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|"Are you a wizard or not?"
The title of this article is conjectural. Although it is based on canonical information, the actual name is a conjecture and may be supplanted at any time by additional information released from canonical sources. If this occurs, please move this page to the appropriate title.
- "I can teach you how to...brew glory..."
- —Severus Snape speaking of what one might learn in his class[src]
There is a potion which, when consumed, guarantees the drinker glory of some form. Severus Snape used this potion as an example for his first year class in 1991 of what one may be able to make in his class if they would be willing to put in the effort.[1]
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First mentioned)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) (Mentioned only)
- Pottermore (First appearance)
Notes and references
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 8 (The Potions Master)


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Dusty had nothing to do with that blood-letting tonight.
Dusty had nothing to do with that blood-letting tonight.
Rounding third and heading for home...
However, pitching Ondrusek in the 6th was a death sentence. He pitched poorly but it was his inning so Dusty threw him.
Paint by Numbers
If your behind.... Ondrusek, Parra, Hoover, Simon
If your ahead Brox, Marshall, Chapman
Lecure is typically the only reliever allowed to pitch regardless of score
Brox and Marshall never before the 7th, Chapman never before the ninth
(1 for 3). I want someone in the 2 hole who can drive Choo in from first with a gap shot or a long ball. I also think Todd will benefit from the fastballs he'll see with Votto behind him.
Games like today's are the worst thing about baseball.
Knowing we get another stab at 'em tomorrow is the best.
I was leery about getting a W here knowing that it was Wainwright vs. Leake. Tomorrow it's Lynn vs. Latos. If we let that game slip away from us, I don't think there's any chance we win on Sunday. Cardinals have had momentum from the beginning of the season and the Reds have been on a skid. This is probably the worst time all season for this series to take place.
Knowing that Sunday night we could be 6 games back has me very nervous. I don't know if this team has a monstrous run in them like they did last July/August. But even if there isn't, there's no way the Cardinals can keep this up. You rarely see teams (and never see the Reds) hit like this with RISP. Especially on a stretch like this. It's almost historic production coming from that lineup.
Losing to them sucks, but they could sweep us the rest of the season and as long as they're taking major lumps elsewhere, we could beat them out for the division.
And we need a new hitting coach. Hell, we need an entire new hitting culture injected into Cincinnati. I'd kill to get Dwayne Murphy down here. Is Rudy Jaramillo working anywhere right now? I know he didn't have much success Cubs, but it's the Cubs. Everywhere else he went he developed monsters.
The Cardinals came in here more tired than the Reds ...should have been.
Giving up runs with 2 outs for just about every loss.... Disappearing on offense for almost whole games. How can you not be frustrated how they are playing and giving away a games?
What goes up must come down. I'm hoping that a week of ridiculous hitting peaked tonite for the dirty birds.
Can't win with 'em
Can't win without 'em
You can't pitch to Kozma and expect to win games. Baker needs to tell Latos to IBB Kozma everytime. The kid is a natural.
Originally Posted by dougdirtOriginally Posted by Sea RayOriginally Posted by RedTeamGo!
That Manny Parra is a pitcher. I see how he made the team now.
IMO, Dusty punted the game when he brought Ondrusek. I think everyone saw what was to come then. He's a pigeon hole manager. You can't go out of the hole in his view. No it probably didn't cost them the game. I doubt they were coming back on Wainwright but they were still in the game at that point. No chance after Ondrusek came in. He and Parra should have been on that bus with Villareal back to Louisville and never to be seen again.
The Cards look awfully good. I know some of their numbers will come back down to earth but still will be a tough team to catch. The way they work the pitchers remind of those late 90's to mid 2000's Yankee and Red Sox teams. Everyone in the lineup knows how to work a pitcher then get the hit when they need it most. They are hitting .340 in RISP. If they drop 50 points they will still be at .290. That's really good after losing 50 points. Its going to be a very tough way to overtake them. It may take massive injuries to the Cards starting 8 to overtake them.
Reds Fan Since 1971
OnBaseMachine (06-08-2013)
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.

subset: commoncrawl


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Brewers, Gomez agree on three-year extension
Contract keeps center fielder with Milwaukee through 2016
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Brewers are betting $24 million that Carlos Gomez's breakthrough 2012 season was no fluke.
The team and the toolsy center fielder agreed Wednesday to a three-year contract extension that will kick in after the coming season, when Gomez would have been a free agent. He will earn $7 million in 2014, $8 million in 2015 and $9 million in 2016.
It was a milestone day for a player who broke into the big leagues with the Mets at 21, drove Twins manager Ron Gardenhire crazy with flashes of promise and recklessness in Minnesota and, until last season, had similarly frustrated the Brewers. Then came 2012, when Gomez celebrated his age 26 season with career highs in batting average (.260), on-base percentage (.305), home runs (19) and stolen bases (37) while playing his typically flashy brand of defense.
Rather than risk losing that combination of offense and defense to free agency, the Brewers locked it up. The sides had been discussing an extension since January, before agreeing to a $4.3 million, one-year deal for 2013 to cover Gomez's final arbitration season.
"Personally, I feel really good about the steps that I've taken, and I appreciate the opportunity they give me again, and I trust in my ability," Gomez said. "I've been past a lot of stuff in my career ... and now this is going to be my fourth year here [plus] a three-year extension. I'm going to spend seven years of my career on this team, and I feel like I'm going to be a big part for the Brewers for seven years. I feel really excited to continue my progress, continue to work.
"Some people ask me if I'm happy. Yes, I'm happy, but I'm not going to be completely happy until I finish my job and I'm sure I deserve that money."
The usually ebullient Gomez, now 27, spoke in hushed tones after signing his contract in general manager Doug Melvin's office.
Downstairs in the clubhouse, he received hugs and fist bumps from teammates, some of whom also have made multi-year commitments with the team. The Brewers now have all three starting outfielders -- left fielder Ryan Braun, Gomez and right fielder Norichika Aoki -- under club control through at least 2016, when the fourth outfielder, promising 26-year-old Logan Schafer, projects to reach arbitration eligibility.
"The thing I like about this also is we have two young catchers, a young shortstop, [second baseman] Rickie [Weeks] is under 30 years of age, and now we have a young center fielder," Melvin said. "Sometimes the toughest parts to fill on a ballclub are up the middle."
All of those players -- catchers Jonathan Lucroy and Martin Maldonado, shortstop Jean Segura, Weeks and Gomez are under club control through 2015, when the Brewers hold an option on Weeks.
"It's a good building foundation for us," Melvin said.
Before last season, there was doubt that Gomez would be part of that foundation. Acquired from the Twins in a November 2009 cost-cutting move for shortstop J.J. Hardy, Gomez batted .238 with a .288 on-base percentage in his first two seasons with the Brewers and fell short of 100 games played each year.
In 2011, Gomez fell into a platoon with Nyjer Morgan. But when Morgan slumped in 2012, the Brewers handed the job back to Gomez, mostly because of his special defense. He came through offensively in the second half, batting .278 with a .321 on-base percentage -- 27 points better than his career mark -- after the All-Star break.
"He's come into his own," Melvin said. "He's always had good physical skills, and I think he's good for this ballclub with Ron [Roenicke's] aggressive managing style. Carlos has always played that game, so it's a good fit for us."
Roenicke agreed, citing Gomez's ability to put pressure on opposing teams simply by reaching base.
But Roenicke has also encouraged Gomez to be Gomez off the field. The Brewers have experienced something of a personality drain in recent seasons. With the departure of players like Trevor Hoffman, Mark Kotsay, Prince Fielder, Morgan and Randy Wolf, Roenicke began the spring seeking someone new to keep the clubhouse loose.
He found Gomez.
"He is one funny dude," Roenicke said. "We need characters. I instigate a lot of it -- put it that way."
Roenicke sees room for further improvement -- "That tool set that he has will get to be used in a more efficient way," was how he put it -- and also hoped that Gomez would benefit from avoiding the pressures that come with a contract year.
"By doing this, he'll be able to relax this year and play," Roencike said. "Some guys handle that pressure of that free-agent year well. Other guys don't."
That contract talks were ongoing helps to explain Gomez's decision to pass on playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. He said he came to that decision before the Brewers' late-January Fanfest, when Melvin and agent Scott Boras were already in discussions.
"It was really tough," he said. "I wanted to represent my country, but this is more important. I had to stay here, get it done and get to the point that I can sign today for another three years. ... People now probably understand why. I apologize, because I'm proud to be Dominican. There are going to be more Classics; I'm still 27 years old, and in 2016 I'm going to be 31 years old and I can represent my country."
Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brew Beat, and follow him on Twitter at @AdamMcCalvy. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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My ex girlfriend liked it so much she didn't give it back!
2012 GMC Canyon
Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)
Installed this along with a full system in my girlfriends truck, the sound was great!! The EQ adjustments were easy, pre amps worked good, no buzzing from the head unit. Video quality is amazing for a tiny screen in the cab of a truck. Used the microphone a lot, very good options for the price.
Pros: Number of pre amp plug ins, EQ adjustments are easy. GREAT video quality.
Cons: NONE!


