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Following county commissioner's Feb. 12 meeting, the dispute between Cincinnati and Hamilton County over contracting rules for Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) projects appears to be heading to court.
The court battle comes after the county dismissed multiple concessions from the city and put MSD's revamp of the local sewer system on hold in protest of the city's rules. With a federal mandate looming, both sides agree a resolution is needed soon to avoid costly fines from the federal government.
For many across the city and county, the conflict is understandably confusing. The debate has often been mired down by biased media reports and political talking points that obfuscate the issue. Jargon referencing "responsible bidder," "local hire," "local preference," unions, apprenticeship programs, a pre-apprenticeship fund and contractors make it even more difficult to grasp what is going on.
Cutting through the politics, here is what the responsible bidder rules actually do and why the city and county seem incapable of compromise.
What is responsible bidder?
It's a city ordinance that essentially forces MSD contractors to adopt job training measures known as apprenticeship programs and pay for a pre-apprenticeship fund. By requiring the training options, the city hopes workers will be able to improve their skills and successfully transition to other jobs once their MSD work is finished.
Apprenticeship programs take workers through extensive on-the-job and classroom-based training in which they can hone their skills in a specific craft, such as electrical or plumbing work. Because workers get paid for their work while participating in an apprenticeship, the programs are typically characterized as an "earn-while-you-learn" model.
The pre-apprenticeship fund will put money toward programs that will teach newcomers basic skills, such as math and reading, so they can eventually move up to an apprenticeship program.
The rules don't apply to every MSD contractor. Contracts worth less than $400,000, which make up roughly half of MSD's sewer revamp, are exempted.
What about local hire and local preference?
Those are ordinances separate from responsible bidder that give preference to Cincinnati-based businesses. They try to keep MSD contracts within local companies.
What's the conflict about?
The conflict is between Cincinnati and Hamilton County, which jointly run MSD. The Democrat-controlled city supports the rules, while the Republican-controlled county opposes them.
The city and county also dispute which governing body can set policy for MSD. Under a 1968 agreement, the county owns and funds MSD, and the city operates and maintains it. City Council argues the agreement allows the city to set policy for MSD, but the county disagrees. Both sides acknowledge the set-up is far from ideal.
So, did the city's rules halt MSD projects?
No. Nothing in the city's ordinances forces MSD projects to stop. County commissioners singlehandedly halted MSD projects in protest of the city's rules. If it were up to the city, work would continue today.
Why are these projects so important?
By federal decree, the city needs to revamp the sewer system to bring it up to environmentally safe standards. The project will cost $3.2 billion over 15-20 years, making it one of the most expensive in the city's history.
If the city and county don't carry on with the revamp soon, the federal government will begin issuing fines. By some guesses, the fines could begin rolling in by the end of the year.
Why does a majority of City Council support responsible bidder?
Councilman Chris Seelbach, the Democrat who championed the rules, says they will boost local employment and create more job training options for the city's struggling workforce.
Other Democrats on council agree, although some, like Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, believe the ordinance is "imperfect."
Does responsible bidder benefit workers?
Some research suggests it would.
The left-leaning Center for American Progress (CAP) in a December report argued apprenticeship programs provide an opportunity to revitalize the U.S. workforce.
"By 2020, America is projected to experience a shortage of 3 million workers with associate's degrees or higher and 5 million workers with technical certificates and credentials," the report claimed. "Compounding our inadequate workforce development system, research shows that employers are now spending less on training than they have in the past. At the same time, industry surveys show that a lack of qualified workers is a top concern for many employers."
Citing a 2012 study from Mathematica Policy Research, CAP estimated apprenticeship programs alone can boost a worker's lifetime earnings and benefits by more than $300,000. Over 36 years of employment, that's an average gain of nearly $8,400 a year.
Why do county commissioners oppose the rules?
In terms of policy, county commissioners say the responsible bidder rules favor unions and burden businesses.
On a legal basis, the county argues the city's responsible bidder rules conflict with state law and the local hire and preference rules enforce unconstitutional geographic preferences.
Does responsible bidder actually favor unions?
Since unions tend to offer better and more apprenticeship programs, yes.
But the rules don't exclude non-union businesses from participating. For example, Ohio Valley Associated Builders and Contractors maintains some non-union apprenticeship programs that would qualify under the law.
Still, most of the union favoritism debate centered around a regulation the city actually offered to give up. Specifically, under current rules employers are only eligible to contract with MSD if they have apprenticeship programs that have graduated at least one person a year for the past five years. In October, Seelbach offered to strip the mandate and replace it with an incentive program. The county seemed unmoved by the proposal.
What about businesses? Does responsible bidder burden them?
By requiring businesses to adopt apprenticeship programs and put 10 cents for each hour of labor into a pre-apprenticeship fund, the law certainly places more regulations on businesses. Whether the requirements are a burden is subjective.
John Morris, president of the Ohio Valley Associated Builders and Contractors and an opponent of the law, told CityBeat the pre-apprenticeship fund's requirement will increase business costs by $2-3 million over 15-20 years.
Citing MSD estimates for the cost of labor, Rob Richardson, regional manager of the Laborers' International Union of North America, said the fund will cost businesses $1.5 million.
Even if someone accepts Morris' estimate, the requirement adds up to at most 0.1 percent of the $3.2 billion project.
More broadly, some supporters of the city's rules question whether placing a burden on businesses is innately a bad thing. The basic point of government regulations is to make the economy and businesses work better for the public. In that sense, regulations are always going to burden businesses to some extent.
For example, financial regulations burden big banks and financial institutions. But many Americans agree the regulations are necessary to avoid another financial crisis like the one that plunged the country into the Great Recession.
Still, critics argue the extra regulations would increase the cost of business, and the impact could ultimately be felt by MSD ratepayers.
Why don't the city and county just compromise?
They kind of tried, but it seems the philosophical split between Hamilton County Republicans and Cincinnati Democrats is too strong to reach a substantial agreement.
The city, for example, has offered multiple concessions to the county. In May, City Council modified the law to ease some requirements and add an exemption for contracts worth less than $400,000, which covers half of the contracts involved in MSD's sewer revamp. In October, Seelbach offered to replace a strict mandate with a looser incentive program. Seelbach also told CityBeat on Feb. 6 that he would consider raising the contract exemption from $400,000 to $750,000.
In return, the county rejected the concessions and instead offered to establish aspirational inclusion goals and some funding for local job training programs — as long as the city repealed its rules altogether.
Which side would win the court battle?
It's hard to say. Both sides — and their lawyers — seem pretty confident about their legal standing.
So what's next?
At the current rate, it looks like the city and county are heading to court. Whether the process involves a full-on legal battle or mediation between the city and county's lawyers remains uncertain, but it's clear something will eventually have to give.
This blog post will be regularly updated as the situation develops.
A group of eight former employees from The Cincinnati Enquirer filed an amended lawsuit Oct. 19 accusing the Gannett-owned newspaper of age discrimination. The lawsuit, which was originally filed by Joseph Fenton and Catherine Reutter in 2011, was amended on Oct. 19 to include six more plaintiffs.
The origins of the complaint, which also alleges intentional infliction of emotional distress, began
when Fenton was allegedly told he was performing poorly at The Enquirer.
On November 2010, Fenton was "suddenly informed" by his supervisor,
Julie Engebrecht, that his performance was unsatisfactory. This was
despite Engebrecht allegedly acknowledging that Fenton was a "great
editor" in the same conversation.
From that point, Fenton allegedly tried to smooth problems
over. Working through human resources, Fenton arranged weekly meetings
with Engebrecht to gather feedback and improve his work, according to
the lawsuit. At the end of every meeting, Fenton and Engebrecht
allegedly worked out goals and Fenton would finish the meetings by asking, "Are we
good?" Allegedly, Engebrecht replied by assuring Fenton "things were in
fact good."
Despite the meetings, Fenton was fired on Feb. 18, 2011. He was 57, and he had worked for Gannett (Correction: Previously said The Enquirer) for 14 years, according to the lawsuit. The complaint also says Fenton had no previous record of discipline, but Engebrecht had allegedly referred to Fenton as a "dinosaur" and "curmudgeon."
When he was terminated, at least seven other individuals — all "near or over the age of 50" — at The Enquirer were laid off as well, according to the lawsuit. Reutter, a co-filer of the lawsuit, was among those terminated. Three of the employees terminated worked for the online department, and they were allegedly replaced by "an employee in his 20s who was hired in January 2011."
This is all despite Fenton having a history of "high-quality work" at The Enquirer,
according to the complaint: "Two (of his) projects were nominated for
the Pulitzer Prize. Upon information and belief, these (two) projects
were the only (two) nominated for the Pulitzer Prize from The Cincinnati Enquirer
during Fenton's tenure there." Fenton also directed projects that won
Best of Gannett awards in 2006 and 2008 in a competition with the
company's 83 other U.S. newspapers, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit goes on to make similar claims for the other former employees involved in the lawsuit. They were all 45 years old or older when terminated, and most claim younger, less qualified employees replaced them.
However, in the factual allegations for Reutter, it's explained a 49-year-old replaced some of the employees. The lawsuit notes the employee is younger than Reutter, but that employee is actually four years older than the youngest plaintiff was when terminated.
The complaint claims Reutter was told in her exit interview "seniority was a factor in the choice of who was terminated."
It's no secret that Cintas Corp. CEO Scott Farmer showers part of his wealth on Republican political candidates. Over the years, he has thrown money at George W. Bush, Rob Portman and Steve Chabot. This year, he has given $52,500 to the Mitt Romney campaign. His wife Mary has ponied up $22,500.
But votes, not money, win elections, and the Farmers' two meager votes don't amount to much. So what better way to help the Romney effort than to muster the votes of the Cintas-employed masses, as Scott Farmer did in an Oct. 19 letter e-mailed to his 30,000 or so workers, or "partners" as he likes to call them.
Farmer, the son of Cintas founder Richard Farmer, takes issue with Obamacare, the "potential of government to increase current tax rates" and what he considers business-impeding "over-regulation" by federal agencies. All three are straight from the Romney playbook. Farmer, though, insists that the company doesn't "endorse one candidate over another." Cintas spokeswoman Heather Maley said the letter was sent to help employees "make an informed decision."
"In today's political climate, the issues can certainly be confusing and even overwhelming," Maley said in a statement. "We believe our partners want to be informed about issues that affect our company and are interested to know where the company stands on these issues."
One would think that after Cintas' shabby treatment at the hands of the Bush administration, Farmer would welcome a second Obama term. In 2008, Cintas agreed to pay a $2.8 million fine to settle federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration charges that it was willfully negligent in the death of a Cintas worker who fell into an industrial dryer while clearing a tangle of wet laundry at a company plant in Tulsa, Okla. In 2005, Cintas had to fend off U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claims that it was biased against women in filling sales jobs. The claims were dismissed in court. And in 2004, the Inspector General for the U.S. Postal Service investigated whether Cintas tacked millions of dollars in "environmental fees" on uniforms, towels and mats it cleaned for the postal service under a 10-year, $200 million contract. Cintas halted the practice.
One person who doesn't buy into Cintas' professed ambivalence about its workers' voting choices is Caleb Faux, executive director of the Hamilton County Democratic Party. Cintas is based in Mason, and many of its workers live and vote in Hamilton County. He sees the Farmer letter as a brazen reminder to workers of the source of their livelihood.
"I think that it's disgraceful that any employer would use the power implicit in the employer-employee relationship to coerce people while they are making their voting decisions," Faux said.
As county and state officials move to investigate and potentially prosecute voter fraud cases, local groups are pushing back, warning that the investigations could cause a chilling effect among voters.
Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls became the latest to speak out in a letter to Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters and Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted.
"The current legal investigations perpetuate the idea that voter fraud is widespread, when it's not true," she wrote. "We need to work together to give citizens the confidence that the election process is fair and accessible to those who have followed the law and pre-determined process. When citizens are confused about the process of voting they are intimidated from exercising their full rights to vote, which erodes confidence in and the integrity of our democracy."
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio (ACLU) and League of Women Voters of Ohio sent similar letters to Husted in the past few weeks, echoing fears that the investigations will intimidate voters into staying out of future elections.
The controversy surrounds 39 "double voter" cases recently sent to the county prosecutor by the Hamilton County Board of Elections. In most of the cases, the voters in question sent in an absentee ballot prior to Election Day then voted on Election Day through a provisional ballot, which are given to voters when there's questions about eligibility. Even though the voters technically voted twice, their votes were only counted once.
The letters from Qualls and the League of Women Voters claim the cases were sent to the county prosecutor based on a narrow interpretation of state law and other sections of election law back the voters' actions.
The letters reference Ohio Revised Code Section 3509.09(B)(2),
which says, "If a registered elector appears to vote in that precinct
and that elector has requested an absent voter's ballot for that
election and the director has received a sealed identification envelope
purporting to contain that elector's voted absent voter's ballots for
that election, the elector shall be permitted to cast a provisional
