text: Let there be light! The search for dark matter Magazine Feature 04 August 09 by Hazel Muir This article was taken from the September issue of Wired UK magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing onlineIt's 7.30am on a cold April morning in northern Minnesota, the state's vast frozen lakes just starting to melt. A small crowd is gathering at the head-frame above a mineshaft. We put on hard hats then squeeze into the rust-coloured "cage", an old lift that once carried iron-ore miners half a mile underground to hammer away at the seams. Then we descend into the underworld.The rickety cage rattles downward, the electric hoist screeching and whining overhead. It's pitch black, the darkness broken just occasionally by the fleeting glow of a passing light in the shaft. After nearly three claustrophobic minutes it's a relief to hear the engine's roar subside. The lift comes to a halt and we emerge into a tunnel, where a sign tells us we're on the Soudan mine's 27th level, 2,341 feet below the surface.More than a century ago, men earned their trade down here by candlelight, mining the iron ore that fuelled an industrial revolution. But they abandoned this maze of tunnels in the 1960s. Today it's physicists who journey down here each day to look for an elusive quarry of their own - invisible particles new to science. These modern miners are looking for "dark matter", clouds of invisible particles left over from the big bang that created the universe.A scientific consensus has emerged that dark matter makes up more than 80 per cent of all the matter in the entire universe. What it's actually made of, nobody knows. But dark matter might not keep its identity secret much longer. In mines around the world and deep within mountains, teams are now racing to snare the beast in strange traps built from vats of liquid xenon, ultrapure germanium crystals and lead from medieval roofs (it's less radioactive, so is better for screening out background particles).Two of these experiments are the clear front-runners: the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) here in the Soudan mine, and XENON100, tucked under a mountain in central Italy. This year, both projects have scaled up their experiments to make them more sensitive to dark matter, which both hope to nail within 12 months. "Next year will be an exciting one," says Elena Aprile, team leader for XENON100. "Hopefully we'll have a first result by early 2010 - there's a lot of expectation as to what will happen."There's a big prize at stake. Whoever wins the race will crack one of nature's most exasperating cryptic codes and plug some gaping holes in our grasp of how the universe evolved.The dark matter problem has an embarrassingly long history that dates back to the 1930s. The first person to mention it was Fritz Zwicky, a brilliant and eccentric Swiss-American astronomer working at the California Institute of Technology. Zwicky noticed something very odd in 1933 when he measured the speeds of galaxies milling around in the Coma cluster, a group of hundreds of galaxies close together in the northern sky.The galaxies were all moving under the influence of each other's gravitational pull. But Zwicky found that they were moving unexpectedly fast - as though being pulled by the gravity of something huge and invisible. His observations seemed to make sense only if vast amounts of unseen "cold dark matter" were holding the galaxy cluster together.Around the same time, Horace Babcock at the University of California noticed the problem too. He measured star speeds in the Andromeda galaxy - the nearest giant galaxy to our own Milky Way - and found that it, too, should fly apart were it not glued together by the gravity of invisible matter telescopes can't see.But these new observations failed to gain ground, perhaps partly because few astronomers warmed to Zwicky. He came up with many wild ideas - such as using fusion power to rearrange the solar system's planets - and was notoriously abrasive, referring to his colleagues in print as "scatterbrains" and "sycophants". In his 2002 book The Extravagant Universe, Harvard astronomer Robert Kirshner recalls Zwicky's fondness for calling his adversaries "spherical bastards" - because they resembled bastards from every angle.Zwicky's provocative idea gathered dust until Jeremiah Ostriker and Jim Peebles at Princeton University came to the same conclusion. In 1974, they published a report highlighting a startling conundrum - there was evidence that many galaxies, perhaps all of them, are much heavier than their visible stars would imply. "That produced quite a stir - everyone thought it was crazy," says Ostriker. But as precise observations of galaxies rolled in, gradually more and more astronomers became convinced. Theory backed the idea, too. Calculations showed that dark matter must have existed from the dawn of time, its gravity choreographing the collapse of normal matter into galaxies of stars. Without it, our galaxy the Milky Way, the Sun, planet Earth - none would exist. Read page 2 12345 Read on one page Latest on wired.co.uk


text:
In Concert
Monday, April 14, 2014, 7:30 pm
Jones Performing Arts Center
Free Admission
The program will be web cast from www.obu.edu/band
Come Out Swingin'
And I Love Her
Storm Warning
Summer Wind
In Full Swing
Stormy Weather
Afro Blue
That's All
You Are the Sunshine of My Life
The Best of Sly and The Family Stone
The Women of EEE will put on a country theme event with games. There will be four games to be played at the event. There will also be a petting zoo with miniture pigs. The pig will be in a caged area with a tarp down for her to run around on. There will be a photo section with a few props. PC' 14 will also have a routine to perform at EEE haw. There will be refreshments and a little snack such as cookies. This event is a fundraiser for PC' 14 and the admission fee is $3 for singles and $5 for couples.
meets every Wednesday at 8:30pm

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Englewood, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey
will miss Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts due to the same foot
injury which kept him sidelined for the first portion of the season.
"It's definitely one I hate to miss, but you know, I can't play," Bailey said
on Friday. "I can't do anything about it -- I've just got to do what I can to
help my guys get ready."
The 35-year-old was kept out of practice the entire week due to the issue,
which has limited him to eight tackles over two games in 2013.
Tackle Orlando Franklin (ankle) was limited in practice the last two days
after missing Wednesday's session and is questionable. Guard Chris Kuper
(ankle) returned to practice after a two-day absence, but took only limited
reps on Friday and was also listed as questionable.
Denver also deemed eight players probable, including wide receiver Wes Welker,
whose ankle issue allowed him to participate fully in Friday's session after
missing Wednesday and seeing limited action on Thursday.
The Sports Network


