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2:00 am
African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross "Into The Fire (1861-1896)" During the tumultuous period of the Civil War, African Americans were agents of their liberation - by fleeing plantations and taking up arms to serve in the United States Colored Troops. After Emancipation, they sought to realize the promise of freedom and for a brief time during Reconstruction, they gained economic, political and civil rights. But an intransigent South mounted a campaign of terror to restore white supremacy in the former Confederate states. Part 3 of 6G
3:00 am
Teaching Channel Presents "Teaching ELA to the Core" We'll drill down into the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and see teachers succeed, and stumble, as they work to incorporate material that not all students are ready to handle. D
4:00 am
Mechanical Universe And Beyond, The "Lorentz Transformation" If the speed of light is to be the same for all observers, then the length of a meter stick, or the rate of a ticking clock, depends on who measures it. D
4:30 am
Economics U$A "Monetary Policy" Three Federal Reserve Chairmen Arthur Burns, Paul Volcker, and Alan Greenspan are examined. Updated 2002. D
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NHK Newsline NULL
5:30 am
Destinos: An Introduction to Spanish "El Don Juan (The Don Juan)" In this episode, there is no new vocabulary. Angela's boyfriend Jorge makes a verbal pass at Raquel.G
6:00 am
Power Yoga: Mind and Body "Backbends - Version Two" With Partner camel, Wheel, Bow and others. D
6:30 am
Clifford The Big Red Dog "Nothing to Fur But Fur Itself/Jetta's Project" NOTHING TO FUR BUT FUR ITSELF - Clifford's Big Idea: Believe in Yourself Having been scared by a ghost movie, T-Bone resolves to not let fear get the better of him. That is easier said than done! JETTA'S PROJECT - Clifford's Big Idea: Be Respectful When Jetta decides she really wants to win a model-building contest, she uses her friendship with Charley and Emily to get her way. D
7:00 am
Arthur "Francine's Split Decision/Muffy Goes Metropolitan" Francine's Split Decision - Lakewood Elementary is sure to win the big bowling tournament on Saturday, with Francine leading the team. So what if Francine's cousin is having his Bar Mitzvah at exactly that same time? The amazing Francine can be in both places - or at least seem to be- and no one will be the wiser. Or so she thinks. D
7:30 am
Martha Speaks "TD and the Steak Tree/TD and Martha Gopher Broke" TD and the Steak Tree - TD gets hoodwinked by Weaselgraft and Pablum into buying a steak tree. TD and Martha Gopher Broke - Martha, TD, and TD's dad spend the weekend at CK's farm, trying to keep a gopher from eating all the crops.G
8:00 am
Curious George "Keep Out Cows/Curious George and the Missing Piece" George tries to stop cows from eating wildflowers and tries to match a bone to the right animal.G
8:30 am
Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That! "A Sweet Deal/King of Swing" A Sweet Deal - Sally and Nick are having a hard time getting customers to come to their "cafe". What can they do? The Cat takes them to meet Eddy the honeyguide bird. Eddy shows them how he guides humans to bees' nests by making noise and putting on a show. D
9:00 am
Peg + Cat "The Chicken Problem/The Space Creature Problem" The Chicken Problem - The Farm. Peg and Cat have to get 100 chickens back in the coop before the farmer sees. Primary Content: Size correspondence; Secondary Content: The number 100. D
9:30 am
Dinosaur Train "Hurricane at Pteranodon Terrace/Rafting The Cretaceous" The long-awaited rains finally return to Pteranodon Terrace, but grow into a huge rainstorm that grows even bigger - into a hurricane! Dad hasn't seen it blow like this since he was a kid. They seek shelter, and Don discovers an entrance to a cave below their nest, where not only the Pteranodons, but also their other neighbors, the Lambeorsaurus family and Cindy Cimolestes, all take shelter for the night. In the morning, the storm has passed, but everyone must pitch in to rebuild their various nests. D
10:00 am
Sesame Street "Gotcha!" A hidden camera show pops up on Sesame Street to try and catch bad manners in action. Educational Objectives: Self-Regulation. D
11:00 am
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood "Safety Patrol/Safety at the Beach" Safety Patrol: Today at school, the children are learning about traffic signs. Prince Tuesday comes for a special visit, wearing his crossing guard uniform. He takes the class on a walk through the Neighborhood and they practice their safety rules all along the way. D
11:30 am
Sid The Science Kid "The Whale Episode" Sid is troubled.he wants to know how to measure a giant blue whale with his ruler. At school he learns a great new way to measure just about anything -- using the method of non-standard measurement! Sid learns how to accurately measure things with shoes, blocks, and even people!. D
12:00 pm
Super Why! "The Big Game" Whyatt wants to play baseball better, but he keeps missing the ball. The superhero readers jump into The Big Game and join some fairytale heroes gearing up for their big soccer match against their storybook foes. With the help of Super Why and his friends, Cinderella and her team work on their game skills to prevent the Big Bad Wolf's team from huffing, puffing and blowing them right off the field!G
12:30 pm
Caillou "Caillou The Magnificent" Show and Tell - Caillou has to decide on a nice surprise to bring to playschool for Show and Tell. The only problem is, he can't decide between his toy dinosaur Rexy, his kite, or his toy firetruck. However, when Rosie proves to be the best at surprising everyone, Caillou decides to bring his little sister for Show and Tell. D
1:00 pm
Thomas & Friends "Fire & Water" Too Many Fire Engines - A team of railway inspectors questions whether Sir Topham Hatt needs two fire engines causing concern for Sodor's fire fighting team, Flynn and Belle. When Belle beats Flynn to two fires in a row, Flynn starts to question it himself. He tells Belle to take his place on guard at the Castle's fireworks display and sulks in his shed. D
1:30 pm
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood "Safety Patrol/Safety at the Beach" Safety Patrol: Today at school, the children are learning about traffic signs. Prince Tuesday comes for a special visit, wearing his crossing guard uniform. He takes the class on a walk through the Neighborhood and they practice their safety rules all along the way. D
2:00 pm
Curious George "Keep Out Cows/Curious George and the Missing Piece" George tries to stop cows from eating wildflowers and tries to match a bone to the right animal.G
2:30 pm
Martha Speaks "TD and the Steak Tree/TD and Martha Gopher Broke" TD and the Steak Tree - TD gets hoodwinked by Weaselgraft and Pablum into buying a steak tree. TD and Martha Gopher Broke - Martha, TD, and TD's dad spend the weekend at CK's farm, trying to keep a gopher from eating all the crops.G
3:00 pm
Peg + Cat "The Chicken Problem/The Space Creature Problem" The Chicken Problem - The Farm. Peg and Cat have to get 100 chickens back in the coop before the farmer sees. Primary Content: Size correspondence; Secondary Content: The number 100. D
3:30 pm
WordGirl "Theme Park Wham-Page/Chuck Makes A Buck" Theme Park Wham-Page - Becky and Bob are anxiously waiting in line for their chance to ride The Coaster-- the ultimate new roller coaster ride. The Whammer's enthusiasm for chocolate hot dogs and hi-striker machines at the park could ruin a totally fun day. Will WordGirl forfeit her chance to ride the coaster in order to stop the Whammer destroying the park? Vocabulary Words: Patience, Enthusiastic. D
4:00 pm
Wild Kratts "The Blue and the Gray" Martin and Chris are absorbed in a hilarious competition to discover who is the best acorn planter, blue jays or gray squirrels, when a strange Creature Power Suit malfunction transforms Martin into an acorn and grows him into an Oak tree! Chris activates the squirrel powers of his Creature Power Suit, but gets waylaid by a bobcat and goshawk, and the Aviva, Koki, and Jimmy can't find them. It'll take some animal-loving Wild Kratts kids to get them out of this mess. D
4:30 pm
Cyberchase "The X-Factor" All is not well in Perfectamundo, a dome-enclosed cybersite, when orange spots are discovered building up on the dome's interior surface, blocking the site's precious sunlight. What source could be responsible for the spots multiplying so fast? Is it Hacker's new factory that pours out orange clouds through smoky stacks? It can't be that new Digifizz toy, with its tiny burst of colorful sparkles shooting into the air each time it gets used. With time running out, the CyberSquad must come to grips with the power of multiplication and use it to undo the site's pollution problem. D
5:00 pm
Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman "Ruff Bounces Back" Ruff is under a lot of pressure. To his dismay, he's recently heard that schnauzers are the most intelligent breed of dogs. Meanwhile Chet has shredded his final term paper for obedience school. D
5:30 pm
Nightly Business Report Tonight on Nightly Business Report, stocks sell off as strong economic growth raises worries about the Federal Reserve's stimulus policy. NBR will look at what that means for the markets and your money. And, Twitter takes off in its first day of trading - but NBR will show you why some high profile IPOs should carry the label "buyer beware. D
5:56 pm
NewsHour Promo NULL
6:00 pm
PBS NewsHour NULL
7:00 pm
Doc Martin "Driving Mr. McLynn" Martin rushes to Louisa's new home when she has a dizzy spell. He tells her to slow down, instead she has applied to be her school's head teacher again. Aunt Joan is involved in a car crash. Edith visits Martin for some advice on her medical research.G
8:00 pm
Outdoor Idaho "Idaho Water Handbook" OUTDOOR IDAHO goes to where the water is - streams, rivers, reservoirs, aquifers - with scientists, farmers, conservationists and water officials to learn more about the uses and limits of the state's water as well as the laws and plans that determine its allocation.G
8:30 pm
Art Wolfe's Travels to the Edge "Patagonia: Mt. Fitz Roy" Wolfe treks through an ancient forest, fords an icy river, goes under a glacier and traverses one of the largest ice caps in the world in search of a different view of the South American peak.G
9:00 pm
Midsomer Murders "The Green Man, Part One" A new season of this long-running show brings change for the Midsomer team. Sgt. Troy wins his promotion to inspector, but before he can decide on his future, the Midsomer canal tunnel collapses during a restoration project. The collapse reveals ancient human bones with a recent skeleton hidden among them. Part 1 of 2G
10:00 pm
Vera (Apt) "Poster Child" DCI Vera Stanhope is back with a new season of four shows. She and her team, Sergeant Joe Ashworth and DC Kenny Lockhart, face a race against time when respected surgeon Dan Marsden is shot four days before his retirement and his teen daughters, Mira and Karen, are abducted. DC Barry Kelman joins the investigating team as the case takes a violent and unexpected turn.G
11:30 pm
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Vivica A. Fox Will Reprise Her Role in Independence Day 2
Mar 25, 2015 10:48 AM EDT
Vivica A. Fox will fight aliens again in Independence Day 2, Entertainment Weekly reports. Fox will reprise her role as Jasmine Dubrow, the girlfriend of Will Smith's character Steve Hiller and mother of Dylan. Jasmine's son, now played by Jessie Ush… Read more

