text:
Forgot Password? | Not a User? Sign up
Your browser does not support iframes.
The Colorado Horsecare Foodbank, which was started last year by Evergreen resident Juliana Lehman, continues to help horse owners who are down to their last straw.
And now the organization is looking for a little help from local residents in an effort to land a $50,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project. The money would enable the nonprofit to buy haying equipment and harvest donated fields of hay for horse owners in need.
Brett Champine
American Family Insurance agent
Experience on nonprofit boards
Christ the King Church, finance board
Educational background
University of Colorado at Boulder, business/real estate
Family information
Married, two kids
Age: 46
Length of residence in Evergreen/neighborhood you live in
The Island, five years, Evergreen for 15 years
Why you are running for the park board?
Roger Hoaglund
Business owner, Sage Telecommunications
Incumbent member of park district board, elected in 2006; treasurer, Tanoa Homeowners Association, eight years
BA in math, MBA in finance from Vanderbilt University
Married, two dogs
Age: 47
Length of residence in Evergreen/neighborhood you live in
In Evergreen 12 years, Tanoa
Why you are running for the park board.
A fire at Keys on the Green on April 16 caused about $50,000 in damage to the roof and walls of the restaurant.
A call for a possible structure fire came in at 9:24 a.m. to Evergreen Fire/Rescue, and it was initially thought the fire was in the kitchen, according to Fire Chief Garry Dejong. When firefighters arrived, the building was being evacuated.
"When we got there, there was smoke coming from the eaves," Dejong said. "It was pushing out pretty good."
Our mountain communities lie across the foothills above Denver like a string of shining pearls. Evergreen is at the geographic center of that string and often becomes the hub for groups and events that embrace the many communities in the greater mountain area. The Mountain Area Earth Day Fair has drawn the eco-minded from all areas to Evergreen for more than 20 years and has become the hub that brings together the organizations, nonprofit groups, government agencies, schools and businesses in our area that share a passion for sustainability in our communities.
After serving as a member of the Evergreen Fire Protection District board since November 2007, George Goldbach officially seconded his last motion at the regular meeting April 13.
"I have to tell you how hard this was, sitting on this side of the table for a change," said Goldbach, who has had a 50-year career in the fire service as a paid professional, including a stint as chief of West Metro Fire Rescue.
"This is the end of a 50-year love affair," Goldbach said.
The 2010 Ice Melt Barrel on Evergreen Lake officially hit water on Monday, April 12, at 14:35:43, but two days after the steel drum was spotted in a floating position, the barrel disappeared off everyone's radar screens.
It was the latest splashdown in the four-year history of the fund-raiser, which is staged by Mountain Foothills Rotary members.
The Evergreen Park and Recreation District has received a $107,000 Open Space Joint Venture Grant to make landscaping and other outdoor improvements at Evergreen Lake. The district is projected to spend $43,000 for a total project cost of $150,000.
Based on the grant application, the bulk of the money, or $77,000, is to add 2 inches of asphalt to the parking lot "to even it out and clean it up," said Dick Wulf, park district consultant. "It's not in very good shape."
An Evergreen man accused of killing his older sister was charged Thursday morning with two counts of first-degree murder, four counts of sexual assault and one count of robbery.
Zachariah Thomas Santaguida, 18, appeared in Jefferson County District Court for an advisement hearing in Judge Margie Enquist's courtroom. His preliminary hearing is set for 8 a.m. June 25.
All through late March, there have been reports of large flocks of blackbirds moving through the area: 150 in Kerr Gulch, 200 in Kittredge, 100 at Morrison, etc.
We also have had more red-winged blackbirds at Evergreen Lake than there were this winter, so that means some migrants have arrived. The flock is much more talkative than it was, and males are displaying their red-shoulder epaulets, which indicate that some females have arrived and picked out nesting sites that must be defended.
Copyright © 2016
Canyon Courier is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Evergreen, Colo, and the surrounding area.


text:
What part am I missing? FTP Server, FTP Client FileZilla, MySQL and PHP
View Single Post
Go4Expert Member
Yes, thank you I understand much better what I'm working with now
The part about MySQL shown with phphinfo() seems to be installed, it shows a version and where to find socket-, include- and lib-files however the username and passwords are all blank so I don't think it've been configured properly.
The thing now is that I don't see the config-files or any files in FileZilla (FTP client, the server isn't mine) apart from the web-pages. I get quite a few tutorials with my searches but they all explain how to install everything from scratch on your own machine. I can see configure commands at the top of phpinfo but they seem to be arguments to where to find the config-files, and I sitll can't see them.
I can't find an answer to this so I'll ask, can I change the config-files (like the MySQL-config) with FileZilla? Should they be seen in the directory tree? Or do I have to contact the admin and let him go through the MySQL-configuration again and set a username and password? I've checked the options to show hidden files but they don't seem to be there, also trying to reach for example /var/mysql says "no such directory or file", so they really don't seem to be there.
I don't really think I should be able to get to the /var/mysql-folder, FileZilla doesn't give me access to his machine, only the Apache web server which only makes the web-pages available. Then through FileZilla I can change what files it makes available, however I'm hoping I'm wrong
Also to add a little answer to my first post: I was also thinking about a program like SQLyog to remotly create tables and such to the database. I still need the username/password for it to work though

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This Week's Schedule
Saturday, June 25th 1:00 - Joint Sail with Derby City Sailing Club
Sunday 11:00 - Laser RacingSunday 2:15 - Highlander Racing
Tuesday 6:00 PM - Sunfish Racing
Thursday 6:00 PM - Family Sailing - Bring the kids, the family or friends and spend a relaxing evening on the water.
Read on...
THE LOUISVILLE SAILING CLUB was established in 1955, and its riverfront properties were purchased at this same time. Charter members numbered seventeen persons, most of whom were formerly members of Louisville Turners.
Their purpose in founding the club is described in the Articles of Incorporation
Through the years the foremost sailing interest of the majority of active members has been directed to the racing of centerboard sailboats of various one-design classes. Thus the major activities of the club center around the races scheduled every Saturday and Sunday afternoon, June through October. Race results are compiled for the season for a presentation of trophies at the annual awards banquet in November. Annual invitational one-design regattas are sponsored by the several club fleets. Most of the social activities of the club are focused on these same events along with celebrating the national holidays. Sailing lessons and instructions in the rules of sailboat racing are occasionally conducted by club members.
Since both racing and fellowship are more easily achieved among members who belong to one-design classes. priority consideration is given to new applicants who have boats belonging to one of the already established fleets. There are no launching facilities for keelboats or catamarans.
From the beginning club membership has consisted mostly of families, and the minimal membership dues are made possible because each member contributes manual labor towards the maintenance and improvements of club properties. Likewise, dry docking fees are among the lowest on the river and vary according to the OAL and OAW of the individual boat. You are welcome to submit a membership application for review.
We invite you to take a look at our location map and come visit on the weekend during the months of June through October. Members will be there to greet you usually during race activities between the hours of 2:00 and 5:00 pm EST.
Good sailing!


