text:
This Is How It Feels
Napoli 2-1 Manchester City (22:11:11)
What's it like, as an away fan, to visit one of the most famous grounds in world football. One that houses fans so passionate and vociferous that the noise from a goal causes a seismic shift in the city? Lifelong Manchester City fan, David Mayor, reveals all...
Due to the effects of the on-going global financial crisis I hadn't expected to go to any of Manchester City's away games in the group stages of the Champions League with the draw approaching. But having rushed from work to a City Centre pub to watch it, there was a certain inevitability that I'd at least look into possible routes of getting to them once the draw had thrown up Bayern, Villareal and, most excitedly for me, Napoli.
Around an hour after getting home that evening I'd seen suitable flights from Manchester to Rome for less than £50. At this point I considered the factors that would decide if I'd purchase these or not. These were the state of my bank balance, my potential danger/safety and the fact that we were playing away in arguably the most atmospheric stadium in Europe. Being the responsible adult that I am, and after deliberating for somewhere in the region of 30 seconds, the latter of those factors won this particular round-robin of clashes with a more than healthy goal-difference.
Fast-forward about three-months and you'd have found myself, Big Chris and Ant in the departures lounge of Manchester Airport at 5.50 on a Monday morning. As you all know, two of the possible explanations for drinking at that time include being in an airport or going to an away game. Fortunately they don't cancel each other out so we managed a quick pint before boarding the flight which was your usual mix of lads drinking extortionately priced half-cans of Magners and well-dressed Italian businessmen. Personally I took-up a kind-of middle ground here by wearing an Adidas trackie-top whilst catching-up with world affairs by reading The Times. The two hour-flight passed while I pondered such issues as 'will the incoming Conservative government address Spain's catastrophic unemployment rate,' 'can sex addiction be considered an illness' and 'aren't Bury doing well.'
As, it seemed most of our fellow Blues on board had planned, I'd decided we'd stay in Rome on the Monday night. I was a little ashamed about this as I'd been to Rome before and felt I was guilty of "believing the hype" regarding Naples reputation for safety by thinking we'd enjoy a more relaxing day
So with bags dropped at the hotel and pasta and wine consumed we walked to the nearby Coliseum. Now for all the history associated with the place, one barely mentioned, yet significant, moment was the major huff I had with a tour-guide there in 2004. While hanging around waiting for the tour to begin, she asked us the reason for us being in the Eternal City and I excitedly told her that were going to watch Lazio v Roma the following evening. She proceeded to scoff at the idea that people would travel to Rome with the primary intention of watching a football match.
Deeply embittered by this seven years on, and the fact I
The rest of Monday consisted of a bit of a stroll followed by, at regular intervals, the all-too familiar exchange:
"Shall we go in there for one?"
"Let's have a walk around, looks nothing special in there"
Ten minutes later
"No let's see what's up here"
Five minutes later
"Can we just effin go in there?"
Fortunately (I'd hate to give away which one was me in that exchange) it wasn't long before we were enjoying many 'one's' in various places and talk inevitably turned to tomorrow and what we were to expect in Naples. The general consensus was things wouldn't be as bad as they were being made out but we just had to have our sensible heads on and adhere to the safety advice the club had provided. In addition, EFWs good leader, Danny Last, had provided a specially commissioned Napoli/City friendship logo (the shade of blue caused concern he'd actually given us a Real Oviedo/Everton friendship logo by mistake but he deserves the benefit of the doubt here) which would surely diffuse any volatile situation.
With some heavy heads we made our way to Roma Termini station for the 10.49 to Napoli Centrale the following morning and being honest, the regularly asked, hilarious question of 'are you packing steel underpants,' was now beginning to haunt us. The area around Termini isn't the best to settle a few nerves and even the most joyous of activities that is buying cans before boarding a train to a football match felt a little subdued.
Once on the train a couple of other City fans came and sat in the carriage and it was re-assuring that they didn't look the types to turn the journey into a two-hour banging on windows sing-song but just wanted a chat and a laugh discussing David White, the journey to FC Midtjylland and that kids who watch City now will grow up never having known any different. Bloody kids being young when we're good!
Upon departing the train in Naples the dreaded 'welcome party' didn't materialise, but a more welcome, welcome party did in the form of the local Carabinieri and my great mate Isra. The Carabinieri met us with smiles and simply wanted to know where we were staying and if we knew how to get there, which was another in the tick column for those of a more nervous disposition, while Isra raised the bar with a handshake and enthusiastic man-hug.
Isra, by the way, is someone who I'm surprised hasn't made the pages of EFW before as he is, amazingly enough, a big fan of the game we call football who lives in and travels around Europe watching it. An Atletico Madrid fan who now lives in Italy, he was a more than welcome addition to our party mainly because he's a grade A chap. Additionally he also speaks Italian and had been to Napoli before so his experience and language skills were appreciated.
David and Isra with the specially commissioned Napoli/City friendship logo. (Note to self: sort out ink on printer)
Having chosen to stay across the road from the station we were surprised at how quiet the area was as it had been categorised by all and sundry as no-go. The hotel also had a bar, which was welcome, but after a quick one we got the taxi down to the Port area Stazione Marittima, as advised, from where we would later be shuttled to the stadium. We were in good spirits at this point. We were now "four-handed"
Once at the port we weighed up our options and took the unpredictable decision of going to the first bar we came to. It contained around 20 other Blues and included the bloke who ran the supporters club I went to games with from the mid-nineties to the early-noughties. There was something quite brilliant in sharing a beer and a laugh with someone on route to the Stadio San Paolo in a way that's no different than when you did it before Upton Park, Filbert Street, Bescot Stadium etc I sensed his satisfaction that he wouldn't have to add to the couple of hundred thousand times he'd said 'no cans on the bus please lads' on this particular away trip as well.
We then headed directly towards the area where we would be transported to the stadium which was a weird sort of tunnel that, again, thankfully had three (that's three rather than free unfortunately) bars. I could tell this place was going to have quite a relaxed feel as you could hear that our fans were now happy to engage in a song or two. For a couple of hours ditties celebrating heroes of years gone by were intertwined with those about our current range of world-superstars which included the questionable allegation that David Silva gets pissed up on San Miguel.
With everyone in good spirits, we moved onto the heavily guarded buses around two hours before kick-off and were on our way. The singing continued although to my great disappointment no-one seemed to want to join in the praise of Tricky Tricky Ricky Ricky Holden, preferring instead to concentrate on our mercurial little Spanish playmakers (alleged) drinking habits.
I knew the journey to the stadium wasn't exactly spitting distance but I didn't expect it to take over an hour and myself and Isra believed they were deliberately delaying our arrival at the stadium. We weren't complaining though and with just under an hour or so to kick-off we were obviously in the vicinity as you could see various Napoli fans having a pre-match drink of their own. In this way it was very similar to going to a British game as an away fan on the coach. Lots of locals looked at us and there was the occasional exchange of hand-gestures but nothing to write on EFW about.
We all got off the buses and made a short walk to the stadium along a cordoned off street. Up a small, fantastically graffitied, ramp type thing, tickets checked and there it was. Through one of the gang-ways I could make out the stand (opposite the camera on TV) and could see a packed crowd and the NAPOLI CLUB and BLUE TIGRE banners that I have seen on TV and in pictures a hundred times. If 2004 German Tour guide woman could've seen me at this point it may have given her some insight into why someone might travel from England to Italy go to a football match.
Blue Moon...
I'm we're no longer alone. (bobble hats off to David for *that* bit of headgear - Ed.)
Once in view of the pitch I was completely awestruck. The players were out warming up but the crowd, as it has at matches for 25 years, fascinated me. Directly to our right was Curva A with Curva B far away in the distance to our left. We had about half an hour to kick-off at this point and there were different things catching my eye every couple of seconds although nothing could prepare for the teams entrance on the pitch.
Having had quite a fascination with Ultras over a number of years I consider myself pretty clued up on all things tifo but no-one could have failed to be impressed by this. The two curva's produced immense displays but seemingly the whole stadium had something going on. It was everywhere, huge surfer flags, flares, card displays, message banners, sparklers (see http://www.ultras-tifo.net/photo-news/616-napoli-manchester-city-22112011.html) and while I'd seen whole stadiums immersed in colour and flags before, the chaotic nature of this really was on another level.
You shouldn't be surprised to read it was also the loudest stadium I'd ever experienced and again it seemed every single Parteponi was getting involved. It was a tough task for the 800 or so of us to make ourselves heard and every time there seemed to be a break in the noise and the first strains of 'Blue Moon' or 'It should've been ten' were belted out, it was soon drowned out by, what sounded like, the whole of the city of Naples whistling.
Now I can't do justice to, or begin to include, everything that was noteworthy that happened in the stadium. It was an absolute cauldron of noise, colour, smoke etc and for two hours I was in football watching heaven. It was everything I'd ever wanted to get from the experience of going to a match and I was watching the club that I love. Of course we got beat and I felt that anxious urge of wanting us to get that equaliser as I would at any match but while we sat, kept in the stadium after the match, I still felt a strange sense of elation.
As we watched it slowly empty (and the local fans nick the Champions League banners that cover the perimeters of the stands) I could hear conversations of the "Mancini got it wrong with the full-backs" and "De-jong's lost it" nature going on behind me. I've never been one for this kind of post-match analysis but I found it especially unappealing at this time. Everyone's different, and I had on this very trip been described as being a 'bit too much of a glass half-full Blue' but having just watched Manchester City play at Napoli, sitting five points clear at the top of the league after winning the FA Cup a few months earlier I didn't think I, or they, had too much to be complaining about.
Napoli fans in the Curva A with their version of the EFW Napoli/City friendship offering. Pretty, pretty good.
The bus journey back to the port was understandably more subdued. Well that's except for the hundreds of local cars that passed us beeping horns and waving their flags and scarfs out of the window. But for us on board, there did seem a bit of relief that things had passed without any major problems and most were looking forward to getting back to their hotel for a night-cap or two.
This was where our only major issue arose. Once dropped off at the port we were left to our own devices to find our way to the hotel. I'm still unsure as to why the Police hadn't arranged for taxi's to be on hand as they'd seemed to have everything else tied up in this regard. Anyway, walking in search of a cab around midnight, with no idea where we were going wasn't ideal and the situation was intimidating as cars would drive past with drivers and passengers glaring at us. Thankfully after 10 minutes we managed to flag one down and were relieved to be on our way to the hotel.
As we entered the hotel bar I was just thinking how well the trip had passed when another City fan came in who looked petrified. Shaking, he ordered a drink and told us how the group he'd been with had just been attacked and one of them stabbed. He said the Police had been on the scene immediately and the victim seemed ok and had gone to hospital. Obviously that situation could have been worse but it was an extremely sobering moment listening to him describe what had happened.
We stayed up for a couple of hours and chatted to our barman who was, naturally, a Napoli fan and a sound bloke. He expressed concern about what had just happened, told us stories of games he'd been to over the years and asked if it was true that everyone in Manchester supports City which, being nothing if not honest, we all nodded vigorously at.
It was an early start in the morning to get the return train/flight, all of which again went smoothly. Personally, I'd had an amazing time. It was certainly different than those who went to Bayern or Villareal would have had but I knew this when booking. The other trips I've had abroad to watch a game are as much about the laugh you have with your mates/meeting opposition fans etc as the game you're going to. This one was always going to be different. It was always going to be about the moment I could see the Stadio San Paolo and the few hours that followed and that, my fellow European Football enthusiasts, was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life.
You can follow David Mayor and European Football Weekends on Twitter


