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Sullivan legislature opposes gun law; Hundreds gather for rally
March 27, 2013 —
The New York affiliate of the National Rifle Association filed a lawsuit on March 21 in federal court against the recently passed gun law in New York State. Court papers say the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act (NY SAFE), runs afoul of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which affords citizens the right to own "commonly possessed" guns for defense purposes.
On the same day, hundreds of people gathered for a rally against NY SAFE, which is primarily aimed at the sale of assault weapons.
John Mahoney, one of the organizers, also said the law violates the Second Amendment. Referring to the words that connect the amendment to a "well-regulated militia," Mahoney said that does not refer to the National Guard, as some people claim, because the guard did not exist at the time. However, various state militias did exist at the time.
Moreover, assault weapons did not exist at the time the amendment was adopted, and it is unclear that if the case ever reaches the U.S Supreme Court, the justices will rule that assault weapons are protected under the amendment. It is also unclear if other weapons such as shoulder fired missiles and chemical weapons would be protected.
In July 2012, Antonin Scalia, a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, said in a news interview that, because the amendment refers to the right to "keep and bear" arms, it would not apply to a cannon, but the question of whether or not it applies to shoulder-fired missile launchers is still up in the air.
Legislators Gene Benson and Cora Edwards sponsored the county resolution that urges repeal of the state law. After the rally, county legislators voted unanimously in favor of the resolution.


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Over the small number of years I have been around, I have come to realize that it's quite rare for people to have a positive impact on someone's life, but when they do the impact is immeasurable. More so if that impact is also Godly influenced.
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
-Isaac Newton
This is what can be said of my sponsors, a married couple, who decided to take a chance on me.
Their decision made it possible for me to know what it feels like to wear your first pair of shoes, to hold your first pencil, to enjoy three meals a day–something unheard of in the slums–a chance to have medical care and not die from malaria like many of the children in the slum do, a chance to go to school and not be part of a gang or a victim of HIV/AIDS, and the greatest gift of all: a chance to hear the word of God, which gave me the chance to have a personal relationship with Christ.
Wikipedia defines a sponsor as a contributor, a financial provider, which in a way is true because of the amount of money the sponsor contributes monthly. But to me the sponsor is more than that; he or she is a bridge between hunger and strength, between thirst and renewal, between fear and knowledge, between desperation and hope.
Through the letters shared between the sponsor and the child, hope is not only stirred, but relationships are built, wounds healed and love blossoms. These and so many other things start a chain reaction not only in the child's life but also in the lives of those around him or her, and impact is felt to generations. The bonds created can never be broken, and in doing so the world is changed by changing the life of one child at a time. We can learn a lot from the sponsor:
- It's in taking a chance, or should I say a risk, on someone that the real change begins, and we allow God not only to change that person but also to change other people's lives.
- It's good to be vulnerable. It's important to let other people into our lives and into our hearts. It's important to love.
- God is not looking at what we don't have–He is looking at what is in our hands, little or big, and when we surrender it to Him, He uses it to "feed 5,000 people."
It's no wonder that I, too, decided to become a sponsor. How ironic that a child who was once sponsored is now sponsoring you might say, but I am a product of just that. I wanted to give that chance to someone else in the same way because my sponsor gave me that chance.
Its no wonder that each night I ask God to send more sponsors into this world, more sponsors like you and me. And if you are not one, then this is your chance to become one. God bless the sponsor.

subset: commoncrawl


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MVe® Chair and DVDs Earn 4-Star Reviews
MVe line receives rave reviews from popular source in Pilates
Peak Pilates® recently received a four-star review from Marguerite Ogle, guide to Pilates at About.com. Ogle reviewed the MVe Chair and its accompanying DVDs for a recent issue of her online newsletter.
"MVe stands for maximum versatility exercise, and Peak Pilates hit that mark with the MVe Pilates chair," said Ogle in her online review. "Sleeker, lighter and easier to store than traditional Pilates chairs, the MVe Pilates chair has a lot going for it," she said.
The MVe Chair is designed for studio, gym, and home use and was created for the health and fitness market. MVe combines Peak Pilates' patented Pilates equipment synergized with heart-pumping, music-driven fusion workouts with an appeal that spans demographics, skill levels and abilities.
Ogle on the MVe's spring-changing system:
"My favorite thing about the MVe is how easy it is to change the spring tension. No more walking around to the back of the chair to add or remove springs; you choose one of four settings using a sliding control at the front of the chair. This one improvement truly enhances the flow of a workout."
Ogle on the MVe's size:
"I like the open design and size of the MVe. The open frame, which allows you to wrap your legs around the frame for stability or slide them under for floor work, creates some new exercise options."
Ogle on the MVe's pedal:
"The pedal has a nice, quite glide to it. I like that a lot. It's also longer than that of a traditional chair, which is good for side-bending and twisting exercises where flexibility in hand or foot placement is helpful."
Ogle on MVe education:
"Classes are the way to use the Pilates chair. Peak Pilates MVe teacher training courses, and follow-up DVDs, are making MVe workouts available at many gyms as well as Pilates studios. Start with a class, and then move on to an MVe of your own."
Ogle's entire review can be found by visiting www.pilates.about.com.


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High Powered 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS Receiver and Speaker System
Suggested Price: $199.00
Right out of the box, the HTP-2600 Home Theater System can deliver outstanding home theater. It comes complete with two front speakers, two surround speakers, a center channel speaker, and a subwoofer. Color-coded wires make the connections really easy. And with Room Setup, your new system will automatically select the optimal acoustic settings.
The system's receiver delivers 1,000* watts total system power and features DTS®, Dolby® Digital, and Dolby Pro Logic II surround sound decoding. Its 96kHz/24-bit Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) delivers pure, accurate sound for both movies and music. 5-Channel Stereo (a.k.a. "Party Mode") sends identical music information to all speakers for maximum room coverage.
*Using DIN MUSIC specification. 125W x 6, RMS / 100w x 6 FTC)
More about Pioneer HTP Home Theater Systems
PIONEER, the PIONEER logo, the ELITE logo and PureVision are registered trademarks of the Pioneer Corporation.
DOLBY and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
DTS and DTS Digital Surround are registered trademarks of Digital Theater Systems, Inc.


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By Sharna Johnson, Freedom New Mexico
Couples danced at a local senior citizens center. Other residents were working, driving through town, eating dinner, bowling, just relaxing.
Under cover of darkness, it approached from the south.
Some heard the sirens, some saw the warnings, some didn't.
But what no one knew was that Clovis was about to experience its worst tornado in at least 44 years — one that would ultimately claim the lives of two people and forever change the community.
Forming in Roosevelt County just after 7:30 p.m., the cell tore through a dairy, killing hundreds of cattle before making the eight-mile trek to Clovis.
Its strength fluctuated, waning at times, as power lines, transformers, trees and vehicles along the highway became casualties of its force.
At 7:55 p.m. last March 23, calls began pouring into emergency dispatchers in Curry County — a tornado was carving a path through Clovis.
Panic, fear, shock and disbelief dominated the moments to follow.
"There's power lines down and houses with roofs off and stuff," a male voice reported.
"Where at?" 911 dispatcher Debby Blankenship asked, the pitch of her voice rising.
For 14 minutes, a barrage of similar calls came.
"It's in the middle of the highway… Just send somebody please. … Oh my God," a young male voice said.
The 19-year veteran dispatcher said emergency responders were prepared for bad weather that night but, "I just don't think we knew the magnitude it was going be."
As the lines flooded, Blankenship said training and experience kicked in.
One by one she fielded calls, trying to determine if there were injured, what help they needed, what she could do to assuage their fears and then on to the next one.
"You just react, you just do it. You don't have time to think, you just do it," she said.
"A tornado hit my house… I was in the closet and everything's everywhere," a woman shrieked into the phone, alternating wails and gasps.
"We need an ambulance… The trailer right across the street just blew, it's tipping all out and my neighbor's hurt," another voice on the phone pleaded.
Concerns for her family, friends and her community were stifled by the task at hand.
"My neighborhood is destroyed… my neighbor's house is on top of my house. Hurry," a man on the southeast side of town yelled into the phone.
The calls tracked the progress of the violent whirlwind as it curved and ricocheted along U.S. 70 to the railroad tracks and north from Sycamore to 21st Street.
When the long night ended, Blankenship said she retired to her home and never went to see the aftermath.
"You hear it on the phone, you're with them. You could hear the tone in their voices and you could hear the winds and you knew. You knew it was bad," she said.
"I didn't want to go see because it makes it more of a reality. … It's peoples lives," she said.
City Manager Joe Thomas said he drove around in the dark after the tornado passed, not grasping the full extent of the damage.
The devastation would not be fully understood until daybreak, when residents emerged from their shelter to find homes decimated, vehicles overturned, roofs blown away.
A 36-year resident of the community who has weathered many storms, floods and other disasters, Thomas said he was not prepared for what he saw.
Having slept only a couple of hours, Thomas rose with the sun to survey the damage to his community. Even with all the disaster training and preparations he had gone through as a city official, Thomas said nothing prepares you for the real thing.
"I was really surprised at the damage that I saw. It was a lot worse than I expected it to be."
The storm's path stretched like a jagged wound through the community.
In Curry County, more than 600 homes were damaged and approximately 35 people were injured.
Heleneta Blevins, 90, and Walter Cravy, also 90, lost their lives a few days after suffering injuries in the storm that was classified an EF2 with wind speeds between 110-125 miles per hour.
There have been 49 tornados in Curry County since record keeping began in 1932, but none have exceeded an EF2. Last year's deaths were a first for recorded tornadoes in eastern New Mexico.
With a year between the community and that night, fences have been fixed, roofs replaced, trees replanted.
The treacherous piles of twisted metal, shattered glass and insulation have been scooped away, leaving empty lots behind.
But for many, the memories of that night are vivid.
"It still feels like it just happened. I can't believe it's been a year," Blankenship said.
And the thought that never again would be too soon resonates deep within those who are glad to move forward.


