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That's how far Manti Te'o was from his beloved girlfriend, a captivating California beauty named Lennay Kekua, in December of 2011, as he attended the Lott Awards ceremony in Newport Beach, Calif. But based on what he told Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick in a nearly two-hour meeting on Dec. 27 of last year, Te'o never saw her. Not just on that day, but ever.
That is the story that we were being asked to believe when we listened to Swarbrick defend the Fighting Irish All-American linebacker at a Wednesday news conference.
My thoughts on Te'o and his bizarre story have continually swayed since Wednesday afternoon when it broke on Deadspin.com. However, the more Te'o statements that I have researched, the more that I am assured of one indisputable truth.
Te'o is a liar.
Sports Illustrated released the full transcript of a 90-minute interview on Thursday with Te'o that was conducted in September of last year, and the player's statements are more difficult to believe than envisioning the Irish beating Alabama.
I find it impossible to accept that Te'o "is a victim of a hoax," as Swarbrick told the national media. In fact, anyone that reads those statements related to his relationship with Kekua, and believes that he has been forthright on this matter, is as gullible as Swarbrick described Te'o of being.
The most prominent discrepancy is that Te'o has been unable to keep his story straight as to where, when, or even if, he ever actually met Kekua.
"We met just, ummmm, just she knew my cousin," Te'o told SI of Kekua. "And kind of saw me there so. Just kind of regular. But she saw me at the USC game of my sophomore year (2010). We were still just friends, we were acquaintances."
That doesn't match what he told Swarbrick in that December meeting.
"What I will tell you," Swarbrick explained emphatically, "this was exclusively an online relationship."
Which doesn't match what Te'o tweeted to Kekua on Oct. 11, 2011.
"nice to meet u too, ma'am," the tweet read.
Which brings me to the aforementioned awards ceremony.
Based on what Te'o told SI, he and Kekua began dating "Oct. 15 was the official date," Te'o said. "Of (2011). I've known her for four years. So we've been friends."
So we are to believe that he had dated a girl, whom he had never met (see Swarbrick's statement), for nearly two months, yet when Te'o was in Newport Beach for the ceremony, which is located a mere 28 miles from the hometown of Kekua (Carson), the couple did not see each other (see Swarbrick's statement)?
If you enjoy reading fiction, his story gets better.
According to Te'o, Kekua graduated from Stanford in 2011 (though he was sketchy on this) and later that year, when her father passed away, she took over his position with Clark's Construction Co. in California. Yet, she still found time to teach "at elementary schools (plural). She flew to New Zealand to just work with kids. That's what she loved to do, work with children."
Te'o's statements often veered from being dishonest to being demented.
Te'o would sleep nightly while on the phone with Kekua – while she was in a coma – having suffered injuries in a car accident. That practice continued throughout the summer, even after she had "flat lined twice," according to Te'o, yet awakened from the coma and softly whispered "I love you," to Te'o, who was on the other line.
"Yeah and you know, she was in a coma," Te'o said of the calls. "I would try, and you know."
No, Manti, I don't know.
I don't know why you tweeted an initial greeting to Kekua on Oct. 11, 2011, yet claim you began dating her four days later.
I don't know why you spent all spring and summer sleeping with the phone to your ear.
I don't know why you talked with this woman "every day, every night," yet didn't know what her major or degree was from Stanford.
I don't know why, with Kekua lying on her death bed, you flew not to California to be by her side, but over Los Angeles to your home in Hawaii for summer break.
I don't know why you allowed a multitude of inaccurate reports stand in the largest media outlets in the world without correcting them.
I don't know why you continually referred to a woman that you had never met (depending on which interview you choose to believe) as your girlfriend.
I don't know why you took a phone call from her on Dec. 6, months after her supposed death, yet still referenced her death in interviews on Dec. 8 and 11.
I don't know why you failed to mention that phone call to anyone for nearly three weeks.
I don't know the answers to any of these situations. But I am confident in knowing this, Manti Te'o is a liar.


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When:September 18th
Time: 9:30 PM EST
Where: Disc Golf Talk Radio Live
Facebook: Facebook Event page-Let us know your coming
Also check out our website for previous shows and advertisement opportunities.
Disc Golf Talk Radio Your live Disc Golf Internet Radio show.
Any questions you have for John please post them here.

subset: commoncrawl


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In the trenches of Fieldbus War II
Like the 20th Century's Great Conflict, the first Fieldbus War never really ended. But what will the outcome be this time? CONTROL writer Ian Verhappen takes an educated guess on how the battle may turn out.
he three organizations that use Device Description (DD) technology as the basis for the interoperability of their devicesHART Foundation, Fieldbus Foundation and Profibus Nutzerorganisation e.V. (PA component)recently announced the release of EDDL (Elementary Device Description Language) Phase 1 as a means to provide users with a number of enhancements to the ability of their devices to represent more data intense information such as tables, graphs and images.
This is only one of the battlegrounds at present, since the bar on the fieldbus wars of the past has been raised to the next layer or two of the enterprise. The war is now taking place not only at the control level, layer 2, with the various flavors of Ethernet, it is also happening at the layer 2/layer 3 interface. This is where information available from data rich environments is being integrated into the asset management solutions being offered not only by each of the automation system suppliers but also the big guns such as SAP.
Are fieldbus wars heating up again?
CONTROL Editor in Chief Walt Boyes provides analysis and commentary.
Of course, in addition to the Big Three fieldbuses in the process industries, other fieldbuses, such as DeviceNet, Modbus, LONworks, AS-i and others, are not standing still either.
What will all these new features mean to the control landscape of the future, say around 2010? As we enter 2005 and hence, the middle of this decade, it is time to look into our crystal ball and make an educated prediction on how things will unfold so that you readers can take this into consideration as you plan your new facilities and future automation upgrades.
Lets have a look at each of the above points in turn.
EDDL vs. FDT/DTM
Despite the fact that Phase 1 is a significant improvement over the present text-only representation supported by these protocols, EDDL Phase 1 is a beginning on which to build better platforms in the future. The analogy is that DDL is presently in the DOS days, EDDL Phase 1 is like Windows 3.2 and EDDL Phase 2 will be the Windows NT release. In the interim, end users will continue to use what they have and be innovative in how it is applied, including the use of work-arounds if necessary.
Its competition is FDT/DTM (Field Device Tool/Device Type Manager) from Europe. When asked for his thoughts on EDDL/FDT, Jim Sprague, a controls engineer with a major Middle East oil and gas producer/refiner responded, We are counting on EDDL and FDT/DTM to fully deliver on Foundation Fieldbus (FF) promise of giving us âbest in class instrument choice. Sprague continued, Our company is moving ahead strongly with FF use, but we still have to be careful about our instrument selection to make sure Host âPlug-Ins or âSnap-Ons are available to give us full access to instrument maintenance features and diagnostics. We look forward to the time when we can choose best in class FF instruments and just know we will get everything at the host.
The EDDL-FDT/DTM conundrum is a small part of the battle to integrate the abundance of information available from a modern integrated digital control system and effectively use it to increase the bottom line. Many end users are taking advantage of the additional information to operate their facilities in a more reliable way using asset management or maintenance system solutions but, as indicated above, are experiencing difficulties getting all the parts to play nicely together.
Another end user in Northern Europe responded to my inquiry on the impact of EDDL by saying The (host) manufacturer that supports full functionality of non-host devices will have an advantage in the market.
This confirms that end users are not so much interested in the technology used to provide them the information they require, but rather the content of the information itself and hence the use of FDT/DTM to get that information if it is not available from fieldbus directly. FDT/DTM uses DD technology as the basis on which it enables the device manufacturer to represent the information in their device the way they wish, rather than how the host or maintenance system supplier thinks it should be done. Obviously, if the maintenance system supplier manufactures an end device, it is going to integrate it more tightly into its system than someone elses product and hence the request or need for FDT/DTM to fill a void. Interestingly, some speculate that the EDDL enhancements were driven not so much by end users but the competition from FDT/DTM.
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PASADENA, Calif. — A new vaccine against pneumococcal disease appears as safe as an older one, according to a new study.
The study, conducted by Kaiser Permanente and published Wednesday in the journal Vaccine, compared the new 13-valent vaccine with the seven-valent one used before 2010. The Food and Drug Administration approved the newer vaccine, called PCV13, in 2010 after a series of trials. The valent number refers to the number of varieties of pneumococcal disease the vaccine prevents.
Researchers for Kaiser Permanente analyzed electronic medical records for 600,000 children aged 1 month to 2 years who received PCV13 over a two-year period, finding no increased risk of harmful side effects in children taking the new vaccine compared with those taking the older vaccine. Funding for the study came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"It is important that children receive the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine as it provides protection against very serious and potentially fatal infections, including meningitis and bloodstream infections," lead study author Hung Fu Tseng said. "The new vaccine protects against an additional six types of pneumococcal bacteria."
Get connected and follow us on LinkedIn for the most in-depth coverage of drug store news. Join the conversation.


