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By Robyn Collins
Tabloids reported in November 2016 that Lady Gaga would be playing Donatella Versace in the upcoming third season of FX's American Crime Story, which will explore the 1997 murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace.
Related: Lady Gaga Serenades Tony Bennett on 90th Birthday
The show's creator Ryan Murphy explains to Variety that Gaga was actually never up for the part. "She's a friend. But she's very busy this next year — she's doing Super Bowl and then she's doing 'A Star Is Born' and I believe that she's going on tour," he said.
He added that there was no way Gaga could have made the time to commit to the program."When you're going to do a show like Versace, it's a five-month commitment," he said. "It's a very big show, we're shooting it all over the world. So I just don't think with her schedule, I knew that it would never had worked. But I would love to work with her on something in the future."
So far, Murphy has had good experiences working with Gaga. The singer won a Golden Globe after starring in his American Horror Story: Hotel. She also had a smaller role in the most recent season of American Horror Story: Roanoke.
The musician has been dabbling in acting, which she says has been her longtime passion. Up next, as Murphy mentioned, she is starring alongside Bradley Cooper in the remake of A Star Is Born.


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Discussion in 'Gaming' started by TheGodBen, Oct 23, 2010.
Yeah, I'm excited about the content update. It's been a while since we had one.
Hopefully, a Weighted Companion Cube will be next.
The ca.......nah, too easy.
Does anyone know how to get cake? I mean, how to craft it?
From the wiki:
Hah, and I guess that's why one should never promise cake, because it will always come back to bite him
There is now cake^^
[milk] [milk] [milk]
[sugar] [egg] [sugar]
[wheat] [wheat] [wheat]
Sugar is made from [sugar cane], which is the renamed [reed]. Also a bunch of other stuff listed on the wiki by now, link.
Spiders can now climb walls?
Damn you Notch! I spent 3 days building that fortress, and now those detestable creatures will get in.
Damn it. As if the buggers weren't annoying enough.
At least creepers can't climb walls. THAT would be terrifying.
Just wait until he builds a headsucker mob that hangs from the ceiling and drops onto the unsuspecting person Oh whoops, gave him an idea. Shouldn't do that... lol
Can it climb a fence of cactus?
Alternatively, an overhang on the outer edge of the wall might keep them out?
Minecraft is bad enough without anyone starting a resonance cascade...
Yeah, that's what I'm going to try, which is annoying as I need that cobblestone to build a road to my new penthouse on the other side of the island. If that doesn't work I'm going to use Netherstone to have a fire-moat around the walls. It's really annoying in my monster trap though, last night I went there to collect some bones from skeletons and two spiders stayed up on the roof of the channel so as to avoid the lava. 10 minutes of hissing.
Has anyone else found that their trees have gone horrible and diseased-looking? No matter what biome I go to, all the trees have predominantly dark leaves with patches of brown and green leaf blocks. It looks horrible. But, oddly enough, the trees that I planted in my fortress and underground tree farm are the normal vibrant green they always were, it's only the trees outside the walls that have gone weird.
There were some bugs fixed in an update today, so that might address the tree issue.
When I get home I think I'm going to generate a new world and see what's what!
I'm glad we finally have dyes for wool, too. Some of the recipes look like they'll be a real bitch to get the ingredients for, though.
If you're desperately short on cobblestone and don't want to spend the time mining the stone, you could always try the old column of lava & water trick. Alternatively, if you have enough lava and buckets you could always just line your outer wall with lava and a little moat at the base to make sure it doesn't spread. Aside from looking insane it'd make one hell of a light convenient light source.
There's also some new wood types that were introduced in the last update. Normal, Birch, and a darker wood used for pine/conifer trees. It's possible there are also new leaves which would explain the weirdness.
I didn't realize there were also new wood types. Crazy. So many goodies to check out...
I tried it last night but the trees were still messed up. I'd hate to think that I'm going to have to cut down all the trees and replant them, that would take days.
I generated a new world last night and all my trees look fine. However, the leaves start decaying immediately if you harvest the wood. The nice part about that is that it drops a whole bunch of saplings so I'll be all set to make an underground tree farm pretty soon.
Separate names with a comma.

subset: commoncrawl


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Jana Jordan: Girl Gone Wild
Most girls only get a T-Shirt and a couple of disappointed parents when they flash their goodies on Girls Gone Wild, but Jana Jordan turned it into a successful career. After her sexy shower scene in the Girls Gone Wild video series, Jana became Penthouse's Pet of the Month in 2007. The 25 year old then became an adult film star who has been nominated for several AVN awards. She's also had appearances on main stream television on shows such as MTV's Rob and Big. Just think, Jana got all of this just by pulling up her shirt and screaming "Whoooo!" You can find out what's next for this green eyed cutie by following Jana Jordan on Twitter.


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-Sigh- I'm so unsure what I should be for this Halloween. And I want to decide soon, because all of my costumes always turn out horribly if I wait to long to decide.
I'm not going anywhere but the store to buy some candy, most likely, unless I can talk my parents into taking me to the Six Flags October Fest or something. There aren't any parties going on and I stopped trick-or-treating when my sister refused to go with me. ( As if it wasn't embarrassing enough. To go alone? No thank you. I'm way too shy. )
But I still want to dress up. :S I'm not going to miss the only year where you can be something you're not without being looked at funny. And since I'm only going to the store, I'm not sure if I should make a whole costume or just put on some face make-up, you know?
Right now I'm torn between two things.
1. I'm obsessed with the Batman movies, and I originally wanted to be Christopher Nolan's 'The Joker', but I figured that everyone and their grandmother would be doing the same thing around here, especially with Heath Ledger passing. So I figured I would be the next best thing: Two-Face. But not the new Two-Face. I'd be going Tommy Lee Jones style, since I love Batman Forever. Even if he's a total manwhore in the movie. xD
My mom said she could help with the face make-up, since she took classes in how to cover scaring. She could make it look less purple-y than it does in the movie, and less plastic and more like flesh. I told her that, even if I'd felt like Emily, I wanted to do it. But. . .
2. I've recently discovered that I'm obsessing over almost any old-style fashion at the moment. Particularly, the 1950s and the 1920s. Just as I told everyone else, I'd rewind back to the 50s if I could, and dance around in a poodle skirt until they went out of style. I absolutely love that era, and I thought about dressing up as somebody from the 50s instead. :/
Ahh, I don't know what to do.
And for future reference, I was an MCRmy Soldier last year. xD


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Length: 1-hour Live Online Webinar
In this fast-paced, one-hour Live Online webinar you will learn how to create such SMARTER goals for personal and professional success. You will see why it is important to both dream big, but then focus small, to overcome common obstacles. And you'll walk away with ten tips that can be key to achieving results and improving your performance.


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Case biomedical engineers develop first sliver-sized sensor to monitor glucose levels in diabetics
Microscopic monitor can be placed under the skin and seen with the naked eye
It's a good thing that the son of Miklos Gratzl, a Case Western Reserve University biomedical engineer, got a splinter in his finger one day —at least for the sake of science.
With apologies to his son, instead of an "Ouch!" moment, for Gratzl it was more of an "A-ha!" moment.
As he was removing it from his son's finger, the splinter gave him an idea: Since it showed no open wound in the skin, he thought to himself that a sensor like a sliver would be great for all kinds of biomedical applications since the skin healed very quickly above it and after that no track infection can occur.
The associate professor of biomedical engineering and researcher at the Case School of Engineering has developed for the first time a "sliver-sensor"—a fully functional, minimally invasive, microscopic new monitor that can be placed just under the skin and seen with the naked eye for very accurate, continuous examination of glucose for diabetics and other bodily fluid levels with the help of simple color changes.
Gratzl and co-principal investigator Koji Tohda, a biomedical engineering researcher at Case, believe the implications for improving the quality of life of diabetics would be substantial.
"Many diabetics could greatly benefit from this technology, freeing them from having to take samples from their fingers several times a day to monitor blood sugar levels," Gratzl said. "The monitor could also help doctors with close monitoring of electrolytes, metabolites and other vital biochemicals in the body, primarily those of critically ill patients."
Gratzl and Tohda's research may also benefit our future astronauts. The research is being funded by NASA and the John Glenn Biomedical Engineering Consortium at NASA Glenn Research Center, and partially by Vision Sensors LLC, a Cleveland-based startup.
Astronauts face the possibility of becoming ill while in space. Accidents may also happen. In such cases doctors on Earth have to make a diagnosis for a distance of several thousand miles. With this new approach, monitoring such vital markers as ions and metabolites in the interstitial fluid may make it easier and quicker to decide about the best intervention and therapy with a continuous monitor already in place. To date, no such continuous, minimally invasive monitor for ions and metabolites has been available.
Colors in the tiny sensor, which is one to two millimeters long and 100 to 200 micrometers wide, gradually change from orange (low glucose levels) to green and then to dark blue as levels increase. A deep, darker blue signifies the highest glucose level that can occur in diabetics.
Tohda's expertise in the area of optode technology helped to point the researchers in the direction of using color changing molecules to detect ionic levels as they vary due to variations in glucose. According to Gratzl, this approach is much more modern and powerful technology than the traditional color dyes. So Tohda suggested they create a sliver sensor that would generate color change instead of an electrical current.
"We also thought that color can be seen better from the outside if the sliver is not too deep, and if it gets distorted by the skin this can be corrected by using a white spot inside the sensor that does not change color," Gratzl said.
The sensor, smaller than the tip of a pencil, penetrates the skin easily and painlessly so that users could insert or reinsert it themselves when needed and can be operational at least for several days at a time. It can be monitored by eyesight and by electronic telemetry using a watchlike device worn by the person for data processing.
Sensing itself does not require a battery, or the collection of blood samples, and needs very little energy if a watchlike signal processor is used. With no wires across the skin, there is no deterioration of the skin surface or other areas inside the skin and no danger of track infection. The device also is advantageous because no electrical currents are going through the body.
Gratzl says lab testing and in vivo testing in laboratory animals of the sensor has been going well.
"So far, the sensor is performing beyond expectation in preliminary laboratory tests," Gratzl said. "Over the years, there has been a lack of good, quality devices for diabetics to monitor glucose - something they must do every day of their lives - that are reliable, relatively low-cost and minimally invasive."
Gratzl says the sliver sensor could be ready for human testing within six months.
Members of the John Glenn Biomedical Engineering Consortium include Case, NASA Glenn Research Center, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, University Hospitals of Cleveland and the National Center for Microgravity Research.
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.


