text:
Iran's new ambassador to the U.N. held Americans hostage in 1979
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is troubled by Iran's choice for its ambassador to the United Nations and has raised concerns to Tehran about the nomination.
Hamid Aboutalebi was a member of a Muslim student group that stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.
State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf isn't saying whether the U.S. would refuse to grant a visa to the envoy.
The U.N. headquarters are in New York, and because the U.S. is the host nation for the U.N., Harf says that the U.S. generally is obligated to admit the chosen representatives of U.N. member states.
But she does cite limited exceptions to that policy — but isn't saying whether Aboutalebi's case might be among them.
Are you aware of our comment policy?
PBS NewsHour allows open commenting for all registered users, and encourages discussion amongst you, our audience. However, if a commenter violates our terms of use or abuses the commenting forum, their comment may go into moderation or be removed entirely. We reserve the right to remove posts that do not follow these basic guidelines: comments must be relevant to the topic of the post; may not include profanity, personal attacks or hate speech; may not promote a business or raise money; may not be spam. Anything you post should be your own work. The PBS NewsHour reserves the right to read on the air and/or publish on its website or in any medium now known or unknown the comments or emails that we receive. By submitting comments, you agree to the PBS Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which include more details.


text:
Style: 34777284 Color Code:
Easy linen buttondown jumpsuit with a blousy tie-off waist with cutout. Wideleg silhouette, with hip and breast pockets, featuring a modern yoke overlay. Back pockets.
Free People
In love once again
I just recently started shopping at Freepeople. This is my 3rd item purchased within the last 2 months. I saw the reviews on this jumper and was nervous about it being too big. I bought an XS and I'm 32D-24-36. 115lbs. The pants fit perfectly. What you can't see is that the top is not fully attached to the bottom. It's only attached in the back. The top ties in the front right below the high waisted band. This looks so good on. The only thing is the pants are extra long. You can hem or wear a cute wedge. I tried on a wedge shoe and it looks really good. I'm glad I bought this.
When I opened the package I wasn't 100% happy and sure. But I didn't have time to try it on properly so I said to myself - leave the, for now and think a little bit. However, later that day I showed it to my husband (and i never do such things) and he said he liked it. I needed a little bit of same opinion since I started to really liked itthe more I was looking at it. Anyway, ever since then whenever I have it on I get tons of compliments. Another day one woman rolled down window onher car and said - I loove your outfit. They totally look stylish, diffeent, material is very very comfortable, runs maybe a little large but just a little. Super flatering and my husband said - it makes your legs look realy long. I think they are great purchase, very happy and am thinking of getting black color too.
I received it today in black and it looks as good on me as I had hoped. I love the cut as well as the fabric. I'm glad I read the previous reviews and ordered an S instead of my usual M. It fits perfectly. I'm 172 cm and weigh 60kg. If you're looking for a special piece, this is definitely the one
So in love!
I am 5'2, 112lbs and I bought the XS. The material is very soft and the stripes have a nice wash. The fit is exactly what I wanted, just a tiny bit loose and enough extra length at the legs to wear heels or wedges. Light weight and perfect for summer. One of my favorite purchases
I am 6" tall and this is actually long enough in flats, absolutely gorgeous, comfy and yes roomy. The fabric is 55% linen which is not supposed to fit tightly to the body, it's supposed to fit roomy. Nice job free people/ urban outfitters. It's perfect!
I just received this onesie today in the white and blue and its incredible. It is so flattering and so comfortable. I am typically a size medium, but sized down after reading previous reviews and the small fits perfectly! Can not wait to wear.
I bought this and just got it yesterday in blue and white. The fabric is incredible but it's got a roomy and flowing type of feel. I would recommend ordering a size down simply for length considerations. I ordered a bralette to go underneath so I could wear the top part open and it looks awesome! Definitely recommend!

subset: commoncrawl


text: I recently made some prints on Ilford MG RC paper and made detailed notes so that I could replicate the results (ie exposure times, dodge and burn notes, and enlarger head height etc.). I also wanted to try to bleach and redevelop in Lith, but as my inexperience shows, this paper does not lith in this way at all well and the results are nothing like what I was getting on the RC WT paper from my last darkroom session. I note that the booklet that comes with the paper states speeds for various types of MG paper and the speed for RC WT is P125 versus P200 for the normal paper. (Not sure what the P stands for BTW - paper?) Does this mean that I can use my exposure notes for the MG RC and just readjust the times for MG RC WT keeping everything else constant or is there more to it than this? This sounds too good to be true :rolleyes:


text:
With 85 new features and improvements, Madden NFL 09 boasts that it provides the most authentic game play ever. But if EA is trying to sell gamers on the Madden franchise's realism, it needs to set the bar higher. EA, you have a ways to go before you truly capture the drama — and absurdity — of today's NFL. You want realism? Try these tongue-in-cheek modes:
Lead Brett Favre out of retirement: In the past, stars who retire in the game immediately disappear from the Madden universe. Now, for the first time, you can control the destiny of the legendary Brett Favre. Declare retirement at a heart-tugging press conference and bring ESPN analyst and unabashed fanboy Chris Berman to tears. A convincing retirement speech unlocks Berman's "Haikus for Brett," a never-before-seen exclusive tribute!
Unretire before the NFL Draft. Or better yet, really stick it to the Green Bay Packers by waiting to unretire after they draft two quarterbacks. Do you report to Packers training camp? Do you force a trade? YOU lead Brett's path of destruction!
Show what you can do in Prison League mode: Convicted dogfighting felon Michael Vick may not see NFL turf anytime soon, but why should a little prison time get in the way of some smash-mouth football? In Prison League mode, experience Vick's blazing speed, errant passes and poor decisionmaking all over again! Overcome the odds to achieve everlasting gridiron glory.
Steal opponents' signals: The all-new EA SpyCam puts you behind the camera. Follow the spleen-busting action on the field — or pan over to the sidelines and tape your opponent's defensive signals to gain that all-important extra advantage just like New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Cheat, er, film too much, though, and Commissioner Roger Goodell could threaten you with the dreaded Slap on the Wrist.
Thomas Bassinger, Times staff writer


text:
Ringmer Montana Oak Kitchen Doors
Ringmer Montana Oak
- FREE Delivery over £250
- Dispatch by 2nd October
- Available in Made to Measure and Standard Sizes
- Made in UK
- Made with sustainable wood
- 6 year guarantee
Check out our DIY Video Guides for useful tips on how to measure and fit your new doors.
You can also get a quote over the phone, where our Customer Account Managers will be able to answer any questions you may have.
The Ringmer style in Montana Oak
Here, in Montana Oak, we have the Ringmer door from the Trends style range. Sometimes referred to as Natural Oak, the Montana Oak colour is perfect for those craving a natural look that goes back to basics. Keeping in line with this simplistic feel, we have the Ringmer door which is clean and uncomplicated in its look. Available in many sizes, the door can be adapted for any type of kitchen.
The simple style of the Ringmer is most obviously seen in the way that the doors are handleless. They use cut-out finger pulls rather than traditional handles for a contemporary and modern change from the standard kitchen. As well as this, the surfaces are smooth with flat panelling to continue the sleek lines of the door. Combining ease-of-use with flowing style, they are an asset to any kitchen.
Montana Oak has a smaller grain pattern than other wood doors and is a natural oak shade, keeping it fresh and giving a bright finish to any kitchen. The mountainous nature of the Montana Oak can be encouraged with colours and tones associated with the environment: greens, browns and blues are very popular. Matching tiles and worktops as well as rugged-style accessories match perfectly with the Montana Oak shade.
The Trends style range mixes the simple lines of the Ringmer kitchen door with the natural setting seen in the Montana Oak colour for a look that is straight back to nature.
Free Colour SwatchesOrder Swatch
DIY Video GuidesView Videos
Product Specification
Next day delivery on Stock doors
Made to measure sizes in 7 Days
Pick your delivery date


text:
- British Grand Prix
Mallya wants Force India to 'keep up the momentum'
- Race:
- British Grand Prix
- Drivers:
- Vijay Mallya
- Teams:
- Force India
Force India team principal Vijay Mallya wants the team to "keep up the momentum" by beating its midfield rivals in the British Grand Prix.
After a relatively slow start to the season, Force India has been closing the gap to Williams and Sauber having outscored both teams over the last three races. Williams has already won a race this season while Sauber has two podiums, but a strong two-car finish in Valencia saw Force India almost close in and Mallya wants the team to follow up that result.
"We arrive back at Silverstone off the back of our strongest performance of the year," Mallya said. "In fact, the 16 points scored in Valencia are the most we have ever scored in one weekend. Those points have proved to be very valuable, bringing us within a point of Williams and just 16 adrift of Sauber. So we are catching up with our nearest competitors quite quickly. Now we need to keep up the momentum."
Having failed to score points in the Canadian Grand Prix before Valencia, Mallya added that he was pleased with the team's reaction so far and hoped a set of upgrades would allow Force India to remain competitive.
"We will have some developments for the car this weekend and we will certainly give our all to try and come away with another strong result. I think our performance in Valencia showed just how much we have learned from the tough lessons of Canada in terms of understanding the tyres and being aggressive with the strategy. The aim this weekend is to deliver a repeat performance, pick up points and keep pushing hard to move up the championship table."


text:
Historic stone pavilion in Duluth damaged by arson
DULUTH - The historic stone pavilion in Duluth's Lincoln Park was damaged by a fire early Saturday, and officials say it's a case of arson.
The Duluth Fire Department reported that crews were called to the park just after midnight on a report of a portable toilet on fire. Soon after, the call was upgraded on reports that the fire was spreading to the roof of the adjacent stone pavilion.
Crews extinguished the fire, and most of the damage -- estimated at $75,000 -- is on the east end of the roof structure, fire officials said. No injuries were reported.
The Duluth Fire Marshal's Office has determined the cause of the fire to be incendiary, and officials are investigating it as a case of arson.
The pavilion was built in the 1930s by the federal Works Progress Administration, according to information on the city parks website.


