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Editor's note: Due to the Monday holiday, Mandatory Monday moves back a day this week.
How do you calculate hope?
That is a question that has not baffled philosophers throughout the ages at all, because it is an incredibly stupid question that they would not waste their time with. Hope is a complex, ineffable emotion, especially when it comes to a fan's feelings for an NFL team. A team that just finished 5-11 can inspire more hope than one that finished 11-5, assuming the 5-11 team made major changes while the 11-5 team is saddled up for the same-old same-old. But then, a peasant can feel more hope than a comfortable suburbanite, too, if the well in the village is halfway built while the suburbanite is ranting on Facebook about the gubernatorial primaries.
Yes, hope was hard to define and impossible to quantify... until now! The Mandatory Monday team is not afraid to put a number on hope and rank all 32 teams on hopefulness. It's that or work hard on Memorial Day weekend, so both the decision and math were easy.
"Hope" does not mean hope for a 2014 Super Bowl, but hope for a brighter future. Teams at the top of the list are either headed in the right direction, have already arrived there, or have beachfront summer homes in "right direction." Teams in the middle have at least installed the GPS and packed their bags. Teams at the bottom are not expected to win now and would have a hard time convincing anyone that they are poised to win later.
Here is how the Hope Index was calculated:
Recent Super Bowl Appearances: 5 points for the 2013 season, 4 points for 2012, and so on down to 2009. The team did not have to win, simply make it, to inspire confidence that it is still within a championship success cycle.
Super Bowl Quarterback: 3 points for multiple appearances, 2 points for single appearances. These points stack with the last set of points in most circumstances. Again, it's the appearance that matters.
Super Bowl Coach: 1 point. You might think this should be worth more, but Mike Shanahan was a heck of a buzzkill last year, and Ken Whisenhunt does not send people cartwheeling into the streets with spontaneous glee.
Winning Records, Last Five Years: 1 point each.
Playoff Appearance, 2013: 1 point.
Pro Bowl Participants, 2013: 1 point each. When trying to muster enthusiasm, it is easier to point to six Pro Bowlers on the roster than some 9-7 wild card sneak-in, though the combination of both can be pretty potent. The Pro Bowl lists are taken from Pro Football Reference and include injury replacements; in a few cases, players who earned All-Pro notice but were somehow left off Team Rice and Team Sanders were added to the Hope Index scores.
Pro Bowl Participants, 2012: 0.5 points each. These points give a little extra boost for teams that fell off suddenly last year while keeping the perennial sad sacks in their places.
Class of 2012 Quarterback: 3 points. The next set of values reward future possibilities, not past accomplishments. The 2012 quarterbacks pack a powerful psychological cache, so having one is as good or better than having some 37-year old who won a Super Bowl years ago. Brandon Weeden does not count as a 2012 quarterback, Robert Griffin and Kirk Cousins combine to form one, and in a grand compromise, Nick Foles counts as half of one.
New Quarterback: 1 point. Quarterback changes always bring a jolt of enthusiasm, even if they involve mid-round draft picks and Matt Schaub.
New Coach: 2 points. Both 2013 and 2014 coaching changes count here, as most fans give new staffs tons of benefit of the doubt in the first year (and so many new 2013 coaches performed so well).
New Regime: 1 point. New owners, new general managers and deposed despotic coaches of the Shanahan class all get one additional point, again retroactive to 2013.
Major Draft Improvements: 1 point for selecting in the top five, 1 non-stacking point for two first-round picks. We could get far more technical here, but this point boosts the hope for some weaker teams, and it stacks with "new quarterback" points in a few important cases.
Stuck in a Nasty Division: Minus-one point. The AFC East and AFC West contenders are docked a point for having to try to unseat the Patriots and Broncos to get anywhere. All four NFC West teams are docked a point, the 49ers and Seahawks simply for having to cope with each other.
Add the totals up, and Presto! You know how you are supposed to feel about your favorite team. If you feel different, it does not reflect poorly on your intellect or sanity. Probably.
1) San Francisco 49ers: 24.5
The 49ers have come so close for three years, and had such a productive offseason, that hope may give way to a kind of flop sweat. If they don't win, what secret deficiency is holding them back? That kind of neurosis can be controlled with medication: this is the best team in the NFL entering training camp, with all the depth, breadth and youth a sports organization planning to sustain success for a decade could ask for.
2) Seattle Seahawks: 22
More "afterglow" than "hope" at this point. Seahawks fans are not Patriots/Yankees fans, who start worrying about the next championship during the parade call-in show. But with John Schneider playing the salary cap like a Gibson Les Paul, the biggest obstacle standing in the way of a repeat performance is that pesky division rival.
3) New England Patriots: 21.5
Rounding up the usual suspects. The Patriots rank ahead of the Broncos because they have had more winning seasons in the past five years. There is no variable for "fanbase so desensitized to success that they complain about 12-win seasons."
4) Denver Broncos: 20.5
This system was not designed to put the NFL's Big Four on top, but just about any system that measures recent success is going to whisk the Niners, Seahawks, Patriots and Broncos to the front of the line. It's not just the recent Super Bowl appearances and quarterback bonafides, because recent winning records, Pro Bowlers and other indicators point to one conclusion: there are four contenders, and then there is everyone else.
5) Kansas City Chiefs: 19
Ten Pro Bowlers and Andy Reid's credentials make the Chiefs surprising top-five hope generators. Granted, you have to buy into Reid's infrastructure-focused principles to be a true believer. "Yeah, we are building in the trenches, drafting for skills instead of needs, and remaining fiscally solvent. Hooray Chiefs!" Reid is building something that looks very similar to the early-2000's Eagles, right down to the aggressively unimpressive receiving corps. After the Herm Edwards, Todd Haley and Romeo Crennel regimes, that looks a lot better to Chiefs fans than it sounds to Eagles fans.
6) Baltimore Ravens: 18
A team that has proven for nearly 15 years that it stands a better-than-average chance of slopping out 10 or 11 wins and short-sheeting some opponents in the playoffs.
7) Houston Texans: 16.5
Shocked? Let's crunch the numbers. The Texans had three winning seasons in the past five years, nine 2012 Pro Bowlers (worth 4.5 points), and rang all the bells for new coaches, quarterbacks, regimes (general manager Rick Smith is still in place, but Bill O'Brien clearly carries a ton of clout), and the first pick in the draft. In other words, the system spots a team that had strong infrastructure through 2012, collapsed suddenly, and is now back with new leadership and an influx of young talent. Granted, there is no "dissatisfied Andre Johnson" variable or Ryan Fitzpatrick restrictor plate on quarterback enthusiasm, but you don't have to be a Texans diehard to see the possibility of a quick 2014 turnaround, plus sunny skies beyond.
8) New Orleans Saints: 16
The Saints are riding on fumes of old successes, two or three car lengths behind the Broncos and Patriots. There is no specific variable holding back NFC teams, but it is hard to rack up huge Pro Bowl totals in a conference where two teams hog so much of the awesome.
9) Cleveland Browns: 14.5
Another surprise contender. If you do not feel the Browns buzzing now, you sure did on Day One of the draft, before Josh Gordon's possible suspension became public and Jimmy Haslam starting shouting at Johnny Manziel like the schoolmaster in Pink Floyd's The Wall. Yes, "new coach" and "regime change" are loaded concepts in Cleveland, but the big driver in the Browns' numbers is the team's six Pro Bowlers in 2013. Add two first-round picks to a decent young core, give the reins to a well-regarded young coach, and you have enough optimism to absorb the loss of a star wide receiver, at least partially.
10) Green Bay Packers: 14
Like the Saints, they offer a recent Super Bowl title and championship-proven leadership. That gets you much further in the AFC.
11) Philadelphia Eagles: 13.5
The Eagles tap various elements of the Hope Index: three winning records in five years to represent the past, coach-quarterback-regime points for the future, and five 2013 Pro Bowlers for the present. These ratings would look very different if a "wide receiver anxiety" variable were added -- the Texans, Browns and Eagles would all drop -- but does anyone want to give wide receivers that much power?
12) Indianapolis Colts: 13.5
Andrew Luck does most of the heavy lifting here, with residual Peyton Manning influence doing the rest.
13) New York Giants: 13
There are two types of teams hanging around the 12-to-14 Hope Point scene. Some, like the Colts and Eagles, are riding the new coach, new quarterback, new-attitude trolley. The others are gasping and sputtering by on "this coach and quarterback won a Super Bowl or two" dregs. The Giants fall into the latter category, with most of their point production generated by events that occurred before March of 2012. The fact that three NFC East teams are knotted close to one another says a lot about a division that shifts every single year.
14) Washington Redskins: 12.5
The Redskins get a "regime change" point, in addition to coach change points, despite the fact that they did not replace their general manager. Parisians probably felt pretty good when Robespierre was sent to the guillotine, too. If this score seems a little high, try to remember how you felt about Robert Griffin III this time last year, and keep in mind that Redskins fans are the most optimistic fans on the planet. Redskins fans were penciling in 10 wins when Rex Grossman and John Beck were the quarterbacks. These folks have hope, and the probably still have the T-shirts to prove it.
15) Chicago Bears: 12.5
The Bears sent five players to the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons and get credit for Phil Emery's attempt to reimagine the salary cap and Marc Trestman's attempt to reimagine Jay Cutler. As awful as the Bears defense was last season, the fact that the offense improved drastically was an encouraging sign. Fixing defense? That's something that comes naturally for the Bears.
16) Pittsburgh Steelers: 12
The last of the recent champions, and the team that rounds out the top half of the NFL in terms of brighter tomorrows. Give us someone besides Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu to believe in, and it will become much easier to start believing again.
17) Minnesota Vikings 11.5
No one expects the Vikings to compete for a deep playoff run this year. But it is easy to imagine Mike Zimmer, Teddy Bridgewater and a busload of promising recent draft picks coalescing into a contender in the next two or three years. That's the difference between a hope rating and a power rating: the Vikings get credit for things we can imagine happening, not things that have happened.
18) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 10.5
I expected these guys to be higher. But Lovie Smith only gets one point for leading the Bears to a Super Bowl years ago, and there is only one regime-change point to be had, even if you are banishing Loki from Asgard forever. The Bucs had just three Pro Bowl selections last year, which seems low (one was Darrelle Revis), but never underestimate a terrible coach's ability to suppress the quality of his own players.
19) Arizona Cardinals: 9.5
The Cardinals are docked a point for coping with the NFC West, and also because the franchise has experienced so little recent success. Still, any hope at all qualifies as quite a bit of hope for the Cardinals.
20) Carolina Panthers: 9
You have last year's playoff run, seven Pro Bowl participants in 2013 and little else. If we really added a "wide receiver anxiety" variable, the Panthers would fare even worse.
21) Cincinnati Bengals: 9
The system sees the Bengals, like the Panthers, as a 2013 playoff team that has plateaued in terms of optimism. The Panthers have their Pro Bowlers, the Bengals have their string of recent winning seasons, but neither has anything to provide a "this is our time of destiny" jolt to the pleasure centers of the brain. I have rooted for enough late-in-the-success-cycle teams to confirm that it is easier to get jazzed up about a new coach and a young quarterback than for an epic battle to climb from 11-5 to 12-4.
22) Miami Dolphins: 8.5
Ryan Tannehill still gets 2012 quarterback props, the general manager change is worth a point and the Dolphins produced four Pro Bowlers last year. That propels them to the top of the teams that have spent the last half decade or so accomplishing nothing.
23) Buffalo Bills: 8.5
The system sees the Bills and Dolphins as essentially the same team: the Dolphins have more quarterback optimism, the Bills still get a "new coach" boost, but that's it, and each is docked a point for a decade of headers into the Patriots glass ceiling.
24) Atlanta Falcons: 8.5
The Falcons have some past glories and 2012 Pro Bowlers to cling to, but otherwise they are a rebuilding team that hasn't quite assembled all the blueprints yet. I gave the Falcons a regime point for adding Scott Pioli to the front office and I don't regret doing so after a productive offseason. But I won't argue with anyone who would rather have taken a point away.
25) San Diego Chargers: 8
A relative lack of Pro Bowlers and the presence of the Broncos in the same division tamp down the excitement for a new regime and 2013 playoff appearance. This rating may seem low now, but it wouldn't have if all of the other wild card contenders didn't trip over each other in the final two weeks last year.
26) Dallas Cowboys: 7.5
Buoyed almost exclusively by 2013 Pro Bowlers. If Jon Bon Jovi bought the team from Jerry Jones and cleaned house, they would close schools in Texas.
27) Jacksonville Jaguars: 7
The Jaguars are experienced lots of needle flickers because of new coaches, quarterbacks and regimes, but it's still too much like hearing faint grunts from deep down the coal shaft.
28) Tennessee Titans: 6
At least the Jaguars topped the Titans, who get credit for a new regime and Super Bowl coach but cannot even muster a "new quarterback" point (sorry, Zach Mettenberger, but much as I like you, you are a sixth-round pick behind an incumbent and Charlie Freakin' Whitehurst). Titans fans must be looking at the roster right now and wondering when the draft and free agency start.
29) New York Jets: 6
John Idzik still represents a "regime change" point, and Michael Vick combines with a repurposed Geno Smith to make a "new quarterback," but the bottom line is that the Jets lead the league in phrases that must be placed within quotation marks.
30) Detroit Lions: 6
My gut tells me this should be higher. Like the Buccaneers, Texans and Redskins, the Lions stand to improve significantly under a new coaching staff. Jim Schwartz was not an autocrat like Greg Schiano or Mike Shanahan, but was more of a burnt-out substitute teacher (a la Gary Kubiak), so even the most gifted pupils were doing whatever they wanted. On the other hand, these are the Lions.
31) St. Louis Rams: 5
Another team I would like to rank higher. But the Rams twin peaks of optimism are "maybe Brian Schottenheimer and Sam Bradford will turn the offense around" and "maybe the Seahawks and 49ers with quit football for competitive bowling." So there is not a lot of stable footing there.
32) Oakland Raiders: 3
Ladies and gentlemen: your 2010 Pro Bowl team has arrived, four years late!


