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Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Lumang Litrato
Posted by Vina P at 1:19 PM 0 insights
Happy Tuesday!
Why am I so bubbly today? Well, I'll give you 5 reasons.
2. Tomorrow is a holiday and I plan to spend it well with Zoe and hubby.
3. I had found a renewed sense of peace again -- after finding time to pray today.
5. I have many things to be thankful for ---my work, my family, my friends, good health and food on the table.
So smile and have a happy Tuesday!
Posted by Vina P at 8:52 AM 0 insights
Labels: Personal Thoughts, Soul Matters
Monday, September 29, 2008
I Want to be the Next Top Model
Posted by Vina P at 1:32 PM 1 insights
Labels: All About Zoe
It Pays to be the Youngest
...because I was the youngest in the family (out of 2).
...because my hubby was the youngest (out of 8).
...and now, because Zoe is the youngest apo (out of 15!)
Because of this, she gets to receive heaps of wonderful second-hand toys and clothes from her cousins.
...lucky kid!
Posted by Vina P at 1:15 PM 0 insights
Labels: All About Zoe
Friday, September 26, 2008
Well the last time we ate there was last Sunday on our way to Batangas to attend the interment of my Ninang's mother. We stopped by first at the Pancake House in Petron SLEX for lunch and enjoyed a full 30 minutes of husband and wife bonding (we left Zoe at home since she was feeling a bit sick).
Feeling so relaxed on a breezy Sunday morning:
Hubby's favorite Tapsilog:
My favorite Salisbury Steak:
Posted by Vina P at 11:20 AM 1 insights
Labels: Foodie Finds
What's Happening?
Well, I guess that's really the way things are in the investment business. Everything is all a big risk. But do you know that risk is not all about losing but also about winning? You win some, you lose some. Good for you if you hit it big time. It may be that you were given solid investment advice at Inner 8. They offer various analytic tools to aid you in making good investment decision and bring the risk you take to your own advantage.
Posted by Vina P at 10:51 AM 0 insights
Labels: In The Loop, News Updates
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Work is Piling Up
Posted by Vina P at 9:07 AM 0 insights
Labels: Work-aholy
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Looking for a New OB
Some pre-pregnancy planning over here...
But of course, this is all just planning....we continue to hope and pray that God will give us baby#2 soon. :-)
Posted by Vina P at 10:14 AM 0 insights
Labels: Motherhood
That Controversial Bill...
Posted by Vina P at 9:26 AM 0 insights
Labels: Personal Thoughts, Soul Matters
Monday, September 15, 2008
Zoe's 2nd Birthday Party!
Everything was set for Zoe's 2nd birthday party. We initially invited only a few close family and friends but then our guest list ballooned up to more than 60 people on the day before. No regrets because it turned out to be so much fun!
Pictures here:
We had some goody bags and party hats for the guests too.
The party started at 12 noon with a short prayer and a cheerful happy birthday song for Zoe:
Then it was chowtime right away!
...and which Zoe enjoyed watching too!
Posted by Vina P at 9:49 AM 12 insights
Labels: Birthday Parties
Friday, September 12, 2008
Painting the Town Red on Zoe's Birthday!
Last Sept. 9, we took Zoe out to celebrate her birthday.
...and dropped by Toy Kingdom (she had a blast!).
Anyway, after that shopping spree, Zoe fell asleep and so we decided to go to SM Hypermart in Julia Vargas and leave her first with the yaya in the food court while we buy additional foodie items for the party.
After that, we headed for Ark Avilon Zoo near Tiendesitas.
She really enjoyed looking at the animals there...
Posted by Vina P at 6:23 PM 2 insights
Labels: All About Zoe, Birthday Parties, Gimmick Ideas


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Rx Opioid Abuse / Schoolboy Q / Las Vegas
Rx Opioids can lead to Heroin and then death.
I'm here in Las Vegas NV gathering information so we can keep people from dying in NM.
Never mind the title of this video below, Schoolboy Q and the interviewers speak on the same issues. The 1st 4 minutes is what I'm referring you too.
And at the 15:00 mark he talks about being a dad. His reason for not wanting to tour while missing his kid is the same as how i feel.

subset: commoncrawl


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An L.A. County Superior Court judge on Thursday ordered former NFL player Darren Sharper to remain in jail without bail because of a new indictment against him in Arizona on two sex assault cases.
Judge Renee Korn also declined efforts by Sharper's attorneys, Blair Berk and Larry Levine, to have Sharper released from L.A. County custody on house arrest with GPS monitoring.
Sharper, 38, has been charged by Los Angeles County prosecutors with seven rape and drug counts in connection with two alleged attacks in Hollywood. After first being released, he was taken into custody again Feb. 27 after New Orleans police issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with two more alleged rapes.
PHOTOS: Former NFL player Darren Sharper faces sex assault charges
It was announced Wednesday that an Arizona grand jury had indicted him on five sexual assault and drug-related counts. Sharper, 38, was indicted on two counts of sexual assault and three of administering dangerous drugs in connection with attacks that allegedly occurred in Tempe, Ariz., on Nov. 20, 2013.
On Thursday, Los Angeles prosecutors said New Orleans officials did not plan to file charges in their case because they did not want the time to run out to try him in Louisiana.
Korn said she would set bail for Sharper if an Arizona court set bail for him on charges there. With a warrant out for his arrest in Arizona, it would be standard procedure to keep him in custody, she said.
The judge did, however, set a hearing for March 24 to allow a discussion of Sharper's status if the Arizona courts allow bail to be set.
L.A. County prosecutors said they planned to try Sharper on multiple counts of drugging and rape before any trial proceedings begin in Arizona.
Korn had said that week that it was "grossly unfair" to hold Sharper without bail on the New Orleans matter.
California law clearly requires either indictment, criminal charges or a governor's request for extradition.
New Orleans police issued an arrest warrant for Sharper and his friend — identified as Erik Nunez, 26 — after two women alleged that the men had sex with them without their consent while they "were under the influence of an unknown substance" on the night of Sept. 23.
In all, Sharper is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting at least eight women in Los Angeles, New Orleans, Las Vegas and Tempe, Ariz. A ninth woman has accused him of sexual battery in Florida.
Twitter: @lacrimes| Google+


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Our services span the full range of modern marketing
The key is to use the best combination of the tactical elements below in a business strategy designed to either acquire or retain, or preferably both!
Technology has changed the world, but the creative process has remained the same. We have a unique, creative process that has been developed based on rapid prototyping & proving ideas work with data. This allows you to get to know what it is like to work together.
We are comfortable working with any type of technology as long as it's the best service for you and your business, your objectives and most importantly, your customers. We focus on the simplest answer as it's usually the quickest with the biggest return.
We are a team of entrepreneurs that have been around since BFB (before Facebook). We focus on your business, not just one deliverable of a campaign.
We can act as your complete outsourced marketing team, or we can be your partner if you are a traditional agency.
- Advertising Management
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What we've done for our clients
We are different
Cats & Shepherd is a growth consultancy with a new way of thinking. Our job is to produce results that impact the bottom line.
You get extreme flexibility and a sharp focus on your most important business objectives. Our unique value based pricing means no wasted time or surprises.
Cats & Shepherd is a business growth consultancy with a new way of thinking. Our job is to produce results that impact the bottom line.
As consumers tune out of traditional, interruption-based marketing methods and choose when and where to interact with brands, businesses must connect with consumers on their terms and create compelling customer experiences.
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The job of everyone at Cats & Shepherd, from the copywriter to the MD, is to connect actions to outcomes.
Only two things matter: acquisition and retention. All focus is on these two business outcomes.
We build reach and brand at the top of the marketing funnel, generate leads and convert sales in the middle, and retain customers and increase loyalty at the bottom of the funnel.
We help you create the extraordinary, starting with the immediate needs of today, while strategically planning for the opportunities of tomorrow.
It's about value
Our unique pricing model focuses on efficiency and delivery.
Clients should not pay for agency's inefficiencies – Paul Roetzer
We believe that billable hour retainers are outdated and not suited to modern marketing, as they do not promote trust in the client relationship. At the outset, the client wants to minimise hours, while the agency strives to maximise them. The model, is broken.
We think services should be tangible with clearly defined costs, features, and benefits, almost like buying a product off a retail shelf or signing up for a software service. Our theory is that, if clients understand exactly what they are getting and agree ahead of time what they are worth, then we can build trust.
The burden should be on us to build systems and processes, and put the right talent in place, to profitably deliver at the set price.
Our subscriptions are priced at a set amount every month, but with you, the client, we will work the deliverables that sit within that budget, and work on those, no matter how long it takes to ensure clients get the full value of every cent spent.
A campaign has a targeted audience, timeline and budget, and is made up of a series of projects, which are allocated values. Each package has a certain amount of value allocated, regardless of how much time is invested to complete each project, the value totals remain constant, thereby ensuring that clients get the full value of every cent.
Project are normally diverse in nature and include (but not limited to) app development; content marketing; web development ; advertising management; blog posts; consulting; data analysis; database segmentation; email marketing; lead scoring and nurturing; marketing technology integration; media relations; premium content (e.g. ebooks, webinars, infographics); sales support; social media monitoring, training and support; and strategic planning.