subset: commoncrawl


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Macular Degeneration
The right diet is the key to managing many diseases and to improving general quality of life. For this condition, scientific research has found benefit in the following healthy eating tips.
|Get started
|Feast on fish
|People who eat fish more than once per week have half the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration compared with people who eat less fish.
|Choose good fats
|In a preliminary study, high intake of saturated fat and cholesterol was associated with an increased risk of developing macular degeneration, so look for lean meats and low-fat dairy, and cook with unsaturated fats, such as olive oil.
|Stay tuned about alcohol
|Beer drinking has been linked to increased macular degeneration risk, while wine drinking has been linked to a decreased risk, these reports are too preliminary to be conclusive.
Copyright © 2018 Healthnotes, Inc. All rights reserved. www.healthnotes.com
Learn more about Healthnotes, the company.
The information presented by Healthnotes is for informational purposes only. It is based on scientific studies (human, animal, or in vitro), clinical experience, or traditional usage as cited in each article. The results reported may not necessarily occur in all individuals. Self-treatment is not recommended for life-threatening conditions that require medical treatment under a doctor's care. For many of the conditions discussed, treatment with prescription or over the counter medication is also available. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires December 2018.


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Arts of the Islamic World
The arts of the Islamic world flourished in a vast geographic area extending from Morocco and Spain to the islands of Southeast Asia. Although distinct in their cultural, artistic, ethnic, and linguistic identities, the people of this region have shared one predominant faith, Islam.
The works on view here represent the three principal media for artistic expression in the Islamic world: architecture (both religious and secular), the arts of the book (calligraphy, illustration, illumination, and bookbinding), and the arts of the object (ceramics, metalwork, glass, woodwork, textiles, and ivory). The works date from the 9th to the 17th century. On view are brass bowls and candlesticks, folios from the Koran, earthenware and ceramics, and paintings representing the traditions of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and other parts of North Africa, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan.


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January 22, 2014
Before heading over to 25 Lusk for the RICON West 2013 after party, Engine Yard sponsored the Lightning Talks at the end of Day One. Lightning Talks are 5-10 minute presentations by the attendees of RICON. Lightning Talks can cover a wide range of topics, including new projects being worked on, new services being built, or how a company is using Riak.
This past RICON West featured 11 speakers, including:
- Ines Sombra (EngineYard) discussing EngineYard's Cloud and hosted Riak
- Armon Dadgar (HashiCorp) discussing Serf
- Michael Shavell (Symantec) discussing how the Norton Notification Service uses Riak
- Chris Meiklejohn (Basho) discussing Verified Vector Clocks
- Heinz Gies (Project FiFo) discussing Project FiFo
- Chris Doherty (Ooyala) discussing Communicating Effectively
- Jason Johnson (SoftLayer) discussing filesystems
- Kyle Kingsbury (Factual) discussing Skuld
- Nicolas Favre-Felix (Acunu) discussing CRDTs for real-time analytics
- Joe DeVivo (Basho) discussing Cuttlefish
- Christopher Merz (SolidFire) discussing Riak on SolidFire
You can watch all of the Lightning Talks below.
Lightning Talks from RICON East 2013 and RICON West 2012 are also available.
To watch all of the sessions from RICON West 2013, visit the Basho Technologies Youtube Channel.


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See what's on your flight
Man drinks coffee in cafe. Picks up passport and suitcase, and waves at next table. Walks two steps, shows ticket to gate attendant. Turns, waves at smiling people in café. They wave back.
No matter your class of travel, all customers can unwind in our Emirates lounges before take-off.
Get paid access for you and your guests to our Emirates lounges in Dubai International airport and selected lounges worldwide, and enjoy the full Emirates experience before you fly.
And if you're an Emirates Skywards member, you and your guests will enjoy special lounge access pricing.
Already enjoy complimentary access as a Business Class, First Class or Emirates Skywards Silver, Gold or Platinum member? Invite additional guests to the lounges for USD 100 per person.
Learn more about paid lounge access eligibility and pricing.
Savour gourmet cuisine and our full-service bar, keep tabs on the news or indulge in a treatment at the Timeless Spa. You can catch up on business with complimentary Wi-Fi and a fully equipped Business Centre. You can also charge your phone, tablet or other electronic devices in secure charging stations while you're waiting for your flight.
For a more personal shopping experience, splash out on brands in our in-lounge Duty-Free Boutique. There's also plenty to keep young travellers entertained in our colourful children's play area, with games for all ages, toys and even a children's buffet.
Explore our First Class Lounge
Start your journey with delicious cuisine and sample our range of premium beverages. Maximise your time in our fully equipped Business Centre or pause to savour a moment's peace in a quiet area.
To rejuvenate before the next stage of your journey, enjoy a pampering treatment at the Timeless Spa or freshen up in our private shower spas. If you're travelling with children, they'll love our play area.
Explore our Business Class Lounge
If you're departing from Concourse C and travelling in First Class or Business Class - or you're an eligible Emirates Skywards member - you can now experience The Emirates Lounge at Dubai International airport.
Measuring 1,308sqmsquare meters (14,079sq ftsquare feet), our new lounge contains two dedicated dining areas, bespoke artwork and a state-of-the-art business centre.
The Emirates Lounge is open 24 hours.
The serene sanctuary of the Timeless Spa is the perfect place to rejuvenate between flights. Choose from a signature menu of treatments and beauty therapies to refresh before the next stage of your journey.
Whether you're looking for a de-stress back massage, reflex therapy, a manicure or hair styling, spend a little extra and enjoy some me-time. Or if you're flying First Class, you can indulge in our selection of complimentary treatments.
Book your treatment online before you fly
Quiet Lounge: To make your experience more relaxing, there are no boarding announcements in our lounges. Boarding starts 45 minutes before departure time.


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President Bush requests $56.5 billion for the Department of Education for FY 2003.
The FY 2003 Education Budget Summary provides program information and detailed budget tables.
Deputy Secretary Hansen spoke at the release of the FY 2003 Education Budget Request.
President's FY 2003 Budget for the U.S. Government
The President's FY 2003 Budget for the United States Government is available online.
Last Modified: 12/18/2014


text:
Our aim is to provide good services which feel customer satisfactions, this is not enough our aim to establish customer relationship.
We are different from others because it always keep in mind that customer is God for us. Our main intention is visit our all customer daily with confidence satisfaction and our mutual strong bound.
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We give cheapest and best facebook video likes services with high quality facebook fans from all around the world. Your Page/Profile/Content must be public so that we can provide video likes, otherwise, we can't access it to begin your order. If your photo is on a personal profile, make sure you 'Allow Subscribers' in your settings as well. This is common problem with some clients, but our steps solved many of them.
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fancheap.com is authorized firm to provide all type of social marketing services. All services which we mention in our website are completely genuine and we promise to deliver on time. We guarantee that you will receive 100% real facebook fans to Your video. Thanks for visiting us.


text:
About the Script:
"Hostal Booking" (Spanglish for Hostel) is a simple yet full booking system (template included)
It will help you out to have your Hostel, Hotel, Motel, Camping, Reservation system in no time.
This script comes with a full HTML Template (home, about, rates and location) and Admin Panel wich controls the rooms (Hide, Delete, Create) and Booking petitions (Confirm, Deny and send Thank you notes when a guest is gone)
Integrated with a email messages system to admin and guest as soon a booking reservation is created.
You can send personalized messages to your guests and Change your Rates, Dates and Information of each Room in no time.
Upload personalized photos of each room or use stock high-quality integrated with script.
Set your Terms of Service, Currency, Dates (availability), hide your rooms live and much more.
Constant updates and new features.
Using Front and Back End (Admin Panel)
User: admin
Password: admin
- For Live Preview can't Delete "Demo Room" and change Settings Information.
- Full Template Included (Stock Room and "Amsterdam-lish" photos included)
- Admin Panel: Delete, Create Edit Rooms Live.
- Accept, Deny Booking Petitions with personalized messages.
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- Room Stock Photos.
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5 Min Installation.
Upload all files to your server.
Navigate to the install folder (Example: www.yoursite.com/hostalbooking/install ) fill DataBase information and follow instructions (if you do not have database information, ask your hosting provider)
Remember to delete "install" folder after installations is complete.
Use Template or use "Widget" Mode:
Insert style on header and iframe on body, can use with or without search form.


