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Most wrestling fans fondly remember James J. "J.J." Dillon as the colorful manager and strategic leader of the famed Four Horsemen.
That elite unit, with Dillon at the helm, is universally regarded as one of the greatest factions in the history of the business.
Some fans might be surprised, however, to learn that Dillon had been an accomplished wrestler in his own right with an impressive resume.
Did you know that Dillon once defeated Mr. Wrestling No. 2 (Johnny Walker) for the Florida heavyweight championship and held the Florida tag-team title with Roger Kirby?
Or that he had the opportunity to don the tights inside "the Mecca of pro wrestling" — Madison Square Garden? "It was my one and only time. It was late in my career against Tito Santana," Dillon recalls.
He had his first televised match in Pittsburgh against the great Killer Kowalski.
Dillon even wrestled the legendary Mexican star El Santo — twice. "He was bigger there than Hulk Hogan ever was here or anybody else anywhere else in the world," notes Dillon.
In fact, the mercurial manager took part in more than 3,200 professional matches during his career, and held a collection of impressive titles.
But Dillon actually broke into the business as neither a wrestler nor a manager, but as a referee who spent the first few years of his career officiating inside the squared circle.
He had dreamed of being a wrestler since the first time he watched the spectacle on his family's black and white television.
"I was hooked," says Dillon, whose early fandom included serving as president of the Johnny Valentine Fan Club back in the late '50s. "I realized he was great without really understanding why at the time because I was just a kid."
Dillon went on to enjoy an illustrious career in the wrestling business that was highlighted by an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012. The honors will continue with Dillon's induction into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in Amsterdam, N.Y., in May.
Another event that Dillon is excited about is the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends Fanfest this summer in Charlotte.
Dillon will be on hand to induct an old buddy and partner, Les Thatcher, into the Hall of Heroes.
"He was right there in the beginning with me, and I always look forward to seeing him. I'm honored that he wanted me to do this," says Dillon.
The two first crossed paths in the Carolinas during the early '70s, and Dillon credits Thatcher with teaching him the ropes.
"Les and I were tag partners. He taught me the right way to be a professional, and I never forgot that," says Dillon. "We've remained friends over the years."
Dillon points to Thatcher's impressive track record in the business.
"Les has done it all, and he's very respected. Look at the totality of his career. A great in-ring performer who did some bodybuilding, a great commentator, a great teacher and promoter. There's no phase of the business that he hasn't excelled in."
Dillon, 70, is personally looking forward to the event for a number of reasons.
He admits there was a time in his life when he wondered what he had accomplished.
"I wasn't a doctor, so I didn't save lives. I didn't discover a medicine that was going to cure cancer. I was a wrestler. And what did I do that was so special?"
Events like Fanfest, he says, provide the answer.
"You meet these fans and see the looks on their faces. Each of them has a specific memory that you were a part of. It gives me a tremendous sense of satisfaction knowing that when it was all said and done, that I touched the lives of so many people. In doing so, I had accomplished something with my life. That's what Fanfest means to me."
Dillon, who has missed only two Fanfests since its inception in 2004, says he enjoys the event as much, if not more, than the thousands of fans who attend the annual gathering.
"Whatever I give in terms of time and being there, I take away much more than I give. It means every bit as much to me — as someone who made a living in the profession — as it does to the fans who come there. It's a win-win situation, and that's why I look forward to going as often as I do."
In a way, says Dillon, he's making up for those many years when wrestlers were members of a closed society and were insulated from fans.
"We came in the back door and had no interaction with them unless we stopped at a convenience store and somebody at the matches also happened to pull in there. Other than that, they didn't meet you and knew nothing about you."
Nowadays, he says, he enjoys the camaraderie and wouldn't think of missing the event.
"It's amazing the things people bring to you to sign that they've kept for all these years. I'm especially looking forward to this year since there was a hiatus last year. I have very good feelings that this year will be spectacular, and I'm happy to be a part of it. And I'm thrilled to be there to induct Les."
Dillon is grateful for all of the experiences he has had through the years.
"I had a storybook career. When opportunity presents itself, you have to seize it. I certainly had the desire and the passion, and I had the luck to be in the right place at the right time."
J.J. Dillon, real name Jim Morrison, looks back on his career with fond memories.
Spanning several generations of pro wrestling, he has enjoyed a birds-eye view of the many changes that have occurred over the past half century.
In addition to being a referee, wrestler and "Manager of Champions," he held key office positions in both WWE, where he worked closely with Vince McMahon, and later WCW, where he watched that company's monumental collapse.
Dillon discovered wrestling as a teenager growing up in Trenton, N.J.
"Television was still in black and white," says Dillon, who saw Argentina Rocca wrestle Karl Von Hess in his first live match.
The youngster never looked back.
"Some kids want to join the circus or be a cowboy. Wrestling was my dream. I don't think anybody took me seriously, but I hung around."
Dillon faithfully attended all the local matches, selling programs and handling the wrestlers' robes and ring jackets so he wouldn't have to buy a ticket.
Then, through a quirk of fate, it happened. One night a referee didn't show because of a snowstorm, and Dillon was called into action.
He was a natural in the position and became a regular official for WWE (then WWWF) while attending college.
"I ended up being a referee and did that for eight years on a part-time basis," he says.
Dillon, who was never formally trained, had met and become friends with The Zebra Kid (George Bollas) during the late 1950s. The youngster told Bollas that wrestling was his dream and asked for advice.
Bollas, a top-ranked pro who had been an All-American wrestler at Ohio State, told Dillon two things.
"First of all, get your education. Go to college and get your diploma. You can stuff it in your back pocket. It may be something you never use. But it will always be there for you to fall back on, and if you're serious about wrestling, wrestling will always be there.
"Secondly, learn amateur wrestling. The basic fundamentals apply and will serve you well as a professional."
"I went to college and went out for the wrestling team. I wasn't very good, but it was a small college (Albright College in Reading, Pa.) and I was on the team and learned the fundamentals of amateur wrestling," says Dillon.
Dillon was married and a new father shortly after getting out of college.
"You have this wonderful life planned. It sometimes doesn't turn out as simple as you think," he says.
Dillon began his part-time job as a referee in 1962. He even worked a couple of unofficial matches that same year at a show headlined by Miguel Perez against Hans Schmidt. Dillon used the name Jim Valance — in honor of Johnny Valentine — and had a return match a month later.
Dillon got a career break when he was approached by The Sheik (Ed Farhat) and offered a job as a wrestler in Sheik's Detroit-based territory.
"The Sheik said I could put the tights on. That had always been my dream."
Dillon's first sanctioned match was in 1968 in Dayton, Ohio, inside a tin shed that was so small that the ring only had room for chairs on two sides and a couple of rows for fans. He competed in a tag-team match with Ron Sanders against The Hell's Angels. The commentator, he remembers, was the great Ernie Roth (aka The Grand Wizard).
Dillon jumped into his car and headed for Pittsburgh for a televised match the next day. It would be his first sanctioned match on TV, and his opponent would be Killer Kowalski.
"How many people can say they had their first singles match against Killer Kowalski?"
Dillon already had been working part-time on weekends for Bruno Sammartino, who had been helping promote shows in his hometown of Pittsburgh, and learning the ropes while officiating many of the Italian strongman's championship matches.
Dillon was working in a management training program for a trucking company in Niles, Ohio, about 90 miles from Cleveland, when he contacted Sammartino.
"I had learned the basic knowledge of wrestling from being the third man in the ring for so many of his championship matches. I got a hold of Bruno and went down to a show at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. Bruno told Ace Freeman that he wanted him to start me the next weekend even if he had to add a match to the card. I stayed there for a year."
It was there that he met Ohio-based journeyman Jim Grabmire, who knew of Dillon's dream to break into the wrestling side of the business. Grabmire worked primarily in his home base during the winter, but would travel to promoter Jim Crockett Sr.'s Charlotte territory in the summer to help beef up that area's sizable roster.
Grabmire took one of Dillon's publicity photos to Crockett and, based on the veteran's word, Dillon got the job.
Leaving behind his jobs teaching school and selling insurance, Dillon was on his way to achieving his childhood dream.
"I packed up everything I owned in an old, beat-up Chevy," says Dillon. "I had never been south of Richmond, Va., in my life. I drove to Charlotte where you could have a room for 15 bucks. It was right up the street from Crockett Sr.'s office."
Dillon immediately was thrown into the fire, as his first match in the territory was against the rugged Gene Anderson.
Dillon, working as a babyface, made a favorable impression with his new bosses.
"That first night they were looking for a five- or six-minute match with Gene Anderson. It ended up about an 18-minute match. The referee later came over and had a big smile on his face. Gene had gone back to the dressing room and said, 'This kid's got something. You want to keep booking him.'"
Dillon credits Thatcher with helping him during those early days.
"Les was in the territory at the time. He was a couple years older than I was but obviously had more experience. He kind of took me under his wing. Les was the guy that taught me how to conduct myself like a professional. I showed my lack of maturity on more than one occasion, and Les kind of straightened me out. We've been friends ever since, and that was 1971."
Dillon says the opportunity to hone his craft in such a highly regarded territory was the experience of a lifetime and the real beginning of a dream that was about to come true.
"I was just thrilled to be booked. I was several months short of my 29th birthday. At that point I wasn't a kid."
His maturity level, he says, helped him initially.
"My whole attitude was different. I had a respect for the business. I kept my mouth shut. Those days there were no shortcuts to getting into the business. You didn't have any schools. Most of the old-timers were reluctant to help a young guy because they looked at you as a threat who might take their place."
Dillon, however, earned the respect of the territory's veterans and proved to be a steady hand in that area for more than two years.
"Johnny Weaver was working in the office, and he and George Becker were the top team. I was like a sponge. There was a nucleus of guys that really helped me out. Johnny was a huge, huge help to me, as were guys like Art Nelson and Ole Anderson. I've been a friend of Ole's since that time. Everybody thinks of him as being old and miserable, but I just understood him. We got along, and we've been friends to this day."
Jim Dillon would make many several more stops as a wrestler before his transformation to J.J. Dillon the manager.
Dillon became such a reliable hand in the Carolinas that Weaver suggested him for a rare TV match with then NWA world champion Dory Funk Jr. It was a set-up bout for Weaver, who at the time was the territory's top challenger for Funk's crown, but Dillon was impressive in his loss. He even got another crack at Funk on a show in Norfolk, Va.
"Of course I have to admit that the other featured match was Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson with Homer O'Dell against Thunderbolt Patterson and Jerry Brisco," Dillon laughs. "They sold the tickets, but I was listed as the co-main event because it was a world title match."
Unfortunately, three nights earlier in Greenville, Dillon severely sprained his ankle while working a tag-team match against Gene and Ole Anderson.
"The next day I was in a tag-team match with Les in Raleigh. Les told me to go down to the ring with him and put one hand on his shoulder, and try and hold the tag rope, and he'd take care of the rest. That was the mindset back in those days because if you didn't work, you didn't get paid, The guys helped each other."
By Thursday, the night of the world title match, the swelling had gone down a little, but Dillon was at best 60 percent.
"To show what a great champion he was, he managed to get a credible match out of a crippled young guy in his first territory," Dillon says of Funk.
Dillon recalls marveling at the classic series of world title matches during that time between Funk and Jack Brisco.
"I remember being on early and going out and sitting up in the bleachers in the back, and for one hour just watching. You could learn so much just by watching two masters of their craft."
The newcomer was a true student of the game, and the Mid-Atlantic power brokers were taking notice.
When Weaver had to cancel a summer tour working for the Cormier brothers in their Nova Scotia-based Eastern Sports Association, Dillon got the call.
"Johnny Weaver would go up there periodically, and they'd bring him in as an attraction. At the end of that season, Weaver was supposed to go up there. But somebody got hurt, and he had to stay. He told Crockett Sr. he wanted to send me up there in his place."
Dillon, though, had little money to make such a trip. Seeing Dillon's predicament, Weaver suggested he talk to the veteran promoter.
"It was $620 for a plane flight from Charlotte to Halifax. I would have loved to go, but there was no way I could afford it," says Dillon.
Dillon took Weaver's advice and paid a visit to Crockett. Problem solved.
"Jim Sr. reached in his pocket, pulled out some cash, counted out $620, slid it over to me, and told me to get that ticket and go up there and they'd reimburse me. And when I got back, he told me to come and see him."
When Dillon returned to Charlotte, he gave Crockett the $620 that had been reimbursed to him by the Cormiers. Crockett told him, "You will always have a home here. And you can come back and stay as long as you want." The venerable promoter, however, would pass away during Dillon's next season working in Canada.
Dillon made such an impression on the Cormier brothers that they invited him back for the next tour.
"They wanted me to be featured with Freddie Sweetan, who lived up there, and give him a fresh partner."
Dillon, now billed as "Nature Boy"Dillon, would get his chance to work as the territory's top heel.
"They did everything to get me over. There was no backup ... there was no plan B. You either got it done or you didn't. The idea was that I used a chain out of my tights and knocked out The Beast (Yvon Cormier) to take the title. Then I wrestled Leo Burke (Cormier) in a cage match for the (North American heavyweight) title. You had the same match every night for six or seven nights. I don't think we went quite the hour in the cage, but for five or six of them I lost about 20 pounds. It was one of their hottest summers."
Dillon also would team with Sweetan to take the territory's International tag-team title from The Beast and Bobby Kay (Romeo Cormier).
Dillon got over so much that the Funks invited him to West Texas.
"It seemed like the other side of the world to me, but I had always dreamed of going to Japan, and they had the deal with Baba, so I went and stayed in Amarillo for over a year and had an unbelievable run with Dick Murdoch. Being around the Funks, Ricky Romero, Cyclone Negro and Killer Karl Kox was a great experience. I also got two trips out of Japan."
Dillon, who briefly held the Western States title after defeating Kox, followed his Amarillo run with a stint in Florida working for Eddie Graham.