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© 2007 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Derby sluggers on level playing field
AT&T Park doesn't favor righties or lefties
By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com
SAN FRANCISCO -- It is fright night on Monday for Ryan Howard and the remainder of the seven sluggers who will take part in the State Farm Home Run Derby at AT&T Park. Howard, the Phillies' left-handed swinging first baseman, is the defending champion and will be aiming for a few "Splash Hits" into McCovey Cove, nestled just beyond the 25-foot high red-brick right-field wall. Is it an advantage that Howard, the reigning National League home run title winner, has won this once before? "Do I feel I have an advantage? No, not really," he said during a mid-day press conference to introduce the eight combatants. "You know, this event is just to go out and have fun. I think that everyone who's going to be out there is out there for the purpose of having fun. "As far as the advantage, I don't know what the weather is going to be like. It's a little bit colder here. The wind might be blowing in. It might be a good night to be righty. I was telling Justin [Morneau], we might have to work on that opposite-field swing tonight." The left-handers like Howard, Morneau of the Twins and Prince Fielder of the Brewers will have the Cove and that distant 421-foot right-center-field power alley to aim at. The right-handers -- Albert Pujols of the Cardinals, Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels, Alex Rios of the Blue Jays, Magglio Ordonez of the Tigers and late addition Matt Holliday of the Rockies -- all have that more accommodating 382-foot alley and eight-foot high fence in left-center to shoot at, not to mention the giant glove hovering above the left-bleachers, precisely 501 feet away. Pujols, who has hit just two homers here against the Giants, said he doesn't anticipate the righty hitters having any more advantage over the lefties. "I think it's probably the toughest park in the National League for a right-handed hitter," he said. "I'm a guy who likes to stay inside the ball. I don't like to pull the ball too much. That 421-foot mark in that gap, it's just a long way. We're not going to shoot for that. To me, there isn't any advantage for the righties or lefties. It's a tough park to hit for both." And how about hitting that glove? "No, it's a long way. It's a long way," Pujols said. "With the wind, it's even going to be tougher. So I don't think any right-hander here is going to go out there and try hitting that glove. Just hopefully try to hit the ball out of the park, try to hit one at least." Last year at Pittsburgh's PNC Park, Howard had to come from behind in each of the three rounds to defeat third baseman David Wright of the New York Mets. In a battle of then second-year players, Ryan hit five homers in the finals after Wright led off with four, giving the Phillies the Derby winner for the second consecutive year. Bobby Abreu, now with the Yankees, set the single-round record when he opened with 24 homers on the way to a Derby-winning 41 two years ago at Detroit's Comerica Park.
Howard went on to lead Major League Baseball last season with 58 homers.Asked what it feels like -- fun or tiring -- to take part in the most highly-watched baseball show of the summer, Howard said "all of the above." "First, just the experience of being out there is different because there's no [batting cage], and for the guys who have not really been in one like this before, you just kind of feel naked," Howard said. "There's no cage and everybody's watching you and the first thing that's going through your mind is, 'Don't not hit any home runs, don't come home with a zero, because you'll never hear the end of it from everybody.' "You're laughing and you're joking around, but when you get in there into the later rounds and stuff like that, you start getting a little tired. It's a lot more physical than people think."
Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Ghost Rider Preview
We're already beginning to see glimpses of the advertising onslaught surrounding Columbia Pictures' upcoming feature film, "Ghost Rider," so it's no surprise we have the game in our sights as well. The antihero with a ghastly flaming head, played in the movie by Nicholas Cage, is another Marvel Comics creation, and Climax will handle the development while publishing responsibility falls to 2K Games. They're releasing Ghost Rider for both the PS2 and PSP on February 13, and we've got an in-depth look at what could be one hell of a kick-ass title. Will we finally get a great movie-to-game conversion, or is this yet another ill-advised cross-over?
The first bit of good news - as we see it, anyway - is that Climax isn't creating the game around the movie's storyline; they've actually written a whole new plot that takes place after the movie. Furthermore, we'll get to see a whole bunch of stuff that won't be in the film, like a variety of characters and style elements you might recognize from the classic comic series. However, the basic concept remains the same: you play as Johnny Blaze, a stuntman by day and the hellish demon Ghost Rider at night. He took the bait and signed his soul away for his hot (pun intended) new powers, and now, he's cursed to riding around on a freaky chopper with a ton of leather. It's not hell, per se, but a flaming skull certainly looks painful.
For those of you already familiar with the story, you'll certainly recognize the name of the bad dude, Mephisto. You'll face him numerous times throughout the adventure, but he's hardly the only nasty enemy you'll encounter. In fact, several horrific villains are lying in wait for the game version of Ghost Rider, and the list includes Lilith, Scarecrow, and Blackout. And if you're looking for a solid sense of authenticity, comic writers Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti were on hand during the development process, so they probably knew the ins and outs of the story. If you don't want your entertainment adaptation to suck, bring in the guys who are most familiar with the concept, right?
As far as the gameplay is concerned, Climax is going all out with this one, tossing out a hardcore, in-your-face combat engine along the lines of God of War or Devil May Cry. The dark rider will begin with the typical assortment of melee moves, and by defeating enemies, you'll gather their souls...kinda like Scorpion fused with Shang Tsung, Mortal Kombat fans. Those souls can be exchanged to unlock all kinds of goodies, like more battle maneuvers and special weapons. You actually begin with the hellfire shotgun, but the gun doesn't use bullets; it uses the same "Retribution" power you utilize to send Ghost Rider into Rage Mode. Therefore, we're seeing a certain amount of strategy here, as the player will have to balance and allocate that Retribution Power effectively.
One seriously cool feature we'll be interested in seeing is the "penance stare," which is the ability Ghost Rider uses to force his foes to experience all the pain and suffering they've caused (remember that scene at the end of "The Crow?"). In the game, this stare will be used as a finishing move of sorts - Fatality, baby! - and we've heard the ability will be shown cut-scene style, in a style consistent with the movie. And of course, you'll both walk and ride in the game, even coming across races in your devilish travels. You can also attack from the seat of your killer ride by using a homing projectile and a wicked chain attack, specifically designed for those unfortunate souls who get too close.
We briefly touched on the unlockable content and secrets scattered throughout the game, but now it's time to elaborate- once you've completed the main story, you will unlock Blade, the widely recognized half-vampire warrior, recently depicted in a trilogy of popular movies. But that's not even the cool part. What's awesome about unlocking Blade is that you can actually go back through the entire game with him, and Climax has gone out of their way to include a whole new set of moves and abilities for the cool-as-the-other-side-of-the-pillow vampire slayer. Furthermore, we'll receive the customary production art unlockables as well as several "Ghost Rider" comic issues that you can read in their entirety. Now that's what we call productive fanservice.
All of this is for the PS2 version, but in regards to the PSP version, it will feature the same extra content and unlockables, although we'll certainly see a visual revamping to fit the portable. In addition, they're breaking up the missions into shorter segments, and each segment will boast three "skull challenges" you can attempt to complete. This will involve finishing the level within a set time limit, finishing with a minimum number of souls, and for the gambler, a "wild card" requirement that will vary from segment to segment. While the PS2 version relies on souls to obtain new abilities, you'll be using the skulls received in those challenges to gain your new powers in the PSP version. The good news is you'll be able to return to previously played levels and complete unfinished challenges for those skulls.
While this sounds like a somewhat watered down and more structured version of the PS2 game, the PSP version will have the benefit of an exclusive multiplayer mode. Four players at once can select from 10 Ghost Rider characters and head out to the track, ala Mario Kart, only with Twisted Metal-esque weapons. And within that race mode, you can choose from Vengeance (regular race), Eliminator (last-place racer after each lap goes home), and Survivor (health slowly deteriorates over the course of the race). Doesn't this sound like an absolute blast?
It's too bad they didn't have enough time to bring this game to next-gen consoles, but then again, Ghost Rider appears to have plenty of promise. It's all going to revolve around that combat mechanic, and how the motorcycle and special abilities will be implemented. Let's hope, Marvel fans!
1/25/2007 Ben Dutka
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CARSON, Calif. – It has been an extremely positive week for Gyasi Zardes, who trained fully with the LA Galaxy for the first time this week and even made a brief appearance for the Galaxy reserves on Monday.
But will the Homegrown forward make the gameday roster for Saturday's clash against Sporting Kansas City?
Zardes has been impressed with his fitness level during the week's training and did well during a brief 17 minute shift in a Reserve League match against Seattle Sounders FC on Monday, but whether he makes the roster on Saturday remains a question mark.
"I would definitely be surprised, but I'm working my way into it and that is what I'm looking forward to it," Zardes told LA Galaxy Insider. "[Head coach Bruce Arena] keeps everyone on their toes [in terms of roster selection], but it'd be very exciting and my dream come true because I haven't stepped on the field."
Gyasi Zardes practicing his scoring opportunities in #lagalaxy practice. Check it out. vine.co/v/bUhuYWYjdzA— Adam Serrano (@LAGalaxyInsider) April 18, 2013


