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Thoughts for the 4th of July
You know what our founding fathers wanted for this country 230ish years ago? When they were sitting around in their powdery wigs writing the Declaration of Independence? All hot and sweaty, cursing the Philadelphia summer humidity? Thomas Jefferson was forced to ex-out his favorite line in that hallowed document, the little known 11th amendment in the Bill of Rights:
The New York Metropolitans shall, at some moment in excess of two centuries and a score from this date, decimate the team known as the Philadelphia Phillies. They shall play with heart and at the height of their talent, eschewing any defense of sloppy ilk. Their bats shall make constant contact with the ball, and their multitude of hits shall subsequently make it home. The Mets shall dominate.
And so how better to salute our independence than to watch Lady Liberty lift her torch and proudly finish the job started ages ago. To our fair statue I say, Go crack that Liberty Bell wide open.
Or, as Thomas Jefferson might have put it:
Come on, Metsies. Do us proud.
7 Comments
I've got the hot dogs ready to go, and the beers on ice. I'm ready. Those games in Philly would be so much fun if the Mets would only WIN!!!😛
The founding fathers wanted to run a marathon!
Let me know what you think!
I'm argueably the biggest Mets fan Ive ever met but those mets have got to get there offense goin. I love the ***** th Phillies thing though
Congrats on topping the list! Question for you: how do I get all of my tags to be listed? I see you have quite a few — as do I — but mine will only list the first three or four letters of the alphabet. It's driving me nuts. Would you have any advice?
Congrats on topping the list! Question for you: how do I get all of my tags to be listed? I see you have quite a few — as do I — but mine will only list the first three or four letters of the alphabet. It's driving me nuts. Would you have any advice?
Hi Jeff,
I tried to comment over at your place, but it says I don't have permission to comment–weird! I actually never tag. Those are all old and just appeared when they changed to the new mlblogs format. So…not sure what to do there!
Hi Zoe,
Yeah, same thing happens to me all the time when I try to comment on MLBlogs. If I log out and then log back on it usually lets me. It happened when I tried yours yesterday. We don't block any comments (that wouldn't be fun). Anyway, congrats again and thanks for the info on tags.


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New details are emerging in the disturbing murder of 56-year-old Mary Beth San Juan.
The medical examiners autopsy results show the aspiring actress was stabbed multiple times before being found dead in her driveway.
Neighbors say investigators were on Lemon Road Thursday night searching through a dumpster after a man called in a tip.
"They had taped off this whole area and there were cops. They were digging through trash in this area," said neighbor Mathew Foor.
"It was a wallet and some other things that made him suspicious. The same man goes into the dumpster every single day, and there was a wallet and some other belongings of the person," said neighbor Michael Harley.
Residents say the person was San Juan. The findings, perhaps the latest clues after police released a critical piece of evidence, surveillance video they say shows the suspect and perhaps their motive.
The video shows a man dressed in women's clothing using the victim's ATM card at the First Hawaiian Bank in Manoa Market Place Monday just after midnight. The next day San Juan's car was found by police at Kapiolani park just a short walk from the same dumpster investigators sifted through Thursday night.
"The more details I hear about it the more upsetting it is. Hearing that she was stabbed and different things brings your imagination there and it's really hard," said friend Julia Levanne.
A memorial now fills the driveway where San Juan's ex-husband found her lifeless body, rolled up in a rug. People have been leaving flowers and words of kindness.
"I came to leave a card every day. I'm leaving a little bit of something every day," said San Juan's neighbor Ruth Freedmen.
"Everyone in the acting school and that community that's connected to her wants to help in anyway to find the person who did this," said Levanne.
Police have received about twenty tips since the video of the suspects been released, but they still don't have a name. They believe San Juan was murdered at her home off Punahou Street and that the murderer knew her. If you have any information you're asked to call Crime stoppers at 955-8300.

subset: commoncrawl


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hi all,
I am overseas with unreliable internet connectivity, until sometime next week, so I apologise in advance if I won't respond quickly to any suggestions you make. I am also on different time zone and might be sleeping when you are awake. But I will try!
I have been taking Domperidone at 160 mg/day. My Mom suggested a couple days ago, that it doesn't really help my supply and that I should stop. In my stupid moment, I weaned down too quickly, from 160 mg to 120 mg per day a couple weeks. To be precise, I was at 150 mg/day for 5 day-ish, then dropped it to 120 mg/day three days ago. And my supply has been crashing, a couple days ago I was able to achieve the same daily pumping output (26 oz per day) with 23 pumping sessions! Yesterday, I woke up and realized that I got only 2 oz when I usually I got 3 oz after sleeping for 3 hours, without crazy pumping. And this trend continues on, if the interval between pumping is too long, my output drops significantly. If I power pump, I still get my usual output (my 30 mins interval output today is the same as the one from last week, same with output with interval of up to 1 hour). I am so scared to sleep now, because I know I will be paying for it by halving my milk!
Another problem, which is also new as of two days ago, is that there seems to be a lot of milk left over after pumping for 20 mins. I usually can collect the leftover after resting for 10 mins and pumping again. I am not sure what caused this I never had problem with letdown before, and I have been nearly EP-ing for over 3 months.
I am not sure that the cause is Dom withdrawal, because if the interval between pumpings are short my supply level is not affected. I have been on 160 mg/day (my regular Dom intake) again in the past two days, but my supply hasn't recovered. My Mom will take over parenting for a while, while I am trying to recover my supply, and I will do whatever it takes.
Yesterday, I got normal output level in one (and just one) pumping session, after I took 80 mg of Dom in 12 hrs period. Then I took a nap, and then in the subsequent session my output was halved again! I then got a normal output again in the evening, but today it has been halved again. I am pretty close to tears now. I have worked so hard on this, non stop crazy pumping for several months and had managed to reach approx 80% of my son's consumption level. This never happened before.
What could cause supply to suddenly disappear? I have no post partum menstruation yet, I don't have fever nor breast pain, so could it still be plugged duct? My power pumping output is still high. It is just that my output crashes if I have long interval between pumpings. I am hoping this is not permanent, since I managed to have two sessions with normal output levels yesterday (with 2-3 hours interval) - at 3 oz, though all other pumping sessions are doomed when the intervals are longer than 1 hour.
Before this resolves, what can I do to protect my milk supply so that the drop does not become permanent? I am pumping round the clock now, literally around 20 times a day!
I have no access to my lactation consultant from here, and if there are herbs that I need to take, I need to have my husband send it to me from the US. But I will do whatever it takes. Including coming back to the US before the scheduled time.
Thanks in advance for the kind advice!!


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Mitch Strohm, THELAW.TV
Animal cruelty laws -- laws against deliberate animal abuse or neglect -- are quickly growing, with South Dakota now being the only jurisdiction without felony penalties for animal cruelty.
In 1992, only seven states treated animal cruelty as a felony.
Now there are 49 states with felony laws, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF).
"That's pretty amazing. In 20 years you've seen 42 state legislatures pass laws to treat animal cruelty as a felony," said Chris Green, ALDF's director of legislative affairs.
That's a boon for animals.
But even though states are quickly adopting animal cruelty felony laws, many believe there's still room for improvement.
Puppy mills, dog fighting, equine cruelty, animal hoarding, animal entertainment and farm animal cruelty all make the list of hot button issues.
And there's a fight going on for better, stricter penalties across all states.
Current penalties
"The penalties overwhelmingly are not that severe when you look at the harm to animals," said Allie Phillips, director of the National Center for Prosecution of Animal Abuse.
Penalties can range from zero jail time up to 10 years of jail time, she notes, depending on state laws and the type of offense.
While there are efforts to try to increase penalties if someone does something extreme, like torturing and killing an animal, notes Phillips, the sentences are very minimal in some states.
For instance, in South Dakota, poisoning, intentionally killing and inhumane treatment of an animal are all Class 1 Misdemeanors with up to $1,000 in fines and with up to one year imprisonment.
Compare that to Illinois, a model state for animal protection laws, where conviction for animal abuse or neglect is a Class B misdemeanor carrying a penalty of six months in prison as a first offense, according to ALDF.
Additional offenses in Illinois are a Class 4 Felony with a minimum sentence of one year, and repeated aggravated cruelty or torture is a Class 3 Felony, with imprisonment up to 10 years.
"Illinois is really at the forefront," Green said.
All 50 states currently have some sort of animal cruelty statutes, but they all differ.
Not all states have laws on every issue, and not every law applies to every animal, said Ann Church, vice president of state affairs for the America Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
For example, there may be different laws for domesticated dogs and cats than livestock or wild animals.
"In general, you can say that if there's a felony cruelty law, it will definitely apply to dogs and cats. But it doesn't necessarily apply to other animals. So each state is different," Church said.
Not always cut-and-dry
Determining animal abuse or neglect isn't always completely cut-and-dry.
For example, leaving dogs alone in hot vehicles without ventilation or outside in the elements is a common mistake, especially during the summer.
"A lot of states have passed laws that specifically address dogs in hot cars. In other states it's not necessary, the cruelty law would be sufficient to cover that," Church said.


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How to Make a Sock Vase Centerpiece
Socks aren't just for your feet anymore. We used them to jazz up potted plants for a cut and easy centerpiece! Watch our how-to video to learn how to make it yourself.
-You can create this floral centerpiece at home just by opening your sock drawer. Here is what you'll need. Some potted plants and some tube socks in a few different colors. Pull your sock over the plant until it's tight enough to roll the socks over the lip of the pot. Snip off the bottom of the socks so the pot can stand flat on the table then add your soil and gently pack a flower or herb in place. Just scatter your plants along your table or your mantle. You can create the same look on your coffee table by using baby food sized jars and baby socks. Fill this up with smaller plants or votive candles. For more fun tips and videos, head to rachaelraymag.com.


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Bella which is Pulaski's tame deer came to visit us on new years eve day and had fun with our dogs.Bella loves to play with dogs and often visits fisherman in the river .She is very well liked and everyone here loves her.
Bella rhe deer and Reese
By: goodnough56Subscribe Channel: Weather Location: Pulaski New York
2 Comments
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says ... on Friday, Nov 23 at 12:13 PM
Deers can't be "tamed" and it's wild instincts can kick in up at any moment. A Deer can easily kill or injure men, women and children! This is a VERY dangerous situation and will end very badly! Deers are not 'Bambi', they are wild animals!107466382
Inappropriate? Alert Us!
says ... on Wednesday, Mar 2 at 8:18 PM
I have seen Bella before i live in Pulaski61804257
Inappropriate? Alert Us!