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At Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, New Dish Machine Sparkles With Savings
Home » About Us » News » 2013 News » New Dish Machine Sparkles With Savings
March 8, 2013
Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Food & Nutrition staff, pictured above, celebrated the arrival of a new high-efficient dish machine that washes over 200,000 food service items monthly and features significant cost savings that stack up instead of the dishes, including:
- electrical cost to heat the water - $5,787 per year versus $10,251
- water cost - $508 (169,000 gallons) per year to operate 8 hours per day, 7 days a week, compared to $1,157 annually
- water usage - 58 gallons per hour versus 132 gallons per hour
- chemical usage - $923 annually versus $2,101
Now, these are savings that really clean up!
Learn More About Mercy Hospital of Buffalo
This article appeared in the February / March 2013 edition of Mercy Connection, the official newsletter of Mercy Hospital.
Click here to download a PDF of the newsletter.


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Shumlin noncommittal on paid sick days
MONTPELIER Gov. Peter Shumlin wont say yet whether hell support passage of a paid sick days bill that could become a cornerstone of the progressive agenda in Montpelier next year.
The legislation aims to supply full-time workers with at least seven days of paid sick time annually by imposing a new mandate on Vermont employers. Passage of the bill has become a major priority for organized labor groups, who will be joined in the push by a broad coalition that includes advocates for women and children.
But the Democratic governor has yet to signal his support for legislation that even proponents say could increase gross payroll costs by as much as 2.5 percent at companies that dont already provide the benefit.
I support Vermonters having peace of mind when theyre ill, Shumlin said last week. As you know, the devil is in the details.
The legislation is shaping up to be one of the major battles of the 2014 legislative session as business interests, including the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and National Federation of Independent Businesses, prepare to mount a concerted opposition.
Betsy Bishop, executive director of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, has said the employer mandate seeks to impose a one-size-fits-all solution to a problem best addressed by individual companies.
Proponents of the bill say Bishops preferred course wont remedy the hardships faced by the approximately 60,000 Vermont workers who dont get paid when theyre too ill to come to work. James Haslam, executive director of the Vermont Workers Center, said Monday that the lack of paid sick time affects not only the workers that risk termination if they get sick, but the employees exposed to ill colleagues who cant afford to miss a days pay.
We come at it from a workers rights standpoint, but were working with other people who are very passionate about it as a womens rights issue, or as a public health issue, Haslam said. This is a huge burden that often falls to mothers and caregivers.
House Speaker Shap Smith Monday offered his strongest public expression of support yet for the legislation, saying that while he hadnt had time to carefully review the legislation, he thinks it is appropriate for employees to have the opportunity to take sick time without consequence.
Asked whether that means he supports a mandate on employers to offer paid sick time, Smith said it did.
The bill has 35 sponsors in the House. Smith said he wont know until after the House Democratic caucus next month whether the legislation will earn priority status in his chamber.
But it wouldnt surprise me if this is one that came to the House floor, Smith said.
Asked whether he supports a paid sick time mandate on Vermont employers, Shumlin was more circumspect.
I think its a conversation that we should have, Shumlin said. Most employers do already.
The ones that dont tend to be the lower paying, bigger enterprises, so I think its worth looking into. What Im saying is that I think its a really important conversation for us and the Legislature to have.
Peter.hirschfeld@ timesargus.com
Peter.hirschfeld@ rutlandherald.comMORE IN Vermont NewsMONTPELIER Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt. Full StoryVermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell plans to join the U.S. Full StoryAs Rutland prepares to welcome Syrian refugees to its community, some are continuing to voice... Full Story
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Waits for sensei, had no knowledge of sort in tai.
Okay. Well, you can start by telling me how much you know of Taijutsu?
Originally Posted by Gobi Gobletsson
Okay. Well, you can start by telling me how much you know of Taijutsu?
Well Taijutsu as i know with little knowledge i gain in the rp and the anime, is unlike the ninjutsu and gemjutsu, a hand to gand based combat. It requires no chakra as it only uses energy and stamina gained through rigorous training of the body and mind. We can as well deem it as martial art as it involves, punching, kicking with fast reflexes and reaction time than Ninjutsu itself. Since it requires physical contact and all that, it is short/close range and only maybe mid-ranged when enhanced with ninjutsu of sort.
My token
Yes. Goodie. So let's start with the warm-up...
*Pulls out a jumpsuit.*
Put it on. <.<
--puts on the jumpsuit-
yes it fits quite well
Beside the fact that it's pink.
Anyway, let's start jogging. 100 laps around the training field, full speed. *Sets off*
--huh? Now it irks me--
i start by stretching my arms and legs a little then i start jogging round the field, ist lap, second lap, 3rd lap till i complete a hundred lap. -looks exhausted- no i should dust it off or elase i wont be strong..
Sensei, i'm done
Ah! *Looks at my watch.* Only took you half a day longer than I. <.<''
That aside..-
*Claps you on the back.*
Push-ups, now! Give me 1000 O____O
aww, Push ups, right now?
i then start by leaning both my hand against the floor then i start pushing upwards and releaxing my hands again so i go down but not touching the ground with my body, there i go again, i continue this process until i reach 1000.
*breathing continously*
*Hands you some bandages*
Wrap these around your arms, and legs.
*takes bandages and wraps them around my arms and leg*
*Summons a big wooden stump.*
Time to harden your skin, and make your body used to hit stuff. So, hit the log here 500 times with each arm. Make sure to do palm strikes, backhand strikes, forearm strikes, elbow, etc. etc.
Originally Posted by Gobi Gobletsson
*Summons a big wooden stump.*
Time to harden your skin, and make your body used to hit stuff. So, hit the log here 500 times with each arm. Make sure to do palm strikes, backhand strikes, forearm strikes, elbow, etc. etc.
i start by standing infront of the wooden stump at arms-range the i start by hiting the wooden struck firstly with my palms (this is similar with hinata's in the anime) when i have hit it 500 times for each palms, i proceed to hit the log with both my fist which i completes 500 hits too, then followed by using Backhand strikes(this is quite painful) then i stop when i hit it 500 times with both backhands and the log start groaning and complaining of pain. I then proceed to hitting the now crying log with my forearms(till my humerous cracks). I finish the training session by hitting 500 times with borh my elbows.
*sweating profusely and writhing in pain*
then i proceed with kicking the log 500 with my laps each and then i use my forelegs followed by my feet kicking the log 500 times with both limbs.
*i wonder how strong the lod is*
Ah, good. You procced to the already next session. Will do. Now stretch out, and go rest till dawn. Then we procced with the actual training.
i then start stretching my arms and legs letting every stressed muscle to rleax and every wrongly placed muscle to be on the right track, then i proceed to take a rest, zZZZzzZZzZzZz!!!!
*Throws a bucket of water on you.*
*wakes up*
what up sensei, i was enjoying the sleep yo
Start by delivering the wooden log, the one we used the other day to warm up with, a strong punch.
i stand infront of the wooden structure armsreach then i stand firmly gaining balance while clenching my right fistthen i sending the clenched fist right to the center of the wooden with full force.
(Gangeki) - Rock Attack
Rank: D
Type: Attack
Range: Short
Chakra cost: N/A
Damage points: 10
Description: The user will strike their opponent with a strong punch to the chest
Perform a jump kick, aimed at your opponent's head area. Which in this case, is the upper part of the wooden log.
Forum Rules