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Interview with Mat Whitecross (Christmas Lights video director) - pt 2
23 December 2010 3:28 pm
The second part of our interview with the maker of Coldplay's oldest and newest videos
23 December 2010 3:28 pm
The second part of our interview with the maker of Coldplay's oldest and newest videos
Mat, pictured left, on the Christmas Lights shoot
Do you enjoy working with Coldplay?
Definitely. It's all very low key, as if it's just mates putting something together. If they wanted to, I'm sure they could pick up the phone and do a music video with Michel Gondry or Spike Jonze or someone. But instead they're talking about it as if they're a band who've just been signed and are having a bit of a muck around.
Which, of course, you have experience of, having directed their first ever video.
Haha! I do. That was probably just as stressful. With Bigger Stronger, Chris rang me the night before and changed the song. It was going to be Spies, but they changed it at the last minute. I remember I'd been working on a student short with Penelope Keith and he rang me up pretending to be her. And I was so tired that I was completely taken in. He actually rang me the night before the Christmas Lights shoot and said it wasn't going to be that song any more. Luckily I knew he must be winding me up!
How many videos have you made with them now?
Bigger Stronger, Violet Hill, Lost!, Lovers In Japan and this. So five. Six if you count Lost+. And we've shot in the studio and filmed lots of gigs, as well.
You met them at university?
I did. I was living in UCL in halls with them. And over the summer holidays I slept in the place in Camden Road that Jonny and Chris used to live in. They put me up for a bit while I was looking for a job. So, I've known them for a long time now, since '96 or '97.
And you've always kept in touch?
That's the amazing thing - there's group of about 20 or 30 of us from college who are all still in touch. And the reason is really that we all meet up at Coldplay gigs! But the main thing with working with them is that it almost feels like making a home movie or family video. The atmosphere on set is always very, very different to anything else I work on. It's like working with friends, which is incredible.
What did you think of the Coldplay fans [recruited via Coldplay fan site Coldplaying] who were on the boat for the Christmas Light shoot?
They were amazing! I've spoken to a few people who've seen the video and assumed they were a special effect! But it was so beautiful. I think the band were really touched that they turned up and actually did that for real, and that they were patient enough to sit there in the freezing cold and wait for us to get on with it. There's something quite moving about hearing them singing along to the track. I really like it. They sounded brilliant.
There are so many great little touches in the video.
Well, there are even some accidental ones. There's a cross where the piano is supposed to go from one of the earlier takes, which is next to Chris's eyes at the start. In a way, it's those little mistakes that make you realise it's real. There are quite a few little things like that in there.
Did the shoot go smoothly?
Actually, it was a bit of a nightmare. We had problems with the piano and with the crane. But you forget about those things when you watch it.
Christmas music videos tend to stick around for a long time. This is a video that we might well be watching in 50 years.
I hope so. The track's so good that I'm sure people will still be listening to it. It's very, very difficult to pull of a decent Christmas tune, but I think they've done it.
What else are you up to at the moment?
I've got a few things on the horizon. I'm doing a film with Ray Winstone, early next year. It's like a road movie thriller, which we're hoping to be filming in March. And I've got some TV series and some movies and another documentary that I'm working on. It's quite tricky for film makers to get things financed at the moment, but fingers crossed some of it comes off.
It's been a good year for you, though. Sex And Drugs And Rock n Roll was a big success.
Yeah. And I did the Take That thing too. But, actually, since April I've been trying to get this road movie made. That feels like a really long time. I just want to crack on with it.
Do you think making the Bigger Stronger video opened doors for you?
I'm not so sure that one did, because it was such early days. But I honestly don't think that I'd have got to do Sex and Drugs if the band hadn't asked me to do Lovers In Japan. They never believe you when you tell them, but people do take you much more seriously when you've worked with Coldplay, on videos of that scale. It's helped enormously.
Finally, the question we always ask Coldplay.com interviewees, what's your favourite Coldplay song?
It changes all the time, and there's so many that I love, but I think in terms of connecting with something, I remember when they used to play Careful Where You Stand. I love that tune. I still find that one really beautiful and haunting. I used to listen to it a lot when they were first starting out.
The choice of a hardcore Coldplay fan!
Haha! I just feel lucky to have seen them grow from literally jamming in a bedroom to being one of the biggest bands on the planet. It's very surreal. But they wear it so lightly and they're such lovely guys, who are still in touch with all their mates from that time, that it actually feels completely natural. I'm very proud of them.
Read part one of the interview
You can see the Bigger Sronger video, with the band's commentary, on the Timeline at Sept 99.
Christmas Lights is available to download now from itunes.com/Coldplay


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Paving Over the Money Pit of Nuclear-Weapons Spending
By Russ Wellen, October 19, 2011
To conform to the requirements of the congressional supercommittee, the House of Representatives is debating whether to cut hundreds of billions from nuclear weapons programs over the next 10 years.
At the Atlantic, Joseph Cirincione of the Ploughshares Funds writes::
One of these two new nuclear facilities is the proposed Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement Nuclear Facility (CMRR-NF) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. On the grounds that a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), instead of just a supplemental EIS, was required because of, among other things, seismic issues (such as a 3.8 earthquake nearby on October 16) the Los Alamos Study Group sought to halt the project.
In his latest press release, LASG executive director Greg Mello writes that, on October 13, "the National Nuclear Security Administration … issued an 'amended' 'Record of Decision' to build the [CMRR-NF] expected to cost $4 to $6 billion. … as much as the total constant-dollar [adjusted for inflation] cost of all the buildings and programs in Los Alamos for the first decade and a half, from 1943 to 1957." During the Manhattan Project, that is.
The Record of Decision, Mello explains, "is the formal completion of the most recent environmental review of the project under the National Environmental Policy Act."
But, just as it looked like it was green-lighted, "We do not anticipate that this project will succeed, in the end," writes Mello. "We are now in a kind of fiscal 'Indian Summer;' the real frosts of deficit reduction have not started to hit. … Many decision makers know there isn't enough money to build CMRR simultaneously with a more important project in Tennessee unless both are slowed and made much more expensive in the process." Ironic as that sounds.
He concludes that the United States can't "afford to maintain such a huge nuclear arsenal in the first place, since the delivery systems are wearing out and very expensive to replace." As usual, Mello not only looks at the costs, but the wider implications for the real-world economy. The CMRR-NF, like nuclear weapons in general for the most part, "also makes no economically useful infrastructure, attracts no private capital, trains nobody in anything useful for our economy, and produces no goods and services for sale (we hope). … At $1,000,000 per job created, it's an economic disaster in waiting."


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H&R 1871 INC Ultra Light Single Shot Shotgun
H&R 12 Ga Slug Hunter/24" Rifled Barrel/3" Chamber/Walnut Stock
Available in 12 and 20 gauge, H&R's Ultra Light Slug Hunter weighs in at a mere 5 1/2 lbs, has a 24" Ultragon rifled barrel for enhanced accuracy, a Monte Carlo stock and a Weaver style scope base. With this many features being called a lightweight is an honor.
SPECIFICATIONS:Mfg Item Num: SB1S14 Category: FIREARMS - SHOTGUNS Action :Break Open (Single Shot)Gauge :12Barrel Length :24"Capacity :1Chamber :3"Length :40"Weight :5 1/4 lbsDrop :1 1/2" @ Comb & 2" @ HeelStock :WalnutFinish :Blue


text: BUS M450 Marketing Strategy and Planning (3 cr.) P or C: M 303. Focuses on marketing's role in gaining a sustainable competitive advantage. Topics include competitor analysis, managing competitive interaction, and marketing signaling. Emphasis is on applications through the use of case studies and/or computer game simulation of competitive interaction and the development of a strategic marketing plan.


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ABP Clones and the southern and all-island AGMs
The Guild of Agricultural Journalists of Ireland held its southern section AGM and all-island AGM in Cavan this year. VIEW THE PICTURES HERE or click below to continue reading.
RABDF Briefing for Guild members on livestock event at NEC
September deadline for 2016 Agricultural Journalism Awards entries
The Northern Section AGM
The Northern Section held their AGM on 1st June in the Titanic Campus of Belfast Metropolitan College.


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KEXP Reviews
|Browse by one of the following:
- (Capitol)
This Scottish band returns with their third album. Available in Europe last year, it's just being released in the US. It's another great catchy and chaotic mix of upbeat rockers and slower, longing pop songs. 3/15/2003 - John Richards
Other Idlewild album reviews:
100 Broken Mirrors - 3/15/2001


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Carolinas League Boards Approve Merger Recommendation
A proposed merger of the credit union leagues of the Carolinas has officially gotten under way.
The boards of directors of the South Carolina Credit Union League and North Carolina Credit Union League voted Thursday to recommend that their member credit unions approve consolidation of the two leagues.
The leagues did not release the vote count.
Each league will share details of the consolidation with its member credit unions in May and June, according to a joint statement. The member credit unions are expected to vote on the merger question by September.
If the member credit unions approved the consolidation, the new league would be created on Jan. 1, the statement said.
"Our board sees great promise in bringing together these two leagues," said NCCUL Chair Maurice Smith, president/CEO of the $1.2 billion Local Government FCU in Raleigh. "Consolidation provides clear value and sets us on a path to successfully meet the changing needs of credit unions in the Carolinas."
Faye Crocker, SCCUL board chair and CEO of the $12 million Greater Abbeville FCU, said, "Our board has concluded that a consolidated league creates a financially strong organization that can deliver powerful and effective advocacy in Columbia, Raleigh and Washington, D.C. for years to come. We are excited about this opportunity and look forward to sharing more about our vision for the new league with credit unions in the coming weeks."
In December, the leagues formed a task force to assess whether a consolidation would position both organizations to continue meeting the needs of the nearly 90 credit unions in North Carolina and the 69 credit unions in South Carolina.
In addition to the proposed merger of the North Carolina and South Carolina leagues, member credit unions of the Credit Union Association of Oklahoma are expected to vote next week to consolidate with the Texas Credit Union League and the Arkansas Credit Union League, which already have approved that proposed merger. If Oklahoma credit unions approve the merger, the three leagues will operate under the Cornerstone Credit Union League.


