text:
Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, April 19, 2013, 8:18 AM
Town Square
Plastic bag ban at checkout starts
Original post made on Apr 20, 2013
Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, April 19, 2013, 8:18 AM
Comments (25)
a resident of Portola Valley: Central Portola Valley
on Apr 20, 2013 at 12:57 pm
Instead of banning the plastic bags... why not just enact a law that requires all plastic bags used have to be made from 100% recycled plastic bags... let's use what's already out there. Even if we ban the plastic bags going forward the old ones are still in our landfills and oceans. In addition to paper bags having their own drawbacks, many multi-use bags are made out of plastics as well.
a resident of Menlo Park: Sharon Heights
on Apr 20, 2013 at 9:33 pm
The ordinance does not take place until October 1 in Redwood City. Starting Monday I am boycotting Menlo Park grocery stores until October 1. The Menlo Park City staff openly said in a City Council meeting that it was about getting people to change their behavior. Did it ever occur to those arrogant jackasses that they need to change their behavior? Our City Council is a disgrace. It allowed itself to be bullied by the County Board of Supervisors. They seem to forget that they work for us. Instead, these pipsqueaks go out of their way to make our lives more difficult. BTW, the County Board of Supervisors are the same clowns that lost $150 million of our tax dollars to Lehman Bros.
I have a car that gets 15 mpg and I will take great pleasure in increasing my carbon footprint by going out of my way to drive to Redwood City to do my shopping.
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Apr 21, 2013 at 4:26 pm
The Board of Supervisors is held captive by the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations. These fanatics seek to punish society as a whole for the misdeed of a few. The Board of Supervisors consists of amateurs whose competence is on par with street people. The Menlo Park City Council has two political opportunists in Keith and Mueller. Both are seeking higher office and have put garnering political contributions over the good of the public. Ohtaki just wants to get along and will never do anything to upset his fellow council members. Cline is similar to Ohtaki. The only Council member who is not motivated by the need for peer acceptance and the lust for campaign contributions is Catherine Carlton. It is a shame that Menlo Park only has one council member who wants to serve its residents.
a resident of another community
on Apr 21, 2013 at 6:37 pm
The "fanatics" seem to be the angry writers who rant against the new ordinance. So much hysteria over something quite small.
Plastic bans are being enacted all over the U.S., and have existed in Europe for years.
Keep calm and carry on.
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Apr 21, 2013 at 7:38 pm
Political Observer, we know you like Carlton because she is a Republican. But your rant doesn't even match the vote recorded in the story where you posted it.
"The Menlo Park City Council voted 5-0 in January to join the county in enacting a new ordinance banning the use of plastic bags by retailers..."
Fox News is on. Enjoy.
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Apr 24, 2013 at 12:20 am
This isn't a ban, it is a tax. We can still purchase plastic trash bags. If the environment is the concern, why not use plastic bags that are biodegradable? Or have retailers use only paper bags? This is a tax masquerading as an ordinance about improving the environment. I wonder what retailers think about not being able to have the "free" advertising anymore; will the large department stores follow this law as well? Can't wait to see people carrying multiple purchases from store to store in the malls, sans bags; should be interesting.
a resident of Atherton: West of Alameda
on Apr 24, 2013 at 1:15 am
Just another nail in the coffin of local businesses- parking ticket extortion, 9% sales tax, bag tax, the list of reasons to shop online keeps getting longer.
Goodbye Safeway, hello walmart.com grocery delivery!
a resident of another community
on Apr 24, 2013 at 11:24 am
You folks need to find something truly important to get outraged about. My family has carried reusable bags for years - we've got plenty of them, they are given away at so many events. No big deal. It's not a tax. You're objecting to being inconvenienced by having to actually think about the consequences of our throw-away society. Go do a beach clean-up or a creek clean-up (or, better yet, come out and clean up all the stuff you folks from the Bayside throw out of your cars each weekend on the way to and from the beach on Hwy. 84.) Plastic bags are floating all over the place. I watched a couple wing their way along a beach estuary the other day.
Being a grown up means actually dealing with the consequences of your actions. Tossing away everything is filling up our landfills and polluting our waterways. Enough whining and laziness. Put some reusable bags in your car and get over it.
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Apr 24, 2013 at 2:14 pm
@Seriously: +1 Like.
a resident of another community
on Apr 25, 2013 at 8:37 am
Safeway informed my 86 yr. old mom who depends on Safeway delivery that it will charge her for every bag. I'm disgusted.
a resident of another community
on Apr 25, 2013 at 8:44 am
So you're objecting to your 86 year old mother being charged for receiving something? Do you object that they charge her for the groceries? Do you object that they charge her a delivery fee? Do you object that she gets a PG&E bill? A water bill? A garbage bill? Does she get charged for cable TV? Would it be o.k. if she was 76? 66? 56? Hmmm. Can she ask that they deliver the groceries in boxes and then take the boxes away?
What's your point?
a resident of another community
on Apr 25, 2013 at 9:46 am
Bill -- give your Mom a dollar each month to cover her shopping bag fee. Better yet, pay for her food just like she did for you for many many years.
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Apr 25, 2013 at 1:26 pm
I've been carrying my own reusable grocery bags to shop at Safeway for years. No big deal -- keep them in my trunk. But this ridiculous new law also applies to the bags they used to give you at Walgreen's or Ace Hardware or even paper sacks at card shops. There are times you stop in somewhere while running errands and you don't happen to have a pocket full of bags with you. The fact that the City thinks charging 10 cents is going to teach you a lesson or help the environment in those cases is completely asinine.
a resident of another community
on Apr 25, 2013 at 8:17 pm
Ridculous: When you forget the shopping bag, just pay the @#$% dime. Relax, it's no big deal.
a resident of Woodside: Kings Mountain/Skyline
on Apr 25, 2013 at 8:28 pm
I've carried my own bags for decades, and make them myself. They're easy to make, the fabric is made in the U.S., the bags are made in the U.S. I take them to all stores, including department stores. Don't sew? That's ok, many people do. Buy some U.S.A.-made bags (so they don't have lead in them), keep them in your vehicle, after you bring stuff into your home take them back out to your vehicle or put by your front door. It's really easy. Wasting stuff, using stuff once and throwing it out, is un-American. Doubt me? Ask someone from the WWII generation - they'll tell you. And ask them soon, before they're all gone & we lose their extremely valuable perspective.
a resident of Atherton: other
on Apr 26, 2013 at 10:16 am
Change is difficult for many people. Here hare hints for eliminating your stress and adjusting to this new law that will actually be a benefit the environment, you, your kids and our entire community:
Step one: Find a visible place near your door to keep your reusuable bags. It could be a shelf or shopping bag.
Step two: Take the pile bags with you when you go out to your car.
Step three: Before leaving your vehicle, put at least one bag in your pocket or pocketbook even if you don't think you'll be buying anything. We sometime impulse shop. Or, if you are doing your grocery shopping, grab 3 or 4 or as many as you need. (Note: this is the hardest step to remember, so make a point of returning to your car to get your bags if you have forgotten to take them, to develop the discipline quickly!)
Step four: After shopping and bringing your filled bags into the house, replace the bags in the visible location near your door, so you see them the next time you go out.
It also helps to keep an assortment of reusable bags, to be used for different purposes. Some nylon ones collapse down to the size of a pack of tissue and are very handy! Give one to each member of your household for their briefcase or backpack. Others are sturdy enough to pack a case of wine in. Find a few that you like and stick with them!
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Apr 26, 2013 at 2:01 pm
San Francisco has had the plastic bag ban since 2007. Since that time ER visits for E coli poisoning have risen almost 50%. The slop for brains (SFB) liberals always think they know better. In fact they are just a bunch of idiots.
a resident of another community
on Apr 26, 2013 at 4:29 pm
To the person who capitalizes letters strangely: Don't make erroneous associations and please refrain from the childish attacks.
The e coli are most often in the food itself because of conditions in fields and in industrialized production facilities. NOTE: E coli bacteria absolutely LOVES the warm environment produced in plastic bags.
To avoid e coli, be more careful in your food purchases and your own food handling. Wash your fruit and veggies and your hands. Keep your kitchen counters and sinks clean -- kitchen sinks have more e coli than bathroom fixtures.
And, it should go with saying that you should wash your cloth bags too.
You can do it, really you can.
a resident of Menlo Park: Sharon Heights
on Apr 27, 2013 at 10:13 am
It takes far more energy to wash a multi-use bag than it does to make a single use plastic bag- which is a misnomer because I reuse those so called "single use" bags. So these smart liberals, who want to run your lives because you would be lost without them, don't seem to realize they they are increasing the carbon footprint by outlawing pastic bags. Way to go libs!
This is like Al Gore preaching about reducing your carbon footprint while he jets around in his G650 to his megamansions. The Peninsula is living proof that there is no correlation between formal education and common sense.
a resident of another community
on Apr 27, 2013 at 1:55 pm
"Energy Analysis" -- throw the market bag into one of your loads of laundry. Do you wash your clothes, or do you not want use the energy?
OMG, is laundry now a political issue? All of these specious arguments seem to come from having a pretty weak position.
Like Nike says....Just do it.
a resident of Menlo Park: Sharon Heights
on Apr 28, 2013 at 10:57 am
Some liberal website recommended soaking the reusable bags in water and bleach for an hour, rinse it thoroughly and let it completely dry. Result: Wasted water, the introduction of chlorine (a caustic halogen)into the environment, wasted timne and wasted energy. Liberals have gone out of their way to inconvenience everyone. That is how they get their kicks.
Of course most people don't wash their reusable bags. So I hope Obamacare is ready for all those ER visits.
Laundry is not a political issue. What is a political issue is lamebrained "well intentioned" liberals making our lives more difficult with their cockamamy schemes. They should go back to their canabis sativa and leave the rest of us alone.
a resident of another community
on Apr 28, 2013 at 11:11 am
This is not a liberal issue, and your remarks have a whole lot of really childish labels and language. Not to mention that the bitterness is really a bit much.
You write "Of course, most people don't wash their reusable bags" Do you wash your towels? Do you use table cloths over and over without washing them? How about your underwear?
Do you do any laundry -- or, would washing your stuff be selling out to some liberals?
How hard is it to add the shopping bag to the laundry?
a resident of Menlo Park: Sharon Heights
on Apr 28, 2013 at 4:38 pm
We don't need some scattered brain liberal telling the rest of us to wash a reusable bag. Most people don't want them. If you want them then use it. But where do you get off telling other people how to live our lives? We want the plastic bags. San Francisco and Los Angeles Counties both allow compostable plastic bags. I am hoping that the Menlo Park CC will reconsider and adopt the San Francisco County ordinance.
a resident of another community
on Apr 28, 2013 at 6:52 pm
"scattered brain liberal" --- pretty silly to get so worked up and resort to name-calling again. And, "Most people" --- do you know most people?
But I'll take a guess here...I'm guessing that "most people" (certainly many or some) find a lot of laws somewhat inconvenient.
For example: like a lot of health & safety laws in restaurants or workplaces, or traffic laws. But we follow such laws because it's basically good for both us and everyone else, and there might be a fine if we don't.
Here the "fine" is a dime --- and you get a paper bag, no ticket. You can use that paper bag for something else, or bring it back to the market to use next time you shop if you don't like the washable shopping bags.
Think about it, there are a lot of ways we COOPERATIVELY modify our behavior everyday for both our own good and for the public good.
You're awfully worked up about this. Relax, and don't get your knickers in a knot.
BTW --- I'm not a liberal. You are quite mistaken.
a resident of another community
on Jun 28, 2013 at 2:22 pm
This is a perfect example of the danger of plastic bags - this poor sperm whale calf died from ingesting 100 bags: Web Link
This is dangerous, heartbreaking, short-sighted & utterly asinine. It's also preventable - or at least, it was before these bags became so popular. I am relieved that these bags have been banned by so many places. Now we need to clean up the waterways!
Burger chain Shake Shack to open in Palo Alto
By Elena Kadvany | 18 comments | 4,968 views
The Cost of Service
By Aldis Petriceks | 1 comment | 1,201 views
Couples: When Wrong Admit It; When Right; Shut Up
By Chandrama Anderson | 0 comments | 720 views
One-on-one time
By Cheryl Bac | 0 comments | 552 views


