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Since weeks Kim Wang and his team are working hard on our new floor. 5 of 9 teamrooms are already finished and the first teams moved in. From now on you will meet the teams: Somewhere, Car2Go and Wahwah.fm (doing a restart soon) in their new offices at the 1st floor. From next week on there will be also plenty of open space with flexdesks for every betahaus member to work at. Drop by for one of our tours (Tuesday, 5pm, Thursday, 11:30am) if you want to check out the new floor.
Here are some impressions by Sepehr Atefi
Stay up-to-date with more information about events and announcements.
CloudMade (United Kingdom)
With 6 locations globally, CloudMade leverages cutting edge artificial intelligence to revolutionise the automotive industry. Their focus is on processing data to optimise and personalise the driving experience of the future.
High-Mobility (Germany)
High-Mobility builds a data platform for applications working with personalised car data. Users can test their applications in a simulation environment, and get verified to access data from multiple car makers using a standardised connected car API.
Kiwi Last Mile (Spain)
Using a new multi-modal delivery platform, Kiwi offers an efficient, profitable and sustainable last mile delivery solution. Kiwi operates its own fleet, basing its operations in a new 'cellular delivery model'. It has dubbed itself the 'future of the last mile'! (Germany)
BRIVE reduces fleet and vehicle costs by rewarding good driving behavior. Better driving translates into savings on fleet costs and higher salary bonuses for drivers. It already comes with a BRIVE credit card!
German Autolabs (Germany)
The Automotive Voice Assistance platform from German Autolabs is a customisable conversational assistance solution for mobility. German Autolabs leverages deep domain knowledge; bypassing lengthy development cycles to build groundbreaking voice products.
Autofleet (Israel)
The Autofleet platform enables the transformation of fleet managers to vehicle-as-a-service providers. It innovates fleet management, using machine learning to predict demand, price dynamically, automate in-/de-fleeting, and optimise demand-supply matching in real-time.
Neohelden (Germany)
Neohelden is developing a digital AI-assistant for enterprise use-cases. You can think of it as Alexa, but for business. Users can customise the Neo platform intuitively via Drag & Drop, to tailor the AI-assistant to any possible needs.
Parkbob (Austria)
Parkbob organises the world's parking related data, and transforms it into actionable information for better mobility decisions. By creating a dynamic demand prediction model, it provides customers with an end to end solution that increases fleet utilisation and revenue.
VISCOPIC (Germany)
VISCOPIC leads in 3D data processing and worker guidance solutions, focusing on 3D sensing technology and augmented reality. It aims to guide companies into the future by showing them what technologies they need in order to be optimally efficient and productive.
Transmetrics (Bulgaria)
Transmetrics delivers predictive optimisation software for the logistics industry. Designed for express, parcel, pallet, and groupage businesses, the AI-driven software forecasts customer demand to calculate the most efficient linehaul plan for the entire transport network.
Have any of these brilliant ideas made you curious about the challenge? Follow us on LinkedIn for updates on the competition!
To be honest, I sort of fell into it. I was always working somewhere between content marketing and the music industry and around seven years ago a friend of a friend was searching for someone to help him curating music for his boutique surf spot on the beach in Costa Rica. The owner was a big music fan, but he just didn't have time to keep all the music up-to-date. So I got introduced to him, we shared similar tastes, and agreed that I would do the music for his space - curating it and updating it with new music on a regular basis.
This for me was a dream come true. I could finally work with music all day, and at the same time, I could help create an awesome experience for the guests. I saw people's reactions when they heard a song they liked. I saw them dancing, getting a little closer to each other at the bar and that for me was really rewarding.
This was the moment when I realized that there is something special about this idea and I got interested if there is actually market out there. I did some market research, and a lot of interviews with different hoteliers people in the industry trying to get more feedback. And the idea started growing more and more.
Interesting is the story of the last years winner in the category "Creative". Hamburg based headraft literally took music experience to the next level by creating the world's first AR Music Video for the German band "die Fantastischen Vier". Designed for their song "Tunnel", the cited app unfolds a virtual story world once the track starts playing, giving fans the opportunity to go on an interactive journey with the band rather than being a passive viewer.
Applications are now open! Finalists will be awaited by a curious jury of five leading industry experts. Among others, Kathleen Cohen who was already taking part in the first year will be in the panel of judges again. With a 25-year multiplatform career history under her belt, she is one of the most regarded in the field. As a digital experience expert, she has successfully implemented projects for DreamWorks Interactive and IBM Innovation, to name a few.
Needless to say, the yearly AUREA Award is definitely the place to be. Apply and become a member of the community bringing together all the promising products and solutions in the AR/VR sector.
Well, both. Currently we offer the following two options: shorter publicly available Brand Playlists and long-form private Soundtracks for spaces. For both of them we work closely with the client to understand how sound fits into their brand DNA and what their audience is like.
We believe that the guests' experience with a particular space doesn't have to begin and end with their stay. The idea of the Brand Playlist is to be a public brand playlists designed to engage the customers before, during, and after their visit at a space. It's always accessible for them and serves as a new, dynamic marketing channel.
The Soundtrack is slightly different. It takes sometimes up to weeks of work and is designed by a world-class artist, DJ, or tastemaker. For it we first work with you to develop a deep understanding of your business and style. Then we match you with the perfect artist, DJ, or tastemaker to create unique, always fresh playlists, custom tailored to match your brand.
In both cases, we update them regularly based on guest habits and clients' needs.
The way we engage with the music community is something really important for us and honestly, what makes us different than other background music providers. A lot of the background music providers out there have internal teams of maybe five or six DJs that do all of the music for their clients. We aim to connect with the local scene and always work with local DJs. There's some kind of magic in finding the exact right artists for the brand.
And on the flip side of it, when we hire artists, we make sure that the project is also inspiring for them and that they would be interested in participating. We always make sure to pay them well. The whole project creates for them a new income stream that they wouldn't have otherwise.
Yes! This was really fun. The objective with the betahaus "betabeer sounds" playlist was to showcase the community side of betahaus. There are so many cool, interesting people in the betahaus community and we thought a playlist could be a perfect way to not only help bring the community together but also show the diverse funkiness of the communities of Berlin and Neukölln, which is why Hazy Pockets, a longtime local Berlin DJ known for his eclectic mixes, was perfect for this project.
