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Shop till 7pm. Victoria brings together Victoria Quarter & Victoria Gate with a John Lewis, Harvey Nichols, Super Casino and over 90 boutiques.
Victoria Leeds offers a choice of stylish restaurants, cafés and places to grab a snack.
Victoria Leeds brings together Victoria Quarter and Victoria Gate. Find out how to get to the centre here.
Find out all the latest news and views, updates and lowdowns at Victoria Leeds
From The Ivy to Issho, here's the best outdoor dining spots we have to offer
Shopping at Victoria Leeds – not to mention eating, browsing, gossiping and more. Come join us In Real Life
Our ultimate pick of swimwear for boys and girls, whether they're a toddler or teen
From store events to celebrity visits there are always exciting things happening at Victoria Leeds
Damien Hirst's 'Anatomy of an Angel' will be on display in Victoria Quarter during Yorkshire Sculpture International festival 2019.
The UK's first ever city centre animatronic dinosaur trail will roar into life this summer!
Come along and spend a relaxing time creating a beautiful embroidery hoop design, using a range of materials.
Discover the latest offers, treats & discounts from Victoria Leeds' boutiques
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Say yes to the dress! Here are three of the best alternative wedding dresses [and outfits] that won't break the bank
Here are the top vegan dishes at Victoria Leeds
Found! The best tote bag for work
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Bariatric Surgery Patient Stories
Bariatric Surgery Helped Theresa Fight Lupus and Fibromyalgia
Life before my weight loss surgery pretty much did not exist for me. I was diagnosed with lupus and fibromyalgia in 2008. It was at that moment that I realized that my life would change. The first few years of my battle with lupus were not good. I was in and out of the hospital all the time. It was during that time my weight gain became uncontrollable due to the many medications I was taking.
In 2010, I began to let my weight and the side effects of lupus get to me. I began to look into having bariatric surgery. I completed my six-month evaluation that my insurance company required, but I became ill again. I went back to the "in and out" of the hospital situation for a few more years. It was during this time I began having problems sleeping during the night due to the pain and sleep apnea. I was on a steady weight gain and having more problems. The doctors were always telling me that weight loss would help with my lupus and fibromyalgia. This was during the time when I was at my heaviest weight of 306 pounds. I discussed my plans for having weight loss surgery again with my husband, Gabe, and two daughters.
In 2011, I started my six-month evaluation and testing for the gastric sleeve. You see, God has a way of working things out. Back in 2012, I was looking into having the lap band. During my consultation visit with Dr. Jayleen Grams, she said, "With the diagnosis of lupus, the lap band would not best suit you." After completing my evaluations, I was scheduled for surgery on June 5, 2012, another day that would change my life.
I was in the hospital for a total of two days. It would have been one night, but due to an elevated creatine level, Dr. Grams suggested I stay another night just to make sure my kidneys were functioning correctly. Once I got home, I didn't have any pain or problems while I was recovering.
It has been seven months since my surgery, and I have lost at total of 75 pounds. My energy level has gone through the roof. I no longer have to use my C-pap Machine; my husband informed me I no longer snore. I have had a decrease in the medications I have to take. I go to the gym for two hours five days a week. I am able to attend my daughter's school functions, and I am now a troop leader of a Girl Scout Troop. You will be amazed at what you can do when you can walk and are not tired due to the excessive weight you are carrying around. I know that my surgery was one of the best choices I made because I can only see things looking up from here.
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Patient Stories
Bariatric Surgery Gives Janice a Second Chance at Life
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Lynette Feels "Reborn" After Weight Loss Surgery
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Bariatric Surgery Helped Theresa Fight Lupus and Fibromyalgia
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Demetrice Lost 100 Pounds to Get Out and Enjoy Life
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Jackie Battled Lifelong Weight Issues with Bariatric Surgery and Lost 152 Pounds
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UAB Employee Loses 150 Pounds and Gets Her Life Back
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Laverne Gains Confidence and a New Wardrobe After Bariatric Surgery
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Bariatric Surgery Helped LaShane Conquer Her Lifelong Weight Loss Battle
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Mother of Two Lost Weight to Gain Energy and Improve Health
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Bariatric Surgery Helped Felix Lose Weight and Fight Type 2 Diabetes
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What Is China's New Citizens Movement?
A trial this week of three activists from China's New Citizens Movement is seen as a test of how hard a line Chinese authorities plan to take with a group pushing for greater rule of law. The WSJ's Jake Lee speaks with Josh Chin about the movement.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the the ... is underway in China against new systems maintenance ... group pushing for its core change ... this is Asia's today mine GE and joined by reports and jokes Chin from Beijing ... justices fastening sees his bid for the new maven underway in China ... tokens three what is this new system is made with them one of the dimming ... his movement is ... it is sort of a loose ... affiliation of people come across China ... it's made up of the known series rights lawyers and activists ... up with a really interesting thing about it is that it also involves use of white collar or ... urban professionals by even a few wealthy wealthy businessmen so it did it did so it's broken quite a few people ... and ... then we'll see what they are after ... it is a range of issues ... including the storm equal access to education ... of which the rule of law they want China to respect the individual rights are enshrined in the Constitution what freedom of speech and freedom of of ... sadly which aren't necessarily ... forced ... out by authorities ... they also are pressing for ... transparency they want to ... do than calling for ... China's top officials to disclose their family assets ... as a way to to ... this is Battle ... eruption ... pretty controversial stuff but everything Chinese government doesn't like the sounds like a pretty heavy crackdown on the way to DVD sales ... Brian was so um the the the the government hasn't according to human rights watch ... the government is is detained or arrested about the team members of the group ... the crackdown some started in March ... right after of the ... major ... government meetings annual government meetings in Beijing ... as some of them ... this basically progress ... steadily ever since um ... yesterday we had the first to the first activists who were both with the new citizens group who were detained without trial ... in eastern China ... which is seen as a sort of a test case for how the government is going to ... stick and proceed with this and you know what what a lot of people say both in the movement in the end and so researchers and human rights advocates outside of China ... misstated the threat to the government ... of them ... goes by the new citizens movement is is you ... that it is brought in this is why people here are some of these people are ... you know of the four winners in China's in China's economic growth but these are sort of middle-class businessman people who who view the fairly comfortable lives not just not the usual ... activists and in kind of ... petitioners instead of other people do you typically see Sir calling for change for you being you think engine and a means of reporting on on this ... focus through ... how they doing and how they get together how they get around some of these the back of some on the pavement the cuts have that that the fall ... well you know what that what the really interesting things of the new citizens movement has been doing ... it is is it is in an effort to get around laws to prevent people from assembling illegally ... is to get together for once the debtors ... so did the you know and and this is happening in multiple cities ... of for awhile was happening is that you have read the last week and everyone ... they would just gather together over dinner and concert into stocks ... up ... of their ideas for for reform in China and in the idea behind this is that you know it's not illegal to view the government to quit it's illegal to get together to eat fruit ... especially in a country like China were were were were few dinners of such an important ... part of the culture ... and you know they're slogan is is you know we wanted to exchange China ... of other that that is is also using the sort of thing that that that the government resettlement very nervous you know anytime you get a lot of ... people together in one room ... this is discussing these issues of interest here is that they're the next step is to go to the streets fascinating ... Josh in a seven goal multiply on the story of the now thinking say much for joining ... when Jamie this is Asia's today for more on that story and many more please get to dovish to go ...


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The housing recovery showed steady improvement in 2012 and now we are happy to announce that positive trend is continuing into 2013.
An increase of 5.5% in home prices in the 12 months ending last November represents a strong showing following a 4.3% year-over-year increase reading the month before, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller home-price index.
We see the recovery nationwide, with 19 of the 20 U.S. cities tracked in the index showing year-over-year price gains. Leaders were Phoenix with an increase of 22.8%, San Francisco went up 12.7%, Detroit rose 11.9%, Minneapolis increased 11.1%, and Las Vegas rose 10%.
Yet, in addition to the Case-Shiller index, various indicators are suggesting that many Americans are jumping into the market. Some people simply want to own their own residences; others mostly enter the market for investment purposes. The National Association of Realtors reported that visits to open houses had increased last year in the majority of housing markets. Also reporting that the December pending home-sales index was at 101.7, up from 95.1 recorded a year ago.
So what exactly is causing this increase in home prices? It could be a variety of reasons, but we know for a fact that if you are looking to increase the resale value of your home, electric radiant floor heating is the perfect solution. It will not only increase the price of your home in the long run, but it will also serve as a healthy and luxurious alternative to conventional heating. Why not take advantage of the increasing home value trend with a more energy efficient alternative? Installing radiant floor heating is just one option to improve your home overall and raise its value. Meanwhile, you and your family will benefit in better health and comfort while saving on energy costs. You can read more about the benefits of Radiant Heating in this recent blog post.
It looks like the recovery of the housing market will continue throughout 2013, but analysts will still be watching closely to see how it will ultimately play out. Zillow Chief Economist, Stan Humphries forecasted that "our December 2012 numbers showed that annualized appreciation will get even higher by year end. But, we do expect appreciation for the full year of 2013 to be much more moderate as these home-price gains pull some sellers back into the market and new construction picks up."
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Free Your Mind
Nov. 24, 2010
By Katherine Duke '05
More than a dozen student performers were crowded around me, making some very catchy music together. They were stomping and clapping in rhythm, making doo-wop sounds and singing lyrics in at least two different languages. But this wasn't an a cappella concert—at least, not a planned one. This was a lesson for students in the First-Year Seminar "Thinking Through Improvisation."
Read more about Free Your Mind


