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The Great Game
I tweeted this morning that baseball started out as a game I played for fun with my friends and it ended up changing my life. The truthfulness of that statement really hits home every time I think about it. To be honest, my parents had to DRAG me to baseball practice when I was 7 years old. I think I even ended up not finishing the season that year. By the time I was 12 years old, you couldn't pull me away from the game. Double header? "Dad, can we toss in the backyard after the game?" It was fun, I was good at it, and my friends played it. That's what kept me in the game. Now, on the morning of my 9th professional season and my 8th professional opening day, I sit here writing this post in complete awe of where my life has gone. Baseball has changed my life.
I grew up playing this game. Most of you know my story. Little League to travel baseball. Travel baseball to high school baseball. High school baseball to professional baseball. Drafted at 18 out of high school by the Texas Rangers. Thrown into the world of professional baseball having never left home. Standing in front of a hotel washing machine for hours contemplating which button to mash first. Talking to my girlfriend (now my wife Jillian) on the phone for hours knowing she was 2,000 miles away and I wouldn't get to see her for 3 months. Striking out my first professional hitter. My first pro win. I guess you could say that this game is all I know. Maybe that's true.
Baseball has taught me more than just baseball. Dedication, work ethic, perseverance, time management, self-control, nutrition, and respect to name a few. I'm a big believer that you have to be thrown into something to truly learn what it's all about. Sure, reading a book or studying can help prepare you for what's coming, but actually going through it teaches you the most. Now, as I sit here writing this post, I can't help but be so thankful to everyone that has played a huge role in helping me along.
My parents and brother sacrificed thousands of days and dollars to help me achieve my dream. Lessons, equipment, traveling, tournaments, showcases, and hard metal bleachers. Their support has kept me going when I didn't have much else. My friends that wanted to play a pick up game in the backyard kept me interested in this great game and were great teammates. My coaches along the way that showed me how much better you could get with hard work. The Texas Rangers organization for taking a chance on me in the 2004 draft. I'm forever grateful for the opportunity. Dr. Keith Meister and the Texas Rangers Medical staff and the Gwinnett Medical Center for helping me continue my dream as a pro baseball player by surgically repairing and rehabbing my right shoulder. All of my current and former teammates that each taught me a little bit about the way the game is meant to be played. Last but not least, a huge thanks to my wife Jillian and her family. Since the moment I met them, they have supported my dream and have been by my side the whole way. It's great to have family like that.
Today, as I drive to the stadium, I'll be thinking about all those hours I spent practicing with my Dad in the backyard. I'll be thinking about the countless games on those little league fields with my friends, and the hours I spent working hard on that high school field. I'll be thinking about the first professional pitch I threw and the one that almost ended my career. I'll be thinking about the first pitch I threw after surgery, and the many sacrifices my wife has made to be here by my side day after day. I'll be thinking about how tough this life can be, yet how rewarding it can be at the same time. I'll be thinking about the many great friends and teammates I have made, and I'll be thinking about those that aren't playing anymore and wish that they could be. All the while, I'll be thinking about how incredibly blessed I am to be playing such a great game. It doesn't get much better than baseball, folks. Have a great day!
Michael Schlact
7 Comments
I follow you on twitter. I just have to say this blog brought tears of joys to my eyes. When someone is having a bad day all they need to do is just read one of your tweets. You are truly an inspiration to anyone that's ever had a dream. God bless you and your family.
Nice read. I can relate to your story. I'm sure many of us can. I read one of your tweets to Chris Davis about his 3 home run night. I'm a Orioles fan. I have a Oriole blog. I never knew about this MLB blog site. I might use it. I'm using google blog right now. I too had the dream. I often think about the early days, as you have written. I almost thought I was reading my story. I played until I was almost 40 years old. From little League to Legion ball. Then played for the Army and then to Unlimited. It's a great game to play. My only regret is that I can't play any longer. No one beats Father time. I don't regret that I never made it to the big's. Why? Because I did chase my dream. Try outs and what have you. I would have regretted it if I didn't try. If we do come back in another life, you can guess what I wish for. I wasn't aware that is Southern Maryland Ind. League. Good luck to you.
I made a typo..I wasn't aware of the Southern Maryland Ind. League, or the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, team
I actually stumbled on your blog from Twitter and I have to admit I am glad I did. Thank you for the insights and bringing us into your world. 🙂 What you said about growing up in baseball reminds me so much of our nephew (not biological, but family just the same). He hated sports when he was little and would do whatever it took to get pulled from the field so he did not have to play. When he found football we were a bit surprised and he ended up being one of the best kickers in the country. He was scouted in HS and picked up by one of the larger colleges and during training his freshman year he had an injury that sat him out. He took a year off to regroup and now he is back at another school and is being scouted by pros. His outlook changed so much from the time he knew he was good and on top of the world until now where he is doing things right and thinking about his future. We are so proud of him. Sorry to ramble, but hearing stories like yours helps us understand how to help him. On another side note…my brother used to live in Waldorf (not far from the Blue Crabs) and he used to play for the Alexandria Dukes (we think). He passed away a few years ago and my other brothers cannot remember. My husband and I are thinking about becoming supporters for the Potomac Nats to help out some of the players. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations on what is something meaningful to young players or what would be good for them? Thanks again for your blogs.


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Online Gaming Spyware Downloads Backdoor
ONLINEG, a spyware known to steal online gaming credentials, appears to be including backdoors to its resume. We found a variant (specifically TSPY_ONLINEG.OMU) that aside from the usual data theft routine, also downloads a backdoor onto the infected system, making it vulnerable to more damage.
TSPY_ONLINEG.OMU was recently found on certain South Korean websites, which were compromised to host the said malicious file. Based on our analysis, the spyware is possibly an updated version of an old variant detected as TSPY_ONLINEG.ASQ, which first existed about a year ago.
Like any online gaming spyware, TSPY_ONLINEG.OMU steals user accounts and credentials of specific online games. But in addition to this, if the user visits the login pages for the administrator consoles of websites that are part of certain industries, it downloads a keylogger/backdoor (BKDR_TENPEQ.SM). This allows the attacker to steal the credentials used for these portals.
The companies targeted by these attack are all based in South Korea and belong to the following industries:
- News
- Radio
- Finance
- Shopping
- Gaming
- Advertising
Online gaming's popularity in South Korea is well-known, thus it is no surprising that the people behind this attack used TSPY_ONLINEG.OMU. However, the use of ONLINEG may also have been an attempt to disguise the actual intent of the malware. Because this particular malware family is "known" to be focused on online gaming theft, without looking into the actual code people may underestimate its potential threat.
This incident is also another example of the online bad guys' continuous efforts to revamp and improve old but reliable threats. Thus it is important for users to stay updated with the latest developments in online security.
As of this writing, the affected South Korean sites are now clean and no longer host the said malware.
With additional insights from Threat researcher Eruel Ramos
Post from: Trendlabs Security Intelligence Blog – by Trend Micro
Online Gaming Spyware Downloads Backdoor
Read more: Online Gaming Spyware Downloads Backdoor

subset: commoncrawl


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What we have seen post the 2008 global financial crash, as the US Federal Reserve, the Bank of Japan, the Bank of England and the ECB have sought to pump money into their respective real economies in order to get growth going again, is an absolutely enormous transfer of wealth from savers to borrowers. Whether you are getting 0.2% nominal interest on your savings on deposit with a bank, or whether your bank decides to hit you with, say, a 0.1% "holding fee", might be psychologically significant, but in reality the imposition of such a charge simply reinforces the idea that holding cash in a bank account is not a good idea right now, and hasn't been since, oh, say 2008. This is not a terrible thing, since there are a huge number of alternatives to holding cash in a bank account.
Exploring the options here could take several (or even several dozen) blogs and is not my topic this go round, so I will pass over it lightly, except to point out that most of these alternatives involve assuming at least some level of risk. But since holding cash at negative rates, with the negative being amplified by whatever level of inflation might be around, is certain to generate a modest level of loss anyway (we are not yet, after all, in official deflation territory) there simply are not any risk-free alternatives around anymore. It may be, therefore, that the negative deposit rate fiasco, if it comes about, could have the positive effect of goading the general public into the realization that the time has come for them to get off their behinds and "wise-up" on investing. (I have a future? I need to invest? What is this...?)
For more than a decade, successive UK governments have been trying to get the public to realize that no government in any market with a declining ratio of workers to pensioners, can, over the medium term, afford the welfare and pensions promises its politicians have been making to voters in order to boost their own electoral chances. The logical corollary of finding out that the state simply will not be in a position to take care of you in your old age, is that you have to assume that responsibility for yourself – which means finding ways of generating a sufficient pot of money while you are able to work, to keep you in relative comfort when you can no longer work. It's that simple. In this respect, negative rates for depositors, if they come, should simply stimulate an active financial services sector into offering more lucrative and relatively low risk alternatives to bank deposits. Negative rates should also prompt financially illiterate savers into becoming a tad more literate. "My bank is robbing me, what are my options?" is, after all, a fairly basic question.
It is also worth asking where negative deposit rates would leave the banks, given that banks were supposed to need to attract cash from depositors, aka savers, in order to lend? ECB banks also need new cash not to lend but to repay bond holders on maturing bonds. Their options here are to refinance by issuing new bonds, attract more depositors or borrow from the ECB. Actually, of course, in the Brave New World crafted by that Italian master craftsman, Mario Draghi, president of the ECB, the EU's established banks do not actually need to bother themselves with attracting new depositors or new investors. They can simply go direct to the ECB under its Long Term Refinancing Operation (LTRO) and borrow at ultra low rates and then lend out at commercial rates, if they so choose. (For a more detailed account of the workings of LTRO see this blog by Zero Hedge.)
This in itself begs the question of just how rubbish a bank's credit committee has to be in order for it to lose money on commercial and private lending when it has the freedom to borrow low and lend high. This go round, Draghi has added the proviso that the ECB's LTRO loans will only be available for lending to non financial institutions and will not be available for private mortgage lending, hence the new LTROs are being called Targeted LTROs, or TLTROs. The loans will only mature in September 2018 and will be worth some 400 billion euros in total. Oh, and one more thing, up until now, the ECB has "sterilized" all loans made under the LTRO by selling an equivalent amount of assets off its books. Draghi mentioned in passing that henceforth the ECB is suspending this sterilization. So Draghi and the ECB are now planning to pump 400 billion euros of new money into the EU economy, with further TLTRO tranches to follow. In effect the ECB has begun quantitative easing (QE), something its mandate is supposed to preclude it from doing. As I said, Draghi is a master craftsman...


