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: Remember these letters are peoples' opinions; they may or may not be actual facts. This is not a news forum, it is an opinion column. We also urge you to take into account whether the letter is signed. We do not correct spelling or grammatical errors.
Mistake to Bring Ebola Virus Here
Just wanted to express my opinion on the C.D.C. deciding to bring doctor to Atlanta to treat them, I personally believe this is a big mistake .these who were treating the people with EBOLA no doubt taking every precaution to protect themselves but still at least one Doctor has died. I ask the public to ask themselves was this really best to bring this Disease into America? EBOLA HAS NO CURE and we hear pretty often how Different Viruses are accidently released into the population. Consider if this so - called Isolation fails in one area one item used in the treatment in Atlanta one mask one swab one glove One Human Error the EBOLA VIRUS will start killing Americans Spreading to All The United States Of America. Why Did These People Who Made The Decision to Bring This KILLER INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA?
Tax Free Weekend
All of the parents who are school shopping should make a note of who our state lawmakers are. Thanks to them, if you want a tax-free weekend to shop you will have to travel to an adjoining state to find that benefit. I guess this is just another way they prove what their citizens mean to them. NOTHING! They are down there, with us paying them the big bucks, and they stab us in the back AGAIN.
Eddie the Weatherman
I really miss Eddie that gives the Mars Hill Weather @
. When's he gonna be back at it ?
Editor's Note: Eddie recently had surgery and is recovering at Brookside in Burnsville. He hopes to be back home soon and back to reporting the weather.
Texting While Driving
its a shame a person can be stopped for texting and given a ticket today i past a highway patrol coming up mine fork there he was with phone on top of steering wheel texting away iguess its beyond them to cause a major wreck while texting
Ebola Outbreak
I just read some scary stuff about this on AOL news. Doctor in Africa has been tested positive for ebola! He sent his family back to their home in boone! That's right nc! They had been there living with him. Please be safe! I'm praying for him and everyone since I myself have family that still lives in nc! God bless his family but I hope they didn't bring it back with them. This is just bad.
Too Many Cats
Seriously? You're willing to drive an hour out of your way to avoid having to see a house with so many cats that obviously aren't be cared for. You should have already contacted animal control or the animal shelter. We all have a responsibility to do something when we see animals that are being neglected and/or abused. You are their voice. Pick up the phone and do the right thing. What are you waiting for? Good grief..
I'm about ready to go about an hour out of my way to take another route to work just so I don''t have to pass by the house with all the cat's in the yard. There are about 20+ cats and kittens and they are all mostly skinny and rangy looking but the worst part is nine out of ten times I drive by there is one dead in the road. The last straw was a little black and white kitten smashed in the road. Why do people do this I don't understand? First of all if you live right on a busy road keep your pets contained, second if you can't afford to feed them and spay or neuter them you have no right owning them! The only thing I can do is contact animal control and warn people if you drive on Prices Creek road right before it turns into Hortons creek please go very slow!
Chemical Spraying of Roads
I've had trouble with my car lately and now without one for 4 days. The mechanic said that the line that carried the transmission fluid had rusted due to chemicals that the state sprayed on the road every winter. If I had not been near a garage when the line started leaking, I could had locked up the transmission. Please take note and spray the undercarrage of your cars to clean these chemicals off. He stated that he has replaced more hard lines and repaired more damage this year due to this problem then ever before. I don't know if the state will stop spraying the roads but maybe if enough people will talk to them they might change the spray for snow removal. Thank you
I would also like to thank the gentleman who recommended the mechanic and for Lil Smokies for letting my grandaughter and me sit in their restraurant with our things until my daughter could pick us up. Thank you all so much for your kindness.
Spruce Pine Barbecue and Bluegrass Festival
I am writing this comment in regards to the Spruce Pine Barbecue and Bluegrass Festival.What a great line up of entertainment,vendors,and food.Sounded like great fun in the mountains!Shame that it was labeled a family event though.My family has opted out two years in a row because the festival is so alcohol friendly as well.We will be enjoying events like these at Dollywood where it is truly family friendly and quests aren't walking around with their cups of alcohol.Shame our money is going to the state of Tennessee.Just saying.And we know there are lots of other families in our area who feel the same.The Mount Mitchel Crafts Fair doesn't serve alcohol either,and we wouldn't miss it.Funny,they have had great success without alcohol.
Poet Laureate
Governor McCrory appointed someone who simply enjoys writing poetry to the position of North Carolina Poet Laureate. This is like awarding a Medal of Honor to someone who just joined the Army.
Being Rude to Waitresses
It is a shame that some people cannot go out to eat at a restaurant and treat the waitresses with the respect. These young people are working hard to make a living and go to school to better themselves, not lay around and let the government keep them up. Most people do not even leave a tip anymore and that is the way they make their money. Waitresses do not cook your food, complain to the manager if you are not happy with the food Or else stay home and cook your own.
Road Construction
There is such a thing as working at night. Less traffic and no "heat". Just saying.
I normally don't read the "opinions of others" because THANK GOD we are not all alike but, this is one thing that gets my attention. The road repair. All of you that feel like driving thru a maze, on a bumpy road, and have a detour should look at standing in HEAT for hours to keep you from running into a harmful situation. I really feel bad for the ones who stand in 80 and 90 degree heat for long hours so the roads will be improved.
Energy Exploration
We as a community need to be concerned about Fracking. We shouldn't roll over and keep our heads in the sand. There are a lot of things that we know and much more that we don't. Let's be informed and not allow our Representatives to pull the wool over our eyes. Several towns have already had meetings to discuss what can be done by ordinances to prevent Fracking in their community. We need to do the same. It's not safe. Call your Representatives and let them know where you stand, more importantly VOTE when the time comes and show them where you stand!
Representative Presnell is either "gullible" or "Ignorant" (meaning the absent of knowledge) is she believes everything she reads, especially information from individuals who are heavily paid by large corporations either politically or under the table. NC deserves better!!!!! Shame on you Ms. Presnell. You need to do your research. Protect our environment!!!!!!!
Rep. Presnell claims "Problems would be widespread and obvious by now. Yet, they are not." She is wrong, and just telling you what the industry is telling her to say. There is plenty of video documentation. But people who rely on the lamestream media, such as commercial tv like Fox "news", are not going to hear about the problems because the lobbyists and PACs who own our government now also own the mainstream media. They will do or say anything to protect their profits. It doesn't matter if you are a Christian or not, it doesn't matter if you are a conservative or a liberal, it doesn't matter if you are straight or gay - drinking chemicals from fracked water sources is going to hurt you. If it was so safe, why would Rep. Presnell make it a crime for healthcare professionals to tell you what made you sick?
Mining and Energy Commission Chair Jim Womack wrote these two letters in regards to North Carolina Environmental Partnership Ads and Political Ads on Fast Track Fracking.
Letter 1
Letter 2
Ethylene glycol has many uses, including as antifreeze in cooling and heating systems, in hydraulic brake fluids, and as a solvent. When humans consume ethylene glycol here are the health effects: throat and upper respiratory tract irritation, central nervous system (CNS) depression, followed by cardiopulmonary effects, and later renal damage.
Boric acid and its sodium borate salts are active ingredients in pesticide products used as insecticides, acaricides, algaecides, herbicides, fungicides and as wood preservatives. It causes testicular atrophy in males and developmental toxicity in pregnant females. It kills unborn children.
The regulations sited say companies cannot inject "waste" water containing these chemicals horizontally under land that is not under contract to the mining company. It does not say they cannot inject them during the initial mining process, and even if they break the law and dump into your land you have to prove it and they are only convicted of a misdemeanor, like a speeding ticket………….
……..small fine, no jail time, no compensation for your heart attacks, kidney failure, shriveled parts, and miscarriages.
The good news is it might not happen here! It will happen in the Piedmont! We may be able to send a few folks down there to frack them and make some money! Who cares if it's not us …..right?
I really hope we are better than this. Apparently our representatives are not.
I have received quite a bit of feedback about energy exploration recently. I hope the information below will help address some concerns.
Energy exploration began in 1948. There are currently 38 states that are exploring for natural gas. More than a million projects have been undertaken in the United States, and 2.5 million worldwide. Problems would be widespread and obvious by now. Yet, they are not.
We will not lift the moratorium on drilling until all the regulations created by the Mining and Energy Commission (MEC) are in place. Once the rule-making process is completed (which I'm told will be summer 2015), there will be 60-day waiting period. At that point, permits will be issued. The last time I saw the stack of papers, they were about an inch thick, and were filled with rules and regulations. They are not finished yet. We will have the tightest set of rules in the nation.
The U.S. Geological survey says The Deep River Basin – a potential gas field – is mostly in Lee, Moore and Chatham Counties.
We are lagging behind in energy exploration in North Carolina. On the issue of the chemicals,
99.5% of the fluid is water and sand. The rest is common household items such as Sodium Chloride used in table salt, Ethylene Glycol used in household cleaners, Borate salts used in cosmetics, Sodium/Potassium Carbonate used in detergent, Guar Gum used in ice cream and Isopropanol, used in deodorant.
Per SB 786, we added this provision:
"§ 113-395.2. Subsurface injection of waste prohibited.
(a) Disposal of wastes produced in connection with oil and gas exploration,
development, and production, and use of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing treatments
for that purpose by injection to subsurface or groundwaters of the State by means of wells is
prohibited in accordance with G.S. 143-214.2.
(b) Notwithstanding G.S. 143-214.2, a violation of subsection (a) of this section shall
constitute a Class 1 misdemeanor.
We prohibit injection and the MEC has draft rules dealing with recycling of fluids or onsite treatment. For the water retained in the formation, these formations are below the water table (well below), so there is no risk of contamination (to wit, these rocks already are full of high salinity "formation water" that does not impact overlying potable aquifers). MEC rules not only deal with water treatment, but they also deal with chemical disclosure and require the companies to post general chemical info on the national FracFocus registry.
I have heard from DENR that there will not be hydraulic fracturing anywhere in Western North Carolina. However, there is opportunity in WNC for job creators to help supply the industry.
I share your concerns and will do everything I can to keep our mountains safe.
Please email me back if you have any questions. And feel free to forward this to whoever would like more information.
Thank you,
Michele (NC Representative Michele Presnell)
Further information about Hydraulic Fracking
Main Street Roads
I really love the new sidewalks in town and they look great! Now if we just had some roads to go along with them. All of Main Street from where the Shell station was to the Rescue Squad building are terrible! It is like driving through an obstacle course trying to miss all the potholes, bumps, and missing pavement. The roads off of Main aren't any better...drive up to the park off the square, it will jar your teeth out! I understand not wanting to do repairs to the by-pass with the new road coming through but what is the excuse for Main Street?
Racing on Sunset Drive
Yes Racing At appx.
11:15 Monday
night three cars WITH THEIR LIGHTS OFF made three trips up Cherry Lane and Then up Sunset Drive across the Blind Hill at a High Rate of Speed, Hope they had fun Bet it never entered either drivers mind What if there had been a vehicle coming up other side of the Blind hill with a Family in it with no way to know that three cars was racing toward them and you killed a dad, mom, kids maybe a whole family. Also there are several people some in small groups, some couples who walk up Sunset Drive and continue around the block. WHAT IF YOU who are running with your lights off Racing Run them down and kill them. What do you think if the lead car hits another vehicle the second car in line hits lead car then third car hits second car in line and so on. Also if lead car GOD FORBID does hit and kill or anybody guess what the rest of you whether in one of cars or driving one are all going to face charges.
Speeding Thru Town
As I read on the news page that Chief Buchanan reported that his department had thus far issued 216 citations and that speeding had decreased, I thought First of all I guess it matters where you live in Burnsville, as well as who you are Because I certainly Don't see no difference on the road where I reside on in town limits. Second I thought some people who have lived here all their lives along with past generations every since Yancey County And Burnsville became a County and Town some have pleaded with the Police Department to do something about the speeding, littering as well as destruction of property by spinning through a section of ones property With little results from police departments Third I read on news page that a couple of people had commented that the speeding problems were decreasing, amazing then I recalled how that some people and business owners come to town meeting complaining about the speeding problem as well as drivers not letting pedestrians cross, along with signs leading to public parking WOW did the mayor put things in motion quickly assigned an officer to walk the beat, It is my opinion that if this had been a group people that was Born Here as well as their descendants and paid taxes had brought these same problems before the board we would got the answer we will do our best but because of who these people are who have moved in and taking over they got the ball rolling quick. As for pedestrians crossing what are all the crosswalks for? The visitors think they can just step out in the road anywhere and expect drivers to stop on a dime they must think they are special. The citations that has been issued according to the chief I wonder were they town tickets if so there is no Database to keep up with citations, these tickets put no points on liscense or Insurance only a fine what does this teach anyone? Town police can also issue State Tickets" But Rarely do" that will put points on your license and Insurance that's money for the ticket, money for points on Insurance and something on one's driving record that would allow any law officer to see what they have been written up for in the past. In my opinion this would have more impact. I also wonder if it depends on who your parents are or relatives, or whether you are a democrat or republican determines whether some have to pay town tickets or might they hear I will take care of it Remember they have no database so only a select few know-" I don't know this goes on" however favoritism has shown it's head in our County and Town before. This is my opinion also anyone reading this has the right to agree or disagree.
19W Nascar Raceway
I didn't know 19 W has now become a Nascar Raceway! I didn't get the memo. Great, so now i too can drive 60 MPH like everyone else and pass on the double yellow line! What a relief ! I can now disregard the safety of other drivers, bicyclists , children, pets and wildlife i come across! Good , because i am constantly late to work and it's all about me getting where I need to go!
Roads in Burnsville
can someone, town or county or state, or whoever is responsible for the roads inside of city limits, please do something at the intersection of Holcombe Brothers and Flowers by Vance and Pensacola Rd, patch or dig up the rest of the asphalt down to the dirt to at least try to make a smooth section in the road. we claim to be wanting tourists to come to our beautiful town, but our roads are crappy. spend some of the money on the repairs of the roads in Burnsville, or are we going for the cobble stone street effect?
Should Cats Be in Library
For us and our children with cat allergies and who have suffered cat bites and scratches and fleas, the answer is no. Plus its unfair to the cats, they are bored and teased.
I am so happy that I live in a crime free county! This has to be the case since there is nothing for the county deputies or town police to do at night other than sit along 19E to watch the Altec 2nd shift employees drive home from work. Most night there is 3 or 4 of them between Altec and Glen Raven.If they don't have anything more important to do I'm sure many of the taxpayers of this county would be glad to tell them where drug activity is going on in their communities and wait...and wait... and wait for them to do something about that. I work for a living so how about leaving me alone and do something about all the ILLEGAL employement in our county. I bet you wouldn't even have to leave the city limits!
President Does What He Wants
I wound like to express my opinion, as well as bring facts to the public interest. This is not concerning one being a democrat or republican, it is another example of President Obama demonstrating his Disregarding the Constitution, as well as Disregarding an order that no prisoner could be transferred before thirty days from git-mo. President Obama once again used his Presidential powers to DO WHAT HE WANTED. "which is becoming a common thing" The very Idea That The President Of The UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Sworn to uphold the Constitution Of This COUNTRY. Would make the decision to trade five seasoned Taliban fighters which has had the life mission to bring harm, death to all Americans for one Soldier who was a prisoner of war which goes against The Law of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. "that we as a nation "DO NOT NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORIST" IT was reported that the reason for the trade was the decline of the Soldier's health, I do not know what the extent of the Soldiers health problems are but if you have been able to watch the video of the exchange the Soldier was able to walk under his own power to the Helicopter. Then it gets more sickening to me when it was reported that the five Taliban gave their word that would stay where they were advised to and other things.( I SAY HOGWASH) Myself I would not believe none of the Taliban if their tongues came notarized. President Obama has used his executive powers to much I believe "my opinion in which each one has the right to agree or disagree" It appears that the President is bound to make THIS GREAT NATION A SOCIALIST ONE. He wants to take away OUR RIGHTS, OUR Right to Bear Arms, Force us into Obama Care, make it legal for two men or two women to berecognized as a couple as well as the murder of little innocent Babies and force all the rest of us to accept it." Personally I NEVER WILL" their are many other things I would like to address but almost out of space. May I Also Give My Opinion that Some Democrats and Republicans have the same agenda's that's not favorable or for the best interest of the AMERICAN PEOPLE .It Is Time To Wake Up And Stand And Fight This Kind Of Government. Our Nation Is one of Democracy NOT One of Dictatorship The AMERICAN PEOPLE ELECTS PRESIDENT'S. CERTAINLY WE DON'T WANT A KING.
Medicaid Denied, Help with Meds?
You might try contacting North Carolina Health Choice for insurance for your child. The contact information follows: North Carolina Health Choice Childrens Health Insurance Program PO Box 30111 Durham, NC 27702-3111
1-800- 422- 4658
...quote from site, "There are two plan options available. The family income will determine in which plan you are enrolled. Health Check is the Medicaid program for the lowest income families and Health Choice is available to families that are not eligible for Medicaid but meet the NCHC income guidelines". Might be worth a try. Also, the Health Insurance Marketplace might be able to help you find a policy that qualifies for incentives:
I wish you the best.
I know how you feel . We make enough that we don't qualify for help but even with the new health insurance it still costs more than we can afford because of medical bills from not having insurance and now we will have to pay a penalty too. It is upsetting your child needs help..
My husband and work 30+ every week...both have insurance.. And my son who was on medicad now is not eligible because they say we make too much a month...but yet we are barely making ends meet. My son has ADHD and has to have his meds daily.. We can't afford to put him on our insurance, or get private insurance for him. So is there anyone out there that could tell me what I need to do to get my son the meds that he needs with some assistance?
Road Construction
I am aggravated because the state comes along and digs up a section of road then leaves it for months without repaving. Even going over the bad place slow every day is hard on the car. Why leave a place in the road with no pavement?
is anyone else getting as aggravated with the progress of the road widening project as I am? they have cut the road up so badly that the pot holes have pot holes. I don't know if my vehicle will survive the construction or not. I don't know about you all, but my vehicle has to last me for several years and at the rate the construction is going it is going to be a very short life for a lot of taxpayers vehicles. why have they not changed the traffic pattern to get us on the new sections that they have completed?
Stop Fracking in NC, Property Rights Threatened
Hydraulic fracturing involves injecting a witch's brew of water laced with a range of toxic chemicals, including known carcinogens, and sand, which is injected down a well, under high pressure, to fracture rock. This process generates contaminated wastewater that is often pumped underground in order to get rid of it. Geologist and the journal Geophysical Research Letters have linked earthquakes in Ohio, Texas and Oklahoma to fracking. New research from the National Academy of Science leaves little doubt that drinking water near fracking sites are contaminated with toxic chemicals. Please do your own research about the dangers. The only ones saying this is safe are scientist working for gas companies. State representatives are willing to risk North Carolina's water, its land and the health of its people, by allowing hydraulic fracking for gas. All for just a 12 day national supply of gas ( the U.S. Geological Survey estimate of natural gas in N.C) . The job projections are laughable because no one knows. Those like you are saying thousands of jobs yet the the DENR report projected drilling activities in the 59,000-acre Sanford sub-basin would sustain an annual average of 387 jobs over seven years, peaking with 858 jobs in year six. Commerce chiefs noted the drilling jobs are temporary, and the demand will dry up once the maximum number of wells has been drilled. Most jobs are highly skilled and will likely be given to people from out of state. One very important fact that many people are not aware of is " Compulsory/Forced pooling". This a process whereby the Oil & Gas industry takes the property rights of citizens that refuse to sign a lease, by force of law. If your neighbors who own land leases that land to the industry and you refuse to lease your land to them, the industry takes over your property against your will. the present law in N.C. SB820, part 5, section 4a, paragraph b & b1 on page 18, states that a driller who does not have surface rights to a property can give the property owner a 30 day notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, after which time the driller can send crews to the property to survey, cut timber, put in roads, pipelines , storage tanks even locate a well on your property all against your will. To add insult to injury, paragraph b1 makes YOU responsible for the workers safety while they are on your land. The Legislature is not addressing property rights during the short session because they are afraid that they will be voted out of office if citizens realize that they are giving the Oil & Gas industry the property rights of the citizens of N.C. Compulsory/Forced Pooling is unnecessary, unwanted and un-American !! So for 12 days of gas, under 400 jobs the GOP lead state house is willing to destroy our water, risk our land and throw land owners rights out the door. Makes you wonder who the Koch Brothers got to doesn't I hear many of you complain about the rights that our national government are taking away. I say you better be just as concerned about you state GOP reps. TELL THEN NO FRACKING IN NC.
East Yancey Unfair to Parents and Visitors
East Yancey is the only school in the county to deny guest wireless access to parents and guest speakers/presenters. That's not 'community-friendly' and only limits the school's ability to provide education from outside sources and speakers. It's rude to both us parents and professional guests visiting the school. It may be our county's 'School To Watch' - but it's not a school that makes you feel welcome.
Alcohol in Burnsville
When Burnsville held the election to get alcohol in Burnsville there was talk of how if we got the alcohol in that there would be more restaurants come into the area. Now that we have the alcohol in and have had it in for awhile now, where is the bigger and better restaurants at?
Response on "Cold Dog"
"OH by the way dog's were made by God to live outside" Ummm, so were we. And your other comment "However the Babies killed by abortion and the children as well as adults are far more important to me than Animals." Than do something about it instead of jumping in on other peoples opinions/comments about totally different topics and slamming them for not voicing your own concerns. We have ours and you have yours, would you like it if somebody slammed your opinion/comment because it wasn't what they thought was important. Its all important, so start your own topic voicing your concerns and leave others alone.
Thanks D.O.T.
I'd like to say thanks to the DOT workers during all this snow. They got out in really bad cold weather to keep our roads as clear as possible. Thank you!


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Graduate School Interviews
There are some graduate programs that will invite candidates for an interview as part of the selection process. If you are invited and you really want to attend this program, then be sure to accept the invitation and dress appropriately.
Preparing for the Interview
Prepare for this if it were a job interview. You will need to…
- be able to articulate how your goals and qualifications match what this program has to offer
- convince them that you will be an asset to their department and program.
In general, they will be asking questions about…
- You – your goals and strengths
- The Institution and Program - what appeals to you about it
- The Faculty - your awareness of what they are currently doing in the field
They will expect you to have questions as well. Your questions will demonstrate your interest in the program, your analytical and inquisitive mind, and of course your personality and interpersonal skills.
Sample Interview Questions
Here are some typical questions that are often asked:
(It's is a good idea to formulate answers to these questions and then to practice your responses out loud.)
- What are your career goals?
- Why do you want a graduate degree in ________?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses as a student?
- Why would you be an asset to our department?
- What kind of teaching or research experience have you had to date?
- Why should we accept you into this program?
- What makes you a good candidate?
- What appeals to you about our program?
- What other institutions have you applied to for admission?
- Tell me about the research project you were involved in with Professor__________?
Here are some questions you might ask:
- What are the requirements for the master's degree, the Ph.D?
- What is the typical program of study?
- What kind of teaching assistantships or research assistantships are available?
- How long does it typically take someone to complete this program?
- I've read articles written by ________, _________, and ______. To what extent are students involved in assisting them with these research projects?
- How accessible is Professor __________to the students?
- When are comprehensive exams taken?
- What are the requirements for the prospectus?
- What subject matter is tested in the general examination?

subset: commoncrawl


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|gyroscope or gyrostat (ˈdʒaɪrəˌskəʊp)
|Sometimes shortened to: gyro a device containing a disc rotating on an axis that can turn freely in any direction so that the disc resists the action of an applied couple and tends to maintain the same orientation in space irrespective of the movement of the surrounding structure
|gyrostat or gyrostat
|gyroscopic or gyrostat
|gyro'scopically or gyrostat
|gyro'scopics or gyrostat
|gyroscope (jī'rə-skōp') Pronunciation Key
An instrument consisting of a heavy disk or wheel spun rapidly about an axis like a top. The angular momentum of the disk causes it to resist changes in the direction of its axis of rotation, due to the principle of conservation of angular momentum. Because of the gyroscope's tendency to remain oriented in one direction, it is used as a stabilizing device in missiles, as well as in the navigation and piloting systems of airplanes, ships, rockets, and other vehicles.


text:
July 28, 2014
Stay up-to-date with KAKE News:
Monday, February 25, 2013
Gov. Sam Brownback says the second winter storm to hit Kansas in less than a week "has the potential to be more dangerous than last week's storm."
State officials held a briefing Sunday in which Brownback amended the state of emergency declaration he signed last week to include the new storm.
The Division of Emergency Management has activated the State Emergency Operations Center and will staff it around the clock until further notice.
The National Weather Service issued a blizzard watch from late Sunday through late Monday for western Kansas ahead of the storm system that's packing snow and high winds. The storm has been tracking across western Texas toward Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri.
A storm that hit the area last week dumped a foot of snow in some sections.


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multilis wrote:Wandas orders to survive no matter what could also still mean switching sides/joining Charlie... it is his turn next. Would change everything, suddenly GK and Jetstone would be allies.
El_Chupacabra wrote:Are the dwagons more armored on top, such that the arrows will have dramatically less effect? Possibly so much less that the archers will run out of arrows before the dwagons run out of HP?
It would make sense, if so, to have the dwagons provide shelter and "ride out" the arrow volleys. If there's still enough ammo, then leaving the Atrium makes more sense.
BLANDCorporatio wrote:splintermute wrote:I don't think that's a fail on Tram's part - he already ordered the evacuation of the atrium. Adam is acting on his own initiative - he really shouldn't have been standing there.
I subscribe. Let's not pass blame on who's not responsible, let's try to vary our who-s-an-idiot discussions (my money now is on- Charlie is a complete dunderhead), and we may even agree that flooding the exposed courtyard with arrows (while instructing your infantry to block the exits of the Atrium) is a sound plan.
BLANDCorporatio wrote:teratorn wrote:Oh the lack of leadership means one thing, Sylvia is dead or incapacitated. Should we start mourning?
It's a strong possibility.
My guess is however that she has just as good a chance of being functional as any Hob Knight. Those had leadership too, after all, so we should assume that either everything that had leadership was lost (but, weirdly, just the casters were spared- how convenient), or that leadership is lost because any stacking structure was lost after the fall.
My pick, for now, is the latter.
Sixty wrote:Obviously the mystery caster has no particular feelings one way or the other about Parson, he simply heard "cue the Benny Hill music" and gave chase, compelled to do so by forces outside his control.
oslecamo2 wrote:Another fail for Trems. " HERP Hey, let's shoot down our own troops so Wanda has yet more bodies to decrypt DERP!"
And then back to tactical genius ""Oh s**** we«re f*****! Need to find a way to keep king alive. Now."
danhaas wrote:That callousness of Wanda is puzzling me... is it confidence on Fate, dizzyness from the Cure, or just her personality after the Suggestion backlash and Arkentool atunnment?
Shusagi wrote:Awesome page. Leaves me wanting so much more though. I wish I could have the restraint to not check the comic for a few months then get a whole bunch of story all at once, but alas. : )
Jack wrote:No... I really can't see how the locals stand this climate
Wanda wrote:Found Leadership
rkyeun wrote:Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
We've seen GK use cloth golems in the exposition at the start of book two. Its possible Wanda, a MK caster or the archons made them, but I assumed it was simple decryption. Although I would personally recommend golems backed up by the dollamancer, dittomancer, healomancer combo. With the dollamancer's and warlord's bonus multiplied by the dittomancer with the healing a Jetstone golem would be worth way more than a GK golem.teratorn wrote:JS should send in golems, I'd guess since they are constructs and don't pop they can't be decrypted.
This might be the way to beat GK, a huge army of golems with only a few warlords to direct the
I would agree. If they lose here they essentially lose. Wanda MUST die. If Wanda dies GK loses. Its worth the risk of croaking a slim few units in the atrium; GK already has plently corspes to pick from comparitivly, and IIRC most of the warlords mounted on the dwagons were alive, so they were gonna get leadeship anyway.atalex wrote:I'd say it was a very sound plan since we just saw an arrow miss Wanda's head by six inches! It's not Tram's fault that Wanda is protected by Fate armor.
dirocyn wrote:So now Slately needs saved, and they've got a jetpack. Good thing for GK they left all the Archons & Ossomer in airspace, so Slately can't just flee unscathed. I think we're about to see just how loyal decrypted units are.
yuffiek wrote:
Look in panel 2, just to the top right of the speech balloon, you'll see what appears to be a red-haired GK knight holding off a good half-dozen Jetstone troops. Sylvia is most definitely up and and about...
teratorn wrote:Oh the lack of leadership means one thing, Sylvia is dead or incapacitated. Should we start mourning?
VoiceOfUnreason wrote:Hayes wrote:I wonder if the arrows "mything" are an oblique reference to Robert Asprin's Myth series?
Given that two arrows myth, it is almost certainly a reference to Carol Kane in the Muppet Movie (1979).
Althernai wrote:danhaas wrote:That callousness of Wanda is puzzling me... is it confidence on Fate, dizzyness from the Cure, or just her personality after the Suggestion backlash and Arkentool atunnment?
Why do you think it is something other than her natural personality? She has never given a second thought to uncroaking a unit and this is not even one she knew. Uncroaking Banhammer was callous, decrypting Antium for the sake of leadership is just everyday business.
fractal wrote:tez wrote:Sixty wrote:Heh, "Found Leadership."
That bit is pure evil. So callous.
Yeah, warlords mean nothing to Wanda now, they are totally replaceable. Only high level ones like Ansom, or unique ones like Parson, are worth even giving a second thought.
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Syble Justice Dilocker, passed away March 6, 2013 at Cypress Glen Rehabilitation Center.
She was born February 24, 1920 in Woodville, TX to Ethrel Edgar Justice and Jessie Vernon Jordan Justice.
She is survived by her daughters, Peggy Parker and husband Michael Parker of Ragley, LA and Nelda Dilocker Devillier and husband Gene Devillier of Groves, TX; grandchildren, Jonathan Parker of Ragley, LA, Benjamin Parker of Ragley, LA, and Elisabeth Parker Mancil and husband Johnny Mancil of DeRidder, LA; brother, J.V. Justice and wife Gene Justice of Beaumont, TX; sisters, Jane Mannino of Silsbee, TX, Faye Byrd and husband Howard Byrd of Port Arthur, TX; sister-in-law, Geraldine VanSchoubroek of Beaumont, TX.
Syble was a member of the Groves First Baptist Church Senior Adult Choir. She volunteered at the Groves Senior Citizen center and loved to work in her yard and quilting.
Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 8th at Levingston Funeral Home in Groves. Services will be Saturday March 9th at 2 p.m. at the funeral home. Interment will be at Oak Bluff Memorial Park in Port Neches, TX.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made, in memory of Syble, to a charity of your choice.
Thanks to friends, family and caregivers for the loving care and support during her sickness.
Syble Justice Dilocker
Syble Justice Dilocker, passed away March 6, 2013 at Cypress Glen Rehabilitation Center.


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Pretty new to the whole home audio thing. Recently got a pair of T15s. I've been running those by themselves for a little while now was looking to get the last pieces for a 5.1. Was looking into the Csi A4 for the center. Didn't have much in mind for the rest. Should I get new fronts and just use the T15s as the surround?
Hooked up to a VSX-822 and Pioneer SW-8MK2 if that's important.


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He was a decorated soldier, thought to have died twenty years ago. But yesterday in Karrnath his body washed ashore, unkempt, dressed in rags. . . .
And murdered.
Now it's up to a hardened soldier out for cold vengeance and a chronicler looking for a story to unravel a dead man's past—and with it, the future of Khorvaire.


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Career talk for women
Women are leaving the workforce in droves in favor of being at home. Not to be a homemaker, but as job-making entrepreneurs.
By Natalie MacNeil
A quiet revolution is taking shape right now among women. Unlike the Quiet Revolution that began in the 1970s which saw women leave the home and enter the workforce in droves, women today are leaving the workforce in droves in favor of being at home. But unlike generations of women before, these women are opting to work in the home not as homemakers—but as job-making entrepreneurs.
Women have been starting businesses at a higher rate than men for the last 20 years and tend to create home-based micro (less than 5 employees) and small businesses. Women will create over half of the 9.72 million new small business jobs expected to be created by 2018 and more and more are doing this from home offices across the country. It's a surprising statistic, especially considering that women-owned businesses only created 16 percent of total U.S. jobs that existed in 2010.
It's the data released this week though by the National Federation of Independent Business about how women entrepreneurs fared during the recession that really cements that this is a revolution with staying power.
The recession was tough for many small business owners and nearly half of women-owned businesses still haven't been able to climb back to pre-recession sales, but they persevered and adapted to a new economy. Controlling costs was the most popular strategy adopted among women entrepreneurs to get through the recession and there was a 52% increase in the number of women entrepreneurs using social media to boost business while saving on marketing costs.
"The result…is a new cohort of women-owned businesses, battle-tested and more competitive than the generation that preceded them," says William Dennis in the report. With more women starting businesses and succeeding there's an opportunity to reshape the working landscape.
With job satisfaction and work environment satisfaction at an all-time low, something needs to change and this could be a step in the right direction.
Let me make it very clear here: I'm not saying women are better or that women starting more businesses means the world is all rainbows and butterflies. Women just do things differently in the world of business and different should be welcomed.
Many women view corporations today as being fundamentally flawed and limiting in their value structures. The Guardian Life Index, an initiative to understand America's small business owners, cites "office politics" as a driving factor for women leaving Corporate America to start businesses.
With the cost of starting a business at an all-time low, women are saying "no thank you" to spending years climbing and clawing their way up the corporate ladder, dealing with corporate politics, and working long days without feeling the overall fulfillment they crave.
Many women start businesses that align with personal values and offers freedom and flexibility when it comes to things like scheduling. "The glass ceiling that once limited a woman's career path has paved a new road towards business ownership, where women can utilize their sharp business acumen while building strong family ties," says Erica Nicole who left Corporate America to start YFS Magazine.
In so many fields, "different" is not tolerated, and this has led to barriers for women and minorities. When those in positions of power open the door to new definitions of excellence, success or quality, then we will have more diversity. Thank you for pointing that out. I do take issue with the title you chose for your article, that this move of women into entrepreneurship is The New Women's Movement.
It is A movement, part of a whole. So much needs to be done.
Men knew long ago that life at Encorpera sucks, but were willing to endure it in support of their families.
Now a new generation of women has re-discovered this old truth and are "leaving the workplace in droves" to start their own businesses that offer work/life balance and an Osmotic Membrane Ceiling.
They're gonna "reshape a work environment that clearly isn't working anymore".
Laughable on its face.
Absolutely agree with post, and support every word of it. This IS a movement of huge proportion whose time has come. Working as I do as a coach and advisor for more female entrepreneurs than ever before, and interviewing startup investors and millionaire female entrepreneurs, I feel a different kind of energy for women in the entrepreneurial world vs. corporate – it's palpable and it's exciting. Women absolutely have what it takes to succeed beyond their wildest imaginations in their own businesses, and being completely fed up with the status quo in corporate America — and with how slow the needle is moving for women — is intensely powerful motivation for women to do what it takes to make their new businesses thrive, innovate and grow. Bring it on! Thanks for a great post.
Great article…… and love the title. Entrepreneurship is an ideal model for women to launch themselves and their ideas into the business world as it checks off all the necessary components women need for success. But it is also about taking risks, something women historically seem reluctant to do. However, lately we seem to be working with more women who have the drive and the ambition and are prepared to take the risk(s) necessary to create a sustainable business; one that has wealth creation and lucrative exit strategies as part of their objectives. As more and more women step into that power, the business landscape will change forever.We are living in extraordinary times and to be a woman and to be a part of the incredible and unprecedented changes taking place, well, it is an exciting time indeed!
You read my mind. Even women in reach of the glass ceiling with the skills (and sponsorship) to break through, can find it de-motivating and no longer enticing. Who wants to sell your soul and the best hours of your day to a corporation spending crazy money on mundane, slow moving projects that may get cancelled? Especially while your family suffers at home alone. With far less wasteful ways than a corporation, you can do something meaningful and try to leave this world a better place, alongside other heart-centered but intelligent business minded women entrepreneurs. Who wouldn't want to try?
However, this is only likely to happen with a second income in the family to support during the growth phases. Thank you to all the amazing husbands out there cheering their ladies on in their new entrepreneurship!
This article is great and these comments bring it to life. I know without the support of my husband it would have been much more difficult to give up the income I was contributing to the household. Having some fear isn't bad, it's when the fear paralyzes us that it is bad. Fear can actually be what catapults one into starting a business. It's amazing how our mind can get very creative when we have to feed our family. It is amazing how much we learn about ourselves when we step out and take risks. Great piece on mentoring from all business owners (male or female). Women are amazing as they continue to love their family and press forward in beautiful ways to contribute to society with their own special businesses!
This is an excellent article. I completely agree with you. I entered the workforce in 1977 and didn't find it a very kind place at all for a young female. In 1990, I started my own medical transcription business with $2400.00 that I earned by working 3 jobs and saving, which was hard when I had only a high school education and 2 small children. It took me 7 years to make my first million, but only 2 years to make the second million. After raising a family and putting a daughter through college, someone called me up in 1999 and asked if they could buy me out, so I sold.
I re-entered corporate America in 2000. I hated it.
I began college in middle age. Now, I have a degree in Communications, one in Computer Science and am about to begin my Masters in Information Systems.
I started my second business this year as a web developer and social media expert from my home. I design and build websites, do marketing, blog, and dabble in Java programming.
I don't need to make millions. I just want to live financially comfortably, doing what I love to do, and being an entrepreneur who works from home gives me exactly that.
Being a Male i am so happy to lose at this point… :)
I started my first business in construction in 1971 and haven't worked for anyone else since then. I didn't want to leave my children in a daycare center, so I took them with me. It was the best way then and it still is for me. I have had many ups and downs, but I learned to weather the down times and ride the up times. It's been great!


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About me
Hi there, I'm Oliver Caldwell. I am a developer who specialises in frontend technologies, living and working around London. My StackOverflow careers profile will probably give you a good idea as to what I enjoy working with.
In short: I love all things open source and enjoy writing good JavaScript (yes, there is such a thing). A love for programming in general and a thirst for knowledge provide the motivation I carry through into my work. I adore what I do, hopefully that shows.
If you want to know a little bit more about me, I am sure my Twitter, GitHub and StackOverflow accounts should suffice. If not, why not get in touch. You can contact me through most of the sites I just linked to, or you can drop me an email with olliec87 which is hosted on gmail.com. I thought I should split that up a little to at least avoid some of the spam.


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April 14, 2014
The policy, initially enacted in 2003, requires large items to be collapsed before boarding and kept with the riders, behind the front area reserved for people with wheelchairs. Riders with disabilities filed a lawsuit because for years, the able-bodied took the seats in the designated area and wouldn't give them up.
June 10, 2013
A local advocacy group, which supports the campaign, has logged complaints about parents with strollers refusing to yield seats.
July 8, 2010
Wheelchairs are supposed to take precedence, but riders and disability advocates point to problems with enforcement. Agency public relations department responded that compliance is up to the customer.
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Here's where the cute Mara stories go! I'm actually glad I waited because i have a new one from today. I've been kind of a worthless mommy for the last few days because I finally managed to do some real damage to my back with all the time I've spent hauling her around. I got a prescription for muscle relaxants and between that and heating pads at night and my electro-convulsant stimulation machine during the day, I get by. I walk stooped over a lot of the time, but I haven't screamed or cried in front of her during the worst of the sciatic pain, so I consider it a success.
Anyway, this morning she came to sit on my lap (and, as it turned out, eat the rest of my bowl of soup) and we were talking about what she was going to do once she got down. I asked if she'd play with her musical instruments or her blocks, if she'd read. Since I got a strong "no!" for each of these, I asked if she was going to drive a school bus, since school buses seem to be her favorite thing in the world. "No," she said decisively, "I'm gonna love1′ and then gave me a hug.
We're getting plenty of whining and crying, for sure, and regular three-year-old petulance, but I had a whole long full-sentence conversation with her during dinner tonight and it no longer seemed particularly noteworthy that she's talking so much and so well. Her snuggliness is still a constant, but she also understands that I can't carry her because my back hurts. (I do lift and hold her; I'm kind of choosing my battles.)
It's "ba-ba-ball" season and she and Lee are watching plenty. She's learned "DE-FENSE!" (clap, clap) and tonight added, "Bring it, baby!" to her repertoire. Although she defaults to me when it comes to comfort, she and Lee crack each other up. Lee told Mara, "Get on out of here!" and apparently at first Mara looked stricken, feeling rejected, but then she got a little glint in her eye and said, "YOU get on out of here!" and they were both laughing. I had to hear that pretty much non-stop for the last half hour before they went to bed.
Mara's a very excited eater and generally sings or hums "Yum yum, yum yum yum!" while eating. She's learned to say, "No, thank you" rather than "yuck!" (mostly) if she doesn't want something and even improvised, "I don't wanna, thank you!" the other night to incorporate her own favorite phrase. She took off from the table with a roll on Sunday night and when I told her to come back, saying, "Mara, sweetie, we eat dinner in the dining room," she immediately chirped out, "Not anymore!"
Lee's birthmom Alice just called to say she'd gotten the photos we sent. She's already choosing her "grandma" name and says Mara is "cute as a bug," which is the exact same phrase we got from my uncle in Europe. We've also sent photos to Mara's social worker to pass on to her mom. I know this isn't something the other foster family did and isn't anything that's expected of us, but it just seems to me that she would feel better seeing for herself that her daughter is healthy and happy even if she's not working toward getting custody.
We talked to Rowan, too, at last. I was hoping he wouldn't feel excluded since we now don't oficially have room for him. He's excited for us, though, and happy where he is for now. He was thrilled that Mara is from the same housing project he and his foster brother are, though neither of them knows her family. He says he's glad she's with us and doing well. He was in good spirits and sounded relaxed, which I always appreciate. There was a post from O Solo Mama tonight that made me think about my relationship with Rowan. Am I deluding myself in considering him "family" and thinking it's important to him that we remain a part of his life? Am I just playing out my own view of myself and forcing him to follow his role in that? I think not and hope not, but this is something I'm thinking about, Rowan-as-teen-boy versus Rowan-as-part-of-me-being-parental. At any rate, he enjoys talking to us and I think that's reason enough to keep calling him, regardless of what my other motivations may have been.
And Lee put Mara down to bed in way less time than it's taken me to write this. It seems like all of a sudden evenings have just opened up now that it only takes her between five and twenty minutes to fall asleep to the point where she can successfully be moved from the rocking chair to bed, rather than up to an hour and sometimes more we were facing in the first week. Shes getting more active about playing with her cuddly toys, including a puppy one of my coworkers gave her, which she has named Puppy. Puppy is the first of her toys to bear a name she chose. Every day she comes up with something new and she understands things better, I can tell.
I'm still pretty much exhausted, which would be the case if I were in this much pain even without a kid in the house. But with all the laundry (oh, man, the laundry!) and cooking and cleaning up after cooking, doing dishes, getting her dressed and dealing with time in the bathroom, plus just being available to her at any time and talking with her all day, well, I'm beat! But today we watched her favorite movie, the documentary Babies, and talked again about all the different ways mommies can be mommies and how babies have different personalities, talking a little about what little I know of her history. I do know her personality now is a sweet one. Her favorite points in the film may be when the Mongolian baby pees and when the Namibian baby walks around with a can on his head like a hat, but her true self comes out when she's cheering them on as they crawl, stand, walk. "Good job, baby! You did it Yippee!" I couldn't have said it better myself when looking at her every single day.


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Sports Teams and Events
Where to Play Golf in New Orleans
A list of the best places to play a round of golf in New Orleans.
LSU Football
LSU football team information
New Orleans Shell Shockers
New Orleans soccer team
Women's Roller Derby in New Orleans
A profile of the Big Easy Rollergirls, New Orleans' women's roller derby team.
2012 Saints Football Schedule
A complete 2011 schedule for the New Orleans Saints football team.
March Madness in New Orleans
An article about the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game and fun events surrounding the event.
Fair Grounds Race Track
Fair Grounds Race Course horse racing in New Orleans
City Park Big Bass Fishing Rodeo and Festival
An article about the City Park Big Bass Fishing Rodeo and Festival in New Orleans held every spring.
Great Sports Events in New Orleans in 2012 and 2013
An article about the many major sports events taking place in New Orleans in 2012 and 2013, including the Arena Bowl, Super Bowl, The BCS Championship Bowl, the NCAA Men's Division 1 Basketball Playoffs.
The New Name for the Home of the New Orleans Saints
An article about the Superdome in New Orleans, home of the New Orleans Saints, and the Mercedes-Benz Super Dome.
The Crescent City Classic 10K Race
An article about the Crescent City Classic 10K race in New Orleans.
Marathon and Mardi Gras
An article about the 2010 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon including date, time, etc.
The Audubon Park Golf Course in New Orleans
A profile of the Audubon Park Golf Course in New Orleans


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By Denny Weller
Special to The Free Press
Maple River senior forward Zach Krengel is a self proclaimed defensive ace. Thursday night at the Mankato East gym, Krengel shook that image.
Krengel put through a career-high 26 points and lead the No. 1-seeded Eagles to a 73-71 Section 2AA, South Subsection semifinal win over United South Central.
"I am not usually a scorer; I am more of a defender," Krengel said. "The team needed me tonight, so I did what I had to do. I was working my butt off trying to get position, and my role tonight was to score more. It wasn't the prettiest game we've had but in the playoffs like this, it comes down to who makes the plays and I felt we made a few more."
Maple River, which lost a 62-61 decision earlier this season to the Rebels in Wells, used a 16-2 burst midway through the first half to build a 38-20 lead on Krengel's 7-footer with 4:55 remaining. Krengel and junior center Brian Doering shredded USC's interior defense for 12 points each in the opening half.
"March Madness is all about making enough plays to survive and advance," Maple River coach Chad Ostermann said. "I felt we had an advantage at Zach's position so went there early and often on the post up. ... He's more known for his defense, but tonight was his turn to score on offense."
USC (18-10) trimmed the lead to 38-34 at the break by reeling off 14 unansered points. A pair of layups off inbound plays by senior guard Trey Allis and junior forward Steve Voigt ignited things before senior guard Cole Stencel's 3-pointer and two foul shots, along with sophomore guard Nate Pederson's three-point play, produced momentum for the Rebels.
"Our kids gave everthing they had, but that's indicitive of our team all year," USC coach Robert Stevermer said. "We just didn't have quite enough time to crawl out of that hole. (Voigt) was outstanding for us. He's a kid who understands the game and we're fortunate to have him back next year."
Voigt and Stencel each totaled 11 points over the opening 18 minutes for the Rebels, who couldn't get any closer than the final score in the second half. Senior guard Ben Larson fired in a trio of 3-pointers in the second half for the Eagles (24-4), but it was Krengel who kept coming up with huge shots in critical times.
After Pederson's left-side triple cut the deficit to 54-51, Krengel worked the offensive glass for a basket and then followed that moments later with a six-point flurry — two foul shots and a pair of follow-up baskets — to put the Eagles in front 62-53 with 5:29 to go.
USC made one more charge, closing to within 71-68 on Pederson's top-of-the-key 3-pointer with 57 seconds left. However, one free throw each from Jonah Breiter and Michael Lewis was enough to put the game out of reach.
Voigt ended up with 27 points and six rebounds for the Rebels. Stencel scored 17 points, Pederson had 15 and Allis finished with 12.
Senior guard Jaron Denn tallied 13 points and five rebounds for the Eagles, who got seven assists apiece from Larson and Lewis. Krengel also came up with a team-best four steals and eight boards.
Maple River will meet Hayfield Monday at 6 p.m. in the South Subsection title game at Minnesota State's Bresnan Arena.


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Lumia 920 Available Through Amazon for just 1 Cent (Black Only)
Yesterday we reported that the Lumia 920 being indefinitely out of stock at Amazon due to tremendous demand, shorty afterwards the White color also ran out of stock leaving only the black. now it would seem Amazon want to finish off their full stock by pricing the Lumia 920 at only a Penny. The catch being that you can only get it in black, and you might have to wait a week or two to get your order, still a bargains a bargain right?
If you have a take-a-penny-leave-a-penny jar lying around help yourself and order one from the link down below:
Category: Lumia, Nokia, Windows Phone
About the Author (Author Profile)Hey, my name's Ali- Currently a fifth (and final) year Dental Student from Chicago; studying in Jordan. I love all sorts of gadgets almost as much as I love my cookies! Be sure to follow my Twitter handle @AliQudsi and Subcribe to my Youtube for the latest videos - no pressure. Thanks.
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So the phone that has seen incredible outrageous extraordinary demand is now a penny(with contract), lol.
Why should they want to finish the full stock ? Do they have problems with Nokia or with the small demand
it is better to sell it and win something by contract to never sell it and stay of flies at the winery ,
I laughed hard when I see Penny
me too. those plastic tits are a joke
How did you do with at&t contract ? as i know you are in UK not in USA . i'm interested but i'm from brazil and i need to make a contract with them.
"now it would seem Amazon want to finish off their full stock by pricing the Lumia 920 at only a Penny."
Ali, they do not have any black L920 in stock either. Amazon says its backordered and will take one to two weeks to ship.
Disappointed to not see any Nokia phones in any Black Friday sale ads in the newspaper. Nothing but Droids, Galaxy S III's, and cheap knockoff Android phones. Apparently the GS3 is being offered for 49 dollars by all the carriers.
Amazon is selling for a penny, and sometimes even lower than the regular price offered by carriers, because they will get a ETF from you if you cancel the contract – so basically if you cancel, you owe Amazon a ETF and you owe the carrier a ETF as well.
Any price in order to get you to sign the contract.
This is offer for AT&T customers, with contract only – so there is no any discount. This is just not fair info, as you can't just buy it for one cent. That is all.
Isn't it amazing that even if they were giving them away for free, they still won't match the iphone5 sales…
Anyway, that is the right price for that phone if they want to really make an impact on unit sales.. profits are f'ed anyway.
I am standing in an AT&T store in Portland, ME. The agent here is trying to sell a HTC to a customer by telling him that the HTC is more powerful than the lumia 920. He is telling the customer that HTC is expensive because it is much more advanced than the nokia lumia. He even told the customer that the screen on the htc is better than Nokia
the worst thing, customer now wants put $50 more to get the "better" htc phone…


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Scientific Visualizations with POV-Ray
I am a meteorologist at Central Michigan University doing research with collaborators at the University of Illinois on the behavior of supercell thunderstorms, the long-lived rotating monsters that wreak havoc across the Great Plains of the United States every spring. My primary tool for studying the behavior of these fearsome storms is a numerical model called NCOMMAS, a computer application written in FORTRAN 90 that uses the equations of physics to emulate the three-dimensional state of the atmosphere over time. This model produces an immense amount of data over the course of a four-hour thunderstorm simulation, on the order of 200GB, even when using a lossy compressed history file format. One of the great challenges I face in my research is finding ways to visualize this data in a way that provides scientific insight into the physical nature of the simulated storm.
One way to visualize 3-D data is to use a raytracer, a computer application that simulates the behavior of light interacting with virtual objects in three dimensions to create a bitmapped image (Figure 1). This bitmapped image can be displayed on a computer screen and/or saved to disk in an image format such as PPM or TIFF. The Persistence of Vision Raytracer, POV-Ray for short, is a popular open-source raytracer that caught my attention while I was working on my doctoral thesis at the University of Wisconsin in the mid-1990s. At the time, I was looking for software to visualize my 3-D model data of microbursts, severe downdrafts that sometimes descend from thunderstorm clouds. Being accustomed to the shared-source nature of the academic world and being a poor grad student, I was looking for free software distributed in source code form that I could download and modify to fit my own specific needs. POV-Ray was the logical choice for me then, and it continues to suit my needs today in creating raytraced representations of my research data.
Rendering scientific data isn't the task for which POV-Ray was designed, however, and few researchers are using POV-Ray for rendering scientific data. Other raytracing packages geared toward the researcher doing work with numerical models exist, but they are proprietary and expensive. In this article, I outline the process of modifying POV-Ray so that isosurfaces of 3-D scientific data can be rendered natively.
Although POV-Ray is distributed in binary form for Linux, Mac OS and Microsoft Windows, you need to obtain the source code in order to apply patches and make further customizations. I am using the latest version of POV-Ray available as of this writing, version 3.5. You need to select the Unix/Linux/Generic Source Code option from the POV-Ray download page. In addition, you need to obtain Ryouichi Suzuki's Density File extension patch (see the on-line Resources), which actually is a Zip file containing replacement source code for a handful of the POV-Ray files. The file pov35dfjs.zip should be unpacked in the povray-3.50c/src directory, where 13 files will be overwritten.
POV-Ray works by reading a scene description file that contains all of the information necessary to create a bitmapped image. POV-Ray has its own scene description language, which is well documented on the POV-Ray Web site. If you never have used a raytracer before, I recommend familiarizing yourself with raytracer basics and POV-Ray's scene description file before making modifications to the source.
Items rendered in POV-Ray are called objects. Examples of objects include Box, Sphere, Torus and Plane. The user specifies where objects exist in the scene, what parameters to use in creating the objects, what color to make the objects, lighting parameters and so forth. These specifications are made in a scene description file, sometimes called a pov file because of the .pov suffix, which is a plain-text file parsed by POV-Ray at runtime.
One versatile object is the isosurface, a 3-D shape whose surface represents points where a function's value is constant. The constant value of the function is chosen by the user. POV-Ray contains many predefined objects that actually could be represented as isosurfaces. For instance, the following section from a scene description file would render a gray sphere with a radius of 0.7 units, centered at the origin, which is Cartesian gridpoint (0,0,0):
sphere { <0,0,0>, 0.7 pigment {rgb .5} }
The same object could be rendered as an isosurface object in the following way:
#declare R = 0.7 isosurface { function {x*x + y*y + z*z - R*R} pigment {rgb .5} }
This works because the mathematical formula describing a sphere of radius R is:
x2 + y2 + z2 - R2 = 0
This versatility of the isosurface object makes it the object of choice for my thunderstorm images.
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Greg Webb
The Peaster Lady Greyhounds created enough smooth sailing with efficient play on Tuesday to overcome interspersed rough spots, as they won their first-round playoff match against Grandview. The Class 2A, Region II bi-district contest was settled in four sets, 14-25, 25-12, 25-23, 25-18.
Though notching the win to move on to the area round, Peaster head coach Autumn Threet assessment of the match suggested a level of play well below the Lady Hounds' capabilities.
"It was a rough four games for us," Threet said, "and I really don't think we played well, pretty much the whole time.
"Obviously we played well enough to win, but it seemed like we had a hard time shaking the playoff jitters."
After dropping the opening game, the Lady Hounds began to put together more coordinated attacks and, coupled with Grandview's own inconsistencies, handily evened the match at one set apiece. The final two games were heavily contested, with Peaster finding enough offense to beat back the Lady Zebras' rallies, particularly in the third stanza, when Grandview put together an 11-4 run before Peaster closed them out, 25-23.
"I am hoping, now that we have a playoff game under our belts, we will [be more relaxed] for the next round," Threet said. "[Pilot Point] was here watching us tonight, and one good thing we can take away from tonight is that they didn't see us at our best, and don't know how really good we can be."
Peaster will meet Pilot Point (winner of District 12) on Thursday at Byron Nelson High School. First serve for the Area match is set for 7 p.m.
Aledo made its first foray into the 2012 state playoffs on Tuesday, as well, in Class 4A, Region I play. Facing Burleson Centennial, the Ladycats swept their bi-district match, 25-17, 25-14, 25-16. Aledo is set to play Denton High in the Area round on Friday at Brewer High School. The match will begin at 6:30 p.m.
After sitting out their respective bi-district rounds, Springtown and Brock are set to enter the postseason. The Lady Porcupines travel to Stephenville High School on Thursday to play a Class 3A, Region I Area match against the Llano Lady Jackets, who knocked off Glen Rose in the bi-district round. Game time is at 7 p.m.
Sunnyvale's win over Whitesboro earned the Lady Raiders a meeting with Brock in the Class 2A, Region II Area round. The match will be played at the Burleson Centennial High School gymnasium. First serve is set for 5 p.m.


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Rave reviews for John Kyrle production (From Hereford Times)
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Rave reviews for John Kyrle production
Updated 6:10pm Saturday 22nd February 2014 in News
THIS year's main school production played to over 1,100 people over four days and gained rave reviews from the audiences, many of whom compared it favourably to the professional production currently touring the UK.
This is one of the most ambitious and complex musicals to stage but, with a fantastic staff and student orchestra under the masterful baton of Chris Toomer and Charlotte Fishwick's inspired choreography, the large cast pulled it off and earned their last night standing ovation and four curtain calls.
The story is a tragic one and the ill-fated love affair between Maria (Freya Snelling) and Tony (Sam Sanger) was beautifully portrayed with real emotional intensity against the tense rivalry of the gangs, the Jets coolly led by Riff (Harry Abbott) and the Sharks led with bravado by Bernardo (Elliot Gooch). The three main adults, Lieutenant Schrank (Jacob Timms), Officer Krupke (Ben Lewis) and drugstore owner Doc (Arthur Godden) could only look on in despair as the violence escalated.
On an exciting and intricate set beautifully lit by lighting technicians Rhodri Morris and Ollie Sturgess, the scenes were played out and crowd favourites such as 'America', 'I Feel Pretty' and 'Officer Krupke' were staged with great finesse and enthusiasm.
Producer Ben Abbott thanked the many adults who had given up time to help prepare for the production and praised the dedication of the hugely talented and committed cast for another legendary John Kyrle production.


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IRONDALE — We've written variations on this before: Pleasant Grove only dresses out seven girls on its girls basketball team, but that's often all they need.
That was the case in the first round of the Jefferson County Girls Basketball Tournament large-school division, as the Spartans took down Gardendale 59-57 Tuesday at Shades Valley.
The Rockets almost pulled even with Pleasant Grove at the end, but simply ran out of time.
"We were down by seven with a minute and a half left, and cut it down to two," Gardendale coach Amy Barnett said. "If we would've had another 30 seconds, we would have won it."
The Rockets took advantage of opportunities down the stretch, hitting 11-of-13 free throws in the fourth quarter.
Chelsey Deloney led the Rockets with 21 points and eight rebounds. Chelsea Robinson had 11 points and 15 rebounds, Mallorie Corbin scored 14 - 10 of them in the final period - and Caroline Casaday handed out eight assists.
Ciera Smith led all scorers with 23 points for the Spartans. Aaliyah Myers added 22 points and Chelsie Taylor had 10.
The Rockets drop to the consolation bracket, and play the loser of the Minor-Pinson Valley game Wednesday at 4:30.


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Wood sculpture carving
- When: Friday, June 15, 2012, 9 a.m.
- Where: Loudy-Simpson Park, Craig
- Cost: Not available
- Age limit: Not available
- Categories: Community
Wood sculptures in progress can be viewed until dusk during the annual Whittle the Wood Rendezvous carving competition. Call 826-2029 or visit www.whittlethewood.com.
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I think this bit is in error unless Charlie does indeed have predictamancy.erianaiel wrote:He told, or tricked, the Slately clone into changing capitols as soon as Parson entered the trap, knowing that Parson would be without move in an inferno even if he managed to croak the king and remaining caster(s) in the ruins of the city.
Timing is never clear in Erfworld, but we have a causality chain in which:
1. Charlie tells Slately to trap Parson in the city. http://www.erfworld.com/book-2-archive/ ... -09-19.jpg
2. Slately and musters for a counter-attack to take the throne.
3. Causing Sylvia to light the garrison on fire. http://www.erfworld.com/book-2-archive/ ... -10-10.jpg
Now, admittedly, 3 could have been in response to 2, which we see Tram doing even before he learns of the plan, but this would imply both that we are seeing the updates out of order and that Charlie begins his call to Fakely without the plan to trap Parson (since Tram is right next to Fakely and not mustering his hosts), and that 2 and 3 happen within the span of 4 panels of dialogue or so, and somehow Charlie learns this while on a thinkagram and changes his plan.
It all seems far more likely to me that Charlie just wanted to trap Parson in Spacerock for another reason, and that we have yet to see that shoe fall. Fire was just a bonus, and now Parson is several flavors of f***ed. Anyway, the story is getting difficult to follow. I'm not sure if this is because or in spite of how much we forumites tend to over-think things.
Parson has been able to swear in Erfworld since the end of book 1.halibut wrote:Shouldn't panel 2 be "Come here, you little Boop!"


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By Mark Fischenich
Free Press Staff Writer
LE CENTER — A recount of more than 41,000 ballots cast in Minnesota Senate District 20, which includes most of Le Sueur County, will begin Wednesday and is expected to conclude by Friday afternoon.
At stake is former state Sen. Kevin Dahle's return to the Legislature two years after losing by fewer than 900 votes in his first re-election bid and three weeks after winning an even slimmer victory in his comeback attempt.
A Northfield Democrat and Northfield High School social studies teacher, Dahle received 78 more votes than Mike Dudley, a New Prague Republican and retired FBI agent, among 41,231 ballots counted on Election Day. The numbers translate to 50.03 percent for Dahle to 49.84 percent for Dudley, well within the threshold for an automatic recount under state election law — less than one-half of 1 percent.
Dudley said he's not optimistic about finding enough counting errors to change the result.
"Based on past experience (with Minnesota recounts), it's not a high probability," he said.
But he decided against conceding the race and waiving his right to a recount.
"It was just too close to not let it play out," he said.
Dudley said he considered two factors in deciding whether to waive the recount. First was the support of the 20,550 residents of Le Sueur, Rice and Scott counties who voted for him in a year when most Republican candidates were getting trounced as Minnesota strongly supported Democrats up and down the ballot.
Many of those supporters encouraged him to go forward with the recount, he said.
Secondly, he wanted to make sure the recount wouldn't be too costly and called the Secretary of State's Office for data on the expense of previous recounts — something Minnesota has plenty of experience with following statewide recounts in 2008 (the Al Franken-Norm Coleman U.S. Senate race) and 2010 (the Mark Dayton-Tom Emmer contest for governor).
Dudley said he was told past recounts worked out to about 3 cents per ballot.
"A little over $1,200," he said of the cost of counting the more than 41,000 ballots cast in his race. "So I didn't feel it was an undue burden on the taxpayers."
The actual cost, at 3 cents a ballot, would be about $100 more than that because county elections workers will have to count all the ballots cast within the boundaries of Senate District 20 — including those where the voter didn't bother to vote on the state Senate race.
In Le Sueur County, about 8 percent of voters cast a ballot with a vote marked on the presidential race but not on the state Senate races. If the drop-off was similar in the other counties, more than 44,000 ballots will be checked this week.
The process starts Wednesday in Rice County, where more than 17,000 votes were cast in the District 20 race and where Dahle dominated with 60 percent of the vote in his home county. Then comes Le Sueur County on Thursday, where Dudley won just over 53 percent of the 11,376 votes. The recount concludes on Friday in Dudley's home county of Scott, where he won 60 percent of the more than 12,500 ballots cast in the southern part of the county that is part of District 20.
The recount is open to the public, although observers will be kept behind rope lines so they can't touch the ballots, said Carol Blaschko, elections administrator for Le Sueur County. Two counting tables will be set up in the commissioners room of the courthouse in Le Center, the sealed ballots will be brought in from a vault, and each precinct will be counted ballot by ballot.
Representatives of both candidates will be at each table and can challenge any ballot that they believe is being counted wrongly, and that ballot will be set aside, Blaschko said. The campaign challenging the ballot will have to explain in writing why they believe it shouldn't be counted or should be counted for a candidate other than the one elections officials intended to give the vote to.
Challenged ballots will go to the State Canvassing Board — made up of Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, two state Supreme Court justices and two district court judges — for a final determination.
"I'm guessing it will probably take us the majority of the day," Blaschko said.


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For most, September marks the end of summer, the return to the classroom, a new line-up of TV shows and, hopefully-- in Los Angeles anyway-- a shift to cooler autumn weather.
But for ancient cultures of the world like the Celts of pre-Christian Ireland, September heralded the arrival of a day of spiritual reverence on the pagan calendar known as Mabon, which is still celebrated by Wiccans and other earth-based religions on the 21st of the month.
It's no coincidence that it falls the day before the official start of fall. One of eight annual sabbats recognized by ancient and neo pagans alike, Mabon marks the autumnal equinox, or the time of year when daylight is once again equal to nighttime as the hours of sunshine subside.
On nature's ever-spinning wheel, Mabon is the spoke of balance, creativity and thankfulness.
A time of transformation for the outlying world, Mabon is also an occasion to make inward changes and pursue creative endeavors. Among the most meaningful ways to honor the dark mother as we spin toward a season of shadows involves invoking light within oneself through meditations and rituals.
Even children can tap into the holiday's spirit of artistry and connect to the natural world with fun crafts.
Unlike most modern day religions, Earth-based faiths honor a Goddess in flux who, as the spiritual form of the Earth, wears different faces depending on the season. Mabon marks the final moment of equilibrium before darkness overtakes light, transforming the Goddess from a beautiful woman adorned with flowers to an old crone bearing a scythe—the original grim reaper.
It's both literally and figuratively when you must reap what you have sewn.
For scythe-bearing farmers of yesteryear, it was a dynamic time of harvest and wine-fueled revelry as people, standing still on the precipice of winter's chill, took stock of once vibrant fields now laid bare.
After reaping the harvest, entire communities would cast off the burden of work and get down by partying, making music and creating art. Keeping with the theme of balance, it was also a day to journey inward, and to prepare for upcoming changes by initiating them through meditation.
While today's hectic, technology-saturated lifestyles based on arbitrary notions of time may seem far removed from nature's moods, the returning dark days of Mabon remain an ideal occasion to take pause as seasons enter the next phase.
A harbinger of Halloween with harvest parties such as the upcoming Harvest Moon Festival in Arcadia Park Sunday, Mabon is also like Thanksgiving with a bit of magic thrown into the cauldron, along with plenty of new-age mysticism. This very old-world holiday is as malleable as the sun's light filtered through a prismatic cascade of falling leaves.
Perhaps that's why it has survived countless generations to be observed, albeit it by small numbers of neo-pagans scattered around the planet. Whether absorbed into newer traditions or revered as its Celtic counterpart, Taliesin, the spirit of Mabon remains steadfast in a modern age.
As millions of glittering screens undulate amid an ever-hastening dusk, it's a better time than ever to infuse light into darkening days, to rekindle the creative spirit, to pay homage to the Goddess that is our Mother Earth for the food that sustains us all.
If nothing else, it's another excuse to party (as if heathens needed one.)