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Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is releasing in a somewhat unenviable position. After controversy surrounding the last game and a generally lukewarm response from critics, some were surprised that a second game was greenlit so quickly. It's good then that Dog Days makes such a strong first impression, with its handheld video style visuals and the return of the violent, mature themes that defined Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. But what everyone wants to know is whether Dog Days solves the problems that plagued Dead Men: the dodgy controls, the story that fell apart, the lack of online co-op, and more. To a degree, it does, but issues remain in IO's tale of criminals in a desperate situation.
Dog Days is a considerably streamlined affair in comparison to the first game. There are no more heists, not much in the way of stealth missions, hell, there's not even much variety in the whys of what you're doing. You're pretty much always shooting and moving forward. In a way, this is refreshing – that other stuff was not executed well in the last game.
Of course, the flaw there is increased repetition. The shooting mechanic in Dog Days is more functional than it was in Dead Men, but it still feels a little behind the times in comparison to third person shooters in 2010, and the cover system still frustrates as much as it helps. This is compounded by weapons that have been hobbled in effectiveness by IO's desire to make them feel more realistic. Guns early in the game are inaccurate pieces of junk, and you'll spend as much time looking for better guns as you will your plan of attack. This is more a problem for you than the enemies you'll face, as Dog Days is one of the few games I've ever played where fodder opponents take more punishment than the player can.
The real draw of Kane & Lynch 2 is the story and presentation. At this point, you probably know about Dog Days' particular presentation style, evoking user created video content on sites like Youtube. However, the influence of modern and classic crime thrillers is also omni-present. Similar to the tonal similarities the original Kane & Lynch game shared with the film Heat, Dog Days evokes films like Collateral and The Departed.
Where the original game's narrative collapsed under its own weight about halfway through, Dog Days actually holds itself together remarkably well. It's rare that a game can make you flinch. Jump scares, sure. They're easy, and movies have made us all numb to them after the initial shock. But for a game to really crawl under your skin, to sit there and disturb you, where you'll watch awkwardly as a character sobs like everything has been taken from them, because it has, that's… unexpected. I'm unaccustomed to a game taking story seriously enough that it can actually be criticized for expending its emotional payload too early, or for descending so far into nihilistic violence that I felt like I needed to come up for air sometimes.
At times though, the story Dog Days has to tell feels at odds with the game it exists in. The body count in Dog Days numbers in the hundreds (with an achievement/trophy for 1000 kills in campaign), moving Kane & Lynch beyond mass murder and into wartime atrocity territory. In a mindless action game featuring supersoldiers pitted against monstrous hordes, this is something that I barely notice; in Dog Days, it's hard to ignore. The absence of things to do other than shoot undermines the game a bit. The narrative is still effective, still intense, still emotional, but it's weaker perhaps than it could have been.
And then there's multiplayer, and its cousin Arcade mode. Multiplayer is broken down into three modes: The returning Fragile Alliance, and a pair of variations on the theme, Undercover Cop and Cops & Robbers. Fragile Alliance partners you with other players on a heist on a strict timetable. You've got four minutes to get in and out alive with as much money as you can collect, but there's a wrinkle; any player can betray the other players, collecting more cash. Of course, the payoff might be bigger working together, and traitors face the wrath of other players and enemy AI alike. Undercover Cop randomly assigns a Serpico amidst the expat thieves, who's goal is to stop the other players once the heist is in motion. Cops and Robbers divides players into opposing teams, with Robbers attempting to pull off a score and escape and Cops attempting to stop them. Arcade mode takes the multiplayer modes and fills them with bots.
While multiplayer's concepts are strong and interesting, they rely even more heavily on the shooting and cover aspect of Kane & Lynch 2 than single-player. It's nice that they're there, and fun can be had, but the online aspect fails to lift above its humble underpinnings. There is online co-op this time around though.
Closing Comments
A recommendation for Dog Days isn't hard, though it is filled with qualifications. If the story and characters haven't caught your interest yet, or if you're just not interested in crime thrillers, then there's probably not going to be enough in Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days to keep you playing. Outside of the story it tells, how it tells it, and the interesting conceit of its multiplayer modes, Dog Days is just a passable third person shooter. But if you appreciated the promise of the last game, or you're looking for something darker and more sophisticated content-wise than your usual shooter fare, then Kane & Lynch 2 is just the thing.


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Always be joyful. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
For years I struggled to understand these verses. How could God expect us to be thankful for everything (all circumstances) in our lives? Being thankful for the good things in my life made perfect sense – but being thankful for the bad things? No way!
I could never imagine saying, "Thank you, God that I am sick today" or "Thank you that my car broke down on the freeway." On a more profound note, I have never been thankful that my oldest son was killed in a car accident when he was eighteen.
Then I took a closer look. God didn't say to give thanks "for" all circumstances. He asked us to be thankful "in" all circumstances. I think this passage is encouraging us to find the joy of living in the midst of life's pain and disappointments. God wants us to keep on trusting him and praying in spite of the difficulties and disillusionment we often face. We must thank him for taking us through the darkness while we are still going through it.
Look for the silver lining. Find and believe in the blessings that are hidden in even the most difficult circumstances. God didn't promise that life would be easy. He never said we wouldn't experience bad things, hard times, or devastating circumstances. But he did say he would be with us and never forsake us and for that we can be thankful.
If I can believe that God loves me enough to send his only son to pay the death penalty for my sin, surely I can have faith that he has my best interest in mind no matter what circumstances I am experiencing. If nothing else, I can be thankful that one day my trials will end and I will spend eternity with the God who loves me more than I know or understand.
Always be joyful. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18


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Polished stainless, gold engraving, gloss walnut & rosewood, Monte Carlo, detachable rotary magazine, short throw bolt, adjustable trigger, bolt-action
Experience design. Browning has over 50 years of experience with bolt-action high-powered rifles. Today's X-Bolt rifle inherits the strongest, most note-worthy features of its predecessors. The X-Bolt White Gold model has a Monte Carlo stock. This feature is recognized as the comb steps sharply down toward the heel of the buttstock, allowing more contact between the recoil pad of the stock and the shooter's shoulder. With this design, the recoil of the fired shell comes directly back or in-line with the stronger part of the inner shoulder, making the rifle more pleasant to shoot, especially when a long day at the range is expected.
Beautiful? Yes! It is okay for some guns to be referred to as "beautiful" even though it is still a hard working hunting tool. The X-Bolt White Gold is beautifully adorned with a polished Stainless steel receiver that is drilled and tapped for scope mounts with Engravings both the front and rear. This rifle also has a polished Stainless steel barrel. Its stock is a gloss-finished, finely Checkered with a rosewood forend and grip cap.
Please Note: This description and product image may represent a general group of products. Please read the item's title and specifications for more specific information about this particular item.
Guns can only be shipped to a location within the USA that holds an FFL (Federal Firearms License) - this can be your local gun shop, pawn shop, sporting goods store, etc. Your local gun dealer will then handle the transfer of the firearm to you.
Please ensure that you have familiarized yourself with the process before placing a firearm order. Please note that you must confirm your acceptance of all of these policies to place a firearm order:
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Can different web app stores share usage data such as reviews, ratings, and stats on how often an app has been downloaded or embedded?
Thats the question that we investigated in the SPAWS project. And the answer is:
Building on the Learning Registry and Activity Streams we connected together several web app stores aimed at sharing web widgets and gadgets. Each time a user visits a store and writes a review about a particular widget/gadget, or rates it, or embeds it, that information is syndicated to other stores in the network.
This means that, even if a store is focussed on a niche market, the web apps in the store can include user reviews and information collected from a wider federation. It also means that web app developers can pull together all the reviews and download stats for their apps to display on their own site, even when they are sharing their work in multiple stores.
We created a software library that developers can use to add "paradata sharing" to web app stores, and integrated it into Edukapp, a "white label web app store". Edukapp is being used by ITEC for sharing web apps between secondary school teachers, and now by SURFNet to share web apps used in research portals in higher education. Both of these stores should be in production use in 2013, and several other web app stores, both educational and commercial, have also shown strong interest in adopting it.
SPAWS isn't limited to web apps and app stores – the same approach can be used for all types of resources and repositories, for example to share reviews and usage stats about learning materials, books, 3D printer models or whatever you like.
The SPAWS software library itself is open source and can be readily added to any Java project using Maven or Ivy. You can also fork it on Github.
Thanks go to the JISC/HEA OER Programme for funding this work, and to Amber Thomas for being a great programme manager!


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Universities Minister, David Willetts, has described British universities as "world class". Take a look through the top 10 world universities, including four British universities, according to the QS World University Rankings 2013/14.
10. Princeton University and California University of Technology (Caltech)
Overall score: = 96.1
2012 ranking: 9 and 10
These rankings are based on the QS World University Rankings 2013/14.


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Breast Tenderness
Dear OncoLink "Ask The Experts,"
I am having pain in my breasts (both of them, but more on the left side) at the base - towards the ribcage side. Should I be concerned? The pain is not regular, but is uncomfortable when it does come and has occurred off and on for over a year. Can a blood test show if I have cancer, or do you have to have a mammogram?
Nancy Zieber, RN, MSN, CRNP, Oncology/Hematology Nurse Practitioner, responds:
A blood test cannot show if you have breast cancer. Depending on your age, you might consider a mammogram (if 40 years and older, should get it once a year; start at younger age if positive family history) or an ultrasound (usually used if there is a palpable mass and young age).
Breast tissue will vary in tenderness and how it feels to the touch over the month; this is related to the influence of hormones. It would be good to keep a diary of when the breast discomfort occurs, as it may be cyclic, coming and going with the fluctuation of hormones (i.e. related to the menstrual cycle). Other options would be to use a Vitamin E supplement and eliminate caffeine from your diet, as these things are thought to help relieve breast tenderness. Neither of these is proven, but some women do report improvement of their symptoms. Also, making sure your bras fit appropriately and provide enough support would also help.


