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Detailed breakdowns of every position for the upcoming game vs. the Vikings.
This is the first of what I hope will be weekly posts breaking down the Colts match ups every Saturday.
If you want to read more of my content head over to my blog, www.coltfollowing.net, you'll be glad you did (I think).
This post is located at http://coltfollowing.net/2012/09/the-saturday-preview-week-2-colts-vs-vikings/
Each week throughout the 2012 NFL season I will be doing a game preview on the Saturday before the game (minus the Thursday night game). I will be examining every position for each team and determining, based on a variety of factors, exact point totals for both teams (my techniques are 100% accurate and are thus never wrong).
Pro Football Focus's player grading system is referenced throughout, for more information on how they do their grading please go here. Information on Football Outsider's DVOA metrics can be found here.
Previous Game:
Colts: After a fast start in the opening game at Chicago, the Colts fell apart a bit, committing 5 turnovers on route to a 41-21 beat down in the Windy City. There were periods of good play, and periods of pretty abysmal play, more or less what you'd expect from a team with so many new players, coaches, and schemes on both side of the ball.
Vikings: Having just finished watching the Vikings play the Jags I can inform you that the game was rather uneventful (minus the last 2 minutes). The Jags moved the ball quite well but failed to capitalize on red zone opportunities (1/3 in the red zone). The Jaguars also won the time of possession battle rather handily, 37:49 to 27:05. The Vikings did a good job at the end of each half, scoring a TD just before half time and moving the ball into field goal range on a drive that started with only 20 seconds left to force overtime.
Edge: Vikings
Colts: As seems to be a trend with the Colts in the last several years, already in 2012 the blue and white are battling through injuries at several key positions. Starters Pat Angerer (ILB), Dwight Freeney (OLB), and Joe Reitz (LG) have been ruled out, while WR Austin Collie is doubtful and Winston Justice is questionable. Angerer and Freeney are two of the Colts' best defensive players, their loss is a serious problem; Jerry Hughes will get ample opportunity to prove his solid preseason wasn't a mirage. Already thin along the offensive line, the Colts will struggle to replace Winston Justice if he can't play (it's looking like he will).
Vikings: The Vikings come into this game with a relatively clean bill of health. Backup weakside linebacker Marvin Mitchell is questionable, as is third string WR Jarius Wright. Several players are listed as probable.
Edge: Vikings
Colts: By any measure the Colts secondary was a bit of a disaster last week, giving up 333 yards through the air and allowing Jay Cutler to post a 98.9 QB rating. While it's true that the pass rush was less than stellar for much of the game, both Jerraud Powers and Vontae Davis struggled to slow down the Bears' receivers to any degree whatsoever. The Colts coverage PFF rating of -3.6 puts them at 24th in the NFL for week 1, while their Football Outsiders pass defense DVOA of 36.2% is good for 23rd.
Vontae Davis posted a personal -4.8 PFF overall rating, easily the worst of his career, and gave up a perfect 158.3 passer rating on passes thrown his direction in the process. It's unfair to expect a guy who joined the team a week before the season to have a great game, I anticipate a better game from Davis in this one. Nobody in the secondary played particularly well against Chicago, 3 of the 5 lowest rated Colts' players were in the secondary (Vontae Davis, Tom Zbikowski, and Antoine Bathea). Justin King was actually pretty decent playing at the nickel spot, limiting his matchup to only 2 catches on 4 targets and registering 2 passes defensed.
Vikings: The Vikings put up a +1.3 in pass coverage week one, good for 15th, and 13.1% pass defense DVOA, 16th. When you consider they were playing Blaine Gabbert, easily the worst QB in the NFL last season (yes, worse than Curtis Painter) it's not quite as impressive.
Harrison Smith was solid in pass coverage at the free safety position, but their starting corners, Antoine Winfield and Chris Cook, were both below average. Some easy missed plays by the Jags (including an overthrow to a wide open Blackmon for a TD) helped keep the Vikings at a respectable number, but make no mistake, their secondary was not good on Sunday, allowing the much maligned Gabbert to have the best game of his career (and a 96.1 passer rating).
Edge: Push
Colts: The Colts come into this game down two major pieces of their linebacking corps, Pat Angerer and Dwight Freeney. Angerer has been spelled admirably so far by Jerrell Freeman, a free agent coming in from the Canadian Football League, his -0.2 rating was second best among Colts' defensive players taking more than 25% of snaps, only fellow linebacker Kavell Conner was better. Robert Mathis and Jerry Hughes will look to contribute to the pass rush, but they will both need to improve in the run game if the Colts hope to win the battle against Adrian Peterson. Mathis was solid rushing Jay Cutler in Chicago, but his -1.4 rating stopping the run was worst among the Colts' linebackers in week 1 (Hughes only slightly better at -1.3).
Vikings: Chad Greenway is entering his 6th season with the Vikings and anchors a group of linebackers that were good, if not stellar, in their week 1 game against the Jags. Greenway is a solid linebacker but struggles in pass coverage, his -13 rating in coverage last season was second to last among 4-3 linebackers and he allowed 4 completions on the 5 targets thrown at him in week 1. I expect the Colts to work Fleener in the middle of the field if they can get Greenway matched up on him one-on-one as he was with Mercedes Lewis for much of the game last week.
Erin Henderson was very good last season at stopping the run, 3rd best among 4-3 linebackers in PFFs run stop rating in 2011, but, like Greenway, is not as strong in pass coverage. Jasper Brinkley is the weakest link in this linebacking group, he comes into 2012 as the starter in the middle after not playing at all in 2011 and having started only 4 games in his career since being drafted in the 5th round back in 2009.
Edge: Colts
Defensive Line:
Colts: The defensive line has been a topic of much discussion amongst Colts' faithful this offseason. With no data to really go on from last season, and a complete shift of defensive philosophy (from a 4-3 to a 3-4), it's still very much unknown how this front is going to perform this season. One of the major goals of this new administration was to stop the run, a problem the Colts have had for many years. Through 1 week I'd say the results are less than encouraging. The Colts come in dead last at -12.8 for week 1 in run defense.
Cory Redding was a force in the pass game last week, but was nigh on abysmal in the run game, the Colts' cannot afford a repeat performance with Adrian Peterson coming to town. On the left side, Fili Moala was slightly below average, but not bad. Drake Nevis and Ricardo Mathews were serviceable in limited action stopping the run at the RE and LE spots respectively, but they only played about a 20 snaps each. Antonio Johnson and Martin Tevaseu split snaps at NT, each playing at or around average. The defensive line was not standout in week 1, but neither were they a major cause for concern.
Vikings: If AP is the face of the Minnesota Vikings, their pass rushing madman, Jared Allen, is most certainly the muscle. It's a bit surprising then that Jared Allen was not the star DE for the Vikings in week 1, in fact he was downright bad, no, it was Brian Robison that dominated his matchup in the first week to the tune of 6 QB hurries, 3 QB hits, and a batted pass; if Winston Justice can't play, that's a serious concern on the right side.
8 players took snaps on the line for Minnesota last week, none of which were particularly good in the run game (nor particularly bad), their collective rating of -3.2 was 26th best in the league. Given Allen's history I'd chalk his bad game up as just that, a bad game, I fully expect him to bounce back, hopefully Castonzo brings his best this Sunday.
Edge: Vikings
Offensive Line:
Colts: Speaking of Castonzo, if the Colts want to improve on their dismal 2-14 record from a year ago they will need this offensive line to step up and gel, quickly. While it's true that the line is dealing with some injuries, and the Bears' defense has one of the better pass rushes in the NFL (ask Aaron Rodgers), the Colts allowed Luck to be hurried on 12 of his 45 attempts (though their team rating of -1.1 was dead average). The Vikings had one of the better pass rushes last week (PFF 4th), so it's imperative that the Colts figure out a way to slow down their impressive rushers on the edges. Here's hoping Winston Justice plays, his +1.5 pass block rating was best on the team and infinitely better than the team worst -2.4 Jeff Linkenbach managed in replacing him in the second half (this is not a surprising development if you read my offensive line pass blocking column from last week, Linkenbach is awful).
