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On The Road Price:
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PCP (Personal Contract Purchase) a simple cost effective way to buy your new or nearly new vehicle.
You choose the vehicle, the deposit, how long you want the contract to run for and the mileage you intend to do. You will then receive a quote for fixed cost motoring for the length of the contract. At the end of the contract you have a choice to either buy the vehicle outright for an agreed lump sum (the Guaranteed Minimum Future Value or final balloon payment), or hand the vehicle back to the lender.
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Hire Purchase allows you to take ownership of a vehicle once all payments are made.
This is one of the most popular methods to buy a new vehicle. You pay an initial deposit, then pay off the balance in monthly payments over an agreed period of time, when the payments are complete the vehicle is yours.
One of the main benefits with Hire Purchase is the ability to buy a high value vehicle on monthly payments.
Hire Purchase allows you to tailor your finance package as deposit, length of time and monthly payments are all flexible.
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Personal contract hire is very similar to normal contract hire, but is exclusively for private individuals. This is one of the most common form of leasing.
With a personal contract hire agreement you take control of a vehicle for a contractual period � usually referred to as the �lease period�. You will make fixed monthly payments for the duration of the contract � when the contract expires you will simply return the vehicle and take out a new personal contract hire lease. PCH means you never have to worry about resale values of your vehicle.
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Fuel: Petrol
Body: Hatchback
Trans: Manual
Full power windows, Traction control, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Bluetooth telephone connectivity, Reversing camera, Electrically assisted power steering, Power heated mirrors, 6 speakers, Shark fin antenna...
Combined - 50 mpg EC Extra Urban - 59 mpg EC Urban - 40.
Insurance groups range from 1 to 50 and dictates the cost of the vehicles insurance. The higher the group, the higher the insurance will be for the vehicle.
Insurance Group
BHP rates the engine performance of vehicles and stands for the brake horsepower.
Performance (BHP)
CO2 is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the vehicle in grams per kilometre travelled, the lower the CO2 emissions the cleaner the vehicle is for the environment.
CO2 (g/km)
The total number of seats in the vehicle.
Number Of Seats
Road Tax is based upon the CO2 emissions of the vehicle and is split into 13 bands from A to M. The higher the letter the greater the cost of tax paid to drive the vehicle on public roads. In addition to the road tax detailed below, any vehicle that had a manufacturers retail price in excess of �40,000 when first sold, attracts a road tax supplement of an additional �320 per year. This is charged until the vehicle is 6 years old.
Road Tax
Toyota returns the Corolla name to the family hatchback segment with a more class-competitive hybrid-focused model line-up of hatches, saloons and estates. If you'd previously dismissed the Japanese brand as an also-ran in the Focus class, it might be time to think again.
Why would you change the name of the world's best selling automotive model line? The reasons are difficult to understand, yet that's exactly what Toyota did back in 2007, changing the badging from its volume family hatchback model from 'Corolla' to 'Auris'. Now though, the 'Corolla' name in back. Indeed for Toyota, it's like it's never been away. The brand describes this as the '12th generation' model. Away from naming semantics, there's much of interest here, not least the fact that the primary engines offered are petrol/electric hybrids. There are three body styles this time round too, a saloon variant joining the usual five-door hatch and 'Touring Sports' estate. All are built on the 'TNGA' 'Toyota New Global Architecture' platform and constructed at the brand's British factory in Burnaston, Derbyshire.
We're looking forward to the chance to try this latest Corolla. For this car, there's an important advance in the development of Toyota's self-charging hybrid technology, this being the first of the brand's models in Europe to offer customers a choice of two hybrid powertrains - a revised 120bhp 1.8-litre system and a fresh 178bhp 2.0-litre unit that's engineered for more power on demand and more effortless acceleration, without compromising overall fuel and emissions efficiency. As full hybrids, both powertrains have the advantage of offering an all-electric drive capability, with zero emissions and fuel consumption. Both, as you would expect, are also matched to a seamless belt-driven CVT automatic transmission with six speeds. There are wheel-mounted paddleshifters supplied as part of this transmission package, but it's unlikely that typical buyers will make much use of them. For the record though, the 2.0-litre hybrid variant should get from rest to 62mph in around 8 seconds, which is reasonably rapid by class standards. Expect refinement to be excellent; certainly far better than it would be in a rival rumbly diesel. Toyota hasn't carried over much from the previous Auris model but an exception to that rule is the installation of that older model's conventional 115bhp 1.2T direct injection turbocharged engine in entry-level Corolla variants. This comes only with a manual gearbox.
It's not only the styling that's more purposeful than that of the outgoing Auris model. Toyota has made much more of an effort with interior space too, helped by the extra flexibility of this 12th generation Corolla model's new 'TNGA' 'Toyota New Global Architecture' platform. In hatch form, it's 40mm longer, 30mm wider and 25mm lower than the old Auris. That makes it only slightly shorter than a Ford Focus and quite a bit longer than a Golf. Inside, the cabin should feel considerably more up-market than the interior of an Auris ever was, with better-quality materials used and an 8-inch 'Toyota Touch 2' centre-dash infotainment screen as standard, complete with a DAB tuner and a reversing camera. On most variants, it will feature navigation too. The extra space freed up by the more generous exterior dimensions should be particularly obvious in the rear, though some reports suggest that the optional panoramic glass sunroof does eat into headroom. Apparently, it reduces it by 22mm. Family folk are probably going to be directed towards the 'Touring Sports' estate body style. This station wagon derivative, like the alternative Saloon body style, sits upon a lengthened 2,700mm wheelbase version of the TNGA platform.
Toyota isn't bothering here to try and provide a sub-£20,000 entry-level model but nevertheless, the pricing you do get looks pretty competitive against rival diesel contenders in the family hatchback segment. The figures sit in the £21,000 to £30,000 bracket, with hybrid models starting from around £24,000. There's a premium of around £1,200 to go from the five-door hatch body shape to the 'Touring Sports' estate. There are four trim levels - 'Icon', 'Icon Tech', 'Design' and 'Excel'. All of these spec levels deliver plenty of kit. Even 'Icon' variants deliver 16-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats with lumbar support, automatic LED headlights, a reversing camera and in hybrid models, dual-zone air conditioning. There's also an 8-inch centre-dash 'Toyota Touch 2' touchscreen, your access point to a DAB tuner and a reversing camera. As the name suggests, the 'Icon Tech' grade adds further useful technology features, including satellite navigation and voice control, plus parking sensors and Intelligent Park Assist' set-up that will steer you into spaces. All Corollas get as standard the full package of 'Toyota Safety Sense' camera-driven safety features. These include autonomous braking, adaptive cruise control, Lane Trace Assist, Road Sign Assist and Automatic High beam.
Toyota thinks that the vast majority of Corolla buyers are going to want a Hybrid engine - and a look at the efficiency stats reveals why. Even on the more stringent WLTP cycle, the stats are still pretty eye-catching, a typical 1.8-litre Hybrid Corolla Saloon managing 65.7mpg on the combined cycle and 98g/km of CO2. That's further helped, Toyota expects, by the fact that for typical customers, up to 50% of typical commuting journeys will be accomplished in all-electric drive. The Japanese maker describes the Corolla's Hybrid technology as being of the 'self-charging' variety, which means that it isn't of the currently popular Plug-in variety. The brand of course has this technology (it's available on top versions of its Prius model) but currently feels it isn't necessary for the Corolla line-up. What else? Well, the five year 100,000 mile warranty is extremely good and even after that runs out, you'll find that most spares are relatively inexpensive. There's also three years warranty against rust and 12 years of anti-corrosion protection.
By Jonathan Crouch
If you�re looking for a new Toyota Corolla 1.2T VVT-i Icon Tech 5dr Petrol Hatchback for sale, you�ve come to the right place. At Vertu Toyota we don�t just have the best Toyota Corolla 1.2T VVT-i Icon Tech 5dr Petrol Hatchback deals, we also offer friendly advice and help with all your enquiries to ensure your buying experience is a happy experience.
What are you waiting for? Make an enquiry online using the link above or call one of our friendly sales advisors today.
|Body Glass
|Full power windows
|Power front windows
|Power rear windows
|Rear window wiper
|Auto up and down function on all power windows
|Anti-jam protection on power windows
|Traction control
|Brake assist function
|HAC-Hill-start Assist Control
|Anti lock braking system + Electronic brake force distribution
|Electronic parking brake
|Vehicle Stability Control (VSC)
|Bluetooth telephone connectivity
|Voice activation
|Driver Aids
|Reversing camera
|Intelligent park assist
|Adaptive cruise control
|Rear parking sensor
|Front parking sensor
|Driver Convenience
|Electrically assisted power steering
|Driving Mirrors
|Automatic folding mirrors
|Power heated mirrors
|6 speakers
|DAB Digital radio
|AM/FM radio
|2 ring combimeters with 7" colour TFT screen
|USB/AUX connectivity
|Toyota touch 2 with go navigation system
|8" multimedia and back monitor
|Exterior Body Features
|Shark fin antenna
|Body coloured bumpers
|Exterior Lights
|Automatic headlights
|Front fog lamps
|LED daytime running lights
|LED headlights
|Auto high beam
|Dual Zone automatic air conditioning
|Pollen filter
|Clean air filter
|Interior Features
|Leather steering wheel and gear knob
|Power lumbar support
|Fabric upholstery
|Tilt/telescopic steering column
|Toyota safety sense 2 - Corolla
|Parking pack - Corolla
|Front seatbelt reminder
|Front passenger airbag on/off switch
|Rear seat belt reminder
|Supplemental restraint system (SRS) airbags - 7 airbags including driver, front passenger, curtain, side and knee airbags
|3x3 point rear seatbelts
|Tyre pressure warning system
|Heated seats
|Seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters
|WIL - Whiplash Injury Lessening seats
|ISOFIX seat fixing (2 fixings on rear outer seats)
|3 rear headrests
|Front head restraints
|Essential Protection pack - Corolla
|Protection plus pack - Corolla
|Paint - Metallic
|Metallic - Eclipse Black
|Metallic - Denim blue
|Metallic - Sterling silver
|Metallic - Tyrol silver
|Metallic - Manhattan grey
|Paint - Solid
|Solid - Pure white
|Exterior Body Features
|Metallic paint
|Pearlescent paint
|Solid paint
|Paint - Pearlescent
|Pearl - Pearl white
|Pearl - Scarlet flare
|Pearl - Sterling silver
|Trim - Cloth
|Fabric - Black
|Wheels - Alloy
|16" alloy wheels
|16" silver alloy wheels
|Wheels - Spare
|Space saver spare wheel
|Tyre repair kit
|0 to 60 mph (secs)
|0 to 62 mph (secs)
|Engine Power - BHP
|Engine Power - KW
|Engine Power - PS
|Engine Power - RPM
|Engine Torque - LBS.FT
|Engine Torque - MKG
|Engine Torque - NM
|Engine Torque - RPM
|Top Speed
Terms & Conditions: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information shown. However, errors do sometimes occur. The specification of each vehicle listed on the Vertu Toyota website is provided by "CAP". Please note that the Images of each vehicle are range shots, these can include images which do not reflect the precise details of the vehicle you are looking at and are purely used for illustrative purposes. The inclusion of such data does not imply any endorsement of any of its content nor any representation as to its accuracy. We do not charge a fee for introduction to a finance provider; however we may or may not receive a commission.
*The information given about models and their specification and features applies at the time that a vehicle is listed online or when the listing has been updated. Specifications and features do change and the information is given only as a guide. It may contain errors or omissions. The actual specification of a vehicle at the time of purchase may differ from that listed above and any important feature should be clarified as part of your purchase. The information above does not constitute an offer to sell.