ballot under section 3505.181 of the Revised Code in that precinct on the day of that election." The law goes on to clarify only one of the votes should be counted.
Husted broke a tie vote in the Hamilton County Board of Elections on May 31, siding with the Republicans on the board who wanted to send the case to the county prosecutor.
Alex Triantafilou, an elections board member and chairman of the Hamilton County Republican Party, says Republicans just want an investigation.
"I think anytime a person casts two ballots we ought to ask why," Triantafilou says. "This is not to prejudge any of these cases as criminal charges. That's not been our intention. What we want is a qualified investigator to ask the question and then answer it."
Tim Burke, chairman of the local elections board and the Hamilton County Democratic Party, disagrees: "This is a damn shame. What's happening to those voters is absolutely wrong."
Burke claims the law was followed and no further investigation is necessary. He alleges Republicans are trying to suppress voters.
"I fear that what's going on is that elements of the Republican Party want to create the impression that there is massive voter fraud going on, and they want to scare the hell out of people to intimidate them and discourage them from voting in the future," Burke says. "I think part of what's going on here is an effort to identify voter fraud in order to justify more restrictions on voting rights."
Triantafilou argues Democrats, including Burke, are playing politics: "It's a continuation of the kind of fear that Democrats try to instill in the electorate, and it's a political weapon. We're not trying to do that. They alleged voter suppression in the last election cycle. That was nonsensical. The problem really is fraud."
"The Jim Henson Company has celebrated and embraced diversity and inclusiveness for over fifty years and we have notified Chick-Fil-A that we do not wish to partner with them on any future endeavors," the company said in the statement.
The statement went on to announce the company, under the order of CEO Lisa Henson, will be donating payments received from Chick-Fil-A to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), one of the biggest pro-gay-rights groups in the country.
The news comes after a week of scrutiny following company president Dan Cathy's declaration that he is against gay marriage. Politicians piled on to the news. Same-sex marriage opponents praised the company for its stance, while prominent Democrats and Republicans criticized Chick-Fil-A for the position.
The company has long held an anti-gay stance. It has publicly supported and funded anti-gay groups, and the company was reported to be co-sponsoring a marriage conference with the anti-gay group Pennsylvania Family Institute last year.
Chick-Fil-A has also been known for promoting fundamentalist Christian values. Founder Samuel Truett Cathy has identified himself as a staunch Christian, and the chain's restaurants close on Sundays to respect Christian values. Even the company's corporate purpose statement invokes religion: "To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us."
The company has also been criticized for religious discrimination in the past. In 2002, a former Muslim employee sued the company because he claimed he was fired for not participating in a group prayer to Jesus Christ. The lawsuit was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
Compared to the previous budget, the two-year state budget passed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly Thursday increased school funding by $700 million. But the funding is still $515 million less than Ohio schools received in 2009.
The result: Cincinnati Public Schools will receive $15 million less in state funding than it did in 2009, joining three in four school districts who have a net loss to funding between 2009 and 2015.
Still, Republicans are calling the funding boost the largest increase to education spending in more than 10 years.
"No school district in the state of Ohio will receive less funding than current levels," says Michael Dittoe, spokesperson for Ohio House Republicans. "Eighty percent of Ohio's students … are in one of the school districts that is receiving an increase."
Stephen Dyer, former Democratic state representative and education policy fellow at left-leaning think tank Innovation Ohio, says the claim is dishonest because it ignores longer-term trends in funding.
"It's like they cut off both of your legs, give you back one of them and say, 'You should thank us,'" he says.
Republicans defend the cuts by citing an $8 billion deficit in 2011, which had to be eliminated under state law. Some of the cuts from that previous budget directly impacted school funding, but the decreases also eliminated subsidies that previously benefited schools, such as tangible personal property reimbursements.
Dyer says the state budget situation has changed since then. Instead of focusing on tax cuts, he argues state legislators should have prioritized education funding.
Another problem, according to Dyer, is how the increased funding is distributed. Although Dyer acknowledges the plan is more equitable than the governor's original proposal, he says some of the most impoverished schools districts, particularly the poor and rural, will get the smallest increases.
Even if there was full equity, Dyer claims there's not enough money going into education as a result of years of cuts. To illustrate his point, he gives an example: "If I'm going to go see Superman with three of my friends and it costs $10 each to get in, I've got $36 and I give everybody $9, none of us are getting in. Even though I perfectly distributed the money equally, … the fact is none of us are getting in."
The budget's tax changes could also impact future local funding to schools. As part of the changes, the state will not subsidize 12.5 percent of future property tax levies — something the state does for current levies. For local taxpayers, that means new school levies will be 12.5 percent more expensive.
That, Dyer argues, will make it more difficult to pass future school levies, and that could force schools to ask for less money if they want levies to get voter approval.
"The legislature and legislators are doing a real disservice to people to tell everybody that they're getting an increase and no one is getting cut," Dyer says. "They need to be honest with people."
The budget also increases funding to "school choice" options, including the addition of 2,000 vouchers for private schooling that will be available to kindergarten students in households making less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
Republicans argue the vouchers give lower-income children access to schools and options in education that would otherwise be unavailable to them.
But a January report from Policy Matters Ohio found the extra mobility enabled by school choice options hurts student performance and strains teachers and staff by forcing them to more often accommodate new students.
The $62 billion state budget for fiscal years 2014 and 2015 passed the Republican-controlled General Assembly on Thursday. It's expected Kasich will sign it this weekend.Check out all of CityBeat's state budget coverage:
Some members of city council agreed that the city needs to take a hard look at the way it inspects projects done with taxpayer money, but they took no action during a special joint committee meeting Thursday to discuss allegations that workers were being underpaid at the University Square development in Clifton.
Council members Laure Quinlivan, Cecil Thomas and Wendell Young presented a video investigation they conducted, which included interviews with workers on the project who claim they were being taken advantage of by the University Square developers.
Under Ohio and Cincinnati law, workers on projects funded by taxpayers must be paid a so-called "prevailing wage" (the same as a unionized worker) and be given benefits.
In Cincinnati, that wage is $23.17 an hour for the carpentry work done by the workers interviewed for the video.
The workers in the video claimed they were paid $500 for working a 60-hour week.
"Five-hundred dollars a week to me when you don't have a job, that's a lot," said Garrick Foxx, a construction worker on the project.
"But actually when you average it out, it's not. Like to the hour-wise it's probably like 9-something, so like I could actually make that working at McDonalds."
The University Square developer — a collaboration between Towne Properties and Al. Neyer, Inc. — is building a complex with a parking garage, residential units and retail space.
The City of Cincinnati has $21 million invested in the parking garage. The State of Ohio recently ruled that the prevailing wage provisions apply only workers constructing the garage that the city has money invested in.
Arn Bortz with Towne Properties said the controversy was ginned up by unions and it hasn't been proven that workers are being underpaid.
"All of this was started by the unions themselves because they became very unhappy when the State of Ohio said a sizeable portion of our project was not subject to prevailing wage," Bortz said. "They tried then to discredit and intimidate anyone who is on the other side of the table."
Bortz said he agreed to pay a prevailing wage even to workers who worked on parts of the project not subject to the law. He said he cuts a check to the subcontractors based on that agreement.
"Whether any of those subcontractors might have been unfair to the workers, we do not know," Bortz said. "If they were, they should be made to be fair."
Deputy City Solicitor Aaron Herzig said if the contract required a particular wage be paid and it wasn't, the city can bring a breach of contract action against the developers. But to start an investigation, a complaint must first be made.
The council members asked that their investigation be considered a formal complaint.
The City of Cincinnati today released the final draft for its plan to "re-establish (Cincinnati) as a model of a thriving urban city." Plan Cincinnati, which will be taken up in a public hearing on Aug. 30 at 6 p.m., is the first master plan for Cincinnati since 1980.
The primary goal behind the plan is to transition the city away from a model that emphasizes suburban living back to a more urban model. The plan's report justifies the shift by attributing it to a new societal need.
"Dissatisfied, American society is now beginning to reverse the trend (of suburban living) with the hope of returning to an environment that is more economically and environmentally sustainable, less dependent on the automobile, closer in scale to human form, and ultimately, truly more livable," the report says.
The plan will make this transition with six guiding principles: Provide more transportation choices, promote equitable, affordable housing, enhance economic competitiveness, support existing communities, coordinate and leverage federal policies and investment, and value communities and neighborhoods.
The vague principles are outlined in greater detail in the 228-page report, which can be read in full here.
One of the key parts of the plan is its expansion of options for non-automotive travel. The plan promises to focus more work on bicycle paths, support a Bicycle and Pedestrian Program and build links between bicycle systems to allow more cycling through the city. The city will also "design and construct the Ohio River Bike Trail through Cincinnati" and make the city safer for cyclists by making roads smoother and cleaner.
The plan also encourages other transportation programs. Establishing better coordination with Metro buses, building intercity rail systems and integrating the new streetcar into a greater transportation model are a few of the many suggestions in the plan. With these systems, the plan hopes to "facilitate economic development opportunities."
Beyond transportation, the plan also seeks to establish environmentally friendly programs. Some of the suggestions are developing a green construction incentive program, implementing smart grid networks and reforming the LEED tax abatement program to include additional energy efficient rating systems.
However, the plan is missing one important detail: cost. The report says Plan Cincinnati will be reviewed every year using the new Priority-Driven Budgeting process, but no estimates for cost are currently available. Katherine Keough-Jurs, senior city planner, explained why in an email: "That is not something that we provide. We have found over the years that providing cost estimates in long-range plans is problematic and the estimates can be misleading. Also, some of the Action Steps listed are not necessarily things that would have a monetary cost associated."
State Sen. Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) is introducing legislation Thursday that would attach mandatory drug testing to welfare benefits, even though similar policies have proven to be costly with little gain in other states.
"It is time that we recognize that many families are trying to survive in drug-induced poverty, and we have an obligation to make sure taxpayer money is not being used to support drug dealers," Schaffer told The Columbus Dispatch. "We can no longer turn a blind eye to this problem."
Under the proposal, welfare recipients in three counties would be required to take a drug test if they admit in a questionnaire to using drugs in the past six months. Children, who make up a bulk of welfare recipients, would be exempt. (In June, 24,443 adults and 105,822 children obtained welfare benefits in Ohio, according to data from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.)
The policy, which was originally touted as a way to reduce welfare costs, has backfired in many states. That's why the supporting line is now about preventing dollars from going to drug dealers instead of cost savings.
Deseret News reports the latest problems in Utah: "Utah has spent more than $30,000 to screen welfare applicants for drug use since a new law went into effect a year ago, but only 12 people have tested positive, state figures show."
When Ohio legislators in 2012 proposed a drug testing requirement for welfare benefits, CityBeat reported another failure in Florida originally covered by The Miami Herald: In that state, the program had a net loss of $45,780 after it reimbursed falsely accused welfare recipients for their drug tests. Only 108 people out of the 4,086 accused, or 2.9 percent, tested positive, and most tested positive for marijuana.
Utah and Florida are among eight states that have enacted drug testing requirements for welfare recipients since 2011, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
A court placed an injunction on the Florida program after the American Civil Liberties Union sued on September 2011. That injunction was upheld on Feb. 26 by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, which concluded, "The simple fact of seeking public assistance does not deprive a TANF (welfare) applicant of the same constitutional protection from unreasonable searches that all other citizens enjoy."
Given that Schaffer's bill would require drug testing only after information is solicited through questionnaires, it's unclear whether legal challenges like the one in Florida would be successful in Ohio.
The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden added to its ever-expanding list of green accolades this week when its Base Camp Cafe was named the "greenest restaurant in America" by the Green Restaurant Association, a welcome but not-so-surprising accomplishment from the same locale that calls itself the "greenest zoo in America."
According to the zoo's website, its sustainability push kicked off in 2006, and since then they've been in the news almost constantly for different initiatives, innovative ideas and successes in the world of green. Makes perfect sense particularly in a zoo, where the main mission is already, you know, dependent upon preservation, conservation and respecting nature.
The Base Camp Cafe apparently earned the highest sustainability score the Green Restaurant Association has ever given out, which makes us wonder what else the zoo possibly has in store to keep up prized No. 1 title. Right now, the cafe is fueled partly by solar power, offers a full recycling (and composting!) program, uses some local produce and most of the tableware is compostable, including plates, bowls, cups and utensils. The zoo also recycles chip bags and candy wrappers (normally landfill material) through upcycler TerraCycle.
Today, you can find the zoo's obsession with sustainability lurking around pretty much every corner. By resource saved, here are some of their other greatest hits, by no means a comprehensive rundown:
Congrats, Cincinnati Zoo! We can't wait to see what you have in store next.


