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The fifth i2b2/VA Workshop on Natural Language Processing Challenges for Clinical Records conducted a systematic review on resolution of noun phrase coreference in medical records. Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside (i2b2) and the Veterans Affair (VA) Consortium for Healthcare Informatics Research (CHIR) partnered to organize the coreference challenge. They provided the research community with two corpora of medical records for the development and evaluation of the coreference resolution systems. These corpora contained various record types (ie, discharge summaries, pathology reports) from multiple institutions.
The coreference challenge provided the community with two annotated ground truth corpora and evaluated systems on coreference resolution in two ways: first, it evaluated systems for their ability to identify mentions of concepts and to link together those mentions. Second, it evaluated the ability of the systems to link together ground truth mentions that refer to the same entity. Twenty teams representing 29 organizations and nine countries participated in the coreference challenge.
The teams' system submissions showed that machine-learning and rule-based approaches worked best when augmented with external knowledge sources and coreference clues extracted from document structure. The systems performed better in coreference resolution when provided with ground truth mentions. Overall, the systems struggled in solving coreference resolution for cases that required domain knowledge.
The fifth i2b2/VA Workshop on Natural Language Processing Challenges for Clinical Records, organized by Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside (i2b2) and the Veterans Affairs (VA) Consortium for Healthcare Informatics Research (CHIR), gathered the natural language processing (NLP) community for resolving coreference in electronic medical records. We refer to this challenge as the coreference resolution challenge. This article presents an overview of the coreference resolution challenge, data, and evaluation metrics; it reviews and evaluates the systems developed for this challenge, and provides directions for future research in clinical coreference resolution.
Coreference resolution determines whether two concepts are coreferent, that is, linked by an 'identity' or 'equivalence' relation. For example, in the sentence 'She was scheduled to receive a temporal artery biopsy, but she never followed up on that testing,' 'a temporal artery biopsy' and 'that testing' are equivalent because they refer to the same entity. We refer to the two textual occurrences of the concepts 'a temporal artery biopsy' and 'that testing' as mentions; two or more equivalent mentions create a coreference chain. We refer to mentions that are not involved in any coreference chains as singletons. The goal of the coreference resolution challenge was to encourage the development of systems that could identify coreference chains. For this purpose, i2b2/VA provided coreference annotation guidelines (see online supplementary appendix I), concept mention annotations, and a training set of ground truth coreference chains. Twenty teams from 29 organizations and nine countries participated in the coreference resolution challenge (see online supplementary table 1). The results of the challenge were presented in a workshop that i2b2/VA organized with the Computational Medicine Center of Cincinnati Children's Hospital, in co-sponsorship with the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), at the Fall Symposium of AMIA in 2011.
In the NLP literature, coreference resolution has focused primarily on the newspaper1 2 and biomedical corpora,3 leaving the clinical corpora relatively unexplored (see online supplements of Bodnari et al4 for related work in the open domain).5–7 The work of He8 explored coreference resolution in discharge summaries using a supervised decision-tree classifier and a carefully selected set of features. Zheng et al7 carried out a comprehensive review of coreference resolution methodologies in the open domain and suggested transferring these techniques to the clinical domain.
The coreference resolution challenge continued i2b2's efforts to release annotated clinical records to the NLP community for the advancement of the state of the art. This challenge built on past i2b2 challenges,9–13 as well as past NLP shared-task efforts outside the clinical domain.14 The first i2b2 challenge proposed an information extraction task targeting the de-identification of protected health information9 and a document classification task targeting the smoking status of patients.10 The second i2b2 challenge proposed a multi-document classification task focused on obesity and 15 of its co-morbidities. This challenge encompassed several NLP tasks: information extraction for disease-specific details, negations and uncertainty extraction on diseases, and classification of patient records.11 The third i2b2 challenge targeted the extraction of medication and medication-related information.12 The fourth i2b2 challenge proposed three tasks: a concept extraction task targeting the extraction of medical concepts from clinical records; an assertion classification task targeting the assignment of assertion types for medical problem concepts; and a relation classification task targeting the assignment of relation types that hold between medical concepts. The fifth i2b2/VA challenge (ie, coreference resolution challenge) extends relation classification to coreference resolution.
The data for the coreference challenge consisted of two separate corpora: the i2b2/VA corpus and the Ontology Development and Information Extraction (ODIE) corpus. The i2b2/VA corpus contained de-identified discharge summaries from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Partners Healthcare, and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). In addition, UPMC contributed de-identified progress notes to the i2b2/VA corpus. The ODIE corpus contained de-identified clinical reports and pathology reports from Mayo Clinic, and de-identified discharge records, radiology reports, surgical pathology reports, and other reports from UPMC. Table 2 shows the number of reports from each institution and the division of reports into training and test sets in these corpora. The i2b2/VA corpus was produced by i2b2 and the VA, and the ODIE corpus was produced under the ODIE grant and was donated to the i2b2/VA challenge under SHARP—Secondary Use of Clinical Data from the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology.15
The ODIE corpus contained 10 concept categories: anatomical site, disease or syndrome, indicator/reagent/diagnostic aid, laboratory or test result, none, organ or tissue function, other, people, procedure, and sign or symptom.16 In comparison, the i2b2/VA corpus contained five concept categories: problem, person, pronoun, test, and treatment.13 For annotation details on the ODIE corpus refer to Savova et al.15
Each record in the i2b2/VA corpus was annotated by two independent annotators for coreference pairs. Then the pairs were post-processed in order to create coreference chains. These chains were presented to an adjudicator, who resolved the disagreements between the original annotations, and added or deleted annotations as necessary. The outputs of the adjudicators were then re-adjudicated, with particular attention being paid to duplicates and enforcing consistency in the annotations. Appendix II and table 3 in the online supplements contain annotation details and inter-annotator agreement results for the i2b2/VA corpus.
The ODIE corpus contained 419 chains, with an average chain length of 5.671 concept mentions and maximum chain length of 90 mentions (see table 4). The i2b2/VA corpus contained 5227 chains, with an average chain length of 4.326 concept mentions and maximum chain length of 122 concept mentions (see table 4).
Both the ODIE and i2b2/VA corpora were released under a data use agreement that allows their use for research beyond the coreference challenge. The data use agreement is available at https://www.i2b2.org/NLP/Coreference/Agreement.php. All relevant institutional review boards approved this challenge and the use of the de-identified clinical records.
The coreference challenge consisted of three tasks. The first task (Task 1A) focused on mention extraction and coreference resolution on the ODIE corpus. The systems participating in this task had to first identify mentions from raw text and then perform coreference resolution on these mentions. The second task (Task 1B) focused on coreference resolution on the ODIE corpus using ground truth concept mentions and the raw text of the ODIE clinical records. The third task (Task 1C) focused on coreference resolution on the i2b2/VA corpus using the ground truth concept mentions and the raw text of the i2b2/VA clinical records.
For Task 1C, four out of the 20 participating teams could not obtain UPMC records. We consequently ran two separate evaluations for Task 1C. The first evaluation was run on the entire i2b2/VA corpus (Task 1C i2b2) and included only the 16 teams who could obtain all of the i2b2/VA data. The second evaluation was run on the i2b2/VA corpus without the UPMC records and included all 20 teams (Task 1C i2b2/UPMC).
Each team could submit up to three system outputs per task and was evaluated on their best performing output per task.
Following the evaluation methodology of the fourth i2b2/VA challenge,13 we evaluated the systems' performance on mention extraction using precision, recall, and F-measure. We considered both exact and at least partial mention overlap with the ground truth mentions (see online supplements for details). Evaluation of mention extraction was performed for Task 1A only.
We evaluated the systems' performance on coreference resolution using three evaluation metrics: MUC,17 B-CUBED,18 and CEAF.19 Each metric presents different strengths and weaknesses. We used the unweighted average of the MUC, B-CUBED, and CEAF metrics as a measure of coreference performance on chains. We evaluated systems across all semantic categories at the same time, without a distinction in semantic category. For Task 1A, we gave systems credit for only the pairs and chains that contained mentions that matched the ground truth exactly, that is, exact overlap. We then repeated the same evaluation for mentions with at least partial overlap. For Task 1B and 1C, we performed coreference evaluation of the system chains against the ground truth.
MUC metrics evaluated the set of system chains by looking at the minimum number of pair additions and removals required for them to match the ground truth chains.17 The pairs to be added represented false negatives, while the pairs to be removed represented false positives. Let K represent the ground truth chains set, and R the system chains set. Given chains k and r from K and R, respectively, MUC recall and precision of R were:
m(r,K), by definition, represented the number of chains in K that intersected the chain r.
The MUC F-measure was given by:
B-CUBED metrics evaluated system performance by measuring the overlap between the chains predicted by the system and the ground truth chains.18 Let C be a collection of N documents, d a document in C, and m a markable in document d. We defined the ground truth chain that included m as Gm and the system chain that contained m as Sm. Om was the intersection of Gm and Sm. B-CUBED recall and precision were defined as:
The B-CUBED F-measure was identical to the MUC F-measure.
CEAF metrics first computed an optimal alignment () between the system chains and the ground truth chains based on a similarity score. This score could be based on the mentions or on the chains. The chains-based score had two variants, and ; we employed , unless otherwise specified.19
Let gold standard chains in a document d be K(d)={Ki:i=1,2…,{K(d)}}, and system chains in a document d be R(d)={Ri:i=1,2…,|R(d)|}. Let Ki and Ri be chains in K(d) and R(d), respectively. The chain-based scores were defined as:
The CEAF precision and recall were defined as:
The CEAF F-measure was identical to the MUC F-measure.
We assessed whether two system outputs were significantly different from each other by using approximate randomization tests.20 Let A and B be two different systems, with outputs of j chains and k chains, respectively. We evaluated systems A and B using the unweighted average F-measure and computed the absolute difference between the unweighted average F-measure of system A (fA) and unweighted average F-measure of system B (fB) as f=|fA–fB|. We collected the chains of system A and the chains of system B; we created a superset C, of M=j+k chains. We then performed step 1 and step 2 N times, as described below. In step 1, we selected from C j chains randomly and without resampling and created the pseudoset of chains Ap. The remaining k chains in C created the pseudoset of chains Bp. In step 2, we computed the absolute difference of fA′, the unweighted average F-measure of Ap, and fB′, the unweighted average F-measure of Bp, as fp = |fA′–fB′|. At the end of the N iterations, we computed Nt, the number of times that |fp–f|>=0 and calculated the p value between A and B as p=(Nt+1)/(N+1). We ran significance tests with N=100 and α=0.01.
The 2011 i2b2/VA challenge systems were grouped with respect to their use of external resources, involvement of medical experts, and methods (see online supplements for definitions). Seven systems were described by their authors as rule-based, eight systems as supervised, and three as hybrid. Two systems were declared to have utilized external resources, and two systems were designed under the supervision of medical experts.
In general, the 2011 i2b2/VA challenge systems created separate modules to solve coreference for the person concepts, pronoun concepts, and the non-person concepts (ie, problem, test, treatment, etc). To aid coreference resolution for the person category, most systems distinguished between the patient and non-patient entities. All systems explored the context surrounding the mentions. Below we provide more details for the rule-based, hybrid, and supervised systems developed for the i2b2/VA challenge.
In general, the rule-based systems assumed that two mentions were more likely to corefer if located in the same document section. Then, these systems used regular expressions, handcrafted keywords, and internet searches to classify mentions into patient, medical personnel, and family member groups. The personal pronouns were assumed to corefer to the closest person mentions, while the non-personal pronouns were classified based on their form and syntactic dependency relations. To resolve coreference in non-person categories, the systems used token overlap; some also incorporated external knowledge. Gooch21 and Grouin et al22 integrated semantic disambiguation, spelling correction, and abbreviation extension derived from Wikipedia abbreviations. Hinote et al23 used semantic clues like dates, locations, and descriptive modifiers. They also used Wordnet24 synonyms to match words within the mentions, the UMLS database25 to determine closely related medical mentions, and automatic internet searches to determine whether a mention referred to medical personnel. Yang et al26 incorporated a preprocessing step into their system; they parsed, tagged, and normalized the raw texts before coreference resolution.
