text:
Set as Homepage
Wed, Aug 27, 2014
1 Elul, 5774
Breaking News
Operation Protective Edge
Diplomacy & Politics
Israel News
Middle East
Health & Science
Jewish World
Food & Wine
Cooking with JPost
Business News
Business Features
Real Estate
The Jerusalem Report
In Jerusalem
Expert Opinion
Green Israel
Politique et Social
Affaires Palestiniennes
Art et Culture
Jpost Store
Judaica Gifts
Bar Mitzvah Gifts
Jewish Jewelry
Jewish Holiday Gifts
Ahava Products
Jewish Artists
Leather Sandals
Breaking News
Some things change, but basically BSL stays same
10/14/2012 00:33
Preview: New regulations and league format, everyone will be chasing Maccabi Tel Aviv.
BSL season gets underway
Photo: Lilach Weiss/BSL
Maccabi Tel Aviv still remains the firm-favorite to win the championship, but yet again there has been a change to the league's format and to the regulations regarding foreign players.
As of this season, each team can choose to register either four or six foreigners to a game.
Hapoel Gilboa/Galil and Maccabi Tel Aviv are the only teams which currently intend on registering six foreigners and therefore will have to make sure they have two Israeli players on the floor at any given point in the game.
The rest of the league's sides will be able to play with all four of their foreigners at once.
After seven seasons, the BSL has also scrapped the Final Four.
The Final Four format to decide the championship was introduced in the 2005/06 season in the hope of creating interest in a league dominated by Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Maccabi dropped its first league title in 15 years in the 2007/08 season following a dramatic defeat to Hapoel Holon and failed to claim the championship once more two years later after losing to Gilboa/Galil in the final.
However, due to growing criticism from all quarters regarding the unsporting nature of the Final Four format the BSL decided that a best-of-five playoff series will be played in the semifinals, just as it is in the quarters, with a one game winner-takes-all final to take place to decide the title.
After 22 games for each club, the league will be split into two sections of six teams each. Each side will play once more against the other teams in its section, with the top eight teams overall to advance to the quarterfinals.
Chief Sports Writer Allon Sinai takes stock of the 12 teams battling for BSL supremacy in 2012/13.
Since returning to coach Maccabi two years ago, David Blatt has amassed an amazing 66-3 record in local league and cup play.
Tel Aviv has overhauled its roster yet again, bringing in seven new players. Nevertheless, it is still difficult to see any team threatening the yellow-and-blue, especially with the cancellation of the Final Four.
The blow from the retirement of Israelis David Blu and Tal Burstein was softened by the additions of Sylven Landesberg and Moran Roth, ensuring Maccabi still has the best Israeli core in the league, with Lior Eliyahu, Guy Pnini and Yogev Ohayon all returning for another season.
Player to watch out for: Itay Segev. The 17-year-old 2.04-meter forward joined Maccabi on a sixyear deal this summer and is being talked about as a future NBA player.
Last season: BSL champion, 23-2 in the regular season, beat BC Habika'a 3-0 in the quarterfinal playoffs.
Best-case scenario: Maccabi wins its third straight league and cup double, this time going the entire season unbeaten.
Worst-case scenario: Maccabi loses just a single game in 2012/13, but it happens to come at the worst moment – in the BSL title game.
Ashdod exceeded all expectations in its first two seasons in the BSL, reaching the Final Four title game last term after making the playoffs the previous year.
If Ashdod's preseason form is any indication, it looks to be one of the league's strongest teams yet again.
The core of the roster from the past two seasons, led by Meir Tapiro, has departed, but coach Ofer Berkowitz is back for a third season and Ashdod will be a force to be reckoned with once more thanks to promising young Americans Diamon Simpson, Kenny Gabriel and Chris Allen and veteran Israelis Guni Izraeli, Dror Hagag and Moshe Mizrahi.
Player to watch out for: Diamon Simpson. The 25-year-old center has been dominant under the baskets in the preseason and looks set to become a double-double machine in the coming campaign.
Last season: 2nd place, 12-12 in the regular season, beat Hapoel Gilboa/Galil 3-1 in the quarterfinal playoffs.
Best-case scenario: Ashdod makes a second straight appearance in the title game.
Worst-case scenario: Ashdod only barely slips into the playoffs and is sent packing in the quarters.
Holon lost the entire core of its squad from last season, most notably playmaker Moran Roth. However, it still has one of the best coaches in the league in Dan Shamir and has brought in some promising names in the hope of returning to the semis.
Frank Hassell, Jerome Dyson and Zack Rosen may lack professional experience, but there is no doubting their talent. At 26-years-old, Ofir Farhi is the oldest player on Holon's roster, but if there's anyone who can build a cohesive unit from this group of youngsters it's Shamir. Player to watch out for: Zack Rosen. The 23-year-old American-Jew was named as the unanimous Ivy League player of the year last season, averaging 18.2 points, 5.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game at the University of Pennsylvania.
Last season: 3rd – 4th place, 14- 11 in the regular season, beat Hapoel Jerusalem 3-1 in the quarterfinal playoffs.
Best-case scenario: Holon reaches the last four for a second straight year, becoming one of the league's must-watch teams.
Worst-case scenario: After lasting just two years at Hapoel Jerusalem and Bnei Hasharon, Shamir also parts ways with Holon following two seasons after failing to guide his kids past the quarterfinals.
Effi Birenboim begins his fourth straight season at Rishon, the league's longest active streak.
The veteran coach guided the club to the Final Four for a second straight year last season and has yet again assembled a roster with great promise.
Israelis Amit Ben-David and Nitzan Hanochi give Birenboim a solid backcourt base, with reliable forward Adrian Uter also returning from last season.
Youngsters Or Solomon and Lazeric Jones will provide Effi with so much-needed youthful exuberance and Julian Wright will be one of the stories of the season in the BSL, succeed or fail.
Player to watch out for: Julian Wright. Despite being picked 13th overall in the 2007 draft, Wright never quite fulfilled his potential in the NBA, but he could prove to be an unstoppable force in the BSL.
Last season: 3rd - 4th place, 15- 10 in the regular season, beat Ironi Ashkelon 3-2 in the quarterfinal playoffs.
Best-case scenario: Rishon continues its consistent progress since Birenboim took charge and makes the final.
Worst-case scenario: Its preseason struggles prove to be a sign of things to come as Rishon's season ends in the quarters.
Lior Lubin is back for a third season, but the roster has an almost completely new look.
Young promising Israelis Yoad Bet- Yosef and Amit Simhon will be hoping to flourish under Lubin's guidance, but it remains to be seen how they will coexist beside new Americans Kenny Hayes, Rakim Sanders and Mitchell Watt.
Dagan Yavzuri and Brandon Hunter give Gilboa some muchneeded experience, but Lubin has got his work cut out for him if the team is to return to the title game after two years.
Player to watch out for: Yoad Bet-Yosef. The 24-year-old was one of the National League's top scorers at Maccabi Be'er Ya'akov last season and will be looking prove he has what it takes to be a star in the top flight.
Last season: 5th - 8th place, 16- 9 in the regular season, lost 3-1 to Maccabi Ashdod in the quarterfinal playoffs.
Best-case scenario: Gilboa goes one step further than last season and loses in the semifinal playoffs.
Worst-case scenario: Gilboa takes one step backward and doesn't even reach the playoffs.
Jerusalem missed the Final Four title game for a fifth straight year last season, with Sharon Drucker failing to lift the team after replacing the sacked Oded Katash in January.
Drucker is still at the helm and he will have no excuse this season after building the roster himself.
Israelis Elishay Kadir, Uri Kukia and Dan Grunfeld are back for another campaign, but the rest of the roster has changed, with Drucker mainly bringing in proven veterans.
No player is more established and experienced than Meir Tapiro, but despite his excellent play for Ashdod over the past two seasons, he is not set to be a starter and will have to get used to a reduced role at 37- years-old.
Jerusalem also knows exactly what it is getting in Americans Josh Duncan and Courtney Fells, who both played in Israel last season, and with the 29-year-old Craig Smith, who has played in the NBA in the past six years, most recently with the Portland Trail Blazers, averaging 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds last season.
However, the x-factor is expected to be 22-year-old Jacob Pullen, who impressed at Biella in Italy last season and will have to shoulder much of the team's playmaking responsibilities.
Player to watch out for: Craig Smith. The 28-year-old forward was a legitimate NBA player for the past six seasons and could be a real steal for Jerusalem.
Last season: 5th - 8th place, 14- 11 in the regular season, lost 3-1 to Hapoel Holon in the playoffs.
Best-case scenario: Jerusalem returns to the BSL title game after six years.
Worst-case scenario: Drucker is gone by January, sacked exactly one year after replacing Katash.
Coach Adi Azulai is back in Ashkelon and he faces an uphill battle.
Ashkelon has one of the smallest budgets in the league and by the time it got organized it was left with two weeks to build its roster.
Ashkelon's Israeli core is one of the weakest in the BSL, with Oded Sha'ashoua and Lior Lifshitz the only experienced local players on the team. Azulai is known for his excellent eye for foreigners, and while Taj Gray has shown plenty of promise, the coach will also need the rest of his Americans to raise their level for the team to avoid the relegation playoffs.
Player to watch out for: Dudu Shamriz. The 21-year-old guard is entering his third season with the team and should finally get the opportunity he's been waiting for.
Last season: 5th - 8th place, 10- 15 in the regular season, lost 3-2 to Maccabi Rishon Lezion in the quarterfinal playoffs.
Best-case scenario: Ashkelon is swept in the quarterfinals after sneaking into the playoffs.
Worst-case scenario: Ashkelon lives up to its preseason billing and is relegated.
Oded Katash will be hoping to guide Eilat back to its glory days after owner Doron Herzikowitz relocated BC Habika'a to Israel's southernmost city.
Herzikowitz was promised NIS 1.5 million in backing from mayor Meir Yitzhak Halevi and Eilat is determined to make a splash in its first season back in the big time, with its total budget expected to reach NIS 6.0 million.
Eilat had one of Israel's top clubs in the 1990's, gaining promotion to the top flight ahead of the 1991/92 season under the guidance of current Israel coach Arik Shivek and remaining there until 1999.
American guard Austin Freeman looks to be the undoubted star of the team, while the return to Israel of Afik Nissim gives Eilat a local hero it desperately needed.
Player to watch out for: Afik Nissim. The 31-year-old has played abroad in the last nine years and could prove to be the barometer of the team.
Last season: 5th - 8th place (as BC Habika'a), 10-14 in the regular season, lost 3-0 to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the quarterfinal playoffs.
Best-case scenario: After his traumatic time in Jerusalem, Katash reestablishes his place among Israel's best coaches by guiding Eilat to the semis.
Worst-case scenario: The long haul for road games costs the team a playoff berth.
Danny Franco experienced a disappointing campaign at Netanya last season, but he has been given another opportunity.
The coach will be depending heavily on his foreign core, with Yehu Orland the team's only established Israeli player.
Franco has at least gone for proven players in his selection of Americans, with only one of them not having previous BSL experience.
Ramel Bradley, Deron Washington, Marco Killingsworth and Raymar Morgan (who will be back from injury later in the season) are players Netanya can rely on, but the team will struggle if none of its Israeli youngsters step up.
Player to watch out for: Eyal Shulman. The 25-year-old is set to start in Netanya's backcourt, an opportunity he may never get again.
Last season: 9th place, 9-15 in the regular season.
Best-case scenario: Netanya returns to the playoffs after a oneyear absence.
Worst-case scenario: Netanya goes back to the drawing board after failing to reach the playoffs for a second straight year.
After a dismal season, Bnei Herzliya is desperate to make amends.
Coach Ariel Beit-Halachmi steadied the ship at Herzliya after replacing Adi Azulai in January, and if its preseason form is anything to go by, Herzliya could be one of the dark horses of the season.
Veteran foreigners Milt Palacio (34) and Jumaine Jones (33) have vast NBA and European experience, but it remains to be seen if they don't run out of gas as the season progresses.
Niv Berkowitz and Isaac Rosefelt give Beit-Halachmi two solid Israeli options and Herzliya should be a force to be reckoned with once more.
Player to watch out for: Ben Rice. The 22-year-old has been tipped for a breakthrough for several years and after missing all of last season due to a knee injury he is healthy again and looking to make his mark.
Last season: 10th place, 7-17 in the regular season.
Best-case scenario: The experience of Palacio and Jones proves to be the key factor in Herzliya's drive to the semis.
Worst-case scenario: The old legs of Palacio and Jones result in Herzliya not even making the playoffs.
After two nightmare seasons, Haifa looks ready to become a challenger once more. The Greens ended last season bottom of the BSL standings with a 5-19 record and after going through five coaches over the last three years have started completely anew yet again, bringing in American coach Brad Greenberg and replacing the entire roster. Greenberg, a former NBA assistant coach and general manager and NCAA Division I head coach, will have some of the league's best foreigners at his disposal.
Point-guard Paul Stall looks to be a hidden gem, while Donta Smith is the best player in the entire BSL according to Greenberg.
Veteran Israeli center Ido Kozikaro is also back in town and together with the team's return to the renovated Romema Arena, Haifa has every chance of making some real noise.
Player to watch out for: Sean Labanowski. The 19-year-old made little impact in his debut season and should display more of his potential this year.
Last season: 11th place, 5-19 in the regular season.
Best-case scenario: After a threeseason hiatus, Haifa gets back to the semis.
Worst-case scenario: Haifa's season ends on a sour note after being bounced in the quarters.
Five years after being formed by fans, the resurrection of Hapoel Tel Aviv will be completed this season with its return to the top flight.
The club was set up under the name of Hapoel Ussishkin in the summer of 2007 following the demise of the original Hapoel Tel Aviv and the demolition of the Ussishkin Arena.
The new franchise took over the name and heritage rights of the original Hapoel Tel Aviv in December 2009 and it will be the first fanowned club to play in the BSL after winning the National League championship last season.
Erez Edelstein is one of the more experienced coaches in the league and his abilities will be tested to the limit this season with Hapoel having one of the smallest budgets in the BSL.
The Reds have made the least amount of changes to their roster of all 12 BSL teams. However, while the continuity should initially work to their advantage, especially with the likes of Matan Naor and Curtis Kelly sticking around, they may eventually discover that what was sufficient for the National League last season will simply not cut it in the top flight.
Player to watch out for: Bar Timor. The 20-year-old guard made his breakthrough last season and should benefit from Hapoel's lack of depth.
Last season: National League champion.
Best-case scenario: Hapoel sneaks into the playoffs but far more importantly also records a stunning upset against Maccabi in the derby.
Worst-case scenario: Even Hapoel's faithful fans grow tired of following the team to its new home in Rishon Lezion as the losses continue to pile up.
Please LIKE our Facebook page - it makes us stronger
This article is by :
Allon Sinai
Follow @AllonSinai
Recent stories:
Sinai Says: Hapoel Jerusalem on upward s...
With pressure off, blue-and-white takes ...
Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Garcia resigns du...
US Open: Israeli tennis star Pe'er advan...
Bnei Herzliya
Sean Labanowski
Yehu Orland
Danny Franco
Tweets from https://twitter.com/Jerusalem_Post/jpost-reporters
Share this article
Your comment must be approved by a moderator before being published on JPost.com. Disqus users can post comments automatically.
Comments must adhere to
our Talkback policy
. If you believe that a comment has breached the Talkback policy, please press the flag icon to bring it to the attention of our moderation team.
comments powered by Disqus.
JPost Services
Mobile Apps
Kotel Cam
JPost Alert
Israel Focus
Israeli Law Degree for English Speakers
Support Israel today!
Choose from over 10,000 Israeli-made products.
Online Wholesale Business
Donate to Save Lives in Israel
Rambam Healthcare Campus
Support Israel's Underground Fortified Hospital
Bank Hapoalim
Israeli's number one bank
JPost TV News
Watch Now!
Jerusalem Post Lite
Lite Edition of the Jerusalem Post for English improvement
Learn Hebrew with us
Get 10 minutes free personal coaching in Hebrew through phone or Skype
JPost newspapers
Sign up for the JPost newspapers and receive one month free subscription
JReport Kindle Edition
Now you can get the Jerusalem Report directly to your Kindle
JPost Premium Edition
The very best articles are available only in our Premium edition
Eldan Rent a Car
20% off all Car Rental Reservations in Israel
Sites Of Interest:
Car rental Israel
Jerusalem Hotels
Poalim Online
Our Friends
Jerusalem Attractions
Jerusalem Tours
JPost sites:
Learn Hebrew
The Jerusalem Report
Our Magazines
Edition Francaise
Green Israel
Christian World
Jerusalem Post Lite
Ulpan Online
Magazines Terms
JPost Mobile Apps
JPost Premium
JPost Newsletter
JPost Toolbar
JPost News Ticker
JPost RSS feeds
JPost.com Archive
JPost Archives
JPost Alert
JPost Kotel Cam
Find us on Google+
JPost Conferences:
NYC Conference
Diplomatic Conference
2013 Conference
Excellence Starts Here
Staff E-mails
News Partners
Advertise with Us
Ad Specs
Terms Of Service
Privacy Policy
About Us
Advertise with Us
Contact Us
All rights reserved © The Jerusalem Post 1995 - 2014