text:
[FIC] Star Wars: Invisible Hope
View Single Post
Join Date
: Jan 2004
: Mumbai
: 9,380
Part II: Facing the Unexpected
The droids advanced relentlessly, as if the shields had made no difference. The Super Battle Droids readied themselves, aiming their wrists at the clones. Battle droids raised their blaster rifles and their sharpshooters took aim. Snipers separated from the mass, attempting to take cover before they get blasted to smithereens. Anti-armour droids crouched on a knee loading their rocket launchers. The other droids moved around them with a chilling silence. The mass closed in, now only a hundred metres away from the first shield.
Fire! Lt. Wefive announced, and blue blaster fire erupted from the slope. The droids, seemingly undaunted by the shields, opened fire which was effectively blocked by the shields. SBDs fired their wrist-mounted blaster cannons, which too were stopped. Droids fell and broke, oil splattered around and yet the tan-and-grey mass of droids loomed closer. Clone snipers aimed and shot accurately, aiming for SBD heads. The droid snipers, too found their way around the shield and began shooting the slope. Their sharp fire got a trooper, who was shooting off mercilessly.
Take those snipers out! Anti-Armour on SBDs! Sgt. Eff-jay barked. The droid snipers were blasted easily, as they had failed to take cover. Anti-Armour troops slid down the slope and took appropriate cover. Taking off their bulky rocket launchers, they reloaded them and fired at the SBDs who were hit rather badly and flew around like play-droids. Unfortunately, an inexperienced clones fire landed straight on a shield generator, eliminating the third shield and his chance for promotion. As the others cursed him, he shot down battle droids.
The battle droids began entering through the shields. By now there were only a couple of clone casualties, but the number of downed droids was beyond count. Wind struck suddenly, toppling dead parts and rocks alike. SBD torsos that were still firing and limping flew away. Lt. Wefive ordered all to seek cover from the wind. But he used the wind to his advantage. The wind was going perpendicular to the battle droid charge. Lt. Wefive took out a couple of thermal detonators and threw them into the wind. They flew fast, and hit the left flank of the invading force. However, the blast broke the first shield generator as well.
There were only some twenty droids left in full condition, when the last droid entered the shields. The battle was now in full swing with radio chatter everywhere and unpredictable gusts of wind in almost any direction. Clones were strong and fought till their last, leaving very little room for casualties. The Battle droids were defeated easily, but the SBDs were unstoppable. Rockets had been used up and using grenades was far too dangerous in the close-quarters battle. Snipers made easy targets for the SBD cannons as did the close packs of clones.
A good forty-five minutes had passed since the beginning of the battle when the last battle droid was shot and destroyed. Then began a scrutiny to check for any surviving droids and the number of casualties. Eventually, it was found that the Clones had suffered only but six casualties in total. The fourteen-strong squad now stood victorious in the battlefield of scattered metal and splattered oil.
This is Lt. W-E5S! RAS Shredda, do you copy?
We copy, Lieutenant! Report status.
We faced a seventy-five strong droid charge. We have six casualties and our ammo is a little out. We have no readings of further hostilities.
Understood, Lieutenant. The static, which was mild up to now grew and the communication was being interrupted.
RAS RAS? Do you copy? We need further advice RAS Shredda!?
The static was now too much to continue communication. Lt. Wefive turned his comlink off and looked about, considering what couldve broken the communication. He glanced upwards. A gunship was approaching in their direction and the Republic Assault Ship was seen, pointing out into the infinite space out of the Durankhian atmosphere.
The clones now looked over at the slick gunship approaching and there was silence for a while. Lt. Wefive stood firm, gazing at the gunship. The silence was broken soon. Sgt. Ay-See had spotted something and expressions of awe escaped his mouth and into his comlink. What is it, Sergeant? A trooper asked.
Enemies! Mechs! Spider droids, a couple of hailfires and a mammoth droid army is advancing, sir! We dont have a chance!
Lt. Wefive checked on his own visor. The vision took some time to be activated, but it was clear, the forces advancing towards them were droids and mechs were their vanguards. The gunship landed, but no one saw it. The first spider droids became clear on the horizon. Tall, stilted droids with a deadly laser arsenal. Their smaller counterparts, the Advanced Dwarf Spider Droids (ADSDs) trudged along, their hungry cannons scanning for targets. And then rolled in the Hailfire Droids, a missile battery between two tilted wheels moving at breakneck speeds.
Lt. Wefive took a step back and began full retreat. All! Board the gunship and get out of here! This is too much for us!
The clones rushed towards the gunship, as the clone pilots frantically made communication with Lt. Wefive. Sir! Our gunship has capacity of just upto ten. Your party looks bigger than ten.
You will follow my orders, you understand? Well get into the ship, and you will fly us to RAS Shredda. Now shut up. Was the reply he got. All he could answer was a typical Yes, Sir.
As soon as the last troop set foot on the gunship, it lifted. Troops stood inside, clutching the ceiling handles, some sat on the edge of the gunship. Four positioned themselves in the turrets. The droids were clearly visible now and the bigger droids were much closer now. The gunship, after reaching a particular height, turned towards RAS Shredda and began its high-speed burst.
Immediately laser fire burst from the surface and was responded by frantic shooting from the gunship and its turrets. But it was too late, as the Hailfire missiles trailed the gunship and eventually it was hit. Luckily, it was one of the turrets that was hit. The second one missed it. A third finally connected the gunship at the middle of the bottom. A fourth hit the jets, causing a huge explosion. Clones fell from the gunship, and Lt. Wefive found himself cursing the droids.
Clone pilots hit the buttons, but it was over. They knew it was over. The gunship was losing altitude and the high-speed wind was only increasing the already fast gunship. The ground loomed closer and closer. Nobody said a word, but all expected the moment, when the gunship would hit the ground and a ragdoll-fest would kill all clones. It was there, in that moment of terror that a news of hope arrived.
Sir! Our Repulsorlift is still active! We can hover over this planet, sir! But its gonna be hard. The repulsion would
Before the pilot could finish his sentence, the ships repulsorlift kicked in and the ship bobbed up and down, before reaching a level altitude above the surface. More troops fell out, but the impact wasnt much. The gunship was now a much slower pace and nearly down. Suddenly the repulosrlift fell and the ship dropped to the surface, grinding to a halt. Clones lay scattered around, marking the path the ship travelled. Some lay fallen on the ground, some were getting up, rubbing their heads.
Lt. Wefive got up and scanned himself. His armour was dusty and so was everybody elses. The droids were just a line on the horizon and their mechs were tiny silhouettes. The gunship was badly damaged and one clone pilot had suffered fatal injuries. The other dropped out of the devastated gunship. Lt. Wefive switched on his comlink, which was enveloped in static.
All troops, regroup at me! All troops, regroup! We are going to make it through this. We are, believe me!
Nine troops limped towards the lieutenant. Sgt. Eff-jay wasnt with them.
you may:
quote & reply
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by Sabretooth


text:
Back in November, I got my hands on the Timex Run Trainer and I've been using it everyday since then. And not just for its functionality as a GPS-enabled fitness watch but as an everyday watch as well. So now I've got over five months of experience of using this and I want to provide an update to the previous review, which was only based on having it for about a week.
I still think the watch is literally huge and at least 20%-25% of size could easily be shaved off to make something less unwieldy. Again, my Garmin FR210 has 90% of the same software functions and is half as large. Just to give you an idea of the size difference, here's a shot of the FR210 on top of the TRT itself.
If they make a 2012 or 2013 version of this watch, they need to seriously shrink it down. Size aside, the weight is hardly noticeable once you wear it after a while, I hardly ever notice it on my wrist unless it gets caught on something because it's so damned large; I can barely put my motorcycle jacket on without either taking the watch off or undoing the cuffs to their largest diameter first. But enough about its mammoth girth.
This thing seriously needs a new strap design. The stiff rubber doesn't conform to any wrist shape I've ever seen in my entire life, but it's perfectly round enough to fit around a bottle with no issue. Conversely, the Garmin FR910XT makes use of an ingenious design: make one arm of the strap swing freely like an actual watchband. Imagine that, a technology company using a piece of design tech from a regular watch, something Timex has made since 1854. Seeing this literally blows my mind, they got scooped at their own game. I cannot decide if Timex designed the Run Trainer to fit bicycle bars or bottles, but it wasn't made for a human wrist, that's for sure.
Indiglo still sucks horribly but I've learned when to use it most effectively. It's truly only useful well into the night, it's pointless at or around dusk. Fiddling with the contrast helps some but I still firmly believe that a color inversion on the display would work better, something Suunto has done with success. The actual brightness has taken some getting used to as well, but it's usable. Not great but not bad, but not really good either. It's there, so you use it or you don't.
While its functionality is still designed by engineers — you can tell a UI or UX designer never came close to touching this thing — getting acclimated to how it works does not take very long, especially if you read the manual. It still has operational or design quirks that I think would have been normal 5 years ago but should never occur today (e.g. all sensors stay on until you manually turn them off, I don't know of any fitness watch that doesn't turn those functions off after X minutes). Luckily, this is 100% fixable through a firmware update but getting Timex to actually fix that is another point altogether. Their support on their Facebook page is extremely responsive but does not always follow through.
To get the data off the watch, you have to use Training Peaks' Device Agent, which isn't bad, but it's another engineer-designed app, just like their website. It's all about getting data in front of your eyeballs, regardless of format or how it looks. Besides the fact that TrainingPeaks' website is god awful confusing for most people to use, locking users into using it is a very poor choice, especially for first time users. I'm not saying Timex or TP should debut a site as easy to use as Garmin Connect, but they do need to make strides to make the site (and software) far more usable for those users that aren't high-level athletes with coaches. Or they need to do something else: allow easy export (in part or whole) of your data into a .FIT file or similar file format. I've searched their forums and tried everything in TP's site but there's no easy way to export your data to any other service such as Garmin Connect, RunKeeper, Endomondo, or anything else. Instead, you have to rely on exporting the .PWX.GZ file generated by the Timex Run Trainer and then using a 3rd party site to convert to .FIT, .KML or another format for use on other services, which tends to not be the most reliable data output you'll get. These results tend to be hit-and-miss at best, with data points getting dropped, munged, or other data left out altogether. The
worst fun part about this is you have to export each workout data set one-by-one and TrainingPeaks have no plans to offer any type of mass export. They want to keep your data in their analytics package and do not want to let you have data portability. And if you want any type of advanced analytics, you have to pay for their premium package, all to get the same results from other services that offer it for free. While this isn't necessarily a problem with Timex, it is their problem in that they only allow you to have one single data output format and analytics dashboard, but the other problem lies with TrainingPeaks to make getting your data out of their walled garden difficult, much to the dismay of their own users. I have a feeling this partnership came to fruition because Timex has a share in TrainingPeaks and making sure its use grows. Companies need to realize, as end users, we like choice and options to view our data and forcing us to use a single application to view that data is not a wise decision. If I'm paying over $200 for the Timex Run Trainer, the least they could do is pair it with a free year of premium TrainingPeaks access — I realize there is a "special" Timex-branded dashboard account you can get but it only offers up a few free training plans (all of which are only useful for marathoners or triathletes) and one or two extra analytics options, none of which is any use to me. The upside to getting the branded dashboard is that it removes TP's annoying ads.
If you like using a footpod, just get yourself a Forerunner 210 or a much more expensive watch. For whatever reason, Timex decided that if you use both the GPS and a footpod at the same time, the watch needs to trust the footpod over the GPS for distance and speed data. That's right: it uses the footpod over the GPS…BY DESIGN. That's great if you're running on a treadmill but then, you don't even use the GPS anyway, you're inside. Every other watch will combine the data from both to give even more accurate results or will switch over to the footpod for distance and speed when there is weak or no GPS signal. With the Timex Run Trainer, you get the choice of using the GPS or the footpod, not both. Timex designed it this way on purpose, which is why I've never even synced my footpod with the watch.
The watch has different activity modes for stuff like walking, hiking, running, cross-training, and so on. But the manual doesn't talk about them at all so there's no explanation of why these modes are there, why you can configure them, or if they calculate the data slightly differently. The only reason I can see for them being in the watch is so that when you import the data to TrainingPeaks, it can be automatically color-coded for that particular activity. Other than that, I've found literally no difference in how 'run' and 'crosstrain' are used or calculated. They could excise this "feature" altogether and use the extra bits to make the backlight time out configurable.
Honestly, most of my complaints 5 months down the road in owning this are almost identical to the ones I had after using it for a week. I'm used to them now, but that doesn't make them any less annoying or boneheaded. If Timex doesn't fix such rather simple issues in their next iteration of a GPS-based watch, they should seriously consider not making them any longer. This is a crowded field and is getting more crowded by the year, and while Timex has only made two GPS watches (three if you count the soon-to-be released Marathon GPS T5K638 which removes HRM functionality), they're getting beaten by everyone else, including the Soleus 1.0 which is the first GPS-based watch from Soleus and pretty much everyone loves it. If Timex is getting beat by someone as small as Soleus, they have little chance of stealing market share from Garmin or people armed with smartphones and Wahoo Bluetooth dongles.
After my first week of using the watch, I hated the mushy, crappy buttons. Well, my mind has changed a little over time, but only a little. I still hate the mushy feedback and the fact that I hit them randomly from time-to-time with the back of my hand, but I've come to enjoy the feel of them. They're huge buttons, that's a definite plus. The mushy action does help prevent accidental presses sometimes but doesn't always succeed, it's a very mixed bag. But this mushiness is a champ when you're slogging through a mud run or heavy rain and the waterproof rubber under those buttons keeps the watch running. Timex gets an A for the idea, B- for effort. They could have rubberized the outside of the buttons and made them 100% waterproof with a really good functional amount of button travel. Maybe in the future. Perhaps they'll poach some of Garmins design engineers to do this since they've done it for a few generations now.
Last time, I thought the backlight timeout was too short and by default, it is. But I recently discovered that if you hold the INDIGLO button down until it beeps three times in succession, the backlight stays on. WIN! On every night run I do, I leave the light on the entire time now. I just wish it mentioned this in the manual. By measure, you need to hold down the INDIGLO button for about 8 seconds before it beeps three times.
I can now say that this thing is certainly water-resistant to 50 meters just like it says. Between a million showers (both in rain and in my bathroom), gallons of sweat, some beer, gobs of mud, and even slogging through saltwater, this thing hasn't quit and died on me from water exposure. Even when I press those mushy buttons covered in mud, they still function and my watch continues to live. Although, a thorough cleaning of the watch after any activity involving something other than water or sweat is highly advised. So far, it's built tougher than I am. The thick plastic face doesn't hurt either, it's extremely well sealed on my watch.
I know the watch is huge but the biggest upside to that is you get huge numbers on that display. During a run, I have my heart rate displayed in the middle on a 3-line display and there's no mistaking or mis-reading the numbers because they're huge. I would say that in a 3-line configuration, the middle data display is approximately one-half inch, absolutely HUGE compared to other watches. Definite plus. This large face translates well to running a 4-line display as well and I use that as my main display during non-running workout sessions. If I could configure it to a 2-line display, I probably would.
Certainly lending to its large size and tough outer plastic face, this thing is built tough. I've slammed it countless times against counter tops, bars, barbells, my kettlebell, and other tough surfaces and the body itself shows little to no signs of wear. Let's just say I think it's built like a plastic tank, tough but by no means indestructible. When I ran the Georgia Spartan Sprint a week ago, my watch face finally fell victim to a massive 400 foot long mud crawl, it's now covered in scratches. The face is still readable but the plastic is no longer shiny and scratch-free, but matted and dull. Granted, I think just about any other watch would have given up the ghost, but the Timex Run Trainer is still working. Now I just hope getting a new screen replacement is easy.
I love, love, love the EAT and DRINK timers because, well, they're super helpful. When I use them, I have them set up for every 15 minutes or so because I know in a 5k race, that will be about the same time we hit the first water/aid station so I can train in a nearly identical atmosphere to an actual race (they're useless in an obstacle course race though unless you have a hydration belt or pack). But I've also used them as alert timers for doing drills such as push-ups or dive bombers during runs, just to kick things up a notch. Really, not much to talk about here since it's just a timer that goes off at an interval you set.
Now that I've used this watch nearly everyday for almost 5 months straight, I've got a considerable amount of experience with it, as you can see. I've used this watch as both my daily to-wear watch and for every exercise I've done since I got it, the only time it has left my wrist was either to charge or after cleaning it from race-related debris. While it's not the most fashion-forward watch, it's not a garish eye sore either. The watch is in a tough field with a ton of choices and for the price, it does everything $400-plus watches do at half the cost, which is a definite plus. But the real question is this: would I ever recommend it to my friends as their first GPS-enabled fitness watch?
I'd just tell them to get a Forerunner 210. Why? Now, I love the fact that I get most of the functionality from Timex's own Global Trainer and Garmin's 400, 600, and 910XT series for under $250USD, but there are drawbacks. It's rather confusing and daunting to use at first and I think that even my technology-savvy programmer friends would find this tough to use. It's built-to-last but that makes it big, bulky, and ugly and ill-fitting. I know for a fact that this thing will last me a year's worth of swimming and mud crawls before it dies unless I do something stupid with it first. INDIGLO could be great, but it's not, it's 20 year old technology that functions like it did 20 years ago. The display could use some design enhancements (ref: Suunto's new Ambit, its display is gorgeous) but it's infinitely more readable than others on the market. Once you get used to TrainingPeaks and how it works, it provides an excellent way to analyze your workout data, just don't expect to use that data in RunKeeper. If this watch were Timex's first foray into the GPS-enabled watch world, I'd say they did a good enough job and have a very stable platform to build on but since this is now their second watch released since 2010, this second generation watch should have been a vast improvement over the Global Trainer rather than acting as an incremental upgrade at a lower cost (albeit, minus much more advanced features as well). If they want to stay in this market, they're going to have to really step up their game to come close to gaining traction.
Right now, I've got my complaints but the Timex Run Trainer serves nearly all of my needs without fail and until something super-ridiculous-amazing comes out to replace it (from any company), I'll keep using it because its function in obstacle course racing is unparalleled in its price range.


