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Carey Dinner Theatre to Present "Cotton Patch Gospel"
Hattiesburg, Miss., June 7, 2012 - Carey Dinner Theatre (CDT) will present "Cotton Patch Gospel" June 14-30 in the Joe and Virginia Tatum Theatre at William Carey University.
"Cotton Patch Gospel" is the retelling of the Gospel story with country-bluegrass music and set in rural Georgia. Written by Tom Key and Russell Treyz, the story is based on the popular book "The Cotton Patch Version of Matthew and John" by Clarence Jordan. Music is by Harry Chapin, his last and perhaps best work. As the story begins the cast sings "Something's Brewin' in Gainesville." Other songs include "Mama Is Here," "Miracle on Stone Mountain," and "Thank God for Governor Pilate."
CDT will present the second production of the summer, "Sing Out, Sweet Land!" July 10-21.
Corporate sponsor W. A. Warren Asphalt Paving Contractors and co-sponsor Regions Bank support the 37th season of CDT.
The box office opened June 4 and will be open daily except Sundays from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. To make reservations call 601-318-6221. Dinner is served at 7 p.m. and the performance follows. There are no performances on Sundays or Mondays. The ticket price of $29 includes buffet, show, sales tax and program.


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Will Kimmel To Drive No. 44 Ingersoll Rand Toyota Camry
TriStar Motorsports welcomes back Ingersoll Rand as a sponsor for the second consecutive year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series season. A global leader when it comes to air compressors, tools, fluid management and material handling equipment, Ingersoll Rand will be the associate sponsor on all of the Toyota Camry's during the 33 races of the Nationwide Series schedule. Running five primary races with the No. 44 TriStar Motorsports Camry, Ingersoll Rand will run its first race on March 1st, 2014 at Phoenix International Raceway.
A regular in the ARCA Racing Series, Will Kimmel will man the cockpit of the No. 44 Ingersoll Rand Toyota Camry during the five primary races. Nephew of 10-time ARCA Racing Series Champion Frank Kimmel, Will Kimmel races for his family-owned team Kimmel Racing, which scored seven top five and 19 top-10 finishes throughout six years in the ARCA Racing Series. With this being Kimmel's second Nationwide Series start, it is his first in Phoenix at the 1.5-mile track.
"We look forward to renewing our partnership with TriStar Motorsports as they take their program to the next level," said John Evans, President of Power Tools at Ingersoll Rand. "TriStar allows us the opportunity to support rookie drivers and provide them with performance tools that can help them win both on and off the track. We were happy with our partnership last year and look forward to growing our programs together this year."
"To say I'm excited is an understatement," exclaimed Kimmel. "I greatly appreciate the opportunity Ingersoll Rand and TriStar Motorsports have presented to me. I look forward to continuing the Kimmel family impression in racing, now in the NASCAR community.
TriStar Motorsports owner Mark Smith said, "I greatly appreciate Ingersoll Rand coming back on board this year. I can attest to the impressive quality of their tools, I use them both in our race shop and at Pro Motor Engines. Ingersoll Rand, as an organization, has been great to work with and I look forward to this season's partnership." Smith continued, "I also admire how Ingersoll Rand builds relationships with rookie drivers and help give them an opportunity of a life time. I am honored TriStar Motorsports can be a part of that."
Soon after Kimmel finishes his race in Phoenix, two weeks later he will set sail on Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee with the remaining of Kimmel's Nationwide Series starts still to be determined at a later date.

subset: commoncrawl


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Topic: Our beautiful daughter left us on Oct. 1, 2011
It is with unbelievable sadness that our beautiful Sara, age 26, passed away from this horrible disease. She was diagnosed on April 4, 2011 and put up a brave and courageous fight. We were lucky enough to be able to keep her at home with the help of hospice and her passing was peaceful. We are still in a state of shock, this happened all so fast, please keep fighting and researching to find a cure for this. Thank you for this website, it is a wealth of information.


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when I have a few minutes to actually read something!
Hi Jerry,
Welcome to Home Energy Pros! Feel free to join the conversation in the Forum and Groups. And share your energy efficiency photos, videos and upcoming events. If you're blogging about home performance, this is the place for you!
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© 2017 Created by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Powered by


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When you think of superheroes, you think bright capes and flashy names, however most overlook the job that 41-year-old Anthony Maldonado from Denver, Colorado does. In '95 Anthony was on the way to his daily job as he passed by a firehouse and saw a fireman sitting out front smoking a cigar and laughing. "These guys knew something I didn't." Anthony tells us. Within two years, he had joined those men and became a Denver fireman.
In a sense of nostalgia, Anthony wanted to find a vehicle from the year he was born. When it came to shape and size, he knew this car would have to be an Impala, as he had always been a fan of these classic Chevrolet designs. He set his sights on the proper canvas to create his unique style, and located a '69 Chevrolet Impala at a home near his local bank. After months of scoping it out, he stopped by the house to have a better look. The owner wasn't home, but the curious Anthony inspected the Impala in the driveway as best he could. A month later, he found the same year Impala in a classified advertisement. He called the owner, and as fate would have it, this was the same exact vehicle! During the purchase of the car, Anthony mentioned that he was a firefighter, and in an even crazier twist of fate, the man that sold him the Impala ended up becoming a firefighter three years later. Such is the life of a superhero.
The main task Anthony wanted to accomplish was to design the Chevy in such a way that it would really stand out on the Denver streets. He enlisted the legendary Sonny Valdez to lay down House of Kolor Oriental Green Kandy flake, with graphics and patterns in the way that only the talented Sonny could possibly design. During the painting process, Anthony would occasionally venture into Sonny's shop with a case of beer, showing his appreciation for Sonny's work and offering a refreshing break. True to his creative methods, Sonny actually used pieces of the cardboard from the case of beer to complete some of the graphics! When it came time for suspension, Anthony asked his friend Sam Henry, of Sam's Kustom Hydraulics in Denver, to lift the heavy body. A two-pump, four-dump setup was installed and positioned so that even with the car at its lowest, it would still clear driving height.
The next step was gutting the interior. Balls Deep Kustom Rods in Arvada, Colorado handled the task of wrapping the bench seats in white and green vinyl, before coating the trunk with the same pattern, and adding "Big Time '69" stitching. Anthony added his own touch, by installing enough bass that he could be heard several blocks away from the firehouse. For extra giddy-up, the motor was overhauled and rebuilt by Rivera Auto in Denver, Colorado, and the final step to the build was completed by adding a set of 13-inch, straight-laced Dayton wire wheels.
Anthony's limited time in working on his car is attributed to his high priority job. He isn't rescuing kittens out of trees; he is saving children from fires and extracting accident victims out of vehicles. "My worst call was about a child not breathing. Having a young child of my own, I took it very seriously. After getting the address of the location, I found out it was my home and my baby girl. Every minute it took for my truck to get there seemed to take an hour." Fortunately, his daughter regained her breathing, and everything turned out okay. This incident is proof plenty that at the drop of a hat, Anthony is ready to take on situations that most of us simply couldn't handle. When it comes to superheroes, it's always good to know that we have someone like Anthony Maldonado in our own Lowrider culture. We definitely need them.
Tech Specs
Big Time '69
Owner: Anthony Maldonado
Vehicle: '69 Chevrolet Impala
City/State: Denver, Colorado
Club: Street Time C.C.
Engine/Drivetrain: The V8 350-c.i.d. was removed and rebuilt by Rivera Auto in Denver, Colorado. An Edelbrock carburetor and chroming was added for looks.
Body/Paint: Sonny Valdez handled the large Impala by sanding and removing the door handles and moldings, before laying down rich coats of House of Kolor Oriental Green Kandy paint throughout the body. Sonny added creative murals and pinstripe in his usual fashion.
Interior: Shawn Groom at Balls Deep Kustom Rod's in Arvada, Colorado removed the seats and coated them in White and Green vinyl. Green loop carpet was added to keep the colors flowing. A Grant steering wheel topped off the interior additions.
Sound System: Anthony added an Alpine head unit that runs sounds through the Infinity components lined in the cabin. One 18-inch Kicker square subwoofer gives the Impala the bump it needs.
Setup: The Impala was brought to Sam Henry of Sam's Kustom Hydraulics in Denver, Colorado, where he added a two-pump Showtime hydraulic setup using 8-inch cylinders in the front and 10-inch cylinders in the rear. Six Workforce batteries line the trunk and give plenty of juice to the 8-switch panel hidden inside the cabin.
Tires: P155/80R13 Mastercraft rubber
Wheels: 13-inch straight-laced 100-spoke Dayton wire wheels


