text:
Hawking, 68, has long suffered from a motor neurone disease that
has extremely limited his powers of communication and movement, but
that has never stopped him from making important contributions
to scientific theory. Hawking just finished up a three-year
project, a TV series called Stephen Hawking's Universe, which
will air on Sunday May 9 at 9 p.m. on the Discovery Channel.In
the show he will offer up some controversial assessments on
extraterrestrial life and what it might be like. Hawking
is a firm believer that alien life does exist. The universe
contains hundreds of billions of galaxies, each with hundreds of
millions of stars, many which have been shown
to have planets in orbit. Numbers virtually guarantee
that life has evolved elsewhere, Hawking believes. He states,
"To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about
aliens perfectly rational. The real challenge is to work out
what aliens might actually be like."So what might these
extraterrestrial species be like? Hawking believes that most
are likely "simple" species, similar to those that have
evolved on Earth; ranging from microbes to land animals.However,
Hawking believes there is likely intelligent life out there.
And he's frightened by that possibility.The aliens in
Hawking's vision would be much like the malefic beasties in the
blockbuster science-fiction flick Independence
He describes, "We only have to look at ourselves to see how
intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to
meet. I imagine they might exist in massive ships, having used up all
the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens would
perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever
planets they can reach."He says that humans should try
to avoid alien contact as we colonize
space. He states that such contact would be "a little
too risky". What would result? He states, "If
aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when
Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out
very well for the Native Americans."In addition to his
theories about vicious aliens, Hawking suggests that based on
examples of life surviving on Earth in extreme environments, life
could be found in unbelievable places, such as in the center of stars
or even floating in interplanetary space.Hawking's colleagues
concur on this point. Lord Martin Rees, a British royal
astrophysicist, told his students in lecture earlier this year that
humans might not be able to recognize or understand forms of life
they stumble across in space. He states, "I suspect there
could be life and intelligence out there in forms we can't
conceive. Just as a chimpanzee can't understand quantum
theory, it could be there are aspects of reality that are beyond the
capacity of our brains."How close could primitive life
be? Professor Brian Cox, University of Manchester's "rockstar
physicist" suggests we look in our own solar backyard. He
says that Mars, Europa (a moon of Jupiter), and Titan (a moon of
Saturn) are likely places to find it.
quote: At some point you have to go with what is within the realm of probability and not get carried away with hypotheticals. There are some very smart people (I've mentioned some names in my other posts) out there saying that the SETI program is a waste of money and should be shut down because the likelihood of another intelligent species existing anywhere else in the Universe is basically NILL.
quote: I don't think physics ever stated this. The fact of the matter is that anyone could look up in the sky and see birds flying around and realize that heaver than air flight was possible.
quote: Unless Einstein's theory of special relativity is fundamentally wrong (and its been proven correct over and over again in various experiments), anything with mass travelling faster than the speed of light is physically impossible.
quote: But I still hold to my position that we will never leave the solar system. Let's be frank here, we can't even balance our national budget and make social security or medicare solvent. And if we can't do those very basic things, colonizing a planet around Alpha Centauri is impossible.


text:
Star Tracks: Monday, May 16, 2016 42 years, 2,191 covers and 55,436 stories from PEOPLE magazine's history for you to enjoy
Shirtless Stars
From the beaches to the big screen, these hunks take it off for a good cause: your viewing pleasure!
"My wife was like, 'Baby, that was shocking, I wasn't ready for that!'"
"A man should smell like a man. I haven't worn deodorant in 20 years."
"Women have been looking at T&A so long, it's nice to see some abs and pecs for a change."
– Maureen Gallagher, girlfriend of model Marcus Schenkenberg
Treat Yourself! 4 Preview Issues
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Top Definition
The dried remains of sperm.
Dude did Webster sleep with some chick on your couch last night cause there are Peckertrails everywhere!
de davethenooch 7 septembre 2006
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
A white crusty streak left on the belly, ass, face, pillowcase, wall, curtain, celing or sheets produced when a male ejaculates.
I knew the bitch was cheatin on me when I saw a pecker trail on the sheets.
de emmeffer 16 octobre 2007


text:
on December 6, 2012 - 12:46 PM
Tops Markets has agreed to acquire three Big M supermarkets, expanding its presence in Central and Northern New York.
Two of the Big M supermarkets are in Elbridge and Jordan, west of Syracuse; the other store is in Mexico, in Northern New York.
Tops is buying the stores from the Farrugia family and says it will offer continued employment to the 161 employees of the three stores. Terms of the deal, which is expected to close Dec. 31, were not disclosed.
In two previous deals this year, Tops acquired 21 Grand Union stores and one store in North Boston.


text: In Yoga Body, Buddha Mind, the first book to give readers the best of both inextricably linked practices, Cyndi Lee – author of the bestselling series OM Yoga in a Box – shares her twenty years of experience as a practicing Tibetan Buddhist and one of the country's most famous yoga instructors. This easy-to-use guide shows readers of all yoga levels how to combine the basic tenets of Buddhism and meditation with yoga practice. Her book offers simple meditation programs and exercise sequences that can be done just about anywhere, in addition to more advanced and rigorous regimens. Written in the same personal, comfortable, and charismatic style that Cyndi Lee has brought to her classes, Yoga Body, Buddha Mind is a comprehensive how-to guide for spiritual well-being and the ultimate enlightening experience.


