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About 60 percent of New Mexico's dairies are polluting groundwater, according to the state Environment Department's Groundwater Quality Bureau. Since nearly all New Mexicans depend on groundwater for at least some part of their drinking water supply and water is a diminishing resource in the state, it seems logical that preventing further pollution by dairies should be a priority.
That's not what appears to be happening now.
Although the state adopted new regulations for wastewater discharge for the dairy industry earlier this year, an environmental coalition says those regulations aren't in play. Furthermore, the dairy industry is insisting on further revisions, which the coalition says will allow the industry to continue operating under outdated methods that threaten the state's groundwater.
"They don't like monitoring wells because they detect contamination "
"My primary concern is the preservation of water quality," says Jon Block, a staff attorney at the New Mexico Environmental Law Center who is providing legal counsel for the Citizen Coalition, a collection of environmental groups.
On the other side of the debate is the Dairy Industry Group for a Clean Environment (DIGCE), an organization comprised of members from New Mexico's dairies. In 2009, the group gave testimony to the Environment Department and Water Quality Control Commission in a series of meetings. The body adopted a set of pollution regulations for dairies. But, now, after five years of negotiations to create what has become known as the "Dairy Rule," dairy industry representatives say they want to change the rules again.
"The proposal now on the table is going to gut the regulations," Block says, "and if that's done, it's a grave threat to New Mexico's groundwater."
The recent battle over dairy pollution began when the state passed a law in 2009, which required the Environment Department to come up with dairy-specific regulations for wastewater discharge. After more than a year of meetings, the first dairy rule was hammered out in December 2010. Newly elected Gov. Susana Martinez attempted to block its codification by preventing publication in the state Register, the last step for a bill to become law. She lost that round when the New Mexico Supreme Court ordered its publication. Then lawyers for DIGCE filed an appeal. At the end of 2011, an amended rule was proposed.
"All...parties stipulated in a document that they agreed with this new, revised dairy rule," says Michael Jensen of Amigos Bravos, an organization concerned with water conservation.
Dal Moellenberg, DIGCE's attorney, disagrees.
"There's a common misperception that DIGCE agreed with the Dairy Rule," Moellenberg writes in an email to SFR. "DIGCE did not agree to the Dairy Rule as a whole even with the amendments made in 2011."
He says DIGCE had made it clear that, despite signing the original and the amended agreement, they reserved the right to seek changes in the future.
The biggest contention between the two groups is about the way pollution is detected and prevented.
New Mexico's dairies are not small, mom-and-pop operations producing milk from a modest number of cows grazing on pastureland. Instead, the state's approximately 150 dairies have a total of about 350,000 cows, with an average herd size just over 2,000 cows. The animals live in what are called "concentrated animal feeding operations" and, as can be seen along Dairy Row, just east of Las Cruces where 11 dairies run along Interstate 10, there's no pastureland to be had.
Put that many cows in that concentrated a setting, and there's going to be a lot of waste—according to Jensen, 6.4 million gallons of manure every day. Much of it's channeled into large lagoons, which, unless properly constructed and lined, are often a source of pollution. And there has to be a way to detect that pollution.
Coalition members say the two most important requirements of the dairy rule—and what they believe all parties agreed to—are monitoring wells and synthetic liners for lagoons to prevent waste from leaking into groundwater.
Moellenberg says that monitoring wells may "be a conduit to contaminants to reach groundwater" and are expensive. He also says that the new regulations for wells are "excessive," requiring as many as 15 to 30 new wells per dairy.
Bill Olson, former Bureau Chief of the Environmental Department's Groundwater Quality Bureau, the state division responsible for inspections and for issuing discharge permits, has been involved with negotiations from the beginning. He thinks the industry group's stance is a little extreme. "They are not just proposing lesser numbers of monitoring wells," he says, explaining that he believes the DIGCE doesn't want to monitor possible contamination sources for early detection either.
Early detection is essential, Olson adds, given the number of dairies that are currently polluting groundwater. "They don't like monitoring wells because they detect contamination; that's my opinion," he adds.
The other major point of contention is the requirement that any new lagoon or a lagoon shown to be contaminating groundwater must have synthetic liners. DIGCE claims that synthetic liners are prone to tears and leaks and prefers clay-lined or compacted soil liners.
Although residents in Northern New Mexico may not be directly affected by contaminated groundwater in the southern part of the state, Jensen says they ought to care about whether the state enforces rules and whether rules are strong enough.
"If dairies...contribute to polluting groundwater, it means fewer...resources are going to be available without having to be treated first," he says. "It may not put a burden directly on people in Santa Fe or Albuquerque, (but) it's going to put a burden on the state. Somebody's going to have to pay for that stuff to be treated."
So it looks like after five years, the industry that makes up more than $1.2 billion of the state's $3 billion in total agriculture revenue will go back to square one. The Environment Department has agreed to hold more meetings with all the parties, and the coalition is ramping up to fight what it sees as another attempt to weaken current regulations.


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By T.W. Budig, ECM Capitol Reporter
Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is doing just fine, his supporters say.
On the short list of many national pundits as a possible vice presidential candidate, Pawlenty was passed over again when Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney — like Arizona U.S. Senator John McCain four years ago — picked somebody else.
Romney, whom Pawlenty has heavily campaigned for, selected Wisconsin Congressman and budget hawk Paul Ryan.
Pawlenty immediately signaled support.
"I am excited about a Romney-Ryan ticket and look forward to doing all I can to help them win this election," he said in a statement.
Appearing on ABC's This Week on Sunday (Aug. 12), Pawlenty insisted he hadn't been supporting Romney because he thought he would be vice president.
"I'm not disappointed I didn't get something I didn't expect," Pawlenty said.
Former Pawlenty Chief of Staff and commissioner Dan McElroy, president/CEO of Hospitality Minnesota, said Pawlenty indicated weeks ago the Romney campaign should look at other vice-presidential contenders.
"He's a young kid," McElroy said, depicting Pawlenty's future as wide open.
"He's enormously talented," he said.
"And he's busy," said McElroy, pointing to Pawlenty's growing ties to the private sector as a corporate board member.
If Pawlenty decides to enter public service again, that would be great, McElroy said. But Pawlenty has already made an huge contribution, he said.
"I want whatever Tim wants," McElroy said, backing his old boss.
Hennepin County Commissioner and Minnesota Republican National Committeeman Jeff Johnson expects Pawlenty to reenter public service.
"I don't think he's done," said Johnson, who served in the Legislature during the Pawlenty years.
Pundits in Minnesota view the U.S. Senate race in 2014, when Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken faces re-election, as an opportunity for Pawlenty to reemerge.
Pawlenty would be a strong U.S. Senate candidate, Johnson believes. Or, too, Pawlenty could join the Romney Administration, Johnson said.
In the meantime, Pawlenty can earn the money in the private sector he has foregone during his years in public office, Johnson said.
Former Republican U.S. Sen. Rod Grams in recent days has been privately saying he thought Romney would pick Ryan.
He wouldn't have been surprised had Pawlenty gotten the nod, explained Grams, but Ryan brings Washington experience.
And Ryan intimately knows the federal budget numbers, Grams said.
"Tim has been a good guy — a smart kid," Grams said,
Grams, who believes Romney will beat Democratic President Barack Obama unless something "weird" happens, sees Pawlenty's immediate future as serving in the Romney administration, perhaps as secretary of agriculture or secretary of human services.
"His (Pawlenty's) eyes are on the campaign, and I think that's where his focus is," Grams said.
The national punditry long ago pinned the label of charisma-challenged on Pawlenty, and even Pawlenty supporters do not grow lyrical in describing the strengths of the two-term governor.
"He's not a man who's larger than life," said Rep. Jim Abeler. R-Anoka, shortly after Pawlenty declared his short-lived presidential candidacy on a baking rooftop in Des Moine, Iowa, last summer.
Pawlenty perhaps would not mind being seen as the Maytag repair man of politician — knowledgeable, competent, right tool in hand, explained Abeler, who served with Pawlenty in the state House of Representatives.
Indeed, pundits suggested one of the strongest assets Pawlenty could bring the Romney ticket is finite stage presence — an assurance that he would not outshine Romney, a candidate who awkwardly expresses a sense of homecoming by noting the trees seem the right height.
Actually, the diagnosis that Pawlenty, whose tenure as governor – with a state government shutdown, whopping budget deficits, chaffing No New Tax Pledge, friendly and unfriendly state supreme court rulings – is boring seems unfair to longtime Pawlenty watchers.
It was Pawlenty, after all, who put an Iron Range lawmaker into a headlock and once thought nothing of donning a sweat-stained cowboy hat and taking Dobbin for spin on a sweltering day when greeting a travelling horseman.
As House majority leader, Pawlenty could be funny and joking on the floor, and he and former House Speaker Steve Sviggum, an unabashed admirer, would sometimes act out skits at press conferences.
"He's got a good sense of humor," said Charley Weaver, Minnesota Business Partnership Executive Director and former Pawlenty chief of staff.
Johnson diagnoses the charisma-challenged charge as reflecting the numbing influence of teleprompters and Pawlenty's reluctance to throw the bombs that conservative activists demand.
But Pawlenty, 51, consciously knocked off the funny business.
In an exit interview when leaving the governorship, Pawlenty said that with the Internet and armies of bloggers, jokes can be seized and twisted into something unpleasant.
"I miss those days, because I'd rather continue like that," Pawlenty said of freer times.
Maybe it doesn't matter anymore.
Professor Heather LaMarre of the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication said last summer that the general public knew little about Pawlenty, and because of that, the charge that he is boring could stick.
"(And) it's very difficult to overcome a first impression," she said.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted Aug. 8-12 showed just 14 percent of conservative Republicans held "strongly favorable" views of Pawlenty prior to the Ryan pick.
Bill Hillsman, of Northwoods Advertising, a firm that has produced iconic campaign ads for Paul Wellstone and Jesse Ventura, said Pawlenty's son-of-a-truck-driver, blue-collar image seemed unconvincing — a son of a truck driver would never have meekly stood down from running for the U.S. Senate because the Bush White House placed a call, he argued last summer.
"I think the real problem for Pawlenty is there's not a lot there," said Hillsman.
Critics have found Pawlenty's explanation of his conservative roots, considering his upbringing in Democratically-leaning South St. Paul and the union ties among his siblings, a little puzzling.
In his campaign book, "Courage to Stand," Pawlenty expresses a certain a mystification.
"Why I became a conservative so early on is anyone's guess, but my steadfast views were on display immediately through the course of those kitchen-table debates with my dad or others," Pawlenty wrote.
His tenure as governor was historic, Pawlenty insists.
"I am the first true fiscally conservative governor in that regard the state has had, in the modern history of the state," said Pawlenty shortly before leaving office.
So deeply ingrained is the idea among Democrats and the pundits that it's normal to raise taxes, they can't understand him, Pawlenty said.
"'He must have an ill motive or mental defect, because he just won't raise taxes or act like a Democrat,'" a testy Pawlenty depicted them pondering.
"I would say to you respectfully, it's a bunch of crap," said Pawlenty.
In his book, Pawlenty chronicles the harsh impact the closure of the once thriving stockyards of South St. Paul had on his family and city, the early loss of his mother to cancer, the joys of playing hockey, of family.
One former House Republican, Kathy Tingelstad, a South St. Paul native, remembers young Tim Pawlenty working in Applebaum's, a local grocery store, stacking fruit and vegetables.
Although Pawlenty issued a statement after the Iowa Straw poll last summer he intended to continue his presidential campaign, the next morning he dropped out.
Pawlenty has expressed regret over the decision.
One tie Pawlenty has to the Romney campaign, other than his active support that has him traveling the country as a Romney surrogate, is the friendship his wife, Mary Pawlenty, has reportedly struck with Romney's wife, Ann Romney.
National media have reported that Mary Pawlenty, a former judge, and Ann Romney are genuinely fond of one another.
The Pawlentys met as law school students at the University of Minnesota.
"What I sensed right away was that I was very interested in her," Pawlenty said of his first impressions.
"I thought she was beautiful, intelligent, strong, interesting, caring and somebody I was attracted to," Pawlenty said.
Mary Pawlenty sensed the tall, thoughtful student from South St. Paul would go places.
The Pawlentys married in 1987 and have two daughters, Anna and Mara.
While Tim Pawlenty's reference to his highly successful wife as his "red-hot smokin' wife" sparked criticism, Mary Pawlenty insisted she found the language lovable.
"Obviously, I can only speak for myself, but I don't know a woman alive who wouldn't love to have her husband refer to her has his 'red-hot smokin' wife," Mary Pawlenty said as First Lady.
"I find that to be so unbelievably endearing and I adore him for saying that," she said at the time.
In his book, Tim Pawlenty speaks of his wife, an evangelical Christian, as helping him understand the ongoing, dynamic relevance of Scripture to life.
While raised a Catholic, Pawlenty was drawn to Mary Pawlenty's religious views and church, Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie.
Whatever the personal blessings Pawlenty's faith has brought him, his evangelical credentials are seen as politically useful to Romney – a means of pacifying the uneasiness some evangelicals may feel in voting for a Mormon.
Pawlenty never broke the 50 percent threshold in his gubernatorial elections — 44 percent in 2002, about 47 percent in 2006 — and political watchers in Minnesota consider it highly improbable the Man from Eagan can deliver the state for Romney.
Still, Sviggum, who has spent decades in state government, said Pawlenty possesses one of the sharpest minds for policy that he's ever encountered.
Former Republican U.S. Sen. David Durenberger, whose 1982 reelection campaign Pawlenty worked on as a college student, recalls Pawlenty as someone who enjoyed figuring out how the pieces of the puzzle fit together.
Minnesota Democrats characterize the Pawlenty legacy as one of budgeting gimmicks, property tax hikes, robotic adherence to ideology.
Weaver sees things differently.
"In a nutshell, I'd say he reinstated fiscal sanity," Weaver said last summer.
"That's a very big deal," he said.