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Can anyone recommend a vacuum gauge for me? I'm going to need to do a throttle-body sync on a K100. Is the tool I need the same as a carb sync tool? Or is there a difference I'm missing? If you have any recommendations on where to get one that's reliable and inexpensive, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks in advance!


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When they arrived at Sanyi Town of Mengcheng County, there were 4 men and 2 women who came in a microbus, welcomed them, and warmly invited them to dinner in a local villager's home. After dinner, Miss Jiang's boyfriend made an excuse that the house could not accommodate all of them, so he'd leave and would return tomorrow. But the next day, Mr.Li had vanished. Miss name missing found that it was a set-up, and demanded to leave. But the host's face turned green. The host told her that she had been sold by her boyfriend to him for 12,000 yuan. For more than 7 months after that, she was watched closely by the buyer. On Dec 20, Miss Jiang found there was only an old man in the house, took the chance to get away from it, and dialled 110.
I changed 'swindle' to 'set-up' because it seemed more appropriate for the situation the woman was in- she wasn't swindled (she wasn't conned out of money). I also changed the sequencing at the end because I assumed from the context that she got out of the house before she called the police.
Student or Learner


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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, House Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), and city council officers, were on hand; Gov. David Paterson, in a statement, called the event "another step forward in updating New York's aging infrastructure to meet the needs of a 21st Century metropolis."
By developing the Number 7 line to 34th Street and 11th Avenue, we are introducing a vital lifeline to one of our city's least developed areas," said Paterson. "As we fight to restore confidence and prosperity in the markets, it is crucial that we promote the economic potential of the new far West Side."
MTA Capital Construction President Michael Horodniceanu said that as digging proceeds "we are looking at packaging the contracts for the follow-on work which includes station entrances and finishes, as well as support facilities such as ventilation and traction power stations."
The extension is scheduled to open for revenue service in 2013.


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Utilizing Playback Theatre to Enhance Awareness of the Body, Mind and Spirit (1 credit)
Looking for an extra credit? Want to learn about Playback Theatre?
The Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies is offering one-weekend, one-credit class this Fall entitled Utilizing Playback Theatre to Enhance Awareness of the Body, Mind and Spirit. This course is particularly useful for students studying drama, health sciences, and education.
Friday, November 2: 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 3: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 4: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
This experiential, one-credit weekend seminar will introduce students to Playback Theatre. Students will awaken senses, emotions, and body awareness, practice listening, and learn the fundamentals of Playback Theatre. Playback Theatre is created through a unique collaboration between performers and audience. It involves someone telling a story or about a moment from their life. They then choose actors to play the different roles and then watch as their story is immediately recreated and given artistic shape and coherence.playbacknet.org
Jari Aho, Masters in Psychology and Bachelor of Arts in Literature, Lecturer
JAMK University of Applied Sciences in Jyväskylä, Finland
Enroll now on HomerConnect: RLS 16000; CRN #22887
Sponsored by School of HS&HP & Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies
For more information contact:
Dr. Janice Elich Monroe
(607) 274-3172
Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Marlo Del Toro at firstname.lastname@example.com or (607) 274-3335. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.
Originally published in Intercom: Utilizing Playback Theatre to Enhance Awareness of the Body, Mind and Spirit (1 credit).


text: I think one of the best things about tennis is the fact that tactic is a huge part of the game and allows a lower ranked player to beat his opponent based on a certain shot / tactic. Since I'm a huge tennis fan and also playing myself (of course not professional) I found out that, there are always some matchup issues. So I started to use ATP world tours head2head searcher, trying to find some interesting head2head records. I think this is really a great forum but sadly there are a lot of young kids / immature guys, so I just want to point out that I'm not against some players neither I'm trying to say who is the best (or GOAT if you will) whatsoever. All I want to do is find some obvious matchup issues between players. I'm not searching for obvious head2heads. What I mean by that is, if a top 10 players leads against someone out of the top 10 by something like 8-4. That is somewhat predictable. If it's the other way around, that's what I'm looking for. Another thing what I like to concentrate on is, if someone dominates another player (i.e. Federer – Ferrer 14-0), especially due to the fact that both have been in the top20s for ages. Since there are a lot of things one has to consider, to make a fair comparison, I just like to point out what I think is important: Age It's definitely not a fair comparison if someone is at his peak (let's say 25 years of age) playing against an 18 year old kid. Also the other way around. A player at his peak against a player at his 30+. Still, it's interesting to see if there are some clear results. (No, I don't want to start a Federer – Nadal head2head discussion!!) Ranking This kind of could go hand in hand with the age. I just think that it should be considerd if someone was maybe injured for quite some time and just coming back (i.e. Del Potro). Or Agassi for instance who was not even in the top 100 at some point. Total number of matches I think 2 or 3 matches is the minimum of matches played, so it is a fair comparison. Why 2 or 3? Well I think playing someone once doesn't necessarily mean he has a matchup issue. (Surface) The surface is really a beauty of tennis. Sadly today there aren't many different surfaces anymore, but still there is obviously a difference for some players to have success on let's say both grass and clay (i.e. Ferrer). I hope I'm not the only one who finds that interesting. I would update the head2heads if you guys are also interested. To sum up: I'm searching for surprises and clear onesided head2heads. I haven't looked much for onesided head2heads thought. English is not my first language, so I hope everything was kind of comprehensible.


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The Media 100 company began shipping the new version 11 systems--Media 100 HD Suite, Media 100 HDe, and Media 100 SDe--in June 2006. In addition to the qualification of the RAID, Inc. Falcon series products, the new version 11 systems offer 10-bit uncompressed HD and SD editing capabilities, support for broadcast-quality format conversions, and increased system performance leveraging Mac OS X® and AJA Video OEM solutions. The new Media 100 solutions also represent the first step towards native integration with the Boris FX product line, bringing the world-class compositing and effects technology seamlessly within the Media 100 interface.
With the Falcon II and III storage products, Media 100 users can now maximize up to 3.4TB capacity per system and 7,200 RPM to ensure fast access to data including multi-gigabyte graphic and digital image files. The Falcon II performance is based on new architecture which incorporates a 266 MHz ASIC, integrated dual PCI-X bus design and support for double data rate (DDR) memory which provides internal bandwidth up to 2GB/sec, making it suitable for high-throughput applications. The Falcon III series of 4Gb Fibre to SATA-2 storage systems were designed for environments that demand the ultimate in performance such as cluster, database server, short window disk-to-disk backup, and video editing/compositing applications such as Media 100 and Boris FX.
Media 100 version 11 is available from Media 100's worldwide Authorized Reseller channel or direct from Media 100 (www.media100.com). The new Media 100 NLE systems start at $2495 US SRP. Media 100 sw, a software-based companion to existing Media 100 systems, is available for $395 US SRP. RAID Pricing; both RAID Falcon II and III products are available through RAID authorized partners or direct from RAID, Inc. (www.raidinc.com). Pricing and configurations vary based on capacity points and redundancy options.


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I'll be here all day Tuesday bringing the good or bad news, assisted by my awesome babesaurus aka Workout Girl, until such time as I/we collapse from happiness or misery. Via Balloon Juice, links to connect with the Obama Campaign in the swing States:
Iowa • New Hampshire • Colorado • Nevada • Ohio
Virginia • Florida • Wisconsin • North Carolina
And here is the GOTV link for the rest: vote.barackobama.com. Daily Kos chips in with a GOTV effort that you can plug into at this link. I think women are one huge group that's gonna bring it this election. But there's some useful links for you swingin swing staters with both X and Y chromosomes.


text: Main Content House Bill 5209 (2011) rss? friendly link printer friendly Friendly Link: http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?2011-HB-5209 Public Act 94 of 2012 (Effective: 4/12/2012) Find this PA in the MCL Sponsors Ed McBroom - (primary)Andrea LaFontaine, Kevin Daley, Joel Johnson, Sharon Tyler, Kenneth Kurtz, Cindy Denby, Ben Glardon, Paul Muxlow, Bruce Rendon, Rick Outman, Deb Shaughnessy, Wayne A. Schmidt (click name to see bills sponsored by that person) Categories Agriculture: products; State agencies (existing): agriculture and rural development; Agriculture; products; administrative rules related to the Upper Peninsula state fair; rescind. Amends 1927 PA 89 (MCL 285.141 - 285.145) by adding sec. 6. Bill Documents Bill Document Formatting Information [x] The following bill formatting applies to the 2011-2012 session:- New language in an amendatory bill will be shown in BOLD AND UPPERCASE.- Language to be removed will be stricken.- Amendments made by the House will be blue with square brackets, such as: [House amended text].- Amendments made by the Senate will be red with double greater/lesser than symbols, such as: <<Senate amended text>>. (gray icons indicate that the action did not occur or that the document is not available) Documents House Introduced Bill Introduced bills appear as they were introduced and reflect no subsequent amendments or changes. As Passed by the House As Passed by the House is the bill, as introduced, that includes any adopted House amendments. As Passed by the Senate As Passed by the Senate is the bill, as received from the House, that includes any adopted Senate amendments. House Concurred Bill Concurred bill is the version passed in identical form by both houses of the Legislature, issued prior to availability of the Enrolled bill. Public Act Public Act is a bill that has become law. Bill Analysis House Fiscal Agency Analysis Summary As Introduced (01-24-12)This document analyzes: HB5206, HB5207, HB5208, HB5209, HB5210, HB5211, HB5212 Summary as Reported (Enrolled Version) (02-01-12)This document analyzes: HB5206, HB5207, HB5208, HB5209, HB5210, HB5211, HB5212 Senate Fiscal Analysis COMMITTEE SUMMARY (Date Completed: 3-21-12)This document analyzes: HB5206, HB5207, HB5208, HB5209, HB5210, HB5211, HB5212 FLOOR SUMMARY (Date Completed: 3-26-12)This document analyzes: HB5206, HB5207, HB5208, HB5209, HB5210, HB5211, HB5212 History (House actions in lowercase, Senate actions in UPPERCASE) Date JournalAction 12/13/2011HJ 100 Pg. 2849introduced by Representative Ed McBroom 12/13/2011HJ 100 Pg. 2849read a first time 12/13/2011HJ 100 Pg. 2849referred to Committee on Agriculture 12/14/2011HJ 101 Pg. 2915printed bill filed 12/14/2011 2/1/2012HJ 9 Pg. 108reported with recommendation without amendment 2/1/2012HJ 9 Pg. 108referred to second reading 2/2/2012HJ 10 Pg. 118read a second time 2/2/2012HJ 10 Pg. 118placed on third reading 2/7/2012HJ 11 Pg. 134read a third time 2/7/2012HJ 11 Pg. 134passed; given immediate effect Roll Call # 35 Yeas 104 Nays 0 2/7/2012HJ 11 Pg. 134transmitted 2/8/2012SJ 11 Pg. 144REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE 3/27/2012SJ 31 Pg. 461REPORTED FAVORABLY WITHOUT AMENDMENT 3/27/2012SJ 31 Pg. 461COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED IMMEDIATE EFFECT 3/27/2012SJ 31 Pg. 461REFERRED TO COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE 3/28/2012SJ 32 Pg. 477REPORTED BY COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE FAVORABLY WITHOUT AMENDMENT(S) 3/28/2012SJ 32 Pg. 477PLACED ON ORDER OF THIRD READING 3/29/2012SJ 33 Pg. 503PASSED; GIVEN IMMEDIATE EFFECT ROLL CALL # 186 YEAS 38 NAYS 0 EXCUSED 0 NOT VOTING 0 3/29/2012HJ 34 Pg. 548returned from Senate without amendment with immediate effect 3/29/2012HJ 34 Pg. 548bill ordered enrolled 4/17/2012HJ 35 Pg. 569presented to the Governor 4/3/2012 @ 2:06 PM 4/17/2012HJ 35 Pg. 580approved by the Governor 4/10/2012 @ 7:57 AM 4/17/2012HJ 35 Pg. 580filed with Secretary of State 4/12/2012 @ 1:55 PM 4/17/2012HJ 35 Pg. 580assigned PA 94'12 with immediate effect


