text: Show Hide image Politics 4 December 2012 Labour must reject Gove's approach in its entirety False claims for the success of academies have been swallowed whole by an uncritical media. Sign up for our weekly email * Ed Miliband's Labour conference speech was well judged in setting out a policy direction rather than committing to specifics so far in advance of the general election. This is especially true in the case of education, where it is proving so difficult for Labour to recognise the mistakes of the Blair-Adonis era and therefore to effectively challenge the direction of the Gove reforms that are based on them. Ed paid a fully justified tribute to his own comprehensive school upbringing but introduced confusion by drawing a distinction between the curriculum needs of 'academic' and 'non-academic' pupils. That such a distinction has no sound basis is strongly hinted at by the arbitrary assertion that there are equal numbers of such pupils. The presumption is that the academic half should be taught 'academically' and the other half with a vocational emphasis that will result in a diploma qualification of equal status. The stage at which such segregation should begin appears to be 14, with the assumption that the academic stream will be expected to progress to university and the vocational stream will not. There are many contradictions and questions that arise from this model. Can English university degrees now be described in general as academic? For example, in South Cumbria and North Lancashire the NHS nursing and midwifery requirements are serviced by the University of Cumbria and the University of Central Lancashire. Are these nursing and midwifery degrees academic or vocational? Both universities have entry requirements that stipulate C grades at GCSE in English and maths together with a combination of academic A Levels, however both universities also state that in 'certain circumstances' they admit students without A Levels or even GCSE Cs in English and maths. Labour's proposals might suggest that graduate entry to the nursing and midwifery professions should be confined to the academic streams in schools. Should such careers be denied to half the school population at the age of 14? If not, are we happy if 'midwifery-led' rather than 'consultant-led' hospital maternity units are managed by staff from the bottom half of the ability range? If there is confusion about the purpose of university education then it is unsurprising that a curriculum policy for the 14-18 age group based on dividing pupils into 'academic' and 'vocational' streams is also confused. Many similar examples in other career pathways exhibit the same confusion. What does 'non-academic' mean? Is it to be based on the IQ type Cognitive Ability Tests widely used by the frequently praised Harris, Mossbourne and other Academies for regulating their admissions? These tests are certainly very good predictors of performance in academic subjects at GCSE and A Level and their use gives such Academies control over their pupil admission profile crucially denied to their much denigrated LA school predecessors. If such tests are not used then how are the criteria for dividing pupils at 14 to be decided? How is 'academic' to be defined and measured? The results of the cognitive ability tests used by Academies to regulate their admissions display the classic bell curve continuous 'normal distribution'. There is no distinctive level of performance in such tests, or any other tests, that could validly divide a population into academic and non-academic streams at any prescribed level let alone the 50th percentile (proportion as a percentage) as Ed Miliband appears to be suggesting. All you can say is that pupils with lower scores generally find academic studies more difficult. But does this mean they shouldn't be allowed access to them? Pupils are 'turned off' learning by inappropriate and undifferentiated teaching methods, not by the subjects themselves. What about technology and the arts? Are these subjects academic or vocational? Are we to assume that our most academically able pupils should be directed away from cooking, dance, drama and art, or that less academic pupils don't need to study and understand history, geography, literature, science and a foreign language? How should a 'Jamie Oliver' be directed at 14 years old? Labour appears to be proposing the 50th percentile (50:50) as the academic/non-academic dividing line. The 11 plus exam (an IQ type test) still used for 'academic' grammar school selection in parts of England sets this benchmark at about the 75th percentile, selecting approximately the top 25 percent (depending on the number of grammar school places available). Which defines academic, 50th or 75th percentile? The answer must be neither of them. There is no need to divide pupils into separate streams either within schools or between schools and everywhere this is done real damage results to the education and life chances of a significant proportion of children. This is more than just a hopeful assertion on the part of the stereotypical left-inclined educator. The only firm conclusion to be drawn from the huge body of research in this area is that all pupils benefit when taught in groups that contain some pupils that are more able than themselves. That streaming (dividing children between different schools, or different groups for all subjects within a single school) is not necessary for educational excellence is demonstrated in countries like Finland and many others which, unlike post Education Reform Act England, are near the top of the PISA international league table of school performance. International comparisons also suggest, again contrary to popular opinion, that fancy and expensive school uniforms aren't necessary either. Subject based ability setting is a different matter. Ed Milliband's comprehensive, like most such schools at that time, had both mixed ability and setted classes and he is right to point out that not only did this not obstruct his rise to be Leader of the Opposition and prospective Prime Minister, it was a positive advantage. Why then is he now proposing something quite different? The reason is partly explained by the additional layers of significance forced upon the C grade at GCSE by the need for a simple performance indicator to drive the league tables resulting from the 1988 Education Reform Act. Grade C or above is now defined as a 'good' GCSE implying that grades below C must be bad GCSEs. Although league tables have made this true for schools it cannot be true for pupils, because the individual pupil cognitive ability that underpins academic success is continuously variable in the national population. Therefore if all pupils make comparable gains in knowledge and understanding in relation to their cognitive ability, then GCSE grades should vary in the same way, in accordance with this fundamental underlying variation. All the grades A*-G that reflect such gains must therefore be good grades representing significant gains for individual pupils. Making the C grade an especially high stakes target results in some sections of the ability range being required to make (or appear to make) more progress than others. The consequent distortion in provision significantly lowers overall standards and is a partial explanation for the English system's slide down the international league table. The main current function of the C grade is to drive the competitive league tables of the English Education System rather than to facilitate any rational progression to careers or post-16 education. This is the real reason why school heads are so upset at this year's GCSE English results. The underlying issue is the grade inflation produced by the league table system and the parallel competition between the privatised exam boards to feed it. To appreciate the extent of this requires knowledge of the history of the GCSE C grade in the English education system. This needs a consideration of the percentile attainment of the ability distribution that historically each grade was meant to reflect. The GCSE, introduced in 1988, is the direct descendant of GCE. Before comprehensive reorganisation the 11+ test usually sought to select around the top 25 per cent of the cognitive ability range in each Local Authority area. In general, grammar school pupils were expected to 'pass' at GCE at age 16, with a pass defined as grades A-C. The C grade at GCE was therefore aimed at the top 25 per cent of the pupil population (75th percentile). However not all grammar school pupils achieved this standard so the proportion of the national population gaining C grades or better through the grammar school system was historically less than 25 per cent. We can estimate it generously at around 20 percent. The new comprehensive schools that began to be created in the late 1960s developed the Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE), first introduced in 1965, which ran in parallel with GCE until the two exams were combined into the GCSE in 1988. The parallel CSE grading system was overtly percentile based with Grades 1 – 5 formally defined as follows. Grade 1 Equivalent to GCE grade C (therefore approximating to the 80th percentile). Grade 4 The grade which a pupil of average ability (50th percentile) could be expected to achieve on completing a competently taught course of study. Grade 5 The lower limit of Grade 5, and therefore of the CSE system, was intended to be at the 40th percentile. This meant that the CSE was aimed only at the top 60 percent of the comprehensive school population. Pupils below this level were deemed to be 'non-exam'. Grades 2 and 3 were determined on the basis of dividing the total population with marks between the Grade 1 threshold and the top mark for Grade 4 into two equal size groups. Each grade 2-5 was awarded so as to produce the same numbers of pupils. The GCE and CSE exam grades were therefore designed to approximately reflect the percentiles shown in the table. GCSE GCE CSE Percentile A A 90? B B 85? C C 1 80 D D 2 70 E E 3 60 F 4 50 G 5 40 As soon as the first GCSE results came out teachers realised that the value of the C grade had in fact been devalued. The consensus amongst teachers was that the new C grade at GCSE was about equivalent to a D at GCE (Grade 2 at CSE), and that Grade G had been extended well below the 40th percentile. No-one worried too much about this at the time. With hindsight these were modest changes in the light of the truly epic scale of grade inflation that school league tables were later to create. The passing of the 1988 Education Act brought about the next major change in the assumptions of grading. Schools soon had to compete in league tables based on the proportion of pupils in the school achieving 5+A-C passes at GCSE. Following the election of New Labour in 1997 any school that failed to achieve 25 percent 5+A-C (the first floor target) was deemed to be failing by definition, regardless of the average cognitive ability of its intake. Michael Gove has since raised this to 40 percent. This disregards the fact of the direct link between pupil cognitive ability and exam performance and so places responsibility for obtaining C+ GCSE results squarely with the school regardless of the average intake ability. The resulting vilification of comprehensive schools admitting higher proportions of less able pupils (frequently much higher) has persisted ever since. All the sound statistical protests are usually dismissed as 'making excuses for failure'. This mathematical nonsense continues to inflict great and lasting damage on the education system. It has been exploited by the Academies allowed to control their intakes with IQ tests to make wholly false and dishonest performance comparisons with their predecessor schools. This deceit initiated by New Labour to justify its Academies programme has been exploited by the Conservative-led coalition as the justification for its further pseudo-privatisation of the school system. False claims for the success of Academies have been swallowed whole by an uncritical media that never mentions the crucial role of IQ type tests in the admission systems of the most successful Academies. This is why Labour still finds it so difficult to assemble a coherent education policy to oppose that of Michael Gove. Later, as a high proportion of the schools with more than their fair share of less able pupils still failed to meet the floor target the blame increasingly became shifted towards 'irresponsible parents' who were condemned for locking their children into their own class based underachievement through dysfunctional parenting. By then, high %5+A-C = good school, low %5+A-C = bad school had become the established assumption, helping to feed parallel rampant house price inflation and social polarisation. School league tables have contributed strongly to this social disaster. With the link between pupil cognitive ability and exam performance still being denied, the privatised Exam Boards competed for 'business' from heads of fear-stricken sub-floor target schools threatened with closure. With all schools having to fight for bright pupils, grade inflation soon became so rampant that an A* grade became necessary to divide up the increasing proportion of pupils being graded at A. The C grade initially declined in value to become the grade an average pupil should be expected to attain in a good school. This reduced the C grade threshold to the average, 50th percentile (CSE Grade 4) rather than the 80th percentile (CSE Grade 1) required for university matriculation in the GCE system. Before long average was dropped and the C grade became the expected grade for all secondary pupils. This reduced its value to well below the 40th percentile (CSE grade 5). Throughout this period the C grade retained its function as the threshold necessary to progress to A Levels and for university entrance, so infecting the whole of the post-16 education system with grossly lowered standards. Any sufficiently experienced A Level teacher or university admissions tutor will affirm the truth of this decline. New Labour remained in constant denial and spun the explosion in higher GCSE (and vocational equivalent) grades as evidence of the success of its education policies, especially the Academies programme, again uncritically accepted by the liberal media including the BBC, the Guardian and the Independent. It finally fell to the right-wing media and Michael Gove to see through this and to accept and reveal the truth of this massive decline in standards. It therefore hard to argue with Gove that the GCSE system has become dangerously dysfunctional and it is