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The Thai capital has quickly developed into a fabulous nightlife destination with hip bars, trendy nightclubs and excellent restaurants. Bangkok boasts a large number of rooftop bars with stunning views of the city. After spending the day bargaining at local markets or visiting majestic temples, sit back with a delicious cocktail and enjoy your surroundings.
Bangkok is not only known for its many rooftop bars and restaurants, but also for its exotic cocktails inspired by Thai cuisine. Bartenders experiment with traditional Thai ingredients, such as chilli peppers, lemongrass and passion fruit.
One of the most popular cocktails is the 'Hangovertini'. A concoction of green tea liquor, red martini, apple juice, rosemary and honey, the cocktail is named after the movie 'The Hangover Part II', which was partially set on the rooftop of the luxurious Lebua Hotel. The Sky Bar, on the 63rd floor of the Lebua State Tower, offers a spectacular panoramic view of the entire Thai capital. This is one of the most popular rooftop bars in Bangkok, just a 10-minute walk from the Saphan Taksin BTS station. Although the bar is usually packed and you may not be able to find a seat right away, enjoy the atmosphere, the brightly lit bar and the eye-catching golden dome while you wait.
111 Silom 21, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok
When searching for a trendy bar, it is easy to overlook the Banyan Tree Hotel and its rooftop restaurant Vertigo and Bar Moon. Located on the long Sathon Road lined with shiny silver and glass skyscrapers, the Banyan Tree Hotel has an old-fashioned look. But both the restaurant and bar are as trendy as they come! The rooftop terrace lacks any high fences so you enjoy unimpeded views of the city. Come for a drink early in the evening to watch the spectacular sunset. Restaurant Vertigo is appropriately named and not recommended for those who suffer from a fear of heights.
Sathon, Bangkok 10120, Thailand
The rooftop bars in Bangkok are not just any old bars. They often boast a unique location and very swanky surroundings. As a rule of thumb, the higher the building, the higher the prices. Cloud 47 on the 47th floor of the United Centre office complex seems to be a pleasant exception to the rule with a laidback ambiance and low prices. The entrance is a bit hard to find: look up on Silom Road to find the red letters that say 'United Centre', then go to the rear of the building.
323, Silom Rd., Bangrak, Bangkok


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Best New Wallpapers from ICFF 2013
Yesterday we shared some of our favorite picks from this year's ICFF, or International Contemporary Furniture Fair, and today we're back with more. There was lots of wallpaper on display at this year's show, and with subjects ranging from badgers to security cameras, it was anything but boring. Here are 10 of our top picks.
1. A custom paper by Astek. Want some custom wallpaper? The team at Astek can create pretty much any design you can dream up.
2. Monkey wallpaper (haven't you always wanted monkey wallpaper?) from Grow House Grow. There's a story behind each of designer Katie Deedy's papers — this one is about a monkey found abandoned in a New York bathhouse almost 100 years ago.
3. This wallcovering by Flavor Paper tells a story of a different sort, mixing traditional florals with watchful security cameras for a cheeky and somewhat disconcerting design.
4 & 5. These designs by English brand House of Hackney feature an odd assortment of animals: a badger drinking tequila, a chipmunk playing the guitar. If you're feeling something whimsical, look no further. The paper comes in black and white stripes, as well as a (somewhat) more staid version with a black background.
6. Calico Wallpaper, based in Brooklyn, makes these gorgeous marbled metallic designs.
7. This paper from Jill Malek, called Dinner Party, turns water marks made on a tablecloth into something interesting and lovely.
8. This new design from Juju Papers, called the Sou'Wester, has a warm, hand-crafted feel.
9. This Seascape wallpaper by Abigail Edwards feels intricate and modern all at the same time.
10. And finally, Zelda, a zingy, graphic floral from Flavor Paper.
(Images: as linked above)

subset: commoncrawl


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Men's "A" Singles
Men's "A" Consolation
Men's "B" Singles
Men's "B" Consolation
Men's "C" Singles
Men's "A" Doubles
Men's "B" Doubles
Women's "A" Singles
Women's "A" Consolation
Women's "B" Singles
Women's "B" Consolation
Women's "C" Singles
Women's "C" Consolation
Women's "A" Doubles
Women's "B" Doubles
TROY, Ala. - Freshman Nicholas Stafford came back from down one set to win the men's "C" singles draw last weekend as the Golden Eagles men's and women's tennis teams competed at the Troy Invitational.
Stafford, a Melbourne, Australia native, won two matches in straight sets before winning the championship match, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5. In addition, Stafford had an impressive run in doubles competition with teammate Justin Kirstein. The duo won two matches in the men's "B" doubles bracket to advance to the championship match where they barely fell, 9-8.
While there were no team scores kept at the Troy Invitational, several other Golden Eagles made notable showings.
Sophomore Alex Chen bounced back from a first round loss in the men's "A" singles draw to win three consecutive matches and claim the consolation championship in straight sets (6-3, 7-5).
Chen then teamed with Josh Girling in the men's "A" doubles draw where they won, 8-6, in their first round match before dropping their quarterfinal contest, 8-4.
On the women's side, freshman Victoria Cran escaped the first round of the women's "C" singles draw in impressive fashion (6-1, 6-1) before falling in the quarterfinals by a score of 7-5, 6-2.
Cran and teammate Frederike Kahl played in the women's "B" doubles draw where they defeated Cape/Cole of UAB in the first round, 8-5, but could not get past the second round as the pair fell, 8-3.
In the women's "B" singles draw, freshman Leydi Zora regrouped after a first round loss to win (7-5, 6-3) in the consolation bracket quarterfinals before falling 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinals.
The women's team return to action next weekend when it travels to Virginia Tech for the Hokie Fall Invitational, while the men are off next weekend.


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Campground Reviews is now Available through the RV LIFE App on iPhones, iPads, and Android Devices.
Click Here to learn more.
1 RV Park near Cuadrilla Vieja, Mexico
Las Peńas, Mexico 4.36 miles SW
Villa Victoria, Mexico 5.07 miles S
Barrio el Vivero, Mexico 5.14 miles SW
Barrio los Tules, Mexico 8.08 miles SW
Barrio la Joya, Mexico 9.71 miles SW
We did however find 1 campgrounds within 25 miles of Cuadrilla Vieja. You can also find a list of cities with campgrounds or RV Parks near Cuadrilla Vieja in the left hand column.
Carretera Federal No. 15, Zitacuaro-Morelia Km. 103.5, Sin Colonia Zitacuaro, Michoacan 61529 (map) | Click To View Phone
Sites: 10 | Recent Rate: $$$$ | 1 Reviews
|Clean Restrooms:
|Clean Showers:
Feb 2010 - $22.00
If you have a big rig or trailer, this hotel is the closest you can park to El Rosario and the other butterfly sanctuaries. This is a very nice hotel, but as an RV park, it leaves a lot to be desired. They charge like a full-service RV park, but at best you get a little corner of their gorgeous parking lot; at worst, you're parking in a marshy field. It doesn't have Wi-Fi (although the Church's book Traveler's Guide to Mexican Camping says otherwise). In addition, it has no showers and no dump station. But, you can snake a long electrical cord into a hallway of the hotel to get power. In addition, the hotel has two driveways, but you can only pull an RV into one of them. If you use the other, you risk getting stuck. The correct driveway is the one closest to Zitácuaro. Moreover, actually pulling into it requires a very difficult turn off a busy highway, and the correct driveway was locked up tight when we arrived. We had to park on a nearby dirt road, walk into the hotel, and ask them to unlock that entrance. Because access through that gate was so tricky, we had to pull back out onto the highway (going back the way we came), make a u-turn in a nearby Pemex, and THEN pull into the parking lot. We came to see the butterfly sanctuaries, which turned out to be closed because all the roads were washed out and the nearby villages flooded. The very confused staff at the hotel didn't really have a clue about the sanctuaries: They kept giving us and other guests conflicting information about when they were open and whether the roads were clear. We ended up talking to a travel agent in Zitácuaro, and she explained what had happened. On the positive side, the hotel has a very nice playground and, in general, is totally gorgeous with beautiful landscaping. It would be a fabulous place to hold a wedding or other special event. The actual cost was M$250 pesos per night. The phone numbers are 52 (715) 153-5346, 153-5371, 153-5362. GPS Coordinates: 19.48464 N, 100.36199 W. - Family on the road