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But every once in awhile we get confused. A plot device shows up in so many movies and across so many genres that we mistake it for one of those lessons we're supposed to be applying to our lives. The trouble is, when we try to shoehorn fictional tools into reality, we only end up frustrated and angry that we aren't any good at living according to rules that don't actually exist. Let me show you what I mean.
4 If You're Happy With Your Current Life, You Are Living a Lie
The Offenders:Up in the Air/Crazy, Stupid, Love./Failure to Launch/Knocked Up/The Family Man
The moral of a lot of movies, romantic comedies in particular, is that we all need to check in with our priorities now and again to be sure we're still on the right track in life. Workaholics need the realization that love is more important than money, and reluctant adults have to see the value of growing up. So far, it's a fine lesson.
The problem is that 100 percent of movie characters who bother to take an honest look inside themselves realize they've been sucking at life the whole time. Of course, they have to have this realization, otherwise movies would be short and boring. But with every protagonist discovering how awful they've been through introspection and then hopping back on the right path to happiness, movies are inadvertently teaching their audience that if you look at your own life and don't see something wrong, then you are blind to your own problems.
Only one of these people is on the path to personal betterment.
These movies have made us hypervigilant about fussing with our personal character because the consequences of failing to find our own faults means we could be living a lie forever. But it also forces everyone into a state of artificial angst, where it seems impossible to be truly happy unless we've discovered some awful truth about ourselves. In reality, living this way make us terrible, self-centered people. Fear that something might be wrong with our lives even when we feel great is exactly why cleanses have gained traction, as well as Eat Pray Love trips to foreign countries in panicked hopes that distant places will finally reveal what we're really missing. The boring reality, however, is that sometimes being content really is just being content.
3 Everything Happens for a Reason, Except for the Stuff That Doesn't Pertain to You
The Offenders:The Matrix/Slumdog Millionaire/Forces of Nature/Bruce Almighty
An easy way for films to ensure that the protagonist ends up with the right love interest or that the right characters survive a disaster is to blame it all on destiny. Even films that don't blatantly mention fate by name still rely on chance encounters and pure luck to keep a story moving forward. The alternative would be a movie in which a bunch of bullshit happens with no relationship to the plot until it finally stops happening and credits roll. That's a little too close to life for anyone to pay money to see. A story literally relies on some kind of providence because that's the only way to get to the right ending. Unfortunately for an audience, that starts to look like a message after a while.
"She never would have become my wife's friend if I wasn't supposed to sleep with her."
Surrendering to fate works out so well in films, it's easy to understand why we'd try to apply it to reality. After all, it's comforting to believe that our lives are headed toward a happy ending. The problem is that there are two main differences between reality and films:
1) There is no ending in your life except when you die.
2) In the real world, everyone thinks they're the protagonist.
Destiny only works when it's built around one person's story because without fail, some auxiliary character is going to get shit on and then die. Movies need monumental travesties or disasters to happen so that the main character can learn a lesson or fall in love or become, like, a painter or something, but in reality, those disasters are hurting (sometimes even killing) people who probably thought fate had something better in store for them than to be used as a building block for someone else's narrative. We can't all be the center of destiny because life doesn't work that way. Yes, we all think we're Neo in The Matrix, but some of us have to be the security guards he mows down in the lobby while saving Morpheus.


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Q: Does the membership run a calendar year (January thru December) or from the date of purchase?
A: A membership is good for one full year from the date of purchase.
Q: May I put my membership on hold?
A: No, memberships become active immediately upon purchase and cannot be suspended.
Q: May I use my membership for special ticketed events, like Zoo Boo?
A: No, special ticketed events like Zoo Boo, Brew at the Zoo, and Pancakes with Parrots are additional fundraisers for the zoo and memberships, coupons, and free passes are not applicable towards admission.
Q: How many cards are included with my membership?
A: The Zoo issues two cards with each membership. You need only present one card at Admissions with photo I.D. to enter.
Q: Who can use my membership?
A: The named adults on the card- who live at the same address- may use a membership. If it's a family or grandparent membership, it also covers the number of their own children or grandchildren age 17 and under, as indicated on the membership card. Adults must present a photo I.D. along with their membership card at the Admission booth.
Q: I have a membership with Add-A-Guest. Can a guest use my membership without me?
A: Add-a-Guest does not allow a non-member to come without the members named on the card. It does not allow a non-member to bring the member's children or grandchildren. One of the adults named on the card must be present for a non-member guest to be covered. Add-a-Guest does not add a name to the member card; neither does it replace a member name on the member card. Add-a-Guest does not mean an adult in a different household can have their name listed on the card.
We do not allow more than one Add-a-Guest per membership.
Q: How can I replace a lost/stolen membership card?
A: A replacement card costs $3. You may order with credit card by phone at (989) 759-1408 or visit the Admission Booth. You will receive your replacement card via mail within three to four weeks. You may visit the Zoo in the meantime by presenting your photo I.D. at the membership booth, where you will be issued a day pass.
Q: I am a single parent with one child. Can I purchase a Dual Membership instead of a Family Membership?
A: Dual membership is for two adults in the same household. It is not for an adult and a child. If an adult wants a membership that will cover them and one child, they need to sign up for Family (or Grandparents) for $75 or Individual Add-a-Guest for $60.
Q: If I forget to bring my membership card, can I still visit the Zoo for free?
A: Yes! Just bring your photo I.D. to the Admissions booth to verify your status. You will be issued a day pass valid for free admission for all those eligible under your membership category. This day pass will also entitle you to a 10% discount in the Zoo Store as well as unlimited rides on the Train and Carousel.
Q: Why do I have to show a photo I.D. when I use my membership card to enter the Zoo?
A: To prevent misuse of membership cards, we require that one adult cardholder present photo I.D. upon entering the Zoo. As a non-profit organization, we rely on membership dues for much of our support. If memberships were shared by families and neighbors our revenue would be severely reduced. We also want to protect our members should their cards be lost or stolen. It is important that we keep the benefits of membership reserved for those who are supporting the Zoo through membership.
Q: Does my membership allow admission to other Zoos and Aquariums?
A: Over 150 other Zoos and Aquariums across the country reciprocate membership with Children's Zoo members. By showing your membership card and photo I.D., you will receive either free or discounted admission, and sometimes, other discounts as well. As reciprocating zoos reserve the right to change reciprocal status at any time, please call the zoo you plan to visit ahead of time to verify reciprocity.
Q: If I decide to join after my visit, can I apply the cost of my admission tickets towards my membership?
A: Yes, but you must purchase your membership on the same day that you paid admission. Please note that only those individuals covered by the level of membership you purchase will have their admissions applied to the cost of the membership.
Q: Can a Family or Grandparent membership have Add-a-Guest and Add-a-Caregiver?
A: Yes. The caregiver will be able to bring the card without the other named adults, but the Add-a-Guest must accompany a named member on the card.
Q: What is the difference between Add-a-Guest and Add-a-Caregiver?
A: Add-a-Guest allows the named adults on the membership to bring one extra person, adult or child, each time they visit the Zoo; it does not allow the Add-a-Guest to visit without a named member on the membership. It can be a different person each time since the guest is not named on the card.
Add-a-Caregiver is a named adult added to your membership who does not have to live in the same household as the other named adults. Add-a-Caregiver may bring the membership without the other named adults and must show photo I.D. to visit the Zoo.
Q: Can a Caregiver bring a guest?
A: Yes. The caregiver can bring one guest with them if the card has the Add-a-Guest option. If the caregiver brings additional children or another adult and the membership does not have Add-a-Guest, all additional guests not covered on the membership or not covered by Add-a-Guest will need to pay admission and purchase ride tickets.
Q: What if my caregiver changes during my membership?
A: Add-a-Caregiver is non-transferrable.


text:
Plane problems for Tony
He said he wrecked 3 planes the day before. He first had engine problems and had to stay over on Thursday in Tennesee then when they landed (must be close to Watkins) they lost the brakes on his plane and crashed into Ryan's plane and another driver's plane. So he started the weekend with 3 planes he had to fix.
Was not the right eventful weekend Tony needed. Hope his luck changes at MI.
Great race. We watched Denny take that hard hit right in front of us and saw Reagan and Ruitemann crash too. They were lucky someone didn't get more seriously hurt.