text:
UMass Athletics:
Recently in Ben Gallacher Category
Listen to the podcast of the November 18, 2014 edition of the Bud Light UMass Hockey Show live from the Blue Room in Chicopee featuring head coach John Micheletto and player guests Steven Guzzo and Ben Gallacher previewing matchups against Boston College and Vermont.
Dick Baker of the Springfield Republican has a story on Ben Gallacher who transferred to UMass from Ohio State. Gallacher is one of four Minutemen who hail from Calgary.
Nick Canelas features one of UMass' nine newcomers, sophomore defenseman Ben Gallacher, in this piece from the Daily Collegian's Hockey Preview Issue:
Ben Gallacher is your everyday laid back guy from Alberta, Canada.
He's a college student who tries not to take life too seriously. He enjoys hanging out with friends and has a supportive family.
Just two years ago, he taught himself how to play the guitar by watching instructional videos on YouTube, and now it's simply become another relaxing hobby for him. He likes to percussively strum the tune of songs by alternative and indie folk artists such as Ben Harper and Bon Iver. It's nothing mainstream, but it's just the way he likes it.
"I'm not playing Avicii on my guitar," Gallacher said. "I'm an acoustic guy. It's really mellow."
Like many young Canadians, there's also another important hobby that Gallacher is more passionate about than anything else: playing hockey.
Read more of Ben Gallacher has a new chance at big dreams at UMass


text:
Fifty-five years ago, Augusta Christian Schools opened its doors with one kindergarten class of eight students and one teacher.
Today, enrollment exceeds 600 students from grades K3 through 12th.
"You never know how small beginnings will end," said Lynn Wilkerson, the director of school activities.
"We have continued to be Christ-centered in everything we do," said Headmaster Dr. David Piccalo. "It's a blessing to know that we're doing that and impacting the lives of children for the Kingdom."
It's an impact that crosses generations.
Thunder Over Augusta is returning to Evans on Saturday, and this year could involve real thunder.
The National Weather Service forecast calls for a 40 percent chance of showers starting around noon Saturday, with a chance of thunderstorms late in the evening.
Activities for the patriotic celebration will run from noon to 10 p.m. at the park. Admission is free. Traffic will be diverted around the park starting at 8 a.m. Saturday to provide pedestrian access from parking at Marshall Square, with streets reopening at midnight.
The following accounts were taken from reports from the Columbia County Sheriff's office:
Male shoplifters caught using purse for thefts
Two Hephzibah men were arrested Thursday after they were caught using a purse to shoplift from Walmart.
Altaye Levelle Knight, 20, and Nathaniel James Pace III, 18, both of Storey Mill Estates, were charged with shoplifting.
The chancellor of the Georgia Board of Regents will be the speaker for the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce breakfast Wednesday, and organizers are hoping recent GRU controversies don't overshadow his visit.
Henry "Hank" Huckaby, entering his second year as chancellor of the state's 31 public colleges and universities, is instead expected to discuss issues of higher education relevant to the chamber's business-minded members, said the chamber's president and CEO, Tammy Shepherd.
Rachael Cundey could probably figure the odds of being chosen to be highlighted during the upcoming Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Of the 281 spellers competing in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, May 29 and Thursday, May 30, Cundey was one of only five selected to be profiled.
Cundey, who will be competing in her fifth and final bee a year after finishing 10th, spent time with an ESPN producer and camera crew for a few days this week.
"It's exciting to have all this attention but it's also a little overwhelming," said Cundey.
Pedestrian robbed along Appling road
A man called authorities early Tuesday stating he'd been robbed at gunpoint while walking along an Appling road.
The 35-year-old said he was walking east on Cobbham Road at Marshall Road at about 5:30 a.m. when a white passenger car passed him. The car turned around and pulled up beside him.
Michele Sherman and Renee Cribb can celebrate a special bond on Mother's Day.
It took both sisters, and help from a higher power, to bring one little girl into the world.
Sherman served as a surrogate for her sister's baby, Sara Grace Cribb, now 5 years old.
"We were overwhelmed," said Cribb, who is mother to a son, David Shaw, 20. "It was just a gift that was just so selfless and we knew it came from the heart, that she loved us and that's why she wanted to do it. It was an offer we certainly couldn't refuse."
Columbia Industrial Boulevard in Evans could be closed for about a month once construction starts on the extension of River Watch Parkway.
The Georgia Department of Transportation plans to discuss that detour and other details of the parkway's extension during an open house set for 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 14 at the Evans Government Center Auditorium, according to an announcement from the DOT.
A tax increase likely will be one of the options for filling a nearly $5 million deficit when Columbia County's school board meets Tuesday.
At a budget hearing this past week, Superintendent Charles Nagle painted a gloomy outlook for next school year's budget, telling board members that years of state funding cuts, state-mandated health insurance increases and rising enrollments have left few options for balancing next year's $178 million budget.
"This is the sixth budget I've presented, and it's probably the worst," Nagle said.
Columbia County News-Times ©2016. All Rights Reserved.


