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Jordan Spieth still won, even though he finished second at the Masters Tournament, according to sports marketers.
Spieth, 20, led the season's first major event during its final round on Sunday before losing to now two-time winner Bubba Watson by three strokes. A victory would have made him the youngest-ever winner of the event, eclipsing Tiger Woods who was 21 when he got his first victory at Augusta National Golf Club. Still, his play in golf's most-watched tournament put him in front of casual golf fans for the first time.
Even with a runner-up finish, companies "will be fighting to sign him", said Bob Dorfman, executive creative director at Baker Street Advertising in San Francisco. "Spieth is exactly what golf needs right now."
Entering the final round tied for the lead at five under par, Spieth shot even-par 72 over his final 18 holes, a finish he said was hard to accept.
"I'll be back," he said. "It hurts right now. I feel like I'm ready to win. It's just a matter of time."
Before his Masters debut, Spieth had already secured a PGA Tour victory at last year's John Deere Classic at age 19, an accomplishment Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy had not achieved. He then competed in last year's Presidents Cup matches and earned PGA Tour rookie of the year honours, all before arriving at Augusta National.
Spieth's emergence comes as golf's biggest names are struggling in major tournaments. Woods, 38, has not won a major in six years and missed the Masters for the first time in 20 years as he recovers from back surgery. Mickelson, 43, missed the 36-hole cut this week for the first time since 1997 and former world No.1 McIlroy, a 24-year-old Northern Irishman who has been touted as golf's next top attraction, finished eighth.
From an endorsement and marketing perspective, the two-time winner of the US Amateur Championship who was raised is Dallas, is not flashy, outspoken or controversial, making him attractive to the core golf audience, Dorfman said.
"At 20, he can attract a younger demographic to the game and has a squeaky clean image that traditionalists can get behind,'' he said. ''Sure, it'd be nice if he had a little more charisma and uniqueness but '20-year-old phenom' will do just fine for now."
Unlike many of golf's younger players, such as 25-year-old American Rickie Fowler, Spieth does not wear trendy bright colours, plaid pants or over-sized flat-brimmed hats. During Fowler's Masters debut in 2011, he attempted to conduct his first interview with his hat on backward. When Ron Townsend, who became Augusta's first black member in 1990, reached over and turned it around, Fowler told him that he wanted people to see his face. Townsend then asked him again to turn his hat forward. Fowler complied.
In contrast, Spieth referred to two-time Masters Tournament winner Ben Crenshaw as "Mr Crenshaw" and six-time winner Jack Nicklaus as "Mr Nicklaus" when speaking to the media.
"He's a Texas gentleman and shows respect," said Jay Danzi, Spieth's agent with Lagardere Unlimited. "His parents have taught him well."
In his first Masters appearance, Spieth thrived leading up to the final day.
Playing alongside McIlroy in the tournament's first two rounds, Spieth beat him by seven shots. He followed that by topping defending Masters champion Adam Scott by six strokes in the third round.
Spieth's dominance over golf's marquee names also includes the biggest – Woods. He topped the 14-time major tournament winner by a total of nine strokes when paired together for the first two rounds of the US PGA Tour event in Torrey Pines, California, in January.
Last September, Spieth became a captain's pick for the Presidents Cup after shooting a 62 while playing alongside Mickelson in the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship. He played the final five holes in four under par, including an eagle on the 18th hole. Mickelson immediately texted US captain Fred Couples and urged him to add him to the team.
As Watson, who finished at eight under, pulled away with a pair of birdies on the eighth and ninth holes, Spieth's frustration began to show. After missing a chance to get within two shots of the lead with a birdie on 16th hole, Spieth told caddie Michael Greller he had "worked his whole life" to be in this position.
Greller, a former sixth-grade teacher, assured him that he would have more chances.
"It stings but there's nothing to feel bad about," he said. "We just got beat."
Along with his 19-year-old brother, Steven, a freshman on the Brown University basketball team, Spieth has a 13-year-old sister, Ellie, who was born with special needs.
"His sister is his hero," Danzi said. "It matured him and has certainly helped frame the kid that he is. Win, lose or draw, at the end of the day, he goes home and Ellie gives him a big hug. It puts things in perspective."


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2002 Chevrolet Venture Reviews and Owner Comments
2002 Chevrolet Venture owners review and rate their 2002 Chevrolet Venture.
Login to Review This Car
2002 Chevrolet Venture (5 Reviews)
I have had electrical, cruise control, front wiper transmission wiper motor ABS system, and water leaking in the front and can't find where it is coming from, but the worst part is the body rust. Overall the van has preformed relativity well considering I have 445,800 miles on it and its still going.
Nothing but problems with my van that has 82,000 miles. Just about anything that can go wrong, that is expensive to fix, has gone wrong. Never another GM car for me after this nightmare. Japanese car, here I come. Worst car I have ever owned.
I'm really hating this choice in vehicles.
This vehicle has been my worst nightmare. I have had it for 5 years and have spent thousands each year replacing the same parts. Catylist Converter twice, O2 sensors twice, head gasket twice and a number of other things. This is a crapy vehicle and Chevy should recall and replace
We bought our van two years ago with 92,000 miles and now theres 144,000 miles. We have used this van for ever thing from general uses, our small bussiness, to family trips since we have had it the water pupm when out, the rear wipermotor, and a couple other small things. We love our van. It roomy for 6 kids, great on gas (22 mpg highway) I would buy another one

subset: commoncrawl


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TEMPE - All of ASU's three-pointers, easy layups and free throws against the Arizona Wildcats on Sunday didn't just rattle the rims at Wells Fargo Arena.
There was another sound, too.
"We just popped the bubble," UA forward Solomon Hill said, after Arizona lost 87-80 to its in-state rivals, significantly increasing the likelihood it will need to win the Pac-12 tournament in order to reach the NCAA tournament.
The Wildcats, who finished their regular season at 21-10 overall and 12-6 in the Pac-12, were a bubble team even before they allowed the Sun Devils to score a season-high 87 points and get 21 or more points each from three guys - Jonathan Gilling, Carrick Felix and Trent Lockett - who combined for just 18 when UA beat ASU 68-51 on New Year's Eve.
Now, the Wildcats don't consider themselves a bubble team. More like an NIT-bound team that is looking, as so many teams around the country do, at their conference tournament as an opportunity for salvation.
That's all.
"There's no way we're in now," said guard Kyle Fogg, who led the Wildcats with 23 points. "We're going to have to win the whole" Pac-12 tournament.
Because they were locked into the Pac-12 tournament's No. 4 seed no matter what happened Sunday, the Wildcats will have the same path this week. They will open Thursday in a quarterfinal game against No. 5 UCLA, assuming the Bruins beat short-handed No. 12 seed USC in a first-round game on Wednesday.
What's more, even if the Wildcats beat UCLA they could face top-seeded Washington in the semifinals, after the Huskies won the conference outright and earned the top seed thanks to Stanford's defeat of Cal on Sunday. Washington beat Arizona twice in the regular season.
Arizona and UCLA split their regular-season series and, largely because the Bruins have three big men who have caused the Wildcats trouble, coach Sean Miller called it a tough matchup.
Then again, to Miller, this is the time of year when successful teams find a way to win in tough situations.
On Sunday, the Wildcats were not that team.
"We're not good enough to be an NCAA tournament team right now," Miller said. "That's not to say we've waved the white flag or we're not going to go to L.A. to try to win the tournament. We have a (first-round) bye for a reason.
"But sometimes you say, 'How can that happen?' You have to be good. There's a lot of teams fighting for the same things as us and what they do is they go on the road in a game like today and they leave with a win."
The Wildcats left Wells Fargo with a disheartening loss not because they failed to execute offensively or rebound effectively. Surprisingly, they did so because the one thing it could hang their hats on all season - sound defense - was largely missing.
ASU hit 55.8 percent of its field goals, part of a worsening trend for the Wildcats, a solid defensive team earlier this season that has now allowed opponents to shoot 50 percent or more three times in the past six games.
But the Sun Devils also did some things, Miller noted, that were uncharacteristically good. They made 22 of 24 free throws, despite having made just 62.9 percent over their first 17 Pac-12 games, and turned the ball over 10 times - despite averaging 16.8 turnovers per game in conference play before Sunday.
"There's always characteristics you look for when you play an opponent," Miller said, rattling off things the Sun Devils did better than normal. "You go through every statistic offensively. We had a really hard time guarding them individually in the second half, guarding the post and, when they needed big shots, I really believe they made every one of them."
That's pretty much the way ASU coach Herb Sendek saw it, too.
"We have maintained all along that if we could somehow get our turnovers in the neighborhood of 12 or fewer, if we could convert better at the line, that would put us in a much better position to be competitive and this afternoon both of those happened," Sendek said. "More than anything else, our guys made plays."
Of all of those plays, the one that may have hurt the Wildcats the most was Gilling's final three-pointer, giving ASU an 81-77 lead with 57 seconds left.
Gilling was 5 of 6 from three-point range, hitting at an even higher percentage than UA's Brendon Lavender, who hit 3 of 4 three-pointers in each half to total 18 points.
"He was a hot hand," Hill said of Gilling. "He got himself open. At the end of the game he made a great shot, a contested shot and it put a cushion on their lead."
UA cut it to 81-80 when Fogg made a three-point play with 51 seconds left but Fogg and guard Josiah Turner missed shots in the final seconds while ASU made all six of its final free throws.
The Wildcats were able to compensate for their equally porous defense in the first half, when they went on an 8-2 run to break free from a 36-36 tie and lead 44-38 at the half. But this time, especially after ASU went on a 7-0 run in the first 86 seconds after halftime, it wasn't going to happen.
UA's early-half struggles have been a sore point all season and, when added to its unusual troubles on defense Sunday, the Wildcats couldn't come back this time.
"We have some shortcomings we've been dealing with since November and we've found a way, really, over the last six weeks to not mask them but be a better team," Miller said. "Today, you could make the case that was one of our best offensive performances. But we gave up 87 points."
NIT at McKale
If Arizona is invited to the NIT and earns one of its top four seeds, the Wildcats would have the option to host a first-round game on Tuesday, March 13, or Wednesday, March 14.
UA associate AD Suzy Mason said Sunday that the Wildcats have submitted a bid to host any NIT games, with McKale Center available for all NIT dates except March 16 because of a UA gymnastics meet.