text:
Research opportunities abound One of the great things about engineering at Rice is the ease with which undergraduates can get involved in research. And we're not talking about washing out beakers and other types of menial labor, but playing a meaningful role in the research efforts of our faculty. More than 60 percent of Rice engineering undergraduates have a research experience by the time they graduate.
More than anything, the experience of conducting original research and being part of a cutting-edge research team gives you the opportunity to learn about the process of research, to develop skills for collaboration, and to study topics at a depth that cannot be approached in the classroom. It can also help you to decide if you want to go to graduate school or join the work force after graduation.
Just ask! Engineering faculty are often looking for undergraduates to help with research projects. The best way to find a position (some are for pay, some for class credit), is to get to know your professors. Most engineering classes are small enough so that this does not pose a big challenge. If there's a faculty member you'd like to work with, or whose research you find interesting, talk to that professor, go to their web page and find out more about their research. Remember, the best way to find a good match is to talk to the faculty member whose work you find interesting.
Watch videos of students talking about their research experiences:
The Brown Undergraduate Research Internship Program Each semester, the School of Engineering provides funds to a limited number of faculty who wish to employ engineering undergraduates in their research projects. Summer internships provide full time employment for approximately 10 weeks. Faculty members must request the internships and provide matching funds from research grants or other sources; speak with the faculty member with whom you would like to work to see if she or he has funding available and will submit an internship request on your behalf.
At the end of each semester, students whose research work is supported by the Brown Fund must submit a report on their experience. Here are some recent reports:
The effects of hypoxia on heart valve cells' production of extracellular matrices by Steve Xu, senior 2008-09Real dynamic rhythmic task to validate input frequency as a task independent measure of performance by David Myer, senior 2008-09
George R. Brown School of Engineering6100 Main MS-364, Houston, Texas 77005-1827 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892
©2011 Rice University Rice HomeWeb ServicesUniversity CalendarMaps-DirectionsFeedback

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This was posted over on TI in a free article. I do not subscribe so I dont know all the details that is posted over there.
"We have a head coach who now has full control over our recruiting board and he is forcing our assistants to take oral commitments from players no one wants or players that everyone has backed off of."
I know about the Humphries kid and the Grisham sibling already being on board and this is what I presume the poster was referring to. I hope our coach is not just being a nice guy in some instances and creating scenarios for some kids that may prove beneficial for them later in life as like what has happened to him.
This situation, if accurate, combined with the lack of depth due to 11 walk-ons on scholarship does not bode well moving forward. Swinney may not know X's and O's but he should understand recruiting and numbers given the fact he was a former recruiting coordinator and a successful recruiter.


