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So, I'm beyond bored today at work and never did this before so here goes:
i guess it's just a collective way for me to recap the evolution of my GTI and experience with my hobby.
Keep in mind, i prolly missed a lot of things and not all the pics are great quality.
Bought this car in 2006. A 1998 GTI VR6. Had 1 owner, a female
But surprisingly, she took pretty good care of her.
So I dropped it. Patec Series 4 Hole****s
This was my 1st VR6 and I got a lil too accelerator happy...
Needless to say, i lost my license speeding It was suspended and revoked for probably 1 year total.
The car sat for a year and I took that time to read on these forums, meet people and learn more about the mk3 and VR6's in general. I started meeting and speaking to a lot of different people on this forum and in person. Some local friends started a lil car club and I started to explore this culture even further.
So like everyone else, a lot of the cliche modding began
These tails started the very awesome yesterday thread
I started going through a void where i wasn't sure what was rice and what was cool in the euro world
My 1st wheels! BBS VZ's in 16x7.5 with 205/40 Toyo Proxes...on my path to wheelwhoredom.
My 1st show. Show n Go like 3 or 4 years back
busted my 1st oil pan. never again...
Got a euro hatch from Jake@EuroHatchOnline.
Installed. Not 100% functional. I had trouble re-running the existing harness. So i lost the function of my trunk popper switch. I was using the push button on the hatch, but currently, that **** is broken too. earlier that week i got into a fender bender, visible on the panel below the driver's tail light.
Dyno Day @ Maximum PSI in NJ. Very awesome guys who work here and met some even cooler dudes from the forums and in general at this very event. Great laid back day with nothing but the fumes of gasoline, high revving motors and a few beers.
our local meets was and is a popular place for my car to be and frequent. Almost every week, this is where I would take her to meet other volkswagen, audi and bmw fanatics, friends, enthusiasts.
1st time at Eurothon, needs some work
new shoes
16x8 Porsche D90's in Gunmetal Powder coat on 195/40/16 Dunlop SP Sport 9000's
30mm Adapters out back
25mm Adapters up front
at our yearly BBQ, the 2nd year
WF 15. Wesley took this picture and it really brought out a stage my car had gotten to where i was really happy with. It was a long time coming, but worth it.
newish grill, no more ricey turns/fogs (finally) These are Depo, taiwan smoked stuff. But they work and fit extremely well and really look good at night or day.
a custom bra custom because VW never made this. There are the standard Golf and Jetta ones, and even the blank ones. I just thought it was a dope idea that i guess VW missed? So I have friends in the printing business and we made a patch and had it stitched on. Want one? PM me
installed a Momo wheel and the horn button crooked. Got it from a friend on the cheap.
1st time at broke.down. Was truly an awesome experience. I met a lot of ppl in person for the first time. It was from here I started really putting faces to names.
needed MOAR LOW. So i got in touch with a fellow named Ian - super cool genius of a man. Hooked me up and really saved me many headaches. Thanks man
Won 1st place at a local VW show But honestly, this was one of the most laid back, easy going shows and really was surprised that I even won anything. But it was shows like these and the time spent with good friends and like minded individuals that make all the hard work worth it.
My 1st time at H20. Man, i can't even begin to start talking about this experience. It's really like none other. I seriously feel that no show, event, whatever can top this experience. I mean, don't get me wrong, some local shows and other events are dope and awesome in their own way. But this right here is definitely a time worth spending and a nice lil vaca if you will. I met so many people and good friends and drank so much, it was a blast.
always loved Corrado speedlines and so I had to have a set and make em my own.
15x6.5 (i think) and i wrapped on Federal SS 595 195/45/15 tires (for sale)
Wheels are For sale now too
newish seats. by far, a very comfortable seat that i would put in any mk3 any day. far more confy than leathers!
Got rid of the shrek ear mirrors and changed up the tails.
TFT a year back i believe. This was another show that you have to love. It's for a great cause and it's really laid back. sick location too. met more friends and cool people here as well!
upgraded from Patec Series 4 Hole****s to H&R Ultra lows
Did a rear seat delete and made a storage panel
New Wheels! Widened MK4 Beetle Steelies in 16x8 on Toyo Proxes FZ4's.
Not much stretch but they came with the wheels.
MKV hubcaps to switch it up
Sold my euro bumper and put on a damaged bumper and bombed it with various stickers
I've always wanted Porsche wheels in 16x9. My Last set were 16x8 and they were D90's. These are Clubsports (for those of you who don't know) and pictured are a rare 16x8 as well. Took me a while to find em, but they were good offsets and too nice of a combo not to have. At least, for me.
But before these wheels could go on, I already had another set I fell in love with.
Borbet Type C's in 16x7.5" on 205/40 Falken 512's
Drove her to Dustoff
MOAR WHEELS - yeah, i got a problem, i know i know.
TSW Hockenheim R's in 16x9 and 16x7.5
The ones in black were on a drag car and the guy had an extra set.
The ones in the box are brand 16x7.5"s. So I put together a staggered set and rocked like that.
busted my knee and so the car sat again for maybe 2 months
since i couldn't drive much, i took the time to take care of much needed brake refresh
Slotted rotors up front, nice pads, stock new rotors out back, stock pads.
Mk4 rear calipers (PITA to install)
modified and installed some camber shims (Ingalls)
oh and some Hella Color Magic All clear tails/strato silver
While I recovered, the 16x9's got refinished
Ready to roll and I'm also almost recovered at this point.
This was before I drove her again in what seemed like forever.
Came across these very awesome seats and had to have them.
Euro Recaros from a VR6 Highline i believe. Basically zero wear and soooo comfortable.
Got them from Jamie @ Orchid Euro - super cool dude
Went to VAG Fair this year for the 1st time. Cool show, but a bad route to the place left me to lose a side skirt and end cap
Took her to our 3rd club BBQ later that same weekend
Later that month or so, i met some very awesome dudes on this forum with a real eye and talent for shooting cars. I've always wanted a proper photoshoot and so these guys made it happen:
I won't post all the pics here, i'll leave the link in a reply if anyone's interested. Though I'm sure many of you are already familiar.
Back in business, driving everywhere again.
My 2nd time at Eurothon. Put more faces to names and even some familiars from the last time I went to this show. Another dope show in itself, it's a different vibe from most shows. They even got a Casino in the back! what!? B A L L I N
The above pic is a demonstration of the value or an OEM VR lip
Oh word?! MOAR WHEELS?!?!
And they're finally ready.
16x9 Porsche clubsports for the rears
16x8 Porsche Clubsprots for the fronts
refinished in Audi Silver
Ran on 45mm adapters out back and 35mm adapters up front
stretched on Dunlop SP Sport 9000's
Test fit!
Rocked out all day everyday just like this until H20 International
This year's H20 was a mother****ing blast! It was a really awesome experience and got the chance to meet even more people and put more faces to names. The place was flooded every minute of everyday with more than amazing cars. I can't even express how great of a time I had and how fortunate I am to have met so many great people. I've got a lot of great friends in the mk3 and VW community altogether and I thank each and everyone of them for where I am today with my car. Especially all my local dudes, always got my back and we always make it happen. A lot of blood, sweat and tears have gone into this car and the people who show me support and love all these years is what keeps me going. This is definitely a hobby of mine that I very much enjoy. I've learned to look past the approvals and just paint my vision for myself and others to enjoy if they will. Critics and mistakes have taught me a lot and I thank them too. That being said, the car is FAR from done. Just happy with where it's at
I missed a lot of people this year and that sucks equally as much. During H20, after a few Yueng Ling's, the guys at Drive.it blog and I bumped into each other and we setup a random photoshoot. The turnout was great and it was just awesome to have some personalities all in the same place at the same time. I'm not getting out of this anytime soon, so I'll catch everyone else in the last show or two before the season ends and then hopefully again before H20 next year!
Thanks for reading. Sorry if I bored some. I know the car has been seen over and over and i'm sure y'all are sick of it. But I didn't know what else to do
Future plans:
The motor has some light work done to it.
But i think it's time to take the pretty wheels off and put in some real work!
268 Cams
Mk4 HG
Lightened Flywheel
Among other things..
stay tuned.