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Main Page
From NWChem
NWChem: Delivering High-Performance Computational Chemistry
NWChem aims to provide its users with computational chemistry tools that are scalable both in their ability to treat large scientific computational chemistry problems efficiently, and in their use of available parallel computing resources from high-performance parallel supercomputers to conventional workstation clusters.
NWChem software can handle
- Biomolecules, nanostructures, and solid-state
- From quantum to classical, and all combinations
- Ground and excited-states
- Gaussian basis functions or plane-waves
- Scaling from one to thousands of processors
- Properties and relativistic effects
NWChem is actively developed by a consortium of developers and maintained by the EMSL located at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Washington State. Researchers interested in contributing to NWChem should review the Developers page. The code is distributed as open-source under the terms of the Educational Community License version 2.0 (ECL 2.0).
The NWChem development strategy is focused on providing new and essential scientific capabilities to its users in the areas of kinetics and dynamics of chemical transformations, chemistry at interfaces and in the condensed phase, and enabling innovative and integrated research at EMSL. At the same time continued development is needed to enable NWChem to effectively utilize architectures of tens of petaflops and beyond.
The current version of NWChem is version 6.5 can be downloaded here.
NWChem 6.5 is currently available for download
Ongoing Projects and Future Directions
Density functional theory (DFT), time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) and properties
- Discrete interaction model/quantum mechanical method (DIM/QM) for describing the response properties of molecules adsorbed on metal nanoparticles. Developers: Justin Moore, Lasse Jensen (Penn State University).
- Development of exact two-component relativistic theory and calculations of magnetic response parameters. Developers: Jochen Autschbach (SUNY Buffalo).
- Generalization of real-time TDDFT to include spin-orbit effects . Developers: Niri Govind (PNNL), Ken Lopata (LSU).
- Developing infrastructure for incorporating new density functionals and higher order derivatives thereof. The idea is to extend the density functionals in NWChem to support higher order partial derivatives to support new functionality. At the same this is a good opportunity to build the infrastructure needed to incorporate new density functionals and their higher order derivatives. The aim is to use open source tools as much as possible to make it easy for anyone to do this. Developers: Huub van Dam (PNNL).
Future projects: Dynamics on excited-state surfaces, surface hopping, GW/BSE for molecular systems, Spin-flip TDDFT, Non-collinear DFT, spin-orbit TDDFT, interface to QWalk Quantum Monte-Carlo Program (w/ Lucas Wagner University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
Plane-Wave Density Functional Theory (DFT), Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics, and NWPhys
- Parallel in Time Algorithms. Developers: Eric J. Bylaska (PNNL), Jonathan Q. Weare (University of Chicago), John H. Weare (UCSD).
- New free energy methods based on diffusion Monte-Carlo algorithm. Developers: Eric J. Bylaska (PNNL), Ying Chen (UCSD), John H. Weare (UCSD).
- Dynamic Mean Field Theory (DMFT). Developers: Duo Song (UCSD), Eric J. Bylaska (PNNL), John H. Weare (UCSD).
- Development of new methods to calculate XPS and XANES spectra. Developers: Eric J. Bylaska (PNNL), Niri Govind (PNNL), John Rehr (University of Washington).
- Implementation of electric field gradients and NMR in NWPW Developers: Eric J. Bylaska (PNNL).
- Implementation of the fast multipole method (FMM) in the combined Ab initio molecular dynamics and molecular dynamics (AIMD/MM) code. Developers: Eric J. Bylaska (PNNL).
- Constant pressure ab initio molecular dynamics. Developers: Eric J. Bylaska (PNNL).
- New implementation of the projector augmented wave method in NWPW. Developers: Eric J. Bylaska (PNNL).
- Initial implementation of orbital free DFT in NWPW. Developers: Eric J. Bylaska (PNNL).
- implementation of Hybrid openmp-mpi and offloading intel MIC algorithms in NWPW. Developers: Eric J. Bylaska (PNNL).
Future projects: New NWPhys module development (w/ John Rehr University of Washington) which will include new methods to calculate XPS and XANES spectra. Interface to QWalk Quantum Monte-Carlo Program (w/ Lubos Mitas University of North Carolina).
High-level Coupled-Cluster methods
- Development of multi-reference coupled-cluster capabilities for quasidegenerate systems. Developers: Jiri Pittner (J Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry), Karol Kowalski (PNNL).
- Electron-affinity/ionization-potential Equation-of-motion Coupled-Cluster methods. Developers: Kiran Bhaskaran-Nair (LSU), Mark Jarrell (LSU), Juana Moreno (LSU), William Shelton (LSU), Karol Kowalski (PNNL).
- Green function Coupled Cluster formalism. Developers: Kiran Bhaskaran-Nair (LSU), Mark Jarrell (LSU), Juana Moreno (LSU), William Shelton (LSU), Karol Kowalski (PNNL).
- Development of Intel MIC implementation of the CCSD(T) approach Developers: Edoardo Apra (PNNL), Michael Klemm (Intel), Karol Kowalski (PNNL).
- Reduced scaling CC formulations based on the Cholesky Decomposition. Developers: Huub van Dam (PNNL), Edoardo Apra (PNNL), Karol Kowalski (PNNL).
Future projects: CC/EOMCC analytical gradients, Intel MIC implementations for iterative CC methods, Multi-reference CC formulations employing incomplete model spaces.
Long-term NWChem development plans:
- Development of new algorithms for hybrid computer architectures including GPU and Intel Xeon Phi computer architectures (NWChem offers already GPU implementations of many-body methods, in 6.5 release we will extend these capabilities to Intel Xeon Phi technology) ,
- Implementation of reduced-scaling methods for electronic structure calculations (local formulations, tensor hypercontractions, resolution-of-identity based approaches),
- Development of novel methodologies for extending temporal scales in ab-initio molecular dynamic and molecular dynamics simulations,
- Approximate electronic structure methods for very large-scale simulations (various semi-empirical methods, order N − N2 DFT algorithms - orbital free DFT),
- Integration and extension of existing capabilities towards predictive models for mesoscale systems (for example, aerosol particles, soil chemistry, biosystems, hormone-cofactor functionality in proteins, ionic liquids in cells, large-scale reactions containing multiple steps).
Please cite the following reference when publishing results obtained with NWChem:
M. Valiev, E.J. Bylaska, N. Govind, K. Kowalski, T.P. Straatsma, H.J.J. van Dam, D. Wang, J. Nieplocha, E. Apra, T.L. Windus, W.A. de Jong, "NWChem: a comprehensive and scalable open-source solution for large scale molecular simulations" Comput. Phys. Commun. 181, 1477 (2010)


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This episode recaps a week of Connecting the DOTS – our new UniverseCity blog that responds to Democracy Now. It features Percy Schmeiser's "Principles of Food and Agriculture," and a rebuttal to Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel that quotes James Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me. We suggest that, along with germs, natives hadn't built up an immunity to religions without honor.
The next section, entitled "Shadow Wars and Guerilla Presidents," looks at Arundhati Roy in India, the new President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, and the printer bomb that warrants drone attacks and hunter-killer teams in Yemen. Spencer Ackerman's Wired article on "The Shadow War in Yemen" is quoted. The concluding piece, called "What's Your Breaking Point?" poses Ralph Nader's question of what would cause Democrats to walk away from the party. His reference to a moral compass is explored in light of foreign policy, and we call for a resurgence of the nonbinding referendum.
- "Soul Food" – #2 of the Tao te Ching by Ursula K. Le Guin from The Way and the Power of the Way
- "By Contrast" – #2 of the Tao te Ching by Tereza Coraggio
- "II,16″ by Ranier Maria Rilke from The Book of Hours translated by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy
- "Isolate" by Moby from the Wait for Me CD
- "Mothers of the Disappeared" by U2 from Joshua Tree
- "Instant Karma" by U2 from Amnesty International's tribute album of the same name
To view the multimedia transcript or listen to the show, click here.
Tags: Arundhati Roy, Democracy Now, Dilma Rousseff, James Loewen, Jared Diamond, John Feffer, Moby, Percy Schmeiser, printer bomb, Ralph Nader, Ranier Maria Rilke, Spencer Ackerman, U2, Ursula K. Le Guin


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Very warm, thigh length, box wall constructed 750 fill grey goose down hoody with a light, durable Arato™ 40 face fabric. Down Series: Down insulated garments | SV: Severe Weather.
The Thorium SV stands on its own to deliver warmth in cold, dry conditions. Lofty 750 fill European grey goose down provides exceptional warmth for its weight, is durably resilient, and packs easily. As it is designed to function as standalone, not a midlayer, the Thorium SV is built using box wall construction to deliver maximum loft. The outer is soft, durable Arato™ 40 nylon, a lightweight material that withstands abrasion, packs compactly and has a DWR finish to repel moisture.
MAPPED for PERFORMANCE
Arc'teryx Down Composite Mapping technology combines the goose down with panels of Coreloft™ synthetic insulation in areas prone to moisture. Used in the hood, cuffs and under the arms, the Coreloft™ insulates even if wet. Down is used in the sleeves and around the body's core. The lower thigh length cut adds coverage, and head protection comes from the insulated StormHood™. The hood's unique design is low profile, yet helmet compatible, and adjusts for a secure, ergonomic fit with superior peripheral vision. The unique No Slip Zip™ combines the security of a locking slider with the ease of a nonlocking quick release system.
Arc'teryx designs for use in true alpine conditions. This requires an elevated performance that comes from careful design and patterning. The Thorium's Athletic fit is streamlined but leaves room for layers. Articulation built into the sleeves and gussets under the arm provide a level of freedom of movement not often found in an insulated jacket. This ergonomic freedom is an Arc'teryx design commitment that infuses every piece they make.
Down done differently - Minimalist design for maximum performance, built to the highest levels of craftsmanship, with innovations for increased range of comfort and conditions. Efficient, lightweight and durable enough to wear every day.
- High warmth-to-weight ratio
- Conforms closely to the body trapping heat closer to your core
- Highly compressible
SV | Severe Weather
Employs the most durable materials for prolonged use and provides the most weather protection in the harshest weather conditions.
- Moisture-resistant outer face fabric
- Breathable
- Insulated
- Lightweight
- Compressible and packable
- Wind resistant
- DWR finish (Durable Water Repellent) helps repel water from fabric surface
- Down Composite Mapping strategically places Coreloft™ synthetic insulation in areas where moisture may buildup and down in areas for maximum warmth
- Athletic fit for a slimmer more flattering profile
- Adjustable hood drawcord with single pull adjuster
- Synthetically insulated StormHood™
- Corded zipper-pulls reduce noise and are easy to grab
- No Slip Zip™ front zipper
- Elastic cuffs
- Adjustable hem drawcord
- Internal chest pocket with zip
- Two hand pockets with zippers
- One internal dump pocket
- Includes stuff sack
- Coreloft™ 100 (100 g/m² ) insulation. Made with highly crimped multi-denier siliconized polyester yarn, this lightweight, breathable, and thermally efficient, 100% polyester staple fiber is very compressible and has excellent loft retention.
- Coreloft™ 140 (140 g/m²) insulation. Made with highly crimped multi-denier siliconized polyester yarn, this lightweight, breathable, and thermally efficient, 100% polyester staple fibre is very compressible and has excellent loft retention.
- Arato™ 40 - 100% nylon
- 750 fill European grey goose down (150 g-M)
- Machine wash in warm water (30°C) on gentle wash cycle.
- Do not use fabric softener.
- Front load washing machine recommended (use a mesh bag for top loading machines).
- Rinse twice.
- Tumble dry on low heat with tennis balls or 'sock balls'. Drying time may take up to three hours.
- Do not iron.
- Store unstuffed in a dry place.


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U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson to have rep in Lehigh
A representative of U.S. Bill Nelson will be in Lehigh Acres on Wednesday, July 11, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to talk with constituents about their concerns. Diana McGee, the area representative will be at 25 Homestead Rd. North, in the meeting room of the Greater Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce. She will be able to assist constituents with any specific concerns, federal assistance, or questions. Prior to arrival, contact Nelson's Fort Myers Regional Office at 239-334-7760.
Political rally set for July 7 at
new Life Assembly of God
Politics in the Park is scheduled for July 7 from noon to 4 p.m. at the New Life Assembly of God church at 5146 Leonard Blvd. South in Lehigh Acres.
Candidates have been invited to meet with local voters with one-on-one conversations. Also, each candidate will have three minutes to let you know their platform. It is being sponsored by the Community Council of Lehigh Acres and the Lehigh Acres Kiwanis Club. The candidates will bring aides with them who will have political literature to pass out.
ABWA meets on second Thursdays
The Lehigh Acres chapter of the American Business Women's Association meets the second Thursday of the month at Bistro Rudy's at 1251 Taylor Lane at 6 p.m. Bring your business cards for networking from 6:30 to 7 p.m. Dinner is $15 and includes a speaker presentation on many exciting topics affecting small businesses throughout the year. Meetings are open to the public and the club welcomes you to join them in supporting local community businesses and gain knowledge and support from other business owners. Call Maralyn Waline, their hospitality chair for the menu and reservations at 239-368-4222.


