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President Barack Obama delivered the State of the Union speech yesterday, outlining an ambitious progressive agenda that will be largely ignored and rebuked by Congress. But Obama promised at least seven major policies that he can pursue without legislators, including a $10.10-per-hour minimum wage for federal contractors and some action on global warming. Obama's full speech is viewable here, and the Republican response is available here. The Associated Press fact checked the speech here.
Ky. Gov. Steve Beshear says tolls are necessary to fund the $2.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge project. Officials and executives claim the bridge replacement is necessary to improve safety, traffic and economic development through a key connector between Kentucky and Ohio, but many Kentucky officials refuse to accept tolls to fund the new bridge. But without federal funding to pay for the entire project, leading Ohio and Kentucky officials say they have no other option.
There is a 32-point achievement gap in reading between Ohio's lower-income and higher-income fourth-graders, with higher-income students coming out on top. The massive gap speaks to some of the challenges brought on by income inequality as Ohio officials implement the Third-Grade Reading Guarantee, which requires most Ohio third-graders to test as "proficient" before they advance to the fourth grade. Previous studies also found Ohio's urban schools might be unfairly evaluated and under-funded because the state doesn't properly account for poverty levels.
Attempting to move the Hamilton County Board of Elections offices from downtown to Mount Airy, where only one bus line runs, could provoke a lawsuit from the NAACP, Board Chairman Tim Burke, a Democrat who opposes the move, warned in an email to county commissioners. With the Board of Elections split along party lines on the issue, the final decision to move or not to move could come down to county commissioners or Republican Secretary of State Jon Husted. CityBeat covered the issue in further detail here.
Greater Cincinnati added 6,600 jobs between December and December 2012.
Temperatures could hit the 30s and 40s this weekend, offering a reprieve to the extreme cold.
Ohio's auditor of state found a "top-down culture of data manipulation and employee intimidation" at Columbus City School District.
Cincinnati-based Kroger plans to add 227 stores with its acquisition of Harris Teeter.
The University of Cincinnati expects to demolish its Campus Services Building at Reading Road and Lincoln Avenue — formerly a Sears department store — this summer.
A Republican congressman from New York City physically threatened a reporter after an interview.
Birmingham, Ala., really can't handle snow.
A lawsuit alleges NASA is failing to investigate alien life.
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City Council on Wednesday dismissed legislation that would have repealed controversial contracting rules for Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) projects.
Council's decision could put Cincinnati and Hamilton County on a collision course over rules governing a federally mandated revamp of the city's sewer system. The city and county jointly manage MSD.
Democrats David Mann, Chris Seelbach, Yvette Simpson, P.G. Sittenfeld and Wendell Young voted to move the repeal ordinance back to committee. Republicans Amy Murray and Charlie Winburn, Charterite Kevin Flynn and Independent Christopher Smitherman voted to keep the ordinance in front of council.
Hamilton County commissioners previously halted most
of the $3.2 billion, 15-year sewer revamp in protest of the city's
"responsible bidder" law. As long as the hold remains in place, the city and county risk violating a federal mandate to revamp Cincinnati's inadequate sewer system.
The city rules require contractors to follow stricter standards for apprenticeship programs, which unionized and nonunion businesses use to train workers in crafts, such as electrical work or plumbing. The rules also ask contractors to put 10 cents for each hour of labor into a pre-apprenticeship fund that will help train newcomers in different crafts.
Supporters of the law claim it will foster local jobs and local job training. Opponents claim the law favors unions and places a costly burden on MSD contractors.
city already gave various concessions to resolve its conflict with the county, including
exemptions for small businesses and contracts worth less than $400,000. But the county has so far refused to budge.
Smitherman, who opposes the law, argued the issue will end up in court and the city will lose.
"What was passed on May 1 is not constitutional," he said.
But the city's law department says the law is legal and could be defended in court.
Seelbach, who spearheaded the law, said he's in talks with Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Hartmann to bring both parties into mediation and resolve the conflict.
"I'm asking for some more time," he said.
The Drop Inn Center and 3CDC (Cincinnati City Center Development Corporation) on Friday announced a deal to move the region's largest homeless shelter from its current location in Over-the-Rhine to Queensgate. The Drop Inn Center says the new location represents "most of the things on our wish list, which is fantastic." And 3CDC has been pushing the shelter to move since it began its efforts to revitalize the Over-the-Rhine and downtown area, which some label gentrification. Josh Spring, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, said in a statement that government officials and developers should be helping maintain affordable housing in all parts of the city instead of moving poor people to other neighborhoods.
Local sewer rates could rise by 6 percent and local water rates will skyrocket by 22.6 percent following proposed price hikes from the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD). The higher sewer rates are needed to help pay for a federally mandated sewer upgrade that will cost $3.2 billion over 15 years, according to MSD officials. MSD says the spike in water bills is necessary because water use is declining and treatment costs are increasing.
The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) has lost more flights and seats since 2005 than any other major airport across the country, which effectively cost the Cincinnati area 33,000 jobs and nearly $1 billion in annual economic activity in the same time span, according to an analysis from The Cincinnati Enquirer. The 78-percent drop in flights — far higher than the national average of 19 percent — comes even as CVG's average fares increased by 26 percent, which were also above the national average of 4 percent.
Commentary from The Business Courier: "(Mayor-elect John) Cranley doubles down on streetcar cancellation."
Supporters of Cincinnati's $133 million streetcar project will meet tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Cincinnati Hyatt Regency Ballroom to discuss their options to prevent Cranley from stopping the streetcar project. Supporters were recently reinvigorated by the current city administration's projections that canceling the streetcar project could cost nearly as much as completing it.
As Ohio's Republican legislators move to adopt a stand-your-ground law, the research shows the controversial self-defense laws might increase homicides and racial disparities in the U.S. justice system.
Economists generally agree that state officials don't play a big role in changing the economy in the short term, but political scientists say the economy will still play a major role in deciding Ohio's 2014 gubernatorial elections. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald argues Republican Gov. John Kasich deserves the blame for Ohio's economy, given that Kasich initially credited his policies for Ohio's brief economic turnaround early on in his term. But now that the economy is beginning to stagnate, Kasich refuses to take the blame and points to congressional gridlock at the federal level as the reason for Ohio's slowdown.
Ohio paid nearly $1.2 million for a string of charter schools that closed weeks after they opened. The schools, which all operated under the name Olympus High School, are now facing an audit and have been ordered to pay back some of the money.
A state job program for disabled Ohioans could lose millions in federal funds after the U.S. Department of Education warned the state it is improperly spending the money on case management and other administrative activities. But the head of Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities insists the state program is under compliance.
Ohio's number of uninsured children is below the national average, according to a Georgetown University Center for Children and Families report.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is fast tracking business permits to outpace neighboring states.
With Thanksgiving looming, Ohio gas prices rose in the past week.
Migraine sufferers who also deal with allergies and hay fever might suffer from more severe headaches, according to a study from three medical centers that include the University of Cincinnati.
Would you ride the world's tallest water slide?
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It's Election Day. Polls will remain open today until 7:30 p.m. Find your voting location here. Check out CityBeat's election coverage and endorsements here. Regardless of who you plan to support, go vote. The results will decide who runs Cincinnati for the next four years.
A gathering in Covington, Ky. over the Brent Spence Bridge signaled the community is still divided about using tolls to pay for the $2.5 billion bridge project, even as public officials admit tolls are most likely necessary to complete the project. Many local and state officials believe the federal government should pay for the interstate bridge, but they're also pessimistic about the chances of receiving federal funds. Covington Mayor Sherry Carran says she's concerned about safety at the functionally obsolete bridge, but she says tolls could have a negative impact on Covington.
On Wednesday, Hamilton County commissioners are expected to vote on an annual budget that nearly matches the county administrator's original proposal. The budget is
the first time in six years that county officials don't have to carry
out major cuts or layoffs to close a gap.
A study from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and three other community organizations found idling school bus and car motors might pose a serious health risk to students. The most problematic pollutants are particularly concentrated when cars and buses are standing, and the toxic particles linger around schools and playgrounds for hours after the vehicles leave, according to the study. For researchers, the findings are evidence buses and cars should turn off their motors when dropping off children at school.
The Cincinnati Enquirer and other major newspapers lost thousands of readers in the past year, even though some newspapers managed to buck the trend and gain in certain categories, according to a circulation audit from the Alliance for Audited Media. Between September 2012 and September 2013, The Enquirer's circulation dropped by more than 10 percent, while The Toledo Blade and Dayton Daily News increased their circulation. The drop coincides with readers resorting to the Internet and other alternate sources in the past few years. The losses have cost newspapers advertising revenue, and many have responded with cutbacks in staff and overall news coverage.More than half a million Ohioans qualify for tax subsidies under Obamacare, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Anyone between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or an annual income of $23,550 to $94,200 for a family of four, is eligible. But for Ohioans to take full advantage of the benefits, the federal government will first need to fix HealthCare.gov, which has been mired in technical problems since its launch on Oct. 1.
Ohio Sen. Rob Portman was one of seven Republicans to support a federal ban on workplace discrimination against gays and lesbians in the U.S. Senate yesterday. All Senate Democrats backed the bill. But the bill faces grim prospects in the U.S. House of Representatives, where it's expected to fail. CityBeat covered state-level efforts to ban workplace and housing discrimination against LGBT individuals in further detail here.
Mitt Romney's code name for Portman, a potential running mate for the 2012 Republican presidential ticket, was Filet-O-Fish.
One in five sun-like stars host Earth-like planets.
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Councilman Chris Seelbach on Oct. 3 announced another concession in the ongoing city-county dispute over contracting rules for the jointly operated Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD).
At the heart of the issue is a federal mandate requiring Cincinnati to retrofit and revamp its sewer system. The project is estimated to cost $3.2 billion over 15 years, making it the largest infrastructure undertaking in the city's history.
But Hamilton County commissioners have put most of the project on hold until the county resolves its conflict with City Council, which unanimously passed in June 2012 and modified in May "responsible bidder" rules that dictate how MSD contractors should train their employees.
Critics say the law's apprenticeship program and pre-apprenticeship fund requirements put too much of a burden on nonunion businesses. Supporters claim the requirements help create local jobs and train local workers.
The city law requires bidders to follow specific standards for apprenticeship programs, which are used by unionized and nonunion businesses to teach an employee in a certain craft, such as plumbing or construction. It also asks contractors to put 10 cents for each hour of labor into a pre-apprenticeship fund that will help teach applicants in different crafts.
The concession announced on Oct. 3 would replace a mandate with an incentive program.
The mandate tasked contract bidders to prove their apprenticeship programs have graduated at least one person a year for the five previous years.
The incentive program would strip the mandate and replace it with "bid credits," which would essentially give a small advantage to bidders who prove their apprenticeship programs are graduating employees. That advantage would be weighed along with many other factors that go into the city's evaluation of bidders.
Seelbach says the concession will be the sixth the city has given to the county, compared to the county's single concession.
The city has already added several exemptions to its rules, including one for small businesses and another for all contracts under $400,000, which make up half of MSD contracts. The city also previously loosened safety training requirements and other apprenticeship rules.
Meanwhile, the county has merely agreed to require state-certified apprenticeship programs, although with no specific standards like the city's.
The five-year graduation requirement was the biggest sticking point in the city-county dispute. It's now up to commissioners to decide whether the concession is enough to let MSD work go forward. If not, the dispute could end up in court as the federal government demands its mandate be met.
Being one of the first to discover a critical memo put Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld at the center of an ongoing drama regarding the city's plans to lease its parking meters, lots and garages to the Greater Cincinnati Port Authority. The memo criticized the financial details of the lease, but it was kept from the Port, City Council and the public for nearly a month. Ever since the controversial parking plan passed City Council and was upheld in court, concerned citizens, business leaders and critics like Sittenfeld have been calling on the city and Port to rework or halt the deal. So far, the city and Port have stuck to their support. The city will get a $92 million lump sum and at least $3 million a year from the lease, which it currently plans to use to help balance city budgets and fund development projects, such as the I-71/MLK Interchange.
The latest state budget secured more cuts to city and county governments, putting local governments at a $1.5 billion shortfall in the next two years compared to 2010 and 2011, according to a new report from progressive think tank Policy Matters Ohio. Republican Gov. John Kasich and Republican legislators slashed local government funding in 2011 to help fix an $8 billion budget hole. But the latest state budget, which Kasich signed into law in June, was awash in extra revenues because of Ohio's economic recovery — so much so that legislators passed $2.7 billion in tax cuts. For Cincinnati, the original cuts cost the city more than $22 million in revenue.
The Brent Spence Bridge was bumped up in a federal funding priority list through a successful amendment from Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican. The amendment prioritized $500 million for obsolete and structurally unsound bridges, but it's so far unclear how much of the money will go to the Brent Spence Bridge project, which state officials estimate will cost $2.7 billion. Currently, Ohio and Kentucky officials plan to pay for the bridge project by enacting tolls.
Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, who's running for mayor this year, is calling on the city manager to produce a plan that would structurally balance Cincinnati's operating budget by 2016. "To build on the momentum Cincinnati is now experiencing, we must set a course now for a fiscally sustainable future," Qualls said in a statement. "That's why I'm urging that we have a plan to reach structural balance by 2016, restore reserves and increase the city's pension contribution, minimize using the parking lease payment to restore budget cuts and continue to invest in neighborhoods and jobs to grow revenue." The announcement comes more than one week after Moody's, the credit rating agency, downgraded Cincinnati's bond rating and criticized the city for its exposure to unsustainable pension liabilities and reliance on one-time sources to fix budget gaps.
Ex-Councilman John Cranley, who's also running for mayor, is rolling out his jobs plan today. The initiative will provide a job training program for individuals facing long-term unemployment or underemployment, which the Cranley campaign estimates will result in 379 individuals per year obtaining full-time, permanent jobs. The program will be mainly paid for by pulling funds from the city's Office of Environmental Quality, Department of Finance, travel and the state lobbyist. "My deepest conviction is that there is dignity in work. I believe all able-bodied adults should work and be self-sufficient. And I believe society has an obligation to ensure the opportunity to work exists," Cranley said in a statement.
On Second Thought: "Facts vs. Perceptions in Trayvon Martin Coverage."
Police yesterday shot and killed Roger Ramundo, an allegedly armed Clifton resident. Officers had been called to the area of Clifton and Ludlow avenues by a mental health provider, who said there was a person with mental health issues armed with a gun, according to interim Cincinnati Police Chief Paul Humphries. Police said they tried to first subdue Ramundo with Tasers during an ensuing struggle, but they were unsuccessful and the man pulled out his gun and fired a shot. That's when one officer fired two shots that hit Ramundo, who was then taken to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Gov. Kasich isn't providing clemency to a Cleveland killer who stabbed his victim 17 times, overruling a rare plea for mercy from prosecutors but siding with a majority of the state parole board. Billy Slagle will be executed on Aug. 7.
Ohio will take a hands-off approach
to promoting Obamacare, even though outreach will be crucial for the controversial
health care law. President Barack Obama's administration estimates it
will have to enroll millions of young adults into health care plans to turn the law into a success.
Meanwhile, Hamilton County is investigating if Obamacare could result in lower property taxes by allowing the county to shift costs to the federal government.
A Cincinnati money manager is being accused of running an "elaborate Ponzi scheme" that cost investors "tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars," according to a July 20 complaint filed in the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.
The average price of a flight from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport dropped, but the airport is still the second-most expensive in the nation.
CityBeat gave Internet cat-celebrity Lil Bub an in-depth look in this week's issue. Find it online here.
Want to maximize your tan? Here is how close you could get to the sun and survive.
It's not even two weeks since Gov. John Kasich signed the two-year state budget, and he's already pushing for the federally funded Medicaid expansion again. Kasich, a Republican, called on fellow advocates and Democrats to lobby Republican legislators into supporting the expansion. The administration says it would need legislation passed by the end of the summer if it's to get federal approval for an expansion by Jan. 1. Studies found the expansion would save the state money and insure nearly half a million Ohioans in the next decade. But Republican legislators passed on it, claiming the federal government can't afford the expansion even though the federal government has long upheld its commitment to Medicaid. CityBeat covered the state budget and Medicaid expansion in greater detail here.
Hamilton County commissioners are expected later today to repeal a funding hold on sewer projects, just a couple months after the hold was passed in response to controversial city laws. The city and county originally reached a compromise over the laws, but the deal appeared to have fallen through when City Council failed to approve its end of the bargain. Still, commissioners are moving forward with removing the funding hold, according to WVXU. CityBeat covered the city-county conflict in greater detail here.
Designers, engineers and architects will compete over how they'll cover Fort Washington Way in a few months, and Business Courier has some possibilities for where the project may go. The project is supposed to connect downtown and the riverfront, maximize economic development, encourage recreational activities, preserve openness and more. Although the first phase is just finishing, The Banks has already won awards, making the final connection between the area and downtown all the more important to city and county officials.
The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) will hold a meeting tonight for its regional strategic plan. Details are sparse, but OKI's first plan since 2005 will likely put a big emphasis on Cincinnati. A draft of the plan will likely be available in 2014. The meeting will be at Memorial Hall from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
MSNBC pundit Rachel Maddow was caught in a "pants on fire" statement by Cleveland's The Plain Dealer after she claimed Ohio's budget mandates women seeking an abortion to undergo a vaginal probe. The budget imposes new limits on legal abortions in Ohio and effectively defunds contraceptive care, cancer screenings and other non-abortion medical services at family planning clinics like Planned Parenthood, but it doesn't require women undergo a transvaginal ultrasound.
Cincinnati topped Terminix's annual bed bug list for most calls related to the critters, but it avoided a spot on another list for the highest increase in calls.
Warren County's racino is now hiring.
One good thing that came out of Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign: swag for needy Kenyan youth.
Antimatter particles were detected erupting from solar flares.
One major problem in brain training studies: People always realize they're being tested, particularly if they're playing Tetris for hours.
Ohio and Kentucky officials will roll out a plan in September to pay for the Brent Spence Bridge project with tolling
— a decision that could lead to opposition from Northern Kentucky
officials who have long advised against using tolls to finance the $2.5
billion project. The funding choice comes as little surprise,
given the lack of major federal support for the interstate bridge project. But tolling could put the plan in
danger if the Kentucky legislature follows the lead of its Northern
Kentucky delegation. The announcement follows a December agreement between Ohio and Kentucky's governors to get the project done.
Gov. John Kasich will be using a month-long tour to show off the new two-year state budget. The schedule for the tour is still being worked out, but at least one stop in southwest Ohio is expected. The $62 billion budget has many moving parts, but a CityBeat analysis found the plan disproportionately favors the wealthy and limits access to legal abortions and contraceptive care in Ohio.
Cincinnati's Horseshoe Casino posted its worst monthly revenue gains since its grand opening in March. It was an equally poor month for the rest of the state, which saw the worst casino revenue gains since Cincinnati's casino opened. If the trend holds up, that could be a troubling sign for proponents of using casino revenue to balance local and state budgets.
A prominent Ohio Republican and former Kasich cabinet member says he supports overturning the state's ban on same-sex marriage, giving a bipartisan jolt to FreedomOhio's efforts to get the issue on the ballot in 2014. Jim Petro, former attorney general and previous head of the state's higher education board, has a daughter who's gay, which may have influenced his decision. He was joined by Ian James, co-founder of FreedomOhio, when announcing his support. CityBeat covered FreedomOhio's same-sex marriage amendment when it was originally slated for the 2013 ballot here.
Cincinnati Gardens is for sale. Kenko Corporation, which has owned the garden for 35 years, announced its plans yesterday. "Our hope would be to sell, and see the historic venue move forward in its current state: a sports and entertainment venue," explained Pete Robinson, president of the Cincinnati Gardens, in a statement. "However, we are prepared to explore other opportunities."
At least two county commissioners are expected to approve the Cincinnati Zoo's levy request, which could put the flat renewal of the five-year levy on the ballot this November.
In other zoo news, here is Gladys the gorilla with her family.
As City Council winds down its sessions, Councilman Chris Seelbach will keep busy and help other city employees pick up garbage and clean sewers. Seelbach will be tweeting about his experiences in a different kind of public service here.
Kroger led Cincinnati stocks to a big start in July — a good sign for an ailing national economy that has struggled to get back on its feet. The Cincinnati-based grocer also announced on Tuesday that it will buy rival Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc. in a $2.4 billion deal.
Here are some pictures of carnivorous plants in action.
Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls is calling for a quick police chief search following a bout of local violence during the past few weeks. In a memo to City Manager Milton Dohoney, Qualls argues a police chief replacement is necessary to clamp down on crime, particularly gun and gang-related violence. She asks the city manager to report to City Council on the hiring search in early August and have a full replacement ready by the end of the summer. Former Police Chief James Craig recently left Cincinnati to take the police chief job in Detroit, his hometown.
Ohio dropped from No. 13 to No. 25 in a state-by-state ranking of highways. The report from the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank, looked at highway conditions and cost effectiveness. Among the findings: About 22.73 percent of Ohio's bridges were deemed deficient in 2009, down from 24.51 percent in 2007. Twenty states reported more than one in four bridges as deficient — a threshold Ohio barely missed. Despite Ohio being relatively worse off, the nation as a whole improved in major categories, according to the report: "Six of the seven key indicators of system condition showed improvement, including large gains in rural interstate and urban interstate condition, and a reduction in the fatality rate."
Ohio Democrats now criticizing the state budget's rape counselor restriction voted for the measure in a separate House bill on June 16. The "gag," as Democrats now call it, prevents publicly funded rape counselors from discussing abortion as a viable medical option for rape victims. "Democrats supported the bill to fund rape crisis centers and we were led to believe that this offensive language gagging rape counselors would be fixed in the budget," Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern told the Associated Press through a spokesperson. "It was not." Democrats voted against the state budget that actually encoded the measure into law.
On July 11 at Fountain Square, anti-abortion group Created Equal plans to use a jumbo screen to show a graphic video containing footage of aborted fetuses and their separated limbs.
Three more statewide online schools — known as "e-schools" — are coming to Ohio following approval from the Department of Education. Proponents of e-schools call them a "valuable alternative" to traditional schooling. But some education experts and studies have found e-schools often perform poorly.
Mason is having some success using private-public partnerships to attract high-tech companies.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol says "pilot error" caused the stunt airplane crash that killed two at last month's Dayton Air Show.
BBC explains why phones sometimes feel like they're vibrating when they're not.
New contact lenses give telescopic vision.
Fireworks would likely look boring in space.
An annual report on the nation's highways found Ohio's rank among states has dropped from No. 13 to No. 25 over three years, despite improvement throughout the nation as a whole.
The 20th "Annual Highway Report" released by the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank, looked at state-by-state road conditions and cost effectiveness, putting North Dakota in the No. 1 spot and Alaska in last place.
Ohio ranked No. 11 in fatality rate, No. 19 in urban interstate pavement condition and No. 24 in deficient bridges, but it ranked No. 29 in interstate pavement condition, No. 32 in total costs per mile and No. 46 in urban interstate congestion.
Among the findings: About 22.73 percent of Ohio's bridges were deemed deficient in 2009, down from 24.51 percent in 2007. Twenty states reported more than one in four bridges as deficient — a threshold Ohio barely missed.
The study is based on 2009 spending and performance data submitted by state highway agencies to the federal government.
With 20,394 paved miles, Ohio had the ninth largest highway system in the nation. In comparison, North Dakota, which ranked No. 1 in the report, had 7,408 paved miles, and Texas, which ranked No. 11, had 80,212 paved miles — the second most in the nation.
Although the report's findings were generally worse than previous years for Ohio, the report found overall national improvement.
"The system's overall condition improved dramatically from 2008 to 2009. Six of the seven key indicators of system condition showed improvement, including large gains in rural interstate and urban interstate condition, and a reduction in the fatality rate," the report read.
The report notes some of the changes may be attributable to the effects of the Great Recession, which were still lingering when states submitted 2009 data: "The U.S. economic downturn, which began in 2007 and continued in earnest in 2008 and 2009, is an important background factor influencing these trends. In 2008 total U.S. annual vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) fell about 3.5 percent from 2007 levels, lowering congestion slightly from prior years. Also, beginning in late 2008 and continuing into 2009 and 2010, federal stimulus funding contributed an additional 22 percent to funding resources."