Samson Satele had a good game blocking for the run, helping to spring Donald Brown on several long rushes up the middle (including his touchdown scamper), but was below average blocking for Andrew Luck (his -1.1 only better than Linkenbach). Seth Olsen was a major concern of mine coming into last week, but as OC Bruce Arians has said in the media this week, he really wasn't that bad (I'm paraphrasing). He played above average last week, posting a positive rating and giving us hope that this week won't be a complete disaster on the interior with Reitz missing his second straight game. Mike McGlynn was also solid on the right side. All in all, the Colts' line wasn't as bad as it may have looked on TV (besides Jeff Linkenbach). Castonzo was perfectly average in every way, though with Julius Peppers lined up across from you that's not a bad day's work (he allowed one hit on Luck and no sacks). He'll have another stiff challenge with the league's sack leader from a year ago keeping him occupied in week 2.
Vikings: The Vikings O-line played pretty well last week against the Jags. Ponder had plenty of time, getting hurried only twice and hit only once (his 2 sacks attributed to the Jags secondary and not the o-line), and Adrian Peterson looked like his old self on route to 84 yards at the clip of 5 per, and 2 TDs. Rookie LT Matt Kalil was taken #4 in the draft for a reason, the guy can play and showed it in week 1. Charlie Johnson (remember him?) anchors the interior of the line. He played okay last week but as long time fans of the Colts we know he is exploitable. With only 1 week of data it's really impossible to know exactly what to expect here, but this Vikings' line is solid, if not spectacular. Without Freeney, the Colts' may struggle getting pressure on Ponder, this is a big opportunity for Jerry Hughes to really make an impression (or shrink under the pressure once again).
Edge: Vikings
Colts: As of this writing it is looking less and less likely that Austin Collie will be playing in this game. I had high hopes for Collie after his training camp and preseason gave strong indications that him and Luck were clicking on the same page straight out of the gate. It's very unfortunate what has happened subsequent to his 4th concussion, the up and down nature of his recovery leaving many of us scratching our heads. Regardless, Reggie Wayne proved last week that he still has plenty left and can carry the team alone if need be. His 135 yards on 9 catches and 18 targets led all receivers in the NFL, simply put he was fantastic and those stats don't even do his performance justice. The Colts will need more of the same (against a much weaker secondary).
Like Collie, T. Y. Hilton has been a favorite target of Luck in the preseason, and, like Collie, he also did not play last week. Hilton has been a full participant in practice and looks to return to the lineup this week, presumably in the slot if Collie doesn't play, with the veteran Avery moving into the #2 position. Kris Adams has also shown promise early and was targeted a couple times by Luck in week 1 (unfortunately, the final of Andrew's three picks came on a pass intended for Adams), it's not impossible that he'll see playing time again.
For me the Colts' passing game this week is all about Coby Fleener. Minnesota's pass coverage is below average at best, and Fleener has years of chemistry with Luck (totaling 82 yards on 6 catches in week 1 against a much better defense), the Vikings' linebackers can't possibly hope to matchup with the 6'6" Fleener, and if Minnesota is forced to bring a safety down to help cover Coby, that should hopefully open things up for Avery and Hilton in the vertical passing game. I'm looking for a big game from Fleener and several shots deep down the field on the outside. Don't sleep on Dwayne Allen either, Luck has had nothing but great things to say about his route running and short yardage burst, it wouldn't surprise me if he sees some looks in the red zone. Donald Brown should see some screens working out of the backfield (Bruce Arians loves his bubble screens as we know), he was set up for a big gainer on a screen last week and just dropped the ball.
Vikings: The Vikings receiving corps is not particularly intimidating on paper (though I suppose neither is the Colts, regardless of how I may feel about them). Percy Harvin is incredibly talented, but so far somewhat unrealized as a #1 (and at 5'11" is not exactly a prototypical #1 WR). He played well in week 1, totaling 84 yards on 6 catches while also rushing for another 20. On the other side is old vet Michael Jenkins, who, at 6'4", is a big target but not particularly worrisome from an athleticism perspective.
Kyle Rudolph, in his second year out of Notre Dame, is quickly becoming the Vikings second best receiving option, he caught 5 passes on 7 targets for 67 yards against the Jags last week, second on the team. At 6'6" and 265 pounds he's a mountain and creates obvious matchup problems for the Colts' smaller linebackers and safeties. He isn't particularly fast, running a 4.68 40 yard dash, but his size should make him a go to target in the red zone.
Edge: Colts
Colts: For the first time in his career Donald Brown has been handed the reins as the Colts' clear #1 RB. Week 1, much like his career up to this point, was a mixed bag. He was stuffed a half dozen times for zero or negative yardage, but had two long runs of 15+ (accounting for 75% of his total yards), making his final total of 48 yards on 9 carries (5.4 YPC) look respectable. Brown is a tough nut to crack, as many of you undoubtedly know already, he can be equal parts exciting and frustrating in any given game, the true definition of boom or bust production.
Having never averaged more than 10 carries per game in his career it's hard to know what he is capable of with consistent touches. Obviously with only 9 carries last week we still know very little about what to expect (hopefully no more drops after costing the Colts an easy first down and potential big play on a short one last week). The Vikings run defense is serviceable, but I anticipate Pagano and Bruce Arians running quite a bit more this week than last (13 rush attempts vs. 45 passes in week 1 is not likely to happen again). Vick Ballard saw 4 attempts for 6 yards, but was not a significant part of the offense.
Vikings: Adrian Peterson, enough said (but of course I shall say more). AP's miraculous return from injury to start this 2012 season has been one of the major storylines of this new year, his rebuilt knee looking good as new as he ran for 84 yards and 2 TDs in limited action against the Jags (17 carries). With the Colts bringing a largely untested and highly suspect run defense to the table, I think we can reasonably expect a heavy dose of Mr. Peterson in this game. The knee is still a bit of an x-factor, but I'd imagine 20+ carries is a good baseline expectation (barring the Colts' getting out to a big lead early, which isn't impossible, however unlikely).
Edge: Vikings
Colts: It's obviously very easy to get caught up in the astronomical expectations that many here in Indy have for the young Andrew Luck, but let's be fair, as brilliant as he may be (photographic memory and all) there are simply things you cannot learn in the film room or on the practice field, game experience can't be taught. Some of the decisions he made last week were probably correct in college (minus the force to Wayne in the end zone), but NFL speed is just something that takes time to adjust to. If Luck is as fast a learner as all his coaches have claimed (and I have no reason to doubt them), I expect him to make the necessary adjustment very quickly.
With injuries at several key positions along the offensive line and in the receiving corps last week, Luck was playing with one arm tied behind his back. With the return of Hilton, and hopefully a full game from Justice (please God, no Jeff Linkenbach), Luck should be feeling a bit better about his prospects here in week 2 against a shaky secondary.
Vikings: Christian Ponder played quite well last week, his QB rating of 105.5 was the best of his career, but his rookie season was noteworthy for the inconsistency he showed as much as it was for the potential he clearly possesses. In 5 games last season Ponder failed to throw for more than 150 yards, and in 3 managed less than 100. He threw for 300 yards or more only once and had a single digit QB rating in his final game of 2011. So will the Colts see the up and down Ponder who have many fans questioning if he can be a franchise QB, or will we get the guy who looked poised and in command leading his team to a come from behind victory in front of the home crowd in week 1? Clearly there's no way to know, but based on his history of up and down games I'm banking on a bit of a regression this week from the mercurial Ponder.
Edge: Colts
The Vikings come out ahead in several key categories (including the all-important injury report), but I have my money on the one position that really matters in the modern NFL, and that's the quarterback. Luck had a rough go in week 1, but still managed to do what few rookies have ever done, posting a 300 yard game in his debut (on the road against a top defense no less). To put that in perspective, the Browns had only one 300 yard passing game in all of the last two years, so yeah, it could be a lot worse. Ponder played well but I expect the Colts' secondary, especially Vontae Davis, to step up and play much much better this week.
If the Colts' can play even just a little better up front on the offensive line (Jeff Linkebach not playing should do that by itself), give Luck time to work the middle of the field against those weak coverage linebackers, and allow some rhythm to develop in the passing game, I think we could see a big offensive output this week.
Colts win a close, high scoring game, 31-28 (book it).
Player of the game: Coby Fleener - 113 yards, 2 TDs.
Week 1 is history and week 2 brings with it the promise of new and exciting possibilities.


