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Cutting the cord: Why I kicked my cable TV company to the curb
Politically charged and economically vital, the technology of broadband defines the limits of how services and data can reach from the enterprise to the home. New standards battle it out with established players on cable, in fibre and over wireless, bringing technical, regulatory and commercial pressures to bear on a rapidly changing market.
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NBN Co to appeal AU$200 million legal decision in Telstra fight
NBN Co today lodged an appeal against the July decision by the NSW Supreme Court that saw Telstra receiving an extra AU$200 million from the national broadband company.
Government ups NZ rural broadband investment by $150 million
The additional investment is to be funded through the extension of an existing levy on telecommunications providers.
It's five FttN NBN customers down, over 11 million to go
Malcolm Turnbull would have been quietly relieved to preside over the unveiling of Australia's first FttN NBN customers. But the launch did nothing to clarify questions around the government's relationship with Telstra, the competitive stance of the Coalition's NBN, and the nagging suspicion that Turnbull is digging himself into a deep, deep hole.
London internet issues 'ludicrous', City averages 11.2Mbps: report
With the City of London averaging broadband speeds of only 11.2 Mbps, and greater London averaging 20.5 Mbps, broadband available across the United Kingdom have been branded not fit for purpose.
Split likely for Czech Republic's largest telco as O2 owner mulls spinoff
According to local reports, the telco could be split up into separate fixed and mobile businesses.
NBN fibre to the world: Singapore
Once a nation has universal fibre to the premises internet access, the question becomes, what's next?
UK government's Superfast Broadband project reaches a million homes
The British government is trumpeting a milestone for its £1.7bn ($2.9bn) Superfast Broadband project, which is taking broadband to rural areas from the Isle of Wight to the Outer Hebrides
Apple, kindly fix your Wi-Fi on iOS
The latest Wi-Fi routers use 40Mhz channels for best throughput on the 2.4Ghz band. Problem: iOS only supports 20Mhz.
Turnbull ignores looming NBN disaster as Scales weighs in
Smug Liberals will embrace Scales' assessment of Labor's NBN as vindication of their own position – but they're ignoring the double disaster towards which Malcolm Turnbull is steering the effort.
M-gov still incipient in Brazil
Most government agencies don't provide mobile services - and have no immediate plans to do so, says research.
M-commerce in Brazil up 84 percent in a year
But segment still faces hurdles including poor mobile coverage and lack of retailer readiness.
Vodafone offers 3G signal boost to rural areas
Rotten or patchy broadband signal at home or at work could be a thing of the past if Vodafone's Open Sure Signal project can prove its worth.
Spotify hopes to help fight piracy in Brazil
Company executive expects to repeat results seen in other countries.
NBN: Nothing, But Nothing is happening
You know the NBN is dead when not even the FttN haters bother to shellac Malcolm Turnbull's blogs. As Telstra reasserts control over the NBN and the Coalition government flounders, can we actually expect anything from the NBN anymore?


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Chopra Quits Twitter After Posting Cash Photo
Wednesday, 6th Feb 2013 18:16
Striker Michael Chopra closed his Twitter account earlier today, shortly after posting a photo of large sum of cash in a bag. A spokesman from Town said the club welcome players using Twitter, but admitted that the 29-year-old, who has had well-documented gambling and financial issues and was lent £250,000 by the club in December 2011, can sometimes go "over the top" while engaged in banter with supporters.
Chopra, who has continued an ongoing dialogue with his detractors both from Town and his other previous clubs for some while, posted the photo along with a message at lunchtime, removing his Twitter account soon afterwards.
A Town spokesperson said: "Michael enjoys the banter of Twitter but sometimes that banter can be a little bit over the top.
"As a club we welcome the use of Twitter. In an era when fans don't get close to players it's a good communication tool, but players should think before they tweet."
Commenting on the photo, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas tweeted: "Michael Chopra you're a clown!"
Keeper Arran Lee-Barrett later sent up the one-time England U21 striker with a further tweet and photo:
Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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Our Current Crop of Forwards by luke_38
Much has been discussed regarding the purchase of a new midfield maestro - but as well as that, we do lack strength in depth when it comes to our forwards.
Here's Where Mick's Intentions Lay? by Mullet
In my previous effort I asked the question of Mick's plans for this season, and what they might do for Town's top flight aspirations.
Season Preview by tractordownsouth
Just like every season, we made our pre-season predictions last summer and just like every season we were wrong. Giants fell, minnows prospered and ten managers were axed, the pressure of returning their club to the financial utopia of the Premier League so great that the board of directors were ruthless and often reckless.
A Lack of Spending Will Curtail Progress by Nuggets
At a time when Fulham have just spent £11m on a striker with no Premiership experience, it's a little disconcerting to see Mick McCarthy announce that the club are relying on freebies and borrowed players once again this term.
Where Do Mick's Intentions Lay? by Mullet
The transfer window is barely open and the club isn't so much gently sucking in the fresh air of inevitable squad change, but blowing out the cobwebs with gusts of activity.
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LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB) -- Lawmakers in Indiana are taking steps to toughen state laws on over-the-counter drugs in the state. A Senate committee is supporting tougher limits on how much cold medicine people can buy per year.
The move is aimed at keeping people from using the medications to make meth. Bill sponsors say they believe people with allergies and illnesses will still be able to buy the medicine they need under the new limits.
Lawmakers are also pushing once again for a measure to crack down on businesses that sell synthetic drugs like "bath salts."
Copyright 2013 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.
624 W. Muhammad Ali BlvdLouisville, KY 40203


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Porn Paper implements a strict policy against the illegal pornography. All porn tubes and links are provided by 3rd parties. We have no control over the content of these pages. Links to copyrighted or illegal content will be removes withing several hours. Just provide us urls to copyrighted or illegal content on DMCA/Content Removal request page© pornpaper.com, 2011| Trade Traffic
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A man wanted in connection with a Christmas morning stabbing in Punta Gorda turned himself into authorities Thursday.
According to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, Leon Akeem Mercurius, 23, of Port Charlotte, was taken into custody at the Charlotte County Jail at 9:45 p.m. He faces a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Investigators say he stabbed 42-year-old Sean Maitland in the stomach during a fight outside the Caribbean Oriental Grocery, located at 2745 Tamiami Trail, shortly before 1 a.m. on Christmas.
The business was holding a customer appreciation party at that time, deputies said.
Mercurius reportedly left the scene in car driven by an unidentified woman prior to deputies arriving.
Maitland was rushed to Lee Memorial Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for his injury.
3719 Central AvenueFort Myers, FL 33901Main Phone: (239) 939-2020Newsroom Phone: (239) 939-6223


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Well, there is not much going on with the Arizona Cardinals. Many players are in Minnesota working out with Larry Fitzgerald. You have to imagine that all the other players are at least doing something to work out, rather than just chilling out.
The one thing they can't do is work at the team facility.
Lorenzo Alexander, one of the team's free agent acquisitions, and also currently one of the starting outside linebackers, is one who is working out. A video on Instagram proves it!
Yes, it is the offseason. Can training camp get here....please?
More from Revenge of the Birds:
- Reacting to the Arizona Cardinals' all-time underrated, overrated players list
- Comparing the Arizona Cardinals OGs with the Rest of the NFC West
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers to wear throwback uniforms vs. Arizona Cardinals
- Larry Fitzgerald moves Arizona Cardinals camp to Minnesota
- 7/10 Arizona Cardinals news: Housler gettin' some love, Cardinals offensive schemes
Keep up with Cardinals news and opinions when you are not on the site. Follow Revenge of the Birds on Twitter at @revengeofbirds and "like" us on Facebook. You can follow me individually at @senorjessroot.


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NEW YORK, AUGUST 16: As more mainstream media outlets admit their failures in covering the Iraq War, a question must be asked: are we seeing a real coming to grips with the media role that helped "sell the war" to the American public? Or could these recent mea culpas be something more insidious, more like what the CIA used to call a "limited hang out?" That phrase translates as "you concede a little to hide a lot."
As the author of a book and maker of a film on
It does give media critics some faith in the capacity of media outlets to acknowledge wrong doing, correct mistakes and admit they drank the Administration's Kool Aid. Bear in mind that many of these same outlets were often arrogant and self-righteous at the time, impervious to critics who were treated largely as lepers in denial about real threats and the need for preemptive war. It has taken a long time for these admissions to surface, alas, well after they can do any good in terms of influencing policy.
In fact. some prominent politicians including a presidential candidate is saying in effect, that none of this matters, that, knowing what they know, they would still have supported the war even if all of its rationalizations were invented and/or deliberately deceptive.
To this day, they won't let the facts get in the way of a politically popular opinion.
That may be because the emerging media debate remains narrowly focused, avoiding deeper questions about the media's performance.
Last week when I was asked to appear on a national TV news program to take part in a panel, on these issues I was told that we would talking about the pre-war coverage of WMDs. That call came, predictably, after the Washington Post carried a story second guessing its coverage focusing entirely on the run-up to the war. Once again TV producers were following a newspaper's lead.
Post Media critic Howard Kurtz reported that a story in his paper challenging the evidence on
In his story, Kurtz intimated that the Post's performance was understandable since its chief competitor, The New York Times, was just as bad. He took a subtle swipe at the Times, noting, "The New York Times ran an editor's note last month saying the paper's aggressive reporting on WMDs was 'not as rigorous as it should have been' and overplayed stories with 'dire claims about Iraq,' adding: 'Editors at several levels who should have been challenging reporters and pressing for more skepticism were perhaps too intent on rushing scoops into the paper.'"
In an apparent response, the Times last week cast a skeptical 'ours was better than yours eye,' on the Post expose noting: "For all of its contrition, Mr. Kurtz's article does not represent an official statement on behalf of The Post. In an interview yesterday, Steve Coll, the paper's managing editor, said that the idea for the article had been Mr. Kurtz's, and that he and Mr. Downie had recused themselves from editing it. "We did not make a determination from our offices that we needed to commission an investigation into these issues,' Mr. Coll said"
There you have it, no investigation needed. None!
To contrast his paper's efforts, Jacques Steinberg of the Times explained
"The New York Times published a 1,220-word article in which the newspaper's editors acknowledged that in the run-up to war they had not been skeptical enough about articles that depended "at least in part on information from a circle of Iraqi informants, defectors and exiles bent on 'regime change' in Iraq whose credibility has come under increasing public debate.'
So here we have the Times using its news columns to put down the Post. But both papers and most of the TV coverage is guilty of far more than what has so been conceded. Complicity and collusion are two words that come to mind. As the conscience of the Senate Robert Byrd put it on CNN last week, "The media fell for the war hook, line and sinker."
A real investigation of the media role would probe deeper questions not only about the run-up to the war but the ongoing coverage up to the present day.
Is the conflict in
First, why did we stage a pre-emptive war in the first place? What was the real agenda? Do we know to this day and is the media investigating. On August l0, y former war commander Tommy Franks said in an a talk only covered by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency-and not picked up by major media:
"The reason we could not afford to give up time is because we wanted the water infrastructure to remain in place," Franks said Monday at the National Press Club. "We wanted the oil infrastructure in
How much media time and energy was spent investigating this
Second, What about the real conduct of the US military operations, the less than "pinpoint" bombing that took out the infrastructure including electricity, the widespread civilian casualties, the use of cluster bombs, napalm like fire bombs, and weapons hardened with radioactive depleted uranium? What about the privatization of the war-who is getting what and why?
Third, what about systematic war crimes and human rights abuses—the atrocities in Abu Grab prison were known as early as June 2003 but only exposed in April 2004. How could we justify the bombing of civilians in Falujah and, just last week, in Najav? How is it that outlets in other countries can report on Iraqi protests against US military practices in
In short, most of our media, with the exception, perhaps, of excellent reporting by Knight Ridder and some exemplary dissenting journalists, still largely support the war including the government's rationalizations and narrative. ("Support" can be measured in what is covered and what is not, what experts we hear from and which we do not, and how many thoughtful Iraqi's themselves make it into our news.)
These larger media failures have still not been admitted, much less debated. That's why the term "weapons of mass deception" still applies to our media coverage of a war that is at war with the truth.
News Dissector Danny Schechter authored "Embedded Weapons of Mass Deception" on media failures (Prometheus Books and ColdType.net) and is finishing an independent film, WMD, that brings the story up to date. (www.embeddedwmd.com)