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An unexpected dimension
One viewing of The Hobbit became a habit. Now, after 17 hours in Middle-earth, light a pipe and let's analyse.
Journalists are not supposed to tell their stories in chronological order. We're supposed to start with the most interesting detail, and later explain how it came about.
So, I hope you'll forgive me for telling this tale in the order in which it happened, as background to how I became Australia's greatest geek on the subject of director Peter Jackson's movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and why I can advise you on appropriate viewing behaviour.
I'm attending a 2pm session of The Hobbit in 3D, but at 2.20pm the curtains still have not opened and the audience (200 people) is getting antsy. A spotty youth enters the cinema and says: ''Ladies and gentlemen, we are having some technical difficulties. We should be able to start the movie in about 10 minutes, and when we do we will go straight to feature. We won't show any of the ads.''
Audience cheers. Ten minutes later a young woman enters the cinema and says: ''Ladies and gentlemen. We would like to apologise. We will be unable to show you The Hobbit in 3D today. We can only show you the 2D version.'' Audience groans.
Somehow the projector has shed an entire dimension. But while there is none of the third dimension, there is more than enough of the fourth.
Three hours later, as the end credits start to roll, the lights go up and the young woman returns with this announcement: "We will give everybody a refund on their ticket and a complimentary pass to any movie in this complex." Plus we can keep the glasses. Audience cheers and starts discussing whether they should see The Hobbit again or use the pass for Les Miserables. It's a PR coup for Hoyts.
The next day, I use my pass to attend the 10.30am session of The Hobbit in 3D. There are only 22 people in the cinema. Curtains open promptly, and over the next 28 minutes we are shown five trailers, two of which are for the same movie (Zero Dark Thirty), and 22 ads, which are very loud, presumably to enable a rush of relief when the movie proves to be slightly softer.
Driving back from the multiplex, I drop in on my local video store and tell the man on the desk: ''I've just been to see The Hobbit …'' He interrupts: ''… And you want to compare it with The Lord of the Rings?'' Yes. ''The extended director's cut?'' I guess so. ''In Blu-ray?'' Yes. ''That's the only way to see it! Have a good time.''
The Fellowship of the Ring box set contains five discs, but to my relief only two of them involve the actual movie, now stretched to four hours. I spent the past week watching it, and also the extended director's cuts of The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Based on 17 hours of research, here are my answers to your questions …
Is 3D better than 2D? Every good story deserves embellishment, Frodo says, and Peter Jackson obviously agrees. But for me, this particular form of 3D diminishes rather than embellishes the story. Some scenes look like episodes of South Park, with flat cardboard figures moving about two metres in front of a flat cardboard landscape. And it's too dark. In 2D the hobbit hole has a warm glow, while in 3D it has a stark sharpness. The extra dimension was essential to Avatar, and helpful in Hugo, but with The Hobbit it's an annoyance.
Is The Hobbit more entertaining than The Fellowship of the Ring? Fellowship had emotional complexity, from the joy of the opening party to the despair of Gandalf's fall into shadow, from the romance of Aragorn and Arwen to the agony of Frodo's stabbing.
The Hobbit has only humour and suspense, plus a brief moment of male bonding. To add emotional depth, Jackson should have seriously wounded a couple of the dwarves. It's absurd that every character goes through battles and avalanches without even a scratch. Perhaps Jackson was seeking to appeal to a younger audience, but he leaves adult viewers unsatisfied. (If you're looking for emotional manipulation, try Les Miserables.)
So, should I just wait for the DVD? No, see The Hobbit in a crowded cinema. It's delightful to hear the buzz as the kids realise Gollum is about to appear, and to join the laughter at actor Martin Freeman's double takes.
What's the pop-culture reference this time? In Fellowship, Gimli shouts ''Nobody tosses a dwarf!'' In Two Towers, Legolas uses his shield as a skateboard. They fit the context, but deliver a bonus chuckle. In The Hobbit, we get the MasterChef trolls, debating whether the flavour of spit-roasted dwarf would be improved with a touch of sage. You don't need to look too closely to identify Matt, George and Gary.
How many times do we hear the line ''I think we're safe now'', only to have something worse happen? I lost count. But it has become Peter Jackson's signature trope, just as George Lucas is identified with ''I've got a bad feeling about this''.
Will The Hobbit be as popular as the original trilogy? As you can see from the list in the box above, the three Rings films are among the 10 biggest moneymakers of all time in Australia (they're also among Australia's 20 top-selling DVDs of all time). Fellowship sold 5 million tickets in 2001, when the average admission price was $9. The Hobbit will need to make $80 million to match it.
First foolish prediction for 2013 That's not going to happen. Not even close.
For more detail on what's worth seeing these holidays, see smh.com.au/opinion/blog/the-tribal-mind.
The flicks
The best Australian box office
1. Avatar (2010) $115.6 million
2. Titanic (1997) $57.6m
3. The Avengers (2012) $53.3m
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011) $52.6m
5. Shrek 2 (2004) $50.4m
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) $49.4m
7. Crocodile Dundee (1986) $47.7m
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $47.4m
9. The Dark Knight (2008) $46.1m
10. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) $45.6m
(Source: MPDAA)
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Volvo awarded Vincentric 2012 Best Fleet Value in Canada
TORONTO, ON (July 11, 2012) - The first annual Vincentric Best Fleet Value in CanadaTM awards were announced today, with Volvo receiving three nods in the premium wagon and crossover segments. To determine the 2012 Vincentric Best Fleet Value in Canada awards, Vincentric analyzed over 1,700 vehicle configurations in 24 different lifecycle cost scenarios, using eight cost factors including depreciation, fees and taxes, financing, fuel, insurance, maintenance, opportunity cost, and repairs. The lifecycle costs were measured in all ten provinces, with the resulting 3,000,000+ lifecycle cost measurements then reviewed to determine the winning vehicles.
"We are very pleased to receive these three awards from Vincentric," says Brad Painter, national marketing manager for Volvo Cars of Canada, "These accolades reinforce the fact that in addition to offering luxury and versatility, Volvo's XC range offers tremendous value."
Awarded for offering a cost efficient fleet line-up, each model in Volvo's XC range was honoured:
- Volvo XC60 3.2 FWD: Crossover, Compact, Premium
- Volvo XC70 3.2 AWD: Wagon, Premium
- Volvo XC90 3.2 AWD: Crossover, Mid-Size, Premium
"With the continued globalization of the automotive industry, we felt it was essential to analyze total cost of ownership of fleet vehicles in Canada", stated David Wurster, President of Vincentric. "We are excited to help Canadian fleet organizations better understand and evaluate Canada specific lifecycle costs to help make informed vehicle selections," he added.
Further information regarding all of the winners of the Vincentric Best Fleet Value in Canada awards for the 2012 model year and the Vincentric methodology is available at http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Vincentric/8b27370815/194f8b1771/e0037dbc1b.
Volvo Cars of Canada Corp. is part of the Volvo Car Corporation of Gothenburg, Sweden. The company provides marketing, sales, parts, service, technology and training support to the 41 Volvo automobile retailers across the country. Volvo lead the list of luxury car brands in the 2012 Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), with winners including the Volvo C30, S60, S80, XC60 and XC90.


text: My simple theory is that the Peter Cushing films are part of the Trek universe - but does that work? I mean, I'm not overly knowledgable on Trek yet. The second one was set in 2150, when the Daleks invaded Earth. I just think these beasts suit Trek, especially TOS:


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Time to move over Mr. Alcott
The book was a best-seller in its time and still widely read today. The Burr and Burton Performing Arts Department performed the stage version of the story a little over a year ago. The book is credited with influencing and inspiring generations of young American women ever since its release 145 years ago.
The book also earned Alcott enough money to support her family - a good thing since her father, Bronson Alcott, struggled financially for virtually his entire adult life. An educator of progressive ideas, many of which later came to be embraced by the mainstream establishment, he was an itinerant school teacher, who founded and closed schools with a consistent regularity, right up to the final decade of a very long life. But during his lifetime many of his ideas were held to be controversial, and prompted many moves from place to place. His financial insecurity induced occasional stresses within his marriage to Louisa's mother, Abigail May Alcott.
He was however, credited with helping shape the intellectual development and writing of his second daughter, Louisa May, who went on to write "Little Women" and a couple of other titles. However, a new biography written by a great-grand niece of Louisa May Alcott challenges that assumption, and instead shifts much of the credit for Louisa's intellectual flowering and writing to her mother, Abigail.
"Marmee and Louisa - the Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and her Mother," draws in part upon previously unknown family documents to buttress the case for Abigail's central role. The author, Eve LaPlante, a descendant of Abigail's and Louisa, will be discussing her new book on Friday, Jan. 11, at the Northshire Bookstore. Her talk starts at 7 p.m.
Some of the documents were ones discovered in an attic at her mother's home, but other sources include previously unexplored materials in Alcott's archives stored at Harvard University. Because of all the attention paid to Bronson and Louisa, the archives hadn't been sufficiently analyzed by historians, LaPlante said.
The new materials, plus the reappraisal of Abigail's role, are two of the key insights contained in the book, which also serves as a general biography of both women, LaPlante said in a telephone interview earlier this week.
"That was one thing - there were all these undiscovered documents," she said. "The other was that I realized Abigail was so central to Louisa and therefore an important figure."
From her mother, Louisa drew much of inspiration for her interest in the social issues of the mid-19th century, such as abolition of slavery, women's rights and suffrage. They were issues of concern to her mother long before they were those of her father's, she said.
At the same time, there was a slight irony playing out in their relationship. Louisa essentially became the breadwinner of the family, in part through the commercial success of "Little Women."
Both parents to a degree became dependent on her, even as she was being encouraged by her mother to go out and fight for women's rights and independence, she said.
"She was sort of stuck in this role, but at the same time she was writing about all these issues which are pertinent today," LaPlante said. "The kinds of problems Abigail and Louisa faced, in struggling to have both a private and a public life, are issues that, in more subtle ways, for women now."
Essentially, her book - which follows previous biographies on her fascinating family of ancestors, which also include Anne Hutchinson, titled "American Jezebel."
Hutchinson was an early dissenter in the Puritan colony based around Plymouth who was eventually banished from the colony. Another one of her books is about Samuel Sewall, titled "Salem Witch Judge," who took part in the infamous Salem witch trials of the 1690s, and eventually came to regret his role in them.
This will not be LaPlante's first visit to the Northshire Bookstore, having made an appearance here in 2004 to discuss "American Jezebel," she said. LaPlante will be giving her talk at the bookstore Friday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. For more information, call the bookstore at 802-362-2200.
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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Rebbig wrote:I wanted to know if there are any recommendations regarding temperature monitoring programs (which components should I be particularly concerned about? CPU? GPU?)?
I like HW Monitor. I monitors temps of your CPU core, GPU, mobo temps, voltages, fan speeds etc all in one window.
Rebbig wrote:Also, do you have any recommendations/tips on how to prolong SSD life and how to optimize the SSD?
Make sure AHCI is enabled in the mobo bios first, then install W7 on the SSD, after installation, right-click My Computer => Properties => Windows Experience Index, and run it. That will allow Windows to detect the SSD which will turn on TRIM, turn off defrag, and some other fun stuff. Some other little tweaks can be found here. Of those, the only one I bother with is disabling hibernation. SSDs cold boot so fast that hibernation is really not worth it anyway, especially for a desktop. Just let your computer sleep or turn it off.