text:
Q: I've read recently that sugar may be what cancer eats, and could affect the risk of other health problems, such as heart disease. Based on these findings, how much sugar is safe to eat in a day?
A: Sugar was in the headlines last week, here at the Post, with a columnist's retelling her experience of meeting with a cancer expert who thinks sugar is at the heart of cancer development, and why he thinks that, and with a Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine paper demonstrating that individuals with the highest intake of added sugar had three times the risk of dying of cardiovascular disease compared to those with the lowest intake levels. Even within so-called moderate ranges of sugar intake, those who consumed between 10% and 25% of their daily calories from added sugar had a 30% higher risk of developing heart disease.
High sugar intake is correlated with or linked to heart disease, not the cause of it per se
But the caveat to this study's results is that it is designed merely to observe what happens to people over time; in that sense, it can only tell us that high sugar intake is correlated with or linked to heart disease, not that it causes it per se. Nonetheless, with mounting evidence that a high sugar diet raises triglycerides, a fat that is part of our cholesterol profile, and could also contribute to inflammation in our arteries over time, there are no doubt several compelling reasons to cut down on added sugar.
Unfortunately, there is little consensus on how much sugar is too much sugar
So how much sugar is too much? Unfortunately, there is little consensus on this front. While the U.S. Institute of Medicine states that anywhere up to 25% of daily calories is acceptable (translating to about 125 g, or over 30 tsp of added sugar for an average adult), the World Health Organization recommends no more than 10%. Health Canada, on the other hand, does not have a target for sugar, and the Nutrition Facts Panel you'll find on packaged food does not provide a reference percent daily value (%DV), which means consumers are often left in the dark as to how much counts as a little sugar — and what counts as a lot — in any given product.
Complicating matters is the issue of natural vs. added sugar: While natural sugars do not necessarily behave differently in the body than added sugar, they tend to be associated with nutritious foods, such as fruits, milk, and some vegetables, such as beets. On the other hand, natural sugars also exist in maple syrup, honey and agave nectar, so even if labels did differentiate between the two types of sugar, these pure-sugar foods might come across looking healthier than they really are.
For now, the best set of guidelines might come from the American Heart Association, who recommend no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day for women, and 38 grams per day for men. Any more than that, they argue, and you will inevitably be cutting out healthy, nourishing food in favour of sugary foods of limited nutrition. The AHA states that, if you are going to consume sugar, the best way is to increase palatability of otherwise nutritious food (for example, in yogurt), rather than taking it via pop, candy or desserts.
Think those targets are going to be easy to meet? Conservative estimates say the average Canadian consumes more than 60 g of added sugar per day, which — when you consider the table below, and how much sugar there are in these and many other "single serving" products and dishes — isn't hard to reach by just making a slip up or two in the course of a day.


text:
Tomorrow is the second Friday of every other month, so it must be time for Kettner Nights.
For the better part of a decade, in one way or another, this Little Italy-based evening out has ebbed and flowed, but now it's flowing. While people weren't watching (and as rents increased and restaurants took over), the concentration of galleries and design-related businesses has moved up to the northern part of Kettner Boulevard (near Kalmia Street). An assortment of intriguing spaces, ranging from art galleries to a Harley-Davidson dealership, will be open from 6 to 9 p.m. and promises to make this a fascinating evening out.
"The momentum is building, because more people (and businesses) are coming to the area," said Perry Meyer, who coordinates Kettner Nights and runs Meyer Fine Art (at 2400 Kettner).
The mix also includes Scott White Contemporary Art, Noel Baza Fine Art, Mixture, Jett Gallery, Irelia Fine Jewelry, Botanica, Casa Artelexia, the French Garden Shoppe, Antiques on Kettner, India Street Antiques, Architectural Salvage, Klassic Mid-Century Modern, On Kettner, Bedford Built/4 Coalesce Gallery, and Downtown San Diego Harley-Davidson.
"The south is more the restaurants, the food area," Meyer said. "They are kind of the heart of Little Italy, and we're the arteries. But without the arteries, your heart's not functioning."


text:
Hip-Hop and R&B, Grammys 2013: Genres Make Presence Felt
Hip-hop and R&B had strong showings at the 2013 Grammy Awards.
Drake's LP Take Care took home the award for Best Rap Album while Jay-Z and Kanye West won two awards– Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance — for "Ni**as In Paris."
The pair were also party to a Grammy win for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "No Church in the Wild," which featured Frank Ocean and The-Dream.
Beyonce quietly took home the trophy for Best Traditional R&B Performance with "Love On Top."
Elsewhere, Usher took home an award for "Climax" in the Best R&B Performance category and Miguel's "Adorn" nabbed the Best R&B Song award.
Frank Ocean's Channel Orange won for Best Urban Contemporary album, where he was up against Chris Brown no less. Brown was among the few people still sitting down when Ocean headed to the stage to collect his award.
Robert Glasper Experiment's hip-hop and R&B-tinged LP Black Radio nabbed the award for Best R&B Album.
And the performances — who can forget the performances?? — Jay-Z killed it on stage with Justin Timberlake during "Suit & Tie" and Frank Ocean pored his heart out during "Forrest Gump."
Lastly, the Grammys may have realized that all they've screwed up with rap over the years.
Grammy host LL Cool J closed the show with Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, along with Tom Morello and Travis Barker. They ripped through a handful of their classic rap cuts and even squeezed in a tribute to The Beastie Boys.
All in all it was a good night for hip-hop music.


text:
A 'RIDICULOUS' year built into a fine crescendo for a youth project that has transformed Northwich's music scene.
Amplify Youth Music Project has not only become the go-to group for entertainment at community events, it has also been named one of the best youth projects in the UK.
Amplify, which celebrated its third birthday in October, was started by youth workers as a monthly band night for 11 to 19 year olds.
Now it is run by its own youth council, in conjunction with Cheshire West and Chester Council's youth workers, has weekly jam sessions for its artists, regular events and links up with the art world.
It was also one of eight finalists in the country-wide arts and culture category of the Children and Young People Now Awards 2013.
Paul Barratt, who founded the project with Andy Bantock, said: "Last year we were saying 'wow, this year was amazing, what are we going to do next year to top that?' but due to the support from the community and the young people we have been able to grow even more and have an even bigger year – our only worry is what we are going to do next year now.
"We've been involved in so many community events like Northwich Music Festival and the artisan markets, which has really helped raise our profile and make the community, young people and parents aware of who we are and what we do.
"It's been a good year for the young people too, seeing how they've grown and taken ownership of the project with the youth council.
"It's something they're professional about and like talking about because it's their project and their platform."
Amplify has also released a compilation album and recorded an acoustic album and The Edge Studios.
"It's been a ridiculous year," Paul said.
James Allinson, and Amplify Youth Council member, said: "It really makes us realise how lucky we are to have such a project in our area."


text:
I am falling short of 4.55 BM on all theoretical twinking, using AOskills. Is there any great wizard out there that can see anything more that I could do? (besides leveling)
With leveling, it's possible to do this on a L6 NM nt froob.
- Shades of Lucubration +30 int/psy
Pink Riddle Cloak of the Underworld +2 BM [To NTs or MPs]
Clown Vest of the League of Fabulous Ninjas +2 BM [To nanomages]
Platinum Ring w/ Perfectly Cut Sapphire +8 BM [Each are +4 BM]
Loving Hands +2 BM
Omni Special Issue Executive Sleevesx2/Pants/Boots +4 BM [+1 each]
Explosif's Pillow +10 int/psy
ql 51 Pillow with Important Stripes +15 BM
ql 67 Head [BM/Sense] +39 BM
ql 68 Ear [Conceal/Int] +9 int
ql 60 Eye [Rifle/Int/Pistol] +12 int
ql 74 Chest [BM] +25 BM
ql 62 Waist [FireAC/Sense/BM] +14 BM
Comp Attributes +12 int/psy
Comp Nano +20 BM
Neuronal Stimulator +20 int/psy [Needs nanocan for froob]
BM Mocham +140 BM
Team Wrangle Premium +132 BM
ICRT +3 int/psy
Gauntlet Buff +10 int/psy
Base IP'd skill: 37 BM
From Armor: 33 BM / 40 Int / 40 Psy
From Imps: 78 BM / 21 Int
From Buffs: 292 BM / 45 Int / 45 Psy
+403 BM / +106 Int [BioMet 21.2] / +85 Psy [BioMet 4.25]
BM = 37 + 403 + 21.2 + 4.25 = 465.45 [Require 470]
http://i.imgur.com/2lDBCMu.png [Screenshot of AOSkills equip, implants, plus all this text]
Only thing i can see as possible to get it is a 101 Important Pillow... but those reqs are a bit too high as far as I can see or try a 101 Pepper pistol so I can swap in a ranged weapon that can add more than a poly pillow (or around)
Still in the process of testing the waters on higher implants, with the help of a few items I lack but am looking around at all possibilities.


text:
Here's What Jeff Orr Claims He Said To Marcus Smart Before Incident
It was just minutes ago that we heard an apologetic Marcus Smart speak about last night's ugly incident in Lubbock. Now, we've got a statement from the Texas Tech fan, Jeff Orr, who was involved in the confrontation. Orr, who was shoved after muttering something to Smart with just seconds to play in the Red Raiders' victory over the Cowboys, claims he called the OSU sophomore a "piece of crap". He wants it to be known that he did not use a racial slur.
Here's the statement, made available by Texas Tech Athletics.
"I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere apologies to Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State, Tubby Smith and the Texas Tech Men's Basketball program. My actions last night were inappropriate and do not reflect myself or Texas Tech – a university I love dearly. I regret calling Mr. Smart a "piece of crap" but I want to make it known that I did not use a racial slur of any kind. Additionally, I would like to offer my apologies to Texas Tech fans that have been embarrassed by the attention this incident has created."
The school announced that Orr has been banned from attending any Texas Tech games – home or away – for the remainder of the season. TTU also released a video, taken from right under the basket, in which you can hear the words "piece of crap" uttered around the 18-second mark.