text:
In February, the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent, from 7.9 percent in January, and the nation added 236,000 jobs. Many of the new jobs — about 48,000 — came from construction, while government employment saw a drop even before sequestration, a series of across-the-board federal spending cuts, began on March 1. Economists seem quite positive about the report.
In January, Ohio's unemployment rate rose to 7 percent, from 6.7 percent in December, with the number of unemployed in the state rising to 399,000, from 385,000 the month before. Goods-producing and service-providing industries and local government saw a rise in employment, while jobs were lost in trade, transportation, utilities, financial activities, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, state government and federal government. In January, U.S. unemployment rose to 7.9 percent, from 7.8 percent in December.
A new report outlined renovations for the city-owned Tower Place Mall, which is getting a makeover as part of Cincinnati's parking plan. A lot of the retail space in the mall will be replaced to make room for parking that will be accessed through what is currently Pogue's Garage, but two rings of retail space will remain, according to the report. The parking plan was approved by City Council Wednesday, but it was temporarily halted by a Hamilton County judge. The legal contest has now moved to federal court, and it's set to get a hearing today.
Meet the mayoral candidates through CityBeat's two extensive Q&As: Roxanne Qualls and John Cranley. Qualls spoke mostly about her support for immigration, the parking plan and streetcar, while Cranley discussed his opposition to the parking plan and streetcar and some of his ideas for Cincinnati.
A Hamilton County court ruled against the controversial traffic cameras in Elmwood Place, and the Ohio legislature is considering a statewide ban on the cameras. In his ruling, Judge Robert Ruehlman pointed out there were no signs making motorists aware of the cameras and the cameras are calibrated once a year by a for-profit operator. The judge added, "Elmwood Place is engaged in nothing more than a high-tech game of 3-card Monty. … It is a scam that motorists can't win." Bipartisan legislation was recently introduced to prohibit traffic cameras in Ohio.
JobsOhio, the state-funded nonprofit corporation, quietly got $5.3 million in state grants, even though the state legislature only appropriated $1 million for startup costs. JobsOhio says it needed the extra funds because legal challenges have held up liquor profits that were originally supposed to provide funding. In the past few days, State Auditor Dave Yost, a Republican, has been pushing Republican Gov. John Kasich and JobsOhio to release more details about the nonprofit corporation's finances, but Kasich and JobsOhio have been pushing back.
Advocates for Ohio's charter schools say Kasich's budget amounts to a per-pupil cut, with funding dropping from $5,704 per pupil to $5,000 plus some targeted assistance that ranges from hundreds of dollars to nothing depending on the school. A previous CityBeat report on online schools found traditional public schools get about $3,193 per student — much less than the funding that apparently goes to charter schools.
Fountain Square will be getting a new television from Cincinnati-based LSI Industries with the help of Fifth-Third Bank and the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC). The new video board will have better image quality and viewing angles, but it will also come with more screen space for sponsors.
Ohio's casino revenues rose in January. That could be a good sign for Cincinnati's Horseshoe Casino, which opened Monday.
In light of recent discussion, Popular Science posted a Q&A on drones.
For better or worse, Cincinnati will have
to deal with
another major election cycle in 2013. With a few hot-button issues
already grabbing the public spotlight, a lot could be at stake when
voters pull the lever on Nov. 5 — making a proper understanding of the
candidates all the more important.
Most people get to know candidates through fragments of information spread out in multiple stories and media outlets, but a comprehensive question-and-answer format provides candidates with a chance to speak on their own terms. CityBeat already did a one-on-one with Democratic mayoral candidate John Cranley, which can be read here.
Next up, CityBeat sat down with Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, another Democrat who is running for mayor, to discuss her campaign and what ideas she's bringing to the table. Qualls has been a strong advocate of the streetcar ("Back on the Ballot," issue of Jan. 23) and parking plan ("Parking Stimulus," issue of Feb. 27), and she says she wants to continue development in Downtown and Cincinnati's neighborhoods to create sustainable growth. We asked her about those issues and more, and the extensive conversation (with some edits for clarity and brevity) can be read below.
CityBeat: How do you feel about the campaign in general so far?
Roxanne Qualls: I'm very excited about the campaign. You know, a mayor's race is very different than a council race. A mayor's race has many more components to it: higher fundraising goals and more intensive outreach. I've been very encouraged by the folks who are volunteering and those who are stepping up and making contributions. It's still early, but I've been excited.
CB: What kind of support have you seen so far?
RQ: Support is good. A lot of neighborhood folks are coming forward, partly because of the work I've been doing with them on council to help them achieve their own visions for their communities and neighborhoods. And I'm also getting support from different groups of people who I've been working for a number of years on major projects that help move the city and also the neighborhoods forward.
CB: Before we get into parking and the streetcar, one of the resolutions passed by City Council yesterday asked Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Do you think there's anything the city could do to be more inviting to immigrants?
RQ: Even though it was a resolution and is therefore a symbolic act of the council, that symbolic act was very, very important to the members of the immigrant community in Cincinnati because many other communities are unwilling to say they even want immigrants.
My own personal and professional belief is that if we're actually going to grow as a city and really thrive in the future in a sustainable way, we have to encourage immigrants to come into the city of Cincinnati. If you look around the country at cities that have increased their population significantly, they don't do it relying on baby boomers moving back to the city and Gen Y-ers — those folks are important, but they're not sufficient. You have to have immigrants come into your community, buy up homes, buy up stores and regenerate and rejuvenate the neighborhoods.
As a city that went from over 500,000 people to now under 300,000, we have to fill that gap. When I'm mayor, I will set a goal that by 2025 we will increase our population by 100,000 people. We're only going to do that with immigrants.
CB: So what kind of programs do you think would help in that area?
RQ: A couple things, but there are things already happening that many people are unaware of. For example, if you were to go to Roberts Paideia at Price Hill, you would find 30 percent of the children there were not speaking English in their households before attending school. So a very strong Spanish-speaking community is growing up in Price Hill. First and foremost, having an educational system that recognizes and responds is very important.
The other thing is to be a very welcoming community, particularly when it comes to issues of safety and security. We're very fortunate that District 3 has become very responsive, as is District 4, to immigrants. The entire police department is sensitive, but we have a very high concentration of folks who are Latinos in District 3 — that's why I focused on District 3 as very critical in terms of the response.
The third thing that we need to do is work with organizations like the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Chinese Chamber of Commerce to really strengthen business relations and the support that's necessary for many of the small businesses that provide opportunities and employment within those communities. As the city develops its small business program, we need to pay attention to the fact that very small businesses — under $100,000, let's say, in terms of annual volume — are those businesses that really are neighborhood-serving. They're businesses we should be encouraging within the immigrant community.
CB: One of the surprising statistics with public safety is that a very small amount of the police force — 2 out of 981 — speaks Spanish. Do you think there's anything we could do to encourage more Spanish speakers?
RQ: There's an increasing recognition that it's important for people who provide services to speak more than one language, so the police department can encourage its members to speak more than English.
But there are other things we can do in general, not just that would impact the police. I've been trying to do something as simple as multilingual signage.
The city could also aggressively promote simultaneous translation via its own website and the information it puts out. On my own personal website, one of the things that we use is the Google Translator. So anyone who wants to read anything on the website, all they have to do is press the Google Translator and have it translate to any language.
CB: The other thing that was covered in City Council yesterday was the parking plan. You supported it. What do you think it will do for the city?
RQ: There are a couple things it's going to do. Simply on the level of parking, it's going to provide the resources to modernize the system. For the garages, that means all the capital improvements that are necessary. For the meters, that's everything everybody has heard about in terms of putting in electronic meters, allowing the use of smartphone apps, making it much more convenient for people and giving us the ability as technology evolves over time to adapt. For example, we shouldn't assume that 30 years from now there will be such things as meters in existence. We need to be able to adapt in that environment. Already in other countries, you don't have meters, but you do have sensors and you do have means of paying, but it doesn't involve a physical object to do it with. It's all oriented toward customer service and staying up with the times.
The second thing is it gives us the resources to invest in things like the MLK/I-71 Interchange, which everybody, I believe, at this point agrees is a major economic development investment and will pay off in significant job growth in the medical-university area of uptown.
It also allows us to invest in some critical pieces of downtown development that involve garages and residential development that will help us capture the market. I think if you read all the papers, everybody should realize that there's no available product to meet the demand for downtown housing. Any time something comes into the market, it is either rented out or sold out. So we need to bring residential online at a much faster pace in Downtown.
And we get to increase our reserves, so that the rating agencies will be encouraged that we're taking steps to ensure that we can responsibly manage our budget. And for the moment, for fiscal year 2014, it will help us reduce the deficit.
So there's, one, modernization itself and, two, the ability to invest in opportunities over the long term that will grow our revenues and help us become more sustainable as a city.
CB: With the modernization part, do you think it's necessary to make this deal because the city can't otherwise afford to make improvements?
RQ: If you look at the money that comes into the current parking system and look at the needs of the parking system, the current parking system can't support the level of investment required for modernization. By doing this lease agreement, those upgrades can occur.
CB: On the deficit-reduction side, how do you think the city will solve its structural deficit once the one-time money does run out?
RQ: In fiscal year 2014, obviously a portion of the money is there to help balance the budget. Other members of council and I feel very strongly that this, starting now, is the opportunity to bring the structural deficit under control. Between June 2013 and July 2014, we need to put in place a deficit reduction plan.
Now, the city manager has begun to talk about some of that, but that needs to be accelerated. Among the things that we need to do to make it a realistic possibility is we need to bring certain players to the table: the folks who represent our collective bargaining units, fire, police and AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees). They have as much of an interest in figuring out how to deal with this issue as I do as an elected official, as the city manager does, as anybody does. So they really need to be at the table, talking — not in negotiations, but just talking — about how we're going to begin to approach this in a way that ensures what we all want, which is a safe community that provides good quality jobs, great quality service and great quality of life.
The other people that can come to the table is the business community because they can bring their expertise, help and resources, but also the civic community and neighborhoods who are the ones who live and breathe the effects of anything that we do.
The other thing is that we already can begin to identify certain areas that we should be exploring. Something very simple, for example, is one of the major expense items is gas. We are buying new vehicles for the police department that are better for gas mileage, but we're not doing that fast enough.
CB: Do you think any of the deficit reduction could involve attrition?
RQ: The bottom line for either police and fire is there are minimal service levels. For police, how many of the officers are actually available for the street? For the fire department, how do you make sure that the response time is within acceptable parameters and that the consequence of falling below a certain level isn't such extensive brownouts that you end up endangering people's lives?
My own personal feeling is there's a lot of professional judgment that needs to be involved in this discussion and decision. I would be incredibly hesitant to fall below the minimum staffing levels without the support of Police Chief James Craig or Fire Chief Richard Braun.
CB: How do you feel about the controversy surrounding the emergency clause?
RQ: I think it's nothing but a political controversy that's generated for political gain and for political purposes. Council passes many of its ordinances with emergency clauses. In fact, the other candidate for mayor himself consistently voted for emergency clauses.
The emergency clause is necessary so that we can proceed to construct the budget for fiscal year 2014 by July.
CB: So you don't think the referendum part of the emergency clause could be separated from the part that expedites the process?
RQ: No, because it is going to take until at least June to get everything in place. We would like to move as quickly as possible, so before we actually approve the budget by July 1, we actually have the money to balance it. If that doesn't happen, the city manager will have to start sending out layoff notices. By law, we would be required to do that because we would not have that money in place.
CB: So not having the money would force Plan B or something like it?
RQ: Yes, a referendum would result in Plan B or something similar. Regardless of whether you want to call it Plan B or Plan Z, people should not be foolish enough to think that there would not be layoffs. You cannot balance a budget deficit of $25 million without personnel reductions.
CB: The other big item in the mayor's race is the streetcar. I've talked to you about this in the past, and you said you will push through the next phase during your mayor's term. How exactly do you envision that?
RQ: Currently, there are studies that are being undertaken that are looking for alternatives in streetcar circulation in the uptown area.
If we can connect the streetcar into uptown and have it circulate up there, you have it benefiting these institutions and immediately adjoining neighborhoods. One of the greatest pressures in very dense neighborhoods is that we want to take the pressure off of both the streets in terms of the volume of traffic and parking because parking garages are very expensive and consume a lot of land. We can create an environment in the uptown area that would have a great synergy that would result in the redevelopment of these neighborhoods. Once people get that as the vision, I think the streetcar, even for folks who will never use it, becomes more understandable.
CB: One of the recurring problems with the streetcar project has been delays. What would you do as mayor to have the streetcar ready in time for the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which you previously said you would like?
RQ: I have said I want it ready in time for the 2015 All-Star Game, but that was before the three construction bids came in much higher than expected. The big issue immediately is how to get those costs under control. We have yet to hear from the administration; they're still reviewing the bids and approaches to handling the cost issues.
As mayor, my approach to it would be to insist that the administration value engineer this project to ensure that for what is being invested, we are actually getting results that we want.
I am a firm supporter of the streetcar, but I also want people to be very clear that this is not an open checkbook. I don't think anyone — supporter or opponent — has ever believed it's an open checkbook. Within the budget that we have given, we should be able to build this system.
CB: What do you mean by value engineering?
RQ: Look at what the actual proposed design is. This is kind of standard in all major projects. You have all the designers and engineers who have put together the original designs for the system. Then what you do is have other eyes who are also experts sit down and start looking at it to ask if there are other things we can do to start saving money.
CB: Do you think the framework of the original bid process was off?
RQ: I think very strongly that it was probably off. We saw that reflected when over 80 contractors downloaded the bid documents and only three bids were received. That says something about those bid documents.
CB: A lot of the mayor's race has focused on the streetcar and parking deal, but can you give a rundown of some other ideas you have for the city?
RQ: Absolutely. Well, we already talked about one (increasing the population of the city by 100,000). There are a variety of ways to do it — one of which is to be an opening, welcoming city to everybody, but particularly opening and welcoming to immigrants.
The second thing we need to do is look at the tax structure. Currently, there is a commission, which I helped establish, called Investing in the Future Commission, which is examining that and will be making recommendations on specific things that we can do to reward people for making the choice to live and work in the city. That's very critical.
When looking at job creation, we know that we are very fortunate to have Children's Hospital, the University of Cincinnati and all of the research coming out of the uptown area. We are very competitive as a region when it comes to patents, but we are laggards when it comes to commercialization of research. Given the institutions we're blessed to have within city limits, we need to financially support the environments where commercialization can actually occur to make sure we are retaining startup businesses so that they don't just start here, they stay here. Again, looking at the tax structure would encourage those startups to stay in a way we're not doing right now.
When you're looking at neighborhoods, redevelopment of neighborhoods is a critical piece of anybody's agenda. The good news is we have a lot of good things happening, but neighborhoods need financial support. Part of the $92 million from the parking deal is to provide financial support to some neighborhoods. More importantly, there's using the casino revenue to actually support transformative developments in neighborhoods. We've started to do that, but we have to expand.
Another area is a stronger partnership with the Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) system. There are many people who like to criticize CPS, but the reality is they have some great-performing schools. We need to make sure that we capitalize on that relationship by working in partnership with CPS to ensure that community learning centers are in enough schools so that any young family with kids has access. Right now, there are about 600 families on the waiting list because there's not enough room. That's a specific thing we could be doing right now that would really encourage young families with children to stay in the city.
CB: That covers everything I had to ask. Is there anything you would like to add?
RQ: This election for mayor is about vision, leadership and results. It's also about looking to the future and saying yes to the future. Lots of decisions will have to be made by the next mayor that will be tough decisions, will require resources and will require investment. Cincinnati needs a mayor that is willing to say yes and work with people and organizations to move the community forward.
City Council may vote today on the controversial plan to lease the city's parking assets to fund economic development and temporarily balance the deficit. On Friday, Councilman Chris Seelbach put forward Plan S, which would redirect $7.5 million in casino revenues, cut $5 million based on the results of the city's priority-driven budgeting and allow voters to choose between a $10-per-month trash fee or increase the city's admissions tax by 2 percent. Previously, City Manager Milton Dohoney unveiled Plan B to the parking plan, which would lay off 344 employees, eliminate Human Services Funding and close pools and recreation centers, among other changes. In response, mayoral candidate John Cranley proposed his own plan, which would use casino revenue, parking meter revenue and cuts to "non-essential programs" to tame the deficit. Plan B, Plan S and Cranley's plan all fix the structural deficit in the city's budget, while the parking plan only fixes the deficit for two years. The parking plan was unanimously approved by the Cincinnati Planning Commission Friday, and it appears five council members are ready to give the plan the go-ahead.
Members of Gov. John Kasich's own party are beginning to show skepticism toward the governor's budget proposal, which would expand the sales tax to apply to more services, increase the oil and gas severance tax and make more Ohioans eligible for Medicaid — mostly at the cost of the federal government. Republicans are likely to propose alternatives before a mid-April vote. In a Quinnipiac University poll, a majority of Ohioans approved of the Medicaid expansion but not Kasich's tax plan. CityBeat covered Kasich's budget plan in detail here.
Police are taking measures to prevent traffic problems at the Horseshoe Casino's grand opening tonight. Meanwhile, Indiana casinos are preparing for downturns as the Horseshoe Casino promises a major alternative to tri-state gamblers. During the soft opening last week, Ohio's casino regulator found the Horseshoe Casino would have to fix its security and surveillance before the grand opening. Previous studies found casinos bring job growth at the cost of crime, bankruptcy and even suicide, and a Dayton Daily News report also found the state's casinos are falling short of job projections.
On Friday, the sequester, a series of across-the-board federal budget cuts, kicked in, and it could mean big funding reductions for Ohio's schools. The blunt cuts are largely because Republicans refuse to negotiate with President Barack Obama and Democrats — to the point that Republicans don't even know what the president is proposing.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio is asking the state's Department of Education to expand its seclusion room rules to apply to charter schools. Previous reports found seclusion rooms, which were originally intended to hold out-of-control kids until they calm down, have been largely used for convenience by educators, leading to stricter policies from the Ohio Department of Education. But the regulations currently apply only to traditional public schools, not charter schools.
Reminder: On top of putting everyone around you in danger, texting while driving will now result in a fine up to $150.
The Cincinnati Zoo has confirmed it has terrible taste in names with its choice for the new four-week-old gorilla: Gladys Stones. Still, the zoo does have that whole environmentally friendly thing going on. Maybe the pros outweigh the cons.
U.S. researchers are claiming they have "functionally cured" an HIV-infected infant after extensive treatments left the virus's presence in blood at such low levels that it can no longer be detected by standard clinical tests.
Scientists are ostracizing what Popular Science calls the "world's sexiest octopus."
If you can watch BigDog, the four-legged robot, toss cinder blocks with ease and not fear the robot apocalypse, you're not prepared.
The tone was negative once again in the final public hearing for the city manager's plan to lease the city's parking system. Of the two dozen speakers, only four were positive. Tabitha Woodruff, who is with the Ohio Public Interest Research Group, voiced mixed feelings about the plan: "As we feared it provides a short-term solution to a long-term budget problem, raises hours and rates on citizens, and has the potential to incur high transaction costs. … We're encouraged, however, by the selection of a public entity, the Port Authority and by numerous proposed provisions of the lease intended to insure the city maintains control of details like rates and hours." CityBeat wrote about the plan in detail here.
If City Council does not agree to lease Cincinnati's parking system, the city manager's office says the city will be forced to lay off 344 employees,
including 80 firefighter and 189 police positions, and eliminate Human
Services Funding, but critics argue there are better alternatives.
Mayoral candidate John Cranley says casino and parking revenue and cuts
to non-essential programs could help clear the deficit without the plan.
Gov. John Kasich's job approval rating has risen above 50 percent for the first time, and he's beating all the potential Democratic gubernatorial candidates in theoretical match-ups, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. CityBeat covered the governor's budget plan, which will set the state's policy blueprint for the next two years, here.
The Ohio House will vote on Kasich's Ohio Turnpike plan today, which leverages the Turnpike for a statewide infrastructure program.
With the approval of Metro's operating budget, City Council and Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) have ended their dispute
over streetcar funding. Council members had been approving monthly
budgets as they worked things out with SORTA, which manages the region's
bus system. SORTA filed a lawsuit disputing the limits of the transit fund, but it dropped the suit
after the city said it will not use the money for maintenance of streets, sidewalks
and streetlights. (Correction: This previously said the city will "only use the money for streets, sidewalks and streetlights" when the opposite is true.)
The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) says the state's schools are making improvement, but they still "have room to grow."
In the latest state report cards, Ohio schools improved in 14 of 26
categories and met the state's performance goal on 21 out of 26, with
particularly strong gains in math and science, but ODE says, "The
performance of Ohio's economically disadvantaged students and minorities
remains unacceptably low."
The state auditor has a problem with how Ohio's schools report data through what he calls a "just-trust-me" system.
