text:
Hello All,
I'm a bit confused and I'm worried I'm stressing out of very normal things. My son is 6 months, we started letting him play with foods here and there at about 5 months because he was showing all the signs. If we ate in front of him and didn't at least offer him a baby fork to play with he'd get angry. He's done great, I have one of the La Leche League cookbooks which suggest some purees and so on, he likes about everything except rice cereal. He won't touch that. He'll take some oatmeal if mixed with a fruit.
What I'm stressed about is that he's a Reverse Cycler and how this is going to impact my supply, which has seemingly taken a dip since we started solids. He rarely takes more than 5 - 7 oz. while I'm away at work from 7-4 during the day. Before solids he would nurse all evening long, we would park it on the couch for hours then after bedtime around 7:30/8:00 he'd still awake every 2 - 3 hours to nurse. He'd finish with a long nurse at 5:00 am then hold off until 9:00/10:00 AM and will refuse all bottles offered before then. We have never sent solids to daycare as we are switching to a new provider in two weeks and didn't want too much going on for our LO.
Before solids I would easily pump about 15 oz. while at work. I single side pump, alternating sides. Now I am barely getting 10 oz. single side pumping, and have had to start to double pump to make up the difference. (I guess the difference just goes to the freezer :-)
Anyone have as similar experience, any suggestions? Should I be worried my supply is dwindling and cut back, or is this all normal for his age?


text:
Zionist Organization of America Greater Philadelphia District
The Zionist Organization of America-Greater Philadelphia District works tirelessly to defend Israel and to ensure that it remains a safe and secure Jewish State. How do we do that?
Just think about what is happening in the Middle East, across Europe, and on the rest of the planet today. Hardly a day goes by without a new situation threatening either U.S. support of Israel or Israel's very existence. Sometimes these fires are small, such as an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer casting doubt on Israel's humanitarian qualities. A spark like that requires a quick response to set the record straight. At other times there are larger fires, such as the many homicide-bomb attacks which leave supporters of Israel shaken and grieving and yet leave the worldwide community unmoved.
In either of these instances -- and countless others within these two extremes - ZOA-GPD is there to lead the response, guide supporters of Israel in how to react, and help clear up their confusion. We tirelessly strive to put out as many of these blazes as we can.
Think of us as Israel's local volunteer fire department. Often, we are the only area organization that rides to Israel's defense, sounds the alarm and fights fire with fire.
We know most people, even strong supporters of Israel, cannot possibly keep up with all the details, the moves and counter-moves, the political jockeying and the subtle maneuvers that occur on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis in the Middle East.
The administration and officers of the ZOA-GPD spend almost all day, almost every day, tracking these changes and formulating responses. Our goal is to provide our members with as much information, in a digestible form, so that each one can be an effective member of the advocacy units working on behalf of Israel.
And then we educate the policy-makers in our local and national communities. And that is what we can, we must, do for Israel. It's our obligation. It's your obligation.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The adidas adizero Aegis 2 packs a bit of support into a performance trainer that, thanks to its responsive ride and snug fit, is suitable for daily training and tempo runs.
The Aegis 2 is a performance trainer with just a bit of pronation support. As with other offerings in adidas' adizero lineup, the Aegis 2 has a highly snappy midsole for a quick toe off and a fast feel. Though not the most lightweight option at 9.5oz, the shoe feels quick and nimble - more than ready to handle fast running.
The Aegis 2 fits on the narrow side, keeping the foot snug from the toebox through the heel. Interestingly, the opening of the shoe is longer than what we normally encounter; however, we did not find this to lead to a loose or insecure fit. Some testers felt the lack of overlays towards the base of the laces made the shoe feel slightly disconnected from the foot, though this was not seen as a deal breaker.
The midsole features a pronounced decoupled heel designed to absorb initial impact, prolonging shock absorption through the heel to midfoot transition for a smoother ride. Testers were split on whether they felt the effect of the feature. Some did feel, however, that it sapped a bit of energy from the ride of the shoe. We'd like to see a lower and lighter platform in the next update of the Aegis, particularly in the heel, but this latest shoe still provides performance, a smooth ride and plenty of go-fast capability.
With its snappy and responsive midsole, the Aegis 2 runs like a shoe much lighter than it is.
The mesh upper is much more closed than in many other shoes. As a result the upper felt less breathable and better for cooler days.
The mild support is good for slight overpronators or for neutral runners who need support over longer runs.


text:
Mysteries of the Universe
My insatiable quest for knowledge is rooted in the works of that dapper fella pictured here to the right. That's Carl Sagan. You can call him Mr. Awesome if ya want. I do.
I was but a child when I first watched his infamous Cosmos series — a series that, for the very first time, made me realize that the mysteries of life, of the universe, of existence as we know it are far more grand and far more expansive than anything I could ever understand in my lifetime.
But, more importantly, it taught me to always ask questions.
And that's what I'm doin' today… 'cuz some of this shizzo just doesn't make any sense.
Let's take a look at some contemporary mysteries of the universe, shall we?
Kyle Farnsworth Has a Job. Gregg Zaun Has a Job. Jermaine Dye Does NOT Have a Job. Again.
How does this work? How does a bonafide game-yacker who cries a lot get paid $3 plus million a year while Jermaine Dye sits at home drinking scotch, watching NBA League Pass and surfing the 900 channels? And Gregg Zaun? Isn't he an AARP officer? The dude's knees must be concrete by now! Dye had what it takes to play last year and no one gave him a deal because he supposedly wanted too much money. Well, I'm sorry, but I'd rather pay Dye decent money to do his thang rather than throw it at the above two fellas knowing the bad days have a good chance of outweighing the good.
General Electric No Longer Holds Majority Ownership of NBC
WHAT?!? What is Jack Donaghy gonna pimp now? Skin-a-max? Oh, wait… that's not such a bad idea!
Armando Gallaraga's Very Bad… Life
He went from rookie sensation (2008) to minor league road block (2009) to work-in-progress (2010) to the imperfect game… THEN… in just a matter of hours went from agreeing to a $2.3 million contact to being DESIGNATED FOR ASSIGNMENT! DFA'D YO!!! That's the sort of thing that happens to the Wilson Betemits of the world, not someone who had a perfect game ripped from his reach!
Matt Drudge's Recent Lapse in Calling President Obama a Socialist
Oh… wait. Nevermind. Mystery solved because there is no mystery. He just went two days without a dig. That's… strange, but not mysterious.
And finally… one of the universe's biggest mysteries…
How Many Donuts Can Prince Fielder's $15.5 Million Contract Really Buy?
As far as I know, vegetarians can eat donuts.
And that's a whole lot of donuts.
Yet I do not doubt Prince's ability to devour them all.
Hate me 'cuz I went a whole week without a Prince-Fielder-Is-Fat joke, just don't hate me 'cuz I'm right.
13 Comments
I love you because of the Prince Fielder jokes!
And my son admires Carl Sagan and enjoy Cosmos as much as you do – he just got the whole series for Christmas.
Okay so that isn't a very "article-related" comment but I wanted to share.
That's awesome, Christy! Thanks for sharing! Keep encouraging your son to always be learning… that's what Mr. Sagan taught me😉
I don't know how many Donuts Prince will eat, but I know what Carl Sagan would say, "Billionssss and Billionsss"
Isn't it true right after he signed his new contract Prince Fielder told a sportswriter that if fans " did not like his new cintract, they can eat tofu" or maybew that was a bad Onion website joke….not sure anymore.
With the Comedy Central time slot the Onion is starting to make more sense than ESPN or the MLB Network.
Wonder if any one else noticed that?
And to think my Rays wanted Dye two years ago and balked at hisprice….instead they did a steady diet of Pat Burrell which induced fan vomiting fits…..I would take Dyw over Manny….but Alad the Baseball Impaler might be our next DH…..in a symbiotic (Scrabble word) universe.
Rays Renegade
Loved the pic of Fielder! As for Dye, the only possible reason I can imagine that no one has signed him is because his asking price is too high. Otherwise, I have no clue why an AL team wouldn't take a shot at having his bat in their lineup.
Russel — That's a LOT of donuts!
RR — I'd take Dye over Pat the Bat ANY day, but I think I'd take Vlad over Dye… no question.
Ron — Yeah, that's what they said last year… but still, Farnsworth ain't worth $3 million but he has no problem getting contracts. Thus, confusion…
That Price Fielder contract is crazy considering he'll be a free agent, right? And Farnsy? Actually, I'm glad he got another job so we'll always have material to write about.
I've heard of some vegetarians that use the "I don't eat meat" excuse TO eat donuts. Lots of them!!
Wait, Jermaine Dye is still available? How is that still possible? (Yes, you explained it, Jeff, but still…)
Oh, and Prince Fielder and his donut habit…well, sadly, there are only two Dunkin Donuts stores within 50 miles of Miller Park – both in Milwaukee. That's not enough, really…
– Randy
Farnsworth, Dye and Gallaraga? Perhaps the Treasury Department charts and decapitated chicken predictor from South Park's episode on the mortgage meltdown can explain this, but I can't.
– Kristen
Jane — I know right!? Allen loves Farnsy anyway.
Prince — Donuts… I'm so over them. Sugared dough is okay when you're a kid, but as a grown up I'd feel silly eating them.
Randy — Only TWO? There are two on my block alone in the CHI! In fact, there are more Dunkin' Donuts here than anywhere else I've ever been. EVER.
Kristen — HAHAHA! That made me LOL.
Only two Dunkin Donuts in Milwaukee? How does Prince surivive? Does he buy out both stores??? Speaking of "Mysteries of the Universe"…😉
Greg — I know, crazy, eh!??!?


text:
I don't mind that many fast food places now make you ask for condiments for your to-go orders. I can understand not wanting to waste condiments. If I'm taking my food home, where I have a big bottle of ketchup, there's no need for me to also have a fistful of ketchup packets. It costs money, and eventually that cost will get passed along in the form of higher prices.
What I mind — what annoys me to no end — is the fact that neither of the Sonic locations in Shelbyville has any idea what its policy is. Sometimes, you have to ask for ketchup; sometimes, they put it in the bag. Sometimes, they have an employee wandering among the drive-in spaces, carrying a tray on a strap around her neck, offering you condiments. You take some, figuring that her very presence means there won't be any ketchup in your bag when it arrives. And then you get your bag, and it's full of ketchup packets. So the next time, you turn down the Wandering Ketchup Lady, and of course this time there's no ketchup in your bag either.
Seriously, Sonic, give us our condiments automatically or make us ask for them; your choice. But make up your mind which one is your policy, and stick to it.