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Dissolving village prompts response
UNIOPOLIS — Nearly 60 residents attended the Uniopolis Village Council meeting Monday to ask questions and get details on different scenarios as a vote to surrender the village's corporate powers quickly approaches in November.
Most people in attendance expressed comments backing the move to unincorporate the village as the best financial scenario for the village and its residents. However, several addressed concerns for the switch, which would surrender governing powers to the Union Township Trustees.
One resident expressed his outright dismay for the move and directed his anger towards Councilor Greg Ritchie and Village Solicitor Bob Fitzgerald.
Bill Scheele, 287 High St., who said he had lived in the village for six years, said he wanted to know what the village would do if the vote went down.
"What happens if we vote it down, for those of us that don't want it," Scheele said, looking directly at Ritchie. "Don't give me your funny look. Don't be glaring at me. You're the one that sold us out."
Councilor Elaine Wenning said the village was at its financial end and was trying to do what was right.
"Are you going to pay a 10-mill levy to help keep the village going," Wenning said. "That is what it would take."
Scheele said he didn't mind paying a little extra.
Fitzgerald then got into the conversation.
"Let me tell you the realities," Fitzgerald said. "A lot of people are blaming the police department. The reality is the council saw this coming. They had the good sense to bring it to the village for a vote. Who knows, maybe (Gov. John) Kasich will leave office or maybe the economy will get back on track, but if you believe that, I have a couple bridges for sale."
Mayor Bill Rolston explained the village still had enough money right now to run for two years, but other councilors felt they were doing the right thing putting it up for a vote with the village.
"We are trying to do this the least expensive way," Ritchie said. "We want to turn it over to the township while there still are some assets."
"We see the writing on the wall," Councilor Marilyn Fleck said. "We don't like it, but we are doing what needs to be done."
Fitzgerald explained the village did in fact have enough money to keep running for two years, but he said the village would eventually run out of money to operate if things did not change.
"We are currently spending about $9,000 to $10,000 a month," Fitzgerald said. "You are running through the money. In about 28 months you will have spent all of the money and all of the reserves. If we show up just to pay to mow the lawn, snow removal, the electric bill and go home, are we really doing the village a service."
Ways of raising additional income were discussed, such as incorporating some businesses or homes into the corporation limits. Some of the businesses discussed were Arrowhead Estates, Miller Brothers, or a storage facility for KISS Insulated Seamless Siding.
However, owners of Arrowhead Estates and Miller Brothers have expressed no interest into being incorporated, and the storage facility was determined to have little impact on adding additional funds.
Also, township trustees present at the meeting said they would challenge losing the tax base for the three entities to the village.
Questions concerning who would oversee managing the sewer system were brought up, and councilors told the attending group that the county would assume duties for maintaining the sewer.
One question yet to be answered is the impact of a 3-mill levy currently placed on the township for fire protection with the Uniopolis Fire Department. Township Trustee Kelly Knutzen said the township has discussed the matter with Auglaize County Auditor Janet Schuler and Prosecuting Attorney Edwin Pierce, but they have not yet received an definitive answer yet.
The township will lose an ongoing contract in which the village pays $12,000 for fire protection annually. If the village incorporates and the addition of the 90-plus village homes are viewed as new buildings to the township by legal definition, the township would receive a small increase in real estate property tax income. However, if the residences are not viewed as new buildings, the township would lose out on the $12,000 while still being responsible for fire protection in the area.
"The truth is, the village will not go away," Fitzgerald said. "Your neighbors will still be there. Your friends will still be there."
If the move to surrender corporate powers is approved by voters, the village would still operate as a corporation until around April or May while the books are audited and business is closed. The mayor, the village clerk and the village solicitor were scheduled to responsible for the finances until the books are closed.
The village also signed a 1-year contract with the fire department for $12,000 to cover fire coverage into the new year if the village is unincoprated.
Knutzen thanked the councilors for taking action with the township in mind and trying to pay off bills and hand over as many assets was possible to not put a drain on the townships already dwindling resources.
"We are facing the same problems everyone else is," Knutzen said.


text: 2016 Toyota FT1 Concept By Dodi Raditya at 23:10:00 Here are some collection of pretty pictures of our site you can see and download, one Picture 2016 Toyota FT1 Concept. First of all we say many many thanks for visiting Picture 2016 Toyota FT1 Concept on our site, we published Monday, 28 December 2015, category Toyota, by Dodi Raditya. We hope pictures 2016 Toyota FT1 Concept very pretty this can make an inspiration to you, and we are also very grateful a lot if you are willing to share Wallpaper 2016 Toyota FT1 Concept to one of the social networks that we have provided. This Photographic inspiration 2016 Toyota FT1 Concept is provided only for personal use as image on computers, smartphones or other display devices. If you found any images copyrighted to yours, please contact us and we will remove it. We don't intend to display any copyright protected images. Share on : Facebook Twitter Google+


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Casseroles & Beyond: 15 Recipes for Classic Comfort Food at Home
What, to you, is comfort food? For my husband, it's a big bowl of pasta. For me, it's probably a thick slice of toast with butter scraped across the top, or half a peanut butter and honey sandwich. These tastes are all connected to childhood memories of lunches and suppers eaten at home, in the safety of the family table, being fed by people who loved us. What are those foods for you? A gooey pasta and chicken casserole? Roast chicken? Miso soup and rice? Meatloaf? Or maybe your comfort food tastes run sweet — to chocolate no-bake cookies or carrot cake with cream cheese icing.
We have those recipes and more for you today, as we're talking family recipes and classic homestyle cooking all week at The Kitchn. Here is a look at 15 of our own favorite homestyle comfort foods, from roast chicken to chili to fried rice. There are vegetarian recipes, and sweet ones too. These are simple foods, the ones we return to for nourishment and comfort, and always at the home table since there really is no other place like it.
• 1 Chicken & Swiss Chard Pasta Bake
• 2 Quick Tomato Sauce with Pasta
• 3 Chili with Pasta & Wisconsin Cheddar
• 4 How To Roast a Chicken
• 5 Barbecue Turkey Meatloaf
• 6 Chickpea Casserole with Lemon, Herbs & Shallots
• 7 How To Make Fried Rice
• 8 Miso Soup with Rice & Poached Egg
• 9 Roasted Butternut Squash Puree with Goat Cheese
• 10 Creamy Lemon Pasta with Spinach and Peas
• 11 Warm Fudgy Pudding Cake
• 12 Marking's Bibingka
• 13 No-Bake Nutella Peanut Butter Cookies
• 14 Carrot Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• 15 Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats
OK, your turn! What's your idea of classic homestyle comfort food? What makes you feel all safe and cozy at the home table?
• 15 Vegetarian & Vegan Comfort Food Recipes
(Images: See linked recipes for full image credits)


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Harvard posted a 6-0-1 record in Ivy League play to capture the program's 10th conference championship (Columbia Athletics).
NEW YORK – Freshman Lauren Urke scored the game's only goal in the 21st minute, while classmate Bethany Kanten made two saves to earn her second shutout of the season to lead the Harvard women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory at Columbia Saturday evening.
With the win, Harvard clinches the Ivy League title outright and finishes the regular season 12-4-1 overall and 6-0-1 in the Ancient Eight. The Crimson posted an unbeaten record in the Ivy League for the first time since going 7-0 and winning the conference in 1999. Harvard's 12 wins is also the most for the program since the 1999 season.
The Crimson, which extends its unbeaten streak to 10 games (9-0-1), will now await Monday's NCAA tournament selection show. The show will be broadcast live on NCAA.com Monday at 4:30 p.m.
Urke mustered the first shot on goal of the game when she fired a shot that was saved by Columbia's Lillian Klein at 17:09. Just minutes later, freshman Meg Casscells-Hamby sent a pass into the box and Urke finished to put Harvard up 1-0 at 20:24. Urke managed two more shots in the half, but the first was saved by Klein and the second was stopped by a defensive save.
In the 37th minute, Kanten was tested for the first time, but she turned aside a chance by Ashlin Yahr at 36:14.In the 40th minute, Columbia's Liz Wicks hit the post before the ball rolled out of play. At the break, the Lions had an edge in shots, 7-6, while corners were even, 3-3.
Kanten recorded her second stop at 51:53 as she blocked away a shot by Natalie Melo to keep Columbia (6-10-1, 3-3-1 Ivy League) off the scoreboard. On the other side of the ball, Casscells-Hamby nearly doubled Harvard's lead twice, but Klein made two saves against Casscells-Hamby at 55:35 and 69:20.
Each team managed 10 shots for the game, while the Lions had seven corner kicks and Harvard earned four. Klein finished with four saves for Columbia.


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Gunabhadra's version represents an earlier version of the Lankavatara, before the Ravana story was added to the beginning (for example). I personally was glad to hear someone was translating it. It's still mysterious and disappointing to me that one would choose to translate Gunabhadra and then add-back the "missing" material from the later versions. It defeats the purpose of translating that version. But I don't have the book and anyway, the Lanka isn't the project I'm working on at the moment. So I can't say anything more about it. Just mystified by that bit of information.Will wrote:Good for Chos-grub, but he was translating from the Chinese of Gunabhadra, not the Sanskrit - why? - beats me. Also I wrote "Sanskrit syntax", but Porter wrote "Sanskrit word sequence" - if that makes any difference. A later Tibetan version by Anonymous is from the Sanskrit.Namdrol wrote:Will wrote:In Porter's defense, he avoided translating the Lanka for many years because he could not understand Gunabhadra's Chinese. It followed the Sanskrit syntax, which makes a profound text many times harder to understand, much less translate into English. The fact that only one other translation has appeared since 1932, suggests it was & is a very hard nut to crack.
If you don't know Tibetan or Sanskrit, then yes it could be.
The Tibetan version reads very straightfowardly though.
Personally, I think (of his time period) Gunabhadra is a good, clear, accurate translator. Not difficult at all. And, really, it boils down to time period and dialect. When I find so-and-so hard to read (e.g. Chu Fa-hu), its because I don't know his Chinese very well. I wouldn't think *he* is the trouble. The Lanka may of just been too technical of a text to choose.


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Benefits in Balance
How to save Michigan $5,735,868,172
It happens like clockwork. Every year, state officials struggle to balance the budget. They propose tax increases, threaten to cut programs and fight to protect pet projects. Policymakers assure us that government has been "cut to the bone." They bemoan what they say are inadequate revenues.
Is this annual spectacle unavoidable, like the changing of the leaves? Is Michigan helpless to remedy its economic malaise and yearly budget crisis?
Not at all. Michigan can fix its economy, control government spending, save for the future and improve infrastructure with just one idea: Benefits in Balance. The gap between what private-sector workers and public-sector employees receive in benefits amounts to $5.7 billion annually. Bringing this disparity into balance will save the state this amount without cutting a single program, lowering anyone's wages or laying off a single employee.
How big are the disparities?
- Insurance benefits per employee are $7,149 more per year than in the private sector.
- Retirement benefits per employee are $11,725 more per year than in the private sector.
- Michigan government workers receive generous paid-leave.
With $5.7 billion, the state could:
- Eliminate the Michigan business tax
- Balance the budget
- Spend $1 billion rebuilding Michigan roads
- Save another billion dollars for a rainy day
Best of all, this could be accomplished with:
- No service cuts
- No government job losses
- No government wage cuts
Just Benefits in Balance.
Visit www.BENEFITSinBALANCE.com for details