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'Poetry Out Loud' contest cranks up the interest
Jeb Wallace-Brodeur / Staff Photo Isabelle Ansari, of Montpelier High School, recites "The Universe as Primal Scream" by Tracy Smith during the Poetry Out Loud state championship at the Barre Opera House on Wednesday.
BARRE — The cheers and applause can be heard outside the closed doors of the Barre Opera House. Every seat is packed with students, teachers and friends from around the state.
They've come to cheer on the 38 students who made it to Wednesday's seventh annual state finals of Poetry Out Loud, the national poetry recitation contest that will send one eloquent Vermonter to Washington to compete against students representing the rest of the nation.
"This is amazing," says Stefanie Ayers Cravedi, a Spaulding High School English teacher accompanying a group of students to support Barre finalist John Reese. "There have never been so many people here. But it's becoming more and more popular. This year I had 25 Advanced Placement students and they all competed."
Long before the days of television, let alone the 140-character tweet, memorizing and reciting poetry were part of a well-rounded education. It was common when friends and families gathered to offer up a bit of verse for the edification of all. In fact, poetry competition was an event in the first Olympic games.
These days students' ears are often keyed to rhyme through the cadences of hip-hop music. The ability to have words flow off the tongue has become a recognizable skill. Poetry Out Loud challenges students to more than memorize a poem, but to inhabit it. Theatrical performance is every bit as important as the words themselves.
Early in the first round on Wednesday, Dylan Robinson, a junior from Northfield High School, garnered cheers from the crowd with his recitation of "Mechanism," a poem by A.R. Ammons that in no way resembles Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." Instead, it is the modern language of currency and calculations, "Honor a going thing, goldfinch, corporation, tree, morality: any working order, animate or inanimate."
"I saw the poem and just fell in love with its language and images," Robinson said. "I used to think that all poetry was just about love. I had a real neutral feeling about it. But now I read it a lot."
The students are judged on six criteria: physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic presentation, level of difficulty, evidence of understanding, and overall performance.
Each year, say veterans of the competition, they've seen an increase in the level of complexity in the poems the students choose.
"When you have this caliber of performance it feels as though you are splitting excellence," said Stacy Raphael, a judge in the finals and associate director for school programs at Burlington's Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. "You just have to really trust the process. The students picked really challenging poems this year."
To make it to the state finals, students first had to win at their local level. More than 4,000 students, representing 38 schools, participated in the event, according to Ben Doyle, who coordinates the state program through the Vermont Arts Council. And students didn't have to learn just one poem, but three: two for the semifinal rounds and a third, if they made it to the finals.
A small hesitation or stumble was enough to keep a student from making it to the final four. Yet despite a few slips of the tongue, the students all exuded confidence and poise at every phase of the competition.
"It really isn't about winning," said Spaulding's Reese, sounding like a quarterback on a difficult Saturday afternoon.
The youngest in the competition, Montpelier High School freshman Isabelle Ansari, entered as a way to meet other students, having recently moved to Vermont from Oakland, Calif.
"I did it because I thought it would be a fun thing to do," she said. "I didn't even think that I would end up here."
Like others, Ansari writes poetry. "I used to write a lot when I was younger. Then I became too much of a perfectionist. But now I am getting freer." Ansari lists the poet and rock icon Patti Smith as a favorite wordsmith. And while she didn't take home the gold Wednesday, she hopes to come back next year.
On hand to help orient the competing students, and lend them support, was Claude Mumbere, who twice won the Vermont championships and went on to place second in the nation in 2012. Mumbere, a freshman at St. Lawrence University, was born in the Congo and moved to Vermont when he was 10. "I spoke French, and Swahili, and Lingala," he said. "No English."
Mumbere's rich baritone would sound good reading a laundry list. The poem that he took to the competition was Carl Sandburg's "Chicago." He took home $10,000 and has since done a voice-over for a movie for NASA.
Although he hasn't yet declared a major, he's still involved with poetry as both a writer and reader. "I'm taking a course right now on poetry as a healing power, and I'm involved in Poetry for Peace," he said.
At the end of the day, St. Johnsbury Academy junior Christian Dekett was chosen to represent the state at the April finals in Washington, D.C., with Brattleboro Union High School junior Maia Gilmour as the runner-up.
"This is more than STEM," said Vermont Arts Council Director Alex Aldrich, referring to the acronym for science, technology, engineering and matheducation that is continually bandied about as the most important thing in education. "When you add in the arts to STEM you've got STEAM." And the audience and students were cooking.MORE IN Central VermontMIDDLEBURY According to WebMD, Dystonia is a movement disorder that causes a persons muscles ... Full StoryTiffany Briggs and Kayla Jackson eyed each other across the table, clasped hands, and then it was... Full StoryMARLBORO Police are investigating a burglary on Higley Hill Road. Full Story
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Your May 31 editorial about the role of the Park Foundation misses the point, perhaps deliberately. The Park Foundation doesn't just "fund opponents of hydro-fracking," as you suggest. No, its influence is pervasive.
It funds hack studies such as the Howarth report that has been excoriated by other Cornell scientists and the Cristopherson and Myers report that are so weak as to be laughable.
Then it funds the anti-gas organizations, everyone from the Environmental Working Group to Catskill Mountainkeeper, that use these "studies" as leverage for campaigns.
Then it funds groups such Earth Justice to sue using the questionable data. Then it funds media such as Trailer Talk and the DC Bureau to report on it all. Then it funds Common Cause who attacks gas companies for using their influence, which returns the favor by giving the Park Foundation principals awards for their service.
Additionally, it funds not only "Gasland," but also Duke University (you'll remember that very selective study), the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, a profoundly radical group, and the Community Environmental Defense Council, which actually tried bullying an Upper Delaware businessman who only expressed his opinion with a "lawyer up, big guy" threat.
The Park Foundation is creating the issues, using them to sue and then reporting on the results. They have every right to do all those things, but not in the guise of a non-profit corporation, the public purpose of which is not politics, but charity. Funding opponents of natural gas is not a legitimate function of a 501(c)(3) organization. That is the issue, plain and simple. Let them declare themselves a 501(c)(4) organization if that's what they wish to do, but they shouldn't be parading around as a charity when they're really doing politics.
I am rather amazed at the reaction on the anti-gas side to my post about the Park Foundation principals. Clearly, it touched a nerve. Yet, all I did was point out the truth. No one has claimed any errors in my reporting. They just resent me bringing out some inconvenient facts, including not only the multi-faceted role of the foundation in the politics of natural gas, but also the stunning hypocrisy of some trust-funders who want the rest of us to live more simply and not develop our natural gas resources while they concurrently heat with gas and attack it.
I am not terribly impressed by such complaints, having been regularly called a shill for the industry, even though I had the exact same opinions before working with the industry and even expressed them on these pages. Likewise, I have no particular sympathy for others who make or have made their living elsewhere and profess to be the conscience of our area. I was born here and my family has been here since the 1700s, so I don't accept the idea we need groups such as the Park Foundation or the myriad Rockefeller spin-offs (e.g., NRDC) to tell us how to either develop or protect our natural resources.
Ultimately, that's what it's all about, isn't it? Who decides? What is appalling to me is that the Park Foundation and the National Resource Defense Council have interest whatsoever in the fate of people who actually have to make a living in the area. They would shut us out completely. We are mere collateral damage to them and when I see them bending the rules of non-profits to insert themselves into every aspect of a political battle, I intend to speak out. It's the American way.
[Tom Shepstone is a local planner and consultant, and the campaign director for Energy in Depth Marcellus (http://www.eidmarcellus.org [1]).]


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Sarah Ponitz, executive director of Faith in Action of McHenry County, will speak at next month's Coffee with the Chief.
Ponitz will present at 7 p.m., Monday, March 11 on the free services Faith in Action provides to seniors.
The monthly event runs until 8:30 p.m. and is hosted by Woodstock Police Chief Robert Lowen at the Police Department, 656 Lake Ave., Woodstock.
For more information, call Tamara Reed at 815-338-6787.


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If you receive a bomb threat:
Bomb Threat Checklist
Making a false bomb threat is not a victimless prank. It ties up response resources that could be needed for a realemergency and can negatively affect reactions in the event of an actual bomb threat.
A false bomb threat will be turned over to the proper legal authorities for investigation and possible criminal prosecution.Making a false bomb threat will also be considered cause for disciplinary action, up to and including, expulsion for students and termination for employees.
East Tennessee State University PO Box 70300 Johnson City, TN 37614 423-439-1000
Kathy KelleyEmergency Preparedness1276 Gilbreath Dr. | Box 70729 Johnson City, TN 37614 423-439-4224


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Cars with the best gas mileage
Published On: Aug 31 2011 02:40:43 PM CDT Updated On: Dec 14 2011 12:40:43 PM CST
Forbes magazine lists the fuel-sippers that are your best bet for paying less at the gas pump.
The views expressed are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms Of Service and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms.


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3 Comments
This season is starting to make me wonder about the offseason moves the Cubs made. Cub fans could be in store for a very long summer. On a positive note, I think Keith Moreland is doing a good job on the radio.
Johanna – Your Chicago Cubs, my Minnesota Vikings. All promise, no cojones. But, hey, you don't have the extra piss-n-vinegar of potentially paying new taxes for a new stadium built on old Army land far from established public transport in bumf*** Orange Free State (i.e. Michele Bachmann's Congressional district)…ehem…anyway, how was last night's game with Jeff?
– Randy
Apparently Jim Hendry is gonna wrap his warm arms around Albert Pujols Harold Reynolds-style and never let him go.


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Camp Daggett has provided meaningful and memorable recreational experiences for the young and young at heart for over 91 years. Embracing its values of respect, teamwork, caring and fun, Camp Daggett offers year-round programs from summer camp for youth to Adventure Programs for young people and adults. The Camp Daggett facilities are available to the public for events and activities as well.
Camp Daggett maintains more than 1,400 feet of lake frontage on beautiful Walloon Lake and 118 acres of forests, wetlands and meadows. If you're looking to get away and enjoy the great outdoors, or need a place to reflect and relax, Camp Daggett is the "home" you've been looking for.


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Doctors would not be required to give patients as much information about alternative treatments available to them under a bill passed by an Assembly committee.
The Republican-controlled Judiciary Committee voted 6-2 to pass the measure Thursday on a party line vote. It now heads to the full Assembly.
Many in the medical community back the proposal despite concerns from some that patients won't get helpful information.
The bill is a reaction to a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that said a doctor's "informed consent" duty includes telling a patient about medical tests and treatments that may be appropriate for their symptoms, even if the doctor doesn't believe the patient has the underlying condition or disease.
The measure would change the law from a "reasonable patient standard" to a "reasonable physician standard."