text:
Wednesday, June 30, 1999
DJIA 10970.80 +155.45 (+1.44%) S&P 500 1372.66 +21.21 (+1.57%) Nasdaq 2686.12 +44.01 (+1.67%) Russell 2000 457.68 +3.60 (+0.79%) 30-Year Bond 90 4/32 +1 7/32 5.96 Yield
You can run! You can hide! But you can't escape from the Revenge of the Internet IPO. Despite exaggerated media reports of its demise over the past few weeks, the Internet IPO market appears to be alive and kicking, attracting eager Web investors' money like flies to information highway roadkill. Continuing yesterday's 164% first day gain, online mortgage lender E-Loan Inc. (Nasdaq: EELN) picked up another $1 9/16 to $38 9/16 today. Other IPO high-flyers from yesterday also bounded higher, with Internet banking services company nFront (Nasdaq: NFNT) moving up $1 11/16 to $15 3/16 and online business-targeted network services firm Digital Island (Nasdaq: ISLD) adding $6 1/16 to $17 15/16. Among last week's IPO leftovers, US Search.com (Nasdaq: SRCH) uncovered a $1 1/4 gain to $8 and Stamps.com (Nasdaq: STMP) posted a $3 rise to $17 1/2. Looking ahead, things could get more interesting tomorrow when search service Ask Jeeves (Nasdaq: ASKJ) is set to make its much-awaited debut at $12 to $13 per share, up from a prior expected price range of $9 to $11 per stub.
Wireless communications tower rental company Pinnacle Holdings (Nasdaq: BIGT) climbed $4 7/8 to $24 1/2 after agreeing to acquire Motorola's (NYSE: MOT) North American antenna site business for $255 million. Considering the deal includes 1,850 wireless facilities, Pinnacle is paying a little under $138,000 per tower. Pinnacle's tower acquisition strategy has focused on building density in fast growing, high traffic areas, with 80% of its existing towers located in seven Southeastern states serving population centers such as Orlando and Tampa, Florida, Atlanta, Birmingham, Alabama, and New Orleans. While the company merely stated that Motorola towers are located "throughout the U.S. and Canada," the sheer number of towers involved in the deal virtually ensures Pinnacle a quick and easy springboard into other metro areas where it does not yet have an established presence.
QUICK TAKES: Property and casualty insurer Gainsco Inc. (NYSE: GNA) gained $1 11/16 to $5 7/8 after investment firm Goff Moore Strategic Partners L.P. agreed to take a 23% stake in the company for $31.6 million in exchange for the right to manage the company's investment portfolios. Additionally, the company said its Q2 earnings will "be in the range" of the $0.09 per share Gainsco said analysts are currently expecting... E-mail and advanced messaging services firm Mail.com (Nasdaq: MAIL) delivered a $5 7/8 gain to $18 13/16 after saying 14 regional Internet service providers (ISP) in the Eastern and Midwestern portions of the U.S. have signed on to use the company's Web-based e-mail service.
Discount broker National Discount Brokers (NYSE: NDB) traded up $12 1/2 to $57 3/4 after U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray started coverage of the company with a "strong buy" rating and a 12-month price target of $90 per share... Optical fiber maker Corning (NYSE: GLW) climbed $4 15/16 to $70 1/8 after saying it will supply 80% of the fiber for a $1.5 billion, 13,000 route mile network being built by broadband provider Interoute Telecommunications PLC to connect 70 European cities.
Global satellite phone and paging company Iridium World Communications (Nasdaq: IRID) was launched $3/4 to $10 11/16 after securing a waiver until Aug. 11 from its creditors relating to the minimum customer and revenue covenants of an $800 million credit facility... Covad Communications (Nasdaq: COVD) rose $11 15/16 to $53 5/16 after Morgan Stanley Dean Witter started coverage of the digital subscriber line (DSL) services provider with an "outperform" rating and a price target of $60 per share... Logistics services company Circle International Group (Nasdaq: CRCL) tacked on $2 1/4 to $21 7/8 following a Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown upgrade to "strong buy" from buy."
Biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) gained $3 1/16 to $52 1/4 after saying its new drug application (NDA) to the FDA for adefovir dipivoxil 60 mg, a once-daily treatment for HIV-infected patients, has received "fast track" designation and is expected to receive a six-month priority review for accelerated approval... Self-service coin-counting machines operator Coinstar Inc. (Nasdaq: CSTR) rang up a $3 3/4 gain to $28 11/16 after Goldman Sachs started coverage of the firm by placing it on its "recommend list"... Small business broadband and telecommunications services firm Network Plus Corp. (Nasdaq: NPLS) jumped $4 7/8 to $20 7/8 in its first day of trading after selling 8 million shares in an initial public offering at a price of $16 per share.
Telecommunications firm MCI WorldCom (Nasdaq: WCOM) slumped $7 9/16 to $86 1/16 after PaineWebber analyst Eric Strumingher said the company's Q2 earnings will be no more than $0.45 per share due to lower-than-expected revenues from its voice business. That doesn't seem to be a big deal, since that estimate is still within the $0.39 to $0.46 per share range expected by the 24 analysts surveyed by Zacks. What caught investors' attention, however, was the fact that the bearish comments came just two days after local and long distance company Frontier (NYSE: FRO) cited "accelerated price erosion in the switched long distance business" for an expected Q2 earnings shortfall. While some analysts were quick to point out that folks were perhaps over-reacting to what the voice slowdown would mean to MCI WorldCom's business, the company does not exactly have a lot of wiggle room for unpleasant surprises while trading at a hefty 44 times this year's estimated earnings.
Information technology consultant and Y2K problem-solver Keane Inc. (AMEX: KEA) was dumped $1 3/8 to $22 5/8 after warning that its revenues and earnings per share will fall short of expectations in Q2 and throughout the rest of fiscal 1999 as well. For Q2, the company is forecasting revenues to grow about 6% year-over-year to $280 million to $282 million, with EPS of $0.37, or $0.04 short of the Zacks mean estimate. Full-year EPS is seen falling within the $1.40 to $1.50 per share range, missing estimates of $1.65. Catching the blame for the shortfall is the Y2K business, which is slumping with exactly six months to go until the magical 01/01/2000 date. Keane was never a Y2K one-trick pony, but its management wasn't exactly complaining about being pigeonholed that way when its stock get swept up in the millennium software hype two years ago. But with IT departments currently reluctant to spend for the firm's other computer services ahead of the big switcheroo, Keane is now experiencing the flip side of the Y2K coin.
QUICK CUTS: Coffee retailer Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) reportedly dropped to as low as $26 7/8 in after-hours trading after gaining $1 1/4 to close the day at $37 9/16 today. After the bell, the company said it is revising its fiscal 1999 EPS guidance to $0.54 from the current $0.60 due to weaker than expected growth in its non-retail businesses... Office imaging equipment supplier Danka Business Systems PLC (Nasdaq: DANKY) was spanked for a $1 5/8 loss to $5 5/8 after saying private investment group Schroder Ventures called off its planned purchase of Danka's outsourcing division after IBM (NYSE: IBM) notified the company that it may terminate an existing agreement with the division "at any time."
Athletic shoe retailer The Finish Line (Nasdaq: FINL) tripped $3/4 to $11 1/4 after posting fiscal Q1 EPS of $0.15, down from last year's $0.22 but a penny ahead of the Zacks mean estimate. The firm said its quarterly net same store sales fell 5% from their levels a year ago... Specialty floral and gift retailer Gerald Stevens (Nasdaq: GIFT) wilted $1 1/16 to $12 after a 5 million share common stock offering by the company was priced at $12 per share, or 8% below the firm's closing price of $13 1/16 per share yesterday.
Online advertising agency Modem Media.Poppe Tyson (Nasdaq: MMPT) dropped $2 5/16 to $22 7/8 after saying it has ended its relationship with AT&T Corp. (NYSE: T) because "our philosophies and strategies are not aligned." However, the company said it remains "confident with our ability to meet current analyst consensus estimates for 1999," which happen to call for a loss of $0.21 per share... Mesaba Airlines parent Mesaba Holdings (Nasdaq: MAIR) descended $1 3/8 to $12 3/4 after President and CEO Bryan Bedford resigned. Current Vice President John Frederickson has been appointed interim CEO... Commercial and mortgage lender Webster Financial Corp. (Nasdaq: WBST) slipped $1 1/4 to $27 1/8 after agreeing to acquire bank holding company and Connecticut neighbor New England Community Bancorp (Nasdaq: NECB) for about $220 million in stock.
Sneaker maker Nike (NYSE: NKE) lost $3/4 to $63 3/8 ahead of its fiscal Q4 earnings report. After the close, the company posted EPS of $0.38 (excluding a restructuring charge), topping the First Call mean estimate by a penny... Speech recognition technologies developer Lernout & Hauspie (Nasdaq: LHSP) slid $3/4 to $35 7/16 after agreeing to buy privately held Brussels Translation Group, a partner in its iTranslator Internet and intranet translation product, for $59 million in cash and assumed debt. The purchase is expected to dilute the firm's 1999 earnings but add to its profits in 2000... NCS HealthCare (Nasdaq: NCSS), which provides pharmacy services to long-term care facilities, fell $5/16 to $5 7/16 after saying its fiscal Q4 EPS will be $0.10 (excluding charges), short of the Zacks mean estimate of $0.27. Schroder & Co. downgraded the firm to "perform in line" from "outperform."
An Investment Opinion
by Louis Corrigan
Thoughts on Success and Succession
In October of 1997, Atlanta's Emory University was preparing to dedicate a new building housing its Goizueta Business School. Sadly, Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) Chair/CEO Roberto Goizueta, the man for whom the school was named, was in a campus area hospital rapidly losing his battle with lung cancer.
In a dark mood, one might say the moral to the story is never let someone name a business school after you until you're already dead. Yet, Emory had long before claimed the Goizueta appellation. The name had simply become synonymous with business excellence. In a real sense, the man was already an institution.
The Cuban-born Goizueta became Coke's president in May of 1980. After just six weeks on the job, he had a strategy for revitalizing the company's creaky bottling companies. A month later he was elected chairman and CEO. In his book, I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke: The Life and Leadership of Roberto Goizueta, reporter David Greising describes just how decisively Goizueta took charge and instituted new performance criteria. Having seriously schooled himself in financial management only during his first weeks on the job as president, Goizueta was nonetheless "shocked to learn how little Coke's managers knew about the financial end of the business," Greising writes. Many operating execs couldn't read a balance sheet.
Goizueta became one of the first executives of a major U.S. corporation to manage a business with a strict focus on "economic profit," or returns in excess of the cost of capital. Reluctant to take on debt under legendary Chairman Robert Woodruff, Coke had instead issued stock to fund acquisitions even while keeping its dividend payments high. That combination left the company with a pristine balance sheet but an annual cost of capital running at 16%. That wasn't just more expensive than short-term bank debt; it was also well above the 10% annual return generated by many of Coke's non-cola businesses.
Enough, Goizueta said. Future projects had to return more than their cost of capital, or they wouldn't get funded. Long-term strategic decisions would be focused on maximizing economic profit. Such moves sparked a revolution and a renaissance. During Goizueta's tenure, Coca-Cola's sales soared from $4 billion to $18 billion. Its stock did even better, exploding in value from just $4.3 billion to $180 billion as Coke's revenues became much more profitable and its global brand and reach exemplary.
But this is not a column about the firm's success under Goizueta. Rather, it's more about the company's failures over the 21 months since his death and what they might tell us about leadership in general. In the weeks prior to Goizueta's death, Coca-Cola's stock traded around $62 a share -- exactly where it closed today.
Despite recently underperforming the market, Coke clearly remains a great company. One could even argue that years of its future greatness had already been factored into its share price in October of 1997 since the radical transformation of its business had long ago occurred under Goizueta. Though now 30% below its all-time high of $89 hit last summer, the stock still trades at 44 times projected FY99 earnings, still pricey by conventional metrics.
Yet, there's no denying that the company has confronted challenging times of late. Today it announced that its second quarter case volume would drop 1% to 2%, the third straight down quarter. Its plan to acquire Pernod's Orangina brands has been slowed by regulatory headaches in France. Its purchase of Cadbury Schweppes' brands outside the U.S has also antagonized various European governments. Worse, it faces an ugly racial discrimination suit filed by a group of African-American employees who claim that whites get the plum jobs at Coke. Then there's the recent debacle in Europe, where lax quality controls led Coca-Cola to sell contaminated beverages that caused dozens of customers in Belgium and France to get sick. Just when this brand-sullying PR nightmare seemed over, Coke announced it's recalling bottled water sold in Poland because it contains mold.
The global financial crisis has pummeled many of Coca-Cola's important developing markets, where the company derives most of its profits. There's not much any manager can do to prop up short-term results in the face of such macro pressure. The goal is simply to continue to build for the long term. And Coke is likely doing just that. But quality control problems? Racial bias suits? Unacceptable.
Such troubles are surprising given that new Chair/CEO Douglas Ivester was handpicked and groomed by Goizueta, who made him CFO in 1984 and then promoted him to president and COO in 1994. Though Coke's board readily granted Goizueta sweet pay packages to keep him on the job beyond his planned retirement date, no one had serious doubts that Ivester was ready for the job when tragedy struck. Indeed, the financial media hailed Wall Street's lack of anxiety over succession at Coke as the keystone to Goizueta's stunning career. The ultimate mark of managerial greatness, it would seem, is the ability to cultivate such a richly talented and cooperative executive team -- and such a clear heir apparent -- that your legacy lives on even if you are ripped untimely from this world.
I don't dispute that judgment. Moreover, Goizueta himself stumbled plenty as CEO, "diworsifying" into the movie business with Columbia Pictures and then giving us the famous New Coke disaster. Even the smartest CEOs have their miscues, but they also exhibit a talent for deftly extricating themselves from trouble. Still, if a legend's protege can't guarantee smooth sailing, what happens to enterprises where the leader's vision and reputation seems singularly crucial to continued success and no talented understudy is waiting in the wings?
What would happen if, God forbid, Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan dropped dead tomorrow? Frankly, it wouldn't surprise me to see U.S. stock markets plunge 10% or more in one day. That might prove an excessive reaction. But given his masterfully pragmatic handling of increasingly complex economic data and his stature among other Fed members, Greenspan today is irreplaceable. The Fed is a less doctrinaire, better institution today because its members have had a chance to watch an artist at work. Yet, that's not the same as being able to forge his paintings. A Wall Street Journal editorial on Monday even pleaded with Greenspan to try to codify his thinking, which has come to look merely like highly informed intuition. That would be a start, but just a start.
Examples are everywhere. Although Jeff Vinik is arguably a great stock picker, he's a nervous trader better suited to run his own hedge fund than the nation's largest mutual fund. Vinik could not begin to replace Fidelity Magellan's Peter Lynch, and that led to several years of serious troubles at Fidelity. More recently, portfolio manager Ryan Jacob left the Internet Fund, which had delivered a stellar one-year return of 272%, due to a dispute over control. Jacob surely can't yet be compared to a Lynch. But his fund has outperformed others focused on the Web, so his departure has rightly led investors to ask whether it's really the same fund without him.
What about America Online (NYSE: AOL) without Steve Case. Yes, Bob Pittman could step in, but isn't the company much stronger with both of them? Or how about Amazon.com without Jeff Bezos? Yes, Wall Street loves current CFO and future chief strategy officer Joy Covey, but Bezos is the man with the ever-evolving vision and infectious laugh. Commentators talk about Berskshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) carrying an alleged premium thanks to the fact that all-world investor Warren Buffett runs the show. But what's the Bezos premium on Amazon? The Steve Jobs premium on Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL)? The Bill Gates premium on Microsoft (NYSE: MSFT)?
In its Buffett cover story this week, Business Week raises the important question of succession. The article says he's picked two tentative successors, one to manage Berkshire's stock portfolio and another to manage its operating business. "I hope whoever follows me would behave pretty much as I would if I were to live forever," Buffett says. The article also includes an instructive memo from Buffett in which he asks the folks who run his companies to send him a letter "updating your recommendations as to who should take over tomorrow if you become incapacitated tonight."
That's a typically smart move on Buffett's part. Indeed, it should lead us all to think about who's ready to take over our responsibilities, personal and professional, and whether we're doing enough to prepare them for the challenge. Still, the unpleasant reality is that even the best organizations suffer from what I'd call the Michael Jordan syndrome. They may have a truly great, multi-talented Scottie Pippen available to lead the show when Da Man is gone. But to no one's surprise, Pippen couldn't replace Jordan. Indeed, he's probably less of a player now that he can't riff off of his royal Airness. When the great ones leave the league, it's inevitable that their old teams confront some major pitfalls. Often, the once great organizations even wind up in last place where they're stuck rebuilding, looking for new talent.
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text:
The NMU Orchestra consists of music majors, non-music majors and community members. The string orchestra meets in the fall semester, while the symphony orchestra meets in the winter semester. The literature performed is diverse in style and is often challenging for everyone. Rehearsals require intense focus twice a week for two hours each day. Future plans include a performance tour, a combined performance with the university chorus and surrounding high school orchestras, and the opportunity to learn 20th century classical works, as well as movie scores by John Williams. Auditions for the University Orchestra are held the first week of each semester. The course number is MU116.
Contact Barbara Rhyneer, orchestra director, at 906-227-2309 for more information.