text:
Show all colours
Flat weave Stair Runners
Forgotten your password?
It's quick and easy to create an account. Register here
Fluffy Flooring132-134 Lots Road, Chelsea, London SW10 0RJ
Registered in England & Wales No. 08304706
VAT no. 152342733
© 2014 - 2020 Metis Flooring Limited All rights reserved
This website uses cookies to add functionality and to improve user experience. This includes essential things like remembering what is in your shopping basket. We also include some cookies for third parties who may combine the data with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Leave a Comment Cancel reply
Welcome to the Catweazle Club!
Completely unplugged, utterly magical music, poetry, story and song, and all manner of acoustic aristry, since 1994.
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Richard Pierce on Catweazle Club's 22nd Birthday!
- Calum on The Catweazle Club's 20th Birthday, Saturday November 1st, 2014
- Phoebe Nicholson on The Magazine
- Katie A on Sarah F
- Matt on Your quotes about Catweazle Club – Sophielle
#CatweazleClub Ana R BCC Core Luminous Devaki Thomas Eliot Vanderhyde interviews Joe Martin Ricke Lindsey Luke Jackson Marcus Hirsh Oxford Patty Dale Pauline Sewards Phil Hopkins photos quotes review reviews Sacha Mokenen Sarah Frontiera Sophielle stories Sylwia Presley Tom Swinburne VIDEO Will Tattersdill


text:
There's a big assumption that when women get underwear as a gift they're expecting it to be super glam, very expensive stuff. I'm not going to say that most women would turn down the latest luxury set from La Perla, but the surprising reality is that they do respond well to thoughtful gifts that serve practical purposes. So guys, don't shy away from helping your ladies stock up on their favorite basics this holiday season. This week is Men's Week at MARGO'S MUST-HAVES and we're looking at the world of lingerie from a man's point of view. Hopefully you read my post on Monday about the key questions you should ask yourself before buying your lady intimates as a gift. If not, check it out pronto! If you already have your "Lingerie Facts List" handy, however, you are ready to charge up some serious holiday cheer for your special gal. At this point I want to give you some tips on what works well based on my ten-plus years of lingerie retailing. When I say women like basics I'm not suggesting you buy a bunch of beige panties and wrap a bow around them. What I mean is that they appreciate practical gifts as much as they like the showy ones. The key, my friend, is to strike a good balance between practicality and "fabulosity!" This means a package gift. Instead of going for one over-the-top expensive item, get her a few gifts at different price levels that satisfy both her basic needs and her fashion sense. I've counseled men to do this for many years and they never failed to return after the holidays to thank me for steering them in the right direction. My magic formula includes dependable basics, cozy and cute items and one "wow" item. Here are some examples of gift ideas that fit into these categories very nicely.
#1 Dependable Basics.
Believe it or not, women don't just need panties, they love them. Women who like fashion love to collect bottoms in all colors, shapes and styles. Hanky Panky has a loyal fan base that can't get enough of their cute designs. Known for their epic thong, Hanky Panky created the innovative, and super practical, V-kini, which gives women the flattering look of a thong with the full back coverage of a traditional bikini. You can't miss with this one, fellas.
Cosabella Cutie Lowrider thong
If you take advantage of Pink Slip's "Buy 4, Get 1 Free" offer, make sure to include this adorable thong from Cosabella. It has an ultrasoft, wide-stretch lace band with seamless crotch panel that lies softly on the inside thigh for ultimate comfort and is fashionably low rise. It's not called Cutie for nothing!
#2 Cozy and Cute.
Colette Babydoll by Eberjey Designed in stretch-to-flatter sheer honeycomb lace, this romantic chemise flatters all body types by clinging softly and features a full skirt in super-soft fabric. It makes a dream-worthy nightie but works just as well as loungewear. Eberjey is an expert at designing intimates that bring the sexy in subtle ways. The Colette Babydoll has it all.
P.J. Salvage Waffle Robe
When she has a bad day, slipping into this cozy microfiber waffle robe from P.J. Salvage after a relaxing bath is the perfect tonic. Just imagine the two of you cuddling up in front of the TV with a glass of eggnog and a slice of warm apple pie. That's what I call a classic American comfort moment!
P.J. Salvage Owls Pajama Set
Make her feel like a teenager again with the beyond-adorable Owls in Autumn flannel pajama set by P.J. Salvage. She'll look so relaxed and cute in it, I imagine you'll have quite a fun pajama party! Wink.
#3 The Wow Item.
Lilly Rose Full-Cup bra by Empreinte
The wow item has to leave her with her mouth wide open in surprise. It's a statement piece that is beautiful, highly feminine and will stand out in her lingerie wardrobe. For this holiday season, I really like the Lilly Rose full cup bra by Empreinte. Designed for the full-busted woman, Lilly Rose features an elegant chantilly lace floral design across a three-part molded cup, with two-tone fabric on the bottom and sheer embroidered mesh along the top. In a romantic red and ivory color combination, it's perfect for the holidays.
Go with any combination of these ideas and I promise you will hit all the right notes during the holiday season.


text:
Page 1
|Save page Remove page
|1 of 88
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
Large (1000x1000 max)
Extra Large
large ( > 500x500)
Full Resolution
All (PDF)
This page
TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF PERCEPTUAL DECISION by Wilson Chu A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PYSCHOLOGY) May 2008 Copyright 2008 Wilson Chu
Object Description
|Temporal dynamics of perceptual decision
|Chu, Wilson
|Author email
|Doctor of Philosophy
|Document type
|Degree program
|College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
|Date defended/completed
|Date submitted
|Restricted until
|Restricted until 11 Apr. 2010.
|Date published
|Advisor (committee chair)
|Lu, Zhong-Lin
|Advisor (committee member)
Tjan, Bosco S.
Manis, Franklin R.
Hellige, Joseph
Hirsch, Judith A.
|We combined the external noise method (1) with the cue-to-respond speed accuracy trade-off (SAT) paradigm (2) to characterize the temporal dynamics of perceptual decision making. Observers were required to identify the orientation of one of eight briefly presented peripheral Gabor targets (+/- 12 deg) in both zero and high noise. An arrow, occurring in the center of the display cued the observer to the target location 234 ms before the onset of a brief target display; an auditory beep, occurring at one of eight delays (SOA=25 to 800 ms) after the target onset, cued the observers to respond. Five Gabor contrasts, spanning a wide range of performance levels, were tested in each external noise condition. Increasing accuracy of discrimination (d ) was measured over processing times from 210 to 940 ms (as a function of SOA to the cue) in each external noise and Gabor contrast condition. All ten SAT functions were well fit by exponential functions with identical time constant and intercept but different asymptotic levels. This suggests that, despite enormous variation in the external noise and contrast energy in the stimulus, and in the ultimate accuracy of performance, information accumulated with the same rate and starting time across all the external noise and contrast conditions. In addition, we conducted a standard response time version of the experiment both before and halfway through the SAT procedure. Data from the response time version of the experiment were all consistent with the speed-accuracy trade-off data, but primarily differed in response accuracy. A simple elaboration of the perceptual template model (3) with a dynamic decision process in which information accumulates with the same rate but with step sizes proportional to the signal to noise ratio in the perceptual representation of the visual input fully accounts for the results.; The cued-to respond Speed-Accuracy Tradeoff (SAT) paradigm (1) combined with external noise manipulations was used to evaluate the effects of perceptual learning on the temporal dynamics of perceptual decision. Observers were trained in a 2AFC Gabor (+/- 12°) orientation-discrimination task in eight sessions. An auditory beep occurred at one of 8 delays (SOA = 25ms to 800ms) that cued the subjects to respond. Subject's performance was constrained to 79.1% and 70.7% correct at the longest SOA by a 3-to-1 and a 2-to-1 staircase respectively that adjusted the contrast of the signal stimuli. All subjects showed learning, demonstrated by an average reduction of contrast threshold levels of 23% in high noise and 22% in low noise. An elaborated perceptual template model with a dynamic decision process (2) provided very good fits to the data. The best-fitting model included identical time constant and intercept (t0) across all the training sessions. The result suggests that perceptual learning enhances stimulus (in the zero external noise condition) and excludes external noise (in the high external noise condition) without altering the temporal dynamics of perceptual decision.
|perceptual decision; perceptual learning; psychophysics
|Part of collection
|University of Southern California dissertations and theses
|Publisher (of the original version)
|University of Southern California
|Place of publication (of the original version)
|Los Angeles, California
|Publisher (of the digital version)
|University of Southern California. Libraries
|Legacy record ID
|Contributing entity
|University of Southern California
|Chu, Wilson
|Repository name
|Libraries, University of Southern California
|Repository address
|Los Angeles, California
|Repository email
|Archival file
|Page 1
|Contributing entity
|University of Southern California
|Repository email
|Full text
|TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF PERCEPTUAL DECISION by Wilson Chu A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PYSCHOLOGY) May 2008 Copyright 2008 Wilson Chu


