender workhorse; the original road warrior Electric Guitar. Fender's long road begins with the Telecaster, a guitar that amazingly looked even cooler and handled even better the more players heaped wear-and-tear on it; great when brand-new but positively phenomenal with a few thousand miles on it.
The Fender Telecaster has been seen in the hands of some of music's finest guitarists. From Bruce Springsteen to Status Quo, it's presence can be felt in many a classic rock anthem. It's legacy continues in the hands of exceptional guitarists like John 5 (formerly of Marilyn Manson fame) now playing for Rob Zombie and The lighty Slipknot's Jim Root as well as being the preferred instrument of Jimmy Eat World's Jim Adkins.
- Distressed Body, Neck, and Hardware Creating an Aged Appearance
- Vintage Styling
- Synthetic Bone Nut
Body & Bridge:
- Body: Ash
- Bridge: Vintage Style 3-Saddle Strings-Thru-Body Tele Bridge
- Pickguard: 1-Ply White, (5-Hole)
- Neck: 1-Piece Maple, C Shape, (Urethane Finish)
- Fingerboard: Maple, 7.25 Radius (184 mm)
- No. of Frets: 21 6105 Narrow Jumbo Frets
- Scale Length: 25.5 (648 mm)
- Width at Nut: 1.650 (42 mm)
Pickups & Hardware:
- Pickups: 2 Tex-Mex Tele Single-Coil Pickups with Alnico Magnet Pole Pieces
- Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone
- Pickup Switching: 3-Position Blade:
- Position 1. Bridge Pickup
- Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickup
- Position 3. Neck Pickup
- Machine Heads: Fender/Ping Vintage Style Tuning Machines
- Hardware: Chrome
- Strings: Fender Standard Tension ST250R, Nickel Plated Steel, Gauges: (.010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046)
- Deluxe Gig Bag
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- The policy can be cancelled within 30 days, and at any time after that for a pro-rata discount
Please note that this extended warranty is currently only available on products sold within the EU or EEA, and is subject to the terms and conditions as detailed on the extended warranty certificate provided.
For customers in outlying areas of the country, the price of the Extended Warranty may be marginally higher, due to the potential for higher collection and redelivery transport costs.
This enhanced warranty is in addition to the standard Gear4music and manufacturer warranty policies, and the Gear4music terms and conditions of trade. No statement or condition of sale contained within these terms affects or restricts your statutory rights as defined under the Consumer Contracts Regulation 2014.
Once the product is delivered, you have 180 days to decide that you definitely want to keep it. If you decide it is not suitable for any reason, you can return it back to us for replacement or full refund, including standard delivery charges.
All Products are new unless stated, and include a minimum of 2 years warranty.
Some items are only eligible for money back guarantee if they are returned to us unused and sealed in the original packaging, and in the case of software, unregistered. These items include:
- Software
- CDs & DVDs
- In-ear Monitors
- Earplugs and Ear Protection
- Mouthpieces, Reeds etc… for Woodwind and Brass instruments
- Mouth / Lip Care Products
We are unable to accept returns of any custom made items designed to work together as a unique package, such as computer system built to a customer's personal specifications. Exceptions may only be possible with prior agreement of the vendor, and may be subject to a cancellation fee.
If you also purchase items that do not qualify for free delivery, some delivery charges may be applied to your order which will be shown in your shopping basket.


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University of Vermont
2011-12 Online Catalogue
Educational Leadership (Post-Master's Certificate)
A Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.) is a certificate program designed for those who already have completed a master's degree, but who are interested in leadership development. The C.A.S. is a parallel program to the Master's Degree in Educational Leadership and is designed to cultivate leaders who can apply knowledge toward leading and building learning communities designed to make a positive difference in the lives of children, youth, families, adults, and communities. The program prepares public and private school leaders, curriculum leaders, teacher leaders, leaders of educational and social service agencies, and leaders for other educational organizations. The program is designed to prepare leaders to think and act creatively, responsibly, and effectively in leadership roles. Participants learn to:
- understand alternative perspectives on leadership that support the development of more just, humane, and diverse organizations.
- construct effective ways to demonstrate caring and collaborative leadership.
- create networks which support leadership and change.
While the program is designed within the broad concept of leadership, three major strands of concentration are available. The areas of concentration are:
STRAND I: School Leader with Administrative Endorsement
- Educational Administration
- Curriculum Leadership
STRAND II: Organizational/Community Leadership
- Leadership in Private or Nonprofit Educational Organizations
- Teacher Leadership
STRAND III: Human Services Leadership
- Collaboration across communities, human service agencies, and schools
- Using evaluation for enhancing program outcomes
Specific Requirements
The program requirements include:
- a minimum of 30 credit hours distributed among courses, summer seminars, independent study, action research, and internships.
- fifteen of the 30-36 credits comprise the core curriculum with the remainder making up the students individual concentration. Students desiring the administrative licensure endorsement by the state of Vermont will take a majority of their electives in areas required through licensure standards.
- an action research project
- a leadership portfolio which marks the final requirement of the program. Portfolios are presented at each student's culminating oral examination.
The Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.) Program requires 30 credit hours of study.
Courses with an administration/planning focus include: EDLP 264, EDLP 266, EDLP 268, EDLP 280, EDLP 332, EDLP 333, EDLP 334, EDLP 335, EDLP 336, EDLP 337, EDLP 353, EDLP 354, EDLP 355, EDLP 356, and EDLP 358.
There are two application deadlines. Applications are due November 15th for admission the following spring and April 1st for admission the following fall.
- Colleges and Schools: College of Education and Social Services.
- Departments and Programs: Education Department.


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#Appamazing Instagram Giveaway!
August 2, 2013 in Appaman News
It's no secret that we live to see photos of Appaman clothes out and about, especially because our fans really know how to style them!
Share your Appaman pics with us on Instagram for the chance to be one of three randomly-selected winners of $50 applicable toward your next Appaman.com purchase.*
To make sure we see it, tag @appaman and include the hashtag #appamazing. (Please note: If your Instagram feed is set to "private," we will not be able to see the image and therefore cannot include it as a valid entry. We're sorry!)
Winners will be announced on our Facebook page on August 19th, 2013, where we will also share some of our submissions.
*Boring fine print: US and Canada residents only. Winners will receive a discount code to take up to $50 USD off a single purchase from Appaman.com and will not receive credit for any remaining balance if the purchase totals less than $50. May not combine it with any other offer, discount, or promotion.