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Labor Day 2012 in Tyler + East Texas – What is Open and What is Closed?
As Labor Day 2012 approaches, East Texans are looking for things to do that will help ease the pain at the pump, but will still allow for a fun weekend. Here's a list of openings and closings on Memorial Day, as well as a list of fun things going on around East Texas..
Labor Day Celebration at Historic Jefferson Railway - Celebrate Labor Day on August 30 and September 1 at The Historic Jefferson Railway and enjoy a picnic of hot dogs and chips and a free prize from our Treasure Chest. Come see the Support Our Troops display that honors the United States Military. Active Military personnel ride free.
Banks: Closed
City Offices: Closed
Lake Tyler: Open all day
Lake Palestine: Open all day
Libraries: Closed
Post Office: Closed
Schools: Closed
Trash Pick Up: Will resume Tuesday, September 4
Tyler State Park: Open all day
Caldwell Zoo: Normal hours.
Walmart: Open — regular hours
Target: Open — regular hours
Brookshire's: Open — regular hours
Movie Theaters: Open — regular hours. Click here for information on Tyler & Longview's theaters.


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Now through December 31, 2013
, Club Carlson members can earn 7,500 total Gold Points on qualifying rentals of 3 days or more at participating locations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Use coupon #
and present your Club Carlson number at the time of reservation or at the rental counter to earn your bonus points. This offer is in addition to your everyday savings of up to 25% when you use AWD #
Make a Reservation
Pickup Date
Pickup Time
Dropoff Date
Dropoff Time
Pickup Location
Returning to same location
Dropoff Location
AWD Number
WIZARD Number
Last Name
Coupon Code
Offer valid on a qualifying rental of three or more consecutive days at participating Avis locations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Mention coupon number
to receive bonus points.
Bonus Gold Points are in addition to the base points you receive each time you rent with Avis. 7,500 total Gold Points offer reflects 6,750 bonus points plus 750 base points earned.
Provide your Club Carlson number at the time of reservation or rental.
An advance reservation is required.
Offer may not be used with any other coupon, promotion or offer except your AWD discount.
The savings of up to 25% applies to the time-and-mileage charges only.
Taxes, concession recovery fees, vehicle license recovery fee, customer facility charges ($10/contract in CA) and fuel charges are extra.
Optional items such as LDW ($35.99/day or less) and other surcharges may apply and are extra.
Offer is subject to vehicle availability at the time of rental and may not be available on some rates at some times, including some online rates at Avis.com.
Car rental return restrictions may apply.
Offer subject to change without notice.
Holiday and other blackout periods may apply.
Blackout dates for Asia: Blackout dates apply.
Blackout dates for Australia: 12/20/12 - 12/31/12, 3/29/13 - 4/28/13, 6/21/13 - 7/21/13, 9/20/13 - 10/6/13 and 12/20/13 - 12/31/13.
Blackout dates for Africa, Europe and the Middle East: 12/14/12 - 1/3/13, 3/23/13 - 4/7/13, 7/1/13 - 8/31/13 and 12/13/13 - 12/31/13.
Blackout dates for the Caribbean, Latin America and Mexico: 12/15/12 - 1/6/13, 2/15/13 - 2/24/13, 3/22/13 - 3/31/13, 7/1/13 - 8/31/13 and 12/15/13 - 12/31/13.
Blackout dates for New Zealand: 12/20/12 - 1/4/13, 2/11/13 - 2/22/13 and 12/20/13 - 12/31/13.
Renter must meet Avis age, driver and credit requirements. Minimum rental age may vary by location. An additional daily surcharge may apply for renters under 25 years old.
Points accrual structure subject to change.
Rental must begin by December 31, 2013


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Only hotels in 94620 zip code are listed below. Search for cheap and discount hotel rates in Piedmont, CA for your upcoming leisure or conference / group travel. We list the best 94620 hotels and motels so you can review the Piedmont hotel list below to find the perfect lodging. Hotels in Alameda county and area code 510 are also listed.
How should we direct your call?


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The $40-million, five-hour ABC miniseries, which recently received seven Emmy nominations and drew a combined two-night audience of more than 25 million viewers, is for now on the path to nowhere. Its Amazon page reads: "Currently unavailable. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock."
With no date for the release, questions are being raised about whether political pressure is behind its current status as a stalled or discarded DVD project. The reasons are murky, but the miniseries' writer, Cyrus Nowrasteh, believes it's crystal clear: Powerful forces are out to protect Bill Clinton's presidential legacy and shield Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) from any potential collateral damage in her bid for the White House.
Nowrasteh, also one of the miniseries' many producers, said he was told by a top executive at ABC Studios that "if Hillary weren't running for president, this wouldn't be a problem."
"Whatever anyone may think about me or this movie, this is a bad precedent, a dangerous precedent, to allow a movie to be buried," added Nowrasteh, who received death threats even before the miniseries was broadcast last September. "Because the next time they'll go after another movie. The Bush administration may go after a movie. The next administration may go after a movie. No matter who it is, they may go after a movie. I think this town needs to stand up."
Even before "The Path to 9/11" aired on ABC late last summer, the docudrama ignited a political firestorm, almost entirely from high-profile Democratic leaders who viewed its account of events leading up to the terrorist attacks as a right-wing hatchet job on the Clinton administration and its efforts to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. Attempts to pressure ABC to cancel the miniseries at the time were unsuccessful, but last-minute network edits were imposed to quell the critical outcry.
An ABC spokeswoman reached Tuesday would say only that the company "has no release date at this time," and she declined to comment further.
Meanwhile, Sen. Clinton's campaign staff did not return an e-mail or a phone call seeking comment.
Last year, a Clinton spokesman referred to the ABC enterprise as "despicable," and then Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and four other Democratic senators signed a letter to Disney Chief Executive Robert A. Iger stating that if the miniseries were shown it would "deeply damage" Disney's reputation. As a result of the tumult, ABC was unable to attract advertisers for the miniseries.
Thus far, few have noted the DVD's absence in the marketplace. Among those who have are conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh, who questioned last month why the disc isn't available on the nation's retail shelves. (Limbaugh and Nowrasteh have met on several occasions but do not regularly socialize, Nowrasteh said.)
With a possible writers strike and fall television premieres around the corner, the DVD's release hasn't galvanized Hollywood as a cause célèbre. But voices traditionally associated with the political left are disturbed by the DVD's uncertain fate. This isn't about politics, said film director Oliver Stone, but about the right of artists to have their work distributed.
"This is a shame; it's censorship in the most blatant way," said Stone, who has hired Nowrasteh for several writing projects. "I'm not vouching for its accuracy -- it's a dramatization -- but it's an important work and needs to be seen."
Average: four monthsThe time between a program's television broadcast and subsequent DVD release varies, but these days it's generally around four months. However, for TV movies and miniseries -- mostly because so few are made these days -- the rules are less clear.
For instance, HBO's movie "Buried My Heart at Wounded Knee," an adaptation of Dee Brown's famous book, and the USA Network's miniseries "The Starter Wife," about a Hollywood power wife scorned, premiered in late May and will be out on DVD Tuesday.
Still, there are plenty of miniseries, most of them produced years ago, that never make it to DVD. The chief reason is usually a perceived lack of interest and profit.
"It's really up to the studios when they want to release the DVD," said Gord Lacey, founder of tvshowsondvd.com, a website that tracks DVD releases from television. "But this is odd. It may be this is a very sensitive subject and they [ABC Studios] don't want to go through the PR nightmare again."
In 2003, after vehement protests from Republicans, CBS yanked its scheduled miniseries "The Reagans." Republicans complained that the docudrama created a distorted and unflattering picture of the former president. Eventually, the program was shown on CBS' much-less-watched sister network, the pay cable outlet Showtime, and was later released on DVD.
Initially, Nowrasteh was told by executives at ABC Studios that the miniseries would have a DVD release in January. Then, April. Then, this summer. Currently, Nowrasteh has not been notified of a specific release date for the DVD.
Despite a virtually nonexistent Emmy marketing campaign, "The Path to 9/11" claimed seven nominations, though none in the more prestigious categories for writing and directing. As the miniseries' writer and a producer, Nowrasteh is entitled to revenue from DVD sales, but it would be fractions of a penny for a disc sold. DVD sales, too, could potentially help ABC offset its considerable financial losses on the project.
"I go to Blockbuster and I see a lot of crap on the shelves," added Nowrasteh. " 'Path to 9/11' deserves to be available to people who want to see it or buy it or rent it or whatever. Every controversial movie I can think of, whether it's 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' the Reagan miniseries . . . they were all released; they were broadcast. You can get them on DVD."