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A new brand from DFV/Delicato, Belle Ambiance has a rock bottom price combined with appealing, upscale packaging that's certain to drive some sales. Launching out of the gate with a collection of six wines, we tried three for review. Not entirely sure I'm buying the "family vineyards" claim on the label, given that all of these wines carry generic "California" designations, but, hey, it's what's inside that counts, no?
2013 Belle Ambiance Pinot Grigio California – On the sweet side, with lots of mango notes, plus some lemon and a touch of melon. The lasting finish offers some light herbal notes, before recalling that tropical punch up front. Fine, but best with food. B / $8
2012 Belle Ambiance Chardonnay California – Straightforward, big butter/vanilla notes, with a lemon chaser. Long finish, with quite sweet marshmallow notes picking up on the back end. Not bad, but needs some refinements. B- / $8
2012 Belle Ambiance Pinot Noir California – Gentle, simple stuff. Light cherry and strawberry notes lead to a quietly sweet body, with light tea leaf notes on the finish. Oh so pleasant, almost harmless. B+ / $8
Similar Posts:
- Review: 2009 Imagery Estate Winery White Burgundy North Coast
- Review: Wines of Avant, 2016 Releases
- Review: 2012 FEL Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
- Review: Simply Naked Wines


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Crocodylus niloticus (Nile crocodile)
Nile Crocodile
Jerry Gingerich (photographer; copyright holder)
This resource may not be downloaded and used without permission of the copyright holder except for educational fair use.
The Animal Diversity Web team is excited to announce ADW Pocket Guides!
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It all began with the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
In May, 2000, Gail Asper was standing in line at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., waiting to see the historic document. She was accompanied by a group of Grade 9 students. The money for the trip was provided by the Asper family charitable foundation, controlled by her late father, Izzy, then the chief executive officer of Canwest Global, Canada's largest media empire.
Mr. Asper thought that Jewish children in Winnipeg needed to learn more about the Holocaust. So he conscripted his daughter, a lawyer, to organize trips to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. Then he thought the students also needed to know more about human rights, so they added a few more stops on to the Washington itinerary. Which is how Ms. Asper found herself standing in line to see the Declaration of Independence.
"The lineup to see the Declaration of Independence is like a Disneyland lineup," she recalls, "and we're standing in this ridiculous lineup and I'm thinking, 'Why are we doing this? What do these kids know about the Canadian Charter?' So I start talking to these Grade 9 students and they know nothing about the Charter, but they all know, 'We hold these truths to be self-evident.' So I go back and I tell my dad that we need to make this a Canadian trip."
The only problem was there was nowhere in Canada to take kids where they could learn about the Holocaust, or human rights, or even see the Charter on display.
Mr. Asper wasn't happy about that. He had been a lifelong crusader for human rights. On Oct. 14 1971, his first day as leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party, he had proposed a provincial bill of rights.
Thirty years later, he declared that he would build a museum that would tell the story of the Holocaust and the struggle for human rights in Canada and elsewhere, and oh yes, it would be in Winnipeg, because that was where the Aspers lived, and who said every museum in this country had to be in Ottawa?
What could possibly go wrong? Quite a bit, as it turns out.
"It's a can of worms," declares historian J.L. Granatstein, the former head of the Canadian War Museum. "It's the triumph of hope over reality. It's simply not thinking through the difficulties of this sort of project."
So you want to build a museum of human rights? You'll need lots of money, and you'll need to figure out what exactly you want to say in your museum, and how you're going to say it. Surprisingly, the money is the easy part.
"We could have done a big-box Wal-Mart for $14-million," Gail Asper explains, "but beauty is important to show respect to citizens and to the subject matter." She's sitting in the museum's temporary office space in a government of Canada building in downtown Winnipeg, a few blocks from where her $310-million "cathedral to freedom" is taking shape. There is nothing big-box about it. An international architectural competition yielded a bold design by American Antoine Predock. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is all swooping curves and odd angles and towers, shrouded in 750 square metres of glazed glass specially manufactured in Germany. The glass is supposed to represent two dove wings caressing the building. Located at the historic forks of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers, it will inject some badly needed drama into Winnipeg's architectural scene.
With two years to go, there's no guarantee that $310-million will be enough to finish the job. Roughly half of the money will come from private donations. So far, the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights have raised $125-million of the $150-million they need. The Asper Foundation kicked in $20-million. About 6,000 other donors have contributed the rest.
The remaining money will come from taxpayers; $100-million from the federal government, $40-million from the province and $20-million from the city of Winnipeg.
The Liberal governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin had pledged money to help build the museum, but weren't prepared to cover the costs of running it. Mr. Chrétien was uncomfortable with the idea of a federal agency being responsible for telling the story of human rights. There would be too much opportunity for stories to be whitewashed to suit the prevailing political winds of the day.
But without a government pledge to cover the operating costs, there would be no museum.Report Typo/Error
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Libman� Wonder� Mop - 1 CT. New & Improved Power Wringer! Family Made� in the USA Since 1896. Microfiber Gripstrips Lift Stubborn Dirt. Fresh, Machine Washable Mophead
Instructions: 1. Soak 5 minutes in hot water. 2. Push sleeve down and twist 4 times. 3. Pull sleeve up, snap into place, and mop. 4. Pull collar up to remove mop head. Machine wash or hand wash in warm, sudsy water and hang to dry.
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Was the death of the baby girl born to reality TV stars Rev. Run and wife Justine filmed? If so, will it be aired?
Rev. Run's Baby's Death -- Should MTV Show It?
Current Status: Blessed (1)
Seeded on Fri Sep 29, 2006 1:33 PM
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Roundup: Last week's markets
Fed optimism fuels late US rally
Optimism that the Fed will keep obliging with interest rate reductions, and that other governments would act sensibly to solve the problems with the global economy drove the Dow up 2 per cent and Nasdaq up 5 per cent on Friday, compensating somewhat for the 12 per cent fall in the first four days of the week. JP Morgan is now predicting a 1999 recession, with consumer and business expenditure slowing. It's Columbus Day today, partly observed in the US, with the stock markets open but banks and government offices mostly closed. The Nikkei reached a 13-year low on Friday, losing 146 points to 12,880, while the yen was 117 against the dollar. Merrill Lynch has cut its growth forecast for Japan to a 2.5 per cent contraction until March 2000, and predicted 157 yen to the dollar within six months and 170 to the dollar by March 2000. A problem for Japanese financial institutions is that many are unhedged in their currency deals, so worse is probably yet to come. The dollar is not doing to well either: it has fallen 10 percent against the DM, and 17 per cent against the yen in the past six weeks. Steve Case, AOL's CEO sold 250,000 shares and AOL execs generally have sold 1.8 million shares for around $200 million. AOL fell 14 per cent last week. Could there be a message here? PointCast is expected to announce a strategic alliance , according to CEO David Dorman, following its decision to stop its IPO earlier this year. Novell is being tipped as a buy by Jonathan Steinberg, one of the top four investment tippers in the US, because of NetWare 5 and the turnaround being well underway. He forecasts 25 cents/share for FY98, ending 30 November, and 46 cents the following year. Novell disposed of its Corel shares as part of its WordPerfect disposal, it was reported, for a pittance of $14,000. Dell put on 9 per cent (yet fell 16 per cent on the week), Compaq 10 per cent, Gateway 5 per cent, Apple 14 per cent, Microsoft 6 per cent (falling 7 per cent on the week), Intel 7 per cent, Cisco 7 per cent (but 10 per cent down on the week). Yahoo, despite rather good results, fell 17 per cent on the week. SAP said Q3 revenue would be up 43 per cent, pushing it up 13 percent, while JD Edwards steamed up 20 per cent. This is all a bit surprising, with many financial analysts believing that the market has not yet hit the bottom. Forrester Research is painting a gloomy picture of PC sales in the middle term. Although Y2K replacements will help 1999 sales to increase 14 per cent, there will be excess capacity by mid-2000 as corporate buyers shy away from new purchases because of disturbing Y2K arrangements. US 1999 PC revenue is predicted at $55.2 billion, with 1998 revenue at $53.5 billion. However, in 2000 Forrester sees a 14 per cent decline to $47.4 billion, followed by two years of zero growth. ® Click for more stories