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Pink & White Chevron Soothie Pad
Sale price
Regular price
The Soothie Pad weighs approximately 15 oz and is designed for use in any car seat with a center buckle.
We do not use any beads, poly pellets or small filler components that could potentially spill from our lap pads and harm your precious cargo. Our products are safe, effective and have passed all of the CPSC (Consumer Products Safety Commission) safety standards.
- For babies and infants 3+ months old or 10+ lbs
- Removable and washable Velboa/ Lycra pattern outer cover with detachable snap button strap
- Removable and washable Polyester mesh inner cover
- Integrated cooling gel/ memory foam filler pad included
- Measurements: (Height- 10.5" Width- 10.5" Thickness- 2")
* Please consult your Pediatrician or Therapist if you have questions whether this product is suitable for your child.

subset: commoncrawl


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The final entry date for this giveaway is: July 01, 2019
Submit your entry now for an opportunity to take home the following prize(s): Enter to win a 5-Piece Makeup Brush Set from Vital Makeup Support Company
The giveaway is open internationally.
Participants must meet the requirements mentioned in the rules for each particular contest. Also, please keep in mind that some offers may be void in countries where local laws prohibit entry into sweepstakes.
Don't forget to sign up for the Sweepstakes Den newsletter on the right hand side so you can keep up to date with all of our latest giveaways.


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November 22, 2005
Scott M. Zoltowski, Esq.
Re: Modification of Prior No-Action Relief with respect to Select Sector SPDRs
Dear Mr. Zoltowski:
By letter dated December 14, 1998, the staff of the Division of Market Regulation ("Staff"), among other things, granted no-action relief from Section 11(d)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to broker-dealers that do not create shares ("Fund Shares") issued by separate investment portfolios (each, "Fund" and collectively, "Funds") of the Select Sector SPDR Trust ("Trust"), but engage in both proprietary and customer transactions in Fund Shares exclusively in the secondary market ("Non-AP Broker-Dealers"). Specifically, the Staff confirmed that it would not recommend enforcement action to the Commission under Section 11(d)(1) if Non-AP Broker-Dealers extend or maintain or arrange for the extension or maintenance of credit on Fund Shares in connection with secondary market transactions in Fund Shares.
In the letter requesting relief ("SPDRs Request for Relief"), counsel stated, "The only compensation a broker-dealer will receive for representing a customer in purchasing [Fund] Shares is the commission charged to that customer, which in all likelihood is the same compensation the broker-dealer would receive in connection with any stock purchase by a customer. There is no special financial incentive to a broker-dealer, other than the broker-dealer's regular commission, to engage in secondary market transactions in [Fund] Shares, whether as principal or agent." Counsel also explained that the "Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted for each Fund a distribution plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act." In addition, counsel stated that "certain broker-dealers may receive compensation pursuant to investor services agreements for shareholder support and investor services (which may include compensation and sales incentives to the registered brokers or other sales personnel of the broker-dealer or other financial entity that is party to an investor services agreement) from the Distributor pursuant to a Fund's Rule 12b-1 plan."
Recently, in letters regarding exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") similar to the Funds, the Staff specifically has excluded from the scope of no-action relief from Section 11(d)(1) Non-AP Broker-Dealers that receive 12b-1 fees. See Letters re: PowerShares Lux Nanotech Portfolio (Oct. 26, 2005), at n. 8; PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy Portfolio (Mar. 2, 2005), at n. 8. In addition, the Staff recently made clear in a letter dated November 21, 2005 (a copy of which is enclosed), that the Section 11(d)(1) relief for Non-AP Broker-Dealers in prior letters involving ETFs, including the December 14, 1998 letter regarding Select Sector SPDRs, is limited to Non-AP Broker-Dealers that do not (and whose associated persons who are natural persons do not), directly or indirectly (including through any affiliate of such Non-AP Broker-Dealer), receive from the fund complex (as defined in the November 21, 2005 letter) any payment, compensation or other economic incentive to promote or sell the shares of the ETF to persons outside the fund complex, other than non-cash compensation permitted under NASD Rule 2830(l)(5)(A), (B), or (C). See Letter re: Exemptive Relief Regarding Exchange-Traded Funds (Nov. 21, 2005).
Accordingly, a Non-AP Broker-Dealer that receives compensation from the Distributor (as defined in the SPDRs Request for Relief) of a Fund pursuant to a Fund's Rule 12b-1 plan (as described in the SPDRs Request for Relief) would not be able to extend or maintain or arrange for the extension or maintenance of credit on Fund Shares of such Fund in reliance on the December 14, 1998 letter. However, the Staff will not recommend enforcement action for 120 days from the date of this letter against Non-AP Broker-Dealers that extend or maintain or arrange for the extension or maintenance of credit on Fund Shares in connection with secondary market transactions in such Fund Shares in reliance on the December 14, 1998 letter, but that do not satisfy the Staff's no-action position as articulated in the Staff's November 21, 2005 letter based on existing arrangements.
Brian A. Bussey
cc: Stuart M. Strauss, Esq.


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Over the last 150 years, 224 animal and plant species have become or are presumed to have become extinct. Today, 40% of the evaluated animal species are included on the Red Lists; 34% of flowering plants and ferns have disappeared or are threatened; for fungi, bryophytes and lichens, the proportion is 32%, 42% and 41%, respectively... More »
Since 1960, the rate of human-induced extinction has clearly exceeded the natural rate. Pressures on biodiversity are due to intensive agriculture, increased urbanization, land abandonment, housing construction (e.g. in dry grassland areas), increased forest coverage, etc. It is also feared that impacts of climate change on forests might occur at a rate rendering natural adaptation through genetic processes or species migration difficult... More »
The Swiss Landscape Concept (1997) served as the original strategy for implementing the CBD based on spatial (landscape) planning. To fully comply with national obligations under the Convention, the Swiss Parliament commissioned the development of a new Swiss Biodiversity Strategy which was adopted in 2012 with a special focus on mainstreaming and ecosystem conservation... More »
As indicated above, the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets were taken into account in the development of the new Strategy. It is therefore assumed that actions for the 10 strategic objectives listed above, to be developed by 2014, will support implementation of several of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
A new system of financial equalization and division of tasks between the federal government and the cantons was created in 2008 whereby, together, these two levels of government agree on programmes, define the targets each intends to achieve and identify federal subsidies available for funding activities. The cantons are free to organize implementation actions as they see fit, while the municipalities are responsible for the actual implementation of the actions defined by the canton... More »
"Biodiversity Monitoring Switzerland (BDM)" is a long-term monitoring programme, based on 33 indicators representing important, measurable biodiversity segments. "Monitoring of Sustainable Development (MONET)" is an indicator system to measure progress towards sustainable development. Other programmes include: Agro-Environmental... More »


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Avtec is preparing to release Scout 3.1, an upgrade of its dispatching system that will encrypt all over-the-air communications. Scout systems, which add voice over IP across radios and computers, are used in the public safety, transportation, utility, business and government industries.
"Avtec's Scout 3.1 release addresses the needs of users in the organization who require different dispatch capabilities and want customizable solutions and interfaces," said Kevin Williams, Avtec's vice president of product development.
The new Scout 3.1 System, which will have a P25-compliant key management facility, will be available for government and private organizations in three configurations.
First, the Scout Plus Console package is for mission-critical environments. It's equipped with a dedicated media processor and two network interfaces to offer 100 percent redundancy for the highest level of performance. Professional-grade peripherals offer durability and performance in a sleek new design.
Second, the Scout's software media processing option is designed for mobile command units and disaster recovery scenarios. It offers the flexibility of a pure software option with full-feature capability. It is scalable to easily accommodate the addition of new dispatch seats without the associated need for proprietary hardware.
Third, the Scout Ranger accessory is a complementary tool that runs on any Windows 7 device, including tablets, laptops and PCs. It uses Scout's software media processing technology and a concentration of Scout's dispatching features, giving senior staff the ability to oversee situations and collaborate on high-profile incidents without the need for a full console position.
About the Author
John Breeden II is a freelance technology writer for GCN.
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Digital Designer Paper Set - A Stitch In Time
$ 7.99
These flattened jpg files are great for swapping out backgrounds in photo books, collages and more. They are great for photographers who want to do a little designing of their own, but want a solid base from which to start. Each set includes 5 handcrafted designer pages saved as flattened jpg files to be used in almost any program.