This playlist moves from bluesy 60s rock into surf and tropicalia, picking up momentum into Motown and onwards through some laid back disco tunes. Perfect for the betabeer events betahaus hosts monthly!
Oh, there are just so many! Like the Imren Grill for instance where you can find the best homemade Turkish food or Das Gift and Gordon which are both run by great music people. Kohelenquelle in Prenzleuer Berg is my favorite local bar (or rather kneipe). To satisfy my techno / electronic records needs I always go to Hard Wax and one of my most special places is the Zions Kirche steeple, which has an awesome view of the city and a great Weinerei close by.


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52 years ago, the Wilderness Act of 1964 protected two wilderness areas in North Carolina.
32 years ago, the North Carolina Wilderness Act designated seven new wilderness areas and protected five more as study areas.
"The question then is who will speak for wilderness? The wild regions of our public lands belong to all of us."
- Dr. Robbie Cox, October 28, 1983
From comments made before the Subcommittee on Public Lands and National Parks of the Committee on the Interior, House of Representatives, U.S. Congress
Wilderness Areas in NC
Learn about the protected areas in North Carolina and start planning your visit.
The NC Wilderness Act of 1984 didn't happen by itself. It took years of hard work by many people.
By Brent Martin, The Wilderness Society
This article originally appeared in The Laurel Magazine and is posted here with permission from the author.
Kathy Rigsbee of the Foothills Group led an outing in the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area early in May. Here is her recap and some fantastic images from the hike.

subset: commoncrawl


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Student or Learner
The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in 1963 by a local builder, Amos Peters, to give squirrels a way to cross the busy road without getting flattened by passing cars.
The original bridge was built over Olympia Way on the west edge of the library grounds. Before the bridge was built, squirrels had to avoid traffic to and from the Park Plaza office building where office staff put out a nutty feast for the squirrels. Many times, Peters and others who worked in and near Park Plaza witnessed squirrels being run over.
One day Peters found a dead squirrel with a nut still in its mouth, and that day's coffee break discussion turned into squirrel safety. The group of businessmen cooked up the squirrel bridge idea and formed a committee to ask the blessing of the City Council.The Council approved, and Council woman Bess La Riviere jokingly named the bridge "Nutty Narrows."
Why does the author use "jokingly" to describe the name "Nutty Narrows"? Is there any sense of joke in the name? What does the name mean?
Thanks !
I think the use of "Nutty" might also be considered amusing here as I imagine that some people might consider anyone who builds a walkway for squirrels to be a bit "nutty" (crazy, BrE).
Remember - if you don't use correct capitalisation, punctuation and spacing, anything you write will be incorrect.
I'd go with Gil's interpretation.
Remember - if you don't use correct capitalisation, punctuation and spacing, anything you write will be incorrect.
Nutty Narrows Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This bridge is in Washington state, which is also the location of the infamous Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which collapsed 4 months after opening, due to resonance caused by winds travelling through the narrows.
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse "Gallopin' Gertie" - YouTube


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The 2017 Academy Awards was history-making after 'La La Land' was mistakenly announced as best picture when the prize was meant for 'Moonlight.' The casts switched places on stage as director Barry Jenkins took to the microphone and accepted the top prize.
Also, both Viola Davis and Mahershala Ali took home an Oscar for best supporting actress and actor in a supporting role.
After Viola Davis won her first Oscar, Oprah Winfrey tweeted, "Hallelujerrrrrrr! @violadavis ! " We are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life!""
Celebrities took to social media to react to the winners.
See more celebrity reaction to the Academy Awards show below.


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Compare cheap flights to Tehran
When is the cheapest time to fly to Tehran?
What to do in Tehran
Tehran is the bustling capital city of Iran. It's both the largest city in the country and Western Asia, filled with great museums, historic mosques, shopping strips, parks, warm locals, and so much more.
You'll instantly be greeted by the city's iconic landmark when you leave the airport – the Azadi Monument. After taking a few photos of this architectural treasure, don't forget to check out the Mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini and Milad Tower, which is one of the tallest towers in the world.
Take the bus next to the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site at the Golestan Palace. You'll marvel at the detail of its design and find a cool oasis at the palace garden in the heart of the city. Fill your camera next with beautiful pictures of the Jamshidieh Park. You can also spend a lovely arvo at Mellat Park and Niavaran Park or ride a boat in Chitgar Lake.
Are you a culture vulture? Then you should head straight to the National Museum of Iran and the Treasury of the National Jewels. But if the culture you're after is Tehran's shopping habits, take your Iranian Rial to the Grand Bazaar. You'll feel the thrill of bargain shopping for all kinds of goods like carpets, jewellery, and souvenirs. If you're feeling peckish right about now, the bazaar also has heaps of food stalls. Don't forget to snack on the tasty churro-like bamiyeh.
A fantastic way for you to end your Tehran trip is a walk on the Tabiat Bridge. This architectural gem connects two parks and offers you a great view over the city. You can enjoy the scenery of Tehran best during sunset and at night.
Get more out of your trip and check out this list of things to do in Tehran.
When to visit Tehran
The best time to visit Tehran is during March to May when the temperature is ideal or during the shoulder season from June to October, which are also warm months.
Australians need to secure a travel visa before flying to Iran. Make sure your passport is also valid for at least six months on the date of your return to Australia, and check out the website of the Embassy of Islamic Republic of Iran in Canberra for more info.
Once your travel documents are complete, don't forget to pack a Farsi-English phrasebook too to help you on your trip.
Travelling to and around Tehran
You'll reach Tehran through the Imam Khomeini International Airport, and from there you can go to the city by bus or taxi. Start wandering Tehran by taxi, motorcycle taxi, metro, and the Bus Rapid Transportation (BRT).
So what are you waiting for? Take your passport, pack your bags, and book your Tehran flights now with Skiddoo!
Temperature average in November
Rainfall average in November
21.1 mm
Cheapest time to fly to Tehran (IKA)
All prices refer to return flights to Tehran and include taxes and charges.
Our experiences customer support team is there to help you every step of the way.
