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"Don't Fuck With the POS", and other thoughts on 6/29 by Hibbs
Posted by: Brian Hibbs on June 29, 2011
Categories: Retailing/Industry , Reviews
Tags: Avengers: Children's Crusade; Jim Cheung, Brian, Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead, Thunder Agents
Retailing story first, then into some reviews…
So, I'm in the back of the store yesterday, pulling the subs, but I can hear what's going on the floor just fine. I hear Matt greet someone, then, in a shockingly short time — like within a minute — something escalates to screaming. "You're trying to rip me off!" and things like that. I give Matt a few minutes to try and sort it out, but he's not able to calm the guy down.
So, I saunter out, "Hello, I'm the owner, what seems to be the trouble here?"
Older gentlemen, probably in his 50s, with a teenager with him. He's gone straight to apoplectic, which is generally a sign that someone is lying to you before they even start, but let's listen to his story.
"I was trying to explain to this guy," the guy launches in, "that I was here a week or so ago to buy MICE TEMPLAR volume 2.1 for my son, and your store sold me THIS instead!" He thrusts a copy of MICE TEMPLAR v1 in HC in my hand. "And now he won't exchange it!"
"Hm, I see," I say, "do you have your receipt with you?"
"NO! I already told him, I lost the receipt. Your store sold me the wrong book!"
"Can you tell me who sold it to you, sir?"
"It was a guy with black hair, and he was wearing a hat."
"Interesting, because me and Matt are the only two people working here in the last few weeks, and our other employees are both women." (Matt and I are both light haired, and don't wear hats, BTW)
"Well, it must have been that guy!" he said, pointing to Matt. I feel if you're going to accuse someone of chicanery, you should at least have a clue as to who you are accusing.
"Hm, OK, give me a second, and let's look at the records. We're computerized, shouldn't take a moment. Hm, hm, well, I have a record of someone buying a copy of v2.1 on 6/18 from Matt."
"Yes, that was when it was, but he sold me this one instead!"
(After the guy leaves, Matt tells me that he remembers the first encounter, and how the customer and he had had a conversation about what if the man has bought the wrong copy for his son? Keep the receipt, Matt says he said, and we can exchange, of course. This is SOP at the store, and I thoroughly believe that Matt had that conversation with the guy.)
"We haven't sold a copy of v1 in HC since… looks like 2008."
"Anyway," I go on, "it doesn't seem likely that you thought you were buying a paperback of volume 2.1, but were sold a HC of v1. Didn't you notice?"
"No! That's what I'm saying! You're cheating me!"
"Well, sir, that really isn't possible. The computer reads the barcode…"
"It must have read it wrong!"
"That's really not possible, sir…"
"Well, that's what happened!"
"Really, sir, it couldn't have. Look, let's test it now." I scan the HC he is "returning" — it scans as v1 HC. I scan a TP of 2.1, it scans as a TP of 2.1. "So, you see sir, what you're describing really isn't possible. Now, if you can find the receipt…"
"FINE!" he yells, throwing down the HC, "You just keep this one, and I'm NEVER SHOPPING HERE EVER AGAIN!"
"Fine by me!" I tell his back. I have little patience for liars.
What's funny is that if someone came in, without a receipt, saying they'd bought the wrong book, I'd generally be cool enough to swap it out — there's nothing wrong with customer service; but to try and trick us with a completely different book that we haven't sold a copy of in THREE years? Man, I don't think so. When someone gets THAT angry, THAT fast, it's usually a good sign they're lying.
The open question is what was going on here: did he somehow have a second copy of v1, and thought he could get an easy 2.2 in exchange for it? What's weirdest is that in looking at our record for the HC of v1, it showed up on a periodic "haven't sold in a year" report that I ran in early May. On 5/13, I wasn't able to find the copy as I trolled the racks pulling off dead stock, so I noted that in the computer with a "Biffed out previously?" note, since, really, it should have been dealt with in 2010, at the latest (though I seldom make it all the way through the biffage list before I fill up the bins, and boxes in the back room)
ANYway, what I'm thinking NOW is that either he or his son STOLE the HC some time before 5/13/11, bought that 2.1 on 6/18, then thought they'd trade the stolen book for 2.2 yesterday. Can't prove if that's right or not, but it feels correct to me.
Either way, if you're trying to take the moral high ground when you storm out, leaving the business you are storming out of the book that you claim they sold you under false pretenses? Not exactly a "punishment", really.
Really though, the point is, don't fuck with the POS — I can track, with a pretty insane level of accuracy, everything that I've EVER sold since 2007!
Comics you say? Sure, here's some!
WALKING DEAD #86: In a weird way, WALKING DEAD has entered this strange place where since it is so consistently good month-after-month, there's really very little need to chime in and say "Hey, another great issue!" USAGI YOJIMBO is like that, too, and I often feel bad that that book doesn't get more attention, too.
Anyway, this blog used to tweak Robert Kirkman a LOT about timeliness, and it's good to every once in a while jump back in and give an "attaboy!" for staying on schedule. WD isn't *quite* clockwork-same-week-of-every month, but it HAS been no-more-than-five-weeks-between-issues for the last FIFTEEN months, which is pretty damn good, especially for an Image book.
(I HAVE to note here that IMAGE UNITED? Issue #4 is now FOURTEEN months late, as of today — and that's after EIGHT MONTHS between issues 2 & 3)
The other thing Kirkman is doing is using the power of HIS book, to promote OTHER books, and here with #86, he hits a Grand Slam, including the entire (COLOR) 32 pages of ELEPHANTMEN #1 — which means he had to pay color prices even for his B&W WD pages… making this issue a giant 52 pages, half in color, for the same regular $2.99.
My only "negative" note on that, would be "might be a good idea to LET RETAILERS KNOW" when you do something like that, so they might have extra stock on hand to capitalize on it." Sadly, with the way that reorders work, if I place orders for something TODAY, it won't arrive here for thirteen more days.
Anyway, "another great issue!" VERY GOOD.
AVENGERS: CHILDREN'S CRUSADE #6: I'm not really sure when exactly this stopped having pretty much anything to do with YOUNG AVENGERS per se, and moved to trying to undo HOUSE OF M. I dunno, I want to like this because I really like the YA characters, and I guess seeing two of them getting back with mom is fun, and I absolutely adore Jim Cheung's art on this… but I'm bored to tears reading about the Scarlet Witch's "redemption". This is one of the few cases where leaving the character in limbo might have been a better thing. Very EH.
THUNDER AGENTS #8: I think this book suffers pretty badly from pacing problems — just when there's a little forward momentum in this story, the issue suddenly ends. Plus the Dan Panosian art was pretty plain.
But what really prompted me to say something was the cover blurb.
Blurbed from "weeklycomicbookreview.com" it says ""IF YOU HAVEN'T JUMPED ON YET, NOW'S THE TIME."
Yes! Jump on now! Two Issues before the book gets Cancelled! Gooood Call!
(You know, to the best of my knowledge, after ten years of reviewing comics on the internet, Savage Critic has NEVER been cover blurbed on anything? Isn't that weird?)
Anyway: a very EH comic.
That's it for me this week, I think.
As always, what did YOU think?
19 Responses to " "Don't Fuck With the POS", and other thoughts on 6/29 by Hibbs "
I had a similar thing happen to me once, when I worked retail. The lady said she didn't have the receipt and I went to look it up and she wasn't in the computer. I told her that I couldn't give her money back and she stormed out. We then looked at the inventory and realized that we hadn't sold the product in over 6 months and that we should have two in stock. We looked over at the shelf it was on and there was only one. Wish we would have realized that she stole it a little sooner, so we could get the product back.
Just a tiny quibble–Thunder Agents hasn't been officially cancelled. In fact, the solicitation for August's issue 10 explicitly states that the book isn't ending. It's possible that it's just skipping the month of September to make room for the 52 number ones. It's also possible that it's ending and they aren't going to pick it back up, but nothing has said that yet.
Actually, if you try to reorder Walking Dead #86, you'll get nothing, because it was going to backorder as early as yesterday. Don't know why Kirkman can't afford to overprint more than half a dozen copies. I would love to see second prints of 85 and 86 just for people jumping from TP to monthly, myself.
according to bleeding cool, THUNDER Agents will be back – which makes me happy because I realty enjoy it.
I don't think the Scarlet Witch should be active in the Marvel Universe as long as Brian Bendis is still working for Marvel. Of course, now that she's going through such a rough patch, maybe he's not afraid of her anymore. Ha!
I love that story…it's almost like the retail equivalent of the scene in Annie Hall where Alvy drags out Marshall McLuhan to shut the guy up in the movie line. I'm digging your POS!!!
The most disturbing thing about that story is that you haven't sold a copy of Mice Templar Vol. 1 since 2008. It's the best series currently being published. Why is no one reading it? It deserves a huge audience.
"The most disturbing thing about that story is that you haven't sold a copy of Mice Templar Vol. 1 since 2008."
I believe Hibbs does more trade business than your run of the mill comic shop, but I think even he's acknowledged that the idea of continual sales of trades or OGNs is as much myth as fact. Most books sell most of their copies when they first come out or when something like a movie draws attention to them. Sales then trickle off to next to nothing, with only a small number of books continuing to sell consistently over the years, a paradigm probably made worse by the constant introduction of new product into the trade/OGM marketplace.
It's sad because Mice Templar is a *very* good book, but I think it's reached the audience it's going to reach. I think that's true of most comics. I'm always amazed how Los Bros Hernandez are currently putting out some of the best comics ever made and they're essentially ignored.
Didn't Joyous Jeff Lester get a blurb on the back of the Bulletproof Coffin TPB credited to Savage Critic? Damn, I enjoyed that book in a "I'm gonna be meta'd to death" way. Clever chaps those Hine n Kane folks.
@cornishB: Actually, I'm 90% sure it was Jog's review, not mine. (Though my memory is so bad, I can't say for sure.)
I also seem to remember Rich Starkings saying he was going to use part of my Elephantmen review on the back of a trade (which was a lovely bit of criticism jujitsu since most of my review was kvetching), but, again, I can't recall for sure if it happened or not.
Same reaction to Thunder Agents, which is why the DC not-a-reboot reboot is the perfect jumping off point since I'll be adding a few extra titles. Eight issues in and I have no equity built with these characters, which is sad since I did like them back in the day. It's trying to cram fifty years of backstory when it hasn't bothered to establish why you should care about the characters in the first place. Either jettison any real need for continuity like Ellis did in Authority or build some equity in your characters before bogging things down with flashbacks. Scalped does plenty of interesting flashbacks precisely because you were made to care about the characters and the entire res first. Everytime I buy Thunder Agents I get that trade dress with the rave reviews and wonder when I'll get why this is a great book. Officially dropped this week. Although I did think the art was an improvement over Cafu.
"(You know, to the best of my knowledge, after ten years of reviewing comics on the internet, Savage Critic has NEVER been cover blurbed on anything? Isn't that weird?)"
I'm not sure it is. More than just having a pretty high EH/CRAP/AWFUL/ASS – to – GOOD/VERY GOOD/EXCELLENT ratio, this site's always felt less like a "real" review site to me than a personal outlet for a particular group of comics industry writers. Which ain't no jibe; I still come here, obviously.
But I don't think I'd troll it for blurbs.
Walking Dead is like Fringe.
'Astonishingly, still failing to be bad.'
Do you back up your POS data?
I am now imagining POS as a kind of Brother Eye and Mr. Brian Hibbs as a Retailing OMAC!
He is special! He is ready! "My body is rejecting your demands for a replacement item of equal or lesser worth!"
"The most disturbing thing about that story is that you haven't sold a copy of Mice Templar Vol. 1 since 2008. It's the best series currently being published. Why is no one reading it? It deserves a huge audience."
Not to speak for Brian, but this was the HC version. I'd venture to guess that he has sold the SC version since then. Hardcovers are a tough sell once the SC comes out, especially when there is a $12 price difference, like there is here.
THE WALKING DEAD is ALWAYS printed on a colour press these days — I guessed as much and asked Robert if this was the case. Sure enough, it's cheaper to print on a colour press than a black and white one!
That's FASCINATING, Richard, and, actually, probably explains those gray half-tones over the last few months…. but I almost wish I didn't know that, since I was handing out praise that is now diminished!


