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Posts Tagged 'hockey'
Forbes 2012 Valuations – They're just making stuff up, aren't they?Posted: December 29, 2012 in Uncategorized
Tags: Baseball, basketball, football, hockey, MLB, Money, NBA, NFL, NHL, Team Valuations
Drama in the Desert 5 – How the heck is this still going on?!? EditionPosted: August 4, 2012 in Arizona, hockey, NHL, Phoenix Coyotes, Relocation/Expansion, Uncategorized
Tags: Arizona, Atlanta, Atlanta Thrashers, hockey, NHL, Phoenix Coyotes, relocation, Thrashers, Winnipeg
Very long time, no post.
In the months since the last SportVotes post… pretty much nothing has happened in Glendale. I mean, sure… they had a solid playoff run and there was a controversial public financing plan and a threatened public referendum and a new potential owner is trying to gather the funds to finally buy the Coyotes, but really? It's just been long and dragged out beyond belief.
It's honestly more depressing than anything, really. That being said, it is somewhat amusing to go back and read through some of my own posts that more or less prognosticated the impending doom of the Yotes, only for it to get dragged on for another year (soon to be a second year) while the almost entirely ignored Thrashers up and moved to Winnipeg.
Is this the beginning of a new start at SportVotes? Maybe.
Drama in the Desert 4 – Hiatus OverPosted: March 21, 2011 in Arizona, NHL, Phoenix Coyotes, Relocation/Expansion
Tags: Arizona, Glendale, hockey, NHL, Phoenix Coyotes, relocation, Winnipeg
For past articles on the Phoenix Coyotes, please go HERE.
First of all, it's great to finally be back. My computer problems are still persisting, but thankfully I now have a loaner laptop in my possession that will allow me to return to updating SportVotes.
In the two weeks since my last update on the subject, the situation in Arizona between the NHL, the Glendale City Council, and prospective Coyotes-owner Matthew Hulsizer on one side and the Goldwater Institute, a conservative taxpayers advocacy group, on the other, has continued to deteriorate. The Glendale City Council had previously threatened to sue Goldwater and a number of other individuals should their attempts to block the sale of municipal bonds lead to the relocation of the Coyotes, but that threat has appeared to be mere posturing as weeks have since past with no actual move on this front. Since then, the Goldwater Institute has apparently dug their heels on the matter and continued their efforts to warn potential bonds buyers about the questionable legality of the deal.
These moves have so seriously threatened the sale of the bonds, integral to allowing a new ownership group being able to buy the team and keep them in Arizona without absorbing exorbitant amounts of debt, that Glendale and Hulsizer have come hat in hand offering additional millions of dollars in guarantees for taxpayers to make the offer more appealing. However, Goldwater is still convinced that the basic arrangement behind the proposed deal violates the state constitution, so they are not backing down. NHL and Glendale officials have been trying their best to downplay the severity of Goldwater's continued actions and threat to sue, but they are desperately worried. Gary Bettman, the commissioner of the NHL, is on the verge of facing an outright owner's revolt against him for failing to sell the Coyotes that has proved to be a massive burden on the league's coffers, and Glendale has even gotten vocal support from powerful U.S. Senator John McCain to speak on their behalf to Goldwater.
And they have good reason to be worried. The NHL's and Hulsizer's patience is limited, and at a certain point one or both will simply back out rather than continue to lose face. Should that happen, there can be no denying that the Coyotes would be forced to relocate, likely as early as next season, a fact that has absolutely delighted Winnipeggers due to the likelihood that they are the prohibitive favorites to land the team in the event of a new ownership group buying the team and moving them elsewhere. And, to date, there is no indication that Glendale is at all willing to drop their objections to the deal.
As per usual, more news on this as it becomes available. And you'd better believe that it will be coming relatively soon. The status quo cannot be sustained in the desert for long.
Drama in the Desert 3 – Glendale/Goldwater LawsuitPosted: March 6, 2011 in Arizona, hockey, NHL, Phoenix Coyotes, Relocation/Expansion
Tags: Arizona, Goldwater, Goldwater Institute, hockey, Jets, NHL, Phoenix Coyotes, relocation, Winnipeg, Winnipeg Jets
Past articles on the Phoenix Coyotes and their "Drama in the Desert" can be found HERE.
Potentially as early as tomorrow, the city of Glendale will be filing suit against the Goldwater Institute for its repeated attempts to block the sale of municipal bonds meant to finance a deal that would keep the Phoenix Coyotes in Arizona. Claiming that losing the franchise would result in a potential net loss of a half billion dollars in future revenue sources for the city, the Glendale City Council has instructed the city attorney to file suit against Goldwater Institute. While it should come as no surprise that Glendale would bear its teeth at the conservative watchdog after their repeated questioning over the legality of the city's attempts to push through the controversial bond issue, what should be viewed as a shocker is the potential scope of the lawsuit. If Goldwater continues its opposition and subsequently forces the NHL to halt efforts to keep the team in Arizona, Glendale could be seeking damages in the hundreds of millions of dollars. On top of that, Glendale will not only be suing the Goldwater Institute for damages, but also individual members of its board of directors and even the wife of the owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks due to allegations that the baseball team has been supporting Goldwater so as to remove a major sports competitor from their market.
In my personal opinion, this is an absolute, last-ditch effort by Glendale to keep the franchise. Grumblings from the NHL have been growing ever fiercer for months over their continued financial hardship in administering the deeply unprofitable franchise, and the other teams' owners have all-but lost patience for continuing to fund the Coyotes while attempts to keep the team in Arizona under new ownership have floundered. Additionally, prospective buyers have already popped up in Winnipeg that are willing to buy the franchise and pay off the debt in order to move the team and bring back the Jets. While the NHL has obviously been interested in keeping the team in the Southern United States in the hopes of gaining a major American television contract, the prospect of the situation in Glendale dragging on has inexorably been pushing the league's higher-ups for cutting ties in the desert and recouping their losses by selling off the franchise back to its original Manitoban roots even at the risk of losing a major media market in Arizona.
As a result of this, Glendale is firing directly at the bow of not only the Goldwater Institute, but at its directors and supporters in a single, vicious stroke. They are going to try to scare Goldwater to withdraw their threat to block the bond issue with a lawsuit of their own and hit them in the pocketbook should Glendale lose the Coyotes. And to my nose, this reeks of a desperation bully move. Even if it is shown that Glendale did not break state law with the proposed massive bond issue, the prospect of facing a lawsuit could very likely delay the NHL's sale of the franchise long enough that they simply give up on attempts to keep the team in Arizona and allow prospective owners from elsewhere to buy the team with the intention of immediately relocating as quickly as possible.
It will all come down to a blinking game. If Glendale's threat forces Goldwater down in the near-immediate future, the NHL's sale of the franchise to an owner committed to keeping the team in Arizona will go through. If Goldwater doesn't back down and either keeps up their legal threats or even outright files a lawsuit against the city, then the NHL will blink and allow the team to be purchased by outside ownership groups, effectively killing the Coyotes. This is going to be a battle that messily intertwines the sports world, the political world, and the business world before all is said and done.
3/9 UPDATE: Rather than making a new entry, I figured that I'd just add on some news here.
As of right now, despite Glendale's initial intention to file suit as early as Monday, the city and the NHL are mostly stuck in a staring contest with the Goldwater Institute to see which one blinks first. Both sides are threatening legal action and Commissioner Gary Bettman of the NHL is sounding exasperated over the continued speedbumps that have been thrown up at every step of the process in his attempts to sell the Coyotes. Canadian media is getting positively giddy at the notion that the league's patience could be on the verge of running out and that a return to Winnipeg could be coming sooner rather than later. As soon as new information about the continued drama in the desert becomes available, I will report on it here. Until then, the Arizona standoff continues.
Phoenix Coyotes – Drama in the Desert 2Posted: March 3, 2011 in Arizona, hockey, NHL, Phoenix Coyotes, Relocation/Expansion, Stadiums/Arenas, Uncategorized
Tags: Arizona, Coyotes, hockey, Jets, Kansas City, Kansas City Scouts, NHL, Nordiques, Phoenix, Phoenix Coyotes, Quebec City, Quebec Nordiques, relocation, Scouts, Winnipeg, Winnipegt Jets
It took a while longer than I had anticipated, but we have more news regarding the continued troubles of the Phoenix Coyotes, arguably the most beleaguered franchise in major North American sports. As I already covered previously, the Yotes have been experiencing setback after setback during their brief history in the Arizona desert. Recently though, things appeared to finally be going in the right direction for the team, as they finally returned to the playoffs again last year, the franchise had reached an important refinancing deal that saw the city of Glendale assume a significant portion of the team's debt, and the NHL was finally beginning to make a move on selling the team to an attractive ownership group headed up by Matthew Hulsizer, the head of a Chicago-based securities firm that has had a long interest in hockey. The combination of Hulsizer's deep pockets and Glendale's willingness to not only adopt a $100 million bond issue to absorb most of the team's debts, but also pay any potential buyer $197 million over six years to keep the team in Glendale, seemed to be a major turning point in keeping the Coyotes in Arizona. For the first time, it would actually be financially possible for the team to turn a profit.
However, the Glendale bond issue proved to be immediately controversial amongst a significant segment of the local conservative population, as many area residents were opposed to using public funds to finance the team, especially as so many of them had been unwilling to even support the team at all during their years in the desert. In response, the Arizona-based Goldwater Institute, an organization that has long derided the use of any public monies to fund private sports teams, has threatened to file suit against the bond issue by claiming that it actually broke state law. This threat has effectively paralyzed the NHL's negotiations with Hulsizer to the point where it is now actively feared that the continued opposition to the bond issue could cause him to pull out of the negotiations in the same fashion that Jerry Reinsdorf (owner of the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls) did the previous year. The mayor of Glendale, Elaine Scruggs, recently held a press conference in which she called for the Goldwater Institute to stop their legal threats and that their continued opposition could cause the entire deal to fall apart (which is exactly what the Goldwater Institute wants).
Should the Goldwater Institute stick to its guns and keep up their opposition to the bond issue, the Coyotes troubles could very well continue to pile up. Additionally, as the league has assumed ownership of the team, they are the ones hemorrhaging money. The other 29 team owners are none-too-pleased at their continued flushing of money down the toilet in funding an unwanted team (especially an unwanted team that appears likely to reach the playoffs again), and their patience with the NHL's actions have to be running thin at this point. Canadian sports fans are undoubtedly giddy at the whole prospect of the Coyotes potentially moving out of Arizona, as several major Canadian offers have been publicly put forward to try to land an NHL team in Winnipeg, Hamilton, Quebec City, and even a second team in Toronto. Despite the fact that the Maple Leafs would very likely block any attempt to add as second Toronto-based team, and the Leafs and the Sabres would unite to block a Hamilton-based team, the offers from Winnipeg and Quebec City would have to be viewed as extremely attractive alternatives to the NHL, especially by owners seeking to rid themselves of their shared burden in the desert. Other American cities have likewise been lobbying for new teams, most notably Kansas City, meaning that there is plenty of interest in moving the Coyotes elsewhere from from even within the United States.
More on this undoubtedly at a later date.
Relocation Rumors – Sacramento Kings and Atlanta ThrashersPosted: February 20, 2011 in basketball, hockey, NBA, NHL, Relocation/Expansion, Sacramento Kings
Tags: Anaheim, Atlanta, Atlanta Thrashers, basketball, Canada, hockey, Kings, NBA, NHL, relocation, rumors, Sacramento, Sacramento Kings, Thrashers
STORY UPDATE – The situation regarding the Sacramento Kings has since changed. For more information on the Sacramento Kings request for a deadline extension, please go HERE.
I was expecting to just sit back, relax, and enjoy a nice, long day of watching hockey today, but pretty much as soon as I woke up I noticed not one, but two relocation rumors circulating the web. When it comes to any sports relocation rumors, you need to obviously take them with a grain of salt. However, these are surrounding two teams that are oft-discussed as potential relocation candidates and the stories have been picked up by various major media outlets, including the New York Times, USA Today, and ESPN, so I think that the discussion of both teams is obviously worthwhile here on SportVotes.
The first rumor is surrounding the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association. According to ESPN reporter Marc Stein, and seemingly confirmed by NBA commissioner David Stern, the Kings are in close negotiations with the city of Anaheim over the possibility of moving from the state capital to the Orange County for next season. Any such relocation proposal would need to be submitted to the NBA by March 1st, so the Kings are really on the clock if they are actually considering this move.
For those that don't know, the Kings are a team that have already relocated three times over the course of their long history, having existed previously as the Rochester Royals (1945–57), Cincinnati Royals (1957–72), and the Kansas City/Omaha Kings (1972–85) prior to finally moving to Sacramento. No matter where they go however, the franchise just never seems to be able to find sustainable success and are currently experiencing what will soon become a six-decade championship drought. In the quarter century they've spent in their current home, the Kings have appeared in the playoffs ten times (including an impressive eight-year streak from 1999-2006), but have only won their division twice. They've been stuck out of the playoffs for the past four seasons and have been suffering from declining attendance during that time. Couple that drop in attendance with the team's belief that they play in an outdated facility, the ARCO Arena (set to be renamed to the Power Balance Pavillion on March 1st, oddly enough the exact same day as the already mentioned deadline to give notice to the NBA for a possible relocation for next season), and you have a classic recipe for relocation.
The Kings have been pushing for years for the construction of a new, state-of-the-art arena in downtown Sacramento. They had planned on eliciting partial public support for the proposed-$600 million arena, but in 2006 voters overwhelmingly rejected a pair of ballot measures which would have created a 15-year quarter cent sales tax increase for the funding of the new arena. With this avenue for revenue blocked, the Kings and the NBA approached the California state fairgrounds with a plan that would include a potential landswap and various other measures to allow for a new facility to be built on their grounds. In 2010 though, this too was shot down, leaving the Kings with the firm belief that they had to consider the possibility of relocation. Ever since then, the Kings have been in highly publicized and speculative meetings with various municipalities, including Las Vegas, San Jose, and Louisville, Kentucky on the possibility of moving the team.
On February 19th however, during the All-Star Game festivities in Los Angeles, the relocation discussions appeared to have gone from speculative to probable, as NBA commissioner David Stern admitted that the Kings were currently in discussion with the city of Anaheim and that the team had inquired the NBA about the potential to relocate. While the threat of moving a franchise has long been used as leverage to successfully gain public funding for new arena construction projects, these appear to be actual serious discussions. Couple that with the short timetable between when the discussions became publicized with the notice deadline for any potential relocation, which stands at just a little over a week from now, and from all perspectives this appears to be a serious threat over a mere bargaining ploy.
If the discussions actually move to fruition, the Kings would likely play in the Honda Arena, home of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks. An interesting name discussion might also arise if the relocation goes through, as the Los Angeles metropolitan area already has another franchised named the Kings, the Los Angeles-based NHL team, which plays a mere 30 miles to the northwest of their prospective home in Anaheim. While there have been past examples of teams in the same area having the same name (such as the former examples of the St. Louis football and baseball Cardinals and the New York football and baseball Giants), it would be a unique rarity in sports today. In fact, the Sacramento Kings also have a history of changing their name in acquiescence of another team, as the franchise became the Kings so as to not have the same name as the Kansas City Royals of the MLB when they relocated, despite the fact that the basketball team had existed in other cities long before baseball team had even been founded.
But, that would be a discussion for another day.
The next team that has been rumored recently is the long-troubled Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL. While the rumors circulating around the Kings appear to be at least relatively substantive, the rumors about the Thrashers are much more speculative, albeit still significant. The Thrashers have existed in Georgia since they were founded as an expansion franchise in 1999. Since their foundation though, the Thrashers have been a troubled franchise, having only made it into the playoffs once in their time in the league. Combined with attendance figures that have been near the bottom of the league for years with their very low franchise value, which has been ranked 121st out of 122 major professional sports teams in North American in both 2009 and 2010, and you can see why the Thrashers have long been rumored on the league's chopping block for potential relocation.
Despite recent high profile moves by the team in adding to their roster to try to make it to the postseason this year, including signing assistant captain Dustin Byfuglien to a five-year, $26 million contract, recent news has also spread the flames of rumors surrounding the potential for relocation. Court documents released in January have shown that the current ownership group has been hunting for potential investors and part-owners unsuccessfully for the past six years. And, as recently reported on the NHL Network, the league is apparently getting involved in actively trying to get a new majority owner to buy the team in the next 6-8 weeks, indicating that, if a new ownership group is not found in that time frame, they might be willing to open the door for relocation talks to other cities.
While the NHL obviously does not want to give up on the ninth largest market in the United States, they also appear to not want to repeat the mistakes they've made (and are currently making) in Phoenix with the Coyotes. The Thrashers are already hemorrhaging money and facing a distinct disinterest from local sports fans, almost a mirror image of what has already been happening in Arizona, and the league apparently does not want to be stuck holding the tab for yet another southern white elephant.
This, of course, has fed the flames of one of Canada's favorite pastimes over the past decade, speculating over potentially adding another team up north. Centered mostly around Winnipeg and Quebec City, both of which lost NHL franchises in the 1990's, hopes for new Canadian teams have been fiercely stoked over the past couple years. Most recently, hundreds of Quebec City residents traveled south to Long Island to attend a game between two of the most oft-discussed relocation candidates, the New York Islanders and the Thrashers. Former-Nordiques fans rallied throughout the game to get their support for relocation heard by both teams, much to the resentment of Islanders fans in the arena. Additionally, a primary reason for both Winnipeg and Quebec City losing their franchises in the first place, not having available up-to-date arenas, has mostly been solved in both municipalities, as Winnipeg already has the ultra-modern, though smallish, MTS Centre, and Quebec City recently approved partial municipal funding for an NHL-caliber arena, which is currently in the process of being designed.
Given the very short time table for both teams, we can definitely expect to hear much more on this in the coming days and weeks. If you asked me to rank which one was more likely, I would have to go and say that the Kings relocating is definitely the more probable option, given the NBA's already shown willingness to allow teams to relocate over stadium issues versus the NHL's fierce defense of unprofitable teams. However, if the rumors about the NHL not wanting to face another Phoenix situation are true, then the impetus to search for an ownership group to move the team elsewhere could very have have legs of its own as well.
Phoenix Coyotes – Drama in the DesertPosted: February 13, 2011 in Arizona, hockey, NHL, Phoenix Coyotes, Relocation/Expansion, Stadiums/Arenas
Tags: Arizona, hockey, NHL, Phoenix, Phoenix Coyotes
Had I begun this blog a mere year ago, I undoubtedly would have already created dozens of individual posts about the continuing drama surrounding this team. For those that don't know the history of this NHL franchise, I'll give a "brief" history below:
The Coyotes began their existence far away from the sun-baked deserts of Glendale in the frozen tundra of Winnipeg, Canada. Founded in 1972 as the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association (WHA), the future-Coyotes entered the world of professional hockey at a crucial crossroads of the sport's history. The NHL had only just recently expanded for the first time in decades, literally doubling almost overnight from six franchises to twelve in 1967. While this expansion allowed the league to bargain for lucrative American television contracts and brought professional hockey to markets that were starving for a chance to host NHL teams, namely Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis-St. Paul, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area, it was also a highly controversial decision. By doubling in size immediately, rather than instigating gradual growths as Major League Baseball was slowly implementing, the overall talent pool of professional hockey was watered down significantly. Questions over the legitimacy of the St. Louis franchise, seemingly only founded so as to allow the very powerful owner of the Chicago Blackhawks to sell off an arena that he owned in St. Louis (the St. Louis Arena, home of the Blues for the first quarter century of the team's existence), were raised by many hockey observers. And, most importantly, the NHL did not add any more teams in Canada, meaning that despite the fact that the vast majority of the players were Canadian and Canadians as a whole were much more rabid followers of hockey than Americans, the 1967-68 season would feature only two Canadian teams and ten American teams. To potential fans across Canada, and especially in Vancouver (which many assumed was a shoe-in to receive an expansion franchise in 1967), this was a complete travesty.
As a result, over the span of the next decade, the NHL began to undertake a series of haphazard expansions that instigated a phase of intense growing pains that would haunt the league for years to come. Over the next decade, the NHL would add franchises in Vancouver, Buffalo, Atlanta, a second team in New York, Kansas City, and Washington D.C. With the floodgates open and the expansions continuing, a rising discontent grew in municipalities angered over the fact that they were not receiving franchises from the NHL. In response, a second professional league, the Western Hockey Association (WHA) was formed to challenge the monopoly that the NHL held on professional hockey in North America, founding franchises across Canada and the United States. While this league proved to be nowhere near as stable as the elder NHL, the war between these two leagues lead to rapidly escalating player salaries, increased cost overhead, and decreased profits and available talent. By 1979, both leagues were at their breaking point. The WHA was nearing fiscal insolvency and several NHL franchises were either on the verge of outright collapse and/or strongly considering relocation to other cities in hopes of a brighter future.
After prolonged and intense negotiations, the WHA agreed to merge with the NHL, bringing the Winnipeg Jets and three other franchises into the NHL. While the now 21-team league stood as the sole major professional hockey league in North America, it had been incredibly bloodied by its feud with the WHA. The California Golden Seals had been forced to relocate to Cleveland before eventually merging with the Minnesota North Stars in 1978 in order to keep that team alive. The Kansas City Scouts barely lasted two years before moving to Denver in 1976 to become the Colorado Rockies (the later MLB team would take their name from this hockey team) before being forced to relocate again to New Jersey to become the Devils in 1982. The Atlanta Flames, the league's first real attempt to expand into the American South, failed miserably and moved to Calgary in 1980. And to make matters even worse, in a vindictive fashion the NHL stripped most of the talent from the four former-WHA franchises in order to placate the hardline owners of teams already in the NHL.
Despite this, the former teams of the WHA, the Jets, Quebec Nordiques, Hartford Whalers, and Edmonton Oilers, initially thrived in their new surroundings. The Oilers would go on to put together one of the most impressive dynasties in all of professional sports history, winning the Stanley Cup an astonishing five times in the span of seven years from 1984 to 1990. The Nordiqes built a strong and passionate rivalry with their fellow French-speaking Canadian rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Whalers built a loyal fanbase in Connecticut while competing strongly with more established rivals in nearby New York and Boston. Finally, the Jets became the pride and joy of the city of Winnipeg and the province of Manitoba throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
As the 1990s approached though, the situation for these (and other) franchises worsened considerably. The economy across North America grew weak as both Canada and the United States sunk into recession, and the Canadian dollar fell to all-time lows, drastically hurting teams across the league, especially the newer franchises in Quebec City, Hartford, and Winnipeg. All three teams would seek greener pastures to the south in response to fiscal uncertainty. The Whalers would abandon Connecticut for the Carolinas in 1997 to become the Hurricanes. The Nordiques left for Denver to become the Avalanche in 1995, where they proceeded to win two Stanley Cups in their first six years in their new city. And the Jets, in a move viewed as most peculiar of all, moved to the deserts of Arizona to become the Coyotes in 1996.
The story of this franchise could easily have ended there, but drama would continue to follow the Coyotes in their new environs. Despite starting out strong, making the playoffs in five of their first six years in Arizona, the Coyotes continued to be marred by difficulties. The first arena they played in, the American West Arena, was completely inadequate for hockey purposes. Almost immediately, the team attempted to gain local support in the construction of a new arena, only to face challenges at every step of the way. Over the next several years, the Coyotes changed ownership twice and began to suffer on the ice despite bringing in all-time great hockey player Wayne Gretzky to coach the team, proving the old standard that great players don't always make for great coaches.
But, after long legal wranglings and attempts to woo popular support for the construction of a new arena, the Coyotes were finally successful in building the Jobing.com Arena. Despite its very odd name (which I personally believe to be the worst named arena in all of professional sports, and the second worst named facility after only the 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre, an outdoor concert facility in Tampa, Florida), the team finally got a venue that they could be proud of…. at a very high cost. As a result of the years of demands and requests for public funding for the new arena from the team, the construction of the Jobing.com Arena left the Coyotes tens of millions of dollars in debt and had alienated a large portion of their fanbase. During the first decade of the 21st Century, the team slid into deeper and deeper mediocrity and debt. The team's average attendance sunk to the near bottom of the league and they failed to reach the playoffs for six straight seasons.
This all came to a head in 2009, when the Coyotes filed for bankruptcy after they had lost over $50 million in 2008 alone, forcing the league to step in and take over ownership of the team. In that same year, Forbes magazine released their annual valuations of every single NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL franchise. Out of 122 teams, the Phoenix Coyotes were ranked dead last, 122nd place, as the lowest valued major sports franchise in North America.
Despite oddly making it into the playoffs that season, thanks in large part to the league's willingness to spend money on the team's payroll and to hire competent coaching in order to raise the potential selling price of the team to prospective buyers, the Coyotes continued to muddle around. Despite attracting several potential high profile buyers, notably Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls, every major potential investor balked at the league's demands that they promise to keep the team in Arizona. What's more, whenever the team's record books were made available to potential investors, the sight of all the red ink seemed to have scare off everybody that the league was willing to sell the team to. Only Jim Balsillie, an eccentric Canadian billionaire who has repeatedly attempted to purchase NHL teams with the expressed intention of moving them to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, remained willing to buy the franchise from the NHL, much to the NHL's increasingly costly chagrin.
In 2010, the NHL seemed to finally score a major victory by getting the Glendale city council to agree to a $100 million bond issue on Jobing.com Arena, thereby seemingly eliminating a great deal of the team's debt and opening the door to for a potential sale to people other than Balsillie. While the NHL quickly trumpeted this achievement and began moving ahead with plans to sell the franchise to another group of prospective investors, it proved to be very controversial, as many Glendale residents were unwilling to financially support a professional sports team with public funding, especially one that many seemingly had no interest in supporting even as fans.
And all that brings up to the current situation, with the conservative Goldwater Institute seemingly on the verge of filing a lawsuit to block the bond issue, and subsequently any potential sale that the NHL is planning. A lot is expected to happen regarding the Coyotes saga in the next week or two, so a lengthy background was needed before I could potentially go into any additional news on the franchise. Drastically different outcomes could arise in the next several days, ranging from the NHL using the safeguard established by Glendale's bond issue to finally sell the team to the Goldwater Institute blocking the bond issue and, by extension, preventing any potential sale of the team. Depending on what happens, the Coyotes could just as easily be able to stay in the Arizona desert for years to come or be forced to pack up and leave the Grand Canyon State for another city, potentially even back to their original home of Winnipeg.
More news to come soon, in all likelihood. Hopefully there will be light at the end of the tunnel for this team sooner rather than latter and they they can find success wherever they end up.