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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.
LEADERS: Azerane Bam BinkyBunny JerseyGirl LBJ10 LittlePuffyTail LongEaredLions RabbitPam
WEll I tried and tried but I can't get it so http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/...lkuploader
this was the forums shortcut thingy
this is the website and blogs shortcut
here is the actual picture I shrunk it good luck and thank you
I'm sorry bunnytowne - I'm confused . So you want the photo to be in your avatar or in your signature?
the first post is for my avatar I just cannot get it to take and stay I used to could but not now for some weird reason. my computer being a dork probably lol
these 2 for my siggy


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Investors have been flocking to safe investments lately, but they haven't been so bullish on insurance companies.
The "Obamacare" ruling, for one, sparked a lot of talk about the future of such companies … well, not just talk. Major insurance stocks plummeted after the ruling on the idea that the restructuring of their fundamental business model and lower margins from more regulation would hurt them down the road.
If you really want to point at the ruling and throw your hands in the air and scream, go right ahead. But even in terms of the legislation, remember that lower margins also will be coming with a hefty influx of customers.
And, really, that's all just fine print when it comes to insurance companies. These companies are just as steady as the telecom and tobacco stocks that investors are smitten with in tough times.
Nevertheless, big names in the insurance industry dropped even further Wednesday: WellPoint (NYSE:WLP) lost almost 13% while UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) was in the red 5%. The diversified iShares Dow Jones US Health Care ETF (NYSE:IHF) — which has a position in WellPoint and UnitedHealth, as well as Aetna (NYSE:AET) and Humana (NYSE:HUM) — is off 6% in the past five days. And most of the sector was suffering further losses Thursday.
What does that mean? It's pretty simple: between Obamacare and the most recent sell-off, now could be a good time to jump on board.
See, when it comes to insurance companies, you're not going to see any gigantic quarterly growth. But you also aren't going to see them disappear.
Let's take a closer look at UNH for some proof.
UnitedHealth Group is the largest single health carrier in the U.S. and insures 75 million people worldwide. Like I mentioned, this is a company that is down nearly 6% in the past two days and has shed 12% in a month.
But it's also a company that saw its revenue break into the 12-figure range in 2011 when it brought in more than $100 billion. And it's a company that's seen year-over-year growth in both earnings and revenue since the beginning of 2008 — 18 consecutive quarters.
Heck, it's probably longer than that, but that's just when I decided to stop counting.
UnitedHealth's revenue growth has remained steady in the most recent years too, hovering around 8%. And its EPS has more than doubled in the past four years, growing by double-digit percentages (sometimes as much as 35%) in every one of them.
UNH also offers a modest 1.6% dividend — a payout it has maintained for two decades. Sure, it wouldn't make the cut as an "ultimate" dividend stock, but that return is better than you'd get on 10-year Treasuries right now.
Another good example is AFLAC (NYSE:AFL), which provides supplemental insurance — cancer plans, care plans, life insurance plans and so much more. For each of the past several years, Aflac's revenue has increased by around $2 billion. And its earnings? $2.62 per share in 2008, up to $4.95 in 2010, and expected to be $6.64 in 2012.
Plus, it's one of our Dependable Dividend stocks, with a 3.1% yield and a nearly 30-year history of uninterrupted payouts.
Like I said, slow and steady. Yet AFLAC has been hit hard in the past year, with shares down 10%.
WellPoint admittedly is the dog of the sector right now, as yesterday's dismal earnings report was a big reason for its move down. And, indeed, it is worth noting the company's short-term risk as it missed Wall Street's earnings expectations and lowered its full-year forecast because of rising medical costs and competition.
But WellPoint also is trading at just 7 times earnings right now. Meanwhile, Humana and UNH have higher P/E's of 9 and 11, while Health Net (NYSE:HNT) — a smaller operator — is trading at upwards of 13 times earnings. That makes WLP look pretty cheap right now, especially when you consider that its struggles are short-term, but it's a long-term pick.
I think (or I'm hoping) you get the point. Insurance companies are solid, secular picks that could be a great opportunity given their recent sell-offs.
So don't let Obamacare scare you away. Amidst all the hullabaloo about health care, one things is pretty darn certain: People need insurance, and companies that provide it will continue to cash in.
As of writing this, Alyssa Oursler did not own a position in any of the aforementioned securities.


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Photographer's Note
Clifton Hill is one of the major tourist promenades in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The street, close in proximity to Niagara Falls and the Niagara River, leads from River Road on the Niagara Parkway to intersect with Victoria Avenue. The street contains a number of gift shops, wax museums, haunted houses, video arcades, restaurants, hotels and themed attractions. For visitors, particularly families and teenagers, it is a major amusement area and centre for night life.
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Photo Information
- Copyright: William Almonte Jimenez (VerticalRiver) (548)
- Genre: People
- Medium: Color
- Date Taken: 2010-08-07
- Categories: Daily Life
- Camera: Canon EOS Rebel XSi, Canon EFS 18-55 mm f/4.5-29 IS
- Photo Version: Original Version
- Date Submitted: 2013-04-15 10:49
Viewed: 3063
Points: 0


text:
Question of the Week: Can Flying Clubs Help?
There are more than 5,000 airports in the U.S., but only 650 flying clubs, and AOPA hopes to change that.
Can flying clubs help turn GA around?
(click to answer)
Last Week's Question: Results
Want to see the current breakdown of responses? Take a moment to answer the question yourself, and then you can view real-time results.
Have an idea for a new "Question of the Week"?
NOTE: This address is only for suggested "QOTW" questions, and not for "QOTW" answers or comments. (Use this form to send "QOTW" comments to our AVmail Editor.)


text:
Go faster
(or you will suffer most painfully)
*Cracks Whip*
Hardware hackers the iPhone Dev Team claim to have discovered a way to both unlock and jailbreak the new iPhone 3G S. The group said that the so-called '24Kpwn' exploit – originally identified on the iPhone 2G – "is still applicable to the boot Rom of the iPhone 3G S". The team thinks the exploit is the result of Apple …
(or you will suffer most painfully)
*Cracks Whip*
"The iPhone Dev Team hasn't said how long it'll take to update ultrasn0w, it's tool for unlocking the iPhone 3G, so sit tight"
Erm, "it's?"
learn the difference between "its" and "it's", please. "It's" is not a possessive, it's an abbreviation of "it is" or "it has".
that some folk will find this news exciting.
I like my iPhone but the thought of paying £440 or more for a PAYG and then also paying for a contract with another network on top of that (or a hefty PAYG), having to hack it and then re-hack it every few months would be more than enough to dampen my enthusiasm.
Are the other networks really THAT much better than O2 that its worth going through that??
My only real complaint about O2 is their 3g coverage is pretty awful but having had bad experiences in terms of coverage and/or customer services with several of the other networks in the past I don't believe for a minute that they are that much better.
"originally identified on the iPhone 2G "
the 24kpwn was originally identified in the Touch 2g
"The iPhone Dev Team hasn't said how long it'll take to update ultrasn0w"
They dont need to it works the same , they have to update redsn0w, the jailbreak app.
come on.. its not that hard to get right...... i know its friday and all, but the pub can wait 5 more minutes
I think I'll still just wait for the HTC Hero thanks.
What's the point in jailbreaking?
Nice. I'm finally relenting after being rather reticent to buy an iPhone. I've realised that encumbent mobile manufacturers are struggling with outdated ideas and over-complex legacy platforms to the extent that their offerings aren't going to get any better (you don't want to know about the internals of Series60, it's a bloody mess in there). And finally, the iPhone has cut and paste.
I'm not interested in O2s pathetic coverage and mixed-supplier infrastructure though, I'll be staying vodafone (and getting creamed for it, I know), so it's time to splash out on a PAYG 3Gs I suspect.
I'll watch this space with interest.
(Terminator head, as it's time to say "hasta la vista, baby" to Sony Ericsson after many years of using their stuff)
"What's the point in jailbreaking?"
Apps that you want to use rather than apps Apple allows you to use?
"I'm not interested in O2s pathetic coverage and mixed-supplier infrastructure though, I'll be staying vodafone (and getting creamed for it, I know), so it's time to splash out on a PAYG 3Gs I suspect."
You only get creamed if you lie down and let yourself get creamed - make sure as soon as they make a mistake you're on the phone to them and being reasonable and trying to get them to sort it out... Then mysteriously when it's contract renewal time they'll be trying to retain you like nobody's business. I'm here on an 18 month contract with a SE Xperia X1 (got it around about a month after it came out) at £25 / month with a £5 / month discount on top of that due to previous billing and tariff cock ups!
And before anyone has a go at the phone, it was my choice and I'm still happy with it, even compared to anything else out at the moment.
...or perhaps she's actually very tiny?