text:
Last year it seemed like viral-video personality Chris Crocker was all set to take the plunge into gay porn, with a rumored appearance in a Chi Chi LaRue flick. But then Crocker hooked up with some filmmakers and ended up starring in the HBO doc Me at The Zoo—and his x-rated adventures were put on hold, seemingly indefinitely.
This weekend, though, Crocker posted some interesting photos and a message that seems to indicate his porn project is back on the front burner.
A Queerty reader alerted us to the existence of the new Twitter page @ChrisCrockerXXX, where the Web star has posted risque pics of himself. Crocker also tweeted a link to his Tumblr page, where he discusses the implications of his doing porn, both on his relationship and his career:
The mere NOTION that someone can be intelligent, talented, and do porn on the side is jarring and impossible to most. (Not all, I know you supporters are out there reading this as well. I am not focusing ONLY on the narrow-minded.) Don't get me wrong: I am not painting an impossibly pretty picture for the sake of changing anyones minds. It IS difficult. I have to wonder about an array of things it will interfere with. Here are some of the most commonly asked issues..
The being in relationship aspect: It all starts with trust. I tell my amazing partner everything. I tell him when a twink asks about doing a 3-way with us. I tell him when I think someone is attractive. I tell him my fantasies involving us with others. We do NOT have an "open relationship", we do however have an OPEN MINDED relationship.. and the fact I share everything with him allows us to have 10000% trust. Plus, he knows there is a difference between me sharing my body with the internet and the way I share my body/soul/heart with him. Also, any porn endeavors I accept will include him in some capacity.
The affecting the rest of my career/future aspect: From the beginning of my online presence (dating back to my early teens) I have been an exhibitionist. One of the first things I did as a teen was photograph myself nude. I have taken nudes/photographed myself with hard-ons, jack off videos, etc for years. It is NOT something new for me in the self-documenting sense. My philosophy is that if you own your shit, (for better lack of phrasing) you can do anything. Every person I work with in music knows about my nudes/possible porn career. I am very upfront with everyone I work with musically and in every other area of my work. I have done way more risky/controversial things than porn. There are pictures of me ripping up a Bible from 2007. When was I ever America's Sweetheart? What is so shocking?
When was I ever Disney? I have from day ONE been inspired by punk rock philosphy and I believe that the people worth working with in the entertainment industry (Whether it is film, music, etc) will/do understand my natural exhibitionism and respect it. It will not hold me back because when you look over the barriers, they stop existing. Who, a year ago, would've thought my documentary would've been picked up by HBO?
The family aspect: My family are very conservative. They do not agree with what I do, but they are certainly not naive as to who I am. (Who could be? Jesus Christ. I came out of the womb a rainbow flag waving feminist.) I sometimes lie to them that I will do even more shocking things than I actually will, just so when I do porn they won't be shocked. They know me and they will not stop loving me for my decision, because real love is not conditional love.
And last but not least: Sharing my sex life and sexual desires is no different than my day-to-day intimate videos, in MANY ways. It's me letting down a wall most of society keeps up. That's my only talent. Being my 100% self on camera- The self most of us try to hide. Bringing the shadows of who we are to light.
I also want to ask you all one question: What is the difference in singers like Madonna, who sing about sex/perform in sexual manners, yet DON'T actually have sex on camera? We all jerk off to porn stars, yet we look down on them like they're second class citizens for suppsodley using porn as a last resort? I am doing this at the most MAINSTREAM time in my career in YEARS. I could be auditioning/doing indie films right now. This is a desire of mine and I'm doing it. If you don't understand- fine.
Just understand that not everyone who does porn is doing it because they're trying to fill a void. I'm doing this from a self-aware EMPOWERED place. Also know that not everyone who does porn is a mindless blow-up doll looking for love in all the wrong places. I am an empowered 24 year old man and I can't wait to share this journey with you all.
—ChrisCrocker XXX
PS- What is porn anyway? ;) Is it doing a shameful, crass act on camera.. because if so, I screwed myself on camera years ago.
It sounds like this is gonna happen—and more power to Chris. He is an empowered 24-year-old, and it sounds like he has some concept of what he can get out of doing adult movies. We have the choice whether to watch or not.
But of course we're all gonna watch.
UPDATE: On Sunday, Crocker posted a video about his mother, who struggles with substance abuse, having gone missing. Apparently this has happened several times before, but we hope she is found safely soon.
Boriiiing … get a real job, attention whore !Jul 16, 2012 at 7:36 am · @Reply ·
@terminalose: Attention whore is a real job, and no one is forcing you to pay attention to him.
I see nothing wrong with him wanting to do porn.i would trust him more than I do bankers. More power to him. Ps, would make a great dinner guest.
A twink doing porn…that'll be different.
I don't understand why anyone cares about Chris Crocker. If he were ugly and made substantive videos about serious LGBT issues, he'd be nowhere. But because he has a pretty face and isn't afraid of showing his dick, he is some sort of gay hero. I am not surprised he wants to do porn- he couldn't survive one day if people weren't staring at him.
Sorry breakfast, I tried to hold on to you for as long as possible.
Pffft, Did we all read that little side note about his mother?! Hell if my son was a complete internet attention whore, porn star, screaming britney spears advocate who also told everyone my business (like I don't know umm… having drug issues) heck yeah I'd be hitting the pipe harder than Whitney Houston and a circuit queen combined!
What do talentless faux celebs do when everyone stops paying attention to them? Pron. Levi Johnson, Octomom and now this silly clown. Wonder who he is blowing at Queerty to get such attention.
And remember this, you sad-sack boys bitching about Chris Crocker will not make your own lives better. Sure, it may give you a little thrill to come online and anonymously insult him. Will not change everything that sucks about your own lives, and will not hurt him.
You could learn a lot from Crocker – namely, how to stop living in fear of what others think about you.
Alas, won't happen. So keep ranting. It's your life to waste.
and rock on, Crocker.
He's kind of hot, until he talks. Kind of like perpetual soap-box stander "Little Kiwi" who thinks anyone and everyone who wants to remain anonymous on the Internet (mostly so they won't be stalked by little creeps like Little Kiwi)has a miserable life and came from a family that hates their gay child and all other LGBT people. Stop projecting and pigeonholing everyone, LK, YOU'll be a happier person once you dump all of that hateful baggage. Talk about wasting a life!
another useless famewhore
will it ever end??
Word Little, Kiwi
What's up with all the fags throwing insults over here?
chris is no gay hero and altho a bit annoying, just leave him be
@Kayo: it's very simple – miserable resentful homosexual cowards with no balls exist solely to come online and complain about everyone not living with the same pathetic limited fears that they're crippled by.
bitching about guys like crocker is the only thing they have left to distract themselves from the worthless useless lives they lead.
oh well. not my mess.
little kiwi wrote: not my mess.
No sweetie, you have your plate overflowing with your own mess. It's always the little ones who have something to prove. It's just sad and completely transparent.
@Jackson: if you need to mock crocker to make yourself feel better, keep it up. but it won't make your life better.
do any of the complainers on here have any intelligent thoughts or comments on the CONTENT of this story?
doesn't look like it so far. which is typical.
@LittIe,Kiwi: Gosh guys, so much venom at one kid who cried about Britney while under a blanket on the internet. Leave him alone and go do something nice for yourself.
Oops that shouldn't have been a reply to Little Kiwi as I rather agree with him.
@LittIe,Kiwi: and defending Crocker and in turn mocking those who criticize him… this makes YOU feel better about your life?
I don't give a rat's ass about some internet "celebrity" who wants to do porn. He IS an "attention whore" as others here have written. He even admits it himself, claiming to always have been an exhibitionist. I simply don't understand in what way this is "news" for the gay community.
And no, I'm not bitter in any way. I actually have my own real-life fame to deal with.
@MikeE: i'll just point out that those who mock Crocker from a place of anonymity have capers for testes.
how about the content of the article? can't focus on that, eh?
but hey, this is the internet, and boys without balls use it as a burqa – they bitch and moan and complain about others all to distract from the uselessness of their own lives.
it's textbook.
i think the points he raises about sex and sexuality are interesting and valid.
we live in a world that punishes janet jackson for an exposed nipple, yet whenever a violent fight breaks out in a sporting event the cameras rush into capture every blow in as much close detail as possible.
so, breasts = harmful and violence = totally acceptable for children's eyes?
we have politicians and celebs who have to worry about "their careers beign ruined" with leaked sex tapes or nude photos. why? what does nudity or sexuality have to do with everything?
and again, we have major politicians posing with firearms, and they get elected into office.
there are 30,000 deaths in America each year from gunviolence. So far, I dont' know of any deaths from viewing "sexy pictures of penises"
priorities are messed up in the most indefensible and puritanical sense.
we live in a world that worships gun culture and freaks out when …what? evidence comes out that someone likes who they look naked, or has fully-funtional sex organs? it makes no intelligent sense whatsoever.
A really long justification. Just do it, get the money you need and shut up. But how boring is it to CONSTANTLY hear everybody spend so many words justifying what they are doing.
Again, just do it and shut up if you want to.
at least he dropped the white trash drag (come on it was white trash so not an insult). and he kinda looks more like a guy so do what you want and enjoy what you do, no hate here. Just glad you no longer have to cry for britney. And if you do porn I will most likely watch it and laugh and possibly j/o to it but that's neither here nor there.
I like his attitude about relationships. There are a lot of prissy hetero-centric monogamists who post on Queerty, and might faint upon reading this article, although they seem to post mainly on the HIV articles. Maybe they're scared to click on the porn articles because they're afraid they'll go blind or something.
As for Little Kiwi (whose site I actually like), I've never understood his obsession with "having supportive parents" etc. Obviously, that is NOT under the control of any of us! It's just luck. Kiwi is always congratulating himself and patting himself on the back for what was, essentially, luck. It's nice when it happens, but who cares?
In fact, I have a lot of respect for any gay person whose parents really DID reject them for being gay – they have a much tougher row to hoe than Kiwi or most of us do. Anyway, after we turn 18 or at least 21 we all need to be grown-ups and stop obsessing about what parents think.
Also, I wonder what my bf will say about us having "10000% trust"!!! (What, no comma?) I'll ask but he's pretty good at math and may see a difficulty there.
Actually, the point I make, that gets ignored by the Anonymity Trolls, is that those of us who have supportive friends and families have an obligation to step our game up, and our visibility, to help those that don't.
This is, of course, met with derision by the online-anonymity trolls whose fake online personae can't do that. They make the claims, they say all is peachy, then do evrything they can to give excuses to not open the doors for others.
That's why i do what i do, and why my family adopts the visual iconography of LGBT Advocates – to show support to all those who don't yet have it.
Truth be told, the vast majority of my friends are the people you describe – the people whose parents *did* reject them for being gay. And that is why they, in turn, also do what i do – be visible, be vocal, be known, be advocates. Why? To help ensure that others don't have to go through what they went though.
And as I've said so many times, that has been ignored almost every time, one of the main reasons my family was so wonderful when I came out was because other gay men and women made it their business to be Out to my parents. Co-workers, church members, members of the local community. Did they *have* to do that? NO. But their active choice to do so is literally what made life easier for me.
That's the point I make. YOu could literally save some young person's life by being Out and giving a face and name to What Gay Is.
Hope that clarifies.
"do any of the complainers on here have any intelligent thoughts or comments on the CONTENT of this story?"
You do realize that the content of this story involves the "leave Britney alone" clown. When discussing a train wreck, it really is all about the blood and guts, not the physics of the how the wreck occurred.
@LittIe,Kiwi: Thanks, it DOES clarify. Sometimes you blast away at people without ever explaining it well, so I appreciate the explanation. But a couple of points:
Re: "anonymity." Well I doubt your Canadian passport says Little Kiwi on it. And when I look at your blog, although there are indeed pictures of you all over the place, it's not made 100% clear what your real name is! (Although I think I can guess.) Perhaps you've forgotten this since the time you set it up. Anyway you're still a bit "anonymous" yourself.
