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The Charlotte Bobcats are eyeing the possibility of dealing the No. 2 overall pick in a trade that would bring a more established player, multiple sources told CBSSports.com. Rod Higgins and Rich Cho understand that the Bobcats need more than just a talented rookie, whether it be Bradley Beal, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Harrison Barnes, Thomas Robinson or even Andre Drummond -- to make the Bobcats competitive from their laughingstock of a season.
One source said that Oklahoma City's James Harden could be in play due to the Thunder's salary situation following next season. GM Sam Presti already has Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on the books for more than $29 million next season -- and both Harden and Serge Ibaka will command huge contracts after the 2012-13 campaign.
Charlotte was an NBA-worst 7-59 this past season and there is no clear-cut second overall pick behind Anthony Davis, who will be taken by New Orleans with the No. 1 selection on June 28.
Beal and Barnes can both help Charlotte on the offensive end while Kidd-Gilchrist and Robinson would bring a toughness, especially on the defensive end. Drummond is a high-risk choice despite his physical tools.
None of these players is considered a franchise-changer -- and that's why the Bobcats would prefer to deal the pick and land an established player such as Harden who could come in immediately and make an impact.
but the thunder should want more than just the pick.
who's the bobcats best player?
gerald henderson
if OKC doesn't plan on signing him then I'd do it in a second
Harden is still worth more than Henderson
I'd have to include Kemba as well.
They can afford him for a few years on his rookie contract.
Who would they take though with that pick?
Would be great for the bobcats but the thunder should want more than just the pick.
The Bobcats aren't going to be able to keep him after next season.
I didn't want to assume that was a consensus. However, Harden is still worth more than Henderson and the #2
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subset: commoncrawl


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Eknelygoda disappearance devastates Sri Lankan family
Prageeth Eknelygoda has been missing since January 24 of this year. He was a political cartoonist and columnist for Lanka eNews, a website whose editor, Sandaruwan Senadheera, was forced into exile. In Sri Lanka's highly partisan media climate, Lanka eNews backed the wrong presidential candidate, Sarath Fonseka, who not only lost but was jailed on politicized fraud charges.


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I started 2 new Carni packages this summer. Two weeks ago, both had 5-7 frames on their second deep drawn, with brood in them - so I added a third undrawn deep.
I checked them today. They both have 3-4 frames on the third deep drawn and are filling them with honey, but are quickly backfilling the brood nest with honey in the second deep.
Our sweet clover flow is about over. Should I consider this backfilling normal at this time of the year, or should I consider manipulating frames, etc to give the queen more room? This happened to me last summer too - so maybe it's normal?
Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks in advance!


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I do cutouts and the rungs of my ladders get crazy slippery when they get honey all over them. Do you guys/gals have any suggestions for something I can apply to the rungs of my ladders so I'll have good traction even when the rungs are coated with honey?
I'm envisioning something I can "paint" on the rungs that has sand in it or something like that. Also my ladder rungs are aluminum. So the coating would have to stick well to aluminum. But any and all solutions are welcome!


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(Associated Press)
Last Modified: Monday, February 04, 2013 5:06 PM
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The blackout at the Superdome will not stop the Super Bowl from returning to New Orleans.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that despite the electrical outage which delayed Sunday night's game for 34 minutes, the city did a "terrific" job hosting its first pro football championship in the post-Katrina era.
"Let me reiterate again what an extraordinary job the city of New Orleans has done," said Goodell, speaking Monday at a post-Super Bowl media conference held for the game's MVP, Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco, and winning coach John Harbaugh. "The most important thing is to make sure people understand it was a fantastic week."
New Orleans has hosted 10 Super Bowls, including Baltimore's 34-31 victory over San Francisco, tied for the most with Miami.
While serving as the site of America's biggest sporting event and focus of an unofficial national holiday gets any place a lot of attention, this game had special meaning for New Orleans.
The city last hosted the Super Bowl in 2002 and officials were hoping this would serve as the ultimate showcase — on, a global scale — of how far it has come since being devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The storm winds tore holes in the roof of the Superdome and there was water damage from the rain that affected electrical systems and caused mold to spread. More than $330 million has been spent to upgrade the facility, which has hosted the annual Sugar Bowl, Saints games, two BCS title games and a men's Final Four since the storm.
Yet the loss of power was an embarrassment that quickly became perhaps the signature moment of the Ravens' win.
Goodell said not to worry.
"I do not think this will have an effect on future Super Bowls in New Orleans," he said. "I fully expect to be back here for Super Bowls. I hope we will be back. We want to be back here."
Local officials have said they will bid to host an 11th Super Bowl in 2018 to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the city's founding. Goodell made it sound like that is still in play.
"This will not affect the view of the NFL of the success of the game here in New Orleans," Goodell said. "We know that they have an interest in future Super Bowls and we look forward to evaluating that. Going forward, I do not think this will have an effect at all on what I think will be remembered as one of the great Super Bowl weeks."
Goodell said he had no concerns about the adequacy of the Superdome going forward because "this is clearly something that can be fixed and it's clearly something we can prepare for and we will."
For Goodell, it seemed, it was important to recognize how much fans and the league's business partners enjoyed dining at the city's renowned restaurants, attending parties in the home of Mardi Gras, and the ease of moving around with everything centrally located downtown.
It wasn't the first time Goodell has stuck up for the city.
He has been widely credited with working behind the scenes to get the Superdome renovated on a fast track after Katrina struck. It reopened in September 2006, in time for the Saints to return permanently to New Orleans after spending one season displaced to San Antonio.
Still, some Saints fans were critical of Goodell's handling of the league's bounty investigation of the team, and resulting sanctions that included the full season suspension of coach Sean Payton.
Sports fans bet a record $98.9 million at Nevada casinos on the Super Bowl.
The Gaming Control Board says unaudited tallies show 183 sports books made $7.2 million on the action. The San Francisco 49ers started out as a 5-point favorite but the Baltimore Ravens won 34-31.
Odds makers say California fans drove the unprecedented handle, flooding Las Vegas and northern Nevada with wagers on the hometown team. The 49ers hadn't been in a Super Bowl since 1995.
The previous Nevada record was set in 2006, when gamblers wagered $94.5 million.
Casinos say they lost big on proposition bets, including a long-shot on whether there would be a safety.
Who turned out the lights?
The day after the 34-minute blackout at the Super Bowl, the exact cause — and who's to blame — were unclear, though a couple of potential culprits had been ruled out.
It wasn't Beyonce's electrifying halftime performance, according to Doug Thornton, manager of the state-owned Superdome, since the singer had her own generator. And it apparently wasn't a case of too much demand for power. Meters showed the 76,000-seat stadium was drawing no more electricity than it does during a typical New Orleans Saints game, Thornton said.
The lights-out game Sunday proved an embarrassment for the Big Easy just when it was hoping to show the rest of the world how far it has come since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. But many fans and residents were forgiving, and officials expressed confidence that the episode wouldn't hurt the city's hopes of hosting the championship again.
The problem that caused the outage was believed to have happened around the spot where a line that feeds current from the local power company, Entergy New Orleans, connects with the Superdome's electrical system, officials said. But whether the fault lay with the utility or with the Superdome was not clear.
Determining the cause will probably take days, according to Dennis Dawsey, a vice president for distribution and transmission for Entergy. He said the makers of some of the switching gear have been brought in to help figure out what happened.
Bjorn Hanson, dean of New York University's Center for Hospitality and Sports Management, said the episode shouldn't hurt the city's reputation as a big convention destination. "I think people view it for what it was: an unusual event with a near-record power draw," he said. "It was the equivalent of a circuit breaker flipping."
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons will meet in New Orleans from April 27 to May 1. Patty Anderson, director of meetings for the group, said of the blackout: "I never even gave it a second thought. To me, the city is bigger, stronger and more vibrant than it's ever been."
NFL officials were sure they'd get the Super Bowl finished on Sunday night.
And if they couldn't, the league championship still would not have ended where it temporarily stopped, with less than two minutes gone in the third quarter. The Lombardi Trophy goes to the winner after 60 minutes, not 32.
Goodell said Monday the Superdome had a backup power system which was about to be used during the Super Bowl's electrical outage. It wasn't needed because power started coming back at that time, he said.
Superdome and utility officials were still trying to nail down the precise cause of the 34-minute Super Bowl, but league officials said that, because of the backup system, the game wasn't in danger of being postponed.
"That was not a consideration last night," NFL vice president of business operations Eric Grubman said at a news conference Monday. "That is not what was at play."
Grubman said Goodell has the "sole authority" to enforce any contingency plans, and was in perfect position to do so Sunday night.
"He was there and he had the full reports," Grubman said. "We were quickly able to determine we did not have a situation that would cause a permanent interruption in the game. There were no safety issues, we had multiple equipment and sources of power."
And if they didn't?
While declining to be specific, Grubman said the league has "backup plans" for continuing the game. Those plans all focus on playing the full 60 minutes, regardless of whether it is the same day or on another day.
So the Ravens, ahead 28-6 at the time of the partial blackout, wouldn't have simply been declared the winners. This isn't baseball, where half a game is considered official.
In the end, Baltimore still won, beating San Francisco 34-31. The momentum shifted tremendously after the lights went back on, however, with the 49ers rallying to make it 31-29 at one point in the fourth quarter, and missing a 2-point conversion pass that would have tied it.
With a partial power outage, an overly excited quarterback and a game that suddenly turned from snoozer to sizzler, CBS had its hands full at the Super Bowl. The game fell short of setting a viewership record, but it stands as the third most-watched program in U.S. television history.
The Nielsen Co. said an estimated 108.4 million people watched the Ravens' 34-31 victory. The most-watched events in U.S. TV history were last year's game, seen by 111.3 million, and the 2010 game, with 111 million viewers.
CBS had hoped to make it the fourth year in a row that football's ultimate game broke the record for most-watched event in American television history. But pro football ratings in general have been down slightly this year.
When the Ravens' Jacoby Jones returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown and gave his team a 28-6 lead, CBS' dream of a ratings record surely became even more distant. And then half the lights went out. CBS' ratings immediately dipped by two full ratings points in the overnight measurement of big cities.
When the lights returned, so did the 49ers. They quickly jumped back in the game and CBS' audience, no doubt fueled by social media chatter, came back, too. CBS was blessed with the dream of every network that telecasts the Super Bowl: a game that isn't decided until the final play.
The power outage was an immediate hot topic for quips and questions online. There were an estimated 47.7 million social media posts during the game, according to the company Trendrr TV, which tracks activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks. That compares with 17 million during last year's game and 3 million in 2010, Trendrr said.
Baltimore had the highest rating of any individual city, Nielsen said. San Francisco was not among the top 10 cities in ratings.