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Alligator Console
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Solid Wood, Leather, Brass , 9 Drawers 48"w x 11"d x 33"h
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This Alligator console is a very attractive piece of furniture. This item even has the embossed Alligator skin on the back, making this piece very versatile. With nine drawers that are lined with decorative paper, this is a very functional piece as well. The stand is made of solid wood.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Health Facts: 6 Things to Know if You're Thinking about Taking Water Pills
Say you are still interested in losing weight with water pills and you are too dense to let go the idea of using water pills. If you are one of the two kinds of person I listed above, then perhaps you should read this article about 6 things to know if you're thinking about taking water pills.
Some articles may tell you that water pills are a very viable option to help you lose some weight. Those articles, whose level of credibility are yet to be proven, can be wrong and they can also be right. This article I wrote here will you more about the facts surrounding water pills and their relevance to weight loss. Check out below if you are interested in learning more about said facts.
1. They. Do. Not. Have. A. Significant. Impact. On. Weight. Loss
Yes, they have an impact on weight loss. Yes, they can help you reduce weight. Yes, they can lower the amount of fat-inducing salt in your body. No, you will not see a significant weight loss if you only use water pills. No, you will not see the same amount of significance in consuming water pills as opposed to regular exercise. No, water pills will not make you any healthier.
Those extended paragraphs of yes' and no's above is possibly one of the best and quickest ways of telling you that water pills will not matter much when we are talking about weight loss. They only affect the amount of water and salt in your body, not the excess fat you have. Sure you might lose a few kilograms on the scale in the period of water pill consumption, but it is all because you lose a few liters of water in your body. If you did not know about it, let me tell you a fact: water have weight too.
2. Many doctors prescribe them
As you see, many doctors prescribe water pill a lot. Get the point here? When a doctor prescribes you a medication, then surely you must know that he or she has gone a thorough diagnosis of your body. He or she will tell you the right water pill for you and will tell you when and where to take them.
Using water pills without a doctor's prescription is one of the many ways to rough up your body. It may lead to dehydration or even worse. You do not want that, do you?
3.The pills you buy in drugstores are not exactly the same as the one your doctor prescribe
This too is one of the dangers to face when you are trying to lose weight with water pills. Because no one knew what is contained in a pill, you will never know what effect it will bring to the table. If you are well-informed about the composition of the pill you have bought, there is still a chance that the substance in that water pill will not react that well with your body. You may harm yourself.
4.Yes, they are not addictive, but…
They can be dangerous if you use them in high amount. Want some free dehydration with your lack of knowledge in taking water pills? You can have it all by buying and consuming water pills without the doctor's prescription.
5.Some bloating can be countered with water pills, however…
To say that only fat can cause your body to bloat is a rookie mistake. Water can cause your body to bloat (in fact, nearly all body bloat-age is caused by water). Water pills reduce that water-induced bloat in your body, not the fat-induced one.
6. Lastly, you can even GAIN weight if you use them
You know how kidneys can 'change' if you force them to do so? Your kidneys will grow more accustomed to having lots of salty water in it if you consume water pills for an extended period of time. It sort of devolved into something that is not good for you, your body, your kidneys, and your bladder. Enough said.