text:
Locator Magazine Newsletter
Industry Leader Since 1987
For active buyers and sellers of office machines, business equipment supplies, parts and services
Copier Network Newsletter
Copier industry news, managed print services, copier-based products, multifunction copiers, duplicators, fax machines and more.
Printer Network Newsletter
Printer industry news, managed print services, networking, impact, multifunction, laser, scanners and more.
Recyclers' Network Newsletter
News for re-manufacturing and other professionals who work in the cartridge recycling industry.
OMBE Sitewide
You will receive Product News Alerts that include all the following areas...
Copiers Multifunction Copiers Duplicators Fax machines Toner
Accessories Parts Consumables Supplies Copy/White Boards Copier Parts Software Scanners
Printers Multifunction Printers Scanners Large/Wide Format Ribbons/Rolls Software Computers Consumables Typewriters
Plotters Shredders Toner Cartridges Printer Parts Coin/Currency Equipment Lamination Equipment Cash Registers Paper Handling Equipment and more...
Toner Cartridges InkjetCartridges Inkjet Ink Ribbons/Rolls Parts Supplies Cores/Empties Components Packaging
Locator Magazine
Industry Leader Since 1987
For active buyers and sellers of office machines, business equipment supplies, parts and services
*Required Fields
* *
[ Close Window ]
[Read More]
OMBE Storefronts
View All Stores
James Bainbridge
Gerhard Burits
Click below to see OMBE.com's Top 100 Most Popular Products.
do you have found a SDS License for WebSDS?
I have a Toshiba eStudio 4540c that had it's hard drive wiped by a technician that thought it was going to salvage. Well, it was
I need firmware for taskalfa 5500i and 5501i or where to find it
email email@example.com
Up .. any help please
From YKC, Inc.
"YKC, Inc. will close from March 27th - 2 weeks
Please stay safe.
No phone calls.
Announcement From: eParts Room
"RE: Continued Business Operations
During these uncertain times, we are hoping that you
i have canon oce varioprint 110 suddenly error appear 14532 and error 6503 please help .. and if is it posibble i need this machine Service Docs Kit
Locator Magazine • Ombe.com •
The Printer Network •
The Recyclers' Network •
Yesterdays Office


text:
The National Hydrocarbons Data Archive (NHDA) is the primary, long-term data archive for the geoscientific legacy resulting from UK offshore oil and gas exploration and production activity. The NHDA is operated by the British Geological Survey (BGS) under agreement with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (now BEIS). Examples of potential uses of archived data are: hydrocarbon exploration, field redevelopment and carbon dioxide sequestration projects.
The NHDA offers the only way for Licensees to obtain permanent relief from their otherwise perpetual obligation to retain Licence Data. The preferred archiving route for CDA members archiving well data and processed seismic data is via the CDA Well DataStore and CDA Seismic DataStore. Details of the archive process, including data types and standards, are described in the NHDA Archive Handbook.
Information on well and seismic data archived with the NHDA is available on UKOilandGasData (formerly DEAL). See also NHDA Data Holdings(below) for a general list of wells, seismic surveys, licences and field archived with the NHDA.
The bulk of the data archived are for wells and seismic surveys, and associated exploration licence information. Hutton is the only field that has been archived so far. In addition to the wells and a 3D seismic survey, the field data includes geological models and production data.
The NHDA holds a wide range of geoscientific data, either as digital data or as scanned images.
NHDA data are available to the public at low cost, and can be used for both commercial projects and academic research.
The NHDA is one of several measures adopted by PILOT (formerly the DECC's Oil and Gas Taskforce) to stimulate exploration and development in the UK. More about the NHDA's regulatory context, who should archive and the benefits of archiving.


text:
Maybe you've been nice or possibly a little naughty this year? Either way, I've got a whole lotta holiday must-haves to show you in my big red bag of goodies. First of all, Perfect Wardrobe has some really cute Christmas themed items available this round. Today I'm showing just part of a huge collection of poses, props and even a holiday scene that Focus Poses created for this session. Secondly, I'm showing off just one of the pretties from this round of The Boobies Show. I fell in love with this short and sexy emerald green velvet dress from The Sugar Garden, perfect for the holidays. Third, HANDverk's latest design can be found at L' Accessoires. These perfectly beautiful and intricate chandelier earrings display an assortment of desserts in 5 color palettes. Finally, WoW Skins' last release of 2012 is Hope. Not only does she come in 3 tones with 6 makeups but skin appliers are available in every tone! I'm becoming so appreciative of the the appliers being offered for many skins out there, it's such a time saver and truly does look better than trying to match your boobies yourself.
Skin: WoW Skins – Hope in Milk 02 (New!)
Hair: Truth – Sassy 2 in Blaze (New!)
Eyes: tSg – Sleepy in Hazel
Earrings: HANDverk – Cake Chandelier Earrings in Copper (New! @ L' Accessoires)
Rings: Bens Beauty – Melissa Rings in Redblood and White Leather (New! @ Perfect Wardrobe)
Dress: tSg – Velvet Mini Dress in Emerald w/appliers (New! @ The Boobies Show)
Shoes: Shiny Things – Delphine Pumps in Burgundy
Pose w/Santa's Sac Prop: Focus Poses Santa's Baby (New! @ Perfect Wardrobe)


text:
CertHistory Cisco 700-020 exam certification training dumps including the examination question and the answer, complete by our senior IT lecturers and the VSE product experts, included the current newest 700-020 examination questions.
Free updated in one year, we can send newest Cisco Video Sales Essentials VSE 700-020 training exam to your email once we have updated. You can check the update by the version number, and contact us by mail.
If you failed Cisco Video Sales Essentials VSE 700-020 exam with using our VSE 700-020 exam question material, just send the failed score report to us(Cover with PROMETRIC or VUE test center test report), we will give full refund back after we confirm well.
CertHistory Cisco 700-020 preparation material provides you everything you will need to take your 700-020 certification exam. Download the latest VSE 700-020 certification exam demo online from CertHistory. All Cisco 700-020 exam demo questions and answers on our site are tested good before you buy the full version. VSE 700-020 training exam material is in two formats. The PDF format can be read online and printed out.
The students and the professionals of information technology are constantly in search of updated knowledge and skills and that's why the aim for the certifications because it increases their knowledge and status swiftly. We want these professionals to have what it takes to become certified professionals with no retakes and that is why we give them free updates for any certification absolutely free.
700-020 Exam Updates : Our team at CertHistory monitors the course outline provided by Cisco for the 700-020 VSE for Customer Service exam for any chances and updates. We update the questions answers 700-020 file according to the change in course. DumpsFine also provides you with free updates for 365 days after the purchase of the study material.
To prove that we are the best providers of Cisco 700-020 Cisco Video Sales Essentials VSE exam study material, we offer a 100% money back guarantee for up to 90 days. This means that if you are unsatisfied with our study material you can return it and get your money back. Your 30 days time period starts when you purchase the study material for Cisco 700-020 Cisco Video Sales Essentials VSE exam.
Not only do we provide free sample for the Cisco 700-020 Cisco Video Sales Essentials VSE exam study material as stated above, we also provide online support on our website. You can send us a message or talk to our live support regarding any issue you are facing whether it is about the study material, sales or any other technical issue.
Experience CertHistory.com exam study material in PDF version.
Simply submit your e-mail address below to get started with our PDF real exam demo of your 700-020 exam.
Instant download
Latest update demo according to real exam
Copyright © CertHistory All rights reserved.


text:
Kevin Lawrence
Kevin Lawrence serves in Guatemala at our Appropriate Technology site.
Staff with Students International raise all of their own financial support in order to stay on the mission field and serve where God has called them. You can join as staff member's support team by donating on a monthly basis or with a one-time gift. Students International is in compliance with the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and all donations (from the US) are tax-deductible.


text:
When I found out that my daughter, was, in fact, a daughter (I believe the tech said something about a "cheeseburger" when describing my fetus, but I'm not entirely positive about that), I began to cry. Tears of joy.
See, I'd always expected I'd be the mother of three sons, which I'd accepted as my lot in life. I love my sons like I love butter and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. Not even a yacht.
But to find out that I was going to be the mother of a daughter? Me? With a daughter? I was beyond thrilled. And terrified.
To be fair, my mother's big threat was that I would one day be "blessed with a child like me," which seemed unlikely if I had all boys. While I wasn't particularly concerned by this, especially because she'd been threatening this since I was a wee tot myself, I was still nervous.
A daughter. Would she hate me? Would she be anything like me? Would we go to war when she started dating?
I'd prepared myself for sons. Just not a daughter.
In order to get into the festive, "I have a girl child" mood, I finally visited the baby girl department at The Target. That walk from blues and greens to pinks and reds was liberating. I began to stimulate the economy one pink thing at a time.
When she was born, I could hardly believe my luck. She WAS a girl (I'd worked Labor and Delivery long enough to have seen some MAJOR errors in sexing a fetus) and she was mine, all mine! A daughter!
That tiny baby is now a 4-year old girl, and I still bask in the delight of having a daughter. While my own mother tried to get me to wear tiny overalls and striped shirts so that I didn't end up thinking Barbie was the most perfect woman on the planet, I balked and insisted upon party dresses. For every occasion.
My daughter is the same way.
I'd figured the girly girl gene would skip a generation or so, but no. She's scrappy, tough, fearless, and believes that sparkle is, in fact, a color.
Last weekend, as we cleaned out my jewelry box, she oohed and ahhed over each item as though it were a precious jewel and not something I'd randomly picked up from a street vendor. Finally, I asked her:
"Mimi, do you want a jewelry box for your pretties?"
She nodded happily before hurling her tiny body into my arms. "Oh, THANK you, Mama! THANK YOU!" I couldn't help but smile.
I did manage to find her one this week, pink with "diamonds" as per her request, on sale at The Target (which handily doubles as my boyfriend) and I'm telling you that I've never seen her happier. She has been, of course, taking my jewelry for it, but I don't mind. She takes careful care of her pretties, making sure that everyone who enters my home is able to have a full tour of her jewelry.
This weekend, I introduced her to perfume, something she's been lusting after ever since I got some perfume in a pink bottle, and she's obsessed. I've had to tell her that no, in fact, we do not put perfume on before bed, just lotion, but that we can put some on in the morning so that we smell pretty.
It's a great way to get her normally slow ass to get dressed.
The kids were all here on Saturday, playing in the Batcave (our bedroom), and being suspiciously quiet. I did wonder a bit about that, considering quiet = trouble, but I wasn't about to forgo a couple minutes of peace for much of anything.
Soon, they burst out of our bedroom, smelling as though they'd just stepped back from the perfume counter at Macy's. Eyes watering, I asked them what had happened.
"I was making them smell pretty, Mama," Mimi proclaimed proudly.
I just laughed.
"And so you did, Lovie. And so you did," as I gathered her up into my arms and twirled her about the room until she shrieked with laughter.
These really are the best days of my life.


