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Thelen retired March 31 as vice president operations planning and support, NS said.
Schnautz (pictured) joined NS in 1993 as a management trainee in the Engineering department. He progressed through a variety of engineering positions and most recently was director advanced train control until his appointment to his present position. He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Penn State University.
Thelen began his railroad career as manager quality control materials for Conrail in 1977. He held several positions of increasing responsibility in mechanical engineering, quality assurance, and engineering before joining Norfolk Southern in 1998 as assistant vice president research and tests. He became vice president mechanical in 2004 and vice president operations planning and support in 2006. A native of Weiler, Germany, Thelen is a graduate of Fachhochschule, Munich, and holds a master of engineering degree from Penn State University.
"Gerhard has been an invaluable intellectual asset to Norfolk Southern, and we will miss his leadership in addressing the technical challenges of 21st century railroading," said Mark Manion, executive vice president and chief operating officer. "Fortunately, Tom, who has been leading our effort to comply with Congress' positive train control mandate, has the knowledge, experience, and wisdom to take up that mantle."


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I've had these on order since November 3 (and paid for) and they keep altering the dates for delivery, etc., and at over 4 months now I'm starting to get peeved.
Has anyone actually received these or seen them?
And does anyone know someone at BMW NA I can call to get some help with this situation? At this point these should be being flown to me, not put on a boat at some point in the indefinite future.

subset: commoncrawl


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Francona, Indians enjoy MLB's Mother's Day traditions
By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com
ST. PETERSBURG -- Indians manager Terry Francona was proud to have a pink ribbon stitched into his shirt for Sunday's Mother's Day game, a 6-5 win over the Rays. Francona has also enjoyed seeing players embrace the cause over the past few years.
Each Mother's Day, players and coaches around the league don pink gear to help raise awareness for breast cancer. Francona's mother, Roberta, passed away of the disease, so the day hits home with him every season.
"My mom passed away because of breast cancer," Francona said prior to the Indians' 6-5 win over the Rays. "I actually think that any time you're trying to do something for somebody else [it's good.] I personally think this cause deserves [attention]. I'm not sure who hasn't been affected by it. I mean, my goodness. So, personally, it gives me something to think about when I put it on.
"Regardless of that, any time MLB or whatever wants to try to do something to help other people, I think it's awesome. I really do. I think stuff like that in our game gets overlooked probably too much. I get it. I know what sells and what doesn't, but there's so many good things that the players do, that the league does. To support something like that is so easy."
During the game, multiple players sported pink sleeves, armbands, cleats and bats in honor of the day. Indians catcher Yan Gomes, whose wife recently gave birth to their first child, launched a home run with a pink bat in the sixth inning. He said he plans on giving one of the game-used bats to his mom and the other to his wife.
Indians infielder Mike Aviles also used a pink bat, and wore a pink elbow guard.
I think it's great," Aviles said. "You're definitely showing your love for Mother's Day. I have nothing but women in my life. I have three daughters, a wife, a great mom, mother-in-law, grandmas. It's just my way to show everybody I love them and let them know I'm thinking of them on this day. They're big parts of my life, that's for sure."
After rough week, Axford takes breather
ST. PETERSBURG -- In need of an escape, art aficionado John Axford wandered out of the team's hotel on Saturday and explored the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. For a couple of hours, the displaced closer could steer his focus away from the mound.
Axford, who bears a tattoo of flowers on his left arm that is based on Dali's work, said the walk around the museum was welcomed.
"I enjoy art, so I made sure I did that instead of baseball for a little while," Axford said on Sunday morning. "I got my mind off of it. Sometimes you have to take those breaks and then, when you're at the field, you have to bring yourself back in."
The Indians temporarily removed Axford from the closer's role on Saturday after his season-long issues with falling behind developed into an extremely rough week on the hill. While Axford sorts out some mechanical flaws and searches for consistency, Cleveland manager Terry Francona plans on using any combination of Cody Allen, Scott Atchison, Marc Rzepczynski and Bryan Shaw in the ninth inning.
Axford was understandably upset when Francona delivered that news.
"Obviously, it's pretty disappointing," Axford said. "Things didn't go very well for a week. Not only not very well, they went bad. Hopefully this is just a good opportunity to take a step back and get things back to where they were, and even better than what they were in April."
Axford, who has 115 career saves, has nine saves in 11 chances this season, but the lanky right-hander also entered Sunday's action with nearly as many walks (13) as strikeouts (15) through 14 2/3 innings. Over his past four appearances, Axford had toiled through 102 pitches in three innings, in which he gave up five runs on six hits (two home runs) with six walks and five strikeouts.
Axord's season ERA ballooned from 2.31 to 4.91 in those four outings.
"It's just unfortunate that a good month led into a bad week," Axford said, "and then a bad week turns into, 'Let's try and regroup and figure things out.'"
Francona has stressed that the goal is to get Axford back into the ninth inning at some point.
"What's important is, when things like that do happen, where do you go from there?" Francona said. "Do you make it good? Do you let it beat you up? Ax was really respectful. We saw kind of a little bit of a trend where he was working behind a lot.
"I know he had a bad week, but even in some of the saves, there were some times he was working behind."
Chisenhall tries out first base
ST. PETERSBURG -- Lonnie Chisenhall has been getting some extra work at first base during pregame drills for the better part of the past two weeks. In the eighth inning of Saturday's blowout loss to the Rays, he finally got to try his hand at the position in a game situation.
With Tampa Bay holding a 7-0 lead, Indians manager Terry Francona pulled first baseman Nick Swisher from the game and sent Chisenhall to the position for the first time in his career.
"I think we always try to turn something into a positive," Francona said. "That's our responsibility. One inning certainly isn't going to make [much difference], but it's a start. You're always trying to think of something during the game to help somewhere, whether it's getting a guy an at-bat, getting a guy off his feet, something to try to help."
A couple weeks ago, Chisenhall was asked if he was willing to give first base a try, and the third baseman obliged.
"It doesn't matter to me," Chisenhall said on Sunday. "You want to be in the lineup. You want to help the team win if you're swinging the bat well, or there's chances for you to come in defensively, or you're running and come in to play defense.
"The more options the better at this point. Last night they started a lefty, yet if you pinch-hit, you have the ability to go to more than one position. That's kind of how I look at it."
Through 25 games this season, Chisenhall has hit .348 with seven doubles and 12 runs scored for the Indians, who have used him nearly exclusively against right-handed pitching. That approach by Francona has paid off with Chisenhall, who leads the team's "regulars" with a .321/.379/.500 slash line (118 plate appearances) dating back to Sept. 1 of last year.
Chisenhall has started 11 games as a designated hitter and 10 as a third baseman this season for Cleveland. He does not want to be known as a utility player, but he also is increasingly understanding of the idea of adding more versatility to his game.
"You don't want to be labeled as a utility guy or a non-position guy too early," Chisenhall said. "Fortunately, I feel like I can play just about anywhere. So, it's not a problem. I'm here and I'm here to help the team now. It's not [like] I have to play third base or I only want to play third base. I just want to do whatever it takes."
Quote to note
"The only answer I can give you is that, when we put him back in the closer's role, we want to keep him there. So, we want to see consistency and things like that."
--Indians manager Terry Francona, on John Axford
Worth noting
• The Indians adjusted their probable starting pitchers for the upcoming series in Toronto. Cleveland will start Justin Masterson and Corey Kluber on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, to keep them on a normal five-day schedule. Danny Salazar (originally penciled in for Tuesday) will now pitch on Thursday, giving him seven days of rest between outings.
"You try to do what's kind of in the best interest of everybody," Francona said. "Sometimes that's not the easiest thing, but I think keeping Masty and Kluber on their day was important. And then we also thought giving Danny a couple [extra days] might not be so bad, either."
• Catcher George Kottaras, who was designated for assignment by the Indians on Wednesday, has cleared waivers. On May 4, Kottaras became the first batter in Indians history to launch a home run in each of his first two career plate appearances with the club. He has 72 hours to decide whether to accept or decline an outright assignment to the Minors.
• Francona gave Swisher the option of taking Sunday's game off, providing two straight days of rest with a team off-day looming on Monday. Swisher agreed that taking a game off could be beneficial. Entering Sunday, Swisher was batting .146 (6-for-41) in his past 13 games, following a nine-game stretch in which he hit .333 (12-for-36).
"We kind of gave him his choice," Francona said. "We have a plan every night of how we want to go through it, like a checklist. I told Swish if he needed a day, if he thought it'd be good for him, [he could have one]. He did."
• Utility man Elliot Johnson, who accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Columbus on Friday, was officially added to the Clippers' roster on Sunday. In order to add Johnson to the fold, the Indians released Triple-A pitcher Brett Brach, who had an 8.10 ERA in 6 2/3 innings this season.
Jordan Bastian is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Major League Bastian, and follow him on Twitter @MLBastian. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Bandit Camp
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The Bandit Camp is a seemingly abandoned area of the woods near to the St. John's dairy farm. It is filled with several scrounged items, including a camcorder, tent, a Save, lots of boxes, and a kettle. There is also a car full of food and other usefull things.
In Episode 2: Starved for Help, Lee Everett and Danny St. John encounter Jolene, who indicates that St. John's Dairy Farm is more dangerous to Lee and his group than the bandits are.Spoiler - Click to see/hide
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Forrester was educated in electrical engineering at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, where he remained to teach and do research. In 1945 he founded the Digital Computer Laboratory there and participated in the construction of Whirlwind I, an early general-purpose digital computer designed for the U.S. Navy. During the course of this work, he realized that the slow and unreliable information-storage systems of early digital computers hindered their further development. In 1949 Forrester devised in 1949 a memory system that stored information in three dimensions; in his invention a magnetic cell was employed for both storage and switching.
From 1951 until 1956, Forrester was associated with the Lincoln Laboratory, operated by MIT in Lexington, Mass., operated by MIT for the federal government to apply electronic technology to problems of the national defense. In particular, Forrester, together with his Lincoln Laboratory colleague George Valley, came up with the plan for the U.S. Air Force's Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense computer system, which was developed from the Whirlwind prototype in cooperation with International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Burroughs Corporation (later merged into the Unisys Corporation), Western Electric Company, Inc., and other subcontractors. SAGE included 23 Direction Centers in the United States and 1 in Canada, with each of these radar and missile installations being controlled by its own computer, though all the computers were in continual contact with each other for data exchange and analysis. Partially operational by 1958 and fully operational in 1963, SAGE was the brains behind the American air defense system into the 1980s.
Forrester was led to experiment with the application of computers to management problems. In time he devised the technique of computer simulation in which real-world relationships, such as the flow of materials in a factory, are represented as a series of interconnected mathematical equations that can be fed to the computer. He is thus often credited as being the father of systems dynamics, essentially the application of techniques used in systems engineering to nonengineering problems. As a professor in MIT's Sloan School of Management, from 1956, Forrester wrote several books about systems dynamics, including Industrial Dynamics (1961), Principles of Systems (1968), Urban Dynamics (1969), and World Dynamics (1971). His Collected Papers appeared in 1975.
In 1982 Forrester was honoured by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) as a Computer Pioneer Charter Recipient. He was awarded the U.S. National Medal of Technology in 1989, the year that he retired.