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Some banks have recently posted their annual results, which has brought attention to increased profits. So why do banks need to make money and what else is going on here?
Most people understand that a strong banking sector underpins our economy because banks provide finance to businesses and home-owners.
Banks must make returns to continue operating. Unprofitable banks result in bank failure that can have a catastrophic effect on national and regional economies.
The 2008 banking crash in Iceland provides an extreme example of this. See also what's going on in parts of Europe right now.
By contrast, New Zealand banks served us very well during the global financial crisis. None failed, and none was bailed out by the government.
Any discussion on bank profits needs to be viewed in the context of banks' contribution to New Zealanders and the New Zealand economy.
Banks invest heavily in New Zealand.
Last year banks made a direct contribution to the New Zealand economy of around $6 billion. That's made up of the $4.5 billion cost of running their businesses here, which includes payments to over 25,000 employees and New Zealand businesses that supply goods and services to the industry.
In addition to that operational expenditure, there's $1.3 billion that banks paid in tax, which is roughly equivalent to the operating budget for the New Zealand Police.
Apart from this net economic benefit to New Zealand, banks provide essential services which we often take for granted.
As well as providing lending and investment opportunities, banks offer a range of products and services to enable consumers and businesses to transact with others, such as ATM and branch networks, online banking, and mobile banking. Many banks also offer general and life insurance, KiwiSaver schemes, and investment funds.
Banks also provide financial advice.
Bank profits look big because banks are among our biggest businesses. Even smaller banks have large balance sheets in comparison to other New Zealand businesses.
When looking at these returns it's also useful to look at the return on assets. New Zealand banks have an asset base of around $395 billion. 2011 profits of $3.3 billion represent a return on assets of around 0.84 per cent, which is not excessive compared to other major businesses.
New Zealand banks operate in a very competitive and efficient environment by global standards.
We see this in product innovation and also in customer service. Barriers to entry to the New Zealand banking market are low, which is demonstrated by the registration of new banks in the past few years.
The banking industry's initiative in 2010 to make it easier for customers to switch banks was all about making an already competitive industry even more so.
This is now being borne out in a range of banks' marketing campaigns, not to mention fiercely competitive interest rates for both loans and deposits. It's also evident in high customer satisfaction ratings.
A recent Consumer NZ survey found that banks outshone other industries with an overall satisfaction rating of 92 per cent.
Banks work hard to attract and keep their customers, and have lifted their game in recent years.
As the Reserve Bank pointed out in its May 2012 Financial Stability Report, this competition is set to increase as banks respond to lower credit demand.
This will likely result in downward pressure on bank net interest margins, which are already lower than pre-global financial crisis levels. Banks also need to contain costs.
It's an increasingly lean game.
In this competitive sector our banks earn realistic returns for their shareholders considering the size of their businesses and their risk profiles.
In a downturn, as in 2009, many banks had flat or low returns.
This was in part due to bad debts through customers being unable to repay their loans.
Recent increased returns were largely driven by a reduction in bad and doubtful debts rather than strong earnings, due to the subdued economy.
The major banks' provisioning for bad debts has decreased year on year from $2.135 billion in 2009, to $812.7 million in 2010, to $548.5 million in 2011.
Banks are big contributors to the New Zealand economy and make realistic returns within a competitive environment.
While providing a return to shareholders is important in terms of ongoing investment in New Zealand, banks do a great deal more than that.
Kirk Hope is chief executive of the Bankers' Association.