text: By the Numbers: Beazer Homes USA, Third Quarter 2012By Teresa Burney Beazer Homes USA First Quarter 2012 NumbersQuarter ThreeFiscal YearProfit/(Loss)($60.4)M -42.4%($135.6)M +32.3%Home Deliveries1,608 +16.9%4,428 +36.3%New Orders1,110 +10.3%4,901 +24.8%Behind the Numbers:Profitability eluded Beazer during its fiscal year, but it reduced its loses from 2011 by about a third. Home sales and deliveries showed jumps. Part of Beazer's loss can be attributed to its reconfiguration of debt during its most recent quarter, which caused a $45.1 million charge. Restructuring the debt has put Beazer in a better position by reducing its interest expenses and giving it cash to bring new communities on line that should deliver closings in 2014, the company said in a news release announcing the earnings.Beazer's fiscal year ended Sept. 30. Advertisement Keywords: SubjectEarnings ReportsOrganizationBeazer Homes USA View more keywords SubjectEarnings ReportsOrganizationBeazer Homes USASection / SubsectionWEB ONLYBylineTeresa Burney View fewer keywords More from BUILDEREarnings Reports1Q14 Naples-Marco Island Housing...Beazer Homes USABy the Numbers: Beazer Homes USA,...Teresa BurneyStandard Pacific Buys 3,000 LotsWEB ONLYDesign Details: Kitchen SeatingEarnings Reports1Q14 Cape Coral-Fort Myers Housing Market AnalysisBeazer Homes USABUILDER 100 Preview: Top 10 Held...Teresa BurneyGaining Ground With Land StrategiesWEB ONLYDesign Details: Mudrooms that Offer... Join the DiscussionPlease read our Content Guidelines before posting.


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The Ismaili Centre, Lisbon
The Ismaili Centre in Lisbon established, for the first time in continental Europe, a permanent place where spaces for gathering for Ismaili Muslims complemented premises for an international network of social, cultural and economic development institutions serving people of all faiths, backgrounds and origins.
Access to the Ismaili Centre is through a landscaped park that surrounds buildings interspersed with courtyards and open patios. The complex combines multipurpose halls, open and enclosed areas for social functions, exhibitions and cultural presentations with offices and spaces for more contemplative gatherings of members of the Ismaili community.
Seniors in Portugal challenged to redefine the meaning of being "old"
What defines being old? Is it reaching a particular age? Retiring from the workplace? And what meaningful roles can the elderly play in society today? These and other matters were put forward at a recent gathering of seniors in Lisbon.
In Lisbon, Kabul and around the world, Ismailis gather for International Women's Day
International Women's Day is celebrated by individuals, organisations and governments every year. This year a special recognition event was held for women at the Ismaili Centre, Lisbon, while the Ismaili Council for Afghanistan hosted an event in Kabul that drew some 900 participants.
Ismaili Centre plays host to the 2009 Lisbon Forum
In November, the Ismaili Centre, Lisbon was the venue of the 2009 Lisbon Forum, an annual event of the North-South Centre. Focused on the "creation of a culture of human rights through education," the gathering was organised in partnership with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the Aga Khan Development Network.
Portuguese Jamat celebrates the launch of three new publications
The Ismaili Centre in Lisbon recently hosted the launch of three new publications from the Institute of Ismaili Studies. The event featured special keynote addresses by Professor Azim Nanji and Dr. Omar Ali-de-Unzaga.


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Tax preparers expect more clients this year. H&R Block says choose your tax preparer wisely because one out of five people they help has been the victim of bogus tax preparers.
"These people have a set price but then they don't be there at the end of the year, when you get that latter from the IRS they don't tell you we wont be there to help you because we are not in business. We done got your money, and left," said Manager at H&R Block Ashley Hale.
On the IRS website, they provide a list of ways you can check and see if your tax preparer is legitimate.
If you think you've been the victim, contact the IRS or your the police.
Copyright 2013 WALB. All rights reserved.
P.O. Box 3130
Albany, GA 31706
(229) 446-1010
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KTA Updates - II. Maine Economic & Business Trends
News & Publications:
Report: Sluggish job growth for Maine
Maine is projected to lag behind other New England states when it comes to adding jobs over the next year and a half, a forecasting group said Saturday.
The New England Economic Partnership released its fall outlook over the weekend, which found that Maine would see employment grow just 3.2% between its lowest point and the second quarter of 2013. This is below all other New England states, the New England average of 5.4% and the U.S. average of 8.2%. By the end of 2015, Maine's unemployment rate is projected to be 7.3%, higher than the forecasted national average of 7.2%, as well as higher than Vermont's projected unemployment of 4.2%, the lowest projection in New England. The region as a whole will experience slow growth as a result of weak global and U.S. economic conditions, and will not bounce back to pre-recession jobs levels until the second quarter of 2015.
Housing prices are also projected to remain flat or decline in New England until 2013. But by 2015, Maine and Vermont are projected to see home prices rise by more than 20%, with a 21.6% increase in Maine and a 25.8% jump in Vermont.
- Mainebiz: Maine's Business News Source
Business and industry leaders share data with economic forecasters
October 19, 2011
On September 29, leaders of several business and industry groups assembled at the State House to share economic data and industry-specific information with the Consensus Economic Forecasting Commission (CEFC). Those presenting at the meeting included representatives from RM Davis, Inc., the National Federation of Independent Business (Maine), the Maine Bankers Association, the Maine Tourism Association, the Associated Builders and Contractors of Maine, the Maine Merchants Association, the Associated General Contractors of Maine, the Maine Automobile Dealers Association, and the Maine Association of Realtors. The data provides background to help inform the commission's forecasting process. Learn more about the CEFC here.
(October 18, 2011) Total taxable retail sales in August 2011 grew 3.9% from August 2010 (not adjusted for inflation). Building supply sales and auto/transportation sales led the way, growing 12.1% and 6.0% year-over-year, respectively.Full Release (PDF).
The Federal Reserve Board |The Beige Book | October 19,2011


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Barton Cabin: 3 BR / 3.0 BA house in Breckenridge, Sleeps 10 in Breckenridge Area
- bedrooms 3
- baths 3
- sleeps 10
- pool no
- hot tub yes
- pets considered no
- type House
rates (USD)
/ night
vacation rental description
The traditional mountain cabin - think thick log construction and furniture and elk horn chandeliers - gets an upgrade at Barton Cabin. This spacious, 2,500-square-foot Breckenridge vacation home is decked out in rustic furniture, vaulted ceilings and high-end finishes. Located just a 5 minute drive from the ski gondola and Breckenridge's Main Street, this home offers a gorgeous mountain setting with a convenient location. And for après-ski you'll have plenty of ways to enjoy this property: Three fireplaces (including one that's a traditional wood-burning fireplace) means there's ample opportunity to gather family and friends for hot chocolate and conversation. Renew old rivalries with friends or family on the pristine, red-felt pool table, or enjoy the deck with a private hot tub that indulges your need for a rejuvenating soak. In between all the fun, be sure to stop and admire the brilliant views of ski slopes and the surrounding Colorado landscape.
property availability
- dates with deals
- unavailable dates
Last modified on 08-29-2014 at 5:16 AM.
email owner view full calendar
VisitBreck 800-948-9067
house rental amenities
Property Type
- house
- guests provide their own meals
- fireplace
- parking
- internet
- dining area
Pool / Spa
- hot tub
- Bathrooms
- 3 bathrooms
- bathroom 1:
- bathroom 2:
- bathroom 3:
- 3
- Bedrooms
- 3 bedrooms, sleeps 10, beds for 10
- bedroom 1:
- bedroom 2:
- bedroom 3:
- Queen size Beds (1), Twin or Single Beds (1), Sleep Sofa or Futons (1)
- pool table
- television
- outdoor grill
- deck / patio
- children welcome
- pets not allowed
- non smoking only
payment methods
Owner has not provided their accepted payment methods
Prior to paying a reservation deposit, always verify payment instructions by calling the phone number displayed on this listing page. By contacting the owner directly and paying by an approved method - credit card, paypal, check or bank transfer - your reservation payment will be protected up to $1,000.Learn more in our Security Center