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Snap Lock's RaceDeck Garage Flooring - Easy Garage Floor
Create A Showroom Garage At Home
For a minitrucker, the garage is the most important room in the house. It's a haven where we can get away from all of our worldly troubles, just be with our tools, truck, and maybe the garage fridge with a buddy or 10. So, who wouldn't want a quick and easy solution to that ugly concrete floor that generally resides in one's home? Now, with Snap Lock's RaceDeck Modular Flooring, it's literally a snap. Check out the quick and painless process, then contact the company listed in the source box to order your own.
Snap Lock Industries - Race Deck Garage FlooringSalt Lake City, UT 84104


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E. B. White is the same author who did Charlotte the Pig and so much wonderful work for The New Yorker magazine.
Isn't that the book that says "Avoid needless words (period)" ?
Maybe I was thinking of Freddy the Pig -- the series by Walter Brooks -- I loved those as a kid!


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Okano, a convenience store employee with a troubled past, is but one of the many unforgettable characters found in this collection of four stories. Among the others are three boys facing a frightening lesson in mortality, a woman using garbage to fill a hole in her heart, and a nurse struggling to cope with the oft-brutal cycle of birth, life, and death. Remaining constant even as it fades in and out of view is the great Mount Fuji, one of Japan's Three Holy Mountains. It serves as the anchor for these characters' lives, and for Randy Taguchi's Fujisan, an exploration of redemption, discovery, loss, and remembrance - and the eternal bond with the mystical natural powers that connect us all.
©2004 Randy Taguchi; translation copyright 2012, Raj Mahtani (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
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As part of Local 6's Countdown to the Super Bowl, the Morning crew has shared their favorite dip recipes below:
Troy Bridges' Slap Ya Silly Turkey Chilli
- Sweet onion
- Garlic cloves
- Lean ground turkey
- Diced tomatoes-Rotel
- Tomato sauce/paste
- Red beans
- Cayenne pepper
- brown sugar
- Tony's creole seasoning
- Baby Portabella mushrooms
- Sriracha sauce
- Lime
1. Caramelize sweet onion and garlic cloves in Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
2. Brown lean ground turkey meat and add it in.
3. In separate giant pot add tomato sauce/tomato paste, diced Rotel tomatoes. Squeeze 2 fresh limes and special chili powder mix: cayenne pepper/brown sugar/Tony's Creole Seasoning and Baby Portabella mushrooms.
4. Then add the cooked meat/onions/garlic
5. Cook a while then add big red beans
6. Add a little Sriracha sauce!
Add cheese/crackers if desired.
Mmmmmm goooood!!!
Matt Austin's favorite dip
- 16 Ounces of sour cream
- 1 bunch of green onions chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Stir well and enjoy!
Bridgett Ellison's Just in 'Queso' You're Hungry Dip
- 1 (16 oz.) VELVEETA, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (any flavor, try Mild Mexican VELVEETA with Jalapeno Peppers)
- 1 (10 oz.) ROTEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
- Optional: extra sliced or diced jalapenos
Combine undrained tomatoes and cheese in medium saucepan.
1. In saucepan, cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until melted, stir frequently.
2. Serve warm with chips, crackers or cut-up vegetables.
Other cooking options:
MICROWAVE (HIGH 5 min, stir after 3)
CROCKPOT (HIGH until melted, stir, turn heat down to LOW)
Jessica Sanchez's favorite dip: Frank's RedHot Buffalo Chicken Dip
- 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch salad dressing
- 1/2 cup FRANK'S® REDHOT® Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce or FRANK'S® REDHOT® Buffalo Wing Sauce
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 cans (12.5 oz. each) SWANSON® White Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into deep baking dish. Stir until smooth.
2. Mix in salad dressing, Frank's RedHot Sauce and cheese. Stir in chicken.
3. Bake 20 min. or until mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish as desired. Serve with crackers or vegetables.
Copyright 2013 by ClickOrlando.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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The material destined for the Arkadelphia college will include documents from Ross' 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and 10 years in the state Senate, Ross said.
"I think it's important all these papers be maintained and preserved for research 50 or 100 years from now," Ross told The Associated Press. "For me, Ouachita Baptist University made sense because it's the only college within the boundaries of the Arkansas 4th Congressional District that has an archive department."
Last year, Ross announced that he would not to seek a seventh term representing south Arkansas' 4th District. Republican Tom Cotton won that congressional seat in the November election as the GOP swept the state's four U.S. House districts.
Ross also said earlier this year that he'd pass on a widely expected 2014 run for governor. He has said he plans to take a job next year with the Little Rock-based Southwest Power Pool, a nonprofit that manages electric services for 65 utilities in a nine-state area.
More than 200 boxes of and more than 16,000 digital photos will end up at Ouachita Baptist, Ross said. Those documents will include congressional and campaign photos, videos, audio files, legislative material and emails he's received from constituents, Ross said. There will also be working papers about health care reform, along with handwritten notes Ross took in meetings with presidents.
"I've had the privilege and the honor of serving in Congress during a very historic time," Ross said. "Just after eight months on the job, 9/11 happened. That was followed by wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the worst economic recession since World War II."
Ross' papers will join documents at the school from former Gov. Mike Huckabee, former U.S. Rep. Jay Dickey and the late U.S. Sen. John McClellan, Ouachita Baptist University president Rex Horne Jr. said.
"Anytime you get the papers from someone as significant in their political life and public service as Congressman Ross, it's something that's really special and important to the university," Horne said.
Neither Horne nor Ross laid out a specific timeline Friday for when the papers would be available to the public.
"But my hope is in the not too distance future that anyone will be able to access all these documents at Ouachita," Ross said.
Horne said it will take months to process and catalog the documents.


