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- Moog Voyager XL (with Casio MG-510 Cameo) Space Music - Melodic Downtempo, Ambient, Ambient& PsyChill Mix.
- Roland GM-70 Guitar-to-MIDI Converter - Review by Paul White, Music Technology Magazine, April 1987
- Theme from M*A*S*H. Arranged using only the ARP Odyssey for all sounds, synths, drums, efx, etc.
- Ibanez IMG2010 - Owned by George Benson. Rare 'Endorsee' finish with Silver hardware.
- Arp Avatar Review by Paddy Kingsland. Vintage review of one of the very first analog guitar synthesizers, the Arp Avatar - Competitor to the Roland GR/GS-500.
- 24-to-25 Pin Mounting Plate. You can download the newly posted '24-25.dxf' CAD file to make your own 24 to 25 pin mouting plate. I used the company Big Blue Saw to make my 24-to-25 plates from aluminum. The price for a single piece can be expensive, but if you order in quatity the price will drop considerably. Plus, they have specials from time to time!
- Roland GR-100 Samples Sounds. The Roland GR-100 Owner's Manual has a list of "Factory Presets", Sample Sounds, at the end of the Owner's Manual. These sample sounds were intending to give some direction on how to use the GR-100, using features such as Filter Modulation, Chorus, and Vibrato, all served up with the classic hex fuzz sound the GR-100 is famous for. Check out this new YouTube video I posted which goes through the Sample Sounds to get a little flavor of what this vintage 'electronic guitar' synth sounded like!
- SBC-1324 Roland 24 or 13 Pin Input to 13 and 24 Pin Output
Back in 2009 I was approached by a very talented Canadian guitarist who wanted to be able to control both vintage Roland 24 pin GR-series synthesizers and modern Roland 13 pin GK-series synthesizers with one guitar, either a 13 or 24 pin guitar.
The SBC-1324 is the unit I built to meet this need. The unit has both 13 and 24 pin inputs, and a master analog switch to select between the two. There are six amplifiers for each string input, used primarily to boost the 13 pin signals to the 24 pin format, but they can also be used individually to amplify any single string input, whether 13 or 24 pin.
- Artist Highlight: Neal Schon
Journey guitarist Neal Schon was frequently seen in the early eighties playing a Roland G-505 guitar paired with the GR-300. Schon is not usually thought of as a 'Strat' player, much less a guitar synthesist, but he makes great use of the G-505/GR-300. An outstanding track is the tune 'Valley of the Kings', using the 'Duet' mode of the GR-300.
- Roland SIP-300 Fresh Photos! Super clean photos from an auction by Tone Tweakers.
- Roland GR-300 Emulation with Kontakt 5 or Roland SR-JV80-04 / SRX-04 Ultimate Keys / INTEGRA-7. Download a complete Kontakt 5 patch and trigger a GR-300 with MIDI! Or check out a demo of the Roland GR-300 patch created by the legendary Scott Summers.
- UX-20 - 13-Pin Splitter/Distributor with Buffered Guitar Input Schematic
- Pat Metheny writes about on using the NED Synclavier Digital Guitar Option - First Time Online! From the 1984 NED Owner's Manual.
- Steinberger XL2-GR Guitar Synthesizer Controller - Vintage Roland Ready Bass Guitar Synthesizer Controller
- Pedulla MVP-S Guitar Synthesizer Controller - The phantom Roland Ready Guitar Synth Controller!
- GK QuadBox Schematic Build your own GK QuadBox, 1 input, 4 output 13-pin Guitar Synth Signal Distributor - Combined US-20 and GKP-4 clone!
- RC-1324-VR Roland 13-in to 24-pin Converter Detailed schematic on the acclaimed RC-1324. Control vintage 24-pin Roland guitar synths like the GR-700 and GR-300 with modern 13-pin controllers like the GK-3, GK-2A or the Godin series of guitar controllers
- Modulus Graphite Blackknife Special Guitar Synthesizer Controller
- Roland GR-700 Operating System Upgrade New Sounds! Faster Response!!
- Do-It-Yourself DIY Roland and Ibanez Guitar Synthesizer Control Panel Overlays
- The summer NAMM 1985 show was the year when MIDI became accepted as a standard across the industry, and guitar manufacturers unleased a variety of MIDI guitar products not seen since. From Roland to Steinberger to Ibanez to the ultra rare Octave-Plateau Voyetra MIDI guitar, MIDI was everywhere.
- Detailed information on the vintage IBM-PC music production software from Voyetra. Voyetra is the same company that produced the Kat and Kitten analog synthesiers, the ground-breaking Voyetra Eight polyphonic analog synthesizer, and the ultra rare Octave-Plateau Voyetra MIDI guitar.
- WBRA Public Television Music Video featuring Wayne Joness using Voyetra Sequencer Plus - Live Performance.
- Vintage Interview with Jazz Fusion pioneer John McLaughlin about using the Roland G-303 guitar synth controller and the New England Digital Synclavier with Digital Guitar Option
- Details on the amazing Synclavier II Digital Guitar
- East Side West Side by John McLaughlin From the Album Mahavishnu - Transcribed by Steve Vai.
- Vintage 1980 Full Page Roland G-808 Advertisement featuring Bernie Marsden (Whitesnake) - Who knew? Hard rock icon Bernie Marsden with a Roland G-808!
- Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul "Studio Custom" Roland Ready Synthesizer Controller Update
More pictures on the Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Roland Ready Synthesizer Controller page, plus an update on the number of models built.
- Musico Resynator | Hexsynator - 1980s Pitch and Envelope Tracking Synthesizer with Roland 24-pin Guitar Synthesizer Input - Detailed photo gallery from November 2017 fundraiser at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, CA.
- Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul "Studio Custom" Roland Ready Synthesizer Controller
Beyond the standard Roland offerings in the G-X0X series, there are vintage 24-pin Roland-Ready guitars for just about every niche: the Hard Rock Hamer A7, the traditional player's Zion Strat, or the cutting edge Steinberger GL-2T/GR.
But the classic, eternal, "Cadillac" of the series has got to be the Limited Edition 1985 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul with the Roland LPK-1 Electronics. Every guitar was the product of Gibson's acclaimed Custom Shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Kalamazoo made Gibson Les Pauls have been called the 'Holy Grail' of electric guitars. These vintage guitars combine all the craft and musicality with the feature-rich Roland LPK-1 electronics package, the same electronics found in the G-303 or G-808 guitars.
- Jazz and the GR-50! Acclaimed Jazz Guitarist Brad Rabuchin rocks the Roland GR-50 in this track 39 Steps: A Spacewalk. This is Space Station MIR, a collaboration with Flugelhorn Horn genius and composer Michael Wetherwax, with Wayne Joness on keyboards and programming. Watch Now on YouTube.
- BX-13 Micro Schematics Yes! At long last! The final schematic for the BX-13 Micro is available on the website! This design incorporates a VCA (voltage controlled amplifier) with an option to select either guitar or hex fuzz as the guitar signal, plus using controller 2 (resonance) as secondary control source acting as a EV-5 pedal.
- At long last the Vintage Roland Guitar Synthesizer Resource site has a full profile on the Steinberger GL-2T/GR Guitar Synthesizer Controller, with unseen schematics, photos and video, with additional information on the GL-3T/GR and GL-4T/GR.
- Musico Resynator | Hexsynator - 1980s Pitch and Envelope Tracking Synthesizer with Roland 24-pin Guitar Synthesizer Input.
- Korg Z3 Patch Editor Adaption for the Korg Z3 - Thanks to Korg Z3 user David for this free software download.
- GS-500 Video Playlist featuring Terje Rypdal - Luc Bertels hipped me to videos of Terje Rypdal using the Roland GR-500 and GS-500.
- Roland GR-700 and GR-77B AB-700 Case - Image gallery with 12 photos of the rare official Roland factory road case.
- Xotica EA-1 with Roland Ready Guitar Graph Tech Ghost Pickups - Detailed information on this very rare, Rland ready 13-pin Acoustic/Electric Roland guitar synthesizer controller.
- Factory Blue Roland GS-500 - Last year while visiting Japan I stumbled upon a factory BLUE Roland GS-500 in a Tokyo music store! Check out the exclusive photos published for the first time.
- Sounds of the GR-77B! New video posted featuring a layered bass combination of the Roland MKS-70 (same sound engine as the GR-77B) and the GR-77B.
- Pat Metheny Extended Interview - I tracked down the original Guitarist Magazine, May 1985, and have posted the complete interview with Pat Metheny. The previous interview was an abbreviated version.
- GR-300 Synthcheck - A detailed 2000 word review from "The Complete Music Magazine", dated November 1980
- Gibson Explorer - Finally! A home for one of the rarer custom Gibson vintage Roland guitar synth controllers
- Jimmy Page - Vintage 1985 magazine ad featuring the guitar legend and his G-707/GR-700 rig!
- LPK-1 Installation Diagram thanks to John Doucette for emailing the scans.
- GK-20 Schematic - 13-pin Guitar Switcher, Schematic ready for download
- Filter/Buffer Schematic - Schematic ready for download.
- Roland GR-700 and GR-77B Updates: From the Roland User Group Archives, a complete MIDI guitar and MIDI bass system profile!
- Roland GR-77B Updates: Finally! The Roland GR-77B and G-77 pages have been updated. Be sure to check out the G-77 page as well.
- Vintage Roland G-505 and GR-300 combination magazine advertisement.
- GR-700 One Step Beyond!: From the 1985 Roland User Group Magazine
- GR-700 4x Memory Expansion!: Easy to do, super DIY Memory Expansion!
- Ibanez IMG2010 and MC1: Updated! High-Res Brochure from 1985
- G-707 Steve Hunter: Vintage Product Review from 1985, Part 2!
- G-707 Steve Hunter: Vintage Product Review from 1985, Part 1
- GR-500 Steve Hackett: Vintage Product Review from 1978!
- GR-500 Patch Sheet: Original Blank Patch Sheet
- GR-500 - Solo Voice Tuning : Adendum on Tuning the Solo Section
- GR-300 Filter Mod: LFO to Filter Modification
- GR-300 Output Mod: Increase the output of your GR-300!
- GR-55 Schematics, Service Notes: Full factory service notes for the Roland GR-55
- Ibanez MIU8: Specs, photos, details on the rarest of rare!
- MIU8 Schematics: Schematics and Service Manual (pdf)!
- Korg Z3 Product Page: From early Product catalog!
- Hamer A7 Guitar: Added to the guitar pages, a tribute to the Hamer Phantom A7! Tubo Lover rocks!
- GR-500 24-pin Connector Change: Documentation of the change from the original, pin-type C24 connector to the much more common C24 positive (locking frame) connector.
Features and Specifications
Manual and Schematics
Photos - XL2-GR
Steinberger XL2-GR Guitar Synthesizer Controller
Features and Specifications:
- Body: Single-piece neck/body of Steinberger Blend synthetic reinforced fiber
- Finish: Gel-coat (black or white)
- Neck: N/A
- Fingerboard: Phenolic laminated
- Frets: 24
- Bridge: Steinberger
- Nut: Zero fret (no nut)
- Tuning machines: Knurled knobs on bridge
- Pickups: Two EMG-SS (Steinberger Sound)
- Scale: 34"
- Truss Rod: None
- Neck Width: 1 7/16"
- Weight: 8.8 lbs
- Retail Price: $2,400.00
Introduction to the Steinberger GR Roland Guitar Synth Controller Series:
As rare as the Steinberger Roland-Ready 24 pin guitars may be, the bass version is even harder to find.
I have been in touch with one XL2-GR owner, and amazingly enough, one was offered on ebay in September of 2014, and another sold on reverb.com in February on 2018.
The video on this page is compiled from individual videos posted by Ben Hayes, and the photos originate with the reverb.com auction.
Unfortunately, I have never had the opportunity to play one of these basses personally, or to examine the electronics. As there was only 'Roland-Ready' bass package, the BAK-1, I am including the BAK-1 schematic for reference.