The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a 40-year agreement with the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) that will lease the county-owned Memorial Hall and provide renovations to the 105-year-old building. County officials have long said the building, which is used to host concerts, shows and speaking events, is in dire need of upgrades, particularly overhauls to its roof, windows, facade work, floors, air conditioning and bathrooms — all of which will now be financed by 3CDC with the help of tax credits.
The commissioners also approved a two-year policy agenda, which generally outlines their plans for county finances and taxes, infrastructure and economic development.
The Over-the-Rhine Eco Garden could be forced to relocate if the city approves CitiRama's development proposal. The move would be fully funded by the city's Department of Community Development, with startup and relocation costs paid for.
Ohio's concealed weapon carry permits reached record highs in 2012 with more than 76,000 permits issued.
Fewer Ohioans are starting their own businesses, and the state's level of self-employment is one of the lowest in the nation, according to a report from Dayton Daily News.
With Cincinnati's Horseshoe Casino set to open March 4, gambling addiction could be one of the downsides to the casino's glitz and job creation, but extra funds for the state's treatment programs and special training for casino employees could help combat the problem.
A medical marijuana amendment could be on Ohio's 2013 ballot, but anti-drug groups are already speaking out against it.
Think the 114-year-old Japanese woman has reached an impressive age? Guffaw. Popular Science lists six much older animals.
If City Council does not agree to lease Cincinnati's parking system, the city manager's office says the city will be forced to lay off 344 employees, including 80 firefighter and 189 police positions, but critics argue there are better alternatives.
In a memo dated to Feb. 26, City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. wrote that the city will also have to close three community centers and six pools; eliminate Human Services Funding, which aids the city's homeless and poor; and reduce funding for local business groups, parks, nature education for Cincinnati Public Schools and environmental regulations, among other changes. In total, the cuts would add up to $25.8 million — just enough to balance the deficit that would be left in place without the parking plan.
In addition to the cuts, failing to approve the parking plan, which leases the city's parking meters for 30 years and lots and garages for 50 years to the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority, would displace plans to convert Tower Place Mall, construct a 30-floor tower with a grocery store downtown, accelerate the the I-71/MLK Interchange project, acquire the Wasson Line right-of-way for a bike trail and add $4 million to the next phase of Smale Riverfront Park ("Parking Stimulus," issue of Feb. 27).
Democratic Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, who's running for mayor, has come out in favor of the parking plan, but John Cranley, another Democrat running for mayor, says he opposes the deal because it will hurt downtown businesses.
"It's the boy who cried wolf," Cranley says. "In 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 … they threatened to lay off police and firefighters, and it never happened."
Cranley says he would rather take $10 million from projected casino revenue and $7 million from current parking revenues to help clear the deficit. For the remaining $8.8 million, he would cut non-essential programs, which would exclude police, fire, garbage collection, health, parks and recreation, street pavement and Human Services Funding, across the board by 10 to 15 percent. If that wasn't enough, he would then move to the essential programs, which he says make up about $300 million in the $368.9 million budget, with a 1-percent across-the-board cut.
He says his solution would have the upside of fixing structural deficit problems in Cincinnati's General Fund, whereas the one-time lease of the city's parking assets will only take care of the deficit for the next two years.
Meg Olberding, city spokesperson, says City Council could use the casino revenue to pay for the deficit, but $4 million of it is already set for the Focus 52 program, which funds neighborhood development projects.
"Council can use whatever revenue sources they want," Olberding says. "That's why the memo … says we can either use this plan or another plan."
Cranley says he would not do away with the Focus 52 program, but he would instead find funding for it in the Capital Budget, which is separate from the General Fund.
Olberding says City Council could approve the use of about $3 million in parking meter revenue for the General Fund, but the rest of the parking money, which comes from lots and garages, is tied to an enterprise fund, which, by state law, means the city would have to sell its parking lots and garages before it could obtain money for the General Fund.
Cranley, who also opposes the streetcar project ("Back on the Ballot," issue of Jan. 23), says it
would be possible to pay for the I-71/MLK Interchange and other projects
if the streetcar wasn't taking up funds. If it was up to him, he says
he would remove streetcar funding and use it on other development
projects "without batting an eye."
In the Feb. 27 City Council meeting, Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls said the Budget and Finance Committee will likely vote on the city manager's parking plan on March 4 or March 11.
While fact checking an interview, CityBeat discovered it will be possible to circumvent the parking plan's cap on meter rate increases through a multilayer process that involves approval from a special committee, the city manager and the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority. The process adds a potential loophole to one of the city manager's main defenses against fears of skyrocketing rates, but Meg Olberding, city spokesperson, says raising the cap requires overcoming an extensive series of hurdles: unanimous approval from a board with four members appointed by the Port Authority and one selected by the city manager, affirmation from the city manager and a final nod from the Port Authority. Olberding says the process is necessary in case anything changes during the 30-year time span of the parking deal, which CityBeat covered in detail here.
Democratic mayoral candidate John Cranley launched DontSellCincinnati.org to prevent the city manager's parking plan, which semi-privatizes the city's parking assets. The website claims the plan gives for-profit investment companies power over enforcement, guarantees 3-percent rate increases every year and blows through all the money raised in two years. The plan does task a private company with enforcement, but it will be handled by Xerox, not a financial firm, and must follow standards set in the company's agreement with the Port Authority. While the plan does allow 3-percent rate increases each year, Olberding says the Port Authority will have the power to refuse an increase — meaning it's not a guarantee.
Arnol Elam, the Franklin City Schools superintendent who sent an angry letter to Gov. John Kasich over his budget plan, is no longer being investigated for misusing county resources after he paid $539 in restitution. CityBeat covered Elam's letter, which told parents and staff about regressive funding in Kasich's school funding proposal, and other parts of the governor's budget in an in-depth cover story.
To the surprise of no one, Ohio's oil lobby is still against Kasich's tax plan, which raises a 4 percent severance tax on oil and wet gas from high-producing fracking wells and a 1 percent tax on dry gas.
Local faith leaders from a diversity of religious backgrounds held a press conference yesterday to endorse the Freedom to Marry and Religious Freedom Amendment, an amendment from FreedomOhio that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state. Pastor Mike Underhill of the Nexus United Church of Christ (UCC) in Butler County, Rabbi Miriam Terlinchamp of Temple Sholom, Pamela Taylor of Muslims for Progressive Values and Mike Moroski, who recently lost his job as assistant principal at Purcell Marian High School for standing up for LGBT rights all attended the event. CityBeat covered the amendment and its potential hurdles for getting on the 2013 ballot here.
Vanessa White, a member of the Cincinnati Public Schools board, is running for City Council. White is finishing her first four-year term at the board after winning the seat handily in 2009. She has said she wants to stop the streetcar project, but she wants to increase collaboration between the city and schools and create jobs for younger people.
The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles' (BMV) policy on providing driver's licenses to the children of illegal immigrants remains unclear. Since CityBeat broke the story on the BMV policy, the agency has shifted from internally pushing against driver's licenses for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients to officially "reviewing guidance from the federal government as it applies to Ohio law." DACA is an executive order from President Barack Obama that allows the children of illegal immigrants to qualify for permits that enable them to remain in the United States without fear of prosecution.
A survey from the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments found locals are generally satisfied with roads, housing and issues that affect them everyday. The survey included 2,500 people and questions about energy efficiency, infrastructure, public health, schools and other issues.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine revealed 7,000 Ohioans have received more than $280 million in consumer relief as part of the National Mortgage Settlement announced one year ago. The $25 billion settlement between the federal government and major banks punishes reckless financial institutions and provides relief to homeowners in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.
Ohio received a $3 million federal grant to continue improving the state's health care payments and delivery programs.
Cincinnati home sales reached a six-year high after a 27-percent jump in January.
CityBeat's Hannah "McAttack" McCartney interviewed yours truly for the first post of her Q&A-based blog, Cinfolk.
Crows have a sense of fairness, a new study found.
For better or worse, Cincinnati will have to deal with another major election cycle for City Council and the mayor's office in 2013. With four-year terms for City Council recently approved by voters, the 2013 election could play one of the most pivotal, long-term roles in Cincinnati's electoral history.
But what most people know about the candidates and issues
is typically given through small fragments of information provided by
media outlets. At CityBeat, we do our best to give the full context of
every story, but just once, we decided to give the candidates a chance
to speak for themselves through a question-and-answer format. (Update: Since this article was published, CityBeat interviewed Democratic mayoral candidate Roxanne Qualls for another Q&A here.)
First up, mayoral candidate John Cranley, a former Democratic council member, has been one of the most outspoken critics of the recently announced parking plan ("City Manager Proposes Parking, Economic Development Plan," issue of Feb. 20) and the Cincinnati streetcar ("Back on the Ballot," issue of Jan. 23) in his mayoral campaign against fellow Democrat Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls. CityBeat talked with Cranley about these issues and how they relate to the campaign to get his full take, all in his own words. The conversation (with some edits for readability) is below.
CityBeat: I know your campaign kick-off was last night. How did that go? Did it have good turnout?
John Cranley: It was awesome. We had over 300 people there. Very diverse crowd. It was just great.
CB: How do you feel about the campaign in general? It's pretty early, but how do you feel about the local support you've been getting?
JC: It's been overwhelming. People are rallying behind my progressive vision, and trying to stop privatization of parking meters to Wall Street. And trying to get focus back on neighborhoods, balance, equity, basic services for everyone, special attention to those in need and broad opportunities for the working poor. I think people are very excited for that message, and I'm finding support in every neighborhood of town.
CB: I noticed that a theme of your campaign is helping out neighborhoods by spreading the funding not just to downtown, but neighborhoods as well. Are you hoping to build support from those areas?
JC: I'm for fairness. I think that right now you have a disproportionate amount of money — $26 million over budget on the streetcar, yet they're still proceeding with it — and the neighborhoods are forgotten about. But I want to see downtown flourish too, so it's not like I'm one or the other. I want the whole city to do better. But I think there needs to be equity and balance.
CB: You just think the playing field isn't leveled right now?
JC: Absolutely not. Right now they're trying to raise parking meters in neighborhoods to build luxury apartments in downtown. If that doesn't show you their values are out of whack, I don't know what does.
CB: Speaking on that, the latest news is the city manager's parking proposal, which he calls a "public-public partnership" that will boost economic development. What are your thoughts on it?
JC: The PR campaign that they've been putting out
is very deceptive and willfully so. This is not a public plan; this is
privatization to a Wall Street company. The only elements that matter to
city control are control over rates and control over enforcement. The
city has said repeatedly, dishonestly, that the city will maintain
control over rates and enforcement, but neither one of those statements
is true.
The rates are guaranteed to go up 3 percent a year for 30
years on a compounded basis. Prior to the recent increases in parking
rates, the city hadn't raised rates in 10 or 15 years. Right now, the
elected officials — we live in a democracy, for now. Right now, City
Council decides to raise rates, lower rates, maintain rates. If there's a
recession in the future, City Council can choose to reduce parking
rates. There might be certain neighborhoods where you want to charge
different rates over others depending on economic demographics of those
areas. Right now, we have complete flexibility to change those rates.
This plan gives Wall Street the right to raise rates by 3 percent every
single year for 30 years.
Not to mention due process concerns. What happens if you
don't believe you were late back to your meter? Who do you appeal to?
You appeal to this company from Wall Street, who has a financial
incentive to make you pay.
[Editor's Note: Meg Olberding, city spokesperson, told CityBeat the rate
increase cap could be circumvented, but the decision would have to be unanimously
approved by a board with four members appointed by the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority
and one selected by the city manager, then affirmed by the city manager, then get a final nod from the Port Authority. The 3-percent rate increase is
also not automatic, and the Port Authority could decide to not
take it up every year.
On that point, how is it that there are public hearings next week and they haven't released any of the contracts or documents for this transaction? They are going on a Power Point presentation, which is their talking points. Everyone is writing it as if it's fact, yet the contract and the details haven't even been released.
Roxanne is calling public hearings and expecting people to weigh in on a 30-year decision before the details are released to the public. How cynical is that?
CB: We might not know the details right now, but you think that shows a lack of transparency?
JC: Of course. I hope you guys will editorialize about that and stand up against privatizing and outsourcing the city to Wall Street.
CB: In the past, you and I talked about the next phase of the Smale Riverfront Park not having funding, which you pinned on the streetcar taking tax revenue that could be used for it. I couldn't help but notice that it's one of the things funded in the city manager's parking proposal. Do you see that as evidence to your claim?
JC: Well, of course. They don't have funding for the Riverfront Park. That's why they're selling the city's parking meters.
The bigger issue is it's just fundamentally wrong to take an asset that is a recurring revenue stream for 30 years and try to monetize it today at the expense of the future generations. It's giving Roxanne the ability to try to buy votes by playing Santa Claus before the election at the expense of the next generation.
CB: Another part of the plan is it's expanding hours. Do you think that might hurt nightlife in Downtown?
JC: Of course it's going to hurt restaurants, nightlife and the Cincinnati Reds, not to mention the neighborhoods — Hyde Park, Mount Lookout, Clifton. They're going to pay higher meters so they can pay off their friends to build luxury apartments in downtown. The equity of this is awful.
CB: Would you be willing to bring up a referendum on this deal?
JC: Absolutely. It's such a selling-out of the city on a long-term basis, but I think the people should have the final say.
CB: I want to move onto the streetcar. Even for supporters of the streetcar, the delays are unnerving. The latest news is these construction requests came way over budget and they might cause more delays. How do you feel about it?
JC: It's what we've been saying for a long time. A lot of people's reputations have been attacked for having said that this thing would be over budget. I think a lot of people, including Roxanne, need to fess up that they've been misleading the public about this deal for years.
But the real issue is it's $26 million over budget, it's the tip of the iceberg, and it's going to get worse. And Roxanne is continuing to spend money on the streetcar. She's continuing to move forward. She still says she wants to get it done by the (2015 Major League Baseball) All-Star Game. She still says that she wants to pay for future phases. So it doesn't really matter, from Roxanne's standpoint, if it's $26 million over budget. I think it's too expensive, we can't afford it, we shouldn't be raising property taxes, etc. We should stop now and we should try to get our money back.
CB: One of the issues you've told me you have with the streetcar before is a lack of transparency. Do you think that's catching up to the city in these budget surprises?
JC: Of course the lack of transparency is catching up to them. Not only is it the right thing to do what you're doing with their money and government; it's always the right way to manage money. When you hide problems, it always leads to greater expense later.
CB: We've thoroughly covered what you're against. What positive visions do you have for the city and neighborhoods?
JC: I have lots. On my website, JohnCranley.com,
I have my 10-point plan, which goes in great deal over my positive plan
for the city. We need to focus on jobs and opportunities for the
future. We need to partner with the venture capital and university
entrepreneurship efforts in the city, and I'll do everything in my power
to help that. We need to work to improve our schools; what we need to
do is get communities involved to adopt under-performing inner-city
schools to improve the standards and opportunities. Third, we need to
adopt my plan to reprogram existing federal dollars into job training
and job opportunities to put people to work in building city's
infrastructure projects now. Those are probably the three major ones.
The good thing about Cincinnati is we have momentum, which is great. But we're not getting better fast enough.
Update: This story was updated with comment from the city manager's office to clarify how the parking plan's rate cap will work and Guggenheim's role.
Gov. John Kasich gave his State of the State speech
yesterday. Kasich focused on his budget proposal and jobs, and he
urged lawmakers to take up the Medicaid expansion. Cleveland's The Plain Dealer has a thorough report on the speech here. CityBeat gave an in-depth look at Kasich's budget in this week's cover story here.
City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. proposed an ambitious parking and economic development plan yesterday. The 30-year plan, which Dohoney called a "public-public partnership," will lease the city's parking assets to the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority to fund more than $100 million in projects around the city, including the I-71/MLK Interchange, Tower Place Mall and a high-rise that will house a downtown grocery store. As part of the deal, the city will retain control over parking rates, operation hours and the placement of meters.
The Kenton County Fiscal Court unanimously voted against tolls
to pay for the Brent Spence Bridge project, reports WVXU. County
residents are concerned the tolls will be a financial drain for
commuters and travelers, but finding other sources of funding for the project has been an ongoing struggle.
An Ohio woman claims she was fired after voting for President Barack Obama in the 2012 election, reports Dayton Daily News. Patricia Kunkle's lawsuit claims her former employer, Roberta "Bobbie" Gentile of Q-Mark Inc., threatened to fire workers if Obama won election and that Obama supporters would be first on the list.
John Cranley, former Democratic council member, will formally launch his mayoral campaign today. The kick-off will be at 20th Century Theater in Oakley at 5:30 p.m. Cranley's main opponent will most likely be Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, a fellow Democrat. The two Democrats have split on one issue: the streetcar. Qualls supports it, while Cranley is against it. CityBeat covered the streetcar and how it relates to the mayor's race here.
The University of Cincinnati is conducting research for how to locate food deserts, reports the Business Courier. Professor Michael Widener is looking at where people live and work, with a focus on how many people are able to stop by a grocery store after a workday.
Failing to yield caused 37,475 crashes in 2012, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Altogether, the crashes killed 187 people and injured 23,353. Young drivers, aged 16 to 25, were at fault for 30 percent of the crashes — nearly twice as high as those aged 26 to 35, who caused 16 percent of accidents. The full county-by-county report is available here.
UC will spend $2 million on design work for Nippert Stadium, reports WLWT. UC hopes the work will attract an Atlantic Coast Conference invitation.
Popular Science has a demonstration of scientists teaching language to a childlike robot.
State legislators, particularly Republicans, have a lot of questions regarding Gov. John Kasich's Medicaid expansion. Legislators are worried the state won't be able to opt out of the expansion if the federal government reneges its funding promise, raising potential financial hurdles. As part of Obamacare, the federal government pays for 100 percent of the Medicaid expansion for the first three years, and the share phases down to 90 percent after that. Kasich's budget includes a trigger — called a "circuit breaker" — in case the federal government ever funds less than currently promised. A study from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio found the Medicaid expansion could insure nearly 500,000 people and generate $1.4 billion by raising revenue and shifting funding burdens from the state to federal government.
Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, a longtime supporter of the streetcar, is getting concerned about some of the problems surrounding the project. In a memo to the city manager, Qualls suggested putting the streetcar project through "intensive value engineering" to bring the project's budget and timetable back in line — preferably in time for the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The memo was in response to streetcar construction bids coming in $26 million to $43 million over budget — a setback that could cause further delays or more funding problems.
With Councilman Chris Seelbach's strong support, City Council passed a resolution urging the state government to maintain its energy efficiency standards. State Sen. Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican who chairs the Public Utilities Committee, sent out a memo Feb. 1 that pledged to review the state's standards, causing much concern among environmental groups.
Tolls for the Brent Spence Bridge could be as low as $2,
according to financial consultants involved with the project. The tolls
will help pay for the massive rehabilitation project, which gained
national attention when President Barack Obama visited Cincinnati to support rebuilding the bridge.
State Democrats and Republicans have some questions
about the governor's Ohio Turnpike plan. Some Democrats are concerned
the state government won't actually freeze toll hikes at the rate of inflation for
EZPass users. Others are worried
about language in the bill. The plan leverages the Ohio Turnpike to fund a statewide construction program.
The man accused of dumping fracking waste into the Mahoning River in Youngstown was arrested and charged with violating the Clean Water Act.
Dayton wants to help
illegal immigrants who are victims of crime. The Dayton City Commission
approved a $30,000 contract with a law firm to help potential
victims. CityBeat previously covered the recent struggles of children of illegal immigrants in Ohio.
A Dayton Daily News report found Ohio overpays unemployment compensation claims by millions of dollars.
The University of Cincinnati is launching a technology incubator for mobile apps.
In his State of the County address yesterday, Commission President Chris Monzel said Hamilton County is "on the move and getting stronger."
Attorney General Mike DeWine and officials from other states announced a $29 million settlement with Toyota over the unintended acceleration debacle. Ohio will get $1.7 million from the settlement.
A meteor flew over Russian skies and exploded with the strength of an atomic bomb Friday, causing a sonic blast that shattered windows and injured nearly 1,000 people.
Scientists engineered mice that can't feel the cold. Certain people on CityBeat's staff would probably do anything for this superpower, but scientists are probably going to use it to make better pain medication.
The latest batch of bad streetcar news provoked a harsh memo to the city manager's office from Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, a Democrat who has long supported the $125 million transit project. In the memo, Qualls wrote about "serious concerns" regarding the project's costs and timetable.
"Whether people support or oppose the streetcar project, everyone has a vested interest in getting the most for our public dollars and in having the highest confidence in the management of the project," Qualls wrote. "While a council majority has continued to support the project, council has not given the administration a 'blank check.'"
The memo suggested putting the streetcar project through "intensive value engineering" to bring the project's budget and timetable back in line — preferably in time for the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
The memo is in response to streetcar construction bids coming in $26 million to $43 million over
budget. Meg Olberding, city spokesperson, says the bids leave the city with
two options: The city could take up the current bids, which could have their costs brought down upon further review, or the city could reject the
bids and rebid the project, which would cause delays. But Olberding also cautions that the administration is still working on fully reviewing the bids — a process that could take weeks or longer.
Qualls is running for mayor against John Cranley, a former Democratic council member. Cranley has been a vocal opponent of the streetcar project — creating a strong contrast between the two candidates that has placed the streetcar in the center of the 2013 mayoral race.
Earlier today, Cranley held a press conference asking the city to halt the streetcar project. In a statement, he argued it is "irresponsible" to continue work on the streetcar in light of the higher costs.
CityBeat previously covered the streetcar and how it relates to the race between Qualls and Cranley ("Back on the Ballot," issue of Jan. 23).