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I'm not very good at guessing wind velocity, I just know when and when I cannot get going.Dimitri M wrote:With all due respect Mr. Pumpy but did it ever occur to you that maybe you are the one who can't perform in these light wind conditions. A poor carpenter will blame his tools. I think you might need to get more kite experience to be able to perform in these light wind conditions because it has been proven so many times in how low wind the INFINITY v3 kite can perform. Now it is all up to you.
Recently, I was at a beach in S. Fla. With my v2.
The beach was full of 15's &16's. Not flying......on the beach!
I got going on an onshore wind, pointing and jumping(133x43 tt & 195lbs) while the others sat in amazement.
Quickly, all the other kites launched. I thought the wind must of picked up a bit but it had not.
In 10 minutes all the big kites were walking up the beach. It's the v2!
No trouble pointing upwind. Frankly, I don't see what all this 70 pages is about


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Hometown 022
Hometown 022
Hometown is a personal project I thought about creating whilst working away as a travel photographer. I've been lucky enough to take my camera to some 60 countries around the world and realised in doing so, that I had not actually photographed my favourite city, my hometown, Bristol!
It's such a unique and special place to have been born and raised. A city that's so big but still has that sense of community. I wanted to photograph the places I love in the city and show them in the dream like way in which I had remembered them whilst travelling the world.
All the images in the series compliment each other to work well hung together in a set of two or three. For a 20% discount code for orders of two items or more, please contact me here.
Finishes are available as gallery grade prints using Hahnemühle Photo Rag paper as well as, two ready to hang mounting options: acrylic or solid oak frame.
Hahnemühle's authentic art paper is regarded as the very top of the line for quality. It is often used for exhibitions and limited-edition art prints.
The acrylic finish is modern and sleek with punchy and bold colour reproduction. The photo sits behind 2mm of glossy acrylic glass that enhances the image whilst offering long lasting protection. The final acrylic product is lighter than a traditional frame and comes with aluminium rails attached, making it easy to hang.
The classic oak framing option is printed on the same high quality Hahnemühle Photo Rag. It comes with a 5cm natural white passe-partout card mount and glossy float glass to make your new artwork standout.
The oak frame itself measures 2cm so combined with the mount for each side, please add on a total of 14cm to the length and width to get the outer dimensions. e.g the outer dimensions for a 40x30cm print selected measures to a total 54x44cm when framed.
Black and white oak frames are available as standard but different frame colours are available on request. Please contact me here if you have any further questions.


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To the editor:
President Barack Obama raided Medicare of $700 million to finance Obamacare. He invested in Solyndra (with our money) even though his advisers told him not to. They went bankrupt and lost our money.
He insulted our greatest ally (Israel) in the Mideast. He whispered to Putin (when he thought the microphone was off) to bear with him until after the election. He would then be free to do what he wanted.
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text: Wednesday, February 12, 2014 Innovation 2.0 Proposals Due Feb 13 – Even If You Submitted a Letter Of Intent Thursday, February 13, is the deadline for submitting a proposal for the APTA Innovation 2.0 program that will offer up to $150,000 to support innovation in service delivery and payment in a wide range of areas. In addition to the deadline announcement, potential participants are reminded that the letters of intent they may have submitted cannot be substituted for an official proposal. All proposals must be submitted using the online proposal submission form. For more information on the models types that will be considered, visit APTA's Innovation 2.0 webpage. Contact the Innovation 2.0 staff with questions.


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Parent Company Of American Airlines Reports Better 1st Quarter
DALLAS - American Airlines parent AMR Corporation reported a smaller loss for the first quarter than a year ago on slightly higher revenue and much lower labor costs.
The nation's third-largest airline said Thursday that it would've earned $8 million excluding costs of its bankruptcy restructuring.
The first quarter is the weakest of the year for airlines, and this marked AMR's first adjusted profit in the period since 2007.
"A modest first quarter profit shows that we are off and running for the year," CEO Tom Horton said in an interview.
American stumbled on that running start this week, as a computer-systems outage grounded all of its U.S. departures for several hours on Tuesday, stranding tens of thousands of passengers. The airline has been trying to recover since, but cancellations, including those likely caused by bad weather, continued on Thursday.
Horton said the company has fixed the computer problem and is confident it will avoid another meltdown.
AMR reported a first-quarter loss of $341 million, including restructuring costs, compared with a loss of $1.66 billion in the same period last year.
Revenue rose 1 percent to $6.1 billion. Labor costs declined 17 percent - a savings of $298 million - as American cut jobs. Labor is American's second-biggest expense behind jet fuel.
Horton said the company's bankruptcy restructuring made its costs competitive with other airlines. He said that AMR will show even more savings in the second quarter as it benefits from renegotiating deals with vendors and suppliers for things such as aircraft leases.
AMR is in the process of merging with US Airways and emerging from bankruptcy protection around September. If antitrust regulators approve the merger, the combined airline will be the biggest in the world.
Once that deal is done, mergers will have reduced eight big U.S. airline companies to four. At the same time, airlines have limited the supply of seats, which helps boost prices. American enjoyed it highest average fare per mile ever in the January-March period.
American's on-time performance improved in the first quarter. But it suffered a setback this week with the computer-systems breakdown that caused massive delays and cancellations Tuesday and Wednesday.
At midday Thursday, American had canceled about 140 flights and smaller-jet affiliate American Eagle had canceled more than 300, according to flight-tracking services. Together, they operate about 3,300 flights a day.
American's problems were concentrated in Dallas and in Chicago, where bad weather was interrupting departures, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. United Airlines, based in Chicago, had nearly as many cancellations as American by noon Thursday.
When the computers went down earlier this week, Horton apologized to customers in a YouTube video and blamed the outage on a "software issue." He declined to be much more specific Thursday.
"We do understand the cause of the failure," Horton said. "We're continuing to investigate and do further testing, but we have a high degree of confidence that situation won't recur."
John F. Thomas, an aviation consultant with L.E.K. Consulting, said airline computer systems are among the most complex because of the need to connect with other networks inside and outside the company.
As the airline industry suffered financial problems in the past decade - AMR is just the latest of several to go through bankruptcy - the carriers lacked money to upgrade their systems, Thomas said. Now that most airlines are earning profits, "the tide has turned and ... they are starting to make the investments," he said.


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Drug trafficking, poverty, gang violence, corruption and ethnic warfare have created some of the most dangerous hot spots on Earth. WITNESS: JUAREZ, WITNESS: LIBYA, WITNESS: RIO and WITNESS: SOUTH SUDAN follows our current generation of photojournalists into these conflict zones in Mexico, Libya, Brazil and South Sudan. In the four-part series, war photographers carry us into the heart of the human drama of the people in the action on the ground. We see what compels the photojournalist and experience why, when everyone else seeks cover, the photojournalist stands and moves closer.
In South Sudan, thousands have been killed, abducted or displaced by Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army. French photojournalist Veronique de Viguerie travels with the Arrow Boys, an unpaid militia of farmers who took up arms to protect their families from the LRA. For the last two decades, Joseph Kony has led a campaign of unfathomable brutality in an attempt to impose his command as the law of the land. His forces have kidnapped and forced into sexual or military slavery an estimated 60,000 children and driven two million of Uganda's people from their homes. The pregnant de Viguerie treks through wilderness with the Arrow Boys, as well as with the Ugandan Army. On a night patrol she is asked if she ever gets scared. She replies, "Sometimes…but here there is no time." Directed by David Frankham; produced by Julie Herrin and Josiah Hooper.
A Blue Light Media/Little Puppet Production. Executive producers are Michael Mann and David Frankham. It features photojournalists Eros Hoagland, Michael Christopher Brown and Veronique de Viguerie. Cinematographer is Jared Moosey and composer is Antonio Pinto. An HBO Documentary Films presentation.


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Competitive field line up in Abu Dhabi
The Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club sponsor their meeting this Sunday, which is highlighted by a 1600m Purebred Arabian handicap for which 13 have been declared. It looks a very competitive affair with several in form rivals clashing with others taking a big drop in class.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum owns both Versac PY and Quite A Show who have been running well this season.
His main retained jockey, Richard Hills, chooses to ride Quite A Show who has won both his starts this season, including over course and distance and is seeking a fourth consecutive course win having also won his final start last season.
He is trained by Doug Watson who said: "We know the conditions suit him and he has a good draw. He is climbing the ratings quite quickly and this will be a real test for him but he is in good form at home and should go well. We also have MH Al Wadi in the race and he too can hopefully give a good account of himself in a hot race."
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan`s second jockey, Tadhg O`Shea, rides Versac Py who is trained by Ewan Charpy and was second to Sarabella at Meydan last time having won his previous two starts.
Tony Manuel trains Sarabella who chased home Najem Al Khalij in the first Purebred Arabian race of the Meydan season.
The latter, trained by Jaber Bittar, has won his only subsequent race, over Sunday`s course and distance and is another who has to be feared in an ultra competitive heat with the likes of Das El Samer and Zells Fred having competed in Group One company recently.
Baher and Forgehill Cezanne both represent powerful connections and it would be no surprise to see either bounce back to winning ways.
The only Thoroughbred race is the concluding 1200m handicap which looks just as competitive as the feature.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan, Watson and Hills again combine with a leading hope, this time Musaalem who has been running well enough at Meydan. He faces 11 rivals, including Garbah who was the impressive winner of a 1400m maiden here last time.
She represents Emirati trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe and has to be respected under Royston Ffrench who said: "She deserved that win having enjoyed no luck on two occasions this season. This is a lot better race but she is in good form at home."
Another to win here last time was nine-year-old Celtic King. That victory was over 1300m and, remarkably, on his turf debut on what was his 35th career start.
Trained by Musabah Al Muhairi, he was chased home by Fityaan on that occasion with Jose Adan in fourth and jockey Wayne Smith is hopeful they can confirm that form.
He said: "He did it well enough last time and certainly proved he goes on turf. He is a bit higher in the weights but seems very well in himself so we have to hope he can go close."