text:
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
I don't like my heartstrings pulled unnecessarily, especially as part of some well-crafted marketing ploy. It makes me feel like Pavlov's dog.
When Hostess pulled its line of snack cakes off the shelves, including Ho-Ho's and the ever-loving Twinkie, marketing gurus predicted the heart swell of American gluttons such as myself would rise up in a tsunami of maudlin melancholy for yet another favorite childhood memory forever lost and revive the snack-cake giant.
We performed exactly as they predicted. Dr. Pavlov would have been proud.
So, it wasn't by random chance six months ago that I found a stray box of Twinkies by accident, protruding from the bottom shelf midway down the snack cake and cookies aisle at Walmart. It wasn't my investigative nose for news – which I long doubt I ever had – that put me on my belly, in Walmart, at 2 a.m., to reach way back into the dark and forgotten recesses of the bottom shelf, where I imagined I was Indiana Jones on a quest for the Lost Ark of snack cakes.
This was planned. Contrived, even.
And my actions became a common statistic.
I remember feeling like I'd come into possession of something I was not supposed to have.
A mistake, feeling like I'd stolen something, feeling like Woody Harrelson in Zombieland, when he laments over the course of a two-hour movie about missing Twinkies in his post-apocalyptic zombie world.
I wondered how far we were as a society, from having flesh-eating zombies roaming the streets. How far were we from Zombieland?
Hey, there were no more Twinkies so we can't be that far. Hurtling on a collision with Armageddon, I am certain.
I remember hiding the Twinkies away, a 12-pack, a veritable treasure chest of corn-syrupy goodness that is horrible for my health. I remember grinning like the Joker and giggling, "To heck with my doctors. What do they know anyway?" as I snarfed back Twinkie after Twinkie – 11 of them two bites at a time.
I remember when I was down to the last Twinkie – the last known Twinkie in the whole wide world – and I hid it away, amongst my treasures, on display for my eyes only, this treasure of confectionary wonder: My Precious.
I remember scoffing at friends when I let slip I was indeed in possession of the world's last Twinkie.
Someone even said, "Hey, you're not supposed to have those," and I giggled like Renfield. "I know, I know, but I do and you can't have any," I said.
I remember my despair when I could no longer resist the preservative choked temptation, spurred by the fear this Twinkie would outlive me and become someone else's treat, someone else's treasure . . . No, someone else's PRECIOUS.
I succumbed to gluttony, pride, greed and envy, and I'm sure a couple of other deadly sins, and I ate it so another couldn't.
Above all else, I felt shame.
I am a weak man. And food shall be thy demise, I heard the Sunday preacher inside my head decry as he waggled an accusatory finger my way.
I ate the last Twinkie.
Now, they tell me it was all for naught. My efforts were in vain. My feelings were expected, counted on even, as that was all part of their grand plan.
I should feel used but I don't. The Twinkie is coming back. July 15. Awesome.
Let's eat.
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Contact Information:Real EstateResaca Village1601 Price Rd. Suite EBrownsville, Texas 78520Phone:956-882-4174Phone:956-882-4160Fax:956-882-4171 Office Hours:Monday - Friday8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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text:
We want you to feel good about buying your baby the very best. That's why we'll always offer you great savings on all of your baby essentials. From our Onesies® brand one-piece underwear through our toddler collections, we have the cutest and cuddliest childrenswear for your little ones.
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text:
Chef Tony's mission is to provide your guests with an experience they'll never forget. With an emphasis on combining timeless classic favorites with in-season flavors, his culinary adventures are limitless.
What Chef Tony presents, reflects your taste! Rest assured that the Chef Tony creative team prides themselves in their plating. Each plate will be handled uniquely to ensure your guests will experience excellence.
Chef Tony proudly supports local farmers and only works with the freshest ingredients. Chef Tony constantly seeks true quality, and it is proven in the details of every dish. Tasting appointments are available upon request.
You hold the reins. Chef Tony understands that every event requires its own unique details. Your menu is customizable to fit your budget as well as your guests' needs. Your menu options are limitless.
Chef Tony discovered his love for food at just 15 years old, working the summers at Lake Berryessa.
He continued his culinary trek by studying at the Art Institute of CA-LA, and worked his way up in 5-star restaurant chains such as Houstons / R&D Kitchen, and Westside Tavern. Having worked his way through every position in the kitchen has allowed him to truly understand the ins and outs of service as if it were one giant, well-oiled machine.
Since then, he has mentored under internationally known chefs and worked with LA based catering companies such as Thyme Cafe, Infusion Catering and Danny Harold Catering. Chef Tony has had the opportunity to work celebrity-studded events all over Los Angeles, which sparked his desire to start his own special occasion catering company.
Full Service Catering
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text:
on January 14, 2013 - 1:00 AM
, updated January 14, 2013 at 8:09 AM
Scientists in recent years have found a way to infuse stem cells into the brains of animals to repair damage to the central nervous system, offering some of the most encouraging news yet for multiple sclerosis patients.
Now, a key $12.1 million study soon will be under way in Buffalo and two other upstate medical centers that will for the first time begin to test the procedure in people.
The hope is that the stem cells will generate new myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds nerves like the insulation on a wire. Myelin is damaged in MS, leading to weak or lost signals between nerves. Eventually, the painful disease spreads in a slow, unpredictable path toward paralysis.
"This is a promising strategy. It has been extraordinarily effective in mice, and there is great hope the technique will be successful in people," said Dr. Steven Goldman, co-principal investigator and co-director of the University of Rochester Center for Translational Neuromedicine.
The study by researchers in Rochester, the University at Buffalo and Upstate Medical University in Syracuse has far-ranging implications. It potentially could be applied to millions of patients with a host of other conditions, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
Although stem cells show great promise, the approach is a ways from reality.
What works in mice does not always work in humans. In addition, scientists don't know what causes MS, so they can't exactly replicate MS in animals, complicating tests of the potential new treatment.
"Expectations have to be kept under control. You're not going to implant stem cells in people and suddenly see them running around," said Dr. Bianca Guttman-Weinstock, co-principal investigator at UB.
Stem cells are often referred to as master cells because they develop into the many different types of cells in the body that form organs and tissue. Stem cells also have the potential to repair or replace damaged cells.
Other scientists are looking at whether it may be possible to use certain stem cells to prevent the body's immune system from attacking nerves.
"There is a lot happening in stem cell research, and it's exciting because five years ago, these were just ideas. Now, they are reality," said Dr. Timothy Coetzee, chief research officer at the National MS Society.
Until recently, scientists didn't know exactly which master stem cells ultimately developed into cells that make myelin in a complicated process. They now know that cells called oligodendrocytes produce myelin. They also learned how to turn stem cells into a type of cell called glial progenitor cells. Glial progenitor cells are the cells that make oligodendrocytes.
These findings allowed scientists to transplant oligodendrocytes into the brains of mice that had no myelin. The result: The cells began to repair damaged areas.
"It was an extraordinarily effective strategy," said Goldman.
All this progress has occurred in the last few years, including a study published late last year using stem cells transplanted into the brains of children with a rare genetic brain disease known as Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, in which myelin is lacking.
The significance of the research is that it indicates stem cells can be safely transplanted and may be effective at making myelin.
Children are different than adults, but Goldman and others say there is great hope the technique will succeed in adults.
The first step
The upstate consortium study for MS, which is funded by the Empire State Stem Cell Board, is the first step in a typical research process, which occurs in phases and usually takes many years to complete.
In the first two phases, scientists test the safety and effectiveness of an experimental treatment, and that's what will happen with this stem cell trial for MS.
Patients enrolled in the study will be those with secondary progressive MS. These individuals no longer have periods of remission and, instead, experience a slow but steady worsening of symptoms with no approved therapy. Small holes will be drilled into their skulls and stem cells injected through catheters inserted in the holes.
The original proposal for the study recommended obtaining stem cells from discarded fetal brains. Technology has progressed enough that the current plan, dependent on government approval, is to start with stem cells from the patient's own skin cells and reprogram them into cells useful for making myelin.
Before the first patients can receive the treatment in 2016, researchers must spend the next few years preparing for the trial. Among other things, they need to refine how they will measure the repair of myelin, as well as improvements in the patients. It's a tricky issue because improvements are likely to occur slowly and will vary from person to person, said Guttman-Weinstock.
A key role
It seems fitting that the study will include Buffalo.
Research by the late Dr. Lawrence D. Jacobs, a Buffalo neurologist, played a key role in the development of Avonex, the drug most widely prescribed to treat relapsing MS.
Population studies show that higher rates of MS exist in temperate climates, in particular a geographic band in North America across the northern United States and southern Canada that includes Western New York.
If stem cells work, it could change the lives of millions of people worldwide who suffer from a disease that can be unbearable as patients decline in function and health.
That's why many individuals like Shelly Boyle track research on potential MS treatments with a laser-like focus.
"I read everything I can read," said Boyle, a 48-year-old Cheektowaga resident who was diagnosed with MS in 1990.
She stopped working as a chiropractor in 2004 as her symptoms worsened. She has trouble walking and coordinating the small muscles in her fingers. The medication she has been taking is no longer effective.
"The idea of drilling into my brain would scare me if I was in the trial, but the prospect of something new on the horizon is exciting," she said. "I'm running out of options."
Multiple sclerosis: The Basics
• Multiple sclerosis: A chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.
• What happens: The body's immune system permanently damages the protective sheath called myelin that covers nerves.
• Types of MS: There are four types, including relapsing-remitting, which has flare-ups followed by periods of recovery; and secondary-progressive, in which the condition progressively worsens.
• Symptoms: Can range from mild numbness in limbs to paralysis and loss of vision.
• Cause: Still unknown.
• Treatment: There is no cure, but therapies exist to slow the disease's progress and treat flare-ups.
email: email@example.com


text:
Integrated Power Solutions is the bundled solutions authority for the Critical Power Industry. Since we are not a manufacturer representative, IPS is able to draw from any of our Strategic Channel Partners to provide our clients with the right combination of world-class products for their mission critical power system. We can create a complete turn-key critical power solution designed to the clients specific needs with the greatest level of compatibility resulting in high efficiency and unmatched reliability.
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text:
Top Definition
To Blazai' is to smoke weed in a very elegent or sheek manor. Not just inahling and exhaling like a douche, taking your time with the spliff, doing hoops, irish waterfall or dragon smoke.
Guy 2: that guy is blazai'!
Guy 2: that guy is blazai'!
Por bat-fucking-man 08 de diciembre de 2009
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text:
An exercise bike not only gives you intense leg exercises, but it also can be used to work out and tone other parts of the body, making them essential parts of any home gym. Sears carries a wide variety of bikes, including recumbent, upright and traditional indoor cycles. Keep the bike next to the weight bench, so you can switch between aerobic and strength training with ease. With a stationary model in the basement or home gym, you can wake up and get a workout before heading to the office or exercise while watching your favorite TV shows and movies.
An exercise cycle works similar muscle groups, but there are different benefits to working out on each kind of bike. A recumbent design is easier on the back, providing support with a full seat while also freeing up the arms to allow for simultaneous weight training with accessories like dumbbells. An upright model and a spinning cycle allows you to work with different leg muscle groups and distribute weight differently while pedaling.
Exercise bike accessories like under-desk pedalers let you take the gym wherever you go, and essentials like protective floor mats ensure your fierce biking leaves your carpet or floor in good shape. Get the workout you deserve with a new exercise bike from Sears.


