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So confused.
So thrilled last night to have found a Tai-Chi meet-up... Like you see in the movies, you know? A group of people in the park in the background dong Tai-Chi?
Well I'm here to tell you that it was absolutely, positively.... NOT like that. At all. To be completely fair, the instructor did say at the beginning that it was going to be some Tai-Chi, some Yoga, and a little Pilates. Ok thinks I, I can handle a little of this & that. A few Tai-Chi moves to help me get started again is good, even mixed in with some Yoga stuff - it can't hurt, right? Yes, it can. (Especially when the only Tai-Chi was 'Wave Hands Like Clouds 4 times in a row - good call Astrid). It was mentally difficult to stay focused on keeping my 'Leaning Tree' from tipping over when I was psyched for one thing and given another, and plus let's just say my body was not ready for Yoga. So, almost 70 minutes of Yoga, 2 minutes of Pilates, and a 30-count of Tai-Chi. I am not that limber, and my thighs doth protest. Earnestly.
ETA: Let me be clear: I do not want to do Yoga.
I think I like this though:
(don't tell anyone, but I have found that if you sign your child up for Karate, Kumon, and swimming lessons - you find yourself with time to actually KNIT in 30 minute increments more than once a WEEK.) This is a sock I've actually knit myself, toe-up turkish cast-on (thank you Lisa). The colorway is a very early attempt at a color for Firebird, (or click here for the finished Boid) but obviously has way more pink than any self-respecting flame would show the world. (Pay no attention to the white yarn at the top. I couldn't remember how to do the bind-off I wanted to do, and I was at Kumon with Nora and wanted to start the mate... well, I didn't have a crochet hook to thread a lifeline so I knit in a row of bulky for later.)
I'm also fond of this: Out of the imagination and into the dye-pot last night - it's been on the 'I want to dye' colorway now since Tsock #2.I think we'll call it 'Plum Shadows'. And yes, it's fer sale... send me a note as I haven't gotten the site updated quite yet.
Lisa, this one is for you. It's in that yarn I didn't like before but now I'm liking, and it's in the color I showed you in the other pictures though this picture doesn't quite do it justice and yes I'm mailing it to you today along with other things but not everything blah blah blah and boy are you in trouble and that's all I'm going to say about that.
Waltraud, this is for you. I'd like you to know, that my nieghbors have more than one of these - and I don't mean 1/2 knit socks (I posted both views since I couldn't decide which was better):
One last thing. You folks remember Casey, right? Our most dedicated, handy, farm-hand-turned-yarn-slave? Well, she graduated from high school this year, and is getting ready to leave (::sob::) for college next month. She will be attending Bennington University in Vermont and studying music. She's planning on putting her next billion years of productive paychecks in hock to pay for college (see college=debt/loans) but is thrilled with the opportunity, as she's been accepted to the Music department in the College and if memory serves, it was her first choice.
Any-hoo, I'm reminded of the Secret Santa thang we had going on this past winter, and was thinking if anyone was interested, we could do something similar for the young budding college-student-soon-to-be-starving-artist. You can donate cold hard through paypal, in any amount, or if you want to purchase gift cards or other small items (not much room for stuff in her packing - small shared dorm room), I'd love to surprise her when I see her off in August. I'm going to miss her, she's become part of our family and while I miss her awesome, yarn-skeining skillz, I will miss her sense of humor and her company more.
You can mail things for her to me here, please email me for the mailing address at (jennifer at nysfarm dot com) replace the wrong stuff with the correct stuff as usual. For cash donations to the pot, I've had to use the limits of blogspot and put the donation option in the sidebar called 'Graduation Gift'. If your going to mail a gift card (target, wal-mart, bed bath & beyond type places etc), I'd like to have it by August 1st so I can get it all together in time for my meet-up with her before she leaves.
Well, it's almost time for swim class (woo hoo!!), and I've got a few things to do before we leave so I guess that's it.


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>> Electrifying the city.
The new smart fortwo electric drive coupe.
Search smart inventory.
Stylish, timeless.
High-quality equipment combined with elegant colours and subtle contrasts – the smart fortwo electric drive embodies timeless chic. A highlight is the seats with leather upholstery in black and the tridion safety cell painted in black.
Purely Electric.
The smart fortwo electric drive clearly shows what it's about. Above all, this means no compromises. As such, it comes with a wealth of ingenious solutions, comprehensive safety equipment and fascinating details.
Discover Driving Pleasure
At its smoothest. Discover for yourself just how much fun electric mobility can be. With full torque on tap from the very first turn of the motor and seamless acceleration, the smart fortwo electric drive is more agile than ever – and virtually silent as well.
Discover the new smart fortwo electric drive coupe
3-spoke multifunction steering wheel. — With buttons for operating cruise control as standard: 3-spoke steering wheel
Colour variants. — The choice is yours: The black/orange colour variant conjures up fascinating contrasts. Those who prefer a more classic interior style will go for the black/white variant with brilliant white seat surfaces, accent trim parts and topstitching. The black/black colour variant with accent trim parts in black/grey is an elegant and tasteful option.
Alloy wheels. — 38.1 cm (15-inch) alloy wheels (R87) in 5-twin-spoke design, with front tires: 165/65 R 15; rear tires: 185/60 R 15
Other features.
- 38.1 cm (15-inch) 5-twin-spoke alloy bicolour wheels, with front tires: 165/65 R 15; rear tires: 185/60 R 15 (R88)
- Door mirror caps in tridion colour
- Radiator trim
- Painted electric drive lettering on the front and rear, plus electric drive logo on tridion safety cell
- Dashboard and door centre panels in orange fabric, accent trim parts in black/grey and seats with black/orange fabric upholstery
- Dashboard and door centre panels in black fabric, accent trim parts in white and seats with black/white fabric upholstery
- Dashboard and door centre panels in black fabric, accent trim parts in black/grey and seats with black/black fabric upholstery
- Heated 3-spoke multifunction steering wheel in leather
- Door openers on the inside in matt chrome
Technical data
For the full details: Here you will find all the information you need on the smart fortwo electric drive passion.
|Three-phase synchronous motor
|Battery type
|Lithium Ion (8 year/100,000km Warranty)
|Battery capacity (kWh)
|Charging Time (20-100% SOC) *Estimated*
|2.5 hrs (240v/32A) or 13 hrs (120v/12A)
|On-board charger (kW)
|7kW (32A) Type 1 onboard charger
|Maximum horsepower (hp)
|Maximum torque (lb-ft)
|Top speed (km/h)
|Fuel consumption in le/100 km: City[1]
|Fuel consumption in le/100 km: Highway[1]
|Turning Circle (m)
Disclaimer [1]
Based on the Government of Canada's approved 5-cycle testing methodology and as published in Natural Resources Canada's 2015 Fuel Consumption Guide. Your actual fuel consumption may vary.

subset: commoncrawl


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NEW HAVEN, Conn. – In a tri-meet against Ithaca and Southern Connecticut on Sunday, the Yale gymnastics team finished second, edged out of first place by crosstown rival SCSU. The Bulldogs finished with a score of 186.350, just behind Southern Connecticut's 186.875 and ahead of Ithaca's 180.800.
Competing only a few miles from Yale on SCSU's campus, the Bulldogs received standout performances from sophomores Joyce Li and Morgan Traina. Li won the all-around competition with a combined score of 38.375. She finished second in three events—the balance beam (9.650), uneven bars (9.675), and vault (9.450)—and fifth on the floor exercise with a 9.600. Li was one of Yale's top two finishers on every apparatus. Traina, last season's ECAC Rookie of the Year, won both the beam and the uneven bars, scoring a 9.725 on both, the highest score awarded all afternoon.
In Yale's second meet of the season, the Bulldogs had the top four finishers in the all-around competition. In addition to Li and Traina, seniors Tara Feld and Stephanie Goldstein finished third and fourth, scoring 36.250 and 35.975, respectively.
Delivering other notable performances for Yale were Katherine Lucas and Lindsay Andsager. Lucas was Yale's second finisher on the vault, scoring a 9.175 to finish seventh overall. Andsager completed a Yale sweep on the top three spots on the uneven bars, scoring a 9.600.
The Bulldogs have their home and Ivy opener next weekend when they host Penn on Sunday, January 27th.
Report filed by Lyon Van Voorhis '15, Yale Sports Publicity.


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*I used E-6000 glue for this along with a random strong adhesive I found at the house. Any strong clear glue you have should work just fine.
*Pick a cell phone case that has a similar color to your cabochons. I used a hot pink case with light pink cabochons.
*Have a plate with all your gems facing up so they are ready to go as soon as the glue is applied to your cell phone case. The reason is because the glue will dry FAST, like really fast. Sometimes the glue would dry before I got done laying down rhinestones on top of it.
*Take a QTip and cut the cotton part off one end and use this to pick up and place the rhinestones. I would wet the tip of the QTip (the side I cut off) on a damp paper towel to pick up the rhinestones which made placing them on the phone very easy.
*Before you glue anything, lay down your big cabochons on your cell phone case and move them around to get an idea of how you want the final product to look. Take a picture so you can remember the pattern.
*To acheive the 3d effect you will have to layer the cabochons on top of eachother. This was the most difficult part I think of designing the cell phone case. You want to start one cabochon at a time, glue it down, then place rhinestones around it. Take you next cabochon and figure out where you want to layer it, mark the spot with a marker, eye liner brush, or anything you can find to mark the cell phone case with. After that, place rhinestones around (or under which is what I had to do with the crown cabochon since you could see through it) the area. Between placing the rhinestones down, put the big cabochon back on to make sure everything is fitting properly. Once you have the rhinestones down, put some glue on the big cabochon on the spots that will be touching the cell phone case.
This is the design I came up with. It's very cute and pink, and best of all I think it looks just like a LuxAddiction case.
If you are contemplating making your own cell phone case like this, there are a few things you should consider first. If you have a craft store in your area that has the type of decorations you would like to use, I would suggest buying them there. Since I ordered mine from Hong Kong and Japan, it was a little more expensive than I would have liked since I paid for shipping and all that good stuff. Also, when ordering online, you will have to buy some of the pieces in bulk. For example, the flowers and hello kitties came in a pack of 4. So all in all, if you plan on decorating more than just your phone, this is a good deal. I am using my leftover cabochons for my ipod case and will use whatever I have left over for little things. The cost to make just the cell phone case I would say is about $50, but keep in mind you will need to buy more than what you need for just the cell phone case. If you just want the cell phone case and nothing but, I would suggest just buying one from LuxAddiction or Etsy, which will be around $50-$100. I hope this gave you some inspiration for your designs, if you had any questions feel free to comment.


