text:
And his thousands of little acts,
Sunday, July 6, 2014
And his thousands of little acts,
Posted by Sara at 12:00 AM View Comments
Labels: Familia, I Love My Life, Me, Write On
Thursday, May 1, 2014
For My Children, On The First Day Of May
My Dear Lovelies,
Today is the first day of May. You have a scant four weeks of school left. You are in the final count down. (Sorry for the '80s ear worm, btw) There are about 20 days left in which you must pack up your things and tote them to school. This means, by my calculations, that you have already been packing and toting for about 8 months. Or approximately 32 weeks. Or somewhere around 160 days, give or take a snow day. That is many, many days, my sweets.
What I'm saying is, you've had lots of days to practice at being organized. You've had quite a bit of time to get your, um, "stuff" together. They say it takes 30 days to form a habit, so you've had the opportunity to make or break 8 different habits.
My question for you is, why isn't Remembering All The Things I Must Have With Me At School In Order To Properly Get Through My Day one of them?
Why, for the love of Pete, am I still receiving frantic ALL CAPS texts shortly after you have left the house for the day? Why, am I still asked to bring x to school at y time? I have never liked algebra and these different equations which I am being asked to solve before I have even had a cup of coffee make me want to weep.
Today, for instance, I was asked to please, pretty please (Gosh, you're pretty, mom!) bring a jar to school. Before first period. Shortly after that, another child asked if I was feeling nice. That sent my spidey senses to tingling, because I try really, really hard to always be nice. But I knew something else was going to follow that sentence. And really? It left me feeling not so nice.
Do I look like a Fed Ex driver? Nope. I drive a crappy, white minivan with a sliding door that refuses to budge and a piece of red electrical wire holding up my cracked front bumper and an odor of rancid french fries that permeates the interior. (This is not a rant complaining about my van. I will drive Blanca until she dies and I will love her for taking all the abuse we have heaped upon her, lo these past 10 years. This is merely to compare and contrast the differences between what I drive and what a Fed Ex driver drives.) Do I look like a UPS delivery person? Nope. Brown is so not my color. It makes me look washed out. My point here, in case for some reason you are unable to suss it out, is that I am not paid for or compensated in any way for making deliveries.
And no. Texting me that I'm so pretty or I'm the best mom ever do not count as compensation. At least not in the context in which they are being used.
I have driven to school in the pouring rain. I have driven to school on icy roads. I have driven to school in the snow. I have driven to school during the peak of the high school rush hour! You have no idea how I have endangered my life for you! I have run to the school in my pajamas. I have run to the school in exercise gear. I have run to the school with no makeup. The secretaries have seen me without makeup almost as much as your father--and we've been married over 20 years! Those poor women don't get paid enough to have to encounter the Crypt Keeper as often as they do. I'm begging you, don't worry about my pride; think of the secretaries.
I love you more than all the sand on all the beaches on the planet. But hear me now and know that I say this because I love you and want what's best for you: I am not afraid to let you fail. Many of life's greatest (and hardest) lessons come from failure. I speak from experience. I know you are all smart and resourceful and resilient and you will be okay. Even if you don't have x at y time. I have worked hard for you and with you all year. You are in the homestretch. You are nearly there. You can do it! I'm sure of it. I will continue to cheer you on from the sidelines until you reach the finish. But me? I'm out. Dunzo. Finished. I have responded to my last ALL CAPS EMERGENCY PLEASE DELIVER text. Unless your hair is on fire and I am the only person left on the planet who can help you, DO. NOT. PUSH. SEND.
Now, my preshus snowflakes, have a great day. Only 21 non-emergency-text, non-please-bring-me, non-are-you-feeling-nice-you're-so-pretty more days to go!
Posted by Sara at 8:40 AM View Comments
Labels: Familia, grumble, Offspring, This is why I'm crazy, Write On
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Ugh: A Post-Migraine Poem
It's a new morning,
my migraine has fled,
I look around the house
and am filled with dread.
The cat was down
for just one day
and in that time
the mice did play.
The dishes are dirty
and stacked in a heap,
the laundry is a mountain
stinky and steep.
There are millions of socks
strewn about the floor,
and smudgy dog nose prints
all over the door.
The island is stacked
with papers and stuff,
the dog hair blows about
like so much brown fluff.
The tables and couch
of the family room
are littered with crap
adding to the gloom.
The people that live here
are rabid feral goats
that haven't even a clue
about how to hang up a coat.
Toothpaste globs dot
every mirror and sink,
the garbage is overflowing
and starting to stink.
The fridge is empty
and the goats all whine
that there's nothing to eat,
on what will they dine?
I survey the sorry
state of this place,
and I scratch my head
and I grimace my face.
Where to start? What to do?
With which task to begin?
This is a losing battle.
There's no way to win.
But I know that the answer
lies in my brainy little head:
"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!"
So I'm going back to bed.
Posted by Sara at 8:06 AM View Comments
Labels: Familia, grumble, Me, Offspring, This (not so) old house, This is why I'm crazy, Write On
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
In Which I Make Light(s)
YOU GUYS! I am amazing. I created light! Like, first, there was no light, and then BAM! Light!
Okay. Before y'all think I've seriously lost my mind (right, I know, debatable. Shut up.) and have some sort of delusional God complex, let me explain.
Remember my last post about my problem with pillows in which I included this picture?
Dude. I MADE those lamps.
Can you tell I'm just a wee bit proud of myself? I think it mostly stems from the fact that the finished product came out just like I envisioned it in my head. This does not often happen. Mostly what happens is, I have an idea in my head, I try it. It doesn't work out right so then I have to try 432 different ways to fix it before it's either fixed enough to sorta kinda come close to the picture I had in my head, or I declare the project dead to me and walk away vowing never to ______ ever again. (Hey sewing machine, I'm blaming so much of this on you.)
Anyway, I had seen in various places in blogland where people had made their own lamps out of vases or bottles. They swore it was simple and cheap and they swore they weren't electricians. (What exactly is up with the prices of lamps? Why are they so darn expensive? I know for a fact it's not because they're made of gold. I walk through lamp sections with a furrowed brow and think, "Really?! Um. NO.") This made me happy because I, too, am simple and I, too, am cheap, and I, too, am not an electrician. The equation in my head went something like this:
True to form for me, there was a little more to the equation than I first thought, but not much more. The true equation looks like this:
I ran across these gold speckled vases at Home Goods. (Hello, Home Goods! I shall have to start referring to you as my Dealer.) I spied one and thought it would be perfect for a lamp for my living room. I started looking for another, and spied its mate, shoved behind a bunch of other merchandise, almost like someone was hoping to hide it and come back for it later. Sorry, sucka! (For those of you into hashtagging, I'll just say #sorrynotsorry) I quickly scooped them both up (for $12 each!) and ran for the checkout.
Then I stopped at the Lowe's next door and picked up two bottle lamp kits (around $10 each) and Target for a lampshade (around $20). I only needed one lampshade because I already had one at home. Then I went home and started to put this thing together.
And then my head exploded and I pictured the picture in my head crackling into a bazillion little pieces because the rubber nipple thingy (oh dear Lord, save me from the weird google hits that will come from that phrase!) was too small for the opening in my vase and the lamp part wasn't going to fit right into the vase part and I was going to wind up in that special circle of hell reserved for my projects that don't turn out and I was going to have to forsake my gold sparkly vases. This made me want to cry.
So I thunk and I thunk, and I figured I could make a circle out of cork to thread the lamp thingy through and make it fit the size of the vase. I know this sounds confusing, but trust me, I have photos and all shall be revealed, Young Grasshopper.
This McGyvering turned out to work (I needed a little hot glue to keep it stable, but you can't really see it.
I had my beloved help me with the wiring of the first one just so that I would be certain that I was connecting things correctly and wouldn't cause the house to burn down just because I needed gold sparkly lamps. It was extremely simple. I mean, like, I'm pretty sure I could've done it while consuming a glass of wine, simple. It involved a couple of screws and a couple of wires. Easy peasy. And YOU GUYS. When I turned on the switch and actually had light? I danced around like Tom Hanks in Castaway when he finally made fire. Seriously. My husband just shook his head at me and walked out of the room. I am woman. I can wire a lamp with a lamp kit. HEAR. ME. ROAR!
Now, before I show the photographic evidence, let me apologize for the quality of the photos. I took them with my phone. Apparently I am not so lazy that I can't run all over God's green earth to find all the things I need to make a lamp and actually make the lamp but I am too lazy to walk into the other room to grab my good camera so that the pictures will actually be decent. Priorities. I has 'em. Um...or something?
Anyway! Pictures!
|See? Gold and sparkly! Hello my love! Also: the walls are not actually that weird purple/blue color. Thanks, iPhone.
|*Sigh* Luuuurrrve. Also: Dear Laziness, You have made so many things about this picture bad. It's a good thing the lovely lamp makes up for it. Also, also: The walls are not actually that color.
So, dear children, what have we learned from this post? Let's see:
Home Goods is my Dealer.
Sparkly gold lamps are the bomb dot com.
Making your own lamp is fairly easy and inexpensive.
The new feminism involves wiring a lamp from a lamp kit and being an independent woman who don't need no electrician.
I am lazy.
Now, I urge thee: Go forth and make some light! (And if you do, can I see it?)
Posted by Sara at 10:54 AM View Comments
Labels: crafty, Me, picture this, This (not so) old house, This is why I'm crazy
Monday, March 31, 2014
I Think I May Have A Problem
Hello. My name is Sara and I am an addict.
I didn't know my problem was this bad. I thought I could handle it on my own. But I've come to believe that I cannot control this myself. I need help.
I am addicted to throw pillows.
It was harmless fun at first. I would buy a fluffy pillow thinking it would solve my decorating problems. But I'd get the pillow home and after a brief high, I'd realize that I was still unhappy. And so I'd go to Home Goods or Target thinking that I could handle myself. I could get out of there without a pillow. I'd just avoid the pillow section.
But we all know how that works out. You think you are strong enough and that you can just stroll through the pillow section and take a peek. You won't buy anything. Because you definitely don't need a throw pillow. You can get by without a throw pillow. Throw pillows don't rule you, you rule throw pillows.
And then you see it. The color is perfect! The texture is divine! You have the perfect spot for it! And you say to yourself: Oh what's one throw pillow? I'll just get this one pillow this one time and then I'll quit. So you buy it and take it home and put it in the spot that would be perfect for it and you look at it and it just... isn't. Oh well, you think. It's just a pillow. I'll put it in the closet and when I re-do the next room, I bet it will work in there.
Except it doesn't.
And you promise yourself you will just. stop. And you do.
Until the next time.
And you keep going this way on this crazy throw pillow train, collecting pillows and tossing them in closets and collecting pillows and tossing them in closets.
Then you discover that you can make a pillow using place mats.
And you think to yourself, this is it! This is the solution I've been waiting for! Place mats are cheap! Fiberfill is cheap! I can totally make a pillow that will be the perfect pillow and all of my problems will be solved!
Place mats are like the methadone for throw pillow addiction. Soon you find yourself addicted to them as well.
So now you find yourself trolling all your old haunts and instead of just being drawn to the pillow section, now you are also drawn to the tableware section.
You find your children pulling you by the arm and hustling you away saying "NO! Mom. Come. On. You do not need another pillow or place mat. This is not okay. It's time to stop."
And you are embarrassed because you have been found out. You thought you had hidden your little addiction so well. But now your kids are on to you and things are just going to have to change.
So. You force yourself into your closet and you pull out your stash of pillows. And it looks like this:
And your face flames in shame as you realize that none of these pillows have solved one decorating problem for you. So you go through them one by one, pat them lovingly, and relive the memories of their purchase or creation. And then you force yourself to choose. Some of them must go. You will allow yourself to keep a few which come into play around the holidays, but after that, you will make yourself be brutal and get rid of the rest. Even--horror of horrors!--the matching ones that came with the couch that is now covered with a slip cover and don't even match any part of your house anymore. Yes. Those, too, must go. You were holding on to them "just in case." But you have realized that just in case never happened. And even if it did, you would be okay without those pillows.
So here are the last throw pillows I've made: (the floral ones)
Yes, they are lovely. Yes, they bring in a burst of color for spring. But you have seen the light. Pillows will not get you out of any sort of decorating dilemma. They will only steal space in your closet.
But see those lamps? Did you know you could make a lamp out of a vase? Want to meet me at Home Goods? I'll see you in the glassware section. I mean, I know I was just there, but I could go again. I don't have to buy anything. I totally have this vase/lamp thing under control...
Posted by Sara at 12:00 AM View Comments
Labels: crafty, Me, picture this, This (not so) old house, This is why I'm crazy, Write On
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Bear With Me
I've been sitting here, glass of wine in hand, staring at this blank screen with its accusatory flashing cursor for the last 20 minutes. I am forcing myself to write even though it's the last thing I want to do. Yep, even less than laundry, and that, my friends should be extremely telling. It's not that I don't have anything to write about, because I do. Plenty has happened in these last six weeks that is totally blog-worthy. I just can't seem to find the energy or the will to care enough to write it.
Perhaps this winter, in all of its frigid bitterness has sapped me. But I think the more likely reason is that I am simply out of the habit. It used to be that I found something to write about at least three times a week and went at it hammer and tong. Now, even though I have some things to write about, there are other things that feel more off limits. As my kids get older, I feel like I have to be more judicious in what I post about them. And the dog has somehow found her
middle age mellow. I'm not that all interesting by myself. (Although I did recently have a procedure done that you may get to hear about. Because medical stuff just screams funny, right?) The neighbors have been, if not friendly, at least not openly hostile. House things are coming together, but I don't know if anyone even wants to hear about projects I've taken on.
At first I didn't write because I didn't have much to write about. Then when I did have some things to write about, sitting down and staring at a blank screen and a hostile, blinking cursor made me uncomfortable. And being uncomfortable in a place that I had never been uncomfortable before made me resent the whole idea of writing. And instead of writing my way through it, I simply shrugged my shoulders, and said "meh" to the whole thing.
I don't want to be that way. I don't want to not do something that has meant so much to me just because I'm uncomfortable. I want to be the kind of person that sits in that uncomfortable spot and says, "how are you going to change it?" And so, you kind, sweet people, please bear with me as I find my way back to the sweet spot. It's likely to be a little awkward and lurchy around here, as I find my footing again. But I'll get there, because I've decided that there is a better place to be than here.
Posted by Sara at 7:07 PM View Comments
Labels: Me
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
The Haps
Hey y'all. As my kids say: 'What's the haps?'
Okay. I'm lying. My kids don't actually now say, nor have they ever said that. This is what happens when you are out of practice with writing. You just make stuff up just so you can get going. But now, having lied and having started, I'm pretty sure I can keep going without resorting to lying. I shall, forthwith, update you on "the haps" at Chez Sara and I shall tell it like it is. Or was, depending on when things happened. Time, it's a tricky business, dontchaknow.
First off, let me start by telling you that I was slain by that dastardly little drummer boy. It was an unholy pairing of an army of fake Kardashians and that evil song that pah-rum-pum-pummed me right out of the game. Thanks SNL for your Kimye skit. You really should have a warning. Anyway, it was only 24 hours before the game ended that I was done in. I was sitting in my room, watching a dvr'd episode of SNL with my daughter when it happened. I screamed. In agony. In such a way that my beloved, who had just finished showering, ran out of the bathroom to make sure that someone hadn't actually lost a body part. (Well, he couldn't see it, but I'm pretty sure The Boy took part of my soul.) Then, after hearing my explanation for the ruckus, he just shook his head in disgust and headed back into the bathroom to finish grooming himself and his manly, manly beard.
We had a joyful Christmas with most of my family. My folks and Uncle Grumpy and his kids headed down and we celebrated. And they left this for me:
|Yep. I was given the dreaded owls, dressed as a drummer boy, ox, and lamb. The HORROR!
|Select. Fill. Relax. Lying liars!!
|Guess who's still finding random styrofoam beans?
Mary was trying to help me and when my father finally came upstairs to see what all the laughing/cursing/crying/screaming/shrieking was about, he shook his head in disbelief. It wasn't long before he, too, was covered in the
After Christmas, Mother Nature decided it was time to bring me to my knees by sending us 12" of snow and a polar vortex that kept my children out of school for the whole first week that they were supposed to be back. Instead of having a two week winter break, they had three. And I almost and a nervous breakdown. The laundry! The food! The different waking/sleeping/eating schedules!
|3/4 of my children working on a tunnel. The 4th was off being cool with his friends.
|Taken about two seconds before having snow thrown at me.
I'm hearing now that next week may rival the first appearance of the polar vortex. Yippee. Even my children, who were delighted at having an extended break, are starting to grow bored. They are not hoping for anymore snow days, since their school year has now been extended into June. Now they are just looking for 2 hour delays. I, however, am no longer on speaking terms with the school district's Director of Transportation. Um, not that I ever spoke to the man before. But boy! If he tried to speak to me now, I would give him one heck of a cold shoulder!
Let's see…
There was also this:
It's just part of my decor--I'm not actually hanging it and doing the hustle or anything. And the best part is--well, besides the faces of people who come over and then exclaim "You have a disco ball? WHY do you have a disco ball? Now I kinda want a disco ball!"--if the sun decides to show up in the morning and do its job instead of hiding behind the gray, gray clouds that are trying to make me curl up in a ball and die, it looks like this in my family room!
And do you know what happens next?
The Dumb Dog loses her mind.
Winning on two levels. Feels good!
Posted by Sara at 11:48 AM View Comments
Labels: Dumb dog, Familia, Holidays, I Love My Life, Me, Offspring, picture this