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SC-HC05 Compact Stereo System with iPod® Dock
Details https://shop.panasonic.com/support-only/SC-HC05.html
- Compact Stereo System
- Internet Radio Control
- Push to Open iPod®/iPhone® Direct
- Slim, Flat Design
- Wireless Music Streaming by Bluetooth with Remaster
SpecificationsExpand All
- Display LED
- Bluetooth Wireless Link Function Yes
- Auto Power Off / Dimmer Yes
- Speakers Front (L/R) Configuration 2 way 2 speaker, Dual Passive Radiator x2
Speakers Front (L/R) Speaker Unit
Woofer: 2-1/2" Cone Type
(Advanced Bamboo Cone),
Tweeter: 5/8" Piezo Type
- Dimensions (H x W x D) (inch)(Approx.) 7 x 14-4/7 x 3-1/2
- Weight (lbs.) (Approx.) 9lbs
- Universal Dock for iPod/iPhone Integrated
- Power Consumption (Approx.) 16W
- Output Channel 2ch
- Power Output (RMS) Total Power: 40W (1kHz, 6ohms, 10% THD)
- Digital Music Connection for iPod/iPhone Yes
- Analog Audio In Music Port (AUX)
- Power Supply AC 120V, 60Hz
- in Standby Mode 0.05W
- Bluetooth Re-Master Yes
- Pure Direct Sound System Yes
- Internet Radio Control Yes
- Dimensions (H x W x D) 9'' x 16.19'' x 5.94''
Owner's Manuals
What do I do in the unit has no power?If the unit is not powering on, remove the power cord plug from any power strip it may be connected to and plug directly into the wall outlet.
How do I connect a Panasonic home theater system to my TV?Panasonic recommends that you use an HDMI cable to connect the HDMI output of your Blu-ray disc player to the HDMI input on your TV. Then place your TV on the correct HDMI input using your TV remote control.
What should I do if I am not getting any sound from the center or the right speaker?Center Speaker
Check the speaker wire connection on the back of the unit. Unplug the speaker wire from the back of the unit, and then reinsert it into the center speaker slot on the back of the unit. Next, go to the unit's audio settings and perform a speaker test. If you are using a stereo channel source or the unit has no center channel encoded, turn on the "Super Surround" option.
Right Speaker
The right speaker of the center channel is a "Super Tweeter" it along with the full range speaker produce a more natural sound even though you may not hear audio coming from the super tweeter. Super tweeters produce high frequencies which may not be heard at all times.
How do I use the ARC feature with my home theater system?ARC is an abbreviation for Audio Return Channel. To use this feature the HDMI cable you are using must be compliant to HDMI v1.3 spec or later. Older cables may not work correctly.
VIERA Link can work with either the HDMI- ARC feature of a compatible TV.
For ARC usage make sure that the systems HDMI ARC port is connected to the TVs ARC port.
1. Press [HOME].
2. Select "Others" icon and press [OK].
3. Select "Setup" and press [OK].
4. Select "Audio" and press [OK].
5. Select "TV Audio Input" and press [OK]. Then select the "ARC" option.
Afterwards the TV's ARC feature will control the home theater system and the sound from the TV will be heard through the systems speakers.
Consumer Product Support and Technical Assistance
Operating hours:
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm EST

subset: commoncrawl


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A statewide coalition is asking the Legislature for more money amid a surge of homeless women, veterans and young adults.
QUINCY – Amid a surge in the state's population of homeless single men, women and teens, homeless shelters in Quincy and Brockton and 30 other shelters and services across the state have for the first time joined to ask the Legislature for what they say is an overdue funding increase.
"We're at a tipping point. We need some help," Father Bill's Place & MainSpring CEO John Yazwinski said Tuesday in a meeting with The Patriot Ledger editorial board.
The newly-formed Coalition for Homeless Individuals is asking the Legislature to increase the state's main funding source for homeless services from the current $40.5 million to $48.6 million, an increase of $8.1 million.
Yazwinski and Aimee Coolidge of Boston's Pine Street Inn said it would be the first significant increase for the funding program since 2001 – and even if it passes, will only cover the cost of inflation for the past 13 years. Yazwinski and Coolidge said the statewide coalition has organized to emphasize the strain they're all feeling.
Yazwinski said most of the South Shore and Brockton area delegations have quietly supported more funding, though none have sponsored such legislation. "We'll tell you when the budget comes out," Coolidge said of the coalition's search for sponsors.
She and Yazwinski said the current surge in the homeless population is of great concern because Father Bill's, Pine Street and other programs had a lot of success in reducing the numbers of the chronically homeless and those on the street, and getting them into stable housing.
The state pays Father Bill's, Mainspring and other shelters $25 a night for a contracted number of beds – 75 at Father Bill's in Quincy and 51 at MainSpring in Brockton. The coalition's requested increased would raise that rate to an average of $32 a night per bed.
The state money also helps pay for a range of other services, from job training to temporary rent assistance that can keep individuals in their homes and out of shelters.
Yazwinski and Coolidge said a steady rise in the number of homeless women, Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, and young adults is straining services at already-overcrowded shelters, even as programs like Father Bill's try to get those individuals into stable housing.
Yazwinski noted that Father Bill's now averages 134 clients a night, and MainSpring averages 122, while the state only pays for the contracted number. Dozens of clients at both shelters now sleep on floor pallets instead of beds.
He said those aged 18 to 24 often add "an element of dangerousness" to the shelters, because many are struggling with drug addiction or mental illness, and don't want to be in a shelter with adults.
He said teenagers are often the most at-risk, because they've aged out of state foster care, or have fled from their families.
"Things have to be really bad at home for them to come to us," Yazwinski said.
He said that last year Father Bill's sheltered about 250 teens and young adults for a few nights or longer.
Since 1999, Father Bill's has bought and built more than 360 units of housing for veterans, women and the disabled, much of it through Housing First, a nationally-known program that provides living space for clients before they get sober or find jobs. He said that program includes 30 units of affordable housing in Plymouth and others in Weymouth, Hingham and Hull, communities that once had very few homeless.
Lane Lambert may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or follow him on Twitter @LLambert_Ledger.
READ MORE about the Father Bill's and MainSpring shelters.


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Selections from the Collection
January 17, 2018 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
An event every week that begins at 8:00am on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, repeating until January 18, 2018
An event every 2 weeks that begins at 8:00am on Friday, repeating until January 18, 2018
The Festival of Arts presents "Selections from the Collection" at Laguna Beach City Hall now through January 18, 2018. Comprised of pieces from the Festival of Arts Permanent Art Collection, the display features early Laguna Beach paintings from the early 1900s as well recent acquisitions by the Festival of Arts. "Selections from the Collection" showcases both classical and contemporary works in a variety of media. Artworks include "Homework" by Kathy Jones, "Mandala" by Mariana Nelson, "Queen of Hearts" by Vinita Voogd, "To His Glory" by George Gibson, "Saddleback" by Frank Cuprien, "Color Symphony" by Joane Cromwell, and the newest addition to the Festival's collection, "Lighter than Air" a photograph by Jacques Garnier.
The Festival's collection, made up of over 1,150 pieces, is composed of an eclectic mix of two-dimensional and three-dimensional work that date back to the early 1900s. The Festival of Arts Permanent Collection, expanded annually through purchases and donations, includes painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, glass, photography, mixed media, furniture and jewelry that reflect the uniqueness and diversity that is synonymous with the Festival of Arts and the region surrounding it.


text:
Want to voice your opinion? Boost your resume and portfolio? Reach thousands of students?
The Rival takes submissions from anyone and everyone on any topic.
When you're ready for your work to be reviewed, please include a cover photo and send it to Catherine Foley, our Director of Communications, at email@example.com


text:
Music and Audiobooks in swedish and/or about Sweden.
Can not find the Music or Audiobooks you are looking for? We cooperate with Ginza, one of Scandinavia's largest suppliers of film, books and music . Take a look at www.Ginza.se and select the products you want to buy then contact us at SverigeOnline.se and we'll arrange your order!


