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Would you like to save as your currency permanently or for this visit only?
Americas Best Value Inn-Los Angeles/Hollywood
811 North Alvarado Street, Los Angeles, CA
0.6 km from
Rp 1,293,333+
C leanliness, staff very courteous and helpfull. Breakfast started very late,, 730 , for an early riser. Also had problem with tiolet. Bar to handle rusted and broke off chain. We were told had to wait for a man to arrive to go see what needed to be done. After 2nd complaint, lady at front desk came and checked. She ended up finding another hole further up the bar to fix. Soda vending machine out of order.
nothing neighboorhood- i come out to my car at 3a random guy walking down the street sees me and follows me around the motel i had to ask the staff to escort him off premises. homeless people down the street. no soap and towels were thin and hard. FINALLY i am a frequent traveler so im familiar with payments and deposits especially with debit cards. At checkin there is a 100 DOLLAR deposit!! i can see 50 dollars but for this establishment isnt worth it as the night before i stayed at the HILTON with a 50$ deposit. i was fine with the amount of deposit but something told me to check my bank account online after my stay which i rarely do. most hotels just hold the deposit...ABVI actually took the money off my card i called the motel and they claim the money will be refunded within 5-7 business days. Wait..WHAT?! the woman on the phone stated ABVI is independently own and every establishment is different. i responded..thank you for informing me as i will NEVER stay here again!! WOULD NOT RECOMMEND!!
Basic but cheap
Appeared clean. There was no running water in the morning so couldn't take a shower, brush teeth, or flush the toilet. I put my parents up for the night and they are in their seventies. When I asked for some compensation or at least bottled water for my parents they could't help. Very upset that my parents had to endure such conditions.
For a quiet, low-budget place to stay, the room was fine (size and cleanliness) and the staff tried their best when sollicited. The parking was open spaced and on first-come, first served basis. We had rented a car and were a bit worried about leaving it at the back of the hotel in a small street (the "rest" of the parking...) Oh and the breakfast? hahahaha.....
Breakfast should not be called "breakfast". It consisted only of sweet cake, cold coffee with whitener, tea and a not working orange and apple juice dispenser.
It was clean close to Hollywood and other attractions good price for being that close to places Not very many parking spots once it's full you have to find one on the street. The room was a bit small felt stuffy.
Good location, 15 min drive to Downtown, Hollywood, Venice Beach, Universal Studios, Beverly Hills and most other tourist attractions. Clean and well equipped (microwave, fridge, hair dryer, free wifi) The neighbourhood looks pretty bad especially at night
Cleanliness refrigerator parking
We were looking for a cheaper hotel room because we were only staying one night and wouldn't be in the hotel much. America's best value was the most affordable in the area, and although the surroundings weren't ideal, the hotel was clean, smelled good, and the bed was comfortable. The room cooled off quickly with the AC, and I got to catch up on one of my shows with the cable on-demand. All in all, no complaints. It was not in the area we wanted to spend most of our time in, but it was just a quick drive (only a few miles, as quick as it gets in LA) to all the attractions/hot spots. We would have liked a later check out, but were told they could only extend us by 30 minutes without charge due to bookings. And like I said the street and immediate surroundings didn't appear to be very inviting, but it was good enough for us for a one night stay.
The staff. Needed some help and staff went all out to provide. That's the best I liked about this Hotel. A bit away from the main activity street.
I would say the staff was extremely helpfull and make you feel happy they are always say yes, The location is poor if you dont have a car


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Value of M Sport 535i in used car market
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Value of M Sport 535i in used car market
What's a good guess of the value of a 2010 535i with M Sport in 3 years time? I'm trying to make a decision about purchasing a CPO that I would hold until the warranty is about to expire.
Almost everything about this car seems very desirable. Colors, options, overall condition are great. Negotiated price today is somewhere between 36k and 37k, which I think is about right.
Car currently has roughly 25k miles. In 3 years' time, the car would probably have between 40k and 45k miles. I would eventually sell it privately.
I like the car, but I want to make sure the economics make sense.
Robert A
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subset: commoncrawl


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Manhattan Baseball falls at #10 Miami
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Manhattan baseball team dropped game two of a three game series at #10 Miami falling 18-1 on Saturday at Alex Rodriguez Park. The Hurricanes rallied for five runs in the first inning and never looked back. Jaspers senior starter Tom Costigan pitched 4 2/3 innings in his first loss of the season. 'Canes junior lefty Chris Hernandez picked up the win tossing seven strong innings with nine strikeouts.
Miami senior Scott Lawson posted the first run of the game in the bottom of the first on a passed ball. Sophomores Harold Martinez and Rony Rodriguez followed each launching a two run homer to cap the five run inning.
Costigan settled on the mound retiring nine of 10 batters faced through a scoreless second, third and fourth innings. The right-hander from Cold Spring, N.Y. allowed just three hits with a strikeout in his season debut.
Manhattan cut into its deficit in the top of the fifth posting its first run of the ballgame. Junior first baseman Austin Sheffield led off with a single to left center, followed by a walk to freshman Kyle Murphy, and then two batters later red-shirt freshman catcher Ramon Ortega drove in Sheffield with a RBI single up the middle. Ortega went 2-for-3 from the plate.
Miami matched the run in the bottom of the fifth to go up 6-1, and then rallied for six more runs in the sixth, three in the seventh and three in the eighth to put the game out of reach. Junior catcher Yasmani Grandal led the Hurricanes offensive charge with five RBI on a 2-for-5 night at the plate. Martinez and designated hitter David Villasuso each added three RBI and two hits.
Jaspers' relievers Zac Goyer and Taylor Sewitt saw action out of the bullpen. Goyer gave up two hits, notched a strikeout, and did not allow an earned run in 1 1/3 innings. Sewitt closed out the final two innings in his first appearance this season.
Manhattan and Miami return to the Alex Rodriguez Park for the final game of the series on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.


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With shares of Burger King (NYSE:BKW) trading around $27, is BKW an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE, or STAY AWAY? Let's analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:
T = Trends for a Stock's Movement
Burger King, founded in 1954,operates and franchises fast-food hamburger restaurants, primarily under the Burger King brand worldwide. As of December 31, 2012, it operated 7,293 franchise restaurants and 183 company restaurants in the United States and Canada; 2,989 franchise restaurants and 132 company restaurants in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; 1,290 franchise restaurants and 100 company restaurants in Latin America and the Caribbean; and 1,007 franchise restaurants and 3 company restaurants in the Asia Pacific.
Fast-food chain Burger King is making an effort to elevate its "Have It Your Way" slogan with an old favorite in a new packaging. The company announced Wednesday it would sell the Proud Whopper at a San Francisco location through July 3. It pledged all sales from the burger would be donated to the Burger King McLamore Foundation for scholarships benefiting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender high school seniors graduating in spring 2015. The only restaurant offering the burger is located on Market Street, which is along the route of the city's pride parade. "Guests who ordered the Proud Whopper sandwich were surprised because it is in fact, the same iconic fire-grilled Whopper sandwich beloved since 1957, but wrapped in rainbow-colored paper inscribed with a message reading: "We Are All The Same Inside," the company wrote in a news release.
In addition, a digital film launched Wednesday on Burger King's YouTube channel (WARNING: Some foul language use.) The filmmakers created it at the same San Francisco restaurant located along the city's Pride Parade route. It captures the spirit of brand's new tagline, "Be Your Way," according to the release. "We are always looking to engage our guests on a local level and be part of regionally relevant events," said Kelly Gomez, director of West Coast field marketing at Burger King West Division. "With one of our restaurants on the Pride Parade route, it was a natural fit to be involved and celebrate by giving something back to the community." Fernando Machado, senior vice president of global brand management, credited the restaurants for being a place people could "let your guard down and just be yourself without any judgment." "The film and Proud Whopper sandwich are the first of many different opportunities to bring the 'Be Your Way' global attitude to life in unexpected ways," Machado said.