subset: commoncrawl


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Great quote at the very end by Matt Bullard
WINDERMAN: NBA Sunday column
The winners are ...
Published April 17, 2005
The award is selected by media, with the ballot requiring the listing of five names in order.
This ballot: 1. Shaquille O'Neal, Heat; 2. Steve Nash, Suns; 3. Tim Duncan, Spurs; 4. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks; 5. Allen Iverson, 76ers.
Reasoning: While a case certainly can be made for Nash, the bottom line is that the point guard left the Mavericks and Dallas still was pretty good this season. By contrast, O'Neal left the Lakers and now the lottery awaits.
While O'Neal hardly produced career stats, if one went solely by numbers, Iverson would rate closer to the top, as would Nowitzki. So so much for that argument.
Also worth considering: Ray Allen, Sonics; Kevin Garnett, Timberwolves; LeBron James, Cavaliers; Amare Stoudemire, Suns; Dwyane Wade, Heat.
2004 winner: Kevin Garnett, Timberwolves.
The award is selected by media, with the ballot requiring the listing of three names in order.
This ballot: 1. Rick Carlisle, Pacers; 2. George Karl, Nuggets; 3. Mike D'Antoni, Suns.
Reasoning: Ron Artest brawled his way to a November conclusion of his season. Suspension and injury took Jermaine O'Neal away for half the schedule. Then there was the time the league mandated Stephen Jackson sit and the foot problems that sidelined Jamaal Tinsley. Through it all, the Pacers go into the final games contending for home-court advantage in the playoffs. Remarkable.
While Karl was around about as much as some of those aforementioned Pacers, he emerged as Coach of the Half Year and a fitting runner-up to Carlisle. In any other year, D'Antoni could have run away with the honor.
Also worth considering: Mike Fratello, Grizzlies; Eddie Jordan, Wizards; Nate McMillan, Sonics; Scott Skiles, Bulls; Stan Van Gundy, Heat.
2004 winner: Hubie Brown, Grizzlies.
The award is selected by media, with the ballot requiring the listing of three names in order.
This ballot: 1. Marcus Camby, Nuggets; 2. Kevin Garnett, Timberwolves; 3. Bruce Bowen, Spurs.
Reasoning: There is a reason George Karl was able to get his team's defense to come around. The reason was Camby. And the reason the Nuggets endured was because Camby endured beyond the usual injury setbacks.
Garnett's rebounding numbers keep him at the top of this field, with the perimeter nod that last season went to Artest this season given to Bowen.
Also worth considering: Tyson Chandler, Bulls; Larry Hughes, Wizards; Andrei Kirilenko, Jazz; Shawn Marion, Suns; Tayshaun Prince, Pistons; Ben Wallace, Pistons.
2004 winner: Ron Artest, Pacers.
The award is selected by media, with the ballot requiring the listing of three names in order.
This ballot: 1. Ben Gordon, Bulls; 2. Emeka Okafor, Bobcats; 3. Dwight Howard, Magic.
Reasoning: Gordon made a difference on a team that made a difference. No, he did not have to toil with an expansion team like Okafor, but the guard helped prevent Chicago from looking like one again.
Okafor certainly had the numbers, but he also had a former UConn teammate, in Gordon, who made more noise. And yes, we agree with the thinking that years from now Howard could mature into the prize of this class.
Also worth considering: Andre Iguodala, 76ers; Josh Smith, Hawks; Beno Udrih, Spurs.
2004 winner: LeBron James, Cavaliers.
The award is selected by media, with the ballot requiring the listing of three names in order.
This ballot: 1. Ben Gordon, Bulls; 2. Vladimir Radmanovic, Sonics; 3. Ricky Davis, Celtics.
Reasoning: No player has produced more double-figure scoring totals in the fourth quarter than the Bulls rookie. He changes the complexion of a game when he enters, which is the definition of the award.
Although injured at the end of the season, Radmanovic provided a spark for a team that relied on its bench to emerge as a contender. Davis has always been a dynamic scorer, but he essentially has played starters' minutes in producing his bench points.
Also worth considering: Earl Boykins, Nuggets; Antonio Daniels, Sonics; Donyell Marshall, Raptors; Antonio McDyess, Pistons; Jerry Stackhouse, Mavericks; Wally Szczerbiak, Timberwolves.
2004 winner: Antawn Jamison, Mavericks.
The award is selected by general managers, with the ballot requiring the listing of a single name (since we're not a GM, we'll list our top three).
This ballot: 1. Pat Riley, Miami; 2. Bryan Colangelo, Suns; 3. John Paxson, Bulls.
Reasoning: Riley traded for Shaquille O'Neal without giving up his best player, Dwyane Wade. Enough said.
Had Shaq not been dealt by the Lakers, then Colangelo would have been hailed for the heists of Nash and Quentin Richardson, as well as the canny additions of Jim Jackson and Walter McCarty. Only such thefts shut out Paxson from cashing in on the drafting of Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Chris Duhon, as well as the signing of Andres Nocioni, and the perseverance to retain his other young players.
Also worth considering: R.C. Buford, Spurs; Carroll Dawson, Rockets; Ernie Grunfeld, Wizards.
2004 winner: Jerry West, Memphis.
The award is selected by media, with the ballot requiring the listing of three names in order.
This ballot: 1. Bobby Simmons, Clippers; 2. Dwyane Wade, Heat; 3. Tayshaun Prince, Pistons.
Reasoning: While it could be argued that Wade, or even LeBron James, made the most difficult of strides, from star to superstar, this award generally has gone to players who emerged from obscurity.
In that respect, Simmons makes more sense in the lineage of previous winners Pervis Ellison, Ike Austin, Alan Henderson and Darrell Armstrong.
The irony is that this originally was the Comeback Player award, in which case we might have made an argument for Reggie Miller.
Also worth considering: Chris Bosh, Raptors; Primoz Brezec, Bobcats; Dan Dickau, Hornets; LeBron James, Cavaliers; Joel Pryzbilla, Trail Blazers; Amare Stoudemire, Suns.
2004 winner: Zach Randolph, Blazers.
This award is selected by media, with the ballot requiring three, position-specific teams.
First team: G Steve Nash, Suns; G Allen Iverson, 76ers; F Tim Duncan, Spurs; F Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks; C Shaquille O'Neal, Heat.
Second team: G Dwyane Wade, Heat; G Kobe Bryant, Lakers; F Kevin Garnett, Timberwolves; F Ben Wallace, Pistons; C Amare Stoudemire, Suns.
Third team: G Gilbert Arenas, Wizards; G Ray Allen, Sonics; F LeBron James, Cavaliers; F Shawn Marion, Suns; C Marcus Camby, Nuggets.
Also worth considering: F Vince Carter, Nets; F Rashard Lewis, Sonics; F Tracy McGrady, Rockets; G Paul Pierce, Celtics; C Yao Ming, Rockets.
The award is selected by coaches, with the ballot requiring two, non-position-specific teams.
First team: G Ben Gordon, Bulls; F Emeka Okafor, Bobcats; F Dwight Howard, Magic; F Andre Iguodala, 76ers; G Josh Smith, Hawks.
Second Team: G Beno Udrih, Spurs; G J.R. Smith, Hornets; F Luol Deng, Bulls; F Al Jefferson, Celtics; C Nenad Krstic, Nets.
Also worth considering: G Tony Allen, Celtics; F Matt Bonner, Raptors; G Josh Childress, Hawks; G Chris Duhon, Bulls; G Jameer Nelson, Magic; F Andres Nocioni, Bulls; F Anderson Varejao, Cavaliers.
The award is selected by coaches, with the ballot requiring two, position-specific teams.
First team: G Bruce Bowen, Spurs; G Larry Hughes, Wizards; F Shawn Marion, Suns; F Ben Wallace, Pistons; C Marcus Camby, Nuggets.
Second team: G Kobe Bryant, Lakers; G Dwyane Wade, Heat; F Kevin Garnett, Timberwolves; F Tayshaun Prince, Pistons; C Tim Duncan, Spurs.
In the Lane
MOVING ON? For those who forget, the trading period resumes at season's end for teams out of the playoffs. Other teams are allowed to make moves once they are eliminated. Among those who could be on the move (either during the trading period or through free agency, which starts July 1):
Timberwolves guards Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell, who last week were termed a "failed experiment" by owner Glen Taylor. Sprewell is a free agent, while Cassell said the owner's words cut so deep that he couldn't envision returning, although, with $6.1 million due next season from the 'Wolves, that decision does not rest with Cassell.
Magic guard Doug Christie, who, like former Magic forward Tracy McGrady, said differences with General Manager John Weisbrod make an enduring relationship "extremely difficult." Christie has one season left on his contract, at $8.2 million, with Weisbrod insisting the guard isn't going anywhere.
Blazers guard Nick Van Exel, who now is not so sure he wants to retire. Van Exel is due a non-guaranteed $12.7 million for next season, meaning Portland can wait on a decision with the guard until training camp, or use him as a salary-cap chip. "I want a chance to be on a playoff-contending team," Van Exel, 33, said.
Warriors forward Nokoloz Tskitishvili, whose midseason trade from Denver to Golden State did not result in a reprieve from the end of the bench. At 22, Tskitishvili said he might bypass free agency to return to Europe. "I don't want to get old and not [have] any experience," he said.
Pistons forward Carlos Delfino, who told the Argentine newspaper Clarin that his relationship with coach Larry Brown had grown so fractured that he recently considered returning home. The Olympic standout has two years at $2 million left guaranteed on his rookie-scale contract.
Knicks forward Kurt Thomas, who is due $22 million over the next three seasons and nearly was dealt to Cleveland in February. "I've been a Knick for seven years and almost every year my name has come up in trade talks," the former Heat forward said.
NO, NO NOCIONI: Four games after being labeled a "punk" by Heat coach Stan Van Gundy for his takedown of Dwyane Wade, Chicago forward Andres Nocioni was suspended one game after being chastised by Pistons coach Larry Brown for a hard foul on Tayshaun Prince. To the Bulls, it is a case of the NBA taking a cue from the power franchises. "They're listening to elite teams in the league and we end up getting hurt because of it," General Manager John Paxson said. "I think it's a compliment to Andres that teams are frustrated by how he competes. If the lead teams or star players complain, the league tends to listen."
TOUGH GUY, TOO: Then there's Utah rookie forward Kirk Snyder, who last week was suspended one game for a postgame scrap beneath the stands in Dallas with Mavericks guard Jerry Stackhouse. While most viewed Stackhouse as the aggressor, it is at least the third incident involving Snyder, who kicked at Heat forward Rasual Butler during one game and confronted the Rockets' bench during another. Before the latest incident, Stackhouse complained to the referees that Snyder was intentionally throwing elbows.
LAKER LINEAGE: With his team at the bottom of the Western Conference, Hornets coach Byron Scott said he has been able to persevere through the assurances of Heat President Pat Riley, his former Lakers coach. "He sent me a letter a couple of months ago about hanging in there and persevering," said Scott, who met with Riley last week in Los Angeles during a reunion of the Lakers' 1985 title team. "I have a pipeline to maybe the best coach to have ever coached this game. There are not a lot of people who can say that."
STILL TALKING: Having talked his way out of South Florida, former Heat forward Wesley Person now is making noise in Denver, saying his Nuggets would welcome a playoff series against the Sonics. "It would be nice to play Seattle because they haven't had the success that San Antonio has had in the playoffs the last few years," Person said. ... As it is, the Sonics hardly are enamored of the Nuggets, at least not after Denver coach George Karl spent part of a recent game holding an infant while working on the sidelines. The Nuggets' mascot had handed the child to an unsuspecting Karl, who nonetheless was criticized. "We're going to bring our babies out next time," Sonics forward Reggie Evans said. ... Former University of Utah coach and ESPN analyst Rick Majerus has joined the Nuggets as an unpaid consultant to Karl.
HEATED ISSUES: Former Heat assistant coach Marc Iavaroni, now a Suns assistant, has been linked to the Blazers' coaching vacancy. ... Former Heat television analyst Mike Fratello continues to endure turbulent times in Memphis, with guards Jason Williams and Bonzi Wells both calling out their coach over the past week for what they considered ill-timed removal from games.
DOWN ... OUT?: With San Antonio big men Tim Duncan and Rasho Nesterovic having missed time because of injury, the Spurs are considering loading their playoff roster with reserve big men. The inclusion of Robert Horry, Nazr Mohammed and Tony Massenburg on the playoff roster could come at the cost of a spot for rookie point guard Beno Udrih. ... The Kings plan to have center Brad Miller and guard Bobby Jackson on their playoff roster, but questions remain about whether either will be healthy in time.
By The Numbers
23 -- Career 4-point plays (3-pointer, free throw) by Pacers guard Reggie Miller, with retired guard Michael Adams second on the all-time list at 11. Miller had his latest last week against the Nets.
4 -- Stitches Rockets center Yao Ming required to his chin after taking a blow in the third quarter of Monday's victory over Seattle.
4 -- Stitches Yao had removed a day earlier from his chin from a cut he sustained against Phoenix a week earlier.
.387 -- Career winning percentage of NBA coaches who played collegiately under Bob Knight (Isiah Thomas, Butch Carter, Randy Wittman, Keith Smart, Quinn Buckner and current Hawks coach Mike Woodson, whose team has the NBA's worst record).
24 -- Couples married Monday during halftime of Dallas' home game against Memphis. The plans were for 25 couples to take part in the team's 25th anniversary, but cold feet left the team one couple short.
The List
With the Heat uneven in recent weeks, a look at how recent NBA champions fared down the stretch of their title seasons:
Season, Champion, Last 10, Last 15, Last 20
2003-04, Pistons, 8-2, 12-3, 16-4
2002-03, Spurs, 8-2, 12-3, 16-4
2001-02, Lakers, 7-3, 11-4, 14-6
2000-01, Lakers, 9-1, 11-4, 15-5
1999-00, Lakers, 7-3, 12-3, 16-4
They Said It
"I'm not Steve Nash. I'm not going to get you 22 assists." -- Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas, after scoring a career-high 44 points in a loss to the 76ers, with only three assists.
"You have to give them the ball and let them feel good about themselves." -- Arenas, after closing with a season-high 13 assists the following game, in a victory over the Bucks, while attempting only nine shots.
"I gave up my body to science, at least to the Amare Stoudemire Foundation." -- Warriors center Adonal Foyle, after twice yielding showcase dunks to the Suns center.
"Our goal was to get as many wins as possible and not be the worst team in the NBA." -- Bobcats guard Brevin Knight, whose team beat Atlanta twice last week to hand the Hawks that distinction.
"If they want him, I'm going to back him. If they go with somebody else, I'm going to back who they pick." -- Knicks guard Stephon Marbury, offering a less-than-ringing endorsement for interim coach Herb Williams.
"Working on ESPN with Stephen A. Smith would have been a nightmare." -- Former Rockets forward Matt Bullard, on emerging as a loser on ESPN's Dream Job.