The coreference challenge had three hybrid systems: two multi-sieve classifiers (Jonnalagadda et al27 and Rink et al28) and a pairwise classifier (Jindal et al29). Jonnalagadda et al experimented on pronoun classification using a rule-based and a factorial hidden Markov model classifier. Rink et al adjusted the first pass of their multi-sieve model to identify the patient mentions. These mentions were then combined into a single coreference chain. Jindal et al classified mention pairs containing one pronoun separately from mention pairs containing two pronouns; they also differentiated between the patient, doctor, and family member instances of the person category. The hybrid systems resolved coreference for the non-person mentions by incorporating external domain knowledge. Rink et al employed Wikipedia aliases for marking alternative spellings and identifying synonyms. Jonnalagadda et al and Jindal et al extracted abbreviations, synonyms, and other relations from UMLS. Jindal et al used system features such as anatomical terms corresponding to body location and body parts.
Much like the rule-based and hybrid systems, the supervised coreference resolution systems paid special attention to the person and pronoun categories. In general, these systems tried to distinguish the patient mentions from other person mentions. Coreference resolution for non-person categories used features like mention similarity and document section. Anick et al30 applied these features with a maximum entropy classifier and added time frame and negation. Cai et al31 applied a weakly supervised, graph-based model. Xu et al32 chose a support vector machine (SVM) classifier enhanced with features from the document's structure and world knowledge from sources like Wikipedia,33 Probase,34 and NeedleSeek.35 Xu et al used a mapping engine with additional features like anatomy and position, medication information, time, and space.
Three systems participated in Task 1A, eight systems participated in Task 1B, and 20 systems participated in Task 1C. All systems were evaluated on held out test data for their task. In order to analyze systems' performance against a reference standard, we defined a baseline system that predicted all mentions to be singletons.
We evaluated the Task 1A systems on both mention extraction and coreference resolution. For mention extraction, Lan et al36 and Grouin et al22 had an F-measure of 0.737 for the mentions that overlapped at least partially with the ground truth; Lan et al achieved an F-measure of 0.645 for the mentions that matched the ground truth exactly (see table 5 in the online supplements). For coreference resolution, Grouin et al evaluated to an unweighted average F-measure of 0.699 for mentions with at least partial overlap and an unweighted average F-measure of 0.719 for mentions with exact overlap (see table 6 and table 7 in the supplements). The baseline performance on coreference resolution on Task 1A was an unweighted average F-measure of 0.417 for both mentions wit at least partial and exact overlap (see table 6).
Task 1B systems' results ranged from an unweighted average F-measure of 0.827 (Glinos37) to an unweighted average F-measure of 0.417 (Benajiba et al38). The best performing system was rule-based (Glinos, unweighted average F-measure of 0.827), followed by a hybrid system (Rink et al,28 unweighted average F-measure of 0.821), and a supervised system (Cai et al,31 unweighted average F-measure of 0.806). The baseline achieved an unweighted average F-measure of 0.417 on Task 1B (see table 8 and table 9 in the supplements).
Sixteen systems were evaluated in Task 1C i2b2 and 20 in Task 1C i2b2/UPMC. The best scoring system in Task 1C was that of Xu et al,32 with an unweighted average F-measure of 0.915 for Task 1C i2b2, and 0.913 for Task 1C i2b2/UPMC (see table 8). The supervised system of Xu et al32 was followed in performance by a hybrid (Rink et al28) and two rule-based systems (Yang et al26 and Hinote et al23). Of the systems that were developed in the absence of UPMC data, Dai et al39 outperformed some teams who did have access to UPMC data. The baseline scored an unweighted average F-measure of 0.541 and 0.548 on Task 1C i2b2 and Task 1C i2b2/UPMC, respectively.
We analyzed system outputs on the i2b2/VA corpus and made the following observations. We expect these observations would generalize to the ODIE corpus as well.
In general, token overlap was a feature used by all systems. The person category was the easiest to handle for all systems.
Overall, the rule-based systems were able to correctly resolve the coreference on both mention pairs with exact and at least partial overlap (ie, 'a hepaticojejunostomy'–'hepaticojejunostomy,' 'a 10 pound weight gain'–'weight gain'). They correctly linked most noun phrases to their correct pronominal coreferents (ie, 'her father'–'who'). In the absence of domain knowledge, most rule-based systems were unable to link coreferent pairs with no token overlap (ie, 'a ct angiogram'–'this study,' 'left ankle wound'–'a small complication'), with phrase head overlap (ie, 'amio loading'–'amiodarone hcl'), with abbreviations (ie, 'an attempted ercp'–'the endoscopic retrogram cholangiopancreatogram,' 'cabg'–'surgery'), with medical terms in synonymy or hyponymy relations (ie, 'antibiotics'–'vancomycin,' 'aortic insufficiency'–'aortic sclerosis'), or with physicians and their professions (ie, 'dr. **name [zzz]'–'his attending physician'). The rule-based systems that incorporated domain knowledge achieved correct coreference for most mentions pairs with no token overlap (ie, 'male'–'the patient,' 'a 1,770 gram male infant'–'the patient'), with phrase head overlap (ie, 'hydro'–'right hydronephrosis,' 'a gi bleed'–'his bleeding'), abbreviations (ie, '56y/o'–'her,' 'acute myelogenous leukemia'–'aml'), medical terms (ie, 'a low blood pressure'–'hypotension,' 'the subgaleal bleed'–'the subgaleal hemorrhage,' 'sleepiness'–'somnolence'), and misspelled mentions (ie, 'wound care'–'wtd woulnd care').
In general, the hybrid systems resolved coreference correctly when the mentions presented some degree of token overlap. These systems had an advantage over the rule-based systems in correctly linking mentions that included location pointers (ie, 'left shoulder facture'–'shoulder fracture,' 'a right lower extremity cellulitis'–'true cellulitis'). This advantage was given by the additional processing of anatomical terms.
The supervised systems had an advantage over the hybrid and rule-based systems on mentions with no token overlap (ie, 'a hepaticojejunostomy'–'the procedure,' 'agitated'–'increased agitation'), mentions with phrase head overlap (ie, 'accumulation of ascitic fluid'–'the ascites'), and mentions describing professions (ie, 'admitting physician and thoracic surgeon'–'dr. cranka'). Xu et al32 made use of world knowledge from multiple sources (Wikipedia, WordNet, Probase, Evidence, NeedleSeek) and utilized coreference cues from intrinsic document structure. Their system correctly resolved most clinical mentions with no token overlap, including abbreviations (ie, 'cesarean section'–'delivery,' 'delta ms'–'waxing and waning mental status'). Additionally, the supervised systems correctly linked mentions containing a larger number of tokens (ie, 'a well developed, well nourished gentleman'–'his').
The 2011 challenge systems complemented each other, and collectively performed close to the ground truth. We analyzed how many system chains were identical to the ground truth chains, and identified that no chains were correctly predicted by every system and 50.48% of all ground truth chains could be correctly predicted by at least one system. Overall, 77.75% of the ground truth chains were correctly predicted by the collective efforts of all systems. In addition to the chains identical to the ground truth, the systems also predicted partially correct chains. These partially correct chains would either miss mentions or contain incorrect mentions. In order to obtain a more detailed analysis of the systems' prediction accuracy, we performed a pairwise comparison of the system mention pairs and the ground truth mention pairs. We identified that 95.07% of the ground truth mention pairs could be correctly predicted by at least one system, and 98.92% of mention pairs could be correctly predicted by the collective efforts of all systems. Only 1.24% of the ground truth mention pairs could be correctly predicted by every system. The correct cases of coreference that all systems identified presented some degree of token overlap. The more challenging coreference cases presented no token overlap or were based on a clinical relationship (ie, 'mild changes'–'worsening dementia,' 'minimally displaced, comminuted fractures of the left c7 and t1 transverse processes'–'rib fx'). These cases required additional external knowledge sources (ie, 'squamous cell carcinoma'–'stage t2 n0,' 'solu-medrol'–'the iv steroids'), represented meaning distortions caused by the clinical de-identifier (ie, 'reke, atota s'–'she,' '**name [www xxx], m.d.'–'I'), or included misspellings (ie, 'yeast in the urine'–'yest'). None of the systems were able to identify coreference pairs involving metaphorical expression (ie, 'pins and needles from the knees'–'neuropathic type pain').
The baseline achieved an unweighted average F-measure of 0.541 on the i2b2/VA corpus and 0.417 on the ODIE corpus. These numbers indicate the abundance of singletons in our corpora, where a system that predicts no coreference chains achieves an unweighted average F-measure which is greater than zero. However, the gains of the 2011 challenge systems over this baseline indicates that the systems were able to identify true chains and make a contribution to the coreference resolution task.
The 2011 i2b2/VA workshop on NLP challenges for clinical records focused on coreference in clinical records. Twenty teams from nine countries participated in this challenge. In general, the best performing systems incorporated domain knowledge, extracted coreference cues from the structure of the clinical records, and created dedicated modules for person concepts and for pronoun concepts. The coreference challenge results show that the current state-of-the-art medical coreference resolution systems perform well in solving coreference across all the semantic categories, but face difficulties in solving coreference for cases that require domain knowledge. More advanced incorporation of domain knowledge remains a challenge that would benefit from future research.
The authors would like to thank Ying Suo and Matthew Maw for their help with data management and analysis of manual annotations data.
Contributors: OU is the primary author and was instrumental in all aspects of the preparation and organization of the coreference resolution challenge from data to workshop. AB helped organize the coreference challenge, led the data analysis, and co-wrote and edited the manuscript. BS was co-lead of the coreference resolution challenge, and along with SS and TF managed the annotation and preparation of the i2b2/VA corpus for the coreference challenge. JP provided organization insights and feedback throughout challenge organization.
Funding: The 2011 i2b2/VA challenge and the workshop are funded in part by grant number 2U54LM008748 on Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside from the National Library of Medicine. This challenge and workshop are also supported by resources and facilities of the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System with funding support from the Consortium for Healthcare Informatics Research (CHIR), VA HSR HIR 08-374 and the National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine under grant number R13LM010743-01.
Competing interests: None.
Ethics approval: This study was conducted with the approval of i2b2 and the VA.
Provenance and peer review: Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
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In this post-Moneyball era, baseball franchises have begun to redefine the "Baseball Man." No longer does a field manager need to pay his dues as a minor league manager or big league bench coach. Teams are thinking out of the box. They are going with managers that have an emotional and psychological connection to the roster (i.e. former teammates). The Joe Torre father figure is in danger of becoming a faded photograph. Nowhere is this more noticeable than the Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Unlike most Moneyball theories, which have been proven mostly accurate, the dependability of the rookie manager is still somewhat questionable. In 2001, his rookie year, Bob Brenly took the Arizona Diamondbacks to their first title in franchise history. A.J. Hinch was not as lucky. Hired as a rookie manager in 2009, Hinch was fired fourteen months later for an underwhelming 89-123 record.
The St. Louis Cardinals have taken a gamble, replacing retiring managerial icon, Tony La Russa, with former Cardinal Mike Matheny. A part-time catcher most of his career, he was extremely well respected during his tenure with the Cardinals from 2000 to 2004. Cardinals' rightfielder Lance Berkman was quoted in Sports Illustrated as saying, "There is zero credibility gap between Tony [La Russa] and Mike…From the second he was hired, Mike had the credibility."
In all truthfulness, Matheny is taking over the defending World Series Champs. Even while losing the greatest star in the entire sport, the Cardinals are still expected to compete. "With the veteran makeup of this team, his main objective should be to just keep the train on the tracks," says Berkman. He's bowling with the bumpers on.
In the same boat as Matheny is former White Sox Robin Ventura. On the flip side, the new south side skipper has to get his train back on the tracks. The two-time All-Star replaces the only manager to bring a World Series title to Chicago in what? 750 years? The club is also coming off a disappointing 83-loss season, despite the highest payroll in franchise history. Ventura is putting together a 100-piece puzzle with 99-pieces.
Ventura is Joe Girardi, circa 2006. He's got young talent and he's got some upper management, known to meddle. Remember the love affair of Ozzie Guillen and Kenny Williams? If he can navigate both along with a traditionally pessimistic Chicago fan base, Ventura will be bucking for Manager of the Year.
Ozzie Guillen, now managing the rebranded Miami Marlins, has hope for these rookie managers. "Those guys played a long time," he tells Sports Illustrated. "They should know how to deal with players. You don't need experience. You need good players. The less moves you make, the better manager you are."
Let's face it. Ozzie has a point here. If they don't go crazy, they should be fine. Neither is going into car crash situations, like Bobby Valentine. Valentine will be charged with cleaning up that glorified Hooters Bar known as the Red Sox clubhouse. Big Market or small, baseball strategy is obviously moving in a Moneyball direction. As long as these guys don't fail in spectacular fashion, field management will be moving in that direction as well.