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Just a few days after getting officially divorced from Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher was spotted getting all huggy, cozy, and lovey with Mila Kunis and some peach yogurt. Finally, the big D word happened despite the rumors Demi was trying to delay it. The MilAshtons were spotted chowing down on some Fruitzen Frozen Yogurt in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which is Kutcher's hometown. While Ashton had peach, Mila ate the orange sorbet in case you were wondering. Yes, Ashton is home for the holidays and he brought his "new" (old friend) lady love with him.
This news cannot be sweet for Demi Moore. If I were her, I'd be really annoyed. Not because her ex-hubby moved on with someone else -- that was destined to happen. But because of WHO he moved on with. How trite. How predictable. How Hollywood. I think Demi is going to rise above though.
Demi is gorgeous and smart and has one of the best voices ever and will find love again if that's what she wants. Sure she had that breakdown, but what person who went through a breakup hasn't gone through some really tough times. Breaking up -- even if it's something you want to happen -- is tougher than Bruce Willis. And Demi got through that breakup and managed to stay friends with the Die Hard star. That, my friends, is survivalist stuff of Hollywood proportions. Plus breakdowns add character and allow for a huge comeback, with extra bonus points if Quentin Tarantino casts you in a film. (Hey, Quentin, call Demi next!)
Demi has Bruce on her side, she has all those kids she had with Bruce on her side ... well, except for daughter Rumer, who likes to hang out with her mom's ex. Come on, girl! Stay in mom's corner! He is closer in age to her kid -- Demi and Ashton are 16 years apart -- so perhaps they can relate more? Rumer is 10 years younger than Ashton and just 5 years younger than Mila. Technically he was her step-dad for six years so I guess it's okay. Still just seems weird.
I'll try to be happy for Mila and Ashton. You go love each other and your yogurt, kids! Yay for you! They do make sense together. Silly and tragically adorable. Clearly they aren't upset about the divorce or any of the press that comes along with it. How do I know for sure? You only drown your sorrows in real ice cream, none of this froyo crap.
What do you think of Ashton and Mila being officially offical and spending the holidays at his family's house? Too soon? And don't you think Quentin should call up Demi? Great idea, right?
Image via Splash


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Being an almost perfect balance of performance and handling out of the box, the Porsche 911 is prime material for tuners. It's always been this way, and no matter how good the car becomes, human nature seeks something more individual.
Although the latest 911 Carrera (991) was only launched at the turn of the year, German specialists TechArt, Gemballa and SpeedArt had examples with larger wheels, lowering springs, body styling and bespoke interiors at the Geneva Auto Show in March.
Delays in early deliveries meant that everybody worked really hard to make the Swiss deadline but, when the curtain went up, all the cars were in place like clockwork.
At this time, none of these tuners are planning ECU software upgrades for the latest 911 Carrera because the horsepower gains are outweighed by development costs. So most owners will have to be content with just intake and exhaust systems for now. All are awaiting the new Turbo model next year to give a bigger bang for the buck.
Two weeks after the doors closed at Palexpo, we found ourselves in Leonberg outside Stuttgart with an appointment for seat time in these three tuner 991s.
The tuner's art is exemplified by the different body kits, wheels and ancillary parts that perfectly embody each aspect of the business. And as with fine apparel, customers favor the style of a particular company over others, coming back time and again for more.
Speed yellow certainly grabs attention, and TechArt made full use of this retina-popping hue to showcase its first styling conversion for the 991.
Aerodynamic additions complement the elegant lines, adding just enough visual spice. The rear wing, for example, is an interpretation of the GT2 item that suits the silhouette well. The overlapping exhaust below is TechArt's house style, discreetly finished in black.
The car came with PASM active damping, so TechArt swapped in 30mm lowering springs. Together with bigger wheels and tires, the ride height gives a more purposeful stance.
The standard 20" factory wheels on the Carrera S leave little wiggle room for the tuners. A Porsche engineer told us a lot of work went into making sure they cleared the housings under all bump and steering conditions. Modern German tuners have to be similarly methodical to gain the coveted German TüV approval while trying to use wider front wheels, recommending specific tire brands because each tire manufacturer has slight variations in the exact width of the same sized rubber.
In this instance, TechArt fitted 245/30 ZR21 front and 305/25 ZR21 rear Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires on their 21x9" (ET50) and 21x11.5" (ET77) wheels.
Bespoke interiors are a TechArt specialty, so they went to town; color-matching the trim inserts to the body. The seats and door panels also got black alcantara inserts with yellow cross-stitching to escalate the wow factor.
German tuners like black cars but it can hide the subtle lines of a body conversion. However, Gemballa stuck to tradition, perhaps in recognition of its status as one of the oldest of the larger German Porsche tuners. Indeed, it was founded in 1977 by Uwe Gemballa but is now owned by Andreas Schwarz, who bought the assets following Uwe's untimely death in 2010.
As well as the black paint, the Gemballa 991 sported six exhaust tips; an instantly recognizable company trademark.
The body kit looked organic, accentuating the standard car. It was designed along modular lines, allowing more components to be added as they become available. For now, the GT package debuted with new bumpers, side skirts and a rear valance using the factory mounting points. It's also easily reversible, should you need to return the car to stock at some point.
Another highlight was the 21" lightweight, forged one-piece wheels. A contemporary interpretation of a classic Gemballa style, they weigh less than the factory 19"equivalents, helping performance and handling.
Gemballa has specialized in bespoke interiors from day one, being responsible for some spectacular work in the past. But since the GT package is a first step, the interior was kept simple, with impact coming from color alone.
Orange leather was used on the steering wheel, shift knob, console, door pulls and armrests. The same color also highlighted the instruments, stitching and floor mats. Not exactly subtle, the orange breathed life into the black interior.
The youngest of the three, SpeedArt founder Bjorn Striening prefers to use GRP for his aerodynamic parts rather than the carbon fiber of his competitors in order to keep costs down.
The resultant body kit consisted of a front lip, side skirts and rear diffuser incorporating cutouts for a quartet of polished tips on the stainless steel exhaust. And because the small wing takes its cues from the cooling slats of the factory engine lid, it looks like it's always been there.
Unlike the spoilers, SpeedArt's 21x9" and x11" LSC forged wheels aren't any cheaper thanks to the lightweight, three-piece design. The distinctive double-spokes continue into the polished outer rim–a visual trick to give the appearance of being even larger. They're shod in 235/30 ZR21 and 305/25 ZR21 Michelin rubber.
After the relatively sober exterior, the interior features a riot of bright color including lime green seats inserts. The same hue is found on the console, dash and door trims, steering wheel, shift knob and instrument cluster. It's contrasted by blue stitching and while the combination looks great in a show car, we wouldn't like to face it everyday!
These three 991 conversions are relatively minimal in approach, but create plenty of impact. They collectively represent the first rung of the 991 tuning ladder that will surely culminate in wild Turbo models and GT derivatives. So if you're thinking of buying a new 911 and know you won't be satisfied with stock, check out these examples from Germany's finest to score greater exclusivity.