"Wrestling in Florida also was a dream because I had seen Dr. Jerry and Eddie Graham at the Garden as a kid, and I knew what Eddie had done in Florida. For a chance to there and be around him was great."
Dillon hooked up in the Sunshine State with The Stomper (Archie Gouldie), whom he had met in Canada working for the Cormiers, and the two teamed up on a few small shows. Several months after Stomper left Florida, Dillon got a call asking him to go to Texas and be his manager.
Dillon had never managed before, but Stomper was confident that Dillon's gift of gab could get him over in the Dallas territory.
"I said one door in life closes behind you and another one opens in front of you, so let's do it," Dillon recalls. "I left and went to Dallas in the latter part of 1975, started my managerial career and never looked back."
Along with his experience working in the Maritimes, he was slowly but surely becoming a complete, well-rounded performer who could work heel as well, if not better, than babyface.
Working for promoter Dory Funk Sr. in Amarillo and promoter Eddie Graham in Florida, the villainous Jim Dillon would emerge as a bad guy the fans loved to hate.
"The Maritimes were special because I got a break so early in my career. Amarillo because the trips were long but the talent and being there with the Funks and the trips to Japan. And Florida because Eddie Graham had such an impact on me and just being around him."
Without doubt, the Jim Dillon most fans remember was the pompous, tuxedo-wearing James J. "J.J." Dillon who managed the original Four Horsemen — Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson and Tully Blanchard, and later, Lex Luger, Barry Windham and others — during the mid-'80s.
His stint as leader of The Horsemen was the pinnacle of his career.
The infamous stable evolved from an interview. Dillon was managing National champion Blanchard, and they were joined by NWA world champ Flair and NWA world tag-team champs Arn and Ole Anderson.
"Take a good look at your screen right now, because never have so few wreaked so much havoc on everyone else. You'd have to go back in history to the four horsemen of the apocalypse," Arn declared during an interview. Dillon then held up the four fingers on his right hand, mimicking Anderson's hand gesture, which would quickly become one of the most recognizable symbols in all of wrestling.
"It just grew and grew from there," he says.
Dillon says he will never forget the series of classic War Games matches involving the Horsemen in 1987.
"It was two rings together with a cage around the whole thing. It was so violent that the first one at the Omni on July Fourth set the tone for the others doing so well."
That bloody, five-on-five match that could only end on a submission saw Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, The Road Warriors and Paul Ellering defeat Flair, Arn Anderson, Blanchard, Lex Luger and Dillon.
As the heel manager, Dillon was the "sacrificial lamb."
A not-so-textbook Doomsday Device finishing move, with Hawk coming off the top and Dillon precariously perched on Animal's shoulders, resulted in Dillon suffering a separated shoulder.
"It didn't break it, but I was off six weeks. I still have hump up in my collarbone. They said that night that I could have surgery to fix it, or I could have it immobilized for six weeks and it would heal but I'd always be able to see it in the mirror."
The pain, he says, was worth the memories of that special time.
"Without a doubt the Horsemen run was the pinnacle of my career."
And when that run ended, another different one was about to begin.
Blanchard, who along with Anderson had taken a job in WWE, gave Dillon a call.
"Tully said that they were running three towns a night up there (WWE), and all of the matchmaking and booking was being done by Vince McMahon and Pat Patterson. And they needed help."
Blanchard told Dillon that his name was being mentioned, and wondered if he might be interested.
Dillon knew that he might be working on borrowed time. TV mogul Ted Turner was in the process of purchasing Jim Crockett Promotions.
"That was right as the transition was taking place to Turner. My contract had expired. (Jim) Barnett was pressing the issue, but I always managed to avoid the subject."
Dillon decided to make the trip to New York and listen to the offer. McMahon sent a car to Manhattan, and the two met at the WWE owner's home.
"He said that we'd keep it quiet, and that if I wanted to use this as a means to getting a better deal for myself down there, he understood. But he offered me a job and said he hoped I'd take it on that basis."
Dillon, 46 years old at the time, didn't have to think too long or too hard.
"How many more special matches could I have with Paul Ellering? I got crippled up pretty good in that first War Games match. It was the worst injury I had ever had. I knew it had to end sometime."
In a way, says Dillon, it had all come full circle. He had started with Vince McMahon Sr. as a referee in the early '60s, and now, nearly 30 years later, he was returning to work for his son.
In 1989, Dillon began his new job as Vice President of Talent Relations. For the next eight years, he would enjoy a successful run as a major behind-the-scenes player. The Undertaker and Triple H were among those hired during his tenure.
After his front-office stint with WWE ended, Dillon again joined World Championship Wrestling, taking an office job behind the scenes and playing an on-camera role as WCW Commissioner.
There's another moment in Dillon's illustrious career that he will never forget.
Dillon's induction last year into the WWE Hall of Fame was a tremendous honor, but at the same time represented a huge burden that was lifted off his shoulders.
Dillon, who had parted ways with WWE under less-than-favorable terms, had no idea that he would ever be invited back into the fold. But last year at a show in New Jersey, Dillon made it a point to speak to former Horseman Barry Windham.
Windham, son of WWE Hall of Famer Blackjack Mulligan (Bob Windham), confided that WWE had plans to induct the Horsemen later that year.
"I didn't see it coming. It floored me. But I couldn't tell anybody," says Dillon, who was sworn to secrecy.
Several weeks later Windham suffered a massive heart attack and stroke.
Dillon wondered if those Hall of Fame plans might be altered.
"Knowing how the nature of the business is, what seemed like a good idea today is not a good idea tomorrow. With Barry's health in question, who knows?"
Dillon will never forget the day he got the call.
He had picked his daughter up from college to do some shopping for winter clothes when his cell phone rang. It was from WWE.
"(WWE Talent Relations Vice President) John Laurinaitis said it was happening. They would fly me and my guests to the Hall of Fame. I was stunned."
Time passed before he would hear from WWE again, and Dillon admits he did some major sweating, not knowing if the company might have scrapped the plan.
He recalls watching Raw on a Monday night when he got another call from Laurinaitis.
I'm here (in San Antonio) for live Raw, and I want you to know we're making the announcement tonight," said the WWE executive. "We've got a package, and it's very well done, and we'll send you a copy of it."
Dillon's voice cracks with emotion when he thinks about that moment.
"I thought, if it happens tonight, it's real."
About 30 minutes into the show, Dillon recalls, an announcement was made about an upcoming Hall of Fame reveal.
"They come out of commercial, and they announce Edge."
Dillon's heart sank.
"I'm sitting there stunned."
Later, though, they would plug a second Hall of Fame announcement.
"It was about 25 minutes after 10 going into a break," he says. Then, to his relief, the announcement was made. The Four Horsemen (Flair, Blanchard, Arn Anderson and Windham) — manager J.J. Dillon included — were in.
"There it was. I thought, 'Oh my God.' I remember waking up the next morning after a sound sleep and wondering if that really happened or was that something I dreamed."
Dillon was unsure if Flair, who was under contract with TNA at the time, would be allowed to make the ceremony. But a phone call to the Nature Boy answered that question.
"When I called Ric, he said, 'Before you ask me the question, I'm going to give you the answer. Hell, yeah, buddy. And I'm going to be up on stage with you.'"
"Ric was the first person inducted into their Hall of Fame twice," says Dillon. "There would have been a time when it was unheard of to induct somebody working under contract for another company."
Dillon now looks forward to old friend Bruno Sammartino finally being inducted in two weeks.
"I'm glad it worked out for Bruno to be inducted because he's been special to me for 50 years. It's added credibility to their Hall whether they ever have a building or not."
Dillon recalls meeting with Sammartino in Toronto shortly after his induction last year.
"I met privately with Bruno and told him I didn't want him to think that because I was gracious about this honor that somehow I had compromised my principles. I knew how strongly he felt. He put my mind at ease and told me he fully understood. He was happy for me. And then I felt relieved."
Dillon says he sent a message to Sammartino earlier this year congratulating him on his long-awaited induction.
"When the word was out that they were talking to Bruno, I called to congratulate him. I was probably one of about a hundred calls. Two days later he left a message at work apologizing for not calling me right back, and told me he never backed down. They (WWE) had to make things right, and they did.
"How could they have a Hall of Fame at Madison Square Garden without Bruno? I don't have a ticket yet, but I would like to go to the Hall of Fame to share that moment. Putting him and (Bob) Backlund in is giving them a step forward. You're starting to see some of the influence of Triple H's transition."
Three months shy of 71, Dillon hasn't slowed down much.
He still works full-time, and has been employed by the Delaware Department of Corrections for nine years.
"I went through the academy like everyone else. It's funny because no one knew who I was at that point. There were 35 in the class. I was 61 and the next-oldest was 47, and then were a couple who weren't even 20 yet. It wasn't until we did a walk through the prison that the prisoners did a double take and recognized me."
Like most of his colleagues in the wrestling business, his home life hasn't always been stable.
"Married three times, divorced three times," he says.
Dillon moved to Delaware at the age of 61 after his third divorce 10 years ago. His father had just passed away and his mother, who was in her late 80s at the time, was living alone in a small, two-bedroom home.
He had worked for Jerry Jarrett for two years in the real estate business following the closing of WCW, so the timing was right, he says.
"It was a stopping off point," he says. After his mother passed away of complications from a stroke at the age of 92, he and his sister sold the house, and he moved into a condominium only five miles from his job.
"The cost of living is reasonable here. It's a small state with no sales tax. At this point I've got an apartment that was just built. I've been so fortunate my entire lifetime. And my luck has continued."
The location, he adds, keeps him close to a pair of 20-year-old twins that attend the University of Delaware.
He was 50 years old when the twins came along, and 52 when his next child was born. He also has a 46-year-old daughter from his first marriage. His four granddaughters are 22, 21, 18 and 5.
His second wife was five years older than Dillon and had three children of her own.
"Her being a little older, the thinking was that I would have never have more children, so I got a vasectomy in Amarillo. I was married to her 17 years," says Dillon.
"My last wife was 13 years younger and wanted children. Eleven years after I had the surgery, I went back to Amarillo and had the same doctor reverse it. Two years later, with a little help from fertility, I had kids. After that, I didn't think anything about it, But as I was ready to go to Japan, my wife tested positive. I refer to my youngest one as my little miracle."
J.J. Dillon now lives life one day at a time. He still gets emotional when talking about his many friends in the business who have passed away.
It's one of the main reasons he goes to events like Fanfest, the annual Cauliflower Alley gathering and the Gulf Coast Legends Reunion.
"It really affects me," says Dillon. "It's really hits home when a guy like Bill Moody (aka Paul Bearer) leaves us. I tell my kids that you have to live each day to its fullest."
Dillon thinks about the thin line between life and death, and the risks that wrestlers take each and every time they step into the ring.
While wrestling can be one of the most exciting professions in the world, it often comes with a price.
"I can remember years ago when Ric (Flair) would go to the ring. In the corner I'd take his jacket, and he'd have a little piece of paper that he would hand to me. He'd say there's a phone number or something on here where he'd have pictures of his kids that were in his wallet that he'd look at. And that was the last thing before he went to the ring. And that was 25 years ago. But it was in his mind even back then."
Dillon thinks about the time he missed with his own children.
"When she (his twin daughter) first came up here to go to school, she would spend some time here. Half of her life I wasn't there. It was a phone call or a card. I would fly down there for a short visit. We would go to dinner or go shopping, and I'd be back on a plane home."
Things are different now.
"Every day when I talk to her, I tell her I love her. You can't make them love you, but you can try to be the best parent you can be. And it reaches the point where if you've done everything right, then you hope things work out."
His children, he says, help keep him young at heart.
"When they were born, I was walking around with my chest puffed out. I was pretty proud of myself. Especially when I had another one two years later. She's with her mother in Atlanta, and she graduates in May from Woodward Academy. But I've slowed down in these past nine or 10 years. I've been very, very fortunate health wise. All the vitals are good."
Dillon, whose last official match was in 1989, says he was fortunate that he didn't suffer any serious injuries during his days in the wrestling business.
He and Terry Funk had their knees replaced on the same day five years ago.
"I had my left knee done in Delaware. He had his right knee done in Amarillo. Every day we called each other and checked on our rehab. We were very supportive of each other."
A year later Dillon was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
"It was caught very, very early. I'm cancer-free now. The doctors keep telling me that the one thing I've got in my favor is good genes. My father was 85 when he died of congestive heart failure. My mother was 92. That's something that you can't buy."
Dillon, whose 2005 autobiography "Wrestlers Are Like Seagulls: From McMahon to McMahon" chronicles his colorful life in the business. will be inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame on May 18. He calls it the most prestigious honor of all.
"It is an honor in itself just to have your name appear on the ballot for consideration for the Hall of Fame. This recognition is so special because I have been selected by vote of a panel of respected wrestling historians, along with a group of my peers, which included many prior inductees."
Dillon, the recipient of several Manager of the Year awards, has earned the respect of his peers through hard work and a burning desire to succeed.
"I always say that I was never the biggest and never the best. I didn't have a Hulk Hogan/Ultimate Warrior/Superstar Graham type of body. I hated going to the gym to work out. I just was at the right place at the right time. I wasn't the biggest or the best, but nobody wanted it more than I did. You have to have desire and determination. There are always going to be setbacks along the way, and if you want it bad enough, you can get it."
From referee to wrestler, from manager to front office, and now elder statesman, there isn't much that Jim Dillon hasn't done or hasn't accomplished in the wrestling business.
"For me, at this stage of my life, I am so grateful for all the good things that have happened to me. As for the changes, change happens with everything. Change is not always for the better. But change is inevitable. And one thing that doesn't change is the memories. I see them with the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, I see them with the Cauliflower Alley, I see them in Mobile (Gulf Coast reunion) and I see them with Greg Price and Fanfest. Those are our memories. The memories don't change."
Reach Mike Mooneyham at 843-937-5517 or firstname.lastname@example.com, or follow him on Twitter at @ByMikeMooneyham and on Facebook at Facebook.com/MikeMooneyham.