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Established in 1993, Herbally Yours Inc., arose from 20 years experience in the private label industry, beginning with pharmaceuticals and moving into nutrition and cosmetics, which is where the company's focus lies today. Herbally Yours' personal interests in botanicals and vitamins initiated our interest in the market, but grew from a European education in herbal medicine used in healing and health maintenance. Although scientifically and analytically focused, as a provider of manufacturing and formulation, the company's primary interest is in customer service. With continuous changes in the health and beauty aids they strive to be one step ahead of the market. Without question, quality is their first priority everything else comes second.
Availability: Usually Ships Within 24-48 Hours
Sylk - Sylk Natural Personal Lubricant - 3 oz.
Sylk All-Natural Personal Lubricant Sylk is the one and only all-natural personal lubricant derived from New Zealand Kiwifruit Vine Extract. No other lubricant feels like Sylk because Sylk truly feels just like a woman.Women around the world love Sylk because it is gentle and safe to use every day for vaginal dryness and to enhance sexual intimacy. Sylk is a water-based formula that contains no additives or harmful parabens.
Women and men LOVE Sylk personal lubricant!
Sylk feels just like a woman's natural vaginal lubrication. Safe if ingested or used with condoms, SYLK Personal Lubricant is the PERFECT all natural personal lubricant for every woman!
Benefits of Sylk
Frequently Asked Questions
What ingredients does Sylk contain?Sylk is made of 100% natural ingredients. Sylk contains purified water, extract of kiwifruit plant, vegetable glycerine, sodium citrate, xanthan gum, citric acid, potassium sorbate, and citrus seed extract.
Is Sylk a spermicidal lubricant?Sylk is made from all natural ingredients. Although it is gentle for sensitive skin and contains no spermicidal ingredients, the pH level of Sylk is around 4.7, like most other lubricants, and may be harmful to sperm.
Does Sylk have any flavor or odor?Sylk is not a flavored lubricant and it is completely odorless.
Does Sylk work only as a vaginal lubricant?Sylk is a versatile product designed to be the best personal lubricant to help with vaginal dryness and male and female intimate activity. Many women also find that using Sylk as an every day hygiene product helps to reduce yeast infections and aides in feminine comfort.
What is the pH of Sylk?The pH of SYLK is 4.7. The pH of the vagina is also around 4.7, excerpt around the time of ovulation. At this time, the pH of the vagina can increase to around 7.0 in order to give sperm a healthy environment for conception.
The moist nature of the vagina makes it a prime area for yeast/candida and fungal-type growths, such as thrush, to develop. However, yeast and molds can't survive under acidic conditions and won't develop in an area where the pH is at 4.7. Because of this fact, Sylk is beneficial to women in lowering the rates of yeast infections.
At a pH of 4.7, SYLK is a great choice for a personal lubricant. Many other lubricants rely on harmful preservatives to keep yeast infections at bay and these preservatives can irritate sensitive skin.
Is Sylk good for menopausal women who experience vaginal dryness?Sylk is a perfect personal lubricant for the vaginal dryness caused by menopause. In fact, best-selling author and nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman, M.S., C.N.S. recommends Sylk to menopausal women in her book titled, Super Nutrition for Menopause.
Is Sylk safe to use for pregnant women who have vaginal dryness?Since Sylk is such a gentle lubricant, it is safe for pregnant women to use to fight vaginal dryness. Dr. Christine Northrup, a gynecologist and New York Times best-selling author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, recommends Sylk because it is such a gentle, safe, and effective vaginal lubricant.
Can men use Sylk?Yes. Men can and do use Sylk for enhanced intimate encounters both with and without a partner. And because women prefer Sylk, it is a good lubricant choice for men.
Does Sylk work as a desensitizing lubricant for men?Sylk is not a desensitizing lubricant for men. Sylk can, in fact, be just the opposite and can enhance a man's erection and sexual experience. Many specialty men's clinics use and recommend Sylk. Sylk has also been used as a training "device" against premature ejaculation.
How does Sylk compare to other sexual enhancement creams or gels?Sylk is an all natural product. It is water-based, extra slippery and not sticky or messy and will not stain. Sylk is a high quality lubricant at a great price.
Does Sylk wash off easily?Natural and water based, Sylk washes away easily with either water or a damp cloth. Sylk does not stain!
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Town Square
Tesla delays electric SUV, speeds government loan payment
Original post made on Mar 12, 2013
Read the full story here Web Link posted Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 10:56 AM
on Mar 12, 2013 at 2:18 pm
What does this mean?
"Tesla has built 3,100 of its Model S sedans and has delivered another 2,650."
on Mar 12, 2013 at 6:15 pm
From the SEC filing: "As of December 31, 2012, we have produced 3100 Model S vehicles and delivered approximately 2,650."
Roughly 450 have been built and not delivered (presumably for revenue) yet or have another purpose (marketing, publicity, whatever).
That sentence bothered me as well. The 10-K is available at
Web Link
on Mar 13, 2013 at 3:58 pm
This is SHOCKING and reVOLTing news. Tesla may be having problems with the CAPACITY to build safe and reliable EVs.


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The memorial service for Andrew Pray is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012 at the East Paulding location of the West Ridge Church.
There will be a visitation from 11 a.m. to noon. The memorial service begins at 1 p.m.
Pray was struck and killed Nov. 21 while riding his bicycle on along U.S. 41.
Copyright 2012 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.


text:
A Warriors Website
Palmistry Forum - This community provides a 'bridge' between modern palm reading & classic palmistry Including: psychodiagnostic chirology, life purpose hand analysis, vedic palmistry, spiritual palm reading & scientific hand analysis... be welcome
palmistry, forum, palm, #reading, hand, analysis, chirology, cheirology, hands, lines, line, life, lifeline, headline, heartline, head, heart, fingers
Free forum : A supernatural based RPG where you can be either a vampire of werewolf. You can also be a king or queen of either, & have special abilities such as mind reading.
free, vampires, werewolves, supernatural, based, where, either, vampire, werewolf, also, king, queen, &, have, special, abilities
Free forum : Buckshot Enterprises Presents a forum for posting and reading Alias Smith and Jones Stories
fanfiction, alias, smith, jones, fiction, virtual, season, buckshot, enterprises, fanfic, stories, forum, postin
This is a site that pairs science and social studies lessons with the kindergarten Journeys reading program.
sojourn, this, site, that, pairs, science, social, studies, lessons, with, kindergarten, journeys, #reading, program


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ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia Board of Regents has announced the search for a University of West Georgia President has been narrowed down to a lone finalist.
Officials say Vice president for University Advancement at the University of West Florida Kyle Marrero has been named finalist for university president. Officials say his offer helped the university record a 20% increase in enrollment and conducted the largest capital campaign in the school's history by raising $39.2 million - surpassing the school's goal of $35 million.
Before working at the University of West Florida, Marrero taught voice, opera and conducting in Louisiana, Michigan and Ohio, and currently serves as artistic director for the Pensacola Opera.
The Board of Regents will make a final decision at a future meeting.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Men's Golf Places First at FGCU Eagle Invitational
ESTERO, Fla. – The FGCU men's golf team took first place at the FGCU Eagle Invitational Tournament at the West Bay Beach & Golf Club in Estero, Fla. on Tuesday afternoon. Senior Mike Hart was atop the leaderboard at the conclusion of the three round outing.
The Eagles fielded an A and B team to compete against Florida Atlantic, Bethune-Cookman, and Stetson at the two day event. The FGCU B team was the top scoring team with a three-round score of 876 (289-290-297). FGCU A ended the tournament in second place with a score of 881 (295-292-294).
As an individual, Hart (London, England) took first place out of 28 golfers with a tournament score of 211 (69-70-72). Juniors Daniel Mazziotta (Fort Myers, Fla.) and Zach Robinson (Pensacola, Fla.) tied for fourth overall with scores of 217 (75-73-69) and 217 (72-74-71) respectively.
The FGCU men's golf team will tee up again on Sunday, October 18th as they head to Savannah, Ga. for the Mizuno Savannah Intercollegiate tournament.
|Copyright ©2014 FGCU Athletics. All Rights Reserved.


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Cowboys FS Gerald Sensabaugh
Height: 6-0 1/4 Weight: 209 Speed: 4.53
Notes: After three standout seasons at East Tennessee State, Sensabaugh was forced to transfer after the program was disbanded. He landed at North Carolina, where he proved he could play against better competition and stood out on special teams, blocking three punts in one game. Was selected in the fifth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2005 after testing very well at the NFL Scouting Combine, setting an NFL record with a Combine-record 46-inch vertical jump (in a year when NFL executives acknowledged vertical measurements were improperly inflated). Started the final 3-of-17 games in which he played as a rookie, stepping in for the injured Donovan Darius at strong safety, and finishing with 31 tackles and a pass breakup. Saw increased action in '06 after Darius went down again, starting 7-of-16 contests and notching 47 tackles, two pass breakups and two interceptions. A shoulder injury in the second week of '07 placed him on injured reserve. He returned to start 13-of-16 games in '08, lining up at both safety positions, and recording 82 tackles, four pass breakups and four interceptions. Also had a blocked kick on special teams. Was not re-signed by the Jaguars after his second arrest — — driving with a suspended license and a guns charge in February 2009 — during his time with the team. Signed a series of one-year deals with the Cowboys starting in '09, when he entered the starting lineup and tallied 81-10-1. Had a career-high in tackles in '10 with 86-9-5, and has tallied 69-3-2 in 15 starts in '11. Dallas signed him to a five-year, $22.5 million extension in early December.
Positives: Good athletic ability and movement skills. Strikes with abandon when he has a clean shot. Can open up his stride and cover a lot of ground on the back end. Exceptional leaping ability — has a vertical jump of 40-plus inches and is quick to react to the tipped ball. Is tough and will play through injuries — has been taking pain-killing shots before games to play with a sprained foot late this season. Well-versed, special-teams coverage contributor.
Negatives: Struggles to handle complex assignments and line up a defense. Has undisciplined eyes. Is straight-linish and does not transition cleanly out of his breaks — can be exposed in man coverage and be late to react to the thrown ball. Freelances too much, takes some questionable angles and does not consistently wrap. Not a face-up tackler — plays without enough urgency and misses too many tackles in space. Marginal downfield ball skills. Has had multiple run-ins with the law involving weapons' charges and a high number of traffic violations that indicate a lack of discipline off the field.
Summary: Has benefited from the presence of veteran Abram Elam making the secondary calls this season. However, he still has been victimized often in coverage — allowed Brent Celek to catch a TD pass in the middle of the field in Week 16 — and has not proven to be a dependable center fielder. Was rewarded with a contract that positioned him as one of the top-15 highest-paid safeties in football, but remains a liability in need of upgrading on the Cowboys' back end.