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NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR TAX DEED Notice is hereby given that Louise W. Crosley, holder of tax certificate No. 3220 issued May 23, 2001, has filed same in my office and has made application for a tax deed to be issued thereon. Said certificate embraces the following described property in the County of St. Johns, State of Florida, to-wit: PARCEL NUMBER 114010-0000 SEC 41 TWP 07 RGE 29 1-13 DANCY TRACT BLOCK 50-4 RE-SUB LOT 22 OR BLOCK 50 LOT 22 OF LOT 3 RESUB MB 1-107 OR13/251 The assessment of the said property under the said certificate issued was in the name of RUBY HUGHES & MERRILL HUGHES. Unless said certificate shall be redeemed according to law, the property described therein will be sold to the highest bidder at the front door of the RICHARD O. WATSON Judicial Center, 4010 Lewis Speedway, St. Augustine, Florida, 32084, on April 22, 2009 at 12:00 o'clock noon. Dated this Feb. 25, 3009. (OFFICIAL SEAL) Cheryl Strickland Clerk of Circuit Court of St. Johns County, Florida By: Andrea L. Chase Deputy Clerk In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act persons needing a special accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact the Clerk of Court at 4010 Lewis Speedway, St. Augustine, FL 32084 no later than seven days prior to the sale date. Telephone: (904) 819-3657; 1-800-955-8771 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (V), via Florida Relay Service. L807-9 Mar 18, 25, Apr 1, 8, 2009
Posted from 18-Mar-09 to 8-Apr-09
© 2018. All Rights Reserved. Contact Us


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A production company pleaded guilty Tuesday in British court to two criminal charges for a June 2014 incident that left Harrison Ford seriously injured on the set of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," NBC News reported.
Foodles Production Ltd., a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Co., admitted in a magistrate court to two of four health and safety breaches after Ford was hit by a metal-framed hydraulic door that pinned his body to the ground. He had to be airlifted to a hospital for surgery.
The door was part of the Millennium Falcon, the spacecraft commanded by his character, Han Solo. Ford was walking through the doorway, not knowing that the set was live, when he was struck in the pelvis and broke his leg.


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Snowstorm means jolt to the local economy
BRATTLEBORO -- Meteorologically, it might not be the perfect storm, but economically Thursday's projected snow fall might be just what Vermont is looking for to add a little bump to the economy.
With schools closed, tourists up for the holidays and last season's disappointing winter still on everyone's minds, Burrows Specialized Sports owner Bob Woodworth said a good dump in the days after Christmas can kick off what he hopes will be a long, cold and white winter.
"It sounds like something is coming tonight and we are looking forward to it," Woodworth said on Wednesday. "Even those people who don't like snow have to root for this and what it will do for the Vermont economy."
Woodworth, who has been selling winter gear on Main Street in Brattleboro for more than two decades, said winter sports enthusiasts can experience a hangover, of sorts, after a winter like we had last year.
People are hesitant to upgrade after a warm, dry winter, he said, and newcomers might be unwilling to purchase snow shoes and cross country equipment after very little snow fell last year.
But a good solid base of snow, which meteorologists are predicting for Thursday, should go a long way toward forgetting last season and looking forward to a cold and snowy winter.
"After a year like last year people hold back," he said. "Last winter was a bust and we need something like this to forget that. People are excited about getting out and playing in the snow."
The major storm, which has already slammed the South and Midwest, was heading right for Vermont Wednesday, and The National Weather Service said the snow would start in southern Vermont Wednesday night and continue right through Thursday.
Some of the higher elevations in the region are expected to see more than a foot of snow before the storm moves on.
Stratton Mountain Communications Coordinator Meryl Robinson also said the storm is coming at almost the perfect time.
Families who spent Christmas at home were able to enjoy the holiday and then travel Wednesday to the mountain.
Robinson said Stratton could get more than a foot of snow, and with about 75 percent of the mountain already open due to man-made snow making, she said conditions should be peaking out during one of the busiest times of the year.
"We have a lot of loyal customers who joined us for the holidays, and this is about the best gift we can give them," she said. "It looks like it is going to be a busy week."
"After last year people are going to want to come up and get this while it is here," said Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce Director Jerry Goldberg. "A good, pure, white snowfall is just what the doctor ordered for this economy. It reminds people what a winter wonderland Brattleboro is in the winter."
All over Brattleboro Wednesday, supermarket lines were long, people filled their gas tanks, and hardware stores moved piles of shovels, scrapers and salt and sand.
"People hunker down and go nuts," said Goldberg. "It's time to make sure you have boots and mittens and food. It is good for the economy."
About a third of Vermont's annual tourism revenue is generated from winter business, according to Tourism and Marketing Department Communications Director Jun Butson, and this week is one the three busiest periods of the season.
When weather reports call for significant snowfall during a holiday week like this, it can have a significant impact on restaurants, inns and hotels, outdoor outfitters and ski mountains across the state.
"This mid-holiday season snowstorm is very good news for the ski and ride industry and all the businesses related to it," Butson said. "Nothing sends the message, 'It's a winter wonderland' better than Mother Nature laying down over a foot of fresh powder in our mountains."
Butson said the weather predictions are also encouraging cross country skiers, snowshoers, and snow mobile owners to dust off their equipment, which largely remained in the closets and garages last year, and get out.
"This is great news for everyone who visits Vermont in the winter," she said. "This storm is bringing ideal conditions for the New Year."
Brattleboro Public Works Director Steve Barrett said his crews were putting chains on tires and loading up on salt and sand all day Wednesday in anticipation of the storm.
Barrett also said the storm's timing is good because with the schools closed the department can concentrate on the roads throughout town.
When school is in session the department has to think about bus routes and school access when clearing the roads.
He said sometimes the roads can be more hazardous during the first storm because drivers have put off getting snow tires and are unfamiliar with driving conditions.
And the holiday week means there are more visitors, but he said the plows will be out all night so people can get out and enjoy all the snow.
"Bring it on," Barrett said. "This is Vermont. We love this."
Howard Weiss-Tisman can be reached at 802-254-2311, ext. 279, or email@example.com. You can follow him on Twitter @HowardReformer.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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I've always been a big fan of the "If you could start an NFL franchise with one player, who would that player be?" argument, mostly because the answer is unknowable and you can spend hours quarreling over it, even getting into physical altercations as a result. It's a boatload of fun, especially if you're full of Natty Ice when you're in the middle of disputing it.
Anyway, with Aaron Rodgers currently setting the world on fire, I thought it would be a fun time to answer that annoying hypothetical, forcing you to choose between Rodegrs and Tom Brady (I know Drew Brees feels left out of this argument, but Drew Brees doesn't mind such things. Drew Brees knows you're just having a good time), except with one twist. I don't want the age difference between Rodgers and Brady (Brady is six years older) to color this argument.
So what I'd like to know is: If you had two identical teams playing THIS SEASON, and you were forced to choose between Rodgers and Brady, who would you choose? Who's the better QB right now, this very instant? QUIEN ES MAS MACHO?!!!!
We go to the matchups:
Accuracy: Rodgers is completing over 70% of his passes, which is completely insane. It feels like he throws an incompletion once every eight games. Even his incompletions are impressive. They usually occur when no one is open and he smartly throws the ball away before the rush gets to him. Announcers LOVE incompletions like that. Troy Aikman gets more excited for incompletions like that than he does actual touchdown passes. Meanwhile, Brady is completing a mere 68% of his passes. Mortal. ADVANTAGE: RODGERS
Turnovers: Again, Rodgers wins. He has just three picks compared to Brady's eight (half of which came against Buffalo), and more touchdown passes. ADVANTAGE: RODGERS
Throwing on the run: No one does it better than Rodgers, who can run a bootleg and throw the ball with the exact right amount of heat depending upon where the receiver is. Brady, on the hand, is much more comfortable staying in the pocket and stepping up into the rush if need be. What a loser. Try exploring the world back there for once, kid. ADVANTAGE: RODGERS
Taking sacks: Brady has the better line in front of him, hence not as many sacks this year. But it's difficult to know if he'd take as many hits behind the Packers line. Rodgers one flaw a couple years ago was his penchant for hanging onto the ball too long. He took 50 sacks two seasons ago, which would kill an average QB. But he's corrected that problem since then. ADVANTAGE: INCONCLUSIVE
Advertisements: Think Rodgers can pull off staring earnestly into the camera while holding a goat? Hell no. ADVANTAGE: BRADY
Distractions: Brady has two kids, a baby momma, and a Brazilian supermodel wife to deal with. Rodgers, meanwhile, has been linked to the likes of Mila Kunis and Erin Andrews, but has no wife or love child to concern himself with at this point. He does the "being a single superstar NFL QB who dates really hot chicks" way better than Tony Romo ever did. ADVANTAGE: RODGERS
Experience: Brady has won three Super Bowl and gone through even more controversial hairstyles. ADVANTAGE: BRADY
Chokiness: This is where I point out that Brady hasn't won a playoff game since 2007, which totally makes him a chokity choke choker, even though advanced stats prove that such ideas are complete bunk. Whatever, nerdy computer nerds. BRADY HAS BEEN ROMO-FIED. ADVANTAGE: RODGERS
Overall: I think we know where this is going. Rodgers is currently playing football better than anyone else in the world right now. Time to give him his due as the best QB in all of football. RODGERS ES MAS MACHO.