subset: commoncrawl


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29 airlines invite you to fly the Convair
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Last week, Yeasayer announced their comeback with a series of live dates and their first new material since last year's Record Store Day release and today they've unveiled plans for their forthcoming record.
Entitled Fragrant World, the band's new album will drop on 21 August via Secretly Canadian.
The tracklist is set to read as such:
1. Fingers Never Bleed
2. Longevity
3. Blue Paper
4. Henrietta
5. Devil and the Deed
6. No Bones
7. Reagan's Skeleton
8. Demon Road
9. Damaged Goods
10. Folk Hero Shtick
11. Glass of the Microscope
The Brooklyn band's tour will stop off on the following dates:
19 – Richmond, VA, The National
20 – Asheville, NC, The Orange Peel
21 – Knoxville, TN, Bijou Theatre
22 – Nashville, TN, Cannery Ballroom
23 – Louisville, KY, Headliners Music Hall
24 – Cincinnati, OH, 20th Century Theatre
4-7 – Gdyina, PL, Open'er Festival
12-15 – Suffolk, UK, Latitude Festival
13-15 – Ferropolis, DE, Melt! Festival
3 – Montreal, QC, Osheaga Music Festival
You can listen to the premiere track from this upcoming LP, 'Henrietta', below:


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Unless you have 30 of them, I seriously doubt they are "holding" your scores down. Sure, they do no favor to your scores, but it's impact is reltively small and ithe impact to your scores only last 12 months in FICO scoring models. If your score are low? Then it might be something else other than inquries, like new accounts, higher balances, lower age/average age of credit.
Of course you are free to dispute them with credit bureaus, however the chances of them being removed aren't likely.
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It looks like we're about to get another Watch Dogs trailer from Ubisoft. They've released an interesting teaser image from the open-world game that promises a new video.
"Surveillance Rpt #274789: Suspect Aiden Pearce was seen on Lake St. ctOS is pulling video, will be updated tomorrow," Ubisoft said on Twitter.
Watch Dogs' plot is centered around a supercomputer known as CtOS. The CtOS monitors all citizens in Chicago and also controls many of the electronic devices. This system was designed to make society more secure but I imagine the game will explore whether all of this control and surveillance is a good thing.
Aiden Pearce is the main character of the game. He's a hacker who can use the system to his advantage. For example, he can tap into the traffic light system to cause a crash, or stop a train so he can use it to make a getaway.
The tweet from Ubisoft suggests that the new Watch Dogs video will be released tomorrow. Check back then to get a look at it.
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DEFINITION of 'Dojima Rice Exchange'
The world's first commodity futures exchange. Established in 1697 in Osaka, Japan, by samurai who wanted to control the rice markets, the Dojima Rice Exchange was originally a market where rice was bartered. The exchange was dissolved in 1939.
BREAKING DOWN 'Dojima Rice Exchange'
Commodity futures are contracts obligating the buyer to purchase a basic good such as oil, wheat or corn, at a certain date and price in the future. Commodity futures are often settled in cash and are traded on futures exchanges such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the New York Mercantile Exchange. Transactions may be completed on trading floors and through electronic networks.