text:
'Breaking Dawn' personality test
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text:
Yes, California's pricing system is killing its dairies
Yes, California's pricing system is killing its dairies
Leading cheese maker believes the reason isn't low prices, but the system itself.
By Hoard's Dairyman Staff
If the headline of this article looks familiar, it's because it is nearly identical to the one we used in our April 25 issue interview with Chino, Calif., dairy producer Geoffrey Vanden Heuvel. It is an understatement to say that the article caused a splash in the dairy industry, as it was linked and relinked to our website for distribution that put it in front of many more readers than in just the West.
It also prompted one of California's leading dairy industry executives, John Jeter, CEO and president of Hilmar Cheese Company, to volunteer for an interview to discuss the situation from a processor's perspective. Right from the start, it was obvious that he and Vanden Heuvel have great mutual respect for each other. They also agree on more things than they do not — including the premise that the state's pricing system has been outdated for years and no longer serves milk producers in a timely and effective manner.
Equally obvious was that the headline for Vanden Heuvel's interview also sums up Jeter's feelings about California's milk pricing system. The difference is, while Vanden Heuvel thinks the system can be fixed, Jeter thinks the low prices it generates prove it is diseased and he believes dairy producers would benefit most if it were killed.
Is the milk pricing situation in California right now as complicated as it looks?
"If you mean the current dynamics and hassle, I really don't think it is. I think it's fairly straightforward. But it has gotten very political; that's what makes it confusing and emotional. I absolutely agree with the headline on the article with Geoff. But he would say it's because of the low prices that dairymen are being paid, and I'm saying it's the leadership culture it has created and the ease with which plants can survive without doing what they need to do. That's what's killing dairymen. They need a change to a more market-oriented system that will drive higher prices."
Does the fact it has become so emotional and political reflect the degree of financial pain that is occurring at the producer level?
"I think that's one of the things that is having a great bearing. I certainly think that the change of dynamics out here — high feed costs and the high volume of purchased feed that most dairies have historically used and that worked so well for so long — has definitely brought pressure to bear on the entire system. Now you don't have to put it into a cow to increase its value, you can just sell it. It's definitely a different dynamic.
"When you get in a difficult situation you look for the problem. In this case the focus has been the big delta between the federal order Class III price and California Class 4b; it's the flash point that your April 25 interview focused on. I think Geoff Vanden Heuvel and I agree that the situation out here is not working for dairymen. When the Gonsalves Milk Pooling Act was set up in the late 1960s, those minimum prices were really setting the milk price. They just aren't that anymore. What the act was started to do and what it's doing today are two different things, and it just doesn't work. So dairymen are suffering.
"At the public hearing May 1 for AB 31 [a proposal to bring California Class 4b whey values into much closer alignment with federal order Class III whey values], one of the dairymen who spoke and is a leader in the state said, "you [the legislature] are our only recourse to fix this." That's a really important statement. We have 200 ag commodities in California and I guarantee you milk is the only one where that statement is made. But is it true? No! Eighty-five percent of the dairymen in California own the entities they ship their milk to — the co-ops. And they are not small entities; two of them are $12 billion [total sales] co-ops and another is a $4 billion co-op. They are not tiny little companies that can't do anything. My point is, that dairyman is part of one of those co-ops and he told the legislators they are the only ones who can take care of this — and that's just not true.
"Actually, it is his statement that is probably at the core of the issue. I think both Geoff and I would agree that this system is really bad for dairymen and that it is not working."
How much of the sentiment expressed by that producer was the result of going through the hearing process and going to court, but getting no results from either one?
"Is that the right way to fix the hearing process? We're saying it's not. We need a market solution today, not a regulated solution. In this global dairy industry that we are in, if you have to go to a secretary of agriculture or a legislature, then we have problems. And we do. We should be tough enough marketers, be innovative enough, and be good enough investors to invest in this tremendous raw material that we have — not go to a secretary of agriculture who can't create value.
"That dairyman who told the legislators, 'You are our only chance for improvement' — that's just not true. But unfortunately the system has trained our industry to go to Sacramento for revenue increases, instead of turning to the marketplace to create value. As long as regulated pricing exists and regulators are there as the solution, the risk averse in our industry will go there for solutions and will not be forced to compete. Dairymen will continue to suffer as value is not created and it will not solve our most basic problems. It's more difficult to invest and create products and innovate, but it's a market-driven solution and it's the only sustainable way to create and increase value."
It sounds like maybe you're saying co-ops are the problem; that instead of seizing market opportunities that exist they are holding on to the commodity product manufacturing business model they have used for decades.
"I want to go back to some of Geoff's comments because I think they're good. When the pooling system was set up it established make allowances to create plant capacity. The regulators assured plant operators — the co-ops — they were going to make a return on investment. And frankly, it was a great strategy. It worked. Probably the most dynamic segment of agriculture during the last 50 years is the California dairy industry from 1980 to 2005. The regulators were working with the co-ops and private firms very effectively, but when the cheap feed situation changed the deal kind of ran out. And as global markets opened up it became imperative that if you were going to be successful you needed to be a global marketer.
"Because of the old environment where they could just build plants and make "churn and burn" commodities and do well and not do anything else, most California-based co-ops had no research and development, no business development and no applications group. Show me another industry where that occurs. I think we all got caught sitting here thinking, "wow, this is easy."
Wasn't that approach just a product of the pricing structure that exists?
"Yes. The comment Geoff made, 'We have ended up with very lazy plants' is a great statement that I totally agree with. Now take us. We came along in 1985 with a dozen owners and I recruited three other dairymen who were crazy enough to ship their milk to us. We were a little pip-squeak surrounded by big co-ops. We made stuff. We created things. All of a sudden we created competition. And to one extent or another, every dairyman in this state now gets paid more because of us.
"For dairymen who haven't had experience with a milk buyer that innovates, creates and markets, in a lot of cases their solution tends to be regulation. But regulation is a poor solution. All it will do is get us further down the road of dependence and lack of innovation and investment. We agree with the Bain Study commissioned by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, that there are tremendous global dairy marketing opportunities. The U.S. has already made so much progress in terms of becoming a global supplier, but California's pricing system is a hindrance to that.
"In California, the minimum price is truly the price. In a federal order the minimum price is optional; only what you choose to pool is subject to it. In California it is not optional; if it is Grade A milk, it is subject to the minimum price. That's why California and federal order prices are not comparable and it's why the minimum price needs to be low and market-driven prices need to be above that.
"That's a different way of thinking. We started it in 1985 and we still believe that's the way to do it. It creates value and, frankly, it creates the opportunity to let dairymen share value. Last year in California we paid $40 million in premiums over the state minimum. We do that because we've invested. The value to do it was in the milk, but it had to be created and we've invested quite a bit to be able to do it."
Dairymen say that, by and large, the last four years have been a financial disaster for them. Are things as bad as they say, or are they blowing things out of proportion?
"We need a market solution today, not a regulated solution. In this global dairy industry that we are in, if you have to go to a secretary of agriculture or a legislature then we have problems. And we do. We should be tough enough marketers, be innovative enough, and be good enough investors to invest in this tremendous raw material that we have – not go to a secretary of agriculture who can't create value."
– John Jeter
"I think they have been the toughest four years; I don't disagree with that. But I also think there are haves and have-nots. Guys that buy all of their feed are more of the have-nots, and guys that buy none or only some are on the haves side. And when you think of the guys in Southern California, they don't even have the opportunity to buy land to grow feed. It's a really tough dynamic for them.
"The question is, how did we get here? In a situation where massive investment has not been made by certain segments of the industry, they're really getting nothing extra for their milk. That's the issue. We think that rather than complaining in Sacramento to CDFA (California Department of Food and Agriculture) or the legislature, dairymen ought to be going back into their own organizations and saying, "We need to create more value."
During that same four-year period, has the processing industry had as tough of a time?
"What did a couple of the big co-ops do with some of their cheese plants during that time? They shut them down or sold them. So we think there are haves and have-nots there too. What happened as a result of those combined moves was, all of them became much greater nonasset participants and they looked to the regulated price for solutions. That's a bad deal for dairymen.
"I think that dairymen are blaming Sacramento and us [Hilmar Cheese], when they really should be looking at the organizations they own. 'Dairymen say we are not sharing whey revenue when, in fact, we are. The way the system works in California, if the minimum price was increased to include premiums, then the $40 million we paid in premiums would have to go into the pool and be redistributed to all dairymen in the state. Only a portion of the $40 million would make its way back to our dairymen — meaning they would make less. We're already paying the money; they just don't want it to go to only our dairymen. They want it to go to everybody, including those who divested cheese plants."'
Isn't that just free enterprise? Can't they do the same thing?
"Absolutely. All of the major California dairy co-ops supply milk to cheese plants as milk brokers essentially. You ought to ask them if they went to those cheese plants and asked for more money; that if there really is a lot of money in whey or whatever that is not being paid out, then they'd like some of it. In a lot of cases they never asked their customers for more money, they just went to the regulated price. It's a mind-set that is just wrong.
"We believe the dairy industry and dairymen would be much healthier if a regulated price was not there, that instead of going to the regulated system they went back to their co-ops and said, 'We need to invest. We need to be like Fonterra or Arla Foods.' There is no reason that U.S. entities can't be like them."
Some California producers cite two sections of the State Agricultural Code in their arguments for higher minimum prices that they feel have been ignored by CDFA. Those say in part, "bring about and maintain a reasonable amount of stability and prosperity in the production of market milk ..." and "...methods or formulas shall be reasonably calculated to result in prices that are in a reasonable and sound economic relationship with the national value of manufactured milk products." Do you think CDFA is fulfilling those directives?
"I think what frequently happens is, they take that to mean their milk should be valued the same, but that's not what the law says. I guess the factor I disagree with is, the price of milk in California is a true minimum price. The price in federal orders, where that bigger whey factor is, is an optional price. The federal order Class III and the California 4b are different things. In federal orders the Class III doesn't have to be paid. When one of the co-ops has surplus milk I can buy it at $3 under in Texas, but here I have to pay the minimum price. The point is, if you don't pool you don't have to pay the regulated price, and that's core to the issue. So we would be happy with a federal order in California, because we would have much greater flexibility [in what we pay for milk]."
Exports today account for about 13 percent of all milk solids produced in the U.S.; they are clearly vital to the survival of the industry. California is not only the biggest dairy state in the country, but it is most ideally situated to serve Asian markets. What does the California dairy industry have to do to capitalize on those huge advantages?
"The regulated price presents some complications, because it's based upon the domestic market while we are selling into a global market. To the extent that those things are out of synch it can actually discourage you from exporting. That's why the Bain study said that the milk pricing system needs to be reformed in order for the U.S. to become a consistent supplier."
To become a consistent supplier, is it a must that milk comes out of California?
"Yes. California is perfectly positioned to be an amazing exporter, just like we already are with so many other ag commodities. Our milk supply is basically the size of New Zealand's. Frankly, I need more plant capacity and I need it to fuel exports. But using an end product price formula that can change rapidly to extract more via regulation rather than via marketing skills is problematic."
If a company started by 12 dairymen can do this, can't it be done by other organizations that are much older and larger?
"That's our point. Rather than going to the Secretary of Agriculture or the legislature for a regulated something, we just need to go out and create value. And it can be done. Back to that dairymen who told the legislators they were his only avenue for more money, if they believe him then it's bad. For one thing it's just not true. Other people can do this. And that's why in the end we think dairymen are struggling in this state. Yes, there is a feed issue, but we all need to get serious about creating value. All of us."
If you had a magic wand, what would you change about California's pricing system?
"We need some type of transitional time frame. I would pick a date about three to five years out and say at that point it is going to end. It would let us get prepared financially for what's going to come. I think at that point there would be an investment boom, literally. Do you know why we think foreign entities don't come in here? Because of the milk pricing system. Fonterra should be here buying milk, but they aren't. Why do you think that is? I think we'd see a change in the players who are here if the current pricing system went away. We think competition is good for dairymen, and that's what needs to happen."
Since there is no such thing as a magic wand, changes to the system will invariably take time. For producers who say they don't have the luxury of time, is there a reason for them to be hopeful in the short-term?
"I think in the short-term feed prices are moderating somewhat, and because of the growing global demand that we seem to be making progress tapping into, I think where prices used to be in a lower realm they are now in a higher realm. We believe they are going to stay there and Rabobank says they're going to stay there. We think feed prices certainly need to moderate and then we need to make regulatory price changes. Then I think you're going to see investment come into this state and there's going to be better competition for milk."
You're a processor. You need producers to be successful, right?
"Yes. We want them and their co-ops to do well, because if they don't the dairymen go for regulated solutions and I think that will hurt our global competitiveness. If they invest hard and are successful they'll have to fight us, and that's okay. We'll all fight for milk and that will be great for dairymen. They need to have competition. But this regulated pricing system has really just been terrible for dairymen for the last 15 years."