text:
We Weasels are a one income family or rather I should say were a one income family. Now we are a zero income family. As luck, or rather this current economy would have it, Mr. Weasel has been laid-off.
This is not good, as it takes his entire income to support our herd. However, it will be okay. One way or another, things will work out. This is not the worst thing that could happen. We learned that 6 1/2 years ago.
Mr. Weasel was out of a job for a while way back a long time ago in a land far far away and in the end it turned out to be for the best. This time could work out just the same.
In the mean time, click the heck out of my ads. I have made almost $2.00 on those ads since June. Every little, you know.
We have health. We have family. We have RockBand. It's all good.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
We Weasels are a one income family or rather I should say were a one income family. Now we are a zero income family. As luck, or rather this current economy would have it, Mr. Weasel has been laid-off.
20 comments:
- 'cuz I'm the mommy, that's why! said...
Thinking good thought for a new job!
Check out my post Thursday for some fun.
BTW, my verification actually spelled "latin". Weird.
- November 11, 2008 at 1:56 AM
- Bad Momma said...
Sending good thoughts your way & a few clicks, for what they're worth.
Sucks to have this happen this time of year! Mr. Bad Momma had his job go overseas 3 years ago in October. Fortunately we had been planning for this event for 5 years before it happened. When the ax fell, it was kind of a relief.
We're training our kids to be street performers. A few more music lessons and we'll be ready to hit the train & subway stations. (too bad there are none close to home).
I'll let you know when we play your town....
Keep up the faith & I'm off to click!
- November 11, 2008 at 4:19 AM
- Melisa said...
Oh my gosh. E-mail me and tell me what his line of work is so I can ask my husband to keep his ears open over here, 6 miles from your place!
We've been through this as well. Totally sucks. I'm going to click now...
- November 11, 2008 at 5:04 AM
- OhCaptain said...
Sending the good vibes your way. I tried clicking the ads and realized you need more adds. There was only one to click...for the marines. Consider it clicked :-)
- November 11, 2008 at 6:55 AM
- nukedad said...
You have RockBand, THANK GOD! ;) Sending positive Mojo your way. If you can find some itos, you can have Mojitos! Bad. Really bad. Is this the door? Ok, see ya.
- November 11, 2008 at 7:31 AM
- Weaselmomma said...
Thank you all. Only was ad was showing up, but 3 were there. They are coming up now. And does anyone have any ito's? I could use some.
- November 11, 2008 at 8:04 AM
- wornoutwoman a.k.a. Kimberly McKay said...
clicking away my friend. I'm right there with ya. My hubby got laid off this year, and thankfully landed into his dream job quickly....but I'm waiting tables until I find a job. Let's pray my book does well enough that I won't have to worry about my income that's lacking.
clicking on your ads NOW!
- November 11, 2008 at 8:28 AM
- Tara R. said...
Clicking away. Good luck on the job search.
- November 11, 2008 at 9:33 AM
- RhondaLue said...
Oh man, sorry about the job loss...that sort of thing is my 2nd greatest fear!
Thanks so much for the tutorial on strikeout. I just managed to do it in my latest post!
SEnding good thoughts your way!
- November 11, 2008 at 10:04 AM
- Sabrae said...
Hope everything works out! :) I will click click click!
- November 11, 2008 at 10:24 AM
- Tom said...
None of us have any military background but we'll click on those ads anyway (those are the ones showing up right now).
You're in our prayers. If you find that you're all forced to move to Oregon, we can show you around.
- November 11, 2008 at 1:34 PM
- Mike said...
I hear you and I'll be clicking. Click mine if you get the chance (scratching the back thing). I got bad news as well, no layoff yet, but our CEO said it's just a matter of time. This economy sucks...
- November 11, 2008 at 3:25 PM
- terri said...
You guys are in my prayers. Heading back to click away.
- November 11, 2008 at 4:47 PM
- Darrin said...
Aw.. I wish you and yours the very best. I must say I'm quite impressed by your outlook and attitude!! You guys will be just fine Momma, and I'm all too happy to click away!
- November 11, 2008 at 5:57 PM
- Michelle said...
Oh we love layoffs... there are a bunch happening constantly. Here's hoping he finds something quickly. I'm with Melisa (and not too far from you, I believe since I'm not too far from her) and if you are comfortable letting us know what line of work he's in.... Fingers crossed this is quick for you!
- November 11, 2008 at 6:01 PM
- The Microblogologist said...
Ads clicked, I hope he gets a new job soon. If that isn't enough you might consider renting out Weasels to bloggers who need the blog fodder...
- November 12, 2008 at 10:26 PM
- Laura said...
I'm clicking away (using up my "free" time now that the kiddos are in bed), but I think you need to be an equal-opportunity ad-woman & get some Army ads going! :) I'm so sorry that this is going on, you're in our prayers!
- November 13, 2008 at 6:31 PM
- Weaselmomma said...
Thanks again for all the clicks from all of you.
@ Laura ~ I don't get to pick the ads. Google just inserts 'relevant ads' by searching my content.
- November 14, 2008 at 7:20 AM
- Daddy Forever said...
Sorry about the job situation. I know how that feels. I was laid off several years ago. On another note, it took me awhile to find your ads. You should try the skyscraper ads. They are harder to miss.
- November 16, 2008 at 11:09 PM
- Rick said...
I clicked to feed the weasels. I hate to see wild life suffer.
- December 4, 2008 at 8:17 PM


text:
Bob and Jolyn Esquerre are business solutions consultants and co-owners of the Esquerre Fitness Group [EFG]. EFG—known for training trainers, training group exercise instructors and training managers—has consistently pushed the envelope of excellence in challenging the industry to provide exceptional service to members. Recognized as subject-matter experts in personal training, program development, club branding, management development, customer relationship management and membership retention, Bob and Jolyn's total focus is to create customized business solutions for their customers.
The fitness industry has traditional group exercise classes, it has personal training services, and now it has group training, which is what we call the missing third piece of the club programming triad. If group training is done right, everybody wins—financially, professionally and personally.
We define group training as fee-based programming options that can be configured either as a small group with three to eight participants or configured as a large group with nine to 20 participants.
Whether it's small group training (SGT) or large group training (LGT), this programming must be positioned as a distinctly specialized, branded experience that is delivered by highly trained fitness professionals. This definition is critical in order to distinguish fee-based group training programs from mainstream group exercise programs whose costs are included as part of the normal club membership fee structure. In fact, equipment that is used in fee-based programming should not be the same equipment that is already included in non-fee based group exercise programs.
Even though the definition of group training is clear and the return on investment shown in Table A below is obvious, why are so many clubs having such a hard time implementing and managing successful group training programs from both an operational and financial perspective?
Why Group Training Programs Fail
We have evaluated group training programs, both SGT and LGT, in various markets domestically and internationally. The most common denominator for failure is what we call the poor planning syndrome.
This basically means that no strategic business planning occurred before the group training program was launched. Without good planning, the program cannot be successfully managed. Without a successful management process, group training is destined to fail.
The second most common failure factor is not having the club's group training program fully integrated into the club's overall programming mix. This occurs because group training was positioned as an option that did not reflect the club's branding message. Again, this occurred because of the poor planning syndrome.
The third most common failure factor was the skill sets of the service provider. In most instances, a technically proficient personal trainer was assigned the task of running the group training sessions. However, because the managers did not understand the dynamics of a group-focused teaching/learning environment and the skill sets needed to manage such a dynamic environment, the personal trainers were destined to fail despite their technical knowledge. Group training is about using dynamic coaching skill sets to motivate each individual to do their best for the common good of the entire group (see Table B). It is all about the dynamics of the group experience that makes group training unique.
Table C summarizes the failure matrix for group training programs. As you read this, you need to be honest about how your individual situation compares with this list.
Group training is a "must" option as we collectively examine how to reinvent and reposition the value proposition of our clubs in this economic environment.
Are you ready to make this happen given what we know today?
Table A: Group Training Benefits
- Additional fee-based programming options
- More fitness professionals with new skill sets, creating the hybrid fitness professional
- The creation of a stronger club branding message delivery system (group exercise programs, personal training programs and group training programs)
- Increase in gross income to the club
- Higher profit margin to the club (i.e. increase in net income)
- Lower club member attrition rate
- Higher club member retention rate
- Higher referral rates from satisfied clients
- Higher hourly income for fitness professionals
- Increase in club income per member
- Strengthening of the club's brand (i.e. the club's value proposition)
- Increase in percentage of non-dues revenue
- Reduction of employee overhead expenses
- Increase in synergy of all club programs
- Strengthening of the club's competitive points of difference
- Reinforcement of the club's customer relationship program
- Reduction in fitness professional turnover
- Higher success in recruiting highly qualified fitness professionals
Table B: The DNA of the Group Training Hybrid Fitness Professional
1. Entrepreneurial mindset
2. Ability to sell services for a fee
3. Ability to set and share a vision
4. Ability to focus on customers
5. Ability to develop and support team and group building dynamics
6. Ability to solve problems and make decisions
7. Ability to lead club members
8. Ability to lead personal training clients
9. Possession of professional coaching skill sets
10. Ability to manage time, resources and projects
11. Ability to take initiative beyond the job description
12. Ability to display professional ethics
13. Ability to manage change
14. Ability to deal with individuals as individuals
15. Ability to share information
16. Ability to manage business processes
17. Ability to display technical skills
18. Possession of group training technical skill
Table C: Why Group Training Programs Fail
- They are launched with inadequate planning.
- No "champion" was assigned to manage the programs.
- The programs were not positioned with a credible distinction from traditional group exercise programs.
- Personal trainers with no group exercise skill sets were assigned to develop and deliver the programs.
- The group training instructors were not positioned as subject-matter experts. These group training instructors should be called coaches.
- The service providers were not incentivized to grow the programs.
- The base compensation was too low to attract the best skilled professionals to participate in the programs.
- The programs were not positioned to support the club's brand or value proposition.
- The club had a weak or non-existent value proposition.
- The programs did not create a valuable member experience.
- The programs had no specific goals and objectives.
- The programs did not support the club's customer relationship program.