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I began this blog nearly 100 posts ago (this is post 99, according to WordPress) with a few modest, personal goals. I wanted to document what we did. I wanted a record of what worked and what didn't work. And I wanted a bit of help with accountability. See, about a year before I began this blog, we finished our basement, which, at my request, includes an art/craft area. We built a big table with lots of storage and an easy, wipe-off surface. The floor is just linoleum, and we had a utility sink installed–mess isn't a concern. A year later I realized we weren't using it all that much. We weren't taking advantage of this great space I'd created.
In October of last year we attended a workshop at Rhode Island School of Design's Museum entitled "The Artful Family." I began thinking about how I wanted to use that space and what I could do to accomplish this. I thought perhaps I could leave provocations for when the boys came home from school and began poking around for ideas. In one corner of my head, I sort of hoped I'd find an outline, neatly arranged, available online. But I wasn't looking for crafts, and I wasn't looking primarily for ideas for very young children, and I came up more or less empty.
At about the same moment I realized I'd be making much of it up as I went along, I decided to blog about it. I've blogged on and off for a long time, and it's a method of documentation that feels very natural and comfortable to me. Also, because it's public, it feels more accountable to me. Even if absolutely nobody reads a blog regularly, it's still out there in the world, and it helped me make this sort of art-making–the kind where we're all together, exploring, learning, together–a priority. Because just like everyone else, our family juggles–work, school, out-of-school activities, chores, errands, all that stuff that comes along with just life.
My original thought of leaving provocations after school didn't work. By the time my boys were home, had a snack, and completed homework, I'd be starting dinner, because we have a toddler with an early bedtime, so we eat dinner early too. Not only that, but the boys (and my daughter) quickly came to see these particular art experiences as an activity we did together. Trying to do this after school would just be rushed. I realized we'd need to explore together on weekends and days off from school, and that I'd need to schedule it, to treat it like any other important commitment. This isn't to say we do things on a schedule; but I try to keep track and make sure we don't go too long without some sort of art-making together. This blog helps keep me accountable to this goal.
So what have we gained by making art a habit? My toddler (nearly preschool now!) daughter sees painting as a viable activity choice, as much as reading together or building with blocks or any other game we may play together. She will ask to go downstairs and let me know exactly what materials she wants to work with. She has gained fine-motor coordination, color recognition, and confidence in her mark-making, among other things. But it's more the changes in my older kids that interest me.
My 7yo has always considered himself an artist. In the past nine months, though, he's become better at planning, thinking ahead, and becoming comfortable with different techniques. My 9yo, I think, is better able to see himself as an artist now than before; he recognizes his strengths. Last summer when we went on vacation I bought sketchbooks for all the kids, which were hardly used. They didn't want to draw anything. This summer, it was as natural as anything for them to take their sketchbooks to the deCordova Museum and begin drawing. When my husband brings flowers home, the kids ask when they can paint a picture of them. And I suspect, too, that they are more observant, although they have always been the sort of kids who walk slowly, look at their surroundings, and try to really see.
And then there are the benefits to us as a family. This is, primarily, a family activity. I make art right alongside my kids as much as I can–it's not always easy, because I'm also helping and fetching materials for three kids. I bring my sketchbook places too. My kids see me being creative, both with them and on my own projects. We all have our own projects, but we come together often. And over the past nine months, I've felt my own creativity expand as well.
My kids like to read in part because they see their parents reading and we've always taken them to the library. My kids write things down in part because they see me jotting notes and typing at the computer. And my kids see themselves as artists in part because I've made it a priority to support art-making in our family. This is what art as habit can do, and the first step can be as simple as drawing whatever is at hand.


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Sound that fits your home
Compatible with iPhone 5 and the latest iPods through the Lightning connector, DS3205 docking speaker plays music from your iPod/iPhone in crystal-clear sound. Enjoy the option of AC or battery power for maximum flexibility. See all benefits
Unfortunately this product is no longer available
Enjoy your favorite music while charging your iPod/iPhone via the new Lightning connector! Just dock it directly on the speaker to play your hand-picked tunes in superb sound. It also charges your device quickly while playing, so you don't have to work about the battery running out.
Dynamic Bass Boost maximizes your music enjoyment by emphasizing the bass content of the music throughout the range of volume settings - from low to high – at the touch of a button! Bottom-end bass frequencies usually get lost when the volume is set at a low level. To counteract this, Dynamic Bass Boost can be switched on to boost bass levels, so you can enjoy consistent sound even when you turn down the volume.
Make one easy connection and enjoy all your music from portable devices and computers. Simply plug your device to the AUDIO-IN (3.5 mm) port on your Philips set. With computers, the connection is typically made from the headset output. Once linked, you can enjoy your entire music collection directly, on a set of superior speakers. Philips simply delivers better sound.
Neodynium is the best material for producing a strong magnetic field for greater sensitivity in a voice coil, better bass response and a pure balanced sound quality.


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Blighty laid bare as historic aerial snaps archive goes online
Who will find the first sunbathing lovely of the 1930s?
Today sees the launch of Britain From Above - a seriously impressive archive of 16,000 aerial views of Blighty taken between 1919 to 1953.
The images were acquired for the nation in 2007 when aerial photography outfit Aerofilms fell on hard times, and following "a painstaking process of conservation and cataloguing", can now be enjoyed from the comfort of a web browser.
The website's launch blurb explains that Britain From Above offers "a high degree of interactivity and is designed to encourage wide public participation".
It adds: "Users can download images, customise their own themed photo galleries, share personal memories, and add information to enrich the understanding for each of the images. They are also invited to identity the locations of a number of 'mystery' images that have left the experts stumped."
Here's one of these unidentified locations, which we're sure Reg readers can help nail down:
Britain From Above is an English Heritage and the Royal Commissions on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and Wales initiative, back by Lottery cash. Its ultimate aim is to have 95,000 photos online by 2014. ®


