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Rosewater Shortbread Cookies
5 days ago
When in the course of human events it becomes necessary to shamelessly self-promote, and to strengthen the bands which connect one with the Internet, a decent respect to the opinions of Humankind requires that one declare the causes which impel one to the blogitation.
the 1010 project, mountain, climbing, africa, kenya, mt. longonot, longonot
poverty, the 1010 project, africa, kenya, mark mann, twitter

subset: commoncrawl


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This chair for tikes is the creation of the boardgames crew on Etsy.
From their site:
Custom made from a skateboard deck, this is a chair for tiny rippers just learning to sit.
The deck was a reject from the shop, so it was never skated and still has that sort of new look.
[via Unconsumption]


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pitservice needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 123 designs submitted by 16 freelance designers.
Knoth GmbH
We are a contract manufacturer and produce turning pieces (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning).
The process works as follows: The customer sends us a technical sketch, we produce the parts according to the specification and ship it to the customer. We use all kinds of metals/ aluminum for the production. Our goal is to provide everything from a single source for our customers (i.e., production, surface treatment, and assembly of modules, as well as delivery).
About our company: We are a >60 year old family-run enterprise in the third generation.
Target group: With this web design, we would like to attract purchasers from industrial corporations to become our customer. Therefore, this page should attract their attention and stick-out from the competition.
We are looking for a clean, well-structured and rather minimalistic design. We are open to all kind of proposals. So, do not restrict yourself to our thought mentioned below.
Here are some ideas of ours:
HEADER and BODY:
- It should become clear at the first glance what we do/ produce. So we thought of some catchy element reflecting our work
- there should be an area with some text and with a heading (e.g., 5-10 lines) describing who we are and what we do
- Our services/ products/ USP (Unique selling point) should be represented by some images in a tile look-and-feel.
- We would also appreciate a layout for a list which expands when a user clicks on it and a layout for a sub-menu which is displayed when there are some sub-pages
- A small section for recent news. News should be a headline and maybe one sentence, or just a headline. It should NOT be the classical news feed (incl. date and time it was published), just some section with recent changes within the company (e.g., new machine, jubilee, new ISO certificate)
- The ISO 9001 logo should be placed on the website that it is visible at a first glance and it should also be visible on sub-pages
- The layout should also adapt for mobile devices
FOOTER: Contact information (incl. icons for telephone, fax, e-mail, and address), Sitemap, Imprint, Call back form (2 field: (1) Name, (2) Telephone, submit)
SITE STRUCTURE (Preliminary):
- Home
- About us
o Philosophy
o History
- Services
o Turning workpieces
o Surface treatment
o Delivery
- Contact
See general description above.
In case of any questions, feel free to contact us!
We will provide you with pictures we have taken from some parts that were produced by us.
Feel free to use them as an inspiration.
In case of any questions, feel free to contact us!


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Product Information
The Motif ES Metal Bits Drum Kit is 5MB and ships with 74 Stereo Samples from the Motif ES Metal Bits Drum Kit.
The Motif ES Metal Bits Drum Kit is pre-programmed with 2 program files to load with the Akai MPC 500, Akai MPC 1000, Akai MPC 2000/XL, Akai MPC 2500, Akai MPC 3000, Akai MPC 4000, Roland MV 8000, Reason Refills, Korg Triton, Creamware STS Sampler and can be imported into the Roland Fantom Series Keyboards and the Roland MC-909 (with additional RAM installed).
When choosing the Wav format, the patch files to Native Instruments Battery, Kontakt, Apple Logic EXS 24 .exs, Steinberg Halion are included.
Try Free Motif Samples and test them for yourself – Just choose the hardware or software sampler you need them preprogrammed for!


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FARMINGTON — Greetings and a good day to you all who are members or supporters of the activities that happen in the small brick building with a big heart, otherwise named the American Legion Hall of Farmington, NH.
This small building is the home of: The Clarence L. Perkins American Legion and Auxiliary; The Sons of American Legion, Squad 60; Chapter 23 of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and Auxiliary (DAVA) and the only Woman's Relief Corp. left in New Hampshire which is the Carlton Woman's Relief Corp. 18. So we have much to be proud of and we are able to work together and accomplish much in the way of supporting our veterans of today and yesterday.
The month of November is right around the corner with many activities happening as our month starts off with our ham and bean supper on Saturday, Nov. 3, with the doors opening at 4 p.m. and supper continuing to 6 p.m., with ham, two kinds of home-made beans (pea and kidney), potato salad, coleslaw, biscuits, beverages and dessert for the small cost of only $7. Children under 12 are only $3.50 so bring them along and enjoy a really good meal at a really great price.
Our meetings start with our American Legion and Auxiliary meetings on Tuesday, Nov. 6, starting at 7 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day and we will be holding our annual Veterans Day Dinner with the doors opening at 3 p.m. and a complete corned beef dinner will be served free of charge to our Farmington veterans at 5 p.m.
Now before the meal can be served we are expecting our men force from our veterans groups to show with sharpened knives and peelers at 9 a.m., to peel, slice and dice the many vegetables that need to be prepared for this annual event.
The tables will be set up at 10 a.m., and all will be ready to have those who attend ready for that evening's program and dinner, again remember that the dinner is served at 5 p.m. and is free to all of our veterans and spouses who wish to attend. You do not need to be a member of our veterans' group, but are encouraged to attend and let us say thank you for what you have done, by serving in our armed forces.
I need to repeat some information that came my way to you in the hope that someone in need may benefit from this:
A Little-Known Benefit for Aging Veterans
By SUSAN SELIGER
Here's a riddle: When is a government benefit that pays for caregivers, assisted living and a nursing home not a benefit? When hardly any people know they're entitled to it.
That seems to be the story with a Department of Veterans Affairs benefit called the Aid and Attendance and Housebound Improved Pension benefit, known as A&A, which can cover the costs of caregivers in the home (including sons and daughters who are paid to be caregivers, though not spouses) or be used for assisted living or a nursing home.
The benefit is not insignificant: up to $2,019 monthly for a veteran and spouse, and up to $1,094 for the widow of a veteran.
Surprised that you've never heard of it? You're not alone.
"It's probably one of the lesser-known benefits," said Randal Noller, a Veterans Affairs spokesman in Washington. Of the 1.7 million World War II veterans alive as of 2011, who were in need of caregiving assistance and thus eligible, only 38,076 veterans and 38,685 surviving spouses were granted the A&A benefit that year, according to Mr. Noller.
Mr. Noller is not the first to acknowledge A&A is a well-kept secret. Jim Nicholson, former secretary of Veterans Affairs, said in a December 2006 news release that "not everyone is aware of his or her potential eligibility" for the program, which he called an "underused" benefit.
Not much has changed. A search of the Veterans Affairs Web site for evidence of public information efforts in the six years since came up blank.
It may take some effort to find someone who knows of this but well worth the effort, don't wait, like everything good it takes time.
Until next time keep all of our veterans in your heart and prayers, young or old they all need your attention. God bless you all and take care.
Veterans' Corner
FARMINGTON — Greetings and a good day to you all who are members or supporters of the activities that happen in the small brick building with a big heart, otherwise named the American Legion Hall of Farmington, NH.