Also, you might benefit by reading a book or two about introverts vs. extroverts. It's bad enough that extroverts run the entire fucking world (nice mess you guys have made of it too), and that you prevent introverts from getting most decent jobs. But not everyone is psychologically well-suited to be "out there" all the time like you are. I don't mean "OUT" — I totally agree with you, we ALL need to be out.
Seriously, I do like your blog, I figured that any guy who likes the Ramones can't be all bad so I kept reading.
Go head boy and do your thang. He is adorable. If I looked like him and had the guts not only would I have done porn by now but people would be buying fleshjacks of my butt and big ol' molds of my junk. xoxox
Chris Crocker needs to get over herself. Her 5 secs of fame are long gone and she's now just embarrassing herself. She gives all gay "men" and LGBT people a bad name.
Please quit giving this attention seeking famewh0re any mention. He's got no talent and he's useless.
Oh please…. I remember running into Chris Crocker (who is about 5 feet tall tops) countless times years ago in West Hollywood.
Back then he was making fun of anyone he could & trying to be an actor. I guess that didn't work out too well for him!
I can't stand this lil' fag. She was, is and always will desperate for attention.
hahaha when you've failed at being a professional youtube attention puta you do porn! ;)
Agreed Eddie, most LGBT people don't know who CC is, don't care, and those of us who do know who he is wish we'd never heard of him.
He sounds like an idiot. Porn is for people with no other marketable skills. Pick up a disease and a drug habit while you're at it. Its called being a decent human being and being respectable. Chris should try it. But if he did, nobody would WATCH HIM!! And that would be too tragic.
I don't see why ChiChi or anyone would be interested in putting him in porn, he doesn't have a great body and he's cute but not hot. I wouldn't buy it but more power to him if there are those who would.
@LittIe,Kiwi: I agree, censorship is actually incredibly skewed,but, quite frankly, the porn industry isn't exactly combating that in a positive light. It perpetuates stereotypes and fantasies that aren't based on reality. What sucks is that porn is what the average teen has as a reference for sexuality and the human body, not reality (and that leads to countless problems that can't be ignored just for the sake of being labeled "open-minded"). On top of that, the porn industry isn't exactly known for treating its workers well… at the end of the day it's an industry based on unrealistic standards and performers are often chewed up and spit out. I don't think Chris Crocker is ugly at all, but let's be honest, do you think the porn industry would have even looked at him twice if it weren't for his internet persona? I doubt it. It's an ugly industry and I think he's being irresponsible by ignoring that. I actually believe that the amateur stuff he's been doing is a lot empowering than having someone else film you, package you, and sell you.
Interesting article but it sounds more like Chris is trying to convince himself than any one else. It's his life and he should do what he wants without feeling the need to explain it to others.
@Spike: You mean you don't have anything to say about the content? Ok, great. Thanks for sharing.
@the other Greg: I don't prevent anyone from getting jobs. Unless you want to specifically explain how I have….
And you can find me and my family and my name all over my blog and youtube channel.
I'm not sure what you mean about Introverts & Extroverts, though. Look at this site, and others – you get people who are being, in their own way, extrovertial in that they're sharing an impassioned opinion…but alas, it's only one they're confident enough to share from a place of anonymity. Know what I mean? The guise of introversion is a lie – it's the blanket they use to vent their frustrations.
But I am aware that not everyone has it in them to "live out loud" , so to speak. It's simply a rallying cry for those how *do* have that strength to step their game up. Why? Simple: to help and give visibility to everyone else who isnt' there yet.
It simply speaks volumes that every single negative comment on here toward Crocker is coming from some anonymous miserable hack. That's the internet for you – those with nothing going on for them need to anonymously bitch about people who don't live with the same fear of being "recognized"
So, by all means boys, keep on hating Crocker. it won't fix your relationships in your own lives, and it won't make your own lives better.
"every single negative comment on here toward Crocker is coming from some anonymous miserable hack." Not quite: see #32, first/last name & link to Twitter account.
I liked Crocker's comment about relationships. Was unaware he was the "Britney" guy.
"to help and give visibility to everyone else who isnt' there yet." You seem to imply that we can't help kids at risk (for instance) with anonymous or semi-anonymous comments? I disagree; I don't see why we couldn't.
(Read no further if you object to the off-topic-ness, but…) When I was a brutalized teenager the internet wasn't around yet, but I bet someone might be helped by the following.
Regarding parents: Avoid a situation where you're stuck with $30,000+ in student loans and then you're stuck living with your parents until age 40 or beyond. That won't be much fun, and not incidentally, it'll make your romantic life very difficult.
Now that it's legal to be gay in the military, think about it (unless you just can't square it with your politics), because you could save up a lot of money, travel, and make some life-long friends. Plus, later in your 20s, if a f**-basher attacks you, it may help you escape serious damage.
If you go to college, take a self-defense class or judo or something like that. You don't want to end up crippled for life by some idiot drunken homophobe.
Come out to your parents by your mid-20s at the latest. Be prepared for rejection. Be prepared in advance for total 100% rejection, and most likely you'll be pleasantly surprised (as I was) at how well they take it. Total 100% rejection is actually quite rare with that. You are still the same person no matter how others react.
And don't worry about the "gay community" or what's (supposedly) wrong with it. Nobody ever agrees on what's wrong with it, but that hardly matters because the "gay community" doesn't exist. It's a totally imaginary thing that people without real lives complain about on the internet.
(Apologies again for the off-topic-ness! :-) )
Never use this site but just couldn't leave this. If you honestly think porn is "doing something with your life" then you're a prime example of how low society has sunk. Please, don't ever have children. For society's sake.
@Daez: You fucking stupid ass!!. I am Homosexual, live it and teach you a lot about M-M sex :-)bring on the porn.
@logibear: More than those whose lives revolve around logging onto websites to leave anonymous snarky comments.
He looks waaaaaaaaaaay better than when he first made an appearance!
@logibear: Like so many simple-minded extroverts, Kiwi confuses "visibility" with exhibitionism. Therefore he conflates porn with virtuousness.
@the other Greg: And you can only make your comments from under a veil of anonymity. don't be angry at me for having the balls you'll never have.
@LittIe,Kiwi: When I first got to Queerty, maybe a year and a half ago (?), you hysterically attacked me for having daddy issues, etc. and I was totally mystified. I stopped giving a shit what my stupid parents thought about anything when I was about 19 because by then I was in the military and a fucking grown-up. But others here explained to me, oh, that's Kiwi, he's obsessed, he thinks EVERYBODY has daddy issues! He never makes any sense. (Then you disappeared for a long time.)
So why is it only okay in your opinion to make online comments, snarky or otherwise, if one has a semi-anonymous blog like you do? Is that the only criterion that would meet with your approval? Queerty doesn't care about it, so tough.
If it's so important to you NOT to be anonymous, why do you call yourself Little Kiwi here at all instead of using your real name? Maybe you'd be happier over at the Advocate where they make everybody comment from their Facebook account, except then you couldn't be Little Kiwi. I went over your blog again (which again, I generally like!) and it's NOT totally obvious what your name is. So you are making snarky comments from a place of semi-anonymity. It doesn't matter to me, but since it's such an irrational obsession of yours, maybe you should fix that. We're all supposed to slog thru several months of your blog postings to figure out your real name? Why would we care? Either we find a comment funny and/or interesting, or we don't.
And as I pointed out, someone DID use his real name (above), unlike you, and you still criticized him incorrectly as "anonymous."
And why are you so obsessed with your family? Why should WE care about your fucking family? Who ARE you guys anyway — deposed royalty? I'm starting to think we should start calling you Archduke Johnny von Kiwi-Hapsburg!
@the other Greg: that your comments are obsessively about me, and not the pathetic self-hating homophobic comments from others on here speaks volumes
feel free to continue to write essays about me. this is probably a big thrill for you.
so keep it up. you, like the other haters that flood this site, will waste a lot of your lives anonymously bitching about others. wont' affect us, and won't make your own lives better. but if it's what you need to do to get through each day, then be my guest.
@the other Greg: it's just a simple reality – those who aren't man enough to put a face to their comments always criticize those who can, and do.
why? because anonymous rantings are all you have going for you. living vicariously though an anonymous internet handle.
people sure are brave when they're hiding behind their online burqa, eh?
@LittIe,Kiwi: Forgive me for butting into your argument/ weird mating ritual with the other Greg, but let me see if I understand you correctly:
You're saying is that if I post long, bitter rants spewing bile at other gay men, that's wrong; but if I do *exactly the same thing*, only I include a link to a YouTube video of me, that makes me courageous and some kind of gay-rights hero?
Boy, who knew being brave and ballsy could be so cheaply bought?
@LittIe,Kiwi: I'm not obsessed with you; everybody knows my obsession here is messing with "UsualPlayers."
Johnny (?), if that's even what you want to be called (?), but god forbid you should be anonymous — did it ever occur to you that I'm (semi) "anonymous," and go easy on biographical details, because I don't want to goad my bashers from high school, or from my 20s (who I had prosecuted, and jailed), to track me down? This stuff shows up on searches and I don't know how irrational they are at this point. (Look how irrational you are, ha ha.) There are probably other "anonymous" posters here with similar reasons.
Probably after your charmed childhood, anti-gay violence is a purely theoretical construct to you.
@William Turner: Just saying – there are many people whose boastful and pathetic comments can only be made as long as they use the internet as their burqa.
See Also: guys whose profiles say "no fats fems asians or blacks", who wouldn't dare walk into a bar with a teeshirt saying the same thing.
"You're saying is that if I post long, bitter rants spewing bile at other gay men, that's wrong; but if I do *exactly the same thing*, only I include a link to a YouTube video of me, that makes me courageous and some kind of gay-rights hero?"
Nope. Not at all.
Just that those who come online to spew bile are never capable of putting a face to their comments. That's why they live vicariously though their anonymous profiles. Anonymous-Venting is all they have in life.
These are the specific cowardly stances that are only ever taken by insecure boys who can't put a face to their comments. And as of now, not one has been able to prove me wrong.
Oh well.
@the other Greg:
so much for my "Charmed Childhood", eh?
look – it's very simple, by all means BE anonymous. What's telling, however, are that specific commenters with specific self-loathing homophobic attitudes and comments (read 'em. they're here) can only make their comments anonymously.
those who exist solely to slander others, while hiding in darkness.
@the other Greg: you were in the military and yet you're still scared of your school-era bullies? DUDE. So much for the strength and courage of military men, eh? Sheesh.
@William Turner: Yes – I don't get the obsession with the visual. This is a print medium. I do think Kiwi's kinda cute, but he seems a bit vain! I guess it would be interesting to see pix of everyone posting, but THOSE CAN BE FAKE ANYWAY. (This doesn't seem to have occurred to him.) Would pix add to our understanding of the comments? No they wouldn't.
@LittIe,Kiwi: "you were in the military" etc. Pretty simple: I don't own a gun now, don't want one, never know who has one! I have a significant disability nowadays and my boyfriend isn't always around, so yeah, I'm only able to be a ninja online. So what?
"specific commenters with specific self-loathing homophobic attitudes and comments (read 'em. they're here)…" Okay, I don't disagree with you there. This may come as a shock to you, but by not responding to them I wasn't agreeing with them, I was ignoring them. Try it some time. It's not that anyone is "obsessed" with you; maybe you're just more interesting than they are (or more fun to mess with) and they're hardly worth responding to.
Is the salient problem really that they are "anonymous"? (And you are, supposedly, not?) That never occurred to me previously but… if Queerty is okay with anonymity, I guess anyone is free to counter them with better comments.
Johnny (?), again, I like your blog, I like your dog, etc. & will read your childhood account when I get back from vacation. We'll probably agree a lot in the future here, so lighten up. – Your non-enemy, non-anonymous Greg
@the other Greg: i've said it before, but i'll say it again – there are certain types of comments that are only ever made by those who don't have the balls to put a face to those specific comments.
those specific comments on here prove me right.
@LittIe,Kiwi: bitch, stop defending the Crocker. U just want to bang him, u old perv!
@TiredoftheBS: stop being upset that nobody wants to bang you.