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On Tuesday, during his second stop on a grueling 10-day, nine nation blitz, new Secretary of State John Kerry gave a speech in Germany to an audience primarily of college students. He defended the freedoms enjoyed by Americans under the Constitution.
Kerry talked about how freedom of speech allows people in the US to say whatever they want about the government and each other. How they can walk in parades carrying signs scribbled with insults against anything and anyone they don't agree with, including the president.
Kerry, who spent time in Berlin as a child when his American-diplomat father was posted there, was quoted in this Politico report:
The reason is, that's freedom, freedom of speech. In America you have a right to be stupid — if you want to be. And you have a right to be disconnected to somebody else if you want to be.
The secretary went on to explain that American society believes in freedom of religion and religious tolerance of all faiths. He knows that some cultures probably don't understand why the US Supreme Court allows varying degrees of civil provocation in protests that malign one another.
"And we tolerate it," said Kerry. "We somehow make it through that. Now, I think that's a virtue. I think that's something worth fighting for. The important thing is to have the tolerance to say, you know, you can have a different point of view."
According to an msn.com news report, Kerry had just come from London, which was his first stop on the tour during a time when the Obama administration started reconsidering the idea of arming the resistance in Syria.
The report said: "Kerry is eager to discuss new ways of convincing Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down and usher in a democratic transition in the country that has been wracked by increasing violence that has killed at least 70,000 people."
Kerry was sparse on details, but a Wednesday mention on CNN said the administration has been mulling the idea of providing military weapons, vehicles and training to Syrian rebels.
From Germany, Kerry will visit a few more standard Western allies in France and Italy, then on to Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Sources claim he will not only focus on Syria and the dangers being posed by Iran's nuclear saber rattling, but also the conflicts in Afghanistan and Mali.
To see Kerry's "you have the right to be stupid" speech click here.
Jean Williams, environmental and political journalist; PrairieDogPress writer; Artistic Director, Keystone Prairie Dogs.***PrairieDogPress is the media channel for keystone-prairie-dogs.com, which is a fundraising website to support environmental groups for extraordinary efforts to protect Great Plains habitat and prairie dogs in the wild. PDP uses humorous images, social commentary and serious-minded political reports to challenge government on numerous levels, including accountability to the people, the protection of threatened species, the environment and Earth's natural resources.


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MARTINSBURG - With today as the final day of the 2012-13 fiscal year, the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department will undergo a significant adjustment to its pay scale in the upcoming fiscal year to maintain officer retention.
At Thursday's Berkeley County Council meeting, Berkeley County Sheriff Kenny LeMaster presented a salary adjustment for the different positions in the sheriff's department in an effort to retain officers and recruit future members.
"No pay raises or increases has put us at a critical state where officers are leaving and going to different jurisdictions or jobs," said LeMaster. "It's not something new, but it's just been brought to a critical stage."
Article Photos
Journal photo by Samantha Cronk
Berkeley County Sheriff Kenny LeMaster presents a $271,000 department pay scale adjustment to the Berkeley County Council Thursday in order to make the sheriff's department more competitive with surrounding jurisdictions.
The proposal to adjust the pay scale was approved by Berkeley County Council members in a 4-1 vote, with member Doug Copenhaver voting against the motion.
Copenhaver was in favor of adjusting the pay scale, but did not believe the county should increase the sheriff's budget for the next fiscal year to make the raises possible. He believed that the sheriff has enough money remaining in his budget to support a sustainable pay raise internally.
"I don't have a problem with pay increases, but I do have a problem when there's $710,245.97 of an encumbered and unencumbered fund balance for this fiscal year, and you're asking for another $200,000," Copenhaver said.
"If you're asking to use the budget that you have and re-adjust your budget internally to increase your payroll, you still, even after the encumbered which is 14 vehicles in the last two years, you still have money to be good," he added.
The Berkeley County Sheriff's Department has not had a pay adjustment since 2006, a fact that the sheriff said left the department unable to compete with surrounding departments and jurisdictions.
LeMaster proposed that the funding for the adjustment be supported through the county's unassigned funds over three years, from fiscal year 2013 to 2016. The increase to the sheriff's budget is approximately $170,000 for the first year, $39,000 for the second year and $62,000 for the third year.
Additionally, the position of deputy first class will be created throughout the three-year interim.
Any allocation that is not expended from the sheriff's budget returns to the county's overall county fund or unassigned fund balance. The county already has 2.5 million of the unassigned funds budgeted, and any funds above the that threshold can be distributed by the council.
The pay issue became critical when four officers left the department specifically because of pay. Since the four officers left, LeMaster said that multiple people within the sheriff's office have talked to him about leaving and searching for other jobs in order to earn better pay.
"Public safety is everyone's concern, and No. 1 priority. It's hard to sustain sufficient manpower for public safety with deputies leaving for better paying jobs. Unless we do something, we will have to endure a change in quality of life because we will not have qualified deputies to serve the community," LeMaster said.
LeMaster modeled the wage adjustment to be competitive with the Martinsburg Police Department. Whereas the salary for an officer starting with the sheriff's office is $30,548, the starting salary at the Martinsburg Police Department is $39,608.
"I'm trying to build us up closer to what the Martinsburg City Police is. That's our closest neighbor, it's the closest in size. I don't ever hope to compete with Jefferson County. They're way above what we may ever see here," LeMaster said.
The officers who recently left the sheriff's department included an officer with nine years of experience and a salary of $35,240 and an officer with six years of experience making $31,464.
In addition to the pay adjustment, LeMaster included a clause that any officer who attends the training academy or any specialized training through the sheriff's department must reimburse the department if that officer leaves within a year of being trained.
LeMaster said he included this clause because of the frequent occurrence of officers receiving training through the sheriff's department and soon after accepting higher paying positions elsewhere.
-Staff writer Samantha Cronk can be reached at 304-263-8931, ext. 132, or twitter.com/scronkJN.


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STEUBENVILLE - Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said Monday afternoon no specific date has been set for a special grand jury investigating the Steubenville rape case to meet again.
The last time the grand jury convened in Jefferson County was in August.
"This can't get over soon enough for me. This grand jury has been meeting for so long. But it will come back with the truth," DeWine told reporters prior to a special round table discussion with law enforcement officials at the Eastern Gateway Community College Pugliese Training Center.
"I think for there to be closure for the community we have to have some definitive answers or we need to be able to say we can't get those," DeWine continued during a 15-minute news conference.
Seventeen-year-old Trent Mays of Bloomingdale and 16-year-old Ma'Lik Richmond were found delinquent of rape charges in March by retired Juvenile Judge Thomas Lipps. Mays also was found delinquent of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material for having a photo of the victim in an ongoing text message on his cell phone.
The charges stemmed from the rape of a 16-year-old Weirton girl in August 2012.
Richmond was sentenced to one year in a Department of Youth Services, and Mays was sentenced to two years in a youth detention center.
Within minutes of the judge's verdict DeWine held a press conference at the Jefferson County Justice Center where he announced he was calling for a special grand jury to investigate all aspects of the case and whether others should be charged.
The special grand jury was seated on April 15 and has met 10 times since.
"I'm sorry it's gone on so long but my commitment to the community was that we would come back with the truth and it would be definitive and that would be it. Frankly I don't want to speculate and tell you how soon it's going to be and not live up to that commitment," DeWine said.
"The community is looking for closure on this issue and we need definitive answers or we need to say we can't give those definitive answers," DeWine said.
The grand jury adjourned in August after three consecutive days, and DeWine said in August that forensic work involving cell phones and computers had yet to be completed.
One of the key issues before the grand jury is whether adults who are required to report crimes knew early on of the rape last August but didn't say anything.