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Screening for Glaucoma
]]>Main Page]]> | ]]>Risk Factors]]> | ]]>Symptoms]]> | ]]>Diagnosis]]> | ]]>Treatment]]> | Screening | ]]>Reducing Your Risk]]> | ]]>Talking to Your Doctor]]> | ]]>Living With Glaucoma]]> | ]]>Resource Guide]]>
The purpose of screening is early diagnosis and treatment. Screening tests are usually administered to people without current symptoms, but who may be at high risk for certain diseases or conditions. Since glaucoma usually has no symptoms and can occur in anybody regardless of risk factors, everybody should be screened for the disease as recommended by their physician.
Screening Tests
Regular eye exams by an eye care professional are the best way to screen for glaucoma. Because most people experience no symptoms with glaucoma, it is important to schedule a regular eye exam. The frequency depends on your age, risk factors, and general health. See the screening guidelines below.
During your eye exam, your eye care professional may do the following tests:
Visual acuity —This test measures how well you see at various distances. You will be asked to look at a chart of letters or numbers and identify what you see.
Tonometry —This test measures the pressure inside the eye. There are several types of tonometry; in air tonometry, a puff of air is blown onto the cornea to take the measurement. Another type uses a small plastic device (Goldman tonometer) that lightly pushes against your eye in order to measure your intraocular pressure. For this test, the eye is first numbed with an eye drop, so you do not feel anything.
Gonioscopy —The eye care professional can see the drainage angle of your eye using a special lens. This can help determine if you are at risk for closed-angle glaucoma.
Pupil dilation —Drops are put in your eyes that enlarge/dilate your pupils. This allows the eye care professional to see more of the inside of your eye. Your close-up (near) vision may remain blurred for several hours afterwards and you may be sensitive to bright light. Ask your doctor for a pair of sunglasses after the dilation.
Ophthalmoscopy —Once your pupils are dilated, the eye care professional will examine your optic nerve and the rest of your retina with an instrument called an ophthalmoscope. The color and appearance of the optic nerve may indicate if damage from glaucoma is present and how extensive it is. Your doctor will probably take pictures of your optic nerve for future comparison.
Perimetry (visual field test) —This test produces a map of the complete field of vision. It is used to check whether there is damage to any area of vision. Since glaucoma slowly affects your peripheral, or side vision, you may not know you have any problems until detected on this test.
Pachymetry —Your physician may measure the thickness of your cornea using a special machine called a corneal pachymeter.Your eye is numbed with a drop first and it does not hurt.
Nerve Fiber Layer Analysis —Your doctor may use a special machine, such as an OCT, GDx, or HRT, to measure the thickness of the nerve fiber around your optic nerve. This can often be compared to normative data from other people without glaucoma of your age, sex, and race. It also can be rechecked in the future to see if there is any loss of nerve fiber thickness with time.
Screening Guidelines
Ask your doctor for guidelines specific for your individual situation. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends the following general screening guidelines healthy adults with no risk factors for eye disease:
- At least once between age 20-29
- At least twice between age 30-39
- Age 40-64: every 2 to 4 years
- Age 65 and older: every 1 to 2 years
You should be screened more often, or as directed by your doctor, if you:
- Have risk factors for glaucoma or other eye diseases
- Have a family member who has glaucoma
- Have a personal or family history of eye disease
- Are African American or African heritage or of Latin heritage
- Have had a serious eye injury in the past
- Had eye surgery in the past
- Are taking a corticosteroid medication
- Have diabetes, ]]>high blood pressure]]> , or other chronic illness
Cautionary Note: If you currently have eye symptoms, you should call your provider immediately for an evaluation. In case of an emergency, call for an ambulance immediately.
American Academy of Ophthalmology website. Available at: http://www.aao.org/ .
Friedman DS, Wolfs RC, O'Colmain BJ, et al. Prevalence of open-angle glaucoma among adults in the United States. Arch Ophthalmol. 2004;122:532.
Glaucoma Research Foundation website. Available at: http://www.glaucoma.org/
National Eye Institute website. Available at: http://www.nei.nih.gov/ .
Weinreb RN, Khaw PT. Primary open-angle glaucoma. Lancet. 2004;363:1711.
Last reviewed June 2008 by ]]>Marcin Chwistek, MD]]>
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © 2007 EBSCO Publishing All rights reserved.


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LaCie 2TB Rugged Thunderbolt + USB-C Portable Hard Drive
Watch the Rugged video by LaCie
LaCie Rugged
Rugged LaCie
Music: Driving Rock Anthem
[Zak Noyle walks onto beach and looks to the horizon]
[Zak Noyle, World-Class Surf Photographer]
[Crashing Waves]
[1 Surf Photographer. 3 Hours of Epic Waves. 1 Chance for the Perfect Photo.]
[Montage of Zak's camera gear and diving equipment. Zak suits up and enters the water and swims through waves with his camera equipment. He returns to base camp and has a seat at a table where he places a laptop and a LaCie Rugged hard drive.]
[LaCie Rugged. Ultimate Storage for the Perfect Photo]
[Zak opens his laptop and begins to connect a Lacie Rugged hard drive.]
[Portable. Bus Powered via Thunderbolt and USB-C.]
[Zak inserts the thunderbolt cable attached to the LaCie Rugged to his laptop.]
[Bigger. Store up to 5TB of Content.]
[Computer monitor shows files being transfered from laptop to the LaCie Rugged.]
[Faster. Transfer Files in Seconds.]
[Progress bar shows files being transferred quickly.]
[Safer. Resists Sand, Water, and Drops.]
[LaCie Rugged is covered in water and sand as it's being handled. Zak brushes off the hard drive, disconnects the LaCie Rugged and places it in one shipping envelope, soon after opening another which contains a surf magazine featuring his photography.
[LaCie Rugged. Toughest in the Field. Fast and Secure Anywhere.
[Camera pans to reveal the final shot of the LaCie Rugged.
The LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt USB-C hard drive powerfully combines reliable toughness, USB-C compatibility, and blazing-fast Thunderbolt speeds up to 130 MBps. Also offering a built-in Thunderbolt cable and IP54-rated resistance to the elements, this Rugged drive ensures you won't have to make any compromises when it comes to durability, mobility, and speed.
For additional protection from the unexpected, this drive comes with three years of Rescue Data Recovery Service. If your drive should stop working, LaCie recovers the data and returns it to you on a new piece of external storage. Also includes 24/7 online case status tracking. With this service your equipment is eligible for one In-Lab Data Recovery attempt during the term of coverage.*
Thunderbolt speeds up to 130 MBps
USB-C for universal connectivity
Bus powered for complete mobility
Shock, dust, and water resistant for all-terrain use
Withstands drops of up to 5 feet (1.5 meters)
AES 256-bit software encryption to prevent unauthorized access
Design by neil poulton
Includes three years of Rescue Data Recovery Service*
What's in the Box
LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt USB-C Hard Drive
USB-C (USB 3.1 5-Gbps) cable
USB-C to USB-A cable (USB 3.0 compatible)
Quick install guide
Removable cover
Tech Specs
Other Features: Time Machine compatible
Connections: USB-C
Power Source: USB
Length: 1.34 in./3.4 cm
Width: 3.58 in./9.1 cm
Depth: 5.84 in./14.83 cm
Weight: 0.882lb / 0.4kg
System Requirements
Operating System: OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or later
Manufacturer Information
Part Number
UPC or EAN No.: 763649112397
Note: Products sold through this website that do not bear the Apple Brand name are serviced and supported exclusively by their manufacturers in accordance with terms and conditions packaged with the products. Apple's Limited Warranty does not apply to products that are not Apple-branded, even if packaged or sold with Apple products. Please contact the manufacturer directly for technical support and customer service. The documentation and packaging for this product is in English.
Manufacturer Note
*With this service your equipment is eligible for one (1) in-lab Data Recovery attempt during the term of coverage. Pursuant to the terms and conditions of this Service Plan.
Mac Models
- MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
- MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018 - 2019)
- MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015 - 2017)
- MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2015)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020)
- MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016 - 2019)
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016 and later)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012 - 2015)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2012 - 2015)
- MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015 - 2017)
- iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019 and later)
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019 and later)
- iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017)
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017)
- iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015)
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014 - 2015)
- iMac Pro (2017 and later)
- Mac Pro (2019)
- Mac Pro (Late 2013)
- Mac mini (2018 and later)
- Mac mini (Late 2014)
Answers from the community
Does this drive work with OSX El Capitan 10.11.6?
- Asked by Lori S from Brooklyn
- on 15-Apr-2020
Does it support thunderbolt 2?
- Asked by Henry A from Fairfield
- on 24-Sep-2017
Best Answer:
It does support Thunderbolt 2. I just connected it to my 27" imac (late 2013) which has Thunderbolt It does support Thunderbolt 2. I just connected it to my 27" imac (late 2013) which has Thunderbolt 2.0 ports, via one of the Thunderbolt ports and it works fine. This appears to be a Thunderbolt 1 device, since the documentation says it supports 10Gb/s. I'm not using Thunderbolt because of the speed, I'm just running out of USB 3.0 ports.
- Answered by Dominic P from Broomfield
- on 02-Jan-2020
is the built-in thunderbolt cable of the USB-C variety? only finding pictures of this drive with the thunderbolt-2 style built-in cable, but not sure
- Asked by Aleks L from Burnaby
- on 05-Dec-2017
Answer now(is the built-in thunderbolt cable of the USB-C variety? only finding pictures of this drive with the thunderbolt-2 style built-in cable, but not sure)1 Answer(is the built-in thunderbolt cable of the USB-C variety? only finding pictures of this drive with the thunderbolt-2 style built-in cable, but not sure)
Will this be compatible with with USB-B?
- Asked by Daniel C from Saline
- on 29-Jun-2017
No, however it does come with a usb-c to A connector so it can connect to any USB port.
- Answered by Dan C from North Branford
- on 01-Jul-2017