text: I am offering for sale a beautiful 1906 9mm American Eagle Luger. This Luger has been professionally restored. It is all matched with the exception of the grips. The grips are what I believe to be factory original Swiss grips. The letters "prv" are stamped on the inside of the magazine well. The bore is good. No pitting or rust. The rear sight has been modified from a "v" to a "u". A Cal 9 mm magazine is included. The price is $1550.00 shipped to any US FFL or C&R. The standard three day inspection applies. Please contact me via PM, email at [email protected] or my cell is 337-303-8042. Thanks for looking,


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85 impala timing
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Originally Posted by
20 is pretty normal .
Not to sure timing would be the issue here. Did the symptom occur after a timing adjustment? Did anyone adjust the timing?
Sounds like air getting into the exhaust stream. Maybe the EGR valve is sticking?
Could be also the carb is too rich. Also faulty AIR check valves can let air into the exhaust when not wanted and cause a pop or a burble.
Well when I bought the car my buddy set the timing because it was running really rough. I didn't have a timing light so it was set by ear, and he put a chrome cover on of course.
I just noticed it now a few months after the timing was set, it sounds like a quiet pop or thump. No repetition or anything. I could only hear it when I'm by the exhaust and it kinda shakes the car. And I see a spike in the a/f when it happens, maby 16.0 max
I'm not sure what the AIR check valves are but I'll research it.
Theres a tube from my cat that comes up on the pass. side and it sucks, I'm not sure what that is.
We also replaced the huge stock air cleaner with a chrome one and removed the AIR tubes from the manifold
I have an a/f ratio gauge that's reading 14-15 so its not too rich
I'll check the egr valve, I didn't think of that.
Thanks for the reply
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text:
Simple and addictive shuffleboard game.
Single player, two player and computer vs. player games.
Barricade mode with unlockable levels.
Game Controls
Place your finger on the puck and swipe upward to throw it.
Players are given 5 pucks per level.
Once all Pucks are thrown, the final score is summed up.
Classic Game Mode
Land the puck in the zones to get 1, 2 or 3 points within 5 throws.
Barricade Game Mode
Play like in the classic mode but overcome the barricades to reach zones.
In Single player barricade Mode you must earn at least two Stars to unlock next level.
Earn Coins
In single player barricade Mode, you can earn Coins to unlock the next level line.
|باز کردن سوکت های شبکه
|دسترسی به لرزاننده
|دسترسی به اطلاعات مربوط به شبکه ها را می دهد.


