text:
Fort Worth, Texas
August 1, 1996
OLYMPICS SUPPORT. As this issue of Topics is being prepared, we are halfway through providing weather support for the Olympic Games. The weather has cooperated in the Southeast and has been of major interest to Olympics management, but not disruptive to the games. From all accounts, our forecasters are doing an excellent job and the National Weather Service has earned a very positive image regarding the emerging capabilities of science and technology. We are very proud of all involved in this special effort.
By the time most read this the Summer Games will be over, but our support will continue for a few more weeks, during which the Special Olympics will be held in many of the same venues.
REGIONAL DIRECTORS' CONFERENCE. During the week of July 22, an NWS Transition Conference was held outside Baltimore. This is a scheduled biannual review of modernization progress and other matters of interest to the Weather Service. A full discussion was conducted on the implementation of AWIPS, including the milestones which must be met over the remainder of this summer and into the fall. We are getting very close to seeing the first system deployments into operational field facilities. Many issues are playing now in this program area, but it is sure nice to see the demonstration deployment begin. NWSO Tulsa will receive the first units in the Southern Region, which at present are scheduled for late summer. Other important subjects of discussion at the meeting included budget expectations in FY 1997 and beyond, as well as FTE ceilings over the next several fiscal years. Those discussions are not pleasant, because they make tough decisions and real challenges to managing the NWS over the next several years. As firm decisions are made, we will pass them along.
INTEGRATED MAR OPERATIONS AND SERVICES TEAM (IMOST). Larry Vannozzi (WCM, NWSFO Lubbock) is the Southern Region representative on the IMOST. Larry has provided the following report for the purpose of acquainting others in the region with the IMOST and its activities. As Southern Region's representative, he is interested in receiving your comments concerning any IMOST issues.
The second meeting of the IMOST was held at NWSH April 30 to May 2. The following overview of the mission and activities of this team was provided by Team Leader Michael Tomlinson. The IMOST was formed in April 1995. Its mission is support for the NWS effort, led by the Office of Meteorology (OM), to implement modernized field operations and services. The 11-member team consists of:
Michael Tomlinson (Team Leader) -- OM, Transition Meteorologist
William Lerner -- OM, Service Confirmation and Assessment staff
Wendy Wolf -- MSM, Modernization Systems Management Coordinator
Anthony Siebers -- Eastern Region, MIC, NWSO Wakefield
Larry Vannozzi -- Southern Region, WCM, NWSFO Lubbock
Preston Leftwich -- Central Region, Regional Science Officer
Michael Conger -- Western Region, Lead Forecaster, NWSFO Salt Lake City
John Dragomir -- Alaska Region, Regional Techniques Development Meteorologist
James Partain -- Pacific Region, Regional Scientist
Jeff Zimmerman -- OH, Hydrologic Service Program Plans Coordinator
Edwin Danaher -- NCEP, HPC Development Training Branch
IMOST's second meeting, sponsored by OM last April/May, began by reviewing potential impacts of recent events on the timing and details of initial AWIPS deliveries, field office operations, and operational evaluations. Also discussed were the interrelationships of recently cross-referenced OM, OH, and NCEP MAR transition steps as reflected in staff documents and/or transition plans. The team then briefly reviewed comments on the updated Integrated Operations and Services Plan (IOSP). The IOSP will be published soon and packaged for distribution to NWS regional and field offices, along with updates to OM's Service Transition Plans.
The team then reviewed the status of ongoing tasks assigned to sub-teams and determined required future actions regarding tasks and issues on which they were based. Major tasks completed include:
(1) The IMOST MAR planning workshop.
(2) The IMOST MAR operations Table-top Exercises.
(3) Facilitating coordination and resolution of the operational roles and products of the Hydrometeorological and Storm Prediction Centers of NCEP and of the NCEP Aviation Weather and Storm Prediction Centers and forecast offices.
(4) Facilitating and assisting in the development of NCEP transition plans coordinated with OM transition and program plans.
Other completed tasks include (1) investigation of the potential impact of uncoordinated data decoder applications at NCEP, field offices, and for AWIPS; (2) cross-referencing projected data flows with currently planned AWIPS data flow and storage capacities; (3) a review of, and status report on, field office scientific training plans and cooperative scientific development projects.
The team was briefed by Louis Uccellini (OM Director) on issues requiring IMOST focus. Among these items are (1) development of clear field office operational forecast support requirements, and (2) documentation of the relationship between NCEP products and data flows supporting the hydrometeorological forecast process. He also stated that greater awareness of IMOST accomplishments and ongoing activities is needed across the NWS.
Staff members from OM and NCEP with expertise on NCEP planning, forecast coordination, product dissemination and AWIPS dataflow, storage specifications, and Appendix K, joined the discussions involving those issues. This permitted a valuable exchange of insights and information. As a result, the team became better versed in the details and background information regarding each task or potential task area.
Major team tasks now include:
(1) Developing the detailed description of WFO forecast support requirements as part of the MAR forecast process documentation as requested by the OM director. This was addressed in original team tasks as facilitating and coordinating development of plans for "first guess" grid fields. The task team will now provide a statement of specific required value-added digital/grid element products and the RFC/WFO services they will support.
(2) Developing a proposal for a set of interrelated processes by which scientific, technological, data flow, and end-product requirements and developments can be coordinated and effectively validated and implemented.
Additional new tasks include adding an IMOST section to the OM Internet home page, providing regional staff notes with reports on IMOST meetings and other activities, and ensuring that regional SSDs and MSDs are aware of IMOST tasks and the resources that are being utilized.
NWSH APPROVES "EVENT DRIVEN ZONES." NWSH has approved the concept of "event driven zones." This means that those offices desiring to do so may change their scheduled Zone Forecast issuance to twice per day (generally around 4 a.m. and 4 p.m.) with updates as the weather dictates. Southern Region offices wishing to participate must notify MSD by August 16. NWSH will issue a PNS on August 30 announcing all the locations which will be converting to the "two-a-day" scheduled zone issuance concept. November 1, 1996, is the date the change will take place.
NWR DIGITAL CONSOLE/SAME INSTALLATIONS CONTINUING. T.L. Farrow continues his diligent efforts in installing the new NWR systems. Digital consoles and SAMEs were installed in Miami and San Angelo in July. Eighty-one of the proposed 95 Digitals have now been installed. The Specific Area Message Encoder (SAME) has been installed on 42 consoles. Replacement of the three AMPRO units at NWSO Knoxville/Tri-Cities with Digitals and SAMEs will likely be around mid August.
NWR/RADAR ON CATV REMOVED/RESTORED. NWSO Tampa Bay received a letter from an NWR user in the Naples, Florida, area. It reflects the usefulness of radar and NWR audio override on CATV and dealt constructively with the NWS. Portions of the letter are presented below:
When you returned my phone call on June 14...you were very generous with your expertise addressing our problem.... Continental Cablevision had removed our continuous radar scan from NWS Miami with simulcast of your NOAA weather radio....A NEW STAR IS BORN. Greetings from Southern Region. I'm Ken Graham, a meteorologist intern in Slidell and the newest STAR here at SRH. For the next three months, I will eat, drink, dream, and breathe NWR (among many other projects within MSD). My first few weeks at SRH have literally flown by, an indicator that the next three months will as well. Thus far, I have worked with MSD on the long and short fused backup ROML. I have acquired a new appreciation of what goes on behind the scenes when it comes to ROML writing. I have been working with the MSD team on NWR transmitter expansion and new technology coming to an NWR near you. We are drawing maps (coloring 101) that show what counties/parishes get the 1050hz tone and the SAME messages for EAS. This same (pardon the pun) process will have to be done for each NWR transmitter.
A copy of my letter to Naples Daily News is enclosed. The paper that same day, June 14, published an additional seven with similar complaints. Your NOAA broadcasts are widely regarded as vital.
...I had been scheduled as the guest on NOG radio the next morning on "Florida Outdoors." The loss of NOAA radio on cable dominated most of the hour. Four callers to the talk format addressed this loss of public service in words aptly described ranging from upset to outrage. You and your colleagues are vital.
On Monday, 17 June, the continuous 24-hour NWS radar with NOAA broadcast overlay was restored to Collier County cable service. On 18 June, I received a letter from Mr. Ken Fuchs, Manager, Continental Cablevision, thanking me for our concern and eliciting their commitment to public service.
Your input, your patient answers to my queries, had become key to resolving this problem. We had done our homework. You deserve our thanks, for myself, for boaters, contractors, farmers and citizens at large who universally rely on your work product.
This very day, your marine forecast segmented "Cape Sable to Boca Grande." By delineating the varying conditions over the broad sweep of "Cape Cable to Tarpon Springs," you are providing data which is more useful as it is more accurate.... Your response to public service is vital. Thanks.
A side project has to do with NWR listeners. I sent out a cc:Mail message to each office to get some ideas concerning this topic. I would like to find out what each office is doing locally to increase NWR listeners. Ideas? Thoughts? I have some "wild" ideas of my own and plan to share these in the future (oh, the suspense). NWR promotion in the past has always had a "come to us" approach requiring the public to take some action to listen to us. This type of promotion should continue, but a new type of promotion would involve a "go to them" approach. If NWR broadcasts are brought to the people and used in their everyday lives, they will be more likely to buy a weather radio. We could actually be our own advertiser...hmm....
Thanks go to Stephen Cooper and Suzanne Nichols (STAR coordinators at SRH) plus all the folks at NWSFO New Orleans for this opportunity. When Max White found out there was another weather radio "nut" in the world, I heard he actually did an NWR dance--maybe that was just a rumor! Stay tuned for more NWR ideas, thoughts, and revelations.