text:
Business Solutions for
Accounting Professionals
Easily manage your firm's finances and simplify your personal banking with CitiBusiness® Solutions for Accounting Professionals. We even have something for your clients, allowing you to strengthen those relationships with incentives.
Right for you if:
- You are an accounting professional or CPA
- You want a package that offers exclusive benefits on both business and personal banking products
- You want to deepen your relationship with your customers by offering them additional banking benefits
Package Details
CitiBusiness® Solutions for Accounting Professionals gives you access to exclusive benefits, special rebates and preferred rates.
Benefit from your business accounts
- Monthly maintenance fees waived on a CitiBusiness® Flexible Checking AccountFootnote 1
- No charge for your first order of checks (up to $150 value)Footnote 2
- Preferred over our standard interest rate on balances in a CitiBusiness® Insured Money Market AccountFootnote 3
- Receive a $100 rebate when you sign up for Citi® Merchant ServicesFootnote 4
- Receive a free scanner ($325 value) and your first month using Citibank Remote Check Deposit free (a $40 value)Footnote 5
Manage your personal finances
- Waived monthly service fee on a checking account in The Citi Priority Account PackageFootnote 6
- Enroll in Citibank's Business + Personal Banking Program and you can earn great rewards through Citi ThankYou® Rewards with your enrolled consumer checking account.


text:
Back in the Laser class heading into Rio is 41 year old Brazilian Robert Scheidt - who won two Gold Medals and a silver in the Laser class and a Silver and Bronze in the Star class over five Olympic Regattas, along with nine Laser World Championships and three Star class World Championships. He is campaigning for Rio de Janerio Olympics in 2016.
He has been living on Lake Garda in Italy for the last four years with his Lithuanian wife, Gintar? (nee Volungevi?i?t?) Olympic Laser Radial Beijing 2008 Silver medal winner and their two sons.
Sail-World talked to Scheidt during the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Hyeres.
'We have got all kind of conditions on Lake Garda. It is pretty good for training actually and we are in Europe so there is not so much travelling like when I used to live in Brazil.
'For Rio my first option was always the Star but once the Star got kicked out of the Olympics it was a big shame but I still had some fire inside me to do more Olympics in Brazil so I went back to the boat I sailed in for 15 years which was the Laser. I never had a problem keeping the body weight around 80/82 kilos. My I knew it was hard ask because I have a lot more age than my competitors but I am still feeling good. My body is feeling good.
'I think Rio is a place that will require a lot of experience to race there and I think if it was in a windy place I would have not much of a chance but in Rio I think I can compete.
'I have been 13 months back in the boat. I am not taking so much notice of the ranking because I know that at this stage of my career I cannot do all the regattas. I have to choose the regattas I want to do and try to focus on those one. Obviously it is nice to be in the top of the ranking but that's not my ultimate goal. My goal is to do well at the World Championships and qualify for the Olympics.
It's interesting watching the young generation of Laser sailors.
Tom Burton and his Australian team mates are coming from a very solid system. Burton was sailing already with Slingsby for many years and he has great coaching from Michael Blackburn so they come through a very solid group of sailors and they improve very fast so he is now probably the more consistent guy in the fleet I would say in the last five regattas.
Also you have Andy Maloney who has been doing really well on the windy days. Some other guys also, Tonci the Croatian, the French guy, the Dutch guy. The Laser has always been tough. What I see at the moment nobody is dominating. There is not a name like Slingsby who was winning every regatta. Now you have the top guys changing the top spot which is healthy I think. It is good for the class.
Laser Standard medal race © Franck Socha
The gold fleet, like we raced the last two days, it's the toughest you can get. If you don't get a clear start even a top guy can get a 25 like I did myself. Everybody is fit. Everybody is working hard and the level has been going up and up each year.
I have age against me but I have lots of experience. Experience is not something you can buy from one day to the other so hopefully I can use it in some key moments of big events and most important thing is that I am still enjoying the feeling of competing and the feeling of hitting the water on a Laser and I still have the fire inside of me.
I am not doing it just thinking about a medal. I am doing it because I still enjoy coming to events, to meet the young guys and to be able to compete and to have this feeling one more time is a great chance to be doing it at 41 years old.
Asked about the pollution in Rio Scheidt commented 'The pollution is not something new in the Guanabarra Bay. We have had this problem for many, many years. I have been sailing there for 20 years and we also have seen polluted waters.
'For the Pan America Games in 2007 they did a provisional cleaning of the water. They kept boats on the water to try to take most of the garbage so in the end we didn't have much problem at the Pan Am games with the plastic bags and so on and I think something similar will happen this year. They won't have time to clear the water because it is a big volume of water inside the Bay.
'The Bay is huge and when it rains it brings all the garbage from the mountains down. I guess the solution will be a provisional solution one more time with better boom gates on the rivers.
'The most concern is the plastic bags because it stops the boats and the athlete feels very angry with this kind of situation when you have something stuck on hull or appendage.
'The organisers and regatta managers are pushing hard to already this year, the test event, to install those boats, boom gates and cleaning boats.
'The advantage is that we have the Olympics in the winter months which doesn't rain. If we had Olympics in January in the middle of summer we would have more rain and that makes more water dirtier.
But back to sailing….
Here is Scheidt's an amazing record
In 1995, he won his first Laser World Title, in Tenerife, Spain. In 1996, his first Olympic Gold Medal in Atlanta, in the Laser Class. He won also in that year his second Laser World Championship, in Cape Town, South Africa and again in 1997, in Algarrobo, Chile.
In 2000, after his fourth World Title, in Cancún, Mexico, he was expected to win Olympic gold in Sydney, but her finished with a Silver behind Ben Ainslie (GBR). His fifth world title came in 2001, in Cork, Ireland and his sixth in 2002, in Cape Cod, United States.
In 2004, he won the Olympic Laser Gold Medal in Athens and won his seventh World Title in Bitez, Turkey, his eighth Laser World Title came in 2005, in Fortaleza, Brazil.
After this win, he switched to the two-person racing keelboat Star Class, along with Bruno Prada.
They won the Star class Worlds in 2007, in Portugal and a silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. They won the Star Class World championship in 2011 (Perth, Australia) and in 2012 (Hyeres, France)
Then after a return to the Laser class won his ninth Laser World Championship in Muscat, Oman, 2013.
Now we need to watch this space… but there is no doubt that the fairy tale ending is Olympic Gold in Rio 2016


text:
Maternity photo shoots are pretty common these days, but Christina Aguilera took the tradition to a new level with her bare-body spread.
The 33-year-old singer revealed her baby bump and then some for her shoot with V Magazine, choosing to go fully nude to really show off her glowing body. V stated that 'The Voice' judge personally contacted photographer Brian Bowen Smith with the idea because she "wanted to capture some blissful moments before she gives birth."
The 'Say Something' star certainly looks peaceful in the sexy photos. In one nipple-baring pic, she's sporting a sleek, formfitting white dress while holding her round bump. In another she's completely nude and cupping her breast, pushing her belly proudly into the white space of the photo.
In all of the snapshots she looks content, gorgeous and completely unashamed. And there's no reason she shouldn't be! The photos may be revealing, but they're tastefully done. She should be proud of her mom-to-be body!
"As a woman, I'm proud to embrace my body through all stages of life," Christina told V, "staying fearless and confident in surrendering to the unknowns the future has in store."
Work it, Xtina! You look gorg!
To See Christina Even More Bare, Check Out Pop Stars Without Makeup


text:
SNMPbooster, genDevConfig, WebUI and Centreon all play rather well so far.
configuration: genDevConfig + Shinken 1.2.4 + Centreon 2.4.1 + Centos 6.3
Except for some display issues:
Under WebUI: the services of these Linux hosts under NetSNMP are all "PENDING" permanently
Under Centreon: they're green
Under WebUI: the partitions /, /var, /opt appear as "_", "_var", "_opt" etc.. picked up from "service_description ": could we have "disk_root", "disk_var" or some such?
Under Centreon: they appear all as "$_storage$", picked up from "display_name"
Under WebUI: There are many disk_ram* and disk_dm-* devices again from "service_description "
Under Centreon: These and more disk_* are all labelled "disk %device%" again from "display_name"
Is anyone working on NetSNMP.pm (in conjunction with genDevConfig.pm) to improve legibility?