text:
LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – Robel Phillipos of Cambridge, 19, has been arrested as the third new suspect in the Boston bombing case. Robel Phillipos has been charged with allegedly making false statements to officials investigating the case the Boston bombings.
The Robel Phillipos federal criminal complaint was just released to news. He is charged under 18 USC Section 101(a)(2) for "knowingly and willfully make materially false statements to federal investigators in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the United States to wit a terrorism investigation." No Facebook nor Twitter account has yet to be identified for Robel. But at least one man mentioned in his criminal complaint does appear on the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Russian Facebook account.
Suspects Pictures Set 1
Suspects Photo 1
Suspects Photo 2
Suspects Photo 3
Suspects Photo 4
The complaint obtained by LALATE moments ago asserts that Robel Phillipos was "another friend of Tsarnaev" and that he "knowingly and willfully made material false statements to federal law enforcement investigators during a terrorism investigation."
Suspects Pictures Set 3
Suspects Photo 9
Suspects Photo 10
Suspects Photo 11
Suspects Photo 12
The complaint assert that a confession was finally given on April 26, 2013 allegedly by Robel Phillipos. It assets that he allegedly "confessed that he lied to the agents during his previous interview. He was then re-interviewed and an agent prepared a written statement based on the interview."
Suspects Pictures Set 2
Suspects Photo 5
Suspects Photo 6
Suspects Photo 7
Suspects Photo 8
Robel Phillipos allegedly admits that the entered Tsarnaev's dorm room on April 18, 2013 and removed a backpack from the room. He says he did "not understand the majority of what …. were saying because they were speaking in Russian."


