text:
" River Thames. Tel: +44 (0)20 7940 6300. OPEN: daily 10am-6pm: last admission 5.15pm (Nov 1-Feb 28 last admission 4.15pm and closing time 5pm.) CLOSED: 24/25/26 Dec. Admission: adults £5; under 16 free; concessions £3.80; discounts available for groups and "
I have visited the HMS Belfast twice, the first time was for a couple of hours as part of a London school art trip the second time was for another school trip for the start of my art foundation course on which we actually stayed on the boat for three nights (I didn't know this was possible either!) so hopefully my review will offer a different perspective from the usual public experience.
The ship is an original WWII ship that is now anchored on the River Thames just 2 minutes away from Tower Bridge. Admission was free for me as the first time I was under 16 and the second time it was a paid school trip, however I have heard they are quite cheap for London, costing only about £5. To access the boat you have to walk a 2minute bridge which was quite tiring the amount of times we had to board it when we stayed! The boat isn't disabled accessed unfortunately as some of the halls are quite thin and the stairs are more like ladders.
There are lots of places to explore on the ship, you can go below or climb up two stories. There are rooms full of life like mannequins playing the roles of what people would have been doing on the ship during war time for example there is a kitchen, a sick room, a living quarters and more. There is also a room that has all the electronics part that has lots of lights and noises everywhere so seem as if you actually on the ship during WWII, I personally found this to be a little naff and cheap however talking to some of the staff the ship has a very small budget so can't afford to jazz it up, at the same though it adds to the creepy feel of the ship. Having said this it is still a great experience for people interested in history and ships as it is very informative and for people like me who found it a little boring, it is fun to take silly pictures with the mannequins. There are seats dotted around one side where tired parents can sit and leave their kids to explore too! The boat is very cold mostly, even on hot days it's still pretty cool as it is on the river and inside doesn't really have a heating system so it needs to be treated as an outdoor activity!
There is a small presentation available at times, mainly for school trips I think, where you sit in a room and watch a small video and someone tells you about life on the ship, the general story and gets some props out. These include two different jackets, thermal socks, a hat and one of the large canons. The presentation is very short and simple but still interesting (and that's coming from me who isn't interested in warships!) and usually amusing as the person doing the presentation will get people to dress up the clothes to see how heavy it is. You also get the chance to swing up into a hammock which you need upper body strength for! You have the choice of looking round the rest of the ship being told more facts aswell as being able to look in the big canon/gun part where they would have been loaded, aimed and fired. I think one of them actually still works and is let off for extremely rare occasions like the Ships anniversary (shows how much I paid attention...) but it was very interesting as the staff man let us get into places that the public are not usually allowed.
There is a very small café on board that offers some basic food and drink at typical London prices, when we stayed on board we had breakfast free and a small packed lunch for the day. None of us were really impressed with the food we were given as it was fairly cheap, the breakfast was especially tasteless but as it was free for people staying overnight I can't complain too much. It would have been okay for younger kids though, as it is usually younger children who have overnight school stays.
My favourite part of the ship is the Captians Room! In here you get a great view of the river and get to sit in the captions seat, great cheesy tourist picture moment. You can play around with the wheels and some of the buttons and pretend you are on the phone etc. (Just think of the episode of Outnumbered when they visit the HMS!) Although you have to be careful of some of the switches as I got told off once for flicking switches as many of them are still in use and actually control lights and things on the ship, although to be honest if they don't want people messing with these they should state so or cover them! Me and my friend were luckily enough to be in the room when two of the people who kept an eye on everything walked by and went into a little compartment and produced captain hats, coats and binoculars for us to play around with and gave new cheesy photos opportunities. This was fun as the coats swamped us because we were so small, the staff were friendly and told us more about the ship too and took photos of us together.
So onto my actual stay on the ship, which might be interesting for you as it is only on offer to schools or guides/scouts (if not, feel free to skip!). There is one person who stays on the ship at all times to look after the people staying and lock them in at night, at the time we stayed was early September and we were the only class on there so there was 8 pupils and 2 teachers (a very small art foundation course!). The part we stayed in is down below and was made up of two large rooms, usually one side for boys and one side for girls however as there was only one boy in our time group it was fair for him stay with all us girls for company! He did use the other rooms shower and toilet though haha. So each room has a small toilet room that was made of two cubicle style toilets and 2 showers, the toilets reminded me off school school toilets and I really would have hated using them if there had been more of staying on the boat. However I'm sure this would have been okay for younger children (I was 18 at the time so I like privacy!). The showers were fine, not overly tiny and easy to use. There is just one big button to press and then the water runs at a decent pressure for about 3minutes before it needs to be pressed again. It takes about a minute to warm up as it was FREEZING at first though. There is also a small compartment joined to the large room for the teachers to stay with their own bathroom.
The room looks pretty cold and very uninviting, almost a bit prison like actually, as it is supposed to remind you of how the men on board would have had to sleep. It has many of the original bedding that men in the WW2 would have slept on, fold out metal bunk beds with a thin hard plastic coated mattress on top with a horrible plastic pillow. The only windows were two small circles which could be opened but not large enough for anyone to climb out of. You have to bring your sleeping bag to stay overnight and I definitely suggest a pillow as the one offered is terrible. We all had a top bunk each as the bottom ones were so low to the floor and we were already so afraid it would be cold and it was difficult to sit on the bottom without crouching over.
When it was time for bed (for us 18years olds after a night at the pub hehe) was about half 11, the room is very dark when the lights get turned off but there are still emergency lights around the room that stay on all night. For me this is was very annoying as it was too light but it was a safety requirement and would probably be needed for younger people staying on the boat as I imagine it would probably be quite scary for them. The nights sleep was actually really, really hot, I'd hate to imagine what it would be like if the room was full and the middle of summer. The next night we opened one of the small windows and it made a slight difference, the two people closest the window were really cold and the rest of us slept a little better, although that might just because of the all walking we did! The room had about two small mirrors just about the right height for me (but luckily little kids don't need to see themselves to apply their makeup!) and a few plugs dotted around for hairdryers/ straightners. I think there was also a tv and vhs player but we didn't know about this so hadn't bought a video to play, but this would be a great idea for younger kids if they have trouble sleeping.
As scary as the staying on the ship sounds, we felt very safe as we were locked in every night and no one is allowed on at this time anyway, plus it's warship so it's pretty durable and can take any attacks... not there would be any haha. I wouldn't want to stay on the ship again as it was very uncomfortable plus I'm a 19 year old girl, it's not my idea of heaven, however not everyone can say they stayed on an original WWII ship can they? As much as I didn't particulary like it, it did bring our small group close which was the idea of it. I think it's a great opportunity for school trips as it's something different and also a lot cheaper than most hotels/hostels around London too plus you get breakfast and lunch included. Breakfast was bland and simple but there was quite a lot offered in the packed lunches and because we were such a small group we all ended up with two lunches each! Which we ended up passing onto some homeless people instead of eating or throwing away.
Overall I would recommend visiting the HMS Belfast as it is a cheap and interesting 'museum' type activity that offers something different to the usual history museums, some of it is quite boring but even after staying on it for four days we did not get to see the entire ship so I'm sure there's even more to explore. Another plus is that the boat doesn't move so no worry of sea sickness. I would recommend staying overnight on the ship to groups of children that are old enough to not get scared staying there (as it is a little scary!) and not in huge groups as there isn't many toilet/shower facilities available. We stayed on the boat as a 'team building' activity for everyone to get to know each other which really worked so I suggest it as a near the start of school trip too!
Wow this is the longest review I've ever written, hope I haven't bored to many of you who read it!
HMS Belfast was launched on St. Patrick's Day 1938 and used by the Royal Navy until 1965. In 1971 it was refurbished with a view to preserving a piece of British Naval History. It took part in many instrumental missions of the Second World War, including protection duties for Allied forces during the D-Day landings of 1944. If you have children or are secretly still just a big kid, or if you have an interest in Naval History you will have a whale of a time aboard HMS Belfast, located as she is right next to Tower Bridge and The Tower Of London. Admission rates are extremely reasonable for London, and came in at £5.50 for an adult last year, with significant reductions for children under 16 or full-time students. As part of the Imperial War Museum, tickets can be combined for further savings. There is no shortage of stairways to explore, revealing static displays of the ships crew, radar rooms, kitchens, engine rooms etc the list is endless!! The sheer size of such vessels has always been a surprise to me, as have the huge turrets and other armaments bristling along the upper decks of the ship. There is also an adequate cafe on board, which provides light refreshments etc, and the usual facilities. Disabled access is unfortunately somewhat restricted due to the very tight spaces and steep gangways etc. Nevertheless go and see it if you can and you'll end up learning much more than you would think, I certainly did!! The deck is also a great place to take pictures of Tower Bridge and the Thames, especially at dusk when the lights are on. I must warn you though that some parts of the ship are extremely claustrophobic, particularly in the lower decks and I found myself going outside for air quite often: goodness only knows how her crew put up with being inside for months at a time!!
If you need more information, the official website is: hmsbelfast.iwm.org.uk/
In the school holidays I thank my lucky stars that we live so close to London. What shall we do today? I know, lets get on the tube and go into town! Most of the time we don't have any plans, but not knowing where we're going is half the adventure. Last time I did this with Callum, who's five, we ended up at HMS Belfast and decided to take a turn or two around its decks. You do have to pay to get on but if it's a family outing it should be fairly inexpensive as under 16s go free. HMS Belfast is a cruiser, which was built in 1938 with the purpose of protecting convoys. She served extensively throughout WW2, providing cover for merchant fleet in the Arctic convoy, taking vital supplies to north Russia. She also played an important part in the D-Day Landings in Normandy. Later she served a lot of time in the Far East and supported UN forces during the Korean War. Anchored in the Thames just by Tower Bridge since 1971, she's the sole surviving example of a Royal Navy gun armoured warship from the first half of the 20th century. It's quite easy to reach; just a few minutes walk from London Bridge station. You get your tickets in the small shop that's landside and then enter the boat via a long walkway or gangplank if you want to be nautical. Upon your arrival you are given a map of the boat which at first seems incomprehensible but if you just follow the numbered sections that are signposted throughout the ship, it's quite easy and you can make it right around without missing anything out. You start the tour at the Quarterdeck, and the first of many steep stairs, more like a ladder, up to the Y Turret and its guns. Callum thought all this was great and marvelled at all the equipment, if a little put out that things like the phone receivers were screwed down and couldn't be played with. We moved on through the ship, along the boatdeck where aircraft and boats used to be stored wh
en not in action. There was the first of several video information monitors here – TV screens showing a short video about the relevant part of the ship, with a combination of old footage, graphics and narration from a newsreadery type. We watched this first one because they were showing old reels of planes being launched into the air by a big catapult thingy, but afterwards we'd walk on by the screens. It was a bit like watching the History Channel on cable and we could have stayed at home to do that. Much more fun for children is the gun deck where they can play on two 40mm Bofors guns, winding big levers to elevate and train the guns. They also like sitting in the captain's chair on the Bridge, fiddling with various buttons and controls and listening to the tape recreating the HMS Belfast's part in the battle with the German warship Scharnhorst. Lots of shouting and gunfire create a sense of drama, but I found it slightly embarrassing. I much preferred to look out of the windows and imagine for myself, what it must have been like to be up on that Bridge out at sea. The drama on tape continued in the Operations Room, with spotlights lighting up various figures sitting at desks, or plotting out their course. The Wireless Room was stacked full of old radio equipment and faded black and white photos. The Officers Cabins were also restored to how they would have looked during WW2, before the boats refit. Even the Captains cabin looked basic with just a bunk, desk and chair, some shelves and a washbasin. Then you descend into the Mess Decks and realise it was luxury in comparison to the living conditions of the crew who slept in hammocks strung above the long wooden tables where men played cards, read and wrote letters to their loved ones when they weren't on duty. In fact, there were so many crew on board during WW2 that some had to sleep in the Capstan Machinery Space, their hammocks strung between the machinery us
ed for anchoring the ship. In the far corner of this space are the Punishment Cells where sailors could be locked up for misdemeanours such as sleeping while on watch, being drunk on duty, or absconding without leave. They were locked up with basic rations and were only allowed to read The Bible or other books of a religious nature. A small section of the ship is given over to a permanent exhibition which takes you through the history of the HMS Belfast with artifacts including pages from a diary written by a young seaman who served on the ship. There's also, poignantly, the telegram his mother received stating that he was missing in action, whilst serving on HMS Hood when it was sunk by the Bismarck in the Battle of the North Atlantic. There were also pictures of the handful of German sailors who survived after the Scharnhorst was sunk. From a crew of almost 2000 only 36 survived and they are shown here after they had been captured, blindfolded and being led off an Allied ship. Section seven on the HMS Belfast shows how the living quarters looked after the extensive refit following World War 2. You can see the sick bay, complete with operating tableland bunks. There is a dentist's room and a small chapel, which is still sometimes, used today, and the galley where all the food was prepared. Further down, well below the waterline is the engine rooms, and the place where they stored all the shells and magazines for the ships guns. Surprisingly, the steering position is also situated down here. The man responsible for steering was actually all the way down in the bowels of the ship, in virtual darkness, taking instructions from someone up on the bridge who could see where they were going. Much of the boat has been kept as it was and you do get a real feel for what it must have been like to serve on-board all those years ago. Of course, some modifications have been necessary in order for it to cater for the visitors. The
re is a ca fé – the Walrus Café – next to the boat-deck that serves sandwiches, drinks and hot-dogs at not tooextortionate prices. HMS Belfast also caters for childrens parties and corporate functions. See their website for more details: iwm.org.uk/belfast/index.htm. I've just been there and noticed that in the October half-term they are going to have actors on board playing the part of crew, who will answer any questions you have about seafaring life. For the rest of the year, there are quite a few staff around who seem quite helpful if you have any questions. It is an interesting place to visit although there are a lot of very steep steps so it's not advisable to go with very young children, ie under 2, unless you don't mind carrying them everywhere. Access for the disabled is limited too. It takes about two hours to get round it all and if you have time afterwards, take a look at the new City Hall just nearby, and check out the exhibition inside that shows all the new building work going on in London at the moment.
HMS Belfast is a cruiser. She was launched in March 1938 and served throughout the Second World War, playing a leading part in the destruction of the German battle cruiser Scharnhorst at the Battle of North Cape and in the Normandy Landings. After the war, she supported United Nations forces in Korea and remained in service with the Royal Navy until 1965. In 1971 she was saved for the nation as a unique and historic reminder of Britain's naval heritage in the first half of the twentieth century. This is one of the paces that I have visited in London and it has to be one of the best. You can go look round the entire ship and relive the battle scenes that it encountered by listening to the tapes and looking at the models of the sailors all around it.
HMS Belfast is a World War 2 (WW2) Battle Cruiser moored on the south side of the River Thames just up river from Tower Bridge. The quickest way of getting to the ship is to take the tube to London Bridge, exit onto Tooley Street, and walk onto the embankment via the Hayes Galleria (also worth a look !). Its well sign posted. The Ship is part of the Imperial War Museum collection. Admission prices are pretty standard. When we went in February 2000, an adult cost £4.70 and children up to 5 were free. HMS Belfast was built in 1938 and served in WW2 and the Korean War. As battleships go, she is reasonably big but nothing compared with the preserved North American battleships e.g. USS North Carolina (or that one used in the Cher video). For the anoraks amongst us, she has 12 6-inch guns which makes her a relative minnow. In comparison the Bismarck had 15-inch guns. So what's it like ? There's quite a bit to see and climbing to do. Like most ships of its type, it has a mixture of steep stairs and steps. I would not recommend it for those who are disabled, very young or don't like clambering around. My son (who was 3 at the time) hated the idea of climbing a vertical ladder but eventually found the gun turrets fascinating. On the shore side of the ship can be found an anti-aircraft gun. One person can turn the gun whilst another can raise the barrel. We managed to point it at Tower Bridge and would have blown it away had we had the ammo !! Going below decks, you can visit the bridge where a noisy tape recreates the chase of the one of Germany's battleships during WW2. I think it was Bismarck. You are able to visit the Mess and see some wax figures making a meal. There is also a museum describing the workings of the Royal Navy. If you like ships and want to spend half a day seeing what it was like aboard a battleship – give it a try. However if you find climbing up and down ladders is not for you – the
n give it a miss.