text:
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his wife Ashley are giving thanks for their new bundle of joy. Benjamin Roethlisberger Jr. arrived Wednesday at 10:06 p.m., according to the athlete's website. The...Read More
Free Agency? You mean we could have been doing this all along? Long has been the time honored and stupid... Read More ↔
Thank you, Johnny Manziel, for being as Johnny Football as you can possibly be. What does football teach us? We know... Read More ↔
Coach Mike Tomlin said today that long-snapper Greg Warren has...
August 15, 2014 - 0 Comments
The Steelers have trimmed their roster to the league-mandated 53...
August 31, 2014 - 0 Comments
Total users online: 5
Guests online: 5
Registered online: 0;


text:
There are good reasons for giving your teen a cell phone. I can think of two:
- their safety and your peace of mind;
- your convenience.
Latchkey kids, kids whose families have given up on land lines, kids involved in sports and extracurricular activities who need rides at unpredictable times, and kids forced to walk uphill, three miles, in snow, ice, and heavy traffic through a seedy red light district at midnight - yeah, they need a cell phone.
Let's not confuse "need" and "want." That's almost as bad as losing sight of the difference between "tool" and "status symbol." I don't need to pay $20 a month for my child to have a status symbol that's going to cost me another $300 the first time it's dropped in the toilet. My daughter washed hers - on hot, regular cycle, with jeans. Kudos to LG - it survived. But not one of her cell phones made it to the two-year, free upgrade mark.
So here's the deal - far be it from me to tell anyone else how to raise their children, or what rules of the road they ought to lay down before handing over the high tech toys. I'm just going to throw these proposed "rules" out there with the caveat that I wish I'd thought them up years ago, before switching over to "shared rollover minutes" with my teenaged daughter. She pays her own cell phone bill these days, and I laugh when I hear her say things like, "Mom! Slow down. I'm glad you've learned how to send text messages, but they're not on my plan..."
With her off the plan, I can afford unlimited MMS. She can't. Revenge is sweet.
RULES for the CELL PHONE
Do not waste your callers' time with inane, long, loud, rude voice messages or ten minute punk rock songs. "Hi, this is Ariella Bombast. Please leave a message at the tone and I'll call you back as soon as my mom lets me," said in a pleasant, cheerful, clear, and upbeat tone of voice would be perfect.
Check your voice mail regularly and respond to it - at least if it's from your mom or dad.
CLEAN your voice mail box frequently to ensure that mom and dad are able to leave a message.
Screen your calls, by all means, but you'd better answer when it's mom or dad - preferably on the first ring - unless it's during school hours. If your phone is confiscated during school hours, you will have to write a letter of apology to your teacher, the principal, and your mother in order to get it back - unless your school was in lock-down and you were in fear for your life.
I can hear you roll your eyes over the phone. And yes, I do have eyes in the back of my head.
You can think what you like, but I do not want to see it on your face nor hear it in your tone of voice. You may flounce, pout, make faces, and roll your eyes all you like - in your room. Having a crappy attitude is normal at your age; inflicting it on others is just rude and makes you look asinine. Trust me, you'll be embarrassed about it later. I'm just helping you to save face (before someone says "enough is enough and breaks your cute little nose").
The phone is MINE from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. MINE.
If you miss curfew, or if I cannot find you when I need you, and you don't answer the phone, and it turns out you're NOT lying dead in a ditch somewhere? Your A$$ is mine from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM, and you will not have a cell phone. (Parents take note: A home alarm with sensors on every window works both ways - they prevent break ins AND break outs.)
"My battery died!" is not an excuse unless your battery fails and needs to be replaced. Did you know that cell phone techs can easily tell if you dropped your phone or battery in water? There's a little sensor there - you cannot lie about these things. You are responsible for ensuring that your phone battery is fully charged and stays that way when you're outside the home.
If you drop or misuse your phone, it may be replaced at my option - depending on your behavior and attitude at the time. You will be required to reimburse me for it, including the cost of phone insurance on the new phone. If you do not have money in savings or an allowance that I can garnish, you will be doing manual labor - yardwork, laundry, scrubbing toilets, whatever I ask - cheerfully. Or see "the phone is MINE" (above) but change "10 PM to 6 AM" to "24/7."
Think I'm bluffing? Try me. I love you, and don't want to be the death of your social life, so your phone is cooler than mine. Just give me half an excuse to switch SIM cards...


text:
OK, since I have no idea when my motorcycle will be back to normal, I have been checking out alternative modes of transportation.
Do I want to rent/buy a car? Not Really...
Would I go by train or bus? Yes sir!
Here is my potential itinerary for 3 weeks. It's WAY too heavy, I will have to cut some cities out... but this would be ideal anyhow:
With some preliminary research, this is the trip I could take with the 45 day/18 segment Amtrak rail pass for $749... The people I want to meet in each city so far are in brackets.
Buffalo (Alex)
Chicago (Suzanne)
Milwaukee (Gill)
St. Paul
Fargo (Dave)
West Glacier
Portland (Forrest)
California (Kit, Seth, Vanae, Philip, Dawn) (can visit up to three cities in Cali)
New Orleans
Memphis (Matt)
Chicago (Suzanne)
If anyone is interested in this speak up! You can come for all or part of it, I think it would be great.


text:
Bang With Friends, Zynga kiss and make up
The social networking service that helps you find Facebook friends who might want to get to know you a little better says it resolved a trademark dispute with Zynga, which offers the Words With Friends game.
iPhone 5c Case review: Apple's offering has some holes in it
Apple's attempt to make an iPhone case of its own simply doesn't measure up to what others are producing.
iPhone 5c review: The no-brainer upgrade for iPhone 4 or 4s
It doesn't boast the marquee features of the pricier iPhone 5s, but Apple's colorful new iPhone is an affordable upgrade for anyone with an iPhone 4s or anything older.
How Yahoo could have improved its logo
Yahoo has a new logo, but we think the company could have done better.
Who got slighted in the Steve Jobs movie
'Jobs' is a largely accurate biopic of the late Apple cofounder. But not everyone is going to like how they're portrayed in the movie.
Reviewing "Jobs": One-of-a-kind innovator gets by-the-numbers biopic
The film biography of Steve Jobs arrives in movie theaters this Friday, with Ashton Kutcher in the lead role as Apple's cofounder and CEO. It's a workmanlike, perfectly acceptable effort—adjectives that don't really apply to Steve Jobs himself.
Podcast: Talking about Mac Gems
Senior editors Dan Frakes and Roman Loyola join the show to talk about our annual round-up of low-cost, high-quality Mac software.
Podcast: Quark overhauls QuarkXPress
QuarkXPress 10 marks a major overhaul of the cross-media publishing package. We talk to Quark's Gavin Drake about what's new with this update.
Swinging for the fences with MLB.com Home Run Derby
Just in time for this week's All Star Game, MLB.com has updated its Home Run Derby app with this year's participants.
No more free lunch for Google's Alfred
Google is shutting down its Alfred restaurant recommendation for iOS and Android. Users who want to save their favorite restaurants from the app need to act now.
Tempo looks to take on iOS's Calendar app with latest update
Tempo uses artificial intelligence to add relevant information to your scheduled meetings and events. A Thursday update to the iPhone update promises even more functionality aimed at business users.
Macworld Pundit Showdown: WWDC Edition
Bright minds of the Mac universe descended upon San Francisco for WWDC. So we decided to ask them some dim questions.
Office Mobile for iPhone: What you need to know
Microsoft has come out with a mobile version of its Office productivity suite for iPhone users. We answer your questions about this new mobile app, including what it can and can't do.
WWDC Recap: Apple unveils big plans for software, hardware for 2013
The rest of this year figures to be packed with Apple products if the company's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote is anything to go by. On Monday, the company showed off major updates to OS X and iOS as well as a planned Mac Pro update that will arrive this fall.
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is on the horizon. Dan Moren, Dan Frakes, and Serenity Caldwell join Philip Michaels to preview next week's big Apple event.
Articles by Philip MichaelsNext Page


text:
Russia's Egor Mekhontcev narrowly won the light heavyweight gold medal in London this morning. Bad Left Hook has the recap.
Bad Left Hook has live coverage and a stream for the final five boxing matches in London at the 2012 Olympics.
Bad Left Hook has previews and picks for each of the 10 boxing finals and gold medal fights at the Olympics in London.
Egor Mekhontcev of Russia will face Kazakhstan's Adilbek Niyazymbetov on Sunday for light heavyweight gold in boxing. Bad Left Hook has the recap, including the controversy over Niyazymbetov's...
The rest of the men's boxing gold medal matches will be determined this afternoon, starting at 3:30 p.m. EDT from London. Semifinal Results (Aug. 10 Morning) Light Flyweight | Bantamweight | L...
Brazilian light heavyweight Yamaguchi Falcao upset top-seeded Julio la Cruz of Cuba in the quarterfinals. Bad Left Hook has the light heavyweight recap.
The men's quarterfinals will wrap up this afternoon in London, as the light flyweights, light welterweights, and light heavyweights take to the ring to set up their medal round matchups at the 2012...
The round of 16 has concluded in London for Olympic boxing, and the quarterfinal matchups on the men's side are set. The women do get underway for the first time ever tomorrow morning, with all...
Kazakhstan's Adilbek Niyazymbetov, Iran's Ehsan Rouzbahani, Ukraine's Oleksandr Gvozdyk, and Algeria's Abdelhafid Benchabla advanced to the light heavyweight quarterfinals. Bad Left Hook has more...
Bad Left Hook has live coverage of Olympic boxing, plus a link to a live stream for American viewers, as the round of 16 comes to a close in London.
As part of the new SB Nation launch, prior users will need to choose a permanent username, along with a new password.
Your username will be used to login to SB Nation going forward.
Please login to your Vox Media account. This account will be linked to your previously existing Eater account.
As part of the new SB Nation launch, prior MT authors will need to choose a new username and password.
Your username will be used to login to SB Nation going forward.
We'll email you a reset link.
If you signed up using a 3rd party account like Facebook or Twitter, please login with it instead.
You must be a member of Bad Left Hook to participate.
We have our own Community Guidelines at Bad Left Hook. You should read them.
You must be a member of Bad Left Hook to participate.
We have our own Community Guidelines at Bad Left Hook. You should read them.
Choose an available username to complete sign up.
In order to provide our users with a better overall experience, we ask for more information from Facebook when using it to login so that we can learn more about our audience and provide you with the best possible experience. We do not store specific user data and the sharing of it is not required to login with Facebook.