With the Skiddoo Price Promise, if you find a cheaper price online we'll match it!


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Amazon App Treasure Hunt is again knocking the door and comes with many surprises. Here in this post,as usual ,we will provide amazon treasure hunt answer first on internet. Get answer of every clues asked in the treasure hunt.There are lots of people who play amazon app treasure hunt and their may be a chance to win this game.
In amazon app treasure hunt you have to guess clue's answer as fast as possible. Every clue has a product name. Now search that product name on amazon app.If your answer is correct, you will see some products but there will be one unique product. Tap on that very unique product.Now scroll down and check treasure hunt logo.The product is for free. Means you don't need to pay rs1 as you did earlier. The game has changed a little bit.
4:30 PM Clue
Amazon Treasure Hunt
Time- 3PM To 8PM
Date- 03/10/17
In amazon app treasure hunt you have to guess clue's answer as fast as possible. Every clue has a product name. Now search that product name on amazon app.If your answer is correct, you will see some products but there will be one unique product. Tap on that very unique product.Now scroll down and check treasure hunt logo.The product is for free. Means you don't need to pay rs1 as you did earlier. The game has changed a little bit.
For Daily Update Via WhatsApp - +91 9097009796
Clue: Has stars wrapped in gold & milk that's not white but a bar that is.
Clue Answers For Amazon Treasure Hunt 03 October
Answer:- Click Here For Answer
How To Play Amazon app treasure Hunt?
- First you need to download amazon app
- Now open the app and wait for the game timing.
- Before starting the game you will able to see amazon app treasure hunt Logo.
- Tap on that very logo.
- Now at 3PM, your first quiz will appear.
- Try to Solve that clue ASAP.
- Search Product Name on App.
- If your answer is correct then you will see a product at Rs-0.
- Buy that product As Soon As Possible.
- Done
Trick To Know The Treasure Hunt Clue Answer
Many People asked from us about the treasure hunt. How we add answer fast?. So here is the genuine trick that I Used to answer the amazon app treasure hunt clue answer in advance.Today treasure hunt is all about Diwali Gift hampers and Party Food Essentials. So follow the steps and answer the question.
Open Amazon App.
Go to "Today Deals".
Now go to CATEGORY.
Select Health, Grocery section.
Now wait for treasure Hunt to begins.
At clue time, one product will have Rs-0 Price.
Purchase that one asap.
Clue Answers For Amazon Treasure Hunt 9th March
12:00 PM- Giordano 60068 black/yellow watch
12:15 PM- Hush Puppies Men's Liners Socks (Pack of 3)
12:30 PM- Maxima Mac Analog Silver Dial Women's Watch- 20680LPLI
12:45 PM- Lavie Beas Women's Shoulder Bag (Tan)
01:00 PM-Panasonic ER-207-WK-44B Men's Beard and Hair Trimmer (Black)
What is Amazon App Treasure Hunt
Amazon Rs 1 Hunt or Amazon Treasure is an offer from Amazon in which they provide a clue which you will need to solve and find the Answer. The answer is any product and when you search that product on Amazon you will find a lightning deal on that product and the product costs only Rs 1. So in that time you can grab That at Rs1. Some times products which costs more than Rs 10000 are for Rs 1 in lightning deal. So be with us tomorrow to get Answer of Amazon treasure hunt 8 September
How to Find/Get Answers in Amazon Treasure Hunt
1. First, read the question of treasure hunt yourself and find any hint in it, If you didn't get thing follow below steps
2. Search the question on google you will find some hint from that definitely
2. Search the question on google you will find some hint from that definitely
3. Now From these hints get any product name and search it on Amazon
4. if you still did not find answer yourself then visit discovertricks.com to find answer because we will provide answers within no time
How To Participate in Amazon Treasure Hunt 8 September
1. At first Download Amazon App from Play Store or Apple App Store
2. Log in to your Account which is important to play Amazon treasure Hunt
3. Now on Sharp 2 PM To 6 PM on 29 July Open App and click on "Amazon Tresure Hunt " Banner
4. After clicking it you will find a clue find answer by method given above
5. Now after finding answer search that in Amazon app
6. you will find many products with that name, open them all because Rs 1 price tag will not be shown on search page it will only be available inside product page
7. Now when you find that product add it to cart and checkout as usually you do
Tricks To Successfully Buy Products at Rs 1 in Amazon treasure hunt
1. Search the question always on google to find any clue
2. Try solving the question yourself first before you find it on discover tricks website
3. Always keep Logged in the App before The treasure hunt
4. The price tag of Rs 1 is not shown in search result page open the find and find Rs 1 surprise product
5. As soon as you find the product quickly claim it because it may go out of stock in seconds
So these were some tips which will help you to crack Amazon App treasure hunt
Clue Answers For Amazon Treasure Hunt 8th September
Answers for Amazon App Treasure Hunt 9 March
Amazon clue Answer for a 2pm clue, Clue answer for 2:15PM. Answer 2:30, Clue answer for 12Pm, Clue answer for 12:30, Amazon Clue answer for 1 Pm , Amazon clue Answer for 3:30 Pm, clue answer in Amazon treasure hunt 3:45 Pm , 2Pm clue Answer Amazon
Answers will be posted here tomorrow when the Game starts


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Q&A: Jerry Glanville Brings Elvis, Bob Dylan And His Cast Of Characters To UFL
When the owners of the UFL's Hartford Colonials hired Jerry Glanville as head coach and general manager, they got a 69-year-old former player, NFL and college head coach, TV analyst and Nascar and Automobile Racing Club of America driver and owne. They also got a man known for such eccentricities as leaving tickets at will-call for Elvis Presley, dressing only in black like Johnny Cash and driving cars favored by the late actor James Dean. According to Glanville, this is a match made in football heaven.
By Barry Janoff, Executive Editor
(Posted March 22, 2011)
The United Football League is a fledgling operation entering its third pro season. However, despite financial challenges, its roster features several head coaches with stellar NFL resumes, including Jim Fassel, Dennis Green and, most recently, Marty Schottenheimer and Jerry Glanville, who is both head coach and GM for the Hartford Colonials.