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it sucks having to design w/the failures of ie in mind.there. sorry had to get it off my chest. Happy monday to all.
Well, yes, it's a pain alright, but IE is also less forgiving of poor coding practices, so in a way, it can help you learn to be a better web designer, creating more bulletproof layouts. (Zen master say: "As excrement is useful for cultivating plants, so IE is useful for cultivating better designs.")
Scratching my head over that one...
Those are indeed very good point and I would agree on striving to create bulletproof layouts...but still you get a tad frustrated every so often recon it could always be worse.
Dont hate it ... IE was the first of its kind And we need a good challenge every now and then ...
t hate it ... IE was the first of it
I was in a early monday grumble mood. am over it now(already have quite a few good challenges! Not volunteering for extras!)
No it wasn't - back when IE6 was the most standard compliant browser in existence it was Netscape 4 that everyone was complaining about.
Well, how often have you heard—"My site looks fine in Firefox and Chrome, but is totally messed up in IE"? Yes, IE itself is a disaster, but often the layout is a disaster, too, and IE tends to show it up more reliably than the better browsers. I'm not praising, IE, by any means, but IE often forces you to write more intelligent and bulletproof page structures. (It's just a tiny silver lining to a very dark cloud.)
My perception is that this kind of problem, far more often than not, was due to IE bugs.
Generally speaking, a well structured page should work just fine in IE. (It's only when people try to do fancy stuff that problems arise.) Most often, around here, the problems people are having in IE are a result of really poor page structures and poor use of CSS.
My perception has been the opposite. Frequently, the author's page is acting up because of improper code, esp. margins, or a legion of stray tags. "Modern" browsers have been taught to forgive a lot of errors so the coders have no reason to recognize or care about potential problems. IE still balks at more bad code than the others... not because of bugs (although bugs secured it's name in infamy)... but because the code is flawed.
Bugs aside, I have generally found IE to be a good at revealing the presence of sloppy coding.
The skills and knowledge required to write web pages is being reduced so almost anyone can do it. There will always be a demand for those who can do it well, though.
I loved your muse, "Scratching my head over that one... ". One of the incongruities in life. :lol:
IE is indeed one area Microsoft should start focusing on right away. Agreed, it does sucks and i am really pissed off by the number of times it crashes!
When it comes to the "basics", sure IE does force you to write a more compliant coding standard. But when it comes to "html and css" in whole, IE is garbage, and has been for quite some time. I find it to be a quite annoying irony that IE insists that you respect the code, while they in turn disrespect it by not supporting the latest standards that all others do.
It would be like everyone rushing off to Harvard because they heard Harvard had the best course on "Basic Addition" that the world had ever seen. There is no respect in that! lol
I personally hate IE. I haven't used it for years. I never thought people would still care for it. It sucks.
IE's support of html5 is pitiful. From now on I offer IE users an opportunity to install Chrome Frame for IE, or make a very ****** and basic image slider or whatever if they're on IE, but if you're on any other browser, even mobile, you get a nice html5 animated image reel with rotations and cool fx.
Luckily for me the content I build at work runs on 1 machine which runs chrome and sedna for digital billboards so I don't have to worry about potential users or IE.
hmmm. something new to me. what is that?d
It's a 1 click plugin for IE that uses google chrome "under the hood" in IE to use html5 features that IE doesn't support. https://developers.google.com/chrome/chrome-frame/
There's a free program for making html5 animations using keyframes and drag/drop/rotate/skew images/video, really slick, and outputs html5 which runs on mobiles, chrome, FF, and everything BUT IE. And it's not that it doesn't support IE, it's that IE doesn't support html5.....I mean it works on mobile webkits but not IE. The program is called Sencha Touch and I use it at work. If users have IE, you can offer them the single click install for chrome frame which will then run html5 in IE....
They have - IE10 works the same as the other browsers. It is only old versions of IE that behave differently.
IE is really a pain in the ass, it is frustrating to see a developer design a beautiful site with html5 and css3, only to find out it is not supported by ie.
I every use IE as default web browser last 5 years ago.
Then I switch to chrome and FirefoxWhat I don't like from early IE was it did not allow you to open web site in new tab.
As web site owner, I need to has IE ver.8 with ver. 10 to check my web.
But now I has to use it more, cause I install my web site's Alexa tool bar and it seem less trouble than Chrome and Firefox
With Alexa tool bar my Chrome and firefox, tool bar will disturb website vision, but not in IE.
Anyway I accept with you that I don't like IE, But we has to live with it. HA HA HA


text:
Following the call for registration which ended on 15 February, the countries participating in the 57th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett are now known, as well as the number of balloons representing each country. 20 gas balloons from 10 nations will take part in the event which will take place from 22 to 31 August 2013. The start point for the race is in Nancy, France.
The list goes as follows:
Benoît Pelard, the organiser of the competition, said: "We are delighted to welcome 20 teams to the next edition of the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett in Nancy. We are all the more happy to see that 3 French teams have registered, which was not the case in the last few years, and that an Italian balloon will come and compete in France. We asked the French Federation to issue a call for a second round to all nations that have not yet filled their quota." When asked how the preparations for the competition were coming along, Pelard replied that "Preparations on the site are underway according to plan. On 13 April a balloon will take off from the competition site to test the infrastructure in real conditions and launch the media countdown to the competition. The website is now ready for the registration of competitors. As for me, I always put off starting my diet to be as light as possible on 24 August ! It only remains for us to hope that the weather conditions will be favourable on D-day."
The Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett is the most prestigious and oldest balloon competition in the world, with the first edition dating back to 1906. The goal is simple: to fly the furthest distance from the launch site aboard a gas balloon. The winner of each year's event has the honour to organise the competition in two year's time. Frenchmen Sébastien Rolland and Vincent Leys's victory in 2011 gave France the opportunity to host this year's edition.


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Distinguished Innovators Initiative Investigates Fundamental Causes of Autoimmunity in Lupus Bringing Broad Application for Other Diseases
NEW YORK, NY – October 16, 2012 – The Lupus Research Institute (LRI) today announced the first $1 million research grants given to lupus investigators by a private research organization. The LRI Distinguished Innovator Initiative was created to address the current lack of treatments in development that could arrest or reverse the disease. The first privately funded awards of this scale in lupus, it challenges the international scientific community to pursue highly promising new ideas on the fundamental causes of lupus that can lead to a cure.
The two Distinguished Innovator recipients, Drs. Ann Marshak-Rothstein at University of Massachusetts Medical School and Greg Barton at University of California, Berkeley, independently zeroed in on one family of proteins called Toll-like receptors as key triggers of the body's devastating autoimmune attack on itself that characterizes lupus. Because TLR proteins are essential in fighting any infection, how the body loses control over their activity is a fundamental question in immunology. Finding the causes of lupus, the prototype for autoimmune disease research, could have broad implications across a wide range of illnesses affecting millions.
Which Toll-like receptor is responsible?
Dr. Marshak-Rothstein's research group was the first to propose that the TLRs could have a primary role in lupus by turning on the immune system to attack the body. Recent animal studies found that one TLR, TLR7, has a harmful role, while another, TLR9, has the opposite effect helping to protect against lupus.
Building on that work, Dr. Marshak-Rothstein is developing a highly innovative experimental approach to pinpoint which specific TLR is mainly to blame for causing lupus in humans. This experimental approach also promises to reveal new targets for therapies that could prevent or arrest lupus.
Dr. Marshak-Rothstein noted, "Support from the LRI will enable us to extend our analysis of the cell components recognized by TLRs in mice to TLR activation in human cell populations, and allow us to identify those patients most likely to respond to therapies directed at blocking specific TLRs."
Why Don't TLRs Harm Healthy People?
Also focusing on TLRs as prime suspects, Dr. Barton seeks to solve why TLRs cause a problem in people with lupus but not in healthy people. His work will determine if the reason the lupus immune system begins to attack its own DNA might lie with proteins inside immune cells whose job is to control TLR activity. Dr. Barton anticipates proving that lupus patients have defects in these control proteins that allow TLRs to mistakenly switch into action.
Dr. Barton's study seeks to pinpoint the earliest errors made by the lupus immune system and suggest new treatments to correct them. His investigations also have broad implications for autoimmune disease, infectious disease and beyond. The new knowledge generated by his work could even inform vaccine design against infectious diseases or cancer.
"In the last few years, we have started to learn how the immune system regulates TLRs," said Dr. Barton. "The next challenge, and the focus of our work, is to determine whether differences in these processes can explain why certain people develop lupus while others do not."
Stellar First Year for New Distinguished Innovator Award Initiative
The LRI received applications for the first privately funded $1 million grants from many of the world's most renowned scientists as well as rising young investigators with great promise for contributing their talent to uncovering the causes of lupus. Rigorous peer-review was conducted by a team of LRI's scientific advisors and 12 of the world's leading lupus experts.
"We were enormously impressed by the quality of the submissions and the two from Drs. Barton and Marshak-Rothstein stood out as offering the best possibilities for key insights," noted world-leading immunologist Dr. William Paul, LRI Scientific Advisory Board Chairman and National Academy of Sciences member. "With these Distinguished Innovator awards and existing annual Novel Research Grants, the LRI continues to pursue a strategy of funding the most innovative and novel research that has had unprecedented success in driving new answers in a complex disease state. Their work over the past decade has provided the basis for this transformative research initiative to look for the fundamental causes of lupus that can drive to a cure and the means to prevent lupus."


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Reviews - BW Premier Collection The Richmond4
24 Hatton Garden, Liverpool, L3 2AA
Customer Reviews
Our reviews are from genuine LateRooms.com customers. We verify that the customer has stayed before leaving a review.
Very Good
84% would recommend it to a friend
Customer service
Food quality
Room quality
Excellent stay
Although I didn't get much time to enjoy, great stay and brilliant hotel.
Like all hotels I requested prices for future stays and when staying weekends etc price does rose and I think it would be quit high but for Liverpool. It seems to be like this all over which I think may harm it through time. In future, I plan to stay in Manchester and travel down as all hotels are disproportionately high compared to other regions.
Read More Less
New Year's Eve Stay
Booked late, so limited choice of hotels available, fully aware of NYE inflated prices, but very expensive for area.
Would be interested to see normal rates. Hotel is clean, staff pleasant,rooms are OK, bit on the dark side, with tinted mirrors. Breakfast was excellent, hot food well cooked, restaurant a bit dark (personal opinion, I like natural light).Tea/coffee/water milk provided in room fridge, nice touch, and a decent hairdryer for ladies. Location - we're fairly familiar with the city, although an easy walk to everything, hotel is a bit out on it's own. I would suggest more 3* than 4*. Possibly stop again if struggling to get accommodation, but wouldn't be my first choice.
Overall, reasonable hotel, if the price is right and location is not your top priority.
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Great stay
Great hotel great for city centre and docks all our needs met great staff
The Richmond
We stayed here for our first wedding anniversary as we loved our first stay here.
I organised flowers on arrival which were in the room and the hotel went one better by also providing bubbly and a lovely desert with happy anniversary on the plate. They also provided red rose petals in the shape of hearts on the bed which was a real lovely gesture. The apartment room we stayed in was amazing and made our stay so perfect. We would recommend the Richmond Liverpool to anyone, the stay here is always amazing and what a fantastic City.
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Liverpool Get together
The Richmond apart-hotel is ideal for couples wishing to spend time together and still have their privacy.
We were able to relax with some home cooking on the second evening which gave us chance to catch up, which was the idea of the weekend.
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Two nights in liverpool
We found the hotel room very clean it helped having it newly decorated and updated.
The breakfast was ok nothing to shout about staff very helpful and enjoyed Liverpool very much
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Excellent hotel.
I would recommend The Richmond to anyone.
The staff were very friendly and helpful. We had a lovely room and the breakfast was top quality in a very pleasant dining room. The location is very convenient for all the venues in the dock area. A very enjoyable experience all round.
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The Richmond
We had room 511, a junior suite, it was a stunning room with a balcony well worth paying the extra.
Breakfast was plentiful fresh and very well cooked.
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Good accomodation. Average Food.
very nice hotel.
Some staff are great , others were a bit lax. For the price the quality of the food was a tad poor. Average breakfast, average room service etc. Good location. Spacious room. Great TVs (never thought I would say that about any TV). I'd stay again.
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City Centre Stay
This is an old hotel building with big open staircases and corridors.
However, the rooms have been recently modernised and there is little to complain about. For a city centre stay it is better than the big national chain business hotel where Lenny stays both on room quality and value for money. I am fussy about clean beds and bathrooms everything else is added bonus. Bathroom and bed were good so was the 50 inch telly. Room was heated/cooled with air-con which was a little noisy through the night but not enough to spoil my stay. I only ate breakfast which was buffet. All good but it would have been better with some special orders for those who don't do a fry up every day. There was continental stuff there too but some extras for me would have raised the score. Not a bad place to stay at all.
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text:
Time to start shopping!
Grreat Choice® .5 Gallon Fish BowlDetails http://www.petsmart.com/fish/tanks-aquariums-and-nets/aquariums/grreat-choice-.5-gallon-fish-bowl-5140164.html
Save 5% online when choosing In-Store Pickup. Offer valid online only. transaction total is prior to taxes & after discounts are applied. Offer valid on select merchandise when choosing In-Store Pickup. Savings will automatically reflect in the shopping cart with the purchase of qualifying merchandise. Maximum value $150. Offer not valid on gift cards, gift certificates, previous purchases, charitable donations, veterinary diet, RX medications or vaccines and may exclude all or select items from the following brands: Advantage®, AvoDerm®, Blue Buffalo®, Chuckit!®, Fluval®, FRONTLINE®, Jackson Galaxy, JW Pet, K9 advantix®, Nutro™, Nutro™ Max®, Nutro™ Ultra™, PetArmor®, Petmate, PetSafe®, Pioneer Pet, Wellness®. Offer may not be combined with other promotional offers or discounts. Terms and conditions of this offer are subject to change at the sole discretion of PetSmart. Offer valid on PetSmart.com through September 25, 2017 @ 6:30 am EST.