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Teen arrested for Flowery Branch HS Instagram threat | Crime
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The familly of a teenage girl arrested after writing about a possible shooting at Flowery Branch High School, says this has been one big misunderstanding.
Tiffani Torres, 18, was taken into custody Tuesday morning and released on bond around 5:30 that night. A judge ordered her to stay away from social media sites, the internet and her cell phone. She was also given a 10 p.m. curfew.
PHOTOS | Mug shots: See 'em to believe 'em
Hall County Sheriff Sgt. Kiley Sargent said Torres was charged with one count of disruption of a public school after posting a threatening message on Instagram. Torres is a senior at Flowery Branch High School.
Torres' step-father says her message about 10 or 15 kids shooting up the school, was a reference to an imaginary dart game, where players blow air darts at each other to freeze them in place until rescued.
"You walk up and say I got you, then you have to sit down. You can't get up until somebody else comes and tags you," said James Cole.
But that's not how the students, sheriff's deputies, or even the Governor's office took it, offering up GBI resources to catch the person who posted the message.
More than 1,000 parents rushed to check their students out of class.
"It's a very big understanding and she's not a monster. She's not mentally unstable and all the things I've seen so far posted. It was just a game. It was not supposed to turn into this," said Torres' aunt, Jolie Dienes.
Today, the principal said most students had returned to class. But parents still had plenty of questions.
"They wanted the assurance that the person responsible had been arrested so if there was a threat even if it had been deemed a hoax, parents are still anxious," said Hall county school district spokesman Gordon Higgins.
Hall county investigators say they worked with the GBI and Facebook, the parent company of Instagram, to track down the computer used to send the message. Deputies decided to arrest Torres' even after they heard her explanation.
"Years ago I'm sure it was pulling a fire alarm, but in today's time we can't have that. This is more than a juvenile offense. This is something that put a lot of lives in danger," said Sargent.
Now an 18-year old with no disciplinary record faces a misdemeanor charge. She's already been suspended, pending a district hearing.
"She's never been in trouble, she doesn't want to cause trouble. She doesn't want to fight anyone, she definitely doesn't want to shoot anyone," said Dienes.
Investigators combed through the campus Monday morning after a student showed the Instagram message to a parent. That started a chain reaction with the school, district and sheriff's office.
The school was never placed on lockdown, but adults did set up watch at all of the entrances and exits until investigators determined there were no weapons inside.
"This message caused a total disruption to this school day, there's over 1,600 students here at Flowery Branch High School, 1,000 of whom had their parents come get them to check them out once they got text messages from their students saying there's a report of a shooting at the school," said Higgins.


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Kansas University soccer coach Mark Francis had no idea how this experiment was going to work.
On Saturday, he introduced his team to a 4-3-1-2 formation. Drew it up on a chalkboard. Explained it to his players and hoped for the best.
Needless to say after a 4-1 victory over Purdue on Sunday at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex, the new strategy might be sticking around awhile.
"If it didn't work, we'd just switch back to our regular formation. No big deal," Francis said. "But as the game went on, you could just tell it was working really well for us."
While employing a 4-3-3 set earlier in the year, Francis feared that his team's best offensive players might have been stifled by a formation that wasn't allowing them to be creative with the ball.
KU's offense seemed to thrive with the new setup Sunday that moved midfielder Liana Salazar into a more attacking role. The Jayhawks matched the number of goals they'd scored in their previous three games combined (four) and also posted season-highs in shots (23) and shots on goal (13).
"I think playing them this way is going to be harder for teams to defend us, because there are people moving all over the place," Francis said. "It's harder to keep track of them."
The Jayhawks struck first in the 19th minute, when KU forward Jamie Fletcher was fouled in the penalty box to bring on a penalty kick. Salazar knocked the PK into the right side of the net, giving KU a 1-0 lead.
KU followed with a pair of goals off quick counters. Following a long boot from keeper Kaitlyn Stroud in the 36th minute, Ashley Pankey sent a pass ahead for Ashley Williams, who rolled a shot into the left side of the net.
Then, in the 59th minute, Fletcher delivered a long bouncing pass ahead to Caroline Kastor, who needed just one touch to blast it into the right side of the goal to make it 3-0.
"Fletcher played me an unbelievable ball; I think she did most of the work," Kastor said. "I just ran onto it and tried to compose myself and finish it."
Two minutes after Purdue scored its only goal on a penalty kick, KU answered in the 85th minute. Kastor sent a cross from the right side to Courtney Dickerson, who headed it into the left corner of the goal to complete the scoring.
"I think the goal for this weekend was to score and to have attacking opportunities," Salazar said. "I think changing the (formation) of the team, that helps me and especially Fletch to get the ball more to have the freedom to move everywhere on the field."
Though not perfect — Francis said some additional tweaks were needed defensively with the new set — KU's back line allowed only a goal against Purdue's powerful offense. The Boilermakers (2-2) were held to their lowest scoring total of the year after averaging four goals per game through their first three contests.
KU (3-1) will play Arizona in the Sun Devil Classic on Friday in Tempe, Ariz.
Commenting has been disabled for this item.


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Peter wanted to make two pies for a party. His mother had a recipe for him to use. However, she always made 80 pies at a time. Did Peter have enough ingredients to make two pumpkin pies?
Mum, Dad, Tim and Jill moved into a new house. If they cut down the
big tree, will it miss the greenhouse?
A 750 ml bottle of concentrated orange squash is enough to make fifteen 250 ml glasses of diluted orange drink. How much water is needed to make 10 litres of this drink?
To make them, she weighs two eggs. Then she takes the same weight in flour, and in sugar and in butter. She mixes all this together and then she adds half the weight of the $2$ eggs in chopped glace cherries.
She has enough mixture to put $45$ grams in each of $12$ paper cake cases.
What was the weight of one egg?


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Where we HB the Honda 2000 is an added plus that more an more use to supplement there existing systems, inverters an big gens. They are highly dependable a typical wk end use less than 6 gallons
The small 5k btu ac window units now draw less than 5 amps as thus allowing us to run these units, all the while running a full size frigs, fans, TV's / box's etc. and putting a minimum back in the invert batts with out the big gen needed
Now I understand its a not a plug an play deal to use the ac because of the mount issue but there are ways to do it, enjoy the comfort an not do a hard mount I can attest.
I understand some would rather run your central air for a gallon an hour with the big gen, recharge your invert batts and not contend with the above this isn't for you.
key word is OPTION,


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Fully working for multiplayer and single player Blood Bowl Chaos Edition campaigns. This mod is aimed to be a fluff 'fix', and makes changes only to the visuals and string entries of the Khorne roster. Stats are left intact. The aim was to nudge the Bloodthirster off the roster, since many feel a greater daemon has no place on the pitch in the Blood Bowl setting.
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.


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Help me tag this.
Help me tag this.
Actually, I wouldn't mind.
19 is actually a good idea >.<
ahahah. jessica as the groom is perfect.
she wears the pants in this relation
how is 19 bad !?!
5. - http://www.bittersweetcandybowl.com/candybooru/post/view/358
This is just awesome in SOO many ways!
how would making McCain the lead character get people mad?! I"M CERTAIN THEY'D BE ALL FOR IT!
Meh. I wouldn't mind most of them.
By the way, nice touch on the MikeXJessica wedding. I see what you did there!
MikexJessica OTP
Tigara, you just made my day. xD
Unlike everyone else, these would piss me off alot :3
Wait, as everyone can agree, what is bad about 19? That sounds like an awesome idea.
Also, didn't everyone seem to go crazy in love with the chapter that seemed to revolve around Paulo commiting #7? I think again a lot of people would be happy about that.
13, not sure how most would react, but I feel that one is a stronger possibility of actually happening...
19 couldn't work. McCain would turn out 2 ways:
1.) He wouldn't say anything, but the drama around him would turn him all soft and weak.
2.) He would talk our furry little ears off. Always. And it would be dramatic.
*McCain would turn out /one of/ two ways.
@Anon 4, that's because it was a dream and not "real life"... though you DO have a point about #13...
and I just realized that 16 could be inevitable. :S
@Ahroo: Oh crap you're right about #13.
why is 19 on this list
and lucyxmccain would work fuck you
@Lord_Tristan, I just realized that 13 (or Sandy coming back) could trigger 16 to happen...
21. Make all of the characters lambs.
yeah.. you're funny, Anon.
AHHHHHHHHH Pictures for 7 and 13 are AMAZINGLY HILARIOUS!
That post gave me cancer.
13 needs to happen. Make it so.
But...But number 4 is just so awesome!
-So totally not Leaving a Comment
For the record, #16 would make everyone happy.
I like #16.
Our house! In the middle of our street!
I like #16.
SO much potential!
Our house! In the middle of our street!
19 would be awesome :3
18 would make me a sad panda...
Lol @anon 7
That would be funny if that all happened, though
If mccain was the lead, the comic would become a furry version of xkcd
HAHAHAHAH .... Why is Mike wearing a dress!?
Killing off Jasmine, or, for that matter, any non-vital character that's still deeply seated in the psyche of another character is a nice idea. The character development that would occur would, doubtlessly, be of superb qualities. Everyone remember that bit where Lucy thought Mike had died? Imagine that with two other characters, except permanent. See my point?
20- I see what you did there
19 doesn't seem to bad
things that should happen:
12 (lol i know)
13 (YUS FOR SAD ROMANTİC DRAMA! PAİN AND ROMANCE!!!)lolz
14 lolz hahaha gawd oh poor sue ~looooooooooool~
not much of 15 but wouldnt mind if it happened lolz
16 (lol drama)
wow i loled alot lolz
thing that should NEVER happen: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9 (noes!), 10, 17 (uhh.. would be sooo annoying...) 18 (omg...omg... no...nono nooo... noooOOOOooooOOOOOooooOOOOooo..... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DONT!! EVER!!!! ) ~thats all to say
hahaha mikes the bride and jess' the groom lol
Has everyone forgotten that McCain is a fancharacter? 15 has already happened. For that matter, it doesn't require actual dating so it also works for CarterxLucy, LiamxLucy, CarsonxMike, KizunaxDavid, and TessxPaulo.
wouldnt 15. cause 18
21. Somehow do all of this in order.
19 good the rest well..........NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
lol at david and sue in #20, the prophecy has been fulfilled