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Dear friends,
We adoptees look through glasses that are cracked by trauma and loss and oftentimes, it's so hard to see. We need you as our journey mate. Here are some tips about entering the delicate world of your adopted kids:
- Acknowledge the reality of adoption from day one (with newborns, foster kids, adoptees). Talk realities!
- Initiate conversations about the child's pre-adoption perceptions.
- Validate the adoptee's identity by never speaking ill of the birth family. Show respect to the role of the parent but not the performance.
- Create a safe, non-judgmental place where the adoptee can freely express any thought or emotion. "I hate her."
- Celebrate the differences between the adoptive and birth families that you see in your child.
- Be sensitive to the child's unspoken need for a sense of connection to his past. A photo?
- Respect the adoptee's ned to consider searching for birth relatives, or in an open adoption, for a "date" with birth mom or dad.
- Be emotionally present.
- Become an expert in helping your child learn how to regulate emotions. Tell her you want to stay and connect with her when she's hurting.
- Learn how to play!
- Avoid the topic of adoption as long as possible. Hope that the child never asks about his/her past.
- Deny any differences between the adoptee and adoptive family. Tell child she fits right in because she looks like you.
- Correct any expression of uncomfortable emotions about adoption by "accentuating the positive." Count your blessings. Be thankful.
- Pretend the adoptee's life began on adoption day. Don't mention the child's birth or birth family.
- Enforce the unspoken "no talk rule" through various expressions of body language. A quivering lip or a shaky voice speak volumes. Staring with head down also effective.
- Take offense if the child uses words like "real parents." Interpret them as a slam.
- Foster silent shame about the adoptee's need to consider searching for the birth family. Sarcasm works great. Why not let sleeping dogs lie? Let bygones be bygones.
- Just pretend you're really listening to child. "Lights on, but nobody home."
- Avoid "doing your own emotional and spiritual healing work." Don't worry…it's not about you. Really?
- Send your child away to room during temper tantrums.
Love to all as you parent those incredible kids!
Contact me anytime through this post.
Excerpt from Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew: Purchase here: Http://SherrieEldridge.com/shop