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Bikeforums.net has opened a Cafepress Store for the members to purchase Branded Logo Wear and gift items to show your BF pride. We're pretty excited about this. Now, this is where you, as community members come in.....
We're having a contest for all registered members to create logos in 4 categories using forum in-jokes. The categories are:
1) I'm a Fred
2) Check Out My Massive Guads
3) Flying Squirrel (for SS/FG)
4) Crank It Up to 400 Watts
Prizes for each category are the first item from the store, of your choice, for the category you win, and Lifetime Upgrade to Titanium Preferred membership. Submissions are to go to the following email address:
The contest official start is Aug 26th and will run for three weeks
The Image requirements are JPGs or PNGs (PNGs are preferred as they are higher quality and have crisper edges)
RGB color mode
No larger than 7MB in file size
Between 100 and 300 DPI to print well (200-300 is preferred)
The rules, etc are in the Global Announcement at http://www.bikeforums.net/announcement.php?a=73


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The Elvis Files Volume 5 : 1969-1970 : Deluxe Hardcover Book : Released
Source: Erik Lorentzen
June 11, 2012 - 2:24:56 PM
Elvis Book News, Elvis News
View our 13 page photo preview of the The Elvis Files Volume 5 : 1969-1970 Hardcover Book.
Buy The Elvis Files Volume 5 : 1969-1970 Hardcover Book
- Every Working Moment
- Every getting to that busy Elvis schedule ... And lots of returning from each project
- Elvis at play (Over 200 newly discovered - seen for the first time)
- Plenty of off set candid Moments
- All the Recording Sessions have pages of Features (Film & Studio)
- All the Interviews
- Elvis In Las Vegas his return to live performances
- The Tours of 1970 are showcased with Many Rare Pictures
- Houston, Phoenix, St. Louis, Detroit, Miami, Tampa, Mobile, Oakland, Portland, Seattle, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oklahoma City and Denver
- Change Of Habit and That's The way It Is are covered in great detail, lots of unseen photos
- With many Surprises - more than 1600 photos on 560 pages
- Lots of 'unseen' 'unpublished' 'amazing images'
We haven't room for great photos that you have already seen. Every section is crammed with beautiful, superb quality, 'new' elvis image moments : this is a labour of love for me, says Erik Lorentzen, author and long time elvis fan, who has found images and information never revealed before.
In Las Vegas, On Tour, Memphis, Hollywood, Hawaii, Nashville & California.
The Elvis Files series covers it all ... and carefully documents almost every single day of Elvis Presley's life from the 1953 to 1977, covering everything from what he wore on stage to whom he meet that day.
Each book contains more than 460 pages packed with over 1200 images, many of them never seen before, with interviews and concert reviews. There is no doubt The Elvis Files series is a Collectors Dream !!!
The Seven-Volume series contains:
The Elvis Files Volume 1, 1953-1956 (December 2012)
The Elvis Files Volume 2, 1957-1959 (November 2010)
The Elvis Files Volume 3, 1960-1964 (April 2010)
The Elvis Files Volume 4, 1965-1968 (December 2011)
The Elvis Files Volume 5, 1969-1970 (April 2012)
The Elvis Files Volume 6, 1971-1973 (April 2013)
The Elvis Files Volume 7 1974-1977 (December 2013)
Size: 25cm (10') x 30cm (12') Glossy & Hardcover....3 kilos / 7 pounds weight.
The Elvis Files Volume 5 1969-1970.
Recommended books : Also by Erik Lorentzen
Elvis : The King Of Hawaii : Hardcover Book : 528 pages, 1300 pictures
Elvis : The King Of Las Vegas : Hardcover Book : 360 pages, 1300 pictures
View all books published by Erik Lorentzen here
View our 13 page photo preview of the The Elvis Files Volume 5 : 1969-1970 : Deluxe Hardcover Book
Buy The Elvis Files Volume 5 : 1969-1970 Hardcover Book
Elvis Presley > Elvis Shop > Elvis Books > The Elvis Files
Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD
Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD + 16 page booklet.
Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever.
This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.
The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.