text:
Spencer Gordon Bennet was one of the masters of the American action film.
As film historian Hans J. Wollstein notes, "born on January 5, 1893 in Brooklyn, NY, according to legend, veteran action director Spencer Gordon Bennet entered films by answering an ad for a stuntman to perform a daring jump from the New Jersey Palisades into the Hudson River. The year was 1912 and the employer, the legendary Edison Film Mfg. Company. Bennet was hooked on filmmaking from that moment on and went on to become one of the three or four most important names in the field of motion picture action serials.
Of Anglo-French descent, Spencer Gordon Bennet had sold programs and played bit roles in a Brooklyn theater before earning $62.50 for that fateful jump into the Hudson. He remained with Edison for a while, performing stunts and playing bit parts, before switching to Pathé, where he served as assistant to legendary serial directors Bertram Millhauser and George B. Seitz, actually replacing Seitz as the company's leading cliffhanger director in the late '20s when he helmed all the influential Allene Ray and Walter Miller chapterplays.
Concentrating on B-Westerns and feature action films in the early years of sound, Bennet returned to the serial field in 1932 when picked by RKO to direct that studio's 12-chapter The Last Frontier. It was a homecoming or sorts and he remained in the field until helming the final American action serial, Blazing the Overland Trail, in 1956. Best remembered today, perhaps, for his work for cheapskate producer Sam Katzman, including the 1948 Superman and its 1950 sequel, Atom Man vs. Superman, Bennet also did yeoman work for industry leader Republic, where he co-directed some of the most beloved serials of all time, including The Masked Marvel (1943), The Tiger Woman (1944), Zorro Rides Again (1945), and The Purple Monster Strikes (1945).
Signing an exclusive contract with Katzman in 1947, Bennet went on to direct, or co-direct, all of Columbia Pictures later serials, save one, including Batman and Robin (1949) and Captain Video (1951). His ability to work fast and furiously, a prerequisite for steady employment in the B-Western and serial fields, never alienated him from cast and crew, however. 'He was probably my favorite director of all and was one terrific man,' said veteran B-Western and serial villain Pierce Lyden. Bennet, who directed his final feature film in 1965, the nicely old-fashioned The Bounty Killer, was the uncle of legendary special-effects wizard Linwood Dunn. He died on October 8, 1987, at the age of 94."
Spencer Gordon Bennet; another director whose films need to be on DVD.
Tags: Action Films, American film directors, Spencer Gordon Bennet

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Greetings everyone at dhammawheel!
My name is Breen. I am a fully enlightened/realized being/mystic. Regular 26 year old guy from Canada !
I am looking forward to contributing as much knowledge wisdom and understanding as I can to the discussions here at dhammawheel.
Thanks for having me, and I hope to assist you all in achieving self realization and awareness.
Regards !


