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On Friday completed a major 3 month project that required working many more hours than normal. To celebrate I plan on working 20 hours a week for the next month and went home Friday night with the intention of opening some celebration wines. Opened a Loire Sparkler on Friday night and a Bordeaux on Saturday night
Brut de Savoie, Pierre Boniface - I struggle with Champagne and have found if I cannot drink the really good stuff I find more enjoyment with sparklers. Love Prosecco, sparkling Loire and yes, for $13, domestic Gruet. Unfortunately this did not float my boat. Loire missed it this time and the wine, in my wife's words, "has no flavors". Good bubbles, OK acidity, tickled the tongue but where's the meat. It was not bad but just nothing that good, like drinking sparkling water with a little depth. The last glass was better as it reached room temperature but hey, if I wanted a still wine I would have opened one. Guess I should not get my $15 QPR recs from the distributor roaming the wine store floor.
'70 Lascombs - Back to my roots and drinking from an area that I somewhat understand. Have had many bottles of this wine and the only concern is condition and storage. You have to give the wine 30 minutes to open as the first slurp is always non descript. How perky would you be if you were stuffed in a bottle for almost 35 years. The wine blossoms and the nose is fantastic, half the fun in drinking an old Bordeaux. This particular bottle was in perfect condition, bright and clear with only a touch of browning on the edges. Thought for a long time for a fruit adjective and came up with ripe bing cherries. The tannins were long gone and complexity ruled. Balanced with a touch of acidity in the background. This particular bottle would not get any better but seemed like it would have lasted many more years. The finish was very long and the tastes lingered on the palate. This was a home run wine and the reason I cellar wines. Don't drink this at a tasting as it will get lost with all the heathen pointy wines, just open it and spend the night playing with it.


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France Agrees To Kick File Sharers Off The Internet Again; Lobbyists Call It 'Consumer Relief'
from the up-is-down,-black-is-white,-you-said-what-now? dept
What's much more entertaining is seeing how entertainment industry lobbyists are cheering this on. I'm beginning to think that they actually believe that kicking people off the internet will make people buy more of their content. Incredible. First up, the MPAA's Dan Glickman (who's being pushed out of his job for being woefully ineffective):
"Today's decision is an enormous victory for creators everywhere. It is our hope that ISPs will fully honor their promise to cooperate and that the French government will take the necessary measures to dedicate resources to handle the enormous task ahead."A victory for creators? Really? By kicking fans off the internet for promoting their works? Yikes. Someone's out of touch. Then we have Rick Cotton, of NBC Universal, the man who insisted that movie piracy was really harming the poor American corn farmer since people ate less popcorn with pirated movies:
"The French action recognizes that jobs and economic growth in creative industries are under assault by digital theft. We need a safe and secure Internet that enables consumers to access content easily but does not facilitate illegal file sharing that kills jobs in creative sectors."Yes, and the corn farmers, too, right? So, if it's really all about jobs, what about the people kicked offline who rely on the internet for their job? Apparently those jobs don't matter? In the meantime, it's already pretty clear from multiple studies that it's not file sharing that's "killing jobs in creative sectors" but the inability of executives like Cotton to understand basic economics and business models.
But, honestly, the most guffaw-inducing response to this comes from Tom Sydnor at the Progress & Freedom Foundation. Sydnor, who as you may know, has a long history of making claims that don't pass the laugh test, has really outdone himself this time (it's even better than when he accused a college that couldn't identify accused file sharers of harboring "terrorists, pedophiles, phishing-scheme operators, hackers [and] identity thieves" by giving them a "get out of jail free" card). So what's his take on kicking people off the internet based on accusations? Well, it's really about consumer relief. No, seriously:
"As a consumer, I would far prefer the successive warnings that French law would now provide to the sudden financial devastation of the John-Doe lawsuit that American law would now require. I thus urge American internet-service providers and copyright owners to work together to provide American consumers with similar relief."Ah, yes, because the only options are to sue everyone or to kick people off the internet? Apparently Tom has such incredibly little faith in the innovation ability of content providers that he assumes that they cannot craft unique and innovative business models that don't involve suing everyone or kicking people off the internet. How insulting of him towards content creators. Every time Sydnor makes a statement like this and PFF promotes it, it just weakens the work that PFF does in other areas. It's tough to take an organization seriously that has someone claiming that kicking people off the internet based on accusations of private companies is "consumer relief."

subset: commoncrawl


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It might be asking a lot for a mainstream odd-couple road-trip movie to bear the dramatic heft of the heavy Israeli-Arab conflict, specifically the 1982 war with Lebanon, but "Zaytoun" — Arabic for "olive" — travels light, with an optimistic smile, no matter the stakes.
Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis ("The Lemon Tree") and screenwriter Nader Rizq maneuver into place the unlikely pairing of a downed Israeli pilot, Yoni (Stephen Dorff), and a 12-year-old Palestinian refugee in Beirut named Fahed (Abdallah El Akal). Gruff, resourceful Yoni is escaping the clutches of the PLO, while his young companion — initially one of his captors — is eager to get back into the land of his ancestors so he can plant an olive tree for his dead father.
Along the way, they endure shootouts, a donkey ride and a minefield. If one continued to double down on all the metaphors, it might rub some the wrong way that Israel is represented by a tough, forceful adult who knows the way, while filling in for Palestine is a temperamental, lost boy. But even on a simplistic moral level, there's some honest affection to their overly schematic journey, namely because the two leads keep sentimentality at bay even while contrivance around them rules. It's just all too breezy to have any real effect.
MPAA rating: None
Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Playing: Laemmle's Royal Theatre, Los Angeles; Laemmle's Town Center 5, Encino; Laemmle's Playhouse 7, Pasadena (Saturday-Sunday matinees only); Edwards Westpark 8, Irvine
PHOTOS: Faces to watch 2014 | Movies
ENVELOPE: The latest awards buzz
DOCUMENTARIES: 10 best of 2013, and a new crop in 2014