text:
Mercenary Crew: Bounty Hunters: Jewels of the Core
Episode 2: Jewels of the Core
With no bounty collected and two crewmembers killed on their last mission, the Scimitar was once again looking for another job. An easier one, and preferably, one that paid well. Ok, well, maybe one that just paid period.
Jyot stood in engineering, eyes closed and listening to the sounds of the engines. Hed been on board long enough that he could just tell by the sounds and the vibrations if anything was amiss. Right now, things were running smoothly. And it was a good place for him to do some thinking.
Ali had remained behind on Bryndar. Even thought she had stated it was because she wanted to stay to salvage the Republic ship, Jyot knew that wasnt the reason. Ali had never been that greedy for cash. She like adventure, sure, but the money had always been secondary. She had stayed because she didnt want to continue with the Scimitar. Her relationship with Jyot, the stress of the situations they had facedit had all been too much for her to bear and still keep up her icy public front.
Jyot had understood. He didnt make a big deal out of it, or cause an embarrassing scene for her. He just shook her hand politely, smiled, gave her a peck on the forehead, and wished her good luck. Another love lost, but there were plenty more women out there. The Galaxy was a big place.
Which lead him to think about where they were headed next. They had new crew aboard. They needed a job. They were on the Outer Rim. So, naturally, Alec had decided to visit Space Station A12-76--a pit stop in the middle of the Galaxy, a place to gather info, re-supply, get a drink, check mail, and chat with a contact of the captains who went by the name of Zeek. If anyone had a job going around here, Zeek would either know about it or, at the very least, point them in the right direction.
Jyot exhaled meditatively. Now that the job with the Jedi was over and done with, they could go back to hunting more normal bounties. He liked that. Normal was good.
((OOC: Ok, so since weve got new crew on board, now might be a good time for them to explore the ship and give their opinions of their new jobs. We should be docking on the Space Station in under an hour.))
Alec sat by the console in his cabin rubbing the space between his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. He had this unending headache the last day, since they left Bryndar, he ad a theory what was causing it, but that would mean he was insane. He heard an almost constant unintelligible whisper, sometimes the familiar voice of the Jedi that died saving his life and he had even seen her for a brief second just after they left the icy world.
He couldnt concentrate or sleep for all the noise he could hear inside his head, If he wasnt insane, he would be soon.
Alec was going to wait until he got to A12-76 before hed try to get something to help with this problem, but it was too much for him to handle. He stood up and walked out of the room taking the short few steps to the Med-bay. Anyone here? He called.
((Joint post with SM))
From the other side of the operating bed/table, Raelyn's voice answered. "Your new doctor rearranged the place, and then thought he ought to be sleeping," she murmured. Then, she stood, rising into view from behind the bed. "I can wake him if you like..."
"That won't be necessary," Alec stated. "Just point in the direction of the headache pills."
Raelyn smiled faintly and shook her head. "No," she said softly. "Point one, I haven't a clue where they are. Point two, they won't help you."
"I thought your brother was the doctor and you were just his odd little sister," Alec grumbled as he walked over to one of the cabinet and opened it to look for some pills.
Raelyn laughed. "He is, and I am," she replied simply. She quickly added, "Just... don't rearrange things... Cole gets cranky when that happens."
She fell silent for another moment and then insisted, "But really, medication to dull your pain-inducing nerve endings is going to do very little for you."
"What would you know?" Alec snapped.
"I know what I see," Raelyn replied. "Or rather, what you see... what you saw, what you hear..."
"Sure," Alec dismissed, finding the pills he wanted and taking two out of the container. He quickly popped both in his mouth and swallowed. "You're a little mind reader." He stated putting the bottle in his pocket and walking out of the room.
"Yes, that's right," Raelyn agreed, walking out behind him. She poked a finger at his shoulder. "You been seein' a Jedi..."
"We all did, remember? She disintegrated when a plasma grenade exploded." He continued, pretending nothing was wrong. Raelyn sighed.
"But you did after that. And whispers too... little voices in your head." She stopped walking, though he did not. "Like I said, headache pills won't help you..." She grinned. "You got yourself a Jedi conscience..."
"And a psychic pain in the ass," he called out as he walked into his room and closed the door behind him. Raelyn laughed and returned to the med bay.
"At least he didn't ask me for help in getting her out," she concluded aloud. "I'm a reader, not an exorcist..."
The hum of the Scimitar as she glided through Hyperspace was like the sweetest melody to his ears. Maybe it was being on a frozen rock for the better part of the past month or maybe the hyperdrive was just particularly pleasant. He snorted and headed out of the cockpit, into the common room.
"We should reach the station in about an hour, folks. It's nice to be back aboard a ship again, especially one that isn't a garbage barge like I've been on the past two months. "
Latch glanced up at Kadis and resisted smirking at their new pilot. He'd thrown himself headlong into the role after Alec had decided to let him stay on board, going over every nook and cranny of the Scimitar, oftentimes to Jyot's chagrin. "It's like he's trying to steal the Scim away from me," the blonde engineer had complained.
Despite that, the new additions to the crew had transitioned and integrated fairly well. Kadis was still irascible and outspoken, but a bit more tempered now that he was off Bryndar. Ellie had almost squealed with delight at being given a new fighter to pilot and had set to work customizing it to suit her desires, spending a bulk of her time in the hangar bay. Colin had also gone a similar route with the medbay, rearranging it to suit tastes. He was as particular about placement of things as Stitcher was, which was only mildly amusing to Latch, as the Corellian gunner had grown fond of the young medic over the short time he had been with them. Raelyn was the odd one out, often flitting about the ship seemingly lost in her own world, to the bemusement of Alec and the rest of the crew.
Pocketing the sabacc chip he'd been idly flipping through his fingers, Latch stood and headed aft towards the galley, intent on finding something to eat.
The sound of her boots on the durasteel floor of the ship sounded almost alien to Ellie, despite the fact she had been on ships for the better part of her life. It had only been - what, a few weeks, a month or two? - since she had been on a ship...but it seemed to feel like it had been so much longer than that. Regardless, she was glad that she had finally managed to return to the place she loved, and get her way off of that damn ice ball of a planet.
She was currently finishing her very first circuit of the ship, managing to find herself wandering first through the empty galley, then through the med ward, the dormitories, cockpit, common room, and finally into the engine room. She had left the engines for last, knowing that she would find herself lost in the complicated machinery. The last thing she was expecting to find there was Jyot.
Coming to the door, she lifted her arms and rested her hands against the top of the door frame as she looked out into the large section of the ship, finding the mechanic standing there, seemingly in his element. "After all that searching...it would seem we have a Jedi among us this entire time." she said, grinning and biting down lightly on her lower lip as she noted his apparently meditative state. She waited for him to turn around and spot her before dropping her arms and walking into the room, her fingers sliding into her back pocket. "Having fun, Jyot?"
"Fun?" Jyot grinned at Ellie as she approached him. "No, but if you have something special in mind, I'm up for it."
He smiled flirtatiously and gave her a wink. "So, you finding the ship, okay?" he asked her. "Fighter to your liking? 'Cause you know if you need any help with any mods on her, just let me know. I'll be right in there." He pulled out the hydrospanner he always kept handy in his back pocket and flipped it deftly into the air, letting it free-spin a few times before catching it again in his hand. "They don't call me 'Spanner' for nothing."
He frowned a bit then. "But you don't have to call me that," he added. "Jyot's fine."
He moved closer to her. "So, you hungry, El? Thought I might head to the galley. See if anything's cookin'."
"Down boy," she said, a grin just as playful as his surfacing on her lips. So she hadn't been imagining the way he eyed her from time to time...and though she suspected that something was significant - or, at least, had been significant - between the mechanic and the pilot that had stayed behind...a bit of harmless flirting couldn't really hurt, could it? "This retail's not for sale."
She looked up at him as he drew closer, the height difference between them only becoming more and move obvious with every step. "I actually haven't found the fighter yet." she said, her smile a little sheepish before turning flirtatious again. "But I've been working on mods on swoop bikes since I was seven - I think I should be able to handle a little fighter."
As he came to stand before her, she looked up into his eyes and raised her own eyebrow. "Here's the question, though," she said, "Do I not have to, or would you rather I didn't?" she asked, her hand extending so that her finger came dangerously close to touching his chest before she stepped to the side and slipped by him, moving further into the room. "I was actually planning on looking over a few of the machines. I'm curious - even if I'll never have to touch them."
Latch decided he missed Stitcher even more now as he stirred the small pot over the first. The young medic had also been an exceptional cook and had provided the crew with many a tasty meal over the course of their travels. With him gone now, everyone was forced back into fending for themselves or trying out culinary experiments, which wasn't a project suited for a crew of professional bounty hunters.
The chime next to the stove dinged, so Latch extinguished the flames and moved the pot off of the heat. His concoction of prepackaged nuna didn't smell all that bad, but he hoped the taste was at least somewhat passable. Ladling up a small amount, he brought the spoon to his lips and tasted his creation. "Mmm..." he murmured, pleased with his effort. "Could use a bit more spice though..." He reached over to the next cupboard and withdrew a shaker of spice and sprinkled some liberally over the stew. He stirred a few times, then covered the pot with a lid as he pulled out a plate and dinnerware.
As he set the small mess table, he had a thought to have Jyot try some as well. Grabbing another place setting, he set it on the table, then swung out the door and strode down the hall towards engineering. Poking his head into the large room, he spotted Jyot standing in the middle of the floor. "Hey Jyot, I've burned up some nuna, want to give it a try?" As soon as he spoke these last words, his eyes focused in behind Jyot and upon Ellie. "And you're welcome to it too, Ellie," he offered. "That is, if you dare try a Corellian man's cooking attempt."
"We should reach the station in about an hour, folks. It's nice to be back aboard a ship again, especially one that isn't a garbage barge like I've been on the past two months. "
Arelyn looked up at Kadis, studying him. They had not gotten off to the most auspicious of starts, but Arelyn didn't hold grudges, especially against people she had to work with. He'd proven himself a capable pilot, though his skill in battle would prove to be the true test of his abilities, especially with regards to herself and Latch as gunners. Now that he was aboard the ship, he seemed more amicable than he was on Bryndar, a function of better surroundings, no doubt.
"It's probably a lot warmer here than what you've been used to," she remarked quietly, rubbing a piece of cloth down the barrel of her rifle.
Kadis laughed. "That's not really saying much, but yes. You could probably space me and I'd still feel quite warm. This is like a vacation resort, at least, when that bloody..." He glanced behind him. "...droid doesn't decide it's terribly amusing to hover right next to me while I'm asleep."
He sat down and put his feet up. "What do you keep that damned thing around for, anyway?" It was rhetorical - Zip wasn't totally worthless, just incredibly annoying.
"Just be happy Jyot disables his dart launcher when we're all aboard, otherwise we'll all be eating the durasteel floor right now." Arelyn threw a disparaging look at the little hovering droid as she wiped down a vibroblade, then inserted it back into its sheath. "I can't wait until the captain finds a new set of programming protocols for him. I'd rather not be tranqed to death while I'm sleeping."
She stretched her arms over her head, feeling the tendons and ligaments pop satisfyingly. "I hope this station we're heading to has some decent amenities. I'd really like a nice bubble bath..."
Kadis rubbed the side of his neck - Zip's dart launcher might not be operational, but it didn't stop him from jamming the barrel into his neck any time he got the opportunity. "A12-76 isn't much. The Giddy Gammorrean dropped by there for a refueling. There's a reason it's got no proper name. People call it a pit stop in the Outer Rim for a reason. There's enough Corellian booze there to submerge the Scimitar, though."
He grinned and shook his head. "Blasted Spacer cliches. I hate Corellian whiskey."
Like before Alec say at the desk by his console rubbing the space between his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. Raelyn was right the pills werent working and his headache persisted getting worse as time passed. He closed his eyes for a few moments trying to concentrate on something other than the continuous pain he felt, but it was futile. He slowly opened his eyes and looked into the consoles screen, it was off and reflecting his image back at him in the darkness. In the reflection over his shoulder he also say the dead Jedi behind him, his expression didnt change as he looked at her reflection and slowly shook his head.
Youre not there. Alec said out loud in an attempt to convince himself. Youre just an illusion.
Im not an illusion. SonTi replied, Alec swivelled his chair right around to see that Sonti was actually standing there. At least I dont think I am.
So youre Ghost? He asked. Why are you haunting me?
Im not a Ghost and if I was I wouldnt be haunting you. She Stated taking a seat on the edge of Alecs bunk. Im in your head.
Well, Get out! He ordered.
Trust me Mr Tannis I wouldnt be here if it was my choice. The incorporeal Jedi explained. I am here simply by the will of the force.
Why? He simply asked after a long pause.
That I do not know, Perhaps I am here to teach you, guide you, aid you
Or the force has a twisted sense of humour. The captain conjectured.
I have a tendency to agree with you on that point. She smiled. Either way youre stuck with me, in side that head of yours.
"So," Jyot said to Latch, "when we land on the station, how about we pay a visit to Zeek's? I'm dying for a drink. A good one, that is. And I think Alec might be needing one, too. Have you noticed that he's been acting a bit odd lately? Talking to himself and stuff." He shivered. "It's weird."
Latch rubbed his temple as he led Jyot into the galley. "Yeah, he was acting pretty strange around that Jedi chick too. I just thought he might be under some sort of Jedi voodoo, but then she went and got herself blown up." He shook his head. "Cap'n really hasn't been right since."
"Yeah," Jyot agreed, taking a seat. "Nothing a few Corellian whiskeys won't fix, eh?"
"I hear you," Latch said, bringing over a plate of steaming nuna. "Hopefully you won't need whiskey to fix you up after you try my cooking." He sat down in front of his own plate of food. "It's kind of hard not having Stitch and his cooking around anymore."
Jyot stared at his plate for a moment, then stabbed a chunk of nuna with his fork and put it in his mouth. He started to chew, then slowed, then swallowed. "Ye--ah," he agreed slowly. "Not sure if our new doc cooks, or even if his sister does, but I think we're all gonna miss Stitch."
He readied himself for the next bite, but before he could make the transistion from fork to mouth, he felt a grin start, a laugh coming, and couldn't stop it no matter how hard he tried. "Latch," he said chuckling, "not that I don't appreciate your efforts, man, but this is got to be the toughest nuna I've ever had the misfortune to eat!"
He finally was able to take a breath and then said, "Maybe we should ask Alec if we can hire a cook for a our next job, eh?" He wiggled his brows. "Hey! Maybe we can find a nice Alderaanian waitress on station that's sick of her job and seeks adventure."
""Latch, not that I don't appreciate your efforts, man, but this is got to be the toughest nuna I've ever had the misfortune to eat!"
"Hey, just be happy you can actually chew the damn thing, okay?" Latch shot back, grinning a stupid grin of his own. The nuna was pretty damn tough. Still, at least it was edible.
"Hey! Maybe we can find a nice Alderaanian waitress on station that's sick of her job and seeks adventure."
"Somehow, I don't think you can convince Alec to bring aboard yet another woman, with your track record," Latch chided his friend lightly. "Though by some miracle we do have three on the ship currently. Albeit, one's an absolute nutter..." Latch rolled his eyes at the thought of Raelyn and her oddities. "And the other's a Mistryl and could probably snap your neck into five pieces if you thought nasty thoughts about her." He chuckled, then leaned towards Jyot, a conspiratorial look in his face. "Lucky for you, our third lady doesn't seem to be put off by your lecherous ways, for whatever reason."
((Joint post with Jasra))
"Something smells.." Raelyn began, coming into the common room. "... mmm... sorta... well... not totally burnt..."
"Crispy?" Jyot suggested. Raelyn frowned thoughtfully.
"Nnooo..." she drawled. "Umm... well, maybe... keep listing adjectives..."
Slighty carbonized? A bit over well-done? Not quite vulcanized?"
Raelyn laughed. "Aren't we being a little overly helpful this mo... is it morning?" She frowned. "No. There's no such thing aboard a ship, drifting - albeit at high speed - through space. Time, day and night have no existence where it's all black... and artificial light."
"Well artificial light aside, my stomach says that it's dinnertime." He looked at the plate, then grinned before taking another bite. "Apparently," he said, as he strained to chew. "You cook, Rae?"
With a shudder, Raelyn answered, "I dispise the activity..."
"But she's the one that kept the two of us alive when it was just us," Colin added, coming in behind her. With a glare to her brother, Rae muttered a few things under her breath. The doctor laughed. "What's wrong, Rae? Can't I want to taste your cooking again?"
"Hey, in my book, if she doesn't burn stuff, she can cook. Besides, everyone should pull their weight on this boat. " He raised his brow. "And we don't have a full time cook. I was thinking about asking Alec to let us hire one, but... maybe it's better we hire internally. What do you say, Rae? Fancy being the ship's chef?"