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Previous: [LN-CC] SS19: adidas + Top Three: Crossbody Bags + How to Wear: Mesh
To celebrate the launch of Tiffany True, Tiffany & Co. will bring the energy of New York City to the streets of Singapore by placing Tiffany Blue® benches in the city's most romantic spots. A new bench will be unveiled daily so stay tuned as they share clues on the newest locations. Post a photo at any one of the Tiffany Blue benches and use the hashtag #TiffanySingapore to enjoy a complimentary ice cream from their ice cream cart at the Tiffany & Co. ION store on Orchard Road from May 16 to May 25 from 4-7pm.
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Simply click on 'Purchase Now' below, and pay exactly $1.00 – no more, no less! Your McDonald's Chendol McFlurry® voucher will be issued into your 'My Rewards' tab in the Grab app immediately.


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Chus & Ceballos Present Stereo Productions Podcast :: Chus & Ceballos Live From Space Miami July 15 [part 1]
Hola Hola Amigos! Welcome to the official Stereo Production Podcast! This week we are bringing you a special mixtape recorded live a few weeks ago at Space Miami, USA. Enjoy. You can also Subscribe Here to our weekly radio-show using iTunes. itpc://feeds.feedburner.com/InStereoRadioShow Subscribe Syndicast: Create account at: syndicast.co.uk/sign-up.php and subscribe to Stereo Productions Tracklist: X-Press… read more


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Dublin Native Represents Ireland on International Stage
NEW HAVEN, Conn.—Yale men's cross country team sophomore Kevin Dooney capped off his season in memorable fashion on Sunday, representing his home country of Ireland at the 20th SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. Competing as one of the six members of Ireland's Under-23 squad, Dooney ran the 8K race in 24:57, placing 38th overall and third on the Irish team. Ireland placed fourth overall in the U-23 race, trailing only France, Great Britain & Northern Ireland and Ukraine.
Dooney unsurprisingly closed the race especially strong—a skill he has showcased consistently throughout his first two years of collegiate cross country. The sophomore standout finished the first 2,000 meters of Sunday's race in 52nd place before moving up seven spots in the race's next 3,000 meters and seven more in the closing 3,000 meters.
For Dooney, the strong showing in Europe was just another achievement during what has been a tremendous second-year campaign. Despite struggling with some lingering injury issues early in the season, Dooney came up big for the Bulldogs as the season progressed, ending the season with four consecutive first-place team finishes, earning All-Region and second team All-Ivy honors, and running at the Division I NCAA Cross Country National Championships.
Upon returning to the United States, Dooney will enjoy some rest during the holiday break before returning to competition when the indoor track and field season resumes in January. Dooney figures to be one of the Bulldogs' top distance runners this year, having already recorded the fifth-fastest outdoor 10,000-meter personal record and ninth-fastest indoor 5,000-meter personal record in Yale history as a freshman last season.
Report by Zach Schloss '15, Yale Sports Publicity


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Master of Divinity
Program Description
Program Objectives
Course Requirements
The Master of Divinity program offers flexibility in course selection for those who are preparing for a form of Christian ministry. This program is intended for those who expect to be involved in staff positions in churches or in para-church ministries. Taylor now offers a 77-hour MDiv program, which focuses on essential ministry preparation and spiritual formation. This program is intended to serve students by reducing the time and cost involved in getting their degree.
Graduation from this program should enable the student to demonstrate:
1. The personal and spiritual maturity expected of a minister of the Gospel and a commitment to ongoing growth.
2. A broad knowledge of the Bible and theology and the ability to apply this knowledge in a redemptive ministry in the church and the world.
3. Commitment to the church's worldwide mission of gospel proclamation, discipleship, and social change.
4. Competence in the skills required for the teaching, preaching, worship, pastoral care, evangelistic, and administrative ministries of the church.
5. The ability to provide effective leadership for a congregation of believers.
Bible (18 credits)
BI 412 Biblical Hermeneutics 3
BI 514 Greek and Hebrew Tools 3
NT 416 New Testament Introduction 3
NT or BI Elective 3
OT 417 Old Testament Introduction 3
OT or BI Elective 3
Church History and Theology (15 credits)
CH 420 Church History to 1500 3
CH 422 Church History since 1500 3
TH 531 Systematic Theology I 3
TH 532 Systematic Theology II 3
plus one of the following three courses: 3
TH 526 Christian Ethics or
TH 534 Christian Worldview or
TH 634 Christian Apologetics
Church Mission and Ministry (38 credits)
CE 532 Educational Task of the Church 3
FE 442 Field Education Experience Unit 1 1
FE 443 Field Education Experience Unit 2 1
FE 444 Field Education Experience Unit 3 1
FE 445 Field Education Experience Unit 4 1
FE 446 Field Education Experience Unit 5 1
MI 432 Integral Mission 3
MI 545 Evangelism and Church Planting 3
PC 431 Personal Development and Ministry 3
PC 531 Essentials of Pastoral Care 3
PL 633 Essentials of Christian Leadership 3
PT 540 Spiritual Formation 3
PW 431 Introduction to Preaching 3
PW Preaching Elective 3
PW 631 Christian Worship 3
WR 523 Christian Encounter with World Religions 3
Free Electives 6
Total Credits 77
* Baptist History & Thought is required of Baptist students only.


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Benefits & Features
The SKINS S400 range has been designed with expert advice from the Austrian Ski Federation for high performance in demanding conditions. Built for winter snow sports, the S400 Men's Thermal All-In-One Compression Suit features scientifically proven engineered gradient compression to increase blood flow and oxygen supply, and to re-circulate blood lactate faster.
At SKINS we believe in attention to detail, so the S400 Men's Thermal All-In-One Compression Suit features a shaped crotch panel with fly opening for easy access, articulated knees and elbows to help prevent bunching, stretch airflow mesh under the arms for ventilation. The suit also has a 5cm mock neck with zipper for warmth and protection.
SKINS thermal fabric is a blend of Polyamind and Elastane, which combines high pulling and abrasion resistance with excellent breath-ability and a soft feel against your skin. The brushed interior helps to release heat back to your body to give you a thermal advantage in cooler temperatures.
On top of all that, moisture wicking technology transports moisture away from the skin and helps regulate body temperature, while 50+ UV protection keeps you safe in the winter sun. Get out and make the most of your time on the slopes!