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As the economy rebuilds from a recession, many businesses employ fewer workers to complete the same responsibilities previously done by many. And thanks to technology and mobile handheld devices, work for some does not cease outside of the place of business. But what has not changed is the right to obtain pay for all hours worked. And if an employee is not classified as exempt, then he or she is entitled to overtime pay for hours worked in excess of forty in a workweek.
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is a federal statute applicable to the majority of employers. In addition to setting minimum wage standards, it provides that overtime pay for nonexempt employees must be calculated at a rate of 1½ times an employee's regular base salary. For employees seeking to protect or enforce their right to overtime pay under the Act, below is the proper procedure for obtaining pay owed.
Confirm Nonexempt Status
Overtime is only owed to employees classified as nonexempt under the FLSA. The FLSA exempts from overtime pay employees who obtain a certain salary, generally at least $455 per week, and meet its criteria of an executive, administrative, professional, or outside sales employee.
Calculate Overtime
To determine if overtime hours are owed, an employee needs to calculate the amount of hours worked. This requires obtaining pay statements and timesheets, and any record or journal of time worked. Work is all time that an employee is required or allowed to perform tasks for an employer regardless of where it is done. Completing work for a supervisor or responding to work emails or phone calls should be included as time worked even if done before entering an employer's premises, during lunch, at home, or after normal business hours. Any hours worked in excess of forty in a workweek, but not compensated based on pay statements, are overtime hours owed.
Consult Human Resources
After calculating overtime hours owed, consult the employer's human resources department about the discrepancy. Bring the pay statements and records indicating the specific dates and times overtime hours were worked but not paid.
Contact Employment Law Attorney or Department of Labor
If employer disputes the information supporting overtime pay owed, seek counsel from a qualified employment law attorney or contact the Department of Labor to file a claim on your behalf for unpaid overtime pay. Keep in mind there is a two-year statute of limitations to collect on pay owed. Additionally, an employer is prohibited from retaliating against an employee enforcing his or her rights under the FLSA.
Copyright 2013 by Local10.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Specialty and fresh-cut produce remain popular items for wholesalers serving customers in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
A longtime fresh-cut produce processor, Keany Produce Co. in Landover, Md., is considering enlarging its value-added operation by constructing additional capacity on a 40,000-square-foot lot behind its warehouse where trucks now park, said president Kevin Keany.
"Fresh-cut demand is doing well," Keany said. "The whole category is always expanding."
Keany said the increased school fruit and vegetable serving requirements from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is helping drive institutional demand.
The Washington, D.C., metropolitan area's many eateries also help fuel fresh-cut demand, he said.
Keany has been in the value-added business for more than 25 years.
Fresh-cut product remains an easy sell for Lancaster Foods Inc. in Jessup, Md., which has processed and sold fresh-cut product since relocating to a larger warehouse six years ago.
Vice president of sales and marketing Jerry Chadwick said fresh-cut demand is increasing.
Lancaster carries a full line of fresh-cut product.
G. Cefalu & Bro. Inc. and Capital Seaboard provides its customers fresh-cut items on a request basis through its small processing area.
"I truly believe fresh-cut is a huge plus for the fresh produce industry," said Sal Cefalu, owner and director of Jessup-based CGC Holdings, Cefalu & Bro. and Capital Seaboard's parent company.
"It's huge business, helps with convenience and makes it better for the smaller restaurants that can't afford the extra people."
Specialties thriving
On specialties, Cefalu said the distributor handles a variety of items.
Because chefs are always wanting unique items to use as menu enticements, he said foodservice customers remain the biggest purchasers of the product.
Lancaster's Chadwick said the increasing presence of ethnic groups is helping distributors experience growing business in specialties.
"We have growing business in Hispanic and Asian product," Chadwick said.
"Many retailers are trying to get into more micro-marketing to appeal to different demographics. Those retailers want to make sure they're providing the right products that appeal to those customers. It depends on where a retailer may be and if it has a high number of stores with a high density of Hispanic or Asian customers."
Keany also enjoys strong specialty sales.
"It's always good," Keany said.
"We have many conventions here. Those large convention locations bring in large numbers of people that fill the hotels. Depending on the convention group, the specialty area can be very good. Quite often we get requests for large amounts of different specialty products for these larger groups."
Microgreens remain a big specialty draw as well as fresh herbs, pear tomatoes and baby vegetables, he said.


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Man charged with fraud in banana peel fall
It was the video that did him in.
One night in early August, Maurice Owens was riding a lift at a Washington Metro station when, he says, he slipped on a banana peel as he was getting off, injuring his hip and leg.
He sued the transit agency for US$15,000 (NZ$18,500) - in part to cover US$4,500 in chiropractor bills.
Problem is, the whole incident was caught on tape - and the tape showed something different.
The claim against Metro was thrown out, and Owens, 42, ended up being charged with second-degree fraud.
"Through our investment in digital camera systems across the system, we are demonstrating our commitment to protecting fare-paying riders and the region's taxpayers from fraudulent claims," said Metro spokesman Dan Stessel.
Here's how the scene played out: About 9pm on August 8, Owens can be seen entering an empty lift in the station.
He paces around a bit, then glances up into the lift's camera. More pacing. Another glance at the camera. In fact, in the video, which is about 90 seconds long, Owens is seen looking into the camera at least three times.
Near the end of the video, as the lift doors open, Owens can be seen flipping something onto the floor behind him. According to a Metro Transit Police report "this object was later identified as a banana peel."
In a dramatic gesture, Owens falls to the ground - half his body inside the lift, half outside.
Owens reported his injuries to the station manager, Metro Transit Police was called, and he was transported to Howard University Hospital Center for treatment.
About two weeks later, Owens filed his claim against Metro.
"What you will see in the camera footage is that the elevator, just prior to Mr Owens boarding, shows there's nothing on the floor," Stessel said.
"He is then seen with what appears to be a banana peel in his hand, looking in the direction of the camera," Stessel said. "An object can be seen on the ground, and then when the elevator doors open, he steps on the object, thrusts himself forward and falls out of the elevator."
In an interview with Metro officials, Owens reportedly asked why a custodian for the station had "not cleaned up the banana peel prior to his entering the elevator," according to the police report.
Metro presented its case to the US Attorney's Office in the District. A warrant was issued accusing Owens of fraud, and he was arrested.
At a hearing earlier this month, a Superior Court judge ordered Owens to undergo a mental health screening and evaluation. He was scheduled to appear in court this week.
Slapstick references aside, the case is one of the roughly 225 claims Metro's Third Party Claims office receives each month. Most seek compensation for slips and falls on station platforms, stairs, escalators, lifts and buses, or while getting on and off trains.
Fewer than half those claims result in a settlement or payout from Metro, and the average payout is less than US$2,500, Stessel said.
For example, over the past few years the agency paid:US $50 to a Metro rider who said oil dripped from the air conditioner of a rail car onto his shirt, US$45 to a rider who claimed to have gotten his sandal stuck in an escalator at West Falls Church,US$104.37 to a driver who said the gate at the West Falls Church parking garage came down on his vehicle, and US$100 to a person who said he lost his footing while walking down the steps at the Branch Avenue Metro station.
Stessel noted that Metro sometimes opens its own claims. "For example, if a person gets transported to the hospital, we will automatically open a claim. If the person never gets in touch with us, it is classified as 'abandoned,' " he said.
- Washington Post


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Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility, Volume 1
National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Developing a Strategy to Reduce and Prevent Underage Drinking, National Research Council (U.S.). Board on Children, Youth, and Families
National Academies Press, Feb 27, 2004 - Medical - 317 pages
Alcohol use by young people is extremely dangerous - both to themselves and society at large. Underage alcohol use is associated with traffic fatalities, violence, unsafe sex, suicide, educational failure, and other problem behaviors that diminish the prospects of future success, as well as health risks – and the earlier teens start drinking, the greater the danger. Despite these serious concerns, the media continues to make drinking look attractive to youth, and it remains possible and even easy for teenagers to get access to alcohol.
Why is this dangerous behavior so pervasive? What can be done to prevent it? What will work and who is responsible for making sure it happens? Reducing Underage Drinking addresses these questions and proposes a new way to combat underage alcohol use. It explores the ways in which may different individuals and groups contribute to the problem and how they can be enlisted to prevent it. Reducing Underage Drinking will serve as both a game plan and a call to arms for anyone with an investment in youth health and safety.
What people are saying - Write a review
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References to this book
School Violence: Fears Versus Facts
Dewey G. Cornell
No preview available - 2006
Sex, Drugs and Young People: International Perspectives
Peter Aggleton,Andrew Ball,Purnima N. Mane
No preview available - 2006


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Hello all,
I was wondering, after seeing Peter Garrett leading the band Midnight Oil at a big fundraising concert for Australia's bushfire victims .... how many countries are there where ex-band members have become part of the ruling government of their country?
Peter Garrett is the Australian Environment Minister in the Government formed by Kevin Rudd.
Has this happened anywhere else?
Midnight Oil "Beds are Burning":


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Note: This item is more than seven years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references.
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News Release
Media Contact: TPWD News, firstname.lastname@example.com, 512-389-8030
Dec. 14, 2009
Nominations Sought for Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame
ATHENS, Texas — Individuals or organizations that have made a lasting contribution to freshwater fishing in Texas may be nominated through February 26 for induction into the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame.
Nominations may be made in the categories of industry, angler or media. The nominee must be a Texan or Texas organization. Individuals may be either living or deceased. One nominee will be chosen by an independent selection committee and formally inducted during the annual Hall of Fame banquet at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens.
Prior inductees include Floyd Mabry, Jackie Hewlett, R.D. Hull, Bob Kemp, Nick Crème, Charlie Inman, Sugar Ferris, Leonard Ranne, Earl Golding, Kathy Magers, the Sabine River Authority, Skeeter Boats, Michael ("Shorty") Powers, Ray Murski, Albert S. Bradley, Richard M. Hart, William B. ("Doc") Shelton, Charlie Pack and Paul Hinton.
Nomination forms and instructions are available on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department web site or by calling (903) 670-2228.
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(5.4.16 i)