Glanville's experience includes head coach of the NFL's Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans, from 1986-1990) and the Atlanta Falcons (1990-1993); and head coach at Portland State University (2007-2009). In addition, he has worked as an analyst for HBO (Inside the NFL), CBS (The NFL Today, NFL on CBS) and Fox.
During his time with Atlanta, the team drafted Brett Favre in the second round and after the season traded him to the Green Bay Packers. Stories regarding Glanville's role in why Favre was bypassed in the first round and then subsequently sent packing, insists Glanville, are inaccurate.
Glanville is a man of many words, which means social media is right up is alley. He has his own Web site, his own YouTube channel and, of course, a Twitter account. After being hired by the UFL, his tweets included:
• "Welcome to all of my new followers! I'm back in black."
• "Life without football, isn't life. Spread the word."
• "I'll be at Max Burger in West Hartford 7 pm tonight. 1st 10 fans to show up are invited to dinner."
• "It is snowing right now. The UFL promised me good weather!"
However, what arguably were his most famous words came when he was head coach of the the Oilers. Following a play in which he vehemently disagreed with a call, he berated the offending official: "This isn't college. You're not at a homecoming . . . This is the NFL, which stands for 'Not For Long' when you make them horse-bleep calls." Steve Sabol, president of NFL Films, which captured the moment for posterity, called this one of his five favorite quotes from a coach.
Glanville had a lot to say during a Q&A on March 21 when he was introduced in Hartford as the new head coach and GM of the Colonials. That included, but was not limited to, the NFL, the lockout, Lady Gaga, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Brett Favre and the UFL, which is scheduled to open its season in August with the Colonials, two-time defending champion Las Vegas Locomotives, Omaha Nighthawks, Sacramento Mountain Lions and Virginia Destroyers.
• You last coached at the pro level in 1993. What are you bringing to the UFL that would win football games?
Jerry Glanville: You still have to run the football for attitude and throw the ball for points. They invented the term 'smash-mouth football' because of our teams in Houston. Can we do that [in Hartford]? I don't know. You have to do what your players' strengths are. Don't take them out of their strengths because you are bullheaded and have a plan.
• You have your own Web site and a Twitter account. How important has the use of social media and technology become to head coaches?
JG: Years ago, I wouldn't have thought that's what 'tweeting' meant. [Laughs.] My whole nomenclature has changed. I had to get out a [dictionary] to look it up. With cell phones, Facebook, you have be savvy enough to realize that social media is how people are going to be connected and stay connected. It has changed how we do everything. I never thought I would be sitting at a computer tracking film to rate a player.
"My son Justin's band, The Avett Brothers, closed the Grammys with Bob Dylan. That show was the first time I saw Lady Gaga. I got a little education that night."
• Does this make the coach's job more challenging?
JG: All these changes are for the better. I'm a coach who tells players, 'Don't go by what used to be. Used to is not what's happening now. People always ask me, 'What church are you looking for?' I'm looking for the church of what's happening now . . . [Just then, Glanville's cell phone rings] Oh, there's my cell phone. [The ring tone is] 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' by Bob Dylan. Better shut it off.
• Speaking of music, you used to leave tickets for Elvis, but the UFL is seeking a young demographic so would you leave tickets for Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga?
JG: [Laughs.] You know, I watched the Grammy Awards. And my son Justin's band, The Avett Brothers, closed the show with Bob Dylan [and Mumford & Sons singing 'Maggie's Farm']. To see that I had to watch the whole show, and that's the first time I saw Lady Gaga. I got a little education that night.
• If there is a lockout and no NFL season, do you think you would be able to sign some good players?
JG: Whether the NFL is playing or not there are good football players out there. The fun of this league is that this is not a trick or a gadget. This is not a marketing strategy. This is good football. That's what I love about the UFL. This is all based on playing good football. Having good coaches. That's why it reminds me of when Bud Adams and Lamar Hunt started the AFL and said let's get good players, good coaches and play good football.
• Do you see the UFL as a good option for fans if the NFL players go on strike?
JG: I think what we have to offer, whether they strike or not, is we have a price that shows we are interested in the individual. We are not using a corporate sell to come see us. You don't have to give us $5,000 for the right to buy tickets. We are not fooling anybody. We want you and your family to come to our games. It sort of reminds me of the NFL when I went into it in 1974. People bought tickets to the Detroit Lions in twos and fours. That's how people came to the games. They could buy two tickets [and not have to spent a lot of money on a ticket package]. And I think that's what our league offers. You don't have to do a lot or spend a lot to come and enjoy yourself.
• In 1991 when you were head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, the team drafted Brett Favre, but he was traded to the Green Bay Packers after one season. The story is that you didn't want him on the team. Why didn't that work out between you two, considering the career he went on to have?
JG: The thing is, you have to draw the line on certain things. The funny thing is, I recently went down to speak at the Hattiesburg [Mississippi, where Favre lives] Quarterback Club. And one of the people there was Brett Favre's agent [Bus Cook]. He was the first man since that happened who stood up and told the truth. He told exactly what happened. So I said to him, 'Where were you 20 years ago?' And he said, 'It's time we set the record straight.' As a football coach, I would never tell you everything that happened with a player, all the personal details. So I would suggest you call Brett Favre's agent, because he's the guy who can really tell you what went down and why.
[Editor's note: During an interview at the Hattiesburg Quarterback Club last September, Glanville told a local reporter: "The deal that happened was that management wanted me to draft [Favre] in the first round. I said, no, I have to get a slot receiver. There was a guy at Colorado named [Mike] Pritchard. They said, if you don't take Favre [in the first round] he won't be there. And I said, oh, I think he'll be there. Well, everybody has an opinion. Like body parts, everybody's got some. So I took Pritchard. And when we came up in the second round [Favre] was still there. So I was thrilled to death that we got Favre AND the slot [receiver]. We got everything. As the years went one, everybody said we didn't want [Favre]. I always wanted him. I just didn't want him in the first round . . . [After the season] management told me they could get a first round [pick] for Chris Miller, our other quarterback. I thought that would go down. [The next day] they said [Green Bay] wouldn't take Chris Miller, but they they did give us a first round for Favre. As the head coach, I had no power to do any of the trades, and I didn't have the power to stop the trade or make the trade.]