revealing that he also recognises that this race to the bottom (his words) is attributed to competition between the privatised exam boards. What he fails to acknowledge however is the key role of the same market forces expressed through school league tables in more generally lowering educational standards. He rightly rejects the shallow and undemanding 100 percent pass rate, four-GCSE-equivalent GNVQs and their successors devised by Tony Blair and his inner circle of advisors as of little worth academically or vocationally. Their serious limitations were confirmed in the strongest terms by the independent Wolf Report. Gove also refuses to admit the central role of Academies as the vanguard in leading the use of easy vocational alternative subjects as a key strategy (alongside IQ driven admissions) for rapidly climbing the league tables. They were helped to get away with this because as 'independent schools' their degraded curriculum was hidden from public exposure by their not being subject to the Freedom of Information Act, a protection against educational researchers maintained by New Labour long after it became clearly indefensible. Further support for the illusion of free market driven school improvement was provided through OfSTED. A special OfSTED team was created for the inspection of the first cohort of Academies with only inspectors trained and trusted to understand the 'unique' features of these schools allowed to inspect them. The same approach still operates for religious schools. As a result of league tables and 'zero tolerance of failure' almost all schools except those with high ability intakes have been compelled to adopt easy vocational subjects to a degree necessitated by their intake ability profile. When GCSE English and maths were included for league table success the privatised exam boards reacted by changing their exams and grade boundaries to enable schools to raise their pass rates in English and maths to secure league table safety. The 2012 GCSE English results furore is a symptom of the belated recognition of this issue. In 2010 the 'most improved school ever' (according to its website) was a Birmingham comprehensive, much celebrated in the media for this achievement. This school followed the example set by Academies in using the vocational curriculum to ensure that all its pupils obtained at least five A*-Cs (100 percent) and crucially in perfecting methods for teaching English and maths to maximise C grades at the expense of Es, Ds and Bs. This boosted the league table figure to new heights but arguably with consequences for the proportion of pupils going on to study English and maths at A Level. This efficient and well-run school, along with increasing numbers of others emulating its success were therefore already implementing Ed Milliband's proposed curriculum by dissuading pupils from taking any GCSE subjects except English and maths unless they were likely to achieve at least a C, and substituting multiple C grade generating 'vocational' alternatives instead. 'Thinking, Fast and Slow' is the title of the 2011 book by Daniel Kahneman, a cognitive psychologist at Princeton University and Emeritus Professor of Public Affairs at Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs (USA). He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002. He is not primarily an educationalist and his book makes no direct reference to school age education or curriculum, so what is its relevance to the failures of the English education system? It is because his work is based on his assertion that humans have two discrete modes of thinking that he refers to as System 1 and System 2. System 1 is a result of human evolution and to a major extent is written into the human genome. It is the 'fast thinking' that is linked in evolutionary terms to our ancient survival in the face of mortal dangers. It is very good at rapidly solving certain kinds of problems essential for survival, but frequently fails spectacularly with the complex problems of modern life that millions of years of evolution have not prepared us for, other than by endowing us with large brains with a highly flexible cerebral cortex. Kahneman describes System 1 as 'a machine for jumping to conclusions'. I first came across Daniel Kahneman by accident on listening to BBC Radio 4 in June 2012, when he was being interviewed about his new book. He quoted the following puzzle from his book and the programme presenter asked the audience at home to phone in their solutions. A bat and ball costs £1.10 in total. The bat costs one pound more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? System 1 thinking provides the almost universal instant answer of 10p, even from well educated people including mathematicians, who should know better. This demonstrates the power of System 1 to trump logic. 10p is incorrect: the answer is 5p. Think about it. It is similar System 1 thinking that has led successive governments to jump to various flawed but popular 'common sense' conclusions about education and our school system, and for the public and the media to be so easily led into the same traps. Everybody who has been to school holds views about schools that are usually as wrong as their confident answers to Kahneman's bat and ball problem. This includes Michael Gove and more unfortunately up to now Ed Milliband, Ed Balls and Stephen Twigg, from whom clearer thinking is urgently needed. Informed education policies based on evidence rather than popular mythology require the controlled, conscious, slow thinking that Kahneman refers to as System 2. Everybody has a System 1, primed for action. Even those with well developed System 2 abilities frequently fail to use them before their System 1 hijacks the thought process and spits out a System 1 solution. The educational implications of the 'bat and ball' problem are profound. System 1, as well as being the instinctive default system, can be reinforced by bad education: teaching and learning specifically designed to encourage such 'fast thinking' at the expense of slow, System 2, thinking. For example, we can all respond instantly to, 'What is two add two?' This is because familiarity and repetition have burned this response into our genetically inherited and incredibly efficient System 1. The educational theory of behaviourism is based on the mistaken principle that all learning is about extending System 1 through repetition, punishment and reward. Think pigeons in cages. This is a long discarded learning theory that has re-infected our schools because of exam pressures created by the marketisation of the English education system. Teaching to the test and cramming represent behaviourist learning theory in action. The decline in educational standards detected by the PISA international tests suggests that our children may not just know less because of degraded and limiting curriculum, but their underlying cognitive ability could also have been stunted because of the behaviourist teaching methods required for league table success. Just such a decline in reasoning power has been independently detected and measured by James Flynn and by Michael Shayer (Emeritus Professor of Applied Psychology at King's College, London). Shayer's work has shown the decline to be alarmingly large. Learning theorists know from classic investigations of concept formation that, 'a concept is more than the sum of certain associative bonds formed by memory, more than a mere mental habit; it is a genuine and complex act of thought that cannot be taught by drilling, but can only be accomplished when the child's mental development has itself reached the requisite level' (Vygotsky). Intelligence is not just 'quick thinking' armed by memory, but a higher level of cognitive functioning that can be developed in all pupils of all abilities through the right sort of teaching and learning. Labour urgently needs to devise an educational policy that promotes System 2 teaching and learning in our schools as the basis of a coherent educational alternative to the market model. As far back as 1956, just 11 years after the post-war founding of universal free secondary education by the new Labour government, the Bloom Committee recognised the need for schools to develop the cognitive ability of pupils. From then on, until the 1988 Baker Education Act replaced a school culture informed by theories of learning with a market driven exam target culture, this was a tacitly accepted objective of the state education system. Bloom defined a hierarchy of mental abilities that school learning should develop starting at the lowest level with 'remembering' and progressing through 'simple understanding', 'applying' and 'analysing' to the highest levels of 'evaluating/synthesising/creating'. This approach encouraged the development of problem solving, collaborative, active-learning teaching methods in comprehensive schools throughout the 1980s, a period in which demand for private education steadily fell. These approaches work with pupils of all abilities and can be applied successfully in all subjects; humanities, sciences and perhaps especially technology and the arts. All pupils of all abilities surely have a right to such a rewarding, intelligence-promoting curriculum. The best reason for rejecting vocationally specific education before the age of 16 is that teachers and pupils have much better things to be doing in the limited time available. GNVQ type vocational education generally failed to raise teaching and learning out of the Bloom basement. A further obvious objection is that no child should or needs to be forced into career-specific channels at 14. The New Labour innovation of 'Specialist Schools' ridiculously extended this early specialisation right back to the choice of secondary school at age 11. Unless there is an early general election, from 2015 the GCSE will be no more. This should be welcomed by Labour as it has become so contaminated by grade inflation as to be unfit for purpose. However we need an intelligence promoting replacement. This should require all schools to provide a broad and balanced curriculum to 16 with access to academic, technological and creative subjects for all pupils of all abilities. The most effective assessment would include practical tasks and teacher assessed coursework as well as final exams. Such an approach requires absolute professional integrity on the part of teachers, which is impossible in a system corrupted by league table competition between schools and individual performance related pay for teachers based on their exam results. Such teacher assessment is normal in the successful, non-competitive school systems of other countries. The new exam grades will need to recognise that ability is continuously variable over a large range. The aim should be to lift this continuous distribution in its entirety, rather than engage in futile attempts to narrow it, except for specific skills essential for functioning in the modern world. The current A*-G system has eight grades so at least as many will be needed in the new system. Why not build on the work of the early National Curriculum Council and grade 16+ exams on the basis of National Curriculum Levels as originally proposed? A range of eight Levels from L3 to L10 could replace the GCSE grades G – A*. Each Level could be defined in terms of the Bloom taxonomy of cognitive challenge and be common across all subjects. This would create a rigorous, coherent equivalence in status between subjects in academic, technological and creative studies. Just such a system was devised in Leicestershire in the late 1980s as a Mode 3 (teacher designed and assessed) GCSE programme in multiple subjects that rapidly became extremely successful and popular with schools. It was killed off by the 1988 Education Reform Act. Grade hurdles would still be needed for progression to post-16 apprenticeships, high quality vocational courses and A levels, but these could then be chosen with reference to the actual Bloom Levels required, rather than the present crude GCSE C success/failure system. For example, in the reformed system Level 7 (C) might be appropriate for entry to A level courses and university matriculation and would require the demonstration to some degree of what Piaget called formal thinking. For example, in maths this would require an ability to work with algebra; for computer studies some programming would be needed: subject specialists across the curriculum being readily able to interpret such differentiation within their own areas of expertise. Level 5 (E) might be suitable for entry onto a wide range of other career ladders while Level 3 (G) would validate knowledge at the most basic, but nevertheless worthwhile level compared to the absence of it. It is a statistical fact of human variation that children at the 80th cognitive ability percentile at age 11 may well be functioning at higher Bloom levels than the 20th percentile at age 16. The task of the education system should be to raise educational outcomes for all pupils, so producing a better educated and more intelligent population at every level. What is wrong with having well educated plumbers, actors, motor mechanics, shop assistants, footballers, tennis players, care workers etc. as well as more broadly educated teachers, doctors, lawyers and engineers? Both requirements are achievable within a comprehensive school system provided all schools enjoy genuinely all-ability intakes of children. This is not a futuristic socialist fantasy. Something like it is in its infancy in Hackney, the first LA area where most of the secondary schools, LA comprehensives, independent academies and religious schools co-operate in a system that to a significant extent is proving successful in at least partially combating the pernicious polarising and degrading effects of school league tables. These schools also appear to be accepting the role of the LA to administer the agreed uniform admissions process and to co-ordinate co-operation between schools in the interests of raising standards across the borough. It is hard to see how such a favourable outcome can result from thousands of independent secondary schools centrally regulated by the Department for Education, all competing with each other. This is a recipe for an unworkable education system that Labour needs to recognise as such and reject in its entirety. Current Labour proposals fail to recognise the facts, rather than the myths, that underpin the current system and so are a very long way from designing an effective and appropriate alternative. Roger Titcombe is a retired headteacher, educational researcher and writer. Subscribe from just £1 per issue More