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Liner didn't bring back memories for Downs
DETROIT -- Darin Downs nearly lost his life on a line drive back up the middle four years ago as a Minor League pitcher, suffering a fractured skull that left him hospitalized. However, he said Melky Cabrera's drive past his head in the seventh inning on Wednesday didn't leave him his flashbacks.
Simply put, he didn't have time to think about it. All he could do was react to get out of the way.
"It's just pure reaction," Downs said. "Obviously after the fact [you think about it]."
Downs said he has had enough liners go past him the last couple years that it's nothing new.
Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Shorting the Yen
I would like to start by thanking everyone who made kind comments about our short yen setups. Six days ago, I wrote that the yen was in for a pounding at the hands of the pound. Here is the daily chart of GBP/JPY that was included in that article:
...603 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
There's no substitute for a trading floor to get great ideas, so Jim Cramer created a better one at Real Money and blogs there exclusively. We then added legendary hedge fund manager, Doug Kass, with his exclusive Daily Diary and best investing ideas. Staffed with more than 4 dozen investing pros, money managers, journalists and analysts, Real Money Pro gives you a flood of opinions, analysis and actionable trading advice found nowhere else, and allows you to interact directly with each expert.
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Handshakes and hugs might be just as prevalent as bone-jarring hits at Candlestick Park on Sunday.
"It's going to be quite a reunion," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said.
The Indianapolis Colts are in town with a slew of names familiar to Bay Area fans and close to Harbaugh's heart.
Atop the list is Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who played for Harbaugh at Stanford and credits the 49ers coach for helping shape his career.
Luck also worked closely with 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who was Stanford's assistant head coach-offense, and he occasionally sought advice from Cardinal defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who holds that position with the 49ers.
"It will be fun to see those guys," Luck said. "They taught me so much about football. But at the end of the day, it will be another game."
That's the prevailing sentiment of the 14 former Stanford players and coaches involved in Sunday's game.
The Colts' list includes offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, tight end Coby Fleener, backup receiver Griff Whalen and reserve safety Delano Howell.
In addition to the brain trust, the 49ers have six players and coaches who were with Harbaugh at Stanford, including recently acquired fullback Owen Marecic and defensive assistant Peter Hansen, whose father, Earl Hansen, is the famed Palo Alto High coach and a Harbaugh mentor.
"We'll be adversaries, but it's not adversarial," Fleener said. "I always root for them to do well — just not this week."
The visit overlaps with a Stanford home game, but team commitments will likely prevent Luck, Fleener, Whalen and Howell from watching their alma mater play Arizona State at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Fleener, a second-year tight end, caught four passes for 69 yards and a touchdown Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. He'll have an expanded role this Sunday in the wake of a season-ending injury to starter Dwayne Allen, one of several injuries that threaten to undermine the Colts' rebirth.
After their lost season of 2011 — quarterback Peyton Manning was out with neck injury — the Colts stunned the NFL last year by winning 11 games and reaching the playoffs without coach Chuck Pagano, who missed most of the season while undergoing treatment for leukemia. Luck set a handful of rookie passing records and lived up to his billing as the most NFL-ready quarterback to enter the league in years.
"He's unflappable; he's tough as nails; and when things break down, he can extend plays," Pagano said this week. "He wills the team to win."
When offensive coordinator Bruce Arians left last winter to become coach of the Arizona Cardinals, the Colts tapped into the Stanford pipeline again and hired Hamilton, who worked closely with Luck during his final college season.
Hamilton's connection to their franchise quarterback was a secondary consideration for the Colts, according to Pagano.
"We went out to find the best guy for the job," he added. "It so happened he worked with (Luck) at Stanford."
Hamilton's NFL roots run deep. He spent seven years in the league, including one with the 49ers, before joining Harbaugh staff at Stanford in 2010. Just as Harbaugh and Roman have taken the playbook used at Stanford and adjusted it to accommodate the 49ers' personnel, so has Hamilton in Indianapolis.
Like the 49ers, the Colts favor a punishing running game. Their midweek acquisition of Cleveland Browns running back Trent Richardson, the third pick in the 2012 draft (two spots after Luck), will help.
"The offenses are all based on same thing, but it's changed so many ways that each team has something unique," said Whalen, who has two catches this season.
"They're one of the top teams in the league. It's going to be a tough, physical game. But we're familiar with that smash-mouth mentality."
Between handshakes and hugs, they can reminisce about it with Harbaugh before the game.
For more on college sports, see Jon Wilner's College Hotline at blogs.mercurynews.com/collegesports. Contact him at email@example.com or 408-920-5716.


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Choosing The Right Fuel For Your Racer Is Not As Easy As You Might Think
Fuel is fuel, right? After all, regardless of the brand you choose it's all leaded race gas, right? Wrong! Fuel is not just fuel. Fuel is the food for your engine. As silly as that might sound it couldn't be more true. And just like the food we eat, the gas you put into your race car can affect the engine in ways both good and bad. Consider this, how many times have you eaten a monster, fat-laden meal only to feel pretty bad afterward, almost like you need a nap? Garbage in, garbage out-and the same holds true for your race car. Put in substandard fuel or the wrong fuel and you'll have problems . . . guaranteed.
So How Do You Go About Choosing the Right Fuel?
First off unless you run a series that requires a specific fuel be used by all teams such as ARCA, NASCAR, or Pro Cup, your fuel choice is yours and yours alone. There are some sanctions that have a fuel sponsor for their series and require teams to buy a specific amount, say 5 gallons, per race. In cases like these, teams that do not want to run the sponsor's fuel will sometimes buy that set amount for a friend's team, thereby fulfilling their obligation to the series while leaving themselves free to run their chosen fuel. But in the end what you put in your tank is up to you.
Between the two largest racing fuel suppliers in the U.S. there are more than 30 different fuel blends just for oval track racing applications. More than 20 of those belong to Texas based VP Racing Fuels.
Why so many different fuel blends? "Why do you have so many camshafts?" quipped VP's founder Steve Burns when asked that question. "Seriously, it suits the application. Because of growing up in an environment where 2 horsepower means something, I got to develop fuels with some of the best engine guys in the world. It taught me that one or two fuels don't fit every application. And that has become our philosophy."
Obviously to find out the type of fuel that is best for your car or application you need to consult both your engine builder and your chosen fuel manufacturer. VP has a nifty color coded icon system on its website that identifies the different fuels based on your racing application (off-road, drag, circle track, and so on). Beyond that, specific decisions such as octane rating can be handled by talking with your engine builder as well as VP's Technical Support Department. But before you do there is some information that you'll want in your back pocket.
Motor Octane Versus Research Octane
There are actually two different ways to rate the octane of fuel; Motor Octane rating and Research Octane rating. Simply put, the Motor Octane rating of a fuel is arrived at through a test that involves putting an engine (and the fuel) through a heavy load test that simulates "severe" driving conditions such as hard acceleration. On the other hand, the Research Octane test simulates cruising conditions with lighter loads and less stress. The Research Octane rating will always be higher since the test conditions are generally milder. Think of it this way, easier test . . . better grades.
Because the Motor Octane rating test simulates heavy load conditions that is the rating we, as racers, want to pay closest attention to; highway cruising is just something we don't do unless of course we're heading to the track. VP has even modified its in-house motor octane test rig to more closely simulate race conditions rather than just relying on standard heavy load testing. Bottom line: Always look at the Motor Octane rating.
Now the simple reason you should care about the octane rating is that it shows the resistance of the fuel to uncontrolled combustion; such as knocking, pre-ignition and detonation all of which, at a minimum, reduce the efficiency of your engine. The higher the octane of a fuel the greater its ability to withstand cylinder pressures before uncontrolled combustion takes place.
Meth vs. Gas; Which is better?
Another fuel debate often heard in the pits around country is, should I run methanol or gasoline? To delve deeper into this subject let's first go back to school and look at the differences between the two.
Gasoline is one of the resulting products from the Fractional Distillation of crude oil. Various components of crude oil have different molecular sizes, weights, and boiling temperatures. Simply stated the refining process separates those components by heating the crude oil to the boiling point. As the oil boils the resulting vapor enters the bottom of a long column called the fractional distillation column which is filled with trays or plates. These trays have many holes or bubble caps (like a loosened cap on a soda bottle) in them to allow the vapor to pass through. As the vapor rises through the trays in the column, it cools. When a component in the vapor reaches a height where the temperature of the column is equal to that substance's boiling point, it will condense to form a liquid. That liquid is in turn collected. As you can see from Chart A, gasoline is collected at the top of the fractional distillation column.
On the flip side, Methanol (also known as methyl alcohol) is an alternative fuel made from woody plant fiber, coal or natural gas; it is used primarily as a supplement to gasoline. It can also be harvested from the methane gas in landfills in addition to fermented waste products such as sewage and manure. To digress into the environmental world for a minute methanol is one of those fuels that can be sustainably produced depending on its origins. Converted from methane gas captured from landfills it can be a source of constantly renewable energy. Taken as the by-product of natural gas production (a fossil fuel) it's no more green than standard gasoline.
Environmental lessons aside, pure methanol is primarily used as racing fuel. One of the major pros of methanol versus gasoline is that it has the ability to run at higher compression ratios than gasoline, translating into more power. As any Dirt Late Model racer who favors a methanol-fired engine will tell you, the primary reason they run it is more power. It also tends to run cooler than gasoline.
On the downside, while it's not as volatile as gasoline, it does burn with an invisible flame, making it hard to tell when you're on fire. It's also highly corrosive meaning that your post race maintenance schedule is going to take longer than with a gasoline engine. Your biggest trade off is that it has a 50 percent energy ratio-that means it produces half of the power content of gasoline. In other words, you need to consume more methanol to generate the same power as gasoline. Still, the additional power produced by a methanol engine is enough to make many racers run the colorless fuel.
Burns boils it down to this, "Racing fuels in the past weren't all that good and many people felt methanol made more power. But today's good race gasolines can make as much if not more power than methanol."
Our Choice
Our Project Dirt Late Model team recently made the switch from a 112-octane race gas to VP's 113. We chose the 113 for a couple of reasons. First off VP does race fuels and only race fuels. Second, VP's 113 vaporizes extremely well and equalizes out exhaust gas temperatures. Think of your engine as eight individual motors (the cylinders). Each "motor" doesn't have the same cooling efficiency because of the water jacket design. If you could somehow even out the air/fuel ratio out among each cylinder then you can theoretically achieve a more consistent burn throughout the engine. The good vaporization characteristics of 113 would achieve just what we wanted.
Change those Jets
VP's Technical Director Freddie Turcza told us that once we made the change to 113 we needed to change the jets, because the octane rating of our new fuel is different than the old fuel. Changing the jets on a carb is probably one of the easier things you can do on a race car. But if you've never done it follow these simple steps. You may want to keep a metal bowl handy under the carb to catch any fuel that might spill out. Simply remove the four bolts and pull the primary fuel bowl assembly back resting it on the metal bowl, then you will be able to remove the metering body, exposing the jets. Removing the old jets on our carb required a flat head screw driver. But our new jets from Comp Cams would use a hex driver.
That's right, I said Comp Cams. Among the general racing population the fact that Comp makes carburetor jets is not that well known. In fact, it's a pretty well kept secret, although not intentionally on Comp's part. In any event, Comp's virtually indestructable Max Jets are produced with 5/16-inch hex-stock brass that delivers a solid jet that can be installed with no damage to the inlet bowl.
Conventional jets are mass produced with a wide tolerance, and then plated. Many of these jets use the same orifice size with the only difference being different angle tapers to change the flow-rate characteristics. These mass produced jets also use a "slot" that requires a special, expensive tool to install, but most people just opt for a flathead screwdriver. Using a screwdriver on these jets can cause damage that creates a turbulence that severely affects the fuel flow as much as 50 percent. Max Jets' hex-stock brass uses a simple 5/16-inch nut driver resulting in zero damage to the bowl
With the old jets out of the carb and the new jets in, we can now replace the metering body, fuel bowl and put the bolts back in. Do not forget to change the jets in the secondary also.
The Future of Race Gas
The future for race gas is pretty wide open at this point. Some sanctions like IRL and ALMS are pushing full steam ahead with alternative fuels while others like NASCAR have recently made the switch from leaded to unleaded. In the short track world, fuel choice is still largely up to the racer. But what is clear is that technical development will continue on into the future.
"Every three or four years we go through this cycle of thinking we've topped out in terms of technology for race gas," says Burns. "Then some time passes and we develop several new formulations and say 'how come we didn't think of this three to four years ago?'"
About VP Racing Fuels
Incorporated in 1975, VP Racing Fuels was the brainchild of drag racer Steve Burns who saw room from improvement in the race gases at the time. When he was 19 Burns headed to Washington, D.C., and the Library of Congress where he checked out books on fuels and how they work in a quest for power gains for his own racing endeavors. Over the course of time he became a self taught chemist. Armed with the info he was looking for, he began mixing fuel formulas in his parent's garage. Those initial formulations led to C12, a fuel that he convinced Warren Johnson to try back in the early years. Over time C12 became the most popular fuel in NHRA.
In the 1980s, Burns and VP began delving into other fuels with each one having its origins from a custom formulation. Their sole focus has always been race gas and the company's driving philosophy is that one fuel does not fit all. To date they have almost 70 blends.
In 2000, VP became the spec fuel of NHRA but before that drag racers had a choice. The growth of VP's drag racing business led it down the path of developing fuels for other markets such as circle track and motocross.
In the process of developing formulations for specific applications VP will often adapt one to another. For example, during the development of its Late Model Plus which targets Dirt Late Model applications, engineers found that the fuel blend was well suited for off-road racing because of the similar environments faced by the racers.
Now distributed internationally, VP plays a significant role in the landscape of oval track racing. Constantly innovating and developing new formulations for an ever widening marketplace.


