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Ermenegildo ZegnaMen's Check Sport Coat
Limited time! Up to 70% off regular prices when you take an extra 25% off clearance. Details
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- Ermenegildo Zegna sport coat in check.
- Notched lapel; two-button front.
- Side flap pockets; chest welt pocket.
- Double-vented back.
- Cashmere/mulberry silk/acetate.
- Dry clean.
- Made in Italy.
Model's measurements: Height, 6'1"/185cm, Suit 40L, Shirt 14.5 x 34.5, Waist 32"/81cm, Inseam 32"/81cm.
"Now with over 500 shops and 7,000 employees worldwide, the Ermenegildo Zegna Group started in Northern Italy with the dream and passion of one man.
The company was founded in 1910 by Ermenegildo Zegna. At the age of 18 he founded the Lanificio Zegna (wool mill) and what was to become one of Italy's best known dynamic family business. He had a dream that he would make, in his own words, "the most beautiful fabrics in the world."
Each generation of the family has been involved in consolidating Ermenegildo Zegna's vision, ensuring that the name Zegna remains relevant. In 1972 it launched its Made to Measure service. In 1980 Zegna opened its first boutique in Paris. This was followed by shops in London in 1983 and Milan in 1985. When opened its boutique at the Palace Hotel, Beijing in 1991, it was the first western luxury menswear brand to open a boutique in China, in line with its strategy of entering emerging markets early.
We want you to be completely happy with every purchase. If you are not satisfied you have 30 days to return most Neiman Marcus purchases. Altered apparel, special orders, cloth face mask coverings, perishable or personalized/monogrammed items, and items identified as "final sale" cannot be returned.
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There's no denying that vampire fiction is among the hottest genres in literature these days. If you like a bit of romance, angst and brooding with your fangs, you'll perhaps be a fan of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight novels and Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries (also known as the Sookie Stackhouse or True Blood books). If you prefer your bloodsucking creatures of the night to be a shot of straight-up terror, you'll be interested to check out Guillermo del Toro's The Strain trilogy which he co-wrote with Chuck Hogan, or both The Passage and The Twelve, the first two books in a planned trilogy by Justin Cronin. All of these vampires are contemporary, with stories set mostly in modern-times. But this genre, where gothic horror often meets romance, is no johnny-come lately; the vampire has a long, colorful, terrifying history in literature.
The first instances of vampire tales originally appeared in eastern European folklore. Some of these stories began to trickle into western European literature in the 18th century, and German and English authors started to put their own spin on the myths.
The short German poem, The Vampire (1748) by Heinrich August Ossenfelde, is often cited as being the first major work to mention these mythical undead creatures but vampires really became a popular phenomenon in the 19th century. Wander through the selection of vampire books below - if you dare - and then let us take you on a spine-tingling trip through time with our timeline of literary vampires.
AbeBooks Review: The Strain & The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan › Play Video
A group of friends were holidaying in a villa near Lake Geneva during the unseasonably cold "year without a summer." John William Polidori, Claire Clairmont, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley decided to pass the time with a ghost story competition. This epic gathering produced two of the first vampire tales in English literature - Polidori's The Vampyre and Lord Byron's unfinished Fragment of a Novel. Mary Shelley's entry was to become the basis for her classic contribution to horror, Frankenstein.
Vampire stories started to become more popular in this period and they also began to make their way on to youth reading lists. James Malcolm Rymer published Varney the Vampire as a series of penny dreadfuls (which were an early type of pulp pamphlet aimed at working class adolescents). The serialization proved to be very popular, so much so that it was later published as a single epic book. The story was highly influential on future vampire lore, perpetuating many themes common in vampire tales today such as having fangs leaving two puncture wounds, coming through a window to attack a sleeping maiden, hypnotic powers, and superhuman strength. Varney was also the first example of a sympathetic vampire who loathes his own condition but is helpless to stop it.
Sheridan le Fanu's classic novella Carmilla was the one of the first to successfully add erotic fixations into vampire literature, with a female vampire seducing the novel's heroine to draw her vital fluids. This was also one of the first examples of the lesbian vampire trope.
Dracula by Bram Stoker; the quintessential vampire book is published. The book mixed medieval myths and previous vampire fiction with sex, blood and death to create a novel that struck a chord with late 19th century Britain. Stoker's vampire hunter, Abraham Van Helsing, helped create a trend for heroes willing to fight the undead. After Dracula, authors continued to create vampire stories but most failed to captivate reading audiences in the same way. No new concepts were introduced until the golden age of science fiction.
I am Legend by Richard Matheson popularizes the use of vampires in science fiction in his post-apocalyptic vision of a world crippled by a disease that induces vampirism. The book has been adapted into multiple films over the years. I am Legend is often referred to as the first modern vampire novel.
Stephen King, the master of modern horror, pens Salem's Lot and thereby re-opens the doors of vampirism to a new set of fans. The book puts vampires into a sleepy Maine town in the 20th century and mayhem ensures.
Anne Rice publishes her Vampire Chronicles and things start to change. This multi-volume series re-invigorates the concept of erotic vampires found in Carmilla, the gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. The book also steps away from vampires being treated as intrinsically evil and portrays them as romantic anti-heroes caught in a poetic and tragic web.
Gothic subculture and vampirism merges. Rice's popularity inspires many romance writers to delve into fantasy helping push the paranormal romance craze which has become one of the largest sub-genres in romance publishing - these authors include Christine Feehan's Dark series and Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series among many others.
Vampires are once again at the top of the bestseller lists. Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, begun in 2005, has sold millions of copies worldwide and turned an entire generation of young girls onto fantasy and vampires. Charlaine Harris began her Southern Vampires/Sookie Stackhouse series in 2001, and enjoyed tremendous popularity. Both Meyers and Harris made it to the screen, too, in movies and television respectively. While borrowing from the past, both authors have added their own flavour to the myths. Meyer's vampires continue to play the role of the romantic and tragic hero, but her universe lacks the steamy sexuality of Rice's novels, while Harris sets her world in an alternate history where vampires have lived among humans for thousands of years in hiding only to reveal themselves after a medical breakthrough produces a synthetic blood which they are able to sustain themselves without killing people. And there is plenty of sex in those ones.
Perhaps as backlash to the popularity of those series that focus heavily on romance, relationships, sex and the emotional aspects of vampirism, there has been a recent resurgence of popular literature involving vampires as terrifying, powerful, unsympathetic monsters who view humans as a food source. Among them are the aforementioned trilogy from Chuck Hogan and Guillermo del Toro, known as The Strain, and Justin Cronin's first two, The Passage and The Twelve. Cronin's trilogy is due to complete in 2014 with the publication of the third book, The City of Mirrors.
While their popularity in bestsellers may ebb and flow, vampires are here to stay, and it seems our fascination with the myth of the immortal, blood-feeding undead is sticking around, as well.

subset: commoncrawl


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(Residential and Commercial)
"4 years ago I was looking for a rental agency and Karen Parkin came highly recommended. Since meeting Karen and her staff, I have never looked back! Now I own several rental properties and they take care of every detail."
~ Monkey Logic, LLC
"As an owner of 9 units, our mutual dedication speaks for itself. I wouldn't think of using anyone else."
~ Fred J.
"As a new client of Karen's, I have been completely satisfied with her company's efficiency. I intend on this being a long lasting relationship with Wilmington's Best Rentals."
~ S. Mayorga


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Next week London Fashion Week (LFW) February 2017 (Friday 17th – Tuesday 21st) will welcome over 5,000 guests, including press and buyers from over 49 countries, to its new home at The Store Studios. This will be the 65th edition of London Fashion Week.Featuring 51 catwalk shows and 32 presentations, the show schedule once again highlights the diverse and innovative British fashion industry on display in London. This season 50% of the designers behind brands on the show schedule were born outside of the United Kingdom, representing 42 brands.
Margot Bowman and Mother of Pearl will showcase films at the Serpentine on Friday as part of BFC Fashion Film sponsored by River Island.120 designers are showcasing in the Designer Showrooms at The Store Studios, 180 Strand, taking over more wings of the building than ever before:Alighieri, Dorateymur and Loxley England join Blake LDN and Bruta in the showrooms recieving support from Boden's Future British initiative, which is in partnership with the BFC.Harvy Santos London, Laura Apsit Livens, Sophie Beale Millinery and The Season Hats will showcase as part of the BFC's Headonism initiative.Completedworks, DAOU, Frances Wadsworth Jones, Lily Kamper, Rachel Boston and Shimell and Madden will showcase as part of the BFC's Rock Vault initiative.