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It's finally happening!
On Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013, at roughly 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White will join UFC color-commentator Joe Rogan on Rogan's extremely popular "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) figures including current and ex-fighters such as Josh Barnett, Tito Ortiz, Urijah Faber, UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, former UFC heavyweight champion Bas Rutten and UFC light heavyweight contender Chael Sonnen have appeared on Rogan's podcast; White will join that distinctive list with his highly anticipated appearance.
Rogan has teased that White would come on his show for quite some time now, but the timing never lined up. But with the UFC's head-honcho in Los Angeles to promote UFC 157: "Rousey vs. Carmouche" this Saturday night (Feb. 23, 2013) on pay-per-view (PPV), there was no excuse not to make the podcast happen.
Usually Rogan's podcast lasts up to about three hours; however, White is an extremely busy man so the podcast may be shorter than usual.
The two will unquestionably explore a variety of topics from UFC 157, MMA, performance-enhancing drugs, White's pro-SOPA stance and fight against Internet hackers as well as much, much more.
Watch a live video stream of White's appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast above.

subset: commoncrawl


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QUEENSBURY, N.Y. – A massive, early-morning fire in Queensbury has resulted in the complete loss of two SCA Tissue warehouses.
A fire, originating in one of the warehouses, spread to the second warehouse and has continued to prove difficult for fire-fighters to extinguish.
"The first half of the warehouse was fully involved worked its way into the second half," said Michael Gordon, Fire Chief of West Glens Falls
The contents of the warehouse, a large portion of which is paper-based, have been catching and spreading the flames continually from around 2:30 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
More than ten fire companies worked together from one staging site. They worked from up high and on the ground putting out hot spots popping up from thick clouds of smoke as water poured onto pounds and pounds of paper product.
"It's pretty much just doing a lot of overhauling. We got to get the sides off the building and get the fire out so they can get in and investigate what happened," said Gordon.
Both SCA Tissue warehouses are total losses, according to the fire department. There are, however, no reported injuries, but the fire has been hard to battle.
"We have hoses freezing up, lines freezing up. You have to switch your man power out. Trucks freezing up. Those are major concerns for a major fire like this," said Gordon.
SCA Tissue is a company that develops and produces personal care products, diapers, facial tissues, publication papers and solid-wood products, according to the company website.
The warehouses were being used to store the recycled fiber SCA uses in the manufacturing of towel and tissue products, according to Amy Bellcourt, Vice President of Communications for SCA Tissue.
Bellcourt also said that no SCA employees were on-site and no one was injured in the fire. The fire is not expected to affect production or delivery of products.
341 Northern Blvd., Albany, NY 12204
Telephone: 518.436.4822
Can't find something?
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2014 Young Broadcasting of Albany, Inc. A Media General Company.


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Bus firm vows to beat the vandals (From Daily Echo)
When news happens, text SDE and your photos or videos to 80360. Or contact us by email and phone.
Bus firm vows to beat the vandals
4:00am Thursday 1st May 2014 in News By Michael Carr, Reporter
A HAMPSHIRE bus company has vowed to keep serving a Southampton estate despite one of the buses being attacked by vandals.
A Velvet S1 bus travelling through Lordshill Way had a window shattered after vandals hurled an object through the window which is believed to be brick.
It was fortunate that nobody was on board the single decker which was in service at the time, when the attack happened at 4.10pm on April 28.
The latest attack comes three months after a spate of incidents in Southampton, which saw children as young as seven launch attacks on First buses.
Bosses at Velvet Bus based in Eastleigh were quick to tell customers through social network Twitter about the attack and the bus was taken in for repairs.
'We are |committed to serving the area' Velvet Bus Managing Director Phil Stockley, said: "It is a bus service which is useful for many people as it is used by a lot of elderly and less mobile passengers.
"We are committed to serving the area despite this incident which we are treating as an isolated case."
"The driver was a little shaken up by the attack. It is just fortunate that nobody was on board at the time."
It was the first time a Velvet Bus has been attacked for a year. The last attack happened in Chandler's Ford in 2013, In February the S1 bus was reinstated after a campaign by hundreds of residents in Lordshill signed a petition.
Coxford councillor Don Thomas, said: "After local residents worked so hard to get the bus service reinstated it is sad to see this sort of violence against buses has raised its ugly head."
Comments (5)
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6:13am Thu 1 May 14
skeptik says...
8:09am Thu 1 May 14
Hastagger says...
skeptik wrote:I agree - all you need is one copper on the bus, with a sniper rifle, take the little ****s out when they throw stones. #jobdone.
Modern policing - 'targeted' I think the senior officers like to call it - intelligence led policing - report of crime comes in and is collated by the 'intelligence' people and we get a response - don't we? Perhaps keeping 43 constabularies with armies of chief ranking officers - (Hampshire has 5) whilst the lads and lasses at the front suffer shortages - sounds about right for the bloated establishment.
11:32am Thu 1 May 14
manic75 says...
12:24pm Thu 1 May 14
wwozzer says...
1:24pm Thu 1 May 14
Hastagger says...
manic75 wrote:Fo sho the rozzers know who these scum are. They have probably been dealing with crime involving them and their families for years. Products of the 1960's tower block generations and the 'have it now, no need to work' left wing culture. If there is to be any justice, we need to string these scum to the front of the bus and make them pull it naked along the streets. That will learn the little feckers. #foshizzle #shiznit
Hope it involves a physical beating!
Comments are closed on this article.


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2Justin Bieber's Officially Going to Space… Hopefully For Good
Justin Bieber and his manager Scooter Braun have apparently booked a trip on an upcoming Virgin Atlantic flight to space so that Baby Elvis can achieve his dream of filming a music video there. The cool thing about space that without gravity, you're a lot lighter. The uncool thing about space is that Justin Bieber's coming. Ugh. This kid ruins everything.
Great to hear @justinbieber & @scooterbraun are latest @virgingalactic future astronauts. Congrats, see you up there!
— richardbranson (@richardbranson) June 5, 2013
@richardbranson @scooterbraun @virgingalactic let's shoot a music video in SPACE!! #nextLEVEL
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) June 5, 2013
Yes, Justin, that is indeed VERY next level. The next level of f-cking obnoxiousness. If he doesn't make it back to the spaceship on time, will they just leave him there? Pretty please with a cherry on top?
June 7, 2013 at 6:30 am by Jennifer
2 Responses to "Justin Bieber's Officially Going to Space… Hopefully For Good"
Pathetic how people fall all over themselves with this dumb douche bag. Another thing, what adult male goes by the name Scooter?!
One that should probably just hand over his ballsack now.


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July 8th is Video Games Day. If you are like most parents, you're not going to spend any time encouraging your child to play some video games. It's more likely that you spend time encouraging your child to do anything but play video games. Most people have heard about how bad video games are for kids, but they aren't necessarily bad.
There can actually be some benefits to video game playing, although children should be limited in the amount of time they can spend. Some computer games, too, aren't just fun, but challenging and educational. Some great software games are old classics while others are fairly new, but when you are selective, you'll find some excellent options.


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Really old footage, but some of it is pretty nice stuff.
I'm almost glad I waited to edit it, because it makes it easy to see how everyone (myself included) has progressed since then.
It also made me painfully aware of what I need to do differently when shooting any kind of footage for the purpose of editing into a cohesive skate video.