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Last week, Anthem Blue Cross announced 39% rate increases, claiming it was doing what it needed to do to keep up with the rising cost of health care. People were not only outraged, but as it turns out, that was a lie.
Documents expose Anthem was using manipulated data & tying their rate increases to their profit margins.
This is Jason Leopold's piece about these revelations on t r u t h o u t, which was originally posted on Wednesday 24 February 2010:
Documents Reveal Anthem Blue Cross Manipulated Data to Justify Massive Rate Hike
by: Jason Leopold, t r u t h o u t | Investigative Report
Internal documents show one of the country's largest for-profit health insurers, in an effort to maintain profits, manipulated data to justify a rate increase on individual premiums in California this year by as much as 39 percent.
At a closely watched Congressional hearing Wednesday, Rep. Henry Waxman, the Democratic chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, blasted WellPoint Inc. executives for publicly stating that the country's economic turmoil and rising health care costs was the reason its Anthem Blue Cross subsidiary intended to move forward with a massive rate increase in California when the company's own documents say otherwise.
Waxman said the company "may have manipulated its actuarial assumptions to keep its medical loss ratio (MLR), a key measure reviewed by California regulators, 'flat.'"
"WellPoint says the rate increases are a result of medical inflation and healthier policyholders dropping coverage," Waxman (D-California) said. "But the thousands of pages of WellPoint documents we have reviewed tell another story ... WellPoint says that its rate increases have nothing to do with increasing company profits. But an internal company e-mail says that its rate increase would 'return CA to target profit of 7 percent.'"
The email Waxman referred to was sent October 7, 2009, by WellPoint executive Barry Shane to Cynthia Miller, the company's executive vice president, chief actuary and integration management officer. It says:
Re CA rate filing ... I will try to keep you better informed re: key increases. Average increase is 23 percent and is intended to return CA to target profit of 7 percent (vs 5 percent this year). Still have another 1-2 weeks of discussion before we get finalized. Also, this has been a collaborative rate development process [with another executive] and his team fully engaged and encouraging a higher rate increase (while being aware of the risk associated).
Last month, it was revealed that Anthem Blue Cross notified thousands of its 800,000 customers in California who hold individual plans that they would be affected by a rate hike as of March 1. The increase has been delayed by two months pending an independent review launched two weeks ago at the behest of California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner.
Poizner, a GOP gubernatorial candidate, said he "instructed" an outside actuary "to review the rates with a fine-tooth comb" to determine if the rate hikes are excessive and ensure that Anthem Blue Cross is spending 70 cents of every dollar on premium medical care as required by state law.
If the actuary finds "that these rate increases were unwarranted, I will immediately take action to get Anthem Blue Cross to follow the law and lower their rates," he said.
When news of the rate hike broke, it resulted in a major backlash against the health insurer and underscored the urgency of passing legislation to reform the industry.
Wednesday's hearing was chaired by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Michigan) and comes a day before Republican and Democratic leaders gather at the White House for a hotly-anticipated bipartisan health care summit that will be broadcast live on C-Span.
The meeting will be led by President Barack Obama and is intended to get both parties to agree on provisions to be included in a health care bill, the cornerstone of Obama's domestic agenda. Obama has cited the Anthem Blue Cross rate hike several times in recent weeks in an effort to rally lawmakers behind his health care proposal.
Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services released a report, Insurance Companies Prosper, Families Suffer: Our Broken Health Insurance System, that identified how other for-profit health insurance companies were planning massive rate increases in Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.
The timing of Wednesday's hearing was not lost on some Republican lawmakers, such as Congressman Michael Burgess (R-Texas), who said it was a political ploy scheduled to promote Obama's "six-hour photo op."
Burgess, a doctor, defended WellPoint's rate hike, stating it could be due to a variety of factors, and "any number, no matter how big, may be acceptable."
But Stupak said the committee's probe "discovered internal documents that suggest a closer relationship between the proposed premium increases and WellPoint profits."
"The documents reveal that WellPoint sought inflated premium increases as a negotiating tool with the California Department of Insurance," Stupak said.
One such document released by the committee last week called into question recent claims by WellPoint to justify Anthem Blue Cross's rate increase in California. The company pointed out that healthy individuals had decided to drop their coverage. But according to data the company submitted to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, in 2009 enrollment actually rose by more than 7 percent, from 583,967 individual policyholders at the end of 2008 to 627,082 individual policyholders at the end of the third quarter of 2009.
Cooking the Books?
California law requires WellPoint, as well as other health insurers, to spend 70 percent of its premium costs on medical care.
According to the committee's investigation, "to meet this requirement, WellPoint reported to the California Department of Insurance that its anticipated medical loss ratios for each plan as of March 2010 ranged from 72.0% to 78.9%, with one outlier of 144.8%."
"One factor that can have a great impact on medical spending is the number of healthy people, who are relatively inexpensive to insure and chose to leave a particular plan. This is known as 'adverse selection,'" according to the committee's analysis of internal WellPoint documents.
"If a company projects that a large number of healthy people will exit a plan, the estimated spending on medical care for the remaining sicker population is expected to rise and result in a higher medical loss ratio," the committee's analysis concluded. "Even if premium increases generate more revenue for a particular plan, if the pool of policyholders for that plan becomes more expensive to insure, the medical loss ratio will appear higher."
WellPoint uses the concept of "adverse selection" to justify its premium increases, according to the documents. During discussions WellPoint executives had with Energy Committee staff last year, the company disclosed that as much as seven percentage points of the average 25 percent increase in premiums is due to "adverse selection."
According to internal e-mails obtained by the Energy Committee WellPoint "may have manipulated its adverse selection projections to achieve a desired medical loss ratio."
In a September 3, 2009 email, David Shea, WellPoint's vice president for individual pricing, proposed for health plans regulated by the California Department of Insurance to "add 1.0% to margin for adverse selection to ultimately keep MLR flat."
In the same e-mail, he also proposed for health plans regulated by the California Department of Managed Care to "[a]dd 2.0% to projected claims for adverse selection to lower the margin to flat."
The medical loss ratio is the proportion of premium revenues that a health insurance plan uses to pay down medical claims. The rest of the money is booked as profit and also used for other expenses, such as marketing and administrative costs and executive compensation.
According to documents obtained by the committee, WellPoint put together a 12-point plan to reduce its medical loss ratio.
In a document titled "WellPoint Individual Business 2010 Plan 1st Pass," the company identified "[o]pportunities (not reflected in forecast/Plan). Under the "Risk Management" heading, the plan indicates that WellPoint's medical loss ration "should improve as we eliminate subsidies and other Risk Management Initiatives."
That was followed by 12 risk initiatives followed, which included:
- "Application for those with prior coverage will be dated no earlier than the day after receipt."
- "Pre-existing waiting periods have been adjusted to be the either 12 months or the legal maximum if less."
- "Reinstatements will only be allowed for a period of 60 days post termination and will require underwriting and payment of back premiums."
WellPoint executives also identified key issues confronting the individual market in California that helps to better explain why it was targeted with a double-digit rate increase.
"Lack of attention to risk management, decreased ability to use pre-existing claim denials and rescind policies, and maternity policies have led to first year loss ratios climbing from less than 50% five years ago to over 65% today," the company's 12-point plan document says.
WellPoint Chief Executive Angela Braly testified Wednesday that the rate increase in California, filed last November, was reviewed by an "independent actuarial firm" that concluded the company's "methodology was reasonable.
"Raising our premiums was not something we wanted to do--but we believe this was the most prudent choice given the rising cost of care and the problems caused by many younger and healthier policyholders dropping or reducing their coverage during tough economic times," Braly said, adding that the company "clearly" understands "that rate increases create a challenge for many of our members."
"However, it is important to know that many of our members often have a choice of coverage," she said. Still, WellPoint "determined that a rate increase averaging approximately 25 percent (excluding aging) was necessary."
Braly said she "was very disappointed to see the health reform debate change . . . to an attack on the health insurance industry, specifically pointing to our profits and citing this as the primary reason for premium increases, which is very misleading."
But Waxman wasn't buying any of it and he again pointed to the company's own internal documents, which he says show the health insurer's reasons for hiking rates are purely profit-driven.
In a November 2, 2009, email, Bryan Curley, WellPoint's regional vice president and actuary, wrote: "Note: we are asking for premiums that would put us $40 [million] favorable. Just a week earlier, Curley told Brian Sassi, president and chief executive of WellPoint's consumer business, that "[i]f we get the increases on time, we will see an op gain upside of $30 [million] after downgrades and rate caps."
The committee also took issue with Braly's statement that "raising our premiums was not something we wanted to do" noting that other documents "suggest that WellPoint padded its rate increase by five percentage points to counteract anticipated concessions to [California] state regulators concerning the size of its premium increases."
In an internal email dated October 24, 2009, Shane, WellPoint's vice president of consumer actuary, told Sassi, that WellPoint executives needed to "reach agreement on a filing strategy quickly - specifically in the area of do we file with a cushion allowed for negotiations/margin expansion, or do we file at a lower level that maintains margin, but does not allow for negotiation."
"It appears that WellPoint elected to file with 'a cushion,'" according to the Energy Committee's review of WellPoint's internal documents. "In an October 21, 2009, presentation to the WellPoint Board of Directors, Mr. Sassi identified the 'Key Assumptions' in pricing for the individual market in 2010. This slide differentiated the '2010 Rate Ask' from the '2010 Plan Rate Increase.' According to the slide, WellPoint's 'Rate Ask' would be 25 percent to 26 percent, while the 'Rate Increase' the company assumed in its '2010 Plan' was just 20.4 percent."
Watered Down Coverage
Other documents showed that WellPoint sought to reduce benefits coverage and place some of its California customers affected by the rate increase into less than generous plans.
WellPoint's strategy for shifting consumers into reduced benefit plans has three parts.
First, according to the committee's review of documents, WellPoint's highest rate increases "seem to apply to their most comprehensive insurance plans."
For example:
Maternity care is a marker for a more comprehensive package of benefits. A chart of proposed rates shows that WellPoint's highest rate increases apply to the only two product families regulated by the Department of Insurance with maternity coverage. The chart also shows that for the most part, WellPoint proposed lower increases within specific product lines for the versions with higher deductibles than for the versions with lower deductibles.
Second, WellPoint is developing new products, called "downgrade options," to promote to consumers facing the high rate increases. In one e-mail, David Shea, the Vice President for Individual Pricing, states: "Jim has asked Bryan to price 5-6 downgrade options to be made available in conjunction with the upcoming rate action." In another internal e-mail, Mr. Curley, the Regional Vice President and Actuary, proposed that WellPoint "create 5-6 CA look-alike plans for CA with a benefit or two removed to create a downgrade option upon renewal."
WellPoint also introduced a completely new product line called CoreGuard, advertised to have "some of our lowest monthly rates" and a "higher percentage of member cost-sharing in exchange for lower premiums." One of the CoreGuard plans has a $20,000 deductible for a family for in-network services and a separate $20,000 deductible for non-network services. On top of that, a family can spend an additional $15,000 for co-payments for non-network services. Enrollees can be liable for another $4,500 in prescription drug costs. This adds up to a potential $59,500 out-of-pocket maximum for a family, who are still liable for the cost of drugs not on the formulary and maternity services.
Third, company officials discussed scaling back benefits for existing plans. Indeed, in an October 2, 2009, email Shea sent to Curley and James Oatman, another executive, Shea wrote: "During our Plan review this morning Brian was mentioning that, in CA in the past, we mitigated rate increases by introducing product changes for existing members. We brought up the introduction of new products but he wanted to pursue existing product changes."
In another e-mail, Curley described different scenarios that would result in 6 to 10 percent reductions in benefits for four plans, such as raising deductibles in three of the four plans and adding 25 percent coinsurance payments.
Waxman said "actively developing...'downgrade options,' effectively reduces benefits for its policyholders."
"This 'purging' process cuts coverage for WellPoint policyholders when they need it most: when they get sick," he added.
The committee also heard testimony from three of Anthem Blue Cross's individual policy holders. Lauren Meister testified that she was notified that WellPoint will increase her rates by 38.6 percent this year. She said that WellPoint offered her an alternative plan that does not cover the brand name medication she needs to treat a chronic condition. Meister said WellPoint told her that the alternative plan would require her to pay $5,000 out of pocket before the insurance kicks in.
And Jeremy Arnold testified that he has experienced rate increases on his WellPoint policy totaling 74 percent between 2009 and 2010. Anthem has proposed to raise his rates by 38 percent this year.
Corporate Getaways
Waxman and other Democratic lawmakers on the Energy Committee criticized WellPoint for spending tens of millions of dollars on retreats for top executives and doling seven-figure salaries.
"One question we asked is where does all of this money go?" Waxman asked in his opening statement. "We have learned that in 2008, WellPoint paid 39 senior executives over $1 million each. And the company spent tens of millions of dollars more on expensive corporate retreats. During 2007 and 2008, WellPoint spent $27 million on 103 executive retreats. One retreat in Scottsdale, Arizona, cost over $3 million."
"Corporate executives at WellPoint are thriving, but its policyholders are paying the price," Waxman said. "WellPoint executives may get richer, but our nation's health is suffering."
The committee included photographs of the luxurious five-star hotels, such as the Four Seasons in San Diego and Hawaii, that corporate executives stayed at during their getaways.
WellPoint generated $4.75 billion in earnings last year and its profit margin soared to 7.8 percent, compared with 4.1 percent in 2008. Over the past 12 months, the company's share price increased by 50 percent. According to BusinessWeek, WellPoint shares rose 90 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $59.91 Wednesday in New York Stock Exchange composite trading.
(Image: Lance Page / t r u t h o u t; Adapted: mciarleg, Ervin Bartis)
This work by Truthout is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
Jason Leopold is the deputy managing editor of t r u t h o u t.org and is a co-founder of The Public Record.