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The death of Tracy Copple, 43, of Jersey City, a well-known trader of stock tips, with more than 10,000 followers on Twitter, was confirmed yesterday by a spokesperson for the North Regional Medical Examiner's Office of New Jersey.
Copple's profile on Twitter lists her as "Madison Montana!!" with the handle @tlmontana. News of her death comes on the heels of confusion in the past few days among her followers about whether she actually died last month. On Monday, Twitter user traderstewie (@traderstewie) tweeted "So is @tlmontana alive or not?? inquiring minds want to know. Hearing now from some people that she is."
On the same day, Dan (@danshep55) tweeted, "last week people said @tlmontana passed. i dont follow that account but now they said it might be a hoax. #socialmedia on its lows."
Details about the cause and exact time of Copple's death were not released to The Jersey Journal, though a spokesperson from the medical examiner's office confirmed a person by the name of "Tracy Copple" died.
At 8:51 p.m. on Jan. 6, Twitter user Rob Paul (@RobPaul) tweeted a screenshot of an email he received from a "Madison Montana" email account, in which an unidentified person tells him "Tracy passed away on Friday 27 Dec 13."
The same unidentified person tells Rob Paul in the email that there will be two services for Copple, one tomorrow in Jersey City and another one on Saturday, Feb. 8 in Billings, Montana.

subset: commoncrawl


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Andie Star
this wiki
|You need to know somebody cares about you. I care about you, Damon.
Andie Star was a 30-year-old local newscaster for Mystic Falls and friends with Jenna. She served as a love interest for Damon after Rose's death, as he was upset. He treated Andie similarly to how he treated Caroline, using her mainly for sexual/feeding purposes, however he grew to genuinely care for her. She was compelled by Stefan to jump off a stage, dying instantly as she hit the ground.
Throughout The Vampire Diaries Series
Season Two
Jenna introduced Andie to Damon at the Grill. Damon wasn't interested in her at first, but later that night he called her and invited her to his house in an attempt to confide in someone following Rose's death. Damon talked to her about his problems and his love for Elena. He then fed on her and compelled her not to tell anyone. Damon didn't seem to care about Andie, using her for sex and feeding, and compelling her regularly. She made small appearances in many episodes, usually leaving the Salvatore boarding house with a scarf tied around her neck. After an argument with Stefan and Elena, Damon goes to his room where Andie awaits him. She confesses her love for him, and for the first time he shows a desire to kill her, but contains himself and compels Andie to leave before he kills her.
Season ThreeAndie helped him find information about Stefan through her contacts. She was working late at the station when she was suddenly confronted by Stefan, who compelled her to stay on the edge of the stage. When Damon arrived, Stefan forced him to watch as Andie jumped and fell to the ground, dying on impact. Damon was clearly saddened as he kneeled and observed Andie's lifeless body. Damon bitterly tried to play off his feelings in front of Elena the next morning, but finally confessed to Elena about how Andie and him were looking for Stefan all along. Elena was furious that he hadn't told her this.
- Damon and Andie (Dated/Non-Consensual Relationship)
- Jenna and Andie (Friends)
- The Birthday (Death)
- The Hybrid (Mentioned)
- The End of the Affair (Mentioned)
- Andie is English and the meaning is "Feminine of Andrea".
- Star is English and the meaning is "star".
- David Anders, Jack Coleman, and Dawn Olivieri all appeared in the show Heroes and were all killed off.
- Poor Andie died just as we were getting to know her !
- Stefan killed her to show he was Dead Serious and Not So Harmless .
- Although Damon seemed to mourn her death, after she died she was hardly ever remembered .
See also


text:
HOLYOKE -- Mayor Alex Morse donned casual clothes on Friday as he prepared to get wet.
Morse participated in the 'Ice Bucket Challenge," to raise awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease.
The idea behind the challenge is simple. Someone challenges another to participate and within 24 hours they must record dumping a bucket of ice water on their heads and post the video to social media. If a person challenges refuses to participate, they must donate $100 to an ALS charity.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh did it. Boston Bruins forward Gregory Campbell also did it. Part-time Northampton resident Rachel Maddow, host of MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show" even was soaked. But why?
The idea behind the challenge came from former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2012. He and fellow ALS patient Pat Quinn challenged their social media followers to dunk or donate.
Morse was nominated by city employees City Clerk Brenna McGee and City Councilor Jim Leahy as well as several friends.
In addition to accepting the challenge, Morse said he will donate $100 to the Pete Frates #3 Fund.
Prior to being soaked, Morse called out his fellow Western Massachusetts mayors. He challeged Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Westfield Mayor Daniel Knapik, Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz and Easthampton Mayor Karen Cadieux.
According to the challenge rules, the four have 24 hours to participate or donate.