• There are other former NFL coaches in the UFL, including Jim Fassell (who has won two UFL titles with Las Vegas) and Dennis Green (Sacramento). Have you spoken with them about their UFL experiences?
JG: I heard from Jim Fassell. He said to me, 'Jerry, welcome to the league. Everything is about to change.' That is his quote. I hope we can change things, and all for the better.
• How did this opportunity come about?
JG: It started at the Senior Bowl [in January 2010]. I was down in Mobile because Sports Illustrated wanted me to watch a guy named [Tim] Tebow. While I was at the practice, coaches I worked with and players I coached said, 'How about coming with us tonight, there are going to be people from this new football league, the United Football League. We think you should go with us.' I hadn't thought about coaching. But while I was over there I met the commissioner, Michael Huyghue. While I was talking with him he said, 'Why don't you come over in a couple of weeks to the league office in Jacksonville.' So after a couple of weeks I went over there and spent the day with the commissioner. Rick Mueller [former NFL executive now a top UFL executive] was there. And I spent the day with them. As I got on the airplane to go home, I thought, I wish I had those two guys with me at every NFL job I had. They're better than anybody I've worked with. So I was very impressed with what they were saying about the league and that they were involved with the league.
• That was a year ago. What happen after that?
JG: About three weeks ago the commissioner called me and said there was [a team] owner he wanted me to meet in New York. So I said okay. When I flew into New York and I didn't know anything about Hartford. At the meeting, [Hartford Colonials owner] Bill Mayer was there, [Colonials president] Bill Peterson was there. They said they wanted to talk to me about joining the team. As we did the interview process, they asked me some great questions and I asked them questions, and we told each other a lot about ourselves and who we were. I kind of liked their honesty. 'We have a new football league, we don't know if we'll make it, we're trying to make it work.'
• Did that throw up a red flag about the future of the UFL?
JG: Well, I had worked for Bud Adams [owner of the NFL's Tennessee Titans]. And Bud Adams told me a story in his basement about how he wanted to buy an NFL team, and they wouldn't let him. So he called Lamar Hunt and they started [the American Football League]. Working with people like that, I saw the same grit in Bill Mayer. I saw the same thing in his eyes I had seen in Bud Adams. So when people say to me what are you doing this for . . . Later on in my career I worked for Ralph Wilson [owner of the NFL's Buffalo Bills]. And I saw Bud Adams and I saw Ralph Wilson in this man I was interviewing with as far as enjoyment in what he was doing, a passion for football. I also worked at the Detroit Lions for a guy named William Clay Ford. William Clay Ford would DIE before he'd ever tell you a lie. And that's who I felt I was talking to with Bill Mayer. I could see all their qualities that are special in him.
• Was the deal made during that meeting?
JG: When I walked out of the meeting, I was not offered the job. In fact, I went back to the airport. But I thought the minute I walked out of the building, if the owner, if Bill Mayer wanted me, I would take the job. Because I know he has the grit of a Bud Adams and there's no question he has the integrity and honesty of of a William Clay Ford. So I went home, I was really excited about [the interview] and my wife Brenda, who has been with me for 35 years, knew that I wanted the job. And like all football coaches your wife is going to be a big part of it. So she said to me, 'You better not wait for a call. You better start hiring coaches. You better get the staff ready.' The commissioner called me, I believe it was on [March 15] and Bill Mayer called me on St. Patrick's Day. We were all glad we came together. That's how you end up here. You judge you're job by who you are surrounded by. And I would not be surrounded by anybody else. I now have the best football job in the United States because of the people who are around me.
• Have you had a chance to evaluate the players in this year's NFL draft to get a feel of who might move into the UFL due to the lockout or because the UFL might be their best option?
JG: I have been looking at the seniors. I know who is coming into the draft. I know who the best players are, the best kickers, punters, running backs. As far as players leaving the other league, I haven't looked at that at all. You may be talking to the only guy who coached in the NFL during all three previous strikes (1974, 1982, 1987). I was there. I know the lay of the land.
"If you've seen the Eminem movie, Eight Mile. Well, Smokey Robinson, Jerry Glanville, Eminem and Kid Rock, we all grew up in the same projects."
• Do you have any thoughts about how you can get more fans from Hartford and the surrounding areas to go to Colonials games?
JG: I've spent the day with people who are going to help me. We have 10% unemployment rate here. We are going to find an unemployed family and I personally will buy them tickets to games. I asked some local bankers today to do the same. I feel that just because you are unemployed doesn't mean you can't go out and enjoy yourself and take your family to a pro football game. Those are the types of things we are going to do in this great city.
• Have you had an opportunity to see Hartford and interact with the fans?
JG: I haven't seen the fans yet. But I have seen three seasons. It felt like summer when I got here. Then it turned to winter and started to snow. Now we're moving into spring. And I've only been here one day! It reminds me of when I coached at Buffalo. I could look out of my office window and see four seasons go by. So I'm used to this. I grew up in Detroit. If you've seen the Eminem movie, Eight Mile. Well, Smokey Robinson, Jerry Glanville, Eminem and Kid Rock, we all grew up in the same projects. And when you live in that basic grey, you enjoy every day you can with sunshine and say, 'Thank the Lord.' Because not every day is full of sunshine.
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As much of the country hunkered down against storms that threatened to bring a month of rain in one day, us poets gathered to take a little stroll around London (inspired by the Formerly exhibition at the Poetry Café). Our meeting point was outside Chancery Lane tube, at the dragons marking the boundary of the City. We arrived armed with umbrellas and waterproofs, but at half past ten, our official starting time, the sun crept from between two large grey clouds, and we could see patches of blue sky in the middle distance. As I said to the group, we don't want the weather to be too cheerful, because our walk would take in the dark and clammy corners of the area that lies between Clerkenwell and Bloomsbury, an area I have always thought of as the Fleet Valley.