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UNIVERSITY PARK - Penn State football coach Bill O'Brien wasn't kidding when he told the media assembled in the Lasch Building for the signing day press conference that he would fill the opening on his staff caused by the departure of Ted Roof in the very near future.
The Charleston, W.Va., Daily Mail reported on its website Wednesday evening that recently hired Marshall defensive assistant Anthony Midget was leaving to join O'Brien's staff.
"We hire good coaches," Thundering Herd coach Doc Holliday told the Daily Mail. "It's a compliment to us. We hire great people and we'll hire another great coach."
Marshall had hired Midget on Jan. 28. He was Bill Curry's defensive coordinator at Georgia State last season and also coached the special teams there.
Midget, 34, was an All-American defensive back at Virginia Tech who went on to be drafted by the Atlanta Falcons. He returned to his alma mater as a graduate assistant in 2007.
Penn State has had an opening for the last few weeks because Roof, the team's defensive coordinator, returned to his alma mater, Georgia Tech, to take the same position there.
Getting a ride
Incoming walk-ons were part of the focus of O'Brien's press conference, but those players also heard something to motivate them that they might not have to pay their own way for all four years.
O'Brien announced that at least two-former walk-ons would be receiving scholarships for 2013.
"Off the top of my head, I know Matt Lehman will be on scholarship. Ryan Keiser's on scholarship," O'Brien said.
A tight end, Lehman was the fourth-leading receiver on the team last year with 24 catches for 296 yards and three touchdowns. Keiser mainly contributes as the team's holder.
UCF is official
The Orlando Sentinel reported it two weeks ago. Now Penn State has confirmed that the Lions will host Central Florida this season, replacing the Virginia game.
The Lions will host the Golden Knights on Sept. 14.
It's believed that the Lions will make a trip to UCF the following year, but Penn State's press release only said that is a possibility for 2014 or 2015.
Recruiting rules
O'Brien was asked for his opinion on the NCAA's proposed change that would allow coaches to have almost limitless contact with prospective recruits via text and email that would start in the coming months.
"We're just in the process of really looking at that," O'Brien said. "We're never going to join the ranks of the 'Wild, Wild West.' I can promise you that. We're going to do things the right way at Penn State. We're still going to try to go out there and find Penn State guys. We want tough guys, smart guys, high-character guys. That's not going to change, but maybe the way we go about it doing it will have to change because of the less rules. We're just about finding the right fit and developing the relationship."


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on June 3, 2013 - 10:06 PM
WASHINGTON – Federal lawmakers and the Families of Continental Connection Flight 3407 reacted with outrage at the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday in the wake of a former Colgan Air executive's admission that the FAA warned the airline about safety issues six months before the 2009 plane crash that claimed 50 lives.
"The alarming revelation that the FAA knew about safety issues at Colgan Air prior to the crash of Flight 3407, and did very little, demonstrates it is not enough just to have tough rules – the FAA must be aggressive in their enforcement of them," said Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y.
Meanwhile, family members who lost loved ones in the crash said the revelations reopened old wounds.
"It is sickening to hear once again, this time from an insider, the depths that the FAA allowed regional airlines to descend to," said John Kausner of Clarence, who lost his daughter Ellyce in the crash.
The lawmakers and family members were responding to a story in Sunday's Buffalo News, in which Dan Morgan, former vice president for safety and compliance at Colgan, said that the FAA warned Colgan about safety concerns in August 2008.
Colgan responded at the time by developing a safety slideshow that executives presented to employees, but Morgan said the FAA never followed up.
The lawmakers and the family members agreed that Morgan's revelations should prompt the FAA to enact the tough new pilot training and experience regulations that it has promised to finalize this year.
"It just reinforces how important it is that the FAA get these new rules in place by the new deadlines," said Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence.
Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., agreed. "This outrageous negligence cost us 50 lives," she said. "If we're going to prevent the next tragedy and save lives in the future, we need to finish the effort led by the families who lost loved ones on Flight 3407, and implement all of the rules we wrote into the new FAA safety law."
Susan Bourque of East Aurora, who lost her sister, 9/11 activist Beverly Eckert, in the crash, said Morgan's story proved that the airline industry "is only as strong as its weakest link."
"That's why it is so important to raise the federal minimum standards in key safety areas," she said. "That's where the emphasis needs to be to prevent future crashes, accidents and incidents and to ensure that the best qualified, best trained and well rested pilots are in the cockpit for all commercial flights – regional or major."
Told that lawmakers and family members were angry about Morgan's revelations, FAA spokeswoman Kristie M. Greco responded with a statement indicating the agency had forced improvements at Colgan before the crash.
"As a result of FAA oversight, Colgan Airlines implemented many safety changes prior to the accident, including adding more employees, enhancing safety training for all employees, reducing pilot flying time by reducing ferry flights, and making maintenance improvements," the statement said.
But the Flight 3407 families weren't buying the FAA's explanation.
"I would think that if (the FAA's action) had its true intended effect, my husband would be alive today with myself and our daughter enjoying his life and family," said Jennifer West, who lost her husband, Ernie, in the crash.
The August 2008 meeting in which FAA officials noted their safety concerns to Colgan executives was never mentioned in the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation of the 2009 crash.
Asked for an explanation, NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said:"We documented and conducted a full investigation. All the facts that investigators believe were relevant to our investigation were included in our docket, public hearing and analyzed in our final report. With that, there is not much more that can be added."
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Airlines for America, an industry group, defended the safety of regional airlines.
"Safety is always our highest priority, and the regional partners of our member airlines all meet the high safety standards of the FAA and our members," said Katie Connell, the airlines' spokeswoman.
But Karen Eckert, another of Beverly Eckert's sisters, questioned the FAA's standards.
"For the FAA to accept a slide show without any substantive follow-up is pretty outrageous after the FAA sounded the alarm," she said. "Seems like the FAA took the easy way out: tell us something, give us something and we will check that box that says everything is OK."
Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, concurred. "If the FAA had safety concerns, they should have acted on them," he said.
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MORGANTOWN - Not only will Saturday's football game mark the debut of West Virginia into the Big 12 Conference, but it will pit two of the nation's top quarterbacks against each other in what promises to be a high-flying aerial circus.
The game has been chosen as the Marquee Match-Up for the Davey O'Brian National Quarterback Award by the fans on Facebook. Throughout the season, fans will select one game as the best weekly match-up between the nation's top quarterbacks.
The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. The Davey O'Brien Award honors candidates who exemplify Davey O'Brien's enduring character while exhibiting teamwork, sportsmanship and leadership in both academics and athletics. The award is overseen by the Davey O'Brien Foundation, which is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and has given away more than $850,000 in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life.
Article Photos
West Virginia's Geno Smith, who has already been tabbed as the Big 12 Conference's Offensive Player of the Year in the preseason, leads a Mountaineer offense averaging more than 47 points per game. Smith leads the conference and is second in the nation with an average of 357 passing yards per contest.
He has thrown 12 touchdown passes in WVU's first three games.
Baylor, which moved into the top 25 this week after reeling off three straight wins to open the season, has not skipped a beat offensively, despite the loss of Davey O'Brien and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III.
Nick Florence has taken control of the Bears' helm as a senior and is leading the nation with 387 passing yards per game.
"We have to be prepared for a high-powered game," WVU coach Dana Holgorsen said. "But if you think we are going to shut them down, you're nuts.
"We have to have a short memory and forget about what may have happened on the last series or the last play."
Baylor coach Art Briles said he, too, is not looking at the game as an old-fashioned shootout.
"You can't look at it that way," he said. "We have to approach it like we are going to take care of business on all three sides of the football. You never know what's going to happen."
Kickoff for the game is set for noon and will be televised on the FX network.
The game will also be West Virginia's Homecoming contest.


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12 cringe-worthy moments in debate history
POSTED: 06:59 AM PDT Oct 02, 2012 UPDATED: 12:14 PM PST Nov 30, 2013
Some debates are harder to watch than others. Take a look back at 12 cringe-worthy moments in debate history.
The views expressed are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms Of Service and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms.blog comments powered by Disqus


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Oh dear, how does Mary Beth, who has a singles background, miss the 2Axel? She's going to be kicking herself for that big time!
Oh dear, how does Mary Beth, who has a singles background, miss the 2Axel? She's going to be kicking herself for that big time!
I like MBM's position in the DS. Usually that type just looks like a mistake, in the same way as Yu Na's broken leg camel, a spin I loathe except in very rare cases.
Lots of mistakes but a lovable team.
Merry Bath and Rockne were off. Very shaky lifts at the end on Rockne's part, then there's the fall on the SBS 2a, the SBS spins that were way off, and the two-foot on the throw 3sal. Nothing too costly on their own, but it all adds up.
AW MB looks so happy with the score/placement. It is very easy to like her.
M/B better than B/H????
This program by K/S can be beautifully mesmerizing. I hope they bring it today.
That skate from Mary Beth and Rockne will pretty much solidify their hopes of a top 10 placement as they had a pretty substantial lead over Dube/Wolfe after the SP. Good for them!
oooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh K/S what was up with the lift??????????
Yuko KAVAGUTI / Alexander SMIRNOV (RUS)
Music: Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy
11th after SP
3T - nice
3FTw - crashy (as usual)
BiDs - nice and low
FCCoSp - good unison
2A+2A+SEQ - she twofoots last jump
3LoTh - nice
Li - aborts lift before she gets up, what was wrong?
Li - difficult on one leg
They should be able to move up, but that lift mistake will cost them...
One of my favorite free skates of all times even with the mistakes. SUCH a lovely program.
Mistake or not; this program is beyond word! So Beautiful.