text:
A pizza shop owner in Connecticut turned the tables on a pair of robbery suspects who got greedy.
Carmine Watkins, 18, and his 17-year-old accomplice are accused of robbing the Pizza Heaven II restaurant in New Haven at gunpoint last weekend.
But rather than leave with the money they already had from the cash register and owner Erdol Sahin's pocket, they demanded more, police told New Haven TV station WTIC.
The masked men, one tall and skinny and holding a rifle, the other shorter and of average build, ordered Sahin into his office, according police.
As Sahin backed into his office, he grabbed his own gun, surprising the man with the rifle, who fell back and dropped his weapon.
"Mr. Sahin took advantage of the fumble and grabbed the robber's rifle," New Haven police officer David Hartman told WTIC. "When he realized it was only a pellet rifle, he chased the two robbers out of the store, swinging it at them."
Watkins and his accomplice outran Sahin, but were arrested about 20 minutes later in front of one of their homes, police said.
They have both been charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree larceny and conspiracy.


text:
With arrangements of the great composers from Beethoven to The Beatles, Coldplay to Clementi, David captivates his audience with different elements from the world of music and wows them with stunning visual backdrops and pyrotechnics. It is not surprising that David Garrett – who has succeeded in crossing boundaries and connecting different musical styles, genres and generations for years – chose this title for his latest show. With Music, this exceptional artist seizes the opportunity to present the violin in a whole new light. In his most versatile production to date, David Garrett pushes the limits to show the world what violin playing is all about. Music demonstrates the ease with which the internationally acclaimed violinist crosses artistic boundaries between pop and classical music, rock and romantic, punk and baroque. Rather than adopt an arbitrary mix of styles in a postmodern "anything goes," David Garrett insists on the highest conceivable standards in the crossing over of his arrangements. His understanding of crossover grows out of the spirit of classical music, where his roots still are. As David puts it, "On one hand I try to see classical music in a new perspective, on the other hand I want to integrate elements of classical music into pop, yet leave its original energy intact… Great music is always timeless!"
Thursday, August 8 at 8:30pm


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text:
Givens looks back on 26 years of service
WELLSBURG – Monday marked the end of Roy E. Givens' 26th year in the state House of Delegates, making the Brooke County legislator its second longest-serving member.
But Givens, who also served for 10 years on the Brooke County Board of Education and three years as a volunteer project coordinator for the Brooke County Commission, said he hopes to remain involved in the community in some capacity.
Givens was presented a pin by House of Delegates Clerk Gregory Gray in recognition of his 26 years of service, during which he represented Brooke County and, depending on the current districting, parts of Hancock and Ohio counties.
First elected in 1978, he recalled serving under seven governors, from Jay Rockefeller to Earl Ray Tomblin; and with five House speakers and many fellow representatives of the Northern Panhandle.
Givens said in addition to serving with former Delegate and current Brooke County Commissioner Tim Ennis for many years, he also worked closely with former Delegates Bernard Kelly and Pam Shuman.
An Army medic in the Korean War and recipient of the Combat Medical Badge and Korean Service Medal, Givens made aiding and recognizing veterans of all ages a priority.
His first piece of legislation was providing free license plates for West Virginia veterans who were prisoners of war and he pushed for the POW-MIA flag to be flown at the State Capitol.
As chairman of the House committee on veterans affairs, he secured funds and authorization to build the state's first veterans nursing home in Clarksburg and with state Sen. Donna Boley, R-Pleasants, worked for the establishment of the West Virginia Woman Veterans Memorial.
Dedicated last year, the monument is an 8 foot tall bronze statue of a female soldier dressed in fatigues reminiscent of Operation Desert Storm and is at eye level with the male statues of the West Virginia Veterans Memorial at the State Capitol Complex.
Givens also supported many projects and causes at home, securing $450,000 for the new wing of the Brooke County Public Library and multiple grants for the Brooke County Pioneer Trail as well as state funds for the Brooke County 4-H camp, Brooke County Senior Center, local police and fire departments and others.
While between terms in the House, Givens volunteered as a project coordinator for the Brooke County Commission for four years. The county commissioners then credited him with playing a key role in the transfer of buildings and property donated by the Windsor Coal Co. and now used for the county's new animal shelter, emergency management agency and solid waste authority recycling program.
He also secured grants to replace the courthouse roof and boilers and served as local coordinator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Buyout program, through which eligible victims of the 2004 flood received money to relocate from flood-prone areas.
In the first several months of his 10 years on the Brooke County school board, he was among board members who oversaw the completion of Brooke High School.
"I was involved in a lot of change orders and stuff like that," he said.
In addition to many legislative committees, Givens has served on the Committee for Employer Support of the West Virginia Guard and Reserve, an organization that encourages fair treatment of employees who serve the military part-time; Brooke County Commission on Aging, which oversees the county's senior center; and boards for the Brooke County West Virginia University Extension Service, Greater Weirton Junior Achievement, Greater Steubenville Area Chamber of Commerce and others.
Because he was undergoing kidney dialysis, Givens opted not to seek re-election when the Second Delegate District was reduced from two seats to one through re-districting last year.
But he said, "I am not ready to retire. I hope my experiences and capabilities can be of use as I look forward to wherever the future may take me and to whatever it may hold."
(Scott can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com)


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Lee Is Mortal; Offense Still Missing
Cliff Lee had his first rough outing in a Phillies uniform last night against the Braves. Allowing 6 runs on 10 hits over only 5 innings, it does appear that Lee is not Superman after all. But no one expects him to be; every pitcher is bound to have a rough outing now and again.
The concerning part of the game was not Lee's pitching, but the continued lack of offense from the Phillies bats. The slump has gone on way too long and is beginning to raise eyebrows. The Phillies left the bases loaded twice without score, the worst of which came in the 7th inning, when with no outs, both Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth struck out and then Raul Ibanez flied out to left. Leaving the bases loaded with no outs is simply unacceptable, especially for a team who prides themselves on their big offense.
Where has that offense gone? Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins were the only two Phillies who seemed interested in participating last night; Utley smashed a solo home run the first inning and ended up hitting 3 for 4 in the game. Rollins went 2 for 4 but no one was able to score him. And Howard, who looked unbeatable the game before, appeared to be swinging at grains of rice last night. Put out an APB on the Phillies bats, quick! Clearly, we have been robbed. The criminal who has perpetrated this heinous act must be caught and locked up for good! The Phillies simply cannot perform without that offense!
I will put my investigative skills to use tonight as I wander through Citizens Bank Park searching for the perpetrator. Once I find him, I promise to show no mercy! And if that doesn't work, I guess I may have to jump onto the field and smack some sense into these guys once and for all! Wish me luck…
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin' Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*
3 Comments
Lee is human? lol
Carlos Carrasco will be pitching for the Indians on Tuesday against the Tigers. He was just called up today. See what we got for Lee…
It is hard when we realize that our favorite players are not superhuman…
Thatwas an important loss for the whole town of PHI — You found out that he is mortal, and he can lose. And sometimes even pitch a bad game,😉 But most of the time, he succeed's… hehe.