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Mugabe Turns a Deaf Ear to Critics
Posted on Jun 26, 2008
Robert Mugabe has been condemned by everyone from Nelson Mandela to the queen of England over his conduct in Zimbabwe's runoff election, but he plans to go ahead with the contest even though the opposition has dropped out.
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By Davy de Verteuil, June 26, 2008 at 4:24 pm Link to this comment
This media campaign will never move my convictions. It is simple the Europeans and Americans wants to steal more land. They struck a deal with Mugabe to vacate and return the land to its people, they renege now they blaming him after that news got stale they talk about elections. What the hell- the EU & US dare talk about freedom democracy and Tyranny- who are the fools here? look at Somalia; they were on the verge of peace when the US and Britain violently disrupted it arming starving Ethiopia to open a new war. Iraq Afghanistan Bolivia- fool your modernized citizens not us who are constantly under the barrel of your guns.
By rage, June 26, 2008 at 8:07 am Link to this comment
Hey, what goes around, comes around. He owes his sceptor to the fickle mob. I hope George W. Mugabe's running off Morgan Tsvangirai hasn't lured the mob fueled bully into any false sense of security or permanance. Despotic dictators come and go. Just ask the Last King of Scotland.
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FAMOUS RIDES OF THE WEST; Felix Xavier Aubry and 'Portuguese' Phillips Performed Amazing Feats of Endurance
IN the days when the West was young, nearly all the settlers were horsemen. There are leaders in every class, and the West produced some men who stood head and shoulders above other horsemen. Two of these were Felix ...
April 01, 1928
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A press event was announced by Sony for 20th of February in New York. Could this be the event in which new PS4 is announced?
PS4 rumors have been buzzing in anticipation of the newest Sony PlayStation 4. Sony has been known to introduce their gaming consoles in New York and Sony may want to beat Microsoft to the punch, so this rumor may have some merit to it. Microsoft Xbox 720 is scheduled to be released in June.
Sony had missed out on a lot of sales in last PS3 launch just after Christmas season in early 2007. Nintendo took advantage of that with their Wii and took a lead in sales then. Sony's PS3 sales of 70 million units since then did not surpass their widely popular PS2, so Sony is anxious to impress and gain in gaming console market share this year.
PS4 rumors include 4K, full HD, 3D LCD touch screen, biometric sensors, 256GB of storage with at least 8GB of RAM and Blu-ray. Sony PlayStation 4 may be powered by a 3.2GHz processor producing performance of 500 GFLOPs.
Via guardian


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Full Undercard for Canelo-Angulo
In addition to the recently announced lightweight battle between Ricardo "Dinamita" Alvarez (23-2-3, 13 KOs), older brother of Canelo and hard-hitting Sergio "Yeyo" Thompson (28-3, 26 KOs), of Cancun, Mexico, the March 8 undercard for "TOE TO TOE: Canelo vs. Angulo" will feature five more bouts for those in attendance at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
In a junior lightweight fight scheduled for 10 rounds, unbeaten Australian star "Wild" Will Tomlinson makes his United States debut against Texas' Jerry "The Corpus Christi Kid" Belmontes. Plus, two more rising stars from the 130-pound weight class face off when Mexico City's Francisco "El Bandido" Vargas battles Puerto Rico's Abner Cotto. 2012 U.S. Olympian Joseph "Jo-Jo" Diaz Jr. takes on Jovany "El Cepillo" Fuentes in an eight-round super bantamweight bout preceded by a six-round junior welterweight bout starring unbeaten Keandre Gibson against Antonio "Tony" Wong. In the opening match on March 8, Australian prospect Steve Lovett faces an opponent to be announced in a six-round light heavyweight contest.


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Enco B046 - Dynavin Clone
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Originally Posted by
Via the forum link. I had trouble with it on the external SD card, but was able to make it work fine from the "internal" sd at /mnt/sdcard.
Here was the process I used with success:
1. Downloaded the file.
2. Renamed it to update.zip
3. Used ES File Explorer to move it from a LAN SMB share to /mnt/sdcard
4. Went to Settings > About tablet > System updates > Install system update > From internal storage > Install now
5. Watched it reboot, go through two different Android load screens, then the progress bar started as the Droid robot held a crystal-ball looking thing...
6. It finished up, rebooted. Rooted.
Here's the bad news:
I was able to inject my custom framework.jar into /system/framework, and while it did fix the reported speed issue, Google Navigation still doesn't work. There's a separate problem afoot. Multiple GPS applications show that I'm getting a lock on anywhere from 14 to 22 satellites, so there's no reason Google Navigation should be "Searching for GPS..."
With root, though? It will get fixed.
More good news, though... Now, you can put a reboot widget on your desktop. You can also run Adaway.
Any chance you can figure out how to get into recovery without the Android system starting up?
Mine is still in a continuous bootloop, and I'm thinking if I can load a particular file/ROM onto the SD card and then turn on the unit, I might be able to get it into Recovery and then wipe Dalvic cache, etc. to get it to boot up again... I'm pretty sure I just need to wipe davlic cache, cache, and then I should be able to get the Android side to boot properly.
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Stuffed Toys
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Along with having traditional stuffed animals , we also have a number of stuffed objects beyond animals sold on the site, including stuffed pillows and stuffed wearables. All of our stuffed items are also perfect for decorating, allowing little girls to make their themed room look as great as ever with adorable animal pillows, or even long armed animals hanging from the ceiling! We are also constantly adding more stuffed objects and stuffed animals to the site, making finding what you need easier than ever, especially if you are looking for stuffed animals as gifts or as party favors for every girl at your child's party. After you have seen our great selection you won't want to shop anywhere else for cute stuffed animals for girls!
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well, i finally found a good picture of a Ford Highboy F-250, so i did some photoshopping and got the concept i've had on my mind on paper (so to speak.). Mine will have more chrome like new wheels, diamond plate bed rail guards, a diamond plate tool box and big rig mirrors, oh yeah, dual exhaust with chrome tips and black flowmasters.
anyway, that's the truck i am building this summer, then it's off to Montana in the spring.
what do you guys think?


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I have a M&P 40, and a Model 59 both with a 4" barrel and I have no problems hiding them (1 at a time)
What barrel size do you carry? I'm looking at guns that typically have a 3 or 4 inch barrel. It is relatively easy to conceal carry a 4 inch barrel? I've had a 3 inch barrel before, but I don't have any experience with a 4 inch.
I have a M&P 40, and a Model 59 both with a 4" barrel and I have no problems hiding them (1 at a time)
I carry a Glock 19 with a barrel length of 4.02 inches. I have no problem carrying it concealed what so ever.
For the most part, I believe it's not the barrel that's an issue with concealment, it's the grip of the gun that prints. I don't have my CHP yet (it's on it's way), but I will either be carrying an XD9SC (3" Barrel) or a G36 (3.78" Barrel).
Commander length 1911 ....4.25"
Very interesting to know. Thanks. I realize that it's typically the grip that prints, but I didn't know if the extra length created any issues with finding a good location for the holster or if removing the gun from the holster was more difficult. Do any of you do anything special to carry a 4" gun? A particular type of holster?
When worn IWB a longer barrel, within limits, can force the grip to stay closer to your above belt body enhancing concealment.
I now carry a Kahr KP45 with a 3.5" barrel but very slim and easy to conceal.
I carry my Kimber Ultra CDP II which has a 3" barrel. I used to carry it IWB but recently bought a Don Hume high ride OWB and really like it. This package can be easily concealed under a T-Shirt.
with the M&P 40 or the 9C I use the Don Hume pancake or a RCS IWB holsters I love both of them, prefer the pancake the best.
I carry a full size Beretta 96 in a Galco S.O.B. or M.O.B during the summer months in Georgia, but typically carry the weapon in a shoulder holster with a dual mag carrier on the opposite side during this time of year. Never had any kind of problem concealing either. Take a run through Galco's website, they make some awesome leather.
XD9sc 3" in 9mm as my primary CC. NP w/carrying OWB. Or I use the wife's BERSA T380 -3" in a Desanti Pocket rig when the weather gets cold. It fits perfectly as a pocket carry in my leather coat, even though it's technically NOT a pocket gun.
Did start out with a Beretta 92FS, but found it was hard to conceal sucessfully.
Have used the 92 ocationally when I ATV in a BlackHawk Serpa paddle configuration, but again it's a BIG obvious gun.....so the BERSA usually goes in the front cubby or in my cheap nylon "EBay special" shoulder set-up.
I carry either a 1911a1 full size of a Double Eagle full size.


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In response to the squeeze, the detention facility has done what any exclusive hotel might do: raise its prices. Hintz says the basic rate for a misdemeanant found guilty and sentenced by a judge to a few days behind bars at the MCDF is $75 per day. (If the judge determines a person does not have this money, he may waive the fee). This Jail Commitment Fee covers the costs of processing an inmate—time spent booking and fingerprinting, for example—as well as that inmate's food and housing. But effective Sept. 1, 2004, the Missoula County Board of Commissioners has authorized the MCDF to raise the weekend rate from $75 per day to $200 per day.
"If someone said, 'I'm willing to pay for the prime time to come and serve my time,'" says Hintz, they can pay the new rate. Because the jail is so crowded, people with short-term sentences often have to schedule their jail time weeks in advance, she adds, and so she can't confirm that this new higher fee has yet been collected.
Inmates serving long-term sentences or still awaiting trial, however, pay only a $25 processing fee and then $5 per diem, Hintz says; if a trial determines an inmate to be not guilty, his money is refunded. Basically, she says, if you book a room ahead of time, you pay at least $75 per day. If you don't plan ahead but are arrested and brought in off the street, you pay $5. "It seems a little backwards," she says. But then again, this isn't the Ritz.