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(KSDK Sports) -- They call it "The Path to Primetime," where more than 300 top prospects will continue on their quest to achieve their NFL dreams. Among the 300 will be players with ties to the Universities of Missouri and Illinois.
MIZZOU Players @ NFL Combine
• Sheldon Richardson (DT)
o No. 10 overall ranked prospect according to ESPN's Scouts Inc.
o 2012 = 75 tackles (10.5 for loss), 4 sacks, 3 FF, and 7 QB hurries.
o 2012 season he earned 1st team All-SEC honors.
o Pros: good athleticism, high motor, quick first step.
o Cons: suspended one game in 2012 for violating team rules.
• Zaviar Gooden (LB)
o In 2010 he set career highs after recording 84 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions (sophomore season).
o In 2012 he recorded only 61 tackles (4 for loss).
o Missed 2 games due to injury in 2012
• T.J. Moe (WR)
o Like Gooden, Moe set college career highs his sophomore yr (with Gabbert as QB) catching 92 balls totaling 1045 yrd receiving.
o In 2011, Moe caught 54 passes for 649 yrs and 40 receptions for 399 yards in 2012.
o Pros: tough, fearless (slot) receiver willing to run routs between the numbers.
o Cons: doesn't have ideal height or elite speed.
o Projection: late round pick or possible free agent.
ILLINOIS Players @ Combine
• Akeem Spence (DT)
o In 2011, Spence became a full-time starter recording 69 tackles (5.5 for loss) and 1.5 sacks.
o As a junior (2012) Spence tallied 72 tackles (7 for loss) and one sack.
o Pros: Large build, moves well, strong tackler, holds at point of attack, and lots of starting experience.
o Cons: Snap reaction, pass rush, handling double teams, and use of his power.
• Michael Buchanan (DE)
o In 2011, he recorded 64 tackles (13.5 for loss) along with 7.5 sacks.
o In the last two bowl games, Buchanan totaled 4 tackles and a sack in 2011 and assisted in 3 tackles for loss with one sack.
o In 2012 Buchanan needed to add weight and improve his strength but couldn't due to recovering from a broken jaw suffered in an altercation earlier in the summer.
o 2012, he had 57 tackles (7 for loss) and 4.5 sacks but still received honorable mention All-Conference.
o Pros: Height & length. Can cover ground with long strides and creates separation from OL with hand swats. Good motor to catch ball carriers downfield. Athletic.
o Cons: Very lean build, lacks upper-body strength, dives when tackling, upright playing style.
• Terry Hawthorne (CB)
o In 2011, he tied the Big Ten conference record of 11 passes defended (3 INTs and 8 break-ups).
o 2012 he finished with 43 tackles (4 for loss), one sack, 6 pass break-ups and one interception while missing one start.
o Pros: Physicality. Height and vertical. Can match up against opponents best WR and good run stopper.
o Cons: Backpedalling, takes risks, ball security, and elusiveness. Catches ball with chest and not hands.
• Hugh Thornton (OL)
o Rough family history means he can overcome obstacles.
o Pros: Versatility and athleticism, finished block into the ground. Good footwork and handwork along with a strong upper and lower-body.
o Cons: Lateral movement to stay outside. Trouble holding his ground against bull rushes because of hand position.