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News and events
Statement on Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
March 17, 2020 – OMRON is closely following the development of the coronavirus outbreak in the EMEA region and taking appropriate measures. OMRON adheres to the guidance from relevant authorities, the ECDC and the WHO. The safety and wellbeing of all our employees and relations is our highest priority. Read more
Omron Healthcare Agrees on a Comprehensive and Long-term Global Strategic Collaboration for Joint Research and Development with AstraZeneca PLC
November 14, 2019 – Omron Healthcare Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Kyoto, Japan, President and CEO: Isao Ogino; "Omron Healthcare") announced that it has agreed with AstraZeneca PLC (Head Office: Cambridge, UK; CEO: Pascal Soriot) to enter into a comprehensive and long-term global strategic collaboration. Read more
[EVENT INVITATION] ESH's Annual Meeting and ESC Congress 2019
May 29, 2019 - OMRON Healthcare will proudly present the next generation in wearable blood pressure monitoring technology at ESH's annual meeting and ESC Congress 2019. Read more
British Happier to Change Lifestyle to Combat High Blood Pressure Than Japanese, But Less Than Americans
May 21, 2019 - A higher proportion of people affected by high blood pressure from Germany and Spain are taking proactive steps to deal with their condition than UK nationals. Read more
Doctors Prove Cleaning Snotty Noses Improves Children's Respiratory Symptoms
March 7, 2019 - Keeping the nasal cavity clean could play a role in preventing more severe lung complications such as bronchitis, pneumonia or asthma. Read more
OMRON Healthcare and iAPPS joint venture to provide Health Management Services for Businesses
February 28, 2019 – OMRON Healthcare Co., Ltd. and iAPPS Pte. Ltd. today announced the establishment of HeartVoice Pte. Ltd., a joint venture that provides health management services to businesses. Read more
OMRON unveils a new interactive blood pressure monitoring skill for Amazon Alexa
January 30, 2019 - Users can simply ask Alexa to compare blood pressure over time and flag higher-than-usual readings. Read more
RS7 Intelli IT, OMRON's First Automatic Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor Clinically Validated for Use in Obese Population
August 28, 2018 - Due to the fast-growing prevalence of obesity as a burden of cardiovascular risk, empowering obese people to make informed decisions about their health becomes critical. This is now possible with this new OMRON wrist blood pressure monitor, the clinical validation for use in obese population of which was announced at the ESC Congress 2018 in Munich. Read more
OMRON Healthcare Announces Acquisition of 3A Health Care S.R.L.
July 2, 2018 - OMRON Healthcare, a global leader in medical equipment for home health monitoring and therapy, announces the acquisition of privately-held 3A Health Care s.r.l., a leader in the development and production of specialized aerosol therapy devices and surgical aspirators. Read more
OMRON Healthcare Shares Hypertension Insights at ESH Congress 2018
July 2, 2018 - OMRON Healthcare teams up with clinical professors to share with physicians the latest blood pressure monitoring technology for patients with Obesity and Sleep Apnea. Read more
OMRON Healthcare Supports 'May Measurement Month', the Largest Global Public Blood Pressure Screening Programme Ever
June 28, 2018 - OMRON Healthcare has donated 20.000 blood pressure monitors to support May Measurement Month 2018 in recording blood pressure readings of millions of people in 100 countries and in fighting hypertension. Read more


text:
October 6, 2012
Jeff Wyatt of VWerks & Aston Martin Vantage V12
Jeff Wyatt's company builds specialty off-road vehicles, manufactures parts and sells dealer kits. VWerks' purpose is to build vehicles for outdoor lifestyles, not just for going off-road. We talk to Wyatt about his products and also about compressed natural gas and other alternative fuels. Then we fire up an Aston Martin Vantage V12!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Show Credits
Producer: Jeff Fox
Audio Engineer: Chris Laxamana
Visit the Venchurs / VV Werks website.
The Aston Martin Vantage V12 website
VWerks Ram 1500
Aston Martin Vantage V12
[nggallery id=233]


text:
Forum Post: Florida's Teabagge(R)y Gets Sued!!
Posted 7 years ago on July 23, 2013, 12:32 p.m. EST by shoozTroll
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Isn't Austerity grand?
Isn't libe(R)topia just where we all want to be?
"The Justice Department Monday sued the state of Florida over its longstanding practice of housing medically fragile and disabled children in geriatric nursing homes, alleging that the state is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The complaint has been a long time in coming. DOJ started investigating Florida's treatment of medically fragile and disabled kids in late 2011. It's been warning the state ever since that if it didn't change its practices and find a way for these kids to be cared for at home with their families or in better settings in the community, it would file suit and force the state to act."
Teabagge(R)y NEVER does the correct thing.
Not in ANY State they are active, and boy are they active in Florida.


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If you're not quite sure about certain aspects of the McCann case, or you have a different opinion to that propagated in the mainstream Media, or perhaps you just feel some things don't quite add up, then…….
..........you're an evil, despicable, perverted, thoughtless, inconsiderate, nasty, sick & twisted HATER who wishes Madeleine McCann dead and doesn't want her ever to be found and is clearly hell bent on causing even more heartache, anguish, pain and grief to her distraught and long suffering parents who are having to battle on a daily basis with the devastating and incalculable agony caused by the loss of their daughter who was obviously and inarguably abducted in the night, (whilst their parents sat just a few feet away), by a predatory paedophile who would never have gotten away with it were it not for those bungling, useless, wine-swilling, sardine-munching Porto plod who trampled all over the evidence and were more interested in trying to FRAME the grief- stricken parents than actually catch the real culprit, causing them to have to have to suffer the ignominy and heart-break of making pleas for help and endure fund-raising ventures and libel cases in order to accrue the estimated SEVERAL Million pounds thus far raised in order to do the job Policia Judiciaria didn't, which was to catch the swarthy gypsy, (or similar type), of which there are a great many in the backwards , fascist dictatorship known as Portugal where the people couldn't even be bothered to help look for the missing girl and who will never be found now anyway because he's probably dead and it's only a question of time before Scotland Yard find his death-bed confession………….
© C. Mitchell. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material is POSITIVELY encouraged and if it can be added to and made even more ridiculous to the benefit of my clients so much the better…..