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While reporting a story from India, a New York television journalist has his left hand eaten by a lion; millions of TV viewers witness the accident. In Boston, a renowned hand surgeon awaits the opportunity to perform the nation's first hand transplant; meanwhile, in the distracting aftermath of an acrimonious divorce, the surgeon is seduced by his housekeeper. A married woman in Wisconsin wants to give the one-handed reporter her husband's left hand that is, after her husband dies. But the husband is alive, relatively young, and healthy.
2. How would you describe the narrator s tone and perspective?
Do you think the narrative voice has a journalistic quality?
3. What role does the circus play in the novel?Have you read any other John Irving novels in which circuses are involved? If so,how does Patrick Wallingford s experience with the Great Ganesh Circus -and his infamous encounter with the lion - compare to depictions of circus characters and themes in Irving s earlier work?
4. How did the novel s portrayal of transplant technology -both the personal dimensions and the philosophical differences represented by Dr.Zajac and the medical ethicists -affect your views on these kinds of medical procedures?
5. Hands -and Wallingford s "fourth hand "in particular - represent many things in the novel.What does the hand-transplant ordeal seem to say about loss and absence?
6. What are the turning points in Patrick Wallingford s life? How would you describe his development as a character?
7. From Wallingford s reverie brought on by the cobalt-blue capsule in India to Otto Clausen s nightmarish vision in the beer truck,dreams play an important role in the novel.How would you articulate the connection between dreams and the future for these and other characters?Do you think "destiny" figures into this?
8. E.B.White s Charlotte s Web and Stuart Little and Michael On-daatje s The English Patient are all carefully read and iscussed by characters in the novel.How do these books function in The Fourth Hand ?What do their readings suggest about the relationship between literature and life?
9. Patrick Wallingford is not a devoted fan or watcher of sports events before he meets Doris and the Clausens.The Clausens are almost religious about their commitment to football and the Green Bay Packers.What does being a sports fan seem to represent in the novel?
10. After Wallingford s first meeting with Doris Clausen,he develops a new sense of how becoming -or not becoming -a mother affects a woman s life.What do you make of this new interest?How does it relate to Wallingford s perceptions of the book s female characters -Marilyn, Mary, Evelyn Arbuthnot, Sarah Williams, the airport security guard, and Doris Clausen?
11. We learn that Patrick Wallingford s favorite oxymoron is "no-fault divorce."Why do you think he sees such irony in this phrase?How do successful marriages differ from unsuccessful marriages in The Fourth Hand ?What kind of hope, or concern, do you have for Wallingford s relationship with Doris Clausen?
12. The novel draws a sharp contrast between Patrick Wallingford s New York and the Clausens Green Bay,Wisconsin,homes and their lake house.What does the Midwest -and "heading north "-seem to represent to Wallingford?
13. In what ways does this novel have elements of a fairy tale or fable?
14. Would you call The Fourth Hand a love story? Why or why not?
My sixth novel,The Cider House Rules, was published in 1985,by
which time I had already started my seventh, A Prayer for Owen
Meany.That year I also began writing the screenplay of Cider House,
for which (fifteen years later)I would win an Academy Award.But
the first draft of that screenplay was a nine-hour movie;it wouldn 't
have won anybody an Oscar.
Rewriting is what I do best as a writer.I spend more time revis-
ing a novel or a screenplay than I take to write the first raft.And
1985 marked the beginning of what has been,to date,a seventeen-
year-old habit --namely,writing at least one screenplay concurrently
with whatever novel I am writing.Nothing has helped my process
of revision more.
It sounds strange,but my novels have bene fited from my inter-
rupting them.(It 's mildly frustrating that the best time to interrupt
a novel is when it 's going well;during the novelist 's absence,a novel
that 's off to a good start only stands to get better,but a struggling
novel will become more difficult.)For two to four months,which is
about how long I need to write a draft of a screenplay,I don 't even
read my novel-in-progress --I try,with mixed results,to not even
think about it.And when I return to the novel,I invariably discover
new possibilities in the storytelling;these are things I would have
missed if I 'd been a horse with blinders on,plodding ahead on a
solitary project.
In December 1998,when I was on the film set of The Cider
House Rules, it occurred to me that I would like to write a comedy,a
comedy and a love story --a book of a kind I hadn 't written since my
second novel, The Water-Method Man, thirty years before.
That movie set,at the end of a sixty-two-day shooting schedule,
was in Northampton,Massachusetts;the interiors of the orphanage
in the film were shot in the former Massachusetts State Hospital,in
buildings that had been derelict (and unheated)for fifteen years.It
was cold,it was snowing,and the melting snow was turning to slush.
One of the children who was acting the part of an orphan had a
runny nose and a cough.It depressed me that,for more than
twenty-five years --during the writing of seven novels and the Cider
House screenplay --I had been imagining places as abandoned and
melancholic as this orphanage hospital with its ether-addicted
The wife of the narrator in The 158-Pound Marriage survives the
rape and pillage of her Austrian birthplace by hiding in the carcass
of a cow.In The World According to Garp,a famous woman is assassi-
nated by a man who hates women;her famous son is murdered by a
woman who hates men. In A Prayer for Owen Meany, the narrator
has his right index finger cut off by his best friend --to keep him
from being drafted during the Vietnam War.Later,the best friend is
killed --not in the war in Vietnam but because of it.
In A Son of the Circus, two children die and a dwarf is blown up
by a terrorist 's bomb. In A Widow for One Year, two more children
die and a prostitute is murdered --and a mother walks out on her
four-year-old daughter,not to return for thirty-five years.Such sad-
ness seemed to cry out for a comedy,if only for a change.And
wouldn 't a love story be a breath of fresh air?I thought so.
That night I drove home from the film set wanting to write
a novel that was both a comedy and a love story.It should be short,
I thought --if not a short novel by other people 's standards,at
least short for me.(Since The World According to Garp, which was
published in 1978,my novels have been long.)The problem was,
I had already started the research for another novel --another
long one.
Once in the spring of 1998,and again in the fall of that year,I
had visited Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen,
and Helsinki.The novel,which concerns the doomed relationship
between the daughter of an Edinburgh tattoo artist and a church or-
ganist who abandons her,is neither a comedy nor a love story.The
tattoo artist 's daughter becomes a tattoo artist herself;the church
organist is addicted to being tattooed.Their illegitimate son tells
the story.
Until I Find You, which I am still writing,is my first first-person
narrative since A Prayer for Owen Meany, but it was not the novel I
was thinking about as I drove home from Northampton that day.
And only a month later,in January 1999,my wife,Janet,gave me
the idea that set The Fourth Hand in motion. As I say in the Ac-
knowledgments,we were watching the news on television --a story
about the first hand-transplant surgery in the United States.Janet
wondered what would happen if the hand-donor 's widow wanted to
visit her late husband 's hand --that is,after the attachment surgery.
And there it was:a comedy and a love story,surely.In forty-eight
hours, I knew more about The Fourth Hand than I knew about the
novel I had been trying to begin for a year.I put my notes on Until I
Find You away;I wouldn 't return to that novel for three years.
The Fourth Hand starts out as a comedy --even a satire,even a
farce --and ends up as a love story.Patrick Wallingford, the hand-
recipient,is a largely comic character --at least until he falls in love
with the widow,Mrs.Clausen.Dr.Zajac,the hand-surgeon,is a
comic character,too.In the earliest chapters,the doctor and his pa-
tient are on a comedic collision course.But the real collision (be-
tween Wallingford and Mrs.Clausen)you don 't see coming,and
with it comes a change in tone.
The first,comic chapters of the novel are short;they are a jum-
ble of quick cuts,not unlike the truncated news on television,which
is Patrick Wallingford 's dissatisfying and super ficial business.The
later chapters,beginning with Mrs.Clausen 's eleventh-hour intro-
duction into the story --and especially after Wallingford loses his
left hand for the second time --are longer and slower;the narrative
reins in its hectic pace.When Wallingford falls in love with Mrs.
Clausen,the comedy vanishes and a melancholy familiar to readers
of my more recent novels creeps in.
There are love stories about people who seem "meant for "
each other;there are those couples who strike everyone as "belong-
ing "together.Not Patrick Wallingford and Mrs.Clausen.He is
careless and shallow --as vacuous as television journalists often
are --while she is thoughtful and deep.Wallingford has never grown
up;in his ex-wife 's opinion,he 's still a boy.Mrs.Clausen,on the
other hand,is very much an adult;she is emotionally and psycho-
logically complex.And,as she points out to Patrick at the end of the
novel,she 's lost more than a left hand --she 's lost a husband she
truly loved.
When Wallingford tells Mrs.Clausen that he loves her,the best
she can tell him is that she 's going to try to love him,too.He has to
accept her as she is;she is giving him what she can,which is all she
has left.For a novel with such a comic beginning, The Fourth Hand
isn 't the least bit funny at the end.The love story eclipses the
comedy,and it 's a dark and grown-up love story --a commitment
with an uncertain future.Both characters are taking a risk.
And perhaps what 's missing from The Fourth Hand is as interest-
ing as what the novel contains.In my nine other novels,the passage
of time --usually a lifetime but always a signi ficant number of
years --is as important to the story as a major character.In the other
novels,the effect of the passage of time is central to the plot.Not
much time passes in The Fourth Hand.(About five years,maybe?)
Furthermore,it is my usual practice to give at least one major char-
acter a childhood;the effect of childhood on my characters (as
adults)is also central to my story-telling.But Patrick Wallingford 's
childhood is mentioned only in passing,and Mrs.Clausen 's not at
all.(Remember:I wanted The Fourth Hand to be a relatively short
In the years I was writing the screenplay of The Cider House
Rules, I radically reduced the childhood of the main character.In the
novel, Homer Wells 's childhood is a whole chapter --the first one.
In the movie,Homer 's childhood and his several failed adoptions
are brie fly sketched in a montage that plays over the opening cred-
its.In the novel, Homer leaves the orphanage for fifteen years; in
the film, he stays away for only two .
It was screenwriting that taught me how to tell a story without
establishing the life of a main character in a childhood,and without
a signi ficant passage of time.In these two respects, The Fourth Hand
is very much a post-screenplay novel.A view from a window --not a
whole view,and not of a whole life.Three characters whose lives
cross --a doctor,his patient,and the provider of a missing body-
part.We know them only as well as people we 've known for just a
few years.
Wallingford doesn 't really need a new left hand;he can learn
to live without one.(As a medical ethicist might say,a hand is not
essential in order to live .)What Wallingford needs is a new life, a
real one.
What Mrs.Clausen wants is a baby,and she uses her late hus-
band 's hand to get one.When we see her in Dr.Zajac 's office, where
she first meets Wallingford and so forcefully seduces him,we think
(as Wallingford does)that she must be crazy.But Mrs.Clausen is
both the sanest and the saddest person in the novel;her feet are very
firmly on the ground.Theirs is a collision between a woman as
fiercely determined as American football and a man as insubstantial
(but good-looking)as his anchor role on TV news.
That day on the film set of The Cider House Rules ,I dreamed
about writing a comedy and a love story.I wanted it to be short,and
it was.I wanted it to be funny and romantic,and I think it is.But I
also wanted to escape the melancholy of so many of my novels,es-
pecially the more recent ones --and I couldn 't.From the moment I
met Mrs.Clausen,she brought her own melancholy with her.Like
the lion guy,I was irresistibly rawn to her.The Fourth Hand be-
came her story;even the title is Mrs.Clausen 's invention.She is not
to be denied.
--John Irving