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Impact of Ramadan on Achieving Joint National Committee (JNC) 7 Treatment Goals in CV Risk Patients
This study has been completed.
Boehringer Ingelheim
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Boehringer Ingelheim
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: May 13, 2013
Last updated: July 15, 2015
Last verified: July 2015
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- Study Results
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Tracking Information
|First Received Date ICMJE
|May 13, 2013
|Last Updated Date
|July 15, 2015
|Start Date ICMJE
|October 2011
|Primary Completion Date
|July 2014 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Current Primary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Achievement of the JNC 7 Treatment Goals (BP <140/90 mmHg) at Week 52 [ Time Frame: Up to 52 weeks ]
The proportion of patients enrolled in the study who achieve the JNC 7 (the seventh report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure) treatment goals (blood pressure (BP) <140/90 mmHg) in a primary-care setting at week 52. This variable was derived from the mean sitting blood pressure assessed by the investigators at week 52. To achieve JNC 7 treatment goals, the subject had to satisfy both blood pressure criteria - systolic blood pressure below 140 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure below 90 mm Hg.
|Original Primary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|The primary objective is to assess the proportion of hypertensive patients with at least one CV risk factor enrolled in the study who achieve the JNC 7 treatment goals (BP <140/90 mmHg) in a primary-care setting at week 52 (V4). [ Time Frame: Up to 52 weeks ]
|Change History
|Complete list of historical versions of study NCT01853839 on ClinicalTrials.gov Archive Site
|Current Secondary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Original Secondary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Current Other Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Not Provided
|Original Other Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Not Provided
|Descriptive Information
|Brief Title ICMJE
|Impact of Ramadan on Achieving Joint National Committee (JNC) 7 Treatment Goals in CV Risk Patients
|Official Title ICMJE
|Treatment Adherence to JNC 7(Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, 7th Report) Guidelines in Cardiovascular (CV)-Risk Patients Across the Middle East - the Impact of Ramadan Fasting on Achieving Treatment Goals in Daily Practice
|Brief Summary
|This is an out-patient based prospective, multi-centre, observational post-marketing surveillance study amongst internists and cardiologists. In this study, patients with essential hypertension and at least one additional risk factor will be included. Patients may take any antihypertensive treatment which is approved for cardiovascular protection including Micardis 80 mg / Micardis Plus. Patients will be followed over one year in four visits from baseline to endpoint with an additional visit before and after the month of Ramadan.
|Detailed Description
|Study Type ICMJE
|Study Design ICMJE
|Observational Model: Case-Only
Time Perspective: Prospective
|Target Follow-Up Duration
|Not Provided
|Not Provided
|Sampling Method
|Non-Probability Sample
|Study Population
|Hypertensive patients wih at least one CV risk factor
|Condition ICMJE
|Intervention ICMJE
|Not Provided
|Study Groups/Cohorts
|Not Provided
|Publications *
|Not Provided
* Includes publications given by the data provider as well as publications identified by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number) in Medline.
|Recruitment Information
|Recruitment Status ICMJE
|Enrollment ICMJE
|Completion Date
|July 2014
|Primary Completion Date
|July 2014 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Eligibility Criteria ICMJE
Inclusion criteria:
Exclusion criteria:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers
|Contacts ICMJE
|Contact information is only displayed when the study is recruiting subjects
|Listed Location Countries ICMJE
|Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
|Removed Location Countries
|Administrative Information
|NCT Number ICMJE
|Other Study ID Numbers ICMJE
|Has Data Monitoring Committee
|Not Provided
|U.S. FDA-regulated Product
|Not Provided
|IPD Sharing Statement
|Not Provided
|Responsible Party
|Boehringer Ingelheim
|Study Sponsor ICMJE
|Boehringer Ingelheim
|Collaborators ICMJE
|Not Provided
|Investigators ICMJE
|PRS Account
|Boehringer Ingelheim
|Verification Date
|July 2015
ICMJE Data element required by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the World Health Organization ICTRP


text:
Share this product
Share this product
"Out damned spot! Out I say!"
This gruesome shopping bag has been designed exclusively for Shakespeare's Globe and features the famous quote from Act 5, Scene 1 of Macbeth spoken by Lady Macbeth as well as an unnervingly realistic blood stain.
Our bags are printed in Wales from strong, hard wearing cotton and have medium length handles making it ideal for carrying by hand or over your shoulder.
100% cotton.
Approx. 42cm x 35cm
Care instructions:
Machine wash with similar colours. Iron on reverse.