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a vry beautiful yng women hot bod perfect yng cunt for masterbation nice toy fuck & finish up finger fuck wld luv to see a cock in her, mine
Man, those eyes! I would not last long at all if she was looking at me like that.
The girl have a beautiful face and very sensual
Het name is caprice
Whats her name?
tori black
The director said cut, why were they still filming, and why was she still looking at the camera
she is so pretty!
OMG that is so HOT!
Thank the lord this girl went into porn!
sizzling hot,wats the name of the girl on the video?
wow endless orgasmy my ass she didnt even squirt
Very hot! I love those small boobs!
I watch alot porn and that was the BEST masturbation vid iv ever seen so freakin hott!!!!
she sure put some lead in my pencil
those eyes! those lips! those small breasts! those thighs! that smile! that look! oh wow, i spermed all over my keyboard... love it :-)
nice try using a jack hammer lol
She's got it....
BRAVO BRAVO thats i the best masturbation video i have ever seen.
And who is the man that came in the image at the end??? Lame! And also there is no ending like usually is in x-art vids...
I thought she was going to work her way up to a beer can or something, lol. Not my fave x-art pic
Ridiculously gorgeous....she'd have me wrapped around her finger... Or Pussy :)
She reminds me of a Redhead that I once dated.... I should have married that girl!!! One of my biggest mistakes!!! Dang it!!!
man id love to be that pink dildo
damn i cumed so much that i couldnt just wipe it off flat tire had to flat tire-alissa
I want the pink toy! Where can I buy?
Did anyone ever answer the pink toy question ? My wife wants one .
Leave a comment...Me encanta esa chica tan bellisima y ademas, multiorgasmica. Con solo acariciarla se excita. Es divino
open wide, wider, no WIDER. pretty little tits
fuck your hot! and im a chick thats only ever fucked guys but with you i can imagine me and you on the bed, you on your back naked, me spreading your legs and ontop, then grinding my pussy hard and fast on your pubic bone and clit!!! breakfast sex, lunch time sex dinner and all night desert just for you!!! i would make it my duty to make you have shuddering orgasms all the time, thats how hot you are mmmm so moist now i need to cum wish it was on you
Wow BB69 just reading that is a super turn on I wanna watch!!!
This may be the greatest masturbation video ever. The long version anyway
creo que me he enamorado
Really really hot!
Is the best part.
Tori' I luv u! The way u masturbated was great. just can't stop rubbing my dick!!!!!
x-art has done much better stuff than this, not impressed
Tori, if you ever need any help to achieve an endless orgasm, i´m all yours
whats the music?? its pretty wicked as is she!
Oh Tori, Tori, Tori! You are a goddess!
she is so beautiful :)
Hold on until the end if you can, time yourself, don't miss the bonus scene
i want to fuck you so hard
Just splendid . I wish to all girls orgasms like that.And if it possible without power toys...Maybe it would be less galactic but more human I think.
Is he going to fuck her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
want sex!!
lovely pussy..
first, hell yeah!
As above. Does anyone know the name of this song?
the bonus part, is the best
I'll become a lesbian for that girl!
This question could be weird... But what's the name of the song?
Tori Black is so lovely, sexy & super hot!
the eyes and pussy made my cock shoot
bonus part my ass, clearly they just claim "after the director said cut" to make it seem like shes enjoying herself and it makes it seem like she wants to finish but obviously thats a lie.. lol
I cum a lot
such a turn on
i love her looks and she was looking at the cameraman like "please, please, now fuck me". she's fuckin' hot! I love her!!!
@facer: exactly what i thought. the last seconds of this clip make it endless. Those eyes... incredible.
SO yammy feelings she had
If it's endless, then how did the video end at 6:39?
Perfect music for this hot vid. i bet the camera crew creamed in they pants
not bad
Tori Black: The definition of porn beauty...
Butiful pussy if any girls wanna snap chat me at hakah123 do so
I want to see an X-art girl squirting!
very beautiful
hot, hot and hot again!
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text: So according to RealGm, John Wall is close to signing to a max deal with the Wizards which is a good idea since he's an All-Star PG in the making. He's set to sign a 5-year, $80 million contract. Thoughts? Is it too much or just right? For me, it's iffy. Health is the biggest concern right now. If he can stay healthy and improve upon his scoring efficiency, then I say it's well worth it. It really make you think about how much of a bargain Curry and Holiday are!


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Editor: The left-wing press is in a tither because there is a movement afoot to oust the three liberal justices on the Florida State Supreme Court. State Supreme Court justices are appointed by the governor and only answer to the people in the form of a "retention vote" every six years. Liberals believe that the Constitution is a "breathing" or "evolving" document. Many have been quoted using those terms over the years. Translation: It means what they want it to mean when they want it to mean it.
Two years ago the voters of Iowa voted to not retain their liberal justices. The left and the media howled. We have seen the liberals turn to the courts in California to overturn laws and voter initiatives.
Dispute two elections in Wisconsin the left has found one liberal judge, yes one liberal judge, to at least temporarily put a hold on the will of the people. You can assure this type of activism doesn't happen in Florida. Vote "no" on retention of all three Supreme Court justices.