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After a four-year hiatus, Microsoft's flagship series returns to our screens with Halo 4, the first entry to a new Halo trilogy, this time developed by newcomers 343 Industries. Despite Halo 3's thin claim to have 'finished the fight', Master Chief, our super-soldiering, world-savioring, helmet-wearing protagonist is once again called out of his stasis sleep to battle an alien threat, this time in the form of the Prometheans, a race of arcane insectoids and robot dogs.
Master Chief - or John as he's known to his mum - may not have gained any weight while in cryogenic sleep, but he has undergone a number of changes that long-time fans of the series will immediately perceive. For one, he's a little heavier on his feet, 343 having added significant weight to his movement. You'll still be leaping over enemies' heads in long, arcing jumps, but this hero has never felt more like a marine when racing at full pelt into the battle's throng.
Cortana Controversy
At the start of the game Master Chief crash lands on the planet Requiem, a beautiful world of lush, green swamps, bronzed mountains and futuristic looking underground lava pits. As soon as he's gained his composure he's joined by a friendly ship, filled with marines also crash-landing on the planet who, over the course of the 8-hour campaign, go on to fight alongside him. While you're tasked with protecting these soldiers, saving these comrades isn't your only task.
Cortana, Master Chief's ever-present AI companion is also dying - succumbing to a form of computer disease known as Rampancy, which effects all AIs after seven years of service. It's this task that proves the strongest motivation to continue the fight as you race through the world in search of a way to save Cortana, the human voice that has guided your footsteps for all these years.
343 has played it safe by basing many of its new levels on familiar stages from past games, and the routine tasks can be somewhat tiresome - especially when you're tasked with destroying three generators for the fourth time in a row. But the diversity of environments makes up for the lack of invention in the mission tasks, pulling you along when the story fails to.
Playing To Spec
Indeed, Halo 4 is a beautiful game, perhaps the best looking on Xbox 360, 343 Industries squeezing every last drop of potential from the system's aging silicon. But it's in the hands that the game dazzles, even if its basic systems are familiar from previous games, gently tweaked and adjusted, but never fully overhauled. As ever you have just two weapons to choose from at any one time. Come across a new sidearm and you'll need to discard one of your current pieces. This forces tactical decisions as you choose what to take and what to leave behind. A huge array of weapons makes these choices particularly difficult, the Prometheans' new, exciting weapons joining the cast of familiar battle rifles, shotguns, Needlers and rocket launchers to provide a range of tactical options.
Outside of the main campaign - which can be played with up to three other friends - 343 has created a number of Spartan Ops missions, 15 minute-long co-op tasks for four players to complete together. These expand the story of the Halo universe and, while there are only five of these included at launch, each week new missions will be made available for players to download for free.
Friends In High Places
Once the single-player content has been exhausted it falls to Halo's famous multiplayer battles to provide longevity. A smaller number of game types is made up for by a greater flexibility in your load-outs (your choice of guns, perks and armour options). A somewhat awkward leveling system awards you with currency with which to purchase new guns and load-out options - and this imbalances the game in the early stages (as those who have played for the longest generally have the best gear). But at the upper end of the spectrum everything is finely-balanced, as Microsoft hopes Halo 4 can become a serious e-Sports title.
Halo 4 is a familiar game. It has next to no invention in its pixels, merely improvements and upgrades to existing ideas. But as these ideas have been proven time and time again, what remains is a robust, enjoyable playpen for shooting aliens, one built upon solid foundations, and proving that 343 has the chops to carry Master Chief forward into the future.
GAME's Verdict
The Good:
- Focused, balanced multiplayer
- Sumptuous visuals
- Master Chief's improved 'feel'
The Bad:
- Level editor can be difficult to get into
- Story takes a while to gather momentum
- Dearth of secrets
Published: 08/11/2012


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Day Of The Dead - "Crimson and Black" Limited Edition Set...
For a great selection of action figures and collectibles, check out BigBadToyStore.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, SmallJoes.com, PastGenerationToys.com, Urban-Collector.com, MonkeyDepot.com, HobbyLinkJapan.com, and Sekaido.com.
To insure your action figure collection, get in touch with our sponsor Collectibles Insurance.
Mezco announces that they will be releasing a limited edition "Crimson and Black" set of their Series 20: Day Of The Dead Living Dead Dolls. Paying tribute to the skeleton-filled holiday known as "The Day of the Dead," or "El Día de los Muertos," this variant series features exclusive red and black costumes. Each doll comes in a signature coffin package with death certificate.
The Crimson and Black set is priced at $190 and available exclusively via MezcoDirect.com. A bundle featuring the Crimson and Black set AND the three Retro Halloween LDD Sets (read our story HERE) is also up for pre-order priced at $245. Both are slated to ship mid-October.


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Just as the buzz surrounding Chipotle's "Scarecrow" promotion dies down, the restaurant chain is set to launch its new satirical series about farming next month.
Beginning in mid-February, Chipotle will release "Farmed and Dangerous," a four-part comedy series on Hulu, a TV-streaming service. The series was produced by Chipotle and Piro, a New York-based studio.
According to a Chipotle press release, the series "satirizes the lengths to which corporate agribusiness and its image-makers go to create a positive image of industrial agriculture."
The New York Times reports the series begins with a bang – literally – as a cow explodes while feeding on petroleum pellets, a fictional low-cost feed source used by farmers. The series will also take jabs at antibiotics and food libel laws.
"As you do with all comedy, you take a real issue and then amp it up," Mark Crumpacker, Chipotle chief marketing officer and an executive producer of the series told The New York Times.
Read, "Chipotle Blurs Lines With a Satirical Series About Industrial Farming."
For the nation's agricultural community, it appears Chipotle's messaging will repeat itself. The company's "Scarecrow" promotion, released in September 2013, failed to inspire the conversation Chipotle had originally intended it to have.
The majority of responses from consumers – especially from the social media-driven Mellennials – used the film as fact, leaving farmers to correct the misconceptions. However, many of these responses have fallen onto deaf ears. Read some of the pro-agriculture responses here.
Paul Jeschke, an Illinois farmer, explained that Chipotle would "prefer for us to continue to farm as we did in our great-grandparents' time. Yet, these folks don't want to live their lives like their great-grandparents did."
Some of the nation's top advertising executives named "Scarecrow" one of the worst commercials of 2013. Jeff Goodby, co-founder of Omnicom Group Inc.'s Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, believes "Scarecrow" misses the mark. Instead of promoting Chipotle, it pushes a pro-vegetarian message.
"The films use vegetarian imagery to sell meat," Goodby said. "I come away thinking I shouldn't be eating meat at all, and I don't think that's their point."
Related Articles
- Three antibiotic-free musketeers: Chipotle, Panera and Culver's
- Farmers started daylight saving time? More pop culture nonsense
- Neb. Farm Bureau vs. Chipotle in 'Scarecrow' battle
- No wonder consumers are confused
- Blog: Farmers - not activists - feed the world
- Commentary: Scary Movie
- Does Chipotle care about farmers?
- Consumers misled? Naturally!
- Chipotle and Panera: Food for thought
- Dear Chipotle: Farmers respond to 'scarecrow' ad
- Should consumers insist on "antibiotic free" meat?


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Online Directory of Human Services Available to County Residents
Office of Public Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
April 28, 2003
Online Directory of Human Services
Available to County Residents
Have you ever wondered what local organizations provide assistance to the homeless or what organizations accept food donations? Did you know that many local organizations can help with basic needs such as food, housing, temporary financial assistance and transportation? Hundreds of local organizations provide services throughout the county. A directory of these services is available online in the Human Services Resource Guide.
The guide, a comprehensive directory of services and public, non-profit and some for-profit service providers throughout the county, contains detailed service descriptions, criteria for accessing services and eligibility, income guidelines, location and contact information for hundreds of organizations providing human services in Fairfax County. The Resource Information Management Services group of the Department of Systems Management for Human Services developed the Human Services Resource Guide, which is maintained by social workers who research, classify, catalog and maintain the data.
The guide, containing more than 600 organizations, also provides a depth of information on each organization that is helpful to prospective clients and social workers as they seek to understand eligibility criteria and where services are available. Users can search by service type or organization name. For example, a search on "homeless" returns more than 25 organizations, including non-profits and county agencies that provide services to the homeless.
The Human Services Resource Guide contains a variety of information on organizations including:
Detailed organization and service descriptions
How to access the service
Eligibility criteria
Information needed to help decide if a service is a good match
Service locations
Hours of Operation
Languages on staff
Income guidelines
- How to contact the organization
Staff is available for training presentations to community groups and associations on how to use the resource guide. To schedule training or for more information on the guide, call 703-533-5718, TTY 711 (Virginia Relay Center), or send an e-mail to email@example.com. Organizations interested in being included in the guide are encouraged to mail brochures, fact sheets or other materials to Resource Information Management Services, 6245 Leesburg Pike, #320, Falls Church, Va. 22044.
To access the online Human Services Resource Guide, visit the Web site


text: Snakes taking over Everglades By Scott Shalaway January 28, 2012 Story Share The Florida Everglades teems with wildlife. Until relatively recently, alligators were king. They eat just about everything.Today, even gators succumb to huge exotic snakes. Released into the wild by irresponsible collectors and pet owners, giant constrictors have climbed atop the Everglades' food chain. These snakes can weigh more than 100 pounds grow to almost 20 feet in length.When released into the sub-tropical Everglades, big snakes thrive. Today, experts estimate that more than 10,000 pythons inhabit the Everglades. They eat everything from great blue herons to alligators and deer. In a recent study of the stomach contents of 56 Burmese pythons captured in or near Everglades National Park, 50 had eaten multiple species of birds including white ibis, limpkins, king rails and clapper rails. Efforts are now underway to eliminate these snakes from the Everglades, but finding them is truly like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. So it's welcome news that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized a rule that will ban the importation and interstate transportation of four nonnative constrictor snakes that threaten the Everglades and other sensitive ecosystems across the United States.The rule, which incorporates public comments, economic analysis, and an environmental assessment, lists Burmese pythons, yellow anacondas and northern and southern African pythons as injurious to wildlife under the Lacey Act (the federal law that governs the trafficking of wildlife)."The Burmese python has already gained a foothold in the Florida Everglades," Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar said in a statement. "We must do all we can to battle its spread and to prevent further human contributions of invasive snakes that cause economic and environmental damage."I suspect reptile collectors will protest this rule, but their track record speaks for itself. Regulations restricting the ownership and sale of large invasive snakes have become an ecological imperative."By taking this action," USFWS Director Dan Ashe said, "we will help prevent further harm from these large constrictors to native wildlife, especially in habitats that can support constrictor snake populations across the southern U.S. and in U.S. territories." Reaction from conservation groups to the new rule has been positive. "In recent years, the release of nonnative snakes into sensitive bird habitats such as the Florida Everglades has reached epidemic proportions," said George Fenwick, president of American Bird Conservancy, the nation's leading bird conservation organization. "Unwitting individuals are buying these animals only to later realize they can't keep a six-foot-long snake in their homes. They dump them in the wild, where they breed and feed on native birds and other wildlife.""This was a decision that had to be made," Fenwick said. "Populations of long-lived and reproductively prolific invasive snakes, such as the Burmese python, represent an ecological and economic disaster that can quickly overtake even the most far-reaching eradication efforts to protect endangered and declining species."Furthermore, Fenwick cited the widespread destruction caused by the introduction of the brown tree snake to Guam from its native range in New Guinea and Australia in the 1950s. Preying on eggs and adult birds alike, brown tree snakes have caused the extinction of nine of the 11 native land bird species on Guam. "Its predation of native birds has been so complete that brown tree snakes now survive by feeding almost exclusively on the island's lizard species," he said.Michael Hutchins, executive director of The Wildlife Society, agrees. "In addition to their devastating ecological impacts, these species pose a significant financial burden to taxpayers," he said. Eradicating these snakes after they establish themselves in an ecosystem is extremely difficult. Preventative measures must be taken to ensure that the havoc caused by invasive snakes in south Florida not be repeated elsewhere.The new rule will become effective 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register. It will take years to undo the damage that has been done in the Everglades but this is certainly a step in the right direction. And for the approximately 1 million tourists who will visit the Everglades this year, these giant snakes are just one more reason to stay on the trails and boardwalks.Send questions and comments to Dr. Scott Shalaway, 2222 Fish Ridge Road, Cameron, WV 26033 or via my website, http://scottshalaway.googlepages.com. Story Share Story Share Trending Now 1 Innerviews: Dual-identity surgeon riding high in horse racing world 2 Deer in 8 WV counties found dead from EHD 3 Former State Police captain now chief in Winfield 4 Parole hearing set for Putnam man who claims wrongful sex assault conviction 5 Derek Redd: Marshall thinks outside the cable box for broadcasts Examining the slow death of fall turkey season Previous Story Federal aid program set up in 1930s remains key to 'good hunting' Next Story