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A dismal turnout and an undemocratic nominating process were not the most alarming aspects of the so-called Special Election on the last day of February, when voters in three State Assembly districts that represent roughly 375,000 people in New York City picked new legislators in what was nearly a foregone conclusion:
- Linda Rosenthal won the Assembly seat from the West Side of Manhattan, replacing Scott Stringer, who has become Manhattan borough president
- Sylvia Friedman won the Assembly seat from the East Side of Manhattan to replace Steve Sanders, who has retired
- Alan Maisel took the Assembly seat from the Canarsie/Mill Basin/Flatlands etc. district in Brooklyn, replacing his former boss Frank Seddio, who has taken over the borough's newly created second Surrogate's Court judgeship.
What is most alarming is that these new members, though technically elected for only the next six months, have become instant incumbents -- which means they are likely to remain in office for the next 20 years. Yes, they have to run for re-election this fall, but as incumbents they will have the full power of their office and the support of their political party. And being an incumbent in New York means never having to say goodbye.
Staying Forever
State Senator John Marchi has been in office for 49 years. But more to the point, in the past 22 years, there have been only 30 instances when incumbents in the New York State legislature have been defeated in a general election, according to a report by the New York Public Interest Research Group. Since all 212 members are up for election every two years, this means there were only 30 incumbent defeats in more than 2,000 races.
In another survey, the National Conference of State Legislatures cited that in the 2002 elections only eight percent of the New York State Senate and 16 percent of the New York State Assembly were not returned to office -- one of the lowest turnover rates in the country.
The Incumbent Advantage
As Gotham Gazette has explained before in the online game, "Donkey Con (Elephant Evasion)," politicians are re-elected at staggering rates because of the state's incumbent protection racket:
Access to the ballot: Incumbents have an easier time both getting on the ballot and assuring that any potential challengers stay off of it. Ballot-bumping is New York's bloodsport – the process by which politicians hire election lawyers conversant with the state's arcane election law to comb their rival's nominating petitions to find the slightest errors, so that they can be stricken from the ballot. Incumbents are not alone in engaging in this practice, but they have the resources – the backing of their political party, the troops, and the money – to be the strikers rather than the stricken.
Name recognition: An unquantifiable advantage of incumbency is the name recognition it provides. Voters frequently head to the polls on Election Day armed with selections for big ticket offices such as president, governor or mayor. Local races do not garner as much interest, so voters tend to vote for familiar names.
Political Parties And Campaign Cash Incumbents use their party organizations to reach out to more voters.
Both the Republican and Democratic organizations in New York have extensive funding mechanisms to re-elect members of the Senate and Assembly. In the most recent election cycle, the Center for Public Integrity reported that the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee spent $5.6 million while the minority Republican Assembly Campaign Committee contributed $2.1 million to Republican candidates. In the Senate, the Senate Republican Campaign Committee spent $9.5 million to hold on to their slim majority and the Democrats spent $1.4 million to fund their State Senators in office.
Powers of incumbency: As elected officials, members have the power to secure funding through member items for special neighborhood projects and provide various constituent services. During campaign season, they can "call in their chits" for having provided these services. Those who have been the beneficiaries of the legislator's favors might fear the closing of the tap if they were to publicly support a challenger.
Others benefits of incumbency include:
- Multiple district-wide mailings funded by tax payer dollars
- Unparalleled access to the community through speeches and official legislative events
- Fundraisers in Albany during legislative session that are well attended by lobbyists
Inadequacies of Incumbency
A permanent legislature doesn't just hurt the cause of democracy, it goes directly against the interests of the voters. It deters qualified candidates from seeking office and thus stymies fresh ideas. Legislators are less accountable to the public, and more beholden to party leaders. It is no coincidence that the New York State legislature, with among the smallest turnovers in the nation, has been labeled the most dysfunctional in the nation, the legislators weak and non-responsive, deferring to the Assembly Speaker and the Senate Majority Leader.
For the voter, incumbency means there are no real choices on Election Day: In some races there are no challengers at all; in most, the results are a foregone conclusion. The lack of options diminishes voter participation and is reflected in turnout rates. No more than 30,000 voters participate in Assembly and State Senate races in each district where there is an incumbent, and it is often a lot less.
The lack of choices and the depressed voter turnout amount to voters rubberstamping party choices on Election Day – a kind of social promotion for elected officials.
Overcoming Incumbency
One solution that obliterates the problems of incumbency is term limits. A recent survey conducted by Sienna College Research Institute found that 68 percent of respondents support term limits for state legislators. In New York City, voters established through referendum term limits for citywide office, barring incumbents from seeking more than two terms. On a statewide level, the legislature would have to pass measures to limit the amount of time they can serve in office.
There are other ways of promoting competitive elections – through reform of the process of redistricting and by public financing of campaigns in a system similar to that set up by the New York City Campaign Finance Board. The Sienna College survey found 74 percent favored redistricting done by an independent non-partisan commission. Currently there is a bill in the Assembly (A6287) that proposes such reform.Amy Ngai is program associate for Citizens Union Foundation, which publishes Gotham Gazette.Â


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Final Year Project is an important academic assignment for every student pursuing Engineering. IEEE project provides authenticity to the assignment since it will have essentially conceptual and application related strong base. Students of engineering have to therefore take the IEEE projects seriously. Be it BE or B Tech, IEEE projects are important since they showcase the technical knowledge of the students which has been gained through the whole course. Even the Companies look at IEEE projects as the benchmark for considering placements. Focus on the IEEE projects for CIVIL would throw open finer aspects of them - such as selection of the project, the core project work and project based documentation. Wiztech Automation, Anna Nagar, Chennai, provide end-to-end guidance and support to the students of engineering in completing their IEEE Projects for CIVIL.
Students desiring to pursue IEEE projects for CIVIL under 'final year projects' could opt to join Wiztech, since the students at Wiztech Automation gain thorough theoretical and practical knowledge and skills as they pursue their final year projects and develop IEEE projects for CIVIL portraying them well.


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UC Browser, an alternative web browser for Windows Phone, has recently been updated to version 2.8. The developer has been busy pushing UC Browser further on the platform. We last looked at the app back in December when it was bumped to 2.7 and introduced a number of improvements and new features, so what's new in the latest release?
There are a number of improvements in the latest update, including full HTML5 support and a speed mode for those who require faster connectivity. To please those who were looking for such functionality, the ability to download music files and synchronise them to Xbox Music on the handset is also presently available (files are located in Music folder when connected toa PC).
Here's what's reported in the changelog:
- Rendering Optimization - Full support for HTML5 features by default. If you need a faster connection instead of full features, you can use Speed Mode.
- File Syncs & Ports - Downloaded music files will be synced to the Video+Music Hub. You can also find them in the Music folder when you connect your device to your PC.
- Find in Page - Find the text in a lengthy page by key word to help you focus on your interest.
- Fixed some problems (bugs) that caused browser lags.
- Lumia 920 UI - A special UI optimization for Nokia Lumia 920 users. Enjoy a more pure experience!
UC Browser is a highly rated app on the Windows Phone store that offers a new user experience for those who wish to try something new, rather than sticking it out with IE 10 - should it not perform how you'd like. Looking at the frequency of updates being published, we can see UC Browser continuing to offer unique features to consumers who desire a third-party web browsing experience.
You can download UC Browser for free from the Windows Phone Store. Thanks, Pete, for the tip!


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SRINGFIELD, Mass. - At the 2013 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Track and Field Championships, the MIT men's outdoor track and field team finished first for the 14th year in a row with 290 points. WPI was second with 215 and Coast Guard was third with 114. Six different Engineers ran away with wins in individual events, as did the 4x100 relay.
Freshman Michael Kaba (Jackson, N.J.) was named the NEWMAC Male Rookie of the Year for his performances at the meet, which included two firsts and a second place finish and three new records.
Junior Tyler Singer-Clark (Falmouth, Mass.) started the meet off with two wins in a row, first in the 100m with a time of 10.98 and then in the 200m in 21.95. In the 200m, freshmen States Lee (Charlotte, N.C.) and Derek Barnes (Coto De Caza, Calif.) finished after Singer-Clark in second and third place with times of 22.38 and 22.44 respectively. Lee was victorious in the next event, the 400m, with a 49.11, while Barnes was third with a time of 49.61.
The 800m was a strong event for the Engineers, who took first through fourth. Senior Patrick Marx (Grand Rapids, Minn.) crossed the line first with a 1:53.21 and was followed by sophomores Chadd Kiggins (Xenia, Ohio) and Samuel Parker (Menlo Park, Calif.) in second and third with times of 1:55.23 and 1:55.55. Classmate Harrison Hunter (Northampton, Mass.) finished fourth with a 1:55.76.
Junior Justin Bullock (Detroit, Mich.) came in first place in the 1500m with a 3:55.62, dropping six seconds and moving up five spots from last year's championship. In the 5000m, junior Roy Wedge (Lawrence, Kan.) and sophomore Benji Xie (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) crossed the line in second and third place with times of 15:09.45 and 15:28.93. In the 10,000m, freshman Matthew Deyo took the win with a 32:45.69, with sophomore Allen Leung (Arcadia, Calif.) coming in second with a 32:48.38.
Kaba came second in the 110m hurdles with a 14.94, earning a new MIT freshman record, before winning the 400m hurdles with a new MIT and meet record of 53.63. Classmates Adrian Samsel (Whippany, N.J.) and Richard Lu (Chapel Hill, N.C.) were second and third in the 400m hurdles with times of 55.36 and 56.15 respectively. In the 3000 Steeplechase, senior Logan Trimble (Clearwater, Fla.) crossed the line first with a 9:34.32, eight full seconds ahead of the second place finisher. The 4x100 relay, which consisted of Lee, Kaba, sophomore Nick Diamantoni (Belle Mead, N.J.) and Singer-Clark, finished first with a time of 42.52.
Senior Cyrus Vafadari (Columbus, Ga.) was second in the pole vault with a vault of 15-01.00 and was followed by sophomore Benjamin Schreck (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) in third with a 14-01.25 and senior Yida Gao (Marietta, Ga.), also with a 14-01.25.
In the long jump, freshman Carrington Motley (Pittsburgh, Pa.) led a group of three Engineers with a jump of 21-07.50, landing in second place, and was followed by classmate Arinze Okeke (Hawthorne, Calif.) in third, also with a 21-07.50, and senior Jackson Wirekoh (Woodbridge, Va.) in fourth with a 20-08.00. Freshman Angel Echevarria (Sacramento, Calif.) was sixth with a jump of 20-05.00 and later came second in the triple jump with a 44-03.25. Motley was third with a 44-00.50.
In the discus throw, freshman Alex Noakes (Watkinsville, Ga.) finished in fifth place with a throw of 122-10. In the final event of the meet, the javelin throw, sophomore Harry Rein (Hingham, Mass.) came second with a 171-05 and freshman Timothy Curtis Shoyer, Jr. (Hingham, Mass.) was third with a 161-05.
The Engineers will continue their season at the New England Division III Championships that will be held at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, on Friday and Saturday, May 3-4.


