text:
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
The enhancement of GPS technology enables the use of GPS devices not only as navigation and orientation tools, but also as instruments used to capture travelled routes: as sensors that measure activity on a city scale or the regional scale. TU Delft developed a process and database architecture for collecting data on pedestrian movement in three European city centres, Norwich, Rouen and Koblenz, and in another experiment for collecting activity data of 13 families in Almere (The Netherlands) for one week. The question posed in this paper is: what is the value of GPS as 'sensor technology' measuring activities of people? The conclusion is that GPS offers a widely useable instrument to collect invaluable spatial-temporal data on different scales and in different settings adding new layers of knowledge to urban studies, but the use of GPS-technology and deployment of GPS-devices still offers significant challenges for future research.
The availability of so-called geopositioning devices such as GPS (Global Positioning System) devices has grown enormously in the last decade and is still increasing. More and more people own a
GPS is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). GNSS is a system for location or position determination – so called geopositioning [
GNSS is an essential Positioning Determination Technology for many fields of study. Although in recent years the system has undergone a significant 'modernisation' to improve its quality [
The most general definition of a sensor is 'a device which detects or measures a physical property' (Compact Oxford English Dictionary). A more specific definition of a sensor is 'a device that responds to a physical stimulus (as heat, light, sound, pressure, magnetism, or a particular motion) and transmits a resulting impulse (as for measurement or operating a control)' (Merrian Webster). Seeing GPS as a sensor requires use of the latter definition. Rather than a physical property it measures the location and motion of a GPS device and the person or object that carries it. The output is in the form of a track log with 3-dimensional spatial location coordinates and a time stamp. In an effort to characterize different types of sensors, Michahelles and Schiele [
GPS is not the only technology for sensing location and activity of humans. For a few years already, mobile phone technology, RFID and Bluetooth can also provide easy-to-handle sensing data on location and activity. However, these technologies have their particular drawbacks with regards to the type of experiments described below. For more on those technologies see Shoval's ideas about 'human sensing' [
With the increasing use of GPS and other tracking technologies, the number of scientific publications on these technologies and their application is also increasing. The aim of this paper is to add a new dimension to the evaluation of tracking studies, namely to evaluate the sensory qualities that GPS technology offers for researching measures of urban quality, where most research focuses on other fields of expertise.
Transportation science is a major field of research in which tracking studies have developed and on which tracking research builds [
Studies focussing on location based services (LBS), a relatively new field of study, form the major part of GPS technology-oriented research. In their opening article to the new Journal of Location Based Services, Raper Envisage and embody 'blue sky' innovations; Explore user experiences and social implications outside commercial implementation; Tackle technical problems that lead to system developments without an early return.
Envisage and embody 'blue sky' innovations;
Explore user experiences and social implications outside commercial implementation;
Tackle technical problems that lead to system developments without an early return.
In general, studies related to LBS strongly attach to the importance of data visualisation (see [
Future studies are another popular field of study in which tracking technologies get attention. For example, Ahas and Ular [
In general, many studies focus on technical issues regarding GPS, rather than on the application of knowledge derived from a tracking study. If they are knowledge-oriented, studies often focus on a singularly empiricist approach, rather than on application of knowledge. There is a tendency to fill the gap between empirics and application by collecting greater and greater data sets, since 'the more data the better you know what to do'. Although for some issues, like performing diagnostics on the level of a complete transportation system, this might be so; this argument does not always hold up. Still, handling large data sets is a significant problem that has to be dealt with in all but the smallest studies using GPS, so that automation of data processing will become ever more necessary. In addition, reduction of data complexity through data visualisation might offer complementary alternatives to data mining.
However, since the major focus in the body of literature on tracking is on progress of GPS technology, studies in the fields discussed above often lack attention to the particular problems regarding knowledge application in the field of planning [
Although the sudden interest for patterns of use in tracking studies might suggest that research into use aspects of urban quality in urban design is new, there are interesting examples available based on other research techniques and approaches. For example, Gehl
Hence, it is interesting to look at the value of GPS as a research technique in the context of urban studies and in particular urban design and planning for two reasons: (1) it might add to the knowledge on the use value of urban spaces, (2) it offers an intriguing new technique which enables research possibilities not available with either traditional urban analysis techniques or low-tech research techniques for studying behaviour patterns in time and space. So the main question posed in this paper is: what is the value of GPS as 'sensor technology' measuring activities of people, in particular in the context of studies regarding urban quality? By looking at two different research projects by TU Delft using GPS, this question is answered along three lines. Firstly, what is the contribution of GPS to traditional methods of urban research? Secondly, what is the performance of GPS as sensor instrument? Thirdly, in what ways can GPS-devices be deployed in urban settings?
In this paper we will first describe the general process and database architecture and the particular approaches used in the different case studies. Next, we show how the empirical results in the different research projects provide insight into GPS as a sensor technology with relevance for studies on urban quality.
GPS devices have been used by TU Delft to track people in several experiments. The experiments, of which we describe two here, had different research aims and took place on different scales. In the first experiment described in this paper, GPS devices were deployed in the INTERREG IIIB Spatial Metro project to observe pedestrians visiting the historic city centres of Norwich (U.K.), Rouen (France) and Koblenz (Germany) [
The GPS-experiments described in this paper were set up to tackle questions about urban quality in the field of urbanism, i.e. the design and planning of urban areas. However, the application of data from GPS experiments in urbanism is not a matter of course. The expert meeting 'Urbanism on Track' in 2007 showed that GPS does not automatically bridge what can be called the
Despite these limitations, GPS is an interesting new instrument to map and measure urban quality in new ways. The particular cases in this paper refer to different types of urban quality that can be studied using GPS. Spatial Metro is a research program which focuses on urban quality from the perspective of pedestrians. The aim of the program is to find new and exciting ways of improving city centres for pedestrians. GPS was used as an instrument to analyse both individual routes (so called trajectories or tracks [
In general, the GPS experiments developed by TU Delft contain two main parts. Firstly, spatial-temporal data and background information is collected during field work. Secondly, the collected data is retrieved and processed.
The field work consists of the following four phases (see
Following the field work the data is retrieved from the GPS devices and processed for further analysis.
During the processing phase the valid trajectories are converted into three types of 'shape files' (.shp: point, line and area) using GPSU batch utility. These shape files can be linked in ArcGIS using the Data Interoperability Tool (DIT). In ArcGIS the layers containing the trajectories are merged and connected to the Access database using a unique trip ID.
The Access database containing the interview data and some characteristics of the trips are converted into SPSS for frequency, cross-table and cluster analysis. In ArcGIS, several actions are undertaken: data is selected (query) based on the combination of SPSS and GIS and analysed using filtering, layering and calculations, such as density analysis. A distinction between two types of density calculations can be made: point density (time corrected) representing the total time spent on a location and line density representing the number of people.
In the 'visualisation & interpretation' phase the results of the analysis phase are exported to static and dynamic file formats leading to illustrated temporal maps (e.g. .ai or .pdf) and animated temporal maps (e.g. .mov or .swf). Based on interpretation of the results, conclusion maps are drawn. The final versions of these maps are produced in an iterative process by exporting new output from ArcGIS.
For the Spatial Metro project the GPS tracking devices were distributed continuously during daytime over a period of one week at two parking facilities in each of the three cities [
A questionnaire was filled out on return at the access point. No sensitive, private information revealing the identity of the participant was collected. Data collection was limited to trip-related data and general characteristics of the visitors. Data collection was limited to daytime use. The distribution and collection locations opened at 10 am and closed at 6 pm. Tracking data that was stored on the GPS device was extracted in office at a later stage.
In the next phase the spatial-temporal data was processed by evaluating, cleaning and validating the raw data. After that, the valid tracking data layers were projected in a Geographic Information System. In the following phase two types of drawings were made. The first type of drawings combines spatial-temporal data with e.g. an aerial image, access routes and arrival points, commercial activities, points of interest and investments. These drawings result in a visual analysis of the local spatial conditions in relation to actual behaviour of the tracked sample. The first type based on projection of the data on top of other geographical information and the second one based on density analysis of the data determined by the themes of the questionnaire.
The second type of drawings delivers a set of specific spatial patterns based on the aspects of
After a request from TU Delft, the municipality approached families in three neighbourhoods of the new town of Almere. Each family asked to participate in the research consisted of a father, a mother and one or two children in the age range of 16–18. This family constellation was chosen for the expected wide range of activity and movement patterns within one family unit. Initially, fifteen families agreed to participate. In the end, 40 participants of 13 families carried GPS devices for one week. The field work (see
During the week of data collection all tracking data was stored in the memory of the GPS device. The spatial-temporal data was stored at an interval of two seconds. On the eighth day after distribution, the devices were collected again during which a second interview took place and maps were drawn filling in blanks when devices were forgotten by participants. Hereafter, processing of both spatial-temporal and personal data started. The first step of processing was evaluation and cleaning. The second step was to split up tracks into trips based on each round trip from home. The third step was to enter the data in a database according to the developed protocol (see
In Almere each member of 13 families was tracked for one week, covering several hundred trips. The data provides information about use of the network over periods of 24 hours, including starting and end time and length of a trip or activity, speed and transport modes of transportation, the radius from home or from activity locations. As expected, data collection encountered several problems that led to incomplete data: a lag in time to first fixation (fix) after leaving home, insufficient charging of batteries, forgetting or switching off GPS devices by participants. But a significant set of valid data remained for visual and quantitative analysis.
In this section we show how the theory behind and the empirical results from the different research projects provide insight into the value of GPS as a sensor technology in urban studies. For both cases, the particular problem setting is described, followed by an explanation of analytical methods used in the context of that problem and how GPS tracking fits. Both case descriptions provide insight in the main measurements to be performed on GPS data to be relevant for that particular problem setting.
Norwich, Rouen and Koblenz are relatively small cities (100,000–130,000 inhabitants) located in the United Kingdom, France and Germany, respectively. Each city has a historical centre and functions as a regional attractor serving a large hinterland. Concerned about future retail developments, the administrations of these cities struggle to keep up the vitality of their urban core as the central shopping district and in particular as an attractive place for living.
The aim of the overall Spatial Metro project is to make investments in public space happen; in particular to improve the city centres for pedestrians. In this light, the role of TU Delft was to develop tools to measure the effects of the investments in for example city beautification, street furniture, lighting and information systems [
TU Delft developed and used two tools: (1) street interviews to collect information about the experiences of visitors (used in 2005 and 2006) and tracking technologies (GPS tracking) to collect data on actual movement and routing (used in 2007). Sixty-six people were interviewed in 2005. The interviews resulted in maps of great public spaces: 'great to shop', 'great to enjoy', 'great to discover' and 'the greatest'. Further it resulted in an indication of gender, frequency of visit, age, origin, time spent, money spent, access mode and purpose.
Using the GPS devices, in total 1,300 pedestrians were tracked and interviewed. On average 60% of the data was valid. The remaining 40% was not usable due to problems with fixation, batteries, blur (clouds of points) and fragmentation. The origin of these issues is clear: the signal reception in dense urban areas is weak; signals reflect on buildings, people tend to go into buildings, and pedestrians move relatively slowly (see also [
Most insight gained from the experiment came from the spatial-temporal data adding another layer of information to the interview data and to the spatial analysis, providing in particular more insight in daily processes in the city. The combination with information exogenous to the GPS data, such as morphological maps, provides a technique to discover anomalies and to draw conclusions about qualities of public space. Density analyses offer a tool to discover 'hotspots' of use in the city based on actual movement, not on perception and post-hoc questionnaires. The use of a questionnaire offers a method to distinguish between trajectories on several different aspects, providing unique thematic maps and the ability to compare different aspects based on SPSS cross-tabulations. Finally, the use of dynamic maps for data visualisation offers temporal diagrams. These show not only trajectories, but also directions and flows of movement.
Both static and dynamic ways of visualisation offer tremendous insight in pedestrian behaviour, leading to conclusions about differences in urban quality between places and about opportunities for improving the local situation, which can be applied in planning practice.
