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About nine o'clock on the morning of November 19, a Hellfire missile shot from a US Predator drone destroyed a Toyota Hilux on a back road of eastern Yemen.
The ute was carrying local al-Qaeda leader Abu Habib al-Yemeni. Two Australian men whom security sources say were al-Qaeda foot soldiers happened to be with him.
Christopher Harvard from Townsville and a dual New Zealand national known only as Muslim bin John became the first Australians confirmed killed under Washington's controversial drone campaign.
They joined thousands of people killed by the US under a program that has grown rapidly during the Obama administration to become one of the defining features of the War on Terror.
It is just a glimpse of things to come. Drones, otherwise known as "unmanned aerial vehicles" or "remotely piloted aircraft", are set to become a permanent and expanding feature of every modern military, including Australia's.
The Abbott government recently committed Australia to the drone era with the planned purchase of up to seven Triton maritime surveillance drones, which have the wingspan of a Boeing 737.
They will patrol the continent's vast northern approaches and can spot anything from a Chinese warship to an Indonesian fishing boat.
The Chief of the Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Brown, told Fairfax Media this week that he is keen to acquire Reaper drones – the more advanced cousin of the Predator – to bolster Australia's forces.
The war in Afghanistan has already given the Australian Defence Force considerable experience flying Israeli-made Heron drones out of Kandahar.
The Heron provided intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for ground forces, particular the SAS and commandos. It was a huge success and has only whetted Defence's appetite for the technology.
" 'Can't get enough of it,' is typically the response from those guys," said Group Captain Guy Adams, the RAAF's director of unmanned aerial systems.
Adams, an aeronautical engineer, embodies the growing importance the force is giving to drones. He is he first to inhabit the role, created just last November.
His job is to beat a path forward for the military to start using drones more widely. That means everything from liaising with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to develop certification for the use of drones in Australian airspace, to figuring out how to overcome negative public perceptions about "killer drones".
He aims to move both the military and broader society forward so that "unmanned aviation will simply become part of aviation".
"I want to start a process so that we can get to the point where we see unmanned platforms getting airborne … at manned aerodromes," he says, meaning regular airports and airfields.
He's also grappling with the question of whether the RAAF needs to start training dedicated drone pilots. All of the Heron operators had trained as regular pilots. The US, by contrast, has just reached the point where it is training as many drone pilots as it is regular pilots.
There is a big difference. The Triton, made by US defence firm Northrop Grumman, is at the cutting-edge of automation, able to take off and land itself, and follow a programmed flight path, leaving the pilot to concentrate on the main mission.
In a hangar attached to Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert, 'Mike McCormack, Northrop Grumman's site production manager, last week showed Fairfax Media the three Tritons that have been built and are going through testing.
A regular-looking laptop computer sat on a work bench, feeding instructions through wires into the aircraft's belly. Flights can be pre-programmed this way – a matter of mouse clicks rather than joysticks.
''This is the future – that's my personal opinion," McCormack said. "They're close to perfect in the way they're flying."
The Triton can stay aloft for at least 24 hours while performing surveillance in a 360 degree circle with an array of sensors.
With an endurance that outstrips manned surveillance planes like the P-3 Orion and P-8 Poseidon, it would have been ideal in the search for the wreckage of missing plane MH370, said Mike Mackey, a former Marine who now heads the Triton program.
"When you think about a manned capability, … your on-station time is two hours, as compared with … upwards of 12 to 14 hours for us."
The RAAF's Adams agrees. "If Triton were available today … it would have been one of the first platforms to start looking."
Looking beyond the Triton, Air Marshal Brown says it's inevitable that Australia will get weaponised drones, citing the Reaper – made by US firm General Atomics – as an attractive choice in the near future.
"I think a good intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform that's weaponised is a pretty legitimate weapon system for Australia."
He declines to describe specific scenarios but says: "There's a lot of reasons for an air force to get them."
Such a purchase could raise controversy, given the name recognition. Washington's use of drones against Islamic militants has been hotly contested.
While Afghanistan is a proper battlefield, strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia could be illegal because the US is not at war with those countries, some argue.
In a recent paper in Foreign Affairs journal, Audrey Kurth Cronin of George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia, wrote that drone strikes might yield short term gains but were breeding resentment that was "creating sworn enemies out of a sea of local insurgents".
Former prime minister Malcolm Fraser recently suggested that Australians working at Pine Gap, which reportedly provides signals intelligence to help identify drone strike targets, might be vulnerable to war crimes prosecution.
Brown is frustrated by the ethical attacks against drones, saying the debate has been skewed by inflated claims of civilian casualties and false impressions of coldly calculating killing machines.
"The collateral damage issues around UAVs are absolutely no different to manned aeroplanes," he said. "In some respects … (they) are somewhat better."
Casualties are unclear because of the secrecy of the US program. The US Bureau of Investigative Journalism, which tracks media reports of drone strikes, has reported there were more than 1000 drone strikes in Afghanistan from 2008 to 2012. The bureau also says up to 4225 people including 1042 civilians have been killed by drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.
Brown says that fighter and bomber pilots make split-second decisions, often with a poor view of the ground. Drones by contrast circle and zoom in, giving the team of operators – even if they are on the other side of the world – more time to consider their actions.
"I don't think the decision (to launch weapons) is any easier at all. I think it's probably harder."
But he acknowledges there will be challenges ahead, particularly on the thorny question of increasing automation.
At what point do pilots delegate the authority to fire? Say a drone needs to make an emergency landing – does it head for a nearby airfield that means flying over a school, or does it land immediately on a country road, potentially putting a lone motorist at risk?
A version of this choice has already been faced by the prototype drone X-47B, which Northrop Grumman has built to take off and land from the US Navy's aircraft carriers. On one flight, the drone aborted a landing and chose to fly back to shore.
Almost certainly there was no danger to the dozens of people standing on the carrier's deck, but the drone, following strict criteria programmed by the testers, made its own decision to play it safe.
Predators and Reapers are shaped by the War on Terror. They are not particularly automated, nor even that technologically advanced – indeed Guy Adams says their autopilot is less sophisticated than an A380 passenger plane.
They are effective in uncontested airspace – the Taliban and al-Qaeda don't have an airforce, nor surface-to-air missiles. But to go up against a modern nation with its own powerful military, something else is needed.
With the pivot to Asia, the rise of China and the uncertainty in the region, the US is looking at tougher combat drones, which is why the prototype X-47B is being developed.
Ordered by the US Navy to fly from its aircraft carriers, the X-47B looks like a miniature version of the formidable B-2 stealth bomber – sleek and muscular, like a metal stingray.
Though still in its infancy, the drone would eventually be used to carry 900-kilogram bombs, which means it could destroy another country's land-based missile batteries to protect an aircraft carrier group and its fleet of manned fighters, explains Pablo Gonzales, who heads the X-47B program.
"The likely scenario is using it as the stealthy, penetrating strike platform, to go in and find the mobile anti-aircraft batteries … and take them out of the picture to allow a manned vehicle to enter into a much more safe and uncontested airspace."
Nobody at Northrop Grumman's headquarters in San Diego mentions China.
But the US Air Force, in a drones blueprint published in February, said drones would "have an important role as we rebalance the force toward the Asia-Pacific region'' and would "support the … stated need to project power in contested (areas) and strike quickly from over the horizon".
It was strategic boffin-speak for neutralising China's land-based missiles that threaten US aircraft carriers and hence American sea dominance in the western Pacific.
The sheer pace of technology suggests drones will come to rule the battle space. As US drone pilot Captain Michael Byrnes in the latest Air & Space Power Journal: "The machine's combined advantages … would make the idea of human-inhabited platforms that challenge it resemble the mismatch depicted in The Charge of the Light Brigade.''
Yet most experts agree humans will need to stay in the loop. Brown points out that drones,with their millions of lines of software code, have a critical vulnerability to cyber attacks, especially when commands have to be sent by satellite half-way round the world.
(Russian hackers claimed to have commandeered a US drone over Ukraine several weeks ago, though no evidence has been forthcoming.)
Brown sees ''swarms'' as a possible scenario – a manned plane such as a Joint Strike Fighter backed up by a swarm of drones. Because the commands to the drones are being sent from the fighter pilot over relatively short distances, they are less susceptible to hackers.
Then there are the limits imposed by human psychology. Drones are perfect for surveillance and reconnaissance with their long endurance, and are becoming good at launching quick strikes on enemies.
But much of warfare – like much of civilian life – involves lugging people and equipment around. Just as airline passengers aren't likely to board jets without pilots any time soon, the military will continue to need pilots for its workhorse C-130 and C-17 transport planes.
''I don't see people hopping on unmanned aeroplanes and being happy to fly,'' Brown says.
Guy Adams cites the example offered by American drone lobby: ''You'll know that unmanned aviation has matured when the President of the United States steps on to a plane that doesn't have any pilot."
David Wroe travelled to the United States courtesy of Northrop Grumman.


