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Categories > Cartoons > X-Men: Evolution > Days of Future Hellfire
Ambush0 Reviews
Chapter 10: Ambush
Muir Island – Wanda and Pietro
Now in hospital beds, Wanda and Pietro were resting comfortably. Kurt remained by Wanda's side as Moria delivered pain-killers and disinfectants to assure they would properly heal. To his relief Wanda's groaning stopped and she was now sleeping comfortably. There would be a pretty nasty mark on her head for a while and she'd have some bruises here and there, but it was nothing she couldn't heal from.
Pietro was doing better as well. Now that the bleeding had stopped, his hyperactive healing kicked in and he was set to start running at superhuman speed in a few days. He would have to wear some bandages for a while, but it was better than what could have been had they not stopped the bleeding.
Now Kurt could breathe a sigh of relief. It looked as though Wanda would be okay. He thanked God for her well-being. Had Nimrod's aim been a little bit better she could be much worse. But he tried not to think about that. She was safe and that was all that mattered. However, it wasn't lost upon him that they were in this position in part because she ran off when she saw her father.
"Looks like they'll be just fine," said Moria after doing a final checkup, "A little rest with some medication here and there and they'll be back on their feet in a few days."
"Danke, Dr. MacTaggart," said Kurt graciously, "I can't tell you how much zhis means to me."
"Think nothing of it, Kurt. I owe Charles a lot. This is just one way of returning the favor."
Kurt smiled, not surprised that the Professor could have such an effect on someone. Moria smiled back and prepared to make her leave. And judging by the way Kurt was holding that girl's hand, he had no intention of leaving.
"You don't mind if I stay vith her, ja?" he said.
"Of course not," said Moria, "Just let me know if anything comes up. And if you need pillows or a blanket, there's some in the closet down the hall."
Kurt nodded and turned his attention back to Wanda. Moria then made her leave. With Rahne here, she had a chance to spend some quality time with her daughter. At the same time, it was a good opportunity to meet that boyfriend of hers as well. And as any good parent, she had every intention of having a good long talk with him.
With the room now quiet, Kurt let his thoughts wander. Ever since he and Wanda became an item, the one issue they always avoided was her family. She was more willing to talk about her time at the asylum more than she was about her father. Every time she heard his name she was consumed by a great anger. And with her powers that was a dangerous thing.
But since they were so close now, there was no getting around her family issues. If he was to be part of her life, Magneto and Pietro would be as well. It was the same deal when Mystique came back into his life. Only in this instance, Wanda was sure to be much more stubborn about it.
"You scared me, Vanda," he said to her unconscious form, "I thought I lost you. Vhen I saw zhat cave come down I thought…"
But he stopped himself there, cringing at the possibilities of what could have been.
"You're zhe best zhing zhat ever happened to me, liebe," Kurt went on to say, "I vant to be vith you through zhe in good times and bad. But I know zhere are some zhings you don't want me to be involved in. And I've respected zhat, but zhey almost got you killed this time! How do you expect me to deal vith zhat?"
Kurt got choked up as squeezed her hand tighter. Even though Wanda was unconscious, he had to get this off his chest. It wasn't easy, but then again few things in their lives were.
"I love you, Vanda. I love you vith all my heart," he said through his sorrow, "I know you try to hide your pain from me. But I don't want you to just pretend everything is okay vhen ve both know it isn't. I just…I vish you vould let me help you."
The young mutant let out a deep sigh. As nice as it felt to get this out, it was hallow in a sense because Wanda wasn't awake to react. Perhaps it was for the better because she always got so emotional when he tried to get her to open up. But there were times he saw her with pain in her eyes and she wouldn't talk about it. Sometimes it was after she had a nightmare or was frustrated, but she would always conceal it. He wondered if she would ever be willing to confront this with him.
Suddenly, he heard a voice from the other bed.
"That was pathetic."
Kurt was jolted from his daze as he looked over to see Pietro with his eyes open looking somewhat woozy from the medications, but alert none-the-less.
"Pietro?" said Kurt in a surprised tone.
"Seriously fuzz butt, what tear-jerking chick flick did you get that from? I thought I was gonna gag."
It was definitely Pietro alright. Only he could be that arrogant at a time like this. Kurt groaned to himself, wishing that Moria had used stronger drugs. Too bad none of them could change that charming personality of his.
"Vhat are you doing awake?" said Kurt, getting up from Wanda's beside, "I thought Moria knocked you out?"
"She did," he said, his words somewhat slurred, "Just not enough I guess. When you've got a hyperactive metabolism like me, it takes more of anything to have an effect. You should see how much beer it takes me to get drunk."
Kurt rolled his eyes. It sounded like the pain killers were having an effect on his speech, but not his attitude. He was lucid enough to make lewd comment, but that was beyond the point. This was still his girlfriend's brother he was talking to.
"You seem awfully chipper for someone who took a round of shrapnel," commented Kurt.
"Thank the morphine for that," said Pietro, "And don't try to change the subject. I'm not done ridiculing you."
"If you voke up just to do zhat, I'm going to get Moria to give you more sedatives," said Kurt, turning away and threatening to leave, "I'm here for Vanda and I don't need to hear your obnoxious comments."
"Hey, take it easy. I didn't mean 'that' kind of ridicule," said Pietro with a woozy laugh, "She's my sister in case you've forgotten and you're her boyfriend. Aren't I entitled to some offhand remarks?"
"Not vhen she's lying in a hospital bed," said Kurt in a more serious tone.
As drugged up as Pietro was, that still struck a chord with him. Kurt wasn't his favorite person in the world and not exactly his first choice for Wanda's love interest. But it was something he would have to deal with.
"Fine, fine…let's talk seriously then," he said grudgingly, "Beyond the sappiness you really love my sister, right?"
"Of course I do," said Kurt, "I'm willing to do anything to be vith her."
"Even if that means dealing with our oh-so-loving father?" warned Pietro.
"Like I said…anything," said Kurt firmly, "Vhy? Are you going to give me a hard time too?"
"Oh please, just because I have my dad's hair it doesn't mean I'm like him," scoffed Pietro, "Heck, I'm glad she found someone who loves her…even if he is an X-man."
"Right," said Kurt skeptically, "If zhat's zhe case, zhen vhy did you try and get her to go back vith you and Magneto?"
Despite the affects of morphine, Pietro wasn't immune from feeling a twinge of guilt. He remembered that day well. He tried to convince Wanda to come back with him. Needless to say it didn't go over well. But he had since had time to think about it.
"She's my sister," he said, "Is it so hard to believe that I wanted her back?"
"No, but you could have done it better," said Kurt in a sarcastic tone.
"Point taken," muttered Pietro, "But to be fair, that visit wasn't my idea. It was all my father."
"And you went along with it?"
"My father's Magneto in case you've forgotten. It's not easy to say no to him."
Kurt believed that. But he wasn't totally convinced. Pietro was doing what he did best and casting blame on someone other than himself. Even with Magneto was his father, that didn't mean he couldn't show some backbone.
"That doesn't mean you had the right to say she didn't belong vith us," said Kurt.
"Well what do you expect me to do?" he shot with slurred words, "I know damn well that we can't give her half of what you X-men can. All your rules and understanding are so anti-Magneto how could she not love the place?"
"You think zhat's the only reason she joined?" replied Kurt.
"Of course not," he said, "I know there are probably tons of reasons. The only thing I can say to her is I want us to be a family again. And she says no. How do you think that makes me feel?!"
There was clear hurt in Pietro's tone. And with the pain killers he was on, that was saying something. Kurt didn't know how to respond to that. In a ways he could see why he would be upset. It would be like him and Rogue living on opposing sides and him using their family title to get her back. Arrogant as he was, Pietro did love his sister even if he wasn't good at expressing it.
"Look Pietro, I'm not out to take your sister from you," said Kurt in a sincere tone, "She made her own choice."
"I know," he said solemnly, "She's told me that a million times."
"What do you mean?"
Pietro rubbed his sore head. He couldn't believe he was opening up this much to the guy who was dating his sister. But at least this way he could learn how sincere he was. Wanda deserved as such.
"Don't tell my father this, but I've been sneaking away recently," he said, "I've been coming around town and passing notes to Wanda whenever I could. Ask her when she wakes she'll tell you."
"I'll take your word for it," said Kurt, "But why?"
"Why?" he scoffed, "We're family. No matter how much she hates me she's still my sister. That's why I'm trying to do it without his interference. Of course, she was a little reluctant at first. But we're trying. And the more I try the more I realize how happy she is with the X-men…and with you for that matter."
Kurt smiled at that. It was good to know that he ranked so highly on Wanda's happiness. But for Pietro it was serious. He had yet to deal with the issue of Wanda's love life. While it was true Kurt made her happy, that didn't mean it sat well with him. But if the way Kurt watched over her was any indication, he was very dedicated to her.
"Call it sappy all you want, I meant vhat I said," said Kurt, "I really do love Vanda and threats from Magneto can't change that."
"Yeah, you've made that abundantly clear," the speedster chuckled, "But let's just get one thing straight, fuzzy. She's my sister and I love her too. And I know she'll never accept it, but dad loves her too."
"I believe you," said Kurt, "Remember, Mystique is my mother. I know all about difficult parents."
"Then if you want my blessing just try and remind her every once and a while that she's still got a family out there. Even if she doesn't belong on our team, she's still family. And if you can look over her, make her happy, and what not…I guess that's okay. And that's not just the drugs talking."
His words were still slurred and he could barely hold himself up, but Kurt sensed Pietro's sincerity. He truly did care for his sister. Having dealt with his own family issues before, he could see where Pietro was coming from. And if that's what he had to do to gain the approval of her family, so be it.
"Thanks Pietro. I'll do vhat I can," smiled Kurt.