text:
I have 2 different CCLayers on the same CCScene. my CCScene - HelloWorldLayer - ContentMenuLayerThe way it works now is that HelloWorldLayer receives all the Touch input and none come to ContentMenuLayer even though it is on top of HelloWorldLayer.
What do I need to do to make sure that all Layers receive touch events?How to disable touch on the bottom Layers so only the up top layer receives all touch events ?
Have you tried setTouchEnabled(bool) ?
and is the layer registered with the TouchDispatcher and given a priority?
I made a cleanup and fixed the problem. Had a look at the SimpleGame example.Thanks for the response anyways. Happy to see that people are active here


text:
SAN BERNARDINO >> Nearly 20 demonstrators took to Perris Hill Park on Tuesday to protest the extended use of solitary confinement in prisons, adding their voices to a lawsuit filed earlier in the day and a 30,000-person hunger strike that began exactly a year earlier.
Since that strike ended, a variety of information on solitary confinement rules, policies and practices have not been disclosed as required by the California Public Records Act, the lawsuit alleges.
For the protesters, most of whom have a family member in solitary confinement, the issue is broader yet more personal than that.
"He hasn't touched his mom, or his grandma, or me for six years," Darlene Fernandez, 34, said of her boyfriend, who she said is serving a life sentence at California State Prison Corcoran for attempted murder committed when he was 16. "He was a kid then. He messed up, yes, but he's still human."
Fernandez said she met her boyfriend a year ago — after he had already been in prison for 18 years and in solitary confinement for five — when she began writing to him because she empathized with the idea of someone in prison for longer than he'd been out of it, with virtually no one to talk to.
Since then, she says she's sent him 157 letters or cards and he's returned 107.
Palmdale resident Constance Pedroza, 73, said her son had recently been released from solitary confinement at Pelican Bay — he's still in prison there — but she had hope that policies would change for others.
"He stayed strong, fortunately," she said. "So many others give up or go crazy, because it seems hopeless."
The argument isn't that prisoners shouldn't pay their debt to society, Pedroza said, but that prisoners be treated humanely.
"Contact is a human need," she said, saying her son was put in "the SHU" for contact with a prison gang member. "They develop a bond — what else are you going to do?"
A hunger strike began July 8, 2013 with 30,000 inmates, and 100 were participating after 60 days when lawmakers agreed to hold hearings. Roughly 3,600 inmates are housed in the isolation units because of crimes they committed in prison or their designation as leaders of prison gangs.


text:
What went wrong with N.J.'s 'Stronger Than The Storm?'
Despite maintaining a near-constant TV presence, the much-ballyhooed Stronger than the Storm promotional campaign debuted too late to make enough of an impact on summer tourism, according to leaders in the state's tourism industry.
Testifying at an Assembly tourism and arts committee hearing yesterday, destination marketing and economic development officials lauded the program's modest successes but criticized its narrow scope and short run. They also called on the government to better fund the state's official tourism arm and establish a sustained promotional campaign to bring more visitors back to the Shore.
The $25 million project launched in May with funding from a Housing and Urban Development recovery grant. The effort, which still maintains its website and social media activity, relied heavily on TV, radio, and Internet advertising to promote the Jersey Shore as "open for business" in advance of the summer season. But with a typical 90-to-120 day advance window for Shore bookings, disappointed speakers complained that the blitz should have started at the beginning of the year.
Still, there were some bright spots that broke through the general gloom -- Asbury Park made a very strong showing, for instance. But for the most part, widespread anecdotal evidence indicates a nearly nonexistent spring, or "shoulder," season, an extremely slow (albeit rainy) June and July, and strong gains in August that lasted through the fall but don't inspire confidence for celebratory year-end numbers.
"In January I asked (this committee) for an immediate $20 million infusion for crisis marketing to take control of the message," testified Vicki Clark, president of the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce and vice president of the New Jersey Travel Industry Association. "Without it, we had no way to counteract the (destructive) messages delivered to our customers through media.
The media, she said, spent months portraying the Shore as one long sandy strip of devastation and heartache. And though the southern portion of the coast was largely spared, "The farther away people are, the more they consider the Jersey Shore as one place," said Clark.
Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia seized on the opportunity the disaster presented. Almost immediately, New Jersey's Mid-Atlantic neighbors broadcast commercials designed to prey on the fears of vacation-goers scared away by images of crushed rental properties, shredded boardwalks, and roller coasters swept out to sea.
An Ocean City, MD, commercial introduced a lifeguard who promised to "rescue" Jersey Shore regulars and take them to their new vacation destination. A USA Today article published in early August quotes tourism officials in those states claiming that they simply wanted to alert vacationers that their own beaches were not affected by Sandy. The same article cites those officials as seeing a 20 percent increase in the number of information requests coming from New Jersey and New York.
The New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism won't release its own economic impact tallies until next March, though the treasury department reports that hotel occupancy tax collections actually increased over June, July, and August. However, the state's southernmost coastal county, Clark said, reported declines in beach tag and parking fees, as well as employment and vacation home purchases.
"I can't say Stronger than the Storm was specifically helpful to Cape May County," she said.
She, along with others who represented lesser-hit parts of the state, protested that the campaign focused too narrowly on Ocean and Monmouth counties and didn't do enough to present other areas as relatively unscathed. Michael Davidson, executive director of the Greater Newark Convention & Visitors Bureau added that the Stronger Than the Storm website, which advertises Shore attractions and events instead of steering visitors to the tourism department's comprehensive VisitNJ.org site, was "a missed opportunity for the rest of the state."
He told the committee that his experience working as a tourism official in Connecticut, New York, and Washington taught him that tourism campaigns work best when state officials promote their territory as a single destination. After prospective travelers take an interest, he said, regional destination-marketing organizations can more easily help them take the next step by facilitating connections to local attractions, lodging, and entertainment.
Despite the campaign's limitations, speakers agreed that they succeeded in presenting New Jersey positively and capturing attention across the state and in the many national and Canadian media markets where they ran. But the state missed another opportunity, they said, by pulling them off-air too soon. Instead of ending the run on Labor Day weekend, as it did, the state needs to coordinate ongoing outreach that will carry its tourism industry safely through the next five years -- the amount of time it often takes to fully repair the reputation of an area hit by a natural disaster.
Robert Hilton, who heads the convention and visitors bureau for Ocean and Monmouth, said that despite the late summer and autumn surge in hotel occupancy, overall he considers the summer to have been "absolutely a disaster." What's worse, he calls this the most dead December on record. One out of 10 businesses in the counties' small downtowns are thinking of closing in January and not reopening.
"The folks in my area are scared. They survived the storm and a year later they're going to close because they can't get the foot traffic? That just isn't fair," he said. "We need an immediate marketing campaign to start in January."
The governor's office hasn't publicized the cost of the campaign so far or whether it plans to go after more federal grants for this purpose. The travel and tourism division runs its own programs but hasn't told the tourism community when it will unveil its 2014 plans.
The agency is severely limited. It receives a minimum of $9 million per year from a hotel occupancy tax created in 2003 but gets no other funding for promotional activities. A few weeks ago the Assembly tourism and arts committee released a bill that would increase this required minimum. The state can allocate a higher proportion of occupancy fees to tourism, but since the recession funding for tourism marketing has remained stagnant, with the undedicated remainder of the fee helping to supply the general fund.
Assemblywoman Celeste Riley (D-Cumberland), who's been temporarily chairing the committee since Matthew Milam (D-Vineland) resigned from the Assembly earlier this year, supports an increase in funding for this purpose and asked speakers to propose alternative solutions to raising the minimum allocation.
Davidson suggested the state might create a dedicated revenue source for the tourism department by siphoning off a small percentage of taxes generated by hospitality-related businesses. Speakers also recommended that future promotional messaging emphasize overnight visits as a way to boost income from the occupancy tax. Although it's been several years since the agency has received more than the minimum $9 million annual disbursement, it's possible for governors to devote an additional fixed portion or percentage of occupancy tax collections to the tourism bureau. Therefore, in theory, more hotel stays today could translate to more money to promote future hotel stays tomorrow.
Riley has promised to recommend a task force to figure out how to improve tourism marketing and build any victories to be found among the litter of this year's tourist season. They'll likely start by questioning Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce officials who shared that the resurgent seaside city has enjoyed an "amazing" year.
And if Hilton is involved, he'll readily reiterate his position that the medium matters. He told the committee that visitors age 40 to 65 did not believe the positive stories they read in Stronger Than the Storm's social media posts, which formed a major and relatively inexpensive part of the campaign's strategy. But did they trust reports in the newspapers and on TV. Thankfully, many called his office to verify, which allowed staff to present a positive spin, he said.
Older visitors continued to have "extensive misperception issues" because they didn't engage at all with the social media messaging. That may help to explain why Ocean and Monmouth counties welcomed a relatively large number of 21-to-40-year olds who responded strongly to social media messaging (especially the Twitter hashtag #STTS) and according to Hilton, formed "good memories and will return."
NJ Spotlight, an independent online news service on issues critical to New Jersey, makes its in-depth reporting available to NewsWorks.
Support provided by


text:
Supreme Court limits right to self-counsel for mentally ill
5 rulings issued as vacation looms
WASHINGTON - Mentally ill criminal defendants don't have the same constitutional rights as everyone else, the Supreme Court said yesterday in carving out an exception to the right to represent yourself.
The justices said that a mentally ill defendant can be judged competent to stand trial, yet incapable of acting as his own lawyer. The 7-2 decision said states can give a trial judge discretion to force someone to accept an attorney to represent him if the judge is concerned that the trial could turn into a farce.
"The Constitution permits states to insist upon representation by counsel for those competent enough to stand trial . . . but who still suffer from severe mental illness to the point where they are not competent to conduct trial proceedings by themselves," Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in the majority opinion.
The court has previously declared that self-representation is a constitutional right.
The ruling was one of five issued yesterday as the court nears the start of a three-month break. The justices released decisions in two age discrimination cases, finding in one that Kentucky's retirement system properly takes age into account for employees who have become disabled and requiring in the other that employers demonstrate why decisions that affect mostly older workers have a reasonable basis other than age.
The court also ruled that judges reviewing workers' claims for health or disability benefits should consider the financial incentive that employers and insurers have to deny payment.
A fractured court overturned a Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. decision that denied disability benefits to a onetime
Writing for the court, Justice Stephen Breyer said a conflict of interest results when employers or insurers take on the dual role of evaluating claims and funding a plan's payments.
Ten cases remain unresolved, including the landmark consideration of Americans' gun rights, whether
The court meets again Monday.