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I've recently gotten into climbing as kind of an off-season activity. After a couple trips to the local climbing gym, I noticed that distance was a little more effortless. One of the by-products of climbing is a stronger grip. I've found that I'm getting a stronger grip due to climbing and it's leading to unprecedented distance gains. That's my unscientific conclusion, anyway.
One day I spent an hour climbing and then went straight to a field. This time of year, daylight is scarce. My forearms were completely toasted and I tried to throw a few shots anyway. Not unexpectedly, I didn't throw very good shots and the results were rather comical. Nothing worked because that grip was not there when I needed it.
I suppose there is some truth to my earlier observation. A great off-season sport to try is climbing. You work on balance and stamina, and as a byproduct, you get stronger in ways that benefit your disc golf game.

subset: commoncrawl


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MARTS 2010: Another Success All The Way Around
EP Editorial Staff | June 2, 2010
The 2010 MARTS (Maintenance & Reliability Technology Summit) wrapped up on April 30 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL.
This year's event, the 7th in an increasingly successful series of these conferences, spanned almost an entire week with 13 full-day Workshops and 32 one-hour Conference sessions devoted to issues of maintenance, reliability and energy efficiency, among others. The 200+ maintenance professionals in attendance got to learn from and network with a number of internationally known experts in the field and a host of noted practitioners, consultants and manufacturers with deep industrial insight.
One of this year's very special highlights was Keynote speaker John Ratzenberger, the well-known actor, director, author and champion of the skilled trades. He spoke for nearly 90 minutes on topics ranging from his New England upbringing and hard-work ethic to the life philosophy he's gained through acting. It was while he was working on his Made in America television series that he became keenly aware of the shortage of trained industrial workers. This realization, in turn, inspired him to establish the Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs Foundation (NBT) that encourages youngsters to consider manufacturing as a career choice. Following his talk, Ratzenberger autographed copies of his book We've Got It Made in America for long lines of enthusiastic attendees.
Other highlights included Keynoter Bob Chernow, a futurist and financial professional, who provided an analytical look into tomorrow's business environment, and the "Reliability Gives Voice to Autism" dinner and gala that kicked off MARTS week. The dinner raised funds and awareness for autism with comments from MARTS attendees who have been affected by autism, and top-flight entertainment.
Preparations are already underway for next year's successful MARTS. Look for details in upcoming issues, or on www.MARTSconference.com. LMT


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About Coretta Brown
« Previous | Results | Next »
Coretta Brown, Women's Basketball Coach
Thomas University Athletic Director Mike Lee has announced the hiring of Coretta Brown as the institution's first ever Women's Basketball Head Coach.
Brown comes to TU after serving as an assistant coach at NCAA D1 Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, TN for the last three seasons. While at Tech, Brown helped lead the team to an Ohio Valley Conference Championship in 2010-11 and 54 wins over three seasons. Brown also played a major role in the development of two All Conference guards. Most impressively, Brown was able to help implement a strong academic standard within a Golden Eagles program that averaged a 3.0 or higher grade point average during her time in Cookeville.
Prior to TTU, Brown served as a Administrative Coordinator at Georgia Tech University and also served as a community coach at Benjamin E. Mays High School in Atlanta, Ga. During her one season at Mays, the program reached the Georgia High School Athletic Association Sweet Sixteen.
A four-year standout at North Carolina, Brown played four seasons in the WNBA before beginning her coaching career. A three-time All-ACC honoree and the career record holder for 3-pointers made at UNC, Brown was selected 11th overall in the 2003 WNBA Draft by San Antonio before being traded to Indiana. Brown played three seasons with the Fever before playing her fourth and final season with the Chicago Sky. Brown also represented her country as a member of Team USA at the FIBA World Championships in Russia.
Brown holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in African American Studies and a minor in English from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.


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"Reef life energizer" contains natural biological catalysts to enhance the growth of coralline algae, anemones, sea mushrooms, and sponges. Unique conditioner makes necessary trace elements biologically available to accelerate growth and survival of hard and soft corals. Promotes coral regeneration and increases acclimation response so corals open up and regain their full color. Coral-Vital also aids in the breakdown of ammonia, nitrate, and organic wastes and can be used to help cycle new aquariums. For use in marine aquariums. 6 fl oz treats over 3,500 gallons.
Please click on "More Information" for directions for use, ingredients and features.


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I like almost all the plug-ins from Berlin based Sugar Bytes. I can see thier new plug-in Consequence being really useful. Sometimes it's good to have a virtual helper in the room. You know the scenario: You're in the studio and you hit middle C, next it's D# and up to G. You can't seem to hit any new keys. Your melodies are your melodies and you can't seem to go anywhere else. Consequence can help by having it's "Sound Generators" spit out sequences, chorus, envelope curves, etc… It can't hurt right?
"The word Synquencer describes the combination of a powerful synthesizer and complex step sequencer which creates pitch-, modulation-, and trigger data. Consequence uses 16 chords to play them in sequence, extract melodies to trigger a unique sound section with lots of available instrument sounds and intelligent trigger interpretation. The Consequence VST plugin sends MIDI data, so all kinds of MIDI-compatible gear can be controlled by Consequence." – Sugar Bytes
There is a demo version available. Consequence is $199.
For more info: sugar-bytes.de


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Pack these up in individual bags. Make sure to check for allergies from all participants.
Sample ingredients could be:
As much as possible, choose ingredients from fair trade sources.
Be sure to drink from your water bottles too, and stay hydrated during your walk.
While you are eating, you can talk about the various names for trail mix, such as:
It's a great snack to take on your nature hike because protein keeps you going, it's lightweight, and it can fit into any nook and cranny in your backpack. Happy hiking!