text:
Finding and Working with an Insurance Agent or Broker
These days, you can buy any type of insurance without going through a professional. But is that the best approach? If you're a savvy consumer with time on your hands, buying insurance on your own may not be a bad idea. However, if you're like most people, you'll benefit from the services of a qualified professional.
Why work with a professional?
Insurance has grown increasingly complex over the years. There are literally thousands of insurance companies and policies to choose from, and new products are entering the market all the time. Plus, policies are often filled with disclaimers and insurance jargon that can frighten the average consumer. A variety of specialized types of coverage, discounts, and surcharges may further muddy the waters. How do you make sense of it all?
This is where a good insurance agent or broker can come in very handy. Among other things, one of these professionals can help you:
- Determine your insurance needs in a particular area (e.g., the types and amounts of auto insurance coverage you need)
- Find insurance companies and policies in your price range that can meet those needs
- Choose the particular policy that best meets your needs at the lowest possible price
- Add riders or endorsements to tailor the policy to your unique circumstances
- Resolve any questions or complaints you might have, both before and after the sale
- File claims and receive payment in a timely, hassle-free manner
- Stay abreast of your changing insurance needs, and make any necessary changes to your coverage
- Switch companies or policies if you're not happy
Some of this can be done on your own using the Internet and other resources, but there's no substitute for a good client-advisor relationship. Choose the right person, and you'll be rewarded many times over. Hopefully, as the relationship builds, you'll gain increasing confidence that the person acts in your best interest and knows what he or she is doing. That peace of mind may be well worth any commission or fee you have to pay. Finally, using an agent or broker can simplify your life if you're able to buy more than one type of insurance from that same person (e.g., less record keeping).
Agent or broker--what's the difference?
An insurance agent may be employed directly by an insurance company or may be an independent contractor. If independent, an agent typically contracts with a limited number of insurance companies and sells policies issued only by those companies. Some agents (known as exclusive agents) may even contract with only one company. The main disadvantage of using an agent is that you'll probably have fewer options to choose from. The upside is that a good agent will be totally familiar with the companies and policies he or she deals with. Plus, some companies may employ only agents to sell their products. The two major types of agents are property/casualty agents and life/health agents.
An insurance broker is completely independent. Instead of being tied to one or a handful of insurance companies, a broker can work with many different companies and sell their products. This means that a broker can offer you a much wider range of choices than an agent, and a good one will thoroughly shop the market for you. Plus, since a broker has no company allegiance, he or she represents you (the client) directly. However, a broker may lack the detailed knowledge of companies and policies that many agents have. A broker typically specializes in one or more types of insurance and may sometimes work with other professionals to arrange appropriate coverage for you.
In general, agents earn less than brokers in commissions and/or fees. That's mainly because agents often receive perks from the companies they work for, such as paid expenses and company fringe benefits. Both agents and brokers may receive bonuses and other incentives if they reach a certain production level with a company.
How do you find the right person for the job?
It's very important to find an agent or broker who will serve you well for a long time. The best way to do that is to take your time and be selective. Start by talking to friends, family members, co-workers, and other people you trust. How satisfied have they been with their insurance professionals? You can also ask other professional advisors (e.g., your financial planner or attorney) to recommend someone. If word-of-mouth references get you nowhere, look in your phone book or on-line for insurance professionals in your area. You can also contact your state's insurance department for information.
These are only preliminary steps, however. The real work lies in screening your potential candidates. Here are some tips to help you find the right agent or broker:
- Find out about the person's credentials (e.g., CLU for life insurance, CPCU for property/casualty insurance, RHU for health insurance) to be sure he or she is well qualified for the job.
- Make sure the person has at least several years' experience with the type(s) of insurance you need. Typically, to receive a professional designation, a person must have three or more years in the business.
- Know how (and how much) the person gets paid. There are many different types of payment structures for insurance professionals, including commission only, fee-plus-commission, and fee only.
- Find a person you like, feel comfortable working with, and who listens to you.
- Make sure the person's hours fit your schedule and lifestyle.
- Ask to speak with some of the person's existing clients to get a sense of the customer service you can expect in the future.
Think of your initial meeting with an agent/broker as a job interview. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions--the answers you get will give you further insight into the person's knowledge, integrity, and concern for your needs. The impressions you come away with are more important than how good the person looks on paper. Finally, after you choose an agent or broker, periodically assess the person's performance. You can always switch to someone else if you're not satisfied.


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Photo Gallery: Court victory for San Bernardino
RIVERSIDE – San Bernardino scored a victory in bankruptcy court Friday, as Judge Meredith Jury refused a motion by CalPERS that would have allowed the pension giant to sue in state court for millions of dollars in payments the city has stopped making.
She said she was inclined to think at least $13 million in payments the city plans to defer until July 2013 are legally required, but the harm to the city would be overwhelming.
"One of the immediate effects of that would be that the employees would not be paid, and that, to me, is a death knell for the city of San Bernardino, and an immediate one," she said at a hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Riverside.
There likely would be eventual harm to CalPERS if the payments weren't made, she said, but based on evidence available so far she said she believed the city's claims that it didn't have the money to maintain essential services and stay current in its CalPERS payments.
"I don't think there's really anyone in the room who thinks the city isn't broke," she said.
CalPERS' lawyers argued against that point, saying they suspect the city has assets and money in places such as the water fund.
"We support the city's efforts to try to restore financial stability," said attorney Michael Gearin. "…I'm not sure it is all that devastating."
Jury sided with the city in refusing to lift the stay that prevents people from suing the city during bankruptcy in most circumstances, but left CalPERS the option to later argue the stay should be lifted for other reasons.
And CalPERS reserved the right to go directly to a state court to argue it deserved to be paid despite the stay, a strategy Jury said would violate precedent set by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
"I will be highly disappointed if you go to a state court," she said.
CalPERS would follow the law, but it wanted to check its options before committing, Gearin said.
"We're not trying to make an end-run around your court, but I do have to make a reservation of the state of California's rights to go to another court," he said.
It wasn't all good news for the city, though.
For one thing, Jury said she thought San Bernardino did have a legal obligation – rather than just a contractual one as it has with other creditors – to pay back CalPERS, although she didn't formally rule on that.
That would need to be done soon to come up with a genuinely balanced budget, which would be required to exit bankruptcy, she said.
And in the city's legal fight to prove it is eligible for bankruptcy protection, Jury initially said she was leaning toward not allowing formal discovery – the requirement for the city to produce documents and interviews requested by creditors.
That appeared to be too much of a burden on the city and its understaffed Finance Department when the relevant facts are already known, Jury said early in the four and a half hour hearing.
CalPERS then listed some of the information it wanted but hadn't gotten from the city – highlights from a court document listing 53 requests it made, of which it said 11 were fulfilled – and how it thought some of that information would show the city had filed in bad faith or didn't have a desire to adjust its debts, both requirements for bankruptcy protection.
"I do believe they're trying," said CalPERS attorney Michael Lubic. "I think the city has made the business decision not to give its Finance Department adequate staffing."
After considering that testimony, Jury said she wanted to allow about 60 days of discovery, looking at information from about the last year.
Attorneys for the city and its creditors then met privately and said they hadn't agreed about what should be allowed, but would meet again later and come to court Jan. 22 to discuss the scope of discovery.
Many community members attended the hearing along with most of the City Council and other elected city officials, who said Friday was a significant victory.
"The ruling was quite important, keeping this before the eyes of one judge," said Mayor Pat Morris.
The city will hire five or six experts in finance and reorganization to help it prepare the required documents, a plan set it motion before Friday's hearing, according to City Attorney James F. Penman.
All three City Council members on the city's restructuring committee had expressed support for the idea, which will go before the full council for approval in January, Penman said.
Reach Ryan via email, find him on Twitter @SBcityNow, or call him at 909-386-3916.


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to our
Welcome to the homepage of the Dartmouth Figure Skating Club! We are 6-time Intercollegiate National Champions representing Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. Collegiate skating is a great way for college students to continue their skating.
The team is open to all levels of skaters — dance and freestyle. We compete in the Eastern Collegiate Section. We typically travel to three qualifying competitions with the goal of qualifying for the National Intercollegiate Team Championships. At Dartmouth, the team strives for excellence both on and off the ice. Here, on our website, you will find information about the team, our current season, how to contact us and how to donate!
The team has ice time every day at Dartmouth's beautiful Thompson Arena. We have a wide variety of students who skate and compete in all levels from pre-intermediate through senior in freestyle and dance. For all skaters we offer an opportunity to continue the sport you love at the level you desire in a supportive environment. If you are a great student, and you love to figure skate, Dartmouth College is for you!
Become a Friend of Dartmouth Figure Skating
to our


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KR3W is a men's lifestyle brand born in 2003 out of the skateboard culture of southern California. Celebrated for its excellent collection of denim, and as the originator of the skinny jean style, KR3W has been on the forefront of young men's fashion for the past 10 years. Originally a brand for skateboarders and lovers of skateboard street style, KR3W has expanded far beyond its original market and now offers a full collection of apparel on Karmaloop.com, which includes denim, tops, hats, watches, bags, and other accessories. KR3W is inspired by a wide range of subcultures and is worn today by many of the world's celebrities, athletes, and musicians.
No products match your selections. Try clearing your filters.


text:
HUGH Masekela mixed stand-up comedy with the very best in free jazz and rhythm and blues at Hay Festival last night.
The South African cracked jokes about an imaginary upbringing in Inverness in between songs which talked of a more sobering social reality.
Stimela (Coal Train) paints a particularly depressing tale of forced migration as thousands of Africans make their way to the mineral mines of Johannesburg for a life of desperation.
Another song warns the African bush people of the many dangers that await them in the big cities and those who will spot their naive ways and take advantage.
But Hugh cannot resist making a joke - and hints that the words could apply to a few "country-bumpkins" in Hay-on-Wye should they ever venture east.
Remarkably, the master of brass instruments, is now 75. Not that anyone would know by the way he moves. His dancing soon inspires a mix of ages to make for the aisles and begin their own, albeit less impressive, dance routines.
On a day dominated by right-wing successes in the European elections, his talks on harmony and the removal of fences and borders are warmly welcomed by the sell-out crowd who hang on to his every word.
"Humans have behaved very badly towards one another," he explains. "Let's cut out all this colour thing and all the bull that goes with it." The hundreds watching on are clearly pleased with what they hear.
"It is such a beautiful sight," Hugh tells them. "Every one of you is smiling."
With his music - and jokes - there really was little other option.


text:
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text:
Founded by legendary skaters Guy Mariano and Eric Koston, Fourstar Clothing has long been at the forefront of skate fashion due to its steady release of innovative tees, hoodies, jackets, accessories, and more. Eric and Guy established Fourstar after they grew tired of wearing the typical brands popular in the skate community, many of which are no longer even associated with the skate scene. With Fourstar Clothing, they strive to create products that accurately embody the sensibilities of the skate community, with a unique individual style with an eye toward functionality and comfort. Fourstar products are for more than just skating—they are built well enough to withstand falls on the concrete, but comfortable enough to be worn throughout the day. In addition, Fourstar Clothing's team of riders includes its founders as well as Mark Gonzales, TransWorld SKATEboarding's choice for most influential skater of all time.
No products match your selections. Try clearing your filters.