subset: commoncrawl


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Massachusetts enjoys a rich heritage of outstanding theaters, and the tradition continues today.
Visit Cape Cod and take in America's oldest professional summer theater — the Cape Playhouse in Dennis. For a big-city theater fix, the American Repertory Theatre (ART) in Cambridge is a nationally acclaimed company, and Boston University's Huntington Theater is a professional theater featuring comedies and classics in two of the city's best theater spaces.
See the stars live on stage at Barrington Stage Company, where new works and old favorites are performed in Western Massachusetts. North of Boston, catch works from emerging playwrights at the Gloucester Stage Company. The Bard lives on in Western Massachusetts at Shakespeare and Company.
Zeiterion Theatre, New Bedford
Williamstown Film Festival, Williamstown
Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield
Amazing Arts, Cool Culture: it's all here
Looking for fun things to do and see in Massachusetts?
Get some Amazing Arts, Cool Culture ideas
7 saves
The Vineyard Playhouse
Vineyard Haven
Island Theatre Workshop
Vineyard Haven
Island Community Theatre Organization and Company. Established in 1968. Education through workshops, classes, performances, mentorships and exchanges. more+ 0 saves
The Vineyard Playhouse
24 Church St.
Po Box 2452
Vineyard Haven
508-696-6300+ 7 saves
Island Theatre Workshop
Po Box 1983
Vineyard Haven
508 737 8550 cell Stephanie Burke contact+ 0 saves
Amazing Arts, Cool Culture: it's all here
Looking for fun things to do and see in Massachusetts?