To get the full picture, data collected using GPS should be used in combination with data on the location of programs, activities and points of interest, morphology and quality of public space, and with counting data. Placing counting devices in the right locations might provide a system to extrapolate the GPS sensor data.
New towns have a number of generic characteristics. The plan to develop a new town is generally derived from an unambiguous socio-economic paradigm. The spatial layout and stratification of the circulating system, using subsystems of different speeds, is based on avoiding risk and conflict between transport modes and inhabitants. Most new towns lie within the influence sphere of an old, central city and often depend on it functionally. The plan for a new town often projects a particular life style, which projection is supposed to solve the social and spatial problems of the dominant central city. In general, new towns are built up in a short time with a simple or particular physical structure. The construction of housing in new towns conforms to market principles and relies on a fast and efficient building process for large groups of inhabitants that mostly originate from the central, dominant city. Almere is a morphologically polynuclear new town in the reclaimed land of the Flevopolder. The town exists of spatially separated suburban neighbourhoods. New towns in general and Almere in particular has attracted heavy criticism in the last decades with regard to mobility issues and quality of living, the need for renewal of some its parts, the (re)development of a city centre and the continuing planning tasks of housing construction.
Over the last decade TU Delft developed and applied several spatial-analytical methods [
Secondly, this theory explains how the process of planning and construction of cities can be related to the physical structure of the urban frame. In particular, the factor time in the process of planning has a strong influence on the structure of public space, i.e. the structure of the urban frame and of parks and squares in the city. The theory distinguishes between urban systems that are organized as a 'parallel' system or as a 'serial' system [
So far, methods of analysis in Almere have focused on analysing the spatial structure, layout and process of planning. The GPS tracking experiment, part of ongoing studies on Almere, produces a new layer adding a mapping of actual behaviour to this analysis. This could contribute to substantiating or falsifying the theory on 'parallel' and 'serial' systems constructed of 'frame', 'pattern' and 'circuit'.
The problem for which GPS is used in the example of Almere is the following. In a 'serial' spatial urban frame there is often only one way to connect points of origin and destination, to connect the sequence of activities during a day. But, quality of life and the accommodation of multiple life styles demand a wider range of choice of possible routes, differing in time and space. The quality of urban life derives from coincidences, i.e. of 'parallel' use of the spatial urban frame, a condition for being related with others and other places in time and space. One possible measure of urban quality then is the degree to which round trips use the same route back and forth (see
Another interesting measure made possible by tracking research is accumulated length of trip for particular purposes. The GPS tracking project in Almere made clear that in spite of an extensive pedestrian network and cycling network, parents transport their children to sport facilities during the week largely by car. Preliminary data analysis and extrapolation suggests that this might add up to a staggering total weekly amount of 800,000 to 1,200,000 km just for the city of Almere [
In the case of Almere, there seems to be a partial paradox between the 'serial' process of planning the town resulting in a hierarchical structure of the urban frame and the crisscross way in which people use this urban frame by living in it day and night (see
TU Delft used GPS tracking technologies in two experiments on different scales and in different ways of device distribution. In this paper we aimed to assess the value of GPS as a sensor technology. The two different research projects described in this paper provide some insight there. The main question in this paper was: what is the value of GPS as 'sensor technology' measuring activities of people, in particular in the context of studies regarding urban quality? By looking at two different research projects by TU Delft using GPS, this question is answered in this section along three lines. Firstly, what is the contribution of GPS to traditional methods of urban research? Secondly, what is the performance of GPS as sensor instrument? Thirdly, in what ways can GPS-devices be deployed in urban settings?
Traditional methods of research in urban design and planning are mostly visual in nature, such as morphological analysis, functional-spatial analysis, exploration of design alternatives, superimposition of thematic maps, etcetera. Although the interest in actual use of, in particular, public space has been present since the birth of the profession of urban planning, the actual use of methods studying it have remained limited. In the field of geography, the study of temporal-spatial patterns of use has developed, in particular in the field of time geography [
So, the contribution of GPS to traditional methods of urban research can be valued from these three angles: visualisation, accuracy and the validation of other research techniques. Visualisation plays a very important role in dealing with tracking data. In the processing stage it is important in case of manual validation of data. In the interpretation and analysis stage it is important as a tool for analysis. And last, but not least, visualisation is instrumental in communicating research results from tracking studies both to experts across disciplinary boundaries and to non-experts such as politicians or civilians. The visual nature of tracking information makes it more akin to other research techniques in urban planning and design than previous research techniques to analyse people's behaviour patterns in space and time. So, on the one hand the easily visualisable tracking data connects directly to the visual data used in urban planning and design – it can be literally layered on top of each other - while on the other hand it brings previously numerically and verbally oriented fields of knowledge into the language domain of urban planning and design. With regard to accuracy, GPS is proving to be significantly more accurate for registering routes and activity locations than post-hoc mapping or diary taking by participants. Moreover, research based on GPS tracking, and possibly in the future complete 'urban sensor systems', gives not only the possibility to visualise real-time behaviour. More important, it assists professionals in understanding and validating the performance of traditional urban analyses.
Looking at these three angles on the value of GPS in relation to other methods of urban research, most important is that this knowledge provides new – visual, accurate and combinable - arguments and as such a new evidence base for projecting and predicting future urban developments.
The performance of GPS as sensor instrument depends on a number of factors, both related to the technology and to factors outside the technological features. We highlight the importance of technological improvements, the scale of tracking studies, and the role of the experiment protocols.
Technically and practically GPS tracking still has its problems and for research purposes further technological development is necessary. Increased quality of GPS-receivers and, for example, integration with other technologies such as the mobile phone system, is important to improve the quality of spatial-temporal data collection. Important technical issues are battery life time, time to (first) fix, accuracy of reception and avoiding blur and fragments. In addition to hardware improvements, software - such as scripts and data-mining algorithms - needs to be improved to further raise the quality and to speed up data processing.
The experiments confirm the findings in Schaick and Spek [
The cases show that data quality is not only dependent on the technical performance of the global positioning system. In the set up described in this paper, data quality very much relies on the parties involved. More than in the case of Spatial Metro, data quality in the Almere case is dependent on the involvement of the participants, as well as their commitment to and understanding of what they are doing. In comparison, data quality in the Spatial Metro case was heavily dependent on commitment and understanding of the experiments by research assistants. In the former the use protocols were most important, while in the latter the distribution protocol was essential to uphold data quality in the end, both with regard to technical issues as well as diminishing the risk of unusual routes taken by participants as a result of participating in the experiment. The extended time period in the Almere case enabled further support during the experiment such as a manual, a quick user guide and a 24/7 service desk).
Our third criterion for valuing GPS as sensor technology is the possibilities it offers for deploying GPS-devices in urban settings. Technically, the experiments show – confirming the literature - GPS is not ideal in dense urban environments, for example because of loss of signal and reflections of the surfaces in urban environments. Furthermore, data completeness and accuracy suffers from people going in and out of buildings. Since GPS experiments are still dependent on distributing GPS devices that are carried by people or vehicles, urban environments do offer places such as car parks to control distribution of devices in a controlled setting, but the logistics of experiments are a limiting factor. Although these issues lead to a decreased amount of possibilities for carrying out tracking experiments, data validation still leaves a good portion of data. However, due the type of errors caused by deployments in urban settings, data processing in the experiments has proven to be a time consuming process.
In general we conclude that GPS offers a widely useable instrument to collect invaluable spatial-temporal data on different scales and in different settings adding new layers of knowledge to urban studies, but the use of GPS-technology and deployment of GPS-devices still offers significant challenges for future research. In both cases the GPS delivered spatial-temporal data next to background information gathered by a questionnaire. The spatial-temporal data delivered a new layer of information on top of other geographical information. The strong feature of the method is the combination of spatial-temporal data (behaviour in space and time), spatial conditions, social-demographic information of the participants and characteristics of the trips. This enables to split up patterns based on personal and trip related aspects. The methods, as developed by TU Delft, add information to the traditional ways of analysis and do therefore not a priori replace existing ways of collecting information, such as counting and observing. Still, the current experiments only show a small range of applications in comparison to what is possible, in particular to further study the qualities of public space in particular and of urban systems in general.
To conclude this paper we would like to indicate a number of future developments in light of the experiments by TU Delft. We want to highlight the following developments: (1) the almost ubiquitous availability of geopositioning data in a nearby future, (2) the combination of positioning sensors with other types of sensors, (3) automation of data collection and processing, (4) the evaluative capacities of tracking technologies, and (5) the increased relevance of multiple, visual environments to communicate results from tracking studies.
Firstly, the above section showed that the scale of experiments is limited considerably because of logistical and data processing concerns when using the current generation of available GPS devices. If GPS would be available wider and people could just share their tracks, the only thing needed is a platform and a set of protocols to upload spatial-temporal data. This would enable open-source collection of spatial-temporal data and therefore feature GPS as a worldwide applicable sensor technique collecting spatial-temporal data, quantitative information and qualitative information.
Secondly, we foresee that combining GPS with other types of sensors, such as those measuring air quality, and sensory and emotional experiences of people would enable a next generation of tracking research to offer more directly applicable knowledge to the field of urban planning and design. This would require the development of new process architectures that combine several different data sets and the connection of data flows from stationary and mobile sensors.
Thirdly, automatic recognition of individual track aspects is necessary to enlarge the scale of tracking experiments. Important variables with regard to individual tracks for which automation of data processing might be valuable are: (a) destination (e.g. location, duration, activity), (b) route (e.g. track type (spatial pattern), direction), (c) exit and access and direction with regard to a delimited research locale. With regard to the automatic recognition of collective, aggregate variables would be relevant: (a) flows of masses of people and (b) emerging shared destinations (e.g. 'hot spots', activity, duration).
Fourth, experts in tracking research and urban planners interested in these instruments foresee that GPS tracking can be used as a tool for evaluating the effects of interventions, i.e. the transformation of urban areas, or for continuous monitoring instrument of urban areas [
Lastly, in addition to the need for increasingly sophisticated data handling on the quantitative side of GPS-data analysis, visualisation remains in our view at the heart of the strength and relevance of using tracking technologies in urban studies. With this outlook, we see tracking studies evolving from the experimental stage to a full blown research instruments in a wide range of knowledge domains.
Spatial Metro was co-funded by the European Union Interreg IIIb initiative. Special thanks goes to the Cities of Norwich, Rouen, and Koblenz for cooperating and making the research possible. The research team consisted of Stefan van der Spek, Frank van der Hoeven, Conrad Kickert, Robbert Jan van der Meer, Koen de Boo, Remco de Haan, Frank den Hartog and Glenn Kustermans
The GPS research in Almere was co-funded by the International New Town Institute (INTI) and the City of Almere. The research team consisted of Peter de Bois and Remco de Haan, with advice from Stefan van der Spek and Jeroen van Schaick.
The research work by Jeroen van Schaick on the application of knowledge on activity patterns of people in urbanism is funded by the Delft Centre for Sustainable Urban Areas.
Approach to the field work.
General data processing scheme for GPS experiments.
Principle of deployment of GPS devices in the Spatial Metro case. Each trip contains the complete, walked pattern of that day for one participant and is delimited by leaving the car park (location A or B) and returning to it.
Principle of deployment of GPS devices in the Almere case. Each trip is delimited by leaving the home 'base' and by returning to it.
GPS tracking results from Löhrcenter (parking for 1,400 cars) and from Gorresplatz (parking for 386 cars) in Koblenz: superimposition of one week of data collection from both locations. All track points are logged at 5 seconds frequency on devices carried by pedestrians that on the same day access the city centre from the car park and return to their car.
GPS tracking results from Löhrcenter in Koblenz (parking for 1,400 cars) superimposed on location of commercial functions.
GPS tracking results from Gorresplatz in Koblenz (parking 386 cars) superimposed on location of touristic attractions
The principal difference between a 'parallel' and 'serial' urban system.
Two 'extreme' types of GPS tracks from the Almere experiment: degree of match between both ways on a return trip. Background map is based on the Almere street pattern.
GPS tracking data for one week of the Almere experiment: superimposition of activity patterns of 13 households (40 people), red dots indicate housing location. Background based on the Almere street pattern.