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Iwakuma uses tennis ball to build up arm strength
Walker, Pryor to make debuts Saturday against Padres' Minor Leaguers
By Greg Johns / MLB.com
PEORIA, Ariz. -- Injured All-Star Hisashi Iwakuma threw a tennis ball Friday in his first step back from a six-week layoff with a sprained finger tendon, while young Mariners right-handers Taijuan Walker and Stephen Pryor are scheduled to make their spring debuts in Minor League games Saturday.
The three injured hurlers could all be critical factors for Seattle this season, so their progress is being closely monitored. All three will presumably open the regular season on the 15-day disabled list, given there are only 10 days until the Mariners face the Angels in Anaheim on March 31.
Iwakuma, 32, will need to slowly build back up his arm strength over the coming weeks. He began the throwing program with a tennis ball inside the Mariners' training room, just to work on strengthening his grip after not being able to hold a baseball the past six weeks.
"I threw about 40-45 times with a tennis ball inside the weight room," Iwakuma said. "I felt good, no pain, better range of motion. So far, so good."
The Mariners won't rush the process with the right-hander, who went 14-6 with a 2.66 ERA last season and finished third in the American League Cy Young voting. He'll need to build up to long-toss and then throwing bullpen sessions before taking the mound for his own Minor League rehab appearances sometime in April.
"I'm happy he's back out and starting to be active again," manager Lloyd McClendon said, "but it's going to take a little while. It's not going to happen overnight. We just need to get him moving forward."
Walker, who is ranked the Mariners' top prospect and was projected to land a starting-rotation job coming into camp, hasn't pitched in a game since arriving in camp with a sore throwing shoulder and later being shut down for a week after being diagnosed with bursitis.
Walker has thrown three bullpen sessions in recent days and now will begin testing his arm in game situations, with a scheduled 20 pitches Saturday in an outing against the Padres' Class A club at the Mariners' practice complex at 1 p.m. PT.
"I'm pumped," said the 21-year-old. "When they told me they'd get me in a game with 20-30 pitches, I'll take it. I'll take whatever it is. This is a big test. I don't want to go out there blowing it out. It's going to be tough holding it back, but I want to go out there with fastballs and changeups and just work on location, throwing at 80-85 percent and just keep it there. If everything goes good, we'll move forward."
"Ideally, we'd like to see him go two innings and see how it goes," McClendon said. "It's a Minor League game, so we can control it and go from there."
Pryor, 24, hasn't thrown in a game since a Minor League rehab outing last July, when the hard-throwing reliever discovered he was having further issues with a torn latissimus dorsi muscle behind his right shoulder that initially sidelined him two weeks into the Mariners' season.
Pryor is scheduled to follow Walker on Saturday with a 20-pitch inning of his own in the Minor League game in Peoria, Ariz.
"I'll get in there and see how it goes," Pryor said. "It's a big step for me. I'm excited about it."
Pryor has thrown five bullpen sessions and three batting practice sessions this spring, clearing every hurdle while increasing his strength and velocity. Pryor was expected to be a key member of last year's bullpen and had thrown 7 1/3 scoreless innings in the first two weeks of the year when he initially tore the lat muscle.
If Pryor can return at full strength in the early going this season, that would be a significant boost to Seattle's relief crew. And the big right-hander feels that is certainly possible.
"I'm not coming up sore or hurt, so this is the next step in the progression," Pryor said. "I set high goals for myself, so I was hoping to be ready to go April 1. That's not the case. I don't know where they have me, but if I could be back in mid-April, before May sometime, that would be great, in my opinion. But we'll have to wait and see how the progression goes."
McClendon still 'tinkering' with lineup
PEORIA, Ariz. -- Manager Lloyd McClendon had Abraham Almonte in the leadoff spot Friday night against the Padres, the 16th time in 25 Cactus League games he's penciled the young center fielder into that position.
But McClendon said he's not ready to pronounce Almonte as his leadoff hitter for the regular season.
"Down here, he has been," McClendon said. "But I'm not ready to make those type decisions. We're still tinkering with our lineup. You could see other guys leading off. You'll see somebody else leading off one of the games tomorrow."
That's because the Mariners have a split-squad situation Saturday and Almonte can only lead off one of the games. But so far this spring, he's been in that role the vast majority of contests, with Endy Chavez (five), Brad Miller (two) and Dustin Ackley and James Jones (one each) the other leadoff hitters.
Almonte was hitting just .160 (8-for-50) with two doubles, two home runs and three stolen bases going into Friday night's game. But McClendon likes the skill set of the 24-year-old and used Thursday's game against the Cubs as an example, after Almonte singled, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly.
"I like what I've seen," McClendon said. "Obviously he hasn't gotten the positive results that equate to having a successful Spring Training, so to speak. But he's done some nice things. He's hit the ball on the barrel for the most part. He's made solid contact. We all saw what his speed could do yesterday. There are a lot of good things."
The new skipper continues moving other hitters around in his lineup. He had Miller up in the two-spot against the Padres, with Kyle Seager dropped to fifth.
"I'm just tinkering around to see what fits best," he said. "We'll do a little more tinkering. You may see Seager hit fourth, I don't know. We'll see where we are."
One spot that won't be changing: Robinson Cano will be batting third.
"Not much tinkering there," McClendon said with a laugh.
Prieto promoted to coach for Major League staff
PEORIA, Ariz. -- Chris Prieto, who had been slated to manage the Class-A Clinton club in the Mariners Minor League system, instead was promoted to the Major League staff on Friday as a quality control coach.
Manager Lloyd McClendon said Prieto, 41, will serve as the go-between for the Mariners' advance scouting department and the Major League coaching staff.
"He'll coordinate with the statistical analysis people and be the liaison between that department and our coaching staff, making sure our scouting reports are right-on and have the things we want and need, and eliminate the things we don't need," McClendon said.
"He'll be in charge of defense and how we position, a little more in-depth scouting on how we position players as we move forward during the season."
Prieto is in his second year in the organization. He managed the Rookie League Pulaski club to a league-best 41-27 record last year after previously coaching in the Padres' farm system. Prieto was an outfielder for 13 years in pro ball and played two games with the Angels in 2005.
He'll travel with the team and throw batting practice and take part in pregame drills, but won't be in uniform during games due to the limit of coaches allowed in the dugout.
McClendon said the position is one that he and general manager Jack Zduriencik have been talking about for some time.
"As we move forward, I think it's a good idea, and something most clubs are moving toward, to give us that eye in the sky, so to speak," McClendon said. "He'll give a little different perspective, not only the ability to scout other teams, but also scout ourselves. If there's something we need to do different or a weakness we can shore up, that's something we need to look into and I think he'll be a big help for us."
Worth noting
• Left-handed reliever Joe Beimel said he's back to feeling 100 percent after pitching for the first time in 12 days with a perfect inning Thursday against the Cubs. Beimel is coming back from Tommy John surgery, but said inflammation in his elbow last week apparently was due instead to a virus he caught that got into his joints.
"Never had that happen before," he said. "But everything is feeling fine now and yesterday was the best I've thrown all spring."
• Right-hander Brandon Maurer threw a bullpen session Friday as he began his return from a sore back and neck that have sidelined him since March 10.
• If Cano can push his spring total up to the necessary 50 at-bats to be included in Cactus League records, he has an excellent chance to set a Mariners record for highest spring batting average. Cano was hitting .567 (17-for-30) going into Friday night's game. The club record is .492 (32-for-65) by Michael Morse in 2008.
Ackley's .457 mark (21-for-46) going into Friday's action would rank him seventh all-time on the Mariners' spring list.
Greg Johns is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregJohnsMLB as well as his Mariners Musings blog. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Eceptionist announced today that they have chosen to support the Mayur A. Patel Foundation, based at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, as their corporate charity. The Foundation was established by the late Patel's colleagues at the University to continue his work on developing quality healthcare systems in emerging economies and underserved areas worldwide. Eceptionist and the Mayur A. Patel Foundation have a shared commitment to improved global healthcare access and processes for the benefit of both patients and providers, and Eceptionist is proud to take the first step of many towards the accomplishment of these goals.
"Eceptionist is gratified to support a cause so worthy as the Mayur A. Patel Foundation, because we understand that a solid foundation is necessary for effective healthcare delivery," said Deborah Jones of Eceptionist. "For over eight years our software platform has served as the base upon which our customers can optimize delivery across departments, sites, communities, and countries. The Foundation provides the building blocks for the communities it serves, by creating a sustainable and scalable healthcare platform at a macro level."
Eceptionist has a long history of pioneering advancements in healthcare and creating innovative means by which they can improve access for patients. This is an ideal shared with the Mayur A. Patel Foundation, whose purpose is to fund scholarships for talented students of healthcare management.
Representatives of the Foundation proclaimed their gratitude towards the support of Eceptionist. "This Foundation is a means by which we hope to memorialize our dearly departed Rush alum and faculty member, Mayur. In his short life Mayur made innumerable contributions to international healthcare; through his dedication to working with under-developed areas and emerging economies, he was able to enact his belief that all people everywhere should have access to quality healthcare. We are most grateful to Eceptionist for their support and we look forward to working together with Eceptionist for many years to come, as we strive to make Mayur's dream a reality."


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Student Testimonials
During 6 months, I did a lot of things in the US. I visited as many places as I could, ate a lot of American foods, chatted with many new friends, and so on… During the Thanksgiving holiday, I visited my roommate's house. One day, I talked with her mother about the classes at Chatham University and my dream. Then, she told me that my English was getting better than the first day. At that time, I felt so happy and I could realize that my English skill is improving.
I love Chatham. There are many friendly people around me! Thank you Chatham. Thank you everyone. –Shiho
I think Chatham is a good place for making many friends from various countries! –Rika
I love Chatham! Everyone is lovely! –Sawako
My wonderful days at Chatham University are about to end. It feels like just yesterday that I came here. I remember that I was excited about my new life in the United States. About six months later, I'm full of confidence and spark… I can't forget the days that I spent at Chatham University and the people who I met here. One day, I want to come back to the United States to repay all the people for giving me wonderful days. –Emi
My life at Chatham is AWESOME! I don't want to go back to Japaaan! –Mio
I think Chatham is open to everyone! –Ami
Chatham is beautiful university and it has good environment! –Aki
I love Chatham because it seems like my comfortable house. Everyone is very kind to me and the campus of Chatham is so sweet.
–You Jin
Chatham is a great school! Everyone is friendly and I met many great friends here! –Jing


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Quilted Trench Jacket with Detachable Hood
€595.00 €595.00
€395.00 €395.00
- A smart take on the quilted coat, this trench jacket features a belt for a defined fit and a heritage-inspired storm shield and cuff belts. The hood can be detached for rain-free days.
- Model's height: 173cm/5ft 8in
- Outer: 100% polyamide
- Undercollar: 100% polyester
- Hood lining: 100% polyester
- Check lining: 100% polyester
- Sleeve lining: 100% polyamide
- Filling: 100% polyester
- Centre zip and press-stud closure
- Press-stud front flap pockets
- Signature details: epaulettes, hook-and-eye collar closure, gun flaps, belted cuffs, check undercollar, storm shield
- Specialist dry clean
- Imported
Wear this with
Skinny Fit Low-Rise White Jeans