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Modern mini Quilt Swap Size your choice; 12"x12", 12"x14" or 12x16"
1. 100% cotton fabrics
2. must be layered
3. sewing machine quilted
4. Label with your board name and 2012 Modern Mini Quilt Swap.
Sign up deadline June 7, 2012
Names assigned June 9, 2012
Mailing deadline June 29, 2012
Modern quilting is a new and rapidly growing movement in the quilting world. A group of quilters applied their current tastes and points of view to this traditional craft and shared their work online. Their fresh approach and new designs attracted sewers and quilters and the modern quilting movement was born.This definition was taken fromThe Modern Quilt Guild website.
I recommend you research this site for ideas and inspirations.
What is modern quilting?
Modern quilting, like all art,changes, grows and adapts from quilter to quilter as they find their own voice.A modern quilt reflect each quilter's personality and personal style, and as the movement has grown, a modern quilt aesthetic, a set of principles that define and guide the movement, is beginning to emerge.
Modern quilts and quilters:
- Make primarily functional rather than decorative quilts
- Use asymmetry in quilt design
- Rely less on repetition and on the interaction of quilt block motifs
- Contain reinterpreted traditional blocks
- Embrace simplicity and minimalism
- Utilize alternative block structures or lack of visible block structure
- Incorporate increased use of negative space
- Are inspired by modern art and architecture
- Frequently use improvisational piecing
- Contain bold colors, on trend color combinations and graphic prints
- Often use gray and white as neutrals
- Reflect an increased use of solid fabrics
- Focus on finishing quilts on home sewing machines
Modern quilting has its roots inrebellion, in our desire to do something different, but simultaneously its feet are firmly planted in the field of tradition. Modern quilting is our response to what has come before. We are quilter's first, modern quilters second. There are however, characteristics that set modern quilters apart from our traditional and art quilting friends.
Modern quilters are a diverse group of woman and men, young and old, experienced and novice, yet each of us feels the need to differentiate ourselves as modern quilters by how we work,the fabrics we choose, and the aesthetic of our quilts. We create in a way that supports our individual creative needs and our lifestyle preferences. Modern quilters resist the imposition of hard and fast rules for making a quilt. We pick and choose traditional techniques and methods that work for us and at the same time feel free to redefine or reinvent what is possible and allowable in making quilts.
Modern quilters have embraced the new options available in textiles: bold colors, graphic prints, larger scale prints, and Japanese fabrics. Much like the Amish quilting tradition, many modern quilters are also exploring quilt designs made exclusively with solid fabrics or with just a hint of print.
This is way outside my box so I thought it would force me to rethink pattern, color, and negative space...


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I have invented a potion for the sixth year Potions class in a fic I'm writing, but I don't know what to call it.
It's a potion used on trauma patients, which dampens the effect of painful memories so that the subconscious can deal with them without causing the patient stress. The ingredients include moonstone, St. John's Wort (anti-depressant), Jobberknoll feathers and Belladonna. Any ideas on what such a potion could be called?
Thanks in advance,


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Oh dear God, what have I started?
I don't care about Sasuke and the Rinnegan, Im not for it, neither am I against the idea.
Everyone just seems like they don't want Sasuke to get it - so give me one good reason why Sasuke shouldn't get the Rinnegan without saying something like 'Sasugay or Sasuke is emo'.
I just wanna hear the valid reasons why he shouldn't instead of hearing noobs screaming and shouting on threads.


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Updated: March 16, 2009 at 1:50 p.m.
Just Thursday morning, Vivek Kundra was the ascending rock star of the government technology world. In his public speaking debut as President Barack Obama's new chief information officer, Kundra mesmerized a standing-room only crowd at the FOSE trade show in downtown Washington with his spirited talk of adapting Web 2.0 social-networking tools to bring transparency and accountability to the federal procurement system.
By the end of the day, Kundra's future had become murky. After the FBI arrested one of his former employees on allegations involving contract kickbacks, Kundra, 34, agreed to take a leave of absence for an unspecified time. The White House confirmed his leave Friday, only days after Obama, with great fanfare, had appointed Kundra to be the first governmentwide federal CIO.
Former government officials from the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, speaking on background, say Kundra's ability to serve as overseer of U.S. government technology policy and practices is in question. The fact that Kundra himself is not accused of any wrongdoing is beside the point, they said. As the District of Columbia's chief technology officer since 2007, he was responsible for the actions of his 300 employees.
The federal CIO's role, as defined by Obama, includes bringing transparency and oversight to massive federal acquisition programs and the formulation of policy. Although Kundra has committed no crime and apparently is not a target of the FBI investigation into his former D.C. government office, it does look as though he may have not noticed a scheme in his office that involved contract kickbacks and paychecks for nonexistent workers, according to the FBI's charges.
The White House has not indicated any intent to revoke Kundra's appointment. However, Obama has had trouble filling key appointments. Tom Daschle, his choice for Health and Human Services secretary, withdrew in early February after it came to light that he had been delinquent in paying some income taxes. Then Nancy Killefer, Obama's pick for chief performance officer, withdrew due to her own past tax problems, even though they had been resolved years ago. Charles Freeman, who was to become director of the National Intelligence Council, withdrew last week following allegations that he had questionable ties to Middle Eastern nations. Also last week, lawyer H. Rodgin Cohen, the leading candidate to become deputy treasury secretary, withdrew for unstated reasons. Several other candidates for various administration positions have also been forced to pull out during the vetting process.
D.C. city officials have survived scandal before. After a tax scandal came to light in 2007 that cost the city an estimated $50 million in lost tax revenues, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty expressed support for Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi, who remains in the position today.
However, Kundra's office has been under scrutiny for some time. The District's Office of Inspector General was investigating contracting problems in 2008, according to the office's report on its 2008 activities.
The report states: "Contracting problems experienced by the District continue to be exacerbated by the structural deficiencies and ineffective methodologies used to award and administer contracts. An absence of basic systems for contract records management and data retrieval present formidable challenges for managing procurement functions spread over 80-plus agencies, and for planning procurements, fostering competition among prospective bidders, and ultimately obtaining best value in terms of price and quality."
The investigation into the Office of the Chief Technology Officer was expected to continue into 2009, according to the report, but it was not clear what has happened since or whether the IG probe was related to the FBI arrests.
Last summer, Kundra implemented a program called Information Technology Staff Augmentation to improve transparency and accountability in the city's contracting, according to a Washington Post report. "Kundra hired a company to help the city weed out unqualified résumés, established a central online database to advertise contracts and disclose who won each one, and posted video solicitations for jobs online," the Post reported.
Last week, the FBI arrested Yusuf Acar, an information security specialist who worked for Kundra, and charged him with bribery, conspiracy, money laundering and conflict of interest. The FBI also arrested Sushil Bansal, president and chief executive officer of Advanced Integrated Technologies Corp., on charges of bribery and money laundering.
AITC has done more than $13 million in contract work for D.C. since 2004, according to a report in Computerworld. Although Kundra joined the office in 2007, at least one AITC contract was awarded in 2008, according to the report.
It's possible, however, that all the alleged illegal activity happened before Kundra took the leadership role, said Gary Bass, executive director of watchdog group OMBWatch. If that's the case, his appointment to Obama's administration shouldn't suffer, he said.
Even if did not all predate Kundra, "It's very hard for an administrator to review the detailed work of every staff person," Bass said. "That's why you have an audit process and why you have whistlebolower protections, which is apparently what brought this case to light. Now if there are systemic problems, that's different. That's an administrator's problem."
If Kundra is not in any way under suspicion, the authorities should make that clear, but the FBI rarely issues statements to say that someone is not a target of an investigation, Bass said. That leaves Kundra "in a very nasty limbo, where he's not a target, but it's not clear that he can go back to work."
Bass said he hopes Kundra will stay in this new federal role. "I think in the short time he has been on the job at the federal level, he has really shaken things up, in a good way," he said.
About the Author
Technology journalist Michael Hardy is a former FCW editor.
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An individual's walking gait will be the first biometric used to continuously authenticate mobile warfighters.
The former chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the lead sponsor of the IT procurement bill FITARA is calling it quits.
Pentagon acquisition chief Ellen Lord has been replaced as the chair of the group overseeing the massive cloud initiative known as the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure.
Government application of the ledger technology lags behind the hype, but expect more experiments to take off in the coming months.
After a 2017 filled with uncertainty and slipped deadlines, the Census Bureau faces a critical 2018 that could make or break the constitutionally mandated count.
Nick Sinai and Steve Kelman contend that a great way to "drain the swamp" is to fix the Do Not Pay shared service that was created to combat fraudulent and improper payments.
We have no reason to tie VK to his subordinates' or contractors' criminal intent and activities. None at all; let the criminal investigations grind forward. It is VK's management capabilities--skills, leadership know-how, alertness, concerns--that need to be examined. He won't be running contracts in his new job, but he needs to be ultra smart about how contracts need to be and how they go wrong. This is because so much of federal IT depends on contractors, and a lot of policy turf and regs and practice about oversight concern contractors or the results of their work. Until both cooler heads, and also some gotcha-crazed jackals in various spheres, are satisfied otherwise, VK is unfortunately going to be dogged by people asserting or implying he was blind/clueless/hapless/unconcerned about the wrong that employees and contractors could do. This will possibly persist regardless of his star-power as an innovator. In any case, there won't be much innovation without good management to deliver it and exploit it for the government and taxpayers. We need to be neutral on VK's management expertise, even though the arrest/case data dribbling out invites a some people to question it. So lets have OMB arrange for a review by someone above reproach, not a criminal investigation, to confirm VK's management bona fides while in the District job. This management review is the only way to put this thing to rest. We need VK's technology talents. His position is potentially (but not recently) highly important. Doing nothing about these management concerns is not an option. Michael Lent, Editor and Publisher, Government Services Insider
Why is it that we are so quick to judge named guilty before all the facts are known? It is apparent that Vivek Kundra has brought innovation to the DC government. this is the kind of innovation that is the next generation Federal CIO should bring to the office. In this case, being 34 years old works in his favor. He adapted to technology at a much younger age rather than using it as a 'second language'. Let's let our judicial system work its process before we decide his innocence or guilt.
Hire a boy to do a man's job, this is what you get. CIO at age 34? Give me a break... Someone needs to let the administration know that "nice hair and he's tall" are not the qualifications for CIO anywhere, except in Dilbert's world.
I'm quite biased, because I know Vivek well and am confident that it was precisely the watchdog/whistleblower protections he set up @ OCTO that led to the FBI raid. Is it too bad the perp wasn't caught earlier? Yes, but the same goes for Bernie Madoff! Believe me, he'll cut federal spending, bring about true transparency, & bring a spirit of innovation that's desperately needed in government. No guilt by association.
Guilt by association? That's ridiculous. Unless there is some evidence that Kudra either participated in the criminal enterprise or was negligent in failing to discover it he should be able to do his job.
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8251 Greensboro Drive Suite 510, McLean, VA 22102 703-876-5100