text:
Connect 4These brain teasers rely on your ability to recognize groups of common attributes. For each of these puzzles you'll need to figure out why the words or letters are grouped as they are. Sometimes you will be asked to pick the odd-one-out or to place a new word into the correct group.
Out of the 16 jumbled up clues, you have to see which 4 clues connect to make up 4 groups, there should be no clues left over and no clue used twice in any given group.
Cyclops, King, Storm, En Passant,
Leigh-Pemberton, Endgame, Stalemate, George,
Gambit, Houblon, Footfalls, Rogue,
Angel, Rockaby, Castle, Happy Days
Chess Terms.
Governors of the Bank of England.
Plays by Samuel Beckett.
AnswerCyclops, Storm, Rogue, Angel.
En Passant, Stalemate, Gambit, Castle.
King, Houblon, Leigh-Pemberton, George.
Happy Days, Endgame, Footfalls, Rockaby.
What Next?
See another brain teaser just like this one...
Or, just get a random brain teaser
If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of
which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
Back to Top


text:
Illustrated Dictionary of Midwifery
by Nicola V. Winson and Sandra McDonald
[2005, UK: Elsevier, 296 pages, paperback.]
[Review first published in Midwifery Today Issue 88, Winter 2008, © 2008, Midwifery Today, Inc. Review by Cheryl K. Smith.]
This slim, nearly pocket-size dictionary contains relevant midwifery terminology, abbreviations and illustrations for easy reference in classroom or in the field. It also contains 16 appendices with quick-reference material, ranging from Apgar scoring, to normal blood/urine values, conversions, labor signs and tests. Because it was published in and intended for a UK audience, some of the additional information is not relevant to midwives in the US or other countries.
Reviewer Cheryl K. Smith is an editor and a writer who gave up lawyering to raise miniature dairy goats in the coast range of Oregon. She is currently working on a book on goat health care (www.goathealthcare.com).


text:
By LEE HERNANDEZ
09/04/2013 at 10:45 AM EDT
It's been more than 20 years since Michelle Pfeiffer portrayed the sexy whip-carrying Catwoman on the big screen, but PEOPLE's two-time World's Most Beautiful Woman still looks puuuurfect at 55!
"Once you get over a certain hump there actually is less pressure. You can begin to look great for your age. You don't have to look young anymore," the actress tells Ladies Home Journal in the October issue.
"I've moved over to that other side – I'm 55, which is a little too close to 60, but looking great for my age is okay now," she says.
Pfeiffer – who has been a vegan for a few years now – makes sure to work out five days a week and admits she lives a much healthier life than she did when she was younger.
"I haven't always been healthy. When I was in my 20s I smoked two packs of cigarettes a day," she says, adding, "I lived on Marlboro Lights and Coca-Cola."
Still, the actress admits getting older is no walk in the park.
"Having to watch yourself age on a giant movie screen is simply not natural. It can wreak havoc on your psyche," she says.
Nine years ago, Pfeiffer took a break from Hollywood. She and her husband, TV writer-producer David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal, Boston Legal) packed up their home and moved with their two children, Claudia Rose and John, to San Francisco.
"I started putting caveats on everything – like I'll do a movie only at a certain time of year, or in a certain location – and I negotiated myself out of work," she tells the magazine.
"If I was going to do something that took me away from my kids, it had to matter."
Now that both of her kids are in college, Pfeiffer returns to the big screen this month opposite Robert De Niro in The Family a black comedy about a Brooklyn mobster who enters a witness-protection program.
And despite her looks and status as a Hollywood A-lister, the Oscar-nominated actress admits even she feels vulnerable from time to time.
"I still think I'm going to be fired in the first week of every new job I take," she says. "Always. In fact, before I even start a movie I'll try to get myself fired or think of a reason I should quit. I guess it's fear of failure."


text:
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Major U.S. stock averages fell Monday as investors feared the stalling budget talks in Washington over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, will destroy the country's international credibility and plunge the global economy into another recession.
The S&P 500 lost 0.85% to 1,676.13. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.91% to 14,936.11. The Nasdaq was giving up 0.98% to 3,770.38.
More than 800,000 federal workers have been into on unpaid leave for a week week as lawmakers wrangle over President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law, fueling increasing concerns that the protracted debate will be inextricably linked to discussions about the U.S. debt ceiling.
Failure to forge an agreement could put the country at risk of defaulting on its bills and roiling global financial markets. The day's pullback, while not trivial, was nonetheless small enough to give investors confidence that some sort of a deal will be reached.
"There's still not a panic in the market," said Quincy Krosby, market strategist at Prudential Financial. "You're not looking at a run for the exits; the volume is fairly light."
House Speaker John Boehner warned Sunday on ABC's "This Week" program that a budget deal won't be passed in the House without concessions to the health care law, enacted by Congress in 2010.
"Congress and the President are playing a 'Rebel Without a Cause' style game of chicken at the moment, and equity markets are stuck in the middle," Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at ConvergEx Group, a global brokerage company based in New York, said in his daily remarks. "It may not come to that, of course, but the "Market Selloff Forces Washington to Act" headline seems more base case than outlier expectation as we wind our way to October 17."


text:
So they agree to a downgrade (which CPAN.pm doesn't REALLY know how to do properly anyway, except by installing over the top of the newer version) and now they have an older version of a module which breaks a dependency of something ELSE which needed the new version to work.
Of course, as with most things dependency-related, Debian got that right a long time ago, by tracking "reverse dependencies", ie. not just what packages a package depends on, but also which packages it is a depedency of.
Given such information, the CPAN client could automatically decide whether a particular upgrade or downgrade is unsafe.
I don't know what difference source vs binary would make in this case. The local inventory of installed software almost always differs from the repository, which generally only tracks information about the newest version of every package. So to use reverse dependency checks you always have to record them locally after each successful installation, anyway.
The CPAN client would have to determine the local final list of dependencies and then figure in the recorded reverse dependencies, and could then t