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European Commission
Brussels, 12 March 2013
'Two-Pack' completes budgetary surveillance cycle for euro area and further improves economic governance
The global economic and financial crises exposed shortcomings in economic governance and budgetary surveillance at the EU level. These shortcomings were effectively addressed with the creation in 2010-2011 of the European Semester of economic policy coordination and the six legislative proposals known as the 'Six-Pack'.
However, given the higher potential for spillover effects of budgetary policies in a common currency area, there is a clear need for still stronger mechanisms specifically for the euro area. To address this need, in November 2011 the Commission proposed two further Regulations to strengthen euro area budgetary surveillance.
The European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers have now agreed on the details of the so-called Two-Pack. This is a significant development, not only because it means that stronger coordination mechanisms will be in place in time for the 2014 budgetary cycle this autumn, but also because the agreement on the Two-Pack paves the way for further steps to be taken to reinforce the Economic and Monetary Union, as set out by the Commission in its 'Blueprint for a Deep and Genuine EMU' last November.
Why are these two new Regulations needed?
To strengthen the economic pillar of the Economic and Monetary Union, euro area Member States need to go beyond the 'Six-Pack' legislation agreed in 2011. Economic and budgetary policies pursued in euro area Member States have evident spillover effects elsewhere in the common currency area. In good times, this interdependence brings more prosperity. In harder times, it means risks are shared to a greater extent. This risk sharing should be accompanied by shared responsibility and a seamless procedure covering all eventualities, including the use of financial backstops.
What is the legal basis for the new legislation?
The new procedures are based on Article 136 of the EU Treaty. This Article enables euro area Member States to strengthen the coordination and surveillance of budgetary discipline in order to ensure the Economic and Monetary Union can function properly. The new legislation therefore only applies to the euro area.
What are the main components of the Two-Pack?
The Two-Pack comprises two Regulations designed to further enhance economic integration and convergence amongst euro area Member States. The Regulations builds on and complement the Six-Pack reforms to the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), the European framework for fiscal surveillance, and the European Semester for economic policy coordination.
The first Regulation applies to all Member States in the euro area, with special rules made for those in the corrective arm of the SGP, the Excessive Deficit Procedure (EDP).
The second Regulation sets out clear and simplified rules for enhanced surveillance for Member States facing severe difficulties with regard to their financial stability, those receiving financial assistance, and those exiting a financial assistance programme.
The Two-Pack creates a common framework based on a graduated approach in the euro area. It introduces appropriate surveillance requirements for all kinds of budgetary situations, to ensure a seamless continuity of policy monitoring.
The European fiscal framework has already been amended with the Six-Pack and then complemented with the Fiscal Compact Treaty. Why these extra changes?
The crisis has taught us the need for more prudent fiscal policymaking throughout the economic cycle. The Six-Pack reforms to the SGP added new requirements for Member States in terms of budgetary policy, notably new fiscal rules. This is not the case of the Two-Pack, which focuses on coordination.
The crisis has also shown the need for additional improvements to budgetary coordination and surveillance for euro area Member States, given their greater interdependence and susceptibility to spillover effects from each other's fiscal decisions. This has led to an increased willingness to reinforce mutual surveillance and consider budgetary decisions a matter of common concern. Through enhanced cooperation and integration in the euro area, with graduated and closer monitoring, the Two-Pack is helping to strengthen the economic side of the Economic and Monetary Union.
How will the Two-Pack improve euro area budgetary coordination?
The Two-Pack introduces a common budgetary timeline and common budgetary rules for euro area Member States. Specifically, and starting with the forthcoming budgetary cycle:
A major innovation of the Two-Pack is that the Commission will examine and give an opinion on each draft budget, by 30 November at the latest. If the Commission detects severe non-compliance with the obligations under Stability and Growth Pact, it will ask the Member State concerned to submit a revised plan. For the euro area as a whole, the Commission will publish a comprehensive assessment of the budgetary outlook for the forthcoming year. The Commission's opinions on national budgets and on the euro area will facilitate discussions in the Eurogroup.
As this exercise of coordinated surveillance takes place in the autumn, i.e. between two European Semesters, it usefully complements the existing governance framework, by setting the scene for the following spring as well as by providing a follow-up to the recommendations addressed in the previous one. Also, in the spirit of integrated surveillance which led to the creation of the European Semester, the Two-Pack ensures consistency between budgetary and other economic policy processes and decisions.
Importantly, the Two-Pack will also enhance the soundness of national budgetary processes by obliging Member States to base their draft budgets on independent macroeconomic forecasts and ensure independent bodies are in place to monitor compliance with national fiscal rules.
How will the Two-Pack enhance economic and financial surveillance in the euro area?
For Member States in EDP, the Two-Pack introduces a system of monitoring that will co-exist with and complement the requirements specified under the SGP. Graduated according to the EDP stage it finds itself in, the Member State must regularly provide further information to the Commission on the measures it has taken to correct its excessive deficit. The Commission will then be in a better position to detect any risks to this correction. When such risks are detected, the Commission can address a recommendation directly to the Member State concerned so that it makes sure it does everything necessary to avoid being judged non-compliant and thereby avoid financial sanctions.
The Two-Pack also strengthens monitoring and surveillance for Member States threatened with or experiencing serious difficulties regarding their financial stability. The strength of monitoring and surveillance will depend on the seriousness of the financial situation of a Member State.
This includes but is not limited to those Member States receiving financial assistance or in the process of phasing out such assistance. Those experiencing severe financial instability or receiving financial assistance on a precautionary basis will also be subject to very tight enhanced surveillance by the Commission, together with the ECB. This enhanced surveillance will build on and go beyond Member States' requirements under an EDP.
On the basis of this surveillance, the Commission can conclude that a Member State must take further measures since its financial situation could have major adverse effects on the financial stability of the euro area. In such cases, the Commission can propose that the Council of Ministers recommend to the Member State concerned to adopt corrective measures or put together a draft macro-economic adjustment programme.
How does the Two-Pack relate to the Fiscal Compact Treaty?
The intergovernmental Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the EMU, commonly referred to as the Fiscal Compact Treaty, is an agreement between Member States of the euro area and eight other EU Member States. Although it is not integrated into EU law it does include a commitment to transfer its substance into the EU legal framework within five years.
The Two-Pack integrates some of the elements of the Fiscal Compact Treaty into EU law, including the requirements for Member States in EDP to prepare economic partnership programmes and the requirement for ex-ante coordination of Member States' debt issuance plans.
How does this new legislation relate to the Stability and Growth Pact and the European Semester?
The Two-Pack is designed to fit seamlessly into the SGP and to complement it. As part of the European Semester, in the spring of every year, Member States present their medium-term fiscal plans (called Stability Programmes for euro area Member States; Convergence Programmes for the others). For euro area Member States, the Two-Pack adds an autumn counterpart to the spring exercise, but focusing only on the budgetary plans for the forthcoming year.
The Commission will issue an opinion on whether or not a draft budget is in line with the requirements of the SGP and the recommendations from the European Semester in the area of budgetary policy, and this before the budget is adopted. It is important to stress however that the Two-Pack does not give the Commission the right to change draft national budgets, nor does it create the obligation for Member States to strictly follow the Commission's opinion. The added value of this exercise is the direct guidance that it introduces within the budgetary procedure, thereby equipping all stakeholders in the national budgetary process with the information they need before they make their decision on the budget.
Additional reporting on measures taken by Member States in EDP comes on top of the existing requirements they face under the SGP rules, without overlapping or replacing these. Nonetheless, this complementary information increases the responsibility of the Commission in delivering timely guidance on a breach of EDP recommendations. It enhances the preventive role of the EU in that respect, and supplements the strengthening of the enforcement mechanisms in the euro area (in the form of gradual financial sanctions) introduced with the Six-Pack.
Thanks to these new reporting procedures, the Two-Pack strengthens the SGP by adding to the Commission's toolbox for making recommendations. For example, if the Commission flags in its opinion that a draft budget is not in line with its SGP obligations but the Member State in question does not take measures to correct it, this early flagging by the Commission can be used later to form part of the evidence in deciding, for instance, whether to place the Member State in EDP if its deficit or debt is not consistent with SGP rules.
What happens when a Member States exits an adjustment programme or precautionary assistance?
The Two-Pack introduces a new system of post-programme surveillance for Member States emerging from adjustment programmes or precautionary assistance. Until they have paid back a minimum of 75% of the assistance received, they will remain subject to new enhanced surveillance. This is to ensure a successful and durable return to the markets as well as fiscal sustainability, to the benefit of the individual Member State concerned as well as the euro area as a whole.
Why create an enhanced surveillance process on top of the normal surveillance process? Do you assume that the latter will not work?
The surveillance process has been considerably improved with the Six-Pack. However, experience shows that we should expect the unexpected. Consequently, the enhanced surveillance procedures introduced by the Two-Pack will enable closer monitoring of countries either threatened with or experiencing financial difficulties. They will give the Commission the powers needed to ensure, or re-establish, a sustainable path.
Why adapt the implementation of the Stability and Growth Pact, the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure and the European Semester for programme countries? Doesn't it weaken surveillance?
Macroeconomic adjustment programmes are very broad in scope and go well beyond strict fiscal issues and multilateral surveillance. In practice, the Member State concerned is asked to do whatever is identified as needed to improve its near, medium-, and long-term economic and financial situation. Suspending implementation of the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure/Excessive Imbalance Procedure and the monitoring and reporting under the SGP and the European Semester will help avoid unnecessary duplication of monitoring and reporting obligations.
Is the enhanced surveillance in the Two-Pack consistent with that foreseen in the ESM/EFSF guidelines for countries under precautionary financial assistance?
Yes. The Commission prepared the relevant ESM/EFSF guidelines and discussed them with the Member States with the Two-Pack in mind, thus ensuring natural consistency between the texts. What the Two-Pack does is to embed in the EU legal framework the working practices established under these intergovernmental instruments.
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She was born into baseball: Her father was a Chicago White Sox
scout. And she married the general manager of the Boston Red
It only made sense that she would turn her love of the game into
her profession.
Baseball executive Tyler Tumminia recently returned to her alma
mater to discuss her successful sports promotion career.
Hailing from Newburgh, NY, she is 2000 public relations graduate
of Mount Saint Mary College, with a minor in psychology and media
studies. She earned her MBA in 2009.
Tumminia gave an in-depth look at the challenges and the
triumphs of handling five minor league teams: the Hudson Valley
Renegades (Tampa Bay affiliate); the Charleston Riverdogs (Yankees
affiliate); Fort Myers Miracle (Twins affiliate); the St. Paul
Saints (independent); and the Pittsfield Suns (collegiate
As senior vice president of the Goldklang Group, Tumminia
developed the award-winning marketing philosophy, "Be Your Own
Fan," in response to current market trends and industry
She has a simple philosophy of her own: "Life can be so
stressful," Tumminia said. "So for five bucks, we try to give you
some great entertainment."
Speaking to a packed auditorium, she revealed how she began her
career in sports promotion.
As an undergrad, Tumminia completed several internships through
the Mount Saint Mary College Career Center.
Within weeks of securing an internship with the Hudson Valley
Renegades, she was promoted to a new job: director of community
relations. She soon began her current role – marketing and broad
scale sponsorship, operations, and communication efforts of the
Goldklang Group.
In February 2012, she became co-owner of the Pittsfield Suns, a
summer collegiate baseball team that plays in the Futures League in
Pittsfield, MA.
Her development of the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame
has received tremendous recognition throughout the industry, and
has been hailed as a game changer in how scouts are perceived at
the local levels.
Tumminia credits much of her success to the Mount. Helpful,
caring professors encouraged her to succeed, she explained to the
scores of students present.
"My family, my friends, my college, my work – I need to surround
myself with people who believe in me. Here's two examples right
here, of people who pushed me and made me the person I am," she
said, motioning to professor James Beard, and professor emerita
Irene Nunnari, both of arts and letters. "That's why I'll always be
grateful and proud to have gone to the Mount."
When it came time to earn her master's in business, "I had a
choice to go to any college for my MBA," she said. "I wanted to be
here, and it's because of the environment."
Tumminia is a sought-after speaker on the campuses of elite
colleges and universities, educating students on various topics
relating to the business of sports. In addition to appearing at the
Mount, Tumminia has spoken in nearby New York City at NYU and
Columbia, as well as universities from Maine to California.
She was recently the keynote speaker at the NCAA Women's
Leadership Symposium in Boston, MA.
Tumminia moderated a panel at the Ivy Sports Symposium at
Columbia University. She directed the "Building a Winning Team"
panel which featured Minnesota Vikings General Manager Rick
Spielman, Brooklyn Nets General Manager Billy King, New York Mets
General Manager Sandy Alderson, and Philadelphia Union Chief
Executive Officer and Operating Partner Nick Sakiewicz.
In 2011, she was named Executive of the Year by NYU's Sports
Management program. Tumminia is also a recipient of the Jim Quigley
Memorial Award in recognition of her meritorious service to our
national pastime. In the fall of 2011, she successfully completed
MLB Scout School in Arizona.
Mount Saint Mary College, located 60 miles north of New York
City, is ranked a Top-Tier Regional University by U.S. News
& World Report, and offers bachelor's and master's degree
programs preparing students for careers in healthcare, business,
education, social services, communication/media and more.
The college's sports management concentration is building well.
Among courses offered this academic year are introduction to sport
management, sports facility management, financial and economic
analysis in sport, and applied marketing management in sport.