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All Stories
What are the odds?: Swimming POYs also boyfriend & girlfriend: Part 2 (INCLUDES: Herald All-Area Girls Swim Team)
Deerfield-Windsor's Taylor Withers wins his third consecutive Player of the Year honor for boys swimming, while girlfriend Haley Kerrey of Lee County wins the award for the first time.
Cooper grabs first win of AMS season in Limited Sportsman
Pratt Cooper is still enjoying his recent Limited Sportsman victory at Albany Motor Speedway.
Weekly Fishing Reports
Here is the area fishing forecast for the upcoming week.
Newman wins Arizona race
Ryan Newman ends a 77-race Cup Series losing streak in winning late Saturday's NASCAR race.
Augusta set for classic finish
While England's Lee Westwood hangs on to the Masters lead, the Augusta National patrons are stirred by the rallies from marquee players Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
Ponder shines in FSU spring game
After not finishing last season due to injury, Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder has a solid day during the Seminoles' scrimmage game.
Unifying spirit
Miss ASU says dedicated students are the S.O.U.L. of Albany State University.
LookingBack April 11
Each week Albany Herald researcher Mary Braswell looks for interesting events, places and people from the past. You can contact her at (229) 888-9371 or email@example.com.
Pepaw shows golden side
It was another first in the longtime Nicklaus era at the Masters.The only six-time winner of the championship, Jack Nicklaus has reached the point of honorary starter (with Arnold Palmer) of the tournament.
Ex-Bainbridge star shines for Dogs
Nick Williams, who excelled for the Bearcats in high school, records seven tackles for the Black team, which wins Georgia's spring game, 17-7, Saturday.
Rams salvage split against SIAC foe Tigers
After losing the first game, 5-1, against Benedict, Albany State's bats come to life during a 9-3 victory in Saturday's nightcap.
Rejuvinated Cavaliers sweep Stallions in twinbill
After a slow start to the season, Darton's baseball team sweeps a doubleheader from ABAC, 8-2 and 8-1, extending the Cavs' winning streak to six games.
Southland wrestler Minor caps state-title year with POY honors (INCLUDES: Herald All-Area Wrestling Team)
Bo Minor did not lose a single match, therefore earning the honor as The Herald's Player of the Year In Wrestling.
What are the odds?: Swimming POYs also boyfriend & girlfriend: Part 1 (INCLUDES: Herald All-Area Boys Swim Team)
Deerfield-Windsor's Taylor Withers wins his third consecutive Player of the Year honor for boys swimming, while girlfriend Haley Kerrey of Lee County wins the award for the first time.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: Best of the best
Here are the highlights from the 2009-10 basketball season.
2009-10 WILLIE BOSTON AWARD WINNERS: Part 2 (INCLUDES: Herald All-Area, All-Metro Girls Basketball Team)
How do you pick a POY between Bainbridge star Alexis Burke and Randolph-Clay's Destiny Mitchell? The answer is simple: you don't.
2009-10 WILLIE BOSTON AWARD WINNERS: Three of a kind, Part 1 (INCLUDES: Herald All-Area, All-Metro Boys Basketball Team)
With a stellar basketball pedigree and one heck of an inside-outside game to match, Monroe's Robert Arnold dominated the 2009-10 season from start to finish.
Murfree working on proposed contract
E-mails from the DCSS' named superintendent's ASU account reveal correspondences with board members and disdain for The Herald.Ethan Fowler, education writer
Unusual climate patterns spike pollen levels
Atypical weather has caused a lot of plant life to pollinate at one time, resulting in headaches for Southwest Georgians.- Jennifer Maddox Parks, staff writer
Realtors say now is the time to buy
This could be the perfect time to buy or sell a house.
On the Job with Jimmy Lindsey
Danny Carter interviews AB&T Bank Executive Vice President Jimmy Lindsey.
House GOP primary candidates meet
The five GOP candidates in the 2nd Congressional District primary race to oppose U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany in November, meet in a Lee County Republican Club forum.
Police/Fire/EMS for April 9-10, 2010
Crime report for April 9-10, 2010