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Red Sox miss late chance, fall to Tribe in 11
BOSTON --- With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth of a tie game, Brock Holt felt more than comfortable at the plate.
The 5-foot-10 lefty has been swinging a red-hot bat, and if anyone were going to help the Red Sox finally cash in on an opportunity with men on base, nobody in the team's clubhouse would be surprised it came from him.View Full Game Coverage
BOSTON --- With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth of a tie game, Brock Holt felt more than comfortable at the plate.
The 5-foot-10 lefty has been swinging a red-hot bat, and if anyone were going to help the Red Sox finally cash in on an opportunity with men on base, nobody in the team's clubhouse would be surprised it came from him.View Full Game Coverage
But Indians reliever Scott Atchison got Holt to ground out to second, and two innings later, Cleveland's Nick Swisher laced a homer just inside the right-field foul pole off Junichi Tazawa. Indians closer Cody Allen shut the door in the 11th after pitching a scoreless 10th as the Red Sox fell, 3-2. Cleveland took the final two of the four-game set by the same score to salvage a split as Boston's went quiet again.
"We're getting guys on, but we're not getting them in," said Holt, who is batting .343 since assuming the leadoff role May 23. "We'll get there eventually. Someone's going to come up and we're going to get big hit after big hit."
Boston's offense broke out for 15 runs in the first two games of the series, but faltered in the final two. They went 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position while leaving 15 men on base Saturday and Sunday. The Sox entered Sunday with the fourth-worst average with RISP in the American League.
But with just one hit in a big situation Sunday, that could have been temporarily forgotten. John Axford walked three batters in the ninth to load the bases for Holt before Atchison came on and finished the inning.
"He was able to throw some pitches inside to get me cheating in there a little," Holt said. "Then he throws a backdoor cutter that I kind of rolled over."
Andrew Miller dealt a scoreless eighth for Boston. Koji Uehara and Craig Breslow did the same in the ninth and 10th. Uehara hasn't surrendered a run in his last 20 innings, a mark that dates back to May 1.
But Tazawa misfired on a 2-1 fastball to Swisher and got tagged with the loss, allowing the go-ahead run for the second straight day. The reliable righty walked Carlos Santana with the bases loaded and the game knotted at 2 in the seventh Saturday.
"[Swisher] obviously has that capability, but we're challenging him given his four previous at-bats on the day and maybe some of the inconsistencies he's had during the season," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "And we got beat on it."
In six-plus innings, Brandon Workman allowed two runs on five hits while striking out a season-high seven and walking a pair. He exited with runners on the corners and no outs in the seventh before a Yan Gomes sacrifice fly off Burke Badenhop tied the game at 2.
Workman is appealing a six-game suspension he received for throwing at Evan Longoria two weeks ago, and turned in his second strong start while he awaits a ruling, which could come Monday. He allowed one hit and one walk in 6 2/3 scoreless innings against the Orioles on Tuesday and came out after only 67 pitches because of two rain delays. However, with Felix Dobrount and Clay Buchholz rehabbing in Triple-A Pawtucket, Workman may move back to the bullpen in the in the coming weeks.
The righty kept Cleveland's offense, loaded with eight lefties, at bay all afternoon by mixing his curveball and cutter effectively early in counts.
"That makes my fastball a little more effective," Workman said, "because they can't sit on it."
"He's growing. He feels more comfortable throwing his curveball and he throws it in bigger situations,"catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. "He can bounce it, he can throw it for a strike, move it around and change speeds on you. So it's nice if you have more than one weapon to get guys out with."
The Red Sox took the lead in the fifth for Workman. Holt's single moved Jackie Bradley Jr. from first to third. With one out, Dustin Pedroia hit a hard ground ball to short, but beat the throw to first from Asdrubal Cabrera to avoid the double play and score Bradley.
Michael Brantley ripped a solo homer to right in the first, but David Ortiz got things level with an RBI single off the top of the Green Monster in the bottom of that frame.
Tribe starter Corey Kluber allowed five hits, four walks and two earned runs with four strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. Cleveland's bullpen allowed one hit and three walks over 5 2/3 innings.
The Indians' offense didn't fare much better than Boston's in the final two games of the series in key spots, going 0-for-16 with runners in scoring position while stranding 23 runners.
"Fortunately, we played and we played clean, for the most part," manager Terry Francona said. "We gave ourselves a chance to win and that's a difficult game to win. But, we found a way to win it."
Steven Petrella is an associate reporter for MLB.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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There's been a haitus in my posting due to a lack or progress. There was a whole week of drywall taping, mudding and sanding cycles, which really didn't warrent any photos. My contactor's wife had a baby girl, and he was off for a week.
This week he came on Thursday and Friday and had primed the room and put on the first coat of paint (Benjamin Moore "Delaware Putty") as you can see in the photos below. I'm hoping for finish carpentry and cabinets next week.
#6 in the building of my sewing room - posts 1-5 are linked below.
Update # 5: http://www.quiltingboard.com/mission...l-t176124.html
Update # 4: Craft/Sewing Room - Update # 4: Let There Be Light
Update #3: Craft/Sewing Room: Update # 3 (Framing)
Update # 2: Craft/Sewing Room - Update # 2
First Post: Craft/Sewing Room - The Before Pictures