text: Gimp2 0 Posted April 28, 2012 So, we have the rules for Operation Zverograd, and I'm feeling nervous. Part of it is due to the disappointment I found in Warfare, but we're getting some things I'm not liking the look of with Zverograd. People had major complaints about Black Ops giving the Allies a 64/36% chance to win initiative over the Axis, and now Zverograd gives us Legendary Tactician, where Legendary Tactician wins initiative over Black Ops 77/23% and against normal initiative 87/13% of the time. I don't want to think about a force with both Black Ops and Legendary Tactician, so hopefully the Allies don't get any heroes with it. We saw the aircraft rules before, and I still don't like the complete line of sight and limited range of 6 for firing at aircraft. While not all AA weapons in Tactics were capable of shooting down a B-17, there are some that would be able to, and presumably none of the aircraft for Tactics are going to be flying that high, anyway. It also adds the problem of vehicles not being restricted range for shooting at ground targets, but ground targets having a severe handicap for larger games with so few units capable of AA fire. Aircarft firing at each other will also be odd, as they'll be firing at aircraft, and so be restricted to the same limited range. When we're dealing with helicopters, especially, it's silly to say they can see evey inch of the battlefield, and that they can't fly close to the Earth to screen their approach with terrain. If a regular plane is flying high enough to effectively see every spot on thebattlefield well enough to eliminate all dead zones, they're flying high enough the only way they'll affect the battlefield is by dropping bombs that would only hit moving targets by sheer dumb luck. I really don't expect to see B-17's on the Tactics battlefield, because high altitude bombers are not capable of doing tactical precision work. Advanced deployment destroys the balance of some of the published scenarios that earlier new units threatened significantly. People have had fun running in local leagues that used the published campaigns for competitive games, but that can't work when new units break the balance. I'm curious to see what skills the commissars bring to the table. A squad of characters will be interesting so long as they don't layer too many special abilities into them. The Pilot: Skills and Ace Pilot give some interesting ways of dealing with heroes in walkers, as they can have good utility in a walker, but not fielded separately where they might unbalance a unit. Air Superiority sounds fun, except I don't like its interaction with the limited range for ground based AA fire. It could easily pave the way to having effectively required units to offset air asset capabilities that should have been offset by ground based AA fire. Combine Shot I don't like. While the rules structure makes two attacks better than one, extending the range is simply adding a special rule for no reason but to have a special rule. Two weapons firing tigether will never extend the range of either weapon, so it becomes a silly rule when there's no reason for it. Thinking about it, so long as it is limited to flamethrowers, it could have some justification that could work. Firing both flamethrowers limits the pressure the vehicles can put behind the fuel, and hence the range. If only one weapon is fired, the added pressure allows the vehicle to fire further. That would give a logical reason for the rule, rather than having a rule that makes no sense. Fighting Spirit is still a very dangerous proposition, though it's good to see it limited to once per game. Even with that, however, it should come with a very hefty point cost for the heroes that have it. Take Aim could be very nice, or very broken, depending on the hero that has it. Working as your own observer for a sniper would be very cool. Someone like Lara with the same ability would be very broken without a ridiculous point cost. Overall, I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out with Zverograd. I have some trepidation after the Warfare fiasco, and there are certainly things I'm likely to house rule (ex: ground AA fire), but I'll wait to see. Warfare didn't ruin Tactics for me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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There are several words that describe a despicable old fool like Donald Sterling.
Most are best left to the imagination. And, being short guttural words, none are fit for this printed publication.
Well before the elderly fat man was allegedly caught on tape by a woman who wouldn't give him a second glance if his pockets weren't bulging with dollar bills, Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, had a long and well-documented history of racial animus toward minorities.
Court documents on file all over Los Angeles County contain the proof. Former Clippers executive Elgin Baylor once said he thought Sterling had a "plantation mentality."
In a court deposition, Baylor said Sterling told him, "Personally, I would like to have a white Southern coach coaching poor black players."
Other documents in other cases quote Sterling explaining why he didn't like blacks or Latinos. The documents highlight the pathetic sort of illogic that has for generations informed this country's small-minded bigots.
So, according to the courts and TMZ, Donald Sterling is quite possibly an unrepentant and lecherous creep who may have been caught on tape espousing his belief that minorities have no dignity and are nothing more than chattel or property.
That the NAACP was about to honor him for any reason is truly a head-scratcher. That anyone could defend such unenlightened behavior is beyond the pale.
I think the fact that so many sponsors severed ties with the Clippers says a lot about what society won't tolerate. By the way, I don't believe NBA commissioner Adam Silver is going to fix this situation in the immediate future. He's probably hoping Golden State takes the Clippers out of the playoff picture and takes the heat off the need for immediate action.
But what is a fan to do?
If you bought a ticket, you've already put money in Sterling's pockets. The NBA, TNT or ESPN and everyone else who collected on the back end ain't going to pay it back if you don't show. Face it, the only people that lose in the entire equation are the fans. The fans who paid for Clippers gear, the fans who paid for Clippers tickets and cable TV subscriptions are rubes and suckers who have no power to change the course of events.
But the public needs to take a stand against hateful bigots in power, their wrong-headed world view and all they stand for.
Doubtless the controversy has taken a toll on the team. For sure coach Doc Rivers sounded weary Monday.
"These last 48 hours or more have been really hard for our players and for everyone," Rivers said. "Today I had a meeting with people in our organization because I just felt they needed to hear a voice as well … They didn't sign on for this but they're a part of this. They're upset at this but they're going to hang in there."
I think the fans can help.
Here's my solution.
Got Clippers gear? Wear it inside out.
And, if you've paid for a ticket to Tuesday's game, don't boycott, show up. Post a picture of yourself on Instagram. #NoFoolLikeAnOldFool
Los Angeles is bigger and better than the jerks and cynical hucksters like Donald Sterling. We need to be proud of who we are. And the Clippers players, who did nothing to deserve the scorn rightfully reserved for their low-class and boorish boss, need to know that the fans support them — not HIM.
I think some of that is getting through to Rivers at least.
"From our fans' standpoint, being here for the past 10 hours since we landed, they've been amazing. We need them. I can tell you that. We need unbelievable support right now from other people and we're hoping we get that tomorrow."
Frank Girardot is senior editor for the San Gabriel Valley News Group and author of "Name Dropper: Investigating the Clark Rockefeller Mystery. Follow him @FrankGirardot on Twitter, Instagram and at Facebook.com/CrimeSceneBlog


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Our yard signs are printed with an ink that's weather resistant, meaning you can keep them out in the sun longer without having to worry about fading. These are the single most popular choice for modern signage, and they live up to their reputation with easy installation, cost efficiency and a meterial quality made for outdoor and indoor use.
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Designed to soothe heal and renew skin's healthy glow with "Manuka honey" from new Zealand. Enjoy an invigorating facial that exfoliates and hydrates. A great pick me up before any occasion! 35-40 min.
The ideal choice to improve acne and breakout-prone skin.an intense treatment with anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits. bring fresh new clarity to your face...45min
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Discover the fountain of youth this facial includes an elixir of antioxidants, vitamins and rejuvenating serums to brighten complexion and reveal a youthful texture! say hello to a brand new you! 45-55min.
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This facial will address and alleviate ingrown hairs, clogged pores discoloration and wear and tear due to shaving and the lack of a consistent skin care routine... 45-50min.
These chemical peels are formulated for all skin types and are an exceptional choice for ethnic skin. They are highly effective even on the most sensitive skin. Includes a post treatment skin care kit. 40-50min (ask about discount packages and specials)
This body peel will help to even and brighten the skin. An excellent choice for treating arms, legs, back chest, hands, feet and even the buttocks!


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Flashback: Mac Security Holed by Java
The Macintosh operating system has long basked in a reputation for invincibility. Mac users routinely advised their virus-stricken friends to switch from Windows to Mac. Experts know otherwise; Apple has been forced to patch plenty of security vulnerabilities in MacOS.
However, the Flashback attack that affected over half a million Macs isn't specifically a MacOS attack. Rather, as Chris Valasek, Senior Security Researcher at Coverity, explained, it totally relies on vulnerabilities in Java.
"Unlike a handful of other Mac malware, Flashback does not require the user to click an actual executable file," said Valasek. He pointed out three Java vulnerabilities that let Flashback do its dirty work.
- CVE-2011-3544 "allows remote untrusted Java Web Start applications and untrusted Java applets to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability."
- CVE-2008-5353 "allows remote attackers to run untrusted applets and applications in a privileged context."
- CVE-2012-0507 doesn't have an official description, as it is still under investigation, but it is Java-specific.
"Not only are they all Java vulnerabilities, but they're not your typical 'memory corruption' vulnerabilities," said Valasek. "Memory corruption vulnerabilities usually require some very application- or OS-specific information to execute code on a remote machine. These Java vulnerabilities, on the other hand, only require executing Java code or providing a pre-compiled executable."
Worse yet, these aren't new problems. Valasek noted that "all of these vulnerabilities have had public exploits available for a while. This means that the malicious attackers didn't have to spend the time writing their own exploits."
Like Kaspersky's Roel Schouwenberg, Valasek chastised Apple for its slow response. "All of these vulnerabilities are patched in the Windows version of Java. Unfortunately, Mac typically is a few weeks behind with Java patches. This leaves OSX users vulnerable to known, patched vulnerabilities for quite some time after public disclosure. Imagine having to wait 2 months for Windows Update to have the correct patches."
"It's not that Mac has ever been virus 'bullet proof'," Valasek continued. "The malware... was just behind the times when compared to Windows. Now that the malware is being distributed via the browser through exploits derived from public examples, they tend to be on par with the Windows world (of malware)."
"Welcome to the club OSX, it's nice to meet you," he concluded.
Apple did finally issue patches for these vulnerabilities last week. Just yesterday they announced that a detection and removal tool for Flashback is in the works, without specifying a release date. If Apple's security team doesn't start addressing flaws more expeditiously, they risk losing what's left of MacOS's reputation for security.
For more from Neil, follow him on Twitter @neiljrubenking.