text:
(WEAU) - A local hospital tackled the issue of bullying Tuesday night in Eau Claire.
Sacred Heart Hospital's Behavioral Health Clinic hosted a free bullying prevention event at the Metropolis Resort. It offered information, guidance and motivation for kids who are affected by bullying and their families.
Officer Andrew Wise with the Eau Claire Police Department told us a couple of the things parents can do to help their children if they're being bullied or are bullying others. "Setting a good example for them. Showing their kids in their homes how to have conflict resolution skills. We know we're going to have issues with people, whether your young or old, an how you go about dealing with that," said Wise.
Sacred Heart says more than 600,000 kids in the U.S. afraid to go to school every day and millions more being cyber-bullied.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This rant is the 13th installment of the Rant On... series, which will be featured regularly - by which I mean whenever I feel like ranting. Post any suggestions for future rants in the comments.It's been ages since I've posted an update on this site, and honestly I've been holding off in the hopes of doing a massive redesign because the whole thing seems rather stale (and I know infintely more about web design and programming now). However I saw three instances of the same offending behavior in different circumstances this morning and couldn't resist posting a new rant.
So what do I mean by inconsiderate redundancy? Say a few people at work are waiting for an elevator on the ground floor. Obviously, someone has likely already hit the button to call the elevator. To make this apparent, there's a convenient little light behind the button that illuminates to let everyone know someone took care of business. Now, some guy wanders up...maybe he's distracted by his phone (this could be the subject of another rant, but is too obvious), distracted by a call he's on, or just daydreaming.
In any case, why would this person not think to glance at the call button before going out of their way to approach it with the intent of hitting it again? Moreover, why would they bump people who are standing near the button (but not obscuring the line of sight that would be necessary to see the button is illuminated) in order to perform an entirely useless action?
Then once on the elevator it's even worse. There's a good chance the elevator has several people on it, and trying to go out of the way to hit the button is going to disturb some people. Again, someone is hitting an already illuminated button. Or on an elevator with very few (like 3) people on it, there's no excuse not to see your floor is already hit.
You might interject, "Maybe they think the action will happen quicker if they hit it again," to which I retort: they why don't they just stand there jamming the button, if that actually worked?
So the elevator thing is pretty annoying, but it's even worse on the bus I take in the morning (thankfully it's a short ride), because it's not just a rare offender like with the elevator, and the bus is way more packed so people are definitely getting shoved around if someone is trying to pull the cord to request a stop.
When someone pulls the cord, there's a small delay and then there is a loud chime indicating a stop was requested. There's also a sign at the front of the bus that lights up (or scrolls on the LED displays) boldly indicating "STOP REQUESTED". Yet dozens of people will create a path of destruction and lunge for the cord again for the same stop. Even being blind would be no excuse...the chime is loud enough to be heard even over headphones (except for those who are playing music so loud, you're sure they're deaf because you can hear it at a comfortable volume and you're not the one wearing the headphones) and for the sighted, there's that visual indicator too.
Time for the never-done-before rant-within-a-rant...on the bus as it starts to fill up, people get told to move further back (in the morning all the seats are filled so there's people standing). However, this is the worst system ever, because what if you're only on for another 3 stops? Everyone else is in it for the long haul, but you get glared at if you decide not to move back. Of course, if you do acquiesce and move back, you're going to get glared at in 3 stops when you're trying to worm your way back to the door.
The moral is, buses and elevators suck, but mostly because people are stupid.