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We at Walkoff Walk pride ourselves with our annual dabble in Division Preview bloggin'. Not that we promise any factual evidence to support our pitiful prognostications, nor do we even double-check our figures to ensure that the projected wins add up to equal the projected losses.
What's the point? We're just trying to throw some syrupy pancakes at the ceiling and see what sticks, and what flops back down on our heads.
Hope you've enjoyed the ride. This is the final installment for 2010.
The National League East, once a guaranteed gift for the pitching-strong Atlanta Braves in the late 90s and early aughts has become a perennial prize for the powerful Phillies of Philly, with a quick one-year break for the quixotic Queens quagmire. Three straight division championships for the Phils does not equal the eleven straight that the Braves can boast, and yet both teams notched one tidy World Series win. Interesting? Yes. Meaningful? Hard to define. The postseason is a fickle lover, and yet Mets fans would bend over backwards for the mere chance to be jilted in October instead of September, or August, or July...
Also of note: the NL East has not produced a Wild Card winner since 2003, when the Marlins took home the whole pie. I predict that the Western domination of the Wild Card will end in 2010, but in a wacky way that will have young punks everywhere calling for realignment, or redistribution of funds, or both.
Join me now:
5. Washington Nationals
The Good:
- Stephen Strasburg is the second coming of Tom Seaver, or Bob Gibson, or the Strasbourg Cathedral depending on who you believe. Either way, the young righty is a legend before his first pitch and a prime example of late Gothic architecture. He's a major news story whether or not he even gets called up to the big team later this season. Don't expect him to turn the Nats around just yet, but do expect many, many strikeouts.
- Ryan Zimmerman is entering the prime of his career. Fella will turn 26 this fall and he's got four years of fulltime ML experience under his belt already. Expect thirty homers, an improved OBP, and some terrific glovework at third base for this Virginia Cavalier. Do not expect him to add an extra 'n' to his last name in a show of solidarity with teammate Jordan ZImmermann.
- By throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Nationals Park on Opening Day, President Obama is going to raise the Nationals profile on an international level, that is, if he chooses to participate in a photo op with the racing Presidents. Because that's what a sitting President of the most powerful nation on Earth does: pose with mascots. Failing that, he can settle for a photo op with the African Queen. Now that'll give him the approval rating bounce!
The Bad:
- Um, they're still the Nationals, and they still employ Livan Hernandez in their starting rotation. With the aforementioned Strasburg at least a year away from contributing, the Nats will muddle along with not-a-Beatle John Lannan, wormballer Jason Marquis, Livan, someone named Craig Stammen, and my old favorite Chien-Ming Wang starting games. For Stammen and Lannan, it might play in Triple-A; for Wang, it might play in Taiwan; and for Livan, it might play in 1997, but it ain't playing in the 2010 NL East.
- Ian Desmond, like Strasburg, was a can't-miss prospect and yet he couldn't find his way into the big league lineup until after he already logged six years in the minors. He may very well prove to be a great middle infielder in the near future, but consider 2010 a learning season. Also, he's not a great hitter to slot in the #2 hole ahead of Zim and Adam Dunn.
- Speaking of Dunn, have you seen these Nats try to field a baseball? Eeee-yuck. Outside of Gold Glove candidates in Zimmerman and CF Tony Plush, we've got some questionable talent here. The Nats obviously didn't get the memo about defense being the new hottness; corner outfielders Willie Harris and Josh Willingham, and the first baseman Dunn will do them no favors.
Predictions: 61-101 record. Manager Jim Riggleman retains his job when no one in the front office has the energy to fill out all the paperwork involved in firing him. Team sets attendance records with tons of new promotions (Bring Your Helper Monkey to the Park! Free Canned Cheese Day!) and turns the Red Porch into an exclusive cocktail club for season ticketholders. Strasburg finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting and buys a Sea Doo.
1. (tie) Florida Marlins
The Good:
- Hanley Ramirez is one more step in improved defense away from being the best player in baseball. He's increased his OBP every year in the last three seasons, maintained his power, and has not stopped stealing bases. Were Ramirez to make the impossible leap to Gold Glove status, he'd be the quintessential five-tool player and make Albert Pujols take a step down from his well-deserved podium. Or he could make 45 errors and this could all be for naught.
- They have a terrific twosome atop their rotation in Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco. Last year, they combined to go 28-14 with a tidy FIP of about 3.30 and a whopping 10 WAR between them. No two human beings can stake claim to such amazing sliders since Harold & Kumar's late-night culinary adventure. Shame that they'll both be in the AL East within two years.
- Sassy Senior Jorge Cantu is leading the daily workout program for the Marlins. Now if the team could only persuade him to get the Marlins Manatees in the pool, the fans in Miami might not be forced to endure such a blubbery sideshow.
The Bad:
- Team owner Jeff Loria is neither FDR nor is he Lorenzo de Medici. Rather, he is a dastardly money hoarder and he can be partially blamed for holding back the success of his team. C'mon, Jeff, throw some sheckels at Rick VandenHurk, those early-morning phone calls back to the Netherlands ain't cheap.
- Florida re-acquired Nate Robertson to fill out the fifth starter role. Robertson has never posted a sub-4.50 FIP, but hey, the Tigers are paying his ENTIRE $10 million contract this year. Whatta steal!
- Chris Coghlan's Twitter account is really f**king annoying. I don't know how someone can be so irritatingly Christ-y when he obviously sold his soul to the Dark Lord to win the NL Rookie of the Year over Andrew McCutchen in 2009. Yeah, he can get on base and steal a base and score a run yada yada yada, but how can you root for a guy who tweets crap like this:
Predictions: 87-75 record. See below.
1. (tie) New York Mets
The Good:
- The top half of the Mets lineup rivals any other lineup in the National League. When healthy and playing together, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, David Wright and Jason Bay could combine to smack a hundred homers, steal a hundred bases, and produce 450 runs on their own. Now, Beltran's knees, Reyes' hammy and Bay's affinity for maple syrup and poutine could spell disaster for the team, but this is still one heckuva lineup on paper.
- Billy Wagner is long gone yet the Mets have lots of good bullpen depth. Despite the fact that they overpaid for closer Francisco Rodriguez, the Mets can still bring in some no-name relievers like Raul Valdes to strike out the opposition. Value! And if that fails, they can just bring Tobi Stoner back up.
- His reign is shaky but Johan Santana is still the best pitcher in the National League East. Santana should be in good health this year; give the man 200 innings and he'll strike out the world and get his name back on the Cy Young voting tote board.