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I've always loved Sydney Bourke's contribution to Satellite Lot's Second Summer album, and it's great to see a band built around her excellent lead vocals with the indie-pop Marie Stella. She's got ample parts baby-doll innocence and skater-grrrl attitude, but most important is her pure tone, almost never dipping into a rasp or whisper, nor really needing to belt it out. She just sings and everything is right with the world.
On Marie Stella's debut EP, Trust, that pure tone is constantly in contrast with jangly guitars, feedback, crashing cymbals, and generally lo-fi production values provided by Ron Harrity's engineering work. The result is an easy-to-love six songs that are equal parts sing-along and jump-up-and-down, and not quite as loud as the band can get live.
Fitting then, that the first lyrics out of Bourke's mouth on the opening "Message from Limbo" are "I want something easy/To consume." For indie-flavored stuff you likely wouldn't hear on commercial radio, these songs are remarkably easy to consume. The squealing distortion that opens the song is downright charming, and the three-note rhythm Bourke carves out with her bass is solid foundation for Bryan Bruchman's and Matthew Erickson's swirling guitars, like twin towers slowly falling down. When Bourke reaches up for the second go-round of the chorus — "You have to trust me/I've been terribly unlucky" — she'll likely have you in the palm of her hand.
Seriously. The verse for the closing "Taken," where then-drummer Derek Gierhan (Haru Bangs — Max Heinz is in Marie Stella now) holds things together nicely through peaks and valleys of activity, runs "no more shenanigans" over and over again and it manages not to sound silly at all.
But it gets better. As in "Lonely Is Better," where Bourke is backed by Katherine Hulit, who chimes in between phrases in the verse, and the combination is very much early-run Throwing Muses. And just when you thought they couldn't get any poppier, in comes "Blue Blood," which has a verse straight out of early Belle and Sebastian, with a shaking tambourine for accent and the bass thriving on each chord's root note. "I don't need a lover to bring me down," Bourke declares. "Now that I'm stronger, I deserve more." Great finish, too, with what I hope is an Alphaville reference: "I thought there were rewards for staying forever young."
If one of the rewards is getting to hear more from this very promising band, that'd be okay by me.
Sam Pfeifle can be reached at email@example.com.
TRUST | Released by Marie Stella | with Dead Man's Clothes + Art of Shooting | at Bayside Bowl, in Portland | June 12 | mariestella.bandcamp.com | myspace.com/mariestellamusic
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Use granite tile to create the look of a stone slab or solid surface countertop for your kitchen or bathroom – for a fraction of the cost.
Natural beauty, durability, resistance to heat and a sense of permanence are the hallmarks of a granite countertop. But ordinarily solid-stone countertops are a pricey proposition due to the special tooling and installation required. In this story, we'll show you how to install an alternative—a solid-granite—tile countertop that costs about the same as a professionally installed plastic laminate countertop. That's for a wide variety of standard granite tile selections, but be aware that you can pay considerably more for premium selections.
We'll cover preparing a solid subbase of 3/4-in. plywood. Next we'll add a lightweight tile-backer material called "Denshield" over the plywood. And finally, we'll lay out and install the 12-in. granite tile surface itself.
The trickiest part of installing stone tile countertops is cutting a crisp, clean countertop "nosing" (or front lip). This difficult task is simple when you use a homemade jig (Fig. B) that's clamped to a tile saw's sliding table (Photo 9) to cut perfect 45-degree miters.
To finish off the gap at the backsplash of the counter, we've designed a unique, easy-to-install detail (Fig. A and Photo 16) that efficiently uses the leftover tile trimmings from the nosing cuts.
To calculate the number of tiles you need, multiply the lineal footage of 24-in. wide countertops by 2.5. Then add as many tiles as required to cover wider peninsulas or islands and subtract for cooktops, stoves, sinks or other built-ins. Keep in mind that you'll probably need partial tiles for filling around built-in appliances as well as at least a half dozen more tiles to allow for breakage and miscuts. Have extra tiles on hand; you can always return the leftovers.
In addition to the tile, you'll need:
At first it might seem intimidating to work with tile that's made from rock, but it's not difficult. While you can't score and snap it like ceramic tile, it cuts easily on a conventional diamond tile saw. In fact, you'll make all of your cuts that way. Other than that, you'll use the same tools, materials and techniques needed for ceramic tile except for the grout and sealer types.
In addition to standard carpentry tools, you can rent or buy the tile-cutting saw. If you're really organized and have underlayment installed and all the tile laid out and planned ahead of time, you can do all the cutting in one day. But if you want to take more time, it may be worth buying a saw, especially if you plan on tiling floors or perhaps a bathroom in the future. Also buy four rubber padded mini-clamps (Photo 9) to hold the tiles to the jig. Steel C-clamps may crack the tiles. But use a couple of small C-clamps to secure the jig to the saw table.
Move aside stoves and refrigerators and pull the kitchen sink before removing the countertops. Then remove all of the lower cabinet drawers and doors and cabinet contents.
Unscrew the old countertops or pry them up with a flat bar if they're glued. You'll have to climb into the cabinets to access the screws at the corners.
Screw blocking along the backs of cabinets into the studs with 2-in. screws. Screw blocking to hidden cabinet sides. At finished cabinet ends, glue on the blocking with construction adhesive and clamp until it sets.
Rip 3/4-in. plywood to project past cabinet fronts 5/8 in. (usually 24-5/8 in.) Put the plywood factory edge to the front. Cut plywood to length so joints meet over blocking. Predrill and screw the plywood to the blocking and cabinet fronts with 1-5/8 in. screws.
Lay out the sink opening following the manufacturer's template or instructions and cut the opening with a jigsaw (careful, don't wreck the cabinet fronts). Use a clamp and a block of wood to support the cutout until you finish the cut.
Removing the old countertop can be easy if it's just screwed to cabinet corner braces (Photo 2) or tough if it's glued down. One peek inside the cabinets will tell you how it's secured. If it's glued down you'll have to pry it loose with a flat bar. It's best to pry from inside the cabinets to avoid damaging the finish.
The key to flat, long-lasting tile countertops is a solid plywood base. Thin cabinet sides or corner braces simply won't provide enough anchorage to hold the plywood flat and stable. After the tops are removed, you'll have to build up cabinet edges with 1x4 or 2x4 blocking along cabinet backs, ends and areas where plywood splices will fall (Photos 3 and 4).
Cut the 3/4-in. plywood underlayment to length so it splices over blocking using the factory edge of the plywood in the front for straight nosings. Cut plywood to length to fit flush with finished cabinet ends and 1 in. short of cabinets that butt against appliances like stoves or refrigerators.
It's not hard to estimate your lumberyard purchased materials.
Here's what you need:
Rip 3-1/2 in. wide 3/4-in. plywood backsplash strips and screw them to the wall with two 2-in. drywall screws into each stud. Score and snap the tile backer to fit flush with the plywood edges. Span over sink openings and mark the underside with a pencil, then flip it over and cut out the opening with a jigsaw.
Mix and spread a 1/8-in. layer of thinset mortar over the plywood base with a 1/4-in. notched trowel. Embed the Denshield in the thinset and nail it to the plywood with 1-in. shingle nails spaced every 6 in. on edges and every 8 in. across the face. Spread thinset over the backsplash and edges and screw on strips of tile backer with 1-1/4 in. drywall screws.
Lay fiberglass mesh tape over the outside corners of the nosings and joints, and over the inside corners of the backsplash. Anchor the tape with a thin layer of thinset, embedding it with a putty knife.
You're probably already familiar with cement tile backer board, which is completely acceptable, but a gypsum-based material called "Denshield" (Photo 6) is also a great choice for countertop tile bases. It has a gypsum core like drywall, but the core and the sheathing have been modified to repel moisture and accept a tile overlay with conventional bonding adhesives. If you've ever struggled with cutting and installing cement board, you'll appreciate working with Denshield. It's lightweight and you cut, snap, rasp and fasten it exactly like standard drywall. It's sold throughout the country, and home centers usually stock the 32 in. x 60 in. sheets—the best size for countertops.
Splice the Denshield wherever you wish, but keep in mind that all of the splices and the outside and inside corners need to be taped with fiberglass mesh tape and a thin layer of thinset (Photo 8), so avoid using lots of little pieces.
This miter jig will fit on most tile saws, but it may need alteration for some models. See Fig. B for the cutting sizes of the mitering-jig components. Use any flat 1/2-in. plywood for the jig. A table saw is the tool to use. Cut the parts, then spread exterior-grade woodworker's glue on the edges and tack them together with 1-in. nails.
Rest the jig on a flat table and clamp a tile to the angled jig surface with the bottom of the tile resting on the tabletop. Then rest the narrow stop block against the top of the tile and glue and tack it to the jig.
Positioning the jig and clamping it securely are crucial for consistent miters. The objective is to get a perfectly even miter that ends right at the edge of the 1/16-in. factory cut micro-bevel on the tile edge. You'll have to make some fine adjustments. Cut some test tiles with the jig and make the fine adjustments until you're satisfied. Use rejects for the rear row of tiles with the bad edge against the backsplash.
The jig is set up only for full tiles. If you need to cut bevels on narrower pieces like at countertop ends, mark those tiles during layout and cut them before cutting the tiles to width.
Set up your mitering jig (see Fig. B) and cut a sample nosing piece and a countertop tile for the tile layout. Clamp the jig so the blade cuts just shy of the factory micro-bevel. Make a test cut, then remove the tile and make sure the bevel is even. Adjust the jig and re-cut if necessary.
Cut the bevel just shy of the factory beveled edge
Cut miters on opposite edges of two tiles, then remove the jig and cut two 2-in. wide nosing strips off one of the tiles. Use the full tile and one of the nosing strips to check fits and lay out the tile pattern.
Lay the full tile near the countertop end and adjust its placement by holding the mitered nosing strip against it. Draw a pencil line along the back of the tile onto the tile backer. Mark all of the ends of the countertops and snap chalk lines to mark the back edges of the front row of tile. Cut and finish the backsplash trim board. Nail it to the top of the plywood backsplash board with 8d finish nails spaced every 8 in.
Dry-lay tile (no adhesive) from an inside corner of the countertop, spacing the tiles 1/8-in apart. When you're working on the sink counter, lay tile from the corner to the sink opening and then begin laying tile from the other end. Cut filler tiles to fit in the middle of the sink where they won't be so obvious.
Use a honing stone to ease sharp edges that'll be exposed.
Spread thinset with a 1/4-in. notched trowel in front of the line for the front row of mitered tiles. Use a nosing tile to gauge overhangs and embed the tile. Use your eye to keep consistent 1/8-in. grout spaces between the tiles as you lay them. Every few tiles nudge a 4-ft. level against the tile fronts to ensure perfect alignment. Spread thinset and lay the back row of tile, keeping the grout lines aligned with those of the front row. Allow thinset to set up overnight before starting the nosing. Tip: Tape cardboard or paper over cabinet fronts to protect them.
Butter the back of the nosing tiles with thinset using a margin trowel and embed them directly below each front tile, leaving a 1/8-in. grout line between the miters. Hold them in place with a couple of strips of masking tape and let them set.
Cut the backsplash tiles 1/8 in. shorter than the distance between countertop tiles and the bottom of the backsplash trim board. Butter them with thinset, press them in place and prop them up with plastic shims.
After the tile base is in place, spend some time dry-laying the tile to work out the best-looking top. Inside corners are critical because the grout lines have to align in two different directions. So start at inside corners and work your way towards the countertop ends. Spacers aren't necessary, because you can easily eyeball the 1/8-in. grout lines for both dry-laying and the actual installation. On the countertop section containing the sink, work from both ends toward the sink. That way, you can custom cut one or more shorter tiles near the center of the sink where they won't be as noticeable (Photo 12).
Another advantage to laying out the tile ahead of time is that you'll know if you have enough tiles, and you can mark the backs of tiles (write on masking tape) that need special cuts like narrower tiles at countertop ends or in the middle of the sink. Also mark the tiles that need 45-degree angle cuts and the outside corner tiles.
Tile saws are a watery mess. If you're cutting in the house, make a temporary tile saw water-containing workstation out of plastic sheeting, 2x2s and a piece of plywood for a splash guard.
When you're marking your cuts, remember that cutting lines are hard to see or wash off in the tile saw, so mark cuts with masking tape instead.
Cut miters on all countertop front and end tiles (outside corner tiles need miters on adjacent edges; see Photo 11), then cut miters on opposite ends of half that quantity for the nosing. Cut the nosing tiles 2 in. wide. Use the leftover sections for the backsplash.
Here are some of the major things to be aware of so your countertop project will be as smooth as polished tile:
Our mitered nosing technique is just one option for finishing the front edges of stone tile countertops, but the truth is that the pros use several different methods. The tile underlayment techniques we show are similar for all three methods shown below. Here's a rundown of three of the most common edge treatments.
WOOD EDGING: If you're used to working with wood, this edge is by far the fastest and easiest of all methods. Before installing any tile, rip 1x3 wood that matches your cabinetry down to 2 in. wide, then rout the outside corner with any profile you wish. Leave off the Denshield nosing strip so you can glue and nail the nosing directly to the plywood. Sand and stain the wood then cut it to fit and fasten it to the plywood with construction adhesive and 3-in. finish nails driven into the plywood core. Use tiles and add another 1/16 in. to allow for the tile thinset to gauge how far the wood edge should project above the countertop surface so the wood and the finished tile top will be flush. Finish with three coats of polyurethane. Fill the grout line between the wood and the tile with matching caulk rather than grout or a crack will eventually develop between the wood and the tile.
OVERLAPPING TILE EDGES: As you can see, the front edge of the top tiles overhangs the nosing tiles, so the exposed, unfinished edge needs to be polished (we cut a simple 45-degree chamfer with the mitering jig, but you can leave it square too). This technique works best for marble or limestone tops because the material is soft enough to finish with an orbital sander and progressive grits of 100, 150 and 220 silicon-carbide or aluminum-oxide sandpaper. Begin by installing the countertop tiles first, overhanging the front edges using the same technique described above. Then polish the edges with a 4" grinder fitted with a marble-polishing disk and install the narrow front pieces as we show in the main story.
BULLNOSED EDGES: This is by far the trickiest method because it takes skill to freehand consistent edges with a right-angle grinder. Check around to find a stone fabricator who uses special machinery to bullnose individual tiles. Lay out the tiles as shown in Photo 12, then mark the tiles that require edging. The downside of this method is that you won't be able to finish your counters for several days while you're waiting for the fabricator to finish. So it's a good idea to lay out the tile on the old countertop and take the tile in for grinding before the demolition work starts.
Mix unsanded grout to the consistency of peanut butter and work it into the grout lines with a grout float. Use diagonal swipes across the gaps for good penetration. Sponge off the excess grout with a damp sponge, rinsing it frequently in clean water. After the grout dries overnight, buff off the haze with a clean cotton cloth.
Lay a thin bead of colored tile caulk into all inside corners of the backsplash. Drag the back of your thumbnail through the wet bead to tool the caulk, then wipe over the caulk with a damp sponge or rag to smooth it out.
Install your sink and other appliances to get your kitchen back in service. Let the grout cure for a week or so, then seal it with a product that's designed specifically for polished granite. Follow the directions on the container.
One downside of any tile countertop is the potential for grout to get stained by food or beverages. We recommend two coats of grout sealant applied about a week after grouting.
Also, an ordinary wall backdrop can drag down a beautiful countertop. While all of the tools are at your fingertips, consider tiling adjoining walls. We used various-sized tiles of tumbled and honed (matte finished) limestone along with a metallic tile listel to finish the wall above the backsplash.
Have the necessary tools for this DIY project lined up before you start—you'll save time and frustration.
Tile saw, Margin trowel, Drill, Honing stone
Avoid last-minute shopping trips by having all your materials ready ahead of time. Here's a list.