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Entrepreneurs these days play a mythical role in American culture. They're our risk-taking adventurers. Heroes of the new economy. And the Inc. 500 -- the nation's fastest-growing privately held companies -- are entrepreneurship incarnate, themselves the stuff of myth. You want life on the leading edge? Daring leaps into the unknown? Ask the founders of Inc. 500 companies how they got their start.
Or so we figured.
We certainly posed the questions. By way of an eight-page survey and dozens of follow-up phone calls, we asked Inc. 500 CEOs to recall for us how they came to create a company. We probed their background and experience. We asked them where they got the idea for their business, how they implemented it, and of course how they financed the whole thing. Given the mythology of entrepreneurship, we expected tales of inspiration and imagination, of boldly going where no man (or woman) had gone before.
So much for expectations. Instead of swashbucklers, we found hardworking, experienced businesspeople -- people such as Jim Hanahan, Bobby N. Frost, and the many others you'll meet on the pages that follow. Instead of life on the edge, we found them pursuing their fast-growing ventures in everyday industries, from insurance admin-istration to mirror manufacture.
And instead of iconoclastic individualists, the cowboy capitalists of America's dreams, we found people enmeshed and embedded in industries, with rich networks of contacts and colleagues they could draw on to help them build a business. For most, the secret of successful entrepreneurship seemed to lie not just in individual inspiration but in knitting a dozen different interests into one cooperative endeavor. Creating a company was a matter of knowing customers, suppliers, partners, and sources of capital. It was a matter of knowing a marketplace well enough to notice tiny fault lines of change -- fault lines that would one day become sizable niches in the business landscape.
For us -- we'd better admit it -- this discovery was a little unsettling.
Like the rest of the press, we're constantly on the lookout for heroes. In our case, that means entrepreneurs who are somehow larger than life, who have seemingly inborn traits that allow them to succeed -- and sometimes fail -- in spectacular fashion. We paint verbal portraits of these men and women, hailing them as entrepreneurs of the year or the decade, holding them up as exemplars. The rocketing growth of Inc. 500 companies fits naturally into this scheme of things. We know that somewhere among each year's list will be CEOs who can tell us truly astonishing stories, stories of breathtaking risk and soul-satisfying reward.
But the unemotional numbers of the survey teach a different lesson: that these characters are the exception, not the rule, and that the creators of the Inc. 500 companies are down-to-earth, practical-minded people for whom, more often than not, building a business was simply the next logical step in a career. Jim Hanahan spent 23 years with an insurance company. Then the market shifted ever so slightly, threatening to undercut a small part of his employer's business. Hanahan decided he'd rather switch than fight and set up a company of his own to capitalize on the new environment. Other stories are similar. After 22 years in the industry, Bobby Frost started a mirror-manufacturing company to take advantage of technology that his employer was ignoring. Tom Scholl spent 13 years with Young & Rubicam in Detroit before setting up his own ad agency, seeking out clients he thought Y&R was overlooking.
Risk? Sure -- any of these businesses might have failed. Hard work? That too. "We'd all be president or whatever during the day and work in the plant at night," remembers Frost, who began his business with his brother. Entrepreneurship is never easy. But all these people, like many others we talked to, were venturing into familiar territory with well-delineated risks. If they failed, well, jobs would have been waiting for them elsewhere in their industries. And the steps they took in the earliest stages -- steps you'll hear more about in subsequent sections -- kept the chances of failure to a minimum.
The inescapable conclusion: entrepreneurs are made, not born. Made by their experience. Made by the changing marketplaces in which they find themselves. Granted, maybe there's some quirk of personality, some subtlety of background, that separates these Inc. 500 CEOs from their erstwhile counterparts who kept climbing the corporate ladders. But we don't know how to describe that difference, and we doubt it's the same for everyone. What is the same -- what crops up over and over in the stories we heard -- is what you might call situational entrepreneurship. As individuals, the people aren't so different from the rest of us. But they were working in situations where, thanks to their experience, they knew exactly how to go about building a business. They were smart enough to spot the opportunity and knowledgeable enough to take the right first steps.
It's always tempting to glamorize the dramatic adventurers in the business world; like movie stars and major-league ball players they lend a little pizzazz to everything they touch. But maybe it's not so discouraging to find that entrepreneurship is a more mundane matter than it's sometimes portrayed. As the stories and statistics of our survey show, you don't need to be a person of mythical proportions to be very, very successful in building a company.
Entrepreneurial Experience
Did your parents run their own business while you were growing up?
Yes 33% No 67%
Did you ever start a serious business as a child or student?
Yes 37% No 63%
Did you start any companies other than your Inc. 500 company?
Yes 41% No 59%
Sources of Skills
What was the single most important source of your skills and abilities as a company builder?
46% Work or professional experience in an industry
23 Family background and childhood experience
9 The experience of starting other businesses
22 All other responses
What was the critical time in your live for acquiring these skills and abilities?
28% Before age 21
72 As an adult
Jim Benedict had 15 teenagers working for him -- shoveling snow off shopping-center roofs in his hometown of Buffalo -- by the time he was 10 years old. By age 27 he had started three more companies, including the advertising and marketing agency he now owns.
You can find these entrepreneurial wunderkinder if you look hard enough, men and women with company building apparently in their blood. Depending on how you count, anywhere from one-sixth to one-third of our sample are these Born Entrepreneurs (see page 3).
But if you want a more typical case history, consider Jim Hanahan. Or maybe Mark S. Smith.
Hanahan, 56, runs a third-party administration company, as it's known, which manages self-insured health plans for corporate clients. You wouldn't have pegged him for an entrepreneur: no childhood businesses, no other start-ups, just a 23-year career with multibillion-dollar Connecticut General Life Insurance Co. (now CIGNA) in the staid old insurance industry. Smith, 41, worked in Southern Railways Inc.'s marketing department and wound up with the wonderfully bureaucratic title of manager of intermodal pricing. If Southern hadn't wanted to transfer him from Washington, D.C., to Roanoke, Va., he might still be there, instead of running his own transportation service company out of Overland, Kans.
What makes Hanahan and Smith typical? Just this: two-thirds of our respondents grew up in households where their parents worked for wages rather than running their own businesses. Nearly as many undertook no entrepreneurial ventures as children. Three-fifths started no companies other than the one that landed them on the Inc. 500. Almost all of the respondents, in fact, did just what most people do: they went to school, got jobs, took up a particular line of work. Ask them how important for their current role were the skills they acquired while working, and a whopping 85% check "critically important" or "somewhat important." Ask them to cite the single most important source of their abilities as a company builder, and at least twice as many point to "work or professional experience in an industry" as to any other answer.
There's a theory, dubbed trade skill, that argues for the importance of early exposure to entrepreneurship. "Usually the person who successfully starts and runs a small business," write the people who invented the concept, "either had a parent or close relative who had a business or . . . they had significant business experience themselves before the age of 18." For about a quarter of our respondents, that theory seems to hold true. Like snow-shoveler Jim Benedict, they point to family background and childhood experience as the key source of their talents, and report that they had the most important skills and abilities for company building by the time they turned 21. And doubtless a much larger fraction of our CEOs come from entrepreneurial backgrounds than you'd find in the population as a whole.
But if the trade skill theory doesn't describe you, don't despair. It doesn't describe Hanahan, Smith, or most of the other Inc. 500 founders either. For the majority of respondents, what made the difference between continuing a career and starting a company wasn't any formative childhood experience. It was the simple fact of spotting -- and developing -- a new idea.
If you wanted to prove that entrepreneurial instincts are genetic in origin, you might trot out Robert G. Barbour as Exhibit A. "The question growing up was never whether I'd be in business for myself, it was what that business would be," says Barbour, founder of Windline Amanet.
Some people do seem almost born to the calling. Thirty-seven percent of our respondents started at least one serious business in their youth. Nearly half of those started two or more. And 41% started at least one business as adults other than their Inc. 500 company, with a quarter of that group starting three or more companies.
Barbour, 42, qualifies on all counts. In college he netted some $150,000 selling inventions ranging from a "slurp gun" (for trapping tropical fish) to a patented alarm system. Then came more serious company building. Sunrise Leather, a manufacturer of belts, vests, and handbags, reached $700,000 in sales before Barbour cashed out. Two companies later Barbour was designing and selling equipment and technology used in the art glass and decorative ceramics industries. After that he started a laboratory to grow synthetic emeralds, and he imported natural emeralds. Finally his interest in yachting led to the creation of Windline Marine, a manufacturer of boating accessories. Several years later he started an industrial and aerospace-components division called Amanet. Today Windline Amanet is doing $3 million in sales. -- Elizabeth Conlin
Where Good Ideas Come From
43% Got idea while working in same industry or profession
15 Saw someone else trying it, figured I could do better
11 Saw unfilled niche in consumer marketplace
7 Did systematic search for business opportunities
5 Brainstorm, can't really explain it
3 Got idea from hobby or avocational interest
16 All other
How to explain where Great Business Ideas come from? Some of our respondents didn't try; they checked the box on the questionnaire that said "Brainstorm; can't really explain it."
But more common than the out-of-the-blue inspirations were the explicable ones, the ideas that caught their creators by surprise but in retrospect seem pretty logical. James Ake's liquid plant-food business was chugging along at a modest speed until, caught in the middle of a rush order, he realized his automatic bottle-fillers couldn't do the job fast enough and so designed a new machine. Today Ake's Electronic Liquid Fillers Inc. sells $11 million worth of filling equipment.
The mythology of entrepreneurship celebrates such serendipity, propagating an image of the lone company-inventor suddenly flashing on the idea of a lifetime -- and sometimes it happens just that way.
Typically, though, the idea for a fast-growing business appears in much more pedestrian fashion. The structure of a marketplace shifts, maybe ever so slightly. A new niche opens up. And all at once people like the aforementioned Hanahan or Smith, people who may never have expected to become entrepreneurs, are out on their own and amazed by their own success.
Market shifts come in many guises. For Hanahan, the key factor was a federal court ruling allowing corporations to set up self-funded health-insurance plans, a murky legal area until 1978. That "opened the floodgates," he says, in that it created a market for specialists in setting up and administering such plans. Hanahan's St. Petersburg, Fla., firm, with the self-defining name of WHP, First in Employee Benefits Inc., was among the first in the marketplace. Smith also was the beneficiary of a change in the regulatory environment. Railroad deregulation created a niche for companies that could negotiate deals with the rail lines and with truckers, then sell packages of door-to-door transportation services to shippers. Smith's $15-million Hub City Kansas City Terminals Inc. grew 783% between 1983 and 1987, thus making last year's 500 list.
Sometimes it's technology that shakes up a marketplace. Computer companies, for an obvious example, can get started by taking advantage of ever cheaper processing power. Solution Systems Inc. founder Neil Kleeman, 41, spent about $300,000 on a computer equivalent to his former employer's million-dollar machine, and was able to lure customers away with lower prices (see "Your Basic Good Career Move," page 7).
But technology crops up in less likely places as well. When we heard of Consolidated Glass & Mirror Corp., in Galax, Va., a mirror and glass fabricator for the home-furniture industry, we thought we'd found the quintessential low-tech, rural business. Our mistake.
"A lot of technology came on the market about 1980 that hadn't been there," says cofounder Bobby N. Frost, 51, explaining in a rich southern accent where he got the idea to start the company. "It's all computer numerical control equipment, and it's revolutionized the manufacture of glass and mirrors for furniture." Frost, then a superintendent for another company in the industry, had worked in glass and mirror fabricating for 22 years. When he learned his employer wasn't really interested in the new technology, he and his brother John set up shop with state-of-the-art machinery. Eight years later they're up to more than 600 employees and $36 million in sales.
If you have a lemon, goes the saying, make lemonade. And if you're facing a problem, turn it into the idea for an Inc. 500 company.
* Ministering to the sick. Jean Griswold, wife of a Presbyterian pastor, tried to find volunteers to help elderly parishioners with errands and household tasks. Her success was sporadic, until she realized that the old folks were willing to pay for help. She then began hiring students to do the work. From these modest beginnings Special Care Inc. has grown to a $10-million, multistate operation supplying full- and part-time help to the elderly and infirm.
* Reinventing the wheelchair. Allan Thieme, a plumber for 12 years, was visiting Mexico with his wife, who uses a wheelchair, and found the chair offputting as well as awkward -- "People wouldn't get near us; they just stared." For the next six months he worked in his spare time to build a light, motorized, three-wheeled scooter that performs the same function as a wheelchair but doesn't carry the stigma. Now, Amigo Inc. sells $10 million worth of the vehicles annually, which -- according to an owner who is now a company salesperson -- "bring a sense of self-respect and independence" as well as mobility.
* Blackmailed into business. While still in his twenties, Philip Walkenshaw tried repeatedly to start an enterprise he called Tartan Laird Ltd., selling family histories and tartans to people of Scottish descent. But he couldn't find the capital. Finally Ralph Jansen, a former boss of Walkenshaw's, said he'd invest if Walkenshaw first started an agency to handle the advertising for the publishing company Jansen worked for. Reluctantly Walkenshaw agreed, running the tiny ad agency out of his back pocket while developing his Tartan business plan. The latter, alas, went nowhere -- so Walkenshaw finally turned his attention to the agency, landing Montgomery Ward as his first big client. Today Walkenshaw's Townsend Agency Ltd. is doing nearly $15 million in billings.
Helping Hands
Who helped you develop your idea?
52% Potential customers
51 Spouse
50 Partners
44 Colleagues in same industry
29 Potential suppliers
26 Professional advisers (lawyers, consultants, etc.)
19 Potential backers
Time Line
How long did it take to start your Inc. 500 company, from the original idea to the beginning of operations?
29% A matter of weeks
37 A few months
28 Six months to a year
9 More than a year
Start-Up Ambitions
What was your original intent for your company?
12% Planned to start small and stay small
27 Planned to grow slowly
29 Didn't plan, just wanted to get started
32 Planned to grow as fast as possible
What was your company like when it first began operations?
50% "Regular" business but small
48 Informal operations in home, garage, etc.
2 All systems in place for fast growth
When we planned the questionnaire for our Inc. 500 chief executives, we figured we'd write a here's-how-to-get-started section of the article. So we asked the respondents: who helped you develop the idea? Who helped you turn it into a business? What, exactly, did you do first? We also asked them how long it took to get the company operating and whether they planned on fast growth or on any sort of growth at all. When we began browsing through the responses, we realized our textbook-style approach was in trouble.
For starters, there was the head-down, do-it-don't-talk-about-it minority, the one-eighth or so who checked "didn't really discuss the idea with anyone" and a like number who said "didn't really get help from anyone." Hard to recommend that lone-wolf model, though it sure worked for some. For the others, the difficulty was in teasing out patterns. First steps? Except for developing a business plan (58% had a casual one, 21% a formal workup), fewer than half the respondents checked any one answer on the questionnaire. Only 45% consulted a lawyer. Only 31% met with bankers. Only 25% developed marketing materials.
As for initial plans, roughly equal numbers of respondents planned to grow slowly, planned to grow fast, and didn't plan at all. What should we make of that?
Worse, the Inc. 500 CEOs weren't always happy with what they did do. More than a third, for instance, said that they went out and found partners as one of their first steps, and fully half reported that they got help from partners in developing and implementing their idea. But later, when we asked what had gone wrong with their plans, "trouble with partners" was the single most common refrain. "Have no partners," advised one, mincing no words.
And yet -- there was a surprise or two buried in the developing-the-idea section of the questionnaire. We expected "spouse" to rate high as a source of help; we were right. We also expected "potential backers" and "professional advisers" (lawyers, accountants, etc.) to score high. We were wrong. Instead, respondents told us they got help from potential customers and colleagues in the same industry; nearly a third cited potential suppliers. What gave them their competitive edge, we discovered, was that they had the contacts and knowledge necessary to weave familiar threads into new patterns.
Take Jim Hanahan again, founder of the company that administers self-insured health plans. After 23 years with Connecticut General, Hanahan knew how much his target customers were paying in insurance premiums. He knew how much their rates had gone up, and how much, on average, went to pay benefits. He had the contacts to arrange for caps on potential customers' liabilities through Lloyds of London.
His early discussions with prospects were simple. Imagine you bought in with us today, he'd say, and we'll track your premiums and potential savings over the next 12 months. His first full year in operation generated only $100,000 in revenues. But five years later he was up to $4.5 million.
Others told similar stories -- of knowing an industry and the people in it well enough to utilize suppliers effectively and to create exactly what customers were looking for at a particular time.
Neil Kleeman, of Solution Systems Inc., watched one of his previous employer's customers increase their computer usage to the point where it made sense for them to set up an in-house system. That was when he approached them and offered to sell them equivalent data-processing services for 30% less than they'd been paying.
Robert W. Howe, CEO of Atlantic Data Services Inc. (ADS) in Quincy, Mass., was working for a bank-owned data-processing center when bank deregulation began to take hold. Observing that banks were looking for more and more customized software, he began making contacts both with software vendors (who could supply programs tailored to each customer's needs) and with potential customers. When he went out on his own he had two clients ready to sign up.
To our minds, it took surprisingly little time to set up an Inc. 500 company, in most cases a few months or less. What it did take was intimate knowledge of a market. The first steps followed logically from that.
How Much Money?
Amount you estimated you'd need to launch your company:
Less than $50,000:
35% $10,000-$49,999
34 Less than $10,000
More than $50,000:
12% $50,000-$99,999
10 $100,000-$249,000
9 More than $250,000
Amount you actually needed:
50% About what I figured
26 More than I figured
14 Much, much more than I figured
10 Less than I figured
Where the Money Came From
Most important sources of capital (% of respondents relying mainly or significantly on this source):
75% Own resources (cash)
35 Mortgage of own assets
33 Corporate loan from bank
29 Partner's assets
23 Personal loan from bank
20 Parents or other relative
Who Kept the Equity?
Amount of equity that the founder and family now hold in company:
39% All
18 75%-99%
22 50%-74%
21 Less than 50%
Anyone who hasn't done it knows how to raise money for a start-up. You work out detailed financial plans, figure out how much you'll need, then double it. You take your plans around to friends, relatives, other potential investors. You stay away from banks; banks don't fund start-ups.
According to the experience of Inc. 500 CEOs, that view is wrong, wrong, and wrong again.
Detailed financial plans? Not here; only 15% had full workups, while 41% relied on informal estimates. Another 37% said they didn't make financial plans at all, just wanted to start with as much money as they could lay their hands on.
In most cases, moreover, they didn't begin with much. More than a third of our respondents started their fast-growth businesses with less than $10,000. More than another third started with between $10,000 and $50,000.
Naïve, you say. Babes in the woods. Nope -- we thought of that possibility, and asked them how much they actually needed. "Less than I figured," said 10%. "About what I figured," said another 50%. Nor was there any statistical correlation between low initial estimates and needing more later.
The money wasn't hard to find: usually it was their own. Three-quarters checked "own resources" as a significant or most important source of capital; varying percentages also checked "mortgaging own assets," "personal loans from bank," and the like. When they did get an initial infusion of capital from the outside, it was much more likely to come from a bank (in the form of a corporate loan) than from a friend, relative, or equity investor. And the decisive factor, in most cases, was once again that network. "Personal relationships or business contacts" and "extensive experience in industry" were by far the most frequently cited reasons for success in raising money.
So: how do you start a multimillion-dollar business on a small nest egg? Our respondents make it sound easy.
Bill from Day One. Robert Howe of ADS got a $30,000 loan from a friend, added in some of his own and his partner's money, and set up shop as a custom programming service for banks. Since he had his clients lined up, he had a revenue stream; and in six months was able to get a $10,000 short-term loan from the bank. Jim Hanahan, similarly, kept his expenses to a bare-bones minimum -- less than $50,000 -- until he had signed up some customers. He didn't borrow any money until it was time for him to buy a computer.
Develop a network of suppliers. Tom Scholl, who runs an advertising agency in Detroit, found that starting his business took more than the $10,000 he originally planned, particularly since a couple of seemingly sure customers backed out. What kept him alive was help from his friends: one who ran a recording studio, another with a broadcast production business, a third with a music company, all of them willing to work for Scholl, on spec if necessary, to help him develop his business along with their own. Jim Brett, cofounder of Brett Aqualine Inc., a California manufacturer of equipment for portable spas, took the network concept one step farther. Like Scholl he lined up support from suppliers, all of whom knew him from the industry. Then he went to one of his prime customers and explained that he needed a letter of credit in order to produce the goods. That, plus supplier credit, allowed him to begin.
Don't be shy of banks. Banks may always be skittish about start-ups, probably with good reason. But they'll often lend against hard assets to people they know and trust, even in a business's early stages. Bobby Frost, of Consolidated Glass & Mirror, estimates he and his brother got about $150,000 in bank loans in his company's start-up days, all of it secured by land, building, or equipment. All told, about one-third of our respondents got significant start-up money in the form of corporate loans from banks.
The typical Inc. 500 CEO started with a modest amount of money, most of it his or her own. Then there are the atypical start-ups:
* Thinnest shoestring. Bob Rodriguez, then 20, deposited a $50 check in the bank to start his sales promotion company. It bounced. Oh, well. Rodriguez and his partner had seven or eight credit cards, used them to run up about $10,000 in debt, then lost them all. Regularly overdrawn at the bank, they survived only because an assistant manager there believed they'd succeed. Finally they landed a big account -- Eastern Airlines Inc. Fortunately, Eastern accounted for only 4% of Rodriguez's sales when the airline filed for Chapter 11 protection.
* Most unusual source of capital. Frederick Baker was a regional manager for C.P.S. Cablevision in 1975 when company owner James Peno fired him. Eighteen months later Peno called and asked Baker to take on some installation contracts that C.P.S. couldn't handle. Peno even agreed to lease equipment to his former employee and to countersign a $1,700 loan. With that capital Baker started his own company; 10 years later he bought Peno out.
* Hanging in there the longest. James Read figured he could build a better screening plant -- a piece of heavy equipment designed to sift stone and earth -- than anything on the market. So in 1977 he sold his construction company's assets for $200,000 and proceeded to spend it all. Three years later he had been turned down by banks and venture capitalists, had mortgaged his house, borrowed money from friends, and spent his father's life savings -- running through $600,000 in all. But his fledgling company was still struggling: by 1982 it was $300,000 in debt, including $50,000 in back taxes. Read scraped together $20,000 and could find no more -- until, two days before the IRS's deadline, a customer plunked down an order and a check for $58,000. The immediate crisis over, Read watched The Read Corp. grow to current sales of $45 million.
* Biggest spender. Mark Ain raised $45,000 to develop his idea for a computerized tracking system for hourly employees. Then he sold $471,000 worth of stock to finance a prototype system and $608,000 worth to finance production. Once in production, he ran out of money and raised $200,000 more. Finally he realized he needed a national network to in-stall and service his systems, and he brought in two venture capital firms for a total of $800,000. His secrets? "People say I'm one of the best raisers of capital they've ever come in contact with," says an immodest Ain. "I'd set a date for closing [each] offering, then I'd tell everyone, 'It looks like we're oversubscribed.' " They came, they saw, they invested -- and Ain's company, Kronos Inc., is finally making money.
Why It Worked
Success of company is mainly attributable to:
88% Exceptional execution of an ordinary idea
12 An unusual or extraordinary idea
Surviving Start-Up
Most important source of support for founder and family before company began generating income was:
43% Own resources, such as savings
20 Salary drawn from company's capital
17 Continued work at other income-producing activity
10 Spouse's income
2 Support from parents and relatives
8 Other
How nice it would be if all our questions -- about background and business ideas, about getting started and raising money -- led to some simple lessons: How to Create an Inc. 500 company.
Alas, we found no magic key. Did you think you hit upon an extraordinary idea for a business? we asked them. No -- only 12% thought so. Was it the carefulness of your planning? No again -- a sizable fraction said they didn't pl