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myIR, payments and more
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EXCLUSIVE! Jenelle Evans Gets Mental Health Evaluation! See it Here!
Jenelle Evans is arguably the most troubled Teen Mom cast member, having more arrests than college credits and more experience with drugs than Betty Ford. The 23 year old reality starlet gave birth to a second child last year, while her mother retains custody of her first child, Jace. As much as Jenelle claims to have changed, reality tells a much different story. Twitter is among Jenelle's addictions, and arguing with her "hatters" ranks near the top of her "to do" list. A large portion of Jenelle's timeline is dedicated to snarky, often hateful comments pointed at the people who tweet her. One of those people happens to be a mental health professional (Master's degree in Psychology on deck) who has been studying Jenelle's behavior for several years. Click the link below to see Jenelle's full mental health evaluation. Jenelle-Evans-Mental-Health-Evaluation Special thanks to...read more


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Dog Friendly Bedrooms
Sitting midway between Ross on Wye, Hereford & Monmouth on the A49, the Pilgrim is an excellent hotel to use as a base for any leisure break or business trip to the beautiful Wye Valley. Well behaved dogs are welcome in our ground floor Valley View bedrooms for a cost of £10 per pet per night.
Pets are welcome in these ground floor rooms and also our 4 acres of grounds, terrace & decking. [Please note that pets are not allowed in our bar, restaurant or lounges]. For the comfort of other guests we ask that owners do not leave their pets alone in the rooms during mealtimes, but move them out to their cars.
All rooms set aside for pets overlook the Valley and all are equipped to a comfortable standard, including TV, tea/coffee making facilities and Sylvia's fabulous homemade shortbread biscuits. All are ensuite and we offer family rooms and a ground floor wet room adapted for guests with limited agility. Read some Guest Reviews, left by real guests!
Opportunities for sightseeing, dog walking, fishing, golf and shopping are almost endless in the Wye Valley and the staff are on hand to give their advice for days out. The Pilgrim is within easy reach of the Forest of Dean, the Brecon Beacons, the Malverns and the Cotswolds. A new decking and terrace have also been added to maximise the stunning outlook at the rear of the hotel. The hotel specialises in Murder Mystery nights, with regular evenings held throughout the year.


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Chris Hewett reports on the latest developments in a saga that has shamed rugby.
Kevin Yates insists he is innocent of sinking his teeth into the left earlobe of Simon Fenn during last Saturday's Tetley's Bitter Cup tie at the Recreation Ground and intends to prove it. His two front-row colleagues, Federico Mendez and Victor Ubogu, are equally insistent that their reputations have been needlessly dragged through the mire and that legal action is an option. This sorry tale has a long, long way to run.
Yates, a 26-year-old loose-head prop with the brightest of futures in Clive Woodward's England international set-up, is in serious danger of seeing that future disappear into the ether. Bath's decision to suspend him pending further inquiries into a grotesque assault did not, in so many words, convict him of attacking Fenn. However, the accusatory finger is now pointing in one direction, and one only.
Sensibly, Yates withdrew from today's England session at Bisham Abbey. He remains part of Woodward's squad - the national coach offered the player his full support last night - but will now concentrate on co-operating with Bath's investigation, led by Tony Swift, the chief executive, Andy Robinson, the head coach, and Tom Sheppard, the company director whose legal background makes his an influential voice in the matter.
After spending his early years in Canada - aptly enough under the circumstances, he was born in Medicine Hat - Yates moved to England with his family and learned his rugby at school in Calne, a Wiltshire town close to Bath. A physically powerful and generally good-humoured character, he broke into the England A squad for the 1995 tour of Australia and Fiji before earning two full caps in Argentina last summer. Last week, he made Woodward's squad ahead of several better known props.
Swift declined to discuss the possible punishments awaiting Yates should guilt be proved - he emphasised that the player was maintaining his innocence - but a two-year ban, enough to effectively cripple a vibrant young career, was being seen in many Rugby Football Union quarters as inevitable on conviction. The damage to Fenn's ear was far greater than that inflicted by Johan le Roux, the Springbok prop, on Sean Fitzpatrick in 1996. Indeed, it looked considerably worse than the injury suffered by heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield at the hands - or, rather, teeth - of Mike Tyson.
Bath remained adamant last night that they knew of no conclusive evidence against Yates and Swift insisted that the video evidence he had viewed showed nothing to incriminate the player. The chief executive was far more forthcoming about London Scottish's decision to cite all three front- rowers for foul play, rather than a single figure.
"We are extremely annoyed that London Scottish did that when only one player could have been responsible," he said. "The damage done to the reputation of innocent players is great. The club reserves the right to support these players in any legal action they may wish to take."
Mendez, the Argentinian World Cup hooker, broke the wall of silence that had been quickly constructed by the Bath players in the aftermath of Saturday's match by protesting his innocence yesterday. It was understood that Ubogu, an experienced England tight-head whose lack of proximity to the Fenn incident made him the least likely of suspects, had consulted his own legal advisors.
"For them to have had their reputations tarnished in this fashion is totally unacceptable and we're angry, very angry, about it," Swift said. "If they want to take the issue further, it is a matter for them. What I will say is that this rugby club will assist and support them if they decide to take action, just as we would assist and support Kevin should the evidence prove inconclusive.
"We've looked at one totally inconclusive video sent by London Scottish - we are still waiting for further evidence they promised us yesterday - and we've interviewed our players. We've spoken to Kevin on three separate occasions and each time he stated his innocence. However, we've taken the view that it is right to suspend him at this stage.
"He's extremely upset, obviously. Over the years he has been a fabulous servant of this club and he has a good disciplinary record. When will our investigation be concluded? It depends when we get the evidence people are promising us."
Worcester suspended the flanker Chris Scott from last night's Tetley's Bitter Cup tie against Bristol following allegations that he broke the jaw of Nottingham's Nick Carroll in a league game on Saturday. Otley have suspended the Western Samoan flanker Lafaele Filipo for a month after an alleged punching incident.
- More about:
- Argentina
- Shane Williams
- Springboks
- Tetley


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Ellis Images Photographer
jesimodelingModel Female Atlanta, Georgia, US
My MM URL: http://www.modelmayhem.com/jesimodeling
Mayhem # 2420865
About MeI have always wanted to get into modeling, and now I am. I absolutely love the camera, and I know it loves me too. I like making a photo shoot fun. I move around to different positions, make different faces, but am still when I need to be. I hope to meet some really great photographers and models on this site and make some really great art work.
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Home ⋅ Birthday Party Invitations ⋅ Studio Basics ⋅ Cake & Ice Cream ⋅ Floral & Botanical
"I got lots of compliments on these, and they are cheaper than getting store-bought fill-in-the-blank ones. Very pleased!"
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Copyright © 2004-2017 Shutterfly, Inc | Tiny Prints | Terms of Use. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners.


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The ClubRooms concept offers a fresh perspective on the working environment.
These sleek, contemporary urban office spaces offer the latest technology, top security and all the free tea and coffee you want, allowing you and your guests to meet and work effectively, no matter what the brief.
If you need to get your head down and focus in your own space, the quiet rooms and private booths are perfect. Alternatively, soak up the buzz and creative energy at open tables and in the lounges.
Choose from locations in Paddington Station, Euston Station, The City or West End, with Shoreditch opening this Autumn - save travel time as well as reducing your carbon footprint.
Membership options are available from just £11 per day. For more information and membership details call 020 3642 0866 or visit theofficegroup.co.uk/services/ClubRooms.
We have a prize of a year's ClubRooms membership – valid at all locations, at all times – to give away to Evening Standard Readers.
Terms & Conditions:
Promotion closes at 23:59 on 27 May 2013. There is one prize of a full year's membership, worth £3,600. The winner will be the first entry selected at random after the closing date and will be contacted by 28 May 2013. Over 18s only. The prize is non-transferable and there is no cash alternative. Standard membership terms will apply. When you respond, Evening Standard Ltd may use your information to contact you with offers/ services of interest. Only one online entry per person. Promoter: The Office Group. Usual promotion rules apply, see www.standard.co.uk/rules. For further information, please write to Customer Care, Room 203b, Evening Standard Limited, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London, W8 5TT.