text:
Hip hop producer Blockhead brings beats to Fairfield Theatre Company
Like a lot of kids growing up in New York City, Tony Simon, better known as Blockhead, spent his summer days watching TV, riding the subway and drifting through the streets of Manhattan.
"I used to meet up with friends at West Fourth Street and Broadway for walks around the Village; we would hang out, do whatever," he recalled. "It's an age where there wasn't a lot of responsibility."
Those memories, still fresh in the producer's mind, are rendered as rambling, sample-laden soundscapes on his latest LP, "Interludes After Midnight" (Ninja Tune).
"There's a nostalgic aspect to it," said Blockhead, who performs at StageOne at Fairfield Theatre Company on Thursday, Dec. 13, just two days before he appears at the Paper Box in Brooklyn, N.Y. "I relate the whole thing back to my upbringing."
Blockhead brings the past to life in a collection of prismatic instrumentals weaving hip hop, disco and psychedelic rock samples; dark hazy melodies; and perpetually shifting rhythms.
"Meet You At Tower Records" rides a sample from English prog-rock group Nektar and a jagged, propulsive breakbeat, conjuring aimless afternoons on the streets of New York City.
Other tracks are built on more concrete tales. Tying together a melange of samples (most notably Turkish pysch folk duo Ersen and Kardaslar's "Gunese Don Cicegim"), "Escape the Meadow" provides the soundtrack to an infamous afternoon in Central Park.
"My friend was a hated guy," Blockhead recalled. "He got into an argument, maced a guy, and then he was chased out of the park . . . It's a very panicky song."
The next-to-last track, "Beyond Reach," encapsulates the essence of the record, communicating an inner-city listlessness with the opening line, "I'm here with nothing to do," sung by Blockhead's friend, collaborator and fellow New York City resident, Baby Dayliner.
Though "Interludes After Midnight" is rooted in Blockhead's personal experiences, the album is "very flexible" in its meaning, he said. The artist urged listeners to take from it what they wish.
"It's open to interpretation," he added.
A prolific producer since the late 1990s, Blockhead began his career as an emcee, only to stake out territory on the other side of the mic after discovering that his ear for beats was better than his rhymes.
As a student at Boston University, he met rapper Ian Matthias Bavitz, better known as Aesop Rock. The duo struck up a fruitful relationship, with Blockhead producing several of Aesop's albums, including the critically-aclaimed 2001 LP, "Labor Days."
Later in his career, Blockhead recorded his own instrumental hip-hop records: 2004's "Music by Cavelight, 2005's "Downtown Science," 2007's "Uncle Tony's Coloring Book" and 2009's "The Music Scene."
He has continued to produce for emcees as well. Most recently, the producer worked with underground artists Illogic, Billy Woods and Open Mic Eagle.
"I haven't worked with rappers on a steady basis in awhile, but now I'm going to put it out there," he said. "It's still my heart and soul."
It's clear, too, that Blockhead's heart and soul belongs to New York City. It is that sonic eclectisim of the city, and memories of his urban upbringing, that continue to color his work.
"Every album comes with some sort of a theme," he said. "A lot of my themes come back to New York."
email@example.com; 203-964-2238; http://twitter.com/scottgarg
StageOne at the Fairfield Theatre Company, 70 Sanford St., Fairfield. Thursday, Dec. 13, 7 p.m. $20. 203-259-1036, www.fairfieldtheatre.org.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
According to the Defense Health Agency�s website, TRICARE Service Centers (TSC)in the United States will end administrative walk-in service on April 1.
According to the Defense Health Agency�s website, TRICARE Service Centers (TSC)in the United States will end administrative walk-in service on April 1.
There is one TSC aboard Camp Lejeune in Building 59 on Molly Pitcher Road.
Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune is working collaboratively with TRICARE contractor, Health Net, �to make these processes as seamless as possible to our beneficiary population,� according to a press release by Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune. �We will continue to strive for the best patient and family-centered benefit assistance as possible.�
Camp Lejeune patients still have secure, electronic customer service options available through Tricare.mil.
The new �I want to ...� feature puts everything beneficiaries want to do online on the front page of Tricare.mil, according to the release.
When walk-in service at the TSC ends April 1, beneficiaries who require personal assistance can call Health Net Federal Services for enrollment and benefit help. All health care, pharmacy, dental and claims contactinformation is located at www.tricare.mil/contactus.
Beneficiaries can get 24-7 TRICARE benefit information at Tricare.mil.
Make enrollment and primary-care manager changes, among other tasks, online at Tricare.mil/enrollment.
Get enrollment assistance and answers to questions through regional contractor websites or call the toll free call center � Health Net Federal Services, LLC at 1-877-TRICARE (1-877-874-2273).
Walk-in customer service is also the most expensive possible customer service option.
By eliminating walk-in customer service at TSCs, the Department of Defense estimates savings of about $250 million over five years. The change does not affect TRICARE benefits or health care delivery.
For more information about the TRICARE Service Centers, visit TRICARE.mil/tsc.