text:
If the Rally were held in north central Washington it I would be there in a heart beat. Awesome area for riding.
If the Rally were held in north central Washington it I would be there in a heart beat. Awesome area for riding.
The place I'm suggesting is less than an hour from those areas.
Speaking of which I'll go take some pictures this weekend to get a better idea.
In all seriousness this place may be great!
Mountain passes, high desert, coastal rain forest...
It's all here...
Including trees!
OK... I finally got 'em...
Beautiful fall morning before work...
Soon as i arrived on the site... FOG!
Anyway... Take a look.
Looks like a great venue!
See All 79 Images Here!
Here is the Venue's Website.
Last edited by GrafikFeat; 10-21-2010 at 05:25 PM. Reason: Added site link.
Great job scouting the place out !
I like the large parking lot for advanced rider training and the infield.
Is there a dirt field, lot or area were we could have GS events or is this going to be a touring white bearded male rally site ? A place where we can take alot of GS pictures for photo of the week and ON covers. Say 52 and another 12 large format. Its very important since Tour-a-tec USA is nearby.
Next prepare a proposal and send it to Chuck Manley...........I don't think he looks at the forum he is too busy out riding. Chuck is part of the Rally Selection Team.
I think the club needs 2000 hotel rooms available within 20-25 miles of the site. Allow beer sales................and lots of food.
Everything else looks great. I would love to attend a rally in that part of the country.
If one cannot command attention by one's admirable qualities one can at least be a nuisance
Thanks for doing this, Jim.
Go soothingly through the grease mud, as there lurks the skid demon.
__________________________________________________ ________________________________
'67 Trail 90 || '86 R80 G/SPD+ || '97 F650ST || '00 1150 GS || '06 HP2e || '07 Xchallenge || '14 Grom
People who worry about a lack of air conditioning have obviously never been to the Pacific Northwest in the summer.
That's why we live here. We don't need air conditioning in the summer.
We do need webbed feet in the winter, but we all come pre-equipped with those.
If you don't want to pay jacked-up motel prices, you can rent a room in my house for $100 a night. I'm about 20 minutes from the Evergreen State Fairgrounds.
In all seriousness...
You'd be hard pressed to find a better venue in an area w/ AMAZING riding.
Fire roads for GS... Mountain passes for touring... Small towns on secondary roads for family outings or antiquing...
It really is an awesome area w/ soooo much to offer on all levels.
T'was a pleasure... I'll go back on a 'sunny' day.
Funny, as this day was.
Anyway... Looking from above I think the huge field to the left can be utilized.
I would think for camping etc. There are plenty of treed grassy areas through out the site so... i know how that goes.
Local camping is awesome and there is a great RV site nearby on Ben Howard Road.
It's right on the Skykomish river. AWESOME SPOT for the RV'er.
Local hotels are like any town. Some are great... Some are 'section 8'.
If this place is chosen I'll write up what's what in the area.
Camping and GSing are primo so that's a given.
In case you couldn't see in the images... There is a food court and bathrooms through out the site. Out buildings abound for seminars etc.
...And a race track... So... A track day?
Anyway... Let's see what happens.
It's great spot in the middle of GREAT riding.
Google North Cascade Loop. =WOW=
Have you looked into whether or not the Evergreen State Fairgrounds has availability for the third weekend in July every year? Seems a place like that might already be booked with annual events every weekend.
the site visit report employs a set of evaluative criteria that has been defined over the years. open dates are one of those criteria.
if all that checks out, the site search team makes a referral to the site selection team, and more formal talks with the venue get started. if those go as we need in terms of budget and other rally must-haves, a contact is signed and Rally Chairs selected.
this can happen reasonably fast, but sometimes it takes a while for a venue to fit into the rotation. that's why we like to have multiple options for sites within the various rotation areas. contracts fall through for lots of reasons and it is good to have options. (fwiw, that is how Redmond II came about)
we really need lots of people looking for and referring sites, and this forum is a great way to do that.
thanks again, GrafikFeat for taking time to do this preliminary site visit.
Go soothingly through the grease mud, as there lurks the skid demon.
__________________________________________________ ________________________________
'67 Trail 90 || '86 R80 G/SPD+ || '97 F650ST || '00 1150 GS || '06 HP2e || '07 Xchallenge || '14 Grom

subset: commoncrawl


text:
High Tatras / Vysoké Tatry > Świnica / Svinica > Climber's Log
Świnica / Svinica Climber's Log
[ Sign the Climber's Log ]
|Rafa Bartolome
|Nice peak!!
Date Climbed: Jul 23, 2017
|After climbing Giewont and Rysy in previous days we climbed Swinica in third place. It was a great choice because it's another great mountain. Even after Rysy the peak Swinica is great.
We found a little of snow in the last section with chains and it was a little dangerous but the landscape was very alpine.
|Posted Aug 31, 2017 1:36 pm
|Route Climbed: Normal Route Date Climbed: august 2016
|Climbed from Hala Gąsienicowa via Kasprowy Wierch. Cloudy and windy day, not too many people on the summit.
|Posted Sep 4, 2016 4:52 am
|From Kuźnice
Date Climbed: Oct 11, 2014
|Kuźnice - Hala Gąsienicowa - Zielony Staw Gąsienicowy - Świnicka Przełecz - Świnica - Zawrat - Siklawa - Schronisko w Dolinie 5 statów - Morskie Oko
39 pkt - 20 km - 1,7 up
|Posted Dec 30, 2014 5:22 pm
|From Kuznice
Date Climbed: Jul 8, 2013
|Great day. Great Hike. Great Company - together with Dennis from Canada.
|Posted Jul 23, 2013 4:35 pm
|from Kasprowy Wierch
Date Climbed: Sep 7, 2012
|very sunny day, many people on the trail, very interesting rockies around.
|Posted Sep 9, 2012 4:02 am
Date Climbed: Jul 31, 2009
|Through Swinicka pass through Zawrat and through the valley of 5 polish lakes.
|Posted Feb 29, 2012 9:08 pm
Date Climbed: Oct 12, 2008
|Climbed from Zakopane via Hala Gasienicowa-Swinica-Kasprowy Wierch and back to Zakopane by cable car.
|Posted Oct 3, 2011 4:57 pm
|Konrad Sus
|Crystal air
Date Climbed: Aug 26, 2005
|After haevy rain in the morning, very slear air, wonderful views
|Posted May 15, 2011 8:25 am
Date Climbed: Aug 21, 2007
|Walked up from Zakopane to Kuznice then path past Murowaniec Hut to the summit of Swinica. Descended via the col at Zawrat walking back to Zakopane. Very long, thoroughly enjoyable day although very busy.
|Posted Dec 24, 2010 4:00 pm
|I've got a photo from the summit in my gallery. easiest route, very nice scrambling and beautiful views. It started raining on the way back and I remember being completely wet :)
|Posted Nov 18, 2010 11:39 am
|From Zawrat Pass
Date Climbed: Sep 11, 2010
|Weekend trip (total cost 80 pln xD) with schoolmate Pawel Wilkolek, went away straight from school. Fraiday at 20 we were at Zakopane. Lot of adventures... but it's definetly to long story. Approach from Betlejemka. Heavy backpacks with bivac and climb eq. Big thanks for Adrian from KWKatowice which gave us confortable accomodation in the climbing teacher's room - outside was very cold. Rain since Friday morning to Saturday night, we couldn't climb any intresting rock route this day becouse of wet rock. Lot of snow. Pretty vievs from summit ridge on clouds in the valley. Backpacks left on Zawrat Pass. Descent to small TPN shalter in Dolina Pieciu Stawow, met with nice people.
|Posted Sep 13, 2010 6:04 pm
|Nigel Lewis
|Tourist trail
Date Climbed: Aug 17, 2010
|From Kuznice, up past Kasprowy Wierch, and then descending over "little Koscielec" and down to Murowaniec Hut.
|Posted Aug 23, 2010 9:26 am
|Several attempts
Date Climbed: May 4, 2010
|Finally succeeded in winter conditions (however, already in spring time) by the ridge directly from Swinicka Pass, through lower western summit. Down with a small loop, following the red marks, to Swinicka Pass.
Climbed with Igi.
Before that:
2008/08/22 - with success, from Zawrat Pass down, to Swinicka Pass. Crowded, of course...
2008/05/02 - almost... Attempt directly by the ridge from Swinicka Pass, touched the lower summit, but have been stopped about 10 meters from the main summit. There has been too few of snow to go across 'the horse' nearby the summit itself. No rope.
Trip with Igi and Patrycja.
2008/03/15 - only the lower summit.
Trip with Rafal and Seweryn.
|Posted Aug 16, 2010 7:24 am
|Must have been in the 80s.
|Walked from Kasprowy on a great summer's day. Just a few patches of snow. Then carried on through Zawrat.
|Posted Jan 13, 2010 3:11 am
|From Kasprowy Wierch
Date Climbed: Jul 25, 2009
|It was the 2nd time (1st was in okt.1997).
The weather was bad (wet and foggy).
|Posted Aug 12, 2009 12:21 pm
|Jagoda Lazarek
|Date Climbed: Summer 1999
|Climbed in Summer 1999.
|Posted Feb 10, 2009 9:47 am
|Several times
|Been there several times in summer. I agree with Tomek, a bit overcrowded
|Posted Jan 11, 2009 11:51 am
|been here for sure
|can't remember any details though, definitely in summer
|Posted Nov 27, 2008 1:25 pm
|From Murowaniec
Date Climbed: Jul 28, 2007
|Nice views.
|Posted Nov 5, 2008 3:12 am
|from Kasprowy
Date Climbed: Sep 13, 2008
|nice trip, from Kasprowy Wierch, then Swinica and from Zawrat Orla Perc route to Krzyzne
tricky conditions but not so many people:)
|Posted Sep 21, 2008 10:27 am