subset: commoncrawl


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Find a Trip
Specialties: Naturalist, Wildlife Ecologist, Editor
A 28-year veteran of the National Geographic Society, Rob Hernandez began
as a senior editor for National Geographic magazine and later founded its
International Publishing division, which publishes magazines, books, and
other media in more than 35 languages. Raised in Cuba and Spain, Rob spent
his early career doing ecological field research and documenting the wildlife
and culture of the world's more remote places. He filmed a television special on lions in
Namibia, explored the wilderness of New Guinea, journeyed to rarely visited corners of
South America, and circumnavigated the Indian and Pacific Oceans in a small sailboat
for 2 years. So far, this inveterate globetrotter has made multiple visits to nearly every
destination on our Around the World itinerary.
Around the World by Private Jet
24 Days
Cuba: Discovering Its People and Culture
9 Days
Wonders of the Natural World by Private Jet
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Free Super Saver Delivery Over £35 Spend
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Next Day Delivery Only £3.99
Simply designed girls' school shoes with a Mary Jane riptape strap for easy on and off and a pretty heart shaped trim from Clarks. The smooth black leather is smart and practical, plus a slightly padded collar provides comfort. Agion antimicrobial linings help keep feet fresh. Available in a range of widths.
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An international event - now in its seventh edition - dedicated to digital art and electronic music which takes place each autumn in the city of Bologna. The aim of the festival is to investigate and promote the activities linked to digital arts and electronic music.
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SAC is collecting pens through May 15, 2015. This annual campaign with the Salvation Army provides school supplies to local students in need.
See your representative or the flyer for complete details.
Project Homeless is in need of additional volunteers for March 27. If you would like to volunteer please visit this link blogs.creighton.edu/ccsj/project-homeless-connect-omaha/volunteer-registration or email Randi Bibins-Clark at email@example.com.
For Heartland Hope Mission: Oct. 28th-Nov. 21, 2014
The 2014 food drive gathered 1000 lbs. of food and $2519.00 in donations (enough for 209 families) from across campus. Thank you!


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I currently have a compact setup on my bike, I would like to swap the big ring for a standard 53 size chainring and leave the granny gear the same.
I think i have a 52/34, and would be changing to a 53/34.
I live in flat Florida, and end up spinning out with a 12/25 cassette on long sprints.
Would changing the cassette to a 11/25 have more of an impact?


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I am using the gts-translation plugin at cn.calient.net. It seems to work well except that when I use traditional or simplified chinese the chinese characters are not displayed in headers or menus. So I end up with completely blank menus and headers with only the english text segments visible. When I login and look at the translation in my GTS backend at http://translate.gts-translation.com/ I can see chinese characters in the headers but this is not showing on my site. You can see an example on my home page:
I would appreciate any assistance on this.


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The Link Between Gluten and Modern DiseaseJune 17th, 2009
Gluten sensitivity is estimated to potentially affect nearly half of the population. Although this is a vague estimate, it's clear that gluten poses a risk to the health of many people and can even cause many of today's most serious diseases.
Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease result from the inability to completely digest the gluten proteins found in most grain based foods. Unfortunately, celiac disease often takes years to be diagnosed and gluten sensitivity is rarely even diagnosed at all. Because grains are such a significant part of the modern diet, many people who unknowingly don't digest gluten well are consuming it on a regular basis and are destroying their health and inviting disease in the process.
Gluten's Role in Modern Disease
Over the coarse of a lifetime, the chronic immune reactions, inflammation, and tissue damage associated with the incomplete digestion of gluten proteins is often the root cause of conditions such as cancer, autoimmune disease, and neurological disease. As such, undiagnosed cases of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity often lead to a significantly compromised life and even premature death. Problems with gluten digestion are also associated with osteoporosis, epilepsy, learning disorders, infertility, miscarriages, liver disease and a wide variety of other conditions. Despite the compelling evidence, gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are rarely considered as possible causes of these problems.
Cancer is either rare or non existent in primitive cultures that follow diets consisting of natural and traditional whole foods such as meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables. History shows that the introduction of grain based foods to such cultures is paralleled by an increase in the prevalence of cancer. As obvious as this connection may seem, it's been ignored for far too long.
While gluten certainly isn't the cause of all cancer, many terminally ill cancer patients have experienced dramatic improvements from following a gluten free diet. Despite this, many medical professionals are unwilling to embrace this possibility and claim that a gluten free diet will result in nutritional deficiency and be too compromising to a cancer patient's quality of life. This couldn't be any further from the truth. The potential damage caused by improperly digested gluten is much more likely to cause nutritional deficiency than the absence of grain based foods, especially when they're replaced by highly nutritious whole foods such as meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables. Furthermore, the challenges of following a gluten free diet are nothing in comparison to the horrendous side effects of most modern cancer treatments.
Even in good health, we all produce mutated cells that have the potential to become cancerous. However, a strong immune system can regulate and destroy these cells without a problem. It's when immunity is compromised or inhibited that these cells are more likely to reproduce and cause cancer. Gluten contains opioid mimicking peptides called exorphins that have been found to cause such a state. These peptides can increase the risk of cancer by preventing the immune system's natural killer cells from detecting and destroying cancerous cells. Exorphins can also facilitate the progression of cancer by increasing insulin production which has the effect of feeding cancer cells and assisting their growth.
Autoimmune Disease
According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 20 million Americans suffer from autoimmune disease and the number is growing. I personally know quite a few people who suffer from autoimmune disease and it saddens me to see such a simple and promising solution to such a debilitating disease be so easily dismissed.
Autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissue. Although there are many forms of autoimmune disease, the most common forms include arthritis, insulin dependent diabetes, thyroid disease, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, lupus, fibromyalgia, and cirrhosis. In many cases, it's the consistent presence of incompletely digested food molecules in the blood stream that leads to autoimmunity. This is especially the case with gluten because it contains peptides that closely resemble human tissue and provokes the creation of antibodies that attack organs, glands, joints and other important areas of the body.
Instead of considering a gluten free diet as a potential or even partial solution, most conventional treatments are based on potent medications that inhibit the immune system and create additional susceptibility to infection and illness. Although gluten is not always the cause of autoimmune disease, people who suffer from it have a lot to gain and little to lose by trying a gluten free diet.
Although it would be easy to assume that gluten sensitivity can influence the development of osteoporosis by interfering with calcium absorption, this isn't entirely the case. In addition to calcium, other nutrients such as magnesium, boron, zinc, and vitamins A, D, and K are also essential for proper bone development and maintenance. However, the absorption of these nutrients is often impaired by the intestinal damage that's characteristic of gluten sensitivity and especially celiac disease. The multiple nutrient deficiencies that are likely to result will significantly increase the risk of osteoporosis.
Even without celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, the consumption of grain based foods are still a risk factor for osteoporosis. This is because grains contain a substance called phytic acid that can bind to the important minerals needed for bone maintenance and prevent their absorption. Fortunately, you can eliminate this problem by soaking grains in water to deactivate the phytic acid. Nuts and seeds should be soaked as well.
Brain Disorders
Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are often associated with autism, memory loss, attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, and neurotransmitter deficiencies that can lead to depression, anxiety, and irritability. In more extreme cases, gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are also associated with seizures, schizophrenia, impaired ability to walk and talk, and visual and auditory hallucinations. It's believed that undigested gluten proteins can cause these disorders by affecting blood flow in the brain or by causing irreversible damage to brain tissue.
Another problem with grains is that they're highly susceptible to mold growth. One of the molds that commonly grows on them is called ergot and happens to be what the hallucinogenic drug LSD is derived from. Although it's rare for moldy grains to make their way into the foods we eat, the toxins produced by this mold have the potential to cause neurological disorders.
Intestinal Disorders
The intestines are where the problems associated with gluten sensitivity and celiac disease first start. As such, it should be no surprise that gluten is often involved in the cause of various bowel disorders. Gluten has a strong association with irritable bowel syndrome in particular. Approximately 80% of people who suffer from it experience improvement from following a gluten free diet. In addition, research has shown that 60% of people who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome are sensitive to wheat, and that's only one of the many grains that contain gluten.
In addition to irritable bowel syndrome, the intestinal immune response that's often provoked by undigested gluten can cause autoimmunity and ultimately lead to Chrohn's disease. Furthermore, the inflammation and damage associated with this immune response can also cause colitis and increase susceptibility to intestinal infections.
Knowing Your Risk
Based on the wide range of serious diseases and disorders that gluten can cause, the potential risks of eating it should be taken seriously, especially considering how common grain based foods are in the modern diet. If you have a family history of gluten sensitivity, celiac disease, any of the conditions described above, or any other reason to suspect a problem with gluten, it would be a good idea to either follow a gluten free diet or have yourself tested for gluten sensitivity and celiac disease. You can read my previous article about the danger of grains to learn more about the testing options that are available and the basics of a gluten free diet. You can also read Dangerous Grains by James Braly MD and Ron Hoggan MA.
This article is a part of Real Food Wednesdays.
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Depth makes SMU an immediate hoops threat
SMU coach Larry Brown has attracted national attention with the first two signing classes, highlighted by McDonald's All-America Keith Frazier and No. 1 point guard Emmanuel Mudiay. While the Mustangs have a strong foundation for the future, the current group … Continue reading


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Say it with a capital "L"
Is anyone else here interested in Linguistics or Lexicography?
It is not a hobby or something, but sometimes I sure run into funny things :) for years I have been calling a squirrel an 'eekhoorn' in Dutch, I started speaking english and learned that 'acorns' fall from the tree. I never made the connecting until a lucid moment while walking in a forrest when I realized that both words (eekhoorn-acorn) are pronounced EXACTLY the same way.. though spelled so differently, with a different meaning though so closely tight together.
I don't know if this is what you mean by linguistics or lexicography (you: ) so I would like you to give an example :)
Oh, I LOVE linguistics. I'm planning on learning the egyptian langauage. Here's where you can too:http://www.ancient-egypt.org/language/index.html
Upon capturing an Indian city, a British officer wired back to England "peccavi!" (My Mother's favorite, true-to-life pun.)
Practicing all aspects of linguistics brings wonderful coincidences everyday, much like the squirrel example above. I understand somewhat foriegn languages I never studied in school, I can trace the etymology of most English words back to their Latinate or Germanic roots, conjure synonyms more readily, compose poetry like equations and explore the intricacies of sentence structure a la Chomski.
Language is as much a puzzle as physics.
I have always been interested in how language can shape our thoughts, and how ideas get translated into a language which will never be able to express those ideas as well as they are experienced in the first place. I'm not sure if this counts as linguistics though.
i'm reading a good book at the moment about synesthesia, hmm, have forgotten how that's spelt, anyway, it mentioned the phenomenon of losing the ability to communicate, usually after an accident or other traumatic event. it was quite hard to understand, these people just lose the ability to transform abstract ideas and emotions into a language. i think Ravel somehow got this condition, which is pretty devastating for a composer, he could still get ideas and inspiration just not be able to turn them into his 'language'; music.
Forgive me, but I just don't get it. Could you please explain it to me?
Peccavi - confessing sin.. but I also don't get the pun..
The following page has some nice facts too: Language and words in particular
Peccavi = "I have sinned" = "I have Scind" - you had to know the name of the city.
Separate names with a comma.