text:
The pirate site plans to ignore the lawsuits from Elsevier and the American Chemical Society.
Jumping Gene Linked to MRSA Spread
April 23, 2012|
A once rare mobile genetic element could be the cause of a MRSA epidemic in Chinese hospitals.
April 23, 2012|
A once rare mobile genetic element could be the cause of a MRSA epidemic in Chinese hospitals.
April 18, 2012|
Science adviser John Holdren speaks out about how the Presidential Administration is handling the controversial research that rendered avian flu transmissible between ferrets.
April 18, 2012|
A virologist at the center of avian flu research controversy says he'll publish without government permits.
April 17, 2012|
A member of the NSABB biosecurity board that recently reviewed H5N1 data criticizes the process.
April 16, 2012|
A mosquito-killing fungus shows promise as an effective dengue-control agent.
April 16, 2012|
Remarkable findings of ingested plant miRNA in animal liver and blood draw speculation about the study's validity.
April 13, 2012|
A study of children in Tanzania links iron deficiency with fewer malaria infections.
April 13, 2012|
Despite government efforts to ban unapproved stem cell treatments, companies around China still offer them openly.
April 11, 2012|
Pulling frequent all-nighters, experiencing jet lag, and working night shifts can lead to diabetes in more than one way.
April 11, 2012|
In rhesus macaques, an individual's drop in the social hierarchy leads to overactive immune genes and, possibly, poor health.


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Avery® White Self-Adhesive Reinforcement Labels 6002, 1/4" Round, Pack of 544Product Number: 06002
Find the strength your papers need to carry on. These Reinforcement Labels are designed to strengthen and repair punched holes. The labels come packaged in a handy dispenser that peels each self-adhesive reinforcement off the roll one by one. Apply the reinforcements to your standard-size punched holes to provide a durable border that resists tearing. Your punched holes will be stronger for the experience.
Product Description:
Reviewed by 3 customers
This review is from Hole Reinforcements 06002:
Strong and handy! Every busy office needs to have these reinforcement labels on hand.
This review is from Hole Reinforcements 06002:
Do you ever have papers in a binder? Then you know what I mean when I say you must have these. They are indispensable. They are also fun to color and use to decorate a folder or binder.
This review is from Hole Reinforcements 06002:
My kids were always coming home with ripped out pages of notebook paper and even losing paperwork because they ripped. Not anymore. These reinforcements were a life saver! They were shipped really quickly and I use them all the time!


text: Trying to get up in a tall jacked up truck, hiking with a guy over 6 feet and trying to keep up with him, meeting georgeous women that are taller than me, trying to buy clothes in the large and extra large category but the only thing left on the rack are tall and short sizes. Ha ha, I enjoyed reading about what people over 6 feet hate in the other post so much that I decided to write about what us guys under 6 feet hate. fatrascal.


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New book celebrates the middle classes
4:56pm Tuesday 4th December 2012
By Elizabeth Kemble
4:56pm Tuesday 4th December 2012
By Elizabeth Kemble
A NEW book that celebrates the British middle class and is co-written by an illustrator and writer based in Baverstock has become one of the top-recommended Christmas stocking fillers.
Zebedee Helm and Fi Cotter Craig's The Middle Class ABC takes a light-hearted look at the foibles, manners and mores of middle class life.
Helm said: "We looked about us and Britain was covered in great swags of bunting, John Lewis adverts were making people cry, wellington boots were fun and tiramisu was considered an 'essential' at Waitrose. "The middle classes were on the rampage and it was time to celebrate the fact."
The book has won rave reviews from people such as Stephen Fry, who calls it "indispensable and entirely charming".
"The response has been extremely positive," said Helm, who describes it as "an affectionate and humorous romp with the emphasis on jokes rather than social anthropology".
*A book signing event will be held at The Beckford Arms in Fonthill Gifford on Saturday (December 8) at 3pm.
© Copyright 2001-2017 Newsquest Media Group


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A. As a general rule, gum chewing in public is not professional or polite, even though you see people chewing it everywhere. People chew gum in church, at weddings, on television while being interviewed, at work and in jobs that deal with the public — all situations that should be gum-free. If you wonder where it might be acceptable, consider whether you would eat food in a given circumstance. If the answer is no, then it isn't appropriate to chew gum either.
Chewing gum is very distracting to those who have to watch you chew it. And there is often the temptation to crack it, snap it and blow bubbles. The same rules that apply to eating food should apply to chewing gum — chew with your mouth closed and avoid smacking your lips.
There are times when a piece of gum can freshen your breath, relieve some tension and help keep you alert while driving. However, I suggest you chew briefly and quietly and discard it before dealing with others. And always discard the gum in its wrapper or another piece of paper or tissue before throwing it into a waste basket. Of course, never throw it where someone might step on it.
If you are presenting at work or on a panel, ditch the gum. Those listening to your presentation will most likely be distracted by your chewing and pay less attention to your message.
Whether you chew gum at work or not should be based on how private your work space is and how casual the work environment is. Anytime you chew gum consider those around you and whether you are interfering with their ability to work.
So, the next time you are tempted to pop a piece of gum in your mouth, think about where you are, who is around to see you and whether it will impact how people feel about you as a professional.