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It wasn't the weather that kept kids out of school in Galien on Monday, instead a gas leak was to blame. A parent-community forum that was also canceled.
The leak had been fixed and classes will resume on Tuesday.
WSJV-TV FOX 2858096 County Road 7, SouthElkhart, IN 46517
Switchboard: 574.679.9758News Phone: 574.679.4545Station Fax: 574.294.1267Email: email@example.com


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Our Science – Lipkowitz Website
Stanley Lipkowitz, M.D., Ph.D.
Molecular Control of Growth, Differentiation, and Death in Epithelial Cancer Cells
My laboratory studies signal transduction pathways that regulate growth and programmed cell death in epithelial cancer cells, with a focus on breast and ovarian cancer. We have three projects:
In the first project we are studying the function of Cbl proteins. Human epithelial malignancies frequently display deregulated tyrosine kinase activity. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate signaling by these kinases should uncover new ways to inhibit cancer cell growth. We are investigating the function of Cbl proteins, a family of proteins that regulate tyrosine kinase activity. Cbl proteins belong to the RING finger class of ubiquitin protein ligases (E3s) and function as E3s for activated tyrosine kinases. My group cloned two of the three mammalian Cbl genes (Cbl-b and Cbl-c). We have shown that all mammalian Cbl proteins mediate ubiquitination and degradation of the activated EGFR as well as other components of the signaling complex. Ongoing work is focused on understanding the biochemical and physiologic functions of the three mammalian Cbl proteins in epithelial cells and elucidating the differences in their specificity and/or function.
Cancer cells avoid apoptosis by a variety of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. In a second project we are investigating the induction of apoptosis by activation of death receptors for the ligand TRAIL in breast and ovarian cancer cells. Our goal is to selectively trigger apoptosis in the cancer cells. We have shown that most breast and ovarian cancer cell lines are resistant to the induction of apoptosis by TRAIL, the ligand for the death receptors DR4 and DR5. We have demonstrated that resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis can be overcome by co-incubation of the cells with chemotherapeutic agents, semi-synthetic retinoids (such as 4HPR), or molecularly targeted agents (such as anti-ErbB-2 antibodies). Our current work utilizes biochemical and genetic approaches to identify mechanisms that regulate the induction of death by TRAIL ligand in breast and ovarian cancer cells.
Breast cancer tumors that do not express hormone receptors or have amplification of Her2/Neu (so called triple-negative tumors) have a poor prognosis and no validated molecular targets. In our third project we are using functional genomic approaches and tumor genetics to identify new therapeutic targets in triple-negative breast cancer cells.
This page was last updated on 4/22/2014.


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Rolex Rankings #2
Rolex Rankings #30
Will Lydia Ko defend her title?
Will Suzann Pettersen defend her title?
Park putting her way up the career Majors list
The Social Scene for August, 2014
Watch highlights of Angela Stanford, Michelle Wie, Lorena Ochoa, and Inbee Park during the second round of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational.


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SALISBURY, Md. - Frances Dykes, 79, died Nov. 5, 2012 at Peninsula Regional Medical Center surrounded by her loving family following complications from surgery. Frances was born in Salisbury, Maryland on September 16, 1933, the eighth child of the late S. Kent Dykes and Ethel Frances Dykes. She was the last surviving sibling. Frances lived her entire life on the Eastern Shore surrounded by her extended family and friends. She was a graduate of Wicomico High School and recently attended her 60th class reunion. She spent most of her working career at several trucking firms, including Masten and Red Star. After retirement, she worked part-time at the Sylvan Learning Center with her niece Becky Grinath. Frances was a very active and dedicated member of Grace United Methodist Church in Salisbury. She was a very involved part of the church family, taking on any and all projects to benefit Grace Church. Every spring Frances could be found in the church kitchen with other members working to produce over 6,000 handmade chocolate dipped Easter eggs. Frances did not know the meaning of "no", she could be counted upon to take on any and all projects and see them thru completion. She was a true pillar of her church community and she will be sorely missed by her church family. Even though Frances had no children of her own, she considered all her nieces and nephews her children. After the death of her sister Ruth Ruark, "Aunt Frances" became the special mother and grandmother to Brenda Twilley, her husband Russell, and their children, Justin, Mallory and Amanda. She truly had a heart of gold.
Frances was preceded in death by all her siblings, Harry Dykes, Mervin Dykes, Lola Dykes, Wilsie Dykes, Catherine Dykes, Elizabeth Wilson and Ruth Ruark. Also preceding her in death were her nephew Douglas Wilson and great-nephew Justin Twilley. She is survived by her loving niece Brenda Twilley and her husband Russell Twilley and their daughters Amanda Twilley, Mallory Jones and husband Lance Jones and their children Cole and Hayley Jones. Also surviving are her nephew Stanford Wilson and wife Veronica, niece Diane Thomas and husband Daniel, several great nieces and nephews. Frances also leaves behind her treasured cat and companion "Sam", who will miss her greatly.
A funeral service will be held at 12:00 noon at Grace United Methodist Church in Salisbury on Friday, November 9, 2012, where friends may call one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in Parsons Cemetery. Rev. Jay Hurley will officiate.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Grace United Methodist Church in Salisbury. Arrangements are in the care of Holloway Funeral Home, P.A., 501 Snow Hill Road, Salisbury, MD 21804. To send condolences to the family, please visit Holloway Funeral Home's website.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2014 WorldNow and WMDT. All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.


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Steven Kohler
Director of Enviromental Studies Program
Office: (269) 387-2987
Lab: (269) 387-0898
Office: 3938 Wood Hall, Mail Stop 5410
Lab: 3007 Haenicke Hall
Mailing Address
Department of Biological Sciences
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5410 USA
Research interests
Dr. Kohler's research focuses on the nature of interactions among species and the consequences of these interactions for the dynamics of populations and the structure of communities. These questions are addressed with experimental and observational approaches over a broad range of temporal and spatial scales, using trout streams as a model system. His team are using replicated, long-term whole-stream perturbations, brought about by the disease-induced collapse of populations of a dominant competitor, to address questions regarding: 1) the effects of biotic processes and disturbance on food web structure, 2) the resilience of communities to perturbations in food web structure, and 3) the importance of disease in the dynamics of host populations and the structure and dynamics of communities. Dr. Kohler is also interested in the responses of stream systems to environmental perturbations and restoration activities at local to watershed scales.
Students in Dr. Kohler's laboratory


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With starting QB Josh Freeman questionable for Sunday's game against Carolina, the Buccaneers promoted QB Rudy Carpenter from their practice squad Saturday.
Freeman had only limited participation in practices Wednesday through Friday with a right shoulder injury, which he suffered in last Sunday's loss to Tennessee although he played the entire game.
If Freeman is unable to play vs. the Panthers, backup Josh Johnson will get the start, with Carpenter backing him up.
The Bucs released veteran LB Zac Diles to clear a roster space for Carpenter. Diles played in seven games for Tampa, recording one tackle.


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Spotlight on Kundalini YogaAn uplifting blend of spiritual and physical practices, this yoga style incorporates movement, dynamic breathing techniques, meditation, and the chanting of mantras, such as Sat nam ("I am truth"). The goal is to build physical vitality and increase consciousness.
BASIC PRINCIPLES: Using sound, breath, and posture, Kundalini Yoga aims to develop spiritual awareness by freeing the serpent power (kundalini) that is coiled in the base of the spine and drawing it upward through the seven chakras.
WHO FOUNDED IT: Kundalini Yoga has its roots in the Tantric Yoga tradition, which dates back to the eighth century. In 1969, Sikh leader Yogi Bhajan (born in 1929) brought the practice to North America.
WHERE TO DO IT: Kundalini's spiritual center is the 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy) Foundation in Espanola, New Mexico; the foundation oversees 300 centers worldwide.
SIDE BUSINESS: The Yogi Tea Company sells a complete line of medicinal and healing teas.
Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Shanti Kaur Khalsa, Shakta Kaur Khalsa.
Popular Practice Articles
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|Live Scores
|Video & Audio
IPL 2014 review
Saha, Mohit in ESPNcricinfo IPL XI
Team of the tournament | Top moments - Chawla's hook, Raina's run-out | IPL in photos | Eleven quirky stats
Chennai Super Kings IPL 2014 review
Bowlers limit CSK to below-par third
Season review | Dhoni slams 'irresponsible' seniors | Kings XI the most aggressive against us - Fleming
Super Kings v Kings XI, qualifier 2, IPL, Mumbai
Vintage Sehwag revives memories
Fuloria: Turns back clock to lift Kings XI into final | Scorecard | Report - Raina 25-ball 87 in vain | Agarkar: Sehwag's innings is all an owner asks for | Plays | Raina hits 33 in an over | Tweet report | Gallery
RCB v Super Kings, IPL 2014, Bangalore
CSK end three-match losing streak
Scorecard | Report | Plays - Honest Kohli | Gallery | Huddle - Did Gayle hamstring RCB? | Isa Guha: CSK always perform in crunch | 'Bowlers outstanding under pressure' - Fleming | Newsfile
Meet Mohit Sharma, one of the biggest surprises in the first half of this IPL. By Nagraj Gollapudi
Dhoni and the art of controlling an IPL match
Aakash Chopra: His ability to slow things down and use resources ingeniously often catches the eye
Faf du Plessis has made a name for himself with his limited-overs exploits and has his eyes on the five-day game. By Firdose Moonda
The overseas factor in the IPL
Numbers Game: A look at country-wise stats in a franchise-based tournament, and the IPL teams that have most relied on foreign players
Is CSK's reputation strangling them?
Harsha Bhogle: Chennai Super Kings seem a shadow of their former selves. Is fear of losing tying them down?Video/Audio » Magazine » Page 2 »
CSK: squeezing the best out of the best
An analysis of how Chennai's foreign players have added immense value to the team


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JOPLIN -- The Pitt State women's cross country team placed all five of its scoring runners in the top 20 as the Gorillas successfully defended their Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association title Saturday (Oct. 22).
Pitt State finished the meet with a low 63 points, with the host school Missouri Southern second with 92 points.
Junior Melissa Peden finished the six-kilometer race in 21 minutes, 39.75 seconds, finishing sixth overall. Sophomore Erica Testa finished 10th in 22:02.30 and junior Kaley Temaat placed 11th in 22:07.08.
Freshman Bridgette McCormick finished 14th in 22:13.08, while freshman Alex Moase placed 20th in 22:34.26.
"I'm very proud of our women," PSU head coach Russ Jewett said. "We don't have a supremely talented team, but what we do have is an extremely tough squad. They were up against it today and what it came down to is that we were tougher than our opponents when we needed to be to win."