text:
Hooville duplex: Live like a landlord-- or not
ADDRESS: 2401 Fontaine Avenue
BUILDING: 2322 fin. sq. ft., 900 sq. ft. unfin.
LAND: 0.42 acres
NEIGHBORHOOD: Fry's Spring
CURB APPEAL: 6 of 10
LISTED BY: Stuart Rifkin, Hasbrouck Real Estate Corp., 295-4663, 466-9515
When a house tour reveals a dartboard hanging over the fireplace, plus a life-size cardboard cutout of Britney Spears, along with several bicycles and a portable bar in the formal dining room, it's pretty clear you've landed in a student rental.
Despite the aesthetic setbacks, this house at the corner of Piedmont and Fontaine avenues– within walking distance of the football stadium and bus stops on the Blue Line– illustrates the allure of near-University housing.
For decades, purchasing and maintaining near-Grounds housing has become a profitable enterprise for many a management company or ambitious local landlord. Multiply the number of available bedrooms– you can count up to seven here– by the ever-increasing monthly rents. Not only can the rents cover mortgage costs and general upkeep, add in steadily rising property values, and the math tends to "work out" as they say.
There's speculation afoot, however, that all the new high-rise, student-plexes landing in the area, offering such amenities as wireless Internet, swimming pools, and van shuttles will mark a subtle return of some of the city's larger houses to families and homeowners.
Whether left as a rental or returned to a family home, this 1925 brick Dutch colonial converted into a duplex offers plenty of space and possibilities.
One of the two units is rented through July, and the agent suggests the underclassmen there are happy enough that they would likely stick around if the new owners want to be landlords. The larger unit offers four nicely sized bedrooms and two full baths upstairs, plus another half bath off a kitchen below. A door from the expansive yard fronting Fontaine leads to the living room with its working fireplace (and dartboard.) A dining room with separate exit to a slate side porch completes the floor plan for the first unit.
The vacant portion is unit "A," a ground-floor apartment. Its front door leads into a small living area with built-in bookcases. Two bedrooms, a room converted to a kitchen, and a full bath make the unit a more than adequate living space for a couple of someones just needing a close-in hangout for a couple of years. But this is the end of the house that offers the most potential as an in-laws' apartment, a caregiver's private space, or simply a household extension for a family with lots of kids and/or lots of stuff.
An unfinished basement with exterior entrance contains two separate natural gas furnaces for the two units. A washer and dryer are accessible to both rental units in the rear of the garage. The gravel driveway is both wide and deep enough to hold six cars, plus there's space along the curb of Piedmont Avenue to hold a few more guests.
Back in the upstairs unit, a set of stairs lead from one of the upstairs bedrooms to a fully floored but otherwise unfinished attic. Throw in the bonus bedroom and full bath (with clawfoot tub) over the garage, and either a teenage boy gets his perfect out-of-the-house hideaway, or a poet longing for a garret finds a sought after niche for inspiration.
Touring a rental requires a certain amount of imagination to see beyond the posters and empty liquor bottles, but there are oak floors here, some crown molding, new light fixtures, and replacement windows in unit "A." The house was fully inspected for a recent offer (that fell through) without revealing any major structural issues, according to the agent. Still there's opportunity for cosmetic enhancements just about everywhere you look.
Fontaine Avenue itself is due for an upgrade with a wider thoroughfare and bike lanes expected sometime in the near future, though city and state transportation department plans for this western entrance corridor to the city have been on hold for several years. This house is set back enough from the street to endure any widening VDOT can throw at it.
January's as good a time as any for making bold moves designed to pay off in the future. Twenty years from now, when this house turns 100, just who will be doing the celebrating?


text:
Coin edge triangle belly dance belt
Our light weight triangular belly dance belts look delicate but they have all the strength needed for a belly dancer's confidence. Edged with coins & finest quality crocheted beads. Suitable for all hip sizes.
Price per Unit (s): £19.00
All measurements are taken in centimetres.
Click here to learn more about our Measurements and SizesProduct Code: cet0000313
Your Shopping Cart
Your Cart is currently empty.


text:
View Photo Gallery
Remove ads with our VIP Service
Reservoir Dogs
Six unacquainted professional criminals are brought together by a veteran thief to execute an intricately planned diamond robbery.
Starring Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi... View more >
Genre - Action/Adventure
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Opened in Theaters - Friday, October 23rd, 1992
Four Perfect Killers. One Perfect Crime. Now All They Have To Fear Is Each Other.
Save Time by Creating an Account
You can specify the theaters you attend and have your custom settings used each time you visit this site. Register Now Log in
New Movies - Box Office - Favorite Movies - All Movies
Coming Soon - Search
Home - About Us - Ad Info - Feedback
Journal/Blog - The Marquee - Movie Links - News and Events - Now Showing - Reader Reviews
Customize - VIP Service
Journal/Blog - The Marquee - Movie Links - News and Events - Now Showing - Reader Reviews
Customize - VIP Service
|The BigScreen Cinema Guide is a service of SVJ Designs LLC. All graphics, layout, and structure of this service (unless otherwise specified) are Copyright © 1995-2020, SVJ Designs. The BigScreen Cinema Guide is a trademark of SVJ Designs. All rights reserved.
'ACADEMY AWARDS®' and 'OSCAR®' are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.


text:
bang around(redirected from bang them around)
bang around
To jostle someone or something; to knock things together. A noun or pronoun can be used between "bang" and "around." Be careful with that box—don't bang around my glassware! I got banged around in that car accident. I think that kid will listen to us if we bang him around a bit and scare him.
bang someone or something around
to knock someone or something about; to beat or strike someone or something. Let's bang him around a little and see if that will change his mind. Why are you banging around my friend? Don't bang those pans around. He banged himself around badly in the car wreck.


text:
|Idaho has 4 regions and 430 groups, 2 of which are Idaho-wide and 428 are more local. To participate, you must first join a group in Idaho or any of the regions (shown on the right) or create your own.
Most Active Groups in Idaho
Topics in Idaho
Check out the discussions, scan the events, and if you like what you see, sign up for the groups that appeal to you.
To link to this group (Idaho) use [group 1124] in your messages.
More in Idaho
|Local Blogs


text:
Buxton, York County, Maine Genealogy
Town Clerk[edit | edit source]
Town of Buxton Town Clerk
185 Portland Roadb
Buxton, ME 04093
Phone (207) 929-6171
Buxton Website
Brief History[edit | edit source]
The township was granted by the Massachusetts General Court as Narragansett Number 1 in 1728. It was assigned to Philemon Dane of Ipswich, Massachusetts and 119 other veterans (or their heirs) who had fought in King Philip's War against the Narragansett Indians in 1675. Settlement was attempted in the early 1740s but abandoned because of the ongoing French and Indian Wars.
The first permanent settlement commenced in fall of 1750 near Salmon Falls, which was within protection of the stockaded blockhouse and trading post built in 1728 a half mile below Union Falls in present-day Dayton. Amos Chase was one of the pioneers of the town, and his daughter was said to be the first white child born in Buxton. He was a prominent figure in the area, one of the largest taxpayers, and was the first deacon of the Congregational Church in Pepperellborough (present-day Saco, ME). The first schoolhouse in Buxton was established in 1761 by Rev. Silas Moody. Narragansett Number 1 was incorporated in 1772 as Buxton. It was named by its minister, Rev. Paul Coffin for the spa town of Buxton in Derbyshire, England, for unknown reasons. Buxton, England is often incorrectly cited as the home of his ancestors, but that was Brixton as noted on page 7 of the cited source.
Settlers found the land generally level and suited for farming. Chief crops were corn, potatoes and hay. Buxton also provided excellent water power sites. The first sawmill was on the Little River, a tributary of the Presumpscot River. A gristmill called Bog Mill was built at the outlet of Bonny Eagle Pond. The biggest mills, however, were located at the series of falls on the Saco River. Salmon Falls had sawmills capable of turning out four million feet of lumber annually. Bar Mills had gristmills and a box mill. Moderation Falls in West Buxton had sawmills, heading mills and woolen textile mills which produced about 936,000 yards of cloth annually. Buxton's mill town prosperity left behind fine architecture. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places are Elden's Store, the Buxton Powder House, the First Congregational Church, Royal Brewster House and Salmon Falls (East) Historic District.[1]
Additional data on Buxton, Maine can be found in WikiPedia: the Free Encyclopedia.
Historical Data[edit | edit source]
Town Histories[edit | edit source]
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
City Directories[edit | edit source]
Maps[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Churches[edit | edit source]
938 Long Plains Rd
276 Chicopee Rd
PO Box 998
20 Old Orchard Rd
409 Long Plains Rd
197 Parker Farm Rd
22 Church Hill Rd
Land Records[edit | edit source]
Town Records[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Libraries and Historical Societies[edit | edit source]
- Berry Memorial Library
- West Buxton Public Library
- Dorcas Society of Hollis and Buxton Maine
- Buxton-Hollis Historical Society
- Buxton Maine USGenWeb Page
- Maine Genealogy Buxton, York County Maine
- Buxton National Historic Site & Museum
References[edit | edit source]
Adjacent towns: York Co.: Lebanon | Newfield | Sanford | Shapleigh | Carroll Co.: Wakefield | Strafford Co.: Milton