text:
Hey, this is my costume progress thread. My name is Adam and I am only 17, so lend me some help and ideas if you have any. Thanks.
Edit 1
I started some sketches at school and I thought I'd post them up here. I am using photobucket, hope they work for everyone.
Just some shots of my helmet. I plan on using steel or aluminum for the main portion and a skateboard helmet for the dome. The vizor is a little jaggy, I liked it that way. The arrows just tie in throughout the design. The view scope thing (forgot the name) is curved and a little odd shaped. (I saw someone who curved it and I loved it)
The torso bit, only has a shoulder bell on the left side, the right side will be more functional. I put in some bicep armor since that is rare and the right arm would look blank without it. The right arm has some talons, took them from a video game I was playing. I'll probably form them from plastic and alot of sanding.
The Back plate was my main focus here. There are 3 swords here, two will be identicle (and symetrical, just bad drawing) and one will be off set and the largest of all. It will be used by my right arm. (hence the lack of shoulder bell) There is also a large piece of something, not sure what to make it from, but that will be a shield. It will have a huge mando symbol on it.
The lower half. The crotch bit will have 2 swords on either side of my waist. Along with some more arrow/diamond things. I want to put some daggers on the legs. (I just drew some basic outline looking things) Spiked boots of course.
Those were just some quick sketches to get some ideas out there. I wanted to be a sniper, but then I realized that snipers aren't as fun as close combat. So I went the way of the samurai, I specialize in swords. If you can make it out, the last picture says "seven swords" and I realize is does say SS...sorry if that offends anyone. But I think I'll probably steer clear of blasters and focus more on close combat.
Let me know what you think, I'll draw some better pictures and actually have the whole figure next time...these are just doodles from physics class.
I'll put up some video/pictures of me on halloween sporting my custome-ish boba fett costume. It turned out great for cardboard.
Edit 2
I took out some of the swords, thought it was a little cluttered and I would rather spend the same amount of money on 1 sword and get a very high quality one. Let me know how it looks. (It is in black/white, not sure on the color scheme ideas yet)
Edit 3
Do you think a jet pack would be worth the hassle? I'm not sure if it would look right, but I will probably make one from poster board to size it up before I spend any real time on it. I think I'll make a strange looking jet pack, but still noticable.
Edit 4
Time to chime in again. I found the PERFECT color scheme for me. I am going to dedicate myself to making it these colors.
(this is Rylus Kote's scheme, props to him)
Any thoughts? I will probably be going the trash can route along with a cardboard/plastic helmet with alot of bondo work on both. Making it an in between sort of build. Better than my cardboard but not as good as the metal set I might be making. I'm going to make this set shiny, no battle damage. (unless it looks like total **** without it) And my metal set with be the battle scared set. I'll get started when I get some money...I'm selling my beloved bearded dragon and that should be just the cash I need to make this set. (hello $250 for a lizard and cage)
Also, I may skip the back piece (since trash cans won't be very good for this) and just use a cape. I'll see how it goes.
Edit 5
I have come up with a plan, so give me some thoughts on it. (Just here to bounce ideas) I don't feel too safe or experienced enough to really get working on a GREAT set of armor, made from steel and aluminum. So I am going to get working on another set of armor made of plastic (sintra or trash can) I'll go with a custom mando on both, of course.
For my first set of armor, the plastic armor I'll paint it orange, like the picture above, not too sure on the helmet though, I'll post some pictures of helmet designs and get some feedback. I'll make the helmet from either plastic or thick cardboard/posterboad/stuff that Vote for Obama signs are made of. That type of material. Of course I'll use bondo, or something like it, to coat the whole thing and sand it down to about a 500 or so. (whatever I can find at my local home improvement store) Primer and paint. The body will be sintra (costum formed to my body) or the garbage can armor using a heat gun to form it more. The arm guantlets are going to be hard for me, not sure what I am going to do for them. I will probably follow WoL's plans or someone else's and go from there. I'll make shin guards out of plastic and shin guards (a combination) and then bondo them, sand them to shape. Primer and paint. The jet pack is something I am undecided about as of yet, I will probably just form a back piece and make a heavy cape and skip the jet pack for now. The weapons will be some nerf guns painted black with some orange to match the rest of the suit. I'll get a black jumpsuit for now and just work off that.
The metal set will come later, after finishing this set. After i finish this (my 2ed mando) and I'll have a plastic set and a cardboard set. One for me and one for a friend if we ever want to go some where.
Edit 6
1manbatallion gave me some ideas, or I stole some from his avitar. http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/custo...atar7844_4.gif
Just posting the link so I dont lose it. I like how it is set up, the paint. It's pretty cool looking.
I got some ideas for my arm guantlets too.
Edit 7
Here are some ideas I had for my helmet...the helmet will be my base for the entire paint scheme. So feel free to post some pictures of your helm or give some suggestions of what you like. I might be missing something that I might like.
I think I might go with the helmet label #2...but then I might also lean towards an aqua Mando and instead of a jet pack go with a torpedo like propellent. Thoughts?
Edit 8
I am alll over the place. I am torn between my desert looking mando and an aqua mando. I am in love with the torpedo like jet pack that I designed for underwater movement and I could be an aqua assailant. I am also undecided on which material I want to use, I could use the plastic, which would be easy and low cost, or I could attempt the metal, which would be tough and high quality.
If someone could just chime in their opinion that would be great.
Edit 9
I am going to get started on my helmet today. I am going to make it out of fiber board/matte board/ cardboard/ card stock stuff. Wish me luck on my adventure. ^^
Edit 10
As of 11-18-08 I have started on my costume. I went looking for a jump suit, flight suit, welding suit. Pretty much anything, didn't find anything to fit my taste, will try again later. I started on the helmet. I printed out all the templates, cut them and formed the inner part of the helmet that you wrap your actually helmet around. (The pieces that aren't actually part of the helmet, they are just there to support it as you make it) Tomorrow I will start forming the inner helm and make the mask.
No pictures, don't have a camera right now. I will hopefully get one before I make too much progress. Any tips on a cheap visor? I hear face shields are good and only like $5.


text:
Dried Bahia Grass Bunch
Style No. 40505422
Tall and spiky, this seeded tropical grass can be displayed on its own or added to a dried arrangement for dramatic height.
- 9 stems
- Dried bahia grass
- Indoor use only
- For best longevity, avoid direct sunlight and moisture
- Natural specimen; color may vary
- Brazil


text: I challenge @alexrossmusic to defend (or at least explain) promoting this "music" by giving it notice.The Twitter ID "@alexrossmusic" belongs to Alex Ross, one of the nation's most prominent and respected classical music critics, a best-selling author (The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century), and the classical music critic for The New Yorker, one of the nation's most prominent and respected journals, and the "music" referred to is this; something only a Cagean or Stockhausean fundamentalist gone off the deep end would or could mistake for music. Mr. Ross's responding tweet — deleted by Mr. Ross almost as soon as it was posted and which tweet we didn't think to make a verbatim record of simply because we never imagined it would be necessary — was brazenly and uncharacteristically arrogant and self-important and made no attempt whatsoever to either acknowledge or answer our challenge. As Mr. Ross is hardly the only classical music critic, print and/or digital, professional or amateur, guilty of promoting cacophonous noise (literally noise) masquerading as music under cover of being "performed" by legitimate musicians and being declared music by one or more classical music critics, one might imagine we're here picking on Mr. Ross for personal reasons but in so imagining one would be wrong. We singled out this particular instance because it's so off-the-chart egregious and because Alex Ross is Alex Ross who in his intensified zeal to promote new music (a perfectly honorable, necessary, and, especially for one in Mr. Ross's position, obligatory enterprise) since the publication of his above noted bestselling book has here done all classical music a grievous disservice. No matter how illustrious one's professional stature, one cannot hope to convince or persuade a potential audience for classical music, whether classical music of the new or canonical sort, by treating that potential audience as if it were made up of tone-deaf idiots who can be persuaded that actual noise is actually music simply on the say-so, explicit or implied, of an acknowledged expert. It's time, long past time, that classical music critics of all statures within the profession embarked upon a searching, brutally frank, no-holds-barred reassessment of their professional selves and the effect of their work upon classical music audiences both existing and potential.