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Cabot, Arkansas Juvenile Law Lawyers
Degen Clow
(501) 891-6000
Cabot, AR Juvenile Law Attorney
3 years experience
3 years experience
Degen Clow
Cabot, AR Juvenile Law Attorney.
(501) 891-6000University of Arkansas - Little RockArkansasArkansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and Arkansas State BarJury Trials and Duck Hunting
Matthew Porter McKay
Little Rock, AR Juvenile Law Attorney.
(501) 239-9541William H. Bowen School of LawUniversity of Arkansas - Little RockArkansasArkansas State Bar, Criminal Law Section, Arkansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers...
June Ann Anteski
Paris, AR Juvenile Law Attorney.
(479) 963-3055University of Arkansas - FayettevillePurdue University - Purdue University CalumetArkansasArkansas State Bar
Beth Crawford
Hot Springs, AR Juvenile Law Attorney.
(855) 272-9367William H. Bowen School of LawArkansas Trial Lawyers AssociationThe Width and Breadth of Quality Assurance & Peer Review: Not So Daunting After All
Blake H. Crawford
Hot Springs, AR Juvenile Law Attorney.
(479) 434-2414University of Arkansas - Fayetteville and University of Southern CaliforniaArkansas and DC
Earl J. Garrett
Bentonville, AR Juvenile Law Attorney.
(479) 544-9060University of Arkansas - FayettevilleArkansasState Bar of Arkansas
Rita G. Hempen
Fayetteville, AR Juvenile Law Attorney.
(479) 443-7660University System of Georgia - University of Georgia and University System of Georgia - University of GeorgiaGeorgia and ArkansasArkansas State Bar
Ms. Sarah Beth Williamson
Fayetteville, AR Juvenile Law Attorney.
(479) 582-4608University of Arkansas - FayettevilleUniversity of Colorado - BoulderArkansasArkansas State Bar
The LII Lawyer Directory contains lawyers who have claimed their profiles and are actively seeking clients. Find more Cabot, Arkansas Juvenile Law Lawyers in the Justia Legal Services and Lawyers Directory which includes profiles of more than one million lawyers licensed to practice in the United States, in addition to profiles of legal aid, pro bono and legal service organizations.


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East Central/Select Sires held their annual awards banquet on June 2, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza in Madison, Wis. The evening consisted of a social hour, dinner, a message from the board of directors and presentation of the performance and service awards.
Jay Ludeman of Lake Mills took home top honors by being named Area Sales Manager (ASM) of the Year. He was also honored for earning the highest Area Direct Herd Unit Percent Increase, Area Diversified Product Volume and Area Diversified Product Percent Increase. Ludeman provides artificial insemination services and offers semen and product sales to dairy and beef producers in parts of Jefferson, Rock, Walworth, Green and Dane counties and supervises seven Member Service Representatives in his region.
Runner-up ASM of the Year was Region A headed by Brian Kelroy and Eric Westphal. Region A was awarded for having the highest Area Direct Herd Unit Volume, Area Total Unit Volume and SMS Volume. Kelroy of Marshall is an ASM with East Central/Select Sires and offers semen and product sales to dairy and beef producers. Westphal of Eden is a Select Mating Service (SMS) Evaluator.
Kurt Barnes of Kiel was honored with the Member Service Representative (MSR) of the Year Award. Barnes received several awards that contributed to him winning the MSR of the Year, including Area Direct Herd Unit Volume, SMS Volume and Area Contribution. In addition, he was honored for reaching his 130,000 first services milestone. Barnes provides artificial insemination services and offers semen and product sales to dairy and beef producers in Fond du Lac County.
Doug Rake of Freedom received the Runner-up MSR of the Year Award. He was also honored at the banquet for earning a 90,000 services certificate. Rake provides artificial insemination services and offers semen and product sales to dairy and beef producers in parts of Sauk County.
The Outstanding Effort Awards are given to employees who go above and beyond the call of duty every day. The Outstanding Effort Award for an MSR was presented to Matt Staner of Platteville. Scott Nelson of South Wayne received the Outstanding Effort Award for Relief MSRs. The Outstanding Effort Award for Other Employees was presented to Eric Westphal of Eden.
Ranking first in other categories of sales and service were:
- Steve Kacuba, Beaver Dam
o Personal Total Service Volume
o Area Total Service Volume
o Accounts Receivable
- Matt Staner, Platteville
o Personal Total Service Percent Increase
o Area Total Service Percent Increase
o Accounts Receivable
o Area Direct Herd Unit Percent Increase
o Area Total Unit Percent Increase
o Personal Diversified Product Percent Increase
- Dave Hahn, Campbellsport
o Personal Diversified Product Volume
o Area Total Unit Volume
- Tom Budde, Beaver Dam
o Semen Blend
- Loren Polkinghorn, Dodgeville
o Semen Blend Percent Increase
- Glen Stewart, Lomira
o Personal Total Unit Volume
o Accounts Receivable
- Kevin Cox, Sparta
o Personal Total Unit Percent Increase
o Area Total Unit Percent Increase
Awards for total lifetime first-service inseminations were also presented. They were:
- 170,000
o Tom Budde, Beaver Dam
- 150,000
o Howie Minnema, Fond du Lac
o Dave Hahn, Cambellsport
- 140,000
o Bob Boatman, Darlington
- 130,000
o Kurt Barnes, Kiel
- 100,000
o Steve Kacuba, Beaver Dam
- 90,000
o Doug Rake, Freedom
o Chris Meyer, Loganville
o Kevin Farnsworth, Deerfield
- 80,000
o Dale Griebenow, Watertown
o Steve Otteson, Arlington
- 70,000
o Road Alton, Monroe
- 60,000
o Glen Kottke, Fond du Lac
o Dan Potterton, Mineral Point
o Brian Immel, Cambellsport
- 50,000
o Eric Gudex, Oakfield
o Aaron McMillan, Oshkosh
o Nate Watson, Elkhorn
o Roger Belling, Fond du Lac
- 40,000
o Sandy Hoppmann, Wilton
- 30,000
o Casey Degnitz, Fredonia
o Jim Membler, Pickett
- 20,000
o Ryan Besaw, Omro
o Bill Daentl, Portage
- 10,000
o Jim Suddeth, Stoughton
o Zach Warnes, Spring Green
o Don Bahr, Platteville
Recognition was also given to employees for length of service milestones:
- 30 years
o Frank Blahnik, Cuba City
o Kevin Farnsworth, Deerfield
- 25 years
o Bryan Witt, Browntown
- 20 years
o Dan Potterton, Mineral Point
o Dan Reilly, La Valle
o Kurt Barnes, Kiel
o Darwin Clifton, Potosi
o Kim Smith, Waupun
- 15 years
o Kitty Richter, Waupun
- 10 years
o Loren Polkinghorn, Dodgeville
o Phil Dieter, Middleton
- 5 years
o Wayne Dieter, Platteville
o Bill Daentl, Portage
o Eric Westphal, Eden
East Central/Select Sires is a professional, artificial breeding cooperatives serving dairy and livestock producers in southern Wisconsin. As a member-owner of Select Sires located near Plain City, Ohio, East Central/Select Sires helps make up the largest Artificial Insemination (A.I.) cooperative in the world. They provide highly fertile semen as well as excellence in service and programs to achieve its basic objective of supplying livestock breeders with America's best genetics at a reasonable price.