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Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The Bayou
Posted by Rot at 12:50 PM
Labels: bayou, cemetery, halloweenforum.com, lighting, water, yard haunt, yard haunts
6 comments:
- GoneferalinID said...
Is that a temporary water feature I see? That's pretty interesting.
- October 27, 2010 at 2:53 PM
- Jay's Shadow said...
Now all they need is to get some chilled fog on that water.
- October 27, 2010 at 5:29 PM
- Pam Morris said...
and the ol' witch jars lend a perfect finishing touch to this haunt!
- October 27, 2010 at 6:28 PM
- Der Krampus said...
a temporary water feature now, a skating rink in the winter...very clever multi-tasking indeed! and it looks damn cool!
- October 27, 2010 at 9:01 PM
- GoneferalinID said...
Jay, I deffototes agree to that!
- October 28, 2010 at 11:53 PM
- Kitty said...
I think the only thing I'd change would be to make those red spotlights on the house green and blue to give it more of a proper "bayou" color scheme. The little orange lantern jars on the walkway would stand out more against a cooler colored backdrop. And yes, there must be fog! :D
- October 29, 2010 at 6:55 PM
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January 24, 2013
New leadership teams elected on Shared Governance
The Shared Governance Policy Council and four standing committees have elected their 2012-2013 leadership teams.
Heading the Policy Council are Susan DiFrancesco, chair, Jill Cadotte, vice chair, and Ellen Stadler, minute recorder. "I am pleased to have been chosen," said DiFrancesco. "I have been a participant in Governance since the beginning and I like to serve because it helps keep the big picture in mind for me and others."
The Student Support Committee is led by Kellie Brennan, chair, Thomas Duffy, vice chair and Rachel Brooks-Pannell, minute recorder. Fiscal Resources and Facilities Committee includes Dan Zieler, chair, Jeff Akers, vice chair and Laurie Johns, minute recorder.
Directing the Human Capacity Development Committee are Karen Fabritius, chair, Sandy Drakatos, vice chair, and Deborah Bertsch, minute recorder. Christina Stillion chairs the Technology Committee along with Mary Reiter, vice chair, and Tom Lyons, minute recorder.
Darrell Minor will represent the Office of Academic Affairs Committee co-chairs, and Karen Muir will represent the Office of Academic Affairs.
Keep in touch with your elected representatives on their new website. If you have any questions, please contact Cathy Hatfield, Governance coordinator, at ext. 3903.
Great Decisions lunch series kicks off Feb. 7
Great Decisions is America's largest discussion program on world affairs. The Great Decisions program highlights eight of the most thought-provoking foreign policy challenges facing Americans each year. Group participants submit their opinions to the Foreign Policy Association which then presents final information to the White House, the departments of State and Defense, members of Congress and the national media.
Columbus State's Great Decisions lunch series will kick off on Thursday, February 7 with a discussion on "The Future of the Euro." The briefing books for the series have arrived and there are a few spots open for participants. For more information, or to reserve your spot, contact Vanessa Kumar in the Office of Diversity and Study Abroad.
2013 topics and calendar:
February 7- 12:30-1:30pm- Future of the Euro
February 14: 12:30-1:30pm- Egypt
February 28: 12:30-1:30pm- NATO
March 7: 12:30-1:30pm- Myanmar and Southeast Asia
March 21: 12:30 – 1:30pm- Humanitarian Intervention
April 4: 12:30-1:30pm- Iran
April 18: 12:30-1:30pm- China in Africa
May 2: 12:30-1:30pm- Threat Assessment
Proctors needed for Survey of Student Engagement
The second round of the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) is set for March 25 to April 15. The survey asks students about their experiences—how they spend their time; what they feel they have gained from their classes; how they assess their relationships with faculty, counselors, peers, and more. The results from Columbus State's 2010 survey are here.
Approximately 100 proctors are needed to pick up, administer and return surveys to the designated office. The time commitment is approximately two hours per survey. Faculty members are welcome to serve as proctors, but not for their own class.
"CCSSE is a national survey," says Greg Goodhart, CCSSE campus coordinator. "This allows us to compare our results with other large community colleges. This benchmarking will assist us in our continuous quality improvement efforts and in our accreditation process."
To volunteer as a CCSSE proctor, contact Laurie Johns at ext. 287-5998.
More survey news: Columbus State will also participate in the Community College Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (CCFSSE). This is a parallel survey to the student survey and in some cases, faculty will have the opportunity to answer the same questions posed to students. It will be interesting to compare the perspectives of faculty and students on the same topic. During spring semester, faculty will be sent an email to participate in the online CCFSSE.
Cougar Basketball teams aim for tournaments
Both Columbus State basketball teams have briefly cracked Top-20 national junior college rankings as they aim for end-of-season tourneys. Catch up with Coach Pat Carlisle and Coach Joel Renner in this video produced earlier this week.
The Human Performance Center (HPC) invites all employees to attend their Spring Semester series of Wellness Seminars. They are free and open to everyone. The schedule is:
What is Clean Eating? - Wednesday, February 27, at 1:00 p.m. in the HPC (lower level, DE)
Body Composition vs. Body Weight: Which is more important? - Wednesday, March 27 at 12:00 p.m. in Delaware Hall Room 080
How to Get the Most out of Your Physical Activity – Wednesday, April 24 at 12:00 p.m. in Delaware Hall Room 080
W-2s now available online
Columbus State employees' W-2s for 2012 are now available online. Through ADP, the college's W-2 provider, you may access to your W-2 forms at any time. A hard copy has been mailed to employees' home address.
If you have previously registered to get your W-2 online, go to https://w2.adp.com to retrieve your 2012 form. If you are a first-time user, you will need to register. Please refer to following link for instructions on how to register:
Future Cities competition reveals future of engineering and design
Columbus State hosted the 2013 Future Cities Ohio Regional Competition for the second year in a row January 19 in the Conference Center. The competition celebrates National Engineers Week, and this year's theme for the young teams to study was Storm Water Runoff.
Participants are 7th- and 8th- grade students, who work on the project all fall. Their efforts include writing an essay, using SIMM 4 software to design a city of the future, building scale models with moving parts using less than $100 of recycled materials, and presenting the final project to industry members at this competition. The national event provides a glimpse into the future of engineering, design, and execution.
Sponsors this year included Columbus State, CH2M Hill, PPG Industries, Xylem, The Ohio Environmental Education Fund, AIA Columbus, AutoTools, the Ohio EPA, and M-E Companies. Additional sponsors presented more than a dozen specialty awards from Sustainability and Design, to Most Holistic City. The 2013 winner was the team from Heritage Middle School in Westerville, who will be going on to the National Competition in Washington D.C. later in the year.
Professor Jeff Bates, Ph.D., mentored a team from Johnstown in their first try at the competition this year. Adjunct faculty Deb Knapke and Assistant Professor Margaret Owens, Ph.D., enjoyed judging each model and presentation. Associate Professor Dean Bortz conducted guided campus tours and also served as a final round judge, where the top five schools had a final opportunity to present in front of all the competitors and their families. Sue McLaren, enrollment specialist, and adjunct faculty Doug Shrake, also assisted with volunteer work and judging. Paul Boaz and his crew at the Columbus State Conference Center once again outdid themselves to host the event.
Mark your calendars for January 25, 2014 for the next Future Cities Ohio Regional Competition at Columbus State!
MindLeaders online training is available to employees
MindLeaders online training courses are available to all current Columbus State employees, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You control the pace and learn quickly or take your time. You can focus on what you need and skip what you know. Some topics that are available include:
Word 2007
Excel 2007
Leadership (Video)
Management (Video)
Managing Within the Law (Video)
Self- Management (Videos)
Project Management Series
Within each topic area there are up to 20 different modules. Current Columbus State employees can access the online courses using a Novell username and password from any campus computer or from your home computer. Access the courses here: http://iti.cscc.edu/mindleaders.html. If you have any questions or would like to know more please contact Lori McKenzie.
Return mail envelopes to change
The U.S. Postal Service has changed the regulations for the design of Business Reply Mail envelopes. The old envelopes had a barcode at the bottom right corner of the envelope. The currently approved envelopes will have the barcode placed in the middle of the envelope above the address. Please call Eric Johnson in Office Services at ext. 2568 for more information.
Bad envelope:


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Our Commitment to Privacy
William Lyon Homes (referred to as "us," "we," and "our") is committed to safeguarding your privacy online. We respect the confidentiality of personal information we collect from visitors to this Web site. Any personal information collected through our website is voluntarily given by visitors to the website in order to obtain information about our homes or to request warranty service. The information provided is accessible only by designated staff or agents of our organization who will respond to your request. It is important to recognize that "perfect security" does not exist on the Internet. This statement is provided to clarify our commitment to protecting the security of the personal information you provide.
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Use of this Web site is voluntary. William Lyon Homes has established terms, guidelines and policies related to use of the Web site that are intended to make it useful and safe. When you decide to enter and use the Web site you agree that such terms, guidelines and policies apply to your use of the Web site.
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You agree by your use of this Website to all of the following: All information contained within this Website is preliminary and subject to change without notice to you. For example, architectural styles may differ from those shown, price ranges may increase or decrease, community facilities may change from those planned for a neighborhood and area amenities will vary and are outside of William Lyon Homes' control. In addition, William Lyon Homes reserves the right to change product, design specifications, materials and terms without prior notice. Product type including floorplans, architectural elevations and lot locations, is subject to availability. Optional features may be included at additional cost, and are subject to availability and construction cutoff dates. All square footage representations are approximate and can vary by architectural and elevation differences within like floorplans or by the method of measurement. Many architectural elements, such as window placement and porches, may vary according to the exterior elevation of the home. Some of these variances may also contribute to minor variations in square footage. Numerous items in and around the model homes are upgraded and are not included in the purchase price. All maps, plans, landscaping and elevation renderings are artist conceptions, are not to scale and are not intended to be an actual depiction of the buildings, fencing, walks, driveways or landscaping. Completion and submission of the interest list for a particular neighborhood is not a guarantee of any priority for purchasing a home in that neighborhood. No representations, warranties or guarantees are made with respect to the timing for opening sales in any neighborhood or the prices at which homes will eventually be sold. This Website is provided by William Lyon Homes on an "as is" basis. William Lyon Homes makes no representations, warranties or guarantees of any kind, express or implied, as to the operation of the Website, or the accuracy of the information, content, materials or products included on this Website or whether such information is up to date. The purchase agreement for a particular home contains the terms and conditions of the purchase and supersedes any and all information on this Website. To the full extent permissible by applicable federal and state laws, William Lyon Homes disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including without limitation, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. William Lyon Homes will not be liable for damages of any kind arising from the use of this Website, including without limitation, direct, indirect, incidental, punitive and consequential damages.
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I enjoy telling people's stories. I used to be a songwriter for that reason. Then, I found visual storytelling. In the spring on 2012 I started volunteering on the camera crew at Trinity Fellowship. I found this kind of work exciting, rewarding, and something that I could be passionate about. Thanks to all the friends that I've met and the people who have helped me learn the ropes, I am now a full-time freelance videographer and cinematographer. I love my job. And, it usually shows when I am working. One day I may be working on a business's commercial. And the next day I may be working on a large film set or documentary. I have been called a "swiss army knife" because of my versatility and eclectic skill set. I keep doing this because I love to know people and their stories. That's what keeps me coming back.
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on June 20, 2017
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A deep appreciation for ergonomics is at the core of Humanscale.
Ergonomics is the study of how to improve efficiency and comfort in a work place. Correct ergonomic design helps to reduce discomfort at work, which increases job satisfaction, productivity and well-being – and reduces costs to the organization in the long run.
All of Humanscale's work tools were created to be intuitive and adjust effortlessly to the user. We consult with our team of in-house ergonomists on every project to ensure our products are the most comfortable available.
Please use the links below to find out more about our Humanscale Consulting Services and read some advice from our experts on how to use ergonomics to create a more comfortable place to work:


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Strider remake a welcome blast of nostalgia (review)
I took a spin through Double Helix Games' reboot of the 1989 classic arcade side-scroller Strider. As I stepped into the reimagined world of one of Capcom's most iconic franchises, I found a frenzy of bullet-reflecting, missile-dodging, death-defying platforming that was a welcome throwback to my formative years as a gamer on the SNES.
It's not surprising that Strider's rebirth works so well. Double Helix Games is the same group behind the acclaimed Killer Instinct reboot on Xbox One.
Now, in conjunction with Strider's original developer, Capcom, Double Helix Games has managed to create an experience that goes beyond the routine hack and slash. Available for download (on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3 and PC), Strider is a must-play for gamers past and present.
Strider is the story of lone wolf ninja Hiryu, the youngest recruit to ever attain the special-A rank in the grueling Strider program. Hiryu's struggle takes place in the futuristic, dystopian metropolis of Kazakh City, where he seeks to assassinate Grand Master Meio, who rules with an iron fist.
But plot matters little. Strider is all about the action.


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It's that time of the week. Picks time. It's also do-or-you-know-what time for several NFL teams, or they won't be playing football in January.
The intense race for the playoffs is in full gear. Check out the latest situation in the postseason chase. More ...
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers find themselves in must-win territory after dropping two straight. Another loss, and the Buccaneers' conference record will fall to 3-6, destroying their hopes in most tiebreaking scenarios. The Minnesota Vikings desperately need to win, or they're done, too. The St. Louis Rams play at the Buffalo Bills with scant postseason hopes on the line. The Dallas Cowboys could really use a win, but thanks to the New York Giants' loss on Monday night, the Cowboys are still only a game back in the NFC East. Ditto the Washington Redskins.
Yep, it's that time of year. But before we get to it, we have some accounting to address ...
@harrison_nfl hit the Browns vs Raiders game right on! Is that five weeks in a row?— Michael Cason-Barnes (@MikeBruh19XX) December 3, 2012
Believe it or not, I've gotten at least one score dead nuts in each of the last five picks columns. I don't know what to say, other than GET TO THE CHOPPAH!!!
Until then, let's delve into some picks. If you've got a quarrel, bring it to @Harrison_NFL ...
Elliot Harrison went 10-6 on his predictions for Week 13, giving him a 100-43-1 record since taking over this space in Week 4. How will he fare in Week 14? His picks are below, with home teams listed second:
Intense lobbying withing factions of NFL.com has forced me to change my prediction to the Bills. I don't like it, and you shouldn't either, but if you're worried about your hack withering under a storm of Bills-related criticism, you should be more concerned about Sam Bradford's performance on the road. The Rams' defensive line has played great in St. Louis, but the road, it's been a different story. Nonetheless, the unit presents an issue for a Bills front five that's been hit-or-miss and is devoid of blue-chip players. A key question will be how much C.J. Spiller plays, and how effective he can be if -- once again -- his touches are limited. #STLvsBUF
Matt Ryan has been lights-out on the road in 2012, and even though he's had his struggles the past few weeks, I anticipate he will be solid in Bank of America Stadium. Will he go for 369 yards like he did in the Atlanta Falcons' first meeting with the Carolina Panthers? No. Carolina's pass defense is eighth in the NFL and has played relatively well. The run defense, however, is a problem. Jamaal Charles went for 127 yards last week, and Bryce Brown piled up 178 the week prior. This should be a good game for Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers. #ATLvsCAR
Some interconference games are yawners, and some are not. This would fall under the cool category, especially when you look at the matchups. The red-hot Tony Romo faces a Cincinnati Bengals defense that has been playing well for a month, especially in the secondary. Cincy also leads the NFL in sacks. Meanwhile, Andy Dalton had been on a roll before tossing two interceptions in San Diego. He'll face two very talented corners who have been slumping of late in Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne. Speaking of which, the whole Dallas Cowboys defense has struggled without either of its starting inside linebackers. Will BenJarvus Green-Ellis make it four straight games with 100 yards? No. #DALvsCIN
The Cleveland Browns win a battle of attrition in the Brady Quinn Bowl. Speaking of Quinn, his and Matt Cassel's seasons were completely flushable until Brady balled out versus the Panthers last Sunday. Can the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback repeat his stellar 19-for-23, two-touchdown performance? He'll have to, because the Browns have played much better defense as of late, not to mention the fact that they're at home. Cleveland has allowed opposing quarterbacks less than 200 yards passing in four of the past six games. Carson Palmer put up 351 on them last week, but had just 17 points to show for it (seven of which were meaningless garbage points, commonly known as "Raider points"). #KCvsCLE
Can Jake Locker give the Tennessee Titans some return on investment? That's the question as Tennessee plays out the string. That's what's going down in Nashville these days. At 4-8, the Titans are merely hoping to develop their young quarterback, as well as some other young players, like first-round pick Kendall Wright. On Sunday, Locker will face what his organization would like him to be: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. The Titans have allowed opposing quarterbacks to post a 101.2 passer rating. That's great, because it's not like Luck has been that effective at home (except he has). I'd say a 5-1 record with nine touchdowns and three interceptions constitutes "effective." #TENvsIND
And you thought Cardinals-Jets was ugly ... The Greg McElroy experiment? Don't get your hopes up. Mark Sanchez -- despite doing absolutely nothing to earn it -- will get the call in Jacksonville. Luckily for loyal New York Jets fans, the Jacksonville Jaguars' offense will stall against the NFL's 10th-ranked defense. Rex Ryan should make it easy for his beleaguered quarterback by running the football early and often versus the league's 31st-ranked defense in that department (144.0 yards per game allowed). Now, watch Sanchez throw for 339 yards and three touchdowns. Good grief. #NYJvsJAC
I like the Chicago Bears on the road this week. They have to be sick to their stomachs over last Sunday's home loss to a Seattle Seahawks team that simply showed more heart. Brandon Marshall presents a big matchup problem for the entire Minnesota Vikings secondary. Last time out versus the Vikes, he caught 12 balls -- with six going for first downs -- in a Bears win. And wouldn't you know it, little Robbie Gould has dominated the Vikings in their own place, hitting all 13 of his career field-goal attempts in Minnesota while making 20 of his last 21 field-goal attempts indoors. #SolidGould (That was awful.) #CHIvsMIN
For the second consecutive week, the Pittsburgh Steelers need just 23 to win. The San Diego Chargers' defense has, for the most part, kept the club in games. The key here will be how that unit fares on first downs versus Jonathan Dwyer and the Steelers' run game. Provided a potentially less-than-100-percent Ben Roethlisberger isn't faced with anything much tougher than third-and-manageables, the Steelers should prevail. In case you're wondering, the Chargers' run defense on first down is ranked seventh in the NFL (4.06 yards per carry). I just looked it up because I felt you wanted to know. You needed to know. The Steelers must utilize play action and rollouts occasionally on the all-important down to keep San Diego honest. Or they can just wait for two Philip Rivers picks. #SDvsPIT
It's on you, Nick Foles. Trailing 24-20, I see the Philadelphia Eagles engineering an end-of-the-game drive before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers get a pick-six to seal the deal. The much-harassed Bucs secondary has allowed 52 pass plays of 20-plus yards -- the most in the NFC. But don't expect Bryce Brown to run wild, as Tampa's run defense is the best in the NFL (82.3 yards per game). Don't worry, he'll still fumble. Bucs win. #PHIvsTB
For the second straight week, I'm predicting a high-scoring game, and for the second straight week, I'm picking the Washington Redskins to lose a close one. But I'm teetering. You can mount a case for either team. Ray Rice is the best player on the field. The Baltimore Ravens' defense, however, will have trouble with the Redskins' formations and Robert Griffin III's versatility. So, I ask you, Baltimore and Washington fans, who wins the I-95 fight? (Which I hope is better than I, Robot.) @Harrison_NFL is the dropbox. #BALvsWAS
In what amounts to a defensive struggle, the San Francisco 49ers get a pick-six and a fumble-return score to get over the 20-point mark in the second half. Colin Kaepernick and his offensive brethren know they did not do enough to win the game in St. Louis last week, and I fully anticipate the second-year quarterback ripping off another long run like that 50-yard scamper versus the Rams. Ryan Tannehill has to play smart while being extremely accurate in the short passing game -- that's where the Miami Dolphins could do some damage and get Reggie Bush involved. Tempt the Niners safeties to creep up, then send a well-timed vertical shot to Davone Bess or Brian Hartline. Otherwise, they're done. #Ginnbowl #MIAvsSF
Can the New York Giants' front four get to Drew Brees? Big Blue's pass rush is either dominant ... or nonexistent. While the Giants are tied for ninth in the NFL with 30 sacks, they've had three games where they didn't get the quarterback on his butt -- with the ball in hand -- this season. That includes twice -- both losses ( Bengals and Redskins) -- in the past three games. We know this: The New Orleans Saints won't get to Eli Manning, who's suffered just 14 sacks and will have all day to pick about the New Orleans secondary. #NOvsNYG
Get this: An Arizona Cardinals quarterback hasn't had a passer rating over 90 since Sept. 23. In fact, that was the only time it happened the entire season. And it came against the Eagles; everybody carves them up. Cardinals passers haven't surpassed 70 since Oct. 21. We're truly in Derek Anderson waters here. Considering the Seattle Seahawks boast a top-five pass defense ... well, at least Arizona will get a Patrick Peterson return late to make the contest close. #AZvsSEA
A shootout slows down late. No Matt Flynns throwing for 480 here. Although the Green Bay Packers won't be able to run the football 36 times like they did versus the Vikings -- not with James Starks out. The team phoned Ryan Grant. Word on the street is that he was doing Bikram Yoga. Saying he'll give the team something is a stretch, but I don't trust the Detroit Lions' secondary to stop Green Bay, even if Jordy Nelson doesn't play. Detroit has allowed the most quick-strike points, i.e., drives that require three plays or less, in the NFC (56). More word on the street: That's not good for the Lions. #DETvsGB
This is a contest many of us in the bidness have been looking forward to since summertime. As solid as the 11-1 Houston Texans have been, I can't get their lone blemish out of my mind, when Aaron Rodgers lit them up at Reliant back in Week 6. Sure, the New England Patriots give up more big plays than any team in the AFC, but Bill Belichick's club also leads the conference in takeaways with 33. If Stevan Ridley -- the league's seventh-leading rusher -- gets it going versus the NFL's second-best run defense, this is the Patriots' ballgame. I'm guessing 82 yards and a touchdown. Pats win. #HOUvsNE
Elliot Harrison is an analyst on NFL Network's NFL Fantasy Live show, weekdays at 1 p.m. ET and Sundays at 11:30 a.m. ET. Follow him on Twitter @Harrison_NFL.