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Vertagear S-Line SL4000 Racing Series Gaming Chair - Black/White (Rev. 2)by Vertagear SALE
The Vertagear S-Line comes with a patent pending mechanical structure that requires no more than one person to assemble.
All Racing Series chairs are equipped with our Penta RS1 casters. The custom racing style casters are coated with PU for soft and smooth gliding on any surface. (color matching chair)
The Racing Series chairs are constructed with steel frames for a durable complex. The 5-star base is composed of heavy duty aluminum alloy for lightweight stability.
For comfort and support, high density foam is used for the padding of the Racing Series chairs. An open-cell structure helps keep the chair cool and prevents heat build-up.
While our competitors are still trying to make better looking plastic side covers, we completely decimated them. With our patent pending mechanical structure, we arranged all necessary parts inside leather cover to provide users a uniformed aesthetics. Users no longer need to align a tiny screw through a thick plastic cover with the tread buried deep inside leather and foam.
V1 vs V2
By turning the knob under the seat, our tilt tension can be increased or decreased to match your weight. This allows you to rock or tilt comfortably.
To prevent repetitive stress, having the correct ergonomic posture is important when sea ted for long time. Seat adjustability enables users to adjust height to their unstressed posture. Good range of height adjustability ensures that you can be at the optimum angle in relation to your desk .
Either leaning forward during intensive show down, or reclining backwards to relax, we have you all comfortably supported. Our backrest can be adjusted from 80 degrees up to 150 degrees for 80° to 150° your ultimate sitting experience .
Cushioned and contoured to the shape of the arm with adjustability in 4 directions gives support to the gaming arm in every position and prevents repetitive stress. Ergonomically designed to provide support to the forearm, relieving muscle strain and fatigue from the shoulders and taking pressure of sensitive areas of the wrist.
Headrest and lumbar support cushions are provided for your comfort.
|Package Dimension
|84 x 71 x 41 cm / 33 x 28 x 16 in
|Overall height (incl. base)
|1220-1320 mm / 48-52 in
|Max Load
|150 kg / 330 lbs
|Width backrest (shoulder)
|515 mm / 20.3 in
|Steel (frame), High Density Foam, PVC Leather, Aluminum Alloy (base)
|Width backrest (lumbar)
|300 mm / 11.8 in
|Racing Series Penta RS1 Casters 65mm
|Width seat
|510 mm / 20 in
|Gross Weight
|32.5 kg / 72 lbs
|Depth seat
|530 mm / 20.9 in
|Net Weight
|26 kg / 57 lbs