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There are several reasons why people spend their hard-earned dough on modifying their cars. It can be for the personal enjoyment or wrenching or a basic need for speed or it might be an aesthetic dilemma of some sort where stock looks just don't cut it. For some it's a necessity to help promote the company's product line. Enkei for example wanted to debut its new wheel line but did not want to show them on a bland stock vehicle. So the next best thing was to create a show car to enhance the impact of the new wheel line's debut.
When Enkei Wheels set out to build a project Marketing Manager Chris Ditty wanted to build a car that was different and not just another lemming in the sea of Hondas. His platform of choice was a 1995 Nissan 240SX (S14). To make the Nissan standout Chris trandformed the 240SX to resemble GT Touring/Drift racing which is heavily popular in Japan. Although the S14 already incorporates some intoxicating bodylines from the factory, Chris wanted to change it up a bit. In 1999 Nissan released the S15 Silvia but even the usual watered down version was not imported into the States since Nissan axed the 240SX in 1998. Chris decided he wanted to convert the front-end of the S14 240SX to S15 Silvia specs. Fortunately for Chris VIS Racing Sports in Monterey Park, Calif. offered a S15 conversion for the S14. Complete Auto Body in Arlington, Texas was responsible for grafting the VIS front-end onto the S14 platform. To add more zing to the S14.5 the front fascia incorporates a Drift-style look with side skirts and a Nismo-style rear valence to match. To add a more race-appeal to the Nissan a carbon fiber hood, M3-style carbon fiber side view mirrors and C-West GT wing were added to round out the exterior amenities. Although the sheetmetal was to be sprayed with a Ferrari Yellow tone, Chris decided it would look best with the original black giving the Nissan a very dark horse look.
With the exterior of the car addressed it was now time to work on power production. Chris felt the horsepower department would best left to Kenny Tran and the Jotech Motorsports crew. Kenny decided that the factory engine would have to go to make way for the Japan-spec 1998 SR20DET engine. Knowing that keeping a SR20DET engine stock would be a sin, Kenny upgraded many of the stock components with HKS counterparts. The factory turbo was replaced with a quick spooling GT2530 ball-bearing unit. Ambient air is drawn through an HKS Super Mega Flow intake before entering the precious turbocharger. To cool the charge air to safer levels an HKS Silvia intercooler kit was modified to fit on the U.S.-spec 240SX. For quicker spool up between shifts an HKS Super SQV blow-off valve was fabricated into the intake tract. On the exhaust end spent gases from the turbine housing are evacuated through a Super Drager exhaust system.
Any active enthusiast knows a wheel and tire combo can make or break the look of any vehicle. Being one of the largest wheel distributors in the world Chris already knew from the beginning the wheel and tire combination that would find its way into the fenderwells of the S14.5. Chris chose Enkei's Japan-spec GTV racing aluminum wrapped with Falken performance rubber. The Nissan's fighting stance was attained with the use of HKS Hiper Damper racing coil-overs. Additional suspension tweaking also included Nismo front and rear strut bars and an Energy Suspension bushing kit.
The Nissan is an all around performer as the interior has also been upgraded for the racing vibe. A custom designed Katzkin leather interior utilizing a black and yellow accents add aura and comfort to the cabin. An A'PEXi tach and ITC ignition box is uniquely mounted in the driver's defroster vent. Tunes are provided by an Eclipse 7301 in-dash head unit capable of controlling a CD changer, DVD player as well as all the speaker outputs.
If you are trying to capture the "look" everyone is after, take some pointers from the Enkei S14.5 as Chris and the Enkei crew have left no stone unturned creating this masterpiece-a car that is further testament that Nissan should have been importing the Silvia all along.


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11 comments:
- marianneOctober 20, 2005 at 1:51 PM
Congratulations Kalyn! What a great achievement. I've been on South Beach since June and I am currently in that "gain 1 lb, lose 2 lbs" stage. Probably because I'm pretty much at my goal weight (at least, my original goal, an 18 lb loss) and am now eating a "mostly SB" diet. South Beach is a wonderful, healthy, smart way of eating. I can't stop raving about it! Thanks for your great blog.ReplyDelete
Hey Kalyn! That's fabulous news!ReplyDelete
You're an inspiration! I just bought the book last week and have been flipping through it myself--seems pretty straightforward.
Good luck in your future endeavors too!
- AnonymousSeptember 1, 2006 at 1:46 AM
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 6, 2006 at 11:54 PM
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
The dream of a slender figure may inspire you to improve your life forever! But I know, how to loose weight!ReplyDelete
Find out more about the newest methods of weight loss. Come and see yourself! But I know, how to loose weight!ReplyDelete
You wrote this YEARS ago. But I can't help but write to you. I'm doing the South Beach diet right now. I have baby weight to lose and then some. Your former starting point is just where I'm at: 175 with a good 35 to lose. I also live in Utah. Can you just tell me to hang in there? Can you tell me it's worth it? Can you tell me I can do it? It would mean EVERYTHING to me right now! I'm so glad I found your website today!ReplyDeleteReplies
Emilie, you can do it, it is worth it, and I promise if you stick with it you will lose the weight. These days I am not as strong of a believer in some part of South Beach (especially the recommendation for low-fat dairy) but in general I still eat that way most of the time (with some splurges of course) and this morning I weighed 143.8, so I have maintained pretty well all these years. The site has changed a bit since I wrote this, but if you're focused on losing weight I would go to the new Recipes-by-Diet-Type page and choose recipes from the Low-Carb and South Beach Diet Phase One pages. Good luck! Come back in six months or so and tell me how you are doing!Delete
And by the way, NOW I wear size .5 at Chicos, due to bumping up the exercise the last few years!Delete
Awesome, good for you! I didn't expect such a quick response, but like I said, it sure means a lot. Your recipes look fantastic. Congrats on your new lifestyle and your success with your weight loss goals and thanks for the recipes and the encouragement! You've got a new follower :)Delete
I'm so happy you're taking the time to comment on Kalyn's Kitchen! I love hearing from people who stop by, especially if you're sharing feedback or asking questions about a recipe I've posted here.
I've recently changed my comment settings so people can comment without signing in, but you will need to check the box to show you're a live person, and comments on older posts won't show up until I publish them. Thanks for understanding!
And if you really like the recipe, Pins, Shares, Tweets, and Yums are always appreciated!


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THE WEATHER HAD just enough of a chill in it, the kind of cold that only a heavy scarf or a brown liquor has any chance of curing. Coupled with the chill brought on by the ongoing political debate, it was enough to send me to the little downtown bar to assuage my lilting spirit.
I eyed my territory with my peripheral vision; two big-haired brunettes straight out of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" to one side, and two financial types to the other. The proverbial rock and hard place.
Soon it dawned on me that I had happened to sit between an ongoing discussion between the two, the kind of argument not held directly, but manifested in loud conversation seemingly directed at no one in particular.
"No one with any class drinks blended Scotch," said one banker type to the surrounding air.
"Blended Scotch is so smooth," said one of the housewives loud enough for all to hear while stirring the ice in her highball with a manicured forefinger.
I recognized the nature of the discussion. It was the great Scotch debate: single malt whisky versus blended whisky. And as with most debates, there is no clear winner. Thomas Jefferson once said: "I never saw an instance of one of two disputants convincing the other by argument."
These two groups were either unfamiliar with Jefferson's words, or they didn't care. One of the men took a long, slow sip of his whisky, adorned by a single ice cube, before sharply inhaling and then exhaling with an audible "ahhh."
"Single malt is an acquired taste," he said.
Scotch is a lot like the land it comes from. Harshly beautiful, politically complicated and loved by its people, Scotland itself might be considered an acquired taste. According to Scottish law, only Scotch whisky (notice the lack of an "e") can be produced, bottled or even aged in Scotland. There are actually three types of Scotch, which in Scotland is simply called whisky:
Single malt whisky: A liquor made from malted barley produced at one single distillery.
Single grain whisky: A liquor produced from other cereal grains such as corn and wheat, also produced at a single distillery.
Blended whisky: A liquor that is a combination of the two.
The term single malt is not limited to Scotland. Single malt rye whiskey (note the "e") is made in California by the Anchor Distillery and single malt whiskey is made by both St. George Spirits and Charbay Winery and Distillery (both also in California). Single malts are also produced in many lands associated with the British realm, including Ireland, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Wales. Oddly there is no whisky tradition in England itself, the titular seat of the British Empire. Additionally, Japan produces many malt whiskies similar in style to single malt Scotch (going so far as to import Scottish peat for the process), a fact immortalized in the 2003 Sofia Coppola film "Lost in Translation."
When it comes to taste, whisky gets much of its smoothness by virtue of age. The longer it matures in the barrel the smoother tasting it will be, much like fine wine. Single malt Scotch is certainly distinctive; its flavor profile is stronger and more discernible than its blended cousin. Typically, single malt scotch is also aged longer which helps to mellow some of its harshness. But, find an older blended whisky (like an 18-year-old Johnnie Walker Gold) and you will find it is decidedly smoother than most single malts of the same age.
As I listened to the two groups of Scotch drinkers bicker, I realized:
Taste is subjective and as such is unassailable through argument. You like what you like, no matter what anyone else says.
That Jefferson guy really knew what he was talking about.
Acquiring a taste for something might indeed be a noble goal. Acquiring taste in general, can prove far more elusive.
When you discus how little class (or taste) someone else has, you remove what little you might have started with.
When selecting a Scotch, if smoothness is your goal, go blended or old or both. However if bold distinctive flavor is your desire select a younger single malt. Either way you are in for a treat.
Sometimes barstools are empty for a reason.
Jeff Burkhart is the author of "Twenty Years Behind Bars: The Spirited Adventures of a Real Bartender" as well as an award-winning bartender at a local restaurant. Follow him at www.jeffburkhart.net and contact him at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Thanksgiving means turkey and dressing, and Christmas means ornaments and gifts, but if you think New Year's Day is stuck with headaches and hangovers, you're selling the day short. Perhaps no other holiday has been associated with a wider array of customs.
For my father, the day was a college football fest, from early morning to late night. Back in the day, when the Cotton Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl all were played on Jan. 1, he'd spend his waking hours staring into our 27-inch Admiral console as if caught in a gypsy's trance.
On those occasions when two games were aired on different channels at overlapping times, he'd wheel in a second TV and place them side-by-side. He even did this one year when he was running a temperature and battling pneumonia. He timed his sneezes to coincide with commercials.
For some people, the New Year means a fresh start. They resolve to lose weight, eat healthier and better manage their time, unless they're running late and have to slam down a Big Mac while driving to an appointment. They resolve to quit cursing, drinking and smoking until they become agitated, thirsty and need a cigarette.
Resolutions never work, but they are part of the tradition.
For me, New Year's Day means the Christmas lights come down. This is family protocol, rigidly enforced by a higher authority in the household chain of command.
I don't make the rules. I just follow them. Lights can go up on Thanksgiving. They come down by Jan. 1. No exceptions, no extensions. Librarians are more forgiving about overdue books.
Throughout mankind's history, the New Year has generated all manner of beliefs and superstitions.
According to infallibly reliable sources at snopes.com, we first began kissing our loved ones at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve to ensure that our affections would continue through the next 12 months, although the divorce rate suggests the practice may not work. We are said to have started welcoming the New Year with loud noises to scares away evil spirits. Overindulgence in liquid spirits may also have something to do with it.
A quick Web search finds that different countries have different ways of ringing in the new calendar.
Japanese celebrants are said to hold Bonenkai (forget-the-year) parties, in which they bid farewell to the problems of the last year. The only way Americans could guarantee that happening is to replace every officeholder in Congress.
A Spanish ritual is to eat 12 grapes to ensure 12 happy months ahead. They do the same thing in Napa, but they ferment them first.
A Netherlands custom involves lighting Christmas tree bonfires and setting off fireworks to purge the old and celebrate the new. The Dutch apparently don't have to worry about No Burn days.
In Greece, New Year's Day marks the Festival of St. Basil, at which a special cake (Vassilopitta) is served, with a silver or gold coin baked inside. Whoever finds the coin will be lucky that year, especially if they don't swallow it.
I could go on, but you get the idea. Besides, duty calls. It's time to retrieve the waving Santa Claus from the roof, gather the light strands and dismantle the illuminated reindeer. If I don't finish by nightfall, I can guarantee it won't be a Happy New Year.
Contact Tom Barnidge at email@example.com