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OK, this isn't just limited to design stuff, but...
During the course of designing various aircraft, it has been my fortune (and, sometimes, misfortune) to have had to hand numerous design standards. For us Human Factors bods out there, our bibles include MIL-STD-1472, Def Stan 00-25 and, of course, the veritable Def Stan 00-970.
The big difference between US miltary standards (MIL-STD's - available through http://assist.daps.dla.mil/online/start/ , but you need to register/apply) and the UK Defence Standards (Def Stan's - go to http://www.dstan.mod.uk/ ) is that the US military thinks further ahead... Once the design is complete, then it has to be tested. Therefore, the standards include not only specifications for stuff, but also test methods and the correct way of reporting test failures.
From time to time, one comes across standards that seem to have kept someone more busy writing them than those actually building the relevant equipment. My favourite comes from the States: the "must have" for every designer's pocket... MIL-B-44229 - Beef and Carrots In Gravy, thermostabilised, tray pack (now, apparently, cancelled). It not only has the full specification for the beef, the carrots AND the gravy (and all constituent parts, as well as foreign objects), it also has the procedure for reporting any failures. For example, "Major Failure Code 06: Carrots are hard or tough", or, "Code 12: Gravy is lumpy."
I understand that there is also a Def Stan for "Mars Bars", dating back to the Falklands War, but I've never seen it, so I can't verify if that is true. A search of current standards provides no info on current UK military chocolate bar standards.
So, the question: what is the silliest standard you've ever been asked to design something to, or to work to (both civil and military standards)?


text:
By one estimate, more than 14,000 tons of chips will be put to use on Super Bowl Sunday as millions gather to watch the New Orleans Saints take on the Indianapolis Colts.
Even if that's a little exaggerated, that's a lot of chips, a number befitting the number 2 food-consumption day of the year behind Thanksgiving.
But we all know that chips are just chips -- it's what you dip them in that really makes the difference.
Alex Castro knows that well.
He and his brothers, Jorge and Guillermo (who also runs Sol Y Luna), are managing partners of The Cantina, which serves up tasty guacamole, cheese dip and salsa at its two locations (2901 Second Ave. South and 6801 Cahaba Valley Road).
Alex smiles when asked if he'll give away the recipe for the cheese dip and guacamole.
"As a business owner, I can't do that," he says.
But he will do this.
He'll tell you the best way to make a tasty dip is to start with fresh ingredients, and he will give out a new salsa recipe -- a family favorite -- that the Castros are testing and might add to the Cantina menu soon.
"We're giving it to a lot of people to let them try it," Alex says. "They love it."
Ingredients in salsa are largely standard -- tomatoes, tomatillo, peppers, cilantro. "It's how you prepare it that makes the difference," Alex says.
In this case, the "secret" is in roasting the tomatoes, tomatillos and peppers.
The rest is in the recipe.
Click here to see some tasty recipes to make your chips a treat.
Join in the conversation by commenting below or e-mail Harvey at email@example.com.


text:
Another sign this season's flu season is waning: Providence Health on Monday lifted flu-related visiting restrictions in place since early January. The only exception is at Providence Seaside Hospital, which had a couple of new influenza cases over the weekend.
"We will continue to ask visitors and employees to take reasonable precautions," said spokeswoman Lisa Helderop, "including covering their coughs or sneezes, washing their hands and staying home when they are sick."
OHSU Hospital, hospitals in the Legacy system and Tuality Healthcare had not lifted their flu-related restrictions as of Monday.
Restrictions varied from hospital-to-hospital. Most limited the number of visitors a patient could have and aimed to keep children away in an effort to keep flu from spreading through vulnerable hospital populations.
Hospitalizations for flu-related symptoms have fallen sharply each of the last two weeks, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
However, it's not uncommon for Influenza Type B to circulate late in flu season, so the nastiness could continue for a couple months.
-- Katy Muldoon


text:
A man's body was recovered from a Northwest Portland marina Wednesday.
The man was spotted in the water about 12:20 p.m. at Rocky Pointe Marina, 23586 N.W. St Helens Rd., said the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. The harbormaster held the man against the dock until deputies recovered the body.
The identity of the man will not be released until his next of kin are notified, deputies said. His cause of death is not known.Follow @evertonbailey


text:
ITHACA, MI — Ithaca football coach Terry Hessbrook was named the Detroit Lions High School Coach of the Year Friday.
Hessbrook led Ithaca to a 37-27 win over Constantine in the Division 6 state championship game. Ithaca became the first football program in Michigan history to win a state championship in three straight seasons with undefeated records.
Ithaca has 42 straight wins, the fourth-longest winning streak in state history.
Hessbrook is in his 17th season as a coach at Ithaca, his ninth as a head coach. His Ithaca record is 87-17. Hessbrook also served as a head coach at Edmore Montabella for five seasons.
The Detroit Lions Coach of the Week program honored a coach each week of the high school football regular season and one Coach of the Year, as selected by Hugh Bernreuter (MLive.com/Saginaw News), Scott DeCamp (MLive.com/Kalamazoo Gazette), Mick McCabe (Detroit Free Press) and Bret Bakita (107.3-FM-WBBL, Grand Rapids).
Each winning coach throughout the regular season received a $2,000 donation to the school's footb all program, while Hessbrook will receive d $4,000 donation to the football program.
The 10 coaches will be honored during the Detroit Lions-Chicago Bears game at Ford Field on Sunday, Dec. 30.
The coaches will also receive a certificate signed by Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, a personalized game ball and a Detroit Lions Coach of the Week hat.
The program is in its 16th season and has awarded $312,000 to high school football programs in Michigan.
This year's coach-of-the-week recipients were Denny Hopkins (Linden), John Bechtel (Farmington), Shane Fairfield (Muskegon), Marcelle Carruthers (Lansing Everett), Denny Dock (Stevensville-Lakeshore), George Porritt (Orchard Lake St. Mary's), Marty Spencer (St. Ignace LaSalle), Troy Schelke (Harbor Beach) and Derek Pennington (Zeeland East).


text:
Lubbock, Texas — Marcus Smart hustled back on defense to prevent a dunk and went careening into the crowd behind the basket. He was helped to his feet with only seconds remaining and No. 19 Oklahoma State on its way to a fourth straight defeat.
That's when all the trouble started.
Suddenly incensed, Smart got in the face of a Texas Tech fan who appeared to say something to the star guard. Smart shoved him with two hands.
The man stumbled backward a bit, but didn't fall. Teammates quickly pulled Smart away from the fracas, and he pointed back in the direction of the fan.
Smart was called for a technical foul but was not ejected. He remained on the bench until the final buzzer.
As fans stormed the court to celebrate Texas Tech's 65-61 win Saturday night, Smart was escorted off the floor by a man wearing Oklahoma State colors — with a uniformed police officer trailing right behind.
A unanimous selection to the preseason All-America team, Smart could now face discipline from the Big 12. Texas Tech spokesman Trenten Hilburn said John Underwood, the conference's associate commissioner for basketball, said the league would review the situation.
"I didn't see it yet. I want to make sure I see it and see what happened," Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said after the game. "I'm still trying to figure it out."
No Cowboys players were made available to reporters after the game.
Smart tried to block Jaye Crockett's dunk attempt from behind with 6.2 seconds to go and tumbled into the front row of the crowd.
He was helped up by one man but then went after another, Jeff Orr, who travels thousands of miles each year to attend Texas Tech basketball games, according to athletic department spokesman Blayne Beal.
Smart pushed Orr, and fans nearby looked stunned -- one wide-eyed woman next to Orr pointed at Smart as he was pulled away.
Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith said he turned away from the play and didn't see the altercation.
"You really have to find the film to see what happened," he said. "I assume the officials saw what happened. That's why he got a technical out of it. The frustration when you're losing sometimes on a losing streak, I've been there before, it can be tough. I'm sure he regrets doing that, whatever he did, so things like that happen in the heat of the battle."
Crockett scored 21 points and tied his season high with 12 rebounds to lead Texas Tech.
Smart had 22 points and Phil Forte added 15 for the Cowboys (16-7, 4-6 Big 12).
Considered one of the best all-around players in the country, Smart has showed frustration more than once during an inconsistent season.
The sophomore guard got off to a fantastic start, leading to speculation that he could be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft this year. He has struggled in some recent games, though, including a four-point effort against West Virginia when he kicked a chair on the bench. That led to him apologizing to his teammates afterward.
This one was tied at 61 when Crockett hit the go-ahead shot with 41 seconds remaining. Oklahoma State's Le'Bryan Nash lost the ball in the lane, and Crockett raced toward the basket at the other end.
Smart knocked the ball away and was called for a foul, then pushed Orr and drew the technical. Dusty Hannahs and Crockett each made one of two free throws for the final margin.