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LOS ANGELES, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Three men were arrested Thursday as suspects in a wildfire that has burned more than 1,700 acres of forest northeast of Los Angeles, authorities said.
One person burned in the Colby fire required treatment at a hospital, the Los Angeles Times reported. The fire just started just after dawn Thursday morning in the Los Angeles National Forest and spread quickly in the hot, tinder-dry conditions.
At least two homes in the city Glendora were consumed by flames. Three men, all in their early 20s, were arrested on suspicion of deliberately starting the fire and held on $20,000 bail. They told police wind blew papers from their campfire and set brush ablaze, the Times said.
Glendora's mayor declared a state of emergency. The fire caused scattered electric power outages.
Red flag warnings indicating the fire danger are in effect throughout Southern California until Friday because of the windy conditions and summer-like temperatures in the mid-80s. About 700 firefighters at the Colby fire were being assisted by more than a dozen aircraft, the Times said.
Another smaller brush fire was reported near Pyramid Lake and Hungry Valley at the northbound 5 Freeway and Highway 138, fire officials said.
A wildfire in the Jurupa Valley in Riverside County gutted four houses Tuesday, the Times said. An elementary school and other buildings were evacuated.
The Pacific Coast Highway was closed during rush hour because of a brushfire Tuesday. Another blaze burned about 40 acres.
In the San Francisco area, a fire on Kimball Island in the Sacramento Delta damaged three houses, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The island, accessible only by boat, was evacuated.


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Courtesy of Endicott College Sports Information
BEVERLY, Mass. - MIT scored a pair of goals in the second half to down the Endicott College Gulls, 2-1, in field hockey action on Tuesday night. Jessica Oleinik and Katie Kauffman helped MIT improve to 8-2 overall while the Gulls drop to 4-5. Endicott's Anna Giannoni scored the Gulls' lone goal of the contest.
The first 20 minutes of play did not result in much action, as neither team could get their offense going. The Gulls finally received a jolt when Hannah Thornberg found Giannoni, The Commonwealth Coast Conference's Offensive Player of the Week, inside the circle. The sophomore made a nifty dribble move around several defenders before depositing her third goal of the season in the back of the net for an early, 1-0, Endicott lead. The final 10 minutes saw a combined five shots between the teams as both defenses held their ground.
Coming out of the break, the Engineers put their emphasis on the offense and knotted the score at one on a goal from Oleinik. MIT's Anna Teruya blasted a ball from just inside the circle that Oleinik tipped into the goal for her 10th tally of the season.
Minutes later, the Engineers threatened again but Endicott's Taylor Teixeira made a pair of diving stops and Cassie DeSimone picked up a defensive save to keep MIT off the board. The Gulls returned back on offense and forced seven penalty corners and fired off seven shots in the minutes that followed but the Engineers held the Gulls at bay.
MIT then returned the favor, returning back to their offensive half of the field, as the Engineers had a fast break opportunity from Kimberly Barker that Teixeira thwarted away with a diving stop followed by another save from the freshman. The Gulls could not clear the ball, however, and the ensuing scrum resulted in Kaufman stuffing home the go-ahead goal with just over 13 minutes to play. The Engineers kept the ball in Endicott's half of the field and to drain the clock and held on for the 2-1 non-conference victory.
Endicott's Teixeira made eight saves in the defeat while MIT's Keri Dixon also made eight stops in her eighth win of the season.
The Blue and Green return to action with another non-conference tilt against Tufts University on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. MIT hosts Springfield College in NEWMAC action on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.