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Michael has left the Cottage
It would appear the rumors about the permanence of Mohammed al-Fayed's Michael Jackson statue as a condition of the sale to Shad Khan were greatly exaggerated. ESPN FC has reported that Shad has ordered the statue removed and returned to al-Fayed. He says he did so after consulting supporters of the club, saying it was "the right thing to do for Fulham".


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In Game 1, the Cardinals started lefthander Jaime Garcia against the Brewers. Monday night, they'll go with righthander Edwin Jackson, so Brewers manager Ron Roenicke has made a couple of shifts in his lineup to match:
1. Corey Hart – R – RF
2. Nyjer Morgan – L – CF
3. Ryan Braun – R – LF
4. Prince Fielder – L – 1B
5. Rickie Weeks – R – 2B
6. Jerry Hairston – R – 3B
7. Yuniesky Betancourt – R – SS
8. Jonathan Lucroy – R – C
9. Shaun Marcum – R – P
Nyjer Morgan, whose last plate appearance put the Brewers in this series with his single against the Diamondbacks, will play center field (instead of Carlos Gomez) and bat second. Jerry Hairston remains at third base, but drops to sixth in the order. In recognition of his home run in Game 1, Yuniesky Betancourt gets dropped in the order from sixth to seventh.
The Brewers had 11 hits and three home runs Sunday and are hitting .324 as a team this postseason. Jackson will have to be at his best tonight.


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Very informative tour. Long but not too long. Really enjoyed the Lobster Roll.
LONG 2.5 hour ride each way to destination. Beautiful scenes and lots of water views. ... continue
Small group size of 20 was a big plus for this excursion. Matt, the tour guide, is a ... continue
St. John - Lovely town, but the Town & Martello Tower Tour was way overpriced and actually ... continue
While we didn't go on a cruise tour, we used Roys Tours http://www.roystours.webs.com/, and ... continue
We were on a sightseeing bus. The guide was informative. We got to see a lot of New Brunswick. ... continue
We rented our own vehicle in St. John, New Brunswick and took off to view the country side. We ... continue
Unless you take an excursion, there is very little to see or do in Saint John.However the ... continue
There really is not very much in this area. Once you see Bay of Fundy, it's all over.
We rented a couple vans from Enterprise and drove to St. Martin's and the Fundy Trail. It was ... continue
Took the RCL tour of St Martins Village and Caves; Excellent tour for $86 per person; could not ... continue
not really much to see other than the sea caves and small historic downtown
We walked around for an hour and we were pretty bored. Cute town and the locals were friendly ... continue
Getting out of St. John as soon as you can is possible with this tour. It makes a 20 minutes ... continue
We wandered about the city, and did not take any excursions. The people in St. John have to be ... continue
A port welcoming committee gave the men Saint John pins and the women roses! Nice! A beautiful ... continue
Same price as the Cruise Line (actually maybe a bit cheaper). The tour takes you to all the ... continue
Had a good time.
My sister and nephew went on the zipline near the Reversing Rapids (aka Reversing Falls) in ... continue


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Tampa Bay Buccaneers free agent linebacker Matt McCoy signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday.
McCoy, 27, was an on-again, off-again member of Tampa Bay's 53-man roster over the past two seasons (2008-09), contributing primarily on special teams. He originally entered the NFL as a second-round pick with the Eagles in 2005.
McCoy is one of several Bucs free agents to have signed with other teams this offseason, a list that includes wide receiver Antonio Bryant (Cincinnati), safety Will Allen (Pittsburgh) and WR Brian Clark (Detroit).


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The Herald Bulletin
---- — INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever have extended the contract of coach Lin Dunn by one year through 2014 and have elevated assistant coach Stephanie White to associate head coach beginning next year.
The team announced the changes Tuesday.
Dunn led the Fever to their first WNBA championship last year but the team has struggled to a 4-7 start this season. The 66-year-old Dunn began her 43-year coaching career in 1970.
White, an Indiana native whom Dunn recruited to play collegiately at Purdue, retired from the Fever following the 2004 season and is in her third year as a coach with the team after spending four years with the Chicago Sky.
Dunn is currently in her fifth season as head coach of the Fever, leading the franchise to its first WNBA championship in 2012. The winningest coach in franchise history with 107 victories (107-74, .591), she is eighth in WNBA history with 140 coaching wins (140-137, .505) counting three years as head coach and general manager of the Seattle Storm. She is a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and numerous other halls of fame, coaching nearly 1,100 college and pro games (650-440, .599).
A member of several USA Basketball coaching staffs in the early 1990s, Dunn is one of the country's most prominent pioneers in helping grow and develop girl's and women's basketball nationally. She built the Purdue women's basketball program into a powerhouse, leading the Boilermakers for nine seasons from 1988 to 1996. She led the Boilers to three Big Ten Conference titles, seven NCAA Tournaments and a trip to the NCAA Final Four in 1994. While at Purdue, she recruited White who later became an All-American and national player of the year.
Dunn and White exude continuity, combining for 19 seasons affiliated with the Fever – Dunn as a scout, assistant coach and head coach since 2003; and White as a player (2000-04) and now assistant coach (since 2011). Combined with assistant coach Mickie DeMoss who won six national championships and made 12 trips to the Final Four as a college assistant, the Fever staff is easily one of the most experienced in the WNBA.
"The continuity of our coaching staff is a strength of our franchise," said Fever President and General Manager Kelly Krauskopf, acknowledging one of the WNBA's most successful and longest tenured staffs. "Stephanie's experience as a player and a coach in this league is extremely valuable. I am happy we will continue with such a terrific staff."
Recently, White was named in an annual survey of WNBA general managers as the top assistant coach in the WNBA. Hired to join Dunn's staff in 2010, she is the first former pro player ever hired as a Fever coach.
Tagline (right aligned):— The Associated Press


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Expired Property Listing
This property is disabled.
Absolute Direct Lemon Bay/Right By Stump Pass in Manasota Key
- bedrooms 3
- baths 2
- sleeps 6
- pool yes
- hot tub no
- pets allowed no
- type House
- community
rates (USD)
/ week
vacation rental description
Your Own Dock - Your Own Covered Boat Slip - Your Own Screened-in Pool
Home is on the southern point of Manasota Key.
Do not settle for old, run-down, small, or first come slip - This home
is amazing. With this three bedroom, two bath home sitting directly on
Lemon Bay, the house is right next to Stump Pass. The sliding glass
doors from the dining room lead right out to the back yard and dock.
You can just sit back under the trees and enjoy the wildlife going by.
YES - our backyard faces the bay.
If you do not feel like taking your boat out that day, you can always
try catching a snook, snapper, or sheephead from our dock. You can
actually see them day or night. It is an awesome sight. We are also in
a (no-wake) zone, so no racing boats passing - just quiet and peaceful.
When we are not fishing, the family loves to take a short distance
walk or bike ride to the Stump Pass State Park beach to collect shells
and shark teeth. We are always amazed at the dolphin playing in the
ocean. Of course, the men still like to take the fishing poles along
just in case.
And when you are done with a hard day of fishing and shelling, you can
relax in the lounge chairs in the screened-in pool area. How about
grilling a good steak and wait for another beautiful day to appear?
house rental amenities
Three Bedroom, Two Bath, Tiled and Carpet Floors,Custom Rattan
Furnishings, Custom Oak Kitchen Cabinets, Extra Parking on Property
For Your Boat Trailer, Phone, Air Conditioning, Cable TV, VCR, Stereo,
CD Player, Full Kitchen, Microwave, Dishwasher, Refrigerator, Ice
Maker, Cooking utensils provided, Linens provided, Washer, Dryer,
Private Pool, Charcoal Grill (BBQ), No Smoking, No Pets
activities and attractions in Manasota Key Gulf Coast South
There are so many things to do and see/Golf, Sightseeing, Biking,
Shopping, Boating, Sailing, Water Skiing, Jet Skiing, Surfing,
Snorkling, Windsurfing, Parasailing, Swimming, Wildlife Viewing.
vacation rental rates
January thru December $2000.00 Weekly and $4000.00 Monthly
Damage Deposit of $400.00
50% Downpayment/and balance 60 days prior to arrival


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This week's Wednesday's Child does not speak but has his own unique way of communicating.
His foster family has helped 11 year old Marcus come a long way.
Marcus needs a permanent family who can accept and embrace his special needs.
We met Marcus at the Natural Science Museum.
Marcus is fascinated by fish.
He searched for every display inside the museum.
He is non-ambulatory but does walk with assistance and scoots on a scooter board with directions.
Marcus does not have verbal communication skills, he communicates in his own way.
His social workers say he displays gestures such as whining, facial expressions or pushing objects when he wants something or does not want something.
Marcus is 5th grade this year.
He loves to attend library, music and P.E.
Marcus responds to sounds.
One of his favorites at the Natural Science Museum was the sound of the bull frog.
Marcus has been placed in a loving and caring resource home.
His resource parents make sure all his needs are met.
Marcus likes staying in his routine, and will stay outdoors for hours.
He attends church with his resource parents, they also go on vacations and family outings.
Marcus enjoys boat rides and the park.
Marcus needs a two parent forever family who will provide him with the care and love he needs.
His resource parents say everyone who works with him has learned never to count him out and they see every disability as an ability.
To learn more about adoption, call the Mississippi Adoption Resource Exchange at 1-800-821-9157.
Wednesday's Child is sponsored by Wendy's and WLBT.
Copyright 2011 WLBT. All rights reserved.
Hershey Company has unveiled its new corporate logo.
715 South Jefferson Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39201
(601) 948-3333
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EEO Report
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The Saks Fifth Avenue men's store on the Magnificent Mile is closing its doors.
The store, which has been there for almost 15 years, isn't going away entirely, though. The men's store will become part of the main Saks store across the street.
Follow @fox32news
KSAZ-TV & KUTP511 W. Adams St.Phoenix, AZ 85003Phone: (602) 257-1234Fax: (602) 262-0177


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(Product Key Word, or UPC Code. Select Brand Below)
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Dark agave nectar is a mineral rich, dark syrup with a vanilla-like aroma and a hint of maple syrup flavor. It is truly one of a kind
100% of this product is made from the world-renowned blue agave plant, composed of 85% fructose Blue Agave is higher in fructose-producing carbohydrates than other types of agave, and is considered to be the finest agave in the world. It is unprocessed and minimally filtered, thus retaining valuable nutrients, minerals and enzymes that are absent from many other agave products and sweeteners. This product is made using state-of-the-art low-temperature processing technology making it the least heat-exposed amber agave product on the market.
Suggested Use As a dietary supplement Amber Agave is very smooth, mixes in easily with cacao nibs, any beverage or smoothie, and can be used to replace sugar in traditional recipes. - Or as directed by your healthcare professional.
Warnings: Keep out of reach of children. As with all dietary supplements, consult your healthcare professional before use. See product label for more information.