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Star Trek Into Darkness
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,208
I'm a little cranky because I woke up with nasal swelling for no reason.
What I found interesting in the article was how quickly it wanted to write ST off as 'broken' after one (supposedly) lackluster movie. It's also news to me that STID (significantly) underperformed at the box office (I think it did underperform, and I would concede that a TV series seems even less likely now than before the movie came out. However another movie is pretty much guaranteed).
By contrast... sure, there were people saying "it's broken" as far back as '94 when
came out (I dimly remember one particularly snarky magazine named Sci-Fi Universe seemed to think Trek had essentially ended with 'All Good Things'). However as late as 2004 publications were still saying "it's broken" like this was news.
Maybe they simply forgot they had already been saying it.
I don't think TV seems very likely home for ST at this point. It seems less likely now than just four years ago. Most TV venues would find it too expensive for the size audience it attracts, and I think the golden age of TV has already long passed. A new ST would have to be a guaranteed success like TNG was, only this time hit the ground running. The major networks give you only four episodes now.
On the flip side, I don't think Paramount would saturate ST again. First of all I don't believe they would get the chance to. But I also think they would have learned something after last time.
The "B&B killed ST" narrative doesn't work for me either because Braga wasn't even a show runner until I think ST's last six seasons. Piller, Taylor and others would've had just as much a hand in its decline. However it did decline, this is not an elaborate fiction. The audience dwindled to roughly a tenth of its former size (I don't have that graph in front of me at the moment) and that's what happened. And they didn't 'kill' it, but they didn't electrify it either.
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PLATTSBURGH — A suppression hearing and tentative trial date have been scheduled for a man charged with killing a jogger while allegedly driving drunk in May 2013.
Ronald R. Trombly, 85, of Mooers faces felony charges of second-degree manslaughter, second-degree vehicular manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, misdemeanor charges of third-degree assault and driving while intoxicated and two violations for failure to use due care to avoid a pedestrian.
His vehicle struck Ashley A. Poissant, 27, of Champlain on May 20 as she and friends were jogging at dusk on Perry's Mills Road in the Town of Champlain. Poissant succumbed to her injuries the next day.
Clinton County Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Evanovich said a suppression hearing has been scheduled for Clinton County Court at 9:30 a.m. Friday, April 25.
Evanovich expects the defense to challenge as inadmissible statements that Trombly made the night of the accident, as well as a blood sample collected to determine his blood-alcohol level.
According to the case file, a blood sample obtained at CVPH Medical Center about 90 minutes after the accident showed Trombly's blood alcohol content was .12 percent.
A blood-alcohol content higher than .08 percent results in a driving-while-intoxicated charge.
A Clinton County grand jury didn't indict Trombly on any charges last July.
Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie successfully petitioned to resubmit the case to a grand jury, and Trombly was indicted on all of the original charges Nov. 15.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges on Nov. 19.
In January, Trombly rejected a plea offer that would have required him to plead guilty to manslaughter and misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. That would have left him facing three to nine years in state prison and up to $6,000 in fines, as well as state surcharges and fees.
A tentative date for trial by jury before County Court Judge Kevin Ryan has been set for May 12, dependent on Ryan's court calendar.


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Investing.com - Natural gas futures dropped on Monday after updated weather-forecasting models continued to call for a thawing trend to settle in over much of the U.S. through the third week of February.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, natural gas futures for delivery in March traded at USD4.586 per million British thermal units during U.S. trading, down 3.96%. The commodity hit session high of USD4.785 and a low of USD4.568.
The March contract settled down 3.16% on Friday to end at USD4.775 per million British thermal units.
Natural gas futures were likely to find support at USD4.205 per million British thermal units, the low from Jan. 19, and resistance at USD5.734, Wednesday''s high.
Weather forecasting services called for moderating temperatures to settle in over the eastern half of the country during the next two weeks, which should curb demand for commodity at the nation''s thermal power plants.
Mild temperatures this time of year prompt homes and businesses to cut back on their heating.
MDA Weather Services said it expects a "more aggressive warm up" in the Midwest by late next week, while a "more substantial warmth" will build over the central U.S. in its 11-to-15-day forecast.
Reports that pockets of the central and eastern U.S. could see above-normal temperatures fueled the selloff as well.
Meanwhile, U.S. supply levels also remained in focus. Total U.S. natural gas storage fell by 262 billion cubic feet last week to 1.923 trillion cubic feet, approximately 22% below the five-year average for this time of year and nearly 29% below last year's unusually high level.
Natural-gas inventories have fallen sharply since November as frigid winter temperatures in the U.S. led households to burn a higher than normal amount of the fuel in furnaces to heat their homes.
Data from the Commodities Futures Trading Commission released Friday showed that hedge funds and money managers reduced their bullish bets in natural gas futures in the week ending Feb. 4.
Net longs totaled 151,338 contracts, down 11.5% from net longs of 171,029 in the previous week.
Elsewhere on the NYMEX, light sweet crude oil futures for delivery in March were up 0.38% and trading at USD100.26 a barrel, while heating oil for March delivery were down 1.44% and trading at USD3.0065 per gallon.


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Struggling smartphone maker BlackBerry continued its surprising stock rally on Wednesday, bringing it up over 26% over the last three days of trading even as other phone makers and the rest of the market remain flat. BlackBerry's rise comes as it refocuses on its core customers in business and government, and promises to return to its physical keyboard roots.
BlackBerry's biggest leap came on Tuesday after the Martin Luther King Jr. markets holiday, when shares rose nearly 10%. The movement came after the US Department of Defense said BlackBerry smartphones would be the primary device supported on its new secure network. 80,000 BlackBerrys will start to be hooked up to the DOD's system by the end of January, while less than 2,000 phones and tablets will come from BlackBerry rivals Apple Apple and Google Google.
The news shows BlackBerry may be able to retain its main category of customers in business and government, where the company's devices originally caught on. New CEO John Chen has made refocusing BlackBerry on those core users a large part of his strategy. He has also pledged to predominantly produce devices with the signature physical keyboard going forward. While most smartphones from Apple, Google, and Microsoft Microsoft have moved toward touch screens and one or no physical buttons at all, many customers especially those in the C-suite and in D.C. still revere their keyboards.
BlackBerry also announced on Wednesday that it is selling the majority of its real-estate holdings in its home country of Canada (more than 3 million square feet), raising questions about whether it will move its headquarters elsewhere.
Read also:
The Pentagon Just Saved BlackBerry From Total Oblivion (Businessweek)
Blackberry stock surges on 80000 unit "government bailout", Android still ... (Phandroid.com)
BlackBerry Jumps After Protecting Turf in Defense Agency (Bloomberg)
Explore: 126 additional articles.


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IMPERIAL COUNTY - Humans aren't the only ones being affected by the heat wave in the desert southwest, our pets are just as exposed to the dangers as we are.
Like the rest of the desert southwest, Imperial Valley is under an excessive heat warning until Friday night. Chances are, the weekend will also be a bit warm.
Like us, our pets are just as vulnerable to dehydration or even heat stroke from the extreme temperatures.
More and more animals are showing up at the Imperial Valley Humane Society during these hot summer days. Mal-nurtured, dehydrated or simply abandoned, the animals face an uphill battle to full recovery.
Between the economy and the heat, the humane society has seen plenty of animals come in bad shape. With so many families going away for the summer, elsewhere, Imperial Valley pets are sometimes left without water, food or someone to watch them.
The humane society does what it can to help get the animals back on their feet, but according to IVHS Manager, Devon Apodoca, all this can be avoided if pet owners followed a couple of simple tips.
"The best thing to do during the summer is to keep animals indoors, but I know that that's not realistic for everybody", says Apodoca. "Always make sure you have fresh food, water and plenty of shade".
One of the biggest tips that Devon preached was not leaving pets in the car in the heat. The temperature rises in the car and could cause animals to quickly dehydrate or if left inside a long time, die.
Devon enjoys what he does. He says that he is gracious to be there when animals are in need, "It makes me feel really good to know that I can be the voice for those that don't have a voice."
Sign up here to receive breaking news stories from KSWT.com and morning updates to your email inbox.