text:
Lori Zimmer
Lori Zimmer is a New York based writer, with a passion for sustainable design, eco-tourism and art. She has written for Ecouterre, Inhabitots, ArtSlant, Patrick McMullan Mag, Flavorpill, WhiteHot and ArtFetch. She received her MA in art, media and business at FIT. In her free time, she writes an art and art history guide called Art Nerd New York and curates shows often focused on artists who use found or recycled materials.
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text:
Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, and Jack Black.
Cameos: Alan Arkin, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Jim Parsons, Kristen Schaal, Sarah Silverman, Donald Glover, Emily Blunt, Feist, Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez, Dave Grohl, Neil Patrick Harris, Judd Hirsch, John Krazinski, Rico Rodriguez, Mickey Rooney.
Muppets Performers include: Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, David Rudman, Matt Vogel.
Director: James Bobin
Mandeville Films, Muppets Studio, and Walt Disney Pictures.
Written by: Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, incorporating characters created by Jim Henson.
|"Everything is great / Everything is grand / I got the whole wide world in the palm of my hand / Everything is perfect / It's falling into place / I can't seem to wipe this smile off my face…" – Opening lines from "Life's A Happy Song".Oh, I talked it up. I showed everyone the brilliant parody trailers numerous times. I told anyone who would listen that The Muppets was my most anticipated film of 2011 (not completely a lie, but perhaps a slight fib of sorts…). And in an honest moment, I did think that Jason Segel, as lead actor and co-screenwriter of this reintroduction of the beloved Muppets characters of days gone past, would likely deliver a film that would be some kind of a success. Truth be told, I have memories of the Muppets, but they did not define my childhood all that much. I have my favorite characters, moments archived in my mental Rolodex. Moreover, I just always like seeing these Muppets pop in and out from time to time and I have often chuckled over YouTube clips, one-off appearances, and even enjoyed Sesame Street's Muppets with both of my daughters through the years. Yes, I have laughed out loud watching Elmo. Don't judge.
Film reviewers and writers are rightfully mocked for dropping quotable absurdities such as "_________ is the Best Film of the Year!" for a film coming out in March or May. I also love the constant hyperbole which accompanies declarations that we, as critics, make when we declare a male or female actor's work as "the greatest ever!" or they have given "a performance to define their career!" Ugh. Lastly, I cringe when reviewers use the loathsome, "If you see one movie…see this!" line, ignoring one of the first rules in the "Please Don't Say or Write These Words Ever!" chapter of the movie reviewer's handbook.
My point with all of this is that when I talked up The Muppets to people, I championed these same types of cliches because it felt alright to tell people that this will be the best film ever and the Muppets are the greatest and there will be no movie better ever than this one. I was kidding. But, you know what. The joke is on me. So…(ahem)…let me memorialize these words in print.
If you see one film to share with the entire family, which features characters you have come to know and love appearing better than ever before, and you want to experience one of the year's best films, see "The Muppets."
With all the sincerity I can muster, I mean every last word.
Jason Segel and Amy Adams play Gary and Mary, an unmarried couple living in Smalltown America, set to share their 10th anniversary together. Gary's brother, Walter (a Muppet…don't ask because it doesn't matter), has been invited along, even with Mary's unspoken misgivings, as the couple travel to the famed and historic Muppet Studios in Los Angeles to have a whirlwind adventure centered around Gary and Walter's favorite childhood (and adult) obsession, The Muppets. Goofy and glowing, Gary has convinced Mary that this will be an awesome vacation and anniversary and he promises to spend the night of their anniversary, without Walter, together with Mary for a nice dinner with just the two of them.
With their arrival in Los Angeles complete, the trio arrive at Muppet Studios for their tour. To their immediate dismay they find the building in complete shambles, with portions of the lot condemned and other areas bathed in cobwebs, dust, and inhabitable conditions. Apparently there are still abbreviated tours provided and the tour guide (Alan Arkin) stumbles around half-heartedly and robotically, offering pointless tidbits that mean nothing to anyone at all. Walter steps away from the tour and uncovers Kermit's old office and cowers when he hears the arrival of oil tycoon Tex Richman (Chris Cooper). Richman and his two Muppet henchman (don't question it, it just is…), reveal that the recent discovery of oil beneath the famed Muppets Studios could reap a massive financial reward for the oilman. Walter overhears his plans to raze Muppet Studios and then, you know, drill, baby, drill. When safe, Walter rushes out to Gary and Mary and tells them everything he heard.
Naturally, Gary, Mary, and Walter lock in on the first plan they can think of – find The Muppets, convince them to get back together and hold a telethon to raise the $10 million necessary to save Muppets Studios and, in turn, reintroduce the iconic characters to a whole new generation of fans. Finding Kermit The Frog living in a gated and dilapidated mansion is exciting for the trio, but his lukewarm reaction to their plan is understandable. Essentially, Kermit believes that time passed The Muppets and their variety show by years ago and no one has any real interest in having them return. After much convincing, Kermit acquiesces to Gary, Mary, and Walter and the obligatory road trip begins to get the band back together. So, yes…it may very well indeed be time to play the music and light the lights just one more time.
The Muppets is brilliant for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the screenplay that Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller have concocted. Segel and Stoller also wrote Segel's star turn in 2008's raunchy, ribald, but endearing Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the enthusiasm found in that film is manifested tenfold here. Excitement and entertainment radiates off of the screen from the first moment to the last and even when this film's opening number, "Life's A Happy Song", surges in front of you unexpectedly, the lyrics, the punny comedy, the images, all the cameos, and the feel of the song-and-dance numbers which follow, in this context, work better than expected.
While Amy Adams strikes surprising chemistry with Segel, playing sweet and down-to-earth, there is more going on here than meets the eye. This is not the original The Muppets Movie and certainly not The Muppets Take Manhattan. Rather, this is an elegy of sorts to youthful days long passed. Unexpectedly, Segel and Stoller have transitioned from making a film about The Muppets and have carefully orchestrated, along with director James Bobin, a film which deals with some surprising emotional depth.
What becomes very clear is that for Segel and Stoller, "The Muppet Show" and the Muppets themselves meant everything to them as kids. You can see it in every moment, hear it in every song – the influx of more and more characters, the exuberance in which scenes crash into one another, and the care taken in making sure that those Muppets important to this story have logical narratives we can relate to.
Often times, life is much simpler when you are young but as adults we are conditioned to have to matter in some way, shape, or form. Watching The Muppets you may become enamored with the goofy charms unfolding before you, but be warned – because there is a tenderness and a frailty at the heart of this film which may startle you. These moments are never more profound than in the scenes watching The Muppets prepare for their telethon. I can't specifically put this into proper words, but watching these Muppets work hard in renovating their theater, and then anxiously questioning whether or not the only thing they know how to do well would still have relevance, is profound and affecting.
Mattering, staying relevant, and summoning up the courage and self-esteem necessary to put yourself out there, shedding the comforts of hiding in the shadows…I guarantee you did not expect that to be found in this silly little Muppets movie did you? Neither did I.
I was smiling huge watching this play out and will defiantly stand up for how great a film this truly is, if need be. In a flash, Segel, Stoller, director James Bobin, these Muppets, and even songwriter Bret McKenzie (Flight Of The Conchords) took me right back to my childhood, bathing me in nostalgia. My mind raced back to my youth, wondering that if I had the opportunity to make everyone love that one special thing that I held on to from my childhood, then how awesome would it be to let others experience that memory and potentially love it as much as I did. The Muppets accomplishes all of that and more and this film is an absolute treasure.
Should I See It?
There has been a more enjoyable film experience this year for me than The Muppets. I had a unending smile on my face from the moment it started until the moment it ended. I defy you to not like this on some level.
Although they are plentiful, the cameos are less than I expected. The film is an homage to the Muppet Show sure, but it is a love letter to the nostalgia we often think about when we try and revisit our childhood. Not just another Muppets movie, The Muppets is rewarding and entertaining on countless levels.
Fans of HBO's Flight of the Conchords television series will be delighted to learn that Bret McKenzie worked a ton on the music found in the film. There is such respect given to this franchise from top to bottom, that you cannot go wrong in spending the time to check it out.
You think you are too good for The Muppets or think this is just a retread idea that Hollywood came up with in an environment where it seems as if there are no original ideas anymore. Do not make that mistake in judgment. You have judged this completely wrong.
If you were never a fan of The Muppets in the past, fine. Stay home. I guess…
Honestly, I'm done. See above. I cannot think of a better film to take everyone in your family to go see. I have unbridled love for this film.