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http://www.obu.edu/admissions/upcoming-events/ for details or call our office to inquire. We'll be happy to give you details.
http://www.obu.edu/admissions/upcoming-events/ for details or call our office to inquire. We'll be happy to give you details.
Tiger Days are special weekday events where you and your family can get a taste of what life is like at Ouachita. Current students give you an insider's perspective on campus tours, you can visit a class in your field of interest and your parents can attend a Q&A session with university administrators.
8:30 a.m. – Check in, Hickingbotham Hall Lobby
9 a.m. – Opening Program, Young Auditorium (Hickingbotham Hall)
9:30 a.m. – Deans' Sessions, Various Locations
10 a.m. – Students: Attend a Class of Your Choice
10 a.m. – Parents: Campus Tour
11 a.m. – Students: Attend a Class of Your Choice or Take a Campus Tour
11 a.m. – Parents: Administrator Panel, Young Auditorium
12 noon – Lunch, Walker Conference Center
1 p.m. – Residence Hall Tour
Register to attend the Jan. 17 Tiger Day now!
Grab your lunch and join us in the Alumni Room (back of the cafeteria) at noon on Friday, January 31st. It's fine to come in a little late and leave a little early and we'll conclude the workshop around 12:45.
Here is a little bit of information about the Forge:
The Forge is an 8-month Christian leadership training program designed to develop followers and prepare leaders for a lifetime of good works. Designed specifically for young men and women between the ages of 19 and 26, the Forge is an environment for growth and life-change for the next generation of Christian leaders. Also check out our website at http://www.pinecove.com/leadership-training/.