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Manufacturers Share Sustainability Wins
Energy Savings and Environmental Compliance Delivered for Goodyear, Colorcon and Energenic.
"This is allowing Energenic to monitor real-time data from its controls through firewalls in its VPN; calculate power going to the VSDs and motors control centers on condensers and pumps, for example; compare present performance to benchmarks; trend that data for future analyses and energy-use optimization; and distribute it to anyone who needs it via web pages. So far, this solution has saved Energenic about 15% on its operating costs."
Drugmaker Bolsters Environmental Compliance Reporting
Likewise, Alex Jushchyshyn, site manager at Colorcon, reported that his firm makes colors, coatings dyes, binders and other products for the tablets produced by many pharmaceutical companies, and added that it's using Rockwell Automation's Manufacturing Intelligence solutions to report on the wastewater it sends to its municipal treatment facility near West Point, Pa., and document compliance with new permit requirements.
Basically, Colorcon's water discharge has to be regularly checked for pH and chlorine, so it replaced the chart recorder monitoring I/O in a remote shed with Rockwell Automation's FactoryTalk VantagePoint and FactoryTalk Historian solutions.
"This means our operators can do much less data entry and get back to making product," said Jushchyshyn. "However, we can also identify and diagnose upset conditions much faster and access this data from anywhere. Our metering is also about 10% more accurate now, and the few water discharge issues we had each year have now dropped to zero."
Goodyear Takes Aim at Energy Intensity
In addition, Aiman Abdrabou, global manager for energy and greenhouse gases (GHGs) at Goodyear Tire Co., explained that Goodyear has been developing and implementing more sustainable energy strategies for its 50 plants worldwide, including reducing the "energy intensity" of its production processes by 25% in 10 years and continuing to develop tires that save fuel for drivers.
"Energy management is exactly like a control loop that must be managed continuously, so we have to develop ongoing programs to achieve sustainability. It can't be done as a one-time project," stressed Abdrabou.
Consequently, Goodyear organized teams at plants in North and South America, including the world's largest tire factory in Akron, Ohio. Next, it developed energy performance metrics (EPMs) that it posted on online boards, which now include energy-use trends, charts and action plans, and are even used to host monthly meetings. To aid its sustainability program, Goodyear is also using Rockwell Automation's RSEnergyMetrix to monitor about 10,000 meters, organize and centralize their data, put KPIs on Rockwell Automation's VantagePoint dashboards, and generate reports to aid its optimization and sustainability efforts.
"The part that made this affordable was that Rockwell Automation only charged by the number of licenses we implemented and didn't add on charges for different sites and facilities," said Abdrabou. "We've already saved two or three times over on the initial costs of this system. We estimate that this solution is going to save about $10 million over about 10 years for all the plants using it."
CIP Energy Eases Communication Tasks
To generate even more efficiencies and savings, these and many other applications can now use the new CIP Energy protocol recently developed and launched by ODVA with help from Rockwell Automation and its other members. CIP stands for "common industrial protocol" and includes a comprehensive suite of messages and services for the collection of manufacturing automation applications—control, safety, synchronization, motion, configuration and information.
"CIP Energy is just energy-related data in a structured payload," explained Cliff Whitehead Jr., strategic applications manager for Rockwell Automation. "It's an extension to the existing CIP protocols and is a native and transparent way to transmit energy-use information, instead of burdening users with all the code, spreadsheets and translation requirements of the past."
Philip Kaufman, business manager for Industrial Energy Management at Rockwell Automation, added that, "In the past, gathering data from 300 I/O points in a typical application and configuring it to report to an HMI could take a couple of weeks, but now we can use CIP Energy to get up and running a in couple of hours. This is all just another part of our Integrated Architecture for Energy Management."
Kaufman added that CIP Energy is already native on Rockwell Automation's PowerFlex 755 drives and SMC 50 solid-state soft starter, and it will also be coming to other products soon. A toolkit will also be available shortly to help users apply CIP Energy in their devices and systems.
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The OneForJoe Toy Drive is back for its second year at Andover Cinema.
From 8:30 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 22, Santa Claus will be outside Andover Cinema, located at 1836 Bunker Lake Blvd., for photo opportunities with families. This is a truly unique photo opportunity because there will be live reindeer, a sleigh, carolers, a 15-foot Christmas tree and a couple of Minnesota pageant winners.
Anybody who brings an unwrapped handmade or store bought toy can watch a 10 a.m. showing of "Arthur Christmas" for free. There is capacity for approximately 1,500 guests.
All toys are donated directly to the Miracles of Mitch Foundation, which donates toys to families impacted by battles with cancer. The children with cancer themselves are not the only ones who receive gifts, but their siblings can do so as well, Johnson said.
Johnson started this OneForJoe Toy Drive last year at Andover Cinema and chose to help out Miracles of Mitch because of its focus on also caring for the brothers and sisters of those with cancer. This is especially meaningful for Johnson because his older brother Ted died in 1992 when Joe was a teenager.
Johnson said there are a lot of families struggling financially and dealing with cancer, so "the more toys, the merrier." Miracles of Mitch donates toys to families throughout the year, so it is usually running low by the holiday season, Johnson said.
For the inaugural toy drive event last year at Andover Cinema, over 1,000 toys were donated within the first 90 minutes.
Gifts can be for infants up to those who are 18 years old, Johnson said. Board games that the whole family can enjoy and gifts for teenagers are items that would be very welcome.
National American Miss Minnesota Brittany Link and princess Kylie Broberg will also be at the theater for photo opportunities.
Johnson wants to make sure this event is a good value for families as well, so he said it would be OK if a family of four can only donate one toy. They will still be able to get into the movie. Monetary donations will also be accepted.
To find out more, visit www.oneforjoe.com/toys.
Eric Hagen is at [email protected]


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Elbert W. Craven, Jr., 100, of Warsaw, passed away Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, at Bothwell Regional Care Center in Sedalia. He was born Oct. 27, 1912, in Millville, the son of Elbert W. and Barbara Geneva Craven.
His early childhood was spent in Millville and later in Ray County. He graduated from Richmond High School.
He was married to Emily Hicks and unto this union, two daughters were born. They lived in Richmond, where he operated See and Craven Propane for several years. Most of their married life was spent in Ray County. Emily preceded him in death in December of 1986.
Elbert owned and operated the Hardin Hardware Store in Hardin, Missouri before retiring and moving to Warsaw in 1974.
Jan. 1, 1988, He was united in marriage to Pearl Rolfs at the Edwards Methodist Church. They continued to make their home in Warsaw. Pearl preceded him in death March 13, 2002.
Elbert was the oldest member of the First United Methodist Church of Warsaw. He was a mason and was a past Lion Club member.
He is survived by two daughters, Suzanne Waggoner, of Olathe, Kan. and Barbara Montgomery of Big Lake, Ala., two step-daughters, Nadine Robinson and Corrine Moulton, both of Grandview, five grandchildren, one step-grandson, several great-grandchildren, other relatives and friends.
Funeral services for Elbert Craven will be at 11 a.m., Friday, Feb. 1, in the Reser Funeral Home, Warsaw. Graveside services will be at 3 p.m., Friday at Richmond Memory Gardens in Richmond.
Memorials may be made to the Warsaw Senior Center in care of the Reser Funeral Home, P.O. Box 910, Warsaw, MO 65355.
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We love the holidays, but we also know that they can be the cause of stress to our already hectic lives. From extra spending to non stop cooking and baking, sometimes the holiday season piles on top of the load that our lives have already given us. We want to make gift shopping a little easier this year by giving the gift of a guide to help you through this seasons' shopping chaos. On top of that, we are encouraging people to give the gift of relaxation. Instead of splurging on all the things you don't need, splurge on something that can benefit your loved ones' health. Giving a gift that promotes healthy living, especially one that inspires a less stressful lifestyle, can start a trend for the new year. Wouldn't you like to be the person that gives the gift of unwinding after a long day? Check out our holiday gift guide below that gives you 10 ideas for perfect de-stressing presents to give this year!
Lavender Dreams White Tea, Teavana, $15 (per 2 oz.)
Do you know a tea lover in your life? Teavana is where you need to shop this holiday season then. Their top rated tea for relaxation is called Lavender Dreams White Tea. It is infused with lavender blossoms, candied violets, rosebuds, and sweet peaches that can make even the most stressed person relax with every sip.
Heated Aqua-Jet Foot Spa, Brookstone $100
Maybe this isn't the most attractive gift to give to someone, but who cares about attractive when you're resting your feet after a long day! Brookstone's Aqua-Jet Foot Spa is a great gift for anyone who works on their feet all day. Give them the gift of putting their feet up… pun intended.
Sound Soother White Noise Machine, Sharper Image $60
Sometimes you just need to tune out the rest of the world to get the peace and quiet you need. The Sharper Image Sound Soother White Noise Machine aids people in finding an inner focus instead of scattering their attention. Give the gift of unwinding to the sounds of a river, the ocean, thunder and lightning, wind chimes, a crackling fire, or rain.
Coconut Aromatic Oil, Sabon $9
Essential oils release aromas that have been proven to have calming effects on the body. Sabon sells an excellent coconut aromatic oil to diffuse through a home (or a bath) to incite a calming feeling.
Fleur de Sel Frech Sea Salt, Williams-Sonoma $15
Sea Salt is supposed to be the best type of water for the skin. Sometimes, feeling better in our own skin can make all the difference in our hectic lives. Give a loved one Fleur de Sel French Sea Salt from Willams-Sonoma for the holiday. Recommend they forget the rest of the world and soak for a bit!
Lavender and Vanilla Body Soufflé, Origins $31
It always seems to come back to lavender. The Lavender and Vanilla Body Soufflé, as edible as it sounds, is a fantastic way to moisturize at the end of a long day. The lavender and vanilla aromas are well known for their soothing effects, but this body soufflé also contains olive oil, grape seed oil, and apricot kernel oil, to make skin soft as butter. Putting the soufflé on at night may just make you feel right asleep.
Tempur-Pedic Symphony Pillow, Sleepy's $99
Let's be honest, sometimes a good night's sleep is worth more than any spa treatment. Investing in the Tempur-Pedic Symphony Pillow could make all the difference. Even though they are on the more expensive side, it could be the best gift your loved one gets all year!
Homedics MCS-510H Massage Chair, Macy's $150
Another more expensive gift, but worthwhile nonetheless. A chair massage is a good gift for the home or the office. Relax while doing the work wit a little back kneading action!
Customized Journal, Minted $16+
Here is one of the more thoughtful gifts on our list this year. Encourage a stressed loved one to write their thoughts down in a customized journal this year. This unique journal is just one of the hundreds of journal designs available to browse on Minted.
A Blowout, The Drybar $40
When in doubt on how to help a loved one de-stress this holiday season, a little alcohol and someone to play with your hair never hurt anyone. Give them an experience at The Drybar, which has locations across the country, where they can enjoy a drink while getting their hair blown out for a special occasion!