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The decision on this issue has twice been kicked down the road: first in August 2011, then the following November. Negotiations waited to ramp up until the election finished. President Obama's victory and the reelection of a Democratic Senate and Republican House necessitate a bipartisan agreement. So far, Obama has invited Congressional leaders to open talks at the White House, but both parties have staked out say territory: Obama, while saying he's not wedded to all of his suggestion, is strongly in favor of raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans; Republicans, under the leadership of House Speaker John Boehner, strongly oppose this, arguing it would stall business growth. Source: (Forbes) Market Isn't Sold On Obama's Olive Branch For Fiscal Cliff
Photo: AP


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The lemon fragrance energizes and revives the senses, thereby helping to banish tiredness and stress. This refreshing sensation is at the heart of the Verbena collection – a vibrant, radiant range to revive both the body and mind. Citrus scents are among the most refreshing and energizing out of all of the wonderful fragrances offered by L'Occitane. The L'Occitane Verbena Harvest line was born from the clean, invigorating properties of verbena. Bath and body products from L'Occitane Verbena Harvest turn an ordinary bathroom into a spa like oasis, making it a real pleasure to get ready every morning.
L'Occitane Verbena Harvest products are versatile, providing a staple in any beauty regimen with the beautiful fragrance of verbena. Products from the L'Occitane Verbena Harvest line are pampering and luxurious. L'Occitane Verbena Harvest products even make for great gifts during the holidays or for other special occasions.
There is a variety of bath and body products offered from the L'Occitane Verbena Harvest line.
L'Occitane Verbena Eau de Toilette is a soft perfume spray that bathes the skin in the exquisite fragrance of citrus verbena. This is a fruity and floral scented eau de toilette that comes in a beautiful decorative bottle. It makes for a fabulous gift for any woman who needs some pampering.
L'Occitane Verbena Harvest Body Lotion moisturizes the skin while leaving behind the signature scent of citrus verbena. This is a lightweight lotion that absorbs instantly to leave the skin soft and supple. Coconut oil bathes the skin in essential moisture. L'Occitane Verbena Harvest Body Lotion works best when applied immediately following a shower or bath.
Most of us wash our hands numerous times during the day. Why not use a hand wash that is gentle and smells terrific? L'Occitane Verbena Harvest Cleansing Hand Wash thoroughly cleanses the skin without drying or irritating. This is a vegetable based soap that contains wheat proteins to hydrate and protect. L'Occitane Verbena Harvest Cleansing Hand Wash is infused with the refreshing scent of verbena. The convenient pump makes hand washing easy and mess free.
L'Occitane Verbena Harvest Shower Gel is a refreshing treat for both men and women. The verbena scented gel lathers up to create a cleansing sensation. The shower gel contains a blend of verbena, orange, geranium and lemon to wake you up in the morning and keep you going all day.


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I'm at the MongoNYC conference in New York today, where Pentaho is a sponsor. 10gen have done a great job with this event, and they have 1,000 attendees at the event. We just announced a strategic partnership between 10gen and Pentaho . From a technical perspective the integration between MongoDB and Pentaho means: No Big Silos. Data silos are bad. Big ones are no better. Our MongoDB ETL connectors for reading and writing data mean you can integrate your MongoDB data store with the rest of your data architecture (relational databases, hosted applications, custom applications, etc). Live reporting. We can provide desktop and web-based reports directly on MongoDB data Staging. We can provide trending and historical analysis by staging snapshots of MongoDB aggregations in a column store. I'm looking forward to working with 10gen to integrate some of their new aggregation capabilities into Pentaho. James Originally posted at http://jamesdixon.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/837/
May 23, 2012 by Rebecca Shomair
May 17, 2012 by Donna Prlich
When focused on business analytic processes, where do you think you spend most of your time? The Business Analytics benchmark research by Ventana Research, uncovered that the top obstacle in the analytics process is that two-thirds of the time is spent on data-related tasks. That is a lot of time! But there is a way to overcome this obstacle and uncover the solution to be being more productive. Mark Smith highlights the new features in Pentaho Business Analytics 4.5 as the secret weapon. In his blog, Pentaho Business Analytics Brings Visual Discovery and More big Data Support , Smith points out how Pentaho 4.5 addresses one of the most significant obstacles to the analytics process stating, " This new release helps business and IT work together. Users can massage data and perform analysis with an integrated set of products from a single vendor, which our research finds less than one in five organizations do today. If you have not taken a look at Pentaho, investigate this version, as it is a great example of business intelligence growing into business analytics. " So if you're spending too much time on data...
May 16, 2012 by opensource bi
Today Big Data has made the impossible, possible. Collecting and analyzing unstructured data types such as social media data, web click streams, network and data center logs is no longer a daunting task. While Hadoop and MapReduce are the technologies behind the scenes to crunch massive volumes of data, advanced visualizations have become the art that show us the best (and worst) parts about our data. Out of all types of different visualization styles, bubble charts are unique in the sense that they allow you to show hundreds of individual values at once! They are the perfect visualization for showing data sets that have a high degree of distribution in their frequency. Let me give you a couple examples: Example # 1 - A call center looking at hourly tickets, on a week by week basis, to understand what issues cause the most service calls. Optimizing the call center performance requires analyzing average call duration as well as call wait times, for each service issue. This can be 1000s of calls every hour of every day. How you graph this? With a bubble chart that shows: X axis – days...
May 10, 2012 by opensource bi
Did you know that 70 percent of all business data contains a location component? With this increasing amount of location-based data, geo-mapping visualizations can help you detect geographic trends, such as customer clusters or outliers. For marketers, sales executives and product managers, these types of visualizations are critical in understanding customer demographics. Determining where your best markets are concentrated or analyzing your sales performance against incoming demand, keeps you one step ahead of the competition. Pentaho's new geographic data visualizations can help you answer fundamental questions, such as: Where are my customers located? Which countries visit my website the most? Which regional marketing campaigns are working? Are my sales territories and client clusters aligned? Which stores are carrying the most shipping costs? Where is my mobile app used the most? Powerful, isn't it? For a quick peek at Pentaho's new geo-mapping visualization capability, watch this three minute video . What location-based data are you tracking? Let me know by leaving a comment. - Farnaz Erfan, Product Marketing, Pentaho
May 4, 2012 by Donna Prlich
Busy day at Pentaho yesterday with two live webinars introducing our latest release, Pentaho 4.5. What an amazing response! We had record numbers of both participants and questions about our new visualizations like geo-mapping and heat maps, our breadth of integration with big data sources, and how to embed our analytics into third party applications. Wayne Johnson, Pentaho's Senior Sales Engineer walked everyone through a telecommunications use case demo that showcased the power of our business analytics platform to analyze and improve provider quality and reduce costs. Once again, Pentaho demonstrates how to bring data integration and business analytics together to solve real world problems. If you happened to miss one of the two live webcasts take a look at the recording: pentaho.com/4.5-webinar . Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below, on our Facebook page or on Twitter using #Pentaho45. We would love to talk about how Pentaho's modern integrated business analytics platform can improve your business performance. Donna Prlich - Director, Product and Solutions Marketing at Pentaho


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Concord, NC (Sports Network) - Clint Bowyer gained ground in the Chase for the
Sprint Cup championship by winning Saturday night's Bank of America 500 at
Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Bowyer, who is in his first season driving for Michael Waltrip Racing,
conserved enough fuel late in the 500-mile race and then barely held off Denny
Hamlin at the finish to claim his third win of the season and the eighth of
his Sprint Cup Series career.
Brad Keselowski, the current points leader, led the most laps with 140, but
during a round of green-flag pit stops with 60 laps remaining, Keselowski ran
out of fuel as he coasted onto pit road. His 22-second stop cost him valuable
track position, as he went from being the leader to running outside the
Bowyer, who had complained about the performance of his car earlier in the
race, benefited from pit strategy as he made his last stop with 58 laps left.
He took the lead for good with 24 laps to go when the other frontrunners were
forced to pit for gas.
Hamlin chased down Bowyer in the closing laps, but Bowyer crossed the finish
line by 0.4 seconds for the win. He ran out of fuel during his cool-down lap.
Jimmie Johnson finished third, while Greg Biffle, the pole sitter, and Kyle
Busch, who is not in this year's Chase, rounded out the top-five.
Despite an 11th-place finish, Keselowski remained atop the championship
standings. Johnson trimmed Keselowski's lead from 14 points to seven. Hamlin
trails by 15 points.
Bowyer is now 28 points out of the lead. He entered this race 40 markers
Regan Smith, who substituted for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 Hendrick
Motorsports Chevrolet, suffered engine failure on lap 62 and ended up
finishing 38th. Earnhardt Jr. sustained a concussion during last weekend's
last-lap crash at Talladega and will miss at least two races. Smith will also
drive the car in next week's race at Kansas Speedway.
The Sports Network


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James Petty
James Petty was a varsity letterwinner in both track and basketball at Butler. He was a Big State, Little State and ICC conference champion in the long jump and triple jump in 1966, and he placed fourth in the NAIA National Track Meet that same year. He was a two-time track M.V.P. and played guard on Butler's basketball teams, 1962-66. Jim guarded All American Cazzie Russell when Butler defeated number one rated Michigan in 1965-66.


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Gabby is one of the sexiest Brazilian mamas we have hooked up with in awhile. She was shopping for some accessories when she got spotted and locked on. I let my boy drop the Latin lingo which he is still mastering. I chimed in here and there and in a matter of minutes we bagged this hot cum guzzler.
One pass gets you all our Site Porn Sites. Download Movies and Pictures!