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One large egg typically contains six grams of high-quality protein, the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin (a substance in egg yolks), as well as significant amounts of the important vitamins E, D, and A.
Vitamin E has been proven to reduce the risk of coronary attacks in people with heart disease, while lutein helps to protect against clogging of the arteries.
A study concluded at EpidStat Institute in November, 2016 found that consuming just one egg a day reduces risk of stroke by 12 percent. The study's principal investigator, Epidemiologist Dr. Dominik Alexander, said: "Eggs do have many positive nutritional attributes, including antioxidants, which have been shown to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. They are also an excellent source of protein, which has been related to lower blood pressure."
U.S. scientists have found that, contrary to traditional perceptions acquired from decades of less rigorous research, consuming eggs had no association with coronary heart disease, which is on record as the leading cause of death worldwide.
©M-J de Mesterton 2017
M-J's Article about Eggs, Published in 2010
Eggs don't cause heart disease, as the medical industry previously believed. And here is more good news: a research team at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge determined that women on a weight-loss regimen who ate an egg with toast and jelly each morning lost twice as many pounds as those who had a bagel breakfast with the same number of calories without the accompanying egg.
Eggs are nutritious, convenient, useful in thousands of recipes, and are a relatively inexpensive source of high-quality protein.
One large egg, which represents less than 4 percent of the total daily calorie intake of a person who consumes 2000 calories per day, provides 10 percent of the Daily Value for protein, 15 percent of the Daily Value for riboflavin, and 4 percent or more of the Daily Value for several other nutrients, including vitamins A, B6 and B12; folate; iron; phosphorus; and zinc. Eggs also provide choline, which is essential in the human diet, and is credited for helping to create healthy babies during pregnancy. Because the percentage of the recommended daily amount for many nutrients provided by an egg is greater than the proportion of total calorie intake that the egg represents, the egg more than pulls its weight nutritionally. Most of the vitamins and minerals in eggs are found in the yolk; protein, however, is found in both the yolk and the white.
Recent research indicates that egg eaters are more likely than non-egg eaters to have diets that provide adequate amounts of essential nutrients. This seems to be partly due to the nutritional contribution of the eggs themselves and partly due to the fact that the inclusion of eggs in the diet is an indicator of a desirable eating pattern that includes breakfast.
Eggs can be prepared easily, in a variety of ways. They keep well in the refrigerator for about three weeks, and therefore an individual can easily use up the dozen eggs in a carton before they spoil. Because most egg recipes involve short cooking times, eggs are convenient for the person with little time to prepare meals.
Eggs have several important physical and chemical properties that help make recipes work. They thicken custards, puddings and sauces; emulsify and stabilize mixtures such as mayonnaise and salad dressings; coat or glaze breads and cookies; bind ingredients together in dishes such as meat loaf and lasagne; eggs are used to clarify coffee and soups; retard crystallization in boiled candies and frostings; and leaven some types of baked goods such as cakes, cookies, soufflés, buns and sponge cakes.
Eggs are economical, especially when compared to other high-protein foods. For people who are trying to balance their budgets as well as their diets, serving eggs occasionally instead of meat, poultry, or fish is very economical.
One other benefit of eggs is that they are a functional food—that is, a food which provides health benefits that go beyond basic nutrition. Eggs contain the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, two components which are believed to have health benefits.
Stocking up on dehydrated eggs would be a wise move right now. There are many sources of dried or powdered eggs on ebay and the internet. I prefer to dessicate and process them at home. Here is my procedure:
Emergency Powdered Eggs
Cook the desired amount of eggs in a non-stick pan until they are scrambled dry. On a a large baking-sheet, place your scrambled eggs in a thin layer. Use a French chef's knife or a pastry cutter to break them into smaller pieces. In a low oven around 130 degrees Fahrenheit, bake this tray of eggs for eight hours or until it is devoid of moisture. Using a hand-mill, meat-grinder, food-mill or a blender, process the eggs until they turn to powder. Store the dried egg powder in an air-tight, food-grade container.
©M-J de Mesterton 2010
Reversal of Long-Held Beliefs on Dietary Fats
Additional Information on Foods Containing Cholesterol
A heart specialist from the University of Ireland, Professor Sherif Sultan, notes:
- Current dietary guidelines are outmoded and desperately need to be revised.
- Despite decades-old recommendations, high carbohydrate diets should be avoided.
- Diets consisting largely of foods high in good-quality fats are the healthiest.
- This essential changeover will stem the epidemic of Type 2 diabetes and weight-related heart problems.


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Audience - IBMers, IBM Business Partners, and Clients
Title: Accelerate with IBM Storage: TS7700 Grid Replication - What You Need to Know
Date: November 17, 2016
Time: 1 pm New York, 6 p.m. London, 7 p.m. Paris, 17:00:00 GMT
Duration: 1.5 hours
Abstract: Copying (replicating) virtual tape volumes between TS7700 clusters is a critical function in delivering mainframe processing redundancy and disaster recovery. Please join us for this 90 minute session where we cover topics such as:
- A basic overview of how Grid replication works,
- The TS7700 components used for Grid replication and the various options that available,
- Monitoring Grid Replication using the Web Specialist and BVIR (Bulk Volume Information Retrieval) data, and
- How the TS7700 clusters will respond to various problems that may occur with the Grid Replication process.
In short, our aim is to enhance your knowledge and comfort level as it relates to TS7700 Grid Replication. Having a good understanding of TS7700 Grid Replication is increasingly important as the number of clusters in a single Grid increases, as clusters are increasingly dispersed over a wider geographic area, and as host processing is consolidated into fewer Sysplexes and TS7700 Grids.
Speakers: Bill Danz.
Presentation: The presentation can be downloaded from
Replay: The replay is now available at