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Product Categories
Matrine ( 1 )
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Harmine ( 1 )
Baicalein ( 1 )
Wogonin ( 1 )
Tetrandrine ( 1 )
Piperine ( 1 )
Honokiol ( 1 )
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Capsaicin ( 1 )
Aesculin ( 1 )
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Lappaconite Hydrobromide ( 1 )
Cytisine ( 1 )
(Total 6 Products for Bitter Sophora Root Extract Matrine Name)
Bitter Sophora Root Extract Oxymatrine
Model No.: CAS 16837-52-8
Description of Bitter Sophora Root Extract Oxymatrine CAS 16837 52 8 Product Name Bitter Sophora Root Extract Oxymatrine Latin Name Sophora flavescens Ait Apperance White Crystalline Powder Specification 98 Test Method
Factory Supply Bitter Sophora Root Extract Matrine
Model No.: CAS 519-02-8
English Name Matrine Alias Mother chrysanthemum alkaloid bitter liquorice Sophora flavescens Sophora flavescens locust root locust root dried ginseng bitter bone Molecular Formula C15H24N2O Molecular Weight 248 37 Appearance Matrine is white powder low content is
Favorable Price Plant Extract 98% Sophoridine
Model No.: CAS 6882-68-4
1 Sophoridine is derived from natural 100 plant extracts delicate and extracted with the use of a special process the chemical synthesis 2 Standardized production in strict accordance with industry standards the test of the purity and microorganism indexes Suitable for all kinds of pharmacology experiment Products are...
High Quality Black Pepper Extract Piperine 98%
Model No.: CAS 94-62-2
WHAT IS PIPERINE Piperine is the alkaloid responsible for the pungency of black pepper and long pepper along with chavicine an isomer of piperine Piperine is often added to prepared food to enhance aroma and flavor It can Promote drug absorption and improve the effectiveness of the drug function In clinical practice...
Tetrandrine 98% Extracted By Tetrandrine Plant
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Tetrandrine alias tetrandrine and tetrandrine is a white solid chemical Chemical name S S tetrandrine molecular formula C38H42N2O6 molecular weight 622 75000 melting point 217 218 C almost insoluble in water petroleum ether soluble in ether etc Tetrandrine is an antihypertensive drug It is mainly used in the treatment...
Extraction And Processing Of 98% Capsaicin
Model No.: CAS 404-86-4
1 Product Name Capsaicin 2 Part Fruit 3 CAS Number 404 86 4 4 Grade Pharmaceutical Grade 5 Supplier Xi an Plamed Green Science
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MIAMI (AP) The Miami Dolphins kept former teammate Chad Henne out of the end zone, making three fourth-down stops deep in their own territory and benefiting from an odd penalty in beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-3 Sunday.
Henne, playing in Miami for the first time since he departed as a Dolphins bust last offseason, threw for 221 yards with no turnovers. But the Dolphins turned back three scoring threats, and a go-ahead touchdown for the Jaguars came off the board because of an illegal-substitution penalty.
Ryan Tannehill went 22 for 28 for 220 yards and two scores with no interceptions to help Miami (6-8) win for only the second time in the past seven games. The Jaguars (2-12) helped their chances of getting the No. 1 draft pick next April.
Online:http://pro32.ap.org/poll andhttp://twitter.com/AP-NFL