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One year ago, Microsoft was defending the quality of its products, battling with the world's largest security vendors over features in its next-generation platforms, and pitching the company's nascent promise as a provider of IT systems-defense tools at the annual RSA conference.
With the release of its Stirling security management platform at the ongoing RSA Conference 2008 in San Francisco on Tuesday, company officials and industry watchers contend that the software giant is rapidly proving itself a force to be reckoned with in the sector.
[For more coverage, see InfoWorld's special report on the RSA Conference 2008 ]
Vulnerability researchers may still mock Microsoft's overall security standing based on the availability of exploitable flaws in its flagship Windows and Office products, but the company's growing array of security tools is maturing quickly, and its burgeoning security business should be taken seriously by major rivals, including Symantec and McAfee, according to analysts.
The arrival of a Stirling beta -- a package of integration and management tools aimed at helping administrators gain firmer top-down control of their IT security infrastructure -- marks the first opportunity for companies to begin driving their systems defense strategy using Microsoft technologies, company executives said.
Rivals may contend that few businesses will be willing to trust Microsoft to provide their critical security infrastructure, but customers are singing a different tune, the experts maintain.
"We are hearing from customers that point products are no longer the answer; the lack of integration present in that model is feeding complexity, leading to additional vulnerabilities and driving cost of ownership further upward," said Doug Leland, general manager of Identity and Access at Microsoft. "These point products can't provide an end-to-end view on the state of IT environments and lead to a fundamental lack of [regulatory] compliance; we feel that our current set of solutions not only addresses these customer pain points, but also the weaknesses created by these silos of technologies."
Combined with its ID and access management tools, Forefront messaging systems defense products, and end-point anti-malware agents, among other products, Stirling will allow companies to manage a lion's share of their security infrastructure using Microsoft technologies, Leland maintains.
Customers may still need specialized products to deliver on strategies such as DLP (data loss prevention) and behavior monitoring, but businesses can rapidly simplify their security "stack" using Microsoft's stand-alone and integrated tools, he said.


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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement Sunday commemorating World Oceans Day calling on the international community to "commit to keep healthy and productive and to use their resources peacefully, equitably and sustainably for the benefit of current and future generations." The ...[read more]
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday released the Clean Power Plan proposal at the direction of President Barack Obama. The plan will, for the first time, cut carbon pollution from existing power plants in an effort to protect public health and fight climate change without ...[read more]
The environmental advocacy organization Greenpeace International on Monday filed a lawsuit against Russia in the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of the Arctic 30, a group of Greenpeace activists who spent two months in a Russian jail following a peaceful protest against drilling in the ...[read more]
A New Zealand High Court judge on Tuesday held that two Kiribati citizens, could not be granted refugee status based on the effects of climate change on Kiribati. Ioane Teitiota and his wife moved to New Zealand from the island nation of Kiribati in 2007 and had three children born in New Zealand. ...[read more]
A Russian court on Monday refused to release one of 30 activists for Greenpeace International who were detained in September while trying to board an oil rig. Russian authorities arrested the Greenpeace activists in September for attempting to scale an oil platform owned by a Russian energy ...[read more]
President Barack Obama on Friday established by Executive Order a Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. The task force, with members including state, local and tribal officials and executive agencies, is to advise the federal government on how to respond to the impacts of climate ...[read more]
The Dutch government on Monday asked the UN-backed International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to order Russia to return a ship used by Greenpeace International and the activists who were arrested on board the ship. The ship had been used to stage a protest over oil drilling. The 28 ...[read more]
On June 30, 2011, a judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia upheld a 2008 decision by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to list polar bears as "threatened" on the endangered species list because of melting polar ice caps caused by climate change. Environmental groups and the ...[read more]
JURIST Guest Columnist Hua Wang, Northwestern University School of Law Class of 2012, writes on the need for policies that combine market incentives with outright prohibitions to achieve enforcement and compliance with international environmental regimes...Climate change threatens catastrophic ...[read more]
Mexican President Felipe Calderon has signed a climate change bill that will introduce sweeping environmental reform. The bill requires the country to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent by 2020, requires 35 percent of its energy come form renewable sources by 2024, requires mandatory ...[read more]


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Town Square
Charges dropped in Palo Alto bus fatality
Original post made on Dec 13, 2012
[Web Link Woman killed by bus in Palo Alto is identified]
[Web Link Bus driver charged with vehicular manslaughter]
Read the full story here Web Link posted Thursday, December 13, 2012, 9:37 AM
on Dec 13, 2012 at 10:23 am
It's a shame that it has taken this long to dispose of this case. There was little public evidence of this incident's being more than a tragic accident. Tying up this lady's life for two years was unreasonable on the part of the SCC District Attorney's Office.
on Dec 13, 2012 at 10:44 am
Why did the DA drop the charges? The driver clearly made a mistake that resulted in the death of an innocent woman. When officials keep letting off drivers who kill and injure people through negligence, what does it say about our society?
To me it's saying: cross the road at your own risk, be prepared to run if a driver doesn't yield your right of way, and if you're too old, too young or too disabled to get out of the way that's too bad. Ooops. Sorry.
Are these the kinds of cities and neighborhoods we want?
on Dec 13, 2012 at 11:23 am
Tying up the lady's life for 2 years?????????? What about the loved ones of the victim, for pity's sake?
I hope the pathetic driver finds a new career.
Now, time to fix that lousy intersection.