Raelyn shook her head stubbornly. "Hells. No."
"You're good at it," Colin pointed out. Raelyn made a face at him.
"Still no," she answered stubbornly. Colin chuckled.
"That's fine, Rae," he said. "You don't have to do something if you don't want to... and I wouldn't want to embarrass you by telling you what you ought to do. Do as you like."
Raelyn stalked out and Colin grinned at the people around the table. "She'll take the job. Give her 'till tomorrow and you'll start finding her in the kitchen. To her, 'you don't have to' is a challenge."
Jyot raised a finger in acknowledgment. "I'll remember that. Thanks."
Alec walked out of room and from his perspective Sonti followed him, as he was the only one who could see her and the fact she wasnt corporeal meant she wasnt actually following him. Unfortunately for Alec he was also the only one who could hear her and she seemed to be taking advantage of that. For the past ten minutes she had been talking about all the possible reasons why this had happened, however on the plus side Alec stopped hearing the whispering.
Still followed by the Jedi Alec walked into the Common Room.
And further more. Sonti continued. I do not feel that it is entirely necessary for you to continue your work as a bounty hunter.
Just go away! Alec shouted in the middle of the room, to the person no one else could see.
At Alec's outburst, Jyot blinked then gave Latch a strange look before looking back at his captain. "Erm... ok-ay," he said slowly. "It was just a suggestion, boss. If you don't want her to be the cook, then... fair enough. I'm sure we can find one... somewhere. Someplace. Else."
Again, a look to Latch. "Awkward...." he sang softly to his friend, then cleared his throat.
Kadis had been staring at the wall, thinking about, well, nothing. Hyperspace had always had a sort of eerie tranquility, like a soft silk pillow being pressed against your face. He nodded at the Captain.
"Just go away!"
He jumped, then looked around. Tannis was staring over his shoulder, looking behind him. Kadis reached down to his blaster, wishing he hadn't taken the one with no stun setting. "Uh, Cap'n, do you, erm, go need to lie down? We can handle the approach to the station."
Oh, hell no. A schizo Captain? Why me? Why is it always me?
"I'm... sure there's a reasonable explanation for this... outburst," Colin said slowly. He frowned at Alec. "There is a reasonable explanation, isn't there? Captain?"
He stared past the captain, puzzled. No one was there, and yet it seemed as though the captain had been yelling at someone who'd been following him. Wierd, Colin thought to himself.
Latch glanced at Jyot and nodded. He turned back to Alec standing in the middle of the common room and frowned. Their captain did seem to be losing his grip on sanity, and that didn't make Latch very comfortable. What made him even less uncomfortable was the slight ringing he heard in his ear and a faint, almost ghostly whisper at the edge of his hearing. He couldn't place where it was coming from, but he couldn't help but be drawn to the words Alec was muttering...almost as if the captain was replying to someone.
"I'm, uh, I'm gonna be in the cockpit. We should be coming out of Hyperspace momentarily."
He edged out of the room into the cockpit and sat down. A handful of minutes until they dropped out of hyperspace. He occupied himself with fiddling with various gauges and generally trying to occupy his mind away from the inevitable conclusion that Cap'n Tannis was a few cards short of a full deck.
The vibroblade hummed it's low tune as it cut it's way through a light armor layer and then into the skin of a Rodian saboteur who had managed to blow up the cat-like creature's most precious thing: his ship. With a cold smirk on his face, the Cathar lifted the groaning Rodian up against the wall with the vibrobalde as deep as it went inside the green flesh.
"Nothing to lose anymore. Tell me who payed you and I might make it swift for you" Jhamrok grunted at the Rodian who laughed in the crackling and annoyingly high voice before spitting in the Cathar mercenary's face.
"Fine. Have it your way" Jhamrok said, twisted the vibroblade ever so slightly and pulled, severing a major organ inside the Rodian which would cause an irreversible and painful death within 48 hours.
As the Rodian slumped down in pain, Jhamrok pulled the blade out, wiped the Rodian blood on it's clothes and then took a step back with a cold look in his eyes. The white figure looked at the docking ring entrance nearby where his ship had once been but where now only debris floated outside of the ring. He flexed his joints with loud pops and cracks sounding in the corridor before the man continued onwards, leaving the Rodian to die alone but not before attaching a tracker on the saboteur in order to make sure that if he was taken by his accomplishes, Jhamrok knew where they were and thus who payed for the hit.
Um Yeah, I just have a bit of a headache. Alec lied to the doctor. Just venting my anger.
Alec walked around the table to his seat and looked at the food on the table, he already felt bad and he knew eating what Latch just made would not make him feel any better.
Anyway Jyot. He addressed his mechanic. When we touchdown you and Latchll go to Zeek and get a Job, Nothing too heavy just so it pays to keep us movin.
Who is this Zeek, if you dont mind me asking? The doctor curiously said.
Hes a middle man for Mercs, Smugglers, Bounty Hunters, basically low-lives, Hes discreet and trustworthy so both the people who hire him and are hired by him know they get a good deal. Alec explained. He always has some work, so hes a good person to know in our line of work.
Colin nodded thoughtfully. "Suppose he would be," he murmured. Raising his voice a little, he added, "Captain, if you need something for that headache, don't hesitate to ask. The Scimitar's infirmary is remarkably well-stocked for its size... not to mention the few things I've added to it."
Then, another thought struck him. "Ah, and what are Raelyn and I to do while you're going about business? Can I hazard a guess? Heads down, keep to the ship, I suppose?" There was an air of teasing to his tone, but it was obvious he'd been in such situations on other ships.
Kadis watched the timer. At the two minute mark, he flipped on the intercom. "Captain, we're about to drop out of Hyperspace." He felt vaguely uncomfortable. Maybe it was just paranoia, but he couldn't shake the feeling something rather bad was about to happen.
They always talk about ships lost in Hyperspace.
Every Spacer had heard the stories about ships who's Hyperdrives had malfunctioned during a jump and failed to switch off, leaving the ship trapped in Hyperspace, forever. Rumor has it that the Katana Fleet, the legendary two-hundred Dreadnought Republic Battle Fleet, was among those ships. He shivered, then shook the old spacer stories out of his mind. The Scimitar's hyperdrive was in good repair.
The counter ticked downwards, and Kadis watched it with worry, his hand resting on the manual switch. It wasn't very precise, but first flight on a new ship was always good reason to be cautious.
"Right, so when we dock on the station," Jyot was saying to Latch as they finished their food in the common room. The ship suddenly jolted, and Jyot rolled his eyes. "Correction... if we dock on the station without our pilot running the Scim into the station in the process," he shouted loudly, hoping that Kadis would hear him in the cockpit.
He sighed, then continued. "Anyway, I want to go and check my mail before we go and visit Zeek. And maybe check out the 'parts' store." At this he wiggled his eyebrows. He wasn't talking 'engine parts', but being in mixed company, he didn't feel like he could just say, he wanted to stop in to check out the exotic dancers at 'Shakers'.
Kadis proved to be a decent enough pilot as he'd brought the Scimitar in with a minimal amount of fuss. Latch was glad that they had made it in a reasonable amount of time, since he was looking forward to being able unwind following their rather stressful mission. He was also keen on finding some decent food, as his culinary experiment on the ship had left him desiring something easier on his stomach.
As he and Jyot exited the spaceport, they looked around to take in the sights. "Ah, good to see that some things never change, eh?" Latch remarked to his friend. Indeed, Station A12-76 looked exactly the same from when they'd last made a stop here. It was a pretty isolated station, and that made it a prime spot for a mercenary crew like the Scimitar's. At first glance, it seemed to be devoid of amenities and scarce on services, but an experienced spacer would know where to look and who to contact in order to uncover the hidden goods. And Jyot and Latch happened to be two such spacers.
"Do you think we should hit up Zeek first, then go fishing for 'parts'?" Latch asked, looking over at his fellow Corellian.
"I think we need 'parts' first," Jyot said rather pleadingly. "I mean, first things first, we got to keep things running smoothly and we can't do that without stocking up on 'parts'. At least, I can't. Besides, nothing ever changes here. Zeek can wait."
Jyot headed in the direction of 'Shakers', not necessarily a seedy type of cantina, but a place where one could get a decent meal and a drink. And where they showcased exotic dancers, most of which were humanoid.
"Hmm... wonder if that Zeltron is still there...." Jyot wondered aloud to himself. "Capria? Carlia? Curia?" He shook his head as he couldn't remember her name. "Meh, doesn't matter. I'll know her when I see her."
Alecs headache was beginning to die down, it still hurt like someone had stuck a lightsaber in there and scrambled his brains, but it was better than before the Jedi had explained the situation. He still wasnt up to doing any work that is why he sent Jyot and Latch to Zeek, the middleman trustworthy and good for a job so it would only take the Mechanic twenty minuets for his to get one. Then again it was Jyot so twenty minuets of work would be added to the forty minuets hell spend watching scantly clad women dancing around. Alec could only hope that Latch would stick to business and Jyot wouldnt be a bad influence.
As it may be an hour before the two returned Alec already informed everyone else that they could have some shore time on the station but to keep a com-link on them in case they had to exit quick.
For some reason the Jedi had gone away somewhere since they dropped out of hyperspace and the Captain hadnt seen or heard from her. He decided to take this opportunity to check out a few things he hadnt had the chance to do before, he was doing the basic background checks on Kadis, Ellie, Colin and Realyn. All seemed to check out but for some reason while doing looking up Realyn Lark he kept thinking of the same name Katrine West.
Zip flew into the room, Alec must have forgot to lock it. Undesignated bounty Alec Tannis, I scanned passers by outside the ship and found four separate bounties. Bounty 05863, bounty 09
Stow it Zip, A12-76 is Zeeks territory, We try to take down a bounty here without his say so we get blacklisted. Alec Interrupted. But I do have a job for you, look up the name Katrine West on the Bounty sheets.
Zip was silent for a moment. "Bounty 05441, Katrine West, associated with bounty 05458, Aidan West. 05441 was wanted for connections with a classified Imperial project. 05458 was wanted for leaving his post without leave. Searching deeper... the two bounties were siblings, 05458 was ten years older than 05441." There was a short pause. "It is useless to pursue these bounties, undesignated bounty Alec Tannis. They were turned in and are scheduled to be executed by Imperial firing squad in approximately twenty minutes."
Inside Shakers, Jyot and Latch took a seat at a small table. Jyot ordered two Corellian ales (his and Latch's usual fare) from the well-endowed human waitress, and then he leaned back comfortably in his chair as as the next 'show' was announced to start.
"I love this place," Jyot said to his friend as he sipped his drink. "Nothing beats mindless, but fascinating, entertainment after finishing such a strange job. Lost crew, picked up passengers, and, to top it all off, we didn't even get paid for anything." He rolled his eyes. "And what the heck is up with the Captain? Talking to himself, and headaches, and actin' all... weird." He took a sip of his drink. "All I can think is that Jedi chick did one of those mind whammy Force things on him before she got blown up."
A Twi'lek dancer appeared on stage, looking very sexy, very exotic, very fit, and very much like...."
"Oh, great. Speak of the Jedi and her twin appears." Jyot eyed the dancer over critically. "Well, maybe not her twin," he conceded. "This one's prettier."
The dancer smiled seductively at him, and Jyot seemed to quickly forget his prejudices. "So, Latch," Jyot started, "what kind of jobs do you think Zeek'll have for us? I'm not really interested in an Imperial bounty this time. Too much bother. What about you?"
Latch swirled the last of his ale in his flagon before downing it in one gulp. "Truth be told, I'd really rather have nothing to do with the Imperials anymore," he answered his friend. "The Empire preaches peace and order and all that good Imperial indoctrination. Unfortunately, on most worlds, those terms translate to oppression and suffering." He glanced over at Jyot. "Not our place to do anything about that, but I'd certainly rather not contribute any more to what they stand for."
He threw his head back and shook out his long mane of hair. "Besides," he continued, adopting a more jovial tone as the dancers swayed seductively closer, "It's the non-Imperial jobs that tend to be more fun. Remember that time we had to deliver that dance troupe of Twi'leks to Nar Shaddaa?"
"I know exactly who blew up my ship. If you'd just let me go in there and let me speak to Zeek..." The Cathar grunted at a large guard stationed outside of Zeek's current residence on the station. The guard raised his hand at the feline man and shook his head.
"Zeek has given strict lines of conduct to all mercenaries and bounty hunters on this station. Nobody, and that is nobody, is to feel threathened here. And you know it just as well as any, Jhamrok. Now, if you want a bounty, I can be of service and let you in but I won't let you in just because you want his blessing on a station patron being killed" the guard said and Jhamrok stepped back with a low growl under his breath. The mercenary was not at all happy with this.
The Ships Captain left his room thinking about the name Katrine West, he figured the name must have been on a bounty sheet or something while he was looking for work. This was still odd as Alec had a tendency to forget names of bounties he had captured yet alone ones he never went after. He walked down the corridor into the common room thinking about what Jyot was probably doing, he had been gone for about twenty minuets so chances are he was slipping his money into some dancing Twileks underwear. Alec smiled at the predictability of his mechanic, Alec will call him in about ten minuets to check on the mission.
Alec gave the room a quick look and realised that it was empty, the crew had either left for some shore time on the station or were elsewhere on The Scimitar. He grabbed himself a drink of water and took a seat at the table while looking at a datapad with the inventory.
((OCC- ok guys if you want to talk to Alec heres your opening.))
Kadis had his feet up in the cockpit, watching the station's broadcast of Win or Die, some propaganda holodrama starring Garik Loran.
"The Imps must be desperate for more Stormtroopers if they commissioned this garbage."
Still, it was mildly entertaining, in a similar sense that a stun baton in the mouth was funny. He rolled his eyes, then turned his attention back to running a systems diagnostic on the navicomputer. He was uncomfortable with large groups, had been for years, and his stint on Bryndar hadn't improved him any in that regard.
He shut the holodrama off, then stood up and headed out to the common area. Diagnostic programs ran themselves. He sat down in one of the chairs and nodded at the Captain.
"Jyot still not back yet, boss?"
Latch threw his head back and shook out his long mane of hair. "Besides," he continued, adopting a more jovial tone as the dancers swayed seductively closer, "It's the non-Imperial jobs that tend to be more fun. Remember that time we had to deliver that dance troupe of Twi'leks to Nar Shaddaa?"
Jyot's eyes twinkled. "O-h, ye-ah," he sighed. "That was an awesome job." His grin widened as reminisced while his eyes were still fixed on the dancer slowling gyrating in front of him. "They were very, erm... flexible." He glanced askance at Latch. "Accommodating, I mean. Didn't mind using the cargo bay to practice their routine in. Not at all." He sighed longlingly. "Maybe Zeek'll have something like that for us, huh? Nice, easy, babysitting come transport job for beautiful women."
He leaned forward and tipped the dancer a credit chip, before downing his drink and rising. "Guess we'd better go see 'ol Zeek and find out huh? Besides, Alec will probably be wondering where we've gone off to anyway." He shrugged. "Well... not wondering per se," he clarified, knowing that Alec knew damn well what he'd be up to, "but you know what I mean." He patted Latch on the shoulders. "So, shall we?"
It didn't take but a few minutes for the two of them to walk to Zeek's place. And outside the door, a very disgrunted-looking Cathar was arguing with the guard.
"I know exactly who blew up my ship. If you'd just let me go in there and let me speak to Zeek..."
"Zeek has given strict lines of conduct to all mercenaries and bounty hunters on this station. Nobody, and that is nobody, is to feel threathened here. And you know it just as well as any, Jhamrok. Now, if you want a bounty, I can be of service and let you in, but I won't let you in just because you want his blessing on a station patron being killed."
Jyot nudged Latch with his elbow as the Cathar growled. "Yup," he commented aloud. "Bounty hunting is one thing, assassinations... something completely different." He smiled at the guard. "Hey, Harvey," he said casually. "How's it hangin?"
"Good, Jyot," the guard replied in kind. "Been a while since I've seen you. Business been good?"
"Not as good as it could be," Jyot replied. "Last job was, in a word, bad. In a few words, it was really, really, really bad. We lost our medic and a gunner." He paused. "And our net profit was like... negative 3000."
The guard winced. "Ooh, ouch."
"Yeah. Zeek in?"
The guard looked at the Cathar again, then nodded at Jyot. "For 'non-threatening' friends, he's in."
Jyot exchanged a look with Latch, who gave him a little nod. "I dunno, Harvey. If I were you, I'd be inclined to let him in," he said, looking the Cathar over. "He looks 'friendly' enough to me. I mean, he hasn't drawn any of his weapons yet, has he? That's got to count for something in the area of self-control, right?" He motioned to the door. "So, can we...?"
"Oh! Sure, yeah. Go right in," the guard said to Jyot and Latch.
"Him, too?" Jyot asked, thumbing at the Cathar.
The guard frowned, but after a moment of thought, nodded. "Just you remember what I said, Jhamrok," he reminded.
The three of them entered into Zeek's establishment.
|All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:19 AM.
Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2016, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
LFNetwork, LLC ©2002-2015 - All rights reserved.