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Fisher: Colts' attempt to rush back onto field ``absurd''
By TERESA M. WALKER, AP Sports Writer
December 5, 2005
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher thinks the undefeated Indianapolis Colts might want to spend a little time on their football etiquette.
Fisher wasn't happy about the way Peyton Manning and the Colts concluded the first half of their 35-3 victory over the Titans on Sunday. With 24 seconds left, Manning knelt down, then handed the ball to an official and started toward the locker room.
Then Manning and the Colts reversed field, seemingly hoping for one last play. That set off confusion on a field filled with players and coaches, and Fisher said Monday that he thought it was "absurd" and "ridiculous."
"That should fall under the category of unsportsmanlike conduct. Nothing positive to gain from that situation other than push and shove and those kind of things on the field, and I don't understand it. They don't need to explain it to me, but I don't understand it," Fisher said.
The Colts led 14-3 at the time and finished with their sixth straight victory over their one-time AFC South rivals in a game that showed just how much work the NFL's youngest team really has left in its rebuilding project.
Fisher said it appeared as if the Colts were trying to catch the Titans (3-9) for a penalty with what he called "75 guys, 10 trainers and four doctors on the field rather than 12. A lot of benefit from that."
They're unusually strong comments from Fisher that could be prompted by his Titans' 8-20 record over the past two seasons. But he's also a veteran coach with a firm grasp of football rules -- both written and unspoken -- as co-chairman of the NFL's competition committee.
This is a topic that likely will be up for discussion by the committee this offseason if Fisher has anything to do with it.
"You asked me my opinion. I thought it was ridiculous," Fisher said. "To me, it should fall under some category, or there's going to be problems, you know. Maybe I'll put a rule in this offseason."
Titans rookie cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones ran and hit Colts running back James Mungro to try and disrupt any play. Fisher said he doesn't have a problem with anyone on his club reacting as they did.
"Somebody should've taken the ball and thrown it in the stands. By all indications, they took the snap, kneeled down, flipped the ball and left the field. Half's over," Fisher said.
"Ask them."
Updated on Monday, Dec 5, 2005 7:05 pm EST
It's always different when the trick play is on the other Foot isn't it...


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This star rating is the opinion of the property owner only. A Self-Rated hotel has not been assessed by the AA or Visit Britain, whose official star ratings we use across LateRooms.com.
Boss Hotel3 Self rated
20 Lo Su Street Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi,
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About the hotel
A brand new hotel in the hearth of Hanoi Old Quarter with 52 luxury rooms and suites. Located right in Hanoi Old quarter with about 2 minutes walking to Hoan Kiem lake or the Thang Long Water Puppet show. In the surroundings you will find restaurants, banks, shops, travel Agencies and the market.
Boss hotel is really in excellent location. All rooms are equipped with Air-conditioning, extremely clean, having computer and internet inside every rooms. Most of the rooms have open window or balcony. Both standing shower and wooden bathtub are available in every room. Complimentary daily Buffet breakfast, fresh fruits, tea/coffee in room give the special touch to our services.
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Specializing in fun and funky prints, Finders Keepers makes blouses, skirts, dresses, pants and shorts that are guaranteed to catch your eye. Established in Adelaide, Australia in 2009, Finders Keepers has since gained a large following due to its collection of consistently trendy and unique garments. Finders Keepers offers a fresh take on fashion, distinct for being super girly, quirky, and young, and is committed to providing boutique-quality apparel that won't break the bank. In addition, Finders Keepers clothing has been worn by numerous celebrities, including Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, and Christina Milian.
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Blog your thoughts and opinions here.
Hey guys, I will be making a series of blogs talking about the numerous WWE/TNA who's talents are being wasted as of now. Lookout for these blogs to feature the likes of Samoa Joe, The Pope aka Elijah Burke, Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, Kofi Kingston and many more...Stay Tuned
Samoa Joe, he's actually a big guy that can wrestle. As far as big and/or tall guys, I would say he's currently
Hey guys, I will be making a series of blogs talking about the numerous WWE/TNA who's talents are being wasted as of now. Lookout for these blogs to feature the likes of Samoa Joe, The Pope aka Elijah Burke, Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, Kofi Kingston and many more...Stay Tuned
Ted Dibiase, one of the very few 2nd/3rd generation star's that actually gets it. One of the very few that actually
Hey guys. Out of nowhere I'm getting an obsession in writing about the Nexus. Well this one will be fun because I'm going to give my in-depth review on the respective stables. Leave me feed back on what you think.
The Original Nexus
This team has the ability to be everything and more. A very talented squad that shook the entire wrestling world up including TNA. The ball
Updated 04-28-2011 at 12:57 AM by knox
Hey guys hope all is well. I have a huge plan that would fix the Nexus. This is a good plan because it ends the stable with a bang and allows them to go their separate ways which is what we all want.
Now lets dicuss the issues with the Nexus
1. They were jobbed out
The WWE allowed Cena to single handedly take them out and move on with his career. Also creative
Updated 04-27-2011 at 08:15 PM by knox
Hows it goin guys! The IWC in buzzing over R-Truth's heel turn. I'm not the biggest fan but the guy is a stud in the ring. Lord knows he was in need of a new gimick and hopefully this does the trick.
The main reason the world is buzzing is because HE SMOKED A CIGARETTE ON PG PROGRAMMING.
Negative or not, this garnered major heat from the little cry baby organizations around
Hey guys wassup. Man the IWC is buzzing right now and for good reason. We have an unbelievable Extreme Rules PPV in the making. Two new maineventers who are actually old in age. Christian & R-Truth, both are true wrestlers whom have paid their dues are finally getting the push they deserve.
After watching Christian win the 20-Man Battle Royal for the chance to face Del Rio for
Updated 04-17-2011 at 09:27 PM by Frank
Ofcourse we all talk all the time about WWE vs TNA knowing it won't happen in the near future. I know it won't happen anytime but a man can dream right. I've always believed that WWE had a better product but TNA has the better wrestlers/matches. TNA stars wrestle on Fast-Forward but the product is very dry.
Eric Young vs Santino Marella
These are the
Updated 04-11-2011 at 11:12 AM by knox
Hey guys, hope all is well. I've been looking at the Raw & Smackdown team and it is definitely lackluster to say the least. I love all the current announcers but some of them clearly should not be together and maybe mixed up with a few additions.
Now keep in mind these are my dream announce teams I'm about to write. Not sure they all can possibly go down seeing as some aren't
Hey guys, just blogging about my thoughts of the greatest returns/debuts in wrestling from recent memory. Enjoy this one as I will post the youtube link to the video of each specific return & debut. Leave Feedback.
5. Sting's TNA Debut 06'
This was one of the best debut's because this TNA roster addition did nothing bad for TNA. It seems as if most of the
Updated 03-18-2011 at 09:48 AM by Frank
Hey guys hope all is well. People are wondering why we have to watch another Triple H vs The Undertaker match at Wrestlemania and I think I came up with the reasons why. Im cutting straight to the point.
Nobody was built up enough to challenge him
The year 2010 was the year to push all the young talent that was worthy of a push. The WWE did a great job in pushing talent but
Updated 03-14-2011 at 12:55 AM by Frank
© 2011 eWrestlingNews, All Rights Reserved.


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Philadelphia Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon is not shy about expressing his views and he had plenty to say following Philadelphia's eighth straight loss on Sunday.
Papelbon said the team needs changes from the top down to get back to being a perennial contender.
"It's going to take, in my opinion, a lot," Papelbon said, according to MLB.com. "And in my opinion, I think it's going to have to be something very similar to what the Red Sox went through a couple years ago. From top to bottom."
In November of 2011, Papelbon signed a four-year, $50 million deal with the Phillies. With the team now a season-high seven games under. 500, the closer sounded frustrated.
"I definitely didn't come here for this," he said, according to MLB.com.
Papelbon was asked by reporters on Sunday if he wanted to be traded.
"No, I would like to stay here. But if I'm going to have to put up with this year after year, then no, I don't want to be here. Why would you? Why would anybody?"
The Detroit Tigers are among the teams that have been linked as a possible suitor for Papelbon, but Fox Sports.com's Jon Morosi reported that there was nothing brewing between Detroit and Philadelphia.
#Tigers are not currently pursuing trade for #Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon, source says. @FOXSportsLive— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 28, 2013
Papelbon has 20 saves in 25 opportunities this season and has a 2.21 ERA.


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Apple season in full swing: 'One of the best I've ever seen'
HARRISBURG, Ore -- An unexpected freeze has ruined nearly 90 percent of apple crops for farmers on the east coast. Here in Oregon farmers said the 2012 apple crop is better than ever.
"A lot of people think of farmers as being really conservative but I always thought they were some of the biggest gamblers that there is, because it all depends on the year." said Greig Detering, owner of Detering Farms. "You can do everything exactly right and the weather can destroy a crop in one day."
Unseasonal weather earlier this year caused catastrophic casualties in crops for east coast farmers. However weather patterns that can be a make or break, and this year some western farmers have harvested plenty of apples to sell or make into fresh cider. Detering's farm has been growing apples at the farm for over two generations.
"We've had an amazing apple season this year... one of the best I've ever seen." added Detering.
Each apple at Detering Farms is handpicked. Families visiting the Harrisburg farm can get in on the fun by plucking fresh apples right off the trees themselves.
Hannah Paul took her 2 year old daughter to the farm so they could enjoy the weather and pick apples together.
"It was a lot of fun she enjoyed it the most this is her first time," said Paul.
Detering Farms grows about 36 different types of apples that serve a range of consumption needs.
"I always like a tart apple for a cobbler and apple pie because when you start adding the sugar then it draws the flavor of the apple out. If you're a diabetic it's also good to use a sweet apple and then you don't have to add sugar in to it," said Assistant Farm Manager Brooke Dixon.
Saturday, October 6 is the first weekend of apple days at Detering Farms. Visitors get free cobbler and hay rides every weekend in October.