The Bad:
- Like a saline-saddled skanky stripper, the Mets' lineup is a tad top-heavy. Past that fearsome foursome, manager Jerry Manuel must pencil in the tepid quartet of Daniel Murphy, Jeff Francoeur, Luis Castillo, and Rod Barajas ahead of the pitcher's spot.
- The only way the rest of the rotation could look more like a question mark is if they were dressed up like Matthew Lesko for Halloween. Maybe John Maine can be counted on to be serviceable, but I have little to no faith in Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez and youngster Jonathon Niese. Niese is recovering from a hamstring he tore up in 2009; give him 2010 to grow as an MLB starter and I'll be sure to upgrade him in my 2011 preview.
- The defense will get
betterless bad. When your best infielder and best outfielder post a UZR of exactly 0, you know your team has the range of an armless, legless motivational speaker.
Predictions: 87-75 record. See below.
1. (tie) Atlanta Braves
The Good:
- Tim Hudson is healthy. If all goes to plan, the Tommy John surgery will not only have healed his arm but turned him into a bionic pitching machine, unhittable by NL batters and unstoppable by your mere human weapons. Add in Jair Jurrjens and Derek Lowe and you've got a perfectly good front of your rotation. Nothing too gaudy, but good enough to impress Southern folk.
- I can't find a weak spot in their lineup. Trust me, I tried. As long as leadoff man Nate McLouth shakes his springtime slump and newcomer Melky Cabrera adjusts to the NL well, expect the hitters between the two to produce above the league average. Much rides on the success of cleanup hitter Troy Glaus: can he stay healthy? If not, can Eric Hinske fill in at first? These are not rhetorical questions, I need answers, people.
- Young gentlemen Tommy Hanson and Jason Heyward are on the verge of something spectacular. Hanson showed what he could do last year (143 ERA+ in 127 IP) and Heyward currently sits atop everyone's top prospects list. Their combined age is still less than Jamie Moyer's age and their readiness gives the Braves hope not just for the future but for today.
The Bad:
- Chipper Jones is like 77 years old, give or take a dozen. Some day he'll be in the Hall of Fame but right now, he's somewhat of a defensive liability at third base and a big fat question mark in terms of health. His OBP dipped under .400 in 2009 for the first time in five years and he posted his lowest HR/FB rate in a decade. Plus he's gotta play all those games at CitiField! Chances are Jones will still be a productive hitter in the three hole and if he fades, perhaps Jon Sciambi can give him some pointers to improve his swing.
- It's Bobby Cox' final season at the helm. You'd think the nostalgia would give the team an extra boost, and perhaps it will, but Cox' farewell tour has the potential to overshadow the team's success. Or maybe it will provide a useful distraction. I'd just have been happier seeing Cox depart in a more organic way, like walking away quietly at the end of the season or keeling over dead in the middle of being ejected for arguing with an ump.
- The cow is going to become sentient and terrorize the Greater Atlanta area.
Predictions: 87-75 record. See below.
1. (tie) Philadelphia Phillies
The Good:
- That core of hitters makes your mouth water. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Jayson Werth. To a lesser extent Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez. Their home park only magnifies the tater tot totalling potential. They could score 900 runs if they played with the DH. Plus they all field pretty well; even Ibanez posted a positive UZR last year!
- Roy Halladay wants to go to the Philadelphia Zoo with you. Big fella is excited to move to a National League contender; not only will his chances of pitching in the postseason for the first time go way up, but he'll get to feast on the pitchers hitting in the nine hole. Twenty-five wins might be a stretch, but expect a spectacular Philly debut with a tidy 3.50 ERA and many, many strikeouts. Expect Cole Hamels to rebound as well.
- A team-related blogosphere representation that is so formidable and so thorough that someone found 65 of them to participate in an NCAA-style bracket. Like the fanbase for the Brewers, the Phillies fans are a devoted sort who will celebrate every victory and deride every loss with the same amount of passion. We at Walkoff Walk make no apologies for our love of the Phillies blogosphere, even when they get a bit obsessed about personal grooming.
The Bad:
- Brad Lidge used up all his goodwill and good luck in 2008. When this guy trots in from the bullpen, you can already feel the homers flying off the bat. I'd call him a headcase but that's an insult to mental patients everywhere. In case Lidge completely breaks down and leaves the game to live on a kibbutz, the Phillies have a decent replacement in Danys Baez who spent 2009 recovering from elbow surgery and pitching for the Orioles. Ick.
- New third baseman Placido Polanco hasn't manned the hot corner for a full season in years. The Phils are basically going from a wildly underrated defensive whiz Pedro Feliz at third to someone who spent the last half decade playing second base. Polanco did it well, but who's to say he won't poison Utley's Tastykakes so he can reclaim his favorite position?
- No HEIST bump this year.
Predictions: 87-75 record. Holy crap, we've got a four-way tie for first in the division! How the heck do you rectify that situation?
Via Baseball-Reference, this is the official MLB rule for a four-way tie in a division or Wild Card race:
Scenario #6: If four Clubs are tied for first place in the Wild Card (or Division) with an identical winning percentage at the conclusion of the championship season and the tied Clubs do not have identical records against one another in the championship season, the tie for the Wild Card (Division) shall be broken as follows:
The four teams will be designated Club "A," "B," "C," and "D" based on a draw by the Office of the Commissioner. Club "A" shall play Club "B" at the ballpark of Club "A" and Club "C" shall play Club "D" at the ballpark of Club "C" on Monday, September 29. The following day (Tuesday, September 30), the winner of these games shall play one game, at the ballpark of Club "A" or Club "B," whichever has won the game between the two. The winner of the third game shall be declared the Wild Card.
Well that's about as clear as a unfiltered craft-brewed hefeweizen! Last year, the general managers voted to end coin flips to determine home field advantage and used various other tiebreakers, like best record in one-run night games played in under 2 hours and 55 minutes. So really, let's say the Phillies host the Marlins and the Braves host the Mets for one game playoffs, and then the winners of those two games meet. The winner gets the division, the loser gets the Wild Card, and the fans of the other two teams are left scratching their heads.
Note: the chances of this happening are about 0.000003%, but if we hit on those lightning-striking odds, you'll be prepared. Prepared to be confused, amirite?
For the sake of completeness, let's say the Phillies win the division and the Braves win the Wild Card, with the Braves beating the Cardinals and Phillies losing to the Rockies in the NLDS. The Braves will sweep the Rockies in the NLCS and then go on to lose the World Series to the Yankees, because that is what Atlanta does best: lose World Serieses to the Yankees.