text:
Site Re-Development
This project received 89 bids from talented freelancers with an average bid price of $1448 USD.Get free quotes for a project like this
Skills Required
Project Budget$750 - $1500 USD
Total Bids89
Project Description
We need to re-brand our site www.tnareview.com.
Our site will need to be converted from its existing site to a site that functions very similar to [url removed, login to view]
We would like it to be test heavy so its completely optimized for search engines and is good for keywords.
The site will be an escort posting site and the best template for what categories and how postings should look can be seen at [url removed, login to view]
What we require:
1. An intelligent splash page where a user can select a city (all major cities in north america, mexico, london, germany, Paris) Also the ability to add cities as we require
2. Once the city is selected they should be prompted to a page similar to [url removed, login to view] However we would like the page to be somewhat more stylish than this, so some design work would be required.
Also please have a look at the links to see how the ads are ultimately displayed. Regular ads on the left, and sponsor ads on the right
3. If you click on "Post an ad" at the top we need the ability for people to post an ad. This page should have the same category choices as [url removed, login to view] We need an additional 2 lines added in where people posting can add links under a heading 'Reviews"
4. When people want to post an ad they must pay through our online merchant which is CCBILL.com. They have a membership management system that needs to be implemented into the site to keep track of members that have paid and are eligible to post. You can read the member management of ccbill here [url removed, login to view]+Management
Basically this system should be integrated for complete member management, from signup to payment, to manage the subscription, to restricting access once the membership expires.
5. The charge options we will be looking for are $10 per month for unlimited monthly postings, so they can access the site and post as many times in the month as they want (however there must be a spam guard in there to stop them from posting more than once in 24 hours). The second option will be $15 a month with auto-reposting every 3 days, and a third option of $20 a month which gives them a feature posting. (these amounts can all be changed in the ccbill management system.
6. Some elements of our existing site must be incorporated into the new site. we have a database that logs escort reviews, people can post reviews and view them on our site. [url removed, login to view]
We need to have a link to the review section off the main site, and need all paid restrictions removed from the reviews. Anyone should be able to view the review in its entirety and add reviews. The membership system of this area has to be kept so we can log and keep track of users. But there should be no restrictions or charges to view any content on the website. The only payment is to post to the escort ad section.
Please ask if there are any questions.
We are open to design ideas, we want to keep it simple but give it an elegant look as well. The backpage site that was referenced earlier is a little sloppy, and we want a more polished feel to the site.
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Six Island teens arrested for theft at Island home
Mercer Island police say that several Island youth partied at an Island waterfront home and helped themselves not only to alcohol but electronics, cash and valuables as well.
Last month, a resident of Holly Lane left for a vacation in Hawaii. She gave her nephew permission to enter her home while she was away to look after it. She gave him the code to access the house through the garage. A week later, he called her in Hawaii to tell her that a 'friend' had robbed her house and that he did not know what was missing. He admitted to her that he had a few friends over one evening and that unknown to him, they had remained in the house after he left.
According to reports, there was a total of $21,000 in losses. To date, approximately $7,000 in property has been recovered. A variety of charges are pending, including residential burglary, theft, possession of stolen property and trafficking in stolen property. According to police reports, six male Mercer Island youth are suspects. Three are over 18 years old, and the three others are 17. The three adults were booked into King County jail and spent a night there. The juveniles were arrested and later released to their parents.
Reported missing from the home are between 20 and 30 bottles of alcohol including a bottle of Louis XIII Cognac, reportedly worth $6,000; an Xbox worth $300; $3,000 in U.S. currency; a Louis Vuitton wallet valued at $1,000 and an Apple ipad2 valued at $400.
Items what were stolen and recovered included a Bottega Veneta handbag valued at $2,000, two Nikon cameras and a lens valued at over $2500, and $9,000 in Chinese currency worth $1,400 in U.S. dollars.
One of the students was found to have a $4,000 folded check in his wallet made out to the homeowner when he was taken into custody by police.
The homeowner said there was no apparent damage to the house.
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CU*TALK Telephone Banking
CU*TALK - Free 24-Hour touchtone phone account access. Print the CU*TALK Menu Guide here.
When you open an account with Michigan Legacy Credit Union you will be set up with a Personal Identification Number (PIN) that will allow you to access CU*TALK. You may change your PIN at any time using the CU*TALK menu.
Access your account any time by calling 800-850-9915.


text:
New York native and current Lakers forward Ron Artest thinks that even though the Knicks will have enough money to potentially sign two max-contract free agents, team president Donnie Walsh might find that it'll take more than money to bring players to Madison Square Garden.
"I think people need to stop being scared and go to New York," Artest told the New York Daily News. "They're scared. They're so scared of the pressure and the media. I'm like, pardon my language, but I'm like, [expletive] the media and [expletive] everybody that's putting pressure on you. That's how I would take that."
The Knicks passed on Artest, who went to St. John's, in the 1999 NBA draft, taking Fredrick Weis, a center from France, with the No, 15 pick. The Chicago Bulls scooped up Artest with the next selection.
Artest, speaking after the Lakers' 100-90 win over the Knicks in Los Angeles, went on to say that he had hoped that Walsh was going to reach out to him during last summer's free-agency period, but the Lakers called him at 12:01 a.m. on July 1.
"There's really nothing else to think about after that," he said.
When asked if he thought LeBron James, the prize of the 2010 free agent crop, could handle the pressures of New York, Artest said, "I know he could."


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Two New Orleans men were killed early Saturday afternoon when their vehicle crossed the median of Interstate 610 in Lakeview and struck an oncoming 18-wheeler, police said.
The two men, the driver and passenger of a gold Cadillac, died at the scene, while the driver of the 18-wheeler and the driver and a passenger in another car were injured, said officer Hilal Williams, a New Orleans Police Department spokeswoman.
The names of the victims were withheld until family members could be notified.
The Cadillac was traveling westbound when, for unknown reasons, it veered across the median and collided head-on with the eastbound 18-wheeler, causing the truck to strike a Honda Pilot SUV, Williams said in a news release.
The Cadillac's 24-year-old driver and his 25-year-old passenger died at the scene. The 59-year-old male driver of the 18-wheeler, the 52-year-old female driver of the SUV and her 86-year-old female passenger all suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospitals.
A stretch of the highway was closed for several hours in both directions as a result of the wreck, which occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. near the Canal Boulevard and West End Boulevard exits, Williams said.
Westbound traffic reopened shortly after 5 p.m. Eastbound traffic reopened shortly after 7:30 p.m.
Police investigators were investigating the cause of the accident, and blood and alcohol tests are pending. Autopsies will determine exact causes of death for the two men.
Richard Thompson can be reached at email@example.com or 504.826.3482.