"You do that," said Pietro as he lay back down, "And while you're at it, ask that doctor chick if she's got more morphine. I think I'm due for a refill."
Kurt rolled his eyes. Even when he tried to be sincere, Pietro still had the charming personality that made him so many enemies. But he was glad he got a chance to talk with him. Maybe now he could help Wanda with these issues. They were definitely going to be a challenge, but he was an X-man. Challenges were what they did best. He just hoped the others were doing okay.
Alarms blared as the SR-77 Blackbird carrying the X-men and Magneto's allies plunged through the cloudy skies and towards the rugged terrain below. The lights kept flickering and the advanced avionics were repeatedly shorting out. The turbulence was intense and the ground was getting a lot closer outside. It was definitely not the way they wanted to start a mission.
"I…hate…this…jet!" groaned Lance, his lunch primed to make a comeback.
"Shut up, Lance! She'll pull through! She always does!" said Scott through the G-forces.
But it didn't look like the X-jet was getting any better. The kept falling faster and tumbled harder. Logan kept trying to get the avionics back online, but none of the electronics were working right. It was as if something shorted them out.
"Logan! Can you guide us down any smoother?" said Xavier over the alarms.
"Sorry Chuck, every system's failing on me here!" grunted Logan, "Looks like we're in for a rough landing!"
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" proclaimed Magneto.
Despite the turbulence and G-forces, Magneto closed his eyes and focused his power on the outside of the aircraft. It took a moment to orient himself properly, but once he had a magnetic hold on the X-jet he began stabilizing its descent. They were still carrying a good deal of velocity, but at least the tumbling had stopped.
"Oh man, I just lost all appreciation for roller coasters," said Bobby.
"Suck it up, Iceman," said Betsy, "It's better than crashing."
"Yeah, and we have Magneto to thank of all people," groaned Alex.
"Will you give it a rest already?" said Rogue, rolling her eyes.
The ride towards the ground was still bumpy, but much smoother than it could have been. Magneto carefully guided the X-jet to a clearing in a forest of pine trees. While the avionics were down, the landing gear still worked and they were able to land in a patch of rugged terrain. Once they were down they could all breathe a sigh of relief.
"I suppose that's two we owe you, Erik," said Xavier to his old friend.
"Don't thank me yet, Charles," said the Master of Magnetism, "We're still a long ways from victory."
"And I'll be the first to say we're not exactly off to a good start," commented Warren, "What happened anyways?"
"You're guess is as good as mine, Wings," said Logan, "One minute everything's running smoothly, the next every piece of electronics goes cold."
"I know why," said Magneto, clutching his head, "There's some sort of electromagnetic field around the area. I felt it with my power and I believe it may have alerted Pierce to our presence."
"So much for the element of surprise," groaned August.
"We'll have to make due," said Cable as he shook off the lingering shock and got out of his seat, "Get out, everyone. We better get moving before Pierce finds us."
"Can't we wait a minute or two while my heart slows down?" complained Bobby.
"No!" shot Cable.
Bobby groaned and so did Lance. This guy was definitely the son of Scott Summers. Only a Summers could still be that uptight after a ride like that.
The team quickly filed out. They entered an environment that was definitely a far cry from the balmy climate they came from. Northern Canada had a knack for always being cold and windy and it didn't help that the skies were really cloudy. The air was very tense and an ominous feeling pervaded. If Pierce knew they were here then there was no doubt he'd make a move on them soon.
"Maybe you should stay here, Professor," suggested Jean, "It might be safer."
"I agree, seeing as how I'm hardly equipped for combat."
"Hate to break it to you, Professor, but that's not an option," said Cable sternly, "Nimrod is still out there and if it flies in it'll go after you first."
"Yeah right!" scoffed Pyro, "That thing is probably still buried and we don't need some cripple slowing us down."
"Hey, you want to shut up, flame brain!" shot August, who was growing to dislike this man with every word he said.
"I could. But then how would we get more 'acquainted' with each other?" he said with a flirtatious leer.
"Ugh…I just had to ask," she groaned.
August and Pyro's exchange earned a few laughs from the others, but they still had a serious issue to deal with. The Professor was an important part of this fight. If he went down then they failed either way.
"Are you sure, Cable? I'm not so naïve to think that someone of my condition would be of much help."
"We don't have a choice," said Cable, "Remember, it will go after the main targets before it goes after anybody else. That means where you go, we go."
"Maybe one of us should stay behind?" suggested Vince.
"No, Cable's right," said Scott, "We have to stick together. We're going to need to throw everything we can at Hellfire."
"He's just saying that because that's what his baby boy says," snickered Bobby.
"You want to take this a little more seriously, Drake?" said Warren.
"Sorry, old habits," shrugged the Iceman.
It wasn't the best tactic for a fight. Being in a wheelchair, the Professor was at a great disadvantage. But they didn't have time to argue. Pierce's counterstrike was probably on its way. So they would have to settle with Magneto and Jean levitating Xavier's chair over the debris. It was times like this the Professor wished he worked harder on that hover chair he had been building.
Magneto didn't like the decision any more than the rest of the team. He, more than anybody, was suspicious of the man calling himself Cable. He had all this knowledge of the future and some of his claims seemed outright foolish. He actually believed that he and Xavier would one day set aside their difference and fight together. Given their history he didn't see that as a possibility. He would definitely keep an eye on this man. Future or not, he was an X-man and he didn't trust X-men.
With Cable in front, the X-men and Mutant Liberation Front began their trek into the rugged pine forest. The air grew colder and the winds picked up. The ground was muddy and slushy, hinting it had rained or snowed recently. This ambience was definitely indicative of a sinister lair. It seemed everywhere people like the Hellfire Club dwelled had the same ominous feeling.
"Dang, we ain't been here more than five minutes and Ah already hate this place," said Rogue, hugging her shoulders from the cold.
"I'm with ya, cherè," said Remy, "A little sun couldn't hurt this place. Any chance you can help us out Stormy?"
"You know how I feel about altering nature like that," said Ororo, "And besides, don't you think Pierce would find that a little telling?"
"What difference does it make? Guy probably knows we're here," argued Remy.
"Quiet Remy! He may have bugged these woods as well," said Mystique in a muted tone, "Even if he knows, we can't clue him in on our location."
Remy fell silent as they entered another clearing. Cable had his gun drawn and his artificial eye on infrared to see ahead of the trees. Everyone on the team kept a close eye on their surroundings, ready to pounce on anything that attacked them. Some were a bit more laid back. Pyro and Lance still weren't taking it seriously. Moreover, they still weren't too fond of following the X-men.
It also didn't help that Pyro was distracted. Lance saw him eye August's butt the whole way. It was so typical that someone as crazy as him would still be more focused on some girl rather than fighting for the future. Maybe it was because she too had fire powers and Pyro was attracted to that.
One way or another he didn't watch where he was going and stepped on a stick, causing a loud snapping sound to echo through the woods. That's when Cable stopped.
"What is it, Cable?" asked Xavier anxiously.
"Something's not right here," he said ominously.
"I hear ya, bub," said Logan, "I can smell it."
"Oh please," groaned Lance, "If it makes you guys that uncomfortable why don't we keep moving?"
Suddenly, a pair of red eyes appeared in the trees in front of them. Then another pair appeared behind them and two more on each side of them. Lance quickly dispensed with the comments as the team backed into the clearing.
Then out of the darkness, the figures of several sentinels took shape. The robot humanoids that were poised to cause so much damage in the future had them surrounded and were moving in fast.
"That answer your question?" said Cable, taking a defensive stand.
"Sorry I asked," groaned Lance.
"X-men, split up!" ordered Scott, "Split them up and take them down!"
"Finally, the fun begins!" growled Logan.
Each sentinel raised their arms and aimed their arm cannons towards the center of the clearing. Just as they let out the first shot, the whole team scrambled. And just as Cable predicted, the sentinels split up with them.
Logan, Laura, Ororo, Bobby, and Vincent went in one direction with Vince taking to the air and flying at high speeds towards the first sentinel and knocking it back. Lance, Pyro, August, Kitty, and Piotr went in another direction with Piotr leading the charge in his metal form, ramming the giant humanoid back into the woods. Rogue, Remy, Betsy, Warren, and Mystique headed in the direction behind them with Rogue following Vincent's lead and delivering a hard punch to the sentinel's core to knock it off balance. Cable, Scott, Jean, Magneto, and Beast stayed in the clearing with the Professor, making sure he was safe from the onslaught of the metal behemoth.
"Bring it on you bucket of bolts!" grunted Cable, "I've been slaying your kind since I was seven!"
"I can't imagine where he got that resolve from," commented Jean, who couldn't help but feel pride in the heat of battle with her future son.
Over with Logan, Laura, Ororo, and Vincent the sentinel had recovered from Vincent's initial blow and began to counter their moves. Two mini-guns appeared rose up on its shoulders and started firing pulse waves. They had a wider range, making them harder to dodge. Vince found that out first hand when one of them hit him point blank.
"Augh! I don't remember that from the Danger Room," he groaned.
"Me neither!" said Laura as she dodged another shot from the sentinel's arm cannon, "These must be upgrades."
"Great," groaned Bobby, "So what's that make this? Sentinel 2.0?"
"Good, I like challenge," growled Logan, "They're still machines. They probably have the same weaknesses. Ya follow me, Storm?"
"On it, darling," said the former weather goddess.
Ororo's eyes turned white as she summoned the winds around her and took the air. The sentinel tried to hit her with the pulse cannons like it did Vincent, but this time she avoided it. And once she rose high enough over the tree line, she used her control over nature to summon a barrage of lightning from the clouds above.
"Face nature's wrath you metal monstrosity!" she proclaimed.