text:
Roller Coaster Traps Riders Upside Down for 20 Minutes
Two people were trapped upside down, fifty feet in the air, for twenty minutes when one of their ponchos got tangled in the tracks of the steepest roller coaster in the world. This story contains a smorgasboard of phobias.
Great Britain's Flamingo Land amusement park is home to a harrowing death trap known as Mumbo Jumbo, which park officials say is the steepest roller coaster in the world, boasting "forces in excess of 4G's—similar to those faced by fighter pilots," The Daily Mail reports. What is wrong with the human psyche that we need to subject ourselves to near-death experiences to have fun? Entire swathes of our civilization—human energy, resources, capital!—have been dedicated to the multi-billion-dollar industry of making people feel like their guts are going to fly out of their mouths. Because it is fun.
Moral of the story: Do not wear a poncho on a roller coaster. Nor a cape, nor a toga, nor ball gown. Probably not a scarf. Definitely not a noose. Near-death experiences are only fun insofar as they do not actually include death. [DailyMail]


text:
Governor Cuomo was presented with the final report of the New York State Tax Reform and Fairness Commission, which outlines options to modernize the current tax system. Cuomo called on former state Comptroller Carl McCall and former Governor George Pataki to serve on the Commission:
(Cuomo 11-20-13)
The report suggests modernizing the sales tax while funding low- and middle-income tax relief, modifies the estate tax, reforms the state's corporate and bank franchise taxes & reviews best practices to make the system more equitable for local governments, businesses and homeowners. Governor Cuomo will consider the Tax Relief Commission's recommendations for including in the next state budget.
The New Berlin Police Department is investigating the disappearance of a 45-year-old Danny Reimers, who has been missing since November 7th. Reimers is 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs 185 pounds and has a dark complexion. Anyone with information is asked to call New Berlin police at 847- 8900.
The New York State Office of General Services announced that surplus vehicle and highway equipment auctions start today at 9:30 AM at the State DOT facility at 241 Colesville Road in Binghamton. the 2nd auction this week will be tomorrow in Sidney at 9:30 AM at the State Police Troop C Headquarters on State Route 7.


text:
Spotted®: An opportunity to have boatloads of fun, meet new people, get exclusive access to all the coolest social events in town, score some swag, show off your photography chops (or, in my case, the stunning lack thereof) and have your work seen by millions of users online and in print every month.
We're currently recruiting for our 2013 Spotted® Team, and we'd love to have you join us. Come out to our end-of-the-year meetup tomorrow night for more details and a chance to sign up for next year's team.
Click here for more information and to RSVP for tomorrow's meetup.
You won't want to miss it. Plus you'll get to meet me, the new digital media manager here at SavannahNow. (hope that part doesn't scare you away!)


text:
Marketline consists of full-text research reports on 10,000 companies in the US and internationally, as well as 2,000 industry reports and 50 in-depth country reports. It also includes a news and comment section with a two year archive of relevant articles.
More Options:
Classic Catalog |
OhioLINK |
Online Journals/Resources |
Lane Public |
WorldCat |
More Options:
Research by Subject |
Databases A-Z
More Options:
OhioLINK Home |
OhioLINK Catalog |
Research by Subject |
Databases A-Z
More Options:
Miami University Search |
Miami University Directory
Staff Spotlight: Stefanie Hilles
New in Leisure Reading!
Staff Spotlight: Ginny Boehme
New in Leisure Reading!


text:
All genres 80s Acoustic Alt / Indie rock Alternative Ambient Bluegrass Blues Classic rock Classical Comedy Country Cover band Crunk Dance Disco Drum & bass Electro Electro-Hop Electronic / DJ Electronica Experimental/Noise Folk Funk Garage Glam Gothic Grunge Hard rock Hardcore Heavy metal Hip hop IDM Indie rock Industrial Irish Jam Jazz Latin Metal Music Issue 2011 New wave Podcast Pop Pop Punk Progressive Psychedelic Psychobilly Punk Punk rock Punk/comedy R&B Rap Reggae Reggaeton Rock Rockabilly Rocksteady Roots Screamo Ska Soul Southern rock Surf Thrash Top 40 Trance Tribute Worldbeat Search
Browse Alphabetically:
All | A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Commenting requires registration.
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Weekly editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Full comments policy.
The Rumble Pups formed in 1999 when Casey Korder was feeling the frustration of being in the midst of band turmoil. Casey was a drummer and frustrated guitar player until ......more.


text:
MONTERREY, Mexico -- In preparation for Wednesday night's CONCACAF Champions League Semifinal second leg between the LA Galaxy and C.F. Monterrey, I spoke to a pair of notable soccer podcasts to preview the important match.
First up, I spoke to Jason Davis' "American Soccer Morning" podcast on the North American Soccer Network. Don't just listen to my interview as Davis also interviews former LA Galaxy defender and current Hammarby IF manager Gregg Berhalter about his club's prospects for the upcoming season.
Lastly, I joined MLSsoccer.com's "March to the Match" alongside Nicolas Rosano to preview the Galaxy's CCL tie.


text:
Labor Day weekend in Hot Springs, AR is getting some swagger this year with the Hot Springs Blues Festival. The Spa City Blues Society has hosted the festival for the past 18 years, and they are excited to present the 2014 festival at Hill Wheatley Plaza from Aug. 29-31.
The festival has been extended to Friday night this year, giving blues music lovers even more to enjoy! The lineup includes headliners Larry Garner, JP Soars & the Red Hots, Ghost Town Blues Band, and Barbara Blue, as well as several more.
Along with great music, the festival will also feature an Artist's Alley where local artisans can display and sell their wares. The Spa City Blues Society will host music-related workshops and after parties in local venues with regional acts.
You can read more about the festival, including up to date start times and more about the guests performing, on their website.
While you are in town enjoying the 18th Annual Blues Festival, consider adding a stay at Lookout Point. There are great views of Lake Hamilton, tasty gourmet breakfast, and a gorgeous garden waiting for you to enjoy. You can reserve your stay online or call 501.525.6155 for more information. We'd love to help you plan your Labor Day getaway!


text:
Multi-cores tackle human interface
5 comments
PORTLAND, Ore.The diverse demands of realtime process control which must nevertheless offer a touch-enabled user-interfacefrom smart appliances to point-of-sale terminals to medical monitorsis best addressed by heterogeneous multi-core processors, according to Freescale Semiconductor Inc., which introduced its new Vybrid family of microcontrollers Monday (March 26) at DESIGN West 2012.
"Smartphone users now expect their appliances to have smart touch-enabled human-machine interfaces, but microcontrollers that are good at running high-level OS's like Android have a hard time delivering realtime deterministic control, too," said John Weil, global business manager for industrial MCU solutions at Freescale. "Our new Vybird family solves that problem with a heterogeneous ARM architectureusing a Cortex-A5 core for both the human interface and a Cortex-M4 for realtime control."
The new Vybrid processor is an industry first in its ability to simultaneously run both a high-level OS (Linux/Android) and a realtime OS (RTOS/MQX) on its dual heterogeneous ARM Cortex A5 and M4 cores, respectively. By separating the two functions, but allowing development from a single platform of tools, Freescale claims that applications can be streamlined in cost, time-to-market and energy consumptions.
The Cortex-A5 is ARM's answer to criticisms leveled at its higher-performance A9, offering 14.4 Dhrystone-MIPS per milliwatt compared to 8-DMIPS per milliwatt for the A9, a 80 percent savings in energy consumption for only a 56 percent reduction in performance (1.6 DMIPS per MHz for the A5 compared to 2.5 DMIP per MHz for the A9). Plus, since the M4 core is handling all the realtime interrupts and other mission-critical functions, the A5 is offloaded making it a better fit for its targeted consumer, automotive, industrial and medical applications.
Freescale already has several design wins, including two mega-corporations, for its new Vybrid processor, which is sampling next quarter and which is slated to begin volume production in the third quarter of 2012. Current applications to be delivered from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) late in 2012 or early 2013 include touchscreen-enabled point-of-sale terminals, medical monitors/dispensers, and white goods. Typical division-of-labor between the A5 and M4 cores include running a touch-enabled Android user interface as the human-machine interface on the A5, and the security-and-safety algorithms for guaranteed drug delivery for medical applications as well as the servo-control and swipe-and-read algorithms for industrial and point-of-sale applications, respectively, on the M4 cores.
Hardware support for a semaphore-based message-passing system handles communications between the two cores. All the usual peripherals for both applications processors and realtime control processors are on-chip too, including flex-timers, watchdogs, clocks, low/high frequency oscillators, interrupt routers, analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, phase-locked loop, debug-and-trace, direct-memory access, power management, cryptography module, tamper detection, UART, CAN, SPI, Ethernet, USB, boot-ROM, SRAM, and both flash and DDR memory controllers.
DESIGN West 2012 takes place Monday through Thursday at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, Calif.