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This article was republished at Unbounce as a different version with a focus on QR codes (it was edited from the original). This article is included here only for the purposes of showing the editorial process – from first submission to published article. As stated in my previous post, I'll leave it up to you to tell me whether you think the quiz structure works or not.
There are many ways to get people to your landing page, but it's not the channels that you use that ultimately drive conversions, it's something else entirely. And that's where many marketers go wrong. You see that guy in the picture above; you don't want your users to feel like that do you, just because of something you did, or didn't, do?
But all this negativity, it's a bit heavy. Why don't we lighten it up a bit by taking a little quiz? You know the type: just read the questions, decide on whether you would A, B or C, then total up the number of A, B and C's. It's just like reading Seventeen magazine again. Just promise me you won't look down the page to see the answers…
Question 1
You're sitting in your kitchen having breakfast. You're reading the back of the cereal packet for the third time in the last five minutes, when you see a QR code tucked away next to the ingredients panel. By visiting the site you can find out exactly how many calories are in a single cheerio. Do you:
A. Immediately start looking elsewhere on the box for a URL, spilling cereal on the table when you look on the bottom of the packet, then, when you find it, run upstairs to your desktop PC to find out more.
B. Get your Android phone out of your pocket. Scan the code. Go to the Website.
C. Do nothing. What is this QR code business anyway?
Question 2
You're at the store. You've got a new box of cereal to replace the one you dropped on the floor during breakfast. Standing in the queue you notice a sign on the counter offering discounts for regular customers, with double-discounts at your local store. All you have to do is check in on their Website. Do you:
A. Steal the sign surreptitiously when the cashier isn't looking and run home to check in from the comfort of your home. Then realize you left your cereal at the store.
B. Take out your iPhone. Go to the URL. Check-in. Get a discount.
C. Do nothing. Who wants to check-in? Check-ins are for airports.
Question 3
You're home from the store–and slightly out of breath from the run–so you turn on the TV. An advert for a new, even bigger TV catches your eye, and they've got deals for their Twitter followers. The links to their offer pages are right there in their Twitter stream. Do you:
A. Scribble the Twitter name down on a piece of paper, then hunker down in your home office to follow them on your 32″ widescreen monitor. Yeah baby!
B. Pick up your brand new Samsung Galaxy. Fire up the Twitter app. Search for the account. Follow it. Click through to their deals landing page right there on your phone.
C. Twitter? Why would I want to know what the world is having for lunch?
Okay, that's it. It's time to tot up those answers.
How did I do?
If you got mostly A's:
Okay, those who answered mostly As are online, but missing a big piece of the picture. The good news: of anyone out there, marketers have the most to gain from this audience as it moves from desktop-bound activities to mobile converts.
The way people access the Internet is changing. They're moving away from a reliance on the desktop browser and moving toward the mobile device. And that change in browsing habits is having a knock-on effect in our offline behavior. We're much more likely to use mobile devices to inform our purchasing choices, either in-store or in our downtime.
The three scenarios outlined above show just a few of the ways in which smart retailers are using these changes in customer behavior to their advantage. The use of QR codes to connect offline printed media with an online presence is rising and they can be an efficient way to drive traffic to your landing page. There's no fiddly typing of URLs on a tiny keyboard, you simply scan the code and are taken directly to the website. It's also possible to brand QR codes with a logo for maximum brand impact.
Using advertising at Point of Sale is also a great way to appeal to a captive audience. By catching shoppers at the point of purchase, you have the opportunity to influence the decision-making process. If a customer is already with you, you want to make sure they come back again. The ability to geo-locate customers through their mobile devices can be used effectively to serve local offers and generate customer loyalty. Adidas successfully used geolocation to support six popup stores in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
And finally, there's good old social media. Social networks, especially Facebook and Twitter, are becoming an integrated part of many companies marketing strategies, with the importance of these channels increasing year over year. It's also true that the a growing percentage of activity on both these platforms is from mobile devices (55% on Twitter, 33% on Facebook). Chances are that, if you're driving people to your social media presence, there is a good chance they are doing it on a mobile device.
If you got mostly B's:
Well, you may be preaching to the converted here. These customers are true mobile surfers. They may be part of a growing demographic that accesses the Internet primarily through a mobile device, but for marketers this doesn't always translate into best practice for campaigns unless their landing pages are optimized for mobile browsing. Take a look at your company's web presence, whether it's a campaign landing page or the main company website. Would they work in the scenarios outlined in the quiz?
If you got mostly C's:
Well. Those who scored mostly C's are in need of a digital refresher course. But don't worry, more and more become converted online shoppers and eventual mobile users everyday. Keep trying to engage them.
But what has all of this got to do with landing pages?
There's a change taking place. The way that people access the internet is changing, and with it, the way that they are accessing your Web pages. Mobile devices are becoming more and more prevalent and we can no longer predict how and where users interact with our brand, so we must be prepared to support every potential channel and engage prospects wherever they choose to engage with our products.
The unforgivable sin for a landing page is a poor user experience. If you've done the hard work and directed people to your page but the user experience is a poor one, you're simply throwing away time, money and effort. Creating a strong user experience, regardless of how the user accesses your page, is paramount. By making sure your landing pages are mobile-optimized, you're giving yourself a head-start on the road to conversions and revenue. By making it easy for you users to read and navigate the content on your landing page you will increase conversion rates. Leave them trying to read tiny type on a tiny screen and you're fighting a losing battle.
Don't be left out. Engage the customers who choose B.


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Man Arrested For Performing Exorcism on 80-Year-Old Girlfriend
David Edward Benes, 54, of Holiday, Florida was arrested Tuesday after imprisoning his 80-year-old girlfriend and attempting to perform a two-day exorcism on her. The couple had been living together for three years.
The alleged exorcism began on Monday when Benes held down his girlfriend and tried "to get the devil out of her." He then took the batteries out of her phone to keep her from calling for help. After, he took her car keys and "dismantled" the garage to prevent it from opening. Then, somehow, the victim fell asleep.
When she woke the next morning, the alleged exorcism began again and when the authorities arrived (the woman somehow managed to call 911) , they found the bruised and scratched woman sitting outside the home crying. Benes was on the couch and "too drunk to remember what happened." He then told the officers his girlfriend started the fight because "she is crazy."
He was arrested on charges of battery on a person 65 years or older and false imprisonment and remains in county jail.


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What Buyers Are Saying
The theme works well and the support is great.
- bullingball
Just excellent!
- roos12345
- HTML5 + CSS3 + jQuery
- Fully responsive + retina display
- Mobile first approach (to optimize bandwidth for smaller screens)
- No images in the CSS – used font icons for HiDPI support
- 1-click-importer for posts, pages, menus, widgets and theme options
- AJAX based blog, and comments (ability to fallback to normal context)
- Highly optimized code makes the theme .zip file just under 400 KB
- Step by step documentation + video guides
Responsive theme options panel (unbranded)
- Can manage header logo, site favicon, base color, 600+ Google Fonts, toggle retina support, thumbnail crop alignment, menu options (uppercase and extra width for sub-menus)
- Ability to set a general featured image in the header section (with custom overlayed color, opacity, size of image) and turn on/off scroll to content and search widget
- Ability to add Custom CSS style for further customization
- Toggle share links in post meta
- Toggle AJAX based components: blog, comments
- Toggle featured images in blog post list
- Toggle smooth scrolling of all pages
- Ability to backup and restore the theme options
- Ability to display a video in the heading section, instead of a featured image
- Custom post for projects with corresponding shortcode to display a filterable gallery
- Shortcode Generator in the TinyMCE editor: alert, box, button, call-to-action, feature, highlight, social link, accordion, latest projects, latest news, pricing table, slideshow, tabs, audio player, map+video responsive containers, divider, grid
- Custom Widgets for Flickr and Dribbble
- Integration with Contact Forms 7, Simple Page Sidebars, WooCommerce, WPML
- Localization support (en_US.po) and RTL ready (also tested with WPML)
- Well documented with some quick video guides to get you started


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Issues with Local gov. problems
Global Government related Challenges
Equity in GovChallenge
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End: 2019-12-21
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To: 2019-12-21
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Sponsor a challenge or a set of challenges! In return you will get traffic, advertising, company and/or brand partnership with Global Ventures.
Head on to Sponsor Registration so you can start browsing and sponsoring the challenges you feel are in sync with your goals.
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Cycling Crashes During The 2012 Dade City Crit
"Surviving The Big Cycling Crashes During The Fast and Dangerous 2012 Dade City Crit!"
I have been doing the annual Dade City Criterium cycling race since 2001 and when I step on the start/finish line, I get so nervous because I just don't know what is going to happen in this technical, dangerous and fast criterium.
In my 11 years racing this crit, I have seen many scary things happen around me. I have seen an old man getting hit by the peloton because he got onto the racing course and didn't realize that there was a fast and big group of cyclists coming. I have seen many crashes happen in the last lap, going to the final sprint.
In every race that I have done, I have seen at least one crash happen in front of me, and I have even crashed twice on this racing course myself.
But the 2012 Dade City Crit was a little bit different, this time it was faster and even more dangerous. The peloton stayed single file from the beginning all the way until the end.
Phillip Gaimon, from the Kenda Team started the 2012 cycling season on fire. He was the one that made the peloton chase him during the entire race.
Even though the peloton was going incredibly fast, and in single file, bike crashes were happening in front of me, throughout the race.
I do not know where Phillip Gaimon found so much strength and speed to do what nobody else has ever done before on this technical and fast course. He lapped the field on a solo breakaway.
What a way to win a race for Phillip Gaimon. Once he lapped the field to secure his 1st place position, the peloton had to sprint for 2nd and 3rd place where Emile Abraham got 2nd and David Guttenplan got 3rd.


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LOOK: Foals Announces New Full-Length, 'Holy Fire,' Out February 12
By Staff; Thumbnail courtesy of Steve Gullick on November 5, 2012
After Foals' second LP dropped—Total Life Forever— back in 2010, we've been itching for another full-length rock record from this inventive quintet from Oxford. Obviously, we're quite greedy, because the limited edition cassette just wasn't enough.
Now we are finally able to get our full-length Foals fix on February 12, via the release of Holy Fire (Warner Bros Records). The band will announce U.S. tour dates later on, but for now, enjoy new tune, "Inhaler," and its jaw-dropping, heart-pounding video below.
With this track, it is evident that Foals has perfected their quirky, experimental indie sound, which now feels even heavier and more rock 'n' roll than ever. The video adds to the intensity with its addition of graffiti, sparks, flames, and involuntary yet completely coordinated dancing. This song will wake you up on this bland Monday and truly ignite your soul.
To get you even more pumped for Holy Fire, check out the music video for throwback track, "Cassius," off the five-piece's unforgettable debut LP, Antidotes.


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Texas lawmakers are renewing the debate on allowing concealed handguns into college classrooms.
The House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety is meeting Thursday to consider several bills allowing concealed handgun license holders to carry their guns into campus buildings where they are currently banned.
A similar measure erupted into one of the most contentious bills of the 2011 session before it failed. Supporters are pushing the measure again.
The latest news from around North Texas.
College administrators have generally not supported the effort in the past. They worry guns will spark more campus violence and suicide.
Supporters call it a gun rights issue and a self-defense measure that could prevent mass shootings similar to the one at Virginia Tech in 2007 and last year at a Connecticut elementary school.