Two powerful bolts shot out from the clouds and connected with the head of the sentinel. A massive surge of electricity followed, causing sparks to erupt everywhere within the robot humanoid. It started twitching erratically, but it still kept trying to fire its weapons. These things were built a lot tougher than the old models.
"Ready to send this thing to the scrap heap, kid?" said Logan as he and Laura prepared their assault.
"Ready, father!"
"Iceman, we need a path," ordered Logan.
"You got one!" said Bobby as he cracked his knuckles with intent.
With its weapons not working, the sentinel made a swipe at them. Logan and Laura avoided this move and kept its focus on them so Bobby could do his thing. With his ice powers, he created a ramp to the sentinels head. The robot humanoid saw this and attempted to stop it, but all the sparks had slowed it down and it was too late.
Running up the ice ramp, Logan and Laura drew their adamantium claws and plunged them into the head of the giant robot and attacked its brain. Metal scraps flew as the sentinel tried to brush them off, but it was too late. Vincent flew in at high speeds and delivered the final blow to the chest, sending it tumbling backwards.
"That's one down," said Vincent, "God only knows how many we've got left."
Over with Lance, Pyro, August, Kitty, and Piotr the fight was a little more chaotic. The sentinel tried blasting the five targets at first, but Kitty used her phasing powers to protect them. Then it tried to stomp on them and Piotr got up under it and tried to force the robot back. It turned into a tug of war between the Colossus and the sentinel. August tried to help out with some fire blasts and hoped to get a boost from Pyro, but he seemed less interested in fighting and more interested in August.
"Damn! Fire powers and a nice ass!" he grinned, "Now that's the shelia for me!"
"You want to shut up and help?" grunted August.
"Depends…what's in it for me?"
"PYRO!" yelled Lance.
"Fair enough," he shrugged, "I'll show you how we do things in the outback!"
Pyro lit his torches and summoned a massive fireball. He then used his flame manipulating powers to turn it into a mock-up of the sentinel and sent it head first into the core of the robot humanoid. The heat was so intense it shorted out some of the internal components, namely the weapons systems. The rest of the sentinel was heat resistant, but it was enough to knock it back slightly.
"Impressive, eh?" said Pyro with a cocky grin.
"Do you ever quit?" groaned August.
"Save it for later, guys," said Lance, "I got this."
Lance rolled his eyes into the back of his head and caused a focused tremor just beneath the feet of the sentinel. It was intense enough to knock it off balance and send it falling onto its back. From here Kitty did the rest, running up to the head and phasing through it to short out the electronics inside. It seemed to do the trick, but just to be on the save side Piotr ran over and slammed his fists against the head to smash any components that might still be working. It earned him a smile from Kitty and a look from Lance.
"Hard to compete with that, huh?" commented Pyro.
"Go to Hell, Pyro," grunted Lance.
"Killjoy," he sighed, "Now where were we, shelia?"
"You know, I'm starting to prefer the sentinels," sighed August.
"Careful with those words, August," said Kitty, "We may not have a choice."
While the five of them rushed back towards the clearing, a firefight was going on not far from them. Rogue, Remy, Betsy, Warren, and Mystique were forced to keep their distance from a sentinel that seemed to know their tactics. It was using every weapon at its disposal to keep a steady barrage of lasers and pulse beams in the direction of the targets. Rogue couldn't get close enough to punch it and Remy and Betsy couldn't get a clear shot. Soon, they were pinned behind a tree.
"Bloody hell, these things are a lot easier in the Danger Room!" said Betsy.
"To be fair, Bets, this one's a lot smarter. Damn Pierce," grunted Rogue.
"Then we'll have to be smarter," said Mystique, "We have to do something to draw its fire."
"I think I know where this is leading," groaned Warren.
"Think you can fly fast enough, luv?" said Betsy, who was also catching on.
"He won't have to," said Rogue, "I got your back. The rest of y'all just try and get close enough to slow that thing down!"
"Sounds simple enough," said Remy, "Gambit just needs one good shot."
Taking his word for it, Rogue and Warren took to the air. As expected, the sentinel directed more of its firepower towards them. It still kept the cannon on its left arm pointed at Betsy, Mystique, and Remy. But with only one gun to avoid, they could make their move.
First they split up in opposite directions. The gun followed Mystique, who shifted into a small tiger to give her more mobility. The sentinel soon became so focused it lost track of Betsy and Gambit, who were in position to make their move.
"How's your aim, Cajun?" asked Betsy.
"Good enough for a ninja if not better," he replied confidently.
"Only one way to find out!"
Gambit charged several cards and Psylocke formed two psionic blades and together they unleached a barrage at the arm that was firing at Mystique. Their aim turned out to be on the same scale and their focused effort blew the arm right off the robot humanoid. It caught the sentinel off guard and it struggled to regain its balance. It turned to face the two targets responsible, but left itself too open for Rogue to fly in and deliver the final blow.
"Ah hope Pierce feels this!" yelled the southern born mutant.
With all her strength she rammed into the head, blowing it off completely in a show of unabated strength. The rest of the body fell back towards Betsy and Remy, but Warren flew in to get them out of harms way. They landed with Rogue near Mystqiue, who was now back in her regular form. Her actions earned her a look from Betsy and Remy.
"Keep that up and you'll kill us faster than the sentinels!" shot Betsy.
"Sorry," said Rogue sheepishly, "Guess Ah got carried away."
"Make it up to us later, cherè," said Gambit, "We're gonna need dat killer instinct when we face Pierce."
Back in the central clearing, Professor Xavier was very vulnerable to the sentinel onslaught. When it saw him it recognized his signature and focused exclusively on him. Scott and Jean stayed close, firing optic blasts and telekinetic bursts to hold it off while Beast skillfully moved him out of the way. It was up to Cable and Magneto to take it down, but that wasn't as easy as they would have liked.
"This monstrosity isn't reacting to my powers!" said Magneto, "It must be made of some sort of advanced polymer!"
"Didn't think they perfected that for another six years," grunted Cable as he fired several shots with his gun.
"Any bright ideas?" said the master of magnetism.
"Yeah…keep him away from Xavier."
It wasn't the most eloquent plan, but they would have to make due. The sentinel was stepping up the assault, opening up its core to reveal a large energy cannon. It took aim right at Xavier and charged up for a deadly blast.
"Professor, look out!" exclaimed Jean.
She tried to put up a telekinetic shield, but it was too late. The sentinel got the shot off. Thankfully, Beast managed to push him out of the way. But Xavier fell out of his chair in the process. Upon seeing this, Scott ran to his side and helped him up.
"Are you okay, sir?" he said anxiously.
"I'm fine, but I don't know how much longer we can avoid blasts like that."
"We may not have a choice," said Cable as he saw the sentinel charging again.
Cable turned up the energy on his gun and took aim. But this time, the sentinel didn't take chances. It aimed its right hand at Cable and fired a quick shot. He managed to avoid it, but when the shot hit the ground the resulting force knocked him back and he dropped his gun in the process.
"Nathan!" exclaimed Jean as she ran over to the side of her future son.
"No!" yelled Scott as he sprang into action.
While the sentinel was following Jean and Cable with its gun, Scott shot a well-aimed optic blast that blew the forearm of the sentinel off. It then turned to face the angry X-leader, who was going full power for his next blast. But before he could, the sentinel raised its other arm and fired a shot that knocked him back as well.
"Cyclops!" exclaimed the Professor.
"I'm on it, Charles!" said Hank as he ran over to help his student.
The sentinel watched as much of the assault on it had ceased. Then it turned back to Xavier and charged the energy cannon in its chest. With nothing else to shield him he was a sitting duck.
Then he looked to the ground and saw Cable's gun. It was still charged and ready to fire. And with little time to act, the crippled man crawled up to the weapon, grabbed it in both hands, took aim, and fired a lone shot. And when it hit the core of the sentinel just as it was charging, the explosion literally blew its head of.
It was quite a sight, causing a ball of fire to erupt from the clearing. Around them the three teams converged, worried that something had happened. But to their surprise they saw Professor Charles Xavier with a gun near a slain sentinel.
"Wow…" said Bobby, "Didn't know the Professor was such a badass."
"Desperate times make for desperate measures, I guess," said Warren.
Now able to catch his breath, Magneto helped his old friend up and used his powers to bring his wheelchair back over. Cable and Scott had also recovered and like the rest of the team, they were impressed.
"Not bad, Professor," said Jean, who couldn't help but smile, "Are you okay?"
"While normally I wouldn't resort to using firearms, for this monstrosity I'm willing to make an exception," said the Professor with a touch of anger in his tone.
"Nice to see you've got some killer instinct," said Cable, "Because you're gonna need it for what's next."
"Aw man, do you always have to be this negative?" groaned Kitty.
"Look who you're talking to, Kitty," said Rogue.
Kitty sighed to herself. It would have been nice to have a little optimism, but Cable was too serious for that. He knew better than anybody what the stakes were and they had come too far to falter now.
"Let's go!" he ordered, "Pierce is probably expecting us now!"
"Then let's not disappoint," said Scott, following his future son's lead.
The team followed suit as well, stepping over the still smoking sentinel that the Professor had blown away. They hadn't been here long and already they were being attacked. Pierce was definitely ready for them and there was no telling what kind of traps he had in store for them.
While they made their way towards Pierce's complex, the smoke rising from the clearing was picked up by a figure in the skies above. After tracking the piece that got caught on Magneto, Nimrod finally reached its targets. As it flew over it noticed the X-jet landed in the clearing. A quick scan revealed that no one was inside, so logic dictated they were heading for the complex to the north. And once again, the memory banks of the advanced sentinel picked up on it. The mission suddenly took on a much more crucial role.
"Location identify. Mastermold construction complex. Mission status: critical. Emergency protocol 161. Mastermold must be protected. Donald Pierce must be protected. Objective: take down all targets and ensure future events."
Up next: The X-men come face to face with Pierce and Mastermold.