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Ride for MAC is this weekend, Aug 25. I see some familiar names have signed up. What distances are you planning to do? I am considering the 62 but work may be an issue. If anyone is doing the 100 and wants company I may be interested.
I need to check the maps but the Ceaser Head climb is usually up and then down the same way. If you get tired of climbing you can turn back at any time and still be on the course. Just take your time getting there and climb slowly. Its a marathon not a sprint. 40 miles is a little short for your HIM plan.
I am planning to ride the 40 miles with Kathy Rhiem, Rebecca Anderson and Tallie Blackwell. Peter, is Teresa up to joining us??
Theresa is not at all excited about a 7:30 start but she said she will do the 20 mile ride. I will sign her up for the 40 and tell her it was an accident. She rode 30 with me last week and did fine
Ha! Great! I will look forward to catching up with her. At our pace it will only seem like 20 for her.
Haley, I'm not sure if you know Rebecca Anderson from the Y....but, she is going to try to do the 60 as well and she would be a great person for you to ride with.
I'm in for the 60 plus a short run afterwards. I didn't sign up online so our names aren't on the list. Unless I have an emergency surgery come up.


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COLUMBUS -- The suspensions of Jake Stoneburner and Jack Mewhort have not cost them their spots on Ohio State's depth chart.
Stoneburner (tight end) and Mewhort (left tackle) were listed as projected starters when Ohio State released and updated its depth chart on Wednesday.
The pair of projected starters were suspended from the team on June 2 and stripped of their scholarships for the summer quarter when they were charged with obstructing official business. They eventually pled guilty to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct.
Coach Urban Meyer said Stoneburner and Mewhort would remain suspended from team activities "until certain stipulations are met."
While in Geneva last week for a free football camp at SPIRE Institute, Meyer said he talks with Stoneburner and Mewhort "every week," but didn't divulge any details about their status with the team.
Their appearance on the depth chart suggests the matter is not considered a major long-term issue.
In other depth chart areas:
o Senior Jordan Hall remains listed as the top running back, despite the speculation he will miss up to 10 weeks and possibly the first three games of the season because of a sliced tendon in his toe.
Hall lacerated his foot on a piece of glass, with a subsequent test revealing a torn tendon.
o Freshman Connor Crowell is listed as the second-string Mike (middle) linebacker behind projected starter Curtis Grant, a sophomore.
The slot opened via the recent dismissal of senior Storm Klein, stemming from domestic violence and assault charges.
Crowell is also listed as the co-backup at Will (outside) linebacker, with freshman Luke Roberts backing up starter Ryan Shazier.
Buckeyes on watch lists
o Stoneburner is one of a handful of Ohio State players who were named to preseason watch lists.
On Wednesday, Stoneburner was named to the John Mackey Award watch list. The award goes to the nation's outstanding tight end.
Stoneburner tied for the team lead with 14 receptions last season, seven going for touchdowns. He enters his senior season with 37 receptions for 445 yards and nine touchdowns.
o Senior John Simon and junior Johnathan Hankins were named to the watch list for the 18th annual Bednarik Award, which awards the nation's top defensive player.
Simon has 11 1/2 career sacks and 28 1/2 career tackles for loss.
Hankins had 67 tackles as a sophomore, including 11 tackles for loss.
o Sophomore quarterback Braxton Miller is on the 2012 watch list for the Maxwell Award, which goes to the nation's top player.
Miller threw for 1,159 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman and rushed for 715 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.


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Arenado ready to finish what he started this spring
In second full camp with Rox, third-base candidate prepared to take next step
By Thomas Harding / MLB.com
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Rockies third-base prospect Nolan Arenado is looking forward to the Ides of March and beyond.
Arenado, a much-watched prospect who spent last season at Double-A Tulsa, started Spring Training blazing, with four home runs and a .412 batting average through his first seven Cactus League games. The start had folks dreaming, and even screaming, for the 21-year-old to be in purple pinstripes when the season begins on April 1 at Milwaukee.
In the last three games, however, Arenado is 1-for-9, which has dropped his average to a still-impressive .308. That's certainly good enough for fans to dream. More importantly, Arenado feels he is in the position to hope and work toward trying to earn a roster spot.
When the Rockies return to Cactus League action against the Reds on Friday night in Goodyear, it'll begin the final two-week push that often proves which players are just the bright stories in the early days of a long spring and which are true candidates to break camp with the big club. To make the team, Arenado must prove he can give competitive and successful at-bats against Major League pitchers who are no longer merely building their arms, but sharpening their pitches for the regular season.
Arenado said he is sharpening, too.
"Even my timing is not fully down," Arenado said. "So it's nice to feel this way, even though it's not the season yet. When the season comes, I'll be feeling better. There's no question that I'm more than ready.
"From where I'm at right now, it's a good sign. I've never felt this way early in Spring Training. It's nice. I'm more than ready and more than capable to be ready for what's been thrown at me."
Arenado, who turns 22 on April 16, must beat out Chris Nelson, who won a competition for the starting third-base job last year and managed a .301 batting average, despite having his year interrupted twice by trips to the disabled list. Nelson, who hits with a leg kick that often requires several at-bats to get going in the spring, is hitting .217 with no homers and three RBIs -- but he's 3-for-8 in his last three games.
Arenado's mission will be to concentrate day-to-day without worrying about chasing anyone or living up to the early-camp publicity.
Last spring, Arenado had his moments early but finished with a .192 average in big league camp. At Tulsa, he finished with a .285 average, 12 homers and 56 RBIs, with far more consistency at the end of the season than at any other point. But at one point, chief baseball officer Dan O'Dowd said Arenado had not achieved the maturity necessary to garner a big league callup, even though Colorado was on its way to the worst record in franchise history at 64-98.
Even if he deserves to make it, the Rockies will have to decide whether to put Arenado in the Majors in the beginning, or delay the callup to avoid starting his clock toward arbitration and free agency. With so much out of his control, Arenado's maturity is already being tested while he tries to impress manager Walt Weiss and the big league coaches and club officials.
"I try not to think about it," Arenado said. "I try not to put pressure on me where, 'I've got to get hits. I've got to do this.' I've already shown I can do it. I've just got to hit the ball hard and play hard and show what I can do.
"The whole question for them was had I matured. I've matured. I'm ready. This is an opportunity. Being with these older guys, they push me to another level. I want to perform, and they help me out. The intensity level is better up here. I like being surrounded with players of this caliber."
Weiss is keeping a level-headed approach to Arenado's situation.
"Spring is tricky," Weiss said. "You don't want to make judgments, particularly early in the spring. But the last two weeks of the spring, we've got to start to zero in on some things and start to make some decisions. We'll take everything into account, but we'll look at those last couple weeks closely."
All Arenado can do is perform, and keep his mind uncluttered.
"I try to hang out with some of the guys on the team, but definitely my family helps me," said Arenado, a second-round pick by Colorado in 2009 out of El Toro (Calif.) High School. "They always keep me in check. My brothers -- I have an older brother and a younger brother -- plus a cousin. My mom and dad remind me that there are more bad feelings than good in baseball. They want me to have success, but they don't want me to get ahead of myself."
Even with the warnings and the pressures, Arenado is fearlessly embracing the Ides of March.
Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Hardball in the Rockies, and follow him on Twitter @harding_at_mlb. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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On Friday, strong earnings from Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) and JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) led a rush to buy financial stocks. And that triggered buying for the broad market that wiped out the losses resulting from four days down. A stronger-than-expected PPI helped the bulls, while a Michigan Sentiment survey that fell short of expectations was ignored.
At Friday's close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 204 points at 12,777, the S&P 500 rose 22 points at 1,357, and the Nasdaq jumped 42 points to 2,908. The NYSE traded 682 million shares and the Nasdaq crossed 360 million. Advancers outpaced decliners by almost 5-to-1 on the Big Board and 2.75-to-1 on the Nasdaq.
Friday's rally not only overcame a poor start to the Q2 earnings season, but stabilized a technical situation that was rapidly falling into the clutches of the bears. The rally by the broad-based S&P 500 removed the immediate threat of a break of the 50-day moving average and triggered a short-term buy signal from the stochastic. It also reinforced the overall pattern called a symmetrical triangle, while prices edge closer to the apex of that triangle.
The Nasdaq's chart has an interesting characteristic, and that is the "inflection point" at 2,900. An inflection point is a point on a chart that marks the beginning of a significant move or point of action. Note that prices have traded around 2,900, the approximate top of a small gap in early February, a bottom in early March, and again in May, and the midpoint of price movement since late June.
Friday's bounce from the support line of the symmetrical triangle, which drove the index to close over its 50-day moving average at 2,895, and the inflection point at 2,900, mark an unusual bullish event.
Conclusion: While one day does not create a trend, one day can provide important clues as to the market's next move. Despite other signals or indicators, we always give precedence to price movement that penetrates trendlines, moving averages and inflection points — the latter of which become apparent after many months of back-and-forth trading.
Last week's AAII numbers also support a more bullish tone. The July 12 sentiment survey, a contra-indicator, fell to 30.23% from 32.64% with the comment that, "This is the longest streak of consecutive below-average bullish readings since a 29-week period that ran from April 2, 1993, until October 15, 1993."
Nothing is yet conclusive, but Friday's tape action favored the bulls. Now we will see if they can follow up with a continuation rally that breaks from the apex of a triangle that has taken four months to form.
Today's Trading Landscape
To see a list of the companies reporting earnings today, click here.
For a list of this week's economic reports due out, click here.


text: Reverse roll is when the fabric feeds of the front of the roll rather than the back. There is no charge for this option. If the front of your shade is a different color than the back this will ensure that the color on your roll is the same color that is inside-facing.


text:
THOMSON — The former Harlem High School Junior ROTC instructor accused of having sex with a student was sentenced to four years' probation and fined $2,000 after pleading guilty Thursday in McDuffie County Superior Court.
Judge Hal Hinesley accepted the plea from Mitchell Sivas, 59, of Thomson, which includes granting first offender status.
Several family and friends who spoke on his behalf asked the judge for leeway
on some of the provisions of sex offender status.
Hinesley allowed Sivas to visit with his children and grandchildren and perform community activities without restriction.
Hinesley ordered Sivas to check in monthly with a probation officer, not live within a certain distance of churches or schools, not have pornographic materials, not use any controlled substance, submit to random drug testing during probation, continue treatment with a psychologist, surrender all teaching credentials for life and never have contact with the student or her family.
After the four years of probation, Sivas will no longer have to register as a sex offender, but he will not be allowed to teach.
"This was a very difficult case," Hinesley said. "I understand the contact between Mr. Sivas and the female student was consensual, but
the age difference is a serious concern."
Sivas was 57 and the student 17 at the time of the incidents.
"While the state may allow a 17-year-old to consent, at that age she is still a child," Hinesley said.
The charge against Sivas – sexual assault with a person in custody – refers to a teacher who has sex with a student who attends the same school. The law does not allow the student's consent to be used as a defense.
The student has since graduated from Harlem High and is attending college.