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Q Traffic on my routes to work — Highway 17 to 101 to Trimble Road or 17 to 280 — gets suddenly much worse when the metering lights go off at 9 a.m. With the valley's economy improving (yay) and more staggered work start times, wouldn't it make sense to extend the metering lights until 9:30? Please would you ask the powers that be?
Lynn Williams
Los Gatos
A I asked and you could get your wish. Caltrans metering folks will look into this next week and will extend the metering hours along these corridors if needed. Typically the state meters the morning commute from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., but it has started metering a few highways past 9 a.m., including northbound Highway 87 and westbound 237. And the meters on 101 in San Mateo County often run until 10 a.m.
Q Thanks so much for your good work once again. On Tuesday they reopened the No. 4 closed tollbooth and the backup on the Dumbarton Bridge before the toll plaza was nonexistent.
Interestingly, though, this experience provided an interesting science experiment as to the effectiveness of metering of traffic. The closed lane effectively served as a meter to traffic flowing onto the bridge, and traffic flowed smoothly all the way to Menlo Park. With the toll plaza fully opened, a backup built on the high-rise section of the bridge. My feeling was that Tuesday morning's backup on the bridge was less significant than the prior backup was on Highway 84, so a fully opened toll plaza is preferable, but I will never again doubt your support of freeway metering lights.
Greg Heibel
A Another day, another convert.
Q This was a first for me recently when I drove down McLaughlin Avenue in San Jose and saw a young man with a spray can of paint writing on a utility box. It was around 3 p.m. in broad daylight. When I stopped the car, I telephoned 511 to report the incident. Evidently that was not the number to call for reporting graffiti because the menu did not mention it. What is the number? I want to put it in my phone so I can report it if I see it again.
Sandra Reynolds
San Jose
A You can call 866-249-0543, send an e-mail to email@example.com or download the app San Jose Clean. And you can also call 311 to reach police. The 511 service is for traffic and transit information.
Q Tuesday morning while walking with our son to school, we paused while one of our neighbors backed his car out of a long driveway. Other than one open rear window, all windows and the front and rear windshield were obscured by frost and condensation. The driver would not have been able to see out his rear windshield and his forward and side views would have been severely handicapped. There was no way this guy could have seen us, or any bicyclists, or even the construction workers getting to their site down the street. You would think a Stanford graduate student would know better!
Could you please give a shout out to your readers to please take a few minutes to scrape or defrost their windows? If they don't own a scraper, use a credit card to clear the ice.
Lucy Tompkin
Palo Alto
A Shout issued.
Q OK, last Saturday we had a fairly big event at Candlestick with the 49ers game, and BART decides to do what? Track maintenance, when there will be thousands of extra people taking BART to and from the game. Brilliant!
Plus their website only had an advisory about a 15-minute delay near Lafayette due to track maintenance. No mention of only one Transbay Tube running after the game.
The result: long delays, trains going the wrong direction and signboards with the wrong destinations. I know this might have been planned long before the 49ers knew they would be hosting a playoff game at Candlestick, but didn't anyone at BART consider postponing the work due to the need to transport thousands of riders across the bay?
I won't even mention the lines waiting for the Muni buses at the park and how mismanaged the lines were leading to three separate lines feeding into one bus stop. Oh, I did mention it.
Jim Lazar
Walnut Creek
A BART officials said the track replacement work in the Transbay Tube had to take place last weekend. It was originally scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. but because of the 49ers game was moved back to 10 p.m. Crews were out all night and the following day to get work done before the Monday commute.
A spokesman for BART says it posted a warning of the closure on the front page of its website Jan. 7 and also warned its email subscribers. BART also posted the notice on social media (@SFBART and @SFBARTalert) and alerted the media. Passenger bulletins were distributed at West Oakland and the downtown San Francisco stations the week prior, and this information also ran at its stations on the platform during the days leading up to the work.
Q When, oh when, will there be a carpool lane on Interstate 580 west between the Altamont and 680? Traffic feels like it's doubled again and is making life for us commuting from the valley about as horrible as it can get.
Katie Williams, Ilkka Suoniemi and many more
A You'll soon begin to see trucks moving dirt, possibly in April, to build a westbound carpool lane. The first segment will run from Greenville Road to Isabel Avenue and then from Isabel to Foothill Road, with work lasting until late next year.
Then crews will begin converting the carpool lane into an express or toll lane for the 13-mile stretch. That could be completed by late 2015.
Go to www.alamedactc.org for more information.
Q I travel daily on north Interstate 680 in central Contra Costa County, and the slowdown at the Treat Boulevard exit is what I would like to address. The brake lights begin about 3 to 4 p.m. and slow everything on both 680 and Highway 24.
Alas, the daily backup is only going to get worse as the economy ticks up. Can we kindly ask that some attention be paid to remedies for this area, perhaps metering traffic entering from North Main, re-striping the right lanes from further south in Walnut Creek so that through traffic stays out of the far right lanes, more signage for through traffic to stay left, etc.?
Ann Rekoske Orso
Pleasant Hill
A Susan-the-Traffic-Lady experiences this traffic backup all the time and she says your suggested improvements for more signs and paint are good, cost-effective solutions. So I kicked them up to Caltrans, and let's see what happens.
The biggest hope is the installation of metering lights, but cities along 680 haven't yet given their support to installing onramp signals. Until that happens, changing lane striping and adding some signs will have minimal impact.
Go to Roadshow's expanded online presence at www.mercurynews.com/mr-roadshow and look for rules of the road, construction updates and favorite stories. Follow Gary Richards at twitter.com/mrroadshow, look for him at facebook.com/mr.roadshow or contact him at firstname.lastname@example.com or 408-920-5335.


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The Texas Baptist-Herald (Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 49, No. 47, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 10, 1899
Description: Weekly Baptist newspaper from Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio, Texas that includes local, state, and national religious news along with advertising.
Date: August 10, 1899
Item Type: Refine your search to only Newspaper
Partner: Montgomery County Memorial Library


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After you check out Joey, view out the other Weekly musicians, top MP3 downloads and our list of local bands.
|Joey's Role in the Band
|About the Band
|Theory of Flight
Las Vegas' most musically captivating new band is taking back the alternative rock scene with their voltaic lyricism and cleverly delivered melodies. Their performances in the Fight For Fame, Nevada's ......more.


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Reading together
Jaume Copons
Marta Comín
Mar Benegas
Laurence Jammes
Xavier Salomó
Meritxell Martí
Àngels Navarro
Combel Editorial
Meritxell Duran
Meritxell Duran was finalist at the 2019 Junceda's Awards for Friends. As you might know, the Junceda is one of the most important awards of...
Read more
"I'm going to tell you a beautiful story. Wait and see what fun we'll have!" Raúl Nieto Guridi, a.k.a. Guridi, has been invited by the Salone...
Read more
This year, Barcelona will be Guest City of Honor in Buenos Aires International Book Fair. We're proud to announce that the authors Jaume Copons,...
Read more


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Petzl RopeTrip 2014 : Uppsala, Sweden
A resoundingly successful 2014 edition!The second edition of the Petzl RopeTrip took place from May 29-31, 2014, in Uppsala, Sweden. The event brought together more than one hundred rope access specialists from around the world to discuss their profession and to share their broad range of experience. The rope access competition was the focal point of the gathering, allowing each team of rope access specialists to demonstrate their technical skills and ability to work well together. Following a strong performance in all disciplines, the Russian team ALPEX took first place the competition.
A quick report on this fantastic adventure…
An appealing international event
The 30 rope access teams traveled from 17 different countries to participate in the second Petzl RopeTrip. Their motivation? A bit of everything: participate in a friendly gathering with the "rope access family", learn or perfect technique, and for the most inspired, win the competition! This winning blend made the 2014 edition a resounding success.
A wide variety of eventsThe qualifying rounds took place in the training center at C2 Safety, Petzl's distributor in Sweden. Individually or as a team, the events were varied and sought to represent the daily challenges of rope access work as close as possible:
- Placing a GSM antenna onto a network tower
- Disconnecting and reconnecting lighting systems
- Raising, moving, and lowering a mass onto a target
- Complete a circuit as carefully as possible so as not to spill the 10 liters of water in a bucket hanging from one's harness
- Etc.
Safety first
Do not confuse speed and being in a rush. For every event the stopwatch was not the only criteria taken into consideration: the judges ensured that everyone followed safety protocol to the letter (connection at all times to a fall arrest device, ensuring all locking carabiners and descenders are properly screwed shut, maneuvers when passing an intermediate anchor, etc.). Even the slightest inattention meant either a penalty or disqualification, as was the case for a team in the semi-finals.
Sharing different techniques
Since participants were free to use their preferred techniques, they had the opportunity to observe and compare the various methods for handling a given situation, such as moving along a rope or performing complex rope techniques. Being well organized from the start as well as smooth coordination between team members were also important factors in staying quick and efficient throughout each event.
A spectacular competition
For the 2014 edition, the finals took place outside, on one of Uppsala Castle's towers, overlooking the city. The general public enjoyed watching the finals.
To determine the winner, two Russian teams had to solve a complex problem consisting of quickly rescuing a team of 3 window washers working on a rope and stuck in mid air. In the end, team ALPEX took the prize to enthusiastic applause from the spectators. Team EVPATOR 1 finished second. Congratulations to both!
Fun activitiesAll participants were able to take advantage of and enjoy a whole host of activities as well as the wonderful local atmosphere, in spite of the short Swedish nights:
- film night,
- the night that started in an Uppsala bar and finished after hours at C2 Safety,
- The barbecue by Buff, an event partner,
- The seminar by Vibram, also an event partner,
- The conference by ECRA, the European Committee for Rope Access, which represents more than 12,000 rope access workers worldwide…
Overall results
1 - Alpex (Russia)
2 - Evpator - Moscow 1 (Russia)
3 - Verevkin Spb Team (Russia)
4 - Evpator - Moscow 2 (Russia)
5 - Formation Travaux en Hauteur (France)
6 - RATBOC (Poland)
7 - Dzerjinec (Russia)
8 - Altuver-Sector Vertical (Spain)
9 - WYSOKOSCIÓWKA.org (Poland)
10 - Klätterservice AB (Sweden)
11 - The Arborist (Switzerland)
12 - Beerenberg (Norway)
13 - E.T.H (France)
14 - Aplomb bâtiment (France)
15 - VentoBel (Belarus)
16 - Vertical Rescue College (Germany)
17 - Altimum (Switzerland)
18 - Aplomb Evènement (France)
19 - SKYFOX (Latvia)
20 - Professional (Russia)
21 - Karhu (Finland)
22 - AiRAS (Taiwan)
23 - SG-01 (Singapore)
24 - Equipment Belarus (Belarus)
25 - ALTI-DELTA (Algeria)
26 - SG-02 (Singapore)
27 - Vandernet (Finland)
28 - CroEsBra (Croatia-Brazil-Spain)
29 - PROACCESS (Sweden)
30 - AlpAccess (Romania)
En route to the third edition of the Petzl RopeTrip!
What's next? The third edition of the Petzl RopeTrip, of course! The location and date are to be determined since the goal is for the event to travel around the world, bringing together the rope access community. The same formula will be applied: a friendly atmosphere, meeting others, a good time… and a healthy dose of competition so that the contest creates a little rivalry between the participating teams!