text:
All News Releases By Date
U.S. EPA, DoD Northern Command Providing Hazardous Material Response Equipment to Border Towns
Release Date: 11/07/2012
Contact Information: Rusty Harris-Bishop, email@example.com (415) 972-3140
Final phase of program providing equipment, training to Nogales and Agua Prieta
(11/07/2012) SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Defense U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) are providing emergency response equipment to local fire departments in the Mexican border cities of Nogales, Sonora and Agua Prieta, Sonora to further build capacity to respond to hazardous material incidents along the border.
The equipment was transferred at a ceremony in Nogales, Sonora on November 7, 2012. The mayor of the city, representatives of the U.S. and Mexico Consulates, Mexico's Federal Environmental Enforcement Agency (PROFEPA), Mexico federal and state police, and the recipient fire departments were in attendance. A showcase of the equipment followed the ceremony.
"This hazmat gear is essential for our sister cities across the border," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator. "These tools will better enable us to jointly respond to a future environmental emergency along the Arizona/Sonora border."
"The U.S. Consulate General in Nogales is very pleased to coordinate with NORTHCOM and facilitate this transfer of needed hazmat equipment," said Deputy Principal Officer Megan Phanuef. "This is just one of many ways that our federal, state, and local governments work together to improve the quality of life for communities on both sides of the border."
The equipment provided to the Agua Prieta and Nogales Fire Departments include protective suits, self-contained breathing masks, chemical testing kits, and tools necessary to respond to hazardous material spills. Previous recipients of equipment and training in the California/Baja California and Arizona/Sonora border include the Mexican cities of Tijuana, Calexico, and San Luis Rio Colorado.
Enhancing the ability of cities on both sides of the border to respond to hazardous material incidents is a high priority under the binational border environment program (referred to as Border 2012) and was implemented under a 2008 EPA/NORTHCOM Memorandum of Agreement. The new binational border environment program, Border 2020, builds on these efforts by emphasizing regional and locally-driven approaches for decision making, priority setting, and project implementation to address the environmental and public health problems in the border region.
For more information on this program please visit: https://www.epa.gov/border2020/index.html
Receive our News Releases Automatically by Email
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.