Many years ago, around the time I lived in North Mews, a cobbled street running parallel with the Grays Inn Road, I picked up a book at a second-hand stall entitled The Lost Rivers of London by Nicholas Barton. The subtitle of the book was 'A study of their effects upon London and Londoners, and the effects of London and Londoners upon them'. The subtitle was important, I discovered, as the book wasn't so much a history of the rivers as an essential guidebook to a hidden underworld. It wasn't until much later that I came across the phrase genius loci, which describes the spirit of a place which is made manifest through a sense of the histories of its previous inhabitants and its notable events. It explained the odd sensation I had when I lived in that neighbourhood of something I couldn't quite place, unsettling and sinister. It was during my time in North Mews when I wrote this poem:
It flows beneath my feet, its subterranean banks
unseen. I glide blissfully through my day,
all liquid, like a fish. I can't understand
what gives this extra lift to my step, as if I'm floating,
and the cars drifting through Clerkenwell Green
are barges carrying sailors home from sea.
But an undercurrent sinks me at Islington:
I sense the bones of the old prison, the plague-dead
dumped straight from their beds, butchers' scraps
staining the water blood red. The old dark brick
shifts, the city groans in its foundations
and spits me out like a sour grape into the street.
As we made our way through Leather Lane, up Saffron Hill, once the most notorious rookery in London (and the dirtiest and most wretched place that Dickens could think to situate Fagin and his den of thieves), across the Clerkenwell Road, and over Herbal Hill, I think we could all sense the river below us. Peter Ackroyd describes the Fleet as 'London in essence', plague-ridden and treacherous, but legendary, the tributary of all that was wild and radical in London. We found a plaque at the bottom of Herbal Hill, undated, but marking the moment the river officially became a sewer.
Outside the Coach and Horses, famed in its day for prize-fights with every conceivable weapon, cockfighting, bull-baiting and bear-baiting (which led to the death of the landlord in 1709), we stood in the middle of the road and peered down into a grate where we could hear the low swoosh of water, the only true vestige of the Fleet, still flowing fast below.
We were standing in the middle of the river, in what was once Hockley-in-the-Hole, an area of street crime and gangs, where women were attacked and stuffed in empty beer barrels and rolled down the hill. We passed under the bridge that carried Rosebery Avenue above our heads, to the inappropriately-named Mount Pleasant, and the huge, ugly Royal Mail Sorting Office that was once the site of Cold Bath Prison (to Coleridge, the site of Hell). We took in the moumental car park, the last undeveloped Second World War bomb site in central London, resplendent with weeds and garbage.
After that, we headed towards Dickens' House, down Rugby Street (past number 18, where Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes consummated their relationship), over to pay a visit to Charlie Dutton in his gallery on Princeton Street, through Red Lion Square (past the house where Rossetti first painted Lizzie Siddal, and his new flatmate, William Morris, knocked up a few bits of furniture for their bedsit) and on to the Poetry Café for lunch and time to write some poems. But not before we stopped at the corner of Kingsway and Parker Street, the site of Charles Lamb's lodgings in 1801. It was from there he wrote to Wordsworth:
Separate from the pleasure of your company, I don't much care if I never see a mountain in my life. I have passed all my days in London, until I have formed as many and intense local attachments as any of you mountaineers can have done with dead Nature. The lighted shops of the Strand and Fleet Street; the innumerable trades, tradesmen, and customers, coaches, wagons, playhouses; all the bustle and wickedness round about Covent Garden; the very women of the Town; the watchmen, drunken scenes, rattles; life awake, if you awake, at all hours of the night; the impossibility of being dull in Fleet Street; the crowds, the very dirt and mud, the sun shining upon houses and pavements, the print shops, the old bookstalls, parsons cheapening books, coffee-houses, steams of soups from kitchens, the pantomimes - London itself a pantomime and a masquerade - all these things work themselves into my mind, and feed me, without a power of satiating me. The wonder of these sights impels me into night-walks about her crowded streets, and I often shed tears in the motley Strand from fullness of joy at so much life.
The photographs were taken by Vici MacDonald, my collaborator on the Formerly project. The exhibition continues at the Poetry Café through August. The book can be ordered here: http://herculeseditions.wordpress.com/


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In case you didn't know it, the Global Positioning System (GPS) is a service of the US government. The government makes it accessible to anyone, but at the end of the day it's their toy and they can do what they want with the former military project. That might not be an issue for you when you are trying to figure out the fastest way to get to Aunt Mildred's house, but if you were a leader in China, Russia, India, or the European Union it might be cause for concern. For this reason other countries (and in the case of the EU, groups of countries) are building their own satellite-based navigation systems. China's, which is known as COMPASS or Beidou, has recently become operational.
Beidou, which translates to "Big Dipper", will cover the southern Asia for the time being, but will expand outward to be a worldwide navigation system by 2020. At this point it's composed of 10 satellites, out of a planned total of 35. For reference, the US' GPS is an array of 32 satellites (at least 24 of which are always operational). At a given time a connection with four satellites is necessary in order to get accurate location data, and more satellites means benefits like better worldwide coverage and faster signal acquisition. The Russian equivalent, GLONASS, has 24 satellites.
Work on Beidou began in 2000, which is quite late compared to the US, but development is happening quickly right now. By the end of 2012 China plans to have six more satellites in the array, bring the total up to 16. The current system, according to a BBC report, is accurate to 10m, which is rather poor compared to that of the US, but it should improve as the number of satellites grows.
Beidou will be tested by the Chinese military who will apparently be able to get more accurate location data from the system. This is not unlike the US' own Selective Availability program, which degraded location data for non-Department of Defense usage. Selective Availability was turned off in 2000 though, giving all GPS users full accuracy (generally considered to be 3-5m).
Beidou is said to be compatible with other navigation systems. So the same way that the iPhone 4S and other smartphones can work with Russia's GLONASS in addition to GPS devices might one day be able to work with Beidou, though it will take some time before this is possible.


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Melissa Rosenfield has one of the coolest jobs you've never heard of, but there's a reason for that.
"The job was created by me and my former boss," says the Director of Vibe for the Viceroy Hotel in Anguilla.
That's not Rosenfield's nickname: That's her formal title.
"You can imagine how many people don't believe it's my job title," she laughs. "I hand out more business cards just so people can see it."
Rosenfield has been the Director of Vibe and VIP Services for Viceroy Anguilla, a high-end luxury resort on the Caribbean island, since 2011. She says the role was originally supposed to be a six-month gig but escalated into a (kick-ass) full-time job.