text: I wanted to get a snapshot of which teams in the AFC east have the most potential to improve in the 2013 season based on cap room, draft picks, team needs that can be filled and the teams 2012 performance/coaching and carryover momentum from 2012. I compiled the data and made my own rankings from various news sites on the internet. I did my best to use multiple news sources to compile the information for each part. Please feel free to disagree with the rankings as I am sure some of you will. None of this is scientific and much of it is objective. Salary Cap Room Dolphins: around 37 Million under / My AFC East Rank: #1 Most reports indicate the dolphins will be between 30 - 44 million under the cap. The median of those figures is 37 Million. The Miami dolphins should be in a great position cap wise which should allow them to re-sign players and add depth or starters in free agency. The dolphins score the highest in this category with significantly more projected cap space than the bills and patriots. Bills: around 20 Million under / My AFC East Rank: #2 (by a tiny margin vs Pats) Three reports I found all show the bills to have around 20 Million in cap space. They also only have a few key free agents to lock up comparatively. The bills are in a good position cap-wise this off season. Patriots: around 18 Million under / My AFC East Rank: #3 (by a tiny margin vs Bills) The Patriots are also in a good position financially going into 2013 with most sites showing the figure at 18 Million under the cap. They have several key free agents including Wes Welker that need to be sorted out. Jets: around 19 Million over / My AFC East Rank: #4 (Last by a huge margin) John Clayton says the Jets are in the worst cap situation in the league. The Jets are a league High 19.4 Million over the cap for 2013. The Jets will have some hard decisions this off-season They are reportedly looking at cutting Bart Scott, Eric Smith, Jason Smith and Calvin Pace which will clear up about 31 million but will leave the team with 10 returning starters. After they make those cuts the Jets then will only have a small amount of money left over (around 10-15 million) to use for free agency and signing draft picks to replace those players. Draft Dolphins: 9 Picks, #12 overall in 1st round / My AFC East Rank: #1 The dolphins have 9 Picks, pick #12 overall in the first round and they hold 5 picks in first 3 Rounds. This puts them in the strongest position in the AFC East. The Dolphins got a 2nd round pick for the Vontae Davis trade but did not end up getting the extra 6th round pick from the trade because he was injured for 6 games. Their picks are as follows (1st,2nd,2nd,3rd,3rd,4th,5th,6th,7th) Bills: 6 Picks, #8th overall in 1st round / My AFC East Rank: #2 (pick right before jets with similar needs) The bills have 6 picks, one for each round except the 7th. In the first round they will pick #8 overall. Jets: 7 picks, #9th overall in 1st round / My AFC East Rank: #3 The jets have 7 picks, one for each round. In the first round they will pick #9 overall. They share some similar needs with the Bills and pick right after them. Patriots: 5 picks, #29-32 in 1st round / My AFC East Rank: #4 The Patriots are still playing so this has not fully sorted itself out but overall they are unusually low on draft picks this year with 5 total picks. They will pick no lower than 29 after their recent playoff win vs Houston. Their picks are as follows (1st,2nd,3rd,4th,7th) They are in the weakest position in the AFC East draft wise from a purely numbers standpoint and will have one of the weaker positions in the draft in the entire NFL. Major Needs to fill (and the ability to fill them) Patriots: / My AFC East Rank: #1 (They are still in the hunt for the SB which says it all) According to all the info I gathered the patriots don't have as many extremely pressing needs as the rest of the AFC East. Having an Elite QB like Brady probably masks other issues on the team but here are some of their needs according to a few sites and forums. -Cornerback - Upgrade to play opposite of McCourty -WR - some of this need depends on if Welker re-signs but many say the patriots want to add youth to the WR -Guard/Center -Right Tackle - depending if 28 year old Vollmer is retained or franchised -Some say another Pass Rushing DT -Some say a better Coverage LB -Some Say upgrade at safety Dolphins: / My AFC East Rank: #2 (set at QB for training camp, lots of needs, have plenty of money and picks, young team) The dolphins have many needs this year but one position is set; quarterback. It is a bit early to say that Tannehill will be an excellent franchise quarterback. It is not too early to say that he has convinced the coaches and most fans that he will be the undisputed starter coming into training camp this year. The fact that the dolphins know who the starting QB is for 2013 is the one major advantage from a needs perspective over the Jets and Bills. Having a set QB coming into training camp is one reason why I ranked the dolphins ahead of the Bills(and Jets) because other than that teams are very close from a needs standpoint. The other reason that the dolphins are ranked ahead of the bills and jets is that they simply have more money to throw at FA if they choose to do so. The following are some of the needs for the 2013 Dolphins in no particular order. -WR, Dolphins need at least 2 Solid WR's for RT to throw to. The dolphins need Speed, Explosiveness,YAC and a receiver that can score touchdowns. -Cornerback, this may be one of our weakest positions. Alot of this depends on what the coaching staff/GM decide to do about Sean Smith. -TE, A speed guy with good hands and the ability to catch the ball in the end zone would be Ideal -O-line competition, much of this depends on what we do with Jake Long. -pass rusher competition Bills: / My AFC East Rank: #3 (Need franchise QB, Have good amount of money, young team) Ryan Fitzpatrick did not play very well in 2012. He signed a long extension but is not performing as well as the Bills had hoped. The Bills defense improved on paper and was not really able to put it all together last season. New Head coach Doug Marrone is likely to follow GM buddy Nix's sentiment that the team must find a franchise QB this offseason. Here are some of the pressing Bills needs. -QB ,as stated above, the bills will be looking for another QB to at least challenge Fitzpatrick. -Outside Linebacker -Cornerback, bills will be looking for another starting CB opposite Stephon Gilmore -WR , The bills are also in need of competition at WR Jets: / My AFC East Rank: #4 (Lots of needs including comp for Sanchez, team is getting old, and money will be tight) The Jets Like the bills are most likely going to be looking for a QB this year to compete with Mark Sanchez. Mark had his worst year since 2009 throwing for 13TD to 18INT and a 66 Rating. What the jets do with Revis who was hurt this season is also a big question mark for this team. The Jets also still need a GM and have gone through a coaching exodus with many coaches leaving or taking lateral moves to teams such as the Bills. The jets bills and dolphins all have a similar amount of needs but the jets are in the worst position to fill them because money will be very tight. -QB, Jets need a stop gap to compete with Sanchez until they get out from under Mark Sanchez's contract. -DE/OL, 9 total sacks from edge rushers needs to improve -RB, jets averaged 3.8ypc 23rd in the league and may look to add a RB -WR, Jets would like to add depth at WR -Replacements and depth from the significant amount of cuts they will need to make to get under the cap 2012 Performance/Coaching and Carryover Patriots: / My AFC East Rank: #1 (by a wide margin) The patriots were 12-4 and went 6-0 in the division. They are still in the mix with a chance at another Super Bowl. Not much else to say here, still the class of the division. In the regular season this year, they were one below their 2011 record of 13-3. It is possible that some coaches may get promoted to other teams after the season ends. Dolphins: / My AFC East Rank: #2 (only team in AFC East to improve reg season record from 2011) The Dolphins were 7-9 and went 2-4 in the division. We improved one game over last season with a rookie head coach and Rookie QB. The dolphins were ranked 30th in turnover ratio at -10 which really hurt the team in the W/L column. The dolphins were the only team in the AFC East that improved its record from 2011 (6-10) So far the dolphins also have retained the whole coaching staff and GM Jeff Ireland.