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MIAMI - The state's star witness in the bribery case against former Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones turned the tables on the prosecution Tuesday, denying he paid Spence-Jones a bribe and accusing the state of falsely using him to indict her.
?He purposely misled me,? said Armando Codina of Assistant State Attorney Richard Scruggs in the courthouse hallway after he testified.
Codina referred to a meeting at the State Attorney's office last year, when Scruggs led him to believe a donation Spence-Jones had solicited in 2006 was for a charity that did not exist.
?Scruggs told me Michelle Spence Jones had used my contribution as piggy bank,? Codina told jurors. ?I thought I'd made a legitimate contribution. Mr. Scruggs he told us in no uncertain terms that it was a sham.?
Codina since became aware that the charity, Friends of Martin Luther King, Jr. Trust is an organization registered with the venerable Dade Community Foundation, and the events described by Spence-Jones had indeed taken place.
The solicitation came as Codina and his company were lobbying the Miami City Commission for a vote to extend the name Brickell Avenue to the street in front of the project.
Though the vote was eventually canceled when city commissioners learned they did not have jurisdiction, prosecutors insist Spence-Jones? charity request amounts to requesting a bribe for her vote.
Spence-Jones is on trial for bribery and grand theft.
Copyright 2011 by Post-Newsweek Stations. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed


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Property Price along Dwarka Expressway, Gurgaon
Dwarka Expressway connects NH-8 and a link between Delhi and Gurgaon and is an important real estate market in India. As per the recent analysis by www.makaan.com Property Price Trends, per square feet (psf) price for buying a property around Dwarka Expressway is Rs. 4,488/-.


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Traditional Hoppin' John
- Servings: 4
- ½ pound pork sausage
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 can (15-ounce) black-eyed peas, undrained
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
In a large, heavy skillet, brown sausage in vegetable oil.
Add onions, peppers, and garlic to the pan with the sausage and cook on low heat until vegetables are transparent.
Pour off the grease or drain all on paper towels.
Return the sausage and vegetables to the pan and add peas, rice, paprika, chili powder, and lemon juice.
Simmer on low 10 minutes more; should be moist.


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Brentwood, Tenn., Retail farm and ranch store chain Tractor Supply Co. today announced it has signed a letter of intent to purchase privately held Del's Farm Supply of Lakewood, Wash. Del's operates 17 stores primarily in the Pacific Northwest.
Del's 2004 sales were approximately $34 million, of which 70% was in the equine, animal and pet category.
Tractor Supply Co. is expected to maintain the Del's name as a second retail concept.
Tractor Supply Co. operates 547 stores in 34 states.


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Braves giving Gosselin time at second base
ATLANTA -- Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez has not said Tommy La Stella has lost his role as the club's everyday second baseman. But if actions speak louder than words, Gonzalez has at least created reason for debate by utilizing Phil Gosselin as his starting second baseman during the final two games of this weekend's series against the A's.
"Sometimes you talk about bringing that little bit of energy, and [Gosselin] has done that," Gonzalez said. "This is nothing against Tommy. I'm sure he'll run in there again soon enough."
As he walked through the clubhouse on Sunday, La Stella said he is healthy and unaware of why he was not in the lineup for the final two games of the A's series. The 25-year-old rookie has been a regular in the Braves' lineup since being promoted from Triple-A Gwinnett during May's final week. La Stella hit .292 with a .371 on-base percentage in the 43 games he played in before the All-Star break. But he has batted .245 with a .324 OBP in 26 games since the break.
When comparing the two rookie infielders, Gosselin has the advantage in the defensive and baserunning departments. In addition, he helped himself by recording two-hit games when he was given a chance to start the first two games of the A's series. His sixth-inning homer on Friday night was the first of his young career, which was enriched when he was promoted from Gwinnett during the final week of July.
"He's swinging the bat well," Gonzalez said of Gosselin. "We'll keep riding him out a little bit and see where he goes."
Gonzalez said he's not planning to platoon the two rookie infielders, and he seemingly proved this when La Stella sat as the A's started right-hander Sonny Gray on Saturday and left-hander Jon Lester on Sunday.
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Title says it all.
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Title says it all.
A few observations about the game:
1. We hardly ever looked for Roy in the post, yet we force fed West the ball.
2. I hope Paul worked on finishing at the rime during the summer. In spite of his loose ball handling, he was getting to the rack, just couldn't get off/finish a good shot.
3. After watching that first quarter and really the first half; its easy to forget how close we were to blowing the heat out early on in game 4. If 2 or 3 of those wide open 3's go down, then game 4 looks a lot like game 3....at least in the first half.
4. Vogel KILLED momentum in both half's by having the entire bench in while Lebron and Wade had layup drills.
Yeah, the bench really lost the series for the Pacers.
There was a simple simple play that the Heat put in, in that game where they screen the screener, it lead to 2 Chalmers 3s and a lay up by Lebron. Pacers had no answer. Ace is right they were about 4 or 5 missed open shot from being up 20 plus on Miami in the first half. Up 2 games to 1 and up 20 plus points really would have put pressure on Miami, too.
In retrospect, this team hasn't played their best basketball and they hung with Miami. Makes me very hopeful.
I refuse to watch our bench over those last 3 games ever again.
Hey now. It's not the benches fault that the starters didn't give them a 20pt cushion.
This was the most heartbreaking loss of the series, IMO. We had every opportunity to bust that thing wide open and the shots just didn't go down. I can't bring myself to rewatch it yet.
Did we win the game?
Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.
They should have shown Game 3. That was fun.
"Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel
"And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "
Gah. I'd rather not relive that.
"What you do is so loud, I can't hear what you say" -Andrew LuckJunior at the University of Louisville
"If you turn the other cheek, I'm gonna hit you in the other cheek, too" -Charles Barkley
"Ego is edging greatness out" -Rick Pitino
Greenfield-Central High School Alum '14
Follow me on Twitter @steagles1
1000th post - 4/16/12 2000th post - 6/24/12 3000th post - 3/8/13


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Debate about the potential impact of California American Water's plans to draw source water for its desalination plant from the Salinas Valley groundwater basin has taken a new turn.
A new memo from a consultant hired by the state Public Utilities Commission contradicts conclusions about the basin in a report issued by an expert for an agricultural interest group. The report is at the core of concerns about the effect of additional pumping on the aquifer.
PUC Executive Director Paul Clanon last week asked the State Water Resources Control Board staff to evaluate the memo as part of its analysis of Cal Am's proposed Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project.
The memo was released Feb. 6 by Geoscience Inc., a groundwater modeling consultant working with the PUC's environmental review team on its own evaluation of the water project.
The PUC asked the state water board last summer to conduct the project analysis. A draft report was released in December that suggested Cal Am could probably legally pump from the basin provided it could prove no harm to other water users and could figure out a way to return fresh water pumped from its desal feeder wells to the basin.
Cal Am's project calls for building a desal plant north of Marina that would draw feeder water from slant wells on the shoreline near the Cemex plant. The desal plant is at the center of the Peninsula water project, which is designed to provide a replacement supply to offset a state-ordered cutback in pumping from the Carmel River.
Critics of Cal Am's plans have expressed concern that pumping from the aquifer would exacerbate seawater intrusion in the already overdrafted basin, thwarting efforts to halt the inland march of saltwater. They argue the company is relying on flawed assumptions to support its plans.
In a December letter to the state water board, Salinas Valley Water Coalition president Nancy Isakson cited a report from the coalition's hydrologist, Tim Durbin, that challenged Cal Am's assumptions regarding the nature of the basin and potential impact of pumping. Isakson dubbed a Geoscience model relied on by Cal Am "seriously flawed."
The Peninsula mayors' water authority required Cal Am to address all issues raised in Durbin's report as a condition of their support for the project. The report was submitted to the PUC in December but rejected on procedural grounds with an invitation to resubmit as part of formal testimony expected this week.
However, the new Geoscience memo cited by Clanon assailed Durbin's analyses as based on "outdated information." The memo said existing groundwater modeling is being updated and new modeling is planned.
Cal Am spokeswoman Catherine Bowie said company officials are still analyzing the Geoscience memo, but it appears to validate the company's assessment that its plans wouldn't affect the basin.
Bowie said company officials support a "thorough review of the technical and scientific effects" of the proposed project, including a "robust" environmental review, analysis of test well results and development of a basin monitoring program.
"We understand this is a very sensitive and important matter for Salinas Valley growers and for the health of the Monterey County economy," she said. "The vetting of the Geoscience and (Salinas Valley Water Coalition) reports at this point will assist the parties to the CPUC proceeding to provide comments and testimony on the subject of the effects on the groundwater basin, and that is a positive development."
Isakson said Durbin is reviewing the Geoscience memo and would prepare a response for the PUC's evidentiary hearings in April.
She said the coalition is pleased new and updated groundwater modeling is planned as requested, but she said Cal Am must ultimately prove its plans won't affect existing water users.
"The bottom line is they still have to prove no harm to any water user in the basin," Isakson said, adding the state water board employs that standard. "It generally comes down to a battle among the experts, but in this instance, Cal Am must prove no harm."
State water board spokesman Tim Moran said the analysis of Cal Am's proposed water project would be released once the staff determines what additional information the PUC is requesting, perhaps in the next month.
Clanon asked for the state water board's analysis to address a number of issues, including recent changes to the project description and the potential requirement for returning fresh water to the basin. He expressed support for allowing the public to comment on the analysis and asked that a final report be made available by June 1.