"I'm the social director, the party planner, the camp counselor and the good-time Charlie. I plan all programming and handle all celebrities and VIPs and just manage the 'cool factor' there," she explains. "The original job description was just like, 'make sure the music and lighting is cool.'"
Rosenfield was first asked to live in the hotel for six months, and when handed an extended gig, would live in Anguilla for six months at a time, and spend her summers back in the U.S, traveling between Los Angeles and New York City. Now that she works with other hotels within the Viceroy chain as well, she commutes back and forth between Anguilla. Rough life!
"Anguilla is amazing. It's such a beautiful island," Rosenfield says.
As for the other perks for being the Director of Vibe, Rosenfield gets to mingle with a quite a few big names.
"I just helped [designer] Prabal Gurung plan a trip," she says. "I've done boat tours for celebrities, then got on a plane with John Galliano."
But she never knows what will be asked of her: "I've planned barbecues last-minute where they've been like: 'I'd like to have a barbecue on the beach with a 12-piece reggae band.'"
When she's not "on island," Rosenfield can be found trying out different menus from top chefs, and discovering the hottest trend in workout classes—whatever is the coolest and latest thing to bring to guests of the Viceroy Anguilla. "You can't pull the wool over the guests' eyes," she says. "They are paying for the best; The newest of what's out there."
So how did she land a such a killer, one-off position? It wasn't a clear cut path to vibe-ing for Rosenfield.
She jumped around snatching up experience with positions in marketing and public relations in both New York and Los Angeles before the Viceroy Hotels and Resorts approached her with the position. When presented with the opportunity, she jumped at it immediately.
And as for her future, "I think as the brand continues to grow, I'd like to grow with it," she says. "Right now, it's fun. I don't think there are many companies I can be on the beach in Anguilla one week and be in four different fitness classes the next."
We can't think of any, either.
Want more stories from Carson? Follow her on Twitter.
Photo Credit: Getty Images


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Photo Challenge: Fast Food
In many places fast food has become a common sight of the landscape. Though considered unhealthy by most, it is affordable and, well, fast. These two factors have helped the industry spread throughout the globe and into many communities.
We don't care if you prefer mayo or ketchup on your fries, or whether you think the new Double Down is disgusting, or can't get enough of it. For this photo challenge, show us what form fast food has taken in your culture.
Closed November 2, 2010
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The mammoth male orca has been valuable property for the resort through the years, both as a stud who has fathered 13 calves and as a performer who delights audiences with outsized splashes.
But the characteristics that make the killer whale so prized — testosterone and size — also make him especially dangerous for the trainers who work with him, some orca experts say.
Tilikum on Wednesday pulled veteran trainer Dawn Brancheau by her ponytail into his tank and drowned her. Since the tragedy, the resort is taking extra precautions with the animal, with trainers forbidden from putting their bodies close to him.
The only mature breeding male at SeaWorld, Tilikum is big and randy. As a result, SeaWorld must often keep him separated from the seven other killer whales in its collection.
Chuck Tompkins, corporate curator of animal behavior for SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, said the park's female killer whales typically only want Tilikum around them when they are sexually active. All of SeaWorld's other orcas are either females or juveniles.
"Any one day he could spend the whole day by himself, and the next day he could spend the whole day with the females," Tompkins said. He added that Tilikum spends as much as three days alone, though never longer. But some experts say extended periods of isolation can be stressful for a killer whale, an inherently social animal. That, they say, can in turn make them prone to unpredictable behavior such as that exhibited Wednesday.
"The more isolated they are, the more stressful the situation because, in the wild, social contact is just a constant for them," said Susan Berta, co-founder of the Orca Network in Greenbank, Wash., which advocates for killer whales in the Pacific Northwest.
Wednesday's tragedy was the third death linked to Tilikum. In 1991, he was one of three killer whales that drowned a trainer at the Sealand of the Pacific aquarium near Victoria, British Columbia. And in 1999, authorities discovered a dead body draped across his back; authorities determined the man had sneaked into SeaWorld's orca tank at night and drowned.
"We've proved in the past few years that putting people in solitary confinement makes them crazy. How can we expect anything different from marine animals?" said Edward O. Keith, an associate professor at Nova Southeastern University's Oceanographic Center. "When animals get under stress, they act out; they do crazy things."
In addition to aggressiveness, the 12,000-pound orca's size makes him uniquely threatening. Tilikum is the largest killer whale at any of SeaWorld's parks — roughly twice as big as the next-largest in Orlando.
Because of his size and his history at Sealand of the Pacific, SeaWorld prohibits all of its trainers from entering the water with Tilikum and allows only the most experienced handlers — who included Brancheau — to work with him from the edge of the tank.
Naomi Rose, a marine-mammal scientist for the Humane Society of the United States, said Tilikum is simply too big for SeaWorld. Keeping an orca of that size confined to a man-made tank could also make him agitated and unpredictable, she said.
"In terms of his stress levels, his size is a factor," Rose said. "He is so big, I don't care how big SeaWorld's tanks are, they are too small for him."
SeaWorld officials are emphatic that neither isolation nor confinement contributed to any erratic behavior with Tilikum. Tompkins said the orca never exhibited any signs of frustration or stress, even in the moments leading up to Wednesday's tragedy.
He also said the park's handling of the male killer whale's interaction with the females "is very similar to what we see in the wild."
"We spend hours and hours each day observing and learning about these animals," Tompkins said. "We live by the rule of watching them every day and knowing them."
Park officials say, and many orca experts agree, that it would be difficult to release the whale back into the wild after more than two decades in captivity. Tilikum is 30 years old, and SeaWorld says it expects him to live until 35 or 40.
And despite his past controversies, Tilikum is a valuable animal.
Tilikum, for instance, has fathered 13 calves for SeaWorld at a time when marine parks and aquariums have all but abandoned efforts to acquire new killer whales from the wild, at least in part because of negative publicity. Though the National Marine Fisheries Service has the authority to issue capture licenses for marine mammals that would be used for public display, a representative for the agency said it hasn't received such a request in more than 20 years.
A spokesman for SeaWorld said Thursday that the park is putting together a team of animal-behavior experts, likely to include representatives from the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and International Marine Animal Trainers' Association, to review existing procedures with Tilikum.