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Windows Market Share Up, Users Embrace Windows 7
Windows OS market share crept up every so slightly in February to 88.42 percent as Apple's Mac took a dip, according to data released by Net Applications.
Microsoft Windows inched up about 0.20 percentage points, from 88.2 percent in January to 88.42 percent last month. Apple's Mac, meanwhile, dropped from 9.93 percent to 9.61 percent over the last two months.
Linux had 0.88 percent of the market.
The data includes mobile OS market share. The iPhone had 0.48 percent in February while Windows Mobile had 0.05 percent. Symbian, Android, and PlayStation all had 0.04 percent, while Palm and the BlackBerry had 0.02 percent.
The data caused some confusion early Monday when Net Applications initially posted OS market share data with the mobile data removed, putting Windows market share at 89.37 percent on one page, but at 88.42 percent on another.
That was done inadvertently, and the correct data is now on the Web site, according to a Net Applications spokesman.
Compared to the same time last year, Windows has decreased slightly while Mac has had some gains. In February 2008, Windows had 90.67 percent market share, while Mac had 8.03 percent, and Linux had 0.76 percent.
Most Windows users, or about 64 percent, are still using XP while about 23 percent have upgraded to Vista. On the Mac front, about 6 percent are using the Mac OS X 10.5 and nearly 3 percent are on 10.4. A small amount - 1.35 percent - are still plugging away with Windows 2000.
Those numbers did not change significantly since January.
Net Applications has also been monitoring Windows 7 usage. The January beta release led to a spike in usage share, a high of 0.22 percent in February.
The data suggested that users were experimenting more with Windows 7 on the weekends rather than weekdays, a trend also seen with Vista.
"XP's share is higher on weekdays due to Microsoft's relatively high business vs. residential share of Windows XP," Net Applications said. "This is an indication of strong interest in Windows 7, since it does not come pre-installed on a computer like Vista. Beta users are taking the time and effort to install it on their home computers, since corporations generally prohibit beta operating systems to be used in production environments."
EDITOR'S NOTE: This post was updated at 2:20pm Eastern time after Net Applications provided AppScout with the correct data.


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You will purr with delight at Color My Eyes selection of Cat eye colored contacts! These slit pupil lenses are not only perfect for cat eyes, they are also suitable for reptile eyes, dragon eyes, demon eyes and much more! Color My Eyes cats eye costume contacts feature a vertical pupil, also know as a slip pupil design. Our cat contact lenses are not only vibrant and high quality costume contacts, but they are also FDA approved, so you know you are purchasing the finest vertical pupil contact lenses.There are many different colors and styles to choose from to suite any style or costume! Our most popular cat eye contacts are the opaque White Cat contact lenses. We have a few lenses that would be perfect for Cheshire cat eyes, like Yellow Cat costume contacts or Aqua Cat colored contacts. If you are looking for reptile eye contact lenses, the green and yellow vertical pupil Creepers make amazing snake eye contact lenses. Of course if you want to heat up the party with Dragon contact lenses, we have those too! Cat's pupil contacts are also a great style of lens for a demon costume, so if you are looking for devil eye contact lenses you have come to the right place!! Pop in a pair of our irresistible cat eye contacts and you are ready to prowl or slink through the night!
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Adriano Farano, a former Knight Fellow, has won a Knight News Challenge grant for Watchup, an iPad app that aggregates high-quality news videos.
The award was announced today (Monday, June 18th) at the MIT Knight Civic Media Conference in Boston. The award is the first of three Knight News Challenge grants to be bestowed this year, rather than an annual event, to more closely match the pace of innovation.
Farano is an entrepreneur in residence at StartX, a program to accelerate the development of Stanford's top entrepreneurs through experiential education.
He first came to Stanford in 2010 as a Knight International Fellow from France. He was the co-founder of cafebabel.com, a multilingual pan-European news magazine and pioneer in collaborative journalism with more than 10,000 contributors. He also was a partner at OWNI.fr, a media startup focused on database and crowdsourcing journalism.
We talked to Farano recently about his latest project, the legacy of his Knight Fellowship, and journalism today.
First, tell us about Watchup, the proposal that won you a Knight News Challenge award. What does it do?
Watchup is an iPad-only app that lets you catch up on the news through high-quality video channels. With Watchup you can create a video playlist in a snap. Just tap the news videos that matter to you, press play and sit back to watch what's up in the world. That easy!
How does that help journalists or journalism?
From the journalism industry's perspective, Watchup is going to fix the distribution problem on tablet devices. News organizations are producing an increasing amount of premium video content for digital consumption. The issue is that discovering that content is painful. With Watchup we have created the fastest interface ever to search out quality clips and create a video playlist.
You know, you could almost say that Watchup is like Hulu for news. But with three differences: We are focused on the news vertical (video only), we were born mobile, and we are an agile startup with a good dose of Stanford DNA.
What prompted you to apply for a Knight Journalism Fellowship? How did you hear about it?
It was a beautiful day in the fall of 2009 when my longtime mentor and friend Alberto Ibarguën (president of the Knight Foundation) encouraged me to apply for the Knight Fellowship. I was looking forward to opening a new chapter in my life and Alberto took me to a Paris restaurant where we had a delicious lunch. I'm glad I hadn't drunk too much Pinot Noir to listen attentively to his precious advice. My year at Stanford happened to offer me the most transformative experience of my entire professional life.
What did you expect of the Fellowship?
I thought about it as both a more experimental, hands-on MBA and an 'Erasmus 2.0' (the name of the student exchange program that let millions of Europeans spend one year abroad). In 2001, Erasmus inspired me to start my first venture, CafeBabel.com. In 2011, the Knight Fellowships made me a born-again entrepreneur.
What did you learn or discover here that either reinforced your thinking or changed it?
I just fell in love with the Silicon Valley mindset by meeting with inspiring entrepreneurs like Storify's Xavier Damman. Rapid prototyping and quick iterations, think big and act small, building a minimally viable product rather than wasting time with long product development phases, customer development… Stanford made me feel pumped and willing to change the world — again.
Did your fellowship project goal change? If so, how?
Yes, I applied with a project that ended up being too theoretical. It was great to see how flexible the program was when I said that I was thinking about experimenting with augmented reality. "Just do it," said Pam Maples, the Innovation Director. In a couple of months, along with Gene Becker, we built Quadmented, a time-machine-like tour of the Main Quad on campus with historical pictures and multimedia material that helped tell the story of the world's best university. You can see it here.
But you didn't stop there, right?
Exactly. While I started realizing that I wanted to start a venture again, I came to the conclusion that I could not yet build a big company with augmented reality. Both the technology and the interface were not yet mature enough for that.
So, I started focusing on new ways to augment the news experience on tablet devices.
Could you draw a specific connection between anything during your Fellowship and the birth of Watchup?
Totally. I fell in love with the iPad. I realized that there was a dramatic media consumption shift toward mobile platforms, and I started screening all the possible ways to distribute and design news experiences on those devices. Watchup is a direct product of that experience, although we started working on it much later.
Tell us about StartX and how you ended up there.
A: Right after the Fellowship, which ended in the summer of 2011, I became an entrepreneur in residence at StartX. I was just keen to help first-time founders of amazing companies to succeed. StartX is the Stanford startup accelerator. Three times a year, we select 10-15 of the best companies that Stanford students start. Think about that. While Stanford's acceptance rate is 6%, only 9% of the students who apply manage to make it into StartX. But 80% of our companies end up getting funding!
Also, StartX is a big and warm community. I like to call it a "mafia" in the familiar sense, of course. While the accelerator takes no equity, it concentrates all the best resources startup founders might need in one single accessible place. It's the genius of Cameron Teitelman, StartX founder, along with the key contributions of his staff, that made all this possible. If you want to change the world, you should apply for StartX!
What were some of the biggest influences on you during your Fellowship?
I learned a lot from Professor H. Irving Grousbeck at Stanford's Graduate School of Business about smart ways to manage growing enterprises. I studied American history, which helped me understand this country more. I also enjoyed my d.school (Institute of Design) boot camp a lot and that really helped me stay focused on customer acquisition. But design thinking should be conceived more as a method than a religion. There are a few situations when you rather want to follow your gut. Also, I enjoyed all the input that the Knight Fellowships staff gave me, along with interactions with the other Fellows, especially Jigar Mehta and Wendy Norris, who also fell into the trap of starting a company.
Were there any surprise discoveries, about anything?
Yes, that I could learn golf! Although I guess I've already forgotten now, sadly.
What did you learn about the future of journalism during your explorations at Stanford?
I not only learned that the Santa Clara Valley (a.k.a. Silicon Valley) is the physical place where the future of journalism will be set, but also that the journalism world hasn't been able to influence that debate — yet. My bet is that the new (innovation-focused) path the Knight Fellowships has started following will help it play a crucial role in redesigning the new media landscape with all the companies and the new projects that hopefully will arise from there.
To view a demo of Watchup, click here. Follow Adriano on Twitter @farano and follow Watchup @watchup.