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I just read a ton of comments about people hating aplix on their diapers... Anyone out there who loves it/thinks it's worth giving it a try? It seems like it would allow for a more precise fit.
aplix velcro
LOVE my aplix. It's so much easier on a wiggle infant/toddler. And I do think the fit is better too.
None of mine (mostly BGs, 1 TotBots) have remotely worn out yet in just under 18mos of use. But I'm sure it will happen.
And my DD has never tried to take them off. She's always dressed, so how would she get to her diaper?
I do have a mix of snaps and aplix, especially now that I've found the BGE love and they don't come in aplix.
Mommy to... DS1 1/19/09; DD 4/12/11; and DS2 1/23/13
Wife to David, mom to Jonathan-5, Joseph-3 and Daniel-13 months
Want to lose weight, get healthy and work from home? Ask me about Plexus Slim!
Wife to David, mom to Jonathan-5, Joseph-3 and Daniel-13 months
Want to lose weight, get healthy and work from home? Ask me about Plexus Slim!
I've never heard the term "aplix" until cloth diapering. Is it just another word for velcro (isn't velcro a brand name, anyway?), or is it different somehow?
~Shannon LDS-Bipolar-CPST-SAHM
Blended Fam 2010 His'95'98'00 MineJan'09 OursAug'11 Jan'15
I love it. I can barely get the velcro dipes on her before she's trying to twist away. No way can I manage snaps on my super-wiggler. Plus, DH hates snaps.
I think they are both brand names but Aplix is used more in diapers, Velcro not so much.
* leigh * boy.08.20.09 * girl.11.18.11 * boy.4.3.13
My other pockets are mostly aplix for my DH (SAHD) and Mother's Day out/church.
I love the fit of my grovia aplix, hated the fit of the grovia snaps, but the hook is really hard to clean and its not as sticky.
Babies are love made visible!
DS 19, DS 17, birth mom to DS July 26 2012 and DD July 10 2014.


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Baby Shower Cookies
- Uploaded By ebera
- 2008-03-05 21:43:28
these are the first cookies i've done with royal icing. i thought round would be a good place to start. i found the idea on here, of course!
icingonthecupcake Says... 7 years ago
really cute! where did you find the packages?
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Recent Research on the Economics of Patents
Bronwyn H. Hall, Dietmar Harhoff
NBER Working Paper No. 17773
Recent research on the economics of patents is surveyed. The topics covered include theoretical and empirical evidence on patents as an incentive for innovation, the effectiveness of patents for invention disclosure, patent valuation, and what we know about the design of patent systems. We also look at what is known about some current policy areas, including software and business method patents, university patenting, and the growth in patent litigation.
This paper is available as PDF (381 K) or via email.
Machine-readable bibliographic record - MARC, RIS, BibTeX
Document Object Identifier (DOI): 10.3386/w17773
Published: Bronwyn H. Hall & Dietmar Harhoff, 2012. "Recent Research on the Economics of Patents," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 4(1), pages 541-565, 07. citation courtesy of
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Hi, my name is Dede Sudharmoko Putra I am from Bandung, Indonesia I am a military specialist cosplayer I am not a famous cosplayer or anything I just love to appreciate everyone cosplay Don't mind the ranking system, I never expected to be that way Let's be friend, follow me and i will follow you Thank you for you helps, let's keep support each other Check out my youtube channel : https://www.youtube.com/user/dedesudharmoko/ Message me i always reply, Thanks!
Hi! I'm Kya, an Italian cosplayer since 2000 I hope to meet new people and maybe new friends! You can also find me here ^_^ DEVIANTART http://white-dragon-freya.deviantart.com/ COSPLAY.COM http://www.cosplay.com/gallery/m15628/
Hi, Everyone. My name is Jorge Mosquera, but you can also call me George or "Korii". I'm a Colombian cosplayer and language teacher. It's a honour to meet cosplayers from different countries and learn a lot from them. There are few black cosplayers in my country, but I'm proud of being one of them. I like to give "MY STYLE" to some cosplays, but without losing the essence of the character. Visit my page: https://www.facebook.com/jormoskorii
ola sou rafael almeida e com o maior carinho faço o cosplay do soldado hunk do resident evil racoon city procurando sempre visar logicamente a realidade
follow me http://sayacosplay.deviantart.com/ :D https://www.facebook.com/pages/Saya-Cosplay/360658570762247?skip_nax_wizard=true&ref_type=logout_gear&success=1 http://en.curecos.com/my/
Hi my name is Ginanjar :o I've known a cosplay since 2004 ^o^ I live in Surabaya East Java Indonesia ;) i will following all of you ... ^^; heheheheheh.... nice to meet you cosplayers :p WOW new fitures!!! chatting!! :v let's chatting everyone!! XD~~ sorry if my english is bad :'(
Hi guys, I'm antonio from Italy and I'm a cosplayer since 2008 :) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AntonioStyle Website: http://stylecosplay.wordpress.com/ DeviantArt: http://style85.deviantart.com/ Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/StyleDjCosplay Cure: http://en.curecos.com/profile/?ch=228541
Hey there fellow cosplayers and friends, If you enjoy my work you can find more at- https://www.facebook.com/saarkham?ref=hl - For My Joker cosplay https://www.facebook.com/SLdingdors - For all the other characters I work on http://masterdev777.deviantart.com/ - and for both my cosplay and art Thanks for checking me out! and If you like my pages on FB I shall return the favour :D
I'm Nico from Italy, I'm new in the world of cosplay! FB page: https://www.facebook.com/Nikitocosplay Watch me on DeviantART [DeviantART] http://nikito-1.deviantart.com/ [Cosplay.com] http://www.cosplay.com/member/299954/ [Italia Cosplay] http://www.italiacosplay.net/profile/Nikolai89
Hey ho My name is Marcel, better known as "Maruseru" im cosplayer since 2006, cosplay is my passion and my dream, I preferably in costumes to make characters darks, to love the look and personality of these characters.
follow me ^_^ https://instagram.com/diegob_89 https://www.facebook.com/TheCosbuilders
I am 25 years old Cosplayer from Germany (Cologne/Düsseldorf), I make costumes since 2001 with a little break for a few years and started new in 2008 I hope you like my Cosplays ^^ All Costumes are selfmade ^^ if you want to see more feel free to like my/our page on Facebook ^^ There you can find Work in Progress Pictures Future Plans and much more ^^ https://www.facebook.com/SweetnessKnights
I'm a cosplayer who loves what he does, despite all the movement itself. I think there is fair competition and future great friends through this. IN SINCE 2005-2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yo soy una Cosplayer que me gusta hacer lo que hago:3, me gusta disfrutar cada momento grato que pueda . Desde 2005-2006 My Page: https://www.facebook.com/DokanCosplayer
Hi guys! My name is Gloria, i'm an Italian cosplayer ^__^ I hope you like my costumes :P My website: http://sweetangelcosplay.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SweetAngelCosplay DeviantArt: http://miciaglo.deviantart.com/ Signed prints: https://sweetangelstyle.storenvy.com
I'm a italian cosplayer. I love my cosplay and I love sewing and make all the detail of the costume. ^_^ my DeviantArt -> http://creati-da-me.deviantart.com/ my FaceBook fanpage -> https://www.facebook.com/didi.chan.artist All my creation on facebook -> http://www.facebook.com/creati.da.me -> http://www.facebook.com/Cosplayer.s.Dungeon


text: A lobby and a reception are available to guests. Amenities include a safe. Internet access and wireless internet access are available in the public areas. Gastronomic options include a restaurant and a bar. The grounds of the establishment feature a playground and an attractive garden. Guests arriving in their own vehicles can park in the car park. Among the additional services available are medical assistance, room service, a wake-up service and a laundry. Special family rooms are available for families with children. A balcony or terrace is also included as standard. Some of the accommodation units also feature a side sea view. Cots are available for children. Among the amenities are a safe and a minibar. A fridge and a mini-fridge contribute to a comfortable stay. Other features include internet access, a telephone, a TV and wireless internet access. In the bathrooms, guests will find a shower, a bathtub and a hairdryer. The establishment offers an outdoor pool and a children's pool. A terrace, sun loungers and parasols are available. For those wishing to enjoy some exercise, beach volleyball and volleyball are offered onsite. With water skiing, jet skiing, pedal boat hire, a banana boat and canoeing, fans of watersports will have plenty to choose from. The establishment also offers sports enthusiasts a wide range of indoor facilities and activities, including a gym, table tennis, badminton and darts. Various wellness options are offered, including a spa, a sauna, a steam bath, a hammam, a beauty salon and massage treatments. Various meals and board options are bookable. Guests can choose from breakfast, lunch, dinner and All-inclusive. The establishment additionally offers snacks. Both alcohol-free drinks and alcoholic drinks are available to guests.