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*** CONNECTING TO Adhoc WiFi WITH THE NEXUS 7 ***
Hi all,
The following query I've posted both in the android central, as well as in the xda developers forums, and still not much progress has been made, so I thought I'd try this here, maybe my fellow vergians would know something about this issue.
I have the one of those phones (the superb Nokia N9) that can work as a hotspot, but it only supports Wi.Fi adhoc (not wifi-direct/infraestructure). And I have a Nexus 7 that I want to tether to this phone.
Unfortunately, Android, as an OS, by design does not support connection to any adhoc hotspot out of the box, you have to first root and unlock your tablet (which I've successfully done), and then do some tweaking.
Problem is that all the different 'wpa_supplicant' files that I have tried in my several attempts don't seem to do the trick with the Nexus 7 (since they were tweaked for devices prior to this new tablet) and I was wondering if any of you guys has managed to have the Nexus 7 be able to sniff and connect to an adhoc wifi hotspot (i.e. the nexus 7 accessing the Internet using the 3G connection of your phone). If you can direct me to any webpage that specifically describes the procedure for the Nexus 7, I would be extremely grateful.
In advance, MANY thanks for any insight you can provide.


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"We have a governor who's vetoed measures like increasing our minimum wage and restoring the earned income tax cut."
Says in January 1992, George H. W. Bush "probably had a 90 percent or even higher approval rating after the first Gulf War."
Says Congressmen Paul Ryan and Todd Akin co-sponsored legislation "to limit federal funding for abortion to victims of 'forcible rape.'"
"If you're earning under $100,000 a year and you commute to New York every day you pay more to the Port Authority in tolls than you pay to the state of New Jersey in income tax."
"Many of the top officials at the Port Authority earn more money than the governors of the states that have jurisdiction over them."
"While (Chris Christie) talks about job creation, we don't see jobs being created in this state."
"Governor Christie also remains the only Governor since World War II, among both Democrats and Republicans, who failed to have his party win control of at least one legislative body over the course of his term."
Says Gov. Chris Christie has "now come up with a new agenda" for ethics reform in September 2011.
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KHS-Down In the Desert by Travis Fant
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KHS-Down In the Desert by Travis Fant
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omiio.org is dedicated to fostering open source growth for mobile applications software development on TI's OMAP™ platform.
Through omiio.org, you can collaborate, share and grow open source hardware and software.
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Universal Automatic
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Reader comments are listed below. Comments are currently closed and new comments are no longer being accepted.
The Economist's assessment that the negotiations in Doha did little is fair. Out of the limelight, however, there was much work preparing the way for deal that must eventually be done.
Saying 'We've failed to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases let's focus on adaptation' doesn't recognize the quantity of hydrocarbons on the planet is sufficient to increase average temperatures by way more than the 4C increase which the world is now heading for and which the World Bank rightly notes will be horrific – see its 'Turn Down the Heat' report.
A key part of the problem is feedbacks which cause the natural system to release more greenhouse gases as it warms thus causing further warming. So reducing greenhouse gas emissions becomes more important as temperatures increase.
That is not to say we do not need to spend substantial amounts adapting to the climate change which is now inevitable.
The lack of progress is due to Europe struggling economically, the US playing fiscal cliff-walking, the Middle East having multiple conflicts and the new Chinese Leadership not being ready to address international climate change politics. Let us hope that from this 'low point' the process picks up momentum making a deal possible by the Paris COP in 2015.
Robert Gibson
Hong Kong
Interesting all these Climate negotiations are conducted in nice warm beachfront venues like, Doha, Durban and Cancun. So that the taxpayers funded delegations and NGO can have a nice free winter vacation and prod people in cold countries like Canada, Finland, Siberia etc to cut back on heating, driving and growing food in greenhouses "to protect the planet". Not only that they should pay ransom to the corrupt UN and despots of the third world countries for been guilty of being more advanced economically.
The whole man made climate change is a fraud. In less than 50 years people will shake their head when reading how advanced civilization was fooled by fraudsters posing as scientists to kneecap itself to set its economy back to fight an a harmless gas needed for growth of vegetation naming it as dangerous pollutant.
Climate has changed from warming to cooling and back many times over the existence of this planet before the first human set its foot on its soil. The latest warming period started about 15000 years ago ending the ice age melting mile high snow and ice glaciers and this process is still going on.
If the society is serious about climate change it should accept it as a fact that it cannot do anything about it and instead spend its resources to find ways to mitigate the problem that changing climate causes
Kyoto is dead. Thank you.
Human sense has finally triumphed with a majority of the world population.
By 2015 there will be some elections - let`s see what happens 2015.
Fighting climate change is a personal choice. Individual consumption is roughly 20 of the reason for climate change. Every action we make effects the world. But more radically, we need to go more local to reduce pollution. This will require more developed additive manufacturing devices and new copyright laws to facilitate this rapid transition of society.
Thanks for the explanation of what went on in Doha.
The very modest expectations of this process confirm that diplomacy in this area is following societal pressures, whereas it should be taking the science to heart and leading the transition to a post-fossil fuel world. That isn't going to change.
Still these talks may prove important in the future. Renewable technology is getting better and cheaper at a rapid rate, and it becomes ever more attractive to have that technology in ones country. For fuel-importing countries especially, implementing renewable energy capacity simply makes increasing sense, economically. And as global warming and sea level rise continue, more people are understanding that we have a problem.
Quite possibly, those pressures will lead to great shifts in policy, perhaps shedding a few unwilling nations with vested interests and/or vocal lobby groups.
It's just a flesh wound!
This parrot's not dead, e's just sleeping!
While English humour is wonderful, such as the aforecited Monty Python humour in The Economist is better when it is more subtle. It is really time The Economist abandoned the farcical idea that the UN negotiations on climate are leading somewhere.
After Copenhagen the UN Climate Process effectively ended. There will be no agreement from within a UN framework from China and the US. That is the end.
A G20 led group may have some chance to create some kind of agreed on taxation scheme and technology sharing agreement. Perhaps measures could be agree for mitigation.
Roger Pielke's 'Iron Law of Climate' - that people will not accept emissions reductions measures that reduce wealth needs to be accepted and used as the basis for negotiations.
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An 81-year-old man has died after getting hit by a car in Waupaca County.
It happened just after 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Waupaca County Sheriff's Office.
The man, from rural Waupaca, was crossing the street on County Highway Q, west of County Highway QQ in the Township of Farmington. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the vehicle, a 41-year-old rural Waupaca woman, was treated for minor injuries at the hospital and released, officials said.
The names of those involved have not been released yet.