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This photograph, of a young, screaming girl running through the streets, her skin burning from napalm, has become one of the most iconic images from the Vietnam War. Recently, the subject of the photo spoke out about her long recovery.
Kim Phuc Pan Thai was only nine when she suffered burns on most of her body from a napalm attack. "I should be dead," she told a conference of burn survivors and burn care specialists, HealthDay reports. "Sixty-five percent of my body got burned." The third-degree burns that covered her back and left arm fortunately left her face untouched, but resulted in a mass of permanent scars and recurring pain. Phuc had to undergo many skin grafts, taken mostly from her legs, in a total of 17 operations. "But I was spared," she said.
She was also saved, brought from the streets of Trang Bang to a hospital in the American-funded Barsky Hospital in Saigon by the same man who immortalized her suffering, Associated Press photographer Nick Ut. Like Phuc, Ut's life was irreversibly altered on that day in 1972. Still at work with the Associated Press (snapping pictures of Paris Hilton and the like), he believes his photograph of Phuc is the best he will ever take. "It's a strange feeling... I know I will never take another photograph that's as good as this - not as long as I live."
Phuc says she remembers the events of June 8th, 1972, like it was yesterday. Phuc was hiding in the village temple grounds when she heard the sound of bombs. "After I saw the fire everywhere around me," Phuc said. "I was so scared. And all my clothes just burned off by the fire. And I saw all my burns. And people screaming: 'Nong qua! Nong qua!' 'Too hot! Too hot!'"
Phuc is now 46. She is a public speaker, peace activist, United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, child welfare advocate, and married mother of two. She still suffers pain from the damaged nerves on her arm and back. But she says she considers the pain "protection. It humbles me, and helps me never to take my life for granted, and to share my story."
Girl In Iconic Vietnam War Photo Brings Message Of Hope [HealthDay]
Earlier: Paris Hilton: The Kim Phuc of 2007, Kim Phuc Photographer Nick Ut: "I Suppose The Big Difference Is That... Frankly, I Don't Give A Damn About Paris Hilton"


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USCIS Announces New Appointed Petitioner Rules! - (October 14, 2009)
Important Update! New USCIS Rules for Shared Visa Petitions
Washington, D.C. - Multiple orchestras engaging the same foreign guest artist to perform in the U.S. frequently work together to submit a single visa petition that will cover all engagements. Overturning nearly 20 years of this practice, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced new policies revoking the ability of a U.S.-based employer to file a single petition for artists coming to the U.S. for an itinerary of events with multiple arts organizations - unless the petitioner is in business as an agent.
If an artist plans to travel to the U.S. for multiple engagements, and the petitioning U.S. organization IS NOT in business as an agent, each U.S. employer must file a separate visa petition. If timing permits, consider encouraging the guest artist to await the approval of all petitions - or at least those petitions encompassing the beginning and end of the requested classification period - before visiting a U.S. consulate to process the visa. By presenting all approval notices at once (or at least the beginning and ending ones), the artist may avoid the need for multiple consular visits, interviews, and accompanying fees.
If an artist plans to travel to the U.S. for multiple engagements, and the petitioning U.S. organization IS in business as an agent, the petition must be carefully assembled to satisfy new USCIS requirements. While it is not clear what documentation is needed to prove that the petitioner is "in business as an agent," we suggest that the agent include a signed Appointment of Agent Form.
USCIS warns that multiple-employer petitions filed by any petitioner not in business as an agent will be approved only for the period of time covering the petitioner's direct employment of the artist. Follow the new guidance we've posted on www.artistsfromabroad.org to prevent petition rejections or time-consuming re-filing for engagements not included in a petition approval.
Learn More About Who Can Serve as a Petitioner
Support League Efforts to Reverse this Policy
The League is working with partners in the national performing arts community to reverse this detrimental, costly, and unjustified policy shift by USCIS. We ask that you please contact the League's Washington, D.C. office and keep us informed of the impact of this policy on your orchestra, whether it results in increasing costs, changes in scheduling, or any other kind of difficulty you may encounter.
Inform the League About Your Visa Experience
The League is a member of the Performing Arts Alliance, a coalition of national performing arts service organizations dedicated to advocating for national policies that recognize, enhance, and foster the contributions the performing arts make to America.


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Kit Bond
|Kit Bond
|U.S. Senator from Missouri
From: January 6, 1987 – January 5, 2011
|Thomas Eagleton
|Roy Blunt
|Governor of Missouri
From: January 8, 1973 – January 10, 1977
January 12, 1981 – January 14, 1985
|Warren Eastman Hearnes
Joseph Patrick Teasdale
|Joseph Patrick Teasdale
John Ashcroft
|Linda Bond
Christopher Samuel "Kit" Bond, born March 6, 1939 (age 81), is the former governor and United States Senator from Missouri. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Early life and Education
Bond is a sixth generation Missourian, born in St. Louis in 1939. He grew up in Mexico, MO, where he still resides and tends to several groves of trees he planted by hand. He graduated from Princeton University in 1960 and received his law degree from the University of Virginia, having graduated first in his class. After law school, Bond served as a clerk on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Atlanta, Georgia, and practiced law for three years at the Washington, D.C. firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
Political career
In 1969, Bond became an Assistant Attorney General under former Senator John Danforth. Before being elected State Auditor in 1970, Bond was chief counsel of Missouri's Consumer Protection Division. At age 33, Kit Bond became the 47th Governor of the State of Missouri on January 8, 1973 - the youngest Governor the state has ever had. He was defeated in his 1976 reelection bid to Democrat Joseph Teasdale, but made a comeback and defeated Teasdale in 1980. After his second successful term as Governor, Bond continued his service to Missouri from his newly won seat in the United States Senate. In that 1986 election year, Bond was the only Republican to capture a seat previously held by a Democrat. In the 111th Congress, he served as the ranking member of the Select Intelligence Committee and a senior member of the Appropriations Committee. Bond announced he would not seek a fifth term in 2010.


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Drop in and get advice on how to build academic skills to achieve your potential.
The Learning Advisors from Notre Dame Study Centre (NDSC) can help you with academic writing, essay planning, basic maths and human biology, study skills and time management.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am -12pm during semester @ St Teresa's Library.
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Dana Design Astralplane Overkill
Dana Design is no longer in business, and the Astralplane Overkill has been discontinued. If you're looking for something new, check out the best expedition packs for 2020.
Reviewers Paid: $265.00-$485.00
4-star: 0
3-star: 0
2-star: 0
1-star: 0
Can haul heavy loads great, fits well and lots of adjustment, side and top access. I have had 130 pounds in mine, still looks new.
- Compresses down small
- Bomb proof
- Hauls heavy loads well
- Heavy when unloaded
- No water bladder pouch
Love this pack. I have a few others, but this is my go-to pack and it will haul heavy loads well. Had it on 5 trips in at 68 pounds and out at 110-130 pounds. Most packs don't hold up to this kind of use. Mine still looks brand new.
Source: bought it used
Price Paid: $400
Welcome to Trailspace, Mountain Man! Do you have any pictures of this classic pack? We'd love to see them.
4 years ago
Welcome to Trailspace, nothwest mt man!
4 years ago
The Dana Astralplane Overkill is the most durable, comfortable, indestructible load-hauler ever created.
- Indestructible
- Comfortable with huge loads
- Lots of access points
- Heavy pack, even when empty.
Best loadhauler ever made. Indestructible. Bought mine in early '90's and have hiked with it on at least 50 trips and it looks almost brand new. Mine is the Astralplane Overkill, so it is pretty heavy, but I've packed 80 lbs in it and it still fits like a hug.
If you can find one on ebay, buy it — they are legendary. The guy who made them now builds for Mystery Ranch and his new version isn't cheap. Not for the ultralight hiker, but for the hiker who needs, or is willing, to tote around 50 lbs or more.
Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $450 + tax
Welcome to Trailspace, Tim! Thanks for sharing your Astralplane Overkill review. I'd love to see some pictures of your pack in your review, if you're willing to add them.
6 years ago
I lead backpacking trips for my high school students. I've had this pack since 1995 when the capacity was needed to haul my toddler son's gear. I still value the great fit and ride of this pack now as I did when I hauled changes of clothes and teddy bears. Repaired the waist belt (a burn from a campfire spark), but it still looks new after two decades of hard use.
- Strong and sturdy
- You will be targeted — "Put it in Dad's pack. He has room."
You will wear out before this pack does. Great fit and comfortable and can swallow 10 days of food easily.
Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $380
Welcome to Trailspace, Michael. I'd love to see some pics of your Astralplane, if you're willing to add some to your review.
6 years ago
Best large load backpack ever made. Bought it 16 years ago and it looks practically brand new. I've carried it fully extended down from Mt. Shasta base camp topping 85 lbs and I've hiked the Smokies with as little as 50 and it consistently "fits like a hug." I will wear out long before this pack ever does.
Design: top, front, side, bottom
Size: 7000+ inches
Max. Load Carried: 90+ lbs.
Height of Owner: 5'10"
Price Paid: $485
Most rugged, reliable and best fitting pack I have ever used. I carried 70 pounds all day with no problems. Weight is evenly distributed over back and hips. No other pack in the world like it. And I have used many other packs.
lawrence wilson
po box 494
mannasa co 81141
Design: astra plane overkill
Size: lg
Max. Load Carried: 70 pounds
Height of Owner: 5ft 9 in
Price Paid: $485
I had a bad experience with a rented backpack in Glacier National Park and did some research. After reading the reviews I decided on a Dana Designs Astralplane Overkill. I called the factory in Billings, Montana, and even talked to the owner. He emphasized the importance of getting a custom fit. If a Dana pack is fit right, you won't even know its there! Well the nearest dealer was 189 miles away at Active Endeavors in Iowa City, Iowa. So I went and got fitted. Gosh darn it if they weren't on sale! I paid just $265 (1996).
The graphite stays, the harness and waist belt, the zippers and the fabric (which appears to be made from the spall liner of an M2A3 Bradley Armoured Fighting Vehicle) are rugged.
A normal load for me is a TNF Goliath sleeping bag (lg), TNF Mountain 24 tent with Walrus Rain Fly, Cascade Design LE sleeping bag pad, MRE's, Lo Alpine Flash jacket/pants rain gear and various other items... all stored inside the back. I don't like anything hanging outside.
Two years ago this back resisted the gnawing of some type of Ring Tailed Bandicout subcreature. This year during the climb to the Boulder Field in Rocky Mountain National Park, 60 mph gusts blasted away above the tree line. No problems.
I love this pack. Gobs of room and takes all kinds of brutal abuse. I have just one problem... I don't get out and use it enough.
Design: Internal
Size: 6800
Number of Pockets: 2 + Lid
Max. Load Carried: 55 lbs.
Height of Owner: 5' 11"
Price Paid: $265
The Dana Astraplane Overkill is by far the best pack that I have used. I have worked in retail for many years and have demoed aboout every manufactuer. The ArcFlex suspension sysem used in Dana's pack is able to support the weight better than anything that I have tried. Also the features that are provided are not to fancy, but very useful. I really like the full side zips on each side (backed with strech 1000d Cordura), the long bellow pockets, detachable lid/fanny pack, the sleeping bag compartment is double layer (so one holds weight and the other takes abuse), and the entire pack is 1000d Cordura. I was able to carry up to 80lbs. on my semester. Hey, buy what you want, but make sure the shop knows how to fit. My advice is get a Dana Overkill.
Design: Internal
Size: 7000 med.
Number of Pockets: 2
Max. Load Carried: 80 lbs.
Height of Owner: 6'0
Price Paid: $475
A magnificent piece of gear for hauling multi-day to expedition-sized loads without drama. Buy this pack, then stride down the trail past the lightweight fanatics who snicker at your enormous load, confident in the knowledge that you're carrying 50 pounds probably more comfortably than they carry 30. Plus, your Astralplane will be around long, long after the lightweight parachute cloth packs have disintegrated (I can't imagine the abuse it would take to injure the Overkill model's all-1000d Cordura construction)...
I find the enormity of this pack a boon to my packing style--everything in the packbag: Thermarest (folded), tent poles, sandals, kitchen sink. Just a personal preference--I don't like having things dangling from the outside of my pack. The large vertical pockets on the front of the pack are perfect for keeping raingear and trail necessities handy. The hipbelt is without equal. Despite others' claims against them for weight and a potential failure point, I like the long slash zips along the sides of the packbag for easy access to my tent when it's raining.
Finally, if you are one who has had a rough time getting a good fit with your pack (largish guys like myself especially--I wasted time with four other 'adjustable' packs that never carried right with anything over 40 pounds, despite my endless tweaking), do yourself a favor and strap on a Dana pack. You will, as I did, recoil in horror at the price initially, but I believe you'll find the superiority in comfort/durability of this pack worth every penny.
Design: Internal frame
Size: 7250
Number of Pockets: 2 external + lid
Max. Load Carried: 70
Height of Owner: 6'0"
Price Paid: $400