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Too many times I've written about young people who have been killed or seriously injured, whether by violent crime or motor vehicle accidents. Most recently I have been reporting on the recovery of Emily Bowman, who has been in a coma since Feb. 16 when struck by a hit-and-run driver who police suspect had been drinking at the time.
Conversations with victims' family members generally begin with extending sympathies for their loved ones, and I truthfully let them know I can't imagine what they are going through.
I got just the tiniest glimpse into their world last weekend.
Sunday morning started out normally, with my daughter complaining about a "tummy ache," but that didn't last for long and I wrote it off as her eating too much for breakfast. That afternoon, we spent the day selling Girl Scout cookies at a stand set up at Beechwood Shopping Center, and the complaints of a tummy ache began again.
After we got home, my daughter began to double over in pain, and my wife's first and correct inclination was to bring her to the emergency room.
Turns out, my little girl's appendix was acutely inflamed, and she underwent emergency surgery to have it removed at 1 a.m. Monday. Had she not had the surgery, the organ likely would have ruptured, an occurance that could be lethal.
During the hours my wife and I spent with our daughter at the ER, having tests and waiting on results, my focus was on keeping my daughter calm for she was very frightened.
It wasn't until after surgery that everything struck me and I got emotional over how my daughter could have been taken away not just from a ruptured appendix, but for any number of things that could have gone wrong while having surgery and under anesthesia.
Flash foward one week -- my daughter is fully recovered and back to school.
In the meantime, Emily Bowman's parents continue their vigil at Athens Regional Medical Center, praying hard for their daughter who, though 19 years old, will always be their own little girl. They eagerly await each new report by the neurosurgeon and take heart with all new developments no matter how small, from Emily blinking her eyes to being able to breathe on her own for periods of time, without a ventilator.
I've always empathized with victims and their families, but what I recently experienced with my daughter reminded me in dramatic fashion the hardships and emotional turmoil people endure all the time when misfortune befalls their loved ones.


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She's A Beautiful Monster!: Norwegian Epic Cruise Review by coka
Overall Member Rating
She's A Beautiful Monster!
Destination: Western Caribbean
Embarkation: Miami
HOTEL INFORMATION: Pre-cruise I stayed at the Viceroy in downtown Miami which is my favorite hotel. Can anyone say "the best kept secret" close to the port?
TRAVEL TO AND FROM PORT: I flew into Fort Lauderdale and used GO Transportation share a ride for 26 dollars per person to the Viceroy. At debarkation, I used NCL transfer bus for 25 dollars back to FLL. Getting to the ship I called some friends who live in Orlando, and they drove down to give me a ride to the ship. They are really good friends!
EMBARKATION/DEBARKATION: Arrived around 12:30 and was onboard by 1pm. Left the ship at 10:00pm (debarkation More was a bit late due to layover in Cozumel) and was on the transfer bus by 10:25. The Epic has two entry points at the terminal...check your ticket to see if you embark at terminal B or terminal C. I was fortunate to have many options to debark: Yellow tags due to my afternoon flight time, priority walk-off due to my platinum latitudes status, and the secret way out. I just walked off the regular way with everyone else when I was ready to go. It was easy.
SHIP INFORMATION: How much time do you have? I found the ship is beautiful. One really needs to take time to walk about and appreciate the dEcor. I explored every area except the kids, suites, forward ship upper public decks, art, and spa locations. The inside public rooms on decks 5, 6, and 7 are beautiful and never felt crowded to me. I found each lounge and restaurant unique and tastefully decorated. The casino is a gambler's paradise. The Bliss Lounge is very cool and I loved the entrance, the dance floor, and the dance cages! Spice H20 is perfect for dancing under the stars to cool music in the Caribbean although I never hung out there during the daytime. My balcony was at the stern and I had a better view. I enjoyed the main pools, the water slides, and the spritzers. There are many pictures on the internet of the public areas. Cruise critic KitsVA on the NCL boards has excellent links to beautiful photos.
STATEROOM: My cabin was 8213 on the stern. The balcony was big and it became my living room for the week. I found a lounger to compliment the two chairs and the small table that were already out there. I hung a curtain to cover the slit in the balcony divider and lined up the big plastic water bottles for my private H20 bar while enjoying the glorious sunshine that beamed down many times upon me when I wanted to be alone. I slept more on the balcony than I did in the cabin. Of course my mantra for the week was dance all night and sleep in the sun all day so it worked out very well since I did not like my bed. I appreciated the times I could be in the bathroom and catch a sunset at the same time or answer the door while still in the shower. The cabin had a lot of storage space yet when I visited other balcony cabins I saw even more. Do your research and choose wisely depending on the number of passengers staying in the cabin.
DINING: I like everything I eat. Since almost one month has passed since sailing, I most remember enjoying Cagney's jumbo shrimp and large serving of crab legs, Le Bistro's lobster dish and the chocolate fondue with vanilla ice cream, Taste's skirt steak, the Garden Cafe's watermelon, O'Sheehan's omelets and chocolate brownie dessert (hey, it was 4am and the two went well together at the time), the sushi, a spicy fruity concoction from Moderno's wild and crazy salad bar, the chocolate croissants and the best orange juice on the ship at Spice H20, the lobster at Manhattan Room (you want to talk about the best ever on a cruise ship?), and wherever I saw it...the bread pudding! I never knew I loved bread pudding.
PORT/SHORE EXCURSIONS: In Costa Maya I walked off and got an inexpensive beach massage behind the stores and bars and returned to the ship. If you think the Epic pools are too small, then you will enjoy the large pool area right in the port of Costa Maya. In Roatan, I met local friends and spent the day with them and returned to the ship. You really need to go beyond the port to experience the beauty of the island. In Cozumel, I stayed on the ship and watched the sun go from the left side of my balcony to the right side of my balcony. Having been to Cozumel many times, I can not think of any excursion to stay away from. I have enjoyed snorkeling and beaching it in the past.
ACTIVITIES: What most cruise ships have in one afternoon, the Epic has in one hour. Plenty of options abound for all age groups. For example, during the 10am hour one could attend a shore excursion presentation, a liquor raffle, a ping pong tournament, casino game lessons, body sculpting boot camp, an art history class, and piano melodies in the atrium. During the 1pm hour one could attend family lego building, a wine tasting, slime time live, karaoke power hour, Halloween poolside fun, a slot tournament, or champagne art auction. During the 5 O'clock hour one could attend a Fab Abs class, kettle bell boot camp, music with Apollo Duo, Cirque Dreams and Dinner, solo traveler's gathering, listen to the Manhattan Showband while dining, and meet and greet Nickelodeon. In my opinion, there were so many that each age group could find something to be happy with. The most fun for me activity was the Euro bungee because I could do backward flips way up in the air.
ENTERTAINMENT: The other reviews are not kidding when they write that the Epic has the best entertainment on the seven seas! You probably know by now the headliner entertainment Blue Man Group, Cirque Dreams, Fat Cats, Howl at The Moon, Legends, and Nickelodeon At Sea. The Epic still has the other venues available onboard that are found on their other ships such as Dancing With The Stars, Quest, Second City, Comedy, Magic, Pub Crawls and Tastings, Newlywed Game, Trivia, Karaoke, Bowling, Wii on the big screen, Guest Djs, Dance lessons, and so much more. Try to get a link to some Epic Freestyle Dailies that cruise critics have posted on the NCL board. I booked in advance online and found it very easy to do. Once onboard, I also found it very easy to switch if something else came up. The show reservations area is open a few times each day.
SERVICE: I highly commend the employees working on the Epic. I found the "At Your Service" theme prevalent throughout the week. A Maitre D' at 3am to seat you in O'Sheehan's and to check in on you. A greeter at the guest services desk line (it was short) to guide you and to direct you to the appropriate person who could help. The publication of top officers contact numbers while on the ship. Wait staff at the buffet helping the elderly get their food. My steward even helped me figure out what shoes looked best with my outfits.
SUMMARY: The Epic is a beautiful monster and I had the most fun on my first ever Halloween sailing. I was surprised to love the venues I did not think I would like such as Cirque Dreams, Fat Cats, the Ice Bar, and Cagney's. I was not surprised to love the venues I knew I would enjoy such as the outdoor dance parties held nightly at Spice H20, the Halloween party, Manhattan Restaurant, and even later dancing inside Bliss Nightclub, and lounging solo on my stern balcony. Although I gave my stateroom a low rating, I very easily could stay in the same cabin in the future if I was by myself. I would have no issue staying in a studio or a suite or an inside next time either. I am glad to have gone solo for the first time onboard because I really got to see and do a lot on my own. Even so, there is still so much I have not yet explored on her! Less
Published 11/29/10
Cabin review: B18213 Aft-Facing BalconyAft-Facing Balcony (B1) Reviews >>
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Fruity Cereal Bars Recipe
With dried apple and cranberries, these crispy cereal bars are perfect for snacks or brown-bag lunches. "Store the extras in plastic containers," Giovanna Kranenberg recommends from Cambridge, Minnesota, "that is, if you have any left!" —Giovanna Kranenberg, Cambridge, Minnesota
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 package (10 ounces) large marshmallows
- 6 cups Rice Krispies
- 1/2 cup chopped dried apple
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1. In a large saucepan, combine butter and marshmallows. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Remove from the heat; stir in the cereal, apples and cranberries.
- 2. Pat into a 13x9-in. pan coated with cooking spray; cool. Cut into squares. Yield: 20 servings.
Nutritional Facts
1 each: 105 calories, 2g fat (1g saturated fat), 5mg cholesterol, 102mg sodium, 22g carbohydrate (12g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1/2 fat.
Reviews for Fruity Cereal Bars
Average Rating
Reviewed Sep. 6, 2010
"They are sooo good and don't need any changes or additions."
Reviewed May. 20, 2008
"Love this simple recipe, all my guests have asked for this recipe"
© 2017 RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC


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Following on from my last post about getting back into horse riding Life with Horses, that happy event led me into visiting a horse show in Warwick at the college there. Some lovely riders including a few from the riding school I attend. This led me to creating a contest on the site I am a Manager on, Fine Art…Read More
Tag: chestnut
Life with Horses
My life took a great turn for the better a few weeks ago when I went back to riding. Horses that is. I am remembering muscles in places I had forgotten I had places! Getting back into riding after an accident is hard. As you get up there, things fly back into your mind that throw you before you even…Read More


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Ashley and Matthew were married at Mount Valley Farm in Orange, Va. on June 7. "It was convenient and even in the winer time it was beautiful," Ashley said. The bride wore a strapless fit 'n' flare wedding gown with beaded lace appliques, accessorized with a birdcage veil, while the groom wore a white jacket, silver vest, and black pants, accessorized with a solid tie. Bridesmaids wore long one-shoulder mint chiffon dresses and carried bouquets of roses, gerbera daisies, succulents, and olive branches. Guests were greeted with a metal bicycle with balloons, milk glass jar crates, vintage trunks and suitcases, and washboards. Notice the transportation was a tractor and hayride trailer? "Our vows were very traditional," she said. "But for some reason as Matt was saying his, I became very emotional, and I didn't expect that kind of reaction from myself." The newlyweds' best advice? "Don't stress over the details," she said. "In the end, the important thing is that you have married the person you love." Dinner and dancing followed inside the tented reception with Southern BBQ fare such as prime rib, grilled chicken, and cheesy potatoes. Yum! Tables were decorated with peach linens, mason jar and wine bottle centerpieces, and antique oil lamps. "Old family pieces were used everywhere," Ashley said. The super-sweet dessert display not only had a cake but lots and lots of cupcakes topper with raspberries. And ice cream too!
You might also love these real weddings:


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North Huntingdon man held for trial in bus crash
After more than two hours of testimony on Tuesday, District Judge Helen Kistler ordered a North Huntingdon man to stand trial for allegedly striking a school bus in Penn Township, then discarding suspected heroin and drug paraphernalia.
Andrew M. Slywczuk, 29, is charged with possession with intent to deliver, drug possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while operating privilege is suspended or revoked, reckless driving and two counts of driving under the influence.
School bus driver Mary Beth Pcolar testified that she was driving a student on Pleasant Valley Road the morning of Feb. 27.
"As I was coming to the top of the hill, there was a car in my lane driving southbound. I hit my brake and I tried to swerve to miss him," Pcolar said.
She identified Slywczuk, who wore a blue jumpsuit, glasses and red sneakers in court, as the other driver. The student aboard the bus was not injured, police said previously.
Pcolar said she watched Slyw-czuk step out of the car and walk over to the guard rail and over the hill.
Penn Township Officer Lewis Lock testified that he found sealed stamp bags over an embankment at the scene.
"I went to a portion of the guard rail near the crash scene and searched that area on the ground and found drug paraphernalia, including a spoon and hypodermic needle ... and four bundles of heroin," Lock said.
The packaging of stamp bags found at the scene matched the packaging of the bags found with Slyw-czuk, Lock said. Penn Township Officer Sean Foor said he found two empty stamp bags of heroin in Slywczuk's wallet.
"I spoke with the defendant after he exited the ambulance. And speaking with the defendant, I noticed signs of impairment," Foor said, citing droopy eyes, glassy eyes, slurred speech.
Police allege in an affidavit of probable cause that Slyw-czuk suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Foor said he arrested Slyw-czuk for suspicion of driving under the influence, and the police department summoned a state police drug recognition expert to Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg for evaluation.
Blood was drawn three hours after the accident report, Foor said. Lab results showed "a high level of morphine in the defendant's blood," Foor said.
"(Slywczuk) advised that he had picked up the narcotics in Pitcairn for $300. He said that was not all for him," Foor said.
Foor said Slywczuk told him he needed the money to buy a new house.
"He admitted that he had used heroin that morning," Lock said.
In Tuesday's court hearing, the bus driver was not originally called as a witness.
"The reason the bus driver wasn't here was because she was working," Jennifer Dupilka, an attorney for the commonwealth, said. If the court recessed, Dupilka said she would ask the bus driver to attend the hearing.
The court recessed for about 30 minutes to wait for the school bus driver.
Before that, Eric Jackson Lurie, Slywczuk's attorney, asked the judge to dismiss the case.
"Not one person said (Slywczuk) was driving. They had the availability of victims. They can't get his blood (tested) within two hours," Lurie said. "I'm going to ask that you dismiss the entire case."
In addition, Slywczuk did not have scales, a weapon or large amounts of money, Lurie said.
"We don't have possession with intent to deliver," Lurie said.
In remarks after the hearing, Lurie said Slywczuk is "a veteran who's done multiple tours of duty." He became disabled jumping from a helicopter while on duty and was honorably and medically discharged, Lurie said.
Kistler said Slywczuk will be remanded to Westmoreland County jail and then released to a VA Hospital for an inpatient stay once the hospital has space.
A formal arraignment is scheduled for June 12, online court records show.
Rossilynne Skena is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-836-6646 or email@example.com.