text:
Aug. Modular Last Day 50% Refund
Monday, September 02, 2013
Where and When
Contact: email@example.com
Event Information
Last day for 50% refund of tuition and fees (Note: College Service Fee is non-refundable).No Late Registration for full-term courses. Registration resumes for September and October Modular courses and for 14/IN courses on 9/4/13.
Other Helpful Links:


text:
On Thu, Aug 28, 2008 at 10:05 PM, Magnus Hagander <magnus(at)hagander(dot)net> wrote: > Actually, might it be an idea to stick the temp tables in their own > "subnode", that won't be loaded unless someone actually intentionally > looks at it? I don't think it's worth the pain to be honest. Temp tables will only show up under temp schemas anyway, and they are hidden by default. -- Dave Page EnterpriseDB UK: http://www.enterprisedb.com
Next: From: Dave Page Date: 2008-08-29 08:14:54 Subject: Re: Two usability suggestions Previous: From: Robins Tharakan Date: 2008-08-29 00:40:23 Subject: Two usability suggestions


text:
Programming Languages: Application and Interpretation
Programming Languages: Application and Interpretation
- Author: Shriram Krishnamurthi
- Availability: Out of Stock
- 60% Off₹10.00 ₹4.00Get this eBook
- 60% Off₹10.00 ₹4.00Get this eBook
- 60% Off₹10.00 ₹4.00Get this eBook
- 60% Off₹10.00 ₹4.00Get this eBook
- 60% Off₹10.00 ₹4.00Get this eBook
- 60% Off₹10.00 ₹4.00Get this eBook
- 60% Off₹10.00 ₹4.00Get this eBook
- 80% Off₹40.00 ₹8.00Get this eBook
- 60% Off₹10.00 ₹4.00Get this eBook
- Description
About the Book
Unlike some other textbooks, this one does not follow a top-down narrative. Rather it has the flow of a conversation, with backtracking. We will often build up programs incrementally, just as a pair of programmers would. We will include mistakes, not because I don't know the answer, but because this is the best way for you to learn. Including mistakes makes it impossible for you to read passively: you must instead engage with the material, because you can never be sure of the veracity of what you're reading.
At the end, you'll always get to the right answer. However, this non-linear path is more frustrating in the short term (you will often be tempted to say, "Just tell me the answer, already!"), and it makes the book a poor reference guide (you can't open up to a random page and be sure what it says is correct). However, that feeling of frustration is the sensation of learning. I don't know of a way around it.
At various points you will encounter this:
This is an exercise. Do try it.
This is a traditional textbook exercise. It's something you need to do on your own. If you're using this book as part of a course, this may very well have been assigned as homework. In contrast, you will also find exercise-like questions that look like this:
Do Now!
There's an activity here! Do you see it?
When you get to one of these, stop. Read, think, and formulate an answer before you proceed. You must do this because this is actually an exercise, but the answer is already in the book—most often in the text immediately following (i.e., in the part you're reading right now)—or is something you can determine for yourself by running a program. If you just read on, you'll see the answer without having thought about it (or not see it at all, if the instructions are to run a program), so you will get to neither (a) test your knowledge, nor (b) improve your intuitions. In other words, these are additional, explicit attempts to encourage active learning. Ultimately, however, I can only encourage it; it's up to you to practice it.
The main programming language used in this book is Racket. Like with all operating systems, however, Racket actually supports a host of programming languages, so you must tell Racket which language you're programming in.
- 77% Off₹1,195.00 ₹286.40Get this eBook
- 76% Off₹675.00 ₹162.40Get this eBook
- 76% Off₹425.00 ₹102.00Get this eBook
- 76% Off₹495.00 ₹118.80Get this eBook
- 76% Off₹245.00 ₹58.80Get this eBook
- 60% Off₹10.00 ₹4.00Get this eBook
- 76% Off₹320.00 ₹76.80Get this eBook
- 76% Off₹325.00 ₹78.00Get this eBook
- 44% Off₹535.00 ₹299.60Get this eBook
- 20% Off₹5.00 ₹4.00Get this eBook
- 76% Off₹340.00 ₹81.60Get this eBook
- 60% Off₹10.00 ₹4.00Get this eBook
- 77% Off₹175.00 ₹41.60Get this eBook
- 76% Off₹850.00 ₹204.00Get this eBook


text:
Origin: L, handle, fr. Manus hand.
1. (Science: anatomy) a handlelike process or part; especially, the anterior segment of the sternum, or presternum, and the handlelike process of the malleus.
2. (Science: zoology) The proboscis of a jellyfish.
Synonym: hypostoma.
Please contribute to this project, if you have more information about this term feel free to edit this page.


text:
"The Tribune's July 5 editorial 'Rescuing public pensions' is centered on the false premise that Illinois' current pension plans for public employees are 'doomed' and unsustainable. The truth is that the state's pension plans are sustainable."
— Dick Ingram, executive director of the Illinois Teachers' Retirement System, in a letter to the editor published July 14, 2011


text:
Drew Wrigley and Sara Otte Coleman: Tourism Week marks start of vacation season
BISMARCK — If Herald readers haven't started thinking about that summer road trip, now is a great time to start planning.
Gov. Jack Dalrymple has proclaimed May 3-11 Travel and Tourism Week in North Dakota, officially kicking off the summer travel season.
Plus, it's a time to celebrate our state's strong tourism industry and the unique things to see and do that attract people from all over the world.
Tourism is one of North Dakota's top industries and an important part of our strong economy. All North Dakota communities — large and small — benefit from tourism. It supports businesses and creates jobs. Remarkably, one out of 12 jobs in the state is in the tourism industry.
While tourism is good for our economy, it's also good for our family relationships. Did you know that 90 percent of young people ages 8-18 see family travel as a chance to spend quality time with their parents? (Yes, our teen-aged kids really do want to spend time with us!)
Or, that they rank going on a family vacation higher than all other activities in their mind? With everyone's busy lives these days, it's good to know that the good old-fashioned vacation is still a cherished way to reconnect and make life-long memories.
This year, readers can create special legendary family memories by celebrating North Dakota's 125th anniversary of statehood. As North Dakotans, we've been blessed in many ways, and this historic milestone is a great occasion to celebrate our rich culture and heritage.
Two signature events will be held Aug. 16 and Nov. 2, the state's official 125th birthday.
- The August event will be held on the Capitol grounds and will showcase the best of North Dakota with home-grown entertainment, food, crafts and games. Some of the acts confirmed to perform at the event include Tigirlily, Chuck Suchy, The Burning Hills Singers, The Blenders, Mitch Malloy, Robby Vee, Jessie Veeder, Dakota Air, Keith Bear, Kevin Locke and Greg Hager.
- The commemoration of the state's official birthday on Nov. 2 will coincide with the grand opening of the new North Dakota Heritage Center. Plus, North Dakotans will want to catch many of the regional community events across the state throughout the summer.
People also can celebrate North Dakota's 125th anniversary in their own way. North Dakota Tourism has created a list, "125 ways to Luv N.D.," featuring adventures and experiences unique to North Dakota.
The categories span everything from food, outdoors, sports, fun and history and can be found at LuvND.com.
This summer, we encourage Herald readers to get out and see the spectacular state around them and create legendary family memories that will last a lifetime.
Wrigley is lieutenant governor of North Dakota and chairman of North Dakota's 125th Anniversary Committee. Otte Coleman directs the tourism division of the North Dakota Department of Commerce.