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Interview with Peter Young from No Compromise Issue 28
Peter Young was arrested March 21, 2005, after a seven year stint on the FBI's Wanted list for a string of fur farm raids. He was sentenced after this interview took place, on November 8th, 2005 to a two year prison term. Here he takes time to talk about his case, direct action, snitches, and what the future holds. For all the latest news on Peter's case and how to support him visit SupportPeter.com.
No Compromise : You were wanted by the FBI for seven years. What led to your arrest ?
Peter Young : My only "mistake" was moving several copies of the same CD across the room at a Starbucks while an off-duty cop observed from outside. By no stretch of the imagination was it "shoplifting," but when a search turned up items deemed suspicious (such as a book titled "Evasion" and what they thought was a handcuff key taped to the rear of my belt), they decided to arrest me anyway. Fifteen minutes after the cops ran my fingerprints, the warrants from 1998 came up and this new chapter of my life began.
NC : With so much disparity among media reports of your case, give us the nutshell version - from the actions to the recent plea agreement.
Peter : It was just before pelting season 1997, and within a month all mink on American fur farms would be dead. Given the heat in the Northwest from reports of recent successful and failed mink liberations, as well as our visibility as Seattle activists, we looked towards the Great Plains. When the smoke cleared two weeks later, six fur farms had been visited with 8,000 mink and 100 foxes released.
There were several close calls, such as when Tom Fasset walked up on us as we opened one of what was to be 2,000 cages. (I always wondered if they caught that one mink, and I found my answer in the FBI evidence turned over last month : She got away.) There's no question that we exceeded the bounds of safety - moving from one farm to the next, even hitting two farms in one night. And while it proved in the end to be our undoing, I can say I appreciate the sense of urgency that drove us this far. As bad as jail can be, I'd have always felt worse doing nothing.
Eleven months later, we were indicted on four counts of Extortion (20-year max sentence, each) and two counts of Animal Enterprise Terrorism (one year max., each).
Seven years later I was arrested. Factoring in my famously harsh judge, if found guilty I was told to expect eight to ten years. The case against me was mostly circumstantial, resting on a list of fur farm addresses, bolt cutters and Justin Samuel's testimony. I was moved from California to Wisconsin, where it became clear that they were more interested in who my friends were for the last seven years than in an old case, even offering me a deal of one year if I would tell them.
Their case fell apart when my lawyer filed a motion citing a 2003 Supreme Court ruling that "extortion" could not apply to political cases. Those charges were dismissed, and my maximum sentence unceremoniously dropped from 82 years to two. The feds lost interest, and in the end I settled on a deal of two years for the mink releases and one count of obtaining a driver's license with forged documents.
NC : Why did you target the fur industry, and what effect did your actions have ?
Peter : We hit the fur industry because, in terms of immediate effects, I know of no action with greater yield than a mink release. The most common criticism of live liberations - that the liberated animals are just replaced -- does not apply. A mink farm's closed breeding system means that when its animals are gone, they're gone. At least one of the farms we visited is now closed. Above all, we raided fur farms because we had no excuse not to raid fur farms. It's just too easy. Two people can liberate 1,000 mink every 15 minutes. I believe if most people knew the simplicity of these actions, they would spend a little less time on instant messenger and a little more time tearing down fences.
NC : It's important to evaluate not only our victories but also our failures. Can you offer an analysis of the mistakes which led to your indictment ?
Peter : The plan was to hit as many farms as we could in as short of time possible. After the second release in Sioux City, it became clear the Midwest fur farming community was on alert. They began waiting for us, and we were followed several times in the coming days. The first mistake was not admitting we were too visible to continue. I have nothing to offer in my defense except that we were angry and very determined.
Mistake #2 was working with an emotionally unstable, dogmatic pacifist. I found out the hard way that being an informant for the FBI falls safely within a code of Gandhian nonviolence.
Our two-week campaign ended when a farmer followed us as we passed the Zimbal Minkery in Oostburg, Wisconsin. She called the police from her cell phone, and in minutes we were surrounded. After refusing consent to a search, our vehicle was confiscated. Above all, I regret not cutting through the fence of the Sheboygan impound lot that night and removing the evidence from our car. That would have solved a lot of my problems.
NC : Take us through a few milestones of your activist history.
Peter : Becoming vegan in 1994 was most significant, no question.
My shift to activism was inspired by the mid-90s straight-edge scene. Bands like Abnegation brought me from the "self-hating vegan" phase to one of action, and understanding this was not another "single issue," but something much more urgent than I had admitted. We listened to the Earth Crisis demo every night before masking up and hitting those farms in 1997. I've been vegan and straight edge for 11 years.
The moment I knew that this is war came when we discovered a chicken slaughterhouse operating in a non-descript building just outside downtown Seattle. Animal liberation was suddenly no longer an abstract struggle but one to be fought in my own neighborhood. We crouched in the bushes, looking through a cracked window, watching the massacre. It was this image-- flailing birds hung by their feet and carried to their bloody end-- that branded into my mind a promise that I would dedicate the rest of my life to seeing it end.
Lastly, a crucial milestone came later that year while reading the paper and learning that anonymous activists had broken into a Seattle-area pig slaughterhouse and removed the bolt gun used as a killing device. Soon after, a second article appeared reporting another local slaughterhouse had its office ransacked and three chickens rescued from the killing floor. It was these reports of simple actions with life-saving effects that imparted upon me a profound message : While we may not win in our lifetime, there can be many small victories along the way.
NC : Sadly, your co-defendant Justin Samuel turned informant. What are you feelings on him today ?
Peter : He is a disgrace and I wish him the worst.
NC : As the victim of a snitch, weigh in on the subject of how they should be dealt with. Compassion, banishment, or something in between ?
Peter : Any person that utters one word of excuse for an informant should ask himself how many apologies he would make if the snitch's victim were a close friend, loved one, or even him or herself. The first step is confronting the privilege of distance.
I hope any snitch who works to bury a liberation activist in prison, yet still remains convinced he has a rightful place in our movement, will continue to work for animals. Absolutely. What pains me is that there would be one person willing to work by the snitch's side. In Justin Samuel's attempt at reintegration, there were a few. I don't expect to regain trust in those elements of our movement that allowed Justin to move through it unchallenged, those who looked away for the sake of harmony and those who allowed Justin to be present in large groups of activists (such as David Agranoff's wedding) without showing him the door with force. My concern is as much for myself as for the message it sends, for the snitch culture it breeds and its future victims.
NC : During the mid-90s, there was an upswing in activism and direct action. What are your memories of this volatile time ?
Peter : A lot of hooded sweatshirts and cammo... I remember liberal use of the term "vegan revolution." I remember communiqués that read like hardcore lyrics, with lines like "This is a warning to those who transgress the natural order." It was a climate of militancy that perhaps lacked good strategy. In the mid-90s, direct action did surge in the actual number of actions, but it was very scattershot, most often occurring at the retail/restaurant level. A message was sent, but at the end of the day I'm not sure how many lives were saved. While we recently may only see a few significant actions a year, I'm impressed with a big action and good strategy more than I am with a brick and spray-paint.
NC : Over the years, have you followed direct action ? What specific actions did you find most significant ?
Peter : The 1999 raid on the University of Minnesota, number one. The activists' ability to liberate animals, do $3 million damage with their hands and leave the FBI with no idea how they had gotten in was remarkable. Nothing like it had happened in ten years. If we assume those responsible were not active in the 80s, we can take a lesson from a group that started from scratch, taught themselves the skill, and went big.
And the Ellsworth, Iowa fur farm that was emptied twice in one week, shutting it down. This was an especially celebrated action to me, as someone who knows the pain of hearing of those I set free being recaptured, but not having the courage myself to return to settle the score.
NC : Offer your analysis of direct action today. What's missing from the A.L.F.'s strategy ?
Peter : First, trust no one who claims himself an expert on the A.L.F. Mine is not an authoritative analysis, just a personal one.
Second, lessen emphasis on the "two-five person" cell structure, and reconsider the power of the individual. One person on a bike with a backpack can potentially do as much damage as several, without the burden of consensus and the threat of snitches. The biggest limitation of direct action will always be the lack of solid people to work with. One person will not be able to do large scale liberations, but silent actions for which a lookout may not be necessary, such as break-ins for the confiscation of data, would happen more often if people considered the one (wo)man cell.
Additionally, the 80s model of using actions to expose atrocities with video footage should be revisited. There's value in reclaiming the A.L.F's now -tattered Robin Hood image. I can think of two examples of chicken liberations in which footage was taken and played on the evening news, giving the public its first glimpse inside an egg farm. Merge education and liberation.
Taking out targets whose work is not easily absorbed by others is good strategy. The business of a demolished KFC can be picked up by the one across the street, but there are only so many labs that are genetically engineering chickens without legs.
What I believe would see the greatest surge of direct action is providing people with more names and addresses. This is what made The Final Nail so successful in the 90s, and it's what has made the anti-HLS campaign so successful today. It is something that would make animal abuse no longer an abstraction but something with an exact physical location, erasing most people's excuse for turning away. Knowledge bears responsibility. I would like to see a Final Nail for labs. This, I think, would really set things off.
And I won't win any friends with this one, but I believe that limiting our use of numbing agents such as alcohol, drugs, computers/e-mail, and television would go a long way towards eliminating distractions and keeping us motivated to act.
My faith in direct action has not changed, only my wish for the A.L.F. to go bigger and go for the throat.
NC : Rumor has circulated that the FBI believes you wrote a book. Can you comment ?
Peter : The allegation that I authored a 'zine, later printed by a radical publisher out of Olympia as an anonymously-authored, travel-themed short story collection, is fairly well known in some circles. It's an interesting theory.
NC : How do you feel about your plea bargain ?
Peter : I'll say this : Last night I read the FBI case file, added the number of animals never recaptured, and divided it by my sentence. It works out to about 12 hours per mink.
NC : Have you received adequate jail support ? How could it improve ?
Peter : "Adequate" would fall a little short. Within days of my arrest there was a website, support fund, phone-line assault on the jail to win me vegan meals, money, and a lot of mail. It's been incredible. To any activist with federal warrants, I would recommend an arrest in the bay area. The locals will take care of you. When I was extradited to Wisconsin, one generous person even uprooted her life and moved to Madison to do jail support full time.
As overwhelming as it's all been, the best gesture of support came ten days after my arrest when 58 foxes were released from an Illinois fur farm, with the action claimed in solidarity with me. My vision of improved jail support ? A better liberated animal-to-letter ratio.
NC : What are your plans after your release ?
Peter : To be right back out there, doing my part. You'll never be able to count me among the ones who stopped fighting for change.