HOUSTON BOAT SHOW. This year's Houston Summer Boat Show was held July 9-14. Approximately 58,000 marine enthusiasts attended the show. NWSO Houston operated a booth at the show, distributed more than 2000 brochures, and answered numerous questions related to hurricanes, past weather events in Southeast Texas and the Gulf of Mexico, NWS products and services, and the current modernization effort. The most popular brochures included those on hurricanes, safe boating tips, marine services, and, of course, tide tables.
The NWS participation was coordinated by Robert Van Hoven, NWSO Houston's Marine Focal Point. The support from the NWSO staff was outstanding, with several employees putting in long hours and working on their days off. Of particular note in this year's event was the large number of students who attended. This provided the NWSO with the opportunity to promote meteorology and hydrology as career choices among these students.
NEW AVIATION SERVICE IN CORPUS CHRISTI. The date of transfer of TAF service responsibility to NWSO Corpus Christi has been established. Effective at 1200 UTC on Thursday, September 5, 1996, the NWSO will assume responsibility for the preparation and issuance of TAFs for the following airports: Alice International (ALI), Corpus Christi International (CRP), Laredo International (LRD), and Victoria Regional (VCT).
Congratulations to MIC Joe Arellano and his staff for completing the necessary training and preparation in support of this transfer effort.
TAFCHECK 1.02. As many offices are aware, Tom Hicks (MIC, CWSU Fort Worth) has developed an outstanding TAF quality control program for field office use. The program, TAFCheck version 1.02, and its documentation are available for office download through the CWSU's 24-hour bulletin board at (817) 858-7366.
We encourage all field offices to give this program a try. We understand that daily there are numerous NWS-generated TAFs not being successfully delivered to the FAA communications system because of formatting errors. TAFCheck will flag most of these errors.
AVIATION WEATHER PRESENTATION. Scott Wiley (meteorologist intern, NWSFO Fort Worth) has been, for the past few months, on special assignment at the SRH to spearhead the design of a multimedia presentation on aviation weather. The goal is to develop a presentation that can be used by our field offices in their aviation outreach efforts. A side benefit is that the presentation, once completed, will serve to educate our forecasters on customer impacts of our aviation products and services.
Development is slow and quite involved but is proceeding at a steady pace. We are hoping to have a version ready for field review in the next few months.
BASIC SPOTTER GUIDE TAKING SHAPE. Organization of a basic storm spotter's guide, to accompany the recently-released slide set, is moving forward again. Newton Skiles (NWSFO Little Rock) and Gary Woodall (SRH WCM) prepared the original drafts of the guide. WSH has identified funds for printing a color version of the guide during fiscal year 1997. We hope to have a final version of the guide ready for printing by the end of the summer.
REGIONAL WCM CONFERENCE PLANNED. Plans for the biannual Southern Region Warning Coordination Meteorologist conference are under way. The conference is tentatively scheduled for October 28-November 1 at SRH. A preliminary agenda for the conference has been sketched out, which should serve as a complement to the national WCM meeting in 1995. As in earlier years, the regional conference will place an emphasis on the operational duties and responsibilities faced by the WCMs.
NAILING IT DOWN. Al Dreumont (MIC, NWSFO Austin/San Antonio) joined Paul Trotter and Dave Reed from the New Orleans/Baton Rouge NWSFO/RFC at a disaster-related consumer protection alliance called "Operation Nail Down." The alliance was established to fight the high crime rates experienced following a natural disaster. The Attorneys General of the Gulf Coast states gave high visibility to the NWS during the proceedings, and Al noted that the NWS role in the alliance will be to continue providing weather services to the public, media, and state emergency management agencies.
NUCLEAR EXERCISE. NWSFO Little Rock was recently invited to participate in a nuclear power plant exercise. The exercise was coordinated by the Arkansas State Office of Emergency Services (OES) and several other state and local agencies. The exercise involved a mock nuclear reactor shutdown at the Arkansas Nuclear One Power Plant at Russellville, during which the NWSFO was tasked with providing weather support to the OES. The exercise was declared a success by OES, and the NWSFO staff received some valuable practice in providing support for incidents such as this.
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK (EMWIN) NEWS. Phil Weigant (RFC Tulsa) gave an EMWIN briefing to the New Mexico Emergency Planning and Coordination officials. Keith Hayes (NWSFO Albuquerque WCM) reported that the briefing went well and that the New Mexico staff will move quickly to establish EMWIN in at least the Albuquerque and Santa Fe areas. Since covering the more rural areas of the state will be difficult, Keith notes that both the satellite reception and the VHF rebroadcast of the EMWIN signal will be important in the state.
Bruce Burkman of NWSO Shreveport discussed EMWIN with officials of the Caddo/Bossier Parish Emergency Preparedness committee. Bruce described EMWIN and IWIN (Internet version), data sources, and methods of obtaining the data. The content of the EMWIN data stream was also reviewed. Bruce noted that the meeting went well and there seems to be some interest in EMWIN in the Shreveport area.
HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS. As we approach the height of hurricane season, coastal offices continue the preparedness efforts in their areas.
Steve Letro and Fred Johnson of NWSO Jacksonville participated in the Northeast Florida Hurricane Planning Workshop held in Jacksonville Beach. Approximately 35 people attended the workshop, which used the FEMA hurricane planning manual as the course text. The workshop included a discussion of tropical cyclone structure, the SLOSH model, effects of hurricane winds on inland areas, and TPC advisory products. During the workshop, Steve and the local emergency management officials discussed methods of incorporating evacuation and sheltering information into the Hurricane Local Statements produced by the NWSO.
Paul Trotter and Frank Revitte of NWSFO New Orleans/Baton Rouge attended the Gulf Coast Hurricane Conference in Biloxi. The event is sponsored by a local television station in Biloxi. Frank gave a presentation on hurricane hazards and the analysis tools utilized by the NWSFO, including the SLOSH model, the inland wind model, and the WSR-88D. Other speakers included local media figures and local and state emergency management officials. The conference was attended by about 50 people representing federal, state, and local agencies involved in hurricane preparedness. Frank noted that excellent cooperation seems to exist between the various government agencies and the media along the Mississippi Gulf coast.
STUDENT OUTREACH. Several offices have had recent noteworthy successes in the area of education and outreach with students in their areas:
NWSFO New Orleans/Baton Rouge staffed a display at the annual Kids Fair at the New Orleans Superdome. The Kids Fair brings together a wide variety of private industry and government agencies who set up educational displays directed at grade school-age children. The NWSFO booth consisted of the Skyline display, a TV/VCR playing a variety of severe weather and hurricane videos, several weather instruments, and a hands-on "tornado in a bottle" display. Approximately 7,000 children and adults visited the fair, and the NWSFO booth had a constant crowd of 10-15 throughout the event.
Jim Boone (HMT, NWSO Jacksonville) has worked closely with the St. Mary's Middle and High Schools in Jacksonville. St. Mary's has purchased weather equipment for their students, and Jim has assisted the students and teachers in utilizing the instruments. Jim has provided guidance in analyzing satellite pictures and weather observations and has given several weather-related presentations to the classes.
DROUGHT UPDATE. From Bob Corby (DOH, WGRFC Fort Worth) comes the following information regarding lake levels in Texas. In the Brazos River Basin, Lakes Georgetown and Aquilla set record low levels of 772.24 feet and 534.40 feet NGVD (National Geodetic Vertical Datum). Lake Whitney, at 523.43 feet, has also become a concern. The Brazos River Authority has recently set releases at 540 cfs average per 24 hours from the lake. This small release will need to satisfy hydropower and water supply needs while minimizing drawdown of the lake level.
In the Trinity River Basin, Lake Lewisville set a record low of 512.25 feet NGVD (lowest since the normal pool raise to 522.0 feet NGVD). Lake Lavon also set a record low when its level dropped to 482.16 on July 22,1996.
More rains brought improved conditions to New Mexico where the eastern Plains are back to near normal moisture conditions. Unusually, Central New Mexico has actually turned to very moist. However, the northwestern section of the state remains in extreme drought. Texas remains mostly in severe to extreme drought, as does northern Oklahoma. Elsewhere, moderate drought prevails over much of Arkansas, northern Alabama and Georgia.
Development of Hydrologic Program Brochure. Dave Morris (HIC, WGRFC Fort Worth) is working with the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) on a brochure that, among other things, will explain the cooperative roles played by the NWS and those river authorities. The brochure should be published prior to the end of the year.
LMRFC/Corps of Engineers Coordination Meeting. Dave Reed (HIC) and Bob Stucky (DOH) from LMRFC Slidell met with officials from the Lower Mississippi Valley Division (LMVD) and Vicksburg District (VKD) of the Corps of Engineers July 22-23. Also participating in the meetings were Donnell Woods (NWS Liaison in LMVD) and Tom Thompson (Service Hydrologist at NWSFO Jackson). The meeting was to discuss requirements from the Corps of Engineers for possible additional forecast points and the sharing and transfer of data between the agencies. Dave Reed reports the meeting was very beneficial to both the COE and the NWS, and he plans to hold such a meeting annually.
Arkansas ALERT. Steve Bays (Service Hydrologist, NWSFO Little Rock) contacted the Buffalo National River Headquarters in Harrison, Arkansas, where he spoke with the Service Hydrologist of the National Park Service who provided Steve with the phone number and access instructions for the interrogation of their ALERT system.
Steve is also working on backing up all HADS available data by gaining limited access to several Corps of Engineers computer data bases. Steve hopes that soon he will have the entire Little Rock HSA covered with a redundant DCP data source, should HADS fail.
Emergency Planned for Oklahoma. Eldon Beard (Service Hydrologist, NWSFO Norman) participated in an orientation meeting for an emergency exercise to be conducted for Foss Dam on the Washita River. The meeting was also attended by personnel from the Corps of Engineers in Tulsa, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, and City/County emergency management officials for Clinton/Custer Counties. These agencies plan to simulate a PMF-like (probable maximum flood) event on the Washita River between Foss Dam and Lake Texhoma early this fall. This emergency exercise will also involve the ABRFC, state emergency management officials, and city and county law enforcement and emergency management agencies.