text:
On the Grand Canal near the Rialto, with the Fabbriche Nuove and the Campanile of San Giovanni Elemosinario
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text:
Tom Cruise Sails With Emirates Team New Zealand | Pictures
Tom Cruise Sets Sail in San Francisco
Start Slideshow
Tom Cruise Sets Sail in San Francisco
Tom Cruise took to the water yesterday during the Louis Vuitton Cup in San Francisco. Tom attended the event, which is part of the America's Cup competition, with his son, Connor, and the two watched as the Emirates Team New Zealand won the race. After the team won, they gave Tom a chance to take the wheel for a cruise around the San Francisco Bay. Tom is fresh off of celebrating his 51st birthday at the beginning of the month, and he also stopped by Comic-Con to promote his next film release, Edge of Tomorrow. Check out the pics of Tom sailing around the bay and posing with the Emirates Team New Zealand!


text:
Flapper Hat by Sarah Arnold
Welcome! You are browsing as a guestWould you like to see 428 projects made from this pattern and much more? create a free account What am I missing?
© fireflykiwi
© Sarah Arnold
© MissMaray
Flapper Hat
This pattern is available as a free Ravelry download
Gauge: 7.5 dc stitches should be 2" across. 2 rows of dc should be 1" high
Note:This hat was made using a lighter WW yarn with a lot of drape. If you use a stiffer more bulky yarn the bpdc ridges will be much more pronounced than in the picture. Some like this effect, others do not. If you wish to leave out the ridges you can substitute dc for the bpdc throughout the pattern.
Finished Size:Unstretched circumference is 22" but the hat can easily stretch to larger sizes. It's supposed to be more of a loose fit since the style is more dressy than beanie-style hats, so don't worry if it's a bit larger than your head.


text:
Never Ever Shake a Baby Campaign - Info Pack
Protecting our most vulnerable infants
• Every year Child, Youth and Family sees thousands of babies and children who have been harmed by the people who are supposed to care for them.
• Last year alone just over 49,000 reports of concern were serious enough that they needed to be followed up by Child, Youth and Family.
• Of these, there were almost 20,000 confirmed occurrences of abuse against a child or young person.
• Last year, 2,855 children were physically abused, 1,126 were sexually abused, and a staggering 15,615 were damaged through emotional abuse or neglect.
• Last year 248 children ended up in hospital as a result of abuse.
• Between 2002 and 2006 38 children died – that's an average of seven per year.
• The effects of abuse is lifelong and devastating, both for the children and their families.
• Last year 3,456 children under the age of two were abused, either physically, emotionally or sexually, or through neglect.
• Last year 75 babies were hospitalised as a result of abuse. That is on average one every five days.
• Around 23 babies each year are hospitalised because of being shaken.
• We are calling on every New
Zealander to play a role in protecting vulnerable infants.
To begin with we are:
o Setting up better data
and monitoring systems
It's hard to get an accurate picture about the abuse of under-2s. Police measure one thing, CYF measure another and hospitals measure other things. Officials will work together to develop an agreed protocol for collecting information so we can benchmark where we are starting from and measure how we're doing.
o Launching the Never Ever Shake a Baby
The last campaign was 15 years ago. We will launch a multi-media awareness campaign to get the message out that you must never, ever shake a baby.
Child Youth and Family will also provide support for a pilot shaken baby prevention programme through Auckland District Health Board. It aims to make sure all new parents get the "never shake a baby" message before leaving hospital.
o Piloting a
First Response community abuse prevention trial
This will be a new community-based service to follow up on families with under-2 year olds where there's been a domestic violence incident. The Auckland City trial will include the suburbs of Panmure, Onehunga and Grey Lynn. It's anticipated 700 children will be supported through the pilot.
o Provide extra hospital support
Under a Multi-Agency Safety Plan, medical staff, police and social workers will work on how best to protect a hospitalised child upon their release. We will also put extra Child Youth and Family social workers into the main hospitals. Currently there's just one CYF social worker at Starship Hospital.
o Long term solutions
The Minister for Social Development will be pulling together an Independent Experts Forum to look research and programmes worldwide to see what's working and possible long term solutions.
Multi Agency Safety Plans
All children and young
people admitted to hospital as a result of abuse will have a
multi agency care plan before they leave hospital.
Police, CYF and health professionals will agree on a plan which will include:
• who will care for the child
• identify and respond to their health needs
• identify what other support is necessary and how it will be provided
• clearly define the roles and responsibilities of professionals
• how monitoring will occur.
Child, Youth and Family policy will be amended
to make these multi-agency safety plans compulsory for
children who are hospitalised for abuse.
Child, Youth and Family agreements with District Health Boards and Police will be strengthened to include multi-agency safety plans.
Child, Youth Family Social Workers in Hospitals
Child, Youth and Family social workers will be
based in key hospitals.
Currently only Auckland's Starship hospital has a Child, Youth and Family social worker based fulltime there.
A dedicated Child, Youth and Family social worker will be attached to Counties Manukau, Waikato, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin hospitals.
In addition to the work they currently do in helping to protect children, they'll liaise closely with hospital staff and the families of hospitalised under-2s. It is hoped the five social workers will be in place by the end of the year.
First Response trial
Each year Child,
Youth and Family receives about 51,000 notifications from
Police. When Police attend a family violence call-out and
there are children in the home they notify Child, Youth and
Family. This is approximately half of all notifications
received by CYF.
Currently more than 40,000 of these receive no follow up as they are low-level incidents. However we know some of these are precursors to child abuse events, so we'll engage with NGOs to follow up these low level reports. The First Response trial will see Shine (Safer Homes in New Zealand), an Auckland community family violence prevention group, provide a crisis service for families who have had Police attend family violence call-outs.
The First Response service will involve:
• a Shine community social worker visiting the family as quickly as possible after Police attend an incident
• assisting the adult victim to develop a safety plan for themselves and children
• making referrals for the adult victim, child and/or perpetrator to appropriate services or programmes
• making a referral to Child, Youth and Family if a statutory service is required
• the provision of information to families
• initially the trial will involve the Grey Lynn, Panmure and Onehunga areas of Auckland. We anticipate around 700 children under two will be covered.
Children living in homes where there is intimate partner violence are seven times more likely to suffer physical abuse, and six times more likely to suffer incest.
The trial will begin in November 2009, and will be evaluated closely to see if it makes a difference to child abuse rates in the area.
Independent Expert Forum
The Minister
for Social Development is setting up an Independent Experts
Forum which will bring together key players in the field of
child abuse to focus on how to prevent child abuse in New
The experts will spend two days exploring ideas and solutions to addressing the unacceptably high rate of child abuse and neglect.
The forum, hosted by the Children's Commissioner John Angus and chaired independently, is aimed at providing Ministers with the best advice on priority areas for investment and abuse prevention programmes.
Data Monitoring
Currently, government agencies collect child maltreatment data for different purposes, which means there's not always a perfect match and sharing of data can be complicated by this. For example, agencies may:
• collect different information
• use different definitions of child maltreatment and its severity
• use different periods of time
• use different coding and ways of reporting.
We do have good data on the number of child
deaths from abuse and neglect, but for other levels figures
are more confusing.
To make serious improvements we need clear measurement tools. MSD will work with other agencies to improve the collection and recording of information to ensure that the right data is available for the right agencies at the right time, and that we can measure improvements over time.
'Never, Ever Shake a Baby' campaign
The information campaign is aimed at
ensuring that all New Zealanders understand that you should
'Never, Ever Shake a Baby'.
Health professionals, educators, and key organisations in the community who interact with new parents and caregivers will be armed with information and resources on shaken baby syndrome.
It is also aimed at getting communities, neighbourhoods and families spreading the message.
The campaign will begin by November 2009.
Auckland DHB Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Programme Pilot
Child, Youth and Family is
supporting a 'Shaken Baby Prevention Programme' being
developed by the Auckland District Health Board, led by Dr
Patrick Kelly, New Zealand's leading child abuse
paediatrician. The programme is based on an American model,
which is shown to reduce shaken baby rates by 40%.
This will involve staff talking to new parents in the Auckland District Health Board region about the dangers of shaking babies and providing information about the consequences of Shaken Baby Syndrome. The programme will reach up to 5,000 new parents each year.
The ADHB programme will be tailored so it is relevant to a New Zealand audience.