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Allen Hoffman, 30, a Henrico County police officer, was arrested in a Bedford County home late Friday night. According to State Police, Hoffman was taken into custody without resistance and has been charged with possession and production of child pornography. Both are felony charges.
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After I finished my last Linden Sweatshirt I started to think about adding length to the pattern and making it into a dress. A quick rummage in the stash unearthed some weird "ponti" bought online for Girl Charlee that I was willing to sacrifice for my toile. About an hour later my experiment was over.
All in all this was a very successful experiment, though I should have sized down to a size 16, and not used the size 18 that I had cut out for my non-stretchy fabric. The dress is clearly too big and also a bit long. I added 10" to the length which is a bit too much - so next time I'll chop off an inch. I think next time I'll just downsize overall to a size 16 - I was thinking about grading out to an 18 at the hips, but I don't think it's necessary. I won't be wearing this dress out of the house as it looks and feels quite "sloppy" but it kinda feels like a nice PJ dress...cozy.
I've bought myself a nice wool blend from Tessuti and am keen to make myself another Linden Sweaterdress ASAP - especially now that winter seems to have finally arrived in Sydney. Brrr...
Pattern: "Linden Sweatshirt" by Grainline Studios
Size: 18
Modifications: lengthened hem by 10"; sleeves shortened by 1", added 1cm to the width of the neckband
Fabric: Some weird ponti-esque type fabric from girlcharlee.com
Changes for next time: size down to a size 16 and add 9" to the length.


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|Posted on May 8, 2012 03:00pm
Victor surprises Sharon with a romantic evening, complete with flowers and Champagne. Later, Nikki is shocked to find them enjoying a romantic evening. Lily and Cane present Jill with a going-away gift as she gets ready to leave for Australia. Sofia is blindsided when Neil admits that he and Harmony kissed. Neil reminds her that they married because of Moses, but Sofia confesses that she is in love with Neil. Neil promises he will not break their wedding vows, despite his attraction to Harmony. Ashley gasps as she catches Tucker and Harmony in bed together. Tucker runs out after Ashley, leaving Harmony alone. Tucker arrives at the Abbott Mansion and demands to see Ashley. After a bit of confusion, an angry Jack realizes that Ashley caught Tucker in bed with another woman. Later, Abby confronts Tucker about what he did and angrily informs him that Ashley doesn't want to see him. Nikki is surprised when Kay meets her at an AA meeting. Nikki opens up to Kay about Jack and Victor. Nikki and Kay notice when Harmony arrives at their AA meeting. They are intrigued when Harmony confesses to the group that she slept with a married man. Later, Kay questions Harmony about who she slept with. Kay asks Harmony to move out.


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Oh, I love my colleagues. There is this bunch of paperwork that I need to do, which is so confusing that one practically needs to get another PhD to understand how it needs to be filled out. The idea that I have to do this paperwork has been poisoning my entire day. I've been sitting here in a vile mood, contemplating the sad need to do the stupid paperwork and feeling sorry for myself.
And then a kind colleague came by and suggested that we all gather on Wednesday and do the paperwork together. Oh, happiness! Oh, joy! All that bad stuff I said about communities? Forget it. I am now a joyful convert to the idea of a community that shields one from the sad necessity of doing this scary paperwork on one's own.


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Getting Into BS/MD Medical Programs
Thank you for your interest in the Direct BS/MD Program Consulting from MedSchoolCoach. Direct high school to medical school admissions (often referred to as direct programs, BA/MD, BS/MD, etc) is one of the most competitive application processes in the world. Often, these programs are harder to get into than Ivy League schools and other competitive undergraduate schools. At MedSchoolCoach, we help high school students get accepted to these ultra competitive combined degree programs. Whether it is a 7 year, 8 year, BA/MD or BS/MD program, our advisors will help you develop the perfect application. About one quarter of US medical schools offer combined college/M.D. programs for well qualified high school students. Acceptance rates hover under 5% for almost all these programs, so putting forth a great application is essential. High SAT/ACT scores and a great high school GPA are musts, but so is a great personal statement, supplemental essay and tremendous interviews. You will need to show schools a serious commitment to the field of medicine and significant maturity. We help develop your application to show these qualities, among others. We also make sure that your application essays brings forth what you know about medicine and understand the implications of entering the field, both positive and negative. We are physician mentors as well as admission consultants for our student.
recent acceptances
University of Rochester
University of Miami
Stony Brook
Case Western
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personal attention
We realize every applicant is unique and has their own story to tell. We provide highly personalized help to allow you to craft the best possible application.
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Our advisors are actual physicians who have served on admissions committees, including 7 and 8 year direct medical program admissions committees.
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Let us help you put all the pieces together with one of our complete package. For those students who are close to their application, our complete packages offer an all-inclusive approach to the admissions process covering where to apply, personal statement and application editing, interview preparation and more. We will guide you through every part of the process helping you portray your unique strengths.
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Our physician advisors can help you come up with a unique and structured game plan for your high school career so that you can get into a direct 7 or 8 year medical program. This will be tailored to your background and strengths. This step-by-step guidance will demystify the complex BS/MD admissions process for you and your parents and offer you proven techniques to elevate your eventual application.
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Writing a great personal statement is the first step to a successful application. The very important "Why MD" essay is also crucial to explain your interest in medicine. You must show medical schools that you are a unique applicant with great experiences, while staying humble. Our advisors will help you craft a personal statement and application that will make you stand out from the rest of the applicants.
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Our interview preparation will prepare you for your upcoming direct medical interview. This may be the first time you are interviewing for anything! The interview is often the final hurdle before an admission and it's incredibly important. Performing well can mean an acceptance, but a poor performance can leave you left out. Our advisors specialize in conducting mock BS/MD interviews that will prepare you.
meet a few of our advisors
- Dr. John is a graduate of the 6 year BA/MD program at Rutgers and was an advisor and interviewer for the admissions committee


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I can see this aircraft being used on routes like Chicago-Tokyo of JFK to London where American can use the higher capacity aircraft like the 777-300ER. AMR says they expect the two aircraft to be delivered in late 2012.
Here's Boeing's press release:
Boeing, American Airlines Complete Contract for Two 777-300ERs
American Airlines becomes the first U.S. airline to order the 777-300ER
SEATTLE, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) and American Airlines today announced the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier has exercised options for two 777-300ERs (extended range).
"American Airlines is an industry leader whose vision and disciplined approach to growth has made it one of the largest airlines in the world," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Jim Albaugh. "American is the first carrier in the United States to order the 777-300ER. These new airplanes will complement their large fleet of 777-200ERs offering additional flexibility in serving the nonstop routes, while providing increased efficiency and reliability."
The Boeing 777 is the world's most successful twin-engine, long-haul airplane. The 777-300ER extends the 777 family's span of capabilities, bringing twin-engine efficiency and reliability to the long-range market.
"These additional wide-body aircraft will bolster our network strategy, particularly the international growth opportunities we expect from our joint businesses with oneworld® partners in the transatlantic and transpacific markets," said Tom Horton, President, AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines and American Eagle. "We value the combination of size, range and performance of the 777-300ER, as well as the extensive customer amenities it offers. The seating capability of the aircraft will give us growth flexibility in slot-constrained airports and provide us with greater ability to serve new long-haul markets."
The Boeing 777-300ER is 19 percent lighter than its closest competitor. It produces 22 percent less carbon dioxide per seat and costs 20 percent less to operate per seat. The airplane can seat up to 365 passengers in a three-class configuration and has a maximum range of 7,930 nautical miles (14,685 km). The 777 family is the world's most successful twin-engine, twin-aisle airplane.
Boeing incorporated several performance enhancements for the 777-300ER, extending its range and payload capabilities. Excellent performance during flight testing, combined with engine efficiency improvements and design changes that reduce drag and airplane weight, contributed to the increased capability.


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About Us
Top Dog Boutique was inspired by the many dogs in my life. Our Dogs happily join us for gatherings with friends and family. Cook-outs, holidays and birthday parties would not be the same without them! They are truly a lovable, loyal and an absolutely wonderful addition to our family.
Naturally we want the best for them and find great satisfaction in keeping them healthy. Thus in selecting our products for the store, we have kept our four legged friends in mind. Organic treats, natural shampoos, natural conditioners, natural flea solutions, fun toys and accessories are some of the cool stuff we carry. Our line of specialty gift baskets are one-of-a-kind assortments of natural dog products and organic treats that promote a healthy lifestyle for Fido. We hope you are inspired to give the best to your furry friend and create special memories that will last a lifetime. Check us out on our facebook page!


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Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
World Health Organization
The state
of one's health is reflective of an individual's ability to meet life's
challenges and maintain his or her capacity for optimal functioning. This
requires the various aspects of one's makeup i.e. mental, physical and
biochemical, to maintain a level of functioning that has a positive influence
and support for one another. When we eat correctly, develop healthy exercise
and postural habits and combine these with maintaining a positive outlook,
we offer ourselves the greatest opportunity to function at our best.
The most
important factor in assisting one to obtain optimal health is to treat
them as a unique individual; not as a set of symptoms and complaints.
When a patient enters our office we are critically aware they carry a
full lifetime of experiences responsible for their current state of health.
This includes all possible childhood symptoms and illnesses, physical
and emotional trauma, developmental delays, social experiences, and family
history. As we mature the challenges of school, peer pressure, dietary
habits, physical exercise, sexual relations, medical or recreational drug
use, and hormonal changes tremendously impact us. These early years often
set the foundation for our future well-being later in life. Any complete
evaluation must take all these variables into account.
The mental aspect of healing is a critical as our in-office therapies and dietary/supplement recommendations. We find an educated patient feels supported, understands their responsibility to their health and becomes more active in the healing process. Thus it becomes our responsibility to help educate them about their condition, our findings, course of action and prescribed care.
This leads us to the final aspect of total health: personal exchange- how we relate and communicate to one another. We are social creatures. Every aspect of our lives, similar to the many functions of our bodies, is completely intertwined and interdependent with others. Our social well-being depends on it but so does the healing process. Our willingness to be honest, communicate clearly and listen with the consciousness to learn from each other and not merely to find an opening to speak is critical to the healing of ourselves as well as our relationships.