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(Apologies for the use of Google Docs, as I don't have Microsoft Excel. I thought a link to my work would be easier to access than trying to embed graphs.)
For some time now, Seahawks fans have touted the front office as being the best in the business. It's been picks such as Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman in the later rounds, trades for impact players like Leon Washington and Chris Clemons, and Free Agent pickups like Doug Baldwin and Brandon Browner that have demonstrated John Schneider and Co.'s ability to identify talent that will fit the schemes that Pete Carroll wants to run, From a realistic, and objective, standpoint, there isn't much basis for being able to say that one front office is better than another when you take into account all of the factors I listed, and many others such as contract negotiations.
However, front offices can be judged by the players used with draft picks. Over the last week, I created a file in which every draft pick by every team in the NFC West was recorded. My basis for judging the drafting efficacy of NFC West front offices hinged on what I considered several key factors: are the players drafted still with the team they were drafted by, how many starts do the players have, how many games have those players been active for, and how many awards have those players garnered. Naturally, these categories are going to come with some caveats that I will address.
Draft Pick Retention
My first thought in determining whose front office was most successful over the course of the last three years was "Naturally, the best front offices are going to keep a higher number/proportion of their draft picks." You hear time and time again that sustained success in the NFL is achieved by building through the draft. Since 2010, NFC West teams have drafted 103 prospects from all across the country. As of the writing of this article, 75 of those draft picks remain with the team that drafted them. Having three seasons come and go since the first draft involved in this study seemed like the perfect measurement to start the article. Three seasons ago, John Schneider and Pete Carroll arrived in Seattle; Mike Singletary was starting his third season (2008 saw him coach 9 games) coaching a talented 9ers team built by Trent Baalke; Steve Spagnuolo was entering his second season with the Rams after finishing with the worst record in the NFL the year before, earning the coveted #1 draft pick; and Ken Whisenhunt was returning after two consecutive seasons that saw the Cardinals win the NFC West and even make a Super Bowl appearance.
So, in retrospect, how have these situations affected the retention of draft picks over the course of three years? Let's look at the numbers. In the past three years, the Rams have had 29 draft picks, more than any other team in the division. How many have they kept on the roster, practice squad or on an injured list? 16 of those 29 still remain with the team, giving the Rams a Draft Pick Retention Rate (DPRR) of 55%. However, it is important to note that the Rams underwent a total makeover prior to the 2012 season. Spagnuolo was fired as head coach and Jeff Fisher was brought in. How many Jeff Fisher draft picks are still on the roster? 9 out of 10, with the only casualty being 7th round pick Aaron Brown. 90% retention isn't half bad given that 7 of the 19 picks from the previous two years made the team.
The Seahawks had the second highest number of picks in the division with 28. Of those 28 picks, 23 are still with the team in one form or another. Being a Seahawks fan myself, there are misses that pain me to think about how excited I was only to have the prospect not make it out of camp. 2011 5th round pick Mark Legree, the Appalachian State standout, couldn't make the cut. Legree made me look like a fool for creating a SBN signature referencing "Earl Legree: a new form of safe-tea coming this Fall!" Excitement is good. Unbridled optimism, not so much... Retaining 23 of 28 picks gives the Seahawks a DPRR of roughly 82%. For those of you who can't remember, Pete Carroll and John Schneider didn't exactly inherit a wealth of talent when they took over the team in the Winter of 2010. As they say "The proof is in the pudding," and the Seahawks pudding was neither fresh now was it very good evidenced by the 4-12 2008 season and 5-11 2009 season. It isn't exactly surprising that a high percentage of the picks made by Scheider and Carroll ended up on the roster given they were looking to get "their guys" into the room. A coaching change doesn't necessitate wholesale changes in the roster...
...Which brings me to the 49ers. Whereas Seattle replaced their head coach and general manager, San Francisco only replaced their head coach after the conclusion of the 2010 season. Since the arrival of Jim Harbaugh, 12 of 16 draft picks are still with the team; since the 2010 draft, 17 of 24 picks are still with the team, good for a DPRR of roughly 71%. What strikes me as significant in the 49ers drafting over the last three years is the fact the team already had so many good players it had drafted in previous years, folks you might have heard of like Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree, as well as supplanting the roster with free agents such as Carlos Rogers. Really quite impressive. I'd be willing to bet that there are fewer picks remaining from the 9ers 2009 draft than some of the other teams given their high retention rate from the last 3 years given the fact they have those stars from previous drafts garnering high contracts, as well as the pricier free agents, forcing newer, younger, and most importantly, cheaper talent from these more recent drafts.
Arizona has had the fewest number of draft picks over the last 3 years: 22. Of those 22, 19 are still with the Cardinals, giving them an NFC West high 86% DPRR. The only ones to be let go were two 6th round choices and a 7th round choice. Impressively enough, the Cardinals were the only team to keep all of their 1st-5th round choices.Given the fact that, until this offseason, the Cardinals had undergone the least amount of change in terms of high ranking front office personnel and head coaching staff. In fact, they were the only team in the NFC West to avoid a coaching change during the time this study covers.
Fast notes on retention:
1. The 9ers are the only team to not retain a 2nd round pick. Taylor Mays was traded to the Bengals.
2. Every QB drafted by the NFC West is still with their team. That is likely to change this offseason.
3. Mike Person, drafted by the 9ers, is on the Seahawks roster.
4. Roster information was found on each teams official website.
Draft Pick Starts
Here's where we start getting to the nitty-gritty. The number of starts a player has is extremely important to consider when determining the efficacy of a front office. Without drafting starting caliber players, a team has no real chance to compete. That was me channeling my inner Madden right there. 103 players were drafted by the four teams, and those 103 players accounted for 886 starts for the team they were drafted by. This does not take into account starts made by these players on another team. Kris Durham, Seattle's 4th round pick in 2011, didn't start for the Seahawks at all. He did start three games for the Detroit Lions in the 2012 season though. I didn't consider this an accomplishment on Seatte's part however. If I were able to create a numerical system by which credit would be fairly taken away from the Hawks front office, I would. More credit goes to the Lions' front office for identifying the available talent after roster cuts and finding a place on the team in which the player could be productive.
In the case I mentioned arlier, a 4th round pick went on to produce for another team. Generally speaking, 4th-7th round picks do not come with the same expectations that come with being picked in the first three rounds. I've operated under the rule that if you are picked in the first 96 slots, you should be a starting caliber player or, at the very least, an impact player. Being able to find starters in the later rounds (4-7) becomes extremely difficult to do. No longer are GMs looking at the players that were team captains, dominated their leagues/conferences, or racked up insane statistics. So much of drafting in the later rounds has to do with projecting how well a given player in going to fit within a system.
So let's take a look at the numbers, starting with Seattle :
Seattle Picks: 28. Seattle Picks Games Started: 279 Average Starts Per Pick: 9.96
Seattle should have an advantage in starts given the fact that they, tied with San Francisco, had the highest number of 1st round picks. It doesn't quite work out that way given the fact that Seattle's 2012 1st round pick, Bruce Irvin, did not log a single start during the season. Over the course of three seasons, Seattle was tremendously successful in drafting players who would start for the team. From these three drafts, the team acquired what is currently their starting free safety (Earl Thomas), strong safety (Kam Chancellor), strongside linebacker (KJ Wright), middle linebacker (Bobby Wagner), cornerback (Richard Sherman), wide receiver (Golden Tate), quarterback (Russell Wilson), left tackle (Russell Okung) and guard (I'm counting Carpenter when he is healthy.) Obviously, not all of those players come from the first three rounds. Six out of eight of Seattle's 1st-3rd round picks are starters for the team. The only two that are not are Bruce Irvin, who led the league in sacks for rookies this last season, and John Moffitt, who has proven to be a part time starter and extremely valuable backup.
For all the bragging that Seahawks fans like to do about how the front office has a knack for finding late round gems, only tthree starters have been gleaned from the other twenty picks outside of the first three rounds. That being said, in those later rounds, they do have their backup running back, which, needless to say, is extremely important in the offense that Seattle runs, backup weakside linebacker (who could be starting this coming year,) and backup tight end.
While Seattle didn't have the highest number of picks, they did end up the team that garnered the highest number of starts from their picks with 279, giving them an average of 9.96 starts per pick. This has been a part of the drafting philosophy of the front office in Seattle. Casting the net far and wide better ensures a healthy crop of fish. It will be interesting to see over the next couple of drafts whether the philosophy is maintained in the form of 9 to 10 draft picks per year. Ultimately, there may come a time when they pull a Bill Belichick and cash in a lot of draft capital volume for draft capital quality.
Seattle numbers: 75% success rate of starting as a top 3 pick. 15% success rate of starting as a late round pick.
San Francisco Picks: 24 San Francisco Picks Games Started: 193 Average Starts Per Pick: 8.04
I previously mentioned that San Francisco also had four first round picks, and interestingly enough, one of those picks is not a starter. AJ Jenkins, like Bruce Irvin, did not log a start for the 9ers this entire year. San Francisco's other first round picks have been extremely successful though: Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati from 2010 anchor the offensive line, and Aldon Smith has been an absolute sack machine during his two years in the league. Smith was a situational pass rusher his first year, but during a brilliant, full-time 2012 campaign he accumulated 19.5 sacks in addition to the 14 he picked up as a rookie.
The picks San Francisco have made in the top three rounds have met with quite a bit of success to go along with their first rounders. 2010 3rd round pick Navarro Bowman is a starter. 2011 2nd round pick Colin Kaepernick took over as starter midway through this year and took the 9ers to the Super Bowl. 2011 3rd round pick Chris Culliver, while not a starter, features heavily in the defense as the nickel cornerback. The only notable notable miss from the top three rounds is safety Taylor Mays. 2012 2nd round pick LaMichael James was stuck in a crowded backfield this year, but being an Oregon fan I can tell you he is going to make some plays in the coming years. Of the nine picks the 9ers have had in the top three rounds over the last three years, five of those nine are starters. The other three that are still on the team are likely to see their contributions increase next year and the year after.
San Francisco represents a unique case in drafting largely because the team was so well put together in the years prior to these drafts, as well as through free agency during the years in which these drafts occurred. It's safe to say that AJ Jenkins probably would have had more starts for the 9ers had they not signed Randy Moss and Mario Manningham last offseason. In actuality, they might have drafted another receiver entirely (Brian Quick, perhaps?) with the idea that Quick might have been more ready to start. It's hard to ignore the numbers particularly from this most recent draft that those players were going to serve as depth while learning the ropes in the NFL.
Outside of the top three rounds, San Francisco has only gotten one starter from their 15 other picks. That would be seventh rounder fullback Bruce Miller. Yeah, I agree that it's kind of spotty to say that Miller is a starter, but hey, NFL.com lists him as having 21 starts, good for an average of more than 10 starts per season. Again, it's hard for guys drafted in the later rounds to be starting, much less making the team when guys drafted in the first three rounds are sitting on the bench. Obviously, I know that it doesn't matter what round a prospect is drafted in once they are on the team, but I am operating under the assumption that those drafted in the top three rounds are better prospects. With the depth of the team as a whole, it's no surprise that that the average starts per pick in San Francisco drops to roughly 8, down from the bar Seattle set at roughly 10.
9er numbers: 55% success rate of starting as a top 3 pick. 6% success rate of starting as a late round pick.
Arizona Picks: 22 Arizona Picks Games Started: 243 Average Starts Per Pick: 11.04
Arizona definitely surprised me given the fact that they had the fewest number of draft picks in the division, but had the second highest number of starts from those picks. Their average starts per pick leaps over Seattle's with an additional start per pick, an increase of ten percent. First rounder Dan Williams started as a backup his rookie season but started 21 out of 25 games he played in the subsequent two seasons. Patrick Peterson, 5th overall pick in 2011, wowed folks and has started all 32 games over two years. 2012 first rounder Michael Floyd played in all 16 games this year, but logged only three starts. Folks across the league snickered at this fact, saying "That's why your star receiver shouldn't play General Manager," but let's face it: receivers take time to develop. That and the quarterback play (or maybe it was the line play...) in Arizona was about as atrocious as it gets.