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Jon Husted's file:
Republican from Ohio
Jon Husted is Ohio secretary of state. He previously was a state senator from Ohio's 6th district and served two terms as speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives.
Recent statements involving Jon Husted
A member of the redistricting commission proposed in Issue 2 "could accept a bribe from somebody" and "couldn't be removed from this commission."
"Had the online change of address been in place in 2008 an estimated 130,000 voters who cast provisional ballots could have changed their address online and voted a regular ballot."
"Every time we put a ballot issue on, it costs a million dollars."
"#Business formation is still on the rise in Ohio! So far in 2011 we've assisted w/ 44,443 new business filings."
Says that while his plan would narrow the time for early voting, "it still will be one of the most aggressive early voting time frames in America."
How to contact us:
We want to hear your suggestions and comments. Email the Truth-O-Meter with feedback and with claims you'd like to see checked. If you send us a comment, we'll assume you don't mind us publishing it unless you tell us otherwise.
Browse The Ohio Truth-O-Meter:

subset: commoncrawl


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Fair and Balanced
Fair and balanced.
I know FOX uses this moniker to describe their news coverage. But this article has little, if anything, to do with the media giant.
This is about justice.
Quick question: Did anyone know that Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Matt Jones faced felony cocaine charges in the off-season?
Did you forget? Because I CERTAINLY did not.
The fact that that Jones did cocaine is bad enough. But the fact that he is STILL on the field, AND the Jags' leading receiver is totally unfair. So I'm here to put some fairness and balance into the picture.
Matt Jones was actually caught by a police officer in a truck with a credit card, cutting up the cocaine. He was "allegedly" caught with an 1/8 of an ounce of cocaine. As I mentioned, Jones is STILL ballin'. This appeal process has been the LONGEST process I've ever experienced in my life. As you read, Week 14 is underway and action still has not been taken.
Not by the owner of the Jags, Wayne Weaver. Not by Roger Goodell. Not by anyone.
Michael Vick was brought up on a litany of charges, including dogfighting. He got 2 years in federal prison and still faces more charges from the state when he gets out. Rick Reilly just wrote a piece wondering about his bankruptcy filing. He may face a lifetime ban from the NFL upon his release and may be relegated to playing in the Arena Football League. Falcons owner Arthur Blank tried to grab a good portion of Vick's $17M signing bonus back.
What part of the game is this???
Now, I understand that Goodell wants to crack down on the negative image and actions of players in the NFL. So, if Vick gets 2 years in the 'pen, and Adam Jones, formerly Pacman, gets suspended for a year for not being convicted of a crime, where does Matt "Crackman" Jones' offense fit?
Surely, Goodell can't be more worried about a player changing his name (Chad Javon Ocho Cinco) than a football player setting a bad example for children in the state of Florida could he?
The NFL could not possibly fine a player for having too much red in his socks (Vick in 2002), or wearing striped socks (Portis in 2005) than a player that not only was caught doing cocaine, but also resisted arrest, could it?
Now, granted Paul Tagliabue was the commish then, but Goodell wanted to crack down on the negatives, and neglected to deal with the actual crack.
I mean, there is nothing being done about this and it is an outrage. Now, I am a real journalist and not an outraged fan. But seeing Pat and Kevin Williams, Deuce McAllister, Will Grant, and Charles Grant get suspended for a diuretic that was in a health supplement, but wasn't listed on the bottle. And Plaxico Burress is looking at 2.5 years minimum for shooting himself in the leg. AND the Giants suspended him for the rest of the season. Shaun Ellis just got arrested on weed possession.
Look, it's very hard to defend Adam Jones. And even more difficult to defend Burress' incident.
But where is the justice though?
I mean, we're not talking about weed. Not canibus, nor marijuana. But we're talking about COCAINE??? Like Tony Montana COCAINE??? Like David Ruffin from the Temptations COCAINE???. AND NO SUSPENSION?
When's the last time there has been a 13-week appeal?
And, I want to go on a limb and say if it was a Black player, intent to distribute would have been a definite charge.
Oh wait. You mean there is a Black player charged with possession of cocaine? In college? At Texas Tech? And he got intent to distribute? De'Shon Sanders is his name? You don't say…
I have to get real bold here and ask a question and I'd LOVE if someone can present an answer.
Where are the white athletes that commit crimes? Why is Jason Giambi a saint now, but Barry Bonds is blackballed? Where are the athletic white criminals? Are they extinct?
I want justice!
I want answers!


text: When it comes to the illegal drug trade, and other contraband, Highway 77 is one of the busiest corridors in the country.While all law enforcement agencies try to stop the flow of drugs and drug money, there's a special task force in Kingsville that focuses almost exclusively on it. Kiii News Reporter Mike DaSilva had the chance to ride along with that task force.Hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug money were found hidden in the seats of a Honda Odyssey van, and inside the firewall of a Toyota Camry. Kilos of cocaine and meth were found hidden inside a Ford pickup truck's 4.6L V8 engine intake manifold; and more than 20,000 rounds of AK-47 ammunition and 127 thirty-round magazines were hidden underneath the bed liner of another Ford pickup truck, in the spare tire and in the fuel tank."It's limitless Mike," said Special Agent Mike Tamez with the Kingsville Task Force. "Where dope and contraband can be hidden, it's totally limitless."That's where the Kingsville Task Force comes in. It is their job to find the hidden contraband being trafficked on Highway 77.Special Agent Tamez has been working interdiction for a decade. He began with the Kingsville Police Department, and now he is with the task force. He says criminal interdiction is about being 100-percent proactive, using skills learned through training and experience to find the hidden compartments."You keep searching and you follow all your indicators of tampering until one, you've discovered the contraband, or two, you've discovered that there's nothing in that vehicle," Tamez said.Because the criminal organizations trafficking contraband are so deceptive, the Task Force has to think outside of the box when searching for it. It is hit or miss. Some searches lead to a big find, and others come up empty."It's a cat and mouse show, is what it is," Tamez said. "They know their doing bad things, and it's up to us through our training and our experience to uncover those bad things."With so many vehicles traveling to and fro on Highway 77, the odds of not being caught are in the favor of the cartels; but for the Task Force, being proactive means looking at the totality of the circumstances involved in a traffic stop, and making important observations. If a driver exhibits nervous behavior, or their story doesn't add up, that could lead to a search."You told me you left to Houston at four in the morning," Tamez said. "Listen, I want to believe you because you seem like a great person. Okay. I just don't like being lied to."Using some traditional tools and other state of the art ones, Tamez and his fellow agents and law enforcement colleagues apply their skills in searching for hidden compartments filled with contraband."Just looking for indications of recent tampering," Tamez said. "And what I mean by indicators, Mike, is that, you know, scratches like around this screw would tell me that somebody's taken it off before, right here." Even as Tamez searches the vehicles, he is teaching his colleagues what to look for, just as he learned techniques from other interdiction officers over the years."See how this locks? See how that locks like that? That's your front differential, which means it has gears," Tamez said. "Alright. One thing that they've done, and I've caught one where they tried to beat us, is they put a sleeve on the inside, a metal lock, okay, and they lock it so it gives the appearance that it has gears. It didn't have gears though. It was totally gutted out, and it was loaded with dope."As skilled as Tamez and his fellow special agents are at knowing what to look for, they're constantly learning new ways that criminals are hiding contraband as the cartels are wise to do evil, using their creativity and imagination for trafficking."But the game evolves. We find it. They find a different way to beat us. It's a vicious cycle man, it is a vicious cycle," Tamez said. "These people, they're, they're extremely intelligent. You've got to give them their props. They're extremely intelligent."Fortunately, the interdiction officers are extremely intelligent too, and so the battle continues between the law and the traffickers; and it never stops, day or night, because trafficking is a lucrative business. But those doing the trafficking run the risk of getting caught by some of the best special agents in the country, and if the Task Force catches you, they're likely to find the goods you've got hidden here on the contraband corridor.