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FREEPORT — Alderman continue to explore the possibility of reforms aimed at cracking down on lax landlords in Freeport, but some property owners are concerned that new requirements would place an unnecessary burden on responsible landlords and their tenants.
"I applaud the city for putting together a task force," said Jim Graham, owner of JD Graham Properties LCC.
"But this piece of legislation will not help crime. If I were a tenant I'd be upset the city wants to know where I live, who I live with and who visits me. I could see if a certain property has a lot of complaints the city going to the landlord, but you can't put a blanket over all tenants."
Graham's company oversees 24 properties with 26 tenants. He said a proposed ordinance that would require landlords to register their properties and monitor their tenants is intrusive.
"I don't understand how this ensures the safety of inhabitants and welfare of citizens," Graham said. "It's some type of regulation that will infringe on people's right to privacy."
Shawn Boldt, 2nd Ward alderman, was pleased that many landlords spoke out about the proposal at a meeting Tuesday.
"The purpose is to give landlords and police the tools that they need to deal with situations," Boldt said. "It always can be tweaked or altered. We will continue to make it better and stronger. There's already been great discussion on this and it hasn't even hit the council floor."
The Residential Property Task Force has discussed the issue since the spring, looking for ways to lessen crime and hold landlords responsible for the condition and appearance of their properties. According to City Engineer Shaun Gallagher, 38 percent of housing stock in the city is rental properties, 2,200 properties and 4,700 rental units.
"My feeling is that (landlords) support the ordinance and the changes it makes for the most part," Boldt said. "They seem to be most concerned about the fee structure."
The ordinance requires all landlords to:
n Register their property with the city annually.
n Pay a yearly fee between $25-$45 depending on how many people each property houses.
n Add wording to rental agreements that requires tenants to provide the names of all who are staying there for more than seven days.
n And add a crime-free addendum to all leases that would allow landlords to evict tenants with multiple nuisance violations.
"The reason we want to do this is so we can track the landlords not doing such a good job taking care of tenants and property," Boldt said.
Graham raised issues with having to file tenants personal information with the city, the requirement to have tenants report guests staying with them for more than a week, and the fines that would be levied against landlord if certain criteria aren't met.
"This whole thing, it makes no sense," Graham said. "We understand the needs of the city and police department. They are trying to rid the community of rundown properties and crime in these areas but having a lease on file, I don't see what this will do to help them."
A special meeting to discuss the proposals in more detail is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Oct. 28 at City Hall.
Nick Crow: 815-232-0136; email@example.com; @Crow_Nick


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October 1st from 11-1pm Join Drew Garabo Live and his gang of hoodlums at Thirsty First in Downtown St. Pete! The LOD brunch's are know to sell out, so act quick! Call 727-317-3333 to make reservations. Want to see what the other brunch's look like? See below for photo galleries!
Below is the local information and resources you will need in the wake of an emergency:Hillsborough CountyHillsborough County Emergency ManagementPhone Number: (813) 272-5900Website: http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/emergency/Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan: http://hillsboroughcounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/16617Hurricane Preparedness Guide (Find shelters, transportation guides, etc.): http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/index.aspx?NID=660Hillsborough County Schools: http://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us
Pinellas CountyPinellas County Emergency ManagementPhone Number: (727) 464-3800Website: http://www.pinellascounty.org/emergency/bulletin.htmPinellas County Citizens Information CenterPhone Number: (727) 464-4333, call (727) 464-3075 for general questionsPinellas County Schools: http://www.pcsb.org/
Pasco CountyPasco County Emergency ManagementPhone Number: (727) 847-8137Website: http://www.pascocountyfl.net/Index.aspx?NID=365Pasco County Schools: http://www.pasco.k12.fl.us/Hernando CountyHernando County Emergency ManagementPhone Number: (352) 754-4083Website: http://www.hernandosheriff.org/em/Hernando County Schools: http://www.edline.net/pages/Hernando_County_School_Board
Sarasota County
Sarasota County Emergency Management
Phone Number: (941) 861-6000
Website: https://www.scgov.net/AllHazards/Pages/Emergency-Management.aspx
Sarasota County Schools: http://www.sarasotacountyschools.net/
Manatee County
Manatee County Emergency Management
Phone Number: (941) 748-4501
Website: http://www.mymanatee.org/home/government/departments/public-safety/emergency-management.html
Manatee County Schools: http://www.manateeschools.net/pages/SDMC
Polk County
Polk County Emergency Management
Phone Number: (863) 534-5600
Website: http://www.polk-county.net/boccsite/Departments/Emergency-Management/
Polk County Schools: http://www.polk-fl.net/
Information and resources from The American Red Cross
How to become Red Cross Ready
Another good way to stay informed is by downloading the FREE Red Cross Emergency App
Other Resources
State Of Florida Emergency Management: http://www.floridadisaster.org/index.asp
State of Florida Evacuation Routes and Zone Maps: http://floridadisaster.org/publicmapping/
State of Florida Emergency Management FAQ: http://floridadisaster.org/faqs.htm
Florida Department Of Insurance Hurricane Season Resources: http://www.floir.com/Office/HurricaneSeason/hurricaneresourcepage.aspx
American Red Cross Tampa Bay Chapter: Disaster Services 24-hour phone number: 1-877-741-1444
Website: http://www.redcross.org/local/florida/central-florida/chapters/tampa-bay
FEMA Florida: http://www.fema.gov/states/florida
FEMA contact info: http://www.fema.gov/contact-us
Salvation Army of Tampa Bay: http://www.salvationarmyflorida.org/tampabay/
Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay phone number: (813) 875-5771
Website: http://www.bgctampa.org/
Duke Energy Outage Maps: https://www.progress-energy.com/#Florida
TECO Outage Maps: http://www.tampaelectric.com/residential/outages/outagemap/index.cfm?link=carousel&source=hp&q=tampa+electric
Did you get your body right for the biggest cruise of the year? We want to reward you for all the hard work you put in!
Each day 1 girl and 1 guy will be notified that they are the designated Hottest girl and guy. Each pair that we nominate will win a $100 Safety Harbor gift card!
Tickets are *$300, $270.75, $195.75, $140.75, and $95.75. *$300 Dinner Package includes a premium seat, pre-show dinner and a voucher for free valet parking. Valet service begins 15 minutes before pre-show dinner doors open. Artist does not appear at Dinner. Special offer! A physical CD of Van Morrison's forthcoming album, Keep Me Singing, is included with every ticket you order for this show. You will receive an email with instructions on how to receive your CD following your ticket purchase.
You could have the chance to win an on-site hotel stay and (4) 1-day park to park Universal Orlando tickets!
Anna 's father didn't believe in parental discretion and exposed her to Howard Stern, the Man Show, and Dave Attell's "Insomniac" all before she had her Bat Mitzvah. This honed her affinity and fondness for obscene humor at an early age. She later told her father that his unique parenting style "f***ed her up….in the best way possible."
In 2012 Anna moved from her hometown of San Diego, California to Detroit, Michigan because she wanted to acquire more street cred, but also to pursue a graduate degree in evolutionary psychology. After realizing her bombastic personality and lewd sense of humor would not thrive in the academic community, she began harassing local radio broadcasting companies. She somehow convinced Greater Media Detroit to hire her after she told them in an interview that she "knew nothing and had zero experience."
Shortly after being hired in, she met local radio legend Trudi Daniels, who has been an on-air personality for over 30 years. Daniels took a liking to Anna's affinity for masturbation jokes and the two started a podcast in January 2014 called "The Sex I'm Not Having." In March 2015 she saw an ad for a position with 102.5 The Bone in Tampa, Florida. She decided this was her next target, and her M.O. of "harassment into submission" went into full effect. After 10 months of countless calls, emails, direct messages on social media, and a few packages in the mail, she was hired. In April 2016 she made the conventional Jewish migration to the Sunshine State, albeit about 40 years premature.
You could have the chance to win an on-site hotel stay at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, and (2) 1-day park to park Universal Orlando tickets!
You could have the chance to win an on-site hotel stay at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, and (2) 1-day park to park Universal Orlando tickets!
Enable our Skill today to listen live at home on your Alexa Devices!


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i haven't programmed in c++ in probably two years.
i was just bored and trying to make a simple program for myself.
here is the code i am having some trouble with.
i know it's probably smething simple, but i just cant figure it out
and i don't have any books in front of me to look at.
Code:cout << "Did someone else work with you? (y/n)"; cin >> a; { if (a = 'y' || 'Y') { cout << "Enter how many days they helped you: "; cin >> days; help = ((d / 2) * days); cout << "Your helper should be paid: $"; cout << help; cout << " "; } else if (a = 'n' || 'N') { return 0; } }
basically i can't get it to tell whether you enter a y or n.
everythng i want to run for entering y runs no matter what
character you enter. help me please...


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|Bismarck, N.D.
|High School:
|Brain and Cognitive Sciences
2011: Took second on the one-meter board against Colby (1/14) with a score of 163.15 … second on the 3-meter as well against Colby, turning in a 171.30 … top one-meter score of the season was a 217.06 at Tufts (1/21) … best three-meter effort was a 182.17, also at Tufts.
2010: Finished fourth in the one-meter diving event at the Wheaton Invitational (2/4) … Set her season highs in both the one and three-meter diving competitions at the NEWMAC Championships with scores of 278.00 and 276.65
Out of the Pool at MIT: Majoring in brain and cognitive sciences with a minor in chemistry and a concentration in political science … interned at the MATCH School of Boston (2011) … conducted a political science UROP under Professor Charles Stewart (spring 2011 – spring 2012) … recipient of the Robert C. Byrd Scholarship and the Bismarck Dollars for Scholars Scholarship … photo editor at The Tech … member of the DAPER Advisory Board.
High School: A 2010 graduate of Century High School … lettered in track and gymnastics … Valedictorian … state AP Scholar … National Honor Society.
Personal: Daughter of Lori and Craig Wass.