text:
Innodata Israel, located in Jerusalem, is looking for qualified candidates with mother tongue DUTCH for copy editing projects to join our team.
• Mother tongue Dutch; French a plus
• High attention to detail
• Strong copy editing/writing skills a plus
• Must be legally eligible to work in Israel
• Full time and part time availability
• Must own a laptop
Location: Work from home position; requirement to work from the office as needed for training and meetings.
Send English CV to: email@example.com and enter "Dutch Copy Editor" in the subject line.
Equal opportunity employer


text:
T-Mobile Enjoys Strong but Limited iPhone 5 Q1 Bounce
May 8, 2013 3:10 PM PT
T-Mobile sold approximately 500,000 iPhone 5 handsets since their April 12 launch with the carrier, the company announced Tuesday during its Q1 earnings report. T-Mobile -- the last of the major carriers to offer Apple's smartphone -- attributed those sales to a combination of new and existing customers.
T-Mobile began selling the phone in its stores in combination with the company's new Simple Choice service plan that eliminates annual contracts. Consumers who bought the iPhone 5 paid US$99 up front, and $20 per month for 24 months in addition to monthly service fees of $50 per month for the first phone line.
Contract Fine Print
Even though T-Mobile sold half a million iPhones in less than a month, it may still be too early to draw conclusions from those sales, and whether the Simple Choice plan factored into consumer decisions.
"It's the iPhone, and the iPhone is still a very differentiated, strong brand in the market. I think the 'Un-carrier' initiative is more of a longer term move, and once we have a full quarter of that being available, I think it will be much easier to judge how it's doing," Ian Fogg, senior principal analyst of mobile media at IHS iSuppli told the E-Commerce Times.
"It launched after the quarter," Fogg said. "We haven't seen a quarter of the 'Un-carrier' through. What we have today is the Q1 results combined with iPhone figures that are actually part of Q2."
Analysts want to see Q2 numbers before drawing conclusions about iPhone sales.
"At this point it is hard to believe their numbers are that good, that quickly, but perhaps they are," Industry analyst Jeff Kagan told the E-Commerce Times. "We'll have to wait and see if this is a one-time burst, or whether there is real traction going forward."
Building Momentum
T-Mobile could be citing strong momentum in early Q2 to keep investors interested. "We ended the quarter with strong operational momentum, which is continuing into the second quarter, driven by the successful launch of our Un-carrier 'Simple Choice' service plan and the introduction of the iPhone into our device lineup," said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile, in a corporate statement on the earnings.
Sales of the iPhone at T-Mobile stand out because the handset is new to the carrier, but not new to the market.
"The first thing that's striking about it is that number is a number that doesn't represent sales for a new model," explained Fogg. "The devices they're selling, the iPhones they're selling, have been available for a number of months. This is a model that was launched last autumn."
Even though the iPhone only recently joined T-Mobile's smartphone lineup, it was possible to have the device on the carrier's network prior to that date.
"T-Mobile has had a long run-up to this. Before they offered the iPhone for sale, they were doing in-store promotions to encourage consumers from other operators to bring their iPhone and switch to T-Mobile," said Fogg. "They had built up some marketing momentum, so when they announced, 'Yes it's officially available,' they weren't starting from scratch."
While many existing T-Mobile customers likely upgraded to the iPhone, the Apple handset is a big draw for the carrier. "This is a very important thing for T-Mobile because the iPhone is a device that consumers will switch carriers to get. It evens the playing field with the other carriers," he said.
Swift sales of the iPhone 5 keep the tone positive for T-Mobile at a time when the company is in transition.
"T-Mobile is trying for a comeback. They have quite a few irons in the fire right now," said Kagan. "A new CEO with John Legere. They just acquired MetroPCS. They are reinventing the way they charge customers with Simple Choice. Plus they are doing a great job initially selling the Apple iPhone 5."
Apple will also benefit from any T-Mobile momentum. When Apple is able to have an iPhone offered by a new operator, that opens up a potential new pool of customers, Fogg said. "It usually causes a small jump in iPhone shipments. And given this happened at what is historically a quiet quarter for Apple iPhone shipments -- calendar Q2 -- this small boost of shipments is very important for Apple, because it comes at a very good time of the year."