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History and Legacy
In June 1940, a 40 acre tract of lush, tropical vegetation located in Miami Shores was transformed into one of the leading centers of education in South Florida. Founded by the Most Reverend Patrick Barry, Bishop of St. Augustine, and Reverend Mother M. Gerald Barry, prioress General of the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, Michigan, and supported by Reverend Monsignor William Barry and Mayor of Miami Shores John Graves Thompson, Barry University offers a supportive atmosphere, intellectual excellence and an 800-year tradition of truth-seeking and dedication to service.
In the years since Barry first opened its doors, the campus has expanded to more than 122 acres and 17 locations throughout Florida, including seven Schools and two Colleges with numerous liberal arts and professional disciplines.
Today, the Barry University community is comprised of nearly 9,000 students, served by more than 2,100 administrators, faculty members and support staff from a wide range of religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The faculty and administration have worked closely together to serve the student population and the local community surrounding the University, where our expansion and growth have kept pace with excellence in education programs.
The tropical beauty of Barry University includes 54 buildings, with indoor and outdoor athletic facilities, spread over 80 of our 122-acre campus. Imagine the ideal South Florida climate combined with natural beauty and an atmosphere conducive to learning and continued personal development.
Barry University has had six Adrian Dominican Sisters serve as president since its inception. They include: Mother M. Gerald Barry, 1940-1961; Mother M. Genevieve Weber, 1962-1963; Sister Dorothy Browne, 1963-1974; Sister M. Trinita Flood, 1974-1981; Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin, 1981-2004; and Sister Linda Bevilacqua, July 2004 - present.
Important Dates in Barry History
|Purchase of Barry property
|Inaugural classes begin
|First Commencement Ceremony; 10 women graduated
|First accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
|Accepted into the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF)
|Full enrollment of male students approved by the Board of Trustees
|Barry College becomes Barry University
|Purchase of a law school, now the Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law
|Opening of first research hub, the Paul & Margaret Brand Research Center at the School of Podiatric Medicine
|First full degree program offered outside of mainland United States, in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands


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By Sekou Smith, NBA.com
HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS — One shining moment?
How about four since 1999?
That's what Emeka Okafor and all of the other players, former players, coaches, fans and alums of the University of Connecticut are thinking these days. UConn is back on top of the basketball world (men's and women's) for the second time since 2004, when Okafor was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player.
It's their time to shine.
"I got the baby in a UConn onesi," Okafor said on Episode 155 of the Hang Time Podcast: Hail to the Huskies, where talked all things UConn with one of the greatest players in the storied history of the program.
All of the NBA veterans who played under Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun or alongside his successor, Kevin Ollie, know all about the UConn pride that swells at times like this. So it only seemed right to track down Okafor, who experienced the championship double-dip as a player in 2004 and now gets to marvel at it like the rest of us all these years later. The Phoenix Suns big man hasn't played this season while rehabilitating a herniated disc in his neck.
We also handed out some awards for seasons well done (Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Blake Griffin, Joakim Noah and many others are involved), discuss the Hall of Fame class of 2014 (Alonzo Mourning, Mitch Richmond and former NBA Commissioner David Stern headline), the looming end of the Joe Dumars era in Detroit and other hot topics around the league, while also trying to get to the bottom of this lingering foolishness that has become the "Braggin Rights" this season. (it's a c-o-n-spiracy folks, I promise!)
Dive in for more on Episode 155 of the Hang Time Podcast, Hail To The Huskies … Featuring Emeka Okafor!
As always, we welcome your feedback. You can follow the entire crew, including the Hang Time Podcast, co-hosts Sekou Smith of NBA.com, Lang Whitaker of NBA.com's All-Ball Blog and renaissance man Rick Fox of NBA TV, as well as our new super producer Gregg (just like Popovich) Waigand and the best engineer in the business, Jarell "I Heart Peyton Manning" Wall.
– To download the podcast, click here. To subscribe via iTunes, click here, or get the xml feed if you want to subscribe some other, less iTunes-y way.


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by George Zamora
SOCORRO – U. S. Senator Pete Domenici is being honored by New Mexico Tech by having a permanent endowment fund established in his name at the state-supported research university.
"The Senator Pete V. Domenici Endowed Faculty Professorship in Science and Technology for National Security" will be dedicated by the university during a lunchtime campus ceremony on Tuesday, April 13, at the school's Macey Conference Center.
Prior to the dedication luncheon, Senator Domenici and his entourage will be given tours and demonstrations at several New Mexico Tech research facilities, including the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center field sites, the Micro-Electronics Testing and Technology Obsolescence Program (METTOP), and the IRIS/PASSCAL Seismic Instrumentation Facility.
Establishment of the Domenici Endowed Professorship was made possible through a generous donation provided by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), which was supplemented with funds made available through unrestricted gifts received during New Mexico Tech's Commitment to Excellence fund-raising campaign.


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at Saint Martin's
Saint Martin's Abbey has a
tradition of promoting the fine arts in a variety of ways. For
over twenty years, the abbey has hosted an annual concert and
lecture series, Abbey Church Events.
Saint Martin's also maintains
collections of art and a museum.
Several prominent local
artists have been commissioned to create liturgical objects in
our sacred worship space, the abbey church.
Concert Lecture Series


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text:
William T. Hornaday Unit Award
From MeritBadgeDotOrg
| This is the William T. Hornaday award for a Unit.
For the Boy Scouting and Varsity Scouting specific requirements for this award, see William T. Hornaday awards (Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts).
For the Venturing and Sea Scouting specific requirements for this award, see William T. Hornaday awards (Venturers and Sea Scouts).
For a list of all William T. Hornaday Awards, see William T. Hornaday awards.
|William T. Hornaday Award (unit)
William T. Hornaday Unit Award certificate.
The William T. Hornaday Unit Award may be earned by a Cub Scouting pack, Boy Scouting troop, Varsity Scouting team, Venturing crew or Sea Scout ship that plans and carries out at least one conservation project.
William T. Hornaday Awards are presented for distinguished service in natural resource conversation. These awards are unusual prizes with demanding expectations. Unit award judging is performed by the local area BSA council.
William T. Hornaday Unit Award requirements
Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout* troops, Varsity Scout teams**, Venturing crews and Sea Scout ships are eligible for the award. A unit may either be nominated or apply to their local BSA council for recognition.
Units to be recognized must complete the Hornaday Unit Award form and submit it to the local council.
Unit award recipients receive the William T. Hornaday Unit Award certificate, No. 21-110.
Source: BSA's Hornaday Awards web page, retrieved 08/21/2018
* Editor's note: Effective February 1, 2019, the name of the older youth program will change from Boy Scouting and Boy Scouts to Scouts BSA
View the change list (history) of these requirements. The text of these requirements may be locked. In that case, they can only be edited by an administrator.
Please note any errors found in the above requirements on this article's Talk Page.
Conservation and the Boy Scouts of America have been partners for a long time. Camping, hiking, and respect for the outdoors are a part of the Scouting heritage. Many of the requirements for advancement in Scouting call for an increasing awareness and understanding of the natural sciences. Many former Scouts have become leaders in conserving our environment and protecting it from abuse. Right now Scouts are involved in learning about environmental problems and actively working to make a difference.
This awards program was created to recognize those that have made significant contributions to conservation. It was begun in 1917 by Dr. William T. Hornaday, director of the New York Zoological Park and founder of the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Dr. Hornaday was an active and outspoken champion of natural resource conservation and a leader in saving the American bison from extinction.
Help with these requirements
Prior to beginning:
- 1. Review all information and forms at the BSA Web site regarding the William T. Hornaday Award (see External links below). Carefully review the 'Checklists for Submitting Applications' page on the BSA site.
- 2. Print the specific forms for the desired award found on the Applications and Nomination Forms located on the BSA Web site.
- 5. Select a qualified adviser for the award. Contact your area council for assistance with adviser selection. Make sure your adviser knows and understands the BSA adviser recommendations on the Guidelines for the Conservation Adviser page on the BSA site; see also the Guidelines for the William T. Hornaday Award Conservation Adviser (102K PDF) found on the SageVenture.com site.
See also
- William T. Hornaday awards - List of all William T. Hornaday awards.
- William T. Hornaday awards (Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts) - Silver, bronze and badge awards for Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts.
- William T. Hornaday awards (Venturers and Sea Scouts) - Silver, bronze and badge awards for Venturers and Sea Scouts.
External links
- William T. Hornaday Awards — (official BSA link), which also provides links to the following sub-pages:
- Who Was William T. Hornaday
- How Do I Earn a Hornaday Medal
- The Awards
- Hornaday Projects
- How Applications Are Judged
- Checklists for Submitting Applications
- Guidelines for the Conservation Adviser
- Application Forms
- BSA Factsheet 02-568 — William T. Hornaday Award for Distinguished Service in Conservation
- Hornaday Project Categories Suggestions and examples of Hornaday projects, broken down by categories
- Guidelines for the William T. Hornaday Award Conservation Adviser PDF located on the SageVenture.com Web site.


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Dear visitor, welcome to SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers. If this is your first visit here, please read the Help. It explains how this page works. You must be registered before you can use all the page's features. Please use the registration form, to register here or read more information about the registration process. If you are already registered, please login here.
Friday, August 27th 2010, 7:52am
Friday, August 27th 2010, 7:59am
Friday, August 27th 2010, 8:41am
I'm in South Jersey and it doesn't get nearly as cold here but I think I'll put one in just for peace of mind.Every backflow we install has a drain on it. Twin Cities' winters demand it.
Supreme Member
Location: Metro NYC
Friday, August 27th 2010, 8:49am
Friday, August 27th 2010, 9:05am
Yes, I guess that would open up the possibility of someone connecting before the PVB and possibly cause me some headaches in my township come time for inspection. "Oh LOOK, I can attach a second garden hose fitting here!".There is a line of thinking that is sometimes reflected in codes, that a blowout valve upstream of a backflow preventer is a cross-connection opportunity. If that is the case in your locality, then you don't see the usual blowout valves in the optimum location at a low point where they can be left open during the winter. This is all relating to above ground backflow preventers fed from a supply pipe exiting the house foundation above grade.
Friday, August 27th 2010, 11:02am
Friday, August 27th 2010, 11:29am
Redundant....Yes, but makes blowing out the system easier. We typically install a "T" fitting below the PVB on the supply line that exits the foundation of the home. Supply line comes into the "T", PVB installed above the "T", and a 3/4" threaded plug on the third side of the "T". By removing the plug in the fall, all the water in the supply line inside the house drains out. Plus, this threaded portion of the "T" gives you your blow out point.
Saturday, August 28th 2010, 2:20pm
Supreme Member
Monday, August 30th 2010, 8:59am


text:
The Kooks - "Young Folks" (cover)
P.S. Have you entered my giveaway for a free 1 month sub to Fotolia?
stuning pics!
xoxo from rome
PINK HAIR!!! I want some of that but I can't unless I bleach my ends like you did. I'm on a mission to grow out my hair though. I want boho mermaid curls for the summer! :D
I wish I see hot/cute guys lots! I see some but they end up being assholes. >.<
I don't think you have rosacea though.... for some reasons your skin issues doesn't really look like it... Is your skin getting any better tho?
I want pink hair! SO BADLY. Too bad I could never get my hair blonde enough for it to work...
This collection makes me long for summer!
- xo
this is absolutely amazinggggg!!!! especially love the fourth and last shots. btw tagged you in a post!ReplyDelete
loads to read.. lovely blog... so simple and clean...your newest follower from bloggers:) ilike skin careReplyDelete
I just stumbled upon your blog and it's amazing and fabulous! I'm also a make-up junkie. :) I'll be sure to follow you.youngblood makeupReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
Dear Mimi:
I've been meaning to coming 'round to tell you this, but I keep feeling like if I write it out onto words over the internet, it will lose it's special-ness. But, I'll tell you anyway, because I thought you should know-- I appreciated your comment on my "Running Away" post-- I appreciated it so much, and I was very glad that you allowed me to know about your story.
I am so happy that things have worked out for you-- I hope you're incredibly happy. Because you deserve it.
Jessica | Vixenelle
wildfox is always so gorgeous, I adore the 'skool sucks' jumper.ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete


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Suzuki Satria fu special design in drivers for the street, because this motor is very fast when the track is in the straight. If in Thailand Suzuki Satria Fu called this regular Suzuki Raider. With the acceleration is very good, motor is very suitable when used for racing. so do not wonder if many young people now that the others race to get this as a Satria Fu bike the present time. Accessories Satria fu is also very much in the market selling. Thus if you intend to modify the motor Satria fu (raider) you will be very easy to modify if you have an adequate cost. Many different accessories are encountered in the motor for the Satria fu are: tires, velg, body, lights, schock, and other parts.
The Picture of Satria fu modifications below maybe assist you in to modify your Satria Fu. Progressive motor modifications indonesian ...
Satria fu yellow body color
amaizing Satria fu wheel and muffler
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Betty MacDonald's sister Alison Bard Burnett
Betty MacDonald's mother Sydney with grandchild Alison Beck
Betty and Don MacDonald in Hollywood
Wolfgang Hampel - and Betty MacDonald fan club fans,
September is a very exciting month for Betty MacDonald fan club fans.
We have/had several new Betty MacDonald fan club contests during September and you have the chance to win some new Betty MacDonald fan club items.
Tell us please the name of the guy with an egg in his hand and the reason why he did it.
Betty MacDonald seemed to be very happy.
Deadline: September 30, 2016
You can win several new Betty MacDonald fan club items.
Good luck!
Tell us please the name of the guy with an egg in his hand and the reason why he did it.
Betty MacDonald seemed to be very happy.
Deadline: September 30, 2016
You can win several new Betty MacDonald fan club items.
Good luck!
Do you have any caricatures of beloved Betty MacDonald?
We are working on this subject ' Betty MacDonald in caricatures ' and are very grateful for your support.
Thank you so much for sending so many wonderful Betty MacDonald quotes to us.
We are delighted.
Send us your favourite Betty MacDonald quote, please.
You can find some of Betty MacDonald's most popular quotes below.
In case you can't find your favourite Betty MacDonald quote in it, send us yours, please.
We are working on this subject ' Betty MacDonald in caricatures ' and are very grateful for your support.
Don't miss Vita Magica September with Wolfgang Hampel, Sabine Arndt and tenor Heinz Meisel please.
It will be as great as ever.
Wolfgang Hampel already included Betty MacDonald and Betty MacDonald fan club honor members Letizia Mancino and Mr. Tigerli in Vita Magcia.More Betty MacDonald fan club honor members will follow.
Thank you so much for sending so many wonderful Betty MacDonald quotes to us.
We are delighted.
Send us your favourite Betty MacDonald quote, please.
You can find some of Betty MacDonald's most popular quotes below.
In case you can't find your favourite Betty MacDonald quote in it, send us yours, please.
New Deadline: September 30, 2016
Don't miss it, please.
You can win several new Betty MacDonald fan club items.
Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund posted on Facebook about a possible Betty MacDonald fan club meeting on Betty MacDonald's magical Vashon Island.
( see info at the end of this posting )
We are going to present Betty MacDonald fan club book cover winner.
Betty MacDonald fan club letter research team got some very interesting letters and documents some days ago.
If you'd like to share some of your letters by Betty MacDonald, Mary Bard Jensen and other family members join our Betty MacDonald fan club letter research team, please.
Betty MacDonald fan club letter research team got some very important letters by Betty MacDonald, Mary Bard Jensen and other family members.
Betty MacDonald, her sister Mary Bard Jensen and the other family members wrote very witty and interesting letters.
We got several new outstanding letters from Betty MacDonald fan club fans whose relatives had been in contact with Betty MacDonald and other family members.
Thank you so much for your outstanding support.
Betty MacDonald fan club event team is very happy to hear from you and they got some really great ideas for the next International event.
Thanks a lot!
Betty MacDonald fan club honor member Mr. Tigerli and our 'Italian Betty MacDonald' - Betty MacDonald fan club honor member author and artist Letizia Mancino belong to the most popular Betty MacDonald fan club teams in our history.
Letizia Mancino's magical Betty MacDonald Gallery is a special gift for our Betty MacDonald fan club fans.
Letizia Mancino's magical Betty MacDonald Gallery is a special gift for our Betty MacDonald fan club fans.
Greta is going to share new info on her latest Betty MacDonald fan club project ' Betty MacDonald on Vashon Island '.
We are looking for signed or dedicated first editions in great condition with dust jackets by Betty MacDonald and Mary Bard Jensen for our fans.
Betty MacDonald Memorial Award Winner Wolfgang Hampel and Betty MacDonald fan club research team are working on an updated Betty MacDonald biography and new Betty MacDonald documentary.
Dearest new Betty MacDonald fan club fans you'll receive a very important message by Betty MacDonald fan club event team.
This message includes a very nice Betty MacDonald fan club surprise and many info on our current Betty MacDonald fan club projects.
Join one of our Betty MacDonald fan club research teams, please.
Thanks a million in advance for your outstanding support.
Betty MacDonald Memorial Award Winner Wolfgang Hampel and Betty MacDonald fan club research team are working on an updated Betty MacDonald biography and new Betty MacDonald documentary.
Dearest new Betty MacDonald fan club fans you'll receive a very important message by Betty MacDonald fan club event team.
This message includes a very nice Betty MacDonald fan club surprise and many info on our current Betty MacDonald fan club projects.
Join one of our Betty MacDonald fan club research teams, please.
Thanks a million in advance for your outstanding support.
Enjoy a new breakfast at the bookstore with Brad and Nick, please.
Betty MacDonald fan club honor member Thomas Bödigheimer did a great job.
His voice and music are outstanding!
Thank you so much dearest Thomas!
Don't miss fascinating Vita Magica program September - December 2016, please.
Vita Magica was celebrating its 1st anniversary.
Jamie-Lee with Ghost got over 8 million views and more than 69.000 people like the song.
This is our Betty MacDonald fan club ESC 2016 TOP 5 according to Betty MacDonald fan club ESC fans in 40 countries.
I'd like to visit Betty MacDonald's very beautiful Vashon Island.Take care,
Sabrina & Pieter
Betty MacDonald Quotes
There's nothing as cozy as a piece of candy and a book.
I am neither Christian enough nor charitable enough to like anybody just because he is alive and breathing. I want people to interest or amuse me. I want them fascinating and witty or so dul as to be different. I want them either intellectually stimulating or wonderfully corny; perfectly charming or hundred percent stinker. I like my chosen companions to be distinguishable from the undulating masses and I don't care how.
Her magic formula for dealing with children is ignoring all faults and accenting tiny virtues. She says, "Instead of telling Tommy day in and day out that he is the naughtiest boy in the United States of America, which could very well be true, take an aspirin and comment on his neatly tied shoes. Almost anybody would rather be known for expert shoe-tying than for kicking the cat." She always tells whiners how charming they are--bullies how brave--bad sports how good--sneaks how honest!
Don't miss this very special book, please.
Vita Magica
Betty MacDonald fan club
Betty MacDonald forum
Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( English ) - The Egg and I
Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - LinkFang ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - Memim ( English )
Vashon Island - Wikipedia ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - Monica Sone - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Ma and Pa Kettle - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Ma and Pa Kettle - Wikipedia ( French )
Wolfgang Hampel - Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - Wikipedia ( English)
Wolfgang Hampel in Florida State University
Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel
Betty MacDonald fan club interviews on CD/DVD
Betty MacDonald fan club items
Betty MacDonald fan club items - comments
Betty MacDonald fan club - The Stove and I
Betty MacDonald fan club groups
Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund
Dear Aashish Bernd Rudi Friedrich Pascale Heiderose Nunzia Pieter Michail Waseem Ursula Thomas Tatjana Theresia Franziska Nicole Ernst Wolf, Michael Sabine Winfried Schwab Immo Sascha Karl Angela Ulrich Wellhöfer Perkeo Thomas Barth Kirsten Birthe Andre Horst Dawid Dr. Karl A. Lamers Europäischer Hof Heidelberg and all our other friends don't miss Vita Magica on Tuesday 28 th, 2016 please. The subject is magical Heidelberg with Rudi Lerche and other surprising guests. http://wolfvitamagica.blogspot.de/…/vita-magica-juni-2016-m…
Bernd Kunze we will be there, one year vita magica, congratulations Wolfgang Hampel and Rita Kocher.
Linde Lund Dearst Rita Kocher und Wolfgang Hampel Congratulations!!!! Happy Birthday Vita Magica and all the best for the future! All our love and best wishes from Linde, Astrid and Lund family
Thomas Bödigheimer i am there Linde
Rita Knobel Ulrich - Islam in Germany - a very interesting ZDF ( 2nd German Television ) documentary with English subtitles.
Angela Merkel's party slumps as far-right surges in Berlin election
By James Griffiths, CNN
Updated 1600 GMT (0000 HKT) September 19, 2016
Story highlights
- Angela Merkel's CDU knocked out of ruling Berlin coalition
- Big gains for anti-immigrant party AfD
- Merkel acknowledges mistakes regarding the refugee crisis
(CNN)Germany's two largest parties were facing up to losses in the nation's capital Monday after large numbers of Berliners turned to the far-right.
Anti-immigrant party Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) will enter Berlin's state parliament for the first time, after winning 14.2% of the vote.
Angela Merkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was knocked out of a ruling coalition with the center-left Social Democrats, after winning just 17.6% of the vote.
After the poll result, Merkel acknowledged mistakes and shortcomings with the controversial refugee policy which allowed hundreds of thousands into the country.
"If I could I would play back time so I and the German federal government and leaders could have been better prepared," she said.
"We have not done everything right in the last few years. We are not world champions in integration," she added, highlighting that the asylum process was taking too long, that there were too few language courses and not enough labor market integration.
While the Social Democrats won the largest share of the vote, 21.6%, they will have to enter a coalition with two other left wing parties, Die Linke (15.6%) and the Greens (15.2%) to govern.
The Berlin result marks the second recent defeat for Merkel since Germany adopted its open-door refugee policy.
AfD was set up by a group disgruntled by Merkel's eurozone crisis management -- most notably the Greek bailouts -- but it grew into a more nationalist party that strongly opposed rising immigration levels, particularly of people from Muslim countries.
Merkel has stood firm on Germany's position of accepting nearly all asylum seekers found to be legitimate refugees. Germany took in more than one million refugees in 2015, making it the most open country in Europe to asylum seekers.
In response to a poll indicating that 82% of Germans are unhappy with the refugee policy, Merkel said Monday: "If those 82% means that people do not accept foreigners, particularly people with Islamic background, this is against our constitutional rights, against our Christian democratic... and personal convictions. I and the CDU cannot represent this course."
CNN's correspondent in Berlin, Atika Shubert, reports that refugees were not the top issue there, with rising rents and increasing gentrification being ranked as more important.
But she said: "The nearly 15% win for the right wing AfD even in this very liberal city shows that, like many other parts of the country, it has surged to become a real political force that Merkel cannot ignore."
Although this election is for regional parliament and has no impact on the government, Shubert said Merkel will have to acknowledge that voters are unhappy with her party, especially the refugee policy.
Rise of the right
"She remains the strongest most stable politician not only in Germany, but arguably, Europe. And the European Union needs a strong Germany, not just to deal with the refugee crisis, but also Brexit and the debt crisis," Shubert said.
The rise of AfD in Germany reflects a surge in far-right populist parties across Europe.
"Because of its history, post-war Germany has lacked a viable right-wing political party. But the refugee issue has galvanized some voters to get behind the AfD as a palatable right-wing alternative," said Shubert.
"German voters are not convinced the government is fully prepared for the task of integrating so many thousands of people."
Alliance strained
In an interview with CNN this month, AfD party leader Frauke Petry claimed the CDU was "falling apart."
"We see that in many regions of Germany the CDU bases, the party bases, don't agree with Merkel's policy any more," she said.
One of Merkel's current allies, Bavaria governor Horst Seehofer, told German newspaper Der Spiegel that a rift in policy between them could worsen if the Chancellor fails to impose a ceiling on immigration.
"We don't want unlimited immigration like we saw last year and that's why we need binding measures as a guarantee," he is quoted as saying.
"Our constitution does not require us to take everybody who appears at our borders and demands asylum. And when someone comes from a safe country of origin, we can immediately repatriate them. The ceiling will work and it is consistent with the constitution."
In the run up to the election, current mayor Michael Muller warned that a large showing by AfD "would be seen around the world as a sign of the return ... of the Nazis."
"Berlin has transformed itself from the capital of Hitler's Germany to a lighthouse of freedom, tolerance, diversity and social cohesion," Muller wrote on Facebook.
Following in Betty's footsteps in Seattle:
or some small talk with Betty
Copyright 2011/2016 by Letizia Mancino
All rights reserved
translated by Mary Holmes
We were going to Canada in the summer. "When we are in Edmonton", I said to Christoph Cremer, "let's make a quick trip to Seattle". And that's how it happened. At Edmonton Airport we climbed into a plane and two hours later we landed in the city where Betty had lived. I was so happy to be in Seattle at last and to be able to trace Betty's tracks!
Wolfgang Hampel had told Betty's friends about our arrival.
They were happy to plan a small marathon through the town and it's surroundings with us. We only had a few days free. One should not underestimate Wolfgang's talent in speedily mobilizing Betty's friends, even though it was holiday time. E-mails flew backwards and forwards between Heidelberg and Seattle, and soon a well prepared itinerary was ready for us. Shortly before my departure Wolfgang handed me several parcels, presents for Betty MacDonald's friends. I rushed to pack the heavy gifts in my luggage but because of the extra weight had to throw out a pair of pajamas!
After we had landed we took a taxi to the Hotel in downtown Seattle. I was so curious to see everything. I turned my head in all directions like one of the hungry hens from Betty's farm searching for food! Fortunately it was quite a short journey otherwise I would have lost my head like a loose screw!
Our hotel room was on the 22nd floor and looked directly out onto the 16-lane highway. There might have been even more than 16 but it made me too giddy to count! It was like a glimpse of hell! "And is this Seattle?" I asked myself. I was horrified! The cars racing by were enough to drive one mad. The traffic roared by day and night.
We immediately contacted Betty MacDonald's friends and let them know we had arrived and they confirmed the times when we should see them.
On the next morning I planned my first excursion tracing Betty's tracks. I spread out the map of Seattle. "Oh dear" I realized "the Olympic Peninsula is much too far away for me to get there."
Betty nodded to me! "Very difficult, Letizia, without a car."
"But I so much wanted to see your chicken farm"
"My chickens are no longer there and you can admire the mountains from a distance"
But I wanted to go there. I left the hotel and walked to the waterfront where the State Ferry terminal is. Mamma mia, the streets in Seattle are so steep! I couldn't prevent my feet from running down the hill. Why hadn't I asked for brakes to be fixed on my shoes? I looked at the drivers. How incredibly good they must be to accelerate away from the red traffic lights. The people were walking uphill towards me as briskly as agile salmon. Good heavens, these Americans! I tried to keep my balance. The force of gravity is relentless. I grasped hold of objects where I could and staggered down.
In Canada a friend had warned me that in Seattle I would see a lot of people with crutches.
Betty laughed. " It's not surprising, Letizia, walking salmon don't fall directly into the soft mouth of a bear!"
" Betty, stop making these gruesome remarks. We are not in Firlands!"
I went further. Like a small deranged ant at the foot of a palace monster I came to a tunnel. The noise was unbearable. On the motorway, "The Alaskan Way Viaduct", cars, busses and trucks were driving at the speed of light right over my head. They puffed out their poisonous gas into the open balconies and cultivated terraces of the luxurious sky- scrapers without a thought in the world. America! You are crazy!
"Betty, are all people in Seattle deaf? Or is it perhaps a privilege for wealthy people to be able to enjoy having cars so near to their eyes and noses to save them from boredom?"
"When the fog democratically allows everything to disappear into nothing, it makes a bit of a change, Letizia"
" Your irony is incorrigible, Betty, but tell me, Seattle is meant to be a beautiful city, But where?"
I had at last reached the State Ferry terminal.
"No Madam, the ferry for Vashon Island doesn't start from here," one of the men in the ticket office tells me. "Take a buss and go to the ferry terminal in West Seattle."
Betty explained to me "The island lies in Puget Sound and not in Elliott Bay! It is opposite the airport. You must have seen it when you were landing!"
"Betty, when I am landing I shut my eyes and pray!"
It's time for lunch. The weather is beautiful and warm. Who said to me that it always rains here?
"Sure to be some envious man who wanted to frighten you away from coming to Seattle. The city is really beautiful, you'll see. Stay by the waterfront, choose the best restaurant with a view of Elliott Bay and enjoy it."
"Thank you Betty!"
I find a table on the terrace of "Elliott's Oyster House". The view of the island is wonderful. It lies quietly in the sun like a green fleecy cushion on the blue water.
Betty plays with my words:
"Vashon Island is a big cushion, even bigger than Bainbridge which you see in front of your eyes, Letizia. The islands look similar. They have well kept houses and beautiful gardens".
I relax during this introduction, "Bainbridge" you are Vashon Island, and order a mineral water.
"At one time the hotel belonging to the parents of Monica Sone stood on the waterfront."
"Oh, of your friend Kimi!" Unfortunately I forget to ask Betty exactly where it was.
My mind wanders and I think of my mountain hike back to the hotel! "Why is there no donkey for tourists?" Betty laughs:
"I'm sure you can walk back to the hotel. "Letizia can do everything.""
"Yes, Betty, I am my own donkey!"
But I don't remember that San Francisco is so steep. It doesn't matter, I sit and wait. The waiter comes and brings me the menu. I almost fall off my chair!
" What, you have geoduck on the menu! I have to try it" (I confess I hate the look of geoduck meat. Betty's recipe with the pieces made me feel quite sick – I must try Betty's favourite dish!)
"Proof that you love me!" said Betty enthusiastically " Isn't the way to the heart through the stomach?"
I order the geoduck. The waiter looks at me. He would have liked to recommend oysters.
"Geoduck no good for you!"
Had he perhaps read my deepest thoughts? Fate! Then no geoduck. "No good for me."
"Neither geoduck nor tuberculosis in Seattle" whispered Betty in my ear!
"Oh Betty, my best friend, you take such good care of me!"
I order salmon with salad.
"Which salmon? Those that swim in water or those that run through Seattle?"
"Betty, I believe you want me to have a taste of your black humour."
"Enjoy it then, Letizia."
During lunch we talked about tuberculosis, and that quite spoilt our appetite.
"Have you read my book "The Plague and I"?"
"Oh Betty, I've started to read it twice but both times I felt so sad I had to stop again!"
"But why?" asked Betty "Nearly everybody has tuberculosis! I recovered very quickly and put on 20 pounds! There was no talk of me wasting away! What did you think of my jokes in the book?"
"Those would have been a good reason for choosing another sanitorium. I would have been afraid of becoming a victim of your humour! You would have certainly given me a nickname! You always thought up such amusing names!" Betty laughed.
"You're right. I would have called you "Roman nose". I would have said to Urbi and Orbi " Early this morning "Roman nose" was brought here. She speaks broken English, doesn't eat geoduck but she does love cats."
"Oh Betty, I would have felt so ashamed to cough. To cough in your presence, how embarrassing! You would have talked about how I coughed, how many coughs!"
"It depends on that "how", Letizia!"
"Please, leave Goethe quotations out of it. You have certainly learnt from the Indians how to differentiate between noises. It's incredible how you can distinguish between so many sorts of cough! At least 10!"
"So few?"
"And also your descriptions of the patients and the nurses were pitiless. An artistic revenge! The smallest pimple on their face didn't escape your notice! Amazing."
" I was also pitiless to myself. Don't forget my irony against myself!"
Betty was silent. She was thinking about Kimi, the "Princess" from Japan! No, she had only written good things about her best friend, Monica Sone, in her book "The Plague and I". A deep friendship had started in the hospital. The pearl that developed from the illness.
"Isn't it wonderful, Betty, that an unknown seed can make its way into a mollusk in the sea and develop into a beautiful jewel?" Betty is paying attention.
"Betty, the friendship between you and Monica reminds me of Goethe's poem "Gingo-Biloba". You must know it?" Betty nods and I begin to recite it:
The leaf of this Eastern tree
Which has been entrusted to my garden
Offers a feast of secret significance,
For the edification of the initiate.
Is it one living thing.
That has become divided within itself?
Are these two who have chosen each other,
So that we know them as one?
The friendship with Monica is like the wonderful gingo-biloba leaf, the tree from the east. Betty was touched. There was a deep feeling of trust between us.
"Our friendship never broke up, partly because she was in distress, endangered by the deadly illness. We understood and supplemented each other. We were like one lung with two lobes, one from the east and one from the west!"
"A beautiful picture, Betty. You were like two red gingo-biloba leaves!"
Betty was sad and said " Monica, although Japanese, before she really knew me felt she was also an American. But she was interned in America, Letizia, during the second world war. Isn't that terrible?"
"Betty, I never knew her personally. I have only seen her on a video, but what dignity in her face, and she speaks and moves so gracefully!"
"Fate could not change her"
"Yes, Betty, like the gingo-biloba tree in Hiroshima. It was the only tree that blossomed again after the atom bomb!"
The bill came and I paid at once. In America one is urged away from the table when one has finished eating. If one wants to go on chatting one has to order something else.
"That's why all those people gossiping at the tables are so fat!" Betty remarks. "Haven't you seen how many massively obese people walk around in the streets of America. Like dustbins that have never been emptied!" With this typically unsentimental remark Betty ended our conversation.
Ciao! I so enjoyed the talk; the humour, the irony and the empathy. I waved to her and now I too felt like moving! I take a lovely walk along the waterfront.
Now I am back in Heidelberg and when I think about how Betty's "Princessin" left this world on September 5th and that in August I was speaking about her with Betty in Seattle I feel very sad. The readers who knew her well (we feel that every author and hero of a book is nearer to us than our fleeting neighbours next door) yes we, who thought of her as immortal, cannot believe that even she would die after 92 years. How unforeseen and unexpected that her death should come four days after her birthday on September 1th. On September 5th I was on my way to Turkey, once again in seventh heaven, looking back on the unforgettable days in Seattle. I was flying from west to east towards the rising sun.
Betty MacDonald's Vashon Island is a paradise.
info to: Sandra Lorinda Traci Petr Dana Jana Michaela Rebekah Swiss Charrd Tru John Darsie Darsie Toby Jeanine Carol Justin Lila Daniel Mo Nika Steve Neal Jitka Jitka Tami Pete Laurie Maia Nancy Kelly Pam Mary Jan and all our other friends
info to: Sandra Lorinda Traci Petr Dana Jana Michaela Rebekah Swiss Charrd Tru John Darsie Darsie Toby Jeanine Carol Justin Lila Daniel Mo Nika Steve Neal Jitka Jitka Tami Pete Laurie Maia Nancy Kelly Pam Mary Jan and all our other friends
Take an illustrated day trip through Washington state's largest city with artist Candace Rose Rardon.
Linda White yes,if my health allows.I have a few problems but is something I have always wanted to do,especially as I reread her books.
Unlike · Reply · 1 · August 1 at 6:37pm
Bella Dillon · Friends with Darsie Beck
I still read Mrs Piggle Wiggle books to this day. I love her farm on vashon.
Unlike · Reply · 1 · August 1 at 10:32pm
Lila Taylor Good morning...Linde Lund