text:
Looks like you are using an old version of Internet Explorer - Please update your browser
What happened to Christian universities? Many Christians, and especially biblical creationists, are wondering.
No results found in .
Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.


text: This well-known and well-travelled latex loving lady has performed with one hell of a list of Ultra-cool stars. Travelling with the Reverend B. Dangerous Freak Show for Ozzfest, she performed under the name 'Stitches' alongside the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Marilyn Manson, Pantera, and Slipknot. Having already worked as a pro Domme in San Francisco, Ms Kendra had the kinky know-how to really make pants drop and heads spin when she realized that performing and sex were a heady combination. Her modeling and fetish video career took off, naturally, and this dirty dominatrix now enjoys taking no-holds-barred sex into the world of HD with her performances for Brazzers.


text:
I have been an AIDS activist since 1986 but just when I thought I'd seen it all, the seesaw phenomenon that is drug development caught me off-balance again. Entry inhibitors (EIs) have made HIV drug development an even more dangerous roller coaster ride for both companies and people with HIV. Here is one activist's take on the history of another "promising new class" of HIV drugs.
A "Cleaner" Drug?
The story of EIs begins ten years ago, when researchers began finding people who had been exposed to HIV many times but had never been infected. The mystery was solved when, in 1996, they reported that these individuals lacked a CCR5 receptor on their T cells. Turns out that HIV attaches not only to the CD4 receptor on T cells, but also to a co-receptor: either CCR5 (R5) or CXCR4 (X4). People lacking this co-receptor weren't getting infected, no matter how much unsafe sex they had.
This led to hopes of new HIV vaccine approaches and to a new class of drugs: EIs. These drugs were designed to "clog up" the R5 or X4 co-receptors. If an EI was effective, HIV could attach to the CD4 receptor, but it couldn't "unlock" the cell's coat since the co-receptor was blocked by an EI. The drugs worked in the test tube, promising fewer side effects and potent viral suppression, even in people resistant to many approved HIV drugs. But as we've seen in the past, the anticipation may have far exceeded the actual event.
This new class of drugs presents many challenges with respect to safety and side effects. Initially, we were peppered with the concept that these drugs would be "cleaner" than previous drugs like protease inhibitors (PIs). My first thought was, "Where have I heard that before?" Because EIs should prevent HIV from actually entering uninfected cells, the theory was that they would lower HIV replication without affecting healthy cells.
Researchers initially suggested that EIs should be tested only in people with early HIV disease due to fears that if the R5 receptors were blocked, HIV would shift to using X4 receptors, perhaps leading to faster HIV progression. This sounded only too familiar to long-time activists. Years before, other elite researchers had told us that all new drugs should be studied in antiviral-naive patients so we could better prove just how effective the newer drugs were. They swore we that would thwart the development of promising new drugs by studying them in people who were too sick to actually show real benefit. We were told we should forgo studying new drugs in the people who needed them the most.
Treatment activists didn't go for that line then, and we didn't this time either. We insisted that the FDA force companies to study these drugs in all patient populations before they became more widely available after FDA approval. This has resulted in another unforeseeable turn of events and a divergence of opinion between US and European activists, which I'll explain further when we discuss the specific drugs.
There were other safety issues that also needed to be addressed. Theoretically, EIs might cause immune system interactions that will result in the proliferation of other pathogens in the blood, including well-known opportunistic infections and deadly new cancers. Resulting immune complications are of paramount concern even if these drugs are supposed to be "clean" in and of themselves.
BMS 806: Too Many Pills
The EI saga began with a compound from Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) that was initially further along than the rest of the pack. In test-tube studies, BMS 806 inhibited the first step in HIV entry by binding with a part of the HIV envelope, gp120. Since it bound with HIV, not a CD4 cell, it was hoped that this compound would block HIV entry regardless of whether the virus used the X4 or R5 co-receptor.
In 2002, BMS was the leader in this field and claimed that BMS 806 had a tolerable safety profile and no cross-resistance to other approved HIV drugs. It was also orally bioavailable -- a tablet, not an injection like Roche's Fuzeon, which causes injection site reactions in 98% of cases and costs over $20,000 a year.
But four years later, BMS has not produced a usable version of 806. They haven't been able to solve the problem of how to get enough drug into the bloodstream without requiring an unacceptable number of pills too many times each day.
Aplaviroc: Liver Toxicity
GlaxoSmithKline (Glaxo) also had an entry inhibitor -- GW873140, or aplaviroc -- that it purchased from a Japanese drug company. But development was discontinued due to liver toxicity. A small number of people in early trials were seeing abnormalities in three different indicators of liver function increase simultaneously: ALT, AST and bilirubin. This phenomenon, known as Hy's Law, can predict permanent liver damage. Glaxo immediately stopped the studies, and is to be commended for acting swiftly to ensure patient safety. (Remember, these were the drugs that weren't supposed to have any side effects.) Meanwhile, another one bites the dust!
Vicriviroc: Potency Problems
Schering Plough was initially developing SCH C, another R5 attachment inhibitor. But this compound was shelved after EKGs of patients showed QT irregularities (heartbeat abnormalities). Schering decided to proceed with development of SCH D, now known as vicriviroc (VCV). Schering claimed this compound was more potent and did not cause life-threatening heart problems. As an added benefit, it was taken only once a day. In 2003, VCV had not yet been studied in the clinic but was said to offer "great promise."
Unfortunately, we once again learned the hard way that all drugs offer great promise until they are tested in people. When large numbers of people begin using new drugs, more issues are bound to develop. For example, soon after meeting with activists and telling us how rosy everything looked with VCV, Schering announced that the lowest dose in the Phase II trial was dropped after the Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) saw viral load breakthroughs. Then, the DSMB (a group of experts that reviews blinded studies to ensure patient safety) recommended closing the study entirely because of viral load breakthroughs at all three doses. We still don't know why viral breakthrough occurred, but Schering is hoping that higher doses will do the trick.
It should be noted that the VCV study in treatment-experienced patients is continuing, even though cancers have developed in five patients, including four lymphoma patients and one patient with stomach adenocarcinoma. Let's hope VCV will continue to hold its own against Sustiva and Combivir in this population, without making them sicker than they already were.
Schering is requesting FDA approval to start larger Phase III trials with higher doses of VCV, but the company may be required to go back to the drawing board with another Phase II study to find the correct dose. Restarting a Phase II study will add at least two years to VCV development. Moreover, higher doses of VCV may cause new and unforeseen side effects.
Maraviroc: The Liver Transplant Scare
Next we have Pfizer's UK 427, now known as maraviroc (MVC). Because of all the foregoing tales of woe, MVC is further along in development than the other EIs. MVC blocks viral replication at the point of membrane fusion by preventing the gp120 viral envelope from binding to the R5 co-receptor. The really good news about this compound is that unlike VCV, MVC does not need to be boosted by Norvir, the side-effect-ridden, extremely expensive Abbott PI .
This is probably the most complicated and unclear EI story of all. Apparently, a woman in one of Pfizer's international trials needed a liver transplant after receiving MVC. This case was disclosed at a scientific conference in Europe and caused transcontinental panic. Coupled with the liver toxicity resulting from the Glaxo EI, this case made people fear that liver toxicity might be a problem with the entire class of EIs, a problem that would result in the discontinuation of all EIs.
But -- you guessed it -- this case is far from clear. We may never know what caused the need for this liver transplant, as many confounding factors were present. Did MVC cause the liver damage? Was it MVC or MVC plus the INH she was taking to prevent TB that caused the problem? Or was it MVC, INH, and poor medical care? Apparently, she was given INH -- which is highly liver toxic -- to prevent TB, without any indication that she was at risk for TB (other than the country she came from). Further, she was given Tylenol -- also liver toxic -- for initial symptoms and IV Tylenol after hospitalization. The patient also had hepatitis C, although her HCV viral load was undetectable. So, we have a patient who probably had a compromised liver, receiving two drugs known to be toxic to the liver (INH and Tylenol) and an investigational drug (MVC). Who's to say for sure what actually caused the liver damage that led to the liver transplant?
What's even more concerning is that in addition to the liver transplant incident, Pfizer's DSMB recently recommended that the lowest dose of MVC + Combivir in its study in people who had never taken anti-HIV drugs be stopped because the Sustiva + Combivir arm was outperforming the MVC arm. Is this deja vu? Let's hope the higher doses of MVC keep performing well against Sustiva.
It is important to note that the MVC + Combivir vs. Sustiva + Combivir study in treatment-experienced patients is continuing, with MVC holding its own against Sustiva so far. It should also be noted that Sustiva + Combivir is one of the best first-line regimens we have against HIV. Bet Pfizer is now very happy that the FDA forced them take our recommendation and study MVC in later-stage patients, too.
The European Conflict
Many European AIDS activists firmly believe that newer drugs like MVC should not be studied in naive patients, especially if they have a CD4 count below 200. They fear that not enough is known about these compounds and that patients below 200 should not be exposed to the unknown risk and potentially suboptimal benefit of new drugs when other, more tried-and-true regimens are available. When reviewing the protocol, many U.S. activists thought it would be better to study these drugs in all populations before they received FDA approval. We believed that most physicians would not subject their patients with CD4 counts below 200 to experimental agents when over 20 HIV drugs were readily available. Enter the previously described "perfect storm" liver transplant scenario, and yet another controversial trial design question gathered steam: is it appropriate to study new agents in people who are at risk of serious illness but who have proven treatment options remaining?
AMD 11070: The Lone X4 Inhibitor
Can we inhibit the potentially more dangerous X4 virus? AMD 3100, an X4 coreceptor inhibitor, was being studied by AnorMed, but trials were also halted due to life-threatening adverse events. AnorMed is proceeding with AMD 11070, which does not have the same dangerous toxicity profile as 3100. Unfortunately, the current AMD 11070 study (ACTG A5210) opened in November of 2004 but has still accrued only four of the required 48 patients necessary, largely because people must stay in the hospital for 10 days. Although the protocol team continues to make amendments that should help enrollment, at this rate it won't be fully enrolled until 2030. Hopefully, the X4 shift may not be as dangerous as once anticipated because other already marketed antivirals may effectively inhibit X4 virus.
Tropism Assays
As if that weren't enough, we are far from understanding the previously mentioned, potentially dangerous shift from R5 to X4 virus. It now seems that R5 inhibition may serve merely to make already existing X4 virus more visible to currently available tests. Maybe significant amounts of dual-tropic HIV (virus that can use either the R5 or X4 receptor) were already present before initiation of EI therapy. Of course, we would know a lot more about this issue if the only approved tropism assay was better able to detect the presence of R5 and/or X4 virus.
Presently, there is only one company producing a tropism assay, Monogram Biosciences. More companies involved in assay development would undoubtedly translate into more, possibly better and less expensive assays. But it seems that many of the funding sources have dried up as a result of the poor trial results discussed earlier. Unfortunately, the Monogram assay leaves a lot to be desired. It is very expensive -- between $800 to $1,200 per test. It is also a very labor-intensive process that requires that a patient have a viral load over 500. And it cannot detect virus that makes up less than 10% of the viral population. This means that plenty of the more dangerous X4 virus may be present, but undetectable with the current technology.
Where Does This Leave EIs?
It appears we may need to reconsider the role of EIs. They may end up being merely add-on drugs, instead of the anchor drugs (like Sustiva and Kaletra) we had hoped for. Further study will describe more fully the risk/benefit ratio of these compounds. Will they have potent and sustained anti-HIV activity? If they do, the resulting benefit must be weighed against what other side effects develop and the unknown factor of their long-term effects on the immune system's other regulatory functions. Maybe these drugs will end up being added to regimens used only by treatment-experienced patients who have burned through all other therapies and who are willing to take more risk.
But there is yet another issue. In all studies so far, we have seen substantial variation among patients in sensitivity to EIs. What factors will predict this patient variability? How many years of study will it take to sort out these strategic issues? Just when will we know how to use these drugs effectively in the real world? Is your head spinning yet?
In any event, it seems that the new integrase inhibitors being developed by Merck and Gilead Sciences may overtake EI development. Merck's MK 518 began Phase III trials in March. Although 518 needs to be taken twice daily, it does not require Norvir boosting and Merck says it is extremely effective against many types of HIV drug-resistant virus. Merck claims that this "promising" new drug will present much less risk than the EIs. Where have I heard that before?
Lynda Dee is a long-time activist and member of AIDS Action Baltimore, AIDS Treatment Activist Coalition, and Treatment Action Group.