text:
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text:
Trial record 7 of 54 for: Recruiting, Not yet recruiting, Available Studies | "Eosinophilia"
Data and Sample Collection Study to Elucidate the Mechanisms of Eosinophilic Disorders
This study is currently recruiting participants.
Verified September 2014 by Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: December 15, 2005
Last updated: November 10, 2015
Last verified: September 2014
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
The purpose of this study is to elucidate the mechanisms underlying eosinophil growth, survival, migration, and function and to investigate and further characterize the pathophysiology of, clinical manifestations of, and spectrum of disease severity of eosinophilic inflammation in humans.
|Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Eosinophilic Inflammatory Disease Food Allergy
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Time Perspective: Prospective
|Official Title:
|Eosinophils and Inflammation, an Expanded Study
Resource links provided by NLM:
MedlinePlus related topics: Eosinophilic DisordersU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati:
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|Child, Adult, Senior
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
|Sampling Method:
|Non-Probability Sample
Study Population
Patients with eosinophilic disorders and patients without eosinophilic disorders to serve as normal controls
Inclusion Criteria:
- Signed informed consent obtained from the patient or parent/guardian. Assent will be obtained from all minors 11 years of age and older.
- Carrying a diagnosis of eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease, eosinophilic inflammatory disease, or food allergy OR family member, or normal control
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00267501
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00267501
|Contact: Jonathan Kuhl, BS
|United States, Ohio
|Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
|Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, 45229-3039
|Principal Investigator: Marc E. Rothenberg, M.D., Ph.D.
Sponsors and Collaborators
Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
|Principal Investigator:
|Marc E. Rothenberg, M.D., Ph.D.
|Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
More Information
Keywords provided by Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on June 28, 2017
|Responsible Party:
|Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00267501 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|December 15, 2005
|Last Updated:
|November 10, 2015
Keywords provided by Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati:
Eosinophilic Disorders
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Food Hypersensitivity
Gastrointestinal Diseases
Digestive System Diseases
Hypersensitivity, Immediate
Immune System Diseases
Leukocyte Disorders
Hematologic Diseases
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on June 28, 2017


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James Thomson
Death Of The Stag - Poem by James Thomson
The stag, too, singled from the herd, where long
He ranged, the branching monarch of the shade,
Before the tempest drives. At first, in speed
He, sprightly, puts his faith, and, roused by fear,
Gives all his swift aerial soul to flight;
Against the breeze he darts, that way the more
To leave the lessening murderous cry behind:
He bursts the thickets, glances through the glades,
And plunges deep into the wildest wood:
If slow, yet sure, adhesive to the track,
Hot-steaming, up behind him come again
The inhuman rout, and from the shady depth
Expel him, circling through his every shift.
He sweeps the forest oft, and sobbing sees
The glades, mild opening to the golden day;
Where, in kind contest, with his butting friends
He wont to struggle, or his loves enjoy.
Oft in the full-descending flood he tries
To lose the scent, and lave his burning sides:
Oft seeks the herd; the watchful herd, alarm'd,
With selfish care avoids a brother's woe.
What shall he do? His once so vivid nerves,
So full of buoyant spirits, now no more
Inspire the course; but fainting breathless toil,
Sick, seizes on his heart: he stands at bay;
And puts his last weak refuge in despair.
The big round tears run down his dappled face;
He groans in anguish; while the growling pack,
Blood-happy, hang at his fair jutting chest,
And mark his beauteous chequer'd sides with gore.
Comments about Death Of The Stag by James Thomson
Shirley Bowden (9/10/2012 5:19:00 PM)
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Versatile Pieces You Can't Live Without
Everyone likes to look attractive, however, and just because you may not have the patience, time or budget for regular shopping escapades, it doesn't mean you have to look like you're out of the loop when it comes to style. The trick for those who have limited resources when it comes to looking great around the clock is to buy separate pieces that can be mixed and matched to create different looks. These items should be purchased in neutral tones, and they should be relatively timeless in their design. We've laid out a core wardrobe that will give you years of wear, so read on to discover versatile pieces you can't live without.
Navy suitThe most versatile suit you can own is a navy-colored one. It's equally appropriate for daytime activities or evening ones, and you'll have no problem pairing it with bright clothing or accessories like a tie. Known for his ability to make gorgeous suits that are both classic and modern, British designer Paul Smith is the man to turn to when you're searching for a contemporary suit for all occasions. Made from finely woven wool, this suit is slimming and flattering on practically every body shape. The two-button blazer is also a classic, meaning that it will be easy to wear with jeans or other items in your wardrobe. For important meetings, job interviews or non-formal evening soirees, make this suit your go-to ensemble. During the day, in chillier seasons like fall, winter or early spring, try layering this blazer over Gap's red cashmere V-neck sweater and slip on a pair of jeans for a casual, yet pulled together, look.
White dress shirtA white dress shirt is a must for any closet. Everyone looks good in one, and it's a classic that pairs with practically anything. In fact, if you can afford it, buy three when you find one that looks good on you — that way you'll always have a clean one and you can cut down on the time you'll have to spend shopping now and in the future. This fitted, 100% cotton option from Banana Republic is machine washable and has a textured stripe that distinguishes it from all the plain white dress shirts out there, and gives it a modern edge. Pair it with jeans for a crisp and clean all-American look that works day and night. At the office, layer this shirt underneath a brightly colored sweater and team it with some dress pants or jeans, depending on the dress code. For a smart, casual occasion, add either your navy or gray blazer, and for an occasion that requires something dressier, wear this piece with a navy suit and have fun playing around with the color of your tie.
Polo shirtNot every day requires you to be dressed to the nines, so for those times when the look you're going for is decidedly casual opt for a cotton polo. Don't think you have to get all fancy and shell out the money for a designer shirt because an inexpensive one will work just fine. This 100% cotton blue and brown, horizontally striped polo from Old Navy is a great example of how you don't necessarily have to spend a lot of money to be well-dressed. On weekends and in the summertime, this shirt looks amazing simply paired with some blue jeans. When you need to take things up a notch, throw on a separate like French Connection's gray blazer to create an ensemble that exudes effortless cool.
These are versatile pieces you can't live without in your wardrobe...


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Burt Griffin & Howard Willens discuss JFK Assassination and conspiracy theoriesBe the first to comment
Below is video of my and Burt Griffin's appearance at The City Club in Cleveland. We discussed my new book, HISTORY WILL PROVE US RIGHT, and our time working together on the Warren Commission.
HISTORY WILL PROVE US RIGHT is the only book written about the commission by someone who was part of the management team that supervised the largest criminal investigation ever conducted in the United States. Howard Willens was a 32- year-old attorney in the Criminal Division of the Justice Department when he was asked to assist in the organization and staffing of the commission. Willens was involved with every facet of the commission's work, giving him the perfect perspective to reveal the behind-the-scenes operations of the Warren Commission. To read the book, follow the links to the right!


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Selected Community Events
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http://www.nbc11news.com/community/events/235123091.html | 235123091
5th Annual Knit-a-thon
Event Dates and Times
1/3/2014 - Starts: 7:00 PM
1/4/2014 - Starts: 7:00 PM
Community of Christ Church, 2880 B 1/2 Rd, Grand Junction, CO 81503
Knit-a-thon provides a space for knitters/crocheters of all ages and skill levels to come together and create hats and other items for the newborn babies at St. Mary's hospital and cancer patients in the oncology department, as well as the homeless who receive services at Homeward Bound. Friday night kicks off with a mystery dinner, fun and games, knitting/crocheting begins Saturday morning at 10am and continues all day until 7pm. Participants are welcome to join for the entire weekend or in part, is open to all ages and skill levels. Yarn, looms, needles, and hooks are provided.
Naomi Barlow, (970)623-1455
Go Back


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Urgent Needs
Many of our mission hospitals are desperately in need of additional medical staff. Learn more about our most pressing requests for help.
Service Overseas
Each year we send hundreds of doctors abroad on short-term assignments to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people living in impoverished nations.
Post-residency program
World Medical Mission places post-resident physicians in mission hospitals around the globe, where they serve two-year terms.
prescription for renewal
Plan now to join us in 2017 for the 28th annual Prescription for Renewal conference. Continuing education credits will be available for physicians, dentists, and nurses through the optional Missionary Medicine Seminar.
Join the International Health Forum
We host live webinars with the option to earn free continuing medical education credit and gather excellent resources from experts in disaster medicine, international public health, missionary medicine, and more.
donating equipment
World Medical Mission carefully evaluates potential donations to ensure that we send only good quality, useful, and appropriate equipment and supplies.