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I'm Dominik Bruhn and I welcome you to my website. It shows some information about me and about some of my projects. If you want to contact me, I'm happy to hear from you via email.
For the 4th ACM/SPEC International Conference on Performance Engineering which took place in Prague in April 2013, I wroted on a research paper titled Predictive Performance Modeling of Virtualized Storage Systems using Optimized Statistical Regression Techniques. The paper was written by Qais Noorshams, Samuel Kounev, Ralf Reussner and me and extends the results from my diploma thesis (see below). It appears in the ICPE 2013 conference proceedings (published by ACM). The results from this paper made it to another follow up paper titled Automated Modeling of I/O Performance and Interference Effects in Virtualized Storage Systems which extended the results. This second paper was presented on the DCPerf 2014 workshop on data center performance in Madrid.
My diploma thesis (Master's thesis equivalent) titled Modeling and Experimental Analysis of Virtualized Storage Performance using IBM System z as Example was written in summer 2012 in English. I worked together with the Chair for Software Design and Quality (SDQ) of the Institute for Program Structures and Data Organization (IPD) under Prof. Dr. Ralf H. Reussner. This thesis finished my studies of Computer Sciences at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (former Universität Karlsuhe (TH)).
The thesis takes an regression based approach to the prediction of storage performance. Different techniques for the generation and evaluation of regression models are evaluated. Additionally, different regression techniques are compared and checked for their applicability in the field of storage performance prediction. The measurements and the evaluation is done using a IBM System z which uses state of the art virtualization techniques. The results show, that the black box approach proposed in this thesis can lead to prediction errors smaller than 5% which is a very good value.
I wrote my study thesis (Bachelor's thesis equivalent) titled Comparison of Distribution Technologies in Different NoSQL Database Systems in spring 2011 in English at the Institute of Applied Informatics and Formal Description Methods (AIFB).
A research paper titled Fault Induction & Bug Using was written by me for the Seminar Practical Cryptoanalysis in spring 2010 in German at the Institute of Cryptography and Security.


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5 Romantic Movies You Can Stream Tonight
5 Romantic Movies You Can Stream Tonight
We're happy to present this story from one of our favorite sites, Fox News Magazine. Today, we get romantic movie recommendations from a film critic.
There are plenty of adequate romantic movies on Netflix and Amazon Instant, but nobody wants to watch an adequate romantic movie when they could be watching a great one. The trouble is, it can be downright frustrating to find a great one when scouring the limited streaming offerings online.
But don't cancel your plans for a night in just yet. Film critic Stephen Farber is here to prove that there are several great romantic movies available for streaming, and he should know — he's the president the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
Check out his picks now and get ready for a romantic evening at home.