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Is to me the most eye-catching phrase in Mark's article today:
It made me think somewhat. The quote btw is from Ron, where JO states that de not really cares about loosing big leads as long as they win, which of course is right in a way, the consensus can be that they loose these big leads because:
Some players do indeed go the "individual" way and what's worse, they "stop" defending, because "they have every faith" in whatever."Once a comfort zone is achieved, their shot selection suffers, their defensive intensity sags, turnovers mount and they're soon back fighting for their lives.
That, as opposed to putting the game out of reach, resting the starters and giving playing time to reserves."
Clear cut examples IMO are CRO and Al but there are others that get "burned" once we have a serious lead.
Should Rick kill that attitude now and perhaps even lose a game over it to make a statement or should it remain as it is and take the chance that come playoffs these players think they can do that to ?
I know I'm in favour of taking players out who fail on defense due to intensity or lack thereoff if for anything to make a statement that the game is not about their stat lines but about making a team statement.


text:
Ok, hey I have:
Users table:
UserID, Rank, and other user details
UserID, and other details.
I have this statement:
$query = "SELECT * FROM `platoon_members` WHERE `platoon_id` = '{$row[id]}' ORDER BY `rank` ASC ;";
But I need to ORDER BY the rank feild in the users table. There is no Rank Field in the platoon_members table.
if you dont understand me, ill explain in more detail
How's this?
FROM platoon_members m
JOIN users u
ON u.UserID = m.UserID
WHERE m.platoon_id = {$row['id']}
BY u.rank ASC;
Just to check, is this right
$query = "SELECT * FROM `platoon_members` m INNER JOIN 'users' u ON u.UserID = m.UserID WHERE `m.platoon_id` = '{$row[id]}' ORDER BY `u.rank` ASC ";
no, that's not right, ben, you messed it up
try SJH's query without adding any punctuation marks to it or flattening it out into one long unreadable line
OK tried that:
$query =
SELECT * FROM platoon_members m
JOIN users u
ON u.UserID = m.UserID
WHERE m.platoon_id = {$row['id']}
BY u.rank ASC";
And it produces:
Warning: mysql_num_rows(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /home/benanddale/domains/nsgclan.com/public_html/includes/Regiment.php on line 62
Warning: mysql_fetch_array(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /home/benanddale/domains/nsgclan.com/public_html/includes/Regiment.php on line 66
Oh, I also tried it without the " " and it gives me
Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_STRING in /home/benanddale/domains/nsgclan.com/public_html/includes/Regiment.php on line 49
step 1 - develop a working query using something like phpmyadmin, mysql workbench, heidisql, or another similar tool. Don't stop until you have a query that produces the desired result set.
step 2 - using the working sql query you created, create a string in php, substituting any variables needed. echo the text to the screen.
step 3 - make sure it matches the working sql query you created
step 4 - now you can actually query the database from within php.
Im a nub at mysql my mate done the coding, but hes away for a while. Can I not just edit the code somehow to make this work?
Anyone?? Please..
did you test the query outside of php?
Erm.. I dunno.
Is this code correct though?:
$query = SELECT * FROM platoon_members mINNERJOIN users uON u.UserID = m.UserIDWHERE m.platoon_id = {$row['id']}ORDERBY u.rank ASC;
except for the php parts, it looks okay
the sql statement that you want to test starts with SELECT and has an actual id number instead of {$row['id']}
what are you going to test it in? phpmyadmin?
I finally figured out the problem.
The userid field was called uid in platoon_members not UserID


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What His Holiday Gifting Style Really Means
"Secretly spending and trying to hide the purchases is a big indicator that there's not a lot of trust in your relationship," says Ian Kerner, a relationship expert and author of Passionista. Try to figure out why you're not disclosing what you buy: Do you feel that your decisions are being ridiculed? Does your husband tend to control the majority of the money or your relationship overall? Or do you have a problem with compulsive spending? Then, come clean. Explain that you know you spent too much, but that there's a reason you didn't share—for example, you haven't felt comfortable expressing your needs in general recently. Use this mistake as an opportunity to get on the same page about not just money, but also about how to effectively communicate and stand by your wants and needs. Kerner then suggests devising a budget in which you both allocate funds for personal discretionary spending, which will help set you up as financial equals. And make an agreement that any time you're considering making a purchase over a set amount, say $100, you'll discuss it with each other before you plunk down your credit card.
Telling your hubs that you've been faking it since giving birth six months ago would downright devastate him. Since he likely thinks he's been doing a great job, avoid throwing grenade into your relationship and instead approach him with a new fantasy that you'd like try. "Have a vision about what would excite you and then present the sexy wish," says Kerner. Suggest using a vibrator together, trying a new position, or simply locking your bedroom door if you're worried about the kids and having a hard time concentrating. It's natural that passion ebbs and flows in a relationship—and just because it's on the low-end right now doesn't mean that situation's permanent.
7 Fiery Dates for Cold Nights