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patricia tsai needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 56 designs submitted by 23 freelance designers.
Need a logo for a start-up chocolate company to be used in brochures, website, and marketing materials. The vibe of the logo should not be hauty or couture, but inviting and modern with simplistic lines and maybe incorporating a part of nature either using a cocoa tree, flowers that grow on the tree, cocoa pod or cocoa beans. 2nd Place will be awarded.
Desired Color Scheme:
Pretty open to anything, but leaning towards chocolate brown/yellow, chocolate brown /green, chocolate brown/teal
Desired Style:
We like modern, simplistic and clean lines. Examples of logos that we like are http://www.robertcraymer.com/images…utside.jpg and http://www.slashfood.com. In the first website, we like the design of the tree and how each leaf is so distinct from e
Accepted File Formats:
High Res *.PSD (all layers) and/or *.ai file
This chocolate company will be a roaster and processor of cocoa beans using old-world preHispanic methods to create chocolate drinks made from fresh roasted cocoa beans mixed with unique spices like cinnamon, almonds, and vanilla. Although we are using traditional methods of manufacturing chocolate, we want a modern feel to our brand.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Westmont downs Freed-Hardeman to Reach Finals
The Warriors (29-4) will meet fellow newcomer Lee (Tenn.) in the championship game Tuesday night at the Frankfort Convention Center. The game is schedule to tip off at 6:35 p.m. EDT and will be televised live on the CBS Sports Network, with Jason Knapp and Brenda VanLengen providing the call.
The 108-point (combined) game is the sixth lowest scoring game in Fab Four history and came on the heels of an 84-point game to start the night, which Lee won, 43-41. Combined, the 192 points is the best scoring defense performance by Fab Four teams, besting a 200 point total from 2011.
Westmont (Calif.) held the Lions to their worst shooting performance (.304) of the tournament, while putting together its best 3-point shooting performance of the season (.538), hitting 7-of-13 3-pointers.
Senior Tugce Canitez and sophomore guard Esther Lee each scored 19 points to lead the Warriors, while holding Freed-Hardeman leading scorer Natalie Shumpert to 13 points. Ashley Tate and Maria Bagwell each scored 10 for the Lions.
Freed-Hardeman took a 4-0 lead to open the game, but Canitez had her first of several individual mini-runs for the Warriors, evening the score, 4-4. Shumpert quickly answered with a 3 to regain the Lions' lead with 14:13 to play. FHU maintained a 2-to-5-point lead for the next 10 minutes before Celina Gougis hit her first of two big shots in the game, a 3 to pull within a point, 21-20.
While Freed-Hardeman managed to hold off Westmont temporarily, Kelsie Sampson knocked down a free throw with 2:31 remaining to spark a 9-0 run. Lee scored the last eight of the run to give Westmont the lead, 29-23. Ashley Tate hit a 3 to cut the score to 29-26 at halftime.
Westmont maintained a 3-to-6-point lead for the first six minutes of the second half until Shumpert cut it to two, 39-37, with 13:36 left. Bagwell followed with a key defensive stop, intercepting Canitez's pass out of the paint, but the Lady Lions were unable to capitalize on the opportunity. Bagwell later cut it to two again, 43-41, with 10:24 to play, but Canitez responded with six points as part of an 8-0 Westmont lead to break the game open. Gougis hit a basket to make it a 10-point game, 51-41.
The closest Freed-Hardeman came to a comeback attempt was Shumpert cutting it to six, 51-45, with 5:23 to play. Two minutes later, Gougis threw a dagger from the top of the key to Sampson in the paint for a quick layup. The quick strike made it 55-45 with 2:51 to play, and Freed-Hardeman was unable to respond, shooting only 2-of-5 down the stretch.
Gougis finished with nine points and eight rebounds for Westmont, while Sampson finished with seven points and seven rebounds. Canitez led all players with nine rebounds. Bagwell had eight for Freed-Hardeman, while Amber Alexander and Hayley Newby each had seven.
The FHU loss snaps a 21-game win streak since December, while Westmont is the only Fab Four team to enter the tournament coming off a loss. The Warriors are now on a four-game win streak after previously winning 17 straight before the Golden State Athletic Conference championship.Freed-Hardeman (34-2) finished the year with its best season in program history, sweeping through TranSouth Athletic Conference play to win its fifth TSAC title and winning a program best 34 wins. The Fab Four appearance was FHU's fourth in program history.
Westmont (Calif.) Postgame Comments


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Jörg Heiser
|Daniel Birnbaum, Isabelle Graw (Eds.)Under Pressure
Pictures, Subjects, and the New Spirit of Capitalism
Under Pressure gathers together the contributions to the same-titled conference held at the Institut für Kunstkritik from 2006–07.
Starting from the premise that cultural producers are currently more exposed to external pressures, the conferences proposed that today these external constraints have to be considered as an integral part of artistic production. The aim was to discuss the value system resulting from the "New Spirit of Capitalism" and to confront theoretical models with ad-hoc conditions of production.
Can "exit" and "disobedience", as envisioned by Virno, be considered as options from an artistic point of view? And what would an insistence on "status" or long-term projects as invoked by Boltanski/Chiapello look like if artists were to take on this strategy? How much can one count on pictures alone, as Mitchell seems to do—and, can pictures really change the "ways of worldmaking"?
Design by Surface, Frankfurt am Main/Berlin


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SC Fertilizer and Seed Certification
One of the missions of the Department of Plant Industry is to provide non-biased, third party quality assurance programs for the fertilizer, seed and turf industries. These programs can be mandatory or voluntary. Each program is described below.
Fertilizer Inspection Program
Establishments involved in the production, distribution, and sale of fertilizer and lime materials are subject to mandatory regulation, and are routinely inspected by sampling the products to ensure that label guarantees are met. Samples are taken at random and/or upon request from dealers and farmers/consumers, and collected from bulk storage bins, killibrews, spreader trucks, liquid tanks, rail cars, or pre-packaged products.
Inspections include weighing of bagged goods to ensure correct labeling. Products sold in bulk must also meet labeling requirements. Lime samples are analyzed to verify their acid neutralizing capacity including particle size and uniformity.
Penalties are levied against anyone detected selling deficient materials. Penalties collected are paid to the consumer whenever possible.
Seed Certification Services
The South Carolina Seed Certification Program involves voluntary adherence to a set of standards imposed on the production of seed which ensures purity and germination. The standards which must be met by all Certified Seed producers include rigid requirements on planting stock, land history, equipment clean-out, weed management, conditioning, sampling, and labeling.
All fields producing a class of certified seed must pass a field inspection to detect off-types, other crops, noxious or inseparable weeds, and seed borne diseases. Seed conditioning facilities must also be inspected to ensure proper handling to maintain purity of each seed lot. All seed lots are sampled and must meet rigid standards for purity and germination based on laboratory analyses conducted by the SC Department of Agriculture Seed Lab.
All classes of certified seed must carry an official label bearing the variety name and other relevant information. This is the farmer's assurance that the seed is of the quality he expects.
Turf Certification Services
The Turfgrass Certification program involves voluntary adherence to a set of standards that were designed to promote turfgrass quality. The standards which must be met by all Certified Turf producers include rigid requirements on planting stock, land history, equipment clean-out, weed management, sampling, and labeling.
The Department of Plant Industry field inspectors conduct three inspections per year on each field producing a class of certified turf to detect off-types, other crops, and noxious and inseparable weeds. Turfgrass fields are sampled at random and grown out to ensure the identity of the grass is being maintained.
All classed of certified turf must carry an Official Certificate bearing the variety name and other relevant information. This is the buyer's assurance that the turfgrass is of the quality he expects from certified turf.


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Jusst Sooup Ministry and Rev. Dale Dunning Can't Serve Soup at Extreme Makeover Home Edition Ranch in Lewes
Jusst Sooup Ministry can't dish out soup at its new ranch, but the Rev. Dale Dunning won't rest on her ladles.
(page 1 of 6)
Delawareans came together last summer as 2,000 volunteers gathered to build a home and soup kitchen near Lewes for the Jusst Sooup Ministry.
That massive community effort was seen by millions on Nov. 18, 2011, when "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" profiled the ministry in a two-hour Thanksgiving television special.
That week-long build survived a hurricane, tremors from a Virginia earthquake, a mandatory evacuation and a tornado.
But the Jusst Sooup Ministry is now facing a different kind of storm. On Nov. 7, 2011, the Sussex County Board of Adjustment unanimously ruled that the Rev. Dale Dunning and her family cannot serve food at the Jusst Sooup Ranch located in Cool Spring, just west of Lewes.
The board was acting on Dunning's application for a special use exception to allow people to be served at the site.
Several neighbors had complained at the Oct. 3 county Board of Adjustment hearing (the board's decision was delayed until Nov. 7) about the soup kitchen. Most praised Dunning—some extensively—but many worried that a soup kitchen would attract predators, the mentally ill and crime to the area.
The decision means Dunning can still continue to cook and take soup and other food to churches, soup kitchens and shelters just as she has always done. She cannot, however, serve people in the large dining area built adjacent to the kitchen.
The tables are set, but no one will come to eat. The chairs remain empty and no one will see the jars of penny candy or the ice cream soda-style counter that's waiting for patrons.
Dunning's ministry will continue and she can use the sparkling new commercial kitchen built for her by the "Extreme Makeover" team, with the help of Schell Brothers, which donated the six-acre property.
continues on page 2...


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KEENE, N.H. (courtesy Keene State sports information) – The Brandeis men's soccer team won for the sixth-straight time dating back to last season today, cruising past host Keene State College, 4-0, to win the Xara Men's Soccer Classic.
Brandeis (2-0) scored three first half goals and coasted to their shutout win over the Owls (1-1) in the second game of the day after Ithaca College (1-1) defeated Nichols College (0-2) 2-1 in the first contest.
History repeated itself in the second game, as Brandeis, which blanked KSC 5-0 in last year's tournament, struck for three quick first half goals on Sunday.
Brandeis' first goal was scored on a free kick by senior Sam Ocel (North Attleboro, Mass./North Attleboro) at the 23:50 mark of the first half. The Judges were given the direct kick after a yellow card was given to Owl junior goalie Malcolm Cheney (Hopkinton, Mass.).
Keene State's best opportunity to score in the half came less than a minute later. Coming off the bench, freshman Eric Dietz (Woodland, Conn.) broke in alone, but his bid was denied by Brandies senior goalie Blake Minchoff (Fiskdale, Mass./Tantasqua Regional).
Cheney temporarily kept it a one goal game when he made a diving save on a drive by Ocel. However, Brandeis took over from there, netting two more goals to take a commanding 3-0 halftime lead. Sophomore back Tyler Savonen (Orleans, Mass./Nauset Regional) beat Cheney with a shot to the far corner with 9:12 left in the first half, and junior forward Tudor Livadaru (Bronx, N.Y./Riverdale-Kingsbridge Acad.) scored on a header with 4:34 to go in the half to make it 3-0 as Ocel had the assist.
Sophomore Mike Ketterman (Monson, Mass.) took over in goal for KSC in the second half, but that didn't slow down the Judges. Ocel finished off a crossing ball from Savonen five minutes into the half to push the Brandeis lead up to 4-0. Ocel finished with five points on the day, a career-high, in the second multi-goal game of his career.
KSC was unable to convert in its few scoring opportunities. Later in the half, freshman Rushane Kelly (Keene, N.H.) broke in alone, but his shot sailed wide of the post.
"We had two great games up here. I don't know what it is? Maybe it's the clean New Hampshire air," said Brandeis Coach Mike Coven. "We like playing here. This is a great facility, great field and I think good teams play well on fields like this. Keene is a real good team and we just played well the last two years up here."
The Judges outshot the Owls 14-10. Cheney and Ketterman each played a half in goal and made one save. Minchoff stopped three shots to post his second consecutive shutout of the season and sixth in a row dating to 2011. He now has 14 clean sheets in his career.
Earning All-Tournament honors for the Judges were Minchoff, Ocel, Savonen and senior Lee Russo (Westford, Mass./Westford Acad.) who had two goals in the opener against Ithaca College. Minchoff took home honors for the second year in a row.