text:
Side-by-Side Comparison of EWG's public comments to FDA's Science Board and BPA Subcommittee determiniations
Independent Science Panel Rebukes FDA on Toxic Plastic
Side-by-Side Comparison of EWG's public comments to FDA's Science Board and BPA Subcommittee determiniations
FDA's advisory Science Board convened a BPA panel to evaluate an FDA staff risk assessment that termed bisphenol A (BPA) safe in food packaging. In its testimony to the panel, EWG highlighted 7 key shortcomings in the staff assessment. In every instance, the panel agreed with EWG and disagreed with the FDA staff report. The panel conclusions, released on October 28, will be formally presented to the full Science Board on October 31.
|EWG says
|Advisory panel says
|FDA estimates of infant exposure to BPA from formula
|"FDA's so called 'conservative' exposure assessment for infants significantly underestimates exposures from BPA contamination of infant formula. ...[A]nalysis of formula concentrations shows that many infants are exposed to BPA above the levels calculated by FDA." (9/12/08 pg. 10, also 9/16/08, 9/24/08)"
|"The draft FDA exposure assessment...lacks an adequate number of infant formula samples and relies on mean values rather than accounting for the variability in samples." (pg. 3) "[FDA] did not adequately account for variability in potential exposures, which the invited Panel [including EWG analyst Sonya Lunder] noted could be very large." (pg. 5)
|FDA's exclusion of studies showing effects of exposure to low doses of BPA
|"FDA uses inconsistent and illogical criteria to reject [independent] studies, notably the 12 studies NTP highlights as evidence of 'low dose' toxicity." (9/12/08 pg. 2, also 9/16/08)
|"The draft FDA report does not articulate reasonable and appropriate scientific support for the criteria applied to select data for use in the assessment." (pg. 4)
|Differences between FDA and the National Toxicology Program
|"FDA's findings stand in contrast to conclusions of the NIH's National Toxicology Program's recently completed monograph assessing the developmental and reproductive effects of BPA." (9/12/08 pg. 2, also 9/16/08.)
|"Consistent and credible criteria for study inclusion, recommended by the Subcommittee, would be to use those studies that are judged as "adequate" by CERHR [Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction, an arm of the National Toxicology Program] in the FDA hazard, dose-response and safety assessment of BPA." (pg. 4)
|FDA's reliance on studies that are certified for "Good Laboratory Practices"
|"FDA's assessment of BPA...excludes information gathered from academic scientists who find sensitive effects to the reproductive system and behavior. (9/12/08 pg. 4, also 9/16/08)
|"The Subcommittee does not agree with the exclusion of the non-GLP studies in the safety assessment." (pg. 6)
|The availability of new evidence
|"FDA did not review very recent studies finding brain effects in primates and linking BPA exposures in American adults to heart disease and diabetes." (10/24/08 pg. 2)
|"Several studies of effects of BPA on adult humans and animal species that were published after the draft assessment was finished should be considered for inclusion in the final assessment." (pg. 7 & 12)
|FDA's determination of a "No Effect Level" at 5 mg per kilogram per day
|"FDA should use the lowest dose toxicity studies to calculate risk. Particularly the number of studies finding permanent effects to brain and behavior and the male reproductive system at 10 ug/kg-bodyweight per day." 9/16/08, 10/24/08 pg. 2)
|"The weight-of-the-evidence...provides scientific support for use of a point of departure substantially below (i.e., at least one or more orders of magnitude lower than) the 5 mg/kg bw/day level selected in the draft FDA assessment." (pg. 4)
|FDA's statement that infant's exposures are 2,000 times lower than the "No Effect Level" and therefore safe
|"FDA has failed to acheive [its] safety standard." and "Using the low dose studies recommended by expert advisors as a "point of departure" would decrease the margin of safety by a factor of 500, meaning that FDA's estimated exposures for a formula-fed baby would be just 4 times less than the doses that cause permanent brain and behavior impairment in laboratory tests." (10/24/08 pg. 2)
|"Coupling together the available qualitative and quantitative information...provides a sufficient scientific basis to conclude that the Margins of Safety defined by FDA as "adequate" are, in fact, inadequate." (pg. 4)
FDA's has failed to support its claim that current uses of BPA are safe. FDA must start from the ground up with a new assessment that accurately characterizes BPA risks for infants, children and adults. In the meantime FDA must take immediate actions to reduce infant exposures to this toxic chemical. At a minimum this would involve Canadian-type precautions to reduce immediately infant exposures from infant formula and food containers. Formula-makers can and should reduce BPA levels while safer packaging is investigated. Parents should be advised to use non-polycarbonate bottles and powdered formula wherever possible. These dramatic measures are needed to assure that infants are not exposed to harmful amounts of BPA while a health-protective safety assessment is being drafted.
EWG written comments to BPA subcommittee September 12, 2008. EWG oral comments to BPA subcommittee by EWG Senior Analyst Sonya Lunder, participant on Invited Panelist and Anila Jacob, public commentor, Rockville MD, September 16, 2008. EWG written comments to BPA subcommittee September 24, 2008. EWG written comments to FDA Science Board, October 24, 2008. FDA Science Advisory Board Subcommittee on Bisphenol A. 2008. Scientific Peer-Review of the Draft Assessment of Bisphenol A for Use in Food Contact Applications. Draft October 31, 2008. Posted online 10/28/08. http://www.fda.gov/oc/advisory/scienceboard/2008-0038b1-05.pdf


text:
Alexander Ovechkin became only the 11th player in NHL history to score 50 goals in five or more seasons on Tuesday night as the Capitals crushed one of the NHL's elite, the St. Louis Blues, 4-1.
As good as the Gr8's shot was to score that 50th marker and give Washington a 1-0 lead, his pass to Nicklas Backstrom that pretty much sealed this contest to make it 3-1, was probably better. It was a sweet move and pass to a streaking #19 in the slot at even strength and took any life the Blues had remaining with just 1:10 to go in the middle frame. Ovechkin would also had another assist on Backstrom's second goal of the night just 16 seconds into the third period in the Capitals victory. For Ovechkin, it was a three point night and he now has 77 points in 75 games this season.
Backstrom's two goals give him 17 for the season along with 60 assists for 77 points in 79 games. They are two of the top players in the NHL and their success goes hand in hand, for the most part.
Braden Holtby received his second straight start in net and he was dynamite, especially early on when the Blues dominated the play. Holtbeast stopped 28 of 29 shots in this contest. Overall the Caps were out shot attempted 80-32, but part of that disparity is score effects as the Capitals grabbed the lead midway through period two.
The Blues have what some consider to be a Stanley Cup contending squad, but the Caps were able to defeat them soundly twice this season. Holtby played a big role in those victories and Tuesday's victory was the second straight for Holtby (he was great against the Islanders on Saturday in a 4-3 shootout win).
The Caps were without the services of Mike Green and Jack Hillen on defense, so they iced Connor Carrick and Julien Brouillette as a third pair. Tyson Strachan received top four minutes with Dmitry Orlov and handled himself well. John Carlson continued his beast of a season notching two assists and logging 26:35 of ice time.
Up front, Mikhail Grabovski chipped in the game winning goal on a sweet shot from the left circle. All four of the Caps goals were on lasers and they were finally able to defeat Ryan Miller, who previously stopped 75 of 77 Capitals shots in two games this season as a member of the Buffalo Sabres.
Despite the nice victory, the overall news of the night wasn't great. Both Columbus and Detroit won their contests and the Caps "tragic number" is down to two points. Basically any combination of Columbus points gained or Caps points that adds to two gives the Jackets a playoff berth while the Capitals would head to the links.
At this point it is, what it is. Washington did not get it done enough times this season and find themselves very close to elimination.
But on Tuesday night in St. Louis they can take pride in the Gr8 hitting 50 goals and gaining a solid victory against a Stanley Cup contender.
Notes: St. Louis dominated the Caps from the dot going 42-16…Ovechkin was +1 in 16:37 of ice time…the other 5+ time 50 goal scorers in NHL history are Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemiuex, Bobby Hull, Brett Hull, Mike Bossy, Guy Lafleur, Pavel Bure, Marcel Dionne, Phil Esposito, and Steve Yzerman…next up for the Caps are the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh on Thursday night.


text:
Search Top Lawyers Near You
Enter legal issue and location
Top Telluride Aviation & Mass Transit Accidents Lawyers - Colorado
Solely devoted to handling personal injury cases, our team at The Webster Law Firm represents clients in Houston, Texas, and across the country. Our successes come in the form of six- and seven-figure awards such as the following: A $200 million award following a disastrous train accident A $3.25 million verdict on behalf of a client who suffered a traumatic brain injury An arbitration award...
Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. is a personal injury law firm devoted to helping individuals who have suffered serious personal injury and families who have lost loved ones as a result of the negligence of others. The law firm was formed in 1995 by David E. Rapoport , a highly accomplished trial lawyer. Rapoport Weisberg & Sims P.C. provides individualized legal services from a skilled and...
Innovative and aggressive, our team at Sumrall Law Office in Durango, Colorado, protects your rights in personal injury and criminal defense cases. We make it our priority to help you during some of your darkest moments. Suffering a catastrophic injury or knowing your future is on the line is overwhelming. We focus on what matters: getting you from where you are now to where you want to be. The...
Need help with an Aviation or Mass Transit issue?
You've come to the right place. If you or a loved one has been injured in a crash or collision involving a commercial airline, railroad, vessel, or government-operated municipal bus and rail system, an aviation and mass transit lawyer can help.
Use FindLaw to hire a local lawyer who handles aviation and mass transit accident cases to recover for injuries resulting from pilot error, faulty equipment, FAA regulations violations, structural or design problems, and negligence of mass transit employees.
Need an attorney in Telluride, Colorado?
FindLaw's Lawyer Directory is the largest online directory of attorneys. Browse more than one million listings, covering everything from criminal defense to personal injury to estate planning.
Detailed law firm profiles have information like the firm's area of law, office location, office hours, and payment options. Attorney profiles include the biography, education and training, and client recommendations of an attorney to help you decide who to hire.
Use the contact form on the profiles to connect with a Telluride, Colorado attorney for legal advice.
How do I choose a lawyer?
Consider the following:
- Comfort Level
- - Are you comfortable telling the lawyer personal information? Does the lawyer seem interested in solving your problem?
- Credentials
- - How long has the lawyer been in practice? Has the lawyer worked on other cases similar to yours?
- Cost
- - How are the lawyer's fees structured - hourly or flat fee? Can the lawyer estimate the cost of your case?
- City
- - Is the lawyer's office conveniently located?
Not sure what questions to ask a lawyer?
Here are a few to get you started:
- How long have you been in practice?
- How many cases like mine have you handled?
- How often do you settle cases out of court?
- What are your fees and costs?
- What are the next steps?
Want to check lawyer discipline?
It is always a good idea to research your lawyer prior to hiring. Every state has a disciplinary organization that monitors attorneys, their licenses, and consumer complaints. By researching lawyer discipline you can:
- Ensure the attorney is currently licensed to practice in your state
- Gain an understanding of his or her historical disciplinary record, if any.
- Determine the seriousness of complaints/issues which could range from late bar fees to more serious issues requiring disciplinary action.


text:
Hey Green, ever read Earth in the Balance? I checked it out while taking and environmental ethics in politcs class during undergrad.... decent, very decent... my outlook on gore changed slightly after the read..... as far as you subject for this post..... yes i think it has.... btw i voted for Gore..... C.
i always thought he was very bright and had the best of intentions. he seems to do stupid things though. i think the way he bullied bush on national tv was what cost him the election.
Its a misquote...Do some research on it.