text:
Philadelphia Phillies (22-23) at St Louis Cardinals (25-19)
Joe Blanton (4-4, 3.74) vs. Jake Westbrook (4-3, 2.41)
Time: 8:15, Busch Stadium
Weather: Sunny, 84
Media: Twitter and Facebook
For the first time since they eliminated them from last year's playoffs, the Phillies will take on the St. Louis Cardinals tonight at Busch Stadium. Seeing the Phillies back in St. Louis will no doubt conjure up images of David Freese and the rally squirrel for Phils fans everywhere. This is not the same Cardinals team that beat the Phillies in game 5 of last year's NLDS, however. Albert Pujols is now in L.A., Lance Berkman could be calling it a career, and Chris Carpenter has yet to throw a pitch in 2012, dealing with a shoulder issue. Despite their new look, this Cardinals team is in first place, and still a very formidable opponent. A big reason for their success so far this season has been their prolific offense, which ranks at or near the top of the N.L. in just about every offensive statistic.
Tonight, Joe Blanton will be tasked with shutting down that offense. 2012 has been very solid for Blanton so far, though he is coming off his worst start of the season, one in which he allowed seven runs (six earned) to the Red Sox over 4.1 innings. For his career, Blanton has faced the Red Birds six times (five starts), posting a 3-2 record and an ERA of 3.03–something that bodes well for the Phils tonight as they try to get back to .500. Another positive sign for the Phillies is the fact that Blanton has pitched better on the road this season, posting a road ERA (3.48) that is almost a half run less than his home ERA (3.90). However, his only two losses against the Cardinals came in his last two starts against them. He'll look to end that skid tonight.
Veteran right-hander Jake Westbrook will take the ball for the Cardinals, and has pitched quite well this season. For his career, he's faced the Phils three times, going 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA. Current Phillies hitters are hitting .269 against him in a combined 93 at-bats. Several players in tonight's lineup have had a ton of success against Westbrook, including Polanco (.321), Pence (.583), and Wigginton (.333). Interestingly, no player on the active roster has ever homered against Westbrook. Jimmy Rollins returns from paternity leave and has been inserted at the top of the batting order.
Lineup: Rollins SS, Polanco 3B, Pence RF, Ruiz C, Victorino CF, Wigginton 1B, Mayberry LF, Galvis 2B, Blanton P
Your gameday beer: Saranac Summer Ale
What better way to quench your thirst during the summer-like day we're moving into than with Saranac's Summer Ale? With hints of honey and lemon, the Summer Ale is not too bitter in taste and goes down rather smoothly. Have it with a summer salad and some barbecue chicken. – By Ryan
0 Comments
Just got home from work to a pleasant surprise!
Wheres the punch line Tracey? Thought you was going to say the wife left me and took the kids…
hehehe. No punch line here. But looking at the score, I'm a little nervous. How many times have we seen them blow a 4-run lead in the first?
Welcome back..haven't heard from you lately
Thanks (been spending my free time writing over at the good phight).
Your guy Middlebrooks is still looking good.
Ugh. Pence really needs some remedial fielding training
WOW!!! What a catch!
Keep tacking on the runs..Thats the way to go…
Wow! Nice to see some aggressive ball pay off!
Blanton is dealing tonight!
Blanton seems to be cruising i can see the confidence like i got this….lets just hope he keeps it up
Domonic Brown is playing CF in AAA tonight…
@PigsRadio: "Phillies prospect OF Domonic Brown is playing CF for IronPigs tonight — 1st time since 2008 (when he played 69 G in CF for Low-A Lakewood)."
Blanton is dealing tonight!oh
Blantonoh good grief…
Spoke to soon…Cholly get the bullpen up now…Blanton just self-destructed…
You spoke to soon and put the hex on Blanton, Tracey.
You threw it out to the universe at 8:34 and had to ask about giving it back didn't you Tracey.
well it's about effing time
Blanton dealing? Worst pitcher in baseball history. Outside of kk
Pholly is looking good. Blanton….not so much.
6-0 lead and they will lose.
Ty sucks more then Dipsy
Has anyone noticed, other than me, that all the P's hits but one were ground balls thru the infield and the Cards are the ones with the line drive hits and Homers. Just saying.
Thanx Pat. Love you. Why take Joe out now cholly. He is good for
Another 7 runs. How do you leave that piece of crap in. 6-0 lead
Are you kidding me
Way to go Tracey..
Hate to seem like I only come here when its going bad.
But really?
holy cow.
Joe needs to get one those big midwestern cheeseburgers.
The pen being this bad. tought for the old man to fo alot.
Wow….thanks Joe. You're hopeless! You were in far too long.
Schmenkman, by the way how's that Will "Middling" Middlebrooks doing with the Red Sox??
I am taking a nap.
Jeff wake me when its the 8th inning
I knew it would only be a short time before Nlanton $h!t the bed on the lead. How can we unload this guy. Never been a fan of him from the start and always thought he sucked. On a positive note, we scored 7 runs!
Fat Joe is worthless… I noticed as well as Phils hits are bleeders and Cards smoke the ball
Love how these fair weather negative nancy Phuls fans have ruined their own blog
Freddy!!!! He's got more RBIs than Rollins! Fontenot is becoming a nice pick-up for the team. Way to bail out fat joe, boys! Go Phils!
Its Qualls.. buckle your seatbelts!
2 full innings from Chad? Comon Cholly – you had to know better than that.
Part of what I really like about tonight (its not over of course) is that there are only 2 extra base hits by the Phils AND, there are quite a few 2 out hits with RISP. A nice change if only the pitching can hold up.
The Cards have 6 extra base hits including 2 (so far) hrs.
Sorry, 3 hrs.
Its Freaky Diekey!
Much better.. a nail in the coffin? Freaky to start the 8th – I hope he can make it – some Paps action in the 9th?
16 hits and 10 runs.. that is a lot of offense! They HAVE to hold onto this lead
When the pitching is great we can't score. Amazing.
Jimmy the baby gap will make an out on the first pitch.
Hope baby jimmy drew gap is not watching
Thank you jimmy for not disappointing. Gap
Garvis has 21 RBIs and Rollins 7…….just saying
Cholly is an idiot. He left the fat ass bp pitcher in too long. If u want a shut down inning don't call on fat ass.
Ab! Just get a grounder! Get us out of this
Fun fact: Rollins swings at the first pitch 17% of the time (15th lowest out of 89 NL qualifiers).
Glad to see our 50 million dollar man to come to face holiday
Can we have someone pitch a shutdown inning on this shitty relief staff
What a mess!
Sit down Antonio –
Anything left ?
That's the biggest K of the season right there. The NL's leading HR hitter with two on bottom 8. Way to go Antonio.
God our pen is horrible. Bastard is terrible. Jose is 65
When Pence is off, he is waaaay off.
OK – here we are $50 mil into this guy
That was a win!
The Phillies had a good approach tonight. They've been more patient since Manuel's team meeting on May 9th:
before the meeting: 5.7% walk rate
after the meeting : 9.0%
(league average is 8.3%)


text: My son is eating 3 meals a day and breastfeeding about 4 times through the day and once or twice through the night. He eats well at night but in the day is very distracted and doesn't nurse very well. He pulls off, looks around and is generally not all that interested in the nursing but will eat lots of solids. I feel like I might be getting short on supply as a result. Is all this leading to him weaning himself? I am not ready to stop breastfeeding yet but is he? Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.


text:
Final Rule: May 13, 2011
Effective Date: Oct. 20, 2011
Rule Revised: December 9, 2013
Revision Effective Date: March 24, 2014
The toddler bed safety standard addresses:
The standard also addresses corner post extensions that can catch items worn by a child.
View the Toddler Beds Final Rule | View the Revisions
Durable Infant or Toddler Products
Proposed Rule: Toddler Beds
Video: CPSC Staff Briefs the Commission on Toddler Beds Draft Final Rule
Commission Vote: Toddler Beds Final Rule
CPSIA Section 104(b)
Federal Regulations:
16 CFR 1217 (View Regulation)
View Regulated Products and Related Regulations, Laws and Business Guidance
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Toddler Beds
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Click Ok if you wish to continue to the website; otherwise, click Cancel to return to our site.


text:
If you are, or were a fan of LEGOS (and who wasn't?) then the BrickFair LEGO convention is for you! Learn more at the BickFair website.
The annual convention happens yearly in New Hampshire, Alabama, and Virginia and features LEGO creations across 100,000 Sq. Ft. of space.
From LEGO models, to displays and operating LEGO trains, you will find something for everyone at this convention. Artists have taken their favorite LEGO's and created amazing displays with them.
See just a portion of what was on display at the most recent convention in New Hampshire in this slideshow.
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text:
Vidyo was honored tonight as the recipient of the 2011 winner of the Frost & Sullivan Global Product Differentiation Excellence Award for Videoconferencing Infrastructure Systems.
The Frost & Sullivan Best Practices team of industry experts presents awards to companies demonstrating best practices in a variety of regional and global markets. These Best Practices Awards recognize the superior planning and execution of product launches, strategic alliances, distribution strategies, technological innovations, customer service, and mergers and acquisitions. A host of other crucial marketing factors such as leadership, strategy, service, innovation, integration, and development are also considered as part of the award methodology.
"In a marketplace defined by technological advancements, Vidyo has been at the forefront of innovation, launching products that have positioned the company for growth," said Roopam Jain, Industry Director, Unified Communications and Collaboration, Frost & Sullivan. "In terms of innovation, technical excellence, scalability and adaptability to varied videoconferencing environments, the VidyoConferencing suite of solutions is impressive and market disruptive. Vidyo's technology allows new entrants a low barrier of entry to create new, differentiated and cost-effective applications at a desired price performance."
Vidyo is seeing success based on new and innovative products that address end user pain points. In its best practices report on Vidyo, Frost & Sullivan cites that currently, several products in Vidyo's portfolio – the VidyoRouter, VidyoRouter Cloud Edition, VidyoPanorama and VidyoMobile enjoy a "first mover advantage" in terms of a high quality solution at a reasonable price point, "clearly jettisoning Vidyo to a prominent position in the fast growing videoconferencing market."
For more information, you can read the full press release and check out Frost & Sullivan's Best Practices Research report on Vidyo.


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Facing the Giants
Yesterday was an off-day. It was very different not having a game, but I was still catching up from Sunday, so it was all good. I did get some exciting news, though: Hyun Young is treating me to a Padres game in July…in these incredible seats!
It's going to be so much fun, and I'm already planning it all out. I can't wait for July 18th! That's going to be the third game in a series against the Rockies, so maybe Tom and Jen will be there that night. I know Hyun Young and I will have so much fun cheering for our Padres and cheering against the Rockies🙂
Thanks Hyun Young!!🙂
On Saturday, I went to my brother's last regular season game. His team won 24-8. I was keeping score, and it was absolutely crazy. They got nine runs in the first inning, and 12 runs in the fourth. It was insane to keep score, but I survived. Well, pretty much. I did get a terrible sunburn on my arms. Thankfully, we were in the shade most of the game on Sunday, so it didn't get worse.
Tonight we are playing the Giants, thankfully still at home. My best friends and their family are going to be at the game! I am so excited for them, and hopefully they'll take lots of pictures for me.
It will be interesting to see how my Padres do tonight. We've got the momentum from the sweep over the weekend, as well as a day of rest. Chris Young is going to be starting, and hopefully he can give us a solid outing.
Last time out in Chicago, he gave up four home runs in only a few innings. But I think he will be much better at home, without the Wrigley wind. Last time the Giants were in town, we swept them in three. Hint hint…
Even with the sweep over the weekend, we are still 10 games behind the Dodgers. But we are in third place. I think we moved up a few spots, but that's probably because the Rockies and Diamondbacks are not doing well down there. Hey, if we were able to sweep the Giants in this series, we would gain a few games on them at least.
Well, if we just keep that pitching and hitting from the weekend, we will be in good shape.
(photo credit: Hyun Young/padres.com)
6 Comments
No problem🙂 It was the only thing I could do for you. I was aiming for the August game when St. Louis (you know, to see HIM rather) comes to town but it's kinda far away. So.. yeah. Anyway, I'm pretty confident that we are going to win tonight. Go Padres!
Sounds like your Padres are on a roll! Enjoy the ride as long as it lasts.
Great seats!!! When I went to Petco Stadium, we sat in the nosebleed section but still had fun. Good luck to your Padres.
You and Hyun will have a great time at the game! And congrats to your brother's team.
Yay Padres game! Those are great seats! You guys are gonna have so much fun. Whether that's the game I treat Tommy to or not, I'll go anyway. How can you turn down live baseball? And MLBloggers! 🙂 I hope your sunburn gets better…I know that pain hahaha! I wish I could say "go Padres" for this series. But I've been a Giants fan since 2004 (they're second to my Sox, of course), so I gotta go with my boys in orange. Here's a compromise: I hope the Padres don't suck this weekend. Hahahaha!
Those look like great seats. Get there early and take some pictures for sure!Russhttp://wight4256.mlblogs.com


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GV Now
Open forums set for VP candidates
Posted on July 07, 2014
The campus community is invited to attend open forums for the three finalists for the position of vice president for Inclusion and Equity.
The finalists are two internal candidates and one external candidate:
• Dwight K. Hamilton, associate vice president of Affirmative Action and Title IX officer, Grand Valley;
• Sean L. Huddleston, assistant vice president for Strategic Implementation, Grand Valley;
• Gilia C. Smith, associate director for the Committee on Global Thought, Columbia University.
Forums are set from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in Zumberge Hall, room 3000. The forum for Smith will be Tuesday, July 15; Hamilton will be Wednesday, July 16; and Huddleston will be Thursday, July 17.
Resumes for each finalist are posted online, click here.