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Hi everyone,
You may remember that last year I participated in a charity event for the Childrens Miracle Network. The event as a whole was able to raise over a million dollars for Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals. I played specifically for Riley Childrens Hospital in Indianapolis last year. I set my goal at $600 and due to all of the awesome people who donated to me, I was able to raise $800. This year I am setting my goal at $800 and all your contributions to me will go DIRECTLY to Riley. It is the same rules as last year I will play video games for 24 straight hours on Saturday October 20, 2012 to raise the money. The goal is to have everyone donate at least a dollar for every hour that I will play, but this is really for the kids so if you can donate anything at all or even just think to say a special prayer that day its all good (and if you can donate more thats always good too!).
The link to donate to me is right here: http://www.extra-life.org/participant/joesourwine2


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A hay fire at an Indiana dairy earlier this month is at the center of a lawsuit filed by two women blaming the blaze for contributing to chain-reaction collisions involving 13 vehicles. The Aug. 18 pile-up left one person dead and many others injured. Read more about the accident here as reported by the Post-Tribute.
Lawyer Walter Alvarez filed the litigation Wednesday on behalf of clients Nancy Gresham and her daughter, Judy Abernathy, the Times Media Company reports.
Alvarez alleges that Gresham and Abernathy were traveling on Indiana interstate I-65 when the combination of smoke from a burning hay field and early-morning fog reduced visibility to 30 feet, causing drivers to crash into each other.
According to Alvarez, the smoke originated from a fire at the Bos Dairy LLC of Fair Oaks in Jasper County, Ind. He is also investigating if other drivers contributed to the cause of the accidents, which left his clients with broken bones and other injuries. Read more from the Times Media Company.


text: ORRVILLE The Rev. Scott Feather performed the 6:30 p.m. ceremony when Jaclyn Kindra Dissinger and Tobe David Forshtay were united in marriage on May 8 at Orrville Christian & Missionary Alliance Church. Scripture was read by Katelyn Starn and music was provided by pianist Michelle Bowden, and Joe Brandon and Sam Forshtay on guitars.Parents of the bride are Jean and Joe Hartzler of Smithville and John Dissinger of Westerville. The groom's parents are Greg and Roxanne Forshtay of Fremont.The church was decorated with roses in shades of red and pink with white votive candles. The aisle was draped with white lights and tulle.Escorted by her father and stepfather, the bride wore a strapless gown of white satin accented with crystal and silver beadwork. She wore a crystal beaded tiara with a simple veil of illusion and carried a bouquet of red roses with white pearls made by her mother.Red gowns were worn by matron of honor Kari Zielasko and bridesmaids Beth Riegler, Ashley Starn and Corina Ferguson. Junior bridesmaids were Jena and Jessi Hartzler. They carried red and pink roses.Flower girl Daylea Durham wore a white dress.Best man was John Forshtay and groomsmen were Jeremy Framstad, Sam and Paul Forshtay, and Jace Hartzler. Honorary groomsman was Pete Forshtay who is serving in Iraq.Ringbearer was Ben Isch.A reception for 350 guests was held in the reception hall at Orrville Christian & Missionary Alliance Church.The couple is residing at 1362 Leigh Drive, Warsaw, Ind. 46580, following a wedding trip to Gatlinburg, Tenn., and Chicago, Ill.The bride is a 2000 graduate of Smithville High School and is currently a senior at Grace College in Winona Lake, Ind. She will complete her student teaching in the fall and will graduate in December with a degree in elementary education.The groom is a 2000 graduate of Fremont High School and attended Grace College. He is employed by Forshtay Construction & Electric.The groom's parents were hosts for the rehearsal dinner at The Barn Restaurant in Smithville. Bridal showers were given by Terri Dissinger and Julie Couts; and Joni Riggenbaugh, Julie Piatt, Joyce Piatt and Janis Steiner.


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Johnny Manziel's breathtaking freshman season with Texas A&M is over, but his time in the spotlight is just beginning.
That's a lesson the Heisman Trophy winner is learning the hard way after another set of after-hour photos featuring Manziel has captured the public's attention.
PHOTOS: Johnny Manziel a freshman sensation at Texas A&M
TMZ published photos Sunday of the 20-year-old quarterback celebrating the Aggies' Cotton Bowl win at what, according to the club's website, is a 21-and-up establishment. In one of the pictures, Manziel appears to be holding Dom Perignon.
TMZ followed up on its initial report Monday afternoon with news that his parents also were in attendance, which would make any alcohol consumption legal under Texas law—though the report also cites the owner as saying no one saw Manziel drinking.
Manziel spoke to the media Sunday about his Friday night at the Avenu Lounge in Dallas, saying he did nothing wrong or illegal.
"It's tough knowing that everything you do is watched pretty closely because I'm doing the same stuff I've always done," Manziel said, per USA Today. "It's just now people actually care what I do."
"It's hard to watch some of the stuff that people say to you when you take a picture or you do some stuff or you're at these games or whatever. It's tough to sit back, and you can't really defend yourself regardless of how much you want to scream out, 'I've been doing this forever. This is nothing new for me.' "
Manziel has been on the defensive for a variety of off-the-field events since his on-the-field rise as "Johnny Football." His NBA courtside seats drew questions in December, and he was called out earlier in the week after posting a picture holding money at a casino. To the latter, Manziel lashed out on Twitter, saying, "Nothing illegal about being 18+ in a casino and winning money...KEEP HATING!"
The picture later was deleted, but as is the case with social media, the damage already was done.
Manziel led Texas A&M to 41-13 win over Oklahoma on Friday, accounting for 516 yards of total offense and four touchdowns. He has three more year of collegiate eligibility remaining.


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Fleeing with only her bow, horse, enormous pet wolf, and the cryptic clues hidden in her mother's medicine journal, healer Meg Boswell gallops north towards freedom, running from the man who falsely accused her mother of witchcraft. Cursed with magical healing abilities, Meg knows that if she's captured, she will die like her mother-atop a blazing witch's pyre.
Winter winds rip across the Highlands, pressing Chief Caden Macbain forward in his desperate plan to save his clan. He's not above using an innocent woman to bargain for peace if it keeps his clan from starving. But Meg isn't who Caden thinks she is, and when she kills a man to save the clan, he must choose between duty and her life. For although he captured her to force a peace, Meg's strength and courage have captured Caden's heart.
©2012 Heather McCollum (P)2013 Tantor
"Oh dear"
I thought the reviews on audible.com must have been a bit harsh... they were not. This Michelle Ford is the reader otherwise known as Carolyn Morris. I have listened to quite a few books read by Carolyn Morris, and while her male voices are not really her strong point, they don't detract from the enjoyment of the book. I can totally understand why she would record this book under a different name. The result of her attempting male Scottish voices is frankly horrible. Strangely high-pitched and whiny, and she has difficulty trying to maintain the accent. There are few books that I deem unlistenable, but I'm afraid this is one of them. The story seems promising enough, but there is no way I'd be able to concentrate on it. Return!
"Lovely Highland Adventure"
This book is a well written Highland Adventure! It is a heartfelt story with interesting and well developed characters. From the start I was transferred into the world of Meg and Caden. With all the twists and turns I had trouble putting it down.
I really didn't have an issue with the narrator. I am of Scottish decent and I have relatives who were born in Scotland. I know first hand how a Scottish accent should sound and this narrator didn't do a bad job. No, it wasn't perfect....but it wasn't horrible either. Everyone has their preferences of course but I got through the book without feeling "verbally tortured" at all.
I will definitely listen to the next book.
"People are too hard on the narrator..."
Yes, it had a good story. Some highland romances make the female protagonist too naive. This book had a good balance.
I think that the people complaining about the narrator were too harsh. Yes, I've heard better narration for highlander men, however she didn't make the book unbearable to listen to. Her male voices improved as the book progressed, with a few slip-ups along the way. I've listened to many books narrated by women that I couldn't finish. Male narrators are my preference, but I still would listen to more books in this series if they kept this narrator.
"Magical family bonds and a sweet romance"
This was a great story....even though it was a great HEA....it had a compelling storyline that made me care about most of the characters in the book....even many secondary characters. I highly recommend this book...great story....plot twists....sexy highlanders....sweet romance.....family bonds......magic (just a little). Definitely credit worthy......but I was lucky to find it in a special 3 for 2 sale.
"this book has it all"
Excitement, intrigue,action, romance and more. The narrator was great and the story was great, I didn't want it to end. I wish there was a book 2
Good story. I only notice one discrepancy when someone lost "pounds" of weight. The story kept my interest.
Well obviously this book captured my heart with it's cover - but unfortunately it is another book totally RUINED by the narrator. Her Scottish male voices were just plain painful and she's left me with a headache.
I love a Highland story and this had the usual totally hot kilted hero and an English damsel in distress who's meeting was fortunate for both of them. It was a good plot with a few surprises, instant attraction and a nicely growing romance, some mildish sex scenes, interesting amusing characters, a 'just who is the traitor' question to ponder over, throw in an evil villain and add some amusing and exciting parts too and you've got a nice medieval fictional fantasy book.
If I'm not gushing, it's only because of the narration which, apart from knocking a star off, partly ruined the listening experience for me which could have been so much better. When are the 'people in charge' going to understand that the choice of a narrator is soooo important to the creditworthiness of an audible book - we don't want to pay to be verbally tortured for nearly 12 hours.
Worth a credit? As I've said, I'm a sucker for a lad in a kilt, so I guess YES but I hope they won't ask MF to do another Scottish brogue book.
"3.5 stars- Pretty decent read/listen"
This book was pretty decent. The inclusion of the "witch powers" definitely added to the story. And I loved Nikum! I am not a huge highlander fan but this was pretty good. The narrator did a decent job too. She does the English accent much better than the Scottish accent. I would like to listen to more of this narrator in just an English accent.
"Did not finish"
I got very bored with the story, made it a little over halfway through, but have not finished it. I keep losing interest.
When I think of the story, it is just fluff. I would like some substance in the middle, something to keep it interesting.
She was fine, gave the characters a bit more life than they would have otherwise have had.
Not sure
I really liked the beginning, but it just draws on from there, became rather boring. I don't know about the ending, haven't been able to finish it yet.
"Didn't do it for me..."
The main problem with this book: bad narration. Michelle Ford wasn't able to make this story come alive. Her Scottish accent and her male voices were terrible. This is a historical romance with a fantasy twist since our heroine has some healing powers that come from a blue energy ball she's able to create at will. That combination didn't work for me. Their romance wasn't really passionate either so there really wasn't anything good enough to keep my interest.
This narrator was so annoying...she whispered the entire book!!! The scottish accents were pitiful and the male voices sounded like 6 year old children. Come on....these were highland warriors...that is until they spoke!! Awful...just awful. Men should narrate Highlander voices and stories!! It is a shame...
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text: Pardon me if this has been posted before. In another thread, we talked about the possibility that the Dolphins have a deal with Ricky Williams to forgive the $8.6 million he owes the team if he shows up, plays hard, sets a good example and stuff. If the Phins were to forgive that $8.6 million, how would that affect the cap? It is, effectively, a payment of compensation, since Williams' balance sheet would be $8.6 million better off than it otherwise would. They cracked down on **** Vermeil giving his players expensive bottles of wine as a reward for good work a few years ago, so I can't imagine the NFL would turn a blind eye to a deal like this, even though it's clearly a one-of-a-kind situation. Merman? Clumpy? Bueller? Ferris Bueller?