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Related quotes
"There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way"
"Do you feel a tinge of heat in your life? Be still and God will release you like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego."
"Most High, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me true faith, certain hope, and perfect charity, sense and knowledge, Lord, that I might carry out Your holy and true command."
"When you face difficulties in your life, don't accept it as a providence. Look for causes and effects. Of course something has been wrong!"
"Do not look for endorsement from others if God has already shown you his will for your life! Trust and believe in God and he will confirm his promise to you. Arthlene Legair."


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Healthier Recipes For Cancer PreventionTasty food is one of the great pleasures of life and it isn't necessarily incompatible with good health. With a little imagination and creativity we can modify our favorite dishes while still retaining the flavor and texture. Here are some ideas for healthful alternatives:
In place of oil or butter in frying or broiling, use cooking spray. As thickening agents use mashed potato flakes, pureed carrots or fat free milk-based soups. Use two egg whites or 1/4 cup of egg substitute in place of a whole egg. Use skim milk in place of whole milk (evaporated milk is good in recipes). Use fat free or low fat versions of cottage cheese, yogurt and sour cream. Use extra lean cuts of beef, chicken and turkey for ground meat. Use reduced calorie mayonnaise. Make a good quality salad dressing with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and then add one part water to two parts salad dressing. TO REDUCE FAT: Place chopped onions in the microwave in a small amount of chicken stock instead of sautéing in butter or oil. Substitute apple, apricot or prune puree in place of some butter in sweet recipes. TO REDUCE SUGAR: Substitute 1 cup of sugar with 3/4 cup of honey and a pinch of baking soda. Reduce the liquid by 1/4 cup. Substitute 1 cup of sugar with 1 1/4 cups of molasses and 2 teaspoons of baking soda. Reduce the liquid of the recipe by 5 Tablespoons. Never substitute more than half of the solid sugar in a recipe with a liquid sugar substitute such as maple syrup or honey. This recipe is full of anti-carcinogens, antioxidants and anti-inflammatories; the three "A's" that are good for us! Apricots and almonds are both high in antioxidants which reduce inflammation.
APRICOT ALMOND SQUARES 1 cup dried apricot halves 2 cups water 2 Tablespoons butter 1/4 cup oatmeal 2 Tablespoons water 1 cup flour 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup almonds, dry-roasted, ground 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup egg substitute, liquid 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar Preheat the oven to 350° F. Place apricots in a pan of cold water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Slice thinly and set aside. Blend the butter and oatmeal with 2 Tablespoons of water. Add 1/2 cup of the flour and the ground almonds. Spread in an 8-inch square baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes. While the pastry is baking, sift the remaining 1/2 cup of flour with the baking powder and salt. Lightly beat the egg substitute with the brown sugar, and blend in the flour mixture. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, and stir in the apricots. Spread over the pastry. Bake for 30 minutes until brown. Cool. Sift powdered sugar over the squares before serving. Total Servings: 36 Total Calories: 67 Protein: 1g Carbohydrate: 13 g Fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Dietary Fiber: 1 g Calories from Fat: 15%


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Indipendenza Casa Vacanza Palermo
Size65 m²
Floor No.
- Family/child friendly
- Kitchen
- Air conditioning
- Washer/dryer
- Smoking allowed
- Balcony/terrace
- Towels
Accommodation summary
|via cappuccini, 90139 palermo, Italy
|Property type
|Property ID
The owner, an artist and passionate about interior design, has unleashed his creativity and his taste for design and construction of this apartment in the center of Palermo. The apartment has a modern touch in every single detail possible. Studio style with one bedroom with royal bed, 1 sofabed, 1 bathroom and 1 kitchenette.
Veranda/ terrace.
Located in the center of Palermo.
The apartment is only 50 meters from Porta Nuova right on Independence Square where the famous Royal Palace with its Palatine Chapel, one of the many symbols of the city of Palermo and the destination of many tourists.
The apartment is equipped with every comfort (heating, air conditioning, 42 inch LED TV, satellite TV, DVD player Blu-Ray, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, automatic blinds, wash/ drying machine, coffee/cappuccino machine with coffee included).
Wi-Fi internet, We will also provide everything you need for your breakfast, such as jam, chocolate cream, biscuits, cereals, tea, orange juice and pineapple, coffee and milk. Towels.
House rulesSmoking allowed.
Pets are not allowed.
Family friendly.
If you want to use the conditioner (the house is still very fresh), there is a small fee. There is a small counter that detects KWatt absorbed from the air conditioner, the cost of 1 kilowatts / h is 0.40 cents.
Check in: Flexible.
Check out: Flexible.
Cancellation Policy: Restrict.
|Monthly rate for up to 2 guests
|Price for > 2 guests
|$ 192 HKD per guest/night extra
|Maximum nights
|1 month
|Check-in after
|On arrangement
|Check-in before
|On arrangement
|Check-out before
|On arrangement
|Cancellation Policy
Reviews of this property
Very nice apartment in the heart of Palermo. Valentina is a very friendly and helpful host. A pleasure to stay there.
Mooi en schoon appartement op goede locatie in Palermo.
Erg naar onze zin gehad in Palermo, mooie en levendige stad.
Valentina bedankt voor alles.
Henk en Kitty
Great hosts, great apartment, and we loved Palermo! The patio, which catches the morning sun, was a real godsend in what is a busy and dusty city, and we found the location good for exploring the historic city and markets on foot, and then hoping on and off the (very cheap) buses to explore more distant corners. Would recommend!
Just as advertised, designer apartment in the center of Palermo. Parking is available in the side street. We felt at home. Daniel and Valentina were very friendly.
Genau wie inseriert, Designerwohnung im Zentrum von Palermo. Parkmöglichkeiten direkt in der Seitenstraße. Wir haben uns wohl gefühlt. Daniel und Valentina waren sehr freundlich.
Apartment is in the pictures, clean, quiet and well connected to public transport. We have felt very comfortable.
Wohnung ist wie auf den Bildern, sauber, ruhig und gut an den Nahverkehr angebunden. Wir haben uns sehr wohlgefühlt.
Reviews for this host's other properties
Das moderne Appartment liegt in einem ruhigen Teil Palermos.Mit dem Auto trotz chaotischem Verkehr gut zu erreichen.Es war eine Oase der Ruhe, Valentina hat uns wunderbar empfangen und war auch während des Aufenthalts ein zuverlässiger Ansprechpartner.Es war sehr gemütlich am warmen Feuer des Holzofens zu sitzen.Sehr zu empfehlen!
- Quality assured accommodation
- Every host is verified by telephone
- Secure payment via SSL encryption


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Jinta Andaman Kata Beach Phuket
Jinta Andaman in Kata beach, Phuket Thailand is the the friendly confort clean and facilities needed four your staying. We also have the tour and travelling desk to advise you for your travelling in thailand.
We will make you feel at home whilst you enjoy the warm, friendly and comfortable environment. We have the internet service free of charge at the check in-counter and also we provide WiFi for all room with the high speed internet. Our front desk can provide you information and ticket to various place such as Krabi, PhiPhi island, Koh Lanta, Koh Samui and Koh phangan (fullmoon party)
Availability & RatesTo view availability and prices please select dates and click 'Update Dates'
Hostel Facilities & Policies
- 24 Hour Reception
- 24 Hour Security
- Air Conditioning
- Airport Transfers
- Bar
- Bicycle hire
- Bicycle parking
- Breakfast Not Included
- Cable TV
- Café
- Common Room
- Credit Cards Accepted
- Currency Exchange
- Telephone/Fax Facilities
- Free City Maps
- Free Internet Access
- Free Parking
- Free WiFi
- Hair Dryers
- Hot Showers
- House Keeping
- Internet Access
- Key Card Access
- Linen Included
- Security Lockers
- Luggage Storage
- Mini Supermarket
- No Curfew
- Outdoor Swimming Pool
- Outdoor Terrace
- Parking
- Reading Light
- Restaurant
- Safe Deposit Box
- Steam Room
- Swimming Pool
- Tea & Coffee Making Facilities
- Tours/Travel Desk
- Towels For Hire
- Towels Included
Cancellation PolicyThis property has a 1 day cancellation policy. Failure to cancel within this time will result in a cancellation charge equal to the first night of your stay.
DirectionsShow MapHide Map
98/45 patak road Jinta Andaman Kata Phuket. We are on patak road in the beach center village. behind the Ibis hotel kata beach. The road come to our hostel is far off the Ibis hotel about 50 meters on the left when you facing to it. Once you are in this road you can see the beach boutique hotel then you can come inside the beach center village we are here.
++++Transportation from Airport++++
1) You can take the public shuttle VAN (12 seats) costs 200Baht/each or
2) You can take a private taxi cost 800-900 Baht/trip
+++++ This part for TAXI in Thai +++++
อยู่ที่กะตะ ในซอยเดอะบีช ตรงข้ามห้างทองไทย มาจากฉลองอยู่ซ้ายมือก่อนถึงตลาดแม่สมจิตร (มาจากป่าตองอยู่ขวามือเลยตลาดมาอีก 50 เมตร) ซอยนี้จะไปทะลุโรงแรมเดอะบีช บูติคเฮ้าส์ และโรงแรมชบาตรงทางออกโดมรีสอร์ท
Located Near
we are in the beach center village opposite Kata fresh market. Kata beach Phuket. There are some landmarks for this area such as the beach condotel building, The chaba hotel, The beach height hotel and green drinking water supplier office.