text:
- Our Work
- Wildlife
- Wild Places
- How You Can Help
- Become a Defender
- Ways to Give
- Adopt an Animal
- Gifts & Gear
- Take Action
- Attend an Event
- Hold Congress Accountable
- Explore Wildlife Stories
- News
- Blog
You are hereHome | Learn About Wildlife | Defenders Magazine | Winter 2011 | Livin' La Vida Lobo
Livin' La Vida Lobo
Firm footing is hard to find for Mexican wolves in the American Southwest
by Heidi Ridgley
© Joel Sartore (captive)
It's 5:15 on a June morning when four Rocky Mountain elk step casually in front of our van. Their thick necks jut forward, elongating then contracting, as they move single file across the rocky dirt road and back into the forest. We pause to watch but only for a moment. Impressive though they are, we are on a mission to see a wolf, and if last night is any indication, it just might happen.
Only a few hours earlier, sitting around a campfire at Maverick Ranch on White Mountain Apache tribal land in Arizona, wildlife techs Ivan Kasey and Deon Hinton turned their heads skyward and howled into the dark, not really expecting much. But from the mountain came an answer—three times.
At first light, we pile in the van and head in the direction of the howls. Craig Miller, Defenders of Wildlife's Southwest representative, who is leading our freshly assembled troupe, has half his body hanging out the passenger-side window looking for wolf tracks or scat. But it's the driver, Krista Beazley, the White Mountain Apache wolf biologist, who spots the wolf sign first. The scat is fresh but already hardened by the night's 40-degree temperature.
The Wisdom of the Apache
The principle of conservation has always been embraced by the Apache people and is embodied in their concept of Shii ne, or "Mind-Land" harmony. In Apache language, mind and land are the same, representing an inseparable relationship between humans and the natural world.
This deep ecological wisdom guides many aspects of life, and it is honored and celebrated in traditional ceremonies with dances, songs, prayers and storytelling. It explains the White Mountain Apache's success at protecting the mountains, forests, rivers and wildlife on the tribe's 1.6-million-acre reservation in east-central Arizona—including its leadership to restore endangered Mexican wolves, Mexican spotted owls and Apache trout.
"The Apache people respect every creature on the land," says Krista Beazley, the tribe's wolf biologist. "The mighty creator had them here for a purpose. That's why we want to bring the Mexican wolf back to its natural area, which is White Mountain Apache land."
While the White Mountain Apache Tribe has exemplary conservation programs, it is not immune from 21st-century economics and needs help to ensure the success of its wildlife and outdoor efforts. Thanks to a generous grant from the Wilburforce and McCaw foundations, Defenders has been able to work with the tribe to help develop a wildlife- and culture-themed tourism program that blends conservation and cultural preservation with economic development. In June the tribe will begin offering two such tours, of five days each, to the public.
From the cool weather to the Ponderosa pines, this isn't like other parts of Arizona, where the summer temperature routinely reaches a wilting 110 degrees and the Sonoran Desert's saguaro cacti stand stoically between sun and sand. This is the lesser-known east-central part of the state, part of the coniferous Colorado Plateau, and the place where the so-called Mexican wolves—loathed so irrationally that they were poisoned and shot completely out of existence in the United States by 1970—were returned in 1998 by a federal government coming to terms with its mistake. But unlike the greater Yellowstone ecosystem's gray wolf population, repatriated in the mid-1990s, the foothold here of the Mexican wolf, or el lobo, has remained tenuous—at best. That they remain at all is a near-miracle.
About the size of a German shepherd—much smaller than their cousins in the Northern Rockies and the Midwest—el lobo once roamed in the thousands throughout southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, western Texas and northern Mexico. But with Manifest Destiny their mantra, cattle and sheep ranchers put down roots and by 1893 the territory of Arizona-New Mexico established bounties on "predatory wolves."
Life for the lobos would never be the same.
Within 100 years they were gone—except for a handful in Mexico, which were caught and put into a U.S. captive-breeding program in the late 1970s, about the same time the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) declared them an endangered species. Ultimately, FWS reintroduced 11 wolves into the 4.4-million-acre Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area, made up of the Gila and Apache national forests and wilderness areas in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico—adjacent to the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. This is where the nine of us—part of a pilot White Mountain Apache wolf-watching eco-tour—are hoping to spot a wolf today.
According to the government's recovery plan, by the end of 2006 at least 100 wolves, including 18 breeding pairs, should have found firm footing in the Blue Range area—which is about twice the size of Yellowstone National Park. Instead at FWS's latest year-end count, the number dropped to a perilously low 42, confirming another year of drastic decline that began in 2003.
That year, in an attempt to build trust with livestock producers and increase tolerance for wolves, state and federal wolf project managers adopted a three-strikes-and-the-wolf-is-out policy, which required that any wolf that killed or may have killed three livestock animals in a year had to be killed or returned to captivity.
That was true even if it happened on the 97 percent of wolf range that was on public forest land and despite the fact that wolf kills account for a fraction of cattle deaths each year—0.3 percent to 2.5 percent of all cattle losses in the recovery area, according to wildlife ecologists with Industrial Economics, Inc., a firm contracted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
"The agencies had good intentions in increasing their responsiveness to ranchers' concerns, but the aggressive wolf-control measure repeatedly knocked the population down and kept it there," says Miller. "Three depredations triggered removal, without regard to the wolf's genetic importance, the precarious state of the wild population or other factors such as livestock husbandry that may have contributed or caused the depredations."
Add to this that some ranchers may have intentionally exploited this policy by leaving sick or vulnerable cows near wolf dens to purposely entice wolves, as in the case of Mike Miller, a New Mexico rancher who admitted his deed to High Country News in 2007. Mike Miller said he used telemetry equipment provided by FWS to locate the den of a pup-rearing female and then branded cattle nearby to entice the wolves in for a feast. FWS officials responded by killing the female, leaving her pups to die and the pack to fail.
"Pack sizes in the Southwest are small," says Craig Miller. "The removal of even one or two wolves can seriously disrupt family structure and cause pack failure. The cumulative effects have been disastrous to recovery." Since reintroduction, wildlife managers have killed or permanently removed 59 wolves in Arizona and New Mexico, despite the fact that each year more than 1,300 cattle die from causes other than wolves. But last year Defenders sued FWS to end this harmful policy, and since reaching a settlement no wolves have been killed or removed under the three-strikes-rule.
But even with this hard-edged policy gone, illegal killing continues at an alarming rate that makes it difficult for wolves to gain ground. Wolf-haters have unlawfully killed at least 34 Mexican gray wolves since 1998, making it the main cause of death for Mexican wolves, according to FWS officials who have since only caught and prosecuted two wolf killers.
In fact, a few days from now, when our entourage emerges from the Apache wilderness to plug back into the 21st century, we will almost immediately learn that an alpha male from the Hawk's Nest pack—one of the original packs reintroduced into the wild—has been illegally shot and killed. This wolf was the leader of a pack with a proven record of avoiding livestock. Arizona state game and fish officials say the pack has even moved through groups of cattle to get to elk. Ironically, the animal was doing exactly what he was supposed to do—and teaching his pack mates, too—but someone killed him anyway.
And the bad news doesn't stop coming. A week after this FWS announcement comes another. This time it's the alpha male from the San Mateo pack. Then, a few days later, a Hawk's Nest yearling is shot to death, leaving only the alpha female and a yearling to raise seven pups.
But on this summer morning all that troubling news is still a week or more away, as we ramble down the bumpy dirt road through the wolf's ancestral ground. Having left the scat behind, we stop now to check a camera trap to see if el lobo had passed this way. All we find are pictures of cows frozen in time. But on the way back we run into bear trappers working for the tribe who say they saw a large, collared male less than a week ago just outside our camp. Craig Miller turns to the group, mentioning that the field team hasn't been able to locate the alpha male from the Paradise pack for three or four months despite several fly-over searches. "But now, we have a visual from last week, we heard howling last night and found fresh scat this morning," he says. "There's still a chance for us to see one."
That's especially true given we still have another two days at camp. But right now we're heading off the reservation into the Apache Sitgraves National Forest, territory of the Hawk's Nest pack. Along the way, we pause to watch nine dusky grouse chicks cross the dirt road like little wind-up toys.
Moving toward Mount Baldy on our way to a horseback ride, we pass the largest sheep operation in Arizona. For a mile and a half along the road runs a wire fence that keeps Carey Dobson's 3,000 sheep contained. More importantly, the long strips of red plastic tied to the fence—an Old World technique called fladry—keeps wolves out. "Apart from keeping the predators away, when you wake up in the morning, the sheep are already corralled," says Dobson. "You don't have to go chase down 3,000."
As part of its "coexistence partnerships" program to proactively deter wolves from preying on livestock, Defenders has partnered with the Dobsons, Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Mexican Wolf Fund to provide the fencing and is also sponsoring three range riders to keep livestock and wolves from fatal encounters. "Human presence alone can be enough to deter wolves," says Chris Bagnoli, an official with Arizona's Fish and Game Department, when he meets up with us later that afternoon. "It's not a novel concept. Wolves know if people are around it's not good. But if they learn that livestock is something they can easily eat—they are predators, after all—it is what they will do. Partnership projects are all about preventing wolves from figuring out that cows are easier to catch than elk. In fact, this winter the Hawk's Nest pack came off the mountain, went right through a calving pasture and into the grasslands to kill elk."
There's another key to the wolf's recovery: the White Mountain Apache tribe. With its 1.6 million acres of mostly wild land located between the wolf recovery area and excellent unoccupied wolf habitat further to the west, the White Mountain Apache tribal lands will serve as a gateway or a guantlet to recovery. That's the reason Miller has us here on a trial tour this week. The eco-tour he is helping the tribe launch this spring hopefully will bring much-needed tourist dollars to the tribe, create jobs, foster skills and talents and bring those that revere the wolf to a place where wolves and people may learn to live in harmony.
But watching wolves in the White Mountains is not as simple as it is in Yellowstone, where you can stand just off the road in the Lamar Valley with a spotting scope and easily track several of the animals in a morning. Lobos in the Southwest are far rarer, and our trip comes to an end without anyone in the group seeing a wolf.
Before everyone goes their separate ways, though, el lobo gives us a parting gift. The night is moonless as we drive past vanilla-scented pines to a spot where it's so dark we can't see our hands before our faces. Miller howls out in a perfect, soulful pitch. A moment later, the haunting reply drifts through the crisp air. It's the next best thing.
Senior Editor Heidi Ridgley is practicing howling for her next excursion into wolf country.
More Articles from Winter 2011
Conservationists race to save Panamanian frogs from extinction.
Vaccinating prairie dogs may be the key to saving rare black-footed ferrets
There's a saying in politics that dates at least to the French Revolution, to the effect that the public gets the government it deserves.
A preternatural quiet has fallen over the land. On this cold snap of a February day, even exhaled air is quickly stilled, flash-frozen into ice crystals. Wind-whipped snow rests in six-foot-high banks that stretch for miles along Maryland's Chesapeake Bay.
Global climate change could spell disaster for some South American birds as more rain and warmer temperatures cause the populations of parasites that plague them to explode.
With all-too-frequent reports of rare panthers killed on roads as their habitat is lost to development, Florida's big cats are in urgent need of help. Enter the idea to expand the boundaries of the 26,000-acre Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge.
Icons of the West, bison are as American as apple pie and the 4th of July. But with only one genetically pure wild bison herd left—the approximately 3,000-strong Yellowstone National Park herd—the future for these wild animals is in doubt.
The oil that bled into the Gulf of Mexico for months last year and caused the death of thousands of animals continues to impact coastal communities and natural habitats.
When wolves began returning to the Northern Rockies more than two decades ago, Defenders pioneered a program to compensate ranchers for livestock lost to the imperiled animals—a crucial foundation for building rancher tolerance for wolves.
Defenders has long worked to make residents in the West and Alaska more bear aware.
Swift and silent as the falling snow, these adeptly named big cats stalk wild sheep, goats and other mountain mammals across some of Central Asia's rockiest terrain.
Get Your Copy
Get Instant Alerts & Updates
Enter email address
Enter mobile number
On the Blog
August 9, 2017 | 4.00 PM
June 7, 2016 | 9.30 AM
May 19, 2016 | 8.37 AM


text:
Posted on Monday, March 18, 2013
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - Westminster College's Department of Criminal Justice will welcome John Wetzel, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, April 4 at 7 p.m. in the Witherspoon Room of McKelvey Campus Center. The event is open to the public.
Wetzel is the keynote speaker for Westminster's Innovative Strategies in Criminal Justice Symposium taking place April 4-5. Wetzel has over two decades of experience in the corrections field with positions as a corrections officer, treatment counselor, supervisor of treatment services, training academy director, and warden. He was appointed as the corrections expert to the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons in 2007, and was appointed secretary of the Department of Corrections in 2010.
Wetzel has presented statewide and nationally on topics such as inmate labor issues, the mentally ill in corrections, jail staffing and conducting vulnerability assessments. He has also had several articles published and been part of efforts resulting in reduced jail population.
The "Girls on the Wall" documentary will be shown at 9 p.m. following Wetzel's talk and is presented by Westminster's Sociology Interest Group.
Mark Bergstrom, executive director of the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing will speak during lunch April 5 at 11:45 a.m.
The goal of the symposium is to discuss innovative responses to contemporary problems in the criminal justice system. Undergraduate students will have an opportunity to present posters or papers based on research in criminal justice topics such as new policies in policing, courts or prisons; the impact of recent criminal justice policies, critiques of current criminal justice programs, theoretical work in criminal justice, and research on individuals, employees or clients within the criminal justice system.
The symposium will also include career networking panelists; and guest panelists from the Allegheny County Jail, Program Management at Renewal, Inc., and Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County and Mercer County Juvenile Probation.
High school students, teachers, researchers and practitioners are encouraged to attend. Registration is due by April 2. Call (724) 946-7253 or email to register or for additional information.
Visit www.westminster.edu/cjs for additional information on Westminster College's criminal justice program.