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City snow removal map goes live
November 16, 2012
South Lake Tahoe successfully launched an interactive snow removal map on the city's website this week, according to a Friday statement.
Updates to the snow removal map are provided as streets are plowed every eight, 16 and 24 hours following a storm.
GPS tracking units were installed in city snow plows last winter, but technical issues prevented the system from going live until this fall due to issues with inconsistent phone signals in the Lake Tahoe Basin, according to the statement.
A trial run this week was viewed as a huge success after the map tracked and displayed mock snow removal activity.
The city reminds residents to park all vehicles out of the city right of way when snow conditions exist. Mailboxes and trash cans should also be placed as far back from the roadway as possible.
The snow removal route map can be accessed at http://www.cityofslt.us/snowremovalmap.


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It was just reported on ESPN that TO was released by the Cowboys. Any thoughts?
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It was just reported on ESPN that TO was released by the Cowboys. Any thoughts?
who wants him? the raiders?
Polian says he needs another receiver . . .
The poster formerly known as Rimfire
We all saw what Tom Brady did when he got a receiver like Randy Moss, so what do you think Manning could do with Owens? It'll never happen in a million years though.
That is an interesting thought. I wouldn't mind having someone with his talent level on our squad, but he is a nutcase.
I wouldn't mind him being here on a contract that's very Colt friendly towards a release. Meaning very little guaranteed money, and very little risk. As soon as he shows signs of being a retard again, send him packing.
I know the likelyhood of this is very near 0% however. No loss here.
-- Steve --
All this talk of TO wearing the horse shoe is interesting, but I think there's a bigger probability that Marvin will be wearing the star. Actually, I think the best place for Marvin is Philly. It's his home town, they need a solid route runner for McNabb.
I hate TO, but the thought of him in our offense is tempting.
Turn out the lights, this party's over!
You guys already have someone nearly as good as Owens in Reggie Wayne.
It is going to come down to whether or not Owens wants money or he wants a ring. If he wants a ring, I could see him playing at a discount for any contender. If he wants money, he will probably sign with Oakland.
While I don't hate T.O. he's not coming here and the Colts don't need him. Our needs are as always on defense.
Besides if we wanted an aging wide receiver we would've kept Marvin.
TO is a great talent, but he needs a situation where he'd be the clear number 1 guy, AND a QB with a big arm. Where can he currenty get that? Most of the big arms already have favorite targets. I was thinking the Giants could be a good fit if Plax is done there. Oakland isn't actually a bad idea. San Diego would be good too because Rivers is good and TO is light years better than any wideout they have. You know who would be dangerous with TO? Big Ben, but that would never happen. Too bad TO said he'd never play in the AFC though. That's where most of his best fits currently are. If he's determined to stay in the NFC I think his options are very limited.
It actually wouldn't surprise me to see the Pats make a run. Owens, Moss and Welker would be downright scary. And Moss has been on his best behavior there, so they might think they could keep Terrell in check as well. Another team is the Jags. Who knows really, dude has burnt bridge after bridge.
Yeah like that will stop him if its attractive enough for him he will probably do it regardless of what he said before.
Owens is currently much better than Marvin. TO is still a top 3 wideout easily.
Cuz it's T.O.
Anywhere but Indy, please.
It's a new day for Pacers Basketball.
Top 10, certainly. Top 3 is a bit much for me though.
-- Steve --
I can't say he is better than AJ, Fitz, or CJ but he is at the very least on par with them. This is a year where the Cowboys poorly utilized TO too. He still has a lot left in the tank because he keeps himself in such great shape.
I don't know what you mean by poorly utilized, but I remember seeing a stat that his 'thrown to' total was on par with other star quality WR's, he just wasn't catching enough of them. Misscommunication and misunderstandings would go a long way in explaining that.
-- Steve --
If the quality of his routes were poor, they were not utilizing him correctly. Many Cowboys fans I've talked to said that the main reason TO was so pissed off was because Garrett didn't have him going deep enough. TO probably ran more slants than any WR in the league which is alright for some WRs, but not when you have an athletic freak like TO. Some of his problems definitely did stem from the lack of communication between TO and the rest of his offense (not just Romo, him and Witten had a big falling out) but I stand by what I said in saying that Owens was not correctly used this past year.
Some people are speculating that Owens may sit this year out because nobody wants him a la Barry Bonds, but there is no way some teams will pass up on Owens. He can turn your team from playoff contender into championship contender..or there is a chance he could corrupt your locker room and turn a very talented team into a non playoff contender (Cowboys).
Last edited by Moses; 03-06-2009 at 10:23 AM.
TO always thinks he's being used incorrectly. Unless he gets every ball, on every down, thrown the exact way he wants to him, he's going to complain.
Maybe he is better suited to go deep everytime, but Garrett is the coach. TO is not. Once TO figures out that the whole team is more important than his ego, he will really be scary. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on the way you look at it, that time is quickly running out.
There was a great article in the Tribune this week on the fallacy of making a big FA or draft "splash" for a WR. The Steelers lost Nate Washington because they aren't going to pay a third WR the foolish type of money that the Titans game him. $27 million over 6 years for a #3 reciever? Hell, the only reason Washington was a #3 reciever was because Limas Sweed didn't take it away from him as a rookie.
Wade Deep Into the NFL Draft to Catch Best Receivers
Anyway, I thought it was interesting to note that the Steelers drafted two of the three WRs to score a game winning TD in the last minute of a Super Bowl - Plexiglass and Santonio. The closest thing the Steelers have ever made to signing a WR that contributes in the last decade is Cedric Wilson, who moved straight down the depth chart after he arrived. Otherwise, they typically draft a guy and if he's worth keeping at the right price (Hines, Santonio) they'll resign him and if he's not worth keeping (Troy Edwards, Plexiglass but that was more for off-field/ oversized ego reasons) they'll let him go. Most importantly, they don't get suckered into bidding wars, and they'll let a Nate Washington or an Antwaan Randel-El get away because they trust their ability to draft recievers that can contribute.
The Steelers are probably sweating over whether WR is already taking too much of the salary cap with Santonio and Hines... no way are they adding another high priced guy. Add Ben's huge contract and the skilled part of the "passing game" is already taking up too much salary cap space vs. O-line, RBs, and defense. They'll likely pick up Washington's replacement in the draft (actually they did that during the last draft), and a cheaper free agent.
Anyway, teams that constantly chase WRs in the FA market or with high draft picks don't seem to find themselves making many deep playoff runs.
Wherever TO goes, expect more of the same drama that accompanies a late season collapse.
Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
And life itself, rushing over me
Life itself, the wind in black elms,
Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you
I don't know if this has been mentuoned or not. I was listening to the radio when a commercial with Eddie White ('s radio partner) came on. He started talking about TO and where he would end up. Of course he said he should go to the Colts! If that's not a sign that Eddie needs to be in the home for the criminally insane I don't know what is.
I was watching ESPN either yesterday or the day before, and they had Stephen A Smith on there talking about TO (I realize no one likes the guy). Regardless, he said he had spoken with TO and that he would like to go to a team like Indy that has a legit shot at a SB..and yes, SAS specifically said Indianapolis. Whether or not this was a credible comment can be argued. I just thought I would pass it along.
Never fails, ever coach and every fan base says
"Ron Artest might be different if he played for us"
"T.O might be different if he played for us"
That cracks me up... I wonder if Peyton would sign off on this? T.O. physically is exactly what the COlts need in a WR. ITs the whole mental thing that scares the living crap out of me.
If T.O came here I wonder if Peyton would drill him in the head with the ball like he did in the saturday night live skit. With those 2 together it would be a yell fest.
TO going to Buffalo
"It's just unfortunate that we've been penalized so much this year and nothing has happened to the Pistons, the Palace or the city of Detroit," he said. "It's almost like it's always our fault. The league knows it. They should be ashamed of themselves to let the security be as lax as it is around here."
----------------- Reggie Miller


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2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe Test Drive: Gallery
Pierce Brosnan was far from the best James Bond, and the Z3 he drove in GoldenEye, BMW's first modern mass-market roadster, was anything but the Bavarian carmaker's most memorable agent. Grossly underpowered from the get-go, the 138-hp, 1.9-liter four-cylinder was quickly substituted for a 2.8-liter straight six. Still, its sub-200-horse numbers weren't anything to get excited about, and the car's wallowy handling couldn't match BMW's sharp sedans. Nevertheless, the Z3 sold quite well, and perhaps that's part of the problem—a car first marketed as a spy's ride sold to many drivers too tall or broad to pull off the look. A rare coupe version, known by those at the company as "the shoe," enjoyed a cult-like following because the car's stiffer structure noticeably improved the handling. But it wasn't until the next two generations of Z4 that BMW really left the roadster segment shaken and stirred.
An early adopter of today's wildly popular retro-inspired designs, Chevy's "Super Sport Roadster" wasn't necessarily a bad-looking vehicle. Its bulging fenders and squatty stance gave it the appearance of something that could possibly grace a modern-day Beach Boys album. There was just one problem: It was a hardtop convertible pickup truck, with a V8. Void of any practicality (other than perhaps being a midlife crisis car), and bearing a horrendously flexible structure, the $42,000 SSR saw dismal sales in its brief lifetime. Despite GM's addition of the 400-hp LS2 in its final year of production, even mullet-adorned 'Vette owners shook their heads at this automotive oddball.
The Compact Trucks We Want to Come to America


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Wheel Size: 8", 10", 12"
Tire Diameter: 18" - 22"
Bungee-Ball locking system
Sold in pairs
Ultra-tough vinyl with soft felt backing
The ultimate solution to protecting your trailer tires from harmful UV rays and other environmental damage during long-term trailer storage. Manufactured from ultra-tough vinyl with a soft felt backing, these covers are designed for ease of use and removal. Cut flat at the bottom and using ADCO's patented Bungee-Ball locking system, they cover the trailer tire completely and remain in place without having to raise the tire off of the ground. Feature overlapping seams, double stitching, and reinforced grommets in the rear. Sold in pairs.