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Chiminea and Firepit Natural Gas Conversion KitFrom Blue Rooster
- High grade fire ring insert
- Ten foot hose w/tank adapter
- Manual control to adjust the flame height
This is the first Chiminea conversion kit with high quality ceramic logs (GASKIT10), and the included seven piece log set glows just like the real thing when heated. Instructions with pictures are included for easy installation in any clay, cast iron, steel, copper or cast aluminum chiminea. This gas conversion kit includes fireplace granules, manual control to adjust the flame height from low (20,000 BTU/LP) to high (32,000 BTU/LP), ten foot hose with tank adapter, a high grade fire ring insert, and seven piece ceramic log set of individual logs 5 1/2 to 8 1/2 inches varying lengths. Conversion kits are designed for use with either propane or natural gas. Outdoor fireplaces can be converted to a wood burning by removing the gas components and converted back again by simple installation. Propane and natural gas are not recommended for outdoor cooking. Due to different natural gas configurations, contact your local gas company for natural gas installations. Propane installations can hook directly to propane tank or grill.More Details and Pricing »


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Skip to comments.Former Surgeon Gen Elders Gets Standing Ovation after Advocating Sex Ed for Kindergarteners
Posted on 07/09/2009 9:03:23 AM PDT by DFG
CNSNews.com) Former Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders got a standing ovation after speaking at the annual summit of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice where she advocated health clinics offering contraceptives on public school campuses and comprehensive sex education in the schools starting in kindergarten.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
What next, Jews for Hitler???
With an Eric Clapner song playing in the background?
Another GREAT reason for homeschooling your children.
I REALLY was looking for the word "satire" here somewhere. I mean, ten, fifteen years ago this would have been satire. And to come from the confused and ignorant mind of Elders, no less.
That was either a very big condom or a very small veranda.
When will the modern recently activated human be allowed to function as a CHILD without evil government organizers influence. Who are these perverts in control that insist on getting their rocks off about children knowing how to have sex. They disgust me.
The only sex-ed that kindergartners need is enough knowledge to tell their parents or teachers if someone touches them in the bathing suit area.
They need no knowledge of cucumbers and condoms untill much much later.
Hmmm ... this bears a striking resemblance to that *religious* group, Nuns For Choice. In other words, a bunch of people who support killing in the womb trying to candy-coat it with the religious moniker.
No surprise they would have this idiot speaking to them, let alone giving her a standing ovation, really.
Satanists and Secular Humanists are "religious"...
They knew what this dope believed before they issued an invitation.
They're as lost as she is.
"Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice"
Is there no end to the sickos out there?
"Sex Ed" to Elders means teaching 5 year olds to masterbate. She was basically fired for saying that....by none other than the Sinkmeister himself. Slick Willie. Billy-Jeff. The head Clintonista. Sorry...guess I was longing for the good old days when we merely had a reprobate as POTUS, and not an outright facsist.
In 1929, 10 years before Sanger created the Negro Project, the ABCL laid the groundwork for a clinic in Harlem, a largely black section of New York City. It was the dawn of the Great Depression, and for blacks that meant double the misery. Blacks faced harsher conditions of desperation and privation because of widespread racial prejudice and discrimination. From the ABCL's perspective, Harlem was the ideal place for this experimental clinic, which officially opened on November 21, 1930. Many blacks looked to escape their adverse circumstances and therefore did not recognize the eugenic undercurrent of the clinic. The clinic relied on the generosity of private foundations to remain in business.18 In addition to being thought of as inferior and disproportionately represented in the underclass, according to the clinic's own files used to justify its work, blacks in Harlem: were segregated in an over-populated area (224,760 of 330,000 of greater New York's black population lived in Harlem during the late 1920s and 1930s); comprised 12 percent of New York City's population, but accounted for 18.4 percent of New York City's unemployment; had an infant mortality rate of 101 per 1000 births, compared to 56 among whites; had a death rate from tuberculosis237 per 100,000that was highest in central Harlem, out of all of New York City.19 Although the clinic served whites as well as blacks, it was established for the benefit of the colored people. Sanger wrote this in a letter to Dr. W. E. Burghardt DuBois,20 one of the day's most influential blacks. A sociologist and author, he helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 to improve the living conditions of black Americans. That blacks endured extreme prejudice and discrimination, which contributed greatly to their plight, seemed to further justify restricting their numbers. Many believed the solution lay in reducing reproduction. Sanger suggested the answer to poverty and degradation lay in smaller numbers of blacks. She convinced black civic groups in Harlem of the benefits of birth control, under the cloak of better health (i.e., reduction of maternal and infant death; child spacing) and family planning. So with their cooperation, and the endorsement of The Amsterdam News (a prominent black newspaper), Sanger established the Harlem branch of the Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau.21 The ABCL told the community birth control was the answer to their predicament. Sanger shrewdly used the influence of prominent blacks to reach the masses with this message. She invited DuBois and a host of Harlem's leading blacks, including physicians, social workers, ministers and journalists, to form an advisory council to help direct the clinic so that our work in birth control will be a constructive force in the community.22 She knew the importance of having black professionals on the advisory board and in the clinic; she knew blacks would instinctively suspect whites of wanting to decrease their numbers. She would later use this knowledge to implement the Negro Project. Sanger convinced the community so well that Harlem's largest black church, the Abyssinian Baptist Church, held a mass meeting featuring Sanger as the speaker.23 But that event received criticism. At least one very prominent minister of a denomination other than Baptist spoke out against Sanger. Dr. Adam Clayton Powell Sr., pastor of Abyssinian Baptist, received adverse criticism from the (unnamed) minister who was surprised that he'd allow that awful woman in his church.24 Grace Congregational Church hosted a debate on birth control. Proponents argued birth control was necessary to regulate births in proportion to the family's income; spacing births would help mothers recover physically and fathers financially; physically strong and mentally sound babies would result; and incidences of communicable diseases would decrease. Opponents contended that as a minority group blacks needed to increase rather than decrease and that they needed an equal distribution of wealth to improve their status. In the end, the debate judges decided the proponents were more persuasive: Birth control would improve the status of blacks.25 Still, there were others who equated birth control with abortion and therefore considered it immoral. Eventually, the Urban League took control of the clinic,26 an indication the black community had become ensnared in Sanger's labyrinth. http://www.cwfa.org/articles/1466/CWA/life/index.htm
"What next, Jews for Hitler??? "
Already there. They are called Liberals.
again something taken away from the parents.
They'll never GO AWAY!!!
"Satanists and Secular Humanists are 'religious'..."
As are Darwinian scientists.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


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About Susan Hefuna
Many of Susan Hefuna's multimedia works explore her experience navigating the discordant parts of her heritage—German and Egyptian, Christian and Muslim. Hefuna's photographs, videos, sculptures, installations, and drawings explore the rifts between cultural codes and perceptions of them, towards larger themes of identity and social politics. In 2001, she produced a series of self-portraits, cityscapes, interiors, and portraits of her family, sometimes including images of Mashrabiyas—latticed windows Hefuna encountered in Egyptian cities that allow one to observe without being seen. Between 2004 and 2010, Hefuna designed a number of Mashrabiyas herself, incorporating phrases in English and Arabic, and commissioned artisans to produce them. Hefuna is also known for her drawing, which she considers the backbone of her diverse practice.
Egyptian-German, b. 1962, Germany, based in Cairo; Dusseldorf, Germany; New York City


text:
Need the Littelfuse equivalent to a competitor part? Enter the competitor part number here.
Search for the part(s) number you wish to receive samples. Or, visit the sample center page.
Check distributor stock levels by entering in full or partial part numbers
The SE-330AU is an advanced earth-fault and earthing-resistor
monitoring relay for low- and medium-voltage transformers and
generators. It monitors neutral current, neutral-to-earth voltage, and
neutral-to-earth resistance. It provides continuous monitoring of the
neutral-to-earth path to verify that the neutral-earthing resistor (NER)
is intact. This is of utmost importance—an open NER renders
current-sensing earth-fault protection inoperative and could result in a
false belief that the system is functioning properly. The SE-330AU
earth-fault function complies with AS/NZS 2081.3:2002. For non-AS/NZS 2081
applications, see the SE-330 or SE-330HV.
The SE-330AU New Revision provides these additional features:
Connect the SE-330AU to the network using a standard Ethernet patch cable. Use of a crossover cable to connect the SE-330AU directly to the computer running IP-Config is not recommended. A typical router will assign an IP address to all connected computers that are using DHCP. The SE-330AU does not support the use of DHCP. If the SE-330AU is being set-up for first time, it is recommended to only have one SE-330AU connected to the network to prevent communication errors.
Click here to download the COMPUTER TO RELAY CONNECTION diagram.
Changes to SE-330 Series Neutral-Grounding-Resistor Monitors
The SE-330AU is an advanced earth-fault and earthing-resistor monitoring relay for low- and medium-voltage transformers and generators. It monitors neutral current, neutral-to-earth voltage, and neutral-to-earth resistance.
The SE-330AU is a microprocessor-based neutral- earthing-resistor monitor that detects NER failures and earth faults in resistance-earthed systems.
This document describes the Anybus DeviceNet features supported by the SE-330/SE-330AU/SE-330HV.
This document describes the Anybus Ethernet IT features supported by the SE-330/SE-330AU/SE-330HV.
The Profibus-DP slave interface on the SE-330/ SE-330AU/SE330HV is used to access meter data and provide reset functions. Set points can be read but not written.
This software is used to receive data from SE-330, SE-330AU, and SE-330HV Neutral-Grounding-Resistor Monitors. It will display the relay's set points as well as measured values.
SE-MON330 is a PC-based application designed to access set-points, measured values, and trip records from the SE-330 Neutral-Grounding-Resistor Monitor, the SE-330HV Neutral-Grounding-Resistor Monitor, and the SE-330AU Neutral-Earthing- Resistor Monitor.
Monitoring Neutral-Grounding Resistors—An Update...
Littelfuse, Inc. 8755 West Higgins Road Suite 500, Chicago, IL, 60631 USA, 773-628-1000 Copyright © 2018 Littelfuse, Inc. 苏ICP备08009410号-2