text:
This article is a guild information page for Grey Tiger Tong of Earthen Ring US.
The contents herein are entirely player made and in no way represent official World of Warcraft history or occurrences which are accurate for all realms. The characters and events listed are of an independent nature and applied for roleplaying, fictional, speculative, or opinions from a limited playerbase only. Guild pages must comply with the guild page policy.
- Server: Earthen Ring US
- Faction: Horde, with a cross-faction partner guild, Gray Tiger Tong
- Website: GTT
Grey Tiger Tong
- Contact Person/Method: Online IC application and in game meeting.
- Recruiting Status: Currently open
In the back alleys, darkened corners of taverns, the back offices of public officials, even the inner sanctums of the church, some say that the Grey Tiger Tong is more than meets the eye. To the casual observer, the Tong is simply a merchants' civic organization dedicated to improving their communities through successful local businesses, such as the Gray Tiger Shipping & Freight Company in Stormwind and the Savage Coast Fishmonger Company in Booty Bay.
There are, however, whispers that the Tong conceals a vast, shadowy business syndicate that deals in smuggled goods, protection rackets, gambling, loan sharking, even hired hits. Cynics are sure that a large part of their success in the business world is due to their willingness to use graft, extortion, blackmail, and force, even brutal force ...
For those in the know, the 'made' members of the Tong are rogues, warriors and hunters - the tip of the spear, so to speak. The 'made members', called Tigers, are known to be exceptionally loyal to the Tong. They are also rumored to honor their contracts as if they were blood oaths.
Though the origin of the organization, like the group itself, is shrouded in secrecy, some who make their living at night (who might know better than others) suggest that the Pan-Azeroth Trade Company, a respected Goblin-run business based in Gadgetzan, was nothing more than a front for the illicit activities of the Grey Tiger Tong. The Company has long denied such rumors, as well as the Company's involvement in profiteering during the Wars.
The Tong itself is rumored to have originally been an elite security force hired by Pan-Azeroth Trade Company to protect its assets and carry out some of their more legally-questionable business tactics. Over time, the security force, driven by the need for secrecy and loyalty, developed into a full-fledged Tong – ultimately becoming independent of the Company. Despite this split, the Tong is rumored to still be intimately associated with Company business – though no one knows for sure.
Basic OOC InformationEdit
- RP "Newbie"-Friendly: We will help folks who are serious about learning RP.
- Focus/Mindset: The Tong is a cross-faction guild of smugglers and spies. The Tong works hard to keep a legal public face as a community-minded merchants' association, preferring to work around the law rather than through it.
- Requirements/Restrictions: Our guild, as a former security unit for a goblin company, is built almost exclusively of hunters, warriors and rogues. To enter, we primarily accept players of level 20 and below (there is no level cap after entry).
- Raiding Interest: This varies and depends on particular characters. This is not the primary focus of the guild.
Guild ConceptEdit
The Tong is a cross-faction guild, and works with the Gray Tiger Tong.
Most folks understand that the Tong has several public faces, including legitimate businesses like the Gray Tiger Shipping & Freight Company and the Savage Coast Fishmonger Company. Given current tensions between the Horde and Alliance, Tigers of either faction are not open about their connections 'across the border.'
The Tong, however, is a bit more mysterious group. Tigers typically wouldn't speak about the Tong first to strangers, instead referring to particular companies. For those who are aware of the Tong, the public explanation is that it is a benevolence society (which is true of real Tongs) made up of local merchants.
The Tong is not evil. In fact, the Tong is neutral, and perfectly happy to accept contracts from a variety of clients. There is a strong sense of honor in the Tong; a promise (or contract) made is a promise kept. Furthermore, the guild is premised on skirting the law, not flaunting it; in fact, we keep up at least a superficially friendly relationship with the law.
Aside from the legitimate business covers, the Tong is typically involved in the following type of work
- Smuggling - A central part of what we do, and has included various contraband and illegal (or at least unethical) disposal of waste. We specialize in getting items from one faction to the other;
- Spying - Another common job, making use of our 'intelligence' assets to collect information;
- Blackmail - We've tried this and it sounds like a ton of fun but you need some committed RPers who are willing to not just blow off blackmail threats;
- Theft - We've downplayed this because it's very hard to get away with theft in the city since there aren't all that many truly empty alleys. Some Tigers might be occasional muggers, while others prefer the more ritzy targets
- Protection rackets - Pay up to make sure 'someone' doesn't burn down your shop (mostly RPed off NPCs)
- Gambling dens - High stakes games with the house making its fair share (not allowed in game, but part of our 'fiction')
- Loansharking - This would require us to actually have gold to do this in game but safe to assume the Tong does this
- Hired hits and kidnappings - We've done these but IC we've always been very quiet about this due to the high risk. OOC honestly these are the RPs that most often go horribly wrong
To do all this, the Tong is presumed to have powerful goblin connections, a network of NPC Tigers as well as contacts around the world, and extensive influence among guards and legal officials (if not PCs, then NPCs), shored up either by bribes or blackmail.


text:
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Calling it a "compassionate, common-sense step forward," Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday said he would support a potentially massive expansion of the Medicaid program under the federal Affordable Care Act.
The announcement was a dramatic move for the Republican governor, who launched his political career as an outspoken critic of President Obama's efforts to overhaul the health-care system. The announcement also shifts the focus of the contentious Medicaid debate squarely to the Legislature, which would have to approve any expansion.
"We have a choice --- and it's not an easy choice --- but my job is to worry about every Florida family,'' Scott said during a news conference at the Governor's Mansion.
Even before Scott started the news conference, House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, issued a statement that stopped far short of an endorsement of the expansion. Weatherford said he is looking forward to the recommendations of a select committee that has been studying the Affordable Care Act and that the House's "actions will be based on principle and rooted in facts."
"Governor Scott has made his decision and I certainly respect his thoughts,'' Weatherford said. "However, the Florida Legislature will make the ultimate decision. I am personally skeptical that this inflexible law will improve the quality of health care in our state and ensure our long-term financial stability."
Scott said he would support expanding Medicaid eligibility for three years --- a period of time in which the federal government is supposed to pay 100 percent of the expansion costs. He said the expansion would have to go through a reauthorization process after three years, which would give the state a chance to determine how it affects health-care costs, quality and access.
The move could lead to hundreds of thousands of newly eligible people signing up for Medicaid coverage. But Scott's stance drew sharply different reactions, with Democratic lawmakers and groups such as Planned Parenthood applauding the governor and conservative activists all but calling him a traitor.
"Candidate Scott ran on fighting Obamacare and was a leader in that movement," said Slade O'Brien, Florida director of the conservative group Americans for Prosperity. "To switch, it's one of the biggest flip-flops I've ever seen. It's going to be remarkably disappointing to the conservative base."
The Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, meanwhile, sent an email pointing to the fact that about one in five Floridians lack health insurance. It said expanding Medicaid will ensure that women and families have access to basic care.
"Politics should not stand in the way of Floridians getting the preventive care they need,'' said Judith Selzer, vice president of public policy and communications for the Planned Parenthood affiliates.
Channel 4 spoke with people Wednesday night who said they weren't sure how they feel about the governor's decision.
"...He's just giving in to pressure," said Raymond Walker. "I don't think he should give in at all."
Walker is almost 60, and said he doesn't access Medicaid benefits. His opposition to the governor's announcement stems from his criticism to the Affordable Care Act.
"I think personal healthcare would be much better. Get insurance companies competing, for that. We're a competitive country, that's just the way it ought to be done," said Walker.
"Scott came around to what everyone has known all along: accepting federal funds to extend Medicaid to 1.3 million Floridians is good for hospitals, businesses, state and local governments and, most importantly, the people who need health care," said Ethan Rome, executive director of Health Care for America Now.
"This stunning about-face is merely the latest move to repackage a governor whose approval rating with Floridians remains as toxic as his Tea Party agenda. But Scott's election year makeover on issue after issue is fooling no one and simply underscores his central problem: he can't be trusted," said Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Allison Tant.
Americans for Prosperity-Florida's State Director Slade O'Brien called Rick Scott's announcement "extremely disappointing."
"Florida's Medicaid program already costs the taxpayers more than $20 billion a year, and the financial burden will only grow if a million new people are added to the program. Hopefully our legislative leaders will not follow in Governor Scott's footsteps and will reject expansion of this broken system," said O'Brien.
Scott's announcement came several hours after the Obama administration sent a letter to the state indicating it would approve a proposal to shift almost all Medicaid beneficiaries into managed-care plans. Scott and Republican legislative leaders have long championed that controversial idea, which they say would help hold down Medicaid costs and better coordinate care for beneficiaries.
Speculation swirled in the Capitol on Wednesday about whether federal approval of the managed-care proposal would be tied to state approval of the Medicaid expansion. But Scott denied such a linkage.
Scott and other Republican leaders spent more than two years fighting the Affordable Care Act, which Obama and congressional Democrats approved in March 2010. That fight included a Florida-led legal challenge that ended up in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case. Justices upheld most of the law, but said states must be able to decide whether to carry out the law's Medicaid expansion.
Republicans have rejected another part of the law that gave the state the choice of running a health-insurance exchange. They decided to let Washington run the exchange, which will be an online marketplace where Floridians can shop for insurance coverage.
But in explaining his decision on the Medicaid expansion, Scott said the overall Supreme Court ruling and Obama's re-election in November cemented the Affordable Care Act as the "law of the land." He said he has not changed his view that the best way for people to get health coverage is through their jobs, but he said his decision is aimed at making sure all Floridians have access to care.
"It is not a white flag of surrender to government-run health care,'' said Scott, who made a fortune as the hard-driving chief executive of a hospital company.
Perhaps the most-important part of the expansion is that it would make Medicaid coverage available to hundreds of thousands of childless adults who in most cases are not currently eligible for the program. Also, the law would raise the income threshold for eligibility to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, which is higher than the threshold for many people currently enrolled.
The federal government has promised to pay 100 percent of the expansion costs from 2014 through 2016 and then gradually reduce that share to 90 percent in 2020. But Scott and many Republican lawmakers have repeatedly raised questions about how much money the state could be required to pay in the future.
A report released last month by the state Agency for Health Care Administration indicated that Florida could face costs of $3 billion or more over 10 years. But analysts are scheduled to meet March 1 to revise the estimates, and the new numbers could play an important role as lawmakers decide whether they want to pursue an expansion.
While Scott would require what is known as a "sunset" process after three years, it was not immediately clear Wednesday what would happen if the expansion was not reauthorized. Such a process raises the possibility of newly eligible people losing their benefits after three years.
House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston, D-Plantation, said he would prefer that Scott didn't seek the three year-restriction on the expansion. Nevertheless, Thurston said he was pleased by Scott's announcement.
"I am confident that this important and necessary expansion of Florida's Medicaid program will improve the quality of health care in our state and can be achieved in an affordable manner,'' Thurston said.
But with Scott running for re-election in 2014, he could face a backlash from conservatives who put him into the governor's mansion.
"Will Medicaid expansion cover me for the knife (Scott) just buried in my back?'' Henry Kelley, a tea party leader in Florida, said in a Twitter message.
Copyright 2013 by The News Service of Florida. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Bulls fans forum has 1391 post replies from last night's GT. A good percentage of them were from Knicks fans! Knicks spread their tentacle into all corners of the globe!
Many Bulls fans are still very arrogant after the loss and put the Knicks as another 8th seeded team. There is nothing more I love to see than Knicks win on Tuesday. It will be my biggest entertainment this year to visit their fan forum after Knicks win!
Well, the main problem with Bulls fans is they never admit someone played better. They always say they played worse. I checked some Chicago boards before our game and it seems they were just hating on Knicks fans and bragging what an easy win it'll be. They think they're so good they can act like some ignorant pricks. And that's why I never write on other teams' forums, because even if you say it's gonna be a tough matchup, they have a great team and some talented individuals they're gonna be hating. I just pour some 101 bourbon in my glass and enjoy them crying after the game.
It is sooo frustrating to talk about this game or this team on any other forum. I still hear, we play no defense. Melo is the worst defender in the league. (This just makes me lol) Then I hear if we play the Bulls or the Heat we will get crushed. After beating the Bulls I hear well it wasn't impressive because we blew a 20 point lead. (Even though that was in the 1st quarter)
Oh well haters gonna hate.
pretty awesome.. the garden was a rock'n.. i think melo needs to have the floor to himself... we need to boot stat.. bring in a big ass rebounder boot stat and with lin and melo we got it.. but with stat and melo on the floor not enough balls going around.. just my o
Im gonna grab that one for my sig thanks!
Woodson won the game for us with his coaching in this late game situation. Look how he barks instructions to Iman to let him know a screen for Rose is coming... If Dantoni was coaching we lose this game at the buzzer
Cut it out....Melo did his thang on Easter Sunday vs the top winning team in the NBA....super-star PROPS goes to Melo for being a closer
The Man of the game is "Tyson Chandler"....without Tyson Chandler there would be NO Lin-Sanity, nor would u or anyone else be mentioning get rid of Stat....so far the best player we signed in the past decade is our 2011-12 MVP Tyson Chandler.
A win on Tuesday in Chicago would be GREAT....but! Tyson Chandler have to be sore as hell after the beating he took from 5 of the Bulls bigmen on Easter Sunday. Bulls coach Thibs ran a 11 man rotation on us the first game of a double-header.
We lost that 21 point lead b/c coach Woody didnt want to put defensive bigman Jorts in the lineup with Jefferies & Novak....the Bulls first chop at our lead was a 11-2 run of inside scoring only....we didnt need JR Smith on the court with Shump & Douglas.