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L&I grant program helps city employees get back to work
Port Orchard police officer Andrew Brandon underwent two shoulder surgeries due to an injury he suffered while arresting a suspect in August 2012.
Because of grant from L&I, Brandon was able to return to the police department and perform "light duty" while recovering from the surgeries and rehabilitation.
"He was injured, did light-duty work, off on L&I then came back to light-duty, then underwent another shoulder operation," said Deborah Howard, the city's human resource coordinator.
Brandon now is fully recovered and returned earlier this month to full-time active duty.
The city was one of five applicants that was awarded a "Return to Work" grant through the Safety and Health Investment Projects (SHIP) program.
Elaine Fischer, spokeswoman for the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), said the police department was awarded $63,000 in grant funding in 2013.
Fischer said the SHIP grant program has been in existence for several years, but the "Return To Work" portion of the program was added in 2011.
"It has been slow getting started because companies have to figure out how they can get people back to work in situations where it is a challenge," said Fischer. "The grant can help them do that, but they have to come up the idea first."
Fischer said employers and employees who get their workers' compensation insurance through L&I may be eligible to apply for a special pool of funds through L&I's SHIP grant program.
"We're trying to get the word out to companies that this grant money is available," said Fischer. "We still have a lot of grant money available for companies willing to go through the exercise of finding barriers and bringing people back to work."
She said grants are awarded to projects that help prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities, and develop and implement effective Return to Work programs, thereby reducing long-term disability.
Port Orchard's project
The city began work in June 2013 to develop a "Return to Work" program that specifically addresses the unique needs of public works employees and police officers.
The city had experienced a high number of time-loss claims and several large claims in recent years. Howard said she saw the SHIP grant as an opportunity to help change the organization's culture and reduce claims.
"I was concerned over our time loss," said Howard. "We took a hit with people getting injured on the job during a three-year period. We really needed to address the problem and I thought the program would be a great opportunity to develop some type of program to return employees to light duty."
She discovered the program through the Association of Washington Cities website from a press release from L&I.
"The city knew that the employees most likely to be injured on the job are police officers and public works employees," said Howard. "However, due to the nature of their work, it's often not possible for these workers to return to their normal jobs until they are 100-percent recovered.
Howard said in the past it's been difficult for the city to provide medically approved light-duty jobs within the limitations set by an injured worker's doctor.
The city has developed a light-duty job bank and a tool that allows medical providers to be specific about what injured workers can do in a light-duty job.
"Improvements are increasing the city's ability to get injured workers back to work in other roles while they heal," said Howard. "The police department has been the most supportive. They had three officers on light duty that are now back to full duty doing what they do best — protecting our city."
Howard said she was surprised how few cities had a formal "light-duty" program.
Materials and successes can be replicated
Port Orchard isn't the only organization that will potentially benefit from the city's work. Entities similar to Port Orchard will have access to the city's suite of materials once they are complete.
Fischer said because anything created with SHIP grant funds becomes public domain it's an efficient use of state funds that helps ensure the widest possible benefit possible.
"We want injured workers to know that we want them back to work with the city as quickly as possible and that we will do our best to help them get there," Howard said.
"We're excited about the city of Port Orchard grant because they are actually bringing people back to work now using the strategies and tools they've developed." Fischer added.
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By Margaret R. D'Arcangelo
As a pediatric endocrinologist, I care for children with diabetes. My patients come from Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry, Lebanon, York, Lancaster, Franklin, Adams, Juniata and Centre Counties, and they spend their days in our public and private schools.
Unfortunately, my experience is that many elementary schools lack a full-time school nurse. Hopefully this issue will be resolved in the future so that there are nurses in every school. Until that time, I believe legislation to help improve the health and safety of my patients while in school would be very helpful.
There have been changes over the years with respect to treatment of diabetes and in disease demographics which raise many concerns in the current environment. Regarding treatment, children are taking lunch time insulin, either through their insulin pump or via injection.
We strive to achieve near-normal blood glucose levels, but this may lead to problems with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). If caught early, the low blood sugar level can be treated with glucose tablets. If not caught early, loss of consciousness and seizure may result. Emergency treatment with an injection of life-saving glucagon is then necessary.
Regarding demographic changes, we have seen a rise in newly diagnosed diabetes in very young children (younger than age five). Therefore, more and more children will enter kindergarten with diabetes.
The youngest children need assistance with both routine care (lunchtime testing and insulin administration) and emergency care. Thus, the children requiring the most assistance are least likely to have a full-time school nurse to assist them.
Older children, those in middle school and high school, are generally capable of routine self-care, but would still need assistance in an emergency with severe hypoglycemia, whether from a school nurse or trained staff member.
As a healthcare provider in the field of diabetes, I educate families, most of whom have no previous medical background, so they can care for their children with diabetes. I believe that any motivated non-medical personnel can be trained to provide care.
One need not be a physician or nurse to give insulin and glucagon or to perform blood glucose checks. Legislation to allow for the option to train school staff would provide an important safety net for children in schools without a full-time school nurse, as well as for someone to provide supplementary care for times when the school nurse is unavailable (after school activities, field trips, etc.)
This legislation, House Bill 525 filed by state Rep. Matt Baker, R-Tioga, and Senate Bill 871 filed by Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, would require that staff taking on such roles be trained annually by a licensed health care professional, and the legislation would require the state to develop training guidelines.
It should be no surprise that the diabetes health care community has been supportive of this approach, because training lay people to provide diabetes care is a core function of the diabetes community's clinical work.
Statements that lay people cannot be trained to provide such care contradict this very evident and pervasive fact. Further, this approach of training school staff has been utilized in many other states to provide the necessary support for children with diabetes.
Nationally, many health care and educational organizations have endorsed a federal guide, entitled "Helping the Student with Diabetes to Succeed: A Guide for School Personnel." This guide supports using trained school staff members to provide care and includes extensive information on the roles that school staff can play to support children with diabetes. Here in Pennsylvania, the referenced legislation is receiving the support of the American Diabetes Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association of Diabetes Educators (many of whom are nurses), and the Pennsylvania Medical Society.
It is time for the school diabetes care legislation to be adopted in the legislature. Schools need more options to appropriately address the health care needs of students with diabetes to ensure they are educated in the safest possible environment.
The alternatives that some families have had to face to account for their child's health needs – moving their child to another school following their diagnosis, leaving work to provide care for their child, or just hoping an emergency never happens because trained staff are not in place – are not practical and may leave young children at risk.
As care models change across many environments, schools also need to have the flexibility to best care for those we've entrusted to them. As more children are diagnosed with diabetes, they need the legislature to make this happen.
Margaret R. D'Arcangelo is a pediatric endocrinologist who practices in Hershey and resides in Mechanicsburg.


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PhD, Wayne State University
Healthy Aging of Brain Structure, Function and Cognition
VP 815a, JO 3.308
Dr. Kennedy received her BA in psychology from Hendrix College, her MS in clinical psychology from Emporia State University in Kansas, and her PhD in psychology from Wayne State University in Michigan.
As a postdoctoral fellow in 2010, Dr. Kennedy received a prestigious Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institute on Aging, a highly competitive 5-year career-development grant given to only a handful of recipients each year. Her dissertation work was recognized by a Dissertation Research Award by the American Psychological Association. She was named a Young Research Fellow by the Greater Dallas Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, one of only two young scientists to receive the honor in 2012, and in 2013 was named a "Rising Star" by the American Psychological Society.
Numerous factors influence the aging of the brain and in part determine how well we are able to age cognitively. I am interested in the neural, genetic and lifestyle factors that guide this process. My research uses structural and functional neuroimaging techniques to investigate how the health of our brain's structure supports the brain's function and how these impact our cognitive performance as we age.
Dr. Kennedy's current research project involves investigating the role of white matter in the reorganization of age-related brain function using structural and functional imaging techniques. I am interested in understanding how the brain changes with age, both adaptively, and detrimentally, and how this knowledge might be used to stave off cognitive decline.
Kennedy, K. M., & Raz, N. (2015). Normal Aging of the Brain. In: A. W. Toga (Ed), Brain Mapping: An Encyclopedic Reference, vol 3, ch 68, pp 603-617. Academic Press: Elsevier.
Rieck, J. R., Rodrigue, K. M., Kennedy, K. M., Hebrank, A. C., Devous, M. D., Sr., Park, D. C. (in press). The effect of beta-amyloid on face processing in young and old adults: A multivariate analysis of the BOLD signal. Human Brain Mapping. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hbm.22788
Kennedy, K. M., Rodrigue, K. M., Bischof, G. N., Hebrank, A. C., Reuter-Lorenz, P. A., & Park, D. C.. Age trajectories of functional activation under conditions of low and high processing demands: an adult lifespan fMRI study of the aging brain. NeuroImage, 104, 21-34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.09.056
Center for Children and Families