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NEW ORLEANS — Disney-branded produce has already enjoyed a tripling of sales over the past two years, and Disney is aggressively adding produce partners and character options to put on the front of fruit and vegetable packs.
"We feel we're really hitting our stride now and picking up momentum in helping establish lifelong, healthy habits for children," said John King, licensing director for Disney Consumer Products in Glendale, Calif., speaking at the Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit 2013. "We've optimized where we go to market, and we've got a good corral of marketing partners."
The newest of those is Oxnard, Calif.-based Freska Produce International LLC mangoes, which expects to start featuring Disney characters by early 2014. Cashmere, Wash.-based Crunch Pak is also coming out with packaging featuring Marvel characters such as Spiderman and the Avengers.
Freska's Mexican mango packaging will feature Disney characters by spring.
"We're looking for retailers to join us in our promotion. This new market trend is geared toward moms and kids, and we're hoping to get kids to try mangoes and hopefully they'll then eat them for life," managing member and co-founder Gary Clevenger said. "It's the most-eaten fruit in the world — just not in the U.S."
Which Disney characters will grace the packaging and which labeling will be used on which packaging are all factors yet to be determined, but the picture could clear within weeks, following a meeting between Freska and Disney, Clevenger said.
Next on the horizon, fresh produce could don packaging with the likes of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader or even Indiana Jones.
"We've finalized the deal, and we're happy to incorporate the (George) Lucas team into the Disney universe," King said.
King estimates a six-month turnaround time for getting new characters on partners' produce packaging, and, with five "Star Wars" films scheduled for the next five years, King is betting the new Lucasfilm character possibilities will dramatically increase interest for fresh produce packaging.


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Energy Star Sales Tax Holiday Set for Nov. 2-4
Date: October 10, 2012
North Carolinians can save money on selected Energy Star-rated appliances during the state's fifth annual Energy Star sales tax holiday that begins on Friday, Nov. 2 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 4.
During the holiday, certain Energy Star qualified products that meet energy efficient guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy are exempt from sales and use taxes. Qualified products feature the distinctive Energy Star label, making them easier to identify.
Products exempt during the holiday include Energy Star qualified clothes washers, freezers, refrigerators, central air conditioners, room air conditioners, air-source heat pumps, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers and programmable thermostats. There is no price floor or ceiling for products to qualify for exemption from sales and use taxes during the holiday. Rentals of Energy Star qualified products are not exempt from sales and use taxes during the holiday.
Purchases must be "For Immediate Delivery" to qualify
An item is eligible for the exemption if the customer pays for it during the holiday period and the retailer accepts the order and takes an action to fill the order for immediate delivery.
Sales of certain Energy Star qualified products during the holiday where deliveries are delayed because of a backlog, order or because the item is currently unavailable to the seller or on back order by the seller, are still eligible for the exemption during the holiday.
If the customer requests delayed shipment until after the holiday ends, the order is not considered "for immediate delivery" and is not exempt from sales and use taxes during the holiday.
Purchases by businesses are not exempt
Items purchased for use in a trade or business are not covered by the exemption and are subject to applicable sales and use tax.
Review more information about the holiday or contact the Department of Revenue at 1-877-252-3052 with questions.
P.O. Box 25000, Raleigh, NC 27640-0001
An Equal Opportunity Employer
- File and Pay Taxes
- Find Tax FAQs
- Find Tax Information
- Pay a Bill or Notice
- Request an Installment Agreement
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- Identity Theft
- Individual Income Tax Estimator
- Individual Income Tax Rates
- Sales and Use Taxes for Real Property Transactions and Services
- Sales and Use Tax Rates
- Taxpayer Advocate
- Taxpayer Self-Help


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Dyson has announced a shuttle bus for staff living in Chippenham as one of the ways of cutting traffic congestion as the £250m expansion of its Malmesbury HQ takes shape.
During the next 20 years the firm, known for its innovative vacuum cleaners and other products, could employ 3,000 more engineers.
Measures to alleviate traffic congestion and parking problems in Malmesbury were included in its outline plans submitted to Wiltshire Council last week.
The shuttle bus is due to begin running in April.
The draft travel plans includ doubling the number of bicycle rack provisions from its current figure of 70, while users of the car share scheme could have allocated parking.
Two roundabouts are proposed along with more parking spaces, road widening and extra access points to the site. Flexible home working is also being investigated.
Dyson has included these measures in its draft plans having listened to concerns about parking and congestion after the firm announced its plans in January.
Architect Robin Phillips said: "The principal aims of the brief were to approximately double the usable floor area of their existing facilities, and to solve a car parking capacity problem that is currently adversely affecting their immediate neighbours."
He confirmed that other aspects he has had to take into consideration in his plans include noise, lighting, drainage and flooding and landscape.
The proposed development includes the provision of approximately 36,750sqm of additional floor space, as well as 1, 434 car parking spaces.
"The additional car parking spaces will help to accommodate the continued expansion and growing needs of the business and therefore prevent the overflow of cars on to local streets," he said.
Statistics in the report show that of the 1,654 staff working at Dyson (August 2013), 252 live in Malmesbury, with most living in Bristol (359) and Swindon (266).
Others were recorded as living in the Chippenham, Gloucester, Bath, Cirencester and Calne areas, with some from as far as Cardiff and Oxford.
Mr Phillips said: "Dyson has recently (March 2014) initiated a Travel Survey amongst all staff requesting that they keep a travel diary of their modes of travel across the course of a standard week.
"This information will assist in identifying possible travel measures and priorities which will in turn assist in reducing the current car reliance of the site.
"Dyson is investing in a ten per cent reduction in car drivers over a five-year timescale as part of their travel plan through car share schemes, public transport and provisions of a car-share only car park including permits for users.
"Initially, as a pilot project, a new staff coach link will be introduced in spring 2014 linking the Dyson site to and from Chippenham.
"This will provide staff that live in Chippenham with an alternative to the private car and, through calling at Chippenham Railway Station, also allow the potential for employees to use rail services from their home address to Chippenham before transferring to the coach link."
The development site is currently home to protected species of great crested newts and badgers, as well as common bats and breeding birds.
"The overriding objective during the design process has been to retain the most significant habitat areas including established woodland, margins and ponds," he said.
"In addition, new dedicated habit areas for great crested newts will be established along the outer perimeter of the site."


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Transmission, Stage 1 - 2000-2002 Dodge 47RE 2wd
Transmission, Stage 1 - 2000-2002 Dodge 47RE 2wd
Part #
Availability: Call for availability
- All new bushings
- New design valve body
- Stock thrust washers replaced with roller Torrington bearings saves governor solenoids and reduces friction
- Drilled intermediate shaft for increased lube
- Modified manual valve for lube in all positions
- 47RE transmissions upgraded with more rugged 48RE components
- Clutch Count: OD 6
- Clutch Count: OD DIRECT 10
- New input shafts and hub
- Up to 80% higher clutch apply pressures over the stock unit
- Pressure increase starts at much lower engine rpm's and at lighter throttle pedal position movement
- Light throttle shift firmness is also maintained
- No shuttle shifting problems
- Upgraded governor pressure transducer (47RE/48RE)
- Upgraded governor solenoid - Twice the burst pressure than stock
- Cooler line case saver in every transmission
- Added heavy-duty clutches with up to 25% more material than stock
- Machined forward (rear) beveled pressure plate
- Machined overdrive brake (front & rear) pressure plate
- Machined direct clutch (front) piston
- High temp/energy Raybestos band
- Billet band strut & anchor
- Billet dual ring accumulator piston
- BD auxiliary full flow filter kit for extra protection
- Clutch Count: FORWARD 5
- Clutch Count: DIRECT 5
- Fully rollerized geartrain
- Increase the durability of your drivetrain
- Revised oil circuits
- Handles up to 300% more power and torque than the stock transmission
- Extra clutches and stronger internals
- Not warranted for Race or Sled Pull use
- Each transmission is dyno tested
- 36-Months
- 150,000 Miles
- 12-Months
- 24,000 miles
- No Race abuse covered. Remote filter required for inspection with cooler flow rate in GPM at Oil/Air transmission cooler outlet.
- BD torque converter must be installed at the time of installation of the transmission - use of a 3rd party or OE converter will invalidate the transmission warranty