text:
Fixed - 2 years
based on $300,000 loan amount for 25 years
Fixed - 3 years
RateCity Says: Fix the interest rate on your owner occupier home loan for up to three years and pay no ongoing fees.
Calculate repayment for Firstmac product
Fixed - 2 years
Your estimated repayment
based on $300,000 loan amount for 25 years
Pros and Cons
Pros and Cons
- No ongoing fees
- Split account option
- Limited extra repayments
- No redraw and no offset
- Discharge fee at end of loan
- Maximum loan amount is limited to 80% of the property's value
Firstmac Features and Fees
Firstmac Features and Fees
- Details
- Features
- Fees
- Application method
Maximum LVR
Total Repayments
Next LVR
Interest rate type
Fixed - 2 years
Borrowing range
Suitable for
Loan term range
15 - 30 years
Principal & interest
Interest only
Applicable states
Extra repayments
Yes - limited to $10000
Offset account
Redraw facility
Split interest facility
Loan portable
Repayment holiday available
Allow guarantors
Available for first home buyers
Total estimated upfront fees
Application fee
Legal fee
Valuation fee
Settlement fee
Other upfront fee
Ongoing fee
Discharge fee
Application method
In branch
Other Benefits
Package your owner-occupied loan with your investment loan and enjoy a low rate of 4.09% for VIP Package Investment Loan Fixed (Interest Only) 2 Years or 4.19% for VIP Package Investment Loan Fixed (Interest Only) 3 Years. Discharge fees are waived if the loan goes full term.
Pros and Cons
- No ongoing fees
- Split account option
- Limited extra repayments
- No redraw and no offset
- Discharge fee at end of loan
- Maximum loan amount is limited to 80% of the property's value
Firstmac Features and Fees
- Details
- Features
- Fees
- Application method
Maximum LVR
Total Repayments
Next LVR
Interest rate type
Fixed - 2 years
Borrowing range
Suitable for
Loan term range
15 - 30 years
Principal & interest
Interest only
Applicable states
Extra repayments
Yes - limited to $10000
Offset account
Redraw facility
Split interest facility
Loan portable
Repayment holiday available
Allow guarantors
Available for first home buyers
Total estimated upfront fees
Application fee
Legal fee
Valuation fee
Settlement fee
Other upfront fee
Ongoing fee
Discharge fee
Application method
In branch
Other Benefits
Package your owner-occupied loan with your investment loan and enjoy a low rate of 4.09% for VIP Package Investment Loan Fixed (Interest Only) 2 Years or 4.19% for VIP Package Investment Loan Fixed (Interest Only) 3 Years. Discharge fees are waived if the loan goes full term.
Compare and review home loans with similar features
Firstmac is available through brokers
Firstmac related news
Popular home loans searches
Compare home loan
Best mortgage
Cheap home loan
Low interest home loan
Investment property home loan
Fixed rate home loan
Investment loan rate home loan
Variable rate home loan
Home loans lmi calculator
Best home loan
Low home loan
Interest only home loan
Refinancing home loan
No deposit home loan
Smsf home loan
Refinance rate home loan
Low deposit home loan
Do mortgage brokers need a consumer credit license?
In Australia, mortgage brokers are defined by law as being credit service or assistance providers, meaning that they help borrowers connect with lenders. Mortgage brokers may not always need a consumer credit license however if they're operating solo they will need an Australian Credit License (ACL). Further, they may also need to comply with requirements asking them to mention their license number in full.
Some mortgage brokers can be "credit representatives", or franchisees of a mortgage aggregator. In this case, if the aggregator has a license, the mortgage broker need not have one. The reasoning for this is that the franchise agreement usually requires mortgage brokers to comply with the laws applicable to the aggregator. If you're speaking to a mortgage broker, you can ask them if they receive commissions from lenders, which is a good indicator that they need to be licensed. Consider requesting their license details if they don't give you the details beforehand.
You should remember that such a license protects you if you're given incorrect or misleading advice that results in a home loan application rejection or any financial loss. Brokers are regulated by the Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), as per the National Consumer Credit Protection (NCCP) Act.
What are the responsibilities of a mortgage broker?
Mortgage brokers act as the go-between for borrowers looking for a home loan and the lenders offering the loan. They offer personalised advice to help borrowers choose the right home loan for their needs.
In Australia, mortgage brokers are required by law to carry an Australian Credit License (ACL) if they offer credit assistance services. Which is the legal term for guidance regarding the different kinds of credit offered by lenders, including home loan mortgages. They may not need this license if they are working for an aggregator, for instance, as a franchisee. In both these situations, they need to comply with the regulations laid down by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
These regulations, which are stipulated by Australian legislation, require mortgage brokers to comply with what are called "responsible lending" and "best interest" obligations. Responsible lending obligations mean brokers have to suggest "suitable" home loans. This means loans that you can easily qualify for, actually meet your needs, and don't prove unnecessarily challenging for you.
Starting 1 January 2021, mortgage brokers must comply with best interest obligations in addition to responsible lending obligations. These require mortgage brokers to act in the best interest of their customers and also requires them to prioritise their customers' interests over their own. For instance, a mortgage broker may not recommend a lender who gives them a commission if that lender's home loan offer does not benefit that particular customer.
How to break up with your mortgage broker
If you find a mortgage broker giving you generic advice or trying to sell you a competitive offer from an unsuitable lender, you might be better off breaking up with the mortgage broker and consulting someone else. Breaking up with a mortgage broker can be done over the phone, or via email. You can also raise a complaint, either with the broker's aggregator or with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority as necessary.
As licensed industry professionals, mortgage brokers have the responsibility of giving you accurate advice so that you know what to expect when you apply for a home loan. You may have approached the mortgage broker, for instance, because you have questions about the terms of a home loan a lender offered you.
You should remember that mortgage brokers are obliged by law to act in your best interests and as part of complying with The Australian Securities and Investments Commission's (ASIC) regulations. If you feel you didn't get the right advice from the mortgage broker, or that you lost money as a result of accepting the broker's suggestions regarding a lender or home loan offer, you can file a complaint with the ASIC and seek compensation.
When you first speak to a mortgage broker, consider asking them about their Lender Panel, which is the list of lenders they usually recommend and who may pay them a commission. This information can help you decide if the advice they give you has anything to do with the remuneration they may receive from one or more lenders.
What is breach of contract?
A failure to follow all or part of a contract or breaking the conditions of a contract without any legal excuse. A breach of contract can be material, minor, actual or anticipatory, depending on the severity of the breaches and their material impact.
How personalised is my rating?
Real Time Ratings produces instant scores for loan products and updates them based what you tell us about what you're looking for in a loan. In that sense, we believe the ratings are as close as you get to personalised; the more you tell us, the more we customise to ratings to your needs. Some borrowers value flexibility, while others want the lowest cost loan. Your preferences will be reflected in the rating.
We also take a shorter term, more realistic view of how long borrowers hold onto their loan, which gives you a better idea about the true borrowing costs. We take your loan details and calculate how much each of the relevent loans would cost you on average each month over the next five years. We assess the overall flexibility of each loan and give you an easy indication of which ones are likely to adjust to your needs over time.
What fees are there when buying a house?
Buying a home comes with 'hidden fees' that should be factored in when considering how much the total cost of your new home will be. These can include stamp duty, title registration costs, building inspection fees, loan establishment fee, lenders mortgage insurance (LMI), legal fees and bank valuation costs.
Tip: you can calculate your stamp duty costs as well as LMI in Rate City mortgage repayments calculator
Some of these fees can be taken out of the mix, such as LMI, if you have a big enough deposit or by asking your lender to waive establishment fees for your loan. Even so, fees can run into the thousands of dollars on top of the purchase price.
Keep this in mind when deciding if you are ready to make the move in to the property market.
What is the flexibility score?
Today's home loans often try to lure borrowers with a range of flexible features, including offset accounts, redraw facilities, repayment frequency options, repayment holidays, split loan options and portability. Real Time Ratings™ weights each of these features based on popularity and gives loans a 'flexibility score' based on how much they cater to borrowers' needs over time. The aim is to give a higher score to loans which give borrowers more features and options.
How can I avoid mortgage insurance?
Lenders mortgage insurance (LMI) can be avoided by having a substantial deposit saved up before you apply for a loan, usually around 20 per cent or more (or a LVR of 80 per cent or less). This amount needs to be considered genuine savings by your lender so it has to have been in your account for three months rather than a lump sum that has just been deposited.
Some lenders may even require a six months saving history so the best way to ensure you don't end up paying LMI is to plan ahead for your home loan and save regularly.
Tip: You can use RateCity mortgage repayment calculator to calculate your LMI based on your borrowing profile
What is upfront fee?
An 'upfront' or 'application' fee is a one-off expense you are charged by your bank when you take out a loan. The average start-up fee is around $600 however there are over 1,000 loans on the market with none at all. If the loan you want does include an application fee, try and negotiate to have it waived. You'll be surprised what your bank agrees to when they want your business.
What is a cooling-off period?
Once a home loan's contracts are exchanged between the borrower and the lender, a five-day cooling-off period follows, during which the contracts may be cancelled if needed.
What is a standard variable rate (SVR)?
The standard variable rate (SVR) is the interest rate a lender applies to their standard home loan. It is a variable interest rate which is normally used as a benchmark from which they price their other variable rate home loan products.
A standard variable rate home loan typically includes most, if not all the features the lender has on offer, such as an offset account, but it often comes with a higher interest rate attached than their most 'basic' product on offer (usually referred to as their basic variable rate mortgage).
What is the difference between a fixed rate and variable rate?
A variable rate can fluctuate over the life of a loan as determined by your lender. While the rate is broadly reflective of market conditions, including the Reserve Bank's cash rate, it is by no means the sole determining factor in your bank's decision-making process.
A fixed rate is one which is set for a period of time, regardless of market fluctuations. Fixed rates can be as short as one year or as long as 15 years however after this time it will revert to a variable rate, unless you negotiate with your bank to enter into another fixed term agreement
Variable rates is that they are typically more flexible than their fixed rate counterparts which means that a lot of these products will let you make extra repayments and offer features such as offset accounts however fixed rates do offer customers a level of security by knowing exactly how much they need to set aside each month.
What are extra repayments?
Additional payments to your home loan above the minimum monthly instalments, which can help to reduce the loan's term and remaining payable interest.
How can I calculate interest on my home loan?
You can calculate the total interest you will pay over the life of your loan by using a mortgage calculator. The calculator will estimate your repayments based on the amount you want to borrow, the interest rate, the length of your loan, whether you are an owner-occupier or an investor and whether you plan to pay 'principal and interest' or 'interest-only'.
If you are buying a new home, the calculator will also help you work out how much you'll need to pay in stamp duty and other related costs.
What is stamp duty?
Stamp duty is the tax that must be paid when purchasing a property in Australia.
It is calculated by the state government based on the selling price of the property. These charges may differ for first homebuyers. You can calculate the stamp duty for your property using our stamp duty calculator.
What is mortgage stress?
Mortgage stress is when you don't have enough income to comfortably meet your monthly mortgage repayments and maintain your lifestyle. Many experts believe that mortgage stress starts when you are spending 30 per cent or more of your pre-tax income on mortgage repayments.
Mortgage stress can lead to people defaulting on their loans which can have serious long term repercussions.
The best way to avoid mortgage stress is to include at least a 2 – 3 per cent buffer in your estimated monthly repayments. If you could still make your monthly repayments comfortably at a rate of up to 8 or 9 per cent then you should be in good position to meet your obligations. If you think that a rate rise would leave you at a risk of defaulting on your loan, consider borrowing less money.
If you do find yourself in mortgage stress, talk to your bank about ways to potentially reduce your mortgage burden. Contacting a financial counsellor can also be a good idea. You can locate a free counselling service in your state by calling the national hotline: 1800 007 007 or visiting www.financialcounsellingaustralia.org.au.
Mortgage Calculator, Loan Purpose
This is what you will use the loan for – i.e. investment.
What do mortgage brokers do?
Mortgage brokers are finance professionals who help borrowers organise home loans with lenders. As such, they act as middlemen between borrowers and lenders.
While bank staff recommend home loan products only from their own employer, brokers are independent, so they can recommend products from a range of institutions.
Brokers need to be accredited with a particular lender to be able to work with that lender. A typical broker will be accredited with anywhere from 10 to 30 lenders – the big four banks, as well as a range of smaller banks, credit unions and non-bank lenders.
As a general rule, brokers don't charge consumers for their services; instead, they receive commissions from lenders whenever they place a borrower with that institution.
What is the amortisation period?
Popularly known as the loan term, the amortisation period is the time over which the borrower must pay back both the loan's principal and interest. It is usually determined during the application approval process.
Does each product always have the same rating?
No, the rating you see depends on a number of factors and can change as you tell us more about your loan profile and preferences. The reasons you may see a different rating:
- Lenders have made changes. Our ratings show the relative competitiveness of all the products listed at a given time. As the listing change, so do the ratings.
- You have updated you profile. If you increase your loan amount, the impact of different rates and fees will change which loans are the lowest cost for you.
- You adjust your preferences. The more you search for flexible loan features, the more importance we assign to the Flexibility Score. You can also adjust your Flexibility Weighting yourself, which will recalculate the ratings with preference given to more flexible loans.