(to many on FH's dismay) Bills: / My AFC East Rank: #3 (ranked above Jets because their record did not get worse compared to 2011) The Bills were 6-10 and went 2-4 in the division. Despite what many believed was an improved roster they did not improve in the Win Loss column and the 2012 bills had the same record as the 2011 squad. The bills also have a new coaching staff mostly in place and have poached the jets D coordinator in a lateral move. Jets: / My AFC East Rank: #4 (2 games worse than 2011, need GM, lots of coaching spots to fill) The Jets were 6-10 and like the Bills went 2-4 in the division. The jets record was worse in 2012 than their 2011 version. Going from 8-8 un 2011 to 6-10 in 2012. The jets fired their GM and OC and have so far been slow to replace them. The Jets have also seen somewhat of a coaching exodus- they will need to fill quite a few positions in the coming weeks. Here are the rankings in a glance. Salary Cap 1)Dolphins 2)Bills 3)Patriots 4)Jets Draft 1)Dolphins 2)Bills 3)Jets 4)Patriots Needs 1)Patriots 2)Dolphins 3)Bills 4)Jets 2012 Performance/Coaching and Carryover 1)Patriots 2)Dolphins 3)Bills 4)Jets Total aggregate off all metric's (showing not which team is the best but which team has the most tools to improve based on these four things. This is not scientific. 1st place = 4 points 2nd=3 points etc.) 1)Dolphins 14 points (Not the best team but the team with the most tools to improve this offseason) 2)Patriots 11 (clearly the best team but they have a lousy draft position and amount of picks, Belichick will probably find some gems as he usually does though) 3)Bills 10 (right up there with the top two, more question marks than the Patriots and dolphins) 4)Jets 5 (They are going to be forced to be in a rebuilding type mode and make due without much money) Going into next season it seems logical that patriots will still be the team to beat in the division. That said the Dolphins have all the tools to have a great off season and an improved year. Jeff Ireland really won't have any excuses if these dolphins don't get better from a talent standpoint this off-season I think the Bills can also see some upward momentum. With the bills there are still a ton of question marks and this is why I think the dolphins will have a better record. The Jets will need some things to go their way for next season to be a success. They need to either find a stop gap QB or hope Sanchez improves. They need to cut a bunch of players and then sign players to replace them with a shoestring budget. They have the look of a team that was built to win at all costs but never quite made it. Now they are in the hangover stage. My way way way too early 2013 Prediction (for fun) Patriots 12-4 -the Pats are in a pretty good position to maintain their lead in the division. Dolphins 9-7 -Much of this depends on RT. but the team has the money and tools to get him real weapons. Bills 7-9 -Have money, young team, talent on D, low draft picks and lots of question marks, slight improvement. Jets 5-11 -The jets on paper should be much worse in 2013, they will find a way to only look slightly worse.


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A Study of AZT Plus Ganciclovir in Patients With AIDS and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Infection
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- How to Read a Study Record
To evaluate the clinical and laboratory toxicity of ganciclovir (GCV) and zidovudine (AZT) when given in combination.
Because recent information has shown AZT to be useful in treating AIDS, it is assumed that most patients with AIDS, and probably with AIDS related complex (ARC), will be receiving AZT. Because AZT is reported not to be active against cytomegalovirus (CMV), it is important to see if it is useful to give GCV along with AZT.
|Cytomegalovirus Infections HIV Infections
|Drug: Zidovudine Drug: Ganciclovir
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|Phase I Studies of the Combination of AZT and DHPG (Ganciclovir) in Patients With AIDS and Cytomegalovirus Infection
|Estimated Enrollment:
|Study Completion Date:
|February 1990
Because recent information has shown AZT to be useful in treating AIDS, it is assumed that most patients with AIDS, and probably with AIDS related complex (ARC), will be receiving AZT. Because AZT is reported not to be active against cytomegalovirus (CMV), it is important to see if it is useful to give GCV along with AZT.
Patients are placed into one of four groups at entry into study according to their previous treatment:
I: Prior treatment with AZT up to the time of developing CMV infection and not requiring dose reduction of AZT for toxicity.
II: Prior treatment with AZT up to the time of developing CMV infection and requiring dose reduction of AZT for toxicity.
III: Prior therapy with GCV for CMV infection. These patients should already be in the maintenance phase, having completed a minimum of 2 weeks of induction therapy.
IV: No prior therapy with either AZT or GCV.
Treatment lasts 24 weeks and consists of two treatment plans:
A: Patients not previously treated with GCV are started on GCV for an additional 22 weeks. GCV is given as a 1-hour infusion. All patients are started on AZT at the lowest dose. B: For patients with chronic CMV disease who are receiving GCV maintenance, GCV is administered as a 1-hour infusion 5 days/week.
AZT is added and treatment with GCV is standardized prior to beginning of the study.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria
Concurrent Medication:
- Symptomatic therapy such as analgesics, antihistamines, antiemetics, and antidiarrheal agents, or other supportive therapy may be administered as deemed necessary by the responsible investigator. For fever, the following regimens should be used:
- If fever above 39.0 degrees C, antipyretic therapy will be administered employing aspirin, 650 mg orally every 4 hours x 3 doses, or until fever falls below 39.0 degrees C.
- If fever of higher than 39.0 degrees C occurs for 2 consecutive days, the patient may be premedicated with aspirin.
Exclusion Criteria
- Active alcohol or drug abuse.
Co-existing Condition:
- Patients with other life-threatening and uncontrolled opportunistic infections on enrollment.
Patients with the following prior conditions are excluded if they:
- Have other life-threatening and uncontrolled opportunistic infections on enrollment.
Prior Medication:
Excluded within 1 week of study entry:
- Systemic therapy with antimetabolite.
- Cytotoxic drug.
- Interferon.
- Immunologic modulators.
- Corticosteroids.
- Nucleoside analogs other than zidovudine (AZT).
- Excluded within 2 weeks of study entry:
- Therapy for any other opportunistic infections.
- Excluded within 2 months of study entry:
- Ribavirin.
Prior Treatment:
Excluded within 2 weeks of study entry (for treatment group I):
- Blood transfusion.
- Excluded within 1 month of study entry (for treatment groups II and III):
- Blood transfusion.
All patients must be:
- Able to provide informed consent.
- Likely to be available for follow-up for at least 4 months.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00000995
|United States, California
|Univ of California / San Diego Treatment Ctr
|San Diego, California, United States, 921036325
|United States, New York
|Bellevue Hosp / New York Univ Med Ctr
|New York, New York, United States, 10016
|Univ of Rochester Medical Center
|Rochester, New York, United States, 14642
|Study Chair:
|Reichman RC
|Study Chair:
|Richman D
|Study Chair:
|Hochster H
|Responsible Party:
|National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00000995 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
10980 ( Registry Identifier: DAIDS ES Registry Number )
|Study First Received:
|November 2, 1999
|Last Updated:
|February 15, 2012
Keywords provided by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID):
AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections
Drug Evaluation
Drug Therapy, Combination
Cytomegalovirus Infections
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Communicable Diseases
HIV Infections
Cytomegalovirus Infections
Lentivirus Infections
Retroviridae Infections
RNA Virus Infections
Virus Diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes
Immune System Diseases
Herpesviridae Infections
DNA Virus Infections
Ganciclovir triphosphate
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors
Nucleic Acid Synthesis Inhibitors
Enzyme Inhibitors
Anti-Retroviral Agents
Antiviral Agents
Anti-Infective Agents
Anti-HIV Agents
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


text:
In the book of "What the Buddha taught" wriiten by Walpola Rahula,
there is a verse beginning with
"To MANI" followed by..."The gift of Truth excels all other gifts".
Pali dictioanry says 'mani' is a kind of jewel, but it seems like a name!
Please let me know what' it is.