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As a starting point, it's hard to not like Coach McMillan. Many coaches seem incapable of getting their players to play hard for them these days, and McMillan doesn't seem to have that problem with Portland. Also, as the post says, he's been really good at taking advantage of the Blazers' strengths and making a very efficient and high percentage offense. The fact of the matter is that he took a talented team and won 50+ games two years in a row, which is not easy. Overall, I think that the Blazers should be very happy with Coach McMillan. I hope that they don't get rid of him anytime soon.
Having said that, there are some warning signs on offense and defense.
Offense first: the Blazers have had success in the regular season with their offense. I'd argue that this is a function of the fact that most teams don't have a chance to prepare and game-plan very much during the regular season. The Blazers' offense is efficient but predictable (Roy high pick and roll, Roy isolation, Aldridge isolation in the post, stuff like that). We've seen some evidence over the last two years that this won't work in the playoffs. Obviously there's been a lot of other things going on in these series. The team that lost to Houston was young and inexperienced, and last year's team was missing it's best and most important player. However, both Houston and Phoenix showed that they could kind of tune into what Portland was going to do and stop it by forcing Portland to go to other options on offense. The recipe is pretty simple: double team Roy, force him to give up the ball, live with Aldridge scoring, and bet that none of the other guys will be able to carry the load. Portland is a good team, but I think they'll have to be more diverse on offense to have success in the playoffs.
On defense: the Blazers haven't been very good defensively. They have rebounded very well (very very very well). Rebounding and the slow, efficient pace that the Blazers play at have masked the fact that they're not a good defensive team at all. The Blazers have good individual defenders in all three centers, Batum, and now Matthews, but I think the problem has been with the system more so than with the players. I think that McMillan's defensive schemes just haven't been that creative, and I would bet that there hasn't been that much emphasis on defense in the past. There's a lot of talk about emphasizing defense this year, but the Blazers will have to walk the walk before I believe it.
I hope that Coach McMillan can grow this year and address these problems. I'm excited that we have new assistant coaches, and I hope that they will bring a new perspective to both sides of the ball.
Feel free to share your thoughts about Coach McMillan in the comments.


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Photo copyright: Chris See (via www.tusharcrusher.com)
You might remember seeing the mix of bicycles on the start line of last year's aptly-named "Crusher in the Tushar." The brainchild of former pro Burke Swindlehurst, this grueling, 69-mile race crossed one of Utah's highest roads on the way to crowning Clara Hughes and Tyler Wren as its inaugural pro women's and men's champions.
Well, "The Crusher" is coming back in 2012, with the Beaver County Travel Council as a new title sponsor and a special registration program for all first-year entrants.
Here's more, from the official news release:
Recently-retired road and mountain bike professional and race promoter Burke Swindlehurst announced the Crusher in the Tushar will keep its mid-July date. It's scheduled for Saturday, July 14.
Last year's inaugural edition attracted nearly 200 road, mountain and cyclocross riders of all abilities from 17 states and Canada. An impressive line-up of professional riders included Olympian Clara Hughes – who won the pro/open women's division – along with pro mountain bike legend David "Tinker" Juarez, three-time U.S. national cyclocross champion Tim Johnson, and pro roadies Jeff Louder, Paul Mach and men's division winner Tyler Wren.
"It was hugely satisfying to see the race come off the way it did and particularly how much the local community embraced the event," Swindlehurst said. "The Beaver County Travel Council came to me afterwards and said they wanted to play an even larger role for 2012. As a result, the event now has a title sponsor and I couldn't be more thrilled."
As a special thank you to first-year participants, Swindlehurst said riders who registered for the 2011 edition will be given an special early registration opportunity the day before it opens to the general public on Wednesday, Jan. 11th at 7 p.m. MST.
"In anticipation of a quick sell-out of the limited number of spots (350) available for the 2012 Crusher, I want to show my gratitude to those who supported the event in its first year by giving them a jump on registration," Swindlehurst said. "I like to take care of those who take care of me."
Registered "Crusher" riders from 2011 will receive an email explaining how they can take advantage of the early registration opportunity, Swindlehurst said.
Event details, including the available categories, how to register, a detailed course description, and tips on choosing the right bike for the race, can be found at the race's official website, www.tusharcrusher.com.
Jen, here, with a quick update: Here's the story I did on the 2011 edition of the Crusher. Killer race, for sure!
Chris, here, with a pointer to Crusher Images.


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a word from beer country
WELCOME to Oregon Beer Country, where we're wholly dedicated to the promotion of beer tourism in Oregon.
Oregon Beer Country brings all aspects of craft beer tourism to one central location; organizing information about where to find beer in Oregon (everywhere!), how to create vacations and beer pilgrimages, and in depth industry information. This resource, developed for both residents of and visitors to Oregon, brings together a myriad of beer information, in one easily navigable site.
We include current and historical information on the Oregon beer industry, bring together the narrative of Oregon's beer culture and community with detailed information about the breweries themselves, ideas for beer tours, resources, inside track tips and tricks, events and festivals, and up and coming breweries.
There's no doubt that there are myriad ways to spend your time, whether you're planning on spending two weeks or two years. Our brewing culture is just one thread in this rich Pacific NW tapestry. Oregon's pleasures are bountiful, and we think you'll find there's something for everyone in Oregon. Our brewing heritage reaches from the 1850s to today, with a craft beer culture as varied as our topography. Whether you enjoy sessionable lagers, hopped up IPAs, the ever controversial Cascadian Dark Ale (or Black IPA, as it is also known!), bourbon barrel aged barley wines, or a classic pale ale, Oregon brewers have something for you.
Welcome to Beer Country. We're glad you're here.
the latest news
We're planning day and weekend trips; forays into Oregon Beer Country to explore the back roads and new breweries throughout the state. In the mean time, don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about brewery travel. If you're interested in advertising opportunities, please let us know - we can email you the spec sheets. Grab a pint and relax. We're glad you're here.


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Document - Bahrain: Amnesty International concerned by latest human rights developments
Public Statement
AI Index: MDE 11/004/2004 (Public)
News Service No: 294
18 November 2004
Bahrain: Amnesty International concerned by latest human rights developments
Amnesty International has written this week to His Majesty Shaikh Hamad bin 'Issa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, seeking clarifications regarding the case of human rights activist 'Abdul Hadi al-Khawajaand raising a number of human rights concerns. Specifically, the organization has sought further clarification about the decision taken by the Minister of Labour on 28 September to close the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR).
To the organization's knowledge the legal basis for the closure of the BCHR remains unclear. Concerns were also raised at reports that the third court session of the trial of 'Abdul Hadi al-Khawaja, which took place on 7 November, was held in camera and that he was reportedly beaten while being forcibly transferred from his prison cell to the court.
'Abdul Hadi al-Khawaja is facing charges under the 1976 Penal Code some provisions of which are vague and could be used to clamp down on government critics. Amnesty International urges that the Code be reviewed as soon as possible to ensure full compliance with international human rights standards and reflect Bahrain's positive developments in the field of human rights protection and promotion since 2001.
The organization has also expressed concern about a number of detainees arrested during the demonstrations of 28 October in Manama some of whom are currently on hunger strike.
Amnesty International has informed the King that it is sending a trial observer to Bahrain to attend Abdul Hadi al-Khawaja's court session on 21 November.


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N.C. DHHS Reports First Flu Deaths of the Season
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 05 December 2012 19:55
- Written by Super User
RALEIGH, N.C. : November 29, 2012 - North Carolina has reported the state's first two deaths from flu for the 2012-2013 flu season. Both victims were adults from the Triad region of the state. According to State Health Director Laura Gerald, one of the individuals was at higher risk for complications from flu because of advanced age and pre-existing medical conditions but the other had no known risk factors for severe influenza illness. Neither had received the flu vaccine.
"We extend our deepest sympathies to the families of these two individuals," said Dr. Gerald. "This is a tragic reminder of the potentially devastating effect flu can have on people at any age. With flu cases on the rise in North Carolina, it is especially important for the public to take action to protect themselves and their families." Statewide surveillance shows that flu activity is increasing in North Carolina; the number of positive flu tests recorded by the State Laboratory of Public Health has more than quadrupled since early November.
Flu vaccine is the safest and most effective way to protect against flu and is recommended for anyone over 6 months old.
It is particularly important for people at high risk of complications, including pregnant women, people with chronic diseases, very young children and the elderly.
According to newly released information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just over 46 percent of North Carolinians were immunized against flu last year.
"Every flu season is different," Gerald said. "In addition to vaccination, we strongly encourage citizens to prevent flu and other illness by covering coughs and sneezes; washing hands frequently with soap and water; and staying home when you are sick."
Influenza kills approximately 25,000 people and causes 220,000 hospitalizations every year in the United States.
For more information about flu and to find a flu vaccine clinic near you, visit flu.nc.gov.