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Welcome to Hyperion Records, an independent British classical label devoted to presenting high-quality recordings of music of all styles and from all periods from the twelfth century to the twenty-first.
Hyperion offers both CDs, and downloads in a number of formats. The site is also available in several languages.
Please use the dropdown buttons to set your preferred options, or use the checkbox to accept the defaults.
from notes by Robert Simpson © 1985
extrait des notes rédigées par Robert Simpson © 1985
Français: Isabelle Battioni
aus dem Begleittext von Robert Simpson © 1985
Deutsch: Anne Steeb/Bernd Müller
|Brahms & Bruckner: Motets
Award-winning choir Tenebrae performs a sumptuous selection of motets by Johannes Brahms and Anton Bruckner. A portion of the proceeds from sales of this recording will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support.» More
|Bruckner: Mass in E minor
'One of the most beautiful recordings of a choral masterpiece I have ever heard' (The Sunday Times)
'Wonderfully atmospheric. I warmly recommend this. Best of the Month' (Hi-Fi News)» More
|Bruckner: Masses
'If the power of music were to be assessed by its ability to send shivers down your spine, then this piece [Te Deum], and this particular recording of ...
'For any listeners who missed out these individual issues the first time out, this compendium will fill an important gap. Under-performed and highly w ...» More


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It was a fiery send off for an old piano that had graced a bluff of Half Moon Bay since the beginning of the month.
Sunday night, the man who dragged the piano to the bluff, played a final concert and then set the instrument on fire.
Artist Mauro Ffortissimo continued to play as it burned, ending his short term art project titled "Sunset Piano" in a blaze of glory. He played a concert at sunset every night with Sunday being the finale.
He said he planned from the beginning to burn it, but had to move the date up because the piano was going out of tune from being outdoors, plus someone complained that he didn't have the proper permits.
"I have many pianos and I decided I wanted to play by the water, and here we are," said Ffortissimo last week.
You can see more photos here courtesy Lars Howlett.
In the three weeks it was on the bluff, people stopped by, day and night to touch it, take pictures and to play the piano in a spectacular venue. And, with every sunset, the crowds grew, with dancers, upright bassists and poets joining in.
"It was majestic, I've never had any experience like this. I wish it was staying here for a long time so I could keep playing," said Suzanne Webber of El Granada, who studied piano for 24 years.
As much as the people of Half Moon Bay and beyond have enjoyed the sunset serenades, Ffortissimo says they were never meant to go on forever. And yet, for the people who experienced them, the music will live on.
"To be able to play next to the ocean was incredibly cool," Webber said.
Ffortissimo says that after one of the first few sunsets, a woman approached him, crying. She told him that the piano belonged to her family for decades, but that they could no longer keep it, nor pay to repair it. Watching the crowds enjoy its music made saying goodbye a little easier.
Ffortissimo says he may use some of the piano's charred bits in a sculpture. Perhaps another work of art that will make people feel once more. He said, "It's kind of humbling in a way, it's just making so many people happy and excited. It's amazing."


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RICHMOND, Va. – Seniors Andrea Barbour and Courtney Hurt combined for 46 points and VCU kept the nation's 11th-best scoring offense at bay, while using a strong second half in a 76-60 victory over second place Hofstra Thursday night at the Verizon Wireless Arena.
The Pride (16-7, 8-4 CAA), which entered the game averaging 76.5 points per game, cut the deficit to one on a pair of free throws by Candice Bellocchio with 8:27 to go, but VCU erupted for an 18-2 run spanning seven minutes and never looked back.
VCU (14-9, 7-5 CAA), which handed Hofstra back-to-back conference losses for the first time all season, has won five straight and nine of the last 10 against the Pride. The Rams picked up their seventh win in their last eight home games.
"I'm just really proud of our kids," said VCU Head Coach Beth Cunningham. "It was such a well-deserved win because they fought so hard and put together such an outstanding defensive effort. We did a great job on the boards, and to face such a high powered offense like Hofstra has been night in and night out… to hold them to 60 points and dominate the boards is a tremendous effort. It was a big win at home and I can't say enough about what our kids did tonight."
Barbour (pictured, left) scored 21 of her game-high 26 points in the second half to go along with four assists, two blocks and three steals, while Hurt contributed her 14th double-double of the season with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Senior Chelsea Snyder chipped in seven points, eight boards and a career-high five blocks. Her five rejections were the most a VCU player has recorded since Quanitra Hollingsworth's five on Feb. 14, 2008.
"I thought we had some great senior leadership tonight and that's something that we certainly needed," Cunningham said. "Chelsea was tremendous defensively on Shante Evans," who finished with just 13 points on 6 of 23 shooting. "[Evans] is one of the top players, not only in our conference but in the entire country… and Chelsea and [freshman Aprill McRae] did a great job defensively against her tonight."
A layup by McRae put VCU on top 9-7 at the 13:05 mark before a 3-pointer from freshman Christina Carter gave the Rams a 12-9 edge less than two minutes later. However, Hofstra responded with a 10-2 run, capped off by a traditional 3-point play by Evans, to take its largest lead of the game at 19-14 with 6:55 to go.
Trailing 22-17 with 5:35 showing, Hurt scored five straight to spark a 7-0 VCU run and the Rams raced back to regain the lead on a fast break layup from junior Robyn Hobson, who finished with seven points and six rebounds, with 2:34 remaining. But the Pride again responded with a pair of free throws on its next possession and went on to score six of the final seven points of the half to take a 28-25 advantage into the locker room.
VCU came out of the break on fire, hitting six of its first seven from the field, and opened the second half on a 12-5 run to take its largest lead of the game. Snyder scored half of the Rams points during the stretch, including a feed from Hurt with 17:03 to go, which put VCU up 37-33.
"We got off to a tremendous start to the second half," said Cunningham. "It really fueled our fire and built some confidence. Our kids stepped up at the right time."
The Black & Gold eventually pushed its lead to 43-38 on a jumper by Hurt with 14:19 showing but Hofstra again chipped away and eventually regained the lead on a free throw from Anma Onyeuku at the 11:55 mark.
The lead would change hands three times in the next 1:30 before Barbour put VCU back on top for good with a jumper with 10:39 left.
The score remained close until VCU, which scored 51 points in the second half, erupted for an 18-2 run spanning seven minutes. After Evans pulled Hofstra within 63-56 on a layup with 5:32 remaining, seniors Jennifer Lane and Barbour nailed back-to-back triples before a pair of fast break layups from Hurt (pictured, right) and Hobson quickly gave the Rams a 17-point advantage with 1:50 to play.
"I think there were some little things in the first half that kept us from having the lead going into halftime," said Cunningham. "Almost every single one of these games comes down to a stretch where you've got to make a run and finish on top. This is a really big step forward for our team."
VCU continues its three-game home stand on Sunday, Feb. 12 against James Madison for its annual "Pink Out" in support of breast cancer awareness. The first 100 fans will receive a free t-shirt courtesy of VCU's Massey Cancer Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Verizon Wireless Arena.


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Prime Therapeutics Names Ann Tobin as Chief Compliance Officer
ST. PAUL, Minn., Jan. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Prime Therapeutics (Prime), a leading pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), announced today that it has hired Ann Tobin as Chief Compliance Officer.
Tobin will oversee the company's corporate compliance function. She will work with the company's leadership and employees to help assure that its PBM products and services comply with state and federal regulations.
"Ann brings a wealth of regulatory experience and knowledge in the health care industry," said Eric Elliott, president and CEO at Prime Therapeutics. "We are confident Ann will create a best-in-class compliance program that advances Prime's purpose of helping people get the medicine they need to feel better and live well."
Tobin has more than 20 years of strong regulatory compliance leadership in the health care industry, with a particularly strong focus on health plans and pharmacy benefit management. Previous to Prime, she held various legal leadership roles at UnitedHealth Group, Diversified Pharmaceutical Services and Medtronic.
Tobin holds academic degrees from Duke University and Oberlin College. She earned her law degree from Northwestern University School of Law.
About Prime Therapeutics
At Prime Therapeutics, people are at the center of all we do and every decision we make. As a leader in pharmacy benefit management, Prime is dedicated to making it easier for our members to obtain more affordable medicines. We leverage our unique connections to deliver programs that lead to the best health outcomes for our members.
Prime's integrated pharmacy benefit management services include claims processing, benefit plan design, network management, clinical program consultation, rebate management, formulary administration, mail service pharmacy and specialty pharmacy.
Headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., Prime Therapeutics serves nearly 20 million people and is collectively owned by 13 Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, subsidiaries or affiliates of those plans. Prime has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation by Inc. 5000 and as a most engaged workplace by Achievers.
For more information, visit www.primetherapeutics.com or follow @Prime_PBM on Twitter.
SOURCE Prime Therapeutics


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Sharon Hurley Hall
Sharon Hurley Hall is a professional writer and blogger. She's written about digital marketing for publications as varied as IBM, OptinMonster, CrazyEgg, Jilt, Search Engine People, and Unbounce. In her previous life Sharon was also a journalist and university lecturer (teaching journalism, of course!) You can learn more about Sharon at sharonhh.com.