text:
Arade River Shipwrecks
FilipeCastro (Talk | contribs)
FilipeCastro (Talk | contribs)
|(5 intermediate revisions by one user not shown)
|Line 42:
|Line 42:
In the summer of 2001 Texas A&M University was invited to participate in a closer inspection of the most promising sites located by the GEO team. With the help of one of the 1970 divers, Helder Mendes, one of these sites was immediately identified as one of the shipwrecks hit by the dredges in that year. It was decided to start an excavation of this site, which was designated Arade 1. The hull remains were partially excavated, and a 1/1 accurate drawing was done on perfectly horizontal transparent slates with one square meter each. During the following winter a team from the Nautical Archaeology Program (NAP) was invited by CNANS to complete the excavation and promote the study and publication of this shipwreck.
In the summer of 2001 Texas A&M University was invited to participate in a closer inspection of the most promising sites located by the GEO team. With the help of one of the 1970 divers, Helder Mendes, one of these sites was immediately identified as one of the shipwrecks hit by the dredges in that year. It was decided to start an excavation of this site, which was designated Arade 1. The hull remains were partially excavated, and a 1/1 accurate drawing was done on perfectly horizontal transparent slates with one square meter each. During the following winter a team from the Nautical Archaeology Program (NAP) was invited by CNANS to complete the excavation and promote the study and publication of this shipwreck.
== The Arade River Shipwrecks ==
== The Arade River Shipwrecks ==
|Line 154:
|Line 153:
16. Alves, Francisco, "Ponta do Altar B - Arqueologia de um naufrágio no Algarve nos alvores do século XVII." Arqueólogo Português, 4.8/10: 357-424. Lisboa: MNA, 1990-1992.
16. Alves, Francisco, "Ponta do Altar B - Arqueologia de um naufrágio no Algarve nos alvores do século XVII." Arqueólogo Português, 4.8/10: 357-424. Lisboa: MNA, 1990-1992.
17. MonteiroPinheiro, "Arade 23de um de Site Recorder 4e " 2007
Latest revision as of 17:56, 8 December 2010
Exposed during dredging operations in 1970, the Arade 1 shipwreck was photographed and inspected by amateur archaeologists during the following summers. Since there were very few artifacts on site the shipwreck was quickly forgotten. During the decade that followed its discovery, the Arade 1 hull decayed, broke flat, and was covered by sediments. In the summer of 2001 the now extinct Centro Nacional de Arqueologia Náutica e Subaquática (CNANS) - at the time the Portuguese state agency for Nautical Archaeology - invited Texas A&M University and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology to co-direct a project of survey and excavation of several sites on the mouth of the Arade River, near the city of Portimão, in Portugal. The Arade 1 shipwreck was relocated by CNANS and an agreement was secured with the local municipality (and museum) for a long-term project, which was designated ProArade. A Nautical Archaeology Program field school was integrated in the project.
Historical Background
The mouth of the Arade River has been inhabited since at least the Iron Age. It is believed that during the 6th century BC this area possessed a fairly important harbor - Portus Hanibalis - built by the Carthaginian general Amilcar either on the mouth of the Arade River, or on the nearby small inlet of Alvor. Later, a predominantly rural Roman occupation of this area is well documented by the ruins of several Roman villas.
During the subsequent Arab occupation of this territory - from AD 715 to 1250 - the village of Silves, a few miles upstream, became an important urban center, and traffic through the Arade River intensified. In AD 966 a fleet of 28 Viking ships was sighted of the coast of Portugal. A Muslim fleet left Seville as soon as possible and engaged the vikings in the Arade River. According to the Arab chronicler many Vikings were killed and many vessels sunk. The remaining enemies fled, and the Arab prisoners that had been taken were rescued. At the time Portimão was a small settlement, or a small aggregate of scattered houses on the landscape. An account of the conquest of Silves by an anonymous crusader who took part in the 1189 attack mentions the destruction of Alvor, where a castle was burned and the entire population - said to be around 5,000 people - was put to death. A number of country houses were left burning but the crusaders at the mouth of the Arade River.
In the 13th century the Portuguese conquest - the so-called Reconquista - of the southern portion of today's Portugal, named Algarve, brought new settlements and new settlers to the mouth of the Arade. From a small settlement in the mid-13th century, the future Portimão became a village with about 40 households in 1463, named São Lourenço da Barroza, and possibly dedicated to the fishing of tuna, an ancient activity in the region. On a curious note, the remains of this early settlement are said to have been exposed on November 1st 1755, after a series of tidal waves - which are said have been over 10 m high, following the earthquake that stroke Portugal on that morning - hit the mouth of the river.
Because it was very exposed to pirate incursions, the village was fortified in the second half of the 15th century. By 1615 there were 1802 inhabitants in Portimão, which was only one of five settlements situated nearby: Alvor, Silves, Estombar, and Ferragudo. Two fortresses were built in the first decades of the 17th century in order to protect the river from constant incursions of Muslim and Protestant ships. By 1622 the mouth of the Arade River was protected by the fortress of São João on the left margin and the Santa Catarina fortress on the right margin of the river.
In spite of the two small sand banks that divided the river into three channels until the early 20th century, its course was navigable upstream past the city of Silves as late as the 17th century. The 1755 tidal waves are said to have caused major changes in the shape of these channels. The river course is said to have shifted about 1 Km west after November 1755's earthquake. In spite of the progressive silting of the river, the largest channel - the eastern one - was still 4.8 m deep on the high tide periods as late as the 18th century.
All these centuries of occupation and maritime activity made the mouth of the Arade River an enormous garbage dump. Many artifacts were thrown, abandoned or lost in the river during the more than 25 centuries of documented human activity on this area. After the first major dredging works, carried out in this area between June and November of 1970, the mouth of the river fell under the attention of beachcombers and artifact collectors. The sand removed from the river bottom was deposited on a nearby beach, called Praia da Rocha. Since 1970 perhaps thousands of artifacts were found there by tourists, fishermen, local beach restaurant owners, and interested collectors. Some made it to the museum of Portimão, some were lost for lack of conservation treatment, and some were sold in the antique markets. One largely intact Roman shipwreck is said to have been salvaged and all amphorae sold, after being dried on the roof of one of the divers involved.1
More important than loose artifacts were however the several hull remains which are reported to have been hit by the dredges in that year. Five or six shipwrecks were exposed during the dredging works in 1970. Then, in 1980, dredging works were responsible for the complete destruction of what was left from the Roman shipwreck. The decade of the 1990s would witness more dredging works at the Arade River mouth, but this time the sediments were deposited in the sea, making it impossible to know what or how much was destroyed. Finally, dredging for the construction of a sports harbor - which was followed by a team of CNANS archaeologists - lead to the destruction of another three shipwrecks that laid buried on the left margin of the river, although of quite recent origin and allegedly "of no archaeological interest."
The balance of the dredging interventions on the Arade River estuary in recent times looks quite sad. In spite of the public outcry the port authorities dredged this area repeatedly in the last three decades of the 20th century, carrying on the destruction of the underwater cultural heritage in total disregard of the press and the local groups of pressure.
One of these groups, Grupo de Estudos Oceânicos (GEO), has been very vocal in their protests against the destruction of Portimão's underwater cultural heritage. After the creation, in 1997, of the Centro Nacional de Arqueologia Náutica e Subaquática (CNANS), a state agency for nautical archaeology, the status quo changed noticeably. In collaboration with GEO, state archaeologists promoted and organized a campaign of survey and excavation of the Arade shipwrecks, starting in 2000. Some of the Arade ship remains may have been destroyed forever, and some have yet to be located. New relevant sites were located in the survey carried out by the GEO team during 2000 and 2001, which covered an area close to 1,000,000 m2.
In the summer of 2001 a team of CNANS and GEO initiated the excavation of several sites located by GEO in the previous two years. The results were extremely promising, and another field season was planned for the following year. Four sites were excavated and recorded during the summer of 2002 by a team gathering divers and archaeologists from four different institutions: the Portuguese Centro Nacional de Arqueologia Náutica e Subaquática (CNANS) and Grupo de Estudos Oceânicos (GEO), the Brazilian Universidade de São Paulo, and the Institute of Nautical Archaeology / Texas A&M University.
The Arade River Mouth