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Joanna Crane (Kathleen Turner) is a cold, workaholic sportswear designer, divorced and dedicated only to her job. Once strapped into that role, Joanna looks for an "out" and finds it by donning a wig and hitting the pavement as a $50/trick hooker named China Blue. Explicit scenes show her at work on her night job, including a long S and M segment with a policeman. While making money as China Blue, Joanna runs into a menacing, fanatic preacher (Anthony Perkins) who is out to save her from this life of sin, but in the meantime, he is also busy watching nude girly shows. As China Blue and the sexually ambivalent Reverend heat up their relationship, he becomes difficult to read: is this psycho reverend a killer? While China Blue is plying her trade, Bobby Grady (John Laughlin) has finally realized after 12 years of marriage that his wife Amy (Annie Potts) is frigid and just as he has this remarkably delayed insight, he is assigned by Joanna's boss to find out if she is stealing designs or not. By tracking Joanna, Bobby sees her transformation as China Blue and as might be expected, sex is not far behind
Questions? Feedback? powered by Olark live chat software


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Double homicide in Port Arthur
Two men were killed as the result of a shooting in Port Arthur early Thursday, June 6. According to a news release from the Port Arthur Police Department, police were dispatched to the 2800 block of 59th Street at approximately 1:05 a.m. in response to a report of a suspicious vehicle.The caller told police that someone appeared to be slumped over in the passenger's seat while the driver's seat was unoccupied. Upon arrival at the scene, officers found one man dead on the ground outside the driver's door apparently as the result of gunshot wounds. The passenger was found deceased in the vehicle, also appearing to have sustained at least one gunshot, according to the release. The victims were identified as Demario Polk, 24, of Port Arthur and Carlos Deshawn Lowe, 23, also of Port Arthur. A possible witness was located and has been interviewed by the Major Crimes Unit, according to PAPD. More details will be released as they become available.


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Docomomo US is proud to officially welcome our newest chapter: Docomomo US/Minnesota!
The Minnesota Chapter of Docomomo US will join the ten regional chapters and continue to strengthen the US working party's impact by across the country. Minnesota preservationists, architects, scholars and people interested in the area's significant modern movement history have gained momentum over the past years, organizing local tours, lectures and events, and connecting with each other through regular Facebook and Twitter updates. For the 2009 National Tour Day Docomomo US/Minnesota presented "Haus to Haus," a tour focused on high modernism concepts and maintenance issues with a preserved postwar ranch house in Minneapolis. The new chapter will offer local tours again this year as part of the national Tour Day 2010 initiative on October 9.
Minnesota's modern landscape is host to numerous nationally recognized modern masters. Highlights include residential works by Marcel Breuer, Philip Johnson's IDS tower and Crystal Court atrium, the world's first climate controlled indoor mall by Victor Gruen, Eliel Saarinen's Christ Church Luthern, Lawrence Halprin's Nicollet Mall pedestrian shopping street, S.O.M.'s General Mills corporate campus, Gunnar Birkerts' Federal Reserve Building, Eero Saarinen's IBM corporate suburban architecture and numerous residences by Frank Lloyd Wright. The most influential local MN talents include Ralph Rapson and his Guthrie Theater, as well as Thorshov & Cerny, HGA, Ellerbe Associates, Magney, Tusler & Setter and Close Associates.


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HARTFORD, CONN.—A 76-year-old reputed Connecticut mobster pleaded guilty from his wheelchair Wednesday in a weapons and prescription drugs case that revealed the FBI's belief that he has information about the largest art heist in history.
The 1990 theft of a half-billion dollars' worth of art from a Boston museum was never mentioned at the hearing itself as Robert Gentile, of Manchester, said "guilty" nine times in U.S. District Court in Hartford. He faces a prison sentence of around four years.
Thieves struck the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum as Boston was finishing celebrating St. Patrick's Day in 1990. Authorities say the culprits disguised themselves as police officers, tied up two guards and made off with 13 pieces of art including master works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Dégas and Manet. The artworks remain missing, and the museum is still offering a $5 million (U.S.) reward.
After Wednesday's hearing, Gentile's lawyer, A. Ryan McGuigan, said Gentile has co-operated with federal investigators in their attempt to find the stolen art and testified before a grand jury looking into the heist. McGuigan said Gentile knows nothing about the theft but was acquainted with people federal authorities believe may have been involved.
McGuigan said most of the people thought to have been involved in the heist have died.
"Unfortunately for the art world, he is the last, best hope of retrieving the paintings," McGuigan said, referring to Gentile. "And now he's paying the price for not knowing."
The federal prosecutor in the weapons and drug case, John Durham, declined to comment Wednesday.
Nearly one hour and 40 minutes after a U.S. marshal pushed Gentile into the courtroom in a wheelchair, he pleaded guilty to illegally possessing and selling prescription drugs and illegally possessing guns, silencers and ammunition as a convicted felon.
Gentile wore a grey sweatshirt beneath his beige, short-sleeve prison uniform and held a cane. He said he was pleading guilty to spare the state and himself the expense of a trial and with the hope of getting out of prison in a few years to be with his wife.
"I'm sorry for what I did," he told Judge Robert Chatigny. "I don't have that many years to fight the case because I'm a very sick man. . . . I don't want any more trouble."
Durham told the judge that the investigation involved a co-operating witness who obtained tape-recorded conversations of Gentile and co-defendant Anthony Parente talking about selling prescription drugs including Dilaudid, Percoset and OxyContin. Charges against Parente remain pending, and he is free on bail.
Gentile was arrested in February on the drug charges. Authorities later filed weapons charges after finding several pistols, a shotgun, silencers, ammunition, homemade dynamite and other weapons-related items at his home. Durham said Gentile wasn't allowed to possess guns because he had previous felony convictions for larceny in 1996 and possession of a sawed-off shotgun in 1963.
Gentile insisted that he had never sold drugs before pairing up with Parente, and he claimed that Parente coaxed him into it.
"I was stupid and I said, 'Yes,' " Gentile said. "That's how I got caught in that trap."
Sentencing is tentatively set for Feb. 6. Durham and McGuigan have agreed on a sentencing range of 46 to 57 months in prison.
Neither Gentile nor anyone else has been charged in the art heist.
Durham said in court this year that the FBI believed Gentile had some involvement with stolen property related to the art heist. He said FBI agents had unproductive discussions with Gentile about the theft, but he didn't elaborate. Durham also said the FBI believes Gentile is a made member of the Mafia.
After finding the weapons at Gentile's home in February, federal agents returned in May in what McGuigan called a veiled attempt to find the stolen paintings. McGuigan said at the time that the FBI got a new warrant allowing the use of ground-penetrating radar to look for buried weapons, but he believed they really were looking for the artwork.


text: Sijun Forums :: View topic - Art for Kitesurfing Kite. Log in to check your private messages Sijun Forums Forum Index >> Digital Art Discussion View previous topic :: View next topic Author Topic : "Art for Kitesurfing Kite." Disco_Sciencejunior memberMember #Joined: 28 May 2005Posts: 46 Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 7:35 am Hey I was wondering if anyone would be interested in helping me with graphics for a kitesurfing kite. I'm making my own kite company at the moment and need a little help. I cannot pay much at the moment but if the company grows I can surely support your normal cost + hook you up with kitesurfing gear. If your interested please post a reply with your work, maybe some really quick thumbnail speed paints of what your thinking and we can go from there. You can check out my kites and photos at: www.flickr.com/adimg _________________(|_|) (0.o) (_._ )*Last edited by Disco_Science on Thu Mar 10, 2011 7:24 am; edited 1 time in total Back to top TzanmemberMember #Joined: 18 Apr 2003Posts: 755Location: Boston MA Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 10:09 am I like that vulture/octopus idea Back to top Quintus DiasmemberMember #Joined: 11 Sep 2010Posts: 387 Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 10:20 am Hey, I really like what you have now so I made a quick symmetry thingy and added a layer of design from that same design of yours. bigger version: http://www.umbus.com/kite.jpg .. Back to top Disco_Sciencejunior memberMember #Joined: 28 May 2005Posts: 46 Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 6:36 pm Cool Quintus, Would you be interested in working on this project with me? The squid/vulture is gonna be the silk screen graphic on the wingtip. I mit do another silk screen in that center white area I'm not sure yet. I'm looking to define the vulture/squid a little more, shapes I was thinking of were... Tree of life, dragon or horse, gem or crown, feathers+vulture, and a squid. It has to be a flat color, I don't have money to make more than 1 silk screen=)._________________(|_|) (0.o) (_._ )* Back to top Quintus DiasmemberMember #Joined: 11 Sep 2010Posts: 387 Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 9:19 am It sounds like a real fun task and project but I am sorry to say that I don't have time these days. Thanks for asking. Back to top Disco_Sciencejunior memberMember #Joined: 28 May 2005Posts: 46 Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 6:03 am Anyone got some suggestions I refined the kite art a bit. Hmm maybe a admin could move this thread to WIP. _________________(|_|) (0.o) (_._ )* Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Sijun Forums Forum Index -> Digital Art Discussion All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Digital Art----------------Digital Art DiscussionWork in ProgressGallery/Finished Work Miscellaneous----------------Random MusingsArchive : Sep99 - Dec00 You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Powered by phpBB © 2005 phpBB Group