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Posts Tagged 'Keith Andrews'
Better to have loved and lost than to have never watched the IPL
ON SUNDAY I had my first viewing of the future of cricket.
Maybe it is because it is on ITV4 this year or maybe it is because it is has received more media attention from the non-cricketing press this year, but either way I am following the IPL for the first time.
Except the IPL is not the future of cricket. Read the rest of this entry »


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Summary Meeting Notes: July 24, 2013 Neighborhood Centers PEG Meeting
Meeting #14 Summary Notes
Neighborhood Centers Policy Expert Group
Meeting Date: July 24, 2013
Time: 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
PEG Attendees: Kate Allen, Jason Barnstead-Long, Kristin Cooper, Alan DeLaTorre, Justin Douglas, Ivy Dunlap, Allen Field, Ryan Givens, Bob Granger, Brett Horner, Denver Igarta, Carol Mayer-Reed, Rick Michelson, Nick Sauvie
Key Points and Outcomes
- Greater policy clarity is needed on the infrastructure expectations for centers and corridors, and there needs to be a strong local role in identifying desired outcomes and priorities for each center.
- Addressing the many infrastructure issues in East Portland centers, such as the lack of complete pedestrian systems and parks, will require a clear understanding of desired outcomes, a strategic and phased approach to improvements, alignment of existing tools and programs to help support centers, and new implementation approaches.
- Town center policy aspirations may not be achievable within the next 20 years, but enhancing street connectivity should be worked on incrementally and kept as a long term goal, and improving the design, safety, and comfort along major streets should be an early priority.
Welcome, Introductions and Updates (3:00 p.m.)
Presenter: Steve Faust, Facilitator and Bill Cunningham, BPS
Summary: Steve welcomed Centers PEG members and guests. Following introductions, Steve thanked members who participated in a productive meeting with the Networks PEG about parking in neighborhood centers and the relationship between centers and corridors. PEG members should have received the summary notes from that meeting. The next Centers PEG meeting will be a cross-PEG meeting with the Residential Development and Compatibility PEG on August 13 from 3 to 5 pm to discuss transitions in size and scale from centers to adjacent residential neighborhoods. This will replace the regularly scheduled Neighborhood Centers PEG meeting for August. There may be a PEG meeting in September to review the Comprehensive Plan Map tool that will be used at the Fall public meetings, but this has not yet been finalized. The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability is also considering holding an "All-PEGs" meeting in October to discuss Comprehensive Plan Part 2 products
Citywide Systems Plan (3:15 p.m.)
Presenters: Michelle Kunek-North and Spencer Williams, BPS
Summary: This discussion is intended to provide a bridge from policy discussions about centers to the Citywide Systems Plan's focus on projects and implementation. Successful centers are areas with local access to services, businesses and amenities, offer employment opportunities, are a focus for housing growth, and are hubs for active transportation. Using the potential center at SE 122nd and Division as an example, this exercise provides an opportunity to consider the implications of center policies on infrastructure investments, including parks and street improvements.
The SE 122nd Avenue and Division/Powell area has a concentration of services and people and actually has greater population density than any of Portland's Metro 2040 Town Centers, such as Hollywood, Lents and Hillsdale. It shares some similarities with those centers, but also has many differences. Compared to the City of Portland as a whole, the area is more diverse and has a greater concentration of poverty, lower levels of education, lower median household incomes, and larger households with more children. The Gentrification and Displacement Study characterizes the area as having a high portion of vulnerable population, but it is not an area that is considered to be at risk of gentrification.
Zoning is diverse with a mix of single-family, multi-family and commercial/mixed use designations, and the area is part of a broader 122nd Avenue corridor that has a large amount of medium-density multi-family zoning. The center area has zoning to accommodate about 7,000 households, which is the threshold for town centers. The area offers community services, two grocery stories, a health clinic, schools, and places of worship.
In terms of transportation and parks infrastructure, there is a lack of bicycle and pedestrian connectivity. There are a number of substandard streets and sidewalk and bike infrastructure is largely limited to the main arterials: SE 122nd Avenue and SE Division (the area's other main arterial, SE Powell, lacks continuous sidewalks). Frequent transit service is available on Division and Powell and standard service is offered on 122nd. 122nd is a potential streetcar route and Division has been identified as a potential regional high capacity transit corridor. A number of roadway, bike and sidewalk improvements are planned in the area.
The only park in the study area is West Powellhurst Park, but the lack of street connections limit its walkable accessibility to area residents. The Mill Park site, located just outside the center boundaries, is undeveloped. The lack of any secondary east-west connections through the center between Division and Powell forces pedestrians to make longer out-of-direction trips and to use the busy major arterial streets to access area parks and schools, which are typically located at the center of superblocks.
PEG member comments included:
- This center is currently best described as an auto-oriented neighborhood center. The transition to a pedestrian-oriented neighborhood center will take many years due to the lack of pedestrian connections and the large sums of money needed to complete the street network.
- Is sufficient pedestrian infrastructure practical in the short term, or is a more automobile-oriented center acceptable? Considering the area's layout and infrastructure, is it feasible to make walking an attractive option for accessing local destinations? Should the focus be on strengthening the center to allow area residents to make shorter trips by automobile trips?
- The center has urban density, but lacks urban levels of infrastructure, which many area residents consider to be unacceptable.
- The area needs a street plan and money to build it. An upcoming transportation project will help address street connectivity within this area and around Division.
- Need to address the fact that no east-west connection exists allowing pedestrian access through the center between Division and Powell.
- The area has some east-west bicycle connections (toward Downtown), but lacks good connections to local destinations. A major issue is the lack of secondary streets providing low-stress connections not to other destinations, forcing bicycles onto the busy arterials, which do not feel safe for many people.
- Need to consider where destinations are concentrated in targeting improvements. The area has two nodes with concentrations of service, at Division and at Powell. Start with improving access to these nodes and then work outwards.
- Strengthen connections between the Division and Powell nodes with pedestrian-oriented streetscape improvements and more development along 122nd. There is a large bus yard located on 122nd that could serve as a catalyst redevelopment site.
- The area will not become a pedestrian-oriented center without major investments in sidewalks and street connections, but the City does not have resources for this. Perhaps the initial focus should be on improving sidewalks on the major streets, providing more safe crossings, and focusing on new connections to the Division and Powell nodes.
- The major arterials are big, auto-oriented streets that will never be pedestrian-friendly places. Need to create good, comfortable secondary east-west streets that can be a focus for pedestrian-oriented commercial development. Need to look at other neighborhoods to see what works (for example,Mississippi and Alberta are the popular pedestrian-oriented commercial streets in Albina, not heavily trafficked MLK).
- There needs to be greater clarity about what the expectations are for centers and what the policy implications are for infrastructure investments. For example, perhaps there should be policy support for using SDCs for local street improvements in centers, and clear priority for locating parks within centers.
- There needs to be strong local role in creating a clear understanding of desired outcomes for each center. Align public investments with a vision for the area in order to leverage resources and coordinate efforts. New funding mechanisms and tools are probably needed.
- An inner-city grid street network cannot be reproduced without major investments, but linking the bicycle and pedestrian networks to major streets, schools and commercial destinations is important.
- Need to address the mistrust of City agencies and planning that exists in the community.
- Respect existing homes and people in the area. Explore design solutions that may support existing development pattern while prioritizing pedestrian and bicycle connections. In order to achieve, need to address neighborhood issues around privacy and fear of illicit activity.
- The guiding question should be, how does the community prioritize improvements? The local community needs to define the next steps.
- Need to identify the most efficient investments, those that will do the most to improve things.
- What are the most critical actions across the city? Serving vulnerable populations should be a priority. Address big issues and gaps in service in dense areas and growing areas as a first priority.
- There is an opportunity for an expanded community center role forWest Powellhurstelementary school and the adjacent park. Policy supports schools as centers of community, expanding use in these facilities. There are five elementary schools in the vicinity.
- Focus on access to schools. Need to encourage more trips to these destinations by foot and bike. Big streets present barriers. Better crossings and street environments are needed.
- Locate accessible housing and infrastructure close to transit and the area's nodes of services to ensure mobility for all ages and abilities.
- Large housing developments and mixed-use parcels provide opportunities to provide key connections and urban amenities.
- Need to clearly articulate what a town center is, perhaps clarifying that the center boundaries do not include single-family areas in order to be more strategic with investments.
- Consider the role that adjacent single family and multi-family areas play in shaping centers, such as a diverse market base, greater support to commercial areas, and existing parks and schools.
- Need to phase improvements, given all the area's deficiencies. Start with strengthening the local business areas through the Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative (NPI) along 122nd and Division, then expand on this to make the area a successful center. Engage NPI participants in identifying what improvements are needed to foster the area as a center.
- Town center policy aspirations may not be achievable within the next 20 years, but enhancing street connectivity should be worked on incrementally and kept as a long term goal, and improving the design, safety, and comfort along major streets should be an early priority.
Comprehensive Plan Map Update (4:15 p.m.)
Presenters: Debbie Bischoff, BPS
Summary: The Comprehensive Plan Map is one of the products of Phase 2. The Comprehensive Plan Map is a long-range, aspirational document that shows where the City would like to develop in the future. Each property has a comprehensive plan designation and a current zoning designation. In most places, these are the same. The map helps ensure the City has sufficient long range capacity to accommodate housing and employment, reflects Plan goals and policies and helps implement the design framework.
Some map changes are needed now, while others can be made during refinement planning at the community level. This update is strategic in that the City is looking for the most important changes in terms of meeting the City's long term goals. Several types of changes will be considered:
- Requests from individual property owners.
- Staff recommendations (including Central City recommendations already identified through the Central City 2035 public process).
- Address non-conforming uses. There are several variations of non-confirming uses and some are intentional. Others should be addressed to resolve conflicts between the map and current uses.
- Clean up split zone tax lots.
- Resolve differences between the Comprehensive Plan and zoning maps.
- Open space zoning for parks.
Other sources of proposed changes include neighborhood associations and previous community plans. District planners are gathering information and compiling proposed changes in a database. A Working Map will be presented to public in the Fall. The map includes existing conditions, concepts (e.g. centers and corridors) and land uses. Evaluation criteria for making decisions are derived from Portland Plan goals and policies, as well as key strategies, such as addressing equity.
PEG member discussion included:
- Some light rail station areas have industrial zoning that should be reconsidered.
- Staff indicated thatPortlandhas a shortfall of industrial land and is considering opportunities to address this. There is a reluctance to lose employment capacity near light rail stations, some of which may be fostered as "employment-focused" transit-oriented development areas, instead of the more typical emphasis on mixed residential/commercial development. The City is also considering other opportunities for expanding employment lands and capacity, such as addressing brownfield constraints, increasing efficiency of existing industrial lands and improving freight infrastructure, allowing more employment uses in commercial areas, being more strategic about focusing on the highest-value natural resource areas in places such as the Columbia Corridor, and rezoning golf courses in that area to industrial.
- One PEG member asked that the City not look to golf courses as the first source of future industrial lands, as these are recreational resources, and instead to look at redesignating residential or retail areas.
- Non-conforming uses in eastern areas are a result of annexation and rezoning with little property owner input. Property owners need to be involved in this process. Three sets of stakeholders should be engaged in the process: (1) current property owners to ensure no takings or restriction of current uses, (2) immediate neighbors in cases where potential upzoning is being considered, and (3) the City of Portland to provide a broader perspective and ensure decisions are made to further the goals of the Comprehensive Plan.
- Prioritizing neighborhood commercial uses in underserved areas also should be considered. Also consider addressing non-conforming corner retail, and making it easier to convert structures originally built for retail to be converted back to their original use (former corner retail structures are sometimes located within residential areas, but would function better if they could be retail again). Consider designating these corner retail properties as conditional uses to address concerns about inappropriate uses.
- Need to allow more micro-businesses in residential areas. Houses often cannot meet the electrical needs of some home-based operations, but Denver has successfully piloted light-industrial uses in mixed-use residential areas. Another consideration is whether the current desired use, such as a café, may change over time into a less desirable use.
Next Steps (4:55 p.m.)
There may be an All-PEG meeting in the Fall to discuss Phase 2 products, including the Urban Design Framework, the Comprehensive Plan Map and the CSP. The Centers PEG may also be convened in September to review and comment on the mapping application that will be used at the Fall community workshops. Some PEG members indicated that they would like to have the PEG reconvened at future points when Comprehensive Plan products are ready for review. Staff indicated that a possibility for a future check-in with the PEG could be between the Fall workshops and release of the Proposed Draft, which will be an appropriate time to resolve major issues.
Adjourn (5:00 p.m.)
For more information, please contact Bill Cunningham, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability at 503-823-4203 or email@example.com or Steve Faust, Facilitator at 503-278-3456 or email@example.com.