text:
Join Chris Meyer for an in-depth discussion in this video Catching shadows in After Effects, part of Cinema 4D and After Effects: Integration.
My render in Cinema 4D is done. I am back in After Effects with a new project. I am going to do Command+I on Mac, Ctrl+I on Windows to import. I'm going to select the folder for my shadow catcher renders. You'll see, again, Cinema has created a .aec file for me, my backgrounds and my three object buffers for my shadow catchers. So I will go ahead and select aec and Open. Once I bring this into After Effects, we'll look at our composition, I'll deselect and you'll see, in addition to my 3D render, I have solids for my floor, my back wall and for my window cutout.
Here is the render just as seen unmolested. The lights are animating a little bit in the scene, in addition to the camera moving, and we'll verify that by selecting the camera, these different lights, pressing U to reveal their keyframes and you can see the motion going on, the camera eases to hold at five seconds, while the lights keep drifting. And finally, our Special Pass renders, our three object buffers, the floor, the back wall, minus the window, and finally, the window by itself.
Let's go to the scene and start setting it up and this is going to take a little work, but we're going to do everything three times for our three surfaces. First, let's make those three solids the correct orientation and the correct size. Now, for some reason, Cinema brings in that solid facing straight forward. It doesn't realize it's supposed to be laying flat on the floor, but that's okay. I see it's my red or my X arrow that I need to rotate it along. That's the axis I want to flip it on. So, I'll type R for rotation and orient it 90 degrees so that it lays flat along the floor.
Next, I need to change its size, underneath Layer>Solid Settings. I know that this floor is 3096 pixels wide. I like to have a few extra pixels on the edges to trim off, just to keep things nice and clean. I'm going to make it 3100 wide. For the Height, I know it's 2048 in Cinema. Again, I'll just round it up to 2050, click OK. Now I have a surface that covers the entire floor. Next is the back wall. Twirl up the floor, select the back wall, again, choose Layer>Solid Settings, the shortcut is Command+Shift+Y on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+Y on Windows, and change its size.
Again, its 3096 wide, I'll round that up. It's 1024 tall and I'll round that up to, say, 1028. Now, I have something covering the entire back wall. And the Window Boolean was already the correct size, so there is no need for me to do anything further with that. The next thing I want to do is trim those shadow catchers, so that they exactly confirm to the surfaces they are sitting in for. So in the case of the floor, I'll pick my shadow catcher 1, this render that matches the floor, drag it just above the floor, hit F4 to open up the modes panel and say use that as a luma matte and there is the floor trimmed.
I'll pick up my shadow buffer number 2, drop in front of the back wall, set the back wall to luma matte and it will matte that out. And finally, I am going to grab my third buffer, drag it above my window, set it to luma matte as well, and now I've got that cut out as well. Okay, so I have these three solids, each sitting in for my surfaces in a very rough fashion. Before we really see how to make these shadows work, I need to create something that casts the shadow. So I am going to select my Text tool, have a nice bold font, such as Arial Black, I'll pick a color such as some sort of medium gray so you can see what it looks like.
I have a nice big font size picked already. Let's just start typing, such as shadows: catch me. Press Enter, then press V to return to the Selection tool. I need to go back to Switches down here in the timeline, so I'll press F4, but I need to enable the 3D layer switch for my text. I do so and it kind of defaults down in the floor. Let's go ahead and pull it up out of the floor, push it back a little bit, pull it over a little bit and pull it up a little bit.
Again, layers in After Effects do not cast shadows by default, so I need to select it, type aa to reveal its Material Options and turn on Casts Shadows. The shortcut is Option+Shift+C on Mac, Alt+Shift+C on Windows. So now, my text is casting shadows. I see a bit of this shadow down here on the floor, but the wall has this very strange look about it. Well, this is because these solids are catching lights and catching shadows. We want our shadow catchers to only capture shadows, not light.
The light's already been factored into the 3D render. It's only the shadows we want to add. So to do that, I am going to start with my floor, select it, type aa to reveal its options. Keep on Accepts Shadows, but turn off Accepts Lights. That way, it is just a 100% white solid and if you forgot to make your solids white, just go ahead and change your color in Solid Settings, and that has captured my nice black shadow. We'll do the same to the back wall, aa, Accepts Lights off.
Now I see black shadows. And for the window, aa, Accepts Lights off. So again, this is very important, Accepts Shadows on, Accepts Lights off. That's one of the main secrets to this trick. Okay, I now have black shadows on white walls, but what I really want to see are my original walls underneath. Well, this is where blending modes come back to rescue again. Remember when we did multi-pass renders that Cinema put the Shadow layer in Multiply mode so the white was unaffected, and only the dark areas were darkened on the render? Well, we want to do the same thing here.
Once again, press F4 to return to our modes and now for the Window Boolean, I will set its mode to Multiply. Now, the window comes through as just the shadow. Go to the back wall, same thing, Multiply mode. There is the back wall with its original rendered color but with my shadows added in. Finally, floor, set it to Multiply mode as well, and there is the floor with just the shadow from the text.
And to show you that this is interactive, I am going to pull the text around and you'll see how as I pull it closer to the lights, the shadows grow in size and also travel across the floor. As I drag it up over this window, you'll notice how the shadows do, indeed, break up across this window. They are falling on the front surface of that window separately than they are falling on the back wall. So, that's another important trick. We have a little bit of artifacting here on the edge, but frankly, that's a lot better than no shadows at all.
Well, by the way, speaking of artifacts, sometimes when you do this sort of trick with object buffers, if you render this with an Alpha Channel, you might see a white fringe in here, in an interface between the Alpha Channel and the object buffer. If you ever see that white fringe, select the object buffer layer, not the shadow catch layer, but the object buffer, that's causing you some grief and giving a white fringe, and apply the Minimax effect to it, Minimax.
Apply it to your object buffer, set it to Minimum rather than Maximum, set it to a small Radius of 1 and that will clean up any white fringes you see on the inside. It does have the cost though of shrinking your shadow catcher and also creating a bit of an edge here right around this fall off. So only use it if you see an artifact.
Chris Meyer—a long-time user of both programs—explains how to move 3D worlds from Maxon's CINEMA 4D into Adobe's After Effects and add additional 3D elements that blend perfectly. Chris shows how to transfer 3D cameras, lights, and position data from CINEMA 4D to After Effects; create track mattes to composite new elements into the middle of a scene; and take advantage of multi-pass rendering to quickly remix and even recolor lights, shadows, reflections, and more. Paced comfortably for beginners, this course also reveals numerous advanced tricks and techniques, such as the use of blending modes and how to cast shadows from new 3D layers in After Effects onto rendered 3D elements from CINEMA 4D. Exercise files accompany this course.
- Locating objects for export from CINEMA 4D
- Adding layers to a composition after importing into After Effects
- Separating lights in CINEMA 4D and remixing in After Effects
- Understanding the problems with shadows during integration
- Refining 3D shadows in After Effects


text:
Detail Images
Current Color
Free 2-Day shipping on orders over $50*
Select style & size:Select options
Be the first to review
Admitting your bases need help is the first step.
Apply the Toko Wax Remover HC3 to your base and clear away the last wax layer and any other residues before you fossilize the late-spring dirt into your base with a fresh layer of wax. Don't let the mud- and grass-filled snow that you rode at the end of last season has come back to haunt you; only a chemical intervention led by the HC3 Wax Remover can bring back your bases to what they used to be.
- Item #TOK0074
Tech Specs
C10-12 alkane/cycloalkane
Wax Type
base cleaner
Recommended Use
Manufacturer Warranty


text:
use scintillating in a sentence.
Sadly, the actual product is a lot less scintillating.
I'm pretty much convinced there's no reason to learn CPython's C API, given Cython's maturity and PyPy's improbable, scintillating ascendancy.
I suffer from epilepsy and often I see scintillating scotoma, visual snow and other strange light phenomena.
I used to want to write scintillating blog posts and bump my karma score.
One of my favorite "designed to last thousands of years" document is the alternately dry and scintillating 1980s/1990s Sandia Labs report on how to communicate with future generations about nuclear waste after the collapse of the U.
The mathematician Jean Dieudonné called von Neumann "the last of the great mathematicians", while Peter Lax described him as possessing the "most scintillating intellect of this century", and Hans Bethe stated "I have sometimes wondered whether a brain like von Neumann's does not indicate a species superior to that of man".


text:
ANTIQUE ITALIAN LEATHER BOX, ONE-of-a-KIND
An unusual 18th century Italian leather box embossed with a fleur de lys design. This handsome storage box stands on wood feet and has a hinged lift up lid.
Antique Fleur de Lys Leather Box
Leather, Wood
14.5"w x 10"h x 7.25"d
Made in Italy


text:
Dahlonega Firewood
Products and Services currently available:
Products: Firewood, Campfire wood, smoking and cooking wood and kindling available. All wood is seasoned, dry and ready to burn.
Call (706) 864-3041 to order firewood.
Custom Cut Lumber, Sawmilling
service dimensional lumber milled up to 10"x10" and any dimension less in
1/4" increments. Length to 18 feet long.
Call (706) 864-3041 for appointment
Thanks for your support.
Robert K. Suchke


text:
Columbia City Ballets Nutcracker coming to Coastal
Performances will be at 7 p.m. both days. Tickets are $20 for adults and free to students under the age of 18.
This classic Tchaikovsky ballet is about a young girl named Clara whose wooden nutcracker doll comes to life and takes her on a magical journey, a peek into a childs dream filled with dancing fairies, toy soldiers and mouse armies.
For this perennial holiday favorite, Columbia City Ballet artistic director William Starrett has assembled a cast of world-class dancers, including medalists and former members of the National Ballet of Canada, American Ballet Theatre and the Joffrey Ballet. The cast of the production also features young dancers from the Grand Strand community who auditioned for the performance.
The Nutcracker is performed more times and for more people than any other ballet in the companys history. The Columbia City Ballet has performed it since 1966. The companys production features elaborate costumes and sets that include 100 pounds of snow made of Mylar and glitter.
The event is sponsored by HTC, Santee Cooper and Wachovia.
For more information, contact the Wheelwright Box Office at 349-2502.