text:
:rofl: 18 days after our 535i GT cleared customs our dealer received delivery......delay over a programming issue.......(right!!!!!!) :thumbdwn: but we now have our BMW :rolleyes: the VPC should be ashamed of themselves, how hard is it to re-program a navigation system.....word to the wise never ever try to contact the VPC as they will delay your car for trying to find out the status of your car......they must be a real bunch of self righteous individuals....
If memory serves, BMW NA out-sorcerered, errr outsourced the VDC at Port Hueneme in late 2009, using the MBA-Speak-Of-The-Day ("in the name of Efficiency and Effectiveness"). I'd be willing to bet that they don't have the same level of access to BMW engineering that they enjoyed "back-in-the-day".
Pictures Please!
Let's see a picture of the new delivery....I need something to hold on to while I watch the agonizingly slow approach of the Triton Leader up the coast of Mexico.
Pic's 535i GT
2 Attachment(s)
:thumbup:here are the pic's of our new 535i GT in Carbon Black.....with Xpel Ultimate film on full hood, front bumper, full front fenders, mirrors, trunk deck, head lights & fog lights, and behind rear wheel panel....the guy from ClearBraPro.com (Peter) took his time and did a great job...........Car drives like a dream.......:rolleyes:
Having trouble posting pics will send in a new post:eeps:
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The above graph displays service status activity for Docs.google.com over the last 10 automatic checks. The blue bar displays the response time, which is better when smaller. If no bar is displayed for a specific time it means that the service was down and the site was offline.
Service Status History
|Ping Time
|Ping Time
|7.47 ms.
|6.65 ms.
|7.19 ms.
|6.72 ms.
|6.89 ms.
|7.35 ms.
|6.7 ms.
|7.15 ms.
|17.9 ms.
|6.05 ms.
* Times displayed are PT, Pacific Time (UTC/GMT 0) | Current server time is 00:06
We have tried pinging Google Docs website using our server and the website returned the above results. If docs.google.com is down for us too there is nothing you can do except waiting. Probably the server is overloaded, down or unreachable because of a network problem, outage or a website maintenance is in progress...
If the site is UP but you cant access the page, try one of the below solutions:
Browser Related Problems
Force a full refresh for the site. This can be achieved by pressing CTRL + F5 keys at the same time on your favourite browser (Firefox, Chrome, Explorer, etc.)
Clear the temporary cache and cookies on your browser to make sure that you have the most recent version of the web page. For instructions choose your browser :
Fix DNS Problems
A Domain Name System (DNS) allows a site IP address (192.168.x.x) to be identified with words (*.com) in order to be remembered more easily, like a phonebook for websites. This service is usually provided by your ISP.
Clear your local DNS cache to make sure that you grab the most recent cache that your ISP has. For Windows - (Start > Command Prompt > type "ipconfig /flushdns" and hit enter). For details choose your operating system :
If you can access a website at office or from a 3G network yet it's not working on your computer, it is a good idea to use an alternative DNS service other than your ISPs. OpenDNS or Google Public DNS are both excellent and free public DNS services.
Check our help page for step-by-step instructions on how to change your DNS.
you may try their number 1 8 5 5 7 7 O 7 7 9 0 this will surely work
I cannot load a number of my folders and/or docs.
it saves my new google doc is being saved offline, but it said that yetserday too and that doc is still not visible to me today and i have had to re add (and getting the same message! grrrr)
When I open my google sheet, I see "Trying to connect..." for about 5-6 seconds. Then it disappears. My spreadsheet data is loaded, but I cannot access my custom menu items, and if I select "Tools->Script Editor," nothing happens. Can anyone help?
Google docs is down for me. I cannot get into any of my spreadsheets and need to get into them ASAP. when will this be fixed?
Nothing is working on the GDocs site for me!
Google Docs encountered an error. Please try reloading this page, or coming back to it in a few minutes.
To learn more about the Google Docs editors, please visit our help center.
We're sorry for the inconvenience.
- The Google Docs Team
I can open files but then cannot scroll to read or edit. It says it's working. This is a spreadsheet.
Comments are down on Google Docs
April 21 won't load google docs at all but gmail is working and so is internet!
Google docs is very slow, search document is not loading results.
Now I can no longer access on my iPhone.
Unable to access either by Chrome or by Explorer using Windows 10. I am able to get in on my iPhone 6 plus through the app.
I cannot load documents from https://docs.google.com. Any suggestions?
Is Google Sheets down right now?
Is google docs down in LA? Some Time Warner Cable users can access while others cannot.
I haven't been able to access the site for several days now - the same turning ball - any suggestions?
Google docs is down for me on every server here, is it down for anyone else?
Please help, my problem is that when i wanna change youtube banner it give error '' cannot found page''
i try google chrome, mozilla, opera, i deleted cookies, but still this error. I dont find in anywhere how to solve it :((
Error is about cannot load page ''docs.google.com'' page is so far or unable.
I have this issue long time ago and i cant solve it :(
My husband in same home can access docs.google.com without problem. I cant change my youtube banner, i cant load docs.google.com pages :S
I couldn't get in with Safari, but was able to get in with Chrome. Try a different browser.
all it has is the loading sign and wont let me go on it . an i need to get on google docs for projects.
i can't access google docs/sheets. Just getting a ball that is changing colors with a faded background.
I haven'y been able to load since yesterday. I can acess sheets thru a link but I NEED docs!
I am unable load any of the google docs. Is there an issue? If not anyone know of any tricks to get docs to load?
They're done finally!!..got the access back to my google docs..wuhoo!!
For now you can get and access your google doc by clicking preview then click dowload to use it as a excel sheet so you can at least use and do some changes on it until google is done with the google sheet upgrade.
Google docs is alive again, but still having problems in sharing docs.
Mine are back in St. Louis! Thank goodness! They came back slowly and one at a time. Hope everyone gets theirs back up soon!
Seriously pissed. Spreadsheets I MUST HAVE to do my work sudden;y "do not exist". W T F???
Google Sheets down. Says sorry file you have requested does not exist
I'm in Boise Idaho. I can see the document in Chrome brower on my PC but once I click on it and I get "Sorry, the file you have requested does not exist." YET if I use Google Sheets from my Android phone I can open file it fine.
It appears their editing servers for spreadsheets, and documents. Regular files like jpg, pdf serve okay.
Wait guys.... I think it is back up... could it be?????? Hopefully!!!!
Sorry, the file you have requested does not exist.
Please check the address and try again.
Filming at Notre Dame University, it seems like they are on the way to fixing it, but still getting the "File Does not Exist" error message.
Can see docs on main page, but when you try and click on any of them, it says the file requested doesn't exists (Arizona)
Going Up in Brazil, PB, Campina Grande - Just now. Thanks to share folks.
I'm trying to get to Google Sheets - its not working for me.
London, UK.
Also getting the error
"Sorry, the file you have requested does not exist.
Please check the address and try again."
Hope this will be fix soon .
Thank You Google !
Down in Utah. Says all my google docs don't exist. That is a really bad feeling!
Nothing brings people from different continents, cultures, races, ages, and statuses together like suffering through this agony of... not being able to access our freaking docs!
Most of my work is on google docs/sheets and now I feel like I'm dying a little inside.
(at least now I can SEE My docs, but when I click it says "filed doesn't exist. It BETTER exist, Google.)
Seems to be back up in Birmingham AL. Still thinking about getting Word though.
Also down in the Philippines..
Thank god this isn't just me, I was working on some really massive files, and then suddenly I had no access, and I was like ... damn have they banned me for using too much data? I'm in London, glad it's everyone else also!
It's been down in New York for at least 25min...of course, when I'm on deadline!
Down in Idaho. Files show up in my folders on my computer but they won't open in docs.google.com
When it finally stops spinning it says my documents do not exist. This is in NH, USA.
My files are showing up on my google drive but they will not open. It tells me the requested file does not exist.
Down in Salt Lake City and has been for over 20 mins. Getting an error saying my spreadsheets don't exist.
inaccessible - it's telling me files are not there - or i get a spinning wheel of death
my google docs won't open, says Loading but never loads - in Boston, MA
Why does this site still say "Google Docs is UP and reachable", when clearly it isn't anywhere?!
ROFL... okay, now the google docs status says "The website is probably down just for you." What?
Cannot access google docs/spreadsheets in INDIA.
Error 502 & 503 on Chrome.
Cannot access google docs/spreadsheets in Edmonton, AB
Page says "Sorry, the file you have requested does not exist." !!!
in medan google docs down to ...
hopefully to up as soon as posible i have esay in there :(
Never trusting google docs again, better be up by midnight or im getting a failing grade.
Google Docs is down in Vegas too. Has been for at least 15 minutes or so.
May be helpful to some: http://gizmodo.com/google-docs-are-down-500179000
Google docs is down in Temecula, CA and I can't work!!! Never had this happen! When will it be back???
Down in Chicago IL. I didn't realize how much of the world is using google docs/drive, Crazy!
Got a 502 error once, but mostly it's just eternally loading and unusable.
im just tryin to pass' and google docs crashes
man i had a essay to do
Down in Brazil, Campina Grande. Just waiting to complete my reports...What's happening out there Googlers?
Kill me. Literally so close to finishing a project, on a strict deadline, and GoogleDocs crashes >:I
Down in CT. I don't get the error message or "file does not exist", it just doesn't load at all.
Yep. Google drive effectively inaccessible . "Sorry, the file you have requested does not exist." Yes they all do exist, hopefully there are backups. Google, your service is down.
Google Drive is down.
".The Internet giant has indicated that there's some kind of service disruption with Google Drive, Docs, Sheets and Slides.
Google says it is currently investigating the reports of problems with Google Drive and the other services and will give an update when it has more information."
Down in Houston, TX. Also down for the rest of the rest of the game development team I work with. We store all our files on Google Docs. :C
Down for me in StL. I keep getting the message that my file doesn't exist. If that isn't fixed and my documents aren't restored it is going to cause me massive problems at work
Also getting the error
"Sorry, the file you have requested does not exist.
Please check the address and try again."
upon trying to open a google spreadsheet. NOT HAPPY!
DOWN in UK and San Francisco, please, update the Status, Google Docs is down
Search thinks forever, says certain docs don't exist when I try to access them via bookmark.
I built my professional workflow out of an assumption of reliability of google drive. I HOPE this gets fixed SOON.
Docs.Google.com and Drive.google.com is responding with Error 502. Tested from 3 different computers and mobile
Getting this message on spreadsheets.
Sorry, the file you have requested does not exist.
Please check the address and try again.
when i search google slides it works and all the other google things but when i click on google docs it takes a long time to load and it never loads so what is the problem!?
I can ping.. But none of my docs are coming up. Tried closing browsers, rebooting, etc. Flushed DNS (Just in case.). Nada... Just spinning ball of technicolor death.
i cant open anything and my assignment is due in two hours. fix this now
Can't open anything in docs right now...spinning technicolor wheel of death comes up but nothing actually loads or opens...tried refreshing, reloading, restarting browser all multiple times
Keep getting an error message that says: The server encountered an error. Please try again later. RELOAD.
Have refreshed and reloaded. Does not work yet! Will try again in an hour.
Able to open drive.google.com and traverse through folders. when we click on any of the Google document link, the server docs.google.com is not found. our IP address is : 18.104.22.168. We are able to preview the Google docs.
This is the reason why Google docs is blocked by BSNL in Inida? can you believe it? A court order! World Cup 2014: 472 websites, including Google Docs, blocked in India, after Sony complaint! Sad! I am using Open DNS now http://www.medianama.com/2014/07/223-world-cup-2014-472-websites-including-google-docs-blocked-in-india-following-sony-complaint/
google docs drive is down for me. i can access everything else google, but not the drive where i have my docs kept
Changing DNS solved my problem (BSNL, India) - www.isitdownrightnow.com/how-to/setup-opendns-or-google-dn...
Google docs is inaccessible since 5 am. Reading some of the comments here, I think this is a problem with BSNL India. I am able to access using my my Docomo network. But on my bsnl wifi, me nor the 4 accounts/devices at home can access it.
Message on Chrome: The app is currently unreachable [ http://i.imgur.com/Ra9MKgU.png ]
Firefox: Server not found.
Drive App for Android: Not connected to internet.
What's the deal is here. ? Hope this gets fixed soon.
Google docs link says resource unavailable. Able to view files listed on Google drive. But can't open docs app to edit/view files. It says resource unavailable. Only the preview option works.
from today afternoon, my google docx was not working. uninstalled and installed again. but still remains the same. drive was opening, but not the content inside the drive
I am getting an error saying "Google Drive - The app is currently unreachable."
When trying to create a Google Doc it gives the "trying to connect" message
I was able to edit and view docs during downtime on my iPhone app for Google Drive.
Company wide Google docs is down and not responding. We are using Google chrome or firefox, neither are working. Any word on when they expect to be up and running? Missouri, USA
getting the following
Sorry, an error occurred when opening this file. Please try again. [undefined]
Google docs is experiencing some sort of malfunction. It will let you acess your drive but once youre in a specific document it will constantly disconnect and reconnect
what omar said... "Google Docs having issues! Keeps saying reconnecting and it sometimes gives out error 502..."
Google Docs having issues! Keeps saying reconnecting and it sometimes gives out error 502...
Can't create any docs/spreadsheet's etc. Can't move items into folders. Broken links?
"A server error occurred. Please press "Reload" in your browser." Help!
Docs seem slightly happy... cant navigate away because "changes are still pending", but at least I can edit (I think?!). Google Chat is still not connecting, tho. (11:11a PST)
On further investigation, old spreadsheets are working, but the one my team and I were on during the outage is still down.
Remaining 46 more comments.
Submit a comment using your Facebook ID.
Is Docs.google.com down for you right now? Submit your comments about Docs.google.com service status or report an issue below to let others know that they aren't the only ones having trouble. Please note that your country, service provider and browser information will be displayed next to your comment to better analyze a possible outage.