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Do You Talk About Your Family History at Home?
In last night's "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" episode of Desperate Housewives, Gabby and Carlos are dumbfounded when their daughter Juanita discovers she is Mexican. A humorous clip, the bit also has tremendous meaning behind it and has me wondering how often people discuss their family history with their young children. Do you make your family background an important part of family discussions?


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Fishing has always been more of a passion than a hobby for me. Whatever free time I get I almost always tend to explore my angling opportunities. You can therefore imagine my happiness when my boss gave me a whole week's furlough saying that I had been working too hard. The very first thing that I thought of was naturally fishing.
However as I have tried almost all fishing spots in the United States, the possibilities were very limited. That is until I met my friend Jack. Jack earns his keep by running an angling blog online. "Well Jack! Here I am with a whole week to myself and just don't know what to do with it!", "That Andrew my friend depends on just where you wish to spend it", Jack answered I then went on to enlighten him of my dilemma, particularly my options been a bit far in between.
"Then why don't you try out Wisconsin? Have you ever been there?" I answered in the negative while at the same time trying to deliver a mental kick to my backside. Of course Wisconsin! Why had I never thought of it! I have a bunch of fishing enthusiast friends that had spent magical fishing trips there. "Well Jack that is certainly an inspired thought, but where in Wisconsin can I find the cut-throat pike that is famous of those parts?", "Always the pike Andrew isn't it?" Jack threw back jocularly.
"You should have by now realized, Jack, that ordinary trout fishing is something I leave for the amateurs", I hit back. My friend laughed his heart out before saying, "Then Lake Geneva is just where you should go!", "Lake Geneva?", I quipped out never having heard the name before. "Yes Andrew, imagine over 5,000 acres of fishing grounds all to yourself!" That certainly did it. "I think that is sufficient. Where exactly is it located?"
"Lake Geneva lies on the south eastern part of Wisconsin, Walworth county to be exact", Jack answered before saying, "Apart from been famous for its brown and lake trout, you will be able to find a decent amount of cut-throat northern pike. In fact this happens to be the right season for angling pike in Lake Geneva." "Well Lake Geneva it is, will you be able to accompany me?" I asked knowing Jack's extensive experience would come in handy.
"Unfortunately I don't think I can make it. I have a lengthy review that I have to pen, and I am still lost for inspiration. Nevertheless, don't fret Andrew my friend. I can still give you excellent advice on how to go about it." I told him to give it to me, knowing that what he was about to say was worth its weight in gold.
"Well Andrew during summer northern pike tend to move into deep depths no less than 30 feet, particularly close to steep drop offs. Stick to such areas and you are bound to have a swell time. Also settle for deep diving crankbait on a wire line, and you will produce very active pike. Always steer clear from live bait rigs, which for some reason aren't appealing to this fish species. Lastly try out Black Point, William Bay and Geneva Bay and you will definitely be good to go."
Profusely thanking Jack for his help I decided to give Wisconsin fishing a try. The very next day I chartered a plane from New York, where I live, to Wisconsin where I was destined to undertake the most exciting fishing I have ever done. The next day after that, I found myself at Lake Geneva.
It was certainly a sight for sore eyes, but the summer pleasure boat traffic was a bit too heavy for my liking. I talked it over with the receptionist back at the hotel, and discovered it was always so during this time of the year. "So what should I do? I am really keen on doing some fishing". "Well you will just have to wait for the weekdays, Mr. Bradley." I passed an anxious weekend, but Monday did eventually come, and before nine in the morning I was rigged up with all the essentials.
Remembering Jack's advice I steered clear of live bait and opted for deep diving crankbait. I also decided to fish at Geneva Bay which was the nearest spot I could give a try. The day didn't look very promising, but after only an hour I had caught a cut-throat northern pike. That wasn't all, I also managed to fish out some excellent trout. Almost breathless with delight I called it a day. Tuesday was even better as I angled 4 killer northern pike at Black Point.
By the time Sunday came by, I couldn't wait to meet with my Aunt Edna who has always been a fisher, and who recently has been diagnosed with breast cancer, — she'll be very proud of me, — and Jack, too, to tell him just how Wisconsin fishing is the bomb.
Kididdel used to be the home of all episodes of Discover Wisconsin, Into the Outdoors, American Snowmobiler, Trail nation and Family Inc. In you have been around TV shows for sometime then you might be acquainted with these programmes.
Basically, the episodes of these TV shows was to champion about the recreational activities that happen in the outdoors of America and particularly Wisconsin which has abundant places and surrounding for almost any outdoor activity that you could ever imagine.
The site used to embed videos of the TV show episodes a day after they have been aired hence ensured that most of their content was up-to-date and could be easily accessed by anyone who never had the opportunity to watch the episode on the previous day, while doing my favorite workout in front of the TV!


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Oct. 25, 2007
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The eighth-ranked Santa Clara women's soccer team lost a hard-fought battle to Gonzaga Thursday afternoon at Martin Field in Spokane, Wash. The Bulldogs edged the Broncos, 2-1, to earn their first-ever win in the all-time series. With the loss, SCU has an overall record of 10-4-3 and heads into Sunday's game against Portland with an even, 2-2, West Coast Conference record. Meanwhile, Gonzaga improved to 10-5-1 overall and 2-2 in league play.
"We played really well in the first half," said head coach Jerry Smith. "We had a lot of opportunities but were unable to score and once Gonzaga scored the game really became more of a battle."
It wasn't until the second half that action began for both teams. The Zags scored first right at the start of the half off a corner kick. Kelcey Goddard tapped the ball in for the Bulldogs to make the score 1-0.
Almost half an hour later Santa Clara forward Kiki Bosio scored the equalizing goal in the 75th minute. It was her ninth career goal and sixth of this season. The goal was once again another solid individual effort from Bosio. Similar to her goal against Pepperdine, the sophomore fought off two defenders before landing her shot in the high right corner of the net.
However, Lauren Zuckerman's header found the back of the net in the 83rd minute to give Gonzaga a 2-1 victory.
In the match, Santa Clara outshot Gonzaga 19-6, while Lauren Ames collected seven saves to Meagan McCray's three saves.
Santa Clara returns to action on Sunday, Oct. 28 to battle the Portland Pilots on national television. Kick off is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT on ESPNU.