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SANFORD, Fla. - What could be one of the last witnesses for the defense in George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial was called on Tuesday.
Zimmerman attorney, Local 6 legal analyst Mark O'Mara, said they will proffer a computer forensics expert after the state cross examines Daniel Schumaker about computer animation on Tuesday after court. O'Mara said that he expects to wrap up the defense's case on Wednesday. An issue with a Monday witness, John Donnelly, will be taken up at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
[Chat recap: Tony Pipitone in courtroom | SPECIAL SECTION: Zimmerman trial]
Zimmerman's former neighbor, Eloise Dilligard, testified by video conference Tuesday afternoon because of an illness. Dilligard testified that she pulled in the neighborhood the night of the Feb. 26, 2012, shooting of Trayvon Martin, describing it as "very rainy." She said she saw Zimmerman's truck and crime scene tape.
Dilligard said Zimmerman looked "disfigured" in bloody nose photo shown to her by police on the night of the shooting. Right after the shooting, Dilligard said she recognized Martin's picture from seeing him around but didn't know his name.
She testified she listened to the screams on the background of the 911 call and identified them as being Zimmerman, marking her as the eighth person to identify Zimmerman.
Meanwhile the 911 calls that captured screams from a fatal fight between Zimmerman and Martin are once again at the center of testimony in Zimmerman's trial.
The defense called Sanford city manager Norton Bonaparte as a "hostile witness" on Tuesday. Judge Debra S. Nelson allowed Zimmerman attorney Mark O'Mara to ask somewhat leading questions about the 911 calls being played for Martin's family in his office.
"Was there any discussion to play tapes separately so they would not infect one another?" O'Mara asked. "No there was not," Bonaparte said.
Bonaparte said Martin's family didn't want law enforcement in the room when the audio was played, so Bonaparte said he obliged their request. He said he played the 911 calls as a courtesy to Martin's family before releasing them to the public and didn't record the family's reactions.
The defense said the next witness will appear "in a unique way." Nelson called a bench conference.
The defense's first witness on Tuesday, Dr. Vincent DiMaio, a forensic pathologist, said Zimmerman's account of how he fatally shot Trayvon Martin is consistent with forensic evidence.
Defense attorney Don West questioned Di Maio, who has completed 9,000 autopsies and investigated war crimes, about the packaging of Trayvon Martin's hooded sweatshirt.
"You have to dry out the material and package it in paper," Di Maio said. The medical examiner packaged the hooded sweatshirt in plastic bags.
Jurors appeared to be engaged in Di Maio's testimony during his gunpowder sequence testimony.
The state objected to jurors hearing Di Maio's curriculum vitae but Nelson allowed it into evidence.
Di Maio said he compared physical evidence to Zimmerman's statements to see if it was consistent. He said the autopsy, ballistics and scene photos are the most important.
Di Maio testified that the muzzle of Zimmerman's gun was 2-4 inches from Martin's body, not 0.4 inches to 4 feet as state witness and medical examiner Dr. Shiping Bao estimated. Di Maio said the barrel of the gun was against Martin's hoodie but not directly against the body, supporting the defense's theory that Martin was leaning over Zimmerman with drink can pulling hoodie from skin. He said if you lean over somebody, clothing tends to fall away from the chest.
"If you lean over somebody, you'll notice the clothing tends to fall away from the chest. If instead you're lying on your back and somebody shoots you, the clothing is going to be against your chest," Di Maio said.
Di Maio then held up the picture of Martin's bullet wound. He said the slight left to right path of the bullet was not radical but enough for the defense to say Zimmerman's right hand was on Martin's left side when the gunshot was fired.
The weight of the fruit can in the front pouch pocket of the hoodie is further consistent with the positions of bodies as Zimmerman's account of Martin being on top of Zimmerman when he was shot, Di Maio testified.
Di Maio's fourth attack on Bao was Di Maio saying a 10-15 second oxygen reserve int he brain allows the victim to move and talk after shot. Bao had said it wasn't likely but Martin could have been able to talk.
"If I right now reached across, put my hand through your chest, grabbed your heart and ripped it out, you could stand there and talk to me for 10-15 seconds," said Di Maio.
Di Maio also said Martin was dead in one to three minutes, as opposed to Bao's estimate on one to 10 minutes, which Bao based on a recent autopsy he saw but did not conduct.
West then asked Di Maio about the abrasion on Martin's finger. Di Maio said it was consistent with hitting the concrete and that bruising isn't a definitive sign of punching.
West also asked about Zimmerman's injury potential.
"If intercranial injury is severe enough, it can kill you," Di Maio said, adding that even if pounding head on concrete is not fatal, "you're going to have some stunning effect."
Di Maio's sixth attack on Bao's findings was saying that Zimmerman's cuts on his head was from separate impacts and not one, as concrete is "unyielding" surface. He said his head injury was consistent with hitting a concrete sidewalk.
The defense did not ask Di Maio about Martin's marijuana use. It's not clear when the defense will introduce the marijuana use.
During cross-examination, prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda discussed with Di Maio if he could say who started the fight or if there was a first punch. Di Maio said he's not saying Zimmerman spoke the "gospel truth."
De la Rionda, apparently aware of a jury full of animal-lovers, asked Di Maio about the animals that were shot during testing. He then asked Di Maio how much he was getting paid, which was up to $400 an hour and $2,400 up to Monday.
Di Maio said he can't identify who was screaming or if Zimmerman took the gun from holster as he claims. Di Maio also said Zimmerman's wounds aren't consistent with face-to-face shooting, even if the shirt was pulled, because the defects wouldn't line up as the do now. Di Maio did say it could be consistent with Martin pulling away from a top position just before the shot was fired.
The state suggested the head injuries on Zimmerman could have come from cutting his head on tree branches, to which Di Maio conceded one of the head injuries could have come from trees.
"You're not saying he could die from that are you?" de la Rionda asked.
"Oh no I never said that ... indicative of a hard impact," Di Maio said.
Di Maio then said someone who touched Zimmerman should have blood on their hands. Martin did not have blood on his hands.
"Police in this case should have taken Mr. Zimmerman to the hospital," Di Maio said. "You don't mess around."
The defense should pictures of blood around Martin's nipple at the scene but not in autopsy photo, speculating someone cleaned it. The state objected, which Nelson sustained.
On recross, the state showed how the blood around the nipple could have ended up inside the sweatshirt and not cleaned up.
Di Maio said he disregarded the witness statements in his analysis.
"The witnesses they're all over the place, "Di Maio said. "You can't use the witnesses to make autopsy decisions."
Before Di Maio's was brought in, Judge Debra S. Nelson inquired of Zimmerman if it was OK for his attorney, former Local 6 legal analyst Mark O'Mara, to "carve out" certain parts of DiMaio's testimony. Zimmerman said it was.
Before testimony started on Tuesday, a hearing was held to determine if Zimmerman's attorneys can show a computer-animated reenactment of the shooting of Martin. The defense called the Daniel Shoemaker, the man who specializes in crime scene reconstruction. Another witness will also be proffered.
It's become a top goal of lawyers to convince jurors of whether he or Trayvon Martin can be heard on a 911 call. Defense attorneys called five of Zimmerman's friends Monday to testify that it was his voice yelling for help on the call.
On Monday, Zimmerman's attorneys also called two police investigators who contend Martin's father, after hearing a recording of the call, initially said it wasn't his son.
Martin's father, Tracy Martin, came to the witness stand, and he denied ever saying the screams for help weren't his son.
Convincing the jury of who was screaming for help on the tape is important to both sides because it would help jurors evaluate Zimmerman's self-defense claim.
Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Martin, who was shot and killed in a gated Sanford community in February 2012.
[FREE: Zimmerman App | PICS: Murder Trial | VIDEO: Skype fail | Sybrina Fulton]
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.