text:
Best Of :: Shopping & Services
Skeptical or not, it's human nature to want to know what the future holds. But the average psychic always says you'll be going on a trip very soon or that the man of your dreams is just a failed relationship away. The more cunning ones will say you need to fork over more cash to get rid of some supposed curse or, worse, the evil eye. That's where Sandra Cheryl Richardson is different. The psychic, author, lecturer, and paranormal investigator isn't looking to deceive you. For $65 for a half-hour or $120 for a full hour, Richardson, a practicing wiccan priestess for more than 20 years, will read you the tarot cards or your aura and give you advice — that's the key difference, advice. She's more counselor than snake oil saleswoman, and perhaps that's why her customers are also her most ardent supporters. Richardson likewise teaches classes on developing your psychic powers and understanding the spiritual world. And you better believe there's an app for that — you can take Richardson on the go with the Wiccan Sabbats app (available in the iTunes Store). And even if you're not interested in a reading, perusing through Celestial Treasures' retail space is a must. There you'll find everything for the avid psychic enthusiast, including books, stones, tarot cards, and a chance to sign up for workshops.
Click here for all Shopping & Services winners.
Best Auto Dealership: The Collection
Best Bike Shop: Mack Cycle & Fitness
Best Bookstore: Books & Books
Best Clothing Boutique: Emporium
Best Gym: LA Fitness
Best Hair Salon: Control Salon
Best Hotel: Surfcomber
Best Liquor Store: Total Wine & More
Best Mall: Aventura Mall
Best Mechanic: Abana Auto Parts
Best Spa: The Standard Spa
At the risk of foiling any romantic chemistry between us, dear reader, for the purposes of this item we must describe our body. We are approximately 50 pounds overweight and have flat, wide feet. Imagine if a duck mated with Alfred Hitchcock. Now imagine that auteur paddling bird tried his hand (wing?) at basketball one afternoon and badly turned his ankle. Given the weight on his feet, the lack of supporting arches, and the seriousness of the injury, this would be a job for a masterful foot doctor. Especially if — we admit we're stretching the metaphor a bit here — the filmmaking duck had to catch a plane to the mountains of Utah for a hiking trip in two days hence. Let's tell the rest of the story straight: Dr. Gary Curson advised us against making the trip and offered to write a letter to the airline to assist in having the tickets refunded. When we refused, he prescribed industrial-strength ibuprofen, wrapped our afflicted foot like a mummy, outfitted it in an embarrassing boot, and gave us some ground rules for treating the appendage so it wouldn't be permanently damaged. All the while, he cheered us with some pleasantly corny wisecracks. There were no exorbitant charges on top of our insurance payments, and we enjoyed our trip — although we did much more drinking than hiking. Take it from a fat-ass duck: Whatever the opposite of a quack is, that's Dr. Curson.
Miami has a love/hate relationship with literature. Our beaches are littered with tourists' cast off pulp paperbacks. Our local luminaries are crime reporters cum authors. But that doesn't mean we don't appreciate the written word as much as your average American does. Just check out our libraries. Many of them are packed. And when Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez shut down dozens of them to save money last year, locals were rightly pissed. Luckily, Miami's best library was spared. No, we don't mean that pastel pleasure palace on South Beach. We like that branch, with its coffee shop, interior courtyard, and general law-and-orderliness. But downtown is our definition of a true library: a repository of rare and weird items such as limited editions of Florida authors and rare prints by Ed Ruscha, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol. It's also where all Miamians — rich or poor, mansion owners or street dwellers — converge from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and, finding a spot near a window, lose themselves in a musty book. So ditch your Kindle. ¡Vamos a la biblioteca!
Ever visit a city where the public transportation actually works? Like Minneapolis, where people take the light rail from the airport? It feels like you've escaped from the hinterlands into the Capital. (Yes, that's a Hunger Games reference.) Miami will probably never have good public transportation, what with our perpetually inept and greasy-palmed collective of politicians. But depending upon your starting point, getting to Miami International Airport by bus is — believe it or not — pretty damn painless. The Airport Flyer, as the express route is called, travels from South Beach to the airport and back with only two stops: one in Mid-Beach and one at the Earlington Heights Metrorail Station. It costs $2.35, a far cheaper option than cabbing it or parking long-term. If you don't live on the Beach, your journey gets more complicated once you transfer at Earlington Heights — but hey, what do you think this is, Seattle?
Best is such a subjective word, especially when it comes to parking. The obvious answer is whatever is cheapest and closest, but no one wants to hear your stories of parking glory. "Oh, you found a metered spot right in front of the restaurant? Great, good for you. Guess what? I just parked in what is quite literally the most buzzed-about and architecturally important parking garages of all time." Yes, we're talking about 1111 Lincoln, the Herzog & de Meuron-designed parking paradise that's been featured in every publication from the New York Times to Vanity Fair. You know you wanna drive up in that thing. You know you wanna glide your car into the clean concrete and wide-open vistas. You know you're gonna take a picture from the edge. You know you're gonna casually mention it once you get to wherever you're going. Is it always the most inexpensive and convenient place to park? Probably not. Could you make a strong case that it's the best? Obviously. Just admit it, you newly minted parking elitist.