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August 31, 2010
If you haven't heard, Carmelo Anthony(notes) is in a bit of hot water because of Twitter. Yes, that sounds unfathomably dumb, but when you get the whole story it's even dumber than you can imagine. To start, read up on the controversy, which has been dutifully and beautifully documented by ProBasketballTalk's Matt Moore.
Basically, what has happened is "celebrity" groupie Kat Stacks — who became Internet famous for sleeping with minor rappers that hardly anyone knows about then being paid to talk about it — Tweeted about Carmelo Anthony, which upset Carmelo and his wife. Upset and near a computer is never a good thing now that Twitter exists, which helps to explain why 'Melo offered $5,000 to anyone who would send him video footage of Kat Stacks being slapped. His Twitter page was deleted almost immediately, and 'Melo has since claimed that his page was hacked despite his new wife, LaLa Vasquez, bragging about the "twitter roll" that Anthony was on.
Maybe Carmelo Anthony's page was hacked (not likely), but we'll don't know that yet. If it was hacked, this is just dumb that it happened. If Carmelo really posted the bounty, then this moves from "dumb" to "colossally stupid to an almost unfathomable degree for so, so many reasons." Posting a reward to hit a woman is just about the dumbest thing anyone can do on a computer, especially if they're famous.
But even then — because this is Twitter and people get hacked all the time and most people will buy that 'Melo wasn't in control of his account — this would probably blow over quite quickly if the slapping reward were for anyone but Kat Stacks. Remember, she made her name by exposing semi-famous rappers. Obviously, she's going to capitalize on ensnaring a legitimate superstar basketball player.
Ergo, this happened:
Just what the Nuggets and their new GM wanted — police reports filed against their star player who wants to be traded because he may have offered to pay money to someone who slaps an Internet groupie. I told you this whole thing was dumb.
'Melo, of course, is the hands-down winner of the award for dumbest participant for either offering $5,000 to have someone hit a woman on videotape, letting his wife do the same, or for picking an easily hacked password for his Twitter account. All immensely ignorant moves by the Nuggets star. LaLa gets the runner-up trophy for whatever involvement she's had, whether it be sending the Tweets (as many suspect) or just cheering on Carmelo. Heck, even LeBron James(notes) gets a participation ribbon for calling out Kat Stacks on Twitter before deleting his very clever "Rat Stacks" Tweet.
Amazingly, in this entire situation which is mind-numbingly stupid, Kat Stacks comes out the winner. If you know anything about her at all — and, if you're a rap fan, you already know waaaay too much — that's shocking. But hey, if she's being threatened she has every right to file a police report, even if the threats were over Twitter. And if it turns out 'Melo was responsible, he deserves punishment because then he will have offered money over Twitter to anyone who will slap a woman. Yes, I'm repeating myself, but it's important to stress that this a real thing that actually happened.
Our only hope is that this ends soon. We already know it's not ending well, so let's just hope it's over quickly.
Posted Jun 29 2012
Posted Jun 29 2012
Instant Analysis: Harrison Barnes
Posted Jun 28 2012
Edited By Doug Farrar
Edited By 'Duk
Edited By Kelly Dwyer
Edited By Greg Wyshynski
Edited By Matt Hinton
Edited By Jeff Eisenberg
Edited By Jay Busbee
Edited By Jay Busbee
Edited By Steve Cofield
Edited By Chris Chase
Edited By Chris Chase
Edited By Brooks Peck
Edited By Andy Behrens
Edited By Cameron Smith
Edited By Mark J. Miller


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Authorities say an off-duty firefighter has saved a former Yonkers city councilman's home from being seriously damaged in a kitchen blaze.
A cooking accident started the fire at former Councilman Dennis Robertson's house Saturday morning. Firefighter PJ Goldfeder lives across the street.
Goldfeder tells the Journal News a teenage daughter of Robertson's ran to get the family's firefighting neighbor while her relatives called 911.
Goldfeder arrived to find thick a three-foot-thick blanket of black smoke covering the floor. But he was able to contain it to the kitchen with his own high-pressure fire extinguisher.
Soon, 30 firefighters arrived and brought the blaze fully under control.
Deputy Fire Chief John Flynn says the Robertson home probably would have been severely damaged and perhaps a total loss without Goldfeder's action.


text: Asthma inhalers are widely available online these days, so treating your asthma or making sure no asthma attack finds you clueless is fairly easy. The only thing that may be a challenge is knowing which of the drugs available is right for you. Asthma medications, if chosen and prescribed correctly, based on your individual needs and with your individual aspects taken into account, can save your life and help you enjoy every day without thinking something may go wrong. You can buy asthma inhalers online from a variety of online pharmacies, as long as you know what you want. Before you buy asthma inhalers over the internet, it may be a good idea to see a doctor first and have your condition evaluated. An examination like that will help you decide which treatment option to go for. From there you can either go the usual way to get prescription filled or visit an online pharmacy of your choice. At most online pharmacies you can get Flovent inhalers, for instance, at half the price, and no prescription will be asked for. Online pharmacies are a great way to buy a Ventolin inhaler or a Flovent inhaler if the money is tight and you value the freedom of choice above everything else. Besides, how can regular pharmacies possibly compete with online ones, where you don't even have to go in the first place to get what you want? Confidentiality, speed of delivery and lower prices – those are all factors convincing more and more people to shop for their inhalers online.


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I have loved Billy Dee from way back when he was in the TV Movie "Brian's Song" & fell totally in love with him in Mahogany. It's so sad to watch him now - I know none of us are immortal, but it pains me to see him like that
I really blame the producers of this show for setting up a respected but aging actor to be humiliated. They need to exercise some discretion about adding someone who can barely move to the cast. If he lasts beyond the first elimination, he would have to know it's due to the sympathy vote, and would he really want that? Critiques from the judges are bound to be as painful as the dance itself, if not more.
Billy Dee & Emma are on GMA right now ... and they are spending half his airtime talking about Robin's appearance. He was on camera for all of 5 minutes total.
He's old, injured and in pain -- and they still made him take the redeye flight from LA to NYC to be on the show, when they aren't even dancing. They could have let him get some sleep and done the interview via satellite from the ballroom. Robin isn't even there -- it looks like she hung back in LA. This is insanity. He was barely making sense during the interview.
"Whatever you are, be a good one." Abraham Lincoln
What is an "MFWalkoff?"
He's gotta be on some heavy pain meds - so sad
Yeah, I couldn't believe he flew across country to say three words.
The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. Dorothy Parker, (attributed)
Check this out:
Billy Dee Williams and Emma Slater 'Made Peace' with Decision to Leave Dancing - Sickness & Injury, Dancing With the Stars, Billy Dee Williams, Emma Slater : People.com
IIRC, I said in a post LAST WEEK: "Maybe he needs the money?"
Then, in this exit article, one of the things that comes out of HIS OWN MOUTH is that he " . . . made a lot of money."
Sure, he said the usual, requisite: "I had a blast . . ."
But, come ON, PEOPLE!
He's --- what? --- 76/77 years old, with TWO replaced hips AND an arthritic back. He knew --- going IN! --- that this was a physically-challenging DANCE show, and he STILL chose to take a run at this?
Maybe he DID do it ONLY for the fun, etc.
But, after his verbal slip about his making a lot of money in that article, I can't help BUT believe that that was a MAJOR --- if not the SOLE --- motivating factor for him to do this.
Whose business is it, ANYWAY, whether or not he made a lot of money? That'd pretty much be a given conclusion that most of us with at least half a brain could and WOULD come to, ANYWAY.
You couldn't've PAID me enough to've made any comment about making a lot of money while I was on the show, if I'd been in his shoes. I mean, he HAD to know that people might wonder about that, ANYWAY, given his obvious physical limitations. And, to me, his NOT thinking and letting that "money" remark get out there just serves as a red flag for his needing money more than likely being a HUGE catalyst for this whole fiasco.
I dunno.
What I DO know is that I'm glad that his doctor, his pain --- WHATEVER! --- FINALLY worked to get his ass OFF that stage, and sit him DOWN, where he oh-so-obviously needed to be. I TRULY wouldn't've wanted to've seen him risk disabling --- possibly permanently disabling --- injury by continuing to so foolishly go on with this.
And, frankly, had it not been for being ordered to STOP by whoever his doctor is, I absolutely do NOT believe that he would've voluntarily stopped. Pain, or no pain.
I think he'd've kept going until he finally injured himself badly.
OR, his fans finally said "Enough!" for him and put him out of his misery.
I hope he enjoys the money he made.
Last edited by ness; 04-01-2014 at 01:52 PM.
"In a world of pollution, profanity, adolescence, broccoli, zits, ozone depletion, racism, sexism, stupid guys and PMS, why the hell do people still tell me to have a nice day?" - Unknown
Spring 2016 FoRT Yearbook Title: "Most Likely to Make a Short Story Long, and a Long Story LONGER!"
I still admire the man and his long and successful career. I'm glad he doesn't have to deal with the pain and threat of further injury, but even with his many liabilities, I enjoyed seeing him try so much more than a reality show contestant like Nene (or any others of that ilk, even the few that I like. They are not anywhere close to being "Stars.")
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
I don't see anything wrong with an actor going on a show to make money. Heck, I would go on that show if they would pay me money and I'm well past my dancing days.
Will you accept my Frankie & Lost in Space Debbie hair violin playing Mirror-ball dancing Indian giver rose from an always a bridesmaid egotistical Big Brother repeat loser who got beat by a pan-banging meatball ?