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NEW YORK The U.S. natural-gas market is bursting at the seams.
So much natural gas is being produced that soon there may be nowhere left to put the countrys swelling surplus. After years of explosive growth, natural-gas producers are retrenching.
The underground salt caverns, depleted oil fields and aquifers that store natural gas are filling up rapidly after a balmy winter depressed demand for home heating.
The glut has benefited businesses and homeowners who use natural gas. But with natural-gas prices at a 10-year low and falling companies that produce the fuel are becoming victims of their drilling successes. Their stock prices are falling in anticipation of declining profits and scaled-back growth plans.
Some of the nations biggest natural-gas producers, including Chesapeake Energy, ConocoPhillips and Encana Corp., have announced plans to slow down.
Theyve gotten way ahead of themselves, and winter got way ahead of them, too, says Jen Snyder, head of North American gas for the research firm Wood Mackenzie. There hasnt been enough demand to use up all the supply being pushed into the market.
So far, efforts to limit production have yet to make a dent. Unless the pace of production declines sharply or demand picks up significantly this summer, analysts say the nations storage facilities could reach their limits by fall.
That would cause the price of natural gas, which has been halved over the last year, to nosedive. Citigroup commodities analyst Anthony Yuen says the price of natural gas now $2.08 per 1,000 cubic feet could briefly fall below $1.
There would be no floor, he says.
Since October, the number of drilling rigs exploring for natural gas has fallen by 30 percent to 658, according to the energy services company Baker Hughes. Some of the sharpest drop-offs have been in the Haynesville Shale in Northwestern Louisiana and East Texas and the Fayetteville Shale in Central Arkansas. But natural-gas production still is growing, the result of a five-year drilling boom that has peppered the country with wells.
The workers and rigs arent just being sent home. Instead, they are being put to work drilling for oil, whose price has averaged more than $100 a barrel for months. The oil-rig count in the U.S. is at a 25-year high. This activity is adding to the natural-gas glut because natural gas almost always is a byproduct of oil drilling.
Analysts say that before long, companies could have to start slowing the gas flow from existing wells or even take the rare and expensive step of capping off some wells completely.
Something is going to have to give, says Maria Sanchez, manager of energy analysis at Bentek Energy, a research firm.
U.S. natural-gas production has boomed in recent years as a result of new drilling techniques that allow companies to unlock fuel trapped in shale formations. Last year, the U.S. produced an average of 63 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, a 24 percent increase from 2006. But over that period, consumption has grown half as fast.
The nations storage facilities easily could handle this extra supply until recently because cold winters pushed up demand for heating and hot summers led to higher demand for air conditioning. Just more than half the nations homes are heated with natural gas, and one-quarter of its electricity is produced by gas-fired power plants.
But this last winter was the fourth-warmest in the last 117 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It was the warmest March since 1950.
Between November and March, daily natural-gas demand fell 5 percent, on average, from a year earlier, according to Bentek Energy. Yet production grew 8 percent over the same period.
We havent ever seen a situation like this before, says Chris McGill, vice president for policy analysis at the American Gas Association, an industry group.
At the end of winter, there usually is about 1.5 trillion cubic feet of gas in storage. Today, there is 2.5 trillion cubic feet because utilities withdrew far less than usual last winter.
There is 4.4 trillion cubic feet of natural-gas storage capacity in the U.S. If full, that would be enough fuel to supply the country for about 2 months.


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Who's Coming to Savor the Central Coast 2012
Delve into the culinary, wine, gardening, and travel world with celebrity chefs and Sunset editors as they guide guests through SAVOR-exclusive demonstrations, adventure tours, and seminars. Food Network Star, Aarti Sequeira is back for the second year in a row to share her kitchen secrets. The ever-popular, and funny, Ted Allen, will be on hand to indulge guests with his culinary flare. Many more acclaimed chefs will take to the stage to showcase their talents throughout the weekend including Mandalay Bay esteemed chefs award-winning American chef, Susan Feniger and nationally acclaimed Chef Rick Moonen.


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(Harold Cunningham/Getty Images)
By Shannon Carlin
Usher has been keeping himself busy on The Voice helping young singers become superstars, but now he's back and ready to lead by example with his new song, "Good Kisser."
The the first track from his upcoming eighth studio album moves away from the EDM-influences he had on his last record, 2012's Looking 4 Myself, and has him going a little more soulful.
But since this is Usher we're talking about, this '60s throwback is as sexy as anything right now. With him bringing out the falsetto to let this lady know just how good her kisses are, he states, "I'm staring at your barrel/Pull the trigger/Chitty chitty bang bang."
Before proclaiming, "Don't nobody kiss it like you." Yeah, this girl's pretty good.


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by Jamie Buckingham
It was Ghandi, legend has it who said, "I would be a follower of Christ were it not for Christians." A restaurant waitress from Pueblo, Colo., struggling with that same problem, asked, "Why are Christians so rude to waitresses?" Every place she had worked, she wrote, this was a hot topic among the waitresses.
"'Believe me, sir, I'd rather serve a party of drunks than a party of Christians—and I'm a Holy Ghost-filled Christian woman."
I sat reading her letter, imagining a group of waitresses standing in the kitchen talking about the loud, rude bunch of people who had just come in from a church meeting.
"Church people demand beyond reason—then they don't tip at all."
Well, she's right about that. I was with a man recently who, after sending his meal back twice because it wasn't cooked to his taste, punished the waitress by not leaving a tip. I could have lived with it, since he was paying the bill, had he not made a big deal of bowing his head and praying out loud before we ate—while the little waitress stood to one side watching.
After we got outside I excused myself, returned and gave her a double tip. I told her I was doing it for two reasons: One, because she had earned it for having to put up with my friend; two, because God wanted to bless her in a special way. She cried.
I have a young friend who is raising a child as a single parent—working as a waitress at Denny's. She leaves for work at 5:30 a.m.—six days a week—in order to drop her baby off at the day-care center. She makes $3.25 an hour, the rest on tips.
"Non-Christians tip best," she says. "Christians leave small tips and sometimes a gospel tract. Some don't even tip—especially breakfast," "It's hard enough," she told me, "to go to church on the one day I don't have to work. But what really stinks is finding yourself behind the loudmouth who's always complaining that his coffee is cold, then leaves 25 cents—which I have to split with the bus boy."
It seems stupid that I would take an entire column to write about treating waitresses, and anybody else who works in a service job, like human beings. I mean, this world is burning down with problems.
Drugs and abortion are destroying our nation. Humanism has taken over government, education, even the church. Communism and Islam are out to conquer the earth. Surely we've got more important things to discuss than the size of tips.
But it's more than the size of tips. It has to do with being kingdom citizens. When Ghandi went to South Africa after graduating from law school in England, his mind was open to receive the gospel. Instead, because his skin was brown, Christians treated him as trash. Who knows what massive changes in history would have occurred had Christians acted like Christ.
That's the reason I'm kind and generous to "servers—waitresses, lawn mowers, snow shovelers, garbage collectors. bag boys and cab drivers. Many of these are working at minimum wage and depend on tips to make it.
Christians should be the best tippers in the world. The Bible has more to say about giving to those in need than all the other kinds of giving combined. Besides, what ever happened to being nice? Polite? Friendly? We live in a world of people who seldom say "thank you," "please" or –I'm sorry,"
Kingdom kids, of all people, should treat others—especially those who serve us—with love, dignity and generosity. I've come from church services where the pastor greeted each person at the door like he was the richest person on earth: but at the restaurant he wouldn't look the waitress in the face, much less grunt a thank you for his food.
There's just a chance, you know, one of these "servants" might be an angel on assignment. And how do you get around "if you do it to the least of these you do it to me"?
Last Sunday night, I sat in a local restaurant with my wife. The corner booth next to us was filled with a happy, laughing group from another church. They kept the waitress, an elderly grandma-type, on the run. "More coffee. We're out of catsup. Can you bring more water? My hamburger is rare instead of well-done. My fried egg is hard."
Never a kind word. Never a thank you. I sat there, looking across the table at Jackie and thinking. What if that were my widow waiting tables at night? Would God's people treat her like that? As you would that men should do unto your wife, so do you to the waitress...the checkout girl at the grocery store.. .the sales clerk.
Last winter, I arrived at the Norfolk, Va., airport after midnight. There was snow on the ground and one lone cab at the curb. On the ride to the hotel God whispered, "Bless the driver for Me." At the hotel I paid the fare, then handed him an extra $20.
"God knows you're having a tough time. He asked me to give this to you on His behalf." He sat—just staring at the hill. I hastened inside. I hate for strangers to see me cry. Be generous with those who serve. God, I suspect, blesses tippers as well as tithers.
From 1979 until his death, Jamie Buckingham (1932-1992) wrote the "Last Word" column for Charisma magazine, which originally published this article. He was the editor of Ministry Today magazine at his untimely death in February 1992—20 years ago.
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This study is provided by Child Care & Early Education Research Connections.
Survey of Child Care Subsidy Recipients in New York City, June 2008-July 2009 (ICPSR 32481)
Principal Investigator(s): Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne, Columbia University. Teachers College; Martin, Anne, Columbia University. Teachers College
The goal of this project was to explore associations among parental preferences for child care, parents' perceptions of care quality, subsidy policies, and the care arrangements that low-income working families in New York City use for their young children. The project relied on two data sources: (1) New York City administrative data on the entire population of subsidy recipients between January 2006 and December 2008 with children age six and younger to describe families' child care arrangements, and (2) a phone survey with a random sample of 2,045 families drawn from the administrative data and collected in two different waves. The first wave of data collection occurred between June 2008 and January 2009, the second wave occurred between February and July 2009. Due to the short interval between waves, no cohort effect was expected and the waves were merged into a single analytic sample, but the variable labels differentiate between the waves for future analysis.
Survey questions covered current child care arrangements, preferences for child care arrangements, satisfaction with subsidies, and experiences with subsidy enrollment and recertification. The administrative data were used to calculate the number and length of spells of subsidy use over the 36-month period. Children are classified according to subsidy mechanism (contract vs voucher) and population (public assistance vs low-income). Weights were created so survey respondents would generalize to the population of subsidy recipients as of February 2008 (including multiple children per family).
Using these data, the project aimed to answer four research questions:
- What are the dynamics of subsidy use? What is the duration of subsidy use?
- Is there a mismatch between parents' stated preferences for child care and the care that they actually use? What are the policy barriers that potentially prevent families from accessing the care that they prefer? Are there specific barriers faced by families who received vouchers (as opposed to those who receive care in a contracted setting) that affect their use of formal care?
- Are parental preferences for child care differentially associated with the use of formal versus informal care? How are parental perceptions of child care quality and parental work characteristics associated with the use of formal or informal care?
- Does the continuity of care depend on whether the care is informal or formal?
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.
ASCII + SAS Setup SPSS Setup Stata Setup
Study Description
Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne, and Anne Martin. Survey of Child Care Subsidy Recipients in New York City, June 2008-July 2009. ICPSR32481-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2012-08-06. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR32481.v1
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR32481.v1
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. Administration for Children and Families. Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (90YE095)
Scope of Study
Subject Terms: caregivers, child care, child welfare, welfare services, working mothers
Smallest Geographic Unit: city
Geographic Coverage: New York City, United States
- 2008-06--2009-07
- 2006-01--2009-07
Unit of Observation: individual
Universe: Children up to six years of age with contact information (i.e. address, phone number) who received a child care subsidy in New York City in February 2008.
String variables containing various notes and further information regarding some of the other variables were not included in this data set, but may be accessed by contacting the Principle Investigator, Anne Martin at firstname.lastname@example.com.
The survey sampling frame consisted of all children up to six years of age who received a child care subsidy in New York City in February 2008. The roster of subsidy recipients was obtained from administrative data provided by the New York City Administration for Children's Services, which oversees the city's subsidy system.
A total of 63,872 children aged 0-6 received subsidies in New York City in February 2008. To be eligible for inclusion in the present study, the child had to have contact information. Therefore, 10,091 cases lacking addresses and phone numbers were automatically excluded from the sample. An additional 6,469 cases appeared to be duplicates of existing cases, based on matching street addresses, and were dropped. Thus, the final population of interest consisted of 47,312 children. The analytic sample for the present study should be considered representative of this population, namely, "reachable" children up to age six who received a child care subsidy in New York City in February 2008. Additionally, for families with multiple children under six years of age, only one child was randomly selected for the sampling frame so that parents were not burdened by being asked to report on more than one child. The final number of families who received a survey then, was 5,610. Weights included in the dataset allows analysis to be representative of the total population of child care subsidy recipients as of February 2008.
The weight included in the data set generalizes the data to the population of child care subsidy recipients in February 2008.
The post-stratification weighting adjusted for disproportionate sampling, differential survey response rates, and selection of one child per family across nine different cells (created by crossing subsidy payment mechanism/public assistance status by age group).
"wt," is a cell-specific value assigned to each case equal to the number of cases in the sampling frame its cell represents.
Two strata were also identified to define the weight -- "SURVAGE" indicates the three age groups of the children and "SURVSUBS" indicates into which of the three subsidy types the cell belongs. The "cell" variable defines the case by the child's age and the subsidy type, 1-9.
Mode of Data Collection: record abstracts, telephone interview
Description of Variables: Survey questions covered the study child's current child care arrangements, as well as the mother's child care preferences, job schedule, subsidy recertification procedures and demographic information.
Response Rates: Of the 5,610 people in the sample, there were 2,045 responses.
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:
- Performed consistency checks.
- Created variable labels and/or value labels.
- Standardized missing values.
- Created online analysis version with question text.
- Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.
Original ICPSR Release: 2012-08-06
Metadata Exports
- Citations exports are provided above.
Export Study-level metadata (does not include variable-level metadata)
If you're looking for collection-level metadata rather than an individual metadata record, please visit our Metadata Records page.