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Home List of Titles Australian community responses to the use of genetic testing for personalised health promotion
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/195665
- Title
- Australian community responses to the use of genetic testing for personalised health promotion
- Author(s)
- Hardie, Elizabeth A.
- Abstract
- Personalised genetic health promotion may soon be available and affordable. To explore its likely public acceptance in Australia, a community sample (N = 800) provided quantitative and qualitative responses to a vignette scenario about a hypothetical expert who could test their genes and, based on this genetic profile, provide personalised health promotion advice. Three theoretical models were tested to explicate the process by which cognitive-affective factors of risk beliefs, benefit beliefs, and trust judgements influenced behavioural intentions. Results supported an expert trust model, where general beliefs about the risks and benefits of medical advances and general medical trust had indirect influences, while trust in a specific medical expert had a direct influence, on health promotion intentions. Subjective reasons for intentions included moral concerns, fear, trust, mistrust and a desire to maintain health at any cost. The advent of personalised genetic health promotion may heighten the need for specialised health psychologists.
- Publication type
- Journal article
- Research centre
- Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Life and Social Sciences
- Source
- Australian Journal of Psychology, Vol. 63, no. 2 (Jun 2011), pp. 119-129
- Publication year
- 2011
- FOR Code(s)
- 1701 Psychology; 1702 Cognitive Sciences
- Keyword(s)
- Australia; Behavioural intention; Benefits; Genetic testing; Health promotion; Health psychology; Personalised approach; Risks; Trust
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons
- 0004-9530
- Publisher URL
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2011 The Australian Psychological Society.
- Peer reviewed


text:
Learning Center Search Results
Showing 1-2 of 2 results
Beginning South Africa Research
The first of a three-part series, this lesson will introduce you to South African research. The class will first discuss historical events that affected South African research, then talk about the major record types that can assist you in finding your South African ancestors. Finally, the lesson will discuss naming patterns and peculiarities to researching in South Africa.
Historian Dr Anne Samson explores South Africa's attempt to build an empire over the past century. The talk examines how successful South Africa was in adapting its desire in line with the changing international situation, moving from physical to expansion to economic, and later ideological, control.


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Sin and Judgment
Spend some time today and through the weekend confessing your sins before God. Be specific. Recognize that you deserve God's disciplines in your life and praise Him for the mercy He has extended to you. Thank Him for Christ, in ...Read More
Sin Enters the World
The fact that death entered the world at a point in history shows that death is not part of the natural order of things as God originally made them. We were not created to die; rather, death is an invader. ...Read More
Sinful Beyond Measure
Augustine of Hippo writes, "The law is given not to take away sin nor to deliver us from it but to reveal what sin is before grace comes. The result is that those who are placed under the law are ...Read More
Singing Praises to God
Read the song of Moses out loud. Imagine what it would have been like to sing this on the shore of the Red Sea just after God divided the waters and then destroyed the Egyptian army. Do you sense the ...Read More
The Single-Minded Law of God
John Calvin comments, "If godliness does not increase in us in proportion to the sense and experience we have of God's grace, we betray base ingratitude." The greater the ways in which the Lord rescues us from our foes, the ...Read More
Acts recounts the heroic deeds of the early church. Central to these feats was the abiding trust in the power of God. When you are fearful in the face of opposition, do you become angry at God for abandoning you, ...Read More
Single-Minded Speech
James' complaint that the tongue is untameable demonstrates that even the "best" Christian will never in this life perfectly control his tongue. Still, if we continually curse others with our words, then we must question the presence of God in ...Read More
Sinning Deliberately
Do you find yourself struggling with a particular sin that you just cannot overcome? Is there some violation of the law of God that you feel compelled to commit even though you believe in Christ? If so, repent, and find ...Read More
The Sin of David
God mercifully forgave David when he acknowledged his sin, but this does not mean his transgression had no consequences. David also worshiped the Lord even after these consequences were brought to pass (2 Sam. 12:15b–23), showing that He acknowledged his ...Read More
The Sin Offering
That an intentional sin is not always a high-handed sin is seen in God's willingness to forgive sins that were clearly intentional (2 Sam. 11–12). Only those who are unconverted may sin with a high hand, for a converted person ...Read More


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June 2, 1992: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has revealed a new class of object in the universe -- a grouping of gigantic star clusters produced by the collision of galaxies. Images of the core of the peculiar galaxy Arp 220 show that stars are produced at a furious rate from the dust and gas supplied by the interaction of two galaxies.See the rest:
Credit: E. Shaya, D. Dowling/U. of Maryland, the WFPC Team, and NASA


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Choose the period
Today, it's the first day of my two-week stay at my in-laws' house. They forbid drinking, smoking, cursing, and anything even remotely sexual. I smuggled in my quietest toy to keep me sane in this holy house. If only I hadn't forgotten to bring the battery pack too. FML
by comeuntome / 11/29/2012 at 2:42pm / United States / Intimacy
Today, I realized that the comforting, unique scent of my mother in my childhood was actually the smell of the marijuana she smokes. FML
by childhoodupinsmoke / 11/29/2012 at 10:35pm / United States (Texas) / Miscellaneous
Today, I was shopping when I overheard a woman telling an employee that she was buying an iPad for her 5-year-old son. Annoyed, I turned around and ranted about how he should have more age appropriate toys. Then she explained that her son is autistic and will be using the iPad to communicate. FML
by Mimi / 11/29/2012 at 12:29am / United States / Miscellaneous
Today, Muse cancelled their upcoming show in Oslo. I bought my sold-out tickets on the black market for double the retail price, and have no way of getting my money back. FML
by faen / 11/29/2012 at 4:12pm / Norway (Sogn og Fjordane) / Miscellaneous
Today, the battery cables on my car came loose, thus resetting my car's electronics to factory settings. The anti-theft system is now turned on, and I can't start my car with it on. Luckily, it turns off with a remote. The remote broke about six months ago. FML
by pdin222 / 11/29/2012 at 9:45am / United States / Transportation
Today, my 5 kids were singing their favorite Christmas carols in the van, each trying to sing louder than the others. It would have probably sounded better if they were all singing the same one. FML
by Dave / 11/29/2012 at 9:22am / United States (Florida) / Kids
Today, I was going to give my baby daughter an empty Pringles tin to play with on the floor. I saw some crumbs at the bottom, so I emptied the can in my mouth before I gave it to her. I crunched hard and spat them out, realizing my boyfriend had just cut his toenails into the can. FML
by lizzard0416 / 11/29/2012 at 10:00pm / Canada (Alberta) / Miscellaneous
Today, while working at my local supermarket, I found a boy lost and wandering about, so I took him to the front desk. My reward from his mother was a slap around the face and harsh words for supposedly having kidnapped him. FML
by bitch i'm a gerontophile / 11/29/2012 at 1:08pm / Taiwan / Work
Today, I came home to my mother-in-law wearing the gold chain which I usually keep in a hidden drawer. I searched my drawer only to find out my chain was missing. I asked my mother-in-law if she took it and she keeps denying the fact that she stole it from me. My husband is on her side. FML
by elizabeth / 11/29/2012 at 3:01am / United States (Nevada) / Miscellaneous
Today, I caught the train into the city. Halfway there some kids hopped on smelling of marijuana and alcohol. Their topic of discussion? How much pubic hair they had. FML
by fabs1171 / 11/29/2012 at 12:40am / Australia (New South Wales) / Transportation
Today, I met up with a few old friends for some wine and munchies. The main topics of conversation were colonoscopies, lactose intolerance and specific symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. I'm sleeping over at one of their houses. Only 20 more hours to go. FML
by Randiluck / 11/29/2012 at 8:00pm / Canada / Miscellaneous
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By MICHAEL MAROT
The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA's home-grown scandal is hitting hard at headquarters.
President Mark Emmert announced Monday that Julie Roe Lach, the vice president of enforcement, is leaving and will soon be replaced by private attorney Jonathan Duncan after her role in the botched investigation at the University of Miami. He even suggested the NCAA's board of directors and executive committee could hold him accountable for this mess, and it's not over yet.
After releasing a 55-page report detailing how the NCAA violated its own practices and policies by paying the attorney for convicted Ponzi-schemer Nevin Shapiro thousands of dollars to help with the Miami case, Emmert spent more than an hour doing damage control on the latest black eye to hit the organization.
"I think the damage is, first of all, for those people who were already skeptical or cynics, this feeds into their cynicism," Emmert told The Associated Press after a conference call with other reporters. "For those of us who have great confidence in all the people around this building, it's painful to have to deal with an issue that fails to live up to our standards and expectations. I think that's the challenge for all of us that work here."
The report, written by attorney Kenneth L. Wainstein, details how now-former NCAA investigator Ameen Najjar appeared to manipulate the process by hiring Maria Elena Perez, Shapiro's attorney, to help the NCAA obtain information from a bankruptcy proceeding -- information that would have otherwise been unavailable. Shapiro has said that it provided improper benefits to dozens of football and basketball players at Miami.
According to the report, Lach obtained clearance for paying Perez, but the NCAA's legal staff nixed the idea. Najjar then contacted Perez himself with what the report describes as a "way around" the road block.
The report said Najjar, who left the NCAA last spring, assured Lach and Tom Hosty, the managing director of enforcement, that the legal staff had approved the deal when it had not. Najjar did not return phone messages Monday night.
The NCAA didn't figure out what happened, the report said, until Perez billed the NCAA $57,115 for hours in August. By that time, the NCAA had already paid out approximately $10,500 to Perez in expenses.
Wainstein called Lach cooperative and said nothing the external investigators found called her integrity into question. Lach did not immediately respond to a message left by The Associated Press on her cellphone.
"The actions we are taking today are clearly consistent with holding people accountable for their behavior," Emmert said. "If the executive committee believes some disciplinary action needs to be taken toward me, then I'm sure they will."
The incident has been an embarrassing blow to the NCAA, which is fending off a number of lawsuits and is the target of sharp criticism in some quarters for the penalties it handed to Penn State following the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal. And Wainstein will now embark on the second part of the investigation, which could include looking into previous NCAA infractions cases and suggesting ways to prevent another rogue case.
"I don't have any specific recommendations now," Wainstein said. "But as President Emmert said, I'm a former prosecutor and I've managed prosecutions and investigations for the better part of 20 years, so I'm going to suggest some ideas that I import from that context."
Emmert already has two new ideas.
He suggested putting together a committee to hear what amounts to a preliminary case before moving forward, and perhaps adding an ombudsman to the NCAA staff. Emmert later said he's not sure how that would work though he acknowledged an ombudsman would need some power.
There are more immediate concerns, too.
Lach is expected to leave March 1 and over the past 18 months has been closely involved with creating a new enforcement structure. The new multi-tiered penalty approach was approved in October, and the first part of the NCAA's revised rulebook was backed last month at the NCAA's annual convention.
A second part or rules changes is expected to come sometime after April's quarterly board of directors meeting.
Now, though, Emmert wants school leaders to provide more input about enforcement policies.
"We need to be able, at the same time, to say OK as we're changing these rules, how do want them enforced? What approach to enforcement can we abide by?" he said.