text:
TEL AVIV (Jan. 7)
All major airlines have been warned of a possible series of Arab terrorist attacks on aircraft and airport installations in England, Germany and Greece, it was reported here today. The warnings were said to have come from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Interpol. The plot was attributed to about ten terrorist groups whose members came from Beirut and are reportedly now hiding out in Western Europe. According to reliable sources, the warning prompted the extensive security measures instituted at Heathrow Airport near Lone don over the week-end and which are still continuing and similar precautions at West German airports. No new security measures were reported at Athens airport.


text:
Fast track glamour
Page Tools
Biker jacket, $229, and gold drop earrings, $15, by Toxic, Green Park jeans, $469, by Miss Sixty, with Burstt stilettos, $169, by Steve Madden.
Right now, fashion is tuned like a fork to the tacky underside of the Grand Prix's "glamorous" image. The pall of soft porn that descended and settled over Frockland more than three years ago hasn't lifted despite the rise and rise of real, feminine glamour since. Never mind the genuinely glamorous swell of autumn's new full-swing knee skirts or the soft plushness of plum-pudding velvets cinched at the waist and elegantly belled at the wrist, when the Grand Prix comes to town the definition of "glamour" gets a rude going-over by sports reporters, gossip columnists and petrolheads.
By Sunday, after the last sparrow-boned playboy has clambered out of his 900-horsepower day job, we'll all envision the definitive female archetype of "glamour" as a leggy, lip-licking, knicker-flashing, high-heeled petrolhead-ette with big hair (probably blonde), come-hither eyes and eye-popper cleavage.
That's Formula One for you; kindly rejigging our dull, cultured Melburnian reality for one gloriously vulgar weekend a year. Pictured is our contribution and celebration of the whole Grand Prix "glamour" thang. All components, including the tight-as-a-drum micro mini skirts, frilled and laced corset, and fancy cowgirl calf boots (as favoured by so many of the young women who competed in the recent state-by-state grid-girl pub contests judged - how tasteful! - by sundry blokes and the odd Ralph model) are legitimate, current fashions. You, too (or your wife, or girlfriend), can look like this. Assemble them thus and - voila! - the result is an overtly sexy outfit suitable for a day at the track where scant-clad girls are regarded as part of the entertainment. Or, assemble them a modest notch short of the softly pornographic happy-hooker look and deprive your fellow Formula One fans their promised just deserts.
What'll it be?
Bettina Liano 9529 2499
Gripp Jeans 9419 8784
Jason Grech 9662 4055
Love Kylie 9210 2222
Miss Sixty 07 3844 6061
Roy 9525 2500
Steve Madden 9322 4415
Tony Mora 9645 4550
Toxic 9417 6677
Hair & Make-up: Belinda, Chadwick
Model: Rachel, Chadwick
Styling: Michelle Cammiade.
Location: Pit Lane, Albert Park Grand Prix Track


text:
Milah, 8: "I have come here to see what the site is like now. I was sad when it collapsed. In the future I'd like to see the Freedom Tower and see happy people."
Bianca, 9: "It's really important to come here as lots of people died. It's good to see the start of the Freedom Tower so people can move on."
Graham, 12: "This was a huge event for New York and I think it's important to come to Ground Zero to see this."
Joseph, 9: "I've come here to remember those who died. I can't imagine what it must have been like if my relatives had been up there."
Katie, 12: "I think everyone should know what happened. I hope there will be a permanent memorial as a reminder of the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for strangers."