text:
Ameobas had the pick and chose Booster Gold #39.
The Review Group is a collection of posters who get together and review a new comic each week. Our threads can be found in The Outhouse's News Stand forum and is open for anyone and everyone to participate.
For the week of December 8, Ameobas had the pick and picked Booster Gold #39. Thirteen reviews later, the book ended up scoring a 7.0, which tends to be the line of respectability here at the Review Group. To compare with past picks, comics with the comparable scores were First Wave #1 and Hellboy: The Bride of Hell.
Also, the Review Group would like to welcome chap22 and False Prophet to the fold. We look forward to many reviews from them in the future! If you'd like to join the Review Group, simply head to The News Stand and hunt down the weekly Review Group thread. Then just post a review!
Without further ado, here's the reviews for the week!
Review by God-Man
I didn't like this issue a whole lot. The story beats were pretty predictable, and it was a little too melodramatic for my tastes. I did like the last page that showed Ted Kord's tombstone throughout time. He may be dead but his memory and legacy will endure. The art by Chris Batista and co. was strong for most of the issue, but kinda faltered in the end. I think this is gonna be the last issue of Booster Gold I'm gonna read for the foreseeable future.
Review by fieldy snuts
I cant find any other words to describe this issue other than "redundant". I've lost count of the number of times we've seen an issue where Booster remembers Ted's death and is mad about it. How many years has Beetle been dead? How many times have we seen issues like this in that time, especially in this very title?
The only reason I cant totally hate on this though is that it's as far as I know the only time Giffen and DeMatteis, the guys that started the Booster/Ted Kord friendship, did it this time and hit all the right notes. It should have been good, if this was done years ago instead of today but this is an example of a comic that was published in totally the wrong year. Ironic for a time travel series...
I know Booster Gold's a popular book on here, and I love the series too, I've got every issue. But this one totally missed the mark for me.
Story: 5
Art: 8
Overall: 6.5
Review by chap22 (New Member!!)
BOOSTER GOLD 39 -- wherein J.M. DeMatteis reminds me why he's been my single favorite comics writer for going on 30 years
So in a book that's been up to this point all about Booster growing up, accepting a new role, a new outlook on life, herodom, and himself, we finally get to the point where he accepts something else as well, and continues his growth into maturity. Looking back, this book could probably have always been subtitled "Chasing Ted"...that's really been as much what it's been about as anything else. From Booster using that as his quid pro quo request to Rip in exchange for working with him in the first arc, through the entirety of the "Blue & Gold" arc, all the way up to now with Giffen & JMD's run showcasing the classic duo, Booster has been refusing to let his friend go. Whether trying to bring him back or just trying to visit him, Booster may have accepted his death, but he's never really accepted his death. And this issue he finally allows himself to find real closure, coming to terms with his grief and the way things are.
And while this is a type of story we've seen in different books with different heroes a thousand times or more, issues like these are still not easy to portray in 4-color comics about guys in spandex who beat the crap out of each other. They just aren't...most writers aren't adept enough at handling emotions and concepts this complex without running headlong into maudlinity or saccharineness or just plain bad writing. JMD, however, is. From his work in Marvel Team-Up and Kraven's Last Hunt through Moonshadow and beyond, he has always shown an ability to convey these types of emotions and really let the reader feel what the character feels, while not falling into the trap of rolleyes elicitation. And while Giffen is of course co-plotter/co-story guy for this stuff, it's JMD as always who handles the actual words (or lack thereof) that makes this issue sing: he knows when to go funny, when to go corny/cliche, and when to just shut up and let the pictures do the talking, all in service to the story he wants to tell. In particular, Booster's final gaze over the city skyline and his moment of grief release at the cemetery are absolute winners. But throughout, we also get supporting cast humor and charcterization, wrap-up of ongoing plots, and introduction/continuation of subplots, reminding us that this is actually an ongoing book with lots of other stuff going on.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention Batista's art: very clean, very classic superhero stuff, but surprisingly good at conveying the heavy emotional moments in the book as well, selling the gut-punches equally as well as the belly-laughs.
It's not a perfect issue by a long shot, but it is perfectly good at being what it is: enjoyable, well-written, and moving.
Score: 8.5
Review by Ameobas
As good as Booster Gold's original series by Dan Jurgens was, the character never really clicked until Giffen & DeMatteis brought him into the Justice League. From the very onset they made him the buffoon (albeit a buffoon you couldn't help but love). Over the next few months I watched as a the friendship between Michael & Ted Kord grew into a Martin & Lewis like duo (with both of them Lewis thinking they were Martin). If ever there were two 'best friends' in spandex, it was Booster & Beetle - the Blue and the Gold.
Blue Beetle died over 5 years ago, In all those years Booster has been trying to bring him back. Whether it be actual time travel or just a fervent hope that something good will happen and he'll return nothing was ever lasting.
Chap already spelled out what Booster's been doing since the 1st issue of this current series. I don't think there's been an issue to go by without Ted being mentioned or (thanks to time travel, Nekron, etc) seen. In dealing with Ted's death, we've read Booster's denial, his anger, bargaining and depression time and time again.
This issue Giffen & DeMatteis put him through all that and more. For after 'losing it' with a would be anti-hero, at long last, 'accepts' that his friend is not coming back. DeMatteiis is such a strong writer that he doesn't even need the words to portray this (and thankfully Batista's art does the script justice).
In the end I find that this isn't just an issue about Booster coming to terms because in many ways it's about how we the fans need to come to terms about Ted's death. I know I've been waiting for his return (just like Michael) and I suppose I too need to follow the books lead and accept that that ain't gonna happen.
Booster's now in a place where he can move beyond his buddy.
And Ted? His memory is enough.
Story - 9
Art - 7
Bonus point for the Legion Clubhouse - 1
Overall - 8.5
Review by BlueStreak
Booster Gold has long been one of my favorite heroes. When I was a kid, I used to sneak into my dad's comic book collection and read about Booster and Blue Beetle's misadventures in the JLI and loved every moment of it. It remains one of my favorite runs to this day. Fast forward a few years when a slightly older BlueStreak heard about a certain DC Countdown special written by Geoff Johns, who was writing the only DC title that I was reading at the time (albeit in trades), Teen Titans. It was around then that I picked up my first floppy and decided to pick up DC Countdown during a random trip to a comic book store shortly thereafter. My first DC single issue featured the death of Ted Kord, one of my favorite characters. There has to be some irony there.
Anyways, Ted's death revitalized his best friend's "career", so to speak. Booster took center stage in Infinite Crisis and 52 and soon earned his own comic. Over the last three years, Booster Gold has been a consistently enjoyable comic. First Geoff Johns brought Booster's character to the fore, giving him a unique new status quo and supporting cast. Then Dan Jurgens returned to the character he created, bringing us adventures with the Elongated Man (another favorite of mine) and some slightly confusing time travel adventures. When it was announced that Giffen and DiMatteis would return to Booster Gold, I was elated, due to my adoration of the JLI.
What we got was a mixture of good and bad. Having Booster go back in time to have another runaround with Ted, Scott Free and Barda was an inspired idea. Seeing Blue Beetle turn into a chipmunk also caused me a great deal of amusement. However, the past couple of months, Booster Gold just hasn't been doing it for me. Maybe it's the rather directionless arc that the story has been set in. And with a wedding approaching and a Review Group Exchange System in need of funds, Booster Gold found itself on the way off BlueStreak's pull list.
Which brings us to this issue, the do or die issue for Booster Gold. Was it a perfect issue? Absolutely not. The story seemed too brief and it was a touch of melodrama. But at the same time, it hit home in all the right ways. Booster's trip to the past rips open the wounds of the loss of his best friend, a death that had been passed over in the chaos of Infinite Crisis. And even though a final jaunt with the Super-Buddies was fun, it's this issue that really drives the story home. Booster has lost a lot over the last few years, perhaps more than any other hero in the DCU. Booster lost all of his closest friends. Ted, Ralph, Sue, Scott, Barda, and Dimitri are all dead, and unlike the rest of the DC universe, they stayed dead. Giffin and DeMatteis point out the stark truth: Booster's friends aren't coming back.
I don't know if I'll be hanging on to Booster Gold in the near future, but it certainly earned a one-month reprieve. This was a solid comic, especially for fans of the character.
Review by False Prophet (New Member!!!)
This is the first issue of BG I've read in a while. Michael's not a completely unlikable character, but for a futuristic hero he represents a version of the DCU I'd prefer was long in the past. After this issue, maybe that'll change. Maybe Booster will change. Maybe letting go of the huckle-chuckle days of the classic, yet defunct, JLI will give the character what he needs to be the prime-time player in the DCU his ego always thought he would be.
There's nothing particularly special about the storytelling here. If anything, it's rife with old-school cliches that work in spite of themselves. The art is only servicable. But there's an air of movement in this issue that makes up for these shortcomings. I've been fooled before by "letting go" issues, but I'll give this one the benefit of the doubt. Ted Kord is dead, and Booster realizes it's time to let go. I can only imagine what that coccept actually means for a time-traveler, but this issue portrays it as heavy stuff indeed. If Booster wants to be a hero of the times, he can't afford to be stuck in times gone by.
So, all in all, this seems like a good starting or ending point for the casual fan. I'll check out BG next month to see if Michael starts to become the hero of the future or if he reverts back to being a braw-ha-ha stick in the mud.
Story: 7
Art: 6
Review by guitarsmashley
That was a decent enough comic. Nothing special but not as bad as I expected it to be. Batista's art did not look very good and looked like older JrJr which is ok but if I wanted that I'd read older JrJr. The ending was plenty sappy but the comic as a whole didn't suffer from being a piece of shit like any avengers book over the last 6 years.
Review by Victorious Squid
Not a lot of time for a longer review, but there's not too much I'd have to say about it anyway. If you've been interested in Booster Gold's character development following Ted Kord's death, if you've got some investment in these characters, this was probably a moving read and hopefully a turning point of sorts for Booster. If you've never been overly interested in Booster Gold and haven't really gone through that grieving for Blue Beetle either, there's just a chance it might all seem a little clichéd and not strike a chord with you.
Review by John Snow
This was for a pretty specific audience. If you don't pine for JLI like Booster does in this comic, most likely you don't give a fuck. The art was good for a second tier DC book, but it couldn't save the comic from the after school specialness of it all.
Review by Starlord
Read it and loved it. If this is the real turning point for Booster's mourning period, then I think it was the perfect. Loved the art. Loved the Dialogue. There really was nothing wrong with this at all.
Story: 10
Art: 10
My Score: 10
Review by Jude Terror
This was a fantastic issue. I'm not one of those people who thinks the JLI was the greatest thing ever. I didn't even read it. I'm also not one of those people that hates Booster Gold. I liked him in 52, and I'm enjoying him in JL:GL. From a lot of the talk of this issue though, it seemed like enjoying it would require a huge emotional investment in the characters, but I don't think it did. The story was totally accessible to someone with just a basic knowledge of Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, and the general happenings of the DCU over the past ten years.
The story is wrapped in a little bookend monologue from Booster that is a little bit touching, and conveys his sense of loss as well his sense of friendship. Inside the bookends, three plots are running. One is Booster dealing with what I guess is his family. One is an encounter with an aspiring superhero on the street. And the other, which bleeds into the others a bit, is of course his dealing with grief over the loss of his friend. For a $2.99 (I think?) comic, there's a lot of meat to this single issue story. I like that it's light on the decompression, and it left me feeling satisfied.
The art was your standard DC fare, nothing spectacular, nothing terrible. It was adequate. The only part of the issue I took issue with was the typical drop to the knees, grasp at air, throw head back and shout NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! scene that is just completely goofy whenever anyone uses it, and always has the opposite effect of it's intentions, making me laugh rather than feel the character's emotional pain. At the very least, the creators kept the NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! out and just silently showed him screaming.
Booster Gold looks like a decent series overall.
Story: 8
Art: 7
Total: 7.5
Overall: 6.5
Review by Punchy
Story - This was a strange issue of Booster Gold. For one, it contained absolutely no time-travel whatsoever. That seems impossible to me, a Booster Gold comic without time-travel? That's like a Batman comic without dark alleyways, a Hulk comic without smashing, or an X-Men comic without overwrought metaphors!
Yet somehow, Booster staying in the present worked out very well, allowing Giffen and DeMatteis to showcase what they do best, witty conversational banter, but banter with heart. And man, as a big fan of the Ted Kord Blue Beetle, this issue kind of got to me.
Giffen and DeMatteis' return to a character they so memorably worked on back in the day has been a lot of fun so far, tangentially related to the excellent Justice League: Generation Lost, it's featured Booster Gold travelling through time to try and find proof that Maxwell Lord exists, and the many diversions he's gone through, leading to goofy-yet-endearing team-ups between Booster, Ted Kord, Mister Miracle, Big Barda, General Glory and more, and all sorts of shenanigans. It's been a light-hearted side-story to the rather more serious Generation Lost.
But that all stops here, because while Booster may be able to go back in time and hang out with all those heroes, it doesn't change the fact that all of them, and crucially Ted Kord are dead as hell. This issue deals with Booster himself having to deal with that fact, and it's pretty strong stuff, I know some readers may find it trite, but screw them, I have a bias here and I admit it, I love the old JLI characters, Booster and Beetle in particular, and any issue that deals with them is a plus in my eyes. That's the real strength of Giffen and DeMatteis as a writing team, it's not just constant bwahahahas, they built a Justice League that was full of real people, a Justice League readers actually cared about, and this issue, as well as Generation Lost is a testament to that fact.
That's not to say this issue isn't funny enough, the DeMatteis patter is at it's best here, the back and forth between Booster and Skeets is wonderful, when he gets into full-flow, there aren't many better in comics at this kind of dialogue, maybe not even Bendis! I also liked the rationale behind the new 'Booster' character, topical! Plus, the huge amount of dialogue makes the silent sequences even more important, when DeMatteis goes quiet, you know something's up.
So yeah, I liked this issue a lot. I admit it's personal bias for these old characters and writers, but doesn't everyone have those? I imagine if you're not a pre-existing Booster fan this issue will do little to persuade you, and even if it did, you're likely to be disappointed as it's a very atypical Booster Gold story, but for me, and for legions of other JLI fans, this was just what we needed. This issue was a great trip into the past, and also holds great promise for the future. Perhaps we did travel through time after all?
Art - Chris Batista, is probably the 3rd most important Booster Gold artist, after Dan Jurgens and Kevin Maguire. Batista drew most of the character's stuff in 52, which was the start of his return to greatness, and he's just a great fit, he gets the facial, character conversational stuff, but also the superhero adventure stuff. It's not mindblowing, but hey, do you need it to be?
Best Line - The best line in this issue wasn't a line at all, it was a silent cry of emotion. Which is odd for a Giffen/DeMatteis joint I know, but then again, with them, the best line is never a line, and you'd end up quoting an entire issue, so the Booster Gold cry of anguish it is then.
Review by SilverPheonix
How does the "Hero-Of-Time" cope with things he's powerless to change? This issue sheds a big light on that very subject!
If there was ever a Superhero that was the poster-boy for "Things are not always as they seem", Booster Gold would most definitely be. Michael Jon Carter's entrance into the Superhero Game was marred by his inability to control his very Avarice, which caused him to be a disgraced Sports Hero of the 25th Century, sending himself into the 20th/21st Century as a way to become a winner again. Since his debut Booster Gold has not only had enough epic rises to the top (to match his tragic falls to the bottom) that could be the subject of many books, but has gone on to craft a reputation (despite his great deeds along the way) as an opportunistic fortune-seeking glory hound that's shared among fans and heroes. A reputation that began to change in DC's Magnum Opus of the decade 52, when Booster Gold discovered a calling that was bigger than anything else he's ever been involved in, and that was becoming a defender of time, setting Booster Gold on both a path that would change him forever, and to confront the tragedy that has scarred his very soul, the death of his best friend.
As most Comic Book Fans know, the best friend in question was Ted Kord (The second Blue Beetle, who was killed by Maxwell Lord in what would become known as The Countdown to Infinite Crisis. Ted's Death would send shockwaves throughout the DCU, hitting many of its heroes hard, especially Booster Gold, who would spend half of his time visiting timelines in hopes of bringing his friend back. These Adventures have become synonymous with the current book of Booster Gold, and can definitely fool you into thinking that things were like what they used to be in the glory days of "Blue and Gold", until you realize that it is not the current realty that's being presented. At the end of the day, Ted Kord is still dead, and the pain is still there. A fact that we see on display in all of its lamentable glory in Booster Gold #39, a book that's definitely more than the sum of its parts.
In what could be called a change of pace, I'm going start the meat of this review by talking about what's on the surface with this book. At its core Booster Gold #39 is your standard "dealing with the death of a friend" issue, with all of the clichés that come along with such an issue. Most of the parts dealing with Booster's feelings towards Ted Kord's death definitely have their share of melodrama, as it tries its hardest not to venture too far into the after school special territory, but ends up failing just slightly in that regard. The art, while technically a few levels above serviceable doesn't go out of its way to stand out. It just reminds us what should be expected of every single comic writer. When you put those two parts together, what you have on the surface is an average issue of yet another comic on the superhero stands. However, when you go beyond the surface, that's when the comic's beauty begins to open up.
Despite what some would call excessive melodrama, there is plenty to enjoy about this story. The scenes where Booster interacts with his Sister, Michelle (Goldstar), Rip Hunter, Rani and Skeets are definitely fun to see play out, as we get quite a good glimpse at the relationships that he has with each one. Speaking of Rani and Skeets, the contrasting ways they view Michael adds a good layer of nuance. Skeets (who has shown more personality than a Geoff Johns penned Barry Allen) sees Booster Gold for what he truly is, and Rani sees Booster Gold in his ideal state, which helps to bring across the strongest asset of this book, which is the display of Booster's humanity. Unlike his "iconic" brethren who are often written (and seen) as Deities, Booster Gold reminds us that flawed Superheroes can still be Superheroes. It is through that aspect that Giffen and DeMatteis write something that can constituted as a love letter to an era where DC wrote about humans that happened to be Superheroes, and not the other way around, and because of this, the feelings that Booster has for Ted shine through the melodrama present. The end is especially powerful as Ted's Tombstone continues to stand the test of time as a monument to what he meant to not just Booster, but the DC Universe at large, a fitting tribute to a character that was sadly neglected by all of us.
As for the art, while I did say that the art doesn't stand out, this doesn't mean that it doesn't have merits that should be commended (remember, I have very high standards). Firstly the art does a great job (for the most part) conveying the different emotions each of the characters feel. From Goldstar's cool, to Rani's childlike wonder and guilt, the book almost all the right notes in helping to tell the story of these people. Booster's emotions are also well portrayed, even if the first panel where he expresses his grief doesn't come across the way it should, it's still commendable due to the effort put into it. If we could get to the point that this art would be considered truly average (not a bad thing, mind you), then the Comic Book Industry would be where it should be.
When you get right down to it, Booster Gold #39 is definitely more than the sum of its parts. It's absolutely average surface is just a gateway to the beautifully flawed book this is. Just like Booster Gold himself, this book shines through its flaws to do something worth celebrating. Maybe when DC stops being so obsessed with Iconography, Ted Kord can come back to a world that'll appreciate him more. Till then, the best thing to do will be to remember what he meant to his Universe at large. This book accomplishes just that.
The Verdict
Story: 7
Art: 7
Accessibility: 7
Final Judgment: 7.75
That's it for this week. Join us for the week of December 22nd, when the Review Group reviews Green Lantern: Larfleeze Christmas Special #1.
Written or Contributed by: BlueStreak