text:
Checking out the web sights
Page Tools
The Paranoid Funnel Web Spider had long suspected that nobody liked it.
You know the feeling. There are no kind words and though you can't hear the unkind ones, you know they're out there.
It had tried hard enough. No threatening gestures, some entertaining by scuttling around various kitchen floors or playing hide and seek in crumpled bedclothes. But all that everybody seemed to want to do was stomp on it.
Old habits die hard, the Paranoid Funnel Web Spider reflected, and thus it followed that some not-old arachnids did the same.
It had tried rearing up on its hind legs, hoping the more emotionally mature would realise at last that the slow movement of fore limbs in the air signified the act of waving, rather than that stereotyped forerunner to lethal attack.
Oh boy, what a blue, the spider recalled. That was when the screaming really started.
Funnel web spiders generally are wandering creatures, and the paranoid one felt a pang of sympathy for the predicament of John Winston Windsock, now roaming the land in search of friends.
He was an amiable enough critter, the spider mused, and he did a lot of waving and flashing his fangs, but some people just seemed to want to stomp on him.
Image maker or faker
The week saw the tide of profit results reach high-water mark. Some looked good, some looked not so good and some looked, at first glance, quite unlike what they really were.
Tugboat operator Adsteam Marine unloaded a profit of $23 million, in contrast to last year's loss of nearly $63 million, but it came on the back of one-off entries.
There was $2.6 million in tax consolidation benefits, $4 million written back for redundancies and $2.5 million in what the company called "unrecorded spares".
Things were not as they seemed, the Paranoid Funnel Web Spider thought. Fair enough. In its quest for social acceptance, it had tried many image changes itself.
It noted that people seemed to get destructively aggressive whenever they discovered a funnel web spider's burrow.
It could have something to do with the silken trip wires which radiated out from the entrance to the burrow and which vibrated, alerting the at-home arachnid that a lover, or lunch, was on the way. Perhaps the two in one.
In the search for change, the image of Linyphia Triangularis became very attractive.
Not only did this creature have the comforting moniker of Money Spider, but it had the shield of popular superstition which associated it with wealth.
Kill it and you would pay.
The paranoid spider made a mental note to pass this information on to Windsock.
Encouraged, it removed the trip wires and spun a hammock-shaped web a la Money Spider. Then it had to endure the ruminations of a passing entomologist, who bent and prodded and said to someone out of sight that the web was most unusual.
When he saw the Paranoid Funnel Web Spider crouching at the entrance to the burrow, the bug buff added: "But I don't like the look of that."
I was right, the spider thought, nobody likes me. It made another mental note to go to the same destination.
Not like the Publishing & Broadcasting empire of the Big Bloke, Australia's richest man. PBL played the popularity contest in magazines and television and casinos and came up with nearly doubled earnings of $668 million in its latest year.
As has been noted here before, being Kerry Packer is better than not being Kerry Packer.
However, being the Paranoid Funnel Web Spider is not so hot. And at this moment, being John Winston Windsock comes with a few reservations. The spider thought of its own attempts to change image and felt no cheer.
A pity Windsock was such an incomplete creature, the spider reflected. A mere two legs - not counting the two stubby appendages in his top half which were used for grabbing and wrapping around people whose vote he wanted.
And only two eyes. Two? It puzzled the Paranoid Funnel Web Spider when people muttered that they reckoned Windsock was one-eyed.
Coffee break
This spider is quite proud of its official arse-patting name of Atrax Robustus, and it bristles at the discriminatory behaviour of Starbucks, the coffee chain that proudly proclaims that it does not use Robustas.
OK, let it have its way; hire a few fast but foolish huntsmen and a daddy-long-legs or two.
The funnel web felt a little smug satisfaction with figures showing that sales at Starbucks stores open for at least a year rose just 8 per cent in the latest month, coming in below double digits for the first time in nine months.
And with your coffee, will you have a Krispy Kreme doughnut to go? At the moment it's more slow than go for the shares.
The glaze has gone off more than a little since the company floated four years ago. Krispy Kreme's shares have dropped 73 per cent from a bit under $US50 a year ago, to $US13 this week.
What a plunge, the Paranoid Funnel Web Spider pondered, and wondered when any plunge in the polls would see a lunge for the polls.
Talking of plunges, it thought it could perhaps show Windsock the genus's famous swimming pool trick for use at a fund-raising barbecue.
As you know, a funnel web spider can sit on the bottom of a pool for hours and, when retrieved by folk who think it has drowned, suddenly spring back to life. There are then the usual accompanying shrieks and panic-stricken flight of the under-educated - i.e., people who should have known better.
That'd be one way for Windsock to disabuse those who said that under the surface, he was just the same.
Will he try it? Don't hold your breath.
Going bananas
We remember some decades ago when they said that if you took a certain part of a banana and applied some heat etc etc, you would end up with a chemical compound which would take you away to somewhere better than the sixties.
We can't remember the full procedure. Well, it was the sixties.
They said that was what Donovan Leitch was singing about in his ditty Mellow Yellow.
Other voices - and not just in our head - said it was a scam by the banana industry which had tonnes of the fruit rotting on docks across the globe.
Oh, those Queenslanders, the Paranoid Funnel Web Spider thought, calm as coma one day, bananas the next.
The latest power game has the Australian Banana Growers' Council looking at using waste bananas to generate electricity.
There are up to 50,000 tonnes thrown away each year, though we don't like the description of that waste as fruit which is too small, too bent or too blemished. It reminds us too much of us.
The University of Queensland's project involves mixing bacteria with bananas, which break down and produce a gas to drive a turbine and generate electricity.
The idea of burning bananas comes at the same time as the debate into giving the green light to cheap imports from the Philippines.
Growers fear this produce could introduce to Australia the disease of moko and banana bract mosaic virus.
Should the trade gates be opened, the Paranoid Funnel Web Spider sees a greater danger in the landing of Phoneutria Fera, also known as the Brazilian wandering spider, and more darkly, the banana spider.
That's all we need, the funnel web thought, another bloody wandering spider. It could end up with more of them than politicians sloping about the countryside.
Still, among the unpleasant consequences of a bite from the banana spider - such as immediate pain, cold sweat, salivation, cardiac perturbations and occasional death - there is the symptom of priapism.
As you'd say. there's always an upside. Or actually, an upfront.
Spider spiel from Australian Museum Online.


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Today, February 14th, the Museum of Sex will extend its opening hours from 10:00am to 10:00pm, with the last ticket sold at 9:15pm. With each admission, visitors will receive a Valentine's Day gift kit filled with unique goodie items.
After exploring the Museum's four exhibitions, guests can visit the MoSEX Store and try their luck at spinning the giant MoSEX Prize Wheel which will feature exciting gifts ranging from sex toys, theater tickets, and even MoSEX cash. The store also features a large selection of Valentine's Day gifts including a titillating collection of FUN FACTORY adult toys, beautiful art books, sensuous TCHO chocolate gift boxes, his and hers sex kits, and exciting erotic games for lovers. Complete the store experience by heading to the MoSEX photo booth to snap some playful pictures.
Patrons feeling hungry and thirsty after all that excitement can head downstairs to the cozy Bar at the Museum of Sex. While listening to sexy music, guests can indulged their taste buds as they enjoy special Valentine's sparkling infused cotton candy cocktails, various 'sensational' aphrodisiac inspired drinks and punches, and delicious sweets and savories.
The products offered in the Mosex store and at the museum's online store, blur the distinctions between form and function and art and apparel, demonstrating how sex and sexuality have come to influence all facets of design. The museum store features an array of products that make perfect Valentine's Day gifts from sexy handcuffs to Kama Sutra oils, beautiful art books, handmade artworks and other great products that explore all aspects of human sexuality. The store also features a selection of condoms and lubricants, MoSEX arousal Pills, fetish kits, and apparel.
Offering a menu of sensually stimulating cocktails and snacks, the bar on the lower level of the Museum of Sex is a hidden gem. Informed by a history of aphrodisiacs, the bar is an exotic collection of personalities and tastes, all exploring the relationship between food and sex. Stop in to enjoy a refreshing drink or bite.
Universe of Desire
Type. Swipe. Search. Upload. Download. Post. Stream. These are the new verbs of desire. Our most intimate thoughts, fantasies, and urges are now transmitted via electronic devices to rapt audiences all over the world. These transmissions-from sexts to personal webcam feeds-are anonymous yet personal, individual yet collective, everywhere and nowhere, and they are contributing to the largest sexual record to date. In short, desire has gone viral. But what does this mean? And what does it reveal about us? This exhibition explores these very questions through a lens of digital experiences by examining what we are searching for, how we do it, and what we leave behind on these electronic devices. In piecing this together, we begin to expose staggering truths about who we are and how we interact in this ever-changing world of modern sexuality. Universe of Desire is an exhibition about human desire as seen through the lens of digital behaviors.