text: SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY COMMISSION (As approved amended September 2, 2004) The San Francisco Public Library Commission held a regular meeting on Thursday, July 15, 2004, in the Koret Auditorium, Main Library. The meeting was called to order by President Higueras at 4:04pm. The following members were present: Bautista, Coulter, Higueras, Streets, and Strobin. It was noted that Commissioners Bautista and Chin's arrival was delayed. Vice President Steiman was reported excused attendance. President Higueras announced that Mayor Newsom had accepted the Commission's unanimous recommendation made at its June 17th meeting that Paul Underwood be appointed Acting City Librarian. Acting City Librarian Paul Underwood announced that Governor Schwarzenegger had appointed former City Librarian Susan Hildreth to be California State Librarian. President Higueras announced that he was reordering the taking of agenda items with Agenda Item #4 City Librarian Search following Public Comment, and Agenda Item #2 the Marina Library Peer Review, then Agenda Item #3 the BLIP Manager's Report, then Agenda Item #7 Incompatible Activities Statement, and then Agenda item #6 Library 2004/05 Budget report followed by the remaining items in original order. Agenda Items: 1) Public Comment 2) Marina Library Peer Review 4) City Librarian Search Process 3) Bond Program Manager's Report 7) Incompatible Activities Statement 6) 2004/2005 Budget Report 13) Adjournment APPENDIX A -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AGENDA ITEM #1 PUBLIC COMMENT Public comment on AGENDA ITEM #1 PUBLIC COMMENT An anonymous member of the public commented on Ms. Hildreth's appointment, the role of libraries as described in Dr. Starr's speech celebrating the San Francisco Public Library's 125th Anniversary, and regarding a previously presented security update as it related to urbanologist Jane Jacob's Dark Age Ahead. Mr. Peter Warfield discussed excerpts from what he described as a Library Journal editorial applauding library gadflies such as himself. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AGENDA ITEM #2 MARINA LIBRARY PEER REVIEW BLIP Manager Marilyn Thompson introduced the Marina Library Peer Review noted that the presentation would consist of an introduction, the architect's presentation, a Library response, the Peer Panel review, public comment, and concluding with Commission discussion. Ms. Thompson introduced the Marina Library's Architect Bobbie Fisch of the Tom Eliot Fisch/ Field Paoli Joint Venture designing the branch. Ms Fisch presented her proposed designs. Acting City Librarian Paul Underwood then presented the Library's response. The BLIP Manager then introduced the peer panelists: Lawson Willard, Willard Architecture; Robert Herman, Herman & Colliver; and Marie Fisher, Marie Fisher interior Design; who provided their critiques (copies attached) of the proposed design. Public comment on AGENDA ITEM #2 MARINA LIBRARY PEER REVIEW An anonymous member of the public commented on a lack of explanatory documents, found that seismic safety concerns were being neglected, and found the materials presented lacking in sufficient detail to inform any critique for what was being proposed. Mr. Peter Warfield commented on what he found to be a lack of emphasis on or increase in the book collection, and questioned what he understood to be a proposal for combination of circulation and reference desks. Architect Rubin Schwartz found the proposed design competent and complementary to the original design; additionally suggesting use of cork flooring, switching the proposed meeting room and mechanical room, and a more developed landscape plan. Commission discussion of AGENDA ITEM #2 MARINA LIBRARY PEER REVIEW In response to a query by Commissioner Coulter, the Acting City Librarian noted the proposed design called for a 200 linear feet increase in book shelving space in the Marina Library while still providing space to meet ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements, and noted that the branch design clearly shows separate reference and circulation desks. Responding to questions by Commissioner Bautista, Ms. Thompson noted that every effort was being made to use glazing and surface treatments resistant to graffiti. Commissioner Bautista also lauded the sound deadening properties of cork flooring and urged that teen users be consulted in finishing out of their proposed area. President Higueras agreed with the importance of involving and bringing in teen users, suggesting that the proposed browsing collection area in the front be switched with the proposed teen space. In response Chief of Branches Donna Corbeil noted that another important goal for this renovation was to preserve quiet space for reading for all users. The Acting City Librarian left the meeting 5:40pm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AGENDA ITEM #4 CITY LIBRARIAN SEARCH PROCESS (taken up out of order) Library Human Resources Director Donna Marion reported on the staff work and ongoing discussions with the Hawkins Company, a City pre-approved executive search firm recommended for selection to conduct the search for a new City Librarian by a Library staff review committee. The Library's Director of Human Resources noted Mr. Hawkins would be assisted in the search by Library Consultant June Garcia. Ms. Marion then outlined aspects of a proposed national search process to be compliant with open meeting laws, and with opportunity for Library staff and public input leading to Library Commission recommendation of a candidate(s) to the Mayor to be the new City Librarian before the end of this year. Mr. Hawkins then presented a proposed workplan (copy attached). President Higueras called a recess at 6:00pm. President Higueras left the meeting during the recess Commissioner Coulter called the meeting back into session at 6:14pm. Ms. Marion recommended that the Commissioners approve the proposed contract with the Hawkins Company to conduct an executive search for candidates for the Library Commission's review and consideration to recommend to the Mayor for appointment as City Librarian. Public comment on AGENDA ITEM #4 CITY LIBRARIAN SEARCH PROCESS An anonymous member of the public commented that use of gift funds for the search process signaled that there would not be an open process and urged consideration by potential applicants of previous controversies concerning selection of City Librarian. Mr. Peter Warfield expressed concern that the City Librarian search, a core function, be privately funded and found the proposed process did not allow for sufficient input from members of the public such as himself. Ms. Andrea Grimes, Librarian's Guild, urge that Library staff be actively involved in the City Librarian search process Commission discussion of AGENDA ITEM #4 CITY LIBRARIAN SEARCH PROCESS The Commissioners discussed how the search would be funded through use of gift funds as the Board of Supervisors had cut funds designated for the search from the Library's Budget. There was also discussion of details of Mr. Hawkins' previous experience, the various processes to be developed to recruit and screen candidates, gather Library staff input and public comment, and about a proposed timeline for the search process MOTION: Commissioner Bautista, 2nd Commissioner Streets for approval of a contract with the Hawkins Company to conduct an executive search for candidates for the Library Commission to recommend to the Mayor for appointment as City Librarian. Adopted by the following vote: AYE -0 (Bautista, Chin, Coulter, and Streets) The Acting City Librarian rejoined the meeting at 6:45pm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AGENDA ITEM #3 BOND PROGRAM MANAGER'S REPORT (taken up out of order) (Presented by Branch Library Improvement Program Manager Marilyn Thompson -This is a discussion item to allow the Branch Library Bond Program Manager to report on recent bond program related activities and make announcements.) Ms. Thompson reported there would be no informational presentation at the meeting. The BLIP Manager next presented the current budget and schedule of active projects, and community outreach update report. The BLIP Manager followed with a construction activities report, (copies attached). Ms. Thompson noted there would be no special report. Public comment on AGENDA ITEM #3 BOND PROGRAM MANAGER'S REPORT An anonymous member of the public found the print in the reports too small, expressed dismay at what they found to be unreasonable delay in addressing seismic safety issues, and questioned if sufficient funds were available for the Parkside Branch Mr. Peter Warfield commented that the reports were difficult to understand and suggested that seismic risk issues were not being addressed in a timely manner. Mr. Warfield also proposed that the Library seismically upgrade the Richmond Branch prior to its planned renovation. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AGENDA ITEM #7 INCOMPATIBLE ACTIVITIES STATEMENT (taken up out of order) Ms. Donna Marion, Library Human Resources Director and Deputy City Attorney Catharine Barnes provided the Commissioners with an overview of the background to and details of the new requirement that led to the drafting of the proposed statement of Incompatible Activities, (copy attached), for the Library Commission and the Library Department as a result of voter approval of Prop E (Conflict of Interest Regulations 2003). Public comment on AGENDA ITEM #7 INCOMPATIBLE ACTIVITIES STATEMENT An anonymous member of the public commented that they could not imagine how any policy outlawing favoritism would be approved by the Library Commission. Commission discussion of AGENDA ITEM #7 INCOMPATIBLE ACTIVITIES STATEMENT MOTION: by Commissioner Streets, 2nd Commissioner Chin for approval of the proposed Statement of Incompatible Activities for the Public Library Commission and Public Library Department. Adopted by the following vote: AYE 4-0 (Bautista, Chin, Coulter, and Streets) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AGENDA ITEM #6 LIBRARY 2004/05 BUDGET REPORT (taken out of order) Library Finance Director George Nichols presented an overview (copy attached) of the current status of the Library's proposed 2004/05 Budget under consideration at the Board of Supervisors. Public comment on AGENDA ITEM #6 LIBRARY 2004/05 BUDGET REPORT An anonymous member of the public questioned Mr. Nichol's report concerning the Budget Committee of the Board of Supervisors' approval of a budget reserve to fund RFID, suggesting that the Board had only delayed making a decision. This person also discussed Supervisor Daly's action to put two senior Library staff members' salaries on reserve because of a perceived delay by the Library in expending Prop. E (Library Preservation Fund 1994) monies on San Francisco Unified School District school libraries as directed by the Board last year. Mr. Peter Warfield found the RFID discussion at the Budget Committee interesting and noted that he had challenged the accuracy of reports concerning library staff RSI (repetitive stress injuries). Ms. Deborah Doyle, Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, commended Mr. Nichols and former City librarian Susan Hildreth's outstanding work in defending the Library's budget before the Budget Committee, noting Supervisors had lauded Ms. Hildreth as one of the best City department managers. Ms. Doyle also called attention to Library staff testimony supporting RFID. Commission discussion of AGENDA ITEM #6 LIBRARY 2004/05 BUDGET REPORT In response to Commissioner Streets' questions, Mr. Nichols noted that it was not likely that the San Francisco Unified School District would forgo accepting the $500.000 in Library Prop. E funds given to them last year by the Board of Supervisors in light of their recent windfall from settlement of outstanding litigation. In view of an imminent loss of the meeting's quorum Commission Coulter continued the remaining agenda items to consideration at a future meeting and moved to adjournment. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AGENDA ITEM # 13 ADJOURNMENT MOTION: by Commissioner Chin, 2nd Commissioner Bautista that the meeting be adjourned. Public comment on AGENDA ITEM # 10 ADJOURNMENT None offered. The meeting was adjourned at 7:52pm. ACTION: AYE 4-0 (Bautista, Chin, Coulter, and Streets) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Housh, Commission Secretary 9/2/04 Please note: Amendments to these Minutes are in alternative typeface. Copies of Commission Minutes and handouts are available in the Office of the Commission Secretary, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 ATTACHMENTS: Marina Library Peer Panelist critiques Branch Library Improvement Program (BLIP) Manager's Report notes Branch Library Improvement Program Schedule 2/19/04 (PDF 151K) Branch Library Improvement Program Budget 6/17/04 (PDF 72K) Marina Peer Review floor plan and reviewer's comments (PDF 534K) Statement of Incompatible Activities (PDF 34K) The Hawkins Company City Librarian search workplan 2004/05 Library Budget Summary Report Appendix A The Public Comment Summary Statements included in these Minutes are authorized by San Francisco Administrative Code Section 67.16. These summary statements are provided by the speaker. Their contents are neither generated by, nor subject to approval or verification of accuracy by, the San Francisco Public Library Commission. The number of members of the public who spoke anonymously at this meeting. 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Explanatory documents: Copies of listed explanatory documents are available as follows: (1) from the Commission Secretary/Custodian of Records, Main Library, 6th Floor, (2) in the rear of the Koret Auditorium immediately before and during the meeting, and (3)to the extent possible, on the Library's Web site. Additional materials not listed as explanatory documents, if any, that are distributed to the Library Commissioners prior to or during the meeting in connection with any agenda item will be available to the public for inspection and copying in accordance with Government Code Section 54954.1 and Sunshine Ordinance §§ 67.9, 67.28(b) & 67.28(d).


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Tying Toys For Kids
Fun Toys That Teach Tots How to Tie Knots
Fun Toys That Teach Tots How to Tie Knots
Learning how to put on your own shoes and successfully tie them is a monumental achievement for tots. The moment your child figures it all out is a huge deal, making these fun toys that introduce tying a great way to help him get lacing the right way. Exploring how to lace and tie also encourages fine motor development, and these toys are exciting for kids of all ages — even older ones who need to hone their knot-tying skills. Introduce lacing and tying toys to lil ones for a jump on this essential life skill. Click through and find the perfect toy for your budding knotter!


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Join 203080 others who are connecting with their cousins and common researchers!
FamilyTreeCircles is easy and free.
Traced back to Peter White, convict of the ship EGYPTIAN arrived Tasmania 12/12/1840, aged 20. Married convict Winifred Cook - (from the ship 'HOPE') on 27/4/1846 Hobart. (Both these two were transported from Dublin, Ireland.)
Roslyn Warren. (formally White.)


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No. 6 Villanova takes Big East, 77-70 over Xavier
CINCINNATI (AP) — Nobody on the current Villanova roster had even been born the last time the Wildcats stood alone atop the Big East.
The 32-year drought ended Thursday night when Darrun Hilliard scored 19 points and No. 6 Villanova clinched the outright Big East championship for the first time since the 1981-82 season by holding off undermanned Xavier 77-70.
The Wildcats, playing before a hostile standing-room only crowd of 10,340 in their first visit to Cintas Center, overcame a determined Musketeers team in what Villanova coach Jay Wright described as a "great, intense college basketball environment."
"You're not going to win championships unless you win on the road," Wright said. "We have great respect for this league. To win this league is a hell of an accomplishment."
JayVaughn Pinkston added 15 points — eight in the last 3:20 — James Bell finished with 12 and Ryan Arcidiacono chipped in 11 as the Wildcats (27-3, 15-2 Big East) extended their school record for regular-season wins with their fifth straight and 11th in their last 12 games.
They also clinched the top seed in the Big East tournament, which starts Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
"This is a big accomplishment," Bell said. "It's a testament to how hard we've worked, but we can't stop there."
The Wildcats went into the night with a 1 1-2 game lead over No. 13 Creighton in the Big East and two games remaining. The Bluejays have one game to play.
Villanova, which last shared the title in a co-championship with Syracuse in 2005-06, wraps up its regular season Saturday at home against Georgetown.
Justin Martin had 20 points for Xavier (20-11, 10-8) while Semaj Christon added 18 points and Isaiah Philmore finished with 15. The Musketeers ended the regular season with consecutive losses.
Xavier struggled from 3-point range finishing 6 of 23, while Villanova was 9 for 23.
The game was Xavier's first without 6-foot-10 junior center Matt Stainbrook, who started each of the Musketeers' previous 30 before straining the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in their 71-62 loss at Seton Hall on Monday. Stainbrook watched the game from the bench wearing a tan suit and bow tie.
"Us not having Matt was tough, but I think we learned more about each other," Philmore said. "It didn't turn out the way we wanted it to, obviously, but we stuck together. It just wasn't enough. Sometimes, it's not always enough."
Xavier's regular-season finale was its second consecutive home game against a Top 10 team and the second straight to attract a standing-room only crowd.
The Wildcats never trailed after Arcidiacono made two free throws for a 29-28 lead with 5:11 left in the first half. Villanova, which beat Xavier 81-58 on Feb. 3 for the Musketeers' worst loss of the season, led by as many as 12 points. The lead dwindled to three before Josh Hart and Bell made two free throws each in the final 19.4 seconds.
"We knew they wouldn't go away," Wright said. "They played without one of their best players. We caught a break there."
The Wildcats had no surprises, Musketeers coach Chris Mack said.
"They were what we saw on film," he said. "This was our first game without Matt, so that was a little bit different, but we competed. We didn't quite have enough to beat Villanova."
Hilliard, averaging 14.1 points per game, had 15 to help the Wildcats take a 41-36 halftime lead.
Martin, who went into the game averaging 11.2 points, scored 12 in the first half for Xavier.