As mentioned above, the mouth of the Arade River has changed substantially in time. According to a 12th-Century report the mouth of the river was further out, near Ponta do Altar (Fig. 1), and the river ran close to the cliffs situated on its left margin2. This is confirmed in an 1800 report signed by Baltazer de Azevedo Coutinho, Captain of the Portuguese Royal Corp of Engineers 3. Previously encompassing a few small islets and sandbanks in middle of its present bed, the Arade River ran to the sea through three narrower channels. The earthquake of 1755 is said to have been at least partially responsible for the disappearance of these islets, and for the already mentioned shift of the river's course about one kilometer to the west. As a consequence of these changes and the silting provoked by the tidal waves of 1755, the Arade mouth presented a depth of only 4.80 m on high tide and 2.4 m at the lowest tide in the early 19th century 4. After 1755 an accumulation of sand on both margins of the Arade River mouth consolidated its new course, and winter floods broke through the SW channel. In the beginning of the 20th century the beauty of the landscape and the amenity of the climate brought the first families to spend holidays at Praia da Rocha, which was the best known and more frequented in the whole south of Portugal already by 1910.
Data from the period 1916-1926 shows that the mouth of the Arade River was very unstable, with depths varying widely, as the main channel path varied. In 1926 and 1927 the sandbanks were dredged for the first time, as a developing fishing industry, associated to a growth of a young preserve industry, called for better conditions for the vessels entering and leaving the river. Although impressive - a total of 360.000 m3 of sand were dredged and deposited on the bottoms in front of Ponta do Altar promontory - these dredging works were not very successful, as the river quickly re-established its ancient form. By 1936 the river mouth was again shallow and unstable. But the dredging works had another effect: the large sandy stripe that formed Praia da Rocha started to diminish. During the decade of the 1950s two jetties were built to protect and regularize the mouth of the river, and allow the construction of a commercial harbor at Portimão. The construction of the first of two jetties that protect the harbor was started in 1948 and interrupted soon after. Started again in 1951, these long structures were soon ready. Although the expected regularization of the river bottom was achieved, the construction of the jetties may have impeded the natural shift of sediments along the coast, and furthered the disappearance of sand in Praia da Rocha, situated immediately to the west.
In 1968 an area inside the jetties - in the plan marked "anteporto" - was dredged to a depth of eight meters, and the sand deposited in front of Praia da Rocha, in the hope that this could stop the disappearance of that beach. This strategy did not work, and in 1970 a large portion of this "anteporto" area was dredged again to a depth of eight meters. This time the sediments - about 830.000 m3 - were deposited on the beach (Praia da Rocha). During the course of these dredging works in the summer of 1970 five shipwreck hulls are said to have been hit by the dredges. In spite of all the attention given to this event by the local and national presses, including the national television, nothing was done on behalf of the shipwrecks, and they were either destroyed or left to rot, after being exposed on the slope of the dredged area. Maintenance of the depths obtained in 1970 forced other dredging campaigns during the decade of the 1980s, starting on that same year. Other shipwrecks are said to have been hit and partially or totally destroyed, generating further public outcry, which does not seems to have daunted neither the harbor authorities, nor the central government.
In the early 1980s a team from the Museu Nacional de Arqueologia, under the direction of Francisco Alves, conducted a survey at the local, but did not find any of the shipwrecks. This action however triggered the interest of the Comissao Nacional Provisoria de Arqueologia Subaquatica, and the shipwrecks were given a certain level of protection as part of Portugal's cultural heritage by the government. Subsequent dredging works were conducted with less public outrage, since the sediments were dumped once again off Ponta do Altar, and although there are scattered reports of destruction and alleged plundering - curiously attributed to the destroyers themselves, the crews of the Dutch dredging ships contracted for the works - nobody knows exactly what or how much was destroyed.
In 1987 Museu Nacional de Arqueologia promoted a survey in the Arade mouth waters, under the direction of Jean-Yves Blot, but none of the sites could be located 5. In the following decade, the 1990s, legislation was issued that protected the Portuguese underwater cultural heritage, and forced the promoters of these type of works to evaluate its impact on the underwater cultural heritage. Moreover, the impunity with which the harbor authorities acted in the previous decades came to an end with the creation in 1997 of the Instituto Português de Arqueologia (IPA), a state agency charged with the coordination of national and local archaeological policies that included a department dedicated to the study and protection of the underwater cultural heritage (CNANS). In this context the harbor authority was barred from promoting further dredging works before the whole Arade estuary was surveyed and its important heritage recorded. An agreement was reached with the local municipality, CNANS, and GEO, especially active in the promotion of the regional underwater cultural heritage. During the summers of 1999 and 2000 the GEO divers surveyed an area of almost one square kilometer in mouth of the Arade River and located a large number of interesting spots, some consisting of only a few amphora shards, and other encompassing extensive hull remains.
In the summer of 2001 Texas A&M University was invited to participate in a closer inspection of the most promising sites located by the GEO team. With the help of one of the 1970 divers, Helder Mendes, one of these sites was immediately identified as one of the shipwrecks hit by the dredges in that year. It was decided to start an excavation of this site, which was designated Arade 1. The hull remains were partially excavated, and a 1/1 accurate drawing was done on perfectly horizontal transparent slates with one square meter each. During the following winter a team from the Nautical Archaeology Program (NAP) was invited by CNANS to complete the excavation and promote the study and publication of this shipwreck.
The Arade River Shipwrecks
There are many reports of shipwreck troves in the mouth of the Arade River. As it often happens, some of these reports are vague, others are contradictory, and some refer to sites that have long been destroyed, or simply to guns, iron anchors, or lead stocks that were removed by fishermen and sport divers, probably to end up melted or, in the case of the iron guns, slowly rotting away on the grass of some front yard. There is no information whether any shipwrecks were hit or destroyed during the 1926 and 1927 dredging works, but it is probable that many artifacts were removed from the Arade River mouth together with the 360.000 m3 of sediments dredged at the time.
In the late 1950s, or early 1960s, a bronze gun was found by divers of Grupo Desportivo da Sacor at the entrance of the river, on the area where know stands the left margin jetty. The gun disappeared before the finders could raise it and there is no trace of it anywhere ever since. Later, two shipwrecks were reported on the area between the jetties, one on the channel, immediately outside the line between the heads of the structures (Arade 8), and another near the head of the left margin jetty (Arade 7)6.
The 1970 dredging works exposed at least five old hulls, as the Dutch captain of the dredge told the press after the works were completed, and soon before leaving Portugal. The news of archaeological troves during the dredging operations had already spread during the summer, and some local inhabitants went to the place where the dredged sediments were dumped on the beach - at Praia da Rocha - to try to recover any antiques exposed7. Following an information of the captain of the dredge Mark - from the company Bos & Kalis, working as a subcontractor of the Sociedade Portuguesa de Dragagens - two rival groups of divers visited the Arade mouth and gathered data about three of shipwreck sites.
It is not sure whether all these three ships had been sighted by the captain of the dredge Mark. As a matter of fact, it seems that six ships were exposed a consequence of the dredging works, and not five, as the captain informed 8.
The Arade 1 and Arade 2 Shipwrecks
It seems that the Arade 2 shipwreck of 1970 actually corresponded to two different shipwreck sites. As already mentioned above, during the dredging works of 1970 five hulls are said to have been partially destroyed. Two groups of sport divers visited two different shipwrecks each during in October 1970, and it has been assumed that these were the same two sites. However, it seems that there were at least six shipwreck sites, and that the first group of divers - from the Centro Português de Actividades Subaquáticas (CPAS) - visited indeed the sites of shipwrecks Arade 1 and Arade 2. The second group of divers, however, - from the Federação Portuguesa de Actividades Subaquáticas (FPAS) - seems to have visited the sites of shipwrecks Arade 1 and Arade 6.
According to the testimonies of Mrs. Margarida Farrajota and Mr. Helder Mendes - who in 1970 were part of the first and the second group of divers respectively9 - the director of the harbor authority ordered the dredging works to stop upon learning from the captain of the dredge Mark that he had hit two shipwreck sites. Still according to these witnesses, the port authority director asked Mr. José Farrajota, the local delegate of Junta Nacional de Educação, which was the organism in charge of antiquities in Portugal at the time, to inspect the sites.
An archaeologist and member of CPAS, Mr. José Farrajota visited the site on October 10 and 11, 1970, with a team which included his daughter, Margarida Farrajota, Rui de Moura, Fernando Pina, and Jorge Albuquerque - then president of CPAS. Mr. Helder Mendes, a director at national television and member of the second diving group of divers - FPAS - was invited to join this team on the first day. Mr. Farrajota's team inspected the Arade 1 shipwreck site but could not see the Arade 2 site, for it had been covered with sediments during a recent storm. Later that week a team from FPAS also carried out a series of independent dives on the Arade 1 site, and found what we now believe to be a sixth shipwreck: Arade 6.