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SOON AH WILL BE DONE Celebrate Around the World…Winter 2014 Concert
DULAMAN Celebrate Around the World…Winter 2014 Concert
DEFYING GRAVITY Queers Through the Years…Spring 2015 Concert
Singing Out plans to represent Southern NM, and specifically Las Cruces, by performing at the 2016 GALA Festival at the Denver Performing Arts Complex in Denver, CO, July 2-6, 2016. We want to take as many members as possible and would appreciate any donation to further our efforts to help offset the trip costs for our singers. If you would like to provide support for this mission, please contact us. If you would like to be a part of this event as a member of Singing Out, please join us for our 2015 Fall rehearsal, August 25th, 6:30 pm, as we will begin preparation for our GALA performances during the Fall Season.
We are a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies community chorus at home in Las Cruces, NM.
Singing Out is a non-auditioned, mixed-voice chorus with rehearsals every Tuesday from 6:30pm-8:30pm (Jan-May and Aug-Dec) at First Christian Church, 1809 El Paseo Rd, Las Cruces, NM. Come on in and check us out, or better yet, JOIN US!
Singing Out performs two seasonal concerts each year at First Christian Church as well as additional outreach concerts each season. Please read About Us for more information about our chorus, and don't forget to check our Event Calendar.
For more information about how to join Singing Out or have the chorus at your event, please visit our Contact page or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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STARmeterSEE RANK
Up 3,624 this week
Franklyn Ajaye
Franklyn Ajaye was born on May 13, 1949 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Bridesmaids (2011), The 'Burbs (1989) and Convoy (1978). See full bio »
Born:in Brooklyn, New York, USA
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6 posters
3 groups
Based somewhat more authentically on the Grimm Brothers' story of a young woman who is unliked by her stepmother, the film includes the talking mirror, a poisoned apple, and some ruffian gold (not diamond) miners (and they aren't dwarfs or cute). It takes place at the time of the Crusades, and depicts the attitudes of the wealthy and the peasant classes toward one another. Written by BOB STEBBINS
© 2004 - 2015 The Internet Movie Poster Database | This page was executed in 0.01189 sec.


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Yashica FX-3, FX-2 ... as Garageboy suggested, the FX-D is good, too, I've heard.
How do you define bargain?
The FX-3 can be had for $50 and it's a durable machine that requires littler or no maintenance; it sports a basic but consistently-good meter; it also accepts a range of great lenses. These things make it a bargain in my book.