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The European Centre for Mobility Documentation (ECMD) is a Dutch institute that focuses on projects related to mobility documentation and automotive. Projects are not only related to historical topics and heritage, but also aimed at the automotive industry. The centre, which name reflects the international scope of activities, is specialized in the automotive field and optimization of digital accessibility in all mobility sectors (road, water, air and rail).
The roots of the ECMD lay in 1998, when the NCAD (Netherlands Centre for Documentation on Automotive History) was founded in Arnhem at the Polytechnic for Automotive Engineering. Dr. ing. Gijs Mom, founder of the NCAD, noticed that many valuable collections of (auto-)mobility documentation were not accessible or even thrown away by companies, institutes and private persons. The objective of the NCAD was to collect and preserve this documentation and ensure public accessibility. Within four years the centre grew so fast that the location in Arnhem could not accommodate the archive anymore and it moved to the Technical University of Eindhoven at a location now including a professional reading-room and compact filing systems. This move was made possible by generous donation from the region around Eindhoven. Parallel to the move to a new location the ECMD (European Centre for Mobility Documentation) was founded with a professional management, which was aimed to exploitate the available knowledge and information and to ensure preservation of the documentary heritage.
The ECMD is consulted by a wide range of visitors: car enthusiasts, mobility historians, automotive and design students and journalists. The entire collection is accessible to the public. One can visit the centre and browse the archive, but it is also possible to request information by internet or telephone. Twenty enthusiastic volunteers are providing help in finding the requested documentation and information.
During the last 3 years ECMD has enlarged its services towards the automotive industry. These services are aimed at longterm trends in the automotive sector, and news and information signalling services for the automotive sector.


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The Longhorn Mismatch: Too Much Racial Preference, Too Little Success
Last week the Supreme Court asked the University of Texas to respond to a cert petition raising an issue that in any non-Obamacare year would be the most explosive part of the Court's docket: racial preferences in higher education. (UT had for some inexplicable reason failed even to file a waiver, which is customary in cases where the respondent feels no need to file an actual brief.)
The case was brought by Abigail Fisher, a white Texan denied admission to UT-Austin even though her academic credentials exceeded those of admitted minority students. The district court granted summary judgment to the university and the Fifth Circuit panel affirmed because a divided Supreme Court in the 2003 case of Grutter v. Bollinger (the University of Michigan case) found narrowly tailored racial preferences to be constitutionally justified for the sake of diversity. Judge Emilio Garza wrote an electrifying concurrence -- starting at page 58 here -- agreeing that the ruling was correct under Grutter but that Grutter itself, and the regime of "soft" racial preferences (i.e., not quotas) it created, is incompatible with the Equal Protection Clause.
The Fifth Circuit then denied en banc rehearing by a vote of 7-9, over a sharp dissent by Chief Judge Edith Jones. (Full disclosure: The judge I clerked for lo those years ago, E. Grady Jolly, joined Chief Judge Jones's dissent.)
Fisher's cert petition objects to the wide discretion the Fifth Circuit would grant UT in administrating its racially preferential admissions paradigm, arguing that affording deference to the university extends Grutter and cannot be consistent with the "strict scrutiny" Grutter requires. Indeed, rather than working to phase out public university race preferences consistent with the expectations the Court articulated in Grutter -- Justice O'Connor famously wrote that the diversity rationale would only suffice for about 25 years -- the Fifth Circuit provides a veritable roadmap for discriminatory state action.
Now, it would be ideal if all nine justices were courageous enough to uphold constitutional protections for all citizens by refusing to legitimize racially discriminatory state action, regardless of the good-faith motives or other political atmospherics surrounding that action. Progressive legal theory being what it is, however, such a result, where people are judged on the content of their character/qualifications rather than the color of their skin, is unfortunately still a dream. There is, however, an argument that might sway even those members of the Court who support affirmative action as a policy matter: race preferences hurt those they are intended to help.
As highlighted in Richard Sander and Stuart Taylor's amicus brief, a growing body of research suggests that when the capabilities of a student's peers exceed their own, the student performs worse than when surrounded by peers with objectively similar capacities. Sander (a UCLA economist and law professor) and Taylor (a lawyer and journalist who has long covered civil rights issues) utilize this "mismatch theory" to discredit the assumption underlying race preference programs -- that they benefit minorities -- and demonstrate that the opposite is true. They further point out that racial preferences have failed to have their intended effects; namely, preventing racial balancing, fostering diversity, and making universities more attractive to minorities.
Three U.S. Civil Rights Commissioners also filed an amicus brief presenting evidence that racial preferences produce the opposite of their intended effect; they discourage rather than facilitate the entry of minorities into prestigious careers by incentivizing elite public universities to admit students they would not admit if admissions were race-blind. They argue that racial preferences place students in environments that do not optimize to their learning. Citing robust statistics, they conclude that this effect actually discourages minorities from entering science and engineering careers and becoming college professors, and decreases the number of minority students accepted to law schools who actually earn JDs and pass the bar exam.
The well-intentioned advocates of race-conscious public university admissions got it wrong under the Constitution. These briefs further illustrate the detriment everyone in society suffers when state action based on race rather than merit dictates the paths of young Americans.
Under the Court's request for a response, the university has until the end of the month to file, unless it asks for and is granted an extension. If the university's response arrives by January, the case -- if the Supreme Court takes it -- should be on schedule for argument and decision this term. For more on Fisher v. University of Texas, see the case's SCOTUSblog page.
Thanks to Cato legal associate (and UT alumna) Anna Mackin for help with this blogpost.


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Q&A with All-American Jon Hopkins
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At 6-2, 200, Jon Hopkins is hardly a prototypical collegiate two-meter player. But giving away inches and pounds to the behemoths defending the front of the goal has not stopped the
Q-Has the reality of your senior season coming to an end hit home yet?
HOPKINS-Not really. The other day I did find myself thinking that there are just a few games left before post-season and the playoffs begin.
My collegiate career may be coming to an end, but I plan to continue playing at the club level so it won't be an absolute finish. But no, it hasn't hit me yet.
Q-Last year, you were one of a group of seniors who redshirted to focus on the 2005 season. Was that worth it?
HOPKINS-Yeah. I feel like everything's coming together at the right time. I feel real good physically. The year off helped get me in much better shape and I think it shows in my game.
Q-What have been the highlights of your career at UCSD?
UCSD has been such a good experience overall. I would never go back and change that decision. I think the highlight of my playing career here is still to come.
Q-What would you like your legacy to be with UCSD water polo?
Q-Your brother, Thomas, plays at Stanford. What are the games like when UCSD and Stanford hook up? Is it something the two of you discuss?
We don't really talk about water polo at all when we get together—at least nothing in depth. It's a chance to talk about other things.
I think my parents are more into water polo than my brother or myself. My sister, Elizabeth, plays college water polo too so they're really into it. My mother is always on the different websites and telling me everything that's being said about UCSD. I try to block her out—I don't want to hear it.
I think my parents are pulling for UCSD to win it all this year because Stanford won my sophomore year.
Q-You played tennis in high school with your brother at a very high level. What was that like?
HOPKINS-Well, my dad is the head tennis pro in
We finally decided to try it and my junior year finished second in the CIF doubles championship. We won it the next year.
Q-Water polo and tennis seem like an odd combination of sports. Are there any carryover skills?
Some of the team sports, like soccer, helped when I started playing water polo. Seeing the different areas and knowing how and where to move are kind of the same. As far as tennis and water polo, I think the hand-eye coordination is the same and playing tennis helps my water polo in that respect.
I also swam growing up which is how I got into water polo.
Q-What was life like growing up on
I was kind of sheltered but didn't realize it until I went to college.
I was fortunate that I picked the right sport for where I lived. The
The size was also great because we were able to play all sports. I might not have had that opportunity at a bigger school.
Q-How have you grown in your time at UCSD?
Personally, I feel I've matured a lot and become more independent, although I still have no idea what I'm going to do when I graduate.
Q-Is there anything you would change about your five years at UCSD?
I would also have started lifting harder sooner. This last year has really been helpful.
Q-What distinguishes the UCSD water polo program from others?
HOPKINS-One thing, obviously, is that we don't have scholarships but we're still able to compete with the best teams in the nation. One of the benefits of not having scholarships is that there's no team infighting about who's getting what. I think it makes us closer and stronger.
Q-Talk about your coach, Denny Harper. How would you describe his coaching style? His relationship with his players?
He's an excellent coach. He always knows exactly where we are as a team emotionally. He has a good sense of the team and that helps a lot.
He definitely makes it fun. It's tough but I think all of our players really enjoy playing.
Q-Who is the most underrated player on this year's team?
He doesn't have some of the flashy offensive stats that get noticed, but he really is the defensive stopper for us.
Q-There are 12 seniors on this year's team. What does that mean for 2006?
Q-You have no idea at all about what you're going to do after you're finished with school?
Q-Do you plan to stay in the
Q-What will you remember most about your senior teammates?
HOPKINS-Probably the time away from the pool—just hanging around. I think that will stand out more than any game or practice. The weekends, the time between hell week practices—nothing big, just talking and passing the time.
Q-What's your vision for the end of the season?
The WWPA champion will be likely be seeded No. 3 at the NCAA Championship, which is at Bucknell in
We've got the skill, experience and it will come down to who brings their best game that day. Our odds of winning would be as good as anybody's.
PREVIOUS Q&A ARTICLES Mimi Hodgins (Women's Cross Country - October 17, 2005 Heather Sugg (Women's Soccer) - October 11, 2005 Laura Watkins (Women's Volleyball) - September 28, 2005 Kevin Murray (Men's Soccer) - September 20, 2005 Carl Lostrom (Men's Cross Country) - September 13, 2005 Clark Petersen (Men's Water Polo) - September 6, 2005
Mimi Hodgins (Women's Cross Country - October 17, 2005
Heather Sugg (Women's Soccer) - October 11, 2005
Laura Watkins (Women's Volleyball) - September 28, 2005
Kevin Murray (Men's Soccer) - September 20, 2005
Carl Lostrom (Men's Cross Country) - September 13, 2005
Clark Petersen (Men's Water Polo) - September 6, 2005