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Participants will learn beginning yoga poses and advance to more challenging positions as the class progresses. Focus will be placed on balance, muscular endurance and relaxation techniques. Wind down your day with yoga.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: April 23Yoga at the YMCA
Later Event: April 30Yoga at the YMCA


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Update: Univision agrees to run condom ads!
Good news! Univision responded to our protests from last week and has decided to run the ads! Thanks to any readers who took action.
The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and Catholics for Choice are happy to share the wonderful news that Univision has decided to run our Condoms4Life radio ads. We emailed all of you last week, urging you to take action and ask the President and COO of Univision Radio to run these important advertisements. The Spanish-language ads, which you can listen to here and here, talk about the importance of condom use within communities of faith. We are thrilled that Univision has agreed to play the ads which will air over the holidays on Univision stations in New York City.
When Univision Radio refused to run our ads on three of their NYC stations, we asked you all to get involved. You took action in impressive numbers, sending emails to Gary Stone with the message that this kind of censorship was unacceptable and that these messages are key to keeping our community safe. We want to thank all of you for taking action, especially those who passed the message along to their friends and family. A number of blogs also posted about this issue, further spreading the action.
Gary listened to you! We have the activism of the Latino community and our allies to thank for this win and Univision to thank for doing the right thing. We want to recognize Univision for listening to the resounding message you all sent last week-that the message Good Catholics Use Condoms deserved to be heard. NLIRH and Catholics for Choice will share a message of appreciation to Univision on behalf of all of us for listening to our concerns.
Thanks again for all your hard work and support. To keep up to date on this campaign, you can visit http://www.condoms4life.org or www.latinainstitute.org.
In solidarity,
The staff of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and Catholics for Choice
Cross posted at feministing


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Learn to choose the best stabilizer for your fabric and design, and create picture-perfect embroidery every time!
Banish out-of-place outlines, gaps, puckering and wrinkles for good with Terri Hansons expert guidance on picking the right stabilizer for any project. Find out how to use cutaway stabilizer with sheer and lightweight fabrics, and achieve perfect tension when hooping it with woven fabrics. Discover which stabilizer is a great choice for appliqué, stitch-intensive designs and sturdy fabrics, and which will help you hoop and embroider tricky, bulky or oversized items. Explore the creative possibilities of wash-away stabilizer and learn valuable tips for creating freestanding lace, intricate cutwork and patches. Learn how certain stabilizers can enhance the look of your embroidery and speed up your stitching, with lessons on fusible fleece, fuse-and-stick stabilizers and topping. As a bonus, youll also receive four exclusive, embroidery-themed designs you can use to practice your new stabilizer skills!
If you're not delighted with your Bluprint experience, we'll make it right or give you a full refund.


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Berklee's Early Childhood Symposium
What an honor it was for Debbie and Friends to participate in Berklee's Early Childhood Symposium on April 9, 2012. The symposium was sponsored by Berklee's Music Education Dept, under the leadership of Dr. Cecil Adderley, and included presentations and performances by Paul Reisler, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, and Debbie and Friends. It was a very special day with Berklee students, faculty, staff, and lots of families from the greater Boston area all focused on making music together.
Here's a picture of Berklee's Music Ed Majors on stage with Debbie and Friends having a great time with the kids and families in attendance. This was particularly special to me being an alumna of that program.
Berklee constantly strives to be a great place to learn, teach, and work. Events like the Early Childhood Symposium are just one more example of this.Filed under Children's Music, Concerts, Debbie and Friends, Family Activities, Music, Music Education, Parenting |


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Cervical radiculopathy refers to a pinching or inflammation of a cervical nerve from its exit point in the spine, called the neuroforamen. It may more commonly be referred to as a pinched nerve in the neck. Although most acute neck pain is a relatively common ailment that usually resolves within a couple of weeks, some neck pain can persist and may be also present in the shoulder or arm. The symptoms of cervical radiculopathy may also include pain, numbness, or weakness in different areas of the arm or hand. Different common conditions associated with cervical radiculopathy include:
Cervical disc herniation:
The spacer between vertebrae called the disc is actually a two-part structure. The circular outer layer, or annulus, is tough and ligament-like and contains the gel-like inner part, or nucleus. Gradual or severely sudden tears through annulus may allow changes in the outer contour of the disc to protrude like a pimple. While any slight protrusion of a disc is classified as a herniation, the most problematic ones often occur at the passageway of a spinal nerve.
Cervical spondylosis:
Cervical spondylosis refers to gradual wear and tear or age-related (often referred to as degenerative) changes. Many of these changes can be diagnosed or identified on conventional X-rays and other imaging examinations and may include narrowing of the disc space, bulging of the contour of the disc, and calcification of the disc and vertebral margins that result in spurs. It is well-established that degenerative changes of the cervical spine increase with age and may occur in individuals without a history of neck pain.
It remains unclear if degenerative changes are directly related to the pain, as normal or less degenerative disease in the spine may be symptomatic (and vise versa). In some cases, the spurring significantly narrows around the nerve root exit passage or foramen (referred to neuroforaminal stenosis). This condition can lead to repeated episodes of cervical radiculopathy.
Neck pain and arm pain can occur simultaneously or separately over the course of cervical radiculopathy. Your physician may attempt to provoke the pain by extending your neck and head backward. Changes in reflexes, patches of sensation loss, and specific muscle weakness attributable to the dysfunction of a cervical spinal nerve may be detected on a careful physical examination.
Conventional x-ray of the cervical spine may show the margins of the bony vertebra and bony spur formation in the area of the nerve foramen. MRI or CT scans of the cervical spine demonstrate the spine in cross section as well as in other planes and also can visualize surrounding soft tissue structures, such as the disc and nerves that are not visible on conventional x-ray.
The actual dimensions of existence and relative severity of disc herniation and foraminal stenosis can be more formally evaluated on these scans. Most importantly, these findings should be correlated with the patient's symptoms and problems. A high rate of disc herniation and spondylosis has been noted to occur in individuals who never experience symptoms. This occurs in higher frequency, perhaps not surprisingly, as people age.(2;3)
The logic of using non-operative treatment for a pinched nerve in the neck is reinforced by a variety of evidence from scientific studies. Some studies have shown that cervical radiculopathy usually improves with time without the need for surgery. Two studies of patients treated non-operatively for cervical radiculopathy have shown that disc herniation had significantly regressed after a period of time on repeated scans.(4;5) Other studies demonstrated good outcome results for patients suffering with significant cervical radiculopathy treated with non-operative therapies using oral anti-inflammatories, oral corticosteroids, collar immobilization, physical therapy, traction, and in many cases, epidural steroid injections.(6-8)
Preliminary results from our study show that 65% of patients with cervical radiculopathy that have not responded to physical therapy and oral medications still can experience significant benefits with cervical epidural steroid injection.(9) The nature of some of these non-operative treatment modalities are noted below.
Relative rest and collar immobilization:
It may be important to refrain from repetitive movements of the neck and forceful or heavy lifting movements during the acute phase. A soft cervical collar is often helpful to limit neck motion and provide splinting or rest in a position of comfort.
Whenever possible, your physician may prescribe anti-inflammatory medication, particularly at the outset of the problem. Some radiculopathies will respond to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication alone, but a short course of oral corticosteroid medication is often prescribed as well.
Physical therapy:
The physical therapist can administer intermittent traction to help relieve pain. If traction is particularly effective, a patient can purchase a traction unit and self-administer traction at home on a regular basis. When pain is reduced, range of motion and strengthening exercises can help to gradually restore areas in the neck and shoulder that have been weakened by disuse and pain.
In many cases, the initial therapies for cervical radiculopathy are ineffective. Epidural steroid injection may benefit patients who would otherwise suffer with the kind of lasting pain that would sometimes necessitate surgical treatment. The procedure can be performed in an outpatient setting using fluoroscopy (x-ray guidance). A trained specialist will use an MRI scan and physical exam to identify to suspected area of injury. Under fluoroscopic guidance, a needle can be directed - in most cases under local anesthesia alone - to the target site.
The membrane covering the spine and nerve roots is called the dura. The space surrounding the dura is the epidural space. An epidural injection places anti-inflammatory medicine into the epidural space to decrease inflammation of the nerve roots, reducing pain and hopefully aiding the healing process. It may provide permanent relief or pain relief for several months while the injury/cause is healing.
Improvement may occur immediately or within two weeks. Some patients will respond with one injection, but some may require up to three, interspersed over the course of a recovery period of one to three months. Most patients will benefit from a gradual exercise performed simultaneously with the supervision of a physical therapist.
Figure 1: Model showing needle positioning for transforaminal epidural steroid injection.
Figure 2: Fluoroscopic image of a Left C6/7 transforaminal epidural injection. Contrast solution outlines the epidural space and exiting cervical nerve root.
Immediately afterwards, a solution of corticosteroid and local anesthetic were injected.
Most patients recover with non-operative treatment. If pain continues in spite of these treatments, surgical treatment may be recommended. Additionally, patients with more severe radiculopathy can decide to have surgical treatment at an earlier point in time.
Updated: 5/1/2009