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There's still time to sign up for Guo Juan 5P's online group class, which starts on September 19. The 135 euro fee cover eight 90-minute classes and seven weeks of full access to Guo's pro lecture site and training system. "Meet friends, have fun and learn from pro teachers," says Guo. In addition to Guo, teachers include YoungSun Yoon 8P, Jennie Shen 2P and Mingjiu Jiang 7P.
Registration is speeding up as the Chang Qi Cup approaches. At this point, less than two weeks remain before the Cup kicks off at Harvard University. The unprecedented event will include professional commentary on the Chinese semifinals, an amateur tournament with more than $10,000 in total cash prizes, and multiple other special events. There will be a lot of professional go players on hand: Chang Hao 9P, Yu Bin 9P, Mingming Yin 1P, Andy Liu 1P, Gansheng Shi 1P, Calvin Sun 1P, and Ryan Li 1P have all confirmed they'll be in attendance.
Because there are less than two weeks left, organizers highly recommend that anyone who wants to make travel plans do so soon. Information about hotels and transportation, as well as general information and registration, is all available on the ACGA's website. -Julian Erville. Photo: Student Organization Center at Hilles, Harvard University.
Officer applications for the American Go Honor Society are due by September 19. The organization runs multiple events every year including the School Team Tournament and the Young Lions, and is run entirely by high school students. The open positions include Vice President, Promotion Head, Webmaster, Tournament Organizer, Secretary, and Treasurer. To apply, download the application form on the AGHS's website and send it in to email@example.com by September 19.
by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal
Last week, as Tokyo correspondent for the American Go E-Journal, I was invited to attend some special events held in connection with the Nihon Ki-in Summer Camp and the Meijin title match (at right). Here is my report.
Teaching Game: This year's summer camp, which has become an annual event at the Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo, was held for two weeks, from Friday, August 21, to Thursday, September 3. The camp had a cosmopolitan atmosphere, with 16 players of both sexes from 13 countries taking part and go ranks ranging from around 3-dan to double-digit kyu. One point that struck me was that, besides the Western countries you might expect, there were also participants from places like Hong Kong, China, and Singapore where there's no shortage of local instructors. Word-of-mouth on this event must be good.
There was a full program, with morning and afternoon sessions every day. The program included sessions studying life-and-death and tesuji problems, lectures and simuls by professionals, goodwill matches with Japanese amateurs, and also a league tournament. A repeat participant, Michael Webster of England, was taken on as an intern at the Nihon Ki-in beforehand to help plan the camp; he also selected the life-and-death problems, including problems of various levels to cater for everyone. All the participants I got to speak to were happy with what they called a very enjoyable camp. The double-digit kyu-player referred to above told me that he was actually a virtual beginner but that he had a great time at the camp and that his motivation was now very high.
The event I was invited to attend was a teaching game played from noon to about two o'clock on Wednesday, September 2. This game was a reward for the winner of the camp league, who was Tyler Oyakawa 3D of the US. The professional was Fujisawa Rina 3P, holder of the Women's Honinbo title and, at just 16, the great hope of women's go in Japan. Coincidentally, another American did a simultaneous public commentary in the same room: this was Michael Redmond 9P, who was assisted by his charming elder daughter Emi, who is about 1-dan amateur. Emi speaks three languages, Japanese, Chinese, and English; she is in her final year at Sophia University (Jochi) in Tokyo, and she is also interested in helping to spread go. The game, on three stones, was a relatively peaceful one because, for the most part, Rina did not, in Michael's words (in conversation later), "play wildly, as I would have done." If the handicap is correct, the pro can expect to catch up in the endgame, and this seemed to be Rina's strategy; she ended up getting a good lead, however, leading Tyler to resign.
I found the commentary very instructive and so asked Michael to write it up for the E-Journal. He cheerfully complied, so you can click on his commentary here. After having the bright idea of making this request, I just sat back and enjoyed the game instead of taking notes. Just for the record, the Nihon Ki-in is also holding a winter camp this year, but it is of a different nature. It is open to go educators and instructors from the ASEAN countries, seven of which have go associations: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The camp will be mainly concerned with teaching and propagation methods.
Clash of the Honorary Meijins: In the afternoon on Wednesday, we were all invited to attend a special event commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Asahi Meijin title and starting at 3:30. This was a public game between the only two players to have qualified as Honorary Meijin, Cho Chikun and Kobayashi Koichi. Kobayashi has already assumed the title, as he turned 60 three years ago, but Cho Chikun is 59, so it's not yet official for him. The criterion is winning the title five times in a row or ten times overall. Cho won the 5th to 9th titles, thus qualifying one way, then almost qualifying the other when he won the 21st to 24th titles. Kobayashi won the 10th title, then had a long run lasting from the 13th to the 19th.
This game was played in the Wisteria Room of the Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo, informally known as just the Chinzanso, where the Meijin title match between Iyama Yuta and Takao Shinji was due to start the following day. The main commentator was 24th Honinbo Shuho, otherwise known as Ishida Yoshio 9P, assisted by Osawa Narumi 4P, among others. Prominent Meijins of the past in the audience, such as Otake Hideo, Rin Kaiho, Takemiya Masaki, and the incumbent, Iyama Yuta, were also called up on stage for their comments. Several people commented on how serious both Cho and Kobayashi seemed about the game. (As is usual with these public games, there were playing on the same stage as the commentary, but in theory the players are too absorbed in the game to pay attention to what is being said. That's the theory, anyway.) In the past, these two were great rivals, especially in the 80s. Cho achieved success earlier and has outstripped Kobayashi (74 titles to 59); however, Kobayashi wrested his big titles, the Kisei and the Meijin, from the hands of Cho. The biggest regret of Kobayashi's career is undoubtedly three successive Honinbo challenges rebuffed by Cho. Cho and Kobayashi hold the record for the most games between two players, at 129. We didn't get an up-to-date breakdown at the public commentary, but someone did say that it was 63 wins each a couple of years ago (by the way, this game does not count, as it was unofficial).
As usual with these two, the game was a good contest and entertained the standing-room-only audience. Takemiya commented: "The game is so fierce you'd think there was a big prize at stake. Each one thinks, this is the one player I don't want to lose to." Iyama also expressed admiration for their fighting spirit. The highlight of the game was an attack on a weak group launched by Kobayashi (White) on move 108. Everyone thought Cho was in trouble, but he came up with a clever counter that linked up his weak group at the cost of a two-stone sacrifice. At this point, Cho was ahead, but Kobayashi pulled off an upset in the endgame while Cho was in byo-yomi. Kobayashi ended up winning by 1.5 points.After the game–Kobayashi: "Black 109 was the kind of move you expect from Cho." Cho: "Next year I can call myself Honorary Meijin, but forget about this honorary stuff. I'm going to become the real Meijin."
Actually the game review was the most entertaining part of the event. Cho is a compulsive joker; you rarely hear a straight line from him. On the stage, he was like a runaway train. Poor Ishida in particular was the butt of his humor, with comments like, "I may play badly sometimes, but not badly enough to lose to Ishida." Cho's fellow pros take his humor in their stride, and Ishida kept trying to review the game with Kobayashi although drowned out by Cho. A number of times, Cho said to the audience: "Do you have any idea what those guys are going on about? I don't." He also reproached Ishida with not giving his clever move at 109 adequate appreciation at the time, so he was certainly listening to the public commentary.
The eve party: In Japan, there's a strong tradition of holding parties on the eve of major events. There's a special word for it, "zenyasai" or "night-before festival." The tradition is honored in go, and these parties are big events (about 240 people attended on Wednesday), especially for games played away from the major cities. They are like showcases for the local go community. The summer camp group was also invited to the eve party held from 6 pm. on the 2nd. Persons in attendance ranged from the heavies of the go world to ordinary go fans who apply by postcard for invitations.
At the party there were the usual speeches and, of more interest, short speeches by the players expressing their resolve for the match. Takao: "This year my results have been bad and I have a minus record. I hear it's the first time ever the Meijin challenger has had a minus record, so I have set an unprecedented record. Just between you and me, it's because I have staked everything on the Meijin title, so at present things are proceeding according to my scenario. I also have a scenario for after this, but it's a secret. It's not so often in a lifetime that you get to play a best-of-seven, so this is a valuable period for me. It's important for me." Iyama's reply: "I don't know what kind of scenario Takao Sensei is writing, but the Meijin is a special title. This title alone I can't hand over."
Among the guests appearing on stage was Michael Redmond, who, assisted by Osawa Narumi 4P, did a public commentary on the game on Friday afternoon. On Thursday morning, the summer-camp participants were invited to watch the start of the game in the playing room.
photos courtesy Tom Urasoe, Nihon Ki-in Overseas Dept.
by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal
Women's Meijin League: The final game in the first round of the new league was played on August 28. Aoki Kikuyo 8P (W, at right) beat Okuda Aya 3P by 7.5 points. On September 3, Okuda recovered from her bad start, beating Suzuki Ayumi 6P (B) by 5.5 points. On the same day, Mannami Nao 3P (W) improved her score to 2-0 by beating Kato Keiko 6P by 6.5 points.
Iyama makes good start in Meijin title defense: The first game of the 40th Meijin best-of-seven was played at the Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo on September 3 and 4. Taking white, Iyama secured a resignation after 180 moves. Iyama owed his victory to his skillful play in rescuing a group under attack. Iyama had given Takao this attack as compensation for winning a large ko. After the game, the challenger Takao Shinji 9P commented that perhaps his positional judgment had been a little slack. He said that he played a little mildly in a couple of areas because he thought he was ahead when he may not have been. The second game will be played on September 17 and 18.
Vacant seats in 71st Honinbo League filled: The following four players have won seats in the 71st Honinbo League, due to start in October. They are Takao Shinji Judan, Yo Seiki 8P, Ichiriki Ryo 7P, and Motoki Katsuya 3P (left). The first two, Takao and Yo, won their way back in immediately after dropping out of the previous league. The other two, Ichiriki (aged 18) and Motoki (aged 20), will be making their debuts. Motoki earned promotion to 7-dan for his feat. Ichiriki set a record for youngest player in the Kisei league when he was sixteen years nine months; he is now 18 years two months, the second-youngest player to win a seat in the Honinbo league. He fell just nine days short of breaking the record set by Yo Seiki last year.
To 8-dan: Miyagawa Fumihiko (150 wins) (as of August 28). Miyagawa, born on February 18, 1972, is a disciple of Yamashiro Hiroshi 9P; he is a member of the Central Japan (Nagoya) branch of the Nihon Ki-in. He also serves as a director of the Nihon Ki-in.
To 7-dan: Motoki Katsuya 3P (for winning a place in the 71st Honinbo league; as of September 4)
Searching for a literary go reference: Some time ago I read a go haiku or short poem in which the aging speaker wished he could start a ko and thus postpone the impending end of his life. If anyone has the poem or similar ones, I would really appreciate getting the reference! This has been bugging me for a long time….. Paul Celmer firstname.lastname@example.com
by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal
Yamashita Keigo wins S League: Three important games in the 40th Kisei S League were played recently. The results were: (August 27) Murakawa Daisuke Oza (B) beat Kobayashi Satoru 9P by resig. (September 3) Yamashita Keigo 9P (W) beat Yoda Norimoto 9P by 2.5 points; Murakawa (W) beat Yamashiro Hiroshi 9P by resig. Yamashita (right) finished the league with 4-1, securing first place and a seat in the final play-off to decide the challenger. Since he will start this play-off with a one-win advantage, there's a good chance we will see the third successive Kisei title match between him and Iyama. Thanks to his win, Murakawa, who ended on 3-2, earned a seat in the knock-out tournament — he goes directly into the semifinal. Yoda finished with the same score, but was ranked fourth to Murakawa's second, so he drops to third place. Yoda's loss to Yamashita was probably his most expensive of the year. One game is still to be played in the final round, so we do not know yet who will drop out. The final games in the B Leagues were also played on the 3rd. Awaji Shuzo 9P won the B1 league with a 5-2 score and Yamada Kimio 9P the B2 League, also with 5-2. There will be a play-off between these two to decide the overall B League winner. The winner will join the knock-out tournament at the bottom rung (see the end of the next item).
Kyo wins Kisei C League: After four rounds in the 40th Kisei C League, there were only two players with undefeated records; they were Kyo Kagen 3P and Akiyama Jiro 9P. The game between them in the final round, played on August 20, was in effect a play-off to decide the league winner though this league is nominally a Swiss System. The 17-year-old Kyo (not 15, as I wrote in my previous report; just for the record, he will be 18 on September 19) won this game, taking black, by resignation. This earned him a place in the knock-out tournament to decide the challenger and (assuming he doesn't become the Kisei challenger) promotion to one of the B Leagues next year. Kyo: "The new league system for the Kisei tournament encourages young players. I aim to be the challenger." Incidentally, Kyo is leading the most-wins list with 32 wins to six losses (next is Yamashita Keigo on 29-19, followed by Ichiriki Ryo on 27-13). Recently, there have been more and more signs that Kyo may be the strongest teenager in Japan. To summarize the knock-out stage of the Kisei tournament: The C League winner, Kyo Kagen, will play the overall B League winner (Awaji or Yamada); the winner then plays the winner of the A League, Kono Rin; the winner of this game then plays the S League number two, Murakawa; the winner then joins the final match with Yamashita to decide the challenger.
Tomorrow: Women's Meijin League; Iyama makes good start in Meijin title defense; Vacant seats in 71st Honinbo League filled
The Confucius Institute for Ireland has generously sponsored more Go lessons to the Irish Go Association.
Fan Hui 2p will be giving lessons starting tomorrow, September 9th on KGS.
More details can be found here.
by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal
Yi Sedol repeats in TV Asia Cup: Our previous report took this tournament as far as the first semifinal, in which Park Junghwan 9P (B) of Korea beat his compatriot Lee Donghun 5P by resig. In the second semifinal, played on August 27, Lee Sedol 9P of Korea, made his first appearance; as the previous winner, he was seeded. Lee (B) beat Yang Dingxin 3P of China by resig. In the final, Lee (B) beat Park by resig., winning this title for the second year in a row and the fourth time overall. This matches the record of Takemiya Masaki, who won the first four titles. By my count, this is Lee's 17th international title, not counting his jubango win. Though he is rated the world's number one, Park has been unable to win this tournament in five appearances. For more on this tournament, click here for Go Game Guru's report, with more photos and game records.
Yuki reaches Tengen final: The second semifinal of the 41st Tengen tournament was held on August 24. Yuki Satoshi 9P (W) came out ahead in an endgame contest, beating Yamashita Keigo 9P by 1.5 points. He will play Iyama Yuta in the final to decide the challenger to Takao Shinji.
Oza semifinal: The second semifinal of the 63rd Oza tournament was played on August 24. Yo Seiki 7P (W) beat Ko Iso 8P by 2.5 points. He will meet Iyama Yuta in the final, scheduled for September 7. This will be the first game between the two. Whoever wins, the title match will be an all-Kansai affair, as the titleholder is Murakawa Daisuke of the Kansai Ki-in.
Xie to challenge for Women's Honinbo: In the play-off to decide the challenger to Fujisawa Rina for the 34th Women's Honinbo title, held at the Nihon Ki-in on August 27, Xie Yimin (left), Women's Meijin and Kisei, (W) defeated Chinen Kaori 4P by resig. Xie will challenge for the title she lost to Mukai Chiaki two years ago (Fujisawa took it from Mukai last year). Xie has an even record, 2-2, against Fujisawa in official games, but this will be their first series. The best-of-five starts on October 8.
Agon Kiriyama semifinal: In the first semifinal of the 22nd Agon Kiriyama Cup, Iyama Yuta (B) beat Son Makoto 3P by 7.5 points, as already reported. The second semifinal was held on August 31 between Yo Seiki 7P and Kyo Kagen 3P. It was held on Yo's home ground of the Kansai Ki-in, with Kyo traveling from Tokyo. Apparently these two are good friends, often putting each other up when they travel for games, but on the morning of this game there was no chitchat. Kyo (W) won the game by resignation. The final will be played on October 10. This is the third tournament final that Iyama has qualified for recently.
Tomorrow: Yamashita Keigo wins S League; Kyo wins Kisei C League
There's limited space for international competitors at the 2016 Australian Go Congress, set for January 15-19 at Novotel Sydney Parramatta in Sydney, Australia. There's an early bird rate for those who book and pay prior to November 26. Apart from the go, Sydney and Australia are two of the world's best tourism destinations, notes organizer Sang-Dae Hahn. The Congress will provide free tours and guides to participants.
"I hope that those of you who have always wanted to visit Australia but have never had a good enough excuse will take the opportunity to join us for what will be an outstanding event," says Sang-Dae Hahn. "I look forward to seeing you in Sydney! For registration info, email firstname.lastname@example.com. Click here to see photos and more from the 2015 Australian Go Congress.
Sang-Dae Hahn(韓相大) firstname.lastname@example.com
Age: 32
Years playing go: 12
Lives in: Dallas, Texas
"Go is possibly one of the last things in this world that involves long-form communication. In a society of five-second videos and messages, go is one of the few opportunities you have to sit down with someone and do something for at least 30 minutes. That chance to interact, to discuss, and to mutually change one another, is what I like most about go." photo by Phil Straus
First in a series; if you'd like to participate, tell us your favorite thing about the game of go, include your name, age, how long you've played go and where you live, and email to email@example.com. Be sure to include a current photo!
Hajin Lee 3p, popular for her YouTube broadcasts under the name Haylee, has announced she will host a series of exhibition games with the AGA-certified professionals on her YouTube channel. Each episode will include a short interview with the guest, the exhibition game and a game review. The schedule of games: Sep. 5 : Calvin Sun 1P; Sep. 12: William Gansheng Shi 1P; Sep. 19: Ryan Li 1P; Oct. 3 : Andy Liu 1P. Broadcast time will be US Eastern Time 7PM. Lee, a frequent attendee at both US and European go congresses, is also secretary general of the International Go Federation. "My thanks to Hajin and our pros for putting on these broadcasts, which I very much look forward to watching," said AGA President Andy Okun.
Peter Zunick 1d went 3-1 to top the dan level division in the Mason Go Tournament, held August 22 in Mason, Ohio. Sponsored by the Miami University Confucius Institute, the tournament attracted 18 go players from Mason, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus. The youngest player was Yeming You 20K, an 8-year-old go class student at the Mason Huaxia Chinese School. Mason, Ohio has had the enrichment class for over eight years, and they just started a go club at Mason Public Library. This year, reports club organizer Frank Luo, "Go class students got very excited when the AGA Summer Go Camp was held at Camp Kern, 20 minutes away from Mason." The class was able to send six students to the Go Camp, which inspired Luo to hold the first go tournament in this mid-west area. With support from the Confucius Institute of Miami University and the local library, the tournament went very well, Luo says. "We already have plans to continue the tournament next year," Luo added.
E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock recently said to me, "Myron, you've been doing the Problem Of The Week for quite a while, why don't you send me some details for an E-Journal article. Oh, and make it interesting."
Chris's last sentence scared me. The American Medical Association uses me as a treatment-of-last-resort for insomnia patients. As if that weren't bad enough, I'm in the half of go players who make the top half possible (You're welcome, dan players). But as a result, I probably have a good view of what makes a go problem interesting for most players.
I volunteered in April 2004, when I noticed that no one was updating usgo.org's Problem Of The Week (POTW). In a classic case of "Be careful what you ask for," I'm still doing the POTW after 11 years and 590 weekly problems. And no one seems willing to let me out of my volunteer contract.
Over the years I've been very happy that some high-dan amateurs from different parts of the world have emailed corrections or improvements. But I enjoy hearing from anyone about what kind of problems to post. Based on unique IP address hits on the go problem for each week, hundreds of people seem to be finding something interesting. I do try hard to find just those problems that have something especially interesting, unique, or instructive.
A few of the problems have been of my own making or based on interesting St. Louis Go Club games from my home club. But most of the problems are from the classic go problem collections, back issues of the American Go Journal and Go World magazines, or any other source which the AGA has permission to use.
Your comments and suggestions are welcome: email me at email@example.com.