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...well...that...that would explain an awful lot...
jesus f*cking christ...incest or masterbation...discuss
II'm not sure if that's what they meant by 'a touch of evil'..
Reminds me of a Bill Maher bit I just saw about the "recovering" gay pastor Ted Haggard. Bill said Ted wasn't really gay and it was all the devil's fault. When the devil tempted him, Ted said "get thee behind me satan" and then it all started ;)


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Elisabeth Hasselbeck's Mac and Cheese
A Gluten-Free Side Dish Your Kids Will Love
Whoever came up with mac and cheese -- the ultimate one-pot meal for picky kids -- was a genius. It was a challenge to make a g-free version that could be as beloved and satisfying as the original . . . but this recipe meets the challenge and then some! Feel free to play around with the cheese/spice combo that works for your young tasters, but try it once as described below. I suspect it'll be a crowd-pleaser.
Cooking Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook it for 3 minutes less than the package instructions indicate.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: Combine the milk, the potato starch, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Place the butter and cream cheese in a large stockpot and heat over medium heat. When the cream cheese is soft and the butter has melted, slowly whisk in the milk mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is hot and has thickened slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the paprika, garlic powder, and pepper if using. Reduce the heat to low and add the cheese. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 3 minutes.
Drain the pasta, add it to the sauce, and cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat the pasta with the sauce. Serve, and watch them smile!
This recipe was styled by chef Karen Pickus for Good Morning America.
Recipe courtesy DELICIOUSLY G-FREE by Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
Recipe Summary
Main Ingredients: macaroni, milk, butter, american cheese
Course: Side Dish
More Info: Kid Friendly, Wheat/Gluten Free


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|The Grand Canal Locks at Leeson St. Bridge, Ballsbridge
The four girls jumped up and began shrieking as though one of them had fallen into the canal. They laid down on their bellies, and although the distance was impossible for four such little girls, Mary, Martha, Lily, and Bernadette stretched their arms and their legs as far as they could in a desperate attempt to retrieve the lost shoe before it sank, but they could not reach it.
A couple of the boys came over to help. Each one jumped in and dove under the water searching as best he could in order to find the errant shoe, but it was all to no avail. Although the shoe was most certainly gone, the girls knew they could not return home without it.