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Sat what?! You can curl your hair with a pitcher and hairdryer? Check out this video below on how you can get a head full of curls by spinning your hair in a jug. The gadget is called Air Curler and it attaches to (almost) any hairdryer. For just $14.99 soft, luscious curls will be yours apparently. At least if it doesn't work you'll have an extra pitcher for some Sangria or juice.
[Photo : Aircurler.com]


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Green bonds: nascent market to play vital role
We examine the growing market in green bonds, which we believe is a vital tool in facilitating the allocation of capital to projects that can help deliver on ambitions to limit global warming.
Contributes to
Unstructured Learning Time
A year of strong growth
Green bonds saw exponential growth in 2014:
- €22.7 billion issued according to the banking group ING
- More than double the level of 2013
- 97 green bonds were issued by 50 issuers in 2014
- Four issuers accounted for 50% of the total number
Growth was boosted as the issuer base expanded - from governments and financial institutions - to include companies.
Standard & Poor's estimates that corporate bond issuance could reach $30 billion in 2015 (a near 50% increase on 2014).
Corporate green bonds have helped bring depth to the market and also a range of currencies, geographies and maturities.
In addition to new issuers, new types of green bonds entered the market, such as asset-backed securities from Toyota linked to hybrid and electric vehicle loans.
Beyond the corporate sector, municipal green bonds are expected to be a growth area in 2015.
Green bond issuance will also continue to grow as China gears up its green development programmes and Latin American countries and companies look to increase their renewable energy capacity.
Green standards
As the market grows, so do concerns about the potential for market abuse, with some issuers not being totally transparent about what they plan to do with the proceeds of bonds.
The development of "Green Bond Principles" by a group of issuers, investors and intermediaries provides a commonly agreed framework for legitimate issuers to adhere to and should give confidence to investors as to the integrity of a green bond and the use of its proceeds.
The full report is available below.
Read the full report
Green bonds - a primer 7 pages | 485 kbDOWNLOAD


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How to Achieve Financial Consolidation, Management and Regulatory Reporting Excellence in Banking. Interview with Top Executives
Hear how Top Financial Institutions have significantly improved their Reporting and Performance Management processes within a single software solution, enterprise-wide.
John Engelbrecht, CCH Tagetik Financial Services Specialist (moderator) interviews:
- Luca Maida, Head of Global Consolidation Tool & Modeling at Unicredit Group on Consolidation, Management, Statutory & Regulatory Reporting, Budgeting & Forecasting;
- Christian Fritz, Head of Consolidation at Erste Group on Consolidation, Reporting, IFRS/FinRep, Segment Reports, Risk Information, Basel III;
Learn how CCH Tagetik, with over 12 years experience in financial services, has helped the top banks in the world achieve best practices in performance management– financial consolidation, regulatory and managerial reporting, budgeting, forecasting and strategic planning.


text: Plug-ins won't be more widely accepted until prices come closer to comparable gas-engine cars. By Jessica L. Anderson, Associate Editor October 1, 2012 Two years ago, the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt debuted to much hype—and lots of skepticism. Would Americans embrace these plug-ins as a green godsend or regard them as expensive toys? The verdict: neither. Buyers are warming up to them, and sales are steady if not overwhelming.SEE OUR SLIDE SHOW: 14 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars But consumer acceptance isn't the only factor that is revving up EV production. California regulations requiring large carmakers to have zero-emission vehicles in their fleets kick in this year. So Toyota, Ford, Honda and GM are introducing new all-electric options for those looking to plug in to fuel up. Still pricey. Prices are significantly higher than for gas-engine vehicles, even when you add in standard fare on plug-ins, such as navigation systems. A $7,500 federal tax credit is available for electric vehicles, but it doesn't chip away enough at price tags ($36,050 for the 2012 Leaf; $39,995 for the 2012 Volt) to make them wallet-friendly. Plug-ins won't be more widely accepted until prices come closer to comparable gas-engine cars, says John Voelcker, editor of GreenCarReports.com. "The cost has to be close enough that buyers can sense how the vast savings in 'fuel' will offset the price difference." Advertisement Electricity is cheaper than gasoline, and maintenance is less expensive than for combustible-engine vehicles; but total five-year ownership costs are still higher than for a compact gas-sipper because of the price disparity. The Leaf also costs more over five years than the Toyota Prius hybrid. Range continues to be a consideration, too. Though the majority of charges will be done at home, trips longer than 80 miles could leave you with a dead battery. Currently, there are about 10,000 public charging stations, although a recent report by consulting firm Frost & Sullivan predicts 500,000 by 2017. New choices. The 2012 Ford Focus Electric is on sale now in California, New Jersey and New York. The hatchback's estimated range of 76 miles is comparable to the Leaf's, but thanks to a larger-capacity onboard charger, it "fills up" in three to four hours instead of the Leaf's eight. Drive-wise, there's little to distinguish it from its gas-engine sibling. When you step off the accelerator, it doesn't slow precipitously as it regenerates energy; but until you really punch the pedal, you don't feel the instant power typical of other EVs, either. The best feature: an in-dash LED screen that offers coaching on how to conserve power. The worst: An oddly configured, cramped cargo space, where Ford dumps the battery pack. The price tag is $39,995 (a comparably equipped gas-engine Focus Titanium hatch costs $27,010). Advertisement The 2013 Honda Fit EV, which hit dealers' lots this summer in California and Oregon and will expand to the East Coast early next year, fares better. The compact hatch offers three drive modes, ranging from most efficient to sporty; all three are enjoyable, but Sport mode is flat-out fun. Like the Focus, the Fit charges in about three hours but, at 82 miles, ekes out a few more miles of range. More perks: The navigation system shows you your range on the map, which the Focus doesn't, and it has more rear legroom and cargo space. Honda will only be leasing the Fit EV, so it's hard to compare the price with other EVs. However, the priciest 2012 gas-engine Fit ($20,480) leases for about $375 a month for 36 months; the Fit EV will go for $389. The 2012 Toyota RAV4 EV went on sale in late summer in California, with a hefty price tag of just over $50,000 (a top-of-the-line gas-engine model costs $29,460). The Chevrolet Spark EV ships next year, but GM has been tight-lipped on pricing. The most exciting entry is the Tesla Model S luxury sedan. The base model, which debuts next spring, has a 160-mile range and starts at $57,400. The Signature models (300-mile range, starting at $95,400) are on sale now. Follow Jessica on Twitter and Facebook. This article first appeared in Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. For more help with your personal finances and investments, please subscribe to the magazine. It might be the best investment you ever make.