text: Hi, I use ispconfig 3 on a debian since one year now, with no serious problem, and today I can create and see a new website, deverger.com, and DNS entries in the Hosting Control Panel but nothing appears in file system: No /var/www/deverger.com symbolic link and no /etc/bind/pri.deverger.com Nothing in /var/log/ispconfig/ispconfig.log too Are there other logs to search ? I already noticed some delay between validation in Control Panel and reality on file system but never more than minutes. It's hours now. Where those delays come from ?


text:
For those on FB -
Friends of Cairo,Illinois
Community minded individuals, businesses and non profit groups that support the preservation and growth of Cairo, Illinois
For those on FB -
Friends of Cairo,Illinois
Community minded individuals, businesses and non profit groups that support the preservation and growth of Cairo, Illinois
Looks like they're going to blow the levees and Cairo might go bye-bye.
Speaker of the Missouri House said
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_855139.htmlFIRST -
whether he would rather see Cairo or the farmland underwater, he told reporters, "Cairo. I've been there, trust me. Cairo."
"Have you been to Cairo?" he added. "OK, then you know what I'm saying then."
want to apologize for my insensitive remark and personally apologize to anyone that I offended."
"My commitment to the residents and farmers of southeast Missouri should not have led me to insult another community and for that I am sincerely regretful."
Another slap.
For more info article: Missouri takes levee battle to U.S. Supreme Court
Last edited by JNA; 01 May 2011 at 6:40 PM.
You can see the status of the flood stage at Cairo, updated every hour, here: http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydro...0,7,8,2,9,15,6
Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of the cancer cell. -- Edward Abbey
Cairo has been saved.
Who needs farmland anyway? It's so dirty and dusty. http://www.searshomes.org/index.php/...-to-be-spared/
That being said, I don't think there was any risk of flood-related causalities in Cairo. The Mississippi rose slowly, and Cairo's residents had plenty of time to evacuate. From a cost-benefit standpoint, there was more to lose by breaching the Birds Point levee than by letting the river top over the Cairo levees. Also, even if Cairo was spared for now, it's fate still seems sealed, only the town will take a few more slow, painful decades to die. A flood could have been the best thing to happen to many Cairo residents, by washing away the inertia that kept them to seek out better opportunities and lives elsewhere.
What would be lost if Cairo disappears from the map? Some historic landmarks, perhaps. Still, they might be preserved if the city was turned into a "Confluence National Park" or similar attraction, as with many ghost towns in the West. Save Magnolia Manor, the Customs House, the armory, the library, and the few intact of bungalows and four squares around Washington Avenue, and let the rest of the town return to nature. The cost of establishing and operating Confluence National Park could be far less than what is currently spent on state and federal programs that now keep Cairo on life support.
On another note, I wonder what Cairo would be like today if the race riots of the 1960s and 1970s never happened. The local economy and population would have continued to decline because of the shift away from river transport, but would have there been the extensive abandonment seen today? Would Commercial Street still be a viable, if not exactly prospering business district? In this report, it's claimed that Cairo was in rough shape even before the riots. From the report:
Perhaps the most outwardly depressing aspect of Cairo is its housing. Despite a few postbellum mansions and some magnificent old magnolia trees, the town in 1970 had the appearance of utter neglect and decay. At least one-half of Cairo's housing was substandard and in need of major repair. Nearly every block of the city contained one or more abandoned buildings – although it was sometimes difficult to differentiate which buildings were abandoned and which ones were still being used to house families. Unpainted and unheated frame houses with broken porches, windows, and doors were the rule and not the exception in Cairo.
Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of the cancer cell. -- Edward Abbey
Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of the cancer cell. -- Edward Abbey
Speaking of that, I'm kind of wondering how long it will be before the 'Old Muddy' decides to take a permanent reroute in Louisiana, opting for the Atchafalaya through Morgan City over its current course through New Orleans....
It will happen. The Army Corps can only prevent it for so long. It would be a great loss. The Atchafalaya Basin is one of the country's most amazing ecosystems and an unprotected wilderness area. Louisiana's wild crawfish industry is centered there. The Basin is one of the last outposts of individualism. The people who live and work there are an amazaing group of people. When the river changes its course, a way of life will go with it.
"I am very good at reading women, but I get into trouble for using the Braille method."
~ Otterpop ~
I was in Cairo a few times back in 2005 on business. There is still some movement in the barge/riverboat business. I spent a a lot of my spare time just driving and walking the streets in this incredible ghost town. I swear I could hear voices on the wind as I stood on the sidewalk of what looked like a well-made city that had been simply abandoned. Someone mentioned The Twilight Zone and that is what it felt like. Like some apocalyptic futuristic scene from a movie. On the millionaire's row, although I didn't know it was called that, I was aghast at the beautiful homes, some of which looked like they'd been plucked out of Florida and put down in this weird place. I wondered as much about the people who looked to be living prosperous lives in this desolate place as I did about all those who abandoned it to rot. Looking at these pictures just gives me some weird feeling of wanting to be in that desolate place. Strange and creepy. Great photos.
Has anyone been to both East St. Louis and Cairo? How do they compare?
ESL ; population almost exclusively black, almost nonexistent middle class, some industrial remnants.
Cairo: about 30%-40% white, small middle class (east of Sycamore St) and some old money remnants, almost no industry (soybean plant, nautical services). Cairo has a functioning Ford dealer in the City limits, which surprised me. Cairo also has a growing community of black Jews. (!)
Also, ESL is the "little brother gone wrong" to St. Louis, right across the Mississippi. Cairo has no "big brother" city.
East Cleveland and Hough didn't scare me. Neighborhoods on the South Side of Chicago don't scare me. The East Side of Buffalo doesn't scare me. ESL scared me. Cairo has a reputation for corrupt law enforcement ("Y'all got a broken headlight, bo-ah! *smash*) and a population of gruff "river rats" that don't take kindly to blight tourists, so I felt somewhat on edge there.
Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of the cancer cell. -- Edward Abbey
Looks like more of Cairo has gone up in flames.
Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of the cancer cell. -- Edward Abbey
It is probably better than waiting for the bureaucracy of demolition funding and state/local/epa permits to play out. Sometimes a dark night and a bulldozer would be a good option for some of these buildings.
On that note, I've sometimes wondered why some seriously declining cities don't sell 'time' on their abandoned/uninhabitable and beyond economic repair and restoration houses and other buildings to various fire agencies for live-fire training. Doing that, they could bring in some revenue, offer that valuable training to those guys and get rid of those severely blighted structures all in one swoop.
Or maybe they haven't thought of that.
If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. -- John F. Kennedy, January 20, 1961
Perhaps this has been mentioned somewhere else on the forum, but did anyone read about this project that a small record label owner attempted in Cairo, IL a few years back? It's a pretty interesting read:
Moderator note:
(Dan) New user, post with a URL, I know, but relevant, so I approved.
All these posts about Cairo are amazing to me. I haven't been there in about 45 years, since I was a kid, but my mom was born there. We used to go down there on weekends. Picking pecans and peaches was the best part of the trip for me as a kid, but watching the happenings around the docks and levee were fun too, especially since we lived up around the similar setup around Granite City. I never noticed any of the people being unfriendly, but that just could be the mind of a child. There were some rundown neighborhoods, but I never ever expected to see the loss I have seen in the pictures here today. For a town to be so full of hate and prejudice that it can basically show up as an advertisement against itself is just outrageous to me. Now, I'll have to be sure I make the trip next time I go home!
The Cairo Citizen, Cairo's print newspaper, finally seems to have a reliable, regularly updated presence online. The photography is excellent.
This is a sad article: New Businesses Bring Growth to Cairo. Not sad because it's growth, but sad because businesses would be seen as nothing out of the ordinary elsewhere are seen as signs of hope in Cairo.
Short said he will be opening a Subway, a Chester's Chicken and a Blue Fish General Store in the old Piggly Wiggly
Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of the cancer cell. -- Edward Abbey
I have been fascinated with this town for so long, after driving past and through it so many times on my way south from Chicago. Glad to see the interest and so much info here. I've been doing research on Cairo on and off ever since I found the book, 'Let My People Go' back in college 20 years ago.
I am not from Cairo, but I have numerous relatives that come from there and lived there their entire life. My parents E. B. Cramer and my mother D. V. Stone both lived in Caire and attended school there and married there. My mother was born in Deilhstadt, Mo, which is across the river from Cario, close to Charleston, Mo., and my brother was also born there. I have many fond memories of visiting Cairo as a child and into my teens. It was a great place to visit, it was starting it downturn and was loosing people and business's at that time. My grandparents (Cramer) are buried at the cemetery just outside of town, my uncle Joesph Cramer, who was killed in WW II is also buried there. My father was a member of Co. K. Its sad to see Cairo as it sits today. To me Cairo will always be remembered for Mac's BBQ and the now instinct Buttertop Coffeecake, which was just about all I ate when we visited. My last relative that lived there passed away recently. My cousin Pee Wee Stone (Albert L. Stonee Jr.) died last year in the nursing home there. I will always remember Cairo the way it was in my youth.
Here is something interesting I heard about Cairo. One of its major industries had to do with Sears homes. In hearing this, I think that this could have been a major cause of strife among the working class in Cairo. Sears homes died out after WW-2 when developers realized they could deliver homes at a much greater profit and a lower cost by producing them similar to an auto assembly line. Naturally there was more competition for jobs starting in the 1950's and that could have been part of the us vs. them mentality that divided the town. In addition, it had to have taken the economic wind out of the sails as they had fewer goods they could export. This could have caused a downward spiral similar to what had happened to Detroit due to global competition.


text:
New breed of on-premise and cloud-based video collaboration solutions combine rich functionality with affordability and flexible deployment options.
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH — March 13, 2014
Visitors to Enterprise Connect 2014 Booth #942 will experience the future of video collaboration from ClearOne (NASDAQ: CLRO), a portfolio of solutions that extend from the mobile device or desktop to the conference room. This suite of new products will expand the video collaboration market affordably for small-to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) with self-contained network or cloud solutions. Flexible deployment options allow the solutions to be hosted with ClearOne on-premise infrastructure or to be fully functional without infrastructure, utilizing the ClearOne Spontania cloud.
"ClearOne has a balanced approach to the future of video collaboration and the AV industry as a whole," said David Moss, ClearOne's Vice President of Video Collaboration Products and Services. "Our complete line of video collaboration solutions spans mobile, desktop, group, and infrastructure; allowing customers to deploy locally or within the cloud. With these flexible options and a feature set far beyond competing solutions, every customer whether a small business or a large enterprise can easily— and more importantly afford to— deploy and scale video collaboration."
Video as a Service (VaaS)
Video as a Service (VaaS)– ClearOne's Spontania cloud service empowers customers to deploy video collaboration without the heavy burden of expensive infrastructure. It also allows service providers and partners to expand their offerings by deploying the technology within their own networks, building on ClearOne technology to further their current solutions and offerings as either a SaaS or PaaS model.
For customers who desire an on-premise infrastructure solution, ClearOne now provides COLLABORATE® Control, a single-unit infrastructure server that will serve the needs of both SMBs and enterprise customers hoping to expand locations. The heavy burden of adding video collaboration pervasively has always been the cost of expensive infrastructure solutions. COLLABORATE Control provides the infrastructure component at an unbelievably low price, including directory services, firewall traversal, 24 port MCU, H.323 gatekeeper, SIP registrar, license server, call control, and a full management system.
Desktop and Mobile
ClearOne now offers a host of desktop and mobile solutions that provide an easy-to-use and scalable multimedia collaboration experience on virtually any device, including Windows®, iOS, and AndroidTM applications. Our solutions allow for high-definition video conferencing, web collaboration, streaming, and recording.
Group Room Solutions
ClearOne is introducing a new generation of room-based endpoints that leverage our VaaS offerings and our scalable infrastructure solutions, and can be used behind any industry standard H.323 or SIP-based network. The COLLABORATE Room Pro provides a superior video experience at up to 1080p60 with a host of features not available on competing products, including: built-in streaming and recording, dual camera support, connecting nine locations in a single conference, and more. One of the most exciting functions of COLLABORATE Room Pro is the direct integration with ClearOne's Beamforming Microphone Array, providing professional conferencing audio without the need for external processing.
About ClearOne
ClearOne is a global company that designs, develops and sells conferencing, collaboration, streaming and digital signage solutions for voice and visual communications. The performance and simplicity of its advanced comprehensive solutions offer unprecedented levels of functionality, reliability and scalability. More information about the company can be found at www.clearone.com.
© Copyright 2013, ClearOne, Inc. All rights reserved. ClearOne ®, the ClearOne logo, and the names and marks associated with ClearOne's products are trademarks and/or service marks of ClearOne, Inc. and are registered and/or common-law marks in the United States and various other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
Please find the printable release in our Investor Relations area at http://investors.clearone.com.


text:
< Russian Immigrant Accused Of Selling U.S. Weapons To....Russia
Oct 05, 2012 06:26
Category: General News
Category: General News
Presidential Campaigns Move To Virginia
FISHERSVILLE, Va. (AP) — Nearly a month before Election Day, both campaigns are seeking to move on from the first presidential debate. Both Republican candidate Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama plan appearances in Virginia today. It's one of the pivotal states they'll need to win. Today's September employment report is sure to be a topic of conversation. Both sides are also releasing new ads.


text:
Erasmus+ provides opportunities for young people to spend time abroad and widen their horizons. Here are a few tips and blogs written by Erasmus+ students.
To learn more about new teaching methods, check out the 3 specialised tools for schools and teachers at the School Education Gateway.
Are you a teacher, youth worker or lecturer? Check out this fun cartoon and find out how the Erasmus+ programme can work for you!
Better do some research! Start by checking the information on the websites below that we have selected to guide you in your choice of country, university, programme and possible scholarships.
Would you like to enjoy student life in another country but are afraid it will cost you an arm and a leg? Read on to find out how you can track down a scholarship and start the next academic year in the country of your dreams.
Planning to study abroad and want to know what sort of budget you need? Check out this overview of tuition fees per country
Studying in a foreign country is a valuable experience, but doing your master degree in several countries is even better! Studying in one, two or three countries is possible, as long as you have a very good application file!
Tutition fees are a cost that all families cannot afford. Hopefully, there are many possibilities to help you finance your studies in France.
Tu fais partie de ces étudiants français qui envisagent un parcours de médecine à l'étranger ? Pourquoi pas, mais à condition de prendre en compte un certain nombre de critères...
Thinking of studying or working in a different European country ? Here is how to move from one country to the other.
Tout au long de ton parcours scolaire, tu peux bénéficier de bourses ou d'aides pour étudier en Europe, ne passe pas à côté !
C'est le moment pour toi de choisir ton orientation ! Que tu sois scolaire, étudiant, salarié ou à la recherche d'un emploi, des professionnels peuvent t'aider !
Are you planning to study in France? Do you need information on higher education institutions, cost of living, culture? Read what follows…
Envie de partir étudier à l'étranger ? Prends le temps de construire ton projet !