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Very colorful, but harder than it looks.
Nice puzzle, thanks maybeso!
0124j - you can try this website:
I haven't made these sour gummies - I just liked the colorful picture!
Where do I find a recipe for sour gummies. They look so good.


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Don't restore data from cwm after flash.
Explained it a few pages back.
It got nothing to do with boot.img.
Please flash r12.5 after you did a full wipe and don't restore data from cwm after the flash.
I downloaded and tested the rom yesterday, it works and its not corrupted.
I didn't restore data from CWM - I DID, however, restore "apps with data" from Titanium Backup (only user installed apps, not system stuff). I've never gotten the CWM data restore to work properly so I don't bother any more. It may be that restoring from TB is also a problem, though.
With all the problems I have with this, my tab is probably bad, but how do you explain to the warranty guy that "It doesn't work when using my rooted leaked ROM stuff and it's all your fault!"? I'm pretty sure they'd get a good laugh and ignore me.
So anyway, I did a FULL wipe and installed the leaked ICS, then rooted and installed the patched ICS bootloader (all in hopes of eliminating SoD's with your ROM...) Then wiped again and installed R12.5. So I had a VERY full wipe. I'll try it again tonight though...
Not blaming you, however. My system just seems to like SoD, cuz even with the ICS boot I still get it with 12.5. The only time I didn't is when I was on the HC boot and loaded the R10 kernel on my R12. Can that still be done with 12.5?
Thanks for all - donation confirmation 64W52281EM318792H.
A little time with Google would answer this for you
Another solution is to use the Chrome beta
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2
SOD here too...I woke up this morning and I left the A500 charging overnight, and it is all black screen when I pressed the power button this morning.
By the way, I did all clearing up of cache,dalvic,battery stat, data & system format, including flexrom format as seen in the video of flashing with AmonRa.
Hmmmm. I have CPU Master running - just for the widget. I'll try not restoring it next time. And I didn't have the stock leak loaded long enough to check for SoD. I went straight to your rom as soon as I had CWM working so hard to say. I'll leave it for awhile next time and see.
Sent from my A500 using xda premium
HELP please....I have still gps fix issues...I am running r12.5 and my gps can locate easily enough sats...but it cannot obtain a fix...or after a long time..I also tested test build 1 /2 with no success...Any suggestion please???Eventhough changing my region through fasterfix...there is no improvement
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Joseph McLean and Erin Gilchrist won four gold medals apiece as City of Oxford starred in the Milton Keynes Meet at Bletchley Leisure Centre.
McLean, 12 and Gilchrist, ten, led the way as the club picked up an impressive 52-medal haul.
McLean won the 400m individual medley (IM), bettering his personal best by 13 seconds, before going on to win gold in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke events.
He also claimed silver in the 400m freestyle.
Gilchrist landed gold in the 200m butterfly, 400m freestyle, 400m IM and the 100m butterfly, beating the record set by Lucy Gaen in 2008.
Elliot Rennie was Abingdon Vale's star performer with five golds and a silver in their 40-medal haul.
Gold: N Armstrong (15) 50m breaststroke; N Fenton (10) 200m breaststroke; L Gaen (14) 100m, 400m IM; L Heron (14) 100m breaststroke; B Jeremy (14) 100m, 50m freestyle; Z Klico (10) 100m breaststroke; A Sharp (12) 100m backstroke; E Wood (13) 50m, 200m breaststroke.
Silver: R Allen (13) 100m backstroke; N Armstrong (15) 100m butterfly; T Cooke (10) 50m breaststroke; N Fenton (10) 400m freestyle; L Gaen (14) 200m IM, 100m butterfly; E Gilchrist (10) 100m freestyle; L Gilchrist (12) 200m butterfly; G King-Smith (16) 200m backstroke; Z Klico (10) 50m backstroke, 100m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 200m freestyle; J McLean (12) 400m freestyle; K Mills (14) 200m backstroke, 200m butterfly, 200m freestyle, 100m backstroke; F Monaghan (14) 50m backstroke; F Smiley (16) 50m freestyle, 50m butterfly; G Youngs do Patrocinio (9) 200m butterfly.
Bronze: H Beel (12) 50m backstroke; C Bryan (12) 200m butterfly; T Cooke (10) 200m breaststroke; N Fenton (10) 50m freestyle; L Gaen (14) 50m butterfly; L Gotta (12) 200m butterfly; Z Klico (10) 50m butterfly, 200m IM; K Mills (14) 100m; M Ramos (16) 100m freestyle; C Smart (12) 200m breaststroke.
Gold: E Rennie gold 200m freestyle, 50m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 400m freestyle, 100m freestyle; S Costello 400m IM; E Ford 200m backstroke, 50m backstroke, 50m butterfly, 100m IM; H Gildersleeves 100m backstroke; M Royal 50m butterfly, 100m butterfly.
Silver: E Rennie 200m breaststroke; S Costello 200m butterfly, 400m freestyle; A Lowe 50m backstroke; J Harrop 50m backstroke; N Lijzenga 400m freestyle, 100m IM; Z Lovibond: 200m freestyle, 50m freestyle; Z Lovibond 100m backstroke, 200m IM; E Lovibond 100m breaststroke; Bronze: A Lowe 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke; C Motha 50m butterfly; J Law 50m backstroke, 50m butterfly, 100 IM; J Royal 200m backstroke; N Lijzenga 200m backstroke, 50m backstroke, 400m IM, 200m freestyle; Z Lovibond 100m breaststroke, 100m IM; E Lovibond 50m breaststroke; M Royal 200m freestyle.