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DETROIT - The Detroit Red Wings will play the Phoenix Coyotes Monday night without All-Star goalie Jimmy Howard.
Howard suffered a broken finger Thursday night in Vancouver where he finished the game injured for his league-best 32nd win of the season.
The Red Wings said Howard's injury will be re-evaluated by the team's medical staff when they return to Detroit.
Meanwhile, Ty Conklin started Saturday night in Edmonton. Conklin allowed three goals on nine shots in the first period before being pulled. Coach Mike Babcock put goalie Joey MacDonald in his place.
MacDonald shined in the second period against the Oilers and ended the game with 22 saves on 23 shots. He gave the Red Wings a chance to win the game in a shootout. However, Detroit fell short, 5-4, for their first shootout loss of the season.
That ended a two-game winning streak for Detroit. The Red Wings (35-16-2) won the first two games of a four-game road trip that will end Monday night in Phoenix.
MacDonald will get the start against the Coyotes.
It will be the fourth meeting this season between the teams. Detroit took the first three -- the most recent on Jan. 19 at Jobbing.com Arena, 3-2.
The Coyotes (23-21-8) are tied for 11th place in the Western Conference with 54 points. They beat the San Jose Sharks 5-3 on Saturday night.
Red Wings forward Todd Bertuzzi scored his 300th career goal Saturday, and then scored one more for good measure and a hat trick which included a clutch shootout goal to keep the Wings alive. The 37-year-old is on a tear with 12 goals and 15 assists in 46 games with Detroit this season.
Patrick Eaves remains out of Detroit's lineup while his broken jaw heals. Danny Cleary will undergo cyst surgery after the road trip. The team said the cyst behind his left knee has bothered the winger.
The surgery may force Cleary to miss a game or two, the Red Wings said in a news release.
Puck drops at 8 p.m.
-- Joey MacDonald played in 15 games for the Red Wings last season to post a 5-5-3 starting record.
Copyright 2012 by ClickOnDetroit.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Gaza ceasefire holds but mistrust runs deep
Hamas leaders and thousands of flag-waving supporters declared victory over Israel on Gaza's first day of calm under an Egyptian-brokered truce, as Israeli officials flew to Cairo for talks on easing a blockade on the battered Palestinian territory.
Eight days of punishing Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and a barrage of Hamas rocket fire on Israel ended inconclusively. While Israel said it inflicted heavy damage on the militants, Gaza's Hamas rulers claimed that Israel's decision not to send in ground troops, as it had four years ago, was a sign of a new deterrent power.
"Resistance fighters changed the rules of the game with the occupation (Israel), upset its calculations," Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, who attended the rally, said later in a televised speech. "The option of invading Gaza after this victory is gone and will never return."
At the same time, Haniyeh urged Gaza fighters to respect the truce and to "guard this deal as long as Israel respects it."
The mood in Israel was mixed. Some were grateful that quiet had been restored without a ground operation that could have cost the lives of more soldiers. Others - particularly those in southern Israel hit by rockets over the past 13 years - thought the operation was abandoned too quickly.
Thousands of Israeli soldiers who had been sent to the border during the fighting withdrew Thursday, the military said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the offensive's aims of halting Gaza rocket fire and weakening Hamas were achieved. "I know there are citizens who were expecting a harsher response," he said, adding that Israel is prepared to act if the cease-fire is violated.
In a development that could complicate cooperation on the cease-fire, Israel on Thursday arrested an Arab-Israeli man connected to Hamas and Islamic Jihad on accusations he planted a bomb on a bus in Tel Aviv that wounded 27 people in the hours before the agreement was announced Wednesday, police said.
A Palestinian militant cell based in the West Bank village of Beit Lakiya dispatched the man, who lived in the village of Taybeh in Israel, to put a bomb on the bus, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. He then got off and called his handlers, who remotely detonated the explosive by calling the phone, Rosenfeld said.
"He admitted to carrying out the terrorist attack," said Rosenfeld, who declined to name the man.
Attacks by Israeli Arabs are rare, though they have happened in the past.
Nevertheless, the cease-fire raised hopes of a new era between Israel and Hamas.
A senior Israeli official and three aides arrived in Cairo late Thursday and were escorted to Egypt's intelligence headquarters, according to Egyptian airport officials, presumably to hammer out the details of a deal that would include easing a blockade of the territory.
The airport officials declined to be named because they were not authorized to give information to the media.
However, the vague language of the agreement announced Wednesday and deep hostility between the combatants made it far from certain the bloodshed would end or that either side will get everything it wants. Israel seeks an end to weapons smuggling into Gaza, while Hamas wants a complete lifting of the border blockade imposed in 2007, after the militant group's takeover of Gaza.
Israeli officials also made it clear that their position had not warmed toward Hamas, which they view as a terror group aligned with their archenemy Iran and pledged to the destruction of the Jewish state.
"Without a doubt, Israel in the long run won't be able to live with an Iranian proxy on its border," Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Israel's Channel 10. "As long as Hamas continues to incite against Israel and talk about destroying Israel they are not a neighbor that we can suffer in the long run. But everything in its time."
Israel launched the offensive Nov. 14 to halt renewed rocket fire from Gaza, unleashing some 1,500 airstrikes on Hamas-linked targets, while Hamas and other Gaza militants showered Israel with just as many rockets.
The eight days of fighting killed 161 Palestinians, including 71 civilians. Six Israelis, two soldiers and four civilians, were killed and dozens others wounded by rockets fired into residential neighborhoods.
Gazans celebrated the truce after a night of revelry.
"Today is different, the morning coffee tastes different and I feel we are off to a new start," said Ashraf Diaa, a 38-year-old engineer from Gaza City.
Hundreds of masked Hamas fighters appeared in public for the first time since the offensive during a funeral for five of their comrades. The armed men displayed grenade launchers and assault rifles mounted atop more than 100 brand-new pickup trucks.
The latest round of fighting brought the Islamists unprecedented political recognition, with foreign ministers from Turkey and several Arab states visiting - a sharp contrast to Hamas' past isolation.
Israel and the United States, even while formally sticking to a policy of shunning Hamas, also acknowledged its central role by engaging in indirect negotiations with them.
Egypt emerged as the pivotal mediator, raising its stature as a regional power.
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi will now have to assume a more direct role as a referee between Israel and Hamas, at a time when he faces many domestic challenges, including reviving a faltering economy.
Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal and the head of the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group Ramadan Shalah met with Egypt's intelligence chief Thursday as the follow-up talks geared up.
Reaching a deal on a new border arrangement for Gaza would require major concessions from both sides.
Hamas wants both Israel and Egypt to lift all border restrictions.
In 2007, Israel and Morsi's pro-Western predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, sealed the territory, banning virtually all travel and trade. Israel eased its restriction somewhat in 2010 in response to international pressure, allowing Gazans to import consumer goods, while barring virtually all exports and travel. Gaza's battered economy recovered slightly, but the ban on exports prevented it from bouncing back fully.
After Mubarak's fall last year, Egypt eased travel through its Rafah crossing with Gaza. However, Morsi has rebuffed Hamas demands to allow full trade ties, in part because of fears this would give an opening to Israel to "dump" Gaza onto Egypt and deepen the split between Gaza and the West Bank.
Palestinians hope the West Bank and Gaza, which lie on opposite sides of Israel, will one day make up the bulk of a Palestinian state. Israel has barred most travel between them during the past decade and closer ties between Egypt and Gaza could exacerbate the division.
Israel, meanwhile, wants Egypt to halt weapons smuggling into Gaza through tunnels under the border. Hamas has been able to significantly boost its arsenal in the past four years, largely with weapons from Iran, according to Mashaal, who thanked Tehran for its support late Wednesday.
As part of the cease-fire, Israel received U.S. pledges to help curb arms shipments to Gaza.
The fighting gave a major boost to Hamas' popularity, not only in Gaza but also in the West Bank, where the Islamists' internationally backed rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, oversees a self-rule government.
Abbas, the leading Palestinian proponent of non-violence and negotiations with Israel, was forced to watch from the sidelines as his bitter rivals scored political points.
A senior Abbas aide, Nabil Shaath, stood alongside Hamas leaders during Gaza City's victory rally Thursday. Despite the symbolism, it was not clear whether the two sides would be able to mend their rift.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has held firm with scenes of joy among the ruins in Gaza over what Palestinians hailed as a victory, and both sides saying their fingers were still on the trigger.
In the sudden calm, Palestinians who had been under Israeli bombs for eight days poured into Gaza streets for a celebratory rally, walking past wrecked houses and government buildings.
But as a precaution, schools stayed closed in southern Israel, where nerves were jangled by warning sirens - a false alarm, the army said - after a constant rain of rockets during the most serious Israeli-Palestinian fighting in four years.
Israel had launched its strikes last week with a declared aim of ending rocket attacks on its territory from Gaza, ruled by the Islamist militant group Hamas, which denies Israel's right to exist. Hamas had responded with more rockets.
The truce brokered by Egypt's new Islamist leaders, working with the United States, headed off an Israeli invasion of Gaza.
It was the fruit of intensive diplomacy spurred by US President Barack Obama, who sent his secretary of state to Cairo and backed her up with phone calls to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi.
Mursi's role in cajoling his Islamist soulmates in Gaza into the US-backed deal with Israel suggested that Washington can find ways to cooperate with the Muslim Brotherhood leader whom Egyptians elected after toppling former US ally Hosni Mubarak, a bulwark of American policy in the Middle East for 30 years.
Mursi, preoccupied with Egypt's economic crisis, cannot afford to tamper with a 1979 peace treaty with Israel, despite its unpopularity with Egyptians, and needs US financial aid.
Despite the quiet on the battlefield, the death toll from the Gaza conflict crept up on both sides.
The body of Mohammed al-Dalu, 25, was recovered from the rubble of a house where nine of his relatives - four children and five women - were killed by an Israeli bomb this week.
That raised to 163 the number of Palestinians killed, more than half of them civilians, including 37 children, during the Israeli onslaught, according to Gaza medical officials.
Nearly 1,400 rockets struck Israel, killing four civilians and two soldiers, including an officer who died on Thursday of wounds sustained the day before, the Israeli army said.
Israel dropped 1000 times as much explosive on the Gaza Strip as landed on its soil, Defence Minister Ehud Barak said.
Municipal workers in Gaza began cleaning streets and removing the rubble of bombed buildings. Stores opened and people flocked to markets to buy food.
Jubilant crowds celebrated, with most people waving green Hamas flags but some carrying the yellow emblems of the rival Fatah group, led by Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas.
That marked a rare show of unity five years after Hamas, which won a Palestinian poll in 2006, forcibly wrested Gaza from Fatah, still dominant in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Israel began ferrying tanks northwards, away from the border, on transporters. It plans to discharge gradually tens of thousands of reservists called up for a possible Gaza invasion.
But trust between Israel and Hamas remains in short supply and both said they might well have to fight again.
"The battle with the enemy has not ended yet," Abu Ubaida, spokesman of Hamas's armed wing Izz el-Deen Al-Qassam Brigades, said at an event to mourn its acting military chief Ahmed al-Jaabari, whose killing by Israel on November 14 set off this round.
The exiled leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, said in Cairo his Islamist movement would respect the truce, but warned that if Israel violated it "our hands are on the trigger".
Netanyahu said he had agreed to "exhaust this opportunity for an extended truce", but told Israelis a tougher approach might be required in the future.
Facing a national election in two months, he swiftly came under fire from opposition politicians who had rallied to his side during the fighting but now contend he emerged from the conflict with no real gains for Israel.
"You don't settle with terrorism, you defeat it. And unfortunately, a decisive victory has not been achieved and we did not recharge our deterrence," Shaul Mofaz, leader of the main opposition Kadima party, wrote on his Facebook page.
In a speech, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas's prime minister in Gaza, urged all Palestinian factions to respect the ceasefire and said his government and security services would monitor compliance.
According to a text of the agreement seen by Reuters, both sides should halt all hostilities, with Israel desisting from incursions and targeting of individuals, while all Palestinian factions should cease rocket fire and cross-border attacks.
The deal also provides for easing Israeli curbs on Gaza's residents, but the two sides disagreed on what this meant.
Israeli sources said Israel would not lift a blockade of the enclave it enforced after Hamas won a Palestinian election in 2006, but Meshaal said the deal covered the opening of all of the territory's border crossings with Israel and Egypt.
Israel let dozens of trucks carry supplies into the Palestinian enclave during the fighting. Residents there have long complained that Israeli restrictions blight their economy.
Barak said Hamas, which declared November 22 a national holiday to mark its "victory", had suffered heavy military blows.
"A large part of the mid-range rockets were destroyed. Hamas managed to hit Israel's built-up areas with around a tonne of explosives, and Gaza targets got around 1,000 tonnes," he said.
He dismissed a ceasefire text published by Hamas, saying: "The right to self-defence trumps any piece of paper."
He appeared to confirm, however, a Hamas claim that the Israelis would no longer enforce a no-go zone on the Gaza side of the frontier that the army says has prevented Hamas raids.
- Reuters, AP