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Phoenix had a big 2009. The French group's biggest appeal is their ability to craft ebullient, universally enjoyable pop hooks on the Grammy-nominated Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. (Which is one reason you hear their songs on so many commercials.) An important part of their sound is the layered, steamrolling vocal approach (Late Night and on record) of Thomas Mars. You heard him strip down to the singular on La Blogothèque, but this pretty acoustic take on Bob Dylan's epic Blonde On Blonde closer "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" is something else entirely. They trim the still-transportive 11-minute original to just under five minutes, but otherwise generally stick to the script. It was recorded as part of an unplugged set for the German magazine musikexpress.
- Phoenix – "Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands"Download
The track came via thetripwire, where you can also hear (and download) acoustic versions of "Lisztomania" and "1901." They offer new, raw angles on a couple of well-worn favorites. Even for folks who didn't even realize they were well-worn favorites, @travismorrison:
And, hey, another angle, this one courtesy of Memory Tapes' "1901″ revision.
- Phoenix – "1901 (Memory Tapes Mix)"Download
(via NME)
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Toddler Crawls Into Bowling Alley Vending Machine
Out of all the places to get stuck, a vending machine would not be the first place to think of.
Out of all the places to get stuck, a vending machine would not be the first place to think of.
My daughter has two hobbies that she loves. The first is the very expensive American Girl doll hobbie. I'm sure you are aware of how much these dolls cost. Then there are the clothes, accesories,and all the other various things that go with it
Toy company GoldieBlox sells toys for girls that aren't dolls.
Today, you would be hard pressed to find someones smart phone with less than 50 pictures on it. Even young kids have cameras that store a ton of pictures.
Legos have been a part of all of our childhoods - and some of out adulthood too. Now it looks like the favorite toys are moving from the toy box to the big screen!
Here is a classic toy from the 90's that is still made today. Check out this classic tv commercial and see if you agree with me.
Time to make a wish!! These toys gave kids the hope that their wishes would come true back in the early 90's.
Yet another bizarre incident at a school in this country. Now, a 9 year old boys birthday cupcakes sparked a school controversy,
Okay, who absoultely HAD to have one of these dolls in the 80's? I remember everyone frantically looking for one of these for my sister for Christmas.


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"We don't like paying you what we pay you right now. We want to pay you much less. If you don't agree, we'll fire you."
For many people, that is some kind of bizarre nightmare scenario where their world comes crashing down. For inconsistent performers in the NFL, it's a more standard transaction.
On Friday afternoon, a transaction showed up on the NFL transaction list showing that Webb had restructured his deal. Given that he was recently pulled from the first string offense, it was hard to imagine that they were restructuring for a long term deal. Then the terms came out:
A week after demotion, Bears cut J'Marcus Webb's pay http://t.co/8vldHW6Fwn— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) August 18, 2013
This gives us a little bit of an insight into the Bears front office. If they were willing to issue that ultimatum, they aren't attached to the player at all. And why would they be? The people who brought him into the organization and championed him are gone. Someone who has been recently demoted isn't going to draw a lot of attention from other teams, so he is left with no choice.
More: Lester wonders, "Does Webb even want to play?"
The Bears, on the other hand, still have a lot of choice. It's a pretty smart move for them-should they end up in a situation where they need to keep Webb on their roster, they're now paying much less for someone who will likely be playing backup. If they end up letting him go anyways, they will still save the salary. For now, at least, they have created additional wiggle room with regards to the cap.
It truly is not an indicator of Webb's status, either. Many times, accepting the decrease will at least increase your chances of staying with the team. However, if Jonathan Scott can get and stay healthy in the next couple weeks, it's still hard for me to see Webb on the team. It's increasingly evident that Jay Cutler and even Matt Forte have their doubts about Webb's ability on the right side. If two of your top offensive players are searching for an alternate option, you're going to give it to them if possible.
A final concern about this is simply, did the Bears give up on offensive lineman Gabe Carimi too soon?
More: Gabe Carimi traded to Buccaneers
It's generally assumed that a big part of the Carimi move was in part because a new guard was drafted in Kyle Long, but also that his attitude towards rehab and training butted heads with the organization. However, in Carimi you had a player who had experience both the guard and tackle positions (albeit not great experience), and a player who had shown you some flashes before being hampered by injury. If Webb is ultimately not on this roster, does the trade of a former first round pick for a sixth hamper the organization?
We should know a lot more about the status of this offensive line once we see who the starters are on Friday, and who is first off the bench. Webb's seat right now is ablaze, and how he handles this will let us know if J-Webb Nation will still be headquartered in the Windy City.
More from Windy City Gridiron:
- The Bears Den: August 19, 2013 - Preseason news and notes
- Bears' Six-Pack Keys to Victory: Preseason Week 3, Raiders Edition
- Bears Sign QB Trent Edwards; Waive WR Jarrell Jackson
- Defensive Observations: Bears' Ends Take Advantage of Matchup
- Offensive Observations: Line's Performance a Confidence Booster


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Array Class Collections File String Cast Console Data Directive Enum Exception If Interface Lambda LINQ Loop Nothing Number Process Property Regex Sort StringBuilder Structure Sub Time Windows
Data is often stored in tables. And these tables often reside in databases. In the .NET Framework, the DataTable type stores data in memory. Used often in VB.NET programs, it has columns and rows properties.
Note:DataTable is an in-memory representation of structured data—such as that read from a database.
This program uses a DataTable type instance. It defines two routines. The first is Main. The second is GetTable—this returns a new DataTable. When the GetTable function is invoked, it creates a new DataTable and adds four columns to it.
Columns are named with a string argument and a Type argument. They have different types. In a DataTable, each column allows a specific type of data. The GetTable method adds five rows to the DataTable.
Tip:The arguments to the Rows.Add method are of the types specified in the columns.
Based on: .NET 4.0 Program that creates DataTable: VB.NET Module Module1 Sub Main() ' Get a DataTable instance from helper function. Dim table As DataTable = GetTable() End Sub ''' <summary> ''' Helper function that creates new DataTable. ''' </summary> Function GetTable() As DataTable ' Create new DataTable instance. Dim table As New DataTable ' Create four typed columns in the DataTable. table.Columns.Add("Dosage", GetType(Integer)) table.Columns.Add("Drug", GetType(String)) table.Columns.Add("Patient", GetType(String)) table.Columns.Add("Date", GetType(DateTime)) ' Add five rows with those columns filled in the DataTable. table.Rows.Add(25, "Indocin", "David", DateTime.Now) table.Rows.Add(50, "Enebrel", "Sam", DateTime.Now) table.Rows.Add(10, "Hydralazine", "Christoff", DateTime.Now) table.Rows.Add(21, "Combivent", "Janet", DateTime.Now) table.Rows.Add(100, "Dilantin", "Melanie", DateTime.Now) Return table End Function End Module
This program alone is not useful for creating a functional data-driven application. But by using the general pattern of adding columns and rows, you can construct usable DataTables in any program context.
Then:You can do more useful tasks such as storing them to SQL Server databases.
Also:You can display them on a DataGridView control in Windows Forms. DataTable is often used together with other System.Data types.
Advanced functionality is available on the DataTable. One Function we can call is Select. This acts like a database query. We pass it is query string and the DataTable itself returns matching rows.DataTable Select
Programs often process data stored in databases. You can use many different types in the .NET Framework to accomplish this task. The DataGridView is a popular choice. It works well with the DataTable.DataColumnDataSetDataGridView
DataRow:A DataRow must contain a cell for each DataColumn in the table. We can access fields with the Field extension.DataRowDataRow Field
We explored the DataTable type. The example shown here is not useful on its own. But this style of programmatic DataTable mutation is applicable to many VB.NET programs. This includes ASP.NET web applications.
Review:DataTable describes the instructions that form an in-memory data representation object.


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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Just twenty minutes before Congressman Tim Ryan was set to speak about the local benefits of Health Care Reform, the lawmaker's staff cancelled his Youngstown appearance, stating there were concerns about safety and security.
About a dozen protesters stood outside the Youngstown Community Health Center ready to question the lawmaker about his decision to vote in favor of Health Care Reform.
A number of others came to support and thank the Congressman.
A source confirms the Congressman received a threat to his office that was serious enough to report to the Capital Police and the FBI. And while the threat to his safety had nothing to do directly with the cancelled appearance, his staff says security at the health center was an issue.
Congressman Ryan is already working to re-schedule the speaking engagement as early as next week.


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Senator Clinton Introduces Bill to Address Shortage of Health Care Professionals
Yesterday, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) introduced HANYS-endorsed legislation that would take steps to address the shortage of health care professionals in New York and the nation. The Health Professional and Primary Care Reinvestment Act of 2008 includes provisions that would help individuals choose health care as a career, guiding them toward the communities most in need and into primary care practices. These provisions would help relieve the serious pressures communities are experiencing because of the shortage of health professionals. HANYS is grateful for Senator Clinton's efforts and longstanding support of New York State's hospitals and health systems. A press release describing the bill is available online. Contact: Susan Van Meter


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This entry was posted on October 4, 2010 at 11:19 am and is filed under Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
One Response to "coming soon…!"
kreuk Says:
November 13, 2010 at 8:36 pm |


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This is my next: Jolla
When Nokia first jumped ship for Microsoft and abandoned their current platforms, it seemed that it was going to be the end of the Linux phone. I started my ventures with Maemo with a Nokia n810, and Bluetooth tethered it with a Nokia express 5300. I went through a few windows phones, all while continuing to use my n810. Got an n900 and was ecstatic. Then Meego happened, a partnership which I never understood because of the architectural differences. I have been using an n9 since its launch, meaning I paid a lot to get one imported to the US. The N9 is still my daily driver and I thought it might be the last phone with maemo roots.
Tomorrow marks the day though where a new team will announce what they are doing to keep the platform moving. Who else is looking forward to what come from the start of Jolla's event tomorrow? Who thinks the Jolla Phone will be their next, and what do you hope to see.