text:
Lindsey Vonn back on top after tumultuous year
Once she reached the mountaintop in her mountain sport, Lindsey Vonn won with such metronomic regularity and despite the injuries that buckle the best skiers from time to time that she began to seem like some kind of alpine robot.
Patch her up, charge her up, start her up … and the result was the same nearly every time.
PHOTOS: Vonn in pictures
It wasn't until last year — when she failed to win the World Cup overall title for the first time in four years, and later in the year filed for divorce and then reached out to rekindle a relationship with her estranged father — did we realize that she is fully human.
Human enough to end a four-year marriage that from a career standpoint was working beautifully but from a personal standpoint was failing. With her husband, Thomas Vonn, a former U.S. ski team racer, serving as her unofficial coach and manager, she won three consecutive World Cup overall titles and an Olympic gold medal, becoming the first American woman to win the Olympic downhill in the 2010 Vancouver Games. She won the race despite skiing with a painful shin bruise.
"We worked so well together, but I feel like ultimately that was one of our main problems," she said of her marriage in a phone interview with USA TODAY. "We were more about business and work than we were about having a relationship. He's a great guy, and I don't want to discredit anything we did together. We had a lot of success on the hill and off the hill. It just didn't work anymore as a marriage."
Human enough to reach out to her father, Alan Kildow, who had guided Lindsey into skiing in Minnesota when she was 2 and then moved the family to Vail, Colo., to advance Lindsey's junior career when she was 13. Kildow, who is divorced from Lindsey's mother, disapproved of Lindsey's relationship with Thomas from the beginning, largely because of the nine-year age difference.
Lindsey did not invite her father to her wedding in 2007 and hadn't spoken to him in more than six years when she picked up the phone late last year to tell him she was getting a divorce.
"I needed my dad to be there for me, and he was," says Vonn, 27. "We kind of just let the past be the past and moved forward. We're trying to build our relationship back again. It's definitely a slow process, but I'm really thankful for the support he's given me and for helping me through this.
USA TODAY Sports on Twitter!
To get the latest sports news from USA TODAY, including game results, columns and features, follow us on Twitter at @USATODAYSports.
"It's been a tough time in my life. It was time to let go. Family is complicated, but family is always family. It was just time. I wanted my dad back."
Vonn proved herself
Amid the changes and the emotions, Vonn came full circle this winter, proving that she is not only fully human, but also dominant on the most demanding and fearsome ski courses in the world. On Friday, in winning a giant slalom race in Are, Sweden, Vonn clinched her fourth World Cup overall title, most of any American skier. Only Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell has more World Cup women's overall titles with six.
This week at the World Cup finals in Schladming, Austria, she has a chance to top Hermann Maier's all-time record of 2,000 points in a World Cup season. Beyond that, Vonn in the coming years will chase Moser-Proell's all-time record of 62 World Cup victories. Vonn is third with 52. She also plans to defend her Olympic downhill title in 2014 in Sochi, Russia, where the women ran a downhill event this year. Vonn was third.
Vonn has won 11 races on the World Cup tour this season, matching the American record she set in 2010. Aside from winning the overall title, she has clinched season titles in downhill and super combined and could still win titles in super-G and giant slalom in Austria. Her current points total — 1,808 — is also an American record and puts her within range of Janica Kostelic's women's mark of 1,970 and Maier's 2,000.
Though Vonn has already clinched the overall, Maier's record is a good motivator this week. A win is worth 100 points. She will be favored in the downhill today and the super-G on Thursday. She is also capable of scoring in the slalom Friday and giant slalom Saturday.
"I'm going to fight in every race until the end," she says. "I've never really thought that 2,000 points was possible for me. This is an opportunity that may never happen again in my career."
As Vonn's feelings have bounced around this winter from sadness to triumph and eventually deep satisfaction, perhaps no one could empathize quite as much as her mother, who went through a divorce when Lindsey was a teenager and starting to make her name in the skiing world.
"I can testify that to go through what she's going through and still concentrate on what's in front of her is not easy," says Vonn's mother, Lindy Lund, who remarried last summer. "It's hard to put some things aside. But I had confidence in her. She has proven that nothing can stop her."
In winning back her title, Vonn, who somehow still struggles with self-esteem despite being the most accomplished skier in American history and one of the most high-profile female athletes in endorsement opportunities, has proved something to herself.
"Doing it on my own has given me more confidence than I've ever had," she says. "I felt like I had something to prove in so many ways. To try to get the title back. To prove I can do it by myself. I don't know how it looks to everyone watching, but I feel like it's definitely gone better than I expected. I proved my point, I think."
To those watching most closely, it has looked amazing. Not robotic, but stunningly great.
"Her season has been remarkable," says Jeff Fergus, a U.S. ski team coach who was selected to basically be Vonn's personal coach this season. "Her professionalism is unbelievable. No matter what the day is, what the weather is, whether it's skiing or off-the-hill stuff or working out, she's just non-stop. She is so driven."
Teammate Leanne Smith is in awe of Vonn's focus.
"She wants to win, and she wants to push herself to the top of her sport," Smith says. "That's her main focus. Whatever is going on around her, she has the ability to block it out. I'm sure she's had some low points emotionally, but she's going out there every day trying to win."
Teammates welcome her
While Vonn has the ability to block out nearly everything, she has also shown the ability — and the inclination — this year to join in. In the past, Vonn has been fairly isolated from the team, given her extensive sponsor and media demands and also that her husband served as a liaison between her and the U.S. coaching staff. At race sites, Lindsey and Thomas pretty much did their own thing.
At the Vancouver Games, there was tension between Vonn and U.S. teammate Julia Mancuso, who finished second to Vonn in the downhill. Mancuso was quoted on SI.com as saying U.S. skiers have a difficult time reaching their potential because of the attention placed on Vonn, who at the time responded, "I try to support Julia as much as I support all the other teammates."
The two patched things up quickly, and Mancuso said her comment had been blown out of proportion.
This year, in a way, Vonn joined the U.S. ski team all over again, and she liked it.
"I was never really with the girls," she says. "I've been kind of separated. Now I feel like I'm definitely more a part of the team. Everyone realizes it's been a really tough time for me. They've really gone out of their way to make sure I'm doing OK. I definitely appreciate it."
Vonn still has a full-time personal trainer, Martin Hager, and a physical therapist, Patrick Rottenhoffer. Both are paid by her primary sponsor, Red Bull. But she is more integrated into the team this year, whether it's communicating with the U.S. coaching staff or in just killing time with other skiers.
"She'll go to a movie with us, or just ask us what we're going to do," Smith says. "She just wants to hang out more. It gets lonely on the tour. Any teammate that's going through a hard time, we try to be there for her."
Fergus was impressed by the way Smith and others welcomed Vonn into the fold.
"Since this all came out, they have opened up and done whatever they can for Lindsey," he says. "Definitely they have been warm and welcoming. They could have shut the door and said, 'Sorry,' but it was the exact opposite."
They opened the door wide, and they became fast friends. But, as usual, Vonn was the fastest.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Garanti Gallery and The Ottoman Bank Museum are hosting a "Twin Archive-Exhibition" between 4 April - 23 June 2007, entitled "Turgut Cansever: Architect and Thinker" and curated by Ugur Tanyeli and Atilla Yücel. Both exhibitions have set out to visualize Cansever's intellectual and architectural adventure, with the aim of tracing the development of constructional and written works by this architect and thinker. The "twin exhibition" concept has been defined in tandem to this dual nature of his personality. As a result, the Turgut Cansever twin exhibition comprises two autonomous components that complement each other even though they do not share the same location or design format.
The exhibition component at Garanti Gallery depicts Cansever as a thinker and a social figure. The exhibition will have an almost interactive relationship with the visitors, largely depending on digital technology and printed texts. It will also recount Cansever's personality as the outcome of the human society in which he came to his own. The component at The Ottoman Bank Museum, on the other hand, focuses on Cansever's architectural works. Most of the visual materials to be shown at this exhibition, except for the new architectural models, are originals from the periods they were produced. The works of over half a century, from the 1940s onwards, are presented via photographs, drawings and sketches. Together with the two components, this exhibition will be the first retrospective exhibition in Turkey to use archival material for an architect.
The visuals, other documents, and texts of the exhibition are brought together in a separate archive-book that goes beyond being a summary of the exhibition. The book, just like the exhibition, has been created by the editors, Ugur Tanyeli and Atilla Yücel. BEK Design and Consulting have carried out the design of the exhibition, book and publicity material.