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Here at ZiggityZoom we take Homeschooling seriously. There is no other job in the world that is as important as the education of a child. Whether it is a teacher from a public or private school or a parent doing the teaching, educating children is so important.
We continually try to add resources, worksheets and information for homeschooling parents. Some of the things you might want to check out are:
Kindergarten Readiness Page Summary of what your child needs to know before starting Kindergarten.
Alphabet Tracing Worksheets Letters A to Z worksheets to print out.
Educational Worksheets Letters, Numbers, Colors, Matching, Shapes,Spanish-English and Line Tracing Worksheets.
Early Reading Stories Easy-to-read stories that can be read with,or without, audio.
Color by Number Printables Lots of teaching aids, including Color by Number printables, mazes etc.
Since there are ever-increasing numbers of parents involved in Homeschooling their children, we have searched around for some of the best resources that will make Homeschooling a little easier.
Here are links to some of the best sites/resources for Homeschooling:
Donna Young - This is a well organized site with lots of printables and lesson plans. Cursive writing section even includes animated formation of letters.
Christian Book - Guides, Workbooks & Concept Aids. This site has an entire section for the Homeschool Curriculum.
Time 4 Learning - Grade by Grade Curriculum Overview, Online Interactive Learning Activities For
PreSchool, Elementary & Middle School ($19.95 per month)
Teacher Store House - Teaching supplies and Homeschool Workbooks and Materials all in one place.
Learning Things - Wonderful resource site for books, workbooks, flashcards, educational software ... just about anything a homeschool parent could need.


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Young Bucks stumbling as playoffs arrive and they're faced with task of taking down the Heat
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MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee Bucks coach Jim Boylan admits his team has a daunting task in taking on the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs.
The eighth-seeded Bucks open the Eastern Conference playoffs on the road Sunday against the NBA's defending champions.
"We've got a lot of young players and for many of them, this will be their first time in a playoff series, said Boylan, who replaced Scott Skiles as coach in early January. "Facing the world champions is a daunting task. You're playing against a veteran, experienced, high-level championship team. Right off the bat, you know you've got your work cut out for you."
And even that may be an understatement.
After beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the finals last season, the Heat set a franchise record with 66 victories, including 37-4 in Miami, where they have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Behind LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, the Heat ran off a 27-game winning streak, second only in league history to the 33-game streak compiled by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1971-72.
Beating the Heat would present a formidable obstacle even for a team entering the playoffs on a roll, but the Bucks have been anything but that down the stretch.
In mid-March, the Bucks were at 34-32 and appeared poised to make a run at improving their playoff seeding and avoid the first-round matchup with the Heat.
Then they went 4-12 down the stretch, including five straight losses before a season-ending 95-89 victory Wednesday over Oklahoma City, which rested Kevin Durant. Included in that span were road losses to non-playoff teams Philadelphia, Minnesota, Orlando and Charlotte. In six of those losses, the Bucks shot under 40 percent.
"We're still kind of up and down," Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova said. "The thing we have to do is be consistent. It's all about us on the floor, those five guys, and whatever help comes from the bench."
In four regular-season games against the Heat, the Bucks won one and lost another in overtime.
In the first meeting in November, the Bucks lost in overtime 113-106 at Miami, missing two chances to win near the end of regulation. Milwaukee won the second game at home in late December, outscoring the Heat 35-14 in the fourth quarter. Five players scored in double figures for the Bucks, who were four games above .500 at that point.
During the Heat's winning streak, No. 21 was a 107-94 victory at Milwaukee behind 28 points apiece from James and Bosh, who made 12 of 16 shots. In the last meeting on April 9, the Heat won 94-83 despite playing without Wade and Bosh.
"They're a much more efficient team," Boylan said of the Heat's late-season play. "They had a couple of new guys they had to incorporate into their group. That takes a little bit of time to get comfortable with each other. From a coaching standpoint, rotation, combinations of players, dividing up the minutes and so on. From a player perspective, just getting comfortable with different guys and what their strengths and weaknesses are. They're definitely a much, much improved team — if you can say that about them — than they were earlier in the season."
The Bucks, in the playoffs for the first time since 2010 and only the second time in eight years, are led by the backcourt of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings, who combine for almost 37 points and 13 assists per game.
Jennings, who last month suggested the Bucks matched up well with the Heat, missed two games last week with a sore left Achilles and his teammates were just sore about his comments. Center Larry Sanders, the first Bucks player with 200 blocks in a season since Len Elmore in 1975-76 and the team's leading rebounder, missed the final four games with a back injury.
"We've got a couple guys with some nicks and some issues, but probably in the grand scheme of the playoffs, we're probably just like every other team," Boylan said. "Fairly healthy, yet dealing with some under-the-surface issues that come with a long season."
Despite being an overwhelming underdog, the Bucks are not ready to concede anything.
"When you look at our season, it was always kind of close. We won one game against them," Ilyasova said. "They've got a lot of players who can score over 20 each night. They've got a lot of stars. We have to play not individually, but more team defense and step up and make the effort."
Boylan said he hopes the playoff atmosphere helps counteract the Bucks' lack of experience.
"You hope that the excitement of the playoffs themselves energizes your team," Boylan said. "We've got two games to start the series down there and we're going to go down there and play our game and see where the chips fall."