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In the Batik Inspirations book, the visuals of the batik in fashion will allow the reader to note the different types of fabrics that can be used with batik. This is especially handy with the free magnifying glass that comes along with it, where the fine details of the batik fabrics can be clearly seen.
Proudly brought to you by www.batikinspirations.com
"Batik Inspirations... is like a cupboard filled with beautiful and wonderful batik, and which every page shows the glorious colours of batik."
- Berita Harian Malaysia
"Showcasing the wondrous designs found in Malaysian batik."
Photo Video Imaging Singapore
"Featuring dramatic photographs of models and rich textiles set against Peranakan, Chinese, Malay and colonial buildings in Malacca."
NTU Graduation Issue Singapore
"To Introduce the beautiful material in a highly engaging visual journey."
- MPH Quill Malaysia
"Each designer brings a unique insight into the world of batik."
- KLue Magazine Malaysia
"Readers are able to see intricate details of batik."
- GetThat Singapore
The book is also featured in:
The Sunday Times Singapore
Malacca High School 180 Years: Our Story
Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Bin Tengku Mansor
Minister of Tourism Malaysia
"Batik has a very speial place in the world of textile. No other cloth in the Nusantara archipelago, perhaps in the world, contains so much symbolism and so many meanings. In the philosophy of its colour and designs, batik expresses the spirit of the people who make it and wear it.
Batik Inspirations has captured the unique identity of Batik Malaysia. By showcasing Batik Malaysia combined with fashion, Batik Inspirations show that the centuries old hand-drawn technique of Malaysia can be preserved with the changing times.
In addition, the background shots in historical places and final touches of Malaysian lifestyle settings, Batik Inspirations has gone far beyond than just showcasing Batik Malaysia, but instead Malaysia as a whole - its very rich culture, heritage and traditions. The Ministry of Culture, Art and Heritage strongly supports such invaluable publication in order to bring Malaysia Batik to the world."
Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim
Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Malaysia
Datuk Dr Victor Wee
Secretary General
Ministry of Tourism Malaysia
"Malacca is known for its distinct and diversified heritage which comes with its rich history. The old yet beautiful buildings still charms the locals and tourists alike up to today. As can be seen here in Batik Inspirations, these buildings are still very much alive, especially when combined with the colourful Batik Malaysia."
YB Datuk Ab Rahaman bin Hj Ab Karim
Chairman of Tourism, Cultural and Heritage State Committee
"Batik Inspirations has captured the essence of Malaysia - her culture, heritage and traditions . By showcasing Batik Malaysia against the backdrops of historically rich and multi-racial Malacca, this book truly serves as a representation of what makes Malaysia unique and truly special."
Mr Lim Chow Beng
General Manager, Melaka Tourism Action Council
Ministry of Tourism Malaysia
"Batik, an old technique in the fabric industry is one of the most versatile craft of Malaysia.
The artist's craftmanship is transferred on the chosen fabric with great diligence and skills. May this Batik Inspirations: Editions BLUE bring batik to a greater height worldwide as well as give satisfaction, inspiration and serves as a productive tool to designers, collectors, students and lovers of beautiful fabric".
Puan Hajah Zuraidah Abdul Razak
General Manager
Syarikat Pemasaran Karyaneka Sdn Bhd
"Batik Inspirations is nothing less than a creation of art. This spiritual effort is the emotional reflection of life, hence culture is exposed and tradition shared."
Sarkasi Said Tzee, baron of batik and recipient of Special Recognition Award
(Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts, Singapore)
"The forward-looking book boldly essays a blueprint for melding tradition and post-modernism through the lens of a new generation of batik fashion."
The Peranakan Association (Singapore)
Why Batik Inspirations?
8 reasons we are recommending this book
1. Batik |Batik Designs
This book showcases contemporary batik designs - designs that are bold, colourful and vibrant. With designers from Malaysia, the batik designs featured are a break away from the traditional batik. The motifs featured consists of both flaura & fauna (eg. hibiscus/ butterflies) and with a modern use of geometrics (eg. lines/ spirals).
2. Fashion
This book showcases the works of award-winning fashion designers who uses batik as a medium for their designs. Featured designs here are haute-couture, evening wear, and casual wear. A good buy for those in the fashion industry, as this book will show you how you can create wonderful clothes. And with batik, you need not go through the hassle of sourcing for cloth materials with a particular design, but instead you can just draw it yourself. The interviews with the designers are also included giving insights to the designers' ideas and inspirations.
3. Arts & Photography
The core of this book showcases spreads of models parading the batik designs in fashion. With unique photography which combines the heritage backgrounds with modern fashion, the photographs from the book has won praises from both laymen and other photographers alike. As author QuaChee puts it: "These photographs are in a way like a mini epic movie - just that these pictures are stills."
4. Beautiful pictures
What makes the pictures beautiful is because it consits of 3 elements:
i) heritage background
ii) models to bring it to life
iii) models wearing beautiful batik clothes that complements the designs.
The eight batik designers featured are all distinct from each other, hence, you get a book that has eight different locations. The interesting thing is that for each designers is given a particular background so that their clothes compliments the background and vice versa.
5. Culture, Heritage and Tradition
Batik Inspirations showcases Malaysia's living heritage - batik. This cottage industry is currently widely promoted by the Malaysian Government.
To give this book a special touch, the models parade in a local lifestyle setting (eg. playing the traditional 'congkak' game, the way Malaysians greet each other - the 'salam'). All these showcase Malaysia's rich culture and tradition.
6. Peranakan |Peranakan culture |All things Peranakan
Batik has and still is associated with the Peranakans (Straits-born Chinese), especially when the Peranakans wear the batik 'sarungs'. In addition, a section of this book contains photographs set in Peranakan homes... which were a big hit among the Peranakans during the exhibition at the Peranakan Festival.
7. Malacca |Malaysia
All photographs in the book were taken entirely from Malacca - from the famous Stadhuys, the oldest Malaysian temple (the Cheng Hoon Teng temple), the Malay traditional 'kampung' (village) house, the Merlimau house with architecture influence from Indian, Malay and Chinese and the Peranakan homes.
Being the historical state of Malaysia, this book is a good representation of Malaysia too.
8. Coffee-table books
If you are looking for a high-end book that you would like to put it on your coffee-table, this would be among the few that you can consider. You will definitely be proud to show this high-end coffee-table book to your visitors and friends.
Contents Page
Batik Making
A brief history on batik and the batik making process using wax (both the 'canting' method and the 'stamp' method)... In addition to the write-up, you can understand the step-by-step process of how batik is made just by looking at these pictures.
Suitable for the batik enthusiasts and also for those who would like an introduction on batik.
First Page
This is a sample of the other full spread pages - of models in batik fashion complimented with unique background. The full-spread pictures are the core of the book.
If you use the magnifying glass, you'll be able to see the fine details of the batik on the jacket, and for those who like the ancient building (date 1800s), you'll admire the beautiful staircase and its architecture.
By the way, there's a meaning to this picture... in some traditional houses, the staircase is the first part of the house - a place to welcome the guests. And for us, this is just like me welcoming you to this project of ours... the Batik Inspirations book. Welcome in!
Fun with Pics
This is where photographer, eM.K. gives insights of the photographs in detail, information on the batik designs, and things that went behind the scene and his personal comments on the fashion designers.
*We didn't put any captions on all the full-spread pictures as to not 'spoil' them or distract readers from the pictures, as we believe that the pictures should be admired on its own.
Hence, the information on the photos are put in this segment.
Last Page
Another sample of the full spread pages, whereby we compliment batik fashion with the unique background.
For example, on this picture, there were many readers who not only liked the batik-inspired jacket, but there were some who like the intricate details on the top of this old building. Even the semi-ruined door has its charms.
Again there's a meaning behind this composition: this photograph was taken from the verendah of the house, just before the staircase. It's a way of saying goodbye, but not with a sad heart. Instead, this goodbye comes with a big smile... a sense of accomplishment and happiness to be able to bring the readers through a journey - sharing the beauty of this hand-craft art: batik, combined with beautiful background.
At the back, you can see a road, which actually means that there's more to come...!
With such good reviews from the press (100% positive reviews) and with the compliments from our customers, we are confident you will like this unique book just as much.
We've included an unresistable offer. For a very limited time only, we as authors & photographers will be singing your special copy. In addition, we will also add in the complimentary magnifying glass. To see more details please click below.
Author - Publisher - Model, Batik Inspirations
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Our Specialisation | Batik | Batiks | Batik Design | Batik Designs | Batik Malaysia | Batik Book | Batik Books | Batik Designs Book | Batik Art | Batik Arts | Art Batik | Batik Fashion | Batik Fabric | Batik Fabrics | Batik Inspirations - The Blog | Batik Story


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Happy My Pie Monday! Today, we have a gorgeous line-up of 16 homemade pies from Slice'rs around the country (and overseas!). Click through the slideshow to take a look.
If you're making pizza at home this week, be sure to send us a photo for our next round of My Pie Monday. Just take one snapshot of your homemade pizza, briefly describe your cooking method, and follow these instructions to get it to Slice HQ by 8pm EST on Thursday night. Please make sure to include your Serious Eats username!
Looking for inspiration? Find dozens of recipes and home kitchen adaptations on our Pizza-Making Guide or peruse our collection of past My Pie Monday contributions.
Even if you're not baking your own pies, we want to know about the ones you're eating. Submit to My Best Slice to help us spotlight the great pizza being enjoyed across the country. We don't care whether it's a super-simple corner slice or a fancy-pants pie, so long as its memorable. Send a photo and short description to pizz[at]seriouseats.com!
About the author: Niki Achitoff-Gray is the editor of Slice and a part-time student at the Institute of Culinary Education. She's pretty big into pizza. Also, she likes offal. A lot.


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Mio H610
More than any other GPS manufacturer out there today, Mio Technology has really focused its attention on creating GPS devices for use outside of the car, such as the Mio C710. The company's latest device, the Mio H610, is the most ambitious to date in terms of being a hybrid navigation and entertainment gadget. It has an ultraportable design that makes it great for on-the-go use, and the unit's multimedia functions aren't half bad; but the compact size also makes it less than ideal for in-car navigation as viewing maps, and entering information on the small touch screen is difficult. We think it's a better navigator for bicyclists or city dwellers on foot, and drivers who want a navigation-first system should take a look at other devices, like the Magellan RoadMate 2200T or the Garmin StreetPilot c550. The Mio H610 is available now for $499.99.
At 2.3x3.3x0.7 inches and 3.8 ounces, the Mio H610 more closely resembles a PDA or an MP3 player than a portable navigation system, which helps in its function as a handheld entertainment device though not as an in-car GPS solution (more on that later). With the compact dimensions, the H610 easily slips into your bag without weighing you down and feels comfortable to hold in the hand, albeit a bit slippery. The device also has a pleasing design with its curved edges and white casing (a la iPod).
There's a 2.7-inch TFT touch screen on the front that displays 65,000 colors at a 320x240 pixel resolution. Text and images were sharp and bright, but we noticed that it often picks up glare that makes it difficult to read the display. In addition, the smaller size of the screen doesn't make the H610 ideal for in-car use. It can certainly help in a pinch, especially when coupled with the voice-guided directions, but you'd have to look pretty closely at the screen to see everything on the map, and that's not exactly the safest thing to do while you're driving. We think the H610 is perfect if you're navigating a new city on foot and perhaps even if you're on a bicycle (though you'll have to come up with some kind of mounting system), but if it's a serious in-car GPS device you seek, we'd recommend looking at other systems.
Overall, the interface is pretty intuitive. The main menu page has clearly marked, large icons for all the major functions of the H610; however, once you get into the subsections, things can get a bit confusing. For example, the map view takes some acclimation as the onscreen icons are sometimes hard to see because they blend in with the map or are hidden in the corners. Plus, it's not always clear what they do. We recommend you give the Quick Start Guide a read before setting out to familiarize yourself with all the functions of the H610. Also, the onscreen keyboard for entering information is really tiny. The included stylus helps, but once again, not ideal for use inside the vehicle.
Other design features on the Mio H610 include an SD card expansion slot, a reset hole, a lock switch on the right spine, and a customizable shortcut key on the left side. The power button is on top, and there is a mini USB port, a headphone jack, and a loop for attaching the wrist or neck strap.
Mio packages the H610 with a number of accessories, including a vehicle mount (windshield or dash), a car charger, a USB cable, a neck strap, a wrist strap with attached stylus, a pair of earbuds with remote control, and reference material. While we certainly appreciate the breadth of extras, we wouldn't mind a carrying case to help protect the pretty H610 from scratches.