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10th August 2013
Departure from Gujranwala = 12 Midnight
Muzaffarabad = 08:15am
Dowarian = 4: 00pm
Trekking Start from Dowarian = 5: 00pm
End Trekking : 7: 00 pm
Night Stay in our Camp
11th August 2013
Start Trek towards Lake= 5:30am
reached Jhuggian = 10:30am
Start trek from Jhuggian = 11:45am
Reached Domail = 1:50pm
Reached Lake = 4:20pm
Back from Lake for Jhuggian = 4:35pm
Reached Jhuggian = 6:15pm
Night Stay in our Camp at Jhuggian
12th August 2013
Start Trekking from Jhuggian = 5:30am
Reached Dowarian = 10:30am
Departure from Dowarian = 11: 00am
Reached Gujranwala = 12: 00 Midnight
Total Travelling Time ( Gujranwala-Dowarian-Gujranwala)= 30 Hours
Total Trekking Time (Dowarian-Ratti Gali Lake-Dowarian)= 19-20 hours
Cost per Head = 5000/-
Our Ride was Suzuki Bolan on Petrol
this is my another thread on PW of Neelum Valley trip in July 2013
Tour Review: (Written by Shiraz Ahmad)
We (three friends Shiraz, Abbas and Salman) had plan to reach Dowarian (a small town in Neelum Valley, AJK) on 2nd day of Eid (Saturday,3rd August) by maximum 1pm... but torrential rains (from Gujrat to Keran, Neelum $Valley) caused Landsliding at different areas. Finally we reached Dowarian around 4pm...but owing to Eid holidays, this small town was all empty and the shops were closed. No porter was ready to offer his services on Eid Holiday but luckily we found Saddam, an amateur Porter (it was his first trek as a porter). We were in a real hurry now so we rushed to the trek around 5: 00pm without wasting time to arrange donkey (dropped extra luggage at dowarian) and without having lunch ... the Dark Clouds stopped us in middle of the JEEP TRACK @ around 7: 00pm (Jeep Trek is almost 8km long and it takes u upto Jhuggian in 1 n Half to 2 hours). if you are not a passinate trekker, must hire this jeep in 4-5k, it can carry almost 15 people with their lugggage (but not available in Eid Holidays).
Next morning (sunday, 4th August) we started our trek @ 5:30. The sky was covered with thick dark clouds and the water stream (coming from the lake) was all filled with mud (revealing overnight rain ahead). Just after 30 minutes, we decided to stay for breakfast (6: 00am to 7:15am). At this stage, we were planning to reach the lake maximum by noon and reach back dowarian by 4: 00pm (wanted to stay in Kutton Resorts at night). We dropped our sleeping bags, mattresses and extra food here and took the camp for emergecy (heavy rain). After a hard trek (opposite to the jeep track) we reached Jhuggian (almost the final settelement before lake) @10:30am. We had Makaee ki rooti (Corn Bread) with Yogurt *** goat milk (could not swallow it). We dropped our camp and some extra food here. Every minute we 3 wanted to cancel this EXPEDITION and go back to
Dowarian at earliest but no one could dare to speak out and demoralise others. Anyhow... we left Jhuggian @ 11:45am and after crossing 2 glaciers, found some meadows. This was the best patch of the trek (Domail
to Ratti Gali). Clouds and the sun were busy in Hide n Seek. Marmots and Birds were crying with joy and the flowers were swimming with breeze in the lush green meadows but we had to move on for the lake.... finally we reached the Small lake (locally: Chota sir/pass) at around 2:20pm.... we could see the waterfall coming out of the Ratti Gali lake here. and here i asked Salman , Abbas n porter to go back... the clouds were going dark
and thick, altitude was much higher for us and our energy level was zero at this stage... my friends Salman Asif , Abbas Zaheer and the porter refused to go back from this level :| this was jus the FINAL STRETCH and then it took us almost an hour to climb that small hill..... as soon as we reached the lake, the clouds flew away from surface of the lake and allowed us to caputre few photos... hardly 10 minutes after we reach the lake, Weather pushed us to climb down...the visibility was ZERO now and we were hours away from the first settelement (Jhuggian). We had to cross again those small water streams (of the lake) and unluckily i got slipped in the first one... it was like an Ultimate Survival (Official) stage. we collected our strength and kept on moving... the worst thing was that we forgot our water bottles at jhuggian and our day packs were empty now... in anyhow, we had to reach back jhuggian before dusk... and donno how but we reached back jhuggian with darkest blue sky.... A little before the Village, i met some friends Haris Javed, Muhammad Nafees Chouhdrey etc on the trek. They offered me to stay overnight in their camps near Domail but my friends were waiting for me down @
Jhuggian. Now we had no other option but to stay overnight at Jhuggian. But could not fight the altitude without sleeping bags and mattresses (which we had dropped on the jeep track). Saddam (the porter) arranged all the blankets $and etc from locals.
Next Morning we left Jhuggian @ 5:30am and reached Dowarian at 10:30am....Again we found rain and land sliding @ different areas of Neelum Valley. The Journey ended @ 3:30am (August 13, 2013).
Overall, the trek was hectic (and not that beautiful upto Domail). If Someone is interested to visit it, i wont recommend to go without jeep in a short trip. Otherwise spare atleast 3-4 days for trek to enjoy it. The lake is HUGE and Beautiful too! but i would not recommend to choose THIS TREK (dowarian side). i guess the OTHER TREK (Noori Top / Kaghan Valley) is much more beautiful than that.
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text:
how much fuel is there left in the tank.roughly?
how much fuel is there left in the tank.roughly?
Not Much
On my GTE, a warning light starts to flash when only the last bar is left on the display. I've found I can do about 50 miles from that point onwards.
Do you want to install and run "Adobe Flash Player 9"?
No, now f*** ***.
I always thought that the tank had a large reserve so that you could get it to a petrol station! At least 60 miles worth.
i think its a gallon left, or 40-60 miles as they say,
a tank holds about 5 though so that would be about right. just dont drive to hard when it comes on,
My ex Mk3 Astra - My Corsa Sport - Join MIG Club ONLINE Here!
"A wise man know everything, a clever man knows everyone"
It's about a gallon. 50 miles worht according to the computer in my Cav GSI. And I got it down to 6 miles left in tank last night.
So it seems pretty accurate.
I have yet to test the fuel comp on my cav gsi - always fill it up between the empty and quarter of tank marker.
Astra GTE (all models) was made with two types of tank. One is 42 litres and it was since 1989, the other 52 litres after 1989.
Friend of mine and I took the tank off the car and then after cleaning it put tank back. In empty tank we fill 15 litres the light was ON and only last two bars were shown. So there is certainly 15 liters when light goes on.
I find about 40 miles, then I go and fill up. However I drive with a lead foot so it could be more.
Originally Posted by Patches O'Hoolahan
So why let it go down that low?
Don't ya dredge all the sh1te up from the tank into the fuel filters if you let it go tooo low??
Yeah, My SRi did about 50. Used to run it on the red light all the time!!
Have to agree with 40 miles on the fuel comp. Let it go down to 7 miles range but did not want to test it out though.
Lee ya tight git fill it up @ the quarter mark ya won't have to worry about it then! You could always buy a diesel if you want economy as well!
Sir, please step away from the car


text:
Oh, the beloved chicken wing.
People in Central New York cherish it in many of its forms, mild to hot to atomic.
They smack their lips for it.
Friday and Saturday at the Syracuse Inner Harbor, they can celebrate all things wings at the Hottest Chick-N-Wing Fest.
Events include amusement park and boat rides, a motorcycle and street rod show, Miss Wing Fest competition, wing-eating and hottest wing contests, and of course, live music followed by fireworks.
Bands include Kane, Blue Machine and Under the Gun, starting at 6 p.m. Friday, and Los Blancos, Mark Doyle and the Maniacs, Three Inch Fury and Pink Floyd tribute band Think Pink starting at 3 p.m. Saturday.
WHAT: Hottest Chick-N-Wing Fest.
WHEN: Events start at 2 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. Saturday.
WHERE: Syracuse Inner Harbor, 390 W. Kirkpatrick St., Syracuse.
ADMISSION: Free.
» Find more CNY events
» Submit an event
Do you have information about another great event happening in CNY this weekend? Let us and our readers know by leaving a comment below.
» Check out syracuse.com's Festival Page


text:
BLUE Life Protection Chicken/Brown Rice Senior Dog Food
Online Item #: 0000000091144
$15.99 - $45.99
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- High-quality protein provides essential amino acids they need every day
- Wholesome whole grains like brown rice, barley & oats supply complex carbohydrates for energy
- Carrots, sweet potatoes & peas
- Deboned natural chicken
- Lifesource Bits provide nutrients & antioxidants for your dog's health & well-being
- No chicken or poultry by-product meals
- No corn, wheat or soy
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- Made in the USA
- Weight: Approximately: 6 to 30 pounds depending on selected size
- Shipping Dimensions: Approximately 15 x 8.1 x 4.3 inches to 24.7 x 15.8 x 4.44 inches depending on size selected.
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$13.98 - $44.99