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The Dish
Tag: Paula DaSilva
Upcoming lunch-on-the-farm event features four chefs and well-known PB sommelier
- 5:46 pm Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013 by M.M. Cloutier
Mariya Kovacheva, head sommelier at Palm Beach's Café Boulud, will pair pours with courses during an upcoming "Hot Pink" down-on-the-hydroponic-farm lunch at Loxahatchee's Swank Specialty Produce.
If you're not familiar with Swank Specialty Produce by name, there's a good chance you've tasted its perfect organic microgreens, veggies and more since several chefs in Palm Beach and elsewhere in South Florida source from and swear by Swank's high quality.
The Feb. 10 "Hot Pink" lunch—Swank's lunches each season often sell out fast so this heads-up communiqué is hardly premature—benefits The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Along with Kovacheva, four female South Florida chefs are on tap [More]


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PLUTCHAK Genealogy in All Regions
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text:
The Internet is an integral part of the world's businesses. Practically any business that uses computers has Internet access. The need for connection is obvious — business and business-like correspondence with partners, access to databases, upgrading software, and so on.
As a rule, many small businesses were initially limited to one dialup connection from one computer. But electronic mail and access into the network very rapidly became necessary for multiple employees. This made the case to connect an entire office network to the global network. Of course, it would be inexpedient to buy each computer a separate modem and a separate Internet access account. What's needed is an Internet gateway, a separate computer through which everyone can share Internet access.
It still may be sufficient to use a dialup connection, and in time (if necessary) upgrade to a cable modem or DSL connection.
This article describes how to set up and configure such a gateway built on the Red Hat 9 operating system. In other Linux distributions and packages, path names, file names, and file formats and sizes can differ. The techniques are all the same, though.
More and more businesses use high-bandwidth connections through DSL or cable modems. Usually the hardware for these connections includes Ethernet connections. In this case, it's possible to skip tuning the dialup connection.
To create a dialup connection, you will need
pppd and
pppd supports connections via the PPP protocol.
wvdial actually
guides your modem in connecting to your ISP. If you've built your own Linux
kernel, be sure that you've enabled PPP support. Red Hat builds this in to
their pre-built kernels. Let's check for the existence of the appropriate packages for these utilities:
$ rpm -qa | grep ppp
$ rpm -qa | grep wvdial
If necessary, please install these packages. Next, create a symbolic link to the actual device to which the modem is connected. For a modem connected to COM1, do the following:
# ln -s /dev/ttyS0 /dev/modem
To configure PPP, we need to append these lines to the /etc/ppp/options file:
# set remote computer as router by default
# work via modem
# turn on RTS/CTS support for modem
# get DNS addresses after connection from remote computer
Now, let's configure
wvdial. It usually comes with the
wvdialconf utility to create the configuration, but sometimes it
works incorrectly. That's why I suggest to create the configuration file
manually. Edit or create the file /etc/wvdial.conf to
; default
[Dialer Defaults]
; modem init string
Init1 = ATZ
; ... up to 9 strings
Init2 = ATM1L2
; dial type (tone/pulse)
Dial Command = ATDP
; your ISP phone number
Phone = 555-12345
; login name and password for connection
Username = internet
Password = hard_password
; re-connect after break (off, if you don't need that)
Auto reconnect = on
; this argument is needed for ppp with version 2.4.x
New PPPD = on
; set this argument, if you use pppd for authorisation
Stupid Mode = on
To test your connection, obtain superuser privileges (by logging in as root
or through the
sudo command) and type:
# wvdial
To configure
wvdial for multiple ISPs or phone numbers, you
need to add special sections with specific descriptions, such as:
[Dialer MyProvider]
Phone = 555-43210
Username = dialup
Password = dial_password
In this case, to call the "MyProvider" ISP, pass its name on the command line:
# wvdial MyProvider
Arguments from additional sections overwrite the default arguments. You can
see the full list of
wvdial's arguments with the
man wvdial command.
After running
wvdial and performing any further authentication
or connection with your ISP, your Linux server will be connected to network. To
break the connection, you must send a signal to
# kill `pidof wvdial`
You can easily automate the process of setting up and breaking dialup
connections through
The next step is to configure a proxy server. Usually, we use Squid. It's rather large and requires too much memory for proper and good work, but this could be compensated for with convenience in controlling, economizing your traffic (by about 30%), speeding web page access, and many other very useful features.
First, it almost goes without saying that we need to install it (if you don't have it yet):
# rpm -ihv squid-2.5.STABLE1-2.i386.rpm
Squid's configuration files live in the directory /etc/squid. It also contains a symbolic link, errors, which points to the directory storing all user error messages. You may need to modify this link to point to the appropriate language directory. For example, if you need messages displayed in the Russian language with Win-1251 encoding, use this command:
# rm -f /etc/squid/errors; ln -s /usr/lib/squid/errors/Russian-1251
Let's take care of common proxy configuration now. There is no need to describe the details of this or that argument — it's described in many other sources: a little bit in configuration files, a lot of in official documentation, FAQs, and many other articles about Squid. Instead, we will describe the minimal configuration changes necessary to run this service. Let's start by editing the file /etc/squid/squid.conf.
In the
NETWORK OPTIONS section, set the argument for
http_port to the IP address and port on which our proxy server
will work.
http_port 192.168.0.1:3128
In the
OPTIONS WHICH AFFECT THE CACHE SIZE section, the
cache_mem argument defines the amount of RAM to allocate for cache
objects. By default, it is 8MB. When you have too little memory (32MB or
less) I suggest you decrease this value to 4MB. With a lot of memory,
increase it.
Related Reading
Linux Network Administrator's Guide
maximum_object_size argument defines the maximum size of
any object to be stored in cache on disk. By default, it's 4096K.
Depending on the free disk space in your /var/spool directory, you
can decrease it, for example, to 1024K.
In the
LOGFILE PATHNAMES AND CACHE DIRECTORIES section, the
emulate_httpd_log argument defines the type and structure of the
log file. By default, the value of this argument is off. In this case, the log file is rather specific. For example, time is set in Unix-style, so we need to use
special utilities to convert it to any other readable view we need to use
special utilities. When setting this argument on, the log file will appear the
same as that of Apache
httpd's log file. This argument may be
critical when configuring your log analyzer. Some of them use one format, some
of them use others.
In the
OPTIONS FOR TUNING THE CACHE section, see the very
quick_abort_max, and
quick_abort_pct arguments. They govern whether Squid should cache
files that the user aborts downloading. By default, the first two arguments
have a value of 16K and the third one, 95%. Incorrect arguments can create
strange effects — even if users are not working with the proxy at all, it
may still download some things into the cache. For small and slow networks, we
suggest to set
quick_abort_max to
1 or
quick_abort_pct to
98 or
In the
TIMEOUTS section, the
argument defines the maximum timeout after the proxy stops. This governs when
all open TCP user connections will be closed normally. By default, it's 30
seconds. For small networks, you can set it to 15 or even 10 seconds.
One of the most important sections is
ACCESS CONTROLS. It
defines ACLs — access control lists, a powerful and very useful Squid
feature. By default, Squid is configured to allow proxy access only from the
local user (through the localhost interface). In the simplest case, add
the following line to the
acl list:
acl mynetwork src 192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0
mynetwork is the name of this ACL,
src is a
keyword, which defines the type of ACL (in our case it's a class C IP network),
192.168.0.0 is the network address, and
is the network mask. Please remember that when you define the IP address, you
always need to define the network mask, even when defining only one IP
In list of arguments to the
http_access parameter, you need to
provide this access rule:
http_access mynetwork allow
The order of rules to
http_access is very important. Rules are
processed in order from the top to the first match. That's why you must add the
above line you need to add exactly after:
http_access allow localhost
and before:
http_access deny all
Note that this specific example is correct only for the configuration file that comes with the package. In cases where the access rules have changed, the placement of the line that grants access may vary.
One very useful feature is that ACL lists can be loaded from files. Instead of writing addresses directly, you can set a pathname. For example:
acl myuserlist src "/etc/squid/acl/myusers.lst"
states that all IP addresses for
myuserlist can be found in
the file /etc/squid/acl/myusers.lst. The Squid process, which runs
under the unprivileged user
squid, should have at least read-only
access to this file. This file must list all IP addresses, each on its own
Of course, ACL possibilities go far beyond only setting IP addresses. Lists can include dates and times, domain names, URLs (lists and regular expressions), ports, protocols, browsers, and HTTP methods, all with the help of ACL authorization. This gives for administrator powerful options to control proxy access. The Squid documentation and other articles give more details on ACLs. I will just add few useful recipes:
Blocking banners and porn sites:
acl allow_url url_regex "/etc/squid/acl/allow_url"
acl deny_url url_regex "/etc/squid/acl/deny_url"
http_access allow allow_url
http_access deny deny_url
The file
deny_url contains regular expressions that define
denied sites, for example:
The file
allow_url contains exceptions to this list, for example:
Support running some applications (e.g., ICQ, Odigo, etc.) over HTTPS.
By default, Squid denies HTTPS requests (and the
CONNECT method)
over any port, except for ports 443 and 563. As a result, some applications that use
HTTPS over their own ports will not work. The obvious solution is to comment
out the line:
http_access deny CONNECT !SSL_ports
We probably shouldn't do that, because it will open the proxy to access from any utility that uses SSL. It's better to find out to which port the specific application uses. As an example, ICQ uses port 5190. We can modify the line:
acl SSL_ports port 443 563
adding port 5190:
acl SSL_ports port 443 563 5190
After restarting Squid, everything will work properly.
Limit access based on time. In some cases we need to allow access through the proxy only during specific times of the day. The solution, as always, is easy:
# Define access time:
acl worktime_am time MTWHF 8:00-11:00
acl worktime_pm time MTWHF 12:00-16:40
# Define access lists:
acl time_unlimited src "/etc/squid/time_unlimited.list"
acl time_limited src "/etc/squid/time_limited.list"
# Set rules:
http_access allow time_unlimited
http_access allow time_limited !worktime_am !worktime_pm
http_access deny all
These examples show how easily we can solve very hard tasks with the help of Squid.
MISCELLANEOUS section contains the very useful
deny_info setting. It defines which error message to show the user
when a
http_access deny rule matches. Use it as:
deny_info ERROR_MESSAGE acl_name
ERROR_MESSAGE is the name of a file that contains
message text in HTML (without the tags
</BODY> and
</HTML>). This file should live in the
/etc/squid/errors directory. The
acl_name is the ACL
that defines the active deny rule.
With our proxy configured, now we can run it:
# service squid start
init_cache_dir /var/spool/squid... Starting squid: [ ok ]
On the first startup, the special directory tree under
/var/spool/squid will be built. This is the disk cache, in which
objects will be kept. The
init_cache_dir variable controls this
directory. This operation can take up to few minutes (depending on your PC).
The next startup will be much faster.
Now, if we connect to with our ISP with
wvdial, our gateway is
ready to serve the network. On client workstations, we need to configure
browsers to work via our proxy server for the HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP
After testing our service, we will make it start by default:
# chkconfig squid on
Our users are working with Internet already! But what should we do with email? There are a lot of free mail servers that work via the Web, but it can be uncomfortable to use a browser to read and write email, especially if you have a lot of mail boxes. Newsgroup access can also be good.
From the other side, a freshly built server sounds not very secure. Of course, a correctly configured proxy will never allow any "alien" to access it, but all other services are not so well-protected.
It seems that there is nothing in common to these questions, but they can be
solved with one tool — a firewall. Linux distributions often ship with
two configuration packages:
ipchains (old) and
iptables (new). Below, we will
iptables, which Red Hat uses by default.
Let's start from security. The /etc/sysconfig directory
contains the file iptables. This file is in the special
iptables-save and
iptables-restore utilities format.
By default, after installation, if we choose the average level of protection,
this will be created by the
lokkit utility.