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They say in the end, it's the blink of an eye."
(If you recognize the title- congratulations!
For those who remember, one of my 20+ high school reunions has been coming up, and it was this past weekend. [If you don't remember, I commented on it last month here and here.]
The following is a personal letter I wrote to a friend after my 20th reunion a few years back (he didn't attend). I re-read it last night, and decided my feelings haven't changed since then. So I'm putting it up for your perusal. I should note that in the 20 years prior to the reunion I'd had only incidental contact with anyone from my high school class, except for the one I wrote the letter to.
It was interesting. I didn't go to any of the previous ones, and almost didn't go to this one. But I'm glad I did.
20 years is a long time. It erases a lot of animosity. At some point you find that the majority grew up and became (reasonably) mature, decent human beings. I found there was no competition like there might be at 5 or 10 years. At this point most everyone is set in their lives and has answered the elusive questions of "who am I and what do I want to be?"
Even people who I hated once and never wanted to see again I was glad to see, oddly enough. Instead of being enemies they're now simply people I share a common background with, and it's interesting to talk to them and see where life took them. You don't really have time to sit and talk to anyone for more than a few minutes, because everyone is constantly running to the next vaguely familiar face (or name tag) to say "Hi". Most conversations are long enough to cover your spouse, your job, your kids, and where you've lived in the past 20 years, and then it's on to the next person. In a strange sort of way I imagine an afterlife would be the same way.
I was amazed at how many people came from all over the country just for this, also at how many are on their 2nd and 3rd marriages already. Some have kids who are taking the SAT's themselves. A lot of people (including me) had twins.
Cindy, that girl we were both chasing back then, looked about the same, very thin, same face, just a few more lines. Her short brown hair is now long and dyed raven black. She never married, never had kids, and is still looking for Mr. Right. In fact, she asked me if I knew anyone. I think the whole thing is interesting. As you pointed out in our phone call, she came across as unattainable to everyone back in high school. And now she's the rare one who's still alone.
What's interesting is that on talking to them now, I found that almost all the girls I had crushes on back then are so unbelievably incompatible with me that any relationship with them would have been short-lived, if it had actually happened at all. It's amazing what hormones did then, and what the retrospectoscope shows now.
Ron wasn't there, though he lives locally. Some people had gotten his phone number, but he never returned their calls (said his voice on the machine was still the same, though). No one has had any contact with him for over 10 years, and the ones who had the most recent contact said he'd become very bitter and unhappy, which is why they'd stopped keeping in contact with him. Diane commented that she felt like "he'd become someone who needed rescuing, but nobody else could help him".
Phil and Lisa married and had kids. Phil was an obnoxious jackass in HS. Now I found him to be a polite, decent person who was actually interesting to talk to. He has some sort of administrative job. He's very quiet and down to Earth. Time, raising kids, and having a mortgage and bills has a way of doing that to people. Lisa is now thin as a rail. Phil must weigh 300 lbs.
Pete works locally for an insurance company. He is the same personality as he was then, but pleasant and mature. Not married, no kids. Looks about the same but now has long hair down his back. Mrs. Grumpy, who'd never heard of him before, saw him come in and said "Who is that guy? He looks like the missing link." I think that sums it up.
In high school Pete had this POS 1972 Toyota jeep, that looked like it was about to fall apart. He still has it, was parked next to my car. Oddly, after 20 years, his once-POS 1972 Toyota Jeep is now likely worth more than my 2000 Maxima. Time is a great equalizer.
One of the girls, Laurie, I went back to 6th grade with. Others I went as far back as 4th grade with. The night after the reunion, Laurie was on the local news in a feature story on what it's like to be fighting breast cancer and be raising young children. She hadn't mentioned any of it to anyone there all night.
Sunday afternoon was the final reunion event, a family picnic at Local Park. It was a lot of fun. You realize from watching everyone that the only accomplishments and achievements that really matter to everyone are their kids.
The low-point of the reunion was when I introduced Mrs. Grumpy to Cathy, an old friend from the school paper. Mrs. Grumpy asked her when she was expecting. She wasn't. I told Cathy that Mrs. Grumpy had had too much to drink (actually she doesn't drink at all, but Cathy didn't know that).
We all got a 2-CD set of top hits from our high school days. Scary to think the songs are 20 years old. In front of the ballroom was a table, where several current Local High band students were selling raffle tickets for a fundraiser. Later in the evening I was returning to the ballroom after using the restroom, and the students at the table were looking over the songs on the CD they gave us. They were making comments such as "who is Duran Duran?" and "Boy, I think my dad listens to these guys.".
Perhaps more frightening was when the MC pointed out that when we were in HS "Born in the USA" by Springsteen was released as the FIRST CD SOLD IN THE US.
They had a slideshow going on in one corner the whole night, with various old and new pictures. The most interesting slides:
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan the Barbarian then and now as governor.
Michael Jackson on the cover of Thriller, and on his mug shot (remember- this letter was written several years ago).
Madonna then, and still Madonna, now.
In an ironic note, an item on the "Onion" recently was "What did we think we'd be doing with our lives by now:
"1. Dancing professionally
2. World famous truck driver
3. Overseeing vast empire of some sort
4. Making at least assistant manager
5. Presenting own line of designer handbags
6. Owning a car with gull-wing doors
7. Not this telemarketing shit, that's for sure."
It's just amazing how time flies. As cliched as the phrase is, it's really true. When I was 7 and first learned about Halley's comet, the wait for it's next visit seemed like forever. Now, in the blink of an eye, it's been here and gone. My 3 kids are all temporally closer to high school graduation than I am now. Life happens, so enjoy it.
If there was one thing I learned, it was that I wouldn't change anything. You find yourself thinking about all the alternate paths your life might have taken. What if I had asked this girl out, or gone on that trip, or taken that class. I came to realized that if I could go back and do it all over again, I wouldn't change anything. I'm very happy with where life has taken me, and for all the ups and downs of growing up and growing old I wouldn't trade any of it for anything.


text:
10 September, 2009 | (01 hr)
Sign In to access this Webcast
As companies begin to adjust their plans in response to emerging signs of economic recovery, yet remain focused on cost control, leveraging partnerships is a good way to ramp up innovation and new product and solution development. Leading companies, exemplified by Procter & Gamble's well-publicized "connect and develop" strategy, have made collaboration with partners and the extended enterprise a priority. This webcast will offer participants insights on best practices for leveraging alliances for collaborative innovation.
This webcast will discuss:
- Why and how to build a reputation as a "partner of choice"
- Avoiding pitfalls when innovating with alliance partners
- Building trust in partner relationships
- Understanding and managing risks of close collaboration
Sandra J. Coleman
Sandy Coleman is the Global Alliance Program and Operations Manager for Siemens PLM Software. She brings over fifteen years of strategic consulting experience, currently specializing in strategic alliances.
Sandy is responsible for the development of strategic plans and programs for world...Full Bio
Jonathan Hughes
Jonathan works with clients around the world to help them develop alliance strategies, design and implement formal alliance management programs and capabilities; and drive corporate transformation initiatives.? Jonathan has been published in a variety of leading journals including multiple articl...Full Bio
Christine Hess
Christine is a marketing and business strategy researcher and conference producer. She is currently the program director for a number of Conference Board conferences and councils. While on staff at The conference Board, Christine was a director of international programs, responsible for the Asia ...Full Bio


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Feds: ex-defense contractor stole jet documents
BRIDGEPORT (AP) -- Connecticut federal prosecutors say a former defense contractor engineer has been charged with stealing proprietary information about the Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program and military jet engines that he tried to ship to Iran.
Connecticut U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly announced Friday that 59-year-old Mozaffar Khazawee, a former Manchester, Conn., resident now living in Indianapolis, allegedly stole the material from companies where he had worked. Prosecutors said customs inspectors found sensitive technical manuals and other documents in a November shipment to Iran Khazaee described as household goods.
Khazawee was arrested Thursday at Newark, N.J., Liberty International Airport en route to Tehran. He's charged with transporting stolen goods.
Khazaee made an initial court appearance Friday and was detained for transfer to Connecticut. It's not known who's representing him. A public telephone listing for him couldn't be found.