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Tallahassee, Florida - Florida's top elections official says he believes Florida's new election law will solve the problems that plagued the presidential election last year.
Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner praises the law as a bipartisan effort that included contributions and support from Republicans, Democrats, supervisors of elections and the Florida League of Women Voters.
The reforms eliminate many of the provisions in Florida's previous election law that contributed to long lines and frustrated voters.
The new measure expands early voting from eight to 14 days, allows supervisors to keep early voting sites open longer and expands eligible polling locations.
Detzner is confident the wide-ranging law will resolve election problems.
"I think that was our mission. That was the goal the governor sent me out with the Department of State employees to find out with the supervisors, what did we need to do to solve the problem. I think we addressed it in a bipartisan basis and I think we're well on our way to solving that problem."
Detzner says the key to the new law is it offers flexibility to counties to run their elections in a way that's best for local voters.
Critics complained the law should have made the last Sunday of early voting before Election Day mandatory, but it will be optional. Detzner says the state will leave that choice to local supervisors.
"Not one size fits all and we gave the flexibility to supervisors to exercise their own discretion based on what their own electorate wants to have and so every supervisor has the option to use that Sunday voting and we'll leave it to their best judgment."
The new election law takes effect January 1, 2014.
Dave Heller


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Troubled infant? Trade the tears for sweet dance movies by rocking out to Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" like this little girl.
Perry responded to the video via Twitter yesterday, offering her babysitting services on the cheap!
Available for babysitting at 10 dollars an hour & 4 Oreos: http://t.co/DhnwwNoaCz
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) August 5, 2014


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WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- One man is dead after a hit-and-run accident in DC on Saturday night, police said. It happened at around 10:38 p.m., at the crosswalk in the 100 block of M Street, NE, police said.
Darnell Christopher Ross, 20, of Upper Marlboro, Md. fell into the crosswalk on the street. That's when the vehicle ran him over and left the scene of the accident, police said.
"DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel transported the adult male to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead," police said in a news release.
His mother, Cassandra Ross, talked to WUSA9's Delia Goncalves. Ross says her son was heading to Club Ibiza when she last spoke to him on Saturday night at approximately 10. He was calling to let her know he had arrived safely. Thirty minutes later, a driver struck him in the crosswalk and then took off.
Ross shared her pain and her anger: "Mostly, I'm angry because they didn't stop. That's just being cruel. I wouldn't hit a dog and not stop."
Ross says police believe the car that struck her son was a white Buick. They are also looking at surveillance cameras in the area.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at (202) 727-9099.


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Go bright and bold with this intricately patterned cross body bag! This functional yet head-turning bag features a triple pocket design and a durable canvas exterior for a lightweight feel. With a choice of three colorful patterns, the bag is sure to capture attention and express your personality.
Additional Information
Zipper closure. Bag measures 9-1/2"L x 2"W x 8-3/4"H. Handle length measures 48". Handle drop measures 23". Exterior shell made of 100% cotton. Interior made of 95% polyester, 5% cotton. Made in China. Spot clean.


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Blues Cadillac set to perform at Los Altos' Fiesta Vallarta next week
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 02 October 2013 01:03
- Written by Los Altos Town Crier Staff - Town Crier Report
Blues Cadillac is slated to perform 7-10 p.m. Oct. 12 at Fiesta Vallarta, 301 State St., Los Altos.
The blues-rock band features Steve Welch, Alan Eglington, Tim Richard, Doug Mancini, Sammy Varela, Med Daugherty and Jerry Cash.
For more information, visit fiestavallarta.com.


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Sep 12
Richmond Race Recap: GEICO Camry, Mears
Posted by: lori on Sep 12, 2011
Tagged in: Untagged
Richmond, VA (September 10, 2011) – After a tough weekend in Atlanta, Casey Mears and the GEICO team had visions of rebounding in Richmond. But, before taking their turn at redemption, Mears traveled to Washington, DC, to meet with GEICO executives. After spending two hours talking about the past, present and future, Mears made his way to Richmond where he anxiously awaited Friday's practice sessions.
Mears quickly settled in at Richmond and paced the ¾-mile facility in just 21.44 seconds at a rate of speed of 125.927 miles per hour. His sporty effort would place the #13 GEICO Camry third on the speed chart in the opening practice session. Unfortunately, qualifying saw Mears battle a tight condition that even caused television broadcasters to take notice, prohibiting him to turn the car in the corners. Saturday night would see Mears and the #13 GEICO Camry rolling off of the starting grid in the 30th position, just behind Martin Truex, Jr, and Denny Hamlin.
While Saturday night would present 400 laps of racing in front of a packed house, it also served as the heaviest of eves. Race fans and drivers alike felt the gravity of the 10-year anniversary of the Attack on America, which would fall just one day later on September 11th. American flags filled the grandstands, accompanied by an unwavering sense of patriotism, during an emotionally moving pre-race ceremony.
When Mears and the GEICO team took to the starting grid, they were accompanied by Marine Sergeant Courtney Rauch, who lost his left leg while serving in Afghanistan. Prior to the race, Mears and his wife, Trisha, presented him with a token of the team's appreciation. Rauch is in the process of training for a marathon, which served as great motivation for the GEICO team.
Starting 30th, Mears and the #13 GEICO Camry moved up to 29th by the close of the opening lap. Unfortunately, the event's first caution flag of the evening flew on Lap 3, halting Mears' progress.
It was the next caution that would serve as a thorn in Mears' side.
After Mears restarted 29th on Lap 7, cars began to bunch up a lap later causing a 13-car crash that collected the GEICO machine. Upon inspection of the #13 GEICO Camry as it made its way slowly from the crash site, crew chief Bootie Barker indicated to Mears: "It's not bad at all." Mears visited pit road three times to repair damage and thanks to the expedient work of the Germain Racing pit crew, remained on the lead lap.
Mears ultimately restarted 28th when the field went back to green on Lap 20 and would survive the fury of caution flags, fifteen in total, that would wave on Saturday night. Mears and the #13 GEICO Camry spent their time diligently trying to make up ground until they finally cracked the Top 25 on Lap 65. From there, Mears seemed undeterred and would ultimately work his way into the Top 20 on Lap 183 and settle in for the balance of the evening.
Mears and the #13 GEICO Camry ran comfortably in the 17th position for a large portion of the evening, but a spin by Menard on the frontstretch with just 16 laps remaining threatened the GEICO Camry's Top 20 status. The resulting caution flag would cause an always scary restart with the race in its final laps. Mears took the opportunity to visit pit road and take on four tires and a single can of fuel.
The green flag turned the field loose with just 12 laps left on the board. While things would get dicey, Mears wheeled the final laps with a veteran's calm and recorded a 17th place finish under a full moon in Richmond.
After exiting his GEICO Camry following the race, Mears was slow to talk about racing, but quick to honor our country and those affected by 9/11.
"I'm not sure racing is what we need to be talking about right now, as we sit a day away from the 10th anniversary of the Attack on America," Mears said. "It was so humbling to be on pit road before the race with Courtney (Rauch, Marine) and to also see the patriotism of all of our great NASCAR fans. It really gave me motivation in the racecar tonight and I'm proud of this GEICO team because we didn't quit after that early crash and they worked really hard to repair the car. What we did tonight typifies the American spirit: we encountered adversity, we worked hard and we overcame." He continued, "Tonight and this weekend is about giving people hope. It is about thinking of and praying for those affected by 9/11 and also our troops who protect our freedom and allow us to come out here and race every weekend."
Mears and the GEICO team will enjoy a special weekend when they travel to Chicago for the next event. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, dubbed the GEICO 400, will offer Mears and the Germain Racing team a chance to be surrounded by a great number of GEICO associates and guests from the corporate office.
Aside from his normal weekend duties, Mears will be doing a series of autograph signings and media appearances throughout the week in Chicago. Thursday night, Mears and GEICO NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver, Max Papis, will be making an appearance at the Fan Rally in Joliet from 7:00 PM (CT) to 8:00 PM (CT). Friday morning will find Mears meeting fans from 8:00 AM (CT) to 9:00 AM (CT) in the GEICO campground just inside the tunnel, while 10:30 AM (CT) will see the GEICO driver signing for an hour in the Champions Park area.
Mears and the #13 GEICO Toyota Camry will hit the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval of Chicagoland Speedway for the opening practice session at 2:00 PM (ET) on Friday, September 16th. Qualifying will follow on Saturday, September 17th, at 1:40 PM (ET).
The GEICO 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, September 18, 2011, and it will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 2:00 PM (ET). The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.
To learn more about the GEICO Racing program, please visit: www.geicogarage.com
You can also follow GEICO Racing on Twitter: www.twitter.com/geicoracing
Please visit the Casey Mears Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/caseymearsracing
Contact: Doug Barnette, Player Management International
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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May 30, 2016
Labor unions and the ACLU of Michigan say the state's right-to-work law should be struck down because people were locked out of the Capitol when the bills were initially passed.
An amended lawsuit filed Thursday asks an Ingham County judge to invalidate the law because the Open Meetings Act was violated.
Additional people were blocked from coming into the Capitol for more than four hours on Dec. 6 after state police had safety concerns.
The suit doesn't take issue with the substance of the law that prohibits forcing workers to pay union dues or fees. Opponents for now instead say the law can't stand because it was passed in a place that wasn't open and accessible to the public.
Click Here to access the online Public Inspection File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or email@example.com.


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WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder of Erick Amilicar Mendez-Orellana, police said.
The Prince George's County Department identified the suspects as 24-year-old Juan Alberto Ortiz-Orellana who is from the 5000 block of Silver Hill Court in District Heights and 19-year-old Jorge Enrique Moreno-Aguilar of the 6500 block of Grafton Street in District Heights.
The incident occurred on March 12 at approximately 8:30 p.m., when police responded to a report of a shooting at the 4900 block of Marlboro Pike in Capitol Heights, police said.
When they arrived on the scene, they discovered the victim who was suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. He was taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead, police said.
According to a press release, "Ortiz-Orellana was arrested on unrelated immigration charges by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations agents on April 18, 2013. After that arrest, PGPD detectives interviewed Ortiz-Orellana and he admitted his involvement in the murder. Based on information he provided, detectives developed Moreno-Aguilar as a suspect."