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Catch the Wind
Axelle is seventeen, but her parents still haven't told her their secret. When a new kid shows up at school, Axelle can't help but find him interesting. When all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, Axelle has some big choices to make. Part three to the Twist of Fate series!
Like I have said many times before, I am totally addicted to this story. This story is entirely in Axelle's POV, for those of you that didn't know. I have this one planned out almost all the way... and let me tell ya, there are some HUGE twists :D But that's just how it works with me :)
7. Connections
Rating 5/5 Word Count 1390 Review this Chapter
"What did you think?" asked Jack as he started the car.
"That was so amazing. I am really glad that you took me there. It's so beautiful and secluded. I can't believe people don't go there more often." First Beach had made quite the impression on me. It had become one of my favorite places almost instantly.
"I'm glad you like it," he beamed. He took my hand.
"When can we go again?" I asked.
"We can go whenever you want to. Just say the word," he smiled.
"Yay!" I giggled. I was that happiest I had been in quite some time.
When we got to my house, Jack got out and walked me to the door. The sun was setting. It looked strange from behind the clouds. We stood on the porch. He grabbed my hands.
"I had a really nice time today," I said. It was hard not to laugh at such a cliché saying.
"Me too. I'm glad you agreed to come. At first, I didn't know if you were going to say yes," he admitted.
"Oh, why?"
"I figured you didn't date. That's the only reason I could think of for why an amazing person like you didn't have a boyfriend yet." He smiled, it made me heart flutter.
We kissed goodbye, and I could have sworn I floated inside. It was the best weekend in the history of weekends.
My mom and dad were sitting on the couch. My mom was trying to calm my dad down. He looked very upset. My heart started to beat into overdrive. Something big was going to happen, I knew it. I wasn't looking forward to it.
"Axelle, can you sit down please?" asked my mom. I sat in the chair across from the couch.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
My dad took a deep breath and spoke. "You know we love you, right? You know that we would do anything to keep you safe, right?"
"Yes," I replied. My voice shook. I didn't know what they were getting at.
"You have noticed that we are not... normal. We know that," said my mom. Now, I knew what they were getting at.
I pulled my legs up and hugged them, resting my chin on my knees. "The rest of the family is not normal either, are they?"
"No, they are not," said my dad, finally getting himself under control.
"Well, if you're not normal, what are you?" I'd always known they were strange, but I didn't think that was what they were talking about.
My mom took a deep breath and said, "vampires."
My heart stopped. "Please tell me you are joking," I whispered. My voice was so close to breaking.
"I'm sorry, but we're not," replied my mom, shaking her head. It was insane, impossible. Vampires didn't exist. On the other hand, there was something definitely... not human about my family.
I stood up. "I need to go." I needed air. My parents could eat me if they wanted to, and I had been totally oblivious for almost eighteen years.
My dad started to get up, but my mom stopped him. "we're here for your questions," she murmured.
I nodded, and almost sprinted out the door. I needed to cry, something I never, ever did. The rain was pouring down, drenching me in only a second. I flung open my car door, got in, and screeched away from the house. My hands were shaking so badly a few minutes later, I had to pull over.
My parents had lied to me for my entire life. They killed people, and had acted like everything was normal. My uncle, my best friend, had betrayed me. A torrent of tears ran down my face. I felt like such an outsider. I put my head against the steering wheel and closed my eyes.
I heard a vehicle skid to a stop. Someone knocked at my window, but I didn't acknowledge them. The door opened.
"Axelle?" said a very anxious voice. It was Jack. When I didn't answer, he lifted me off of the seat, got in, and set me on his lap. He closed the door.
I buried my face into his shoulder. He stroked my hair from the top of my head to my lower back. He didn't ask any questions.
When I ran out of tears, I pulled my head away from his shoulder. He took my face in his hands.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yes," I breathed.
"Would you like me to drive you home?" He sounded worried, but very in control.
"No!" I exclaimed. I was surprised at the firm edge in my voice.
"Oh," he murmured, obviously understanding why I was so distraught. If I didn't want to go home, there must be something wrong in the family. He knew how close I was to them, and he knew what kind of event would have to happen for me to stay away from my house.
I felt a buzzing in my pocket. It was my cell phone.
"Hello?" I croaked.
"Axy, can I talk to you?" It was Uncle Emmett.
"You've had years to talk to me. Quite frankly, I'm not really in the mood to talk to you right now," I snarled. I was never mean to Uncle Emmett, it was a first for me.
"I understand. I'm guessing you don't want to go home tonight. Either of your homes..." He sounded so hurt.
"You'd be guessing right," I answered curtly.
"Do you have a place to go?" he asked.
I leaned into Jack, resting my head against his chest.
"Yes, I do have a place." I snapped the phone shut and heaved a massive sigh.
"Need a place to crash for the night?" asked Jack.
"That would be lovely," I whispered. I was so tired. Anger and fighting always took it out of me.
"I'll call the step-dad and have him bring home my bike."
I climbed off of his lap and into the passenger seat. One short phone call later, Jack was driving me to his house.
"Are you sure I'm not a burden? You don't have to take me in if it's too much trouble," I said. I didn't want to be rude.
"Don't be crazy. Of course you can stay at my house. I don't mind," he smiled. He took my hand and kissed it.
I heard the growl of Jack's motorcycle and was surprised. Jack's step-dad was fast.
When he pulled into the driveway, he switched off the car and leaned in to give me a kiss. Moments later, a man was holding the door open. I pulled away from Jack, and the man helped me out of the car.
"Hi, I'm Jack's step-dad. You can call me Jake," he said. Jack was right. Jake didn't look more than twenty-five.
"I'm Axelle," I replied.
I heard him gasp quietly, but I chose to ignore it. Jack came around the car and took my arm. He led me into his house. Jake followed.
The front door opened onto a living room and kitchen. Both rooms were furnished expensively.
"My bedroom is down the hall. You can sleep in my bed, I'll sleep on the couch," said Jack.
"Oh, I'll sleep on the couch. I like couches," I insisted. I didn't want to kick him out of his own bed. It was nice enough that he was letting me stay over.
"Alright. Wait here, I'll go get you some clothes to sleep in and some blankets," Jack said. He hurried down the hall. I took a seat on one of the couches.
I heard Jake in the kitchen, talking on the phone. He sounded nervous.
"Bella, your daughter is spending the night on my couch," said Jake.
He paused for her response. "Oh, that makes sense! I'll keep her here safely until she decides to go home." Another pause. "I know that. I'll look after him too. No night romps around the sheets, I'll make sure!"
Jake knew my mom, knew my family. There was more to him that it seemed on the outside. Nobody knew my family. I was going to get to the bottom of it, that much I knew.
- Read You Loud and Clear
- Grounded
- Peaches and Cream
- Dance Crazy
- Mars Attacks
- Finally
- Connections
- Pancakes
- Sick
- Friday
- It's Going to Work
- You Don't Know Jack
- Chocolate
- Bonding
- Crazy Talk
- Happy Birthday
- Moving Too Fast
- Pregnant
- I Have Some Friends
- Two Choices
- He's Not Evil
- House
- Reaction
- Elvis
- Arr
- No Frank Sinatra
- Big Jitters
- We Need To Talk
- Breathe
- Hush Up, You Clown
- Rainbow Colored Socks
- You Need Some Rest
- Let Go
- Captured
- We Want Her
- Puzzles
- Welcome
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- Savannah_Cullen
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- Published
- 04 Apr 08
- Updated
- 01 Jan 09
- Status
- Complete


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Miami Marlins
Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton begin contract talks
The Marlins have taken the first steps in keeping Giancarlo Stanton in a Miami uniform for years to come by engaging in preliminary talks with the slugger over a long-term contract.
"I will say that we've reached out to his representative and that negotiations are ongoing," Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters.
The Marlins have made it clear they would like to sign Stanton to a long-term deal. The National League's home run leader last season remains under team control for two more seasons, after which he becomes eligible for free agency.
But the Marlins are hoping to keep him around even longer — much longer — if possible.
Hill said in a radio interview last week that the Marlins would prefer to strike a deal with Stanton before the winter meetings in early December. But Hill also said on Wednesday that no deadlines have been established in getting a deal done.
One way or the other, Hill re-confirmed that Stanton will be a Marlin next season whether or not he agrees to an extension. Stanton is expected to command a 2015 salary of about $13 million through the arbitration process.
"We haven't given him a timeline, and I don't want to speculate that we would allow it to go on indefinitely," Hill said. "But at some point, he either is going to be signed to a multi-year, or he will be signed to a one-year. We haven't gotten to that yet. There is no deadline in place as far as the timing of things."
Hill would not say whether an actual contract offer covering both years and amount of money has been given to Stanton at his point.
"Our negotiations, we want to keep them private," Hill said. "We don't want to negotiate through the media."


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Here's the Financial Times's Gideon Rachman on high-level Israeli officials, American hawks, and John Edwards getting together at the shop and here's his take on the Israeli view of things: "they clearly think that it is most likely that Israel and the United States will soon be faced by the decision over whether to take military action. They hope the US will do it. But the strong implication is that Israel will take action alone if necessary. But they are far from sanguine about the potential regional consequences, in terms of a wider war, terrorism and so on." Well, I'm not sanguine either, which seems like one of several good reasons not to do it.
Here's what John Edwards told the audience. It's not quite as bad a talk as I was initially led to believe. That said, with the United States and Israel drifting in the direction of a disastrous Iran policy Edwards is rather clearly choosing not to push against the drift. How much of this is political expediency and how much is convictions?
UPDATE: Stoller is harsh but fair: "The issue for John Edwards has always been credibility. Why should we trust a man who sold us out on the war vote? His answer is that he's changed. But has he?" I agree. I understand the political realities here, but I'd be much more inclined to give Edwards slack on this had he shown better judgment in the past.