text:
Ne'Qwa With A Little Bit Of Help Teardrop Ornament
Item #800
This beautiful, hand-made ornament is oversized and features a snowman being built by some children and accented with holly berries and ornaments. Also features the artists signature and an antiqued gold topper and tassel
Artist - Peggy Abrams
Known in the Mandarin language as "Ne'Qwa," the artistic tradition of reverse painting on the inside of mouth-blown glass flourished during the 17th century, when snuff bottles were valued fashion accessories in China
According to Ne'Qwa Art's co-founder and head designer Jim Sexton, "Today there are only a few artist groups, living in remote villages throughout China, who possess the skill to create Ne'Qwa Art's contemporary art objects. By bringing together the popular artwork of internationally known artists with the centuries-old skill of Chinese artisans, Ne'Qwa Art is committed to reviving this ancient art form."
Comes nestled in a satin and velour gift box with a certificate of authenticity and informational card
Please note: display stand is sold separately
Dimensions: 5.75 inches high x 3.75 inch diameter
Material(s): glass/metal


text:
WAR - What is it good for?
- Size: 640px
- Quality: High
- Size: 2.60 MB 0 bytes
This Gif entitled WAR - What is it good for? was created from the youtube video 4 years ago. It uses 18 frames per second and is displayed at 640px resolution. This animated image plays for 8 seconds, was built with high quality and an estimated weight of 2.60 MB for download. This animation was originally created from the Edwin Starr - War (What Is It Good For?) video from 00:05 to 00:13.
Flag This GifSend


text:
News Posts
Showing blog posts tagged with "Mammals"
March Mammal Madness: Enter Our "Name Your Ancestor" Tournament
by AMNH on
This month, a team of international researchers led by the American Museum of Natural History and Stony Brook University determined in unprecedented detail what the earliest ancestor of placental mammals—the widely diverse group of animals ranging from whales to bats to humans—looked like. The Museum is teaming up with WNYC's Radiolab to sponsor a tournament to name this early ancestor. Want to enter?
What Are Whales?
by AMNH on
The word "whale" may bring to mind the image of a blue whale, the largest animal ever to have lived. But did you know that dolphins and porpoises are also specialized whales? Today, there about 80 species of living whales, or cetaceans. Among these marine mammals, there are two groups: baleen and toothed.
Artists' Techniques Rendered Habitat Dioramas Mesmerizingly Real
by AMNH on
The dioramas in the Jill and Lewis Bernard Family Hall of North American Mammals have always been splendid, but after more than a year of painstaking restoration, they look better than ever. A multi-video series documents their renovation. In these videos, Museum artists Stephen C. Quinn and Joianne Bittle Knight describe how the 3-D foregrounds and 2-D backgrounds of the dioramas were originally created.
Whales: Giants of the Deep Swimming to the Museum
by AMNH on
Just six weeks to go until the opening of Whales: Giants of the Deep, a new exhibition devoted to the biology, anatomy, and evolution of whales—as well as their cultural significance to maritime human cultures, from New Zealand to New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Tracing the Face and Age of the Placental Mammal Ancestor
by AMNH on
A small, furry-tailed, insect-eating creature was the earliest ancestor of placental mammals—a widely diverse group of animals ranging from bats to humans—according to a new study in the journal Science by a team of international scientists, including a core group of Museum researchers.


text:
Credit Card Center Advertiser Disclosure†
Hey everyone,
I have a BJ's Warehouse Barclay visa....We are moving and they do not have them where we are moving to...I was going to call the backdoor number but figured it was too late on the est coast and I was right the credit analyst number is 8-5pm on the message it leaves. So I was wondering if you had any luck changing from one product to another within Barclays as I would much rather have the apple barclay card and get on that bandwagon. Or would it be better just to apply for the apple card and see if they will accept two cards for one person?
Just curious one way or the other.
I tried to convert my Carnival card to the U.S. Airways card earlier this year and was told I would have to apply for the U.S. Airways card as they did not do prouct changes. Let us know if you are successful!
They don't generally seem to do product changes, but they do perform limit reallocations without issue by calling the backdoor number.
So you could apply for the new card and have the BJ's limit moved over and the card closed.
It also seems to be true that if you are declined and they otherwise wouldn't approve the application, often the backdoor number can approve the application if you indicate that you'll be moving the limit from another current Barclays product (and closing that product).
I called to close my card a couple months ago. I had the Juniper MC and it didn't have rewards. They asked what it would take to keep me and I said a rewards card...they obliged with a Barclaycard Travel Rewards... 2pts for travel purchases, 1 point for all others. Works well for me since I travel a lot.
Hey All,
So I called up The back door number today and first I talked to a lady that wa very nice and I asked about product change and she told me that it would probably be a better idea to wait on the CLI and go for the apple card as if you tried for both you would get two hard pulls instead of one. So SHe then told me that if I got declined or approved they would be able to move my BJs card over to the apple card. Well I applied and I got this mesage:
Sufficient credit is available on your account issued by Barclays Bank Delaware
So I then called the back door number again and got a gentleman that was nice but seemed very straightforward and rushed. He told me that he would check the credit report. He came back and told me that they would not be able to extend me the apple card credit card and that I cannot do a product change...I asked why and he told me becuase back in 02 I had a bankruptcy. I told him it is going to fall off shortly and that they approved me before for the BJs card with it on they...he then told me that my util was too high on my credit cards...I know it is not really low but it is under 50%....The BJs is high because I use it for gas/food...and with a 500 limit that gets up there quick. Still nothing he could do .
THe backdoor number I called was 866-408-4064 so I believe that was the correct number....Let me know if you think there was anything else I could have done? I guess I just wished I dealt with the first lady for the declined apple card recon as I felt she was a bit more sincere.
call again!!!
I know it sounds silly, but it works.
So I call the same number and ask to be reconsidered again for the apple card??? Do I need to specifiy that I called before? Are they going to run my dredit again? I just do not know what to ask this time around as I thought I asked and did all the right thinks with the first guy. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
So I called them back and the lady told me that they had already looked over the application and reconsidered it and she was standing by the guys decision. Oh well life goes on.
Forums posts are not provided or commissioned by FICO. Forums posts have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by FICO. It is not FICO's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.† Advertiser Disclosure: The listings that appear on myFICO are from companies from which myFICO receives compensation, which may impact how and where products appear on myFICO (including, for example, the order in which they appear). myFICO does not review or include all companies or all available products.
* For complete information, see the terms and conditions on the credit card issuer's website. Once you click apply for this card, you will be directed to the issuer's website where you may review the terms and conditions of the card before applying. While myFICO always strives to present the most accurate information, we show a summary to help you choose a product, not the full legal terms - and before applying you should understand the full terms of products as stated by the issuer itself.
Copyright ©2001-2015 Fair Isaac Corporation. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Sitemap
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: All FICO® Score products made available on myFICO.com include a FICO® Score 8, along with additional FICO® Score versions. Your lender or insurer may use a different FICO® Score than the versions you receive from myFICO, or another type of credit score altogether. Learn more
FICO, myFICO, Score Watch, The score lenders use, and The Score That Matters are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fair Isaac Corporation. Equifax Credit Report is a trademark of Equifax, Inc. and its affiliated companies. Many factors affect your FICO Score and the interest rates you may receive. Fair Isaac is not a credit repair organization as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. Fair Isaac does not provide "credit repair" services or advice or assistance regarding "rebuilding" or "improving" your credit record, credit history or credit rating. FTC's website on credit.


text: We are in Key West this morning and it is cloudy and cool with some showers, but I don't care. I am just so glad to be back on the Magic. We had a great sailaway yesterday in spite of the gray skies and threat of rain. Dinner at Parrot Cay last night was great, especially the banana bread pudding with coconut ice cream. YUM! My son is loving the new Ocean Quest area, but DD is a little sad she hasn't been to the Mickey Pool yet due to the cool weather. We have met a great group of DISers and we are all looking forward to our Martini tasting tomorrow. I'm headed off to Key West now, (with my umbrella).


text:
If all goes well, the German air force could be the first air arm to routinely operate a military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in European airspace. The first Euro Hawk should fly from the U.S. to the Manching test base in southern German during mid-2010 and begin operational flight evaluations from Schleswig-Jagel air base a year later. The Euro Hawk is a SIGINT version of the Global Hawk built by Northrop Grumman in a joint venture with EADS Defence and Security (Hall 2, Stand A151).
But the air force is well aware of the procedural and technical hurdles that still lie ahead, if the schedule is to be maintained. "Certification and integration of the air vehicle is a critical issue. The European authorities will require more than one 'see-and-avoid' sensor, so integration into nonsegregated airspace will be difficult," said Lt. Col. Eberhard Knoelker of Germany's Air Staff speaking at the Air Surveillance and Reconnaissance 2009 conference, which was organized by Defence IQ. The technical hurdles mainly concern the integration of the integrated signals intelligence system (ISIS) system supplied by EADS Defence and Security.
The air force is buying five Euro Hawks to replace the two remaining Atlantic maritime patrol planes that were converted for SIGINT in the 1970s. They have a crew of 12. Germany evaluated manned replacements for the Atlantics, including conversions of an Airbus A320 airliner and a Bombardier Global Express business jet, but the development, acquisition and operating costs over 20 years of a manned aircraft worked out to be much more expensive: ?2.5 billion for the business jet versus ?1.4 billion for the UAV system. A Global Hawk flew six demonstrations for the air force from Nordholz air base in 2003. The contract was signed in early 2007.
The Euro Hawk airframe is based on the Block 20 Global Hawk that is now being delivered to the U.S. Air Force, with the same payload (3,000 pounds) and mtow (just under 32,000 pounds). But there are six wing-mounted pods, 14 antennas and 200 wiring harnesses that are unique to the German aircraft and the ISIS.
Data from the ISIS is relayed by a Ku-band satellite link or the X-band common datalink to the standard Global Hawk mission control element (MCE) ground station. From there it is sent to a SIGINT Ground Support Station (SIGSS) designed by EADS. This is a truck-mounted container that can house six analysts. SIGSS consists of this mobile component for data exploitation and dissemination, and a separate, stationary component for mission planning purposes.
The contract is a commercial one, signed with Germany-based Eurohawk Gmbh, which is the joint venture. The development cost of the Euro Hawk (including one demonstration system) will be approximately $675 million. The four production systems will cost approximately $135 million each. Up to another $128 million is being spent on contractor logistics support and ancillary items.
The first Euro Hawk is due to perform about 12 initial test fights from Edwards Air Force Base in California starting this year. They will explore whether the airframe performance is affected by the SIGINT system–the German air force expects an endurance of at least 28 hours in a cruise-climb from 50,000 to 60,000 feet.
The actual integration of ISIS will be done after the demo aircraft is flown to Manching. At some stage, the test flights must verify whether sufficient power can be supplied to the sensors and whether there is any mutual impairment (that is, "shadowing") of the antennas.
But it's that question of certification and airspace integration that most worries Lieutenant Colonel Knoelker. "The Euro Hawk safety case is a sophisticated document," he noted. European airframe certification requirements are tougher than their U.S. equivalents, he believes. Certification of the UAV controllers in the ground station is another issue: Will a CPL/IFR be sufficient? The Euro Hawk can climb through busy airspace to its high operating altitude and descend again quite quickly, he noted. However, the GAF expects to close airspace through notams for these transits, at least initially.
For more information on the Air Surveillance and Reconnaissance 2009 conference visit www.defenceiq.com.