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We live in a land of waste yet want.
Gleaning, the gathering of food that normally would go to waste, helps feed the hungry, but it's not a practice that is widely understood, let alone practiced, in this land of plenty.
As much as 40 percent of our food ends up in the trash can or is left on the ground simply to rot. One figure from the National Resources Defense Council estimates that Americans waste $16.5 billion a year getting rid of or ignoring food that others say could go to the mouths of the hungry.
Which of the hungry, you ask?
Not the starving Armenians or bloated-bellied African children our anxious parents referenced when they urged us toddlers to clean our plates.
No. These hungry mouths are just a state or two away, in the next county or maybe even right next door.
"Hunger in America 2010," the largest study of domestic food assistance in the United States, says 1 in 5 children struggle with hunger. In New Mexico, 30 percent of children live "in households without consistent access to food," the study found.
Food insecurity exists in every county in America, ranging from a low of 2.5 percent in rural North Dakota to a high of more than 35 percent in Mississippi.
It's here in Durango, too, said Darrin Parmenter, La Plata County Extension director.
"I tell people to plant more than what they can use. Plant the extra row. Lots of people even in this county can't get a sample of fresh fruits and vegetables," he said.
Plant, harvest, then what you don't sell or use can be donated to Manna Soup Kitchen, Parmenter said. He calls this form of organized gleaning a "synchronized distribution channel" in which high-quality, unsold produce makes its way to someone's dinner plate, rather than to the Dumpster or compost pile.
Large-scale gleaning, what is practiced in some parts of Europe, doesn't happen here in Durango as it might in the massive orange groves or cornfields of Florida, Parmenter said.
Large commercial farms hire pickers to selectively remove one or two of the biggest ears on the cornstalk to go to market. Then, a second crew might take the less desirable or blemished remaining ears and repurpose them, paying the farmer substantially less for a "seconds" crop that's equally nutritious.
The best example of local gleaning will happen Sunday, when volunteers pick apples for Growing Partners of Southwest Colorado's Apple Days, a family-centered celebration to be held at Buckley Park in downtown Durango.
Scheduled activities include pie-eating contests, music and games, and all things apples will be sampled and sold.
Four apple presses will crank juice from excess apples gathered from the community's backyard trees. Fruit that might otherwise attract wildlife or just fall to the ground and rot is thus enjoyed rather than wasted, Parmenter said.
"That's the idea," said Linda Illsley of Linda's Local Food Café. "Every year, thousands of pounds of produce go to waste because farmers can't pick crops fast enough. It's a labor issue," she said.
Illsley said small-scale farmers often can't afford to hire enough help at the peak of harvest or when a hailstorm or frost moves in unexpectedly.
When a recent hailstorm damaged Adobe House Farm's tomato crop, Illsley, Parmenter and San Juan Basin Research Center's Beth LaShell, a Fort Lewis College professor, sent an email blast to recruit volunteers to pick 5,000 pounds of tomatoes in less than 48 hours, Illsley said.
This, too, is a form of gleaning, because what could not be gathered that day would have gone to waste, Illsley explained.
"Every tomato – red or green, mature or not – had to be picked," Illsley said.
About 70 percent of the gleaners were students from FLC, said Adobe House farmer Linley Dixon. The others included retirees and folks who came after work to pitch in with the behemoth task.
Of 3,300 tomato plants, "most were completely skeletonized," Dixon said. "It was just shocking, honestly."
Volunteers hauled 50-pound boxes of sorted tomatoes to the new walk-in cooler at Zia Tacqueria South. Zia owner Tim Turner stored the crop overnight until another team of volunteers cleaned and quartered them, removing small spots of damage caused by the 10-minute hail assault. Many of the tomatoes were cooked and frozen for later use, Dixon said.
Americans have a high aesthetic standard for their food, both Illsley and Dixon said. Some consumers select produce based on appearance rather than taste or nutrition. Thanks to Illsley's creative resourcefulness, the less-desirable crop of dinged tomatoes was quickly turned into roasted tomato salsa, Dixon said.
The first batch of salsa sold out within a few hours Saturday at the Durango Farmers Market.
"We definitely took a financial hit, plus we didn't know how this product would sell," Dixon said.
Dixon said the support she received shows how much locals understand the challenges of running a small farm in a place where the growing season is short and unpredictable.
"I was in awe," Dixon said of the community's appreciation for local, quality produce – even with cosmetic hail-damage. "They wanted to be helping that day on the farm. They thought this crop was worth saving."
Away from the farm, gleaning can be used to harvest nutritious foods that grow wild, including chokecherries and Hawthorne berries, said Katrina Blair, founder of Turtle Lake Refuge.
Blair credits local events such as the Apple Festival in the fall and the wild Dandelion Festival in the spring with teaching the community to become more self-reliant and waste less.
"I also see harvesting the wild weeds as a form of gleaning," she said. "It is bringing a value to something that increases the health of individuals and to a community that would otherwise go unnoticed or be neglected or undervalued."


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How to lose weight with oranges? They are full of sunshine, powerful and can be used to take fat of the body when used in a science based diet. Many of us start the day with some citric fruit such as orange juice or grape fruit juice and this may be a very good thing if you are seeking to lose weight, there are a lot of powerful pyto-chemicals in oranges which do wonderful things for the body when used in the right way. Dieters should know that the way to be "thin" or thinner is by reducing your inflammatory body fat and this is where oranges can help you become thinner.
Inflammatory body fat is your enemy and the reducing of this inflammatory fat is your key to being thin, this is not an option it is scientific fact. The fat on your belly is dangerous because it is inflammatory fat, obesity is inflammatory body fat, if you do not look as thin as you did in high school it is due to inflammatory fat which can be difficult to reduce. A good measure of too much body fat is the increased risk of heart disease in the overweight; inflammatory body fat is why overweight people experience increased heart disease and cancer. It should be known "As your heart goes so does your inflammatory body fat"
In the study, women who ate the most citrus fruit had a 19 percent lower risk of having an ischemic stroke than women who ate the least. In an ischemic stroke, blood flow to the brain is blocked, sometimes by clogged arteries. Our regular readers will understand that it is the inflammation fat that gets reduced by oranges; it is why the arteries get cleared with the oranges. The researchers again "Prove" that it is inflammation fat behind all our health problems from being overweight.
Researcher's quote
Once again we see that it is inflammation why you are not the weight you were when you much younger. The same fat in the arteries that oranges help you reduce is the same inflammatory fat around the belly.
At this point we would like to thank our thousands of readers in over 17 countries who have spread this site and helped thousands get as thin as they want to be.
Key point: The inclusion of oranges in a science based diet can make you as thin as you want to be
How to be as thin as you want to be
If you are not reducing inflammatory fat you are not getting healthy and only a science based diet can do this.
Inflammatory fat around the waist and on the body can be very stubborn to remove, most commerical diets are a waste of time but science has given us the solution; this was the only real life solution from real science.
You can choose how thin you want to be, losing real inflammatory fat is a very achievable goal when you utilize real science! According to science when you use oranges in this diet you increase the effect of fat loss.
Simply do step by step what the researchers did with this diet to get as thin as you want to be.
SEE HERE: The original diabetic styled diet used by people without diabetes to become thinner in over 17 countries