text:
Bautista ready to move on after four-hit performance
TORONTO -- Jose Bautista entered Thursday's contest against the Orioles after one of his best individual performances.
Not only did the 32-year-old slugger hit two home runs and drive in all four of the Blue Jays runs vs. the Rays Wednesday, but he also hit the walk-off single in the tenth. However, it's not something the veteran wants to dwell on.
"It was certainly a good night, but that's all I'm going to look at it as," Bautista said. "[I'm going to] keep coming here, showing up, doing my work, and keep trying to make the adjustments necessary to hopefully have performances like that on a consistent basis."
The two-time American League home run champion has reached base in all but five games this season, but the month of May has been particularly kind to Bautista.
Since the calendar turned, the Blue Jays right fielder is hitting .365 with a .488 OBP., four home runs, 15 RBIs and 12 runs scored. Most of that came from the unfamiliar two-hole in the lineup.
Bautista, however, says that the only difference is being more selective and drawing more walks. He has 17 already in May, good for a tie for tops in the Majors entering Thursday's game.
"I feel like I'm hitting the ball equally as hard, but it's just that I'm finding more holes than before," Bautista said.
The veteran faced Baltimore prospect Kevin Gausman on Thursday, and isn't expecting to make any changes against the rookie.
"Just going to look for strikes and try to hit them hard," Bautista said. "The pressure's on him. He's the one making his debut."
Evan Peaslee is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Developing and Evaluating Interventions to Reduce Inappropriate Prescribing of Antibiotics in Primary Care (WIME)
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- Study Results
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
- Do paper-based and web-based intervention modelling experiments (the methodology we are developing) identify the same predictors of GP behaviour regarding prescribing of antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections?
- Can a web-based IME system provide trialists with richer and more predictive information upon which to base the development of behavioural change interventions than paper-based IME systems?
|Antibiotic Prescribing by GPs for URTI
|Behavioral: Persuasive communication Behavioral: Action plan Behavioral: General intervention
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
|Official Title:
|Developing and Evaluating Interventions to Reduce Inappropriate Prescribing by General Practitioners of Antibiotics for Upper Respiratory Tract Infections: an RCT to Compare Paper-based and Web-based Modelling Experiments
- Number of Simulated Scenarios Where an Antibiotic Was Not Prescribed [ Time Frame: Immediately after completion of questionnaire ]Eight simulated clinical scenarios where presented to the GP and he/she was asked whether an antibiotic should be prescribed. The outcome measures was the number of scenarios where an antibiotic was not prescribed.
- Email vs Postal Recruitment: Number of GPs Completing the First Questionnaire [ Time Frame: 27/1/20111 - 15/5/2011 ]GPs were randomly allocated to receive their invitation to take part by email or by post. Outcome measure was proportion of GPs responding by completing the first questionnaire
|Study Start Date:
|November 2010
|Study Completion Date:
|September 2012
|Primary Completion Date:
|May 2012 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Experimental: Persuasive communication
The persuasive intervention aimed to reinforce the GP's beliefs about the positive consequences of managing sore throat without prescribing antibiotics.
Behavioral: Persuasive communication
The persuasive intervention aimed to reinforce the GP's beliefs about the positive consequences of managing sore throat without prescribing antibiotics.
Experimental: Alternative intervention
This intervention was an action plan, supporting the GP to deal with two difficult prescribing situations: 1) a distressed patient (or often distressed parent of a child patient) 2) a patient demanding an antibiotic
Behavioral: Action plan
This intervention was an action plan, supporting the GP to deal with two difficult prescribing situations: 1) a distressed patient (or often distressed parent of a child patient) 2) a patient demanding an antibiotic
Active Comparator: General information
No additional information was provided; the general information was the information already available to GPs about antibiotic prescribing.
Behavioral: General intervention
No additional information was provided; the general information was the information already available to GPs about antibiotic prescribing.
Detailed Description:
The NHS needs effective quality improvement interventions to be put into clinical practice, which requires effective behaviour change interventions. Intervention modelling experiments (IMEs) are a way of exploring and refining an intervention before moving to a full-scale trial. They do this by delivering key elements of the intervention in a simulation that approximates clinical practice by, for example, presenting GPs with a clinical scenario about making a treatment decision. Earlier IMEs have been paper-based, which limits what can be done in the simulation.
Web-based IMEs provide the potential for better clinical simulations, which have the potential to lead to better interventions. The current proposal will run a full, web-based IME involving 250 GPs that will advance the methodology of IMEs by directly comparing results with an earlier paper-based IME. Moreover, the web-based IME will evaluate an intervention that can be put into a full-scale trial that aims to reduce antibiotic prescribing in primary care. Reducing inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics in general practice is a national priority; indeed, antibiotic use is increasing in the UK and Scotland's prescribing is second highest amongst UK administrations. More effective behaviour change interventions are needed and this proposal will develop one such intervention and a system to model and test future interventions. This system will be applicable to any situation in the NHS where behaviour needs to be modified, including interventions aimed directly at the public.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|Child, Adult, Senior
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- GPs in Scotland.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Unable to obtain both an email address and a postal address for the GP.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01206738
|United Kingdom
|University of Dundee
|Dundee, Tayside, United Kingdom, DD1 4HN
|Principal Investigator:
|Shaun Treweek, PhD
|University of Dundee
|Responsible Party:
|Shaun Treweek, Senior Lecturer, University of Dundee
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01206738 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
CZH/4/610 ( Other Grant/Funding Number: Chief Scientist Office )
|Study First Received:
|September 21, 2010
|Results First Received:
|January 30, 2014
|Last Updated:
|May 1, 2017
|Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:
|Plan to Share IPD:
|Plan Description:
|There are no patient-level data in this trial because no patients were involved. More information about the study and what was collected can be obtained from the Shaun Treweek at email@example.com.
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Respiratory Tract Infections
Respiratory Tract Diseases
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Antibiotics, Antitubercular
Anti-Infective Agents
Antitubercular Agents
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


text:
Intelligent Office of Jacksonville, FL lets you rent only the space and services you need on a monthly, weekly, daily or even hourly basis.
Our affordable shared offices make it easy to keep your infrastructure costs low as you build your professional presence.
For over a decade, we've provided customized, flexible workspace and meeting space to clients from nearly every business sector in more than 50 high-demand locations across the United States of Canada.
Intelligent Office's shared office space is a smart, affordable way to build your business presence in Jacksonville. We can work with you to quickly and easily to scale the footprint of your business up or down based on your individual needs. What's more, our modern facilities in a prime Jacksonville location will ensure that you project a professional image to your clients and vendors.Learn More
Please call me anytime
(904) 416-3100
"We look forward to serving the Jacksonville business community."
Shared offices can mean a lot more than just getting enough space for your business to operate. Intelligent Office lets the hassles of setting up and running your own office fade away. Whether you need shared office space or would prefer one of our executive office suites, we can customize workspace and administrative support services to fit your growing business.
We offer a phone answering service when you rent shared office space with us, which includes a standard business phone number, and, if needed, a unique fax number. Internet access is also included at no additional charge.
Our virtual assistants operate as an extension of your staff, and can perform with a wide variety of client-facing and administrative tasks on your behalf. There's no need to hire, train, and manage your own administrative support employees when you work with our Intelligent Assistants.
Our virtual office address and mail handling services will ensure that you never miss important deliveries again. Our receptionists can sign for deliveries and route packages to and from your clients. Mailbox rental services are also available.
If you already rent shared office space with us, you can easily arrange for additional space whenever you need it, such as one-time conference room rentals for large meetings or trainings.
Try our professional collaborative space and enjoy the added benefits of:
Includes FREE use of our coworking space plus:


text:
Carrera Perfume
By Muelhens for Women
Carrera Perfume by Muelhens, Launched by the design house of carrera in 1988, carrera is classified as a luxurious, oriental, floral fragrance . This feminine scent possesses a blend of floral exotics jasmine and tuberose. It is recommended for romantic wear. All products are original, authentic name brands. We do not sell knockoffs or imitations. ... Read More
Sorry, Carrera is not in stock
Enter your email and click "Notify Me" and we will email you as soon as it comes back in stock.
This product has 2 Out of Stock items |
1.7 oz Eau De Toilette Spray
Item #413360
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
More Muelhens fragrancesfor Women: 4711 ,
for Men: 4711 , Carrera , Carrera Black ,
See all Muelhens products
Customer Comments
This was a first time purchase and I was very pleased with the product and turn around time in receiving the order.
J. Kyanka (Palos Heights, IL)


text:
Spider-Man's unlikely ally next 1:6th scale Marvel figure...
To insure your action figure collection, get in touch with our sponsor Collectibles Insurance.
For a great selection of superhero action figures and collectibles, check out fine sponsors BigBadToyStore.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, ToyDorks.com, SmallJoes.com, and Sekaido.com.
For an amazing selection of original sculptures, statues, prints and DVDs be sure to check out ShiflettBrothers.com.
Hot Toys continues to release 1:6th scale action figures under their Marvel license, this time going back to 2007's Spider-Man 3 with the NEW GOBLIN.
The MMS1511 New Goblin figure features:
- Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of James Franco as New Goblin in the Spider-Man 3 movie
- Alternate head with green mask and protective eye glasses
- Two (2) pairs of interchangeable gloved palms including:
* One (1) pair of relaxed palms with right palm for holding sword and left palm for holding pumpkin bomb
* One (1) pair of fists
- One (1) black- and green-colored jacket with elbow pads, belt and sword sheath on the back
- One (1) pair of black pants
- One (1) pair of black snowboots
- Three (3) swords with different lengths
- One (1) set of pumpkin bomb
- One (1) pair of forearm armor weapon (right side can be interchanged to fighting mode)
- One (1) sword pocket with straps
- One (1) sword sheath
- One (1) sky stick with light-up function and transparent stand
- Figurine stand with New Goblin nameplate and the movie logo
- Head Sculpted by Noh Sung Woon
- Head Painted by JC.HONG
- Head Art Directed by Yulli
Release date: Q3, 2011
**Prototype shown, final product may be slightly different