text:
The Devil Wears PradaRSS
Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway star in this adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's best-selling novel. In New York, the simple and naive just-graduated in journalism Andrea Sachs (Hathaway) is hired to work as the second assistant of the powerful and sophisticated Miranda Priestly (Streep), the ruthless and merciless executive of the Runway fashion magazine. Andrea dreams to become a journalist and faces the opportunity as a temporary professional challenge. The first assistant Emily (Emily Blunt) advises Andrea about the behavior and preferences of their cruel boss, and the stylist Nigel (Stanley Tucci) helps Andrea to dress more adequately for the environment. Andrea changes her attitude and behavior, affecting her private life and the relationship with her boyfriend Nate (Adrian Grenier), her family and friends. In the end, Andrea learns that life is made of choices.
No fan sites added yet


text:
From the track website
Practice Fees and Times
Track open daily $10 per kart, $5 per extra driver. Driver must have helmet, neck brace, jacket or suit, long pants, closed toe shoes, and gloves. Stop at the front office to pay and sign release form. Track will only be closed for practice if their is an event scheduled or repair is being performed.
**fees and available practice dates subject to change without notice, please call ahead**


text:
Version: 1.0
Platforms: Series 60, Series 80, Series 90, Symbian OS, UIQ
Developer: Julie Hayne
Distribution Type: Freeware
Downloads: 2119
File Size: 5 Kb
Expenses for HanDBase -Database for tracking expenses and reimbursements on business trips.
Note! This application may be not compatible with your device S60 1st Edition Symbian 6.1


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As the new year kicks off, the Old Town Action Plan Committee will convene Jan. 8 to tackle the finalizing of the Downtown Action Plan at City Hall.
The OTAP committee may remain largely intact despite the departure of four planning commissions and the appointment of their replacements at the Dec. 19 city council meeting.
It had been suggested that the plan was for the current committee to continue ahead, even though four members no longer serve on the planning commission.
Ridgecrest Mayor Dan Clark confirmed this Wednesday over the phone.
"All the members had a history of working on the committee" Clark said. "It was decided it was best to have that continuity."
City Planner Matthew Alexander said he still needed to confirm with some OTAP members and the city council.
"The unofficial decision has been to keep the current OTAP membership active," he said in an email.
The committee will move forward on reviewing sections of the Down Town Action Plan, which was established in 2010.
While still only 65 percent finished, the plan is expected to finish with the recent unveiling of the proposed "Balsam District" at its Nov. 27 public hearing.
Alexander is in the process of integrating the brand into the Downtown Action Plan.
"The intent will be to incorporate the Balsam District brand into the approved Action Plan," Alexander said in an email Wednesday. "There will be some discussion of this on January 8."
However, Alexander stressed the importance that the committee would not be voting on anything involving the Balsam District brand.
The brand was put together by marketing consultant Ron Smith, who was elected to the state assembly in November. Smith was instrumental in the development of the Boulevard, Lancaster's own downtown revitalization, while he served as a planning commissioner and later its vice mayor.
"The staff and OTAP members will have to do some more research and thinking about the proposed brand before taking action," Alexander said.
With two tag lines — "Skies the Limit" and "The Perfect Landing" — and art deco-inspired theme appealing to the city's aerospace roots, the brand's goal is to help revitalize the downtown Ridgecrest area around Balsam Street and parts of Ridgecrest Boulevard.
The ultimate goal is to create a place that will appeal to people in the 25-40 age group as a means of keeping them in town instead of heading to areas like Lancaster or Los Angeles.
The Downtown Action Plan itself, a product of committee meetings and research, outlines the objectives and overall layout for the proposed revitalization effort.
While Balsam Street is considered the historic downtown of Ridgecrest, with many of its small businesses stretched between Ridgecrest Boulevard and Argus Avenue, the initial draft plan indicates the Old Town Action Plan will include Ridgecrest Boulevard between Norma Street and China Lake Boulevard and the Balsam Street business area.
"The fundamental objective of this planning process is to ensure a program that encourages good design, promotion and community pride in Old Town, Ridgecrest's historic and cultural heartland," the action plan states.
There is some concern over how the city could fiance this, especially given that the city no longer has a redevelopment agency to help finance projects.
The OTAP Committee meets Tuesday, Jan. 8 at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall's downstairs Conference Room A.


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Brandeis Magazine looks at Sandel '75, Power '71
Also featured are the fabulous nature photos of Biology Prof. Dan Perlman
The spring issue of Brandeis Magazine is on now available on campus and online.
The cover story explores the efforts of Harvard Professor Michael Sandel '75 to generate a global discussion among college students about their moral values in our market-driven society. Sandel asks questions like these: Is it justifiable to slay some endangered black rhinos to help save the species? Should we contract out our war efforts to private industry? Is outsourcing pregnancy to poor Indian women — some of whom earn more as surrogates than they would in a lifetime of hard work — the right thing for Western couples to do?
In his trademark style of gradually escalating the complexity of the moral dilemma at hand, Sandel gently drills down into hypothetical examples like these to compel audiences — sometimes numbering in the thousands — to reconsider their most deeply held assumptions about the right thing to do.
The issue also considers the meaning of justice from a deeply personal perspective. In "Turning Points," former radical Kathy Power '71, convicted in the shooting death of a Boston police officer during a robbery in 1970, describes her "deepening surrender" to personal responsibility for the crimes she committed, and her hopeful return to the Brandeis community.
Scientist Dan Perlman shares some of the photographs he's taken over decades of "biologizing" around the world, in Africa and Costa Rica, Yellowstone and Newton, Mass. His pictures capture the great themes of nature — life, death, predation, mutualism, sex, competition — as they play out in the Serengeti or a leafcutter ant colony in Texas.
So please check out the magazine and send your comments to firstname.lastname@example.com