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MCA and its leaders are an embarassment to the 'China man' on the streets and Umno is neither amused nor convinced that the party can make a comeback.
The MCA is nothing more than a tiny group of committee members trying to convince Umno and Barisan Nasional that they are a force to be reckoned with.
Fast running out of members, and with their handful of diehard supporters, they project themselves as a formidable force who can make or break Barisan Nasional.
Many Chinese are embarrassed to be associated with MCA, and its members are resorting to be closet supporters, too shy to acknowledge their association with the party.
Still wrapped in their cocoons, MCA has still not come to terms that its supporter base has eroded beyond redemption, or to question why the Chinese are abandoning them in droves.
Their lame attempts to convince BN that they are still the champions of the Chinese, are met with vehement objections from the Chinese themselves.
That is the general sentiment of the 'China man' on the streets. Umno is not amused and neither are they convinced that MCA has what it takes.
They too are questioning whether MCA will pull through or collapse like a pack of cards, dragging BN along with it.
Even though it is the second most powerful party in the BN coalition, today it is a shadow of its former glory.
Yet MCA will not recognise the fact, or take affirmative action to address the downward slide.
What is ailing the MCA?
Is it because of the PKFZ (Port Klang Freetrade Zone) scandal, that saw two of its top leaders being charged? Or has their power base been eroded by a dominant Umno?
Is it internal politics and the 'bitter bickering' that have weakened them? Is it the subtle poisoning of the DAP? Is it their choice of leaders?
Or the instant riches that comes with power that has diverted their focus on the Chinese plight?
Or are they busy struggling to hang on to their last bastion of power?
Or are they attempting to clutch at straws hoping for the winds of change?
Whatever it is, the Chinese in the country are up to their necks with the MCA sob story and many Chinese are disgusted at the very mention of the MCA.
Most of them think the MCA are run by a group of power brokers out to fleece the country at their expense!
Its grudging reluctance to speak out against the injustices faced by the Chinese, coupled with the childish finger pointing at the opposition for all their ailments has not convinced the Chinese of their relevance.
MCA stood by cowering in fear, unable to lift a finger to stop the meritocratic rot in scholarships or the highly-sought places in institutions of higher learning, the disappearing Chinese schools, Chinese temples, waning religious freedom, and equal rights as citizens under the law.
MCA's 'yes-man' politics
They preferred to side with the government, and a yes-man to the one-sided policies that benefited only the political elite. They too had a hand in amending the Federal Constitution numerous times.
Seeming contented that the majority Chinese were better of than the Malays or Indians; their contribution to the Chinese cause has grounded to a halt.
Today, the Chinese see MCA as an impotent coward, too afraid to offend its coalition partners, but still bent on riding the Chinese sympathy.
Even PPP president M.Kayveas had the courage to call for 'bumiputera' status to be extended to everyone, while MCA kept mum.
MIC's S Vel Paari too, has thrown caution to the wind to lambast the government for its failure to denounce the grave injustice towards racial unity.
The creeping rot affecting the Chinese cannot be ignored any longer, aggravated by the likes of radical NGO's like Perkasa.
Concerned Chinese wallow in despair at their basic human rights being trampled upon, and their inability to compete on a level playing field.
Closer to home, the difficulty and the red-tape involved for the non-Malays to obtain permits or licenses to operate their businesses, without resorting to under-counter measures has led to many Chinese being fed-up of the system.
The removal of ex-MCA president Ong Tee Keat and it's subsequent replacement with scandal tainted Dr Chua Soi Lek has put the Chinese in a state of shock and bewilderment.
Political pundits had commented that it could be the final nail on the MCA coffin.
Lame approach
Nearly five years has come and gone since the last general election in 2008.
One would have expected the MCA to regroup and re-strategise their options to win back the Chinese electorate. But the lame approach adopted by the MCA only served to distance the Chinese even more.
The absurd blame game with the DAP only showed how shallow MCA has become.
The only issue that they kept harping on was education and more Chinese schools, as if it's the only perennial problem the Chinese faces.
Yet not accepting the fact that after 54 years, it still remained an issue.
Lately, the premature disclosure of MCA's Chua Tee Yong, accusing Selangor of misusing RM100 million in the fictitious Talam bailout, which were later reduced to RM42 million, and subsequent reports noted that Selangor actually underpaid Talam by RM9.1 million, has made MCA the laughing stock of the nation.
Someone once remarked that it is akin to MCA's ailing fortunes with its members reduced from a million to a mere 42,000.
Not that the Chinese do not sympathise with the MCA plight, but MCA's lame politicking in trying to find fault with the opposition instead of quietly doing their jobs to protect Chinese rights from disintegrating are the main issues as to why the Chinese are so disillusioned with the party.
It is also not so much of the MCA president's sordid past, as Bill Clinton was also caught with his pants down, but his ridiculous actions to justify MCA's existence.
Is it his insistence that the Chinese owe MCA a living, or is it the repulsive way he speaks that is rattling the Chinese?
DAP's rise due to MCA
If the MCA had taken affirmative action in the last three decades to champion the Chinese cause, today DAP would have been a 'mosquito' party.
It was MCA's inaction that has turned the DAP into a political giant, as disgruntled Chinese turned to the DAP in droves for salvation.
If the MCA had put their foot down and insisted that the government reinstate the basic rights of every non-Malay citizen in line with the Federal Constitution, and their right to compete on an even platform, DAP wouldn't have stood a chance.
But sincerely why bother to fight for the rights of individual races, when the Pakatan Rakyat has espoused that it would fight for the rights of all Malaysians regardless of race or creed?
And with both father and son in the political limelight lately for all the wrong reasons, it is more than the Chinese can stomach.
What happened to the political greats like Liow Tiong Lai, Ng Yen Yen, and Wee Ka Siong?
MCA leaders should climb down from their pedestal in the sky, put the people first and clean up their messy house, before they can convince the Chinese that they are still relevant in the 21st century.
Condemning the DAP is not going to revive the fortunes of the MCA or make the Chinese more sympathetic towards their cause.
Incompetent MCA
But getting their legs (and brains) moving, combating corruption on both sides of the divide, voicing out at the alarming erosion of citizen rights and implementing reforms to restore the rights of non-Malays as legitimate and equal citizens of this country would move the Chinese to reconsider the MCA again.
Why run like a dog to try and destroy the reputation of opposition parties while lapping at every policy that BN makes, even though some of its policies are in clear contravention to the Federal Constitution?
While Umno – in their efforts to rally the Malays to unite – tries to portray Anwar Ibrahim as an LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,Transgender) and a traitor to the Malay cause, Mat Sabu as unpatriotic and Lim Guan Eng as a Chinese chauvinist selling out the country, MCA is sitting on the sidelines silently observing the ongoing drama, taking potshots every now and then.
Championing petty issues like uncompleted car parks, parking bays, hillside developments, unfair tenders, bail outs, sexual preferences and private affairs of politicians are not going to get the sympathy of the non-Malays.
Restoring and protecting equal rights to all citizens definitely will make an impact.
Time is running out and unless MCA gets its priorities right, the people will undoubtedly replace such in-competency in the coming general election!
A tour guide, trained pilot and naturalist, Iskandar Dzulkarnain has been writing a few years now and with his articles appearing in most of the E-media.


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I'm a mom of two who got into the books right after my first child was born. I have an addictive personality to fantasy and romance and just can't get enough of Harry Poter. I even drag my husband to the midnight showings and kick everyone I know's but at the new scean it Harry Potter.
Which HP Kid Are You?


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League Central: Round 21 – Broncos v Eels1:38
The Broncos are struggling in the post-Origin period and the Eels have nothing to lose. Could they claim another scalp? Matt Johns and James Hooper tell you if it's possible.
BRONCOS forward Matt Gillett expects coach Anthony Griffin to reshuffle the pack unless Brisbane's stars step up in the face of challenges from players battling away in the statewide Intrust Super Cup.
Gillett, who has pledged to be more assertive with the ball, said a number of Broncos fringe forwards had been doing the right thing every week, while the same could not be said for the NRL elite.
A loss to lowly Parramatta at Suncorp Stadium on Monday night could see the Broncos drop from fifth to six or seventh spot depending on other results, with Brisbane to face a tough road trip to Canberra tomorrow week.
"The only way to keep your spot (in the team) is to play good football and do what the coach asks of you," Gillett said.
"The boys aren't doing that and the boys back at Q Cup, who are pushing for spots, are working their bums off to get in the team. They're doing the right thing there and they'll probably get a run."
Gillett was playing ISC for Norths less than three years ago, but quickly rose from obscurity to win the 2010 NRL Rookie of the Year award and Queensland State of Origin honours this year.
Brendon Gibb, Mitchell Dodds, Dunamis Lui, Scott Anderson (all forwards), Lachlan Maranta, Luke Capewell and Aaron Whitchurch have spent much of the 2012 season in the ISC at Norths, Wynnum-Manly or Redcliffe. Dodds, Lui, Maranta, Capewell and Whitchurch have been named in the squad to play Parramatta, with Gibb 18th man.
Whitchurch is 103kg and squats heavier weights than any Bronco and has sensational pace.
Gillett has played five-eighth, centre and wing for Brisbane, as well as lock and second-row, and after representing Queensland this year, says he must take on more responsibility.
"I learned a lot of things in Origin camp," he said. "I'm happy to be back here with the boys and hopefully I can become more of a go to player and getting forward with the ball instead of just being a worker."
Gillett started the season in fine style, but admits his attempts at the controversial shoulder charge are something he looks back at with embarrassment.
"I finished on my backside a few times," he said. "The blokes I was trying to hit definitely played the next week. That's the thing about the shoulder charge. They can go either way. You could hurt them or hurt yourself doing it.
"I definitely don't want the shoulder charge banned, but Hook (Griffin) does not encourage us to use it. We're not out there to hurt players in that sort of way. But Hook wants aggression. You have to have that in your game."
There is only one ISC match this weekend with Wynnum-Manly playing Northern Pride at Kougari Oval tomorrow at 2pm.
Originally published as Broncos pack must lift or face axe


text: After watching good friend Matt Meola put together an Innersection winning edit to the tune of 100,000 dollars in 2011—Albee Layer was bound and determined to repeat the act. With a good mix of big wave charging, small wave ripping, and creative aerial prowess; Albee was able to do exactly that—bringing the much deserved title of Innersection victor back to Maui for the second year running. Now the question is: Can someone NOT from Maui win this thing in 2013?


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After breakfast, we spent some time kat the beach. It was so relaxing and peaceful (wpon dah start panas). Moga ada rezeki untuk datang jenjalan kat sini lagi.
Duduk like a boss enjoying the sun and breeze.
The kiddos pon sure missed all the big space they can run freely.
After checked out pegi we went to the Adventure Zone. It was part of the package so kids boleh main for 2 hours. But Qeeb wasn't really interested to play the slides because dia asik teringat ipad kat Cool Lounge. Play area are for Zafeer's age plak quite small and banyak budak.
If walked further from Adventure Zone, there's an Eco Centre - tempat main golf.
From Golden Sands Hotel we head to Bayan Lepas...my kampung! Jauh jugak rupanya from feringghi to there...nak dekat sejam perjalanan. Heavy constructions everywhere sampai i lost my bearing nak masuk simpang mana. Second round i got it right, phew! The last time i visited here i promised myself to take photos of the old buildings nearby. Hancur harapan, everything dah kene demolished :( We stayed at rumah macik Misah for a while. Even though we came uninformed, best betol biler kak Nani and Adik Mah datang sekelip mata from rumah masing2. Alhamdulillah dapat jumpe family blah Bapak after so long.
Sebelom2 tuh sempat gak menapau sket jeruk Pak Ali yang famous. Rupanya ada banyak outlet so snang ler nak beli. And i just found out the rate can be different for each location. But memang sedap especially makan sejuk2!
It's time to say goodbye to Penang.
Balik lalu Jambatan Kedua. Straight jer laluannyer dari kampung.
See you in KL rainbow! We reached KL past 9pm sebab singgah makan kat R&R and pickup helper. 2 jammmmm balik tuh Qeeb and Zafeer cannot sleep, restless abes budak dua orang tuh. Qeeb boleh lagik tolerate and distract bagi main handphone. But Zafeer struggle abes nak kluar from car seat but somehow we managed hehehe.
Also achievement unlocked for me for being able to change Zafeer (baju, sluar and diaper) in sitting mode inside the car. He struggled of course but jyeahhhh fresh clothes right after.