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Jupio Nikon EN-EL14$69.00
Product Description
Bring your creativity to life with the new D5600. It features 24.2 effective megapixels, an EXPEED 4 image-processing engine, and an ISO range of 100-25600 that captures beautiful and vibrant imagery, Full HD videos and time-lapse movies even in low light situations. Inspiration also comes easy when you discover new perspectives with the vari-angle LCD monitor and intuitive touch interface. With Bluetooth® and the Nikon SnapBridge app*1for automatic transfer of images to your compatible smart devices*2, the D5600 is perfect for the connected world.
Sharing your moments as they happen without missing a beat is effortless with the D5600. With a one-time setup through the free SnapBridge*1 app, the D5600 wirelessly connects to your compatible smart device*2 via the built-in Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, or NFC*3. The app maintains a constant connection, while automatically syncing still images for seamless online sharing. You can also use your smart device as an external monitor and shoot remotely*4 for instances when you want to be in the picture.
Capture amazingly sharp and tonally-rich images and videos with the D5600's DX-format CMOS image sensor, designed without an optical low-pass filter to bring out the full resolving power of its 24.2 effective megapixels. Its EXPEED 4 image-processing engine also works to improve overall speed and performance in a variety of shooting situations. In dimly lit environments, the D5600's wide standard ISO range of 100 to 25600 allows you to achieve crisp and sharp images in which noise is effectively suppressed.
Be it a look, a smile, or a candid expression, the D5600 captures all these emotions in vivid detail with a high-speed continuous shooting rate of approximately 5 frames per second*5. The 39-point autofocus (AF) system covers a wide area of the frame to keep track of your subjects with remarkable precision.
Single-lens reflex digital camera
Lens mount
Nikon F mount (with AF contacts)
Effective angle of view
Nikon DX format; focal length equivalent to approx. 1.5x that of lenses with FX format angle of view
Image sensor format
Image sensor type
Sensor size
23.5 mm x 15.6 mm
Total pixels
24.78 million
Dust-reduction system
Image sensor cleaning, Image Dust Off reference data (Capture NX-D software required)
Effective pixels
24.2 million
Image size (pixels)
(L) 6000 x 4000 (M) 4496 x 3000 (S) 2992 x 2000
File format
NEF (RAW): 12- or 14 bit, compressed JPEG: JPEG-Baseline compliant with fine (approx. 1 : 4), normal (approx. 1 : 8), or basic (approx. 1 : 16) compression NEF (RAW)+JPEG: Single photograph recorded in both NEF (RAW) and JPEG formats
Picture Control system
Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape, Flat ; selected Picture Control can be modified; storage for custom Picture Controls
SD, SDHC (UHS-I compliant), SDXC (UHS-I compliant)
Card slot
1 Secure Digital (SD) card
File system
DCF 2.0, Exif 2.3, PictBridge
Eye-level pentamirror single-lens reflex viewfinder
Frame coverage
Approx. 95% horizontal and 95% vertical
Approx. 0.82x (50 mm f/1.4 lens at infinity, –1.0 m(*1))
17 mm (–1.0 m(*1); from center surface of viewfinder eyepiece lens)
Diopter adjustment
-1.7 to +0.5 m(*1)
Focusing screen
Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VII screen
Reflex mirror
Quick return
Lens aperture
Instant return, electronically controlled
Autofocus support
Autofocus is available with AF-S, AF-P, and AF-I lenses.
Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter
1/4000 to 30 s in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV; Bulb; Time
Flash sync speed
X= 1/200 s; synchronizes with shutter at 1/200 s or slower
S (single frame), CL (continuous low speed), CH (continuous high speed), Q (quiet shutter-release), Self-timer ; interval timer photography supported
Frame advance rate
Up to 5 fps CL: Up to 3 fps CH: Up to 5 fps (JPEG and 12-bit NEF/RAW) or 4 fps (14-bit NEF/RAW) Note: Frame rates assume continuous-servo AF, manual or shutter-priority auto exposure, a shutter speed of 1/250 s or faster, Release selected for Custom Setting a1 (AF-C priority selection), and other settings at default values.
2 s, 5 s, 10 s, 20 s; 1 to 9 exposures
Metering system
TTL exposure metering using 2016-pixel RGB sensor
Metering method
Matrix metering: 3D color matrix metering II (type G, E, and D lenses); color matrix metering II (other CPU lenses) Center-weighted metering: Weight of 75% given to 8-mm circle in center of frame Spot metering: Meters 3.5-mm circle (about 2.5% of frame) centered on selected focus point
(ISO 100, f/1.4 lens, 20 °C/68 °F) Matrix or center-weighted metering: 0–20 EV Spot metering: 2–20 EV
Exposure meter coupling
Auto modes (auto; auto, flash off); programmed auto with flexible program (P); shutter-priority auto (S); aperture-priority auto (A); manual (M); scene modes (portrait; landscape; child; sports; close up; night portrait; night landscape; party/indoor; beach/snow; sunset; dusk/dawn; pet portrait; candlelight; blossom; autumn colors; food); special effects modes (night vision; super vivid; pop; photo illustration; toy camera effect; miniature effect; selective color; silhouette; high key; low key)
Exposure compensation
Can be adjusted by –5 to +5 EV in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV in P, S, A, M, SCENE, and night vision modes
Exposure lock
Luminosity locked at detected value with AE-L/AF-L button
ISO sensitivity (Recommended Exposure Index)
ISO 100 to 25600 in steps of 1/3 EV Auto ISO sensitivity control available
Active D-Lighting
Auto, Extra high, High, Normal, Low, Off
Autofocus system
Nikon Multi-CAM 4800DX autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection, 39 focus points (including 9 cross-type sensors), and AF-assist illuminator (range approx. 0.5 to 3 m/1 ft 8 in. to 9 ft 10 in.)
Detection range
–1 to +19 EV (ISO 100, 20 °C/68 °F)
Lens servo
Single-servo AF (AF-S), Continuous-servo AF (AF-C), Auto AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A) ; predictive focus tracking activated automatically according to subject status Manual focus (MF): Electronic rangefinder can be used
Focus point
39 Can be selected from 39 or 11 focus points
AF-area mode
Single-point AF, 9-, 21-, or 39- point dynamic-area AF, 3D-tracking, auto-area AF
Focus lock
Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF) or by pressing AE-L/AF-L button
Built-in flash
Auto, portrait, child, close up, night portrait, party/indoor, pet portrait, super vivid, pop, photo illustration, toy camera effect: Auto flash with auto pop-up P, S, A, M, food: Manual pop-up with button release
Guide number
Approx. 12/39, 12/39 with manual flash (m/ft, ISO 100, 20 °C/68 °F)
TTL: i-TTL flash control using 2016-pixel RGB sensor is available with built-in flash; i-TTL balanced fill-flash for digital SLR is used with matrix and center-weighted metering, standard i-TTL flash for digital SLR with spot metering
Auto, auto with red-eye reduction, auto slow sync, auto slow sync with red-eye reduction, fill-flash, red-eye reduction, slow sync, slow sync with red-eye reduction, rear-curtain with slow sync, rear-curtain sync, off
Flash compensation
-3 to +1 EV in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV in P, S, A, M, and SCENE modes
Flash-ready indicator
Lights when built-in flash or optional flash unit is fully charged; blinks after flash is fired at full output
Accessory shoe
ISO 518 hot-shoe with sync and data contacts and safety lock
Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS)
Nikon CLS supported
Sync terminal
AS-15 sync terminal adapter (available separately)
White balance
Auto, incandescent, fluorescent (7 types), direct sunlight, flash, cloudy, shade, preset manual, all except preset manual with fine-tuning.
Bracketing types
Exposure, White balance, ADL
Lens servo
• Autofocus (AF): Single-servo AF (AF-S); full-time-servo AF (AF-F) • Manual focus (MF)
AF-area mode
Face-priority AF, Wide-area AF, Normal-area AF, Subject-tracking AF
Contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame (camera selects focus point automatically when face-priority AF or subject-tracking AF is selected)
Automatic scene selection
Available in auto and auto flash off modes
TTL exposure metering using main image sensor
Metering method
Frame size (pixels) and frame rate
1920 x 1080; 60p (progressive), 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p 1280 x 720; 60p, 50p Actual frame rates for 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, and 24p are 59.94, 50, 29.97, 25, and 23.976 fps respectively; options support both high and normal image quality
File format
Video compression
H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding
Audio recording format
Linear PCM
Audio recording device
Built-in or external stereo microphone; sensitivity adjustable
ISO sensitivity
ISO 100 to 25600
Other options
Time-lapse movies
Monitor size
8.1 cm ( 3.2 –in.) diagonal
Monitor type
TFT vari-angle LCD touch screen with 170 ° viewing angle, approx. 100% frame coverage, brightness adjustment, and eye-sensor controlled on/off
Monitor resolution
Approx. 1037 k-dot (720 x 480 x 3 = 1,036,800 dots)
Full-frame and thumbnail (4, 12, or 80 images or calendar) playback with playback zoom, playback zoom cropping, playback face zoom, movie playback, photo and/or movie slide shows, histogram display, highlights, photo information, location data display, auto image rotation, picture rating, and image comment (up to 36 characters)
USB connector
Hi-Speed USB with Micro-USB connector; connection to built-in USB port is recommended
HDMI output connector
Type C HDMI connector
Audio input
Stereo mini-pin jack (3.5 mm diameter); supports optional ME-1 stereo microphones
Accessory terminal
Wireless remote controllers: WR-1, WR-R10 (available separately) Remote cords: MC-DC2 (available separately) GPS units: GP-1/GP-1A (available separately)
IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
Operating frequency
2412 to 2462 MHz (channels 1 to 11)
Authentication: Open system, WPA2-PSK
NFC Forum Type 3 Tag
Communication protocols
Bluetooth Specification Version 4.1
Range (line of sight)
Approximately 10 m (32 ft) without interference; range may vary with signal strength and presence or absence of obstacles
Supported languages
Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Marathi, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese (Portugal and Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
One EN-EL14a rechargeable Li-ion battery
AC adapter
EH-5b AC adapter; requires EP-5A power connector (available separately)
Tripod socket
1/4–in. (ISO 1222)
Dimensions (W x H x D)
Approx. 124 x 97 x 70 mm ( 4.9 x 3.9 x 2.8 in.)
Approx. 465 g ( 1 lb 0.4 oz ) with battery and memory card but without body cap; approx. 415 g/14.7 oz (camera body only)
Operating environment
Temperature: 0 °C to 40 °C (+32 °F to 104 °F) Humidity: 85% or less (no condensation)
Supplied accessories
DK-25 rubber eyecup, BF-1B body cap, EN-EL14a rechargeable Li-ion battery (with terminal cover), AN-DC3 strap, MH-24 battery charger (plug adapter supplied in countries or regions where required; shape depends on country of sale)
Additional information
|In Depth
|Nikon D5600 Digital SLR Camera with 18-140mm VR Lens
|Sensor Size
|Lens Mount
|Nikon D5600 Digital SLR Camera with 18-140mm VR Lens
|What's in the box
|Arriving Date
What's in the box
- Nikon D5600 Digital Camera
- Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL14a
- Nikkor 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Lens
- Battery Charger MH-24
- Rubber Eyecup DK-25
- Body Cap BF-1B
- Front Lens Cap
- Rear Lens Cap
- Strap AN-DC3
Manufacturer Warranty
This product comes with a
24 month Austalian warranty
from Nikon Australia