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May 15, 2007
Senate Endorses the CIC Provosts' Statement on Publication Agreements
On April 30th, 2007, the U of Illinois Faculty Senate endorsed the CIC Provosts' Statement on Publication Agreements. This statement urges faculty to retain some of their copyrights when submitting papers for publication in order to maximize the scholarly impact, accessibility, educational use, and readership of their papers. To facilitate this, U of Illinois authors are urged to consider amending the standard publisher's Copyright Transfer Agreement with the Addendum to Publication Agreement for CIC Authors (Word doc).
The Addendum stipulates that the authors will be able to make their papers freely available on the Internet within 6 months of publication, thus granting publishers the right of first impact. U of Illinois authors are urged to submit a copy of their paper to IDEALS -- the U of Illinois digital archive -- with the stipulation that it be made freely available after 6 months. Of course, some publishers already allow authors to mount their articles on institutional web sites; check the Sherpa/Romeo database for publisher policies.
For more background on the CIC Provost's Statement on Publication Agreements, and why the U of Illinois Senate endorsed it, please read the background information provided by the U of Illinois Senate Committee on the Library.
Posted by Katie Newman at May 15, 2007 4:14 PM


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27 October 2009
Infinis Energy Limited ("Infinis Energy")
Cash Offer for
Novera Energy plc ("Novera")
Statement on Novera shareholder circular
Infinis Energy notes yesterday's announcement by Novera that it has posted a circular to Novera shareholders regarding the Offer.
It is disappointing that the Board of Novera continues to try to divert its shareholders' attention away from the relevant facts, which are as follows:
Novera's share price has fallen by approximately 49 per cent. and has considerably underperformed against the FTSE All Share Index in the period between 2 June 2008 (being the date that Novera announced that it was no longer in discussions with Infinis Energy regarding a possible offer) and 6 October 2009 (being the last Business Day prior to the Announcement Date);
In the period between 2 June 2008 and 6 October 2009, the price of UK baseload month ahead wholesale electricity has fallen by 50 per cent. from £77.0 to £38.5/MWh and the price of Brent oil has fallen 46 per cent. from $128.0 to $68.6/barrel;
Novera has traded at an average share price of 40.8 pence per share in the period between 1 December 2008 and 6 October 2009 and at a 52 week low of 29.0 pence per share (19 December 2008);
The Offer would allow Novera shareholders to realise their shareholdings for cash at a premium of 43 per cent. to the average closing middle market price of 43.8 pence per Novera Share for the six months up to and including 6 October 2009 and implies an Enterprise Value multiple of 16.9x Novera's reported EBITDA for the twelve month period ended 30 June 2009 of £10.6m;
Novera's chief executive and chief financial officer have both left the business within the past 5 months;
Novera's track record has been to over-promise on the prospects for its wind developments and consistently under-deliver:
Based on Novera's disclosures, Novera will fail to deliver on its target, announced on 2 June 2008, of submitting wind sites for planning totalling approximately 300MW by the end of 2009 and Infinis Energy does not expect it to deliver its target of bringing 250MW into operation by the end of 2011. Based on the latest disclosure from Novera, 49MW has been submitted for planning and Infinis Energy expects Novera to have only 77MW in operation by the end of 2011;
Novera's production on a like-for-like basis has consistently declined from 2006;
Novera has failed to report a positive Net Result or pay Novera Shareholders a dividend in any of the financial periods following its IPO. The reported financial returns to shareholders (as opposed to the "gross profit" used by the Novera Directors in the shareholder circular) are as follows:
Production (GWh)
Gross Profit
Net loss after tax
Cash Flow Before Equity Fund Raisings
Equity Fund raisings
Net Change in cash including Equity Fundraisings
Novera's circular highlights growth in gross profit (before depreciation and amortisation). Taking into account administrative expenses, depreciation, amortisation and net finance charges, the growth has not been translated into cash inflows (excluding equity fundraisings) or profit after tax for the shareholders;
Novera has recently announced that it is in discussions with banks regarding debt financing that will be used alongside its cash resources for the construction of the Glenkerie wind farm. However, Infinis Energy believes that going forward Novera will likely need to raise significant additional equity to construct its wind projects; and
Novera's July 2008 placing of 19,485,083 ordinary shares, representing 13.6 per cent. of the enlarged issued share capital of Novera at the date of announcement of the placing, was dilutive to existing shareholdings. Infinis Energy notes that at the direction of the Board, these new shares were not offered to all shareholders.
In the context of share price and operational under-performance, the failure to deliver profits or value for shareholders, the departure of the senior management team, the lack of a coherent strategy to drive growth, the challenges of forecasting and managing wind development projects, the possibility of further dilutive rights issues and the illiquidity of Novera shares, Infinis Energy believes that its Offer for Novera at a substantial premium represents a compelling opportunity for shareholders to realise value for their shares in cash.
The only condition to the Offer is that valid acceptances are received which will result in Infinis Energy holding Novera Shares representing in aggregate more than 50 per cent. of the voting rights exercisable at a general meeting of Novera. Given that Infinis Energy currently holds Novera Shares representing, in aggregate, 42.6 per cent. of the issued share capital of Novera, this Condition would be fulfilled once Infinis Energy receives valid acceptances representing, in aggregate, more than 7.4 per cent. of the issued share capital of Novera.
Under Rule 35.1 of the City Code, in the event that Infinis Energy's Offer has not become or been declared wholly unconditional and has been withdrawn or has lapsed otherwise than pursuant to Rule 12.1 of the City Code, Infinis Energy may not, without the consent of the Panel, within 12 months from the date on which such offer is withdrawn or lapses, amongst other things, either:
(a) announce an offer or possible offer for Novera (including a partial offer); or
(b) acquire any interest in shares of Novera or procure an irrevocable commitment in respect of shares of Novera.
Further Information
Copies of the Offer Document and the Form of Acceptance are available (during normal business hours) from Capita Registrars at Corporate Actions, The Registry, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent BR3 4TU. Any Novera Shareholder that has yet to receive their copy of the Offer Document and personalised Form of Acceptance can obtain an electronic copy via email from Capita Registrars. Details for telephoning Capita Registrars from outside the United Kingdom are set out below.
A copy of all announcements by Infinis Energy and the Offer Document are available on:
The procedure for acceptance of the Offer is set out in paragraph 7 of Part B of Appendix I of the Offer Document and, in respect of certificated shares, the accompanying Form of Acceptance.
If your Novera Shares are held in certificated form (that is, not through CREST) and you wish to accept the Offer, you should comply with the instructions in paragraph 7(A) of Part B and Part C of Appendix I of the Offer Document and the Form of Acceptance and complete, sign and return the enclosed Form of Acceptance, together with all other required documents, as soon as possible and, in any event, so as to be received either by post or, between 9.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. (London time) Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays), by hand by Capita Registrars, the receiving agent to the Offer, at the above address, no later than 1.00 p.m. (London time) on 2 November 2009. A reply-paid envelope (for use only within the United Kingdom) is enclosed for your convenience. No acknowledgement of receipt of documents will be given.
If your Novera Shares are held in uncertificated form (that is, in CREST) and you wish to accept the Offer, you should comply with the instructions set out in paragraph 7(B) of Part B and Part D of Appendix I of the Offer Document so that the relevant TTE instruction settles no later than 1.00 p.m. (London time) on 2 November 2009.
If you have any questions as to how to complete the Form of Acceptance (or wish to request additional Forms of Acceptance) or as to how to make an Electronic Acceptance, please contact Capita Registrars on 0871 664 0321 or +44 20 8639 3399 (if telephoning from outside the United Kingdom) between 9.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. (London time) Monday to Friday (excluding United Kingdom public holidays) or at the address set out above.
Terms used in this announcement shall have the meaning given to them in the Offer Document.
The figures of MWs submitted for planning and MWs Infinis Energy expects Novera to have in operation by the end of 2011 are extracted from Novera's shareholder circular of 26 October 2009 and in the latter case assume the additional 40MW at A'Chruach referenced in Novera's circular will not be operational until after the end of 2011 due to grid issues and nothing in planning can be built before the end of 2011.
The 2005 and 2006 financial highlights and figures for production (GWh) have been extracted from the annual report and accounts of Novera Energy Limited. The highlights are on a pro forma basis to show the results of Novera Macquarie Renewable Energy Joint Venture Limited ("NMRE") on a 100 per cent. consolidated basis as if Novera Energy Limited owned 100 per cent. of NMRE from 1 January 2005.
The 2007 and 2008 financial highlights and figures for production (GWh) have been extracted from the 2008 annual report and accounts of Novera Energy Plc. Novera Energy Plc acquired NMRE on 22 January 2007. Note 28 to the 2007 annual report and accounts state that "if the acquisition had occurred on 1 January 2007, Group revenue would have been £34.4 million and net loss after tax of £2.1 million".
The 1H 2009 financial highlights and figures for production (GWh) have been extracted from the interim results for Novera Energy plc for the six months ended 30 June 2009 released by Novera on 23 July 2009.
BofA Merrill Lynch Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7628 1000
Noah Bulkin
Paul Bundred
Simon Fraser (Corporate Broking)
Financial Dynamics Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7831 3113
Andrew Dowler
This announcement is not intended to and does not constitute, or form part of, an offer to sell or invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction pursuant to the Offer or otherwise, nor will there be any purchase or transfer of the securities referred to in this announcement in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law or regulation. The Offer will be made solely through the Offer Document and, in the case of certificated Novera Shares, the Form of Acceptance accompanying the Offer Document, which will contain the full terms and conditions of the Offer, including details of how to accept the Offer. Any acceptance or other response to the Offer should be made only on the basis of the information in such documents.
BofA Merrill Lynch, a subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation, is acting exclusively for Infinis Energy in connection with the Offer and for no one else and will not be responsible to anyone other than Infinis Energy for providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in relation to the Offer.
Climate Change Capital, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority for investment business activities, is acting exclusively for Infinis Energy in connection with the Offer and will not be responsible to anyone other than Infinis Energy for providing the protection afforded to clients of Climate Change Capital or for providing advice in relation to the Offer.
The availability of the Offer to persons who are not resident in the UK may be affected by the laws of the relevant jurisdictions. Persons who are not so resident should inform themselves about, and observe, any applicable requirements. Further details in relation to overseas shareholders will be contained in the Offer Document.
The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in jurisdictions other than the UK may be restricted by law and/or regulation and therefore any persons who are subject to the laws and regulations of any jurisdiction other than the UK should inform themselves about, and observe, any applicable requirements. Any failure to comply with the applicable requirements may constitute a violation of the laws and/or regulations of any such jurisdiction. This announcement has been prepared for the purpose of complying with English law and the Code and the information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this announcement had been prepared in accordance with the laws and/or regulations of jurisdictions outside the UK.
Any person (including, without limitation, any custodian, nominee and trustee) who would, or otherwise intends to, or who may have a contractual or legal obligation to, forward this announcement and/or the Offer Document and/or any other related document to any jurisdiction outside the UK should inform themselves of, and observe, any applicable legal or regulatory requirements of that jurisdiction.
Nothing in this announcement is intended, or is to be construed, as a forecast, projection or estimate of the future financial performance of Infinis, Infinis Energy, Infinis Holdings, Terra Firma and/or Novera and/or other members of the Infinis Group and/or the Infinis Group as a whole.
This announcement, including information included or incorporated by reference in this announcement, may contain forward-looking statements concerning Infinis, Infinis Energy, Infinis Holdings, Terra Firma and/or Novera and/or other members of the Infinis Group and/or the Infinis Group as a whole. Generally the words 'will', 'may', 'should', 'continue', 'believes', 'expects', 'intends', 'anticipates' or similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by them. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond the companies' abilities to control or estimate precisely, such as future market conditions and the behaviour of other market participants, and therefore undue reliance should not be placed on such statements which speak only as at the date of this announcement. Neither Infinis, Infinis Energy, Infinis Holdings, Terra Firma nor Novera, nor any other members of the Infinis Group assume any obligation in respect of, nor intend to update, these forward-looking statements, except as required pursuant to applicable law.
To the extent permitted by applicable law and in accordance with normal UK practice, Infinis Energy, or its nominee or brokers (acting as agents), may from time to time make certain purchases of, or arrangements to purchase, Novera Shares other than pursuant to the Offer, such as in open market or privately negotiated purchases during the period in which the Offer remains open for acceptance. Such purchases, or arrangements to purchase, must comply with English law, the City Code, the AIM Rules and other applicable law.
The directors of Infinis Energy and Terra Firma accept responsibility for the information contained in this announcement, save that the only responsibility accepted by them in respect of the information in this announcement relating to Novera, which has been compiled from published sources, is to ensure that such information has been correctly and fairly reproduced and presented. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the directors of Infinis Energy and Terra Firma (who have taken all reasonable care to ensure that such is the case), the information contained in this document for which they accept responsibility is in accordance with the facts and does not omit anything likely to affect the import of such information.
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My new novel I Hear The Sirens In The Street is released in North America today! It's excellent timing to release a thriller as there doesn't seem to be any competition at all out there at the moment... Sorry what was that you said? Dan who? What? Inferno? What is that?
If you're new to me I shall endeavour to catch you up about the Duffy series: Sirens is a sequel to The Cold Cold Ground and both these books are about Detective Sergeant Sean Duffy and his career in the RUC (Northern Ireland's police force) in the early 1980's. In Cold Cold Ground Duffy gets mixed up in the 1981 IRA Hunger Strikes and Sirens sees him get sucked into the extraordinary and bizarre DeLorean scandal of 1982/3. The latest review of Sirens was in the Sydney Morning Herald, here.
The best place to start is probably with The Cold Cold Ground which came out with Seventh Street Books last December. All my novels are always standalone but if you read them out of sequence there may be spoilers involved. The Cold Cold Ground won the 2013 Spinetingler Award, it was one of Audible's Best Books of the Year and it was shortlisted for the 2013 Last Laugh Award (for best satiric crime novel), but it's not everyone's cup of tea. If you're looking for a book with a lot of comforting Irish tropes I'm afraid I can't help you. I should also point out that I relish the demotic, so if you are frightened by ancient Anglo Saxon, Gaelic or Ullans swear words you should probably spend your hard earned dollars elsewhere.
You can read reviews of The Cold Cold Ground, in The Guardian, here.
or the Irish Independent, here
The review in The Times is here.
The Glasgow Herald's verdict is here
The Sydney Morning Herald's review, is here.
The Irish Times weighs in, here and the
Irish Sunday Independent adds its two cents, here.
If all that sounds intresting, you can get The Cold Cold Ground and I Hear The Sirens In The Street at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk at your local bookshop if you're lucky enough to live in a place that still has a bookshop.
Finally for all those people who have been gently pestering me about the audio release of Sirens, I can report that Gerard Doyle has finished his recording and it should be available after midnight on May 14 Eastern Daylight Time on Audible, here. Doyle, as usual, does a brilliant job.