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Award-show season may be upon us again, but there's never going to be another first African American to win an Academy Award, and we can't imagine a recipient matching Cuba Gooding Jr.'s level unself-conscious glee when he won a best supporting actor Oscar for his role in Jerry Maguire. So at least a couple of these black award-show speeches are safe from getting bumped off the Top 5 of All Time list in 2012.
While the Academy Awards, Daytime Emmys, Essence Awards and the like honor the work of actors and artists, we all know the speeches themselves are meaningful performances in their own right. Some are poignant because they make history, others for their emotion, and others earn a place in our collective memory for the way they perfectly capture cultural moments. If there were a "best award-show speech" category for black celebs, these would be the five nominees:
5. En Vogue, R&B Single of the Year, "Hold On" (1991 Billboard Music Awards)
Was it a speech or a musical performance? Both, and that's why it was unforgettable. You have to like the way the ladies of En Vogue dispensed with the whole "We're so surprised! We don't have a speech prepared" notion and flawlessly sang their acceptance in the style of their award-winning single, "Hold On." Points for originality, capturing the spirit of the R&B of the early 1990s, and of course, great live vocals.
4. Debbie Allen (1992 Essence Awards)
In 1992, at the first televised Essence Awards, Allen was honored for her role in expanding artistic opportunities for all African Americans. Presenter Oprah Winfrey said it best when the multitalented Fame star stepped off the stage: "Now, that was an acceptance speech!" Allen, of course, is an actor, choreographer, dancer and producer, but after this show, she could have added "motivational speaker" to her résumé. She brought down the house with this closing line: "A child, an explorer of the yet-expanding universe … I am woman, I am black, I am beautiful, I am bold, I am confident, I am in my form human and mortal, yet in spirit, divine. Thank you."
When Oprah was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 25th Annual Daytime Emmys, it was more than a little premature. But it was clear from her remarks that she knew her life's work wasn't even close to being complete. She thanked all the big names in her life, including Stedman, Maya Angelou and Gayle, as expected, but also managed to hit just the right note, recalling her past ("Being a colored, then Negro, then black, then African-American child, growing up in Mississippi, my prayer was, God, use me") and looking to the future ("I want to continue to use television … to make people lead better lives"). So far, she's made good on the speech's promise.
2. Cuba Gooding Jr. Best Supporting Actor, Jerry Maguire (1997 Academy Awards)
Gooding gets huge points for his good-natured, unabashed display of glee after receiving the best supporting actor award for his role in Jerry Maguire. Forget Hollywood faux coolness. He captured the joy many of us feel every time a black actor is recognized after so many are overlooked or struggle to find worthy roles in the first place: "I love you! A million times. I love you all! Tom Cruise! I love you, brother! I love you, man! … Everybody, I love you. I love you all. Cameron Crowe! James L. Brooks! James L. Brooks, I love you. Everybody who's involved with this, I love you. I love you. Everybody involved."
1. Halle Berry, Best Actress, Monster's Ball (2002 Academy Awards)
Berry was the first African American to win the Academy Award for best actress. Enough said. This would probably make the list even if she'd just mumbled "thank you" and fallen off the stage. Some nitpicked that the speech was overwrought, and others took issue with the nature of the role it took to earn the landmark award, but Berry's emotional outpouring was just right for the scope of the occasion. Crying throughout the entire speech, she thanked everyone she could think of and brought half the audience to tears by placing the honor in proper historical context, saying, "This moment is so much bigger than me — this moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll, Jada Pinkett, Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox and for every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because tonight this door has been opened."
Halle Berry's Emotional Oscar® Acceptance Speech - The best bloopers are a click away
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The Cowboy & Cowgirl Certified Socks were designed and created by the owner of a sock mill in Alabama about 2002. Cowboy/Cowgirl Certified Socks are designed for the western world for riding and roping but have become popular for multiple use activities. As an avid horseman, he felt the need to create an Over-the-calf sock that stayed up in place plus had performance features better than any sock on the western market. Using the yarns with the highest quality in performance, he created a sock that was durable and long lasting. The sock line has styles for men, women and youth. All styles have three different sizes to accommodate the individual, not one-size-fits-all. Once you wear the socks you immediately can feel the quality and difference compared to other brands. Due to the huge market acceptance of the high quality and performing Dan Post Cowboy Certified sock line we also designed the new Dan Post Work & Outdoor sock styles with the same standards of the highest performing yarns and built for comfort and durability in mind.


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Cooperstown Call For Kansas City…Again
Last week we received the good news that former Royals Manager Whitey Herzog had been elected for induction in Cooperstown by the Hall of Fame's Veterans' Committee. If you've been reading here for awhile you may have seen an earlier post here outlining all the Hall of Fame Members with ties directly to Kansas City – that number has now reached 43.
Much has been made about Whitey's career as a manger on the east side of the state and for good reason. But the White Rat himself makes the case that his days in Kansas City were just as important to his managerial career. In fact when interviewed by mlb.com's Dick Kaegel, Herzog goes a step further saying his chance with the Royals gave him a second opportunity he thought might never come after being fired by the Rangers in 1973:
"I didn't think I'd ever get a chance, and that's why I've got to thank (Royals GM) Joe Burke," Herzog said. "I got in there at a very good time with a very good team, and they changed my whole career around. It was a good ballclub. Not only could we hit home runs, we could play defense, we could do a lot of things and run bases."
True enough and Herzog was seemingly the perfect manager for that group of players. There is certainly no doubting the success as Whitey still holds the Royals all-time best managerial record at 410-304 (.574) including three straight AL West titles in 1976, 1977 and 1978.
After the Royals finished 85-77 just three games behind the Angels in 1979 Herzog's time in Kansas City came to an abrupt end. There were clearly some hard feelings and philosophical differences bewtween Herzog and Royals owner Ewing Kauffman that eventually led to the breakup.
George Brett tells a great story of Whitey's demise as Royals Manager. After the last game of the 1979 season (a tough 6-5 loss here at home), Brett invited Herzog on a fishing trip the next day. Always the avid angler Herzog agreed telling George:
"Sure lets meet here at the ballpark in the morning. I'll go inside, they'll fire me – it'll only take a minute or two – then we can head to the lake."
As it turned out that's exactly what happened, though I've never heard if the fish were biting later that morning. Three decades later Herzog concedes there was fault on both sides:
"Part of it was my fault and part of it was not my fault," Herzog said. "Me and Mr. Kauffman just didn't hit it off that good. It was one of those things. I was a brash young guy and the next thing I know — we set an all-time attendance record after finishing three games out and winning three times in a row — and I'm looking for a job."
He wasn't looking for long and headed east to St. Louis in 1981 to begin another chapter in a managerial career that has now led to Cooperstown. Looking back it worked out for all involved. In the next decade Whitey had great success with the Redbirds reaching the postseason three times and capturing a World Series Championship. Mr. K and the Royals reached the postseason four times with a World Series title as well.
Interestingly, the Royals crown came in 1985 against – nah, you already know that story…
To a 'Show-Me' state legend with success from west to east, we offer a hearty and well deserved congratulations from all your fans and friends in Kansas City – Thanks Whitey!
(Curt Nelson, Director – Royals Hall of Fame)
1 Comment
I don?t know how much Royals talk Whitey will do next in his speech next July but I could see him saying something like ?Had I had Bruce Sutter in 1976, my cap on this plaque would have a KC on it?. With Sutter or Lyle, et al, the Royals take over Baseball much how the Big Red Machine did from 1970-76.


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Hope College has received national recognition for exemplary service-learning as one of only 115 colleges and universities across the country named to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching's "2010 Community Engagement Classification" on Wednesday, Jan. 5.
Hope College has received national recognition for exemplary service-learning as one of only 115 colleges and universities across the country named to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching's "2010 Community Engagement Classification" on Wednesday, Jan. 5.
The college's dean of students, who coordinated Hope's application for the recognition, said that he especially appreciates the selection because it affirms the way that community engagement and service is expressed as a core value at Hope. Even though educating students "for lives of leadership and service in a global society" is part of the college's mission statement, he noted that it happens through the efforts of hundreds of individuals--students, faculty and members of the staff - who choose to come together in multiple ways to make a difference, whether tutoring area children, raising funds for the American Cancer Society or helping provide a village in Africa with clean water.
"Hope College being the recipient of the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification is an authentic reflection of the college's commitment to service to others," said Dr. Richard Frost, vice president of student development and dean of students at Hope.
"It's a commitment that is reflected strongly in the academic community, the mission of Campus Ministries and the co-curricular energy of student organizations," he said. "What's most heartening and unique is that this does not emanate from a place of centrality, but from our own hearts and Christian convictions that call us to serve one another."
The Carnegie Foundation's listing highlights colleges and universities that demonstrate excellent community engagement locally or beyond, showing alignment among mission, culture, leadership, resources and practices. First offered in 2006, the classification enables the foundation to address elements of institutional mission and distinctiveness not represented in the national data on colleges and universities.
"Through a classification that acknowledges significant commitment to and demonstration of community engagement, the Foundation encourages colleges and universities to become more deeply engaged, to improve teaching and learning and to generate socially responsive knowledge to benefit communities," said Carnegie President Anthony Bryk. "We are very pleased with the movement we are seeing in this direction."
Participation in the classification is elective, based on applications submitted by the colleges and universities describing the nature and extent of their engagement with the community. Of the institutions that the foundation invited to apply this year, 305 registered to receive the application and 154 applied. The 115 that were selected include 66 public institutions and 49 private institutions across 34 states. Hope is one of 25 baccalaureate colleges selected this year, and one of four institutions from Michigan on the 2010 list.
The foundation has named a total of 311 institutions to the classification since the program debuted in 2006. Additional information about the Community Engagement Classification program can be found on the Carnegie website, www.carnegiefoundation.org
Service and outreach activities originated at Hope take place across the nation and abroad as well as locally, and include initiatives connected to course-work, coordinated by Hope offices and departments, and initiated by students as volunteer efforts. Among other examples:
° Fourth-semester Spanish students volunteer as ESL teachers working with area adults through a program coordinated with Latin Americans United for Progress, writing essays about their experience to connect their service to their own learning.
° The Center for Faithful Leadership, an academic program, involves students in coursework other activities that have included providing consulting services for area organizations and teaching leadership principles to high school students.
° The Children's After School Achievement (CASA) program and TRIO Hope College Upward Bound program work with the area schools in providing tutoring and other activities for elementary-age children and high school students, with Hope students serving as tutors.
° Hundreds of students work together to help raise funds for the American Cancer Society through the Relay for Life each fall and for Helen DeVos Children's Hospital through the Dance Marathon each spring.
° Students travel throughout the country and to Central America and the Caribbean through spring break mission trips coordinated by the Campus Ministries program.
° The college's chapter of Engineers Without Borders and faculty and students in the department of nursing have traveled to Africa multiple times for a project focused on water quality and community health in Nkuv, Cameroon.
° Individuals and student organizations find numerous other ways to serve and connect as well, from mentoring children one-on-one to cleaning area beaches.
A variety of the efforts at Hope have received recognition through the years. The college's "Time to Serve" program - which involves freshmen in service projects early in their first semester to help introduce them to needs and opportunities in the community--received a 2001 Distinguished Service Award from Keep Michigan Beautiful Inc. The Nkuv, Cameroon, project was named one of four finalists for Michigan's 2008 Carter Partnership Award. This past June, CASA received the statewide "Outstanding Mentoring Program Award" in the 2010 Governor's Service Award program. Hope's chapter of the Mortar Board college honor society consistently receives multiple "Project Excellence Awards" each year for its service projects, and in July received the national organization's highest honor for exemplifying the society's ideals of scholarship, leadership and service in the most outstanding manner.


text: Lisa Moody serves as Governor Jodi Rell's chief-of-staff. Moody is most known for the controversy she faced in 2005 involving a political fundraiser. Moody allegedly invited state commissioners to the event to solicit for contributions, a violation against state law. However, she faced no legal trouble for the violation. Moody first began her political career at the age of 22, when she ran for town council in Vernon. She currently lives in Vernon.