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Food & Drink
America's top free attractions
By Allison Kade, Travel + Leisure • Published 28th June 2013
View Gallery
10 Pictures
Imagine seeing masterpieces by Van Gogh, entertaining your kids with activities and strolling a hilltop garden with waterfalls and beautiful views at sunset.
Now imagine doing it all for free. That's how your day could play out at the Getty Museum in L.A., where admission doesn't cost a thing.
Enjoying what America has to offer can get expensive fast: in 2011, the U.S. travel industry made $813 billion, and some of America's most popular cities are also its most expensive. With high gas prices and airline fees, it's refreshing to know that there are still some venues like the Getty that give another meaning to the land of the free.
In our search for the top free attractions, we bypassed
public parks
train stations
to focus on experiences you wouldn't necessarily expect to be free. Find out just how far $0 can get you from coast to coast.
Smithsonian Museums
Washington, D.C.
The National Zoo, National Museum of Natural History, and National Air and Space Museum—which displays The Spirit of St. Louis—are the biggest crowd-pleasers among the 18 Smithsonian institutions in D.C., otherwise one of the country's priciest cities. Indeed, making knowledge accessible is key to the mission of the world's largest museum and research complex. Affordable-travel expert Tim Leffel observed that the three museums he visited with his wife and daughter would have set them back more than $100 in most European capitals. And here's a bonus: you can download a
free app
about the National Mall sites from the National Park Service.
New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
Most national parks encourage you to tune in to nature; this one celebrates jazz in its birthplace, New Orleans. There's live music at the visitor center in the French Quarter and the Old U.S. Mint six days a week, and a kids' music workshop on Saturdays at Perseverance Hall in Louis Armstrong Park. The visitor center also hosts free talks, video documentaries and exhibits on local jazz history. You can pick up one of two self-guided audio tours, "Jazz Sites in New Orleans" or "Jazz Walk of Fame."
Travel + Leisure: Best U.S. cities for affordable getaways
The Getty Center
Los Angeles
Maximize your time at the Getty by visiting on a Friday or Saturday, when this sprawling hillside art complex is open late—allowing you to take in sunset views. The light-filled museum interiors display an impressive collection of European and American art including Vincent van Gogh's famous irises. Debbie Dubrow of the family travel blog
Delicious Baby
recommends the Family Room's interactive exhibits, giant illuminated manuscripts and an art treasure hunt. "And whenever you need a break, just pop outside to the Getty's fabulous gardens," she says. While parking is admittedly expensive ($15), the Getty is also accessible by public transit.
Staten Island Ferry, New York City
Even in the most expensive city in America, you can find great deals like free admission nights at
(otherwise $25), discounted Broadway tickets, and lower hotel rates in July and August. Then there's the thrill of one of the
world's most beautiful ferry rides
on the Staten Island commuter ferry—which also happens to be free 24/7. Board at sunset, when Lady Liberty is silhouetted against a pink-and-orange sky. You'll pass the Statue of Liberty, with a panoramic view of glittering downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn and Jersey City. Affordable-travel expert Tim Leffel says: "It's one thing I always recommend when people ask what they should do in New York."
Travel + Leisure: Best affordable all-inclusive resorts
Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia
Folks line up to see the 2,000-pound Liberty Bell—enshrined in glass—and tour Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the Constitution drafted. (Look for George Washington's "rising sun" chair.) Mara Gorman of the blog
The Mother of All Trips
also enjoyed visiting the Second Bank of the United States, "which houses a wonderful portrait gallery with paintings of many of the principle figures of the American Revolution." Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross and Washington all attended services at nearby Christ Church.
Go underground: Cave hotels
Conservatory at Bellagio,
Las Vegas
Take a breather from the hectic win-or-lose atmosphere of Vegas at the Bellagio's 13,000-square-foot Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Horticulturists create seasonal over-the-top displays, rearranging the gardens and their trappings—gazebos, bridges and giant topiaries. After the free live musical performance at the gardens (5 to 6 p.m. daily), step out onto the Strip to witness the light-and-music show put on by the Bellagio fountains.
Royal Hawaiian Center, Honolulu
Free cultural programming sets the remodeled Royal Hawaiian Center apart from your average shopping mall. You can drop by for a traditional Hawaiian massage (lomilomi), lei-making, Hawaiian quilting or a crash course in playing the ukulele or dancing the hula. There are also free performances, including Polynesian song and dance and hula 'auana, which is hula's modern form. It's an added bonus that parking is unusually affordable for Waikiki: free for an hour with validation.
7 amazing island rentals
The Alamo, San Antonio, T
"Remember the Alamo!" became a rallying cry after a small group of Texans stationed at this Catholic mission was defeated in March 1836 by a Mexican army after a 13-day siege. These days, the Alamo chapel is an official Texas State Shrine—and the state's most popular site with more than 2.5 million annual visitors. After your visit, stroll the nearby
River Walk
, lined with shops and restaurants like Boudro's for homemade guacamole and prickly-pear margaritas.
Pike Place Market
This iconic Seattle waterfront market occupies nine acres with an assortment of vendors selling fresh, locally produced food—most famously, flying fish. The market was established in 1907 with the explicit aim of connecting citizens and farmers, and it's still home to more than 200 independent small businesses, including bakeries, flower and butcher shops, and casual seafood restaurants. Markets with a similar ethos have sprung up across the country; look for one on your next trip.
National September 11 Memorial,
New York City
Pay your respects at twin reflecting pools that occupy the footprint of the former World Trade Center towers. The memorial is inscribed with the names of all who died in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and of February 26, 1993. Hundreds of white oaks help create a peaceful atmosphere. While admission is free,
advance reservations
See more of America's top free attractions
What are your favorite free attractions in the U.S.?
A year of the world's
Best Beaches
There's a perfect beach for every week of the year. Join us on a 12-month journey to see them all
Go to the best beaches


text:
DOTD Guidelines for Vehicles, Trucks and Loads
Which Haul Hay from Louisiana to Texas
WHEREAS, R.S. 32:387 sets forth the terms and conditions whereby vehicles hauling certain loads may be issued special permits by the Department of Transportation and Development if they are in excess of legal statutory size and weight limits;
WHEREAS, as a result of the effects of a severe and extended drought condition in areas of Texas, a dire necessity has arisen for oversize loads of hay to be expeditiously moved from Louisiana to Texas;
WHEREAS, the economic vitality of the farming industry is extremely dependent on the availability of hay for feed for the livestock; and
WHEREAS, in order to provide emergency assistance to Texas farmers, the State of Louisiana is willing to waive certain permits, fees, and other obligations normally incurred by transporters;
NOW THEREFORE, I, BOBBY JINDAL, Governor of the State of Louisiana, by virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution and the laws of the State of Louisiana, do hereby order and direct as follows:
SECTION 1: The Department of Transportation and Development, the Department of Public Safety, and the Department of Revenue shall waive the following statutory requirements for the shipment of hay:
A. The following sizes and weights for vehicles transporting hay on highways maintained by the State of Louisiana shall comply with the following limitation:
1. All vehicles transporting round bales of hay shall be loaded and stacked side-by-side, across the trailer and shall not exceed twelve (12) feet in width and fourteen (14) feet in height without permits.
B. Permit fees are waived for all carriers while engaged in the transportation of hay to the victims of the drought in Texas.
C. The following requirements shall remain in effect:
1. All such vehicles must travel during daylight hours only, beginning at sunrise and ending at sunset.
2. All such vehicles must travel with the required signs and flags properly placed and indicating that they bear oversized loads.
3. Vehicles must be equipped with mirrors so that drivers are able to have a clear view of the highway at least 200 feet to the rear of the vehicle.
4. Loads must be securely bound to the transporting vehicles.
D. Carriers, owners and/or drivers of any vehicle being operated under this Order are responsible for verifying in advance that the actual dimensions and weights of the vehicles and loads are acceptable for all routes being traveled.
SECTION 2. Nothing in this Order shall be construed to allow any vehicle to exceed weight limits posted for bridges and similar structures, or relieve any vehicle or carrier, owner or driver of any vehicle from compliance with any restrictions other than those specified, or from any statute, rule, order or other legal requirement not specifically waived herein.
SECTION 3. This Order is effective upon signature and shall terminate on October 31, 2009, unless amended, modified, terminated or rescinded by the Governor, or terminated by operation of law.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF , I have set my hand officially and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of Louisiana, at the Capitol, in the City of Baton Rouge, on this 26th day of March, 2009.
Bobby Jindal
Jay Dardenne
Secretary of State