Users Conference in Florida. The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) will be meeting with members of the NWSFO Miami and NWSOs Tampa Bay and Melbourne to discuss changes in the NWS hydrology program. The changes likely to be discussed are those involving the Florida NWS offices' participation in producing QPF. The SFWMD has shown a strong desire to use the QPF issued by these offices and will likely give the offices feedback on how basins and products could be disseminated for maximum benefit.
Benefits in Birmingham. Roger McNeil (Service Hydrologist, NWSFO Birmingham) recently reported on some very positive feedback he has received from the staff. The favorable reaction is a result of his updating the office's hydrologic manuals. Roger and hydrologic focal point Tom Bradshaw have restructured the operational manuals into binders containing detailed information by river basin. The information is stored in a form that is much easier to use and access by the forecasters, because one binder contains all the information a forecaster needs to know concerning any river basin in his/her HSA. The information available includes users, cooperative observers in the basin, basin maps, E-19s, local forecast schemes, local warning procedures, and forecast points.
PAPERS PUBLISHED. Congratulations to Rusty Pfost (SOO, NWSFO Jackson) on his paper titled, "Disastrous Mississippi Ice Storm of 1994," which was published in the latest (March 1996) issue of the NWA's National Weather Digest. The same issue also contains the paper, "Space Shuttle Discovery Launch Plume As Seen from GOES-8 IR," by Tim Garner, Dan Bellue, and Frank Brody (NWS/NASA Spaceflight Meteorology Group, Houston).
The latest (July) issue of the AMS Bulletin contains the paper, "A Climatology, Synoptic-Assessment, and Thermodynamic Evaluation for Cloud-to-Ground Lightning in Georgia: A Study for the 1996 Summer Olympics," by E. S. Livingston, J. W. Nielsen-Gammon, and R. E. Orville at Texas A&M. This study is an effort from the Cooperative Institute for Applied Meteorological Studies (CIAMS) and has been very helpful to forecasters who are working the Olympics. In the same issue of BAMS, check out the letter to the editor from Al Murphy regarding use (and misuse) of PoPs.
NWA AWARDS. Several nominations were submitted last week for awards presented by the National Weather Association. We appreciate the time and effort taken by office managers to document outstanding service and accomplishments on the part of their staff members.
NEW ORLEANS WORKSHOPS. In the last Topics we noted a recent Advanced Heavy Precipitation and QPF Workshop at NWSFO and RFC New Orleans. That was the second workshop in as many weeks at New Orleans. On July 1 the subject was tropical meteorology, and participants included staff from NWSO Mobile and the LMRFC. Frank Revitte (WCM) began the workshop with a demonstration of the HURRICANE INLAND WINDS program and a review of hurricane-related issues such as emergency staffing, inland high wind watches/ warnings, flash flood watches/warnings, and local action statements.
Dr. Jiann-Gwo-Jiing (SOO at the Tropical Predication Center/NHC) also participated and discussed tropical synoptic systems, tropical cyclone intensity, and track forecasting techniques. Jeff Medlin (NWSO Mobile SOO) presented radar sampling issues associated with tropical cyclone-induced mesocyclones, including a case study of the evolution of outer spiral rainband mesocyclones which spawned tornadoes associated with Hurricane Opal. Mike Koziara (New Orleans SOO) discussed the climatology and environmental conditions associated with tornadoes produced by tropical cyclones, and forecaster John Guiney discussed tropical cyclone climatology for Louisiana and Mississippi.
HIWG UPDATE. The NWS Hydrometeorological Information Working Group met recently, and Rusty Pfost (SOO, NWSFO Jackson), the Southern Region HIWG representative, provided a preliminary report from his meeting notes. We've included Rusty's notes as a technical attachment this week.
METAR IMPLEMENTATION. Each office by now should have completed the conversion to METAR. As we settle into the METAR/TAF era, there are still a few lingering problems in the wake of the changeover. Below is the status of the ongoing developments.
1. New MONITR and TAFDEC AFOS programs for aviation monitoring have been released for testing (at Birmingham in our region). These versions of the programs fix some, but not all of the problems reported so far. The problems that have been fixed are:
(1) Proper recognition and processing of NIL TAFs.
(2) Proper recognition of TS, FZDZ FZRA and PE.
(3) No more amendment conditions set for TS when it does not exist.
Other problems that still exist in this test version include improper recognition of the ceiling when the phrase FEW is used in the TAF, and the improper handling of mixed whole number and fractional visibilities.
A field-wide release that fixes most, if not all, of these problems is anticipated in about mid-August.
2. The National Weather Service is in the process of implementing policies and procedures to improve the quality of ASOS observations. As the first step in this effort, the Techniques Development Laboratory has released the first of four computer programs to accomplish the ASOS quality control requirements. This program, CHKSFCOBS, provides WFOs with notification of missing aeronautically required data in the body of the METAR observation. The program should now be installed and in use at Southern region offices. The program, documentation, and a related policy memorandum have been sent to all offices. Any questions should be addressed to Gordon Hammons.
Plans are for later versions of this program, in conjunction with the other programs in this set, to provide the FAA with automatic requests to generate NOTAMS, compare adjacent sites for significant meteorological differences, provide complete checks on the format, and finally produce a daily summary of the output from these programs. Some of this functionality is planned for an AFOS platform, and will be migrated to AWIPS during the next two years; other functions may well be implemented only on the AWIPS platform, with no preliminary version on AFOS.
CHANGE IN X-118 STANDARDS. Several months ago we included as a technical attachment the new meteorologist educational requirements (X-118 standards) that will become effective next October 1. An alert reader noted a serious omission in that attachment, and a corrected version is included this week.
UNIX TRAINING. We issued a memorandum on June 4 soliciting nominees for UNIX training at the NWS Training Center. Any offices which have not yet responded are again reminded to submit names of individuals needing this training to Gordon Hammons in SSD. There are two courses available--"Introduction to UNIX" and "UNIX Systems Administration."
We will soon begin prioritizing the list and matching students with class dates. The classes begin in October, so we need to get the planning under way soon.
AWIPS TESTING. I (Gordon Hammons) had the opportunity of evaluating the latest version of the AWIPS software at NWSH in Silver Spring July 18-19. The software was the "Alpha 1" version of the Build 1 load which will be installed at NWSO Tulsa later this summer. Jamie Frederick (Tulsa AWIPS focal point) also participated in the testing. A total of 16 people from regional headquarters and field offices participated in these informal tests.
I want to stress that the AWIPS software version we evaluated is an early, limited version; but even so, the Alpha 1 version is very useful for viewing satellite or radar loops. (However, WSR-88D data are not yet being acquired at the NWSH test bed.) The loops were relatively easy to set up, and once displayed would be automatically updated so that a continuous x-hour loop would be available (x selected by user). There were a few problems such as cumbersome zoom and roam capabilities (no "slider bars" such as Windows users are familiar with).
The other selection in the product selector menu was NCEP model data display. In this area the software is very limited at this stage, but that is not too surprising for an alpha load. We found that for model display, the AWIPS Product Selector was much too cumbersome, as it stands now, to be useful for operations. The field reviewers summarized their conclusions in three primary areas of concern--performance, defaults, and stability.
1. Performance. We found that the retrieval of the model data was much too slow. Compounding the slow responses was the necessity to plod through far too many mouse clicks to display a single chart. Further, once the chart was displayed, every chart initially used a regional background, so even more mouse clicks were required to change to the appropriate background.
2. Defaults. The group felt the performance could be enhanced considerably by allowing site-specific defaults to be used for the products displayed. Examples of defaults needed are for map backgrounds, contour color and texture, and labels.
3. Stability. Finally, we determined that the system as it exists now was just not stable enough for operational use. This is due to the frequent crashes (core dumps) when using many of the features, and to the fact that the system slowed down considerably when many windows (processes) were invoked.
The field assessment group felt the Product Selector software needs much work before deployment. The contractor (PRC) is making extreme efforts to improve the software load; programmers are working long hours with no days off to address NWS concerns. The pace of development is rapid, and the Alpha 4 version of software was installed last week at the NWSH test bed and at the NWS Training Center (a significant step toward field implementation). Many of the problems we identified should be fixed in that version.
CISCO ROUTER TRAINING. Cisco Router Training was held in Addison, Texas, the week of July 8. Sixteen ESAs from Southern Region made up the bulk of the class. There was much material to cover (just the book of commands for the operating system is over two inches thick). The participants were instructed on how Cisco routers hook our networks up to the frame relay and through Southern Region Headquarters to the Internet. The TCP/IP protocol addressing and subnetting was also explained in great detail. The instructor was very knowledgeable, and the training facilities were good. Another class will be scheduled to train the remaining ESAs.
cc:MAIL MAIL*HUB. The project to replace the gateway computers at NWSH with a single directory system is under way. It will replace internal gateways such as BANGATE and SPOGATE with a post office called MAILHUB using the NOAA X.500 directory and external gateways such as SMTPGATE with a post office called EXTERNAL. An immediate benefit is that external users in the Internet world can send messages to us with a simpler address. For instance, the former address for me (Leon Minton) was firstname.lastname@example.com but is now firstname.lastname@example.com; and it works! To address a message to someone on Internet from cc:Mail, address the message to EXTERNAL instead of SMTPGATE from now on. A new query feature to locate addresses for cc:Mail, Banyan, Microsoft Mail, and SMTPGATE NOAA Employees is part of the project. More details about the project will be coming from NWSH.
CATAPULT PROXY SERVER. Leon Minton has downloaded Catapult Proxy Server from Microsoft over the Internet. It integrates with Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, which includes the Internet Information Server, to provide network security. When installed and configured, it will provide both CERN-style proxying and Remote WinSock. In a nutshell, it will protect the Southern Region network from users outside of the Southern Region and will arbitrate Internet access for the network by allowing or denying access according to various criteria.