text:
All Items > Shop By Brand > Swiss Tech
Swiss Tech BodyGard PTX Auto Emergency Tool BGCS31 (3-in-1)
- Tools:3
- Closed Length:3.00"
- Width:1.25"
- Thickness:0.70"
- Color:Black, Red
- Weight:0.90 oz.
- Locking Blade:No
- Brand:Swiss Tech
- Model:BodyGard PTX
- Model Number:BGCS31
- Country of Origin:China
- Best Use:Rescue
- Product Type:Multi-Tool
For when doors or windows fail to operate due to vehicle damage, fire or submersion- escape with the Swiss Tech BodyGard 3-in-1 Auto Emergency Tool. Always take your own BodyGard with you. This tool features a spring-loaded glass breaker with instant reset; a seat belt cutter with sharp safety blade; and a bright LED flashlight to light your way. Compact and lightweight, it features a patent pending design with its quick release key ring and rugged construction. It easily attaches to key rings, rear-view mirror post or either sun visor arm. Includes a key ring.
- LED Flashlight
- Seat Belt cutter
- Glass breaker
Customer ReviewsWrite a review for this item
Customers Also Bought
Filter By Category
Copyright ©2017 Blade Play. Server: web02All rights reserved


text:
I saw a new display of this nail polish at Rite Aid yesterday, and I couldn't resist buying. It was 40% off so I bought two of them, and last night I did my nails in the Supernova. It looks really cool, and I'm anxious to see what it will look like outside in the sunlight. I'm not so sure I like how "bumpy" it leaves my nails, even with a top coat. I'm wondering if it will be more apt to chip because of this. We shall see.
Has anyone else bought this polish yet? What do you all think of it.
The scoop on everything Q, from helpful tips to interesting tidbits, questions, answers, and more.
QVC is not responsible for the availability, content, security, policies, or practices of the above referenced third-party linked sites, nor liable for statements, claims, opinions, or representations contained therein. QVC's Privacy Statement does not apply to these third-party web sites.
© 1995–2016 QVC, Inc. All rights reserved. Trademark Notice


text:
Italy v United States of America, Rugby World Cup, September 25
Eagles ring the changes for Italy clash
ESPNscrum Staff
September 25, 2011
Chris Wyles has been recalled for the USA's meeting with the Azzurri in Nelson © Getty Images
USA head coach has recalled all of his big guns for Tuesday's Rugby World Cup clash with Italy at Trafalgar Park in Nelson.
There is just one survivor from the side routed by the Wallabies on Friday, with Hayden Smith retaining his place in the second-row. Smith will line up alongside John van der Giessen. Elsewhere in the pack, Mike MacDonald, Chris Biller and Matekigonga Moekiola are recalled to the front-row, while Nic Johnson will be flanked by Louis Stanfill and Todd Clever, who will skipper the side, at the base of the scrum.
Behind the scrum, Chris Wyles returns at fullback and will be joined in the back three by Takudzwa Ngwenya and James Paterson. Paul Emerick and Andrew Suniula are restored to the midfield, while Roland Suniula is paired with Mike Petri in the half-backs.
USA: Chris Wyles; Takudzwa Ngwenya, Paul Emerick, Andrew Suniula, James Paterson; Roland Suniula, Mike Petri; Mike MacDonald, Chris Biller, Matekitonga Moeakiola; John van der Giessen, Hayden Smith; Louis Stanfill, Todd Clever (capt), Nic Johnson.
Replacements: Phil Thiel, Shawn Pittman, Scott LaValla, Pat Danahy, Tim Usasz, Nese Malifa, Blaine Scully.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Communication error please reload the page.


text:
Musical Chairs explores one family's history of mental health diagnoses and searches to define the cusp between a '90s working-class childhood and the trouble of adapting to a comfortable life in the suburbs. In order to understand her restlessness, Jennifer reflects on years of strip-dancing, alcoholism and estrangement. Inspired by the least likely source, the family she left behind, Jennifer struggles toward reconciliation. This is a story about identity, class, family ties, and the elusive nature of mental illness.
©2013 Jen Knox (P)2013 All Things That Matter Press
There are no reviews for this title yet.
Report Inappropriate Content
If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.


text:
Glen Helen Raceway in north San Bernardino will host the third stop of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour on Saturday. Once again, Glen Helen will be the biggest and most challenging of the six-stop series for the world's top freestyle motocross riders.
"Last year, they really struggled with the elevation and the dirt hills," said Tes Serwell, Red Bull X-Fighters sporting director. "Can (defending tour champion) Levi Sherwood and (points leader) Dany Torres step up and use the big course to full advantage?
"The massive jump up on the hill (locally referred to as the 200-foot Mt. St. Helens) is the defining feature of Glen Helen."
Torres is in a three-way battle for the lead with Frenchman Thomas Pages and Sherwood. Torres won the last stop in Dubai while Pages took the opener in Mexico City.
However, Temecula's Todd Porter is the defending champion at Glen Helen, which he considers his home track. This year, the track 2013 has increased in size, with additional uphill and downhill options that will result in the biggest transfer jump in the history of freestyle motocross.
Other notable Americans competing include Nate Adams, Wes Agee and Adam Jones. Adams hasn't competed in the series 2011 but remains one of the most prolific competitors with two championships, six event wins and 18 podiums.
Agee was third a year ago and also took third in Moto X Freestyle at X Games in Brazil last month.
Davids still smiling
Want to know how thin the budget at Front Row Motorsports has been at times?
David Gilliland, the former Chino resident who's raced four years for the team after competing at various Southern California track, let everyone know after finishing second at to teammate David Ragan last Sunday at Talladega.
"We're up against it every week," said Gilliland, who matched his career-best finish. "There's weeks we don't have enough (new) tires to put on our car so we've got to put scuffs on and everything else and then race against guys that have stickers."
Team owner Bob Jenkins is passionate about racing, but hasn't landed the major sponsor. A millionaire from Tennessee, he owns more than 100 Taco Bells and Long John Silver restaurants and uses those proceeds to field Fords for Gilliland and Regan.
"There's a lot of owners out there that they get the best available driver they can get, and they're like a hired gun," Jenkins said after the win. "But the thing that I think makes our team different than some of the rest is we're so close, and more than anything we're friends. I know I've got drivers capable of winning races."
Indy to Darlington
Kurt Busch, who flipped last Sunday at Talladega and landed atop Ryan Newman's car, will have have another wild ride today.
Busch will test an IndyCar at Indianapolis motor Speedway before traveling to Darlington for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Ten years ago, Busch was beat to the finish by Ricky Craven by 0.002 seconds.
"I have a unique opportunity to test with Andretti Autosport and drive at Indianapolis in the month of May," Busch said earlier this week. "This is an experience of a lifetime, and we'll see what happens.
"And then on Friday jumping in the (Furniture Row Chevrolet) at Darlington to go hammer down; it's going to be a fast-paced qualifying run."
Of course, his IndyCar test opens the possibility of joining Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon and John Andretti in racing in the Indy 500 and the Cup 600-mile race at Charlotte on the same day.
"Let's see how the test goes, and then I can look at the opportunities," said Busch. "Running the Indianapolis 500 would certainly be a highlight, and doing another 600 miles in a Cup car on the same day would make for a special weekend."
NHRA in Atlanta
Heavy rains last weekend forced the NHRA to move the Southern Nationals back a week, but the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will not compete on Mother's Day.
There will be two qualifying runs on Friday and the finals are set for Saturday.
"It's going to be a unique opportunity for all of us to try and win a Wally as a Mother's Day gift," said Top Fuel dragster driver Morgan Lucas. "We'll come back with the same positive attitude and try to win some rounds."
Only eight Pro Stock drivers made runs before the rain stopped all activity.
Around SoCal
Four classes — VRA Dwarf Cars, Mod Lites, Hobby Stocks and Sport Compacts — get their first test on Ventura Raceway's new red clay, which debuted last week. The VRA 360 Sprints return after Greg Taylor won coming from behind. ... NASCAR Day will be celebrated at Auto Club Speedway on May 16. A $10 donation will allow fans to drive their car around the two-mile track, $20 get a 100-mph-plus ride in a pace car. Proceeds benefit The NASCAR Foundation and the Auto Club Speedway Foundation, which supports the Reading Challenge.