text:
The Academy of Management and its members hold Ethics in high regard. There are many resources available to provide a foundation of guidance through our code, education, and reference materials on topics within Ethics. Please use these resources and check back for updates.
The ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT CODE OF ETHICS contains broad societal aspirations and guidelines for professional activities but also contains ethical standards. The ethical standards of the Code of Ethics are enforceable within the context of Academy of Management activities, such as publishing in Academy journals, participating in placement, or submitting a paper to the annual meeting. The Code applies to Academy officers and members and nonmembers participating in Academy activities.
Please contact the Ethics Ombuds Committee at firstname.lastname@example.com. For the full roster of all Ethics volunteers, please visit the Leadership Directory.
STATEMENT OF STANDARDS REGARDING SEXUAL HARASSMENTIntended to help promote understanding and awareness for the Academy's standards and procedure regarding sexual harassment.
While we hope each of our members hold themselves to a high level of ethical conduct, sometimes instances arise which need further conversation. Click here for a handy reference on where to turn if you encounter a need to have a matter reviewed or have a question on Ethics. Your first point of contact will most likely be the Ombuds Committee.
PROCEDURES AND INQUIRIES: AOM Policies and Procedures for Handling Ethical Complaints.
JOURNALS: Many questions of ethical guidelines arise in relation to academic research and publishing. All AOM Journals subscribe to COPE (the Committee on Publication Ethics), which promotes integrity in research and publication.
AOM ANNUAL MEETING: Questions occasionally arise regarding standards of conduct pertaining to the Annual Meeting such as: Participation, Original Work and New Work, Attendance and Commitments and Rigorous Scholarship. Further information on these topics can be read here.
ETHICS EDUCATION: The Ethics Education Committee (EEC) is charged with engaging members on the topic of ethics and sharing positive professional practice. For more information about Ethics Education, contact the co-Chairs of the Ethics Education Committee, Deborah Mullen and Mark Meaney.
For the full roster of all Ethics volunteers, please visit the Leadership Directory.
Publishing in Journals
Conference Papers and Presentations
Slicing the Data in Publications
Reporting Research
Reviewing Manuscripts
Global Ethics in Publishing
THE ETHICIST is a blog where AOM members can discuss ethical issues that affect their research, teaching and professional lives. THE ETHICIST communicates the Academy's commitment to ethical conduct as a priority of the organization. The purpose of the blog is to raise awareness about everyday ethical issues and ethics in the context of the Academy and the profession. The blog also provides a location for experts to respond to members' questions and concerns about ethics. The blog is sponsored by the AOM Ethics Education Committee.
Subscribe to THE ETHICIST to receive an email when new posts occur. Read past blog posts:
Whistleblowing for the Academy
Reporting on Superiors
Retraction: A growing, if uncomfortable, state of affairs


text:
Review, 'Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me': Ready for her close-up?
Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me:
Documentary. Starring Elaine Stritch. Directed by Chiemi Karasawa. (Unrated. 80 minutes.)
Elaine Stritch, the legendary Broadway star, gets the reality TV treatment in "Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me," which follows the then-87-year-old actress as she prepares a musical revue, copes with diabetes, muses about old age, struggles with alcohol, watches herself on TV, lands in the hospital, hangs out with old friends and visits her childhood home.
We see her going to bed and getting out of bed. We see her self-possessed and in states of panic. We see her at her best - onstage - and we see her in archival footage. Actually, the old footage is extraordinary in that it reveals that Stritch never looked young. She's not only still here - she is still the same. She already looked 50 when was 30. And when she was 45, recording the cast album for "Company," she looked only slightly younger than she does now. The only clue that we're looking at 44 years ago is that she's sitting next to an impossibly young Stephen Sondheim.
All this is interesting, or interesting enough, depending on how you feel about Elaine Stritch. If you're a particular fan, this documentary is a must-see. But for everyone else, a little of Elaine's personality goes a long way. This is not to say that Stritch isn't likable. Actually, she's quite appealing: voluble, honest, profane and funny. But she's relentless, too, and, given the invitation by director Chiemi Karasawa, she talks about herself constantly. Unless you're fascinated going in, the sound of her barking orders, making demands and analyzing herself starts to wear away at the nerve endings.
Here and there, the movie hints at something more universal than the specific problems of Elaine Stritch - for example, her struggle with alcoholism. She resolves to give up alcohol entirely, but by the end of the film, lunching with the ladies, she's back on a one-drink-a-day regime. And just look at the size of that glass. It's like being allowed one piece of fruit a day and choosing a watermelon.
The movie also touches on the problem of longevity, a blessing that's also a challenge. Here's a woman who drank and smoked, lived with tremendous stress and looked 60 when she was 40. Who, with the possible exception of Sondheim, would have guessed that she'd still be here? But she is. The movie documents her decision to retire and see what else life offers her.
But these are side issues. Really, the experience of "Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me" is the experience of being in Stritch's company for 80 minutes, and that's fine. Still I doubt anyone will walk out of this film wishing it were 10 minutes longer.
Mick LaSalle is The San Francisco Chronicle's movie critic. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Twitter: @MickLaSalle


text:
秘魯的環境保護義工工作:亞馬遜雨林環境保護項目: 每月更新
Monthly Update - November 2009
As the seasonal storms hit in earnest it was a case of buckling under and making the most of the clear spells in a month where we released the last of our baby turtles, hosted the first bird banding course in Peru, captured a new species of snake for Taricaya and received some new additions to the animal rescue centre.
As river levels raised quickly it was time to reintroduce the last of this year's turtle hatchlings back into the wild. Every year I praise the team effort on this, our longest standing project, and after another fantastic year we have smashed our record once again. I am very proud to announce that 2009 saw us release 1600 baby turtles back into the river Madre de Dios. Last year's total was 1370 hatchlings and this huge increase reflects several important factors. Firstly, as one would expect, we continue to improve our methodology during every phase of the project from the beach monitoring and nest collection to the transfer of the eggs into the artificial beach. Nonetheless, I believe that a major contributing factor is that the turtles we released in 2004/2005 are now at an age where they could potentially reproduce. At an age of five, young females can start to lay eggs, albeit in smaller broods, and the increase this year is certainly due, in part, to the turtles we released several years ago. Many of you might recall the photo I captured of a young female with a marked shell earlier this year so we know for certain that despite high predation rates our Taricaya hatchlings are coming back to the beach where they were released to lay their first eggs. With this being the case, the future looks a lot brighter for the species (Podocnemis unifilis) in the area around the Taricaya reserve, but, there is still a huge problem on both a national and international scale and we can only hope that our efforts can inspire other organisations and governments to implement similar projects.
Continuing on a herpetological theme we were very pleased to capture a new species of snake for the reserve. As studies continue over longer periods of time it becomes increasingly difficult to encounter new species in whatever field you are investigating and this was our first new snake in over six months. The Emerald Palm Snake (Philodryas viridissimus) was sunning itself on the roof of the last bungalow and after a titanic struggle we were able to get it down and under control whilst avoiding a nasty bite. Although rear fanged these snakes have nasty venom and, whilst not lethal, a bite would cause severe swelling and discomfort. The shades of green on this species are breathtaking and everyone was thrilled to get some good photographs and biometric data before releasing it at a safe distance from the centre. I am certain that I will be talking about new discoveries in the field of herpetology (amphibians and reptiles) again soon as the start of the heavy rains always triggers an increase in activity from the frogs and toads in the rainforest and we shall start our nocturnal frog hunts again on a weekly basis during the wet season.
The animal rescue centre received some new residents this month also with the arrival of two young primates. A baby female spider monkey (Ateles chamek) was the first to arrive and she can be no more than a few weeks old. Her progress is going well and whilst she is still far too young to be integrated with our juvenile troop of five youngsters she is feeding well and her future looks bright with a possible move from the nursery to the larger enclosure in the New Year. The second arrival was a baby male red howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus) again no more than a few weeks old. Red howler monkeys are notoriously hard to raise in captivity due to their specific diet in the wild. They are truly herbivorous primates that feed on leaves from emergent canopy trees and so replicating this diet in captivity is almost impossible. A baby this young will also suffer in being away from its mother, assumed shot, as there are many antibodies and digestive enzymes that would be passed from parent to offspring. Nevertheless we shall do our utmost to maintain it during the tough first few months until we can guarantee its survival.
Elsewhere at the rescue centre there was some good news for one of our avian residents. The Striped owl (Pseudscops clamator) that arrived a few months ago has almost doubled its body weight and is flying strongly around its cage but the problem we had was where to release it. All reports on the natural history of this bird suggest that it inhabits large open areas such as grasslands and big farms so we were in two minds about releasing it into the reserve which does not possess huge open areas. Then, one afternoon, on our way back from Enrique's island we were passing the pilot farm in the boat and we saw a wild Striped owl perched on the river bank obviously following a troop of squirrel monkeys that was passing through. This means that there are wild individuals in the area and we can release our bird at the farm confident in the fact that it will find sufficient food and a potential mate. This is a huge relief and we shall now start to plan the release of this majestic hunter back into the wild.
As many of you will know, the field of ornithology is a personal favourite of mine and our research in the reserve over the years has enabled the publication of some of our findings with much more data still to process. A just reward for years of hard work was when our long time partner in this field, Mauricio Ugarte, came to me earlier this year with the idea of an ornithological course at the centre. This month Taricaya became the first official bird banding station in Peru with a mist netting course and banding evaluation provided by international instructors. We were visited by students from all over South America who had been carefully selected as the best candidates for the course. This was a purely scientific gathering of like minded people keen on furthering the study of birds and its use in conservation and the week was a resounding success. With the support and help of our volunteers and staff we were able to set up banding stations around the reserve and we ringed and processed close to 200 individuals with coded metal bands.
It is always a pleasure to learn from experts in any field and my thanks go to John Alexander from the Klamath Bird Observatory in Oregon, Pablo Elizondo from Costa Rica, Miguel Moreno from Columbia and, of course, Mauricio, who gave their time and knowledge willingly. The conference was a resounding success and has helped put Taricaya on the map internationally with our huge diversity of birds, our commitment to researching them and ultimately, their conservation. I am confident that this will become an annual conference and the information we collect coupled with the work Mauricio and I have been undertaking since 2005 will broaden our understanding of the complex relationships within the bird communities of the rainforest.
Aside from the success of the course itself we were able to benefit from the presence of many experts and numerous mist nets placed simultaneously around the reserve and as one would expect, we were able to add some new species to our bird list. In fact, we added five new species that week which takes our total to 428 including the Striped owl I mentioned earlier. Two of these new species were caught in mist nets; the Long-tailed hermit (Pheathornis superciliosus) and Spot-winged antshrike (Pygiptila stellaris); two were identified by their distinctive songs and resultant play-backs, Barltett's tinamou (Crypturellus bartletti) and Ringed woodpecker (Celeus torquatus); and the fifth new species was seen on one of the trails, Brown-crested flycatcher (Myiarchus tyrannulus). There was plenty of action and adventure also with the unexpected capture of a Slate-coloured hawk (Leucopternis schistaceus) and the feisty Great antshrike (Taraba major).
Once again I would like to express my gratitude to everyone involved in the project this month. November has seen yet more breakthroughs in various projects, a continued dedication to existing ones and hard work from everybody. Next month I shall be looking back over 2009 and the highs of another fantastic year in the Peruvian rainforest and, undoubtedly, reporting on more great achievements and highlights from the month of December. Until then…..
Stuart Timson
Conservation Director
Projects Abroad
5th December, 2009