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Mayfest is Saturday in BenningtonMay 23,2013BENNINGTON Mayfest will be in downtown Bennington on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will include more than 145 crafters and artisans from throughout New England offering jewelry, pottery and handmade crafts made of wood, glass, metal, fabric and other materials.
There will also be activities, food and entertainment. School Street will be lined with vendors specializing in different types of food including Indian, German, Italian, and American and selling favorites such as fried dough, gourmet seafood, wood fired pizza, baked potatoes and ice cream.
The Walloomsac Farmers Market will join the vendors on Main Street during Mayfest. The farmers will provide food demonstrations, samplings and, of course, local and fresh produce, meats, cheeses and baked goods.
There will also be lots of kids activities, contests and games. The 4-H will set up a shooting range and the Vermont National Guard will have its soccer challenge. Other activities will include a football toss, face painting and dunking booth.
More than 45 shops are also in the downtown and will be open during Mayfest as well as almost 20 restaurants.MORE IN This Just InMONTPELIER A new report from a commission that studied the cost, availability and quality of... Full StoryVermont fish hatchery changes focus, looks inland
BETHEL, Vt. Full StoryHONOLULU (AP) A group of Hawaii musicians and a Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant provided... Full Story
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Inside Lacrosse will be hosting a live chat hosted by ESPN at 2 p.m. (ET) Thursday.
Lot's of interesting NCAA Tournament talk, the coaching carousel that is under way and more.
You can start sending questions now, and be sure to check back at 2 p.m. and ask more questions.
Most of the staff will be around to chat, including myself, Terry Foy, Zach Babo and Danielle Bernstein on women's.


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Eli's® Red Velvet Cheesecake redefines this southern classic! A moist and subtle cocoa-flavored red velvet cake, a layer of rich and creamy cheesecake, and fluffy vanilla mousse with a dusting of red velvet cake crumbs makes this beauty a triple threat that will turn any event into a celebration. Pre-cut, serves 14.
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By Argen Duncan: PNT senior staff writer
The lesser prairie chickens will be strutting their stuff again this year in Milnesand, and artists have a chance to show off their work, too.
The ninth annual High Plains Prairie Chicken Festival in Milnesand is scheduled for April 16-18, and the affiliated art contest is ongoing, with a March 1 deadline. The festival includes early-morning viewing of the bird's mating ritual and a variety of tours on subjects dealing with nature, conservation and history during the rest of the day.
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish spokesman Dan Williams said the event aims to make people more aware of the native New Mexico bird, which is losing its habitat, and of the efforts of various agencies to increase the prairie chicken's numbers.
"It's also a lot of fun," he said.
Festival co-coordinator Tish McDaniel of Clovis said the festival also gets ranchers and conservationists into the same room and shows them that they have common ground, and provides support for the community of Milnesand.
According to the Game and Fish Web site, the lesser prairie chicken's population was so low a decade ago it was close to making state and federal threatened lists.
However, conservationists and landowners worked together, and the population rebounded, although it's still much lower than the estimated 1960s population, according to the site.
McDaniel, a Portales native and Nature Conservancy employee, said she expects the festival to be sold out by the end of the week.
As for the art contest, artists kindergarten age and up can enter any kind of depiction of the bird and its habitat, according to a news release from Game and Fish. They can use prints, paint, photography, digital work or other two-dimensional media.
"It's a good opportunity to participate in the efforts to bring prairie chicken populations up and just promote awareness of this amazing bird," Williams said.
The grand prize winner is to receive $300 and have his or her entry printed on the annual festival poster, which is distributed around the state. Winners will also be chosen in three age categories, according to the release.
At the festival this year, McDaniel said she is expecting two new presentations: one by historic archeologist Cherie Cloudt on dugouts and one by Texas Tech University associate professor Susan Tomlinson on nature journaling.
McDaniel said the lesser prairie chicken's population fluctuations indicate the health of the grassland, and it symbolizes the Great Plains.
"It's a very charismatic bird," she said, adding that its mating display can mesmerize even people not usually interested in birds.
While it's late to register for this year's festival, McDaniel said, people can send an e-mail to email@example.com to receive an early-bird announcement for next year.
Art contest
Information: (505) 476-8004
Mail entries to: Public Information and Outreach Division, Department of Game and Fish, 1 Wildlife Way, P.O. Box 25112, Santa Fe, NM 87504
Information: New Mexico Game and Fish Department at www.wildlife.state.nm.us, or Tish McDaniel at 762-6997 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Our Masala Chai recipe inspired by the haunting calls of the Chai Walla trolling the Train Stations in Northern India. Another rich, warming, generous spice tea designed to compliment milk & good enough to stand alone.Retail Boxes of 20 Certified Organic Single Serve Tea Sachets made from soilon, a plant-based material. Bulk Bag of 50 Certified Organic Single Serve Tea Sachets made from soilon, a plant-based material. Options: With or Without Tea Caddy (5" black storage tin).Buy in Bulk ~ Save a Bundle while Reducing Your Footprint!Chai Rum Toddy (Makes two servings)
Curl up with this spicy, aromatic brew and a good book for a mellow evening at home.
2 Masala Chai T-Bags from SerendipiTea
3 oz. aged rum
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1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
2 Cinnamon Sticks
Steep two cups of Masala Chai. To each cup add half the rum, honey and lemon juice. Garnish with cinnamon sticks.
Thanks to The Daily Tea for this delicious recipe!


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Don't take them at their wordSeptember 06,2013
Dont take them at their word
If theres one thing that Entergys recent announcement that it will close down Vermont Yankee next year proves yet again, its that the company lies compulsively. Less than a month ago Entergy Vice President Terry Young insisted shuttering Vermont Yankee was never considered a cost-cutting option. Now, as was so succinctly put by Bill Mohl, president of Entergy Wholesale Commodities, This asset is not financially viable, a conclusion reached after months of evaluation by the companys board of directors.
It is very easy to imagine, given Entergys long history of false and misleading statements, as well as the withholding of critical information from regulators and the public, that the announced closing of Vermont Yankee is a ploy to get the Public Service Board to lay off and just give them a Certificate of Public Good, and to get the Attorney General to give up Vermonts fight with Entergy in the courts. After all, theyre closing in a year anyway, right? Maybe not. Theres nothing that says they cant change their mind, that the plants financial viability wont suddenly change, particularly if a Certificate of Public Good or a legal battle, possibly before the Supreme Court, are no longer an issue.
Vermont Yankee is closing. It will soon no longer be producing the most toxic elements known, and to encourage everyone not to let their guard down, to understand that decommissioning once begun is a long and hazardous process being undertaken by a company for whom the plant is now a financial liability. But celebrate, yes.
Schuyler Gould
BarreMORE IN LettersMSNBC news analyst Rachel Maddows report on the election of Republican Rutherford B. Full StoryThe Barre Historical Society wishes to thank all the many people who made the Rise Up Bakery... Full StoryI was so pleased to see the picture and the write-up of the kittens and children at the school in... Full Story
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Did you know that Labor Day was created in 1894 to honor the contribution of union workers? Learn some more facts about Labor unions that might surprise you.
20 Things you might not know about Labor Unions
Published On: Dec 23 2013 11:51:55 PM HST Updated On: Aug 30 2013 07:30:08 AM HST
The views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.blog comments powered by Disqus


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Police Chief Joe Treviño said Patrolman Chris Haller made the stop on South Archer Street at about 10:14 p.m., and he asked the driver, Marcos Sanchez, if he could look into the vehicle.
The chief said Haller quickly found a sizable bag of marijuana and a number of smaller packages of the drug that apparently had been prepared for sale.
Sanchez was arrested on the spot and subsequently charged with the manufacture and delivery of less than half an ounce of marijuana in a drug-free zone, with possession of more than four ounces but less than five pounds of marijuana, and with possession of less than once ounce of cocaine.
Treviño said all of the charges are state jail felonies.
Haller was assisted at the scene by Assistant Police Chief Richard Cantu and Lt. Eddie Garcia.
According to the staff at the Bee County Jail, Sanchez has been released on a $30,000 bond.
The chief also said that his department has received assistance from the Bee County Sheriff's Office in some recent drug investigations.
A recent raid on a home where synthetic marijuana was found, resulting in two arrests, was made possible by assistance from sheriff's deputies.
Both departments remain committed to stopping drug trafficking in Bee County.
Gary Kent is a reporter at the Bee-Picayune and can be reached at 343-5220, or at email@example.com.