text:
Premiers voice support for 'integrated energy economy'
Despite PM's absence, leaders call for collaboration on trade, training, infrastructure
Provincial and territorial leaders spoke enthusiastically of their desire to collaborate on energy issues after emerging from their two-day economic talks in Halifax.
They also continued to express concerns Friday about the health of the Canadian economy.
Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter, the current chair of the Council of the Federation, described the premiers' efforts to work with the federal government "to help sustain progress in economic development and ensure that we make the most of the resources, out of the energy, out of the shared commitment that we all have to stronger jurisdictions."
Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney and Tyler Cowen, an economics professor from George Mason University, near Washington, D.C., briefed the group earlier in the day.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper was invited to join the premiers at their meeting, but declined to attend. Despite his absence, Dexter said he hoped the premiers' work set some parameters and priorities for collaboration.
"We probably could go a little bit further if we had [the federal government at the table], but we can't wait. We've got to get on with it," said Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.
Alberta-Quebec 'working group' on energy pipeline
At the premiers' summer meeting, Alberta Premier Alison Redford tried but failed to build a consensus on the need for a national energy strategy.
Alberta and Quebec met separately Thursday night, before the formal Council of the Federation dinner, and announced they will set up their own working group to study closer energy ties between the two provinces.
Last week, Quebec's environment minister had said the province wanted to do its own review for a proposed east-west pipeline to carry Alberta's oil to an eastern Canadian refinery.
On Friday, Marois emphasized that it's a just a working group for now: Quebec hasn't agreed to anything specific with respect to an east-west pipeline.
Redford said she welcomed the opportunity to talk about Alberta's experiences on energy development, and said that her discussions with Quebec were not exclusive: she'd also been in discussions with New Brunswick Premier David Alward over the last three or four months.
"We're all physically connected," she said. "We are pleased by the fact that so many provinces are interested in talking about what the challenges and opportunities are.
"We need to have an integrated energy economy that allows all of Canada to benefit," Redford said.
Speaking after a speech in Montreal, federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver says he's pleased Marois is talking with Redford and other provincial and territorial leaders.
Oliver says the proposal to reverse the flow of an Enbridge pipeline would bring jobs to Quebec and could translate into savings at the pumps for consumers.
Other premiers warm to pipeline
Other premiers have mused about the benefits of moving Alberta's oil east instead of shipping it along proposed pipelines south to refineries in the United States or further west to a terminal on the British Columbia coast.
Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger said Friday the idea is a good one "both from a private investment point of view in the east but also to provide further market opportunities for Canadian producers in the west.
"I think it's a good story for all of us if we do it properly," he said.
Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter says shipping Alberta oil to Eastern Canada could boost Atlantic Canada's energy infrastructure.
He said an obvious destination for any pipeline would be the refinery in Saint John, N.B., but he added the entire region would benefit economically.
"When you see projects like this coming into the region it is good for the region. And whatever is good for Saint John or Moncton is good for Halifax and is good for Nova Scotia," he said.
Tensions remain between Alberta Premier Alison Redford and B.C. Premier Christy Clark, who's laid out five conditions for her province's support of the planned Northern Gateway pipeline from Alberta's oilsands to a new terminal at Kitimat, B.C.
Redford remains cool to B.C.'s most contentious demand: a greater share of the revenues.
"We stand by the five conditions and that's not changing," Clark told reporters Friday morning
"We need to come together around energy," Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Kathy Dunderdale said later at the closing news conference, gesturing towards her colleagues. "We need to have the positive discussions but we need to have the challenging ones as well, and we have to find a resolution.
"That doesn't mean that it's always easy, or that there's a straightforward path," she added, speaking about her own positive experiences working with Nova Scotia and the federal government on energy issues.
"But as responsible premiers and good stewards, it's incumbent on us to have those conversations and any kind of a dialogue around these issues is important I believe."
Focus on trade, skills training, infrastructure
While the premiers' final news conference was dominated by talk of energy proposals, the final news release focused on the premiers' efforts on trade, immigration, education and training and infrastructure.
The Council of the Federation had its own trade mission to China earlier this year.
The release called the participation of provinces and territories in the ongoing Canada-European Union trade talks "a new positive standard," saying they "look forward to being actively involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations and others."
The leaders also called on the federal government to renew its funding for federal-provincial labour market agreements on workforce training, which are set to expire in 2014.
Premiers also called for new federal investments in infrastructure programs once the current funding regime expires in 2014, echoing a call from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for new spending in this area.
They're asking for a new "base-plus per capita" formula that would set aside one pot of money for transit and cutting commute times, one for water and another for core infrastructure. The per capita funding would end the practice of applying for money to pay for specific projects and allow for more strategic funding.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall did not attend the meeting in person, but did participate by telephone conference call. He told reporters he was saving money by not incurring travel costs.
Dexter welcomed Marois, who was attending her first premiers' meeting, to their circle. He also bid farewell to Ontario McGuinty, who announced his resignation earlier this fall, and thanked him for being "a source of consensus building and great wisdom" over his years in office.
"We are now plotting over time to turn Madame Marois into a strong federalist," McGuinty joked. "She does not know this yet. That's fine."
With files from The Canadian Press and Susan Lunn


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Posted January 31 2017, 11:00 AM PST by Matthew Gardner, Chief Economist, Windermere Real Estate
Eastern Washington Real Estate Market UpdatePosted in Eastern Washington Real Estate Market Update and Market News by Matthew Gardner, Chief Economist, Windermere Real Estate
Washington State finished the year on a high, with jobs continuing to be added across the region. Additionally, we are seeing decent growth in the area's smaller cities and towns, which to date have not benefitted from the same robust growth as the larger metropolitan markets. Unemployment rates throughout the Eastern Washington region continue to drop and several markets are getting close to full employment. In the coming year, I anticipate that we will see income growth starting to rise as companies look to recruit new talent and keep existing employees happy.
- Sales activity in the Eastern Washington market areas saw a 13.4% increase compared to the same period in 2015. In total, there were 3,630 home sales in the fourth quarter of this year.
- Sales rose at the fastest rate in Walla Walla County, which had a 30.4% increase over Q4 2015. There were also noticeable increases in Kittitas and Okanogan Counties.
- A majority of counties in the region saw home sales improve relative to the fourth quarter of 2015, but two counties did experience declines. The largest drop in sales was seen in Whitman County.
- Sales are a product of supply and, unfortunately, the number of homes for sale in Eastern Washington is well below historic averages—and trending lower. Unless we see more listings come on the market, this will likely have a negative impact on sales growth in 2017.
- Average prices in the region rose by 10.2% year-over-year to $230,102. Double-digit price growth is unsustainable, but I expect to see prices slow somewhat as interest rates rise.
- Kittitas County saw the greatest price growth, with homes selling for 21.6% above that seen a year ago.
- All of the counties in this report saw prices rise when compared to the fourth quarter of 2015, with all but two increasing by more than 10%.
- The key takeaway here is that the market still clearly favors sellers over buyers.
- The average number of days it took to sell a home in the region dropped by 16 days when compared to the fourth quarter of 2015.
- The average time it took to sell a home in the region was 69 days.
- Douglas County was the only area where the average days on market rose (from 42 to 57 days).
- Counties where homes sold the fastest were Franklin and Benton, where it took just over a month to sell homes.
The speedometer reflects the state of the region's housing market using housing inventory, price gains, sales velocities, interest rates, and larger economic factors. Economic growth in Washington State continues to trend well above the nation and it is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. Housing markets throughout the state have benefited greatly from this economic vitality. Home prices continue to increase while the number of homes for sale remains stagnant. The average number of active listings in the fourth quarter was 21% lower than the same period a year ago, and pending sales were 7% higher. As such, the market remains staunchly in favor of sellers, even with interest rates that jumped in December.
Matthew Gardner is the Chief Economist for Windermere Real Estate, specializing in residential market analysis, commercial/industrial market analysis, financial analysis, and land use and regional economics. He is the former Principal of Gardner Economics, and has over 25 years of professional experience both in the U.S. and U.K.
2 Comments
Terrific update, thank you.
Is there any possibility of including Chelan county in the future?
Posted January 31 2017, 11:30 AM by Chris Savage
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Hi Chris,
Thank you for your feedback. I have shared this message with the people who manage this report for their consideration.
Tara Sharp
Posted January 31 2017, 12:35 PM by Tara Sharp
Terrific update, thank you.
Is there any possibility of including Chelan county in the future?
Posted January 31 2017, 11:30 AM by Chris Savage
ReplyCollapse Thread
Hi Chris,
Thank you for your feedback. I have shared this message with the people who manage this report for their consideration.
Tara Sharp
Posted January 31 2017, 12:35 PM by Tara Sharp


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I am sharing a new super-easy Baby Quilt tutorial over at Ucreate today. The great thing about this project is that it would be a really easy pattern to adapt to a larger quilt size. In fact, I think I would like it even more as a bigger quilt.
I'm also talking about how to pick fabrics for a quilt – so if that is something that makes you too scared to even start a quilt project without breaking into a cold sweat, this post might help you conquer your fear.