text:
|January 4, 2013, 08:40 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: July 30, 2011
Posts: 686
Do you haggle on your gun purchases? I would say I haggle on about 80% of my purchases. I want the guy to make some money and I don't want to beat him up so bad he think gah I don't wanna see that guy walk through the door again. I also want a fair price. So I try to balance the two things. Taking care of the local gun shops is important because if we don't we are going to lose em to the superstores whos politics blow with the wind and may pull guns off their shelves at anytime.
Gun sellers, what is the best way to get a fair price? Do you price haggling into your retail prices. I know on new guns the margin can be quite slim sometimes especially with easy access to internet gun sales. What is the best way to be a good customer that gets "special treatment" ie phone calls if something cool comes in used. First shot at components when they are scarce...
|January 4, 2013, 09:11 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: April 25, 2010
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 3,309
Too broad a question for a pat answer.
First though, you will never "beat" a dealer down so far he is hurt on the deal. He knows his limits and won't go below a certain amount.
I try to know values and prices before ever entering into a negotiation. Same rule applies for any item.
My #1 rule is to be willing to walk away from the deal. If you are not able to do that you will pay the price the seller wants.
Rule #2 is show cash. This tells the seller you are serious and able to make the deal and can work in your favor. Plus cash gives a dealer a 4 to 5% margin extra to work with if he doesn't have to pay band credit card fees.
|January 4, 2013, 09:55 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: January 27, 2010
Location: AR
Posts: 1,395
I have haggled at gunshows before. Rarely do I ever go to a gunshow with the idea of buying a firearm. Usually to buy reloading supplies.
If I do haggle, it is on milsurps. Often I see a gun I want and ask if the price is negotiable. 80% of the time it is not. Thus I walk.
I have had guys ask me how much I will give for it and quote a price I am willing to pay imediate cash for. If they accept, out comes the cash. If not I walk.
If I really am interested in something, I go back to the show Sunday a couple hours before the show closes and ask again. It is then I sometimes make a favorable deal or more often, walk away.
Agree with Rifleman 1776: cash on hand is king.
|January 4, 2013, 11:01 AM
Join Date: December 2, 2012
Location: Mi
Posts: 20
At gun shows, if I see a fair price for a gun I want - I buy. If the price is close, I ask if the price is negotiable. If not, I walk. I only go to gun shows for used guns anyway though.
At my LGS, I never even ask. If it is a gun I want I buy. But then again, my family has been buying from her for the last 26 years. I was in little league with her son. My first gun came from her shop, just like my last purchase did. I also do my homework though. I would venture to guess that 70 percent or more of the time she has a better deal than online.
"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,"
-- Wayne LaPierre, NRA's executive vice president.
|January 4, 2013, 11:07 AM
Join Date: July 30, 2012
Posts: 35
i dont haggle a whole lot if i see something thats outrageous i just keep walking. but if i see something that might be a little on the high side of what its worth. and he doesnt want to go down any. i always ask if i can have it for the price tag AFTER tax. and that can save a fair amount, and most dealers will allow it. i hate being suprised with how much i pay when i forget about tax.
the most important thing like what was said above is to go in knowing what things are worth, you need to know what something is at its cheapest and what something is still worth at its most.
i feel like dealers probly really dont care as long as you dont completley lowball them.
or just be in the military, dealers tend to like people in the military and help us out
|January 4, 2013, 11:32 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: March 5, 2011
Location: NC
Posts: 252
Most gun sellers know what they have to get for a gun, else they ain't much of a seller. Most gun sellers tag or initially ask some amount higher than this. It's "negotiating room", or it's "gravy money" if they sell to someone who pays their asking price. Any reasonable seller should not be insulted by an offer, unless the offer is a ridiculous low-ball offer. (He may turn it down, or counter though.)
Bottom line, what do you have to lose by haggling?
|January 4, 2013, 12:45 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: November 11, 2010
Location: Phoenix area
Posts: 1,442
I don't bother trying at the gun shops, I'm not good enough at it and if you have ever witnessed an aggressive haggler at work it can be a little embarrassing and silly looking. I don't generally care what people think about me, but I'm not gonna make a clown of myself by trying to talk the shop down $20.
I have asked them to throw in a box of ammo and that went good.
Big box places there's no point in even trying.
Private sellers yeah I will haggle. I have cash and they want more money than a shop will give em. Sooo... There is room for it.
|January 4, 2013, 01:33 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: June 20, 2011
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,179
I have two shops locally that I buy from. I usually ask "What's the best price you can give me." They usually come down some. If it is still too high for me, I usually say "That is still more than I can come up with." or something similar. I give them a chance to lower their offer, but don't ask them to. I don't want to annoy or insult them. Sometimes they come down more, sometimes they don't. I don't want them to not make any money. It is just a matter of how much I feel I can pay for a gun. I need to feel good about the deal too, not that I overpaid by too much anyway.
This is my gun. There are many like her, but this one is mine.
I'm not old. I'm CLASSIC!
|January 4, 2013, 01:52 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: September 27, 2008
Posts: 300
I always haggle with the guys at the LGS but not at the big box stores.
When I haggle though, I also toss out things like, "Would you be willing to knock off $100 on the rifle if I also buy a set of rings and a bipod?"
If they know I'm going to pick up accessories from them for the firearm I'm buying from them it usually goes a long ways toward knocking the overall price down.
When "selling" a used gun to the LGS I usually ask what their best cash price is and ask if I can get more in trade. Ie. the last gun I sold they said they would pay $200 cash, I asked if I could pick out $250 in merchandise as trade and they were more than willing to go that route.
|January 4, 2013, 01:55 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: December 24, 2010
Location: Central Louisiana
Posts: 3,137
It depends on where I might be. If I'm in a box-store, I don't haggle. If I'm in a pawn shop looking at a used gun, I certainly haggle. There's one shop in particular that I've used over the past 10 years, and I'll look at the gun, look at the tag, then ask "Okay, what's my price?" It's generally considerably less than the numbers on the tag.
Dennis Dezendorf
|January 4, 2013, 02:34 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: December 3, 2012
Posts: 502
Like many others who posted, I don't waste my time haggling in the big box stores. Usually the price is set at minimum profit, but mostly because the employees don't give a -CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED- if you buy something or not...they get paid the same (attitude).
Gun shows I always haggle. I feel if I spend the gas, admission and parking fees there should be some consideration. I tell them "if you are not willing to negotiate why should I just not go to one of the local stores for the same price". I will not buy from someone who is not willing to deal at a gun show.
I find small pawn shops are most likely to deal. Pawn shops generally "own" the gun (if used) for VERY little money. A friend in the business once gave me an example using an nice Remington 870. The guy pawning the gun will only get @$50. If it is not taken out of pawn they sell it using retail gun prices. The longer the item sits the more willing they are to sell. Don't be shy about making an offer. Most will look up how much the item cost them and negotiate.
I just picked up a really nice Marlin 336 last week in a little mountain pawn shop for $240 plus tax. The tag on the gun was $430 and I offered $200. We settled on $240. Happy haggling!
|January 4, 2013, 02:45 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: March 6, 2009
Location: Middle Tennessee
Posts: 1,128
The prices in the big stores (Gander, Bass Pro) around here are so insanely high I never even attempt to buy there, but I highly doubt they would haggle. Too many dummies in there that will pay retail or over. Most of the local guys will haggle a bit on the used stuff, even if it's just a few bucks. New guns are generally priced at their minimum.
'Merica: Back to back World War Champs
|January 4, 2013, 08:34 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: December 30, 2010
Posts: 1,480
I never haggle on new guns but will on used. I was looking at a uses Hi Power a couple of weeks ago that had been setting on the used shelf at a shop for a while. I asked him what the deal of the day was on it and he said, "There are no deals of the day anymore. The deal of the day is that I have it here to sell to you." I told him that thankfully I didn't need to do any business with him and left. I stopped in there yesterday and it is still there. I smiled and walked out the door.
Stay Groovy
|January 4, 2013, 09:06 PM
Junior member
Join Date: November 12, 2000
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Posts: 9,494
When I used to go to gun shows, I'd take money in four or five different pockets, start at 1/2 or maybe 2/3 of the tag price and haggle. If I had to dip into another pocket I'd make a comment, there goes the Wife B-day present, there goes my lunch money, and so forth. Seemed to work pretty good.
|January 4, 2013, 10:32 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: September 25, 2008
Location: CONUS
Posts: 11,315
But I don't do gun shows for guns, just for parts, and general window shopping. I buy from two small, local gun shops. With them, I don't even ask if that's their best price. If I want it, I'll buy it. Because I'm a regular and they know it, if they can come out okay after taking a few bucks off, they'll often do so without my asking.
|January 5, 2013, 12:12 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: February 19, 2002
Location: Nevada, Carson Valley
Posts: 193
At pawn shops I always haggle, it's expected. At one in particular, the new guy there was helping me with a used shotgun. Before we even discussed "my" price, he said he'd heard of me and that my negotiating skills are legandary
At the LGS, on new guns I don't try to negotiate, not much markup on new. On used guns I always ask if there's any wiggle room. If not and it's in my price range I buy, otherwise it stays where it is.
|January 5, 2013, 01:07 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: July 26, 2005
Location: The Bluegrass
Posts: 8,604
I don't typically haggle any on new guns. The local dealers I frequent are already toward the lower end on most new guns and they don't have much room to haggle. I do haggle a bit on used guns where they have more leeway to bargain.
|January 6, 2013, 06:08 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: June 24, 2008
Posts: 2,221
There's not going to be much room on new guns at a dealer because there isn't much margin on new guns. Used guns have a bit more.
A couple of suggestions on haggling in a gun store:
Start realistically. If it's marked at $500, he's not going to take your offer of $200.
If you make an offer, be prepared to pay up if it's accepted. This is a cardinal rule of haggling, but some guys seem to think it's OK to walk away mumbling "I'll think about it". It's not.
The owner at the gun store where I worked hated haggling and wanted to ban it, but I explained to him that some guys would rather pay $850 on a gun they haggled down from $900 than buy it outright at $800, so in order to accommodate them, we had to allow some haggling.
|January 6, 2013, 07:34 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: May 6, 2005
Location: North Chesterfield, Virginia
Posts: 4,492
At the store where I buy most of my guns, I can pretty well look at the tag and figure what they'll take, but there are factors that might change that.
For example, if they just got a let's say a pristine Model 19, in the box with papers, I don't expect them to knock anything off right away. Why should they? They just got it in. The next guy through the door might pay the sticker price for it and everybody will be happy as a clam in mud. Now, let that same gun hang around the shop for a week or two, and give people a chance to look it over and have the opportunity to pay full price, then they're more willing to drop the price. Of course you run the risk of losing the gun if you wait.
Is it a week before Christmas? Don't expect much off. Sorry but if you don't want it, the guy behind you probably does. And he's willing to pay full price. I'll give that to the store. They make a lot of their money in those weeks. If it's something I really want, I'll just bite the bullet and pay the freight.
If it's something like a Glock, that they get in every day, it's one thing. If it's that pristine Model 19? Not so often. All those things play into how much they're willing to dicker.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 (NKJV)
|January 6, 2013, 08:27 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: September 6, 2007
Posts: 1,204
If I'm dealing with a private owner I will haggle with them. Not at gun shows though. Gun shops/stores no.
|January 6, 2013, 09:16 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: September 10, 2007
Location: Racoon City
Posts: 934
I always haggle. I figure the answer is 'no' if I don't ask. The amount of haggling varies with my percieved value in relation to the price.
|January 6, 2013, 10:59 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: January 28, 2006
Posts: 1,455
I think it just comes down to respect. If you haggle, do your research, notice the environment, and make a reasonable offer. Don't insult the guys with an offer than even you, if you really stop and think about it, know is too low.
I've haggled on pretty much everything subject wise, but I don't always haggle. I only haggle when the money is tight. And that include big box stores, where i have bought a couple new and used firearms. case in point, i got a pristine Remington 11-87 compact 20 ga for one of the kids. It hadn't even been shot enough to break it in! I got the gun, box of shells, case, original box with all materials for $450. Not the steal of a lifetime, but not bad for a practically new gun.
They need to make a profit, and in the case of my LGS, the guys there are great and have jumped through hoops for me to find some guns and specific ammo.
Keeping all of that in mind, the most you can do is ask. The worst they can say is no, if done with respect. No harm, no foul.
And getting the calls on good deals comes from repeated, long term business you have brought them, where they get to know you and your likes. Don't expect to get a call on anything if you've only been in a couple times and hardly bought anything.
Last edited by globemaster3; January 6, 2013 at 11:05 AM.
|January 7, 2013, 10:19 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: November 20, 2008
Posts: 10,703
I haggle when it's appropriate. I know, within +/- $20, what a "fair price" is for a particular firearm. Regardless of how the firearm is priced, I will generally offer a fair retail price - take it or leave it. I don't waste time with the folks that are looking for suckers.
Now, on occasion, I will come across a gun that is truly unique. The seller will know its unique and there may not be anyway of knowing really what a fair price is. This happens more with low serial numbers, early production dates, low production number guns, and older guns that are in excellent condition. That's when the real haggling takes place.
Last edited by Skans; January 7, 2013 at 10:27 AM.
|January 7, 2013, 10:34 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: July 6, 2009
Location: Rocky Mountain West
Posts: 3,395
My LGS has a fair price. I could haggle, but they're giving me a fair deal, so why?
For instance, a Smith & Wesson M&P (pre-panic) for $499. They were $452 on Bud's, but with the FFL fee that's $477. I understand that my LGS doesn't have the buying capacity of Bud's, so I don't see a reason to argue with 'em.
16 Pistols, 5 Rifles, 1 Shotgun, no time to shoot them
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text:
Official: Intern no longer at NTSB after name flap
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A summer intern who confirmed erroneous and racially offensive names for the pilots of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 is no longer an intern with the National Transportation Safety Board, a government official with knowledge of the situation said Monday.
The official wasn't authorized to comment about personnel matters and spoke on condition of anonymity.
An anchor for KTVU-TV read the names on the air Friday before apologizing for the error after a break. The report was accompanied by a graphic with the phony names listed alongside a photo of the burned-out plane that crashed July 6at San Francisco International Airport, killing three people and injuring dozens.
Video of the report has spread across the Internet since it was broadcast.
The NTSB said in a statement Friday that the intern erroneously confirmed the names "outside the scope of his authority." Neither the station nor the NTSB has said where the names originated.
Asiana has said the TV report "badly damaged" the reputation of the airline and its pilots.
Asiana has decided to sue KTVU-TV to "strongly respond to its racially discriminatory report" that disparaged Asians, Asiana spokeswoman Lee Hyomin said. She said the airline will likely file suit in U.S. courts.
Asiana decided not to sue the NTSB because it said it was the TV station report, not the U.S. agency, that damaged the airline's reputation. Lee did not elaborate.
NTSB spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said the agency does not discuss specific personnel matters but has taken "appropriate action to deal with the situation." She said interns in the agency's public affairs office are unpaid.
KTVU Vice President and General Manager Tom Raponi said in a statement that the station would not make any further comment because of the airline's threat of a lawsuit.