These diving expeditions produced a series of pictures, sketches, and measurements that have been extremely useful thirty years later. On the CPAS expedition Jorge Albuquerque and Fernando Pina took pictures and measurements and produced two good sketches of the Arade 1 vessel. We have six pictures from Jorge Albuquerque, and thirteen from Fernando Pina.10 Mr. José Farrajota wrote a report, and his daughter took extensive notes. On the FPAS expedition, which included Helder Mendes, Ricardo Costa also took pictures - two roles of film, of which we have twelve pictures.11 Another set of pictures is known, but their owner did not let us see them, claimimg that they would allow us to locate the Arade 6 shipwreck. Two years later, Mr. Helder Mendes produced a documentary for national television which was aired on July 4 1972 under the title The Mysterious Ships of the Arade River.12
During the investigations carried out by Mr. Francisco Alves, which included the analysis of an extensive file existing in CNANS' archives, and interviewing Mr. Helder Mendes it became clear that the Arade 1 shipwreck site was the same for both groups of divers. However, for the FPAS' group, the Arade 2 shipwreck was a lapstrake built ship presumably located upstream and near the Arade 1 site. For the CPAS group the Arade 2 site was located downstream, near the left jetty, and it was never actually visited since it had been already covered by sediments by October 10 1970, when it was inspected.
There are therefore no doubts that the Arade 1 was a flush laid hull, corresponding to the "position 1" on Fig. 19. As to the Arade 2 shipwreck, Mr. Farrajota marked it clearly near the jetty, in an almost symmetrical position relatively to Arade 1 on the basin dredged. Mr. Helder Mendes, however, is under the impression that it was located upstream from the Arade 1 site, possibly near the position marked on Fig. 20 as site "C". And he is sure that it was lapstrake built. A third witness, Mr. Luis Sacramento, a local diver and an old time friend of Dr. Alves, claims that Mr. Albuquerque's Arade 2 site had several guns, one of which - in bronze - was last seen on the deck of one of the dredges.
In spite of the sketches made at the time, and the pictures taken, thirty years later it was very difficult to make full sense of them. In the summer of 2001 a joint survey carried on by CNANS and the GEO group, with the help of Mr. Helder Mendes, lead to the discovery of several ship remains near the Arade 1 shipwreck area marked on CPAS report of 1970 (Fig. 20). The areas defined on this survey were designated as A1, B1, B2, and C, and several trenches were opened around them during the 2001 field season. Area A1 yielded the remains of a ship's hull, and its excavation started immediately under the direction of Mr. Francisco Alves, carried out by a joint CNANS/GEO team. On area B2 a frame from a lapstrake hull was found (Fig. 22) together with some lapstrake planking. We know now that the A1 vessel is the Arade 1 shipwreck, but we never found the Arade 6, lapstrake-built, shipwreck.13
Other Shipwrecks
Then, in 1975, future archaeologist Jean-Yves Blot and a group of sport divers - including local diver Luis Sacramento - found and made a preliminary sketch of a group of five iron guns off Praia dos Caneiros, at Ponta do Altar. Because of another group of guns found nearby some years later, this site is known as Ponta do Altar A and has been tentatively dated to the 18th century.
In the 1980's dredging works started again. At least one shipwreck was destroyed in 1982 (Arade 9), upstream from the former dredged area, near the commercial harbor, possibly the Roman ship mentioned above14.
An unknown number of pewter ware pieces was found in the dredged sand by a bulldozer operator, and bought by a private amateur archaeologist who was trying to make a small museum at Cascais, in conjunction with the local municipality. This project never saw completion however, and the pewter pieces were later divided between privates and small museums.
Following the 1982 destructions the then director of Lisbon's Museu Nacional de Arqueologia, Mr. Francisco Alves, brought the Comissão Nacional Provisória de Arqueologia Subaquática to propose legislation to protect the Arade shipwrecks. This legislation was approved in February 1984.15 In 1993, after a report by Luis Sacramento, eight bronze guns dating from the mid-16th century to 1606 were rescued by a team of the Museu Nacional de Arqueologia, possibly corresponding to the 1611 shipwreck of a Spanish vessel named Nuestra Señora del Socorro.16
Finally, in 1998, the remains of three ships presumably dating to the 19th or early 20th centuries were found during the construction of the marina of Portimão. At that time CNANS was accompanying the works and promoted a preliminary survey. Since these remains corresponded to recent ships, probably derelicts, the construction works were briefly stopped in order to make a quick sketch of the only vessel presenting structural coherence, referenced in this study as Arade 10.
During the last years of the 1990s other remains have been surveyed and positioned by GEO, a local group of sport divers under the direction of Mr. Alberto Machado, who lead the campaign toward a larger public awareness of Arade's archaeological richness at the same time. Between 1998 and 2000 GEO's divers found ten sites of archaeological potential at the Arade's mouth. These sites have been numbered GEO1 to GEO10, and correspond to ship remains and parts, sometimes found as more or less coherent structures, sometimes as disassembled and scattered on the sea bed. The most interesting of these two areas so far are GEO 5, corresponding to well-preserved remains of a large late 19th century vessel, which was called Arade 13, and GEO 2, where a small plank showing mortise and tenon joinery was found and named optimistically Arade 14. At the end of the 2002 field season the total number of shipwrecks reported at the Arade River mouth amounted to 14:
Arade 1 - Found by the captain of the dredge Mark in 1970, visited by two teams of sport divers. A report was made by CPAS divers and many pictures were taken. It was re-located in 2001 by a team from CNANS and partially excavated (site A1 from CNANS 2001 map). During the summer of 2002 it was excavated by a Texas A&M University / Institute of Nautical Archaeology team.
Arade 2 - Found by the captain of the dredge Mark in 1970. Already covered when visited by sport divers. It is said to have bronze guns, one of which was taken by the captain of the dredge to the Netherlands.
Arade 3 - Found by the captain of the dredge Mark in 1970. never visited by sport divers.
Arade 4 - Found by the captain of the dredge Mark in 1970. never visited by sport divers.
Arade 5 - Found by the captain of the dredge Mark in 1970. never visited by sport divers.
Arade 6 - Found by sport divers near the Arade 1 shipwreck. Clinker built. Possibly near site B2 of CNANS 2001 map.
Arade 7 - Found by sport divers near the left jetty.
Arade 8 - Found by sport divers at the entrance of the river mouth, between jetties.
Arade 9 - Destroyed by the dredging operations of the early 1980s.
Arade 10 - Covered by the Marina de Portimao. Said to be modern: late 19th, or early 20th century.
Arade 11 - Covered by the Marina de Portimao. Said to be modern: late 19th, or early 20th century.
Arade 12 - Covered by the Marina de Portimao. Said to be modern: late 19th, or early 20th century.
Arade 13 - GEO 5 site. Shipwreck dating to the late 18th or 19th century. Well preserved.
Arade 14 - GEO 2 site. Small plank with mortise and tenon joints.
After 2002 CNANS kept working on the Arade River mouth, and a number of publications resulted from that work.17
1. Robert F. Marx Personal communication
2. Gomes, Nelson Augusto, and Weinholtz, Manuel de Bivar, "Estudo da evolução do estuário do Arade e das praias adjacentes", Portos e Obras Marítimas, document from Direcção de Serviços Marítimos in the library of the Museu Municipal de Portimão: III-4-5.
3. Ibidem: III-4-5.
4. Loureiro, Adolpho, Op. cit.: 187.
5. Alves et. al.," Sistemas de deteccao geofisica em arqueonautica utilizados em Portugal: os casos do Arade 1, Redoutable e Alfeizerao," in Geociencias, 5.1: 135 (abstract).
6. Personal communication of Luis Sacramento to Francisco Alves.
7. Newspaper cut from Diario Popular of June 29, 1972 (in Alves, Francisco, "Acerca dos destrocos de dois navios descobertos durante as dragagens de 1970 na foz do Rio Arade (Ferragudo, Lagoa)", in As rotas oceanicas, Secs. XV-XVII, Lisboa: Ed. Colibri, 1999: 75). Also, Luis Sacramento, a local diver and old collaborator of CNANS, mentioned an iron gun and other artifacts being recovered by the dredges.
8. Helder Mendes, one the divers to visit the sites in 1970, is under the impression the clinker built ship found by his group had not been seen by the dredge crew.
9. Already an old admirer of both Margarida Farrajota, and Helder Mendes, I am greatly indebted to them for their patience and willingness to search into their memories for the details of this old story.
10. We must thank again Margarida Farrajota, presently president of C.P.A.S., for all the data supplied.
11. In CNANS's archive, thanks to Helder Mendes and Alberto Machado.
12. Rádio Televisão Portuguesa, "Os misteriosos barcos do rio Arade," by Helder Mendes.
13. Luis Sacramento personal communication.
14. Alberto Machado personal communication.
15. Alves, Francisco, "Acerca dos destrocos de dois navios descobertos durante as dragagens de 1970 na foz do Rio Arade (Ferragudo, Lagoa)", in As rotas oceanicas, Secs. XV-XVII, Lisboa: Ed. Colibri, 1999: 92.
16. Alves, Francisco, "Ponta do Altar B - Arqueologia de um naufrágio no Algarve nos alvores do século XVII." Arqueólogo Português, 4.8/10: 357-424. Lisboa: MNA, 1990-1992.
17. Monteiro, P., Pinheiro, S. & Alves, F., "Arade 23: a arqueografia de um naufrágio através de Site Recorder 4: problemática e metodologia" in Congresso de Aplicações Informáticas à Arqueologia – CAAPortugal 2007. Leiria: Associação para o Desenvolvimento das Aplicações Informáticas e Novas Tecnologias Aplicadas à Arqueologia, forthcoming.