text:
The least surprising part of Allan Chaney's inspiring comeback story is that he's second in the Big South Conference in free-throw percentage.
After all, what else was Chaney going to do while viral myocarditis—an inflammation of the heart that can be fatal—forced him to miss two full seasons of college basketball?
"It wasn't like I was dribbling the ball and running up and down while I wasn't playing," Chaney said with a smile after his High Point Panthers beat Gardner-Webb on Saturday. "I wasn't doing anything but spot shooting and working on free throws. Those are gimmes."
The fact that anything basketball-related is a "gimme" for Chaney is amazing.
After 44 months between college basketball games, Chaney isn't just playing the game he loves. He's thriving in the game he loves, while rarely giving a second thought to the wireless defibrillator implanted in his chest.
A 6-9 forward, Chaney is averaging 13.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game, and he's shooting 53.5 percent from the field. And he's shooting a stellar 89.5 percent from the free-throw line, after going 8-for-8 in an every-point-counts double-overtime win Wednesday night against Liberty.
Even when he's not actually making free throws, his reputation as an excellent free-throw shooter affects the game. Such was the case against Gardner-Webb, when the Panthers were trying to withstand a high-pressure rally from the Runnin' Bulldogs in the final minutes of a game they won by six points.
"I caught the ball on a reverse, and they're saying, 'Don't foul him,' " Chaney said. "That's cool. Then I just kicked it out once they tried to come and double-team. It feels good when you're at the end of the game and you get the ball and they say, 'Don't foul him.' "
Chaney completely revamped his shooting stroke during his time away from competition, and his ability to knock down jumpers has been a big part of his success this year. But this season will be a never-ending work in progress for Chaney, who was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA in October.
"I'm also trying to get him in and around the basket, too," High Point coach Scott Cherry said. "You can see there aren't really a lot of guys in this league who can match up with him and keep him from scoring around the rim. I don't want him just shooting jump shots all the time. He's going to do that, but I want to get him around the basket, too, as much as I can. He's big, he's physical, and he can score around the basket."
A huge part of the comeback process was building up his endurance.
"I'm getting there," Chaney says. "I didn't have much time to prepare (before the season), with my strength and things like that. But I'm getting used to playing in games. There's no excuses. I'm out there and I'm playing and I'm giving it what I've got."
Chaney played 30 minutes Saturday against Gardner-Webb, and then 38 in the double-overtime game against Liberty—he finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and two steals in that win. The challenge for Cherry has been finding the right balance of minutes and rest for Chaney.
"He wants to stay out there," Cherry says. "What I'm really trying to do is get him to play as hard as he can for as long as he can, and when I take him out, know I'm gonna put him right back in. Him and John Brown, I've got to keep those two on the floor and keep them as fresh as possible."
Brown is the other half of High Point's dynamic duo, and he's an intriguing story, too. Brown is an insanely athletic 6-7 redshirt freshman who had to sit out last season while getting his academic situation in order. Brown attended three high schools and two prep schools, and his eligibility issues weren't grade-related, but rather were a matter of him not taking the proper classes to be immediately qualified as a freshman.
Those issues are part of the reason Brown wound up at High Point—Cherry recruited him hard—and now he's taking the Big South by storm. The left-hander had 28 points, eight rebounds, five steals and three blocks in his Division I debut, against UNC-Greensboro, and he hasn't slowed much since. Brown is averaging 18.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 1.8 blocks, all while raising the energy level of his teammates.
"Man, John is John," Chaney says with a laugh. "He runs the floor, plays hard. He's going to use that energy for anything positive. He brings that every night, every practice, in the locker room, everywhere. That's John. His energy is unbelievable. There's not much to can do to control him. You've got to hope he's missing shots."
From his debut game—when he threw down a crazy alley-oop pass from Chaney, who was outside the 3-point arc—Brown's high-flying dunks have made him something of a regular on ESPN's Top 10 plays segment. He has scored at least 20 points nine times, had as many as 16 rebounds in a game, had at least three blocks six times and at least three steals seven times. He's a lock for Big South freshman of the year, and he deserves national consideration in that category, too.
"This is what I've seen out of him since I started recruiting him. Everybody's finally seeing it now," Cherry said. "He's the same player he was two years ago, as far as his energy level and his talent and his skill. For a guy who's only played basketball for about four years, it's amazing. He's a tireless worker. He loves to watch film. He'll continually try to improve the things he needs to get better at. When you find a guy like that, it's special. And to get the skill that goes with it, that's even more special. I'm lucky to have him."
Five of High Point's top six scorers are in their first year wearing the Panthers' uniform, and there have been ups and downs this season. The Panthers are 8-8, 3-1 in Big South play—five of those losses were by seven or fewer points.
"There's a lot of things we need to work on," Chaney said. "But what we've found out is that when we play as a team, when we play inside-out, we're much more effective. Shots start to go down for everybody."
With Chaney and Brown as the core, there's enough talent on this roster to engineer an NCAA Tournament upset, though that will probably have to wait a season (when seven of High Point's top eight scorers are eligible to return). Even if the Panthers claim the Big South automatic bid by winning this year's conference tournament, which is entirely possible, they're a lock to be a No. 16 seed. And 16 seeds have never beaten No. 1 seeds—remember, though, Big South champ Asheville gave top-seeded Syracuse a huge scare last March.
The NCAA Tournament isn't first and foremost on Chaney's mind. After 44 months away from basketball competition, with all that time spent wondering if his heart would ever allow him to again play the game he loves, he's not worried about what ifs.
He's not thinking about anything other than getting better every day.
And, of course, making a few clutch free throws.


text:
- Home
- News
- Sports
- Opinion
- Obituaries
- Features
- Special Sections
- Classifieds
- Public Notices
The Marion County Board of Education unanimously voted March 8 to adopt a resolution for a drug-testing program at Marion County High School for the 2011-12 school year.
How it's going to be implemented hasn't been determined yet.
The board can make the program be voluntary in nature, or it can target specific groups of students, such as students involved in athletics, extracurricular activities or all students that drive to school.
Currently, 92 school districts in the state have drug-testing programs in place.
Do you support drug-testing at the high school? (Why or why not?)
If you do support it, how do you think it should be implemented?
What's with all the drug testing money wasting programs? Wouldn't it be better to invest all those money in an educative program, prevention is always the best choice, I learned few things about that during my online health administration program.
I most definitely do support drug testing in high-schools and there are so many reasons why think this way, one of the most important is the high drug incidence on the streets. Kids are vulnerable and prefer to ignore the warnings instead when it comes to drugs. I recently read some drug related statistics on this holistic drug treatment resource, once you read that you'll support drug testing too.


text:
Christmas is just around the corner, and Kidspot Weekend is here to help you get into the Christmas spirit with loads of festive events! From local Christmas carols, festivals and neighbourhood light displays, to Santa appearances and fun winter wonderland play areas, Kidspot Weekend will help you find the best festive events and activities near you.
- Christmas events
- SA - Adelaide
Unfortunately there are no results matching your search criteria at this time. Please try again or email us and we'll look for an event in your area.


text:
This week's Poly Weekly #203: Poly History 201 with Oberon Zell.
0:00 Introduction and host chat
Intro, under-18 warning and re-direction to www.scarleteen.com; friend me on Twitter and answer questions about what you want on the show, call 206-202-POLY with comments or discuss your own topics at the forums at http://forum.polyweekly.com.
Topic: Natural Sexuality
Natural Sexuality, a hysterical blog post detailing the meeting of the Animal Association of Family Values. Our discussion features NotThat'Nilla as Lion and other animals!
Topic: Poly History 201, Oberon Zell
Oberon Zell Ravenhart speaks at the Occult Bookstore in Chicago on founding polyamory and the Church of All Worlds
1:30 Minx shares a blog post from BlagHag called "natural sexuality." NotThatNilla and Minx read to us from the blog article.
6:00 Oberon Zell and Poly 201
Oberon talks about another scifi book, "Courtship Ritual" and how it sets examples for starting a poly family and talks further about the poly conference.
10:00 Oberon talks about how him and his family's involvement with the poly movement started becoming less and less.
11:57 Oberon talks about a break up in his family's relationship which led to the coming together of another one, the ravenheart clan.
13:50 He then talks about his family writing a FAQ on polyamory and how that brought media attention.
16:10 Oberon talks about how easy poly was for him and his family.
19:20 What is polyamory?
(man, i can turn it -sex i mean- into something nasty and dirty! -fs)
23:15 some of the benefits for polyamory.
33:30 Listener Feedback
Alex wrote in with kudos for Escape Pod and PW.
Questions? Comments? Feedback? Email firstname.lastname@example.com or call the listener comment line at 206-202-POLY. And hey, why not attach an audio comment to that email? 🙂 Check out PolyWeekly at polyweekly.libsyn.com. Share this with a friend or write an iTunes review!
Want Poly Weekly for your very own? Get the Best of Poly Weekly collection from PodDisc.com
Our intro and outro music is courtesy of Pacemaker Jane, "Good Suspicions"
Related Posts
Commenting area
I tried looking for the book "Courtship Ritual" but could not find it. Would you (or Zell rather) happen to have an author name or an ISBN? Thanks.


text: Kids' leather driving mocs Item 15509 Color: BROWN Size: All sizes are US sizes. TODDLER SHOE 6 TODDLER SHOE 7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 Size Charts Quantity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Prices do not include taxes. Add to Bag Wishlist Add to Bag Add To Wishlist share: size & fit Product Details Just like the ones in our men's collection, these mocs are made from Italian leather and finished with a classic rubber sole, making them a comfortable pair that can go from playground to party. Italian leather upper. Rubber sole. Made in Italy. Item 15509.