text:
When Candy Licious and Katarina Muti beat the guys at soccer they offer two different pussies as a concession prize. One is fat and juicy, the other is tidy and tight, but they're both equally wet and ready for some intense Euro action!
90 %
90726views - Sep 19, 2015
Uh Oh! Bunch of punky babes were over at our party, getting buckwild in the hot tub. Started with some wet T shirt titties, then an orgy broke out in the living room. Before you could say "skank," these babes were getting their tight asses pounded.
Real Slut Party
84 %
48082views - May 14, 2013
We had such fine fucking asses on the sluts at our party that we had to line them all up in front of the bay window and make them bounce it hard for the camera like some sort of cunny smorg. We wet those cracks down with body shots to marinate the pu...
Real Slut Party
90 %
110151views - Jan 22, 2013
So us gals went on a road trip to some nowhere's ville town. We ended up landing at a motel where these guys were. We were hanging out in our room and they invited us over. It sounds worst than I'm making it out to be, but damn did we have a good tim...
87 %
107680views - Jul 26, 2011


text:
I'm not really sure how to explain this one, but I got my phone beginning of March and this is the first time I've had this issue. I kept going to the main screen and my screen automatically kept going to the right/last screen. I tried to hit my messages (when I was able to get to that screen), and the visual voicemail kept popping up. Than the alarm clock and timer would pop up. It was like someone was on my phone. I tried everything to scroll over to the main menu and nothing would happen.
I have tried to turn off my phone and turn it on, as well as I took the battery out and put it back in.
Has anyone else had a similar problem like this before?
Hi welcome to community. I heard of this before as if your phone has a mind of its own. I helped a customer resolve this in another forum post. Try this:
Hope this works for you too.


text:
It's game over for water rings everywhere, thanks to these Mario Bros. letterpress coasters. If you've ever had to clean after a group of people who didn't use coasters, then you know how annoying and hard-to-remove water rings are, especially from wood furniture.
Thank goodness for Mario. Not only does he manage to save the Princess from Koopa's clutches every time (with your help, of course), but he now also helps keep your home spic and span. Check out an additional image after the break.
A variety box set of ten letterpress paper 4" Square coasters. Each set includes a Jumping Mario, Goomba, Warp Pipe, Coin, Mystery Box, Piranha Plant, & Four Bricks.
Product Page ($12 via it8Bit)


text:
For a while we thought Nyctixalus spinosus was the funnies looking frog...
We finally met face-to-face with Ichthyophis glandulosus during a recent trip to southwestern Philippines...it was well worth the 90 year wait!
The new northernmost record for Varanus bitatawa is featured here: a case of bush meat consumption from the northeast coast of Luzon. See Welton et al. (2012) for details.
Back from the Solomons in Spring 2012, Rafe reaffirms Ceratobatrachus guentheri as one of his top three favorite frogs
The "Critically Endangered" Polillo Island endemic, Platymantis polillensis, now back from the brink of exinction that never was, and common and widespread in eight provinces on the neighboring island of Luzon.
In a recent review of bent toed geckos fo the southern Philippines, Luke and colleagues formally described this beautiful new species of lizard from Dinagat Island. Now accompanying many thousands of letters as they travel throughout the archipelago, Cyrtodactylus mamanwa has national exposure! How cool is that?
Brachymeles bicolor...one very cool lizard on its way to becoming a snake
Scooby-Doo fans all over the world celebrated our discovery of Sanguirana aurantipunctata...
Catching sea snakes in the Solomon Islands can be tough when fish mimic venomous reptiles
Previously we featured Barbourula busuangensis, the most ancient Philippine amphibian lineage. Read all about it here and download the paper (Blackburn et al., 2010) here.
Kyle took this cool photo of Polypedates eating a Hemidactylus...the Superfrog does it again! See PDF and PDF
Varanus bitatawa, the new monitor that took the world by storm...PDF
Brachymeles muntingkamay from Mt. Palali...four fingers and four toes!
Parias flavomaculatus comes in many flavors.
Ophiophagus hannah snacking on a Varanus cumingi
Interestingly, we were recently challenged on our claim that the defensive posture of Kalophrynus pleurostigma resembles a snake head mimicry system. Alright, fair enough, you be the judge.
Recently we featured the rare Philippine forest turtle (Siebenrockiella leytensis) photographed here on northern Palawan Island. Read all about it in this year's volume of Chelonian Conservation and Biology, here
We found these flying frogs (Rhacophorus pardalis) during a recent expedition to Mt. Labo on the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon Island, Philippines. That's right, you heard right: Flying Frogs!
You know how bad movies go straight to video? Well this shot goes straight to "past herpetological novelties" because we can't bear to put this guy on our opening webpage. But you have to admit, Andrias japonicus is one hell of a salamander!
Leyte swamp frogs gettin busy at the aquatic-terrestrial interface. Sweet.
Jason, Rafe, and a mangrove snake. It doesn't get any cooler than this.
Parachute geckos are the bomb
Pipa pipa and a clutch of eggs. You gotta admit: it's totally gross.
Sweetass mimicry of a coral snake by a caterpillar
Look closely. That's not a pit viper face, it's a frog butt.