text:
After Sandy, don't mess with Jersey
New York will always be bigger. Connecticut's richer. But if there's one lesson from the Hurricane Sandy debate, it's Don't Mess With Jersey.
A chippy Chris Christie set the tone early when the New Jersey governor warned fellow Republicans on Monday that they'd picked "the wrong state" to begin changing the rules for disaster aid. By Tuesday on the House floor, it was the Garden State in full bloom: "Sopranos"-style muscle, Princeton science, below-the-belt jabs, even old family debts dating to 19th-century Indian wars and Andrew Jackson.
Story Continued Below
"Yes, I'm angry," shouted the typically low-key Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J), who invited his out-of-state Republican opponents to join the "hypocrisy caucus." "Florida, good luck with no more hurricanes. California, congratulations. Did you get rid of the San Andreas Fault? The Mississippi is in a drought. Do you think you're not going to have a flood again? Who are you going to come to when you have these things?"
By nightfall, the end product was a bipartisan coalition that held firm — not just on the big votes to pass the $50 billion-plus aid package but on many of the smaller ones, as well.
A Republican amendment to cut $1 million for the Legal Services Corp. was defeated 217 to 202. A second proposal to strike $13 million for the National Weather Service failed by a vote of 214 to 206.
Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.), the floor manager and Christie's congressman, took the lead on the first: "I know people have a hate-on for the Legal Services Corp. of America," he said bluntly. "But at a time when people are in such desperate straits and misery, to deny the poorest of the poor recourse when fat people can be taking advantage of them, … I am opposed."
On the weather service amendment — which would affect science — Frelinghuysen left the dissection to Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.), former assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. "This amendment is of outsize importance in its misguided intent," Holt said drily. "It's completely nonsensical."
After seven hours, the Republican House — whose speaker, John Boehner (R-Ohio), blocked all Sandy action just weeks ago — cut just under $160 million, a difference of about .33 percent.
"I don't know any figure in the Republican Party who could have had the impact he did," Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.) said of Christie's role in the turnaround since New Year's Day. Seeing the handwriting on the wall Tuesday night, Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), a Christie pal, climbed aboard for final passage.
Yet the politics were stark, and the debate, brutal and poignant at once.
Not missing a beat — nor the jugular — Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) went right at the fact that one of the leading opponents, Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), benefited from a small-business loan after flooding in his state.