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BOX Options Exchange, the third-smallest of 11 U.S. options venues, will be the first to begin trading larger-size contracts on the most-active U.S. equity derivatives product, according to a company executive.
BOX will list and trade contracts based on 1,000 shares of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust starting May 10, according to Ed Boyle, senior vice president for strategy at the Boston-based exchange. The so-called jumbo options, approved May 3 by the Securities and Exchange Commission, will be 10 times larger than existing contracts on the Standard & Poor's 500 Index exchange- traded fund, known by the ticker symbol SPY.
The contract is designed to give institutional investors another way to trade the S&P 500 at a time when many asset managers are increasing their use of ETFs as part of their investment strategies. Institutions often use larger-size contracts like S&P 500 index options that enable them to acquire or sell bigger positions without signaling their intentions and moving the market.
"We see customer demand for the product because it offers flexibility to institutions and traders looking for larger notional size in trades," Boyle said by phone. "It also provides additional price competition across indexes and ETFs."
The contracts, which will be a separate product from the regular-size options based on 100 shares of the S&P 500 ETF, also offer an alternative to indexes such as the S&P 500, which trades exclusively on the Chicago Board Options Exchange, Boyle said. The benchmark index is known by the symbol SPX.
ETF Popularity
"The proposed jumbo SPY is roughly the same notional amount as the big SPX cash contract, so I'd expect it would take volume from SPX as well as SPY," Gerald Hanweck, who runs New York-based consulting firm Hanweck Associates LLC specializing in options, said in an interview.
Some 18 percent of institutional investors in the U.S. now have ETFs among their holdings, up from 14 percent in 2012, according to a report today from research firm Greenwich Associates. Almost a quarter of corporate and public pension funds use ETFs and 47 percent of U.S. endowments rely on the products, the report said, based on interviews with 179 institutions. Half plan to increase their allocations to ETFs by next year.
Jumbo Options
If daily average volume exceeds 20,000 contracts by the end of the year, BOX will consider the jumbo SPY options a success, Boyle said. The exchange may ask the SEC for permission to introduce jumbo options on other actively traded ETFs including those based on the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq-100 Index, he said. Options on the S&P 500 ETF averaged 2.73 million contracts daily in April, according to data compiled by Chicago- based Options Clearing Corp.
Other options exchanges are likely to list and trade jumbo SPY options, Boyle said. BOX, owned by the operator of the Toronto stock market and a group of brokers, asked permission to trade the product in January. The SEC approval came over objections by CBOE Holdings Inc., NYSE Euronext and Nasdaq OMX Group Inc.
The exchanges said the proposed product could cause investor confusion, create a two-tier market between the larger and regular-size contracts, and create discrepancies in prices. Exchanges compete with one another and often offer products a rival trades to avoid losing market share.
Nasdaq OMX PHLX plans to introduce jumbo options on the S&P 500 ETF on May 16, pending SEC approval, according to Robert Madden, a spokesman for Nasdaq OMX. Eric Ryan, a spokesman for NYSE Euronext, declined to comment. Gail Osten, a spokeswoman for CBOE, said the company had no immediate comment.
Taker, Maker
BOX's pricing, which will be announced in the middle of this week, will not be the standard taker/maker structure the venue uses for many options, Boyle said. The taker/maker regime pays firms to trade with bids and offers on the exchange and charges those providing quotes. The minimum price variation will be the same for jumbo options and the current product, he said.
BOX had 2.2 percent of U.S. volume in April, according to data from OCC.
"I don't see any reason to trade it, nor do any traders I have spoken to," Mark Caffray, who brokers contracts on the CBOE Volatility Index and S&P 500 at Chicago-based PTR Inc., said in an e-mail. "The place for liquidity and volume will continue to be in the SPX and the regular SPY."
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