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Were there an official sports car hall of fame, a few cars from history would be undisputed dead locks for induction. One of those cars is BMW's E30 M3. Where the New Class and 3 Series cars that followed restored a struggling Bavarian company's image and forever changed the way the four-seater game was played, the M3 injected undeniable sport performance prowess into an automobile layout that had previously been mostly just a form of moving people. The E30 M3 moved souls.
It's no mystery then that E30 M3s have become much sought-after gems in the collector car market, and especially among BMW enthusiasts. The pool of available quality cars dwindles, and asking prices are going through the roof.
So it's no wonder that Southern Californian Mario Guerra has held on to his for so long. This pristine red example was purchased new in 1988 and has never changed owners. And it'd be apt to say the owner has no intention of parting with it.
It'll be pretty obvious from the pictures that this car has been modified, and it gets driven hard, but it has also lived a quite pampered life. Twenty-three years of dicing up the road, and the odometer reads only a few ticks above 30,000 miles. And aside from the cage and the Recaros and a few other subtle bits, it looks just as it did in the showroom.
The outfit given the task of fitting it with its performance-enhancing accoutrements is San Diego-based TAG Motorsports. The project started to really heat up just last July, and four months later, it was sitting as you see it now.
Guerra is no stranger to exotic metal, so it was clear the TAG crew had their work cut out for them to exceed expectations. We knew we had to build a car that would mesh nicely in his stable, says TAG Motorsports' Alex Andonian.
TAG Motorsports is actually an offshoot of a string of Evans Tire & Service centers owned by the store proprietors, with multiple locations in and around San Diego. They purchased the customs shop four years ago, were able to weather the impending economic downturn, and are now returning it to its previous level of success. The company will tackle virtually any sort of custom or performance project, from off-road monsters, according to Andonian, to Lamborghinis. And of course, classic BMWs.
Virtually no area on this car has gone untouched. The engine came out, the interior was stripped of its rear seat and soft materials. Says Andonian: Planning the overall theme was tough, and finding parts that really flowed together to give it modern flare with an old-school look. A lot of the parts weren't available right off the shelf. That's why the build took a little longer than most. TAG can typically turn out a full custom project in a couple of weeks.
The engine's original 2.3-liter displacement was pushed to 2.5 with fully built internalsmachined block, OEM EVO crank and bearings, 11:1 pistons and forged rods, ported and polished head, ported EVO throttle bodies.
The greatest part about this engine is that it's daily drivable, Andonian says. For a motor like this, it's a pretty reliable car. We wanted a car that we could drive to the track, drive the crap out of it, and drive it to the office the next day. He estimates running 100-octane fuel it puts down about 250 hp to the wheels.
Even better, Andonian reckons the interior strip and subsequent re-toolingwhere they were careful to keep a tasteful OEM-but-with-a-motorsport-flare look, fabricating things like the six-point cage and custom aluminum door panels, even painstakingly sourcing OEM trim bits and carpetingtook upwards of 400 pounds off the curb weight.
It's like a little go-kart, Andonian says. You can toss it around as much as you like. You can get it completely sideways, but it's totally controllable. You just smile from ear to ear.
Even to the extent that it's been worked, this project is still not yet totally complete. It appears the obsession has truly taken hold. Looks like we're going to turbo it and put a sequential transmission in it, and run it off of E85, Andonian says. We'll definitely be looking forward to that.
2.5-liter I6, dohc, 24-valve. 2.5-liter EVO stroker conversion, Carrillo 11:1 pistons and forged rods, ARP rod bolts and head studs, ported and polished head, Shrick 274/274 cams, VAC adjustable cam gears and oil pan baffle, EVO III oil pump, 4-inch intake with K&N filter, ported EVO throttle bodies, BMW Motorsport 50/50 headers, VAC center exhaust section and high-flow cats, TAG Motorsports custom exhaust, Motronic ECU AFM to MAF conversion, Miller Performance WAR software, Braille lightweight battery with WARN battery isolator (at rear)
Five-speed manual. B&M short-shift kit, OEM EVO III flywheel, Clutchmasters FX300 clutch, M Coupe diff cover
Full chassis reinforcement kit, upgraded bushings, Ground Control coilovers and camber plates, Sparco strut tower brace, Suspension Techniques front and rear antiroll bars
Brembo 332mm big brake kit (f), red powdercoated calipers with Powerslot rotors (r)
Wheels and Tires
BBS RGR alloys, 7x17 (f), 8x17 (r)
Falken RT-615
Carbon EVO-style adjustable rear wing and adjustable front splitter, carbon EVO-style brake ducts, front bumper license plate delete
Rear seat delete, Autopower six-point rollcage, Recaro Pole Position seats with custom leather/Alcantara upholstery and red stitching, Schroth four-point harnesses, custom center console with battery kill switch, Sparco 353 steering wheel, ZHP shift knob
White Hot
The 335i with its wick turned all the way up.
We first met Alex Andonian and learned about his S.D.-based operation on last year's Targa Trophy rally. A true driving enthusiast, he's an avid fan of the road-rally circuit, having competed in all three 2010 Targa events and planning to hit them again in 2011, along with other events like the Gumball and Gold Rush.
We're kind of the young idiots, the guys doing burnouts, he says, grinning. We're the guys that show up at breakfast the next morning wearing yesterday's clothes.
The 335i is his daily car, having been driven every day for the past three years. The day he got it, while attending college in Dallas, he put some wheels on it and left everything else alone.
Then he came back to California, and all hell broke loose. When I got out here, I'm like, gotta mod it', he says. Even so, this BMW has been done tastefully like the E30 above. Many of the parts are OEM, or what we'd refer to as in the vein of OEM Plus.
The look is subtle and effective. Exterior mods include a range of products from BMW's own catalog, including Euro-spec bits like the head- and taillamps and the blacked-out window trim. The overall look has been given more aggressive lines with an OEM M-Tech rear bumper and K-Tech side skirts, as well as OEM splitters attached to the front. The kidney grilles and lower grille have been given a matte-black treatment. Since the car is actually painted black, for a little contrast to the accents, he added a full matte-white vinyl wrap to the body panels.
Under the hood, the charged N54 has had its breathing capability and turbo capacity seriously enhanced with an AFE intake and Active Autowerke intercooler; on the hot side, the tubes have been opened up with custom downpipes and a center section hooked to a Remus exhaust with black quad outlets. GIAC software masterminds the whole with maps for 91 and 100 octane fuel. To help hook the enlarged power figure to the ground, a Quaife LSD was installed at the rear. KW Variant 2 coilovers, paired up with Eibach sways, drop the car over the, yes, black 19-inch Alloy Technik wheels.
No official dyno figures were forthcoming, but Andonian guesses the car dynoed around 400 hp to the wheels on the 100 octane program. Whatever the figure, it's good enough to light 'em up on command.
Overall, it makes for a nice, subtle package, the kind of 335 we might like to drive. Still, Mr. Andonian is switching allegiances for the coming year, and will be trading the BMW for a spanking-new Audi S4. It's bound to cause unrest in the forums.