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Kimball Chapman
PhD Student
Department: Accounting
Office: 384B Business Building
Phone: 814-863-5462
E-mail: email@example.com
Kimball joined the PhD program at Penn State in 2011. Prior to his admission into the PhD program, Kimball was employed at Cott Corporation, a private label beverage producer based in Tampa, Florida, where he was the Director of Investor Relations. While at Cott, Kimball was responsible for managing voluntary and mandatory disclosures as well as informal communications between the firm and investors, analysts and other capital market constituents. Kimball also led investor outreach activities during two high-yield bond offerings and one seasoned equity offering collectively worth approximately $750 million. Prior to working at Cott he worked for three years at Chemtura Corporation in Middlebury, CT, where he designed and implemented a managerial accounting information system that provided detailed profit margin analysis across various customer, product and geographical characteristics. Using this system he led a firm-wide margin optimization effort that led to margin improvements of over $10 million. Prior to working at Chemtura, Kimball was employed at Dow Chemical in Midland, MI, were he designed and implemented managerial accounting systems used in improving pricing and margin management across global operations within the firm. Kimball has consulted with higher educational institutions on how to conduct managerial accounting analysis of student-level costs and financial contributions to the institution.
Kimball and his family reside in State College, PA where they enjoy participating in various outdoor activities.
Current Research
Kimball conducts empirical (archival) research on how accounting information and firm disclosures affect financial markets. Current projects address questions related to how analysts' demands for firm-specific information influence managers' long-term disclosure choices; how investor relations officer tenure influences investor uncertainty; and the role of attention-motivated stock trading in explaining the earnings announcement premium. Kimball is also working on early-stage projects related to how investor characteristics influence managers' disclosure choices and how social norms influence managers' disclosure choices around earnings announcements.
Kimball's CV is available here:
PhD (expected), Accounting, Penn State University, 2015
MBA, Finance, Marketing, University of Illinois, 2002
Bachelor of Arts, Liberal Studies, Southern Virginia University, 2000
Chartered Financial Analyst, CFA Institute,
BA 511, Teaching Assistant: Intro to Financial Accounting (EMBA core)
Acctg 211, Instructor: Financial and Managerial Accounting for Decision Making
Acctg 211, Teaching Assistant: Financial and Managerial Accounting for Decision Making


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I want:
Ice-Armor He-Man
Horde Armor He-man
Type: Posts; User: Nameless One
I want:
Ice-Armor He-Man
Horde Armor He-man
Add one more-655
They should have mass produced those. I would have bought them.
+1 2014 subscription for me. Looks like the Club Eternia is safe for another year. I also ordered a DC subscription, but it's not looking good on that front.
Thanks for sharing the picture. I'm getting this! So happy to add Kowl to my collection.
No. I want one really bad. I won't be at any cons, so I'm waiting till November.
Yes. I found the Mo-Larr set set dirt cheap last fall.
I see it lasting till the eventual movie comes out. I agree with the people saying it'll be replaced by movie figues and a mass market reissued line.
I'd like to get two. One to display to keep MOC/back up incase the one on display gets damaged.
Still waiting for the Star Sisters ship confirmation. At least I finally got the ship confirmation for DM/BGEL
I really want the Ice Armor He-man. He's got to come with the ice axe. Sweet!
Thanks for the links. It looks like Mattel was going to FINALLY release the Modern Red Tornado. I would have bought that set just for the Red Tornado. This sucks.
Frosta please....
Yes. I'm planning on buying 6 or more Horde Trooper. Plus the rest of the Horde can use the weapons.
Thanks to the .orger that gave the heads up this was available. I got my set ordered. Strange feeling to order MOTU product online and not have to deal with WSOD.
Thanks Pixel Dan for that review. Hopefully the people that ordered the set from TRU will let us know about their Zodacs. The bobble head on Zodac is ridiculous. I want the set, but I don't want a...
Excluding Shadow Weaver and Granamyr who are being made...
I want in order:
1)Strong Arm
2)Lizard Man
Sea Hawk, Scorpia, Batros, and Icer are also on my list.
I hope they offer the opt in on the 30th Anniv. figures. The less WSOD I have to deal with the better.
An Enforcer Corp. would be cool. I also like the idea of including the helmetless Zodak head with the Alien Enforcer figure. That sounds like a nice quarterly figure.
I thought Blackstar was a property of Filmation. Galoob only factors in for characters Galoob created specifically for that toyline.
I want Blackstar in the MOTUC line. Marlena/Capt. Glenns...
FINALLY!! I got my order submitted! WSOD for 30 min then the page opens only to crash a second later. I freaked. Luckly I had the bundle link bookmarked and I was able to open it up again without a...
I can't wait to get Strongarm and Jitsu, especially Strongarm. I would think Fisto, Jitsu, and Strongarm all come from the same fighting discipline/school. Their back story will be really interesting.
I'd also like to get the Horde Armor He-man that was planned for the 200x show.
I want the Horde Wraiths seen in the 200x "Power of Grayskull".
In order of preference:
2.Shadow Weaver
3.Ram Man
5.Horde Trooper
6.Horde Wraith
7.Clamp Champ
9.Kobra Khan
I only had enough free cash to get 1 set Tuesday. Payday is tomorrow; and I'll order another set, if they haven't sold out.
50+ minutes finallly completed transaction. This is ridiculous!!
Been on WSOD for better part of 40 min. Are the KG still even in stock any more?
I finally got a Gygor. I can't wait for the new subscription to kick in so I don't have to deal with this insanity.
WSOD for 40 min, and still nothing. I have to get back to work. This is so stupid!


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The Charleston Battery has signed veteran defenders John Wilson and Taylor Mueller for the upcoming USL Pro season.
Wilson, 36, enters his 12th season with the Battery, while Mueller returns for his third season.
"John had a fantastic season last year and being able to sign him for another year is very important to our experience in the defense and with the entire team," said Charleston Battery coach Mike Anhaeuser. "Taylor is another experienced defender who has played many games and we look forward to having him to solidify our 2014 back line."
Wilson has played on three of the Battery's four championship teams (2003, 2010 & 2012). The former Clemson All-American has appeared in 246 matches with the Battery (second all-time), totaling 21,501 minutes of action with three goals and adding 11 assists.
Wilson began his pro career with the Charleston Battery in 1999. Wilson joined Major League Soccer's Kansas City Wizards in 2000. Wilson returned to the Battery in 2001 and spent three seasons with the club including 2003 when he was a member of the A-League championship team.
In 2004, Wilson moved to the Rochester Rhinos then a year later was signed by the MLS' D.C. United. After three years with D.C. United, Wilson rejoined the Battery before the start of the 2008 season and was a member of the Battery team that lost in the 2008 U.S. Open Cup final against D.C. United, 2-1.
Wilson helped the Battery win the 2010 USL2 title and announced his retirement from pro soccer after the game. He quickly reversed his decision prior to the start of the 2011 season.
"As long as I'm healthy and I feel like I can help this club win, I'm going to continue to play," Wilson said during the recent Carolina Challenge Cup.
In 2012, Wilson switched to left-back and played 23 games as the Battery claimed its fourth USL crown.
Wilson was an All-American at Clemson and was named to All-ACC team in 1997 and 1998. Wilson was mainly used as a striker with the Tigers, playing in 57 matches for Clemson, scoring 18 goals and adding 35 assists in his career. Wilson helped Clemson to an ACC Championship, and a No. 1 national ranking and Final Eight NCAA finish in 1998.
Meanwhile, Mueller played 16 games a year ago. He saw action in both a central and wide defensive role. Mueller was a member of the Battery's 2012 USL Pro championship team. Mueller, 26, was a four year starter at the University of Washington where he had two goals in 76 career games.
The Battery's Taylor Mueller heads the ball against the Seattle Sounders's Lamar Neagle at Blackbaud Stadium on Saturday night, February 22, 2014. Wade Spees/Staff×


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We're streaming worldwide!
Hey backers! At long last Deep Web is available to stream wherever you are in the world. You can still find us on Epix and Hulu in the US and... Read more
Downloaded is now on Netflix!
If you haven't had a chance to see Downloaded, check it out on Netflix. It serves as an historical primer for how the Net evolved into the strange terrain we... Read more
Production report & contact info
Hey team. We got some amazing footage in the last round of shooting, and I've been conducting audio and text interviews with many extraordinary people from within the Dark Net.... Read more
Tonight's the night!
Happy New Year team Deep Web!
Tonight we kick off our first reward with the Bill & Ted screening and hangout in NYC. We'll post pix on our Facebook page... Read more
Three and a half hours to go!
One last missive before we close. We can use all the funding we get, and all the community support we can build. So please continue to spread the word. And... Read more
Last deal!
Whoever pledges the amount that gets us to our goal will receive a personalized video greeting from me! Whatever you want me to say, that allows me to remain clothed... Read more
Let's keep it going!
We're closing in! As we sold out on the doc bundle i added more.
Spread the word! And continued thanks!
Here come some deals!
-You and a friend can attend ANY SCREENING from our rewards list if you increase your pledge by $100.
Please specify in your response which screening you plan to attend.... Read more
Countdown: 2 days!
Hey all,
So we have a couple more days to close this out. Plenty of time if we are strategic! What will get us there:
-Benefactor: Pledges that meet our... Read more
Downloaded now available!
You asked for Downloaded, so I placed a reward for either the movie on its own or bundled with Deep Web! Downloaded is courtesy of the great folks at VHX!... Read more
More press and more shooting
Great day for the movie. We grew our community and got some great ink on the CNET 404 show! And prepping for our shoot this weekend with one of the... Read more
New bundles are up!
Spread the word!