text:
Gnome joins Rays' traveling party
CHICAGO -- Rays manager Joe Maddon has gained acclaim with an unconventional style, so it's only fitting that an unconventional promotion bearing his likeness is gaining attention.
For Wednesday night's game against the Yankees, the Rays gave away Joe Maddon gnomes to the first 10,000 fans at Tropicana Field. On Thursday, as the Rays opened a 10-game road trip against the White Sox, the gnomes were a hot item on eBay, with some listed for $55.
"Somebody sent me a message that there's a bunch of them on eBay, which is unbelievable, for some decent money," Maddon said. "Who's gonna pay that?"
The gnome features Maddon's likeness wearing a hoodie and a pointed gnome-style hat. Maddon got such a kick out of the promotion that he brought one on the trip, dubbing it "Joe Gnome."
"He's gonna have a chance to have a good road trip," Maddon said. "I'm not gonna judge him on one game or two games. We'll give him a whole body of work, let him go through the road trip, and see if he earns the right to be displayed."
John Jackson is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
xXAgOlItIoUsXxMember Since 29 Sep 2008
Offline Last Active Nov 21 2008 07:40 PM
About Me
Hey My name is Bryan,love to hang out and paintball has really inspired me to become a professional paintball player, I love all my friends they are my family, without meeting them IDK how i would be doing. I'm A free agent so if you need a d3 or d2 player hit me up and message me =) and this VV basically describes my life. =)
"It happens on a random Monday. Coming back from an event or late on a Sunday night, right before you get on the plane and your about to be frisked for the third time. Your driving...your flying....your sitting in an airport seat with boys from the team. Your drinking stale coffee trying to stay awake. Your explaining a fat welt on the side of your neck to a confused stranger or a best friend.....or running through the sidewalk at LAX trying to catch a plane. Your coming back to the other life....the one without paintball. Where no one understands why you do it....your tired....working off little sleep and a question creeps up and you try to ignore it. Why do I do this? Why the travel? Why the losses? The missed worked...the missed school...hours of practice and the complaining girl friend....because the lure of living a paintball life is just to potent and the products of the road, the travel, are memories forever and trips and strange lands with stranger people. At tournaments it feels like for once you get to live as loud as you want. Its worth the sacrifices....its worth all the bullshit. Because if you work hard enough, a Sunday will roll around and you'll be in the huddle...screaming.....with your hand in....one among seven playing for the world title and suddenly all those cliches you've ever heard make sense and you are defined. You say it to yourself and it means everything, I am a paintball player and this moment right here is my life."
Community Stats
- Group Members
- Active Posts 3
- Profile Views 981
- Member Title Newbie
- Age 24 years old
- Birthday January 18, 1993
Contact Information
Profile Feed
There are no status updates to display


text:
Work out of direct sunlight when washing with BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond Conditioning Shampoo. Dilute 1 ounce of shampoo in 3 gallons of water. Activate foam with a jet of water. Use a clean wash mitt or sponge to wash the vehicle, starting at the top. Rinse frequently. Do not allow shampoo to dry on the vehicle. Dry the vehicle with a waffle weave microfiber towel to prevent water spots.
128 oz.


text:
And, of course, the fine print:
Get free shipping on your next order when you spend over $100. The discount will be automatically applied to your purchase; no promo code required. The subtotal of your purchase must be $100.01 or greater after any promotional discounts have been applied. Additional fees such as tax or shipping and handling do not apply toward your minimum subtotal requirement of $100.01. Offer applies to standard shipping only. Certain items that require additional shipping and handling are excluded from this promotion and do not apply towards your $100.01 subtotal minimum. Offer subject to change.
For those rare days when you forget how awesome you really are, get that extra boost of motivation with this set of wood block art. Each sweet archival print is mounted on an 8" x 10" stained birchwood block that is 1.5" deep. Each block is stained by hand with a mahogany finish and finished with a water-based sealer.
This product ships from the maker within 5 days, via USPS
If you're not happy with this item for any reason, you may return it for a full refund within 14 days.


text:
The on again off again travails of Dwight Howard is getting to be a rerun of LeBron leaving Cleveland. If he wanted out so badly why did he exercise his option for another year so we could all hear all the scenarios about where he wants to go and so on.
I'm sure there is a monetary reason behind all this seeming indecision.


text:
Mail: Thanks for helping Aiden
Brewer at the Legislature: Mob rule
More opinion
Robertson and Delsing re-elected chair, vice chair of NWB
Goat Expo set first October weekend
More Ag News
No one on the state-tournament-bound North Platte High School boys' basketball team enjoyed practice last week more than Jack Kenny.
"It's awesome to get new life," said Kenny. "I am thankful to be around my teammates again."
North Platte (16-7) is the No. 7 team in the state tournament. The Bulldogs will challenge No. 2 seed Omaha South (23-3) at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Sports Center.
But the Bulldogs almost didn't get that berth, or the extra week of practice in preparation -- and a lot of the blame would have rested on Kenny's shoulders.
In the district semifinals against Papillion-LaVista South on Feb. 23, with 2.8 seconds left and North Platte down by one, Kenny was fouled on a drive to the basket. The officials ruled that the foul did not come in the act of shooting. Because of that, Kenny received a one-and-one.
On the first free throw attempt, Kenny's attempt fell short and Papillion South rebounded. The Titans made the next two free throws with less than a second left to ice the upset of the Dawgs on their home floor.
Kenny said that it certainly wasn't an enviable position.
"It was like a nightmare," he said. "I felt like I let my team down. But you have to put it in the past and move on."
After the game, NPHS coach Matt Kaminski said that if it weren't for Kenny, the Bulldogs wouldn't have been in position to win the game in the first place.
As the starting point guard, Kenny has been steady and consistent all season. Not only has the 5-foot-8 senior been masterful in running the offense, but he's been a threat as a deadly outside shooter. He also brings a lot of speed on the fast break, which is no surprise considering his bloodlines.
Between Jack and his six older siblings, the Kenny family has won some 20 letters at in their respective careers. Like Dan, his older brother, Jack is a four-sport athlete. He plays football, basketball and soccer during the school year and a Legion baseball in the summer.
Kenny said it's hard to pick a favorite sport because he dedicates so much time between them. But, he said it would probably be between basketball and soccer.
As a sophomore two years ago, Kenny got limited playing time as the backup to leading scorer Trey Moore. But after Moore transferred to Papillion-LaVista for his senior season, he was thrust into the starting lineup as a junior.
"I had big shoes to fill," remembered Kenny. "Trey's such a great player and I wasn't sure that anyone could replace (all he did for the team)."
Playing his first significant minutes, Kenny fared well. But with only one senior starter in Trevor Schramm, the Dawgs suffered several narrow losses in a season that Kenny refers to as a learning experience.
"It was tough," said Kenny. "I thought we could have played better. But I don't think it was all negative."
As an upside of that 8-14 season, the Bulldogs returned most of its nucleus this season. NPHS got off to a strong start with a big win over Lincoln Southeast in the second week and then the team won the GNAC tournament for the first time in school history.
"It seems like we had all the pieces," Kenny said. "We had great team chemistry and everyone knew their roles."
The Dawgs finished the regular season No. 6 in the wild card standings giving them home court for districts. But after the loss to Papillion South, it looked like Kenny's last memory of his career would be his gaffe at the charity stripe.
North Platte still had a chance at the wild card, however, if all five top seeds won their district titles on Feb. 25.
That night, the players kept track of those games via Twitter. The top four teams -- Omaha Central, Omaha South, Papillion-LaVista and Omaha Benson won their games fairly convincingly.
But the fifth team, Millard West, had a battle on their hands against Omaha Creighton Prep. The game between the Wildcats and the Junior Jays went into overtime, but in the end, Millard West won, handing the wild card to the Bulldogs.
"(After losing in districts) I thought we were done," said Kenny. "But when we got the wild card, the whole team was super-excited. I was just happy to be around my teammates and coaches."
Besides being redeemed somewhat, Kenny is glad that he gets to play one more game.
"It's going to be a great experience," Kenny said. "It will be the last time I get to play with my teammates."
Flatrock Publishing, Inc.
1300 E 4th St., Suite F
North Platte, NE 69101


text:
SANTA CRUZ -- The heavy December rain gave the area's water supply a major boost, lifting water levels to better than normal and replenishing reservoirs tapped during last year's sparse rainy season.
However, more rain is still needed to comfortably weather the coming dry summer months, Santa Cruz water officials said Wednesday.
"At this time, the water supply outlook for 2013 is pretty good," said Toby Goddard, conservation manager for the Santa Cruz Water Department. "This time last year we called it 'sketchy.' We've made up for last year's deficit."
The winter rainy season started on a strong note in November and December with 13.5 inches falling in those two months.
Normal for those months is about 9 inches.
A normal rain season in Santa Cruz, which stretches from October to September, is roughly 30 inches.
The cumulative runoff so far this winter is about four times more than it was last year, which is a strong indicator of a healthy water supply, Goddard said.
The San Lorenzo River, the city's largest source of drinking water, measured more than three times its normal level in December. The river reached flood stages in some parts during the heavy storms.
Discharge from the river runoff in the past few months is almost as much as all of last year, Goddard said.
The Loch Lomond Reservoir, the water department's emergency supply, is filled to capacity.
The water situation in the Santa Cruz Mountains is even rosier than other areas of the county with the mountain watersheds saturated and streams flowing at high levels that should carry into summer.
For example, the Newell Creek watershed has seen more than 30 inches of rain this season compared to 24 inches in an average year, according to Goddard's report.
Water officials say it's unlikely the department will have to impose mandatory water restrictions this summer like it did last year by asking customers to curtail landscape watering 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Still, there's been a stark difference between rainfall in December and January, which makes water officials cautious about declaring this a "wet season."
Less than 1 inch has fallen in Santa Cruz in January, off from the usual 6 inches typical for this month.
The San Lorenzo River has seen its flow drop to a third of its normal rate in January, Goddard said.
The long-term forecast from the National Weather Service calls for less than normal rain during the next three months.
"It's been a season of contrasts so far," Goddard said. "It is notable that after an early wet beginning it did go dry on us again."
Goddard will present details on the water supply at a Santa Cruz Water Commission meeting at 7 p.m. Monday.
The report is one of three updates the commission receives each rain year.
Another update will be given in February with the final water supply report expected at the end of March.
Follow Sentinel reporter Shanna McCord on Twitter at Twitter.com/scnewsmom


text: When it comes to decking out the lawn and yard, there's no better place to find a wide array of Inflatables than at Spirit Halloween! With inflatable witches, ghosts, black cats and even pumpkin decorations, your house will be the center of attention on Halloween. Light up the neighborhood with these extraordinary inflatables. Easy to set-up and put on your lawn, these airblown inflatables transform your cute cottage into a haunted house in now time.