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Park Operating Hours
Park closes at 2pm. Christmas eve
Park closed Christmas Day
Open 7 days a week from 9am. - 5pm. daily, with last entry at 4pm. Due to State Health laws, pets are not allowed on any park trails. All trails close at 4pm.
See the natural bridge from 4 parking lot viewpoints or hike down below to experience this geologic wonder. If you look closely at the photo you can see the lower observation deck with people who hiked down to the bottom. Photo by Tom Brossart for Arizona State Parks.
Tucked away in a tiny valley surrounded by a forest of pine trees, Tonto Natural Bridge State Park has been in the making for thousands of years. It is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. The bridge stands 183 feet high over a 400-foot long tunnel that measures 150 feet at its widest point.
The discovery of the small and beautiful valley between Pine and Payson was documented in 1877 by David Gowan, a prospector who stumbled across the bridge as he was chased by Apaches. Gowan hid for two nights and three days in one of several caves that dot the inside of the bridge. On the third day, he left the cave to explore the tunnel and green valley surrounding it. Gowan then claimed squatter's rights.
In 1898 he persuaded his nephew, David Gowan Goodfellow, to bring his family over from Scotland and settle the land permanently. After a week of difficult travel from Flagstaff, the Goodfellows arrived at the edge of the mountain and lowered their possessions down the 500 foot slopes into the valley by ropes and burros.
Today, visitors can stand on top of the bridge or hike down below to capture the true size and beauty of this geologic wonder.
Time lapse photograph of the night sky as seen through Tonto Natural Bridge. Photo taken August 2013 by Kevin Turner. Note: Staying overnight in the park is not allowed.
How did the Natural Bridge form?
Learn about the geology of Tonto Natural Bridge on the Science page, and read more about its history in the Feature Story.
Tonto Natural Bridge Wins 3 Awards
Tonto Natural Bridge SP has won three Best of Rim Country awards, including Best Historic Site, Best Place to Hike, and Best Day Trip. Read about all the awards given Here
Western Region
- Alamo Lake
- Buckskin Mountain
- Cattail Cove
- Lake Havasu
- River Island
- Yuma Quartermaster Depot
- Yuma Territorial Prison
Northern Region
- Dead Horse Ranch
- Fort Verde
- Homolovi
- Jerome
- Red Rock
- Riordan Mansion
- Slide Rock
- Verde River Greenway
Eastern Region
- Boyce Thompson Arboretum
- Catalina
- Fool Hollow Lake
- Lost Dutchman
- Lyman Lake
- McFarland
- Oracle
- Tonto Natural Bridge
Southern Region


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Basel III
Basel III aims to improve the banking sector's ability to manage uncertainty in financial and economic stress, improve risk management and governance, and strengthen banks' transparency and disclosures. The Basel III regulatory implementation period has begun on 1 January 2013 and affects banks worldwide.
Basel III, the third of the Basel Accords, sets the rules which banks have to follow in order to mitigate the risks concerned with their capital, liquidity and governance. More precisely, banks are requested to implement a broad valuation of securities and use structured scenario analysis.
Through its flagship product Valordata Feed (VDF), SIX Financial Information offers a wide spectrum of Basel III compliant financial data and supports the regulation's requirement to cover the minimum capital requirements, ensure a proper supervisory and ensure the transparency requirements under market discipline.
In order to comply with Basel III, the client can use SIX Financial Information's data offering, in particular:
- Global Corporate Actions: read more
- Securities Ratings: SIX Financial Information provides a variety of ratings data from leading international rating agencies such as Moody's, S&P, FITCH, Morningstar and so forth.
For more details on the Basel III accords and SIX Financial Information's related offering, please download our factsheet (below).


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Food & Drink
All aboard! Respect, remembrance mix with the macabre
By Chris Welch, CNN • Updated 15th April 2012
View Gallery
9 Pictures
Morgan Mullinix was laughed at when she'd tell friends where she was headed.
They thought she was crazy when she signed up for an eight-day Titanic cruise chartered to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ship's demise.
"I get tired of it," she said. "People are like 'You're 26, Morgan. Really?
But for the 450 people aboard the Azamara Journey, this trip is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They say it's the closest thing they'll ever have to experiencing what led to the fateful ship's sinking on a cold April night in the North Atlantic.
As a reporter, I experienced some of this myself when I described my assignment.
"Tell the captain to watch out for icebergs," people would say. "You're tempting fate ... make sure there's enough lifeboats."
And it is a little eerie when you think about it: People are dressing up in period costumes similar to what was worn on Titanic in 1912. Women in corsets, hair up in Gibson rolls, head to afternoon tea. Meals that were served at the last dinner onboard the ship are crossing 2012 diners' lips. (I had a Halibut dish on Wednesday, inspired by Titanic's menus, and it was quite tasty.)
Harp music fills the parlor, although there's a regular nod to 1997. You'll only hear "My Heart Will Go On," the theme to James Cameron's blockbuster "Titanic," at most once per hour. (That's the rule, says the woman behind the mammoth mahogany instrument).
It's all part of a trip that will culminate in a moment of silence held directly above the wreckage at the exact date and time Titanic met its end.
Why the Titanic fascinates more than other disasters
The captain even told me that we are, in fact, heading into waters that could include some ice. It would be a rare occurrence, but he said no one knows for sure until we are almost to the exact spot of the wreckage.
CNN's Michael Holmes looks back at what life was like in 1912, the year the Titanic sank.
All of this, though, is what makes this trip even better for Mullinix, who is a full-time cruise consultant, a career inspired in part by her fascination with Titanic. Her mission is to get a sense of what those passengers experienced -- everything except the iceberg part -- aboard the White Star Line's RMS Titanic.
CNN's Rob Marciano finds out how you can experience the sinking of the Titanic.
"I looked out last night at the water and I thought, 'I can't even imagine what that had to have felt like or be like.' There was nothing you could do. Nothing."
That vast darkness is where more than 1,500 lost their lives, mostly by freezing in 28-degree water. While she admits it is "a little macabre," she wouldn't mind seeing an iceberg -- emphasis on "seeing."
"To feel the coldness of the air, to look up and see the sky and know that's what they looked at," those are some of the reasons Mullinix signed up.
A tribute is scheduled to begin at 11:40 p.m. on April 14 -- the time Titanic struck the iceberg. A wreath will be placed on the water two hours and 40 minutes later --- just as the last of the ship slipped beneath the surface. The
will meet up with the
MS Balmoral
at the sinking site for the memorial. That ship is carrying passengers retracing the maiden voyage of the Titanic from Southampton, England, on an expedition organized by the same travel outfit.
Personal connections
Morgan Mullinix, 26, has been fascinated with the Titanic disaster since she was a child.
Chris Welch/CNN
Mullinix doesn't remember exactly how old she was, but she knows she was in "the single digits" when she became hooked on all things Titanic. It was the story of her great grandfather, as relayed by her father.
He was on the Carpathia, which answered the distress signals from the doomed ship, rescuing hundreds of passengers.
"He was there. He witnessed the survivors," she said, explaining why she wants to be there, exactly one century later.
Passenger Sharon Willing said she would "go to the ends of the earth" to pay tribute to her great-grandfather, who died that night. He and his wife -- Willing's great-grandmother, who made it out on lifeboat four -- were first class passengers aboard Titanic.
"Although I obviously didn't know him, I have felt a mental and emotional closeness to him for a very long time," Willing said the first day of the journey. "So, being here, going to the site, is for me like meeting him and being able to say goodbye."
Willing says it's hard for her to talk about her great-grandparents and not get choked up, particularly when she describes what she knows to be the circumstances that led to their parting ways.
"When they got the notice to go on up to the boat deck, they were laughing together and saying, you know, this is -- isn't this kind of silly," Willing said.
"He put her in lifeboat four, told her that he'd be coming back, and he'd be there waiting for her. And when she got into the lifeboat and they pulled away, she heard this hissing sound, and she realized then that it was water going into the ship. And she looked for her husband, and she couldn't find him. And his body was never found," she said, and began to cry.
A true melting pot
Patrick Druckenmiller's grandmother bought him a replica of the Titanic during the ship's stop in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Chris Welch/CNN
Those on board the Azamara Journey range from the 76-year-old Willing to 9-year-old Patrick Druckenmiller, who received this trip as a gift from his grandmother because he's such a Titanic buff. As he walked the gangway to board the ship, Druckenmiller was dressed as Titanic Capt. E.J. Smith, in full uniform, complete with a white cotton beard.
Passengers chat about the merits of bringing artifacts from the wreck site to shore, or about why Robert Ballard, one of the men who discovered Titanic's wreckage in 1985, made a bad choice when he didn't bring anything up from the ship. Anywhere else, these topics might seem out of place -- as would a discussion about how the constellations aren't correct in the night sky as Rose clings to the piece of driftwood in the movie. Not here.
InStyle: Most memorable star-crossed movie couples
Thursday was ABBA night at the disco. Of course, I attended. The disco draws all kinds -- from the middle-aged man in a kilt who came on the voyage to pay a bagpipe tribute at the cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where many victims are buried, to the 20-something singers and dancers who make up the cruise line's usual year-round entertainment.
This is certainly not the crowd they're used to. The Azamara Journey's crew members declined requests for formal interviews, though some told me this is certainly a more "unique" crowd filled with "interesting" characters.
On the surface the trip is easy to poke fun at. But one thing is for sure -- on the night of the 14th, no one will be dancing. Disco lights will go dark, the casino's slot machines silent. No sweet sounds of the harp, no "My Heart Will Go On." Only the rhythmic crashing of waves against the ship.
And sure, perhaps someone somewhere will be laughing at those onboard. But for Morgan Mullinix that won't matter anymore.
"I love that I'm sitting here with you guys and you're not laughing," she said to a group of new friends as they talked Titanic. "We're all understanding each other."
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Socialists in our midst
One of our history professors from UVA has joined 11 like-minded friends to write Where We Stand, Voices of Southern Dissent [Culture section: "Minor key Dixie: New Southern writes voice dissent," July 29, 2004]. I think more needs to be said.
I've read the book and believe that its an open attack on the current President, capitalism, our way of life in general, and is reminiscent of many of the more famous socialist writers of the past.
Wealth redistribution seems to be a very important part of the remolding of the United States as portrayed in this book. Each of the 12 essays would make you believe that very selfish people populate the United States, and their model of everyone sharing would be much better. The writers assert that we should look to Europe for inspiration and guidance
In the past 100 years, Europe has given demonstration to the world of the following; Socialism, Communism, Fascism, Nazism, oppression of women, racial purges, religious intolerance, ethnic cleansing, constant war, and the UN. I sure wish we had received this advice about Europe sooner (he says, tongue in cheek).
Karl Marx wrote a very persuasive book. History teaches us this. These guys fell flat, but they will land in a group.
Jim Morris
Albemarle County