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One of my relatives have internet at home and she has a single desktop computer. Sometimes when family members visit her it would be convenient if their laptop could be attached to the internet and used from anywhere in the house easily. I'm planning to install a wifi router, plug the desktop computer into one of the ports and configure secure wifi access (WPA2) for the visitors.
But I wonder if it's a good idea to have wifi turned on all the time for the occasional visitors if she uses only her own desktop computer most of the time. Is it possible someone can crack this open access point regardless of the security settings? Or it's not probable so I shouldn't worry about it?
It would certainly be convenient to have a permanent wifi access, so visitors can easily connect to the home network. I'm just wondering if keeping the access point constantly open is a wise idea. What do you think? Can it be a problem or is it perfectly all right if wifi access is configured with proper security and encryption?


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In a barely audible whisper of his first public words after being charged with a string of violent sexual assaults, Yousef Hussein said he understood that there could be more charges laid against him if he tried to contact any of his six alleged victims.
The handcuffed man, appearing by video in court Friday afternoon wearing a royal blue polo shirt with a white number 3 on his right short sleeve, stood in stark contrast to the city's conjured vision of a serial sexual predator that experts said wouldn't stop unless he was caught.
Police allege Hussein raped and choked five women and was thwarted from doing the same to a sixth in crimes that gripped the community.
Hussein, 25, was arrested on Thursday afternoon by Ottawa police officers after being identified as the top suspect in 10 similar sexual assaults, some occurring outside, others inside the homes of alleged victims, dating back to 2012.
Police say it is possible for additional charges to be laid. He is also charged with three counts of overcoming resistance, two counts of break and enter and two counts of committing an indecent act.
"Identifying and arresting the person responsible for these crimes has been a priority for the Ottawa Police Service," Chief Charles Bordeleau said in a news conference held earlier Friday. Four months ago, Bordeleau announced a task force specifically created to catch the predator.
Tips that first poured in to police following their January appeal for help had dwindled to less than one a day in recent weeks. They were the bread and butter of what Bordeleau called a "difficult and complex" investigation.
Police received more than 300 tips that generated leads on more than 150 persons of interest. Investigators tracked and surveilled them, administered polygraph tests and collected DNA samples. When news of a DNA sample matching traces collected in several of the alleged assaults came this week, investigators worked relentlessly, most without sleep for days, in a room with maps of the assaults on the walls and boxes full of tips surrounding them.
"To be involved with such a group of dedicated and committed officers has just been an honour, a rewarding experience and the long hours – yes, there were many long hours, there were ups and downs in the investigation, but we moved forward and we leaned heavily on the public going through the tips tirelessly," said Staff-Sgt. Angela McDade, who heads the sexual assault and child abuse section.
Month after month, tip after tip, police were coming up short.
"Hoping and knowing that we were going to solve this case kept us moving forward," McDade said.
That faith wasn't blind; it was scientific. Eventually, a match would be made and methodical detectives had to prioritize the tips they were receiving.
Sgt. Rick Dugal, a major crime detective who was on the task force, urged the public not to fear calling in their concerns about even their neighbours. One man did just that.
A man who lives in the same Baseline Road apartment as Hussein alerted police to the similarities between his neighbour and the man shown in composite sketches and on video surveillance in the Draper Avenue elevator attack.
Hussein's home is a short distance from three of the alleged assaults. Police have always believed, as a result of proximity of the alleged attacks, that he lived in the area. He was identified as a person of interest, gave a DNA sample and then was elevated to a suspect once test results were received by police.
Hussein, a Jordanian national who is in Canada on what is now an expired student visa, owns a small moving company called RJ Moving in Ottawa.
The company is advertised as being run by a man named Joseph — the English translation of the Arabic name Yousef.
A phone call to the number listed on the ad went straight to voicemail. A man with an accent says that he "can't get to the phone right now." The voicemail box is full.
Bordeleau thanked the women who volunteered information about their attacks.
"I would like to especially recognize the great courage and resilience of the women who came forward to the police service," Bordeleau said. "Victims can have confidence in coming forward that, when these crimes are reported they will be fully investigated. These acts are criminal and they are never the fault of the victims."
Insp. John Maxwell, who oversees major case investigations, also thanked the men who met with police after being identified as potential persons of interest, co-operated with the investigation out of a sense of civic duty and were cleared.
In an investigation like this, ruling people out is as important as zeroing in on one suspect, Maxwell said.
Police confirmed that investigators have reached out to all of the alleged victims to let them know that charges have been laid.
"We have spoken with the victims," McDade said. "Although we can't take back what happened to them, I hope that by identifying the man (allegedly) responsible for harming them that it does bring some sense of closure for them."
Bailey Reid, the co-ordinator of the Sexual Assault Network, said Friday she was relieved to hear that police made an arrest in the case, but says there is still a lot of work to be done.
"I'm still disappointed in the sense that women are assaulted every single day in Ottawa. They are assaulted by people they know. There is still a rape culture in Ottawa; we still have an agenda to push forward," Reid said Friday. "While we can be happy that this person is off the streets, we still need to acknowledge that it's happening every single day."
Hussein's wife, who had come to the courthouse with other members of his family, later left in tears. She refused to comment on the allegations against her husband.
Hussein is next scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
With files from Carys Mills


text: Curious Baby Submitted by sharon on Sat, 2011-11-12 15:07 This site requires Adobe Flash player to be installed. Buy Curious Baby eBook for NOOK ZiggityZoom features original kids stories online for young children. The Curious Baby stories can be read to even the youngest of children. Babies love the Curious Baby books online. Send by email