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Our Spring Rush was Disney themed this year, and a bigger hit than ever! We had a great turnout and were lucky to meet a lot of really awesome girls. We are happy to have 22 new girls on their journey toward sisterhood.
We have decided to refer to these new girls as "rosebuds" instead of "pledges" due to the negative connotation the word "pledge" can sometimes have. Our outlook is that they are on their way to blooming into beautiful roses, the symbol of our friendship and sisterhood.
Next week the rosebuds will be finding out who their Bigs are, and I'm sure they are all extremely excited to go through that part of the process.
We wish them the best of luck as they get closer to sisterhood day by day!


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China's Post-Reform Economy - Achieving Harmony, Sustaining Growth
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China has enjoyed heroic growth rates in the last twenty five years of reform and transition, pulling more people out of poverty more quickly than at any other time in human history. Nonetheless these successes have had costs: today China is faced with increasing environmental difficulties and...
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Chinese Economic Reform looks beyond the recent economic success of China. By focusing specifically on the pivotal role of the People's Liberation Army this work examines the vigorous participation of the PLA in the economy as a means of consolidating its power.The contributors address a wide range...
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A bowl a day keeps the chills away. Get soul-satisfying recipes with tortilla strips, noodles, rice, or dumplings.
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Smoky or spicy, with or without beans—find chili recipes just the way you like 'em.
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White Bean Chicken Chili
Canned white beans and cooked chicken meat are mixed in chicken stock with tomatillos, green chilies, chopped tomatoes, and fresh corn kernels in this lightly seasoned chili.
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Cream of Asparagus and Mushroom Soup
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Serving Art Educators
and Students Since 1994
Give each student a sheet of tin foil about one foot long. Have students draw lines with Washable Markers before they cut. (so you can check the placement)
Gently crumple foil together holding it in the middle (like you were holding the waist of the person) Gently, if you squeeze too hard the foil compresses and the person gets really tiny!
Have small pieces of foil available for strengthening arms and legs or necks (some who have squeezed too tight lose limbs!)
Sometimes we pose these foil people and do sketches in our Sketchbooks of people in action. (Propped against a glue bottle, sitting on the edge of the table, holding a pencil)
Next step -- Tape the person and then paint.
Give each student a Styrofoam meat tray (write their name on it) for storage of person and keeping supplies while they work, (yarn, fabric they have chosen, etc...)
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text: OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - When Gov. Chris Gregoire took office eight years ago, it was against a backdrop of a contested election that led to two recounts and a court challenge. Gregoire, a Democrat, recently recalled that some Republicans turned their backs on her during her inaugural address in the House chambers in January 2005, and that occasionally people she encountered in public would say "revote" to her face. Since then, Gregoire has seen a series of years marked by budget shortfalls and cuts to state programs, she went to Iraq to visit with troops from Washington state, and changed her position on same-sex marriage, speaking out in favor of it last year and signing it into law, an action later upheld by voters. She said that among the things she is most proud of is her work on early childhood education, as well as her dozen trade missions to places like China and India in her effort to position the state internationally to compete.(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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You Want To Become A Firefighter – Should You Become A Paramedic?
Many students go to paramedic school thinking it'll be a quick ticket to the career; for some it's not the case.
Becoming a firefighter is not an easy task. Thousands of people lined up to take a test for a fire department that was only going to have a couple of job openings over the life of the list (if even that sometimes). I remember it so clearly. 3,000 people for one job. 5,000 people for 10 jobs, 4,000...
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However I soon realized that I wasn't going to get spoon fed the information and that I was going to have to work at becoming a paramedic. When it was all said and done, I still feel that paramedic school was tougher than going through and completing my four-year degree at California State University at Hayward! It was especially tough because I did not have a lot of experience working as an EMT to fall back on. I had no past experience working on an ambulance and I think it really hurt me and made me work harder than I probably should have. It makes sense now, when I look back at the situation: how did I expect to be a good paramedic, if I had never learned to become an excellent EMT? We're taught to crawl, and then walk. It was like an amateur athlete competing in a triathlon without ever becoming an excellent swimmer, bicyclist, and or runner! Think of paramedic school the same way. Did I complete it? Yes; but it wasn't easy.
When I started paramedic school it dawned on my very quickly that I had to become a paramedic because I wanted to become a paramedic, not because I wanted to become a firefighter. I had to acknowledge that while my ultimate long-term goal was to become a firefighter, for my short and medium range goals, I needed to work at being the best paramedic I could be. After talking to many paramedics and nurses that work in the field as preceptors in both hospitals and on ambulances, I started to realize that there was a significant failure rate when going through paramedic school, and that many of the students failed during the field internship phase.
Further investigation led me to understand why students were failing. Many of them had never worked as an EMT, and/or on an ambulance! Besides not having the prior experience, paramedic students were also at a disadvantage because many of the preceptors were sick and tired of students becoming paramedics just to become firefighters. They wanted people to be like they were when they were going to paramedic school, which was working at becoming the best paramedic they could be when they ultimately worked for the private ambulance company (because that is where most of the paramedic jobs were). In some ways, I can't blame the preceptors for not wanting to take students without EMT experience, or being even harder on them for not having EMT experience.
I had started out in paramedic school like many students probably do. I had thought I could "skate" through the class work, get the license, get on a fire department, and do what I had to do to get by until the ambulance arrived or I didn't have to be a paramedic anymore. Reality soon set in after talking to many working firefighter / paramedics and private ambulance paramedics that advised me that I better become a paramedic because I want to, not because I have to. There was too much at risk if I didn't have my heart into it. It did not take much to lose your paramedic license (versus your EMT certificate); giving the wrong medication, not giving any medication, giving too much medication, not placing the Endotracheal tube in the right place, and the list goes on and on. All of those things could lead to losing my license. Well, I'm not a genius, but I did see that if I did not complete paramedic school, or lost my paramedic license because of one of those above mentioned items, I would probably never, never, get another job as a paramedic or firefighter. I didn't like that thought. There is too much liability and at stake for a paramedic to be doing what they do if their heart and soul is not into it.
Also, I started seeing that many fire departments required their paramedics to be paramedics for a set number of years: 3 years, 5 years, 10 years, their entire career, until they promote, etc. I had to take a long look at the situation. Could I be a paramedic and be miserable at it for the next 30 years (because I did it just to become a firefighter) or could I make the best of it and embrace it and make the best of it? I chose the make the best of it and embrace it philosophy and I am glad I did. If I truly wanted to be a firefighter, but I had to be a paramedic for my entire career? Yes; because my ultimate goal was to be a firefighter. Not everyone is willing to make that commitment.
One preceptor told me, "When you start your field internship, you should be able to hit the ground running as a safe EMT, and a beginning paramedic. I first test you on your basic EMT skills to confirm your competency, and then let you start adding your paramedic skills. The last thing I want to be doing on your first few shifts is to be teaching you how to use a gurney or how to use your EMT skills that you had never used before (outside of the classroom). That takes up valuable training time that we don't have to spare." I couldn't agree with him more. Because of the glut of EMT students without experience, I could see how many of the preceptors were getting frustrated, not wanting to take students without experience, not wanting to pass them because they weren't even competent EMT's, and how students were failing their internships.


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A regular reader who is an active Catholic recently sent us a URL to an interesting mainstream news report about religion and, this is the unusual part, even suggested a headline that ALMOST nailed the GetReligion angle in the piece.
So I used the reader's headline.
However, I think the reader is slightly off and, perhaps, a bit too kind in that headline. I believe the actual journalistic reaction, in most newsrooms, would best — in Internet terms — be described as "WTF." I could be wrong about that, of course.
So, the big shocking news in this piece from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat is that the local bishop has decided to get on board with the Vatican's attempts to put the "Catholic" back in Catholic education. Thus, the opening of the story (which should be read while listening, oh, to something like this) offers a gripping account of the current crisis:
The Santa Rosa Catholic Diocese is requiring its 200 schoolteachers to sign an agreement affirming that "modern errors" such as contraception, abortion, homosexual marriage and euthanasia are "matters that gravely offend human dignity."
The move is an effort by Bishop Robert Vasa to delineate specifically what it means for a Catholic-school teacher — whether Catholic or not — to be a "model of Catholic living" and to adhere to Catholic teaching. That means means abiding by the Ten Commandments, going to church every Sunday and heeding God's words in thought, deed and intentions, according to a private church document that is an "addendum" to language in the current teachers' contract.
In his two years as Santa Rosa's bishop, Vasa has attempted to bring his strict interpretation of church doctrine to a diocese that historically has had a more tolerant approach. But some teachers fear the addendum is an invasion of their private lives and a move toward imposing more rigid Catholic doctrine.
Now, none of this is the least bit shocking for any journalist who has followed events in the American Catholic Church over the past few decades.
Here is the key: This story is not shocking for two well-established reasons.
First, anyone who has ever covered events on the Catholic left (think, oh, a WomenPriests ordination rite or any kind of event linked to the Catholic gay-rights group Dignity) knows that a high percentage of faculty members in many, critics would say most, Catholic schools tend to lean to the cultural and doctrinal left and, as a rule, this includes many non-Catholics who do not respect the ancient teachings of the church.
Second, during the era defined by the work of the Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, key Vatican offices have taken steps to put some degree of orthodoxy back into Catholic schools, including making them safe working environments for pro-Vatican Catholics. At the level of colleges and universities, this trend is perfectly summed up in the controversial, for many Catholic educators, document Ex Corde Ecclesiae ("From the Heart of the Church").
In other words, it is totally missing the point for this Press Democrat story to say that the local bishop is attempting to "bring HIS (emphasis added) strict interpretation of church doctrine" to the diocese, when Vasa is acting in a way consistent with a Vatican-supported effort to defend church teachings. Also, the subjects included in this covenant are all very high-profile issues in the church, rather than obscure points of doctrine. Note, also, that the teachers are protesting an action that is consistent with the right of all private schools — on the cultural left, as well as the right — to define the boundaries of their own voluntary associations.
The bottom line?