text:
Real Smart様は99designsでロゴデザインコンペを開催しました。
Real Smart Inc. http://www.realsmart.ca
Real Smart is a Real Estate & Mortgage Broker Training company that offers classes for people who want to become a realtor or mortgage broker in 5 or 7 weeks part time in the Classroom and/ or Online for 10 years now. (http://www.realestatetrainingbc.com) or http://www.realsmart.ca
I am looking to create a fun & professional logo. We are a family run training facility that has innovative online courses using latest technology. and in class courses.
Everyone! All people over 18 years of age. We get Airline Pilots, Chartered accountants, to farmers, stay at home moms to rock bands.
People looking to:
Change Careers -sick and tired of just making a living
Add to their Career- extra income. this could be shift workers (fire fighters, teachers, nurses)
Retired or almost ready to retire
Displaced Workers (injured must change careers to fired)
Developers ( develop land and don't want to pay realtors to sell)
Family of Realtors wanting their adult son or daughter to come into the business
Investors (want to see the good deal first)
Mortgage Brokers already in the business, but just need licensing now or just want into that field.
Salespeople - looking to change sales careers
I also need to target to the actual Real Estate Offices and Mortgage Brokers Companies so they can send me students.
I am not looking for your typical name and house design. Although it could have a reference to it.
I like the colours BLUE, White and Yellow
Real Smart
Real Estate Training
Classroom & Online
I also teach the Mortgage Brokers course and others, so I'm not sure how to incorporate that or not. I think its good to identify we are a training company though.


text:
The Rooster needed a new other design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 91 designs submitted by 29 freelance designers.
The name of the restaurant is Rooster's Beak.
My name is Jonathan Marks. I have been working in restaurants as cook/chef/director for some years now, and have finally worked towards realizing a dream to open my own place. I love food and drink, and the commraderie a small local restaurant can provide. I hope to achieve this and more.
The target audience is pretty broad. It is a restaurant, so I want to appeal to lots of people, and have the kind of atmosphere and ambience that welcomes everyone. We are a "downtown" restaurant, which for my city usually means a little younger and really eclectic crowds. There is a large medical community in the area along with a university, and some government complex; so our lunch crowd will be a really interesting mix. My city is small and is surrounded by vast suburbia and country, so successfull restaurants have to be sort of destination places. In other words, people go a little out of there way to come because everyone drives. There is not a large foot traffic demographic. This, for me, adds extra emphasis to be unique, and have a really cool graphic.
Since the restaurant is called, Rooster's Beak, I am obviously looking for a depiction of a Rooster. What I have in mind is something edgy, almost tribal looking with some embellishments on the beak, eyes, cockscomb, etc. It can be a profile of the head, or the body. I am NOT looking for something like the country rooster you might find at Cracker Barrel or Wal-Mart. I do not want a lot of colors. Mostly black lines and if anything, dark reds, yellows, oranges, blues. The graphic needs to be able to be converted down for a business card, and rendered wall size for the interior of the actual restaurant. I don't want something goofy and silly that you might find at Disney...you know, a rooster with sunglasses, holding a taco, and smiling. The key words for me are edgy, tribal, cool, eye catching. I want people to see the graphic and know it is this restaurant. I have had some setbacks already trying to find a graphic, so the sooner the better. I am very eager to find something, and look forward to seeing the results!


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Matthew H. Paull, director, WMS Industries
Matthew Paull was elected to the board of directors of WMS Industries. He was senior executive vice president and chief financial officer of McDonald's Corporation from July 2001, until he retired from that position effective January 2008. Prior to joining McDonald's in 1993, he was a partner at Ernst & Young. He is currently the lead independent director of the Best Buy Co. board, and chairman of its finance committee.
Copyright © 2019, Chicago Tribune


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In the early evening of September 9th, a violent explosion and giant fireball erupted in the heart of the San Francisco suburb of San Bruno, causing local residents to flee. Responding to the scene within minutes, Scientology Volunteer Ministers from the Bay Area assisted in the relief effort, as police and firefighters worked throughout the night to contain the fire.
Dawn of the following day revealed that nearly 50 homes had been leveled and dozens more seriously damaged. In the center of it all, the explosion had blown a crater 167 feet long and 26 feet wide. But just beyond that devastation stood a yellow tent, where Volunteer Ministers (VMs) were doing what they have done in so many disaster areas. No matter the task, they worked to restore calm and order in the area and the lives of rescue personnel survivors, including aiding officials touring the disaster sight and providing assists to speed physical and spiritual healing. In fact, several residents from nearby neighborhoods came to the VM tent asking, "Is this where you volunteer?" Whereupon, they were immediately trained in the technology of assists.
At a nearby recreational center, where evacuees were temporarily relocated, the VMs were also present— passing out water and other supplies, providing a listening ear for anyone who simply wanted to talk about what had happened and directing people on where to fill out Federal Assistance and insurance forms.
Perhaps the most telling tale of the help the VMs gave came from the Red Cross coordinator, who thanked them for their rapid and vital assistance. Whatever was needed and wanted, she knew the VMs could be depended upon to provide it.
But the story doesn't end there, because the Volunteer Ministers in the Bay area say they will continue to render assistance to the victims of this disaster until they can get their lives back on track. This means everything from sifting through belongings and papers to providing counseling. All of which underscores the motto of the Volunteer Ministers both in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout the world, as they continue to prove that "Something Can Be Done About It."