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Unfortunately the manager was still the same. Still cannot fathom how he thought it was a good idea to bunt with his #2 batter, thus taking the bat out of the best hitter in baseball.
Absolutely fireable offense
bigredmechanism (04-02-2013),redsmetz (04-02-2013)
Was it a bad decision? Yes. Was it a fireable offense? No. Can a manager make a "fireable offense" in an April game? Not likely.
And when the Reds lose in the playoffs because or even miss the playoffs because of Dusty Baker, you let me know. We're 3 years into your timeline, and you can't make an argument that's happened.
Screwball (04-02-2013)
Don't bunt - You need a hit by either Phillips or Votto to score the run.
Bunt - You need Heisey to just make decent contact to score a run.
I would hope that the odds are higher that Heisey makes contact than that either Votto or Phillips get a hit.
Also, bunting eliminates a double play, which Phillips seems to lead the world in.
One can disagree with the move, but it actually was a good play based on the odds.
bigredmechanism (04-02-2013)
Was it his fault we got swept by the Phillies?
Maybe with a better manager last year we would have been able to afford losing Joey Votto and actually play better while he was out? Oh you mean we did that under Dusty? Oh.
The Reds played a 12 inning game today and had 3 hits. THREE hits in 12 innings. They didn't have a single run scoring hit. Do we blame the players? Nah, it's Dusty's fault!
Pretty sure Votto had a guy on 3rd with less than 2 outs at one point tonight and failed to get him home. I say we spend 5 pages discussing that.
*BaseClogger* (04-02-2013),bigredmechanism (04-02-2013),Brisco (04-02-2013),Caveman Techie (04-02-2013),edabbs44 (04-02-2013),LexRedsFan (04-03-2013),OGB (04-02-2013),RadfordVA (04-02-2013),redsmetz (04-02-2013),Scrap Irony (04-02-2013),wlf WV (04-02-2013)
I'm not a huge Dusty guy but to rip him this bad after 1 of 162 games is silly in my opinion. Dusty made that decision to bunt and instead of needing a hit to win the game the Reds were in a situation where a now four year player just needed to make decent contact and the Reds win the game. An argument can absolutely be made for Phillips to hit but the percentages probably slightly lean towards Dustys decision, actually. It's fine. The Reds have a good team.
Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/ShaneHorning
Caveman Techie (04-02-2013),REDREAD (04-02-2013),Revering4Blue (04-02-2013)
It's obvious no progress has been made with certain players, and taking the bat out of your players that actually give you a chance to score runs is ridiculous.
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.


text:
This dataset is maintained and distributed by the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD), the criminal justice archive within ICPSR. NACJD is primarily sponsored by three agencies within the U.S. Department of Justice: the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Home Safety Project, 1987-1992: [Shelby County, Tennessee, King County, Washington, and Cuyahoga County, Ohio] (ICPSR 6898)
Principal Investigator(s): Kellerman, Arthur L.; Rivara, Frederick P.; Rushforth, Norman B.; Hackman, Bela B.
The Home Safety Project was a population-based case control study of homicide in the home with control households matched to cases by victim age range, race, gender, and neighborhood (a proxy for socioeconomic status). The study was conducted in the following locations: Shelby County, Tennessee (August 23, 1987-August 23, 1992), King County, Washington (August 23, 1987-August 23, 1992), and Cuyahoga County, Ohio (January 1, 1990-August 23, 1992). The purpose of the data collection was to study risk and protective factors for homicide in the home and to identify individual and household factors associated with homicide (both behavioral and environmental). Respondents were asked a series of questions related to alcohol consumption, such as whether drinking ever created problems between household members, whether any household members had had trouble at work because of drinking, whether any physical fights or other violence had occurred in the home or outside the home due to drinking, and whether any injuries or hospital stays had resulted from drinking/fighting episodes. Additional queries covered whether any adult in the household had ever been arrested for any reason, whether anyone in the household used illicit drugs, and, if so, which ones. Questions on home safety features included whether the home had a burglar alarm, bars on the windows, exterior door deadbolt, security door, dogs, and any restricted access to the residence. Items on gun ownership covered whether there were any guns in the home and, if so, what type. Information also was elicited on the homicide that had taken place in the home, including whether the suspect was intimate with the victim, whether there was evidence of forced entry or entry without consent, whether the victim attempted to resist, and the respondent's assumption of the method of death as well as the medical examiner's determination. Demographic information includes victims' age, sex, and race, and respondents' age and sex. The unit of analysis is individual cases of homicide.
Access Notes
The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.
Study Description
Kellerman, Arthur L., Frederick P. Rivara, Norman B. Rushforth, and Bela B. Hackman. Home Safety Project, 1987-1992: [Shelby County, Tennessee, King County, Washington, and Cuyahoga County, Ohio]. ICPSR06898-v2. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1997. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR06898.v2
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR06898.v2
Export Citation:
- RIS (generic format for RefWorks, EndNote, etc.)
- EndNote XML (EndNote X4.0.1 or higher)
This study was funded by:
- United States Department of Health and Human Services. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CCR 402424 and CCR 403519)
Scope of Study
Subject Terms: alcohol abuse, drug abuse, home environment, homicide, households, personal security, risk assessment
Geographic Coverage: Ohio, Tennessee, United States, Washington
- 1987--1992
- 1987-08-23--1992-08-23
Universe: All homicides in homes that involved residents of the three study counties (Shelby County, Tennessee, King County, Washington, and Cuyahoga County, Ohio) during the study interval. Any death that was ruled a homicide was included, regardless of method. Assaults were included if the victim died within three months due to injury.
All individual identifiers were removed by the principal investigators to protect confidentiality.
structured interviews and medical examiner records
Extent of Processing: ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:
- Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.
Original ICPSR Release: 1997-05-30
- 2006-03-30 File CB6898.ALL.PDF was removed from any previous datasets and flagged as a study-level file, so that it will accompany all downloads.
- 2005-11-04 On 2005-03-14 new files were added to one or more datasets. These files included additional setup files as well as one or more of the following: SAS program, SAS transport, SPSS portable, and Stata system files. The metadata record was revised 2005-11-04 to reflect these additions.
- 1997-11-18 One variable was recoded in Part 1, Homicide Data, and corresponding changes were made to the codebook and data definition statements. Also, in the codebook and data definition statements, several value labels were changed and the order of two variables was switched.
Related Publications
Export Options: RIS/EndNote
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I will like to build a Pfsense bos which will enable me to tune and run better instead of getting a out-of-box which i dont know what is the limitation.
feature such as 2- VLAN , 2 GLAN , 2 NIC port at least ?
Personal computing discussed
Moderators: Flying Fox, Thresher
bthylafh wrote:I suspect he meant "box".
It's difficult to make out, but I think he wants a recommendation for a system with 2x Ethernet ports for use in a home-built router, running the pfSense distribution.
IamTHEvilONE wrote:if you end up with a relatively decent set of hardware ... why not try virtualizing pfSense ... this way you aren't wasting an entire hardware kit on just pfSense.
I've had a couple people at work looking for the newer T/S model Sandy Bridge CPUs ... plus some cheap ram & Intel NICs ... you can get a reasonable Linux host to run and then run some virtualization on top.
depending on the hardware, you could also get ESXi going (free OS) and it's a powerhouse for running many OS'.


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LIVE: American Idol, Season 10 Premiere
Hello! Did you remember that the season premiere of American Idol airs tonight? If you didn't, consider this your reminder. Because of all the shakeups for Season 10, we figured a live-blog for the premiere would be appropriate. Come in!
Tonight's premiere features our new judging panel—Randy Jackson, Jennifer "JLo" Lopez, and Steven Tyler—trying out prospective contestants in New York and New Jersey. As always, Ryan Seacrest serves as host. The episode airs for two hours, from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET, on FOX.
While you're waiting for the show to begin, feel free to chat in the comments below. Or, you could check out our post of the Worst 20 Idol Auditions Ever.
There's not much more to say at this point, considering we don't even have finalists yet, so I'll just refresh everyone on how our live-blogs run:
If you haven't participated in one of our live blogs before, don't fret-it's easy! All you need to do is tune your TV to FOX, watch the show, and discuss all the action with everyone else in the comments. It's really as simple as that. If you don't have a commenter account, just sign up for one (it literally takes seconds) and we'll get you approved and in on the action right away.
Have fun!