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The Sewanee Tigers rushed for 376 yards on 65 carries and got a big defensive touchdown early in the second half to put away the Austin College football team at Jerry Apple Stadium, topping the 'Roos 31-10 on Saturday afternoon. The 'Roos are now 1-3 overall this season.
Sewanee used their potent ground game to dominate possession early on, going 81 yards on 12 plays, 11 of them rushes, to get a three yard touchdown run by Jase Brooks with 9:35 left in the first quarter. After a three and out on the first possession for Austin College, the Tigers would put together another long drive of 14 plays, 70 yards, with Barrett Goodson capping things off with an eight yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 with 1:50 left in the opening quarter.
Austin College would get on the scoreboard midway through the second quarter, however, when Austin Rainer found PJ Fuller for a 37 yard touchdown strike as the 'Roos needed only two plays on the drive to make it 14-7. However, the 'Roos would not be able to strike again in the first half as the Tigers milked 8:11 off of the clock on a 16 play, 63 yard possession that ended with a 28 yard field goal by Garrett Schlosser with 42 seconds before the break to make it 14-7 heading into halftime.
The Tigers ran 44 plays in the first half and piled up 208 rushing yards while the 'Roos were only able to run 16 offensive plays.
The 'Roos looked to get back into the game early in the second half, but just two minutes into the third quarter Noah Jesko was sacked by JP Boudreaux, jarring the ball loose and allowing Brandon Campbell to scoop it up and race 30 yards for a Sewanee touchdown to make it 24-7. The 'Roos would add a field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it a 24-10 game, but Sewanee quarterback Curtis Johnson capped off a four play, 61 yard drive with a four yard touchdown run to make it 31-10 with 7:25 to play and put the game out of reach.
Sean Sweeney led the Austin College offense with 87 yards on 22 carries and Fuller finished with 52 receiving yards on two catches. De'Andre Holmes and Stephen Young each made nine tackles to lead the 'Roo defense, Colter Headrick added eight stops and Colton Turbeville made six stops including 1.5 for loss.
Johnson led the Sewanee rushing attack with 136 yards on 21 carries and Goodson added 56 yards on seven attempts as the Tigers controlled the time of possession, holding the ball for 35:13. Dave McKeithen had nine tackles, Johnny Davenport had seven and Boudreaux had five including a sack, 2.0 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
Austin College heads out on the road next week when they travel to Alabama to take on Birmingham-Southern College with kickoff set for 1:00 p.m.
Austin College athletic teams participate as a member of the NCAA Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
About Austin College
Austin College is a leading national independent liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas. Founded in 1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original charter and name, the college is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized nationally for academic excellence in the areas of international education, pre-professional training, and leadership studies, Austin College is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope's influential book Colleges that Change Lives.


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Last Updated on Wednesday, 05 November 2014 12:27
Living With Wildlife in Pullman
The City of Pullman is located in a unique area within the State. With farm fields surrounding the City and several streams running through it, many different types of wildlife are often seen in the City limits.
The most common wildlife encountered in Pullman are deer, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, beavers, and coyotes. We do occasionally have moose in town, and cougars and bears have also wandered into town on occasion. However, it should be noted that an overwhelming majority of cougar sightings are unfounded.
Racoons & Skunks
The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WADFW) has some great information on dealing with skunks and raccoons:
Deer are another common wild animal seen in Pullman. There is no real way to keep deer out of the area, but commercial deer repellant sprays are available to deter deer from feeding on flowers and gardens. The City of Pullman Police Department receives several reports of deer in town every year. The only thing the police department can do is make sure the deer are not loitering in the main thoroughfares and causing a traffic hazard. The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WADFW) will not respond to reports of deer in the city limits.
On average we receive one or two reports of coyotes in town every year. When we have experienced a high incidence of coyote sightings in past years, it was due to people feeding a female with pups. This desensitized the animals and the steady food source supplied by humans encouraged them to remain in the area. Coyotes are curious but timid and will most likely run if scared. As with raccoons and skunks, coyotes will eat garbage and animal food so be sure these items are properly stored.
Moose sightings also occur a few times each year. Moose don't usually stay in the area for long, but they have on occasion moved from one hill to another. Moose can be very aggressive if they feel pressured by humans. If you see a moose do not approach it. Do not try to get closer or follow the animal. Attempts to scare a moose away are rarely effective. In early spring, cow moose often have a calf with them. Even if you do not see one assume there is one close by. Remember, all wild animals are more apt to be aggressive to protect their young and this can be especially true of moose. The most important thing to remember is that the moose, who appears to be a gentle giant, is wild and will charge if stressed or threatened. If you see a moose, make sure to bring children and dogs inside and watch the animal from the safety of your home. Notify the Pullman Police Department and an officer will respond to monitor the animal.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife indicates that there has been an increase in wolf sightings in the Pullman area. A recovering endangered species, the gray wolf is a carnivorous predator. Usually feeding on ungulate mammals, wolves are also ready scavengers that may eat smaller animals, livestock, and garbage.
If you see a wolf in or around the City of Pullman, please report it to the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.
For detailed information and advice on living with other Washington wildlife, visit the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife website at: http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/


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Andy Thomas - Buffalo Hunt - Signed & Numbered Western Print
20" x 30" Print by artist Andy Thomas, Other sizes available, choose from dropdown menu below
more prints from Western artist Andy Thomas
Definitions of terms:
Limited Edition Print – A reproduction of a painting in a set amount determined by the artist. For example, an artist may want to reproduce a painting in an edition of 1,000. Therefore, only one thousand prints will be created and no more. This adds exclusivity and value to the print. Some of these prints explode in value once they are sold out, giving them a two for one bonus; incredible beauty and a great investment. While many people invest in paintings, others invest in limited edition prints. These prints are signed and numbered individually, often in this manner - 234/1000, meaning it was the 234rd print out of the edition of one thousand. Usually the low numbers (1, 2, 3….) will have more value than the larger numbers. A certificate of authenticity accompanies each limited edition print. As a general rule, the larger the size of a print, the higher the cost.
Artist Proof (or AP) – When an artist decides to reproduce a painting, he or she will go to a publisher. The publisher will print the first fifty or so and then stop. The publisher will then show the artist the results of the first fifty to await the artist's approval. If the artist approves of the publishers work (which they usually do), the publisher will continue with the rest of the edition. Those first few prints are designated as artist proofs. They will look exactly the same as a limited edition print, but they carry an "AP" in the corner of the print. Artist proofs are highly coveted by collectors. A tip from us at Elegant Horse Pictures; if you are not a collector, buy the limited edition and save money, as artist proofs are slightly higher in cost.
Canvas Edition (or canvas transfer) – A reproduction of a painting onto a canvas base. Canvases are higher in cost than paper prints but have several advantages:
1) Canvases look like an original. If you've ever seen a piece of art on a wall and wondered if was a painting, it probably was a canvas reproduction
2) Canvases are more durable. They last for decades
3) Glass is not needed when framing canvases
4) Canvases are usually in smaller editions, hence more exclusivity
Giclee (pronounced gee-clay, French for "spray of ink") – A high resolution, color reproduction process, that can be processed on paper or canvas. Giclees are superior to traditional prints in nearly every way. The colors are brighter, last longer, and are so high-resolution that they are virtually 'continuous tone', rather than tiny dots. Here's another tip from us at Elegant Horse Pictures; think of giclees as HDTV, while other limited editions are traditional color tv.
Giclee on Canvas – The crčme de la crčme of fine art reproduction. When artists decide to publish giclees on canvas, they are usually in smaller editions than traditional limited edition prints, sometimes as few as ten. This is one of the factors in their much higher retail costs.
Stretched Canvas – A canvas print that is attached to something which enables it to be shipped flat. The shipping costs are higher with stretched canvases.
Unstretched Canvas – A canvas print that is rolled up and shipped in a tube. Here's a tip from us at Elegant Horse Pictures; save the shipping costs and buy the unstretched canvas. A framer will have no problem in creating the frame with an unstretched canvas.
Gallery Wrapped Canvas - A canvas where the print covers the edges (no border). A gallery wrapped canvas is stretched and is ready to hang. Here's another tip from us at Elegant Horse Pictures; gallery wrapped canvases are beautiful and a great value. It gives you have the option of framing or not framing.
If you have any further questions, we are ALWAYS available to help by phone (toll-free 866-333-5963) - seven days a week, all the way up to midnight.
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Andy Thomas - The Hunted - Signed & Numbered Print
Andy Thomas - Buffalo Hunt - Signed & Numbered Western Print