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IMPROVE trial compares the cost of care between a standard opioid-based regimen and an EXPAREL-based multimodal regimen for postsurgical pain management
PARSIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCRX) today announced topline results from the first completed IMPROVE study in its prospective Phase 4 clinical program. The study was designed to compare the difference in three primary endpoints—cost, opioid consumption and hospital length of stay (LOS)—between one group of patients receiving a standard opioid-based postsurgical pain management regimen and a second group of patients receiving EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) as the foundation of an opioid-sparing multimodal regimen.
The EXPAREL-based multimodal regimen achieved a statistically significant reduction in each primary endpoint, including a 60 percent reduction in LOS in patients undergoing open colectomy, a surgical procedure to remove all or part of the colon through an incision in the abdominal wall. EXPAREL is a non-opioid local analgesic indicated for administration into the surgical site to produce postsurgical analgesia. The overall safety profile for EXPAREL was consistent with previous experiences in the Phase 3 program.
"Results of this study, coupled with the results of our pivotal soft tissue trial, where EXPAREL demonstrated a 30 percent reduction in pain and a 45 percent reduction in opioid use through 72 hours following excisional hemorrhoidectomy, help to quantify the impact a non-opioid foundation such as EXPAREL can have on our postsurgical patients," said Dave Stack, president and CEO of Pacira. "We look forward to seeing the data from the remainder of the IMPROVE study sites and sharing these results in the public domain."
Southern Regional Medical Center is the first site to complete a prospective, open-label IMPROVE study. These studies will be carried out in up to five institutions across the United States. Colorectal surgeon Stephen M. Cohen, MD, FACS, FASCRS at Southern Regional Medical Center was the primary investigator of this study and performed all surgeries included in the study population. Eighteen patients were enrolled in the opioid-based group; 21 patients were enrolled in the EXPAREL-based multimodal regimen group.
"I have now used EXPAREL in more than 75 open bowel resection cases and my patients have reported excellent pain control in both the recovery room and in the postsurgical period lasting up to three days," said Dr. Cohen. "Because it's administered as an infiltration directly into the surgical site, EXPAREL gives surgeons the ability to treat the pain directly at the source. I believe the use of EXPAREL as the foundation of multimodal therapy represents a significant advancement in postsurgical pain management."
Full data from this center are being submitted for publication.
About IMPROVE
The IMPROVE studies are prospective, open-label, sequential studies designed to compare the differences in the incidence of opioid-related adverse events and cost of care between two treatment groups undergoing open colectomy, laparoscopic colectomy, or ileostomy reversal surgical procedures. The first patient group receives a standard opioid-based pain management regimen that includes intravenous (IV) morphine or hydromorphone delivered via patient-controlled analgesia device (PCA) and access to opioid-based rescue medication. The second group receives an opioid-sparing multimodal regimen centered around an intraoperative infiltration of 266 mg EXPAREL (one 1.3%, 20-mL vial) into the surgical site at the close of surgery. In the postsurgical setting, patients receive IV or oral acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Patients in both groups are offered rescue analgesia with IV opioid and/or oral opioid + acetaminophen medications.
About Pacira
Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PCRX) is an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the clinical and commercial development of new products that meet the needs of acute care practitioners and their patients. The company's current emphasis is the development of non-opioid products for postsurgical pain control, and its lead product, EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension), was commercially launched in the United States in April 2012. EXPAREL and two other products have utilized the Pacira proprietary product delivery technology DepoFoam®, a unique platform that encapsulates drugs without altering their molecular structure and then releases them over a desired period of time. Additional information about Pacira is available at http://www.pacira.com.
About EXPAREL®
EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) is indicated for single-dose infiltration into the surgical site to produce postsurgical analgesia. The product combines bupivacaine with DepoFoam®, a proven product delivery technology that delivers medication over a desired time period. EXPAREL represents the first and only multivesicular liposome local anesthetic that can be utilized in the peri- or postsurgical setting in the same fashion as current local anesthetics. By utilizing the DepoFoam platform, a single dose of EXPAREL delivers bupivacaine over time, providing analgesia with reduced opioid requirements for up to 72 hours. Pivotal studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of EXPAREL in patients undergoing bunionectomy or hemorrhoidectomy procedures and additional studies are underway to further demonstrate the safety and efficacy in other procedures. Additional information is available at www.EXPAREL.com.
Important Safety Information
EXPAREL is contraindicated in obstetrical paracervical block anesthesia. EXPAREL has not been studied for use in patients younger than 18 years of age. Non-bupivacaine-based local anesthetics, including lidocaine, may cause an immediate release of bupivacaine from EXPAREL if administered together locally. The administration of EXPAREL may follow the administration of lidocaine after a delay of 20 minutes or more. Other formulations of bupivacaine should not be administered within 96 hours following administration of EXPAREL. Monitoring of cardiovascular and neurological status, as well as vital signs should be performed during and after injection of EXPAREL as with other local anesthetic products. Because amide-type local anesthetics, such as bupivacaine, are metabolized by the liver, EXPAREL should be used cautiously in patients with hepatic disease. Patients with severe hepatic disease, because of their inability to metabolize local anesthetics normally, are at a greater risk of developing toxic plasma concentrations. In clinical trials, the most common adverse reactions (incidence greater-than or equal to 10%) following EXPAREL administration were nausea, constipation, and vomiting.
Please see the full Prescribing Information for more details available at www.EXPAREL.com.
Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
James S. Scibetta, 973-254-3570
Pure Communications, Inc.
Media Contact:
Susan Heins, 864-286-9597
Source: Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.


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GM CEO Rick Wagoner just showed up to Capitol Hill driving the Chevy Volt mule. No clue where the other CEOs are.
We kind of hope the Chrysler Aspen hybrid carrying Bob "The Builder" Nardelli made it. Ford CEO Alan Mulally may have accidentally gone to the Senate Armed Services Committee, so someone should check up on him.
But, according to Wagoner, there's one overwhelming reason why America needs to save their automakers:
"It's very important for the U.S. to have a home team in the global auto industry..."
G/O Media may get a commission
Photo Credit: Win McNamee / Getty Images News


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The Lussac Stone Age PortraitsIn a cave near Lussac-les-Chateaux, in 1937, Leon Pericard and Stephane Lewoff uncovered a number of engraved stones dating from the Magdalenian period which drastically altered the accepted picture. ( The flat stones showed men and women in casual poses, wearing robes, boots, belts, coats and hats.(Image:Three of the more than 130 human portraits from Lussac--with color added for effect-If you'd like to see them without color Click Here.). One engraving is a profile of a young lady who appears to be sitting and watching something. She is dressed in a pant suit with a short-sleeved jacket, a pair of small boots, and a decorated hat that flops down over her right ear and touches her shoulder. Resting on her lap is a square, flat object that folds down the front, very much like a modern purse. Other examples show men wearing well-tailored pants and coats, broad belts with clasps, and clipped beards and moustaches. ...The Lussac models are by no means the only evidence of sophisticated dress from the Stone Age. Prehistoric cave paintings from the Kalahari Desert of Southwest Africa, dated within the Stone Age period, show light-skinned men with blond beards and well-styled hair, wearing boots, tight fitting pants, multicolored shirts, and coats and gloves."
Another Investigator on La Marche (Lussac)"Superb quality, and crucially important revelations about life 14,000 years ago do not help the art of La Marche achieve much status at all. In fact, it is being pushed into obscurity by the establishment for more or less the same reasons. The establishment does not wish to promote iconoclastic ideas about advanced prehistoric civilization.
La Marche breaks all kinds of Stone-Age art conventions. While the Stone Age art almost never shows human figures, La Marche gives us portraits executed in caricature.
Most male faces are clean shaven. We also see stylish goatees, and moustaches. These humans wore fashionably cut clothes. They had soled and heeled knee-high boots reminiscent of the medieval flared style.On top of all that, the Magdalenians liked voluminous hats, sometimes suspiciously similar to helmets. (photos: left, 4 additional portraits, one of the original blocks containing the portraits) and right, the oldest known representation of a rider on horseback from the Trois Freres site ("Cro-Magnon"-period) It is inconceivable, such art could be the work of simple Cavemen! " Sometimes, new dogs cannot learn old tricks.. The stories of La Marche and Altamira indicate that if not for an overwhelming evidence of antiquity, these magnificent art-sites would still be considered as bona fide forgeries. Instead, nowadays they are certified paradoxes, and as such they are shunned by scientists, and the media, and witheld from the general public". Jiri Mruzek...
The Atlantis Enigma;By Herbie Brennans
This exerpt from Brennan's book provides additional details about those sophisticated cave men. Everything we thought was true about "Ancient Man" is wrong. Chapter 5 On the seventh day, he was required to make the march seven times preceded by seven priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant and carrying seven rams? horn trumpets. The Lord's final instruction was: "And the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn . . . all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat." Joshua did as instructed and the walls came tumbling down. Just how great a miracle this was only really came to light in 1952, when a team of British archaeologists, led by Kathleen Kenyon, began to excavate the Dead Sea site where Jericho once stood. What they found was, in Kenyon's own words, amazing. Although Joshua's army approached the city in 1425 BC, Jericho had existed long before then. Mesolithic traces were found, and carbon dated to somewhere around 9000 BC - only 600 years later than Plato's supposedly mythical Atlantis. There was definite proof of an organized community living in the city by about 8000 BC. By then, if not before, massive stone-built walls, 13 feet thick and 10 feet high, surrounded a 10-acre enclosure. At the center stood an engineering masterpiece - a well-built stone tower with its own internal spiral staircase ... 30 feet of which was still standing after nearly 10, 000 years. But the sophistication of Jericho went beyond its famous fortifications. Kenyon unearthed extraordinary portrait sculptures created by the innovative technique of modeling plaster over human skulls to produce eerily lifelike results. (2) Nineveh, a city so old it is mentioned in Genesis, was situated on the east bank of the Tigris, opposite modern Mosul, in Iraq. It grew into the largest population center of the ancient Assyrian Empire. Although not quite prepared to accept that it dates almost to the creation of the world, modern archaeologists believe it was founded no later than the seventh millennium BC. By Assyrian times,
the boundary wall was more than 7 miles long and in places an almost unbelievable 148 feet thick.It had thirty great gates, several of them guarded by stone colossi. In 1820, the brilliant Orientalist Claudius J. Rich became the first person in modern times to survey Nineveh. It was later excavated by French archaeologists, and in 1846 and 1847 by the distinguished English archaeologist Henry Layard, who discovered the palace of Sennacherib. Layard took back to England an unrivalled collection of stone bas-reliefs, several bronzes and thousands of clay tablets inscribed in cuneiform script. But it was while working at Nimrud, the earlier capital of Assyria, that Layard made his most intriguing find - a curious crystal artifact. It was a disc, not quite circular since it had 0.2 inches discrepancy between its longer and shorter diameters. One face of the disc was flat, but the other had been ground to make it convex, using some sort of precision tool. Although no longer in pristine condition, it showed the remains of twelve cavities which had once contained condensed gases or liquids. At first, archaeologists concluded the disc must be an ornament of some sort, but then David Brewster became interested in the find. Brewster was an eminent Scottish physicist noted for his experimental work in optics and polarized light. Today he is best remembered as the inventor of the kaleidoscope and the man who first produced three-dimensional images using a modified stereoscope. Brewster examined the artifact and announced, in 1853, that it was a well-made optical lens. This find is not unique. Some seventy-five similar lenses of varying dates have subsequently been found at sites that range from central Turkey through Crete to Troy. Current orthodoxy has it they were all decorative furniture inlays. (3)
What an optical lens was doing in ancient Nimrud was then - and remains today - beyond the understanding of orthodox archaeology.
But then so does the ancient 8.8-ton slab of man made glass discovered in 1956 at Beth She'arim, south-west of Galilee.
Similar weights of glass have been manufactured in modern times, but only rarely and for very specialized purposes - like the lenses of giant telescopes. Also, in the pyramid at Dahshur, built by Snefru (c.2613-c.2498 BCE), there lies at the foundation a 35 ton slab of man made purple glass. Think on that for a while.When faced with a find of cogged stone discs up to 6.5 inches in diameter in the Santa Ana River Valley, Ventura County, California, archaeologists fell back on the time-honored explanation of "ritual artifacts". In this case, as in many others, the phrase is an admission of defeat. The plain fact is that no one has the least idea what the discs, which are more than 8,000 years old, were actually used for. Once you begin to pay attention to what Michael A. Cremo and Richard L. Thompson aptly call "forbidden archaeology" (13) - finds that fail to fit the current paradigm and are consequently ignored, explained away or dismissed as fraud - a wholly new and unexpected picture of the ancient world beings to emerge: A workable pregnancy test is described on a Babylonian clay tablet. It involved the insertion of a herbaly impregnated woolen tampon into the woman's vagina. When removed and treated with an alum solution, the tampon turned red if the woman was pregnant. The Maya of South America knew how to drill teeth and repair cavities with metal fillings. People were tailoring their own clothes as long ago as 20,000 BC. The implements they used have been found. Excavation of three burial sites at Sunghir, Russia, in 1964 showed the men interred there had worn hats, shirts, trousers and moccasins. Excavation of the prehistoric mound of Catal Huyuk, in central Turkey, revealed linen textile fragments, apparently from a girl's skirt. People who lived at Spirit Cave in northern Thailand seem to have been growing domesticated beans, peas, gourds and water chestnuts around 9000 BC. In faraway Palestine at the same period, the Natufians are known to have used sickles, although it's admittedly difficult to decide whether they were actually planting grain or simply harvesting wild crops.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45
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Survivor? The deal with the rock house
It's been standing like a lonely soldier in a field of red dirt, with Hollymead Town Center rising around it. The stone house on U.S. 29 north has caused many motorists to wonder, what's up with that?
"I wanted to move it to some land we have on Dickerson," says Wendell Wood, president of United Land Corporation, which is developing the shopping center.
Wood estimates the 4,000-square-foot house, built in the '20s, is worth around $250,000. "It's a nice old rock house," he says.
But there are complications and a creek to cross. He says that the 60-foot steel beams required to keep the house from touching the stream bank pushed the cost of the move from around $35,000 to closer to $60,000. "It's kind of hard to justify $60,000," says Wood.
County building official Jay Schlothauer says a demolition permit is required to move a house to make sure all the public utilities are disconnected. "And before you plop it down in the new location, you need a building permit," he adds. Once the house is reconnected to its new foundation, another inspection is required for its certificate of occupancy.
Building a bridge to cross a stream would be a big deal, adds Schlothauer.
Leaving the house in its present location is not an option– although people call and want to rent it. "It doesn't fit," says Wood. "It would be sitting in the middle of a parking lot." Plus the elevation for that site will be 15 feet higher.
Wood is still deciding what to do with the house, but one thing is certain: its days are numbered.
"In 30 more days, we'll either move it or tear it down," he says.
Why has the rock house remained while earth around it has been bulldozed to make way for Hollymead Town Center?