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An asshole who talks a lot shit but has nothing to say.
I get a lil cheery at the end of the day, and more ready to joke, Except when total 'Shit Throats' like this Devore person comes a long. I just don't understand.
por Oaklahoma Waka Baka 15 de Outubro de 2007
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Can you define these popular missing words?


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On Nov. 13, an established food industry professional plans to release anonymously Fifty Shades of Chicken, a cookbook from publisher Clarkson Potter that is inspired by the erotic literary phenomenon Fifty Shades of Grey.
"Like so many others, Fifty Shades of Grey resonated for me," the writer – working under the pen name FL Fowler – tells PEOPLE in an email. "It evoked something I'd never been able to express. Then one day as I was tying up the ankles of a chicken for roasting, I realized why some of the scenes in the book were so strikingly familiar. It turns out I've been practicing BDSM for years – but with poultry."
With that realization came a plan, and a journey into some serious food porn.
"The recipe and headnotes follow a chef and his chicken on an emotional journey very much like the original trilogy," adds the author. "You start with an overbearing cook and a pigheaded chicken but by the end they're spanking and tying each other up like soul mates. There's a bit of Christian and Anastasia Steele in every dish."
For now, the author plans to remain anonymous. "I've been developing recipes for years. But this is the first time I've ever delved into this dark, forbidden side of poultry preparation," explains the writer. "And when it comes to sexing up a family dinner, a little privacy can be a good thing."
Check out our exclusive sneak peak at two of the book's recipes below:
Mustard Spanked Chicken
Roasted chicken with mustard, fresh basil, and garlic. Serves 4
1 (3½- to 4-pound) chicken, patted dry with paper towels
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, more to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons minced fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1. Rub the chicken all over, including the cavity, with the salt and pepper.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the mustard, basil and garlic, and slap it hard onto the bird everywhere you just rubbed the salt and pepper. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 1 hour so it can recover.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a rack in a roasting pan.
4. Carefully lay the bird on the rack, breast down. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Roast for 30 minutes. Thrust a wooden spoon into the chicken cavity and flip the bird over so the breasts are up; drizzle with remaining oil. Continue to roast until the bird is golden brown and quite done, about 30 to 40 minutes longer. Enjoy.
Jon Von Pamer
Roasted chicken thighs with sweet-and-sour onions. Serves 4
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry with paper towels
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon plus pinch coarse kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss the chicken, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper together.
2. In a small saucepan, simmer together onion, wine, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and a pinch of salt until most of the liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes. Toss in the honey and butter.
3. Spoon the mixture over the chicken and toss well. Spread thighs, onion mixture, and any juices onto a baking sheet. Bake until chicken is no longer pink and onions are meltingly tender and caramelized, about 25 minutes.


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Click the link for daily surf reports presented by Nichols Surf Shop, 411 Flagler Ave., New Smyrna Beach
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The question of what to do with the Flagler Avenue Boardwalk became somewhat clearer Wednesday when the Community Redevelopment Agency members approved what they think is the best way to fix and preserve the structure.
Photo and story submitted by contributing writer Dale Smith / City Finance Director Althea Philord informs city commissioners on half-million-plus deficit and a three-year run of revenue shortfalls with the tax rate unchanged unless further cuts in spending are made.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH – City commissioners are staring at a $541,000 deficit for Fiscal Year 2011-2012 and are reviewing budget projections to whittle away at that figure.
Please click attachment to read NSB police patrols report:
Miguel Angel Frank departed this life on earth from Halifax Health Hospice of Volusia/Flagler, Edgewater Care Center, Edgewater, on October 4, 2011, and ascended into Heaven to join his beloved Cuban Family.


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Of course, I have a never-ending, constantly-evolving list of yearly goals, but since it's a piece of notebook paper taped to the wall, it's less than inspiring. And while I know the rest of the Internet loves nothing so much as aspirational Pinterest accounts and vision boards, that stuff just isn't quite my style.
Enter: Wall O' Goals.
Visually engaging. Reminder-ful. Cuter than notebook paper taped to the wall.
Here's how I made it!
1. Shuffle through weheartit and find gorgeous images that match my goals.
2. In Picnik crop, resize and add text to my photos. I used Impact font in white, faded 13% because I'm nothing if not a total effing hipster.
3. Drop my edited images into a Google doc and print said document on cardstock.
4. Purchase adorably tiny bulldog clips.
5. Map out a grid on the wall, pound in some nails, hang goals.
6. Look at artfully arranged goals every day and start to actually accomplish them.
And! If you're feeling really ambitious, once you've accomplished something you can write about the process on the back of the card and bind your finished cards into a little book. Lovely!
How do you stay on track with your goals?


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Kansas City police are reminding residents about the new seat belt ordinance.
An ordinance was recently passed by the City Council changing it from a secondary to a primary seat belt law.
Police officers can stop a driver if the driver or a front-seat passenger isn't wearing a seat belt. Before, officers needed another violation, such as speeding or running a stop sign, to stop a driver and ticket for not wearing a seat belt.
The ordinance also raises the violation from $10 to $50.