text:
Randolph Maidens, the man accused of murdering his orthodontist wife in their exclusive Governors Club home in April, surrendered Thursday for additional charges. He is charged with two counts of tampering with evidence and child neglect. He is expected to post a $10,000 bond. Maidens bonded out of jail on his previous homicide charge last week after his bond was reduced from $2.5 million down to $750,000 on May 23.The 42-year-old being held at the Williamson County Jail for shooting his wife, Dr. Rachael Maidens, a popular Brentwood orthodontist.Arraignment on the case is scheduled for 9 a.m. on June 25.
Previous Stories:
441 Murfreesboro Road Nashville, TN 37210
Telephone: 615.369.7222
Fax: 615.369.7329
Email: email@example.com


text:
Dear colleagues,
I have published one blog today. But the points did not get automatically assigned as mentioned for the New SCN.
Please do the needful.
Hi Leon. I'm looking into this. I will update you as soon as I hear something. Thanks!
Login to follow, like, comment, share and bookmark content.


text:
Related content
Kyle Hall Set to Head Down to Melbourne
You know you've made it when you're only eighteen, and Omar-S, Theo Parrish and other Detroit legendaries have referred to him as one of the most talented in the new wave of electronic musicians.
Kyle Hall might have been born in 1991, a couple of years after Detroit's techno scene went stratospheric, but he's arguably as well-schooled and talented as many of the contemporaries whose scene he's found himself a place in. Immersed in all ends of the music industry since the tender age of eleven when local legend DJ Raybone Jones taught him how to spin records, he was taken under the wing of Rick Wilhite, taught how to produce music by Mike Huckaby, and mentored by Omar-S does a little to explain Hall's spectacularly mature and compelling output thus far. With releases already out on Third Ear, Hyperdub, and his own recently-established label Wild Oats, it's no wonder the youngster has garnered so much attention in such a short space of time.
Come see what the fuss is all about when Kyle Hall touches down on Friday September 28, at a venue to be confirmed.


text:
Outside of the realm of systems and trading, there is a whole discipline devoted to monitoring and maintaining quality control over manufacturing outputs. This pic was borrowed from the original post http://www.shmula.com/241/statistical-process-control-why-you-should-care. Im sure a picture in this case is worth a thousand words—or ideas!
Below is a general guideline for interpreting a Control Chart:
Read More: http://www.shmula.com/241/statistical-process-control-why-you-should-care#ixzz0qEYuybKU


text:
Agents of Change
At her young age, Deepika Kurup is already one of the most promising agents of change of our times; she successfully developed the cheapest water purification system so far.
Fourteen year old invents a new water purification system /
New generations do not cease to impress us with their brilliant ecological awareness and their intelligence. It seems like children are the ones who are most receptive and aware of the fatality of present environmental technologies. Deepika Kurup, a fourteen year old is one of these incredible examples. Not only is she a brilliant scientist and an astounding lecturer, but her genuine concern for the fresh water crisis is so great that she has the potential to move masses to take action and change ecology's future.
She came up with the idea after she saw some children in India drinking dirty water from a puddle. From that point, Kurup decided to "find a solution to the global water crisis", her invention just won 25 thousand dollars in the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge; a competition for students from fifth to eighth grade (Kurup entered the contest before she began middle school).
Deepika Kurup spent three months working on her project, reviewing postgraduate documents about water purification instead of going away for her summer holidays. She spoke with her 3M tutor every day, and examined the purification system in her backyard using contaminated water from the sewage treatment system in Nashua, New Hampshire. Finally she found a system that expose titanium oxide and zinc oxide to the sun, creating a chemical reaction that generates hydroxyl groups, which in turn kill harmful bacteria.
As well as the positive results from her experiments, Kurup found that in just a matter of hours, the water had been completely filtered by its compound —that costs roughly half a USD cent a gram—and it contained fewer Coliform bacteria and E. Coli colonies.
Unlike other modern and popular methods to purify water (using UV lamps that require electric energy or chemicals that give the water nasty flavours and smells) Kurup's method can work beyond networks, creating fresh and tasty water.
Currently, after winning the contest, Kurup remains interested in speaking to other companies that could help promote her method, "My next step is to apply for a patent", she stated. "I want to start a non-profit organisation to implement my invention". We hope the world is listening and that Kurup's eco-method is widely employed as soon as possible.Tagged: water, Deepika Kurup, Agents of Change, environment