text:
my daughter is only 5 days old and doesn't have the 'average' of wet diapers she's suppose to have(according to everything i've read, at least.)
my milk did come him late and i was told to supplement due to the fact that she lost weight after birth but now i'm constantly worried she's not getting what she needs.
is it normal for her to only have one or two a day sometimes? yesterday she had 4 and she has yet to have a wet diaper today, only stool.


text:
Prices, promotions, styles, and availability may vary. Our local stores do not honor online pricing. Prices and availability of products and services are subject to change without notice. Errors will be corrected where discovered, and Lowe's reserves the right to revoke any stated offer and to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions including after an order has been submitted.
KraftMaid Nutmeg Glaze Cabinet Fill Strip
Item # 198285 Model # VF3-SHO1-NZ
Product Information
- Installation required
- 3/4'' solid wood
- 3" wide
- Can be easily trimmed to fill any space
|Cabinet fill strip
|Manufacturer Color/Finish
|Nutmeg Glaze


text:
Grover Cleveland Alexander
Starting Pitcher
1911-1917, 1930
Career w/Phillies: 2,492 IP / 190-88 / 2.12 ERA / 1,403 K
Born during the first term of the Grover Cleveland presidency, he was actually named Grover Cleveland. Pete was a nickname. Let's get that out of the way.
Now then: Grover Cleveland Alexander is unquestionably one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. And the Phillies were lucky enough to call him theirs during his best years.
He was signed in 1907 ($50 per month) but was beamed, setting his career back a few years. Finally making his major league debut in 1911, Alexander quickly established himself as a premiere pitcher. His rookie season doesn't even have to be explained: 367 innings, 28-13, 2.57 ERA, 227 strikeouts, seven shutouts, 31 complete games. He'd only improve.
He won 19 games in 1912, 22 games in 1913 and 27 games in 1914. His ERA hit a career-low 2.38; all this was setting him up for a season for the ages.
The 1915 season was the first great season in Phillies history, as they won their first National League pennant behind Alexander's golden arm. His statistics are otherworldly: 376.1 innings, 31-10, 51 earned runs in 49 games. Seriously. His ERA: 1.22. 241 strikeouts, 64 walks. He won the pitching Triple Crown, the first of his three (two with the Phillies). All this, and he only went 1-1 in the 1915 World Series against the Red Sox.
The 1916 season was almost as good. Pitching a career high 389 innings, Alexander went 33-12 with a 1.55 ERA and a career-high 16 shutouts. He also walked just 50 batters. His 1917 was also pretty incredible: 30-13 with a 1.83 ERA. But Alexander was feared to be drafted into World War I, and Phillies owner William Baker needed money, so the Phils traded Alexander to the Cubs for a few players, including the great Pickles Dillhoefer. Alexander was drafted into the war, reducing his 1918 season to three games (all complete games), but returned in 1919 and supplied Chicago with another seven fine seasons.
Alexander had a stint with the Cardinals, which included a 21-10, 2.52 ERA performance at age 40 and possibly his greatest moment: closing out the 1926 World Series for the Cards over those Yankees. In 1930 Alexander was traded back to the Phillies to finish his career. At age 43 he went 0-3 with a 9.14 ERA. The flame had died.
Amazingly, Alexander was a notorious drunkard who also suffered from epilepsy. He was soft spoken and introverted. And yet when he took that mound, he dominated. Flat-out dominated. He died in 1950 at age 63, but remains the National League's second-winningest pitcher. He also holds the NL record for most shutouts, and the baseball record for most shutouts in a season. He recorded one-third of the Phillies wins during his tenure in Philadelphia.
Comment: Grover Cleveland Alexander was incredible. Simply incredible. It's certainly debatable whether he's the greatest Phillie, but a few more years in Philly would've helped his case. As it stands, his eight seasons in Philadelphia (really the first seven) remain seven of the greatest pitching seasons ever recorded.
30 Comments
The Red Sox were the opponents in the 1915 World Series, not the Yankees.
In the movie "The Winning Team" Alexander was portrayed by none other than Ronald Reagan.
Simply out of this world.
I couldnt agree more with this pick, I look forward to 1-4!
Oh yeah, duh. Changed that.
With all those "otherworldly" accomplishments, Tim ranks him #5 on the Phillies list…. hmm-m.
If Grover can pitch almost 400 innings, i say ride Hamels all season long ! I'm sure his elbow can withstand about 30 complete games, no problem 😉
I don't remember seeing Pickles Dillhoefer's placque in Cooperstown. I understand his baseball card has significant value.
so top 4 is this roberts delahanty carlton and schmidt in that order
Nasty. Guys like him an Robin Roberts were unreal. There really are not pitchers that are that good now. The last unreal starting pitcher was Nolan Ryan. Clemens gets an asterisk but he was when everyone thought he was clean.
But numbers like Alexanders dont happen anymore, period. They would never alow Cole Hamels to pitch 31 CG's with all of the money at stake that there is in the modern era of baseball. These numbers, and others like them for position players from this very very old school age, simply dont happen anymore. Other than Carlton and Ryan in their time, once the 5-man rotation and pitch counts came to be prominent a great period in baseball history ended. The age of domninant starters who could pitch all day without getting injured every 3 or 4 days and pitch 30 some complete games is absoltuely amazing.
I gotta say Bruce, that's a very astute observation, that I wrote "otherworldly" and slotted him fifth.
geoff nolan ryan wasnt that unreal maddux is waaaaaaaaaaay better
what????i was sure the five spot would be reserved for Rico Brogna or possibly Rex Hudler
btw: phil is out of his mind.
"Pete" Alexander was a native Nebraskan. He and Ashburn are probably somewhere arguing about pitchers vs hitters and taking time out to cheer for the "Big Red" Cornhuskers. Robin Roberts tells the story of Pete being invited to his (Robin's) high school athletic banquet. He got up and said, "…boys, don't ever take to drink or you might end up like me…". With that comment he sat down…end of speech.
He was invited by Bob Carpenter expenses paid, to throw out the first pitch of the 1950 World Series but messed up his travel arrangements and didn't arrive in time. Carpenter paid his expenses for the rest of the series after which he returned to Nebraska and died a month later.
I never looked up any of his stats. I knew he was an amazing pitcher, but had no idea he was THAT amazing. Those numbers are unreal.
The block letter "P" used by the Phillies during Alexander's early career doesn't quite make it.
Although his pitching numbers are extraterrestrial, his life time ERA of 2.56 is surprisingly only 48TH on the all time list. He trails the somewhat contemporary Hoyt Wilhelm (2.52) but is slightly ahead of one of his predecessors Cy Young (2.63).
The 1952 biographical film "The Winning Team" of Alexander also co-starred Doris Day as his wife. It was an awful move. The best scene was when the umpire was announcing the starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Nationals to the crowd through a megaphone.
Great choice for # 5.
im not out of my mind and when im done my cigarette ill pull stats to prove it. pedros better than ryan too. so is randy johnson
Nolan Ryan had a career high 111 ERA+. That means he was barely above league average for his whole career. He may have the highest amount of K's but he has the highest amount of BB's too. His biggest talent as a pitcher was his ability to maintain steady numbers throughout his whole career.
Greg Maddux had a career high 132 ERA+. That means he was very above average for his career. Between 1989 and 2002 he was one of the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball. He was unreal. He had 1 of the best pitching seasons of all time in 95. 94 would have been even better but it was shortened by the strike.
phil is right, nolan ryan just knew how to throw the ball hard.
he has a pretty dominant lead in all time strikeouts but has an even MORE dominant lead in all time walks.
still, 7 no hitters is quite a feat.
lets not forget that ryan never won a pennant, or even a cy young award.
PHIL – on second thought you do not give ryan his due. though i still agree with you in principle
nolan ryans best era + was 194 in 1981 meaning he pitched 2 times better than any pitcher that year.
his career era + is 111, which may not seem like a great number but if consider that steve carlton has an era + of 115, you might change your mind
and maddux career high era+ is 271 in a strike shortened season like ryans…bad argument. steve carlton had a way more dominant peak than ryan. his era+ was low cuz he retired later than he shoulda
first off i wanst arguing maddux, simply stating about ryan.
but how can you say carlton is lower because he retired later than he should have?? that may be true but if thats the case than ryan is even more so cause he played 27! seasons
also ifyoulook at baesball-reference.com, go to nolan ryans page, and look at the bottom, tell me who the #1 similar pitcher is to nolan ryan
case closed
Okay, so here's a guy (as Madden might say) who won 20 games three times with an ERA+ of 101 (with Stl), 114 and 119. That guy, in fact, somehow got a Cy Young off that 119 ERA+ (1982). Let's, in fact, take a look at that guy's career with the Phils:
This is all-world, but Grover Cleveland Alexander had the same win% and ERA+ over the three-year period of 1915-1917 with the Phils.
1973-1975: 44-47, ERA+ of 97, 117, 105.
Pretty much your typical innings eater #3/#4 starter. Okay, but not very good.
Lucky #2/#3 starter, better than his 20-9 101 ERA+ of 1971, but mostly lucky.
Solid Cy Young winner.
1978-1979: 34-24, 126 and 105 ERA+
A bit unlucky in '78 (16-13, 126 ERA+), a but lucky in '79 (18-11, 105 ERA+), but basically a solid #2 starter.
Solid Cy Young winner.
Solid ace of staff.
Possibly the softest Cy Young since that award has been given.
1983-1986: 33-39, ERA+ of 116, 101, 111, 63
Pretty much done.
That would be Steve Carlton's Phillies career.
On the other hand, Ol' Alex was 190-88, ERA+ of 140 from 1911-1917. Now, that's just 7 years of complete, amazing dominance, but check out Carlton's career with the Phils again: dominant in '72, '77, '80-'81, mediocre in '73-'75, okay in '76, '78-'79, '82, and crap after '82. Reality is that Carlton was blah more than he was great, while Alex was only merely quite good in 1913 and 1914 (ERA+ of 119 and 123) and great his other years.
Alex was 99 games over .500 with the Phils; Carlton (in far more years) was only 80 games over .500. That speaks volumes.
(I won't even start with Robin Roberts).
I suppose I should state explicitly that I think that naming Grover Cleveland Alexander as #5 on your Phillies all-time list (and apparently #2 on your Phillies list of pitchers) is a complete travesty. Alex is only #3 on a pitching list when Cy Young and Walter Johnson are #1 and #2. And, BTW, Ed Delahanty was better than Schmidt, but that's arguable. Alex vs. Roberts/Carlton is not.
Ooops, #3 on your Phils list of pitchers – I should learn to type better.
jhs…that's blasphemous! jk I agree though…Carlton is really overrated. I mean, he's still in the top 20 best pitchers of all time, but a lot of people make him out to be one of the best left handers of all time when he just simply wasn't. Randy Johnson is better…so was Lefty Grove and Spahn. Carlton was streaky and that's what stopped him from being a top 5 instead of a top 10. He gets a lot of praise because he has a lot of wins, but wins are a team dependent stat.
Jim: As far as Ryan goes he was merely a slightly above league average pitcher for 27 years…so basically a solid #2 or great #3 for his career. He had flashes of being a dominant ace, but not even in the same sense Carlton did. I'd say Nolan Ryan is a top 30 pitcher and Carlton is a top 20. I'd say they are about 5 apart or so…they are similar.
Tenure is typically most important but what Pete did in 8 years is beyond words. Pete was better than Roberts and Big Ed… and maybe he should be higher… all things considered, it's tough to argue. Roberts captured Philadephia… his contribution goes beyond stats. Big Ed could have retired as one of the top 20 RBI men of all time (if he hadn't fell victim to the bottle). Compare him to Honus Wagner, who played until he was 43 y/o during the same time period, and it's pretty safe to assume that Big Ed would have had 50-75 RBI per season for another 5 years (at least). I put Ed ahead of Pete but Pete ahead of Roberts.
jhs- I agree with you. Grover Cleavland should be #1, or at least #1 in pitching. So he didn't play as much, he was still more dominant in his play than anyone else.
Статья очень понравилась! Этакий короткий микс полезных знаний. Хоть и "зажгли лампу среди бела дня":)
not better than Christy Mathewson though:D