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Welcome to another blogger and writer interview. Today I'm sharing with you an interview with the kind, amazing and talented Kat Myrman. Her blog is called: Like Mercury Colliding – Moments of Unexpected Clarity.
1. Kat, Please Tell Us About Yourself and Some of Your Wonderful Published Work?
My Blog is called "Like Mercury Colliding." and I have always loved to write, but it wasn't until 2015 that I had the courage to upload my writing in the form of a blog. I've never published my own book, but I have been featured in a few anthologies and in online digests including:
- Poets for Peace an Online Collaboration in partnership with 100,000 Poets for Change published in Praxis Magazine (3 poems – Pages 57-60)
- Several poems features on the Women's Spiritual Poetry Blogspot The Memory of You
- Anthologies (Penned in my once married name, Kathleen (Kathy) Hurt)
- The Circle Continues: Women Respond to Circle of Stones -Judith Duerk
InnerOcean/Innisfree Press, August 1, 2001
- Dreams for our Daughters – Bonnie Allmon Coffey
Writer's Showcase Press, October 1, 2000
- The Circle Continues: Women Respond to Circle of Stones -Judith Duerk
2. Is There Anything Else You'd Like to Share With Us About Yourself?
My bio HERE pretty much tells you about me. When I began my blog, I was not sure what I wanted to say. I'm still not completely sure, several years in, that I have figured it out. What I do try to accomplish is writing a bit every day. I've found the prompts and challenges on WordPress most helpful.
Also, I work a 9:oo a.m. to 5:00 p.m. plus day as an Executive Assistant, so I must sandwich in time for my writing passion. Oftentimes, that time is the wee hours of the night. I find that I am most productive then. There are few distractions at 3:00 am, aside from my niggling need for sleep! 🙂
As well, I live in a most beautiful part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the U.S., at least in my humble opinion, of course. I'm surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the "Valley" as it is called, experiences four seasons, which I am grateful for. Where I am has a small town community vibe.
It's also Virginia, so there is the underlying rumble of old South, Confederacy and modern progressive ideals (of which I hold). Writing has become an outlet for me to express my deep emotions in light of recent events, without getting into trouble with my neighbors.
"It's also Virginia, so there is the underlying rumble of old South, Confederacy and modern progressive ideals (of which I hold). Writing has become an outlet for me to express my deep emotions in light of recent events, without getting into trouble with my neighbors." – Kat Myrman
3. When Did You Begin Writing or Blogging and Why? What Do Both Practices Mean to You?
As mentioned above, I have written for a lifetime in one form or another. My blog is a running digest. It seemed more efficient and easier to access than piles of notebooks and journals, though I have them too. I even have binders of faded napkins, scrap paper, repurposed envelopes…if you are a writer, you know what I'm talking about. 🙂 Writing for me is a passion if you haven't already figured that out. I live and breathe it.
4. Where Do You Find Your Inspiration and Motivation to Write? Why Is Significant For You to Write? Can You Briefly Describe Your Blogging Process?
Life inspires me. Passion for life motivates me. Without life and passion, what are we doing here, after all. I have to grab writing/blogging time when I can. I would love to be able to retire from my day job to devote my time to the craft. While I mentioned, the middle of the night is when I am most inclined to write, I find mornings to be my favorite time to write when I have the chance.
his question made me laugh. Process? A disclaimer, I'm a Gemini, so 'the process' is not a thing for me. That said, I write when I am moved by something. Be it a formal prompt or an everyday happening, I write my experience of life, so my process, as processes go might be considered a bit chaotic. It is an immense sense of satisfaction to get the words out of my head and written down.
"Writing for me is a passion if you haven't already figured that out. I live and breathe it."- Kat Myrman
5. What Was Your Process For Publishing Some of Your Writing? Do You Prefer Certain Writing and Reading Genres?
Aside from entering calls for submissions, I have not had experience with this. I used to be a poetry/non-fiction/song-writing kinda girl, but since I started blogging I am an enthusiastic fan of fiction…especially flash-fiction. I have a new-found love of magnetic poetry. And one other thing I do aside from writing. I love to paint, and more recently creating digital art. So you will quite often see original artwork that I've created.
6. Do You Have Any Helpful Tips for New Writers or Bloggers? Also, for fun, What Are Your Top Three Favorite Bloggers?
Keep writing. Even if it is to say…today sucks, I have writer's block and nothing to say. Because even that fulfills the greatest aspiration of any writer…to touch people through words. Chances are you'll be saying what others wish they could say even in those time when you feel like you have nothing to say.
When it comes to blogs and bloggers, it is all about relationship. I have formed some amazing relationships with the most interesting people from all over the world. This is the wonder and beauty of blogging. A few favorites:
- Jane Dougherty Writes – because Jane is a fantastic writer who challenges and inspires me.
Anything Food or Recipe related, particularly the ones that share life experience as part of their menu…
- Another Foodie Blogger – Kathryn and I are Word With Friends friends as a result of connecting on WordPress
- Linz Real Cooking – This lady, I love her…Lynn is a fantastic cook, but it is her story that will blow you away. She is a wonder.
And Challenges…I love writing challenges!
- Friday Fictioneers
- Ronovan Writes Haiku Poetry Challenge
- TJ's Household Haiku
- Haiku Horizons
- Three Line Tales
- 52 Words in 52 Weeks
- Colleen Chesebro's Tuesday Poetry Challenge
- Sunday Photo Fiction
- and…my personal little offering: Twittering Tales. 🙂
"Keep writing. Even if it is to say…today sucks, I have writer's block and nothing to say. Because even that fulfills the greatest aspiration of any writer…to touch people through words. Chances are you'll be saying what others wish they could say even in those time when you feel like you have nothing to say."- Kat Myrman
7. Kat, Please Share with Us Some of Your Favorite Writing Pieces.
"A Beautiful Obsession"
by Kat Myrman
September 12, 2015
My love for you began
before I understood that
you would be a life-long
obsession. You wooed me
with promises of blissful
release, and pledged to
sustain me, encouraging
me to use you whenever
I had need. You tickled
my ears with sweet
nothings, encouraging
me to dance, to twirl
through lyrical dips and
curves that left me
breathless and wanting
for more.
You held nothing back,
revealing your fierce
passion and power to
rattle and persuade, cool
and cunning, cutting me
to the heart with
razor-like precision.
It only made me love
you more, drawing me
deep, with a yearning to
trace every syllable of
your complexity, fingers
trembling with each
touch, you became
an empty open book
begging to be filled.
Beautiful, beautiful
Words…if you must
know, you had me at
kat ~ 12 September 2015
(This poem was featured on Women's Spiritual Poetry Blogspot on October 6, 2015)
8. Here Is Some More Of Kat's Blog Pieces:
- Global Uprising – Flash-fiction by Kat Myrman
- The Midnighters — Flash-Fiction by Kat Myrman
- Shai Sai's Sunday's Week in Reverse December 10, 2017, by Kat Myrman (poetry)
- Unspoken Rule – Three Line Tales Prompt – By Kat Myrman
The Letter – Part One of Kat's Fiction Serial ( I love this Series!!)
Thank You to Kat for her wonderful interview. I enjoyed learning more about her and her writing as I have been blogging with her for a few years now. Her blog again is: Like Mercury Colliding — Moments of Unexpected Clarity.
If you are interested in being interviewed for a blogger/writer interview or if you blog for a cause, you can contact me via myContact Page on my blog. Thanks and have a Wonderful Christmas!
©Mandibelle16 (2017). All Rights Reserved.