text:
Canada Travel Guide
Jagged peaks and fresh winter air, cities with over 400 years of history, and remote cabins offering peace and quiet all tempt travelers to head north for Canada vacations. Let VacationRentals.com show you the many sides of Canada; in the end you won't know whether to book a beach Canada vacation or the ultimate ski villa!
Canada travel has many faces from buzzing cities to the quietest corners of the mountains. The pleasures Canada offers convince people to return year after year for an old favorite or to discover something new.
Looking for travel inspirations? This Canada guide will get your travel juices flowing and prompt fantasies of skiing, gourmet dining, fascinating wildlife, and adventure activities. Be forewarned! Continue reading only if you want to discover some truly enticing choices for Canada Vacations.
What to Do in Canada
Canada travel often includes skiing. Names of ski destinations such as Whistler, Banff, and Lake Louise all conjure up images of snow-covered pine trees and perfect ski conditions. After a day on the slopes, you'll be ready to snuggle up by the fire in your vacation rental. City breaks, cultural vacations, and foodie getaways can all be part of Canada vacations as well.
City Breaks
Had enough of the Great Outdoors? There are still plenty of reasons for a Canada vacation. From the history of New France to the more rugged cities in western Canada, you'll discover there is more to Canada than skiing! A sophistication has recently developed in cities across the country from Edmonton to Toronto, so expect quality dining, shopping, and even spas.
Toronto is at the top of the list in any Canada guide. Located so close to the American border, it is possible to visit one of the world's tallest buildings (CN Tower), explore the popular theme park Canada's Wonderland, and wander through Kensington Market for a variety of imported goods without straying too far from home. Quick flights or scenic drives make Toronto easily accessible to Americans.
Vancouver is quickly becoming one of the most popular locations for a Canada vacation. This cultural city offers many attractions beyond traditional sightseeing and tours, including the largest city park in Canada (Stanley Park), historic Gastown (explore here for art galleries and nightclubs), and the fantastic Vancouver Aquarium. Every Canada guide will recommend a visit to the aquarium, especially for families.
Quebec City brings European flair to your vacation without the hassle of having to cross the Atlantic. French restaurants, sidewalk cafés, and 400-year old cobblestone streets in the historic quarter will transport you to another time and place. The cultural traveler can indulge in art galleries while those seeking nightlife will find trendy spots and delicious cocktails.
Luckily, no Canadian city is too far from the mountains, skiing, and other outdoor adventure. Plan a trip around visiting the annual Calgary Stampede and Rodeo before heading out to see some wildlife. See Canada's Parliament buildings in Ottawa before you go river rafting. With your first trip, you'll discover how Canada travel is never just about one thing!
Wilderness Wonder
Beauty extends beyond the cities of Canada as well. Many Canada vacations head straight for the wilderness—and when you see the mountains, rivers, and lakes for yourself, you will understand why. Whether you want to tour Niagara Falls or head to the depths of the Rocky Mountains, Canada travel delivers landscapes that are guaranteed to take your breath away.
Looking for a Canada guide to World Heritage sites? Banff National Park has been recognized by the UN for its spectacular natural beauty. Your family will spend days skiing at Lake Louise or encountering wildlife during a hike in the Rockies. Can't wait to see the look on your kid's face when he encounters a moose for the first time? Seeing these animals in the wild is hands down superior to any zoo.
The Mecca of snow sports in Canada is also a beautiful place for a vacation rental. Whistler has 8,000 acres of terrain for the whole range of snow sports. Not into skiing? Enjoy the shopping and dining Whistler offers, or relax in your vacation rental and take in the views as you sip a mug of hot cocoa.
Don't skip the national parks during Canada travel—they offer some of the most stunning views in the country. Gros Morne National Park offers whale watching tours through steep, narrow fjords along with hiking, cycling, and fishing. Treat your family to all the beauty of Mother Nature that Canada has to offer.
What to See in Canada
Each of the thirteen provinces of Canada offers distinct landmarks, attractions, and wildlife. For some provinces, the city is the star. For others, the city might never compare to the mountains. Some travelers will be drawn to historic sites while others care about what nature has carved. Whatever your reason for planning a Canada vacation, there is plenty to see during your trip!
Top attractions in the country include Niagara Falls, the fossil bed of Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, and La Citadelle, the historic fort of Quebec City. Changing of the Guard at the Ottawa Parliament Buildings is a sight worthy of a daytrip, and seeing one of the tallest towers in the world in Toronto, the CN Tower, will excite your kids and maybe even inspire a future architect.
Beyond attractions, the best Canada vacations are those that include the great outdoors. Rent a car and take the time to explore the Rocky Mountains, Banff National Park, or Gros Morne National Park. With a good map you can find your family surrounded by stunning landscapes without another tourist anywhere in sight.
Where to Shop and Eat in Canada
Have you ever wondered where the largest mall in the world is? Plan a Canada vacation to Edmonton, Alberta, and you can visit it yourself. The West Edmonton Mall boasts over 800 shops, restaurants, an amusement park, water park, ice rink, and putting golf. Be warned, there is so much entertainment to keep your kids busy for days at the West Edmonton Mall that they may not want to leave!
Quebec City is known for its boutiques and fashion. Quartier Petit-Champlain is North America's oldest shopping district, and still contains contemporary fashion off the cobblestone streets. Antiques can be found along Saint-Paul while the Old City is full of art and jewelry for the serious shopper.
Toronto has the Eaton Centre, and by the numbers, this shopping mall is the biggest tourist attraction in the city. With over 250 stores to choose from, no matter what your budget, you'll find something tempting at this 4-level glass mall.
Vancouver is another shopper's paradise. Canada travel in Vancouver often leads to Robson Street where all the big name brands have a headquarters. The Pacific Centre mall also has a huge selection while Sinclair Centre always has something to offer the trendy or frugal shopper.
Culinary Delights Await You in Canada
Beyond great shopping, Canada vacations also include a chance to indulge in amazing restaurants. A good Canada guide will inform travelers that dining can be an international experience. From Chinatown in Vancouver to French bistros in Quebec City, restaurants offer a wide range of internationally influenced cuisine.
Planning a Canada vacation around your stomach? Your timing is perfect. Canada has woken up and gone gourmet. From farmer's markets to internationally renowned chefs, Canada travel now boasts many options for foodies. Be prepared to taste some unique dishes as well; the adventurous eater will have plenty of opportunities to try tongue and other unique delicacies during a trip to Canada.
Looking to explore the culinary landscape on a budget? Plan a vacation around restaurant week to taste the best for a fraction of the price. Toronto and Vancouver have restaurant weeks in February. These three-course prix fixe menus allow the chefs to display their talents, and guests to discover new favorites across the city. Be sure to make your reservations in advance—tables during restaurant week fill up quickly!
Let the culinary awards and famous names guide you through Canada restaurants. From Cibo Trattoria in Vancouver to The Black Hoof in Toronto, visitors are sure to be impressed with restaurants in Canada that have come of age. Looking for the latest restaurant to try? Consult food and wine magazines that have extended their coverage to the hottest new restaurants in Canada.
When to Visit Canada
Have you been scared away from winter vacations by a Canada guide? Don't let cold temperatures keep you from the winter wonderland of the Rocky Mountains. Winter sports can be enjoyed from November through March or early April. Excellent ski conditions with powdery snow is what Canada is known for. Storms sometimes interrupt flights, but Canadian airports are well-equipped to deal with the snow.
Looking to skip the snow? Some of the best Canada vacations are planned for the summer. Clear blue skies, mild temperatures, and wildflowers in bloom all lure travelers away from more traditional summer destinations. Beaches, lakes, and beach vacation rentals can all add a dose of fun in the sun to your summer Canada vacation.
One of the most expensive times to plan Canada travel is during winter school breaks. If you are planning on a ski vacation during President's Week in February, be prepared to pay a premium on your entire vacation. Reasonable rates can be found throughout the winter, although again expect to pay more during the holiday weeks of Christmas and New Years.
What to Bring to Canada
Pack your bags for the great outdoors! Hiking boots, warm layers of clothing, waterproof jackets, and hats are a must. If you plan on doing some skiing or ice fishing, remember your equipment or be prepared to rent them.
A good Canada guide will warn readers about the extreme cold that can be found during the winter. Don't let this fact deter you from visiting Canada, but do pack gloves, hats, long underwear, and other cold-weather gear.
Heading off on a city break? Bring something fancy for a night out on the town in one of Canada's premier restaurants. Looking to spend quality time with the family? Remember playing cards, board games, DVDs, or favorite family recipes, so you can plan special time together.
Local Services in Canada
During a Canada vacation you won't feel far from home. The next bank or ATM is never too far away, and most restaurants and stores will take credit cards. Stock your vacation rental with produce from the farmer's market, and keep your eye out for cheese and chocolate shops that show off their artisan skills.
What to Know About Canada
There are distinct cultures to Canada, and all of them are worth exploring. From the rugged, western culture of British Columbia and Alberta to the refined, European culture of the Eastern section of the country, travelers may be surprised to discover how many sides there are to Canada.
The exchange rate of the Canadian dollar (and all currencies) fluctuates over time, so be sure to check the current rate before your Canada vacation. This will allow you to know exactly the price of things before you reach for your wallet.
Looking to simplify Canada travel? Leave your ski gear at home and rent equipment at the resort. These mountains are used to catering for great numbers of adventure-seeking travelers, and have high-quality equipment on offer to borrow for the day or week.
Getting to Canada
Canada vacations can start with the car, train, bus, or by air. Some destinations in the east, such as Toronto and Quebec City, are popular for Americans looking to get in the car and drive. Destinations in the west such as Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary are all well-served with international airports.
Why Canada Vacation Rentals?
What better way to enjoy the natural beauty of Canada than with the serenity of a vacation rental? Noisy, cramped hotels all detract from the spectacular wilderness. Rent a cabin for the ultimate getaway, or book a luxurious ski villa complete with a Jacuzzi to soak your muscles after a day on the slopes.


text:
"Decline of Honey Bees Now a Global Phenomenon, Says United Nations"
"The mysterious collapse of honey-bee colonies is becoming a global phenomenon, scientists working for the United Nations have revealed."
Jump to navigation
"The mysterious collapse of honey-bee colonies is becoming a global phenomenon, scientists working for the United Nations have revealed."
"With the Obama administration required to put its plan for reducing toxic air pollution from coal-fired power plants on the table a week from today, the American Lung Association and other public health groups have started an early push to explain why U.S. EPA shouldn't flinch on the long-delayed rules."
Coffee yields from Columbia are declining and prices are rising, because of warmer, wetter weather. Many scientists think global warming is responsible.
"U.S. EPA's plan to give businesses another three years to show how they calculate their greenhouse gas emissions will weaken the agency's new reporting requirements and could be illegal, environmental groups said before yesterday's deadline to comment on the proposal."
"Americans worried about the pain of $100 U.S. oil should worry a lot more. Although $100 oil is the headline in U.S. newspapers, most refineries that supply fuel to service stations are paying the equivalent of a much higher price -- and those costs are already being felt when consumers fill up their vehicles."
"Three nonprofit groups Monday filed a federal lawsuit aimed at cleaning up air pollution from the Lower Colorado River Authority's coal-fired Fayette Power Project located between Austin and Houston."
"The vast ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica are melting faster than previously estimated and that melting is accelerating, according to a new report that verifies 18 years of melting via two independent techniques."
"Protests over timber corruption that has made a billionaire of the chief minister of the Malaysian state of Sarawak and enriched his family at the expense of the state's indigenous and other citizens have spilled over to the streets of San Francisco, Seattle, Ottawa and London." Now there are charges of a political murder on US soil.
"Democrats have attempted to get Republicans to confront the science on climate change, in an effort to halt moves to block regulation of greenhouse gas pollution. But it's not clear that the appeal to reason worked."
The extent of Arctic sea ice cover reached a record low this winter, tying the record low mark set in the winter of 2005, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Scientists consider the decline of sea ice to be a sign of manmade global warming.
The U.S. Supreme Court Monday issued the second ruling in recent days narrowing exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act -- and thus increasing public access to government information. In the case of Milner v. Department of the Navy, the court rejected an expansive interpretation of the FOIA exemption on personnel matters. The Society of Environmental Journalists had joined other journalism groups in a friend of the court brief urging a narrower exemption.
"At least three of the Wisconsin state Senate Republicans currently demanding that public workers sacrifice benefits, wages and even collective bargaining rights for the sake of the budget have applied for and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal farm subsidies, a Huffington Post review of state and federal records shows."
"Behind the feud between Greenpeace and Facebook over renewable energy."
"Redondo Beach's King Harbor is inundated with dead fish. Experts believe the sardines sought safe harbor from a storm, but consumed the oxygen in their small refuge."
"The federal rule protecting the nation's last remaining stretches of roadless wilderness will apply now to the largest and grandest of the national forests under a court ruling in Alaska, which threw out the exemption granted to the Tongass National Forest."