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The Hershey Company: Measuring the Impact of Charitable Efforts on Brand Warmth, Competence, and Behavior
April 24, 2012
Ed Martin, marketing excellence and CSR insights director at The Hershey Company, and Chris Malone, director of research at The Relational Capital Group, shared key learnings from a research study that measures positive brand perceptions, purchase intent, and loyalty from charitable marketing programs.
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Get More Out of Your Entertainment with Charter TV®
If you're ready for great entertainment from a reliable provider, Charter Cable can deliver the HD programming that Wisconsinites want. There are more than 1,683,095 homes in Wisconsin with an HDTV that could get maximum entertainment value through HD deals from Charter.
HD has changed the way people watch sports on television. Once you watch Milwaukee Brewers action in HD, you won't ever go back to standard def. Customers of Charter Cable in Wisconsin have at their disposal a variety of specials to save money and keep track of what's going on with all your favorite sports teams.


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Dr. David Benage MD
- Gastroenterology Chesterfield, MO
Patient Reviews
Reviews reflect patients' level of satisfaction with the care they received from this provider. Dr. David Benage xhas an overall rating of 2.8.
Dr. David Benage, MD is a Doctor primarily located in Chesterfield, MO. He has 32 years of experience. His specialties include Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine. Dr. Benage is affiliated with St Luke's Hospital, Missouri Baptist Hospital Sullivan and Mercy Hospital - St. Louis, MO. He speaks English.
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Specialties & Expertise
Dr. David Benage has the following 10 areas of expertise, 2 specialties and 2 board certifications.
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Health Guides
Get the facts about colonoscopy, including how and why it's done and doctors who perform the procedure.
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Gateway Gastroenterology
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COLLEGE STATION – Ironically, fears of another drought may result in fewer irrigated and more dryland cotton acres in the Texas High Plains this year, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert.
Typically, the Texas High Plains cotton acres will be nearly evenly split between dryland and irrigated, said Mark Kelley, AgriLife Extension cotton specialist, Lubbock. This adds up to about 2 million dryland cotton acres planted, with the same number of irrigated acres.
"Last year, we had 4.6 million acres total, with about 55 percent being dryland," Kelley said. "Usually our acreage would be split with about a 52/48 percent mix of dryland and irrigated. Looking ahead there's a chance that we'll see a little more dryland than irrigated this year."
With the area remaining dry, fears of continued drought are the biggest issue facing producers and will be at the heart of any additional shifts in planting, he said.
"They will go ahead and plant, but if we don't get some help from Mother Nature, a lot of the irrigated producers here have indicated they will just wait and see how things look before committing to an irrigated practice in 2012," he said.
The "wait-and-see" game could play until July 15, which is the latest date producers can certify a crop as dryland for crop insurance purposes, he said.
The producers he has talked to have indicated they plan to plant for irrigation, which is about four plants per row foot on row spacings of 40 inches, which works out to about 52,000 plants per acre, Kelly said. "Typically, Texas High Plains cotton growers will 'pinch back' a little for dryland, and plant about three plants per row foot."
Input costs are considerably higher on irrigated cotton due to pumping costs, but the potential profits are higher too, so most producers with irrigation will probably go ahead for an irrigated crop, he said.
"Then they (those planting for irrigation) will play the wait-and-see game, and as the situation develops, if there hasn't been enough rain to fully augment their normal irrigation capacity, they will squeeze back on what they can manage with their irrigation," Kelley said.
"I would highly recommend that they stay in conversation with their crop insurance agent, and make sure everything they're doing is communicated, so that can be insured properly," he added. "They need to stay in contact with their insurance agent throughout the process. We don't want anyone getting to the point where their crop is uninsurable."
More information on the current Texas drought and wildfire alerts can be found on the AgriLife Extension Agricultural Drought Task Force website at http://agrilife.tamu.edu/drought/ .
AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:
Central:The region received from 1.3 to 2.5 inches of rain. Runoff filled most stock tanks. Thanks to timely rains throughout January, small grains continued to do well. Winter wheat and winter grasses were also thriving and were being heavily grazed. Soil preparation and fertilizing for row crops was delayed because of wet conditions. Some wheat growers reported thinner stands, while other fields were in more advanced growth stages than normal.
Coastal Bend: The region had light rains, but they were not enough to raise soil-moisture levels for the upcoming crop season. Most farmers were waiting on heavier rains before fertilizing pastures. Producers continued supplemental feeding of livestock with hay and protein. The shortage of hay was a concern to many.
East: As much as 4 inches of rain fell in some parts of the region. Other areas received only scattered showers. Lake, pond and creek levels rose from runoff. Winter forages continued to improve. Producers were preparing fields for spring planting. Calving continued. Feral hog damage continued to be a major problem in many areas.
Far West: With a few exceptions, most counties received a trace to 0.6 inch of a slow rain. The exceptions were Glasscock County with 1 inch and Brewster County reporting as much as 2 inches. Temperatures were moderate, with lows from the 30s to 40s and highs between the upper 60s and lower 70s. Conditions were windy, which raised the danger of wildfire in some areas. Presidio County reported gusts up to 60 mph. The moisture helped green up some winter weeds. Unfortunately, a large portion were toxic varieties, bitterweed and locoweed. Livestock producers continued to feed their way through the winter, but hay was getting harder to find and very expensive when it could be found. Rangeland conditions remained poor. Areas that burned in the summer still showed charred ground with little to no regrowth. Cotton producers applied pre-emergent herbicides in preparation for the planting season. Fields were also being cultivated for chili pepper planting. Wheat looked fair.
North: The region had widespread, heavy rains, with most counties receiving 3 to 6 inches. Most ponds and small lakes were filled to normal levels. Soil-moisture levels were also replenished. The moisture benefited small grains, pastures and land planned for corn planting this spring. Livestock were in fair to good condition. Producers continued heavy supplemental feeding of livestock, with hay prices still very high. Feral hogs continue to be a problem.
Panhandle: The region was mostly dry and windy. Temperatures varied from seasonally normal to above normal. The high winds depleted what little moisture was received from rain and snow in previous weeks. Soil moisture was mostly very short to short. Winter wheat was in good to very poor condition, with most counties reporting poor to very poor. Farmers were preparing fields for planting. Rangeland and pastures continue to be in poor to very poor condition. Producers continued supplemental feeding of livestock.
Rolling Plains: The western part of the district received only light rain, while the eastern counties got from 1 inch to 5 inches. The rain benefited rangeland and pastures, and raised levels of stock-water tanks, filling up many to overflowing. Wheat benefited as well, and was in good shape, with growth taking off. Cattle were in good condition. In the western counties, farmers were preparing fields for spring cotton planting. Livestock producers in that area were still providing heavy supplemental feed to livestock on pastures. Hay was in short supply, and some producers were still shipping it in from out of state. Wheat producers in the western counties were holding off top-dressing and applying weed control until moisture conditions improved. Parker County reported growers were pruning peach trees.
South: Nights were cool and days mild throughout the region. A few counties received light rain. Atascosa County received the most, about 2 inches in areas west of Charlotte and the north part of the county. Rangeland and pastures remained mostly in poor condition. In McMullen County, livestock producers continued to feed prickly pear as hay was expensive and in short supply. Cattle body condition scores were poor to fair, with most herds in poor condition. With stock tanks still low or completely dry, and feed costs rising, ranchers were expecting to further cull herds. Frio County potato producers continued planting, hoping to wind down the first week of February. There was minimal field activity in Jim Wells County. In Zavala County, dryland oat and wheat producers welcomed scattered showers as their crops were in great need of moisture. Spinach and cabbage producers in that area resumed harvesting as soon as fields dried out. In Hidalgo County, farmers continued harvesting vegetables, citrus and sugarcane. The Texas Department of Agriculture set a 5-mile quarantine on the movement of citrus nursery stock in the Hidalgo County area due to citrus greening disease being confirmed there. Spring-planting preparations continued in the Starr County area.
South Plains: Temperatures were mild, but topsoil moisture continued to drop because of dry, windy weather. Pastures and rangeland needed moisture, and winter wheat was struggling. There were reports of flocks of geese damaging young wheat stands. Blowing sand was a problem for some wheat fields as well. Moisture was needed to hold the soil in place. Garza County received a trace of rain, about 0.3 inch. Scurry County received from 0.2 to 0.3 inch. Rangeland was in mostly poor to fair condition. Livestock were in mostly fair to good condition, with supplemental feeding continuing. Producers were preparing fields for spring planting.
Southeast: Many areas received rain, 2 to 4 inches in some cases, filling creeks, ponds and stock tanks. The rain promoted further winter-pasture growth. Producers continued supplemental feeding of livestock, and, along with slightly better pasture conditions, the condition of cattle improved. Farmers began preparation of cropland for spring plantings.
Southwest: Eastern counties received from 5 to 7 inches of rain, while the western part of the district reported 0.5 inch to 1.5 inches. Where the rains were heavy, soil-moisture levels were greatly increased and stock ponds were filled. Oats and winter weeds greened back up. Several varieties of trees broke buds.
West Central: The region had very mild temperatures and much needed rain in nearly all 16 counties. The slow, soaking rains boosted growth of cool-season grasses and forages. Wheat pastures continued to do very well and were providing grazing for livestock. The rains and warm weather also helped other small-grain crops. Farmers were preparing land for spring planting as weather permitted. Rangeland and pasture conditions were very good. Stock tanks were in good shape for this time of year. Producers continued supplemental feeding of livestock.