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27 June 2012
Following on from our new YouTradeBase tour yesterday, we're giving you some tips on how to easily keep on top of your contacts list.
With bits of paper flying about the inside of your van every time you open the window, and dropping yet another mobile from the scaffold, it's easy to loose someone's contact details. But by following our few simple tips you can keep track of all your contacts.
Mobile phones are not to be trusted
Not when your 16th mobile this year falls out of your pocket and spectacularly smashes to pieces on the ground.
Keep a plastic sleeve at the front of your van and whenever you get a new contact's details scribble it down on a scrap of paper, (or even that off cut of plasterboard) and chuck it in there as well. Then next time your phone decides to place itself between the floor and your boot, you don't loose all your contacts.
A little black book
If you don't like the idea of a plastic sleeve in the front of your van, buy a small contact book that's small enough to fit in your pocket. That way anywhere you go it's always with you, plus it keeps all your contacts in one place.
Always have a pencil or pen to hand
The pencil was made to sit behind your ear for good reason. You never know when an opportunity might come up for a new customer or contact and you're scrambling round trying to find a pencil or a piece of timber to scratch the number into.
Make time
The more and more you use YourTradebase, the more you will be used to just transferring your contacts to there. But in the beginning set aside time to make sure you add them to your YourTradebase contact list. Ten minutes just once a week will be enough time to do this, and once it's done, it's done!
You can even update your contacts on site if your phone isn't lost or broken. It's quick and easy to do, so you can be sure, even if your phone is lost by the end of the day, you still have the numbers stored.
Also get in the habit of adding any contact before or after you create a quote or invoice; as you never know, these contacts could also be receiving an invoice from you soon.
16 May 2019
1 April 2019
YourTradebase – one quick, easy app that frees you from paperwork and lets you get back to the job you love.
Try us free for 14 days.
Easy setup • No credit card required • No strings attached


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Am I dead? No, but almost. I'm apologizing *AGAIN* to those waiting for updates on the page. In actuality, I was planning a major revamp of both my pages, but the problem is real life got in the way. More specifically, my undergraduate thesis. Now, all all my plans for my pages and fics are on hiatus until we finish the thesis. For those who want to see more specific updates, you can all go to my weblog, at Mafty. That's probably my most updated page I've kept and you can also probably keep track of the progress of the fic there.
Also, I've posted the first Chapter of the *hopefully* final version of my FF8 fic. As you can see, everything's revamped from the initial one. Rest assured that I would continue my efforts towards my fics as soon as my load lessens...Thanks to all those who wrote in my guestbook. I really appreciate the comments.


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After our rock concert sunrise and our Funny Bread breakfast we packed our daypacks for a hike through Haleakala Crater. Before we would get to the beginning of the hike though we had to park our car and hitch a ride to the top of the crater. One would think that when you are on a road that ends in several miles at a mountain summit in a National Park that it would be easy to find a ride. I, though, have a mustache and shorts that are no more than 9-inches in length. We got a ride, but not after being passed by nearly a dozen other cars. I will also have you know that the guy who gave us a ride proceeded to pass a car on a double yellow and was smoking marijuana on the drive up. We were quite happy when we reached the summit and could hop out, although that we weren't still standing several thousand feet below.
The beginning of the trail is known as Sliding Sands and takes about 3-miles to take you from the top of the crater to the bottom. A 5-foot tall bar used to tether horses marks the bottom of the crater, it was at this moment that we realized we had traveled in the wrong way. Descending atop horses was clearly the most ideal way to descend, but I suppose we can't have it all. After getting to the bottom we hiked across pumice and brightly colored volcanic ash to the Silversword Loop.
Silverswords are some brilliant Hawaiian cactus/yucca plants that bloom once in their 50-60 year lifetime releasing 50,000 seeds. They are a sea foam green/silver color and look like slightly hairy yucca. The weren't all over the crater, but usually came in patches and often caused us to bring pause to observe their beauty.
Slightly after the Silversword Loop we began descending a bit further into a slightly more vegetated part of the crater. Previously the crater was mostly dead, outside of the occasional Silversword it was mostly pumice and ash. As we moved into a place with ferns and small shrubs we came across one of the cabins that you can rent out and sleep in. Generally, they are rented out months in advance, so plan ahead if you want to use one. We sat there for some water and snacks. It was then that we saw the Ne Ne! A Ne Ne is an endangered Hawaiian goose. Years ago some Canadian Geese were blown off course and landed on the islands. Over time they stopped flying, adapted less webbing on their feet to walk on lava and became the Ne Ne. Unfortunately, due to feral cats and mongoose they lose many of their young to predation. At our spot though we saw what we thought was a pair of Ne Ne walking around. Upon closer inspection we realized that there seemed to be a little puffball following each of the Ne Ne. They were babies!! Two Ne Ne Babies! Pronounced: Ne Ne Bay Bay.
We watched the Ne Ne for as long as possible before realizing that we should probably finish our hike and head back to the campsite for dinner. We had been told that the last two miles of the hike were the most difficult. It was the part of the hike known as the switchbacks. It was a series of zig-zagging switchbacks that went back and forth up the mountain.
The slope was ideal and never really strenuous and we were consistently rewarded with more and more magnificent views below us. We were above the clouds and could see where they met with the crater. We could see the cabin and surrounding land. We could see the vegetated part of the crater and the where it transitioned to pumice and ash. The daytime moon was out and we traversed ridgeline that gave us a view of the clouds to our left and the crater to our right. It may have been the two most difficult miles of the trip, it was also the two most beautiful.


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by Dale
(Fort Worth, TX)
My Name is Dale Howard and I am kin to Jim Reeves. I've been singing for 20 years and perform with tracks or with a band. I have recorded two CDs and one of my songs is on music roll. I can sing a variety of different music and I would like the opportunity to sing at your show. Website: www.myspace.com/dalehowardmusic. I will travel all over Texas, and the five states. Phone No. 817-994-7396. Thanks, Dale Howard.
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Texas Entertainers.


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BENEFITING: Lowcountry Food Bank
Our mission is to feed the poor and hungry of the ten coastal counties of South Carolina by soliciting and distributing healthy food and grocery products to nonprofit agencies serving the poor, and to educate the public about the problems of and solutions to domestic hunger.
The Team: $75 TOTAL RAISED SO FARJOIN THE TEAM
Want to help Fundraise or Volunteer for this amazing Fundraiser? Join the Team


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Physics Day
Enjoy coasters and calculations in this amazing outdoor learning lab!
Six Flags Great America presents the annual Physics Day private event on Thursday, April 25 from 9:00am - 5:00pm.
This one-of-a-kind educational event includes educational seminars and workbooks. Special measuring equipment is also available to be checked out throughout the day.
The park is only open to school science groups during this exclusive event. We are proud to provide Vernier vests for students to wear on the rides and attractions at the park. These vests calculate various forms of data from velocity to acceleration and are able to be checked out at the Grand Music Hall in Hometown Square beginning at 10am.
Special Guest Speaker
Nathan Unterman, author of Amusement Park Physics will be speaking on the most FUN topic of them all: how rollercoasters and theme park rides work! All sessions will take place in the Grand Music Hall located in Hometown Square.
10:30am Session 1: Science & Engineering of Rides (for teachers and students)
12:30pm Session 2: Suggested Teaching Techniques for Theme Parks (teachers only)
1:30pm Session 3: Engineering Aspects of the Amusement Park
Season Passes and Memberships are not valid on Physics Day. Tickets must be purchased.
You can order tickets directly online or fill out an order form. Check out both links below to purchase!
Picnic Buffet
Enjoy a delicious all-you-can-eat buffet in our private picnic grove from 11:00am-12:00pm. Use this meal time to check in with students during the day and make sure they get a great meal while they're at it. The picnic meal consists of fried chicken, hot dogs, pasta salad, chips, pickles, ice cream and unlimited soft drinks. All picnic tickets must be purchased in advance.
Educational Tools
Six Flags Great America is not only the entertainment capital of the world but also a unique outdoor learning lab. We have designed specific learning materials for both students and teachers that gives experiential learning a new meaning. Let Six Flags be your outdoor learning lab and use the free materials below to plan lessons and make learning fun. What's cooler than calculating (or experiencing) the velocity of the American Eagle?
Educational Resources:
Download the following resources below:
- Physics Day Teacher Manual
- Physics Day Student Manual
- Illinois Curriculum Standards correlations to Six Flags Rides
- Wisconsin Curriculum Standards correlations to Six Flags Rides
Recommended amusement park physics websites for further learning:
Physics Day Vest Data- Information will be updated after the event concludes
With additional questions on this special event, please call 847-249-1952.