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Could Uncle Sam Save Detroit?David Welch
With stocks in both General Motors and Ford sinking to historic lows, it's clear that Wall Street thinks bankruptcy is a serious possibility. While no one is calling Wall Street "the smart money" these days, investors are right to worry about Detroit's liquidity crunch. It's very real. Ford is better off, having mortgaged its assets to get cash in the bank before the credit crunch. GM didn't see around the same corner and will have a tough time raising more money to weather the storm.
What will happen? If car sales remain this weak, GM, Ford or Chrysler could end up in bankruptcy court in the not-too-distant future, analysts say. For its part, GM says bankruptcy is not an option. The company will fight hard to avoid it. If GM does stay out of Chaprter 11, the plot will track something like an Indiana Jones movie. That's especially true now that overseas markets, where GM has actually made money and generated cash recently, are slipping into recession. Only a sales turnaround in North America or a helping hand from Uncle Sam may pull one or all of them back from the brink.
Don't discount a government bailout. First, Congress and Pres. Bush have already greenlighted $25 billion for carmakers to use to develop and build fuel efficient cars. Don't be surprised if that green capital becomes operating capital. The government could even approve another $25 billion in loans for Detroit to stave off bankruptcy. That was already bandied about as part of the energy bill a month ago. Bailouts are about as popular as Wall Street executives these days, but keeping Detroit on a lifeline is a relative bargain next to the $700 billion of rescuing the banking system.


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A story on Bloomberg News is reporting that Oracle Corp. is nearing a deal to buy Micros Systems Inc. for more than $5 billion, people familiar with the matter said, as Chief Executive Officer Larry Ellison moves to combat slowing growth by adding software for hotels and restaurants.
Oracle and Micros are in exclusive talks, though the two sides could still fail to reach an agreement, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing a private matter.
Ellison is looking to acquisitions to fuel expansion after 10 quarters of sluggish sales growth. Oracle was late to the market for Internet-based cloud software and is now rushing to remake itself as a provider of gear and programs to underpin its clients' shift to Web-based computing.
Deborah Hellinger, a spokeswoman for Oracle, declined to comment. Peter Rogers, executive vice president of investor relations at Micros, didn't immediately return calls seeking comment.
Oracle will report its quarterly earnings on Thursday. In the previous quarter, license and cloud-subscription revenue fell short of analysts' estimates.
The company has spent $50 billion to acquire about 100 companies in the past decade. Of those, more than 20 have been geared at specific industries, including the 2010 acquisition of clinical-trial software maker Phase Forward Inc., and purchases of retailer-software makers ProfitLogic Inc. and Retek Inc. in 2005.
The acquisition of Micros would be Oracle's largest since the $5.7 billion takeover of Sun Microsystems Inc., announced in 2009, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
For the complete story, click here.


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Australia's Only
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The RBA has surprised today in its rate announcement.
With interest rates at their lowest for more than 50 years, there are some great rates available. The best thing to do is to compare rates from all the lenders. Let us help take the leg work out of doing this - Compare Home Loans now
The Melbourne-based bank is reducing rates for those making principal-and-interest repayments
Read more
Mortgage rates could rise in South Australia
The hike may be a reaction to the SA Treasurer's new state-based bank levy
... Read more
Rising cost of housing is causing "widespread suffering"
A charitable organisation says the housing affordability crisis threatens society's most vulnerable members with destitution
... Read more
How the property boom has transformed Sydney
Clear winners and losers have emerged – and some have become addicted to property investment
... Read more


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The Cloning of Joanna May (1992 TV Movie)
Plot Summary
Joanna once was married to Carl May, a very rich and powerful nuclear energy magnate. They love each other, but had to divorce after Joanna was caught on an incidental love affair. Since then Carl has made Joanna's life impossible. 10 years later she's fed up with the situation and decides to visit him, only to find that once he made three copies of her.- Written by Michel Rudoy <firstname.lastname@example.com>
Be the first to contribute! Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Synopsis submission guide.