text:
BP Comment Quick Links
|Strength of Schedule Report
April 30, 2010
Combined Hit List Rankings: April 30
In response to a reader suggestion, I have decided to run the league-adjusted Hit List rankings on Fridays, the same day that the AL list runs (this week's is here) and just one day after the NL list runs (see here for yesterday's). Rolling out of bed on a Sunday morning to crunch the numbers for the fourth time in five days wasn't doing it for me, and this way is a bit less fragmented.
Rk Team HLF
Since I actually skipped last Sunday (loong story not worth retelling), I'll run the methodology one last time before we simply consign it to the archives:
Beyond the basic calculations of the Hit List Factors which go into each week's rankings (an average of actual, first-order, second-order and third-order winning percentages; see here for more), the early season rankings also incorporate preseason projected winning percentages via our Projected Standings as well as this league adjustment based upon the AL winning 56 percent of interleague games over the past three years. In order to figure out the strength of the two "teams" that could produce a result where one won at a .560 clip, we deploy Bill James' the Log5 method, which Clay Davenport uses literally millions of times a day to generate our daily Playoff Odds reports. The formula boils down to Win% = .500 + A - B, where Win% is the observed outcome percentage (.560) and A and B are the two teams. Since we also know that in this case, the winning percentages are complementary (A + B = 1.000), it's simple algebra to determine that a .530 team playing a .470 team would produce that observed .560 winning percentage. With 14 teams in one league and 16 in the other, it's not quite that simple; the bottom line is that I've added 24 points (.024) to all AL teams' Hit List Factors, and subtracted 21 points (.024 * 14 / 16) from those in the NL.
Looking at this week's list, the NL occupies half of the top 10 slots despite the 21-point penalty, though only one other NL team, the suddenly lifelike Mets, cracks the upper half of the rankings. On the other hand, seven of the bottom 10 teams are from the Senior Circuit as well; what we're seeing is a wide separation between the good, the bad and the ugly. A quick peek at the raw run differentials shows the top six teams with differentials between 24 and 33 runs, a big gap and then four more between -1 and 3, and another big gap before we get to the bottom six between -14 and -75. That's quite a spread. Interestingly, the AL is similarly clustered, with the top four teams between 15 and 69 runs, the next four between -6 and 3, and then the rest between -15 and -44. For what it's worth, the standard deviation for run differential in both leagues is 28 runs, a wide spread; at a comparable time last year, it was 17 runs. That suggests there have been more blowouts early on; just ask the Pirates, Brewers and whomever is suffering at the hands of the Rays about that.
0 comments have been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
Not a subscriber? Sign up today!


text:
For easy post-core and richmond crown removal. This kit includes: a) 1 WAM'X forcep; b) 3 pairs of assorted prongs; c) 3 pairs of assorted silicone slices; d) 3 CMV (Ceramometalivore) autoclavable burs for effortless, vibration free cutting of metal and porcelain and e) 1 Instructional DVD.
All components are fully autoclavable (130°C/275°F)


text:
In early April, Arlene Cash, vice president for Enrollment Management, traveled to Rwanda on a unique global mission to interview and select from among the brightest math and science students in Rwanda. As a member of the Associated Colleges of the South, Spelman now joins Morehouse and Philander Smith colleges as part of the Rwanda Presidential Scholars Program, a program designed to bring Rwandan students to the United States to complete their undergraduate studies. Thanks to the College's participation, three outstanding female Rwandan students will receive full-tuition scholarships and become members of the entering class of 2014. They are: Janet Akayenzi, Rosine Dushime and Gisele Izera Munyengabe.
"This is a really great opportunity for both Rwandan students and for Spelman, especially given that the College's strategic plan focuses on global engagement and creating more global opportunities for students," said Cash, noting that the program also has a study abroad component. "We see these [Rwandan] students representing different cultures and adding to our international community, thereby offering our students the opportunity to learn from them and for them to give back to their country."
This partnership between Spelman College, the Rwandan Ministry of Education and the William J. Clinton Foundation will afford the three students attending Spelman the full cost of attending the College, including books, travel and a stipend. With the exception of tuition, the bulk of all other expenses are paid for by the Rwandan government. The students, whose disciplines include science, technology, engineering and mathematics, will begin their U.S. experience with a 10-week program at Hendrix College in Conway, Ark., designed to provide intensive English training and cultural orientation to the United States.
Part of the Rwandan government's rejuvenation plan, Rwanda 2020, the scholarship program began in 2006 with Oklahoma Christian University when 10 Rwandan students were admitted on scholarship. The following year, four more Rwandan students were admitted to Hendrix College on scholarship. In 2008, more U.S. schools, along with the Clinton Foundation, were recruited to form a consortium to expand the number of scholarships offered. The program has since grown to include 16 public and private institutions throughout the South that will educate more than 130 Rwandan students in Georgia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, California, Texas, Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina. Thirty new scholars will attend consortium institutions this fall. The program also stipulates that students will return to Rwanda to work for a time after they complete their education.
"Spelman is wholeheartedly committed to this effort," Cash said of the program. – Alicia Lurry is senior communications specialist and editor of the Spelman Connection for the Office of Communications.


text:
- April 29, 2013, 2:05 PM
An MD369A helicopter pilot was seriously injured April 2 during a hard landing on private property in Darby, Mont. The three passengers aboard received minor injuries. The rotorcraft was destroyed when its engine failed to respond to throttle inputs at 10 feet above the ground. The tail rotor, tailboom and all main rotor blades separated from the helicopter on impact.


text:
Two weeks before baseball's nonwaiver trade deadline, the classic tug of war is playing out, as if on cue.
Fans are clamoring for the first-place Padres to engineer adeal, one that theoretically will plunge a dagger into the heartsof their National League West pursuers. General manager Kevin Towers is preaching patience, monitoring the landscape but alsomindful that the Padres aren't in the pole position byaccident.
"I believe in the guys that we currently have," Towers said this week. "I think we can win with what we have. That doesn't mean that we can't get better, but I'm really looking forward to getting our regulars back in the lineup every day, allowing our bench guys to become bench guys again.
"I think the way the division is right now, if we get back to being healthy we should be pretty strong."
Barring another injury, by Aug. 1 —— the day after the deadline to make a trade without sending a player through waivers —— the Padres expect to have cleared the disabled list of players. Second baseman Mark Loretta and first baseman Phil Nevin are scheduled to return on Tuesday in New York, and pitcher Adam Eaton has targeted the first day of August for his first start in six weeks. If Towers is serious about wanting to see the Padres play at full strength again before he acts, that would mean standing pat until the deadline passes.
"If the right player is out there, it may not be July. It may be in August, something to really separate us," Towers said. "It may be a particular player who not only helps us win the division, but the type of guy who can take you deep into postseason.
"I don't think that big difference-maker is going to be available in the next two weeks. There will be some decent players out there, but I don't know about the guy who really changes the strength of the division or the NL."
Which doesn't mean the Padres aren't looking. Towers declined todiscuss names, but reports out of South Florida have linked thePadres to talks regarding Marlins power right-hander A.J. Burnett,who pitched a no-hitter against them in 2001. The Baltimore Oriolesand the Chicago White Sox, however, are reportedly Burnett'sstrongest suitors.
Another possible trade partner is Cincinnati, which is shopping third baseman Joe Randa (.296 average, 12 home runs through Friday).
Pull the trigger? Or keep the gun loaded but holstered, at the ready? Only Towers can decide.
"Everybody keeps asking, 'What are you going to do? What are yougoing to do?' " he said. "When we were healthy in May, we showedthat we could play with the best teams in the National League.Right now, I have my fingers crossed that we're going to geteverybody back. Then we'll assess where we are, seeing if we reallyneed to make a move."
Deadline deals
Key transactions made by Padres general manager Kevin Towers in the weeks before the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline:
- 1996: Acquired OF Greg Vaughn and a player to be named (OF Gerald Parent) for OF Marc Newfield, LHP Ron Villone and RHP Bryce Florie, July 31.
- 1998: Acquired RHP Jim Bruske from the Los Angeles Dodgers for RHP Widd Workman, July 23.
- 1999: Traded C Greg Myers to the Atlanta Braves for RHP Doug Dent, July 26.
- 1999: Traded C Jim Leyritz to the New York Yankees for RHP Geraldo Padua, July 31.
- 2000: Traded OF Al Martin to the Seattle Mariners for OF John Mabry and RHP Tom Davey, July 31.
- 2000: Traded C Carlos Hernandez and INF Billy Tubbs to the St. Louis Cardinals for RHP Heathcliff Slocumb and OF Ben Johnson, July 31.
- 2000: Traded RHP Brian Meadows to the Kansas City Royals for RHP Jay Witasick, July 31.
- 2001: Traded LHP Sterling Hitchcock to the New York Yankees for RHP Brett Jodie and OF Darren Blakely, July 30.
- 2002: Traded INF D'Angelo Jimenez to the Chicago White Sox for C Humberto Quintero and OF Alex Fernandez, July 12.
- 2002: Traded SS Jason Bartlett to the Minnesota Twins for OF Brian Buchanan, July 12.
- 2002: Traded RHP Steve Reed and RHP Jason Middlebrook to the New York Mets for OF Jason Bay, LHP Bobby M. Jones and RHP Josh Reynolds, July 31.
- 2003: Traded RHP Matt Herges to the San Francisco Giants for RHP Clay Hensley and a player to be named (RHP R.D. Spiehs), July 13.
- 2003: Traded LHP Jesse Orosco to the New York Yankees for cash considerations, July 22.
- 2004: Acquired SS Rich Aurilia from the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations, July 19.
- 2004: Acquired INF Dave Hansen from the Seattle Mariners for RHP Jon Huber, July 29.
- 2004: Traded RHP Ismael Valdez to the Florida Marlins for RHP Travis Chick, July 30.
Brian Hiro covers the Padres for the North County Times. He canbe reached at firstname.lastname@example.com .


text:
Former VP Community Development at BENEDICT COLLEGE
By accessing Equilar Atlas, you can view bios, network, salary and wealth events of industry-leading executives like Jabari Simama. More specifically, you'll be able to:
Search for over 360,000 executive profiles.
Example: Jabari Simama
Interested in updating your biography and work history?
We're working on making it happen.
We'll email you when this feature is available.
Please enter valid email address.
Thank you for your interest.