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[QUOTE The good Lama has been vehemently intolerant to other religious sects, just as he expects the world to open up its collective door to HIS brand of theology. Seems even though he is the "top dog" he is still as petty, jealous, and demanding... very similar, in fact to that uncool god of the old testament... go figure
ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE FACTS, Tarka.
I'm sorry, 'vehemently intolerant to others' is simply not born out by the 'facts' that I'm aware of. In the DL's latest book " "Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World" His Holiness the Dalai Lama argues that religion is not a necessity for pursuing a spiritual life. Rather he proposes a system of secular ethics that transcends religion as a way to recognize our common humanity and so contributes to a global human community based on understanding and mutual respect." http://dalaila.ma/sqdkpL Doesn't sound too intolerant to me. Maybe he's intolerant of the beliefs that cause people to abuse and slaughter one another in the name of their God, country or genetics.
He seems to very much want to rise above the petty man-made absurdities of religion and find what unifies them. That is wisdom.
And another thing, if life is so sweet in Tibet, I wonder why 11 monks chose to immolate themselves last year in protest over the occupation.
Can you imagine what it would take to do something like that?, any of you? those that say the Tibetans are better off under Chinese rule, you haven't got a clue have you? Go grab some more popcorn and sling it at someone else you'd like to sneer at, make you feel important and 'better than'.
Excuse me, I'm upset, I feel like howling every time I think about the atrocity of the Tibetan invasion. The world did nothing, but of course we can barge into Iraq and Libya in the name of democracy and protecting human rights. Yeah, right.
I believe in free speech, transparency and open, intelligent debate, but I haven't watched any of the videos presented here yet, while I adhere to no religion, I do consider myself spiritual and the DL has a cherished place in my heart and at this moment, despite what I like to think of as my 'open mind', I'm just feeling too sickened by and disgusted at some of the material on this thread including the original subject header. I don't apologise for that, or for being so predictable as to be shocked by it, and, to be honest, it's highly unlikely that I will allow those of you bent on seeing evil where none exists, to take me where you want to go.


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At Chugach, our core values inspire us to contribute to the communities we serve and in which we live. Through thoughtful sponsorships, partnerships and contributions that align with our organizational mission, we strive to address issues that affect our communities and help support vital community programs and services.
Current Focus Areas
We invest in events that bring our community together to increase public understanding of and engagement in the issues that affect us. Our communities include Anchorage, the Chugach region, Alaska, regional office locations and project site locations. We seek to sponsor innovative programs, projects and events that:
- Address disparities in underserved rural communities within the Chugach region.
- Improve the well-being of Chugach shareholders and/or the Alaska Native community as a whole, and promote and protect our cultural values.
- Promote educational and health initiatives, responsible development, environmental stewardship, safety, economic development, and cultural and ethnic diversity within our communities.
- Support federal or state initiatives that align with our organizational objectives.
- Support our customers' missions and/or customer support organizations.
Evaluation Criteria
Sponsorship proposals are evaluated based on five general criteria that have been developed to ensure we establish sponsorship relationships that will benefit the receiving organization as well as Chugach.
Proposals are evaluated for:
- Tangible benefits associated with the partnership.
- The opportunity to create long-term value.
- The ability to reach targeted audiences and build relationships.
- Positive exposure for the Chugach brand.
- The potential for long-term, sustainable relationships.
We are unable to support the following types of activities:
- Requests that pose a conflict of interest.
- Events outside of our communities as outlined above.
- Religious activities, in whole or in part, for the purpose of furthering religious doctrine.
- School-affiliated orchestras, bands, choirs, drama groups, yearbooks, class parties, or class or team projects.
- Requests that benefit an individual, family, or group.
- Local and professional sporting events, individuals, or teams.
- Personal appeals for funding of individual medical care, insurance coverage, scholarships, tuition, educational expenses, conference registration, etc.
Donations to political candidates, activities, or organizations and/or requests that benefit an individual, family, or group are granted only discretion of the CEO or Chairman of the Board.
Application Process
Sponsorship requests for the following year should be submitted by September for review and consideration as we review our annual sponsorship budget. Requests for the following year submitted after September will be subject to the availability of funds dedicated to miscellaneous sponsorship opportunities. Due to the volume of requests we receive, only requests received at least 30 days prior to the scheduled event date will be considered for sponsorship.
We will no longer accept sponsorship requests by telephone or fax. To apply for sponsorship of your organization's event, please submit the following information to Randi Jo Gause at firstname.lastname@example.com:
- Brief description of the organization (name, contact information, history, mission, activities)
- Organization's target audience
- Amount of the request
- Why the funds are needed
- How funds will be used
- Types of publicity and recognition for Chugach's support


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Pans Place Guesthouse
Pan's place, situated on the main street of Vang Vieng, offers a friendly home from home atmosphere for all our guests. We pride ourselves in offering very clean rooms at an affordable price as well as many other comforts and services. Run by the owner Tinglee along with her seven staff members - we invite you to be part of our extended family during your stay in Vang Vieng.
Quiet location, only 300 metres from the centre of town , and 200 metres from the river.
Restaurant open from 7.30 am till late, offering snacks and meals
TV room with cable and dvd's
Communal balcony with a great view of the mountains and sunsets
Laundry service
Free drinking water
All rooms have fans, comfortable beds and are mossie proofed.
Cheerful,friendly and good looking staff who can speak English, Lao.
All our taps, showers, sinks and lights actually work!!!!
All rooms have somewhere to hang your towels and clothes!!!!
Availability & RatesTo view availability and prices please select dates and click 'Update Dates'
Hostel Facilities & Policies
- 24 Hour Security
- Bicycle parking
- Board Games
- Book Exchange
- Breakfast Not Included
- Cable TV
- Café
- Ceiling Fan
- Child Friendly
- Common Room
- Credit Cards Accepted
- Currency Exchange
- DVDs
- Free Internet Access
- Free Parking
- Free WiFi
- Hot Showers
- Internet Access
- Linen Included
- Luggage Storage
- Meals Available
- No Curfew
- Outdoor Swimming Pool
- Outdoor Terrace
- Pet Friendly
- Restaurant
- Safe Deposit Box
- Taxes included
- Tours/Travel Desk
- Towels Included
Cancellation PolicyThis property has a 3 day cancellation policy. Failure to cancel within this time will result in a cancellation charge equal to the first night of your stay.
Must-Read Hostel InfoThis property has specific Terms & Conditions.
Booking arrival time must be between 1200 hours and 2300 hours. If you are arriving early morning on a bus from Luang Phabang then book the day before and state you are arriving at 2300 hours. If possible also e mail to confirm actual arrival time.Bookings held for 4 hours only after stated time of arrival.
DirectionsShow MapHide Map
Pans Place is located on the main street of Vang Vieng, 300 metres south of the town center. If you arrive at the new bus station you may need to take a tuk tuk as it is 2 kms to the center of town. If you are dropped off at Maliny GH then it is just a 300 metre walk south. If you are dropped at Thavinsouk Resort it is about 600 metres back towards town to our place.
Located Near
Bank and Atm, Shops, restaurants, climbing school, hairdressers, massage parlour...
Hospital and river 200 metres away.


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Steel Driving Man
(The Legend of John Henry)arr. David A. Myers - Grand Mesa Music
Click to review
This imaginative arrangement of the folk song John Henry musically describes the tale of the larger-than-life folk hero who out-dueled a steam-powered hammer. Your percussion section is featured as they recreate the sound of the machine. The band counts along as John Henry works himself into a frenzy, beating the steam hammer, only to die of exhaustion. A clever piece that audiences will thoroughly enjoy.
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The 2010 Toyota Corolla is the most reliable car sold in the United States, according to a report released today. The car requires fewer repairs than any other car — 2002 model year or later — and the repairs it needs are inexpensive. At $283.12, it is far less than expensive than the average repair costs for some models, which can be in excess of $700.
Read: America's Most Reliable Cars
Vehicle reliability and repair diagnostics company CarMD's latest annual Vehicle Health Index is a massive study conducted on thousands of different models currently on the road. Based on CarMD's index, which measures the frequency and expense of necessary repairs, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 10 most reliable cars.
In an interview with 24/7 Wall St., CarMD director of corporate communications Kristen Brocoff explained the importance of considering both measures. The Toyota Prius rarely goes in for repairs. But when it does, the most common repair involves the hybrid battery, which can cost as much as $3,000.
Many of these brands have long-standing reputations for reliability. "What we're seeing in our data is that, historically, there have been those sweetheart brands that everybody says are the brand of the year, the cars of the year," Brocoff explained.
Many of the manufacturers on this list, such as Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM), Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMC) and Hyundai, all score highly on CarMD's reliability rank. This reputation helps sell vehicles.
These models have been among the best-selling in the country for years. Of the 10 cars with the best scores, six sold more than 100,000 units in 2011 and are well on track to do the same this year, including models such as the Accord, Sonata and Corolla, flagships for their respective makers. The Honda Accord, the Hyundai Sonata and the Toyota Corolla were among the top 20 selling cars in the first 10 months of 2012.
Meanwhile, sales for some of the less-popular models that made the top 10 most reliable list, such as Ford Motor Co.'s (NYSE: F) Taurus, the Honda Pilot and the Subaru Forester and Outback, are growing.
Brocoff added that some of the cars with poorer reputations for reliability may improve. "We're starting to see with today's technology, manufacturers are really able to make cars that will last longer than ever before. It has really evened the playing field, and there are lots of models that may not always be the names you are used to." Brocoff pointed to the Ford Taurus in particular as a model that has flown under the radar, but may increasingly be known as a reliable model over time.
The CarMD November 2012 Vehicle Health Index is based on more than 10 years of data from car diagnostic computers from the vast majority of 2002 to 2012 model year cars sold in the United States. Weighting evenly the average costs of repairs related to "check engine" lights — issues identified by onboard vehicle computer accounting for roughly 80% of all problems — and how often each model was taken in for those repairs, CarMD assigned a reliability score for each model by year. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 10 models with the best scores. Included in our analysis were five years of car sales data for all years for each model provided by Edmunds.com. From the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) we obtained crash and rollover safety data. We also referenced J.D. Power's vehicle dependability study. All index ranks we list are out of the 100 best-ranked cars.
These are America's most trusted cars.