And those interested in coming to the Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey screening event at The Cinefamily - they have just procured a 35mm print for the... Read more
New rewards!
Responding to backers' requests, I added bundles for the two Bill & Ted screenings.
Please spread the word!
Alex W.
You wanted a Bill & Ted screening in LA, you got it!
I will host a screening of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey on Thursday, January 30th, courtesy of the great folks at The Cinefamily Theater!
Only 10 more days!
This is the important back end of our run. Please help us reach our goal and spread the word! I posted some new rewards and dropped the price on the... Read more
New rewards from Mondo Tees!
The great folks at Mondo have donated rare custom Lost Boys posters. Please spread the word!
We're getting there!
A note about how this Kickstarter works for our movie
Hey backers (et al)!
I've been doing a fair amount of press lately on the movie and the Deep Web/Bitcoin in general. One thing that's come up is curiosity about... Read more
We're halfway through our campaign!
Thanks so much for all the support! We WILL hit our mark. But it will take everyone's help, so please spread the word. There are lots of great new rewards!... Read more
New rewards!
EXCLUSIVE WRAP PARTIES IN NY & LOS ANGELES! Attend a private wrap party for the movie with the filmmakers, a special guest DJ and key players in the tech world!... Read more
Help us with the next big push!
Help us spread the word and let's get this over the hump!
Thanks so much!
New bundle reward!!
Check out the new bundle reward: Deep Web movie AND Downloaded! Thanks in the credits and more!
More cool bundles are coming soon!
Give a Deep Web reward as a gift!
Why not give someone a reward as a gift this holiday season? Just message us when you make your pledge with a name and address and we'll send the reward... Read more
Become a producer!
Please check out our latest reward; become a producer on the film! Be an insider in the Deep Web community and an integral part of the journey!
New Update!
Check out all the new rewards and please spread the word!! And have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!
Thanks! Alex
New Reward Posted 11/22/13: MOST OUTSTANDING BILL AND TED'S SCREENING PARTY
You wanted it. We're going to do it.
We've just added a new reward. For those Bill & Ted's fans amongst you, on Saturday January 4th, I'm inviting 65 fans... Read more
First 24 hours down!
Thanks so much to everyone who made it an awesome first full day! We raised a great number and added a lot of new folks to the Deep Web community!... Read more


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Get updates on important news and legislation from the Civil Service and Pensions Committee.
Diane J. Savino
July 16, 2010
Listen to Senator Diane J. Savino discussing the Wage Theft Bill and Domestic Workers Bill of Rights on WBAI's "Building Bridges".
Pokémon NO! Disturbing investigation finds pokémon popping up at high-level sex offenders' residences across the city
July 29, 2016
Information For Patients And Doctors About The Medical Marijuana Program
June 03, 2016
Lawrence Fisher
May 20, 2016


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Thursday, June 18, 2009
Your Obvious Show of Respect Displeases Me.
"Could you say 'senator' instead of 'ma'am?' It's just a thing. I worked so hard to get that title. I'd appreciate it."
Sir and ma'am is the form of address I would use in the same situation (depending, of course, on the sex of the Senator). It's a sign of respect and politeness, not a sign of disregard. Her response is either born of ignorance, bitchiness, or arrogance--she doesn't know better, she wants to bully him, or she really thinks she is American royalty. None of which is particularly endearing.
Because I was raised something close to right, I also say sir and ma'am in regular daily conversation because respect isn't owed only to our political class.
Comments & Trackbacks
"...respect isn't owed only to our political class."
And here I would have deleted the "only". Ah well ... you writers, always going for the innovative choice.
Not sure about the respect part. In Boxer's case, I think I'd want to use something like, "Jane you ignorant slut!"
But what also comes to mind is I've often heard talking heads (Larry King comes to mind) addresses ex-office holders by their now vacated titles. I recall once, at a friend's house, Larry was on the tube talking to Algore, and kept addressing him as "Mr. Vice President", after he had left office. Uh, Larry, he ain't the veep any more. Really, it was bletcherous. I, for one, do not think that we should be fawning over someone who has been elected to do a job. Sure, being polite is one thing. But how about some realism as well?
No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States…
Yet it seems that has become something of a de-facto state. Algore, BTW, addressed Mr. King as "Larry".
I actually don't mind at all using titular address for people holding position X, as long as it's understood that it's a nominal thing, and not obsequious.
Tangent: the decline of formal address in this country (and others, I suppose) in the last 30 or so years.
I wouldn't term it merely a tangent; it's part of a general decline in civility over that period. I suspect a lot of it dates back to my generation and the lack of respect for our elders that was exemplified by "Never Trust Anyone Over 30."
I recall once, at a friend's house, Larry was on the tube talking to Algore, and kept addressing him as "Mr. Vice President", after he had left office. Uh, Larry, he ain't the veep any more.
As objectionable as I find Gore to be, this is actually fairly standard courtesy, like continuing to address former presidents as "Mr. President." It goes back a long, long way. Retired judges still get addressed as "judge" and so on. If Gore re-enters active politics and gets elected to something else (other than president, God willing, he'll properly be addressed by that title as long as he holds that office, but will once again be "Mr. Vice President" afterward unless he states a contrary preference.
That last may result from Former President George Washington's preference to be addressed, not as "Mr. President," but as "General." Everything he touched became a precedent for future generations.
Barbara Boxer is just as stupid as she appears. Well, that's not true. She's even more stupid. Just another example of the idiocy that California has been exporting for some time.
Well, McGehee, just because a bunch of people have been doing it for years, doesn't mean it's right. But I guess that concept of Jefferson's, about citizen legislators who returned to their regular life upon completion of their duties, is just some old, antiquated notion. But then, we've ventured so far from the vision of such men, that I of course have no real expection of such ideals as holding much sway these days.
As far as courtesy goes, I'll show to them that's deserving. Of course, I stopped referring to Bush as "president" long before he left office, when it was clear the he had abrogated his oatch of office.
(And I can't find the specific quote that I'm attributing to Jefferson in my head. Could've been someone else's.)
Barbara Boxer has been an idiot for many more reasons than this, but I'm not quite so sure it applies in this case.
It kind of reminds me of when I met an Eastern Orthodox nun and, out of sheer force of courtesy that has been drilled into me over the years, said "ma'am" instead of "Sister" the first time I spoke with her. Fortunately, she was a fairly decent sort about it, not even mentioning that I should be glad she wasn't Catholic or else I'd have my fingers rapped with a yardstick by now.
Formal titles, whether received by hard work or good deed or election, should be used as a matter of courtesy and there should not have to be a reminder, especially not for those in national public office. Doubly so when you're in the same building as said office.
And yes. I would still look George W. Bush in the eye and say, "Hello, Mr. President" with a completely straight face if I ever was to meet him. I'd add in a mental "you fucking mealy-mouthed bastard" at the end, of course.
Jed, I'm not sure what Jefferson's comment about citizen legislators has to do with presidents, vice-presidents and judges, none of whom were intended by the Founders to be legislators.
Now, if we were to point out to judge4s who do legislate from the bench that Jefferson says they can't be called "Judge" after they step down, I think we would also mention that Jefferson wouldn't wait for them to step down before refusing to dignify them with that title.
It's the spirit of the sentiment, not the literal term "legislators" which is, to my thinking, operative. A citizen is elected to office, performs that service, and returns to civilian life, whether that elected office is judicial, legislative, or executive (and yes, for you literal minded folks, I'm aware that many, perhaps most judges are appointed, not elected, but it does vary by jurisdiction, but appointed or elected, it's the concept of the citizen doing a job and then returning to regular duties, and yes, that happens to some judges as well, and I'm not referring o retirement from the bench after a long term). For that matter, if I encountered a judge at a barbeque, I wouldn't refer to him or her as "your honor" throughout the day, or rise whenever he approached the blanket.
(Aaaack, "oatch" of office? I can haz spelchek?)
or that matter, if I encountered a judge at a barbeque, I wouldn't refer to him or her as "your honor" throughout the day, or rise whenever he approached the blanket.
If you did, he'd probably get huffy at you. Judges are only called "Your Honor" when presiding over a court.
I've got better things to do than keep chasing your deliberate disunderstandings all over the field.
So you've just made the point that the use of the title goes with the execution of the office. Okay. I'm all good with that.
Heh. Anti-spam word "trial47"
"...or she really thinks she is American royalty."
Oddly enough, I just learned on Jeopardy! the other day that the Queen of England is to be addressed as "Your Royal Highness" when first greeting her, then as simply "ma'am" for the rest of the conversation. So Boxer is requiring that she be addressed in even more formal a manner than the frikkin' Queen.


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PHOTOS: Jack Johnson Red Rocks Amphitheatre show
After a big 2013 that included the release of his album, "From Here to Now to You," and a headlining spot at Bonnaroo, Jack Johnson returned to Colorado on Monday to play Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
After a big 2013 that included the release of his album, "From Here to Now to You," and a headlining spot at Bonnaroo, Jack Johnson returned to Colorado on Monday to play Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
The king of relaxed, Jack Johnson, will return to Colorado this year on his summer North American tour. Kicking off at the Hangout Music Festival in mid-May, Johnson heads to Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Aug.
There was no light show. There were no special effects. Occasionally a roadie would switch out an acoustic guitar for an electric guitar. That's about it, and this was just fine.
Here are the Colorado concert tickets going on sale — Riot Fest, Dave Chappele, MGMT and more. Read more »
On Saturday, Bonnaroo 2013 brought performances by the Lumineers, Jack Johnson, Nas and more. See photos from Bonnaroo 2013 day three below. Read more »
Boulder's eTown Hall has seen a lot of action lately — especially for a venue that's not even officially finished. The 89-year-old former church, which is undergoing a $5 million renovation, is the new home of eTown, the liberal-minded music-and-conversation radio show that reaches more than 300 stations and an estimated 1 million listeners each week.