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MOVIES: Where did all the good (clean) comedies go?
Phil Boatwright
Posted on May 2, 2012
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KANSAS CITY, Kan. (BP) -- A few weeks ago I had to attend the screening of "21 Jump Street," a loose adaptation of the 1980s TV series, with R-rated "comic" material used to update the story. I knew what I was in for, but I had nothing else to write up for my outlets that week.
Sure enough, I again was amazed at the amounts of crudity today's audiences will endure for the sake of entertainment. As I began to write about the film, I couldn't remember one humorous remark or sight gag that didn't rely upon vulgarity. I just don't get why so many comedies from this past decade depend on "bodily mud" to get laughs. And why do moviegoers keep laughing at the same riffs in film after film concerning regurgitation, diarrhea or adolescent descriptions of sexual acts?
Before we get into this, I assure you my intent is not to sound as pompous as the George Sanders character Addison DeWitt in "All About Eve" when he proclaimed, "I am a critic and commentator, I am essential to the theater." Nor do I wish to come across as prickly as Clifton Webb's snooty columnist Waldo Lydecker in "Laura" as he mused, "I don't use a pen, I write with a goose quill dipped in venom." I'm merely frustrated and seek understanding as to what passes as amusement in this era.
Hollywood always has aimed at our baser instincts -- because we all have them and baser instincts are easier to satisfy than those of a more spiritual value. But there was a regulation during Hollywood's golden years known as the Production Code. Filmmakers, governed by this regulated code of decency and their own instinctive ethic, were careful not to exploit or tear down social values. Since the demise of the code during the late 1960s, Hollywood has slowly simmered society in a stew of moral ambiguity, excusing their offenses with, "Hey, it's only a movie." And, too often, we Christians have adjusted ourselves like everyone else to the same numbing content found in countless movies.
During this decade, we haven't seen a great deal of satire or parody that relies on wit rather than perversity. It's a more irreverent time and filmmakers and many filmgoers seem content with shock value ("I can't believe I just saw that."). For instance, in the 2010 dark comedy "Death at a Funeral," a scene graphically depicts an elderly man suffering from a severe case of diarrhea. As gross as that sounds, a pretty, stylish-looking young woman sitting behind me laughed at the moment with the intensity of one who has just heard Abbott & Costello's "Who's On First." From what I'm told, last year's "Bridesmaids" takes the nauseating results of food poisoning even further.
Hollywood is not so much a city as a state of mind, one that has been christened with many pseudonyms implying dysfunction. Its inhabitants simply supply what audiences demand -- or at least accept. In other words, moviegoers are just as guilty for the condition of the culture as the makers of movies.
Mike Myers, Ben Stiller, Jason Segel, Will Ferrell, Chris Rock, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogan and the rest of today's funnymen have built their comedy and reputations on bawdy burlesque. Most of these irreverent comic actors are not content with just bathroom humor, but insist on spending much of their screen time in the sewer. As for filmgoers, they sit in a theater watching and listening to bodily functions as if that's the only venue from which laughs can be mined.
Movies over the years have reflected changes in the society, but they also have influenced those changes, often proving the adage "Not all change is progress." So, I ask, do lewd and crude in the movies have little effect on how we conduct ourselves socially? Look around.
The most endearing films, like Bible parables, nourish the spirit as well as entertain. I maintain that if the Hollywood's cinematic art form is to better the culture and the society, it needs to aim up, not just placate our baser instincts.
"Garbage-in/garbage-out" may seem a strident declaration, but we moviegoers are bombarded by a great deal of media influence, much of which doesn't feed the soul. Romans 12:2 makes it clear that we are not to be governed by the world's standard. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." You might keep that in mind when attending any new movie. Just don't expect Hollywood to.
So, are there any great comedy movies out there? Sure. In the list below, I've selected comic movies from different decades, each receiving critical acclaim.
-- "What's Up Doc?" (1972, rated G). Barbara Streisand, Ryan O'Neal. Very enjoyable comedy set in San Francisco. This is a good example of witty writing. I've run this one past younger viewers, so it isn't just this old guy who thinks it's funny. Indeed, these movies have been tried before a jury of your peers. And, you'll be glad to know, it's in color.
-- "His Girl Friday" (1940, not rated). She's a reporter wanting to get married and leave the newspaper business. He's her editor and ex-husband who has no intention of letting a good reporter get away. Not enough good can be said about this four-star comedy. Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell and a superb supporting cast battle it out in this clash between the sexes where no one loses.
-- "The Party" (1968, not rated). Peter Sellers, who played Inspector Clouseau in the original "Pink Panther" movies, stars as a good-hearted bumbler who accidentally destroys a movie set, and then manages to do the same to a fancy party given by the film's producer. There are a few risqué moments, but it is pretty tame by today's standards. The visual gags are, well I think they are hysterical. I chose this film and the other comedies in this article to make a point not all humor comes from bodily functions (a trend in many of today's comedies). In color, rot rated.
-- "The Great Race" (1965, G). This is a comic spoof of old-time melodramas, with Jack Lemmon very funny as the dastardly Professor Fate, Tony Curtis stalwart as the Great Leslie, and Natalie Wood luminous as a suffragette. I think this film has some of the greatest sight gags of all time, plus a great sword fight between Leslie and the villainous Ross Martin. It also has the pie fight to end all pie fights. Most critics only give it two and a half stars. What can I say, my colleagues were wrong. In color.
-- "Marley & Me" (2008, PG for some language and rude humor). This romantic comedy/drama, based on the true-life adventures of columnist John Grogan, centers around an unruly yellow Labrador who manages to dominate a newlywed couple's lifestyle. It's a smart movie about people finding their way. It's a film about love, responsibility, a pro-marriage, pro-life film that moves from comedy to drama with the ease of giving Lassie a command.
-- "Tangled" (2010, PG). Disney's retooling of the "Rapunzel" fairytale is classic. Where the studio's 2009 Animated Oscar winner, "UP," brilliantly touched the heartstrings as well as the funnybone, Tangled brings back the charm, excitement and coziness of "Cinderella" and "Sleeping Beauty." (PG)
-- "Despicable Me" (2010, PG). The no-good-nic super-genius Mr. Gru is a mix of The Addams Family's Uncle Fester and Mike Myers' Dr. Evil. The comic story, the witty dialogue, and the pitch-perfect voice characterizations hold the attention of not just little ones, but their accompanying older companions as well.
-- "UP" (2009, PG). This animated treasure begins with two children discovering that they are soulmates and wannabe explorers. Spring ahead, they marry and share a wonderful life. But before they can go off to explore, life gets in the way. As in real life, the couple has their share of troubles. We see their joy at learning they will have a baby, only to lose the child at birth. Later, after a full life, the woman passes on and the old man un-expectantly has another exciting chapter added to his story. Though there are tearful moments, they are adroitly handled, giving the story and characterizations depth and feeling. There's great wit and heart in this production that's the type of film that enriches little ones as well as accompanying loved ones.
-- "The Incredibles" (2004, PG). This hilarious, action-packed, animated adventure has a put-upon superhero family now denying their superpowers and living under a government protection plan. Taking on grownup themes such as the suspicion of infidelity and a barrage of violent do-or-die histrionics, Pixar Animation Studios and filmmaker Brad Bird incorporate cartoonish slapstick with thoughtful PG-rated wit.
-- "Hoodwinked" (2005, PG). It's the story of Little Red Riding Hood, with several of the main characters giving various accounts to the police -- kind of a "Rashomon" for kids, if you will. Witty, song-filled, it is a funny film parents will enjoy with the little ones.
-- "New in Town" (2009, PG for some language and suggestive material). An ambitious Miami businesswoman is transferred to rural Minnesota, a real-life town named New Ulm, and while she is there she re-evaluates her big-city values. She's there to cut jobs. But after adjusting to Midwestern sensibilities (not to mention the unearthly cold of a Minnesota winter), and a few comic situations, Lucy Hill (Renee Zellweger) discovers greater meaning in life, as well as the man of her dreams.
Phil Boatwright reviews films from a Christian perspective for Baptist Press and is the author of "Movies: The Good, The Bad, and the Really, Really Bad," available on Amazon.com. He also writes about Hollywood for previewonline.org and moviereporter.com. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).
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Full CoverageBreaking News
Police searching for Pearlridge kidnapping suspectsUPDATED 6:38 PM HST Nov 21, 2013
Honolulu police are searching for two suspects after a young girl says she was kidnapped outside of the Pearlridge Shopping Center.Video Transcript
Tonight police are searching for two suspects after a young girl says she was kidnapped outside of the Pearlridge Shopping Center. KITV4's Andrew Pereira joins us with new information tonight. ANdrew? Paula, police say the young girl was able to escape. She provided police a detailed description of each suspect. It's Monday evening at about 6:45 and two men apparently have more in mind than shopping at Pearlridge. Police say a young girl was walking through the covered parking area near Macy's when the two men grabbed her and shoved her into the back seat of a four-door vehicle. SGT. KIM BUFFETT: "SHE WAS RIDING IN THE CAR AND OBVIOUSLY HAD A CONFRONTATION WITH THEM, SO SHE DID GET A GOOD LOOK AT THEM." That good look resulted in these two sketches. One suspect is described as 20 to 30 years old, 5'2'' to 5'4'' inches tall with a slim build and short, black hair. He also had slight hair on his chin and was wearing a black T-shirt with a white Billabong logo. The second suspect is also 20 to 30 years old, again 5'2'' to 5'4'' inches tall with short, black hair and a slim, muscular build. He had a thick goatee and beard, and was wearing a white tank top and green and dark colored plaid board shorts. The girl says the men then drove her to the bicycle path near the Homeworld Furniture store across the street from the Pearlridge Shopping Center. ANDREW PEREIRA: "THIS BIKE PATH IS BLOCKED OFF ON EITHER SIDE BY METAL POLLS, WHICH MEANS THE SUSPECTS COULD NOT LEAVE THIS AREA IN THEIR VEHICLE. ONCE HERE, THE VICTIM TOLD POLICE SHE WAS ABLE TO BREAK FREE FROM HER CAPTORS." SGT. KIM BUFFETT: "SHE CALLED HER MOM WHO CALLED THE POLICE AND HELPED HER. WE CAN'T SPECULATE WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO WITH HER, WE'RE JUST GLAD SHE WAS ABLE TO FIGHT THEM OFF AND GET AWAY." A homeless man who lives on the bike path didn't notice anything unusual Monday evening, and a review of security cameras at Homeworld did not turn up any evidence. Barbara Souki and Davelyn Silva often use the buddy system when they go shopping. BARBARA SOUKI: "DEFINITELY FRIGHTENING KNOWING THAT I SHOULDN'T BE AT THE MALL BY MYSELF, OR IF I DO COME TO THE MALL, COME WITH A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBERS." DAVELYN SILVA: "I MEAN IT'S JUST YOUR FOCUS AND BEING AWARE YOU KNOW, JUST KEEPING UP ON THE NOW OF WHAT'S GOING ON." Police are reviewing surveillance cameras at Pearlridge to see if they can spot the two men. Security at the mall is tight, and anyone can be escorted to their vehicle if they ask a security guard. BARBARA SOUKI: "I THINK THAT'S GREAT FOR SAFETY, FOR EVERYONE HERE AT THE MALL, CAUSE IT IS DARK AT NIGHT AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHO'S HIDING BEHIND ANYWHERE, A CORNER OR A CAR." The girl suffered minor injuries during her struggle with the two men. At this point, police don't have any reason to doubt the girl's story. Her age is NOT being released because she's a minor.
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The route is characterized by steep, pumpy climbing through great holds. Start on pocketed wall, swing through big huecos to some crimpers at the first bolt. Bust a few big moves off of good holds through the middle of the route and hold on to fight the pump to the anchor.
The route is the furthest right of the two bolted lines. The start is directly in front of a massive Oak Tree. Lower off.
3 bolts -- 55 feet. Bolted anchor with rap rings.