# Firewall configuration written by lokkit
# Manual customization of this file is not recommended.
# Note: ifup-post will punch the current nameservers through the
# firewall; such entries will *not* be listed here.
:RH-Lokkit-0-50-INPUT - [0:0]
-A INPUT -j RH-Lokkit-0-50-INPUT
-A FORWARD -j RH-Lokkit-0-50-INPUT
-A RH-Lokkit-0-50-INPUT -i lo -j ACCEPT
-A RH-Lokkit-0-50-INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 0:1023 --syn -j REJECT
-A RH-Lokkit-0-50-INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 2049 --syn -j REJECT
-A RH-Lokkit-0-50-INPUT -p udp -m udp --dport 0:1023 -j REJECT
-A RH-Lokkit-0-50-INPUT -p udp -m udp --dport 2049 -j REJECT
-A RH-Lokkit-0-50-INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 6000:6009 --syn -j REJECT
-A RH-Lokkit-0-50-INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 7100 --syn -j REJECT
This configuration file has three separate logical divisions. The default
policy comes first, allowing any
FORWARD, and
OUTPUT packets to pass through. Next comes the special rule
RH-Lokkit-0-50-INPUT. Though this is not necessary in our simple
example, the technique is very flexible and it is a good idea to use it in
larger snippets. The final part contains one rule per line. Packets are
filtered against the rules from the top to the bottom, looking for the first
match. One common mistake is to create an allow rule after deny rule. That's
why, when creating rules, we first set allow rules for hosts, then deny rules
for hosts, then allow rules for networks, and finally deny rules for
Our generated, mid-level security configuration file allows all packets on the local interface, denies inbound packets on ports below and including 1023 (where only root can use them), and denies all X Window system and font server ports. If the connection originated on the local site, the filter will allow all packets.
This is a very reasonable workstation configuration, but it can be improved
for a server-gateway. Let's start our modifications now. We'll assume that our
internal network is 192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0 on Ethernet interface
eth0, with
a gateway address of 192.168.0.1.
Now we will configure how users will work with mail and news servers that require active, back-and-forth external connections. We'll use NAT, often called "masquerading" in the Linux world. It converts IP packets that come from internal machines so that they appear to come from the gateway. Reply packets are back-converted.
First, we need to allow global packet forwarding. Either execute the following command as a root user:
# echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward
or this command, again as a root user:
# sysctl -w net.ipv4.ip_forward=1
To enable forwarding on boot, modify the /etc/sysctl.conf file. Change this line:
net.ipv4.ip_forward = 0
net.ipv4.ip_forward = 1
The next step is to configure
iptables. As a rule, all mail services use three TCP ports: 25 for outgoing mail through SMTP, 110 for incoming mail through
POP3, and 143 for incoming mail through IMAP4. NNTP, for newsgroups, uses port
119. (See
/etc/services for the more.) To allow connections
through those ports, we need to add rules to
It may also be necessary to configure DNS on user workstations, as far as our mail clients need this. If we know the IP addresses of our mail servers, we can fill in the hosts files: /etc/hosts for Unix, c:\windows\hosts for Windows 9x/ME, and c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc\hosts for NT/W2k/XP — a strange place, isn't it?
The order of these mail rules is very important, as usual. Behold our modifications:
# Simple firewall for internet gateway
# Deny forward for security reasons
# Redirect all input-forwarded packets to our special rule
-A INPUT -j RH-FW-INPUT
# Accept all packets for local interface (lo)
-A RH-FW-INPUT -i lo -j ACCEPT
# Define custom rules
# This part equal to some part from generated by Lokkit utility
-A RH-FW-INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 0:1023 --syn -j REJECT
-A RH-FW-INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 2049 --syn -j REJECT
-A RH-FW-INPUT -p udp -m udp --dport 0:1023 -j REJECT
-A RH-FW-INPUT -p udp -m udp --dport 2049 -j REJECT
-A RH-FW-INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 6000:6009 --syn -j REJECT
-A RH-FW-INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 7100 --syn -j REJECT
# Allow access to mail/news/DNS
-A FORWARD -s 192.168.0.0/24 -p tcp -m tcp --dport 25 -j ACCEPT
-A FORWARD -s 192.168.0.0/24 -p tcp -m tcp --dport 110 -j ACCEPT
-A FORWARD -s 192.168.0.0/24 -p tcp -m tcp --dport 143 -j ACCEPT
-A FORWARD -s 192.168.0.0/24 -p tcp -m tcp --dport 119 -j ACCEPT
-A FORWARD -s 192.168.0.0/24 -p tcp -m tcp --dport 53 -j ACCEPT
-A FORWARD -s 192.168.0.0/24 -p udp -m udp --dport 53 -j ACCEPT
# Enable masquerading
-A POSTROUTING -p tcp -s 192.168.0.0/24 -o ppp0 -j MASQUERADE
-A POSTROUTING -p udp -s 192.168.0.0/24 -o ppp0 -j MASQUERADE
Don't forget to add commands for loading the kernel modules that allow masquerading:
# touch /etc/rc.d/rc.modules
# chmod +x /etc/rc.d/rc.modules
# ln -s /etc/rc.d/rc.modules /etc/rc.modules
# cat > /etc/rc.d/rc.modules
modprobe ip_conntrack
modprobe ip_conntrack_ftp
modprobe iptable_nat
modprobe ip_nat_ftp
Execute the
rc.modules (to avoid rebooting):
# /etc/rc.d/rc.modules
Please note that the forward policy is now
DENY. This is for security
reasons: to deny illegal IP packets.
With the configuration files changed, we have to run and enable the
auto-loading of
iptables, now.
# service ipchains start
Reseting all current rules and user queries [ OK ]
Cleaning all current rules and user queries [ OK ]
Loading rules iptables [ OK ]
# chkconfig iptables on
Sometimes starting
iptables can break some services. In this, case I suggest
turning on logging for each
REJECT or
DROP rule.
-j DROP or
-j REJECT with
-j LOG
--log-prefix "short comment". This will add messages to the system log
/var/log/messages for packets that would be blocked, allowing
you to craft appropriate allow rules.
These techniques can also allow certain users to access other services outside of the network. Try to avoid this as much as possible; exceptions decrease the total security level of your network.
Over time, our traffic will grow. Users will become upset with low speeds for downloading files, loading mail, and so forth. While we'll need to consider increasing our bandwidth, we can help our users with their mail even now by installing a local mail service — a SMTP and POP3 server. For proper working we will require a static IP address, available from our ISP. It's cheap, and we shouldn't worry about that too much. We also will need our own mail domain.
Many SMTP servers use Sendmail and many services also use it. I personally do not recommend using Sendmail in this project. It's difficult to configure for the uninitiated and requires many patches and constant security vigilance. Fortunately, we have many alternatives.
Postfix comes with our distribution. Let's install it, configure it for POP3 and IMAP services, and delete Sendmail:
# rpm -ihv postfix-1.1.11-11.i386.rpm
Preparing... ########################################### [100%]
1:postfix ########################################### [100%]
# rpm -ihv imap-2001a-18.i386.rpm
Preparing... ########################################### [100%]
1:imap ########################################### [100%]
# rpm -e sendmail
We will start with the easiest parts, configuring POP3 and IMAP4. We just
need to run the services and configure access rights. Because these services
run from the
xinetd super-daemon, we must edit both
/etc/xinetd.d/ipop3 and /etc/xinetd.d/imap to change
the line:
disable = yes
disable = no
Then reload the super-daemon:
# service xinetd reload
As far as super-daemon services working within
we allow access only for computers on our network to these services. Add these
lines to /etc/hosts.allow:
ipop3d: 192.168.0
imapd: 192.168.0
By the way, it's good to check for the following lines in /etc/hosts.allow and /etc/hosts.deny, respectively:
Usually, both files are empty, allowing access to all services run by the super-daemon. This is likely not what you want. The above lines deny access to all services except from the local machine; we added exceptions for POP3 and IMAP. Secure everything first, then ease up as necessary.
The hard part is configuring Postfix. This software has so many abilities, another article would be required. (Editor's note: see "Postfix: An Easy to Use and Secure MTA" for just that.) Postfix includes nice documentation with answers to the most frequent questions. Here, we will describe only the basic configuration we need to run the service properly.
All Postfix configuration files live in the directory /etc/postfix. All files mentioned below are found there by default, if not otherwise specified.
For our comfort, suppose that our network gateway address is 192.168.0.1, our external address from the ISP is 184.108.40.206, and our mail domain is ourcompany.com.
Let's start by editing a few settings in main.cf.
In the
INTERNET HOST AND DOMAIN NAMES section, the
myhostname argument defines the host name (of our gateway).
In our case, this could be
mail.ourcompany.com or even just
ourcompany.com. If the latter, you also need to define the
mydomain setting to set the mail domain of the organization. Use
In the
SENDING MAIL section, the
myorigin argument
defines the domain name of sender to use when sending mail from the local host
(our gateway). Use
In the
RECEIVING MAIL section, we can set
inet_interfaces to
all, causing Postfix to accept
connections from any existing network interface on the gateway. The
mydestination argument defines for which domains to accept mail as
local. We want mail for
email@example.com, and
firstname.lastname@example.com to be delivered to the local user
john. Use the following line:
mydestination = $myhostname, localhost.$mydomain, $mydomain
Mail can be sent two ways: directly to the mail server of the receiver or via
the mail server of our provider. The second approach is better, in our case
— we'll send all outgoing mail to our provider, letting the provider worry about
where to send it. That's why the
relayhost argument in the
INTERNET OR INTRANET section is important.
Its value should be the name of our ISP's mail server:
relayhost = mail.provider.net
In the
REJECTING UNKNOWN LOCAL USERS section, uncomment the
local_recipient_maps = $alias_maps unix:passwd.byname
This defines the location of the list of local users for whom we need to receive mail.
That's all for main.cf.
Now, we need to modify the aliases file. It consists of a list of mail aliases. Find the line:
root: postmaster
and change
postmaster to the name of the administrator's
account. Postfix will not deliver mail to the root for security reasons.
Instead, we'll choose a lucky normal user to receive all of root's mail
Compile this text file into a Postfix-readable database file:
# postalias aliases
Remember to do this every time you change the aliases file.
One thing remains. The part of Postfix that communicates over TCP works in
chrooted environment, for increased security. That is, for this operation,
the root of the file system isn't the real root directory but another directory
(in this case, /var/spool/postfix). You'll need to copy your
/etc/passwd file into /var/spool/postfix/etc (don't
use a symlink, just copy it!). Remember to do this each time you add a new
user, otherwise mail for this user will not be received. Nevertheless, we can
easily automate this process.
That seems to be everything that's needed. It's time to run and install our mail service:
# service postfix start
Starting postfix: [ OK ]
# chkconfig postfix on
We'll need to reconfigure the firewall to allow users to use these mail services:
# Simple firewall for internet gateway
# Deny forward for security reasons
# Redirect all input-forwarded packets to our special rule
-A INPUT -j RH-FW-INPUT
# Accept all packets for local interface (lo)
-A RH-FW-INPUT -i lo -j ACCEPT
# Define custom rules
# Access to mail services
-A RH-FW-INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 25 -j ACCEPT
-A RH-FW-INPUT -s 192.168.0.0/24 -p tcp -m tcp --dport 110 -i eth0 -j ACCEPT
-A RH-FW-INPUT -s 192.168.0.0/24 -p tcp -m tcp --dport 143 -i eth0 -j ACCEPT
# This part equal to some part from generated by Lokkit utility
-A RH-FW-INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 143 -j ACCEPT
-A RH-FW-INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 0:1023 --syn -j REJECT
-A RH-FW-INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 2049 --syn -j REJECT
-A RH-FW-INPUT -p udp -m udp --dport 0:1023 -j REJECT
-A RH-FW-INPUT -p udp -m udp --dport 2049 -j REJECT
-A RH-FW-INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 6000:6009 --syn -j REJECT
-A RH-FW-INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 7100 --syn -j REJECT
# Allow access to external mail/news/DNS
-A FORWARD -s 192.168.0.0/24 -p tcp -m tcp --dport 25 -j ACCEPT
-A FORWARD -s 192.168.0.0/24 -p tcp -m tcp --dport 110 -j ACCEPT
-A FORWARD -s 192.168.0.0/24 -p tcp -m tcp --dport 143 -j ACCEPT
-A FORWARD -s 192.168.0.0/24 -p tcp -m tcp --dport 119 -j ACCEPT
-A FORWARD -s 192.168.0.0/24 -p tcp -m tcp --dport 53 -j ACCEPT
-A FORWARD -s 192.168.0.0/24 -p udp -m udp --dport 53 -j ACCEPT
# Enable masquerading
-A POSTROUTING -p tcp -s 192.168.0.0/24 -o ppp0 -j SNAT --to-source 188.8.131.52
-A POSTROUTING -p udp -s 192.168.0.0/24 -o ppp0 -j SNAT --to-source 188.8.131.52
There are two important changes in our firewall settings. First, we've given access from everyone to our SMTP server and from all of our local network to POP3 and IMAP services. Second, we've changed the masquerading rules slightly. There are two predefined rulesets, SNAT and MASQUERADE. SNAT is preferable for systems with a static IP address on an external interface. MASQUERADE is more often used for systems with dynamic addresses.
We've explored the installation and configuration of Linux as an Internet gateway for a small network. The next article will explain the installation and minimum necessary configuration for DNS and the Apache web server, as well as different monitoring services — counting traffic, load balancing, and analyzing logfiles.
Alexander Prohorenko is a certified professional, who holds Sun Certified System Administrator and Sun Certified Java Programmer certifications.
Return to the Linux DevCenter.
Copyright © 2009 O'Reilly Media, Inc.