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Hair treatments are just that – treats for your hair that leave it feeling smooth and silky. Oscar Blandi treatments will enhance the color, deeply nourish the hair from the roots, prevent fading of color-treated hair, protect hair from heat styling as well as the elements, repair damaged hair, and ensure each strand is more manageable. Oscar Blandi treatments are good for all hair types whether frizzy, dry, or oily. Hair care treatments finish the process after shampooing and conditioning, preparing locks for further styling products.
The many natural botanicals used in the products don't just add scent. They add health to your hair. Many of the Oscar Blandi treatments are based on products Oscar Blandi created for his well-known New York City hair salon, all with a touch of old Italian traditions. Some ingredients in the hair care products were originally formulated for skin care, but were found to work wonders for the hair as well. When you use these products, you will feel like you are giving yourself a spa treatment. So treat yourself to Oscar Blandi treatments and enjoy the luxurious results.
All hair types can benefit from Oscar Blandi treatments. They should be used after the hair has been shampooed. They are formulated to add lost luster to the hair and rejuvenate the strands along with the scalp.
Oscar Blandi At Home Salon Glaze is a clear rinse for the hair to be used after shampooing. It nourishes the hair with emollients from plants, protects the strands and results in a clean touch and feel, a rich watery shine, and a smooth silky appearance. Color-treated hair will be preserved and protected from fading. The color will be enhanced. Shampoo and condition your hair before using. Dry it with a towel so that it's damp before applying the glaze. Add the glaze at the roots and comb it to ensure it's well-distributed. It should be left in for no less than one minute, but three minutes is ideal. Simply rinse it out with luke-warm water when ready.
Oscar Blandi Trattamento di Fango Marine Mud Treatment is an old fashioned mud wrap for your hair. It was once used to relieve aching muscles and joints in the body, but those same healing powers found in Marine or Fango mud are now found in the Oscar Blandi hair treatment. The mud treatment adds elasticity to your hair as it conditions it. After shampooing, spread the mud evenly through the hair to the scalp. Leave it for no more than fifteen minutes. For better results, wrap a hot and wet towel around your head and cover it with a shower cap or plastic bag to keep the heat in. Rinse with luke-warm water.
Oscar Blandi Trattamento di Jasmine Smoothing Hair Treatment is a treatment used mainly for fine flyaway or frizzy hair. It smooths it out and strengthens the hair shaft, making it less susceptible to breakage and splitting. It's an ideal treatment to use prior to styling your hair. The product is enriched with botanical extracts that not only add scent, but rejuvenate the hair faster than many smoothing products, helping to keep the frizzies at bay. Apply in the same manner as Oscar Blandi Trattamento di Fango Marine Mud Treatment. The hot towel works wonders.


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|Nine take summer tour of Italy and Greece
|Written by Jes-c Brandt
Education First Tours organizes group of 51 from Colorado, Nebraska and Oklahoma communities
Five Holyoke High School students went on a nine day tour of some of Italy and Greece's most famous tourist attractions. Led by teacher Tracy Trumper, students Sarah Heermann, Austin Killin, Sara Kumm, Chantel Rafert and Dustin Wieland departed June 1 to Rome, returning to Holyoke after a full week on June 9.
Also on the tour was Christine Heermann of Holyoke, Trumper's mother Kay Norman and Julia Wechsler. The Holyoke group was joined by others from Nebraska and Oklahoma, for a total of 51 on the tour organized by Education First (EF) Tours.
Trumper noted this trip was the first for her, and it was so rewarding she is already looking into another. EF is intended to be an experience that is packed full of sightseeing, history and new experiences. From the accounts of those who went, it certainly sounds as if the group was kept busy with an abundance of activities.
To start their time abroad, they spent their first evening settling in, getting their first look at Rome and eating some authentic Italian food. On the first full day in Italy, the group got an early start at sightseeing. A tour guide led them through Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Church.
Later they visited the Colosseum, followed by Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and Piazza Navona. Of course all the while, the group was snapping photos and buying souvenirs to remember their time in Italy. Pictures, however, do not do it justice, said Trumper. There is nothing quite like seeing these sights first hand.
Trumper said it was hard to leave because they enjoyed their time so much. Rafert agreed it was difficult to go, however that observation was based mostly on the amount of shopping they all did while there.
Continuing their tours, they traveled to Pompeii where Trumper said they had a phenomenal tour guide. It was her favorite part of the trip, and she gives part of the credit to the stories and history the guide shared. It really brought the place to life, said Trumper.
The second half of the trip was spent in Greece. The EF tour took an overnight ferry from Italy to Greece. Riding the ferry, said Trumper was totally unlike what they expected. It was relaxing and enjoyable, and truly an experience within itself. Kumm agreed the ferry ride was very fun, especially the disco they attended while on board.
While in Greece they visited the Acropolis and Mt. Olympia. Athens, said Rafert, was one of the best parts of the trip. While there, the group had a chance to get some time to themselves. Kumm commented on visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, saying the guards there were particularly memorable.
Especially exciting was the "Greek night" they attended. There was music and dancing, said Rafert, and very Greek food, said Trumper.
Regardless of what sights they saw, Trumper pointed out the students have learned life skills from their time abroad. They gained experience in being out in the world. They've learned about safety, protecting themselves and looking out for one another. Learning about different currencies and cultures is something all the students can take away with them.
While all good things must come to an end, Trumper is looking forward to another EF tour in the future. It is her hope the educational trips can become a regular tradition for Holyoke High. At this point, she plans to organize a tour of London and Paris in 2011. It seems like a long time from now, but planning ahead is crucial said Trumper. For this summer's trip, students began planning in August 2008.
Commenting on trips to come, Trumper stated she hopes more students will be able to attend and that there will be more interest from people in the community. The trips are high-paced, she said, but you get a lot for your money when you tour with EF. Participants are challenged daily, and the whole experience proves very rewarding. Already, many from this year's trip are planning to attend another.


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Beauty is in the eye of the seven-year-old
By Tim LinscottManaging Editor Art is such a subjective thing. As a parent you are confronted with several forms of art, from finger painting to crayon drawings to macaroni glued to construction paper. My seven-year-old daughter Olivia, much like her older sister Adaline, is quite the artist. I am glad Olivia is getting better at her art, because she used to draw something and say, 'Look Daddy, a picture for you.' I'd look at it and have no idea what I was staring at, only to be told, 'It is upside down' or asked 'Don't you know what that is?' Olivia has become a great artist, drawing, painting and coloring wonderful pictures for me often. She has also gotten into abstract painting, something she was very proud to take and show Mrs. Long at school. She puts paint on one side of a page and then folds it over, making colorful dual shapes. I must say she is much better at this form of art than I am and loves to add glitter to everything. Her love of all things sparkling and glittery is well and fine. That is until you find a pocketful of glitter in her jeans in the washer or you find yourself shaving in the morning with glitter on your face from trying to help clean the art area the prior evening. I was set on becoming an artist at Olivia's age. My older brother, Jeff, was, and still is, a phenomenal graphic artist, drawing incredible comic book characters, dragons and scenery. I held this ideal until junior high when I was put in an art class with two of the best artists I have ever seen. I am still friends with them today and for my friend Blake, art is still very much a part of his life. Looking around the room in junior high and seeing my friends excel at art in just about every medium, I figured I should try something else to be good at in life. My career hopes were dashed. I looked back at the comic book characters I had created as a child, feeling blue that I knew I just didn't have what it took to make it in the art business. I found that I had some pretty good descriptions of the characters and developed the plots for the comics. I was describing how to draw the superheroes better than I was actually drawing them, so I went into writing. Staying strong in English class led me to pursue journalism. My parents wanted me to be a history teacher. Being a writer was a risky idea in their mind. I could teach during the school year and write during the summer months was a plausible plan for them. Journalism was intriguing to me as there wasn't a lot of math and science involved, my weak points, and a lot of creativity was involved, my strong points. Before I knew it I was on the school paper and in an instant, here I sit writing this column. Life can take you in different places from where you intend it in the blink of an eye. My older brother, Jeff, the artist, has had a career in law enforcement for nearly 30 years and coupled his love of entertaining and physicality into becoming a professional wrestler. Life can take you on a path you never expected. Look back at when you were in those formative years in junior high, just figuring out what you wanted to do with life and look at where you are at now: I bet it is an interesting road carved out through life. A piece of advice given to me in those formative years I still live by today: Never, ever, look back and say to yourself, 'I could have, I should have, I would have.' Mr. Peabody doesn't exist, there is no Wayback Machine, so time travel is a moot point, therefore, live life with no regrets. Make a decision and go with it, if it doesn't work out, learn from your error and next time, zig instead of zag, go left instead of right but never regret a decision. Every now and again I get out the pencils and paper and draw something up, knowing I'll never be the next Frank Miller (famed comic author that re-shaped Batman), but as long as my cows and ducks look like cows and ducks to me, I am happy. All in all, that is what life is all about, staying happy and washing glitter off. A great aspect of parenting, also one of the single most frightening things in life, is watching your children carve out their own path in life. Olivia may become the next great Picasso, or she may have a career in the science or medical field. Either way, it is part of the journey of life helping them steer their vessel toward blue skies and write their own story.