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What is Orioly?
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Announcing the new OTA channel manager
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We introduce to you the new Orioly Channel Manager
Destination Development Through Niche Tourism [eBook]
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Announcing partnership between Orioly and Payyo payment gateway
Tourism Destination Marketing Strategies [Free Guide]
Blogging Strategy For Travel And Tour Businesses: How To Maintain A Tourism Blog


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CHRISTIAN BAHR, born in snow-covered December 1965 in Buxtehude (Lower Saxony in the northern area of Germany). German university-entrance diploma in the summer of 1985; afterwards course of studies and diploma. I live and work in the waterfront German city Hamburg nearby the rough North Sea. I am passionate about painting and drawing for more than 30 years, with worldwide sales and national and international exhibitions.
"Not everything is art. But art is everything, and everything can breathe art. Art is the true beauty of mankind."
"I work in my studio nearby the rough North Sea and the big waterfront city Hamburg. I'm a seeker as a painter, in search of answers, and the single human takes center stage. I treat my painting seriously and with ambition, passion and discipline. I have a clear and strong painting philosophy. And I deal with philosophical, mythological as well as with historical subjects."
"I find the source for my inspiration – often also the motifs – inside me. Spontaneity is the key, my dominant method. I act intuitively and in most cases without any anterior outlines. I don't need creative distance, I don't construct a new world, I just reduce the point of view to our environment. Surplus by abdication. It has to be brute, melancholic, dark and at the same time also bright, poetic, clear and full of hope. No maybe, no lukewarm. Every moment counts, is important and can cause a change of direction. I don't sacrifice my lines for the idea, and I love the resulting painting risk, the radicalness of all the decisions that I have to make during the gestation. Exactly that's my way of painting and drawing."
"I was always a painter and draftsman, as long as I can remember, and across the years – more than less unconscious – affection became a serious artistic profession. But it wasn't a linear way all the time. Painting is a beauty, soul and passion but sometimes it is also a fight. A fight with myself, an endless battle for colour and motif in the form of an internal dialogue. There are these days and nights when I struggle for a single stroke of the brush, when I challenge every colouring. But it is alright that there are troubles sometimes, because every artistic fight is worthwhile and shows that I am still alive and breathing as a painter and that I'm still developing myself in my creativity. I prefer a large canvas format that gives the creative freedom to express myself. The paintings are the core of my painting."
"I have a creative vision. I'm convinced: who keeps silent about his art has nothing to say in his painting. But art needs a voice. I have a mind of my own as a painter, and I can (and will) take a firm stand for every of my paintings as well as for my painting in a body."
"In my opinion painting needs an initial point, a central theme and leitmotif. I bring up the human search of reality as a conflict between inner and outer world. Only the subjective perception seems to be true and real. I dissect the truth behind a supposed reality that surrounds us and keeps up appearances. Only skin-deep impressions act as moral and social benchmarks and try to infiltrate and manipulate our feeling and thinking. I discuss the question: what defines us, your world and my world, and what is nothing but needless ballast?"
"Real life is the best teacher, every education is just an academic start and theory. But I don't want to talk about the theory of art all the time. Instead of that I want to feel, to breathe art, emotions and intellect want to be impressed and touched."
I am deeply grateful because my inspiration is an endless river. But of course I follow – unconsciously and knowingly – a painting tradition. And I have different reference points that involve the former centuries and deal with the Classical Modernity, the Art Nouveau, Expressionism and Impressionism and last but not least touch the Contemporary Art. I am influenced by painters like Rembrandt and Caravaggio, J. M. William Turner and his visionary abstraction of colours, by the unbelievable Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Egon Schiele and Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, also by Gustav Klimt and his interpretation of the Art Nouveau, the impressionist Claude Monet (especially his late work). To name contemporary painters as a source for inspiration: Neo Rauch because of his serious exposure with painting as a passion, Gerhard Richter (of course), the poetic draftsman Horst Janssen and last but not least the brute but great Georg Baselitz and Anselm Kiefer. Impressions, influences, streams, not more not less. I can get involved with all these paintings and biographies, but nevertheless I take my own independent way as a painter.
More inspiration from inside and outside: nature (sea, mountains, stormy weather, greenland, the colors of autumn), music (Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Richard Wagner, Max Richter, David Bowie, VNV Nation), literature (William Shakespeare, Friedrich Schiller, Wolfgang Goethe, Heinrich Heine, Cormac McCarthy, Thomas Mann, Lew Tolstoi, Ernest Hemingway, Franz Kafka, Friedrich Nietzsche, Paulo Coelho, Don Winslow), movie (Werner Herzog, Christoph Nolan, Alejandro Iñárritu, Ridley Scott, George Miller), theatre (again, of course: William Shakespeare, Berthold Brecht, Elfriede Jelinek, Fjodor Dostojewskij, Werner Schwab, Robert Wilson) and so much more.
By the way: I'm seriously interested to participate in more national and international art exhibitions (single exhibitions or group shows) and would be pleased about any attractive offer.
> MY PAINTING PHILOSOPHY (in German)
2014. 100 x 80 x 2 cm. acrylic and oil on canvas
Maybe a moon is shining for you
Somewhere over the sea
Maybe your ships are sinking
Somewhere far from here
Whatever the days are burning
In the end –
There`s night over the sea.
2013. 100 x 80 x 2 cm. acrylic and oil on canvas
Kriemhild is a major character of The Song of the Nibelungs, an epic poem based on pre-Christian Germanic heroic motifs, historic events and persons of the 5th and 6th centuries. For more than 13 years she seeks revenge for the murder of her beloved husband Siegfried, the dragon slayer and hero, and for the theft of The Treasure of the Nibelungs. Her time comes at the castle of King Etzel of the Huns (Attila). She stages an ambuscade and behaves mercilessly. In a bloodbath of several days' duration she orders the brutal death of the offenders and beheads the gang leaders by her own hand. Kriemhild is German mythos, both in negative and positive tenor, and she left in the German history, also as Gudrun/Gutrune (Old Norse for Kriemhild) in Richard Wagner's "Der Ring der Nibelungen". The Song of the Nibelungs closes with the sentence: "At the end love bears always suffering."


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Mass Schedule
We welcome ALL to join us in the celebration of Mass!
Saturday: 5 p.m.
Sunday: 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday: 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Thursday Friday: 8:15 a.m.
Holy Days: Variable
Sacraments of Initiation
The Sacraments of Initiation usher a person into the life of the Church. There are three sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. Adults interested in becoming Catholic are fully initiated into the Church, receiving all three sacraments at once. Children receive these at different times in their lives.
This is an introduction into the Community of Faith. Please contact Fr. Park to discuss baptism prep and to schedule a date.
We partake in the Eucharist sacrament in remembrance of Jesus's instruction at the Last Supper when he gave his disciples bread, saying, "This is my body", and wine saying, "This is my blood." "Do this in remembrance of me."
Catholic youth and adults, and those becoming Catholic, are strengthened and sealed by the Spirit. At Annunciation our two year program of preparation for Confirmation for young people ordinarily begins with the start of high school. There are six Sunday evening sessions in each of the two years of candidacy. The program concludes with the celebration of Confirmation in the spring of the 2nd year. The schedule of program is planned to be a support and complement to Annunciation's Youth Ministry Program/AYM. Confirmation Candidates are encouraged to fully participate in the full range of opportunities in our parish youth ministry experience.
Sacraments of Healing
We ask the Lord for forgiveness in these sacraments.
A Christian is to be reconciled with God and the community through the sacrament of reconciliation.
Anointing of the Sick
To support and strengthen those who are sick.
We celebrate Anointing of the Sick twice a year and upon request.
Sacraments of Vocation
Vocation Sacraments are the preparation for Sacraments of a special "lifestyle" calling.
The love between a man and a woman is a gift and a calling from God.
Please call Father Brian 9-12 months prior to the wedding for pre-Cana classes.
Holy Orders
Those who are called to ordained ministry.
Annunciation is here for you and your family in your journey of faith.


