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TEAMS: New York Mets, New York Yankees
Via Larry Brown Sports:
New York Mets ace Matt Harvey could be the next big thing in New York. In addition to having a 7-2 record and a 2.35 ERA in 19 starts this season, Harvey also has a tremendous sense of humor. And it seems like the ladies love him.
Harvey, who last we heard is dating this beautiful Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, realizes he is quickly reaching celebrity status in The Big Apple. That lifestyle has been tough for people like Alex Rodriguez to handle, which is why Harvey told Men's Journal he is trying to emulate New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter.
"That guy is the model," Harvey said, via the NY Post. "I mean, first off, let's just look at the women he's dated. Obviously, he goes out – he's meeting these girls somewhere – but you never hear about it. That's where I want to be."
Jeter's ability to avoid headlines off the field given his community standing has been unmatched in professional sports history. He has dated some of the most beautiful actresses and models in the world, yet — like Harvey mentioned — tabloids are hardly ever to come up with enough information to write a story about the future Hall of Famer.
[Related: Matt Harvey screws with New Yorkers on Jimmy Fallon]
Make no mistake about it: Harvey plans to enjoy his life off the baseball diamond and already has his sights set on his first massive contract.
"Yes, I'm gonna go out," he said. "If I was locked up in my house all week, I don't know what I'd be like on the baseball field. No matter what, New York is now my home. I could buy a place now, but I've gotta wait for that $200 million contract. If I'm going to buy an apartment, it has to be the best apartment in the city."
Jeter has achieved the impossible, but he has done so by staying out of trouble. Aside from the occasional story about him trading memorabilia for one-night stands, his personal life has remained largely under wraps. Harvey is wise to try to model his personal life after Jeter's, but it's probably a lot more work than he expects.
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Over the recent holidays, we learned of the passing of poet, activist, and memoirist Janine Pommy Vega on Dec. 23rd at her home in Willow. She was 68.
Ms. Vega was perhaps best known as one of the "women of the Beat Generation," a group of women poets and writers -- including Joyce Johnson, Carolyn Cassady, Hettie Jones, Joanne Kyger, Diane DiPrima and Anne Waldman -- who gravitated toward the the beatific and countercultural impulses of the Beat movement, but resisted elements of its male-driven ethos and the prevailing sexism of the late 1950s and early 1960s in the culture as a whole. Later, they would come to identify more closely with feminism and the women's movement.
A native of Union City, N.J., Vega read Jack Keroauc's "On the Road" in 1957 at age 15 and promptly set out for Greenwich Village with a high school friend to explore the Beat scene. Through a remarkable set of circumstances, she was able to meet the then-27-year-old Gregory Corso, who in turn introduced her to his friends Allen Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky. Within weeks, she found herself accepted into the Beats' inner circle.Following her graduation as valedictorian of her high school class in 1960, Vega moved to Greenwich Village, sharing an apartment briefly with Ginsberg and Orlovsky, who became her first lover. In Manhattan, she met, fell in love with, and married the Peruvian poet Fernando Vega. The couple moved to Paris in 1962, where Corso, William Burroughs, and Ginsberg had already relocated to a shambolic boarding house known as the "Beat Hotel." From there the couple moved to Spain, and later Ibiza, where Fernando died of a heroin overdose in 1965.
Widowed at age 23, Ms. Vega moved back to New York, and later California, where she completed her first book of poems, a collection of love letters to her dead husband. "Poems to Fernando" was published by City Lights Books in 1968 as part of its Pocket Poets Series, and it became the first book of poems by a woman of the Beat generation to win a widespread readership.
The success of the book marked an inflexion point in Vega's career, and her subsequent work expanded upon what had been the Beat ethos of the 1950s and '60s to embrace a more inclusive poetics based on her growing interest in feminism and the experience of women in traditional cultures around the world, as well as a social activism informed by her travels among the impoverished and disenfranchised peoples throughout the Third World.
Returning to her late husband's native South America during the early to mid-1970s, Vega lived alone as a self-described "hermit" on the Isla del Sol in Lake Titicaca on the Bolivian-Peruvian border. Out of this self-imposed exile came her books "Journal of a Hermit" (Cherry Valley Editions, 1974) and "Morning Passage" (Telephone Books, 1976). Upon her subsequent return to the United States at the end of the decade, she began working as a teaching artist in schools through various arts-in-education programs and as an educator in various prisons across the United States through the Incisions/Arts organization.
A particular focus of her activism involved working to improve the lives, conditions, and opportunities for women in prison. With her longtime friend Hettie Jones, she co-authored "Words Over Walls," a prison writing workshop handbook for the international writers' association PEN, which appointed her to its Prison Writing Committee.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Vega traveled, read and performed her work across the North American and South American continents, throughout Europe, including Eastern Europe, and the countries in the Middle East, more often than not, traveling alone. She also published extensively, releasing eight collections of poems over those two decades. One of the best of those volumes was "Apex of The Earth's Way" (1984), a collection edited by Buffalo-based poet Dennis Maloney for his venerable White Pine Press, a leading Western New York based independent publisher since 1973.
In 1997, she published "Tracking the Serpent: Journeys to Four Continents" (City Lights Books), a memoir that traced her life and travels in the context of a larger spiritual journey involving pilgrimages to sites of female spiritual and temporal power in myth and nature. Many reviewers (including yours truly) read the memoir as Ms. Vega's attempt to write a woman-centered response to Keroauc's "On The Road," the book that first drew her out of New Jersey four decades earlier.
After decades of living out of a suitcase, Vega settled in Willow, a small community near Woodstock, with her companion, the poet Andy Clausen. In 2000, she published "Mad Dogs of Trieste: New & Selected Poems" (Black Sparrow Press), a retrospective volume that is perhaps the best introduction to the first 40 years of her career.
Although she battled the debilitating effects of arthritis in recent years, she adopted gardening as therapy and continued to tour, teach and read from her work on a regional basis for the Bard College Prison Initiative and other organizations. Vega published two more collections of poems, "The Walker" (Shivastan Publishing, 2003) and her 18th and final book "The Green Piano," published in 2005 by the legendary experimental press Black Sparrow Books, David R. Godine, Publisher. Here is the first poem from that collection:
Four Days before Rumi Died
(for the Harvest Moon Collective in memory of Fielding Dawson)
I could travel around the world
sending you postcards:
These people are not as free
as you either,
but the law does not allow postcards.
I could call you from across the country:
I had a dream! You were in it!
But there is no phone line
to just a bank of cells,
just the telegram of a sixth sense
set precisely in the present.
Like Aymara natives of Lake Titicaca
for whom the moment of sundown is always
five o'clock, there's no time
for egos, yours or mine
they are luxuries in a prison
it's five o'clock, the sun is going down.
Realists in the best sense
you stretch out to embrace a word:
freedom, for instance
more than a sound, the thing itself
like love reverberating with all the tremors
of intimacy.
No one in prison presents a poem stoop shouldered
drowned in the rectitude of truth, romance
flies out the window,
the heart recognizes freedom
in an emissary from a different place
in a lost tribesman from the human race.
In the workshop of diligent hammers
we send up
smoke signals,
some disappear
some messages have been caught from far away.
We gulp down freedom
like a cat with a canary in our stomach,
guards suspicious of smiles
look at me perplexed:
Where is that sound coming from?
Your open mic poems celebrate
what few in the life outside allow
Like a denizen of the Twilight Zone
I hop back and forth across a mirror
What is that singing in your belly?
the guards demand. What is that singing?
Because they don't now
I can't tell them
Just a telegram, I say,
a singing telegraph from my next of kin.
Eastern Correctional Facility,
Napanoch, New York, December 13, 2001
--R.D. Pohl

subset: commoncrawl


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After word had gotten out that a little dog near downtown had run off when her owner had a medical emergency, residents on Campbell Patch's Facebook Page offered their support to get Lola home.
"Eyes peeled!" said one reader.
"Do you know if there are any search groups organized?" said another.
"A friend of mine showed me a picture of a dog her neighbor found yesterday. I've sent her the link to the article, fingers crossed its this little one!" said one reader.
The 13-pound Brussels Griffon had run from her home on North Central Avenue through downtown, up Railway Avenue and ended up following a resident back to his home at The Avalon in Campbell.
"Aaron (Watts) brought her to the front office to see if anyone recognized her but no one did," says Campbell resident Jessica Veal.
Veal, who works at The Avalon, took photos of the little dog, who didn't make a sound during the entire time she was at the apartment complex, and sent them to friends in and around town she knew to spread the word.
When no one came forward, Watts, who lives at The Avalon, asked Veal to take Lola home because he has cats and she agreed. She brought the little dog home with her, gave her some doggie treats and a bath.
Because Veal is a teacher, she asked her friend in Los Gatos Taira Kenney to help watch over Lola.
Judy Blair also helped spread the word of her neighbor's little dog on Nextdoor.
"I immediately went out to try to find her," Blair says. "I felt like it was my fault that she got out."
But soon after Blair posted onto Nextdoor another neighbor contacted Campbell Patch and we ran this article, which garnered 83 Facebook recommends and several Twitter Tweets.
Patch received a tip Thursday morning from Watts that he thought he may have found Lola and the reunion was made possible the same day.
"We are just so glad it's a happy ending," Veal says. "It really takes a village!"
Lola is now back with her owner, Chad, and happily gave her rescuers dog kisses. As for Lola's neighbor and friend, Blair is relieved that the Brussels Griffon is home.
"I felt like the Lord had given me the blessing of this town of Campbell," Blair says. "These people, when you need help they're there. I feel like now I can breathe.
"I want to say thank you to the community," she says


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This bike has quite a history. It was used by BMW Canada as the media test bike when they announced the R80ST in Canada. Rumour has it they rushed to get the bike ready for the launch and hence it has a couple of GS pieces on it, painted crash bars, and metal spark plug leads rather than rubber. It's all original, the small fairing and short handle bars were put on by BMW Canada when then owned it. It has been in my family since it was purchased directly from BMW Canada in 1984 and only has 18,600 km on the speedo.
No photographs may be used without my consent


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Narrow your search
Here's where you find the best of the best, our top digital cameras across the board.
Sony announced pricing and availability of its 4K-video-capable full-frame camera.
As long as you don't need fast autofocus or great burst shooting, the Sony Alpha ILCE-7R is great, compact alternative to entry-level full-frame cameras from Nikon and Canon.
Ever want see tons of visualizations and stats about your past Facebook posts? Veronica shows you how to see just that with Wolfram Alpha.
The Mathematica developer's new Connected Device Project seeks to incorporate data from Net-connected devices and eventually make them programmable through the Wolfram Language.
The organization's new tool helps users arrange their friends into groups and gain better insight into their Facebook network.
Looking for a new way to generate random passwords? Rajat writes in with a great suggestion: use Wolfram Alpha! The site even generates mnemonic devices to help you remember the password.
Free service will allow Facebook users to slice and dice their data, including daily posting activity and friend statistics.
While it lacks the innate sharpness of the A7R, the A7 produces images that fare well compared to the other full-frame entry-level models.
If you don't mind carrying a spare battery, the A7R offers terrific photo quality and a great shooting experience in a compact model.
The new generation of the Asus Memo Pad 7 feels better made than its predecessor and packs in an Intel processor, all at a bargain price tag.


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Cheryl Conner, Contributor
I write about communications, business and the ways the two intersect
I'd like to introduce you to a good friend of mine, Kip Meacham, VP Marketing for Card Access Inc. Kip serves on the Utah Technology Council (UTC) Communications Committee with me and recently made a great presentation on marketing and PR strategies and Twitter tactics at our annual UTC PR Breakfast Event.
Kip is also the person who taught me the power of visual social media firsthand: Six years ago this month, in January 2007, he asked if he could interview me on podcast about the influence of social media on PR for PodTech, via Rocky Mountain Voices.
I said "Of course," giving it little thought. It was a busy day and Kip popped by to do the interview from my office. It was 10 minutes that was destined to live in history: 6 years later, despite my having authored and appeared in several hundred articles since, the segment continues to pop up readily (and generally multiple times) in any search on my name. That interview showed me the power of social media content (I've joked since that it can't be killed with a gun.) Had I realized, perhaps I'd have ditched the reading glasses and brushed my hair. But here it lives, for all posterity, still alive and kicking at the conclusion of 2012.
Thank you, Kip, for that opportunity and lesson (I believe…) So much has changed since we recorded that segment. Twitter had only just been founded the year prior, in 2006, and wasn't even yet a consideration for most. Today, it's one of marketing's most popular weapons.
To that end, how can Twitter help to grow your business in 2013? The interview table has now turned and here's what Kip has to say:
We live in a world where business and government are not trusted. To a large degree, the consuming public views the content in the traditional media as spin and lies, as Peggy Noonan recently told WSJ.
The lines between advertising, marketing and PR are blurring. Communications professionals must be conversant in all three in order to use social media well.
Quoting Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert Cialdini, Phd, Meacham notes that in spite of their prevailing cynicism, "people are still people," and the following principles of communication and persuasion still hold true:
The opportunity for innovation, then, lies in the intersection of Conversation, Content and Context – letting the characteristics of the message and the medium help to determine, in every case, the style of communication you use to find, to captivate and to engage a target audience (and by extension, of course, to find and grow your prospective customer base).
In the social media universe, Twitter has become an increasingly strong tactic. It is a highly democratic message delivery system whose barriers to entry are simply 1) understanding the syntax, 2) understanding the players in the relevant conversations, 3) providing relevant content, and then 4) understanding how to participate and influence the conversation.
Twitter provides you with relatively easy and unfiltered access to its field of participants (which currently numbers 200 million per month, according to VentureBeat). It provides you with real-time access to relevant conversations (through a medium in which you are communicating with your audience, rather than to them).
For marketers who want to assess public sentiment on topics and trends, Meacham contrasts Google Zeitgeist, which analyzed 1.2 trillion searches in 146 languages to report 2012's top trends, to Twitter Search's ability to put a finger on the pulse of people's thoughts and conversations at any moment in time. While Google identifies macro trends, Twitter Search is highly effective at monitoring the elements of specific conversations and their changes in real time.
And now, for consideration in your 2013 marketing programs, here's a relatively new real-time vehicle: Twitter Chat. How can you begin to leverage Twitter Chat? Here are five basic steps and ideas Meacham suggests:
I have yet to participate in a formal Twitter Chat beyond the informal process of collectively watching and reacting to events in action such as the 2012 elections, or Felix Baumgartner's Red Bull Stratos jump. (With all live feeds bottlenecked, I could at least follow the instant reactions of everybody who watched while he jumped.)
But based on Kip's recommendations I can see there is much more promise in store. Here's to another dimension for social media in 2013. If you'd like to reach out to Kip Meacham directly, you can find him on Twitter at @KipMeacham, at www.facebook.com/kiporama or www.cardaccess-inc.com/automation. And for those of you who have tried Twitter Chat, or who plan to do so in the coming season, I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Author: Cheryl Conner | Google+
That's the power of this method, Roofing Leads–simply begin by finding and listening to the conversations that are relevant to you. By doing what you can, you'll become engaged, known and will build confidence in contributing to the conversation. Just remember to talk with–not at–the community. You'll do great!!! Here's wishing you a successful 2013!
This is a VERY useful article!! Thanks for sharing Cheryl. Whether we like it or not, social media is a tool that we need to put in our tool box to succeed right now!
Twitter chats are extremely valuable, and I can say that most of what I've learned about social media has either been learned on the job or through Twitter chats such as #LikeableChat, #SMTLive, and #cmgrchat. Additionally, you meet really great people if you follow the rules of the Twitter chat. I've written a blog post on tips for getting started using Twitter chats, which can be found here: http://www.ezanga.com/news/2012/11/07/10-twitter-chat-etiquette-lessons/
Twitter is great because a consumer can choose which channels to follow, which from a business perspective is excellent since reaching a certain demographic that is actually interested in your business becomes much easier.
I wonder when all the big companies will start using Twitter Chats!
//Mr Kaan
The new personal branding platform allows people to brand themselves with knowledge


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The San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands is offering a geology-focused field trip to the Cajon Pass on Jan. 26.
"Cajon Pass: Faults, Fossils, and Fun" will examine the San Andreas fault system and 70 million years of rocks and fossils with Kathleen Springer, the museum's senior curator of geological sciences, according to museum officials.
A lecture by Springer, originally scheduled Jan. 20, has been cancelled, museum officials announced Friday.
"The field trip will take place as scheduled," museum officials said. "Springer will incorporate information from the planned lecture into discussions during the excursion."
The cost for the field trip is $60 per person for Museum Association members and $70 per person for non-members. Participants will be asked to meet at 7:30 a.m. at the museum, 2024 Orange Tree Lane, for an 8 a.m. departure.
Reservations are required. The fee includes round-trip transportation to the Pass, morning coffee, lunch, water, and light snacks, museum officials said. The trip includes some strenuous hiking, over steep, uneven terrain.
For reservations, visit the museum's website at www.sbcounty.gov/museum or call LaWanda Avery-Brown at (909) 307-2669 ext. 225.
Follow Redlands-Loma Linda Patch on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for the free daily newsletter here.


text: Welcome to LEGO® Club! Sign Up here for the FREE LEGO Club Magazine! Bring Your LEGO® World To Life With The Free LEGO Connect App! Presenting...the new LEGO® Video Portal! Sign Up here for the FREE LEGO Club Magazine! Happy Birthday Batman™! Help Robin create the perfect birthday gift for the Caped Crusader with the BUILD A GIFT FOR BATMAN Challenge! Are you Fire or are you Ice? Whose side are YOU on? Find out with Max's Chima Quiz! Get the most out of your Hot Rod set with the new LEGO® Technic Building Instructions app! Meet film star CHRIS PRATT, the voice of Emmett, the extra-ordinary hero of THE LEGO MOVIE! Star in Our Story! Take command of the LEGO City Coast Guard in the adventure where you are the hero! Cowbunga! Booyakasha! It's Danny and Dan, the creators of the latest LEGO® Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™ webgame!


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At the beginning of last season's "March Madness," the theme was "Rise To The Occasion."
Now it's "Rise And Repeat."
Back-to-back Final Fours and the 2013 national championship — Yes, it's been a great run by the Louisville Cardinals.
And for that run to continue this season, which according to coach Rick Pitino would classify the Cardinals as a "Mini Dynasty" is a strong possibility but by no means automatic for a team that finished last season with 16 straight wins in earning their third NCAA championship.
Pitino, entering his 13th season at Louisville (664-239 overall, 310-111 at U of L) who also last season was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame, will direct a Cardinals squad that returns three starters from the team that finished 35-5, capping the season with an 82-76 win over Michigan in the title game played in Atlanta.
Pitino is now the first coach to take three different schools to the Final Four (Providence, Kentucky and Louisville) and the first to win a title at two different schools as he also won the 1996 national title while at Kentucky.
"The offseason really went by quick and we're anxious to see how good we are," Pitino said before the Cardinals' exhibition game against Kentucky Wesleyan on Oct. 29 at the KFC Yum! Center.
"The key is staying humble and staying hungry," he told Andy Katz of ESPN in an interview in early October. "If you lose your humility, you have no shot at making it. I had a very good team in 2008 — had good guys on it — but they weren't quite humble enough.
"If you lose any humility at all, you're not getting there because humility keeps that hungriness that you have that strong desire to win and get back there. The moment you think you've arrived — the moment you think you're good — you get knocked out of the NCAA tournament."
One of the biggest adjustments for the Cardinals this season will be their one and only season in the American Athletic Conference. Louisville is the preseason favorite to win the conference, which includes Big East Conference leftovers Cincinnati, Connecticut, Rutgers and South Florida along with Houston, Memphis, Southern Methodist, Temple and Central Florida.
On the Cardinals' nonconference slate, which starts Saturday when they host College of Charleston, they will have a possible early-season matchup with North Carolina at the Hall of Fame Tip-off in Uncasville, Conn., as well as their annual battle with Kentucky.
Pitino must replace two key players in point guard Peyton Siva (10 points per game, 5.7 assists per game last season) and center Gorgui Dieng (9.8 ppg, 9.4 rebounds per game, 83 blocks). Both were NBA draft picks — Siva to the Detroit Pistons and Dieng to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"Well, it starts for real on Saturday," Pitino said following the Cardinals' 90-61 exhibition victory over Pikeville on Wednesday at the Yum! Center. "And we have to make great improvement on the backboard, especially because we are getting outrebounded by teams that shoot a low percentage and we are not coming down with the rebound. So that will be the first point of emphasis [in Thursday's practice].
"I have said this before in the pregame show, we are way behind right now. We have had many, many distractions and we have been without four major players from last year's team in Peyton, Gorgui (Dieng), Luke [Hancock] and Chane [Behanan]. Those distractions, not Peyton or Gorgui, have led to us making slow progress right now. We have to pick it up a little bit over the next two days and play much better defense on the backboards."
Just a bit on each returning player:
• Russ Smith, 6-0, Sr., G: All-Big East first team and the Cardinals' leading scorer last season at 18.7 ppg. Named as a preseason All-American after being named to the third team last season. Averaged 22.7 points in the NCAA tournament with a high of 31 against Oregon. Among the nation's leaders in steals. Spent the past summer playing with an All-Star team in Europe. Started 37 games last season.
"I'm ready for the season to start," Smith said. "Being named an All-American is quite an honor. In high school, I would see guys get that and wonder what it would be like. But I'm not about 'tags'. I would just like to play for another national championship. I've been here going on four years — the Big East titles, two Final Fours and a national championship. It's been a great time."
• Hancock, 6-6, Sr., F: Named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. Scored 22 points and hit all five of his 3-point attempts against Michigan in the title game. Had 20 points against Wichita State in the national semifinals. Currently suffering from a strained left Achilles tendon and should be returning to practice shortly.
• Stephan Van Treese, 6-9, Sr., F: A top reserve front-line player who has been limited somewhat by injuries. Will be heavily depended on for rebounding this season. Last season, averaged 11.2 rebounds per 40 minutes played. Referred to as "Big Hustle."
• Tim Henderson, 6-2, Sr., G: Coach Pitino refers to him as the top walk-on in the country. Hit back-to-back 3-pointers against Wichita State, allowing the Cardinals to overcome a 12-point second-half deficit and advance to the championship game. Was specifically mentioned by President Obama during the Cardinals' White House visit.
• Kevin Ware, 6-2, Jr., G: After what happened during last season's NCAA tournament, there are only a handful of people who do not know about Ware and the horrible injury (broken leg) suffered against Duke during the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.
But in the Cardinals' win over Pikeville, Ware made an appearance late in the game and finished with six points and four rebounds in 10 minutes of court action. Ware hit the first shot he took — a 3-pointer
"I just wanted to get him some minutes just so he could get over the jitters in case we need him against Charleston," Pitino said.
"I was a little nervous really," Ware said. "But when he called my number, I was ready to go in. It's been 220 days now. After that first shot went in, everything was back to normal. I'm happy."
• Behanan, 6-6, Jr., F: All-NCAA tournament selection who will start the season on indefinite suspension. Had a double-double against Michigan in the national championship game with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Had what was voted the "Dunk Of The Year" against DePaul. Started 37 games last season.
• Wayne Blackshear, 6-5, Jr., F: Started 34 games last season and was awarded the prestigious 2013 NCAA Elite 89 Award presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average (3.55 in communication). Had a season-high 19 points against Rutgers despite playing just 14 minutes.
• Montrezl Harrell, 6-8, So., F: Came into his own during the NCAA tournament and will more than likely break into the starting lineup this season. Scored a season-high 20 points against Syracuse in the Big East championship game. Also earned a gold medal over the summer with the USA Basketball U-19 team in the Czech Republic.
• Mangkok Mathiang, 6-10, RS Fr., C: Will be looked upon heavily to step in for the departed Dieng after red-shirting last season. How he can improve his rebounding skills will determine a lot of the Cardinals success this season.
Among the newcomers to the Cardinals roster this season will be:
• Chris Jones: A 5-foot-10 junior guard who was last season's junior college Player of the Year at Northwest Florida State College where he averaged 21.8 points per game.
• Terry Rozier: A 6-1 freshman guard who had signed with Louisville before last season, but attended Hargrave Military Academy. Rozier has impressed fans during the early-season scrimmages and exhibitions with his shooting and rebounding ability. Last season, he scored a school-record 69 points in one game and had another 50-point game.
• Anton Gill: A 6-4 freshman guard who was a teammate of Rozier last season at Hargrave. Had what was then a school-record 56-point game plus another 50-point game.
• Akoy Agau: a 6-8 freshman forward from Omaha, Neb., where he won four straight Class A championships. Could be looked upon early in the season with the absence of Behanan.
Rounding out the roster are two walk-ons — guards Dillion Avare from Lexington, Ky., and David Levitch from Goshen, Ky.
"We don't just keep our championship trophy with us," Pitino said. "It's your trophy. It's everybody who supports our basketball team. There have been three in the history of the University of Louisville, and I've never seen a fan base so happy a championship since I've been a coach. And the reason being is, it's yours."


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By BILL MARDIS
Commonwealth Journal
Somerset —
The new U.S. congressman from the 6th Congressional District continues to hammer at high government spending and insists the $17 trillion national debt must be brought under control.
Andy Barr, speaking Tuesday during the August membership meeting of the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce, said years of reckless spending in Washington have compromised the federal government's ability to fund every priority at the level needed.
"Washington DC is 68 square miles surrounded by reality," Barr told the chamber group. "What we see in Washington is the American dream slipping away."
Barr said Congress has delegated much of its power to unelected bureaucrats. "My biggest surprise when I came to Washington was that Congress does not have the input people think it has, or think it should have."
Currently, only about one-third of the federal budget is controlled by Congress, Barr said. He predicted by 2025 that 100 percent of all federal revenue will be consumed by Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and interest on the national debt.
"The situation threatens to bankrupt our country," Barr declared. He said Congress must quickly fix entitlement programs like Social Security, not for current recipients but for younger people when they retire.
"Time is of the essence," Barr cautioned. "If we don't make changes the government may have to start breaking promises to the people."
Barr bombarded Obamacare, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The federal law, among other things is supposed to increase quality, affordability and reduce the cost health insurance coverage for all Americans.
Obamacare has done the opposite, Barr contends. He is a co-sponsor of legislation to fully repeal Obamacare which he says would result in significant taxpayer savings.
Barr says Obamacare must be repealed before its runaway costs bury us further. He advocates replacing Obamacare with real reform legislation to contain the spiraling cost of health care.
Government regulations are choking local banks, Barr contends. He said the federal government and its unelected bureaucrats are deciding who gets a loan instead of leaving the decision to local banking officials.
Barr also lambasted what Republican legislators have labeled President Obama's "War on Coal." Barr and 5th District Congressman Hal Rogers, R-Somerset, both have said EPA regulations effected by the Obama administration have cost 5,700 jobs in Kentucky's coal industry during the past year to 18 months.
"It's all about saving this country and restoring the American dream for our children," Barr concluded.
Barr is a Lexington attorney who defeated incumbent Ben Chandler for the 6th District seat last year.


text:
Alexander Fisch
Effect of telomerase inhibitors on malignant breast cancer cells
Current therapies have nominal effect on the most intrusive-type of breast cancers (triple-negative) that have a higher tendency to metastasize or recur. Recent studies reveal an enzyme, telomerase, as key for unlimited cell growth (immortality) and replication. Therefore, our objectives were to assess (i) short- and (ii) long-term effects of a novel anti-telomerase agent (GV6) developed at our institute and compare it to a known analogue, BIBR1532 on MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cells. Cell viability was measured on days 5, 9, 14, 18 and 27 after treatment with GV6 (n=4), BIBR1532 (n=4) or solvent alone (Control, n=3). The number of viable cells in GV6 and BIBR1532 treated flasks (T75) fell about 35% (p<.05) and 40% (p<.05) relative to Control by day 14, respectively. Further drops of roughly 35% (p<.05) were observed for both on day 27. Our results indicate the anti-telomerase effects of GV6 parallel that of BIBR1532 and should be investigated further.
Faculty Mentor: Osman Patel, Cell and Molecular Biology
Page last modified August 2, 2013


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Re: Ever feel like you've just... lost it?creaper21 Jan 29, 2012 1:07 AM (in response to fallenshadow000)
Well, I don't think I could keep my K/D much higher than it is now. If I really tried, I could probably keep it around 2.75 or something around that, but I think I'm pretty much at my peak. But I do get BSed a lot and I feel like I'm being jacked out of so much kills because of the problems in this game.
Without even counting the spawns, I can say 75% of my deaths are because of lag. In a 1v1 gunfight, I win only 50% of the time, despite me shooting first and always aiming directly at them and never even seeing the enemy shoot at me, but I still die anyways.
Re: Ever feel like you've just... lost it?fallenshadow000 Jan 29, 2012 9:54 AM (in response to creaper21)
I'd be more than happy with that kind of K/DR. I refuse to play FFA anymore ever since that disgusting display of spawning, and lately, I've always joined losing games in progress as far as TDM and KC go.
Re: Ever feel like you've just... lost it?fallenshadow000 Jan 31, 2012 10:21 PM (in response to fallenshadow000)
I'm at the end of my rope. Another night of BS, everything from spraying someone with Akimbo MP9s point blank and not getting hit markers, to 2-3 lag-infested lobbies, all in the same day. Best I could muster was a 15-5 game.
I really don't know how much more I can take; I'm sick of fighting this game and the garbage community that plays it. I'm starting to feel like I'm just not allowed to be good at the game, that it's built solely for n00bs.
Re: Ever feel like you've just... lost it?XxloliiMaTERRORistxX Jan 31, 2012 10:03 PM (in response to fallenshadow000)
What you do is - Make another account and stop worrying about your KD so much. Be a noob and have fun - then go back to your try hard account when you think you can beast. Trust me.
Re: Ever feel like you've just... lost it?fallenshadow000 Jan 31, 2012 10:22 PM (in response to XxloliiMaTERRORistxX)
Hard to have fun when you're dealing with the scum of the game on a regular basis.
Re: Ever feel like you've just... lost it?XxloliiMaTERRORistxX Jan 31, 2012 10:37 PM (in response to fallenshadow000)
On your other account you can become the scum. Play as dirty as you want - learn their tactics so you can counter them.
Re: Ever feel like you've just... lost it?xxpdw513xx Jan 31, 2012 10:31 PM (in response to fallenshadow000)
go to youtube.com/Bodybag513 for tips.
Re: Ever feel like you've just... lost it?steren1 Feb 1, 2012 12:38 PM (in response to fallenshadow000)
yes same feeling right here when the game came out its was alrite i was making kills always in the first place of the list, but lately this month its just impossible, even when you shoot at them always a striker or akimbo B.S cames at me or a stabbing from far away and im dead , plus the fact of the respawning over that gives me a headache, i was starting to worry about it cuse a i thought it was me but im reading things in the foroum. i really like the game but theres something its not convincing me at all, but i have to stick with it cuse i paid more than 100dlss for this,, sometimes i drop it and play lil big planet instead how lame its that!!
Re: Ever feel like you've just... lost it?fallenshadow000 Feb 1, 2012 4:56 PM (in response to steren1)
Damn; at least I have Skyrim/Arkham City to go back to. I feel bad for you, bro.
Re: Ever feel like you've just... lost it?fallenshadow000 Feb 2, 2012 10:14 PM (in response to fallenshadow000)
K/D slipped big time; down to 1.54. I think it's time to walk away from this while my K/D is still mediocre. Seems like everything I've learned between MW2 and now doesn't mean ****; this is a game built for scrubs.
Re: Ever feel like you've just... lost it?Gerbera Feb 4, 2012 9:28 AM (in response to fallenshadow000)
I know how you feel. I know I'm not one of the best players around, but I know I'm certainly not one of the worst either (I've never had a match where my deaths were double or more my kills like I've seen some people have; one time saw a person with 0 Kills, 2 Assists, and 18 Deaths x_x), yet I have constantly run into what feels like BS like what was mentioned lately;
- Lag/lag compensation gun battles. Either skipping/freezing or simply being "behind" the person I encounter who "actually" saw me and started shooting a second before me, or I'd think I'd escaped the battle by getting behind a whole building, only to still die. One time, I saw a person well before they saw me and, according to MY screen, I hit them with my AR SEVEN times, seeing the little X flash in my crosshairs and hearing the *THWUP* sound each time, but he never died, then he turns and kills me with a small burst. According to the killcam, only 1 of my shots are said to have hit while he only hit me 3 times in the legs...
- Ridiculously accurate/strong/etc weapons from a distance (Striker, Akimbos, etc). LMGs losing to SMGs from 2+ blocks away, and other such situations is just stupid.
- Spawn kills. Respawn after being killed, then barely able to take 7+ steps before the person who just killed me suddenly rounds a corner (using Extreme Conditioning probably) and kills me or is suddenly behind me and kills me or I end up spawning right in the midst of 2+ enemies, or right in the middle of a Predator target, etc.
- Aimbots (people killing me with pretty much 1-2 shots from pretty much ANY weapon).
- Knifing not working (from behind and point-blank too) because of lag while, on the flip side, a person would knife me from 5+ feet away.
...and so on, and so forth.
Re: Ever feel like you've just... lost it?fallenshadow000 Feb 4, 2012 5:39 PM (in response to Gerbera)
Been there done that.
Re: Ever feel like you've just... lost it?XxloliiMaTERRORistxX Feb 4, 2012 5:49 PM (in response to fallenshadow000)
You worry about a statistic that has absolutly zero meaning. You should probably just stop playing because games should be fun and it sounds like you aren't having any.
Re: Ever feel like you've just... lost it?Krackshot Feb 5, 2012 3:11 AM (in response to fallenshadow000)
I think the big thing is to not take it personally. I just got to a .75 K/D ratio today and that's the highest it's ever been and I'm proud of if. I can see what you are saying though. I think it's because when it first came out, no one knew maps, there were no hacks, and people didn't know how to exploite the little hick-ups in the game. As soon as people get used to that stuff, they will milk it for all that it's worth. In the begining, it's all about skill. That's why it was more fun for me in the begining as well. But, as I said before, you can't take it too personally. Bottom line is it's a game and you're supposed to have fun playing it. As soon as you stop having fun, you should stop playing it. You're life won't end, trust me.Edit: Just also wanted to add that I know how it can feel to have a duty to play a game. To feel like you HAVE to play it even if you're not having fun. Well that's just not true and the sooner you learn that the happier you'll be. I played WOW for 6 years because I felt I had to and yea, I miss it a little sometimes, but for the most part I'm having a lot more fun with my gaming experience.
Re: Ever feel like you've just... lost it?fallenshadow000 Feb 5, 2012 7:26 AM (in response to Krackshot)
I love the game for what it is, but having to come to the realization that it was built for scrubs is pretty hard; especially considering how much I've learned over the course of the last two titles to get better at the game.
It's simple: The game isn't fun when you're consistently being stomped by a bunch of little homos just because they're dual-wielding FMGs or can spray 60 feet with the Striker.
On the flip side, I got in someone's face with a Striker in a game a while back on Seatown. I literally RAN RIGHT INTO HIM, and got a hit marker shooting him. I still knifed him for the kill before he could react, but he should have been dead to rights from the shotgun blast.
Re: Ever feel like you've just... lost it?megaxtrime Feb 5, 2012 10:20 AM (in response to fallenshadow000)
why'll point blank you would think that the shottys tend to be better at short to mid-short range oddly i have had the same thing happen more then once but seatown with a shotty not what i would use tbh


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Shirley O'Shea
Contributing Writer
---- — We have all seen them — runners, cyclists, power walkers pushing themselves under the blazing summer sun, awash in sweat, faces fierce with determination or blank with exhaustion, refusing to yield to atmospheric conditions. And we ask ourselves — Is that really necessary?
Ask a committed exerciser, and the answer is "yes." And if the exercise of choice happens to be a particularly demanding one, such as running, he or she is not likely to be deterred from doing so until the weather cools off. The so-called "runner's high," caused by the release of neurochemicals in the brain called endorphins during intense exercise, will compel a runner to hit the asphalt despite high heat and humidity.
And other people want to keep up their exercise regimen in the summer for medical, recreational or social reasons.
So, how does someone who loves and/or needs to exercise do it safely in the heat of summer?
It is wise for most athletes — but especially beginners, seniors,and those with pre-existing medical conditions — to speak with their health care provider before engaging in an exercise program, and even more so in the hot months.
After it's clear that it is medically safe for the would-be athlete to exercise, he or she must follow a few "common sense" rules, according to David Greene, a personal trainer and strength and conditioning specialist at HealthLinks@FoxCare fitness center in Oneonta.
"But common sense isn't that common," Greene said.
Greene's first exercise rule is "Know thyself. Listen to your body."
"Lower expectations," Greene advised. "Don't try to set records. Slow down. Understand that the elements will play a big part in your performance ability."
The time of day of exercise is critical during hot weather, according to Courtney Place, an adjunct lecturer in the State University College at Oneonta physical education department, and a group fitness instructor and manager and personal trainer at the Oneonta YMCA.
Place said that it is best to exercise in the morning or evening — "not in the heat of the day" — and to "structure the workout program around that."
If temperatures are to be excessively high with high humidity, try to exercise inside with air conditioning.
If an individual's schedule or kind of exercise doesn't permit morning or evening, or indoor, air-conditioned workouts, then he or she must acclimate to exercising in heat and humidity, both pros said.
"Runners don't want to get inside to use a tread mill," Greene said. "If you go outside, keep an eye on the forecast. Seek shade if possible." For instance, a runner might choose a route through the woods, if feasible, Greene said.
"Acclimation to heat is very important. When the seasons change, get out early and often," Greene advised.
Physiological changes take place during exercise, and they need extra support in high temperatures, Greene said. Cardiovascular, or aerobic, exercise, such as running, cycling and walking, increases the amount of the body's capillaries (blood vessels that supply organs with fuel and carry away waste), thins the blood and permits water exchange, which cools the body. Also, regular exercise increases the density of the cells' mitochondria, which is involved in body fuel development, according to Greene. Improving these functions through gradually increased exercise intensity will help the body perform more efficiently in rigorous workouts in the heat.
Place suggested using periodization — a term referring to the varying of exercise intensity, duration and mode — to acclimate the body to demanding workouts. "Slowly increase over time," she said.
"It takes one or two weeks to acclimate to working out in the heat. Your system must be ready," Place said.
Place and Greene stressed the importance of having enough water in the body before exercising in the heat.
"Cells are in a very liquid environment," Greene said, noting that 70 percent of the body is water. "Slight dehydration has a negative impact."
"Hydration is of the utmost importance," Place said. Normal water intake should be 64 ounces daily, but an exerciser needs more, she said. "Replace what you sweat out," Place said. "Hydrate before, during and after (exercise). Don't wait until you're thirsty."
Place suggested a practice she calls camel packing, which is drinking large quantities of water the night before exercise (often referred to as "preloading"). "Your body acclimates over time" to holding the water overnight, she said.
Anyone exercising for more than an hour should consume liquids containing electrolytes, such as Gatorade, Place said. However, Greene warned against overwhelming one's system with a sports drink.
Fueling up before working out is key to preventing fatigue and sickness as well, Greene said.
"Don't go out on an empty stomach," Greene cautioned. He recommended eating healthy fats, carbohydrates and proteins, such as a peanut butter sandwich, a small bowl of cereal or cottage cheese and fruit, before exercise.
"Proper attire is essential," Place said. Wick-away clothing, which prevents perspiration from accumulating on the body, is recommended, according to Place. "It pulls out moisture and lets skin breathe," she said. "It's a reason to charge $50 for a tank top." However, loose fitting, breathable cotton exercise clothes are a less expensive alternative, she said.
Greene reminded exercisers to use a sunscreen with an SPF of least 30, and Place said that sunscreen should be applied every two hours.
It's key to be aware of the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and stroke, Place said. These include muscle cramping, headache, nausea, light-headedness or dizziness, and excessive paleness or redness of skin. If these occur, Place said, exercise should be terminated and it is essential to go to a cool area and hydrate with electrolytes.
"Do whatever it takes to cool off," Greene advised. "Stand before a fan, or in the breeze. The evaporation of sweat cools the body." High humidity can prevent the evaporation of sweat.
If symptoms don't alleviate within 30 minutes, seek medical attention, Greene said.
For this reason, it is advisable to exercise with one or more people, because succumbing to heat-related illness while alone may result in serious illness or death, Place said.
Recovery after exercise — not just after heat-related illness but any workout — is the most neglected component of a fitness program, according to Greene.
"When you exercise, you're breaking the body down. Resting won't ruin your program," Greene said. In fact, it will enhance it.
"Swimming — long, slow distance — is a great recovery workout because the water decelerates you," Greene said. "It gets oxygen to tired musculature, which aids in recovery. Light activity will help you recover more quickly than no activity. Generally, less is more."
Some people, such as seniors, pregnant women and youth under age 18 should take extra precautions while exercising in the heat, according to Place.
For seniors, Place said her "first recommendation is to bring (exercise) indoors with air conditioning."
"Heat elevates heart rate and can exaggerate a pre-existing condition," Place said. "Also, blood pressure is a big concern with seniors."
For pregnant women, Place said, "no matter what, what the doctor says is what goes. That being said, (exercise is) high beneficial, (to control) weight gain and constipation. The fetus is what's most important during exercise. Listen to your body. Take exercise indoors in excessive temperatures."
For young people, the goal of exercise is to instill enjoyment in activity, according to Place. Exercise should be activity-based.
"Remind (kids) to drink fluids, to wear sun block, to rest and seek shade," Place said.
Those with coronary and artery disease need medical management and input from their health care provider about exercising, Place said. Patients usually need lower intensity exercise during hot weather.
"They should find something they enjoy that they will keep doing in the heat," Place said, "and have a support system."


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|Myanmar Visa Information
The issuance of Visa On Arrival at the Yangon and Mandalay International Airports is suspended with effect from September 1, 2010 until further notice. However, the visa can still be obtained at the Myanmar Embassies and Missions and Consulates in the respective countries. Please visit Myanmar Embassies and Consulates Abroad for the contact details and information of Myanmar Embassies.
Passport and Visa
Tourist visa
Business Visa
Please see http://www.MyanmarTravelsAndTours.comFor further information, you can also visit
|Last Updated ( Thursday, 16 September 2010 07:58 )


text:
WASHINGTON — Nearly a decade after the last Al Qaeda detainee was waterboarded, Americans still know little about what the CIA did to its prisoners, or whether it worked.
President Obama decided against an investigation to hold accountable George W. Bush administration and CIA officials who conceived and carried out what he and others believed were acts of torture. And a criminal investigation ended last year with no charges and no public report.


text:
Cumberland Times-News
It's never a good idea to drive while under the influence or to drive aggressively, and it is an especially bad idea to do so during the holidays.
Police are increasingly concentrating on enforcement of laws against drunken and aggressive drivers, and they always have extra patrols on duty New Year's Eve.
First-time drunken drivers not involved in accidents can expect several hundred dollars in fines, probation, attorney fees, court appearances, higher insurance rates and possible job loss.
If you host a party, be sure your guests remain in a condition that will allow them to get home safely. You could be liable if one of them has an accident while under the influence from alcohol served at your party.
Encourage your guests to have designated drivers, make non-alcoholic beverages available and serve food. It's a good idea to stop serving alcohol entirely as the evening winds down.
Only time can eliminate alcohol from your bloodstream — black coffee won't do it.
Statistics indicate that fatalities relating to impaired driving are higher during the Christmas and New Year's holidays than at other times. At least one driver is intoxicated in nearly half of all fatal accidents that take place during the New Year's holiday.
Not only is drunken driving illegal, you or someone else — maybe someone you love — could be seriously injured or killed. That's no way to start the New Year.
The best way to drive is to drive sober. Watch out for other drivers who aren't and don't be afraid to report them to police. You might be saving their lives.
Be safe, and have a Happy New Year.


text:
July 29, 2014
HAZARD, Ky. (WYMT) - Drug addiction was the topic at the first of a series of free training lectures at Hazard Community and Technical College.
Officials said it was beneficial for those in the criminal justice, healthcare or social services fields. Those who attended heard about the neuro-psychology of addiction. They said it is a subject chosen for a reason.
"Addiction is one of the biggest problems in our community and in communities across America," said Walter Smith, HCTC Criminal Justice Program Coordinator.
"I think it would be hard to find somebody that hasn't had some dealings with addiction on a personal level."
Organizers say another lecture will take place in a few months.


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Sweet Potato / Vanguard - light wind capabilitiesI,m 75kg & have a 5'0 SP I use in 1-4 ft surf in relatively light wind (10-20 knots) & I'm now set on getting a Vanguard. My question is would there be any downsides to going from a 5'0 SP to...
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By AP / KWMU
St. Charles, MO – KLOU-FM host Paul Arca says he thought he had been hit by lightning.
He was riding in the van when its raised boom hit the wire. The van caught fire, but Arca and the driver were able toescape.
Arca is recovering at home. He was initially taken to a St. Charles hospital. The driver was not injured.
St. Louis Public Radio is a service of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.


text:
Availability: Staycity Serviced Apartments London Heathrow
StudioMax Occupancy: 2 guests
Standard Apartment, 1 BedroomMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 2 children, 3 infants)
Standard Apartment, 1 BedroomMax Occupancy: 4 guests
Standard Apartment, 2 BedroomsMax Occupancy: 6 guests (up to 5 children, 1 infant)
Standard Apartment, 2 Bedrooms, 2 BathroomsMax Occupancy: 5 guests (up to 4 children, 1 infant)
Standard Apartment, 2 Bedrooms, AccessibleMax Occupancy: 6 guests (up to 5 infants)
Staycity Serviced Apartments London Heathrow near Stockley Park & Legoland
Collect 200 points.*
Simply enter your Nectar card number on the confirmation page. Your points will be credited 30 days after your trip is complete. *Offers may apply
London Heathrow
Located less than a minute's walk from Hayes and Harlington train station, your journey to the Heathrow Airport will take just 6 minutes and to Paddington in Central London only 17 minutes by Heathrow Connect
Smarter hotel alternative
24-hour reception, free WiFi, fully equipped kitchens, private dining/lounge area, car parking on site, flatscreen TV with Freeview & SkySports, air con, laundrette, access to local leisure centre, supermarket
Experience more For less!
Choice of twin or double beds, excellent bedding flexibility for families & groups of all sizes, double or twin sofa bed in spacious living room, separate bedroom/s, kitchen, excellent value per person sharingInformation missing or incorrect? Tell us!
Staycity Serviced Apartments London Heathrow Amenities
- General
Staycity Serviced Apartments London Heathrow offer 144 brand new purpose built, state-of-the-art apartments, which are conveniently located in the High Point Village just a minute's walk from Hayes & Harlington train station, with a 6 minute train journey to Heathrow Airport and a 17 minute journey to Central London (Paddington), while also being just a short drive from Legoland Windsor, Hampton Court Palace and Stockley Park, one of Europe's most successful business parks.
Offering a superb choice of studio apartments capable of sleeping up to two people, one bedroom apartments that can sleep up to four people and two bedroom apartments that can sleep up to six people, Staycity Serviced Apartments London Heathrow offer an ideal base for both the business and leisure traveler alike, and deliver fantastic value for money for any individual, group or family.
Finished to a stunning standard, all apartments come complete with complimentary wireless internet access, flat screen TV with Freeview, Sky Sports Channels and DVD player as well as spacious separate bedrooms and fully equipped kitchens (fridge/freezer, dishwasher, hob, oven, microwave, kettle, toaster, cookware, utensils are all there). All apartments come fully furnished with bed linen and towels also provided.
With a 24-hour reception desk, on-site car parking (subject to availability and extra fees) and laundrette as well as weekly maid service, your stay couldn't be more carefree. For your convenience we also have an on-site Tesco Express directly by the property for all your self-catering needs.
Guests also get complimentary access to the local state-of-the-art leisure center which is just 5 minutes's walk away, where you can keep your workout regime or just relax in a pool or you can treat yourself to a massage at the on-site Spa.
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- 24-hour front desk
- Total number of rooms - 144
- Number of floors - 6
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Elevator/lift
- Computer station
- Free Wi-Fi
- Grocery/convenience store
- Laundry facilities
- Multilingual staff
- Garden
- Luggage storage
- Self parking (surcharge)
- Year Built 2012
- Smoke-free property
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Spa services on site
- Television in lobby
- Internet
Available in all rooms: Free Wi-Fi
Available in some public areas: Free Wi-Fi
- Parking
Self parking (surcharge)
- Room Amenities
- Premium bedding
- Separate sitting area
- Soundproofed rooms
- Air conditioning
- Climate control
- Refrigerator
- Coffee/tea maker
- Microwave
- Kitchen
- Weekly housekeeping provided
- Private bathroom
- Hair dryer
- Bathtub or shower
- Rainfall showerhead
- Iron/ironing board
- Sofa bed
- Cribs/infant beds available
- Separate dining area
- Dishwasher
- Cookware, dishware, and utensils
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Digital TV service
- Free Wi-Fi
- Stovetop
- In-room safe (laptop compatible)
- Sofa bed size
- Yard
- Spa
- Number of treatment rooms 2
- Body scrubs
- Aromatherapy treatments
- Massages
- Accessibility
To make requests for specific accessibility needs, complete the "Special or Accessibility Requests" section of "Trip Preferences" when you book your hotel.
- Accessible bathroom
- Accessible path of travel
- Braille or raised signage
- Accessible parking
- In-room accessibility
Staycity Serviced Apartments London Heathrow Policies & Fees
- Check-in
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
Special check-in instructions:
The property is located withing the High Point Village. When checking-in, guests are required to us the entrance that is throgh the passage and concierge entry to the left of Tesco Express. Guests arriving by car will need to us the parking entrance, which is through large grey iron gates to the right of Tesco Express.
- Check-out
Check-out time is 11 AM
- Payment types
Accepted at this hotel: American Express, MasterCard, Visa
- General
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation.
- Fees
- Unless otherwise indicated, the charges below are not included in the overall room price. If not included in the overall room price, they will be charged by the property at check-in or check-out. Charges can vary, for example, based on length of stay or the room you book. This property told us they will charge you for the following:
We have included all charges provided to us by the property. However, charges can vary, for example, based on length of stay or the room you book.The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check-in, or check-out.
- Spa fee: GBP 12.00 per stay
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.
- Self parking fee: GBP 14 per day
- Early check-in fee: GBP 10
- A late check-out fee will be charged
- Deposit: GBP 200 per stay
- Weekly housekeeping provided; fees apply for additional cleaning
- Additional Details
Reservations are required for massage services and spa treatments. Reservations can be made by contacting the apartment prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. Children 12 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding.


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Highlights of India (AHNS)
North India or South? Do both! This 2-week tour combines the riot of Rajasthan's colours with the calming greens of Kerala. You'll have time to immerse yourself in regional traditions in the North and spend a night at a heritage village hotel, and time to unwind in the south—just imagine cruising the backwaters on a houseboat. Throw in the Taj Mahal, the 'Pink City' of Jaipur and Delhi's rich architecture and you're left with one spicy curry of an adventure—many flavours with big impact.
Highlights: Spend a night in a heritage village home, delve into ancient history and thriving modern culture, explore grand forts and palaces in Rajasthan, marvel at the Taj Mahal at sunrise, learn the true meaning of relaxation aboard a houseboat on Kerala's backwaters, discover a newfound obsession with South Indian cuisine
Beaches & Backwaters (AHBB)
Watch the sunset through the fishing nets of Kochi, stretch out on white-sand beaches, drift through the tranquil backwaters and rise at dawn to see the sunrise. This 7-day tour offers a quick introduction to the diversity of South India. Inhale the exotic perfume of cardamom as you stroll through spice gardens and unwind with some yoga in your free time. Meet the locals and spend the night with a local family on a tour that's all about authentic cultural experience.
Highlights: Relax in the calm backwaters, experience a local homestay, chill out on quiet beaches, sample South Indian cuisine.
Highlights of South India (AHIS)
Compared to the North, southern India is a different place working on a different pace. But you don't need to devote a month to get here; this compact trip offers a healthy taste of Kerala's stunning tropical beauty. Luxuriate on the beach and watch the sunset, explore magnificent temples, and savour that last smidgen of flavour as you scrape your banana leaf plate clean. After a night aboard a houseboat in the tranquil backwaters, you may never want to leave.
Highlights: Learn the true meaning of relaxation on a houseboat cruising Kerala's backwaters, discover how fishermen's nets can be an attraction in their own right, drool over that extra helping of delicious South Indian cuisine
Highlights of India (AHNS)
Beaches & Backwaters (AHBB)
Highlights of South India (AHIS)
|Service Level
|Starting Price
|Highlights of India (AHNS)
|14 days
From $2069
|Beaches & Backwaters (AHBB)
|7 days
From $649
|Highlights of South India (AHIS)
|7 days
From $1029


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By AMANDA BEAM
Local columnist
— There's nothing more satisfying than a swig of Coke.
Wait. That's a lie. Drinking a whole 32 ounces of the magical elixir definitely trumps a measly swig any day of the week.
And that perfect cup of caramel-colored goodness must be from McDonald's. I'm not sure why their Coke always tastes better than anywhere else. Maybe they have a special formula that contains ground-up clown smiles.
But every day I thank the good Lord that I don't live in New York City and would have to endure their attempted ban on my happiness.
Yes, you might say I am a cola connoisseur. Others might say addict. Either way, I love Coke. And I mean the real Coke — not that sweet Pepsi or Royal Crown stuff. Of course, down in these parts, we call everything Coke. Big Red and Sprite are coke. Dr. Pepper is coke. Orange pop still gets called, you guessed it, Coke.
A guy named Matthew Campbell from the Department of Cartography and Geography at East Central University actually designed a map of what survey respondents generically called their carbonated beverages. Clark and Floyd counties lie on the northern line of a fully red south that named these sugary drinks Coke. Not only do our accents show we belong to the south, I reckon now the words we use do, too.
Recently, soda has been subject to some controversy. Warnings abound about its negative affect on health. My generation, on the other hand, was raised in a different age. Back then, most parents would let their kids drink anything: carbonated beverages, creek water, milk past the expiration date.
Little children in Europe who have been suckling fine wine before they could teeter or totter looked jealously on as we drank our sugary lunches, their eyes full of decaffeinated awe. Later the babes would try our tasty treats but in a different form — hot and iceless. Warm water is more satisfying than a room-temperature soda. And so they continued drinking Perrier rather than Pepsi.
Not in America though. We followed a different path.
Why shouldn't we? Coke did originate here back in 1886. Historians claim the founder John Pemberton might have gotten the idea from a French cocoa wine that was used as a tonic. Take out the wine, and the French didn't want anything to do with the new concoction, it seems.
In the late 1800s, Pemberton changed his version of the wine into a nonalcoholic drink. Voila! There you have the first Coca-Cola. The "medicine," as the company marketed it, contained cocaine and caffeine.
Instead of making people diabetic, it made them high. In 1903, the producers decided to ixnay the cocaine element. The formula pretty much stayed the same until 1982, when a diet version of the drink came out.
And then the gates opened and all cola hell broke loose. Decaffeinated Coke soon followed in 1983 and Cherry Coke wasn't too far behind. At present, according to businessinsider.com, the company owns more than 500 brands and has a portfolio of 3,500-plus different beverages. Around the world, the average person will drink a Coke product every four days, the website said, culminating in 1.7 billion servings of Coke products being consumed across the globe every 24 hours.
That's a lot of carbonation.
All this Coke can get you in trouble. Trust me, I know. Last month, I gave up drinking Diet Coke. People kept going on and on about the bad things artificial sweeteners can do to the body. So I thought, by heck, drinking high fructose corn syrup can't be that bad. At least it's natural, right?
Every day, I began buying a $1 large Coke from McDonald's. OK, sometimes it may have been two, both with light ice so I could fit more of the sweet dew of heaven in the Styrofoam cup. Over the weekend, I weighed myself at the gym and by jiminy, I'd gained 10 pounds. Nothing else in my life had changed, so it had to be the work of my precious soda.
Each large Coke contains 86 grams of sugar resulting in a whopping 310 calories. By drinking one or two a day, I had added more than 2,100 calories a week to my diet, roughly an extra day's worth of calories. Now I know why the mosquitoes were passing out after biting me. I was just too sweet for my own good. There's a first time for everything.
All that wonderful cola taste went straight to my belly. Now I look like I'm set to deliver a soda pop baby in four months. There's not a lot that would make me give up my beloved Coke. Gaining that much weight before my 20-year high school reunion this summer was luckily one of those things.
So, I've relinquished my beloved Coke and supplanted it by drinking water. Not having that caffeine intake has caused my head to pound. And I'm angrier and less pleasant to be around. Mosquitos take a sampling and quickly fly away still wanting something more than my sour blood has to offer.
Satisfaction can change in time, I suppose. If not, I might go for a bender and get unlimited free refills at a local fast food restaurant. All things in moderation, right?
— Amanda Beam is a Floyd County resident and Jeffersonville native. Contact her by email at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Morgan Jones
The Port Arthur News
Second grade students at Highland Elementary School in Nederland lined up on Wednesday to each pour slime on Principal George Rienstra.
During a coin competition, the second grade students brought the most money while the whole school raised their goal of $1,300 for a book drive. The money raised went to classroom sets of books and books for students from the book fair.
As Rienstra came out of the school in a white lab coat, gloves, swimming goggles and a white wig the students were sitting in a square ready for the action.
The students were cheering "Slime his face! Slime his face!"
After the whole second grade finished sliming the principal, five teachers grabbed the extra buckets of slime to finish it off.
When he walked back into the school, he was lime green.
The slime was made from apple sauce, water, and food coloring.
"They had a good time and that's what's important," Rienstra said.
Rienstra will retire this school year after being principal for six years.
To view more photos visit portarthurnews.smugmug.com
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Twitter: @MorganjonesPA


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William A. Trask, son of Deb and Duane Trask of West Oneonta, and Dana C. Harwood, daughter of Carol and John Harwood of Stamford, announce their engagement.
The groom-to-be is a 1997 graduate of Laurens Central School and attended the State University College at Cortland, where he received a master's degree in health education.
The bride-to-be is a 2001 Stamford Central School graduate and a 2005 graduate from the State University College at Oneonta, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology.
They are employed at Covidien and own a home in Oneonta. A June 2014 wedding is planned.


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Home » Information for Health Professionals » Heart and Vascular Diseases » Community Education and Outreach
Healthy Heart, Healthy Family: A Community Health Worker's Manual for the Filipino Community
Session 3 Handout Pledge for Life!
Download Pledge for Life! (119k) handout.
Take the pledge for life with Lola Idad. Try to do at least one of these activities by yourself and/or share the activities with others.
Information on this page is taken from the English print version of "Healthy Heart, Healthy Family: A Community Health Worker's Manual." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, NIH Publication No. 08-3674, Originally Printed 1999, Revised May 2008.
Last Updated March 2012


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Heading into Saturday's clash with the Janesville Jets, the Johnstown Tomahawks ranked 21st in the NAHL in power-play percentage.
You couldn't tell by the Tomahawks' performance with the man-advantage during their 5-3 win over the Jets at Cambria County War Memorial.
Johnstown (3-3-3) used power-play markers from Jaycob McCombs, Brandon Brossoit and Cody Gylling to help build a 5-1 lead en route to its second straight win on home ice.
Prior to Saturday, Johnstown had converted just six of its 46 power-play opportunities, ranking the club near the bottom of the 24-team league.
What was the difference on Saturday?
"We were shooting the puck," Tomahawks coach Jason Spence said. "We had traffic. We weren't trying to be too pretty. At times we actually could have shot the puck a little bit more."
Johnstown was also able to maintain its string of solid play in the first period of games, holding the Jets (4-3-2) off the board over the first 20 minutes, marking the seventh time in nine games that the Tomahawks have accomplished that feat.
Mitch Kontny's goal just 16 seconds into the game gave Johnstown a lead it wouldn't surrender. Kontny, with an assist from Gylling, stuffed the puck past Janesville's Brock Kautz.
At 7:41, McCombs pushed the lead to 2-0 when he swept a puck past Kautz with assists from Brandon Brossoit and Evan Hesse.
After Janesville's Eric Cruickshank replied with a power-play goal at 13:02 of the first, Johnstown regained its two-goal edge as Brossoit potted a one-timer from Ian Spencer at 15:54.
McCombs, who was playing in his first home game following a two-game suspension, was also credited with an assist.
"It's real fun playing in front of these fans," McCombs said. "They're wild up there. It makes for a great atmosphere."
Casey Nelson's ripper from the right point at 13:23 of the second added another goal to the Tomahawks lead. Codey Hansen and J.B. Baker initiated the scoring sequence by cycling the puck to the right side, where Nelson was set up.
Gylling sealed the win at 7:31 of the third when he beat Jets backup Austin Priebe on the power play. Kontny and Jeff Bergh assisted.
"We clicked it up a bit and we found the high slot guys," McCombs said. "We were just moving the puck around real well and opening up the ice."
Jason Ford (8:18) and Zach Diamantoni (17:58) netted goals for the Jets in the third period.
Johnstown's Bodhi Engum stopped eight of the 11 shots he faced while the Tomahawks' penalty-kill unit warded off six Janesville power-plays.
"I think we learned that when you keep doing the little things that got you that lead and you continue to do them," Spence said. "It helps you in the long run."
The same two teams square off at 6 p.m. this evening at the War Memorial.
Notes: Following the game, players representing area fire and police departments took the ice as part of the squad's Guns and Hoses Night ... The team wore special jerseys designed for the evening's festivities.
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The Express-Star
A former Chickasha AutoZone employee was arrested Friday evening on suspicion of embezzling close to $600 from his former employer.
A 21-year-old Chickasha man admitted to his employers at AutoZone he had embezzled $577.81 in cash, merchandise and give-a-ways while employed at the store.
Chickasha Police Officer Derek Hunt said he asked Nathaniel Dee Charlton what was going on at work. He said Charlton told him he had been suspended with pay from AutoZone because he had been taking parts and money from the business.
Hunt said Charlton told him he would let people take items from the store without charging them.
Hunt said Charlton admitted to him he also took $74 in cash from the store.
"Nathaniel advised me that he took the money to help pay rent at his house," Hunt said. "Nathaniel told me that a lot of the parts that he took were used to keep his own vehicle running."
Grady County Assistant District Attorney Cortnie Siess said embezzlement over $500 but less than $1,000 is a felony and carries up to a year in the jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000.


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Having jumped back and forth across the pond a lot already this year – with more international touring on the way – Arctic Monkeys tell Rolling Stone, backstage at Lollapalooza, that the shows have been fun for them. Touring in support of their summer release, Suck It and See, the band has really enjoyed fooling around with their setlist. "The way we recorded this album was pretty live, just the four of us in a room playing," they say. "It's definitely been cool figuring out which songs should go where in the set and sort of seeing people's reaction to it and when they clap their hands and say hooray."
Video by: Eric Helton, Interview by: Steve Baltin, Written by: Benjy Eisen
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By John Toole
---- — WINDHAM – A former School Board member is challenging a former selectman in the race to succeed Selectmen's Chairman Bruce Breton.
Breton is not seeking re-election. He is stepping aside for health reasons.
Former School Board member Al Letizio Jr. and former Selectman Alan Carpenter are seeking a three-year term on the board.
In announcing his candidacy, Carpenter expressed concern over a lack of civility in local elections. He said he would focus on issues, not personalities or party politics.
Carpenter pointed to his past experience as a selectman and Planning Board member as an asset, as well as his fiscally conservative philosophy.
He is advocating responsible growth as the town moves through Interstate 93 widening and Route 111 reconstruction.
"After years of careful planning, we have a terrific opportunity to bring much needed tax revenue and much desired services to our community," Carpenter said. "We have to promote smart commercial development, while protecting our town's resources, such as our great ponds and water supplies."
Letizio said he wants to put his conservative business and community principles to work for the town.
He is pointing to his background as a former School Board member and current member of the town's Economic Development Committee as something that could benefit Windham.
Letizio is stressing the need to improve infrastructure, while keeping the tax burden under control.
"We do have the ability to provide much needed taxpayer relief to our residential tax base, while responsibly funding our needs for the forseeable future," Letizio said. "We need to continue on a positive path that allows us to fund our infrastructure needs in a more balanced manner without further burdening our residents and I know that it can be done."
Where they stand:
Alan E. Carpenter
Age: 56
Occupation: Director, Enterprise Sales
Incumbent: No
Elective experience: Selectman, Planning Board
What is the single most important issue facing the selectmen? Elected boards must work to manage commercial growth so we can enjoy the benefits of a larger commercial tax base without changing the town's character.
Al Letizio Jr.
Age: 53
Occupation: President, A.J. Letizio Sales & Marketing
Incumbent: No
Elective experience: School Board
What is the single most important issue facing the selectmen? We can do better in promoting positive economic development in Windham – the key to lowering taxes on residents while providing funding for our school projects.


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Mable Haws, age 99, passed away November 15, 2012. Mable was born on November 30, 1912 to Thomas and Mary Lou (Blankenship) Henry in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Mable lived in Oklahoma her entire life. She was a member of the Eastern Heights Baptist Church. She enjoyed working in the kitchen at the church and was a member of the Berean Class. Mabel went to be with the Lord on the anniversary of her only child, daughter Billie's birth.
Mable was preceded in death by her mother and father; 4 brothers, James, Ed, Leo, and Ray; 2 sisters, Claudia Reese and Maudie Henry; and a great-grandchild Matthew Levi McGee. Mable leaves behind to cherish her memories 1 daughter, Billie Rae McGee of Choctaw; 1 sister Inez Ellis of Muskogee; 3 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchild; and 13 great-great-grandchildren.
Services will be 2:00 pm Tuesday, November 20, 2012 at the Eastern Heights Baptist Church in Muskogee, Oklahoma with interment at Memorial Park Cemetery, Muskogee, Oklahoma. Services are under the direction of Hibbs Funeral Home, Choctaw, OK.


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Well deserved. Always a great thing if one is helping kids.
Well deserved. Always a great thing if one is helping kids.
Congratulations to Melissa. How nice to have her efforts recognized.
"I miss footwork that has any kind of a discernible pattern. The goal of a step sequence should not be for a skater to show the same ice coverage as a Zamboni and take about as much time as an ice resurface. " ~ Zemgirl, reflecting on a pre-IJS straight line sequence
What a nice recognition for all her hard work. Congratulations to her and Dennis for their work with kids.
"The Devil is joining in, and that's never a good sign." Phil Liggett
What a great honor! And her hubby ain't so bad either.Fever on Ice reaches middle school students in the Portland, Conn. and Hartford, Conn., areas. Participants are given homework assignments in addition to learning how to skate. Instruction, bus transport, ice skates, and ice time at the Koeppel Community Sports Center at Trinity College, are provided free of charge due to a two-year grant from the Hartford Board of Education and the State of Connecticut Department of Education. In March, the participants were showcased in an ice skating show alongside Olympians and elite skaters which generated funds for the McKinney Homeless Shelter in Hartford a charity chosen by the students. Gregory is the first figure skater to receive this award.
Congrats to Melissa!
Congrats to Melissa!
How wonderful for her, the young people helped through her work; and the charity chosen to benefit.
Kudos to all concerned!
Congrats, Melissa! What a great honor!
And please allow me to take the time to congratulate a couple other ladies I recognize in this thread as well! I know how much you all wanted MKF to yourselves, and judging by the tumbleweeds I see over there, it's now all yours! Yay! Good job!
OMG! It's Queen Oksana!!!
What a wonderful honor for Melissa!
An MLB.com reporter asked what one thing Votto couldnt do. I cant skate or play hockey, Votto said. Well, I can skate ... but I cant stop.
"I guess I'm just...I'm not used to someone putting me first." -Emma, Once Upon a Time, episode 2x3, Lady of the Lake
Congratulations to Melissa. Great work in giving back ... wonderful example that a life in skating never really ends when you find a way to give back the joy of your own skating journey.
What a terrific award! Good for her!!!! Good to see these types of actions recognized as I think there are too many good deeds that go unnoticed/ignored. Too much bad/depressing news in the press these days...time to focus on some of the positive!
A little more in-depth on the program with some nice quotes from Mel & Denis: http://figureskatersonline.com/news/...-fever-on-ice/


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In many ways, Long Branch is the perfect storm of the Kelo era: a misleading master plan, an unprecedented exception from state environmental regulation, shifting redevelopment zones, a developer jailed for corruption, a lawyer working both sides of the deal. New Jersey residents are particularly vulnerable to this kind of forced redevelopment. As the Institute for Justice's Scott Bullock explains, the prime targets for developers are typically low to middle-income communities with waterfront homes within commuting distance of a major city. New Jersey is essentially two giant suburbs--of New York and Philadelphia--with an enormous coastline, as well as numerous interior rivers. That's why there are redevelopment clashes shaping up all along Ocean Avenue--in Belmar, Neptune, Asbury Park, and other towns. Currently 64 municipalities in New Jersey are pursuing redevelopment through the power of eminent domain, with developers trying to seize homes everywhere from Camden to Stanhope. When Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote in her Kelo dissent that "the specter of condemnation hangs over all property," she wasn't scaremongering. No one wants to use eminent domain to redevelop the parts of Long Branch that are actually blighted--such as, for instance, the abandoned building across from city hall. The logic of Kelo-style takings is to redevelop attractive land--regardless of who lives there.Full article here. It's a long, detailed piece that's well worth a read.
Eminent Domain "Perfect Storm" in NJ
From the Weekly Standard comes a fascinating tale of eminent domain abuse in Long Branch, New Jersey. It details the plight of a well-kept, middle class, oceanfront neighborhood deemed by the city to be "blighted" and set for redevelopment:


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Who is stealing the freeway mission bells in Ventura?
For 106 years, roadside bells have marked El Camino Real, the historic trail that linked California's missions.
The iconic markers now dot Highway 101 across the state, but in Ventura, some of the mission bells recently have disappeared. Thieves made off with three of the distinctive bells, which hang from tall posts curved like the tops of crooked walking sticks.
Mission bells along Highway 101 at Seaward Avenue, Telephone Road and Main Street in Ventura were reported stolen in April, said Kelly Markham, a Caltrans spokeswoman.
"The bells are an important part of California's history," Markham said. "This is theft and destruction of state property, and we take that very seriously."
It's unclear who took the bells and why, but the thefts probably took some planning. Measuring 18 inches in diameter and usually weighing 85 pounds, the bells are mounted on 15-foot-tall posts attached to concrete foundations.
"It's not like you can just reach up and take the bell," Markham said. "Whoever stole them, they were fairly determined."
In one of the recent cases, the thief unscrewed a piece of the mounting, Markham said.
Mission bells have been stolen over the years, but not frequently, Markham said. She said there hasn't been any recent increase.
The first mission bells were erected in 1906 to mark El Camino Real, which means the Royal Road in Spanish. More than 450 were installed by 1913 along the trail, also known as the Kings Highway. Before a restoration project in 2005, the number had dwindled to fewer than 100 due to theft, vandalism and other damage, according to Caltrans.
During the restoration project funded by a $1.4 million federal grant, more than 550 mission bells were installed along northbound and southbound Highway 101, and Highway 82 in the Bay Area, Caltrans reported. The replica bells were made from the same molds as the original 1906 markers.
Some bells stolen or vandalized after the restoration project were replaced with concrete replicas, Markham said. She didn't know whether the bells stolen in April were metal or concrete.
The stolen bells, which cost about $2,700 each to make, will be replaced, she said.
The thief or thieves will likely remain a mystery. Caltrans' first priority is safety, and it doesn't have the resources to conduct bell-theft investigations, she said.
The recent thefts were not reported to the Ventura California Highway Patrol station, said spokesman Officer Steve Reid.
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There's hardly arguing that Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone is putting much energy into trimming the county's $300 million budget deficit, and this week the pol lauded a drop in overtime costs as helping get the county back on track.
Bellone said the county is down $9 million in overtime costs compared to the same time last year, despite having cut 650 positions from government services.
Bellone said Suffolk's current overtime charge for the year is $26.6 million, compared to $35.7 million at this point in 2011.
"Throughout our government we are controlling overtime and tackling the budget deficit," Bellone said in a statement. "Like most businesses, the work we need to do in government can usually be done during normal working hours. If after scrutiny, we determine it cannot, then and only then do we approve overtime."
Bellone said the biggest departments with savings are police ($3.3 million in savings), public works ($2.4 million in savings), sheriff's department ($2.1 million in savings), health services ($587,416 in savings), social services ($535,501 in savings) and probation ($249,433 in savings).
Bellone said the only department with more overtime is the Suffolk Board of Elections, which has had to support more in an election year, including the Republican primary in June. Board of Election overtime hit $796,614 compared to $271,768 last year at this time.
Bellone said the overtime drop has a lot to do with new restrictions he's placed on requesting overtime in departments as well has higher fiscal scrutiny.
County Sets Gabreski Grant
Suffolk this week said it under the New York State Empire State Development Corporation Military Base Retention Grant Program to fund an array of tech equipment to support the Air National Guard's 106th rescue wing that operates out of Gabreski Airport in Westhampton.
Bellone said the tech, which includes batteries, antennas, chargers, microphones, mobile chargers, will help the operation to better respond to emergency situations.
Suffolk said its part of the grant would be paid for by lease money generated by the at the park.
Big IDA Incentives for Hauppauge Pharma Firm
Following recent news that the to help bring more business to Hauppauge's industrial park, the county this week announced that it gave an incentive package to pharmaceutical manufacturer LNK International in order to keep it on Long Island.
LNK employs 1,600 people, the county said.
The company will get $2.4 million in property tax reductions, an $86,000 mortgage tax exemption and a $86,000 sales tax exemption in exchange for staying in the area. With the deal, LNK plans to expand in Hauppauge, buying an 110,000-square-foot building and lot and spending $2 million to renovate its existing facilities. The company owns eight buildings in the park, and the expansion, the county said, will result in 219 new jobs being created.


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This post is in behalf of the "A Touch of Class Ballroom Showcase, 2013". Program Director, Lynette Truske, Choral Music Educator at Greenbelt Elementary School is hosting the Third Annual "A Touch of Class Ballroom Showcase" on February 10, 2013 from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm, at Ritchie Coliseum in College Park, MD . We invite you to participate as a sponsor or supporter of this event, which involves 11 Prince Georges County Elementary Schools and approximately 1000 students.
The initial program in 2011 involved 3 schools, in 2012 the program had grown to 9 schools and this year the program has grown in popularity and had expanded to 11 schools. We are very excited about the growth, but we now find that we have outgrown our previous venue and need to support the requirements of our additional participating children. Proceeds of your sponsorship will support the increase in expenses due to the growth in the areas of venue and production costs so that we do not have to turn any of the schools away.
Last year our showcase, in only its second year, attracted 432 program participants, maxed out our venue at over 700 attendees and raised in excess of $3,500. With your support this year, and the continuing support of our past sponsors, we feel confident we can achieve our goal of $10,000 to cover the expanded participation of our additional PG County schools.
Below is a Fact Sheet about the showcase, and a description of the various sponsorship opportunities and benefits.
What is "A Touch of Class" ?
"A Touch of Class " is an elementary school ballroom dance program that operates in Prince George's County Public Schools and is directed by Lynette Truske. Teachers and volunteers at member schools are taught various ballroom dances, which they then teach to their students over a 10-week period. Each school's program manager then selects six couples to showcase their skills at the final event where students are appraised by a panel judges and compete for the honor of bringing participation awards back to their school.
The mission of "A Touch of Class" Ballroom Dance Program is to teach self-discipline, self-respect and respect for others through the physical discipline and rules of gender etiquette required in the art form of ballroom dancing.
Program History
The program was started in 2010 by Lynette Truske, then a music teacher at Northview Elementary School in Bowie. She noticed that there was a serious problem with boys and girls teasing each other and generally treating one another disrespectfully. She decided that the best way to fix this problem would be to teach the children the art of ballroom dance, an art form that requires a great deal of respect between partners.
"A Touch of Class", as it came to be known, was modeled after the American Ballroom Theater's Dancing Classrooms program, made popular by the 2005 documentary Mad Hot Ballroom. A professional dance instructor taught Ms. Truske and other volunteers dances like the Merengue, Tango, Waltz and Foxtrot. The volunteers, in turn, taught the dances to groups of fifth-graders. The students, after some initial resistance, greatly enjoyed the activity, and Ms. Truske noted that students treated each other with more respect after taking part in the program.
The program culminated in an interscholastic event where five elementary schools showcased their best dancers. The program was free, and parents and community members filled the Bowie Center for Performing Arts to watch the students perform.
Click here to see a Youtube video from CTV News in Bowie, MD of last years program:
When does the program operate?
"A Touch of Class" kicked off its 10-week run in late October and runs until mid-January. The two weeks before competition are set aside for individual instruction for the competing couples. The final showcase, which is open to the public takes place in early February.
Which elementary schools are participating in 2012-2013?
- Accokeek Academy
- Berwyn Heights
- Carrollton
- Francis Scott Key
- Greenbelt
- Lamont
- Mount Rainier
- Northview
- Patuxent
- Whitehall
- William Beanes
Which dances are taught this year?
- Merenque
- Foxtrot
- Tango
- Swing
- Cha Cha
How can you help?
Make a tax deductible gift at one of the following sponsor ship levels in the form of a check written directly to "Greenbelt Elementary School".
In the memo line please put "PGCPS Ballroom Dance Program". Checks can be mailed to Greenbelt Elementary School, 66 Ridge Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770. ATTN: Lynette Truske, Program Director, A Touch of Class.
. 1/2 page listing in the event program
. Listing on the "A Touch of Class" website"
. Permission to display Sponsor signage at the event
. 6 complimentary tickets to the event
. 1 complimentary gift certificate from Lite on Your Feet Dance Studio
. Recognition for Gold level sponsorship during awards at event
. 1/4 page listing in the event program
. Listing on the "A Touch of Class" website"
. Permission to display Sponsor signage at the event
. 4 complimentary tickets to the event
. Recognition for Silver level sponsorship during awards at event
. Listing in the event program
. Listing on the "A Touch of Class" website
. Permission to display Sponsor signage at the event
. 2 complimentary tickets to the event
. Recognition for Bronze level sponsorship during awards at event
The program appreciates donations in any amount, in the form of a check written directly to "Greenbelt Elementary School" . In the memo line please put "PGCPS Ballroom Dance Program". Checks can be mailed to Greenbelt Elementary School, 66 Ridge Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770. ATTN: Lynette Truske, Program Director, A Touch of Class.
All contributors will be acknowledged as "Supporters" in the printed programs and announced during the showcase.
Purchase tickets to the showcase!
Tickets are available now at $5.00 each. Please feel free to contact Lynette Truske at email@example.com ,Stephanie Courtney at 410-913-0111, email firstname.lastname@example.com, or Michael Sims at 410-99-7713, email firstname.lastname@example.com for tickets.
We are excited to have you partner with us!, This is a non-profit community event to benefit Prince Georges County school children, by exposing them to this art form. Your assistance will facilitate the success of the event. We truly appreciate and we thank you in advance for your thoughtful consideration.
A Touch Of Class 2013, Board Of Directors:
Lynette Truske - Program Director
Stephanie Courtney - Event Producer
Michael Sims - Artistic Director