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Mobile canner grows faster than expected
- published_in
- Today's News
Longmont-based MobileCanningSystems was launched a year ago by MobileCanning Colorado co-founders Pat Hartman and Ron Popma as a way to assist other entrepreneurs around the country interested in starting similar businesses. The MCS affiliates provide production canning services to craft breweries, setting up onsite when beer is ready to be brewed and then loading the canning line back in the truck when finished to serve the next brewery.
MCS finished 2013 with 11 affiliates, including MobileCanning Colorado, though none but the local operation really got rolling until March. Hartman said Monday that four more affiliates are slated to launch this year, with "another five or so kicking the tires."
"We were planning three by the end of 2012 and then really just one per quarter," Hartman said of the faster-than-expected growth.
MCS affiliates are their own autonomous businesses that pay MCS for training and consulting on getting their businesses started. After they launch, their benefits of being part of the MCS family include things like gaining the power of buying cans and other supplies in bulk.
The 11 facilities serve 57 breweries across the United States to package 101 different labels. They combined to can more than 2.6 million beers in 2013, a number Hartman projects could eclipse 10 million this year given that current affiliates will be operating for the full year and there are new affiliates coming online. In addition to canning, MCS also offers can labeling in Colorado.
The MCS affiliates use WGC-250 canning lines made by Boulder-based Wild Goose Canning Technologies Inc. that have been modified for mobility.
MCS employs four people at its 1850 Left Hand Circle headquarters in Longmont. MobileCanning Colorado, which operates out of the same location, has accounted for much of the affiliate network's boom so far, though Hartman declined to disclose revenue.
MobileCanning Colorado serves 15 Colorado breweries, including Fate Brewing and Boulder Beer in Boulder, Crystal Springs Brewing in Louisville, and Big Choice Brewing in Broomfield. MobileCanning Colorado is slated to add a second mobile canning line later this month, and Hartman said the local affiliate itself will fill about 2 million cans this year.
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Aye, once to Scotland I did go
Dreaming of hills of heather and gold,
Hoping chanters, pipes and drums
Would speak to me with voices of old.
Alas, I dinna hear the voices,
The voices I dinna hear.
The Bruce trampled thru Stirling castle and town
But would never sit upon the Stone of Scone,
Tho Wallace had won the day at Bannock Burn,
Edward took the stone to London, leav' Scots in ruin.
The voices I dinna hear.
Along the Sprey, from Inverness to Castle Cawdor
Highlanders gathered to the to Prince's call.
An abortive night march to meet the Duke at Nairn,
Lord George turned the sons of the hound back to Culloden Moor.
Alas, I dinna hear the voices,
Camerons, Stewarts, Atholls n' Clan Chattan,
With no food or sleep,
Were sore galled by English canons
Till Clan Chattan broke ranks and charged.
A Highlander snarl, kilts pulled high, swords in hand,
The Sons of the hound came for meat.
Leaping kilted warriors charged like lions,
Over the bodies of brave chiefs, four deep.
Alas, I dinna hear the voices,
Trod old Cluny's castle grounds with owner new,
Looked across to Cluny's cave on Craig Dubh
Where once a haven from the outside world,
Soon no place of safety for a Highlander true.
The voices I dinna hear.
Followed the holy mile from David's Holy Rood to Edinburgh,
Stood in St. Margaret's chapel on castle's rock, standin' there still.
Her lineage to Edwards, Exile and Confessor, wife of Malcolm,
And David's mother, ever so pious, she knelt in daily prayer.
Touched the holy stone where she prayed so still.
Alas, I dinna hear the voices,
In the streets of Edinburgh, I was feeling all alone.
Markets, pubs and parks, I plied stone on stone.
A sandy haired boy looked at me, --Ahh, young Rob of home,
Now, hooded eyes of my father and brothers,
and a look of Steffie Jo had she been born,
T'were voices I couldna hear.
The Voices were always there, watching me,
Voices in the faces, in the set of the jaw,
The sandy hair, the stance, and complexion ruddy,
The voices were there, watching, watching me.
Alas, I wouldna hear the voices.
* * *


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Descente North AmericaNo Reviews Available | post a review
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(801) 317-0017
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About Descente North America
|Makers of the world's best ski apparel. High-tech performance fabrics, technical features and extensive research and development go into each and every Descente garment.
Descente North America began operations in 1935
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Descente North America Website
New Gear From Descente North America This Season
|For the 2007-2008 season Descente will continue to offer the best deal in the industry- 37 FREE lift tickets included in the purchase of model D310 Descente/DNA jackets. Included in the purchase is a year subsciption to Ski or Skiing Magazine and a free ride on the Denver Ski Train as part of the deal!
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|For the 2007-2008 season Descente will continue to offer the best deal in the industry- 37 FREE lift tickets included in the purchase of model D310 Descente/DNA jackets. Included in the purchase is a year subscription to Ski or Skiing Magazine and a free ride on the Denver Ski Train as part of the deal!
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|Descente formed the DNA label in two thousand and one to outfit the every growing freeriding community. Armed with years of technical know how, product research and our very own team of professional riders with their unique design input, we've created a line of Old School quality, New School style and extraordinary performance. WWW.RIDEDNA.COM
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Today was a curious day in biofuels land. It seems that the corn ethanol industry both lost and won on the same day, potentially coming out on top. Here's some background and what happened.
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 stipulates that 15 billion gallons of conventional biofuels must be produced in 2015 under the Renewable Fuel Standards. These 15 billion gallons need to have 20 percent less lifecycle emissions than gasoline, as judged by the EPA. When the bill was written, the conventional biofuel was assumed to be corn ethanol. However, a proposed ruling released today shocked many people by declaring that currently corn ethanol was only 16% better.
Much of this low estimate results from indirect land use statistics. These account for previously uncultivated land being brought into production to produce biofuels (or displaced food). This land, when left unused serves as a carbon sink which releases a sizable amount of carbon when cultivated.
This could be a giant thwack on the head for the already ailing biofuels industry. If strictly enforced, this means that all current corn ethanol production does not satisfy the 10.5 billion gallon ethanol requirement for 2009. However, a statement from Lisa Jackson, the EPA administrator, illustrates how this will most likely play out
"There are things that could be done to make corn-based ethanol more sustainable" (sub required)
Basically, the ethanol industry just needs to clean up their act…a little bit. My guess is that this can be accomplished by using more sustainable land management (conservation tillage techniques) or switching to cleaner fuels (natural gas instead of coal) for the distillation process.
If the corn ethanol industry is able to clean up its act (and I would bet my corn futures on them being able to without too much work) then this ruling might actually be of little consequence. The flip side of the coin is that Obama included a nice juicy carrot to the ethanol industry. The new "Biofuels Interagency Working Group" will provide around $1.8 billion for ethanol companies.
So in the end, it seems that a potential attack on the corn ethanol industry might just end up as a way to hand them a fat wad of cash. Environmental Capital takes a different perspective it in their post Out of LUC: Team Obama Prepares Ethanol Smackdown. I agree with what they are saying about how this highlights how dependent the ethanol industry is on the government. However, at the end of the day, today's biofuels news seems more like a stealthy way to provide a handout than a smackdown.


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U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren issued the following news release Friday:
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Randy Hultgren (IL-14) released the following statement on final passage in the U.S. House of Representatives of a bill to end the furloughs of 15,000 air traffic controllers implemented this week by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a result of the President's sequester.
"Today we acted to restore stability and safety to our national air travel system," Hultgren said. "We could not let the White House continue to play politics with the jobs of frontline safety personnel or the lives of the thousands of travelers who depend on efficient and secure flights every day. I urge the President to sign the bill immediately so that air travel can return to normal and allow us to shift our attention back to solving the fundamental spending problem in Washington. Jobs and economic growth must be our priority moving forward."
The measure, which passed the House Friday morning by a vote of 361-41, would let the Department of Transportation transfer $253 million in FAA funding into the operations account that pays for air traffic controller salaries. The bill now goes to the President for signature.
Aviation industry officials had sought independent legal counsel who concluded that the FAA, under the direction of the President, already has the existing legal authority to avoid furloughs without congressional action; heightening credible suspicion that the furloughs were politically-motivated, just like the President's cancellation of White House tours in March.


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What is in this article?:
- Harnessing the genome to redefine mankind, agriculture
- Agriculture revolution
- Research in genomics will unleash inconceivable strides for mankind and agriculture.
- "This wave of technology is coming whether you're ready or not," says Juan Enriquez, a world-leading genetic code authority and user.
- The bottom line — the opportunities for genomics in agriculture are endless.
Cutting-edge research in genomics will unlock the vast potential of an organism's genetic code to unleash inconceivable strides for mankind and agriculture.
"This wave of technology is coming whether you're ready or not," said Juan Enriquez, a world-leading genetic code authority and user.
Enriquez is the managing director of Excel Venture Management. The Boston, Mass.-based organization builds companies to apply advances in life sciences into the health care, energy, chemical, defense, and agricultural fields.
The future of mankind and agriculture is strongly tied to unlocking the genome. The genome is an organism's entire hereditary information (code) recorded in DNA or RNA.
Scientists continue to unlock specific organism genomes, including the human genome, to understand how organisms work and how to manipulate genes, for example, to re-grow human organs.
Enriquez spoke to produce industry members during the 86th Western Growers annual meeting in San Diego, Calif., in November. Western Growers is an agricultural trade association based in Irvine, Calif., whose members grow, pack, and ship about half of the nation's produce.
Enriquez's PowerPoint presentation included a slide with several genetically-modified cows in South America which produce life-saving medicine. Another photo showed a large building where the same medicine is developed.
"Every time you clone this animal it produces the same medicine to treat cancer patients," Enriquez said. "Twenty of these animals can substitute for this (cancer medicine) factory."
Each human cell contains about 3.2 billion letters of gene code called genes. Each cell contains an entire genetic copy of a person. For example, a one-letter (code) change could change a person into an exact clone of a neighbor. Astonishingly, the genetic difference between a human and a mouse is only about 5 percent.
Code is written using the numbers 0 and 1 in a long string which makes the 26-letter alphabet obsolete in every language.
Enriquez made three connecting points — all wealth comes from code, code keeps changing, and code is evolving from digital code to life code.
Humans are the only species that codes and consistently teaches the next generation, Enriquez says. Code has become portable — available for example through crop reports, taxes, and comic books. Code is spread over far distances which increase wealth and knowledge.
The digital revolution has spurred code advancements. In 1956, IBM unveiled its 305 RAMAC, the first commercial computer with magnetic disk storage, priced at $1 million. The room-sized computer stored 5 megabits of information; the size of a single average digital photo today. This year, Intel released a computer chip which processes 1 trillion operations per second.
Code advancements will make it possible to fit all music ever composed in a single computer within the next three years.