text:
Your shopping cart is empty
In stock
This high quality Renshaw ready to roll sugarpaste icing is perfect for quickly and effectively any celebration cakes.
Our Baby Pink Renshaw professional ready to roll icing is a sugar paste which is all ready to roll out to cover your celebration cakes.
Knead well before rolling out as this will give a smooth finish to your cake, and help eliminate any cracks, crazing etc which may appear as you apply it to the cake.'Polish' with the palms of your hands and use a cake smoother (84785) to give a smooth professional looking finish.
To see how much sugarpaste you will need for your cake, Click Here.
Sugar; glucose syrup; palm oil; humectant: vegetable glycerine E422; emulsifier: mono and di-glycerides of fatty acids E471; stabiliser: tragacanth gum E413; preservative: potassium sorbate E202; natural flavouring; colour: E122.
E122 may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.
Allergy Advice:
Suitable for vegetarians & vegans.
Gluten free & Kosher.
Made in a factory that handles nuts.
Nutritional Information: Typical values per 100g
Renshaw, Crown Street, Liverpool, L8 7RF. UK


text:
One of the best parts of buying something new is showing it off to your friends and sharing your successful purchase with others who would appreciate it. Since we all love a good buy in the Fashion Spot forums it's the perfect place to confess shopping wins (and sins). Here are some of the latest items that forum members have copped to buying.
Images: topshop.com, net-a-porter.com
QuiinA was thrilled with her "totally amazing Topshop summer jumper… very Isabel Marant!" she wrote. "Colors are just beautiful."
Zarina has been on a mission to find the perfect nude pump. She finally decided that this pair of Jimmy Choos could be "the one".
Images: zara.com
Ediewho has been eyeing and buying several pairs of shoes from Zara's stellar summer collection. Her latest is this pair of color blocked double strapped sandals. "This pair was totally sold out!" she wrote. "I had to get them off of the mannequin and when I tried them on I realized why! They are just amazing!"
Legyviel got a pretty pair of floral shorts from Zara. They have some fun options to choose from, but she warns that the sizes were awkward, so it's worth going into the store to try before you buy if possible.
Image: rayban.com
Fewormany supplemented his sunglasses collection with a new pair of Ray-Ban clubmasters. "I really like the tortoise and gold," he wrote.
Images: Banana Republic's official Facebook, tFS forum member Zarina
Lucy92 tracked down a silk taffeta dress from Banana Republic's limited edition Mad Men collection.
Zarina shared a picture of her new Iro bouclé jacket with leather details.
All images via the Fashion Spot forums.


text:
If you're shopping for a very good smartphone on a shoestring budget, and having the latest hottest greatest thing isn't your primary interest, Best Buy is letting the iPhone 4 go for just $50, a pittance!
In obvious anticipation of the so close we can taste it iPhone 5, Best Buy has decided to offer an instant $500 discount of the $599 8GB phone—add in the extra $50-off savings, and the thing is cheaper than the newest iPod touch. The same price as that teensy little iPod shuffle!
Of course, a 2-year activation is required, but still. Apple itself is selling the same phone for $99, so this deal is probably the best you'll find. Some one, please, take advantage of this outrageous markdown! [ZDNet]


text:
Kevin Ding Provides Excellent Lakers CoverageA large percentage of what is reported about the NBA in general--and the Lakers in particular--consists of various kinds of nonsense: biased commentary, statistics that are either irrelevant and/or based on insignificant sample sizes, gossip, etc. One shining light amidst this darkness is Kevin Ding, the beat writer for the Orange County Register. His most recent article contains solid reporting with excellent insight. Here is Ding's coverage of how Kobe Bryant is dealing with the torn ligament in his right wrist:
Bryant has been taking a numbing injection to that wrist before every game in hopes of performing normally. Yes, it's that bad.
He does not want to publicize all the details of his wrist, which is usable only because the bones were not moved permanently out of alignment without the ligament to hold them in place. But it's now clear just how problematic the wrist is, and it's fair to wonder where all this will take Bryant.
Bryant walked out of Staples Center on Tuesday night with something that looked like an oven mitten over his right hand and wrist. He wears an immobilizing brace over the wrist when off the court, meaning take-for-granted parts of life such as texting on his phone or zipping his fly become rather challenging.
It was much the same aggravation in 2009-10, when Bryant played through the avulsion fracture in his right index finger--another rather useful body part for everyday activities apart from handling a basketball, too...
In 2009-10 Bryant paid a price for overextending himself, with the fracture in the top knuckle of that finger eventually healing, but the main middle knuckle so beaten down by the abuse that it wound up with arthritis.
That finger today remains, well, quite deformed. Actually, the most accurate way to describe the finger? Lumpy.
The L.A. Times, ESPN and other media outlets will try to convince you that Mike Brown is not a very good coach and that Kobe Bryant does not respect him. Ding has a much different take:
Days before Brown and Bryant reviewed video side-by-side on the flight home from Denver after Bryant's brutal 6-for-28 game Sunday night, Bryant shared with me the depth of his respect for Brown.
"I really want to win for him in the worst way, because I see how much he works and I see how much he wants it," Bryant said. "I hear the criticism he takes, and I believe it to be unwarranted. It makes me want to work even harder than I already am."
Brown and Bryant came out of their video study together with a mandate: Rededicate themselves to getting Bryant the ball in his favorite spots right off the free-throw line or in the short post.
"I think Kobe learned something when we sat down and watched tape," said Brown, staying typically humble by adding: "I know I learned something, too."
Brown also mentioned to Bryant the need to follow through properly with his wrist on jump shots. Well, when Bryant does that, the wrist howls in pain. It wasn't fatigue from six games in eight days that left so many of Bryant's shots in Denver on the front rim as much as the wrist failing.
Ding concludes:
Bryant is always the same but is never the same. Whether he's missing 22 shots or making 14, he's analyzing every one. He will travel to the ends of the earth for any possible edge, yet his nose will never leave the grindstone.
What he doesn't understand is why everyone doesn't get it by now:
This is what he does. This is who he is.
Bryant pounded away with that busted finger for six months of the 2009-10 season.
He got up only after he had what he calls the most satisfying of his five NBA championships.
For several years I have emphasized that Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum benefit immensely from the extra defensive attention that Kobe Bryant attracts. People who say that Bryant should have a smaller offensive role for the Lakers because Gasol and Bynum's shooting percentages are better than Bryant's shooting percentage do not understand the cause-effect relationship between how Bryant plays and the opportunities that Gasol and Bynum get--but, unlike many media members, Ding knows the difference between putting up numbers and being an elite player:
We said Andrew Bynum was going to be a beast this season.
Now that everyone has seen the 22.3 points, 15.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks, let's be clear about something else:
Bynum is not an elite offensive player in this league yet. Not even close.
He has an awful lot to learn before he gets there, and the second half of the Lakers' loss in Portland on Thursday night was an early pop quiz he flunked.
No doubt Bynum has plenty of moves, via both power and footwork, but what he lacks is the ability to handle double teams. He struggled when presented with that challenge late last season, and he will struggle again with it much of this season--probably more so than even Lakers coach Mike Brown suspects.
Some commenters at this site have disputed my contention that Bryant, not Gasol or Bynum, is the main Laker who draws double teams. Ding provides a quote from Coach Brown about Bynum that supports my case:
That's new for him. Not only new for him, but if you think about it, it's kind of new for our team in terms of having a post-up guy who gets doubled. That's something we have to work on, so it was great for Andrew to have to go through that and our team to have to go through it.
Now we just have to work on it, because we know Andrew can score on the front side of plays and in a one-on-one environment. Now he has to understand that when they come to double, it's OK--but we've got to make 'em pay, whether it's on the backside or it's with the re-post.
Before deciding to run the offense through a particular player, that player must prove that he can deal with trapping defenses. Bryant has proven that he is highly proficient in that regard. As Coach Brown noted, it is "new" for the Lakers to put a post player in position to be regularly doubled and it remains to be seen how Bynum will react to this role. If Bynum is capable of performing well in this role then this will make the Lakers a better team and possibly extend Kobe Bryant's career--but it is premature to just automatically say that Bynum should be the focal point of the offense. The Lakers should definitely still be willing to trade the injury-prone Bynum to the Orlando Magic for Dwight Howard if possible; Howard is a better rebounder and defender than Bynum, Howard is more durable than Bynum and, even though his post footwork is a bit less polished than Bynum's, Howard is a more explosive athlete. Howard has improved his post game recently and if he played alongside Bryant then Howard's effectiveness and field goal percentage would improve much like Gasol's did after joining the Lakers.
Labels: Andrew Bynum, Kevin Ding, Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers, Mike Brown
posted by David Friedman @ 4:02 PM


text:
WEATHER: Pretty!
MILES THIS WEEK: 25ish
WHERE TO: Nowhere.
MOOD: Uneasy.
TODAY'S RUNNING SONG: Bluegrass makes running better.
This ultra training thing is all a lot harder than I remember it being last year, and not just because my Achilles tendons have turned against me. Somewhere in the middle of my second long run of every weekend, I find myself questioning whether this is a hobby I truly enjoy…whether a benevolent and loving God truly exists…what my purpose in life is…all of which comes out in the form of water fountain rage, a phenomenon in which a tour bus full of thirsty tourists pulls up JUST AS I shuffle, dehydrated and nearly defeated, up to the Jefferson Memorial water fountain, and I run at the tourists, limbs flailing, threatening to slime them with my body's generous coating of salt, sunblock, sweat, and dead gnats. "JFICIEU$I#(@UDHVJD!" they say, in their foreign languages, which I take to mean, "This woman truly should get to drink for 10 minutes as we watch, disgusted!" Which usually happens.