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May have an opportunity to move to Hawaii for several months and I was wondering if anyone has been climbing in Maui? I looked thru MP and Summit post and there isn't much info. It seems like maybe it's just undeveloped, not that there's a lack of climbing. Any personal experience?
I have scoped out some stuff and done some stuff over on the south side. I have some photos that I have taken as well. My only issue is the ocean here is WORLD CLASS. The climbing is NOT. There is another guy on MP that is interested also. Maybe we can hook up when you get over here. There's a thread in the other sports section about climbing on Maui. Aloha, Olaf
Olaf thanks I'd love to go explore the island if I make it. Right now it's about an 80% chance. I'm have my open water scuba so I'd love to hook up and dive if you dive? I will keep in touch and PM you in the next month when I know for sure.
I'm in Maui right now for work. I brought my climbing shoes with the idea I could do some bouldering but the reality is that the ocean is much more alluring. I got myself a surfboard. I'm open water certified, too, so I've been thinking about going diving also. It looks as if there may be some climbable stuff here, but I haven't checked it out.
There is not really any established climbing on Maui, sorry. We have some on Oahu though, come here instead.


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Along with a combination of daily vitamins and minerals, Mens 30 Plus Multi contains phytosterols, lycopene, pumpkin seed extract, Pygeum africanum and stinging nettle to support prostate and urinary tract health. Adaptogenic ashwaghanda and astragalus help your body cope with stress, while antioxidant blueberry, and curcumin promote healthy aging.
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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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Explores the impact of social and political change on China's provinces during the reform era. Offering an in-depth comparative anaysis of a number of major provinces, it challenges generalizations over the nature of change in China more...
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Safety Engineers Launch New 'Salute Your Safety Professional' Initiative
ASSE President Darryl C. Hill, Ph.D., CSP, this week kicked off ASSE's new 'Salute Your Safety Professional' initiative by sending letters to top corporations giving them an opportunity to recognize their occupational safety, health and environmental professionals or teams for the good job that they do preventing injuries, illnesses and protecting and contributing positively to the bottom line. To do so, a company or organization can simply go to http://www.asse.org/newsroom/naosh11/whatisoshp.php to fill in an electronic form or print out a form that can be faxed to ASSE's public relations department at 847.296.9220 attention Diane Hurns.
Those names and teams submitted will be highlighted on ASSE's OSHP Day web page and in materials distributed to its 34,000 ASSE members, corporations, North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week partners, OSHA Alliance partners, the DOT's Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership group, and in Washington, D.C., during the May 2 NAOSH kick-off events as well as at the annual ASSE Professional Development Conference (PDC) and Expo in Chicago June 12-15.
Please go to www.asse.org/newsroom, www.asse.org/naosh11 or www.asse.org/newsroom/naosh11whatisoshp.php for more information and to participate.


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How to Change Your Car's Oil
Not everyone can do their own car repairs, but some routine maintenance is perfectly easy for anyone. Changing your oil is one of the easiest things you can do yourself—whether you want to save money or do it just to practice self-reliance. Here's how to do it. »