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Sports car racing's premier U.S. event goes off this weekend with Chip Ganassi Racing going for a record.
Ganassi's team will be seeking to win its fourth straight overall title in the 24 Hours of Daytona, which starts at 12:30 p.m. (San Diego time) Saturday.
Scott Pruett and Juan Pablo Montoya will be seeking their third straight victory in the team's lead Lexus-powered Riley. They will be joined by Memo Rojas as the third driver.
Dario Franchitti, 2006 24 Hours of Daytona winner Scott Dixon and Alex Lloyd will be driving Ganassi's second car. This team pairs the Indy 500 and IndyCar Series champion from the past two years – Dixon (2008) and Franchitti (2007) – with the reigning Indy Lites champion Lloyd.
The 24 Hours of Daytona also kicks off NASCAR's 11-race Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series.
Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson will return for a third straight year, teaming with 2007 Grand Am Series champions Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty plus former IndyCar champion Jimmy Vasser in a Pontiac-Riley.
Roger Penske and Richard Childress also have cars entered in the premier, 20-car Daytona Prototype class. Thirty-one cars are expected to start in the GT division.
Penske will field two Porsche-powered Rileys with the lead team numbering Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Ryan Briscoe. Childress Racing debuts in sports car racing with a Pontiac-Crawford co-driver by Andy Wallace, Casey Mears, Danica Patrick and Rob Finlay.
Another key team is the SunTrust Ford Dallara co-driven by 2005 overall winners Wayne Taylor and Max Angelelli plus Pedro Lamy and Brian Frisselle.
The Fox network and Speed Channel will televise 15 of the race's 24 hours with the start being shown on Fox (Channel 5) before switching to Speed for 5 ½ addition hours Saturday. Coverage will resume at 4 a.m. (San Diego) Sunday on Speed and run through the finish.
Between them, the DEI and Ganassi Racing teams fielded five cars at the start of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. When the teams recently merged, the plans were to run four cars. But as the season approaches, it looks like the number will be three.
The Nos. 40 and 42 cars from Ganassi's 2008 lineup have been parked and the Target sponsorship that accompanied the 41 car has been shifted to Montoya's No. 42 car – reuniting the sponsor with the driver from their IndyCar days.
Both cars moving to the team from the DEI end of the merger (Martin Truex Jr. and Aric Almirola) will also run in 2009. Additionally, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing laid off an undisclosed number of workers this week.
Taylor Miinch finished second and fourth in the TaG Junior division and fifth and sixth in the KF-3 class at the Florida Winter Tour karting championships last weekend in Homestead, Fla. James Stewart: Wins two straight Supercrosses to climb into fourth in the standings after crashing and failing to finish the season opener. Ricky Carmichael: Former Supercross/motocross champion gets sponsor to run a Kevin Harvick-owned Chevy in the Camping World Truck Series as Ron Hornaday Jr.'s teammate. Carmichael is among the entries for Saturday's Toyota All-Star Showdown in Irwindale.
Formula One: Credit Suisse, Switzerland's second-largest bank, ends its sponsorship of the BMW Sauber team after eight seasons.
RaceLegal.Com Drags: Qualcomm Stadium, west access road, 6 p.m.
NASCAR: Toyota All-Star Showdown, Toyota Speedway, Irwindale, 6 p.m. (half-mile oval; first day opens with Showdown qualifying and features 150-lap race for super late-model stock cars).
NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, Toyota Speedway, Irwindale, 7 p.m. (250-lap race for top cars from the Camping World East and West series).
Grand-Am Sports Cars: 24 Hours of Daytona, Daytona Beach, Fla. (Daytona Prototypes and GT sedans; 3.56-mile, 14-turn infield road course; TV–Channel 5, noon-1:30 p.m.; Speed Channel, 1:30 p.m.-7 p.m.).
SCORE Off-Road Racing: Laughlin Desert Challenge, Laughlin, Nev., 7 a.m.
AMA Supercross: Houston
Grand-Am Sports Cars: 24 Hours of Daytona, Daytona Beach, Fla. (Speed Channel, 4 a.m.-1 p.m.; racing finishes at 12:30 p.m.).
SCORE Off-Road Racing: Laughlin Desert Challenge, Laughlin, 7 a.m.


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The appearance of advertisements and product information on this site does not constitute an endorsement by Equipment World Magazine, and Equipment World Magazine has not investigated the claims made by any advertiser. Product information is based solely on material received from suppliers.
Buck's Fabricating Switch-N-Go System is a detachable truck body system that allows you to interchange truck bodies in a matter of minutes. Set a loaded body on the ground. Pick up a loaded body. Dump like a dump truck. All in one system. This truck system is designed for the 11,000 GVW to 26,000 GVW commercial truck needs. Switch-N-Go is lighter weight and half the cost of similar systems available in the market. It adds only 500 pounds more to the chassis weight than an ordinary dumping trucks,Switch-N-Go is designed to run with electrically powered hydraulics


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The Green Hornet and Kato from the upcoming movie...
For a great selection of film, comic and TV action figures and collectibles, check out BigBadToyStore.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, PastGenerationToys.com, ZoloWorld.com, MonkeyDepot.com, HobbyLinkJapan.com, and Sekaido.com.
For a great selection of film, TV and pop culture t-shirts and apparel, check out TShirtGurus.com and 80sTees.com.
Mezco presents new 12-inch figures based on the characters from the upcoming movie, The Green Hornet. A classic character of film, television, radio, and comic books returns to the big screen in Columbia Pictures' feature film The Green Hornet, starring Seth Rogen as the vigilante crime-fighter. The film will be based upon The Green Hornet radio series created by George W. Trendle and is due to release January 2011.
The 12" Green Hornet figure features 11 points of articulation, as well as an alternate right hand, gas gun, and real cloth coat. Kato features 9 points of articulation, and an alternate right hand with gun. Both figures are packaged in a collector friendly window box.
The 12" Green Hornet and Kato action figures are scheduled to ship in November 2010 for a SRP of $34.99 each.


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Study of the Effect of Weight Bearing Status on Patient Outcomes After Surgery for Osteochondral Defects of the Ankle
Recruitment status was: Not yet recruiting
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
The rationale for this research study is to evaluate the effect on clinical outcomes of weight bearing as tolerated after forage surgery for the treatment of osteochondral defects of the ankle, thus potentially eliminating the need for a period of immobilisation or non-weight bearing after surgery.
The investigators hypothesize that their will be no difference in functional outcomes between weight bearing as tolerated as compared to non-weight bearing for six weeks after forage surgery for OCD of the ankle.
|Osteochondritis Dissecans of Ankle and Joints of Foot
|Other: Weight-Bearing as Tolerated
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|A Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Effect on Patient Outcomes of Weight Bearing Status After Forage of Osteochondral Defects of the Ankle
- Pain [ Time Frame: 12mo ]Pain and function as assessed by SF-36 and Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale patient questionnaires
- CT Scan [ Time Frame: 12mo ]For assessment of cartilage healing
|Estimated Enrollment:
|Study Start Date:
|September 2011
|Estimated Study Completion Date:
|September 2013
|Estimated Primary Completion Date:
|September 2013 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
|No Intervention: Non-Weight Bearing x 6 weeks
|Experimental: Immediate Weight-Bearing as Tolerated
Other: Weight-Bearing as Tolerated
WBAT immediately after surgery
Other Name: Weight-bearing status
Detailed Description:
The hypothesis for advantage of the investigational post-operative therapy is based on:
Equivalent clinical outcomes to non-weight bearing; Similar radiographic findings on CT at follow-up visit between the two groups; reduced morbidity and disability to subjects through elimination of a period of non-weight bearing; reduction of cost to patients by eliminating need for adjuvant walking and mobility aids (crutches, taxis) and time off work.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|16 Years to 65 Years (Child, Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Patients aged 16-60 years
- No prior ankle surgery
- Able and willing to comply with follow-up
- Capable of provide informed consent
- Medically fit for surgery
- Lesions on preoperative CT Scan < 1.5cm
- Symptomatic (ie:pain, restricted activities, inability to WB, decreased ROM)
- Single Isolated lesion
- Failure of conservative treatment (3 months of limited activities and/or weight bearing and/or immobilization)
Exclusion Criteria:
Age less than 16 years or greater than 60 years
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Diffuse OA of affected joint
- Associated fracture
- Prior ankle surgery for current injury (including arthroscopy)
- Unable to comply with follow-up
- Unable to provide informed consent
- Bernt & Hardy class IV (amenable to ORIF)
- Multiple OCDs in one ankle or Touching osteochondral lesions of tibia and talus
- Prior OCD of the affected ankle
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01405664
|Contact: Trish Francis
|Contact: Mark Glazebrook, MD, FRCSC
|Canada, Nova Scotia
|Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax Infirmary
|Not yet recruiting
|Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3H3A7
|Contact: Trish Francis 902-473-5993 firstname.lastname@example.com
|Principal Investigator: Mark Glazebrook, MD, FRCSC
|Sub-Investigator: Caroline A Tougas, MD
|Principal Investigator:
|Mark Glazebrook, MD,FRCSC
|Nova Scotia Health Authority
|Responsible Party:
|Dr. Mark Glazebrook, CDHA
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01405664 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|July 27, 2011
|Last Updated:
|August 11, 2011
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Osteochondritis Dissecans
Bone Diseases
Musculoskeletal Diseases
Cartilage Diseases
Connective Tissue Diseases
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