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Discussion in 'Photo & Video Gallery' started by chschevy58, Jun 15, 2010.
figure i would post them. just took them today cause i was bored.
Awesome looking truck!! I like your rims!!! Very Nice!!:glasses:
thanks buddy. i appreciate it
I am loving the clear head lamps!
Great looking truck all around. :great:
nice truck. looks like a transformer!!
Sweet looking truck! Nice job! Thanks for the pictures!:glasses:
Looks damn good. :glasses:
Very Nice!
That is very nice... Transformers for sure.. Not quite Ironhide... But you got it going on...
Very nice and clean!
Separate names with a comma.


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Good luck Petrus, let the force be with you.
http://pro32.ap.org/content/patriots...g-mitch-petrusFOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) The New England Patriots have signed guard Mitch Petrus to shore up their battered offensive line,
Petrus, released Nov. 3 after playing six games this season with the New York Giants, signed Tuesday after New England's starting guards left Sunday's 37-31 win over the Buffalo Bills with injuries. Logan Mankins hurt his left ankle, and Dan Connolly injured his back.
The Giants drafted Petrus in the fifth round out of Arkansas in 2010. He played 23 games for them, starting three.
The Patriots also made two practice squad moves involving linebackers, signing Jeff Tarpinian and releasing Jerrell Harris.
wow.. a bone headed move dropping him for Travis freaking Beckhum
Can someone merge threads? There is always duplicate posts on this message board.
stupid. beckham is a 1 trick pony


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Canadian Prodigy Cracks Forbes List Again
The Huffington Post B.C. | Posted 01.23.2014 | Canada British Columbia
Read More: Video, Bc Business, Kiip, Vancouver, Ubc, Brian Wong Kiip, Brian Wong, Forbes, Mobile Reward, Canada British Columbia News
Vancouver native and UBC alumnus Brian Wong has been named to the Forbes Top 30 Under 30 list for the third time. This week, the magazine counted ...


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The Alexander McQueen Pre-Fall 2011 Look Book features splash print,
capri pants and a military theme with double breasted buttons. Reds and navy blues seem to dominate this range which overall gives a very striking powerful feel.
Keep a look out for ribboned orange cut out heels as you click thumbnails below, definitely worth a close inspection.


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Obama kicks dissenting reporters off plane
posted at 10:25 am on October 31, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
Remember the outrage when John McCain's campaign kicked Maureen Dowd off of his airplane in Pennsylvania? I wonder whether the same defenders of Truth and Journalism will bother to squeak up now that Barack Obama has cleared his own plane of dissenters. Reporters from the New York Post, Washington Times, and Dallas Morning News have been declared persona non grata after their editors endorsed McCain:
The Obama campaign has decided to heave out three newspapers from its plane for the final days of its blitz across battleground states — and all three endorsed Sen. John McCain for president!
The NY POST, WASHINGTON TIMES and DALLAS MORNING NEWS have all been told to move out by Sunday to make room for network bigwigs — and possibly for the inclusion of reporters from two black magazines, ESSENCE and JET, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned. …
Some told the DRUDGE REPORT that the reporters are being ousted to bring on documentary film-makers to record the final days; others expect to see on board more sympathetic members of the media, including the NY TIMES' Maureen Dowd, who once complained that she was barred from McCain's Straight Talk Express airplane.
This seems like a strange time to upset the applecart. Why not do this a month ago? Anyone could have predicted that the Post and the Times would endorse McCain, and the Morning News was not much of a surprise, either.
Had they acted a few weeks ago, they could have made it look like Team Obama wanted to give secondary media outlets a chance. Now it just looks like vindictiveness, and perhaps even worse. Obama and his supporters have gotten vicious with reporters who ask questions and do research that put Obama in a bad light, and this adds to the general pattern we've seen since the primaries.
It also looks a little self-indulgent. Obama's clearing room on the plane for — what? Documentarians who will produce hagiographies about his historic importance. That fits into another pattern we've seen for months, one marked with fake presidential seals, The Barackopolis, and infomercials. In the coming Age of Obama, only the worshipers will get front-row seats to history.
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How does everyone feel about buying quilt kits? Good or bad? If good....are there favorite shops/sites you like. I think I've always been nervous about the quality of fabric...etc. But I have seen some pretty ones listed on the web.
Welcome to the Quilting Board!
How does everyone feel about buying quilt kits? Good or bad? If good....are there favorite shops/sites you like. I think I've always been nervous about the quality of fabric...etc. But I have seen some pretty ones listed on the web.
I've just been thinking of doing one from Flamingo Island Designs. It has dimensional applique with embellishments. I'm think I'm gonna dive in and try one. Would like to read the response on this.
I have bought kits from Connecting Threads and Keepsake.... always been happy with the quality, so therefore, I trust them. I think that if you try one and like it, then brand loyalty may make you feel more comfortable. The best thing about kits is that it removes all of the decision making from the process! Some people like that, and others would rather choose the fabrics themselves.
I finished one from Connecting Threads the other day that had adorable applique. Try it -- I'll bet you have a ball! :thumbup:Originally Posted by Janetd
I've used kits and like them. Good way to build skill and confidence. I've gotten several from LQS and Keepsake.
I have only bought kits from my LQS that they have made up, so I know that there will be enough fabric of each color. I have not used quilts from online quilt shops.
I'm glad this topic came up here as my DH has suggested a couple of times that I use one. I have been worried about the fabric quality. Also, in Fons and Porter magazines it sometimes states that fabric included in a kit might not be exactly the fabric shown. I would want the fabric shown. So I'm conflicted as to whether or not to try one. Good luck with yours and please let us know how it turns out. :)
Why not try a small one? Maybe a table runner, or something like that. You'll have that instant gratification that we all love!
The only kits that I have bought were all precut. If I have to cut the pieces? I will just buy the fabric LOL :D:D:D
I have bought these at John Flynns website and have been very happy with the way they laser cut the pieces and the fabric is beautiful :D:D:D
I agree.... if I see something in a kit that draws me to it I want the same fabric shown.
Also, I like to wash fabric before I use it...not only for shrinkage but I don't like working with the smell of the dye's..
Third, I don't want to worry about having enough fabric..


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Guest post by Fatoumatta, age 20, The Gambia
My dream in life is to be an economist and a child activist.
Being a child activist has been a dream since I was a kid. I had this dream because I surveyed life and the environment, and I came to a conclusion that children in particular have been traumatized in all aspects of their lives.
So that is why I decided that I have to be a child activist — to at least fight the issues that are happening in our environment. I'm talking about a child not being sent to school or being raped, and how those things are affecting children in our environment.
So I deem it necessary to be a person to at least make their voices to be heard. At times, I do go to their compounds and make surveys, and I find out that a child has been traumatized. So I do advocate with the parents about how to implement the right things to do.
Also being an economist is my dream because I love economics, ever since I was in senior secondary school. I studied it and am still studying it. My dream is to have a master's degree, and that is what I am working on right now.
I do not want a car or a house; I just want to finish my education with a master's degree in economics.
Fatoumatta is a youth leader in ChildFund programs in The Gambia, where she is also receiving support for her dreams.
It is really good for children to have dream because the future lie in their hands.
Having future goals gives them a purpose in life and this helps them stand up for who they are. Imagine a future where each child achieves his or her dream!! Parents and guardians….. it is our responsibility to protect the children in our communities for a better tomorrow.
God bless you all who love children
Josephine .N.