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- Minister has overseen three major scandals in the last year: Boeing-gate, CAR-gate and Gupta-gate;
- The Defence department claims to be underfunded, but then effectively hides R4.6 billion in the Special Defence Account;
- Expenditure on "personnel" has ballooned to 50% of the Defence budget but many of them are surplus to the needs of the Defence Force; we have to find a way to increase the operating budget and allocate resources to the "sharp end" of the Defence Force;
- The Defence Review needs to be finalised ASAP for if the Defence Review does not succeed, the Defence Force will not succeed;
- The SANDF were deployed to Gemena in the Democratic Republic of Congo without Parliament being informed despite assurances from the Defence Department that this was not the case.
Some months ago, after completing a cabinet-level performance assessment, President Jacob Zuma, or "No. 1" as he seems to be known within the state, decided to push "eject".
With the push of a button, former Defence Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu was catapulted from her ultra-luxury Gulfstream executive jet, tumbling down 35 000 foot, and landing in a dump, called "DPSA".
Since then, the Minister has been spotted, on British Airways, picking at her "Woolies" meals, probably desperately missing her favorite Gulfstream executive jet.
But, truth be told the Minister seems to be settling in rather well, in her new role, monitoring tardiness and name-dropping in the "capable state".
The same, of course, cannot be said for the new Defence Minister who seems to be stumbling from one scandal to another.
First, we had "Boeing-gate".
Then, we had "CAR-gate".
Now, we have "Gupta-gate".
The Minister must realise that at this rate she is in danger of being re-christened: "Minister-gate".
There are, unsurprisingly, rumours in the corridors of power that the President is losing patience with the Minister, and that his finger is once again, hovering above the "eject" button.
One suspects, that if there is one more Defence scandal, the President will push the "eject" button, and catapult the Minister back to Correctional Services, where she can do less damage.
Yesterday, we debated "Guptagate" without the benefit of a copy of the final report of the investigation.
The report was deliberately and cynically released in the middle of the debate in order to "disarm" the opposition in Parliament.
The report, frankly, makes for scary reading.
The President is, evidently, not in control of his ministers. And, his ministers are, evidently, not in control of officials.
When the President say's "jump", his ministers, evidently, do not even listen.
Now, we were told that the Minister turned down a request from the Gupta family to use AFB Waterkloof.
This appears not to be true.
It was the Minister's senior adviser – who had been contacted separately by a different person – who in fact turned down the request.
The Minister seems to have, for a period at least, seriously considered the request.
The Minister knew the Guptas had their eye on AFB Waterkloof.
Had she issued a clear instruction to the Defence department, Jet Airways JAI9900 would never have landed in AFB Waterkloof, and there would have been no "Guptagate" scandal.
The Minister was clearly negligent.
We therefore hope that one day soon the Public Protector, Advocate Thuli Madonsela, will be knocking on the Minister's door to begin an independent investigation into "Guptagate".
The Chief of the Defence Force, General "Solly" Shoke, has not been given an opportunity to brief the Joint Standing Committee on Defence on the "combat readiness" of the Defence Force.
We therefore know very little about the state of the Defence Force.
However, everything we do know suggests that the Defence Force is in deep trouble.
This was nowhere better illustrated than by the tragedy in the Central African Republic (CAR).
The Force Commander, Colonel William Dixon, is justifiably proud of our soldiers.
Because our soldiers fought well when the fighting began, surviving according to the terrible logic of battle, which is: kill or be killed.
But, the fact is our soldiers were left dangling, with both hands tied behind their backs, in a deadly firefight, which cost 14 young soldiers, from the elite 1 Parachute Battalion, their lives.
The SANDF was somehow drawn into a battle it could not supply.
And, the limits of the SANDF's capabilities were on display for everyone to see in the CAR.
We know that the Defence department tends to reduce its problems to a single cause: a shrinking defence budget.
So, it is appropriate that we are here today to debate the R40 billion appropriation for Defence and Military Veterans for the 2013/14 Financial Year.
The Defence budget will marginally increase over the next three years from R40 billion to R45 billion.
This contrasts with the global trend where finance ministers, when it comes to defence spending, are not bothering with haircuts, but are wielding meat axes and slashing defence spending.
Desperate to increase revenue, the Italian Navy, for example, has gone into business and has hired a brand manager and has launched a new energy drink, called "Forza Blu".
Thankfully, things are bad, but not that bad.
The Defence department also tends to reduce the solution to all its problems to an increase in the Defence budget.
The Defence department legitimately argues that the Defence budget has been reduced to levels where the Defence Force's ability to effectively conduct military operations is being compromised.
The truth is that the Defence Force's operating budget has been stripped to the bone, and this has caused major "capability gaps".
We all now know that twelve state-of-the-art Gripen fighter jets have been vacuum packed, rather like frozen chickens, and placed in long-term storage, because of budget cuts.
The Defence Force is "caught" in a terrible "fix" which put simply is this: the demand for force employment is going up and the Defence Force's operating budget is going down.
However, the Defence department, frustratingly, does not seem able to help itself by making a credible argument concerning the defence budget.
We are faced with tired old arguments about the defence budget: defence spending, we are told, should be "pegged" at two percent of the GDP.
This, we are told, is what international financial institutions recommend. Well, that is simply not true: what international financial institutions recommend, for developing countries, is that defence spending should not exceed two percent of the GDP.
Then, we are faced with lazy arguments about the defence budget: incredibly, almost nobody in the defence department seems to know exactly by how much the defence budget would have to be increased, if the defence budget was "pegged" at two percent of the GDP.
Well, the answer to that question, for those of you who are interested, is about R30 billion.
Then, we are faced with dishonest arguments about the defence budget: what the Defence department have not disclosed is that there is a surplus of R4.6 billion – yes, R4.6 billion – which has been "warehoused" in the secret Special Defence Account.
The Defence department claims to be underfunded, but then effectively hides R4.6 billion in the Special Defence Account.
The Defence department, it seems to me, is carrying a begging bowl in one hand, and R4.6 billion in the other hand.
The Defence department also seems reluctant to face the fact that expenditure on "personnel" has ballooned and now exceeds 50 percent of the total defence budget.
More than R3 billion has been "shifted" since the 2010/11 financial year to increase remuneration of personnel, many of whom are surplus to the needs of the Defence Force.
The fact is that the Defence Force is a top-heavy, mushroom-shaped monster.
In 2011, for example, we had 19 admirals in the South African Navy, but only 17 ships, many of them alongside.
To twist the words in a famous note penned by a former United States' defence secretary:
"It is hard to imagine how a collection of such talented, intelligent, honourable, dedicated, patriotic people, who care about the security of South Africa, and the men and women in the armed forces, could have combined to produce such a mess."
We cannot go on like this.
We have to find a way to increase the operating budget and allocate resources to the "sharp end" of the Defence Force.
Because we have to ensure that our soldiers are never again left dangling, without the necessary support, and without the necessary equipment, as they were in the CAR.
This is imperative, not least because the SANDF are about to begin a very high- risk mission, under the auspices of the United Nations, conducting "offensive operations", against rebel groups in the eastern DRC.
The last best hope is the Defence Review. That is why we need the Defence Review to be finalised, "ASAP". In the end, if the Defence Review does not succeed, the Defence Force will not succeed.
Now, it goes without saying that in a democracy such as ours, the Commander-in-Chief, President Zuma, and the Defence Force, must comply with the Constitution.
We all know that the President has an obligation to inform Parliament "promptly and in appropriate detail" about any deployment of the SANDF.
We are all by now familiar with the controversy concerning the deployment of the SANDF in the CAR.
We were told that the SANDF were being deployed to provide training to the defence force in the CAR.
We were not told that the SANDF were being deployed to the CAR to provide "force protection".
And, we were certainly not told that the SANDF were being deployed to the CAR to keep rebel forces out of Bangui.
But, the situation is much worse because there is much more we were not told.
We heard rumours about a possible deployment of the SANDF to Gemena in the DRC to support operations in the CAR.
Today, I can reveal that the SANDF were deployed in the DRC to support operations in the CAR.
However, this deployment was never disclosed to Parliament.
The Defence department denied that the SANDF had been deployed to the DRC.
Brigadier-General Xolani Mabanga told us "claims of massing troops in Uganda and the DRC are not credible".
Well, here is a picture of a Rooivalk helicopter deployed at Gemena in the DRC.
This picture provides incontrovertible evidence that the SANDF were deployed in Gemena in the DRC.
These force elements may have been deployed for a perfectly legitimate military reason.
That is not the point.
The point is this: Parliament was never informed about the deployment of the SANDF in the DRC to support operations in the CAR.
This is incontrovertible evidence that President Zuma did not fully inform Parliament about the deployment of the SANDF to Gemena in the DRC.
This is incontrovertible evidence that President Zuma misled Parliament about the deployment of the SANDF to Gemena in the DRC.
This is incontrovertible evidence that President Zuma lied to Parliament about the deployment of the SANDF to Gemena in the DRC.
We will, therefore, consider tabling a substantive motion calling for a parliamentary investigation into this matter.
We cannot sit back and allow President Zuma to play fast-and-loose with the Constitution and with Parliament.


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TOUCHET, WA - A bed and breakfast in Touchet is looking for seven couples, who are going through very tough times, to stay at their resort on Monday, January 20th.
Cameo Heights Mansion wants you to nominate a couple undergoing issues such as financial blows, deteriorating health, and loss of loved ones. The owner, Alan Fielding, says he wants the couples to be able to catch their breath, even if only for a night. The Mansion's award winning Chef Nathan will prepare 14-seven course dinners to accompany their night stay.
"I wish we could give away a whole month, one night or two for every person nominated. But, of course, that is not possible; otherwise we would find ourselves in a position where instead of being able to help, we will ourselves be in a position of need. I hope all persons reading these nomination remember one thing which we have learned from firsthand experience: Being poor is in no ways a sin or shame, just ridiculously inconvenient," Fielding said.
The deadline to nominate is 12:00 p.m. on December 24, 2013. You can nominate a couple here.Winners will be notified on Christmas day.


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Thank you for visiting Blissfully Ever After! If you subscribe to the RSS feed, you'll get helpful tips and resources for creating a happier, healthier, and wealthier home sent straight to your email, for free!
Here was my inspiration….
Blue painters tape
Latex or acrylic craft paint in the color of your choice
Fabric Medium
Foam Roller {I used the 4" size}
Long Trim Piece {or anything to help you make a straight line}
Ruler/tape measure
What about you? Do you think it made a difference?
Have you painted curtains before?
Don't forget to come back tomorrow for our "Make It" Linky Party!! Come share your Pinterest projects with us and be inspired by others!! It can be a craft, DIY project, and/or recipe.
If you link up on just ONE of our blogs, your project will be see on all NINE sites!! So, get those projects completed and get your posts ready!!
If you don't have a blog, I would still LOVE for you to join in!! Share a picture of your project with me on myFacebook Page! I will be sharing some of my favorites over the course of the week!