text: The file (intro.html) is indeed there. I must also say that xmaxima in Maxima 5.14 does not have this problem. How come 5.15 broke it? Fabrizio On Sat, 24 May 2008, Robert Dodier wrote: >> "couldn't open >> "C:/PRO.../share/maxima/515../xmaxima/INTRO...HTM": no such file >> or directory > > I believe the problem is that the Windows path with the abbreviations > in it is being misunderstood (whether by Tcl or by the Windows > filesystem itself, I don't know). Please try to verify if the intro.html > file is present in your installation; my guess is that it is. > If it is present, I don't know what to do, short of trying to rename > the items in the path which have abbreviations (and even if you > did that, I am not sure if it would resolve the problem). > > Sorry I can't be more helpful, > > Robert Dodier > > PS. I have Maxima 5.14.99rc1 installed on laptop w/ Vista, > so it does work sometimes. But I remember being bitten by > this pathname bug with some previous version. >


text:
Alabama offense hopes for spark against Stanford
Published: Saturday, March 23, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, March 23, 2013 at 12:12 a.m.
TUSCALOOSA | In the game of basketball, so the saying goes, everyone makes a run.
That's been especially true this season for the University of Alabama basketball team, which has been on both ends of the coin lately. The Crimson Tide experienced a Northeastern run Tuesday night that cut a 17-point advantage to one, only to run off 22-straight points of its own.
Sometimes it's a single play that causes one team to fire off a stretch run of nearly flawless basketball. The fans can usually detect it. So can coaches.
"Sometimes, yeah, you can tell in terms of focus that your team has at a certain time and then a lack of focus, a play or two that could ignite your team or distract your team," Alabama coach Anthony Grant said. "As a coach, you try to help eliminate that, or ignite that if it's good, with either a time out or substitution. There are times where you can kind of get a feel either that the energy is really, really good and everybody is locked in, or for whatever reason something's not exactly where it needs to be."
Sophomore guard Levi Randolph was in the middle of UA's prolonged run against Northeastern, highlighted by his two dunks.
"Sometimes plays happen and it can either spark your team or it can bring the energy level down," Randolph said. "You just have to try and control it and play through it, or, if it's on your side, just keep going with it."
The crowd oftentimes play a key role in helping to end or keep a run going.
Alabama could be playing to a less-than-normal home game crowd given a couple of factors out of its control. The game tips off at 11 a.m., and the majority of UA students have left campus to bring spring break.
A crowd of less than 3,000 witnessed the first-round win over Northeastern.
"The thing I tell our guys is we control what we can control," Grant said. "I thought our guys did a pretty good job the other day of staying focused on the game in between the lines, and that's all we can control. Obviously, you always want a great crowd. You want that to be an affect on the game. I thought the people that were here the other day did a really good job of making their voices heard and having an impact as least from the energy level."
As for the game itself, Stanford junior forward Dwight Powell is getting most of the attention.
The 6-foot-10 First-Team All-Pac-12 selection averages 15.3 and 8.4 rebounds a game. He's recorded 10 double-doubles. Alabama knows it will have a hard time defending him.
"He's skilled on the inside and the outside," Randolph said. "We haven't played a player this good yet this year."
Grant said it will take a team effort.
"He's a guy that can play inside and out, a very skilled guy, a very athletic guy," Grant said. "He's a match-up problem. I don't think, as far as I can remember, we've faced a guy like him in terms of his skill set. We're trying to get our guys prepared to go against his as a team. Basically that's how we're going to have to face it, as a team in terms of trying to take some of his strengths away."
Reach Aaron Suttles at email@example.com or at 205-722-0229.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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10(+) Books Your Younger Readers Will Love This Holiday Season
By JennaHatfield on December 02, 2011
BlogHer Original Post
Giving a book as a present is a given in our family. Our sons are four and six, and their bookshelves are overflowing with amazing books. I thought perhaps I would share some great books -- from picture books to beginning chapter funnies to some non-fiction finds -- that you might want to wrap up and put under the tree this year. As an added bonus, I included a series of holiday themed books you might want to check out before Christmas Eve is upon us!
My, or, our new favorite picture book is Stuck by Oliver Jeffers. We bought it for our younger son's birthday last month and it has been a big hit. In short, a little boy gets his kite stuck in a tree and then starts throwing everything he can find up into the tree to get his kite un-stuck. As you might imagine, everything he throws gets stuck. Including the fire department.
I'm a sucker for any book that includes fire departments, so it was an instant favorite. Both of my sons enjoy giggling through the many things tossed into the tree. The book provides the added bonus of many lovely illustrations to look at (and giggle at) for hours on end. ($10.36 at Amazon right now.)
If you have a pink-loving girl (or boy!) in your house, you may want to pick up Pinkalicious: The Princess of Pink Treasury. Yes, a treasury of all things pink. It is not, however, a treasury of the main books (think Pinkalicious, Purplicious, etc), but of smaller stories. The books included in this hardback treasury are School Rules, Pinkalicious and the Pink Drink, Pink Around the Rink, Tickled Pink, and Pinkie Promise. If you bought all five of those books separately, you would pay over $20.00. The treasury is currently $13.05 on Amazon and comes with an audio CD of all five stories. Bonus!
Are you a blogger? Then your kid probably needs this book: My Mommy Is a Blogger by Sommer Poquette. We were lucky enough to get a review copy this summer, and it has remained on our living room shelf of "currently reading frequently" books. The story features a child who takes her mom to school on career day. It's really a neat way to educate your children on what the business side of blogging is all about and answers questions about why your blogging work is important to the family. As an added bonus, you can give it to people who ask you, "But how is it a job, really?" like the teacher in the book. My favorite part of the book? When the little girl introduces her mom as a "booger" instead of a blogger. Awesome!
Does your child love If You Give a Mouse a Cookie or If You Give a Pig a Pancake or If You Give a Moose a Muffin? Or, you know, any of those books? Then you definitely need to pick up the newest release, If You Give a Dog a Donut. These books are always good for some belly laughs, and not just from the kids. In the newest book, we obviously get to follow a dog around on a delightful and, as per usual, exhausting adventure. As an added bonus, maybe this book will help your child (or, you?) stop feeding the dog table scraps. Or, at the very least, donuts. It's currently $8.49 for the hardcover new release, which would make it a great addition to your long-lasting family library.
For your kiddos just starting to read chapter books, I have to tell you that we are in love with Captain Underpants and his hilarious series. There's something kind of awesome about watching your six-year-old run into the room in underoos and socks and yell, "Tra-la-LA!" We recently bought box set of the first four books and were delightfully surprised when the box it comes in makes a "Tra-la-LA!" sound when you open it. If your reader has already made it through that series, The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby is written by the same author and is just as hilarious. In fact, the next book, Super Baby 2: Invasion of the Potty Snatchers might make you giggle-snort during an evening read-along.
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