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Welcome to WholeLifeInsuranceReviews.com!
Life insurances are no longer regarded as useless contracts, with no power or real value. Instead, people have come to appreciate and understand the advantages brought by insurances. Today we have many types of insurances, anyone can be entitled to purchase one, and insurance companies can present you offers that can bring you multiple benefits.
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A life insurance is more than a simple contract; it is a guarantee that, no matter what bad things happen to you, adequate financial support will be received. In a world where global economy has recently suffered so many hits, financial stability is an important element for every family. When we purchase a life insurance, we do not focus only on ourselves, but we also think about the needs and concerns of those we love and want to keep them safe.
Whether we are buying a health insurance or a term life insurance, the reason is always the same: to know that we and those we hold dear will be able to pass and recover after some unpleasant events. Nobody can tell when the next major tornado will hit or when we can get injured in a car accident. In both cases, we must be prepared. It is of vital importance to have enough money to repair any property damage or medical care. Otherwise, you can end up in ruins and bankrupt.
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Breast Cancer Benefit for Kay Zgela
Saturday, October 26, 2013 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Breast Cancer Benefit for Kay Zgela on October 26th starting at 5:30pm at Snow Trails Ski Lodge. Cost is $10 per person at the door. Food and drinks will be served there will be a Silent Auction and a Pie Auction. Questions please call Sue at 419-565-4933.
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As the sole-survivor of the influential British-invasion rock band, The Beatles, Sir Paul McCartney is a renowned singer-songwriter, multi-talented musician and composer. Having sold over 100 million albums and 100 million singles of his work both with the Beatles and solo, McCartney is one of the most successful musicians of all time and a two-time inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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Detailed Accident Report
Submitted By: WWAN
Place: Norse Peak, near Crystal Mtn. Resort
State: WA
Country: USA
Fatalities: 1
Summary: 7 skiers caught, 6 partially buried, 1 injured, 1 buried and killed.
Back Country near Crystal Mountain ?
Preliminary Report
Cement Basin Avalanche Incident
Report compiled by Mark Moore (Director, Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center), Paul Baugher (Crystal Mountain Professional Patrol Director & Director, Northwest Avalanche Institute) and Dan Hudson (Sheriff?s Office and SAR)
Incident Specifics
? Cement Basin, just N-NE of East Peak in the back country
? Elevation?6500 ft
? N-NE aspect
? 2ft x 200 ft slab
? Vertical fall approx 500 ft
? Failure on surface hoar formed December 22nd-24th
? Party of 7?3 telemark, 4 alpine touring
? Three partly buried, one totally buried
? One dead, one injured
Incident Narrative:
On Sunday afternoon the 29th of December, a party of seven (Seattle Mountaineers) had hiked up from the Crystal Mountain base area to enjoy some powder on the northerly facing back country slopes beyond the East Peak ridge in an area known as Cement Basin. They had already just skied a run on a nearby, slightly shallower angled slope with no incident, and most or perhaps all had skied the slope in question before (one individual had reportedly skied the slope many times before without any incident). The party had not checked in with the ski patrol (a voluntary service) for advice on stability prior to leaving the base area. They did not dig any snowpits. No test skiing was done prior to the incident. They indicated they had jumped on the snow on the corners of their switchbacked ski tracks and had ?done ski pole and hand tests?. One member of the party indicated that he had talked to a friend that had skied in Cement Basin the day before without incident. They had looked at the avalanche forecast from the previous day (12/28/02) and all were carrying beacons, shovels and probes. The group had apparently all attended avalanche awareness courses, and some had attended a three-hour avalanche seminar several weeks before the incident.
At the time of the slide release, two members of the group had negotiated the slope without a problem and were at the base of the slope and off to the side (they were not hit by the slide itself but may have received some wind blast effects), three were in the path approximately 1/3 of the way down on the skiers left of the slope and approx 15? apart. Two skiers had just entered the slope from the top when the slide released 1 ft behind the ski of the top-most skier. The slope released a 2 ft deep x 200 ft wide slide that ran about 500 ft vertical, partly burying three and totally burying one. After digging out the partly buried victims, the remaining six members of the group did a quick beacon search, locating the victim almost immediately and extracting him from the snow in approximately fifteen ? twenty minutes. One of the partly buried victims sustained a lower leg fracture while the totally buried victim was found about 3-5 feet below the surface, face down and head below his skis. Already blue when recovered, the victim was found near a tree. The group attempted to revive the victim, but CPR was unsuccessful and a doctor in the party pronounced the victim dead at the scene. It was subsequently determined by the medical examiner that death occurred as a result of suffocation, not trauma.
A rescue response was initiated by the Crystal Mountain ski patrol at 2:50 PM, after receiving the report from two witnesses who had assisted with the recovery of the victim. A ground team was sent to the site with one of the witnesses. Due to other parties signed out in the area a ?rule out? of additional victims was first priority of the rescue mission.
The ground team met the Mountaineer group as they neared the ridge crest and provided assistance and transportation for the injured member. The ground team communicated to the ground rescue team that all of the party was accounted for. At approx 4:30 PM an army MAST helicopter was dispatched to the site, with Crystal Mountain Professional Ski Patrol personnel on board. Based on the report from the ground party, additional search personnel, including avalanche dogs and handlers, were put on standby. An overflight inspection accounted for tracks in and out of the slide area and visual contact with other parties known to be in the area at the time.
At this point the body was located and Crystal Mountain and MAST personnel were lowered from the helicopter with the use of a jungle penetrator. The site was inspected and the victim was extracted from the accident site and airlifted to Crystal Mountain, arriving at 5:00 PM.
Ancillary Avalanche and Snowpack Information?
A hard crust had developed in much of the Northwest approximately two weeks prior to the incident, during a heavy rain event to most elevations on December 14th. Subsequent to this rain episode, a series of storms hit the Northwest, depositing some 20-40 inches of snow over the crust. However, shortly after the rain crust developed during a brief two-day break in storm activity, clearing skies had allowed for substantial surface hoar to form on the snow surface. This weak snow layer is a notorious weak layer for producing avalanche activity in many areas?especially in the Northwest where it has been documented as producing almost 1/3 of all avalanches during one winter near Snoqualmie Pass. In any case, this layer was buried by increased storm activity during the past week, and several reports of shooting cracks and very sensitive slab releases were thought to involve this weakness. From subsequent analysis of the avalanche fracture line it is probable that the slab in this incident released on the surface hoar layer.
For at least four days prior to the incident, avalanche forecasts for the Washington Cascades had discussed the increased probability of avalanche releases on one of several buried weak layers, including this layer of buried surface hoar. Several avalanche incidents reported earlier in the week near Mt Baker and Mt Hood had involved avalanches releasing on the buried weak layer, and on the morning of the incident, the Crystal Mountain Patrol had released several relatively large (2-5 ft crowns) slides releasing on the buried surface hoar layer. This information was included in the forecast that was issued around 8:30 the morning of the incident. In the 12/29/02 morning forecast, the following excerpt from the snowpack analysis alludes to some of the unstable snowpack conditions that may have existed in the area around Crystal Mountain:
Snowpack Analysis (NWAC Avalanche Forecast--12/29/02)
??.The key elements within the snow pack structure now consist of the rain crust formed in mid December with the recent heavy snows of the past week overlying it with several potential buried weak layers from 6 to 12 inches above the crust. Clearing last weekend allowed widespread surface hoar to form in many areas both west and east of the crest. This layer was subsequently buried by a light snowfall last Tuesday in most areas that fell with light winds. Additional low-density snow layers were deposited before heavy wet snow and or strong winds Thursday and Friday deposited denser layers or wind slab over these weak layers. Avalanches releasing on this buried surface hoar layer were seen earlier this week in the Mission Ridge area and on Saturday in the Crystal Mountain area. Ski area avalanche crews at Crystal Mountain on slopes that had not previously been controlled triggered numerous slab releases Saturday. These slides ranging from 1.5 feet to 5 feet deep released on buried surface hoar formed last weekend snow with one slide triggered from about a 20-degree slopes angle above a steep slope. These slide starting zones ranged from about 6300 to 6800 feet and were north facing. The wind slabs that released were formed during strong winds at fluctuating temperatures during precipitation events over the past few days. Numerous weak layers of low-density snow or the buried surface hoar layer along with the overlying wind slabs are maintaining a considerable avalanche danger, especially at higher elevations where winds have been strongest. Triggered slab releases are probable on lee slopes, mainly ranging from northerly through southeasterly facing above about 5 to 6000 feet.
Although the Friday AM forecast issued on 12/27/02 described current snowpack structure for Friday, some of the snowpack conditions that may have existed in the area of the incident were also mentioned. Unfortunately surface hoar can persist as a buried weak layer for some time once it has been buried intact?unfortunately it can also produce widely disparate results over short distances due to the inconsistent nature of its burial. However where it is buried, highly sensitive snowpacks often result:
Snowpack Analysis (NWAC Avalanche Forecast?12/27/02)
Recent new snowfall during the past 48 hours has ranged from around 12 inches up to over 30-40 inches, with heaviest amounts in the north Cascades, Olympics and Mt Hood area. Along with several buried weak layers, intermittently strong winds and currently rising freezing levels with snow changing to rain in some areas west of the Cascade crest, this weather has produced a significant increase in the avalanche danger. Increasingly dense wind slab, wet heavy snow or rain is being deposited over previous snowfall and either lower density snow layers from earlier this week or surface hoar from last weekend. This is resulting in larger and more unstable wind slabs becoming likely at higher elevations and probable at lower elevations. The greatest danger should be developing on northwest through northeast facing slopes near higher ridges and west facing slopes near the Cascade passes, but with shifting winds expected Friday afternoon, a variety of slope exposures should be loaded.
It should be noted that shooting cracks were reported in the Mt Hood area on some north and northeast exposure slopes above 6000 feet two days ago and this obvious sign of instability probably indicated surface slabs collapsing on buried weaknesses. While vegetation and other terrain anchoring below about 3 to 4000 feet are still helping to limit the avalanche danger in some areas, this anchoring is losing its grip on the snow pack and will be less of a factor with each new storm in the week ahead. As a result of the substantial increase in the danger, back country travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended Friday. In all areas back country travelers are urged to investigate the snow pack and use stability and shear tests to determine the location and extent of unstable slabs and their bonding to possible weak layers.
One dead, six injured after avalanche at Crystal Mountain
By Jason Margolis, Seattle Times staff reporter
PLEASE VISIT: seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/home/
CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, Wash. - One man was killed and six others were caught in an avalanche on the backside of Crystal Mountain today around 1 p.m. The group of seven was on a backcountry skiing expedition sponsored by the Seattle Mountaineers, the outdoor recreation club that began in Seattle in 1906.
Two witnesses who were above on a ridge saw the avalanche occur in the Norse Peak Wilderness Area, immediately east and outside the boundaries of the Crystal Mountain ski area. The two witnesses skied down to the Cement Basin to the trapped skiers, some of whom were partially or completely under snow.
?One was buried completely,? said John Kirchner, general manager of Crystal Mountain, describing a witness? account. ?He was located, dug out, CPR was performed for about 25 minutes, and he was pronounced dead.?
Another man?s leg was fractured, but the five others on the expedition ? all men who were said to be experienced skiers ? escaped with no major injuries. Among the group of skiers was a doctor. Identities were not immediately released.
After helping dig out three of the skiers and assisting in CPR, the two witnesses skied back to Crystal Mountain to report the accident. Five members of the Crystal Mountain Ski Patrol were dispatched to the scene, two in a U.S. Army helicopter and three others on skis. Members of Pierce County Search and Rescue were also sent to the accident area.
The Army helicopter first arrived on the scene around 3 p.m.
The Northwest Avalanche Center listed yesterday?s snow conditions as ?considerable avalanche danger,? which is a three out of five rating for avalanche hazards. Paul Baugher, director for both the Crystal Mountain Ski Patrol and Northwest Avalanche Institute, said the snow slide was most likely triggered by the weight of one of the skiers in the group.
?What we had was a very, very weak layer in snow pack,? said Baugher. In a matter of seconds, snow can come barreling down the mountain at speeds of 80 mph.
On Saturday, controlled avalanche slides, triggered with explosives, were conducted a mile or two away from the accident site.
The Crystal Mountain area has received only about 70 percent of the snowfall normal for this time of year. Despite the low depths , the first snows are critical to determine if the snow pack will be weak or strong. ?It?s a crucial time of year. Conditions tend to go either way, either into dangerous or stable,? said Kirchner.
At the time of the avalanche, it was partly cloudy, 16 degrees Fahrenheit, with winds averaging 4 mph near the Crystal Mountain summit. The accident occurred at roughly 6,400 feet, about 600 feet below the resort?s highest peak.
Expedition group leader Nick Davies had checked conditions with the Northwest Avalanche Center before the day?s skiing, said Kirchner.
?I think they underestimated the hazards,? said Baugher. ?These were people that were fairly well trained. They?d been there before. They were not novices.?
The Seattle Mountaineers require all members who participate in backcountry skiing to take an avalanche course or equivalent. ?All leaders have much more avalanche education as well as other training and experience in the backcountry mountains,? said Gerry Haugen, chairman of the backcountry ski committee for the Mountaineers.
A representative of the Seattle Mountaineers will speak further tomorrow about the accident, providing more details. ?All I?ve got myself is second-hand information,? said Haugen tonight.
According to Kirchner, the group started out in the Crystal Mountain parking lot and left from the resort base. The skiers climbed out of the area using special climbing skins ? skis with synthetic material on the bottom so climbers can push forward, but will not slide backward.
Kirchner said the out-of-bounds area is clearly marked with signs, but there is nothing to prevent skiers or hikers from going into the remote wilderness area, which are public lands.
?There?s a modest amount of users there,? said Kirchner. ?You?re basically on your own when you go out to those kinds of places.?
Since the 1980s, an average of two skiers have died in Washington each year outside of resort boundaries. Baugher said, ?As long as you stay within boundaries, the chances of being killed are virtually nil.?
Avalanche Buries Seven U.S. Skiers, One Dead
NORSE PEAK, Wash. (Reuters) - An avalanche killed a cross-country skier and buried six others on Sunday near a popular Washington state mountain, officials said.
The seven skiers from a Seattle mountaineering group were near the top of 6,856-foot (2,100-meter) Norse Peak in southwest Washington, near Crystal Mountain, which houses a large downhill skiing operation.
Another skier was injured, possibly breaking a leg, but the other five managed to dig out from the snow and hike down to get help from rescue crews at Crystal Mountain, said Ed Troyer, spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff.
The U.S. Northwest was hit with several winter storms last week, which dumped as much as 40 inches (1 meter) of snow on some local mountains already packed from earlier storms, raising the risk of avalanche, forecasters said.