text:
LCSD Home
About LCSD
Inside LCSD
Get Involved
News Releases
Incident Reports
Inmate Information
Inmate Search
Crime Statistics
In Memoriam
Civilian Safety Awareness
Contact Information
Sheriff's Newsletter
Major John Allard, PIO Office, 785-2415, 24-Hour Press Box: 799-2001, Ext. 1100
Deputies Arrest Two Persons for Breaking Into Home
Lexington County Sheriff's Department deputies on Saturday, July 27 arrested a 25-year-old Gilbert woman and a 34-year-old Gilbert man on charges that they broke into a home on Main Street in Gilbert on July 18 and were caught in the act on Saturday of unlawfully removing the sheet metal roof of a storage building outside the same residence on Main Street.
Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts said deputies arrested Jennifer Hatchell, 25, of 614 Main Street, Gilbert, and Jeremy Earl Warner, 34, of 1428 Marcellus Road, Gilbert, on charges of third-degree burglary, petit larceny, obtaining ferrous metals unlawfully and possessing implements that are capable of being used to commit a crime. Hatchell and Warner were being held on Monday, July 29 at the Lexington County Detention Center on bail totaling $27,130 each. Warner is Hatchell's boyfriend and the father of Hatchell's child.
At about 12:25 p.m. on Saturday, deputies went to the home on Main Street in order to investigate suspicious activity that had been reported at the residence, Metts said. Deputies encountered Hatchell walking out of the home's back porch, with a crowbar in one of her hands.
Deputies found Warner in woods near the storage building outside the home, Metts said. Portions of the sheet metal roof on the storage building had been removed, with sheet metal piled by the building. Deputies found a backpack in Hatchell's possession that contained one hammer, tin snips, one screwdriver, one prying tool and one flashlight.
Deputies found that multiple holes had been cut in the drywall and living room floor in the Main Street home in order to remove copper wire, Metts said. Holes also had been cut in the bathroom floor in order to remove copper pipes that connect to the home's water heater.
Metts asked anyone with information about additional criminal activity involving Hatchell or Warner to contact the Lexington County Sheriff's Department at (803) 785-8230 or CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. Citizens also can provide information anonymously by accessing the Crime Tip link on the Sheriff's Department web site (www.lexingtonsheriff.com).
08/08/2014 - Officer Involved Shooting Investigation
08/07/2014 - Aviation Unit Recovers Stolen Vehicle During National Night Out
08/04/2014 - Man Arrested for Attempted Murder and Heroin Trafficking
07/31/2014 - Sheriff Promotes Two Deputies
07/28/2014 - Homeland Protection Certification
07/25/2014 - Two Men Arrested in Convenience Store Robbery
07/24/2014 - Explorer Post Wins National Award
07/23/2014 - Law Enforcement Re-Accreditation
07/23/2014 - Job Fair and Open House
07/23/2014 - Deputy Receives Distinguished Graduate Award
07/18/2014 - Sheriff Promotes Deputies
07/19/2014 - Detectives Charge Man with Restaurant Robbery
07/19/2014 - Deputies Arrest Two Women and One Man for Breaking Into Home at Gunpoint
07/16/2014 - Reserve Deputy Training
07/12/2014 - Detention Center Enhances Visitation With Inmates
07/11/2014 - Deputies Arrest Teen-Ager for Breaking Into Home
07/09/2014 - More than 70 Units of Blood Donated to Red Cross
07/08/2014 - More than 500 Eyeglasses Donated to South Carolina Lions Charitable Services
07/06/2014 - Investigators Arrest Three Additional Persons for Illegally Operating Gaming House
07/04/2014 - Investigators Arrest Man for Illegally Operating Gaming House
07/04/2014 - Inspection Results in Arrests of Two Men for Selling Counterfeit Items
07/03/2014 - Sheriff Promotes Deputies
07/03/2014 - Book Sale
07/03/2014 - 5th Annual Catfish Tournament
07/03/2014 - Deputies Arrest Man for Impersonating Law Enforcement Officer and Kidnapping Women at Motel
An Internationally Accredited Law Enforcement Agency 521 Gibson Road Lexington, SC 29072 (803) 785-8230


text:
Drag the home icon in this panel and drop it onto the "house icon" in the tool bar for the browser
Select "Yes" from the popup window and you're done!
CJ Component Products
Tait Communications
E.A.R. Inc./Insta-Mold
By Randy Furst
Star Tribune
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis message to return after Accent Signage callers didn't get operators.
The city of Minneapolis has altered the way it will handle emergency calls after up to six people who called 911 during last month's shooting rampage at Accent Signage Systems didn't reach operators.
The city knows of at least four people and possibly as many as six who called 911 during the incident but hung up when no one answered, said Heather Hunt, the city's director of emergency communications.
Full story:
Unanswered 911 calls prompt change in Minn.


text:
Like wringing water
from a towel, exerting
torsional forces on
both ends of the bag
applies enormous
pressure to whatever
is inside.
Wood boards, 2×6: 12" long ( 1), 6½" long ( 2)
Nominal 2× 6 dimensional lumber actually measures
1½"× 5½".
Plywood, 11"× 8", cut into four 8"× 5½" triangles
as shown in the frame diagram (Figure C)
Deck screws: 2½" long ( 6), 1¼" long ( 24)
Iron pipe flanges, ¾" NPT ( 2)
Wood screws, #12× 1" ( 8)
Linen cloth, approximately 12"× 24"
Hardwood dowels, 3" diameter, 8" long ( 2)
Glass loaf pan, approximately 4½"× 8½"× 3"
and the twist is applied outboard to these,
making the process easier and more efficient.
One might wonder why it took the Egyptians
so long to come up with the idea of a simple
frame to hold the bag ends apart, but perhaps
the pace of technology was slower back then.
NOTE: To make the bag press as authentic aspossible, you can use cedar (a wood available toearly Egyptians) for the 2× 6 pieces and substitutethicker, solid cedar pieces for the plywood bracingtriangles. Obviously, the ancients didn't have steel deckscrews. They relied on mortise-and-tenon joints andpegs. If authenticity is important, you can use joinerytechniques instead; check with a local woodworkingexpert for assistance on joint making.
TOOLSDrill and R" bitSpade bit, 1"Driver bits for deck screwsSewing machine, or needle and strong thread
Build an Ancient
Egyptian Bag Press
1. Prepare the bag.
Begin by laundering the linen cloth. Fold one
short end twice over and stitch a hem, using
a sewing machine or sewing by hand with
very fine stitching and strong thread. Hem the
other end the same way.
Fold the fabric in half lengthwise with the
hems facing out. Stitch along the long edge
(Figure A).
Turn the bag inside out so the hems and the
raw edges of the long seam are hidden inside
the bag. Fold over one open end to make a
sleeve large enough to accommodate the
diameter of the turning rods.
Photography by Sam Murphy
Sew the sleeve, leaving its top and bottom
open for the rod. Leave the other end of the
bag open (Figure B).
2. Prepare the uprights.
Locate and mark the holes in the uprights
according to the frame diagram (Figure C,
following page). Drill a 1" hole in each upright.
3. Build the frame.
Use the long deck screws to make a U-shaped
171 Follow us @make
Click to subscribe to this magazine


text:
The leaves aren't the only things turning orange in Kenova this year. The back yard of Mayor Ric Griffith's is also, as thousands of pumpkins fill the entire area.
The pumpkins were delivered this week to be carved and lit up at the annual Pumpkin House display. The attraction draws thousands of visitors from all over each year.
Nearly three thousand pumpkins of all shapes and sizes will light up the front and back yards, as well as some on the roof. Most of the larger pumpkins were harvested locally, while the rest came from out of state.
Griffith says new attractions this year include a giant inflatable Grim reaper, and a selection of interactive pumpkins people can play musical notes on by touching them using a computer program.
He says people are welcome to bring a carved pumpkin of their own and he will try to find a place for them.


text:
Some Rankin County residents have an important decision to make by midnight. Pearl residents living in neighborhoods annexed to Pearl since 1999 have a midnight deadline to decide whether you want your children to continue attending school in the Rankin County School District or shift to the Pearl School District.
When you make your decision, you can select a school district for living and anticipated children. If you don't have children yet, but plan to, you need to make a selection today.
If you don't make a choice by midnight, Pearl students in the annexed neighborhoods will automatically get registered into the Pearl School District.
Copyright 2013 MSNewsNow. All rights reserved.
208 DeBuys Road
Biloxi, MS 39531
(228) 896-1313
FCC Public File
EEO Report
Closed Captioning


text:
Teen library activity
- When: Thursday, February 28, 2008, 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Where: Bud Werner Memorial Library, Steamboat Springs
- Cost: Free
- Age limit: All ages
- Categories: Children
Bud Werner Memorial Library invites teens ages 11 to 18 to meet with a design consultant from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the library, to share ideas about furniture style and seating in the new teen space in the expanded library. No sign-up is required. Call the library at 870-0240.
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Requires free registration
Posting comments requires a free account and verification.


text:
Scarborough is reporting that Texas went almost exclusively with a 4-2-5 defense in the first half of spring practice. Gideon, Thomas, and Christian Scott at safety, A. Williams and Chykie Brown at corner and the usual suspects upfront.
The basis for the switch really comes from making Aaron Williams a full time cover corner opposite Chykie Brown and rotating Keenan Robinson down to the Sergio Kindle role. The switch should also tell you that the coaches feel better about Williams' size/speed combination than Curtis Brown's.
The base 4-2-5 is the best way to matchup against the spread offense assuming that you have great run support from the secondary and can get to the QB with four linemen. By having Christian Scott and Keenan Robinson on the field at the same time, you can change to something resembling a 4-3 by spinning Robinson down to an edge rusher and moving Scott into an SS/LB hybrid role. Additionally, Thomas's range and Scott's bonecrushing hits stand to have the best change of creating turnovers in the secondary.


text: The Lodge Banquet Center is located in one of Buffalo's finest architectual treasures and is a WNY historic landmark. Offering 3 beautiful banquet rooms we can accomodate 75-225 guests. Catering is available through Lucarelli's and a full service bar is on premises. Fully air-conditioned with ample parking we are ready to host your wedding, rehearsal dinner, shower, anniversary party or corporate event. Unique & Elegant - The Lodge is the perfect choice for your next special event.


text:
Quality paid firefighting positions are currently hard to come by in the United States. Even though a recent poll listed the firefighter employment rate as "average" going into 2014, new fire graduates are still going to have to work hard to land a job as a fireman this year. Basically, this is because many municipal fire departments are still operating half staffed because of budget cuts that happened during the most recent recession. Although, on paper things look as if the employment outlook has gotten better, many of these departments have adapted to working with less staff. This means, that even without a full hiring freeze they will continue to save money by cutting back on their hiring.
For new recruits this can be an incredibly frustrating realization. When new firefighter employment opportunities do come up there is a lot of competition to land these coveted positions. Most of the time departments will hire older firemen with previous experience working at a department. Because there were so many lay offs throughout the last few years, new graduates are competing with qualified experienced firemen for jobs as well as other recently graduated firemen. This adds another layer of difficulty to the job-hunting process.
The good news is that although it may be difficult landing a firefighting job, as a new graduate from training isn't impossible. There are some things that aspiring firefighters can do to help them selves find firefighting employment and overcome these obstacles.
1. Look For Fire Fighting Jobs Online
Before you become completely discouraged try looking for firefighting jobs that are listed online. This is much more effective than going to the departments in your local community and just hoping that there will be an opening available. Instead, check the popular job posting sites like Monster.com or Careerbuilder.com frequently for new firefighter employment opportunities. It may even be a good idea to subscribe to a website like firejobs.com which lists a directory of all of the online fire jobs in one place.
2. Know How To Spot A Dud
Some firefighting job leads are more promising than others. Make sure that you check the dates on all of the postings that you respond to. It is also a good idea to double check with Google maps and make sure that the department that has listed the posting actually exists. Remember, it should never cost you money to apply for a job. Be wary of any job posting that requires you to pay for you to submit your résumé and application.
3. Be Open Minded
Some opportunities for firefighting employment may not be exactly what you imagined. If you always saw yourself driving around in the big red truck putting out domestic fires then you may have a hard time accepting that this may not be your reality. However, if you can keep an open mind about the direction of your career you will be much more likely to find a job that you love. There are many industrial and military job openings that give preference to individuals with firefighting training.
4. Run The Numbers
Believe it or not if you apply for enough job the odds are actually in your favor! Although you may not get the first dream job that you are interviewed for, with enough perseverance you will eventually find something. This is why the most important thing for aspiring firemen to do is just keep applying for different jobs that come up. It also helps if you are willing to relocate so that you can take a firefighting employment opportunity that may come up somewhere else.