text:
£150 Investment to Boost East Midlands economy as A453 widening starts construction
A Government road scheme to unlock growth and boost the economy started construction in earnest today on the A453 in the East Midlands.
This £150 million investment will widen a seven mile stretch of the A453 between M1 Junction 24 and the A52 Nottingham Ring Road – a major link serving Nottingham, the M1 and East Midlands Airport.
Once completed in summer 2015, this Highways Agency project will reduce congestion and make the route safer.
The A453 widening is one of six schemes to boost growth announced in the Chancellor's 2011 Autumn Statement and the first to start work. These six growth schemes are part of a £3.3 billion investment in major road improvements during this spending review period.
Roads Minister Stephen Hammond said:
"Upgrading and widening the A453 demonstrates this Government's commitment to improving our road network and helping to stimulate growth.
"Extra capacity on the road will deliver significant economic benefits for both local businesses and motorists while helping to improve road safety."
Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, Lord Deighton said:
"The Government is committed to getting Britain the first-class infrastructure we need to compete on a global scale, and the A453 is another example of how we're delivering projects that will boost growth across the country. We're getting vital projects moving and we need to continue this momentum.
"We will be investing more than two billion pounds into roads projects over the next two years, with the Highways Agency developing and starting work on 19 major projects. Once completed, these projects will add around 250 miles of additional lanes for drivers, easing congestion, creating jobs and supporting homeowners and businesses alike."
The Highways Agency will upgrade the 5.5 mile rural section of the A453 from M1 Junction 24 to the new Clifton Mill Hill Roundabout to a dual carriageway, with junctions at different heights (such as flyovers) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on the A453.
The scheme also includes widening the 1.5 mile urban section through Clifton from a two-lane single carriageway to a four-lane single carriageway (two lanes in each direction) with signalisation of the existing Crusader Roundabout and new signalised roundabout junctions at Green Lane and Farnborough Road.
Councillor Kay Cutts, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, which has contributed £20m towards the scheme, added:
"I am delighted that construction work is at long last beginning on improving the A453.
"The improvements to this vital route will bring huge benefits to the Nottinghamshire economy and that of the East Midlands as a whole.
"Nottinghamshire County Council and the local business community campaigned long and hard for its improvement, with the County Council itself putting £20m into the scheme.
"News that work is now starting is fantastic news for everyone in Nottinghamshire."
The Highways Agency will be starting work on another major road improvement during January, with main construction getting underway to dual the A11 in Norfolk between Fiveways and Thetford. This will be the last remaining single-carriageway section of the A11 to be widened (5.5 miles). The Agency is also constructing a new (3.6 mile) bypass of the village of Elveden as part of the scheme.
The Agency also started advance works this week on a scheme to provide technology-driven improvements to upgrade junctions 23 to 27 of the M25, one of Europe's busiest motorways. Advance work is already underway on a similar scheme to improve the section of the M25 between Junctions 5 and 7. Main construction is due to start on both schemes in spring this year, and once completed they will increase capacity and make journeys more reliable on these sections of motorway.
Since 2010 the Government has invested around a billion pounds on Highways Agency major project schemes on the strategic road network: that includes starting work - on time - on four major road projects and completing work on seven of eight schemes already under construction, which have provided more than 160 miles of extra lanes, giving more road space for road users.
To find out more about the A453 widening scheme, people can visit public information exhibitions starting today. The exhibitions will be held at Clifton Leisure Centre, Southchurch Drive, Clifton, NG11 8AB, on Friday 11 January from 2pm to 8pm and on Saturday 12 January from 10am to 4pm. The exhibition will then move to Kegworth Whitehouse Hotel, Packington Hill, Kegworth, DE74 2DF, on Sunday January 13 from 10am to 4.30pm.
People can register for updates on the scheme's webpage http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-projects/A453-Widening-M1-Junction-24-to-A52-Nottingham or call the Highways Agency Information Line on 0300 123 5000.
Notes to Editors:
Issued by Midlands RNN on behalf of the Highways Agency. Media inquiries to Dee Smith on 0115 959 7991 or [email protected] Media enquiries out of hours should be made to the Highways Agency National Press Office (24hrs) on 0844 693 1448.
The Highways Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Transport. We manage, maintain and improve England's motorways and other strategic roads on behalf of the Secretary of State.
The A453 widening will be carried out by Laing O'Rourke on behalf of the Highways Agency. The scheme designers are White Young Green. The scheme budget is £149.7million. Nottinghamshire County Council has contributed £20 million towards the cost.
Maintenance and improvement projects: We plan maintenance and improvement projects carefully to allow road works to be completed safely, in a cost effective way while keeping disruption to road users to a minimum. We do as much work as possible overnight and when roads are less busy in order to keep more lanes open for road users at peak travel times. Drivers are advised to check their route for road works and allow extra time for their journeys where needed. We have a variety of journey planning tools that road users can use to check travel conditions on the roads we manage, and we will do all we can to keep road users informed.
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Issued by Midlands RNN on behalf of the Highways Agency. Media inquiries to Dee Smith on 0115 959 7991 or [email protected] Media enquiries out of hours should be made to the Highways Agency National Press Office (24hrs) on 0844 693 1448.
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There is no doubt that Darrell Rasner deserves tons and tons of praise. Unfortunately for him, the headlines get ripped away from him in favor of the news that broke after the 8-0 victory last night: the Yanks are actually transitioning Joba Chamberlain from the 'pen to a starter. From the Star-Ledger:
"This has been our plan for months," Girardi said. "We don't have a concrete date (for when Chamberlain will join the rotation), but we'll continue to stretch him out. It's going to take some time... We knew we couldn't start it too early because we wouldn't have him later (in the season)."
Chamberlain effectively mixed in a changeup in his three-pitch repertoire. The right-hander threw 35 pitches - 20 for strikes - in his longest stint of the season as he began the metamorphisis.
"We had a plan in place," Chamberlain said. "We're going to take our time and make sure it's done right. I'm excited for it. It's just a different job. It's not like I'm transforming into a different person."
From the sound of it, it seems that this was the plan all along, and the Yanks just didn't want Joba to be forced to deal with added media scrutiny. But we're with Dan Graziano, who questions the timing of the announcement -- why now? Either way, the move is no sure thing, of course. We thought we'd see this in late June or around the all-star break, so we're a little surprised this announcement comes so early in the season. Reading into the move a bit, we'd say the team is apparently not quite ready to hand the ball over to Ian Kennedy every fifth day.
Kristie Ackert writes that Joba is going to try to provide a different type of relief for the starters.
There are still doubts about Joba as a starter in light of his dismal spring training performance in that role. But the even bigger, more immediate question here is who will step up as the setup man -- that job could fall to Kyle Farnsworth, who is putting together a quietly good contract season. Or the setup guy could become Edwar Ramirez, who has been pitching lights out this year, but like Farnsworth has an inconsisted (albeit shorter) track record. Joel Sherman is concerned about who will pitch the eighth, and notes that another part of "the plan" should have been to better determine who should fill Joba's role.
Newsday's Mark Herrmann says we have Hank to thank/blame for Joba's move. Amusingly, Herrmann notes that Girardi was able to tell the media this was the plan all along, "with the same straight face he had used when he had hinted on Saturday that Chamberlain could remain a reliever for the rest of the season." In fact, Girardi told reporters on May 17 that there was "no exact timetable" for Joba's move. The timing of this is nothing if not intriguing.
The best part about this announcement is that after so many consecutive days of dismal news, the Yanks have as much hope as they've had since opening day. A-Rod has come back on fire, while the Yanks' mostly-excellent bullpen performance has now given the team a chance to add depth to the rotation.
It was only one win yesterday, but it was convincing. And reassuring. In fact, this is the first win we feel good about since that 5-2 victory at Detroit on May 10. Maybe one win can help give this team some sudden, renewed hope. Maybe it can help invigorate this club -- stranger things have happened.
It's just good to have at least one day to feel better about the state of the team...
The Ian Kennedy watch resumes this evening at 7:05, as the Yanks take on the O's in the series finale. Brian Burres (4-4, 3.47) goes for the O's. You have to figure Kennedy is running out of chances now, with Joba on his way to the rotation.
In other news...


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Brian P. Goldstein is a Shareholder in the National Law Firm of Jackson Lewis P.C. His practice concentrates in the areas of executive compensation, employee benefits, pension and profit sharing and ERISA fiduciary counseling. Mr. Goldstein has been involved in the design and implementation of all types of pension, profit sharing, 401(k), employee stock ownership, stock-based compensation, nonqualified deferred compensation and tax-sheltered annuity plans, as well as various medical, vacation, severance, cafeteria, post-retirement and other "health-and-welfare" and fringe benefit plans. Mr. Goldstein regularly represents clients before the IRS in connection with resolving defects with their qualified plans, and in audits before the IRS, the U.S. Department of Labor and the PBGC.
In the securities area, Mr. Goldstein has been involved in a number of registered offerings and private placements. He also has represented a number of registered investment advisors, broker/dealers and salespersons in a variety of capacities. Mr. Goldstein has limited his practice in the securities area to the ERISA and executive compensation side of securities matters. Mr. Goldstein regularly assists corporate counsel in establishing devices which may have anti-takeover effects.
Mr. Goldstein's client base varies widely, and includes large public companies, institutional plan fiduciaries, professional practices and small businesses. Mr. Goldstein serves as counsel to a number of bank trust departments across the nation, advising them on their ERISA fiduciary responsibilities and on qualified and nonqualified plan issues (including document preparation and operational issues). Mr. Goldstein has been active in many transactions throughout the nation involving conversions of savings banks from mutual to stock form, and the offering of their stock to the public. Mr. Goldstein is a frequent author and lecturer on the laws applicable qualified and nonqualified retirement plans and on ERISA fiduciary responsibilities.
Mr. Goldstein earned his law degree from Albany Law School of Union University, and his B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany.
His professional memberships include the New York State Employee Benefits Conference (former Member of the Board of Directors, State and Local Level), the New York State Bar Association (Tax Section, Member of Committee on Employee Benefits for the Labor and Employment Law Section and former Chair of the Elder Law Retirement Planning Subcommittee) and the American Bar Association (Tax and Employment and Labor Law Sections), and have included the American Society of Pension Actuaries (former Member of the Enforcement Subcommittee of the Government Affairs Committee), the ESOP Association and National Center for Employee Ownership. He is admitted to practice law in both New York and Massachusetts.
Mr. Goldstein was also one of the co-founders of U.S. Benefits, Inc., which was a benefit plan consulting and administration firm, whose business was recently sold by Mr. Goldstein.


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Bowden Out GracefullyNovember 15, 2006 – 6:00 pm by McD
Apparently in the world of college football, nepotism wont save you from being canned if you suck. Florida State essentially fired Jeff Bowden as its football team's offensive coordinator today. Okay, so he "resigned." Whatever. This wouldn't normally be news to us, even though it turned out another one of Bobby Bowden's kids is a lousy coach. Luckily for the youngest Bowden, he got a hefty severance package and all he had to do was take amazing players and make them awful. Jeff got paid $537,000 to leave FSU's players the hell alone. His offense averages just 25.9 points per game and ranks 65th nationally in total yards per game, 34th in passing yards and 98th in rushing yards.
He is obviously the fall guy for FSU's terrible 2006 season and he probably deserves it. Their offense has been anemic at best. And given the level of talent FSU has accumulated during his five years on the job, they obviously should be much better than they are. Bad news FSU fans, Bobby's losing his touch. He can still reel in quality talent, but he's not coaching 'em up anymore. Admittedly, it doesn't help that Lorenzo Booker is a colossal bust and that the quarterback position has been forever cursed by the ghosts of Dan Kendra and Chris Rix. But, there's no argument that Florida State simply isn't developing talent at the skill positions like they used to.
Some of you may not know who Dan Kendra is. If not, just picture the 'roided out guy from The Program or read this article, this article, and this article. That's Dan Kendra. Also notice in the first article how Chris Weinke's name is casually dropped there. That's right, there was a point when FSU's career passing yardage leader was gonna back up a guy named Dan Kendra – who ended up as a backup fullback.
You all probably know who Chris Rix is, but this is a hilarious article on him.
Our point is this: Bobby Bowden can't run his program like he used to. It's possible he's been carried by his assistants all along, only we never noticed until his assistants aren't as good at their jobs as former assistants like former defensive coordinator and current NC State head coach Chuck Amato and former offensive coordinator and current Georgia head coach Mark Richt were. We aren't saying he should be fired or resign before he's ready. Florida State fans just need to adjust their expectations for the next few years, especially if the team's next OC isn't Bowden's heir apparent as head coach.