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Over the last day and a half, the residents of Moore, Okla., have endured the terror of a devastating tornado and the heartbreak of the storm's aftermath. TODAY's Matt Lauer takes a look back at how it all unfolded.
A tornado that devastated Oklahoma City's suburbs has left dozens of people dead, numerous injured and missing and countless homes destroyed. As rescue workers continue to pick through the rubble, hoping to find survivors, here are some accounts from those who did make it out.
Hero teacher: Student said, 'I love you, please don't die with me'
Rhonda Crosswhite, a teacher in hard-hit Moore, Okla., ushered her students into bathroom stalls as the tornado descended right onto Plaza Towers Elementary School. As she laid on top of the kids, one had a plea: "One of my little boys, he just kept saying, 'I love you, I love you, please don't die with me,'" Crosswhite told TODAY on Tuesday.
Rhonda Crosswhite, a teacher at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., describes covering her students with her body to protect them from the tornado that devastated the school.
Every one of Crosswhite's students made it out, she said. One had a head cut, but everyone else was totally fine — other than Crosswhite, who has cuts all over her body and feet.
"I never thought I was going to die," she said, "The whole time, I just kept screaming to them, 'Quit worrying, we're fine, we're fine, we're fine,' and I'm very loud. I just kept hoping they could hear me because I could hear them screaming."
Crosswhite said she said a few prayers as the powerful tornado blew over them.
"It was like a freight train," she said. "It felt like someone was beating me from behind."
Fourth grader: Teacher 'saved our lives'
One of Rhonda Crosswhite's students who endured the chaos was fourth-grader Damian Britton, who survived by hiding out in the bathroom of Plaza Towers Elementary School.
"A teacher took cover of us. Miss Crosswhite," Damian told TODAY on Tuesday. "She was covering me and my friend Zachary. I told her that we were fine because we were holding onto something. And then she went over to my friend Antonio and covered him. So she saved our lives."
Brandi Kline and her two sons, both students at Plaza Towers Elementary in Moore, Okla., which was directly hit by the tornado Monday afternoon, recount their experiences, as Damian Britton says his teacher threw her body over him and his classmates to shield them from the storm.
After the storm blew through the school, "it was just a disaster," Damian said. Cars were strewn all over the property; the odor of gas wafted through the air. Damian survived without a scratch, but half of his home was destroyed, his mom, Brandi Kline said.
"All of our neighbors lost everything," she said. "As long as I have my kids, that's all that matters."
KFC cook's YouTube video goes viral
Newcastle, Okla., KFC cook Michael Welch got distracted during his shift on Monday by the sound of hail pounding the parking lot. Armed with his cellphone, the 24-year-old went outside, where he saw the wall cloud of a gigantic tornado rotating in front of him.
"It was very large and very fast," he said. "I could see debris flying all over."
Instead of going inside to take shelter, like most of his coworkers decided to do, he ran into the parking lot and filmed the twister with his phone.
"Probably not the best thing to do, but I did it," he said.
Michael Welch captures dramatic video of twister from a KFC parking lot in Newcastle, Oklahoma.
His video, seen now by hundreds of thousands on YouTube and on NBCNews.com, gives a street-level view of the funnel cloud that plowed through Newcastle and Moore.
'We thought we died'
For one resident of Moore, surviving the twister was a terrifying experience, especially after it tore off the door of the cellar he was sheltering in.
"We thought we died because we were inside the cellar. We locked the cellar door once we saw it coming. It got louder and next thing you know, you see the latch coming undone, and it ripped open the door," Ricky Stover said, his voice breaking as he held back tears.
A survivor of the deadly Moore, Okla., tornado recounts how the storm ripped open his locked cellar door.
"Glass and debris started slamming on us, so we thought we were dead," he added.
Three-time tornado survivors: 'We were lucky'
Charles and Sandra Marsh have lived in the same subdivision in Moore since 1978. Since then, they have seen three tornadoes barrel through, including Monday's and 1999's EF-5 twister. Before Monday's came through at 2:30 p.m. local time, the Marshes decided to drive to Norman, just south of Moore, to wait out the storm in a shopping mall, not knowing what they would come home to — if anything.
When they came home, they discovered their house was one of the few still standing in the subdivision.
"My ex- son-in-law and ex- father-in-law lost their houses. They lost everything," Charles Marsh said. "We were lucky."
The house had a little damage in the back, but the Marshes slept there Monday night, huddling under a blanket for warmth.
"I think the structure is sound," Charles Marsh said. "It's livable."
Down the road, their children's former school got blown away. The Marshes still hadn't heard from their friends as of Tuesday to confirm that they were alright, but Charles Marsh said he was grateful that his family was fine.
"My kids — they're all OK," he said, tears in his eyes.
Family finds their chihuahuas in rubble of their house
After the tornado flattened their home in Moore, two members of the Hendricks household were still missing: Lola and Louie, a pair of chihuahuas. The family's two other dogs had been found under a pile of debris in the backyard after the tornado, but Lola and Louie were nowhere to be found until Tuesday morning. That was when Levi Hendricks came back to the rubble that used to be his house and heard the faint sound of dogs whining.
"That's how we pinpointed where they were at and started digging at that point," Hendricks said. "Their kennel was smashed down on top of them. The car was sitting on top of the kennel. We had to pry the kennel out from underneath the car and then pry the kennel apart to get them out."
Kael Alford/NBC News
Leslie Hendricks, 27 and her father Levi Hendricks Sr., 53 rescued their dogs from the rubble of their house in Moore, Oklahoma after a massive tornado touched down there yesterday.
Hendricks and his two sons started digging, and reached Louie, 3, and Lola, 2, who were both fine.
"They were both wrapped around each other and inside a comforter. They were toasty warm," he said. "And both of them were just tickled to death to get out."
'The worst thing I have ever seen'
Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Betsy Randolph arrived in Moore on Monday after the afternoon tornado hit to help victims, and told The Oklahoman the devastation was "the worst thing I have ever seen."
"I saw a lot of walking wounded — people with blood all over. It was a matter of putting work gloves on and getting to work," she told the paper. "We hope that we don't have any more fatalities, but we know there are a lot more people trapped tonight."
She urged people to stay away from the area, which was being kept clear for emergency responders.
'Car parts in my bedroom'
Melanie Shelton, a Moore resident, barely made it out of her apartment complex as the tornado chased her and her son-in-law down the road on Monday.
"Behind us, you could just see it," she told CBS Oklahoma affiliate news9.com. "It just looked like bombs had been ignited everywhere. There's car parts in my bedroom. Everything's gone. Just in a matter of 30 minutes, your whole life is gone."
She had been alone in her apartment in Moore when her son-in-law came frantically knocking on the door just before the tornado hit and urged her to leave. The two of them "booked it to Norman," a 10-mile drive south from Moore.
"If I would have stayed, I may not have been here," Shelton told news9.com.
NBC News' Miranda Leitsinger and NBC News contributor Alex Hannaford contributed to this report.
Ed Zurga / EPA
A monster tornado hit Moore, Okla., Monday afternoon, leaving at least 24 dead as the threat of further storms continues.
Full tornado coverage:
- The latest on the Oklahoma tornado
- Photos and videos from the ground
- How to help Oklahoma tornado victims
- Oklahoma school survivor: Teacher threw herself over us and 'saved our lives'
- 'The school started coming apart': Trapped students had nowhere to hide
- Before and after: Tornado cuts devastating path through Oklahoma
This story was originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 10:16 AM EDT


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11% of devs working on games with loot boxes according to GDC State of the Game Industry survey
One-in-ten game developers are working on games that will be supported by "paid item crates" according the State of the Game Industry survey, presented by GDC.
GDC 2008 headlines
Asphalt 8 is the first mobile game to support Twitch livestreaming
Gameloft's Asphalt 8: Airborne is the first mobile game to make use of the new Twitch app for iOS.
Rogue Legacy turned a profit within an hour on sale
Indie darling Rogue Legacy recovered its almost $15,000 budget within its first hour available to buy, according to a GDC post-mortem talk.
More developers working on PS4 product than any other console
Games Industry has posted the results of a poll of more than 2500 attendees at last year's GDC which says that more of these developers (20 percent) are working on game products for the PlayStation 4 than any other currently supported console.
GDC: Rock and Roll Climber to rock the faces of rockfaces
During today's Nintendo GDC keynote, Satoru Iwata demonstrated a title called Rock and Roll Climber for WiiWare. Apparently, it allows players to defy virtual gravity by scaling rockfaces using the Wii Balance Board in conjunction with the Wii-mote and Nunchuck. Then, when you reach the top of your craggy adversary, you're given the ability to […]
GDC: Dates announced for GDC 2009
GDC 2009 will take place on March 23-27 next year, according to this. The Moscone Center, yet again, will be the setting for the show.
First shots of improved Home
Right here. As reported yesterday, PlayStation home has been changed significantly from its showings at GDC and E3 last year. The online, virtual space system for PS3 was seen yesterday in its new form at Imagina 08 in France. Home is now slated for a "spring" release, and you should expect a full showing at […]
Videogamer.com claims Bach GDC interview is "entirely fictional"
Double uh oh. Videogamer.com reckons the recent Sith Gamer interview with Robbie Bach, which detailed some of what Microsoft is expected to show at GDC next month, is "entirely fictional". The interview, which claimed Alan Wake and Halo Wars would be shown at the California developer conference, was picked up all over the web, with […]
CryEngine2 running on Xbox 360 and PS3 and GDC
So says, this. Crytek will show the engine running on consoles at the show, presumably as a precursor to announcing a console version of Crysis in the not-to-distant future. GDC, the San Franciscan developer conference, runs from February 18-22.
GDC 2008 latest
11% of devs working on games with loot boxes according to GDC State of the Game Industry survey
Asphalt 8 is the first mobile game to support Twitch livestreaming
More developers working on PS4 product than any other console
Videogamer.com claims Bach GDC interview is "entirely fictional"