text:
Fresh Fruits and vegetables are rich in various nutrients, minerals and anti oxidants that have anti - inflammatory properties....More
Top seeds Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis breezed into the women's third round with a 6-3 6-1 win over the Japanese pairing of Eri Hozumi and Miyu Kato at the Wimbledon championships in London on Sunday.
The Indo-Swiss were clinical in their approach and wrapped up the second round clash in 52 minutes on Court No. 3.
The fancied duo served well besides converting five of the eight break points they earned in the match.
Sania and Martina's third round opponents will be Christina McHale and Jelena Ostapenko.
The American-Latvian combine defeated 13th seeds Alla Kudryavtseva and Vania King 6-1 6-4 in their second round match.…
France will have the perfect opportunity to avenge their defeat to Germany in the 2014 World Cup when they take on the world champions in the Euro 2016 semi-finals on Thursday, according to star striker Olivier Giroud.
"It will be a great match, we have a lot of desire to get our own back for the World Cup," Giroud said after his two goals helped France thrash Iceland 5-2 in Sunday's quarter-final.
A header from Mats Hummels knocked France out in the quarter-final in Rio de Janeiro two years ago and Germany went on to win their fourth global crown.
But an even more painful elimination at German hands lingers in the French sporting memory -- the 1982 World Cup, which featured the infamous flooring of Patrick Battiston by Harald "Toni" Schumacher.
Arsenal forward Giroud said the showdown with Germany in Marseille will be "a completely different match" to the romp against the Icelanders.…
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) got down to shortlist the names for the national team's coach on Tuesday, a post which has been lying vacant since Ravi Shastri's term as team director came to an end after India's semifinal exit from the World T20 in March this year.
Although Sanjay Bangar has been appointed interim coach for the ongoing tour of Zimbabwe, the BCCI will look to finalise the candidate by June 24, well ahead of India's tour of West Indies next month.
BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), formed to shortlist the candidates, comprises Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and convenor Sanjay Jagdale.
Rafael Nadal and Garbine Muguruza will lead Spain's charge for Olympic tennis glory at Rio in August and could play together in the mixed doubles, officials said on Thursday.
Also in a strong Spanish team are David Ferrer, ranked 14 in the world, Albert Ramos and Roberto Bautista Agut, Spanish tennis authorities said. The women will be spearheaded by Muguruza, fresh from her French Open title.
No firm decision has yet been taken on a potentially potent Nadal-Muguruza partnership, said Conchita Martinez, captain of Spain's Fed Cup and Davis Cup teams.
Nadal, who won gold at the Beijing Games in 2008, has seen his fortunes plummet after a series of injuries.
The latest, a wrist problem, forced his early withdrawal from Roland Garros and he is also out of Wimbledon, which starts later this month.…
Germany and Poland played out the first goalless draw of the 2016 European Championship in Paris on Thursday. Though it was frustrating to watch revered internationals failing to score, it was not all drab. Here are our five takeaways from the game.Yes. Most German fans would disagree on that, and they may have a point or two, for Poland had only 37% possession, had no shots on target against Germany's 3, and their number of passes, 184, looked abysmally low in comparison to Germany's 523.But then a little context won't hurt. No team had scored more goals in the European Championship qualification than Poland. With Robert Lewandowski pairing with the young Arkadiusz Milik, goals had been coming thick and fast for Poland. Against, Germany, Poland showed they can also do an Atletico Madrid. This versatility would do any team good in a knockout tournament.
On that two forwards
When was the last time a not-so-bad team used two proper strikers up front? The two-striker formation has gone so out of rage that even when teams have two very good ones in their squad, rarely use them together up front. For instance at Paris Saint-Germain, Edinson Cavani had to endure the flanks while Zlatan Ibrahimovic ruled the opposition penalty box.
It is no different internationally, even England, whose love for 4-4-2 runs deep, do not use Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane together as two proper strikers. On that note, to see Lewandowski and Milik together up front, and combining well, though they failed to score against Germany, was a welcome respite.
|Name: Vimal Saini
|Age: 28 Year
|Place: Zirakpur, Chandigarh
|Plank Winner
|Name: Nitu Bala
|Age: 25 Year
|Place: Ashiana , Patna
|It was really a great experience with NEO Fitnes.


text:
Take a walk on the wild side with Vaneli. 'Udet' features leopard print and sumptuous black suede. Contrasting colors and textures give this wedge a contemporary appeal.
No results found.
We are not perfect but we try to be! If you are not satisfied, please let us know how we can improve your footnotesonline experience!
Most orders ship within 24 hours of being placed, Monday-Friday. Please refer to the Shipping map below to estimate your delivery date.
Visit US Shipping Page or the International Shipping Page
Please enter your information and we will alert you when your request becomes available!
Note: Due to their popularity, some sizes may not be available from the manufacturer. However we will do our best to accommodate you. Thanks!
Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.


text:
WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) -- Thousands of Wisconsin residents juggling summer plans have flooded the polls to vote absentee in the state's recall elections.
The numbers underscore yet again the intensity of the recall races, particularly the contest pitting Republican Gov. Scott Walker against Democrat Tom Barrett.
The actual elections are set for Tuesday, but state election officials say local clerks who track absentee voting through a statewide computer system have issued about 182,000 ballots. Only a third of the state's election officials use the software, though, so the actual number of absentee ballots issued is probably much larger.
Voters cast about 231,000 absentee ballots in the November 2010 regular gubernatorial election.
Election clerks in Democratic-leaning Madison and Milwaukee as well conservative Waukesha have already handed out more absentee ballots than in 2010.


text:
Nyarko Twum Berima, known as Twum, has been working with our office in Ghana for five years and now serves as Partnership Facilitator Supervisor.
Twum attended a small-village elementary school and proceeded to secondary school, where he obtained his ordinary and advanced levels certificate in education. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in sociology as well as a master's in business administration.
Twum is married to Esther. They have three children — a girl and two boys. His daughter, age 4, is the oldest; the second child is a 2-year-old boy and the youngest child is an 8-month-old baby boy.
I spent some time getting to know Twum and learning more about his work in Ghana.
What did you do before coming to Compassion?
I pastored a small church in Accra and also worked part-time with the Scripture Union. One day the then General Director of the Union informed me that his friend was bringing Compassion International to Ghana and that they were looking for qualified people.
I went to the Compassion website to find out more about them. I realized that they were into holistic child development, which was in line with what I was already doing as a youth and children's pastor. So I applied, went for an interview and got the job.
I started as a Program Facilitator and not too long after that, I was promoted to Senior Partnership Facilitator. I combined the work of a facilitator with the work of a Complementary Interventions Administrator. In the course of time, the Program Manager left and I acted in that position for 11 months.
Fortunately a new Programs Manager and a Complementary Interventions Administrator were hired and I moved to the position of Program [Partnership?] Facilitator Supervisor. That has been my position for the past two years.
Does this mean that your work load has been reduced?
Not really; I am now supervising 10 Program Facilitators and I am also responsible for new church partners.
I am in charge of recommending church partners to our office. I still do some of the Complementary Interventions proposals, monitor Complementary Interventions activities in the child development centers, and write some of the Complementary Interventions completion reports.
In addition to these responsibilities, I am actively involved in advocacy issues. So my work has rather increased.
What is your favorite part of your current role?
The advocacy issue is very exciting for me because you are supposed to think outside the box and do something. There is always more room for you to explore and discover new ways to help.
For example, we realized that children in Ghana are normally in their school for a greater part of the day. So together with the Country Director and others, we started child protection training for teachers' training colleges.
With this training we hope that teachers in the making will be informed about child issues before they step into the classroom and that they will treat children well and be advocates for them.
I get bored with routine and I love to explore. Advocacy activities give me new opportunities and variety in my work.
What are the challenges you face in your role?
There are a lot of challenges. Most common are conflicts within the child development centers. Sometimes a center worker will have a misunderstanding with a church partner committee member or a pastor.
Some conflicts can become long and drawn out and it is a big challenge to find a lasting resolution, which sometimes makes my work hard.
The most heartbreaking aspect of my work is that sometimes in the rural areas I will come across an issue that I cannot fix because a particular child development center is not equipped to manage those issues. That is when I come home feeling stressed out and angry for not being able to help the situation that center is facing.
Some of the challenges also come with church partner selection. We have a policy that there are some specific things that should be in place in order to qualify a church for partner selection.
When you have a church that is poor, and they do not have all the things to qualify them because they are very much under-resourced, the question becomes, do you leave out those who are not resourced but have a heart for children? Or do you select the church that has so many resources in every area but does not have child ministry at heart?
So it is a challenge for us to make the right decision and to get the right partner in place. These challenges are many, but to me that makes the work enjoyable.
Do you have any lessons or innovations you would like to share with others?
I want to encourage others to embrace teamwork in all their endeavors. I work with a team of 10 Partnership Facilitators who are involved in everything I do, especially during the church selection process.
My team works together and this brings out the best of decision making. The essence of teamwork is great.
Another thing I have noticed is that, if you want to create innovation, then you have to allow for mistakes. You cannot crave innovation and frown on mistakes. I have noticed that a lot of mistakes we make turn out to be great lessons.
There was a time when we were building a classroom block for a church partner and we made a lot of mistakes. Those mistakes taught us so much and have helped us in subsequent building projects.
I personally think that it is good to allow people to explore and make some amount of mistakes, to learn from them and become better informed for the future.
What motivates you to keep on doing what you do?
When the challenges I meet on the field get resolved I have more vim to get up every morning to continue my task of releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name.
Recently we attended a one-year anniversary celebration of a child development center. I looked back to the day we first stepped into that community; they were under-resourced and the children could not do anything.
But now the children are doing choreography, they are singing, and they have done beautiful beads, artwork and many things which they have exhibited.
I saw the potential in the children and realized that without the development center, their potential would have been untapped.
Also, sometimes we meet very serious medical situations during child registration, but with our intervention these children bounce back to life. An example of this was a child who was born with no anus. This child was in a hopeless condition and could not mingle with other children. We came in and, after a couple of surgeries, the child is now living a normal life, has been enrolled into school and plays like every normal child. Imagine where that child would have been now if we had not gone into that community!
Those are the things which motivate me to wake up every morning to go to work. When I weigh the success stories against the stress, I quickly cross out the stress and say,
"Yes, something is really happening, so let us go on."
Where do you hope to see yourself five years from now?
I see myself here five years from now, still serving our church partners.
Let me say one thing: I enjoy working in the programs department and especially with program facilitators out in the field.
Several job vacancies have come up in other departments but I have never applied for any of them because the partnership section of the ministry is where I really want to be.
So what position do you want to see yourself occupying ultimately?
I believe that God places us in positions, so to me every position is a privilege given by God.
Whatever position He deems fit for me is good. I have never applied for any of the positions that I have held. I just want to be here to serve, learn and grow.
What parting words do you leave with the Compassion family everywhere?
I want to say that we are doing a great job; we are building the next generation and that should be our motivation to work even harder. It is a joy building human resources and we shall see the fruits of our labor.
I want to encourage everyone globally to keep working; do not stop, for God is recognizing our work. Amen!