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Metropolitan Bank is starting off its fifth year by reporting another quarter of increased earnings – the 14th straight quarter in which that's happened.
Metropolitan's pre-tax earnings were $1.37 million for the quarter ending March 31, a 43 percent year-over-year increase from 2012. The bank's balance sheet also grew at a healthy clip, with an 11 percent year-over-year increase in loans, totaling $486 million, and deposits totaling $685 million, up 32 percent year-over-year.
Metropolitan president and CEO Curt Gabardi was not particularly upbeat about the economy in a recent conversation with The Daily News, saying there's "still tremendous dislocation." Nevertheless, Metropolitan's growth story continued unabated in the first quarter, with the bank seeing an 85 percent year-over-year increase in mortgage banking revenue.
That comes despite the fact the Federal Reserve recently reported that commercial loan growth at domestically chartered banks fell in the first quarter and that demand for credit remains lackluster.
"While we've dealt with some very difficult operating conditions in the first quarter of 2013, we remained focused on maintaining a safe and sound asset quality profile while generating predictable, quality, growing earnings," Gabardi said. "We attribute our consistent positive momentum to the extraordinary leadership and commitment of every associate in our company."
That momentum is something Gabardi said Metropolitan is confident it can carry through the rest of 2013. One reason for his assessment is that Metropolitan, as he describes it, is "putting a stake in the ground around talent," with new hires a big part of Metropolitan's story so far – and already contributing to that story in 2013.
The bank in recent days announced what it's calling a strategic talent acquisition – the addition of four veteran bankers previously with First Tennessee Bank.
Charles McCraw, Sherry Williams and Michael Newsome have joined Metropolitan as managing directors, and Susan Hooten will be a client services director.
Metropolitan's Memphis president Phillip May said their addition represents a validation of Metropolitan's banking model and underscores its status as a high-performing bank in Memphis, where it has a co-headquarters presence.
Ridgeland, Miss., also serves as a co-headquarters.
McCraw was a senior vice president and manager with First Tennessee's Mid-South Medical Private Banking division. He'll serve as a senior managing director at Metropolitan and will focus on frontline business development for Metropolitan's private client group.
Williams previously was a senior vice president of Medical Private Banking with First Tennessee. She has worked closely with McCraw in the past and will join him in pursuing business development opportunities in the private client group.
Newsome worked as a vice president of business banking at First Tennessee. He's joined Metropolitan as a managing director and will mainly focus on building small-business relationships with the bank's commercial division.
Hooten, meanwhile, also has worked in the past alongside McCraw and Williams and brings a strong background in client service to Metropolitan.
In a statement about the hires, Metropolitan's senior managing director of commercial banking Scott Hauss said the four additions have strong reputations in the Memphis market and are examples of the kinds of new hires Metropolitan will be adding to its ranks as 2013 unfolds.
The additions aren't just happening in Memphis. Gabardi said Nashville also is a growth market for Metropolitan and that the bank's Nashville location started making money within nine months of launching its presence there.
Moreover, Gabardi expects Metropolitan's Nashville presence to be a "significant earnings contributor" to the company in 2013.
Copyright 1995 -
by The Daily News Publishing Co. Inc. - All Rights Reserved


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View documents of the Research Group of the Standing Technical Committee
The Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease has the possibility to establish, "temporary, special or standing committees to study and report on matters pertaining to the purpose of the Commission". The only standing Committee established at present is the Research Group (RG) of the Standing Technical Committee, which meets every year.
Once every two years the Group holds an open meeting with observers, the other year being a closed meeting for the members of the Group only. The RG studies and reports on subjects submitted for examination by the Executive Committee or by members of the Group.
Subsidiary Body of the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease
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Driver Console Shaking/Flexing Violently
I purchased a '92 Prosport 205 4yrs ago. Shortly after purchasing it, the entire driver console (steering wheel + gauges + windshield) began shaking/flexing violently in any type of rough water (even a light chop).
I had to remove the center windshield because it was breaking the hinges constantly. The boat is used for 90% slalom skiing, and 10% recreation, but it's hit a point where the entire gauge cluster is falling out of the boat even when you simply come back around through the wake for a slalom run on a calm day.
I know the boat isn't ever going to be great on rough water, but I have been in several other similar boats recently, and it made me realize how extreme my issue has become.
Is there anything to check for in the basic structure of the boat that is fixable, or is the hull simply flexing too much with age? Would putting a tower on help, if the problem is in the fiberglass? Any assistance or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Feel free to email : [email protected]
Welcome to the board....If you walk around the boat are there any areas where your rub rail is loose? I discovered on my 91 190 that the rub rail track screws were also used to hold the top edge of the hull to the gunnel/top deck. This might be the source of your flexing.
If your rail is loose then it is worth pulling the insert and tightening the screws all around the boat. You might discover that yours has loose rivets (I think rivets are the way it would have come from the factory) which will need to be drilled/punched out and replaced (bolt and locking nut would be ideal). Please note that putting the rub rail insert back in is a huge pain so give your self plenty of time and maybe get a helper.
Here are two threads that discuss rub rails. Hope this helps.
Current - 2008 X2
2nd - 1999 PS 205 Blue/White, LTR
1st - 1991 PS 190 Red, 351w & Powerslot
Last edited by hester; 07-28-2008 at 04:28 AM.
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New York Jets rookie quarterback Geno Smith is on the market for a new agent and according to Pro Football Talk he was pitched by Jay-Z's agency Roc Nation.
According to reports Smith spent two days meeting with potential new agents. Among them were Joel Segal, Rick Smith of Priority Sports, Eugene Parker, Fletcher Smith, and Jay-Z's Roc Nation agency.
Because Jay-Z has not yet been certified as an NFLPA agent the rules prevent him from trying to persuade NFL players himself. A certified agent from Roc Nation approached Smith about joining their agency.
Smith is not expected to make a decision any time soon as he is currently participating in the New York Jets' rookie mini-camp.