text:
A new Florida bill suggests a license plate design that would honor officers killed in the line of duty.
The plate would have a rose, a badge and two blue and black stripes on it. It would say "A Man Remembered Never Dies."
The annual use fee would be $25 for the new plate. Money from the sales would go toward police safety training and education programs for young people.
Students at the Pinellas Park High School "Criminal Justice Academy" came up with the idea.
200 South Parker Street, Tampa, FL 33606
Telephone: 813.228.8888
Fax: 813.225.2770
Email: email@example.com


text:
Bay City News
Santa Clara County sheriff's investigators identified a third suspect in connection with the kidnapping and assault of a handyman who was forced to do repair work in unincorporated Santa Clara County earlier this month.
The sheriff's office obtained an arrest warrant for 49-year-old Richard Rodriguez Jr., Santa Clara County sheriff's Sgt. Jose Cardoza said.
"Unfortunately, there is no solid information of his whereabouts right now," Cardoza said.
Rodriguez's last known address was in Alameda, but he has lived in several cities throughout Alameda County over the past number of years, Cardoza said.
Officials asked for the public's help in locating the suspect.
He is believed to have ties to the two Morgan Hill residents, Jason DeJesus, 36, and Chanelle Troedson, 33, who were arrested shortly after they allegedly forced a repairman to perform services on their residence in the 200 block of Caldwell Way in unincorporated Morgan Hill, Cardoza said.
About 7 p.m. Dec. 3, San Jose police received a report of a kidnapping and assault from the 50-year-old alleged victim, who had managed to escape his captors at a San Jose gas station.
Police handed the investigation over to the sheriff's office since the kidnapping occurred outside police jurisdiction, Cardoza said.
The victim told deputies he had initially performed handyman services for a relative of one of the suspects about two months ago, but was not paid in full for his work, resulting in a dispute for services rendered, Cardoza said.
The alleged victim said the suspects lured him to their residence to do repair work just before 11 a.m., the sergeant said.
Upon arrival at the residence, the victim was assaulted, held against his will and threatened with his life for several hours, Cardoza said.
The victim was still at the residence on Caldwell Way at 5:30 p.m. when the suspects forced the victim into his truck.
The victim was told he would be made to finish the repair work that he began two months ago at the suspect's relative's house in Santa Clara.
On the way to the home, the suspects stopped at the Chevron gas station at the intersection of Santa Teresa Boulevard and Cottle Road in San Jose to purchase gas.
When the suspects left the vehicle to purchase gas and food, the victim escaped on foot, disregarding a warning by suspects to stay put, Cardoza said.
The victim ran to a nearby residence to report the incident, he said. San Jose police responded to the area, located the suspects near the gas station and took them into custody.
DeJesus and Troedson were arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats and conspiracy.
Rodriguez is wanted on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment against the victim, Cardoza said.
Rodriguez is 5-feet 8 and has multiple tattoos on his arms. At the time of the incident, he had a mustache, officials said.
Anyone with information on Rodriguez's whereabouts is asked to call 408-808-4500 or leave an anonymous tip at 408-808-4431.


text:
The Batesville Herald-Tribune
---- — The sixth meeting of the Morris Shamrocks 4-H Club was called to order March 10 by Courtney Huntington, according to reporter Sarah Ronnebaum.
Roll call was "What was the color of your first bike?" with 29 members present and one new member. The secretary's report was given by Huntington. The treasurer's report was read by Julie Dudley. Inspirations were by Austin Shreve. Songs were lead by Alex Dudley, Maria Hartman and Amelia Hartman.
For new business, members read out of the newsletter about upcoming events and project workshops. Also, 4-H camp sign-ups are here again. "We had older members speak about their experiences at camp," Ronnebaum noted.
For old business, those in attendance were told to keep collecting cans.
For health and safety, Tyler Kuntz said, "'Since it is tornado season, when you hear a warning or siren, make sure you go to your basement or center of your house.'" Drew Wagner added that it is almost planting season. Pull over and slow down because it is hard for tractors to do so.
Demonstrations were given by Hartman and Kuntz.
Maria Hartman motioned for adjournment, and Liam Ludwig seconded that motion.


text:
- A Frugal Chick - http://www.afrugalchick.com -
Rare Coupon: $.50/1 Oreo Cookie
Posted By Laura On March 4, 2013 @ 11:20 am In Coupons,Farm Fresh | Comments Disabled
A new coupon has popped up for $.50/1 Oreo Cookies [1].
I found it under zip code 23460 (just click on "local" on the top and you can change zip codes).
They seem to be on sale at every local grocery store this week so you should be able to find a good deal.
If your Farm Fresh will take the coupons with "redeemable at Walmart" you can grab this deal:
Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies $2.50
Use (1) $.50/1 package Oreo Cookies [1]
Final Price: $1.50
Article printed from A Frugal Chick: http://www.afrugalchick.com
URL to article: http://www.afrugalchick.com/rare-coupon-501-oreo-cookie/
URLs in this post:
[1] $.50/1 Oreo Cookies: http://strk.enlnks.com/aff_c?offer_id=118&aff_id=1803&url_id=103&aff_sub5=17755128&affsrc=1
Click here to print.
Copyright © 2013 A Frugal Chick. All rights reserved.


text:
Vermilion Parish School System, the NAACP, South Louisiana Community College, and Cox Communications have teamed up to help bridge the technology gap in that parish.
The partnership creates a user-friendly online resource center, where parents can access their child's homework, check grades and communicate with teachers. School administrators will even teach parents how to use the website by hosting seminars at various schools. But this partnership goes even further.
Dr.Marcil Seals says SLCC is offering programs to help people learn technologies and also help those who need it get a GED. Dr.Seals goes on to say that cox is promoting a program called Connect to Compete. That program allows any family whose child qualifies for free lunch to get internet access through cox at just 9.99 a month.
Those involved with this partnership hope to give parents the tools they need to keep up with the technological advances being made in classroom, allowing them more involvement with their child's school work.
1808 Eraste Landry Rd, PO Box 90665,
Lafayette LA 70509
Telephone: 337.981.4823
Fax: 337.984.8323
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Please join friends, family and the San Diego community for the sixth annual USD Wine Classic on Sunday, July 13, 2014. An unforgettable wine tasting event held on the USD campus at the scenic Joan B. Kroc Institute of Peace & Justice "Garden of the Sea" overlooking the Pacific ocean. Owners and vintners from 30 USD affiliated wineries will feature more than 50 wines. The USD Wine Classic has raised more than $200,000 toward student scholarship funds. We'd also like you to join us for the University of San Diego's Vintners Dinner on Saturday, July 12 beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the La Gran Terraza Restaurant , located on our campus. The initmate evening will include a reception followed by a delectable and one-of-a-kind, four-course meal, featuring four USD family wineries. Each course will be carefully chosen and specially prepared to perfectly complement the wine with which it is paired.
We are offering a special pre-event for registered Young Alumni (class of 2004 to 2014) where Jason Kimmel '04 level II sommelier of Kimmel Vineyards will share his expertise on California wine regions. You must have a valid 2014 Wine Classic ticket to attend.
Additional information at usdwineclassic.com.
Wine Classic tickets and Vintner Dinner tickets are sold out! If you'd like to be put on a wait list for either or both of these events please call (619)260-4819
Uber, an on-demand car service, is offering USD Wine Classic guests a safe and hassle-free round trip ride. Sign up for Uber, or download the mobile application, and get a free trip up to $20 off your next Uber ride in San Diego. Enter promo code: USDTOREROS.
University of San Diego Alumni Association, 5998 Alcalá Park, San Diego, CA 92110, (619) 260-4819, email@example.com
Give Us Your Feedback