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Don't forget to join us on Wednesday, October 6, 2010, at 2:00 p.m. EDT to learn more about the enhancements to Social Security's online disability application. The new application is designed to reduce the time it takes to file for disability benefits online.
Please let us know if you will be joining us. You can RSVP at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/survey/ApplyingOnlineforDisabilityBenefitsRSVP.htm. If you have already done so, thank you!
Also, please submit your questions about the online disability application in advance, and we will try to incorporate your questions into the webinar. To do so, simply go to http://www.socialsecurity.gov/survey/ApplyingOnlineforDisabilityBenefitsQuestions.htm.
We look forward to your participation.
Aviva Sufian
Associate Commissioner
for External Affairs


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Tying the Knot (DVD)
Jim De Seve
Extremely relevant, highly entertaining and utterly humanist, the critically-acclaimed film festival favorite Tying The Knot poignantly explores one of today's hottest issues, the political war between gay people who want to marry and those determined to stop them.
If you lost the one you love, how would it feel to have your love placed on trial? After a bank robber's bullets ends the life of cop Lois Marrero, her wife of thirteen years, Mickie, discovers a police department willing to accept the women's relationship but unwilling to release Lois's pension. When Oklahoma rancher Sam loses his husband of 25 years, cousins of the deceased spouse challenge his will and move to evict Sam from his home. As Mickie and Sam take up battle stations to defend their lives, Tying the Knot digs deeply into the past and present to uncover the meaning of marriage today, focusing on such key issues as rights, privilege, and love.
Passionately directed by Jim de Sève, Tying the Knot is an eye-opening examination of the institution of marriage, featuring amazing footage of gay hippies storming the Manhattan marriage bureau in 1971, plus inspired interviews with gay activists and right-wing politicos.
Product Details
- Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
- Language: English
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of Discs: 1
- Rating: Not Rated
- Label: New Video Group
- Release Date: 05/31/2005
- Run Time: 83 minutes
- Catalogue #: NVG-9719
Special Features
- Commentary by Jim de Sève with Evan Wolfson, Executive Director, Freedom to Marry
- Post Screening Q&A Session from Tribeca Film Festival 2004
- Panel Discussion: Same Sex Marriage from Newfest 2004
- Outtakes: Wedding Day, Boston, 17th May
- Update: Sam and Mickie
- Theatrical Trailer
- Filmmaker Biographies


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HOUSTON - A high school football coach who was convicted of killing his pregnant wife was denied a new trial Monday, KPRC Local 2 reported.
A jury determined that David Temple used a shotgun to murder his wife, Belinda, in the bedroom closet of their Katy home on Jan. 11, 1999. Belinda Temple, 30, was eight months pregnant with a baby girl who she planned to name Erin.
Temple was sentenced to life in prison and fined $10,000 in November.
Attorney Dick DeGuerin told the judge on Monday that Temple was convicted on emotion whipped up by prosecutor Kelly Siegler, not on the facts.
DeGuerin accused Siegler off throwing out sensational questions and opinions during the trial that the jury heard even though they were ruled improper.
Much of the evidence centered on Temple's extramarital affair with teacher Heather Scott at the time of the murder. Temple and Scott were married about two years after Belinda Temple died.
DeGuerin argued that Siegler committed misconduct during her cross-examinations and final argument, and that she delayed handing over important evidence to the defense.
Prosecutors denied DeGuerin's claims.
"I got a conviction based on the overwhelming evidence," Siegler said.
Siegler defended her line of questioning when she was called to the stand.
State District Judge Doug Shaver refused to allow DeGuerin to question her motives for pursuing it.
At the end of the day, Shaver denied the motion for a new trial.
Belinda Temple's father applauded the judge's decision.
"I'm not going to worry about this. I think the jury made their decision, know they made the right decision and we'll move on from here," Tom Lucas said.
"There is a minefield you have to navigate before an appellant court will consider the claims of prosecutorial misconduct or improper argument," KPRC Local 2 legal analyst Brian Wice said. "Certainly while Kelly Siegler walked up to the line and in many instances stepped over it, the question for the Court of Appeals is going to be were Dick DeGuerin's objections sufficient to carry the day."
David Temple's attorneys said they would appeal.
"An innocent man has been convicted and given a life sentence. I've made a pledge to David Temple that I will never give up," DeGuerin said.
Copyright 2011 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Kristin Cavallari doesn't want to be the next Lindsay Lohan or Audrina Patridge – and "The Hills" starlet is stepping up measures to ensure she's not the next celeb burglarized.
"It's a really scary thing and I just purchased my first house," Kristin told AccessHollywood Tuesday night at the "Rock the Kasbah" event in LA when asked about the recent string of alleged burglaries in celeb homes, which included her co-star Audrina. "I'm a little freaked out by the whole thing."
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Mug Shot Mania
Kristin told Access that she's prepared for any intruder who might be looking to snatch any of belongings.
"I have my alarm system, I have everything set up," she continued.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Stars Of 'The Hills'
In other "Hills" news, Kristin said she has yet to speak with co-star Stephanie Pratt following Stephanie's recent arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence – but believes the 23-year-old is keeping out of sight.
"I have not talked to Stephanie actually after her DUI," she told Access. "I think she's just kind of laying low, that's what I've heard from the crew."
Kristen told Access that filming for the current season of "The Hills" would wrap sometime after Thanksgiving, and that she expects to return for another season.
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
VIEW THE PHOTOS: 'Hills' Beauty Audrina Patridge
PLAY IT NOW: Lindsay Lohan On Her Charity Work & New Documentary
PLAY IT NOW: Kristin Cavallari: 'Lots Of Drama' Coming Up On 'The Hills'
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Kristin Cavallari - Audrina Patridge - Stephanie Pratt - Lindsay Lohan - The Hills


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Brooklyn Decker Battleship Interview on Love Scenes (Video)
Brooklyn Decker Dishes on How Her Husband Andy Roddick Copes With Her Big-Screen Love Scenes
Brooklyn Decker may seem like the girl who has it all, but apparently not everything comes easily to the supermodel-turned-actress. According to the 24-year-old beauty, Battleship director Peter Berg made her prove she had real acting chops before giving her a highly sought after role in the Summer blockbuster. We met up with Brooklyn at the movie's press junket at the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii recently to hear about the brutal audition process. Brooklyn also talked about her girl crush on Rihanna, her love scene with Taylor Kitsch, and explained to us how she handles watching her onscreen hookups when husband Andy Roddick is by her side. Check out our interview with Brooklyn and catch Battleship when it hits theaters May 18!