ALO's session at Uneven Studio was unlike any other we've had since we started recording there just over a year ago. For one, it was a jammy affair -- really jammy.
The Mile High Music Festival will not bring the rock this summer. The annual event will take a hiatus in 2011, promoter AEG Live plans to announce this morning.
By Ricardo Baca The 3-year-old Mile High Music Festival seems to have reached its stride. As the festival opened Saturday, everything flowed with an impressive sense of confidence and, yes, musicality.
The folks at the Mile High Music Festival are listening to the people. And while they still haven't figured out a way to incorporate camping at the two-day Commerce City music fest, now in its third year, they are announcing a few upgrades to the Mile High experience.
Jack Johnson, "To the Sea" (Brushfire) Jack Johnson has quietly become one of the biggest pop stars in America. And when we say quietly, we mean it.
When talking about the freshly announced line-up for this summer's third annual Mile High Music Festival -- which includes headliners Jack Johnson and the Dave Matthews Band on Aug.
The Dave Matthews Band and Jack Johnson will headline the third annual Mile High Music Festival this summer, partner radio station KBCO announced this morning.
Gorillaz, "Plastic Beach" (Virgin) The gentle waves, seagull sounds and orchestral washes that herald Gorillaz' third album are a ruse. "Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach (featuring Snoop Dogg & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)" is the real intro, a dark-minded, brassy track that lays the plan for the rest of the album.
The local music scene in Denver continuously amazes me in its depth, and last week's three-day singer/songwriter festival at the Meadowlark, the Living Room Series, was a shining example.
[photopress:jack_johnson11_color.jpg,full,pp_image] Jack Johnson's laid-back lullabies attracted a particular bro-tastic crowd at Red Rocks on Sunday. Photos by Laurie Scavo. Jack Johnson is hard man to hate: Socially conscious, eco-friendly, "totally chill dude" -- as it were, in bro-slang.
[photopress:colbie5.jpg,full,pp_image] Colbie Caillat may not have an original musical persona, but her voice easily filled the Fillmore on Tuesday. Photos by Reverb contributor Brian Carney.
[photopress:duncan1.jpg,full,pp_image] Songwriter Duncan Sheik played an illuminating set on Thursday at Boulder's Fox Theatre. All photos by John Moore. How often can you say the highlight of any concert was the musical-theater montage?


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Doreen Hedricks will be the first to point out that there exist many kinds of Mexican restaurants.
The owner of Abrana Marie's in downtown Williamsport considers her own to be one that serves up what she calls New Mexican cuisine.
"We are not your standard Mexican food," she said.
Article Photos
MIKE REUTHER/Sun-Gazette
Patty Strickland, head waitress at Abrana Marie's, 100 W. Third St., Williamsport, takes a break from her duties on a recent winter afternoon. Strickland is kept busy many days with customers who frequent the downtown restaurant which relocated from Campbell Street to its present site last fall.
At Abrana Marie's, customers can sit down and enjoy many of the familiar Mexican food delights burritos, enchiladas, nachos, tacos, quesadillas.
But Hedricks said they'll have a little bit of a different experience at her place.
From the time she started Abrana Marie's more than 30 years ago, she used the recipes of her mother and grandmother.
"My grandmother is Abrana Marie," she said. "She came from Spain."
Hedricks, born into an Air Force family, moved around a lot as a kid. She spent much of her youth in New Mexico before eventually coming to Sunbury.
It was in that Northumberland County city where she launched Abrana Marie's.
She got into the restaurant business sort of by accident?
Her husband, who owned a Sunbury bar, talked her into cooking up red chile enchiladas and selling them to the customers.
The next thing they knew, the bar became a restaurant.
At the time, she might have had the only Mexican restaurant in the area.
"When I started, there was not even a Taco Bell," she said.
Her restaurant eventually relocated across the river to Northumberland and many years later to Campbell Street in Williamsport.
Last fall, it moved once again to its present location at 100 W. Third St.
Now in the heart of downtown, she feels it's a good spot for her restaurant.
There's the lunch crowd that includes a lot of nearby professionals and other workers.
The best nights are Fridays and Saturdays, especially when the Community Theatre League is putting on a production next door.
Reservations, she said, are suggested for weekend dining.
"We can squeeze in about 45 (people) here," she said.
Hedricks said she's built up a dependable customer base over the years which include some of her old Northumberland County patrons who come to Williamsport to dine.
"They have to have their fixes," she laughed.
Some of her customer favorites include chile con queso, quesadillos, chimichangos, chicken enchiladas and chile relleno.
She said all her food is fresh and made "from scratch."
Added head waitress Patty Strickland: "It's different from other Mexican food."
For her part, Hedricks said she gets a lot of satisfaction out of knowing she touches so many lives with her food.
She also likes having her sons and a daughter involved in the business.
About a year-and-a-half ago, she launched a second business in Sunbury, Marie's Taco Queen.
Abrana Marie's is open five days a week: Tuesday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The phone number is 570-320-0626.


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Last night I began reading Religious Literacy by Stephen Prothero, the chair of the religion department at Boston University. This is how the book begins:
"A few years ago I was standing around the photocopier in Boston University's Department of Religion when a visiting professor from Austria offered a passing observation about American undergraduates. They are very religious, he told me, but they know next to nothing about religion. Thanks to compulsory religious education (which Austria begins in elementary schools), European students can name the twelve apostles and the Seven Deadly Sins, but they wouldn't be caught dead going to church or synagogue themselves. American students are just the opposite. Here faith without understanding is the standard; here religious ignorance is bliss."
Is that true, I wondered. I've certainly known some people that would be true of. There have been times when one could have argued that it is true of me. But is it true of most American undergraduates? Even more dangerous, is it true of most Americans?
My hope for HoustonBelief.com is that the site can facilitate a dialog about religion, faith, beliefs and values. That it can be a place of exchange and exploration across the borders of individual belief systems. In the process, I hope we can learn about the faith of our neighbors – and more about our own faith. I hope site users will be more literate than Prothero suggests most Americans are.
But, in the meantime, do we suffer from religious illiteracy?
Here are some of the things Prothero thinks we should know. How many do you get correct?
1. Name the four Gospels.
2. Name a sacred text of Hinduism.
3. What is the name of the holy book of Islam?
4. What is the Golden Rule?
5. "God helps those who help themselves": Is this in the Bible? If so, where?
6. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God." Does this appear in the Bible? If so, where?
7. Name the Ten Commandments.
8. Name the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism.
9. What are the seven sacraments of Catholicism?
10. The First Amendment says two things about religion, each is its own "clause." What are the two religion clauses of the First Amendment?
11. What is Ramadan? In what religion is it celebrated?


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Essence Object
Some objects are complicated to build; they can be built by constructing a blank object and then calling setters on it. The problem with this is that it allows incomplete instances to exist. So, separate out the tasks of assembling the parts and creating the object; create an
by starting with a blank and calling setters, then use the
to create the end result object in a single step.
Can we use factory classes as essence objects, and do every thing we are doing now with essence object inside the factory class? --
clearly has a relationship to factory classes. The calling of a 'createTarget' method on the
by the client leads to the conclusion that the
is a kind of factory. There is nothing in the pattern which prevents a single
being used to create multiple target objects.
I should have discussed this in the pattern. I suspect that one of the reasons I didn't was that the 'Related Patterns' heading tends to imply references to individual named patterns whereas 'factory' refers to a whole group of patterns with a similar motivation, and none of the specific factory patterns I looked at was an exact fit.
If the pattern was being written today, it would also refer to
, which is sometimes used in a creational context but with a different motivation (i.e. reduction of network round trips during creation, read and modification of a distributed object).
What if the essence itself is dynamic... how can we change the implementation of the essence object? That is, what if we need two sets of optional and required parameters - do we need two essence objects and doesn't this effect the created object since its signature may change depending on the essence? I think we may have to use some form of locking inside the created object. This locking mechanism should hold all the parameters that cannot be changed after object creation. --
The pattern as written is of some help - the 'set' methods would be a superset of all of the possibilities and the client is free to pick which combination is called. It is the job of the validation method to figure out whether the combination of properties supplied constitutes a valid object. This doesn't address Sesh's concern about 'dynamic immutability' - this might need a more complex pattern but I think I need a concrete example of the problem in order to get my head around it properly. --
Here is an example: We have different models of the same product line. For example, take our storage units that we make; there are two models - let's call them "m1" and "m2". Each product model can have different attributes like the total number of channel cards you want on the storage model. Model "m1" comes with 3 cards and can be expanded to 6 cards, but model "m2" comes with 5 cards and you cannot change this. So the total cards on the storage unit changes depending on the model, and for some models this is immutable but for some models it is not. Had I had a way to change the immutability at the creation of the model, I would have created "m1" with mutable channel cards and "m2" with immutable channel cards. -- Sesh
I think this comes down to a question of how you want your storage unit class/classes to look - do you want to use the features of your chosen language to document and enforce immutability (in which case you will probably be using multiple single storage unit classes) or would enforcement via logic within the object be better (e.g. give you more flexibility to have new types of storage unit later without code changes?). Once you settle on your choice of design for the object or objects being created, then you can choose an existing pattern to create them, or mix and match from (say) abstract factory, builder and essence. --
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February 21, 2002
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Product Information
Mizuno 2014 Men's Maverick 1.5 Split Running Shorts - 421200
Ease on down the road or track with our light and breezy DryLite(R) performance short in two different speedy cuts. DynaMotion fit and Softtouch brief are designed for comfort and support at speed. FreshPlus(R) anti-bacterial and reflectivity add practicality.
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- Liner: Brief with Fresh Plus�
- Inseam: 1.5 split / 4.5 square
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Park Place student earns contest honors
Savannah Hastings, a sixth-grader at Park Place Middle School in Monroe, has received honorable mention for her entry in the state's Letters About Literature contest.