text:
Dec 13, 2012 8:05 AM
Some years, shopping for holiday cards is almost as time-consuming as shopping for gifts! You want them to show off your personality while being tasteful and beautiful. Never mind that they'll just be tossed out with the Christmas tree come January! The Peace Wreath Cards ($24 for six) from Sugar Paper hit all the right notes - the letterpress text is elegant and the striped foil envelopes add a bit of fun.
If you've got a product or service that you'd like to promote on Outblush, click here to find out about our advertising opportunities.
Outblush is a blog for girls who love to shop. Our staff digs up the best clothes, home stuff, beauty items, and more. New items are posted every day — bookmark us and check out:


text:
Sept. 21, 2000
LOS ANGELES - Today, wide receiver Freddie Mitchell will stop by ESPN.com to talk a little about the Bruins' success this season and about this weekend's game. Oregon hosts the eighth-ranked Bruins this Saturday (12:30 p.m. PT). UCLA off to a 3-0 start to the 2000 season, including wins over Alabama and Michigan.
A junior from Lakeland, Florida, Mitchell has demonstrated the ability to make the spectacular catch and make things happen on the field. Mitchell is coming off a 10 catch/137 yard receiving performance in helping to lead the Bruins past the third-ranked Wolverines last weekend. Mitchell also caught a 46-yard touchdown pass against the Crimson Tide for the season-opening upset of Alabama.
Mitchell won't be stopping by until 12:00 p.m. today but feel free to leave your questions now and we will save them for his arrival.


text:
Families are often required to pay out of their pockets for health care services not fully covered by their insurance plans. These services may include therapies, home health care, prescription drugs, mental health care, medical equipment, and dental services. Families of over half of CSHCN reported spending $250 or more on health care in the previous year for the care of their CSHCN. The families of 13 percent of CSHCN spent between $501 and $1,000, and the families of 20 percent of children spent more than $1,000.
Children in low-income families are less likely to have high levels of expenditures than are children from families with higher incomes: the families of only 6.2 percent of children in poverty paid more than $1,000 out of pocket for their children's care, compared to the families of 29 percent of CSHCN with incomes of 400 percent of poverty level or more. This could be because children in low-income families are more likely to be covered by Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which limit the copays charged to families. In addition, these data only include the expenses that families actually paid; low-income families may be more likely to have unpaid bills that are not reported here. Alternatively, low-income families may be more likely to delay or forgo care if they feel they cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs.
The families of non-Hispanic White children are the most likely to pay more than $1,000 in health care expenses; 24 percent did so, compared to the families of 15 percent of Hispanic children and 8 percent of non-Hispanic Black children. Non-Hispanic White children are also the least likely to have families that pay less than $250 per year. This may be related to the insurance status of non-Hispanic White children.
The level of out-of-pocket costs borne by families of CSHCN also varies by their children's insurance status. Thirty-two percent of uninsured children's families pay more than $1,000 annually, compared to 27 percent of those with only private coverage and 5 percent of those with only public insurance. Similarly, 77 percent of children with only public coverage live in families that pay less than $250 per year out of pocket for their child's health care, compared to 25 percent of those with only private insurance and 30 percent of uninsured children. This may be due to the limits on copayments within public insurance programs, because publicly-insured and uninsured families are not able to pay bills they receive, or because these families do not seek care if they cannot pay the required copayments.


text:
Community Groups and Organizations
Max boasts a number of community-minded groups and organizations. One or several of them may be a good fit for you. The more people that participate in these groups, the more the community benefits. Participants, however, will find that the benefits are reciprocated in the form of friendships and community associations that last a lifetime!
Community groups and organizations include:
- Max Civic Club
- Max School Alumni Association
- Local church groups
- City government groups: Max City Council, Max Community Library Board of Directors, Max Park Board, and more.
- Max Over 55 Club (Formerly Max Senior Citizens)
In addition to the community groups listed in this site, you can also find a number of other activity and special-interest groups. Just a few of them include:
- Dart League
- Book Club
- Adult Basketball League
- 4-H Clubs
- Softball Teams
- Sunday Schools
- Bible Study Groups
- Many More!


text:
Information in the game database is updated periodically. Below, you'll find that information compiled as pertains to TEN. The company may be involved as a publisher, developer or both.
King of Parlor [ 18, 1996]
King of Parlor 2 [June 11, 1998]
Luciferd [August 27, 1998]
Pachi Pachi Saga [April 26, 1996]
Sankyo Fever: Downtown Geki [July 5, 1996]
Sankyo Fever: Mihata Simulation [March 8, 1996]
Sankyo Fever Vol. 2: Mihata Simulation [December 25, 1997]
Sankyo Fever Vol. 3: Mihata Simulation [May 28, 1998]
Zen-Nihon Joshi Puroresu: Joou Densetsu [July 23, 1998]
Sankyo Fever: Mihata Simulation S [April 4, 1997]
Sankyo Fever Vol. 2: Mihata Simulation [January 15, 1998]
Sankyo Fever Vol. 3 [November 26, 1998]
There are numerous companies in the industry, and their names change like the weather. The information above is not particular about the finer details. Acquisitions are common, so companies with no recent listings may still be developing games under a new name. For example, DMA Design currently has a Rockstar name. Do you know of a title that is not listed above but should be? Be sure and let a staff member know. You can contact staff if you click here.
Policies/Ethics | Contact | Advertise | Sponsor Guide | Links