text:
Posted on 02/04/2014 by Phillip Island Nature Parks
Peppa Pig and epic Easter egg hunt at Churchill Island for Easter weekend family activities!
Get eggcited for the sixth annual Easter Fun Festival at Churchill Island featuring Peppa Pig on Saturday April 19 and an epic Easter egg hunt on Sunday April 20.
A family favourite, the Easter Fun Festival has plenty of action-packed activities across the weekend. From 10am to 4:30pm catch Pockets the Clown, working horses, face painting, plus live music and food stalls. And it's all just 90 minutes from Melbourne. Get hopping!
What: Easter Fun Festival
Where: Churchill Island Heritage Farm, Phillip Island – 90 minutes from Melbourne
When: April 19-20, 10am to 4:30pm.
Peppa Pig meet and greet: 10am, 11am, 12pm and 1pm on April 19
Epic Easter egg hunt: for preschool and primary aged kids on April 20. Please see below for Easter Egg Hunt times based on age groups:
Times for Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday
2 – 4
10am – 11am
5 – 7
11am – 12pm
8 – 10
12pm – 12.30pm
11 – 15 and catch up
12.30pm – 1pm
Cost: Free with a 3 Parks Pass - family (2A+2C): $101, adult: $40.40, child (ages 4-15): $20.20, or Churchill Island entry
Bookings: www.penguins.org.au or phone 03 5951 2800.
About Phillip Island Nature Parks:
Phillip Island Nature Parks is a not-for-profit organisation. All revenue is re-invested into conservation, research and education activities. A 3 Parks Pass ticket includes entry to Churchill Island Heritage Farm, Koala Conservation Centre and the Penguin Parade.
Media Enquiries:
Ms Danene Jones - Communications Executive
Tel: +613 5951 2825 Mobile: 0418 402 161 Email: email@example.com
Easter Fun Festival at Churchill Island


text:
Watch: Stephen Colbert Thanks And Remembers His Mom
By Linda Holmes • Jun 20, 2013
Stephen Colbert's mother Lorna died recently at 92, and on last night's Colbert Report, he offered her a funny, sweet, warm tribute that really requires no additional comment.
Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.


text:
Strong snow storm to hit Western Wisconsin
A Blizzard Warning is now in effect for areas along and south of I-90 from 6 p.m. Wednesday through Midnight Thursday night.
This warning now includes the cities of La Crosse, Winona, La Crescent, Sparta, Mauston, Viroqua, and Prairie du Chien.
A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for areas north of La Crosse.
Storm totals will range from:
4-8 inches around Eau Claire
5-10 inches across parts of Wabasha, Buffalo and Trempealeau Counties
10-15+ inches for La Crosse and the I-90 corridor
14-18+ inches for areas east and south of La Crosse
StormTeam 8 Meteorologist Cory Malles says these numbers could change depending on the final track and strength of the storm.
The snow is expected to develop in the La Crosse area after 8 or 9 p.m. Wednesday night. The snow will become heavy at times after midnight. Malles says he's expecting anywhere from 3-4 inches (far north) to 5-6 inches to already be on the ground by daybreak tomorrow, making for a difficult morning commute. The heaviest snowfall arrives in time for the morning commute, then continues into the early afternoon before winding down late in the day.
In addition to the snow, winds will increase dramatically as the storm moves through late tonight and into Thursday. Expect N/NW winds at 20-30 mph, with gusts of 35 to 40 mph possible. This will cause significant blowing and drifting of any snow that falls. Blizzard conditions are likely across much of the area, especially along and south of the I-90 corridor. 2 to 4 foot drifts will be possible in areas that see the heaviest snow! Strong winds will continue even after the snow ends. They will diminish late tomorrow night.
Stay with the Storm Team 8 and News8000.com for updates on this snow storm.
Copyright 2012 by WKBT News8000. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
The Nanny State is wagging its finger at us again. This time it's the National Transportation Safety Board, which wants to ban all use of cellphones by drivers — even the "hands-free" kind that are increasingly popular — supposedly to cut down on traffic accidents. Many new cars even come with Bluetooth devices that automatically interface with your phone, allowing you to talk to a voice seemingly inside the car.
Now, according to the NTSB, even using a hands-free device isn't good enough. "This is a ridiculous Nanny State thing," Marc Scribner told us; he's a transportation policy analyst with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a free-market think tank. He said the device used isn't the problem, but the element of distraction to the driver.
He said a total ban on drivers using phones would be difficult to enforce. How could a police officer tell if the person was talking with a hands-free device, singing to a tune on the radio or conversing with a passenger?
Scribner pointed to a September 2010 study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "Distracted Driving and Driver, Roadway and Environmental Factors." It found that conversing on a phone was the cause of about 3.4 percent of vehicle crashes, the second-most common cause. But the most-frequent cause of accidents was "conversing with a passenger," at 15.9 percent. Kids getting into a shouting match in the back seat will do that.
"If they're so concerned about phones being distracting, why aren't they also talking about banning conversation in cars?" he said.
The fact is that, despite all the distractions in cars, including more phones, auto fatalities have declined in recent years. On Dec. 8, the NHTSA reported that traffic fatalities declined 2.9 percent in 2010, "to 32,885 for the year, the lowest level since 1949." In the intervening 61 years, the U.S. population has more than doubled, and people are driving more than ever. The reason for lower fatalities: Cars and roads are much safer, and get safer every year.
Although the safety board's nonbinding recommendation can be rejected by the states, Nanny can creep up on us. If we're not careful, a federal mandate might hitch federal highway funds to total bans on phone use. Meanwhile, New Mexico and Texas should not act on this recommendation. This time, let's leave Nanny at home.


text:
SUNNYVALE, CA — Cogswell College (www.cogswell.edu), an institution that offers a unique curriculum fusing digital arts, engineering, and entrepreneurship, has launched a brand new program, "The Silicon Valley Immersion Experience" (www.entrepreneurship.cogswell.edu/immersion). Now available to entrepreneurs and students on a global scale, Cogswell's Silicon Valley Immersion Experience program just hosted its first group of participants — a team of entrepreneurs from Turkey. The announcement was made by Dr. Deborah Snyder, president and chief academic officer, Cogswell College.
Spearheaded by John Duhring, Cogswell College's education technology specialist, five entrepreneurs from the Turkey-based Sabanci University's "SUCool" Pre-Incubator Program, very recently visited the Cogswell College campus. The group also attended a series of meetings, workshops, showcases, meetups and presentations, including trips to Stanford University, IDEO, and the Institute for the Future; such top Silicon Valley-based companies as Google, Skype, Flipboard, and Eventbrite; financiers and incubators including StartX, the Founder Institute, Hackers/Founders, and Hanhai Investments, and start-ups including Good Eggs, gThrive, NVT, Diya TV, and others.
Read more on Computer Graphics World.
Tags: Cogswell College, Entrepreneurship, Immersion program, John Duhring, Silicon Valley, Sunnyvale


text:
For ages 0-3 years. For ages 0-3 years.
Based on the Curious George of PBS Kids, this engaging touch-and-feel board book lets youngsters feel a rhino's rough skin, a fuzzy zebra's mane, and the coats of penguins. All the while, they can search for Curious George, who is hiding on each page: "Is George around to see?"
10 Pages
Board Book


text:
Compare great Isuzu Loss of Power prices in Harringay with Who Can Fix My Car.
Enter your registration, compare quotes, and find a great garage near you. Get your competitive local prices now!
Compare great Isuzu Loss of Power prices in Harringay with Who Can Fix My Car.
Excellent service. Picked up and delivered the car in the given time. Car also cleaned. Thanks Daniel for your honest and excelllent service --Regards Suresh Canning town
Daniel's friendliness and customer service is second to none. Audi A3 cambelt kit, water pump and coolant fitted. Work completed as scheduled at the price estimated. Car cleaned inside and out too. Can't fault the whole experience, I'm so happy I've found a mechanic I can trust.
Superb. Great customer service. Daniel is a person who will tell You what exactly need to be done and he's mechanic who is not inclined to rip his clients off. Also very clean garage. Great communication during the whole process - even if You are not there. I can honestly recommend!
Exelent service I will be back again next time .
Car Technic did a great job. I am very satisfied. Will definitely come back. One of the biggest factor why this job felt so satisfying is the guy who took care of it: Daniel. He delivered everything he promised on time and with the best possible quality. Thank you so much.
Mike is brilliant, patient, professional and explains everything to those of us who know absolutely nothing about cars. I paid him exactly what he quoted no hidden extras. A Smart car is a tricky one to sort out regardless of the problem and after trying several garages found Sphynx Garage on Whocanfixmycar.com Mike is fantastic. He rang me up and asked what the problem was. Came our at a time convenient to me, diagnosed the problem and had it sorted that night. Explained everything he was doing and why. Booked the car in for an MOT with him too. Excellent service highly recommend this garage.
Mike was very helpful and polite. He had excellent customer service skills. With extensive knowledge of car mechanics and a quick turn around time I would definitely recommend him to others. I will be contacting Mike in the future for all my car repairing needs.
My speed dial was not working on my Vauxhall Corsa and I wanted to find a place to fix this problem. I went on line on to who can fix my car. I did not have to wait long Mike from Sphynx Vehicle repairs responded back within the hour and left me a number that I could call. Mike was polite an explained the process that my car was to have a diagnostic test he got back to me straight away with the results and choices which was on offer and how much each of these was going to cost and how long this would take after making my decision Mike kept me informed and updated me on the progress and when my car was going to be ready. The invoice listed the works carried out the speed dial is now fixed. I will be using this company in future the customer service is very good and Mike is contactable and is always ready to explain the full issues occurring with your car I would recommend him to my friends and family members
Very impressed with the service and speed in which Mike solved the problem with my van. Can highly recommend him.
I finally found a great mechanic next door! He offered me to collect my car at my address, then showed me all the parts which I needed to be replaced, giving me different options of parts about quality and prices. He kept me updated about the work progress and He took only one day to fix it. ( Only because the parts wasn't available straight away). Now my car runs perfectly without any problems. I definitely suggest this garage!
Car repair was done to good standard (slight delay in getting it back from them due to paint shop issues) They were polite and kept me informed throughout. Polite and friendly. Not dealership level repair but good enough for the price.
Always a pleasure dealing with these guys as legit as they come, I would recommend they be your first choice you won't be disappointed. First class service.
Brilliant garage. I needed this wing mirror very quickly as I had to go Glastonbury the next day and these guys got it done straight away. They were also friendly, honest and as someone who's had a lot of bad experiences with garage these awesome guys put me at ease. Not to mention the price was very reasonable considering some chain garages were quoting me over double! Will never going anywhere else now! Thanks again :)
Prompt and efficient service
Very friendly and prompt service, really happy with the job. I've used these guys a few times now and will definitely use them again.
This is an excellent local garage that I wish was more local to me - but worth the journey. Joe, who runs the office side of the business, is brilliant and reassuring (my car is extremely old). There were clear explanations at every stage and all the work was fast and efficient. I highly recommend this garage
Efficient service, repair as requested, competitive price, car left clean etc. Recommended
Efficient service, repair as requested, competitive price, car left clean etc. Recommended
job was not done by this garage .not saying garage is not good just did not use them
very good service, kept informed of all works that car needed with costs agreed.very professional to deal with and will use again.
Did not use the garage
Nobody contacted me the garage did not even call me and this is two attempts to use a service from this site with no one getting back to arrange an appointment had to use Kwikfit to get my car done
Very good service
its very good i got good service
Job was quick, unbeatable prices. But, my dash board computer was not reset. Because of that I'll give 4 of 5.Apart from that great work, great price.
One star because you did not write the report I asked and you don't respond to my messages.
Samet has been very professional and has fixed the problem very quickly and at the right price. Will use his services again. Thanks