The five other selections in the first three rounds for Arizona met with a mix of success and failure. 2010 picks Daryl Washingon and Andre Roberts are both are starters and Rob Housler from 2011 started 9 games this past season. However, 2011 pick Ryan Williams can't be classified as a success by any means. His 2011 season was lost before it even started, and he managed to get through 5 games in 2012 before he had to be shut down. It may be a bit early to call Williams a bust at this point, but if his first two seasons are any indication of the future, it won't be long before the "B" word starts seeing a regular association with his name. Jamell Fleming got three starts and played in 15 games. 5 out of 8 picks in the top three rounds gives the Cards a success rate of 62.5%.
The late round picks are where Arizona has shined. Of the 14 selections in rounds 4-7, three are starters. Bobby Massie (2012), Sam Acho (2011) and O' Brien Schofield (2010) have turned out to be solid starters. I can't bring myself to list John Skelton as a starter given the fact his play has been so poor, he was benched for Ryan Lindley, and he had issues. Yeah, it may not be fair considering I listed James Carpenter a starter in Seattle, but the reality is Carpenter has started almost every game he has been healthy and will very likely be a starter next season. The same can't be said of Skelton.
Cardinal numbers: 63% success rate of starting as a top 3 pick; 21% success rate of starting as a late round pick.
St. Louis Picks: 29 St. Louis Picks Games Started: 171 Average Starts Per Pick: 5.89
I imagine that seeing those numbers for Rams fans is akin to the scene in Groundhog Day where Bill Murray repeatedly gets slapped in the face. Of course, the team went through a coaching change this last year so it makes sense that several of the players from the previous regime weren't going to make the cut under Fisher's watch, affecting the number of starts that Rams draft picks can cultivate. I guarantee that if I were to look back at the retention rate and average starts per pick for Seattle's 2008, 2009 and 2010 drafts following the 2010 season, it would be just as bad, if not uglier. Rams fan's can take solace in the fact that they hit on their first round picks. Sam Bradford, despite a struggling offensive line, has averaged almost exactly the same number of yards Russell Wilson threw for this year. Did I mention that happens to be with missing six full games in the 2011 season? He averages just over one extra interception a season as well. So basically, he can throw for yards and makes pretty solid decisions with the ball. Bradford may not have to throw for too much given the strength of the defense that is being cultivated in St. Louis. Robert Quinn and Michael Brockers both look quite beastly to say the least. They had Russell Wilson running for his life in week 17 this last year. It is scary to think what that defense, and offense, is going to look like in two seasons after and influx of 4 first round picks...
Rounds 1-3, over the last three years, as a whole have been decent along the same lines as the other teams. Six out of the 11 picks are starters. Bradford, Quinn and Brockers, as well as Rodger Saffold, Lance Kendricks and Janoris Jenkins all look like they have a place on this team as a starter. Saffold might be the only question mark out of that group with some health concerns. Defensive back Jerome Murphy is the only player drafted in the first three rounds who is no longer with the team. WR Brian Quick, RB Isaiah Pead, Trumaine Johnson, and Austin Pettis can't be classified as starters, but Quick, Pead, and Pettis figure to see a lot more action should Danny Amendola and Steven Jackson leave in free agency. Johnson showed he could impact a game tagging an interception in St. Louis' close win over Seattle in week 4, as well as in Tampa Bay against the Bucs. 6 out of 11 in the first three rounds gives the rams a success rate of 55%.
Outside of round 3 though, the picture get's uglier. Only one pick out of nineteen, Chris Givens, is a starter. Zuerlein technically should be a starter too, but seeing as how the NFL doesn't think they "start," I won't list him as one either. I'm surprised that Vikings kicker Chris Kluwe hasn't written an exceptionally well-written and scathing letter to the NFL offices in New York. Daryl Richardson has certainly looked promising as a backup for Steven Jackson and you can bet that he and Pead will be duking it out for the starting gig should Jackson depart. No late round pick from 2011 logged a single start with the team and the late rounders from 2010, Eugene Sims and Josh Hull, have three starts between them. The late rounds haven't been kind of the Rams but they don't necessarily have to be should the Rams keep getting solid prospects in the early ones.
Rams numbers: 55% success rate of starting as a top 3 pick. 5% success rate of starting as a late round pick.
Fast notes on Starts:
1. San Francisco's 2012 draft class did not log a start during the whole season.
2. Former Rams TE Michael Hoomanawanui played in 14 games, starting 6 of them, for the Patriots in 2012 after being released by the Fisher regime.
3. Seattle's Jaye Howard may figure to get some starts now that his former Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn from Florida has joined the Seahawks this offseason.
4. Arizona's Nate Potter could be looking to add to the 6 starts he got this last season if Levi Brown can't return from injury or if the team doesn't use a high pick on a lineman.
Draft Pick Games Played
While games played isn't the flashiest statistic out there that highlights the contribution of a player, I think it certainly says something about the player being active and ready to step up in case of an injury or something of that nature. Naturally, just because a player has logged a game under his belt doesn't necessarily mean he did anything during that game. Seattle's Jaye Howard is a perfect example of this. Despite playing two games, he didn't log a tackle or a sack. He could have been on the field during the game, but without looking at snap counts, it's hard to calculate what kind of impact he might have had. Frankly, I wouldn't even begin to know where to look for that information. Instead, I'll measure the total number of games played for the draft picks and subtract the number of starts. This way, we can more accurately judge the depth of the teams having already acknowledged the impact starters have made.
Seattle picks games played but not started: 224
Arizona picks games played but not started: 230
San Francisco picks games played but not started: 253
St. Louis picks games played but not started: 277
The fact that Seattle and Arizona got more starts out of their picks didn't necessitate the fact that they would get fewer "games played but not started." It could have been the case that San Francisco and St. Louis might have drafted that poorly. Obviously that didn't happen, seeing as both teams outpaced Seattle by almost thirty and more than fifty points.
I'm not going to pretend I know a lot about the depth of every NFC West team. I simply don't know all four teams that well. Looking at these numbers, there is no way for me to project who could be starting, who could be backing up whom, or which players may not even make their respective teams next year. All I know is that, as time goes on, the study of NFC West teams is going to get that much more interesting and exciting given the ascension from NFC Worst to NFC Best.
Postseason Honors
It's the moment you've all been waiting for: the section where we get to talk about the very best players in the division and the recognition that they have received. The two biggest awards that I will be talking about will be the Pro Bowl selections and AP All Pro selections. many of you will scoff at the notion of using the Pro Bowl as a judgement of play. The selection of Green Bay Packers' center Jeff Saturday to the Pro Bowl squad after having been benched for poor play before the end of the season is indicative of the broken process by which players receive this honor. Name recognition plays a huge part in whether or not a player goes to Hawaii. Players from big media market teams receive much more press, and are more likely to receive votes as a result. It's hard to imagine that Packer fans stuffing the ballot with Saturday's name studied the tape very closely. Even the people who might have the skills to look at tape, coaches/players, and recognize a player deserving of honor are not likely to take the time to do so given the fact that teams have prepare for a game each week and aren't going to waste their time becoming educated enough to make an informed vote for the quarterbacks representing the NFC in the Pro Bowl.As a way to compensate for this, I have included every player who may have been injured, and played in Super Bowls, as well as those players who replaced those who didn't play. This year, 18 players from the NFC got to go to the Pro Bowl due to injuries or as replacements for Super Bowl participants. I figured that for every guy who didn't deserve his Pro Bowl selection, there was a guy behind him that did.
Only one team in the division can boast a draft pick from each of the last three seasons that has some form of postseason honor: the Seahawks. The 2010 draft class boasts three players, Russell Okung, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor, who have had at least one Pro Bowl. Earl Thomas stands out among those three as having two Pro Bowls, as well as being selected as a 2nd Team All Pro in 2011 and 1st Team All Pro in 2012. From 2011, the ever-so-chatty Richard Sherman was selected as a 1st Team All Pro. Finally, from 2012, Russell Wilson earned himself a berth in the Pro Bowl. He also finished third in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting as well.
The 9ers have several very talented picks from the last several years as well. Mike Iupati and Navarro Bowman highlight the 2010 draft class. Bowman was a 1st Team All Pro selection this year and last year, as well as a Pro Bowl selection. Iupati garnered accolades this year as well, earning a spot next to Bowman on the All Pro and Pro Bowl squads. 2011 first round pick Aldon Smith joins his teammates as a 2012 All Pro selection and 2013 Pro Bowl selection. Smith might have been this years Defensive Player of the Year had JJ Watt not been as outstanding as he was. Similarly, he might have been the Defensive Rookie of the Year had Von Miller not been an absolute terror for the Broncos last year.
Arizona's highly undervalued Daryl Washington earned a Pro Bowl selection this year. Washington has been undervalued since coming into the league as a guy who slipped out of the first round and, much to Cardinals' fans rejoicing, fell to Arizona in the second round. It is hard to imagine that, given the recognition San Francisco's defense receives and the success of the team overall, Washington will be earning too many Pro Bowl or All Pro selections. However, I am sure that folks are going to have a very difficult time choosing between the linebackers in this division over the next several years. The defensive backfield also plays host to Patrick Peterson, who earned himself two Pro Bowl selections, one as a return man in 2012 and another as a cornerback in 2013. He also has a All Pro selection from the 2011 season.
Every single team in the division has a player earning some form of postseason honor. The Rams Sam Bradford earned Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2010 and rightfully so. Bradford threw for more than 3,700 yards in his rookie campaign and helped his team earn seven wins, a dramatic improvement from a league-worst one win the year before. Questions surround Bradford now after having suffered through several injuries behind a porous offensive line as well as continual change at offensive coordinator and head coach. Many begin to fear he is following down Alex Smith's footsteps given the OC changes, but given the fact that the Rams could have traded Bradford last year for a high first round draft pick it is likely we are going to see Fisher focus on improving the weapons and protections around Bradford. The act of keeping him instead of trading him is a pretty big endorsement.
Pro Bowl Selections:
Seahawks - 5
9ers - 3
Cards - 3
Rams - 0
AP All Pro Selections:
9ers - 4
Seahawks - 3
Cards - 1
Rams - 0
Rookie of the Years:
Rams - 1
Seahawks, 9ers, Cards
After nearly 5,000 words, and thanks to those of you who read them all, we come to the conclusion of the piece. It would appear at first glace that the Seahawks have indeed drafted better than the other three teams in the division. But don't let Hawks fans fool you into thinking John Schneider and Pete Carroll have the rest of the league's number. I've done my best to quantify the efficacy of how teams have drafted using the statistics and awards that I feel really matter. Quantifying the effectiveness of drafting using numbers can only take one so far. For instance, Seattle's high retention rate of it's draft picks likely have everything to do with the fact that this study begins at the start of the John Schneider/Pete Carroll era. St. Louis' low retention rate probably has everything to do with the sweeping changes in the organization. The numbers are never enough, and that is why I've written as much as I have. Even then, my knowledge is limited. Mr. Bibber is more than welcome to add a corollary to the end of my article with his own thoughts regarding how the draft has shaped up for the Rams and, as always, comments are more than welcome.


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Macworld/iWorld 2013 took place last week. In case you're unfamiliar, this is an annual trade show and conference for users of Apple's Mac and iOS products. It's a ton of fun, and one of the highlight of the week is the party thrown by The Mac Observer and Back Beat Media called Cirque du Mac.
This year marked the 10th Cirque du Mac event, earning it the moniker Cirque du Mac X. See what we did there?
Anyway, I really look forward to it. Not only is it the biggest party of the week, it's not a schmooze event like most trade show parties. People aren't there to network, they're there to have a great time. In recent years, we've had a trapeze artist doing an aerial silk act. For many years, we've had a face painter and henna tattoo artist who dresses up in the most amazingly awesome costumes.
How Cool Is That?
Photo courtesy of Amanda Pearson