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Black Friday is here. Save 25% on all apparel, 20% on everything else. Use BLACKFRIDAY
My cats, George and Squishee.
Nikon D50001/60sec f5 ISO-125018-55mm @ 30mm
cats kitten cat kittens tabby tabbies amusing funny silly greyscale
Love this :>
Thank you! :D
Cute capture!
Thanks :)
Wow! Thanks so much! :D
LOL…fish breath…adorable capture :o)
Hehe, thank you :)
LOL A brilliant capture
:) Thank you
so fantastic!!
Thanks! :D
Great funny capture!
Thank you :) It certainly amused me when I took it! Hehe.
Thank you so much, Sheri! :D
that would be tuna breath! very cute.
Hehe, yes it would be! Thank you :)
Thank you! :)
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> Little League Online > Media > Little League News Archive > 2007 > International Tournament Tip of the Day – Tip 10
International Tournament Tip of the Day – Tip 10
Pitch Count: Designating a Pitch Counter
Each Tournament Director MUST designate an individual to keep the OFFICIAL count for the all tournament games at all levels of baseball. This person will track the pitches thrown per game for each pitcher who enters the game. We encourage this individual to update the managers of both teams as to the status of their pitchers throughout the game. Everyone, including the opposing manager, should strive to prevent a pitcher from exceeding the prescribed number of pitches.
However, this does not relieve each individual baseball tournament manager from his responsibility for keeping track of pitches thrown by his/her pitcher. The team manager must be aware of the number of pitches thrown, and is responsible for planning accordingly to eliminate the possibility of a protest. Overuse of a pitcher is basis for protest and may result in forfeiture by action of the Tournament Committee in Williamsport.
The complete rule is located on T-12, 13 of the 2007 Tournament Rules and Guidelines.
Next tip: Junior Field Distance
Archive of Tips


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Bently Reserve
- NNew Opportunity Lab to focus on policy for poverty, inequalitynews.berkeley.edu
- SThursday Six: World Gin Day is coming; Dad wants a pig roastsfweekly.com
- STell Lent to Go to Hell at a Super-Secret Masquerade Saturdaysfweekly.com
- California Brides, The Unveiled Bridal Event Is Coming To A City Near You!huffingtonpost.com
Frequent names
Newstral's extraction of names of people and organisations from the world's news is completely automated. If you do not want your name to appear here, please contact us. We will be happy to look at your request.


text: I have an actual game worn shoe signed by Mr. Cato himself. I received this shoe about 4 years ago when he was playing with the Orlando Magic and now it is just sitting around. I'm trying to find a collector that would be willing to take this off my hands and put it to some good use. I am a verified seller on ebay, paypal and other forums. Shoot me an offer to my email address pintobean11 @ yahoo . com and we can work something out.


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DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My boyfriend is forever scratching his head. He has very oily hair and skin. I bought him several shampoos for itching, but he says they don't work. I wonder if he uses them.
My sister works in a dermatologist's office, and she says my boyfriend has seborrheic dermatitis. She sees people with it all the time. Is it catching? What can be done for it? -- K.R.
ANSWER: "Seborrheic" means "oil flow," and "dermatitis" is "skin inflammation." It is, therefore, an overproduction of oil on inflamed skin, and it occurs in up to 5 percent of the population. It's not catching.
The process is partly due to a yeast dwelling on the skin. Dandruff is a mild form of seborrheic dermatitis. The scalp, eyebrows, eyelids, ear canals and the crease that runs from the sides of the nose to the sides of the lips are the places most targeted by it. It can be quite itchy.
Greasy, yellow scales on a red base are its hallmark features.
Your boyfriend has to engage in a daily fight with it if he wants to win the war. He should wash his hair daily with shampoos like Head and Shoulders, T-Gel or Selsun. If these products don't control the process, then shampoos like Nizoral or Loprox often will. They attack the yeast.
Cortisone lotions or ointments applied directly to the involved skin usually can control the inflammation and itch.
I don't want to call into question your sister's qualifications, but how about treating your boyfriend to a visit to her employer, the dermatologist, who can offer an expert opinion on your his dermatological demons? We might be working under a wrong premise.
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My doctor assures me that if I eat more fiber, I won't have such trouble with my hemorrhoids. I eat lots of fiber as it is. More is going to be weight on me. -- C.N.
ANSWER: Fiber is the indigestible part of food. None of it gets into your blood. It contributes no calories to your daily intake. It will not put any weight on you.
It does keep undigested food soft, so you avoid the irritation that hard stools place on hemorrhoids. Around 30 grams a day is the recommended amount.
The subjects of constipation and laxatives are covered in the booklet on those topics. Readers can order a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue -- No. 504, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Can. with the recipient's printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: A small, round lesion was found on my chest X-ray. I am 47 and have never smoked. My doctor is trying to locate old chest X-rays. He says that if there has been no change in the size, I'm home free. Does he mean that I don't have cancer if that's the case? Just what is a lesion? -- M.F.
ANSWER: "Lesion" is a favorite, overused medical word that's the equivalent of "suspicious thing" or "abnormal thing" in everyday speech. It's something that shouldn't be there, but its nature isn't known.
When a suspicious lesion or nodule is seen on a chest X-ray, the doctor has to weigh the evidence and decide to have the suspicious object removed, biopsied or watched. The implications of making a wrong decision are grave.
One consideration is former studies that show the same finding. If there has been no change in the appearance or size of the lesion, then the likelihood is that it is not cancer, but continued observations should continue for some more time.
If questions remain, a biopsy of the nodule is a definitive way to remove doubt about its nature.
* * *
Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.
(c) 2008 North America Syndicate Inc.
All Rights Reserved
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Yup. :-)
Great picture Pat! Sucks me right in (yes, ol' melancholy light...) . That and Gayle's wistful recollections had me sort of drifting off down the road. What else needs to said?
You're very welcome.
You bet! It looks exactly like the driveway leading out of my husband's now-dead parents' property. That was south of the Kittatinny Ridge (Blue Mountain) and closer to Philadelphia--totally different weather patterns and climate. Sorta brings back memories. Just off to the left, in the dark spot by the rut, you could always find little bits of broken glass probably from the 1920s. No matter how much you picked up, more would always surface with the next rain. Puddles never settled in the ruts 'cause they were stony enough... Thanks for posting. :-)
Redbud is one of the things I miss about not living in PA anymore. It was one of my favorites. And I'd love to be walking down that rutted road right now, wouldn't you? :-)
I'd give my eyeteeth to have flowering redbud blooming in the woods around here. Beautiful puzzle with some wishful thinking thrown in. Thanks!
You're very welcome. ProfesoradeCanto!
Beautiful picture. Thanks!


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Chapel Services are held downstairs in the Social Hall.
Upcoming Events
Chapel Service: Small Change is Big Change - November 26
Chapel Services are held downstairs in the Social Hall.
The Sacred Pause - Meditation - November 26
Monthly meditation session. Take some time to relax and let your mind be at peace.
Exploring Unitarian Universalism - December 3
This series is based on a Tapestry of Faith curriculum of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
A Candlelight Christmas - December 17
Join us for A Candlelight Christmas on Sunday, Dec. 17 at 3pm, a holiday celebration for all ages and appetites, featuring Joseph Holmes & the NE Tenors.
About Our Church
We gather in faith to
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Wakefield is a gathering place for some of the most interesting, most alive, most caring people in town. We have no creed and impose no belief test, welcoming people of any theological persuasion, occupation, ethnicity, and lifestyle.
Surveys of our congregation show us to be quite theologically diverse, leaning strongly to neither Humanism nor Christianity, but open to and respectful of a variety of spiritual ideas and interpretations. Many of us are active in civic activities and nonprofit organizations based both in Wakefield and beyond.
We are the #1 reliable online drug store offering essential medications at the lowest prices ever. Since our beginning our mission was to provide customers with excellent service, the lowest prices and the safest FDA approved medications. We are proud to be able to offer the lowest prices for the cheap medications on the online pharmaceutical market and to protect our customers from any risk of purchasing of a fake or counterfeited drug. We offer only exceptional quality drugs avoiding generics and low quality alternatives. We also strive to offer the lowest prices for the essential medications which you need to take for the rest of your life to improve the quality of your everyday life and to reduce any risks for your life.
Ongoing Activities
Services every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM We welcome you to join us for Sunday morning services
Meditation - The Sacred Pause every 4th Sunday at 4:00PM in the social hall
The Rise Up Singing Group meets the 3rd Friday of each month at 7:30 PM in our Social Hall
For more information about Meditation and Singing events,call 781-245-4632 or email Joe Cresta, President, firstname.lastname@example.com
Summer Inspirational Walks begin Sunday, June 19th; we meet 9:00am at the Northeast Vocational School (Wakefield entrance).