text:
Heika: If I'm the Stars, I would take a good trade deal over chasing the eighth playoff seed
Stars beat writer Mike Heika answered questions in a chat on Thursday. Here are some highlights.
If the Stars are in the same position they are now at the trade deadline, where would YOU go? Charge for the playoffs or trade away for the future?
I'm a fan of making trades and moving onto the kids, but you have to get the right deals for your veterans. I wouldn't just give them away. Good GMs seem to know what a team needs and then squeeze out a little extra in a deal. Ray Shero is excellent at that, and that's how I think GM Joe should be looking at things. Target teams that could use a Brenden Morrow or Michael Ryder or even a Jaromir Jagr if that possibility presents itself. Get the most you can. I would definitely take a pretty good deal over chasing the eighth playoff seed. But that's just me.
Which walks away a free agent (if either): Getzlaf or Perry? Would the Stars make a pitch?
Getzlaf, because he's a center. That would allow you to either have him and Benn as your No. 1-2, or to ponder moving Benn to the wing.
How long until Whitney comes back? And what happens to the top 6 when he does? Morrow down to the 4th line?
It is estimated that the foot could be ready in about two weeks. The guess is the kids get moved down, and they see if the veterans can handle the top six, then they start pondering trades.


text:
Alumna Claire Angle (2007) at the Cincinnati Art Museum
I graduated from Southwestern University in 2007 with a BA in Art History. I then moved to Austin, Texas where I began working in education as a kindergarten teacher assistant and after-school program assistant with Trinity Episcopal School. I loved teaching and working with the kids; however, I missed being around the arts. I then sought job opportunities and internships with art museums and non-for-profit arts organizations. I worked with the Austin Children's Museum as a gallery educator, went to various schools across the greater Austin area as an art teacher with Theatre Action Project (now Creative Action Project), and was a special projects intern with the Blanton Museum of Art. During this time of exploring career options, I decided that museum education was my preferred career path. I then did two museum education internships with The Chinati Foundation and the Tyler Museum of Art, before pursuing a graduate degree in art education, with an emphasis on museum education, from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
I have recently become the Assistant Director of School-based Learning at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Within this position I work with area PreK-12th grade teachers to develop curriculums that incorporate the Art Museum's collection while also aligning with federal education standards. I develop the Art Museum's annual Evening for Educators Program and Summer Teacher Institute - professional development opportunities for teachers to learn about our current exhibitions and brainstorm ways to incorporate art into their lesson plans. I am constantly advocating for the arts and working to get teachers excited about integrating the arts into their classroom, as unfortunately more frequently the arts are being eliminated from schools.


text:
Xbox One vs. PS4: Microsoft More Profit Per Console
21 comments
OTTAWA, — Microsoft comes out punching with a significant upgrade to the Xbox franchise console and a true competitor to Sony's PS4 while delivering per-unit profits.
TechInsights Teardown costing shows both companies can profit from sales of their gaming consoles this holiday season. In fact, they used many similar parts to optimize their investment in the next generation of gaming consoles. Though AMD came out as a big winner in the APU (integrated CPU and GPU), there are choice design differences around both the processor design and the use of memory in each device.
The TechInsights bill of materials for the Microsoft Xbox One amounts to $331. Based on this -- and when the estimated costs for the peripherals are included -- TechInsights believes Microsoft will have a gross profit of approximately $100 per console sold. This is far better than the $43 Sony will make per complete unit.
Said Al Cowsky, TechInsights' costing director:
At the console level, the Xbox One is $10 less expensive than the PS4. This is primarily due to a $23 memory premium on the PS4, but it is offset by an $11 cost premium on the Xbox One processor. The Xbox One also has 4GB eMMC NAND flash, making the nonvolatile category $3 higher for Xbox One, while the housings/mechanicals of the Xbox One add another $4 premium over the PS4.
The Xbox One also comes with a Kinect vision system in-box with an estimated cost of $39. This is more than made up for by the $100 list price premium. Likewise, PS4 has an optional vision system accessory available for a list price of $60 (unit not costed at this time).
Though Microsoft seems to have generated more profit per console, it remains to be seen how the devices will compare as developers invest in building radical new games for the powerful platforms. Nonetheless, this initial profitability places both suppliers on equal footing for the real revenue (and profits) promised through the sales of games and the online experience.


text:
How To Keep Losing Weight Over The Holidays!
Did you know that the average American gains 7-10 pounds over the Holiday season that runs from October-December? Well, this year, WE will not be those people! How To Keep Weight Off During Those Big Dinners 1. Make A Plan! … Continue reading


text:
« Exit photo gallery
Romney and Ryan in Powell, Ohio
Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan hold a campaign event at the Village Green Park, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012 in Powell, Ohio.
(Photo: M.Scott Mahaskey/POLITICO)
More: See all POLITICO photo galleries
Did you know that this gallery has keyboard shortcuts? Use your left and right arrows to navigate through the gallery.


text:
The back to school sales have started already and there are some great deals. But if you hang on, you can also snag some additional savings by not paying sales tax.
Here are the states that are currently participating in Tax Free Weekends in 2011:
Georgia (tentative)
West Virginia (dates not yet released)
If you do not live in a state that is participating (and ones not on this list could decide to any day now) and you live on the border consider a little bit further drive to save big!


text:
6 heated situations: Say this, not that
How can you calm the volcano in your stomach when there's a lava of hot words burning its way up your throat? When conflict happens at your veterinary practice, you may struggle to find the right words to cool the angry flow before you erupt. But before you blow your stack, refocus on your target, says Debbie Allaben Gair, CVPM, a Firstline Editorial Advisory Board member and a management recruiter and coach with Bridging the Gap in Sparta, Mich. "It goes back to your goal," Gair says. "What's the primary reason your practice is in business?" Most will say that their goal is to take good care of pets and people.
When you make pets and clients your first priority, you hone in on how to offer the services they need, Gair says. This makes it easier to shift your attention from your communication woes to getting things done so you can help pets.
Julie Mullins, a veterinary assistant and staff training coordinator at Seaside Animal Care in Calabash, N.C., agrees. "It's positioning yourself in the mindset that they're not out to get you," she says. "Don't allow bad feelings to escalate because you're upset."Let's take a look at a few of the most common scenarios that make your temper spike and examine the right—and wrong—thing to say during these situations.
Case 1: Hot diggity discount
Mrs. Spendalot strolls in on her Prada-shod feet waving her Kate Spade clutch and complains your veterinary services are way too spendy—and she wants freebies or discounts for Ginger the Wonderdog.
Heat it up: "Who are you kidding? You can easily afford it."
Cool it down: "I'm sorry, Mrs. Spendalot, we don't offer discounts. To give you a discount we'd have to cut corners on patient care, which no one wants."
"A client who hears the second answer says, 'OK, I'm asking for something that cuts care, and I don't want that,'" says Paul Camilo, CVPM, practice administrator at All Pets Dental in Weston, Fla., and managing partner of Veterinary Consultation Services. "So the discount all of the sudden isn't that important."
Sometimes you may find clients are more aggressive with their requests. In these cases, Mullins tries to keep her response positive and explain what she can do for them.
"If they're combative, I try to point out the things we offer that are free or discounted," Mullins says. For example, if any companies offer a free parasite prevention product with a qualifying purchase, she'll explain those offers as a way to save money. She'll also mention senior wellness programs and other practice offers that apply. You can also explain the payment options your practice offers (for more on this topic).
Finally, our experts agree that it's critical to be confident when you speak to clients about cost. Projecting an air of confidence demonstrates your competence. "We can't be ashamed of what we charge," Mullins says. "Don't be apologetic. What you're doing is worth what you're charging."


text:
Out of the Shadows
Woohoo! Cards win! The team that most thought shouldn't be in the playoffs at all now takes a commanding lead in this division series. And who would have predicted Weaver would lead the Cards in a shut-out victory? He looked awesome, and the bullpen came through, too. I wasn't sure about Tony's choice to take Johnson out when he was dominating in the 8th, but it worked out. Wainwright was steller in the 9th. Not a ton of offense but Pujols and Edmonds came through when we needed them.
One note of annoyance: could Chris Berman be any more biased toward San Diego? It's been irritating watching him call these games as his voice raises several octaves anytime it looks like the Padres might score. I checked his bio and it says he lives in CT so not sure why he's behind the Padres.
Here's hoping Sup can finish things off on Saturday, and, if not, we know we've got Carp ready to go on Sunday. I really hope I don't get to use my Game 5 tickets.