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Media Contact: Joanna Norris, Associate Director
Department of Public Relations
(904) 620-2102
The University of North Florida Women's Center and Alpha Chi Omega women's fraternity will observe Domestic Violence Awareness Month with the 4th annual "Take Back the Night" march and candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16. More than 500 UNF students and community members are expected to participate in this event.
This event will begin with a campus march led by the UNF Drumline from the UNF Osprey Crossings Courtyard, Buildings Q-S, to the Coxwell Amphitheater, located behind the Student Union, Building 58W. The program will include a survivor speak-out and will conclude with a candle–lighting ceremony, honoring victims and survivors of intimate partner violence.
"Take Back the Night" events have been held by colleges and communities around the globe for more than 30 years and provides an opportunity for women to break the silence of abuse and victimization. "Take Back the Night" brings people together to stand in unity against interpersonal violence in their communities. The cross-campus march represents the solidarity of women and men who aren't afraid to stand up and speak out against violence.
This event is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact the UNF Women's Center at (904) 620-2528 or at


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DARCARS Partners with MCPAW Montgomery County Partners for Animal Well-being
Read More
We're very proud to support MCPAW Montgomery County Partners for Animal Well-being. Together, we are creating a facility that is housing and caring for the county's homeless and stray animals while they await new homes or are reunited with their owners.
DARCARS Nissan of Rockville's General Manager Eddie Morataya & Service Director Kerri Gorman present MCPAW chairman Allan Cohen with $5,000 donation.
Categories: News


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Tuesday, October 30, 2012 - Petr and Jakub - Screen Test - FULL CONTACT
Latest Sets at WilliamHiggins.com
Jakub Frydel and Petr Kluk came in for a screentest. With Petr taking the lead, interviewing Jakub before getting started. Then interview over the guys start to kiss. Petr's cock is hard in his underwear and he has Jakub take a feel of it and then take it out. Next thing to do is to suck that hard cock and Jakub gets right to it. He takes the cock in his mouth and shows that he knows how to suck. After kissing again it is Petr's turn to suck on Jakub's cock too. Petr is an expert sucker and does a great job, kissing and licking Jakub's nipples as well. Then Jakub takes another turn on Petr's big dick. After having his fill of cock in his mouth Jakub lifts his legs and presents his ass to Petr for some rimming. Petr's tongue licks at the hole and then starts to finger it as well. The hole opens well and it is not long before Petr's cock is sliding into the hole for some hot fucking. His big cock really stretches the hole and plows on in there as Jakub wanks his own hard cock. Jakub takes it very well indeed and is soon ready to sit on it and ride it. His ass slides up and down on Petr's thick cock. Petr then takes over and fucks his dick way up into Jakub's ass before changing position and fucking him so more. Jakub is wanking himself as Petr thrusts his cock as deep as he can. It's not long before Jakub passes the point of no return and shoots a nice load as his ass is still taking cock. Petr then needs to shoot his load too and positions Jakub so he can shoot up into his mouth. After dumping his load Petr pushes Jakub down on the cock to clean it off before a final kiss to end a very good screentest.
Filip Cervenka is a very hot guy, and we have quickly done a few scenes with him. In this massage we find him in just his underwear, posing for the camera. Then he removes the undies and shows himself off completely before climbing onto the massage table. The masseur arrives and gets right to work. Covering Filip's ass with a towel he takes some oil and works on Flip's back, climbing onto the table and straddling Filip's legs to get better traction as he massages. Then it is down to the legs and feet to work on those. Filip has nice hairy legs and the oil makes them glisten. Once done the masseur turns his attention to Filips ass, with its dark hairy crack. He massages the ass, spreading the cheeks nicely. Then he runs his arm along the crack to get a feel on Filip' cock. Filip moves up onto his knees so that his ass is nicely available. The masseur reaches for Filip's cock and gets him nice and hard, pulling it back between his legs. Then it is time to try a vibrator which Filip takes very well, so a thicker one takes it place and also slips in very nicely. Filip then turns over for a nice relaxing wank to finish off his very nice scene.
Anton Vavro is aged 18 and come from Dobris where he works as a salesman. He enjoys sports, particularly Thai-boxing. What a very handsome guy Anton is. He does his interview and then, laying back on the leopard skin cover, starts to run his hands over his body as he looks at the camera. Lifting the tee shirt his hands slip into his shorts. Then the shorts are pushed down and his lovely cock comes into view, fully erect already. Anton wanks on that big cock, pushing the head towards the camera for a nice close up. With the shorts pushed further down and the tee shirt removed Anton continues to play with that big, fat cock. Keeping it nice and hard as he gets completely naked and lifts his legs to show a nice hairy ass crack. With Anton's hands spreading the cheeks we can see his tight little hole, which seems to be winking at us. He loves showing that ass off and turns over, onto his stomach, and continues to spread that ass. Up on his knees that hairy ass looks perfect as Anton pushes his cock down between his legs. Then Anton is up on his knees, with pillows between his legs and his cock pushes against them to work in a fucking motion. That hard cock is ready to blow and Anton grabs it and starts to wank it hard and fast, dropping a nice, creamy load for us. Then it is off to the shower to clean up after a very good shoot.
Kuba Dochvilny is aged 22 and lives in Pelhrimov. He is a student who enjoys sports, basketball and swimming. Kuba is a fine looking guy, with a vKubaery good body and a handsome face he is just perfect for a solo shoot. As he strips of his clothes he poses for the camera, chest bared. Then with the jeans down we see more, his soft cock and his sexy ass, framed by gentle tan lines. Kuba's ass looks even better as he bends over to show his tight pucker hole. Then, as he sits on the sofa he gets his cock hard for us before leaning back and lifting his legs to spread that ass again, by pulling those legs right back. With that cock hard, and pointing skyward, up tight against his body Kuba stands and poses for the camera. He certainly does a great job in this shoot. I am looking forward to his erotic video.


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Housing starts in Saskatchewan are expected to decline slightly from 8,290 in 2013 to 7,700 in 2014 and 7,500 in 2015, reflecting the slowdown in the potash industry, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC).
Economic activity in Saskatchewan will be held back by lower potash prices, which will impact production and investment in this sector. Meanwhile net migration will continue to support housing demand, with 12,700 additional people projected to move to Saskatchewan in 2014 and another 10,800 in 2015.
Regina is expected to see slightly fewer housing starts at 2,800 in 2014 and 2,735 in 2015, compared with 3,122 in 2013.
Nationally, builders will likely reduce housing starts in 2014 and 2015 as they adjust to rising interest rates and a slowdown in demand from first-time buyers.
If you're planning to build a new home or looking for your first home, investment or commercial property, check out my website at CENTURY 21 Dome Realty Inc..