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Author Kelvin E. Fossett
Los Angeles resident Kelvin E. Fossett will showcase his new book, "Off to a Bad Start," at the 6th Annual Taste of Soul Festival on Saturday, October 15, on Crenshaw Boulevard.
The semi-autobiographical narrative reveals his life in the inner city during the 1960s and 70s. A product of Gary, Indiana, Fossett experienced several close calls, near misses, and almost killed as he traversed the dangerous streets on his way to adulthood.
Yet Fossett, by no means totally innocent, survived his teenage years and became a productive member of society, thanks to his praying mother who instilled strong values in him. Realizing his blessings, he compiled his recollections into a book aimed at illustrating success is possible despite being "Off to Bad Start."
"My first goal in writing "Off to a Bad Start" was to attract the non-reader with a short, colorful, fast-paced, story with a message. Second, I want to engage young African American males who believe their only option is to gang bang or be a criminal. Thirdly, I wanted to educate people about Gary, especially those who think it's all bad, which it is definitely not," said Fossett.
"Gary is overwhelmingly positive and many great individuals have emerged from that city. But, there's no denying that the section of town I grew up in and the people I choose to hang with made my daily life quite risky, although interesting, too," he said.
The book, which covers his junior and senior high school years, chronicles the challenges any young man raised in an urban environment may face. Street gangs, shootings, and other forms of violence are vividly illustrated as well as the influence of several positive role models.
"I believe readers will not only enjoy this book, but will learn valuable lessons they can share with others who feel their situation is hopeless. I am a living witness that you can make it even if you are off to a bad start," said Fossett.
For more information, visit www.kelvinefossett.com.


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An update on the hearings.Florida Citizens for Science intones You made an impression. Congratulations! The hearings seem to have gone well, and the violation of the constitutional rights by christian fundamentalists of public school children of Florida may have been averted.From tampabay.com:
A committee of teachers, scientists and others worked for months to update the current standards, which were written in 1996 and do not mention the word "evolution." Its revamp has won solid reviews from teachers and scientists. But some conservative Christians object, saying the standards should also include faith-based theories such as creationism or intelligent design, and/or air what they insist are evolution's flaws, faults and weaknesses."In my life time, I've never seen an ape turned into a human. I've never seen us come from slime," said Ruth Klingman, who identified herself on the sign-in sheet as a former educator."I don't think evolution should be taught in school as dogmatic fact," agreed Gary Tupper. "I wish people had priorities like putting Christ first."
But in the end, the number of commenters in favor of having excellent science standards outweighed the number opposed, according to reports.From the Florida Citizens for Science:
Regardless of where this winds up, Florida Citizens for Science thanks you all for showing up and making your voices heard in support of quality science education. Don't stop, though! We have to keep this up all the way through to the state board of education meeting Feb. 19. Never lose sight of the fact that at least two board members have publicly expressed their desire to see some "alternatives" taught alongside evolution. Beside them, there are too many other unknowns. For instance, this Associated Press article mentions the board chairman:
Board chairman T. Willard Fair, who heads the Urban League of Greater Miami, said he's never received more correspondence on a single issue, but he declined to discuss his views.


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Natural history of prostate cancer in a large cohort of untreated patients in the United Kingdom
Presenter: M.W. Kattan
Presenter's Affiliation: Transatlantic Prostate Group
Type of Session: Scientific
- The natural history of untreated prostate cancer is not well understood
- This is especially true, as no studies have addressed this in the PSA era. Also, studies lack centralized review of pathology to determine Gleason score, adequate sample size, or long term follow up
- This study followed a cohort of localized prostate cancer during the PSA era to determine patterns of failure
- A cohort of patients was derived from cancer registries from six different regions in Great Britain
- After registration, data was obtained from hospitals
- The cohort of patients were diagnosed from 1990-1996, were all <76 years old, had a baseline PSA and which was require to be <100, and no surgery or radiation within 6 months of diagnosis, which they used to define as watchful waiting
- Out of 36,201 potential patients, only a total of 1680 patients met all criteria, including having available records, baseline PSAs, without hormonal treatment, etc.
- All had a central review of the pathology to obtain the Gleason scores
- Endpoints were treatment, progression, and death
- Median follow up was 89 months
- Over half of the patients were diagnosed by TURP
- 215 patients develped metastatic disease and 509 patients had required hormones because of progression
- 300 died of other events before they developed metastatic disease, required hormones, or died of prostate cancer
- In total, just over 30% died of prostate cancer and just over 30% died of other causes
- In patients who did not die in 12 years from other causes, over 90% either developed metastatic disease, required hormones or other therapy, or died of prostate cancer
- In a nomogram created by the authors based on the data, Gleason score was by far the most important predictor for progression of disease
- This is the first prospective study in the PSA era that has been done following untreated prostate cancer patients
- Clinically localized prostate cancer managed conservatively have a high rate of progression or secondary treatment in their lifetime
Clinical/Scientific Implications
This study has determined that many patients with prostate cancer will eventually be affected by their disease. A couple of points should be noted that make the patient population different from that seen currently in the United States. First, PSA screening was not widespread in Great Britain until the early to mid 1990s, so many of the patients may not have been detected by PSA screening alone. Also, the majority of these patients were identified by TURP, which means they are lower stage if T1a or T1b, but higher stage if they were having symptoms that initiated the TURP. Also, there was the question as to whether or not 6 months is a good time to follow patients without treatment. Many patients simply take that long to make a decision as to whether to be treated or not, without specifically choosing watchful waiting. What can be derived from this and other data is that patients with a lifespan less than five years do not necessarily need treatment, and mortality estimates can be made from nomograms such as these, taking into account PSA, T stage, and above all, Gleason score.


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City seeking input on park near University City Mall
Thu., April 18, 2013
Meeting planned Monday on Balfour
The collaboration between Spokane Valley and the Spokane County Library District to create a new library and expand a park across from the old University City Mall is going strong, Parks and Recreation Director Mike Stone told the City Council on Tuesday.
A steering committee has been created with representatives of the district, the city and the community. A public meeting is planned for 6 p.m. Monday at the Spokane Valley Library, 10024 E. Main Ave., to hear from people what they'd like to see in the park. Stone said he has mailed postcards announcing the meeting to residents living between Argonne and Pines roads, north of 16th Avenue and south of Mission Avenue.
"We're starting to get emails and phone calls with specific ideas and specific concerns," he said. "Obviously this is going to heavily impact that area and we want to hear from people who live and work in that area."
More public meetings are planned May 20 and Sept. 12 to refine the plan to expand Balfour Park. A design should be ready by Nov. 1, Stone said. "This is really a once in a lifetime opportunity for our community to put something like this together."
Councilman Dean Grafos questioned why the postcards were sent to a limited number of households since the project will benefit the entire city. "I personally think the mailing should go out to more people," he said.
Stone said it's simply too expensive to do a mass mailing to every city resident and the city has never done that before, no matter what kind of project it was. The meeting has been well publicized by the city and the library district, he said.
In other business, the council unanimously approved a contract to create a final design for a decant facility. The facility will allow the city to process waste vacuumed from the city's drywells and remove the water before hauling what is left to the dump. Currently, wood chips are added to each load of waste to soak up water. It then sits overnight before being hauled away. Having the facility will allow the city to clean more drywells each day.
The facility will be built on land owned by the Washington State Department of Transportation on the north side of Interstate 90 near the Pines on-ramp. Public Works Director Eric Guth said some changes were made to the proposal to cut costs, including reducing the number of bays from 10 to eight. "We had to scale back the project somewhat," he said. "We feel we have a good project in the end."
Another item removed from the proposed facility was an enclosed winter decant building; the foundation for the building will be built now so it can be added later if funding allows, Guth said.


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- The VICTORY NUTRITION Policies and Procedures, and the VICTORY NUTRITION Compensation Plan are incorporated by reference into the terms and conditions of this agreement in their current form and as amended by VICTORY NUTRITION at its sole discretion. As used throughout this document, the term "Agreement' refers to this Representative Application and Agreement, the Policies and Procedures, and the Compensation Plan.
- I understand and agree that the Company may make modifications to the Agreement at its sole discretion and that all such changes shall be binding upon me. All changes to the Agreement shall become effective upon publication in official Company literature. The continuation of my business or my acceptance of bonuses or commissions shall constitute my acceptance of all amendments.
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- I shall be subject to disciplinary sanctions as specified in the Policies and Procedures at the Company's discretion for the violation or breach of any term or provision of the Agreement. Upon the voluntary or involuntary cancellation of this Agreement, I shall lose, and expressly waive, any and all rights, including property rights, to my previous downline organization and to any bonus, commission, or other compensation arising from the sales generated by my prior downline organization or myself.
- I agree to indemnify and hold The Company harmless from any and all claims, damages, and expenses, including attorney's fees, arising out of my actions or conduct, and that of my employees and agents in violation of this Agreement
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- If your credit card does not clear on the day withdrawals are made, you will not receive AutoShip products. It is then up to you to place an order by the end of the month to receive order credit to qualify for any bonuses or commissions; VICTORY NUTRITION is not responsible for notification.
- Draft date for the AutoShip is any business day of the month you choose (prior to and including the 25th of the month). Declined credit cards will be re-attempted twice.
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- AutoShip orders will be processed on any business day of the month that is chosen by the Representative up to and including the 25th of the month. (Autoship orders scheduled to ship on a weekend will be shipped the next business day)
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- Choosing an AutoShip package is easy: Fill out the Auto Ship order form, choose from pre-selected packages or customize your AutoShip. Return the order form with your application..


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October 8, 2013
JUNIOR Anna miller with a group of fellow AFS students during the organization's month-long summer study program in southern Spain. Photo provided by Anna Miller
Stories this photo appears in:
Student travels to Spain for language program
Anna Miller, junior at The Dalles Wahtonka High School, spent the month of July in southern Spain this year with over 60 other students from all over the world.
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