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I was recently reminded of how good this stuff is, so I figured it needed to get over to this board. The next time you get hold of fresh porcini (and I know that's a rare thing for many of us) you MUST make this.
(From Stuart Yaniger on the old FLDG, 6/13/04):
This is a dish I had at Locanda San Giorgio in Neviglie (near Alba). During truffle season, Locanda is as close to paradise on Earth as I can imagine. The cooking there is super-simple Italian country cuisine executed perfectly. And as such, the dish is easier to outline than to break into a traditional recipe. This is service for two, but you can scale up if you have more ramekins than me.
First, we make a porcini fonduta. Take 2 or 3 medium porcini (you MUST use fresh here), trim, and cut into 4-5mm thick slices. Mince one or two shallots. Mince three or four cloves of garlic. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, then add the shallots and garlic, stir, then add the porcini. Sautee with lots of flipping and stirring until the porcini start releasing some juice and the pan gets some brown stuff starting to form. Deglaze with a splash of white wine, add a few tablespoons of stock, a pinch of chopped sage, salt and pepper, then reduce slightly. Stir in a couple tablespoons of cream or creme fraiche, remove from the heat, then stir in grated fontina until you get a nice, viscous coating on the mushrooms.
Now, we make the terrina. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F. Put in a bain marie, then add boiling water to it. Take two 200ml (7 oz) ramekins, grease them (I used Pam and a little EVO), then spoon in some fonduta. Put the ramekins in the bain marie for four minutes.
Remove the ramekins from the bain marie, crack one perfect egg into each of them, then put the ramekins back in the bain marie for about 7 minutes, or until the whites are loose but nearly all-white and the yolk has thickened but not hardened at all.
Remove the ramekins from the bain marie, put 2 or 3 drops of white truffle oil on each, a pinch of fleur du sel, a half pinch of pepper, then serve.


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Tiffanytnttobol needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 106 designs submitted by 30 freelance designers.
Insurance.tv is a national website dedicated to informing consumers about all types of insurance via video. The site which is currently in development will be fun, forward thinking, professional, and educational. Once clients have found the answers to their insurance questions on our site they can get quotes from agents around the country to buy insurance.
Our design style is clean and simple. The parent company of insurance.tv is Hometown Quotes. You can see our current logo (which we are fond of) at hometownquotes.com. Another great example of the design style we are moving towards is a new landing page we created -http://agents.hometownquotes.com/sign-up/.
Age groups - Focus is 25-45. Technically it could be applicable to any age group as everyone needs insurance but mostly people in this age group shop for it online.
Geographic - All of the United States
Gender - Must be applicable to both genders but we find more women do insurance shopping than men
The Logo should only include the name of the site:
Brand colors:
Grey - R:128, G:128, B:132
Green - R:113, G:191, B:68
Font: We prefer a Sans-serif font
Since the focus of this site is video and the url is a .tv we like the idea of having some portion of the logo include a tv graphic, perhaps part of the name is encased in a tv? The tv graphic should be modern, nothing retro.
We would also like to have the logo include a design element that could become a stand alone icon.
The files we will require are:
Print file format - .ai (CMYK)
Web file format - .jpg and layered .psd (RGB)
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Brian.nudd necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 256 diseños de 86 diseñadores freelance.
We are a California-based, young and aggressive company that seeks to make web development a more simple and transparent process.
Our website is currently under construction and has not been released to the public. Any existing websites that use our company name (Webarchy) are completely independent of us.
Our target market is professional web developers and graphic designers. So design a logo that would appeal to you!
Here are the specifics of what we would like for our logo design:
1. We are looking for a logo that conveys, abstractly, the concept of a hierarchy or organizational chart.
2. The general color scheme, font, and style of our website will resemble this: http://cache0.bigcartel.com/product…_photo.png.
3. Please do not include the .org in the logo design.
4. Please do not incorporate a literal hierarchy or organizational chart; we are looking for an abstract representation of those concepts.
5. We would like the logo to show the full name of the company: Webarchy.
6. We are looking for a simple, stylized logo.
7. No shadows please.
8. Gradients are OK, but not required.
9. Please do not use cartoons.
10. Please do not use stock images or clip art in the logo.
The file formats we will require are:
1. Print file format - .ai (CMYK)
2. Web file format - .jpg and layered .psd
Also, we will need versions of the logo that will work for the following background colors:
1. The dark grey (the flower) shown in this image: http://cache0.bigcartel.com/product…_photo.png
2. A white background. For this, we would like a version of the logo with a translucent background, so that we can use it for letterhead, business cards, etc.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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October 1, 2004
Get directions to Wabash College Fine Arts Center
Each time I drive on highway 36 through Parke County, I notice the signs
that read "Ernie Pyle Memorial Highway." I've been to Dana, Indiana to
see Pyle's home and the museum of his memorabilia housed there.
Pyle was the legendary war correspondent whose words—more like
poetry—let Americans feel what it was like to work, live, and die on the
front lines in war time. Pyle himself was a war casualty.
Today the media has changed. People like Pyle simply do not exist and
front lines' reporting is nothing at all like it was in his day. War
reporting today is more political and less personal. It's easy to forget
about the realities of a nation at war half a globe away.
Pyle wouldn't let us forget the faces and names; but his breed of
journalism died when he did.
The closest we may have come to Pyle's style in modern times was David
Bloom's ride to Baghdad in the "Bloom-mobile." Bloom, an NBC Today Show
morning host, made the war personal. His reporting was filled with
blowing sand, dirt, blood, and tragedy. Like Pyle, Bloom was himself a
casualty of war; he died en route to Baghdad.
I really like the personal side of reporting news. That's probably why I
write a weekly column for this paper and earn a living in public
relations. I can tell the Wabash story as I see it; through my eyes,
ears, and gut.
But I do wonder what it's really like on the front lines. To report on
such a politically charged conflict like we have in Iraq would be both
exhilarating and frustrating.
This Wednesday, I'll have the opportunity to meet a reporter who has
spent the last several years covering the Middle East when Ethan Bronner
of the New York Times pays a visit to Crawfordsville.
I hope you, too, will plan to attend his public lecture in the Fine Arts
Center Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. There is no charge for admission,
and based on the title of his talk—"Covering the News in the Middle
East: Dilemmas of an American Journalist"—it's sure to be thought
Regardless of what you think about the New York Times, make it a
point to listen to Bronner's lecture. I sense he'll tell us what it's
really like over there; there are no senior managing editors on hand to
edit his lecture! I imagine he'll be open for questions after the talk.
Bronner has been around the block, too. He began with the very respected
Reuters news service in 1980, working in Jerusalem, London, Madrid, and
Brussels. Later he spent 13 years with the Boston Globe, covering
a range of stories from the Supreme Court in Washington to Middle East
politics from Jerusalem.
In 1997, Bronner began writing about education for the New York Times
. That's when I began to follow his byline with hopes that I might some day
convince him to take a trip to Crawfordsville to investigate a unique
college for men called Wabash.
He never took the bait, and in 2001 he became an editor in the paper's
investigative unit, focusing on the terrorist attacks of September 11. A
series of articles he helped edit won a 2001 Pulitzer Prize.
After a couple of years as assistant editor of the editorial page
focusing on foreign affairs and law, Bronner assumed his current post as
deputy foreign editor of the New York Times.
Guys like Ernie Pyle don't exist these days, and I think it's too bad.
But I am thrilled that Wabash will host Ethan Bronner for his take on
the issues in the Middle East and the difficulty in reporting on them.
Come listen and learn, question and debate. It's not often we have such
a rich opportunity so close to home. Don't miss it.


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WATCH: 'Charlie' Gives Louis C.K.'s Life To Charlie Brown For Christmas
Need something to help you get over the taste left by last weeks revelation that Charles Schulz was really bad at sending adulterous love letters to women half his age? Why not watch proof that the future for the neurotic, preternaturally mature children of Peanuts is as utterly bleak as you always pictured it would be!
more »


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gocarshare needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 103 designs submitted by 33 freelance designers.
I would like to change the way we travel. A lot of people worry about global warming and who is to blame. That's fair enough but I am much more interested in actually doing something about it. gocarshare is an innovative website will help people share car journeys. Its a new project but it has big aspirations to be truly international and to help people travel in a cheaper more enviromentally friendly and more fun manner.
Predominantly young people (18-30) but not by any means exclusively
Anyone who is a little bit adventuress
People travelling to sporting events, festivals and weddings, commuters, people going on holiday
Ideally the logo should exude what we stand for ... being fun, doing the right thing, trying to make things a little bit better, having a sense of adventure.
As far as colours go, that's up to you. Green would be an obvious choice given our environmental credentials, but I am willing to consider anything. Bear in mind that the website hasn't been designed yet so we wouldn't want to have anything too crazy colourwise that will restrict our options for the design (unless there was an option to have a neutral coloured version as well).
One idea I have had so far is to use the colours of some traffic lights to make something really emphasise the 'go' in gocarshare. Please feel free to try something out in this manner or alternatively prove to me that that is a stupid idea by coming back with something different and better.
Right team, I think I've given you enough to get started. Fire back any questions, I am more than happy to go into more detail.
Go, Go, Go!
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Alright peoples. Not long ago we posted about a friend of a friend who makes brilliant 8-bit flavored-with-live-instrumentation-cyborg-music. His name is Daniel(s). Definitely MRI approved. He's playing in New York this Friday at Lit Lounge with The Sea That Dried Up and Became A Parking Lot (best name ever). The show is at 8:30, and it will be brilliant. Bring your friends, and feel free to spam this MRI-created flyer everywhere.
This is what the show will most likely look like.
See you all there!


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Dear visitor, welcome to SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers. If this is your first visit here, please read the Help. It explains how this page works. You must be registered before you can use all the page's features. Please use the registration form, to register here or read more information about the registration process. If you are already registered, please login here.
Saturday, August 24th 2002, 5:20am
Supreme Member
Location: USA
Saturday, August 24th 2002, 2:18pm
Friday, November 1st 2002, 2:10am
Saturday, May 31st 2003, 6:46am


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|Volunteer Assistant Coach
|3rd Season
|Alma Mater:
|Framingham State University, 1996
Coach Joe Chiodo returns for his third year as a member of the UMass Boston staff in 2014. Chiodo came to UMass Boston after serving as the head varsity coach of Watertown High School for 10 seasons (2002-11).
During his time at Watertown, Chiodo led the program to five MIAA State Tournament berths, including a Division I North Finals appearance in 2004. He also coached 19 players that went on to continue their careers at the college level.
Before taking over at Watertown, Chiodo served as the pitching/assistant coach at Framingham State University from 2000-2001. He has served as the President and Manager of the Watertown Reds Baseball program since 1998, which includes an amateur team in the Intercity League as well as various AAU teams as well.
Chiodo also serves as the Director of Player's Edge Baseball Clinics which he began in 2003, as well as working with variety of well-known camps such as the Nomar Gariaparra, Trot Nixon, Dustin Predroia, and Jason Varitek Baseball Camps.
As a player, Chiodo played his college baseball at Framingham State University from 1993-1996. He was named a two-time team captain and garnered All-MASCAC honors as a pitcher in 1996. In his junior season ('95), Chiodo helped the Rams pitching staff to the program's lowest single-season earned run average with a 3.72 combined ERA.