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Chargers address pass rush, secondary and wide receiver with first four picks
Free agency and poor performances during the evaluation process are starting to have a big impact.
After Teddy Bridgewater didn't throw at the combine in Indy, I figured he'd make up for it in his Pro Day. Apparently, I was wrong. Whispers are starting to say he and Johnny Manziel could start to slip, especially if Houston, Jacksonville and Oakland pass on a quarterback. I experiment with that theory this week.
For the Chargers, free agency hasn't affected my plans for them so far. It comes down to cornerback or pass rusher at No. 25.
View the Video Draft Insider - QB Chaos
Here is my updated 2014 NFL Mock Draft through four rounds:
1) Houston (2-14) — Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina, Jr.
Some people question Clowney's effort. My gut tells me he played it safe last season to protect his future. He has a better first step than any prospect in the last decade and should be one of the best defensive ends in the NFL before long. Plus, the Texans believe they can land a QB in the second or third round. So why not select the best player in this draft with the top pick? Top needs: QB, OT, S.
2) St. Louis (7-9) from Washington (3-13) — Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M, Sr.
The Rams could stay here, or trade down a few spots, regardless, the pick will be Matthews. Top needs: OL, SS, WR.
3) Jacksonville (4-12) — Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo, Sr.
It's either a QB or a pass rusher here. Mack's performance at the combine and his pro day was phenomenal. The U-T's Matt Calkins wrote a great piece on him here. Top needs: QB, DE, OL.
4) Cleveland (4-12) — Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson, Jr.
Since 2007, only two wide receivers have been drafted in the Top 5: Calvin Johnson and A.J. Green. Watkins is that good and it appears the Browns will wait until their second first rounder to address QB. Top needs: QB, OG, RB.
5) Oakland (4-12) — Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn, So.
The Raiders let their top lineman leave during free agency. Typical Raiders mistake, but the story could still have a happy ending. Robinson was a powerhouse left tackle for the Tigers and has the physical blocking style to succeed on the right side as well. He's devastating in the run game, and the Raiders can't afford to miss on a QB. There's too much risk for a team with so many holes to draft Bortles here. They have a ridiculous amount of cap space to take care of the situation. Here's a breakdown of the NFL's new Salary Cap. Top needs: QB, OT, WR.
What do you think?
Who do you think the Bolts need to pick up in the draft? What holes in the lineup do you want to see filled? Share your opinions in the comments below.
6) Atlanta (4-12) — Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA, Sr.
It wouldn't surprise me if the Falcons traded up for a top tackle or even Clowney if he doesn't go No. 1 overall. With all three off the board, Barr is the choice. He followed up his breakout junior season with 20 tackles-for-loss — the fifth-highest total in the nation — 10 sacks, five forced fumbles and four fumbles recovered. Top needs: DL, OT, TE.
7) Tampa Bay (4-12) — Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan, Sr.
Thanks to being bold in free agency, the Buccs can afford to address their woeful offensive line. Lewan solidified himself as the third best tackle prospect with a spectacular effort in Indy. He is a big, nasty blocker who can overpower defenders in the run game. Top needs: DE, LB, OL.
8) Minnesota (5-10-1) — Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida, So.
New offensive coordinator Norv Turner has the credentials to develop someone like Bortles. Obviously, a high upside pick, but his skills are still maturing. Top needs: QB, DL, OLB.
9) Buffalo (6-10) — Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina, Jr.
Ebron is too athletic and fast for linebackers and too big and strong for safeties. E.J. Manuel's development would receive a major boost with this selection. Top needs: OL, TE, OLB.
10) Detroit (7-9) — Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma St., Sr.
Gilbert's a spectacular athlete with terrific hand-eye coordination and return skills, making him a threat on defense and as a kick returner. His 4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash was the fastest among defensive backs at the combine. That element provides a little space between him and Darqueze Dennard for top overall cornerback in this draft. Top needs: WR, CB, FS.
11) Tennessee (7-9) — Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan St., Sr.
The Titans have to replace Pro Bowler Alterraun Verner. Dennard is a tough, experienced playmaker with above-average size and great instincts. He plays smart, and is coming off a phenomenal season for the Spartans. Top needs: OT, S, CB, DE.
12) N.Y. Giants (7-9) — Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh, Sr.
Giants co-owner John Mara said addressing the offensive line was the Giants No. 1 priority this off-season, and they've done it. Pass rush had to be No. 1A. Donald reminds me of Warren Sapp, albeit, a slightly smaller version. Top needs: OT, LB, CB.
13) St. Louis (7-9) — Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M, So.
With this pick, the Rams go all-in on Sam Bradford. Evans is 6-foot-5 and weighs 225 pounds, so he can win any jump ball situation and pull in bad throws. His type of physicality/aggressiveness will fit perfectly in the NFC West. Top needs: OL, SS, WR.
14) Chicago (8-8) — HaHa Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama, Jr.
The Bears' defense was toothless last season, and will require a complete overhaul this offseason. They need two safties, and Clinton-Dix could provide an eraser in the deep middle to patch up holes quickly. Top needs: DL, S, CB.
15) Pittsburgh (8-8) — Louis Nix, DT, Notre Dame, Jr.
The Steelers have one of the oldest defenses in the league, so an infusion of talented youth is needed. A monster in the middle like Nix could have positive ripple effects for the entire defense (See: Lotulelei, Star). Top needs: DT, S, OT.
16) Dallas (8-8) — Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida St., Jr.
The Cowboys defense is horrific, so any defensive player is an upgrade here. The defensive line was especially porous, however, and Jernigan would fit Dallas' system perfectly. Top needs: DL, S, LB.
17) Baltimore (8-8) — C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama, Sr.
Ozzie Newsome always takes the best available player. Mosley's athleticism and instincts are off the charts, and he could have easily been a first round draft pick last season. He's capable of providing the presence on defense the Ravens' lacked last season after Ray Lewis retired. Top needs: OT, WR, ILB.
18) N.Y. Jets (8-8) — Zack Martin, OG/OT, Notre Dame, Sr.
The Jets addressed receiver with the Eric Decker signing, plus it's an extremely deep position in this draft. Martin, who lined up at left tackle for the Irish, projects best at guard where his quick feet and explosive hands will serve him well. Top needs: WR, OL, OLB.
19) Miami (8-8) — Xavier Su'a-Filo, OG, UCLA, Jr.
Free Agent tackle Branden Albert isn't a cure-all for the Dolphins offensive line issues. Albert is just the beginning. Su'a-Filo played both tackle and guard for the Bruins. The Dolphins will value his versatility. Top needs: OT, DT, TE.
20) Arizona (10-6) — Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri, Jr.
The Cardinals likely crossed off offensive line as a position to target early with the signing of tackle Jared Veldheer. The super-athletic Ealy compares favorably to Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. He showed at Missouri he can blitz from the edge and the middle. But he's also athletic enough to shift out to linebacker. Top needs: OT, OLB, S.
21) Green Bay (8-7-1) — Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville, Jr.
Pryor is a hitting machine. He's able to play free or strong safety, and is equally adept at playing the run or dropping into coverage. Top needs: S, DT, TE.
22) Philadelphia (10-6) — Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio St., Jr.
The Eagles secondary must improve. Roby's performance during the evaluation process has almost made up for his subpar final season with the Buckeyes. Top needs: S, CB, OLB.
23) Kansas City (11-5) — Marqise Lee, WR, USC, Jr.
Had Lee not dealt with injuries last season, he'd be in the Top 15 discussion. Top needs: WR, DE, S.
24) Cincinnati (11-5) — Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech, Sr.
Leon Hall's knee injury makes this pick a necessity. Fuller has great size and performed well in Indianapolis. Top needs: CB, S, OLB.
25) Chargers (9-7) — Dee Ford, OLB/DE, Auburn, Sr.