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This 2007 interview between Emmanuelle star Sylvia Kristel (five years before her death in 2012) and Telegraph writer Mick Brown is surprisingly insightful, covering a range of material from 70s decadence to Harry Nilsson to Jean Arcelin, CEO of Chrysler Jeep Dodge in France and the co-writer of Kristel's memoir. It is worth reading in full:
The more Kristel talks, the more you find yourself warming to her. She is winningly candid and unapologetic about herself, devoid of any airs or pretensions – someone who has come to regard the switchback journey that life has taken her on with a droll sense of humour and, more importantly, a sense of proportion. While it is true that as an actress she was never able to escape the blessing and curse that was Emmanuelle, she was able to make a career of sorts. 'There was one director who said I was the type of actress who loses interest after three weeks, and that's true,' she admits. 'It's very boring to sit on a set and wait until it's finally your turn. But I know now that no film could have beaten Emmanuelle, box-office wise or in its impact. I got a lot of letters from people – "You saved our marriage" – and so…'
For the rest of the interview, click here.
Above pic from photo blog If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger.


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The Internet of Things is a real thing in Germany
I spent nine days as a guest of Germany's foreign trade and inward investment agency to see how that nation has embraced Industry 4.0.
That worldwide initiative, conceived in Germany, aims to develop standards and protocols for integrating the Internet of Things with cyber-physical systems, data collection and analysis, machine learning, and the Internet of Services.
We visited manufacturers, research institutions, universities and startups in three states; enjoyed demonstrations of smart assembly lines, smart processes and smart devices; and ended up at the Hannover Messe - the largest industrial trade show on earth with more than 5 million square feet of exhibit space, 5,000 exhibitors, and nearly 200,000 visitors (including President Barack Obama) this year.
Our first stop was the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Kaiserslautern, the largest AI research center in the world, where we were introduced to some of the technologies that enable Industry 4.0, including radio-frequency identification tags, real-time data collection and analysis, and cyber-physical systems that can make decisions on their own based on that data.
In Munich, we were the first journalists invited to tour IBM's brand-new global headquarters for Watson Internet of Things. I challenged Watson to a game of "Jeopardy" but was politely informed that Watson doesn't do games anymore. Today, Watson is a cloud-based cognitive IoT service that can analyze and learn from data collected by all those IoT devices.
IBM's Green Horizons initiative is an example of IoT technologies gathering data from monitoring stations, weather satellites and traffic cameras in Beijing. This enables highly accurate pollution forecasts, down to the nearest kilometer, up to 72 hours in advance and allows accurate pollution trend forecasts up to 10 days in the future.
Perhaps that's why big businesses like Siemens, John Deere and Fingrid (Finland's main electrical-grid operator) are using Watson IoT to sift through and learn from the petabytes of data collected by smart devices in the field.
At the Hannover Messe, the U.S. was the Official Partner Country this year, represented by more than 350 U.S.-based exhibitors including small contingents from Houston, San Antonio and Victoria.
I learned a lot and saw how Germany has all its stakeholders on the same page regarding Industry 4.0. They're committed to helping their businesses adopt new techniques and processes, and the result should be higher-quality goods and services with more available options at lower prices.
It's a huge and daunting task. As far as I could see, the Germans are not just doing it, they're doing it quite well.


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Matching Communication and Collaboration Tools to the MessageNovember 8, 2007 at 3:42 pm | Posted in Attention Management, collaboration, communication, Web 2.0 | 3 Comments
I spoke last week at a conference about how users make decisions between e-mail, IM, wikis, workspaces, the telephone, and other methods of communication and collaboration. I've seen many articles on when to use e-mail versus an IM, when to pick up the phone, what collaborative workspaces like SharePoint are good for, and they all seemed to be missing something, so I set about codifying my views on this topic into my presentation.
The point of my presentation is that there is an increase in web 2.0-like web content, communication and collaboration channels/workspaces and a corresponding increase in confusion about how to select among them. Ineffective communication and lack of collaboration caused by using the wrong channel or workspace can result in poorer understanding and decisions among the participants. Decisions about which tool to use are often made based on expediency, availability, and familiarity rather than productivity. This is natural and can never be fully optimized for productivity. But individuals and organizations can do more to increase productivity by encouraging appropriate use of channels and workspaces.
So what I've attached below is the "poster" version of the guidance I gave on deciding which communication or collaboration technology to use depending on the circumstances. It is just a starting point though – each organization may have a different set of tools or common usage. And there is still debate within my own team of how things should show up on this chart (hence "document libraries" appearing in two spots), so it should be taken as my personal best attempt at this guidance and not a formal, peer reviewed, locked down decision tree.
Some background is in order though: I don't expect anyone to whip out this chart (or any guidance like it) every time they're about to send an e-mail. You can only expect this guidance to affect systematic communicators (like corporate communications or HR groups that send important, polished messages to many people as part of their jobs) or those in training. There are certain "teachable moments" when guidance like this is accepted and has a chance of sinking in. Just emailing it out to the department out of the blue is likely to have zero effect (or worse since future attempts at guidance are more likely to be ignored as well).
The main point of the chart is that message senders should learn to distinguish between collaboration / communication and synchronous / asynchronous. It's important for the guidelines you give to remain realistic and flexible, particularly with informal interactions which should not slavishly follow the flow chart. You should customize these guidelines based on the industry, environment, and role while leaving room for situational factors (like sensitivity of the message). And finally, try to understand and minimize barriers to proper tool usage where possible, such as by making sure information workers have easy access to and feel comfortable with the tools so that lack of familiarity doesn't come into play when making tool decisions.
So, with no further ado, here is the chart I presented (click on the thumbnail for a full-sized version):
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[…] applies to a new topic as well. I've given my presentation on "Which Tool to Use" twice now and both times a question was asked about whether an e-mail or similar communication […]
Pingback by How to Pilot a New Communication Channel? Have Something to Say « KnowledgeForward— December 10, 2007 #
[…] certainly cases where culture has drastically changed. Part of the answer lies in exploiting teachable moments to make positive changes in counterproductive communication and information management […]
Pingback by WSJ Offers Information Overload 101 Again « KnowledgeForward— May 22, 2009 #
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Call Our HelpLine
Print the Older Americans Month Poster for the Month of May
October 26, 2018
Killington Grand Hotel Resort
& Conference Center
Killington, Vermont
Enter the Aging in Vermont: Healthy Living Photo Contest!
The first winner will receive a $50 gift card, plus free conference registration for the 2019 Conference. Photo(s) may be used in conference materials and thereafter
The next two runners-up will each receive a $25 gift card. Photo(s) may be used in conference materials and thereafter
Honorable-Mention photos which have a score of 4 and above may be used in conference materials and thereafter (see scoring below)
All of the above winning and honorable mention photos will be viewable during general sessions at the conference
This contest is for novice and advanced photographers alike who reside in Vermont, only. The organizer of this contest is the Vermont Association of Area Agencies on Aging (V4A) to coincide with the Aging in Vermont: Healthy Living Conference which will be held on October 26, 2018 in Killington, Vermont. The contest is meant to be fun and engaging and to help bring awareness to the work of V4A.
Entry Fee:
In order to submit photo(s) of any person(s), the Vermont photographer will need to receive their permission. Photo(s) taken should be of person(s) who have lived in Vermont. The photographer retains the rights to their photograph; however, by entering the contest, the photographer grants V4A (and those authorized by V4A) a royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publicly display, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or later developed, for any V4A promotional purpose. Any photograph reproduced will include a photographer credit as feasible. V4A will not be required to pay any additional consideration, monetary or otherwise, or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses. V4A takes no responsibility for any third-party usage of photographs, although credit information will be supplied whenever photographs are transmitted to third parties upon request. By entering the contest, the photographer automatically agrees to these terms.
All photos will be available to be judged through an online contest asking people to consider the criteria as described below. Should there be any tie, a panel of committee members for the Aging in Vermont: Healthy Living Conference will be asked to break the tie. The online judging will begin after September 28, 2018 which is the deadline for all photos to be entered and will run for approximately four weeks. The contest and judging will be available through a link from the V4A website and will be announced through our V4A FB page, through Constant Contact with a subscription of over 2000 people and through the Older Vermonters FB Group.
Judging will be based on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being excellent using the set of criteria as described below.
Photo engages the viewer to imagine a story about aging
Photo is clear and in color or black & white
Photo shows interaction with family members, neighbors, community members and/or
Photo shows an individual active in some way
Photo positively depicts aging (does not stigmatize, or make fun of aging)
Photo helps all to understand that aging is a natural part of the human experience
Photo Entry:
Deadline to enter photos is midnight, September 28, 2018.
Submit photo(s) electronically, only, not by postal delivery, by
accessing this form
and uploading photo. Photographer may submit no more than three photos for this contest. Photographer may return to this site on separate occasions to upload the total of three photos. If more than three photos are submitted, the first three will be considered by the date/time the photos were uploaded. Photographer will have an opportunity to create an account to change any submissions as long as changes are made by midnight, September 28, 2018.
Photographer may use a small watermark in either the left or right lower corner of the picture to indicate photo credit but not take away from the focus of the image.
All photo(s) which meet the above criteria with an average score of 4 and above will be on view at the Aging in Vermont: Healthy Living Conference on October 26, 2018 and will be available for viewing on the V4A website for at least one month. Some photos may be used to further promote the work of the V4A as described above.
Any questions may be directed to Janet Hunt at
[email protected]