text:
Author Archives: Jeffrey Phillips
Today I'm going to talk about the movie Gravity and how it relates to innovation.. Continue reading
I've been fascinated recently by the role that language plays in an innovation activity. By language I don't mean different languages (Spanish, French or English) but the language we use to communicate the rationale for innovation, we use to create the context for innovation, we use to define the tools, methods and outcomes for innovation. Continue reading
Ed Scrooge was tired. It was only 4 in the afternoon, but back to back meetings throughout the day had exhausted him… His reign as CEO might not last much longer if the financial results didn't pick up. Continue reading
In hindsight, most new products or services that are created seem relatively obvious. Consumers and manufacturers will wonder – why didn't we see this sooner? Most really interesting innovations, however, seem paradoxical and strange as they are being introduced, even though many will be accepted and become part of the norm. Continue reading
It's probably a distinction without a significant difference, but I try to distinguish very carefully between entrepreneurs, inventors and corporate innovators. While there are some significant overlaps in goals, purpose and intent, there are also some very significant differences which I'd like to explore. Continue reading
In the Great Depression it wasn't at all uncommon to see able bodied men selling apples on a street corner, or worse, holding a sign asking for spare change. The phrase "can you spare a dime" became synonymous with the era, as people sought any job, any way to earn money they could find. Of course, back then a dime was real money. Today, there's a new cry heard in many organizations.. Continue reading
So, here it comes again. Another blog post using an old standby as a way to make a point. Today's old standby is the adage about placing the cart before the horse. Continue reading


text:
Freestyle Snowboard Bindings - Women'sProboardshop has the best selection of Womens Freestyle Snowboard Bindings available at the lowest online prices. You could save over 30% off bindings from the brands you love: Artec, Forum, K2, Morrow, Sapient and more. With several dozens of options available, take your time to browse and when you find the pair that best suits your riding style, ability and performance, we'll ship out with next-day shipment.
Please refine here
- Price: 220.00 - 249.99
Freestyle Snowboard Bindings
Burton Escapade Est Snowboard Bindings - Women'sReg: $299.95 On Sale: $224.95
Size: Medium (6-8), Large (8+)


text:
One of the largest public accounting and consulting firms in the United States, Crowe Horwath LLP employs more than 3,000 people in offices from coast to coast. Here, you'll find an emphasis on developing solutions to meet client needs and collaborate cross-functionally to hone your skills. If you would like to join an organization recognized by many as one of the country's best places to work, then explore our excellent opportunities.
Existing Applicant? Modify My Profile.
Below are some options you can use to refine your search.
Type the important words:
Internal Audit
Put exact words in quotes:
"IT Audit"
Type "AND" between all the words you want:
Tax AND International
Use CAPITAL letters for acronyms:
AML Auditor


text:
Donald Trump Not a Fan of 'Loser Salon,' Which Is His Name for Salon
Why won't trump disparage us?
Donald Trump, despite being the most absurdly self-confident person on the planet, is also incredibly thin-skinned. Consequently, he occasionally sends angry notes to writers who pen unflattering pieces about him and the important role he plays in our society. Salon's Justin Elliott, Yahoo's Chris Moody, and Vanity Fair's Juli Weiner have all had the honor of receiving such chastisement. Today, Salon's Alex Pareene joined the exclusive club. Congrats.


text:
Beginning January 1, 2014 most Americans will be required to carry health insurance for
themselves and their dependents or pay a penalty when they file their tax return. This is known as the Individual Mandate of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. If one of the following applies to you then you are not required to obtain health insurance:
1. Members of certain religious groups and Native American tribes
2. Undocumented immigrants
3. Incarcerated individuals
4. People whose incomes are so low they don't have to file taxes
5. People with household income below 100% of the federal poverty level in states that did not expand Medicaid
6. People who are uninsured for a period that is less than 3 months
7. People for whom health insurance is considered unaffordable (where insurance premiums after employer contributions and federal subsidies exceed 8% of family income)
If you already have qualified health insurance, you are covered and are not required to take any action. Examples of qualified health insurance include:
1. Medicare
2. Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
3. TRICARE for Life program
4. Veterans' health care
5. Health coverage plan available to Peace Corps volunteers
6. Employer-sponsored plans, provided that:
a. The plan covers at least 60% of covered costs.
b. The employee's cost for self-only coverage is not more than 9.5% of the employee's household income. If the cost of the insurance is more than 9.5% of household income, the employee may be eligible for a subsidy if they purchase insurance through a Health Insurance Marketplace (or Exchange). They must opt out of the employer insurance: they cannot be enrolled in qualified insurance and be eligible for the premium assistance credit, even if that insurance is greater than 9.5% of household income.
If you are not exempt and are not covered by qualified health insurance, you may qualify for a premium assistance credit to help offset the cost of the insurance if you buy insurance through a government-run Exchange. Household income must be between 100%–400% of the federal poverty level to be eligible for a credit. To determine if you qualify for the premium assistance credit, what the maximum cost of insurance would be, and what the penalty would be for going without insurance please use our free calculator.


text:
John Murphy - 2001
There can scarcely be a large organisation in the western world that has not considered its brand image. If the brand is not right, then executives these days set about 're-branding'- or bringing in consultants to advise them about the activity. It is strange to think that these familiar concepts - indeed our current uses of the words branding and re-branding - are relatively new. We owe our familiarity with these words and concepts in large part to John Murphy.
It is because John Murphy reflects on life's experiences in a way different from most of his fellow men that he has been able to create a new industry, based not on industrial process but on ideas. Many of John Murphy's contemporaries as pupils at St Ignatius College in North London will share his memories of it as a good but extremely tough grammar school. It is unlikely that they will also have formed the same perceptive judgements as John Murphy about the Jesuit priests and brothers who taught him. John Murphy sees things that others do not see - and he identifies opportunities where others see none.
Though he took a good first degree in Geography at Manchester, he always intended a career in business or commerce. To achieve this end, he decided that he needed a formal training in business, so after assessing with his keen eye the offerings of the UK university system he enrolled on the intensive course leading to the award Master of Technology in Business Administration, run by Brunel University London in the late 1960s. The course was offered at Brunel's Acton site and was one of the earliest of its type in the country.
Armed with two degrees, he went into corporate planning and marketing, first at Leesona Ltd and then from 1970 - 1974, at Dunlop Ltd. His experience convinced him that if he was to work in a company with the standards of management he thought appropriate, he would have to start his own company and manage it himself. So in 1974 John Murphy, using his special skills to identify a gap in the market, established 'Interbrand'- a brand name creation company.
Amongst Interbrand's early successes were the names Metro, Hob-Nobs, Homebase and Prozac. John Murphy then added trade mark law, packaging design and market research to the activities of Interbrand with the result that by the mid 1980s, Interbrand was an established consultancy with offices in London, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Tokyo, Sydney, Frankfurt and Paris.
John Murphy's pioneering work on brand valuation was a major cause of an explosion of interest in brands. From the late 1980s Interbrand had adopted an ever-steeper growth curve and by 1992 had offices in over a dozen countries, 200 staff, and clear international leadership in the growing branding business.
Despite being an extremely busy chief executive, John Murphy wrote numerous books and articles. He was also asked to lecture at venues worldwide. He discovered that this can, occasionally, have its dangers. A Dutch newspaper, reporting a talk he had given in Amsterdam in 1992, drew attention to his new "Murphy's Law" which states that brands are important and valuable. A short while later, he received an invitation from the Postgraduate Technical University at Eindhoven, to repeat his Amsterdam lecture there.
John was impressed to find a lecture hall packed with 500 staff and students, and he remarked to the Dean who was just about to introduce him that this was a splendid turnout to hear a talk about brands and branding. The Dean turned, perplexed, to John and said "Brands and branding? What's that? You're here to talk about Murphy's Law. You are the Murphy of Murphy's Law, aren't you?" John was able to commence his lecture with the apposite observation that the event was a demonstration of the proof of Murphy's Law - that is, that anything that can go wrong will go wrong - and that it just had! The people at Eindhoven had read the headline, not the story. John regards this as perhaps the most challenging event of his business career.
Secretly, John had always intended to retire at age 50. In December 1993, two months before his 50th birthday, he sold Interbrand to Omnicom, the large New-York-based marketing services group. He stayed on until 1996, partly because his unique expertise was crucial to the company, and partly out of loyalty to the staff he had hired at Interbrand. There is no doubt, however, that he reduced significantly the international long haul flights which had consumed so much of his time when he was first growing the business.
But retire? In 1996, having cut the ties with Interbrand, John's capacity to see what others had failed to see led him in a new direction. He observed that Britain, unlike many other countries, had no great international brand of beer. So he started his own brewery - St Peter's Brewery Group plc. Ever a man to combine interests - he is an enthusiastic collector of antique furniture - he first bought a 13th century moated manor house in Suffolk, filled the house and some local pubs with fine antiques, and built a state-of-the-art brewery in the former farm buildings. It is no surprise to learn that his award-winning St Peter's Ales, in their distinctive green oval bottles, are now consumed enthusiastically at home and exported around the world.
In the same year, 1996, John Murphy saw another opportunity. He led the buy-out of Plymouth Gin from Allied Domecq - and, as Chairman, took that brand from a flat sales graph to a steep growth curve in UK and overseas sales. This is further demonstration of enormous management skill and unusual vision; everything that John Murphy supports, encourages and nurtures proves successful.
Pro-Chancellor, for his achievements in identifying and developing a new area of academic, financial and commercial activity; for his contributions to UK industry; for providing the authorship of household names upon which we all rely; I present to you an extraordinary Brunel graduate, John Matthew Murphy, to be admitted to the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa.
DSocSci - July 2001


text:
Roman C. Sparks, PGA
Main Address:
Spruce Pine, NC 28777-5631
Roman Sparks is a PGA Professional in Spruce Pine, NC. The PGA of America comprises 27,000 men and women professionals with one singular goal in mind - to make the game of golf more enjoyable for you.
Professional has not entered award information.
Home » Golf Courses » North Carolina » Spruce Pine » Roman C. Sparks, PGA
PGA of America Championships
Harbor Shores
Benton Harbor, Mich.
Sahalee Country Club
Sammamish, Wash.
Baltusrol Golf Club
Springfield, N.J.
Hazeltine National Golf Club
Chaska, Minn.


text:
Lake Cachuma is an artificial lake located off scenic Highway 154 in the picturesque Santa Ynez Valley. Cachuma Lake Recreation Area happily welcomes campers and fishing enthusiasts as well. The campsites here are spacious, and clean. The lake itself is beautiful, but swimming is not allowed here. Boating is a great experience here. It is possible to rent a boat for a day. The beautiful Lake Cachuma is a great place to fish for Bass, Crappie and Trout. One-day fishing licenses are also available for purchase at the marina store.
Fishing at Cachuma Lake
Use your key for the next article