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15 Ways to Eat Healthy
Thomas Hoeffgen
1. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
We love carbs as much as the next person, and there've been occasions when I've walked several blocks out of my way to get meat on a stick. But research shows that eating a rainbow of fruits and veggies provides a boon of benefits, including protection against cancer, heart disease, and the effects of aging — something that probably couldn't be said for devouring copious amounts of shawarma.
"Ultimately, the food pyramid recommends a total of nine servings of fruits and vegetables," says Lisa Young, PhD, author of The Portion Teller Plan and adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University. "However, if that seems daunting, rather than fixate on a fixed amount, make sure to have just one vegetable or fruit with each meal." Whether that means adding a banana to your morning cereal or putting tomato and lettuce on your lunchtime turkey sandwich, it's an easy way to get your greens in without keeping a tally sheet.
Or practice the "50 percent rule": aim to have half of your lunch or dinner plate covered in veggies. Not only will this help you get your nutrition fix in, but you'll also likely shed some weight: "Each bite of vegetable has 3 to 4 times fewer calories than any other bite of food on your plate," says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
Try it:
Diet-Friendly Vegetarian Meals
2. Limit Liquid Calories
Soda is essentially sugar water, which packs a caloric punch. Diet cola, though clocking zero calories, also tallies zero nutritional value. And smoothies and fruit juice, though healthier than soda, packs about the same number of calories. (If you're craving fruit, go with whole fruit instead, which has fiber to keep you full.)
But the healthiest choice? Go with water. Eight glasses are recommended per day, but if you hate drinking plain water, pick up flavored water or flavored seltzer. Unsweetened tea and coffee are good runners-up.
Try it:
Healthy Food Awards: The Best Beverages
3. Eat More Fiber
Not only can fiber keep you full, it can also help you lose weight as well as lower your risk for cancer.
An easy way to fit more fiber into your diet is to swap out white bread for whole grains. When reading the ingredient list on, say, bread, "make sure the first ingredient reads 'whole' grain," says Blatner. "Whole grains have 3 parts — bran, germ, endosperm — which work together to prevent disease and may also help keep you at a healthy weight."
Try it:
Healthy Food Awards: The Best Grains
Sarah Kehoe
4. Go Natural
Choosing natural foods instead of processed foods is a health no-brainer. Without additives, non- or minimally processed foods — lean meats, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables — mean you won't ingest excessive amounts of manmade chemicals. (Just read the ingredient list on a package of Twinkies and see if you can pronounce all those words.)
Better yet, choosing organic food means you'll be eating foods that were cultivated without pesticides, which have been proven to be toxic in the human diet, and are often linked with cancer. Plus, some studies show that organic foods have higher levels of nutrients and antioxidants.
It's a simple switch to pick the organic apple over the conventional apple, or the whole wheat loaf over the Wonder bread. But it's a simple swap that could mean a big nutritional difference.
Try it:
Reggie Casagrande
5. Be a Smart Shopper
You already sidestep the Pop-Tarts and Entenmann's — great! But if you assume that your breakfast granola or stand-by frozen dinners are healthy, but think again: Many processed foods have more saturated fat, sodium, or sugar that you might've previously thought.
When shopping, do what nutritionists do. Check out the nutrition content for things like no (or low) saturated fat, low sodium, and high fiber.
Try it:
Bob Stefko
6. Superfood (not Super Size)
Guacamole may be the most perfect food — not just because of it's deliciousness, but also because of the cancer-fighting lycopene and immune-boosting beta-carotene. Superfoods — think blueberries, broccoli, salmon, walnuts, and even dark chocolate — pack a nutritional punch. But when you pair certain components together, the benefits are enhanced even further. Strength in numbers, my friends, strength in numbers.
Try it:
Top 10 Superfoods for Gorgeous Skin and Hair
Chris Fanning
7. Snack Smart
Snacking is a good way to tide oneself over till the next meal, but making healthy decisions when you're delusional with hunger isn't something we'd bet on. Prepare yourself with smart, portable choices: a whole fruit, a granola bar, or small yogurt are all great picks for their antioxidants, fiber, and calcium content, respectively. But if you're in the mood for a slightly more indulgent snack — say, a wedge of gouda or a handful of almonds — be mindful of your intake. "High-fat dairy foods such as cheese are high in calories and artery-clogging saturated fat, so keep portions to less than one ounce per day," says Blatner. As for nuts, "keep it to just one ounce per day because they can be high in calories if you over do it." A guideline: one ounce of nuts is 24 almonds, 18 cashews, 14 walnut halves, 20 pecan halves, or 49 pistachios.
Try it:
Healthy Food Awards: 21 Healthy Snacks
Evan Sklar
8. Indulge Socially
We're not ones to tell you not to eat dessert. But how frequently you eat it (not to mention what kind of flaky, buttery, or sugar-laden treat you choose) can drastically affect your diet.
Since many desserts are for the most part nutritionally devoid (we're looking at you, chocolate molten cake), consider instilling a rule where you only indulge outside of the home — say, a slice of birthday cake at a party, or splitting dessert at a restaurant with your dining companion. "This helps to cut back on overindulging on cookies while watching TV on the couch or eating ice cream out of the container after a long day at work," says Blatner.
Not like we've ever done that before, of course...
Try it:
Healthy Food Awards: The Best Frozen Treats
Blaine Moats
9. Fat Is Back
Well, at least one kind is: monounsaturated fat, which is found in olive oil, walnuts, and avocados, among other foods. Unlike saturated fat, which clogs arteries, monounsaturated actually helps you metabolize fat and lowers LDL cholesterol (the bad kind), while possibly raising HDL cholesterol (the good kind).
"Choose healthy fats such as olive or canola oil instead of butter," Blatner suggests. However, "make sure to measure oil when cooking since just 1 tablespoon has 120 calories."
Somewhere in the world, Paula Deen just groaned.
Try it:
Evan Sklar
10. Curb Your Sweet Tooth
Candy, cookies, and cakes, oh my! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that excessive sugar consumption can mean buying a larger pants size. But sugar — the simplest form of carbohydrate, found as lactose (milk sugar), fructose (fruit sugar), and sucrose (table sugar) — is also part of an addictive cycle, and consumption causes peaks and valleys in your blood sugar level and leaves you craving more. Research even shows that a lifetime of overindulging in the sweet stuff can lead to dull, wrinkled skin.
Try to limit how much refined sugar you eat — not only is it high in calories, but it's also almost devoid of nutrients. White, brown, and powdered sugar are all culprits, as well as honey and syrup, so choose low-sugar breakfast cereals, opt for fresh fruit for dessert, or simply cut out your daily can of Coke. It may seem like a big sacrifice, but it'll make a big difference.
"I Broke My Sugar Habit and Lost 70 Pounds"
11. Eat by the Clock
Rather than having three large meals a day and feeling hungry in between, Blatner suggests eating smaller portions every five hours to curb hunger and stabilize sugar levels, not to mention ingest less. "People who eat on schedule tend to eat about 80 calories less per day than those people who eat at erratic times and skip meals," she says.
Try it:
6 Kitchen Staples for Quick, Healthy Dinners
Sarah Kehoe
12. Take Your Vitamin
When you can't fit an array of healthy foods into your diet, "a multivitamin is a good idea," says Young. Vitamin B can boost your energy, vitamin E helps stave off heart disease and breast cancer. Vegetarians and women over 35 are at risk for iron deficiency, and all women can benefit from calcium.
The Truth About Nutrition Supplements
Tina Rupp
13. Size Matters
When it comes to food, size matters. Some general guidelines for what one "portion size" is:
- Starch (like noodles, potatoes, rice, and cereal): the size of a fist
- Protein (like meat or tofu): the size of two palms
- Fruit: the size of a tennis ball
- Vegetable: the size of a fist
"Use these as guide to be aware of how much you're eating," says Young. "Or it can be as simple as stopping when you're full. You don't necessarily need to finish the plate. Think before you eat."
Try it:
"I Cut Portions and Dropped 35 Pounds"
Jennifer Levy
14. Plan Ahead
Say your afternoon meeting runs late, or you have to pick up your kid from daycare, or you just don't have time between classes to get something to eat. It's time to make like a Boy Scout: Be prepared.
When you're making on-the-fly picks, choose something filling and portable. "You can always get fruit or yogurt on the run," says Young, "or a chicken wrap or hummus wrap on whole wheat pita." If you know you probably won't have time to pick something up, whip up a quick sandwich at home, and bring fruits and veggies to snack on — stashing a Ziploc of baby carrots or an apple in your bag will be your saving grace when 3 p.m. hits.
Try it:
10 Ingredients, 10 Healthy Recipes
Laura Doss
15. Pace Your Eating
If you tend to Hoover up your meals in five minutes flat, try to stretch each meal to 30 minutes. "People who eat slowly tend to eat 70 calories less per meal than people who rush through in under 10 minutes," explains Blatner. Sipping water between bites, chewing thoroughly, and just being mindful of what you're eating can help you slow down.
Try it:
Originally published on FitnessMagazine.com, December 2008.
Is Your Appetite Out of Control?