text:
The first time I saw the Winnie the Pooh movie (open TODAY, July 15th!!)when I was in LA, I loved it. I knew I would- I have such fond memories of reading the A.A. Milne books as a child with my mom and well, I grew up with Pooh, Tigger, Kanga, Roo and Eeyore. The Hundred Acre Wood was in my imagination just as it was in Christopher Robin's…and oh, the memories and nostalgia I felt when I watched this movie for the first time….and I think what I loved so very much about it is that the folks at Disney kept the friends as I knew them growing up- they weren't older, nor different, they weren't better, definitely not smarter, although maybe, just maybe, they were a little quicker on the reply…this made me so happy.
So Disney, this is my official THANK YOU for keepin' it real. Really, truly. I only wish my mom could see it with me. Then it'd be just perfect.
Last weekend, I got to take my kids to the screening of the movie. My kids have not been to too many movies in the theater, and the littlest one isn't quite 2 so she's never been…but I decided to bring them all. Sure, people told me I was brave, bringing three little kids solo to a theater, but the gift I brought Baby B home from my trip was a big, stuffed, snuggly soft Pooh Bear that she's toted around ever since. "Ba-yer" goes everywhere with her- he sits in a chair near hers when she eats, and goes for rides in the dump truck and stroller around the house. Pooh is not to be missed when it's time for bed, either, or things get ugly. So you can see, I had to bring her to see her beloved pal on the big screen. So, I took my 23 month old with us to her first movie.
We got all settled in and even when the lights went dark the baby didn't get scared, she just said OH WOW looking at the screen. Once she saw Pooh she was entranced. My little guy, he didn't move a muscle the whole movie. I'm serious. He loved it. I know he did because the whole ride home, he spoke to me about his new 'friends' the way I remember speaking of the same friends when I was a kid. Busy loved it too- and since she's a reader she loved the way the characters interacted with the pages of the book and interrupted the letters and paragraphs…she thought that was so neat. All three kids loved this movie as much as I did. Enough that we may just go see it again in the theater!!
There weren't too many people in the theater with us, which was surprising to me, but those who were there, loved the movie. I heard the adults laugh when I did, and I think they felt as I did- that this was a great way to have a shared experience from our childhood with our own children. I was sure to tell everyone before the film started to be SURE to stay all the way through the credits, because there's things you won't want to miss- and most everyone did stay, and several commented to me on the way out that they were glad they'd stayed as well.
The movie opens with the narrator trying to wake Pooh up, who, as always, has a rumbly in his tummy and goes on a search for honey since he hasn't any at home, and comes across Eeyore who has lost his tail- and the resulting story is the tale of looking for a new tail for Eeyore, and all the mishaps and silly things that the Hundred Acre Wood friends have along the way. Of course, nothing is every simple and straightforward with the Hundred Acre Wood friends…and thanks to Owl and his reading skills, the friends are left to think that a creature called the Backson has kidnapped Christopher Robin and the hunt for Eeyore's tail is put to the side for a time…
If you haven't already checked it out, you can hear ME voicing Piglet in one of the scenes from the movie here…please, please do not laugh. It took me a long time to publish a video of me so nervous on the internet…but seriously? How many times in life do you get to head into a voice recording session at Disney to be the voice of Piglet and then have the clip to keep forever and ever?!
After you check my Disney voice debut (oddly, they haven't called to cast me in any future Pooh films, although maybe they are just waiting a bit so as not to seem too anxious)…check these fun printable crafts and activities to go along with the movie!!
Here's a clip of Owl's Cold (voiced by Craig Ferguson-hilarious!!) that you will love, my friends!! I can't wait to hear what you all think of this movie!! This is one of my 3 favorite scenes from the film.
I screened this film in LA and again here in CT courtesy of Disney. All opinions expressed within are my own. [ad#glam between posts]