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If Sun Yue's first press conference as official member of the Lakers is any indication, he is going to be more popular than the Jonas Brothers at a 10-year-old's birthday party.
Nearly 50 media members — more than 30 from Asian television or publications — crammed into a makeshift conference room (actually the Sparks locker room) to listen to Sun talk about his goals for his rookie season, adjusting to L.A. and what he needs to improve.
"I'm too skinny for the NBA," Sun said.
The Asian media, mostly based here, captured every word and then surrounded the 6-foot-9 guard to get his comments in Chinese. Several Chinese television stations even followed him out to the parking lot and continued to film him as he stood talking to his translator.
Sun said he hopes to fit into the Lakers' long-range plans and didn't expect to see much playing time this season.


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Monday, October 7, 2013
I took a few weeks to allow my legs to readjust to the pounding and am now hitting it hard. Over the past year, from August 2012 to September 2013 I ran 330 miles total so to say I'm out of shape is an understatement. The weight training I have done over the past year has helped a ton though and this week of hard running has been absorbed easily. I would like to try to blog more often about the training I'll be doing for the Masters Cross Country Nationals in February, we'll see if that actually happens (the blogging that is). I welcome questions too which helps to motivate me to write more.
Monday- 7.5 miles in 1:08 (9:04 pace/ 1400ft vertical) with hill strides. Easy Z2 effort over-all.
Tuesday- 3 miles easy with strides. Lift shoulders, chest, sandbag/ TRX.
Wednesday- Am) 5 miles. Strides/ drills/ plyometrics + 3 X 400 in grass and mud. All in 1:17-1:20.
Pm) 7 miles- 1:00 (8:34 pace/ 1400ft vertical) as moderate tempo effort. Moderate tempo would equate to about MAF +5-10 or what I call aerobic threshold. Still very much a fat burning state but more stressful on the structure (muscles and tendons) which can't be neglected... ever.
Thursday- 0 run. Full body lift (easy legs) with intense sandbag/ TRX. I am continually amazed at how much you can kick your own ass with the sandbag. I'll try to do a post with pictures on how to make a Bulgarian sandbag for strength training at home.
Friday- Am) 6 miles with 6 X 400 (at 8100ft altitude on a rolling road) in 75/77/72/71/75/68. Super happy, these felt quite controlled and relaxed with the exception of the 68".
Pm) 10 mile tempo run in 1:16. 7:38 pace with 1800ft of vertical between 8100-9100ft altitude.
Saturday- 6.5 miles recovery. Tired.
Sunday- 0 Rest for tomorrow's quality and to prevent exceeding 45 miles.
45 miles total.
Today is either XC course intervals (grass, hills and mud) or pushing the 400's again... or an easy run if I feel tired. I'll get warmed up and call an audible according to how my body feels.
10 comments:
- Rob Timko said...
Get it!
- October 07, 2013
- RUNssel said...
Finally some updates. Keep em coming man!
- October 07, 2013
- P. said...
awesome! i had been wondering what you were up to and whether you had training plans unfurling. battle stations.
- October 07, 2013
Why did you decide to race Masters CC nationals?
I was kinda hoping you were going to do IM Boulder so I could read about your training. Did it fit into your life structure better right now?
- October 07, 2013
Lucho -
No cycling thrown in there? Great to see an update; this is probably one of my favorite running blogs.
- October 07, 2013
- Lucho said...
Thanks guys!
Anon- XC Nats is in February so I would have time to also do Boulder. But we're far enough away from the nearest pool that I would waste half my day just getting there and back. Plus if I were to do it I would have to do it right which would take ~25 hours a week. I can't justify that with my kids and wife right now. Possibly once both kids are in school.
Anon- I know! On my run today I was day dreaming about the bike. It'll definitely be part of the plan.
- October 07, 2013
- eric said...
Anxious to learn about the Bulgarian sand bags.
- October 08, 2013
- Stay Vertical said...
Yeah man, get it! Love the discipline to rest and stick with the plan.
- October 08, 2013
- PWickman said...
I'd love to hear more about this sandbag and what exactly you do with it... Thanks!
(this is a safe link - it's a movie quote)
- October 08, 2013
- Lucho said...
PW- Ha! That was good.
I'll be making another sandbag soon and will take pics of the process. One of the best pieces of home strength equipment and it costs less than $10. Compared to kettlebells at over $1.00 per pound.
- October 08, 2013


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Israel News - Stay Informed, Pray Informed
In a series of interviews on Friday an Israeli Arab journalist called out some of her Palestinian colleagues for failing to see that the suffering of their people starts with Hamas, not Israel.
Lucy Aharish is a reporter and presenter for Israel's new global news broadcaster, i24news. She is notable for having become the first Arab mainstream news anchor while working for Channel 10 in 2007.
Speaking with Gaza-based journalist Alaa Al Mashehrwi last Friday (see video below), Aharish was told what most would expect to hear from a Palestinian reporter living under Hamas rule: that Israel is to blame for the entire mess and that the Zionists are indiscriminately killing innocent people.
Aharish was having none of it. "I'm not expecting you to go against what Hamas is doing," she told Mashehrwi, "but we cannot say that what Hamas [and its allies] are doing is to the benefit of the people who are living in Gaza."
Clearly frustrated by the Palestinian's failure to acknowledge reality, Aharish insisted that "you know that Hamas is playing…a PR game at the expense of the people who are living in Gaza."
When Mashehrwi again tried to lay the blame on Israel, Aharish retorted that if the people of Gaza truly want a better life, they need to speak up and demand an end to Hamas aggression.
"Where are you, where are the people, where are the journalists [that need to] tell to Hamas and to [Islamic] Jihad to stop?" she demanded. "You are not doing anything against the people who are hurting you inside the Gaza Strip."
Hebron-based journalist Al Kasmin similarly told Aharish that Israel is ultimately at fault for the current bloodshed, and that the Jewish state is purposely and unjustly practicing collective punishment against the Palestinians.
In the face of such accusations, Aharish became somewhat animated, asking her guest, "Do you find it normal that terrorists hide under civilian houses and by [doing] that hurt the same people that they are trying to protect? Do you think that this is something that is normal, that these terrorists are actually making the Palestinian people lose their lives?"
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delynn necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 612 diseños de 149 diseñadores freelance.
I'm a Ruby web developer who's looking to finish/create a logo that will be used to start building my brand.
I love the look and feel of applications like http://www.campaignmonitor.com/, http://www.mailchimp.com/ and http://www.speaklight.com/. I can't get enough of the things teams like http://www.metalabdesign.com/, http://www.realmacsoftware.com/company/, and http://clearleft.com/ crank out. And I greatly appreciate the work of folks like http://alternateidea.com/, http://www.tylergalpin.com/ and http://timvandamme.com/.
I love logos that are hiding something; take the FexEx logo for example. Most people don't see the arrow that's hidden in the Ex until it's pointed out to them. I'd really like to see my initials (db) used in a similar subtle and creative way.
I worked with a designer a couple years ago on something (http://tinyurl.com/n45lch), but our working relationship deteriorated and we never got around to finishing the logo.
I still really like his use of my initials as the wings of the butterfly. I'm not terribly excited with the colors or font, and I also feel the butterfly is a bit feminine and I'd rather have something more masculine or gender neutral. At one point I suggested trying to create a moth instead of a butterfly.
I don't know that I'm targeting a particular audience at this point. I just want to have a logo I'm proud of and be able to put something on business cards and my personal site.
For this contest I'd love to see at least a few of you take the butterfly/moth idea in the comp that I posted and flesh that it out a bit more. If you aren't feeling that idea, please take creative liberties and let me see what you can do. I'll let you know in advance that I've already seen things done with "db" that can look pretty phallic, so steer clear of that. ;-) If you are struggling with ideas be sure to visit the URLs I posted in the about section or refer to http://vector.tutsplus.com/designin…nstructed/ for inspiration (pay extra attention to number 2).
Additional requirements include:
- Vector versions of the logo
- The original file format used to build the logo (e.g. Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, etc.)
- Explain your design when you post. I love to read about what inspired you to create your design. Nothing says "tossed together" quite like a blank comment.
- The use of my initials "DB" or "DDB" as the basis of the logo
- My name "DeLynn Berry" in a font and style that compliments the design
- Disclose the names of any fonts used so that I can purchase them myself for use in future print or design pieces
- Must look good on a white background
We'll be using the following rating system (modified from the GiGiKi and Morgan Lewis contests):
1 star - Wrong direction, start over
2 star - Some elements we like, but it's still a miss
3 star - Interesting concept that needs further refinement. You're getting close but need revisions or a different angle to your design
4 star - A great design. Probably only needs a tweak of color or shading.
5 star - You've made the Final Cut
Feel free to lowercase my name as was done in the comp, but if you are going to use capital letters, please make sure you remember that the "L" in DeLynn is capitalized.
DeLynn Berry
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Moving back and forth in front of the podium, sometimes pointing at various Lancaster County Council members, Francis Bell had a lot to say about a proposed county-wide smoking ordinance at council's Monday, Sept. 24, meeting.
Bell, a Lancaster native, local attorney and former Lancaster County Council member, objected to the potential ordinance which, if approved after one more reading, will prohibit smoking in enclosed public spaces throughout the county. This includes restaurants, bars, retail stores, libraries and public areas of businesses.
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