text:
Giving Props to Prized Pets: Personalized Prints & Portraits
It's no secret that we here at Apartment Therapy love our pets. Recently we've offered our picks for the best modern dog beds and litter boxes, tips for managing a pet hair-filled house, and even a list of aesthetically-pleasing play toys. What could possibly be left to showcase? A selection of portraits to honor your furry best friend, of course!
Here are a few of my favorite ways to forever celebrate our trusted companions. How do you give props to your pet?
Row 1, Left to Right:
- I love the modern edge of these graphic portraits by artist Erin Rea. Custom designed from your pet's picture and with a wide choice of poptastic backgrounds, 8" x 10" prints are $55. And if a portrait on the wall might be too much for you, she also can adorn coffee mugs, iPhone covers, totes, pillows and much more.
- Le Papier Studio offers sturdy, 100% cotton totes with silhouettes of your favorite breed of dog, or you can send in a pic and have your pooch's image forever embellished. $30 for a standard design tote or $40 for a custom creation.
- Artist Dyanna Bruno uses vivid colors to craft whimsical paintings and sketches of your beloved pet. Custom sizes and styles are available to suit your décor and your pet's personality; 8" x 8" paintings begin around $200.
Row 2, Left to Right:
- Need more snuggling with Fido? Curl up with a few of these felted wool pillows custom designed from your supplied picture. Bonnie Fowler crafts these cozy pillows in several sizes, with the smallest, 8 " x 8" pillow selling for $58.
- Fuzzy Mug adds a realistic ink portrait of your pet to notebooks, greeting cards, tea towels and more. Check out their other designs here, and visit their Etsy shop to be notified of their return from vacation at the end of the month.
- For classic, realistic oil on canvas portraits, artist Steven Morrell produces gorgeous, museum-quality works you'll be proud to display. Pricing on request.
- Catbird Design takes your supplied photo, does their magic (such as adding the treat to the balancing nose of this dog's mug) and imprints it on bowls or treat jars; starting at $49.
(Images: Lead, Shutterstock; others as linked above.)
Apartment Therapy supports our readers with carefully chosen product recommendations to improve life at home. You support us through our independently chosen links, many of which earn us a commission.


text:
(Phoenix, Ariz. – April 24, 2007) Attorney General Terry Goddard today announced the indictment of William Bean, 52, former Red Mesa Unified School District Superintendent, Stewart Waite, 35, former Red Mesa Unified School District Business Manager, and Sadie Tso, 53, Red Mesa School Governing Board President, on theft and fraud charges. Waite was also charged with forgery.
The Red Mesa Unified School District is located in Teec Nos Pos in Apache County. It serves approximately 900 students from kindergarten through high school.
The indictment alleges that Waite, of Concho, and Bean, of Phoenix, obtained district credit cards that they both used for cash advances and retail purchases for their own personal benefit. The indictment alleges that Waite ran up a credit card bill of more than $260,000 and also wrote himself a check for another $15,000 for personal use. Bean allegedly ran up a credit card bill of more than $83,000.
According to the indictment, after receiving the credit card statements from Wells Fargo, Waite and Bean represented to school district officials that the purchases were authorized and had the Red Mesa Unified School District pay the bills.
The forgery charge alleges that Waite altered his 2004-2005 employment contract with Red Mesa Unified School District.
The fraud counts state that Waite, Bean and Tso, of Teec Nos Pos, when responding to inquiries from the Arizona State Auditor General's Office regarding improper use of district credit cards, forwarded employment contracts for Waite and Bean that allegedly contained false statements.
Finally, the indictment alleges that Tso improperly approved settlement payouts to Waite and Bean after they resigned from their positions. According to the indictment, Tso improperly approved $110,377 in compensation and benefits to Waite and $194,063 in compensation and benefits to Bean.
If convicted of all charges, Waite faces 67.5 in prison, Bean faces 55 years in prison and Tso faces 30 years in prison. The indictments are a result of a joint investigation between the Arizona Auditor General's Office and the Attorney General's Office. Assistant Attorney General Paul Ahler is prosecuting this case.
A copy of the indictment is attached.