Sentinel staff writer Dewayne Bevil contributed to this report. Jason Garcia can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or 407-420-5414.


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Check out our IVECO Trakker Rally photo gallery
with HQ pics.
Last update in Trakker Rally gallery: 2009-10-06
The Hyundai Australian presented the "hot" H-1 minivan in the N-version and tested on the track.
Mazda's commercial electric vehicle was gradually declassifying.
The novelty is the "green" performance of the XC40 SUV
Subaru said the assembly of cars at the factory in Ota, Gunma Prefecture, closes at least October 25, 2019.
Honda Jazz, which is also called in some countries as Fit, will soon succeed in the generation.
Pininfarina wants to present one utterly new car annually
We select only big size iveco trakker rally photos
for our photogallery.


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We are in search of an alternative to adding an additional bulkhead to our competition swimming pool. The idea is for more deck or walking space behind starting blocks that are on a bulkhead.
I have been researching the module floating docks that are basically adult legos. Has anyone had experience with this type of product? Or does anyone have other solutions for my dilemma?
We would like to stray from adding an additional bulkhead as it can be expensive. Another bulkhead would also take precious water space.
Views: 168
I would be careful with this. You do not want to create an entrapment hazard either on top of, or below the deck/dock. Swimmers should not be able to go into the space below the device. It should also not inhibit water recirculation. I would suggest you contact your regulatory authority before proceeding.
Would these docks be in place for swim meets only? If so I think they could work. The big problem is having people swimming under and around them. Without seeing how your pool is setup I'm not sure if it would work or not.
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From the artist who brought you Britney Spears giving birth on a bear skin rug, Angelina Jolie breastfeeding, Justin Bieber's cartoon character private parts, and the interactive Paris Hilton autopsy comes Daniel Edwards newest piece, 'L.A. Fertility,' which is basically just your standard fertility statue that looks kinda sorta like Kim Kardashian.
The work features a life-size but armless Kim K., wearing a tiara and earrings that are pretty reminiscent of those she wore when she married Kris Humphries. Because sure, why not.
Visitors to the LAB ART Gallery in Los Angeles where the piece is located are encouraged to rub the statue for good luck, so that … their future babies will be famous for no discernible reason? Hard to say.
"People tend to look at the parts, like the creases in her armpits, or how she wore a dress that makes her look like a killer whale," Edwards said of the media's treatment of Kim during her pregnancy. "I'm stripping it of the details people get stuck on, so they can see the beauty."
And if you're wondering what's in that pregnant stone belly? Edwards has a pretty good idea about that, too.


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If you're feeling a sense of whiplash over the recent barrage of HIV/AIDS vaccine news, you're not alone: Public reaction to the initial results of the RV144 Thai HIV vaccine trial felt like a roller coaster.
First came the over-the-top headlines hailing the results as a veritable miracle of science. Then came the over-the-top headlines calling the results into serious doubt.
Now, vaccine experts and advocates are scrambling to prevent the world from dismissing the study entirely: Seth Berkley, the head of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, wrote an empassioned op-ed piece in the New York Times on Oct. 18, and Raphael Dolin, M.D., a prominent infectious disease doc at Harvard Medical School and an authority on HIV, urged a rational approach to the story in an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine. (And to their credit, a smattering of more recent news coverage, including an Associated Press article and a well-written update by Donald McNeil Jr. of The New York Times, provide a pretty balanced take on what the study results mean.)
This is, admittedly, often the way of things for us humans: Major news breaks and we go nuts about it. Then we go nuts about how nuts we got about it. Then we decide everybody overreacted about everything, it wasn't that much of a story to begin with, and we forget about it and move on to the next story to go nuts about.
But before the results of this trial are dumped into the sink and drain away into the abyss of history, it's important to make sure the story leaves the proper aftertaste. What are we left with? Did all this hubbub ultimately mean anything?
To be sure, it wasn't the best idea to hold a major press conference announcing clinical trial results that only barely reached statistical significance (and even then, only in a certain type of analysis). We know how mainstream media tends to react to breaking stories with pithy headlines, and this one was destined to be blown out of proportion because of the way in which it was first announced. (The same thing happened four years ago when the U.S. was whipped to a frenzy after then-New York City health commissioner Thomas Frieden decided to publicly announce that an area man had developed a rare, rapidly progressing strain of HIV that was "difficult or impossible to treat." He ominously warned that it could potentially mark the beginning of a new HIV superstrain. Within months, the man was doing well on HIV treatment, and no sign of superstrain outbreak ever emerged. Frieden, incidentally, is now the top dog at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)
But how much can you really blame these folks? It has been a bad, bad, bad run for AIDS vaccine developers. It was less than two years ago that a spate of poor study results had experts admitting that no real progress toward an HIV vaccine had been made in two decades, and left many wondering whether there was any point in continuing efforts to develop one.
For nearly three decades now, the search for a vaccine that can prevent HIV infection has been an effort largely defined (at least to the public's eye) by its failures rather than its successes. Then suddenly, for the first time ever, a huge study shines a faint ray of hope. If you've been sitting in the dark for more than 25 years waiting for some sign, any sign of light, and you finally get it, wouldn't you want to shout "Hallelujah" from the rafters?
I am by no stretch of the imagination a vaccine expert. And based on the information I've read, I'm trying to be realistic about this. Sure, odds are the "prime-boost" vaccine tested in this study is not going to be The Answer. It may even turn out to be a complete dead-end, an approach that will never confer more than a marginal protection from HIV at best, and won't even spawn new successful avenues of AIDS vaccine research.
But a large part of me can't help but take an optimistic view of this story, even if it's admittedly a little naive. That part of me thinks that maybe this vaccine somehow will turn out to be The Answer. Or that maybe something about the study, something about the findings, will set off a spark in a researcher's brain that leads him or her to discover a method of preventing HIV that does prove to be The Answer. We just don't know, and won't know for a long time to come.
But for the first time in a long time, something major has happened to give us hope that a successful AIDS vaccine is out there somewhere, just waiting to be created. And that, if nothing else, is reason enough for me to come away from this feeling a little better about where we are in HIV/AIDS than I did before.