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Wheelchair users Baltic Eclipse Cruise: Celebrity Eclipse Cruise Review by terrierjohn
Overall Member Rating
Wheelchair users Baltic Eclipse Cruise
Destination: Baltic Sea
Embarkation: Southampton
The standard of cleanliness in the public areas was excellent; maybe it was influenced by the small Noro outbreak on the previous cruise and housekeeping's desire to ensure it did not return, whatever the reason the ship was spotless.
Even the entertainment, where I have in the past felt Celebrity were inferior to P&O, seemed to have improved; although they are still a bit stingy in only having 3 production shows over a 14 night cruise, but this was compensated for by the theme nights which were very entertaining.
From Captain Dimitrios Manetas down to the most junior cleaner the crew and hotel staff goes out of their way to make you feel very special.
This was our first cruise to More the Baltic and this itinerary was just about ideal, with the exception of Zeebrugge all the ports are very interesting and worth visiting, and the only other criticism I would make is having 2 sea days at the end of the cruise. Replacing Zeebrugge with Oslo on the way out and maybe an earlier departure from Copenhagen and a short stop at Kristiansand on the return trip, would be a significant improvement.
My wife uses a wheelchair so all our shore excursion comments relate to the ease and suitability of using a wheelchair. Eclipse itself scores highly for wheelchair friendliness there are only a few areas which might be improved; easier access to the lower 'stalls' seating in the theatre and more space for wheelchairs at the ends of the rows, plus some tweaking of access in the shops and some bar areas. My wheelchair friendliness score would be 9.5/10.
Zeebrugge ' Shuttle required to Blankenberge, $18pp return. This is a commercial port and you need to take a shore excursion or take a shuttle bus to Blankenberge, which is only a small resort, in order to see any sights. Not really our favourite port. We had booked a tour to Bruges but with a forecast of rain and also losing an hours sleep as we put our clocks forward to CEST we decided to cancel it, fortunately the Shore excursion desk were able to re-sell our tickets and Celebrity gave us a full refund, even though we were inside the 48 hour cancellation notice.
Warnemunde ' No shuttle required. Most cruise lines use this port as a gateway to Berlin, but there is a 3 hour coach trip each way which makes it a long day. Warnemunde itself is quite a busy tourist town so we went ashore to do our own thing. The main route into town is via an underpass under the railway lines but it has some steps which makes it a no go for us, however about 100 metres along the riverside quay from the underpass the rail lines finish and there is a wheelchair accessible route across a car/RV park. A dogleg left across the road as you exit the car park takes you down the fish market street and straight into the tourist centre around the river front with all the harbour tour boats and plenty of restaurants, cafes and tourist shops. A pretty seaside resort but it was very windy, cloudy and quite cool the day we visited, had it been sunnier and warmer we would have enjoyed it much more; there are quite a few cobbled areas which is not ideal for wheelchairs, wheelchair suitability 6/10.
Stockholm ' Shuttle $15.00 pp. day pass, or taxi or HoHo bus. We took an accessible tour here, only a 2.5hr panoramic coach tour but the guide spoke excellent English, was quite humorous and made the tour very enjoyable. The coach used was a standard 50 seater with a lift arrangement on the nearside rear of the coach, and several seats removed to allow for wheelchair stowage. My wife can transfer to a coach seat once on board and then enjoy a normal window view. There were a couple of photo stops on the tour but my wife did not bother getting off the coach, so we have no idea how wheelchair friendly the streets are.
However the highlight of Stockholm was the sail away, we had booked the Tuscan Grill speciality restaurant that night little realising there is a 4.5hr transit of the Stockholm archipelago through thousands of islands dotted with houses, some with very narrow channels through which the cruise ship slowly threads its way to the open sea and Helsinki; followed in our case by P&O's Arcadia and Fred Olsen's Black Watch, which enhanced the scenic view. The evening had blue skies and bright sunshine and Tuscan Grill has panoramic windows all around the stern of deck 5 on Eclipse. So we were treated to a spectacular sail away.
Helsinki ' Local shuttle bus Euro 10.00pp return. We took another accessible panoramic coach tour here, approximately 2 hrs. but sufficient to see a significant amount of the city, the coach was similar to that in Stockholm, but the lift was housed in one of the stairs in the mid coach steps which seemed a good space saving feature. The tour made a couple of photo stops which again my wife declined, one was to the Sibelius park where there is a monument to the composer, the other the main square which is dominated by the Lutheran Cathedral of Helsinki. It was a beautiful sunny day which made the city look very appealing, but the harbour area looked very busy and the pavements did not look very wheelchair friendly. Wheelchair suitability 6/10.
St Petersburg ' No shuttle bus but you need to be on a tour to go ashore. This is likely to be the highlight of the cruise for most people and we took the two half day (4.5 hrs.) sightseeing wheelchair tours that Celebrity offers. Neither tour includes any inside museum visits, but we preferred the sightseeing anyway. These were both in Mercedes Sprinter mini coaches with lift access at the rear, where the w/c users could transfer to coach seats or 2 could remain in their chairs; on the city tour there were 3 w/c users making 6 passengers in total and on the Peterhof gardens tour only 4 of us in total. I imagine that Celebrity make little or no commission on these excursions.
The city tour ended up as only a 3.5 hr. tour since passport control at the port involved a 45 minute queue, but it was still excellent value. There were numerous stops where all the w/c users debussed and we managed to see quite a lot of the city, but there were little or no dropped kerbs so w/c sightseeing was limited to the immediate vicinity of the coach stop. But it was a beautiful sunny day with morning temps. getting into the high 20's C, so perhaps it was best to limit w/c pushing.
The major stop is at the Peter & Paul fortress, this is worth a visit but the site is not very wheelchair friendly, there are some flat paved paths but they don't cover the entire site, the remainder is either large or small cobbles where I eventually resorted to pulling the w/c backwards. Wheelchair suitability 5/10.
The second day tour was to Peterhof gardens which are approximately a 1 hr. journey from the ship, but traffic dependant, fortunately our ship's visit was over Saturday and Sunday so traffic was fairly light and it only took about 45 minutes going, but over an hour on the return.
There is quite a steep pathway down from the car park to the main gardens, one is long and straight, the other doglegs and has several cobbled drainage channels crossing it, both are very fine cindered paths, as are most of the paths around the gardens. The majority of the gardens are level and pushing the w/c was fairly easy, however the push back to the car park was quite strenuous. The gardens are full of fountains and gold leaf covered statues, it is a little bit Disneyfied but that's not such a bad thing. They are extremely popular with the locals and our visit being on a warm summer Sunday meant they were very busy indeed. The gardens themselves are probably worth 7/10 on my wheelchair scale, except for the mountain climb back up to the car park.
Tallin Estonia ' You can walk into town approx. 20 mins. Or local shuttle Euro 7.5 pp. return. We had booked another half day panoramic city tour; the transport again was a Mercedes Sprinter mini coach with 6 of us on board. Tallin has heavily cobbled streets so we only did 2 w/c stops, the first at the site of an Estonian defeat by the Danes is down a steep badly paved and cobbled track, backwards was the only way to get back up to the coach. The coach also stopped at a lookout point above the old town, during which my wife stayed in the coach, then the final stop is at the song festival grounds, where the Estonians gather every 5 years to sing nationalist songs. Wheelchair suitability 5/10.
Copenhagen ' Shuttle bus $15.00 day pass or lots of HoHo buses, but it is easy to walk into town. Fortunately we were berthed at Langelinie pier rather than in the Freeport area itself and it's a fairly easy 10 min. walk to the little mermaid, and then a further 10-15 min. to Stroget, which is the main pedestrianized shopping and tourist area. If you walk to the end of Stroget and then continue on Fredericksberggade Street this takes you to City Hall square which is opposite Tivoli gardens. We did not go that far but made our way through the old streets to Kings garden and from there back to the ship. Disabled toilets are always a major problem when not on a ships tour, but we found one in a rather stylish chocolate caf'/shop in Stroget with a very friendly and helpful staff. Wheelchair suitability 7/10.
Any ships shore excursions tend to be more expensive than your own arranged tours but for accessible tours we thought Celebrity's prices were very reasonable. The five half day tours we did, ranging from 2.0 hrs. to 4.5 hrs. each, cost just under '500 for both of us, with the two St Petersburg ones being the most expensive at just over '70pp. Not too bad especially when you take account of the '50 the shuttles would have cost at the three ports, and that you need to take tours in Russia in order to get ashore. In addition I am not certain that accessible shuttles for full time wheelchair users would have been available in all the ports.
When we first booked this cruise we thought it was unlikely we would do it again so we needed to see as much as possible this time, however we enjoyed it so much that we might well consider another Baltic cruise in the future. Less
Published 08/04/13
Cabin review: 2B7139 Deluxe Veranda
Accessible balcony cabins on Eclipse are spacious and well equipped, but they do need extra drawer storage.Read All Deluxe Veranda (2B) Reviews >>
Read Cruise Critic's Celebrity Eclipse Review >>
Good cruise for a range of age...
Northen Europe and the Baltic ...
Great Cruise, Service Could Be...
Odd use of space on the ship
Needs to decide...
High-standard ship, high-stand...
Amazing Equinox Experience
Entertainment poor.
Very Relaxing Anniversary Crui...
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AT&T and The Nature Conservancy Team up to Help Montana Customers Skip The Bag
AT&T to donate 10 cents for every checkout bag its customers forego
Helena, Montana, August 13, 2013
In an effort to empower AT&T customers with sustainable choices, increase efficiency and minimize impact on the environment, AT&T is teaming up with The Nature Conservancy to encourage AT&T customers to skip the bag when purchasing items from its retail stores in Montana. With this program, which runs from August 9 to January 31, AT&T will donate 10 cents to The Nature Conservancy for each check out bag its customers choose to forego.
"As we work to make our own operations at AT&T more sustainable, we also want to empower our customers to live more sustainably," said Jenifer Robertson, Vice President and General Manager, AT&T-Rocky Mountain Region. "The skip the bag initiative joins our other environmentally focused retail efforts, like our eco-devices and device recycling programs, that help AT&T and our customers to minimize our impact on the environment, today and well into the future."
AT&T's Skip the Bag campaign is in support of The Nature Conservancy's efforts to protect and restore the lands and waters on which all life depends. The Nature Conservancy takes innovative action to invest in the planet's environmental and economic future, such as Southwest Montana.
"The Nature Conservancy is dedicated to maintaining the natural wealth that makes Montana such a special place to live, work and play," said Richard Jeo, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Montana. "We are pleased to encourage consumers to skip the bag whenever they can. It's good for Montana and the planet."
The Nature Conservancy has preserved almost one million acres of habitat in Montana – beginning in 1976 with the state's very first conservation easement. Globally, the Conservancy has protected nearly 120 million acres around the world over 60 years.
Throughout the duration of this campaign, customers will also have the opportunity to donate additional funds to The Nature Conservancy at Montana AT&T stores. To learn more about AT&T's sustainability efforts, please visit www.att.com/sustainability.


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Eight years ago, very early in the morning......a baby girl came into our lives. She was a little bigger than anyone was expecting.
Her first look at me instigated a loud howl......from her, not me.
Several years and many howling nights later she has turned into the best girl I know.
All skinny legs and happiness, laughter and softball bats, and a total unwillingness to do anything with that hair.
We love her very much anyway.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Happy Birthday Toots
Posted by Michelle at 5:00 AM
Labels: Toots
5 comments:
Happy Birthday Toots!ReplyDelete
Wishing you lots of glitter, tiara's and other things fabulous!
From your mother's most fabulous friend and the only one who buys you trashy stuff,
I love her! Those care free long haired wild things! Eight is an enchanting age just enjoy enjoy!! Great pictures.ReplyDelete
Happy Birthday, Toots!ReplyDelete
May you bring happiness and joy to your Momma every day!!!
I'm a little late, but Happy Birthday. She turned into a beautiful young girl.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 13, 2009 at 8:47 PM
Abby you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.ReplyDelete
Jacob Scott
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Product Recycling Fund
The price of this item includes a contribution to a Product recycling fund to ensure that waste electrical and electronic equipment is collected and recycled in a responsible manner.
Leave the recipes in the kitchen
Keep it white or go crazy for colour. Match every piece or mix them all up. Stick to a classic look or change with every season. When it comes to setting the table, there are no rules. And by doing exactly what you want, you'll have the perfect recipe for making the moment feel as good as the food tastes.
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Lay on some flair
Dress up the table with OFANTLIGT dinnerware that's full of lustre and shine, made in porcelain that stands the microwave and dishwasher.See more dinnerware
Directions, hours, offers
and events
and events