text: Diablo Intune Information Part I - The Intune size comparison I hear comparisons of the Diablo Intune to a credit card which I can understand, but don't believe to be really accurate so I decided to post some comparison pictures with a smart phone like the Iphone 4S to get a better comparison about its size. Part of this is because when I went to Diablo's web site and looked up the intune my first impression was that the Intune was some sort of app you could install on a smart phone (which in my opinion it should be). It just makes more sense to use better hardware like an Iphone or a Galaxy S3 where you have a higher quality touch screen display and massive storage. But then I found out it was the Intune was actually a piece of hardware like any other programmer. Anyway for people that are looking at getting an Intune, I love mine after having it 3 months and this is what you are getting when buying an Intune (Iphone Not Included :gasp: The Intune does not have a battery or run on its own power. The Intune gets its power from the USB cable when it is connected to a computer or the OBDII cable when it is connected to your vehicle. Part II - In the vehicle The OBDII port under the dash on the drivers side of the truck. The OBDII cable that came with the Intune connected to the OBDII port on the truck. The Intune connected to the truck and then connected to the netbook running Diablo Data Viewer 220.127.116.11 for live data logging (Part of the reason I did not go with a Trinity) Part III - Software for the PC The software is pretty good and depending on the size of your laptop, it will be easier to read than the screen of the Intune. The Intune does not have a fancy display like the Trinity, but that is what the computer is for . If you have a local drag strip or track where you can rent time, then you can push the truck and record data for your Wide Open Throttle (WOT) data log. Part IV - Other Information. If your software updates are current as of this article (GM Specific): Trucks from 1999-2013 are supported. Gas and Diesel are supported. Adjustment of transmission shift points are supported. Newer trucks with fancier computers than mine will probably have more options that can be logged. Additional Information: When you buy one, the first thing you want to do is connect it to a computer with an internet connection and let it self update before using it the first time. This can take up to an hour depending on how many updates there are. Part V - First time use When you connect it to the truck the first time, the Intune automatically backs up your factory settings and writes them to a file. Next you have the option to pick from (typically) 3 custom tunes from Diablo. Once you pick the tune you want, you can choose to load it into the computer on the truck. You load the tune, following the on screen instructions and the tune is loaded. Now you can disconnect the Intune and no longer need to leave it connected to the truck. The re-tune of the truck is complete.


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Town Square
Menlo Park man takes recreation director post in Saratoga
Original post made by Thank You!, Menlo Park: other, on Sep 30, 2007
By Michele Tjin - MediaNews
Article Launched: 09/27/2007 02:59:21 PM PDT
With an interest in providing more activities and opportunities for youth and seniors, Michael Taylor is the new face in the Saratoga Recreation Department. The newly named director of recreation and facilities possesses an attitude toward his new job that any employer would be happy to see.
"I can't wait to give back to the community," Taylor said. "As soon as I got here, it felt like home. It was comforting and welcoming. The community felt like a place where I would love to live and work."
Taylor has had a few months already to study and get to know Saratoga better. Taylor, 52, has been working in Saratoga since March as the interim director of recreation. Just recently, he was called to fill in permanently for Joan Pisani, who retired because of illness in August.
For Taylor, the recreation department is an integral service the city provides. Unless residents are reporting a pothole or constructing a house, they have very little reason to deal with the city. But the recreation programs are channels where residents do interact with the city. It's a first point of contact, he said.
"We create community and build quality of life through our programs," he said. Taylor plans on assessing the needs of the community, specifically targeting those who are not participating in the city's recreation programs. This data will set the department's strategic planning direction for the next five years. Taylor is also looking for more ways for young people to be active, whether with martial arts, dance or other activities, as a way to address health and obesity rates in children and teens. "We're the ones who can take the lead in this social issue," he said.
Taylor also has other demographics in mind. The population of Saratoga is graying, and there is an influx of immigrants. Taylor said he wants to make sure the city's programs have what seniors and newcomers are looking for.
It's no surprise that Taylor is working to increase recreational opportunities for others. He has been a lifelong believer in being active. His office has constant reminders of his passion for the outdoors; there are photos of him snowboarding and rope climbing. Before coming to Saratoga, he was the senior recreation supervisor in Menlo Park.
Taylor also ran his own gymnastics center for nine years in Minnesota, his home state. In fact, gymnastics is like a side job for him. A former gymnast, he has tapped into his gift for teaching and is a coach for other coaches. He is a national staff member of USA Gymnastics, where he has written books for the organization, and teaches a safety course. In August, he received an award from USA Gymnastics during the national championships held in San Jose, where he was recognized for his contributions.
"This is all part of recreation," he said. "I love what I do."
During his short time here, Saratoga has already given him plenty to chew on. He is working on the development of the North Campus and is looking forward to working collaboratively with such groups as the Friends of Saratoga Libraries and the Saratoga Historical Foundation and Museum. He credited his predecessor, Pisani, for building the department to what it is now and said he's glad to take charge of a dedicated crew.
"We're all on the same team," he said. "They all do their jobs and are committed to serving the Saratoga residents. (They were) open to the new guy coming in."
Comments (7)
a resident of Menlo Park: Downtown
on Oct 3, 2007 at 8:04 am
Not only does the police department have retention problems, but I know that the recreation has lost a DOZEN of its top people, including the director and two managers in the last year too! What is going on??? Maybe they are all going to work at the new city dance program at the theater.
a resident of Menlo Park: Downtown
on Oct 3, 2007 at 11:08 am
This can't be one of the City's "top people." Mr. Taylor's handling of the Bayfront Park issue was poor; his handling of the Sheeper Pool take over was poor; his handling of the Belle Haven after school program was poor.
Why is it so difficult to find qualified managers for our recreation program?
Give someone in the 10 years out of college demographics a chance. No more tired recreation managers who have been in the business for so many years, they only live to please the council.
a resident of Menlo Park: The Willows
on Oct 5, 2007 at 2:38 pm
Came across this post and just had to comment. I credit Mr. Taylor for saving Burgess Pool. If not for some creative outside-the-box thinking, the City would have built a pool they could not have afforded to operate. Tim Sheeper is doing an outstanding job providing a quality aquatics program for almost no cost to the city. I think Dave Bosch and Mr. Taylor deserve our thanks. No wonder they both left this hostility.
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Oct 9, 2007 at 3:33 pm
The pool is being run well, and I doubt the city could have done so well based on past performance. However, it is not true that Sheeper runs the pool at almost no cost to the city. He doesn't pay any rent! The residents are still paying for the $7 million facility and he only has to pay for some of the operational expenses. That is a shameful sweetheart deal (no competitive bids).
a resident of Menlo Park: Allied Arts/Stanford Park
on Oct 9, 2007 at 4:33 pm
1. Mike Taylor did not orchestrate the $7 million Aquatics Center give-away. The WeeWinklerJellinsDuboc team did. Taylor was in the middle of a very smelly business.
2. David Boesch -- deserves our thanks? What a joke, and a very bad one at that. He not only is to blame for allowing the WWJD team to deceive the public about the city's financial situation, he also can be blamed for the fiasco in the police department for his hiring decisions and for pretending that the unprecedented exodus of veteran police officers didn't represent a crisis. I shudder at the thought that he will probably be our next county manager.
a resident of Menlo Park: Linfield Oaks
on Oct 9, 2007 at 6:17 pm
Mike Taylor authored a staff report that showed that the Sheeper arrangement was a very bad deal compared to the operations in other cities. The report also indicated that most cities, Palo Alto for example, were breaking even on their pool operations. Some were making enough money so that pool revenues could subsidize other programs!
The council ignored that report as it didn't support their plan, plus no one wanted to explain how MP's aquatic operations could be so unprofitable compared to those of similar communities.
Don't blame Mike. He was in the middle of a tough situation He is a great guy with a lot of heart, and he served the city to the best of his ability for many years. I hope he is happy in Saratoga.
a resident of Menlo Park: Downtown
on Oct 10, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Recreation is in dire straights. I dont recognize too many people any more. Its a shame to watch that slide.
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One more week to vote!
Don't forget to cast your Readers' Choice ballot online. Voting ends May 29th. Stay tuned for the results in the July 19th issue of The Almanac.


text:
|Data Dictionary:
|ACS 2006 (1-Year Estimates)
you are here: choose a survey survey data set table details
Survey: ACS 2006 (1-Year Estimates)
|Data Source:
|U.S. Census Bureau
|B25059. Upper Contract Rent Quartile (Dollars) [1]
Universe: Universe: Renter-occupied housing units paying cash rent
Table Details
|Upper Contract Rent Quartile (Dollars)
|Universe: Universe: Renter-occupied housing units paying cash rent
Relevant Documentation:
|Excerpt from:
|Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey 2006 Summary File: Technical Documentation.
|ACS 2006-1yr Summary File: Technical Documentation -> Appendix B. Subject Definitions -> Housing Variables -> Contract Rent -> Median and Quartile Contract Rent
The median divides the rent distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median contract rent and one-half above the median. Quartiles divide the rent distribution into four equal parts. Median and quartile contract rent are computed on the basis of a standard distribution. (See the "Standard Distributions" section under "Derived Measures.") In computing median and quartile contract rent, units reported as "No cash paid" are excluded. Median and quartile rent calculations are rounded to the nearest whole dollar. Upper and lower quartiles can be used to note large rent differences among various geographic areas. (For more information on medians and quartiles, see "Derived Measures.")


text: Of all of those players, the only one that may have made the difference and made us champs last year would be Josh Smith. We still have Sheed and can still trade him for a high pick or another proven player. I'm not saying Sheed was free, but I am saying it was an absolute no brainer at that time and now.


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Mount Ski Gull ski/snowboard swap set Sunday
Mount Ski Gull's annual ski/snowboard swap will be from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, at Mount Ski Gull.
New and used ski and snowboard equipment will be sold. Martin's, FitzHarris and Easy Riders will have new equipment on site along with experts to answer questions.
Anyone who wants to donate or sell used equipment can drop it off at Mount Ski Gull from 4-6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, or from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 26.


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With your criteria take a look at a Sig P238 with a 7 round mag in it or perhaps one of the Bersa line. PK380 might work although a bit larger. Also maybe the new Ruger LC .380 though I've not see one up close and personal.
If it was me -- the Sig.... Sweet shooter!