text:
Stars React to Former 'Bachelor' Contestant Gia Allemand's Death
'Bachelor' and 'Bachelor Pad' star Gia Allemand passed away at the too early age of 29, which has prompted an outpouring of emotional reactions to the news, as well as thoughts for her friends and family during this difficult time.
The cause of death is unknown as of right now, but the model and reality show contestant was hospitalized and put on life support on Monday (Aug.12) in New Orleans, La.
Allemand and her family (who have asked for privacy during this time) have already received many thoughts and prayers from fellow 'Bachelor' and 'Bachelorette' stars, as well as various media personalities, on Twitter. You can see what they had to say below.
I had to pull over, I can't stop crying. We have lost an angel.
— Jake Pavelka (@jakepavelka1) August 14, 2013
My prayers go out to @GiaAllemand 's family during this time. Life on earth is but a vapor and she's with our Lord now.
— Sean Lowe (@SeanLowe09) August 14, 2013
#BachelorNation please join me in sending thoughts & prayers 2 @GiaAllemand 's family & all those who were blessed 2 know her. #angeltoosoon
— Trista Sutter (@tristasutter) August 14, 2013
So sad and scary to hear about @GiaAllemand…sending love, strength and prayers to her and her family….
— Melissa Rycroft (@MelissaRycroft) August 14, 2013
Such a sad day…love, prayers, and thoughts to Gia's family and close friends
— Molly Mesnick (@MollyMesnick) August 14, 2013
Two years ago today my amazing father passed away. Today another angel is joining him in heaven. Such a sad sad day. #HeartBroken
— Michelle Money (@MoneyMichelle) August 14, 2013
Gia you are my angel! You changed so many lives with your beautiful soul and will be missed and loved forever.
— Vienna Girardi (@ViennaGirardi) August 14, 2013
I honestly dont know what to say right now.. giaallemand you will be missed and remembered by family,… http://t.co/movP0nxE1q
— Justin Rego (@JustinRatedR) August 14, 2013
Sad to hear @GiaAllemand passing. Thoughts & prayers go out to loved ones, family members, & all that were close to her. God got an angel.
— DeAnna Stagliano (@DeAnnaPappas) August 14, 2013
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. I love you, Gia. May… http://t.co/j8tt87IJgm
— Kathryn Sherlock (@KathrynSherlock) August 14, 2013
My heart is so heavy right now, I remember meeting you for the first time & the huge smile on your face. You are in my prayers @GiaAllemand
— Jason Mesnick (@jason_mesnick) August 14, 2013
#ripgiaallemand giaallemand ! You will be missed! I will always remember how much crazy fun we would… http://t.co/vNu6ouGVNe
— Jessie Sulidis (@jessiesulidis) August 14, 2013
I am absolutely gutted to hear about Gia Allemand's passing.. Such a stunning person.. Sending all of my love & prayers to her family.
— Pia Toscano (@PiaToscano) August 14, 2013
My heart breaks. An angel returned too soon. RT "@EntCity: Gia Allemand has passed away at the age of 29. #rip"
— Dina Pugliese (@DinaPugliese) August 14, 2013
Incredibly sad to hear about the passing of Gia Allemand. She was lovely. I know the whole bachelor franchise feeling such sadness today.
— Laura Saltman (@LauraSaltman) August 14, 2013
Sad. 29 is a half-century too soon, at least. Condolences to family and loved ones of "Bachelor" star Gia Allemand. http://t.co/X5XaTG9nen
— Richard Roeper (@richardroeper) August 14, 2013
We lost an incredible human being today. @giaallemand http://t.co/Sl5vTfCQ1w
— Ali Fedotowsky (@AliFedotowsky) August 14, 2013


text:
If most rows should go, it may be faster to copy the remaining rows to another table and rename it into place, then truncate the original table.
Bingo. I think I should'a done that.
Delete in parallel from many processes.
I am. I've currently got one running for every day between June 3rd and June 16th, inclusive. Seems to be going much faster now than it was before (although I've been on June 3rd forever... fortunately, I suspect there are an abnormally enormous number of records on that day com
increase the rollback segment in a case like this
Well, yeah, there is the obvious solution, but there's also the issue of being one step further removed from those kinds of actions than I would like. Plus I worried that the rollback segment might need to be increased by more than one order of magnitude and that it wouldn't be practical.
Thanks for your help.


text: OK everyone. I've been meaning to bring this up for a while (I think I may start a new thread, but let me know if i should just keep it all here). I own 6 of James Blake's Personal Racquets - All the same tecnifibre/major/AG 300 Tour mold - 18x20: 2x Dunlop 200 series (1 AG, 1 M-Fil) Blacked out Frames 1x Dunlop prototype (All Black) 2x Head Prototype (All Black) 1x Bosworth Custom (All Black) Here is a teaser pic...I have so much I want to say about these racquets, but just haven't had the time. I'll get around to it hopefully sooner rather than later. Enjoy!


text:
bah humbug! at all seahawks fans and JD
bah humbug! at all seahawks fans and JD
LAKERS/RAMS/DODGERS/UCLA/MAN U/MEXICOShut it down. Let's go home.
|Sponsored Links
Would be nice to see Jackson finally get in the playoffs. Who knows, now that Cards have Hoyer maybe they will beat 49ers. Be really funny if only W Cards got rest the season was against the 49ers and it ended up costing 49ers playoffs.
The Seahawks still have much to prove as a team playing on the road. Likely the best home team in the NFL, but by no means a good road team yet.
30 Team Stadium Checklist: 10 to go
1) Yankees 2) Orioles 3) Rays 4) Red Sox 5) Mets 6) Braves 7) Phillies 8) Nationals 9) Marlins 10) Pirates 11) Padres 12) Astros 13) Mariners 14) Twins 15) Cubs 16) White Sox 17) Cardinals 18) Indians 19) Tigers 20) Royals 21) Reds
|Sponsored Links
|Sponsored Links


text:
The Brompton's not a new bike. It's not even new to me. But it is the best folding bike around, and it will change how you travel long distances, too. I've had mine ever since I recovered enough from a broken leg (busted playing bike polo) to hobble up to the local bike shop and order one. That was a few years ago, and since then the bike has come with me to three different continents, traveling on planes, trains, trams, automobiles and buses.
You can even ride it to the airport and pack it up when you get there.


text:
© 2012 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Lewis approved to begin throwing on flat ground
By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com
ARLINGTON -- The Rangers have received good news on pitcher Colby Lewis, who is coming back from surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon. Lewis was examined by Dr. Keith Meister on Friday and the results were positive. Meister has given the green light for Lewis to begin his throwing program on flat ground. The Rangers still aren't planning for Lewis to be ready for Opening Day. Right now the tentative target date is June 1. But if Lewis continues to get positive reports from Meister, it could push up the time of his return. Much will depend on how Lewis progresses through each stage of his throwing program and the plan is to go by how he feels. Lewis was the Rangers' Opening Day starter in 2012 and was 6-6 with a 3.43 ERA in 16 starts before being placed on the disabled list on June 26 with tendinitis in his right forearm. He made one start on July 18 against Oakland before going back on the disabled list. Lewis underwent surgery on July 27. Lewis was eligible to be a free agent after the 2012 season, but the Rangers signed him to a one-year, incentive-laden extension on Sept. 17. The Rangers currently have a rotation of Matt Harrison, Yu Darvish, Derek Holland and Alexi Ogando with the fifth starter spot still open. Left-hander Martin Perez finished the season as the fifth starter, but the Rangers are also considering moving left-handed reliever Robbie Ross into the rotation. Right-hander Justin Grimm is another rotation candidate. Perez was 1-4 with a 5.88 ERA in his six starts for the Rangers in 2012, while Grimm was 1-1 with an 11.57 ERA. The Rangers, who lost out to the Dodgers in their pursuit of free-agent pitcher Zack Greinke, are still looking for rotation depth. But Lewis is 32-29 with a 3.93 ERA in 80 starts over the past three years and if he continues to make significant progress, it could lessen the club's need for rotation help.
T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Postcards from Elysian Fields, and follow him on Twitter @Sullivan_Ranger. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
New Zealand Rugby
Otago stave off administration - for now
ESPNscrum Staff
March 2, 2012
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw is battling to preserve rugby in the Otago region © Getty Images
The Otago Rugby Football Union (ORFU) has agreed to a request by the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) to delay liquidation proceedings in the hope that the cash-strapped region securing a financial lifeline.
The New Zealand Herald reports that the board of the ORFU were due to file for liquidation on Friday but NZRU chief executive Steve Tew has revealed that they now plan to defer the application by one week to allow more time to work with potential sponsors, benefactors and financial institutions in a bid to service their NZ$2.35m debts and on-going running costs.
"The situation is still very grave but a number of people are still working on a solution and hopefully this buys some time," said Tew. "The seriousness of the situation hasn't changed. We do not want to end up in a situation where we are back here in six months time. We need to have some ability to deal with the debt and with the long term sustainability of the Otago union and neither of those are straight forward.
"The key parties have been talking since Monday and have identified some options that warrant further examination,'' Tew said. "It makes sense for the union to delay proceedings to allow these parties more time to undertake proper analysis."
The newspaper adds that the NZRU, Dunedin City Council, Dunedin Venues Management Ltd and the New Zealand Rugby Players Association, represented by All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, have all been working through details of the package with
"Obviously things are at a very delicate stage, so we are not in a position to discuss the shape of any deal. However, we are only considering arrangements that will put the union on a sustainable long term footing. This is complicated and any deal has to be multi-faceted involving input from all of the union's key partners.
"This doesn't change the fact that the financial picture remains very bleak, there are some significant hurdles to be overcome, so the outcome is by no means certain, but all parties are working hard on these proposals.''
Earlier this week, it was revealed this week that the 131-year-old ORFU owed the Dunedin council nearly NZ$400,000 in unpaid rent and other charges for Carisbrook since selling the old ground. The Union's participation in this year's ITM Cup remains in doubt although the region's Super Rugby side the Highlanders is unaffected having previously been made into a separate legal entity.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Communication error please reload the page.