Savannah was in the top five of the entries for her level, and one of 98 semifinalists out of 5,500 entries statewide.
Letters About Literature is a national reading promotion program of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.
The state competition is sponsored by the Washington State Library. Students write a letter to the author of a book that has had an impact on their lives.
Savannah wrote to author J.K. Rowling about her book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." as an assignment in Dorothy Schroeder's humanities honors class.
Marysville senior awarded scholarship
Cody House, a student at Marysville Pilchuck High School, has been awarded a $2,000 scholarship to Waldorf College in Iowa.
The scholarship rewards students who have excelled academically in high school.
Monroe High School recognizes scholars
Monroe High School has announced its Department Scholars, selected by the teachers of each department and based in part on the students' interests in their courses, desire to excel and willingness to pursue further knowledge in their areas.
The April scholars are: ninth-grade humanities, Bailey Sarto and Emily Slack; agricultural science, Taylor Russell; English, John Pang and Rachel Lee; family and consumer science, Nydia Huerta; science, Cassandra Engvall and Tyler Koontz; health, Holly Gombossy and Tyler Aspinwall; history, Abigail Jackson and Anthony Peloquin; instrumental music, Karen Vasatka and Spencer Petersen; manufacturing technology, Blake Wolff; marketing, Logan Sutton; math, Chawin Pathompornvivat and Keely Hagen; physical education, Macey McGovern and Fermin Almanzar; and world languages, Amanda MacRae.
Everett graduate gets WSU scholarship
Jennisa Mangold was awarded a $300 Evelyn W. Hacker Colonial Dames Scholarship from the College of Liberal Arts at Washington State University.
The Evelyn W. Hacker Scholarship is awarded to junior or senior students who demonstrate exceptional leadership ability.
Mangold graduated from Everett High School in 2005 and plans to graduate from Washington State University in 2014 with a degree in general studies.
She is a member of the Tau Sigma Honor Society as well as Photography Club.
Marysville Pilchuck grad on dean's list
Morgan Martinis, a 2011 graduate of Marysville Pilchuck High School, was named to the dean's list at Central Washington University for the winter quarter.
Martinis plans to pursue an education degree. She is the daughter of Marty and Cheryl Martinis of Marysville.
Arlington students, teacher earn awards
Arlington High School students Sierra DeCota and Collier Bereton received the Junior Achievement Awards on April 19 at the Masonic Lodge 129 Junior Achievement Scholarship Awards event.
One girl and one boy are selected from the junior class of Arlington and Darrington schools each year to receive the awards.
Other juniors recognized during the evening included Brendon Brereton, Lynsey Amundson, Marissa Swegle, Lindsay Brown, Jollee Pullig, Kendra Ferrier, Allie Jones, Shelby Carr and Esra Alameedi.
Students applying for the scholarship are considered based on their participation in service, leadership, citizen appreciation, academic standing, educational achievements and future goals.
The Public Schools Outreach Community Grand Lodge also awarded Jim Bassett with the Grand Lodge Educator of the Year for his contribution to the Robotics Club, teaching of robotics at Weston High School in Arlington, and providing technical support in areas such as creating the Basmati software for teachers to use in grading students.
Monroe student wins national scholarship
The National Federation of Independent Business Young Entrepreneur Foundation recently announced the state recipients of the 10th annual NFIB Young Entrepreneur Awards, a scholarship program designed to reward and encourage entrepreneurial talents among high school students.
Monroe High School senior Aaron Furrer was one of four award recipients in the state. He won a $5,000 scholarship.
More than 500 students nationwide applied for a Young Entrepreneur Foundation scholarship this year. To qualify for an award, students must be running their own business.
In May, the foundations plans to honor the four students selected as $5,000 scholarships winners and name the "2012 Young Entrepreneur of the Year" who will be awarded a $10,000 scholarship. Aaron is among the four competing for that honor.
Arlington recognizes graduating seniors
Arlington High School recently announced accomplishments of some graduating seniors.
Four seniors at the high school were nominated for Washington Scholars. Principals of in-state public and private high schools nominate the top 1 percent of the graduating class on the basis of academic achievement, leadership and community service. Principal Brian Beckley nominated Robert Kephart, Sara Deeter, Molly Rard and McKenzie (Kyle) Kilmer.
McKenzie (Kyle) Kilmer and Molly Bard were accepted into the University of Idaho Honors Program. Sara Deeter, school board representative, has been accepted to Yale.
Robert Kephart received Washington Scholar for the 39th Legislative District by the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board. He has also been appointed to the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Two other Arlington High School students from the class of 2012 have been appointed to military academies: Blake McPherson, West Point U.S. Military Academy; and Alvin Abes, U.S. Naval Academy.
Thirty-five members of the Arlington High School graduating class of 2012 have been selected for the President's Award for Educational Excellence.
The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
The listed Arlington High School students earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.9 to 4.0: Megan Abdo, Alvin Abes, Evie Aylesworth, Megan Beierly, Nathan Braaten, Dana Canaria, Andrew Clark, Alexander Davis, Sara Deeter, Jennifer Domanowski, Michelle Domanowski, Kristina Flick, Janey Foxe, Yuliya Gavrishchuk, Kelsey Ghirardo, Tanner Goheen, Justin Haynes, Michael Imboden, Robert Kephart, Mackenzie Kilmer, Jacob Larson, Savannah Leavitt, Kelsea Lothamer, Colton McCoy, Blake McPherson, Dakota Olson, Hannah Peseau, Kriszl Pineda, Molly Rard, Jasmine Root, Katrina Roys, Joshua Scarth, Lyubov Tsymbalyuk, Cassandra Van Loo and Catherine Wilson.
To submit news for School Winners, contact reporter Amy Daybert: 425-339-3491; email@example.com or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Gawkers in the way during floods
July 28, 2013
DEAR EDITOR: This letters is in regard to the flooding we had in Leavittsburg. First, I'd like to thank all the fire departments and everyone else who helped for their quick response. Good job....
David You have a lot af room to talk about getting in the way I've seen you get in the way at differnt times and you think your joe policeman with that stupid light on your truck
1 Agrees | 1 Disagrees | Report Abuse »
Warrenproud, are you really that stupid!! WOW
1 Agrees | 0 Disagrees | Report Abuse »
Taxman you said it all......
3 Agrees | 1 Disagrees | Report Abuse »
Taxman you said it all......
2 Agrees | 1 Disagrees | Report Abuse »
Number 4. Get off my lawn.
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The nimrods in those ridiculously lifted pickup trucks were probably the same ones who go to Yankee Lake Truck Night and drive through big mud puddles. This is the standard entertainment for the 5' tall drivers of these vehicles. Usually, the taller the truck, the shorter the driver.
7 Agrees | 3 Disagrees | Report Abuse »
You're always going to have the brainless in any situation. Unless someone makes a cure for stupid, and that likely won't happen any time soon.
5 Agrees | 1 Disagrees | Report Abuse »
What do you expect from bunch of hillbillies? That's their annual water-park vacation. Remember, free events always attract that wonderful "element" of society.
9 Agrees | 2 Disagrees | Report Abuse »
The bottom line is that a large part of society isn't worth the air they breathe. The kids are being raised without morals, values, and common courtesy for others. The parents, or parent in most cases, have lost common sense and all direction on how to properly raise their kids. The idiots driving through the flood pushing water into homes that were still dry is a good example. I'm my world, assault would be legal and the entire neighborhood could legally drag these hillbillies out of the truck and stomp a mudhole in his butt. But then again, I was born a hundred years to late.
13 Agrees | 1 Disagrees | Report Abuse »
Floods like this wouldn't happen if our politicians did their jobs, and I mean both Democrats and NeoCon Republicans. There is much storm sewer and river / creek cleanup work that needs done, but they fail neither fund or do them. The flood gawkers are just a small part of the troubles.
3 Agrees | 15 Disagrees | Report Abuse »
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Featured Golf News
Killer Bees Swarm: Maryland Clinches Potomac Cup Before Sunday Singles Begins
Steve Czaban jumped, slapped, and hop-scotched his way around the practice green at Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Club shortly before the Mistushibu Skills Challenge commenced Saturday evening, but it was already too late. As another glorious sunset dove behind the Blue Ridge Mountains, turning the vale of Front Royal, Va., into an artist's palette of color, Czabe was swatting away clusters of late summer bees, while his Potomac Cup team members laughed at his ungainly efforts to escape being stung.
Virginia's squad should have offered more help swatting rather than standing around watching, because the Killer Bees of Team Maryland - their Potomac Cup members from Breton Bay, Blue Mash, Bethesda and Beaver Creek - powered through another pair of doubles matches so overwhelmingly, they clinched the Potomac Cup a day early, before Sunday singles matches were even selected. After cruising through the morning foursomes 4-2, they won five of the six afternoon four-ball matches on route to a 19.4 - 4.5 lead. They needed only 18.5 points top retain the Cup they won back from Virginia last year. The overall series stands at 5-4 Virginia.
Team Red veterans Mike Wah, Pete DeTemple, and Bill Jenner are all a perfect 4-0-0 thus far. Jenner has won two of his four matches with birdies on 18. "18's been real good to me this week," he said with his friendly, folksy aw-shucks demeanor. "I rolled in two good putts, but I also had two great partners. DeTemple was a big help Friday in a great match with Ross McIntosh and Mark Fegani. We even had to endure an eagle from Ross at the second hole, but Iwe held tough and I was grateful for the chance to getr a look at a putt to win and it went in. And yesterday afternoon I got to do it all over again with Cookie Monster [teammate Greg Roberts], who eats up every player who gets in front of him."
Maryland number 1 seed Rusty Pies also won two matches yesterday, one with Mike Wah and the other with DeTemple. Pies sank the cup-clinching putt on the 15th hole as he and Ken Lampard closed out Frank Romano and Mark Fegani 4&3.