text:
All your details & history accessible in one place, on all devices
Express checkout for your next purchase
Exclusive previews & special offers
VIP invitations
Create an account to enjoy all the advantages of our VIP program.
Select Product:
This item is in your bag
Formulated with a creamy base, enriched with shea butter (10%), apricot oil and finely ground nutshells, this scrub offers gentle, yet effective, exfoliation. It helps eliminate dead cells, while preventing skin from becoming dehydrated. Skin is left perfectly smooth and soft; an ideal combination.
Complete your routine with these products.
Price for all :
Apply once a week onto dry or damp skin using light massaging movements.
Focus on areas that tend to be rough (heels, knees, elbows...) then rinse.
Write a testimonial !
Your rating:


text:
Duke Basketball: Will the 2011 Blue Devils Sink or Swim Come Tourney Time?January 11, 2011
With conference play getting into full swing, the college basketball season is starting to take shape. Contenders are continually emerging from pretenders; Dreams of national exposure and prominence are being built and broken every week.
Through all this, the Duke University Blue Devils have stayed constant in their ways all season—dominant. Standing at 15-0, the Blue Devils have maintained a consensus No. 1 ranking all season. Propelled by their outstanding seniors, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler, along with legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski, Duke is looking like an early favorite for a deep run into the NCAA Tournament.
In 2010, Duke reached the pinnacle of the college basketball world with a 61-59 victory over the Cinderella Butler University Bulldogs in the Nation Championship game. The fourth national title for Coach K may have been one of his most unexpected.
But for this unexpected run to the championship, there are many more Top Ten rankings which led to disappointing finishes in the big dance, especially in the last decade.
In 2008-09, the Blue Devils entered the NCAA Tournament with a 25-6 record and a No. 6 national ranking. After victories in the first two rounds of the Tournament, including a five point win over Texas, the Devils got blown out by Villanova; ending their season in the sweet sixteen.
The biggest disappointment of the decade came in 2005-06 when the most prolific three-point shooter in NCAA history, JJ Redick was a senior. Along with Sheldon Williams, DeMarcus Nelson and Josh McRoberts, Duke finished the season with only three losses and entered the tournament coming off a decisive ACC Tournament championship.
Ranked as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Duke rolled through the first and second rounds into the Sweet Sixteen. However, the Blue Devils ran into a hot LSU team featuring Tyrus Thomas and Glenn Davis. LSU prevailed in a tight game, coming away with a 62-54 victory and a birth into the elite eight.
So, what does this mean for the latest edition of the team that calls Cameron Indoor Stadium home?
To start, it means that no team is a shoo-in for a National Championship, no matter how dominant they may seem in the regular season. With the impeccable communication abilities due to the internet and other technologies, along with more emphasis on advanced scouting, recruiting has run with peak efficiency. No longer do you see great players slipping through the hands of Division I teams down to the Division II or III ranks.
Furthermore, with only 12-man rosters, it takes special athletes to bust through into the Division I ranks, whether they play for Duke or Boise State.
Another major impact on the Blue Devils chances to make a championship run is the loss of freshman-phenom point guard Kyrie Irving. Irving, who has missed the last seven games to a toe injury and is unlikely to return this season, averaged 17.38 points per game in the first eight games of the season and is still the team's fourth leading scorer despite his absence.
Irving did even more than contribute points though; he also averaged 3.75 rebounds, 5.13 assists and 1.5 steals per game. His ability to drive the lane and condense the defense also led to more open threes and inside dump-offs to the bigs inside for easy scores.
Since the loss of Irving, Mason Plumlee has looked lost. Plumlee has seen his scoring average drop from 9.25 points per game with Irving in the lineup to 3.86 points without him.
His play has been so lackluster that many of his minutes have been taken by fellow sophomore Ryan Kelly and his brother, Junior Miles Plumlee.
Though this paints a slightly unstable picture for the Blue Devils, they still have many things going for them.
First, the play of their seniors has been off the charts since the loss of Kyrie Irving and over the entire season in general. Kyle Singler has gotten back to his prolific scoring ways, averaging 17.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Fellow senior, Nolan Smith, has emerged as a legitimate player of the year candidate this season. Smith has scored 19.5 points per game and added five rebounds and 5.7 assists to his gaudy numbers.
Another key to the Devils success in 2011 is their depth in the backcourt. With arguably the deepest and most talented backcourt in the NCAA, Duke will need Nolan Smith to keep rolling and for Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry to step up. If this happens, Duke will have little trouble scoring points in bunches. This, combined with solid team defense, will allow the Blue Devils to continue their dominant ways throughout the 2011 season.
With plenty of basketball left to play before the NCAA Tournament, there is certainly room for growth and for teams to emerge as threats to cut the nets come April. Will it be the Duke Blue Devils who will do so? I guess we will just have to sit back and enjoy the ride to find out.


text:
A THUG who bit his partner on the ear and wrist has avoided being sent to jail.
Gregg Inman, who attacked the mother of his young son, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. The 34-year-old was also ordered to carry out 80 hours unpaid work and pay £800 compensation for the damage he caused and £350 towards the prosecution costs.
The judge, Recorder Gerard McDermott, QC, said he accepted Inman was of previous good character and the case involved "one day of anger".
Inman, of Wigan Road, Atherton, pleaded guilty to assaulting Justine Hartley causing actual bodily harm and two offences of criminal damage.
Kate Morley, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that Inman had been in a relationship with Ms Hartley for four years and they have a three-year-old son. On October 20 last year they had an argument and he picked up her mobile phone and threw it against the kitchen wall smashing it causing £500 of damage. Ms Hartley left the house in Leigh but returned because he had gone out. Inman came back but began calling her names in front of their son. He threw the remote control at the television set, causing £300 of damage, pinned her down and bit her ear and wrist.
She managed to push him away and he left the premises, said Miss Morley.


text:
Pittsburgh churches reaching out to 'disconnected' through webcasts
When ushers dim the lights and worshippers light candles and sing "Silent Night" in the Bible Chapel in McMurray on Tuesday, they'll share a Christmas Eve tradition with others miles away through a live webcast.
The nondenominational church with average weekly attendance of about 4,000 — with other campuses in Wilkinsburg, Washington and Robinson — began offering webcasts two years ago.
"We knew we needed to reach those who are disconnected from the church," said Bible Chapel Executive Pastor Scott Arvay. "We wanted to break down as many barriers as we could between them and the life-saving message of Jesus. Technology is a way to give them a lower barrier to cross."
The church is part of small movement that utilizes technology to propagate faith.
Kent Shaffer, founder of ChurchRelevance.com, travels the country consulting with churches about online ministries and collecting free digital content to post. He said about 600 of the nation's 320,000 churches stream live webcasts.
"The bulk of them are contemporary evangelical churches. They tend to experiment with more new methods, which is why they are the dominant group using it," he said.
Arvay said about 150 to 170 people log on to the church's web-casts each week. They range from regulars in the Pittsburgh region to a woman in Tennessee who calls herself Granny Doc.
The virtual flock includes those who stumbled upon the church while surfing the Internet in locations as far as Turkey and Kenya.
The Bible Chapel and Mt. Ararat Baptist Church in Larimer are among a few Pennsylvania churches listed on a national roster of those offering webcasts.
Mt. Ararat started its popular webcasts in 2008. Although the church does not have a Christmas Eve service, communications director Orlana Darkins said the church will stream three New Year's Eve services.
Heidi Campbell, a professor who teaches and studies the intersection of media, religion and culture at Texas A&M University, said churches with strong outreach often view webcasts as a way to gain a larger audience.
She said churches can use webcasts to connect with young people.
McMurray's Bible Chapel emphasizes two-way communication through a live chat blog. Arvay said many people offer comments, and a church staffer answers questions.
"We get things like 'I love that verse. It means so much to me,' 'Pray for me,' or 'We'll pray for you,' " Arvay said.
When the church celebrates communion, it advises those online to eat bread and drink grape juice so they can participate.
On Tuesday night, they'll be advised to light candles to light and sing.
"We know there are families who will have candles ready and gather around a big-screen TV," Arvay said.


text:
Mon Nov 18, 2013 8:52 pm
You won't have to worry about either of these knives tainting your food. The Goko has a great rustic look and will probably sharpen a little easier, the kohetsu has better fit& finish and will hold it's edge better but both are great knives. I believe you'd be happy with either.jeremyboudreau wrote:Another thing I'm worried about is the effect that some steels have on certain foods, such as red onions. I like the Goko and the Kohetsu, but I don't know which one is more practical for everyday kitchen use.
Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:29 am
Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:47 am
Tue Nov 19, 2013 1:49 pm
Wed Nov 20, 2013 6:19 pm


text:
This content has been marked as final. Show 1 reply
1. Re: Purchase a sim cardVerizon Wireless Customer Support Sep 23, 2013 10:45 AM (in response to Tello)
Having use of your iPhone while traveling is great for keeping in contact with friends and family Tello. Do you currently have an account with us? We can provide options for using your phone with global services. We can provide a SIM card for your phone via mail or at a store location. Here is a link to our global services for additional information http://bit.ly/xZd3pS . ^KH


text:
Your name
Your email
Your friends' email addresses (up to 5, separated by commas)
Message (optional)
*Collectors Weekly will send a short email to your friend with a link to The TEX-LA TOOL & SUPPLY CO. Watch Fob ... Beaumont (Texas) Liberty OIL FIELD page. We won't use your email (or your friend's) for any other purpose.
Home |
About |
Jobs |
Categories |
Collections |
Help |
Copyright © 2007–2017 Market Street Media LLC.
Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy


text:
B.A.S.S. is back
The "dots" are returning to the name and products of the organization that's been serving bass anglers worldwide for more than 40 years. T
he subtle name change from BASS to B.A.S.S. is an affirmation of the company's grass roots, said Jerry McKinnis, who with Don Logan and Jim Copeland acquired B.A.S.S. from ESPN on Nov. 1. "We want to get this back to being a friendlier organization, a we're-here-to-do-whatever-we-need-to-do-to-make-you-happy organization," McKinnis said. "To me, that's what those dots mean. It means we're back to where we used to be a long time ago … to where we make everybody feel like this is a very warm and fuzzy group of new owners who want to know about the members."
Originally the company was the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, the name founder Ray Scott created for his fledgling startup in 1968. As the company grew, the abbreviation B.A.S.S., spelled with periods and all capital letters, was adopted.
After ESPN bought the company in 2001, the periods were removed during a broad-based rebranding campaign Many Federation Nation clubs and state organizations, however, retained the periods in their official names and on patches. "The Federation Nation is a big part of what I'm talking about," McKinnis said.
"They kind of feel like they've been forsaken — and by that, I don't mean to be disparaging about ESPN, because ESPN was wonderful, but they were awfully big folks to be getting down with the Federation Nation and making them feel important."
The name change will be reflected in all B.A.S.S. products. "We're not going to go chucking all of our letterheads and so on, but over time we'll have everything changed back to B.A.S.S. — with dots," he said.
New digs
Almost simultaneously with the Nov. 1 purchase from ESPN, B.A.S.S. moved to new quarters just down the street from its former offices. The new address is 1170 Celebration Blvd., Suite 200, Celebration, FL 34747. B.A.S.S. offices had been located in a Celebration property that also housed several operations of Disney, ESPN's parent company.
Open registration runs wide open
With nine Bassmaster Classic berths up for grabs through the 2011 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open season, the staff at B.A.S.S. headquarters is expecting to be slammed this week as anglers call to get in the game.
Registration began today (Nov. 16) for B.A.S.S. Federation Nation members, B.A.S.S. Life Members and B.A.S.S. Insider members. Anyone within those groups will have priority through tomorrow to sign up for all three Southern Open tournaments. On Thursday (Nov. 18), any B.A.S.S. member will be eligible to register for all three Southern Open events. Last week, anglers who earned priority through a 2010 Bassmaster circuit were eligible to get on the Southern Open roster.
They filled about one-third of the 200-angler field, according to Chris Bowes, senior tournament manager. "There are still openings, but the field will fill fast," Bowes said Monday before the expected onslaught of registration requests. B.A.S.S. also is accepting co-angler registrations this week, he said. The Southern Opens will kick off Jan. 20-22 with the Lake Tohopekaliga competition out of Kissimmee, Fla.
Then Southern Open anglers will compete March 24-26 on Lake Norman out of Charlotte, N.C., and June 2-4 on Douglas Lake out of Jefferson County, Tenn. The pro-side winner of each of the three tournaments will win $55,000 in cash and prizes and will qualify for the 2012 Classic, as will the pro champs of the three Central Open events and winners of the three Northern Open tournaments. That's a total of nine Classic qualifiers through the Opens tour.
"We're anticipating full fields throughout the year," Bowes said. "With a Classic berth going to each of the nine winners, we're creating more opportunities for every angler throughout the season." The points system still will be used, but only to determine qualifiers for the 2012 Bassmaster Elite Series. The top five anglers from each Open division will receive an Elite Series invitation.
Central Open registration will begin later this month; registration for the Northern Opens will begin in early December. (
Russ Lane's new ride is a Phoenix
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Russ Lane of Prattville, Ala., has a new boat deal for the 2011 season with Phoenix Boats of Tullahoma, Tenn. He'll power his 721 ProXP Phoenix with a Yamaha SHO 250. His first Bassmaster tournament with his new rig will be the Feb. 18-20 Bassmaster Classic on the Louisiana Delta out of New Orleans.
Lane said that by then, the boat will be wrapped with a design very similar to what he had last season. The wrap's background was primarily black. The design centered on a big, red, open-mouthed fish about to swallow the words "Big Bite Baits," Lane's wrap sponsor. He lists more than a few favorite things about his new water-based ride. "I'm not an engineer or anything, but what I can testify to is what the boat does, and it rides extremely soft in choppy or rough water," he said. "It is best ride I've ever been in.
On top of that, the Diamond Vee hull design is what makes the boat able to handle very sharp turns." Deck padding under the carpet makes it "almost like standing on your carpet at home. It has a lot of give. That helps your back over a long period of time," he added. A Lazy-Susan design within a below-decks storage box keeps his organizer boxes … well, organized. Lane is especially taken with the rig's speed. "I expect this boat, with the Yamaha SHO 250, to be one of the fastest boats on tour, so I'm looking forward to outrunning many of the guys on tour," he laughed.
Lane has been a full-time pro for more than four years. His record includes a 2010 Elite Series postseason win on Lake Jordan in his home state. His 2011 Classic qualification will be his fourth Classic appearance.
Women in the Opens
One result of the 2010 Bassmaster Open season is that women showed once again that they can compete for bass bites in tournaments with big fields, and male-dominated fields at that. As if there was a question. Kim Bain-Moore and Pam Martin-Wells already provided ample proof that bass don't know who's holding the rod. Bain-Moore was the first woman in a Bassmaster Classic; she shattered that ceiling in 2009.
Martin-Wells, a 2010 Classic qualifier, made the final-day cut, finishing 22nd in a field of 51. When the Women's Bassmaster Tour was disbanded after the 2009 season, several of the anglers signed on for the 2010 Bassmaster Open circuit. A few went to the Southern Open division. About a dozen joined the Central Open as pros; eight elected to go out as co-anglers. A few of the pros, most notably Martin-Wells, had been entering Opens for years. One of the Central Open pro-side recruits was Dianna Clark, a three-time WBT champ and 2006 Toyota Tundra WBT Angler of the Year.
A retired Army sergeant now living in Bumpus Mills, Tenn., she turned in a fifth-place finish in the Central's Red River event. Another Central recruit was Patti Campbell. She's from Waxahachie, Texas — not Lake Texoma — but she found and landed a 5-pounder, unofficially a big bass of the Central's 2010 season finale on Texoma (big-fish weights aren't officially recorded in the Opens).
No matter that she was competing as a co-angler, the big fish was a coup from anyone's perspective. She finished in sixth place. Competing as a pro, Janet Parker of Little Elm, Texas, made the cut to compete the final day at Texoma. She was in 18th place after two days, but finished in 26th place. This was a tournament in which many anglers struggled, but Parker prevailed, just as she did in 2009 to win a WBT event.
Those three examples don't begin to tell the entire story of women in Bassmaster tournaments. And, no doubt, most of that history is yet to be written.
Up next
Scheduled next for "Day on the Lake LIVE" at Bassmaster.com is 2008 Bassmaster Classic champ Alton Jones of Woodway, Texas. The Bassmaster Elite Series pro will attack Fayette County Lake in his home state on Dec. 8.
Bassmaster.com visitors can watch the live show, but only members of B.A.S.S. Insider can click in and ask the pro questions as he fishes. The Nov. 12 edition with Mark Menendez, Elite Series pro from Paducah, Ky., is now available for viewing at B.A.S.S. Insider.


text:
Tennessee Code Annotated
29-11-0101: Short title.
29-11-0102: Right of contribution among tort-feasors -- Exceptions -- Subrogation -- Indemnity.
29-11-0103: Determination of proportionate share of shared liability.
29-11-0104: Enforcement of contribution -- Procedure -- Limitation.
29-11-0105: Effect of release or covenant not to sue upon liability of other tort-feasors.
29-11-0106: Construction of chapter.
29-11-0107: Liability for damages in civil action governed by comparative fault -- When doctrine of joint and several liability applies -- Doctrines of vicarious liability and respondeat superior unaffected -- Allocation of fault by trier of fact.


text:
Project DescriptionSituated at the heart of the dynamic HEXI district of Nanjing City and the new Olympic Axis leading from the HEXI Financial District to the Yangtze River, the new south expansion to the Nanjing International Expo Center will present a significant increase in the exhibition space offered by the original NIEC campus design while serving as an important retail, entertainment and office complement of the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and the new Youth Olympic Center.
tvsdesign, the world's leading designer of conference and exhibition centers, was the original architect and designer of the NIEC in 2006. "Our understanding and work history in Nanjing allowed us to custom tailor the competition entry as a clear compliment to our original design," said Kevin Gordon, Principal at tvsdesign. "We are extremely proud of our 2006 effort and the award winning-facility that resulted, both in its design and the quality of its workmanship and execution. I am equally pleased that we were able to combine our conference center, retail and hospitality international experience in support of Nanjing's vision of having one of the most preeminent destination venues in the People's Republic of China."
For more information, please visit www.tvsdesign.com


text:
My son was born the day after I saw "Batman Begins" at the theater. If he would have come sooner, Mrs. Shyster would have been on her own. They're called priorities, Cole Hamels. Think about it:
Phillies starter Cole Hamels has left the ballpark with his wife, a former "Survivor" contestant, who is in labor with the couple's first child.
Hamels gave up four runs and seven hits in five innings against the Rockies in Game 2 on Thursday. He left after throwing 82 pitches and rushed out of the dugout when he was pinch hit for in the fifth inning.
In other news, at least he now has a use for the minivan.