text:
War became a business when we entered Vietnam. We went there for the wrong reasons. Defense Secretary Robert Strange McNamara admitted years later that he followed the flawed "Domino Theory" out of loyalty and said it was the main reason for entering the Vietnam War.
McNamara's memoir "In Retrospect," published in 1995, presented an account and analysis of the Vietnam War from his point of view. According to his lengthy New York Times obituary, "... he concluded well before leaving the Pentagon that the war was futile, but he did not share that insight with the public until late in life."
In 1995, he took a stand against his own conduct of the war, confessing in his memoir that it was "wrong, terribly wrong." Remember, Americans were told from the very beginning that our involvement in Vietnam was about freedom and bringing democracy to that country.
We were told our freedom at home was threatened and the war was necessary. I call that misleading message the first "Big Lie." Fifty-eight thousand American men and women died for that lie.
The second "Big Lie" to justify invading another country came when we unseated the Iraq government of Saddam Hussein. Once again, we waved the flag of freedom to intervene when Iraq invaded Kuwait.
We eventually set up a new government in Iraq (a country that hates us) while bleeding American taxpayers dry. The price of this second Big Lie is still being calculated. I'll say more about that shortly, but let's move on to our third "Big Lie," given for invading Afghanistan (which, after a decade of war, hates us).
After 9/11, this third "Big Lie" seized our shaken nation. We were told it was necessary to conquer Afghanistan and get Osama bin Laden and his pack of extremist Muslim terrorists to make us safe at home. We finally got him, all right -- a decade later in Pakistan, sheltered by our allies there.
Meanwhile, the financial impact on the American economy has been devastating. The price for these big lies is staggering, according to the Commission on Wartime Contracting.
In a new report to Congress (June 6), this independent panel investigated U.S. wartime spending. As much as $60 billion has been lost to waste and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade through lax oversight of contractors, poor planning and payoffs to warlords and insurgents.
Here are some recent facts taken primarily from data analyzed by various think tanks, including The Brookings Institution's Iraq Index, and from mainstream media sources (Jan. 31):
1. Spent and approved war spending: About $1 trillion of U.S. taxpayers' funds spent or approved for spending through 2011.
2. Lost and unaccounted for in Iraq: $9 billion of U.S. taxpayers' money and $549.7 million in spare parts shipped in 2004 to U.S. contractors. Also, per ABC News, 190,000 guns, including 110,000 AK-47 rifles.
3. Lost and reported stolen: $6.6 billion of U.S. taxpayers' money earmarked for Iraq reconstruction, reported on June 14, 2011, by Special Inspector General for Iraq reconstruction Stuart Bowen, who called it "the largest theft of funds in national history." (Source: CBS News)
4. Mismanaged and wasted in Iraq: $10 billion, per February 2007 Congressional hearings.
5. Halliburton overcharges classified by the Pentagon as unreasonable and unsupported: $1.4 billion
6. Amount paid to KBR, a former Halliburton division, to supply U.S. military in Iraq with food, fuel, housing and other items: $20 billion. Portion of the $20 billion paid to KBR that Pentagon auditors deem "questionable or supportable": $3.2 billion.
Just think of all the monies discussed above that could have gone into the American economy instead. One author, Rob Simpson, has managed to look at the lighter side in his book "What We Could Have Done With the Money: 50 Ways to Spend the Trillion Dollars We've Spent on Iraq."
As It Stands, my favorite part of this book is where Simpson calculates the $1 trillion we've spent on war could pave the entire U.S. interstate highway system with 23.5-karat gold leaf!
Dave Stancliff is a retired newspaper editor and publisher who writes this column for the Times-Standard. Comments can be sent to email@example.com or www.davesblogcentral.com.


text:
HEAD coach Steve Ojomoh labelled his side's performance as the best of his season and a half-long tenure as Trowbridge moved to within two wins of a national final at Twickenham.
The home side's forward power and the searing pace of full-back Jackson Szabo destroyed Bletchley at a rain-soaked Doric Park on Saturday.
Ojomoh, whose side now host the winners of the South West Counties final between Wells and Devon's Ivybridge in the South West final on February 22, said: "I thought we saw a different Trowbridge.
"Last week's (league) defeat (to Swanage & Wareham) was the kick up the backside we needed. We thought about how we needed to play with and without the wind.
"It was the best two-half performance I've witnessed from us.''
In conditions which fluctuated between driving wind and rain and bright sunshine and back within minutes, Trowbridge's canny tactics and clear superiority in the pack handed them a convincing triumph.
The home side had the benefit of the conditions in the first half and made full use of them as the Buckinghamshire visitors, who have lost only once in their Southern Counties North campaign, were driven backwards at every opportunity.
One such shunt set up the first try as Trowbridge stole scrum ball and number eight Adam Sullivan broke. Szabo joined the attack to dive over after just seven minutes.
Centre Lloyd Davis landed a superb conversion and, just past the midway point of the half, Trowbridge seized a lineout 20 metres out and a magnificent forwards rumble took them up to the line, where prop Sean Jones emerged from a pile of bodies as the scorer.
Davis added the extras and, after Szabo again injected lightning pace into the backline to skirt around the defence and touch down out wide, added a long-range penalty.
Bletchley enjoyed their one bright spell of the half as Trowbridge botched the catch and were then shunted off their own scrum ball, allowing Steve Allen to dot down for a try.
That gave the visitors hope going into the second half with the elements in their favour and they started well, being narrowly denied in the corner before lock Adam Fox ploughed over from a set penalty move 15 minutes in.
But Fox was then sin-binned for an off-the-ball incident spotted by the touch judge and his side paid the price as Trowbridge scrum-half Kyle Knight took a quick tap and crashing over.
The icing on the cake arrived with 10 minutes remaining as Szabo showed the defence a clean pair of heels around the outside before timing his pass well to wing James McFarlane who finished with ease, Davis adding the conversion.
FOR MORE SPORTS NEWS, REPORTS & PICTURES SEE FRIDAY'S WILTSHIRE TIMES AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @WTSport


text:
Was invited to a cocktail party at Conseco monday at the Legends (I figured a much smaller version of the private party they put on at the Morway's) and the email invitation said Larry Bird, Coach O'Brien, and David Morway would all be there to mingle and talk about the team. As I've purchased a ticket package for the last several years, I figured it was to get everyone to buy this year and I was OK with that, but then none of them showed up.
Quinn Buckner and the pacers annoucer did a Q and A which was nice, but again I wouldn't have come all that way if I had known we were all going to be stood up.
I was going to get a ticket package anyway...but this just was kind of poor form, especially when you are desparate to get fans back.
Was just disappointed in what appeared to be a 'bait and switch', as the sales reps didn't appear surprised at the no show from all 3.


text:
Hi guys,
Got a difficult one. I have some windows that I have modeled from scratch and when looking ingame they don't appear unless they have a NONE transparency set in 3DSimEd. It doesn't only apply for windows though, anything with any kind of transparency has this. They appear fine on no transparency but with any kind of transparency they don't appear at all.
Model was created in Max 2010, then exported via the Pandasoft .X plugin (Although think the same issue occured exporting .3DS but I will try again to confirm. and materials set in 3DSimEd. Textures created in either Paint.Net or Photoshop, both have the problem. And yes, it does look fine in SimEd.
Any help on the matter?


text: Look out, Spidey! Hot on the heels of his old girlfriendÆs trip home, The Black CatÆs back (and front!), sexier and more dangerous than ever! The deck is STACKED as the one woman that loves Spider-Man more than Peter Parker is up to some devilish shenanigans...and nothing bugs Spidey more than shenanigans! BRAce yourself for danger, Spidey! ItÆs gonna be...umm...sexy?


text:
MERRY Hill's popular Mummy Mornings sessions are set for a monster takeover next week.
The biggest Mummy Mornings bash ever – dubbed Monster Mummy Morning - is set to take place next Tuesday, June 24, from 10am to 2pm at the Copthorne Hotel, Brierley Hill.
It will feature a host of activities and goodies for kids and adults including freebies, music, games, balloon modeling, crafts, stalls, free lunch offers and an appearance from children's favourite Peppa Pig.
Kelly Reed, senior marketing manager at intu Merry Hill, said: "Mummy Mornings have been a very special part of the centre for the last six years, and we can't wait for our biggest one yet.
"Our Monster Mummy Morning will be a fantastic day out for little ones as well as mummies and daddies, and we can't wait to welcome members old and new. It promises to be a monster of a day."
Thought to be the largest active network of parents in the Midlands, Mummy Mornings have become a favourite with families across the Black Country and a key event in Merry Hill's weekly calendar.
The get-togethers for parents and their little ones are held every Tuesday from 10am in Eat Central.
For more information visit website https://intu.co.uk/merryhill


text:
Girls Classic Leather Beauty Pouch
No longer available
- Overview
A dorm room essential or perfect travel companion, this little pouch expands when you open it to fit more toiletries and jewelry than expected – plus, it's got the look and feel of pebbled leather for long-lasting style.
- 8.25" wide x 3.75" deep x 5.5" high
- Expertly crafted of faux leather.
- Features one large pocket and one small pocket.
- Dimensions + Care
- Wipe with a soft, dry cloth.
- Shipping Info
This item will arrive in 3-5 business days. Please proceed to the Payment & Review page of Checkout for a precise delivery estimate.