"Rusty is just playing some of the best golf I have ever seen," said Maryland Captain Ron Thomas. "Between he and Vance Welch and the Killer Bees we are just ecstatic for the future of our team and for this tournament."
Indeed, the Potomac Cup is in its heady, halcyon heyday. If you want to find the true altruistic spirit of the amateur golfer, it's here, in all it's splendor, pride and glory. Just like the Travis Invitational, Crump Cup and Anderson Tournament attracts the finest amateur and mid-amateur players, so to does the Potomac Cup draw it's field from the finest competitors in the region. By weekday, they are clockmakers, policemen, airport engineers, sales reps, brokers, real estate salesman, even a secret service man. But on weekends, their plus-handicaps take them to the finest courses and most venerable tournaments including, happily, the Potomac Cup, the closest thing to the Ryder Cup or Walker Cup amateurs playing for state pride can find anywhere.
"We have a great time all week," said an elated Lee Flemister, one of Maryland's strongest players and author of two of the biggest comebacks in tournament history. Twice Flemister and a partner turned the tables on opponents on the back nine. On Thursday he and partner Jeff Lim Sharpe - "Cousin Itt from the Addams Family, but with golf clubs," as Flemister described his partner's long mane of hair - he and Sharpe won 10-14 to beat Tom Lantz and Chris Robb. Then last night, Flemister victimized Robb again. After Robb and Karl Keiffer went up five holes at the turn, Flemister and Chad Rowse won holes 10-15 to reverse the match and take the lead. The clockmaker - sorry,"horologist" - from Rockville then rolled in a twisting 40-footer over a swale in front of all his teammates to cinch the match in the clutch.
Shockingly, player-captain Vance Welch lost his first point of the tournament. Paired with tween-age sensation Keegan Boone, they were upset by Tom Lantz and Steve Ciliberti, Virginia's prize rookies. Dan Derisio also scored his second point of the event, teaming with Mark Fegani for a breezy 4&3 drubbing of Lampard and Martin, the only two killer bees to surrender a point. Steve "The Thing" Nolin, Chris Robb and Frank Romano also scored for Virginia.
As we go to press, Romano is fighting for some measure of redemption. After missing his second tee time - and incurring his second penalty - in as many days, Team Blue has branded him "Flava-Flav" because Captain Czaban has hung a clock around his neck like a modern-day version of the albatross to The Ancient Mariner. Undaunted, Romano shut up his critics up with a stunning singles win over heavily-favored Rusty Pies.
"It's been a hard few days," said Steve Czaban, "but I told my team, to play hard on Sunday not just for themselves, but the team, and for the state. We want to make the final score look more respectable than the lopsided rout it's been. But when you're playing a team demonstrably better in all areas, it's an uphill struggle all the way, not unlike some of the early scores in the Ryder Cup."
Then Czaban smiled and that puckish twinkle returned to his eye. "Besides, the real silver lining is that a lot of good players in Virginia will see the final score and want to avenge it. So we anticipate the guys in the section to come out and get up back in the win column."
Meanwhile, it's the Killer Bees who'll buzz back north with splendid booty. They'll have the Potomac Cup for the second consecutive year, as well as the Sheriff's Award for the tournament's most outstanding player.
"I'm gonna miss this all year long," said Jenner. "But we love it up at Breton Bay and we have a lot of great players, so we're looking forward to coming back next year and doing battle again. There is just nothing like this tournament."
He's right. You can feel it every time Steve Ciliberti jumps out of his shoes after sinking a putt. You can see it with every pair of electric pants worn by colorful Jeff Lim-Sharpe. You can sense it every time rookies like Robb and Lantz look to veterans like Thing and Waslo for leadership. Isn't it great to see grateful golfers fight for every blade of grass as though American hegemony were at stake? Isn't it refreshing to have a true-grass roots sporting event not brought to us by crass corporate vultures and mass consumer culture? It's a throwback to the glory days of the game.
"It's one of the most exciting experiences an amateur golfer can have, agreed Ron Thomas. "The camaraderie and the fellowship and the atmosphere that 'Czabe' and the Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA have created in this event is heartwarming."
"It's our Ryder Cup," said Vance Welch laconically.
Yes, Vance, it is and it's yours for another year. In the meantime, someone tell Steve Czaban to bring some bee killer. Maybe a can or two of Mortein do-it-yourself bug bomb. Otherwise the Killer Bees will be making honey for quite some time.
Since launching his first golf writing website in 2004, http://www.jayflemma.thegolfspace.com, Jay Flemma's comparative analysis of golf designs and knowledge of golf course architecture and golf travel have garnered wide industry respect. In researching his book on America's great public golf courses (and whether they're worth the money), Jay, an associate editor of Cybergolf, has played over 220 nationally ranked public golf courses in 37 different states. Jay has played about 1,649,000 yards of golf - or roughly 938 miles. His pieces on travel and architecture appear in Golf Observer (www.golfobserver.com), Cybergolf and other print magazines. When not researching golf courses for design, value and excitement, Jay is an entertainment, copyright, Internet and trademark lawyer and an Entertainment and Internet Law professor in Manhattan. His clients have been nominated for Grammy and Emmy awards, won a Sundance Film Festival Best Director award, performed on stage and screen, and designed pop art for museums and collectors. Jay lives in Forest Hills, N.Y., and is fiercely loyal to his alma maters, Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts and Trinity College in Connecticut.
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Product Safety?
Child safety is the most important thing to us and our customers. Therefore, PlayPlayDesigns goes above and beyond to ensure all products comply with rigorous safety standards.
- All plywood used in PlyPlay designed products are formaldehyde free.
- All glue used is non toxic
- All paint used have no VOCs
- All dyes used are food based and therefore non toxic
- All wood treatment is all natural Tung Oil
How our Toys are made?
All PlayPlayDesigns' Toys are handmade utilizing hand tools and "old fashioned" carpentry methods. There is no help from laser cutting or CNC machines. Our "All Wooden" toys do not utilize any metal fastening methods like screws or nails. This makes the toys even safer for your little ones.
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PlayPlayDesigns Handmade Modern Toys are all handmade in Walton County, FL USA
PlyPlayDesigns will strive to do our best and offer the most competitive shipping rates available. All shipping costs quoted are paid directly to the shipping company and no profit or markup is recouped by PlyPlay.
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Love Israel? Then Fight Fracking
It is widely thought that the next war in the region will not be over oil, but over water. And fracking for oil threatens to poison the region's limited fresh-water supply, further escalating tensions and making new peace agreements between Israel and its neighbors harder to achieve, since such agreements will include division of water rights.
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Bentonville crews work to clear streets
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Bentonville crews work to clear streets
AP Top Stories September 27 A
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Bentonville crews work to clear streets
Ben Wagner shows us how crews in Bentonville are working nearly a week after the ice started to clear streets.
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AP Top Stories September 27 A
Here's the latest for Tuesday, September 27th: First Presidential debate; Houston gunman heavily armed; Typhoon hits Taiwan; Flooded river expected to crest in Cedar Rapids.
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ABC's Liz Kreutz reports from behind the scenes at the first presidential debate of 2016.
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David Beckham posed for photos and signed autographs for excited fans at the launch of his new clothing range in Los Angeles. (Sept. 27)
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Part 3: A closer look at the major talking points Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump discussed during the debate.
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Part 2: Political pundits talk about what happened as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump faced off in the debate.
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Part 1: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump clashed over several issues including the economy, racial tensions in the US and the fight against terror.
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In a combative opening debate, Hillary Clinton denounced Donald Trump for keeping his tax returns secret and peddling a "racist lie" about President Barack Obama. Trump repeatedly cast Clinton as a typical politician whose time is up. (Sept. 27)


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Top Definition
(Video game term) The action of using temporary invincibility after taking damage to get your character out of that same dangerous situation.
1. "Oh no, I was hit by a koopa, I'll just gwish through it!"
2. "Can you gwish in this game?"
2. "Can you gwish in this game?"
by homeskillet February 19, 2004
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Can you define these popular missing words?


text: Before Brett Favre and other NFL pinups, there was Joe Namath—the New York Jets quarter-back who embodied the notion of living large. Beginning with Namath's tough childhood in a Pennsylvania mining town, Kriegel chronicles a life of all-American turns: college stardom in Alabama, partying, a 1969 Super Bowl win, womanizing, fat endorsement deals and, by the mid-'80s, an evolution from "Broadway Joe" into domesticated dad. Kriegel, a former sportswriter with a facile streak ("Athletes are artists whose skills perish with age"), has more in mind than just recounting events; he wants to parse Namath's celebrity. Meticulous and lively (if a bit distant, since Namath declined to cooperate), Kriegel's book explores the development of sound bites and celebrity endorsements, both Namath specialties, while offering an endearing view of the legend who claimed that bingeing helped his game. Biographers don't always tread the line between hagiography and idol-smashing, but Kriegel's a master: In the end, his subject emerges as being flawed and lovable, egocentric and unassuming, giddy and downright compelling.


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McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology
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The McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology started in 1963 as the Centre for Culture and Technology, initially a card pinned to the door of Marshall McLuhan's office in the English Department at the University of Toronto. It then had no organized program for research or teaching, but gained in prestige from the worldwide popularity of Understanding Media (1964) and grew in McLuhan's last decade in Toronto, assisted by Derrick de Kerckhove and McLuhan's son Eric, who became a director of the McLuhan Program International.[1] In 1994, the McLuhan Program became a part of the University of Toronto's Faculty of Information. The program's curriculum is based on the works of Marshall McLuhan and other media theorists. In 2009, the Faculty of Information launched the Coach House Institute (CHI) as a clearly defined research unit under which the McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology now operates.