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HUMBOLDT – Humboldt's boys finally got off to a fast start and never looked back in rolling to a 74-39 victory over the Eagle Grove Eagles Friday night (Dec. 7) in the Wildcat gym. The North Central Conference triumph improved the Wildcats' record to 1-2. HHS is now 2-2 overall.
Bryan Larson scored 17 points and Michael Orness hit for 14 to pace Humboldt. Ben Madison added 10. Humboldt returns to action at home on Dec. 11 against Fort Dodge St. Edmond. See the Humboldt Independent Newspaper for complete story and game photos.


text: Join hosts Joe Withee and Rob Rao on Sports Radio 950AM KJR from 8-9am for the "Win Place Show" every Saturday and Sunday.This weekend's guests include:SATURDAY, APRIL 19:Gary West - The veteran turf writer for numerous newspapers and magazines, can also be found in the horse racing section of espn.com. Talking Kentucky Derby and other racing topics.Bob Meeking - Ageless northwest horseman has two runners in at EmD on Saturday and also trains last season's Top Sprinter Polish Dollar. Leslie Mawing - top northwest jockey return to Emerald Downs for 2014 season. Mawing won 2011 EmD title and was runner-up in 2012 before riding in California last year.Sunday, April 20Jon White - Santa Anita broadcaster and handicapper and noteworthy Kentucky Derby historian sorts out the field for the May 3 Run For the Roses. John Lindley - Successful handicapper is back with "Parker's" tip sheet, sold at EmD Customer Service Centers and program stands. "Decide the Derby" contest - tenth and final week - qualifier for $100 win wager on Kentucky Derby


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Quick Links
Antievolution measures dead in New Mexico
With the end of the legislative session on March 17, 2007, all four antievolution measures in the New Mexico legislature are dead.
Tennessee creationist measure losing steam?
Tennessee's Senate Resolution 17 -- which, if enacted, would request the commissioner of education to justify the fact that creationism is not taught in the state's public schools -- may be constitutional, but its sponsor, Senator Raymond Finney (R-District 8), says that he is not sure whether to continue advocating it.
APA opposes teaching "intelligent design" as science
According to a March 1, 2007, press release from the American Psychological Association, "the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association has adopted a resolution opposing the teaching of intelligent design as scientific theory and stating that teaching intelligent design as science undermines the quality of both science education and science literacy."
F. Clark Howell dies
F. Clark Howell, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Supporter of NCSE, died on March 10, 2007, at his home in Berkeley. Born on November 27, 1925, in Kansas City, he received bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from the University of Chicago. Howell taught anatomy at Washington University before returning to the University of Chicago to teach anthropology from 1955 to 1970. In 1970, he moved to UC Berkeley, where he remained until retiring in 1991. He continued to be very active in research and publication until his death.
Reactions to creationist measure in Tennessee
The constitutionality of Tennessee's Senate Resolution 17 -- which, if enacted, would request the commissioner of education to justify the fact that creationism is not taught in the state's public schools -- is under scrutiny.
News Alerts
Subscribe to NCSE's free weekly e-newsletter.
Evolution and Climate Education Update