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Peebles Easy Route (Cademuir) – pdf
Distance: 17.5km
Time: Two hours
Total Ascent: 360m
There's not many routes around here that fall into the 'easy' category, but this short loop avoids doing too many hills. Most of the climbing is done in the fi rst 5km through Cademuir Woods, after that it's an easy spin on quiet lanes and tracks to Lyne Station to return on the old railway.
Peebles Medium Route (Gypsy Glen) – pdf
Distance: 21km
Time: 2-3 hours
Total Ascent: 527m
Start from Glentress, but head across the road to pick up the riverside path to Cardrona. Climb up though Cardrona forest and out on to the open hillside to contour around the slopes of Birks Hill (push on up to the top of Birkscairn hill if you want a longer descent). The ride from Kirkhope.
Peebles Hard Route (Broad Law) – pdf
Distance: 59km
Time: 7+ Hours
Total Ascent: 1876m
There are no berms, no tabletops and no doubles on this ride. You won't see anyone wearing body armour, in fact you probably won't see anyone at all, it's a proper big day out in the hills. The OS maps show some of the tracks (the 1:25000 is better as it shows the fence that you follow from the masts on top of Broad Law), but by no means all of them and don't expect to find many signposts. Pick a dry day, or you'll be facing a demoralising death-march slog that will make you sell your bike.
The Tweed Valley and the town of Peebles have become a familiar destination for mountain bikers who can't get enough of Spooky Woods and Deliverance and all the other delights on offer at Glentress and down the road at Innerleithen. But look beyond the conifers and you'll see a lot of unridden open country. Now that summer's on the way it seemed like a good time to head for the hills and get a different slant on Tweed Valley mountain biking. I already
knew of a few tasty rides in the area, but I called local guide Iain from MB7, in case there were any treats I'd overlooked.
A simple plan
"We have a plan!" was all Iain would say, which should have told me that I was going to be in for a hard time, but I was foolishly caught up in the excitement and didn't realise that I should have run away then while my legs still worked. The plan was to incorporate two of the biggest hills in the area into one ride, with a bit of ridge traversing in between. Thankfully there are no Munros (stupidly big Scottish hills) in the Borders, but Broad Law gets 'Corbett' status for being over 2500ft high and that was our first real target, although there was a lot of ground to cover before we got to it. By my reckoning Dollar Law (2681ft) should be in the Corbett club too, but it isn't because apparently it doesn't fulfil all the other criteria. We were going to head for it anyway because it was there and it seemed rude not to.
It was a bit nippy setting off at 8.30 in the morning, but we were soon warming up with a nice climb up to the top of Cademuir ridge. The wind was a bit brisk as we skirted around the ruined fort so we wasted no time in getting the hell out of there and dropping back down to the shelter of the valley fl oor. Despite the good weather forecast the hills were looking slightly ominous with cloud covering the high tops that we were heading for. I made some off-hand remark about us spending the day fumbling around in the mist wishing we'd brought a compass, but Iain was maintaining the optimistic view that it would clear by the afternoon.
Dead Wife's Grave
After a bit of tarmac we turned into Hall Manor Woods and had a stiff climb up to the charmingly named Dead Wife's Grave – say what you like, but civil war and the slaughter of Royalists has left us with some interesting place names. All our huffi ng and puffi ng up to this point had earned us a real blast of a descent straight down the other side of the hill and back to the Tweed.
Spinning along the minor road through Drumelzier, past the horse trials and onto the riverside track it all seemed so twee and it was easy to forget that we had an absolute bitch of a climb ahead of us.
Before that though we'd arranged to hook up with Euan who runs the Cross Keys in Peebles and his pal Bob who were both getting dropped off at the Crook Inn, which after two and a half hours of riding was looking like a timely coffee stop.
Shame that someone forgot to tell us that the Crook Inn was closed, which meant the next cafe stop would be Peebles – 20 miles away across the hills. We now had to face The Worst Climb In The World without a caffeine boost, and if that wasn't bad enough Euan and Bob had arrived with fresh legs to put some pain into us over 600m of ascent.
Bonny Corbett
The route up Broad Law follows a wellsurfaced doubletrack all the way to the summit – providing access to the antennas that must be the highest electronic gizmos in the UK. This means it is entirely rideable even though in places walking would be the quicker option. It rises 600m over 4km and it took us over an hour to reach the summit. Still, I can't think of many other places where you can actually ride to over 800m and the views when you get there are jaw dropping, stretching from the Cheviots to the southeast to the Arrochar Alps in the northwest. Big Country. We stopped a while to munch our sarnies and reflect on the horror of what we'd just ridden up, deciding that there must be easier ways of getting up here and concluding that kite-biking must be the future, maybe.
Dreaming of beer
As Iain had predicted, the morning cloud had cleared by now and it was a pretty glorious afternoon, which we were grateful for because it was going to a good while yet before we'd drop below 650m.
Descending over moorland tussocks isn't quite the same as railing it through another manmade berm and it felt like we were a long way from Spooky Woods up here. More worryingly it was a long way to the pub and Iain was starting to talk about how good a cold beer would be just now, we probably deserved one by now, but did we still have the legs to make it back? It's good to have a purpose in life though and the thought of sipping a pint in the sun had a re-vitalising effect as we pushed up towards the summit of Pykestone Hill.
We'd initially planned to drop down to Drumelzier from here but Euan and Bob assured us that a better option was to stay high, going over the Scrape, down to Dead Wife's Grave again and then following the ridge north to pick up the John Buchan Way. The map doesn't show any track here, but as Euan's been riding and running over these hills for
longer than he cares to remember it seemed reasonable enough to follow his suggestion, plus he was threatening to stand us a pint when we got back to Peebles, so I decided to stick to his wheel from then on.
It still felt like we had a long way to go (eight miles seems like a long way when you've been out for over six hours) but it was reassuring that from the top of The Scrape we had four (four!) miles of almost continuous descent to look forward to. It's not often you get so much downhill in one stretch; things like this have to be earned and there was no question that we'd earned it, so we hammered it down to the road, guilt-free.
We picked up the old railway line to get back to Peebles, which wasn't very gnarly itself but we got the chance to ride the steps down to the river, which was a nice bonus. Back in town we made a bee-line for the Cross Keys and a pint of Landlord, courtesy of er, the landlord. Some hucker once said "Life's too short to not go big, you gotta go big", or something like that. We'd gone big, in our own way and it was good. Bikes, hills, good people, beer – these are all good things, put them together and you've got a great day out. Life's quite simple really.
Where to stay
Thanks to the Glentress phenomena, the Tweed seems to be rapidly making itself the most bikefriendly place in Britain in terms of accommodation. The Cross Keys (01721 724222) is just off the High Street in Peebles and offers bunk rooms along with your more traditional B&B rooms. They also provide secure bike storage and most importantly a
fi ne pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord, making a visit almost mandatory in our opinion. Down the road at Innerleithen the Bike Lodge offers self catering accommodation, bike storage, a workstand and a fine collection of vintage MTB magazines. Call Nic on 01896 833836 or visit www.thebikelodge.co.uk.
Border Bike Sport in Peebles 01721 723423.
The Hub at Glentress 01721 721736
If you need Pasta or Pizza then you need Franco's restaurant on Port Brae. The Prince of India provides curry, or if haggis and neeps are more your style try The Crown on the High St, or The Neidpath (www.neidpath.co.uk).
Also worth a mention are Villeneuve Wines who can sort you out with a good bottle of single malt, you'll find them on the High Street.