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It's a Mike Golic. The "Mike and Mike" show now has its own website and is running daily photo caption contests for their listeners and ESPN readers. (No Facebook direct connectedness is available. Yet.) The comments have so far been predictably ESPN commenter-like. Observe:
• # "I never realized remembering our anniversary was so important to my wife."
• "Visions of Brady Quinn dancing in my head. Sweet dreams Baby!!"
• "This economy has hit some of us harder than others"
• "When I signed on for this gig, they promised me a corner office, a couch, one of those Swedish "memory foam" pillows and an extra-extra-large Notre Dame fleece blanket. Well, as you can see, I'm still waiting."
Plucky. But this is the type of photo caption that requires a little more verve, some pizazz or, you know, tasteless profanity mixed with playful cruelty. Whatever makes you happy. Fire when ready.
Tomorrow: Page redesign comes stumbling out of the gate tomorrow (allegedly) so everyone will be very confused. Point and laugh (or, most likely, yell in the comments) about the new view. We'll work through it together. Oh, and Drew will be here to numb the pain.
Thank you for your continued support of Dongspin.


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Main Content
Michael P. Barnes was appointed to the Court of Appeals of Indiana in May 2000 after long service as the St. Joseph County Prosecuting Attorney. He was retained on the Court by election in 2002 and 2012 and served as Presiding Judge of the 3rd District from 2009 through 2011.
In 2012 he wrote 144 majority opinions for the Court of Appeals.
Judge Barnes was born and raised in rural Illinois. He earned a B.A. in History at St. Ambrose College in Davenport, IA in 1970 and received his J.D. in 1973 from the University of Notre Dame Law School.
He practiced law from 1973-78 at the South Bend law firm of Voor, Jackson, McMichael and Allen, while also serving as Deputy Prosecuting Attorney. Voters chose him in 1978 to be the St. Joseph County Prosecuting Attorney, an office he held for 20 years over five elections.
While prosecutor, he oversaw a staff of 65 and spearheaded development of the CASIE Center for child victims of physical and/or sexual abuse, which continues to serve the community.
Judge Barnes also created a domestic and family violence unit in the Prosecutor's office and launched a pretrial diversion program for nonviolent misdemeanor offenders that served as a model for successful state legislation. The domestic and family violence unit focused solely on crimes against women and children, including abuse and neglect.
Judge Barnes personally tried more than 25 murder and other major felony cases while overseeing a staff of 12 to 15 deputy prosecutors.
His efforts to collect delinquent child support payments garnered more than $100 million for children in St. Joseph County. For those efforts, he received the Regional Director's Citation in 1989 and 1998 for innovative and effective child support enforcement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and in 1995 received the State Director's Award for Outstanding Child Support Program from the Indiana Family & Social Services Administration.
While Prosecutor, Judge Barnes was elected President of the National District Attorneys Association (1995-1996), Chairman of the Board, Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council (1982-1983, 1992-1993), President of the St. Joseph County Bar Association (1992-1993), National Board of Trial Advocacy (1995-1996), National Advisory Council on Violence Against Women (1997), Chairman of the Board of Regents, National College of District Attorneys (1997-1998), American Prosecutor's Research Institute (1997-1998), and various other professional and civic organizations.
The Indiana Victim Assistance Network honored him with its Special Advocate Award in 1989, and in 1998 he received the Eugene "Shine" Feller Award from the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council.
Judge Barnes supported a wide range of community organizations, especially those that serve vulnerable populations. He was a longtime supporter of the LOGAN Center's annual Nose-On campaign and in 1986 received its Joseph J. Newman Award for Committed and Outstanding Advocacy on Behalf of Developmentally Disabled Individuals.
He also served on the boards of the St. Joseph County Chapter of the American Cancer Society and the Alcoholism Council of St. Joseph County.
Judge Barnes was a member of the Indiana Bar Foundation, the St. Joseph County Bar Association, the Indiana State Bar Association, and the Illinois State Bar Association.
Judge Barnes was married to Alberta Edwards Barnes, a retired educator. They have two sons. Tim is an attorney in Washington, D.C. He and his wife, Dawn, are the parents of Benjamin Patrick and John Walter Barnes. John is a TV producer for NBC Sports. He and his wife, Bess, are the parents of Addison Emily and Corinne Jordan Barnes. Ben, John, Adie, and Corinne are, of course, the world's most perfect grandchildren!
Judge Barnes lived in South Bend and was an avid baseball fan and reader.
Judge Barnes retired from the Court on June 15, 2018 and served as a Senior Judge for the Court of Appeals until his death on May 22, 2020.


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View of the Seawall and the Gulf of Mexico
Galveston Island's famous Seawall is as much a playground as it is a protective barrier for the City against the ever changing tides of the Gulf. And Casa del Mar is located in a prime location near all of the favorite attractions and some of the best restaurants on the Texas Coast.
Whether you enjoy biking, strolling or just people watching, the Seawall is the place to be! Lining over seven miles of beaches, the Seawall, which is 17 feet high, was built to protect the island from tidal surges and hurricane force winds. The Seawall began as a tremendous grade raising project and now extends 54,790 feet, one-third of Galveston's Gulf of Mexico frontage. It has served to protect the island and its residents from many storms over the past 100 years and it is also a great place to enjoy the beachfront!


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As a nice Jewish girl, I don't know much about the New Testament; but a game based on a biblical chick who dances the first-ever striptease and then demands a guy's head sounds cool.
Indie developer Tale of Tales is known for their creepy and often upsetting story games such as The Path and The Graveyard. With their game, codenamed Fatale, the developer aims to tell the story of Salome using the inspiration of Oscar Wilde's creepy and upsetting* play of the same name. IndieGames reports that the point of the game is freeze a "historical" moment in time and allow players to experience the emotions that the characters feel in that moment.
My question, then, is which moment in Salome's sad tale the game will depict? The striptease she dances for her stepdad, her mother's marriage to a total jerk or the part where she smooches a dead guy's head?
Look for it October 5.
Tale of Tales Announce New Game 'Fatale' [IndieGames]
*I base that statement on the fact that the play was banned when it first debuted. That and the fact that Oscar Wilde is good at being creepy and upsetting.