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Thirsty Thursday
Join us for the Thursday night game! We have all new Drink Specials: $13 Domestic Buckets, $4 Shih Tzu Shots, $2.50 Bud Lt Drafts, and $5 Jack Daniels. Our groomer is in until late!! Don't forget, we do daycare and overnight boarding too!
Lucky Dog Bark & Brew Profile Page
Lucky Dog Bark & Brew
19607 Statesville RdCornelius, NC, 28031


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Friday, February 19, 2010
Work In Progress: Felt Birthday Banner Sneak Peek
Here's a little sneak peek
at what I've been doing
in my art studio
this week.
Two little girls are having
birthdays here.
Mini Saurus "C" this month
and big sister Frog Princess "E" in a few weeks.
Mama is in
full throttle
birthday party planning,
crafting mode.
I promise I'll have lots of fun
pictures and posts to show and tell
as soon as I catch my breath
and get photos uploaded!
until then,
here's a work in progress...
Posted by pink and green mama MaryLea
Labels: Birthday Parties, Family, Fun With Felt, Sewing Fun
4 comments:
- EntertainingMom said...
Love the banner!
- February 19, 2010 at 6:58 AM
- childhood magic said...
Going to be gorgeous!
- February 19, 2010 at 9:10 AM
- vanessa said...
I love the colors! It's going to be gorgeous.
- February 19, 2010 at 11:12 PM
- Amie Plumley said...
So cute! I had planned to make a banner for my kids, but didn't do it - can't wait to see how you made it. Aren't kid b-day parties fun, yet exhausting?!
- February 20, 2010 at 1:51 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Blog Archive
- ► 2013 (75)
- ► 2012 (164)
- ► 2011 (152)
- Birthday Party Highlights: Pirates and Mermaid Par...
- Birthday Party Highlights: Pirates and Mermaid Par...
- * Birthday Party Highlights: Pirates and Mermaid B...
- Birthday Party Highlights: Pirates and Mermaid Par...
- * Felt Happy Birthday Banner
- Kid Craft: Birthday Cupcake Card
- Work In Progress: Felt Birthday Banner Sneak Peek
- Cardboard Boats Sneak Peak
- Kid's Craft: Recycled Robot With Box, Aluminum Foi...
- A Real Life Valentine's Day Story. Beating Cancer ...
- Recycled Crafts: Toddler Art Book
- Recycled Crafts: Egg Carton Collection Box
- Pink and Green Mama Interview iTunes Podcast on Ra...
- Snowy Day Play-Doh Table
- Fun Inside: Stacking Cups
- DIY Foam Bath Toys: Snowman Bath Time Fun!
- Stitched Heart Valentine Cards
- Crayon Valentine Heart Cards
- * Feel Better Felt Band-Aids For Play
- Upcycled Valentine Crayon Hearts: HeARTs full of A...
- ▼ February (20)
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This 2 Piece Nursery Set includes the crib & 3 drawer dresser.
Volterra�is a town in the Tuscan region of Italy�s rolling countryside, founded in the 7th century BC and worldwide known for the extraction and production of alabaster. This magical city is the inspiration for the Volterra Collection.
Volterra 3-Drawer Dresser Features:


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Our little man is now closer to his one-year birthday than to his actual birth day. *Sniff*
Actually, in my opinion, this is when it really starts to get fun.
Benjamin is babbling these days, blowing raspberries, sitting up confidently, studying objects closely and transferring them from hand to hand (or, more often, hand to mouth), dragging/rolling himself to items of interest, and protesting loudly when his big sister snatches a toy out of his hands. (And so it begins…)
Soon after I took the above photo, he shifted onto his tummy, in hot pursuit of the lens cap.
But then he got kind of stuck in his "swimming" position.
I kid you not, as of this week he's also trying to pull up to standing (!). This most often happens when he's in his baby bathtub; he grabs the side of the tub with both hands and pulls himself into an awkward-looking squat.
Over the course of the last four weeks, he's tried all sorts of foods, mostly just sliced into chunks or lightly steamed as necessary: sweet potato, avocado, banana, plum, peach, zucchini, broccoli, blueberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, yogurt, cheese, bell pepper, carrot, pear, apple, green beans, eggplant, salmon, egg yolk, and more.
He seems to really enjoy the social aspect of mealtime, and he's definitely getting the hang of chewing and swallowing.
He loves cherries (as well as zucchini and broccoli.)
Benjamin had lots of other firsts this month too–including his cross-country flight, which thankfully went very smoothly!
On our trip west, he met his Spain family aunts, uncles, and cousins.
He also had his first swim in the pool.
And his first trip to the beach!
Benjamin attended his first wedding this past weekend, but sadly, I didn't get any good photos. I'm hoping the couple's photographer managed to get a few. (He was right around the age Audrey was when she went to her first wedding. I don't think he can top her four weddings in 3 1/2 years!)
Our travels this past month were fun, but I'm looking forward to a low-key August. I told Kenji that I'd like to stay within a one-hour radius from home. So, expect to see more of this in the next monthly-birthday post.


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I have a 64bit Centos VPS hosted on openvz. I could install zimbra without any error. But when I try to start/stop zimbra using zmcontrol start, Getting a JVM error below,
Could not create the Java virtual machine.
mkdir : No such file or directory at /opt/zimbra/bin/zmcontrol line 35
What would be the reason? Has zimbra supports openvz?. Is this related with privvmpages size?
Please help me.