text:
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Has anyone used a slow cooker?
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Joined: 11 Nov 2007
Posts: 236
Location: Madison, WI
Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 10:24 pm
Post subject: Has anyone used a slow cooker?
Hi all,
I am thinking of buying a slow cooker. I am interested in making things like dried beans and even hominy. I might also like to try roasts in a slow cooker so as to not have to watch them, although they are not too much fuss. Then there are things like beets that take a lot of time steaming or roasting that are really tasty in summer, but that I avoid making because of how much they heat up my kitchen. I have a summer kitchen on the back porch where I enjoy baking, and could put a slow cooker there in hot weather.
My brother has been trying to talk me out of the purchase, saying that he had one and threw it away, since the food consistently turned out disgusting. He gave his slow cooker to Goodwill. However, my brother is an engineer and tends to follow directions to the letter. I have a suspicion that it is the recipes for slow cookers that are disgusting-- not the appliance itself. Has anyone here used one? What are your good/bad experiences. I am dying to know.
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Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 368
Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 12:30 am
Post subject:
Dory, I adore my slow cooker. After using the original Crock-Pot for 20+ years, I finally got a 6.5 quart All-Clad. There is a big range in quality of available brands. My experience with the All-Clad has mirrored the very positive reviews I read about it before purchase. I've really loved using it for all sorts of things, but most especially I love coming home to something delicious after a long day at work.
I can recommend two books (both by Lynn Alley): The Gourmet Slow Cooker, and the Gourmet Slow Cooker, Vol. II. In the first book, she presents recipes from around the world, and in the second she focuses on regional dishes from the U.S. I've not yet been disappointed. Alley doesn't just plop all ingredients into the cooker and let them simmer all day - she usually recommends several stages or steps that add new depths to the flavors.
I also make various soups (current fave is chicken & vegetable) that really don't require a recipe. Once you've used it a few times, it becomes quite easy to create your own favorites.
Good luck in your exploration - if you get one, I hope it is a big success.
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Joined: 22 Jun 2008
Posts: 34
Location: South shore of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 12:01 pm
Post subject:
Hello Dory, I've had a slow cooker for some years now. In fact I recently upgraded to a larger model with a removable stoneware insert (makes cleaning much easier) and timer. I use it mainly for stews and ribs and can tell you that they turn out great - really much more tender than when done using the more traditional methods. I have several slow cooker cookbooks but seem to be using use one titled "Not your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufman the most. If you do buy one I am sure you will not regret it.
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Joined: 08 Aug 2009
Posts: 1
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 11:28 am
Post subject:
A different take on slow cookers: in our household they've been gathering dust in an outside storage cupboard for some years now. The cooks here (at least two of them competing for the kitchen at any time) much prefer a heavy pot on the stove-top and in the oven for braising and slow cooking.
If you're looking to dump ingredients into the pot and leave it unattended, a slow cooker/crock pot can be convenient. If you enjoy browning the meat at the start; reducing and finishing at the end; and generally being able to stir and taste along the way -- nothing beats a cast-iron Dutch oven or bistro pot.
You're right about many of the slow cooker recipes out there. Emphasizing convenience over quality and flavour, the results can be dire. (Dried soup mix, ketchup, and cans of soft drink are giveaway ingredients). Beth Hensperger, Lynn Alley and Rick Rodgers are altogether more sophisticated writers, but I still needed to experiment with the published recipes. Typically there was too much liquid, and over-long cooking times specified, resulting in a mushy consistency and dried-out meat. I guess it's all about the wide variations in slow cookers, and the ingredients used.
If you decide to stick with traditional braising, don't miss Molly Stevens' award-winning book 'All about Braising'. It has wonderful coverage of the principles: the ingredients, cookware, browning, fats, aromatics, deglazing and reducing, enrichments and finishes. And some deeply delicious recipes as well. A very special book that has a permanent place in our kitchen bookrack.
Happy slow cooking ...
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Joined: 11 Nov 2007
Posts: 236
Location: Madison, WI
Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 5:00 pm
Post subject:
Thank you for all of your suggestions. I read them all with interest. I am particularly interested in cooking beans--especially types like garbanzos (chick peas) and black beans that need to be cooked for hours on the stove top. I would do braising only in hot weather, and in that case, I would brown the meat first. In winter I enjoy braising in a Dutch oven, because it warms the house and fills it with fragrant steam. I particularly enjoy adding a bit of pomegranate molasses to pot roasts after I tried a beef stew in an Iranian restaurant that used it for flavoring. It is really good and also perfumes the house beautifully! I mostly make the pot roasts for family members and parties. For myself (flexitarian) I would make mostly beans.
I think I will try.I may find it gathering dust in my garage as well, but I am going to give it a go.
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Joined: 21 Aug 2007
Posts: 552
Location: Central Kentucky
Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 2:27 pm
Post subject:
I do not, repeat, no not, understand the facination people have with slow cookers. What I do understand, however, is why you see so many of them at garage and yard sales.
At one point in our lives, Friend Wife and I were both working long, fulltime days. Slow cookers, we thought, would be the solution. Result: We now have two of them that have been gathering dust for years.
In my experience, slow cookers actually work best if you are there to monitor what's going on. Otherwise no matter what you cook turns into the same old mushy potroast.
We tried numerous recipes, both published ones and ones we tried adapting. In no case did we find a single one that benefited from 8-10 hours in a slow cooker.
If I have to braise, I'll do it in cast iron or a tagine.
About the only use for them that makes any sort of sense to me, and even that is problematical, is for things like tomato sauces and apple butter.
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Joined: 11 Nov 2007
Posts: 236
Location: Madison, WI
Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 11:05 pm
Post subject:
I bought an inexpensive on (too much risk to get a high end model) and am trying it now. I actually don't plan on leaving it on unsupervised for 8-10 hours in the house. My idea is to have something that doesn't heat up the house too much in summer. We have air conditioning in our bedroom only and my 90 year old house with radiators makes installing central air tricky. I use all kinds of unusual methods to produce edible food in summer. I am presently cooking beans. I am going to add vegetables to make a soupe au pistou, but haven't added them yet. The idea is to cook the beans without constantly checking them, and to have something portable I can stick on the back porch on hot days and not have to be running out to check on it. I already make everything from roast vegetables to zucchini bread in my portable oven, and in very hot weather put my rice cooker outside too. The cookbook I got recommends browning everything that you would usually brown before putting it in, and not "dumping" everything in at once. MY beans are half cooked and I plan to add veggies in stages to avoid having a disgusting mush. Some golden beets are in, and the carrots will go soon. Towards the end I am going to brown some onions, mushrooms and zucchini (ah yes, the eternal problem of the August garden) and add them just before the pistou. The good thing so far is that even though I have had to bring the slow cooker inside due to intense thunderstorms (Our back porch is uncovered) the cooker is not boiling away and filling the house with steam. A quick sauté to caramelize ingredients will not make me as hot as standing for hours over a hot stove. I agree with the issue of dumping in raw ingredients and leaving them all day. The results are probably disgusting. I will find out and report back if I can produce good food by being more careful in my use. I feel a bit guilty about buying a slow cooker at Walgreens that was probably made by child labor somewhere, but I was so incredibly unsure of my experiment that I did not want to spend tons on a deluxe model if I was not sure I would like the results.
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Joined: 11 Nov 2007
Posts: 236
Location: Madison, WI
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:34 pm
Post subject:
Ok. I did it. The first meal in the slow cooker. It was not an extreme success with the family, but not because of textural issues. I just had one of those run of the mill cooking disasters that happen to all of us some of the time.
I put some chick peas in to cook. After two hours I tasted them, and they were softening nicely, but were bland, so I put in some chicken soup base, and a can of finely diced tomatoes. We have had a very cold summer until the last week which has been stifling, and there are no fresh tomatoes to be had in Wisconsin. MY husband and I tasted the chick peas and he said "I might eat this if I were in a high school cafeteria." Ok. He is Mr. PIcky. No artificial ingredients for him! I thought the chick peas tasted salty, icky and artificial as well. I took out 2-3 cups of the stock and added water and a little white wine-- obviously not enough. I then added carrots, potatoes and potatoes, and did the second stage of cooking. (My idea of the slow cooker is to be able to leave it unattended-- preferably outdoors-- in-between food additions, but not to put all ingredients in at the same time-- for me that is asking for unidentifiable mush. At the end I sauteed onions, garlic and lots of garden zucchini. I then made a pistou (basil and olive oil, normally garlic as well, but I prefer garlic cooked) and stirred it in. The results? Basil flavored greasy dishwater with chunks of vegetable matter floating in it.Mr. Picky did eat some, although he made rice and only sprinkled a few chick peas on top of the rice. He looked like he was living in a prison camp, and being forced to eat rotten potatoes or flour with maggots. Needless to say he did not touch the ample leftovers, which I made edible with the addition of more salt, rice wine vinegar, , more wine, herbes de Provence, and out of desperation (I am NOT a ketchup cook) a tsp of ketchup. Actually the results, if unorthodox were pretty edible compared to the original dish. However, due to my three stage cooking plan, the textures were ok, and because the cooker did not quite come to a boil, my house stayed cool, even though I had to bring the cooker in due to thunderstorms. The problem I had was with seasonings-- not with other aspects of the cooking. MY big, huge, enormous mistake was to use soup base-- in real, detectable, quantities to make up for the bland chick peas. If anyone has eaten at Tim Hortons (a Canadian doughnut and fast food chain), my soup tasted remarkably like their vegetable soup-- that is before I removed all of the stock and entered the dishwater stage. In fact my finished soup even tasted a bit soapy-- although this may have been the power of suggestion.
My verdict? Despite the kitchen disaster, I will try the slow cooker again, but this time be more careful with seasonings. However, I do not think I will ever use it as a dump and cook appliance. I think it is useful to make one, long-cooking element of a dinner, such as beans or a large pot-roast, and then add quicker cooking ingredients at the last minute, or, perhaps, an hour before serving. I am glad I made the purchase, because it is a fun toy to play with. I think I will use it more in summer than winter, because of my cooking on the back porch regimen.
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Joined: 30 Sep 2004
Posts: 1855
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:59 pm
Post subject:
Dory I'm actually glad you had such a disaster! It made for some very very amusing reading. Good attitude! Battle on and thanks for the creative expression
Vivant Linguae Mortuae!!
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Joined: 11 Nov 2007
Posts: 236
Location: Madison, WI
Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 12:09 am
Post subject:
Hi all,
I want to report that I am successfully using my slow cooker now. What I have done so far is make pot roast. A few hours before I want to eat I sear the meat on high heat until it is brown and crispy, and then deglaze the pan with a mix of water and white wine. I put the meat in the slow cooker and add water to come most of the way up the roast. I then add a little tamari and pomegranate molasses. I add potatoes and vegetables during the last hour of cooking. The only problem I have is that the meat can get a bit too tender-- so it disintegrates with a fork. This would be perfect for something like pulled pork sandwiches, or the Caribbean dish ropa vieja, but it is hard to cut in neat slices-- including the eye of the round roast I made this week. The flavor is fine, by the way. However, I am glad to use the slow cooker for what I wanted it for-- to cook on my back porch in warm weather for hours unsupervised. By using the instructions I found in my slow cooker cookbook, that is to brown meat before putting it in, and adding ingredients in stages, I am avoiding the dreaded uniform mush.
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text:
Two British people have died in a jeep safari accident in Turkey, the Foreign Office said.
Two other Britons were injured and remain in hospital following the accident near Fethiye in the south west of the country, it said.
According to reports, the open-top vehicle crashed into a telegraph pole as the group returned from a day trip to the Saklikent Gorge.
Three Turkish nationals, including the driver, were also injured, it was reported.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of a jeep safari accident near Fethiye in Turkey involving four British nationals, two of whom have died and two of whom have been hospitalised. We are providing consular assistance."
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