text:
US health officials closed down a spoof Starbucks coffee shop shortly after a TV comic revealed himself as the man behind the stunt, which drew media attention and plenty of customers.
The "Dumb Starbucks" cropped up in a Los Angeles neighborhood on Friday adorned with the signature green logo and signage of the global coffee giant, except with the word "Dumb" sitting above it.
Long lines formed outside the shop over the weekend as word of mouth and social media attracted large crowds, with some people reportedly waiting over an hour to be served.
On Monday Canadian comedian Nathan Fielder, known for a Comedy Central prank show, came forward and said it was his idea.
In a "press conference" outside the shop and a video posted on YouTube, he said: "By adding the word 'dumb,' we are legally allowed to use the coveted Starbucks name and logo because we've fulfilled the minimum requirements to be considered a parody under US law."
"Many of you probably know me as a comedian, but this is no bit or joke," he said. "This is a real business I plan to get rich from," he deadpanned.
But a short time later the LA County Department of Public Health swooped and posted a "notice of closure" on the door, saying the business was "operating without a valid public health permit."
Corporate giant Starbucks said before the shop was closed down: "It is not affiliated with Starbucks.
"We are evaluating our next step. While we appreciate the humor of the store, they cannot use our name. It is a protected trademark."
Fielder said he plans to open a second location in Brooklyn, New York.


text:
Photos will be resized to fit - but please avoid large photos as they take longer to load. 700 - 800 pixels wide is fine.
Get the complete image URL, paste it in the post and wrap it with the [img] BBcode.
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G'Day all.
There's been a few queries about how to insert pictures into posts. We did have a sticky on it once but it seems to have vanished when the forum has moved between servers. Here we go...
First up, head over to photobucket or another image hosting site and set up an account, once you've done that you can upload your pics.
Once the pics have uploaded, the host site will supply a line of code which you just copy/paste into your post like this...
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If you want to post a pic that already exists on the web, right click on it and go to properties. Copy the address (URL) line completely, paste it in where you want it, highlight it then click the Img button above. In Firefox just right click and select copy image location then paste away.
Hope this helps.