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19 fun car road trip activities
Turn an ordinary drive into a world of fun adventures and possibilities. more
Measles is a virus that can cause serious complications in very young children. Because of vaccinations, measles is not as common as it once was.
Measles is caused by a virus that lives in the mouth and nose of kids who are infected. When an infected child coughs or sneezes, the virus enters the air. Measles is highly contagious and kids can get measles just from being in the same room with another child who has the illness.
Complications from measles can be serious. About one third of kids who get measles will have complications such as ear infections, diarrhoea or pneumonia. Serious complications may include encephalitis.
The best way to prevent measles is by having your child vaccinated with two doses of the MMR (Measles-Mumps-Rubella) vaccine. The vaccine is given at twelve months and again at four years. If your child develops measles, keep him home until he is no longer infectious - about four days after the rash appears.
Measles is characterised by a telltale rash which usually starts on the face and can spread to the rest of the body. Before the rash appears, your child may have been feeling unwell for several days. He may have a fever, runny nose, and cough. The rash appears about two weeks after your child has been exposed to measles. He will be contagious from just before symptoms appear until about four days after the rash develops.
There really is no specific treatment for measles. If you know your child has been exposed to measles and has not been vaccinated, you may still be able to prevent the infection by having him vaccinated within 72 hours of exposure. If your child does develop measles, just keep him comfortable until his symptoms go away. Use paracetamol for fever, body aches and headache, and keep him away from other kids so the illness doesn't spread.
Since measles is very contagious, you should notify people your child has had contact with. Doctors, child care centres and schools have to notify the government whenever a case of measles has been confirmed to prevent the spread to other people.
Written by Rebecca Stigall for Kidspot, Australia's parenting resource for family health. Sources include Better Health Channel, NSW Health and Health Insite.
Last revised: Wednesday, 13 January 2010
This article contains general information only and is not intended to replace advice from a qualified health professional.


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A SERIES of events will mark the 370th anniversary of the Battle of Cheriton in 1644.
The battle near Alresford marked a decisive turning in the English Civil War.
The Battle of Cheriton Project has arranged several events this spring and summer in partnership with the Hampshire Royal British Legion to raise the profile of the fight in which an estimated 2,000 men died.
On the 370th anniversary of the battle, March 29-30, re-enactors in period costume will march the 26 miles from Basing House near Basingstoke to the battle memorial near Bishop's Sutton, stopping overnight in Wield.
On the Sunday, there will be a wreath-laying at the memorial, a service and the re-enactors will present a brief skirmish.
A schools week will be held from June 16-20 with more than 300 schools invited to experience 17th century life and fighting.
At a similar event in 2004 over 600 local schoolchildren attended. There will be pike and sword drills, armourers, apothecaries and priests as well as a mini-skirmish.
Then on June 29-30, History through the Ages will take place close to the battlefield.
The event will comprise entertainment and activities throughout the two days with arena displays by the Sealed Knot and other re-enactment groups, demonstrations, static displays and related attractions of all kinds.


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BUENA PARK – Crews were putting the finishing touches on Knott's Berry Farm's new Boardwalk area this week as it's set to open to the public on Saturday – just in time for Memorial Day weekend.
"These are all family attractions," said spokeswoman Jennifer Blazey. "That's the emphasis we wanted to bring to the Boardwalk."
A grand opening is scheduled for Thursday, but the area's three rides will start running Saturday. Also on Thursday, the Timber Mountain Log Ride will be re-opened and its multi-million-dollar upgrade unveiled.
The Boardwalk features two new rides – the Coast Rider rollercoaster and the Surfside Glider scooters – and one returning ride: the Pacific Scrambler.
The area was a construction site just a few weeks ago when it was shown during a preview to the media. On Wednesday night after the park closed, the construction walls came down for the first time. And on Thursday, workers were during some final safety inspections and firefighters from the Buena Park station of the Orange County Fire Authority came to help fill the pond with water.
The grand opening next Thursday will be led by pop culture expert Charles Phoenix. In lieu of a ribbon cutting, there will be a taffy cutting. Season passholders can arrive at the park at 7:30 a.m. to see the ceremony and ride the rides before the park opens.
Then shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday, the refurbished Log Ride will re-open after almost six months of work. Members of the public who arrive at the park right when it opens at 10 a.m. will be able to see the Log Ride's opening ceremony.
The redone ride features new technology and animatronics that strive to stay true to original designer Bud Hurlbut's vision.
Ethan Wayne, son of John Wayne, will be on hand Thursday to christen the ride with a bottle of boysenberry juice, just as his father did when the ride first opened in 1969. He'll then ride the Log Ride, as he and his father did that day.
Contact the writer: 714-704-3771 or firstname.lastname@example.com


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Today Grand Rapids Remembers DJ Allison Harte At Memorial Service
Allison Harte, her personality, her laugh and her ability to connect with her audience made her a much loved air personality here in Grand Rapids but she was just as loved in Detroit. A number of years ago Allison and I worked in Detroit at the same time. She worked at WABX and I was working at WDRQ. We would see each other at all the telethons and benefits and you could tell that her listeners loved her so much.


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THE Adver's 'Where's Wally?' clad contenders were among more than 300 fundraisers dressed in an array of eccentric and eye-catching costumes vying for victory at the hotly-contested Dragon Boat Race yesterday.
Challengers mustered unwavering strength and stamina through a series of rowing heats at Coate Water Park in the hope of being crowned overall winners and in support of various local charities including Prospect Hospice.
After a hard-fought battle, the remarkable Corsair Pirates scooped the champion trophy with an impressive time of 57.98 seconds.
Despite their best efforts the 16-strong Adver team, D'Arcy's Drag-ons, came in 13th place, after recording a pathetic time of one minute 20 seconds. But not all was lost as reporters and editors were awarded the Best Fancy Dress trophy.
"We did our best and were very motivated but unfortunately it was not enough," said team captain and deputy news editor Scott D'Arcy. "The competition was fierce and it was clear from the first round that a miracle would have to happen for us to make it to the final.
"I am proud of my team. We were doing it for the 160 Appeal which is a great cause and we had fun. It's the taking part that counts.
"Winning best fancy dress was a nice consolation prize and we'd like to thank Skywalkers, in Faringdon Road, for donating our costumes."
Prospect Hospice's own team came in last , only just beating the Adver's team to the title of longest time to cross the finish line with one minute 22 seconds.
Those less physically inclined enjoyed other fun activities, perused stalls or treated themselves to one of the many snacks on offer at the fun day.
John Fisher, a Rotary Club committee member and race organiser, said the event had become the largest in its event calendar.
"It's been brilliant. We had 18 teams which is a lot more than last year," he said.People were competitive and it was fun, which is what it's all about. People just love the race. .
"We also had lots of stalls set up by businesses and charities. "This is our second event and apart from our Santa Fun Run at Lydiard it's our biggest event.
"It's a great family day out and it gets everybody involved. Anybody can do it."


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Breadth is extremely strong at 4900 gainers to just 650 decliners, but it is "gap and flat" action. The market hit the highs early and isn't gaining any traction. The vast majority of stocks on my screens are well off their early highs.
It isn't too surprising that the market needs to consolidate a bit after the move since Monday morning. It's also facing technical resistance at the S&P 500 tests the lows prior to Christmas, when optimism about a fiscal-cliff deal was running high. At that time, many thought the market might have a setup for a sell-the-news reaction to a deal, but it fell apart first and that paid off for active traders.
What I find particularly interesting today is that the action is very similar to the first trading day of last year. The S&P 500 was up 1.55% on Jan. 3, 2012, and is up 1.72% as I write this. But was unusual about last year was that the market never completely filled that first-day gap. It dipped a little intraday the next couple of trading days and came close to breaking down in early June, but it stayed green all year.
You need not look any further than that to explain why hedge funds had another sub-par year. Hedge funds do best when the market is volatility and benefits those who rely on timing and aren't afraid to hold cash. In a market that never goes red, you are better off staying long and not putting as much emphasis on market timing.
Will this year be a replay? Will the low point be the first trading day of the year? From a statistical standpoint, it is a safe bet to say no. The likelihood that the market will not close the first day gap up is very low. Last year, the main driving force was the liquidity created by the Fed's bond buying. The catalyst today doesn't have the same impact on market dynamics. This is emotional and not liquidity-driven, which I prefer.
In general, I believe that the Fed's quantitative-easing programs have made trading much more difficult because there is less focus on individual stock-picking. My hope is that even if the market doesn't perform as well in aggregate, it will still be a good environment for traders, who can finally return to stock-picking.