text:
You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling
Despite the fact that the first movie I saw in 2010 was Avatar, 2010 was a great year for movies. (Sorry, had to.) Last year, more or less on a whim, I decided to do a top five list of movies I had seen in the last year, so this year I'm taking that whim and making it a tradition. Below are my top five movies of 2010.
Honorable Mention: How to Train Your Dragon, The American, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
5 – Despicable Me
I always approach movies like Despicable Me with some caution. First of all, it's a 3D movie. That doesn't necessarily make it bad, but generally movies that are 3D are 3D to be a gimmick, to sell tickets, and squeeze as much money as they can out of patrons before they realize how bad it was. It pleases me to say that both of Dreamworks' offerings, Despicable Me and How to Train Your Dragon, were both quality movies despite the fact that they were in 3D. (It should be noted that while I say all these movies were in 3D, I didn't actually attend them in 3D.)
Despicable Me also suffered a long lead time, as it was first advertised in summer 2009. This isn't a bad sign per se, but it means that by the time the movie comes out I'm probably sick of it. With Despicable Me however, this wasn't the case – there were still laughs left over for the film's release.
Steve Carrell's performance was the best of the film, and I sort of thought the film underused Jason Segel's talents. Nonetheless the story was good, the movie had me laughing in many spots and I walked out of the theater not regretting that I didn't see Inception for a second week in a row.
4 – Iron Man 2
I saw Iron Man 2 at midnight and walked out of the theater thinking it would easily be a shoo-in for the greatest film of the summer. But after thinking about it for a bit I remembered that the story was a little less believable (yes, I get it, it's about a man in a super-suit powered by an artificially sentient robot, but besides that), the characters a little more caricatured, and the movie itself a little less real.
But then I bought it on Blu-ray, and you know what? It's still a darn fine movie. Jon Favreau had a lot to manage in the second incarnation of this franchise, while trying to tell his story as well as merge Iron Man with The Avengers and really, he did a pretty good job to make a film that is, at the very least, incredibly entertaining. I'm worried about the future of this franchise without Jon Favreau at the helm; that's how important he was on the first two.
Equally important was Robert Downey Jr., who is experiencing a career revitalization paralleled only by Michael Vick. He was once again able to make Iron Man appear human, an impressive feat considering Iron Man's extensive arsenal. I also liked Don Cheadle as James Rhodes, and felt that he made a more convincing Warmachine than Terrence Howard would have.
3 – Toy Story 3
When I was drawing up my top five this year, I had to go back and rethink my choices when I landed with Toy Story 3 at #3. I was shocked. I wondered if I had forgotten a plot hole somewhere, maybe forgotten one of the finer intricacies of Toy Story 3 (and to be fair, I only saw it once and have yet to acquire the Blu-ray release).
But the fact that Toy Story 3 was #3 doesn't say as much about it or Pixar as it does about the movies that bested it. For Toy Story 3 to take a 10-year old franchise, resurrect and invigorate it with new life and end up with what is, in my estimation, the best film of the franchise, there's really no word to describe it other than "unprecedented."
I don't know what the 3D looked like because I only saw it in 2D. But that 2D movie was the best looking movie of the series (not surprisingly) and perhaps the best Pixar's ever done. The voice acting, one of the most star-studded Pixar releases ever, was superb. The soundtrack was superb. It's a rare occasion that final movies of trilogies deliver in the way that Toy Story 3 does, but it definitely does here.
It's so hard for me to pick favorite Pixar movies anyway because they're all so so good, but I'd be hard-pressed not to put this one near the top.
2 – The Social Network
When I heard they were making a movie about Facebook, I was interested. When I heard Aaron Sorkin was attached to the project, I was very interested. But seriously, I didn't expect this movie to be good. It's a movie about a programmer and friends, people who generally communicated via IM during the day instead of getting up and talking to each other twenty feet across the room. The catchphrase "You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies" was pretty corny, and the trailer with the operatic emo music was really just awkward. All of these factors caused The Social Network to be made fun of incessantly before its launch.
But then I went to the movie, and despite all the hype, despite all of the "what the heck are you doing?" press, it was fantastic. I fully credit Aaron Sorkin for the fast-paced, intelligent dialogue (this had to be the first movie I ever saw in which the text editor emacs was referenced). Jesse Eisenberg, who was probably cast based on how similar his appearance is to Mark Zuckerberg's, does really well at playing a college student who suddenly becomes a billionaire.
And while some of the story is true, some of it is embellished, and some of it is downright false, the movie as a whole is entertaining, thought-provoking, and yes, inspiring. Unfortunately for The Social Network, it happened to come out in the same year as the #1 movie, or it wouldn't have settled for #2 on this list.
1 – Inception
If you've talked to me about movies since this summer or read my blog, you'll know that Inception was going to top this list. I first saw the trailer before Avatar back in January, but my interest grew after seeing the now famous trailer before Iron Man 2. Why was my interest high? Three people: Christopher Nolan, Hans Zimmer, and Leonardo DiCaprio, in that order. Those three people rarely make bad movies (especially Nolan). And the catchphrase "Your mind is the scene of the crime" grabbed me.
I saw this one in theaters, at midnight on opening night. And again a couple weeks later. And again a week after that. It's the first movie I've seen three times in theaters, and I'd have happily seen it a couple more times. Everything about the movie was outstanding. The writing was deep and extremely provacative, the acting was superb (Ellen Paige, DiCaprio and Tom Hardy get special mention), and the musical score, by Hans Zimmer, is one of the best I've ever heard. Zimmer's score seems like it's a part of the movie in a sense that if you listen closely you can hear three different levels at three different tempos, symbolizing how time moves differently in the different dream levels. Zimmer could have gone with something ordinary here, and it would have been fantastic. But the fact that he went out on a limb and did a multi-tempoed waltz made it extraordinary.
It seems like most top-N lists just end, so instead of doing that, I'll list a few of the movies I'm looking forward to in 2011: The Adjustment Bureau and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II top the list, but Thor, Sherlock Holmes 2, Star Trek 2, Cowboys and Aliens and Captain America are high up there too. I'm also looking forward to PotC: On Stranger Tides and The Hangover 2, and yes, even Cars II. In short, it's a great time to be a movie fan, and although I'm not sure any year could top 2010, I've been wrong before.


text:
"Your radio show changed my life. As a result of listening, I converted to Catholicism at 53 years old. I was a very active Protestant my whole life before becoming a Catholic. Keep up the terrific work!"
"When He asserts and says: This is My Blood, who shall ever hesitate and say it is not His Blood?"


text:
Leaders on campus, leaders in their careers, leaders in philanthropy: Derrick '93 and the Reverend Dr. Tracy Smith '90 Malone came to North Central College with clear goals, honed their leadership skills and now are living the life they dreamt as young teens.
"I knew at age 13 that the Lord was calling me to be a leader of people and in the church," says Tracy, now senior pastor at Gary Memorial United Methodist Church in Wheaton, IL.
"I always knew I wanted my own business," says Derrick, owner of a State Farm Insurance agency in Chicago.
On campus, Tracy was active with the Multicultural Student Association and she was one of the change agents who initiated the Voices of Praise gospel choir, Gospel Extravaganza and new events for the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. She is also proud that she helped hire the first multicultural affairs director.
"I'd been mentored in my church at home by my dad [the Reverend Willie Smith '79] and other clergy, and I came to college fully engaged," says Tracy. "And people like [former campus chaplain] Barbara Isaacs were very supportive and had the relationships on campus to make things happen."
A marketing major, Derrick says that he honed his leadership skills by playing basketball and serving as a team captain, a skill that came naturally as the oldest of five boys. "I'm a self-driven person," he says.
Tracy went on to Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary and now uses her leadership skills to inspire giving toward church building improvements; to mentor new pastors before they are ordained; and in teaching a class at Northern Seminary in Lombard that prepares new seminarians for ministry. She was honored with a Distinguished Leadership Award by the Black Methodists for Church Renewal and was elected to the 2008 General Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Derrick is passionate about helping young people and serves as a mentor and tutor for children at a Chicago Public School. He's led a basketball ministry at a former church and was instrumental in encouraging a cousin, Deangelo Tyler '12, to visit and enroll at North Central. The couple's two school-age daughters will probably also learn about the benefits of becoming a Cardinal.
Tracy and Derrick decided to share their success by awarding the first Derrick and Tracy Malone Minority Scholarship to Greg Jackson '09 for the 2007-2008 academic year. "The scholarship meant a lot to me financially when I was in need," says Jackson. "I was able to move on campus in order to be in a better situation academically and to get more involved on campus."
"We're giving people and we believe so strongly in education, especially the value of good academics," says Derrick. "We both had student loans and we know there's an inability to fund education. We'd like to see the African-American student population grow at North Central ... and we want to help make that happen.
North Central Now Annual Report 2008


text:
|An introduction to financial management concepts and helping plan for growth. Includes understanding financial reporting forms, key terms such as fixed and variable costs, contribution margin, and break even point. Hands on exercise to understand how to find your break even point and how to improve your profit.
No Charge. Reserve your seat by registering today at 361-485-4485 or firstname.lastname@example.com.