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List of Avatar: The Last Airbender comics
this wiki
Avatar: The Last Airbender comics are visual publications that depict events and situations unseen during the series' run, most of them occurring between episodes. They are official comics and were originally released by Nickelodeon Magazine and Nickelodeon Comics Club, as well as through the Avatar: The Last Airbender DVD volumes. Some comics were never published in the United States and came to light through other foreign publications.[1] The comics were later archived at Nick.com's "Nick Magazine" sub-site, which was taken down upon the periodical's cancellation in early 2010 and is no longer accessible.
Some comics reveal certain key information pertaining to the story, such as Joo Dee's immediate appointment as the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se and the exact method of how Team Avatar obtained a Fire Nation vessel, which they utilized in the early stages of the third book. Several other comics also release new information on canonical characters. For example, the comic "Dragon Days" reveals the characteristics and personality of Kuzon, a character who was previously mentioned by Aang but never seen during the series.
The first twenty-eight comics were published by Nick Magazine and its offshoots from 2005 through 2009 and later compiled in the "The Lost Adventures" graphic novel. The twenty-ninth comic, "Rebound", was published as a special tie-in to the series on May 4, 2013, by Dark Horse Comics. All but two of these comics, which are listed at the bottom of this page under "Bonus stories", are considered canon. Dark Horse has also collaborated with Nickelodeon since 2011 to produce and publish The Promise, The Search, The Rift, and Smoke and Shadow trilogies of graphic novels. When combined with the Free Comic Book Day side-stories, "Shells", "Sisters", and "Friends for Life", the number of released comic adaptions of Avatar comes to a total of forty-four. A fifth trilogy, North and South, will follow, beginning in late 2016.
The Lost Adventures
Book One: Water
Bee Calm
- Main article: Bee Calm
- Story: Joshua Hamilton and John O'Bryan
- Art: Justin Ridge
- Color: Hye-Jung Kim
- Lettering: Clem Robins
While Team Avatar is lost in the forest early in their adventures, a scorpion bee lands on Aang's nose. Although Katara and Sokka advise him to make it detach from his body, Aang assures them that all he has to do is stay calm and it will not bother him, a plan that heeds less-than-favorable results.
Water War
- Main article: Water War
- Story: Tim Hedrick
- Art: Justin Ridge
- Color: Hye-Jung Kim
- Lettering: Comicraft
When Katara witnesses two children pelting innocent civilians with water balloons in a small town, she decides it is their turn to get splashed.
Don't Blow It!
- Main article: Don't Blow It!
- Story: Alison Wilgus
- Art: Elsa Garagarza
- Color: Wes Dzioba
- Lettering: Comicraft
Aang wakes up with a case of the sniffles, causing him to exhibit unusual, airbender-enhanced symptoms, and ignores his friends' offers for cures by insisting that it is nothing to dote over. When his sickness complicates matters, Katara and Sokka resolve to keep Aang safe whether or not the Avatar agrees with their methods.
- Main article: Relics
- Story: Joshua Hamilton and Johane Matte
- Art: Johane Matte
- Color: Hye-Jung Kim
- Lettering: Comicraft
Team Avatar stops at the sales stand of a merchant who markets years-old artifacts, one of which, an Air Nomad pendant, catches Aang's eye and spurs him to uncover its whereabouts.
Fruit Stand Freestyle
- Main article: Fruit Stand Freestyle
- Cartoonist: Brian Ralph
- Lettering: Comicraft
Momo comes across a fruit stand filled with fresh fruit, but a wild boar-q-pine thinks itself clever enough to outwit the lemur and take the fruit for itself.
Book Two: Earth
- Main article: Sleepbending
- Story: Joshua Hamilton
- Art: Joaquim Dos Santos
- Color: Hye-Jung Kim
- Lettering: Clem Robins
Aang's dream stirs up trouble for the rest of the team, who are constantly interrupted from their rest by the Avatar's tumultuous delusions.
- Main article: Lessons
- Story and art: Johane Matte
- Color: Wes Dzioba
- Lettering: Comicraft
Toph banishes Sokka and Momo from the area she is trying to use for Aang's earthbending training, but the two of them manage to cause even more of a distraction elsewhere.
Sokka the Avatar
- Main article: Sokka the Avatar
- Story: Joshua Hamilton
- Art: Justin Ridge
- Color: Sno Cone Studios
- Lettering: Comicraft
While visiting a small Earth Kingdom town, Sokka pretends to be the Avatar in order to impress a girl with Aang's permission. Although the scheme seems stellar at first, everyone involved soon realizes the danger involved with the impersonation of the Avatar.
Dirty Is Only Skin Deep
- Main article: Dirty Is Only Skin Deep
When Toph refuses to bathe with the others and wash off the unseemly accumulation dirt on her body, Katara takes it upon herself to get the earthbender into her native element.
Divided We Fall
- Main article: Divided We Fall
- Story: Frank Pittarese
- Art: Justin Ridge
- Color: Wes Dzioba, Hye-Jung Kim, and Sno Cone Studios
- Lettering: Comicraft
The worst rainstorm Team Avatar has yet faced blows Appa to the ground of a dense forest, forcing the members of the gang to fend for themselves in an environment unlike any other they have ever dealt with. In their attempts to find each other, the children come face-to-face with the people of the jungle and do what it takes to survive.
Reach for the Toph
- Main article: Reach for the Toph
- Story: J. Torres
- Art and color: Corey Lewis
- Lettering: Comicraft
Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph appear to be locked in an intense battle, but what are the children really fighting over?
It's Only Natural
- Main article: It's Only Natural
- Story: Joshua Hamilton and Johane Matte
- Art: Johane Matte
- Color: Wes Dzioba
- Lettering: Comicraft
Earth King Kuei's pet bear, Bosco, has forgotten all of his natural instincts: hunting, intimidating, and basically all that has to do with him, a normally wild animal, living in the wild. Disappointed with the bear's backward progression to human-like characteristics under Kuei's care, Sokka attempts to turn Bosco into what nature intended him to be. His ideas are not taken well by the infinitely lazy animal.
Going Home Again
- Main article: Going Home Again
- Story: May Chan, Aaron Ehasz, Katie Mattila, and Alison Wilgus
- Art: Amy Kim Ganter
- Color: Wes Dzioba
- Lettering: Comicraft
After Ba Sing Se's fall, Princess Azula decides to return home to the Fire Nation with Prince Zuko and their imprisoned Uncle Iroh. Zuko, however, refuses. Azula and Ty Lee form a plan to convince him to leave with them.
The Bridge
- Main article: The Bridge
- Story: Aaron Ehasz, Joshua Hamilton, Tim Hedrick, and Frank Pittarese
- Art and color: Reagan Lodge
- Lettering: Comicraft
Katara writes in her diary about events as they pass following the fall of Ba Sing Se, chronicling the progression of Aang's coma and the tribulations that she and the rest of the gang come to face while traversing Fire Nation waters.
Book Three: Fire
Private Fire
- Main article: Private Fire
- Story: Joshua Hamilton
- Art: Johane Matte
- Color: Wes Dzioba
- Lettering: Comicraft
Having entered the Fire Nation in disguise as normal civilians, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph go information gathering in an everyday Fire Nation village. Since this course of actions heeds no reveals to the gang concerning plans for the War, Sokka comes up with the one plan he can think of that may assist him in his quest for knowledge: he joins the Fire Nation Army.
Night Animals
- Main article: Night Animals
- Story: Katie Mattila
- Art: Justin Ridge
- Color: Wes Dzioba
- Lettering: Comicraft
When Momo spots two Fire Nation soldiers patrolling dangerously close to the Team Avatar campsite, he awakens Appa in the hopes that the flying bison can think of a way to ward off their enemies.
Boys' Day Out
- Main article: Boys' Day Out
- Story: Alison Wilgus
- Art and color: Gurihiru
- Lettering: Comicraft
Katara has learned of a gritty restaurant/bar situated in a nearby Fire Nation town and, bored with sitting around, invites Toph to visit it with her. Upon entering, they discover that it is an all-male establishment, but the waterbender is not ready to give up on the plan she had devised for her afternoon.
Ember Island Arcade
- Main article: Ember Island Arcade
- Cartoonist: Corey Lewis
- Lettering: Comicraft
During a forced vacation to Ember Island, Lo and Li show Zuko, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee to a popular arcade to lift the teenagers' spirits. Azula's taunting challenge to her brother to play a game of Street Bender cannot be refused.
Monster Slayer
- Main article: Monster Slayer
Sokka misleads an entire town of Fire Nation citizens into believing that there is a monstrous beast residing in the forest just outside of the village, knowing full well that this creature is only Appa, and volunteers to slay the monster for a free meal from the townspeople. When he gets to the woods, Sokka is met by an entirely different surprise.
Combustion Man on a Train
- Main article: Combustion Man on a Train
- Story: Rawles Lumumba and Alison Wilgus
- Art: Tom McWeeney
- Color: Wes Dzioba
- Lettering: Comicraft
Although at first only spectating at the departure of a Fire Nation train, Aang and Sokka agree to go on the train with Sho, a child who is afraid to ride the train alone. Sho's fears are justified when an intimidating Fire Nation assassin, Combustion Man, invades the trains and chases Avatar Aang.
- Main article: Swordbending
- Story: Alison Wilgus
- Art: Justin Ridge
- Color: Wes Dzioba
- Lettering: Comicraft
Zuko agrees to a friendly sword-fighting match with Sokka, who practically begs the firebender in order to alleviate his boredom at the Western Air Temple. This "Swordbending Kai" does not go as Sokka expected, despite the latter's training with Master Piandao.
No Benders Allowed
- Main article: No Benders Allowed
- Story: Alison Wilgus
- Art: Elsa Garagarza
- Lettering: Comicraft
At the Western Air Temple, the benders of Team Avatar and Haru leave Sokka, Teo, and The Duke behind to do some household chores, while they go practice their bending. Feeling excluded, Sokka comes up with a new club, the "Bendless Boomerang Club", founded specifically to exclude benders, since only nonbenders can join.
Love Is a Battlefield
- Main article: Love Is a Battlefield
At the Western Air Temple, Aang wishes to speak to Katara about the kiss the two shared during the Day of Black Sun, but she is hesitant.
Dragon Days
- Main article: Dragon Days
- Story: Alison Wilgus
- Art: Johane Matte (frame) and Tom McWeeney (flashback)
- Color: Wes Dzioba
- Lettering: Comicraft
Aang tells Zuko of his adventures with Kuzon while searching for dragons one hundred years before being freed from the iceberg. He details the day on which he and Kuzon discovered a corrupted trafficking business in the dragons' mountains.
Game Time
- Main article: Game Time
- Story: Katie Mattila
- Art: Justin Ridge
- Color: Hye-Jung Kim
- Lettering: Comicraft
The members of Team Avatar are sitting on the steps that lead to Ozai's beach house when Sokka bursts through the building's doors suggesting that they play hide-and-go-seek. Realizing that he will not deter in his efforts until they agree, the team joins the game and retreats into the bush to hide.
Bumi vs. Toph, Round One
- Main article: Bumi vs. Toph, Round One
- Story: Joshua Hamilton and Johane Matte
- Art: Johane Matte
- Color: Hye-Jung Kim
- Lettering: Comicraft
At the White Lotus campsite, Toph overhears Suki's praise for Bumi's earthbending skills and thinks it uncalled for, considering herself to be the greatest earthbender of all. When Toph and Bumi begin to argue over who is better, Sokka sees an opportunity to make a spectacle of their disagreement and suggests that the two battle one another to prove who deserves the title. Their fight disrupts the workings of the campsite and puts everyone present in harm's way.
Graphic novel trilogies
The Promise
- Main article: The Promise
- Story: Gene Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Bryan Konietzko