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You will have no doubt seen that many WordPress bloggers are starting to use Popup Domination lately. You may wonder if this is just some marketing tool or the next "affiliate product" that people are pushing but few people actually see results from.
I will disclose to you what Popup Domination has done for my site and then if you feel it is worth it, I would invite you to purchase the product from one of my banners and try it for yourself. The product has a 60 day money back guarantee, where if you don't like it you get a 100% full refund of your money. I myself purchased Popup Domination on August 3rd 2008 and received 92 email subscribers in 30 days as a result of the Popup Domination plugin. I was only averaging about 3-4 email subscribers per week or about 20 per month prior to installing the plugin, so whereas the banner says increase Opt-ins by 304%, I actually increased my subscriptions by over 400% within the first month of using the Popup Domination WordPress plugin.
First, lets look at some of the basics on mailing subscription lists.
Why Build a Mailing List?
One of my biggest mistakes when starting my blog years ago was waiting almost two years to start list building, building a mailing list can give you an audience that expands your reach. Instead of relying on someone to come to you, you are directly marketing to people who already made the effort to sign up because they were interested in what you may have to offer.
You can use a mailing list to send out newsletters, contests, provide special deals, promote products…etc. and mailing lists when expanded and used effectively can provide a substantial source of revenue over your blog site alone. The best part is that they intertwine in that your site leads to your mailing list and your mailing list updates should link back to your site.
Even if your site is brand new, you want to start building a mailing list at the beginning, let it grow over time. You don't want to wait until your site already has tens of thousands of visitors to just start a mailing list. Use it to just send out passive newsletters at first without trying to pitch or selling a product, and just let it grow until it can become large enough to become a revenue source.
Why Choose Popup Domination
I have tried other freeware WordPress plugins, and I would promote a free plugin if I could have found one with the same value and flexibility as Popup Domination. This plugin simply does the job better than every other plugin I have tried, even paid ones from competitors.
You simply install the Popup Domination WordPress plugin, add in the code for your AWeber, MailChimp or other subscription list service. Select the display type and write some custom verbiage and bullet points on why someone should join your mailing list.
It takes less than 10 minutes to install/configure and run the plugin, and you start seeing mailing list subscriptions right away. If your site gets a lot of traffic you may start seeing mailing list subscriptions within hours or minutes.
Popup Domination Results
Popup Domination has helped me increase my mailing subscription list from less than 112 in May 2010 (which took a year to reach that amount) to over 230 subscribers in less than 45 days when I put the plugin on my blog in August 2010.
I have an email rule that collects all my subscriptions via Popup Domination and sends them to a local folder in Thunderbird and I see my subscriptions building rapidly.
Honestly, the Popup Domination Lightbox is building my list with my site only getting around 25,000 pageviews and 15-20k unique visits per month, you would see even greater opt in rates with more traffic.
Don't Wait!
Don't make the mistake of waiting to build your email subscriber list, and don't dismiss the Popup Lightbox as being something that will reduce the number of readers to your site. You will get traffic and you will get subscriptions, but you have to send quality email newsletters or distributions to your subscribers to keep them engaged and loyal.
I encourage you to give Popup Domination a try for your WordPress blog, there are few WordPress plugins I endorse so heavily and this one is worth every penny at $47.00!
When you purchase the Popup Domination WordPress Plugin, use the following settings to help reduce the disruption to your casual and loyal blog readers:
I recommend setting it to delay at least 3 seconds so a reader has a chance to at least start reading some content before being distracted by the popup lightbox. I also recommend you set the plugin so the cookie doesn't show for 14 days if a user has already seen the plugin. The recommended is 7 days, but remember you are targeting mostly people who arrive on your site by Google search, so you don't need your casual readers to be prompted every 7 days or less.
So what are you waiting for?
Purchase Popup Domination for your WordPress blog now, and grow your mailing subscription lists which are highly valuable sources of revenue for those who know how to monetize them effectively.


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Cape Town: Indian coach John Wright said on Wednesday the criticism that had been heaped on his team after a poor tour of New Zealand earlier this year had helped its World Cup campaign. "We had problems adjusting to the unusual conditions in New Zealand," the former Kiwi opener said. "It probably helped us because we took a lot of criticism. Some of it was justified and some of it wasn't, but it brought us together. "What we needed to do was work on our confidence, particularly with our batting. That is starting to happen." Wright said his team would not under-estimate outsiders Kenyans in the World Cup Super Six match at Newlands on Friday. "We played them three times on our last tour of South Africa last season," said Wright. "On two occasions we beat them easily and on one occasion they beat us. We're preparing exactly the same way we have for our other games. It's an important match and we'll respect the opposition."Wright said India had played well in a tough group to qualify for the Super Six and had come through some pressure situations. "The boys are playing well. As long as our preparation is intense we should be fine."The Indian coach said the team's batting had been good and he was pleased with the improvement in the way the batsmen were running between wickets."We're learning about One-day cricket and particularly about the importance of rotating the strike." Wright indicated the likelihood of an unchanged team."There will be no rotating of players for the sake of it," he said. "It was likely the policy of playing three seam bowlers and one spinner would be continued."Copyright AFP 2001
We must keep our feet on the ground: Coach Wright
Sehwag injures index finger, X-rays reveal no fracture
Team will try its best to win World Cup, vows Ganguly
I am comfortable at number four position, says Kaif


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Kai Ryssdal: Fashion week kicks off tomorrow in New York City. The latest looks for next Spring will be on display as will hundreds of women showing off those looks. Many of the models will be from the Elite modeling agency -- the firm associated with the likes of Claudia Schiffer and Gisele Bundchen.
Elite opened its doors in Paris 34 years ago, catering to the tastes of the time. But Paris today is a different place. The city and its suburbs especially have become more diverse with residents of North African descent making up one of the largest minorities. And recently, Elite has been dipping into those neighborhoods to recruit talent. John Laurenson reports.
John Laurenson: Nawal, a very beautiful 19-year-old of Algerian-origin, stands in the queue, her number pinned to her chest, waiting for her chance to walk as modelishly as she can down an improvised catwalk in front of the judges from Elite modelling agency.
Rosny-sous-bois, in the heart of the riot-hit Paris suburbs, is an unlikely place to come in search of beauty -- and an equally unlikely place to come in search of opportunity. But for Nawal, and around 200 other young women who've come here today, this is her big chance.
Nawal (interpreter): I've always been fascinated by the fashion world, so I decided to try my luck today. It's not so easy for girls with a Muslim background. Some of my family said I shouldn't even think about modelling. But it's my life, and I intend to live it the way I want.
Three others ahead of Nawal have just made it through to the next round.
Elodie is 15. Her parents moved here from Ivory Coast. She dreams of a success that would change the face of French fashion.
Elodie (interpreter): It would be great to see myself or one of my African sisters in the fashion magazines. Girls can be pretty wherever they come from. Right now, you don't see any girls like me.
To find out why there are so few African-origin models in the fashion magazines, I go where the hopefuls in Rosny-sous-bois dream of ending up: eight miles and a whole world away to one of the fashion shows in the catacombs beneath the Louvre museum.
After the show, I get backstage. I ask Carotte, Marie-Claire magazine's casting director, when she uses black models.
Carotte (interpreter): There's always got to be a reason to put a black girl in a shoot. And generally, the poor things, it's something like a safari theme. We'll take the model off for a shoot in Africa so she can be "in her element," as it were. But there really isn't much demand.
But does it matter what happens in the small and superficial world of fashion? Isn't the success of one black entrepreneur or one Algerian-origin politician worth scores of Naomi Campbells?
The sociologist and Sorbonne professor Eric Mace organized a seminar on the media representation of ethnic minorities earlier this year. He believes upping visibility counts, because it shows the way forward.
Eric Mace: They are in France, they are French, they belong to France. And if they are more visible in TV program or advertisement, maybe the fact that there is no non-white people among the parliament will appear more scandalous.
But getting minorities into commercials is difficult. For Mr. Mace, the advertising industry sees one thing when it sees a non-European-origin face: commercial risk. So back out in the burbs, isn't Elite getting young women's hopes up for nothing?
Elite's president, Gerald Marie, tells a North African girl to come back and see them when she's lost a few pounds. But if she does, and she gets on to Elite's books, would a French luxury brand ever choose her for one of their ads?
Gerald Marie: We have to really be ready to propose to the companies the possibility to choose beautiful kids in the new generations coming from a different ethnic [background].
Three more aspiring models pre-selected, relieved and elated. But this evening, there's another elimination, and there are three more in the coming months. And if Elite wants them, will the market? They still have a long way to go.
In Paris, I'm John Laurenson for Marketplace.


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Beautiful photo shoots of wild animals by Nick Brandt. He has had numerous one-man exhibitions between 2004 and 2006, including London, Berlin, New York, Los Angeles, Hamburg, Santa Fe, Sydney, Melbourne and San Francisco.
These photos are really stunning.
Found here
Thursday, 29 July 2010
Wednesday, 28 July 2010
Fashion illustration by Natatalie Brockett
She is designer and illustrator from Australia, living happily in Tokyo. I like her style, her ink vivid colour, mixed media collages and structured compositions.
Labels: Fashion, Illustration 0 comments
Illustrations of Oivind Hovland
Oivind Hovland is a freelance illustrator with a long list of international clients, covering a broad range of media. He is also the author of two illustrated books, published by Tabella, and his work has been short-listed for IMAGES and the Nationwide Mercury Prize Art Exhibition.
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
Brilliant ad "It's in our nature"
Advertising Agency: Ogilvy & Mather, Hong Kong.
It's just amazing!
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Fashion into art - korean vogue part2
Monday, 19 July 2010
Hugh D'Andrade - Designer/Activist
Hugh's illustrations appeared on book covers, magazine, posters as well as the occasional t-shirt and skateboard.
Korean vogue
Gorgeous fashion photographs by Kim Kyung Soon for Korean Vogue.
The models are wearing traditional Korean dresses.
Saturday, 17 July 2010
Frank Chimero
Frank Kimero, illustrator, graphic designer, writer, teacher and thinker. You can find the section called Ethos on his in which there are a number of interesting thoughts about the creative process. "Paper and pencil is the conduit for reasoning outside of your brain." or "People ignore design that ignores people".
Labels: Ad, Graphic design, Inspirations 0 comments
Black cherry and lolita
Suspended black cherry lamp (blown glass, painted metal tubing) produced by La Femme et la maison Nika Zupanc.
And here Lolita lamp produced by Moooi
More at nikazupanc
Labels: Design, Glass, Interior design 0 comments
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Bending bike
Final-year BSc Industrial Design student, Kevin Scott, is Runner-up in the Business Design Centre New Designer of the Year Award at New Designers for his collapsible bicycle.
Labels: Design, Vehicles 0 comments
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
A+A Cooren
The Tourbillon vase by A+A Cooren is pretty interesting. It looks like a funnel of water going down a drain.
Labels: Design, Glass 0 comments