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Greetings, all.
I've been lurking on CloneTroopers.net and BikerScout.net for a while now (as "Headcount" on both sites), and thought I'd pop in here and gain as much knowledge as possible from TDH members. I have lots of "wishful thinking" moments when I get to thinking seriously about beginning an armor build, then reality sets in. However, here I am, keeping the door open to possibilities.
My armor interests, in no specific order: Clone Commando, Biker Scout, Stormtrooper, or custom Mando. Obviously, I'd be as pleased as a pig if I could get into any one of those kits.
You all have some pretty nice builds going on! I look forward to commenting on those, now that I've introduced myself.
Cheers, and oya!


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Friedman: You know what's kind of cool? Dictatorship!
posted at 3:36 pm on September 9, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
One normally expects to see paeans to one-party rule and dictatorships in fringe publications sponsored by International ANSWER or World Can't Wait. Usually, the New York Times offers those sentiments in more subtle terms than it does in today's Thomas Friedman column. Friedman extols the Chinese form of government while deriding the fact that political opposition keeps Obama from imposing the policies Friedman likes:
Watching both the health care and climate/energy debates in Congress, it is hard not to draw the following conclusion: There is only one thing worse than one-party autocracy, and that is one-party democracy, which is what we have in America today.
One-party autocracy certainly has its drawbacks. But when it is led by a reasonably enlightened group of people, as China is today, it can also have great advantages. That one party can just impose the politically difficult but critically important policies needed to move a society forward in the 21st century. It is not an accident that China is committed to overtaking us in electric cars, solar power, energy efficiency, batteries, nuclear power and wind power. China's leaders understand that in a world of exploding populations and rising emerging-market middle classes, demand for clean power and energy efficiency is going to soar. Beijing wants to make sure that it owns that industry and is ordering the policies to do that, including boosting gasoline prices, from the top down.
Our one-party democracy is worse. The fact is, on both the energy/climate legislation and health care legislation, only the Democrats are really playing. With a few notable exceptions, the Republican Party is standing, arms folded and saying "no." Many of them just want President Obama to fail. Such a waste. Mr. Obama is not a socialist; he's a centrist. But if he's forced to depend entirely on his own party to pass legislation, he will be whipsawed by its different factions.
Oh, those enlightened Chinese government officials! When they're not executing people to harvest their organs, and when they're not forcing women to have abortions to satisfy their one-child policy, and when they're not tossing people in prison for political dissent, they have a great energy policy … even though they reject Kyoto and any attempt to hamstring themselves on economically-suicidal cap-and-trade policies.
Actually, considering Friedman's column, perhaps rounding up the opposition is a net plus for the Chinese in his eyes.
Even putting aside Friedman's longing for fascism (as long as it supports his policies), Friedman's entire premise is suspect. We haven't enacted government-run health care precisely because we're not a "one-party democracy." Constituents have made their opposition plain to it across the nation, and Democrats understand that Republicans will replace many of their colleagues if they support ObamaCare. Obama's approval numbers have dropped precipitously as well, because people dissent from the orthodoxy of the Democratic elites. That's what has Friedman pining for Beijing.
Saying "no" to very bad ideas is a perfectly legitimate response, especially when the policies impose government control over private industry to the extent Barack Obama and his radical Congress desire. The opposition has no responsibility to engage on horrible ideas, although contra Friedman, the Republicans have already offered an alternative to ObamaCare, which Henry Waxman refuses to consider. Saying "no" to rapid expansion of government power is the rational response to radical policies.
What's next for the New York Times? A tribute to Benito Mussolini and running the trains on time as a fair exchange for personal and political liberty? (via The Corner, which has been savaging Friedman all day)
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- Friedman: You know what's kind of cool? Dictatorship! | THE AUDACITY OF HYPOCRISY | Media Lies | ObamaLies.com | Exposing Mainstream Media Hypocrisy and Lies
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text: Does anyone have a picture of a 06 silverado z71 crew cab with a rough country full level kit in it? Also how do they ride with that kit, I have a daystar kit in my 99 z71...only keys but it rides like stock fully cranked with bf goodrich all terrains on it. Looking to level my new truck Thanks for the help


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Mexico: The Unchanged Face of Guerrero
Last year Mexicans ended seven decades of one-party rule with the election of Vicente Fox as president. The new administration assumed the mantle of power with much rhetoric calling for an end to corruption and impunity, a new climate of democracy, and respect for human rights. The highly publicized arrests of human rights and drug-trafficking offenders such as Acosta Chaparro and Mario Villanueva present the international community with a new image of Mexico in which the abuses of the past will no longer be tolerated. For the citizens of the southern state of Guerrero, however, reality is much different. Murder, disappearances, extra-judicial assassination, harassment by caciques (local political bosses,) and military displacement are common occurrences in the impoverished state. Government corruption is widespread, with many officials enriching themselves by selling Guerrero's old growth forests to transnational corporations. In Guerrero, as in the rest of the country, the effects of such human rights abuses and environmental degradation are disproportionately felt by poor communities. Guerrero claims over 60 political prisoners, many of whom have been convicted on trumped up charges of arms possession or drug-trafficking.1
From June 4 to 13, 2001 a delegation of representatives from the Mexico Solidarity Network, Rainforest Action Network, and Global Exchange (all non-governmental organizations) traveled to the state of Guerrero. The delegation met with representatives from various human rights and environmental organizations, academics, and government agencies and investigated human rights and environmental degradation six months into the Fox administration.
Human Rights
Guerrero is laden with victims of past and present human rights abuses -- including political prisoners, children orphaned through massacres, communities displaced by military occupation, and survivors of government-sponsored massacres. The delegation met with such victims as well as leaders of local human rights organizations, legal advocacy groups, and campesino environmentalist organizations.
Political prisoners Rodolfo Montiel and Teodoro Cabrera were imprisoned in 1998 on charges of illegal arms possession and drug-trafficking. Part of a struggle to protect native forests that has left five people dead at the hands of security forces and death squads, the environmentalists' real crime was protesting deforestation in their native Costa Grande region. The National Human Rights Commission has conceded that the prisoners' confessions, which form the basis of the cases against them, were obtained under torture by military personnel. Under immense pressure from national and international human rights organizations, legal advocacy groups, and solidarity organizations (the Ecologists received the Goldman Environmental and the Chico Méndez Awards and have been declared Prisoners of Conscience by Amnesty International,) on May 9, 2001 the Segundo Tribunal Colegiado de Circuito in Chilpancingo, Guerrero granted an appeal on the basis of previously inadmissible evidence consisting of medical certificates demonstrating physical evidence of torture. The appeal is scheduled to be heard later this month.
To Guerrerans, the words El Charco mean not just "The Puddle," but another dark stain in a history marred by injustice. On June 6th and 7th local organizations gathered at El Charco in the Costa Chica highlands for the 3rd Anniversary of Mourning for the Massacre at El Charco to demand justice and a general amnesty for Guerrero's political prisoners. The meeting commemorated the murder of 11 campesinos by the Mexican Army on June 7, 1998 during a grass-roots meeting with members of the Revolutionary Army of the Insurgent People (ERPI.) Around 4am on that date, the Army surrounded the schoolhouse where the campesinos were asleep and opened fire into the schoolhouse, killing three. Eight more were killed with "tiros de gracia" (bullet to the back of the skull) on the basketball court outside the schoolhouse. The National Human Rights Commission has yet to issue a report on the killings, and there have been no prosecutions of military personnel involved.
While current statistics regarding the number of military personnel in Guerrero are unavailable, the military continues to maintain a heavy presence in civilian life in the state. In 1997 estimated personnel was between 25 and 45 thousand, and there is no indication of a reduction in troop presence since that time.2 In May of 2000 army personnel arrived in the community of La Pie de la Cuesta in the municipality of Acapulco de Juárez and expropriated 70 hectares of villagers' farm lands outside the community. Under the pretext of preserving the ecology of the region, the military sealed off the area and prohibited community members from accessing land they have farmed for over 30 years. The soldiers then proceeded to build roads and assemble barracks -- destroying trees, crops, and other vegetation on the land they were claiming to preserve. The Union of Farmworkers in Pie de la Cuesta has filed numerous complaints with the federal, state, and local government, but the situation has yet to be resolved.
Despite the change in federal administration, PRI-style strong-arm tactics dispensed by caciques also persist. In the community of Leonardo Rodríguez Alcaine in Acapulco, residents have been attempting to gain title to their land since 1991 when the local comptroller was authorized by the state government to grant residents title to their property. Registration has never occurred, however, due to the violent intransigence of the local cacique. Residents who have continued the legal battle to obtain title to their properties have had their utilities cut off, received death threats, been evicted, and had their houses burglarized, sacked, and burned. Despite numerous petitions by residents and legal advocates from the non-governmental Human Rights Commission "La Voz de los Sin Voz," residents continue to live under fear, harassment, and intimidation by hired thugs as well as local authorities.
Environmental Degradation
With both coastal and mountainous terrain, Guerrero has a rich and diverse ecosystem. For over half a century Guerrero's forests have been exploited by local and transnational logging companies who enjoy government concessions and lucrative contracts conceded by local caciques, leaving local farmers impoverished with a rapidly deteriorating environment. In the mountainous regions of Petatlán and Coyuca de Catalán, for example, 40 percent of native forest coverage has disappeared over the last eight years alone.3 One need only drive the coastal highway of the Costa Grande to see the numerous timber mills and massive volumes of large diameter trees that are still being extracted from the Sierra. Intensified logging activities in Guerrero during the last decade have impacted the entire ecological chain, resulting in soil erosion, depletion of aquifers, increasing frequency of floods, climate changes, and disappearance of local fauna and biodiversity.
Sivestre Pacheco, adviser to the Organization of Campesino Ecologists from the Mountains of Petatlán (OCESP,) estimates that two tons of topsoil (the equivalent of 2cm per unit area) are lost per hectare per year in the Costa Grande region because of erosion due to deforestation. The Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) has concluded that the river basins in the mountains of the Costa Grande are in "critical" condition. Disappearance of forest cover has also caused increasing droughts and changed patterns of precipitation. Modest, regular rains during the wet season have been replaced in recent years with heavy storms, accompanied by severe flooding and soil erosion.
Hilda Navarrete of La Voz de los Sin Voz has observed dramatic changes in the Coyuca River that runs adjacent to her community of Coyuca de Benítez. In the mountains inland where the Coyuca River is formed, communities such as El Tambor have experienced heavy logging in the last few years. Soil that washes down the slopes pushes its way down river, filling the riverbed with sediment near Hilda's home. As a result, the river overflows its banks far more frequently now, flooding poor communities on the riverbanks of the surrounding area.
Transnational Corporations
Though numerous actors have been party to the exploitation of Guerrero's vast forest resources -- including peasants, farmers, and Mexican logging companies -- none have left greater devastation in their wake than foreign transnational corporations, especially US giant Boise Cascade. Ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994 facilitated logging activity in Mexico by allowing foreign corporations to purchase ejido (communally-held farm land) timber. From 1995 to 1998, Boise Cascade exercised questionable contracts with local ejido unions authorized by corrupt state officials to cut old growth forests.
The Ejido Union Ruben Figueroa Figueroa (UERFF,) operating in the municipalities of Petatlán and Coyuca de Catalán in the Costa Grande region, was Boise Cascade's principal partner. With the help of local cacique and UERFF leader, Bernadino Bautista Valle, then governor Ruben Figueroa Alcocer granted Boise Cascade exclusive rights to the purchase of wood from the region. According to Silvestre Pacheco, "During the dry seasons from 1995 to 1998, logging trucks came out of the mountains continuously, 24 hours a day. Such quantities of wood-extraction were unprecedented in this area." Furthermore, it is estimated that, in the process of cutting and transporting trees, 50 smaller trees are destroyed for every marketable tree removed.4
Boise Cascade claims to have never cut down a tree in Guerrero -- a true statement as the UERFF contracted local laborers to fell and transport the trees. For this reason Boise Cascade claims exemption from Mexican laws requiring that resources be replenished by parties responsible for their destruction. Additionally, Boise Cascade claims to have funded local community development projects such as schools, basketball courts, and bridges but refuses to disclose information regarding location of the projects and funding provided. When local communities petitioned the state government for repair of roads damaged by excessive use by logging trucks carrying wood destined for Boise Cascade mills, the UERFF set up toll plazas to pay for the repairs -- charging local cars, trucks, and pedestrians for use of the roads. According to SEMARNAT, Boise Cascade was aware of the political relationships between the UERFF, Bautista, and Figueroa, and when violence erupted they pulled out. Their actions were not innocent. SEMARNAT states that Boise Cascade's goal was to capitalize on the commercial potential of the forests, and that they did so without regard to implications for human rights or the environment.
The overwhelming conclusion of persons and organizations with whom the delegation met is that little has changed in Guerrero in terms of respect for human rights and the environment. The absence of large-scale massacres in recent years merely represents a change in tactics by the government. The current modus operandi by which dissents are suppressed and resources extracted are paramilitary activity, caciquismo, and military occupation. Prevailing opinion in Guerrero is that there continues to be a strong correlation between transnational corporate activity, environmental degradation, and human rights violations.
While the Fox administration represents a new face for Mexican politics, the fundamental policies followed by the past three PRI administrations continue at an accelerated rate. The new administration is selling Mexico to transnational corporations based on the comparative advantages of low wages and lax environmental regulations. Rather than developing internal markets and increasing wages, Fox is continuing down the neoliberal road that has meant increased profits for corporations but impoverished Mexican workers and a rapidly deteriorating environment.
- "Mexico is Releasing Political Prisoners it Once Denied Ever Existed," John Ross, December 31, 2000.
- Siempre Cerca, Siempre Lejos: Las Fuerzas Armadas en Mexico; Global Exchange, CIEPAC, and CENCOS; September, 2000.
- "La Lucha por el Bosque," Armando Bartra, March, 2001. Interview with Silvestre Pacheco, MSN, June, 2001.