text:
ORLANDO, Fla. - Orange-Osceola State Attorney Jeff Ashton says he plans to personally review all cases in his jurisdiction in which law enforcement officers use deadly force.
Ashton said in a letter Friday that the recent increase in deadly force encounters in Central Florida "is of grave concern to this office."
He's also seeking an independent review by a grand jury, which he noted may be stressful for officers during the investigative process. But Ashton says it's a necessary step to maintain public confidence. The review will examine all aspects of the cases, including investigative and tactical decisions.
The decision stems, in part, from a January shooting where Orlando police officers shot and killed 19-year-old Karvis Gamble and wounded Cordaryl Wilson. That case will go in front of a grand jury, Ashton said.
The Orlando Police Department said in a statement that it will cooperate completely and has complete faith in the grand jury.
OPD said its Drug Enforcement Division was at the Arlington address because of drug complaints.
Gamble's mother says she is relieved police shootings are getting a closer look.
"I know my kids and ain't no way in the world somebody could tell me my son pulled a in on a police officer," said Tanjila Lippett.
Watch Local 6 News and stay with ClickOrlando.com for more on this story.
Copyright 2013 by ClickOrlando.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
My name is writingworldofHP (No, really, my parents named me that at birth ;) ) and I am currently editing my novel The Word Story. However, in my free time I do enjoy writing the odd fanfiction. I LOVE Harry Potter, it is the best book that has been written, in my opinion, throughout history. I mean it. Really.
I am also known as magic-esi and I am not a beta reader because I find that Perfect Imagination's test does not test for good writing; it tests for superficial things like grammar and spelling. Also possibly because I failed the test. :( But that's OK, I am still a great fanfiction writer.
For those of you wondering, yes, I am a girl and I am 13 going on 14. So yes, my *ahem* 'less appropriate' fan fictions are not plagiarized or anything.
No, I don't have any fanfictions up at the current moment but I'm hoping sometime in the future there will be some.


text:
ZoneAlarm Security Suite version 10.0.250.000 supposedly fixed the Firefox 5 incompatibility problems. It didn't fix all of them.
1. When multiple Firefox windows are open, ZA changes the foreground-to-background order of the background windows when a new window is chosen as foreground.
2. The ZA toolbar is not (always) displayed. This doesn't bother me since I don't want it displayed, but I think I should have the option.
I have not yet reported these problems. I'll do that when I can afford to waste hours on the chat line. (How do we report problems via email?)


text:
Jenny's Raw Recipe Blog
Tag: Greens
Raw Food Breakfast Favorite: Green Juice
Posted on May 28 2012 | (0) Comments
Category: Raw Juices and Smoothies Tags:
green juices
When I talk to people about raw food breakfast drinks, I realize there's a lot of confusion between smoothies and juices and which appliances you need to make them. Are you confused? If so, I hope this post and my Green Juice demonstration video will help demystify things for you.
Watch, Learn, and Make Mediterranean Kale Salad
Posted on June 18 2012 | (4) Comments
Category: Easy Raw Meals Tags:
raw salad recipes,
Some folks like to read a book to get their information, while others prefer to watch a video. Personally, I like both approaches, and that's one reason that I post recipes on my site and then demonstrate them in videos on my YouTube channel.
Topping the charts on my Lunch and Dinner playlist is Mediterranean Kale. It's one of many recipes that I've created that focuses on the flavors of international cuisine...and a personal favorite, too. You'll find the recipe, along with two unique variations, in Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People.


text:
That's 26 out of the way, and so the next post will come from America in seven years time, and all links will be hammed up by Eric Roberts first.
How We Train Our Cops To Fear Islam – From the US, but a frightening article about how freelance 'anti-terrorism' consultants are training cops with some disturbing messages (via)
A Wikipedia Editor Looks at the Bible – Can the contradictions in the Bible be explained as the result of an edit war? (via)
If you want to speak at a council meeting, get elected – I'm not linking to this because I agree with it, but because it's Peter Cuthbertson in full-on pompousness like the clone of Simon Heffer, and it reminds me of how blogging used to be in 2003.
Richard Peppiatt's letter to Daily Star proprietor Richard Desmond – A Daily Star journalist explains just why he can't work at the paper anymore.
Revolutionary roads – "Without true institutional change, kings and dictators can change their minds"


text:
just checking, but I had focused on the 'wide interpretation' part earlier.David N. Snyder wrote:What wrong with that part?Cittasanto wrote:This part?David N. Snyder wrote: The problem with giving gilāna such a wide interpretation is that it opens the door to eat the evening meal just about everyday and then making the rule on the noon meal moot, which I don't believe was the intention of the rule or precept.
I still say it is meant for monks who are ill, not simply mild discomfort. But if you disagree that is fine.
but, I certainly don't agree with the precepts (whether loose or tight interpretation) being ignored or abused. certainly the reason for the rules should be born in mind
underlined is the one I believe is the predominant aspect of our discussion, and in bold the other main aspect, although not the only one directly related to this rule.Mv.1.5.11 Ten Reasons for setting down the Rules of a Mendicant. wrote:Meditators, as this (offence) is so, I will prepare rules of discipline for mendicants (following my) path, basing them on ten reasons!
1 – To protect the excellent (reputation) of well behaved) members;
2 – To protect the comfort (due to respect) of (well behaved) members;
3 – To silence those who are obstinate;
4 – For diligent meditators to have ease (in obtaining requisites);
5 – For meditators to restrain their effluents in the here & now;
6 – For restraining effluents (that condition) future births;
7 – For faith to arise in those who lack faith;
8 – For the conditions to increase the faith of those already with faith;
9 – For the true way (to be visible) for along time;
10 – For assisting the discipline of those in Training.
These are the motivations I shall prepare the mendicants rules of training for!
I personally may of gone with 'having a need for extra support' rather than 'mild discomfort', for instance, if there was work going on, such as building a Kuti, one meal a day may not support the energy needs, or, they had a condition which made it impossible for them to get enough nourishment in the appropriate period, both of which are origin stories if I remember correctly.


text:
July 1, 2008
Jurisdiction: The Counties of DuPage,
Lake, Will, and Cook excluding employees in commercial office
buildings in the area of
Wages: Unarmed $11.25*
Armed $12.00*
Sergeants, Lieutenants, Captains, Dispatchers and other supervisory personnel shall receive an additional payment per hour in addition to the minimum hourly wage above.
Sergeants $ .20*
Lieutenants .25*
Captains, Dispatchers
Other Supervisory
Personnel .30*
*Employees who perform production work, clerical work, or any other duty above and beyond those performed as part of the guards normal duties shall receive twenty-five cents ($.25) per hour
in additional.
Health and Welfare:
Full-time employees: $340.95 per month
Part-time employees: $150.02 per month
This single monthly coverage is payable by the employer only for employees who elect in writing to pay the remainder of the premium.
New employees become eligible upon the completion of 150 days of
(Part time employees are those who work six (6) hours or more but less than 32 hours per week.)
Security Guard
Effective 7/01/2008
After reaching the first anniversary date of employment, the Employer shall contribute $0.15 per hour to a pension fund on behalf of each employee or pay it directly to each employee.
Vacation: 40 hour's vacation with pay after 1 year of service.
80 hour's vacation with pay after 2 years of service.
120 hour's vacation with pay after 8 years of service.
160 hour's vacation with pay after 12 years of service.
Employees who work less than 1 year receive prorated vacation.
Employees who work less than eighteen hundred (1,800) hours during their anniversary year shall receive vacation prorated based on the ratio of actual hours worked during the anniversary year to eighteen hundred (1,800) hours.
These wage rates, fringe benefits and working conditions are
determined by the Illinois Department of Labor to be conditions prevalent in
the State of


text:
Photographer's Note
On the road between Kratie and Stung Treng, the road bridge was destroyed some years earlier, (see WS) the new bridge was SLOWLY being constructed, in the meantime cars, jeeps and small buses were transportated across the river by cleverly built rafts, powered by four strong men and a small outboard motor. Passengers including me, could either balance on the raft or clamber across the unfinshed bridge -wisely or not, I chose the latter.
postvikram, blu, don_narayan, oochappan, designsoul, shirgold, gaby, German74 has marked this note useful
Critiques | Translate
postvikram (1199) 2006-02-07 6:57
this is a very good shot with an equally good note.good to see how modern day technology still depends on primitive ways for existence in the extremes.Thanks for sharing - Vikram
srgabreu (0) 2006-02-07 7:07
Hi Elaine!
It's good to see Unicef in action!
It's also great to see human cooperation and ingenuity overcoming obstacles.
Thanks for sharing (nice note too)
blu (1429) 2006-02-07 7:12
nice shot!
hadi1121 (0) 2006-02-07 7:30
Hi Elaine,
Well timed and motivated shot of some trying stuff. In your shot the unicef vehicle is in crisis but I say the UN is in crisis these days. Such a shot.
Well depicted concern and focus on the vehicle. Well Done. Hadi
don_narayan (2014) 2006-02-07 7:41
Hello Elaine. Excellent capture. Ingenuity certainly has no limits, just the same mind it comes from. Nice job.
oochappan (13051) 2006-02-07 8:01
Hi Elaine
Your shot realy sticks out by the spirit of travelling, I like that a lot, seeing a moment telling a whole story on its own, a quality that puts stills in to the shade. Excellent.
designsoul (21492) 2006-02-07 9:29
Hello Elaine,
This shot has given me a smile this morning, before I read your note. I just could not see exactly what was going on, with that old car on the river. But how true what you say, ingenuity makes all the difference, and often creativity and imagination flower in the most constraining of circumstances.
I am glad you made it over to the other shore. After this, Ottawa will not be that difficult! ;-)
shirgold (2485) 2006-02-07 9:49
Hi Elaine,
Great capture - I enjoy seeing such solutions. I also like to see the woman standing next to the car, she seems out of place....
TFS- Shir
Ebbe (9625) 2006-02-07 14:22
A fine POV making the raft into a set of crossing diagonals. Nice colorscale in your photo but I don´t find that brown so nice in reality ;o)
gaby (19819) 2006-02-08 14:14
Elaine bonsoir - the jungle is always a great adventure - in Africa, we have often the same problem - superb shot and great story-
Mistral (15402) 2006-02-08 18:41
Hi Elaine,
I like very much your note. You are right.
Then composition of your image is good with diagonal with dynamic subject. Well done!
A smile
ngythanh (8456) 2006-02-09 20:21
This type of picture with its successful achievement should be on front page of magazine or newspaper. It's simple, it's easy, but it tells a million words about your hard trip.
Thank you!
RGatward (20088) 2006-02-10 5:49
That's a fantastic find, and has to go in my ferry theme. Is that powered by an out boar on one corner? I think I'd be a bit worried about trusting my car to it.
KevRyan (22956) 2006-02-10 12:33
This looks like a precarious operation - I guess taking this photo might have been as well as you dangled from the half built bridge - I think it must be the most scratch built car ferry I've ever seen - all power to their ingenuity and courage!!
....and yours!
best wishes kev
devimeuxbe (58557) 2006-03-06 4:01
Hi Elaine
I have never seen this in Cambodia.
Nice capture for the POV. Interesting and well done.
jrzufferey (7305) 2006-03-15 13:12
Magnifique et périlleuse image d'aventure, le passage des rivières un must dans tous les circuits hors layons. Amitié/jr
ruisc_pt (11104) 2006-09-27 6:57
So the POV is from the collapsed bridge :)
Well done
I presume that was a little bit difficult, under these circumstances, to mount a tripod to shoot with a lower speed, giving more movement to the exposure. :)
Well done. I like specially the clayed colour of the "troubled waters
ranz (133) 2007-03-29 1:47
wow! this is one of a kind. It's rare to shoot something like this... you really capture the moment! TFS :-)
German74 (777) 2007-12-07 11:04
Hola Elaine, es una curiosa foto, muy intersante la situación.
Photo Information
- Copyright: Elaine springford (everlasting) (15914)
- Genre: People
- Medium: Color
- Date Taken: 2005-07-01
- Categories: Daily Life
- Camera: Nikon D 70, Sigma 18-50 f2.8 EX DG
- Exposure: f/9.0, 1/200 seconds
- More Photo Info: view
- Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
- Travelogue: Cambodia & Vietnam
- Theme(s): Interesting Transportation [view contributor(s)]
- Date Submitted: 2006-02-07 6:51
- Favorites: 1 [view]
- To srgabreu: new title (1)
by everlasting, last updated 2006-02-07 07:14
- To RGatward: outboard motor (1)
by everlasting, last updated 2006-02-10 06:17