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There are many good reasons why we need to boost the sustainable development of EU aquaculture.
The increasing demand for seafood, fuelled by a growing world population with rising standards of living, cannot be met by capture fisheries alone, even if well managed and thriving. A strong and sustainable aquaculture sector is essential to allow us to meet growing demand and to help take pressure off wild fish stocks.
The role of aquaculture in the development of our coastal and inland areas is just as crucial: creating sustainable employment in these local communities is a priority. Last month in Limassol, EU Ministers adopted a European agenda for growth and jobs in the marine and maritime sectors. Aquaculture is one of the pillars of Blue Growth, and our job is to create the conditions to crystallise the potential for sustainable growth that we know is there.
The EU aquaculture sector can already count on ideal environmental conditions, advanced technologies and skilled workers; its products offer the highest animal health, sustainability and consumer protection standards. Despite this, EU aquaculture production has been stagnating in the last decade, while world production saw a dramatic growth. One quarter of all the fish products consumed in the EU comes from aquaculture and over a third of our total seafood imports are farmed products.
The FAO estimates that today half of the fish the world consumes comes from aquaculture, and that by 2030 this figure will be 65%, making aquaculture one of the fastest growing segments of the food industry. We need to act now to make EU aquaculture more competitive and innovative and to create new jobs in this sector. These objectives have shaped the European Commission's proposal for the Common Fisheries Policy reform.
Creating a favourable environment for aquaculture will require coordinated action at the EU, national and regional level. This is going to be at the heart of the Open Method of Coordination: an approach based on non-binding strategic guidelines and multiannual national plans. Commissioner Damanaki will present a first set of ideas later this month in La Coruna, for discussion with stakeholders. We plan to come forward with strategic guidelines early next year, which will inspire the content of the multiannual national plans to promote aquaculture.
One of our key objectives with the reform is to foster sustainable economic activity and to create favourable conditions for investment in aquaculture.
We need to create the right conditions for cutting red tape, speeding up licensing, facilitating access to financing and ensuring a level playing field in access to water and space. We need to make sure that everyone does their homework here: we need to have a good look at EU law, national law and regional law and administrative rules.
To be more competitive, aquaculture must be a professional sector, able to quickly adapt to market trends and respond to consumer expectations. This can be a challenge for a sector that is so varied and fragmented. Our idea is to support Producers Organisations and Interbranch Organisations to promote tailored production and marketing plans, better inform consumers and differentiate aquaculture products.
Another important tool that we have is communicating to consumers. The high standards offered by the EU producers are not easily visible and they do not so far bring the competitive advantage that they should. To change this, information on labels will have to become more precise, to the benefit of both consumers and producers. Traceability, labelling and certification schemes are some of the available tools that we need to support. Consumers must be in a position to vote with their wallets for farmed seafood that is fresh, healthy, safe and locally produced.
You see that we have considerable ambition. Have we thought about the means to deliver on our ambitions?
On governance, the new Advisory Council for Aquaculture is intended to bring together small and big producers, retailers, consumers, and representatives of civil society. And we will work closely with national decision makers that control many of the levers that we need to pull.
And then we have money. The proposal for a European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) builds on the experience of the current European Fisheries Fund, which already allocated more than 1.2 billion € to the promotion of aquaculture. We have been clear from the outset that we want to shift away from spending on subsidies that perpetuate unsustainable practices. The new EMFF must have sufficient resources to promote innovative forms of aquaculture, such as multi-use (an example is the co-location of aquaculture cages with wind plants offshore), off-shore and non-food aquaculture, as well as more traditional activities such as freshwater aquaculture, salmon farming in the Atlantic or seabream and seabass farming in the Mediterranean, and the very important shellfish.
We also need to do more to support aquaculture through the Union Policy for Research and Innovation. The current 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development and the Commission proposal for "Horizon 2020", the EU research programme for 2014-2020, include topics of interest for aquaculture. The contribution of EU research in key aquaculture areas has been crucial, and its role will grow in the future. Examples include projects that improved control of infectious diseases in molluscs, or developed better cages for maritime fish farming.
In essence this is about creating a more favourable environment for European aquaculture. The key players are those entrepreneurs and businesses that we need to help to grow. We should be putting them in a position to respond quickly to current and future challenges.
I am confident that working together we can reach the objective of a thriving, sustainable and competitive aquaculture in the EU.


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Scarlett Johansson rocks a fur coat while filming re-shoots for her upcoming film Under the Skin on Tuesday (October 23) in Glasgow, Scotland.
The 27-year-old actress took a tumble for one of the scenes!
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Scarlett Johansson
The film is about an alien disguised as a sexy woman (Johansson) who finds male hitchhikers to harvest their bodies. Creepy!
Under the Skin has no official release date, but be on the look out!
35+ pictures inside of Scarlett Johansson filming re-shoots for her upcoming movie Under the Skin… More Here! »


text: no prob I used to do athletics when I was young and the apricots were always a good way to avoid cramps without doping. Also, with 4 cases of cancer in the family and elderly (and not very healthy) parents, one acquires a fairly good medical knowledge and learns about alternatives to pills that have less side effects and interactions. In my experience old people often refuse to take their medication or take it only irregularly. If you treat them by dietary means instead, there's less chance for them to cheat.


text:
Prices, promotions, styles, and availability may vary. Our local stores do not honor online pricing. Prices and availability of products and services are subject to change without notice. Errors will be corrected where discovered, and Lowe's reserves the right to revoke any stated offer and to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions including after an order has been submitted.
OmniMount 13-in to 32-in Flat Panel TV Wall Mount
Item # 99452 Model # OL50C
This item is no longer available on Lowes.com.


text:
Submit News
Touchscreen Windows 8 Devices: Hot or Not?
Tiffany Kaiser
December 5, 2012 1:17 PM
Recipient E-mail
Sender E-mail
Different reports say different things about demand for Windows 8 touch devices
How are
Windows 8-based touch PCs
faring since their October launch? I guess it depends on whom you ask.
A new report from
said that PC makers are trying to meet demand for the Windows 8 laptops, tablets and hybrid convertibles, and stores are having trouble keeping them on the shelves. However, a report from
The Seattle Times
offers a very different point of view.
spoke with two different analysts on the topic, including Bob O'Donnell from IDC and Rhoda Alexander from IHS iSuppli. Both stated that vendors are having a hard time meeting customer demand for Windows 8 touchscreen PCs, and may even have shortages in the near future.
"We've talked to a number of PC makers that are having trouble obtaining touch panels and some of the vendors I've talked to said they can't keep them on the shelf," said Alexander.
O'Donnell made sure to add that non-touch
Windows 8 PCs
are not doing quite as well, though. This is only based on touchscreen devices.
The Seattle Times
had a very different report. It said that the low availability of Windows 8-powered tablet devices has led to decreased customer demand, and obviously sales.
According to
The Seattle Times
, only five Windows 8 tablets out of a dozen that were announced are available on the market. Two of them, including Microsoft's own Surface and an Acer tablet, are only available at the Microsoft Store. Currently, there are only about 60 of those.
This short reach has been affecting demand and sales of the tablets, it said.
The Seattle Times
also spoke with an analyst to get an idea of what's going on with Microsoft's latest addition, and the feedback wasn't too positive.
Wes Miller, an analyst at Directions, said that Microsoft has been hush-hush about its sales numbers, and that is never an encouraging sign.
The Seattle Times
doesn't seem to think that Windows 8 devices will combat the likes of Apple's iPad anytime soon, this isn't the end for Windows 8-based tablets. Eve Jung, an analyst at Nomura, said tablet shipments will pass up notebook shipments in the second half of 2013. By then, Microsoft will have its Windows 8 Pro-based Surface on the market and more Windows RT tablets (the ARM-based version) will have finally made their way into stores.
While the number of sales of Windows 8-based touchscreen devices is unclear, Microsoft just proudly announced that
Windows 8 upgrades hit 40 million
in the first month of release. This surpassed Windows 7, which was the previous record breaker for Windows OS upgrades.
The Seattle Times
"The whole principle [of censorship] is wrong. It's like demanding that grown men live on skim milk because the baby can't have steak." -- Robert Heinlein
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text:
© 2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Giants offer Williamson non-roster invite
Reliever was National League Rookie of Year in 1999
By Chris Haft / MLB.com
SAN FRANCISCO -- Taking a no-risk gamble Sunday, the Giants invited former National League Rookie of the Year Scott Williamson to Spring Training as a non-roster player. Williamson, who turns 32 next Sunday, has endured an injury-filled career, including back, elbow and foot ailments. Last year, a line drive hit by the Los Angeles Angels' Chone Figgins struck Williamson on the inside of his left foot, derailing his season.
Williamson was 1-0 with a 4.40 ERA in 16 appearances with Baltimore before being designated for assignment. He then performed briefly for the New York Yankees' Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre club, posting an 0-1 mark with a 9.82 ERA in four games.When healthy, Williamson misses a lot of bats -- which obviously intrigued the Giants, who need relief depth. He owns 510 strikeouts in 439 1/3 career innings with five teams, an average of 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Williamson enjoyed instant success upon reaching the Majors in 1999 with Cincinnati, finishing 12-7 with 19 saves in 62 outings to capture the NL's top rookie honors.
In another career highlight, he earned saves in all three of his appearances in the 2003 AL Championship Series with Boston.
Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Watching the inner workings of the Chapel Hill Town Government has been an education. I've learned how an unwarranted, dangerous SERT unit deployed at the scene of a mere misdemeanor can turn into a two-month long effort by the Mayor, certain members of the Town Council, the Town Manager, and the Police Chief to prevent the real facts of that weekend from surfacing.
I want to thank the Community Policing Advisory Committee for rising to the occasion in a way that our elected officials could not. And I want to reiterate my thanks and support for Councilmembers Easthom and Storrow – they stuck to their conscience and did not let political pressure corrupt their good intentions. As the four silent protesters made known during Monday night's meeting, we in the community will not forget the decisions this Council has made, and who made them.
It's important to note that it's not the legality of the Yates building's occupation that's in question, or whether one is for or against the law enforcement – it's the militarized response to this occupation, and the resulting obstruction of truth by the government, that I and many others have been protesting.
I'm well beyond disappointment at the Council's decision to refer, and inevitably reject, the request for an independent investigation by the committee which they appointed. It is the ultimate irony that this committee, to the Council's surprise, proposed the very same independent investigation that Jim Neal had brought to them in November.
Hardly anyone, aside from Ms. Easthom and Mr. Storrow, so much as acknowledged the many statements we gave Monday night that indicated pro bono and private funding are both viable options for making this investigation a financial possibility.
Carrboro Alderman Dan Coleman wrote a moving piece for the Carrboro Citizen, and concludes it with a relevant statement, that when citizens demand justice, elected officials are sworn to uphold the laws of the state that are often designed, in the interest of wealth and power, to sustain those very injustices. But as moral beings, they have an obligation to find a way to support the cause of justice despite such limitations. I wish more members on the Chapel Hill Town Council had stronger moral fiber, and had advocated for truth, justice, and transparency instead of a desperate and increasingly convoluted cover-up.
The facts will indeed surface, in a lawsuit, but this may take time. In the interim, I'm going to keep criticizing the government's complete irresponsibility and ineptitude, and make sure the silenced voices are heard.