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Molded of high impact plastic, with a soft leather grip which won't corrode or discolor in harsh marine environments. Mounts by bolting two 1/4" pan or round head machine screws. Once installed, decorative caps snap over mount holes so no fasteners are visible. Handle measures 9-1/4" long with 6-3/4" bridge length and 1-5/8" finger clearance.
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We cannot do everything, but we usually can accommodate a certain changes in product options such as color, size, material, or minor design twist. We primarily work with vendors or factories, not individual artist or craftsman. For custom made products, we usually only cater to bulk size order that meets the minimum quantity requirement of a single factory run. Don't be shy. Ask. What we can accomplish may surprise you!
Read this first: Copyrights & Trademarks


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Last night we made it into Strasbourg, our second last town in Europe, it's so close to the end now, it has been a long trip, both of us are looking forward to Paris and Bali. Today we have a full day, with a couple of things on our list to go do; we started our day around nine thirty making our first stop at Petite-France, an area in Strasbourg that has these old buildings typical of an Alsacien (the region which Strasbourg is located within France) period.
We made our way on foot to Petite-France and once getting there it did not let it self down, it was such a picturesque place, the old housing, the cobble stone streets, the little bridges going over the water, a very pretty little area. Smaller towns like this seem to be quieter now, with Christmas and New Years truly out the way, more and more cafes and shops have closed up for the winter break. Shops closing up provide its positives and negatives: the towns are more quiet and a relaxed environment, whereas on the negative: it makes it harder to find places to eat, and if you do want to go into a store where you see something in the shop window, mostly likely it's closed.
After having a stroll through Petite-France, we followed the water until arriving to the Musée Alsacien. The museum was not really meant to be a stop, as we had gone through on what to do and see in Luxembourg yesterday while eating lunch, I think this stop was bookmarked on the iPad as a joke. Seeing that we were there now, the entry was something like three euros each and hey, who doesn't want to say that they have seen the Alsacien Museum in Strasbourg. We made our way inside through the museum that described the way the house was built, to the way they lived and dressed, it wasn't that bad, was interesting to a certain extent. Amanda thought it was a bit of a waste of time…
Once our brain was full of knowledge on the Alsacien life, we found a little café, stopping for an espresso and tea, with our next place on the agenda being the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg. The cathedral is located in the great big main square in the town, with the Palais Rohan being located in the square as well. The Notre-Dame was huge and over powered every building surrounding it in the city, the façade had great detail in sculpture. Contrary to the outside, the inside of the church had less detail, with giant pillars leading up to the very high ceiling, it was a very pretty church. The Palais Rohan contained three art exhibitions, but we decided not to go in as admission was expensive. The main square had two sections, the first smaller section was in the front entrance of the cathedral, it had souvenir shops surrounding it, the other section was on the side of the church and was the entrance to the Palais Rohan. The second section seemed as the better section of the square, but seeing most things we visit so far have been under construction, the whole section was blocked off and under construction.
We browsed through a couple of souvenir shops, buying a sticker, I tried on a couple of the hats on offer, I looked like a fool. We found a restaurant that was cheap and offered pretty much everything. It was right off the main square and was busier than the other restaurants. Amanda had the steak and chips while I had the chips and sausages; both were nice and filling for the rest of the day's activities. After staying in the restaurant for a while and resting, we headed back out onto the streets to make our way to a little church we found on trip advisor that had great reviews.
Whilst walking there we got a bit lost, it wasn't as close as the other things we had visited today, but we were heading that way for the other sights anyway. Whilst walking we came across some buildings, we weren't sure what they were but thought they might be their courthouses. They were spectacular, across the river these buildings were huge with amazing architecture. So thanks to my misguiding directions we saw another beautiful area of Strasbourg, in saying that, once we did find the location of the church bookmarked on the map, it wasn't a church at all, it was just some building, we both couldn't stop laughing when finding out that it was just some random building.
Around the corner from the random building was Strasbourg's opera theatre "Opéra National du Rhin". There were trees that led to the building; it was a beautifully designed building with huge detailed sculptures all over the building. From here we walked to the Palais Rohan, I should explain, when looking up the location of Palais Rohan yesterday, it came up with two locations, the first was the one we have already visited and the second being here, so thought why not visit both seeing as both locations were near other sights. We walked to the so called Palais Rohan, as you did, you entered a small park area, which had a monument in the middle, with Palais Rohan on the left, which we found out was a university and the right had some other building but looked important. Both buildings were really huge and like all the older buildings in Strasbourg so far, were quite spectacular.
On the busy main road we caught a taxi to a main park called " Park Orangerie", it wasn't too far, less than ten minutes and only cost something like five euros. The taxi driver dropped us off at the park entrance, there was a building with a restaurant there, so both of us needing to go toilet thought about getting something to drink so we can use the toilet. Peeping through the window though there seemed to be some sort of function on, also in the same building before the entrance to the restaurant was a bowling alley, tempted to go, but decided not to last minute. We walked into the park and were greeted by a great big beautiful lake, as well as a beautiful toilet sign, the toilets in Europe are amazingly clean, generally speaking.
The park was really beautiful, the lake was nice, we sat down and just people watched for a bit as well as dog watching. We went up to the lake and a dog came up to us, both of us taking the opportunity to pat it. We walked through the park, we found out later that the park offers a small free zoo but hadn't seen it while walking around. As we strolled the course of the park we came to the end, where the European Parliament was, well it wasn't the actual parliament, it was one of the EU's building's, can't remember the name of it, the parliament was situated behind it across the water. By now Amanda was tired from all the walking, but I wanted to find it, we tried to walk behind the building and see it, but after walking in circles we couldn't find it so called it quits and pretended that this EU building (that had all the EU nations flags in the front) was of importance and headed back to the hotel via taxi.
That was all the sightseeing for the day, it was now around four or so in the afternoon, when we got back we rested our legs for a bit, then checked the train times online, after picking what train time we wanted to catch for the next day, I headed to the station to set our seat reservations. I say if anyone decides to go to Europe and travel via Europe's extensive train network, book the seat reservations first through your travel agent, it would make things so much easier. When I got to the train station there was a massive line, waiting in line for at least twenty minutes until getting served. The train we wanted was full and had no seats left for holders of the Eurail pass, so we had to go for the earlier train, which wasn't that bad, only an hour earlier and luckily we got a train.
After getting our reservations, I got back to the room; Amanda had packed everything up into the suitcase for tomorrow's departure, I took Amanda's order for dinner, another cheap dinner of McDonalds. That's another tip, when it comes to being cheap while travelling; the best meal you can get is mickey dees, usually a meal out in Europe can cost us twenty to twenty five euros each, while maccas can cost us ten euros and that's with our usual order of fries, vanilla milkshake and plain Sundae for Amanda, Big Mac, a random burger that is unique to the particular country we are in, six or nine nuggets, fries and a drink for me, so unhealthy but so cheap.
Tomorrow we leave for Paris; it will be our last train trip in Europe, which we both are happy about, very happy about. We have a morning train of ten sixteen, and it only takes around two hours to get there. We both are excited to see Paris, but our time in Europe has nearly drawn to a close, sad to leave and excited to move on.
the Alsacien museum
harry going a bit crazy
As usual, there's construction going on
Notre-Dame cathedral
where the so called church was supposed to be...
but clearly wasn't
a little lost
the university
amanda gets excited when she sees a dog
that looks even a little like nala :p
the lake
Posted by Harryandamanda 21:24 Archived in France


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New York Earth Day celebrates with "virtual" forests
By Bernd Debusmann, Jr.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A "virtual" forest sprouting on Times Square's renowned billboards, 1,000 free rain barrels for gritty city backyards and a parade of clean energy vehicles including hybrid garbage trucks are all helping New Yorkers go green for Earth Day on Friday.
Earth Day New York's managing director Joanne Black said accompanying giant forest images of dense vegetation and nature in the quintessential lit-up, crowded and chaotic urban landscape of Times Square will be "a visual call to action."
On Saturday, supporters of the environment can text message "tree" to the number 85944, pledging $5 for the United Nations' Year of Forest. The running tally will play out on large screens supplied by corporate sponsors including CNN, MTV, Reuters and Toshiba.
The onetime $5 dollar donation will be debited from cell phone bills to fund the planting of trees in degraded lands as far afield as Mexico, Kenya, India and the Philippines.
"It's rare for so many companies to give up their screens," Black said of the colossal, often dazzling billboards that hover above the so-called crossroads of the world and are seen by tens of thousands of people daily. "For this, they have."
"We hope to engage a broad segment of the public and show that even a small contribution can really make a difference," Earth Day New York Executive Director Pamela Lippe said.
Although the Times Square Alliance does not keep a figure on the total amount of electricity used by the billboards - which are run independently of one another - a spokesman said the billboards used today run on considerably less energy than those used in previous years.
On Friday, a convoy of more than 30 electric and alternative fuel cars, including an Inizio, the world's fastest electric sports car, will tour Manhattan, their GPS-tracked progress followed on the Times Square screens. Continued...