text:
Wicked Zombies
thanx for the gift
Welcome toWicked Zombies
Sign Upor Sign In
View more gifts at Zazzle.
The WICKED member who has unyielding Dedication and Loyalty to the KOMRADZ:
Komrad Scarlet Zombie☭
The WICKED member who has Outstanding Constancy:
Jessie W. Garrett III
The WICKED member who Contributed the most Original Zombie Discussions and Replies:
They will receive a WICKED ZOMBIES Goody Box with Wicked Treats.
Hey All,
Well, after 9 damn years of rewrites, adding stuff and taking stuff away I have finally finished the first part of a possibly 3 part story. The title is still in the working stages, but as for now, every thing else is finished. I'm working on a few synopsis and looking for someone to provide the images for the cover of the book. Once those are done, the entire thing will be placed up for publishing. Not sure how the hell that will go, but I'm pretty happy with the…
Posted by Jessie W. Garrett III on January 4, 2018 at 1:31pm — 1 Comment
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text:
Though the details of the inquiry remain secret, the timing has prompted speculation it might involve stories published last month in The Ledger describing the �Police Department's refusal to provide requested documents involving a juvenile charged in connection with an attempted murder.
LAKELAND �| As the Lakeland Police Department awaits the possible release of a grand jury report, some insiders say an atmosphere of uncertainty pervades the agency.
"I think most people don't really understand what the thing is," said one LPD officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. "Everybody knows the department is being investigated for something. So there's a lot of stress and tension about it."
The State Attorney's Office confirmed that it was investigating a complaint involving the Lakeland Police Department, but would provide no further details.
Prosecutors would not say whether this complaint was the focus of a grand jury presentment issued Feb. 14. Sources who did not wish to be identified, however, have confirmed that the presentment does focus on the LPD complaint.
No criminal charges were filed as a result of the investigation.
The grand jury's summary, known as a presentment, is automatically sealed for 15 days to give those named a chance to appeal any or all parts. After any challenges are made, the chief judge of the 10th Judicial Circuit Court will decide whether to seal the presentment permanently or open it for public review, either in its original form or an edited version.
Though the details of the inquiry remain secret, the timing has prompted speculation it might involve stories published last month in The Ledger describing the �Police Department's refusal to provide requested documents involving a juvenile charged in connection with an attempted murder.
Five reporters and one editor from The Ledger were called to testify under oath before the grand jury, as were other members of LPD and other agencies.
State Attorney's Office spokesman Brian Haas previously confirmed that the office was investigating a complaint regarding LPD, but he would not say whether the grand jury was investigating the same complaint.
Chief Lisa Womack has denied breaking Florida's public records law but did tell a Ledger reporter in January that the agency sometimes engages in a "cat-and-mouse" game over the release of records.
Womack, 47, was hired in December 2010 to succeed Roger Boatner as Lakeland police chief and began work in March 2011. She had previously been assistant chief of the Arlington Police Department in Texas.
Most of the LPD employees who spoke for this article insisted on anonymity for fear of repercussions.
One employee acknowledged that the department sometimes withholds records the law requires the agency to release.
"I have no doubt they withheld something they should have released," the source said. "They've done it in the past. They'll probably do it again."
Another employee said the grand jury investigation has been a source of much conversation inside the agency, though the department's leadership has not spoken about it.
"They are confused," the source said of officers. "They have a lot of questions. Nobody knows what is going on."
Officers are familiar with newspaper reports about the conflict over providing public records, but the source said, "It seems a lot more serious than that."
The source added: "I've had people ask me, 'What the hell is going on on the third floor?' " (where the administrative offices are located).
A second LPD employee, who also requested anonymity, said reports of the grand jury investigation have created tension inside the department.
The source also pointed to the recent appointment of the agency's former public information officer, Ann Dinges, to the newly created position of public safety communication specialist as a source of discontent.
The source said Dinges' new position wasn't advertised within the department so that others might apply. The employee said some officers with 15 years of experience are making less than Dinges, whose hourly pay equates to roughly $60,000 a year.
LPD's staff only learned of Dinges' new role through an email announcement earlier this month, the employee said.
"It's another example of the lack of communication between the officers and the third floor," the source said.
That employee said few inside LPD are willing to question Womack's actions because of a job opening for the assistant chief of police, a position formerly held by Charles Thompson.
"No one wants to create waves because they are all waiting on promotions," the source said. "Everyone is on pins and needles until this all gets sorted out."
Some sources inside LPD offer praise for Womack. Nick Marolda, an officer and the president of the union that represents the force's rank and file, said he hasn't detected any recent morale problems.
"The mood is fine," said Marolda, president of the West Central Florida Police Benevolent Association. "I think it's just a big wait-and-see right now to see if anything is going to be released or if it's going to remain sealed. It's hard for the guys and gals to make an opinion because they really don't know what the presentment entails. It's just a bunch of speculation right now."
He said reports about the grand jury scrutiny have not disrupted the work of officers.
"It's business as usual right now," Marolda said. "There's a little anticipation on if and when something comes out, and from that point on I guess you'll get more of a reaction."
Marolda said Womack has followed through on many promised improvements, including new vehicles, new guns and new uniforms. He noted that Womack has the department on track to regain the national accreditation it forfeited under previous chief Boatner.
That status could be jeopardized, though, if assessors find that LPD is not in compliance with Florida's public records law when they visit in April, a spokesman for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies recently told The Ledger.
Marolda said more than 90 percent of the LPD staff below the leadership level belongs to the union.
"I can tell you this unequivocally: Myself and the PBA is 100 percent behind the chief," Marolda said. "The last two-plus years she has done nothing but positives for us and made tons of changes in a positive way. ... We were in a pretty bad spot, and we have done a complete 180. ... The union works extremely well with her. We are completely behind her on this effort and what's going on."
Another member of the department who asked to remain unnamed also spoke positively of Womack's leadership.
"I think, personally, the chief has done good things for the department," the source said. "I sincerely hope she comes out of this OK and the department is better for it."
Still another employee, again requesting anonymity, said coverage of the grand jury inquiry has had no obvious effect on most of LPD's staff.
"I don't think most people are even concerned about it," the employee said. "It only affects a few people. ... I don't think it's affected morale. Police departments are notoriously low in morale most of the time for various reasons. There's always some type of turmoil going on, but the grand jury investigation is probably the least concern for most of the people."
That employee described Womack as well liked in the department.
Former LPD spokesman Jack Gillen said he doubts the reporting on the grand jury investigation has had any impact on officers.
"I wouldn't think it would have any effect on the way they do their jobs," said Gillen, who retired before Womack's hiring. "These police officers put themselves in harm's way every day, no matter what is in the paper, no matter what is on television."
Sources of internal conflict are common in law enforcement agencies, said Tod Burke, a professor of criminal justice at Radford University in Radford, Va., and a former Maryland police officer.
Burke said it's not uncommon for an agency to face an internal investigation, though he said a grand jury inquiry involving a police department is unusual.
"Many times it (a controversy) is minor and will resolve itself and it doesn't really go public," Burke said. "When it does go public, it does present additional stressors to the agency and to the community. What we're talking about is trust — do we still have the trust for our law enforcement? — and that trust comes from transparency and honesty."
Burke stressed that he wasn't familiar with any details of the Lakeland Police Department but spoke generally about law enforcement agencies.
"If you give the perception that you're hiding something, then you have a loss of trust both internally and externally," he said. "As long as there's a perception — you and I both know perception becomes reality in many people's minds, and that's why you have to be super careful in what you're doing."
Chief Womack sent a written response Friday to The Ledger:
"I believe the morale within the Lakeland Police Department is excellent. Over the past two years we have accomplished great things within the Department and through strong community partnerships. The energy, dedication, and pride throughout the Department is apparent. The hard work of Team LPD has produced positive results including a reduction in violent crime throughout the City and progress toward our CALEA re-accreditation. I am proud of all of our people and what they accomplished and look forward to great things to come."
[ Gary White can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or 863-802-7518. ]


text:
Marie Grace Gaffud Antonio is an Open Source advocate working with Bluepoint Foundation as Executive Director and Director of Operations. Magie and Engels are proud parents of Psylocke & Phoenix.
This cool site is powered by My Activity Journal, a simple, PHP-based, GPL'ed blog written from scratch as a spare time family project by Psylocke, Magie, and Engels Antonio.
Christmas Countdown
93 days to go before Christmas!
Seth Vidal (1976-2013)
Tuesday, Jul 9, 2013, 3:31 PM
The Fedora Project has lost a valued, longtime member of its community. Seth Vidal died last night, July 8.
Seth was a lead developer of yum and the update repository system, and a contributor to the CentOS project as well as the original Fedora Extras system. He worked tirelessly on the infrastructure for the Fedora Project to make all systems work well and consistently for our contributors around the world. He was a gifted speaker, a brilliant thinker, a clever wit, a humble and genuinely funny person, and a good friend.
The Fedora community owes an enormous debt of gratitude to Seth's dedication to Fedora and other free software projects, his commitment to community values, and his passion for excellence in his work. To say he will be missed is an understatement. He has been a colleague, a team member, a source of wisdom and advice, and above all, a friend and inspiration to countless people in the Fedora community over the past decade. His seminal and invaluable work in Fedora and free software will live on for years to come, and the legacy of his spirit will stay with the community, and with many of us individually, forever.
Our thoughts are with his partner Eunice, the rest of his family, and Seth's many friends and coworkers.
I know that many members of the Fedora community will want to personally share their condolences. We'll provide further information as soon as it is available.
Robyn Bergeron
Fedora Project Leader
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