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Like a swarm of bees
Spurs, like a swarm of bees, always gonna sting you. Unlike bees, we never die cause we never lose our sting.
Just stop it now Spurs, this is getting ridiculous. Best goal difference, best defensive record. Four consecutive away wins. Not lost away since we gave Manchester United the points on the opening day of the season. Brilliantly professional again in the first half at Norwich playing some wonderful football. The second goal would have been Godly had it gone in when Kane fired it before Alli followed up. Foot off gas in the second half but we still strolled away with a comfortable win, pushing us up to third thanks to that 25+ tally.
I keep saying it. We're a proper team with a proper coach.
Momentum is so important. We're grafting a winning mentality with each game, one at a time. A cup final and Champions League qualification will consolidate and reward the team and give us an extra bounce on the spring board that Mauricio Pochettino has built. Failing, which I guess would be 5th spot after the form we've shown - would be gutting. Not sure it will hurt the players as much as it would hurt the supporters but it will mean we have to do it all over again. Not a problem as the challenge will be there every season if we keep this up. But perhaps a far more gruelling task if we have nothing to show for our endeavours this term.
Also, most will expect United and Chelsea to perform several levels above their current form. We'll have to wait and see. Maybe this flux is going to keep on fluxing and Spurs will be in amongst it regardless because no matter what the rest do, we appear to enjoy setting the occasional benchmark. Let them worry about us.
Getting into the CL will push us into a vibrant mindset as we all know what it can do for the players. It's such a massive boost for them and their personal stature. It helps retain a buzz about the place - a statement of genuine progress if you abide by the modern day standards for success - because it means we're good enough to contend up in those lofty positions. It can't do any harm, right? Not this time. We now know the pain it brings in terms of expectancy. Second time round we'll be a little more appreciative of the grafting it takes to get there. As supporters we have the experience of the fallout from the last time we cameoed with the elite.
I'm getting ahead of myself.
I'm also repeating myself. I don't even care. I can't help but write positive articles about this club because all I see is positivity. I can only reflect what my source material is giving me.
As confident as I am, I still need to reassure myself of the fact that we have to see out the entire fixture list for the money-shot. I have to keep reminding myself of this, grounding my feet and holding back from taking full flight. Maybe allowing myself a little bit of levitation every so often. Focus on that money-shot. Otherwise all our thrusting will be replaced with an unfulfilling cuckold as we watch on seeing it all get f**ked.
I'm not ignoring the equally important cup final dream. It's just that these games in the league are the games that build character because it's week in and week out. We've discussed this before. It's quite obviously what the team and coach have prioritised above everything else. So to be this consistent after twenty-four games, you have a right to be dejected if our form evaporated in the run-in.
I love how for the first time this season it's about to get intense. New territory for players and fans. It's not as daunting as I imagined. That's not to say I won't be chewing through my hands in a couple of weeks time.
As for the game? You've seen it. You don't need me to tell you how sexy we looked. Second half was a little messy in places, but completely forgiveable. Spurs doing well with their power-management, minimising exerted energy. Full-backs flying. Hugo on point when required. Kane unlucky not to score more than the two he got. Son industrious. Carroll, calm and controlled. Alli doing max damage before being subbed due to illness. The kid is sick! Literally and figuratively. Wimmer a natural. Eriksen a marvel, creating the third goal with some outstanding pressing and nicking of the ball. Some great interchanging of positions from midfield to attack. Punishing football. Loved the love Poch got from the away support after the game.
Three points in the bag. Watford at home next. Absolutely imperative we grab another three.
Then we enter the dark zone.
Would you sacrifice the Europa for a title push? Leicester City have no cup games to distract them. Sacrificing games (which is the polite way of being 'ok' when knocked out of that particular competition) is always a dangerous path to take. Why would you want your team to lose? Why would you want the momentum to snap? I guess if you aspire to be successful you don't make contingencies based on your potential success.
Win 'em all?
Man City V Tottenham
Fiorentina V Tottenham
Tottenham V Crystal Palace
Tottenham V Fiorentina
Tottenham V Swansea
West Ham V Tottenham
Tottenham V Arsenal
14th Feb to the 2nd Mar.
Peak adrenaline.
Bring it on.


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Employees are responsible for all DWE property, materials, or written information issued to them or in their possession or control.
All DWE property must be returned by employees on or before their last day of work. Where permitted by applicable laws, DWE may withhold from the employee's check or final paycheck the cost of any items that are not returned when required. DWE may also take all action deemed appropriate to recover or protect its property.
Effective Date: 4/23/2012
Revision Date: 4/23/2012


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I don't get what Nikon is trying to do with its camera line up. They have DSLRs in the form of DX and FX sensors, but they don't have the lens lineup to fully support DX. So if you're looking at a pure Nikkor lens set, you'd have to get some FX lenses. Then there's …
Tag Archive: comment
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.stillworx.com/2013/08/31/mashable-reviews-the-nikon-coolpix-a/
Aug 30
What I've been up to…
It has been a while since I posted something. Friends who drop by here have asked whether I'm planning on demising the blog. The answer is most definitely NO. So let's recap on what I've been up to since the last post. My second son is now almost 2 years old… yes, time flies! And …
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.stillworx.com/2013/08/30/what-ive-been-up-to/
Nov 29
Spot the fakes
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.stillworx.com/2011/11/29/spot-the-fakes/
Nov 28
Photography basics – An introduction
You love taking pictures… whether it's with your mobile or your point-and-shoot. You take pictures of almost everyone and everything, your friends, family, strangers, food, flowers, toys, architecture, landscapes, etc. Some of your pictures, you really love.. and others are merely acceptable, whilst others you delete immediately. You realise that while you love taking pictures, …
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.stillworx.com/2011/11/28/photography-basics-an-introduction/
Oct 29
The Nikon D70s CCD vs the Nikon D7000 CMOS
First off, this is a quick and dirty comparison. It's not meant to be exhaustive (How can it be? It's a comparison of a couple of images!). This is something for me to satisfy my curiosity about how the two sensors compare and to see what 5 years of progress means to digital photography. Both …
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.stillworx.com/2011/10/29/the-nikon-d70s-ccd-vs-the-nikon-d7000-cmos/


text: fortuitous (adj). I didn't expect to to be this far out either, but I'm not really surprised we drifted all the way out here; just blame it on my wild heart. Posted on April 12, 2013 by Jess Janz and filed under the word project- and tagged creative writing Fortuitous unexpected Wild Wild heart word of the day.


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My love of aqua began simultaneously with my love affair for all things from Tiffanys!
After watching 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' at the innocent age of fifteeen ~
I decided then and there that my engangement ring would be from Tiffany's
or there would be no wedding!
Luckily for me,
my husband was happy to comply with my lifelong dream!!
Melissah xox
Pop over to my other blogs Coastal Style and Scrapbook


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Since 1990, you do not arrive in Germany over the Rock Band: The Hymn of the opening of the Iron Curtain 'Wind Of Change' by the Scorpions finally got all the big breakthrough. The single is still the biggest selling single by a German band or a German artist. With a total of over 100 million records sold, the Scorpions were pioneers and models of bands like Bon Jovi and Metallica.
Rolling Stone described the Scorpions as "the heroes of heavy metal", and MTV called them "Ambassadors of Rock". The band was ranked number 46 on VH1's Greatest Artists of Hard Rock programme, with "Rock You Like a Hurricane" at number 18 on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs. "Still Loving You" ranked 22nd place among the greatest ballads. The Scorpions have received prestigious awards such as three World Music Awards, a star on the Hollywood Rock wall, and a presence in the permanent exhibition of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2015 the group celebrated its 50th anniversary


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This guide applies to stores running ProductCart v5.2.00 that are updating to v5.2.10. Upgrading can be painless if you carefully follow the instructions below (or you can let one of our experienced programmers complete the update for you)! If you are upgrading to v5.2.10 from an version lower than v5.2, please use the v5.2 Upgrade Guide.
How Do You Get the Update?
If you are currently enrolled in our Technical Support & Updates Plan, simply log in to your Control Panel, go to the Help menu, and choose Check for Updates.
You will need:
- To be enrolled in the Product Support and Updates Plan
- To have FTP Software and the knowledge to use it for uploading the files. Here are links to some popular FTP clients:
- To download the v5.2.10 Zip file (via your Control Panel > 'Help Check for Updates')
Step 1: Backup your MS SQL Database
Due to the improved security measures and password encryption included in the new version, once a store's database is updated to v5.2.10, it can no longer be used with previous versions of the software... so if you need to revert to your previous version, it is imperative you have a current database backup.While it is unlikely that anything negative will happen during the install, it is always prudent to create a backup copy of your store's database. Please do not skip this step. Note that this process varies by web host. So if you need assistance, please contact your web host for specific instructions.
Step 2: Installing the FilesUnzip the v5.2.10 update Zip file into a new directory on your computer. Now use the FTP software to upload all files to their respective folders/directories on the server. Important: Please note that the 'pcadmin' folder has likely been renamed on your store. We recommend that you rename the same folder in the update files locally on your computer so that when you FTP the files there is no chance that a new 'pcadmin' folder is created (which would mean that some of your store files are not being updated).
Step 3: Update the DatabaseAfter successfully completing Steps 1 and 2, you will need to login to your ProductCart Control Panel where you'll be prompted to update your database. Follow the on-screen instructions until you reach the confirmation page.
Step 4: Post Update ReviewAs a final step, you should go through the entire checkout process on your store (as if you were a real customer) and make sure that it is fully functional. If not, you should submit a support ticket by logging in to your account here... and scroll down to the bottom of your account home page, select your license key from the dropdown field and click "Go" to reach the support form.
For a detailed 'Change Log' for v5.2.10, please visit:


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A nutritious breakfast can conquer all
Well here we are again friends.
It's late, my lil peepers are sore, i should be in bed but yet here i am compelled to write... seems a little familiar, no?
I just wanted to say......
Thats right, I cracked it and it's only 4 days in. Oh yea, I'm going places. I guess i should mention at this point my new years resolution (made in the wee hours of new years day) was to make bircher museli. Mission accomplished. In the fridge awaiting me for tomorrows breakfast. And that my friends is how you begin a successful year.
As you may have gathered i think new years resolutions are a bit of a farce. (My last years was to eat a custard apple, which i failed) I'm over the "I'll lose 10kg" or "I'll give up smoking". Don't get me wrong these are all great but somehow chuck the word 'resolution' in there and it seems destined for doomsville, failuretown, losers avenue.
So this time I'm side stepping the resolution bit (even though i totes nailed it) and now i can concentrate on the real deal. All you need is a little win (sometimes a delicious one) to kick start, so here we go... and people, people, i can not stress this enough, these are not resolutions.
- balance my work with my life better - this includes more time for family and friends, enjoying the small stuff, remembering that i like to cook, general all round having a good time. who does'nt want that? no one thats who!
- ride my bike lots.
- visit my nan and pa more often
- plan our wedding
- continue with glass world domination mwhahahaa-uh no wait... prioritise, don't over stretch, but still with the world domination MWHAHAHA!!
now here comes the main one....
this is all that really matters (well now that bircher museli is nailed)
Stop worrying so much.
Seems so simple. Seems like it is integral to everything else. I am a big worrier. Over everything and anything, but you know what? I am now deciding that I'm not going to be a worrier anymore and thats all there is to it.
How bout you?