text: +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | TPWD News Release 20060824a | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | This page contains only plain text, no HTML formatting codes. | | It is not designed for display in a browser but for copying | | and editing in whatever software you use to lay out pages. | | To copy the text into an editing program: | | --Display this page in your browser. | | --Select all. | | --Copy. | | --Paste in a document in your editing program. | | If you have any suggestions for improving these pages, send | | an e-mail to email@example.com and mention Plain Text Pages. | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ [ Note: This item is more than 11 years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references. ] [ Media Contact: TPWD News, firstname.lastname@example.com, 512-389-8030 ] Aug. 24, 2006 Parks Advisory Committee Urges $85 Million Increase AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas State Parks Advisory Committee Chairman and former state senator John Montford today told the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission his committee recommends allocating the entire amount of state sporting goods sales tax to parks, a move which would effectively increase funding by about $85 million per year if adopted by the Texas Legislature. Montford briefed the commission on the final report from the advisory committee, which was appointed by commission Chairman Joseph Fitzsimons in February.* "It will not be enough to simply repair or restore the park resources and historic sites that have fallen into disrepair due to budget cuts," Fitzsimons said. "In the long run, it is equally important to build a funding structure that allows us to meet the challenges of a growing state. We now have specific recommendations to do so, thanks to Chairman Montford and the committee members who have given their time and credibility to this cause." "It is clear to this committee that the financial problems facing our Texas park system must be addressed now," Montford said. "Funding for state parks is an investment in economic, personal health and cultural benefits for the citizens of Texas. Increased park investment can be provided from the existing sporting goods tax that is paid by the users of the park system, which will rise with increased use of the system." The advisory committee report offers six main recommendations, recapped verbatim below. 1. "The Legislature should appropriate all revenues generated by the Sporting Goods Sales Tax as well as other user fees and taxes presently directed to the Parks system and to the maximum extent possible, those funds should be applied to the purposes intended." 2. "The state should issue all bonds already approved by voters to provide for state park repairs and maintenance." 3. "The state should pursue a major program of acquisition and development of new parks as well as the enhancement of existing parks." 4. "Texas Parks and Wildlife should continue to transfer existing units of the park system to local governments or other entities where appropriate. Site transfers should not take place except where there is a significant savings to the State of Texas and where appropriate requirements and restrictions are implemented for future uses of the site." 5. "Texas Parks & Wildlife Department should work with the Legislature, non-profit organizations and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation to maximize and facilitate donations of private lands and dollars and identify and remove statutory and administrative hurdles to such donations." 6. "Texas Parks and Wildlife should continue and increase its emphasis on collaborative public-private partnerships. Projects such as Government Canyon State Natural Area, and the friends groups at State Historic Sites such as Washington-on-the Brazos and Casa Navarro in San Antonio, should serve as models for the Department." The advisory committee identified specific park system needs, saying its recommendations "will deliver quality, but not extravagant, services and facilities, but will require significant increases above current funding levels." Below is a rundown of recommendations for additional funding, verbatim from the committee report. --"Major Repairs $25 million -- The currently identified backlog of facility repair needs made necessary by the wear occasioned by millions of visitors in state parks is approximately $431 million. In order to keep pace with necessary renovations a dependable annual funding source for major repairs is necessary. The committee recommends that $25 million annually be directed to major repairs in addition to the $4 million recommended for minor repair." --"Human Resources $7.1 million -- The committee recommends an additional 159 classified staff and 70.5 hourly FTEs be added to the state park system. Ninety-two of these classified positions are restorations of jobs eliminated in recent years. This recommendation would be a net increase of 67 positions across the state." --"Operating Funds $5.7 million -- As additional staff is added (and inflation taken into account), there will be an increased need for maintenance materials such as paint and repair parts for park infrastructure, as well as fuel and lubricants for work vehicles. The cost of additional supplies and materials needed by the system is estimated to be $5,705,121." --"Minor Repairs $4 million -- There are nearly 4000 structures as well as trails, water systems and infrastructure in state parks and currently only $1.5 million available annually to accomplish routine cyclic maintenance and repairs such as painting, fixture replacement and roofing repairs. Much of the park system infrastructure, such as the many buildings constructed by the CCC and WPA are now cultural resources in their own right, and must be preserved as part of our state's heritage." --"Department Support $2 million -- During the same period that positions have been eliminated in state parks, positions have been eliminated in other divisions that support state parks, including infrastructure, communications and administrative resources. This hampers the ability of these divisions to market parks, support repair projects, and perform administrative duties. With additional field staff added, minor repair projects undertaken and other operational increases, other support divisions within the agency will incur increased workloads." --"Equipment $6.7 million -- There is a critical need to replace aging and worn out equipment in the park system. The vast majority of state parks vehicles do not meet state standards for replacement. Other equipment also far exceeds normal replacement cycles. Sensible asset management dictates that equipment should be replaced on a scheduled basis as it reaches the end of expected service." --"Land Acquisition and Park Development $15 million -- The population of the state of Texas is growing at a rapid pace, yet there has not been a major acquisition and development financing package for state parks undertaken since 1967. The committee believes that $15 million annually should be made available for the acquisition and development of new state parks and for additions of acreage and additional facilities in existing parks. These funds must be allowed to carry over from one fiscal year to the next to allow for the inevitable fluctuations of expenditures for both land purchases and development costs." --"Local Park Grants $20 million -- The Texas Recreation and Park Account, commonly known as the local grant program, has suffered the bulk of reductions in appropriations from the sporting goods tax in recent years, falling from $15.5 million to about $5 million in the current biennium. The committee recommends that the amount of the SGT dedicated to the TRPA be increased from $5 million to $25 million." Asked about political support for implementing committee recommendations in the upcoming Texas legislative session, Montford had this to say: "Will this objective be easy? No. The legislature has to balance a number of other priorities. But there is growing support for a substantial and sustainable source of funding for parks, especially when we show that park funding is an investment which yields valuable returns. Several other factors are generating positive momentum. Voter referenda, such as Proposition 8, show people are willing to pay for our parks. Virtually every major Texas newspaper in recent months has devoted either editorial or column space to supporting our state parks. The time for action is now." The advisory committee report, plus background information on the sporting goods sales tax and the economic benefits of state parks, is on the TPWD Web site. * Correction, Aug. 29, 2006: The original version of the news release said the committee was appointed in April. It was appointed in February and held its first meeting in April. (Return to corrected item.) --- On the Net: http://tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia/releases/news_roundup/state_park_facts/ -30-


text:
I've just arrived in the big city, and it seems difficult to find somewhere to meditate.
The several wats I've happened upon seem to be locked, or filled with noodle stalls and parked cars.
For those of you who have been here, where did you meditate? In parks? On the steps of a locked wat? Is it appropriate to sit on the steps and meditate or would that be weird farang behaviour?
I can sit in my room at the guesthouse morning and evening, but it's nice to have a midday sit too.
Many thanks!


text:
ARGUABLY the most relieved man at Hawthorn yesterday was Ryan Schoenmakers, the Hawks' centre half-back whose brain fade late in the final quarter gifted a goal to Adelaide's Jason Porplyzia and almost cost his team a spot in the grand final.
Schoenmakers laughed it off yesterday and denied that any heat had come from combustible coach Alastair Clarkson after Hawthorn's five-point win, but admitted to a certain outpouring of emotion.
''I think there was a bit of relief at the end from everyone,'' he said. ''But Clarko was just happy that we got the win and we're through. Hopefully we put that behind us now and we look to next week.''
Schoenmakers, who was monstered by Kurt Tippett throughout the game, buffeted Porplyzia to the ground in a show of strength after the Adelaide player had made high contact on Hawk David Hale inside the final minutes. The umpire reversed the original free kick paid to Hale, and Porplyzia kicked the goal to start a Crows surge.
He continues to polarise opinion about his value to the team, a year after a conspicuous dropped mark hurt Hawthorn in its preliminary final loss to Collingwood. This time, he is a key defender in a grand final team, likely to play on Sydney's Sam Reid.
''It's very exciting,'' he said. ''I don't really know what to think at this stage. I don't know if I've quite taken it all in. I'll let it sink in over the next couple of days.''
Schoenmakers believes he has improved in 2012. ''There's been some ups and downs but I've been pretty happy with my season so far. I suppose the true test will be this weekend. That will be the real mark of how successful the season has been.''
Relief was a common emotion at Hawthorn yesterday as players gathered for a recovery session and some meetings to prepare for the biggest week of their careers.
''There are things to work on,'' said defender Matt Suckling. ''It was disappointing not to play the way we wanted to play for the whole game, but we're in a grand final. So there's no complaining now.''


text:
The Iowan is the perfect gift with stunning Iowa photography and superb storytelling for friends and family of all ages, for all seasons, across the country and around the globe.
Help transplanted Iowans remember their roots and welcome new members of your community with our magazine proudly printed in Waterloo, Iowa.
New gift subscriptions to The Iowan will begin with the next mailed issue. Renewed gifts will be added to their current subscription.
Let them know who sent the magazine!
Due to yearly postage adjustments, we only offer 1 year subscriptions for our Canadian and International customers.
So share your Iowa pride and become part of our 60 year history in the making – order today!