text:
Sea Grant was created by the U.S. Congress in 1966 to be a highly leveraged federal and state partnership to harness the intellectual capacity of the nation's universities to solve ocean, coastal, Great Lakes and island (hereby referred to as coastal) problems. The National Sea Grant College Program engages citizens, communities, scientists, organizations and governments to sustain and enhance the vitality, value and wise use of the nation's coastal resources. Administered and supported by NOAA, and implemented through leading research universities, Sea Grant provides unique access to scientific expertise and to new discoveries. Through its scientists and communications, education, extension and legal specialists (hereby referred to as engagement professionals), Sea Grant generates, translates and delivers cutting‐edge, unbiased, science-based information to address complex issues.
Sea Grant is a national network. This network includes the National Sea Grant Office, 33 university‐based state programs, the National Sea Grant Advisory Board, the National Sea Grant Law Center, the National Sea Grant Library and hundreds of participating institutions. The Sea Grant network enables NOAA and the nation to tap the best science, technology and expertise to balance human and environmental needs in coastal communities. Sea Grant's alliance with major research universities around the country provides access to thousands of scientists, students and engagement professionals. Sea Grant's university‐based programs are fundamental to the development of the future scientists and resource managers needed to conduct research and to guide the responsible use and conservation of our nation's coastal resources. With its strong research capabilities, local knowledge and on‐the‐ground workforce, Sea Grant provides an effective national network of unmatched ability to rapidly identify and capitalize on opportunities and to generate timely, practical solutions to real problems in real places.
Since its inception, a strong set of core values has provided the foundation for Sea Grant's work. Sea Grant is
founded on a belief in the critical importance of university‐based research and constituent engagement.
The collective Sea Grant network brought its wealth of expertise and experience to the task of creating this plan. The planning process began with identification of priorities by the Sea Grant state programs (and their stakeholders and advisory committees) followed by a review of existing plans and reports that set national, regional, state and local priorities. To elicit additional input and guidance, the Sea Grant network, national stakeholder groups, representatives from NOAA programs, other federal agencies and environmental nonprofit organizations were asked to provide input on three drafts of the 2014‐2017 National Sea Grant Program Strategic Plan
A strategic approach to managing coastal resources in ways that balance human use with environmental health requires:
Better science‐based information about how coastal ecosystems function and how human activities affect coastal habitats and living resources;
Citizens who understand the complexities of coastal environments and the interactions between human use and coastal ecosystem health;
Management and decision‐making processes that are based on sound information, involve citizens who have a stake in America's coastal resources and include mechanisms to evaluate trade‐offs between human and environmental needs; and,
Incorporation of social science, including quality of life and sustainable economic development, into ecosystem‐based management decisions.
To help the nation understand, manage and use its coastal resources wisely, four focus areas were identified in the 2009-2013 Strategic Plan. The focus areas for the 2014-2017 plan evolved from the previous focus areas, and reflect America's most urgent needs along our coasts, as well as NOAA goals and Sea Grant's strengths and core values.
Each focus area has goals, outcomes and performance measures. The goals describe the desired long‐term direction for each focus area. The outcomes are benchmarks from which Sea Grant can track progress toward achieving each goal. Performance measures are quantitative ways of measuring outcomes with targets developed by each Sea Grant program.
1) Healthy Coastal Ecosystems
2) Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture
3) Resilient Communities and Economies
4) Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development
1) Hazard Resilient Coastal Communities
2) Healthy Coastal Ecosystems
3) Safe and Sustainable Seafood Supply
4) Sustainable Coastal Development


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REDLANDS >> A new sound is being heard in our local musical scene. Redlands residents Michael Taelour and Dan Morgan have combined their lengthy musical resumes and their skills on instruments and vocal harmonies under the name Third Stream Crossing, with a wide-ranging mix of Americana and original songs.
The duo was born in August at Redlands' Downtown Market Night. One Thursday evening, Morgan, 61, was "cruisin'," just taking in the sights and sounds of the scene, when he encountered Taelour, also 61, who was playing there with his classic rock revival band, Mid-life Crisis.
"I've been playing music and loving music my entire life," said Taelour, who started with garage rock bands while enrolled at Fontana High School in the city where he was born. "We played the same songs, but back then it was top 40, now it's classic rock."
In 1985 he moved to Redlands and formed Mid-life Crisis.
And then came that memorable Thursday when Morgan entered the picture.
"I was watching this band," says Morgan, who's also lived in Redlands for a number of years, "and they were doing what I'm very familiar with; just a country rock sort of thing, and in the line-up they had two good guitar players, and bass drums, but I said they're missing a fiddle."
Morgan plays the fiddle, as well as the mandolin and the guitar, and sings.
"I said they could use me because it doesn't look like they're worried too much about the whole thing, so I'd fit right in. Actually, I hunted Micheal down, man. I Googled him, and found his name, and said, 'Hey, if you ever need a fiddle give me a call.' He goes, 'Well, I'm doin' some session work. Come on down.'"
"The key element of that band," said Taelour, was what Morgan had emailed to Taelour about Mid-life Crisis after he'd seen them: "'You guys looked like you were having fun. I wanna have fun!' And we do have fun. That was an attraction there."
Morgan dates his love of music to the night he saw The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl.
"I had a guitar within six months. It was a nylon string guitar, so it was completely the wrong instrument, but still, it was a guitar!"
To please his parents he was playing songs like "'Satin Doll,' and 'Take the A Train,' but I wanted to rock!"
So he'd sneak off and hit it. Then, in college, he got into folk and bluegrass, and finally discovered the fiddle, which led him to country/western music and sitting in with bar bands.
Then came an upsurge of country music in the late '70s, and by that time Morgan was attracting attention.
"I got work!" he said with amazement. "I got a crazy amount of work! I got to play with Ernest Tubbs. I got to play with Ray Price, Juice Newton, Hoyt Axton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Janie Fricke and Johnny Lee — all kinds of people."
By the early '80s he was playing full time and making a living at it.
"In the culture," said Taelour, "we call that the real deal."
Morgan's primary work was with Jim Seal and his band.
"He had a record deal out of Nashville, and we charted five songs in the top 100, and a couple top 40. We were very fortunate, but we got chewed up by Nashville. It was fascinating."
Figuring his full-time career in music had run its course, and having tired of working constantly at night, Morgan got a day job. First he worked in photography, and then in the early '90s went to law school. He's now been an attorney for just over 20 years.
But for Morgan the music was always there playing in the background, so when he met Taelour and then discovered that the combo clicked, that passion immediately sprang to life again. For Taelour, too, it seemed like a new beginning.
"All this time," said Taelour about his rock years, "I've always loved old country music, and bluegrass, and folk a lot, but never really got a chance to play that too much. That's what I liked about meeting this guy. We share a lot of those interests and by putting that together we have an eclectic mix. We throw songs that we love at each other and that makes up our song list."
Balancing out the oldies are some of the many tunes that Taelour has written himself. And this new phase of his life couldn't have come at a better time. Having just retired after a 40-year career at Kaiser Hospital, most recently working as a mobility tech for the disabled, "the timing," he says, "is perfect for a new musical adventure."
"I think Micheal is a great songwriter," said Morgan, "and that was very appealing to me as well."
Appealing, too, is the way he can now step out in front to play and sing the songs himself after many years as a sideman in the background. For him it's also filling a void.
The band, whose name, "Third Stream Crossing," was inspired by the times Taelour once frolicked at a Lytle Creek swimming hole above Fontana, now have a debut CD out called "Cypress Ave." and are hard at work on their second. While appearing regularly at the Olive Avenue Market, and the Live Oak Canyon Tree Farm, they are also available for private parties, weddings, wine bars, restaurants and local municipal events. And, yes, they still hold forth on Thursdays at Market Night where it all began just a year ago this August.


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Roadside Assistance Services
Flat Tire? Car Won't Start? Out of Gas? Not Sure?
We can help! 24 Hours a Day!
Not a Member of a National Road Club? Give Us a Call! We offer more than Just Locksmith Services!
In addition to automotive lockout services we offer:
- Flat Tire Assistance
- Vehicle Jump Starts
- Fuel Delivery
We will send a technician out to replace your flat tire with a good spare*, jump start your vehicle if you are having trouble starting it or if you have run out of gas we will bring you up to 2 gallons** of fuel.
We do not provide service on OVERSIZE vehicles.
No tire changes on trucks larger than an F-150 or more than 2 Axles. Sorry No Duallys
We can jump start the Toyota Prius and other Hybrid models safely following dealer protocols.
Affordable Roadside Help
Same quick response times as our locksmith service, and even lower rates!
Many roadside clubs allow motorists to secure their own service and then reimburse them. We offer quick and convnient roadside service so you don't have a long wait for someone to arrive. We provide roadside service for many major motor clubs such as Allstate, Geico, State Farm, and many others. We offer you low rates on basic roadside services.
If you have AAA Roadside, they will pay you back for our service. State Farm customers may also be eligible for reimbursement
You don't have to be a member of a road club to get great roadside assistance. You get the same great deals as the Auto Clubs without all the hassle or monthly fees!
*We do not deliver, or mount tires on site. In order for our technicians to assist you with your flat tire, you must have a good spare, mounted on a rim and properly inflated. We do not provide air service on site for flat tires. This is to protect you and your property, as well as our technicians.
**Our drivers are not equipped to transport large amounts of fuel, we can deliver up to 2 gallons of gasoline or diesel at a time. If for some reason you require more than 2 gallons, we will gladly travel to the closest fuel station and purchase up to 2 more gallons, a fee of $10, plus the cost of fuel, will be the responsibility of the customer and or the person who requested service.
Typically most vehicles have no issues starting with 2 gallons of fuel, if no other mechanical problems exist.