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Stay connected with us to get the latest health and fitness news, innovative workouts, healthy recipes and wellness tips.
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ACE Fit Share
Crisp chilled snap peas with creamy tarragon dressing make a nice alternative to a lettuce-based salad. The dressing can be doubled and used for chicken salad. Substitute fresh or dried dill for the tarragon if you like.
Nutrition Profile:
Diabetes Appropriate
Gluten Free Diet
Healthy Weight
Heart Healthy
High Fiber
Low Calorie
Low Carb
Low Cholesterol
Low Sat Fat
Low Sodium
Serves 4
Prep Time 15 min
Total Time 35 min.
Step 1
Steam peas over 2 inches of boiling water, stirring once, until crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towel. Refrigerate until chilled, about 20 minutes.
Step 2
Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt (or buttermilk), tarragon, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add peas; toss well to coat. Serve chilled.
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This workout provides a challenging total-body workout that can be done from the comfort of home with no equipment other than bodyweight and space.


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by a neighbor July 27, 2004
by Anonymous February 25, 2003
the name that native new yorkers refer to the NYC subway system. its is rare that you will here a native new yorker or someone who has lived in nyc for year call it "the subway". it is only called the subway when they refer to it to set it aside from metro-north or long island railroads all three are operate the MTA
by redmagic55 June 12, 2011
When a person sticks a fist in both ass and vagaina and starts working them in and out quickly while making train noises.
Could possibly be done with one hole.
Could possibly be done with one hole.
by K-Town Grad August 09, 2009
The way I FUCKING get around my hometown, The City. What city? THE CITY. 'Nuff said. You upstaters on Long Island would get mugged on the fucking subway, it's only for the tough.
I saw some upstate Long Islanders on the 4 train last week. What losers, they looked like a bunch of immature, lost tourists. And they actually gave money to the homeless guy! Country folk.
by Jared March 23, 2005
The vengeful act of crapping on a lover's chest while they sleep.Buy the plush
by monk3ybidzness July 26, 2008


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When I had a chance to interview Andy Serkis last week, I was still in the midst of a nasty cold. So it seemed appropriate to be speaking with the very incarnation of Gollum just as my own voice was sounding a bit Gollum-y. Not that I tried to challenge Serkis to a Gollum-off. He would have beat me hands down. Phlegm down, too.
Serkis is now recognized as an innovating pioneer of performance capture acting. Once called merely "motion capture," the process on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is now a more sophisticated technique than what was used on The Lord of the Rings a decade ago.
For the Rings trilogy, which was shot on film, Serkis acted his scenes on a separate sound stage and his digital performance was merged with the live action actors in post-production. With Weta Digital's more robust "performance capture" system used in The Hobbit, Serkis (as Gollum) and Martin Freeman (as Bilbo) performed the "Riddles in the Dark" scene from beginning to end on the same set. Peter Jackson directed both two live actors, and Serkis's slinky movements were recorded by his special suit's sensors. Later, a digital character replaced Serkis, and animators enhanced and tweaked the performance data. But much of Gollum's movements were, in fact, based on Serkis's entire performance. Continue Reading "Hobbit Week: A Conversation With Andy Serkis, Creator of Gollum" »