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What are the most expensive cars? It is surprising to see the list of top 10 expensive new cars unexpectedly. Forget the Ferrari 458 or the $300,000 Lamborghini Aventador a seven at the low end of the scale they start right around the one million mark.
The current world's most expensive car is the Maybach Exelero. The one-off custom built Maybach was revealed in May 2005 at the Tempodrom in Berlin. The built by Stola in Turin is a one-off vehicle designed to showcase the new high tech performance of the Exelero Tyre range from the leading tyre maker Fulda. These two companies have not teamed up for the first time because way back in 1938 Fulda showed its tyres on a Mayback SW 38 limousine. Now there are to produce the model in the series registered for on-road use. This New Exelero will be limited to just 10 pieces having the cost of $8 to $10million dollars.
12 Maybach Exelero: $8,000,000
Price: $8 millionCountry of Origin: GermanyEngine: V12 twin turbo0-60 mph: 4.4 seconds
The exelero, commissioned by the tyre company Fulda is a chopped-down two-seater coupe. Though it is much more than just a show car. During the tests at the Nardo high-speed oval, the model reached the top speed of 218.38 miles per hour even though it weighed around 2.6 tonnes. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 4.4 seconds. The design of the car is the result of the competition among the students at the Pforzheim Polytechnic Department of Transport Design which has designed the show vehicles for Fulda during the past. The designing of the 24 year old Fredrik Burchhard was selected and the entire work was coordinated with Mayback design centre in Sindelfingen. Basing on the Maybach 57 limousine the project required a certain amount of re-engineering: the A-pillar and the doors were to be shifted backwards and the steering column, the pedals and the gearshift had to be relocated altogether. The benchmark 550- bhp v12 engine was prepared for 5.9 litres and tuned for 700 bhp with over 738 lb ft of torque. The final dimensions which were 5890mm long, 2140mm wide and just 1390 mm high the car was packed with a full-spec interior that included leather, neoprene, aluminium and the carnbonfibre finishes. Rapper Bryan "Birdman" Williams, reportedly spent $8,000,000 on the one-off Maybach Exelero coupe. The rapper has a net worth of $125 million.
11 Bugatti Veyron Supersport: $2,600,000
Price: $2.6 millionCountry of Origin: FranceEngine: 16-cylindars, 1,200hp0-60 mph: 2.4 seconds
The fastest and the second most expensive car is the Bugatti Veyron Supersport – what more is there to know? At a whopping $2.6 million the Bugatti Veyron Supersport is the ultimate Bugatti and a test case of how far the VW engineers can go. By getting 1,200 hp from a quad-turbo 8.0 liter w16 engine and the standard built aerodynamics help it reach to the top speed of 267.81 mph. Plus, unlike a lot of rough-around-the-edges hypercars, the Veyron will keep you in the luxury.
10 Ferrari 599XX: $2,000,000
Price: $2 millionCountry of Origin: ItalyEngine: 700hp V120-60 mph: 2.9 seconds
Have a Ferrari 559 and then turn it into a race only supercar and you get the 599XX. It is being powered by a 700-hp model of the factory V12 engine as there are no turbos or the superchargers here. Moreover you can accelerate to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds. As a follow up to the Ferrari FXX this model was built in a few numbers for the much pampered Ferrari owners who are welcomed to speed drive their cars at the exclusive track events. Here the debate is centered on whether the car has better looks or better sound. Although Ferrari is yet to announce the price but it is rumored to be more than $2 million.
9 Zenvo ST1: $1,800,000
Price: $1.8 millionCountry of Origin: DenmarkEngine: 1,250hp V80-60 mph: 2.9 seconds
Then comes the Zenvo ST1 from Denmark. With the help of this the Danes can add super cars to the litany of things that they are known for which includes Carlsberg beer and the stories narrated by Hans Christian Andersen. It makes 1,250 horsepower with the help of a turbocharged and the supercharged 7.0 liter V8 engine. The cost of this car is 1.8 million and along with it a free $50,000 watch is there for the offing.
8 Koenigsegg Agera R: $1,711,000
Price: $1.7 millionCountry of Origin: SwedenEngine: 1,115hp, 5.0-liter V80-60 mph: 2.9 seconds
Packed with a twin-turbo 5.0 liter V8, the Agera R by Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg produces the horsepower of 1,115 while running on E85 ethanol. Priced around $1.5 million for the usual Agera and if you want to earn a R badge you may have to give an additional $211,000.
7 Lamborghini Reventon $1,600,000
Price: $1.6 millionCountry of Origin: ItalyEngine: 6.5 L (400 cu in) V120-60 mph: 2.9 seconds
The mid-engined sports car, Lamborghini Reventon, which debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor show ranks as one of the most powerful and most expensive Lamborghini cars ever made.
6 Aston Martin One-77: $1,400,000
Price: $1.4 millionCountry of Origin: United KingdomEngine: 750hp, 7.3-liter V120-60 mph: 3.7 seconds
The Aston Martin One-77 which is one of world's full carbon-chassis vehicle which is dramatically styled too. The new crown jewel machine from the well renowned sports car maker is powered by a mammoth 7.3 liter v12 engine generating a 750 Horse Power. It also comes with a not-so-common pushrod suspension mechanism which is very much like the ones used in the Formula 1 cars. The price is fixed at$1.4 million as only 77 have been made and that is why they have earned the name.
5 Maybach Landaulet: $1,400,000
Price: $1.4 millionCountry of Origin: GermanyEngine: 620hp 12-cylindar0-60 mph: 5.2 seconds
The Maybach Landaulet could be a bargain as it is priced at $1.4 million. Because of the fact that it is quite rare and the decision taken by the Mercedeze-Benz, recently, to cut the penultimate luxurious brand it is destined to become a classical and a future Pebble Beach rarity. Designed on the 625 model the Landaulet is energized by a twin-turbo v12 engine generating 543 horse power. Its convertible rear, color-coded cabin and the divided driver and passenger areas make it really original.
4 Pagani Huayra: $1,300,000
Price: $1.3 millionCountry of Origin: ItalyEngine: 700hp Mercedes-Benz-made V120-60 mph: 3.5 seconds
The most well known and yet unpronounceable and giving the appearance of a catfish, the Huayra is the second supercar made by Pagani. Being next in line to the Zonda, which is considered to be the best looking car ever, the Huayra is powered by a 700-hp twin-turbo Mercedes v12 engine and can reach to a top speed of over 230 miles per hour.
3 Hennessey Venom GT: $1,000,000
Price: $1 million (1,200hp edition)Country of Origin: United StatesEngine: 6.2-liter supercharged V80-60 mph: 2.5 seconds
Best known for making twin-turbo dodge vipers and other high tech machines, the Venom GT is the first car built by Hennessey Performance. However it would not be fair enough to call it as an original one as the chassis is being donated and then stretched by Lotus Elise Platform. Giving the car the power is a supercharged 6.2 liter GM sourced V8 engine making 1,200 horse power and is priced at $ 1 million.
2 SSC Tuatara: $970,000
Price: $970,000 (estimated)Country of Origin: United StatesEngine: 1,350hp 6.8-liter V80-60 mph: 2.5 seconds
The SSC Tuatara, which is being priced at $970,000 is a successor to the super sports car Aero. The new model is set to go on sale during 2012. Making about 1350 horse power, its engine is powered by a 7.0 liter twin-turbo V8. It weighs around 2,654 pounds, the SSC proudly says that it is just ahead of the present speed record holder the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport (which is also on the list).
1 Porsche 918 Spyder: $845,000
Price: $845,000Country of Origin: GermanyEngine: 500hp 3.4-liter V8 with three electric motors delivering 218hp0-60 mph: 3.1 seconds
Porsche's upcoming crown leader, the 918 spyder, priced around $845,000 is at the 10th place as it is expected to arrive later this year. It is packed with a powerful v8 engine which generates more than the 500 horse power conjoined with a built in hybrid system which adds up to 218 horse power. Its maker, Porsche, claims a 0-60 miles in just 3.1 seconds at a whopping 78 mpg rating.


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Kalley Armstrong netted two-third period goals against Quinnipiac Saturday (Gil Talbot).
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – In a matchup between the second and third place teams in the ECAC, The No. 10 Harvard women's hockey team (13-8-2, 12-4-2 ECAC) rallied for three unanswered goals in the third period to erase a two-goal deficit against Quinnipiac (18-10-1, 10-8-0 ECAC). Down 2-0 in the third period, the Crimson relied on two goals from Kalley Armstrong to defeat the Bobcats 3-2, earning a 1-1 weekend split.
Two minutes into the final period, Kate Beusser found Kalley Armstrong at the top of the crease for a quick one-timer that Armstrong placed in the top corner to bring the Crimson within one. With the score 2-1, the Crimson turned on the pressure, firing puck after puck on Quinnipiac netminder Victoria Vigilanti. Just three minutes later, the Crimson's intensity paid off again, as Josephine Pucci pounced on the rebound of an Alisa Baumgarter shot to even the score 5:05 into the period. Leanna Coskren also assisted on the goal, Pucci's seventh of the season.
With Kaitlin Spurling providing the feed, Armstrong struck again 9:51 into the period with another one-timer that beat a sliding Vigilanti to ignite the Bright Hockey Center crowd and put Harvard up 3-2. Instead of retreating on the defensive, the Crimson continued its attack until the very end, piling 23 shots to the Bobcats' nine for a lopsided third period, preventing Quinnipiac from pulling Vigilanti for an extra attacker until the final 23 seconds, securing the 3-2 final.
Earlier, Quinnipiac jumped out to a 1-0 lead when national top-five scorer Kelly Babstock wasted little time in the second stanza, picking up a loose puck at the bottom of the circle and beating Laura Bellamy short side just 19 seconds into the period. 6:14 into the second, Quinnipiac's Amanda Colin extended the lead to 2-0 on a power-play opportunity. The play unfolded when Babstock fired a hard lateral pass to Erica Uden Johansson, who quickly sent the puck back to the other side to give Chelsea Illchuk a wide open look. Due to the angle of Illchuk's shot, Bellamy made the initial save, but the rebound bounced back into the net for the Bobcats' second goal. By the time Harvard got off its first shot on goal, Quinnipiac had already racked up nine shots on goal en route to a 10-9 shot advantage in the second period.
The first period was a story of two halves. For the first ten minutes, Harvard started the game strong, producing numerous scoring chances, but three hit posts and the play of Vigilanti, last season's ECAC Goalie of the Year, frustrated the Crimson. Halfway through the period, a string of three Harvard penalties, including two 5-on-3 opportunities for Quinnipiac turned the tide over to the Bobcats, but strong penalty-killing by the Crimson kept the visitors at bay. The first period ended in a scoreless tie, with shots 12-11 in favor of Quinnipiac.
By mustering 32 shots on Harvard, Quinnipiac became the first team to break the 30-shot barrier against the Crimson this season; however, Harvard held the overall edge in shots, 44-32.
Up next, Harvard takes a brief break from conference action to face off against Northeastern in the 33rd annual Beanpot Tournament, hosted by Boston College at Conte Forum. The Crimson begins its title defense Tuesday at 5 p.m.


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Importance of Tulsi Puja - Spiritual and Religious Importance of Tulsi Vivah and Tulsi Shaligram Puja
Tulsi Vivah is an important ritual performed in Kartik month in traditional Hindu calendar. Tulsi Puja festival is the wedding of Tulsi plant to Lord Vishnu in the form of Shaligram. In 2019, the date of Tulsi Vivah pooja on Karthika Shuddha Dwadashi is November 9. The puja is also performed on Ekadashi November 8. And Tulsi Vivah on Purnima is on November 12. Tulsi Vivah is performed by some communities on the Ekadasi day after Amavasya (new moon) in Kartik month and by some communities on the Dev Diwali day or the full moon day in Kartik Month. Each year devotees, organizations, and temples perform this ritual with all pomp and glory of a real wedding.
It must be noted her that the period beginning from Ekadasi (after Amavasya) in Kartik month to Purnima (the full moon day) in Kartik Month is considered auspicious for Tulsi Vivah. Majority of the people perform it on the Ekadasi day or on Purnima day. The ritual is also performed on the day after Ekadasi in many regions. Any day which falls between Prabodhini Ekadasi and Kartik Purnima is considered auspicious to perform the puja.
Tulsi Vivah is an age-old tradition and is mentioned in the Padma Purana and other ancient scriptures. Tulsi, or the Holy Basil, is the sacred plant of the Hindus and symbolizes purity and is famous for its medicinal properties.
Legend has it that a king named Jalandhar got a boon that he will remain immortal as long as his wife Vrinda is chaste (Pati Vrat). This made King Jalandhar arrogant and he declared war on other kings, demi gods and started tormenting innocent people.
Finally, the task of annihilating King Jalandhar fell on Lord Vishnu.
Lord Vishnu in the guise of Jalandhar approached Vrinda and she mistook him for her husband. They lived like husband and wife. Soon Jalandhar was killed in a battle. This made Vrinda furious and she cursed Vishnu and made him turn to Shaligram.
Lord Vishnu did not let Vrinda suffer for no fault of her. She was turned into a Tulsi plant and gave her the boon that she will find a place in all houses and she will be worshiped. Tulsi Vivah is performed to establish this divine relationship between Lord Vishnu and Vrinda.
The festival of Tulsi Vivah is also the precursor to the annual marriage season in
North India. Performing it is considered highly auspicious and good for couples. Popular belief is that performing the wedding ceremony of marrying Tulsi to Vishnu considering her as their daughter is equal to performing Kanyadan.