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In court Tuesday, Scherer's aunt, Carolyn Oesterle, testified she had volunteered to pay for his defense but then his behavior -- suggesting he hide out and providing her with a secret email account -- led her to reconsider.
"I said, 'If you run, I will not pay for an attorney,'" Oesterle told the jury.
Despite their relationship, neither made eye contact with the other during Oesterle's testimony, and she referred to Scherer not by his name but as "the defendant."
She described Scherer's unusual behavior following the killings; in one case, she glimpsed him fist-pumping behind her back when she said she didn't think he was involved in the deaths. Oesterle also told the jury that her nephew worried from the beginning that police would suspect him.
"Why would they come after you?" Oesterle said she asked Scherer during a walk following the funeral. "Because I'm an heir," she said he replied.
"But you couldn't have done anything like that," Oesterle responded.
She said Scherer was walking slightly behind her when she glanced back toward him and saw the gesture.
"I saw him do, 'Yes! I knew it!'" she recalled. "As soon as I turned, he went into a totally placid face."
Oesterle also testified that her brother's estate was valued at more than $1.1 million and that Abendroth's estate came to nearly $1.6 million, and that Scherer immediately began to try to get his hands on the inheritance.
She said Scherer hired two attorneys -- one as early as April 2008, just a month after the slayings -- in an effort to gain access to his parents' wills and assets.
Oesterle also recounted a telephone conversation with a police investigator, in which she was told her brother and sister-in-law suffered before they died. Scherer, who was there during the call, got on the line.
"He asked her when he could get into the house," Oesterle testified, adding he didn't like the answer.
After the funeral, she said she went with Scherer and his wife Robyn to the Castlewood home "to see where the bodies were."
"There were marks on the wall and he said, 'Somebody was swinging something,'" Oesterle testified.
It was only later that Scherer became hard to find, according to Oesterle, who said he had no permanent address and that he was staying in motels or with friends. At one point, she testified, he told her he was considering camping in Connecticut.
"He said maybe the best thing to do was to go somewhere where nobody knew where he was but he could keep in touch by email," Oesterle told the jury, referring to the secret email address he'd given her.
Scherer's attorney, public defender Richard Foxall, has consistently maintained that police singled his client out from the start and never considered other potential suspects.
This story contains 526 words.
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I've been reading about nano this-and-that, and now there's some progress in my field: bleeding that Needs to Stop.
Swab a clear liquid onto a gaping wound and watch the bleeding stop in seconds. An international team of researchers has accomplished just that in animals, using a solution of protein molecules that self-organise on the nanoscale into a biodegradable gel that stops bleeding.
If the material works as well in humans, it could save thousands of lives and make surgery far easier in many cases, surgeons say.
Molecular biologist Shuguang Zhang, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, began experimenting with peptides in 1991. Zhang and colleagues at MIT and the University of Hong Kong in China went on to design several materials that self-assemble into novel nano-structures, including a molecular scaffold that helps the regrowth of severed nerve cells in hamsters (see Nano-scaffolds could help rebuild sight).
Their work exploits the way certain peptide sequences can be made to self-assemble into mesh-like sheets of "nanofibres" when immersed in salt solutions.
In the course of that research they discovered one material's dramatic ability to stop bleeding in the brain and began testing it on a variety of other organs and tissues. When applied to a wound, the peptides form a gel that seals over the wound, without causing harm to any nearby cells.
Ed Buchel, who teaches general and plastic surgery at the University of Manitoba, in Winnipeg, Canada, sees equal potential for treating trauma and burns. "If this works as well on humans as it does on rats, it's phenomenal," he says.
Still, they caution that extensive clinical trials are needed to make sure the materials work properly and are safe. The MIT researchers hope to see those crucial human trials within three to five years.
Their research will appear in the 10 October 2006 edition of online journal Nanomedicine.
This is a far-horizon thing, but if it works as described it'd help, for a zillion or so patients and their doctors.
via Slashdot


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I Liked it. A lot of really amazing action,. even the noise from the girl was hot. It's interesting that Japanese American girls make western noises.. It must be traditional, like dominance by the male makes the female squeal in mock pain.
i like penis
my dog has a bigger dick than he does give me an hour with her daddy slap that ass goooooood
Mario Bros music? O_O
she needs a bigger dick than that.
so good:)
Love that hair pie
After watching some of these movies with the over acting, and exaggerating reactions, and the endless fucking I think sex is so overating and boring. I would of lost interest in the first 5 minutes.
I very like look at the girls have hard fucking on the pussy
Such Bollocks. Screaming for no bloody reason!
beautiful pussy..the only thing better than fucking asian pussy is eating it
she taking a small chinese cock and making alot of unneccary noise i wonder watch she would do if she took a thick seven inch or a 9 inch cock
they never seem to be enjoying it do they?
She was hot until i saw her pussy.
hair is disgusting.
08.19 indeed...he is like the super mario with his mustache..hahahah
She make too much noise, but fine as hell
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Summaries of EU Legislation
Summaries of EU legislation: direct access to the main summaries page.
Scientific and technological cooperation with New Zealand
In view of the rapid expansion of scientific and technological knowledge, international cooperation with New Zealand in the field of research should have beneficial results for the economic and social development of both parties.
Council Decision 2009/502/EC of 19 January 2009 on the conclusion on behalf of the Community of the Agreement on scientific and technological cooperation between the European Union and the Government of New Zealand.
The European Union (EU) and New Zealand have concluded an Agreement aimed at introducing a Framework Programme to develop their scientific and technological cooperation.
The Agreement has been concluded for a period of five years and shall remain in force unless terminated by either Party.
Implementation of cooperation
The Draft Agreement attached to this Proposal lays down the principles upon which cooperation is to be based:
- mutual contributions and benefits;
- mutual access for participants to research programmes or projects operated by the other Party;
- exchange of information;
- promotion of knowledge-based societies for economic and social development;
- protection of intellectual property rights.
Direct cooperation aims to define research and development programmes which may be undertaken on a cooperative basis and to extend mutual knowledge of scientific, political, practical and legislative aspects in this field. Cooperation will take the form of meetings and the exchange of information, researchers and technical personnel.
Funding of activities shall be provided through grants and financial contributions which are to be exempt from customs duties where granted by the Parties to participants of the other Party.
Indirect cooperation covers cooperative activities operated by the Government of New Zealand and the European Union under research programmes or projects funded by the other Party. Both shall ensure that appropriate assistance is provided and shall coordinate the activities. Participation shall take place according to a principle of equal treatment for participants of both Parties.
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Union shall be both an executive agent for the carrying out of direct activities and a participant in indirect activities.
Intellectual property
Scientific and technological information of a non-proprietary nature arising from cooperative activities shall be in the public domain and may be made available by either Party.
The rights and obligations of participants in indirect activities shall be governed by the relevant international laws, regulations and conventions on intellectual property.
Joint Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation
A Joint Committee shall be established to manage cooperation and assess progress. The Committee shall be chaired by and include representatives of both Parties. It is to meet at least every two years.
The Committee's role is to:
- give views on scientific and technological policy issues;
- make recommendations on the implementation of the Agreement;
- make technical amendments to the Agreement.
It may decide to establish additional direct cooperative activities.
This Agreement was preceded by an Arrangement concluded in 1991 in the area of scientific and technological cooperation.
Key terms of the Act
- Participant: any physical person normally residing in New Zealand or in the Community, or any legal person established in New Zealand or in the Community with a legal personality and the capacity to hold rights and obligations of any nature.
References and procedure
Entry into force
Official Journal
Decision 2009/502/EC
OJ L 171 of 1.7.2009
See also
- For further information, please visit the International Cooperation website of the European Commission Directorate-General for Research.
Last updated: 23.10.2009