text:
Angels ride four homers to fifth straight win
Trout, Pujols, Iannetta, Trumbo leave yard in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY -- All of a sudden, things are looking rosy for the Angels. Joe Blanton is finally in the win column, the offense is in power mode and the bullpen performers are making critical pitches at critical times.
By pounding four homers off former teammate Ervin Santana, the Angels had just enough ammunition to hold off the Royals, 5-4, on Thursday while running their winning streak to five games. Even on a night when closer Ernesto Frieri couldn't seal the deal and had to be lifted in the ninth, it all ended well for manager Mike Scioscia's club. Robert Coello bailed out Frieri by retiring Alcides Escobar with the tying run in scoring position as the Angels held off a furious push by the Royals.
Frieri entered with a 5-2 lead after Mark Trumbo's two-run homer on a 3-0 pitch in the eighth had provided the Angels with some breathing room. But after Frieri labored through 35 pitches, the Royals were within a run and had men at first and second. Scioscia, who used seven pitchers, trusted that Coello could get the final out and Coello came through by getting Escobar on a fly to right, giving the rookie his first career save.
"When Ernie takes the field, you want to win or lose the game while he's out there," Scioscia said. "But he was at 35 pitches and there's no doubt he was getting a little tired. I just felt better with a fresh arm to come in and give Escobar a different look."
By hanging on with their closer watching from the dugout, the Angels were able to celebrate Blanton's first win after an 0-7 start with the club. Blanton worked 6 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits.
"Joe has pitched some strong games and maybe hasn't benefitted from run support," Scioscia said. "Tonight, he really pitched with his back to the wall for much of the game. There's no doubt that getting him pitching to his capabilities is important to us. It's good for him to get the first win."
Reinforcements are on the way to help the Angels' rotation, but Blanton insisted he felt no added urgency to turn it around.
"I've been doing it a long time," Blanton said. "Why should I feel urgency now? All you can do is keep making pitches, regardless of what happens."
The Angels played from in front thanks to the long ball. Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Chris Iannetta had solo homers before Trumbo's two-run homer in the eighth. It marked the second time in his career that Santana surrendered four homers in a game.
The homer to straightaway center by Trout in the first was a monster shot that was measured at 433 feet. But Scioscia insisted that distance figure was extremely conservative.
"Did they run out of tape to measure it?" Scioscia said. "That ball was more than 430 feet. That thing was killed."
The Angels knew that Santana would challenge them in the strike zone with his fastball and they were ready.
"We had a plan coming in," Trout said. "We wanted to avoid chasing the sliders away and we stuck with the plan. We've been swinging it the past few days and you see what this offense can do."
The Royals were within 3-2 in the seventh and had runners at first and third when Blanton departed. Sean Burnett preserved the lead by inducing a double-play grounder from pinch-hitter Miguel Tejada.
Trumbo temporarily eased the pressure with his homer, but back came the Royals to turn up the heat in the ninth.
"I was a little bit wild -- maybe a lot wild," Frieri said. "My mechanics were a little too slow at the beginning and too quick at the end. Things happen, but we won, and that's all that matters."
The Angels (20-27) and the Royals (21-23) have been going in different directions. While the Angels are attempting to climb out of a big hole with their five-game winning streak, the Royals have dropped 13 of 17 after a 17-10 start.
If he had it to do over, Royals manager Ned Yost indicated he would have instructed Santana to intentionally walk Trumbo when the count reached 3-0.
"Absolutely, that was a bad decision on my part," Yost said. "That one was on me."
Robert Falkoff is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Master Reboot
Imagine a world where death is no longer final, where precious memories are saved to enjoy forever, where your soul is immortal, welcome to the Soul Cloud.
Upload your soul to our dedicated servers and relax knowing that a part of you will live on, for eternity. That favourite holiday, happy moments from your childhood, meeting that special someone for the first time. All these memories saved for your digital soul and your family to revisit again and again.
The Soul Cloud - saving your past to secure your future.
Master Reboot is a psychological puzzle adventure game set inside the Soul Cloud. The Soul Cloud is a giant server that holds the data of your Soul when you die. The Soul Cloud is filled with floating islands, each island looks like a town; village or city filled with rooms, skyscrapers and houses that hold people's memories. To house your Soul, a family member (or yourself before you die) purchases an island on the Soul Cloud where the server will generate rooms, houses or skyscrapers that hold each and every memory from the deceased's past, or of memories of their choosing. Since in this time Virtual Reality has been perfected, family members can visit the departed from time to time and they can visit old memories. When the person dies they are kept "asleep" for 6-8 weeks so the server can check the Soul and memories over and install a program into them so the deceased will understand where they are. If they are were woken before this they won't remember that they died and can panic which can cause the server to crash and have to reboot the system which can take 10 weeks to return to normal. This means no new souls can be added and no one from the living can visit the deceased.
Account being created…....initiating memories upload.......warning.......system malfunction.......warning.......fatal system errorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! ……attempting system recovery……..rebooting……… "Where am I? Who am I? ". It's time to piece your life......and death back together.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SM5gT7LHgE&list=UU6iz2xxDguZfMvj8ZiceOoA
Website: http://www.walesinteractive.com/master-reboot
· Unique visual style
· Intriguing immersive storyline
· Psychological Puzzle Adventure
· 16 memory levels
· Atmospheric dynamic soundtrack
Master Reboot is due for release at the end of Spring 2013. Our original plan was to self-publish on PC, Mac, iOS and Android via a variety of online direct download portals. However we have had significant interest in this title from a major publisher who cannot be named, and we are currently talks of exclusive console publishing deal.
Developer: Wales Interactive – www.walesinteractive.com
Contact: David Banner, Managing Director – email@example.com
|[View All]


text:
The Sabres overtime loss to the Islanders on New Year\'s Eve left them at 8-22-5-2 and light years removed from the Stanley Cup playoff picture. Since the calendar turned, though, they are 6-1-2 and only a dozen or so points out of the race with 36 games left. C Stu Barnes, Buffalos captain, had difficulty pinpointing the source of the turnaround. Its just come together. Guys are doing their jobs, he said. Plus, if you look back at the way all season has gone, we have been in almost every game.
You are here: Home / SabresBeat / Penguins Report


text:
SAN JOSE >> Appearing worn and exhausted, Monterey financial talk show host Barbra Alexander was sentenced to nine years in federal prison Wednesday after bilking friends and colleagues out of $6.3 million in an ongoing Ponzi scheme.
In handing down the sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh said Alexander, 66, showed "no acknowledgement of the victims" in a letter delivered to the court before the morning hearing began.
Alexander said she chose to file the letter, which was not read in open court, rather than speak at her sentencing hearing.
Koh gave details about some of the 49 victims who lost their retirement savings, children's college funds and even their homes when they invested tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars each in a scheme spearheaded by Alexander and aided by two Monterey-based business associates, Michael Swanson and Beth Pi?a.
Defense attorney Peter Leeming said a sentence of more than three years was "unreasonable" because of Alexander's age.
"She's not going to be back here" after serving her prison sentence, Leeming said. "We know she's not going to be back here."
He said his client was suffering from back pain and asked the court to let her sit through what became a two-hour hearing.
He also said his client was not the "leader" of the scheme as prosecutors contended.
Alexander declined to speak at the hearing, submitting her letter to the court instead.
But rather than bolstering her request for a shorter sentence, Koh said the letter actually made Alexander look worse.
"I just don't see in this letter true remorse and true acceptance of responsibility," Koh said. The judge said it appeared Alexander tried to put all the blame on Swanson. But Swanson and his family also lost money when they invested in the scheme, Koh said. "This really was her show."
Prosecutors asked for a 10-year prison term after Alexander was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud in a two-week trial in February.
Only Alexander's age and lack of serious prior criminal convictions were factors in her favor, Koh said.
But she noted that Alexander had faced misdemeanor check-bouncing and forgery charges in her teen and young adult years, providing a "hint or a glimmer? of a previous intent and conviction" for engaging in deceitful behavior and financial fraud.
"The deceit was particularly painful (because the victims) are folks who thought they had a relationship with Ms. Alexander," Koh said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Schenk said Alexander spent three years "sitting down face-to-face with each victim and telling them, 'Give me all the money you have.'"
Alexander is the former producer of the internationally syndicated "Money Dots" financial talk show, aired locally on KION-AM 1460.
She and Swanson, 65, also operated the Monterey-based APS Funding, which told investors their savings would be used to offer short-term, high-interest loans for real estate buyers. They were assured 12 percent interest.
Alexander, Swanson and associate Beth Pi?a siphoned most of the funds for their own uses, including investments into Money Dots.
Alexander bought jewelry for herself and spent $200,000 on a kitchen remodel for her Monterey rental home, then celebrated its completion by inviting her unsuspecting clients for a party.
As the investments fell in arrears, the trio continued to seek new investors to keep the scam afloat. The scheme crumbled in 2009 when investors couldn't get their money out and complained to the Monterey County District Attorney's office.
The three were arrested in October 2010 and indicted on 43 charges of mail and securities fraud, money laundering and conspiracy.
Pi?a cooperated with investigators and after a plea deal received a sentence of one year's home detention. Swanson was tried separately and was sentenced to three years and one month in prison.
A total of $8 million was raised in the scheme from 2006 through 2009, Schenk told the court, with investors only receiving back $1.66 million to date.
Two victims who lost hundreds of thousands each investing with Alexander and Swanson made impassioned statements at the hearing.
"You ended my trust in my fellow man forever," said Barbara Workman, 70, who added that her children had to pay for her flight from Texas because she "lost everything."
All of the victims, she said "are just shells of ourselves? As for me, I'm still trying to forgive myself for my stupidity and my greed."
She said Alexander took advantage of the fact that she was heartbroken after the end of a 40-year marriage.
"You found the most vulnerable spot in each victim," Workman said.
Helga Pate, 62, said she ended up living in her car for two weeks and had to sell her wedding rings to pay for medications following a heart attack.
"I felt safer with a small company because she was my friend and she would take care of it? She preys on people who are weak," Pate said.
Both women said after court they were satisfied with the sentence, though they wondered if they will ever see any of the more than $6.3 million in restitution Alexander is ordered to pay.
Citing flight risk concerns, Koh ordered Alexander to wear an electronic ankle bracelet until she turns herself in to federal prison officials or the U.S. Marshals Service on August 22.
Leeming told the court that Alexander intends to file an appeal.
Julia Reynolds can be reached at 648-1187.


text:
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