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Khuzestan kho͞ozēstän´ [key], province (1991 pop. 3,175,852), c.24,000 sq mi (62,160 sq km), SW Iran, bordering on Iraq in the west and the Persian Gulf in the south. Its major cities include Ahvaz (the capital), Khorramshahr , Dezful , and Abadan . Mountainous in the east, it has a hot, dry climate; agricultural products include dates, citrus fruit, rice, and vegetables. Khuzestan has enormous petroleum deposits. Dams on the Dez River in the northern part of the province provide water for irrigation and hydroelectricity. There is a rail line and an extensive road network. The province, which was formerly called Arabistan, has an Arab majority. The area was conquered (7th cent.) by the Arabs and invaded (13th cent.) by the Mongols; it passed to Timur in the 14th cent. Development of the oil industry in the 20th cent. has led to growth of Khuzestan's population and economy. Iranian government efforts to encourage more ethnic Persians to relocate to Khuzestan has sparked unrest among the Arabs there.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Iranian Political Geography


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... leading health scientists say the radiation from Fukushima has been relatively harmless, which is similar to results found after studying the health effects of Chernobyl.
The most current analysis estimates that, out of 10,929 people in the exposed population who have died of cancer, only 527 of those deaths were caused by radiation from the atomic bombs. For the entire population exposed, in many cases to extremely high levels of radiation, that's an excess cancer mortality rate of about two-thirds of 1 percent.
These studies have also found that, more than two generations later, there have been no multigenerational genetic effects on humans
hoi.polloi wrote:To add to the conversation, I have recently come across a "Geiger counter" — actually an entire stash of them in some strange sort of buried cache. That full story may have to wait for later, but for now, I am kind of delighted that something dealing directly with our latest questions about the world's physics has a chance to be examined closer. It's like getting access to a special telescope or microscope or something else the average person doesn't have just laying around. But having this clunky device right in front of me, I am not sure what exactly I am meant to do with it or how I can use it to try to test for radiation. Or determine how radiation ticks on one of these is different from — say — stray light waves causing static on a receiver.
ProperGander wrote:I came across this recently.
The Nuclear Scare Scam | Galen Winsor
full link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejCQrOTE-XA
Galen Winsor is a nuclear physicist of renown who worked at, and helped design, nuclear power plants in Hanford, WA; Oak Ridge, TN; Morris, IL, San Jose, CA; Wimington, NJ. Among his positions of expertise he was in charge of measuring and controlling the nuclear fuel inventory and storage.
ProperGander wrote:The first time I came across allot of the really great research here, (...)
After decades of message boards and allot of nonsense, (...)
simonshack wrote:ProperGander wrote:The first time I came across allot of the really great research here, (...)
After decades of message boards and allot of nonsense, (...)
I think you meant to write 'a lot', ProperGander ?
http://www.grammar-monster.com/easily_c ... _allot.htm
Ernest Lawrence Was On Top Of Nuclear Medicine, Bomb - Scott S. Smith
Medical Breakthrough
The cyclotron not only smashed atoms, but also produced large quantities of radioisotopes, which had the potential to treat diseases.
Lawrence discovered that in spades in 1937. That's when he and his brother, John, fought their mother's uterine cancer.
John, a physician, came to Cal to do research on medical applications of radiation. He and Lawrence then overcame the resistance of their mother's doctors to use the cyclotron to treat her uterine cancer.
At 67, she had been given only three months to live, but radiation caused the giant tumor to disappear. She lived 16 more years.
Philanthropies at the time donated far more money to medicine, public health, and biology than to physics. In 1933 the Rockefeller Foundation, a dominant supporter of American fundamental research in years between the wars, decided to concentrate on applications of the methods of physics and chemistry to biology and medicine. But Lawrence did not just give lip service to biomedicine. He believed in the promise of particle accelerators as a possible weapon against cancer. In 1937 Lawrence brought his mother, diagnosed with inoperable cancer, to San Francisco for treatment with Sloan's X-ray tube, after which her condition dramatically improved.
Keeping it in the Family
In 1936 Lawrence invited his brother, John, from Yale University's medical faculty, to Berkeley to cooperate in trials using the cyclotron and its products in medical treatments. The result was huge success, to the extent that John Lawrence is now known as the father of nuclear medicine.
In 1937 Lawrence's mother was diagnosed with inoperable cancer and given just a few months to live. Ernest and John decided to attack her tumor using an incredibly powerful x-ray machine that Ernest and his team had built and installed at the University of California's medical school. The result was that his mother was completely cured. She actually went on to outlive Ernest.
Cyclotrons and Cancer Today
In addition to producing radioisotopes for cancer treatments, cyclotrons are still in use today producing proton beams, which yield neutron beams, which are used to attack cancers directly.
National Cancer Act of 1937
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) was established through the National Cancer Act of 1937, signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Its passage represented the culmination of nearly three decades of efforts to formalize the U.S. government's place in cancer research.
The act created the NCI as an independent research institute within the Public Health Service by merging the Office of Cancer Investigations at Harvard University and a pharmacology division of NIH. The NCI became the federal government's principal agency for conducting research and training on the cause, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. The NCI was also tasked with assisting and promoting similar research at other public and private institutions, particularly through reviewing and approving grant applications to support promising cancer research. Finally, the act established the National Advisory Cancer Council, now known as the National Cancer Advisory Board. The act represents the first time that Congress provided funding to address a non-communicable disease.
Seaborg's mother was one of the first to benefit from the use of this radioisotope that her son had discovered. Fatally ill from hyperthyroidism, (a related condition from which her sister died), diagnosis and treatment with 131I led to her complete recovery and a long life. Former President George Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush are some notable people who were successfully treated for Graves' disease, a thyroid disease, with 131I. Radioactive iodine treatment is so successful that it has virtually replaced thyroid surgery.
From Radioisotopes to Medical Imaging, History of Nuclear Medicine Written at Berkeley - Jeffery Kahn
September 9, 1996
Numerous advances were recorded during this era of nuclear medicine at the laboratory. People suffering from polycythemia vera, a rare disease characterized by an over-abundance of red blood cells, were treated with doses of radio-pharmaceuticals. It was the first disease to be controlled with radioisotopes. In 1940, a pioneering treatment procedure debuted to treat leukemia. That was also the year in which hyperthyroidism first was diagnosed and treated using Seaborg and Livingood's iodine-131.
Just as Ernest Lawrence's cyclotrons made possible the creation of radioisotopes, these accelerators also made possible the use of beams of neutrons, protons, and heavy ions for the treatment of disease.
Much of the book on radiation safety was written here. [ ]
The Lab's Will Siri literally wrote the first textbook on the safe application of radioisotopes in biology and medicine. From 1945 to 1979, researchers developed and refined a model of the effects of inhaled radioactive particulates. Researchers here have been instrumental in promulgating guidelines that define the radiation limits of space travel. These findings have important implications for future interplanetary space travel by humans.
Around 8 in 10 uterine cancer patients receive major surgical resection as part of their cancer treatment.
Surgery, consisting of total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (TAH-BSO), is the primary treatment.
mild adverse effects were recorded in 26% of EBRT patients in the PORTEC-1 trial, predominantly gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity
Apache wrote:They also write as if radiation treatment is magical...
Evolution of cancer treatments: Radiation
In 1896 a German physics professor, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, presented a remarkable lecture entitled "Concerning a New Kind of Ray." Roentgen called it the "X-ray", with "x" being the algebraic symbol for an unknown quantity. There was immediate worldwide excitement. Within months, systems were being devised to use x-rays for diagnosis, and within 3 years radiation was used in to treat cancer.
In 1901 Roentgen received the first Nobel Prize awarded in physics. Radiation therapy began with radium and with relatively low-voltage diagnostic machines. In France, a major breakthrough took place when it was discovered that daily doses of radiation over several weeks greatly improved the patient's chance for a cure. The methods and the machines that deliver radiation therapy have steadily improved since then.
At the beginning of the 20th century, shortly after radiation began to be used for diagnosis and therapy, it was discovered that radiation could cause cancer as well as cure it. Many early radiologists used the skin of their arms to test the strength of radiation from their radiotherapy machines, looking for a dose that would produce a pink reaction (erythema) which looked like sunburn. They called this the "erythema dose," and this was considered an estimate of the proper daily fraction of radiation. It's no surprise that many of them developed leukemia from regularly exposing themselves to radiation.
Apache wrote:
I have tried to find the figures for how many women undergo radiation treatment in the UK and then subsequently die from their "treatment" but I have failed to do so.
The Untreated Live Longer
By FACT
For decades there has been a great deal of controversy within the medical community over what kind of medical treatment is most efficacious in treating cancer. Latest findings reveal all conventional medical treatment for cancer is virtually worthless.
The late Dr. Hardin B. Jones, Professor of Medical Physics and Physiology at Berkeley, California, made a study lasting 25 years of the life span of cancer patients, and had concluded that untreated patients do not die sooner than patients receiving orthodox treatment (surgery, radiation and chemotherapy), and in many cases they live longer. Dr. Jones delivered his bombshell report at the American Cancer Society's (11th) Science Writers' Seminar (March 28-April 2, 1969), in which he confirmed what he had written as early as 1955, in his classic paper. "Demographic Consideration of the Cancer Problem," published in Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences (Series II, Vol. 18, pp. 298-333).
In his 1955 paper, Dr. Jones demonstrates how cancer studies are manipulated (he politely calls them "bases" and "errors") in order to make it appear that the treated cancer patients live longer than the untreated. Referring to one particular study on breast cancer, he says: "Cases that died during treatment, or closely following treatment, were discarded because of the possible effect of the severity of treatment." (p. 316).
In 1969, before the American Cancer Society's Science Writers' Seminar, Dr. Jones pointed out that the failure of past survival studies were that they did not take into account that the worst, inoperable cases were left in the groups that were untreated. Thus many cancer studies were based on research done with operable and "healthier" cases, giving the mistaken judgment that surgery and radiation were of value in cancer treatment. When Jones corrected for such bias statistically he found that the life expectancy of untreated cases of cancer were greater than that of the treated cases. Dr. Jones concluded that "evidence for benefit from cancer therapy has depended on systematic biometric errors."
After almost 40 years as a cancer researcher, Dr. Jones found, for example, that survival in breast cancer is 4 times longer without conventional treatment. he stated, "People who refused treatment lived for an average of 12-1/2 years. Those who accepted other kinds of treatment lived an average of only 3 years. Beyond the shadow of a doubt, radical surgery on cancer patients does more harm than good." (The Naked Empress, Hans Reusch, p. 74)
It is important to note that no refutations of Dr. Jones' work have appeared, while on the other hand, his studies have been supported by other researchers, as a search of the Science Citation Index reveals.
Even the Journal of the American Medical Association took note of the phenomenon when, in its February 2, 1979 issue, it published an article on the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer by Dr. Maurice Fox, a biologist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. On the basis of studies carried out at the Harvard School of Public Health, Dr. Fox found, among other things, that:
1. Radical mastectomy was no better than simple lump removal.
2. Breast cancer was diagnosed twice as frequently in 1975 as in 1935. The death rate was also double, showing no progress had been made.
3. Those who refused medical procedures had a lower mortality rate than those who submitted.
4. Early detection meant accelerated treatment and early death.
In the September 18, 1984 New York Times and in an article in the September issue of Science '84, Dr. Hayden Bush, director of a regional cancer center in Ontario, Canada, made the following points (paraphrasing):
There is no real advance in cancer treatments. If there was, we'd see an improvement in mortality rates. What has happened is that there is now an emphasis in early diagnosis which starts the "survival clock" sooner. So that even with no real change in survival duration there would be an apparent improvement in survival rates by starting the clock at an earlier time due to early diagnosis.
Dr. John Baylor, an official of the National Cancer Institute, ra Harvard bio-statistician, and a consultant to the New England Journal of Medicine, said on the Today show in December 1984:
A lot of early lesions that are not cancer at all are being counted as cancer through these early detection methods. These people will go on to lead a normal life anyway the lesions will clear up by themselves. But they include these cases as cancer thus polluting the pool of real cancer patients and making it seem that survival rates have risen.
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I told the story of our journey to Nugget for a couple reasons. One, I needed to. Whenever things are hard, I have always processed my emotions best through my writing. It is a release for me as well as an eye opener a lot of the time of what I'm feeling, why and what I need to do.
Two, infertility is not an easy subject to discuss. It's complicated and messy and loaded with emotion and vulnerability. If our story could help at least one person, I felt a responsibility to share it.
Every day I am so incredibly grateful to have Nugget growing in my belly. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful.
Yet, part of me feels just a little guilty when I think of the women (and their husbands) I know who struggle with infertility. Who have struggled for years - much, much longer than we did - through multiple IVF procedures without their miracles. I think of them and wonder what makes me think our story is worth telling. We only struggled for a year. And for part of that year it wasn't really a struggle because we had only just started trying.
I can't even begin to imagine the heartache and longing that they feel after years of trying. I think of how stories like ours - couples who get pregnant on their own just before starting fertility treatments - must hurt them to their cores and make them wonder why it couldn't be them because I wonder why us.
So I have to remind myself that everyone has their own story. Everyone has their own pain. And one person's story doesn't take anything away from another's. What we went through was real. What I felt mentally and emotionally was real. It is as much a part of me as any of my other life experiences. I will carry that scar for the rest of my life. Yes it is not as big as I once feared it would be nor will I feel it as acutely as I did not that long ago, but I couldn't get rid of it if I tried. Nor would I want to.
We'll never know why us. But those hard months reinforced a lesson for me on the importance of faith. And if nothing else, it has made me really appreciate our growing miracle.