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Trading foreign exchange is exciting and potentially very profitable, but there are also significant risk factors. It is crucially important that you fully understand the implications of margin trading and the particular pitfalls and opportunities that foreign exchange trading offers. On these pages, we offer you a brief introduction to the Forex markets as well as their participants and some strategies that you can apply. However, if you are ever in doubt about any aspect of a trade, you can always discuss the matter in-depth with one of our dealers. They are available 24 hours a day on the Saxo Bank online trading system, SaxoTrader.
The benchmark of its service is efficient execution, concise analysis and expertise – all achieved whilst maintaining an attractive and competitive cost structure. Today, Saxo Bank offers one of Europe's premier all-round services for trading in derivative products and foreign exchange. We count amongst our employees numerous dealers and analysts, each of whom has many years experience and a wide and varied knowledge of the markets – gained both in our home countries and in international financial centres. When trading foreign exchange, futures and other derivative products, we offer 24-hour service, extensive daily analysis, individual access to our Research & Analysis department for specific queries, and immediate execution of trades through our international network of banks and brokers. All at a price considerably lower than that which most companies and private investors normally have access to.
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Rafayel on the Left Bank is going to be very good for the environment...when it opens in December it is going to be one of the first "green" hotels...it's also going to be good for you!
Rafayel will minimise our impact on the environment by reducing each guest's carbon footprint dramatically. The average London guest notches up a colossal carbon footprint of 70kg per night; at Rafayel it will be reduced to a manageable 17kg. A complete LED hotel, it will reduce overall electrical costs by a staggering 80% too: a glimpse into the future for hotels and homes alike.
In short its all very impressive. It has always been our vision that luxury and environmetally friendly dont have to be mutually exclusive.
And even better a stay at Rafayel could be good for you! We are working with CONTENT Wellworld Spas. Wellworld combine the best holistic health practices and beauty treatments to provide a unique wellbeing experience.
Each Wellworld Spa is unique and focuses on a selection of local beauty and wellbeing treatments alongside the finest organic world beauty brands.
Basically a few hours in our spa and your going to come out feeling a new (and "greener") person!


text: Having a confident smile can change everything. Invisalign makes the decision easy, because you can get a stunning smile without most people even noticing you're going through orthodontic treatment. Invisalign works through a series of custom, removable aligners that you wear every day.Doctors Brian Cahill and Angel Lopez typically complete orthodontic treatment in 9-18 months with regular visits to check on your progress every 4-6 weeks. Research Triangle Dental is here to help you create your dream smile so you can smile not just after the treatment, but during as well


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It was inevitable. After its defeat in four big city corporation elections, ruling Awami League (AL) has been humiliated in Gazipur, otherwise known as its own turf. In the electioneering days, the AL leaders quite vociferously called the city the party's second bastion after Gopalganj, the hometown of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The margin of votes by which the rather clean AL-backed candidate has been defeated clearly indicates the party's declining popularity. There's no denying that its grassroots now stand humiliated and demoralised, especially at a time when the general election is only less than six months away.
Given the trend the five city polls have set, it will be difficult for the party, impossible almost, to return to power in the national election, if its leadership does not introspect and show brinkmanship. While doing so, it will find that, the government has created many issues that are impossible to handle in less than 180 days. And after the election schedule, supposed to be declared in September, the AL might find the administration act in a not-so-friendly way.
It is indeed surprising the way the AL rank and file has expressed shock and disbelief after the electoral tsunami. The disaster has always been looming large, and its ferocity could always be forecasted. The AL government has strings of achievements to boast, but the way proverbial bad apples spoil the whole bunch, the party's success stories are now forgotten by the ordinary voters thanks to some Awami Leaguers' unbridled corruption and its student wing's thuggery and gangsterism.
The results suggest a steep fall in popularity and it is time the AL arrests it to keep the casualty to the bare minimum. The best move would have been to dissolve the parliament in February to hold an early election under a caretaker government. It could have given the party a chance to bag the fruit of the Shahbag movement. It is indeed sad that Shahbag has become a skeleton of its previous self and a Prothom Alo survey says that despite the front-page treatment it has received during its helicon days, it has not been able to take its message to the ordinary masses. No chance there.
So, an early election is not a possibility. The war crimes trial verdict and its execution might not save the day for other bigger issues have now overshadowed it. The government should invite the main opposition to a dialogue to settle the issue of the caretaker government. Meanwhile it must take some face saving measures to regain the level of popularity it had enjoyed only four and a half years ago. The AL leadership might not like him, but Professor Muhammad Yunus is hugely popular among ordinary Bangladeshis, especially the Grameen's borrowers, which amount to 900,000 poor Bangladeshi women. Splitting their bank will not surely go down well with them. As the first step to restore sanity, the government can sit with Yunus to find a way to resolve the Grameen crisis.
Then there is the albatross round the AL's neck–the Padma Bridge. For the party, what could have been a jewel in the crown has turned into a thorn in the flesh. The AL leadership's denial of corruption and comparing it with Bangabandhu's uncompromising stance against imperialism (Sheikh Hasina's budget speech) will not help any of the parties involved. There's only one person's alleged involvement in the scam that has prompted the World Bank (WB) to show its back to the bridge's finance, and that person and his feelings should not come before national interest. The government should sit with the WB again and do the needful to bring it back to the project.
Besides the collapse of Rana Plaza, alleged abduction of labour leader Aminul and Bangladesh's labour law has contributed the most to the suspension of the GSP facility that Bangladesh used to enjoy in the US market. Instead of nabbing the culprits or amending the law, the government has pursued a strange policy according to which it blamed everyone but the real culprits for GSP suspension. Now that the EU has told Bangladesh that the latter should not take its GSP for granted, the government should do everything to retain the GSP facility in the European market.
And on top of it all, the AL must immediately sit with the main opposition to find a way to hold an election that will be acceptable to all the parties. Holding a one-sided election with Gen HM Eshad's Jatya Party is not a sane idea; neither is inviting an unconstitutional power, the apprehension of which former President Baddruddoza has expressed the other day.
AL has led Bangladesh towards its glorious independence. Whim and arrogance is unbecoming of the party that has for years fought military dictatorship to uphold people's right to vote. AL leadership's future decisions should reflect its august past. The party, like the country is at a crossroads; it is a time when a single political move can make or break.


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TFC financial and student support
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StudyLink administers all loans and allowances. Make sure you apply early to avoid any delays with your enrolment.Contact: StudyLink
Phone: 0800 88 99 00
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We offer a full range of support services. You have the same privileges as all other students including learning and personal support services.
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|YuriGagarin50 launch press release
10th June 2010
YuriGagarin50, a campaign to celebrate the upcoming 50th anniversary of the first human spaceflight and the achievements of UK and Russian spaceflight over the past 50 years, was launched today by Dr Helen Sharman OBE at the House of Commons.
Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space and first person to orbit the Earth on 12 April 1961. YuriGagarin50 aims to encourage activities around the anniversary on 12 April 2011 and raise awareness of the legacy of Gagarin's flight.
"Space is an inspirational subject and human spaceflight in particular has motivated many young people to follow careers in science and engineering. Gagarin's legacy touches many areas of our lives today; many people are unaware of how many applications space has in modern life and the important contribution space makes to the UK economy. In particular, space plays a vital role in the environmental monitoring of our planet. Yuri Gagarin was the first person to see the Earth from space and was struck by its beauty, its fragility and humanity's duty to protect it," said Dr Chris Welch, Chair of YuriGagarin50.
Dr Helen Sharman, who became Britain's first astronaut when she spent 7 days on the Mir Space Station in 1991, said "Yuri Gagarin was given the international crown for inspiration. Wherever he went, crowds of people thronged the streets to catch a glimpse of the person who embodied the abilities of fellow humans, the bravery of exploration, and the desire to discover what is new. On my last night in space, reflecting on my time, I realised that being away from Earth reinforced what my Russian friends had told me on the ground – what's important is personal relationships and what people can do together. Space is grand and being part of it makes people feel grand."
Stephen McPartland MP, said "The space sector is very important in the UK, providing 70 000 jobs. It has constantly outstripped the rest of the economy for more than a decade. Space technology is the highest skilled sector in manufacturing. I believe that we can use space as an inspirational tool to drive ourselves out of recession."
Morgan Evans, aged 9, said, "I don't think that I am brave enough to travel into space on a real rocket but it is exciting to find out about space from scientists and astronauts."
The YuriGagarin50 website, www.yurigagarin50.org, has a searchable calendar of events planned to celebrate the anniversary, which include exhibitions, talks, hands on activities and other events. As the site develops in the run up to the anniversary, further information will be included on Yuri Gagarin, his visit to the UK in July 1961 and current space activities in the UK and Russia.
Dr Welch also announced the 'Rockets for Yuri' initiative today, which will encourage the public to take part in a mass launching of air and water-powered rockets at locations across the UK at 12pm on 12th April 2011 to celebrate Gagarin's flight.
Read Helen Sharman's speech in full
Read a poem by Matt Henderson on how has space inspired him.
Dr Chris Welch
Anita Heward
Although this anniversary has clear significance for human spaceflight, it also offers an excellent opportunity to focus attention on many other space and space-related activities and showcase the UK's achievements and expertise in these areas. General interest in astronauts is high and is used frequently as powerful tool for education, outreach and public engagement.
In 2011, Gagarin's role as the first human in space and the fact of the 50th anniversary of his flight will provide a very strong 'Gagarin hook' to capture attention which can be subsequently directed in other directions to the benefit of the wider UK space community. YuriGagarin50 will provide a single overarching framework to stimulate and facilitate events and activities throughout the UK which will be arranged and organised by different groups and organisations and matched to local needs and resources.
The aims of YuriGagarin50 are to:
YuriGagarin50 is supported by the UK Space Agency, the Space Education Trust, Whiteshirt Communications, the Planetary Society and FootageVault.