text: J.Witvliet at MINDEF.NL schrieb: > > Hi all, > > Can anybody inform me wether the "RedHat Certificate System" or > actually a CentOS equivalent is available for CentOS. > Just skimmed on a download site through the RPM's for 5.3 and I > couldn't find it. > According to their pressrelease, it the code should be gpl, allthough > I can't find any rpm for RH, FC or Centos. > > It seems that this is one of the few CA-packages for large scale > deployment of certificates. > Only alternative AFAIK is OpenCA, which seems to be hardly maintained… > ( binaries on their site are old, and source code yields lots of > errors during build..) > You can try ejbca (.sf.net). In CA-land, few stuff is plug- and play. Rainer


text:
One of the most enduring and successful clubs in the Darwin competition, the Darwin Dragons has been a participant in the local rugby scene for more than 30 years.
Darwin Dragons Rugby Union Club's early beginnings were spawned in the 1970's when the competition first commenced. The club was formed when rugby league sides RSL and Nightcliff Dragons joined forces to enter a side RSL Dragons- into the newly started rugby union competition in 1976-77.
Premiership success came to the club in the mid 80's when the B grade side won the 1982-83 flag, and the A grade team followed up with a premiership in 1984-85. Since the club's formation, 8 A grade, 9 B grade flags, and many junior titles have been won by the club.
The club strongly supports the participation of indigenous youth and has a number of senior indigenous players who offer guidance and mentoring to the younger players.


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Conference on China and Latin America: Growing Economic Relations and Commonalities in Policy Issues
Institution(s): APEC Study Centre, BBVA Hong Kong Research Department
Date: Dec 01, 2008 (Monday) to Dec 02, 2008 (Tuesday)
Time: 12:00 am - 08:00 am
Venue: Day 1: Conference at University of Hong Kong; Day 2: Luncheon at China Club
China and Hong Kong rising trade and investment relations with Latin America bring about both opportunities and challenges for both South-East Asia and Latin America regions. While rising commodity prices and demand benefit some Latin American economies with rich endowment of natural resources, others face increased competition from Chinese exports in their home and major export markets. The objectives of this conference are twofold: firstly, to present original research on the economic relations and potential of trade and FDI between China/Hong Kong and Latin America; secondly to draw some policy implications and envisage future scenarios to fulfill the tremendous potential arising from their growing bilateral relations; thirdly, to present specific country case studies in Latin America.
Acknowledgement: IDB-ADBI Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia Economics and Business Association (LAEBA).