text:
Deus Ex
Review by Bloviator
"Forget Halo and Half Life, forget Diablo and Doom. Deus Ex is a stunning masterpiece, and the best game ever made"
While other newer games may be getting all the press and capturing everyone's attention, classics such as 2000's Deus Ex remain as examples of what makes a game a masterpiece. Though it has some shortcomings in the graphical department, this game more than makes up for its minor flaws in every other aspect of its presentation. When you reach the end of the game, you will truly feel like you are part of the story, and are shaping the future of the world. Deus Ex is a spectacular sci-fi adventure that superbly blends many different gameplay elements together, whiled giving the player a unique and satisfying experience.
While graphics and sound, cheap thrills and style, can make a game interesting, the true substance of gameplay is what makes it a masterpiece. Deus Ex is such a game. It has so many elements that make it different and unique, yet still keep it immensely enjoyable, that it's hard to know where to start. Well, I suppose I can start where you will: On a nondescript dock on Liberty Island in New York. You are J.C. Denton, the newest nano-augmented member of UNATCO (United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition). The futuristic world that you're dropped into is ravaged by war and disease. The Grey Death has killed or weakened millions of people worldwide. Those not dead or dying seem to be taking sides in the battle for the control of Ambrosia, the only known vaccine for the disease. As a member of UNATCO, the terrorists you face at the beginning of the game are members of the U.S.'s own National Security Force. They seem to be in control of Ambrosia distribution in New York, and it's your duty to investigate their actions.
At the start of the game, you are sent to Liberty Island to raid an NSF base in an attempt to capture one of their leaders and interrogate him about the Ambrosia shipments. Right off the bat you will probably see what makes Deus Ex so unique and enjoyable: its open-endedness. Though you have an objective, it's completely up to you as to how you should go about completing it. The traditional FPS guns blazing strategy is an option, as is a more covert, sneaking approach. In addition, you can hack computers to turn off security systems, use lock picks to access secret areas, use multitools to disable security keypads, and many more subtle strategies. All of these options are controlled by what kinds of items you keep, what sort of skills you develop, and essentially, how you choose to play the game.
In later missions, you may be able to take an alternate route underwater to reach your destination. Once again, even this single alternate route has many different possible solutions. If you've worked on your swimming skills, you'll have no problem. But say you didn't make your character much of a swimmer. Just because you have this limitation doesn't mean you can't use this swimming-oriented route. If you have sufficient medical supplies and training, you could just swim the path, even though you'd run out of breath towards the end. Then you could heal your chest area and respiratory system. Maybe medicine's not your thing. If you have trained your environment skills high enough, you could use a rebreather to make the long swim with enough oxygen. Even another option would be to acquire the nano-augmentation (think Jedi force power) Aqualung, which allows you to hold your breath longer underwater. Remember, these are all options to take one simple alternate path. There could be any number of other alternate paths, each with their own possible options. In essence, every situation you face will have a myriad of different options. From character creation to the end of the game, there will always be another way to achieve your goals.
As Deus Ex's story progresses, you'll see all sorts of twists and turns. Throughout the story, you'll travel to a number of different locations. You spend the first third or so of the game in many different areas of New York. After that, you'll travel to Hong Kong, Paris, underwater research stations, even Area 51. Along the way, you'll end up working for a number of different employers, including yourself. All the while, you'll uncover information about UNATCO, the NSF, as well as internal corruption, the grey death and Ambrosia, and even the illuminati. In addition, you'll meet with mysterious characters such as Daedalus, Tracer Tong, and Walton Simons (voiced by Tom Hall), who all give depth to the story.
While you have an open-ended range of actions within individual missions, the grand scope of the story is tied to linear roots. However, you still have a great impact on the story, and not only the direction it takes, but the specifics of it as well. Other than the hundreds of NPCs you'll see throughout the game, a dozen or so of the major characters will live (often indirectly) based on your actions. Finally, Deus Ex offers three different endings that, once again, stress the choices you make and the way you play the game.
Deus Ex is not an easy game. Most gamers will feel sufficiently challenged by the medium or difficult settings. However, in my opinion, unless you're on realistic mode, the game's difficulty is just right. You should be able to pick up the basics of this FPS/RPG hybrid in under an hour. After your first few missions, you should be able to analyze the situations you're thrust into and find multiple solutions to them. Even if you're playing straight through, Deus Ex is surprisingly long. Most gamers should finish Deus Ex in 20-40 hours, which is still quite lengthy for a shooter. However, if you like to explore, read all the books and datacubes, simply take your time, or any other of those qualities, you're more like me. For us, the willing and curious gamers, Deus Ex can easily pass the 100-hour mark. At least for me, much of this time will be spent exploring alternate paths while being amazed at how many more ways you could have done something that you originally thought.
Gameplay: 10/10
If there are any elements of Deus Ex that could be considered less than perfect, those would have to be the graphics. At its initial release in 2000, Deus Ex's graphics were stunning, and very wide-ranging, leaving no object poorly rendered. People were prompted to upgrade their systems with nearly the same fervor as when the 3D video card was first introduced in 1992. However, the graphical standard in video games has changed drastically in 5 years. By today's standards, Deus Ex is hideous and disgusting to even look at. However, I'm going to give an objective look at Deus Ex's graphics, more from a 2000 perspective, while still remembering that it is 2005.
Though each object in Deus Ex is finely detailed, the textures are blocky, pixilated, and ugly by the high standards set by modern games. The character textures, especially in the facial region, are similarly basic and lacking sharpness. This is very noticeable when characters speak, or when the camera zooms in close to a character (such as in the opening cinematic). However, when you are simply watching some guards walk around, or shooting at an enemy from afar, the graphics shouldn't be too much of a hindrance.
In the games' many levels and areas, the graphical style is fitting and appropriate. The feel of each of the locations you visit is unique and memorable. From industrial warehouses to commercial office buildings to top secret government bases, each area is designed and created in such a way that you, the player feel as though you're actually there. In addition, the game's liberal integration of color into the environment is a welcome change from the common post-apocalyptic, overly grayish look that plagues many sci-fi games and movies (such as Deus Ex's rather mediocre sequel)
Regrettably, too many people have been spoiled by graphically intense games, such as Halo 2 and Splinter Cell. Hopefully, enough older gamers who still respect their 32-bit Atari games, or newer gamers who aren't so jaded, will be able to see the style in the graphics of Deus Ex, despite the sharpness and realism that the technology at the time simply couldn't produce.
Graphics: 9/10
Perhaps most overlooked in games and movies alike, is the music and sounds that shape the environment. While Deus Ex's music is nowhere near an elaborate orchestral score, it is certainly better than that of some other older games. Even classics such as X-Com: UFO Defense were plagued by music, which was described by Zach Green as composed by a narcissistic bullfrog. However, Deus Ex's music is stunningly well done; give the resources available at the time. Though somewhat heavy on techno, it still changes fluently to suit the current setting and mood. After a while, you'll realize that Deus Ex also has a fairly large repertoire of music to play. While no pop artists headline these tracks, they still project the right feeling for this kind of game, and fit stunningly well with every situation that occurs.
The sound effects in Deus Ex are wider ranging, but also distinct and memorable. Each weapon has its own sounds, which will become easily recognizable to you. After you get into the game, you'll hear the beeping of LAMs and the grinding of turrets, and know where everything is without even having to look for it.
There is really only one major shortcoming with Deus Ex's audio performance, and that is with the voice acting. Today, we get famous actors and singers to speak are protagonists' lines, but in 2000, generic voice acting was the best they could do. While all the main characters (such as Paul, Anna, Gunther, Manderly, and everyone else at UNATCO) have distinct and recognizable voices, most of the random NPCs do not. Even J.C. himself sometimes sounds too flat. However, it really is the hundreds of assorted people on the streets who you'll get sick of listening to. Though they have a wide range of things to say and dialogue options, there seems to be no attempt to make them sound believable. The missions in Hong Kong in particular, have sub-standard, almost racially insulting, Chinese-accented voice acting. However, despite this minor source of irritation, the audio in Deus Ex is memorable and well suited to its application.
Sound/Audio: 9/10
Despite being a spectacular game and winning the Game of the Year award in 2000, Deus Ex's status fell rapidly in the gaming community. Ion Storm continued to spiral downward, and only managed to push out a mediocre sequel and another thief game. Now Deus Ex is out of print (no new copies are being made). While you may have difficulty finding a good copy, you probably won't have to pay much for it when you do find it. Many older sound or video cards come with a free version of Deus Ex, and the Game of the Year version is often packaged with other software. Check your local bargain bins or game retailers. If they have it in stock, you should be able to get Deus Ex from Electronics Boutique for $2-3. That's not a typo. $2-3. If you don't have any luck there, you can always try Amazon, eBay, or anywhere else online. They'll have copies; they just won't be as cheap as in most stores. Regardless, Deus Ex is an amazing game, which I would happily pay $49.99 for all over again. Luckily for you, it's now available in the under $10 range.
Value: 10/10
I don't know what I can say about Deus Ex that will do this amazing game justice. From reading this review, you should have a sense of just how spectacular this game is. As a result, I'm tilting Deus Ex as high as it can go: a perfect 10. Because of its shortcoming in the graphical and audio departments, the total score will come out to slightly below a perfect 10. However, Deus Ex is a masterpiece of a game, and is certainly worth your time. I recommend it more than any other game, as I similarly place it above any other game. Truly, Deus Ex is the best game ever made.
Tilt: 10/10
Gamefaqs' "no fractions" score: 10/10
Reviewer's Rating: 5.0 - Flawless
Originally Posted: 08/25/05
Got Your Own Opinion?
Submit a review and let your voice be heard.


text:
|[PATCH 2/8] xfs: fix incorrect b_offset initialisation
|Dave Chinner <david@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
|Thu, 29 Mar 2012 23:23:49 +1100
From: Dave Chinner <dchinner@xxxxxxxxxx> Because we no longer use the page cache for buffering, there is no direct block number to page offset relationship anymore. xfs_buf_get_pages is still setting up b_offset as if there was some relationship, and that is leading to incorrectly setting up *uncached* buffers that don't overwrite b_offset once they've had pages allocated. For cached buffers, the first block of the buffer is always at offset zero into the allocated memory. This is true for sub-page sized buffers, as well as for multiple-page buffers. For uncached buffers, b_offset is only non-zero when we are associating specific memory to the buffers, and that is set correctly by the code setting up the buffer. Hence remove the setting of b_offset in xfs_buf_get_pages, because it is now always the wrong thing to do. Signed-off-by: Dave Chinner <dchinner@xxxxxxxxxx> --- fs/xfs/xfs_buf.c | 1 - 1 files changed, 0 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-) diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_buf.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_buf.c index 2122b0f..9063461 100644 --- a/fs/xfs/xfs_buf.c +++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_buf.c @@ -221,7 +221,6 @@ _xfs_buf_get_pages( { /* Make sure that we have a page list */ if (bp->b_pages == NULL) { - bp->b_offset = xfs_buf_poff(bp->b_file_offset); bp->b_page_count = page_count; if (page_count <= XB_PAGES) { bp->b_pages = bp->b_page_array; -- 1.7.9
|<Prev in Thread]
|Current Thread
|[Next in Thread>
|Previous by Date:
|[PATCH 0/8] xfs: clean up unit usage in xfs_buf V2, Dave Chinner
|Next by Date:
|[PATCH 3/8] xfs: use kmem_zone_zalloc for buffers, Dave Chinner
|Previous by Thread:
|Re: [PATCH 1/8] xfs: check for buffer errors before waiting, Dave Chinner
|Next by Thread:
|Re: [PATCH 2/8] xfs: fix incorrect b_offset initialisation, Christoph Hellwig
|[Date] [Thread] [Top] [All Lists]


text:
Jukaso Group has announced its venture into vacation ownership (time share) business. The group is working on acquiring vacation properties in destinations like Goa, Mussoorie, Nainital and in South India. It also plans expanding the business abroad with London and Dubai.
Speaking about the new business, Rajiv Khanna, chairman, Jukaso Group said, "There are currently only three lakh time share members in India whereas the potential consumer base is over 100 million. With quite an extensive base of rooms to start with, we feel we have an edge in the market. We are also the only ones to offer properties in Europe to begin with for time share."
With an investment of INR 400 crore in the next three years for hotel development, the group plans to double the inventory of hotel rooms for its time share members.
"We will provide value for money services as well as add innovative and exciting features, which have never been experienced in the concept of vacation ownership," said Rominder Khanna, Chief Operating Officer, Jukaso Resorts Pvt Ltd.
A vacation product will be launched for the Indian consumers in the third quarter of FY 13-14. The core team has started work on the product design, hiring and setting up the best processes. Already 80 personnel from the current market leader have joined Jukaso for its new venture.