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Michael Blacksburg
- Organization: vlsp
- Document Type: Article/News
- Date Created: Wednesday, August 03, 2005
- Submitted: Wednesday, August 03, 2005
- Attachment(s): LINK
Solo Practitioner and ALRP and VLSP volunteer of the month Michael Blacksburg. Michael got involved with ALRP last year, after talking to a law school classmate and ALRP housing attorney Molly Stafford. Since then, he has been a prolific panel member, taking on eviction defense, insurance, and wills cases, and also serving as a mentor to attorneys less experienced in landlord/tenant law. see full story


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paragraphClothier & Day are Independent Estate and Lettings Agents located in Stafford town centre, owned and operated by Alan and Ken Smith, along with their wives, Jane and Gill.
Contact us
or call 01785 595034
1 Eastgate Street,
The content on this Microsite has been uploaded by Clothier & Day, Stafford. Rightmove Group Limited makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the content, any queries should be sent directly to Clothier & Day, Stafford. Where properties are displayed on a page, this comprises a property advertisement. Rightmove Group Limited who operate the website Rightmove.co.uk makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the advertisement or any linked or associated information, and Rightmove has no control over the content. These property advertisements do not constitute property particulars. The information is provided and maintained by Clothier & Day, Stafford. Please contact the agent directly to obtain any information which may be available under the terms of The Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 or the Home Report if in relation to a residential property in Scotland and if you have any query over the content.
*Guide Price: An indication of a seller's minimum expectation at auction and given as a Guide Price or a range of Guide Prices. This is not necessarily the figure a property will sell for and is subject to change prior to the auction.
Reserve Price: Each auction property will be subject to a Reserve Price below which the property cannot be sold at auction. Normally the Reserve Price will be set within the range of Guide Prices or no more than 10% above a single Guide Price.
Auction Fees: The purchase of this property may include associated fees not listed here, as it is to be sold via auction. To find out more about the fees associated with this property please call Clothier & Day, Stafford on 01785 225205.
Why Choose Clothier & Day?
Successful Family Owned & Run Business
No Sale No Fee. Accompanied Viewings Available*
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High Percentage of Returning Clients & Recommendations
Established in Stafford Since 1965
* An Additional Fee May Be Payable. Ask for Details.
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Disclaimer: The information about this Agent is provided by the Agent themselves as an advertisement for their agency services. Rightmove is not endorsing this Agent and makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the advertisement or any linked or associated information, and Rightmove does not check or verify the accuracy of the content. The information is generated, provided and maintained by Clothier & Day, Stafford. Please contact the Agent directly to obtain further information about their property services.
1 Eastgate Street, Stafford, ST16 2NQ


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But the coverage the topic receives is still disproportionate. It's everywhere, and we're not just talking this week. It's not just on TV…you can't go more than a few Facebook status updates without running into someone opining about it, showing you how openly sensitive they are. Or when looking at another way, how morally superior they are to you, the vapid idiot who isn't making an important political statement, but posted a photo of his dog playing in the snow instead.
Bottom line: I loathe hearing about anyone—gay or straight—drone on about marriage, particularly impending marriage plans (and yes, I'm married). It's like hearing about someone's fantasy football team…sure, it's important to that particular person, but trust me (as someone who is emotionally invested in two leagues), there isn't a soul on the planet who wants to hear about who you drafted and why, or what big trade you made that week…
You're straight? You're getting married? Good for you. Look forward to getting an invitation.
Just don't share it in 74 Facebook updates on 74 consecutive days about how you just hired a band/DJ, picked out the place settings, are so psyched for the bachelor/bachelorette party, booked the honeymoon, mailed out all the invitations, or any other fantasy football-esque wedding planning that (again, trust me) ultimately only you and perhaps your Mom care about.


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Dunlop latex mattresses have been popular in Europe and many other parts of the world for decades, and are recognized in North America as the purist, healthiest, most supportive pressure relieving choice for our families.
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The Unison is made with 100% Organic Dunlop Latex. The European style 100% Organic Cotton cover is quilted with 100% Pure Wool to prevent trampolining while providing moisture and temperature control. Our proprietary multi-zone construction optimizes the inherent support characteristics of Dunlop Latex to provide unsurpassed comfort night after night.
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Please read our FAQ's.
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Candidate forum set
Nick Todaro, firstname.lastname@example.com
The Ennis Chamber of Commerce Board wants the public to get to know the three candidates running for the Place 6 seat on the Ennis Independent School District's Board of Trustees this May.
The chamber's new education committee has set up a forum for 6 p.m. April 11 at the Ennis Public Library to meet that goal.
Click here to sign up for our E-Edition and read the rest of the story!