- Art and color: Gurihiru
- Lettering: Michael Heisler and Comicraft
The Promise details the events that occur immediately and one year after the end of the television series, detailing the difficulties that come with a war-torn world that, with rebel groups and dissatisfied citizens at every turn, takes a unified effort to return to peace.
The Promise Part 1
- Main article: The Promise Part 1
One year after the Hundred Year War, Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko are working together with the reinstated Earth King Kuei to remove the Fire Nation colonies from Earth Kingdom territory, but one of the colonies, Yu Dao, complicates matters by taking a stance against the Harmony Restoration Movement and declaring that it will stay no matter what. Aang must take into consideration a promise he made to Zuko just after the end of the War: do whatever it takes to keep the new Fire Lord from becoming like his father, whether that means locking Zuko up or killing him.
The Promise Part 2
- Main article: The Promise Part 2
Ever since Zuko began to visit his father for advice about handling the Yu Dao crisis, Team Avatar has had to find different ways to resolve the conflict of the colonies and make peace between the nations. However, the situation becomes dire when Kuei and Zuko revert into the atmosphere of war.
The Promise Part 3
- Main article: The Promise Part 3
Zuko and Kuei have sent their armies on a collision course in order to secure the city of Yu Dao, bringing the world to the edge of war once again. Aang is stuck in the middle of this conflict, having promised Zuko a year previously that he would do whatever it took to keep the peace of the world, even if it meant killing the Fire Lord himself. As his continued attempts to mediate the conflict are repeatedly seen as inadequate and futile, his options become fewer and fewer until he may just have to fulfill his promise.
The Search
- Main article: The Search
- Story: Gene Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Bryan Konietzko
- Art and color: Gurihiru
- Lettering: Michael Heisler and Comicraft
The Search is about Zuko's quest to find his mother Ursa with the help of his sister and a few old friends.
The Search Part 1
- Main article: The Search Part 1
Zuko makes a deal with Azula, releasing her from the mental institution in exchange for her help in his quest to find his mother. The two of them set out on a journey to Hira'a with Aang, Sokka, and Katara, but tensions between the group and dangers on the journey there could end their search before they discover the truth.
The Search Part 2
- Main article: The Search Part 2
In search of their long-lost mother, Fire Lord Zuko and his sister Azula have brought Avatar Aang and his friends into Forgetful Valley, but what they discover within may be more than they bargained for.
The Search Part 3
- Main article: The Search Part 3
When Azula goes off alone to find Ursa after learning some startling information, Zuko and Sokka pursue her and try to arrive at the location first. Meanwhile, Aang and Katara remain with Rafa and Misu, contending with the Mother of Faces and her army of spirit animals, and the flashbacks into Ursa's past continue, revealing how her children's search and her new life may come to coincide.
The Rift
- Main article: The Rift
- Story: Gene Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Bryan Konietzko
- Art and color: Gurihiru
- Lettering: Michael Heisler and Comicraft
The Rift trilogy surrounds Aang, most of his friends, and the inaugural members of the Air Acolytes on a journey which capitulates in a conflict between the spirit and physical worlds.
The Rift Part 1
- Main article: The Rift Part 1
Aang asks his friends to help him celebrate Yangchen's Festival, one of the highest Air Nomad holidays, which has not been held in over a hundred years. However, visits from the spirit of Avatar Yangchen herself lead Aang to discover a jointly owned Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom refinery which is operating on land sacred to his people.
The Rift Part 2
- Main article: The Rift Part 2
The members of Team Avatar find themselves in trouble as mysterious forces threaten to destroy land sacred to the airbenders. While Aang journeys to the Spirit World for answers, Toph confronts her own past.
The Rift Part 3
- Main article: The Rift Part 3
The members of Team Avatar are in peril as a dangerously powerful ancient spirit awakens with vengeance and destruction on its mind. Bonds are tested and new truths revealed as Aang must decide whether humans and spirits can co-exist.
Smoke and Shadow
- Main article: Smoke and Shadow
- Story: Gene Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Bryan Konietzko
- Art and color: Gurihiru
Smoke and Shadow follows Aang and Zuko as they attempt to resolve conflicts both physical and spiritual. While struggling to deal with the rising insurrection of the New Ozai society, Zuko asks Aang to assist him when an ancient and mysterious enemy appears.
Smoke and Shadow Part 1
- Main article: Smoke and Shadow Part 1
The Fire Nation is threatened when the Kemurikage, mysterious figures thought only to exist in legend, tell of a prophecy that Zuko must be removed from the throne or the country will perish. Aang and his friends escort the Fire Lord and his family back to the Fire Nation Capital, but unbeknownst to them, unrest brews as the New Ozai Society prepares to make their move against the throne and children go missing from their homes under mysterious circumstances.
Smoke and Shadow Part 2
- Main article: Smoke and Shadow Part 2
With the disappearances of children in the Fire Nation Capital, Aang and his friends try everything they can to figure out what is going on. He and Zuko must work together to keep the peace, but the New Ozai Society and the appearance of the Kemurikage may prove too much for even the Avatar when the true culprit of the kidnappings is revealed.
Smoke and Shadow Part 3
- Main article: Smoke and Shadow Part 3
When children are disappearing in the Fire Nation Capital, Avatar Aang and his friends do everything in their power to save them. When Azula reappears after having vanished in the Forgetful Valley, Fire Lord Zuko locks down the capital in order to apprehend her. However, this action gives rise to fear and riots in the streets, leaving Zuko to decide to which lengths he is willing to go in order to save those he holds dear.
North and South
- Main article: North and South
- Story: Gene Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Bryan Konietzko
- Art and color: Gurihiru
North and South focuses on Katara and Sokka, who return to the Southern Water Tribe by themselves after Aang leaves to aid Fire Lord Zuko with spiritual affairs in the Fire Nation. Back home, they are shocked to discover that their village has become a bustling city with Hakoda in charge. The changes seem to have largely been due to the efforts of Malina, a member of the Northern Water Tribe who is seemingly striving for greater unification of the Water Tribes but has unknown intentions.
Free Comic Book Day issues
- Main article: Rebound
- Story: Gene Yang
- Art: Ryan Hill
- Lettering: Michael Heisler
Mai finds herself in a state of turmoil after her breakup with Fire Lord Zuko, but a handsome young man who visits her at her new workplace may change her luck, for better or for worse.
- Main article: Shells
- Story: Gene Yang
- Art: Faith Erin Hicks
- Lettering: Michael Heisler
Sokka follows Suki as she gives a lesson in manners and encourages a young girl's strength.
- Main article: Sisters
- Story: Gene Yang
- Art: Carla Speed McNeil
- Lettering: Michael Heisler
Though she thinks the Kyoshi Warriors are amazing, Ty Lee feels down. Toph sees this and takes the chi blocker to her old circus, where she reunites with her six sisters.
Friends for Life
- Main article: Friends for Life
- Story: Michael Dante DiMartino
- Art: Heather Campbell and Vivian Ng
- Lettering: Michael Heisler
As a child living in the Southern Water Tribe, Korra finds a polar bear dog cub which has become separated from its pack during a storm. After naming it Naga, Katara convinces Korra's parents, Tonraq and Senna, to allow her to keep Naga, believing that Korra has found her animal guide.
Non-canon comics
New Recruits
- Main article: New Recruits
- Story: Dave Roman
- Art: Justin Ridge
- Color: Hye-Jung Kim and Sno Cone Studios
- Lettering: Comicraft
The gang goes to a local Earth Kingdom tavern in search of some new recruits and allies to join them in their fight against the Fire Nation. While there, their elderly contact, Yahshi, introduces the gang to four unique benders.
Gym Time
- Main article: Gym Time
- Story: Alison Wilgus
- Art: Ethan Spaulding
- Color: Wes Dzioba
- Lettering: Comicraft
Avatar Kyoshi arrives at class to instruct Team Avatar, along with Zuko, Mai, and Azula, on their game for the day: dodgeball.
The Last Airbender Prequel: Zuko's Story
- Main article: The Last Airbender Prequel: Zuko's Story
- Story: Dave Roman, Alison Wilgus
- Art: Nina Matsumoto
An hour after the Agni Kai with Ozai, Prince Zuko wakes up in an infirmary. The comic starts with him running to his room, chased by Iroh. He dreams about the Agni Kai, crying violently, when he hears a knock on the door, who he thinks is Ozai, but it is actually his eleven-year-old sister, Azula, who has come to taunt him about his banishment. Through later events, she gets Zuko a ship, a crew, and Iroh to come along. He scours the Western Air Temple and visits Fire Sage Shyu, looking for information on the Avatar.
- One apparently scrapped comic, tentatively titled "Baby Badger-Mole", involved Aang, Katara, and Sokka discovering a baby badgermole in an environment uncharacteristic to the species, the woods. Unable to defend themselves against the animal's powerful earthbending, craziness ensues until Toph arrives.[2]
- The cover for Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Lost Adventures was taken from the first edition of Avatar's own magazine, Nick Mag Presents: Avatar: the Last Airbender,[2] which ran during the show's original airing.
- Combined, Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Art of the Animated Series, The Lost Adventures, The Promise, and The Search have sold over a hundred thousand copies.[3]
- ↑ Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Lost Adventures introduction.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 nickmag comics (2006-09-10). for those of you who enjoy behind the scenes stuff.... Nickelodeon. Retrieved on December 20, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2006.
- ↑ Avatar: The Last Airbender Digital Comics Now Available Through All Dark Horse Platforms!. Dark Horse Comics (5 July 2013). Retrieved on November 30, 2013.


text: Rick Nelson is The Post and Courier's managing editor. A military brat, he was born in San Diego but grew up primarily in South Carolina and Florida. He graduated from Summerville High School and attended the University of South Carolina. He joined the newspaper in 1984 and covered a range of metro beats as a reporter, including courts, cops and North Charleston government, and served in several newsroom editing roles. He also was an award-winning sportswriter, with a focus on College of Charleston athletics, and was named the 2003 South Carolina Sportswriter of the Year. He is married with four grown children.


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Raleigh Young Alumni
The Raleigh Wine Shop
Raleigh Young Alumni "After Hours" Reunion
William Peace University's Office of Engagement announces the third annual Raleigh (NC) Young Alumni "After Hours" event.
Peace College and William Peace University alumni who graduated within the last ten years (2013-2003) and who live in the Raleigh area are invited to come out and join us for this fun and festive, informal reunion. We'll bring class banners for photos as we enjoy a wine tasting.
Event Type: Wine Tasting
Event Location: The Raleigh Wine Shop | 126 Glenwood Ave. South | Raleigh, NC
Event Time: 5:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Event Host(s): Leigh Wallace Hines '12 | Megan Hoffner '11 | Farrah Knab '11 | Kirsten Jarrell '11


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