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Ian Hanna filed an application October 19 with the Ontario Divisional Court for a judicial review of Ontario's Green Energy and Green Economy Act.
Hanna is calling on the court to strike down rules that lay out how far wind turbines have to be from homes and property boundaries, claiming there is scientific uncertainty around the health effects of industrial wind turbines.
That would allow the government, with hopefully some guidance from the court, to establish a different provision that reflects the concerns around human health in a more meaningful way, says Hanna's lawyer Eric Gillespie.
Ontario's current regulation requires turbines to be at least 550 metres from homes, and while the application does not suggest how large the setback should be, Gillespie says 2000 metres would likely address most if not all of Mr. Hanna's and many other people's concerns.
Hanna's application also calls for an injunction against the approval of wind projects in the province until the issue is resolved. Gillespie says his client's argument is based on a tenet of environmental law known as the precautionary principle.
The precautionary principle could probably be summarised as saying where there is scientific uncertainty around an issue, until that uncertainty is resolved it is not appropriate or prudent to proceed, he says.
The application has the support of Wind Concerns Ontario, which has been a vocal opponent of wind development in the province. The group is raising money on its web site to support Hanna's challenge.
Ian Hanna filed an application October 19 with the Ontario Divisional Court for a judicial review of Ontario's Green Energy and Green Economy Act.
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He'd laugh and shake his head at Jonathan Quick. That guy is special, Garnet Bailey would surely say, and he'd probably nudge the person sitting next to him with an excitable poke, the kind of poke a kid might give when he's witnessing something remarkable for the first time, and then Quick would make another save and there'd come another poke from Bailey, and another, and another, because in the eyes of the man everyone called "Ace," hockey always brought forth the new and amazing.
He'd nod proudly at Jeff Carter, and note with another poke the veteran's calmness, how he rarely crumbles under the pressure. Oh yes, Bailey's smile would have brightened Staples Center like a strobe light, because these Los Angeles Kings were his kind of a team, his sort of guys.
They even named the mascot with the scraggly mane in his honor. Bailey the lion prowled the stands Wednesday night, mischievously taunting the New Jersey Devils during Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals. Two nights earlier the mascot had taped cutouts of the cast from "Jersey Shore" to the glass behind the visitors' bench, harmless fun that Ace probably wouldn't have minded, because he believed hockey always should be played and viewed with wondrous joy.
"He'd have loved every guy out there," Todd Bailey, Ace's son, was saying before the Kings' remarkable steamroll through the playoffs hit a bump, the Devils winning by a score of 3-1 to keep Los Angeles from sweeping, to keep the series spinning.
For seven years, when hockey was still pushing the boundaries in Southern California, Bailey served as the Kings' director of pro scouting. Before that he was one of the game's characters and a bit of a legend— besides winning the Cup twice as a player with the Boston Bruins, he mentored and was a linemate of teenage phenom Wayne Gretzky—but after a playing career that spanned a decade, Bailey's keen eye for talent and charming personality made him the perfect scout.
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, he and Mark Bavis, an amateur scout for the Kings, boarded United Airlines Flight 175 in Boston. They were bound for LAX, and the start of training camp. The airplane was one of four hijacked by terrorists; three times Bailey tried to call his wife, Katherine, from the plane, but they never connected, the plane instead striking one of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan.
Like the thousands of others who were murdered that day, Bailey's spirit survives. His just happens to shine on through the Ace Bailey Children's Foundation, a beacon that provides respite for hospitalized youths and their families in the Boston area, and in every rink he ever entered.
Which, if you think about it, is probably nearly every one that was erected throughout North America before he died at age 53. All told, Bailey spent 32 seasons in the NHL, first as a bruising winger for five clubs, later as a purveyor of talent for the Edmonton Oilers, with whom he won five more rings as a scout during those dynasty years.
Todd, now 34 and a general contractor for a construction company in Massachusetts that builds hockey rinks, has clear memories of tagging along with his father to any kind of game, as long as it involved ice and skates. There were long weekends watching the Maine Mariners, endless scouting of the juniors who moved through the Lowell Lock Monsters.
"I was a little rink rat, trying to steal tape and hockey sticks," Todd said.
He describes a picture he still has of him and Gretzky playing knee hockey that was taken "right after I clubbed him over the head with a stick." Gretzky lived for years with the Baileys—the Great One has said he felt more like a son to Ace than a teammate—and it seemed a serendipitous fit when the two reunited with the Kings in the club's teething days.
"The main thing he believed in was players had to have a good head on their shoulders," Todd said. "He wanted guys who always did the right thing, never stupid things. Good role models. That was his big thing, to make sure the guys (he helped select) were the right guys physically and mentally."
The 1969-70 Bruins club seemed to cement something particularly special in Bailey's core. They were a boisterous, lively bunch who also knew how to create magic by putting their heads down. Bobby Orr flew, John Bucyk was the consummate sportsman and Derek Sanderson made everyone a little crazy, but whenever Bailey spoke of that tremendous season that ended with a quick sweep of the St. Louis Blues, it all revolved around a singular theme.
"He was always talking about how it was such a team thing back then. When one guy went out for a beer, the entire team would be there," Todd said. "He never left anyone out. Everyone was always involved."
My, how Bailey would have adored these Kings. From the eighth seed, from barely making the playoffs, to this 15-3 postseason run.
"He's been a part of other fantastic teams that have won Cups," Todd said. "But when you look at how tough they've been, he would have been especially proud."
Bailey's legacy lingers in the linear and the universal. Joe Corvo, a well-traveled defenseman, has said he chose to wear No. 14 in Boston in honor of Bailey, the man who took Corvo under his wing when he played in Lowell.
Far more reaching and everlasting are the lives changed daily by the family-run organization through its funding of projects such as "Ace's Place," an oasis for hospitalized kids and their loved ones at the Tufts-Floating Hospital for Children. Nearly $2 million has been raised since its inception, according to Bailey's sister-in-law, Barbara Pothier, the executive director of the Ace Bailey Children's Foundation.
"Kids flocked to him. He was so much fun to be around, always smiling, always joking," Pothier said of Bailey, who as a player was known to use his off-days to visit pediatric hospitals and light up the rooms.
In the horrible, unspeakable gloom after 9/11, the Dropkick Murphys, a punk rock band out of Quincy, Mass., wrote a song in which they sing: "Farewell my brother. You're off to the big rink in the sky. The good Lord's between the pipes. And you've got Bavis and Ace on the wing. And through it all your spirit's alive."
It remains ever thus. Wednesday in Staples Center there seemed an air of inevitability, a certainty that the Kings would hoist Lord Stanley for the first time in the club's 44-year history. But the Devils pushed back, goalie Martin Brodeur outplaying the fantastic Quick, and that mischievous mascot with the scraggly mane bowed his head.
Those who knew Ace Bailey are pretty sure he would have nonetheless grinned and poked a few sides and had plenty of colorful phrases to describe all he saw.
Hockey, after all, is best when it doesn't end.


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The Jack Nicklaus Museum, located in the heart of The Ohio State University sports complex in Jack's hometown of Columbus, Ohio, is a 24,000 square-foot educational and historical facility. Here, you will encounter the history of golf and its greatest practitioner
take an immersive journey through Jack's brilliant career including trophies, photographs and various mementos from his unparalleled 20 major championships and 100 worldwide professional victories
and discover the many facets of this remarkable man who added so much to the history of golf.
Your visit will bring to life the story of a man who transcended the game. Jack Nicklaus' total commitment and mental toughness define greatness not only in golf and in sport, but also in life.


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Car Floor MatsPosted on: May 21st, 2010 by Charles Pruett
Now there's something many of us perhaps don't give much thought to: car floor mats. In truth, not many of us think about such things as door mats, or kitchen mats, anyway. Well…if you've bought a new car recently, or if you're one of those people who takes impeccable car of his or her car—it's usually a "guy thingâ€â€"then you probably are much more cognizant than most people, but…well, you get the point.
The point is most of us, if we were to look for new car floor mats, would probably go to the auto supply store or local super store to buy them, and that does make sense. But for those of you ARE of the mind about such things, wouldn't it be great to know you can buy car floor mats that are made of 100% recycled rubber, to be "green†about the whole matter?
And no matter [no pun intended, there] what kind of mats you're dealing with, you'll want to make sure you use the right kind of mat cleaner or disinfectant spray to keep them looking great, and helping to keep your auto looking and smelling better.


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Morse issue free in extended spring game
By Bill Ladson / MLB.com
According to manager Davey Johnson, Morse didn't have any problems during a throwing session. Throwing has been Morse's biggest problem while dealing with the injury.
Starting Monday, Morse is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Class A Potomac. He is shooting to rejoin the Nats on June 8 against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Chipper has high praise for Strasburg, Nats
ATLANTA -- Braves third baseman Chipper Jones had nothing but admiration for the Nationals and their right-hander, Stephen Strasburg, who will be pitching against Atlanta on Saturday afternoon at 4:05 p.m. ET.
In fact, Jones went so far as to say that Strasburg has the best repertoire of pitchers he has ever seen in his 19 years in the big leagues.
"He has the best stuff, the best repertoire of pitches, that I've seen on any one single pitcher," Jones said. "He is like a Kerry Wood in his prime and Justin Verlander hybrid.
"[Strasburg] has the fastball, just like those two, the breaking ball just like those two. The changeup is what sets him apart. Verlander has a good changeup, but it is a circle change. It kind of fades away. [Strasburg's changeup] is a 90-plus [mph] split that falls off the table. When you are geared up going for 95-96 and he throws you 90 and the bottom drops out of it, it's a pretty lethal combination."
As for the Nationals as a team, Jones feels they are a club on the rise because of its pitching staff. He also believes once position players such as Michael Morse and Mark DeRosa recover from their injuries, the team "is going to be doubly tough."
Jones believes the Nationals could become like the Phillies when they had a powerful rotation and position players Ryan Howard and Chase Utley were healthy.
"They have the best starting five in the game -- no doubt," Jones said about the Nationals' rotation. "They have power at the top of the rotation. They have power all the way through. All their guys throw 94 to 98, sometimes 100.
"Their bullpen is nothing to sneeze at. They have some good quality lefty/righty arms. The reason they have been able to sustain their level of play through all their injuries to their everyday players is the fact their pitchers keep them in the game, night in and night out. That's the right formula."
Lombardozzi gets start in left field in opener
ATLANTA -- With the right-hander Tim Hudson on the mound on Friday, outfielder Roger Bernadina found himself on the bench and Steve Lombardozzi, who usually plays in the infield, received the start in left field against the Braves.
Lombardozzi will be platooning in left with Xavier Nady until Michael Morse is activated from the disabled list. Manager Davey Johnson said Bernadina has been hot and cold, and the skipper is looking for more consistency at the plate. Bernadina was hitting .224 with two home runs and nine RBIs entering Friday's action.
Johnson denied that Bernadina's days with the team are numbered. The manager is simply going with the hot hand with Lombardozzi, who was hitting .317 with five RBIs and a .385 on-base percentage entering Friday's action.
"[Lombardozzi] is playing very well. His natural position is second base," Johnson said. "I have a guy at second base who needs to get right, and he is starting to get right, in Danny Espinosa. Lombo's on-base percentage is real good, so he is an ideal leadoff hitter for me. He can set the table for the middle of my lineup."
Many in the front office believe Bernadina's ceiling is as a fourth outfielder in the Majors, and the club hasn't had any serious discussions with teams interested in trading for him.
Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, All Nats All the time. He also could be found on Twitter @WashingNats. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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"The expansion of our relationship with CSX will create a strong foundation for Schneider Intermodal's continued growth and our customer's success," said Bill Matheson, president of Intermodal Services for Schneider National. "We're recommitting the expertise of one of the nation's major railroads and one of the largest intermodal providers at a time when truckload capacity is getting tighter and shippers need creative new solutions to move freight. The combined value of Schneider's asset-based intermodal service and CSX's reliable performance provides solutions our customers expect."
The agreement provides Schneider customers with capacity, operational interfaces,and access to preferential loading in some circumstances that will increase accessibility and efficiency of rail moves. Additionally, capital investments that CSX has made in projects such as the northwest Ohio intermodal terminal will continue to improve infrastructure while expanding its service offerings to fuel Schneider's growth, the company said.
CSX became Schneider's primary Eastern rail provider in 2008, the company also said.
"The current economic conditions and business environment tell us there will be more interest than ever in finding cost-effective, reliable modes for moving freight," said Bill Clement, vice president-Intermodal of CSX Transportation. "Increased use of intermodal service is certain to be a part of that conversation, and few do it as well as Schneider National. We're thrilled to continue our relationship with them."