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Outfitting the Dorm Room
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Ah, many people I know are heading off to college this week. By now, you may have gotten a glimpse of the abysmal dorm room furniture and lack of personality in the room. While you or your college kiddo may already have the basics – bedding, shower shoes, bathroom caddy, shoe rack, there may be quite a few items you didn't realize you could squeeze in there or they may discover they want after settling in a little bit. Here are a few ways to help make the room your own.
1. Customize your bed. Often times, your bed serves as your sofa, your chair, your desk. Fill it up with extra throw pillows to prop up and/or create more of a daybed when you're not sleeping in it. Add an OFFI overlap tray for doing a little work on your lap. Also, add a rug, even a tiny 2×3 one, so you can step onto something soft in the morning and give them a little wipe off before hopping into bed.
2. Create a better lighting scheme. Overhead light is such a bummer. Gain some softer light and versatility with a desk lamp. We love the modern lines and metallic finish on the Flos Archimoon K Lamp.
3. Gain some comfy seating beyond the bed. We love all of the fun colors offered up by the Fatboy Original. It's the ultimate bean bag; you can actually sit upright in it if you choose.
4. Add a small side table. By now, you may realize that a desk somewhere behind that weird headboard is not the best place for your water glass, glasses, book or other stuff next to your bed we won't mention here. Grab a portable table like this snazzy little number that also serves as a tray. This is a piece you'll take to every home you live in for the rest of your life; but if you're short on dough, those milk crates will do. Shop all side tables/nightstands
5. Wake up! You can add great design detail via a happy colored clock that is also a dock for your iPhone.
6. Keep charged. In addition to your clock dock, you'll want to keep your tech accessories in order. I like to keep juiced up with the Blu Dot Juice Box Digital Dock.
7. Protect your electronics. Thomas Paul's clever Composition Book iPad Envelope cracks me up. Shop all personal accessories


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WALTHAM, Mass. – Brandeis men's basketball junior guard Gabriel Moton (St. Petersburg, Fla./St. Petersburg) had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists today to lead the Judges past Salem State University, 78-61, in the finals of the New England Big Four Challenge today. With the win, Brandeis (3-1) wins the Crotty Cup, named after after Middlesex Magic AAU founder Mike Crotty, Sr., for the third time in four years.
Moton, a transfer from Boston College, averaged 23.5 points, nine rebounds and five assists per game in the tournament. In today's championship match, he guided Brandeis to a 41-35 halftime lead with 11 points, five boards, three assists and two steals in the first 20 minutes. The Judges led by as many as nine points in the first stanza, but were never able to pull away as Salem State's Andrew White (Medford, Mass./Medford) kept the Vikings in the game with 13 points in the frame.
SSU (2-3) opened the second half on an 6-2 run, closing to within 43-41 after back-to-back hoops by Tavone Wynder (Boston, Mass./Newton South). Brandeis answered with a Derek Retos (No. Attleboro, Mass./Brimmer and May School) trifecta and a Moton jumper to push the lead back to seven at 48-41. The score never got closer than a two-possession game after that, with Brandeis's final 17-point margin of victory the largest lead of the game.
In addition to Moton, two other Brandeis starters scored in double figures. Junior forward Ben Bartoldus (Hillsborough, N.H./Proctor Acad.) finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, while classmate Youri Dascy (Fall River, Mass./St. Andrews School, R.I.) had 10 points. Junior forward Alex Stoyle (Goffstown, N.H./Tilton School) had nine points and led all players with nine rebounds, helping the Judges to a 52-37 rebounding advantage over the Vikings, who were plus-10 on the glass in the semifinals. The Judges also turned 15 SSU turnovers into 17 points, while minimizing their 11 miscues to just seven points-off-turnovers.
Salem State was led by White's 18 points and 15 from Wynder. Five different Viking players finished with five rebounds, including White, Wynder and senior Nate Simpson (Lowell, Mass./Lowell), who also led the squad with three assists. The Vikings shot just 36.4% from the field for the game (24-66), including 32.4% (11-34) in the second half.
In the day's earlier consolation game, Tufts (3-2) used a balanced attack to put away Babson, 83-58. Five different Jumbo players scored in double figures in the win, led by 13 off the bench from Stephen Haladnya (Hamilton, Mass./St. Johns Prep). Junior guard Kwame Firempong (Inglewood, Calif./Winward School) added 12 points, Timothy Folliard (Richmond, Va./Phillips Exeter) and Oliver Cohen (Penn Valley, Pa./Lower Merion) had 11 each and Matt Lanchantin (Natick, Mass./Brooks School) had 10. Senior center Scott Anderson (Sudbury, Mass./Middlesex School) had a game-high 10 rebounds and matched Firempong for team-high honors with three assists. Babson's (2-3) Matt Palazini (Franklin, Mass./Franklin) led the Beavers with a game-high 16 points, while sophomore forward John Wickey (Manchester, N.H./Manchester Central) had 13 points and six boards. Tufts won the rebounding battle, 51-29, helping to offset a 16-7 edge in the turnover department in favor of the Beavers.
In addition to tournament MVP Moton, the All-Tournament team consisted of John Wickey of Babson; Scott Anderson of Tufts; Andrew White of Salem State; and Alex Stoyle of Brandeis.


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Part of National Museums Liverpool
Also in this section…?
'The Sense of Sight', Annie Swynnerton, 1895. Oil on canvas.
© National Museums Liverpool
Works by some of history's most celebrated women artists are featured in this compelling new exhibition. 'The Rise of Women Artists' charts the progress made by female artists from the 16th century up to the present day. The Walker was ahead of its time in collecting works by women artists, a fact that is reflected in the scope and diversity of the works on display.
There will be a rich variety of work on show, from both recent and contemporary painters and designers such as Paula Rego, Helen Chadwick, Louise Bourgeois and Alison Britton. Alongside these pieces, historic works by artists such as Angelica Kauffmann, Marianne Stokes and Laura Knight will be on display, which are drawn from the gallery's holdings.
Paintings, works on paper, textiles, ceramics and sculpture are all featured in the exhibition, which also includes work by local artists such as The Singh Twins and sculptor Emma Rodgers.
The exhibition also poses questions to visitors: Does the gender of an artist matter - and should artists be labelled? Are so-called decorative arts - such as needlework and ceramics - any less significant as works of art than paintings? Visitors can have their say in the response area of the exhibition.
Watch videos of Emma Rodgers in her studio, talking about her sculptures and inspriation.
Listen to an interview with artists The Singh Twins talking about whether they see themselves as 'women artists'.
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