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For further details regarding our pricavy policies including the use of cookies please click here. For instructions on how to enable cookies please click here. If you need assistance one of our customer service representatives at 1-800-850-7463 would be glad to help.
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Editors Picks
Whispers Blogby Arkansas Business Staff
- Judge Puts Brakes on Parks Lawsuit Against Tyson
- Video: Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Jobs at Sun Paper, Mercy Northwest, GW Communication & Sprint
- Dave & Buster's to Open in June at Grove at Gateway Town Center
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- Pulaski County's Most Expensive Home Sales of 2015 4 days ago


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Keep up to date on the latest escapades of Teal'c as he puts our products through their paces.
Fashionable and Functional
The Best European Leash Now Down Under
We stock only the best and coolest dog accessories from around the world! You won't find these in your local pet store!
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Variable sb1 : SB1. How old were you when you first had sexual intercourse (if ever)?
Type: Continuous
Format: numeric
Width: 2
Decimal(s): 0
Range: 0-99
Valid case(s): 2772 (2818.5)
Invalid: 4201 (4224.6)
Minimum: 0
Maximum: 95
File: wm
Women aged 15-24
Source of information
The eligible woman selected for interview
|Never had intercourse
|First time when started living with first husband/partner
Warning: these figures indicate the number of cases found in the data file. They cannot be interpreted as summary statistics of the population of interest.
Check for the presence of others. Before continuing, ensure privacy. Check WM9: Age of respondent is between 15 and 24? Age 25-49. Go to Next Module Age 15-24. Continue with SB1
Literal question
Now I need to ask you some questions about sexual activity in order to gain a better understanding of some family life issues. The information you supply will remain strictly confidential. How old were you when you first had sexual intercourse (if ever)?
Interviewer instructions
The purpose of this module is to obtain information to help programme managers and policy makers plan more effective family planning/reproductive health programmes. This module is to be administered to all women aged 15-24 (including women age 15 and age 24). Before continuing, ensure that no one else, besides you and the respondent, is present for the interview. If the respondent's privacy cannot be ensured, STOP HERE and do not ask the questions in this module. These questions may be embarrassing for some respondents; therefore, ask them in a matter-of-fact voice and do not make the respondent feel embarrassed by your own behaviour. A common reaction for people who are embarrassed is to giggle or laugh. If you laugh in return or act as if you are embarrassed too, it will make the respondent think that the questions are not serious. Make sure you maintain a serious attitude. --- Check the age of the respondent recorded in WM9. If the respondent is aged 25-49, she is not eligible for this module; check the first box, and go to the next module. If the respondent is aged 15-24 (including age 15 and age 24), check the second box, and continue to the next question, SB1. --- It is very important that you read the first sentence, and to emphasize to the respondent that her responses will remain strictly confidential. If necessary, explain to her once again that the information she shares with you will only be used for statistical purposes; that her name will never be revealed; and her responses will not be shared with others in the community or elsewhere. The age we are asking about is the age of the respondent the very first time she had sexual intercourse. It does not matter whether the woman continued to have a relationship with this person. We are not asking about the first time with her current partner, but rather, the first experience of sexual intercourse in her entire life. There are two ways of asking this question and you will choose which one to ask depending on the particular situation of the respondent. If the respondent has children or is married or living with someone, you will ask "HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU FIRST HAD SEXUAL INTERCOURSE?" If the respondent has not had any children, has never been in a union, you can ask "HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU FIRST HAD SEXUAL INTERCOURSE, IF EVER?" If the response is 'Never had intercourse', circle '00' and skip to the next module. Otherwise, enter the age in years on the line provided. If she was less than 10 years old, use a zero to fill in the first space. If the respondent tells you that her first time was when she started living with her first husband, record her response by circling '95'. You will have collected this information in the Marriage/Union module. If the respondent says that her first time was with her first husband, but it was before they began living together, probe for the respondent's age at the time. If the respondent says she does not know how old she was when she first had intercourse, probe by relating it to how old she was when she first married or had her first child. However, when doing this probing, be certain not to assume that the first time she had sex was at the time of her first marriage. If she has never married and/or never had children, you can probe by relating the timing of the first intercourse to whether she was going to school at the time, or to places that she might have lived. The respondent should feel comfortable in taking her time to think about her response to remember correctly.


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I have an Problem on my 7.1.1 Master/Replica installation. When I restart the zimbra "zmcontrol stop" "zmcontrol start" nginx does not start anymore.
Starting nginx...nginx: [emerg] SSL_CTX_use_certificate_chain_file("/opt/zimbra/conf/domaincerts/mydomain.com.crt") failed (SSL: error:02001002:system library:fopen:No such file or directory error:20074002:BIO routines:FILE_CTRL:system lib error:140DC002:SSL routines:SSL_CTX_use_certificate_chain_file:system lib)
This happens after the first domain where added.
There is no "/opt/zimbra/conf/domaincerts/" folder on my system.
We have no idea why this happens, we don't use an domain certificate (for this installation we don't want any).
Have someone an idea how to fix this?


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what gearing are you TT guys running on your rigs?
I did my 1st TT this past weekend as part of a stage race. On road bike w/ no aerobars and in fact no aero gear at all except my skinsuit and shoecovers that I normally wear for crits. I was in 53x12 and to the point where my cadence was too high to maintain FTP (not spun out, just outside optimal zone).
So, if I'm going to put some time and $ into a TT set up, what gearing do you recommend? Think ubiquitously, for a guy who doesnt want to change out cranks and chainrings and TTs on rolling to flat terrain.


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10 questions about Standard Deviation of a Normal Distribution.
A list of student-submitted discussion questions for Standard Deviation of a Normal Distribution.
To organize ideas, increase comprehension, synthesize learning, demonstrate understanding of key concepts, and reinforce vocabulary using a Quickwrite.
To activate prior knowledge, make personal connections, reflect on key concepts, encourage critical thinking, and assess student knowledge on the topic prior to reading using a Quickwrite.
Students will investigate why and how the SAT is scored to correspond with a normal distribution curve.
This study guide looks at characteristics of a normal distribution curve, the empirical rule, z-score, standardizing normal curve, and approximating binomial distribution.
These flashcards help you study important terms and vocabulary from Spread of a Normal Distribution, Variance of Normally Distributed Data, and Empirical Rule.


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WASHINGTON (WUSA) -- Georgetown's head women's basketball coach, Keith Brown, resigned Thursday afternoon. Brown had been placed on administrative leave following allegations of inappropriate behavior from players on the team. Brown lasted just one season, posting a 15-16 record.
Stacy Kerr, Georgetown's assistant vice president of communication released the following statement.
"Georgetown University sets the highest standards of behavior for our coaches, our athletics staff and our entire university community. Our policy on "Maintaining a Respectful and Professional Relationship with Student Athletes" instills the importance of "providing an environment for student-athletes that is safe, supportive, and founded upon the values of integrity, respect, care, honesty and professionalism."
We expect the highest standards of behavior and professionalism from all members of our university. Actions inconsistent with our values have no place in our community."
We will have more details soon.


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Continuing Education
Continuing Education (CE) advances people by enrolling 40,000 individuals annually in professional development and personal enrichment courses. More than 40% of individuals complete professional development training including CEUs toward a license or certification, while 60% seek personal enrichment opportunities. Each year, CE offers over 3,000 courses at various locations throughout the greater St. Louis region including campuses, extension centers, and community partner locations. Explore our classes...
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Our courses and programs, taught by instructors steeped in their subject areas, are designed to provide you with practical knowledge and skills that will help you launch a new career or advance your current profession. Read more...
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Enrich your life and pursue your interests! Our Personal Enrichment classes are ideal for anyone looking to enhance their knowledge and abilities and get more out of life. Whether you're looking to take up a new hobby, get your household affairs in order or improve your health and wellness, our personal enrichment courses will help you attain your goals. We design courses to help you attain a balance of mind, body and spirit. Read more...
Explore Our Classes
We have professional development courses to advance your career or job search, and personal enrichment courses to enhance your life. Take a peek at our opportunities to advance your life personally and professionally.
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Seagate Savvio 10K.5 ST9900605SS 900GB 10K 6Gbps SFF Serial SCSI / SAS Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) - Brand New
Capacity: 900GB
Spindle Speed: 10,000RPM
Interface Type: SAS Serial Attached SCSI
Disk Size: 2.5inx15mm SFF Server Drive
Sustained Throughput (MBps): 168
Average Seek Time (read/write ms): 3.7 / 4.1
Electrical Interface Speed: SAS-2 Serial Attached SCSI v2 - 6.0Gbps
On-Board Cache: 64MB
Ideal for NAS, SAN and DAS external enterprise storage solutions.
This fifth-generation Savvio 10K.5 drive provides the highest capacity and best reliability available in a small form factor, 10K-RPM enterprise hard drive. This drive enables 3.5-inch to 2.5-inch form factor transition and widespread market adoption of 2.5-inch-based external storage solutions for enterprise OEMs, system designers and end-user organizations. Self-Encrypting Drives (SED) and FIPS 140-2 Validated™ SED security options are available to help you protect your data.
Key Features and Benefits
This drive is compatible with any server that accepts small form factor (SFF) SAS hard drives
Here are a few other SAS related products:
IBM 31R2239 SAS / SCSI SFF Hard Drive Tray / Caddy
Dell G176J / Y961D / G281D 2.5" SAS Hard Drive Tray/Caddy
Dell KF248 / F830C 2.5" SAS Hard Drive Tray / Caddy
HP Proliant 378343-002 2.5" SATA / SAS Hard Disk Tray / Caddy


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Houston high school students enjoy garden-grown produce
Garden produces broccoli, Swiss chard, cabbage and lettuce.
Feb. 9—Cafeteria menus at Pearland Junior High West now feature home-grown vegetables and herbs thanks to a campus garden funded by the Pearland Rotary Club.
Freshly-harvested broccoli, Swiss chard, cabbage and lettuce have found their way onto students' plates, while savory cilantro, rosemary, dill, oregano and parsley season lunch entrees.