text:
Well, we wouldn't have to worry about that if we played consistent defense like we have the last 2 games in the second halves. If we can do that consistently for 4 quarters each game then we will be sitting pretty.
Source - Click hereNO DEFENSE: If Chris Bosh bolts the Toronto Raptors as a free agent, it could be over the Raptors' abject failure to play anything resembling defense this season. "We're talking about trying to be a good defensive team, but we're not putting in consistent effort," said Bosh, whose team Friday night hosts the Heat. "I'm not questioning the scheme. We could talk about schemes all day he's supposed to be here and he's supposed to be there. It's just about getting the job done."


text:
Hamstrung Clarke has to give up on Masters this time
Rory McIlroy in upbeat form after second-place finish at the Texas Open
Justin Rose of England (L) and Jamie Donaldson of Wales walk to the sixth green during a practice round. Photograph: Mark Blinch/Reuters
While an ill-wind blew some misfortune Darren Clarke's way and left the hamstrung golfer marooned in the Bahamas nursing an injury that has ruled him out of this 77th staging of the US Masters, the omens were a good deal rosier at Augusta National for the four other Irish player .
And, as players engaged in finalising their preparations, nobody had as much pep in their step as Rory McIlroy, who teed off – alone – from the first tee shortly after midday here.
McIlroy's runner-up finish to Martin Laird in the Texas Open on Sunday had, in many ways, enabled him to emerge from a dark tunnel into glaring sunshine.
McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Pádraig Harrington – Major winners all – and British amateur champion Alan Dunbar make up the quartet of Irish players in the 93-man field, but Clarke's tough times, which have seen him free-fall to 223rd in the latest world rankings, continued with an official announcement he had been forced to withdraw from the season's first Major.
Clarke picked up the hamstring injury a fortnight ago bending for a drop shot playing tennis on a family holiday in the Abaco islands in the northern Bahamas.
A fitness test on the course in Abaco yesterday confirmed he couldn't turn through shots and could only hit the ball some 90 yards in distance.
"I picked up a tear on my hamstring. It was just one of those freak injuries, which is really disappointing.
"I've done absolutely everything to be at Augusta: physio, ultrasound and icing. But I cannot physically turn through shots and there is no point in going to the Masters if you are not 100 per cent fit. I'm absolutely gutted not to be there," said Clarke.
Clarke – whose British Open win of 2011 has given him a five-year exemption in the three Majors held in the United States – also suffered an injury ahead of last year's Masters, where he played but missed the cut.
Groin strain
On that occasion, he sustained a groin strain; and it would subsequently rule him out of the US Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
Clarke has set a target of returning to action in the Ballantines championship in Korea later this month, an event on the European Tour.
By then, of course, the first Major champion of the year will have been crowned and, for sure, McIlroy was in upbeat form as he undertook a first practice round on the course having altered his itinerary to add in the trip to San Antonio.
It proved to be a wise move.
McIlroy yesterday started off alone, accompanied by his caddie JP Fitzgerald and coach Michael Bannon, but was joined on the second hole by Lee Westwood for the start of preparations in his quest for a third Major title of his career.
In claiming to be "pleased" with his game, the real significance of McIlroy's Texas trip was he eliminated the "stupid mistakes" which had marred his play in the first three rounds in San Antonio and also at the previous week's Houston Open.
"I feel like my game's in really good shape," said McIlroy. On transforming his form, McIlroy observed: "It doesn't take long, just turn around and you're off . . . at least that's the case for me.
"I guess I was more hopeful than expecting going into the last couple of tournaments [in Houston and San Antonio] but I think I know now where my game is at and I'm happy with it.
"I'm really looking forward to [the Masters]. The plan was to get myself tournament ready, tournament sharp.
" It was a bonus that I got into contention and had a chance to win."
McIlroy preferred to get reacquainted with the course on his arrival here from San Antonio, but Harrington – in contrast – opted to spend most of his time on the range when he arrived at the course.
McDowell, too, spent most of his time yesterday on the range, whilst Dunbar – who is set to turn professional next week with the hope of taking up a number of sponsors invites on to the European Tour – played a practice round with US Open champion Webb Simpson.
Of the Irish quartet in the field, Dunbar is the only first-timer; although he could well do with infusing some of the spirit of another first-time Nicolas Colsaerts. Making his first appearance in the Masters, the Belgian, a key player for Jose Maria Olazabal in last year's Ryder Cup, said:"Certain players come here and look at this place and feel like they have the game that suits it. And I definitely think that I do . . . . I like my chances."
Yet, Colsaerts only had to look around the course, the range and the putting green to be keenly aware that the intent and focus of the every player in the field is different this week.
The Masters has a way of concentrating the mind, of creating a buzz like no other.


text:
Hi. What I'm trying to achieve here is an API hook in a single application. The application is writing several logfiles which is clogging up my harddrive, so I thought I'd reroute WriteFile to a function that does nothing.
I was thinking of injecting a DLL and then patch the API-call. However, I'm not sure which technique I should use to reroute an API. I've tried the Microsoft Detour library but I would rather do it myself, thus I can actually learn something on the way.
What is the easiest way, inside a process, to reroute one or several API's?


text:
Brad Vandenberk
One week since the Super Bowl claimed its victor, it was time for the Blackhawks to claim victory on the final night of their 6-game road trip on Sunday night in Nashville. The team has been on a two week road trip covering western Canada, the sunny south and now the home of country music.
The Predators played on Saturday night in Minnesota and went all the way to overtime and then a shootout where they came up short losing 2-1. The Hawks already had a practice in Nashville and were awaiting the Sunday night central division grudge match. It was said the talk around the locker room was that the energy was high and the excitement of returning home to Chicago and a seven-game home stand was even more enticing. The Hawks have only played at the United Center twice this season and rolled into Nashville on Sunday with a 9-0-2 record, the best in the NHL. Continue reading »


text:
|For immediate release
The Federal Reserve Board today voted to establish a Century Date Change Special Liquidity Facility, a program for lending to depository institutions from October 1, 1999, through April 7, 2000.
The facility will help ensure that depository institutions have adequate liquidity to meet any unusual demands in the period around the century date change. Among other things, it should help enable institutions to more confidently commit to supplying loans to other financial institutions and businesses through the rollover period.
The interest rate charged on loans from the special facility will be 150 basis points higher than the Federal Open Market Committee's intended federal funds rate. Although the collateral requirements will be the same as for regular discount window loans, there will be no restrictions on the use and duration of loans from the special facility while it is in operation. Moreover, borrowers will not be required to seek funds elsewhere first.
The Board proposed the special facility on May 21, 1999, and received 93 comments. All but three favored its establishment. Commenters frequently noted that, even though the financial services industry was well prepared for the Year 2000, the facility would increase certainty that funds would be available to meet liquidity needs around the end of the year.
In response to comments, the Board set an earlier start date for the special facility than it had first proposed, October 1 rather than November 1.
It also decided not to automatically tie eligibility for borrowing from the special facility to meeting minimum capital requirements. Lending Reserve Banks will evaluate the eligibility of borrowers who had been adequately capitalized and in sound financial condition, but whose capital ratios temporarily have fallen below minimum requirements as a result of developments related to the century date change.
Many commenters had suggested a lower interest rate on loans from the special facility. But the Board set the rate at 150 basis points above the federal funds rate target, as it had first proposed. That spread was judged to be high enough to ensure that depository institutions would still have incentives to seek funds in the private sector but low enough to provide a reasonable backstop should strains develop in funding and credit markets.
1999 Banking and consumer regulatory policy


text:
I want some way to convert a path into a PIDL so I can pass it when calling SHBrowseForFolder(). SHSimpleIDListFromPath() seemed to do this but I get both an implicit declaration warning and a linker error when compiling. shlobj.h in my MinGW installation (latest version) does not seem to contain any prototype for it. I guess it's not implemented but not sure why.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...54(VS.85).aspx says it's deprecated, but the alternative pointed out in the remarks section seems to be some C++ solution, but I'm writing C.