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*What are the components and skills needed in basketball
*What skills do I need to acquire and improve if I'm interested in team basketball
*Why is basketball such a popular recreational game
*What kinds of games can I learn to keep basketball fun and long lasting in my life
*Learning what an athletic stance is
*Learning the triple threat position and its importance in the game
*Proper mechanics of shooting, dribbling and passing a basketball
*Court dimensions, players and positions on the court
*Core rules and etiquete of the game
*Dribbling skills that progress through both right and left hand and from slower speeds to faster speeds and finally from looking at the ball and not looking at the ball
*Work on a chest pass, progressing to a bounce pass, overhead pass and one handed pass. Work with a stationary target from different distances and progress to a moving target
*Work on shooting technique starting without a ball progress to a ball against the wall and then standing at the side of the hoop and then increasing distance as comfort level increases
*Use smaller hoops for those not strong enough to shoot properly at 10 foot hoops. Technique is more important that hoop height
*Teach the triple threat position in which the kids can shoot, dribble or pass from and show how to establish a pivot foot to maximize the triple threat position to create space.
*Teach some simple game strategies such as setting a screen and backcutting on your defensive player. Show how to establlish position and ask for the ball and put a couple simple plays.
*Show the kids how to move their feet defensively and stress that this is the one part of the game that skill level is not as important as effort level and that anyone can play defense if they are willing to work at it.
*Play some 3 on 3 games and finish up with some 4 on 4 or 5 on 5 full court games
*Ability levels to dribble with both hands
*Evaluation of shooting techniques
*Progression in game strategy and skills used
Coaching, books, past formal team play, basketball camps.
Basketball has become a world wide sport and has long been an Olympic sport bringing all cultures together for decades. With the addition of European and other cultural stars in the NBA, basketball continues to grow world wide while maintaining the core set of rules associated with the game at the highest levels.


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Airpark Village faces foreclosure
FORT COLLINS - More than six years after Denver developer Lloyd Goff first announced plans to turn the old Fort Collins Downtown Airport into a 150-acre mixed-use community anchored by a high-tech research park, his Airpark Village property may be headed for foreclosure.
Lender Mile High Banks has filed a Notice of Election and Demand with $5.449 million of the original $5.45 million loan still owed.
Although there has yet to be any redevelopment at the site, Goff isn't ready to throw in the towel just yet though.
"We're trying to get it refinanced," he said. "The bank is under FDIC watch and pushing us out the door because the FDIC wants them to sell 20 percent of their loans. We can't get a loan from a bank, so we're looking at private money."
Longmont-based Mile High Banks in February signed an agreement with the Federal Insurance Deposit Corp. to strengthen its financials stemming from its loan concentration in commercial real estate at a time when commercial real estate values were rapidly declining.
Mile High Banks Chairman and CEO Dan Allen, however, said the NED filing on the Airpark Village loan had nothing to do with the bank's agreement with the FDIC. He said he could not comment on the specifics of the litigation.
According to the filing in Larimer County, borrower Airpark Village LLC has until March 1 to cure the loan default before the property is sold on March 2.
Optimistic, Goff said that deadline gives him several months to secure financing. He said he is in talks with two potential investors, one of whom he hopes to go to contract with this month.
"We've got a lot of people looking at it. It's hard to say what's going to happen," Goff said. "If we had a decent market then we wouldn't be having any problems. We wouldn't have problems with the bank. The essence of human adventure is uncertainty."
Competing visions
Competing visions
Goff first acquired an option on the property, which is part of the city's East Mulberry Corridor, in 2004. The airport closed in 2006, and there were concerns that adjacent businesses, primarily aviation-related, would leave with it. Goff, though, said he did not have a problem filling existing space after purchasing the property that year, bringing in about 30 new tenants.
"We're full," he said. "We don't have anything left to rent. The hangars are all rented out."
Those tenants include some entertainment, computer and storage businesses, along with driver training for various groups like law enforcement and truck drivers.
Goff's vision for the property, however, looks very different.
"The first project we want to do is an energy tech institute, a brain trust that would link members with a conference center that sits on top of five labs and would allow us to get a national audience," he said. "We would work on energy research and development. The main theme of the campus, of the development project, is a research and development campus."
Goff wants to change the name of the futuristic development, eventually, to Energy Park One. He said the first building he envisions for the park can co-exist with the hangars, but the second building - still years away - would have to replace them.
Josh Birks, economic adviser for the city of Fort Collins, while not opposed to Goff's plans, sees the Airpark Village area more as an opportunity for light manufacturing and other industrial uses. He does not think its foreclosure would have much of an economic impact on the city.
"We have a need for reasonably affordable space for those kinds of uses," said Birks, who joined the city in March 2009. "We see that area as an opportunity to continue to enhance that part of the economy. I'm not sure the ultimate owner of the property will impact what happens there over the long term one way or the other. We haven't seen it as a major economic asset other than in terms of a place for light industrial manufacturing uses to site.
"We had initial conversations with the property owner before my time, and our contact diminished significantly just as he was trying to move the project forward," he added. "We've never done a formal estimate of the economic impact, but something closer to the status quo is the way we are looking at it from an economic impact standpoint at this time."
Birks said there are a number of other areas in the city that can respond to research and development opportunities, and the airpark is not an area they earnestly track as an economic development asset.
"Ultimately that area and parts of South College, south of Harmony, and parts of North College are the strongest places for small scale light industrial uses in the community and there are other opportunities for larger new construction and new employment," Birks said. "If companies are looking for affordable or existing facilities, those are the kind of places we think of as opportunities consistent with our overall vision."
Fort Collins Zoning Administrator Peter Barnes said the city annexed the Airpark Village property and zoned it as an E (Employment) zone, which has a wide variety of uses, at the request of Goff. The city also approved Goff's Overall Development Plan in 2008, but Goff has yet to submit a specific development plan for anything.
No flights allowed
One use that is not allowed in an E zone is an airport, and Goff has for years been involved in litigation with pilots who want to continue using the airport's runway. That's because an airport can be allowed in an E zone as a grandfathered, nonconforming use forever as long as the use was not abandoned for 12 consecutive months. After the FAA closed the airport in 2006 and 12 months passed, the city determined the property was not an airport anymore and thus lost its nonconforming status. However, some pilots continued to use the runway for occasional takeoffs and landings without notifying the FAA and argued that such use meant the airport had not in fact been abandoned.
At Goff's request, the city will look at the issue again to determine whether or not flying is allowed at the old airport.
"We expect to get the answer that zoning doesn't allow it and the FAA said it was shut down properly," Goff said.
He categorizes the zoning dispute as a minor annoyance compared to the much larger headache of the market collapse.
More breaking news...
Region's jobless rate low again in July
JBS S.A. posts lower 2Q earnings
Fort Collins visitors' bureau chief resigns
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For those of us who care about the comings and goings of Minor League baseball teams and where the Iowa Cubs will be playing on the road, the plans to build a new ballpark for the Padres Triple-A franchise in Escondido is dead. The California Supreme Court ruling on redevelopment funds means that there is no mechanism for funding the ballpark.
This means that the Padres are going to have to play in Tuscon for a while while they explore other options. The Padres current home is the former spring training field for the Diamondbacks and White Sox. It doesn't really live up to the modern standards of Triple-A ballparks, which are more like miniature major league parks. On top of that, playing baseball in Tuscon outdoors in the summer is not ideal. (Although Las Vegas has the same problem) The Escondido plan could be revisited sometime in the future, but the Padres are going to want a new ballpark as soon as possible.
Other cities could look at building a Triple-A stadium to lure the Padres. I know Boise has talked about building a new stadium for the Hawks that could expand to be a Triple-A stadium. That would be bad for me and probably the Cubs as they'd have to find a different city for their short-season team. But that's a long way off in the future.
This also may tie in with something I've been discussing over on the McCovey Chronicles, in which an Athletics move to San Jose would mean the SJ Giants would need a new place to play. And unlike the Padres, which can pretty much look at any city west of the Appalachians, the Giants would have to have a city in California and one preferably near the Bay Area. Perhaps part of any compensation for the Athletics move would have to be the construction of a new Class-A ballpark for the SJ Giants.


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|Scott Edgar
How can you say that the western market is shrinking? I mean with the recent Modern Warfare release being the biggest release ever even during a recession. I think any smaller growth of the gaming industry in the western marked in the last few years can easily be attributed to the weaker economy.
|Maurício Gomes
I duno how the western market is shrinking, there are a crapload of people that still don't has official access to games... People sitll think of games as EU, NA and JP...
Seriously, where is South America, China, India, Australia?


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Tag Archives: Jon gruden
It's like looking in a mirror, if you were Jon Gruden, and the mirror was Frank Caliendo.
If you are a fan of a team about to can its coach, his replacement won't be Jon Gruden.
Instead of staying home and watching the Alabma cream Notre Dame in a snooze-a-palooza BCS National Championship Game, Jon Gruden went to WWE RAW on Monday
If you didn't like love the "Little Giants," my condolences go out to you for having a crappy childhood. Solid Verbal had the genius idea