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In solidarity with Glenn and Jody.
Vandersloot and his team of lawyers do not seem like good, kind, decent, or honest people.
…………and they are totally anti-gay.
Billionaire Romney donor uses threats to silence critics
Frank VanderSloot, left, and Mitt Romney (Credit: AP)
Frank VanderSloot is an Idaho billionaire and the CEO of Melaleuca, Inc., a controversial billion-dollar-a-year company which peddles dietary supplements and cleaning products; back in 2004, Forbes, echoing complaints to government agencies, described the company as "a pyramid selling organization, built along the lines of Herbalife and Amway." VanderSloot has long used his wealth to advance numerous right-wing political causes. Currently, he is the national finance co-chair of the Mitt Romney presidential campaign, and his company has become one of the largest donors ($1 million) to the ostensibly "independent" pro-Romney SuperPAC, Restore Our Future. Melaleuca's get-rich pitches have in the past caused Michigan regulators to take action, resulting in the company's entering into a voluntary agreement to "not engage in the marketing and promotion of an illegal pyramid"'; it entered into a separate voluntary agreement with the Idaho attorney general's office, which found that "certain independent marketing executives of Melaleuca" had violated Idaho law; and the Food and Drug Administration previously accused Melaleuca of deceiving consumers about some of its supplements.
But it is VanderSloot's chronic bullying threats to bring patently frivolous lawsuits against his political critics — magazines, journalists, and bloggers — that makes him particularly pernicious and worthy of more attention. In the last month alone, VanderSloot, using threats of expensive defamation actions, has successfully forced Forbes, Mother Jones and at least one local gay blogger in Idaho to remove articles that critically focused on his political and business practices (Mother Jones subsequently re-posted the article with revisions a week after first removing it). He has been using this abusive tactic in Idaho for years: suppressing legitimate political speech by threatening or even commencing lawsuits against even the most obscure critics (he has even sued local bloggers for "copyright infringement" after they published a threatening letter sent by his lawyers). This tactic almost always succeeds in silencing its targets, because even journalists and their employers who have done nothing wrong are afraid of the potentially ruinous costs they will incur when sued by a litigious billionaire.
Numerous journalists and bloggers in Idaho — who want to write critically about VanderSloot's vast funding of right-wing political causes — are petrified even to mention his name for fear of these threats. As his work on the Romney campaign brings him national notoriety, he is now aiming these tactics beyond Idaho. To allow this scheme to continue — whereby billionaires can use their bottomless wealth to intimidate ordinary citizens and media outlets out of writing about them — is to permit the wealthiest in America to thuggishly shield themselves from legitimate criticism and scrutiny.
* * * * *
VanderSloot is a devout Mormon and has been an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) since 1965. Over the last decade, he has continuously inserted himself into the political realm in all sorts of inflammatory and influential ways, clearly making him a public figure and fair game for scrutiny.
He has a history of virulent anti-gay activism, including the spearheading of a despicable billboard campaigncondemning Idaho Public Television for a documentary, entitled It's Elementary, that was designed to provide "a window into what really happens when teachers address lesbian and gay issues with their students in age-appropriate ways" (the image on the left shows one of VanderSloot's "homosexual lifestyle" billboards after it was defaced with the word "YES!"). VanderSloot denounced the documentary as a threat to children: "if this isn't stopped, a lot of little kids will watch this program and create questions they've never had . . . little lives are going to be damaged permanently," he said. In 2008, VanderSloot's wife, Belinda, donated $100,000 to California's anti-gay-marriage Proposition 8 campaign.
Then there was VanderSloot's behavior in response to an award-winning investigative series by The Post Register, a small, independently-owned newspaper in Mormon-heavy Idaho Falls, which unearthed the story of a pedophile in the local Boy Scouts troop who had molested dozens of scouts (the national Boy Scouts of America had succeeded in having the subsequent civil case sealed from public view). The Post Register sued to obtain those sealed records, and then detailed how a Mormon bishop knew of his pedophile history yet still recommended him as a Scout master, how he was protected by several Boy Scout lawyers who were aware of more abuse but did not tell the boys' parents, and how top-level local and national leaders of the Mormon Church had also received warnings. The newspaper then began uncovering the presence of several other scout-master pedophiles. As the Post Register's courageous Managing Editor, Dean Miller, detailed here, the backlash against the paper, its editors and reporters was severe: the Boy Scouts in that part of Idaho is associated with and heavily supported by LDS, and "some counties that [the] newspaper serves are more than 70 percent Mormon, and for generations scouting has been the official youth program for Mormon boys."
In response to this six-part exposé — which won the Scripps Howard Award for Distinguished Service to the First Amendment – VanderSloot went on a virtual jihad against the newspaper and the principal reporter who exposed the scandal, Peter Zuckerman. VanderSloot bought numerous full-page newspaper ads in The Post Register that attacked the story and explicitly identified the reporter, Zuckerman, as "a homosexual" (Zuckerman had previously written for a small Florida paper about being gay when he lived in that state, but had kept his sexual orientation largely a secret since he moved to rural Idaho). Vandersloot's full-page ad expressly described the "speculation" that Zuckerman's homosexuality had made him hostile to the Scouts and LDS: "the Boy Scout's position of not letting gay men be Scout Leaders, and the LDS Church's position that marriage should be between a man and a woman may have caused Zuckerman to attack the scouts and the LDS Church through his journalism." While the ad absurdly sought to repudiate the very "speculation" about Zuckerman which it had just amplified ("We think it would be very unfair for anyone to conclude that is what is behind Zuckerman's motives"), the predictable damage was done. Zuckerman's editor, Dean Miller, explained: "Our reporter, Peter Zuckerman, was not 'out' to anyone but family, a few colleagues at the paper (including me), and his close friends"; but after VanderSloot outed him to his community in that ad, "strangers started ringing Peter's doorbell at midnight. His partner of five years was fired from his job."
VanderSloot has also long used his wealth in electoral politics: it wasVanderSloot's LearJet that was rented by the state's far-right Lt. Governor, Jim Risch, to fly around the state as Risch successfully campaigned in 2008 to replace Larry Craig in the Senate. But he has taken his political activism to a new level this year with his vigorous support for Romney's candidacy. VanderSloot has become the Romney campaign's national finance co-chairman; four companies he controls gave a total of $1 million to Restore Our Future, the pro-Romney SuperPAC; he "has held Romney fund-raisers at his Idaho Falls ranch in both the 2008 and 2012 campaigns"; and Romneylavishly praised him this way: "Frank's vision and sense of social responsibility is second to none and he never ceases to amaze me." It merits much more attention that such a prominent and significant Romney backer isrepeatedly using his vast wealth to bully reporters, bloggers, and activists out of writing about him with threats of frivolous though potentially bankruptcy-inducing legal claims.
* * * * *
The examples of VanderSloot's silencing of critics are numerous. On February 6, Mother Jones posted an article about VanderSloot and Melaleuca by its staff reporter, Stephanie Mencimer, headlined "Pyramid-Like Company Ponies Up $1 million for Mitt Romney." It detailed VanderSloot's ties to Romney, the controversial business history of Melaleuca, and the attacks on (and community outing of) Zuckerman by VanderSloot for his Boy Scout/pedophile investigative series. But for the last full week, if one clicked on the link to where that story once was on the Mother Jones website, the article was no longer there, replaced by an "Access Denied" error message.
That's because Mother Jones – like so many outlets which have written about VanderSloot over the years — quickly received objections and a demand for retractions from Melaleuca's in-house lawyers (and then received the same thing from Kirkland & Ellis, a large law firm retained by Melaleuca in D.C., where the Mother Jones bureau is located). So alarmed were Mother Jones editors at the prospect of being sued by such deep pockets that they did not edit the piece in accordance with the dictates of Melaleuca lawyers but actually removed the entire article from the Internet, and, until yesterday
afternoon, it had been deleted for more than a week. Mencimer's article was re-posted only late yesterday. The revised article contains numerous tortured edits and corrections (all about trivial issues) designed to placate VanderSloot's lawyers and to correct what were a couple of minor errors; tellingly, nobody from Mother Jones was willing to be quoted, even anonymously, for this article.
On February 10 — four days after the Mother Jones piece was first posted – Forbes published an article entitled "Meet the Men Behind Romney: Four Contributors Mitt Probably Doesn't Want You to Know About". Written by Elliot Suthers – a Forbes blogger and GOP operative (he worked on the campaigns of McCain 2008 and Saxby Chambliss) — the article examined what it called (based on this 2004 Forbes profile and complaints to government agencies) Melaleuca's "somewhat shady business model," and also referenced the "number of anti-gay causes" which VanderSloot has funded.
But again, if you click on the link to the Forbes site where the article originally appeared — here – you will be greeted by a message error; the only evidence of the article is found fromother sites that linked to it. Forbes, too, received complaints from Melaleuca lawyers which caused them to remove the article entirely. The very day the article was published, Melaleuca's General Counsel, Ryan Nelson, sent an email to Suthers (as well as to various Forbes editors) accusing him of making "defamatory statements" and directing: "We expect immediate action here and no more stonewalling from you." It warned them that "this is serious business" that "will escalate this quickly if you do not help us resolve these issues immediately."
These national magazines are encountering what small local journalists and bloggers in Idaho have confronted for years. The website 43rdStateBlues is written by a collection of Idaho Democrats and they all write under pseudonyms. In 2007, one of them ("TomPaine") wrote a critical post about VanderSloot, and then quickly received a letter from Melaleuca's in-house General Counsel at the time, Ken Sheppard, threatening a lawsuit if the post was not removed within 24 hours. The website complied by removing the post, but wanted their readers to know why the post was removed. So another poster ("d2″) explained that they had received a letter from Melaleuca's lawyers demanding its removal, and then posted the lawyer's letter.
Melaleuca responded by obtaining an after-the-fact copyright certificate for that lawyer's letter, then demanded that the hosting company remove the letter from the website on the ground that it constituted copyright infringement (the hosting company promptly complied), and Melaleuca then sued the website forcopyright infringement for having published the now-copyrighted lawyer's letter without their consent. Worse, as part of that lawsuit, Melaleuca issued a subpoena demanding the identities of both anonymous bloggers — the one who wrote the original post about VanderSloot ("TomPaine") and the one who posted the lawyer's letter ("d2″). A district court in Idaho ordered the website to disclose to Melaleuca the identity of the blogger who posted the lawyer's cease-and-desist letter, but refused to compel disclosure of the identity of the other blogger. It's almost impossible to imagine any more thuggish attempts to intimidate people from speaking out and criticizing VanderSloot: this was a tiny website being sued for trivial offenses in federal court by a company owned by a billionaire.
There is no journalist or blogger too small to evade VanderSloot's threats. The Idaho Agenda is a website that covers issues of interest to the state's LGBT community. On February 2 of this year, one of its bloggers, James Tidmarsh, wrote a piece entitled "Romney Receives Big Money from Idaho's Not-So-Gay-Friendly Melaleuca Company." When he received an accusatory letter from a Melaleuca lawyer, Associate Counsel Michael LaClare, Tidmarsh spoke to friends to decide what to do, but before he could respond, he received a follow-up missive by email from a different company lawyer, General Counsel Ryan Nelson, demanding compliance. When Tidmarsh emailed Nelson to say that he was working on a response, the Melaleuca lawyer responded: "We really need to address this issue today or else we will have to consider escalating this issue to a much more serious level."
Although Tidmarsh noted what was plainly true — that "the facts included in the post are a matter of public record found elsewhere, including the internet, periodicals and newspapers" — he was afraid of being sued by a billionaire and thus removed the post entirely.This is what one now finds when one clicks on a link to the original article.
What makes this particular threat so outrageous is how plainly frivolous were the accusations of "defamation." Melaleuca's letter cited three offending statements by Tidmarsh: first, that VanderSloot "has a pretty solid anti-gay history in Idaho" — a statement that is plainly true in light of his involvement with the nasty campaign against the Public Television documentary, his outing of local reporter Peter Zuckerman to his Idaho community, and his steadfast support for anti-gay politicians such as Romney and Risch (moreover, Melaleuca's General Counsel, Ken Sheppard, doubled as an official with the "Concerned Citizens for Family Values," to which Melaleuca and VanderSloot were large donors); in any event, the characterization of VanderSloot's causes as "anti-gay" is pure political opinion. The threatening letter also complained about Tidmarsh's statement that VanderSloot "attacked" Zuckerman and "knock[ed] him for his sexuality" — again, also plainly true given the contents of that full-page newspaper ad that outed Zuckerman to his not-very-gay-friendly rural Idaho community in the context of attacking his journalism. And the third complaint — about the mention of VanderSloot's wife having donated $100,000 to the Prop 8 campaign — is just bizarre: she did exactly that, and there is no suggestion that the claim is false.
The effect, if not the intent, of these frivolous threats, pure and simple, is to intimidate those who cannot afford to defend themselves from criticizing the very public, politicized acts of Frank VanderSloot and his company. That's why one no longer can even read most of the criticisms that prompted these warnings.
* * * * *
Most of those who have been successfully bullied out of their free speech rights are reluctant to talk about what happened for fear of further retribution. But now, VanderSloot may have picked the wrong person to bully.
Jody May-Chang is an independent journalist and an LGBT spokesperson in Boise. By coincidence, she was one of the local reporters who interviewed me last weekend when I spoke to the annual Bill of Rights dinner of the ACLU in Idaho. At the end of the interview, she mentioned to me the series of threats issued to local LGBT journalists and bloggers by VanderSloot. Unbeknownst to May-Chang at the time, she, too, had been targeted for the crime of speaking critically of the Idaho CEO.
Back in 2007, in the midst of the campaign to replace GOP Sen. Larry Craig, May-Chang wrote aninnocuous post about VanderSloot's support for Lt. Gov. Risch. In it, she described VanderSloot's involvement in the campaign against the public television documentary, and wondered aloud if the GOP Senate candidate shared VanderSloot's anti-gay views. She also included the official photograph of VanderSloot taken from the Melaleuca website: a common practice for journalists when writing about a public figure.
In response, she was sent a letter from LaClare, Melaleuca's counsel, accusing her of copyright infringement (for use of the photo) and defamation (for, among her things, her "characterizations of Mr. VanderSloot as 'anti-gay'"). May-Chang never actually received that letter back when it was sent in 2007, and because she soon thereafter moved her website to a different URL, Melaleuca likely assumed she complied with its demands and removed the post. But then the recent Mother Jones article cited and linked to May-Chang's post at its new URL, and Melaleuca likely learned that way that it was still posted on the Internet. As a result, they immediately sent May-Chang another letter – four years after her original post – demanding removal of what it called "inflammatory rhetoric published as fact" and "false accusations of bigotry." Company lawyers have subsequently called her several times at home, repeating their standard pattern of badgering their targets until they comply.
But May-Chang is determined not to succumb to this bullying or to relinquish her right to opine and report on the conduct of a very significant political figure in her state. Though she did remove the photograph of VanderSloot, she refuses to relinquish her right criticize his political activism. As she put it to me: "his legal team insists that neither VanderSloot nor his company have an anti-gay position, but when placed up against his actions that assertion is laughable." She added:
I think the real issue here is about promoting a religious social agenda that fits in with the LDS belief system, and VanderSloot's connection to the Romney presidential campaign. VanderSloot has been getting a lot of press lately about his $1 million donation to Romney's super pac, and now Melaleuca attorneys are ratcheting up their efforts to protect what they consider the company's squeaky clean public image. They do this with threatening letters demanding that news organizations and bloggers scrub their websites of information they consider damaging or face legal action.
Despite her resolve, May-Chang works as an independent journalist and, like most other targets of VanderSloot's threats, is fearful of the financial consequences of defying his demands. She is nonetheless determined not to permit a highly politicized billionaire to create a Free Speech and Free Press shield of immunity around himself with baseless, bullying legal threats.
Given what a threat this conduct is to free speech, free press and political debate, I assured May-Chang that if she is sued by VanderSloot and/or his company, I would work endlessly to raise the funds she needed for vigorous legal representation. There is no question that there will be ample willing donors ready to support an independent journalist and a stalwart activist for LGBT equality in Idaho who is the target of a steamrolling, intimidation campaign from a right-wing billionaire fanatic and Romney finance co-chair, especially one plagued with the history that VanderSloot has. And it is not hyperbole to say that it is urgent that someone stand up to and stop Frank VanderSloot and his team of subservient lawyers who are abusing the law and their own resources to threaten, bully and silence vulnerable people from engaging in perfectly legitimate political speech.
* * * * *
Threatening journalists and bloggers with baseless lawsuits and trying to suppress free debate is a recognized menace. Close to 30 states in the U.S. have adopted so-called anti-SLAPP statutes — designed to punish "strategic lawsuits against public participation" (SLAPP). Those statutes create causes of action against those who abuse the legal system not to vindicate legal rights, but to intimidate and silence critics. Organizations such as The Public Participation Project now exist exclusively to defend those victimized by SLAPP suits or the threat of them. Those anti-SLAPP statutes have repeatedly been used to defeat abusive lawsuits brought to stifle legitimate speech by media outlets andbloggers. As the Project explains: "such lawsuits turn the justice system into a weapon, and have a serious chilling effect on the free speech that is so vital to the public interest. The lawsuits also cost media organizations thousands of dollars. Even a meritless suit can drag on for months – sometimes even years – and tactics such as aggressive discovery can pile on the costs." And lawyers — whether working in-house for a corporation or a private law firm — have an independent duty not to threaten frivolous lawsuits for improper ends (Melaleuca did not respond to a message left yesterday for its General Counsel, Ryan Nelson, seeking comment for this article).
The reality is that most people who threaten to bring defamation lawsuits rarely do so. There are few things more invasive than being a defamation plaintiff. Because one must prove reputational injury, and in most cases must prove that one's business or financial interests have been harmed by the allegedly defamatory statements, virtually every aspect of a person's private and business life — anything relating to their reputation and financial activities — is subject to discovery and investigation. That "truth is a defense" allows sweeping discovery into the allegedly defamatory statements. Beyond that, those like VanderSloot who are public figures, suing over articles clearly about matters of public interest, have a very high burden to meet in order to prevail, and proving actual damages is difficult in the extreme.
But many people who threaten to bring such suits — especially those with deep pockets making threats against those who cannot afford to defend themselves — know full well that it will never get that far because the threats themselves will suffice. That's the dynamic that has to change, and (this is addressed to any lawyers for VanderSloot and Melaleuca reading this) this is the dynamic that will change if someone stands up to these pernicious tactics.
Anyone who is the national finance co-chair of Mitt Romney's presidential campaign deserves probing, substantial scrutiny. That's equally true of someone who continues to use their vast wealth to influence the outcome of our elections and our most inflammatory political debates. And it's certainly true of someone who has made it a regular practice of threatening journalists, bloggers and activists who shine light on his political and business practices. Journalists like Jody May-Chang who focus their journalistic light on people like Frank VanderSloot provide all of us with a vital public service, and deserve our full-fledged support when they are targeted with threats and retribution.
- Follow Glenn Greenwald on Twitter: @ggreenwald.More Glenn Greenwald