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Bush's Budget Makes Education Top Domestic Priority
Raising the Limit
Close-Up: No Child Left BehindLimited English Proficient Students
On the Horizon
Hispanic Web Site Provides Resources for Learning
Bush's Budget Makes Education Top Domestic Priority
Despite the many priorities competing for tax dollarsprotecting our homeland, fighting terrorism and recovering from recessionPresident Bush's budget request for 2004 provides $53.1 billion for the U.S. Department of Education, an increase of 5.6 percent (or $2.8 billion) above his 2003 spending plan and the largest dollar increase of any domestic agency.
The highlights of the 2004 budget request focus on:
Reading FirstAs another means to implement the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the president is asking for $1.05 billion for Reading First State Grants and $100 million for Early Reading First, two programs that support proven methods for improving the reading skills of young children.
Teacher recruitmentThe spending plan also would increase the incentive for highly qualified math, science and special education teachers to work in low-income communities by raising the amount of loans that may be forgiven for such service from $5,000 to $17,500.
Postsecondary educationThe 2004 request would support more than $62 billion in grant, loan and work-study assistance to an estimated 9.2 million postsecondary students and their families. The cornerstone of this assistance is a $12.7 billion request for the Pell Grant program, which would provide up to $4,000 in grant aid to more than 4.9 million students.
More choices for parentsThe president's request includes, among other items, $75 million for a new Choice Incentive Fund to provide low-income parents with expanded opportunities for transferring their children to high-performing public, private or charter schools; and $226 million in refundable tax credits for parents transferring a child from a public school identified for improvement (parents would receive a credit of 50 percent of the first $5,000 in tuition, fees and transportation costs incurred).
At a press conference rolling out the 2004 budget request, Secretary Rod Paige also announced that all states have met the critical January 31 deadline for submitting their accountability plans to the department.
For additional 2004 budget highlights, please visit www.ed.gov.
Raising the Limit
Inglewood Elementary School Advances Limited English Proficient Students in Reading
Being poor and an English language learner is not an excuse foror a predictor offailure, in Principal Norma Baker's view.
Her school, W. Claude Hudnall Elementary in Inglewood, Calif., where 96 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, is proving that disadvantaged minority children can learn to readand read well.
Although almost half of Hudnall's 546 students are native Spanish speakers, a remarkable 67 percent of those who are limited English proficient scored at or above average in reading on last year's Stanford 9 exam, substantially higher than county (21 percent) and state (20 percent) results.
"We don't look at the fact that this child is an English language learner because he or she is held to the same standards as an English-only speaking child," said Baker, who attained the rank of administrator in 1999 after working as the school's reading coach. "And we're not saying, 'This child is in a low socio-economic stratum so therefore he can only do this much.' That's never a thought. At Hudnall, we have only readers and non-readers. So it's our objective to get that non-reader to become a reader."
High expectations along with a structured reading program, intense teacher training, frequent testing and a commitment to parent and community involvement comprise the formula for Hudnall's success, said Baker, who stresses the "structured" label of her instructional program.
According to Baker, what makes a good reader is the use of a "systematic approach" that teaches children to learn how to read through phonemic awareness and phonics while building their skills in fluency, comprehension, writing and spelling.
By the end of the 1997-98 school year, when its research-based curriculum was fully implemented, only 49 percent of second- through fifth-graders assessed on the Stanford 9 met the basic reading level. Today, nearly three quarters (73 percent) of the students have tested at the 50th percentile and higher nationally.
Baker said that this is largely due to the curriculum being aligned with state content standards, which teachers track daily for her review as to whether they have been taught.
|"Admissions quotas and double standards are not the answer. Fixing the problem at the front end, where it can do the most good, is the answer. And that's the president's purpose behind the No Child Left Behind law: to fundamentally change the way we educate our children in Americafrom a system that does a good job educating some children, to a system that does a good job educating all children, from all walks of life."
U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, in a Jan. 24 announcement of the Education Department's plans to highlight race-neutral alternatives in higher education.
Baker, who considers herself "more of an instructional leader," believes her hands-on management style is the type of leadership needed to keep the school on course. When test scores arrive, she says she wants to know immediately which children are scoring below basic and far below basic, so she can work collaboratively with her staff to keep those students from lagging behind.
Hudnall's principal and teachers have developed several intervention strategies that benefit not only the school's bilingual students but also its second largest ethnic group of children, African Americans. The school has after-school tutoring programs, which Baker said draw 75 percent teacher participation. And to counter the achievement gap that widens when students move from third to fourth grade, Hudnall provides a special after-school program in both reading and math for fourth-grade students, whom Baker teaches herself.
Ensuring that these English literacy skills are practiced at home, the school also offers English classes in the morning and afternoon for its native Spanish-speaking parents so they can assist their children at home.
For Baker everything has a purpose in the matrix of student learning, from the after-school programs down to the classroom decorations. "Don't just put up bulletin boards that have no meaning just because it's cute," she said. "It has to correlate with what you're teaching."
For more information about Hudnall Elementary, visit http://www.iusd.net/schools/Elementary/Hudnall/index.htm or call 310-680-5420.
Close-Up On: No Child Left BehindLimited English Proficient Students
The Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students program, under Title III of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, assists school districts in teaching English to limited English proficient students and in helping these students meet the same challenging state standards required of all students.
The number of limited English proficient children attending American schools has grown dramatically, primarily because of immigration, with state education agencies reporting that limited English enrollment rose from 2.1 million in the 1990-91 academic year to more than 3.7 million in 1999-00. Although their numbers are increasing, their educational attainment remains low. A congressionally mandated study found that these students receive lower grades, are judged by their teachers to have lower academic abilities, and score below their classmates on standardized tests of reading and math.
In English, rather than preserving one-letter-to-one-sound correspondences, we preserve the spelling, even if that means a particular letter spells several different sounds. For example, the last letter pronounced "k" in the written word "electric" represents quite different sounds in the words "electricity" and "electrician," which makes the sound-symbol relationships more difficult to understand and poses a special challenge to those learning the language.
Source: National Research Council, Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children (Snow, Burns and Griffin, editors).
The Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students program reflects the principles of the historic No Child Left Behind Act
Focus on what works:
- School districts are to certify that all teachers in a language instruction education program for limited English proficient students are fluent in English and any other language used in the program, including having written and oral communication skills.
- Language instruction curricula used to teach limited English proficient children are to be tied to scientifically based research.
- States must establish standards and benchmarks for raising the level of English proficiency and meeting challenging state academic standards for limited English proficient students that are aligned with state standards.
- Annual achievement objectives for limited English proficient students must relate to gains in English proficiency and meet challenging state academic standards that are aligned with Title I achievement standards.
- Both Title I and Title III require annual state assessment in reading/language arts, mathematics, and eventually, science. States must include all LEP students in their assessment system.
- States must hold subgrantees accountable for making adequate yearly progress, as detailed in Title I, and for meeting annual achievement objectives.
- Parents must be notified by the local education agency about why their child needs a specialized language instruction program. Parents have the right to choose among instructional programs if more than one type of program is offered.
On the Horizon
March 18
8:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. E.T.
Education News Parents Can Use monthly broadcast will focus on character, service and volunteerism, as well as the meaning of patriotism. Visit www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/television or call 1-800-USA-LEARN.
Just For Kids! Hispanic Web Site Provides Resources for Learning
YesICanKids.gova Web Site created by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans and its partnersis a colorful, interactive online connection for children. Also available in Spanish, the site links young users to a list of popular stories they can read, a showcase of artwork sent in by students from across the country, and the White House's own Web Site for childrenall under the direction of the initiative's own mascot, Pablo the Eagle.
Its parent site, YesICan.gov, is a one-stop center for bilingual information designed to help parents and their children navigate the education system from early childhood through college. It includes Myths and Facts about College Costs, 20 Questions to Ask Your Guidance Counselor, and Things You Need to Know About Paying for College. The initiative worked with collegeboard.com and Tormont Publishing to provide the content.
The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans was established by President Bush to strengthen the nation's capacity to provide high-quality education, and increase opportunities for Hispanic Americans to participate in and benefit from federal education programs. For more information, visit www.YesICan.gov or call 202-401-1411.
U.S. Department of Education
The Achiever is published by the Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs, U.S. Department of Education (ED).
Secretary of Education
Rod Paige
Assistant Secretary
Laurie M. Rich
Senior Director
John McGrath
Executive Editor
Sarah Pfeifer
Nicole Ashby
Jason Salas Design
Questions or comments:
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The Achiever contains news and information about public and private organizations for the reader's information. Inclusion does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any products or services offered or views expressed.
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Last Modified: 11/30/2007


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Yay if he's available in the 2nd.
Yay if he's available in the 2nd.
"You killed my family, and I don't like that kind of thing."
I see Te'o mocked alot to the Ravens with the last pick in the 1st..
the question is, is he a 3 down MLB? is the talent really there despite his performance in the big game? are his character concerns enough to pass on him if he is indeed a talent? I just don't want to pass on anyone and have it come back to haunt us.


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I consider myself quite lucky to live very close to three of the UK's best theme parks – Legoland Windsor, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures – and since becoming a stay-at-home dad five years ago, my daughter and I have visited them all frequently thanks to the wonderful Merlin Annual Pass. Thorpe Park is close enough that we can pop over for a couple of hours after school and grab a few adrenaline-filled rides and still be home in time for tea, and every school holiday is filled with trips to them all.
As great as they are, however, they can't compare with the likes of the Universal Studios and Disney parks in California and Florida. Sure, Disneyland Paris is only a couple of hours by train, but even that feels small in comparison. The recently opened Harry Potter Studio Tour outside London is a fantastic day out, but doesn't feature any of the rides and roller coasters of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando. So I was very excited to read that Paramount is starting the process to bring a brand new movie-based theme park and entertainment center to Kent, just 17 minutes by train from London. Continue Reading "Paramount to Give the UK a Proper Movie-Based Theme Park" »


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Students 'swim' their fish decoys
Pequot Lakes High School Art II students had the opportunity to get out and "swim" their fish decoys Saturday, Dec. 15.
The host for the outing in Crosslake was Kirk Schnitker. Members of the Minnesota Dark House and Angling Association and the National Fish Decoy Association were there to help students in the sport of dark house spearing.
While many of the students have summer fished and angled through the ice in the winter, they'd never had the chance to spear.
After determining the ice was safe, the shallow area of Cross Lake's Happy Bay was set up with eight spear houses for the kids to use. Students were able to try out the decoys they'd made and learn the techniques of this style of fishing.
They were informed of the regulations for spearing, license requirements and other important topics that are need to successfully fish in Minnesota. On a day when rain turned to snow, it was a fun experience for all that included a large cookout with brats and hot dogs served at Schnitker's house on shore.
In addition to Schnitker, those who helped make the event happen included Mark Rinas of Northfield, instructor and fish house donation; Joe Fulton of Breezy Point, instructor and fish house donation; Ken Stoltman of Ideal Corners, Ideal Fire and Rescue and instructor; Trevor Walters and Jason Trout of Pine River, instructors; Thayne Johnson of Minneapolis, fish house donation; Kelly Larson of Breezy Point, fish house donation; Matt Fabian of Breezy Point, assisted and donated lunch for the students; Justin Wallin of Pine Peaks in Breezy Point, donated minnows for tip ups; Nikki Shoutz, DNR conservation officer who gave updates on areas for safe ravel for the outing; the National Fish Decoy Association, which donated the wood for the decoys; and the Minnesota Dark House and Angling Association.