text:
My Review:
I would recommend this life changing book especially to anyone who has cancer and they are looking for some guidance during this difficult time. Even if you don't have cancer, this book covered the important topics of having peace during life's challenges. If you feel like you're spinning in a hurricane that's completely out of your control, then this book is written for you. Peace is obtainable and God can give you His incredible peace. I appreciated how Kara Tippetts was very honest and real about her feelings on having cancer. She called cancer as a gift which was an enormous surprise to me. Cancer isn't something that I would declare a gift and she had a great perspective. She learned to enjoy life to the fullest and to cherish every single moment with her husband and her children.
I liked how she enclosed her testimony about how she came to know Jesus as her personal Savior. She also wasn't afraid to share about how her father influenced her life in a negative way by spanking his children and she choose to extend forgiveness to him. Forgiveness and holding on to grudges is something I struggle with and this book helped me to learn to let go of the hurts and choose to forgive even though it's tough.
The book also covered her marriage and how she met her husband. She revealed that marriage has a way of unveiling each other's personal quirks. A pastor taught her the importance of 1 Cor. 13:4 and how critical kindness is in love. Being kind to your spouse, when you're angry, and you're both fighting and, you would rather not see that person at the moment almost seems impossible. But choosing to respond with kindness and displaying love could dramatically change your marriage and relationships.
"I received a review copy of The Hardest Peace from Litfuse for this review."
About the book:
A young mother battling cancer invites readers to embrace grace in every season of life.
Kara Tippetts knows the mundane but rich days of mothering four kids, the joy of watching her children grow.and the devastating reality of stage-four cancer.
In The Hardest Peace, she invites readers to see the grace of the everyday in all seasons of life and to live well even when the living is hard. As the thousands of readers of her blog know, Tippetts explores the hardest questions of life with rare beauty and honesty. Most of all, she draws them back to the God who is present, in the ordinary and the suffering, and shapes every life into the best story of all.
Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/Cgo5s
About the Author:
Read what others are saying:
Kara Tippetts' brave and touching book, The Hardest Peace is launching with a blogger challenge. Celebrate with Kara by joining the #HardestPeace conversation and share how you are finding grace in the midst of the everyday and in life's hard moments.
Share your stories of everyday grace in the midst of life's difficulties and enter to win a #HardestPeace prize pack:
- A book club pack (10 copies of The Hardest Peace for you and your small group!)
- A handcrafted candle
- Journal
- Custom Etsy The Hardest Peace print and coffee mug
a Rafflecopter giveaway


text:
NEA Vice President Eskelsen joins President's advisory commission
Commission aims to improve educational outcomes for Hispanics
WASHINGTON - October 06, 2011 -
NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen today was sworn-in to The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics' Presidential Advisory Commission. The commission advises President Barack Obama and the U.S. Secretary of Education on matters pertaining to the education attainment of Hispanic students.
"I am thrilled to join this commission because its work matters and because so much depends on its success," said NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen. "In a global economy, how do we make sure Hispanic students excel, how do we nurture an immigrant student's dream to succeed in America? How do we make sure that they hold on to their language and culture while preparing them to compete in a 21st century economy?"
Hispanics are the largest minority group attending public schools in the United States today, with more than 1 in 5 students in the nation's elementary, middle and high schools; but Hispanics also have the lowest education attainment level overall, according to a report by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. According to the report, Latino students are more likely to attend the lowest-performing schools, more likely to be forced to learn in larger class sizes and more likely to drop out of school at higher rates. Fewer than half of Latino students take part in early childhood education. Only about half of them graduate on time from high school. And those who do make it to college often find themselves underprepared for its rigors.
"Education is a prerequisite for prosperity," noted Eskelsen. "Hispanic students are enrolled in our public schools now and they will make up a large portion of our labor force in the future—they are the future taxpayers, business leaders, inventors, writers, artists and engaged members if society that will drive this economy. It is imperative that we start addressing their educational needs now. If America leaves our Latino community behind, we do so at our own peril."
The Presidential Advisory Commission is comprised of 30 members, appointed by President Obama, who have relevant experience or subject matter expertise that the President deems appropriate. Appointed members also represent a variety of sectors, including education, labor, corporate and financial. Research institutions, public and private philanthropic organizations as well as national, state, regional and local nonprofit and community-based organizations are represented on the commission.
"I look forward to working with the President's commission to ensure that all children receive a quality public education that prepares them to succeed in life," concluded Eskelsen.
Follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/NEAMedia
# # #
The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.
CONTACT: Miguel A. Gonzalez (202) 822-7823, firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who has been living at the Ecuadorian embassy in London for more than 5 months, is believed to be suffering from "a chronic lung condition." Ecuador's ambassador to Britain, Ana Alban, told an Ecuadorian TV network on a recent trip to Quito that Assange's condition "could lead to complications." She explained that the cold, dark London winter and the fact Assange has not been outside in five months has been detrimental to his health, reports the Guardian.
(MORE: Why is Ecuador Julian Assange's Choice for Asylum?)
Assange took refuge in the embassy in June in an attempt to avoid extradition to Sweden under the terms of a European Arrest warrant, notes Reuters. The founder of Wikileaks, an Internet clearinghouse for classified and sensitive information, he became famous for leaking thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables through the site. He is charged in Sweden with two counts of sexual molestation, one count of unlawful coercion and one count of rape. Assange has denied the allegations, calling Sweden "the Saudi Arabia of feminism," as quoted by the New York Times. He fears if he is sent to Sweden he will be subject to subsequent extradition to the United States, where he could face imprisonment for his role in disseminating classified documents.
Since June, Assange has been staying in a small room in the Ecuadorian embassy, living off take-away meals and relying on a treadmill for exercise. He uses a sunlamp to help compensate for nearly half a year without fresh air. Located in the posh London district of Knightsbridge, Ecuador's diplomatic base is modest in comparison to other embassies and has no garden. "Imagine how well someone is in a space of 50 square meters [about 540 square feet], without much sun and poor air circulation," Alban said. "It's absolutely logical to think that a human being in these circumstances is not going to be living well." Assange has had a number of visitors in recent months, including a dinner visit from popstar Lady Gaga. Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood also visited the Australian in October, showing her support by wearing tee-shirt which said "I am Julian Assange."
(MORE: Wikileaks' War on Secrecy: Truth's Consequences)
The Ecuadorian Ambassador has confirmed that his government is covering Assange's medical costs but fears that if his health continues to deteriorate and he does fall seriously ill, he will not be able to get proper medical care for fear of being arrested if he leaves the embassy. The Ecuadorian embassy voiced concern over Assange's health in October, when ministers commented that the Wikileaks founder appeared to have lost weight. Alban has explained that Ecuador is "waiting for a meeting" with either the U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague or U.K. Secretary Theresa May to discuss the Australian's future, reports the BBC.


text:
By now you've heard about the blockbuster trade that happened on Saturday. Boston sent 1B Adrian Gonzalez, P Josh Beckett, LF Carl Crawford and IF Nick Punto to the Dodgers for 1B James Loney and prospects Jerry Sands, Allen Webster, Ivan De Jesus, and Rubby De La Rosa. The deal is a notable for its timing as it is for the names involved. Trades for players with contracts this large just don't happen, especially in August. The swap dramatically alters both franchises: The Dodgers are set for a playoff run this season and a stacked lineup for next. The Sox clear heavy salary obligations on an under-performing team and give GM Ben Cherington flexibility to remake the franchise in his own vision.
What's most notable about the tree as a whole is that there are only three players lost through free agency and none given their outright release. Whether the trades were good or bad, that a great use of available assets.
UPDATE: The latest version of this tree can be found in the Joel Hanrahan Trade Tree.
Filed under: baseball, Trade Tree | Tagged: Adrian Gonzalez, Allen Webster, baseball, Carl Crawford, Dodgers, Ivan De Jesus, James Loney, Jerry Sands, Josh Beckett, Nick Punto, Red Sox, Rubby De La Rosa, Trade Tree |


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text:
About Cassiopeia
Cassiopeia is a modern, beautiful and powerful Bootstrap based One Page template for every business or individual wanting to show their work in the best way.
Incredibly easy to modify, adapt and expand, with amazing and customizable animations, many custom and third party plugins, amazing technologies like parallax and AJAX, Cassiopeia is just mesmerizing.
Template features
- Clean, modern design
- Based on bootstrap 3.0
- Parallax
- Amazing, easy to edit animations
- Dynamic menu
- AJAX Portfolio and Blog loading
- Preloader with percentage
- Disable parallax / animations with 1 lines of code!
- Auto improve performance (disable parallax and animations) in mo
- HTML5 / CSS3 / jQuery
- One page design
- Filterable portfolio
- Flex Slider
- Retina Display ready icons
- Working contact form
- Twitter feed working script
- And much more!!!
The images used in this preview are not mine, are used with permission and are NOT supplied with the downloaded file!
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/ag2r/with/4762871610/
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/oimax/118738926/sizes/o/in/photostream/
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/abbilder/5535942268/
- Dw4Dj-aZZGDv-5E7UbN-8YGxQs-4T2tL7-6ruyZt-9v7oB5-cAsjeE-272op-cNWuoC-bvxSPR-8DReJ3-9DZ8KE-5KUYXj-dY9Q1E-8p8wyJ-5hQNvB-96GrLp-dkqcRc-5Qe2YJ-PrT62-boUFk2-bSsCYF-4YFVDr-GAfax-dtEuDH-EYorY-65nd15-e6EbaD-aST56H-bbyz2K-dsqQj4-dDKdUw-5JjCkM-dDDQ6T-cHhqHs-7Vznxu-5Dw4kN-4AqweR-8DeKiF-9JnKsF-dQrMMh-Cdsdg-dY47cc-dcgZAf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">
Version 1.1
- Added video background page.
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Version 1.2
- Added pattern background page.
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- Added 2 more predefined color schemes.
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- Improved preloader with image load failsafe.
"Disclaimer" – Piracy is illegal and opposes Hindi assistance Piracy. This content has been given only for information, its purpose is not to encourage or promote Piracy and Illegal activities in any way.


text:
Percy Bysshe Shelley#42 on top 500 poets
» Click to list general statistics » OR, select a date :
Epithalamium : Another Version
Night, with all thine eyes look down!
Darkness shed its holiest dew!
When ever smiled the inconstant moon
read more >>
- Hits: Number of visitors who read the poem on the given date.
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- Dates that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list.
- Dates, poems and poets that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list. Statistics are generated daily.