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GENEALOGY-DNA-L ArchivesArchiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2006-01 > 1136615619
From: "billdenney" <>
Subject: Genealogy Paper Trails vs. Y-DNA Testing
Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 22:33:39 -0800
Has anyone looked at what percentage of generally accepted paper genealogies for surnames dating back to say the early 1700's have not been "proven out" by Y-DNA analysis so far? Obviously there are a lot of variables here (quality of the genealogical research, non-paternity events, etc.), but I'm curious to know an approximate casualty rate for the paper trails.
Bill Denney
This thread:
|Genealogy Paper Trails vs. Y-DNA Testing by "billdenney" <>


text: The attached small patch fixes the output of two log entrys so that the logged time is correct (instead of always 00:00:00). There is also a problem with the "search for 'spanning' resources" part of the MJobGetEStartTime since it will return a bogus EStartTime value due to the fact that BestStartTime is never set in that part of the code and *EStartTime is still set to BestStartTime. There is no "if (JobStartTime < BestStartTime)" check in the spanning part of the code. -- Ake Sandgren, HPC2N, Umea University, S-90187 Umea, Sweden Internet: ake at hpc2n.umu.se Phone: +46 90 7866134 Fax: +46 90 7866126 Mobile: +46 70 7716134 WWW: http://www.hpc2n.umu.se -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: MJob.log.patch Type: text/x-patch Size: 781 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.supercluster.org/pipermail/mauiusers/attachments/20060127/5ddb9b3b/MJob.log.bin


text:
MeritBadgeDotOrg:Current events
From MeritBadgeDotOrg
May 2017
Starting in 2018, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called Mormons), will no longer sponsor any Varsity crews or Venturing troops.
April 2017
No more Tour Permits or Tour Plans required. They're a great idea, highly recommended, but no longer required.
1 January 2017
All Boy Scouts, regardless of rank or progress in rank, must now use the current requirements (that came out a year ago on 1 Jan 2016). Boy Scouts had the previous year to finish up whatever rank they were working on, and all Boy Scouts now get to use the current requirements (they could have used them earlier if desired, but all must now use the current requirements). The Boy Scout rank requirements have been updated with the current requirements.
Arrow of Light requirements also updated to the current (new) requirements -- all boys who could have used the old requirements should have aged out by now. Also, Wolf/Bear/Webelos/AoL main requirements edited to say that they're using the new requirements (which were effective immediately) from the program modifications document, rather than a published book.


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|Longueuil, Quebec
|Broadcast area
|Montreal, Quebec
|"Vous le Savez Maintenant!"
("Now You Know!")
|98.5 MHz (FM)
|First air date
|April 9, 1977 (as CIEL-FM)
January 5, 2004 (as CHMP-FM)
|talk radio/sports (French)
|100 000 watts
|301.5 meters (989 ft)
|Callsign meaning
|CH Montreal Parlé (Talk in French)
|Former callsigns
(Cogeco Diffusion Acquisitions Inc.)
|Sister stations
CHMP-FM is a French language Canadian radio station located in Montreal, Quebec. Owned and operated by Cogeco, it broadcasts on 98.5 MHz with an effective radiated power of 40,800 watts (class C1) using an omnidirectional antenna atop Mount Royal. CHMP's studios are located at Place Bonaventure in downtown Montreal.
While CHMP's studios and transmitter site are in Montreal, CHMP's official city of license is and always has been Longueuil due to a previous incarnation of the station being located in that city.
The station identifies itself as "98,5 FM" and is one of the few full-time FM talk stations in North America to broadcast in stereo. However, the station has some music blocks, during weekends.
Notable hosts include popular morningman Paul Arcand, midday host Benoît Dutrizac and afternoon drive host Paul Houde. Gilles Proulx was also heard on the station from 2004 until his retirement on August 7, 2008.[1]
In 1976, Stephane Venne applied for the license to operate a new station on the FM dial in Longueuil. He initially wanted 93.5 MHz (Channel 228) with a power of 10,000 watts, but this frequency was granted to CBC Radio. On January 20, 1977, Radio MF CIEL (1976) Inc. got permission to use callsign CIEL-FM. The station went on the air April 9, 1977 with 10,000 watts, as an adult contemporary format. Stephane Venne was director of CIEL.
On October 17, 1978, Radio MF CIEL (1976) was sold to Stereo Laval Inc which also owned CFGL-FM in Laval. In 1981, Stereo laval was purchased by Placements Roland Saucier Inc. and ownership of CIEL was transferred to a holding entity called Radio MF CIEL (1981) Inc.
In 1987, CIEL moved its antenna from Mont Saint-Bruno to Mount Royal, and reduced its power from 100,000 watts to 45,000 watts, and then to 40,800 in 1988.
CIEL-FM changed to more of a hot adult contemporary format by the early 1990s after it gave up the AC format to rivals CFGL-FM & CITE-FM
Throughout its 23 years with the CIEL-FM callsign, the station's studios were located on St-Charles street in Old Longueuil, but the station served the entire Greater Montreal area.
Cool FM[edit]
In 1998, owner Jean-Pierre Coallier sold CIEL-FM to Metromedia CMR. On August 8, 2000, the station's call sign was changed to CKOO-FM as it switched to a modern rock format branded as Cool FM. The station was moved from Longueuil to Verdun in 1999. The format was changed to mainstream rock in 2001 when Corus Entertainment acquired the station, and the format was changed again to classic rock in 2003. The Cool FM branding continued to be used and all those rock music formats failed to attract listeners.
Cool FM wanted to become the first French-language rock station in the Montreal area. It took inspiration from CHOI-FM in Quebec City.
As the station's lack of popularity continued, Corus announced on November 27, 2003 that it would implement a talk format starting in 2004. Following the announcement, all Cool FM programs were immediately stopped and the station played continuous Christmas music for the rest of the year.
January 5, 2004 marks the air date of the new talk format with the CHMP-FM callsign and the branding 98,5 FM, Le FM parlé de Montréal. The current CHMP-FM calls became official by spring 2004.
With Paul Arcand as host, 98,5 FM rapidly climbed up on top as the news source in Montreal with 1,133,000 listeners and 120,000 visitors on its website.[2]
CHMP-FM holds the distinction of being the last station to broadcast from the legendary 211 Gordon Avenue studios in Verdun, which had been home to CKVL and CKOI-FM for decades. The station moved to new studios in Place Bonaventure in Downtown Montreal on July 29, 2006; the old 211 Gordon Avenue studios were demolished in December 2006.
From February 2005 until April 1, 2007, the station had an all-talk format only during Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regulated hours (it played continuous music at night). While the station wanted to switch to such a format beginning in January 2004, it was previously unable to do so because of CRTC regulations limiting talk shows on the FM band and aired a mix of talk and classic hits in 2004 and early 2005.
Since April 2, 2007, the station has a full-time talk radio format, except for weekends Souvenirs Garantis classic hits programming.
On April 30, 2010, it was announced that all Corus Québec stations, including CHMP-FM, would be sold to Cogeco for $80 million, pending CRTC approval.[3][4] On December 17, 2010, the CRTC approved the sale of most of Corus' radio stations in Quebec, including CHMP-FM, to Cogeco.[5] CHMP formally became a Cogeco station on February 1, 2011.
CHMP-FM is now the producer of the Cogeco Nouvelles news bulletins for the French-language stations in the Cogeco chain. Originally CorusNouvelles, the station assumed this task for the Corus Québec network following the closure of sister station CINF in January 2010.[6]
CHMP-FM overtook sister adult contemporary station CFGL-FM as the most-listened-to North American radio station broadcasting in the French language as of the fall 2011.
Since 2011, CHMP has been the Francophone flagship of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens. It began simulcasting Canadiens games in 2007 to make up for sister station CKAC's reduced nighttime coverage. It became the sole flagship in 2011 after CKAC changed to a Francophone traffic format. Also since 2011, CHMP has been the Francophone outlet for the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes.
On November 29, 2013, the CRTC approved an application for broadcasting improvements, with the station increasing its power from 40,800 watts to 100,000 watts, and decreasing its antenna from 301.5 metres to 298.9 metres EHAAT.[7]
Additional notes[edit]
Another station, CJRM-FM, previously used the 98.5 MHz frequency in Montreal during the late 1960s.
The call sign CIEL-FM ("ciel" being French for "sky") is used since 2001 by a station in Rivière-du-Loup formerly known as CJFP-FM.
- ^ http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080808/CPARTS/808080622/5050/CPPRESSE
- ^ 98,5 FM sondage BBM, canoe.com
- ^ "Canada's Corus Entertainment sells all its stations in Quebec, including Montreal". Radio-Info.com. April 30, 2010.
- ^ St. Petersburg Times, "Canada Report" column, May 9, 2010.
- ^ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2010-942: "Transfer of effective control of various commercial radio programming undertakings from Corus Entertainment Inc. to Cogeco inc.", issued December 17, 2010.
- ^ CNW Newswire: "AM Info690 Montréal and AM940 Montreal's Greatest Hits to cease operation on January 29, 2010", January 29, 2010.
- ^ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2013-640, November 29, 2013.
External links[edit]
- CHMP-FM history - Canadian Communications Foundation
- Query the REC's Canadian station database for CHMP-FM
Coordinates: 45°30′20″N 73°35′30″W / 45.50556°N 73.59167°W