text:
Until someone comes up with an indoor venue for the sport, the weather can be as formidable an obstacle as any other in cross country. Probably close to a thousand athletes, coaches, parents, and spectators found that out as they waited, waited, and waited some more for this meet to get off the ground, or should I say on it.
Though scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. for the women (5K) and 5:40 p.m. for the men (8K), everyone spent an extra two hours idled by a pesky lightning monitor that seemed to be generating almost continuous warnings. While members of the13 men's and 12 women's teams huddled in the clubhouse of "The Claw" (the name of the golf course where this meet was held) and stared at images of the current radar on iPhones, their coaches milled outside, nervously looking skyward. Caught between "shock and a dark place"—according to the almanac, the sun would set by 7:44 p.m.—some were even humorously plotting "alternative" ways to salvage an important date on their team's schedule.
Finally, a break in the thunder-boomers provided the opportunity for a last-ditch attempt at 7:00 p.m. Gone was any hope of two races, so both were absorbed into a single, mixed race that had 288 tightly packed runners. It went off, no one went down, and the atmosphere of the race was as electric as the air above it. For one thing, the temperature had plummeted more than 20 degrees from the day's high (in the mid-nineties), and the specter of dark, threatening clouds in the distance added urgency to the task at hand: finish fast, or else.
For Stetson, it was if the team's runners were shot from a cannon. Intermingled in a crush of humanity, the men and women went all out, lost from each other in the usual sense of team place, and what resulted in its stead could best be described as the race of their lives.
"I loved it," said senior Matthew Ady. "The mob scene helped me a lot. I came through the mile in 5:50, and I don't think I've ever run a mile that fast. I thought, 'Oh my gosh!' Then, when I went through two, it was a pretty even split, so I knew I had it in me and that it would be a special race."
Ady finished in 19:42, a minute under his previous best of 20:45, which he had run a week earlier at UNF.
"My thing about the 5K is that I never do well in the heat, so this race represented what might well be the last fast 5K that I ever run for the school. I took that [Steve] Prefontaine mentality and ran hard from the start to the finish; I left nothing on the course. I was able to pick out people (ahead of me) to get."
Ady's description of his own race pretty much reflected what was going on all around him, and that, unfortunately, led to a minor problem. Runners in general, and good runners in particular, tend to tightly follow tangents from point to point, much like those of satellite-guided GPS devices. When the leaders—Kevin Marindich and Elias Chesire of Florida A&M (both formerly of Eldoret, Kenya)—saw a tangent, they ran it. And not wanting to lose an advantage, so did everyone else. The wide open golf course offered lots of tangents. As a result, the runners lopped off huge chunks of course that affected the actual distance run. Afterwards, no one could be sure what they ran, but it definitely wasn't 3.1 miles.
"It was kind of annoying that it might have been short," added Ady, "but I extrapolated it in my mind and I think I still I had a 20 second PR. Now I know I can do it again."
This being the first (and no doubt last) race at this particular "mystery distance," in effect all 25 Stetson runners ran lifetime bests. (Humorous, but true.) For the men, the top five of Andrew Epifanio (15:52), Joe Beery (16:10), Andrew Townes (17:18), Cody Malloy (17:20), and Ryan Hodgins (17:39) together scored 112 points to finish fifth among the Division I teams.
Also finishing for Stetson were Kyle Meerdo (17:58), Austyn Finnk (19:19), Ady, and James Welch III (20:00).
The combined race helped the women, too. In what has become the norm, Amanda Spring set the pace for the Hatters and ran 18:29. But wedged into second, and closing fast, was fellow freshman Samantha Hicks. In the last 300 meters, Sami was reeling them in faster than we could count. Given more time—or the correct distance—there's no telling how many more places she would have caught. Up in New England, this is what is known as "The Sami Show."
"It's something I do all the time," Hicks explained. "I always try to finish as fast as I can. During my senior year in high school, my track coach and I worked a lot on speed. And it helps me at the end of the race when girls fall back."
Hicks comes into the program amidst a lot of anticipation. In her sophomore year, she ran a 5K best of 18:17, which, if she can do it again, will put her in select company on the collegiate level. That has certainly been on her mind.
"I've never trained as hard as I am now," she admitted. "So I'm hoping to start cutting seconds off my time. I'm hoping that I'll keep getting better, and improving."
In this race, she ran 18:49, and although no one can be certain of the actual distance, the fact that it is over a minute faster than her time trial—which she did after being on campus only a few days—it is definitely an indication that her times are on the way down.
"I'm pretty sure that this is as fast as I've run since my sophomore year in high school. That excites me because it's my first race and I've only just begun to train."
And where will she be at season's end?
"I'd really like to get down to the low to mid 18:30s, maybe even the 18:20s by the end of the year. It would be great to beat my PR, but that will take a lot of work."
And that is a job that Samantha Hicks is really, really good at.
Rounding out the scoring for Stetson were Adrienne DeVita (18:55), Daniella Godenzi (19:31) and Sabrina Guzsvany (19:39). The Stetson women's team has its biggest squad in years, and this meet produced a total of 15 finishers for Hatters. That list also includes Emily Nolen (19:44), Shelby Block (20:00), Trixi Menge (20:06), Jessica Cosgrove (20:08), Clarissa Consol (20:24), Valerie Hiller (20:50), Nicole Garrabrant (21:12), Christine Iseley (21:18), Constance Compton (21:32), Emmie Wenzell (22:34), and Susan Scaggs (24:07).
Together the squad scored 95 points and finished fourth among the Division I schools.
Stetson's next meet, taking place on Saturday, September 14th, will be the University of Florida/Mountain Dew Invitational in Gainesville.
Until someone comes up with an indoor venue for the sport, the weather can be as formidable an obstacle as any other in cross country. Probably close to a thousand athletes, coaches, parents, and spectators found that out as they waited, waited, and waited some more for this meet to get off the ground, or should I say on it.


text:
John W Stone record reminds everyone to "Get Out & Vote!"
John W. Stone is reminding everyone that Nov. 4, 2008, is a very important Election Day, with his recording "Get Out & Vote." The song was written by John, along with Teddy Gentry (Alabama Band, and producer for Emerson Drive and Eric Drrance), and Randy Boudreauxs (songwriter/producer for Joe Nichols, Tracy Lawrence and David Kersh). […]Tags: Alabama, amp, country, Craig Morgan, David Kersh, desert storm veteran, Election, Emerson Drive, Eric Drrance, Franklin, Joe Nichols, John, John Stone, John W. Stone, Nashville, producer for emerson drive, quot, Randy Boudreauxs, songwriter producer, Teddy Gentry, Tracy Lawrence, Vote


text:
Hickenlooper: Auto industry should make natural gas cars
- published_in
- Today's News
The letter, sent this week, was part of a multi-state partnership initiated by Hickenlooper and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin last fall. The agreement promotes the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel.
"A bipartisan partnership between governors and auto manufacturers in the U.S. makes sense and has the potential to create new options for alternative fuel vehicles and transportation fuel diversity," the letter reads. "Abundant, affordable, clean-burning natural gas presents a tremendous opportunity for America to realize an energy future using domestic resources to fuel our nation's transportation needs."
Other states participating in the push were Oklahoma, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Hickenlooper's office also announced Friday that it would join the Colorado Municipal League in working with cities that want to add natural gas vehicles to their fleets.
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Bogetic, Zeljko, Maurizio Bussolo, and Denis Medvedev. 2008. Achieving Accelerated and Shared Growth in Ghana: A MAMS-based Analysis of Costs and Opportunities (204 KB). World Bank Policy Research Paper No. 4523. Washington, D.C. February.
World Bank. 2008. "Introduction to Policy Analysis with MAMS in GAMS for Ghana." A one-week course offered June 2-7 to seven Ghanian officials from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning by a team from the World Bank's Development Prospects Group with inputs from other World Bank staff. Hans Lofgren was the course coordinator and main instructor.
Bussolo, Maurizio, and Denis Medvedev. 2007. Accelerated Growth and MDG Achievement in Ghana: A General Equilibrium Analysis of Fiscal Policy Alternatives (388 KB). Presentation given at the Poverty Reduction, Equity and Growth Network (PEGNet) Conference, held in Berlin, September 6-7.
Bussolo, Maurizio, and Denis Medvedev. 2007. Challenges to MDG Achievement in Low-Income Countries: Lessons for Ghana and Honduras (722 KB). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 4383. World Bank, Development Prospects Group. Washington, D.C. November. Also issued under the same title in pp. 65-96 of editors John Cockburn and Martin Valdivia. 2008. "Reaching the MDGs: An International Perspective (1.18 MB). Papers prepared as contributions to a researcher-stakeholder forum on 'Reaching the MDGs: An International Perspective (Lima, Peru, June 12, 2007) co-organized by the Poverty and Economic Policy (PEP) Research Network, the Grupo de Analisis para el Desarollo (GRADE), Universidad del Pacifico and the Network on Inequality and Poverty (NIP).
World Bank. 2007. Ghana: Meeting the Challenge of Accelerated and Shared Growth. Country Economic Memorandum. World Bank Report No. 40934-GH. PREM 4. Africa Region. November 28. (For MAMS-based materials, prepared by Zeljko Bogetic, Maurizio Bussolo,and Denis Medvedev, see Vol. I: Synthesis (546 KB), pp. 52-72.)
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text: Rod Dreher thinks Lynn Messina's a bad mother, and he thinks that's a hoot. In the New York Times' Motherlode: Adventures in Parenting blog, Messina, a YA novelist, complains that her 4-year-old's preschool teacher lets the girls cut ahead of the boys on the line to the bathroom every day before naptime. "A gentleman lets [Read More…]


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10 Item(s)
- PRETTY!Review by Jacqueline
Quality Price Fit Appearance
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10 Item(s)