If Gilbert and Dennard are off the board, I'd focus on the pass rush. Ford followed up a tremendous late-season surge at Auburn — and a solid peformance in the national title game — with an outstanding week of practice and a monster game in the Senior Bowl. He also claims to be a better pass rusher than Clowney, saying he plays like a "blind dog in a meat market." You have to appreciate his confidence. Top needs: CB, OLB, OL, DT.
26) Cleveland (4-12) from Indianapolis (11-5) — Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville, Jr.
I still believe Bridgewater is the most NFL-ready QB in this first round, but he's done everything wrong during this draft process. This is an example of what will happen if a few teams decide they can address the position later or through free agency. Bridgewater's accuracy, underrated athleticism and experience in a pro-style scheme make him a better fit for the Browns than Manziel, especially with immediate results expected in today's NFL. Top needs: QB, OG, RB.
27) New Orleans (11-5) — Jason Verrett, CB, TCU, Sr.
While Verrett is a bit undersized, he changes directions and breaks on the ball with ease. His ball skills are towards the top of this corner class. Top needs: OLB, OT, CB.
28) Carolina (12-4) — Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU, Jr.
Grabbing Cam Newton an explosive pass catcher with this pick certainly wouldn't hurt his development. Outside of Watkins, Beckham was the most impressive receiver in Indy. He'll help in the return game as well since Ted Ginn signed with Arizona. Top needs: WR, CB, OT.
29) New England (12-4) — Ra'Shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota, Sr.
The Patriots need to get younger and more explosive in their defensive line, regardless if they release Vince Wilfork or not. Top needs: DT, TE, CB.
30) San Francisco (12-4) — Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon St., Jr.
Cooks is an extraordinary athlete with the agility and home-run speed to help immediately on offense and special teams. Top needs: WR, CB, C.
31) Denver (13-3) — Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M, So.
The Broncos answered all their pressing needs in free agency, and Peyton Manning won't play forever. If Manziel falls past the Raiders at No. 5, it'll be a long wait May 8th. Think Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees. Top needs: OT, CB, DL.
32) Seattle (13-3) — Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech, Jr.
How much better could Russell Wilson be if he had an actual weapon at the tight end position? Amaro was able to pull in 106 passes for Texas Tech last season and has the ability to go up and make difficult catches. Top needs: WR, OL, DE.
33) Houston — Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, Eastern Illinois, Sr.
34) Washington — Ryan Shazier, OLB, Ohio St., Jr.
The Redskins need help all over their defense. Shazier had a vertical jump of 42, the best of any player at the combine. He also demonstrated a knack for making big plays while at Columbus. Top needs: DB, ILB, OL.
35) Cleveland — David Yankey, OG, Stanford, Jr.
36) Oakland — Derek Carr, QB, Fresno St., Sr.
37) Atlanta — Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington, Jr.
38) Tampa Bay — Allen Robinson, WR, Penn St., Jr.
39) Jacksonville — Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, Alabama, Jr.
40) Minnesota — Stephon Tuitt, DE, Notre Dame, Jr.
41) Buffalo — Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia, Sr.
42) Tennessee — Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio St., Sr.
43) N.Y. Giants — Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida St., So.
44) St. Louis — Jimmie Ward, S, Northern Illinois, Sr.
45) Detroit — Davante Adams, WR, Fresno St., So.
46) Pittsburgh — Lamarcus Joyner, CB, Florida St., Sr.
47) Dallas — Carl Bradford, OLB, Arizona St., Jr.
48) Baltimore — Marcus Martin, C, USC, Jr.
49) N.Y. Jets — Kyle Van Noy, OLB, BYU, Sr.
50) Miami — Tre Mason, RB, Auburn, Jr.
51) Chicago — Marcus Roberson, CB, Florida, Jr.
52) Arizona — Troy Niklas, TE, Notre Dame, Jr.
53) Green Bay — Trent Murphy, DE, Stanford, Sr.
54) Philadelphia — Jeremiah Attaochu, OLB, Georgia Tech, Sr.
55) Cincinnati — Scott Crichton, OLB/DE, Oregon St., Jr.
56) San Francisco from Kansas City — Weston Richburg, C, Colorado St., Sr.
57) San Diego — Pierre Desir, CB, Lindenwood, Sr.
It says a lot that Desir was able to garner an invite to the Senior Bowl playing at a small school like Lindenwood. Obviously, his 6-foot-1 frame is an advantage in an era where big corners are a hot commodity. He has showcased good speed as well, but the most impressive thing about the kid: he didn't even have a scholarship. He had to work to take care of his family, and put himself through school. Despite how difficult that can be, he's still about to realize his dream of playing in the NFL.
58) New Orleans — Antonio Richardson, OT, Tennessee, Jr.
59) Indianapolis — Terrence Brooks, S, Florida St., Sr.
The Colts lost Pro Bowler Antoine Bethea to the 49ers in free agency. Top needs: S, OG, CB, ILB.
60) Carolina — Jack Mewhort, OT, Ohio St., Sr.
61) San Francisco — Kareem Martin, DE, North Carolina, Sr.
62) New England — Chris Borland, ILB, Wisconsin, Sr.
63) Denver — Billy Turner, OT, North Dakota St., Sr.
64) Seattle — Gabe Jackson, OG, Mississippi St., Sr.
65) Houston — Bishop Sankey, RB, Washington, Jr.
66) Washington — Jaylen Watkins, CB, Florida, Sr.
67) Oakland — Brandon Thomas, OG, Clemson, Sr.
68) Atlanta — Dominique Easley, DT, Florida, Sr.
69) N.Y. Jets from Tampa Bay — Bashaud Breeland, CB, Clemson, Jr.
70) Jacksonville — Marcus Smith, DE, Louisville, Sr.
71) Cleveland — Ka'Deem Carey, RB, Arizona, Jr.
72) Minnesota — Deone Bucannon, S, Washington St., Sr.
73) Buffalo — Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt, Sr.
74) N.Y. Giants — Trevor Reilly, OLB, Utah, Sr.
75) St. Louis — Keith McGill, CB, Utah, Sr.
76) Detroit — Ed Reynolds, S, Stanford, Jr.
77) San Francisco from Tennessee — Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB, Nebraska, Sr.
78) Dallas — Dakota Dozier, OG, Furman, Sr.
79) Baltimore — Donte Moncrief, WR, Mississippi, Jr.
80) N.Y. Jets — Paul Richardson, WR, Colorado, Jr.
81) Miami — DaQuan Jones, DT, Penn St., Sr.
82) Chicago — Kelcy Quarles, DT, South Carolina, Jr.
83) Cleveland from Pittsburgh — Louchiez Purifoy, CB, Florida, Jr.
84) Arizona — Telvin Smith, OLB, Florida St., Sr.
85) Green Bay — Ego Ferguson, DT, LSU, Jr.
86) Philadelphia — Will Sutton, DT, Arizona St., Sr.
87) Kansas City — Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas, Sr.
88) Cincinnati — Joel Bitonio, OT, Nevada, Sr.
89) San Diego — Cyril Richardson, OG, Baylor, Sr.
The Chargers need to upgrade their interior line. Richardson played both left tackle and left guard in college. His large body — 6-foot-5, 350 pounds — helps him move bodies easily in the run game, but he also excels in pass protection.
90) Indianapolis — Shayne Skov, ILB, Stanford, Sr.
91) New Orleans — Victor Hampton, CB, South Carolina, Jr.
92) Carolina — E.J. Gaines, CB, Missouri, Sr.
93) New England — Travis Swanson, C, Arkansas, Sr.
94) San Francisco — Martavis Bryant, WR, Clemson, Jr.
95) Denver — Yawin Smallwood, ILB, UConn, Jr.
96) Minnesota from Seattle — Jeremy Hill, RB, LSU, So.
97) Houston — Daniel McCullers, DT, Tennessee, Sr.
98) Washington — Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU, Jr.
99) Atlanta — JuWuan James, OT, Tennessee, Sr.
100) Tampa Bay — Christian Kirksey, OLB, Iowa, Sr.
101) Jacksonville — Charles Sims, RB, West Virginia, Sr.
102) Cleveland — Jordan Zumwalt, OLB, UCLA, Sr.
103) Oakland — Demarcus Lawrence, DE, Boise St., Jr.
104) Minnesota — Adrian Hubbard, OLB, Alabama, Jr.
105) Buffalo — Dion Bailey, S, USC, Jr.
106) St. Louis — A.J. McCarron, QB, Alabama, Sr.
107) Detroit — Jordan Tripp, OLB, Montana, Sr.
108) Tennessee — Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia, Sr.
109) N.Y. Giants — C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE, Iowa, Sr.
110) Dallas — Robert Herron, WR, Wyoming, Sr.
111) N.Y. Jets — Jared Abbrederis, WR, Wisconsin, Sr.
112) Miami — Craig Loston, S, LSU, Sr.
113) Chicago — Christian Jones, ILB, Florida St., Sr.
114) Pittsburgh — T.J. Jones, WR, Notre Dame, Sr.
115) Jacksonville from Baltimore — Rashaad Reynolds, CB, Oregon St., Sr.
116) Arizona — Zach Mettenberger, QB, LSU, Sr.
117) Green Bay — Bryan Stork, C, Florida St., Sr.
118) Philadelphia — Will Clarke, DE, West Virginia, Sr.
119) Cincinnati — Andre Williams, RB, Boston College, Sr.
120) Kansas City — Ahmad Dixon, S, Baylor, Sr.
121) San Diego — Josh Huff, WR, Oregon, Sr.
Headed into next season, Keenan Allen is the only Chargers wideout who doesn't raise any questions. Huff dominated Senior Bowl week. He's very athletic, plays bigger than his listed size and catches the ball well. The North corners in Mobile had issues keeping up with him in the slot or when he took off deep on the outside.
122) New Orleans — Anthony Johnson, DT, LSU, Jr.
123) Cleveland from Indianapolis — Cameron Fleming, OT, Stanford, Jr.
124) Carolina — James Hurst, OT, North Carolina, Sr.
125) San Francisco — Chris Davis, CB, Auburn, Sr.
126) New England — Anthony Steen, OG, Alabama, Sr.
127) Denver — Chris Smith, DE, Arkansas, Sr.
128) Seattle — Antone Exum, CB, Virginia Tech, Sr.