text:
We design, deliver and install interiors for commercial, public sector, healthcare and educational premises. No matter how large or small, we are here to help you with your project. We invest in attracting and developing exceptional people to create a vibrant, productive and flexible workforce and we are proud to say we have some of the best in the industry.
Customer satisfaction is our ultimate goal.
We are delighted with the final outcome. Through a series of meetings with Daren and Elm's design team we have been able to create a modern office which contains a variety of products, that not only suit the image of the company but the requirements of the working environment
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text:
Location: Memphis, Tenn.
Conference: Conference USA.
Record: 30-3.
Against tournament field: 8-3.
Away from home: 11-2.
In last 10 games: 9-1.
Impressive victories: Nov. 23, at New York vs. UCLA, 88-80; Dec. 27, home vs. Gonzaga, 83-72; Jan. 18, home vs. Tennessee, 88-79.
Disturbing losses: Jan. 2, home vs. Texas, 69-58; Mar. 2, at Alabama-Birmingham, 80-74.
Top players: Sr., Rodney Carney, F, 17.5 ppg., 4.3 rpg.; Fr., Shawne Williams, F, 13.4 ppg., 6.3 rpg; So., Darius Washington, G, 13.5 ppg.
Scouting report: The Tigers during the regular season were third in the nation in scoring (82.3) and second in margin of victory (15.0). They also led their conference in blocked shots (6.8), steals (10.0) and assists (14.9) -- which means they are aggressive all over the court.
Revenue/expenses: $5,563,228/$4,478,397.
Little-known fact: In five years under Coach John Calipari, the Tigers are 91-17 on their home court, an 84.3 winning percentage.
No. 2 UCLA
Location: Los Angeles.
Conference: Pacific 10.
Record: 27-6.
Against tournament field: 7-5.
Away from home: 13-3.
Record in last 10: 8-2.
Impressive victories: Dec. 10, at Anaheim vs. Nevada, 67-56; Jan. 5, at Arizona, 85-79; Mar. 2, at California, 67-58.
Disturbing loss: Feb. 19, at USC, 71-68.
Top players: So., Arron Afflalo, 16.6 ppg., 4.3 rpg.; So., Jordan Farmar, G, 13.6 ppg., 5.3 apg.
Scouting report: The backcourt of Afflalo and Farmar is one of the best in the country, and the Bruins' emphasis on defense has kept them from suffering any double-digit losses.
Revenue/expenses: $7,057,371/$3,659,076.
Little-known fact: The last time the Bruins won a Pac-10 regular-season title, in 1997, they advanced to the Elite Eight in San Antonio.
No. 3 Gonzaga
Location: Spokane, Wash.
Conference: West Coast.
Record: 27-3.
Against tournament field: 1-3.
Away from home: 12-3.
In last 10 games: 10-0.
Impressive victories: Nov. 21, at Maui vs. Maryland, 88-76; Nov. 22, at Maui vs. Michigan State, 109-106 (3OT).
Disturbing losses: None. (Only losses were to Connecticut, Memphis and Washington.)
Top players: Jr., Adam Morrison, F, 28.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg; Sr., J.P. Batista, F, 19.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg.
Scouting report: Near upsets by Loyola Marymount and San Diego in the West Coast Conference tournament make prospects of a deep run appear shaky despite impressive early-season results, including a two-point loss to Connecticut. Adam Morrison's scoring might not be able to compensate for a Gonzaga defense that doesn't rank in the top 100 in defensive field-goal percentage or steals and isn't in the top 200 in scoring defense or blocked shots.
Revenue/expenses: $2,519,527/$1,582,307.
Little-known fact: Since a string of three consecutive trips to the Sweet 16 ended in 2001, Gonzaga has not advanced past the second round of the NCAA tournament.
No. 4 Kansas
Location: Lawrence, Kan.
Conference: Big 12.
Record: 25-7.
Against tournament field: 5-4.
Away from home: 11-5.
In last 10 games: 9-1.
Impressive victories: Jan. 7, home vs. Kentucky, 73-46; Feb. 5, home vs. Oklahoma, 59-58; Mar. 12 at Dallas vs. Texas, 80-68.
Disturbing losses: Jan. 14, home vs. Kansas State, 59-55; Jan. 16, at Missouri, 89-86 (OT).
Top players: Fr., Brandon Rush, G, 13.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg; Fr., Mario Chalmers, G, 11.4 ppg, 3.8 apg; Fr., Julian Wright, F, 8.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg.
Scouting report: The young Jayhawks finished strong, defeating Texas to win the Big 12 tournament. Rush -- brother of former Laker Kareem Rush and former UCLA player JaRon Rush -- is among three freshmen who made the Jayhawks a major surprise, losing only three games since December after a 3-4 start. Kansas led the nation in defensive field-goal percentage during the regular season, holding teams to 36.6%. Possible postseason concern: Inexperience.
Revenue/expenses: $11,778,859/$4,335,649.
Little-known fact: The Jayhawks' first-round loss to Bucknell last season earned Bucknell the ESPY for Upset of the Year, beating Puerto Rico's upset of the U.S. men's basketball team in the Olympics, Giacomo's Kentucky Derby victory and Vermont's NCAA upset of Syracuse.
No. 5 Pittsburgh
Location: Pittsburgh.
Conference: Big East.
Record: 24-7.
Against tournament field: 6-5.
Away from home: 8-6.
In last 10 games: 6-4.
Impressive victories: Dec. 31, home vs. Wisconsin, 73-64; Jan. 28, home vs. Marquette, 77-71.
Disturbing losses: Jan. 21, at St. John's, 55-50; Mar. 3, home vs. Seton Hall, 65-61.
Top players: Sr., Carl Krauser, G, 15.0 ppg., 4.7 apg.; Jr., Aaron Gray, C, 13.8 ppg., 10.6 rpg.
Scouting report: Krauser, 25, is the mature leader so important in late, close games. But the Panthers have struggled on the road and played tired in consecutive losses to end the regular season.
Revenue/expenses: $7,772,580/$3,169,164.
Little-known fact: Only two Big East teams have won at least 10 conference games in each of the last five seasons -- Pitt and Connecticut.
No. 6 Indiana
Location: Bloomington.
Conference: Big Ten.
Record: 18-11.
Against tournament field: 5-8.
Away from home: 8-9.
In last 10 games: 5-5.
Impressive victories: Dec. 10, at Indianapolis vs. Kentucky, 79-53; Dec. 19, at North Carolina-Charlotte, 71-54; Jan. 7, home vs. Ohio State, 81-79; Jan. 17, home vs. Illinois, 62-60.
Disturbing losses: Dec. 6, at Indiana State, 72-67; Jan. 29, at Minnesota, 61-42; Feb. 15, at Penn State, 71-68.
Top players: Sr., Marco Killingsworth, F, 17.3 ppg., 8.0 rpg; So., Robert Vaden, G/F, 13.1 ppg., 5.6 rpg.
Scouting report: Through a contentious campaign in which Coach Mike Davis announced his resignation with two weeks left in the regular season but also said he would coach the Hoosiers until the bitter end, Indiana has survived mostly with outside shooting. The Hoosiers finished the regular season shooting 40.4% from three-point range, fourth in the nation.
Revenue/expenses: $11,930,437/$3,832,684.
Little-known fact: Former Indiana star Calbert Cheaney, the Hoosiers' all-time leading scorer with 2,613 points, also is the all-time Big Ten scoring leader.
No. 7 Marquette
Location: Milwaukee.
Conference: Big East.
Record: 20-10.
Against tournament field: 5-6.
Away from home: 6-8.
In last 10 games: 5-5.
Impressive victories: Jan. 3, home vs. Connecticut, 94-79; Feb. 18, home vs. Pittsburgh, 84-82.
Disturbing losses: Nov. 19, home vs. Winthrop, 71-64; Nov. 30, at Nebraska, 84-74; Feb. 12, at Rutgers, 91-84.
Top players: Sr., Steve Novak, F, 17.5 ppg., 5.9 rpg.; Fr., Dominic James, G, 15.1 ppg, 5.4 apg.
Scouting report: The Golden Eagles mix up defenses and have three freshmen who have accounted for 62% of the team's steals. Marquette was picked to finish 12th in its first season in the Big East but finished tied for fourth.
Revenue/expenses: $5,800,062/$5,800,062.
Little-known fact: Novak, a 6-11 forward, set a Big East record for most three-pointers with 70 during the regular season.
No. 8 Arkansas
Location: Fayetteville.
Conference: Southeastern.
Record: 22-9.
Against tournament field: 4-6.
Away from home: 7-8.
In last 10 games: 7-3.
Impressive victories: Nov. 22, at Maui vs. Kansas, 65-64; Feb. 25, at Tennessee, 73-69; Feb. 18, home vs. Florida, 85-81 (OT).
Disturbing losses: Jan. 7, at Mississippi State, 69-67; Feb. 15, at Mississippi, 73-70.
Top players: Jr., Ronnie Brewer, G, 18.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg; Sr., Jonathon Modica, G, 16.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg.
Scouting report: The Razorbacks had a six-game winning streak that included an upset at Tennessee before losing to Florida in an SEC quarterfinal. Brewer was among the league's scoring leaders, along with LSU's Glen Davis and Tennessee's Chris Lofton. Steven Hill, a 7-foot sophomore, blocked 10 shots against Texas State, and his 87 are more than any Razorback since Oliver Miller had 88 in 1992.
Revenue/expenses: $11,064,656/$5,560,359
Little-known fact: Coach Stan Heath, who reached the Elite Eight in his only year as Kent State's coach in 2002, won only nine games in his first season at Arkansas but has won 12, 18 and now 22 games since.
No. 9 Bucknell
Location: Lewisburg, Penn.
Conference: Patriot League.
Record: 26-4.
Against tournament field: 1-3.
Away from home: 12-3.
In last 10 games: 9-1.
Impressive victories: Nov. 22, at Syracuse, 74-69; Dec. 3, at DePaul, 57-52; Mar. 10, home vs. Holy Cross, 74-59.
Disturbing losses: Dec. 29, at Santa Clara, 77-68; Feb. 18, at Northern Iowa, 65-61; Jan. 2, at Duke, 84-50.
Top players: Sr., Charles Lee, G/F, 12.9 ppg., 6.1 rpg.; Jr., Chris McNaughton, C, 12.9 ppg., 4.6 rpg.; Sr., Kevin Bettencourt, G, 12.6 ppg.
Scouting report: After upsetting Kansas in the first-round last season, the Bison are not sneaking up on anybody.
Revenues/expenses: $937,598/$937,598.
Little-known fact: Bucknell ranks third in the number of Academic All-Americans on the all-time Division I list, according to the school's website.
No. 10 Alabama
Location: Tuscaloosa.
Conference: Southeastern.
Record: 17-12.
Against tournament field: 6-6.
Away from home: 3-8.
In last 10 games: 6-4.
Impressive victories: Feb. 4, home vs. Louisiana State, 67-62; Feb. 18, home vs. Tennessee, 92-79; Feb. 26, home vs. Florida, 82-77.
Disturbing losses: Jan. 7, home vs. Mississippi, 71-61; Mar. 4, at Mississippi State, 71-58.
Top players: Jr., Jermareo Davidson, F, 14.1 ppg, 9.0 rpg; So., Ronald Steele, G, 13.8 ppg, 4.1 apg.
Scouting report: Alabama has lost its last two games, stumbling at Mississippi State in the regular-season finale and losing to Kentucky in an SEC quarterfinal. The Crimson Tide made an impression in February with home victories over the league's top teams -- Tennessee, LSU and Florida -- but won only three road games. Alabama lost forward Chuck Davis, then its leading scorer, for the rest of the season when he tore a knee ligament in January.
Revenue/expenses: $6,486,053/$3,674,978
Little-known fact: Steele, the point guard, averaged 40.3 minutes in SEC play, including two overtime games.
No. 11 San Diego State
Location: San Diego.
Conference: Mountain West.
Record: 24-8.
Against tournament field: 2-2.
Away from home: 11-6.
In last 10 games: 8-2.
Impressive victories: Feb. 8, home vs. Air Force, 61-51; Jan. 11, at Utah, 72-67; conference final vs. Wyoming, 69-64 (OT).
Disturbing losses: Nov. 19, Illinois-Chicago, 66-63; Nov. 30, at San Diego, 90-80; Dec. 6, at California, 82-64.
Top players: Jr., Brandon Heath, G, 18.5 ppg.; Jr., Marcus Slaughter, F, 16.6 ppg., 11.0 rpg; Jr., Mohamed Abukar, F, 13.8 ppg.; Fr., Kyle Spain, F, 9.3 ppg., 5.8 rpg.
Scouting report: Heath, who played at Westchester High, works from the perimeter while Slaughter can be a dominating inside presence for a team that won its conference tournament despite shooting only 29% in the final.
Revenue/expenses: $2,614,095/$2,606,678.
Little-known fact: The Aztecs' regular-season conference title was their first outright championship since 1978.
No. 12 Kent State
Location: Kent, Ohio.
Conference: Mid-American.
Record: 25-8.
Against tournament field: 0-2.
Away from home: 9-6.
In last 10 games: 8-2.
Impressive victories: Nov. 29, at Youngstown State, 77-69; Feb. 15, at Buffalo, 11-107; Mar. 11, at Cleveland vs. Toledo, 71-66.
Disturbing losses: Nov. 25, home vs. Rutgers, 55-52; Jan. 26, home vs. Bowling Green, 78-74; Mar. 4, at Akron, 75-67.
Top players: Sr., DeAndre Haynes, G, 13.2 ppg, 4.0 apg; Sr., Jay Youngblood, G, 14.7 ppg; So., Michael Scott, F, 6.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg; Sr., Kevin Warzynski, F, 10.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg.
Scouting report: The Golden Flashes will not be afraid to bang bodies after beating up teams in the MAC all season behind Nate Gerwig and Warzynski. Haynes is a steady point guard and Youngblood is a solid scorer. Scott provides highlight plays for Kent State, which lost in the MAC championship game in 2003 and 2004.
Revenue/expenses: $362,041/$1,248,897.
Little-known fact: NFL tight end Antonio Gates of the San Diego Chargers helped lead Kent State to the Elite Eight round in 2001, the last time the Golden Flashes reached the NCAA tournament.
No. 13 Bradley
Location: Peoria, Illinois
Conference: Missouri Valley.
Record: 20-10.
Against tournament field: 2-3.
Away from home: 7-10.
In last 10 games: 7-3.
Impressive victories: Nov. 19, at DePaul, 75-60; Feb. 14, home vs. Southern Illinois, 72-60; March 3, at St. Louis vs. Creighton, 54-47.
Disturbing losses: Nov. 30, at Loyola (Ill.), 86-72; Feb. 4, at Missouri State, 86-76; March 5, at St. Louis vs. Southern Illinois, 59-46.
Top players: Sr., Marcellus Sommerville, F, 15.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg; So., Patrick O'Bryant, C, 13.2 ppg, 8.0 rpg; So., Daniel Ruffin, G, 7.7 ppg, 5.2 apg.
Scouting report: O'Bryant, the Missouri Valley Conference player of the year, can dominate play inside and Sommerville is a capable scorer who works well in the open court. The Braves, known for their defensive pressure, played their best basketball in the conference tournament, but in the championship game their offense disappeared in the second half.
Revenue/expenses: $1,852,961/$1,016,150.
Little-known fact: Coach Jim Les was a ball boy for Bradley from 1972 to 1975 when his older brother, Tom, handled the point guard duties for the Braves. In 1985, Jim Les led Bradley to its only NCCA tournament victory when the Braves defeated Texas-El Paso, 83-65.
No. 14 Xavier
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio.
Conference: Atlantic 10.
Record: 21-10.
Against tournament field: 1-2.
Away from home: 7-6.
In last 10 games: 7-3
Impressive victories: Jan. 19, home vs. Cincinnati, 73-71 (OT); Mar. 11, at Cincinnati vs. St. Joseph's, 62-61.
Disturbing losses: Feb. 21, at Dayton, 66-62; Mar. 4, at Massachusetts, 65-56.
Top players: So., Stanley Burrell, G, 13.8 ppg, 3.1 apg; Jr., Justin Doellman, F, 10.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg.
Scouting report: The Musketeers lost their leading scorer and rebounder, Brian Thornton, to a broken ankle in February. But they have gone 7-3 without him, claiming the Atlantic 10's automatic bid by winning four games in four days, defeating Saint Joseph's in the title game. Xavier is 3-4 against teams in the top 50, but with a couple of notably close scores, to Illinois by three points and to George Washington by four.
Revenue/expenses: $8,202,639/$3,039,854.
Little-known fact: In 2004, Xavier completed the same feat, winning four games in four days to win the conference tournament -- and then advanced to the Elite Eight before losing to Duke.
No. 15 Belmont
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Conference: Atlantic Sun.
Record: 20-10.
Against tournament field: 0-2.
Away from home: 10-8.
In last 10 games: 9-1.
Impressive victories: Nov. 22, at Chattanooga, 93-79; Jan. 31, home vs. Lipscomb, 81-65; Mar. 4, at Johnson City, Tenn. vs. Lipscomb, 74-69 (OT).
Disturbing losses: Nov. 26, at Oklahoma, 81-59; Dec. 3, at Kennesaw State, 91-87; Feb. 16, at Gardner-Webb, 74-66.
Top players: So., Justin Hare, G, 15.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.9 apg; Jr., Boomer Hernden, C, 14.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg; Sr., Brian Collins, G, 10.9 ppg, 4.4 apg.
Scouting report: Hare scored a career-high 32 points to lead Belmont past Lipscomb in Atlantic Sun championship game. The Bruins are one of the best shooting teams in the tournament, ranking fourth nationally in field-goal percentage (50.0).
Revenue/expenses: $981,157/$987,157.
Little-known fact: Several players, including Hare and Hernden, were members of Belmont's Sports Evangelism Team, which traveled to Ukraine last summer.
No. 16 Oral Roberts
Location: Tulsa, Okla.
Conference: Mid-Continent.
Record: 21-11.
Against tournament field: 1-5.
Away from home: 7-8.
In last 10 games: 8-2.
Impressive victories: Nov. 23, home, vs. USC, 68-48; Nov. 26, home, vs. Monmouth, 62-54; Feb. 23, at Centenary, 83-57.
Disturbing losses: Nov. 25, home, vs. Marquette, 73-70; Dec. 20, at Utah State, 65-64; Feb. 18, at Montana, 88-74.
Top players: Jr., Caleb Green, F, 20.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg; Jr., Ken Tutt, G, 14.3 ppg; Sr., Larry Owens, F, 12.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg.
Scouting report: The Golden Eagles are balanced with Green, Tutt and Owens each capable of leading them in scoring. In Oral Roberts' 85-72 victory over Chicago State in the Mid-Continent championship game, Tutt scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half after Owens scored 16 of his 24 in the first.
Revenue/expenses: $1,277,064/$982,274.
Little-known fact: Oral Roberts is a different team with Tutt in the lineup. Since he returned after missing 10 games because of a broken toe, the Golden Eagles are 11-2.