text:
In this post, which he began a few hours before the start of the playoffs, Nicolas announces his predictions for the first round as well as for the individual awards.
It's going to be wide open in the west, as usual. In the first round, the series are going to be hot. In the east, a little less, I think, but in the west it's going to be war. Even Memphis-San Antonio is going to be competitive. I'm not saying that they will beat the Spurs, but it will be a battle. They have a good little team. Tony Allen, Shane Battier on the wings, they are the shit, those guys, on defense. Ginobili is going to suffer -- there are two of them. They have Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol on the interior, Darrell Arthur, O.J. Mayo, Conley. That's a good group.
San Antonio-Memphis: 4-1 for San Antonio, but with some tough matches.
LA-New Orleans: Same thing, 4-1.
OKC-Denver: 4-3.
Dallas-Portland: I'm not saying anything! I don't want to jinx us.
Bulls-Indiana: Sweep.
Miami-Philly: Sweep also.
Boston-New York: I really feel 4-3 for Boston. That's going to be a hot one, and I don't see the Knicks losing at the Garden in playoff mode. Besides, they've had a strong [lit. funny] end of the season.
Orlando-Atlanta: I might surprise you, but I'm saying 2-4, Atlanta. (Keep in mind,, this post was written before the defeat of the Magic in Game 1. -- ed.) I don't know why, but I feel it. I'm not feeling Orlando. Maybe I'm wrong, but if there has to be an upset in the first round, it's that series.
That's it for round one. For the following rounds, I don't want to say anything about the west! In the east, I do want to give my opinion -- but not for the west! :) In the east, a Miami-Chicago matchup wouldn't be too bad. The Bulls, I think they'll be there. I find the Bulls very, very strong. In the east, that's the best-constructed team; I don't see anyone who can stop them. Everybody has his role and knows what to do. I don't see who can stop them. It's true that you almost always know what's going to happen when they're on offense, but have you also seen how they defend? And behind that they score, don't you worry. Rose goes "bip-bip" and goes right around you. If that doesn't work, there's Kyle Korver at the 3-point line or the ball goes to Luol Deng, or to Boozer inside. If not, Joakim grabs the rebound and puts it in. Sometimes basketball is so easy!
The defenses definitely raise the tone in the playoffs, and they are going to target Rose, but nobody has been able to get hold of him in 82 games, and it's going to be difficult to solve that in the playoffs. Because the defenses may raise their level, but so do the great players! And even on the days when that might not work, there are players like Luol Deng, who for me is the NBA's ultimate X factor, or Carlos Boozer, and even people like Brewer, Watson, Korver, Noah, Gibson: This team is really well built. And they are excellent at this moment! I don't see Miami stopping them. And at the same time, Boston could do a little Boston 2010 and knock out Miami in the second round, giving us a Bulls-Celtics conference final.
Okay, sorry again, but I don't want to jinx us so I won't speak about the west. So next, I'll go on to the awards.
MVP: D-Rose -- no great surprise. To me, it makes sense. Who else do you want to put there? I thought about Dirk at the beginning, but then he was injured and his level dropped a bit. Some people talk about LeBron. But San Antonio lost its last game, making Chicago the best team of the regular season this year, and Derrick Rose is the best player on the best team. Thus, he is the MVP. That's how the MVP of the last five years have been determined. I think that 90% of people consider Rose the season MVP. I'm not saying that LeBron hasn't been good this year, sure, but for me it's Rose.
MIP: I might surprise you, but I put Derrick Rose here too. He has improved tremendously. Fine, I know he isn't going to win it. I think they'll give it to Kevin Love. LaMarcus, in my opinion, won't get it -- he has been snubbed all year, poor guy.
Defensive Player of the Year: Here, I would say Tyson Chandler. But I think that Dwight Howard will get it. However, Chandler deserves it -- he completely changed the image of Dallas. You can't play the Mavs the same way since he's been there. He brought them an enormous inside defensive presence. But I still think they're going to give it to Dwight.
Rookie of the Year: Griffin. Period. Nothing more to say, no need to go on. One YouTube link is enough. :) I don't think any rookie has been so dominant in a loooooong time.
Coach of the Year: Thibodeau or McMillan. And I'm not saying that so he'll put me back in the starting 5. Ha! It's because we've had so many injuries and we're still right there. And Thibodeau, for a "rookie" coach, with a changed team, it's amazing what he's done.
Sixth Man: Lamar Odom. There's no discussion to have. People like Terry, Crawford, J.R. Smith have had a good season, but for me there's no debate -- it's Lamar Odom. Just Lamar Odom. To me, he and Luol Deng are among the most undervalued players in the NBA.
That's it for my predictions. I'll try to keep you updated during the playoffs!


text:
Contrary to popular belief (and by popular, I mean the very few people in my social circles), I was a Spurs fan way before this year's Finals series.
I got into the NBA more than eight years ago, way back when I was still a wee child about to enter high school. My first game: a Lebron-led Cleveland versus Kevin Garnett and his Timberwolves.
Never mind that I was in a hospital room at the time, visiting my grandfather with the rest of the family. Never mind that nobody else knew who played on any of the teams. Never mind that nobody else in the room knew what the NBA even was. From that moment on, I knew I was hooked.
There are so many things I remember about that first game: the loud cheers for every Minnesota shot, the louder boos for every Cleveland shot, that fierce Timberwolves logo on their homecourt, and some white kid named Wally Szczerbiak scorching the Cavaliers with his outside shooting.
But more than anything else, it was Kevin Garnett who ended up solidifying himself in my young basketball mind as my new favorite player. With the way he kept getting the ball all the time, I knew he was the team's superstar; their go-to guy for crucial plays. Which was why I decided right then and there that I was going to follow this team and this man for the rest of my NBA viewing days.
So, I followed them, and every time I did, my immediate wonder with Minnesota and their cool logo grew into a sort-of reverence for KG and his Wolves. I thought the Wolves would be the only team I'd be cheering for, with KG as the only player I'd stick with forever.
And then, along came the Spurs.
The earliest thing I remember about them was the color of their jerseys – because admit it, a solid black and white motif on basketball jerseys is just too slick for words. The next thing I remember about them was Tim Duncan, much like how I loved Minnesota's logo first and KG after. And once I discovered that they, too, were a pretty solid team, I knew I'd found another team to root for in this league. Add in my enthusiasm over all those KG and Timmy comparisons and the rest was history.
My time became consumed by NBA facts and tidbits, NBA history, basketball history, NBA teams and superstars, the coaches, the culture – everything. I just soaked everything up the way Squidward soaks up Spongebob's silliness on a daily basis (because soak = sponge = Spongebob = wholesome family fun, get it?) and I was loving every minute of it. It was official: I was now an NBA fan and there would be no going back.
I was a fan possessed. I'd cut out all the newspaper clippings I could find on Spurs and Wolves games and stash them away in a folder. I bought two commemorative VCDs of San Antonio's championship years. I bought myself a Spurs pillow and slept with it every night. The first sports magazine I bought had Kevin Garnett on the cover. My next issue had Tim Duncan as the month's main story. And most importantly, I watched their games on TV whenever I could.
But a kid has to grow up sometime, and my day of reckoning came after the highest point in Minnesota's NBA existence. Shortly after their Western Finals appearance the year before, the Timberwolves found themselves on the fast road to self-destruction. Latrell Sprewell was having ego problems. Wally Szczerbiak was having basketball problems. Kevin Garnett, being the leader of the team, had to shoulder everyone's problems and carry them himself. But despite his best efforts, it was clear that Minnesota hadn't been the same since their magical 2004 run and probably never would.
Meanwhile, the Spurs couldn't seem to do anything wrong. Even when they lost a game, they still managed to look like winners whenever they walked off the court. I followed them just as religiously as I followed the Timberwolves and I never found myself disappointed. Despite the questionable moves they made sometimes (I was there when they gave Malik away for Nazr), San Antonio proved to everyone that they were not a team to be trifled with.
And then, 2007 happened.
Oh, yes, that infamous year with that infamous blockbuster trade. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen were shipped from their hometowns to Boston to aid Paul Pierce's mission to become an NBA champion. Before the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics were the superteam, relocating Da Kid, Jesus Shuttleworth, and The Truth to the same hometown and making them wear the same jerseys. It was the stuff of NBA fantasy and because KG was the only thing tying me down with the Wolves, I moved to Boston along with him.
Perhaps this was also the exact moment my love for the Spurs fizzled out. Was it because they got too boring (an adjective I'd learned to never ever use to describe this team)? Was it because of the Celtics' immediate championship? Or maybe the problem was with me? I don't know. I don't remember.
Here's one thing I do know, however: the Spurs were never losers in my eyes – and that's not because they made the playoffs every damn year. Every year, the media insisted on writing them off as the old guys, players who didn't have anything left in the tank to make a run. Every year, those same critics ended the season eating their words.
Even if I stopped being their fan, I'd still find myself silently cheering for them every postseason, celebrating when they won and mourning when they didn't. I knew their roster as well as I knew Boston's and I followed their games just as obsessively as I followed the Celtics'. But even then, I wasn't the same Spurs fan I was before, since I was now tied down to Garnett and the Celtics.
That all changed a few days ago, when the Spurs lost their chance at the 2013 NBA Championship. Earlier, the Celtics lost theirs when Ray Allen jumped ship to Miami and Rajon Rondo tore his ACL. And yes, I admit it, the only reason why I came back to support the Spurs this year was because I hated Lebron James and his Miami sHeats.
But as the series went on, I slowly reacquainted myself with the Spurs – the old guys and the new, the starters and the benchwarmers. I discovered Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, and Gary Neal – a reliable Big Three in the making. I began correcting my father whenever he would say Cha-go instead of Tee-ago when addressing Mr. Splitter. I found myself silently willing Pop to let T-Mac in already and let him play.
It was love in a new life.
They may have lost their chance this time, but if there's one thing that hasn't changed in all these years, it's that the San Antonio Spurs are never losers in my eyes. Despite Tony Parker's torn hamstring, Tim Duncan's gut-wrenching pound on the floor after that crucial Game 7 miss, and Manu Ginobili's devolvement into a shell of his former self – despite all these, the Spurs were still winners to me. And nothing can and will ever change that.
I'm older now and more mature, more mindful of the way the NBA works. I also know now that it's important to never ever give up on a team, most especially when they've given up on themselves. This is why I know I'll still be a Spurs and Celtics fan for a long, long time to come – long even after Timmy and KG hang up their jerseys and retire.
A few years after giving up on the Spurs, I find myself coming back to them after they won me over in that hard-fought 2013 Finals series. I find myself having to start over from scratch to relearn and rediscover what made me love these guys in the first place.
And the best part?
I find that I don't mind going back to those basics one little bit.


text:
Gee played a good first game. He had 9 rebounds, including 2 offensive ones, an assist, a blocked shot, and 2 steals. While he only went 1-3 from the field, he is young, and his shot has time to develop. Also, he showed hustle out there, and played some pretty good defense.
Overall, he is far, far better than Jawad, a little better than Moon, and roughly equal to Joey Graham. Of course, he is much younger than the others, and has time to improve his game. I think he will be a keeper, and hopefully this means that we can ship Moon out as part of a trade without leaving our SF depth chart short.