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Dangerously underweight dog was fed scraps of pizza and curry, court is told
10:27am Tuesday 4th March 2014
10:27am Tuesday 4th March 2014
A DOG was left dangerously underweight after it was fed pizza and curry, a court heard.
Christine Hooper, aged 64, of Lawnside, Nailsworth, pleaded guilty to failing to provide her dog with a suitable diet.
She was given a two-week curfew between the hours of 8pm to 7am and was ordered to pay £400 costs and a £60 victim surcharge at Stroud Magistrates' Court on Monday, March 3.
Animal welfare officers visited Hooper's home after a tip-off about the welfare of her four dogs in April 2013.
They found three whippet crosses and a husky, each in varying levels of nutrition.
The husky and one whippet were slightly underweight, another in a satisfactory condition but Sam, the final whippet, was 'very underweight', the court heard.
James Rachael prosecuting said: "When asked what she was feeding them, she said she had run out of food but a grand daughter would pick more up.
"They were fed scraps of pizza and curry thrown over the fence by concerned neighbours. She said Sam ate but did not put on weight."
The court heard how an animal welfare officer told Hooper to take Sam to a vet, but when they returned a week later, she had not done so.
She agreed to sign Sam over to Stroud District Council, weighing just 13.3kg.
Sam was taken to Clockhouse Vets for blood tests which detected no illness which could have caused the dramatic weight loss. A week later he weighed 14.5kg.
"That weight gain is the same as an eleven-and-a-half stone man putting on a stone in week," said Mr Rachael.
Sam has since been rehomed.
Mr Rachael added: "We are not seeking at this point to have her disqualified from keeping dogs but animal welfare officers will be keeping an eye on the dogs."
Hooper said: "I have learnt from this and I have always got food in for the dogs.
"I know dogs aren't cheap to keep but I manage now."
When sentencing, magistrate Philip Judge said he could not award SDC the full costs which had been applied for because he had to take Hooper's financial means into account.
He said: "It may not seem like a lot of money, but it will be to her and the curfew is a punishment.
Speaking to Hooper, he added:"These breeds need a lot of walks and food so think carefully about what you do with your dogs."
© Copyright 2001-2017 Newsquest Media Group


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SALT LAKE CITY-Shelli Gardner, CEO and co-founder of Stampin' Up!®, has announced the appointment of a new president. Rich Jutkins, who has worked at Stampin' Up! for the past nine years as Director and Vice President of Logistics, will serve in this new position.
"Rich started his career with Smith's Food and Drug in manufacturing," observed Gardner. "He also has invaluable experience in educating, implementing change, and leading. His passion for Stampin' Up!, his commitment to our demonstrators (sales force), and his skills as a leader will be valuable moving forward."
A Utah native, Jutkins worked for more than a decade with Smith's, running its culture (dairy) and ice cream plants, before spending several years teaching biology, chemistry, and physics and coaching basketball. He joined Stampin' Up! in 2001 and has overseen operations in the Kanab manufacturing facility and the Riverton home office. A graduate of the University of Utah, Jutkins and his wife, Wendi, have four children. The couple currently resides in Riverton, Utah.
Jutkins is replacing Dale Fillmore, who announced his retirement today. Fillmore joined the Stampin' Up! family in June 2006, after a 30-year career with State Farm Insurance Companies.
"From the beginning, we knew we wouldn't have Dale for very long," Gardner noted. "He came out of retirement to work with us, and I am extremely grateful for the inspiring leadership, vision, and service he has provided during the past four years-he will be dearly missed."
Gardner will continue to serve in her role as Stampin' Up! co-founder and CEO.
About Stampin' Up!
Stampin' Up!, a multi-million dollar direct-sale company, offers an exclusive line of decorative stamp sets and accessories for card making, craft projects, home décor, scrapbooking and digital designing. Currently, tens of thousands of demonstrators from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom teach the art of stamping. Stampin' Up! operates two state-of-the-art facilities including an 80,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Kanab, Utah; and a 300,000-square-foot corporate office, distribution center, and demonstrator support call center in Riverton, Utah. For more information call 801.257.5329 or visit www.stampinup.com. ###