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text: On 14 January 1506, the Laocoon was discovered in a vineyard near the Baths of Titus on the Colle Oppio hill in Rome. The sculptural group shows the Trojan priest Laocoon who, against the will of Athena and Poseidon, was opposed to allowing the wooden horse given by the Greeks within the walls of Troy. Two giant sea snakes wrapped around him and his two sons, killing all of them and thus marking the destiny of the city and prophesyzing the founding of Rome. The sculptural group was immediately purchased by Pope Julius II (1503-1513) who moved it to the Vatican. Years later, in the Courtyard of the Statues (today the Octagonal Courtyard), a group of some of the most important ancient sculptures were displayed and they had a profound influence on the artistic culture of the fol-lowing centuries. The Laocoon was one of the most studied and copied works from the Renaissance onwards. As a 'founding' and fundamental work of art of the Vatican Museums, it has been chosen as the subject of a series of stamps to commemorate the 500 years since the founding of the Vatican Museums.


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Clinton Portis — who rushed for more yards than all but one ball-carrier in Redskins history and displayed more personalities, and perhaps more personality, than any other player — began his retirement ceremony remarks Thursday as we should have expected.
"Hello world," he said.
Then Portis officially stepped away from pro football after a prolific nine-year career, providing more than 25 minutes of unscripted and unfiltered emotion, memories and commentary. Occasionally choking up, Portis expressed gratitude and pride toward the Redskins organization where he spent seven seasons.
And near the end, Washington owner Daniel Snyder emphasized how his organization feels about Portis by announcing the running back is one of the 10 new inductees to the list of 80 Greatest Redskins of All-Time.
"You're talking about a Hall of Fame running back and someone that we're very proud to retire as a Redskin," Snyder said.
Portis, 30, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, ranks second in Redskins history in rushing yards (6,824), carries (1,667) and rushing touchdowns (46). He rushed for 1,516 yards in 2005, which stands as the top single season rushing total in franchise history.
When asked whether he thought he would be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, Portis said he was not sure.
"You know, it would be a great feat," Portis said. "I think if the measurement for the Hall of Fame, if they can add my biggest attribute, which was heart, I would definitely be there. But for just the numbers, I'm not sure."
He'd also be a lock if the Hall of Fame considered off-the-field entertainment. Known for dressing up as different characters during weekly news conferences while he was with the Redskins — including Kid Bro Sweets, Dolemite Jenkins, Choo Choo and Southeast Jerome, to name a few — Portis frequently had something interesting to say and an interesting way of saying it.
"Each character was unique in his own way, and all of them was fun," Portis said. "I never took the time out to say, 'This is my favorite,' because the one that I gave you the week that I gave it to you was the character I needed to get myself through the week or the character that we needed as a team to get through."
Portis got in trouble at his first rookie practice with the Denver Broncos in 2002 for wearing a bird feather in his helmet. He was traded after two seasons to the Redskins, where he became known as one of the toughest players on the team and set rushing records.
Portis said his initial plans for retirement include spending more time with his children and investing in Snyder's youth league football team, for which he jokingly said he recently signed on as a part-owner. He said he plans to stay involved in the area.
"I never cheated myself, and I gave everything that I had to this organization and to this Redskins nation, to this D.C. nation," Portis said. "I love this area, and I will always feel a part of this community."


text:
When Draco is released from Azkaban into the care of the Weasleys, he has an opportunity to start fresh. One-shot.Category: Completed Short Stories
Author's Note: This story was written for Kyla in the DG Forum's 2013 Holiday Gift-Fic Exchange. Her prompt was "innocent, fresh starts." Merry Christmas, Kyla!
I don't know what the deal is, but this story is similar in theme to the last two Christmas stories I wrote, Draco Unwrapped and A Very Normal Christmas. I guess there's something about Draco feeling outcast and ultimately being accepted that interests me. I apologize in advance if this feels repetitive, but I hope you like it anyway!


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I realized the other day while on the train inside a long stretch of subway tunnel, I was meditating.
My closed eyes focused on the slow churning sound of the wheels and tracks together. I felt my body go away, and just the sound and its persistence remained. It helps that there was some quiet. There weren't a bunch of other people-centered background noise going on… but the point is, up until then, I'd thought about using transit as a meditative space, but I didn't think I could do it. That nearly all busses and trains- over-crowded, smelly, too hot or too cold and in-motion- would be just too much. For the most part, they are. Until they weren't. Until they were perfect. Another thing to add to the list of things I'm glad I'm wrong about.
And when I came to- I had a little something extra. Something new about the world-
The whole magnificent world outside of bad moments.
It doesn't matter if that old HE- a lover who became my enemy- has never physically been to my new home. I've psychically invited him there, damn near a hundred thousand times now, via my own dark thoughts.
Memories are something to be feared. If the devil exists it is in one form only: Fear.
My family went to church when I was small, but we weren't religious, and I'm extremely thankful for that. In a nearly flippant way, when asked about my beliefs I refer to myself as an Agnostic Pantheist. This is in part deflection and in part a truth. These thoughts are like multiple minute gods- some acting in the name of good and some for evil. For me they exist and they poke, but they do not make up the sum total of my reality. That reality is changing. Is the constance of change. The lessons are old and new.
These 'bad' thoughts- replays of a seemingly endless series of events gone wrong and time wasted remade worse in the afterthoughts… they can melt away. They have to. They can become the tiny grains of sand they truly are amid the realization that the whole world was turning too, and still is. And back in each of those moments- someone died, and another someone was born, and someone else with a truer heart maybe had it worse.
How can I radiate love if I am periodically filled with so much disgust and frustration?
Can I turn this fierceness into positive coping and a force for righteous fearlessness? I must, or I die.
Make no mistake. So much of what we call 'living' is a total trap. My heart is shattered like a funhouse mirror and as flimsy a bi-polar's rationale for not killing herself today.
Yet despite knowing this, a voice straight out of my jagged heart, as sure as a self-defense class says 'YES.' And it will take a renewed commitment to the practice of healing every single day. We are flowers opening and closing to the sun.
This is how you deal with the many forms of loss.
You go about your day. You do simple things. You do your best, which is a different kind of best every day.
You give yourself permission.
You close your eyes and breathe. You look at up the sky and remember the wide blue ceiling is there. Holding you careful and true, along with everything you love.
If you are careful you can view with objectivity these inner twists of fate: you can see those closest to you lead their beautiful lives thourally and independantly all on their own.
But zoom out even further. Go around the world. Remember that someone else was having an even worse day than you- how your heart is made bigger as it goes out to them. Whomever and wherever they are- these friends you haven't met yet. These lovely souls you will never know. Some close. Some far.
Someone died. Someone was born.
The world spun on. And time pulled you thru. As it pulls us all, and keeps us.