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Hi folks,
today is already the last day of this years Renesas DevCon. It has been a very valuable, informative and interesting event.
Thanks very much to everyone who has made this experience so valuable, especially the people at Renesas – see you at the next DevCon in 2014!
Have fun!
Read more! Post this to a friend!


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Performance measurement within investment operations is ripe for innovation. The digital revolution has intensified existing data management and information delivery challenges, creating growing expectations for higher quality information delivered near real-time, neatly packaged for instant digestion. Yet some investment managers are struggling to satisfy these new demands due to fragmented operating models for performance measurement.
At the same time, internal and external stakeholders are turning up the pressure for higher quality performance data. They expect information that is more flexible and timely. The fact that the methodologies behind these calculations differ across numerous stakeholders multiplies already complex needs.
To meet these demands, firms should re-architect the enterprise-wide performance measurement process with an eye to refine data management, redesign operating models and enhance technology applications. Those that do could be well positioned to meet stakeholders' expectations for performance measurement data.


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They came, we SAW, they conquered
Sensory overload. It's our way of life. Constantly looking down and poking at a keyboard with one finger. So personable. With Twitter, Facebook, and real-time scoring apps, you can follow every pitch of an entire game without seeing a single play. I tried it and my eyes went blurry and a migraine kicked in by the bottom of the fourth. In many ways the technology is useful. But it also takes us away from experiencing the beauty of the game and the sport's greatest players. Guy who are referred to as stars, superstars, faces of the game and in some cases, future Hall of Famers. In order to encourage more watching and less tweeting, I've created a new category to describe the elite. Players you must see. Or in this case, players you must SAW.
SAW = Stop and Watch.
When these guys have a bat or ball in their hands, you STOP what you're doing ... and WATCH them for reasons that are obvious and not so obvious.
Top 10 SAW players
10. Jose Altuve: He may be no match for Chuck Norris, but he does have his own cult-like following and website (www.howmanyaltuves.com). That alone is enough to garner SAW status. Jose Altuve's height, or lack of height, is another reason. While he would tower over Eddie Gaedel, the Astros second baseman is only 5-feet-5 (in cleats, I think) and has battled the odds his entire career. Great story and a darn good player. Hats off to the little guy.
9. Andrew McCutchen: World-class speed, power, grace, agility and baseball acumen. Simply put, in my next life I'd like to be him. Witnessing McCutchen go from first to third is worth the price of admission. He runs like we think we're running when playing Sunday softball. Five tools. All sharp. Represents a great sports city with class and abilities we rarely see on a baseball field. Anywhere.
8. Giancarlo Stanton: If there was an MLB cartoon series, they would use Stanton's likeness as the stereotypical slugger. His body is perfect, his strength is Bunyanesque. When you're 6-feet-5 and chiseled out of granite, you're allowed to change your name anytime you'd like without asking for permission. Giancarlo is also a darn good guy. I don't care what anyone says, that always makes an athlete more fun to watch. If healthy, Stanton will be among the league leaders in homers for years. Inside tip for your office pool: He will also lead the league each year in the category of "broken scoreboards." Here's a stat for you: Stanton hit 93 homers before his 23rd birthday. Only Ott, Mathews, Conigliaro and A-Rod had more.
7. Josh Reddick: His offensive talent is obvious and you could make the case he's the face (and beard) of the A's. But that's not enough to be a SAW player. His facial hair is. It's downright frightening to think that at any moment a varmint could leap from his whiskers and interrupt play. If that happens, you don't want to miss it. Remember the classic scene from "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" when the squirrel leaps from the tree an into the living room? Pure Chaos. But don't forget: "Squirrels are high in cholesterol."
6. Miguel Cabrera: To quote the teenagers, "Duh." Of course he's a SAW guy. He's also on the short list of best hitters in history. Among right-handed hitters with 300 or more career homers, Miggy has the sixth-highest batting average. The guys ahead of him: Hornsby, Simmons, DiMaggio, Foxx, and Pujols. Cabrera celebrates his 30th birthday on April 18. What gift do you get for a guy who has a Triple Crown? Just wondering out loud.
5. Mariano Rivera: Grab the kids and glue them to the couch. They must see the greatest closer to ever step on the mound. His farewell tour is underway and we'll never see another like him. Forty-three years old, yet as perfectly conditioned as he was nearly 20 years ago. That's after blowing out his knee last spring. Wow. Most saves in history. Most effective single pitch in history. Five World Series rings. One franchise. As I peck away at the keyboard, Mo's career WHIP is 0.999. Enough. You get it.
4. Stephen Strasburg: A perfect combination of hype, insane talent, attitude (or Natitude) and mystery. Traits you find in a main character from a movie or book. The way Strasburg commands attention on the mound but avoids the cameras off of it is part of the allure. He's delivered on all expectations since being selected first overall in the 2009 Draft. And at 24 years old has already rebounded from Tommy John surgery. I don't recall a SAW starting pitcher of this magnitude since Doc Gooden. Do you?
3. Aroldis Chapman: Chicks used to dig the long ball. Now all of us dig triple digits on the radar gun. With lanky arms and legs flailing around, Chapman routinely throws 100 mph. We SAW just to read the radar gun. When Chapman enters a game, the mood in the ballpark changes. From the excitement in the stands to the fear in the batter's box. Exhibit A: Forty percent of the at-bats against the lefty have ended with a K. Insane.
2 and 1. Tie. Mike Trout and Bryce Harper: How can anyone possibly rank one in front of the other? They will forever be linked after turning baseball upside down in 2012. At an age (21 and 20, respectively) when you typically hang out at a local convenience store eating Cheese Doodles, Trout and Harper are household names. baseball-reference.com lists Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey Jr. as similar hitters by age to Trout. He's too young to remember Griffey playing in his prime. But could be the most exciting player since Junior. One of the comps to Harper through his age 19 season: Ty Cobb. If that's not enough to make you SAW, consider this: Harper is hitting third in the order on a team that needs a World Series appearance to be considered a success.


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A last-minute squabble has snagged the $15 million contract under which the Golden Gate Bridge District will provide Marin County with bus service for the next four years.
Several county officials indicated that if contract language can't be resolved, a deal that took more than a year to negotiate could be in jeopardy, with Marin going out to bid to seek service from transit providers who are less expensive.
But Denis Mulligan, general manager of the bridge district, characterized the issue as a minor matter that boiled up when a lawyer for the Marin County Transit District was on vacation and could not respond to contract editing. The issues are "not a significant problem," he said, and will be worked out as soon as the lawyers can meet to discuss them.
"It's unfortunate people got excited about it," Mulligan added.
Marin transit chief David Rzepinksi said he became concerned when bridge district lawyers offered contract language that didn't provide the Marin agency with flexibility to determine which routes it would retain, and which the bridge district would serve. Bridge officials wanted to lock in a scenario under which Marin retained routes serving Tiburon, Novato and several schools countywide — and that may indeed be the way things go, he added.
Mulligan said lawyers need to resolve the route issue, tightening language so that the bridge district doesn't face an "undue financial burden" by taking on the least lucrative routes.
At least one Marin official indicated the situation loomed more like a mountain than a mole hill.
"The time is over for us to monkey around with this," declared Supervisor Susan Adams, who along with other board members serves on the county transit district. Adams, citing "machinations going on behind the scenes," added, "This feels like the movie, 'Groundhog Day,'" referring to the 1993 comedy starring Bill Murray as a television weatherman who finds himself in a time loop, repeating the same day again and again. "I'm getting tired of this."
Supervisor Katie Rice and Novato City Councilwoman Madeline Kellner, who served with Adams on a transit board committee that negotiated with the bridge district, were irritated as well. "We felt like we had a deal. … It looks like it changed," Kellner said.
"I wouldn't say it has changed," said Supervisor Steve Kinsey. The staff is "just making sure there's no wiggle room."
Under the deal approved last month, Marin County will stick with the Golden Gate Bridge district for bus service under a contract providing a $1 million cost savings — even though other vendors promise even greater economies.
The contract reviewed Monday shaves the 120,000 hours of annual service provided by the bridge district by 25 percent, allowing other vendors to fill service gaps at reduced costs. That will enable the Marin program to avert red ink over the period but raises uncertainty about fiscal affairs after 2016.
Rzepinski said Monday that contract language proposed by the bridge district could leave the Marin agency holding the bag for additional costs beyond those authorized by transit officials when they approved the contract.
The new program reduces the bridge district's contract rate from $133 an hour to $127 an hour and caps annual increases at 2.7 percent. The old contract included a 5 percent escalator.
Several transit activists expressed concern about the latest twist in the contract saga.
"At the last meeting, it sounded like a done deal," said Rocky Birdsey, an advocate for the disabled.
David Schonbrunn of San Rafael, raising the possibility that a "bait and switch" was afoot, urged officials to "ensure that it continues to be a good contract."
"I, too, was one of those who thought it was straightforward," Rzepinski said of the
contract controversy.
The deal struck last month was set in motion after Marin served notice under its existing, $16 million contract that it intended to look for less expensive vendors. While other agencies charged an average of about $103 per hour in fiscal 2009-10, the bridge district charged $131 per hour.
Without contract reductions, the local district projected a $15 million deficit by fiscal 2017 — and depletion of reserve funds by fiscal 2013-14.
In fiscal 2010-11, the Marin district's expenses outstripped its revenues by nearly $500,000. Last May, the transit board used $1.8 million in reserve funds to balance a $24.5 million operating budget for 2011-12.
Contact Nels Johnson via email at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him at twitter.com/nelsjohnsonnews