text:
It's Megan Fox Pregnant In A Bikini
You may have already seen a few of these on other sites throughout the week, but while they may have more money than we do, we possess a complete lack of both urgency and competitive drive which allowed us to eventually buy the entire set in bulk on the slowest traffic day of the week, so they can suck it. On that note, here's Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green in Hawaii debuting her glowing pregnant stomach which explains why he's been walking around shielding her with an umbrella indoors like a goddamn idiot. Because seeing Megan Fox pregnant in a frumpy T-shirt will make the Internet not want to look at her engorged breasts in a bikini a few days later. You might as well toss her in a dumpster.
Photos: ADHI/AKM-GSI


text:
Tip Jar
Mines of the Bullfrog District
<< Previous 1 2 Next >>
One of the first
rules of the mining game is to get in on the "ground floor" in order to
make money. When possible, an experienced prospector would hurry to the scene
of the latest strike, locate ground as close as possible to a strike, and form a
company with a similar sounding name.
Between 1905 and 1910, this game was
played to perfection by a number of miners and promoters in the
Bullfrog District, as 90 companies were incorporated with the magic word
"Bullfrog" somewhere on their letterheads. A few of these companies were
in the vicinity of the Original Bullfrog, and most, but not all, were
within the boundaries of the Bullfrog District. All hoped to lure
stockholders' funds by advertising their proximity to the big strike.
Bullfrog Mining Company - Located south of the Original Bullfrog
Mine, the Big Bullfrog was started in August, 1904 when Montillus "Old Man" Beatty, a local small-time dry rancher for whom the
town of Beatty was named, located the Mammoth claim.
Bullfrog Claims, courtesy National Park Service.
Click on map to see larger version.
Beatty soon sold out to a group of San
Francisco financiers, who incorporated
the Big Bullfrog Mining Company in 1905. Though the company owned just the
one claim, they formed the usual organization, with 1,000,000 shares of
stock and development began. By the end of year, it boasted a
16-horsepower hoisting engine, and a 2-horsepower blower engine for the
ventilation of its 120-foot shaft. The company was described as
"exhibiting good ore" in a
Developments continued on an optimistic level
in early 1906, as the company succeeded in finding some ore which assayed
as high as $180 per ton. In March the company announced that it had
uncovered a body ore worth $14 a ton and excitement mounted, as it was
enough to make the Big Bullfrog a paying proposition. However, the very
next month the earthquake in San
Francisco, California occurred and the
superintendent halted work at the mine. It did not resume operation until
the middle of September. The company then reported that "satisfactory
progress" was being made through the rest of the year, no more ore bodies
were found. By March, 1907, they had still not located any more ore and
stock prices began to plummet. After 1908, there was no further word from
the failed venture.
Bullfrog Apex
Mining and Milling Company - Incorporated on August 4, 1905 by
a by a group of promoters headed by J.J. Fagan and E.L. Andrews, the
company promoted itself as the owner of 15 claims, only one of which
was ever worked -- the North Bullfrog. But, there was a problem with
the North Bullfrog claim as it intruded into the boundaries of the
Delaware claim of the West Extension Company. Though the Apex Company
knew about these conflicting boundaries when the North Bullfrog claim
was filed, they forged ahead anyway. Work on the Apex ground
started in the fall of 1905.
In a race for other nearby companies, the Apex encountered encouraging
ore values and stock sales were adequate. Confident in their claims, the
promoters were confident enough that they decided to apply for a patent,
which resulted in the West Extension Company to file a lawsuit against
Apex. Though the dispute was tied up the courts, both companies continued
to develop shafts and tunnels. But, when the Apex Company uncovered a vein
of gold assaying $251 to the ton, the question was settled, and the legal
battle intensified. With all the news of the legal battles, Apex suffered
in the stock market and by May, 1906, its stock had fallen completely off
the trading board. In the end, the Apex company lost their contest for the
disputed ground and soon went out of business.
Miners working in a shaft, 1916.
Bullfrog Extension
Mining Company - On August 25-16, 1904 a group of prospectors
located two claims, the Delaware #2 and the Last Chance, on the north
and east sides of the Original Bullfrog Mine. Together with the
Bullfrog Extension #1 and #2, on the southeast of the Original
Bullfrog, these four locations were incorporated in February, 1905 as
the Bullfrog Extension Mining Company. Backed by San
financiers, the company had enough money to begin mining in May, 1905.
Getting to work, a six-man crew soon sunk an inclined shaft 75 feet,
and the company purchased new equipment and built a frame office
building. By January of 1906, the company felt confident enough to
advertise that it had a "magnificent quartz" ledge on its property
which was "conservatively estimated" to be worth $500,000. However, a
few months later, the promising developments were halted by the San
earthquake and fire in mid-April of 1906. The mine was shut down
and was idle from until June.
That same month, the company stock was selling at an all-time high,
but for unknown reasons, it closed again and mining only resume on
late October. By the end of 1906, although the company was still
delving for ore, no significant discoveries had been made.
Developments continued during the first part of 1907, as the company
vainly attempted to find traces of the Bullfrog ore on its property.
Though prospects initially looked good, they still didn't find any
rich ores and later that year suffered from the Panic of 1907 and
their stock fell to an all-time low. The mine lay idle throughout
1908, but money was raised by 1909 and one last attempt was made to
revive the fortunes of the Bullfrog Extension. Unable to raise enough
money to operate on their own, they advertised for lessees in June.
Successfully attracting a lessee, the new promoters once again
marketed the operations to potential investors, but they were
unsuccessful and the property remained idle throughout 1910. By
September, 1911 the company had finally given up hope, and the gas
hoist and gallows frame were dismantled from the Bullfrog Extension
property and shipped to Rawhide, for installation on a promising mine
in that district.
Fraction - In December,
1904, Len P.: McGarry, mining promoter, stock dealer, and president of
the Bullfrog West Extension Mining Company, noticed that the ground
claimed by his company did not coincide with the boundaries of the
Original Bullfrog. Between the Bullfrog claim of the Original Bullfrog
company and the Delaware and Ethel claims of the West Extension, there
lay a parcel of land, 1.7 acres, which was unclaimed. McGarry
immediately located and recorded this ground as the Bullfrog Fraction
claim. Then, interestingly enough, he sold it to outside mining
promoters instead of selling or deeding it to his own company.
However, hardly had the new owners started to work, when their
claim was disputed by the owners of the Bullfrog Apex Mining
Company. Soon, the acreage was tied up in lawsuits. The Rhyolite
Herald correctly surmised that the struggle would be lengthy and
costly for all concerned and said. "If they fight it out someone is
bound to lose, while all will be put to great expense. Think it over,
gentlemen, think it over."
The gentlemen involved, however, had already thought it over and the
Bullfrog Fraction continued to develop their claim, finding several
good ore leads. As their claims grew more valuable and the court
battles more involved and expensive, it became clear to them that they
could no longer protect their claim by themselves. So, in November,
1906, they gave up and sold the Bullfrog Fraction to the West
Extension Company, who quickly incorporated into their own operations,
ending the life of the Bullfrog Fraction.
Continued Next Page
Legends' General Store
Towns (America's Lost World) 2 Disc DVD
Unearth America's Lost World! This 5-Part series ventures into the roots
of our nations high hopes and hard labors to discover the towns that
boomed fast and went bust even faster. Through original footage,
interviews with experts and archival materials, this fascinating
documentary takes viewers on an amazing journey through our abandoned
history. From the deserts of California and mountains of Colorado to the
forts, trails and battle sites of war, witness the precious remains of the
past that only exist today as shadows of former glories and empty
First time on DVD! Legends of America's own Kathy Weiser-Alexander and
Dave Alexander, along with noted Ghost Town author Philip Varney, authors
Jeff Barnes, Kenneth Jessen and many more, even an appearance from Bob
Boze Bell. Created and Produced by Award-Winning Documentarians, Centre
Communications, exclusively for Mill Creek Entertainment. Total Running
time 5 hours, 34 minutes.
About Us
Contact Us
Article/Photo Use
Of Kansas
Photo Blog
Site Map
Writing Credits
© 2003-Present,
Legends of America™


text:
Washington, D.C. — Nevada Senator Harry Reid issued the following statement after Republicans blocked the nomination of Caitlin Joan Halligan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit:
"Senate Republicans today sent the sad message that political gamesmanship is more important than a judicial nominee's qualifications. Caitlin Joan Halligan is a qualified candidate with bipartisan support from colleagues who call her a brilliant legal mind.
"I am concerned that today the Senate is backing away from the 2005 agreement that the minority would only block judicial nominees in extraordinary circumstances. Since Ms. Halligan's nomination clearly does not meet that standard, Republicans today lowered the bar for filibustering judicial nominees.
"I am disappointed that Republicans blocked a talented, experienced nominee for no other reason than to please a few ideological extremists. If this truly exceptional candidate isn't qualified to be a judge in the United States of America, it is hard to imagine who Republicans would find acceptable."