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Captain's Report
Mission Statement
Sea Ray created the SLX series to offer added upscale features to a select segment of their boats. The 300 SLX is the largest of that series and it's loaded with premium features that should appeal to people who like all of the bells and whistles and a bit classier feel. Because of her size, she also handles crowds well and her handling makes her a versatile watersports platform.
Distinguishing Features
"Spoiler" Fiberglass Arch.
We normally call this a radar arch or towing tower, but since Sea Ray has their own design that has an integral Bimini top that can be used for towing, the builder calls this a "spoiler." No matter what it is called it is usually an option. We think Sea Ray has done a fine job of making this arch look cool. •
Axius Joystick Drive Available.
Joystick functionality at the dock when opting for a twin-engine package. •
Garmin GPS Map 640 Chartplotter.
This is standard on the 300 SLX where typically any GPS is an option.•
MerCruiser 8.2 MAG ECT.
This 380-hp engine with Bravo III and Digital Throttle and Shift is standard. Optional twin-engine upgrade available.•
SmartCraft Diagnostics.
System standard. •
SmartCraft Vessel View Display.
Available with twin gasoline engine applications.
VacuFlush Toilet.
The toilet also has a 20-gal. holding tank, as well as a vanity with sink, faucet and pullout shower sprayer.•
Aerodynamic Bimini.
This design reduces drag and completely eliminates any Bimini vibration or rattling while underway. A cockpit cover, storage bag and Tonneau cover are also standard.•
Electric Life Engine Hatch.
This is helpful to have and are often optional.•
Automatic Fire Suppression System.
It also has a manual pull. •
6 10" Mooring Cleats.
Not 4 but 6, not 6" or 8", but 10". •
Center Transom Walkthrough.
Most sportboats have a walkthrough to the cockpit on the starboard or port side. The 300 SLX goes down the middle and I think it looks cool and slightly retro.•
Dual-Use Aft-Forward Facing Lounge Seat.
Most boats these days have dual or triple-use aft seats on the larger sportboats, but none that we know of have done it quite the way as we found it on the 300 SLX. It is comfortable, large, and easy to arrange. •
Quiet Ride Technology.
This is not a sales gimmick. We measured significantly lower noise levels from best cruise to WOT. See below.
Standard Features We Like to See
The Sea Ray 300 SLX has a number of other items that we often see on the options list of some other builders and we are glad to see them included in the 300 SLX package. They are--• Snap-in carpet• Cockpit table (the forward table is optional)• Dual battery crossover switch• Integral arm rests• Wet bar with solid surface counter top, ss sink and faucet• Gel coating engine room• High water alarm
Options We Would Order
For people planning to use the boat for towing, I would suggest the optional extended swim platform. It is really not needed for just cruising and using the boat as a swim platform. As regular readers know we like colored hulls, and so I recommend the two tone pattern and a choice of four colors. For people keeping their boats in salt water, I would also suggest the OceanX anti-corrosion system on the lower unit. There are many more options available than these, just visit the builder's website. With them, buyers can customize the boat to any one of several missions.
Comparison With Other Boats in Class
When we compare the 300 SLX with other boats in class we see that 30' (9.14 m) is the size and weight where builders begin putting twin engines in the boats. In fact, most boats that we looked at in class have twin engines. It is here that the added weight of the second engine and lower unit -- which is typically slightly over 1,000 lbs (454 kgs.) -- offsets to a large degree the extra horsepower contributed by the second engine.
When we look at top speeds we see that some of the 300-hp twin-powered boats do go as much as 8 mph faster, but some twins go about the same at WOT. So a twin-engine rig is not necessarily a slam dunk for speedsters. The correct prop geometry and overall boat set-up are also important in overcoming the weight penalty imposed by the second propulsion system.
Best Cruise.
At cruise speed there seems to be no contest. While the 300 SLX goes from 2-4-mph slower at best cruise, its fuel consumption is from 4 to 6 gallons (15 to 22 L) per hour giving it the best mpg and greatest range of any of the twin-powered boats in class that we looked at. What exactly were the 300's performance numbers? Take a look--
The Sea Ray 300 SLX has a LOA of 29'6" (8.99 m), a beam of 9'8" (2.95 m) and a draft of 38'' (96.5 cm). With an empty weight of 7,700 lbs. (3493 kgs.) 43 gallons (162.8 L) of fuel and two people onboard we had a test weight of 8,377 lbs. (3,800 kgs.).With the 380-hp MerCruiser 8.2 MAG turning a Bravo III outdrive with dual props we reached a top speed at 4750 rpm of 46.8 mph. At that speed fuel burn was 31.75 GPH giving us a range of 172 miles.
Best Cruise.
Best cruise came in at 3000 rpm and 26.1 mph. That reduced the fuel burn to just under 11 gph, which the 300 SLX could maintain for 10 hours and 42 minutes and 279 miles while still maintaining a 10% reserve. We had a time to plane of 5.5 seconds and reached 30 mph and 11 seconds.
When accelerating the 300 SLX, the bow comes up 12-degrees and then comes down 5.5 seconds later. This produces no loss of visibility to the horizon. I found the 300 SLX sensitive to trim and it doesn't take a lot to get her into her cruise attitude. Just bring the trim up a couple of shots and that will be all it takes to move the spray from the helm to the stern quarters and generate the accompanying boost in speed. Adding more trim will ventilate the propellers. It's also important to bring the trim down before beginning any maneuvers.
She's responsive to the helm and I found the 300 to provide an interesting combination of sportboat handling while maintaining a solid feel to the ride. I didn't find slipping or jumping on the turns, but rather she remained smooth and comfortable throughout. It's easy to see the advantages of a boat this size when switching between entertaining and watersports modes -- she can do both with agility.
Features Walkthrough
Swim Platform
Our test boat had the optional extended swim platform ($3,077) that added 2' 8" (.81 m) to the length overall and it measures 6'5" (1.95 m) wide. A three-step reboarding ladder to the port side.
A molded-in swim platform comes out 1'9" (.53 m) from the transom and has two insulated self-draining storage compartments to either side. There's an optional stereo remote ($308) at the transom as well as a standard transom shower.
Access to the cockpit is via a centerline walkthrough with two sun pads to either side. The starboard sun pad opens to reveal a flip out filler cushion that occupies the center walkthrough and turns the entire aft area into a sun pad measuring 7' (2.1 m) wide. Additionally, there is a storage compartment under each of the sun pads that are self draining and both are supported by dual gas struts and very beefy 14" (35.6 cm) stainless steel hinges. The hatches are held in the closed position by magnetic catches. They make good places to put wet swimsuits and life vests as the heat from the engine will quickly dry them out.
Entering the cockpit by the centerline walkthrough leads to steps created by removing a filler cushion for both the aft bench seat base and seatback. Leaving the filler cushions removed leaves two double-wide seats to port and starboard measuring 36" (99 cm) wide with handles at the bottom. Lifting those handles elevates the forward facing seat to convert them into aft facing loungers that work in conjunction with the two sun pad cushions. There is a flip-out arm that will hold the seats in the open position for use as a lounge. Additionally, there is access to the storage area just ahead of the engine compartment by lifting the seats. In this way two independent lounge seats can be created, much like we see on a beach. By inserting the filler cushion a sun pad is created. All in all it's a clever setup that Sea Ray has engineered well.
The cockpit has plenty of seating starting with the aft bench seats that hold five across (with the filler cushions in place), front and back seating to the port side and a double wide seat to starboard facing the center of the cockpit. An over wide seat faces the helm. This is an optional seating arrangement called Archibald Nolan seating. The standard seating arrangement replaces the starboard seat with a wet bar, which seems much more practical for a boat that holds so many people. The wet bar includes a solid surface countertop with a stainless steel sink, a grab handle, trash receptacle, and a storage area below.
There is sole storage in between the two seats that is wide but not very long. The caprails on top of the cockpit measures 6" (15.2 cm) wide and are treated with nonskid.
"Spoiler" Arch
The standard arch is constructed of fiberglass with cast aluminum supports and Bimini top extending both fore and aft. The tow point is 6'8" off the deck. There are LED lights underneath. The Bimini top is designed much like an airplane wing in that it is curved at the top. Sea Ray tells us that this reduces drag. My experience testing Sea Ray boats with this design shows that they remain stable and solid throughout all maneuvers and vibration and rattling is completely eliminated. If it happens to the aerodynamic as well, so be it.
Clever Portside Seat
The port side back-to-back seats are an old concept but Sea Ray has a completely new take on the subject. Instead of just collapsing down to form a sun pad the back can be shifted all the way forward or back. There is a credit card-size handle that, when lifted, allows the seat back to slide. Its back rest moves on a metal track with ball bearings and slides easily with one hand. To the portside bulwarks there is storage with a shelf taking up the center of the storage thereby doubling the storage space. Aft of the seating arrangement there is a hatch in the port side bulwarks concealing the battery switch.
The helm is orderly with six gauges, one being a standard SmartCraft gauge, all showing analog displays but connected to digital wiring and senders. There is a sizable area before the panel allowing storage for small items such as sun tan lotion and sunglasses. All of the rocker switches are protected at the sides from accidental activation and they are lighted at the ends to show when activated. A Garmin GPS Map 640 is included as standard equipment. Additional SmartCraft gauges can be added as desired ($1,531 ea.)
Standard equipment is the Mercury DTS or Digital Throttle and Shift System which has a keyless ignition. The leather wrapped steering wheel is mounted to a tilt base and the stereo remote is over to the port hand side of the helm. There is storage both under the helm seat and to the starboard side of the helm.
Port Console
To the port side is a head compartment that also can function as a changing room as it is so large (remember the beam is 9'8"/ 2.94 m wide). There is an opening portlight and plenty of storage, in addition to a pullout sprayer. The VacuFlush head with a 20 gallon (75.7 L) holding tank is standard. There is an option for a macerator ($915) but check local regulations, and then stick with the holding tank anyway.
Bow Walkthrough
The bow walkthrough measures 22" (55.9 cm) wide and the opening windshield is 27" (68.6 cm) wide. It is held in the open position by a positive latch mechanism. There is an air dam that is flush mounted to the starboard bulkhead and when the air dam is opened a secondary door is revealed allowing access to the starboard console.
Bow seating is quite comfortable with contoured armrests leading to stainless steel grab handles. The seating starts at 17" (43.2 cm) wide and increases to 23" (50.4 cm) wide and the portside seatback opens up from the bottom and lifts upward to reveal storage to the area just ahead of the head. There is dedicated storage for both the standard side mount cockpit table and the optional bow table.
There is storage under both port and starboard seats and the cushions are hinged from the back so they lift from the forward and a cooler is in the center, fully forward under the forward cushion. At the foredeck there is a self draining anchor locker but there is no anchor keeper.
Engine Compartment
The five-across seating and sun pads all lift by way of an electrically actuated ram to gain access to the engine compartment. There is plenty of storage ahead of the engine, for tools and the like, and this storage area is also accessed by lifting up the seat cushions. I'd like to see the opening to the engine compartment be increased as the hatch only comes up 17" (43.2 cm), so to do any engine checks you've got to crawl through that narrow opening.
A fixed, automatic firefighting system is standard. There are also definite examples of the noise suppression devices used in the Quiet Ride Technology. Let's talk about that.
Quiet Ride Technology
Our tests recorded a reading of 77 dBA at best cruise (3000 rpm) and only 81 dBA at WOT (4750 rpm). This is a huge reduction over most boats in class. The noticeably reduced sound level is part of Sea Ray's "quiet ride" technology. By engineering noise reduction into the build process with features such as a proprietary tuned transom, inner laminate material, engineered fit-and-finish of all components to reduce vibration, and full beam bulkheads with acoustical insulation, there's less operator and passenger fatigue. Now a casual conversation in the cockpit is possible, even while at cruise speed. The difference is immediately noticeable -- no meter is needed.
The Sea Ray 300 SLX has a base price of $175,129 when powered with the 380-hp MerCruiser 8.2 MAG engine. I think this is plenty of power for this boat but twin engine options are available as long as buyers are willing to write the check. Twin 300 hp 350 MAG's will add $20,492, and using these engines with Axius will add $41,892.
I think the 300 SLX has a lot going for her. Among the perks that her size presents is indeed, the ability to carry a lot of people, and do it in style. This type of boat is not generally intended to be a second boat, but likely the primary boat. And as a primary boat she is ready for most anything. I found the 300 SLX to be one of the most innovative boat's in class and Sea Ray engineers and designers can be proud of the job they have done. And owners can be proud of her, too.
Test Result Highlights
- Top speed for the Sea Ray 300 SLX (2013-) is 46.8 mph (75.3 kph), burning 31.75 gallons per hour (gph) or 120.17 liters per hour (lph).
- Best cruise for the Sea Ray 300 SLX (2013-) is 26.1 mph (42 kph), and the boat gets 2.38 miles per gallon (mpg) or 1.01 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 279 miles (449.01 kilometers).
- Tested power is 1 x 380-hp MerCruiser 8.2 MAG.
Standard and Optional Features
Marine Electronics
|VHF Radio
|Battery Charger/Converter
|CD Stereo
|Head: Fixed
|Shore Power
|Shore Power
|Trim Tabs
Exterior Features
|Carpet: Cockpit
|Standard Snap-in
|Outlet: 12-Volt Acc
|Swim Ladder
|Swim Platform
|Tower: Watersports
|Transom Shower
|Wet bar
|Bimini Top
|Camper Back
|Cockpit Cover
|Full Canvas
Hull Warranty
Limited lifetime
Deck Warranty
|Limited lifetime
Engine Warranty
|2-year limited
|NMMA Certification
(It's quick and FREE!)