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Welder Buyer's Guide - Your First BurnerWritten by Mike Finnegan on June 13, 2011 Contributors: The Manufacturers Buy a Wire-Feed Welder and Be a Hero
Hot rodding has always been a culture that richly rewards those with the creativity and acumen to build their own cars. Self-taught customizers—from Dean Jeffries out west to the Alexander Bros. in Detroit—are legends in our world. Today, fabricators are hailed as heroes on television. Painters are gawked at like demigods at car shows. Engine builders are the cool kids at the track. Hone any combination of these skills at home and you'll be the neighborhood kingpin, and save a ton of cash by doing things yourself. Better than fame or fortune, though, is the pride that comes from being able to say, "I built that."
Learning to stick two pieces of metal together using electricity offers a sense of self-reliance that few skills can match, so we asked fans of the HOT ROD Facebook page (FaceBook.com/HotRodMagazine) what they wanted to know about buying their first wire-feed welder. The response was overwhelming. A cleanly executed weld of any type is a thing of beauty, and apparently it's a skill most hot rodders wish they had. The fact that you can buy a wire-feed welder for less than $200 at most chain auto parts and hardware stores makes it easy, and welding is useful, cool, and universal.
Although there are many different welding processes that can be used to build a hot rod, wire-feed is the easiest to master and the mostly widely used in our industry. A wire-feed welder works whether you are seated, standing, or lying on your back working upside down on the bottom of your hot rod. Whether connecting an exhaust system, installing a new quarter-panel, chopping a top, or grafting a new back half onto a chassis, a wire-feed welder can tackle the job neatly and quickly. Many of today's machines are portable and will run off the AC current found in most home garages, making them perfect for the home builder. In the hands of a master, a good welder will lay a sexy bead that will turn an ordinary car part into a show-quality mod.
Before mastering wire-feed welding and becoming the self-reliant hot rodder you always knew you could be, you'll need the right machine. The right machine is largely dependent on the type and size of material you'll weld on, the power available to run it, and your budget. Most automotive fabrication projects will involve mild steel varying in thickness from 24-gauge sheetmetal body panels to ¼-inch frame brackets like those found in aftermarket four-link suspensions. This article focuses on entry-level, 110-volt welders, most of them able to weld up to ¼-inch steel—if it's properly prepared and you are a competent welder. We have to point out that it's easier to weld thicker material with a higher-powered welder, such as a 220-volt model, but that's more expensive and requires a better power supply, so keep that in mind when shopping. There's no substitute for practice, experience, and skill when it comes to welding. A good fabricator can make safe welds no matter what kind of machine he is using.
220, 221: Whatever it Takes
There is some discrepancy between the common description of the available power supply in your home garage and the advertised specs for most welders. Welder manufacturers like to refer to their welders as 115-volt and 230-volt models instead of the 110-volt or 220-volt references we are accustomed to hearing. The thing to note here is that welders are designed to operate with a variance in input voltage, usually up to 10 percent. So don't worry if you have your heart set on a Lincoln 208 MIG welder if you have a 220-volt outlet in your garage. It will still work.
Now, it does you no good to run out and buy the biggest, baddest burner on the block if the only power outlet in your carport will barely keep a battery tender functioning properly. An assessment of your local electrical system is in order. Those of you with contractor friends can skip this part and just ask your buddy how much power you've got in the wall. The rest of you need to read on.
In general, you'll find two kinds of power outlets in most domestic residential garages. A 110-volt AC outlet looks exactly like the one inside your house that your DVD player is plugged in to. This type of outlet is normally rated at 15 to 20 amps. A quick look at the electrical panel in the wall of the garage will tell you how much your outlets are rated for. The circuit breakers will be clearly labeled. Most garages are only wired with one circuit to feed all the 110 outlets, so you'll probably need to turn off the other tools when your welder is in use.
If you've got a larger, round-shaped outlet in the wall then you're in luck, because that's a 220-volt outlet (usually rated at 40 amps or more), which means you can buy a more powerful welder if you choose. (Side note: If your washer and dryer are located in the garage and the dryer runs on electricity, then you may find a 220 outlet there as well. You can plug the welder in to it whenever you're not doing laundry. Just remember that most breaker switches for residential dryers are rated at 30 amps, and if you upgrade yours to a larger-capacity breaker switch for a high-powered welder, the dryer will no longer be protected properly. (The wiring is not likely rated for the additional amperage either.)
The power supply is an area you do not want to skimp on if you plan to weld thick material. When in doubt about your power supply, get an electrician to upgrade the wiring and outlets in your garage. A few hundred dollars spent now will at the least ensure that your new welder works properly, and it'll prevent your house from burning down due to overloaded circuits.
Got Gas?
Most of us refer to wire-feed welders as MIG welders, but MIG (metal inert gas) isn't a welder, it's a welding process that uses a solid-core welding wire surrounded by a shielding gas (usually a 75/25 percent mix of carbon dioxide and argon) that flows out of the gun or torch. It's the industry standard when it comes to building custom cars. But, many wire-feed welders will also work without shielding gas when you internally change the polarity from positive to negative and install flux-core wire in place of solid-core wire. The core of this wire shields the weld puddle as it burns and does not require any gas.
The benefit of welding without gas by using flux-core wire is that you can weld outdoors in windy conditions. Wind tends to disrupt the shielding gas, which makes it difficult to weld. The manner in which the flux-core wire is deposited into the weld also allows deeper penetration than the MIG process, which means the same welder can penetrate thicker mateiarial. The downside to flux-core welding is that it produces more weld splatter, smoke that you don't want to inhale, and heat, which makes it more difficult to cleanly weld thin material like sheetmetal without burning holes in it.
Welding with gas ups the initial cost of a new welder because of the required high-pressure bottle and regulator. And you'll have to refill the bottle later on, so there is an ongoing operating cost there as well. If you're welding indoors and care about the look of your project, and your welder will adequately penetrate the material using shield gas, then MIG welding is the way to go.
Shielding gas is something that a wire-feed welder will use up as you weld. The same goes for wire, contact tips, and torch nozzles. Just like the family dog, your new welder will require care and feeding, so you'll want to factor in the cost and availability of these consumables before making a welder purchase. An Internet search for local welding supply stores such as Airgas and Praxair should be a vital part of the process, especially if you buy your welder online. You'll want to make sure that good-quality consumables for your particular welder are readily available nearby.
Duty Cycle
This is a specification that matters if you're going to be welding for long periods of time with the welder on its highest power setting. The higher the setting, the shorter the duty cycle, which is the amount of time you can continuously pull the trigger on the torch versus the time the welder needs to sit and cool off. It's usually expressed as a percentage, which can be misleading when comparing the duty cycle of one machine with another. The key here is to know the length of time used in the rating. Some manufacturers rate duty cycle over a 5-minute period, while others use a 10-minute period. For example, a 60 percent duty cycle over a 10-minute period means you can weld for 6 minutes and then the machine must cool off for the next 4 minutes before you can pull the trigger again. If that same rating is over a 5-minute period, then the welder is only good for 3 minutes of continuous work. Don't worry about buying the welder with the greatest duty cycle if you're primarily going to be spot-welding sheetmetal or working on smaller projects.
In case you didn't know, you can't stare at the torch of any welder at work without wearing appropriate eye protection. Otherwise, you'll spend the next few days feeling like you have sand in your eyeballs. A shield or helmet is a must, as are a few other safety items to protect your hands and body. These are items that don't always come with a new welder, and even if they do, you can always spend more for better gear. The cheapest gloves don't usually offer the best comfort or protection, and the more expensive helmets will be lighter and have helpful features such as an auto-darkening shield. Not all welders have wheels built into the case, and they usually don't come with a cart for rolling around the shop. These extra features add expense to your purchase but also enable you to make better welds in a more comfortable working environment.
The Intangibles
On the next page we've rounded up various types of entry level welders that will stick metal together. That's a given. The specs are important, but there are some attributes of any tool that can't be judged without firsthand experience. We can't vouch for how well each of these welders actually welds because we haven't tried them all. The higher-end models likely have upgraded internals for more stable voltage output and smoother wire feed. This will result in a smoother arc and better welds. That doesn't mean the less expensive units aren't right up your alley. Our best advice is to visit your local supply house and test out as many welders as you can before buying, especially if you are considering spending extra coin for a larger welder and upgrading the wiring in your garage to support it. Internet welding forums are bound to be discussing the welders you might be interested in, and several of the online stores we visited have buyer feedback you can check out.
Weld Anywhere
Almost every welder on the market either has a power cord that is too short to hit all the possible spots you need to tackle a project or it comes with no cord at all. An extension cord will be necessary to get the job done, unless you've got power outlets at every corner of the garage. When powering a welder, any old cord will not do. This chart gives the amperage rating for each gauge of wire found in extension cords up to 100 feet in length. The longer the cord, the lower the amperage rating. Conductivity overkill is perfect, so choose a wire gauge with an amperage rating that is higher than the current draw of your welder.
|Conductor Size AWG
|Types SE, SEO, SJE, SJEO, SJT, SJTO,
|95 amps
|70 amps
|55 amps
|40 amps
|25, 30 amps
|25 amps
|18 amps
|13 amps
|10 amps
What's in a Wire?
We've mentioned that it's important to choose a welder that's capable of feeding a range of wire sizes. Each wire diameter is manufactured to weld with a specific range of welder output power, measured in amps. Using too thick a wire on sheetmetal will require more welding power, and that produces more heat and increases the risk of warpage and/or burning through the metal. Conversely, welding with wire that's too thin means you won't get proper penetration into the base material. Wire in 0.024- to 0.030-inch sizes works great on thin sheetmetal. Thicker material such as 3⁄16-inch steel requires more penetration and heat, so you'll want to use a larger-diameter wire such as 0.035 to 0.045 inch.
Your new welder will likely have a chart built into the case that makes selecting the wire quick and easy. If not, simply convert the material thickness to a number with a decimal point (e.g., 1⁄8-inch sheetmetal equals 0.125 inch). In general, you'll need 1 amp of welding power for every one-hundredth inch of material thickness. In this case, you'll need 125 amps of power.
Now you can choose a wire according to its rated operating amperage range. The 0.045-inch MIG wire is designed for use with 75 to 250 amps of welding power, 0.035-inch wire works with 50 to 180 amps of power, 0.030-inch wire is good with 40 to 145 amps, and 0.023 wire can be welded with 30 to 90 amps.
Five Welders That Will Get the Job Done
More Photos From This Article View Slideshow
Eastwood's MIG 135 ($339.00) comes with a regulator and hose for connecting a gas bottle and runs on a 15-amp, 110-volt power supply. It produces 135 amps, has a 20 percent duty cycle at 90 amps, and will weld 24-gauge to ¼-inch mild steel. It also includes a roll of MIG wire, a wire brush, a face shield, extra contact tips, and a 3-year warranty.We spotted the Lincoln Power MIG 140C at Amazon.com for $749.00. It will weld in flux-core or MIG modes when plugged in to a 110-volt outlet. This machine has a wide 30-140-amp output that allows it not only weld to 24- to 10-gauge sheetmetal in MIG mode, but also to penetrate 5⁄16-inch ferrous metals using flux-core wire. Lincoln also says the 140C is perfect for welding stainless steel, and the optional spool gun works for welding aluminum parts. This machine has a 20 percent duty cycle at 90 amps and comes with a 3-year warranty, plus contact tips, wire and nozzles for MIG and flux-core welding, and a regulator and hose for connecting a gas bottle.Summit Racing Equipment's $499.00 MG130 welder is a 110-volt, 30 percent duty cycle (at 90 amps) welder with four power settings. It will weld mild steel from 24-gauge to 3⁄16-inch thick and comes with a gas regulator with hose and a spool of mild steel wire. It will also work with flux-core wire.Chicago Electric's 230-volt machine will MIG-weld mild steel up to ¼-inch thick and 5⁄16-inch material when using flux-core wire. With an output voltage of 30 to 120 amps and a 20 percent duty cycle at 105 amps, this is a versatile welder with a light price tag. We found it at Harbor Freight for just $199.00. It doesn't include an input power cable, so you'll have to build or buy your own, and the torch cable is shorter than most at 61⁄2 feet. The Dual MIG includes a 2-pound spool of flux-core wire, a pair of contact tips (0.023 and 0.035 inch), a handheld face shield, a chipping hammer with wire brush, and a multipurpose wrench. HRMThis guide mostly features moderately priced machines. For the sake of comparison, we've included Snap-on's entry-level 110 unit, the MM140SL. It's a 140-amp machine with a 100 percent duty cycle at max output. That kind of power doesn't come cheap, though, and the price of entry is $3,000. You'll also need a 30-amp circuit in your garage. The kit includes the cart, a gas cylinder rack and regulator, a MIG torch with a 10-foot cable, a 15-foot feeder cable, a 20-foot power input cable, and a 2-year warranty. The wire feeder is detachable from the power supply and extends the range of this unit even farther. The 140SL is unique because in addition to its optional spool gun for welding aluminum, it allows you to add a TIG torch.


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We will be doing two free live webinars this month that overview ZCS 6. They will cover both end-user and admin features and feature live demos. Like all the webinars please come with your questions; we think you will find it informative!
The two times are geared at the Americas/UK and Europe/Asia so we hope everyone will be able to attend.
Zimbra 6 Webinars
These will be recorded, also note we are not using Adobe Connect this time and are instead using GotoMeeting for better performance. We apologize about Linux support and are looking at new long term options, please bear with us.


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Zimbra Desktop 7.01b10791
When hovering mouse over specific day on the 'Mini Calendar' it displays the appointments for the day.
However when viewing the same date via Zimbra Desktop's Calendar tab (on Schedule View) is does not display certain appointments. When viewed as 'Work Week' or 'Day' the appointments appear on the calendar.
Has anyone else experienced this result? Does the mini calendar display only certain types of calendar appointments - free / busy, all day events for example?


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Made Greener Tumbler - Metallic Neutrals, 16 fl oz
Like sunshine in a bottle, a good cup of coffee can really brighten your day, and our Made Greeer Tumbler is a great way to enjoy it. Made in the USA from 35% post consumer material, this sturdy acrylic tumbler showcases a sunburst design with gold accents reminiscent of the sun's rays. The 16 fl oz tumbler's double wall construction helps keep your hot coffee or tea warm while hands stay comfortably cool. Lid includes a secure silicone seal. Starbucks name on side. BPA-free. Dishwasher and microwave safe.
Ethical Products
We care about how products manufactured for our stores are made.
And just like with coffee, we want to buy from suppliers who share our values and have a commitment to social and environmental responsibility.
Learn more about our efforts here.
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A flattering v throat and instep strap detail gives this patent Pleasure Mary Jane a twist. This style has a hook and loop strap at the instep, padded heel cup and a removable decorative bow. The cork footbed for extra padding and a soft feel underfoot for a comfortable and long lasting wear. Polyurethane outsole is durable, but soft enough to absorb shock and flex with your steps for an easy walk.
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