text:
R for SAS, SPSS and Stata Users (TRA53)
Revolution Analytics, Inc.
Monday, April 21, 2014 at 10:00 AM - Wednesday, April 23, 2014 at 2:00 PM (PDT)
Event Details
This is a 2-day virtual course offered on
Monday April 21st & Wednesday April 23rd
from 13:00-17:00 Eastern DaylightTime
An Introduction to R for SAS, SPSS, and Stata Users
R is free and powerful software for data analysis and graphics. However, its flexible approach is so different from other software that it can be frustrating to learn. This 8-hour workshop introduces R in a way that takes advantage of what you already know. For many topics we will begin with add-on commands that work similarly to your current software. Then we will cover R's built-in commands that provide simpler but more flexible output. We will also discuss aspects of R that are likely to trip you up. For example, many R functions let you specify which data set to use in a way that looks identical to SAS, but which differs in a way that is likely to lead you to perplexing error messages.
We will devote most of our time to working through examples that you may run simultaneously on your computer. However, handouts will include each step and its output if you prefer instead just relax and take notes. Most examples come from the books R for SAS and SPSS Users, R for Stata Users, and http://r4stats.com. That makes it easy to review what we did later with full explanations, or to learn more about a particular subject by extending an example which you have already learned.
After each 4-hour session you will receive a set of practice exercises for you to do on your own time, as well as solutions to the problems. The instructor will be available after the workshop via email to address these problems or any other topic in the workshop.
Prerequisites: Attendees should know how to program in SAS, SPSS or Stata and be familiar with basic statistical methods including linear regression and basic analysis of variance.
Learning Outcomes: When finished, you will be able to use R to import data, manage and transform it, create publication quality graphics, perform commonly used statistical analyses and know how to generalize that knowledge to more advanced methods. You will also have an especially thorough understanding of how R compares to SAS, SPSS and Stata.
Presenter: Robert A. Muenchen is the author of the books, R for SAS and SPSS Users, and, with Joseph Hilbe, R for Stata Users. A consulting statistician with 30 years of experience, Bob is currently the manager of Research Computing Support (formerly the Statistical Consulting Center) at the University of Tennessee. Bob has served on the advisory boards of SPSS Inc., the Statistical Graphics Corporation and PC Week Magazine. His suggested improvements and/or programming code have been incorporated into SAS, SPSS, JMP, STATGRAPHICS and several R packages.
Course Outline (Data management topics have been moved to a separate workshop)
- Introduction and statement of goals
- Overview of R
- Installing and maintaining R
- Programming Language Basics – including creating, subsetting and analyzing vectors (variables), factors (categorical variables), data frames (data sets), matrices, arrays and lists.
- Managing your files and workspace – R provides a complete environment that includes many commands for listing, printing, saving, deleting data as well as examining object structure.
- Controlling functions (procedures or commands) using arguments (options or parameters) or an object's class; how to change class
- Data Acquisition – reading comma- and tab-delimited files, Excel, SAS, SPSS & Stata
- Selecting variables and observations – R offers many more ways to do selection
- Writing functions (macros)
- Graphics
- Traditional graphics (similar to old SAS and SPSS graphics) including bar, scatter, strop, box plots, histograms, plotting groups, adding embellishments and regression fits.
- Lattice graphics (similar to new SAS SG* and Stata graphics) – a brief overview
- The Grammar of Graphics approach using the ggplot2 package (similar to SPSS GPL) including: qplot vs. ggplot; bar charts, histograms, scatter, strip, multi-layered plots; group plots, adding embellishments and fit lines.
- Interactive graphics – a brief overview (similar to JMP, SAS/INSIGHT, SAS/IML Studio)
- Graphics resources
- Statistics
- Descriptive statistics done both the SAS/SPSS/Stata way and the R way
- Crosstabulation done both the SAS/SPSS/Stata way and the R way
- "By" or "split file" processing of groups
- Correcting p-values for the effects of multiple testing
- Correlation: Pearson, Spearman
- Linear regression
- Extractor functions (like Stata's postestimation commands)
- t-test & Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney rank sum test
- Paired t-test & Wilcoxon signed-rank test
- Analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis & post hoc tests
- Getting publication-quality output into Word, LibreOffice, HTML and LaTeX
- Ways to run R
- Interactively
- Programs that include other programs
- Running R from within SAS and SPSS
- Running R as an adjunct to Stata
- Graphical User Interfaces: R Commander, JGR, Rattle, Excel
- Summary of topics learned
If you will be taking this course behind a firewall, you will need to access, dowwload and install the course material one week prior to the start of the class.
You will also need to have:
-RStudio installed on your machine prior to the begining of the course
-be able to unzip and install some working files
Feel free to register for Managing Data with R (TRA33) as a follow up course
We have the right to cancel the event for any reason at any time. Revolution Analytics will refund all monies paid for ticket sales in full in the event of a cancellation. We are not responsible for any travel related expenses incurred by attendees for this event. This includes but not limited to transportation, hotel accommodations or any other travel related expenses secured by the attendee, due to a cancellation on our part.
Cancellation Policy:
- 30 or more days from the event date: Full refund less 10%
- 16-29 days from the event date: 50% refund
- 15 or less days from the event date: No refund
- all related transaction fees PayPal and Eventbrite are not refundable
- discount offers cannot be combined
- A student ID Number is not a proof of full time university enrollment to get the student's discount. Proof of enrollment in 9 units or more on a current academic registration document will be required to receive the student's discount.
Monday, April 21, 2014 at 10:00 AM - Wednesday, April 23, 2014 at 2:00 PM (PDT)
Add to my calendar


text:
MOU Signed Between Eurocopter Malaysia and Malaysia International Aerospace Centre for The Development Of Helicopter Centre
02 December 2009
Subang, 2 December 2009 - Eurocopter, the world's leading helicopter manufacturer, through its subsidiary Eurocopter Malaysia and MIAC Sdn Bhd (MIAC) a
wholly owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of Helicopter Centre at
Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport.
This Centre will witness the first ever heliport and helicopter Full Flight Simulator (FFS) in Malaysia. The primary objective of this Helicopter Centre is to provide an environment that is conducive to the development of the helicopter industry in Malaysia. It will also be dedicated to the helicopter operations at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport.
The MOU was signed by Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad, Managing Director of MAHB and Pierre Nardelli, President and CEO of Eurocopter Malaysia in the presence of Tan Sri Aris Othman, Chairman of MAHB and Philippe Harache, Senior Executive Vice President of Eurocopter.
The Helicopter Centre is one of the 6 development components of Malaysia International Aerospace Centre (MIAC) managed by Malaysia Airports, an organization that has been tasked by the Government of Malaysia to manage the development of the aerospace industry.
The key components of the Helicopter Centre Master Plan are:
Helicopter Services Terminal
Eurocopter New Facility
Helicopter hangars and Repair Stations
Related Infrastructures and utilities.
This Helicopter Centre, which will house the new EC225 Flight Simulator, will serve the needs of their customers in the Asia and Australasia.
The Helicopter Centre shall become the hub of all helicopter activities and operations, such as Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) for helicopters, hangarages and helicopter parking.
Eurocopter will provide its expertise and experience to MIAC for the development and planning of the Helicopter Centre. In addition, Eurocopter Malaysia has pledged to become the anchor tenant for the Helicopter Centre once it is completed. It will relocate its current facility at Terminal 2, Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport to the new Helicopter Centre.
The cooperation between Eurocopter Malaysia and MIAC demonstrates both parties' commitment to further develop Malaysia into a regional aerospace hub. With this strategic partnership, Eurocopter Malaysia is able to expand and support the future growth of the industry and serve its growing customer base better through the development of a bigger and improved facility.
MIAC is confident that the development of the Helicopter Centre will further position Malaysia as a global aerospace player with Malaysia Airports as one of the main drivers in the aerospace industry.


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Marketers must stop abusing the term Big Data in order to harness it. Here's how.
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4 Recommendations from ALA on digital literacy displayed and commented by blogger Bobbi Newman, Librarian by Day
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The (public) library of the future; Report from Arts Council UK. What's the response from school libraries?
Maria Jose Vitorino's curator insight, May 27, 2013 4:09 PM
...four priority areas for development which have been tested and corroborated by stakeholders:
1 place the library as the hub of the community
2 make the most of digital technology and creative media
3 ensure that libraries are resilient and sustainable
4 deliver the right skills for those who work in libraries


text:
I came across this idea in another forum and thought it would be good idea to share it here.
I know there are many Mom's who stay at home, but also run part time business's from home, that non of us know about, but many of us can benefit from, and we can support each other in our endeavours. There are so many people doing independent sales, and so many awesome new companies everywhere that we don't know about.
So come on….share your company here, tell us what you do and for which company?
I am in the process of building a website, called The Special needs child.com.
Here you can get information, tips and techniques for raising, loving and parenting a child with special needs. Special families need to share stories, resources, and information to inspire and motivate each other on this long journey full of ups and downs, raising a child with special needs.
Pop in, have a look around! I would love to hear from you if you have any ideas or would like to contribute to my site.
Who's next?
Views: 224
Environmentally-friendly, natural-based products, with 100% guarantee... and free products.
I got involved with this company in November 2007, after meeting with a couple of the long-time customers. This company is consumer-direct, which means that there is no middle man, so the consumers have input on what is out there and the costs are lower. This company has been in business for 25 years and is an Inc. 500 company.
I started taking the vitamin supplements, and after a few short months, I was able to reduce the amount of medications I was taking. I also started out trying to sports supplements, and the household products.
Did you know that dish soap has acid in... and can make children and pets sick, or worse?
What I would really like to share is that the products are highly-concentrated, to provide more for the money, and work extremely well. Also, everything is 100% satisfaction guaranteed. If you don't like it, they will reimburse or replace it for you.
Also, when you sign on a a customer, you are given $100 of free products (over the first 5 months), to try other products at no charge. If they didn't believe in their product, would want to give their stuff away?
Then, as you shop each month, you earn more "free" money, to use to purchase other products,.
If you take a shower, brush your teeth, or even do laundry, then this is a shopping experience for you.
My website is: http://trishb.changeyourstore.com
My blog site is: http://somanyopportunities4u.wordpress.com
Thank you.
handbags, jewelry and fashion for under $60!! Visit my blog for a coupon code!


text:
The competion was organised by multiple Antibes winner Danny van Belle in cooperation with Hugyfot/Greenforce.
The next Hugycup will be held in Scuba Seraya Resort, Bali Indonesia from 20th of June till 14th of August 2010 and places are still available. For more information and this year's winning photos and prices check out www.hugycup.com
An overview of the Hugycup 2009 winners:
Portfolio Hugycup 2009 photo - 1st Place Luc Eeckhaut BELGIUM 2nd Place Franco De Lorenzi ITALY 3rd Place Robert Hauswirth FRANCE
Edited video competition Hugycup 2009 Video - 1st Place Ilse De Gendt BELGIUM 2nd PlaceGino Rosiers BELGIUM 3rd PlaceErik-Jan Sporken NETHERLANDS
Wide angle photography - 1st Place Robert Hauswirth FRANCE 2nd Place Borut Furlan SLOVENIA 3rd Place Eric Hulpiau BELGIUM
Macro photography - 1st PLACE Robert Hauswirth FRANCE 2nd Place Janny Heringa-Bosman NETHERLANDS 3rd Place Els Van Den Borre BELGIUM
Videoclip video competition - 1st Place Jean-Jacques Rietjens Françoise Jadoul BELGIUM 2nd Place Ilse De Gendt BELGIUM 3rd Place Erik-Jan Sporken NETHERLANDS
Nudibranch photography - 1st Place Luc Eeckhaut BELGIUM 2nd Place Robert Hauswirth FRANCE 3rd Place Irena CokSLOVENIA
Frogfish photography - 1st Place Robert Hauswirth FRANCE 2nd Place Pavel Bohonek CZECH REPUBLIC 3rd Place Bruno Van Saen BELGIUM
Green Force photography - 1st PlaceLouis Leong MALAYSIA
Cheers, Udo van Dongen
Edited by Udo van Dongen, 08 December 2009 - 11:52 PM.