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1. The issue of jurisdiction is one of law over which an appellate court's review is unlimited. Jurisdiction is the power of the court to decide. The issue of the court's subject matter jurisdiction may be raised at any time. An appellate court has the duty to independently examine the district court's jurisdiction, even when the issue is cast by the parties in a different light.
2. A defendant has a statutory right to be present at a probation revocation hearing. When probation is revoked but then reinstated under conditions, the defendant has a conditional liberty interest which may be revoked only upon a violation of those conditions.
3. The court's oral expression of the terms of probation, following the revocation and reinstatement of probation, controls over the written words in a memorializing journal entry. Exceptions to this rule are standard conditions of probation imposed by statute in every case. These are excluded because the defendant has constructive notice of them. The assignment of a defendant to the Labette Correctional Conservation Camp is a special condition of probation, not a standard condition implicit in every probation.
4. K.S.A. 2005 Supp. 22-3716(d) allows the district court 30 days following the date probation is scheduled to end to compel a defendant's appearance to answer charges that the defendant violated the terms of probation.
Appeal from Butler District Court; DAVID A. RICKE, judge. Opinion filed January 26, 2007. Reversed.
Rachel L. Pickering and Virginia A. Girard-Brady, of Kansas Appellate Defender Office, of Topeka, for appellant.
Cheryl M. Pierce, assistant county attorney, and Phill Kline, attorney general, for appellee.
Before McANANY, P.J., ELLIOTT and BUSER, JJ.
McANANY, P.J.: After reading an appellate opinion, lawyers and trial judges involved in the case occasionally ask themselves if the opinion they just read has anything to do with the case they tried and decided. This is one of those cases.
James R. Baldwin claims the district court did not have the authority to revoke his probation because it had already expired. His argument and that of the State, both to the district court and to us, focus on the interesting question of whether K.S.A. 2005 Supp. 21-4603d(a)(5) automatically extended his probation for 6 months following his completion of the program at the Labette Correctional Conservation Camp. We need not reach this issue since, contrary to the positions taken by the parties, Baldwin was never ordered to attend the Labette program in this case. Consequently, his probation expired months before the State sought to revoke his probation. The State's motion, therefore, was untimely and the district court had no jurisdiction to revoke Baldwin's probation in this case and send him to prison.
Let us explain. The case now before us involves Baldwin's sentence following his conviction for a burglary. On May 3, 2002, Baldwin received a prison sentence of 21 months for this conviction, but was granted probation for 24 months. Thus, his probation was scheduled to expire on May 3, 2004.
On October 4, 2002, community corrections requested revocation of Baldwin's probation in this case and three other cases based upon the allegation that Baldwin had committed yet another crime, criminal trespass, 2 days earlier. A hearing was held on January 27, 2003, at which the court sentenced Baldwin in a new case (possibly the criminal trespass charge, the record is not clear), following which the court considered the State's request to revoke Baldwin's probation in the present burglary case and the three other cases. In the new case, the court imposed a prison sentence but granted Baldwin 24 months' probation on the condition that he complete the program at the Labette Correctional Conservation Camp.
Following the sentencing in this new case, the court considered the State's revocation motion. Baldwin stipulated to the probation violation. The district court found Baldwin to be in violation and stated: "I will let you continue, however, in community corrections. And those will all run concurrently with these cases, so that they can all be handled together." The district court did not extend Baldwin's probation in any of his cases, nor did it make any further mention of Labette. On February 6, 2003, a journal entry was filed in our present case, memorializing that the court had revoked and reinstated Baldwin's probation on the condition that he complete the Labette program.
On February 4, 2004, Baldwin completed the Labette program and began the 6-month follow-up program under the supervision of community corrections called for in K.S.A. 2005 Supp. 21-4603d(a)(5). As we will discuss further, Baldwin's probation in the case now before us expired on May 3, 2004. Three months later, on August 4, 2004, community corrections requested that Baldwin's probation be revoked in the burglary case now before us because Baldwin failed to report to his probation supervisor; tested positive for marijuana and alcohol; and failed to pay fines, costs, restitution, and fees.
On July 29, 2005, the district court held a hearing on the August 4, 2004, revocation request. The State argued that Baldwin's probation in this case was automatically extended to August 6, 2004, to accommodate the 6-month period of community corrections supervision following completion of the Labette program as provided in K.S.A. 2005 Supp. 21-4603d(a)(5). The court agreed, revoked Baldwin's probation, and ordered him to serve his original 21-month sentence. Baldwin now appeals.
Both Baldwin and the State are operating under the assumption that Baldwin was ordered to Labette in this case. Accordingly, Baldwin argues that his assignment to Labette under K.S.A. 2005 Supp. 21-4603d(a)(5) did not automatically extend his probation for the 6-month follow-up supervision period. Thus, he contends, his probation terminated on May 3, 2004, and the district court did not have jurisdiction to send him to prison after his probation expired.
The issue of jurisdiction is one of law over which our review is unlimited. Foster v. Kansas Dept. of Revenue, 281 Kan. 368, 369, 130 P.3d 560 (2006). Jurisdiction is the power of the court to decide. Carrington v. Unseld, 22 Kan. App. 2d 815, 817, 923 P.2d 1052 (1996). Here, the issue is the subject matter jurisdiction of the court. This issue may be raised at any time. We have the duty to independently examine the court's jurisdiction, even when the issue is cast by the parties in a different light. See State v. Wendler, 280 Kan. 753, 755, 126 P.3d 1124 (2006).
A defendant has a common-law and statutory right to be present at sentencing, "'separate and apart from the constitutional . . . right to be present at the trial.'" State v. Braun, 253 Kan. 141, 145, 853 P.2d 686 (1993) (quoting State v. Fennell, 218 Kan. 170, 176, 542 P.2d 686 [1975]); see K.S.A. 2005 Supp. 22-3405(1). Absent a waiver, a sentence imposed outside the defendant's presence is void. Braun, 253 Kan. at 145-46; State v. Turbeville, 235 Kan. 993, Syl. ¶ 4, 686 P.2d 138 (1984). "Thus, a defendant is sentenced in absentia when the judgment and commitment order is allowed to control when there is a conflict." United States v. Villano, 816 F.2d 1448, 1452 (10th Cir. 1987). "If there is a variance between the oral pronouncement of sentence and the sentence as set forth in the written judgment, the oral sentence prevails." State v. Rice, 227 Kan. 416, Syl. ¶ 10, 607 P.2d 489 (1980).
Clearly, the oral expression of the sentencing judge at a sentencing hearing controls over the written words in a memorializing journal entry. There is no Kansas case, however, which announces that this principle applies in the context of a probation revocation and reinstatement proceeding. Our analysis leads us to conclude that it does.
A defendant in Kansas has a statutory right to be present at a probation revocation hearing. K.S.A. 2005 Supp. 22-3716(b). Probation "subject to such conditions as the court may deem appropriate" is, like commitment to the Secretary of Corrections or assignment to a conservation camp, an authorized disposition upon conviction of a crime. K.S.A. 2005 Supp. 21-4603d(4). Once probation is granted under conditions, a defendant has a conditional liberty interest which may be revoked only upon a violation of those conditions. State v. Lumley, 267 Kan. 4, Syl. ¶ 2, 977 P.2d 914 (1999); State v. Walker, 260 Kan. 803, Syl. ¶ 3, 926 P.2d 218 (1996). If the conditions are the basis for the defendant's liberty, they are part of the sentence. Cf. Villano, 816 F.2d at 1452-53.
Other jurisdictions generally hold that conditions of probation stated in a journal entry but not imposed in open court are of no effect. See United States v. Bigelow, 462 F.3d 378, 383 (5th Cir. 2006); United States v. Alburay, 415 F.3d 782, 788 (7th Cir. 2005); State v. Bailey, 782 So. 2d 22, 26 (La. App. 2001); State v. Malloy, 325 Mont. 86, 90, 103 P.3d 1064 (2004);. However, this rule is typically restricted to special conditions of probation. Standard conditions of probation imposed by statute in every case are excluded because the defendant has constructive notice of them. These standard conditions are implicit in the grant of every probation. See United States v. Napier, 463 F.3d 1040, 1042-43 (9th Cir. 2006); State v. Williams, 712 So. 2d 762, 764 (Fla. 1998); Bailey, 782 So. 2d at 26; State v. Kroll, 322 Mont. 294, 301-02, 95 P.3d 717 (2004). The assignment of a defendant in Kansas to Labette is a special condition of probation, not a standard condition implicit in every probation.
Baldwin's assignment to Labette was contained in the journal entry but was not announced from the bench in this case at the May 3, 2002, hearing. At the January 27, 2003, hearing, the court announced from the bench that Baldwin's assignment to Labette was a part of his original sentence in another case. The fact that the journal entry says otherwise is of no effect. When the court reinstated Baldwin's probation in his burglary case, it did not extend it. Consequently, Baldwin's probation expired on May 3, 2004, 24 months after it was imposed.
The State sought to revoke Baldwin's probation in this case on August 4, 2004. K.S.A. 22-3716(d) allows the court 30 days following the date probation is scheduled to end to compel a defendant's appearance to answer charges that the defendant violated the terms of probation. Baldwin's probation ended May 3, 2004. The State's motion filed 3 months later was too late. Accordingly, the district court had no jurisdiction to revoke Baldwin's probation.