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Boks falling out of love with Europe?
Stephen Nell
February 14, 2011
Bath fly-half Butch James will be heading home to South Africa at the end of the northern hemisphere season to link up with the Lions © Getty Images
It was intriguing recently to hear that South African players are increasingly falling out of love with the notion of playing in Europe when they are still in the prime of their careers.
Springbok centre Jean de Villiers told me just recently that people would be surprised by how many top Springboks aim to stay in South Africa after this year's World Cup in New Zealand.
This was confirmed in a chat with South African Rugby Players' Association (Sarpa) chief executive Piet Heymans. His take on it was that a deal negotiated by Sarpa with the South African Rugby Union (Saru) for use of the players' image rights had significantly bolstered the players' earning potential.
According to the deal, all Springboks share in the financial windfall from appearances in commercials etc. In most cases this renders the difference in earnings between South Africa and Europe insignificant.
The bulk of the money goes to the more marketable internationals that are frequently used for appearances, but in keeping with the spirit of rugby, there is also recognition that the entire team contributes to an individual's success. Even the less marketable Test players are therefore remunerated.
Agent Chris de Beer's view on the issue was that the exchange rate had strengthened in the South African rand's favour. This would make players even more reluctant to leave home comforts for the sake of earning pounds or euros.
Furthermore, a new big player has entered the South African market in the form of the Golden Lions Rugby Union. Or, should I rather say, the slumbering giant has awaken and found itself wealthy equity partners in businessmen Robert Gumede and Ivor Ichikowitz. The Lions initially struggled to make major signings, but the pending arrival of Butch James from Bath suggests that they are prepared to get their cheque books out. Rumour has it that Racing Metro's Frans Steyn and Ulster's BJ Botha are also on the shopping list.
Inevitably, there has been a knock-on effect, which will mean that the Blue Bulls, Western Province and Sharks will be forced to hike their contracts.
The Southern Kings, who are due to participate in Super Rugby from 2013 onwards, will also enter the big time with a fat cheque book. They are politically connected and sponsors are standing in line to come on board.
Of course, there will still be many players that head overseas. Not only is the money good, but there is the opportunity to experience something different and quite often those spells away do a player the world of good.
Percy Montgomery, for example, returned to South Africa a better player, while Luke Watson really was in need of a break from the political shenanigans that surrounded his every move in South Africa.
The other benefit highlighted by Southern Hemisphere players is that the travel is significantly less in Europe. The fact that they fly in and out of venues for games on weekends is a massive factor for those who have young families.
What we may well see is that South Africa are no longer under so much pressure to hold onto the next big thing. An example is the big-money deal that took Steyn to Racing Metro. More likely we will see players in the twilight of their careers or those that suspect they are no longer in the Bok picture to pack their bags. On the flip side, we will see others returning, as James has done.
In the coming months there are likely to be many headlines about an anticipated player exodus, but it won't be anything South Africa can't handle. The country remains an astounding source of playing talent and is likely to succeed in retaining its very best players for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, Super Rugby kicks off this coming weekend with a new format, which boils down to a lot more derby matches. It will be interesting to see how audiences take to the new format, though the obvious fear is that there will be derby overkill.
South Africa also have the Currie Cup, which is passionately supported, though there are fears about the effect of Super Rugby on the domestic calendar in a non-World Cup year. Super Rugby will end on the first weekend of August in a non-World Cup year, leaving Saru with a situation whereby they have to fit the league phase of the Currie Cup into 10 weeks.
The sensible thing to do would then be to slash the number of Premier League teams from eight to six from 2012 onwards, though the horse has probably already bolted because there is no relegation mechanism in place this year.
So it really will be interesting to see what pans out at Saru on this very important issue.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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Lucas Duda homered twice, drove in a career-high five runs and was involved in the New York Mets' first triple play in over four seasons, allowing a grieving Bartolo Colon to breeze to an 11-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.
Colon (12-10) gave up two runs and five hits over six innings and struck out five in his first start since his mother Adriana passed away on Monday from breast cancer. After the game, the 41-year-old right-hander returned to the Dominican Republic to attend her funeral.
Despite the loss, the Dodgers maintained their 4 1-2 game lead on San Francisco in the NL West following the Giants' 14-6 defeat at Washington.
Kevin Correia (2-1) lasted only three innings on his 34th birthday, giving up seven runs — five earned — and seven hits.
Duda, Reuben Tejada and Travis d'Arnaud all homered against the right-hander, who was making his third start since the Dodgers acquired him from Minnesota. Duda's added his 26th of the season in the ninth against Jamey Wright.
This was the 10th time in Correia's 12-year career that he has allowed three or more homers.
Slumping Mets third baseman David Wright, who came in 9 for 12 against Correia, left the game following the Mets' big rally because of a muscle spasm on the right side of his neck.
Colon's 92nd and final pitch resulted in the Mets' first triple play since May 19, 2010 at Washington.
Moments after Adrian Gonzalez's RBI single in the sixth trimmed the Dodgers' deficit to 7-2, Matt Kemp hit a sharp grounder in the hole to third baseman Eric Campbell, who threw to second for the force before Daniel Murphy relayed to first. Yasiel Puig tried to score from second, but d'Arnaud took the throw from Duda and tagged him out.


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Master Bathroom.
When we purchased our home the bathroom was dated to put it mildly. Everywhere my now wife had lived had had tubs like the one that was in the bathroom at purchase. I'm renovating my whole house so this room was a must do . I wanted to give her something a bit more desirable than what she's had in the past so this is what I came up with. I chose the open effect because standard tub/shower areas are so confining with doors and such. I was going to add accent tile to the walls but when I came across these glass tiles I thought they'd make a great wall in themselves and they do as well as give the room some depth. I've had a real education with this project as I've never before placed, framed, and tiled one of these tubs. I also learned Pex and ran the waters with this likewise.
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Informational sessions to be held on changes for the hiring of student employees
Contributed by Beth Blinn on 07/21/11
Beginning the week of August 1, we will be holding informational sessions.
Having you been wondering what's going on in Student Employment??
Beginning the week of August 1, we will be holding informational sessions. These sessions will talk about a new classification structure for all student jobs, pay scale structures and also the new student employee orientation program, all of which are designed to establish consistent hiring and pay practices for students throughout the College.
We will also be discussing employment practices and how they will not only benefit each department but how they will benefit each and every student employee on Campus. Student employees carry out a substantial amount of the work completed within offices and departments every day and creating real world work skills and experiences is a huge benefit for them.
All staff and or faculty that oversee or have interaction with a student worker should attend, not just the person entering the SMSS (student manager self service) transaction. All staff and faculty may have SMSS access; this allows for the actual person overseeing work performance is the supervisor and also allows Ithaca College to be in compliance with many regulations. Attending a session or scheduling individual group sessions is strongly encouraged. If you would like to schedule a session for all individuals within a department, please call to arrange a time. *Your next department staff meeting may be the perfect time.*
Sessions will be held on:
Tuesday, Aug 2 from 2pm-4pm,
Wednesday, Aug 3 from 9am-11am
Wednesday, Aug 3 from 1pm-3pm
Thursday, Aug 4 from 10am-12pm
Wednesday, Aug 10 from 9am-11am
**Please call ext: 4-8000 (HR front desk) to rsvp. Each date & time can hold approx 20 individuals.
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