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August 5, 2017, 1:00 PM - January 28, 2018, 5:00 PM @ Musser Mansion Second Floor Gallery
An Exhibition featuring our collection of items from the life of notorious Muscatine Resident, Norman Baker.
November 16, 2017, 10:00 AM - January 28, 2018, 5:00 PM @ Musser Mansion Galleries
Enjoy art and other projects done by the Muscatine County 4H in the past year.
November 16, 2017, 10:00 AM - January 28, 2018, 5:00 PM @ Stanley Gallery
Many of Rockwell's depictions of the holidays are inspired by the work of Charles Dickens, which he read as a child with his family. In addition to Christmas covers for The Saturday Evening Post and other periodicals of the day, family gatherings were forever frozen in time in the artist's many advertisements and Hallmark greeting cards. Norman Rockwell's Spirit of the Holidays shows how the artist's paintings and drawings inspired feelings of warmth and good cheer for generations to come. Both floors of the Stanley Gallery will be filled with Rockwell's memorable images reflecting the spirit of the season.
November 16, 2017, 10:00 AM - January 28, 2018, 5:00 PM @ Stanley Gallery Second Floor
Retired computer entrepreneur, Peter Norton (Norton Antivirus) is a contemporary art collector as well as an active participant in various civic and philanthropic activities. In 1988 the Norton Family began commissioning artist to create original, multiple edition works that are mailed as holiday greetings to his personal friends, colleagues and selected institutions. Created by artists represented in the Norton's own collection, these art objects were intended to foster engagement with the world of contemporary art. The Muscatine Art Center has been fortunate to receive these greetings on a yearly basis since 1993.
This year the Muscatine Art Center has revisited holidays past so visitors may also experience the delightful, and often quirky, works of art gifted through the "Norton Family Christmas Project."
January 4, 2018, 3:30 PM - 4:15 PM @ Muscatine Art Center Studio
Introduce your children (ages 2-7) to the world of art with free classes featuring
stories and activities. A penguin sees a most unusual sight: a hat floating in the icy water and out pops a baby penguin, but not just one baby penguin or even two. Make a cute penguin with a paper lunch sack and a doily.
January 4, 2018, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM @ City Hall
Council Chambers
January 4, 2018, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM