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The Amazon is a vast forest – the largest on the planet – and a giant river system. It covers over half of Brazil and a large portion of South America. The forest extends into Brazil's neighbouring countries (Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia), where the river itself begins life among thousands of different headwaters. In Brazil only the stretch between Manaus and Belém is actually known as the Rio Amazonas: above Manaus the river is called the Rio Solimões up to the border with Peru, where it once again becomes the Amazonas. It is by far the biggest river system in the world; eight of the world's twenty longest rivers are in the Amazon basin, along with a fifth of the planet's fresh water.
In its upper reaches, the Rio Solimões from Peru to Manaus, it is a muddy light brown, but at Manaus it meets the darker flow of the Rio Negro and the two mingle together at the famous "meeting of the waters" to form the Rio Amazonas. There are something like 80,000 square kilometres of navigable river in the Amazon system, and the Amazon itself can take ocean-going vessels virtually clean across South America, from the Atlantic coast to Iquitos in Peru.Read More
River journeys
River journeys
Any journey up the Rio Amazonas is a serious affair. The river is big and powerful and the boats, in general, are relatively small, top-heavy-looking wooden vessels on two or three levels. As far as spotting wildlife goes, there's very little chance of seeing much more than a small range of tropical forest birds – mostly vultures around the refuse tips of the ports en route – and the occasional river dolphin, although your chances increase the smaller the craft you're travelling on, as going upriver the smaller boats tend to hug the riverbanks, bringing the spectacle much closer. Going downstream, however, large and small boats alike tend to cruise with the mid-stream currents, taking advantage of the added power they provide. Whichever boat you travel with, the river is nevertheless a beautiful sight and many of the settlements you pass or moor at are fascinating.
It's important to prepare properly for an Amazon river trip if you want to ensure your comfort and health. The most essential item is a hammock, which can be bought cheaply (from about R$25 in the stores and markets of Manaus, Santarém or Belém, plus two lengths of rope (armador de rede) to hang it from – hooks are not always the right interval apart for your size of hammock. All hammock shops sell them and you need to get them at the same time as you buy your hammock. Loose clothing is OK during daylight hours but at night you'll need some warmer garments and long sleeves against the chill and the insects. A blanket and some insect repellent are also recommended. Enough drink (large bottles of mineral water are the best option) and extra food – cookies, fruit and the odd tin – to keep you happy for the duration of the voyage may also be a good idea. Virtually all boats now provide mineral water, and the food, included in the price, has improved on most vessels, but a lot of people still get literally sick of the rice, meat and beans served on board, which is, of course, usually cooked in river water. If all else fails, you can always buy extra provisions in the small ports the boats visit. There are toilets on all boats, though even on the best they can get filthy within a few hours of leaving port. Again, there are exceptions, but it's advisable to take your own roll of toilet paper just in case. Yellow fever inoculation checks are common on boats leaving Belém to travel upriver, and for travellers unfortunate enough not to have a valid certificate of vaccination, you risk having a compulsory injection.
There are a few things to bear in mind when choosing which boat to travel with, the most important being the size and degree of comfort. The size affects the length of the journey: most small wooden boats take up to seven days to cover Belém to Manaus, and the larger vessels generally make the same journey in five to six days (four to five days downriver). See the "Listings" sections for Belém, Santarém and Manaus for more on boat operators.
Better value, and usually more interesting in the degree of contact it affords among tourists, the crew and locals, is the option of taking a wooden riverboat carrying both cargo and passengers. There are plenty of these along the waterfront in all the main ports, and it's simply a matter of going down there and establishing which ones are getting ready to go to wherever you are heading, or else enquiring at the ticket offices; these vessels are essentially water-borne buses and stop at most towns along the way. You'll share a deck with scores of other travellers, mostly locals or other Brazilians, which will almost certainly ensure the journey never becomes too monotonous. The most organized of the wooden riverboats are the larger three-deck vessels, on which the Belém–Manaus trip costs US$70 for hammock space (US$50 downriver); this is negotiable if you're really stuck for cash, and will often come with a small discount if you buy your tickets two or more days before departure. The smaller two-deck boats are cosier, but often only cover shorter legs of the river. This is fine if you don't mind spending a day or two waiting for your next connection to load up. All of these wooden vessels tend to let passengers stay aboard a night or two before departure and after arrival, which saves on hotel costs.
There's room for debate about whether hammock space is a better bet than a cabin (camarote; currently around R$250 upriver), of which there are usually only a few. Though the cabins can be unbearably hot and stuffy during the day, they do offer security for your baggage, as well as some privacy (the cabins are shared, however, with either two or four bunks in each) and, in most cases, your own toilet (which can be a blessing, especially if you're not very well). The hammock areas get extremely crowded, so arrive early and establish your position: the best spots are near the front or the sides for the cooling breezes (it doesn't really matter which side, as the boat will alternate quite freely from one bank of the river to the other), though the bow of the boat can get rather chilly if the weather conditions turn a bit stormy. If it really gets unbearably crowded, you can always take your chances by slinging your hammock on the lower deck with the crew, though you'll also have to share your space with cargo and throbbing engine noise.


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Product Recall: We are voluntarily recalling fewer than 8,000 cases of regular Kraft American Singles Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Productlimited to 4 SKUs on two "Best When Used By" dates of February 20, 2015 and February 21, 2015. Click Here.
BROWN meat in large skillet; drain. Return meat to skillet.
ADD milk, ketchup, mustard and onion powder; mix well. Bring to boil. Stir in Shell Pasta; return to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover. Simmer 10 min. or until pasta is tender.
STIR in Cheese Sauce and sour cream until well blended. Add tomatoes and onions; mix well.

subset: commoncrawl


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Guide Dog Puppy Raising Balances Work and Play
Plus, some serious off-leash challenges for Caleb
Photo by Alex Minkiewicz
Please note comments are moderated. After being approved your comment will appear below.
Submitted by Anonymous | November 18 2011 | Permalink
That picture is why I refuse to support most service dogs organizations. A CHOKE CHAIN?! Really?! You would think a dog learning something which is vital to the well-being of another human would be trained using methods that are scientifically validated and not shown to INCREASE aggression. SHAME.
Submitted by Megan & Caleb | November 18 2011 | Permalink
While you are entitled to your opinion and I completely respect it. There is research, documentation and validation for the pros and cons of every last training tool used by dog owners, trainers and professionals. Guide Dogs for the Blind happens to train all of their dogs on flat collars, head collars (such as Gentle Leader or Halti) and training collars. The training collar is not attached to Caleb's leash, he's simply wearing it around his neck.
Submitted by Sandi | January 2 2012 | Permalink
It's interesting that you "refuse" to support most service dogs organizations because of the type collar they use in training. Choke chain collars can be very beneficial in training; it's certainly not a pinch collar. A choke chain is useful in that it can be pulled sharply and quickly - to correct the dog. After a couple of correct tugs, most dogs will respond to just the sound of the chain's movement to understand their action is not acceptable and correct themselves. These collars are not intended to be used as a painful correction method but are very effective.
It's truly unfortunate that you find such a small reason to refuse to support organizations that not only rescue dogs, but provide a person with a loving and necessary companion.
"Luckily, I can simply pick up Caleb and move away from any off-leash dog approaching us in a dominant or aggressive posture..."
I hear you on that! I dread the approach of off-leash, out of control dogs. My little dog is afraid of most other dogs, especially those that approach rapidly and confidently. She quickly turns into a "victim," cowering and trying to hide behind me. Because I can't often tell exactly what the other dog's intentions are, I end up picking her up.
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Rate Dr. Charles Teebagy
Dr. Charles Teebagy's Ratings
The BEST pediatrician ever!!! My family has been blessed to have had him for so many years!
Submitted May 11, 2013 | flag
The BEST peditrician ever!!!! I don't even want to think what would I do if he retires, because there is no more Dr's like Dr Teebagy, we love him and are grateful for all he does for us.
Submitted April 17, 2013 | flag
The best doctor for my children. Truly hard to find a doctor that really cares and calls you again if he is worried when he gets home. I hope he does not retire as we need him for a as many years as he can give us. PRICELESS!!!
Submitted Jan. 11, 2011 | flag
I just turned 21 and I went to Dr. T since I was a bit under 2 years old. He (and his staff) is absolutely amazing. They are all patient and caring and everything that other doctors should strive to be!
Submitted June 6, 2010 | flag
They don't make them like this doctor anymore. I begged him not to retire until my daughter is 18!! The absolute best doctor I have ever dealt with.
Submitted April 9, 2010 | flag
Dr. Teebagy has been in practice for almost 40 years. I went to him when I was a child. He is an excellent doctor and he really cares. You can tell he loves children and is good at what he does. I have pretty much always been able to get an appointment right away for both of my boys whenever I needed. The last time my son was ill with a high fever he made time to call and check on him over the weekend. He is very personal and compassionate. He is a GEM, and there are not alot of doctors out there who really truely care as much as him.
Submitted Nov. 12, 2009 | flag
He has always been professional and concerned with my son. He is the BEST doctor in my world and I am so blessed to know him.
Submitted Feb. 2, 2008 | flag
Submitted May 29, 2007 | flag
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3 Pro Skin Secrets for Your Sweat Sessions
Written on January 12, 2012 at 10:15 am , by Fitness Magazine
While you're focused on getting your body into top shape— or keeping it that way— it's easy to forget about your skin. Jasmina Aganovic, creator of the anti-aging skincare line Stages of Beauty, has some quick tips for keeping your skin in as good condition as your bod— before, during and after your workouts.
Your face could touch a mat (crawling with bacteria!) during crunches, yoga, Pilates, or push-ups, and bacteria can cause breakouts. Before working out, wipe down the surface with sanitizing wipe. You can also bring a clean towel to lay on top of the mat prior to your sweat session.
While working out, you want your skin to be able to breath to avoid clogged pores. Wearing makeup or cosmetic products that are heavy can cause complexion congestion: Specifically, avoid anything that contains occlusive silicone or petrochemicals, like petrolatum, mineral oil and propylene glycol.
There are three skincare essentials no gym bag should be without: makeup remover wipes or pads for pre-workout, cleanser and toner. If you have time, do a full facial cleanse to get rid of sweat and grime after you exercise. In a hurry, swipe a clarifying or balancing toner over your face to sweep away dirt and freshen your face.
—By Leah Cayson, beauty intern
Categories: Beauty On the Go, Skin Savers | Tags: Jasmina Aganovic, skincare, Stages of Beauty, Workout
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Rude Pregnancy Comments Put Me at a Loss for Words
I marvel at the boldness of strangers when it comes to pregnant women. They offer unsolicited opinions, ask rude personal questions and make thoughtless comments, such as:
"You're only six months pregnant?! You'd better slow down, honey, or you'll give birth to a 10-pounder!" (Ah, yes, because any comment sweetened by the word "honey" goes down like a tonic prepared by Mary Poppins herself.)
When I'm out with my three kids while pregnant with my fourth, it stuns me when someone asks if all of my children have the same father. Or if my husband and I are done yet. Or if it they were all planned.
But the worst part about this is my inability to cope with these people who feel they have a right to comment on my very being. A good, sharp retort escapes me in the moment, and I can't seem to do anything but smile politely and mumble a response to whatever rude comment they've made while I herd my kids (and myself) out the door. And then I spend the rest of the day coming up with brilliant responses, most of which will probably never pass my lips.
Submitted by Jen Magnuson


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Closed Classes
Wait List
When a class is closed online, students may add their name to the waitlist option in the online Class Schedule. The waitlist will be sorted, based on priorities like graduation, declared major, etc. If a class has no online waitlist, a student may pursue the following, based on which collegiate unit offers the class.
- College of Education and Human Service Professions (CEHSP) (120 Bohannon Hall)
For all psychology classes, the online waitlists are managed by CEHSP staff in 120 Bohannon Hall. Permission numbers are not given out for psychology classes. CEHSP will register students as seats become open. For all other classes, students must contact the department first; then contact the instructor to find out options.
- College of Liberal Arts (310 Kirby Plaza)
Students are advised to review the CLA Wait List site for information and instructions.
- Labovitz School of Business and Economics (LSBE) (111A LSBE)
Access to most LSBE classes is managed through the online waitlists. The LSBE advising and academic services office manages the lists.
- School of Fine Arts (107 MonH)
Art and design classes are managed through online waitlists. For music or theatre classes, students must contact the department or instructor to find out about options.
- Swenson College of Science and Engineering (SCSE) (140 EngrB)
Waitlists for biology, chemistry, mathematics, and statistics are online. Waitlists for computer science 1000- and 2000-level classes are kept in 140 Engineering Building. For all other SCSE classes, contact the department or instructor for waitlist information.
Register for a Closed Course
To register for a closed course you must have a class permission number from the instructor. All class permission numbers expire at the end of the second week of classes. After the second week you must go to your college office to be given online approval.
Class Permission Schedule
You may use permission numbers to override some limits on class registration. For fall and spring terms, permission may be granted by an instructor, department, or college beginning with registration through the second week of the semester. From week 3 through the last day of instruction, permission is granted by the college advising office. During the summer, class permission schedules vary by course.
|Registration through second week of fall or spring semester
|Third week through the last day of instruction
|Permission granted by:
|Instructor, department, college
|Faculty and department head committee
|Permission overrides:
|Class limit, requisites (not to override class time conflicts or credit maximum)
|Class limit, requisites (not to override class time conflicts or credit maximum)
|Instructor or department will distribute the permission number. You can register by entering this permission number either online or on the registration form.
|Bring the Add a Course form with instructor's written approval to your college office for advising committee review.
|Student-specific permission:
|If you are issued student- specific permission, you will not receive a number but are cleared to register for the class online.


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Arizona Diamondbacks
Gammons quotes Rangers official: 'We got Upton'
Oh the fun that goes on at the Winter Meetings.
MLB Network's Peter Gammons was present and recently tweeted about some of the "fun" surrounding the endless trade rumors about Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton:
If you don't believe the multi-team Upton trade talk, Wednesday night a Rangers official called an Astros officisl and said, "we got Upton."— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) December 7, 2012
Upton has been part of trade rumors for the last three offseasons, and his name has been one of the most talked about at this year's gathering.
Obviously nothing is official at this point and Gammons' tweet could indicate just how close the trade was to going down before the plug was pulled. It could also indicate that the deal is close to consummation.
Thursday, talk of complicated three and four-team deals surfaced with Upton being one of the centerpieces for potential swaps. Other teams that have been rumored in such deals are the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians, and of course, the Texas Rangers.
Based on Gammons' tweet, Friday could be an interesting day on the Upton front.
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- Kirk Gibson, D-backs managerDiamondbacks Manager Kirk Gibson says he hasn't given up on this dugout.
- It's Paul's Call with Paul Calvisi!It's Paul's Call with Paul Calvisi!


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|Meet Your Practice Specialty Leadership
|What is the Healthcare Practice Specialty?
|How Do I Get Involved?
|Technical Resources
|I Want to Join
Get Involved with the Healthcare Practice Specialty
Annual Professional Development Conference (PDC) Activities
Professional development is an important way for members to get involved with the Healthcare Practice Specialty. No prior experience is required. The following opportunities are available:
PDC Assistance
If you plan to attend the PDC in June, then be sure to support the practice specialty. These projects require very little time, and they are a great way for you to meet other members.
Submit a Recommendation for a PDC Presentation Topic
The process for preparing top-notch PDC presentations begins nearly two years in advance. Our practice specialty continues to provide quality presentations at each PDC. We welcome and support presentation ideas from our members. We also will provide support for those who wish to present at a future PDC. To submit a presentation topic, contact the Administrator.
Moderate a Session Presentation Sponsored by the Practice Specialty
Support presentations at the PDC by offering to moderate a session. Those who volunteer will receive information on their role at the PDC. The moderator will ensure that the speaker is ready to present, provide a brief introduction (provided by ASSE), gather presentation evaluations and present a token of appreciation to the presenter on behalf of ASSE. Contact the Administrator for more information.
Submit an Article to Healthbeat
All members are encouraged to write for the Healthbeat newsletter. The newsletter editor gives careful consideration to all submissions. Do not worry if you have never written an article before—you have to start somewhere, and we are here to help you get published. Now is the opportunity to share your knowledge with other professionals. For more information, contact the Newsletter Editor.
Submit an Article to Professional Safety
The practice specialty can help you in submitting an article to Professional Safety. We can provide access to other published authors who can assist you and provide insightful review. For more information, contact the Administrator.
Join the Advisory Committee
The Advisory Committee is a group of dedicated professionals who give direction to our practice specialty. They meet quarterly to discuss goal setting, assign responsibilities and approve actions to be taken. Current projects include the ongoing development of a Body of Knowledge, website expansion, newsletter content development and outreach to other professional associations and organizations. For more information, contact the Administrator.
Join an Administrative Committee
It takes many volunteers to make the Healthcare Practice Specialty operate. There are several committees that provide valuable services each year. Why not donate some of your time to assist current volunteers in the administration of the Healthcare Practice Specialty? Committees in need of volunteers include:
Awards and Honors—Assist in the selection of those dedicated volunteers who deserve recognition for their outstanding efforts.
Membership—Help to grow the practice specialty by promoting membership and assisting in marketing efforts.
Nominations—Support the future of the Healthcare Practice Specialty by assisting with nominations for new administrator, assistant administrator and newsletter editor.
Website—Participate in the continuing growth and enhancement of our practice specialty website.
To join an administrative committee, contact the Administrator.
Body of Knowledge
ASSE has developed a core Body of Knowledge (BoK) for SH&E professionals. Our practice specialty has a strategic goal of developing a BoK for those professionals who have responsibilities in our practice specialty's area of expertise. We are in the process of convening a BoK Taskforce to prepare core reference materials for inclusion in the ASSE BoK list. Those practice specialty members who would like to participate in our BoK committee should contact the Administrator.
Legislative & Regulatory Committee
We are currently developing a legislative and regulatory committee that will review current and proposed legislative and regulatory initiatives, which may affect our members. We need individuals to review federal and state legislative and regulatory activities in topic areas or by individual states and regions. Key legislative and regulatory initiatives will be placed in the newsletter and on the website, and they will be followed up with the Standards Development Committee and the ASSE's Government Affairs Department. This committee also provides comment and analysis of proposed legislation. Those interested in legislative and regulatory issues should contact the Administrator.
Connect With Us
Sample Newsletter
View new and archived practice specialty, branch and common interest group publications in Members Only under Resources.
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Roxbury Community College's Information Technology Services (ITS) department offers a variety of services to support faculty, staff and administration. While students and faculty share some services such as MyRCC, the following support services are offered to employees:
Click on each topic to get more information.
Select services are also offered to temporary employees and contractors, such as email and our Help Desk requests. ITS also indirectly supports services such as Moodle for faculty and staff. Please click here to access Moodle.


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Collection Civil War MapsShow Featured Items
Aero view of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (looking east).
Perspective map not drawn to scale. Photocopy; blue line print. Oriented with north to the left. Bird's-eye-view. "G-CF-435 G 501." LC Civil War maps (2nd ed.), 159.5 Available also through the Library ...
- Contributor: Shutting, Rudolph J.
- Original Format: Maps
- Date: 1974


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- Agrii
Agrii is a leading provider of agronomy services, technology & strategic advice to farmers across the UK.
- Dalgety Agra Polska
A provider of specialist agronomy services directly to arable and grassland farm enterprises in Poland.
- Agroscope
Agroscope provides agronomy services, high specification inputs, and advisory support in Ukraine.
- Goulding
Goulding supply a wide range of agricultural fertilisers in Ireland.
- Origin Fertilisers (UK) Limited
Provides specially blended and formulated fertiliser products.
- PB Kent
PB Kent are the leading independent manufacturer of specialist fertiliser.
- Rigby Taylor
Rigby Taylor is the UK's leading supplier of products for sports, amenity and landscape areas.
- Origin Northern Ireland Limited
Leading provider of agricultural products in Northern Ireland.
- R&H Hall
R&H Hall is Ireland's leading importer and supplier of animal feed ingredients.
- Valeo Foods
A leading Irish food company with an excellent portfolio of iconic Irish consumer brands.
About Origin Enterprises
Origin Enterprises plc is a focused Agri-Services Group.
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Stay Invested in This Transport Despite Lower Guidance
Vineeta is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.
On Dec. 19, FedEx (NYSE: FDX) announced 2Q13 results along with 3Q13 EPS guidance. Shares of FedEx fell by 1.8% to $93.20 on the same day.
Disappointing Results for 2Q13….
The company reported 2Q13 EPS of $1.39 well below consensus of $1.41, indicating that Super-storm Sandy reduced 2Q13 earnings by $0.11/share at the Express Division. Moderate growth in revenues (4.9% yoy) was offset by higher operating expenses, particularly by higher transportation costs and non-operating costs, resulting in an 11.9% yoy drop in net income. The bottom line was also negatively impacted by the shift in sales mix and continued weakness in the global economy.
In addition, the company guided to 3Q13 EPS in the range of $1.25 - $1.45 versus consensus of $1.45 at the time of release.
2Q13 Performance by Segments:
- Revenue: Express revenues, including Ground and SmartPost increased by 4.2% yoy to $6.8 billion. However, operating income dropped by 33% yoy falling to $230 million and operating margin falling to 3.4% from 5.2% last year.
- Volume: Overall, average daily packages increased by 9% while the average daily freight pounds decreased by 1.6%. Domestic volumes were down 2% yoy due to the fact that a large cell manufacturing company moved out of Express network into the Ground and SmartPost network. However, international export volumes were up nearly 6%.
- Yield: Composite freight yield decreased by 540bps due to changes in product mix and weight changes.
- Revenue: Total ground revenues increased by 10.9% to $2.6 billion. Operating income increased by 29.6% reaching $412 million while operating margin dropped from 17% last year to 15.9%.
- Volume: Total package volume for Ground increased by 7.6% for SmartPost, it increased by 17.3%. The management believes that the company will continue to expand its Ground market share.
- Yield: Yield for Ground increased by 220bps yoy and for SmartPost, yield increased by 170bps yoy.
Freight (LTL):
- Revenue: Revenues increased by 3.9% to $1.3 billion with operating income increasing by a significant 90% and operating margins improving by 250bps.
- Volume: Total shipments per day increased by 1.8% while composite weight per shipment increased by a modest 0.1%.
- Yield: LTL yield increased by 250bps. The management expects the demand to be soft while LTL pricing environment to remain rational.
But Confirmed FY13 Guidance
However, the company reiterated FY13 guidance despite the impact of Hurricane Sandy. This should be viewed positively reflecting management's confidence in putting up a better showing in 2H13.
If we calculate 4Q13 EPS with the help of 1Q13 and 2Q13 reported EPS and the average of the guidance range provided by the company for 3Q13 and FY13, it comes to $2.21 which is moderately above the consensus of $2.06.
Investment Thesis
The stock has some upside potential in 2H13 particularly in 4Q13 as the cost initiatives at Express will gain momentum in 3Q13, setting the stage for better operating margins in 4Q13.
Currently, the market is pricing in the following negative factors in the stock price.
- Poor 2Q13 results that were below consensus and lower 3Q13 EPS guidance.
- FedEx's revised US Industrial Production growth downward from 3% to 2.4% for CY13.
- Voluntary Buyout Plan initiated by the company management which is expected to cost $600 million spread over the period until spring of 2014.
- Significant cost savings required in order to achieve the EPS target for FY14 (consensus approximately $7.65). But most of the cost savings of the $1.7 billion plan will be realized in FY15 with some portion to be realized in FY14.
However by the end of 3Q13, clarity on the following factors can bring the stock on positive track:
- Cost Saving Initiatives: The Company had planned $350 million cost savings for FY13 in addition to the $1.7 billion profitability improvement plan to be achieved by FY16. The company indicated that part of the $350 million cost savings was though offset by Sandy in 2Q13, but momentum is building and investors can expect to see its impact on the bottom line in 4Q13.
Looking at the success of the restructuring plan that FedEx had implemented at its Express division in FY04, I am hopeful that the company would be able to achieve the cost saving initiative targets this time. As a result of the program in FY04, approximately 3,600 employees left the company at its Express division and the company was able to realize about $240 million in annual savings that resulted in considerable operating margin expansion at the Express division. Implementation cost of the program was about $225 million, therefore the payback period of only one year. However, the investors need to be cautious this time as the volumes at Express increased from FY03 to FY05, but now the volumes have been deteriorating and are expected to contract in the coming years due to shift in business mix (trading down to lower priced services).
- Voluntary Buyout Plan: The company is also expected to provide more clarity on potential cost savings from this plan which is part of the $1.7 billion profitability improvement initiative for the next 3 years.
- Better Dividends in Future: At the investors and lenders meeting in October, Mr. Smith promised better dividends in future along with another $3.00 in earnings. Investors should react favorably to this.
- EBIT per Employee: Despite the shift in business mix and challenging trends at Express division, FedEx has been able to maintain the total company EBIT per employee. It should further improve with the announced cost saving initiatives and headcount reduction at Express which would in turn positively affect the stock.
- Headcount Reduction: Recession of 2008/09 induced a shift in global supply chain management with the companies realigning their businesses to cope up with problems like customers trading down to slower, cheaper and closer transportation models. This trend has adversely affected the profitability of FedEx at Express division. Instead of focusing more on the slower, cheaper mode of transportation, the company has waited for the demand to return at its Express divison. However, the competitors like United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) and Deutsche Post DHL have been taking appropriate measures like reducing the headcount to restore the profitability while FedEx has increased the headcount. Now FedEx has also announced the plan for headcount reduction at Express that should help in improving the operating margins and the overall profitability of the company, therefore be positive for the stock.
I recommend investors to stay invested considering management's reiteration of FY13 EPS guidance that implies a moderately above consensus EPS guidance for 4Q13. In addition, the management has promised to provide more clarity on the $1.7 billion profitability improvement program in 2H13. The ongoing $350 million cost savings plan will also improve operating margins in 4Q13 that should be positive for the stock. In addition, the magnitude of the cost saving programs is significant and it could offer major profit improvement in coming years.
WSAnalyst has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend FedEx and United Parcel Service. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is this post wrong? Click here. Think you can do better? Join us and write your own!


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CHATTANOOGA (WRCB) -- Sara Poteat doesn't feel old.
Then the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga junior infielder takes a look around at some of her teammates.
That's when Poteat truly understands how graduation can truly take its toll on a team.
"It's definitely a different feel," Poteat said of the Lady Mocs' roster. "Especially for me because last year I felt like the young one, and this year I feel like a veteran the younger ones are looking to as a leader."
UTC lost six senior starters from last year's team, which proved to be one of the best in school history.
Now Poteat is one of just six total upperclassmen (three juniors and three seniors) on a roster loaded with young and inexperienced talent.
"Freshmen are exactly what they're name suggests," said head coach Frank Reed, whose team was still tabbed by league coaches to repeat as Southern Conference champs. "We tell them when they came in that they have to become sophomores very quickly. The key is how fast that happens because we're going to call on them to contribute.
"If they don't, it could make for a long season."
Youth isn't Reed's only problem.
Depth at a very key position is also an early-season concern.
"We left our last day of fall practice with four, but within 24 hours we were down to two pitchers," Reed said. "We've won with less talent, but we've never won with fewer numbers."
Chattanooga has been spoiled with a full staff of at least three, and sometimes four pitchers the past few years.
However, when UTC opens the season Friday at the Dot Richardson National Collegiate Invitational in Florida, fifth-year senior Michelle Fuzzard and freshman Taylor Deason will make up the entire Lady Mocs' bullpen.
"We're definitely going to take on a lot of work this year," said Fuzzard, who is the SoCon's reigning Player of the Year. "It's just me and her. There's no third pitcher to pitch that other game (of a weekend conference series).
"We're definitely going to see a lot of time on the mound."
Jenny Garcia was expected to help Fuzzard and Deason shoulder the load across a 56-game season, but the freshman from Miami will miss the season with a knee injury. Brittany Perez also finished the fall season on the UTC roster, but the our media partners at the Times Free Press report she was dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules.
Reed worked the recruiting trail during the winter months in hopes of finding a late addition, but his search came up empty. He's now accepted the fact that if the Lady Mocs are to make a return run to the NCAA Regionals, they'll have to do it with just two pitchers.
"If we do maybe I can win coach of the year again," he said with a smirk. "Honestly, I'm not sure (how we'll do it). We're going to have to do a lot of things that we haven't done before. We'll be creative with our moves, modify workouts and make sure they have some time down.
"If they get hurt, we're in trouble."
If Reed's players are worried about it, they're certainly not showing it. That's likely a credit to Poteat, who appears to be settling into her role as a leader quicker than she thought.
"We're Chattanooga. As long as we're wearing Chattanooga on our shirts, we're going to be confident in each other," she said. "I have a lot of confidence in this team and in these young girls."
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Image: Jordy Theiller
This bathtub – once a place of pleasure – is now looking rather forlorn in its abandoned, leaf-strewn state. We wonder whether the glass bottle on the edge of the bath contained alcohol or bubble bath. Either would have enhanced the atmosphere of decadence this place must have boasted in its heyday – a mood that is now a distant memory, as this establishment was both opened and abandoned in the 1980s.


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Home » MP3 & Audio » Sound Editor » Wave Function and Signal Generator Alpha » Free Trial Download
Top downloads of Sound Editor
Threat Level: Safe - Full Virus Report
Wave Function and Signal Generator Alpha - Free download
Application that uses your computer sound as a wave function & signal generator
Downloading locations for Wave Function and Signal Generator Alpha
- Noise Cancellation 2.10GritTec's Noise Cancellation is used for reducing the external noises in spe
- AVI to DVD Creator 1.0.2AVI to DVD Creator is a wonderful DVD burning program.
- Wavepad Audio Editor for Pocket PC 4.27Record, edit and apply effects to music, voice and other audio on a Pocket PC
- Free Slideshow Maker 4.3.1A brainlessly easy free slideshow creator tool.
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- Wave Editor 126.96.36.199Wave Editor is a fast and easy digital audio editing software for Windows.
- Soundmasker 7.0Sound Masker is a complete noise masking solution for the home or office.
- JVC MOD MPEG rebuilder 2.0.15freeware helps you rebuild mod file to vob
- Free Slideshow Maker 4.3.1A brainlessly easy free slideshow creator tool.
- Windows Movie Maker 6.1Windows Movie Maker lastest version for Windows Xp, Windows 7, Vista.
- SuperEZ MP3 Cutter and Editor Free 5.1.4Cut the amzing part of your MP3 song and make it versatile.
- Maxx 1.0.0Maxx is a tool for final limiting of audio files in a production environment.
- Skype Voice Changer 2.1Change your voice pitch and send out cute sound emotions in Skype call.
- » MP3 & Audio
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- Studio: First Look International
- Release Date: Apr 11, 2001
- Starring: Eric Bana, Simon Lyndon
- Summary: A bold, blackly comic character study about a self-proclaimed "national icon" Mark 'Chopper' Read. A multi-sided examination of the pathology of a complex and violent man, a man who becomes a cult figure thanks to a colourful imagination and a wicked, old-world sense of humour. (First Look Pictures)… Expand
- Director: Andrew Dominik
- Genre(s): Biography, Drama, Crime
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
Positive: 18 out of 25
Mixed: 7 out of 25
Negative: 0 out of 25
The director has managed the difficult feat of making a nonlinear film that contains a handful of almost unbearably suspenseful sequences, each one undercut by bizarre black humor.
Mr. Bana's Chopper is so scarily convincing that he makes you feel the eruptive force of each mood swing and the way his character's paranoia, egomania and conscience- stricken apologies are part of a volatile emotional cycle.
Bloody, profane and compelling, Chopper marks an impressive debut for Dominik and a revelation of Bana's talent.
Eric Bana's performance suggests he will soon be leaving the comedy clubs of Australia and turning up as a Bond villain or a madman in a special-effects picture. He has a quality no acting school can teach and few actors can match: You cannot look away from him.
A point is being made about how a criminal creates his own myth, but the ways Read twists and embellishes the truth become progressively less interesting.
This fictionalized, frequently stomach-churning biography of Australian criminal Mark Chopper Read features the most bloody ear-severing scene since "Reservoir Dogs."
Score distribution:
Positive: 14 out of 15
Mixed: 0 out of 15
Negative: 1 out of 15
Aug 24, 2010Eric Bana as an Australian schizophrenic psychopath, writes a book whilst inside, flashbacks, gains national notoriety.
Good dialogue, intense, amusing & good fun throughout.
I couldn't believe this was Eric Bana at times!! Really convincing performance by the big fella.… Collapse


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Last week saw some superb golf at the Constance Belle Mare Plage Legend course during the MCB Tour Championship.
- American golfing giant Tom Lehman yesterday added the Mauritian Commercial
Bank Senior Tour Championship to a long list of his impressive
- Australian Peter Fowler duly collected the John Jacobs
Trophy for finishing top of the Senior Tour order-of-merit.
Read more, and find out all the scores, on the MCB Tour Championship website.
Improve your own game
Feeling inspired to improve your golf? Check out our pro-tips videos with Vishnoo Seeneevassen, golf pro at the Marc Farry Golf Academy at Constance Belle Mare Plage:


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Made these two for the twins' birthday. Hope they'll like them! Crappy blurry photo included for color reference in a different white balance. And yes, the rabbit's gear does rotate!
(I want to make ones for the rest of the guys to give at Youmacon, but I don't know what they would like! Any ideas?)
I was thinking maybe a brass hummingbird for Jon? Still waffling about whether to get some cards to put in there. Maybe...
[ THOSE ARE SO COOL! You are SO talented and amazing oh my lord ]


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Anonymous surfing with Tor and Privoxy
Internet users typically reveal their IP addresses, and this lets companies compile a profile of your Internet activities. Tor and Privoxy can help protect your privacy.
The epidemic of Internet-based market research continues: many companies routinely investigate their customers' Internet surfing habits – a cheap and transparent form of spying. And in some repressive countries, the government may even be watching where you surf. Privoxy [1] and Tor [2] puts the spies off your trail. A browser typically talks directly to a remote target, most commonly a website, and the web server that hosts the site logs the corresponding access data. The Tor client prevents your requests from going directly to the target; instead the requests are forwarded via a proxy running on your home machine through a number of nodes to a so-called exit node, which then talks to the target machine (Figure 1). The server version of Tor acts as one of the intermediate nodes in the chain. The name "Tor" is an acronym for The Onion Router. Private users will more typically run Tor as a client, commonly known as an the Onion Proxy.
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Tag Cloud
Fedora Developer Announces New Partition Manager
New tool will look like GParted but support a wider range of storage technologies.
Mozilla Releases a New Firefox
New public key pinning feature will help prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.
Tool Predicts Which Websites Will be Compromised
Carnegie Mellon researchers say 3 million pages could fall down the phishing hole in the next year.
SSH Key Management Guidelines
The US government rolls new best-practice rules for protecting SSH.
Knoppix 7.4 Released
Klaus Knopper announces the latest version of his iconic Live Linux system.
PHP Attack Puts WordPress and Drupal at Risk
All websites that use these popular CMS tools could be vulnerable to denial of service attacks if users don't install the updates.
Heartbleed Bleeds On
According to a report, many potential victims of the Heartbleed attack have patched their systems, but few have cleaned up the crime scene to protect themselves from the effects of a previous intrusion.
Drone Brain Goes Open Source
DARPA and NICTA release the code for the ultra-secure microkernel system used in aerial drones.
Password Management Services Vulnerable to Attack
Should you trust an online service to store your online passwords?
New Raspberry Pi Adds Two USB Ports
New B+ board lets you build cool things without the complication of a powered USB hub.


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1. A small distinguishing mark on the letters "i" or "j". It was originally a larger mark, first appearing in Latin manuscripts, but was shortened when Roman-style typefaces were introduced. It is thought to be derived from Iota, the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet, which was used as a diacritic below other vowels in ancient Greek texts; others say it is derived from yodh, the smallest letter in Hebrew and Aramic alphabets.
2. A very small part or quantity; a particle, jot, or whit.
2. A very small part or quantity; a particle, jot, or whit.
Arthur: Hey, Alfred, did you know that the dot over an "i" or "j" is called a tittle?
Alfred: Too bad I care a tittle.
Alfred: Too bad I care a tittle.
by Matthew C. Williams April 01, 2010
A very small breast/tit. A contraction of tit and "little". A little tit, if you will.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a tittle here and there, but I've seen bigger lumps in my oatmeal!
by Chocotacojewboy October 29, 2007


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The Ultimate Spatula from GIR
Faith's Daily Find 01.09.13
The Ultimate Spatula from GIR
• $19 to $22.50
• Fab.com
How much can a spatula improve your cooking life? Quite a lot, actually. A spatula may seem like a minor tool, but it's constantly in use. GIR (Get It Right) claims to have perfected the spatula, and I might have to agree. These colorful spatulas have no seams, and they're small and slim yet sturdy enough to scrape out the toughest bowl or jar. It stands up to hot pots, and it's the right size for smaller hands. Read more of Emma's glowing review of this spatula here...
4 Comments
I have a question for everyone out there: I hesitate to use products that aren't natural when cooking at high temperatures, and I try to stick to glass, metal, wood, bamboo, etc. as much as possible in the kitchen, generally. I know these types of spatulas and other equipment, storage containers, etc. are convenient and work well but isn't there a health concern? I'm just wondering what others think.
In general I agree, Jasmine, but I'm willing to make exceptions. I have a silicone spatula that looks a lot like this one. Since spatulas are meant to be bendy and the materials you mentioned won't really do the trick I have no problem making a exception there, especially since it doesn't actually get to high heat very often. Mostly I use it for scraping the bowl when baking. I use wooden spoons for sauteing and stir-frying on the stovetop. Just my two cents!
Jasmine, I agree as well. I'm apprehensive about baking in silicone. However, since I only use spatulas for moments at a time (i.e., only takes seconds to scrape down a bowl or get the last of the almond butter out of a jar) ... I make an exception as well.
Glad to see another version of a one-piece spatula. I love my one-piece, two-ended spatulas (one small end & one larger end). Two-piece spatulas with wooden handles eventually come apart or mold appears where the handle attaches in the rubber.


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3 stocks even Wall Street fat cats expect to crash
When you see all-too-rare sell calls, you'd better duck and cover.
By Jeff Reeves
Wall Street is a rigged game. And if you're an individual investor with just a few thousand dollars at play, the quicker you learn this, the better off you'll be.
Right now, we're in the middle of earnings season, one of the biggest pieces of Wall Street theater, and lots of folks will be crowing about "beating expectations." But consider that most stocks in the S&P 500 index have beaten the Street every year since the third quarter of 1998. Particularly galling was that in Q3 of 2009, right after the market bottomed, nearly 80% of companies in the S&P topped forecasts.
See what I mean? Don't tell me the analysts just happen to set the bar that low on accident.
Further proof: Factset reports that of the more than 10,500 ratings on S&P 500 stocks heading into 2012, 54% were "buy" ratings and 42% were "holds," while just 4% were "sells." That's right. According to the "experts," you're safe if you're hanging on to 96% of equities out there. Wrap your head around that one.
I could rant for a while about the so-called smart money on Wall Street. But whining doesn't change anything. So, let's talk about how you can find a way to count cards in this rigged game and maybe make a few bucks in the process.
Here's my tip: If 95 "experts" on Wall Street are saying to buy a stock and five are telling you to sell, those five folks probably represent a majority opinion. After all, sticking your neck out to make a crazy downside call is no way to make a living on Wall Street. The order of the day is always outrageous upside targets -- like the $700 to $800 forecasts for Apple (AAPL) over the past year or two from "top investment banks."
If any of the cheerleading fat cats on Wall Street have given up, that's a surefire sign that disaster is about to strike.
So which stocks are so awful that even buy-happy analysts have to admit they're doomed? Here are three in particular:
Eli Lilly. You may be shocked that such a powerful income investment like Eli Lilly (LLY) would be on the sell list. Granted, Lilly boasts a nearly 5% yield.
Of course, shares are also off 30% since 2007. And more telling is that while the market has built a decent recovery since mid-2009, LLY has returned less than 3% annually since rebounding from its bear market lows. At the same time, the dividend has been frozen since 2009 at 49 cents a quarter without a single increase.
So what does Wall Street expect? More of the same, it looks like. According to Factset research, 26% of analysts following the stock rate it a sell and only 16% rate it a buy. The most recent was MKM Partners, which initiated coverage on Dec. 20 at sell.
What's more, out of 14 folks who set price targets on the stock, the highest of them all is $43 -- a mere 7% up from here. The median target is $37.68, and the mean is $38 according to Thomson/First Call reports. The low target? That's $33 from MKM, the most recent firm to weigh in.
It's not a mystery why folks are bearish. Patent expirations loom and are expected to suck billions in revenue out of the company. Fiscal 2011 earnings are set to roll back slightly and then lurch down 25% in fiscal 2012.
Eli Lilly is a behemoth that's certainly not going bankrupt. But the writing is on the wall: Sell this stock if you own it, and consider playing the downside by buying puts.
Netflix. Oh, poor Netflix (NFLX). It's the crash on Wall Street that makes all of us slow down and rubberneck.
But lest you think this company is a bargain after its horrible 2011 and its recent strength, consider that even the sycophants on Wall Street know better than to talk up this disaster. Factset tallies 28% of the analysts covering Netflix have a "sell" recommendation vs. just 14% on the buy side. Out of a 23 experts tracked by Thomson/First Call, the mean price target is $90.60 -- basically right where NFLX is now -- and the median is $80.
But some of those targets are stale, from months ago. What are folks saying lately? Well, the latest recommendation was from Canaccord Genuity, which reiterated its sell recommendation on Nov. 29 and revised its already ugly target of $60 a share down to a mere $57.
The lowest target for NFLX? Just $45.
More telling is that the investment bankers appear to be putting their money where their mouth is. As of Dec. 15, short interest in Netflix was about 20% of the available stock, with 9.9 million shares held on the downside. That was down slightly from 10.9 million the prior month, but clearly the bears are still sharpening their claws on this fallen entertainment stock.
Folks may think that the worst is over for Netflix, but even Wall Street fat cats appear to think more money can be made on the downside. Traders should take heed and short Netflix -- and bottom feeders should look elsewhere.
Sears. I know, this isn't even fair. Anyone who has stepped into a Sears (SHLD) store in the past few years knows the score on this one. Crumbling brick-and-mortar operations, the tarnish on once-proud brands like Craftsman and Kenmore, and recent news that more than 100 underperforming Sears and K-mart stores will be shut down.
But sometimes restructuring can work, right? After all, that sly hedgie Eddie Lampert knows a thing or two about squeezing value out of companies, right?
Not so much. The Sears chairman may have a name on Wall Street, but his buddies seem not to be cutting him any slack. To the point: 60% of analysts -- more than half, and how rare is that? -- rate the stock a "sell." Zero rate it a "buy," according to Factset.
According to Thomson/First call, the high price target for SHLD is $27. That's a best-case scenario and below current pricing. The low is $19. That puts the median at $20 and the mean at $22.
I won't belabor the reasons. Sears Holdings has lost money in five of the past six quarters. Even worse: November marked a stunning 19 straight quarters of sales declines. The writing is on the wall.
So don't be silly and bargain-hunt in Sears right now. Even the yes men on Wall Street are saying no to this dog with fleas.
And if you thought Eli Lilly, Netflix and Sears were bad, don't let me get started on Kodak.
Jeff Reeves is the editor of InvestorPlace.com. Write him at firstname.lastname@example.com, follow him on Twitter via @JeffReevesIP and become a fan of InvestorPlace on Facebook. Jeff Reeves holds a position in Alcoa, but no other publicly traded stocks.
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Eli Lilly a Sell, ?????????????????? At a 5% STEADY dividend, hard to sell and put funds into a money market yielding -0- or another stock that WALL STREET????????? "thinks" is a certain winner. The data I am looking at today shows LLY having a very bullish sentiment. . . . . Yes, this guy is confused, not only on LLY, but the type market today's investors are trying to deal with.
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[ ]
[ ]
Hi! Kifak? Ça va?
Grew up in Beirut in the sixties and seventies. Had a Teta (grand-mother) at home who was in charge of the cooking. [...]
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[ Tags ]appetizer beef bulgur butter cake cheese chicken, fowl, duck, game chocolate cilantro cookie and bars dessert drink Eggplant eggs garlic Labneh lamb, beef, other red meat lemon lemon juice olive oil onion onions other red meat parsley pasta pine nuts pistachios pomegranate molasses potatoes pudding rice salad snack Soup tahini tomatoes traditional dish traditional dishes vegan vegetarian walnuts white meat yogurt zaatar zucchini
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Tag Archives: Soup
White Gazpacho (Zouhair Zairi)
I wanted to try this soup, from Chef Zouhair Zairi's Moorish Fusion Cuisine. One of the reasons is that I have not seen, to my knowledge, anything remotely like this in the Lebanese or Near Eastern cuisine; almonds are always used as a garnish in savory dishes; there is one pudding, called kishk of the poor […]5 Comments
Cabbage and keshek soup
Keshek is a very nourishing food traditionally prepared in rural areas for sustenance year-round; it is a mixture of yogurt and milk fermented with bulgur, dried and ground into a powder. Urbanized Lebanese buy it commercially made; however, there are still plenty of people in the villages who still make it at home. It is […]12 Comments
Kibbeh in yogurt (Labniyeh)
This is one of the best (if not the best) kibbeh dishes; we grew up with it, with my grandmother patiently coring the hollow kibbeh balls and stirring the yogurt till thickened. The final kick of flavor was when the cilantro and garlic fried in oil was added to the sauce. In Lebanon, the hollow […]15 Comments
Onion soup, French-style
Happy New Year 2014! Wishing everyone a great 2014. (Hope PEACE will prevail) We did not have the spectacular fireworks that Dubai exhibited this year; (from what I hear, it was a Guiness World record) Nevertheless, it was joyful and peaceful; a bit irksome was hearing the firing of blank cartridges nearby, despite an official […]11 Comments
Yogurt soup
If I had to make a sweeping statement about Middle-Eastern culinary taste, I'd say " You've got to love yogurt!". Yogurt is an intrinsic part of our food. When I was a kid growing up in Beirut, we'd get our weekly supply of yogurt delivered by a man wearing a sherwal (traditional trousers) and wearing a villager's […]22 Comments


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The Hotel features 24-hour front desk assistance, business center, meeting facilities, air-conditioning in public areas, laundry service, wake up calls, and room service .
The guest room amenities include air-conditioning, alarm clock, balcony, bathroom with shower, make-up mirror, cable TV with remote control, hairdryer, cordless telephone, iron and ironing board, safe, and temperature control .
|Check-in Policy
|Check-out Policy
|# Of Rooms
|# Of Floors
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Women's Health Warner Robins Medi-Spa & Aesthetics: A physician operating Medi-Spa specializing in Medical Grade Skincare, Facials, Microderm, Chemical Peels, Botox, Latisse, Fillers (Radiesse, Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm), Massage, Weight-Loss...
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Little Saint Simons Island, Georgia Scenic Cruises & Boat Tours
Located at Morningstar Marina on the St. Simons causeway, Cap Fendig has been providing charter fishing trips, dolphin tours, boat tours and sunset cruises for over 42 years. The tour boat is shaded, licensed for 22 passenger, operates year round....
Starting at $25 Per Person
Fair Harbor RV Park & Campground
Perry, Georgia Campgrounds & RV Parks
Large, easy, convenient full service pull thru RV sites and camping cabins with wifi and cable TV....
Rates from $169 Per Week
The River Cabin at Grove River Ranch Equestrian
Gillsville, Georgia Vacation Rentals
This private 2 bedroom luxury accommodation sits between the river shoals and a fishing pond on a 150 acre horse farm in the northeast Georgia mountain area. Numerous amenities inside and out. Perfect for romantic getaways and nature lovers....
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Upper River Adventures
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We fish all levels from beginners to experts, We provide all equipment , flies , guide and lessons! A trip of a life time!...
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Our excellent customer service will assist you 24/7 to ensure your satisfaction from the time you book your reservation all the way to your safe departure because our business stands on recurring guests....
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One Day DeepSea Offshore Bottom Lake Fishing Trips
Atlanta, Georgia Fishing Trips
One Day Deep Sea Offshore Bottom Lake Fishing Trips Monday - Saturday groups of 15 or more beginners- experts to Georgia Coast Lake Florida Coast, Panama City Beach Fl, 8 fishing hours, Rt ground transportation depart Georgia metro areas to boat...
$195 Per Person
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Maria's Evolving Style
House Call
Name: Maria
Location: Reston, Virginia
Maria sent us some photos and info on her close-to-DC apartment: My style is always evolving. I've gone from traditional, to shabby chic, to modern, and now to a mix of eclectic and flea market style. I started out 4 years ago, right out of college, with an old couch and a couple of bookcases…
Since then, I've taken my time acquiring furniture at flea markets, yard sales, and at Ikea and other lower cost furniture stores. On a tight budget I've been able to turn my apartment into a space that I really enjoy being in. I believe that it shows that a young single girl can have an awesome living space without a lot of money. You can have an adult looking space without being too stuffy or expensive.
Thanks, Maria!
• HOUSE TOUR ARCHIVE Check out past house tours here
• Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy? Contact the editors through our House Tour Submission Form.
24 Comments
Me tooo @Trish1980! Lol. It depends on how you define distance, in this case I guess it's still closer than California! I live 2 miles outside the city--that practically makes me a D.C. resident!
In any case, I love your style Maria. Love, love love your dining table and chairs. They are awesome!
I love the bedding. What brand is it?
I really like your color palettes. Can you share paint colors and brands? Many thanks!
Love it all, especially th tv console!
I am in love with that slate-y blue color. And your dog is SO FREAKING CUTE!
I love that first pic. What a winsome pup!
Love it all! Love the pup, too! Make no mistake, though - Reston is an exurb. Not close to DC at all!
I like the bedding as well. Where is it from?
Please please please share details on the lovely grey and white bedding! LOVE!
Another call for the bedding info! I have a very similar bed and wall color (well, ours are a little greener, as far as I can tell from your pic), and have been searching for bedding like that! Also, I'd love to know what your bedroom paint color is.
it's simply shabby chic for target. http://www.target.com/Simply-Shabby-Chic-Neutrals-Collection/dp/B001LNYE1G/ref=sc_qi_collection_item
It looks like such a welcoming and comfortable space! :)
I love the wall colour in the bedroom and in the living room. I recently painted my living room with a very similar colour. Also, did you get that door mat at Target? Because it looks like the same one I've been eyeing online for a few months now (I'm in Canada, no Target here yet). I want the bigger one for my living room!
Thanks, interested432! The bad news is that they only seem to have it available in twin at this time. Sigh. I like the sea green coverlet they sell with it, too.
Is that a young wheaten terrier?
what is paint color in house?
I love your place. Can you please tell me what the color is that you used in your bedroom. That's the color I want for my living room. thanks
Your place is great. It's a little bit rustic/country (dining room table), and clean and contemporary without being pretentious. You compose each room very well and the colors are great. Best of all, no smelly looking furniture or Danish Modern!
Well done! I love the colours on your walls!
awww puppy! :)
Places inside the beltway are close to DC.
You have an incredible sense of both color and proportion! SO original and effective! And then it was wonderful to read that you've done it on a budget. I admire that and frankly, don't feel it's something we should give up as we get older! "Thrift" these days is better described as low-impact living ~ it's a VERY grown-up virtue! Thank you for sharing this inspiring beauty!
I love how many people commented on Reston being "close to DC." Funny...and yet I thought the same thing. :)
Cute place.
Love your orange lamp.
I love the rug in your entryway! Please share?


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This year, a select group of retailers have band together to support a very important local and sustainable event called the Living Green Expo. We call ourselves the "Official Living Green Grocers" - we're your Minnesota-born neighborhood grocers and co-ops .Our mission is to help you love organic and local food as much as we do simply because it's the yummiest way to go green.
The Living Green Expo offers easy tips on how to live green, dress green, play green and of course, eat green. Don't worry, you won't come out of the Expo sporting a shade of green, but you will come out knowing how to live more green, more sustainably and with fun and flair.
From the clothes we wear, to the cars we drive and everything in-between, the Living Green Expo offers education on sustainable products we all use. There's great food, wonderful workshops and events for families. There's even a bike fashion show and rodeo!
My favorite part of the event is the Celebrity Chef Stage where local restaurant and retail chefs inspire you with gourmet recipes that will knock your organic socks off! Lunds and Byerly's chefs will be a part of the Celebrity Chef Stage, demonstrating how to prepare delicious and inspiring dishes. Come to the Living Green Expo May 5 - 6 to meet your Living Green Grocers and learn more. We hope to see you there!
Hours Saturday, May 5, 2012 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sunday, May 6, 2012 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Location Minnesota State Fairground Northeast Corner Education Building, 4-H Building, and Progress Center Admission $3 Online, $5 at-the-door. Under 18 FREE. Or, follow this link and enter the promo code for your complimentary tickets from Lunds and Byerly's. Promo code: VPXE2NRGL
It was created with a simple goal in mind: to provide you with a heaping scoop of mealtime inspiration and food education from our passionate and knowledgeable staff. Our contributors come from every corner of our company and are truly experts in their field.
All of us are here for you, so keep the conversations going by using the "Comments" feature at the end of each post to provide additional expertise, ask questions or share your thoughts.
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Welcome to EuropeanMarket LLC. Your destination for distinctive gifts. We travel Europe searching for unique ornaments, crafts, toys, confections, coffees, teas, and accessories. We offer you a collection of high-quality products from artisans and small manufacturers in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, and Turkey. Enjoy Europe's best from EuropeanMarket.
*Click on a photo to learn more about each product.


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The Association Source, LLC, is a full-service association management company, staffed with skilled professionals who provide expert, cost-effective management and administrative support to volunteer-driven organizations. We offer all of the benefits of a full-time staff, without the costs of office space, furniture, equipment, or employee salaries and benefits.The Association Source, LLC, is proud to be Accredited Association Management Company. Accreditation signifies that an AMC is able to deliver professional services at an extremely high standard with consistent quality service. It further indicates that the AMC offers a defined set of "best practices." More about accreditation.
The Association Source is proud to announce that it has added a new service - Full Service Webinar Management! Now, we can help you provide value-added services to your members while offering on-demand professional development and continuing education opportunities. Our webinar management services include the following at one low-cost fixed price - $250 per webinar on an a-la-carte basis or complimentary for full service association management clients.
Ask about our additional services of writing your speaker introductions and assisting with presentation design.
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© 2013 The Association Source, LLC20423 State Road 7, Suite F6-491 Boca Raton, FL 33498


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The Scofield Study BibleEdited by Cyrus I. Scofield
Two Scofield Editions
The Scofield Study Bible is available in two editions: The Old Scofield Study Bible, and The Scofield Study Bible III. The Old Scofield Study Bible contains only notes by Scofield up to 1917 and features a traditional type setting cherished by many long-time Scofield readers. The Scofield Study Bible III is a fresh layout of Scofield's study system and includes numerous features that enhance Scofield's work. It is available in the KJV, NKJV, NIV, and RVR (1960).
Old Scofield Study Bible Classic Edition (1917 Notes)
Old Scofield Study Bible Classic Edition, KJV, Bonded Leather blackOxford University Press / 1999 / Bonded Leather$19.99 Retail:5 Stars Out Of 5 28 Reviews
$29.95Save 33% ($9.96)Availability: In StockCBD Stock No: WW274585
The renowned Old Scofield Study Bible offers a wealth of study materials at a fantastic price. Featuring a traditional type setting cherished by many long-time Scofield readers, the Classic Edition, whose notes date from 1917, is the best cross-reference study Bible ever published. Among its many features are book introductions and outlines, unique subject chain reference system, comprehensive indexes, chronologies, a concordance and authoritative, full-color Oxford Bible Maps.
More Classic Editions
Old Scofield Study Bible Classic Edition, KJV, Bonded Leather blackOxford University Press / 1999 / Bonded Leather$19.99 Retail:5 Stars Out Of 5 28 Reviews
$29.95Save 33% ($9.96)Availability: In StockCBD Stock No: WW274585
KJV The Old Scofield Study Bible, Large Print Edition Genuine Leather Black, Thumb-IndexedOxford University Press / 1996 / Genuine Leather$62.99 Retail:5 Stars Out Of 5 38 Reviews
$94.99Save 34% ($32.00)Availability: In StockCBD Stock No: WW5273028
Authorized King James Version: The Old Scofield Study Bible, HardcoverScofieldOxford University Press / 1999 / Hardcover$16.99 Retail:4.5 Stars Out Of 5 15 Reviews
$24.99Save 32% ($8.00)Availability: In StockCBD Stock No: WW74687
Old Scofield Study Bible Classic Edition, KJV, Bonded Leather burgundy Thumb-IndexedOxford University Press / 1999 / Bonded Leather$20.99 Retail:5 Stars Out Of 5 25 Reviews
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Scofield Study Bible III
KJV Scofield Study Bible III, Black Bonded Leather, Thumb-IndexedOxford University Press / 2003 / Bonded Leather$34.99 Retail:5 Stars Out Of 5 45 Reviews
$49.99Save 30% ($15.00)Availability: In StockCBD Stock No: WW5278526
A fresh presentation of Scofield's renowned study system, the Scofield III continues the legacy of the committee of Evangelical scholars who edited the New Scofield Study Bible in 1967. It includes numerous features that enhance the augmentation (not revision) of this treasured one volume resource. It is available in the KJV, NKJV, NIV, and RVR (1960).


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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
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Narrow your search
The 2014 Lexus LX 570 blends the off-road pedigree of the legendary Land Cruiser with on-road comfort and manners befitting its luxury Lexus badge.
At CES 2013, we take a look at the unique Ghost Bee Bluetooth headphones, which come with a hi-fi doc that connects to your stereo.
Any Mac user who needs to use Windows or Linux software or needs to test software in different environments will appreciate Parallel Desktop's seamless integration, with plenty of little features that make the switching experience as smooth as possible.
A slick system lets you flick your data from phone to tablet to table to big screen.
Attachments.me gives you tons of options for your Gmail attachments: save to web services such as dropbox, google drive, and box.net; set up filters to organize incoming attachments; and search through past attachments on the website.
A new standard will make it easy and seamless to sign on to Wi-Fi hotspots. But would you be willing to pay extra for it?
Unsightly mosaic artifacts no longer mar Google Earth's high-altitude views. But for an even more singular look at the planet, check Flickr's latest NASA contribution.
Apple takes the wraps off the slight redesign to its iconic Fifth Avenue "cube" store in Manhattan. The new design uses fewer glass pieces while occupying the same space.
Tired of news sites breaking up your articles into 30 different pages? Veronica has a tip that will tie them all together so you can read them all at once.
DARTdevices makes a technology that allows data and apps on mobile and fixed devices to sync up.


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Crystal clear audio and extra radio stations from these wireless wonders
Will the Kindle Fire come to the UK?
On 28 September, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos pulled off his best impersonation yet of his former arch-rival Steve Jobs.
In open-necked shirt, Bezos calmly and confidently unveiled the Kindle Fire - a stunningly cheap Android tablet that could pull the rug out from under Apple's iPad. But, straight after the conference, it was announced that the tablet wasn't coming to the UK any time soon. Why? Read on to find out more...
The Kindle Fire, which launches in the US this week, is a stunning piece of kit at a stunning price. It's a seven-inch, smaller-than-iPad Android tablet. Whereas previous Kindles have been black-and-white e-readers, this, toting a heavily modified version of the Android Gingerbread 2.3 operating system, is the full-touchscreen, full-colour deal.
The good stuff? A 16-million colour, Gorilla Glass, 1024 x 600 resolution LCD touchscreen with higher pixel density than the iPad 2 (169 pixels per inch versus 132); a 1GHz dual-core Texas Instruments processor; light 413g weight (190mm x 120mm x 11.4mm form factor) and 802.11n wi-fi and USB connectivity.
There's also free cloud storage for all, approximately seven-hour in-use battery life with wi-fi, the Amazon Silk browser (which predicts which pages you want to look at and uses Amazon server power to pre-load them to you) and, of course, excellent connectivity into Amazon's systems and storefronts (with a free month of the Amazon Prime fast-shipping, video-streaming service and a reduced annual fee for the service of $79).
Bargain basement
So, what does all this good stuff cost? A frankly jaw-dropping $199 (£125 at direct exchange rate)! Stack that up against the BlackBerry Playbook, one of the cheaper tablets around, at £249 - or the iPad 2, which starts at £399.
The corners cut to get that rug-pulling price? There's no 3G connectivity; no camera or microphone; a mere 6GB storage available to users (Amazon maintains this won't matter as all your stuff will be fine in its 'cloud'); and no direct access to Android Marketplace due to the heavily modified operating system.
But in the US the signs are that, because of that sizzling-hot price, the Amazon Fire will be this Christmas' blazing-hot ticket (ahem). Research firm eDataSource recently stated that Amazon had garnered half a million pre-orders of the Fire by 28 October, while over a million units have been sold through to retail partners. Analysts are predicting sales of around three million by the end of the year.
What's bad news for Apple is that some of those sales are gadget nuts switching allegiance from the iPad. A ChangeWave survey of 2,600 'early adopters' revealed 5% had either already pre-ordered the Fire or were "very likely" to. And over a quarter of those pre-ordering stated they would then delay any purchase of an iPad, or not go ahead at all. That's a boost for Amazon - and it will be interesting to see Apple facing serious competition in the tablet market for the first time. But why no love for the UK?
Global expansion
Simply put, Amazon's aim of being a truly global company just doesn't quite currently stack up. Amazon, for instance, only launched a Chinese online bookstore at the end of September, having struck a deal with the state-owned China International Publishing Group. And the third generation of the original keyboard-toting Kindle e-reader, launched as recently as the latter half of 2010, was English-language only. This despite the US market alone featuring significant proportions of people who speak, read and write Spanish primarily (35+ million people according to 2009 census data). While Amazon has no such language issues with the UK, it does of course with Europe. And even in the UK, we are still to see many of the services that Amazon.com hosts rolled out here.
Part of the problem is that, as Amazon has expanded from selling physical media such as books, CDs and DVDs to include digital downloads, the issue of rights has reared its ugly head. Amazon must negotiate rights to digital downloads and streaming services with many individual providers in each country - to ensure its storefront is well stocked.
So, while native UK streaming services such as BBC iPlayer and 4oD TV are widely available on all sorts of consumer kit, we're still to see the dominant US streaming TV and movie service, Netflix, arrive in the UK (it's rumoured for early 2012, finally). Of course, it's not just Netflix. Each service Amazon offers in the US that isn't yet available in the UK or Europe is a headache. Amazon needs to get its UK, European and global houses in order - including rolling out services such as its cloud storage and the full version of Amazon Prime - before we get the Fire in the UK.
Strong support
But in the US it looks as if the Kindle Fire has attracted enough heat to ensure it will be well supported. Amazon Kindle vice-president Dave Lamp has boasted: "In addition to over 18 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, and magazines from Amazon, we are excited to offer customers thousands of apps and games to choose from on Kindle Fire." The apps include Netflix, Facebook, Twitter and a raft of games from mobile frontrunners such as Gameloft, Electronic Arts, Zynga and Rovio. So, if the tablet sells well over there, and its providers are happy, then we should see them heading our way... eventually.
The same problem meant the roll-out of the original iPhone was slow - with network deals taking time to ink. But Apple managed to release the iPhone in the US on 29 June 2007, then 9 November for UK and Germany, and a year later it was in 54 key countries. So, Amazon needs to pull its finger out and get on with signing those content deals - and bring the Kindle Fire over here urgently.
Why the rush? Because the horrible exchange rate pricing policies of companies importing to the UK mean we remain one of the pricier places to buy a tablet. And there's precious little competition still in the marketplace to tempt consumers away from those eye-wateringly expensive iPads. The Kindle Fire also represents a massive move away from Apple's idea of tablets - hopefully opening up the market to more consumers, who wouldn't have dreamed of paying Apple's premium price.
"The Fire is a different device than the iPad, with different functionality and a different price point," Michael Gartenberg, research director at Gartner told Wired.com. "The two can coexist."
Amazon really does need to spread the Fire worldwide and fast, though. [An estimated] "50% of iPad sales in 2011 will come from outside the US, and in 2012 it will be even more," Sarah Rotman Epps, senior analyst at Forrester Research, told Wired.com. "Amazon is leaving a lot on the table by not bringing this out as a global product."
Perhaps Amazon is waiting for early next year and the rumoured version two of the Fire. According to sources who spoke to gdgt.com's Ryan Block, the second Fire - a more direct competitor to the iPad could come as early as the first quarter of 2012.
What do you think? Would you buy the Kindle Fire if it was available in the UK? Let us know in the comments below.


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A Massachusetts bill authorizing licenses for three casinos in the state includes a provision to allow smoking in up to 25 percent of gaming areas, the Associated Press reported June 23.
"The marketing study has shown without smoking, it would dramatically affect your revenues and the amount people play," said state Sen. Steven Pangiatakos. The study, commissioned by the Senate, looked at three slot-machine parlors in Delaware whose profits dropped 11 percent after the state banned smoking, though business eventually recovered.
The bill would contravene a six-year-old prohibition on smoking in workplaces, bars, and restaurants in the state, making Massachusetts the first state to make smoking in casinos legal following a statewide ban. Clear signage and effective ventilation in smoking areas would be required.
The bill has local businesses unhappy over uneven competition and anti-smoking advocates incensed by the blow to public-health policy.
"This is step backwards in terms of protecting the rights of patrons and workers," said Russet Morrow Breslau, executive director of Tobacco Free Mass.


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Scientists from
around the globe will present lectures and posters and participate in
an expert panel session. The symposium will focus on mercury pollution
in the context of the UNEP Minamata Convention text and will cover a
wide array of topics including mercury fate, sources and transport in
heterogeneous environments, global emissions modeling, biogeochemistry,
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human health.
Participants in the symposium will gain knowledge and
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That kick just keeps killing Utah State.
As it turns out, the missed field goal at Wisconsin that kept the Aggies out of the Orange Bowl probably cost them their coach. A home loss to USU and a 6-6 regular-season record would have made former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema much less attractive to Arkansas.
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But the Badgers won, Bielema moved and Gary Andersen is about to replace him in Madison. So blame USU kicker Josh Thompson's wide-right miss or former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino's indiscretions for this sequence of events, but don't blame Andersen for deserting the Aggies — not forever, anyway.
The immediate reaction from Aggie fans should follow the precise allotment of the 640 words in this column: 20 percent disillusionment, 40 percent appreciation of Andersen's work and 40 percent analysis of where USU's program goes from here.
Some temporary bitterness is authorized in Cache Valley, but not to the degree of cheering against the Badgers when BYU visits Wisconsin next November. Personally, I'm disappointed in Andersen, who signed a contract extension in October. Professionally, I totally understand his move, with Andersen having landed one of the 25 best coaching jobs in college football.
Andersen owes apologies to every fan who profusely thanked him for staying in the 18 days following his announcement that USU was "the right place." That school-issued news release was self-serving and should haunt him, even if we all should have parsed his statement and discovered the shrewd phraseology — "I plan to remain ..." — that's straight from the Urban Meyer book.
Well, it was true at the time. Having rebuffed California and Colorado, Andersen could not have known Bielema would leave Wisconsin four days later, or that he would be highly marketable in Madison, even after USU's good showing in that 16-14 loss in September.
The reality is that Andersen was never going to become another Stew Morrill in Logan, sticking around for 15 years. He's too ambitious and simply too good of a coach to remain at that level. When the shock wears off, Aggie followers will value his achievements in four seasons, resurrecting a program that appeared hopelessly beyond saving.
The support of president Stan L. Albrecht and athletic director Scott Barnes facilitated Andersen's success, but it would not have happened without him. His ability to recruit, relate to players and build a program resulted in a remarkable turnaround. Having a top-tier Big Ten school hire him is a testament to his work, and USU is the beneficiary.
Think about where this program stood before Andersen arrived, with nine victories in the previous four seasons. He delivered 16 wins in his last 19 games, positioning the Aggies to compete favorably as they move into the Mountain West in 2013. Maybe Logan was not "the right place" permanently, but Andersen left USU much better than he found it. So now what? The next coach will have a tough job, with Andersen's 11-2 closing act as the new standard, a higher level of competition and the loss of defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who made an amazing impact in one season.
Yet Barnes believes the program is situated for sustainable success, and someone like Utah defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake or USU offensive coordinator Matt Wells just might become the next Gary Andersen.
Sitake is intriguing, because he would extend the Polynesian connections and in-state recruiting approach of Andersen. Wells would provide even more continuity, and you'd better believe quarterback Chuckie Keeton would endorse him.
Wells' 4-year-old son, Wyatt, wears a complete football uniform to every USU home game. His helmet stays on his head from the opening kickoff until he gets into the car. That's the kind of commitment his father would bring to the job, easing the loss of the Aggies' greatest football coach of the past half-century.
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