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Mike in Fulton dropped me an email this week asking about concessions at SRC Arena. For those taking in today's lineup of state regional basketball games at the Onondaga Community College facility - and Mike was planning to take in all the games - there is food available for sale.
The folks at OCC sent along the menu (per my request on Mike's behalf):
Pizza $5
Chicken fingers and fries, $6.50
Burger, $4
French fries, $4
Nachos with cheese, $4.75
Pretzel, $3
Popcorn, $2.50
King size candy, $2.50
Gatorade, $2.50
Fountain soda, $2.50
Aquafina water, $2.50
Tickets to today's tournament games at OCC are $8.


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Kids lose stuff when they go to camp.
If you want to make sure the water bottle, backpack and soccer ball come home, try custom-made designer labels by Stuck on You of Spring Lake.
The labels are personalized with a child's name and come in a variety of colors.
A pack costs $22.95 and includes 15 1-inch name dots and 10 2-inch dots. They are waterproof, dishwasher and microwave safe -- and UV resistant.


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Mount Peak users unite
Hope to sidetrack development of popular hiking hill
By Shawn Skager
The Courier-Herald
The potential development of several parcels of land on the south side of Mount Peak has mobilized local forces dedicated to securing the land for continued recreational use.
According to Pat Traub of the Enumclaw Forested Foothills Recreation Area (EFFRA) - a group dedicated to preserving 10,000-acres of local land for future conservation - the parcels on Mount Peak are currently for sale and zoned for residential development.
EFFRA will host a forum June 12 at the New York Deli in Enumclaw to discuss the possibility of King County buying the land to preserve it as open space. The meeting is open to anyone.
"It's for sale, so anyone could buy it," Traub said of the land. "One of the issues are that there are some people out there with money that could buy it and develop it."
The properties on Mount Peak - which is a favorite hiking destination for regional residents - are zoned RA-10 by King County, which would allow one house per 10 acres.
Friday, Traub led several non-elected officials on a tour of Mount Peak, including officials from King County Executive Ron Sims' office, the King County Parks Department, the city of Enumclaw, the Cascade Land Conservancy and County Councilman Reagan Dunn's office, hoping to lay the groundwork for a county purchase of the property.
"This was preliminary meeting," Traub said following the tour. " What happens next is they will do some research. Then it will be put on the list with a priority attached to it. They'll make a decision on whether it's a good thing for King County or we don't have enough money and can't buy it."
Traub said she thinks it's a good idea for King County to buy the land because it butts up against county-owned property.
"If you look in the future, realistically in Enumclaw, we don't have as many parks as places like Renton," Traub said. "It's a great place, we have people from all over the region that hike Mount Peak. We've got people from Puyallup, Tacoma, Federal Way and Auburn, so it's a regional area that people come to."
The purchase of Mount Peak is just one component in EEFRA's long-term goal.
"Our EFFRA group looks at a 50-year plan," Traub said. "It'd be good to have that land 50 years down the road, when we have more people here in Enumclaw.
"We're looking at preserving 10,000 acres, that's our initial goal," she added.
According to Traub, EFFRA aims at conservation, which means logging, mining and other uses of natural resources would continue.
"We're just trying not to have everybody build houses everywhere," she said. "Their will still be hunting, camping and recreational places."
"It's not a debate, we have conversations," Traub said of the meeting. "We're not into conflict. If the community is not for something we don't want to do it. It's got to be a positive experience for both the Enumclaw residents and the county, whoever we're dealing with. We're not into coming in and saying 'Oh we're going to put a park right next to you.'
"We're just a group of concerned citizens that want to influence the growth of Enumclaw, because it's going to happen."
Those interested in attending the June 12 meeting can contact Traub at 360-825-4074 or e-mail email@example.com.
Shawn Skager can be reached at email@example.com.
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The Development Squad will be aiming for their first win of 2014 when they take on Southampton in the Barclays Under-21 Premier League at Rush Green on Friday night.
The side enjoyed a strong start to the league campaign, winning six of their first nine matches before the New Year but since then things have not gone in their favour.
Defeats to West Bromwich Albion, Fulham and a 2-1 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday night have made for a winless start to the New Year and coach Nick Haycock is hoping for better against the Saints.
He told whufc.com: "The big thing for me on Friday night will be how they get after the ball. I want them to be a little bit quicker, sharper and aggressive when we haven't got the ball.
"If they can get those things right then you'll start to see these players playing the game we know they can play on a more consistent basis."
Haycock's team has taken on a younger look recently with the coach keen to hand opportunities to some of the Club's Under-18 contingent.
Kieran Bywater, Kyle Knoyle, Lewis Page and Moses Makasi all featured against the Red Devils and Haycock feels the match was a good experience for the players despite the result.
"It's a wonderful stadium to play in [Old Trafford] and a fantastic experience for the young team that we put out. There's a plan in the Academy at the minute, as you saw with the Under-16 team Steve Potts put out over the weekend, we're pushing players on a level now.
"Challenging them to play at an older age group to see what they're capable of because we've got a belief that we have to get boys playing league football earlier than they currently are.
"The U21 league for me now is for 18, 19-year-olds and the odd 16 or 17-year-old that is capable of advancing themselves on. What we're seeing at the moment is the growth of a new team.
Southampton travel to Rush Green looking to move above the Hammers, who they currently trail by one point going into Friday night's clash.
Haycock's team currently occupy seventh place in the table but could move up to fifth with a win over the Saints.
Supporters can watch the Development Squad play Southampton on Friday night. Kick-off at Rush Green Stadium is at 7pm, with FREE entry for Season Ticket Holders. Other supporters can gain admission for just £3 Adults and £1 Concessions.


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'Odysseo' coming to Marymoor Park in February 2014
"Odysseo," the second production from "Cavalia" will make its premiere under the White Big Top at King County's Marymoor Park outside of Redmond on Feb. 26, 2014.
Tickets for the show are now on sale online at www.cavalia.net or by calling 1 (866) 999-8111.
With its latest creation, "Cavalia" marries the equestrian arts, stage arts and high-tech theatrical effects at never-before-seen levels. "Odysseo" features 63 horses and 47 artists in a theatrical production that sends hearts racing. This ode to horse and man was imagined by one of the co-founders of Cirque du Soleil.
Tickets are priced from $34.50-149.50, plus applicable taxes and fees. The Rendez-Vous package offers the best seats in the house, buffet dining before the show, an open bar, deserts during intermission and a visit to the stable after the show. This experience takes place in a tent alongside the White Big Top. Rendez-Vous package prices range from $154.50-229.50, plus applicable taxes and fees.
Headquartered in Montreal, Cavalia Inc. is an entertainment company that specializes in the creation, production and touring of innovative shows for audiences of all ages. Founded by Normand Latourelle, the company has an expertise in equestrian and performing arts and is known for utilizing cutting-edge technology, multimedia and special effects, which allows for the creation of never-before-seen theatrical experiences.
"Cavalia," seen by some 4 million people across North America and Europe since its 2003 debut, celebrates the relationship between humans and horses by loosely recounting the evolution of this bond. "Odysseo," which premiered in 2011, takes the next step, leading viewers on a journey where horses and humans, together, discover some of the planet's most unforgettable landscapes.
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The view of the Communications Minister
Published 02/02/2014 | 02:30
On Friday, Pat Rabbitte, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, issued this statement:
"Speaking personally, I have never used the term 'homophobe' to describe those who disagree with me on issues of gay equality in general or gay marriage in particular. It is too loaded a term to be used to categorise those who hold contrary views on what is a matter for legitimate public debate.
"That said, I would also hope that people and institutions that hold themselves out as commentators on, or contributors to, public debate fully appreciate – as most politicians do – that debate can be robust, heated, personal and sometimes even hostile. If you enter the arena, you cannot expect that the Queensbury Rules will always apply.
"It would be a matter of serious concern if recourse to our defamation laws was to have a chilling effect on the conduct of public debate on this issue in the lead-in to the forthcoming referendum on gay marriage.
"I have no intention of interfering in RTE's management of the litigation claims against it. But I do expect that RTE remains fully committed to its chief obligation as a public service broadcaster – to ensure the full and free exchange of information and opinion on all matters of legitimate public interest."
Irish Independent