text:
* Prices may differ from that shown
The Bissell FeatherWeight is a full size, lightweight vacuum cleaner that's much lighter than a traditional upright but better suited for carpets than a handheld. It has a long handle which, I find, means less bending down or fiddling with tubular attachments. It's lighter to use around the house than traditional vacuums, and far easier to carry upstairs for a quick clean up. At under £40, the current asking price seems quite reasonable too, compared with some other products.
As this appliance is mains powered, no charging is required and there is no need for a separate charger. It can be a handy tool for lightweight cleaning, but it does have to be plugged in and the mains lead has to be wound manually. I'm no expert but I have found this a useful addition to our household cleaning arsenal, if not a complete substitute for existing tools. It's certainly better suited to family members who now struggle with heavier appliances.
~~About this review~~
I wouldn't normally review anything that I hadn't acquired new, but I was sufficiently impressed with this to make an exception. It was no longer required by elderly relatives who had moved from a two storey house to a bungalow and now have help with the cleaning. So the lightweight Bissell was actually more use to us now - hence this brief review.
Our specific model number appears to be '3105J'.
~~A hybrid design~~
When I first saw this appliance, it struck me as slightly odd: a kind of 'dustbuster' on a stick, or a cross between a carpet sweeper and a 'hoover'. But it actually makes sense, at least for us. I always associated Bissell with manual carpet sweepers, but in fact they produce quite a few lightweight sweepers nowadays, both manual and electrically operated. These seem to have various specialised features, including dry and wet, steam and other functions. But this model seems relatively simple and inexpensive.
Although this comes with a crevice tool and will convert to a handheld, in practice we mainly use it in upright mode, as we already own a cordless 'dustbuster'. Others may find this versatility more useful.
~~Performance & Usability~~
The cleaning performance seemed a little disappointing initially but was significantly improved once the filter had been thoroughly cleaned. Clearly this is no Dyson but then neither is the price! The power consumption seems low too, at just 150 watts. For a machine with a fixed bristle attachment, it picks up reasonably well from hard surfaces (e.g. kitchen and bathroom) and carpets. The long cable copes well with stairs too.
This is in practice quite a good all-rounder. It's handy for upholstery as well as floors, though for a very quick clean up I still tend to prefer our cordless as there's no cable to complicate matters. I also still use the main 'hoover' for heavier duty cleaning.
The FeatherWeight controls are clear and simple enough to use. While the slider switch is situated quite low down, this presents no real difficulty as the whole appliance is so light and easy to lift. There's a simple latch to release the handle and transform the tool to a handheld. This may also be used to allow adjustment to the length of the handle, though we've kept this at its maximum for our purposes. This vacuum is bagless and easy enough to empty too. It must be easy enough to use as it never even occurred to me to ask about a user guide and I've had no problems at all, so far.
~~No more lugging or bending : weights and measures~~
At under 1.6kg, the FeatherWeight is said to be 'Up to eight times lighter than most upright vacuums'. A quick comparison of specifications listed on other manufacturers' websites appears broadly to support this claim.
The full height of 118cm is roughly comparable with other upright vacuum cleaners.
~~Availability and price~~
Currently available direct from Bissell for £39.99 with free delivery option (see address below).
~~Brief technical specifications~~
From Bissell website:
Dimensions: 118 x 11 x 24 cm
Weight: 1.59kg
For full details, please refer to manufacturer's website.
Potentially useful for anyone struggling to cope with a heavy vacuum, this is an inexpensive lightweight appliance that's full height but can also be a hand vac. It can also save some time and effort more generally.
~~Select links~~
* Bissell website : www.bisselldirect.co.uk
* Product details : www.bisselldirect.co.uk/featherweight-1
[© SteveS001 2013. A version of this original review may appear on other review sites]
This useful vacuum was bought a few years ago specifically to help my Mum and Dad who are both in their eighties, to clean the upstairs of their house. Last month I was with them for two weeks to help out with various things (new cooker hob, new lawn mower) and gave this vacuum a lot of use. It has many good qualities not least that we call it the broomstick as their village emblem is a witch on a broomstick!
Here are some of the features that I like.
The weight, - at just under 4lbs it is great for doing the stairs and does not wear Mum and Dad out unlike the Hoover beast that lurks in the downstairs cupboard.
The length of the cable - at a long 4.75m you can do all the upstairs only being plugged in to one socket and wraps easily around the two large cable hooks, one on the hanle and one on the body.
It is not a battery powered vac - no tricky charger to try and put it in. Mum is partially sighted so this would be difficult. Also no need to have a charger permanently plugged in so reducing power consumption and "Have I plugged the charger in?" moments. It is always ready for use.
It is bagless - easy to empty (although the first time I did empty it onto the carpet, duh!) No trying different shops to find bags.
The handle is adjustable in length and very easy to grip. and has at its base a sturdy easy to use clip with which you can change the length or remove the handle completly giving you a hand vac, great for doing the car, the curtains or inside the loft. (I seem to clean the loft everytime I am there , why I don´t know, it never gets dirty?).
It comes with two head fittings, a normal one for carpets etc and a crevice tool for the corners and the spiders and cobwebs. The long handle helps makes short work of them, none can escape me!
Our Bissell is a natty dark blue with the easy to see, and use, switches in grey. The top one releases the handle. The middle one is the slide on/off switch and the bottom one releases the dust cup. Both the dust cup and the filter can be washed. On the back of the body it gives it´s detail 220-240v 50/60 Hz 140watt and that it is made in China. If I have one complaint it is that it could be a bit more powerful but this weighed agaist all the other good features is a bit harsh . Particularly if you consider the price tag of around 31pounds.
My opinion.
A great little vacuum which does the job at a good price. We think we got it from the local furniryre store but more info is available on www.Bissell.com . (It also comes with a good hand book)
Thank you for reading my review which may also be posted on Ciao under splishsplash
This vac has great suction and can be used as a stick vac on bare floors or lightweight carpet cleaning. The wife and I use it as a hand vac in the home, in our autos, for vacuuming upholstered chairs and other furniture, and for drapes and curtains with the floor nozzle tool removed. The other brands of similar lightweight vacs we saw in stores have floor nozzle tools that cannot be detached. We certainly believe that this powerful vac is the most versatile model among any of the other brands we found on the market today. This Bissell has an crevice attachment for hard to reach cleaning places, a quick-release handle upon which the 16 foot power cord can be neatly wound, and an easy to empty dirt cup. It weighs only 4 pounds and is an excellent buy! The only negative comment we can make about this product is that it is a bit noisey. We bought our first Bissell FeatherWeight vac some 13 years ago and it's still working well and we've have not found it necessary to replace the washable filter that originally came with it. Being quite sold on this product we bought another one this past week for our summer home. This new white-coloured model has a new handle that's more comfortable to grip. The Bissell quality is such that we also have a ClearView bagless vacuum cleaner for our home and also their cordless hand vac which we bought over ten years ago.
I bought myself a Bissell Featherweight vacuum cleaner at the weekend it cost me £29.95 and it really is handy. It doesn't need a dust bag which is good because they are so dear to buy nowadays, you just empty the little cup after each use and pop it back in. It weighs less than four pounds so great for an elderly person and it can be used as an upright or as a handheld cleaner. When I first got it out of the box I was a bit dubious because it looks so small only five inches wide but it picks up great, I am really impressed. There are two different cleaning heads and a handy crevice head to get into those small corners, I found this ideal for getting behind the television and cleaning the mountain of dust from around all the yards of wires. Actually I was disgusted with myself when I saw what was behind that television cabinet, even a Christmas card that had fallen down during the December festivities and a few bits of tinsel. The vacuum cleaner didn't suck the card up, it isn't that good, but it did suck it onto the end just long enough for me to grab it. I had to empty the little dust cup after that corner of the room was de-loused, but lets be fair there was a lot of muck. Great for the stairs and running over the curtains, I hear some of my Dooyoo friends muttering here, 'What a liar! She leaves six inches of dust behind the television cabinet but vacuums her curtains!!!!!!!' Of course I do every-one can see the curtains but who looks behind your TV? I have got myself a bargain and it is so much easier than my big vacuum cleaner.


text:
Happy No Housework Day?
April 07, 2014
Denise on BlogHer's Facebook page announced, "Happy No Housework Day!" Not that she is celebrating the day properly. Not that I am any one to judge.
I've had my own very (very very very) tortured relationship with housework. On one hand I love housework; I said once that every essay I write could begin, "I am washing the dishes. I am washing the dishes again." And in this daily task is often a kind of meditative calm that I desperately long for when I'm too busy to wash the dishes (or too busy to wash the dishes contemplatively).
Today is such a day. Too busy for housework, though indeed I will do some, I suppose, thank goodness I have people in life who take so much of the load from me. I can never decide, do I love to do housework? Do I value creating more; writing and painting colors on walls and growing things in the garden?