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|Growing Zones:
|What's my zone?
|Mature Height:
|1-2 ft.
|Mature Width:
|1-2 ft.
|1-2 ft.
|Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln'
|Cannot Ship to:
Dwarf Fountain Grass
- Description
- Shipping
- Reviews
Great in Tight Spots!
With its dense tufts and narrow, bright green leaves, Dwarf Fountain Grass fits in just about anywhere there is some sun.
Fountain grass is drought tolerant, but it also doesn't mind a little excess moisture. It will thrive just as easily in a container as it will along the edge of a pond. Plant some as an edging along paths or in groups on a steep bank to control soil erosion. It will also make a great addition to a rock garden, either alone or in groups.
Dwarf Fountain Grass is perennial in Zones 6-9. Elsewhere, use it as an annual to fill in bare spots in a sunny flower bed, a mixed border, or as a companion to a taller specimen plant in a container.
White, feathery flowers bloom early and stay late, turning a softer color in fall. Try this little beauty in clusters at the beginning, middle and end of a long border to create a dramatic display from spring right through to late autumn.
This plant is reliable, easy to grow and very trouble free. It is not known to have disease or pest problems.


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Zero Gravity
Aura iPhone 6S Plus Case
Out Of Stock!
We will notify you when this product becomes available.
Let your Aura shine through! With a sturdy back and durable flexible rubber rim, this iridescent snake textured case protects all sides of your phone.
Fits iPhone 6 Plus & 6S Plus
Shipping Specifications:
- Item ships from California, please allow 2-3 days for handling and 5-7 days for shipping.
- For international customers please allow 2-3 weeks for shipping.


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What is the Destination Fee?
One of the most commonly asked questions we receive is what is included in this $9.95 daily destination fee? The destination fee provides you with the following perks throughout your stay:
- Access to Harbor Magic Signature Events where you will enjoy complimentary beer and wine along with a variety of culinary samplings.
- High-speed wireless Internet access in guest rooms, lobby and meeting rooms
- Access to Maryland Athletic Club (MAC) fitness center and pools. This is a full service state of the art fitness facility.
- Harbor Magic Hotels Shuttle Service to the sister hotels - Pier 5 Hotel + Admiral Fell Inn located near Inner Harbor attractions & Johns Hopkins Hospital
- Domestic Long Distance Calls
- Newspaper Available
- Morning Coffee & Tea Service in Lobby
- Business Services


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|You are in: Entertainment
Sunday, 17 December, 2000, 12:56 GMT
Dressing down for Naked Chef
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's hectic schedule has left his wife feeling "quite lonely".
Jools Oliver makes the confession in her light-hearted internet diary.
She writes about her husband's busy life on both sides of the Atlantic with TV work, book promotion and his latest venture - releasing a single with his band.
Jools tells visitors to his official website: "As Jamie has spent so much time away from home, I have been quite lonely in the flat, so I have spent heaps of time with my family back in Cambridge, which is fantastic, plus someone has to stay at home and crack on with the endless Christmas shopping... I think I have drawn the short straw there!"
Jools says how it was "really unfortunate" her husband of six months missed his band Scarlet Division's first single release as he had to fly out to the US.
"I know that he had been waiting for this moment since they started the band 13 years ago," she adds.
Gruelling schedule
But despite the Naked Chef's other commitments, he was still involved in the gruelling promotion work for the track, called Sundial, before he left the UK.
"I found myself following him and the band around from studio to studio, hanging out in the audience trying to catch a glimpse of him... I felt like a mad obsessed fan but hey... at least I was seeing him (hmmm, his first stalker?)"
But there were benefits, she says, as some of her "real idols" were appearing on the same TV shows.
The five members of Scarlet Division met at school and gigged their way round London until landing a record deal in July, a month after Jamie and Jools married.
In her diary Jools writes that there were bonuses too as Jamie forged ahead in his bid to crack the US.
She tells how she joined him for a "brilliant" time in Chicago after becoming "fed up with hearing all the fantastic stories and news from New York".
She goes on to poke fun at herself and Jamie when he nipped back to the UK to switch on the Christmas lights in London's Knightsbridge - which turned out to be "a little tree in a busy traffic roundabout".
Giant poster
"We really laughed, as in our little fantasy dreams Jamie and I had imagined switching on London's answer to the Blackpool illuminations tee hee!!
"Still it was really sweet with all the carol singers, very festive."
Finally, she tells diary readers about a giant poster in New York's Times Square put up to promote The Naked Chef.
It features a suggestively peeled banana and a pair of surreptitiously placed peaches.
See also:
10 Sep 99 | Entertainment
Naked Chef in Web pickle
21 Jul 00 | Entertainment
Naked Chef lands record deal
24 Jun 00 | Entertainment
Naked Chef ties the knot
11 Apr 00 | Entertainment
Jamie Oliver's naked sounds
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Rhodes said the group brought 40 to 50 members today and they also plan to demonstrate on the NATO weekend at both the May 18 march organized by the California Nurses Association and the anti-war march on May 20.
As rain fell around 1:30 p.m., hundreds of May Day demonstrators left Union Park and headed downtown toward Federal Plaza.
McCarthy watched from a vantage point under a tree on the parkway at Washington and Ogden. As the march progressed, numerous police officers walked along the edges of the demonstration, maintaining a visible but low-profile presence in their normal blue-shirt duty uniforms.


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Chrysler Confirms $178 Million Investment at Sterling Stamping Plant
30 April 1997Chrysler Confirms $178 Million Investment at Sterling Stamping Plant
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., April 29 -- During ground breaking ceremonies at their Sterling Stamping Plant today, Chrysler Corporation confirmed an investment of $178 million for modernization and expansion at its plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The investment is part of Chrysler's strategic plan to continually improve productivity and quality. Ground was broken for a 61,200 square foot, $25 million, building addition to the present 2.6 million square foot plant. When completed in 1998, the new building will initially house one large Verson progressive press with multi-stage dies capable of producing finished parts from coil steel. Additionally one large "super blanker" complete with automatic die storage and retrieval will also be installed in the new addition which would facilitate potential future tooling expansion. Modernization in the present plant will take place over the next two years with the addition of two A+Size Schuler transfer presses. This type of press is the largest transfer press in the world. It will also include the addition of one B+Size Verson transfer press along with two 1,000-Ton and one 1,500-Ton Schuler presses. There are 3,420 employees at the Sterling Stamping Plant. SOURCE Chrysler Corporation


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While plenty of high-yield opportunities exist, investors must always consider the safety of their dividend and the total return potential of their investment. It is not uncommon for a struggling company to suspend high-yielding dividends which could subsequently result in precipitous share price declines.
TheStreet Ratings' stock rating model views dividends favorably, but not so much that other factors are disregarded. Our model gauges the relationship between risk and reward in several ways, including: the pricing drawdown as compared to potential profit volatility, i.e. how much one is willing to risk in order to earn profits?; the level of acceptable volatility for highly performing stocks; the current valuation as compared to projected earnings growth; and the financial strength of the underlying company as compared to its stock's valuation as compared to its stock's performance.
These and many more derived observations are then combined, ranked, weighted, and scenario-tested to create a more complete analysis. The result is a systematic and disciplined method of selecting stocks. As always, stock ratings should not be treated as gospel — rather, use them as a starting point for your own research.
The following pages contain our analysis of 3 stocks with substantial yields, that ultimately, we have rated "Buy."
NGL Energy PartnersDividend Yield: 5.10% NGL Energy Partners (NYSE: NGL) shares currently have a dividend yield of 5.10%. NGL Energy Partners LP, through its subsidiaries, is primarily engaged in the crude oil logistics, water solutions, liquids, and retail propane businesses in the United States. It operates through Crude Oil Logistics, Water Solutions, Liquids, and Retail Propane segments. The company has a P/E ratio of 85.59. The average volume for NGL Energy Partners has been 331,400 shares per day over the past 30 days. NGL Energy Partners has a market cap of $3.3 billion and is part of the energy industry. Shares are up 27.1% year-to-date as of the close of trading on Monday. TheStreet Ratings rates NGL Energy Partners as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, increase in net income, solid stock price performance and growth in earnings per share. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had generally high debt management risk by most measures that we evaluated. Highlights from the ratings report include:
- NGL's very impressive revenue growth greatly exceeded the industry average of 3.2%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues leaped by 145.8%. This growth in revenue appears to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, improving the earnings per share.
- The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has significantly exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels industry. The net income increased by 89.5% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, rising from $22.34 million to $42.33 million.
- Investors have apparently begun to recognize positive factors similar to those we have mentioned in this report, including earnings growth. This has helped drive up the company's shares by a sharp 47.07% over the past year, a rise that has exceeded that of the S&P 500 Index. We feel that the stock's sharp appreciation over the last year has driven it to a price level which is now somewhat expensive compared to the rest of its industry. The other strengths this company shows, however, justify the higher price levels.
- NGL ENERGY PARTNERS LP has improved earnings per share by 17.9% in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. This company has reported somewhat volatile earnings recently. But, we feel it is poised for EPS growth in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, NGL ENERGY PARTNERS LP reported lower earnings of $0.32 versus $0.56 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($1.58 versus $0.32).
- The debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07 is relatively high when compared with the industry average, suggesting a need for better debt level management. Along with the unfavorable debt-to-equity ratio, NGL maintains a poor quick ratio of 0.92, which illustrates the inability to avoid short-term cash problems.
- You can view the full NGL Energy Partners Ratings Report.