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Check out this week's episode for performances, interviews and more. Read More
Lots more rich heritage to explore including one-of-a-kind concerts. Listen Now
The program is available at no cost to community radio stations. Read More
This week we jump in the car with Walter 'Wolfman' Washington for an hour of not just music but also a road trip to a local clothing store. Tune in as we drive and talk about where he got his style, shoes, and his music mentors. We also swing by Willie Mae's Scotch House for a taste of southern food worthy of a James Beard Award. We learn about the secret ingredient to their fried chicken that you can't find in a spice rack.


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You are a fan of lands jackalopes ? Come to discover the best forums lands jackalopes on the internet and share your experience with a community fan of lands jackalopes . You can also build a forum lands jackalopes and create your online discussion.
Dragons Roleplaying Forum is an active and reliable RPG about dragons. We hunt and fly, exploring lost lands and seas. We fly, with freedom, with grace, with POWER.
dragons, roleplaying, forum, hunt, tribes, exploring, traversing, lands!
Unknown Lands : A collection of the world's finest Manga and Anime worlds in one single place. This place also includes a few mysterious sections that only few have yet to see. . .
starfall, unknown, #lands, fairy, tail, dragon, ball, piece, world's, finest, manga, anime, worlds, single, place, this, also, includes, mysterious, sections, that, only, have
A semi AU Log Horizon Rp, with a lack of word counts or RP stats set in a custom server! We're still under construction so please be warned.
A powerful entity claims patronage to each continent, with the lands' faithful inhabitants warring constantly with one another to claim the world for their own agenda.
polemos, forum, role, play, magic, fantasy, patronage, continent, #lands, inhabitants, warring, constantly, claim, world, goddess, city, machine, nature
Enter into an alternate world of fantasy where mythical creatures and long forgotten races still roam the lands. Where will your journey take you?
alternate, world, enter, fantasy, mythical, creatures, long, forgotten, races, roam, #lands, journey, you?
A Neverwinter Nights campaign set in the dying world of Athas. The campaign is based on the 1993 SSI PC game, Dark Sun: Shattered Lands.
dark, shattered, #lands, neverwinter, nights, campaign, dying, world, athas, based, 1993, game
Pokemon Sim is a text based rpg where you can travel the lands of the various regions of the Pokemon world in your quest to be a Pokemon master!


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Can Zimbra be configured to have per-user spam sensitivity? This is 95% of the reason we use procmail right now, and since my understanding is that Zimbra does not support procmail style filters, I am looking for a Zimbra-compatible alternative.
I noticed that you could not choose the SpamAssassin headers as one of the Zimbra filter choices.


text: Home Culture A Love Square: Him, Him, Me and My Kid Ask Demetria: Time to draw boundaries when her ex bribes their daughter for info on her new boyfriend. By: Demetria Lucas D'Oyley Posted: Aug. 2 2012 12:34 AM 0 Thinkstock (The Root) -- "My 6-year-old told her father that my boyfriend stayed over the last two nights. I told her not to talk about what goes on in my house with her father, especially since my boyfriend and her dad don't get along, to the point that they don't speak. I also discovered that her father has been bribing her to get information about me and my boyfriend. What do I do?" --J.E. Your daughter isn't the problem here, but your unrealistic expectations of her are part of it. She's 6, and she's doing what children her age do: Observe and talk about it. A young child should not be responsible for guarding her mother's secrets. No matter how you may feel about your ex, he's an active participant in your child's life, and you should encourage your daughter to have an open and honest relationship with him. By asking her to keep secrets from her father, you are implying that he is somehow outside of the family circle of trust. She may not live in the home with him or see him on a day-to-day basis, but she should be comfortable speaking with him about whatever she wants, including your business. It's selfish to erode the relationship between them to serve your own best interest. To makes things clear, your ex is also wrong. He should know better than to use his daughter as a pawn to get intel on you and your boyfriend. Even if it doesn't take much to get good information from most 6-year-olds, bribing her and turning her into a spy is manipulative. The quick fix here is to make sure your daughter has no grown folks' business to tell your ex. And you can only make sure of that by keeping your daughter in the dark about the juicy details of what you're up to. Have your guy spend the night when your daughter is visiting her father or other times when she is out of the house. If those occurrences happen too few and far between for your desires, you can invite your partner over after your baby girl has gone to bed and send him home in the early morning before your daughter wakes. That's not so convenient, or romantic, but it does address the surface issue. Since this situation has already devolved to the point that the guys don't speak, it's in your best interest to get a therapist or professional mediator involved and wrangle the men for a sit-down. A neutral professional will make sure the guys can hash out their conflict, and you and your ex can get to the root of this bribery business in a solutions-oriented environment. If cost or phobia of professional help is an issue, this situation may be harder to sort out, but it's not impossible. Since you may have the most leverage with your boyfriend, start by explaining to him that his conflict with your ex is affecting your daughter, and you need him to (at least try to) work out his differences with her father. They don't have to become besties, but if they can get to being cordial, that could be a big help in defusing this situation. Calmly ask your ex about what your daughter told you about the bribes. Ask him what it will take for him to knock it off, and see if you can get to the underlying issue of why he wants to be all up in your business. (Continued from Page 1) Of course, the go-to assumption is that he's jealous of your new relationship or bitter about the split and wants to make your life hell. But he could also just be skeptical of the new man in your life with whom he doesn't get along, and that same man is spending more time with his daughter than he does. Another person having more access to your child than you do is a hard pill for most parents to swallow. Because your ex is at the point where he's bribing the child you share, I actually don't expect this conversation to go all that smoothly. I encourage you to focus on problem solving instead of a power struggle, just as the therapist or mediator would. It's not about being right or wrong; it's about having peace and getting your ex out of your business. Demetria L. Lucas is a contributing editor to The Root, a life coach and the author of A Belle in Brooklyn: The Go-to Girl for Advice on Living Your Best Single Life. She answers your dating and relationship questions on The Root each week. Feel free to ask anything at firstname.lastname@example.com. Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Get what we're watching delivered to your inbox everyday! Sign up for our daily video newsletter below. < PREVIOUS PAGE Page 2 of 2 Powered by Livefyre 0


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|Sexson awarded state FFA degree
Perkins County FFA member, Jacob Sexson, was among the 488 Nebraska FFA members who was awarded the State FFA Degree. This award is given to the top members of the State FFA Association. The ceremony took place during the 85th annual FFA Convention held at the Pershing Center in Lincoln. Doug Babbitt (left) is the Perkins County FFA Advisor. (Courtesy photo)


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Hostel in Barcelona – Equity Point Sea
Among our hostels in Barcelona, the Equity Point Sea hostel is located in the Barcelona's Barceloneta district, an old fisherman's neighbourhood built practically on the beach and which maintains all its charm, combined with the best range of paellas, fish and shelfish in Barcelona.
The hostel on the beach in Barcelona
Come to Equity Point Sea Hostel which is directly overlooking the beach front promenade, Equity Point Sea hostel could not be any closer to the famous beaches of Barcelona. Enjoy a hearty breakfast and plan your day while watching the sun rise over the Mediterranean. Our fully refurbished hostel features 4 to 8 bed dorms, fully equipped bathrooms and lively activity programmes.
Why this location for a Barcelona Hostel?
Equity Point hostels has choosen this unbeatable location in Barcelona right in the heart of Barceloneta, a quaint and colourful fisherman's neighbourhood 10 minutes walk from the legendary Ramblas. The area's narrow streets and busy restaurants bustle with life. Enjoy Paella or other typical seafood dish on a sunny terrace.
Check out our activities to find the ones that best suit you: The best music, clubs, tours – you can find it all at this Barcelona hostel
Persons under the age of 18 years are only allowed to stay in private rooms or dormitory rooms that are booked for use of one family or group of persons, and can not share dormitory rooms with other guests. People under 18 years old must travel with their parents or legal tutor.
Credit card payments will be charged with an euro per night and person.
The Equity Point Sea Hostel Services
|• All dorms feature ensuite facilities
• Free internet access
• Free breakfast (coffee, tea, milk, cereals, fruit, toasts, etc…)
• Free bottom linen and pillow case
• Barcelona information desk, activities and tours
• Bar
• Common room
• Basic kitchen
• Wi-fi
• Wheelchair friendly hostel
• 24 hours reception
• No lockout
• No curfew
• Security lockers
• Luggage storage
• Lift / elevator
• Credit card accepted: Visa & Mastercar
• No pets allowed
• Check in 2 PM
• Check out 10 AM
General information
Plaça del Mar 1-4 , 08003 Barcelona